tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62922854313720887212024-03-05T05:39:46.295-05:00dj's groovysoundsall about groovy sounds, what more could you ask for...
(I try to use bigger text, but the editor keeps changing my font tags back to span tags, and I get tired of changing it back...)VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.comBlogger685125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-42685884273793259662017-08-10T19:53:00.000-04:002017-08-10T19:54:36.851-04:00Lee Dorsey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-CA">The Peabodys were in my parents' Saturday
Night Discussion Group, and somehow we knew them anyway. They had 3 kids,
David, who was a boy, and two girls: Felma and Saye. Felma was older than me
and Saye was younger, and they were both in my school. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">One day the Peabodys took a (second?)
mortgage on their house and used the money to invest in the city’s first Sam
The Record Man franchise. They put it in the Garden City Shopping Centre, and
that was back ine old days, before the mall was expanded to include Eaton’s. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Later they moved into the newer part of the
mall. Both parents and both girls worked in the store, but never all at the
same time. Over the years I bought lots of LPs there. Later other locations
opened up – one in Unicity, one in
Portage Place, one in Polo Park. And then even later than that, the whole chain
went down the tubes. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I don’t remember the name of the girl that
was working at the dentist where I had my root canal in January of 1994, but
she looked familiar. “Did you ever shop at Sam The Record Man?” she asked me.
Surely. So that’s where she used to work. So, we got to talking... I just got a
really good quality copy of <i>Rainbow Bridge </i>I told her..</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">This album is called <i>Holy Cow The Best Of
Lee Dorsey</i>. It has 12 tracks, 7of which were top 100 singles. 2 top 100 singles
are not included: This Old Car and Go Go Girl, both from 1967.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Ya Ya</b> – I
don’t know a la la is or why you’d want to sit in one. I don’t know what a ya
ya is or why you’d want to wait for one. But this piece of New Orleans rock and
roll whimsy was Lee Dorsey’s first hit and was covered by John Lennon twice –
first on his <i>Walls And Bridges</i> in a somewhat truncated rendition with his
(then) young son Julian playing (awkward) drums, and then in a more fully
realized version on <i>Rock And Roll</i>. And the song appeared on the same collection
that had all those tracks by Tony Sheridan with The nascent Beatles, but Ya Ya
on that album was performed by The Beat Brothers, whoever they were. From the
fall of 1961.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://youtu.be/L_m5JIU8RGE" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: black;">Do-Re-Mi</span></b> </a>-
If Julie Andrews had been dead when this was released, she would have rolled
over in her grave. This is New Orleans groove par excellence, subtle humour,
great dance rhythm. The follow up hit to Ya Ya, early 1962. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><a href="https://youtu.be/PdLmCpy9WFM" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">People Gonna Talk</span></a></b> – Some musings on human nature, with a great beat. B side of
Do-Re-Mi. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://youtu.be/P78AZ5zntGg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">Ride Your Pony</span></b></a> – A song for dancing about dancing. The double entendres fly thick and
fast; in fact the whole song is a double entendre. The great Alain Toussaint
makes his mark, and Lee Dorsey’s career would never be the same again. From the
summer of 1965. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><a href="https://youtu.be/l59RPTHt2Ho" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Get Out Of My Life, Woman</span></a></b> – It doesn’t get more straightforward than that. No teardrops or
self-pity here (lyrics about same notwithstanding), just the facts. Covered,
decently, by The Butterfield Blues Band on <i>The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw</i>.
From the spring of 1966. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Can You
Hear Me</b> – Hard to tell exactly what’s going on here. It seems to be an
exhortation to dance, but not only is Lee concerned about whether he is being
heard, he is downright frustrated, evidenced by the repeated use of the epithet
“dammit,” which would surely have kept this song off the radio back in
60-whatever, had any attempt been made to get it there, which surely there
wasn’t.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Holy Cow</b> –
Do people still use this expression? Is it politically correct? It’s a
heartbreak song, but a fun one because it’s got a great New Orleans backbeat. A
hit in the winter of ‘66 /’67. The last top 10 hit Dorsey would have, at least
on Billboard. The Band covered this on Moondog Matinee.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Working In
The Coal Mine</b> – How can you create a record that faithfully represents the
misery and daily fatigue of exhausting relentless work, and at the same time is
incredibly fun and has a great dance groove? When Alain Toussaint died, the world lost a
genius. A top 10 hit in the autumn of 1966.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Love Lots
Of Lovin’</b> – Boilerplate. I love the direct approach: “You know what I need,
come on, give it to me.” This is duet with Betty Harris. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Everything
I Do Gohn Be Funky</b> – Based on this track I’d say he’s telling the truth. From
the summer of ’69, Lee’s last hit.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Sneakin’
Sally Through The Alley</b> – Long Tall (aka bald headed) Sally, no doubt...</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span dir="LTR" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Yes We
Can </b> - A “let’s all get together and love
each other” song, covered later and more famously by The Pointer Sisters, as
Yes We Can Can. </span></li>
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VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-66527556574210136232015-07-09T20:23:00.004-04:002015-07-09T20:23:38.453-04:00Ray Stevens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzlWQ-cBCCO8eYtDJxLVZeh2Nj2d0wf58_iPG8FPZ8QXRDqfDChVNC_7H_SHfFXFgRDZ1Kos4qDYSvOZFhENix7uex9oocoEBxJDdKNQYNl4jecRl_qgW7PYZcKz8gX32a-aT3y8FBgE/s1600/220px-The_Best_of_Ray_Stevens_%25281968_album%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCzlWQ-cBCCO8eYtDJxLVZeh2Nj2d0wf58_iPG8FPZ8QXRDqfDChVNC_7H_SHfFXFgRDZ1Kos4qDYSvOZFhENix7uex9oocoEBxJDdKNQYNl4jecRl_qgW7PYZcKz8gX32a-aT3y8FBgE/s1600/220px-The_Best_of_Ray_Stevens_%25281968_album%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
