The Five Keys

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That time that I picked up The Harptones at Woolco I picked up The Five Keys. Another Harlem Hit Parade release, officially titled The Connoisseur Collection Of The Five Keys, and I’ve only ever seen these two, although I imagine that there were others.

Ten tracks here, including all four of their top 100 singles.

"The Glory Of Love" is from The Doo Wop Box, which I downloaded. It was recorded for Alladin, the rest were on Capital, which is odd, because the major labels did not sign R & B acts in those days.

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The Five Keys:

• Glory Of Love – an early release
• Ling Ting Tong – a hit in January, 1955. This is a very silly song, and it was covered by Buddy Knox (Party Doll). “I went to Chinatown, to get some egg foo yung…”
• Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind – this ballad went to number 23 in the autumn of 1956 and was their highest placing single.
• Close Your Eyes – Not the Edward Bear song, this is another romantic ballad / slow dance, and it was Peaches & Herb who put it on the charts in the 60s.
• From The Bottom Of My Heart – not the Buffy Ste. Marie song. They are a bit more uptempo here.
• The Verdict – Not too many songs use legal metaphors to convey romantic yearnings…
• Wisdom Of A Fool – From early 1957
• Let There Be You – Let there be love, and there was love, etc… Their last hit, and it is from the spring of 1957
• With All My Love
• The Blues Don’t Care
• Just For A Thrill – I think Ray Charles did this…

The Ames Brothers

I’m not so much into vocal quartets. Well I like the Four Tops, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about those annoying MOR groups that were so popular in the 50s, like the Four Aces, and The Four Coins, and The Four Preps, The Four Lads, The Four Dorks.

But I like The Ames Brothers. They were actually brothers (Ed, Gene, Joe, & Vic) and they not only sang really nice harmonies (the kind that I think only siblings can pull off, cf The Everley Brothers, Kate & Anna McGarrigle), but they sang it like they meant it. That’s not easy to do in 4 part harmony.

They had 20 top 100 singles between 1955 and 1960, and I have this double album, called All Their Greatest Hits, but only 4 of the 20 songs are on it. To be fair, many of the tracks here were hits prior to 1955, but my book starts in 1955, so that’s the best I can do.

Now I’m fairly certain that I picked this up at Pyramid Records; I’m not sure, but I don’t remember getting anywhere else, and Pyramid is the default. I think I spent more hours there, and picked up more stuff, than in all the other places combined. It would have been in their 4th location, and that was on the south side of Portage Avenue between Edmonton and Kennedy, and I would say that they were there from 1988 or 89 until 93. It was the perfect spot for me because it was exactly where I changed buses on the way home from work.

Ok, there was no such group as The Four Dorks.

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The Ames Brothers:

• Rag Mop – This was a biggie and it was from 1950. They sing R-A-G-G M-O-P-P but the song the song title is just rag mop. I guess the correct spelling wouldn’t have fit the rhythm so well…
• Did You Ever Get The Roses – Well the Ames Brothers had a fight with their girlfriend, and so they sent roses next day, but I don’t think it helped, because they never heard from her again. This song makes me sad.
• Heartaches – A standard written by Hoffman / Clenner in 1931. There were tons of versions of this, and The Marcels put this on the chart, a follow-up to “Blue Moon” in the early 60s.
• The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane – a “novelty” song. Love those novelty songs. The lady was a baby. Now you know the punch line.
• Harbor Lights – There are tons of version of this one too. And it was a hit by The Platters.
• Heart And Soul – Yet another standard, this one by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser. There was a doo-wop hit version by The Cleftones, and Jan &
Dean put a similar arrangement into the top 100 also.
• Por Favor
• The Man With The Banjo – Music about music.
• Undecided
• I’ll Never Smile Again
• A Fine Romance – I have another version of the by Ella Fitzgerald
• Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby – by Louis Jordan, I’m not sure that is the best material for The Ames Brothers
• Stella By Starlight – Yet another one with hundreds of recordings, the one I know best is by Ray Charles
• Seventeen – We’ve heard this by The Fontane Sisters, and we will hear it again by Boyd Bennett & His Rockets
• Count Every Star
• Pussy Cat – from the fall of ‘58
• The Game Of Love – Not The Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders song
• Loch Lomond – The Ames Brothers were decidedly not Scottish
• My Bonnie Lassie – Ditto, but they sure sing this beautifully
• To Each His Own – We have heard this by The Ink Spots, and we will hear it again by The Platters
• Melodie d’Amour – Not to be confused with “Melody Of Love” or “Chanson d’Amour,” this was a top ten hit in the autumn of 1957.
• No One But You In My Heart
• It Only Hurts For A Little While
• Around The World – A hit for Bing Crosby, for Mantovani, and for Victor Young
• Can Anyone Explain
• Sentimental Me – Me too.
• Two Sleepy People – This is sweet.
• Hit The Road To Dreamsville
• You, You, You – An early hit for the group
• Moments To Remember – A big one for The Four Lads in 1956

