Children of Sunshine - "Dandelions" - Lo-Fi Pre-Teen Folk-Psych from 1971

This post is a bit outside of the usual purview of Musenick, but (a) it's an extremely rare record (a St. Louis, Missouri private pressing of 300 copies) and (b) it's surprisingly good. Here's your chance to hear it str8 from one of those 300 copies, by going HERE.

The story of this unique album can be found online, HERE being a particularly good piece. This album will be reissued eventually, but you can smugly say, "oh, that old thing? Yes, I know alllllllll about it." Enjoy!

More "5" Royales! Out-takes with studio chatter--"The Real Thing!"

More "5" Royales greatness, via this seldom-seen "import" which gathers alternate takes, complete with studio talk. Great track selection and sound quality. I'm glad this was "imported" by whomever "imported" it.

Since I just re-re-re-re-upped my prize-winning 2009 compilation of the Royales' complete King recordings, I thought this would make a nice sidecar.

I'll try to post more regularly in the new year ahead. I've deleted all the old posts with dead links, and will try to put at least one new thing a month up in 2013.

In the meantime, don't let it be in vain... download this sweet pile of secret soul right HERE!

Here's the track listing...

"Assault The Vaults:" Brothers Gibb Prove Adept Mimics of Changing Song Trends in Early 1960s. Ultra Rare CD in Great HQ Sound!

Postings on Musenick are as rare as this 1998 Australian release, which quickly went out of print and now commands high prices.

I enjoy the Bee Gees' Australian recordings, despite their admitted flaws. Young Barry Gibb was a good songwriter, and used this period (1963-67) to make a lot of mistakes and learn his craft. Still, the Bee Gees' best early recordings, such as "Claustrophobia," "Wine And Women," "Exit Stage Right" and "Playdown," are adorable Beatlesque confections. Maurice Gibb wrote songs, too, and some of his efforts are included in this set.

Brilliant From Birth, the Festival 2 CD-set of their Aussie output, is still available, but Assault The Vaults is so, so not easy to find. It's my pleasure to share these HQ sound files with you of the album's 31 tracks. I don't have scans of the booklet, tray, or anything else, but there is a wordpad doc with the track listing info.

From pretty-good imitation country to great Merseybeat emulations to varying girl-group attempts and psych-pop experiments, these songs cut a wide swath through the sounds of their times. Ironically, the quality of songwriting, overall, exceeds that of the Brothers G's own recordings of the era. (The two tracks by Jenny Bradley are sickly pre-pubescent pop, and not recommended for hypoglycemics.)

I just noticed that the text file zipped with these recordings has some errors. Here's the correct track listing:

1. (Underneath The) Starlight Of Love - Col Joye (Festival FK 364, 1963)
2. I'd Like To Leave If I May - Lonnie Lee (Leedon LK 415, 1963)
3. Walkin' Talkin' Teardrops - Jimmy Little (from Festival LP New Songs From Jimmy, 1964)
4. One Road - Jimmy Little (Festival Records FK 508, 1964)
5. I Don't Like To Be Alone - Bryan Davies (HMV EA 4362, 1964)
6. Love And Money - Bryan Davies (B-side to above)
7. And I'll Be Happy - Trevor Gordon & The Bee Gees (B-side, Leedon LK 829, 1965)
8. House Without Windows - Trevor Gordon & The Bee Gees (A-side to above)
9. Watch What You Say - Bryan Davies (HMV EA 4669, 1965)
10. Here I Am - Trevor Gordon (B-side, Leedon LK 924, 1965)
11. Little Miss Rhythm And Blues - Trevor Gordon (A-side to above)
12. I Should Have Stayed In Bed - Bryan Davies (1965 HMV single side?)
13. Who's Been Writing On The Wall - Jenny Bradley (Festival FK 1006, 1965)
14. Chubby - Jenny Bradley (B-side to above)
15. Everybody's Talkin' Michelle Rae (Leedon LK 971, 1965)
16. I Wanna Tell The World - Michelle Rae (B-side to above)
17. A Girl Needs To Love - Sandy Summers (B-side, Downunder UK-1455, 1966)
18. Messin' 'Round - Sandy Summers (A-side to above)
19. Hey - Bip Addison (Downunder UK-1454, 1966)
20. Young Man's Fancy - Bip Addison (B-side to above)
21. Talk To Me - Annie Shelton (Downunder UK-1456, 1966)
22. Don't You Go, I Need Your Love - The Mistics (B-side, Downunder UK-1362, 1966)
23. A Long Time Ago - April Byron (B-side, Downunder UK-1513, 1966)
24. Hes A Thief - April Byron (A-side to above)
25. All The King's Horses - Ronnie Burns (Spin EK 1578, 1966)
26. Don't Say No - Jenene Watson (Spin EK 1715, 1967)
27. So Long Boy - Jenene Watson (B-side to above)
28. Town Of Tuxley Toymaker Part 1 - Jon Blanchfield (Leedon LK 1662, 1967)
29. Upstairs Downstairs - Jon Blanchfield (B-side to above)
30. As Fast As I Can - Barrington Davis (Spin EK 1771, 1967)
31. Raining Teardrops - Barrington Davis (B-side to above)

Some of this is dross, but most of it's surprisingly good. The original 45s go for a king's ransom, so this is hard-to-hear stuff, for the most part. Get Part One HERE and Part Two HERE.  Enjoy - and happy new 2013!