There is at least one person out there who is a dedicated Ray Stevens fan, and I know this because there is a Ray Stevens blog (Google it). So I won’t say too much, just this: I grew up hearing Ray Stevens on the radio, so that may explain something about the odder aspects of my character, and I put my collection together from an album called <i>The Best Of Ray Steven</i>s, an early compilation, which I probably picked up at Pyramid, which you know about because you’ve read my previous posts, and a K-Tel album, which I believe I bought at Rainbow’s Gold, a store on Cumberland in Winnipeg which was, while it lasted, associated with Red River Books.<br />
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• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/OaTDfgqUAmE" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Funny Man</span></a></b> – It can’t be an accident that there are so many songs by men about hiding their true feelings, either by acting the clown - laughing on the outside, crying on the inside - (The Great Pretender, Tears Of A Clown, Tracks Of My Tears, Everyone Loves A Clown, Two Faces Have I, The Joker Went Wild etc), or by some other means, usually meteorological (Crying In The Rain). In this case, not only is Stevens’ minor hit from the spring of 1963 part of what was an evolving tradition, but the title also serves as a kind of signature song for his career. It took the likes of Jackson Browne to put an end to all this macho posturing.<br />
• <b>Loved And Lost </b>– Disputing the classic wisdom. In the acute stage of heartbreak. I’d like to hear what the sequel was a year later. All these bunch of songs were from 1963.<br />
• <b>It’s Been So Long</b> – And this may just be the sequel I was talking about. If so, he’s vindicated, at least in his own experience, but there’s a blandness to this middle of the road I-haven’t quite-found-my-own-style song, with a muted saxophone in the right channel, and a chorus straight out of Nashville. This is not the song that appeared on Harry Nilsson’s first album.<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/kD1apNHlG-o" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Just One Of Life’s Little Tragedies</span></a></b> – Think about it, trivializing the serious by exaggerating the trivial. At least he confronts himself on this one.<br />
• <b>Little Stone Statue</b> – Again, “I never show a trace of emotion.” A tale of unrequited love. Makes me think about that song about the “wooden Indian.”<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/ZNigDOHz4j0" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Ahab The Arab</span></a></b> – The sheikh vs. the sultan. Don’t ask me to explain; I don’t get it either. Here’s where Ray hits the big time, with his combination of humour and inanity, and it’s not always easy to tell which is which. From the summer of 1962. Caution on this one, the original was on Mercury, but he rerecorded it for Barnaby later.<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/BrIweivQiaA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Saturday Night At The Movies</span></a></b> – Not The Drifters hit. A story of a romance temporarily gone awry, but saved by a wayward toupé. Don’t ask me, it wasn’t my idea. And I don’t imagine that younger listeners would get the Porky Pig reference.<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/s2NMJalv24A" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Harry The Hairy Ape</span></a></b> – Wherein an ape becomes an inadvertent rock and roll star. I’m not sure how to take this. Ray’s second (and last) big success on Mercury, from the summer of 1963. This was also rerecorded for Barnaby, but it’s easy to tell the difference – the reference to the mashed potatoes is changed to the “boogaloo-shingaling” on the remake.<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/-Q16GI8nHYc" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Speedball</span></a></b> – I can’t make out whether the gruesomeness of this is due to innocence or lack thereof. It’s kind of funny though. His last Mercury hit, from the autumn of 1963.<br />
• <b>Isn’t It Lonely Together</b> – It’s hard to believe that there was a time that if your girlfriend (or not your girlfriend) got pregnant you had to marry her. That wasn’t always a happy ending. The version I have, from a K-tel album, is edited down to about a minute and a half. Also recorded by O. C. Smith.<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/aJrcE8HwwuY" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Jeremiah Peabody’s Polyunsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green And Purple Pills</span> </a></b>– In 1964, Phil Spector had to lie about the length of You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, by the righteous Brothers, because the djs wouldn’t play anything longer than 3 minutes. Apparently they had no such reservations when it came to song titles. This is the song that put Ray on the charts back in the fall of 1961. Amazing what you could get back then for $1.98...<br />
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/qRAaiSNPVrs" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Indian Love Call </span></a></b>– If this is meant to be silly, it doesn’t work. But as a straight update of Slim Whitman’s hit from 1955 it’s superb. Ray proves that he can really sing, there is a what sounds like a clavinet and what are definitely vibes, and a chorus that sounds like it just happened to be passing by. From the fall of 1975, and the latest song on this collection.<br />
• <b>Gitarzan</b> – The original book (Tarzan) was published in 1914 but the TV series ran from 1966 through 1968, so I guess that was the inspiration for this, which was a hit single in the spring of 1969. I remember grooving to this when I was 12. I was always partial to the monkey...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggl8ggOAqneE6-HZ_35qFV7akMN1aRLgjJqDPY1SnJZN1FkbPHsG6soUQB0vU04hzjGMXS_fOQu05uYQhyphenhyphenl4GiofDxzID2I0g6SRqpRkGqYWXYYymEEVnQGq4Tm5EFkwuwpBkuEFXNK4E/s1600/Ray+Stevens+K-tel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggl8ggOAqneE6-HZ_35qFV7akMN1aRLgjJqDPY1SnJZN1FkbPHsG6soUQB0vU04hzjGMXS_fOQu05uYQhyphenhyphenl4GiofDxzID2I0g6SRqpRkGqYWXYYymEEVnQGq4Tm5EFkwuwpBkuEFXNK4E/s1600/Ray+Stevens+K-tel.jpg" /></a></div>
• <b><a href="https://youtu.be/9897_pHy3mo" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Mr. Businessman</span></a></b> – Surely people are rarely this one-dimensional, but this indictment of the middle-class suburban dream hits pretty close to home. It was a hit in the fall of 1968, but it’s still relevant, evidenced by the sheer number of SUVs on the road. “Placing value on the worthless...”<br />
• <b>Along Came Jones</b> – Pop music for the TV generation. Originally by The Coasters, this late 60s (summer of ’69) hit was a slight update, of which the “hear come the train” refrain would have resonated with Rowan & Martins’ Laugh-In fans. Meanwhile the audience sounds fool nobody...<br />
• <b>Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band) </b>– This is a novelty record. The novelty is Ray impersonating different musical instruments. That’s the novelty. Had he thrown in Gitarzan’s monkey, this’d been perfect. As it is, it barely scraped into the top 100, in the summer of 1966.<br />
