Archive for the ‘Billboard’ Category
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Listen: I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman / Whistling Jack Smith WJSKaiser.mp3
I know exactly what you’re thinking. Why in the hell is he writing about Whistling Jack Smith? Do I really need to bother visiting this blog again?
Well Billy Moeller aka Whistling Jack Smith (brother of Tommy Moeller who’s band, Unit 4 +2, Billy sometimes roadied for) was on Deram. All things cool in ’67 were on Deram, even The Les Reed Orchestra and Chim Kothari were hip by association – not to mention of course The Syn, The Move, Timebox, The Eyes Of Blue, The Crocheted Doughnut Ring, Tintern Abbey, Warm Sounds, The 23rd Turnoff…you get the point. And I was only too pleased that it had become a hit (#20 Billboard) in the States. I wanted Deram to stay in business, so to me this was good. Plus it was downright fun to hear it on the radio. Harmless, laugh along, don’t be so fucking serious music – nothing like droning funeral parlour label mates Procol Harum.
So yes, I liked Whistling Jack Smith.
And they released an album as well. This was crazy fun now.
Listen: Hey There Little Miss Mary / Whistling Jack Smith WJSMary.mp3
Next, the followup. Well a growth in sound was clearly in line if the career was to build the way Decca chairman, and apparently iron clad ruler, Sir Edward Lewis must have decided it should, given an LP was approved in short order, when hitmakers The Move or hipsters The Syn were not so fortunate. Within months of the ‘I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman’s spring/summer UK/US run, seems the public was inexplicably not following WJS’s musical moves and ‘Hey There Little Miss Mary’ was ignored by radio, press as well as said consumers – this despite regrouping the original hit making team, writers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway with arranger Ivor Raymonde and producer extraordinaire (and he seriously did a LOT of great records) Noel Walker (not to be confused with Scott Walker of course).
Uh oh.
Listen: Ja-Da / Whistling Jack Smith WJSJada.mp3
No worries. There is proven truth to the ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’ theory- hence back to a hysterically fun, basic re-write of ‘I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman’. ‘Ja-Da’ so ridiculously similar, I’m surprised Cook/Greenaway didn’t chase the publishing. I’m glad I own it though, cause it is both fun and funny to play on occasion.
Again, not a blip, bubble or hint toward potential success. Sir Edward was not about to let this talent just wither on the branch.
Listen: Only When I Larf / Whistling Jack Smith WJSLarf.mp3
Then along comes a big break, just what the label needed and was hoping for, a 60′s version of an iPod commercial: the theme to a movie. The potential box office melter ,’Only When I Larf’.
‘Goldfinger’, ‘To Sir With Love’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ move aside.
Instead trip, stumble, fall. A flop.
The writing was on the wall. Poor Billy should have never left the steady work of moving Unit 4 +2′s gear around. Now not only was he finished, they were between third base and home too, so no going back.
Can you imagine how awesome it would be if Whistling Jack Smith’s career had been allowed grow as it deserved to. He would have been at Live Aid, whistled on ‘We Are The World’, been remixed by Moby, collaborated with super talent MIA, not to mention help global leaders talk through their issues, met the Pope and gotten to put on well deserved weight. Yes he could have been Bono, and I don’t mean Sonny.
Except for one other small detail, he never whistled once on his records, instead The Mike Sammes Singers were brought in for the recordings.
Tags: Billboard, Billy Moeller, Bono, Chim Kothari, Deram, Ivor Raymonde, MIA, Moby, Noel Walker, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Sir Edward Lewis, Sonny Bono, The 23rd Turnoff, The Crocheted Doughnut Ring, The Eyes Of Blue, The Les Reed Orchestra, The Mike Sammes Singers, The Move, The Syn, Timebox, Tintern Abbey, Tommy Moeller, Unit 4 + 2, Warm Sounds, Whistling Jack Smith
Posted in Billboard, Billy Moeller, Bono, Chim Kothari, Deram, Ivor Raymonde, MIA, Noel Walker, Procol Harum, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Scott Walker, Sir Edward Lewis, Sonny Bono, The 23rd Turnoff, The Crocheted Doughnut Ring, The Eyes Of Blue, The Les Reed Orchestra, The Mike Sammes Singers, The Move, The Syn, Timebox, Tintern Abbey, Tommy Moeller, Unit 4 + 2, Warm Sounds, Whistling Jack Smith | No Comments »
Saturday, May 15th, 2010
Listen: Stop – Get A Ticket / Clefs Of Lavender HillClefsStop.mp3
I’m sure this happens to us all – occasionally there are a couple of records that basically get connected at the hip in one’s memory. For whatever reason, with me it’s usually a time period that links them.
On first airing, I was sure ‘Stop – Get A Ticket’ was the new Byrds single. Must’ve been that electric twelve string sound in the solo. Still feels like a Roger McGuinn moment.
No. it was a local garage band, one of hundreds that sprung up as a result of the British Invasion. The Clefs Of Lavender Hill were from Florida, and their followup singles were just, well not very good. This, in fact, was originally a B side, eventually getting national release and reaching a Billboard #80 as a result of play and instant reaction in Miami.