Son of RE-RE-UPPED: Otis Blackwell: Volume 2 with 20 more classic tunes

12/30/12: The download file is newly re-upped. It lives again!

Hi, gang! Well, here's a second volume of songs written or co-written by the great OTIS BLACKWELL! Many songs I'm looking for are elusive, so this set has a mere 20 tunes on it.
I had to settle for a couple of less-than-stellar renditions here. When Pat Boone and Mahalia Jackson record the same tune, and the only version I could find is Pat's, well, er, it's bound to suffer in comparison. You can find videos of Mahalia Jackson singing FOR MY GOOD FORTUNE on YouTube. The recording itself seems very hard to find, although it was issued as a single by Columbia Records, and seemed to do fairly well. The search goes on...

Among the highlights are Barbara Lynn's imaginative update on DON'T BE CRUEL, in a 1963 performance that rivals Elvis' own in soulful intensity and playfulness; two bouncy R&B tunes by Thurston Harris, best-known for LITTLE BITTY PRETTY ONE; four fine pieces by Jimmy Jones, highlighted by PARDON ME, a Brill Building-style beat-ballad with an awkward social scenario (imagine SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME where the nice guy doesn't win!); an alternate take of PRISCILLA by Blackwell's songwriting partner Eddie Cooley, with some studio chit-chat; Jerry Lee Lewis' rollicking take of LIVIN' LOVIN' WRECK and Charlie Gracie's smooth rockabilly pop on COOL BABY.
I find the vocal mannerisms of Frankie Valli annoying on APPLE OF MY EYE. I like that Otis Blackwell wrote the song in the studio bathroom in 15 minutes, according to legend.
Otis turns in fine performances of two songs--MUSIC AND FIRE (a natural title track for this set!) and a reworking of ALL SHOOK UP that differs substantially from Elvis' classic 1957 version.
Th' King checks in with two early '60s efforts--the overlooked ONE BROKEN HEART FOR SALE and '61's RETURN TO SENDER, a quintessential Blackwell souffle of romantic rejection and toe-tapping melody.
Download the album and artwork HERE--and enjoy!

RE-UPPED 12/30/12! Brace Yourself: Here are 29 Great Songs Written by OTIS BLACKWELL! LINKS WORKING AGAIN!

Back again, for as long as it lasts, is my first 29-song compilation of songs penned or co-penned by the legendary OTIS BLACKWELL. In light of Ace Records' typically lack-luster compilation of Blackwell material, this remains the best single collection on the songwriter you could want.

Blackwell is perhaps best known for the songs he wrote for Elvis Presley-- "Don't Be Cruel," "All Shook Up," "Return To Sender," et al-- and for two Jerry Lee Lewis hits, "Breathless" and "Great Balls of Fire." Without a doubt, his best-known song, written under a pen-name, is "Fever," the moody ballad first recorded by R&B singer Little Willie John, but made most popular via Peggy Lee's later version (which includes added-after-the-fact lyrics).

This collection of mine blends various rockabilly, pop and rhythm and blues renditions of Blackwell's infectious, jaunty songs. From toe-tapping fluffy pop to soul-searing R&B ballads, Blackwell's work covers quite a broad expanse of emotional territory.

Some of the ballads were collaborations. On his own, Blackwell tended to write bouncy, saucy, seemingly simple ditties that are (a) ear-worms magnifique and (b) contain more impact than might appear on first listening.

Here are the hastily-designed "covers" for this compilation. These images are included in the zip file too.

This is stitched together from several CDs and mp3 files. There's a lotta Varetta Dillard, the cult R&B singer who recorded at least six Blackwell songs in the 1950s and '60s. By far, my favorite is her "Whole Lot Of Lip," a classic Blackwell confection that shoulda been a hit.

Other faves on this set include "Let's Talk About Us," performed with threatening intensity by Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty's "Comfy 'n' Cozy," Fats Domino's moody "Heartbreak Hil," the superb "No Regrets" by Little Willie John, and the lovely beat-ballad "You're Just The One To Do It," recorded by the UK superstars, Cliff Richard and the Shadows.

But, heck, every single song has something to recommend it.

HERE is the link to the music 'n' pix. Enjoy! And brace yourself for the new year to come...

The Big Talent of "Tiny" Parham (PART 2 STILL UP AS OF 12/30/12)

NOTE: I've got to re-up this in the new year. It's worth restoring, but I'll have to re-rip and re-scan the disc material. Keep checking back in...

