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Tax Time! - With Howard K. Smith and Sen. Albert Gore, Sr. (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume 14) (MP3's)

Last year, I purchased a large stack of interesting looking reel to reel tapes - interesting in that the writing on the boxes indicated that they contained all manner of original source media recordings, mostly (if not all) recordings from television studios - possibly all connected to CBS - in the 1950's and 1960's. I've only begun to truly dig into this collection. When I first bought it, I posted a brief CBS sound effects reel here, nearly a year ago. For a variety of reasons, I've barely delved into this collection yet, as much as the writings on them fascinate me, and I suspect there will be several that will be appropriate to share here.

Today, in light of tax time, I thought I'd share one of the few tapes from this set that I've perused. This one features the raw tapes of an interview session between newsman Howard K. Smith and Senator Albert Gore, Sr. There is no date on the tape (it only states "7/27"), but if these are in fact CBS tapes, this would put the interview some time prior to Smith's exit from CBS in 1962.

The tapes indicate that the final broadcast interview was likely spliced together from multiple takes, since the same questions are asked multiple times during the first three takes. My guess is that the last take, in which Smith is fed questions which he then repeats, was necessary because the interview was done using only one camera, resulting in the need to get Smith on camera, reading the questions, a second time, perhaps even after Sen. Gore was gone. The entire recording runs just under fifteen minutes.

It's interesting to compare the issues raised in this tax interview with some of the issues people have about taxes today.

Take One (MP3) - Take Two (MP3) - Take Three (MP3) - Take Four (Edit Pieces) (MP3) - Tape Box (JPG)

International Remakes of English Language Songs (MP3's)

Today, thanks to my wonderful friend Stu, and to my wonderful mother, I have a collection of records of (primarily) American songs done by performers from around the world.

Nearly a year ago, Stu gave me the great gift of a stack of 7 inch records from around the world, picked up at some record store or thrift shop in Chicago. What they have in common is that they each contain at least one song which would be familiar to music fans in the USA (well, during the '50's and '60's, anyway).

First up is Freddy, apparently a well known German singer, with versions of two American hits from 1955-56, Sixteen Tons & Memories Are Made of This. Perhaps someone who speaks German can confirm my suspicion that these are not translations, but instead are complete rewrites, to the original tunes, but with new subject matter.

1.)  Freddy - Sie Hiess Mary-Ann  (Sixteen Tons) (MP3)
2.)  Freddy - Heimweh (Memories Are Made of This) (MP3)
Freddy A Side (JPG) - Freddy B Side (JPG)

The next record, recorded in Belgium by Dutch singer Hans Boekhout, doesn't actually feature an American song, but it clearly would not have been made if not for the fact that Elvis had a worldwide hit (well, outside of the US, anyway) in 1961 with a rewritten version of the German song Muss I Den. Although this is not the version Elvis' recorded (with the lyrics "Wooden Heart"), the arrangement is nearly identical to that of the Presley record. The flip side is actually my favorite of the two by far, although I've no idea what he's singing about.

3.) Hans Boekhout - Muss I Denn (MP3)
4.)  Hans Boekhout - Boem Laddi Boem Boem (MP3)
Hans A Side (JPG) - Hans B Side (JPG)

The third record that was part of this gift is a 33 1/3 EP. Nearly everything written on this record label is in Japanese, aside from the record company information and the names of two songs, one in English (Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport - I know, not an American record, but still, a major hit here) and one in French (Non, Monsieur). But with a bit of digging, I've determined that this record is by a Japanese duo called The Peanuts, who were actually written about on this site several years ago. I was not, however, able to determine the names of the two songs on side one of this EP.

5.) The Peanuts - Unknown Track 1 (MP3)
6.) The Peanuts - Unknown Track 2 (MP3)
7.) The Peanuts - Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport (MP3)
8.) The Peanuts – Non, Monsieur (MP3)
The Peanuts EP A Side (JPG) - The Peanuts EP B Side (JPG)

And finally, a surprise offering from my mom. These tracks may be very familiar to some, or may be as complete a mystery to everyone else as they are to me. I am slowly plowing through a project of listening to my mother's hundreds and hundreds of cassette tapes, which contain everything from her voice lessons, to opera recordings to broadcasts of British Radio Quiz Shows, to performances I took part in while in school, as well as her own live performances and so much more.

At the end of one tape were these five songs, labeled "Chinese Songs". In reality, four of the five are pop songs from the first half of the 1950's, including the fairly obscure "Where Will the Dimple Be?", the original of which featured a hero of mine, Thurl Ravenscroft.  The one track which is not an American pop song (the second track below) is a melody which is very familiar to me - presumably a Chinese song - but I don't know its title. I know nothing more about these recordings. Sorry about the poor sound quality - I've cleaned them up some, but they were recorded very poorly on the tape.