When Corinne, the kids and I ventured down for a long weekend last winter, there was an arts and crafts street fair just off the main drag of Collins Ave, with it’s endless blocks of beautifully restored art deco hotels and such. One local oldies station, their van set up, complete with free bumper stickers and ghastly t-shirts, was blaring a live feed, audible a couple blocks away. I was pleasantly surprised when The Small Faces ‘Itchycoo Park’ came on – man did it sound great and definitely out of place, but when The Clefs Of Lavender Hill got played about half an hour later, I was genuinely floored. Huh? What’s up? I had no idea then it was in fact a massive local smash.
Trust me, when both these songs were mixed in amongst a pretty common array of the usual overplayed hit staples, they were hands down standouts.
Listen: Peter Rabbit / Dee Jay & The Runaways DeeJayPeterRabbit.mp3
You’ve all heard of Spirit Lake, Iowa I’m sure. If not, let me tell you ‘Peter Rabbit’ probably still gets played down / over there. This band put the town on the map and from all accounts, the place is still pretty proud of the fellows.
Why not, great single. Heard it constantly at the time. It and ‘Stop – Get A Ticket’ always getting back to back spins on WOLF. These singles played a big part in my soundtrack of that summer. Proof below:
Tags: Billboard, Clefs Of Lavender Hill, Date, Dee Jay & The Runaways, Roger McGuinn, Smash, The Byrds, The Small Faces, WOLF
Posted in Billboard, Clefs Of Lavender Hill, Date, Dee Jay & The Runaways, Roger McGuinn, Smash, The Byrds, The Small Faces, WOLF | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Listen: Take A Look / Aretha Franklin ArethaTakeALook.mp3
It’s well known that Aretha Franklin and her family’s musical beginnings were in Gospel. Yet in early 1960, she signed with John Hammond at Coumbia, a historically well respected A&R executive, but oddly a musical mismatch for Aretha. Despite initially scoring a few semi-hits on the Billboard Pop and RnB Singles charts, those initial results began a slow downward spiral of misjudged A&R song choices, bland jazz leaning arrangements, tiringly safe, and quite frankly, dull results. However, by the end of ’66, with little commercial success in those six years with Columbia, they threw her on the scrapheap, a policy that insensitively continued and in fact grew exponentially during my time there.
As the story goes, desperate for a sound of her own, she signed with Atlantic Records to work with producer Jerry Wexler. By ’67, Aretha Franklin issued her first Atlantic single, ‘I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)’, a blues ballad that eliminated the safe musical stench Columbia forced her way, and introduced listeners to her original Gospel influences. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and produced by Wexler, the song became her true breakthrough single, reaching the Hot 100 Top 10 and holding the #1 spot for seven weeks on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart. In fact, the B-side, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man”, charted on the R&B side as well, and again introduced a more Gospel element to Franklin’s developing sound. It also set a pattern for ballady bluesy B sides ahead.
Her next single, ‘Respect’, written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, instantly became her signature tune for life, reaching #1 on both the RnB and Pop charts—holding the top spot on the former for a then record eight weeks. In the next eighteen months, she released a number of singles we all know and love: ‘Baby I Love You’, ‘Chain of Fools’, ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, ‘The House That Jack Built’ and ‘Think’, to name the cream of her early successful, now decidedly upbeat run.
Part of all that fun in the spotlight was, behind the curtain, Columbia’s attempt to ride Atlantic’s successful coat tails by releasing what sure did sound to me like records parallel with her now current sound – from their vaults. Finally, at least, Coumbia was doing some work on her, and doing it pretty well. With just about everyone from the label then now long gone, it’s impossible to ever know if it was astute planning or random desperation.
A first of these, ‘Take A Look’, was a good vault find, and to be fair, probably previously released as an LP track. It was during that summer (’67 – read past post on WMCR to understand) when the little local station, WMCR, was in the full-on groove of giving me all their non-easy listening singles during my regular Friday night visits to their studios. And I ended up loving it, as I did “Ain’t No Way’, B side of ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ – both interestingly recorded and performed in an almost identical style.
Listen: Mockingbird / Aretha Franklin ArethaMockingbird.mp3
Despite the play to piggy back onto Atlantic’s marketing spend toward making Aretha Franklin a household name, ‘Mockingbird’ was a great choice on Columbia’s part to compete with, yet actually compliment the groove her hits were in.
Written by Inez & Charlie Foxx, who had a Top 10 of their own with it in ’63, Aretha shined on ‘Mockingbird’. Had it been released at the time, things may have turned out differently. A great song, it did Carly Simon no harm when she took it to #4 in ’74.
Listen: Soulville / Aretha Franklin ArethaSoulville.mp3
This was originally an A side Columbia issue (reaching #121) in ’64, then reissued in ’68, coinciding timewise with ‘Think’, where it dragged it’s way to a tired #83. But I admit, I picked up the original as a closeout (it’s pictured above) on it’s title alone. In fact it was to be my first Aretha Franklin single, price: 10¢.