The Fontane Sisters

Rock Love was a collection of hits and non-hits by The Fontane Sisters, named after one of their biggest records, which wasn’t on it. To give credit to the company that re-issued this stuff (Charly Records) they came out with a volume 2, called Rock Again Love, which had the song, and an explanation as to why it hadn’t been on the first volume (got dropped by accident).

I got these two albums at Records On Wheels, not at the same time, and it must have been on two separate special occasions, because they were not cheap. And I can't find a picture, so make do with this one.

You don’t remember The Fontane Sisters and neither do I, but they recorded for Dot, and they put 18 songs on the top 100 during the four years 1955 – 1958. 15 of which are here. Missing are “Voices,” “Adorable,” and “Nuttin’ For Christmas.”

(Allmusic.com lists has an entry for Rock Again Love, and the tracks listed are the tracks on Rock Love)

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The Fontane Sisters:

· Seventeen – Their version hit number 3 in the autumn of 1955. The original was by Boyd Bennett And His Rockets, and their version reached number 5. It is a bit weird for girls to sing this I think…
· I’m Stickin’ With You – The original of this was by Jimmy Bowen and I don’t have it. This was from the spring of ’57.
· Please Don’t Leave Me – This was by Fats Domino. His version doesn’t seem to have been on the charts, but the F sisters hit the charts in the autumn of ’56.
· I’m In Love Again – Another Fats songs. It was on the top 40 in the spring of ’56. Fats’ version reached number 3.
· Love Like A Fool
· Playmates – This was from before the time when the word was irrevocably associated with Playboy Magazine. This was from the spring of ’55, and was the flip of “Rollin’ Stone.”
· Hearts Of Stone – The Charms’ hit. This reached number one early in January 1955.
· You Are My Sunshine – Did I say that I don’t like this song so much? They don’t salvage it.
· Eddie My Love – Here it is, We’ve heard this by The Chordettes, now here it is by The Sisters. It’s ok, but the other versions are better.
· Billy Boy – This one is kind of silly. Who are the boys singing on it??
· The Rock ‘N’ Rolla – I think that this is based on song that has something to do with Coca Cola. They attempt to affect an accent, Jamaican possibly, but it’s hard to tell
· Daddy-O – The dude of his day. From the Christmas season of 1955.
· Jealous Heart – From the fall of ’58, their last hit, and it only reached #94
· Most Of All – not the B.J. Thomas song
· Banana Boat Song – aka Day-O. This was, of course, famous by Harry Belafonte, and by The Tarriers. The Sisters’ version, which lacks a certain authenticity, notwithstanding their undoubtedly sincere attempts at a Carribean patois, managed to reach number 18, in early 1957. They may have been playing this on the radio at the exact moment that I was born…
· Echoes Of Love
· Rock Love – From winter / spring of ‘55, and the title track of the album on which it wasn't...
· Fool Around – “I’m sick and tired of being blue…I’m wasting no more love on you…”
· You’re Mine – Not the Elvis Presley song.
· Listen To Your Heart
· Ragtime Rock ‘N’ Roll
· The Old Piano Roll Blues
· Rollin’ Stone – Not the Muddy Waters song. Summer ‘55
· Still – Not the Bill Anderson song. The original was by LaVerne Baker. From the fall of ’56, the flip of “Please Don’t Leave Me.”
· Chanson D’Amour – From the spring of ’58. Also a hit by Art & Dotty Todd, and covered much later by Manhattan Transfer.
· Got You On My Mind
· You Always Hurt The One You Love – A hit for the Mills Brothers
· Lonesome Lover Blues – From summer ’56, the A side was called “Voices” and was a bigger hit.
· I Understand – Not the G-Clefs’ song.
· If I Could Be With You