9.) Unknown Chinese Group - Jambalaya (MP3)
10.) Unknown Chinese Group - Unknown (MP3)
11.) Unknown Chinese Group - Where Will the Dimple Be? (MP3)
12.) Unknown Chinese Group - Sixteen Tons (MP3)
13.) Unknown Chinese Group - Mambo Rock (MP3)

Bob

An Audio Letter to a Friend Back Home & Some Really Odd Ends (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume 13) (MP3's)

A teenage girl named Teresa (or perhaps Theresa) had to leave her friends when her family moved to Georgetown, Kentucky. She not only exchanged letters with the friends back home, but audio tapes, too. 40 or more years later, one of those tapes ended up in a batch I bought somewhere.

It sounds like maybe this was the second of at least two tapes, based on the way that side one seems to be picking up in the middle of a story. But as side one of this three inch reel of tape begins, Teresa talks about her recent college visit to Kentucky Wesleyan college, where she and her friends were housed with a population she was clearly not comfortable with. She shares a bit about a boring dance she went to, while there, and the walk back to the dorm when she and friends decided to leave early. Then she speaks about a more recent dance, near her home, where she danced with the lead singer of the locally popular band "The Exiles" - by the way, this is the same group that evolved into "Exile" of "Kiss You All Over" and 1980's country music fame. Both the slipping sound of the tape at the start and the dropping out of the sound at about the five minute point are on the original tape.

1.) Teresa - Audio Letter to a Friend Back Home, Part One (MP3)

A month later, still not having finished or sent the tape, Teresa returns to it, and recaps some of the same stories, especially the one about dancing with the leader of The Exiles, while going on to discuss other aspects of life in Kentucky, including how much she hates it (which, to me, was not evident in her tone up to that point). She's starting to tell of another party when someone tells her that she's just received a letter from the very friend she's talking to. After reading the letter, it's clear something interesting has been shared, but we'll never find out what it was, as she offers a quick "Bye" as she sees the tape running out.

2.) Teresa - Audio Letter to a Friend Back Home, Part Two (MP3)

And now, here are a few very unusual odds and ends that I've compiled, none of which would be significant enough to offer up in a post, in and of themselves. First, I found this interesting bit of scat singing in the middle of what was otherwise about 20 minutes of trombone practice, which the scat singer erased with this performance. It's sort of low key at first, but becomes more excitable as it goes on. I've left the tromboning for about ten seconds at either end of this tape:

3.) Unknown - Scat Singing (MP3)

Next, a parody someone threw together circa 1979, when NBC was promoting its new fall shows with the "NBC - Proud as a Peacock" theme. In 59 seconds, the song manages to take a lot of meanspirited shots at Fred Silverman and his navagation of NBC into last place among the three networks. This was the only thing on an 1800 foot reel of tape, one which was simply labeled "Loud as a Peacock" on the side of the box. I guess this is well known in certain circles, but I was unfamiliar with it, and I'm guessing that's true of many others, too, so here it is.

4.) Unknown - NBC - Loud as a Peacock (MP3)

Finally, here's something momentary, silly and weird. I guess I was mostly taken by this because it was nearly the only thing on this reel of tape, and was about half way through the second side (nowhere near anything else on the tape). So whoever this is had to run the tape halfway through the reel in order to record for 13 seconds.

5.) Unknown - Guess Who (MP3)

The Fabulous, Fascinating Fable Label, Part Two (MP3’s)

Last May, I offered up both sides of six 45’s released in the 1950’s by the Fable Label of Hollywood, and promised more to come. Today, another dozen tracks, from six more 45’s, featuring an equally varied snapshot of a label whose products are about as wide ranging of any from that era.

 

Reiterating what I wrote last year, I first discovered the Fable label through my collecting of Song-Poem records. But I quickly realized two things: First, as indicated by the song-poem archives wesbite's Fable Page, most of the label’s output was not of the song-poem variety, although there seem to have been at least some vanity records and hybrids among the releases, and second, many of the non-song-poem records released by Fable are really great and/or fairly (or very) odd, particularly those featuring the guitar and band-leading of label head Sandy Stanton. Some of the records shared today may be song-poem records, but most of them probably are not, although it’s a bit difficult to determine, at times.

 

First up is certainly the most manic of these records, featuring Danny Wheeler doing two of his own songs (with music by Sandy Stanton). First, Danny offers up his take on the craze for men-from-outer-space records, “Teenie Weenie Man”, then a more down to earth number, “Knee Deep in Alligators”:

 

Danny Wheeler, Music by Sandy Stanton: Teenie Weenie Man (MP3)

Danny Wheeler, Music by Sandy Stanton: Knee Deep in Alligators (MP3)

Danny Wheeler A-Side (JPG) – Danny Wheeler B-Side (JPG)

 

For a long time, I thought the lead male singer on the next 45 was someone named Larry Drake. That was until I recently read the label more closely and realized that the most prominent credit on the label (for Drake) is actually a reference to the band providing the music, not the singers. The singers on the B-side are clumsily identified as the “The Spotlighters & Plus One”, with this info printed to the right of the hole, across from the timing and publishing info. The A-side, “Tears”, has a similar billing, but in this case, the vocals are by Jesse Hodges and the The Spotlighters. But the real action here is on the B-side (“Boppin’ Baby”), which has been a favorite of my younger daughter, since the first time she heard it. I’ll put that one first:

 

Music by Larry Drake & His Vagabonds, Vocal by The Spotlighters and Plus One: Boppin' Baby (MP3)

Music by Larry Drake & His Vagabonds, Vocal by Jesse Hodges & The Spotlighters: Tears (MP3)

Larry Drake A-Side (JPG) – Larry Drake B-Side (JPG)

 

Another much beloved Fable record around our house is by a group from the Pacific Northwest, The Eligibles. Again, the B-side, written in this case by a member of the group, far outshines the A-side. The song in question, “Shakespeare Rock”, strikes me as being either a work of inspired genius or inspired idiocy, perhaps both. It’s clever and funny and even a pretty fair piece of upbeat doo-wop. The flip side is titled “Little Fire Eyes”, but is subtitled “Mr. Fire Eyes”, and it’s apparently a reverse gender re-write of a hit song of the latter title, from 1957.

 

The Eligibles: Shakespeare Rock (MP3)

The Eligibles: Little Fire Eyes (Mr. Fire Eyes) (MP3)

Eligibles A-Side (JPG) – Eligibles B-Side (JPG)

 

Coming in from left field is a peculiar little record by someone identified as Sari Mae (accompanied by Sandy Stanton), with two humorous backwoods news reports, both titled “Down in Crawdad Hollow”:

 

Sari Mae, Music by Sandy Stanton: Down in Crawdad Hollow #1 (MP3)

Sari Mae, Music by Sandy Stanton: Down in Crawdad Hollow #2 (MP3)

Sari Mae A-Side (JPG) – Sari Mae B-Side (JPG)

 

Label head Sandy Stanton made a vocal record of his own here and there, and on at least a few records, teamed up with Carolyn Waits. Here they are together with a more mainstream release, highlighted by Sandy’s Les Paul-influenced guitar trickery:

 

Sandy and Carolyn, Music by Sandy Stanton's Panics – That Certain Smile (MP3)

Sandy and Carolyn, Music by Sandy Stanton's Panics – Sunshine Just Walked In (MP3)

Sandy and Carolyn A-Side (JPG) – Sandy and Carolyn B-Side (JPG)

 

Finally, a record which, although it is more than likely a song-poem, is a fairly decent, and more mainstream release from the label than most of the others I've featured. It's by Randie Nissen, with, of course, the Sandy Stanton Combo:

 

Randie Nissen, Music by Sandy Stanton Combo - I Wanted So Often (MP3)

Randie Nissen, Music by Sandy Stanton Combo - You Are You (MP3)

Randie Nissen A-Side (JPG) - Randie Nissen B-Side (JPG)

 

A toast to Sandy Stanton and his weird, wonderful label!

More Male Advertising Demos! And How About that Bic Banana? (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume 12) (MP3)

A recent e-mail correspondence reminded me to post another promotional tape containing the various voice actors who work for an advertising agency, in this case, Tranuim, Robertson and Hughes. I'm not sure I have all of the spellings right for these men, but I'm sure that if I don't, someone out there will offer up a correction.

Tranium, Robertson & Hughes, Part One: Intro, Ralph Bell, Chris Bone, Mel Brandt, Fred Collins (MP3) 

Tranium, Robertson & Hughes, Part Two: Kevin Conway, Brad Crandall, Jack Daniels, Bob Earl (MP3)

Tranium, Robertson & Hughes, Part Three: Tom Earhart, Leon Janny, Bob Lewis, Will MacKenzie (MP3)

Tranium, Robertson & Hughes, Part Four: Ron McAdam, Barry Newman, Ken Rabat, Lee Stevens (MP3)

Spliced onto this same reel is a 28 minute long segment which is somehow both fascinating and tedious. You may be aware of these scams where people are invited to watch and rate a new TV show, only to be shown some pilot which was rejected by the networks - the real point of the exercise being to conduct a focus group afterwards in which one or more of the advertisements is discussed.

I wonder at what point the men and women in this group realized that they were probably never going to be asked about the show they had just watched, but instead, that they were there to see their reactions to a commercial for the new Bic Banana pen. There is no way I would have lasted even the half hour captured here - and since the tape runs out mid-sentence, there's no telling how long the discussion continued, or if this was just the first of several commercials to be discussed.

Bic Banana Focus Group (MP3)

Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys (MP3's)

Almost 17 years ago, following the death of my father-in-law, I came across a small metal box containing a couple dozen 78’s. Along with several hits of the ‘40’s, there were a number of instrumental folk, pop and traditional songs, played by string bands, some of which were labeled as to the type of dance they contained. My wife told me that her father had been a square dance caller, and that these were some of his records. 

It was hard to reconcile my memories of the man with the concept of either square dancing or calling square dances. I also didn’t expect too much of these records: my experience with square dance records up until that point had been that they tended to be fairly soulless sounding 45’s, featuring bands playing arrangement of pop and country hits, sometimes with the calls right on the record, with cutesy rewrites of the lyrics to fit in all the calls, and performances for which “phoned in” would be too high of a compliment. 