• <b>Nashville</b> – For all his reputation as a novelty artist, Ray was best when he did straight music with a country flavour. Catalogue this one under songs that celebrate country music and songs that celebrate American cities. No relationship, as far as I know, with the film of the same name.<br />
• <b>Turn Your Radio On</b> – Imagine a world with no world wide web (in other words no YouTube or iTunes) and no MTV. Radio was a much bigger player than it is now. This is from the winter of 1971 – 1972. His “get in touch with God” lyric had nothing to do religion in its ordinary sense.<br />
• <b><a href="https://youtu.be/ko56rc30qdk" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Everything is Beautiful</span></a></b> – Ray’s retirement pension. This hit #1 in the spring of 1970. I’m not sure why. I’m pretty sure that it’s wrong. Not everything is beautiful, though I needn’t provide examples. I have a cover by Jim Nabors, which makes sense on so many levels...<br />
• <b>Misty</b> – Zounds! I will get tarred and feathered but I insist that he leaves Johnny Mathis in the dust. I do realize that this is apples and oranges, sort of, kind of, but after all it’s that same song. The countrification may be just what it needed. Whatever, it works. From the summer of 1975.<br />
•<b><a href="https://youtu.be/7v7j-Y0YU5Q" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">America (Communicate With Me)</span></a></b> – Trying to understand what’s going on and how to respond and how to connect can be confusing and that’s what Ray is singing about here. Plus the hippy dream vs. establishment values. From the summer of 1970.<br />
• <b>Sunday Morning Comin’ Down</b> – It was late 1969, I was 12 years old and I was sitting in a small lunch counter with my father and some other fellow, and I had a teen magazine that I’d bought, and it had song lyrics in it, and it had this song, and the artist was identified as Johnny Cash, and that puzzled me, because I’d heard the song on the radio and it was Ray Stevens who did it. I guess Cash’s version got more attention overall, and it is certainly the one that people (meaning the media) remember(s), but Ray’s version was the one on the pop charts and on top 40 radio, and it was the first of the Kristofferson explosion, followed by Me And Bobbie McGhee by Gordon Lightfoot (the b side of If You Could Read My Mind, it got some airplay here), Help Me Make It Through The Night by Sammi Smith, For The Good Times by Ray Price, and Me And Bobbie McGhee by Janis Joplin. I like the clavinet, and the overall feeling of melancholy. From late 1969.<br />
• <b><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://youtu.be/0ie9NINAY3w" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Moonlight Special</span></a> </span></b>– I must have never watched Midnight Special (1972 – 1981) because I had to Google to learn that Wolfman Jack was the weekly announcer. Here he is rendered in all his glory as “The Sheepdog,” as he introduces “Mildred Queen & The Dips” (now who do you suppose they are?) and some demented piano-pounding incoherent Neanderthal with a name that starts with Jerry Joe and ends with Jimmy Billy. This is actually mildly funny; compared to The Streak or Briget The Midget it’s the Marx Brothers. From the summer of 1974.<br />
• <b><a href="https://youtu.be/Hp8r_Xjz7xM" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Have A Little Talk With Myself</span></a></b> – As his world falls to pieces, our hero learns that being selfish does not pay. This dime store self help guide does not seem to have made it higher than #123 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and that would have been in early 1970), which is odd, because I remember hearing it on the radio. And me, for all its simplistic self-analysis, I kind of like it...<br />
• <b>Bridget The Midget (The Queen Of The Blues)</b> – in which we are treated to a narrative about an unbelievably awesome diminutive entertainer, the said entertainer who sounds like Ray Stevens on helium, her backup singers - a group called Strawberry & The Shortcakes (get it?) - who sound suspiciously like Alvin & The Chipmunks, and the constant interruptions of a pervert who wants nothing more than to assault the singer. Isn’t that funny? This isn’t even good enough to be lame, but the radio was playing it in the winter of 1970 / 1971.<br />
• <b>The Streak</b> – Streaking was a fad that lasted less time than the amount of time that this was on the charts. This was Ray’s second number 1 hit, and whereas the first (Everything Is Beautiful) was a cloying attempt at sentimentality, this was a failed attempt at humour. From the spring of 1974.VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-73818336932015515212013-04-22T20:49:00.000-04:002013-04-22T20:49:13.684-04:00John Addison<div class="MsoNormal">
John Addison was a movie soundtrack composer but he wasn’t
as famous as John Barry. He did mostly movies, none I’ve ever heard of, and
some TV shows. </div>
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John Addison:</h4>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><b>The Love Song Of Tom Jones</b> – Addison won an
Oscar for his soundtrack to the movie version of the Henry Fielding novel Tom
Jones in 1963.</div>
VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-70254013994354232602013-04-21T12:55:00.000-04:002013-04-21T12:55:11.216-04:00Tommy Hunt<div class="separator" style="cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" dua="true" src="http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_250/MI0002/771/MI0002771752.jpg" />Not to be confused with Tommy Hunter (a staple of Canadian TV in the 70s), Tommy Hunt was a decent R & B singer, at least the equal of the likes of James Carr or labelmate Chuck Jackson, who didn’t really seem to have gotten a break. My collection comes from <i>The Scepter Records Story</i>.<br />
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<h4>
Tommy Hunt:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/D-_qiq-JOQ4" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Human</span></a></strong> – One of those R&B slow dances; if you aren’t paying attention you might think that you’re listening to Hurt. The lyrics state the obvious, maybe too obvious – this was Hunt’s biggest hit and it only made #48 on Billboard. That was in the fall of 1961. <br />
• <strong>I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself</strong> – A heartbreak song, and a good heartbreak song at that. This isn’t bad – it was the title track of Hunt’s only Scepter LP, but Hunt’s record company didn’t put it out as a single. They waited two more years, and released Dionne Warwick’s version. It was also a hit by Dusty Springfield. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/lKBNDP9Vwr8" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">I Am A Witness</span></a></strong> – She was with me, now she’s with you. You’re boned. Maybe. I don’t know if his warning is valid or if he’s just blowing smoke, but he recruites The Shirelles, The Sweet Inspirations, Dee Dee Warwick, Mickey Baker, and Bernard Purdie to help him get the message across. No arguing with that. From the fall of 1963. <br />
• <strong>Oh Lord What Are You Doing To Me</strong> – A bit maudlin, though the execution is decent.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-19212026426876890222013-01-27T11:36:00.001-05:002013-01-27T11:36:54.576-05:00The Greenbriar Boys<br />