Although Columbia tried issuing a few more 7′s, none charted and basically they retreated, tail between legs.
Tags: Aretha Franklin, Atlantic, Billboard, Carly Simon, Columbia, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Jerry Wexler, John Hammond, WMCR
Posted in Aretha Franklin, Atlantic, Billboard, Carly Simon, Columbia, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Jerry Wexler, John Hammond, WMCR | No Comments »
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
A few posts back, Manfred Mann on April 24th to be exact, I mentioned a terrific site lovingly maintained by Mary Payne and dedicated to 60′s pirate station Radio London. A day later, I get an email from this very iconic lady – thanking me for the kind words. I couldn’t have been more pleased – or so I thought.
Mary certainly did some trolling around, finding my post about the history of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich’s ‘Bend It’ in the US, and proceeded to include some of those details on her Radio London site. What an knockout – thank you Mary. If ever I’d have thought as a kid that someday, even my name alone would get a mention by Radio London, I would’ve expired.
Listen: Touch Me, Touch Me / Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich DDDBMTTouch.mp3
Well within her post, she wonders what US Fontana did about a later single ‘Touch Me, Touch Me’, by the band for the American market – given ‘Bend It’ had been cock blocked due to suggestive lyrics. My real belief is US dj’s didn’t want to bother learning the band’s name – that simple. Add to it, they only visited Stateside once for press and local TV’s, never playing live, which also didn’t make for a successful recipe.
As for ‘Touch Me, Touch Me’, US Fontana simply didn’t release it. A few months later, (June ’67), it was included on the band’s US GREATEST HITS album, a collection of all their singles that traded pretty exclusively off some regional US hits like ‘Bend It’ and ‘Hold Tight’ (although I did hear ‘Hideaway’ twice on WOLF). It faltered at #155 in Billboard’s Top 200. Even that was a surprise showing. The icing on the Fontana brainforce’s cake was to NOT include the band’s then current single ‘Okay’ (released July ’67) on the LP – despite the group getting their first National US TV that very summer (August ’67) performing…..’Okay’. It was to be their last release with Fontana.
Debuting on Imperial with ‘Zabadak’ the following November, they finally got a loads of airplay and ultimately cracked Billboard’s Top 100.
As if the mention was not enough, I find on closer examination of her posting, that the Radio Caroline site has now been updated to include their weekly charts from the 60′s as well.
Oh boy. I’ve been there for a few hours and have barely had time to do this here post. Visit it and prepare. You will need to set aside even more hours.
Thank you again Mary, you’ve made my year – and keep up the great work on your Radio London site.
Tags: Billboard, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Fontana, Imperial, Manfred Mann, Mary Payne, Radio Caroline, Radio London, UK Pirate Radio, WOLF
Posted in Billboard, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Fontana, Imperial, Manfred Mann, Mary Payne, Radio Caroline, Radio London, UK Pirate Radio, WOLF | No Comments »
Saturday, May 1st, 2010
Listen: A Walk In The Black Forest / Horst Jankowski HorstForest.mp3
A good dose of instrumental muzak never hurt anyone. Having been occasionally amazed in a supermarket or drug store by a version of some really un-obvious choice is the best part. I wish I could remember a few, but other than The Seeds ‘Pushin’ Too Hard’, I can not. Even hearing that took a good minute to identify, they can really trip you up.
Somehow, Horst Jankowski managed a US #12 Billboard single, and a UK #3 with ‘A Walk In The Black Forest’ in ’65. Great song title as well. The album from which it came reached #18 here in the States. His easy listening, and presumably inexpensive to make LP’s were released, minimum of three per year through 1970, with four in ’67 alone. It made for a nice break in a landscape of Motown and British Invasion pop radio I will admit. Today, it’s more than happening when it gets the unexpected spin my the jukebox.
Listen: Zabadak / Horst Jankowski HorstZabadak.mp3
I’ve not seen that many other singles by the fellow, given the number of albums issued, but they may have simply evaded me. One big surprise was stumbling on his extremely easy listening version of ‘Zabadak’. I knew of several others, easily a dozen from obscure places around Europe and Japan. The most famous being those by Boney M, Dana Valery and The Sorrows. The wildest one comes as part of the German Decca LP release by The Charing Cross Boys: DANCE TO THE SONGS OF DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH, which by the way I’m jonsing for.
Found this one at a record fair – you guessed it, in a 10 for $1 box. That’s 10¢ each for those of you without a calculator or a knack for math.
Tags: Billboard, Boney M, Dana Valery, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Decca, Horst Jankowski, Jukebox, Mercury, The Charing Cross Boys, The Seeds, The Sorrows
Posted in Billboard, Boney M, Dana Valery, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, Decca, Horst Jankowski, Jukebox, Mercury, The Charing Cross Boys, The Seeds, The Sorrows | No Comments »
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Listen: Ain’t Nothin’ But A House Party / The Show Stoppers Showstoppers.mp3
I truly thought this was a much bigger national hit than it’s Billboard #87 peak (in ’68). I guess the song got well known but the charts never reflected it. Happens a lot. Often records quitely sell and sell weekly until one day – boom – you have a gold record. Example: Screamin’ Jay Hawkin’s ‘I Put A Spell On You You’ (platinum actually), The Ramones 1st album as well The Sex Pistols US debut.
