Here's a fun little seven inch 33 1/3 promo disk , on the Capitol Custom label, which I came across ages ago, probably in the same search that turned up the China Youth Corps EP.
Jack Wagner takes us through the magic that is volume three of Capitol's Production Music Series. I sure would love to have the whole collection.
1.) Capitol Production Music Series Volume Three - Side One (MP3)
2.) Capitol Production Music Series Volume Three - Side Two (MP3)
From the great, exceptionally weird Tin Pan Alley song-poem label, and just a few months late for the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, today's offering is Phil Celia with his rendition of "If Butch the Rough Barber Man Shaves Castro".
I love a lot of Tin Pan Alley records (including one about paying taxes, which I previously featured here), and had to have this one the second I saw it, even though it appeared it might be too warped to play (that is the source of some of the surface noise you'll hear). It turned out to be playable on one of my turntables, and now the world can hear it.
The flip side, "Oh, Sing a Song of I-O-WA", is a fun listen, too. I particularly enjoy the really high notes sung by a soprano at the very end of the record, coming from a singer whose presence on the record had not been evident, up until that point. This also may be the only song-poem record I've ever heard to feature a trombone solo.
I share more song-poems, weekly, here, but thought this one was a fit for this venue.
Phil Celia - If Butch the Rough Barber Man Shaves Castro (MP3)
On Wednesday, February 6, 1974, a party was held in Houston, Texas. Perhaps this party was in honor of Mrs. Harry D. Wilson (AKA Olivet Toadvin Wilson), or perhaps she was just a guest who was in attendance, and who was encouraged to play the piano for 40 minutes or so.
Regardless of the details, her performance was captured on tape, given way too much echo (perhaps in an effort to simulate stereo), and pressed into records for family and friends. A simple cover (the back is blank), a just a bit more information on the label itself gives one all there is available to know about this recording.
Mrs. Wilson clearly knew quite a few old timey songs, and may even had been quite the pianist in her younger days. If I understand the conversation correctly, she was the composer of a few of the instrumental pieces she played. Her performances here display a knowledge a variety of styles, although age appears to have affected both her memory and some of her ability.
I don't mean that as criticism - I found this album to be greatly enjoyable and even inspiring - she clearly loved to play, and those around her loved to hear her play. And the places (beginning about half way thruogh the first side) where Mrs. Wilson and others sing with her playing are magical.
I hope I can still play and sing when I'm in my golden years, and that someone thinks enough of those abilities to have me entertain at their party.
Special thanks to my pal Stu for having found this album for sale and pointing me in its direction.
1.) Mrs. Harry D. Wilson - A Party - Side One (MP3)
Here's an album capturing the sounds and events one might have encoutered if one attended USC during the 1970-71 school year.
I've heard plenty of high school and college year-in-review albums, but few have sounded like this one.
The A-side is a montage of sounds from around the campus during the school year. Even if I'd attended, I suspect I'd have found this production frustrating, because of the way it jumps from event to event, never explaining anything and never containing a complete recording of any one event, either. There are things captured here that I'd love to know about. If I'd been at the school that year, and hadn't been at an event captured here, I'd really want to know what I'd missed.
On the other hand, this is fairly well done, as a montage, and it reminds me of some of the montage work done by Nurse With Wound, among others, and with its recurring use of the song "Moments To Remember", I'm reminded of a particularly enjoyable Negativland "Over the Edge" CD. I do have to question whether the song "Moments to Remember" would have possibly connected on any level with college students in 1971, though.
If anything, the second side, while also an interesting listen, is even more frustrating. it captures the sounds of a music festival held at the school - presumably a yearly event. And it appears to have been a lengthy and wide ranging event, based on this sampling. But again, that's what we have here - a sampling. We few exceptions, these are excerpts from individual performances, with no information as to performers, and no ability to hear from beginning to end any but a couple of these songs.
I really wonder what the performers thought - if they found out they would be on the album, and then listened to it, and discovered that their four song set had been boiled down to 90 seconds out of one four minute song. As with the first side, there's some interesting stuff here (as well as some... not so interesting stuff), and I'd have liked to have heard it all the way through.