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There is an alternate universe for groups like The Greenbriar Boys. Read about them and they were legends, seminal figures in the bluegrass / folk world of the early to midlate 60s. If you lived in that universe, and many did (do?), they were major. <br />
<br />
If you lived in the other universe, or any other universe, you probably never heard of them. It’s that way in the musical reality. <br />
<br />
I only have one track. It’s from a collection called <em>Troubadours Of The Folk Era, Volume Three: The Groups</em>. If there were any justice in this (musical) universe, I’d have a compilation album, and it wouldn’t be hard to acquire. One visit to Amazon would do it. But if I got compilations for all these groups that I don’t have, I wouldn’t have enough money left for anything else. It’s a simple case of too many groups, too few funds. <br />
<br />
Alas. <br />
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
The Greenbriar Boys:</h4>
•<span style="color: red;"> </span><strong><a href="http://youtu.be/XclMKYTe1cY" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Stewball</span> </a></strong>– It’s the mandolin that does it. This song was done by others, most famously by Peter, Paul & Mary, and most differently by Lonnie Donegan (that may not even have been the same song), and each version has different lyrics from each other version. No matter how you cut it, Stewball was some horse. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-39080684185859524812013-01-26T21:29:00.000-05:002013-01-26T21:29:04.708-05:00Jimmy Dean<br />
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<br />
Not to be confused with James Dean, the dead actor, Jimmy Dean was a country singer and TV host. He had 11 hits on the pop charts between 1957 and 1 more in 1976. <br />
<br />
What I have here is <em>Jimmy Dean’s Greatest Hits</em>, which has 7 of those 11 Columbia hits, and 3 more songs besides. <br />
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
Jimmy Dean:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/KnnHprUGKF0" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">Big Bad John</span></a></strong> – The enigmatic good guy / bad guy. A loner. If you spoke at all you just said “hi” to Big John. He killed a fellow in New Orleans over a girl, and he saved the lives of a few dozen miners, sacrificing his life in the process. Superman never had to die, neither did Batman. But Big John, to be the consummate hero, he had to die. I wonder. The song was number 1 in the fall of 1961. <br />
• <strong>The Cajun Queen</strong> – She had a cameo role in Big John. Now here she is again. “He started breathin’…” They couldn’t leave the legend alone. From the winter of 1962. <br />
• <strong>Harvest Of Sunshine</strong> – A countrypolitan singalong. This is just south of what Dean Martin was doing a few years later. <br />
• <strong>Little Black Book</strong> – Proof that not all songs about romantic breakup are sad or angry. Big question: is the chirpiness real or put-on? I don’t know, but it sounds real enough to me. From the fall of ’62. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/gipzQr0k9zA" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">Steel Men</span></a></strong> – A major scale industrial tragedy set to music. Think The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald done by someone with Asperger’s Syndrome. Apparently a true story, from Vancouver, 1958. I don’t know if that was Vancouver, B.C. or Vancouver, Washington. From the summer of 1962. <br />
• <strong>The First Thing Ev’ry Morning (And The Last Thing Ev’ry Night)</strong> – An I-miss-you song, and another Dean Martin knock-off, even down to the vocal inflection in this case. From the summer of 1965, this was the last hit Dean would put on the pop chart for 11 years. <br />
• <strong>Sam Hill</strong> – Some country dude meets his girl every night for a bit of cha cha, and everyone’s a-flutter, wonderin’ “what in Sam Hill’s goin’ on.” What an innocent age it must have been. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/79pAw8ubhh4" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">P. T. 109</span></a></strong> – Historical pop, right out of the Johnny Horton stylebook. The song was about the wartime adventures of John Kennedy, who was president when this song was a hit (spring, 1962). I bet the radio stations never played it again after November, ’63. <br />
• <strong>To A Sleeping Beauty </strong>– A father-to-daughter recitation, and an unbearably hokey one. This was the B-side of A Cajun Queen and a hit in its own right, in the winter of 1962. I have a version by Jackie Gleason, and it’s no better. <br />
• <b>The Farmer And The Lord</b> – Done in the same style as the sleeping beauty song – that is Jimmy reciting the lyrics, with an angelic male chorus in the background, barely discernable instrumentation. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/MKI8oZe4fIQ" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">I Won’t Go Huntin’ With You Jake (But I’ll Go Chasin’ Wimmin)</span></a></strong> – Awesome. This is the most country of anything on this collection, its obvious parody status notwithstanding. I mean… this is a parody… right? VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-18851537881522175692013-01-26T21:00:00.001-05:002013-01-26T21:00:21.135-05:00Dave Brubeck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The restaurant is built to look like a train station and it was the first time I was there though I’d walked by it enough times. The table was outside and we had a parasol. We had a salad between us that no one was eating and a Corona each.<br />
<br />
Is that a clarinet on Take Five, she asked me. No I said. An alto sax I believe. Looks like a clarinet, I said, showing off. (I was wrong though; it’s a soprano sax that looks like a clarinet, straight.) <br />
<br />
I will probably never see her again. It was the only evening we spent together, though we ate lunch together nearly every day. I shared music with her, random stuff. And so maybe she wanted me to know that she actually listened to it, that she was paying attention. <br />
<br />
This is <em>Dave Brubeck’s Greatest Hits</em>. Brubeck was one of those unusual jazz artists who actually put records into the top 100 (3 in his case) so the concept of “Greatest Hits” isn’t that off. <br />
<br />
When Brubeck died, recently, I IM’d her. He was part of our history. <br />
<br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">R.I.P.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
Dave Brubeck:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/faJE92phKzI" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Take Five</span></a></strong> – One of the most recognized jazz anthems, this was actually written by Brubeck sideman Paul Desmond, who plays the signature (alto) sax. Brubeck, as usual, plays piano. The song reached number 25 on Billboard in the fall of 1961. <br />
• <strong>I’m In A Dancing Mood </strong><br />
• <strong>In Your Own Sweet Way </strong><br />
• <strong>Camptown Races</strong> – Jazz version… <br />