Billy Vaughn

Billy Vaughn was the musical director of Dot Records, and his arrangements are all over recordings by Pat Boone and The Fontane Sisters. And he released plenty of records under his own name, and he had 28 records on the top 100 between 1955 and 1966, 12 of them on the top 40.

The album is called Golden Hits: The Best Of Billy Vaughn, and it was released in the early 60s, it has 11 tracks, and I believe that I picked it up at Pyramid Records. The first two track are from a double sided hit single reissue, which I probably also picked up at Pyramid.

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Billy Vaughn:

· Raunchy – Three versions of this battled their way up the pop charts in late 1957, this one, and Bill Justis, and Ernie Freeman, and Justis’ is the one people remember, and the one that placed highest.
· Look For A Star – Four version of this battled their way up the pop charts in the summer of 1960, this one, and Garry Mills, and Garry Miles, and Deane Hawley, and I only know the last one from the Whitburn book, I don’t have it nor have I heard it. Both Garrys sing the words, Billy just plays the tune.
· Sail Along Silv’ry Moon – An old chestnut, Billy’s version found itself in the top 10 as 1957 sailed into 1958
· Melody Of Love – A biggie, early 1955. Also a hit for Frank Sinatra, and David Carroll.
· Moon Over Naples (Spanish Eyes) – Bert Kaempfert wrote this, and he recorded it of course, and Al Martino put it on the charts, something that Billy didn’t do, in 1966.
· A Swingin’ Safari – One of the great underrated singles. Another Kaempfert composition, but it was Billy who had the hit, in the fall of 1962.
· Theme From A Summer Place – It was Percy Faith who had the hit; this doesn’t really belong here, but it may have helped sell a few more copies.
· Blue Hawaii – so many people did this, Elvis did this, The Ray Charles Singers did this, Billy did it and it was a hit in early 1959.
· The Shifting Whispering Sands, part 1 – This is kind of bizarre. Ken Nordine is the narrator, and no, I don’t know anything about him. The song was a hit on the fall of ’55, and there was a competing version by Rusty Draper. “How I escaped from the valley I do not know” says Ken. Isn’t he curious?
· The Shifting Whispering Sands, part 2 – The Sequel
· Wheels – a hit for Billy and for the String-A-Longs in early 1961.
· La Paloma – reached number 20 in fall ’58; I think I have a version by Catarena Valente but I’m too lazy to check.
· Orange Blossom Special – Billy’s version doesn’t quite do it justice. Ah well, it still made number 63 on Billboard in March of 1961. This is our second encounter with this song, and we are keeping track. The first was Bill Monroe.

The Chordettes

Quality Records was a Canadian label. (They released The Guess Who between 1964 and 1967.) In the late 80s, they released a series of LPs, each called "Greatest Hits," each with 10 tracks, and each with the same cover design. They featured mostly 50s and 60s artist from Chess (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley), Roulette (Tommy James & The Shondells), Cameo Parkway (Fabian, Frankie Avalon) et al.

And The Chordettes. Some of these albums were ubiquitous; some weren’t. The Chordettes album wasn’t. It was damn hard to find.

I found my copy at Records On Wheels, a record store on the north side of Portage Avenue that specialized in imports. I was always interested in the 50s and 60s section, and they had Rhino, See For Miles, Sundazed, etc. I’d spend hours there, checking out the latest arrivals, the not-so-recent arrivals, salivating over LPs that cost $20 and up, and that was a lot.

