tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036708980739806122024-03-19T04:22:22.264-07:00Musenick!Merry melodies from many genres. May these humble offerings please you!Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-77249143896851748952019-08-16T10:00:00.000-07:002019-08-16T10:01:19.182-07:00Roger That: Part 1 of a Tribute to Roger Roger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2KmBU9YKlWTzl0JLqKCtKFui3vg1y-sQkWzjmwIgamxA_Y2BiUsYiMe_ppBkedaRtBi4u8BM35Kuz9-FoisvAAUpRLQ4GxNkX2uge02zcROAF2HgKVoFNCYEzZOzgSo_v6D_itJ1-SLx/s1600/ROGER+ROGER+CD+CARD+FRONT+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2KmBU9YKlWTzl0JLqKCtKFui3vg1y-sQkWzjmwIgamxA_Y2BiUsYiMe_ppBkedaRtBi4u8BM35Kuz9-FoisvAAUpRLQ4GxNkX2uge02zcROAF2HgKVoFNCYEzZOzgSo_v6D_itJ1-SLx/s320/ROGER+ROGER+CD+CARD+FRONT+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Roger Roger (that was his given name) lived from 1911-1995 and did most of his composing work for various stock music providers. </div>
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These companies produced a variety of recordings designed for radio, TV and movie licensing. These "needle drop" compositions could be slotted in as background music for commercials, as themes for local programming, and aural wallpaper as announcers delivered local events of interest, etc.</div>
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Two films make powerful use of library music: 1960's <i>The Brain that Wouldn't Die</i> and 1968's <i>Night of the Living Dead</i>. As well, Edward D. Wood's infamous <i>Plan 9 from Outer Space</i> and the George Reeves <i>Superman</i> TV series are rife with library tracks.</div>
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That listeners would want to hear this music on its own, and know who the composers were, never dawned on anyone who toiled in this cottage industry. Beginning in 1955, Roger Roger created a series of needle-drop albums for Chappell Music. These albums make for schizophrenic listening in their native form. The discs strived to give licensers a wide swath of moods and feelings--from light 'n' airy shopping music to tongue-lolling "clowneries" to deep, dark melodrama. Faux-classical pieces, military marches, anonymous-yet-patriotic themes, children's ditties: all went into the musical Mixmaster.</div>
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You can read a short and illuminating account of RR's life <a href="http://www.spaceagepop.com/roger.htm">HERE</a>. He had a distinguished career, for someone so seldom in the spotlight on his own merits, and his music wound up in the dog-gonedest places.</div>
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For your listening and downloading pleasure, here is the first in an intended series of skimmings from RR's Chappell albums. As you might imagine, not every track is a winner. While I admire the arranging and conducting skill that went into every track, some of them are a dead loss musically. There is far too much forced frivolity for my liking. I've included "Clowneries," a superior example of this frothy goof. And several dull classical pieces likely served their purpose as theme tunes for serious programs--as they were intended. Elsewhere, faux-Oriental and Mediterranean tunes produce a mild millenial cringe. </div>
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The idea that anyone would want to sit down and listen to this stuff on its own would have made the Chappell people laugh back in the day. Yet people remembered these haunting melodies from their random use on TV and radio, and when the source albums were discovered, they became sought-after collectibles.</div>
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Chappell employed a number of prominent figures in the library music genre. Roger Roger was arguably the best of the talent pool. His melodic sense, choice of instrumentation and sense of adventurous arrangement often knocks one's socks off. I've tried to select the finest pieces in this series. Volume one comprises highlights from Chappell Mood Music Volumes 1-3, 5, 6 and 9. (Missing volumes are multi-composer anthologies and don't contain any RR contributions.)</div>
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Some of these tunes may be familiar to those who own <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grands-Travaux-Roger/dp/B000005YQ9">Grands Travaux</a>, the Basta CD from 1995 that re-created Chappell selections. There are pieces that couldn't be avoided because they're so striking and affecting. There are some choice selections not on this tribute album (well worth acquiring if you like what you hear here), and there's something solid and pleasing about these monophonic originals.</div>
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This is some of my favorite music, and if it's new to you, I hope you cotton to it. There will be more of these anthologies soon.</div>
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This first collection can be had <a href="http://nitroflare.com/view/C4D0380318A259C/Roger_Roger-Gems_from_the_Chappell_LPs.zip">HERE</a>.</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-74911217980783458162019-08-06T18:47:00.001-07:002019-08-06T18:47:07.630-07:00Trying a New Filehost--and The Girl-Group Gr8ness of The Chiffons!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v8BiJJyQ6XCNlf20Wuo4KbmdLTRPNNemOv5skqu2ZnDXCjQQ3w9T14tD5q5r0zSZT1jzGZGOEeq4NSH_-02vKKhUUoX5MBbBsx8Z1xbCkITJXAFRRYzVQcQ31cyw6Xe0V-hv-Fefh39f/s1600/Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1v8BiJJyQ6XCNlf20Wuo4KbmdLTRPNNemOv5skqu2ZnDXCjQQ3w9T14tD5q5r0zSZT1jzGZGOEeq4NSH_-02vKKhUUoX5MBbBsx8Z1xbCkITJXAFRRYzVQcQ31cyw6Xe0V-hv-Fefh39f/s320/Cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Much ado about musenick since my last post. My music-dedicated external hard drive of several years up and died. I've grieved its passing, and mourned the many rare tracks I'll likely not have again. So it goes. Trying a cloud-based backup called Backblaze; we'll see how that goes.</div>
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It's high time for <i>something</i> on here, so here's one of the first "lost" albums that I hunted down. The Chiffons' star had long since paled when this odds and sods album was issued in 1971. The group has one of the more substantial catalogs of the girl-group genre, with powerhouse classics like "My Block," "He's So Fine," "Oh My Lover," "One Fine Day" and "Nobody Knows What's Goin' On In My Mind But Me," to name five. Their lead singer, Judy Craig, has one of the most appealing voices of her musical era. </div>
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Why this album was cobbled together is one of the mysteries of musical history. Perhaps it provided a much-needed tax-write off for a failing independent record label. Perhaps The Mob had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, <i>My Secret Love</i> is a first-rate valediction to one of the most solid girl groups of their day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tScPbxFXZoGqQfDmHS_rroxD_SVFbJOEuBGRHxaXrXk5AEFTOOrGMx_48ngFk4Py8GIPC15SuftFXlVvsUha_y-oilbUFvosLy2lcFnFQsNw9BNZwV4T7qxQHFo-r2qP0ambZykxhlFc/s1600/Back.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6tScPbxFXZoGqQfDmHS_rroxD_SVFbJOEuBGRHxaXrXk5AEFTOOrGMx_48ngFk4Py8GIPC15SuftFXlVvsUha_y-oilbUFvosLy2lcFnFQsNw9BNZwV4T7qxQHFo-r2qP0ambZykxhlFc/s320/Back.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Its 10 tracks had never been issued during the group's chart heyday on Laurie Records. They span the group's hit-making career. The second track on the album is reason enough to download this. "You're The Love of a Lifetime," written by Ronnie Mack, who penned "He's So Fine," "Lucky Me" and "Oh My Lover" prior to his 1963 death, couldn't have returned from the grave (far as we know), so this recording must date from that year. With two chords, tribal percussion and a driving, repetitive melody, the song is hypnotizing, exotic and maddeningly catchy.</div>
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To spew a little music theory here, the song is built around the IV and V chords. There is no resolution. The I chord needs to be there to complete the circuit. The tension this effect creates is magical. The song is over in 1:42 but begs repeated listens. It might have been commercial suicide in 1963, but it sounds great in 2019.</div>
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Every song has something to recommend it here--including an otherwise-unheard song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, "My First and Last." Other writers of note here are Jimmy Radcliffe, Toni Wine, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. It's a who's who of New York pro pop songwriting circa 1963-66. </div>
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Never available on CD, this album, which was pressed in teensy numbers and commands $300+ from savvy record dealers, has recently been reissued on vinyl, and may sound better than the 1971 original. I hope you can see, after a listening, why this was one of the first "oh, crap, I don't have ________________" moments I had after external HD failure.</div>
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This accidentally perfect album can be had <a href="http://nitroflare.com/view/1D80BE2B039CABE/Chiffons_-_My_Secret_Love.rar">HERE</a>. I hope this filehost not cad-like. My Box links will stay put until they give me the complete boot. Not being able to upload new zipped files there makes them doomed to dullness.</div>