Pretty sure this didn’t quite go gold, but God knows with all the shadey accounting rampant in the 60′s independent label and distribution world.
But what a stomper, Northern floor filler, and every other well coined, over used slogan. Of special interest to me: Solomon Burke’s two brothers were 1/2 of the lineup.
Tags: Billboard, Heritage, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Solomon Burke, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Show Stoppers
Posted in Billboard, Heritage, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Solomon Burke, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Show Stoppers | No Comments »
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Listen: Hambone / Red Saunders & His Orch. with Delores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids
Hambone
Red Saunders found his first successful footing in the depression era Chicago clubs. His endless singles, on many labels, seemed to finally reach an early doo wop/RnB mix of ghetto wildness, a frenzy evident here.
First released in February 1952, the record was accompanied by large display ads in Billboard showing The Hambone Kids performing in front of Red Saunders and his drums. The originally issued take of ‘Hambone’ included Dolores Hawkins’ whistling but lacked her vocal interjections that appear on this version; it also included a brief passage for the full band and a tenor sax solo. The Kids’ rhythmic practice was known as hamboning or patting juba: slapping various body parts as a substitute for drumming. Dee Clark, one of those Hambone Kids, also loudly stamped his heel on the 2nd and 4th beats.
Peaking at #20 on the Billboard RnB chart, it was, like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘I Put A Spell On You’, a consistent seller. By ’63, parent company CBS decided to reissue ‘Hambone’ as Okeh 7166, pictured here. And then again in ’67 (Okeh 7282). These reissues used an alternate take running 2:13, in which The Hambone Kids and Dolores Hawkins are accompanied throughout by guitar, bass, and drums only; the rest of Red Saunders Big Band / Orchestra contributing only shouts of “Hambone!” at the beginning and end of the piece.
There are many versions of ‘Hambone’ floating around this earth, as was the case with all big selling black records in the 50′s, endless vanilla white artists watered them down for middle America consumption. This here is the real deal though.
Tags: Delores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids, Okeh, Red Saunders & His Orch., Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Posted in Billboard, Delores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids, Okeh, Red Saunders & His Orch., Screamin' Jay Hawkins | No Comments »
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Listen: Go – Go Girl / Lee Dorsey LeeDorseyGo-GoGirl.mp3
Lee Dorsey, poor soul, never did top the sound of ‘Working In The Coalmine’, probably to most people that is. I mean it’s a pretty hard one to improve on, but to have even scaled that high is huge. Technically, his first ever Top 100 single ‘Ya Ya’ peaked at #7, whereas ‘Working In The Coalmine’ got to #8. Great as that first single is, it’s the sound and production I’m referring to. Still, I must have a dozen of his 7′s, and you just can’t go wrong picking up any that you see.
‘Go – Go Girl’ has a strange tame studio thing going on. It certainly showcases his voice, always nice upfront. But the mix and realtive low volume of the instruments aren’t in Allen Toussaint’s usual style. The whole point is dirty New Orleans funk.
Well that makes this one even more intriguing. Plus I love a mid-chart flop every time (#62).
Tags: Allen Toussaint, Amy, Lee Dorsey
Posted in Allen Toussaint, Amy, Billboard, Lee Dorsey | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Listen: The End Of Our Road / Gladys Knight & The Pips GladysEndRoad.mp3
Feeling victims, as were The Marvelettes and Mary Wells, of being tossed the leftovers, those songs passed on by Motown’s A level acts (The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations) according to legend, really pissed off Gladys Knight and her Pips (all family members as it turns out). Having moved from Vee Jay to Motown in ’65 with wider success in mind, they quickly found themselves relegated to subsidiary Soul, set up for the more RnB, less leaning pop acts. good call there. From ’66 – ’68, they recorded some of the label’s dirtiest and most raw sides. I’m sure to Berry Gordy’s surprise, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ became the company’s biggest selling single at that point, leaping to #2 pop and bringing Gladys Knight’s signature rasp to the mainstream.
Even better was “The End Of Our Road’, it’s followup. Peaking at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100, it was a mighty strong showing for such a picture perfect dirt and grime black single. Their performance, recording and mix are so aggressive, it’s impossible to not be dragged in. Played this a few nights ago at the Otis Clay show – it sounded mighty powerful through that big system, filled the room, every last head and foot surrendering.
Tags: Berry Gordy, Billboard, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Motown, Norman Whitfield, Otis Clay, Soul, The Marvelettes, The Temptations, Vee Jay
Posted in Berry Gordy, Billboard, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Motown, Norman Whitfield, Otis Clay, Soul, The Marvelettes, The Supremes, The Temptations, Vee Jay | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Listen: Shoorah Shoorah / Betty Wright 11 Shoorah_ Shoorah_.mp3
I was working at Discount Records in the early 70′s when this came in. Discount was a deep catalog chain between ’65 – ’75 or so. Their stores were concentrated in the northeast, and their home office was in Scarsdale. The location on the Syracuse University campus was always a haven for the most obscure albums, all the British and west coast names you’d heard of. When I finally got a job there in ’74, it was a real win. You see, each store could buy direct from the labels. So although it was a chain, you weren’t just allocated the hits. There was serious inventory maintenance and responsibility required. This was of course huge fun.