So I didn’t buy records there very often. But The Chordettes was only about $10. And I never saw it anywhere else, which was a bit strange, because, as I say, the series was everywhere.

The Chordettes had 14 top 100 records from 1954 until 1961 (originally on Cadence) and 10 of them are on here. This was one of the few 50s girl groups that wasn’t sisters. And they were kinda sexy in their own dorky kind of way. Beautiful harmonies…

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The Chordettes:

· Mr. Sandman – what a great record. Vaughn Monroe did this, and The Four Aces, and Emmylou Harris, but no one did it like The Chordettes. It was number one at the end of 1954. “yeeesssss?”
· Never On Sunday – the theme from the movie. From the summer of ’61. This was also a hit by Ray Anthony.
· Zorro – from the TV show, spring of ‘58
· Just Between You And Me – at least it’s not between you and I. This was in the top 10 in the autumn of ’57.
· Born To Be With You – from the summer of ‘56. What a beautiful recording this is. Dave Edmunds covered it.
· Lollipop – this must have raised a few eyebrows. Went all the way up to number 2 in winter / spring ’58.
· Eddie My Love – three versions of this fought there way up the charts in early 1956, one by The Fontane Sisters, one by The Teen Queens, and this one. This one gets my vote, though the TQ’s are no slouches.
· No Other Arms, No Other Lips – not the Pat Boone song, this is from the spring of 1959.
· Lay Down Your Arms – some military relief. This was a hit in autumn of 1956.
· Teenage Goodnight – I wonder how many teenagers refer to their parting ceremonies as teenage goodnight. Maybe 9. This was the flip of “Lay Down Your Arms” and it reached number 45 on its own merits.

Bill Haley & His Comets

I am in awe of Bill Haley. He is probably the first rock and roller to show up on the pop charts. “Crazy Man Crazy” reached number 12 on the Billboard chart in mid 1953. 1953!

Elvis’ first record came out in 1954, his first hit in 1956. Chuck Berry and Fats Domino didn’t show up until 1955, Little Richard in 1956, Buddy Holly in ’57.

He doesn’t get the credit of course. Maybe the “experts” think he was too derivative, or too tame, or too old. Well he was kind of paunchy in his heyday. But it doesn’t matter, he was there before anyone else and it’s time to set the record straight.

This collection comes from three sources.

Golden Hits is the main source and it’s here in its entirety. 14 of his 24 hits are there. I got the album at Music City.

I used to hear Music City ads every night on the radio when I was a kid. Music City in the Mall Centre they said. Jack Skelly was the owner, and they said his name a lot. Where is the Mall Centre I asked my mother. Polo Park she said, referring to what was then the biggest mall in the city.

But she was wrong. The Mall Centre was a small strip of stores between the Mall Hotel and the bus depot, diagonally across from The Bay. But when I bought this LP the store had moved more into the centre of downtown. And I don’t know whether it was the same store. I didn’t go in there very many times. I bought Bill Haley, and Eric Burdon & The Animals, and The Irish Rovers, all at the same time, a long time ago, late 70s probably.

I got a tape, can’t remember the name, with about 9 tracks, I think I bought it at Sears Polo Park (funny how these things go) many years later, and 3 songs are here: “Rudy’s Rock,” “Mambo Rock,” and “Hot Dog Buddy Buddy.” And “Crazy Man Crazy,” the song that started it all, I got from an ancient compilation album called Rock And Roll Dance Party, and I found that at Pyramid Records, which is a story unto itself, so it will have to wait.


Haley hits missing in action: “Birth Of The Boogie,” “Joey’s Song,” “Lean Jean,” “Teenager’s Mother (Are You Right?),” Skokiaan.”