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Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-9600145260447917522019-05-27T12:01:00.002-07:002019-05-27T12:01:36.950-07:00The Mysteries of Box.com...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsXT47m5PuPXRc9Y8UOXvG2goF-8N4Tk9nVyywgx4dnBesEmSOztb8EVLMvwHwOQiiTeKOx4R_hQpkXqSZLkLSBmzvO3CXcgE5rCFhUGynoE2DsOM6Kun12TaR2QL8m_oL80TAFk4v9EU/s1600/s-l1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="521" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsXT47m5PuPXRc9Y8UOXvG2goF-8N4Tk9nVyywgx4dnBesEmSOztb8EVLMvwHwOQiiTeKOx4R_hQpkXqSZLkLSBmzvO3CXcgE5rCFhUGynoE2DsOM6Kun12TaR2QL8m_oL80TAFk4v9EU/s320/s-l1600.jpg" width="202" /></a><br />
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When you click on the download link for the files here, which are all hosted on box.com, you will get a message stating that box.com no longer supports .rar or .zip formats. </div>
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Nonetheless, you'll still see a download button, and can still download the files. </div>
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I hope that will remain the case for awhile. I don't want to go through the hassle of re-homing every dl file on this site, few as they are...</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-34191464709546415002019-03-14T16:37:00.000-07:002019-05-23T13:57:55.938-07:00Screechy, Eerie Space-Age Pop: Kai Winding's Magical Double-Header<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEnnCWR12_TqO3pucGd0hh1nirKdVJ5xTw_tAkVqH72qxkRhsBNvpka3gwMhMAtKlG47EgVbIv6aqpk2udPefDeC_TcflebNtbhJMoSPo7gRO7hH20ZsbECgsXL8map7in6P5fYFU_Tvx/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEnnCWR12_TqO3pucGd0hh1nirKdVJ5xTw_tAkVqH72qxkRhsBNvpka3gwMhMAtKlG47EgVbIv6aqpk2udPefDeC_TcflebNtbhJMoSPo7gRO7hH20ZsbECgsXL8map7in6P5fYFU_Tvx/s320/front.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenny Burrell is nowhere to be found here.</td></tr>
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Joe Meek top-ped global pop charts with his song and pro-duction "Tel-star," a stately number recor-ded by The Tornados for UK Decca Records.</div>
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The sound of "Telstar" had a wave of influ-ence that held on well into the 1960s, even after the British beat groups, with their ac-cent on docu-mentary-style recordings of raw rock 'n' roll, comandeered American ears from 1964.</div>
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By 1963, when the first of today's two LPs hit the shelves, that almost disco-style percussion, coupled with piping, piercing electronic keyboard sounds, was being copied, and Meek's productions analyzed--how in the heck did he come up with those sounds?</div>
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Others tried to emulate Meek's sound, often with comical effect. One remarkably good Meek imitation is on a record by singer Louise Cordet, "<a href="https://youtu.be/bsjA3U8-TY0">Lovin' Baby</a>." The record was written and produced by Tony Meehan, ex-member of The Shadows who partnered with Jet Harris on a series of post-Shads instrumental hits in the UK.</div>
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One of the best American manifestations of the "Telstar" sound was spread over two LPs by big band trombonist Kai Winding. He recorded an Italian song called "More," theme to a documentary film smash called <i>Mondo Cane</i>, using the Ondioline, a cousin of the electronic keyboard heard on Joe Meek's recordings. Playing the instrument was its acknowledged master, Jean-Jacques Perrey, who was in New York attempting to find success as a musician and composer. </div>
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Due to some contractual shenanigans, Perrey was not given credit anywhere on the single or its resultant album. And Kenny Burrell? Phfft! The jazz guitarist wasn't in the studio at all during these sessions. The guitar work was headed by Vincent Bell, a stalwart of the New York studio scene whose distinctive six-string sounds and effects pedals made him an American cousin of Joe Meek, kinda-sorta.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0LpwMH5ikdGq_HhyphenhyphenbBl5J6dhg0GKieLZj9LIRJ1DNEKNUdpIG-J8t9Y-bFqjWT1Lzj473eUnuHSTqZIl0XeRrVRcE6gxog6Hr9aVKBfK8nHRWl9_6qn2gzX1CO568iZ7zjUDggWPkXBM/s1600/R-2878460-1333296963.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="600" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0LpwMH5ikdGq_HhyphenhyphenbBl5J6dhg0GKieLZj9LIRJ1DNEKNUdpIG-J8t9Y-bFqjWT1Lzj473eUnuHSTqZIl0XeRrVRcE6gxog6Hr9aVKBfK8nHRWl9_6qn2gzX1CO568iZ7zjUDggWPkXBM/s320/R-2878460-1333296963.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a trifle Beatley.</td></tr>
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Two grand albums resul-ted--both here for your listen-ing pleasure today. I'm not sure if Perrey and Bell were aboard for <i>Mon-do Cane #2</i>, the 1964 fol-ow-up. The On-dioline is all over this se-quel, and gui-tars are upfront a good deal of the time.</div>
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The second album reflects the influence of The Beatles, who had thunderstruck the States by this time. "Till"'s intro riff is a theft of the Fab Four's "Please Please Me" (which, in turn, was pilfered from a Carl Perkins song, "Lend Me Your Comb," which was written by a trio of Tin Pan Alley cleffers for the 1957 rock-exploitation film J<i>amboree</i>. So now you know...)</div>
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Both albums have a tasty mix of originals and cover versions of familiar easy-listening or instrumental fare. Some of the originals are very obvious "Telstar" rewrites, which would not have pleased Joe Meek, if he ever heard them.</div>
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The second album has a wider variety of Ondioline sounds. Check out the throaty tones of "Python," coupled with some choice twangy electric guitar. There's much to like across the board. This is some of my favorite "work music." Great to write to, great to draw to... I imagine it would make dish-washing enjoyable. Enjoy it as you wish.</div>
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MORE is <a href="https://app.box.com/s/blxlzwmqaub1v9s7t2n3m4aqsdk3pp57">HERE</a>... MONDO CANE #2 is <a href="https://app.box.com/s/4lpjo6z9yyt3b01kam7hzf9ivmftxi7h">HERE</a>.</div>
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Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-85837715115542783682018-11-11T14:04:00.000-08:002019-08-10T07:42:58.202-07:0052 Rays of Sun-Light: A Tribute to a Bygone Music Blog and to the Legacy of Sam Phillips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK55pzyMAKZZjYuLq10-PgxGMKFbUZKL0tcR3pvrCt9TtZRPy4JW4Zbv-_VZd5ll1IHUqAOcFufaoegW0ON9sftwTY65Q4tQCmmkl-ojjiWxaRWKt82PiiaDn3tZkd0h5gzvkjqxl3zWHK/s1600/601A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="400" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK55pzyMAKZZjYuLq10-PgxGMKFbUZKL0tcR3pvrCt9TtZRPy4JW4Zbv-_VZd5ll1IHUqAOcFufaoegW0ON9sftwTY65Q4tQCmmkl-ojjiWxaRWKt82PiiaDn3tZkd0h5gzvkjqxl3zWHK/s200/601A.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday I learned that one of the classic music blogs, Uncle Gil's Rockin' Archives, came to end. This was due to a creepy threatening message from a hacker. Assholes of all strips are threatening music blogs these days. I fear the golden age of music sharing may be over. I'm certain that these threats are engineered by the megacorporations who own (and could care less about) this music.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"> This post is a tribute to Uncle Gil--and to all the music bloggers who have come and gone, made a contribution to the preservation and love of this music. and either hung up their spurs or were scared off by cyber-monsters.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHUoyfNy2oRko-C-pj8yUFwqDpVAsxgPYxq1vxj5vJ3rusjWDbRAY6qgXVqEf3dgOaX2Bp-w6_aWuFH0cIswSKLkqlaPPnGTRM-w6XqaBqBioHPtLSp4OkdyaPjxkxNDUdfxnf5IurY2c/s1600/603A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="400" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHUoyfNy2oRko-C-pj8yUFwqDpVAsxgPYxq1vxj5vJ3rusjWDbRAY6qgXVqEf3dgOaX2Bp-w6_aWuFH0cIswSKLkqlaPPnGTRM-w6XqaBqBioHPtLSp4OkdyaPjxkxNDUdfxnf5IurY2c/s200/603A.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;"> As well, it's a tribute to one of my heroes, Sam Phillips, and his visionary work in bringing to the world some of the South's finest music of the 20th century. From Howlin' Wolf to Johnny Cash to Charlie Rich to Elvis to... well, I could make this sentence a block long with names. The point is that he had the courage to experiment with unknown musicians and give them a chance to be heard. Without his risk-taking, the course of American music would have taken a different, probably duller path in the last half of the 20th century. These recordings, now over 50 years old, retain the vitality, drive and human spirit that was Phillips' gift as a record producer.</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV56Vju1FafCuUd82c9F46ZZHc-6mtCyqnOIc_yHrbfjAQzl_G4tKl6FKZJj5eKtWCUMv6dYFlbYx5fq2cFQebLdX0On8B7J6p63tiUYPtUy-TklHE0XoV041623IcKclwXnA7CMOdw8tf/s1600/604B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="400" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV56Vju1FafCuUd82c9F46ZZHc-6mtCyqnOIc_yHrbfjAQzl_G4tKl6FKZJj5eKtWCUMv6dYFlbYx5fq2cFQebLdX0On8B7J6p63tiUYPtUy-TklHE0XoV041623IcKclwXnA7CMOdw8tf/s200/604B.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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By the time the 26 singles offered here today came out, Sam Phillips had sold his interest in Sun Records to Shelby Singleton, a Nashville producer who had done a good bit of work for the labels owned by Mercury Records. Peter Guralnick's riveting biography <i>The Man who Invented Rock 'n' Roll </i>(a must-read) gives the full story of the sale of Sun to this seasoned Nashville cat.</div>