The album came in a mostly plain white sleeve, with two fascinating little bits of text on the front cover (at the top and bottom) which are scanned, below. The labels are also fairly plain, but I have scanned them, as well.
1.) USC album - Montage (Side One) (MP3)
2.) USC album - Songfest '71 (Side Two) (MP3)
Cover Scan One - Cover Scan Two - Label Side One - Label Side Two
About 25 years ago, I struck up a conversation with an older couple who were selling sheet music and a small number of records, at a vintage music sale in Union, IL. I had found a few things of great interest to me among their records, and we bonded over a love of The Weavers. It turned out that the couple lived fairly near to my home, and I was invited to come over and look through their records, and buy whatever I was interested in.
Records were everywhere! In boxes in the basement, loose in closets, on shelves in the spare bedroom. (Come to think of it, that’s what my house looks like now.) I spent at least three Saturdays there, looking through records while the lady of the house gave piano lessons. I ended up spending a couple hundred dollars on the records I chose, and it was probably the first time in my young life that I’d really gone through a huge number of records in that way and splurged on a big stack o’ wax.
At this point, I’d be hard pressed to tell you which of the records in my overabundant collection came from these nice folks. I know there was a late-era Limeliters album I’d been searching for (and which I found completely disappointing), but that’s about it, except for today’s selection. Among the predictable 78’s, 45’s and albums, and quite a few obscurities that nonetheless fit into recognizable genres, I came across a record that seemed completely out of place, a seven inch, 33 1/3 EP by the China Youth Corps.
This record has always held a fascination for me, and just the site of it reminds me of those day-long searches through the stacks and boxes of records in that little bungalow. How DID this record come to be in that couple's collection? On the first listen, I found it unnerving and otherworldly, not only because of the general sound of the thing, but also because its combination of what I perceived as Western song styles and structures with Asian scales, melodies and other flavorings.
Since then, I’ve heard other examples of Chinese records, and know it’s not the unique melding of styles I once thought it was. But I still find a couple of these tracks haunting and endlessly fascinating, specifically the first track, and even more so the third track on the EP. And I find the singing style on the fourth track is quite curious. Also, I'm fairly sure that, whoever was recording these songs, he or she thought that track two was over at the halfway point, and turned down the mikes, then turned them back up again as the music continued. See what you think.
I have no idea what the titles or lyrics of these songs might be, and if anyone wants to translate the titles and/or summarize the lyrics, by all means, do!
Here's another favorite percussion album, to go along with the Marimba album I posted a few months ago. This one is more varied, with Phil Kraus playing a variety of instruments - more than a dozen - in solo and in overdub, and with a variety of backing from other instruments.
I wish this record was in better condition - in particular, the first and last few tracks on side two suffer from a lot of noise, but the skill of the performer shines through, and despite the sonic flaws, I find this most enjoyable.
My personal favorites are "Buffoon", with tuned bongo drums making for a unique effect, and "Nola" which is just one of those great songs which would probably work on almost any instrument, but which is particularly suited for those instruments which are designed much like a piano.
The text on the back cover does a fine job of explaning just what is going on in the individual tracks, as well as giving a bit of Phil Kraus' impressive resume, so I will refer you to that text, rather than go on and on about it here.
1.) Phil Kraus - Hindustan (MP3)
2.) Phil Kraus - Dizzy Fingers (MP3)
3.) Phil Kraus - Japanese Sandman (MP3)
4.) Phil Kraus - Jan (MP3)
5.) Phil Kraus - Chinese Lullaby (MP3)
6.) Phil Kraus - Just Flippin (MP3)
7.) Phil Kraus - Kashmiri Song (MP3)
8.) Phil Kraus - Buffoon (MP3)
9.) Phil Kraus - March of the Siamese Children (MP3)
10.) Phil Kraus - Nola (MP3)
11.) Phil Kraus - In a Persian Market (MP3)
12.) Phil Kraus - Liza (MP3)
Here's a favorite album purchased at the late, great Mammoth Music Mart in Skokie Illinois. It's from the Augmented Seven of Yale, and given the variety of Calypso stylings heard here, including a few Harry Belafonte favorites, I'm guessing this is from not long after the 1957 release of Belafonte's "Calypso" album - perhaps this is from 1958.