• <strong>Trolley Song</strong> – Judy Garland did this, but it sounded different. <br />
• <strong>It’s A Raggy Waltz </strong><br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/aNmtBjpe1m0" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Bossa Nova, U.S.A.</span></a></strong> – Not to let Stan Getz outdo anyone. From the winter of 1963. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/_yExwkQYcp0" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Unsquare Dance</span></a></strong> – How cool would it have been to have heard this on top 40 radio? From the winter of 1961 / 1962. <br />
• <strong>Blue Rondo A La Turk</strong> – Mozart. <br />
• <strong>Theme From “Mr. Broadway” </strong>VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-85707241564138463872012-11-04T19:10:00.004-05:002012-11-04T19:10:41.096-05:00Roland Kirk<div class="separator" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
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I have a book that’s been sitting on my shelf for about 40 years. It’s called <em>Woodstock 69</em> and it’s subtitled <em>Summer Pop Festivals</em> and it’s subsubtitled <em>A Photo Review</em>. It’s by Joseph J. Sia. I don’t remember where I got it but I know for sure it was cheap, maybe second hand. <br />
It’s not just Woodstock; it’s also The Newport Jazz Festival, The Newport Folk Festival, and the Atlanta Pop Festival. The pictures are all black and white. <br />
<br />
The first picture is a wild and crazy portrait of Robert Plant. He’s followed by Jeff Beck, David Clayton-Thomas and some audience people. Then Roland Kirk. He’s blowing a sax, wearing what appears to be a very loud shirt, wearing sun glasses. The background is dark. <br />
<br />
For years everything I knew about Roland Kirk was that picture. That’s all he was to me, some cool jazz dude with a picture in a book I owned. <br />
<br />
Then one fateful day I wandered into Sam The Record Man and picked up a copy of <em>Jazz Masters 27</em> by Roland Kirk, and now the man had a sound. That’s how life goes…<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
Roland Kirk:</h4>
• <strong>Three For The Festival</strong> <br />
• <strong>Blue Rol </strong><br />
• <strong>Reeds And Deeds </strong><br />
• <strong>Hip Chops </strong><br />
• <strong>From Becket, Byas And Fats </strong><br />
• <strong>Berkshire Blues </strong><br />
• <strong>You Did It You Did It </strong><br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/KPUo1-DXFfI" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square</span></a> </strong><br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/OQ6SH-2NkQ4" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">March On, Swan Lake</span></a> </strong><br />
• <strong>The Haunted Melody </strong><br />
• <strong>Meeting On Termini’s Corner </strong><br />
• <strong>Rolando </strong><br />
• <strong>Black Diamond </strong>VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-4317310553609991232012-11-03T20:33:00.002-04:002012-11-03T20:33:41.142-04:00The Flares<div style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
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This group recorded a ridiculous number of singles for a ridiculous number of labels under a ridiculous number of names, with ridiculously varied personnel. They were actually The Flairs before they were The Flares. Someone should do a dissertation… <br />
<hr />
<h4>
The Flares:</h4>
• <b><a href="http://youtu.be/ORVq37SsNus" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Foot Stompin’ Part 1</span></a></b> – A great dance song. No pretensions. No silly animal gimmicks. No imitation movements. Just get it out there and stomp. From the fall of 1961. Their only hit. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-55283385471700510472012-10-28T10:12:00.000-04:002012-10-28T10:12:29.125-04:00The Duals<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Duals were only 2 guys. I don’t know if that’s why there were called The Duals. They both played guitar. I assume that either they got session men to help out, or they added band members. The story is not clear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">They didn’t do much aside from their one hit. </span><br />
<hr />
<h4>
The Duals:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/DaVY07-fJI0" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">Stick Shift</span></a></strong> – Said to be the first hot rod song. Possibly. What they did here was this: they took an ordinary, serviceable but not stellar, instrumental, added car sounds, and gave it an automotive title. Voila. A hot rod record. From the fall of 1961. Their only hit. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-45601312456692936702012-10-13T20:33:00.000-04:002012-10-13T20:33:02.732-04:00José Jiménez<br />
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José Jiménez was not the only fictitious character that reached the top 40. There was The Archies, Ernie, Max Frost & The Troopers. And don’t forget Milli Vanilli. Ha. But they all came later. <br />
<br />
José was comedian Bill Dana. He (either way you want to read him) was a one hit wonder, though he was a popular TV comedian for a while.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
José Jiménez:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/ncBSOyte6lA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Astronaut</span></a></strong> – A comedy shtick, not very funny by today’s standards. I don’t know funny it was back in the fall of 1961, when it reached #21 on Billboard. This was later in the year when Alan Shephard became the first American in space, but before John Glenn's historic flight. It is politically incorrect, but Dana actually acknowledged that in 1970, when he retired the character amid much fanfare. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-71814401132439678252012-10-07T11:47:00.002-04:002012-10-07T11:47:33.397-04:00Hayley Mills<br />
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Now there you go. I don’t know if she qualifies as a “teen idol,” (probably not) but her paucity of hit records is well explained by the fact that she was an actress, not a singer, and she made dozens of films, for Disney as a child / teen, then others as an adult. <br />
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She happened to have 2 hits. <br />
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Hayley Mills:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/bx9Fjxrd5iM" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Let’s Get Together</span></a></strong> – Not to be confused with the Chet Powers song (aka Get Together). One listen to this and we know why she did not pursue a singing career. She makes Anette Funicello sound like Joan Sutherland. From the fall of 61. Trivia note: The artist credit on the single read “Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills,” presumably in reference to the double tracking of her voice. <br />
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VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-31500076506357942632012-10-06T21:12:00.001-04:002012-10-06T21:12:43.604-04:00Troy Shondell<br />
