records from
handsome productions

Buying Records
from Handsome Productions

Prices

Laughner's stuff is all $12 each. derica's stuff is available here for PAY DOWNLOAD and also for direct order from CDBaby. Backdoor Men cds are $10. All prices include shipping & handling. The only exception is international shipping -- see the section below about orders outside the U.S.

Payment & Shipping

We use and really like and trust PayPal. You don't have to, but we highly recommend it. If you refuse, you can send us an email and we'll work something out, but we've found it to be very reliable and actually a form of insurance for both buyer and seller. For shipping, we use plain old U.S. Mail. Sometimes we're a little slow due to computer crashes, day jobs and the like, but we're 100 percent reliable. And we'll always let you know what's going on if something does happen. 

Note: We're just as disorganized as anybody, plus we have real jobs (or school) too. However, we never fail to ship and we never screw anyone. Do, however, give us four weeks or so to get orders burned, packed & shipped.

Quality

We carefully burn each cd on high-quality CD-R discs, on an order-by-order basis, and ship with a cover. Some records, like Mohawk Combover by the Backdoor Men and some of the stuff by Derek DePrator, are honest-to-god studio recording in high-quality packaging. The Peter Laughner discs are our burns, from original tapes, done as well as they can be done & limited only by the quality of the source material.

Outside USA/Canada?

We will email you back when we get to your order and work with you to figure out the postage amount that you owe us, but all prices are postpaid on this continent now to also include insurance and tracking.

An important note: We will NOT sell
bootleg versions of anything that is commercially available.

THE RECORDS:
NOTE: Yellow highlights on track listing indicate sound samples.

The Backdoor Men

Take Me Away Cultural Insanity Not Fed Up With You Yet Bus Station Gyration I'm So Fucked Up Fuck the French Hallelujah I'm A Goofball Bum Pure Heart Oklahoma Jack It's So Strong Knockin' Em Down Everything Is Killing Me Well of Rage Shit Outta Luck Go Home Party Boy End of the Line Eve of Destruction

Mohawk Combover From the good folks at CREEM Magazine: Tired of new bands who only know how to slavishly ape the Stooges and the Velvets? Then this long-awaited new 40th anniversary album by Cleveland’s legendary Backdoor Men is for you because Mohawk Combover takes its retrofitted satirical musical cues from the likes of Alice Cooper (“Take Me Away”), the Stranglers (“Not Fed Up With You Yet”) and even the Dictators (“Bus Station Gyration”). Even better, they have the respectfully acute sense of history to cover a song written by one of their legendary old pals, the late Peter Laughner. Not only does Laughner’s “I’m So Fucked Up” get the full Huey Lewis And The News treatment, he also gets a dedicatory nod for being one of the founding fathers of Cleveland rock—a scene Laughner helped create in his spare time when he wasn’t busy writing record reviews for CREEM. And if you’re not sure what inspirational two-tub lyrics like “San Francisco, cans of Crisco” mean, don’t worry because the little girls understand and they’re all going down under the thunder of the Backdoor Men. —Handsome Jeff Morgatoba CREEM, June 2004 READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

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derica

why the SNOCAP page is down: SNOCAP is a ripoff, if they owe you money at this time, i don't think you're going to get it. they just deleted the HANDSOME PRODUCTIONS SNOCAP with no reason behind it and they won't reply to any of my emails and they owe me 50 dollars which i don't think i'm going to recieve. usually if somebody's giving you that big of a deal where they're just gonna sell your music and not charge you anything, it's too good to be true. plus SNOCAP's run by the guy that ran the original NAPSTER, Shawn Fanning, i'm sure he knows ALL about ripping off musicians by now.
derica

derica

Peter Laughner

why the SNOCAP page is down: SNOCAP is a ripoff, if they owe you money at this time, i don't think you're going to get it. they just deleted the HANDSOME PRODUCTIONS SNOCAP with no reason behind it and they won't reply to any of my emails and they owe me 50 dollars which i don't think i'm going to recieve. usually if somebody's giving you that big of a deal where they're just gonna sell your music and not charge you anything, it's too good to be true. plus SNOCAP's run by the guy that ran the original NAPSTER, Shawn Fanning, i'm sure he knows ALL about ripping off musicians by now.