One weekend, I really got into the old BILLBOARD magazine collection and with intense detail, compiled a many-paged list of singles to order from each of the labels. The one that really came through was London Records. Unlike pretty much all the others, somewhere deep in their fulfillment warehouse were tucked sole copies of countless singles. I opened that big shipment box about a week after placing the order resulting from said weekend, to find crazy London, Parrot and Deram singles from years prior (Them, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Honeybus, The Attack, Hedgehoppers Anonymous, The Cryin’ Shames, Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours, Savoy Brown). Ah, the good old days.
But back to Betty Wright’s version of ‘Shoorah Shoorah’. I was very into The Meters around this time and hence insatiable for all things Allen Toussaint. Reading that he had written this one in the BILLBOARD singles review section that particular week, I ordered myself a copy. Smart move. It was a classic. I proceeded to get in a box, and with in store play sold them through nicely. Wish I had kept a few more.
Tags: Allen Toussaint, Betty Wright, Deram, Hedgehoppers Anonymous, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, London Records, Parrot, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, Savoy Brown, The Attack, The Cryin' Shames, The Honeybus, Them
Posted in Allen Toussaint, Alston, Betty Wright, Billboard, Deram, Discount Records, Hedgehoppers Anonymous, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, London Records, Parrot, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, Savoy Brown, The Attack, The Cryin' Shames, The Honeybus, Them, TK | No Comments »
Sunday, December 20th, 2009
Listen: Funky Broadway (Part 1) / Dyke & The Blazers DykeFunkyBroadway.mp3
Unrefined, impolite and uncouth. Some of the words used to describe Dyke & The Blazers as successful catalysts in the evolution of RnB into Funk. Traveling a parallel musical path to James Brown at the time, their records always maintained a homemade sound, and in fact most of the early 7′s like ‘Funky Broadway’ were just that. Rough, unpolished in-your-face lengthy jams with a focus on feel as opposed to precision, edited into singles – many as Part 1 and Part 2′s.
Having relocated to Phoenix, Dyke and band were always marketed as local, being originally from Buffalo. Luckily, that meant ‘Funky Broadway’ was ever present during what I recall being a very cold and snowy upstate winter ’67, though not until April did it make the Billboard chart. Peaking in one market, then spreading to the next, meant it’s chart high of #65 didn’t really represent the sizable hit the single actually was.
Worth getting are both the WE GOT MORE SOUL anthology cd and accompanying double vinyl edition which includes the extended versions of their biggest breaks, both on UK’s Ace Records label.
Listen: Funky Broadway / Wilson Pickett WilsonFunkyBroadway.mp3
Why waste a hit. Given the purity of Dyke & The Blazers’ chitlin’ circuit original, it wasn’t allowed full exposure on most Top 40′s. Even in ’67, a slicker produced, Motown-like, less street sound was required for airplay. In no time, Atlantic got the wicked Pickett to bring it home chartwise, hitting #1 RnB in autumn ’67, less than a year after the original first hit the charts earlier that same year.
Tags: Ace, Atlantic, Dyke & The Blazers, James Brown, Original Sound, Wilson Pickett
Posted in Ace Records, Atlantic, Billboard, Dyke & The Blazers, James Brown, Original Sound, Wilson Pickett | No Comments »
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Listen: Cry Baby / Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters GarnetCry.mp3
I’ll admit it. I had not heard this record, nor seeked it out, until Janis Joplin recorded her version of ‘Cry Baby’ in ’71. I’d seen Garnet Mimms’ records mentioned occasionally in the obscure sections of Billboard: like Bubbling Under The Hot 100, or listed as a possible minor hit in the ‘Chart’ section of their Singles Review page (the catagories were ‘Top 20′, ‘Top 60′ and ‘Chart’, in that order). Seemed like an eternity, those eight years between his release and hers. Now it’s just a blink.
Her rendition would make anyone want to seek out the original. She just tore it apart. Certainly Garnet Mimms’ RnB version had to be great too. Taste in black music Janis Joplin certainly had.
Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters’ ‘Cry Baby’ was worth the search. Turns out he’d sang in many gospel groups, as well as with Sam Cooke, before being drafted. Once discharged in ’57, he hit the circuit again before forming The Enchanters in ’62. They cut ‘Cry Baby’, and it went on to sell a million units, peaking in Billboard’s pop charts at #4. Within a year, the group disbanded.
Composed by then struggling Brill Building staff writers Norman Meade and Bert Russell (aka Bert Burns), and produced by Jerry Ragovoy, ‘Cry Baby’ is a now perfect snapshot of New York RnB in it’s heyday.