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Singleton allowed European rockabilly researchers access to the mass of tape masters he'd bought, and these 26 singles, released in France in the late 1970s, were authorized by him. These singles consist of material that, at the time, was unissued, except on bootlegs. European record labels such as Charly and Bear Family Records have made sure these performances are available on compact disc, and chances are your town's library system has at least one Bear Family collection of Sun</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigavd13qDc8v48UD7Otu2S0e-VehmCQhTmOh7yRjXjBNkh0aXF7ozFpbzD-BOFwrfzvghybg8fT5W0kcfMFeZAtBlXO9tTjoqzG2v8zzgh-jKkPwW_dtgi3sGbPekSEnlMBQul766I_hcp/s1600/607A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="400" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigavd13qDc8v48UD7Otu2S0e-VehmCQhTmOh7yRjXjBNkh0aXF7ozFpbzD-BOFwrfzvghybg8fT5W0kcfMFeZAtBlXO9tTjoqzG2v8zzgh-jKkPwW_dtgi3sGbPekSEnlMBQul766I_hcp/s200/607A.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a>Records material, ready for you to check out and enjoy.<br />
In 1976, these singles, which were curated by brothers Patrice and Herve Barbat, in partnership with Henri Ferrero, were a godsend. They remain a heapin' helpin' of the incredible talent and electricity that made Memphis rock 'n' roll such a defining musical force.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6EHp-4RC3ArkszFJ9tnXzV9ncw8S2AkC8TFccbET0r5h84Suw5Y9fW4XJv9UdRozrISwpeRrEBqFHQw-NY5PPvfTLtaHrrJ4tQDNmJLEYrXIWIjgEGc7wfkDb_4g8NuTef9yiKPuNnrG/s1600/612A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="400" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6EHp-4RC3ArkszFJ9tnXzV9ncw8S2AkC8TFccbET0r5h84Suw5Y9fW4XJv9UdRozrISwpeRrEBqFHQw-NY5PPvfTLtaHrrJ4tQDNmJLEYrXIWIjgEGc7wfkDb_4g8NuTef9yiKPuNnrG/s200/612A.jpg" width="200" /></a> Included in this download are all 52 sides of these now sought-after vinyl singles plus label scans of the discs. Many of these tracks may be second-nature to hardcore rockabilly or Sun fans, but I find them a great "mix tape" of the sound that Sam Phillips, Jack Clement and other producers captured on tape as southern rock and rollers expressed their heart and soul in the crowded studio at 706 Union Avenue. I hope you enjoy this batch of Memphis magic, and that you'll join me in a top of the Hatlo hat to Uncle Gil and all the other music bloggers who have helped make these wonderful sounds available to those of us who cared (and still care).</div>
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<a href="https://app.box.com/s/zugn0hgrxg36u2xl5h906637qc6j03ly">THIS LINK</a> will net you the whole shebang. Peace be with you.</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-55202044267753423252018-06-13T18:17:00.003-07:002019-05-27T11:55:35.949-07:00Otis Blackwell Volume Three: 28 Songs You've Probably Never Heard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrY45bHqfjyGJj63gsQ4qLVsRPlGMqKicIHFvSIUL9ig5Uy19MTN9leGDz7ljXeWF7xcohudIqaUk1y1bYJMpqnNLQRtE-MpRIrdfleeDVxZaicmUayoVNNt_NunqO0smIf4e1k10-nAk/s1600/otis+blackwell+3+FRONT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1464" data-original-width="1467" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrY45bHqfjyGJj63gsQ4qLVsRPlGMqKicIHFvSIUL9ig5Uy19MTN9leGDz7ljXeWF7xcohudIqaUk1y1bYJMpqnNLQRtE-MpRIrdfleeDVxZaicmUayoVNNt_NunqO0smIf4e1k10-nAk/s200/otis+blackwell+3+FRONT.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Many years ago, I put together the first two volumes of Otis Blackwell compositions (both which are still available elsewhere on this blog).</div>
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I knew that, eventually, I'd get around to putting together another volume. Eight years passed, and with it much personal drama, illness and huge life changes. But I never forget my back-of-the-mind goal to get this set together.</div>
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Despite the host of big names you see at the left, I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut you've never heard one single song on this compilation. Almost none of these songs were hits in their day. Many were stuck on the B-sides of singles, or were flops on the music marketplace when new.</div>
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50 or 60 years later, what didn't pass muster back in the day sounds pretty damned wonderful now. As I mention in the extensive liner notes I've drafted for this set, not every song here is a masterpiece, but all have their charm, and certain ones are guaranteed to knock your footwear off and become your new favorites.</div>
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I'm in recovery from my second go-round with non-Hodgkins' lymphoma. In April, I had a stem cell transplant and spent 20 days in the hospital. During this recovery time, I can't work and have a LOT of time on my hands. Thus, I decided to create an honest-to-gosh booklet for this compilation, as if it were a real CD.</div>
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This is my version of fantasy football--putting songs together for the sake of the music. If I attempted to do this disc for real, I'd be looking at dealing with massive corporations like Universal Media, and having to shell out thousands in licensing fees for old obscure songs the current holders could care less about. So much music from this period is trapped in this snare. </div>
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This put a bit of a damper on the one legit CD project I've created, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Baby-Words-Music-Sloan/dp/B003GE69LQ">Ace Records' P. F. Sloan/Steve Barri compilation</a>, which came out back in 2010. Many tracks I wanted were too expensive to license, and we had to make do with some sub-par recordings to take the place of those unattainables. I'm happy with that CD, overall, but wish that two or three blah tracks weren't on there. Oh well.</div>
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<a href="https://app.box.com/s/yw4xn0ymcnm529hk7rt63d1h1hwcpbky">HERE</a> are the 28 songs; <a href="https://app.box.com/s/4qzdzjxcpjlumz249ilbnti0kh5hbr5t">HERE</a> is the booklet and CD tray. If you're so inspired, print out the booklet and tray and mock up an old-school CD for your music shelf. But do listen to the music. "Stick Close" by Estelle Brown will brighten your day immensely, and I dare you not to tap your foot to Johnny Thunder's "Am I Right or Am I Wrong."</div>
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Since I wrote about each song in the liner notes, I'll cap this post and let it go. Hope you enjoy this compilation. And who knows--I may do another post here soon!<br />
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Alternate download link for this set <a href="https://www.upload.ee/files/10009442/OtiBla_ClaRar_3.rar.html">HERE</a>.</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-15921482627905518112018-06-07T15:47:00.000-07:002018-06-07T16:25:17.659-07:00Impressions of Outer Space: Ahead-of-the-Lunar-Curve Astro-Jazz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whaaaat? A new post here? It's getting to be an annual event. This mega-rare 10" album from 1953 merits the shock-to-the-system of a Musenick posting.<br />
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Composed by Charles Albertine, Lee Pockriss and Kermit Levinsky, these eight tracks are sometimes-atonal, often bracing and brimming with the early-1950s sense of breaking new ground in recorded music.<br />
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Larry Elgart was, with his brother Les, a big band-leader with aspirations to do something more highbrow. <i>Impressions of Outer Space</i> pre-dates the spate of space-age astro-pop, such as Russ Garcia's <i>Fantastica</i>, Les Baxter's<i> Space Escapade</i>, Ron Goodwin's <i>Music in Orbit</i> and Joe Meek's <i>I Hear a New World</i>. More astringent and arty than those later records, <i>IoOS</i> takes the way-out course in most of its tracks, getting almost into Thelonious Monk territory with its shrill, mangled harmonies and instrumentation.<br />
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Charles Albertine is beloved by fans of Space Age Pop for the series of albums he arranged and masterminded for The Three Suns, RCA Victor's purveyors of the businessman's bounce school of chipper, flyweight instrumental music. He composed five of the eight tracks here, and they align with his subsequent Elgart collaboration, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ct-feGbLw">Music for Barefoot Ballerinas</a></i>, which Decca issued as a 12" LP a few years later. This is the most out-there stuff Albertine ever composed, and it might come as a shock to those who love his psycho-perky Three Suns stuff.<br />
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It's surprising to find Lee Pockriss as composer of two pieces here. A pop songwriter to the max, he co-penned "Catch a Falling Star," "Johnny Angel" and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini"--a galaxy apart from his two tracks on this album. They partially atone for the crime against humanity that is "Itsy Bitsy..."<br />
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Kermit Levinsky? He was affiliated with the Elgart big band, and wrote many film scores, including Woody Allen's <i>Take the Money and Run</i>. His brother Walt went further in the music firmament.<br />
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Enjoy this astral rarity <a href="https://app.box.com/s/19jkkjyjxnjcs07g015n4u8r7ldemlxt">HERE</a>. And look for another post sometime in 2019...Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-51067183749671583292017-09-04T15:03:00.001-07:002018-06-07T17:27:32.053-07:00Hollie-Day Special: The L. Ransford Songbook (re-upped on box.com 6/18)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyU6cnsc-ZC29m7nYzbdXRWUOkqPDgkfEmrCdqmKM-I2jhcIah1QTW32NUEluRuS0ZmF2H_Hqfz0Nx7zv851p1MC3V7aFcpHoIsewHdKdCG_p83jMaB71Eml7vG1mwQjy50IQgnsUn1pY/s1600/L.+Ransford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyU6cnsc-ZC29m7nYzbdXRWUOkqPDgkfEmrCdqmKM-I2jhcIah1QTW32NUEluRuS0ZmF2H_Hqfz0Nx7zv851p1MC3V7aFcpHoIsewHdKdCG_p83jMaB71Eml7vG1mwQjy50IQgnsUn1pY/s400/L.+Ransford.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