Prove It Dear Richard Calvary Cross Billy/Knockin' On Heaven's Door Somethin' Else Hideaway Fire Engine It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry Old Song Resung/Dwarf's Reel Hey Joe (Don't) Take Your Love Away The Players: Sue Schmidt: Guitar, Violin, Vocals Peter Laughner: Guitar, Vocals Debbie Smith: Bass Anton Fier: Drums The Credits: Recorded by unknown at the original Pirates Cove on November 2, 1976	Hideaway Friction Liner Notes This is Friction's whole set (minus a cover of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso" which was in the set but apparently not recorded) at the Pirate's Cove in Cleveland, Ohio on November 2, 1976. Oddly enough, opening for Pere Ubu after the band had been broken up then reformed without Peter. Sue and Deb had previously played with Laughner in previous groups of his including Cinderella Backstreet/Revenge. This would prove to be the tightest of Laughner's musical units, fueled by the precision drumming Anton Fier. Sue and Deb formed a group in the 80's called Chi Pig which lasted a few years then the two women retired from the music business.
The Old Tiptoe Dames are All Alike The Alcohol of Fame French Motel All Night Long Again The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Broken Wings The Players: Terry Hartman: Guitar, lead & backing vocals Peter Laughner: Guitar, lead & backing vocals Charlotte Pressler: Drums & assorted percussion Dale Crockett: Bass The Credits: Recorded by Terry Hartman & Peter Laughner at Laughner's Bay Village home, circa 1970.  CD produced by Paul Nickels. Copyright 2000, by Handsome Productions, Inc.	Notes on a Cocktail Napkin Terry Hartman & Peter Laughner Liner Notes Early in 1969, Terry Hartman and his childhood pal Dan Cook wandered into a record store in suburban Cleveland, where they encountered an intense, good-looking sixteen-year-old named Peter Laughner working the counter. The three quickly discovered a common affection for music - not just the obvious British Invasion or American Psychedelia stuff that was dominating the charts and shifting a lot of units during the summer of Woodstock, but more seminal stuff - urban and country blues, and of course, Bob Dylan. Laughner actually had a band at the time. At a high school dance, they did a song called I'm So Fucked Up, which purportedly brought the event to an instant close. Hints of what was to come....  Hartman and Laughner grew close and began to play together on an informal basis, churning out some rootsy originals, heavy on acoustic guitar, fairly pretentious lyrically, and performed with a lot of passion. (Key influences at the time were David Blue and the Holy Modal Rounders.) Their work together was fueled by considerable amounts of  J.T.S. Brown Bourbon, for which the 17-year-old Laughner had already acquired a taste. (It was his father's brand...) By this time Laughner was hanging out with future wife Charlotte Pressler, who shared his artistic vision. Hartman was preparing to enter the army, and Pete was pretty sure he'd be killed in 'Nam. The two sat down and recorded these eight cuts in the Fall of 1969, some purely acoustic, others with drums added by Pressler. Peter, fearing for his friend, had them pressed on vinyl in the Spring of 1970. Those sessions, recorded in the room where Peter was to die in 1977 at the age of 24, are reproduced here.  Laughner would go on to play in, among other outfits, the legendary Cleveland band Rocket from the Tombs. Later, he co-founded with David Thomas the ultimate Cleveland art-rock band, Pere Ubu. Hartman would play in a series of less-well-known Cleveland bands during the '70s and '80s, including the quirky Backdoor Men (with Cook) and Terry and the Tornadoes. He was acknowledged by many to be one of the city's premier writers of intelligent pop. Here, then, is the formative sound of two of Cleveland's true originals.  Enjoy the innocence.....
Sister Ray(Practice) Sweet Jane Rock and Roll All Along The Watchtower Heroin White Light/White Heat	Cinderella Backstreet's Last Show 8/73 Liner Notes Peter's famous covers band, Cinderella Backstreet, was born when Laughner met up with a group of four likeminded Clevelanders and, after a long jam, asked them if they'd like to form a band. They'd already been playing together for awhile; in fact, Cinderella Backstreet without Laughner and with Tom Herman is the band on the track Steve Canyon Blues on the rarities disc on the Ubu box set. Anyhow, this is a recording of what's apparently their last show. And beforehand, a rendition of Sister Ray from a rehearsal tape. On inquiry, Rick couldn't remember where this show was, but said it wasn't Brick Cottage, which is what the tape we have is labeled. Very good sound quality all around, legendary recording.
rock it down slow death unknown home is where the heart is (x2) cafe blanc another world time tunnel unknown	Peter and The Wolves Time Tunnel Practice Tape - Cleveland, OH - May, 1977 Liner Notes Peter and the Wolves practice, apparently for the last show the Wolves ever did, the last show Peter ever did. Rick Kalister (previously of Cinderella Backstreet) remembers Peter rolling around on the floor screaming the words to (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction on their cover of the Stones classic. A highlight of this release is the version of Rock It Down. A great plus to people who've only heard the acoustic w/ upright bass version on the Tim/Kerr album.
all alone under the volcano dream liftoff roadmaster	Peter Laughner Dear Richard (musical note to Richard Clark) Walled Lake, MI Liner Notes This is a tape that Peter made for his buddy Dick Clark (who I'm Never Gonna Kill Myself Again and Dear Richard were written about) showing him a few tunes he'd just written. Under The Volcano is an improvisation based on the Malcolm Lowry novel of the same name.