Tags: Bert Russell, Billboard, Brill Building, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, Janis Joplin, Jerry Ragovoy, Norman Meade, Sam Cooke, United Artists
Posted in Bert Russell, Billboard, Brill Building, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, Janis Joplin, Jerry Ragovoy, Norman Meade, Sam Cooke, United Artists | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Listen: Black Is Black / Los Bravos
Black Is Black / Los Bravos
Without a doubt, this was a signature song to my Summer ’66 soundtrack. This guy’s voice was almost scary. Between that and the lyrics, it especially sounded powerful late at night. I spent a week in Brooklyn that August, glued to the various New York City stations and heard this often. Along with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Summer In The City’, this song faithfully brings me back to that un-airconditioned summer vacation of listening to the radio by night and dragging my Aunt Nancy round the record shops by day: The House Of Oldies, King Karol and Colony basically. I spent hours in them. Thank God for her patience. Colony was really well stocked, but very expensive – list price: 98¢! This was huge money for a kid in his single digits. Much more interesting were the shops in the East Village. Most of them sold promos for a quarter. Lots of white label Fontana’s, pink label Decca’s and the London Group’s orange swirls. You could spot those a mile away. I vividly recall getting Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours ‘Don’t Stop Loving Me, Baby’ in one such place.
Los Bravos, from Spain, big in England, well ‘Black Is Black’ was. Now big here. What a concept. Play good music on the radio, people buy it.
You still catch this one occasionally on the Oldies stations in smaller US markets and it does pop right out .
Listen: I Don’t Care / Los Bravos
I Don't Care / Los Bravos
The UK followup actually did okay, #16. It was easily a song that band and producer Ivor Raymonde worked hard on. I still would bet my last dime they all knew it wasn’t quite good enough despite the almost good enough parts, yet my guess is they needed something out quick and just went with it, hoping no one would notice.
Their US label, London Records’ offshoot Press, did notice. It never got released Stateside.
Listen: Going Nowhere / Los Bravos
Going Nowhere / Los Bravos
Instead, ‘Going Nowhere’ was the US followup to ‘Black Is Black’. Not a big showing chartwise, it peaked at #91. In a very signature Ivor Ramonde production, it sounds identical to his approach with The Fortunes. He had his sound down. I heard this a bit around Christmas of that year (see chart below). Turns out lead singer Mike Kogel was German, adding a great accent to his Gene Pitney vocal style. Spanish band and the first ever to chart in Billboard, German singer, pretty exotic for the day.
Listen: Bring A Little Lovin’ / Los Bravos
Bring A Little Lovin' / Los Bravos
What a surprise. Almost two years later, an eternity then, when no one expected it, Los Bravos finally really followed up ‘Black Is Black’ with a song equal in greatness. ‘Bring A Little Lovin’ sounded fantastic on the radio. I lit up every time I heard that intro. It was everywhere in Spring of ’68. Oddly, it didn’t chart in the UK, making the British pressing a very pricey item. Even US copies are hard to unearth now. Had they come with this straight after ‘Black Is Black’, the sky would’ve been the limit.
Tags: Billboard, Decca, Fontana, London Records, Los Bravos, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, Press, The Fortunes, The Lovin' Spoonful
Posted in Billboard, Decca, Fontana, Gene Pitney, Ivor Raymonde, London Records, Los Bravos, Mike Kogel, Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, Press, The Fortunes, The Lovin' Spoonful, WNDR | No Comments »
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Listen: This Sporting Life / Ian Whitcomb & BluevilleIanWhitcombSporting.mp3
I knew Ian Whitcomb was English, he had a huge hit as part of the British Invasion. It seems he relocated to the US quite quickly during that period. His first recordings, with Bluesville, despite being good attempts at the damp, Soho, St. James Infirmary sound, somehow lacked that final ‘something’, I’m guessing because of his vocal style. ‘This Sporting Life’, also recorded and released by Mickey Finn in ’65, finds him beautifully out of place with the music, actually becoming part of the appeal.
This one crawled slowing upward under Billboard’s Top 100, then placed for one week at #100, before returning to the ‘Bubbling Under The Hot 100′ section for a few more. It’s chart progression was as follows: 134, 122, 101, 101, 100, 104, 104, 124.
Ah the good old days of the Billboard charts, but talk about keeping an artist at the edge of their seat.
Listen: You Turn Me On / Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville IanWhitcombTurn.mp3
The balance between voice and music found the perfect match in ‘You Turn Me On’. The suggestive gasping surprisingly didn’t manage to keep it off the airwaves, and it scaled to #8 in Billboard’s Top 100 during that summer.
Listen: What Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday On Saturday Night? / Ian Whitcomb & His Seaside Syncopators IanWhitcombRobinson.mp3
Where Ian Whitcomb really found his footing, and a comfortable vocal home, was with the above single. More suited to the era of vaudeville and silent films, his voice worked perfectly on a remake of Al Jolson’s 1916 hit, and almost became a smash here in the US. Indeed, during the week of November 14, 1966 it was playlisted at both my local Top 40 stations (see their charts below) and sounded fantastic coming out of my transistor. If you told anyone this was a classic version by the deservedly credible Bonzo Dog Band, you wouldn’t be challenged.
