“Bad Part Of Town” / “Wish Me Up”
by The Seeds
1970 7-inch single (stock label)
Label: MGM [K-14163]
One of the super-rarest Seeds collectibles is the band’s first MGM single from 1970 with a stock label, not the yellow promo label. Pressed in very small numbers, such copies generally didn’t survive The Seeds’ being dropped from MGM soon afterwards.
These stock-label copies of "Bad Part Of Town" b/w "Wish Me Up" feature the usual MGM label of the time, with an olive green and blue swirl and the lion logo.
Perhaps chastened by the band’s exit from GNP Crescendo records, Sky Saxon isn’t singled out as the lead vocalist on this release, only being mentioned by last name as a co-writer of "Bad Part Of Town". (His producer alter ego Marcus Tybalt isn’t mentioned either, as both sides were produced by Don Hall.)
This single came in a regular MGM company sleeve. Promo copies are fairly common, though even those are a tad pricey. These stock copies are virtually never seen for sale, on the internet or elsewhere; if you ever see one, be prepared to pay for it.
So, most Sky Saxon collectors will have to make do with a yellow-label promo copy, or the 2013 double 7″ reissue for Record Store Day from Sundazed (which itself recreates the promo label rather than the stock label – a testament to the rarity of the stock variety).
If you do get lucky enough to come into possession of a stock MGM "Bad Part Of Town" single, enjoy it – it’s one of The Seeds’ best.