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I wonder how different my life would have been had my parents named me “Troy.” Come to think of it, I wonder how different Troy Shondell’s life would have been had his parents named him “Troy.” What they named him, in fact, was Gary. <br />
<br />
Most of these teen idol types who only had one or two hits have the excuse that music was not their main career. They were movie stars. Think Tab Hunter. Shondell had no such excuse. He was not a movie star, and, good looks notwithstanding, he only had 2 records (3 songs) on the hot 100. <br />
<br />
<hr />
<h4>
Troy Shondell:</h4>
• <a href="http://youtu.be/yAp5XcTTBCQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">This Time</span></strong></a> – A once-and-for-all breakup song. I hate to think of the real life drama going on behind the lyrics. “This time we’ve said way too much .” It would have happened at some point. From the fall of 1961. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-74491574183525181612012-10-05T07:59:00.000-04:002012-10-05T07:59:23.006-04:00October, 1961<ul>
<li><span style="color: #330099;"><b>This Time - Troy Shondel</b></span></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Let's Get Together - Haley Mills</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Bless You - Tony Orlando</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Astronaut - Jose Jimenez</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Way You Look Tonight - The Letternen</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Stick Shift - The Duals</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Great Imposter - The Fleetwoods</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Gonna Build Me A Mountain - Matt Monro</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Human - Tommy Hunt</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Time Has Come - Adam Faith</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Big Bad John / I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake - Jimmy Dean</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">I Love How You Love Me - The Paris Sisters</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Sad Movies - Sue Thompson</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Runaround Sue - Dion</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Footstompin' - The Flares</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Candy Man - Roy Orbison</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">So Long Baby - Del Shannon</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Water Boy - Don Shirly Trio</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Under The Moon Of Love - Curtis Lee</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Fly - Chubby Checker</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Sweets For My Sweet - The Drifters</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Don't Blame Me - The Everly Brothers</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Anybody But Me / Fool #1 - Brenda Lee</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">The Savage - The Shadows</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">He's My Dreamboat - Connie Francis</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">I Understand - The G-Clefs</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Tower Of Strength - Gene McDaniels</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Big John - The Shirelles</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Tribute To Buddy Holly - Mike Berry</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">I'm A Moody Guy - Shane Fenton & The Fentones</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">You're The Reason - Bobby Edwards</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Your Last Goodbye - Floyd Cramer</span></strong></li>
<li><strong><span style="color: #330099;">Young Boy Blues - Ben E King</span></strong></li>
</ul>
VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-49095723957482018882012-09-30T09:03:00.001-04:002012-09-30T09:03:43.506-04:00Helen Shapiro<br />
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I know that she toured with The Beatles, because I’ve seen her name on reproductions of their tour posters. She was the headline act.<br />
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I found her on <em>The Roots Of British Rock</em>. She had 11 songs on the UK top 50, and 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. <br />
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<h4>
Helen Shapiro:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/r1gaUVPz2D8" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Walkin’ Back To Happiness</span></a></strong> – Chirpy. She recorded this at the age of 15, and it reached no. 1 on the UK chart in the fall of 1961. In the US it reached no. 100. It was her only US chart placing. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-84641191758873031822012-09-29T22:21:00.001-04:002012-09-29T22:21:28.676-04:00The Dovells<br />
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The group was all about dancing. The jitterbug, the Bristol stomp, the hully gully, kind of a white group version of Chubby Checker. And they recorded for Cameo-Parkway. <br />
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This is one of those delightful Cameo-Parkway collections, called, in this case, <em>The Best Of The Dovells 1961-1965</em>. All the hits are here, and the last track on the collection, which I’m not including here, was lead singer Len Barry’s first solo hit, 1-2-3. Thanks to La Grande Bibliotheque. <br />
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The Dovells:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/qaCCoXze9Rk" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Bristol Stomp</span></a></strong> – This was apparently inspired by Bristol, Pennsylvania, not some beach town in England. The exact steps that comprise this regional variation of a somewhat forgotten dance must remain unknown. The group’s first hit was their biggest, in the autumn of 1961. <br />
• <strong>No, No, No</strong> – From 1957, they actually released with a different name on the single. It was before they were The Dovells. A song about a man on a mission. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/ajAbWC_8cCk" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Foot Stompin’</span></a></strong> – I’d probably like this better if I didn’t already know The Flares’ hit version. Great song though… <br />
• <strong>Mope-itty- Mope</strong> – Near as I can tell, this is about a “chick from outer space.” Sheb Wooley needn’t have lost sleep. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/XnubbyK6Loc" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Do The New Continental</span></a></strong> – I’m on the mailing list of a group that organizes dances a few times a year. And every time I go, one of the organizers leads everyone (by everyone, I mean everyone but me) in a round of “the continental.” It is the least fun thing I can think of. But maybe the new continental is more fun than the old continental. This is from the winter of 1962. <br />
• <strong>The Actor</strong> – This is what the group sounds like doing a ballad. It’s why they didn’t do many ballads… <br />