Tags: Al Jolson, Bluesville, Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, The Bonzo Dog Band, Tower, WNDR, WOLF
Posted in Al Jolson, Billboard, Bluesville, Bubbling Under The Hot 100, Ian Whitcomb & Bluesville, The Bonzo Dog Band, Tower, WNDR, WOLF | No Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Listen: Birds And Bees / Warm Sounds WarmSoundsBirds.mp3
In May ’67, my Mom went off to Ireland to visit her sister for a few weeks, armed with my 45 want list. She came back with some life-changers (see my post from October 7th, 2008 titled: The Move / The Who / The Small Faces / The Cream). An added unexpected bonus were two pull-out Top 50 charts from RECORD RETAILER, the UK equivalent of BILLBOARD. If I could scan them for you, I would. They’re too large, purposely made to hang on your shop’s wall so kids can easily identify their purchases. Sliding gently back from a #26 peak (to #27, then #28) was ‘Birds And Bees’ by Warm Sounds. It was on Deram. It had to be good.
The psychedelic summer of ’67 was just about to happen, and the great music that would define it was in full tsunami mode. Every week handfuls of ‘must hears’ were arriving in stores, at the radio stations and in trade magazine listings.
Before I could even worry about it, one of my local Top 40′s, WNDR, was playing ‘Birds And Bees’ (see chart below). Occasionally, they or the more loosely programmed, UK and garage band leaning WOLF, would add a gem that never went on to national success. Unlike WOLF, WNDR wouldn’t stick with them too long, but at least we’d have a chance to get a taste – and usually one of the local shops (Walt’s Records in particular) would stock 5 or 10 copies. You had to move quick to secure one though, there was fierce competition amongst us sickos.
Despite it’s rather mainstream pop leanings, it was undeniably English on first listen, the string breakdowns were perfectly LSD’d out, and the lyrics, so blatant (“don’t be afraid, come with me please, that’s all there is to the birds and the bees”).
I was in. Yet how did the program director not notice those lyrics?
Tags: Billboard, Deram, Record Retailer, Walt's Records, Warm Sounds, WNDR, WOLF
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Monday, October 5th, 2009
Listen: The End Of The World / Skeeter Davis SkeeterEnd.mp3
Listen: He Says The Same Things To Me / Skeeter Davis SkeeterSaysSame.mp3
Can you believe these records were originally considered country instead of pop? Even though they made the Billboard Top 100 (‘End Of The World’ #2 in ’63, ‘He Says The Same Things To Me’ #47 in ’64), being produced by Chet Atkins probably meant Skeeter Davis and her releases were always found in the country section at the stores. Now sounding way more like early Blondie than Kitty Wells, I’m pretty sure the double tracked vocals were exclusive to country productions at the time. Check any Loretta Lynn, Dottie West or Patsy Cline single if you feel the need to verify that bit. Despite her record store geographical placement, she was certainly a successful crossover act, as I clearly remember both of these singles being played on my local Top 40′s.
Listen: The End Of The World / Personal Effects PersonalEffectsEnd.mp3
Years later, indie bands were unearthing great singles from, in the 70′s, only ten or so years prior. A lost art these days, but then hearing a favorite band pulling out an old gem and recording it was not unlike a DJ doing a slamming set, littered with snippets of classics, in a club come the late ’90′s.
A 7″ single that should have been, Personal Effects’ version of ‘The End Of The World’ was one Roger McCall and I played a lot on WCMF around ’84, back when we did what would be referred to nowadays as a ‘specialty show’. Not one to toss anything related to records, I found the above flyer inside the album THIS IS IT, from which the track comes. And given that it’s promo only, I definitely saved it.
Tags: Chet Atkins, Personal Effects, RCA, Skeeter Davis
Posted in Billboard, Blondie, Chet Atkins, Dottie West, Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Personal Effects, RCA, Roger McCall, Skeeter Davis, WCMF | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Listen: A Young Girl / Noel Harrison
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Everyone was drawn to teenage death records, it wasn’t just me. They would even get radio play and chart on BILLBOARD. ‘A Young Girl’ did just that (US #51 in ’66), and got played heavily on my local Top 40, WNDR. Possibly helped onto the airwaves by his role in NBC’s The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., one of many b&w spy/comedies of the mid 60′s, or his famous Dad, Noel Harrison’s English adaptation of this Charles Aznavour song indeed still sounded both very French and rather menacing. If you told me The Pet Shop Boys were influenced by it, I’d believe you.
It was an ear catching song to hear on the radio in the day and has become a perfect period piece, frozen in time while simultaneously disappearing into the black hole of never-to-be-airplayed-again records.
