Anyone who knows me knows that I like weird music. And though I state this over and over, I’d like it to be known that it’s not that I ironically like it. I actually like it. Not necessarily “the weirder the better,” of course, but weird is good. And even better than weird is weird and unknown.

That’s where Norton Records comes in.

I hadn’t heard of them. Not even a little. Sarah had me pricing “Surfin’ Bird” 7″s on Ebay (here is an example of where I’m not really into it even though it’s weird). In the list, I came across a 7″ by Wade Curtiss called “Puddy Cat.” It seemed to be a response to the wildly popular “Surfin’ Bird” released a short time before. It claimed “The bird is NOT the word.”

What was the word? Well, I had to find the song to find out. I searched and searched and that is how I discovered Norton Records, who released the 7″. Turns out Norton isn’t a fly-by-night label. They’ve been around for some twenty odd years.

They were started by a husband and wife team from New York. She was the ex-drummer for the Cramps, he was … well, I don’t really know. But they met, fell in love and in 1986 discovered West (by God) Virginia guitarist Hasil Adkins. They realized that all of his stuff was out of print or unreleased and they took it upon themselves to release it.

Since they were in the record making business, they pushed on, releasing other lost, weird and out of print records, mostly by artists you’ve never heard of. They focus on 1960’s proto-punk (garage bands, etc), mostly. But they also dip into R&B and lounge.

And then I heard “Puddy Cat” by Wade Curtiss. It is… weird. I think I like it, but I’m not totally sure.

Check it out for yourself:

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And while I’m at it, check out Hasil Adkins:

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There is also a Norton North West, which focuses on 1960’s garage rock from Seattle. Mostly this seems to be a band called The Sonics, which I can’t wait to hear.

So what I did was I downloaded a three disc sampler called I Hate CDs. I haven’t listened to it just yet, but will soon.

Basically, I’ve already decided that I adore Norton Records. While it’s true that I might not actually enjoy any of the music, there’s so much there that I’m sure I’ll find something. I’ll keep you updated.

One thing I did come across was a 7″ of 1975 Ramones. It’s an early take on “I Want to Be Your Boyfriend.” I’m sort of a closeted Ramones fan from way back when. Know what? It’s not bad. Check it out:

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Those are the only three songs I’ve listened to so far. Tomorrow I’ll tackle the rest of I Hate CDs and we’ll see what I find.

www.nortonrecords.com