Record Shop Report - Catapult Records and Toys

Catapult Records and Toys
Location: 40J West Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake IL, 60014
Website: http://www.catapultcollectibles.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 12:00 - 7:00, Sat. - Sun. 12:00 - 5:00

***UPDATE: Catapult Records recently has closed their doors for good. This is a huge shame as he was one of the few who priced records to actually move records.***

What is on offer: Anything from your childhood that you may have once had a strong emotional connection to and would love to have back in your life again. That would be mostly toys, records, books, and other things of the sort.

Prices: Possibly one of the most fair shops you will walk into. You can easily walk into the store with $10 and leave with a few items. There are a few items priced to reflect the low to mid-price on Discogs, but for the most part the prices are where they were before the vinyl explosion.

So, honestly, how is the place? At this point in time Catapult is not aimed at the vinyl collector only. The stores main purpose is toys and collectibles, vinyl just happens to be a part of that. However, as time is rolling by it seems that the owner is realizing vinyl will be a major part of his future. A few months ago the store changed its name from Catapult Collectibles to Catapult Records and Toys. The store also saw an upgrade in the bins that hold the records.

With all that being said, Catapult is the type of store one will walk into not expecting the world, but will leave very happy. I've been there a handful of times and have had "Holy crap!" moments each time. These moments have been for either being surprised by the merchandise on offer, or just because of the prices. It was at this store I bought a copy of Slade's In Flame, the UK release, and only paid $6 for it, which is a fine price. Especially considering the dang thing is in mint condition.

This brings us to the other fine side about Catapult. Either the people that bring him their records are very careful with their records, or he is one of the buyers who will only take stuff in good condition.

What did I leave with? This was a crazy little stop. It started out as a case of my grabbing one record just to help by buying something (Jo Jo Gunne). But then I saw a mint condition of a record I have in my collection, but this was a mint copy, so it was a must have (Starcastle). Then I decided "what the heck" on a dollar record (Ambrosia). So I had a few on me at the time of check out.

When I got to the counter the owner told me he had another Starcastle in a box that had come in, so he showed it to me. Now, that one I had a better copy of already. But then he told me to go ahead and dig through the box and see if there was anything that interested me in the box. Now, what kind of person would I be to turn away from such an offer? Possibly a good parent, since my son was sitting in the car waiting for me and he would later claim to have been freezing. But, sometimes records win out over my parenting skills. So a digging I went! But lets be honest, he is 14, he could have walked into the store if he was that cold.

Digging through that box was a golden moment for yours truly. As I flipped those covers I came across two bands that drew my attention. One was a band called Teaze and the other Teazer. Yes, two separate bands, both very similar names. I grabbed the Teaze album as everything about it matched my collecting. Obscure 70s Glam act. The price was right, $3.00, so I grabbed it and added it to my pile.

After I left I did a quick research on the Teazer album. As it turns out that thing is quite a tough one to find, and it is worth a decent amount. So, I went back to see what the asking price would be. The owner of Catapult told me it was also $3. I told him it was worth considerable more than that and told him I would give him $10 at that time. He said "no, I said $3.00, so that is what I will charge you."

Starcastle - Citadel $5.00
Jo Jo Gunne - Bite Down Hard $4.00
Teaze - On the Loose $3.00
Teazer - Hard as a Rock $3.00
Ambrosia - Somewhere I've Never Traveled $1.00

There you have Catapult in a nutshell. The store has some great stuff, and the harder to find stuff will wander through. For the most part you will mostly find the usual suspects, but the rare oddity is hiding in there. To make it better, the owner is a straight-up guy who is out to make a living, but not get rich off of people. I can't say it is a destination record shop (yet), but if it is in your area it is definitely a shop you need to frequent. If you are on the road doing record runs, it is also one that should be on your list of stops. Heck, you might also find a killer action figure to add to your shelves!

Photo of Catapult store front taken by Zach Isonhart while he was outside the store freezing.