These 78’s, though, were a revelation. While not all of them were great, none were bad, and nearly all of them had a wonderful sound which reflected a passion for making music. Chief among these were a few records by someone named Harley Luse, with groups variously identified as His Orchestra and as The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys. Best of all was a record which has gone on to be one of my all time favorites, and which I offered up before in a tribute to Citizen Kafka, last year, a rendition of the song “Spanish Cavalier”.

While this is, on the surface, a simple performance of a simple tune, both the lovely, wistful melody and the achingly beautiful performance by the entire group are never far from my mind, and all these years later. I still haven’t gotten close to having enough of it, and have on many, many occasions, sat down at the piano to attempt to recreate this performance with friends on guitar, violin and bass. I love the style of the leader (on violin), the variations played by the bassist (especially the walking style heard near the end), and the little musical embellishments thrown in by the pianist - even the fact that the second chord is sometimes A minor, and sometimes C major. The interaction of the entire group is just wonderful. 

1.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - Spanish Cavalier

Ever since, I’ve been on the lookout for records by Harley Luse, and aside from a few that seem to be fairly common, they tend to be quite hard to find, and even after all this time, I’ve come across only a handful beyond the ones we inherited. They range from sweetly wonderful (such as a version of “Narcissus” to just so-so (such as a fairly rote performance of “She‘ll Be Comin‘ ‘Round the Mountain“), and contain a wide variety of dance styles. All are worth a listen, assuming one enjoys this sort of thing. I’m surprised with the volume and range of what’s been re-issued in the CD era, that none of these have been deemed worthy. 

So who was Harley Luse? I have almost no idea - these records were made in Los Angeles and Hollywood, and IMDBshows him to have been a performer in about a dozen movies, mostly uncredited at the time, typically playing the accordion in a group. Since none of his records feature accordion, my best guess is that he is the pianist on these records, although piano is not always a featured instrument (I’m not even sure it’s there on some of them). Also, it seems a bit odd to think that the credited group leader would be on one of the backing instruments. So maybe he also played violin? If anyone out there knows more about Harley Luse, I’d love to hear about him. 

Here are most of the Harley Luse records I’ve found (there are a few I can't locate right now), starting with the flip side of “Spanish Cavalier” and credited as they were on their individual labels: 

2.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - Darling Nellie Gray (MP3)

3.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Under the Bamboo Tree (MP3)

4.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Narcissus (MP3)

5.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Cotton Eyed Joe (MP3)

6.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Veleta Waltz (MP3)

7.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - Moon Winks (MP3)

8.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - California Schottisch (MP3)

9.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Rye Waltz (MP3)

10.) Harley Luse and His Orchestra - Glowworm (MP3)

11.) Harley Luse and His Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - Mississippi Sawyer (MP3)

12.) Harley Luse and His Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - Arkansas Traveler (MP3)

13.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain (MP3)

14.) Harley Luse and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys - At a Georgia Camp Meeting (MP3) 

Finally, here are both sides of another record that I found in that metal box. These are not by Harley Luse, but this record was my other favorite from my father-in-law's collection, and it is along the same lines. The performances here a quite a bit clunkier, and go on considerably longer, but there is a charm to both of these songs and performances, credited to Big Jim De Voone, which I also really love, and they go along nicely with the above collection: 

15.) Big Jim De Noone - Varsovienne (MP3)

16.) Big Jim De Noone - Schottische Mixer (MP3)

Spanish Cavalier Record Label (JPG)

 

Merry Christmas, 1971, From Sue and Mike (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume 11) (MP3)

A young married couple, living in Lincoln, Nebraska, spent a few minutes here and there, throughout December of 1971, making tapes for his parents. They talked about his graduation from school, her end of the semester, their activities preparing for Christmas (although at one point, Mike mistakenly says it's September), their Christmas celebration, then finally talking about their anniversary celebration on December 27th (coincidentally, also my parents' anniversary).

They used tiny reels, and recorded at 7 1/2 IPS, meaning frequent changes of sides and tapes. Their audio offerings were apparently recorded on at least three of these small reels of tape, but only two of these were spliced together, when I found this reel for sale at a rummage sale or some other similar event, 20 years or so ago. The third reel was to be recorded on New Years Day, when Nebraska would be facing (and crushing) Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately, though, that reel did not make it into my collection. Here are both sides of those first two tapes, for you to enjoy:

1.) Sue and Mike - Merry Christmas, 1971, Part One (MP3)

2.) Sue and Mike - Merry Christmas, 1971, Part Two (MP3)

3.) Sue and Mike - Merry Christmas, 1971, Part Three (MP3) 

4.) Sue and Mike - Merry Christmas, 1971, Part Four (MP3)

