The 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)

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.

Contained HEREIN (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 this skeletal Wikipedia article 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.

HERE 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. 

How could I forget the '63 dance floor filler "Do the Monkey," a songwriting collaboration of Bobby Darin and Rudy Clark? Well, I did. 

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. 

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, aggressive on this 45 version. 

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, Itty Bitty Pieces, 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.

Ray had a great voice--smoky, expressive, and more than a little indebted to another Ray (Charles). His performances are commanding and unusual.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

PS: To make the best sense of these recordings, here's...

A JAMES RAY DISCOGRAPHY

1959:

(as Little Jimmy Ray)

You Need to Fall in Love/Make Her Mine (Galliant 1001, 9/59)

1961:

If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody/It's Been a Drag (Caprice 110, 10/61)

1962:

Itty Bitty Pieces/You Remember the Face (Caprice 114, 3/62)

A Miracle/Things Are Gonna Be Different (Caprice 117, 6/62)

Always/I've Got My Mind Set on You* (Dynamic Sound 503, 12/62)

1963:

Marie/The Old Man and the Mule (Congress 109, 2/63)

Do the Monkey/Put Me in Your Diary (Congress CG-201, 9/63)

(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over/One By One (Congress CG-203, 11/63)

1964:

We Got a Thing Goin' On/On That Day (Congress CG 218, 7/64)

Extended Play 45:

The Old Man and the Mule/Lazy Bones/Come Rain or Come Shine/St. James Infirmary

(Caprice EP 1002, 7/62; promotional tool to exploit the full length LP)

12" LP Album:

James Ray (Caprice LP 1002, 7/62)

The Old Man and the Mule; Lazy Bones; I've Got My Mind Set on You, Pts. 1 & 2; St. James' Infirmary; Come Rain or Come Shine; If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody

Without a Song; Teach Me Tonight; A Miracle; It's Been a Drag; Welcome to the Floor; Itty Bitty Pieces

(tracks in italics were previously issued on 45)

Itty Bitty Pieces (Charly R&B CRB 1065, 1983)

contains the unissued tracks:

(I'm Not) Guilty; One By One; I'm Gonna Keep on Trying plus various singles and LP tracks from 1961-1964

* 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

Links 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.

Children of Sunshine - "Dandelions" - Lo-Fi Pre-Teen Folk-Psych from 1971--RE-UPPED 5/11/14

This post is a bit outside of the usual purview of Musenick, but (a) it's an extremely rare record (a St. Louis, Missouri private pressing of 300 copies) and (b) it's surprisingly good. Here's your chance to hear it str8 from one of those 300 copies, by going HERE. This is hosted by Box.com (as of 5/11/14).

UPDATE: Box should be renamed Bonkers; their policies are nutso. HERE is a link to a folder where you can download the tracks and artwork piecemeal. I hope to high heavens it works.

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

More "5" Royales! Out-takes with studio chatter--"The Real Thing!" RE UPPED 5/14!

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.

This recording has been rendered prolix by the magnificent (if incomplete) five-CD book-set Soul & Swagger 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!

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

Here's the track listing...

"Assault The Vaults:" Brothers Gibb Prove Adept Mimics of Changing Song Trends in Early 1960s. Ultra Rare CD in Great HQ Sound! RE-UPPED MAY 11, 2014

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

I enjoy the Bee Gees' Australian recordings, despite their admitted flaws. Young Barry Gibb was a 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.

Brilliant From Birth, 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. Assault The Vaults 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.

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.)

Here's the track listing:

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

Some of this is dross, 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.

Get Part One (tracks 1-15) HERE, Part Two (16-24) HERE and Part Three (25-31) HERE.  They're newly hosted on still-reliable Box.com, as of 5/11/14.

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

5/11/14: The download file is newly re-re-upped on Box.com. It lives again AGAIN!

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

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

RE-UPPED 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Other faves on this set include "Let's Talk About Us," performed with threatening intensity by Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty's "Comfy 'n' Cozy," Fats Domino's moody "Heartbreak 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.

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

HERE is the link to the music 'n' pix. Enjoy!