Flower Pot Men

Mainstream was a mostly MOR/jazz label until CEO Abraham Shadrinsky signed Big Brother And The Holding Company after getting a contact high from a hippie in an elevator. Surprised by the album's success, Abe installed waterbeds and a bong in their  headquarters in Chicago's prestigious slaughterhouse district and released a compilation sampler of acts not even they'd heard of.

"These hippie shmucks are pissing in our ferns!" yelled CFO Morrie Slibowic. "Hihihihihih!" Shadrinsky squeaked before blacking out from a huge bong hit.

They were on a roll, releasing albums by any bunch of swivel-eyed no-hopers who could stand up without help, including rabid hillbilly Ted Nugent, who signed his contract with his face.

It couldn't last. But the label limped on longer than anyone thought it might, given that The Amboy Dukes were their tentpole act. Here's a couple of samplers in advance of albums currently stored in th' House O'Foam© crawl space. Some of it is pretty swell. You decide.