The Pretty Little Dutch Girl

I recently came across a truly, wonderfully odd record, one which ties in to my early childhood. The story begins with a children’s record that I’ve known my entire life. Released on the Cricket label, and credited to the Cricketone Chorus and Orchestra, it’s called "The Little Dutch Girl". Although far from the most memorable children’s record in the vast collection that was acquired on behalf of my sister, brother and me by our parents, this one for some reason became a favorite of mine. There is even a recording of me, at about age four, singing the song, despite the fact that I was neither Dutch nor a girl. (If I could have quickly put my fingers on that recording, I’d have included it, too). Here is that record:

Cricketone Chorus and Orchestra - The Little Dutch Girl (MP3)

Astute listeners will perhaps notice that, as on so many children’s records of that era, the billing is a little overstated. The "Orchestra" consists primarily of organ, clarinet and celesta (or the like), and that the "Chorus" is but two singers, who later sing with a group of children. The song also seems quite unresolved, in that the girl’s boyfriend is, at the end of the song, professing his love to another girl, with no apparent hard feelings involved. An internet search indicates this song to be a song known around the English speaking world, often used in clapping and jump rope games.  I found literally dozens of versions of this song, but none with the exact lyrics used on this record.

Understand that I know this record as well as any record ever released, and can't remember a time that I didn’t know it by heart. So it was a mouth-dropping-open moment for me when I put on the following , utterly bizarre 45. I have no idea where or when I bought it - it was in a stack about 100 45’s that I had sitting, waiting for me to get the chance to listen to them, when I finally heard it, about a month ago. It’s by the Jackson Jills, released in 1963, and is called "Pretty Little Dutch Girl". It takes the same song, moves it far past the Cricket version, and into the land of you’ve-never-heard-a-record-quite-like-this-before. Enjoy!

The Jackson Jills - Pretty Little Dutch Girl (MP3)

Aside from the truly wondrous last 40 seconds of that record, there are a few other things I just love, including the line "I gave Billy 50 cents to take me to the show", and Billy’s later response to the Dutch Girl’s behavior, specifically "you’re so gentle and so sweet". And yes, the record does really end like that. 

And they buried this on the b-side of the single! Imagine that. For those who might be interested, here is the A-side of the single, a rewrite of the song "Shortnin’ Bread" titled "Mommie’s Little Baby".

The Jackson Jills - Mommie’s Little Baby (MP3)

In an interesting coincidence, the production and writing on both sides of this record are credited to radio and advertising legend Chuck Blore, whose Award Winning Ad Presentation I posted here, about five months ago!

Cricket Record Label (JPG) - Pretty Little Dutch Girl Label (JPG) - Mommie’s Little Baby Label (JPG)

The Amazing, Odd and Unreleased Larry Taylor Album (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Ten) (MP3)

During the original 365 days project, in 2003, I shared a couple of tracks by a one time well known Chicago area musician named Larry Taylor. In the years since then, I have received a number of requests to share more of his work. Summarizing what I wrote in 2003:

In the 1990's, I acquired at least two dozen tapes featuring radio performances, radio interviews, studio sessions, and at least 20 completed tracks (both originals and cover versions, instrumentals and vocals) which all featured Larry Taylor. His career included fronting Dixieland styled bands, combo jazz on the radio, and, a bit later, becoming one of the first people to release an album played on the Moog Synthesizer (although "released" is a relative term, and it appeared on one of Dora Hall's labels - Dora being a friend of his, and sometime collaborator).

At least two of these tapes contain an album's worth of material, only some of which is duplicated between them. One of these tapes, featured today, contains eight instrumentals, followed by six vocals. It is banded with leader, labeled "Master Dubs", and therefore appears to have been at least a collection of songs considered for an album. Indeed, two of these songs were released as a 45 ("Snap" and "The Big Walk"), and in a radio interview from the '60's, Larry Taylor talks about a forthcoming album.

However, it does not appear that this album was ever released, and the tracks on this tape, despite being presented as "masters", are not all ready for release. The lead instruments drop out momentarily in the middle of "Music to Catch Boys By", the sound weakens here and there in one channel on several of the tracks, the 13th track opens with the song winding up to the correct speed, and "Three Times a Broken Heart" is copied from a vinyl pressing. Also, the correct names to tracks 4 and 5 are unclear. The box contains three titles for these two tracks - both are labeled "Shiny Boots", as well as each having a separate title. I've eliminated the odd title "What Will Grandma Do With All These Cookies?", as it seems the least likely of the three.

Also confusing is the reference on the tape box, which could be read to credit the entire collection to Horace Taylor. This name appears nowhere else among any of the many other Larry Taylor tapes. In addition, many of the tracks on this tape are found on other tapes, credited to Larry. I really don't know what to make of this, although perhaps it means that Horace Taylor sings lead on some of the tracks. As to the female singers, I believe the one heard at the start and end of "Little Boys", and featured on "Tryin' So Hard to Forget You", is none other than Dora Hall. The female vocalist on at least one of the other tracks appears to be someone named Sheila Page.

The standout feature of these tracks, for me, is the unusual sound of the production (particularly the echo effects used) and the mechanical sound of the instrumentation on some of the tracks. I don't know if Taylor was using tack pianos, early synthesizers, some sort of drum machine, or combinations of these and other effects.

