McKenna Mendelson Mainline (Canada) Stink LP 1969 original press EXCELLENT VINYL

$

28

McKenna Mendelson Mainline

Stink

Liberty Records LBS83251 1969 12" 33rpm (Canada)

McKenna Mendelson Mainline is a seminal Canadian blues band, working the same English club circuit as the then up and coming bands Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin. In the spring of 1969, the band was signed to Liberty Records (United Artists).

Much of McKenna Mendelson Mainline's uniqueness stemmed from the originality of their approach to the blues genre. In the summer of 1968, in May, Toronto, Canada blues guitarist Mike McKenna (born April 15, 1946 in Toronto), formerly of Luke & The Apostles, placed an ad in The Toronto Star seeking musicians for a new project. In replying to the ad, acoustic blues artist Joe Mendelson (born July 30, 1944 in Toronto) suggested to McKenna that the idea of searching for blues musicians through the want ad milieu was an exercise in naïveté. Nevertheless, the two worked well creatively and the basis of McKenna Mendelson Mainline's dynasty was formed.

Former The Paupers bassist Denny Gerrard (born February 27, 1948 in Scarborough, Ontario) was invited to join, and The Spassicks' Tony Nolasco (born July 9, 1950 in Sudbury, Ontario) completed the quartet on drums. The band debuted at the Night Owl club in Toronto's Yorkville Village from August 5–10 and the following month recorded demos which later became the basis of a bootleg album, McKenna Mendelson Blues. Gerrard left the band in early October (immediately after a show at Massey Hall supporting The Fugs) because of artistic differences and was replaced by Mike Harrison (born November 1, 1948 in Brampton, Ontario), bassist from popular Canadian R&B band Grant Smith & The Power. What came to be known as "the original line up" was now in place.

In November 1968, MMM opened for The Jeff Beck Group at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, USA, and garnered several standing ovations. The die was cast.

In December 1968, MMM reversed the trend of English bands coming to North America, and proceeded to England to gig and hopefully to pursue a major record deal. The band hit the stage almost immediately, their first show being at the Utrecht Pop Festival on December 27/28, 1968, filling a prime timeslot just vacated by Jimi Hendrix and his duo (Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell). MMM started soon thereafter gigging on an English club circuit which included such notables as The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Family (band), The Keef Hartley Band, Gun, and the newly formed Led Zeppelin.

After several false starts, they signed with Liberty/United Artists in the spring of 1969, and in April recorded their best-selling album Stink.

Homesickness, dissension in the ranks, and the vagaries of youth facilitated a return to Canada in June 1969. Shortly after the July release of Stink, Allied Records released the demos recorded in September 1968 as McKenna Mendelson Blues. MMM thus became Canada's first "major label" act to be the victim of a bootlegged album. However, while in Europe and England selections from the Stink album appeared on various blues samplers and compilations, notably Liberty's Gutbucket (1969), subtitled 'An Underworld Eruption', and Son of Gutbucket (1969). Following the success of Stink, MMM / Mainline had three subsequent releases of note - "Our Home and Native Land", "The Mainline Bump and Grind Review - Live at the Victory" (a well known, somewhat risqué Toronto burlesque theatre), and "No Substitutes". Following the release of "No Substitutes", Mainline disbanded and McKenna and Mendelson never played together again.

Tracklist
A1  One Way Ticket  2:40
A2  She's Alright  3:35
A3  Beltmaker  3:35
A4  Mainline  6:40
A5  Think I'm Losing My Marbles  2:30
A6  Drive You  2:20
B1  T.B. Blues  2:05
B2  Better Watch Out  4:30
B3  Bad Women  12:20
B4  Don't Give Me No Goose For Christmas Grandma  2:30

    Distributed By – London Records

    Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Piano, Vocals – Joe Mendelson
    Arranged By – McKenna Mendelson Mainline
    Artwork By [Sleeve Design] – Joe Mendelson, Mike Hasted
    Bass – Mike Harrison
    Drums, Percussion – Tony Nolasco
    Guitar – Mike McKenna
    Photography – Brian Bates, David Lightowler, Mike Hasted
    Written-By – Joe Mendelson

Original Canadian pressing. Black and multicolor liberty label.

Condition:  LP is EXCELLENT in a paper inner sleeve in a gatefold picture sleeve in GOOD condition (ring wear). 

A Note About Shipping To The U.S.
We are located in Canada, but have registered ourselves on eBay.com instead of eBay.ca because it gives us significantly better global exposure.  The problem with this is that eBay wants us to charge shipping appropriate to US, where media mail and other options make for fairly reasonable delivery costs. We tried it for a while but ended up losing money on shipping or having to cancel the orders because we couldn't afford to ship for those rates. To manage this we have set the US shipping to run a calculator based on an American location (we chose Plattsburgh as fairly close) and charging according to UPS pricing.  This avoids the cancellation issue, but appears to the buyer to be a prohibitive shipping cost and misrepresents the shipping as being only expedited. If you give us your postal code we will see if we can offer a more reasonable option, but generally we can get a single LP by air to most places in the continental US for $11, a few bucks less for ground.
Thanks for shopping Sir Helmitt,
Jeff Green, e-sales