Album: Tongue and Groove
Band: Tongue and Groove featuring Lynne Hughes
Year: 1968 (Fontana)
Are they woodworking?: In woodworking, tongue and groove is
a joinery method where a protruding ridge (the tongue) on one board edge fits
tightly into a matching slot (the groove) on the adjacent board. A lot of old
barn boards are tongue and groove. I suspect that, much like last week with the
song “Chocolate Pudding,” this name is more of a euphemism. I’ll let you draw
your own conclusion.
About the band: Michael Ferguson was a founding member of San Francisco’s cult band The Charlatans. … Ferguson also designed the album cover. … Lynne Hughes was also in The Charlatans, and the website psychelicized.com claims that, while lesser known she was just as important of a female artist in the Haight-Asbury scene as Janis Joplin and Grace Slick. … Ferguson and Hughes split the lead vocals for the tracks on this album, and in my opinion, the Hughes vocals are stronger.
Producer: Milan Melvin was an American record producer at Mercury Records and a radio announcer for KSAN-FM. Other credits including albums for Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Blue Cheer, and Flying Bear Medicine Show (credit discogs.com).
The tracks:
Side 1
1.
Devil
2.
Come On In My Kitchen
3.
Mailman’s Sack
4.
Cherry Ball (Shake Shake Mama)
5.
The Shadow Knows
Side 2
1.
Sidetrack
2.
Motorhead Baby
3.
Duncan & Brady
4.
Rocks For My Pillow (Livin’ With the Blues)
5.
Fallin’ Apart
Where Did I Get This: I bought a stack of about fifty
records at an auction for $2.50 earlier this fall (2026). It was an eclectic
mix that included such titles as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” The Doobie
Brothers Greatest Hits, The Beach Boys, Hermans’ Hermits, and this one. The
albums were dirty, and some of the covers are a bit warped, but the vinyl I
have tested so far plays clean. Discogs lists the median value of this album at
$15.00. The high-end value is $56.12.
Does the Shadow Know? This is a cover of the 1958 rhythm and
blues hit by The Coasters. Ferguson’s other band, The Charlatans, also covered
this song. The song’s title hearkens back to the 1930s Radio Drama “The
Shadow,” which opened each episode with the lines: “Who knows what evil lurks
in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” There was a movie inspired by the
radio show released in 1994 starring Alec Baldwin and with music from Taylor
Dayne and Jim Steinman.
Writing While Spinning: I am working on an entry for a writing contest this week. I can’t share the prompt at this point, but it’s the first contest that I have entered since February. Over the last ten years, I have usually entered five or six contests a year, but I took a break in 2026. The story has developed quickly, so I think the time away might have done some good. I wonder if Tongue and Groove ever considered producing another album. Hughes did have an album after this, and I think much of the band returned to play on that. It is always interesting to think about the hopes these artists had while laying these tracks down. What did it feel like when the dreams never materialized into traditional success?
Link to album: Again, no Spotify for this one. So, back to YouTube- Devil