As I mentioned, there are at least a dozen more produced tracks among these boxes, including the revved up version "Baby Face" which was part of the 365 days project in 2003, and if there is interest, I can share those tracks as well, some time in the future.

Larry Taylor died in December of 1989, at the age of 71.

1.) The Penguin (MP3)

2.) Music to Catch Boys By (MP3)

3.) Autumn Portrait (MP3)

4.) Snow Use (MP3)

5.) Shiny Boots (MP3)

6.) Banan Appeal (MP3)

7.) Snap (MP3)

8.) The Big Walk (MP3)

9.) Little Boys (MP3)

10.) Makin’ Up is So Much Fun (MP3)

11.) Fragile (Handle With Care) (MP3)

12.) Three Times a Broken Heart (MP3)

13.) Ain’t a Thing In This World Bothers Me (MP3)

14.) Tryin’ So Hard to Forget You (MP3)

Tape Box (JPG)

Hooty Sapperticker (MP3's)

It was close to 30 years ago that I first heard Barbara and the Boys’ immortal 45, “Hooty Sapperticker”, on the Dr. Demento show. Many years later, it was mentioned prominently in Dave Barry’s series of columns (and book) on the worst records ever made, and it continues to hold that status for many who have heard it. Why that is mystifies me – I consider it inspired idiocy, along the lines of Alfred E. Neuman’s “It’s a Gas” and “The Blob” by The Five Blobs – the sort of  ridiculous rock and roll record that I can listen to over and over again without ever growing tired of it. It’s certainly far better than any number of highly regarded “serious” rock and roll records that I could take up the rest of this page listing. It was also co-written, by the way, by the Sherman Brothers, who would soon go on to great success in a series of films and other projects for Walt Disney. This single has been shared on many sites (although not here), but because of what came next in my search for a copy, I’m sharing it here, as well:

Barbara and the Boys – Hooty Sapperticker (MP3)

Over the last several years, I have periodically looked for a copy of this 45, without success. It occasionally shows up for auction on eBay and other sites, but typically goes for far more than I’m willing to pay for a single 45, particularly not one I've had on tape since the '80's. Thanks to a like-minded collector friend, I now have the high quality MP3 of it, shared above. But in seeking out this 45, I’ve come across some interesting facts. First, at least a few DJ’s across the country (including Chicago's legendary Dick Biondi) were in the habit of using the name Hooty Sapperticker in running gags, during the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. At least one even had a jingle using the name, although it apparently was not the tune heard on either of the records I’m sharing here today.

Finally, and most surprisingly, my search led to a 45 from about 1967, by Andy Rose and the Thorns. This record has the same title but is otherwise unrelated to Barbara and the Boys’ record. While I wouldn’t put it in the same league as its '50's namesake, in terms of appeal or quality, it has its own charms as well:

Andy Rose and the Thorns – Hooty Sapperticker (MP3)

For completists,  here is the B-side of Andy Rose’s record:

Andy Rose and the Thorns – Hey Scooter (MP3)

Andy Rose A-Side (JPG) – Andy Rose B-Side (JPG)

Fuel, Wine, Carpets and More! (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Nine) (MP3)

Today, a romp through a few odds and ends from my collection of reel to reel tapes. First up, a raw session tape from the recording of a narration for some sort of advertisement for "Wisco Wonderful", a one-time product of Wisconsin. The narrator here sounds to me like he may be the same guy who did the "Homko Narration", which I posted in the first edition of this Catacombs Series, and which came in the same style box with similar writing.

Unknown - Wisco Wonderfuel (MP3)

Next, here are two recording sessions found on the same tape. First is a short series of attempts at completing a Mogen David ad, then, a lengthier segment in which the announcer (I'm not sure if this is a different person than is heard in the above or not) tries to perfect a commercial for the Chicago carpet cleaning institution, Boushelle. The first time through, the announcer even sings their famous (to Chicagoans, anyway) phone number jingle.

Unknown - Mogen David Wine (MP3)

Unknown - Boushelle Carpet Cleaning (MP3)

Tape Box (JPG)

Finally, and on a completely different note, here are some young adults, carrying on a conversation while listening to a jazz album, and taping 15 minutes of it for posterity. The where and when of this is unknown (the tape box is unmarked), but there are some interesting points in the conversation, for those who care to have a listen.

Unknown - A Conversation with Jazz (MP3)

Lead On Mr. President (MP3's)

As midterm elections approach, here's Lillian Brooks, from what certainly was (in many ways) another era, paying tribute to her President, and that President's First Lady. Those who listen closely may discern a bit of subtle similarity between the songs and arrangements heard on the A and B sides of this 45.