It's great to hear these young northerners, no doubt mostly sons of privilege, wrap their voices around the music of the poor in Trinidad and Jamaica, among other locales, and they do so far better than I would have expected, while still missing that special something by a country mile.
My favorite here, though, is "I'm in the Jailhouse Now", which curiously never contains that specific phrase in the lyrics. I'm also quite partial to the increadibly nasal performances of one Mr. Spofford, the lead vocalist on "Jailhouse".
The name of the group, aside from being a musical reference, appears to have no bearing on the actual makeup of the ensemble. Even if you subtract the three instrumentalists, you don't end up with three vocalists, and regardless of that, if I read the notes correctly, at least some of the instrumentalists are among the singers.
Be sure to open and/or download the back cover - the photos are half the fun. And the liner notes, which make special mention of some of the dullest tracks on the album, are also a good read.
1.) The Augmented Seven - Man, Man Is For the Woman Made (MP3)
2.) The Augmented Seven - Jamaica Farewell (MP3)
3.) The Augmented Seven - I Wanna Get Married (MP3)
4.) The Augmented Seven - My Funny Valentine (MP3)
5.) The Augmented Seven - Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (MP3)
6.) The Augmented Seven - We’ll Be Together Again (MP3)
7.) The Augmented Seven - Man Smart Woman Smarter (MP3)
8.) The Augmented Seven - I’ll Close My Eyes (MP3)
9.) The Augmented Seven - Little Brown Jug (MP3)
10.) The Augmented Seven - Out de Fire (MP3)
11.) The Augmented Seven - I Married an Angel (MP3)
12.) The Augmented Seven - That’s All (MP3)
13.) The Augmented Seven - You Can Go (MP3)
14.) The Augmented Seven - Gamblin’ Man (MP3)
15.) The Augmented Seven - Nora (MP3)
16.) The Augmented Seven - I’m In The Jailhouse Now (MP3)
17.) The Augmented Seven - Peanut Vendor (MP3)
18.) The Augmented Seven - Swingin On a Star (MP3)
19.) The Augmented Seven - Chocolate Whiskey (MP3)
20.) The Augmented Seven - Yes Yes Yes (MP3)
21.) The Augmented Seven - Linstead Market (MP3)
22.) The Augmented Seven - Lord Got Tomatoes (MP3)
23.) The Augmented Seven - Adios (MP3)
Front Cover (JPG)
Back Cover (JPG)
Last week, a friend let me know that he'd come across the news of the death of a friend of mine, Richard Shulberg, aka Citizen Kafka (CK). I was very late to this news - four months late. While I wasn't exactly surprised - I knew he'd been ill for several years, and his e-mails had grown more and more sporadic - I was still shocked, as the most recent of those e-mails (the first in at least two years) had arrived just three weeks before his death. In that e-mail, he had written excitedly about an upcoming project that he knew would be of great interest to me. It was therefore off my radar that he could have so little time left.
I had very little clue as to the degree to which CK was well known, or the vastness of his skills, interests and activities - these things only came up (in conversation) in passing in the brief time we spent together - but in the last few days I've had the chance to catch up, and have found information here, here and here, among other places. And of course he worked for many years on WFMU.
I got to know CK after reading about a compilation CD he had produced in the late, great Cool and Strange Music Magazine. After receiving the CD, "Americana: Vox Populi", and being blown away by the slices of life contained in its recordings, I contacted him by e-mail, and began a friendship online. I sent him segments of my collection that seemed to be in keeping with those things he compiled on the CD, and was happily astonished when I received an e-mail telling me that, although he hadn't listened to the collection yet, the notes I wrote about its contents made him more excited to hear it than anything he'd received in ten years. (Most of the material I sent him has made its way into this forum over the last few years, including Merigail Moreland, Star Ads and Camp Bryn Afon.)