Take Your Love Away Unknown Baudelaire Fat City Jive Down Where The Drunkards Roll Suicide Song	How I Spent My Summer Vacation Case Western Reserve Univ., 12/74 (w/ Bob Bensick, Michael Hronek, Albert Dennis) Liner Notes Peter's joined here for this special show on the campus of Case Western Reserve University by Plaza friend Bob Bensick (percussion and flute), Michael Hronek (Fender Rhodes Electric Piano), and bassist Albert Dennis. Take Your Love Away, contrary to Clinton Heylin's liner notes on the Tim/Kerr album - which pass off a lot of speculation as being fact - was written by Terry Hartman when he was in the service in 1970, as was Fat City Jive.
Virginia Plain Sweet Jane Warm Hearted Pastry Do It Again I'm So Fucked Up Somethin' Else She Said Year Is It My Name? The Angels Took My Racehorse My Sweet Juanita Farewell, Farewell It's Not Easy/I Can't Stand It unknown Take Your Love Away	Cinderella's Revenge, Last Show 6/75 Liner Notes Don't recognize too many of these songs, eh? Yup, other than Pere Ubu, the only group Peter was in to actually do more originals than anything else was Cinderella's Revenge. This was the groups last show and as you can hear from listening to this show, other than Peter's later group with Debbie and Sue, Friction, this was one of his tightest and most refined line-ups.
Hesitation Blues Sidewalks of New York Willin' Biscuit Roller Solomon's Mines Police Dog Blues Mama Tain't Long For The Day Please Mrs. Henry A Mean Ol' Frisco And A Dirty Rotten Santa Fe Drunkard's Lament Happy Blues City Lights Story Of My Life Everybody Will Be Singing T For Texas	The Original Wolverines Do Re Mi WMMS - Hour Long Broadcast - 9/72 Liner Notes An hour-long set as part of WMMS' long gone and legendary Coffeebreak Concert series. Peter is joined on this disc by Mike Sands on keyboards and Pete Sims on bass. Covers include tunes written by Terry Hartman, Jimmie Rodgers, Peetie Wheatstraw, Lowell George, and of course Lou Reed. Very high quality recording obviously not from the radio and indeed from a master.
Visions of Johanna 3320 Blues Ridin' on Ice (I) Ridin' on Ice (II Ridin' on Ice (III) Ridin' on Ice (IV) The Junkman (I) The Junkman (II) First Taste of Heartache Thirty Seconds over Tokyo Never Gonna Kill Myself Again	Peter Laughner Setting Son  Liner Notes As Peter Laughner’s life drew to a close, he was weary and increasingly isolated as he shed his wife, alienated friends, and consumed massive quantities of virtually everything.  He visibly deteriorated, and his voice roughened considerably. BUT HE NEVER LOST HIS MUSE.  Peter’s grave reads, “Play On Beloved Son,” and we call this disc “Setting Son” because he was physically fading but shining hard and bright, right to the moment he dipped below the horizon…..  Gathered here are some of the recordings he made, by himself in his room, near the end of his life.   We begin with two cuts Peter recorded in his room (as he’ll tell you before he gets started!) after returning home from the “Amicable Divorce” poetry reading he performed late in 1976 with his ex-wife Charlotte.  It’s 3:30 in the morning, and Peter pulls of a lovely, complete version of Dylan’s classic, “Visions of Johanna.” He then switches gears and, after a fascinating intro rap about the handgun for which the song is named, performs a Robert Johnson tune, “3320 Blues,” on perhaps the finest recording available of his raw, exceptionally authentic slide guitar technique. Up next, recording dates uncertain, are three songs we pulled from a cassette marked, in Pete’s distinctive handwriting, as containing “new songs.” There are four versions of “Ridin’ on Ice,” which one can easily guess were taped under the influence of one of his favorite diversions, methamphetamine.  Peter is writing the song as he’s playing it; each of the four versions contains alternate lyrics as he tries different word combinations.  It’s a great song and you’ll be riveted by all four takes. The same thing happens on two versions of “Junkman,” which could alternatively be called “My Sister Sold Her Heart To The Junkman.”  The lyrics are improvised and confessional.  The first version clocks in at 6:30; the second, performed immediately after the first, stretches to over ten minutes. By the time he plays the last of the new tunes, “First Heartache,” addressed to a lover he seems to be shedding, he’s getting tired…. And increasingly brilliant. We finish off with two recordings that may be the Rosetta stones of two of the most famous underground rock & roll songs ever written – the chilling “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” and the prototypically ironic “Never Gonna Kill Myself Again.” The songs are being played for Pete by one of his co-writers (Richard Clark????)  “30 Seconds” will raise the hair on your arms… “Kill Myself” will finish you off.
See No Evil Come On In Everything I Say Just Goes Thru Her Heart Calvary Cross Next Room Of The Dream Slim Slow Slider Blank Generation Wild Horses Do It Isn't That So? Me & The Devil Blues I Ain't Got You Pale Blue Eyes China Summertime Blues	Peter Laughner Nocturnal Digressions Cleveland, OH - June, 1977 Liner Notes Tradition holds that this recording was made by Peter the night before he died; there is some debate about that though, and it's possible it was a couple of days beforehand, Regardless, the end is clearly near.. His voice is in bad shape, but his guitar playing is still dead on, and the song selection say a lot about where he was at the time.