Lillian Brooks - Lead On Mr. President (MP3)

Lillian Brooks - First Lady of America (MP3)

Single A-Side - Single B-Side

From PFC Tyler in Eritrea, January 1955 (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Eight) (MP3)

 In late 1954, PFC Tyler C. received a taped letter from home, including comments from everyone in the family, a few things said by some new neighbors, and a recording of a What's My Line broadcast. A few months later, Tyler, stationed in Asmara, Eritrea (in North East Africa), sent an audio letter of his own back home, commenting on everyone's comments, thanking Grandma for the copies of the best comic strip ever, Pogo, describing his recent activities, including his hopes to go home soon (hopefully, and if that situation in Formosa is resolved), and his plans for travel and college. Decades later, the tape ended up in my collection. And now, almost 56 years after it was recorded, everyone here gets to hear it. 

Audio Letter from Ethiopia (MP3)

Tape Box (JPG)

The Vassar G-Stringers, 1959

I'm forever in love with the sound of young women singing together, particularly in harmony. So this bargain bin find was right up my alley. 

Vassar College, in the Hudson Valley, was of course a women's college in 1959, and the local folk troupe, The G-Stringers, appear to have made a handful of albums during that era. Most, perhaps all of them were likely vanity projects as this one clearly was ("rerecorded from tapes provided by the Vassar G-Stringers"). 

The group gives its all in a collection of songs which is notable mostly for the high percentage of songs capturing the lives and (sometimes) accents of ethnic populations quite unlike their own. This works better in some cases (the Caribbean tunes are quite nice) than others (some of the Southern and Hillbilly tunes come off sounding condescending to my ears). 

The harmonies are lovely throughout, though, never more than in a magical moment about 35 seconds into "Tom Dooley" when some nice counterpoint suddenly merges into a gorgeous chord. 

The final song brings the singers up into their present day, containing lyrics which present a simplistic black-and-white view of things, one which was probably already beginning to fade among many college campuses in 1959, but one which also seems to have crept back into the political world of 2010, although for very different reasons (and with "socialist" having replaced "communist"). 

1.) Vassar G-Stringers - Golden Rocket (MP3)

2.) Vassar G-Stringers - Jerusalem (MP3)

3.) Vassar G-Stringers - Yellow Bird (MP3)

4.) Vassar G-Stringers - Blackboard (MP3)

5.) Vassar G-Stringers - Crawdad (MP3)

6.) Vassar G-Stringers - The Blue and the Gray (MP3)

7.) Vassar G-Stringers - Tom Dooley (MP3)

8.) Vassar G-Stringers - You Are the One (MP3)

9.) Vassar G-Stringers - Johnny (MP3)

10.) Vassar G-Stringers - Bill (MP3)

11.) Vassar G-Stringers - Stone Cold Dead (MP3)

12.) Vassar G-Stringers - Lonesome Polecat (MP3)

13.) Vassar G-Stringers - The Pig Song (MP3)

14.) Vassar G-Stringers - Communist (MP3)

Vassar Cover (JPG) - Vassar A-Side (JPG) - Vassar B-Side (JPG)

Edward Hunter on Brainwashing (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Seven)

Here's a tape which found it's way into my collection some years ago, featuring a broadcast of an interview with Edward Hunter, featuring discussions of both his background and his knowledge of brainwashing. It appears that his he really was, as he claims here, the person who first brought the word "Brainwashing" to the English language. Although he is presented here as an author, a few online sites state that he may have actually been a CIA operative at this time.

This interview was broadcast on WJW, Cleveland, no doubt sometime in the mid 1960's, based on the content of the interview. A decade earlier, WJW had been the home of Alan Freed, and, a bit later, of Casey Kasum, but by the time of this broadcast, had become a news/talk station.

I find this recording to be both peculiar (mostly because of Mr. Hunter's accent - which is of a type I can't say I've heard before - and manner of speaking) and fascinating, as an historical document. I also get a kick out of the name of this program - "The Important Show".

The very start of this interview has the unmistakable sound of someone having made an attempt at bulk erasing this tape. Thankfully, the effort failed, but there is an annoying fading in-and-out at first. This becomes less noticeable after the first couple of minutes, and disappears completely not long after that.

Edward Hunter Interview on Brainwashing (MP3)

Tape Box (JPG)

Concordia Sex Education: Take the High Road (MP3)

Today's post is of an album I picked up recently in a Salvation Army Thrift Store. The album contains the 19 minute soundtrack for a sex education filmstrip produced by Concordia. Each side has the same presentation, one with audible "beeps" one with inaudible tones, with the individual sides geared towards the use of two different filmstrip machines. This is the inaudible tone side. Let's all learn together.

Concordia Sex Education Series: Take the High Road (MP3)

Label (JPG)

Ken Nordine Helps Open a Chicago Hi-Fi Store, April, 1957 (Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Six)

Ken Nordine needs no introduction. But he was probably less well known in the spring of 1957, when he was asked to speak at the opening of the new Allied High Fidelity "Voice and Vision" Store, on the corner of Rush and Walton Streets, in Chicago.

What I was lucky enough to find, during one of my reel to reel thrift and rummage sale buying sprees, many years ago, is what I believe to be a recording made during preparations for that appearance. 