I only had the chance to spend two days with CK, during a visit to the East Coast in early 2001, but I was blown away by his knowledge, his stories and his wondrous record collection. One of the CD's he gave me is pictured above. I was taken with the photo on the CD: When I was a child, the tape recorder was my favorite "toy", so I told him, "that could be me in that picture". He corrected me, telling me that, in fact the picture WAS him.
Continue reading "Farewell to a Dear Friend: Citizen Kafka (MP3's)" »
Here's a little red 45 which I've always gotten a kick out of, not only because, like so many other bits of advertising, it uses America as a way to sell the company name - in this case, Fairbanks Morse Engine, which is still in business today - but also because of the focus on the phrase "free enterprise" which is a particularly unmusical phrase to use in a song.
Jerry Coyle and the Nelsonics - America...Land of Free Enterprise - The Fairbanks, Morse Song (MP3)
Here's yet another all-time winner of an album found at the late great Skokie, Illinois fundraiser known as the ALS Mammoth Music Mart, which I've written about here. Tobie Lurie, who is not only still in the poetry business, but has gone into other artistic endeavors, reads his poetry, with a variety of accompaniments, as well as multiple vocals, at times. He now goes by Toby Lurie, although judging from his signature on this album, he did back then, too, leading to the question of why the album is credited to Tobie Lurie.
I'll mostly let the back cover text and the material itself do most of the talking here, but will point out that this album was one of many of my prized odd spoken word albums which were on a bottom shelf in my basement, and therefore bore the brunt of a recent flood, as you'll notice when viewing the front and back covers (the lower part of the back cover, featuring other albums on this label, was basically destroyed, so I haven't copied it here). Also, I particularly enjoy the second track, "Unawareness", but I have no doubt others will find just as much (or more) to enjoy in several of the other tracks.
1.) Tobie Lurie - Conversation (MP3)
2.) Tobie Lurie - Unawareness (MP3)
3.) Tobie Lurie - Love (MP3)
4.) Tobie Lurie - Fugue and Variations (MP3)
5.) Tobie Lurie - I (MP3)
6.) Tobie Lurie - Waltz (MP3)
7.) Tobie Lurie - Oh Lord (MP3)
8.) Tobie Lurie - Uptight (MP3)
9.) Tobie Lurie - One Boy Has Died in the War (MP3)
10.) Tobie Lurie - Simple Logic (MP3)
11.) Tobie Lurie - Climb On (MP3)
12.) Tobie Lurie - Revolution (MP3)
13.) Tobie Lurie - Nonsense (MP3)
14.) Tobie Lurie - Dow Chemical Jones (MP3)
15.) Tobie Lurie - Mantra (MP3)
16.) Tobie Lurie - Goodbye (MP3)
Front Cover (JPG)
Back Cover (JPG)
I collect budget label collections of then-current hit songs from every era, on albums, 45's and 78. More than a few of them, particularly Beatles covers, have been shared here and on other sites. The HIT record label which ran from around 1962-68 or so was probably the most endearing, but the genre flourished from the early '50's until at least the early '70's. There was even another little flareup of cover records in the '90's, as labels started pushing radio-only hits, with no commercial singles.
Most of these are good mostly for a laugh, if that, but today I'd like to share three which I think cross over into the land of the deeply odd, with one of them having a lyrical error which is spectacularly weird. All three demonstrate the inability of those behind these labels to "get it" when it came to Rock and Roll.
First up, from the Hollywood Label, is a version of Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin'", the original of which I consider one of the most powerful records ever made. The hamfisted attempt at the opening drums here is a perfect introduction to the overall performance, in which the singer repeatedly sings a line wrong: "Too bad you love me, and you can't come in", then offers (at the 1:49 point) one of the weakest rock and roll screams imaginable.
