Song poems, music arranged and composed by the master himself. Its easy to take song writing, melody/composition for granted, especially college radio types who like to smash the mold and push the boundaries. But when it comes down to it, those like Bacharach, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, the Carpenters really knew their stuff. But nothing like Rodd Kieth. This CD is a compilation of a ton of terrible song poems that Keith effortlessly put music to, sometimes composed “on the backs of napkins”, sometimes 25 or more per day. The complexity of the melodies, the refrains and choruses, key changes, the harmonies and string and horn arrangements are mind boggeling. All so that he and a couple others working in a garage in Hollywood in the late 60’s could bring home a little check that day to add to what they might earn that night playing “real” gigs. At first listen this stuff is atrocious, just terrible, lifts directly from scratchy shitty 45s. But if you get past the horrible “send us your lyrics” song poetry and listen to the music its every bit as good as anything Brian Wilson or Rogers and Hammerstien could have ever put together (or certainly the plethora of television theme writers of the day). Crazy crazy stuff. Great liner notes too.


1) “the waitress with the pretty face”, epic 60’s pop, so bad its fascinating
2) fat elvis soulful feel, soulful feel
3) monkees go go boots feel, with girl backups
4) folkie feel, head nodding happy
5) romantic feel, dense harmonies and complex composition
6) multi-parted 60’s feel, epic romantic psyche feel
7) high quality 60’s funk
8) cool dark minor melody with killer wah wah guitar licks and hall reverb
9) “LSD is not for me”, oh man such ironic lyrics as Keith really pickled himself
10) god, cheesy as fuck, male and female, a 60’s Vegas feel
11) silly go go dance feel
12) cheesy Limelighters folky feel, but my god, what a melody and delivery!
13) silly pop, cool drums
14) soulful blues, lyrics are bad but the organ gets dischordant and the vocals offkey, gets really strange then fades out
15) pleasant organ and 60’s pop, but the lyrics are horrifyingly great
16) western Spanish mournful, “lost vein of love” lost to “a guy named jim”…oh dear…Marty Robbins is cracking up
17) minor toned with lots of girl backup vocs and fun organ
18) “get on my Honda, Rhonda”, some rip roaring funk worthy of a TV show theme, bad ass!
19) such unoriginal lyrics to such cool music
20) a romantic masterpiece, worthy of the best, if not for the lyrics
21) triplet feel, kinda nice, especially the saucey saxaphone
22) cheesy 60’s go go, says “groovy”, rhymes Gloria with Victoria, ugh
23) romantic “surfer girl” Beach Boys better than the Beach Boys, except for the lyrics, oh well…
24) my god, poor Rodd Keith, this must have been the last straw, such good music, such retarded lyrics
25) a fun saxaphone driven swagger backbeat, saucey
26) gospel feel, bad song about flying a ship to heaven, death theme gets wacky at end