You have, I hope, not come to expect more than one post a year here at "Musenick."<br />
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I've had this post in mind for awhile now. Hope it's of interest to you.<br />
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<b>L. Ransford </b>is the pseudonym chosen by The Hollies, one of the premier British beat groups of the 1963-66 period, for their original songs. Since three or more group members collaborated on the songs, it was thought clunky and confusing to have all those names 'neath the song titles on their Parlophone 45s.<br />
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Graham Nash came up with the name, based on that of his grandfather, L. Ransford Nash. The group put their own names on some 1963 compositions, which I've included for completeness' sake, and used the one-off "Chester Mann" for the '64 B-side "Baby, That's All" (track 8 on this set).<br />
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Like most of the beat groups that sprang up from Britain's working-class boroughs, the Hollies were not professional song-writers, but they learned on the job--and fast. As Graham Nash recalled about the group's early songwriting efforts:<br />
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Like all their peers in this emergent musical trend, Allan Clarke. Graham Nash and Tony Hicks, te group's principal writers, tried to create songs similar to those they liked from American and European pop, rock and R&B. Cover versions of the later overcrowd the Hollies' early discography. Few of those performances are memorable or worth much attention over 50 years later.<br />
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The group was stuck to a formula of cover versions for their 45s, and enjoyed hits with tepid-to-middling revivals of "Searchin'" and "Ain't That Just Like Me" (from The Coasters), "Stay" (Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs) and "Just One Look" (Doris Troy). Their first LP, titled <i>Stay with the Hollies</i> to cash in on their 1963 hit single, is all cover versions, save for one group original (the pounding "Little Lover") and "Baby Don't Cry," a UK song from Kennedy Street denizens Perry Ford (later of the Ivy League) and Tony Hiller.<br />
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B-sides of their early singles were fair game, and producer Ron Richards was a sympathetic ear to their efforts. Hearing many of these early songs, one longs for the boys to have one more go at the lyrics--their awkward use of the filler word "just" is prevalent, and trite rhyme schemes remind the listeners of the efforts of Gerry Marsden (of rival beat group Gerry & the Pacemakers).<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nonetheless, the songs have energy, are often pleasantly melodic and are keenly built around the Clarke-Nash-Hicks harmony force. Of the earliest songs here, "Now's the Time," B-side to "Stay," a pounds as hard as beat could
get in 1963. Screaming-hoarse twin harmonies, slashing guitar chords and
wailing drums dominate a performance that's almost over before it begins. Its
“runaway” hook grabs the listener—the master touch of an outstanding beat disc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"L. Ransford" clearly had an ear to the efforts of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, their mega-successful label-mates. Through 1964, the Ransford songs often echo the feel and melodic stylings of the Beatles--especially Lennon's efforts. Songs like "Come On Back," "Don't You Know" and "Please Don't Feel Too Bad," from their originals-heavy 2nd LP <i>In the Hollies' Style</i>, are extremely Beatley.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first sign of things to come is "Time for Love," from that second LP. Its sinuous melody, with its sinister tinge and striking middle eight, doesn't sound like anything the Beatles could have cooked up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The group finally placed a Ransford as a single A side with 1964's "We're Through," a commercial minor-keyed song in the vein of "You're No Good," which was a major hit for Liverpool's Swinging Blue Jeans a few months earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A signature melodic style begins to show up with the flowing, harmony-based "Baby, That's All," a 1964 B-side. From this point on, the Hollies' originals tend to work more distinct musical paths, and in the process, they stop sounding so much like the other groups. By 1965, via songs such as "I've Been Wrong," "Too Many People" and "Put Yourself in My Place," "L. Ransford" have found their collective voice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As with the Beatles' contemporary songs, it's fascinating to trace the maturity and development of British beat music through the L. Ransford catalog. By its end. the group has shed all its apparent influences and emerged as a major creative force. Alas, this original version of the group was soon to break up.</span><br />
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These tracks are sourced from the terrific EMI box set, <i>The Hollies--Clarke, Nash & Hicks Years</i> (2011), which includes several originally-unissued tracks. All the "Ransfords" have been included here, and a couple of them are corkers. "Listen Here to Me," recorded in New York City in April, 1965, is a powerful, brooding song and performance--imagine a mash-up of their cover of Peter, Paul & Mary's "Very Last Day" and their first A-side as Ransford, "We're Through." Though this is clearly not a finished recording, it's quite impressive and would have made a dynamite LP track. "Bring Back Your Love to Me" suggests the early Easybeats (that Australian group who emerged as world-class pop with their global hit "Friday on My Mind"); "She Gives Me Everything I Want" looks ahead to the group's 1966/7 songs and could have been a hit single. "You in My Arms" anticipates the songs on their LP masterpiece <i>For Certain Because</i> with its strong Middle-Eastern tinge.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The final track here is an L. Ransford song the Hollies gave to another group, The Mirage. "Go Away" is instantly recognizable as a '65/'66 Hollies original--from its ringing guitar giff to its shifting minor-key chord patterns and plaintive melody.</span><br />
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Hope you enjoy this 37-song set. As said, check back here later in 2017 for something big along these general lines!<br />
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Re-upped on box.com, which never deletes files. No password; geddit <a href="https://app.box.com/s/kpt0fra8dos9eztl8yhqo9jm7ju8z4jl">HERE</a>.Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-62491379381786516302015-10-27T14:06:00.003-07:002018-06-07T16:43:38.465-07:00Don Gibson's 50 Best Songs: One of the Great Bodies of American Popular Music (re-upped 6/18)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is another home-brew compilation, with songs in chronological order, going from 1954 to 1969. This was perhaps country music's most fertile period. Great songwriters seemed to exist by the truckload--Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, John D. Loudermilk, Hank Snow, etc., etc., etc.<br />
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It's easy to take this massive body of music for granted. Some of the songs--such as Don Gibson's "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Sweet Dreams"--are such a part of the fabric of American music that they may be invisible to many people.<br />
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I consider Don Gibson to be one of the strongest, most passionate country songwriters of his day. That he was a superb performer--until he adopted iffy vocal affectations, circa 1964--is a decided plus.<br />
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Many of the pro songwriters in '50s/'60s Nashville were charming, if tentative, vocalists. No one is going to champion Harlan Howard as an outstanding performer. Gibson is up there with Willie Nelson and Hank Snow as a masterful writer/artist in the classic country idiom.<br />
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Gibson's songs demonstrate the arc of development in country music through two turbulent decades. The earliest recordings heard here are typical of the hard-edged, plaintive honky-tonk country that surfaced via the inestimable influence of Hank Williams. There are, as well, a handful of solid rockabilly-style numbers ("I Ain't A-Studyin' You, Baby," "Tell It Like It Is" and the country-punk of "Sittin' Here Cryin'").<br />
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Gibson's soulful voice was used as the vehicle for "The Nashville Sound"--an attempt to give pop and rock fans a reference point for a music that was scorned as corny and old-fashioned. Some regrettable things occurred in the building of the Nashville Sound--obnoxious, ultra-white backing choruses, incongruous instruments such as electric organs and, to some purists' eyes, full drum kits. The arrangements tended towards the saccharine/Caucasian, as heard in several recordings in this compilation. It is to Gibson's credit that, while he embraces this new sound, he also transcends it with the power of his wavering, pensive voice.<br />