The other two songs are from the Tops in Pops album pictured above. The real killer here is their version of "Jailhouse Rock", which features a singer who shouts his way through the thing, over a clunky band (I really like the guitarist sliding down to the note on the verses). But the amazing moment here is when the singer sings a few mistaken words in place of "I sure would be delighted with your company" (about the one minute mark), replacing "company" with something that wouldn't have been allowed on the radio in the '50's or the '60's, and possibly not the '70's.
I've also included the same album's version of "Wake Up Little Suzie", because I got a kick out of the fact that they apparently couldn't figure out the key guitar lick (which isn't hard to play at all).
1.) Unknown - Keep a Knockin' (MP3)
2.) Unknown - Jailhouse Rock (MP3)
My story begins well over 25 years ago, back to the day when I heard Dr. Demento play an excerpt of a 45 called "I'm Surfing" by George W. Husak. This was during an segment on some of the worst records in his collection. I was intrigued, and was quite glad when, several years later, the good doctor played the record in its entirety, prefacing it with the following (edited) comments:
"If you asked me, 'what is the worst musical performance that was ever actually released on a 45…a record that somebody actually expected somebody to go out and buy‘, this might well be my choice. It’s from some time in the early to mid ‘60’s, and it came out on a label based in San Francisco. The perpetrator of this truly incredible performance is one George W. Husak."
Here is that record, from that episode of the show. It unfortunately contains a couple of turkey sound effects, which were being employed that week, in honor of "Musical Turkeys". I do have a clean version of it somewhere, but have been unable to track it down.
1.) George W. Husak - I’m Surfing - 45 version (MP3)
For the last two decades, I've been looking for a copy of this record, a search that was helped, in recent years, by correspondence with Dr. Demento, to whom I am eternally grateful (not just for his help, but for 35 years of radio entertainment). Earlier this year, my searching paid off, to a degree I never would have hoped for. I found an ALBUM by George Husak, in which he shares billing with his brother Anton (curiously, despite the shared credit and shared cover pictures, it's titled "George's Album", anyway).
The album contains twelve songs, three written by George, four by Anton, and five covers, including songs by Hank Williams and Bob Wills. There's even a version of "I'm Surfing", different than the one on the 45 I'd been tracking down all these years. It's not as completely unhinged and radically bad as the 45, but it does feature - like most of the tracks on the album - a barely competent guitarist who is way too overly fond of descending scale riffs, and basically uninspired vocal and instrumental performances all around.
The notes on the back of the album are sort of vague about who is singing when, but I am sure that Anton is the performer on tracks seven and eight, based on the text on the front cover. I've identified George as the singer on the rest of the tracks, but could easily be wrong. I will say this: the most amazing moment - nothing short of astonishing, in my opinion, comes during a crucial spot in one of the two songs I've identified as featuring a vocal from Anton. I'll let you discover the song and the moment on your own - to describe it would be to ruin it.
But I also find this entire album amazing, and a very rewarding end to a search of more than 20 years.
2.) George Husak - Golden Gate Love (MP3)
3.) George Husak - Heartbreak and Teardrops (MP3)
4.) George Husak - Call Me On the Telephone (MP3)
5.) George Husak - The Last Letter (MP3)
6.) George Husak - San Antonio Rose (MP3)
7.) George Husak - Mother, The Queen of My Heart (MP3)
8.) Anton Husak - I Walk the Floor Each Night (MP3)
9.) Anton Husak - Let’s Have a Look at the Bottle (MP3)
10.) George Husak - I’m Surfing (MP3)
11.) George Husak - Cold, Cold Heart (MP3)
12.) George Husak - I’m Sorry If That’s the Way You Feel (MP3)
13.) George Husak - Indianola (MP3)
Front Cover (JPG)
Back Cover (JPG)
I've seen plenty of singles with labels which carry a plethora of information. I'm thinking here mainly of jazz 78's from the swing era, as well as reissues of the same type of records.
But I don't think I've ever seen nearly as much text regarding separate categories of information as is present on Paul Kosty's "Dad From Trinidad". As you can see, in addition to the label name, artist name, songwriter, speed publishing and label number, we're also treated to a number of unique bits of information.