The Hounds - Unleashed

The Hounds - Unleashed
Released 1978 on Columbia 35085
Promo copy with all the accoutrements

Since returning to collecting vinyl, and my niche of the unknown and forgotten bands, this one release stands head and shoulders above almost all others. This album is not just a cool novelty for me, this is a start to finish solid album that stands the test of time and is, without any question, a forgotten masterpiece. It should sit alongside Glam classics released by Bowie and Mott. Yes, it is cut from the same cloth and obviously is heavily inspired by both of those bands, but it is its own creature.

The Hounds hail from the Chicago area, so it might not be too shocking that the music now will possibly be compared to Cheap Trick. But as this is from 1978 it is awful hard to say they are copying them. More than likely we are hearing the Midwest sound from the mid - late 70s. Granted, Trick had released three albums by the time this came out, but their first one came a year earlier. Some influence? Possibly, but I am betting the location had a greater impact.

The best way to describe through a comparison is basically that they are a mix of every band that gets the "Glam" label from the 70s. Is there Bowie and Mott? Yes, especially on the second track "Where the Boppers Turn to Rockers," which is kind of their own "All The Young Dudes." But one also find Cheap Trick, Sweet ("Bad Blood Between Us"), Slade, Aerosmith ("Portrait of a Dead Man" is straight-up a 'Smith tune musically) and almost everybody else.

But what Hounds do wonderfully is that they create their own sound. They take these sounds and create a fresh creature in having a pretty unique songwriting style. There is no predicting where the songs will go. Yes, we know a chorus is coming, but that chorus not sound like you are thinking it will. Partially due to to John Hunter's completely original singing style. The man is all attitude and theatrics. He adds a new dimension to every single word and almost seems to refuse to sing any line identical to the another. The ultimate in expression.

While the Hounds might not be completely forgotten, if they are remembered at all it is mostly for their second album, Puttin' on the Dog (Columbia, 1979), with the slightly risque cover of a scantily clad woman in a disheveled bedroom, where one can spy the shadow of a dogman creature who is more than happy to see the lady. But these two albums are drastically different creatures. Puttin' on the Dog is a stab at being Power Pop that never rocks too hard.

Unleashed, however, is full on R-O-C-K. Right down to the band photos we can see a difference in the direction. While they definitely have an image at the time, Puttin' on the Dog shows us a Pop outfit. Unleashed shows us a band decked in leather jackets and walking that fine line of Glam and Hard Rock.

So, what happened to Hounds? Why are albums one and two fairly different creatures? Unleashed consisted of a line-up of John Hunter (vocals, keyboards), Jim Orkis (guitars), John Hovarth (drums), Glenn Rupp (guitars and backing vocals), and Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals). Most of the songs were written by Hunter and Orkis. Puttin' on the Dog consisted of John Hunter (vocals and keyboards), Glenn Rupp (guitars and vocals), Don Griffin (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals) and Michael Neff (drums). This time all songs (aside from the covers) are written just by Hunter.

If I was to use my fancy detective skills I would have to guess that there was a control issue at play. Reading the inner promotional material for the first album it is only Hunter that does all of the talking. But listening to the album there is no doubt that Orkis and Hovarth played serious roles. While Orkis wrote a lot of the music, leading one to believe much of the band is his vision as well as Hunter's. The drumming on the album also stands out as a definite high point.

With the style change between the two albums I would have to guess that Orkis and Hovarth wanted to stick to the harder edged style. This is also a guess due to it being those two guys who are dressed the most "ROCK" in the pictures. Heck, one of them could easily be placed in the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and nobody would bat an eye.

I can't recommend this album highly enough, especially if you have a soft spot for 70s Glam and Hard Rock. The only weak spot on the album are the lyrics. "Angeline Tangerine" is possibly my favorite song on the album, but the lyrics are easily the worst batch of combined words I have heard in a long time, even including the 70s predilection for statutory rape in song lyrics. But other than those spots, this is a fantastic album that truly does deserve the moniker of a forgotten or overlooked classic. I have not seen many copies of it, but the store I bought it from had three copies, so they are out there. Granted, I live in their home turf of the Chicago area, so copies were more prevalent here I would guess. But keep an eye open and buy this one of you see it in your shops.