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Gibson struggled with drug addiction and was infamous for erratic behavior. These excesses took a toll on his abilities as performer and songwriter. His delivery becomes curiously clipped and curt in his post-1963 recordings. Compared to the moving performances of the late 1950s and early '60s, this new approach falls flat. If Gibson saw this as an improvement in his art, one can only disagree. He could still perform a song--his or others', the latter which he leaned on heavily after 1963--with beauty and soul, but the flowing sustained notes of his best early recordings are achingly absent.<br />
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When able to write, Gibson still proved a first-class country and pop writer. Late songs on this collection, such as "Around the Town," "Run Along Blues" and "Times Were Good" meet or surpass the quality of his late '50s/early '60s output. Indeed, the final song here, 1969's "There's a Story," shows the writer adapting to new changes in the sound of country music.<br />
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"Oh Lonesome Me," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Sweet Dreams" have proved Don Gibson's most enduring compositions. He recorded the latter several times before arriving at his definitive version, released as a 1962 single. Its flipside, "The Same Street," is a devastating, gloomy song about the traces of a ruined relationship that supremely haunt their singer. This was a Gibson lyrical specialty. Few of his songs have happy outcomes. In the song "Give Myself a Party," Gibson takes this melancholy and turns it inside-out. The results are unusual and gripping. The song is a jaunty death-march to the idea that human love can successfully exist.<br />
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All songs are derived from the three box sets of Gibson's 1949-1969 recordings issued by, er, "Ursine Clan" Records in the 1990s. All three sets are worth acquiring, in whatever form available, for their alternate takes, tremendous cover versions and a few minor gems that didn't make the cut of this personal Top Fifty.<br />
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These 50 songs come in two files of 25, <a href="https://app.box.com/s/c32m5j2hqu5grc0wee0l4bgt1upwwjmc">HERE</a> and <a href="https://app.box.com/s/9dshcfe4zgw8n9w5myuhvukr6jew7gzc">HeRe</a>. No password required.Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-18711720077067759762014-06-17T15:25:00.005-07:002021-08-05T16:57:45.680-07:00P. F. Sloan--A Passel of Passionate 1960s Demo Recordings--re-upped August 2019!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZEMT8lYg-O9LWwmgpD-mOc4bdZjdkOWkN4xtO1zzsbbCkODVr7Nyizeqc47tzZVV88BGsM5-5mTAA-dTkqrGEmrOsDRquYCGUszgUKqaFqEGfi__9AOfo_euU2kagPqp7oXGW2dSX5DW/s1600/00-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZEMT8lYg-O9LWwmgpD-mOc4bdZjdkOWkN4xtO1zzsbbCkODVr7Nyizeqc47tzZVV88BGsM5-5mTAA-dTkqrGEmrOsDRquYCGUszgUKqaFqEGfi__9AOfo_euU2kagPqp7oXGW2dSX5DW/s1600/00-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">SEE COMMENTS FOR WORKING LINKS. You may need to get a free account with Box.com in order to access the tracks. It won't hurt one bit, I promise!</div><div style="text-align: left;">_________________________________________<br />
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I summed up the musical career of the late, lamented Phil Sloan in the liner notes for the Ace Records compilation <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Baby-Words-Music-Sloan/dp/B003GE69LQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1403042789&sr=1-1&keywords=You+Baby+Sloan+Barri">You Baby: Words and Music by P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri</a></i>, which was released in 2010. Buy it, why don'cha? I put a lot of work into this project, including in-depth interviews with Sloan and Barri. I made 400 bucks for my trouble. I am, apparently, <i>persona non grata</i> at Ace Records, for reasons I shall never know.</div>
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Still, I am proud of this project, even though some of its song choices are weak, and some key tracks are missing--mostly due to unreasonably high licensing fees.</div>
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Destined to be one of the most controversial and maligned figures in that potent decade of pop music progress, Sloan's 1960s Los Angeles career was short but sweet. The years 1964 to 1967 saw a large quantity of original songs, written in a dizzying array of styles, most often with his collaborator, Steve Barri, composed, demoed and sometimes recorded by other artists.</div>
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"Eve of Destruction" changed Sloan's life and career. A prior composer of pop, girl group, surf, rock and novelty songs, Sloan was suddenly seen as a serious composer--the first "new Bob Dylan" in pop-rock history.</div>
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Like almost all others who had that mantle put upon them, it was more burden than honor. While Sloan continued to write dynamite mainstream pop music material, he also strove to create more complex, advanced songs that uneasily straddled the boundaries of pop and folk musics.</div>
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Some of these songs are failures--over-wrought, over-written and awkwardly conceived. But the majority are bracing, exciting and sometimes deeply moving compositions that showed the pop music world that there was more than met the eye to what a commercial piece of music could contain.</div>
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Sloan was out of Los Angeles by the end of 1967, and his songs were largely forgotten. Meanwhile, countless other singer-songwriters trod the path he had unconsciously blazed, and his influence--as the first composer to meet the disparate ends of Dylanesque personal songwriting and mainstream commerical material--still hangs over the American musical landscape.</div>
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Sloan's solo recordings of this period rarely do him justice. Perhaps at the encouragement of record-label execs, Sloan affects a Dylanish whine to his vocals, and most of the recordings are badly balanced, overly sparse, and betray the lack of TLC afforded them. His two period albums, <i>Songs of Our Times</i> and <i>Twelve More Times</i>, have their moments, but fail to satisfyingly cohere.</div>
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Sloan's secret recording career, as the passionate performer of scores of demonstration recordings, was unheard outside the music industry at the time. Sung beautifully in his rich, distinctive voice, and often more elaborately orchestrated than his solo albums, these demos show Sloan at his early best.</div>
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A CD of some highlights of these demo recordings was commercially issued in 2001. That disc, <i>Child of Our Times</i>, is the first act of today's post. Though its graphics are shoddy, the mastering of the 20 songs therein is superb. You can nab a 320 rip of that out-of-print seedee at the top of this post.</div>
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The disc represented just the tip of the iceberg. I've assembled a bonus volume, containing 25 more demo performances (see comment section below for 2021 links).</div>
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These 25 songs more accurately show the schizophrenic aspects of Sloan's commercial songwriting. Everything from a cutesy boy-girl duet, and several songs for an apparently abandoned 1964 album project devoted to the "swim" dance craze, to devastatingly good pop songs such as "He's Just That Kind of Guy," "And I Cry Over You" and "Things Are Different Now" and more Dylanesque pieces ("Me And My Captain," "It's No Disgrace") are on deck. There's even a country-pop song, "I Love You More Than Yesterday," that seems to have been written on spec, but never used.</div>
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That was the sad fate of so many of these songs: disuse and indifference. 50 years later, we can hear these and marvel at how good they are, even the sillier of them. But back then, when they were part of the commerical currency of the music scene, they were ignored. The music biz is a ruthless profession, and it's chewed up and spit out some very talented individuals.</div>
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Since I first posted these collections in 2014, P.F. Sloan has left this mortal coil. He passed away from complications with pancreatic cancer in 2016. He created a final studio album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Beethoven-PF-Sloan/dp/B00K6O7Q6Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1403044395&sr=1-1&keywords=PF+Sloan">My Beethoven</a>, and a memoir called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Exactly-Matter-Memoirs-Music/dp/1908279575/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403044462&sr=8-1&keywords=PF+Sloan">What Exactly's The Matter With Me?</a> His memoir is often-heartbreaking. He doesn't shift the blame away from himself for the poor choices he made in his youth, and confirms that he really wanted to make popular music better in his own way. Had he worn the Dylan influences more fluently, as in these demo recordings, I believe his vision of "people's music" would have caught on.</div>
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Sloan's book is a must-read, and his best songs will live on as younger listeners and musicians stumble across them in years to come. In the meantime, peruse these 45 demo recordings from the mid-1960s, and enjoy one of the era's most passionate voices.</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-85841748381211980822014-02-12T16:07:00.002-08:002014-02-23T10:33:15.883-08:0025 Good Reasons To Like 14: Complete Works of a Criminally Unknown 1960s Band--RE UPPED IN 320! WITH LINERS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3j6YgU_4YSJ2GFRliHoFBTTHjMsP1F4xGiDWedhFkJKVMswp6iPMwhSJxz7MGicrxWMZPCZpoO8GY0Gd_9acTrJGJOJkFTFM1iCvmbogY4SMezxf96T9Vj6bZKGfZRToWvU21zPh83518/s1600/front.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/AVvXsEi3j6YgU_4YSJ2GFRliHoFBTTHjMsP1F4xGiDWedhFkJKVMswp6iPMwhSJxz7MGicrxWMZPCZpoO8GY0Gd_9acTrJGJOJkFTFM1iCvmbogY4SMezxf96T9Vj6bZKGfZRToWvU21zPh83518/s1600/front.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