Here's a list of the performers on the record, including what they played, in addition to the name of the group. There's the location of the recording session. Here are the names of not one, not two, but THREE different dramatic works which feature the song (including a book - not sure how that would work).
And then my two favorite's: The legend "The Hit that Put Clarity Records in Business", and Paul Kosty's own title, "Baltimore's Singing Taxidriver".
So, how does the record sound? As a guy who loves calypso a lot more than the next guy (it's probably my favorite genre of music), I'll say that although this one is not likely to make it onto one of my calypso compilations any time soon, it is nontheless a fascinating little record. Have a listen!
Paul Kosty - Dad From Trinidad (MP3)
God help me, I love Marimbas! There are other singularly great instruments - trumpet and clarinet come to mind - and even among the percussion, I'm almost as big a fan of the vibraphone, but Marimbas are on another level altogether.
I've never owned one (it seems to me it would probably take up way too much space), but thanks to the wonders of modern keyboards, I've been able to work virtual marimbas into many of my own recordings. But that's a pale imitation of the sound of a bunch of marimbas playing together. So when a friend and I went to an estate sale not long ago, he knew, upon coming across this album, that he needed to pass it my way. I was not disappointed.
The '50's echo is a bit much in places, but the wonderfulness of the instruments, and of many of these songs, can't be missed. Personal favorites are Rico Mambo, Oye Negro and Guadalajara, but every track has its charms.
1.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Chivirico (MP3)
2.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Cherry Pink (MP3)
3.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Solamente Una Vez (MP3)
4.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Quien Sera (MP3)
5.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Carioca (MP3)
6.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Rico Mambo (MP3)
7.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Rico Vacilon (MP3)
8.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Oye Negra (MP3)
9.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Frenesi (MP3)
10.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Burundanga (MP3)
11.) Orchestra Marimba Chiapas - Guadalajara (MP3)
Front Cover (JPG)
Back Cover (JPG)
Here's one from the "difficult listening" file. I don't recall where I got this record, and at some point it went into the "stack of records to listen to when I get a chance". The first time I heard it has to have been about 20 years ago, if not more, but I've never forgotten it. I immediately had both the song title and the name of the artist seared into my memory.
I hope this was a vanity pressing, because if someone actually released this as a money-making venture on a "real" record label, they were probably better off in another buisness. The annoying qualities of Mr. Marlowe's performance are matched by the wretchedness both of the lyrics and of the person those lyrics describe. To whoever drew the big "X" on the record label: it was richly deserved.
Ick. On the other hand, as I said, I've never quite forgotten this record either, and now, perhaps, it can infect you, too.
Here's an album that I was inspired to search for after hearing one track on a compilation I received from my friend Citizen Kafka. (In fact, it was that compilation which led to our friendship.) The track was called "Mosquito Festival", and it featured a man named Danny Guglielmi playing what appeared to be dozens of parts, primarily on violin, with a little bit of guitar, piano and perhaps bass thrown in. The inspiration was clearly Les Paul, but Guglielmi certainly had his own spin on things.
Well, here is the entire album. Taking the Les Paul inspiration to its logical conclusion, Danny Guglielmi also included his wife, Dena, on several tracks, often in multiple tracked performances herself. The album came out on the "Tops" budget label, and my copy is about as beat up as any other album that I own on that label.
The liner notes, which you can read yourself in the link below, are a masterwork of hyperbole, including tributes paid to Guglielmi by the Eisenhower family, as well as a comparison to the Quintette du Hot Club de France. Curiously, though hardly surprisingly, there is no mention of Les Paul or Mary Ford.
I mostly prefer Danny's six instrumentals to the eight tracks featuring Dena. "Mosquito Festival" remains far and away my favorite - and indeed, it was shared on this blog quite some time ago, as part of a various artists posting - but "Cherokee", "Jealous" and "Hot Schottish" are pretty good, too, as is the final track, a vocal of "The Sheik of Araby".