• <strong>Bristol Twistin’ Annie</strong> – The Bristol stomp, the twist, and a girl named Annie. How can you lose? From the summer of 1962. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/LNGUei3oR0Q" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Hully Gully Baby</span></a></strong> – The Olympics did (Baby) Hully Gully, a few years earlier. Here it’s updated (slightly). “All I want to do with you…” From the autumn of 1962. <br />
• <strong>Your Last Chance</strong> – It’s now or never, sang Elvis. This is kind of the same idea, but to a much better dance beat. <br />
• <strong>Kissin’ In The Kitchen</strong> – I guess you’d have to categorize this as a novelty number, though it’s hard to tell. Some kind of party going on, and they find the only unoccupied room. Or else it’s about some long-married couple seeking “variety.” Jeez, I hope not… <br />
• <strong>The Jitterbug</strong> – I guess everyone’s heard of this one. It’s fast, that’s good. I can dance around my kitchen to this anytime… From the winter of 1962 / 1963. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/z1VBGZxcRow" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">You Can’t Sit Down</span></a></strong> – A vocal version of The Phil Upchurch Combo hit. Pretty much sums up the group’s entire ouvre. From the summer of 1963. <br />
• <strong>Baby Workout</strong> – Len Barry was a good singer but Jackie Wilson was a better one, so I don’t know why he tried covering him… <br />
• <strong>Hey Beautiful</strong> – The masher’s theme… <br />
• <strong>Betty In Bermudas</strong> – Hot pants ok, but Bermudas? Must be something about that Betty… From the autumn of 1963. <br />
• <strong>Dance The Froog</strong> – I’ve heard of the frug, but the froog? An early version, undoubtedly, though he does mention “hippies” somewhere here… <br />
• <strong>Stop Monkeyin’ Around</strong> – An existential exercise here, where dancing and romancing coincide in unintentioned ways. From the autumn of 1963. <br />
• <strong>Don’t Come Back</strong> – The title is imperative, but the lyrics are conditional, “I don’t care if you don’t come back.” Either way, the dance rhythm doesn’t change. <br />
• <strong>Little White Houses</strong> – Not to be confused with White Houses by Eric Burdon & The Animals. But the group does get (just slightly) bluesy here… <br />
• <strong>Hearts Are Trump</strong> – Romance as a card game… VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-40357166214836192782012-09-23T13:20:00.005-04:002012-09-23T13:20:56.458-04:00The Jarmels<div style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Someone should write a book, if it hasn’t been done yet, about one-hit wonder R & B groups – like The Jarmels. Here is a group that has been around, it seems, in one form or another, since the early 60s, and they’ve only ever had one hit. Where I got it is anyone’s guess, probably on one of those various artist pre-recorded cassettes I used to pick up all the time. They recorded for Laurie Records, the same label that recorded Dion & The Belmonts and The Chiffons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Jarmels:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/XjEasaWEPG4" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">A Little Bit Of Soap</span></a></strong> – Music to shag to. Not clear to me why anyone would expect soap to wash away heartache, but maybe I’m poetry-challenged. From the fall of 1961, their only hit. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-18806655954247402992012-09-22T21:17:00.000-04:002012-09-22T21:17:00.422-04:00The Wilburn Brothers<br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My “collection” by The Wilburn Brothers is another oddity that comes from that Decca collection, <em>From The Vaults</em>. The group had dozens of hits on the country charts between 1954 and 1981, but nothing on the pop charts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Wilburn Brothers:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/pPAVwoQoMsI" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Trouble’s Back In Town</span></a></strong> – I love it. To characterize a grownup as “trouble” that way, it’s priceless. The style of this song was antiquated even back in 1961 when it was a hit. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-44574603582837645652012-08-31T18:04:00.000-04:002012-08-31T18:04:20.523-04:00Dick & Dee Dee<br />
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In the 50s there Johnnie & Joe, Mickey & Sylvia, The Kalin Twins, male-female duos all. In the 60s there was Sonny & Cher, Peaches & Herb, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood, even Johnny Cash & June Carter. They didn’t have much in common, but they all operated within certain musical and aesthetic limits.<br />
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That’s where Dick & Dee Dee differed. Their sound is so shrill, so ethereal, so out there, that one can’t help wonder what drugs they were on. Helium would be my first guess.<br />
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The duo, who were never married or anything, at least not to each other had 8 hits between 1961 and 1965.<br />
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Dick & Dee Dee:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/sm3VkSxe76E" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">All My Trials</span></a></strong> – The Minnie Mouse version of a college folk music standard. Typical of what Joan Baez was recording in those days. I don’t who thought this would work. It doesn’t. From the winter of 1964. <br />
• <strong>Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right</strong> – This is not the strangest version of Dylan’s song; that honour would have to go to The Wonder Who. This may just be the most inappropriate. The song can be done any number of different ways, but some aspect of what’s going on has to come through. Here, it doesn’t. The flip side of All My Trials. <br />
• <strong>Young And In Love</strong> – Not the Ruby & The Romantics hit. I want to know what happens when you’re old and in love. From the spring of 1963. <br />
• <strong>Thou Shalt Not Steal</strong> – The 10 commandments in the service of romantic fidelity, or something. From the winter of ’64 / ‘65 <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/BJtTUR-qPqc" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Mountain’s High</span></a></strong> – Their big hit, their moment in the sun. It is where the Dick & Dee Dee approach to music making pays off. Hard to say why exactly, the style is so outré that it does not lend itself to easy analysis. From the fall of 1961. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-978288592019562642012-08-27T16:54:00.001-04:002012-08-27T16:54:40.276-04:00The Blue Jays<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Described on Wikipedia as a “short-lived doo wop group.” Indeed, they lasted about a year, long enough to have a single hit on the top 40.</span></span></div>