This out-of-print 1998 compilation hasn't been available on blogs for several years. I recently scored a copy of the scarce, Swedish disc, which is, in part, one of my favorite albums, period.<br />
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What does the group's name mean? Here's a little chunk of information I found in the liner notes of the long-deleted Swedish CD anthology, Stora Popboxen, where I first heard 14's music:<br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>“Floskler,
Jeremiader Och Rim Till Omusikalisk Nation” [FJORTON, Swedish for 14)
(literally: empty phrases, lamentations, and rhymes for an unmusical
nation] That was one of the explanations for the name “14”, and the
number sits in quotation marks too. Another explanation is that they
wanted to choose a name that would stand out from the crowd. </b><b><br />“14”
made eight singles and one album but were possibly a little too reserved for
the Tio i Topp jury.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>But
for one of the members things went considerably better some 30 years
later. His name is Olle Nilsson – or is it John Lennon?</b></span></div>
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Not every track here is stellar, but the good ones are SO good that I rate them with the best work of a very fertile period for popular music (1965-68).<br />
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This Swedish foursome's music, at its best, weds stunningly inventive and memorable melodies to complex, evocative lyrics, with subject matter that often falls far afield of typical pop music tropes.<br />
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The group's principal songwriter and (presumably) leader, Olle Nilsson, imbued the group's 1960s recordings with an uniquely melancholy, introspective vibe. Though the music wears its obvious influences (Beatles, Who, Kinks, Paul Simon, Hollies) on its embroidered sleeve, the songs continually impress with their original, fresh feeling.<br />
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Some are misfires--the B-side throwaway "Nothing But Moan," the chunky but derivative "Suit-Men Crowd" and the parodic-but-wearisome "Mr Great Blues." The brace of originals from their album, <i>In A Bunch</i>, stand the test of time as brilliant songs and recordings.<br />
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"Little Down-Hearted Arthur," for example, captures the raw sense of youthful alienation as well as any song I've ever heard. "Restless Feeling One Hour After Dinner" is a striking evocation of boredom and ennui among a person who has no reason to feel those blues."Im Krankenhaus" tells the story of sickly child confined to his bed, too weak to venture beyond his room and miserable in his isolation.<br />
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"Frosty Stars on a Window Pane" and, most powerfully, "The Leaves of the Summer," evoke a sense of climate and seasonal change as a simple but affecting metaphor.<br />
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Listen to "The Leaves of the Summer" <a href="https://app.box.com/s/eipn4awbcwfgyx3cqiso">HERE</a> and see how you like it.<br />
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The last three tracks on the disc were apparently composed in the late 1960s, and recorded (by the original group?) in the late 1990s. They don't exactly meld with the folky, intense quality of the 1960s recordings, but are worth a listen.<br />
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Get it, now in 320sound,with all the CD's artwork, and my inept but sincere translation of the Swedish notes, <a href="https://app.box.com/s/spfled7aolouvb4nz51i">HERE</a>. It's on Box.com, and should be a no-fuss download for ya.Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-55337159828563692082013-12-07T12:03:00.002-08:002018-06-08T11:43:48.128-07:00The Complete James Ray: 27 Tracks; If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody (in Itty Bitty Pieces), then Put Me in Your Diary--and Welcome to the Floor. While you're at it, Do the Monkey! (finalized 6/18)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvS6tzL91y1QabQI5wXjudP8u4v0ajFVlCIRo1QYJ16djoCJ8I2-TIqtt-WnmA3kRqpf9CEaAI1ReGlwdOLfMWAAUn3S1ZKGmYV6b9anTE1W1xM1_c5tL4E1YrMZeIHTgoe-1Z3libc9M/s1600/james+ray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvS6tzL91y1QabQI5wXjudP8u4v0ajFVlCIRo1QYJ16djoCJ8I2-TIqtt-WnmA3kRqpf9CEaAI1ReGlwdOLfMWAAUn3S1ZKGmYV6b9anTE1W1xM1_c5tL4E1YrMZeIHTgoe-1Z3libc9M/s320/james+ray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Seeing that the various Otis Blackwell and "5" Royales posts, here, have proved popular, here's some more R&B, albeit of a more eccentric species.</div>
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Contained <a href="https://app.box.com/s/i4vpn0ownfivn5qfgxdf">HEREIN</a> (Box.com download) are 21 tracks that I once thought comprised the recorded output of James Ray, elfin soul singer, between 1962 and 1964. He died in '64, as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ray_%28singer%29">this skeletal Wikipedia article</a> relates. After this post first went live in December 2013, some kind folks stepped forward and let me know that I was shy several tracks. Just imagine! It took a few years to track these tracks down in good sound quality, and as summer 2018 rears its ugly head, I have the pleasure of sealing the deal on James Ray.</div>
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<a href="https://app.box.com/s/z0zpt1inrb7hsif25x7dldp337wiq145">HERE</a> is a smaller mp3 file of all 27 songs (the top link is for FLAC versions--see below.) The formerly missing tracks: JR's version of the standard "(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over," which shared a single with the far superior "One By One," escaped my notice 'til now. </div>
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How could I forget the '63 dance floor filler "Do the Monkey," a songwriting collaboration of Bobby Darin and Rudy Clark? Well, I did. </div>
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As well, I was unaware of his first single, from 1959, as "Little Jimmy Ray," which consists of the moody minor-keyed "You Need to Fall in Love," coupled with the more traditionally soulful "Make Her Mine." These two tracks were released on the spell-check-maddening Galliant Records and are rare as all heck. </div>
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And there's more... a 1962 single that couples the non-LP track "Always" (the Irving Berlin standard done up in gospel style, complete with an unusually tasteful and restrained choir) and George Harrison's fave, "Got My Mind Set on You." I believe that this is a wholly different take of the song from the album track. The banjos get a little more, shall we say, <i>aggressive</i> on this 45 version. </div>
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I truly believe this represents everything James Ray recorded, barring unissued material that may have been destroyed or abandoned once the record label perished. The UK reissue label Charly Records issued a compilation LP, <i>Itty Bitty Pieces</i>, in 1983, which contains most of the singles, selected Caprice LP tracks, and three unissued pieces which are superb and more "normal" soul/R&B performances.</div>
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Ray had a great voice--smoky, expressive, and more than a little indebted to another Ray (Charles). His performances are commanding and unusual.</div>
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Producer Hutch Davies fashioned some zany arrangements to couch Ray's unique voice, abetted by several original tunes composed by cult soul figure Rudy Clark. There's something sinister-sounding about many of these recordings. Perhaps it was substandard studio technology. And the oddball arrangements of Hutch Davies contribute mightily to the strange effect. I give him credit for building an atypical soundscape for a rhythm and blues singer. The instrumentation and mood harks back to pre-rock pop, but with an indescribable edge. </div>
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Some R&B/soul purists can't stand the weird backdrops on several tunes, but I love them, and think that their off-ness is an asset. From the tuba-harmonica duet on the waltz-time "If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody" to the cartoon-Dixieland of "St. James Infirmary," you never know what's gonna end up in the musical stewpot.</div>
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Ray did his share of good, solid straight-ahead soul numbers towards the end of his too-brief career. Tunes such as "One By One," "We Got a Thing Goin' On," "On That Day" and "I'm Not Guilty" are top-drawer R'n'B-soul. The sub-par sax solo on "Not Guilty" is yet another unexpected sonic delight in the Ray-ology. </div>
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Ray's songs were much-covered by the rock bands that came exploding out of England in the early 1960s. "If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody" and "Itty Bitty Pieces" have many renditions in the UK British Beat catalog. (The Rockin' Berries' rendition of the latter song is among the most cringe-inducing, unbearable discs of the British beat era, BTW.) Maxine Brown, US soul-stress, did a nice version of "Fool" in 1967.</div>