Here is some of THE best jazz music of the late 1920s--two CDs' worth. Scans of the set's booklet are also included. I didn't do the covers, 'cos they're uglier than sin.

Ripped at 320 for your musical enjoyment!

CD 1 is currently not available, but will be re-re-re-upped soon. CD 2 IS still up, and resides HENCE.

I wrote a review of this CD set for Tim Gracyk's long-departed Victrola and 78 Journal 12 years ago. I'm gonna stick to my opinions of 1998, which you can read below:

Will re-re-update this post when I can get Disc One back up again--soon, I do hope!

The 5 Royales -- Complete King Masters (Home Brew compilation, 51 trax)

RE-UPPED AGAIN ON DECEMBER 30, 2012! GET IT WHILE YOU CAN!!!

The 5 Royales are my favorite rhythm and blues group of the 1950s. They were, basically, the Beatles of R&B--a self-contained unit of great singers, with one of the most brilliant songwriters and guitarists in all of Afro-American music, Lowman Pauling as their one-man Lennon-McCartney-Harrison.

Not that the other 4 Royales were slouches--John Tanner, James Moore, Obadiah Carter and Eugene Tanner (with 6th Royale Otto Jeffries often in tow--he also managed the group) are superb vocalists, at home with silly novelty songs and the most passionate of soul ballads.

The Royales' recording career spanned 1948 to 1965. Their best work was done for Cincinnati, Ohio indie label King Records, from 1954 to 1960.

The 51 King masters have, surprisingly, never been collected in one place until I sat down and did it this weekend. Many of these tracks, at present, are out of print. I used the superb Ace CD I Know It's Hard But It's Fair and two long out-of-print sets, Rhino's 1994 Monkey Hips and Rice: The 5 Royales Anthology and 2004's Don't Let It Be In Vain, from the Slouch Hat label.

The latter CD, which was discontinued within a year of its release, contained four tracks which have never otherwise been digitally remastered or reissued. Two of the best 5 Royales songs and performances--"Devil With the Rest" and the stunning minor-keyed masterpiece "Don't Let It Be In Vain," were found only on that rare-as-hen's-teeth disc.

Well, gang, all 51 tracks are here, arranged in the order of their release. I included the King matrix numbers on each track. King's matrix numbering hopped all over the place, so my hopes of arranging these in recording order was quickly dashed.

If anyone in Interwebs Land can figure this out, and put these tracks in the order the Royales recorded them, you will do the world a great service.

If you are unfamiliar with the songs of Lowman Pauling, you're in for a pleasant discovery. Pauling was among the most thoughtful and philosophical songwriters in R&B history. He basically provided the music its cornerstone transitions from post-war jump blues to the emotional overwhelm of '60s soul music.

You know at least one of his songs. "Dedicated To the One I Love" was a later hit for the black girl-group The Shirelles, and for LA folk-rockers the Mamas & Papas. The Royales' original version cuts all others to shreds. It contains a typical Lowman Pauling blend of heartfelt emotion and thoughts about human existence.

Just consider the line "Life can never be exactly like we want it to be." That's pure poetry, friends--and absolutely true. Another Paulingism that has become a sort of personal mantra is "After you did your best, the devil with the rest."

Pauling's melodies are among the best in all of R&B. And his guitar-work... mamma mia! Listen to "Think," the opening track on part 2 of this set. Lacerating, passionate, gripping, commanding!

"Think" was covered, in a bastardized version, by King label-mate James Brown. Brown's early recordings are heavily inspired by the Royales'. Ray Charles, in another curiously bastardized revision, covered the Royales' exuberant "Tell The Truth."

For some odd reason, when other artists have chosen 5 Royales songs to cover, they've mucked them up. No reason to trouble yourself with remakes, folks--it's all here for your listening pleasure. These songs will grow on you.

There are several non-Lowman Pauling songs on this set, including a few written by band members Otto Jeffries ("When I Get Like This," "I Need Your Lovin' Baby") and by R&B songwriters Henry Glover and the team of Charlie Singleton and Rose Marie McCoy.

Some of the uptempo novelty ditties aren't so hot, but even then, when written by Pauling, they transcend their fate. "Mohawk Squaw," a dumb-as-they-get novelty jumper, is rescued by some emotionally intense lyrics.

These guys, in the King period, could sing anything and make it sound great. They were so fortunate to have Pauling on deck. The Charlie Ferguson orchestra provides backing on most numbers. They hit a groove with the Royales and expertly supported the quintet/sextet's ace singing and Pauling's guitar antics.

Recommended reading on the Royales: Ed Ward's imaginative essay in the anthology book Stranded, which is the best piece I know of on the group, even though it is, as admitted by its author, almost 100% a work of fiction.

The Ace CDs, including a collection of the Royales' final recordings, Catch That Teardrop, are well worth acquiring. If you like this music, it'll sound even better on a CD.

Wellp, here you go... H E R E ' S Part One.

Part Two can be found H E R E! No art or liners--just the music. (Don't worry, all song files are titled.) Enjoy!