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The Blue Jays:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/mIdnd-iSmlY" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Lover’s Island</span></a></strong> – Not sure about the singular possessive in the title, is it only open to one at a time? The lyrics on this are so “romantic paradise” as to be virtually meaningless, and while the group is described as doo-wop, this is actually what R & B sounded like before doo-wop. From the fall of 1961.VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-32469107477635917072012-08-25T21:51:00.002-04:002012-08-25T21:51:58.008-04:00Ann-Margaret<br />
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She was Kim in <em>Bye Bye Birdie</em>. Now what else do you want to know? <br />
Her career was acting. She made recordings as a sideline. Her voice was sultry. I say “was” but she is still around. She is 71.<br />
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Ann-Margaret:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/zDagZECOhJc" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">I Just Don’t Understand</span></a></strong> – Isn’t this what it all boils down to sometimes? Turn it over this way, that way, no way to make sense of it. There is a cover by The Beatles on their BBC Sessions, and another by Freddie & The Dreamers. From the fall of 1961.VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-53192017961139028392012-08-19T09:39:00.000-04:002012-08-19T09:39:43.899-04:00Barry Mann<br />
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So who was Barry Mann? Let’s check Whitburn. Hm. Four entries. No notes. Couldn’t have been anyone significant. Of those four entries, only one made the top 10, the rest didn’t make it higher than 78. Each was on a different label, and they were chronologically spread out – 1961, 1964, 1970, 1976. <br />
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I would say it was typical of Whitburn, who puts little notes after listings by artists of significance, not to acknowledge songwriters, because he doesn’t say anything about Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich either, but then he does acknowledge Carole King. So let’s just forget about Joel Whitburn.<br />
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Actually Barry Mann was an architect of rock and roll, having co-written, mostly with his wife Cynthia Weil, the following: She Say (Oom Dooby Doom), I Love How You Love Me, Blame It On The Bossa Nova, He’s Sure The Boy I Love, Hungry, I Just Can’t Help Believing, I’m Gonna Be Strong, Kicks, Looking Through The Eyes Of Love, Magic Town, Make Your Own Kind Of Music, On Broadway, Only In America, Proud, Rock And Roll Lullaby, Shapes Of Things To Come, Uptown, Walking In The Rain, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, (You’re My) Soul And Inspiration, and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling. That is, of course, a very partial list. <br />
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He married Cynthia in 1961. Apparently they are still married.<br />
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Barry Mann:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/lXmsLe8t_gg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)</span></a></strong> – One of those self-referential songs, pop/rock about pop/rock. This is said to be satirical, but I think that through the humour and self-deprecation there is a lot of truth. As silly as some of those songs are on paper, hearing them, dancing to them, opens up worlds. And of course, the real joke is that it was Mann himself who put that bomp bomp bomp there in the first place. He wrote this one with Gerry Goffin, Carole King’s then (or soon to be) husband. It was Mann’s only real hit, in the fall of 1961. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-38306824128851871432012-08-16T21:39:00.000-04:002012-08-16T21:39:22.855-04:00The Jive Five<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Jive Five had but one top 10 hit, 2 top 40, 5 top 100, and in one form or another they’ve been kicking around for 5 decades.<br /><h4>
The Jive Five:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/glOMdK8gfbo" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="color: red;">My True Story</span></a></strong> – Names have been changed, they sing, “to protect you and I.” It’s true. Anyway, we all have a story, at least one sad story in our repertoire. I know that this is a great classic hit and all, but to me it sounds a bit flat. It was late, anyway, for doo-wop when this was a hit, which was the fall of 1961. “Love will make you happy, love will make you cry.” </span></span></div>
VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-8381408167724962122012-08-14T21:24:00.001-04:002012-08-14T21:24:21.289-04:00Ricky Valance<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This guy was a <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country> teen idol. He was Welsh. <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country> teen idols were generally Cliff Richard Wannabes, and this guy was no exception, except that he was Welsh. He never had a hit in North America, and he only had one in the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">UK</st1:country>, but he also had a few in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Australia</st1:country> and <st1:place w:st="on">Scandinavia</st1:place>.<br /><hr />
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Ricky Valance:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/OlIGh4R1vSY" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Tell Laura I Love Her</span></a></strong> – A cover of the Ray Peterson hit, the teen dream expressed as death through martyrdom. Buying her flowers would have been easier and healthier. From the summer of 1961.</span></span>
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VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6292285431372088721.post-84419362916683829772012-08-13T20:38:00.000-04:002012-08-13T20:38:12.365-04:00Eddie Hodges<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I found the 45 in a pile in a box at Comic World and I brought it up to the front counter. It had no price on it. There’s no price on this, I said. I’ll give you a buck. Hey Doug! Yelled the clerk. I got a 45 no price! He looked at it. Read out the title as if it were some kind of poison: “Girls, Girls, Girls (Made To Love)”. After some “how much does he want to pay” discussion, he took my dollar, and away I went, one 45 richer. </span></span></div>
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Eddie Hodges:</h4>
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/QRIhld4O68c" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door</span></a></strong> – At 14, Eddie Hodges barely even qualified as a teen idol. Here he is though, determined as ever, surrounded by some of the greatest, if rather unsophisticated, sound effects, ever. This is hard to resist. From the summer of 1961. <br />
• <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/r3p6SQY3284" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Girls, Girls, Girls (Made To Love)</span></a></strong><span style="color: red;"> </span>– As bad as the former is good, this atrocious sexist objectification was a hit in the summer of 1962. VSL Poltroonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17515311335225348697noreply@blogger.com0