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Nothing much is known about Ray, but the oft-weird intensity of the recordings speak for themselves. I love his languid, Charles-inspired take on Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy Bones," and the Rudy Clark-penned modern morality tale "The Old Man and The Mule." Those two tracks show Ray at his vocal peak.</div>
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This first download link leads to a large file... I opted to save the 21 original songs as FLAC files. Please don't give me any flack about this. If you're using iTunes, just convert the files to AACs or MP3s, and you'll get a smaller (but probably lossy) version handy for your iPod, smart phone, or dumb camel.</div>
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Five years later, I think I've finally closed the book on James Ray. His voice, songs and the weirdness of his discography still fascinates me. I hope it do you, too.</div>
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PS: To make the best sense of these recordings, here's...</div>
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<b>A JAMES RAY DISCOGRAPHY</b></div>
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<b>1959:</b></div>
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(as Little Jimmy Ray)</div>
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You Need to Fall in Love/Make Her Mine (Galliant 1001, 9/59)</div>
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<b>1961:</b></div>
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If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody/It's Been a Drag (Caprice 110, 10/61)</div>
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<b>1962:</b></div>
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Itty Bitty Pieces/You Remember the Face (Caprice 114, 3/62)</div>
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A Miracle/Things Are Gonna Be Different (Caprice 117, 6/62)</div>
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Always/I've Got My Mind Set on You* (Dynamic Sound 503, 12/62)</div>
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<b>1963:</b></div>
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Marie/The Old Man and the Mule (Congress 109, 2/63)</div>
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Do the Monkey/Put Me in Your Diary (Congress CG-201, 9/63)</div>
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(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over/One By One (Congress CG-203, 11/63)</div>
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<b>1964:</b></div>
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We Got a Thing Goin' On/On That Day (Congress CG 218, 7/64)</div>
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<u>Extended Play 45:</u></div>
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The Old Man and the Mule/Lazy Bones/Come Rain or Come Shine/St. James Infirmary</div>
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(Caprice EP 1002, 7/62; promotional tool to exploit the full length LP)</div>
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<u>12" LP Album:</u></div>
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<b><i>James Ray</i> (Caprice LP 1002, 7/62)</b></div>
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<i>The Old Man and the Mule;</i> Lazy Bones; I've Got My Mind Set on You, Pts. 1 & 2; St. James' Infirmary; Come Rain or Come Shine; <i>If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody</i></div>
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Without a Song; Teach Me Tonight; <i>A Miracle; It's Been a Drag;</i> Welcome to the Floor; <i>Itty Bitty Pieces</i></div>
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(tracks in italics were previously issued on 45)</div>
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<b><i>Itty Bitty Pieces</i> (Charly R&B CRB 1065, 1983)</b></div>
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contains the unissued tracks:</div>
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(I'm Not) Guilty; One By One; I'm Gonna Keep on Trying plus various singles and LP tracks from 1961-1964</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* this is a different and shorter take than the one found on the Caprice LP; apparently there was a plan to issue "Got My Mind Set On You" as a two-sided disc that was shelved</span></i></div>
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Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-32865431726932823262013-09-29T13:18:00.002-07:002018-06-07T16:54:23.576-07:00Links Are Fixed to All Posts...All links to existing posts are re-upped on the highly dependable Box.com. They're great, and I hope they stay great.Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-87149784596401518002013-05-02T09:45:00.001-07:002019-05-23T15:29:27.964-07:00Children of Sunshine - "Dandelions" - Lo-Fi Pre-Teen Folk-Psych from 1971--RE-UPPED 5/11/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8oM-ZtmoPShKl-UtMIRhrlxaVVgt1lRcACUhiU4R9WKRz8Lh-DiqJilXnJpoWOjk4YJiD1YKkpDog2C2RCKM79A-TErfZmb4_8nMVkicJjsKjnw16TcBHTdFDcookjLS3ozupX4SC31x/s1600/A-+Front+Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8oM-ZtmoPShKl-UtMIRhrlxaVVgt1lRcACUhiU4R9WKRz8Lh-DiqJilXnJpoWOjk4YJiD1YKkpDog2C2RCKM79A-TErfZmb4_8nMVkicJjsKjnw16TcBHTdFDcookjLS3ozupX4SC31x/s400/A-+Front+Cover.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This post is a bit outside of the usual purview of <i>Musenick</i>, 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 <a href="https://app.box.com/s/5c6f5s37aztwkkvsnjc9">HERE</a>. This is hosted by Box.com (as of 5/11/14).<br />
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UPDATE: Box should be renamed Bonkers; their policies are nutso. <a href="https://app.box.com/s/1ze9d8qza60pqzpm3c18e5bitahh6tj6">HERE</a> is a link to a folder where you can download the tracks and artwork piecemeal. I hope to high heavens it works.<br />
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The story of this unique album can be found online, <a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2011-04-14/news/children-of-sunshine-dandelions-kitsy-christner-therese-williams-webster-college/">HERE</a> 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!Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-22067605366164388512012-12-30T11:15:00.001-08:002018-06-07T17:16:50.963-07:00More "5" Royales! Out-takes with studio chatter--"The Real Thing!" RE UPPED 5/14!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJycH0Nccw7igMkUYDzM_tFXLn5LMXttZk0CUlOtWiVCKEwDsXGxeZfjR-9yvupoUFTCyiYTBE8Cqk1ucxddvlaAiehsuPsnBk5jhqU5NyCTfoVVgoDJzHuur0t_5NrlyowgYzEIXiYId4/s1600/folder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJycH0Nccw7igMkUYDzM_tFXLn5LMXttZk0CUlOtWiVCKEwDsXGxeZfjR-9yvupoUFTCyiYTBE8Cqk1ucxddvlaAiehsuPsnBk5jhqU5NyCTfoVVgoDJzHuur0t_5NrlyowgYzEIXiYId4/s320/folder.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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.<br />
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This recording has been rendered prolix by the magnificent (if incomplete) five-CD book-set <i>Soul & Swagger</i> from RockBeat Records. It appears on the verge of going out of print, and new copies may be had on amazon for very reasonable prices. By all means, buy this collection!<br />
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In the meantime, don't let it be in vain... download this sweet pile of secret soul right <a href="https://app.box.com/s/jm16bh1uukfek7n5g9pg">HERE</a>!<br />
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Here's the track listing...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClD83K_GLJkmcAMllHb34xuoyt-nx6t9rHwthqiIBgT5ah2vYynaq76z4mmUljiGy2ENM-x10_8pq__2X8UHoIxLqtaxugDR45WTFT0dM8TV23T-iMGv3Y5v-_mWWLrwNJ00p1rwOyj-C/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClD83K_GLJkmcAMllHb34xuoyt-nx6t9rHwthqiIBgT5ah2vYynaq76z4mmUljiGy2ENM-x10_8pq__2X8UHoIxLqtaxugDR45WTFT0dM8TV23T-iMGv3Y5v-_mWWLrwNJ00p1rwOyj-C/s320/back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-7777518454842818552012-12-29T12:41:00.004-08:002018-06-07T17:14:34.782-07:00"Assault The Vaults:" Brothers Gibb Prove Adept Mimics of Changing Song Trends in Early 1960s. Ultra Rare CD in Great HQ Sound! RE-UPPED MAY 11, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittHYtFo4fVwpGTuexEnGqwg1tK61KmcFWZPxUqSkP-AViqidM0nFUfQ2qiPqY9aE7FyQU1tf9gL7Mi6mBW9IvK5rpdkVXBLSZX8jlSw3vBqjUejA5Rxey9x6DLFTGsID9aY4-OpNWDjDk/s1600/MI0001842607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittHYtFo4fVwpGTuexEnGqwg1tK61KmcFWZPxUqSkP-AViqidM0nFUfQ2qiPqY9aE7FyQU1tf9gL7Mi6mBW9IvK5rpdkVXBLSZX8jlSw3vBqjUejA5Rxey9x6DLFTGsID9aY4-OpNWDjDk/s320/MI0001842607.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Postings on Musenick are as rare as this 1998 Australian release, which quickly went out of print and now commands high prices.<br />
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I enjoy the Bee Gees' Australian recordings, despite their admitted flaws. Young Barry Gibb was a promising, if overly ambitious songwriter. He 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.<br />
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<i>Brilliant From Birth</i>, the Festival 2 CD-set of their Aussie output, is also now out of print. When I first posted this in 2012, it was easy to lay one's paws on. <i>Assault The Vaults</i> remains impossible 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.<br />
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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.)<br />
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Here's the track listing:<br />
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1. (Underneath The) Starlight Of Love - Col Joye (Festival FK 364, 1963)<br />