Tags: Billboard, Charles Aznavour, Decca, London Records, Noel Harrison, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., WNDR
Posted in Billboard, Charles Aznavour, Decca, Giles Peterson, London Records, Noel Harrison, Talkin' Loud, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., The Pet Shop Boys, WNDR | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Listen: Teach Me Tiger / April Stevens AprilStevens.mp3
Listen: Teach Me Tiger – 1965 / April Stevens AprilStevens65.mp3
Doing her best Marilyn Monroe imitation, ‘Teach Me Tiger’ was too suggestive for 1958 programmers, resulting in little airplay and just making it to #86 on Billboard’s Top 100.
Not content, possibly renewed confidence took over after going to #1 with brother Nino Tempo via their rendition of ‘Deep Purple’ in ’63. April attempted another stab at ‘Teach Me Tiger’ with new label partner, Atco. ‘Teach Me Tiger – 1965′ starts with a rather awkward ‘Leader Of The Pack’ style intro, otherwise you’d swear it was the exact same version as the original. I had no idea this one existed until stumbling on it a few years back in a stack of promos at a garage sale. Still, what a fantastic track either way.
Why doesn’t anyone make singles like this nowadays? Shouldn’t someone like Duffy take a swing at this kind of camp?
And to think, she was from Niagara Falls.
Tags: April Stevens, Billboard, Duffy, Imperial, Liberty, Marilyn Monroe
Posted in April Stevens, Atco, Billboard, Duffy, Imperial, Marilyn Monroe, Nino Tempo | No Comments »
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Listen: Wham / Lonnie Mack LonnieMackWham.mp3
Listen: Suzie Q / Lonnie Mack LonnieMackSuzie.mp3
Often lumped with Duane Eddy and Link Wray, contemporaries of the day, Lonnie Mack’s musical distinction is the blues as opposed to a rockabilly instrumental slant. Not surprisingly, he’s widely regarded as a ground-breaking rock guitarist, whose artistic impact far outreaches his commercial accomplishments, although he had a few massive records. His first, ‘Memphis’ hit Top 5 in early ’63 on both Billboard’s Pop and RnB charts.
Things were clearly different in those days. It’s not the first time that a record, recorded quickly during some down time, post a proper session, somehow got released without the artist knowing, and ended up a hit – again to said artist’s surprise. Such was apparently the case with ‘Memphis’
‘Wham’, a followup, has significance for (a) being another unlikely instrumental success and (b) for actually describing a sound both unique and original at the time in it’s title. The culprit, a whammy bar, in reality a Bigsby tremelo arm. To further enhance the vibrato on his tunes, Lonnie Mack employed a variant of Robert Ward’s distortion technique, using a 1950s-era tube-fired Magnatone amplifier to produce a ‘rotating, fluttery sound’. Hence, the blues guitar revolution began, at least according to some.
Either way, this is a great double sider. Adults and children alike should own a handful of his 7′s for when the appropriate party moment occurs at one’s home.
I was quite excited back in September ’69 when Lonnie Mack was on the bill at The Fillmore East as main support to headliners Crosby, Stills & Nash. Opening that weekend: The Move. I just sent away for two tickets and announced to my Dad that he was either taking me or I was hitch hiking. Mind you, we lived in Syracuse and NYC was a good 300 miles away. To be honest, this was all about seeing The Move, but planning to stay long enough to gawk at Lonnie Mack and his wire-fire fingers.
Sadly, The Move never did play New York, so I exchanged my seats for another weekend’s triple header: Spirit / The Kinks / The Bonzo Dog Band. A life changing tradeoff, I can assure you.
Tags: Billboard, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Crosby Stills & Nash, Duane Eddy, Fillmore East, Fraternity, Link Wray, Lonnie Mack, Spirit, Stateside, The Bonzo Dog Band, The Kinks, The Move
Posted in Billboard, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Crosby Stills & Nash, Duane Eddy, Fillmore East, Fraternity, Link Wray, Lonnie Mack, Robert Ward, Spirit, Stateside, The Bonzo Dog Band, The Kinks, The Move | No Comments »
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Listen: Yes I’m Ready / Barbara Mason BarbaraMasonReady.mp3
Listen: Shackin’ Up / Barbara Mason BarbaraMasonShackin.mp3
Basically, a Philly girl who came up through Gospel. ‘Yes I’m Ready’ reached #5 in ’65, with an intro the had me believing it was the soundtrack to being drunk. Her delivery drew me right in with that imaginery alcohol slur. Like Barbara Lewis from around the same time, she was one of the soul voices that sat nicely between all the English Invasion songs on Top 40 radio.
You wouldn’t know she was a church girl from some of her 70′s output, like the great ‘Shackin’ Up’. Not unlike Millie Jackson, and produced by Don Davis (Eddie Floyd, Bobby Womack, Albert King, The Dramatics, Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton), it just sums up liberated female voices during the mid 70′s and deserved a way higher Billboard chart placing than #91.
Tags: Albert King, Arctic, Barbara Mason, Bobby Womack, Buddah, Carla Thomas, Decca, Don Davis, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton, London American, Millie Jackson, The Dramatics
Posted in Albert King, Arctic, Barbara Mason, Billboard, Bobby Womack, Buddah, Carla Thomas, Decca, Don Davis, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton, London American, Millie Jackson, The Dramatics | No Comments »