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Bill Haley & His Comets:

· Rock Around The Clock – the granddaddy of all rock and roll songs. If rock and roll has a signature tune, this is it. (Well, this and “Johnny B Goode.”) The song was written by Max Freedman and Jimmy De Knight, whose real name was James Myers, and I know nothing about either one of them. Haley recorded it and released it in 1954 but it stiffed. Then in ’55 it was used for the movie Blackboard Jungle and the rest is history. They can’t count how many records it’s sold from then till now. It’s been covered of course, and I can think of Sha Na Na (well duh), and Harry Nilsson did it with John Lennon by his side on Pussy Cats, but it wasn’t his most stellar performance.
· Burn That Candle – “mother” is the object here, the one who is supposed to keep the candle burning, while she awaits Bill to waltz in with his sweetie. It was a hit late in 1955
· Forty Cups Of Coffee – Bill is worried sick while his sweetie is out late, and he ODs on caffeine. But the ending is happy, Bill is not angry with her for coming late or not calling. Still, I wanna know, where the heck was she. The song was out in the spring of ’57, when I was just a wee’un.
· Two Hound Dogs – one of many gimmicky songs that Haley did, the dogs are named Rhythm and Blues. And they dance. I guess.This was from the summer of ’55, but it only made number 50. I wonder why. This was the flip side of “Razzle Dazzle.”
· Tonight’s The Night – not The Shirelles song and not the Rod Stewart song, but the theme is the same, surprise. Oh, and not the Neil Young song. This is a group vocal.
· Dim Dim The Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere) – first he wants to burn the candle, then he wants to dim the lights. Make up your mind. How can I love you with the room so bright. This hit before “Rock Around The Clock,” in early ’55.
· Shake Rattle And Roll – one of the most famous rock and roll songs ever. The song was written by Charles Calhoun (I know I know, who?) and was done originally by Joe Turner, whose version is a bit slower, and which has a more loping rhythm. Haley cleaned up the words and managed to reach the top 10 in the fall of 1954. Arthur Conley put the song back on the charts in 1967.
· Rip It Up – Bill Haley does Little Richard. He cleaned up these words too – ‘we’re gonna ball tonight” becomes “at the ball tonight.” Oops.
· (You Hit The Wrong Note) Billy Goat – from the summer of ’57. A dumb song. Sorry
· Rockin’ Rollin’ Rover- more about dogs
· Rockin’ Little Tune – an instrumental, and not a very rock and roll one either.
· Rock-A-Beatin’ Boogie – The flip of Burn That Candle, this managed to scurry up to number 23 at the end of ’55.
· Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town) – Haley’s dream. It was in the wake of nuclear holocaust, and now he’s a stud. Too bad about the radiation.
· Saints Rock ‘N Roll – everybody had to have a stab at “When The Saints Go Marching In” and so did Haley. He doesn’t do a bad job of it, but it’s still an annoying song. Was in the top 20 in the spring of ’56.
· Corrine, Corrina – Joe Turner did this one too, and so, later, did Ray Peterson, and Bob Dylan, and Taj Mahal, and many others.
· Crazy Man Crazy – the one that started it off, in mid 1953, on Essex Records (the rest were on Decca).
· Rudy’ Rock – Rudy is Rudy Pompilli, the sax player, who took over as band leader early on, as Haley descended further into mental illness. From autumn 1956.
· Mambo Rock – Haley’s contribution to the mambo craze. From early 1955.
· Hot Dog Buddy Buddy – a real rocker this one, From spring, 1956.
· Calling All Comets – an instrumental, not as strange as the other one.
· Hide And Seek
· Rockin’ Thru The Rye – an adaptation of the song that gave Catcher In The Rye its name. From the summer of ’56, the flip side of Hot Dog Buddy Buddy
· See You Later Alligator – a top 10 hit from early 1956. Did the song come from the expression, or did the expression come from the song?
· R-O-C-K – From spring 1956, he sings about himself

Strauss discovered waltzes
The Handyman brought the blues
Then came Haley
With Crazy Man Crazy
Dig that crazy news

· Skinnie Minnie – from spring 1958
· Razzle Dazzle – from summer ’55. I remember a TV show called Razzle Dazzle.
· A.B.C. Boogie – a swinging teacher
· Don’t Knock The Rock – this was the name of a movie, and I guess Haley was in it and so was the song. Surprisingly this song does not appear to have made the charts.