And now, I'm off to search for some of the albums advertised on the back of this Tops album jacket. Mostly, I'm on the lookout for the "Rock and Roll with 'Scat Man' Crothers" album, but "Mr. Bongo Plays Hi-Fi Cha Cha Cha" is looking good, too.
Enjoy!
- Bob
1.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - It’s So Peaceful In The Country (MP3)
2.) Danny Guglielmi - Cherokee (MP3)
3.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - I Don‘t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You (MP3)
4.) Danny Guglielmi - Jealous (MP3)
5.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - A-E-I-O-U (MP3)
6.) Danny Guglielmi - Georgia On My Mind (MP3)
7.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - Na-Wa-Da-Ha (MP3)
8.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - I’ll Remember April (MP3)
9.) Danny Guglielmi - Mosquito Festival (MP3)
10.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - Out of Nowhere (MP3)
11.) Danny Guglielmi - Bullfrog (MP3)
12.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - Firelight Reverie (MP3)
13.) Danny Guglielmi - Hot Schottish (MP3)
14.) Danny Guglielmi and Dena - The Sheik of Araby (MP3)
It's getting to be that time! Are you almost done? Are you feeling good about paying your taxes? If not, Phil Celia and his chirping back-up singers are ready to administer a painless attitude adjustment, as offered by a Mr. or Ms. Busio, on this vintage song-poem 45.
While some song-poem outfits could be counted on to produce records which always had a certain, limited sound or format, Tin Pan Alley's releases were all over the map, and many of their early releases were legitimate, or at the very least borderline.
I was going to offer this up on my song-poem of the week project, but thought its all around weirdness was more suited for this venue. Phil Celia made a few of my favorite song-poem records, rarely in the same style from one to the next, a few of which can be heard here and here (although I may have to replace the sound file on that secibd link). This one, not only because of its unique lyrics, but also because of the presence of those insane backing vocalists, has been a favorite since the first time I gave it a spin, late last year.
'Phil Celia and the Silver Tones - Keep on Smiling! Pay Your Taxes! (MP3)
Almost exactly one year ago, in what I believe was my first regularly scheduled post here (after being part of the 365 days project), I wrote about a beloved 45 RPM from my collection, "Beggar or a Clown" b/w "I Am a Loser" by Pinky Pinkston and the Dixie Drifters. This post resulted in a reply from Don Juan Blanco, who wrote of owning another Pinky Pinkston record, and I excitedly e-mailed him.
Several months later (due to my lazy e-mailing habits), I had, thanks to Don Juan, a collection of five further Pinky Pinkston songs, each of them a masterpiece in its own way, and with his permission, I am sharing all seven of the Pinkston tracks w everyone here.
First off is a re-posting of both sides of the single from my collection, which is also pictured above. I've already written about this record during my previous posting about this artist.
Next up is both sides of a single on the Air Records label, on which the artist is identified as Jos. L. Pinkston and Orchestra. Air was generally speaking a song-poem outfit, but clearly branched off into vanity work from time to time, based on this record's existence. Listeners might be able to discern some...let's call them subtle similarities... between the songs on either side of this single: "I Lost My Baby" and "My Antique Girl".
The next song, "The Fisherman", is quite a bit more energetic, and it comes from a long out-of-print vinyl compilation album, with no further information regarding its source.
Finally, both sides of a single on the American Label, out of Nashville, 'Don't Lock Me Out of Your Heart" and "Why Do You Pass Me By?", the second of which features some particularly questionable musicianship.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Many thanks to Don Juan Blanco for sharing them with me, and for allowing me to post them here.
1.) Pinky Pinkston and the Dixie Drifters - Beggar or a Clown (MP3)
2.) Pinky Pinkston and the Dixie Drifters - I Am a Loser (MP3)
3.) Jos. L. Pinkston and Orchestra - I Lost My Baby (MP3)
4.) Jos. L. Pinkston and Orchestra - My Antique Girl (MP3)
5.) Pinky Pinkston - The Fisherman (MP3)