2. I'd Like To Leave If I May - Lonnie Lee (Leedon LK 415, 1963)<br />
3. Walkin' Talkin' Teardrops - Jimmy Little (from Festival LP <i>New Songs From Jimmy</i>, 1964)<br />
4. One Road - Jimmy Little (Festival Records FK 508, 1964)<br />
5. I Don't Like To Be Alone - Bryan Davies (HMV EA 4362, 1964)<br />
6. Love And Money - Bryan Davies (B-side to above)<br />
7. And I'll Be Happy - Trevor Gordon & The Bee Gees (B-side, Leedon LK 829, 1965)<br />
8. House Without Windows - Trevor Gordon & The Bee Gees (A-side to above)<br />
9. Watch What You Say - Bryan Davies (HMV EA 4669, 1965)<br />
10. Here I Am - Trevor Gordon (B-side, Leedon LK 924, 1965)<br />
11. Little Miss Rhythm And Blues - Trevor Gordon (A-side to above)<br />
12. I Should Have Stayed In Bed - Bryan Davies (1965 HMV single side?)<br />
13. Who's Been Writing On The Wall - Jenny Bradley (Festival FK 1006, 1965)<br />
14. Chubby - Jenny Bradley (B-side to above)<br />
15. Everybody's Talkin' Michelle Rae (Leedon LK 971, 1965)<br />
16. I Wanna Tell The World - Michelle Rae (B-side to above)<br />
17. A Girl Needs To Love - Sandy Summers (B-side, Downunder UK-1455, 1966)<br />
18. Messin' 'Round - Sandy Summers (A-side to above)<br />
19. Hey - Bip Addison (Downunder UK-1454, 1966)<br />
20. Young Man's Fancy - Bip Addison (B-side to above)<br />
21. Talk To Me - Annie Shelton (Downunder UK-1456, 1966)<br />
22. Don't You Go, I Need Your Love - The Mistics (B-side, Downunder UK-1362, 1966)<br />
23. A Long Time Ago - April Byron (B-side, Downunder UK-1513, 1966)<br />
24. He's A Thief - April Byron (A-side to above)<br />
25. All The King's Horses - Ronnie Burns (Spin EK 1578, 1966)<br />
26. Don't Say No - Jenene Watson (Spin EK 1715, 1967)<br />
27. So Long Boy - Jenene Watson (B-side to above)<br />
28. Town Of Tuxley Toymaker Part 1 - Jon Blanchfield (Leedon LK 1662, 1967)<br />
29. Upstairs Downstairs - Jon Blanchfield (B-side to above)<br />
30. As Fast As I Can - Barrington Davis (Spin EK 1771, 1967)<br />
31. Raining Teardrops - Barrington Davis (B-side to above)<br />
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Some of this is dross, some wear out their welcome after a few listens, but most of it's surprisingly good. The original 45s go for a king's ransom. This is hard-to-hear stuff, for the most part. Sorry the song files are so gigantic (they average 20 MB apiece), but I don't have time to convert them and find them a new home on the internet. You can make them more manageable mp3s, etc., if you wish.<br />
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Get Part One (tracks 1-15) <a href="https://app.box.com/s/wghdw5xvunke1e5913tl">HERE</a>, Part Two (16-24) <a href="https://app.box.com/s/k0yclat1bh02tadtek4d">HERE</a> and Part Three (25-31) <a href="https://app.box.com/s/kuamixpc17r5eboz6oxm">HERE</a>. They're newly hosted on still-reliable Box.com, as of 5/11/14.Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-12702528510168129832010-09-01T10:44:00.000-07:002014-05-12T21:25:11.623-07:00Son of RE-RE-RE-UPPED: Otis Blackwell: Volume 2 with 20 more classic tunes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/eubiecat/otherpix/cov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/eubiecat/otherpix/cov.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red;"><b>5/11/14: The download file is newly re-re-upped on Box.com. It lives again AGAIN!</b></span><br />
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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. <br />
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...<br />
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<a href="http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/eubiecat/otherpix/t-list.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i785.photobucket.com/albums/yy139/eubiecat/otherpix/t-list.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a></div>
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
Download the album and artwork <a href="https://app.box.com/s/hgfp0zfezvqyd8ygz7v3">HERE</a>--and enjoy!Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-33139614934027376462010-07-04T16:27:00.000-07:002018-06-09T09:49:13.268-07:00RE-UPPED 6/18: Brace Yourself: Here are 29 Great Songs Written by OTIS BLACKWELL! LINKS WORKING AGAIN!Back again, repaired (the file had become corrupted over the years) 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.<br />
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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).<br />
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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.<br />
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Some of the ballads were collaborations. On his own, Blackwell tended to write bouncy, saucy, seemingly simple ditties that are (a) ear-worms <i>magnifique</i> and (b) contain more impact than might appear on first listening.<br />
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Here are the hastily-designed "covers" for this compilation. These images are included in the zip file too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3RUTiMg-XRkxhTNBS6qAQJ5QBgcPCnXaSiPF8czLkrKfAKAX6aUIwwWC1cbdHjF5EjKfsr5yPhGsc6-bKff0P238KZKzdBG-QI7i_1SFI6ApLK31S6WI_OqKMk5tEDTlStZM4FaR4uvK/s1600/OB1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3RUTiMg-XRkxhTNBS6qAQJ5QBgcPCnXaSiPF8czLkrKfAKAX6aUIwwWC1cbdHjF5EjKfsr5yPhGsc6-bKff0P238KZKzdBG-QI7i_1SFI6ApLK31S6WI_OqKMk5tEDTlStZM4FaR4uvK/s400/OB1.png" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6witRJxOmL04Xsui7TNv85NJFMQKkIEmcUVitWuwqMk41P-zo93uS_6bBMi6pb-EMKXRUKtI1PV9oSbxdTK22LNZwuHgYvtfw1gdCSknfMtuMjBu_VgEjAkOohDOdVyYPEIui1CDzwShh/s1600/OB2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6witRJxOmL04Xsui7TNv85NJFMQKkIEmcUVitWuwqMk41P-zo93uS_6bBMi6pb-EMKXRUKtI1PV9oSbxdTK22LNZwuHgYvtfw1gdCSknfMtuMjBu_VgEjAkOohDOdVyYPEIui1CDzwShh/s400/OB2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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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.<br />
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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 Hill," 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.<br />
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But, heck, every single song has something to recommend it.<br />
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<a href="https://app.box.com/s/l7qxwnxwkw5lhnhhc50d10ptep3lqb1d">HERE</a> is the link to the music 'n' pix. Enjoy!Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-91219750249968563732009-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:002018-06-07T17:21:13.084-07:00The 5 Royales -- Complete King Masters (Home Brew compilation, 51 trax) <div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7us7-376VjwgahHWx2CIoVThbiIcqTJNn13pyhBYrPvl_-g49gxqnrEskA_SVqpJxploqE_TdpIU0-r4Afgw2-0pMUnbu5Yr6o7XC6h0smanmTuzV0KiSOJZlvAIAYfn92zFdQpqyqW2/s1600/5royales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="748" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7us7-376VjwgahHWx2CIoVThbiIcqTJNn13pyhBYrPvl_-g49gxqnrEskA_SVqpJxploqE_TdpIU0-r4Afgw2-0pMUnbu5Yr6o7XC6h0smanmTuzV0KiSOJZlvAIAYfn92zFdQpqyqW2/s400/5royales.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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The Royales' recording career spanned 1948 to 1965. Their best work was done for Cincinnati, Ohio indie label King Records, from 1954 to 1960. </div>
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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>I Know It's Hard But It's Fair</i> and two long out-of-print sets, Rhino's 1994 <i>Monkey Hips and Rice: The 5 Royales Anthology</i> and 2004's <i>Don't Let It Be In Vain</i>, from the Slouch Hat label.</div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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." </div>
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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!</div>
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"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."</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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Recommended reading on the Royales: Ed Ward's imaginative essay in the anthology book <i>Stranded</i>, 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.</div>
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The Ace CDs, including a collection of the Royales' final recordings, <i>Catch That Teardrop</i>, are well worth acquiring. If you like this music, it'll sound even better on a CD.</div>
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Wellp, here you go... <a href="https://app.box.com/s/l5a8emdoqulpdpmqxjtg">H E R E ' S</a> Part One.</div>
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Part Two can be found <a href="https://app.box.com/s/7jizyucb2hz2blvjab11">H E R E</a>! No art or liners--just the music. (Don't worry, all song files are titled.) Enjoy!</div>
Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-803670898073980612.post-65926010591757015842009-06-13T18:31:00.001-07:002009-06-13T18:34:02.183-07:00What Is MUSENICK?Welcome to MUSENICK, while it lasts.<br /><br />"Musenick" is a word invented by a great kid who's the son of a dear friend. Said child went through a period in which he referred to music as "musenick." He's passed onto calling it by its normal name, but "musenick" has stuck with me.<br /><br />I've gotten a lot of great music from other blogs--now's the time to give back. <br /><br />I'll post various albums here, of all different varieties. I'll try not to duplicate anything that I know is posted somewhere else.<br /><br />Enjoy--and look in the Comments area for info on how to acquire the "musenick," free of charge!Frank M. Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04673579882180372546noreply@blogger.com0