Another 10 More Random Albums

Just a reminder that these are all vinyl records that I can’t play anymore. They are sitting in limbo, and they are acknowledged here…

Daphnis et Chloé: Choeur et Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit

I bought this for my daughter, and she was much younger then than she is now, and she like to watch ballet on television so I bought this ballet music thinking she’d be interested, but she wasn’t so interested. She did, however, take the picture of the cover. Thank you daughter.

The first classical record I ever bought was another recording of this music, by Charles Munch possibly, and it was unusual in that it featured the entire ballet, not just the suites. This is also the entire ballet, and this was one of the first ever digital recordings. It was released in 1981. Wow.

John Denver – Take Me To Tomorrow

I bought this by accident, well not exactly. I bought Rhymes And Reasons on eBay, and this came along for the ride. I had it already, so I wouldn’t have bought it, and I have since replaced R & R with a CD copy. I like this album, though, for what it’s worth; it was an early LP, maybe his second, and way way better than Rhymes And Reasons anyway. But now I have them both.

Chris de Burgh – Spanish Train And Other Stories.

This is my wife’s. It sucks. She doesn’t even like it anymore. I liked Chris de Burgh for a while.
First time I heard of him was I think in 1976; he had just released Perfect Day and he was coming to Winnipeg. He seemed kind of cool, kind of hip. But he wasn’t really, he was just tiresome.

An Evening With John Denver

Considered by those that make such judgments to be one of the suckiest albums ever. Sorry, but I like it.

Musical Mother Goose

I don’t know about this one. I don’t know where it came from. Obviously a children’s album, but I don’t think any of my kids ever listened to it. It’s one of those cheap kids’ albums that every family used to have.

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg

The music from 2001. Of course that’s only the opening bars, but that’s all you need really. It was Karl Boehm whose recording was used in the movie. Strauss was yet another Nazi, though he was quite old when he joined the party, and probably senile. But it’s not so surprising that he set Nietzsche to music. Of course you can’t set Nietzsche to music, but that didn’t stop Strauss…

Britten, Serendate For Tenor, Horn And Strings with Robert Tear and Alan Civil,
Les Illuminations with Heather Harper (soprano), Northern Sinfonia, Neville Marriner cond.

I have been in love with Britten’s Serenade since the first time I heard it. The version I heard originally, and which I still have on MP3, had Britten himself conducting, and Peter Pears singing, and Barry Tuckwell playing horn. Alan Civil plays horn here, and he played on “For No One” by the Beatles, on Revolver.

Brahms, Symphony No. 1, Academic Festival Overture, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti

I may have actually bought this one new, that’s all I can tell you…

The Bach Album, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra

A double album with transactions and orchestral works by Bach. All his greatest hits seem to be here: Toccata And Fugue in D Minor, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Air On the G String etc. I hear that they play that last one in strip clubs…

Petite Sings

Ok, I don’t even know how to describe this. There was this TV show, ok? A TV show, a kids’ show, and it was called “Archie Wood And Friends.” Archie Wood was a puppet; he was made of wood, hence his name, (Archie?). And the ventriloquist, his name was Uncle Bob. And see, Uncle Bob, he wasn’t very good, you could see his lips move. He didn’t make any effort to hide it. I guess when you’re a kid you look at the puppet. Of course Archie had friends, like Marvin Mouse.

And Petite. Petite was a dog. And every week she sang. It seems to me, and my memory may be faulty here, but it seems to me that every week she sang "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window." So imagine how surprised I was to find this album at Value Village. A whole album of Petite singing contemporary pop: “These Boots Are Made For Walking,” “Me & Bobby McGee,” “Rose Garden,’ etc. I kid you not. Of course she also does “Safety Song,” “Little White Duck,” and “Fun In The Fall,” but still…

It doesn't get more surreal than this.