Barry Knoedl Baby Don't Give Up

In the summer of 1976, recording engineer/songwriter Barry Knoedl was asked to play bass and sing backup at a recording session. When the work was done, Barry asked if he could record one of his own songs, "Baby Don't Give Up." Backed with another original ("I Just Want To Make You Happy"), the resulting single became the surprising second release on Jim "Nipo" Antonucci's Death Records, home to Jimi LaLumia's "Death to Disco" movement and future label of Cracked Actor's KBD classic "Nazi School" 45. You'd never know it from the cartoonish picture sleeve or the name of the record label, but both sides of New Yorker Barry Knoedl's obscure, self-produced single on red vinyl offer a light, sweet pop sound fortified by piano and guitar and Knoedl's white-bread vocals. Sourced from Barry's digital remixes, this hand-numbered reissue limited to 300 copies includes liner notes featuring the history of the Death Records label and a download code.