And what a peculiar and fascinating rehearsal this is. After he supplies a bit of playful commentary on the echo effect which occurs while the sound system is being set up, Nordine then gives a nine minute long speech - likely a version of what he was going to say at the gala opening, and completely unrelated to the business at hand of opening a store for audiophiles.

I have not heard all of Nordine's recordings, so I don't know how much of this speech may contain elements of things he later released, except for this: near the end, he makes mention of his "Word Jazz" (which hadn't premiered on album yet), then throws in a version of his piece "Flibberty Jib", which is significantly different  - shorter and simpler - than the version that would be released on album, later that year.

After trying out his speech, he then gives two short performances, both of them poems by Dylan Thomas, the second of which is followed by a smattering of applause from whichever staff happened to be there at the time.

I'm guessing this material has never been released, and that few have even heard it, since the day it was recorded.

1.) Ken Nordine - 1 - Set Up (MP3)
2.) Ken Nordine - 2 - Speech (MP3)
3.) Ken Nordine - 3 - In My Craft Or Sullen Art (MP3)
4.) Ken Nordine - 4 - Fern Hill (MP3)

 

For completists, I'm also including the recordings from the second side of the tape. In this case, the opening celebrations are in full swing, and local radio host Norman Ross interviews several celebrities who happened to be in town, most of them appearing in local clubs or shows. I found these to be fairly vacuous, except the last one, which is meant to be humorous, but falls completely flat, and which is painfully unfunny.

 

I did, however, use some of the references here, including a recent earthquake in San Francisco, a late snowstorm in Chicago and the location of Gale Robbins' night club engagement (along with the help of the Chicago Tribune archives) to pin the date of this even down to some time in mid-April of 1957. The references to Stereo, therefore, must be with regard to reel to reel tapes, since (with a few exceptions) this format wouldn't show up on albums until the following year. Interesting that in a new store which featured the latest marvel, stereo tape recording, that this tape was recorded in monaural.

 

5.) Norman Ross - 1 - Vicki Cummings Interview (MP3)
6.) Norman Ross - 2 - Lisa Kirk Interview (MP3)
7.) Norman Ross - 3 - Josephine Premice and Eddie Heywood Interview (MP3)
8.) Norman Ross - 4 - Gale Robbins Interview (MP3)
9.) Norman Ross - 5 - Dr. Von Schultz Interview (MP3)

 

Tape Box (JPG)

George Liberace, Song-Poem Pioneer (MP3's)

"I Wish My Brother George Was Here."

For those of us past a certain age - and any who are younger, but have a fondness for Bugs Bunny - this phrase will at least conjure up a 1955 Looney Tunes cartoon, and very likely a memory of Liberace. The reference was to the pianist's older brother George Liberace, a legendarily bad violinist and band-leader for his younger brother.

But George Liberace was also a pioneer in the song-poem field, at least as far as allowing his name and image to be used to both pull people into the scam, and to appear on albums released under the George Liberace Songsmith's banner. You can read an excellent overview of the story here.

What I have to today is one of two George Liberace Songsmith's Song-Poem albums that I'm lucky enough to have in my collection. The cover to this one was gone by the time I found it, but the covers to all of the GLS albums were identical, and a scan of the back cover, which assures the customers that they are not "song-sharks" is here.

I don't know what the deal is with the test tones which occur throughout this album, at exactly 30 second intervals (this may not be the case for those who download the album, as I've shortened the spaces between the tracks). Perhaps it was to drive home the point that these tracks were not for broadcast or sale. I can't find my other GLS at this moment, but I'm fairly sure these beeps were not present on that album.

The highlights on this album, for me, all come on the first side. For one thing, there is the author of the  poorly-titled song "My Los Angeles, L. A." listed as "By George". Does this, perhaps, mean that the elder Liberace submitted a song to his own company? Then there is the surprisingly peppy "Rockin' and Rolling", the second track on the album. But the real keeper here is at the end of the side, the enderingly goofy "Some Folks Say He's Not All There"

For those of you who love song-poems, by the way, there are a whole lot more of them at my blog, as well as a bit of self-celebration I did recently, upon the occasion of my 50th birthday.

1.) Walking Because of You (MP3)
2.) Rockin' and Rolling (MP3)
3.) Summer Love (MP3)
4.) My Los Angeles, L.A. (MP3)
5.) Spider Web (MP3)
6.) Love's Game (MP3)
7.) I've Never Met a Girl Like You (MP3)
8.) Some Folks Say He's Not All There (MP3)
9.) You Must Be Very Good (MP3)
10.) Needed -- Love (MP3)
11.) I'm Only Dreaming (MP3)
12.) The Time Has Come (MP3)
13.) Lonely Night (MP3)
14.) Twilight Serenade (MP3)
15.) The Magic of Your Kiss (MP3)
16.) Pal of Desert Trail (MP3)

 

Album Label A-Side (JPG) - Album Label B-Side (JPG)

 

 

Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume Five: Female Ad Demos and '70's Ads

Today, in continuation of my reel to reel archives series, I'm offering up another vintage reel of presentations by advertising companies. Although the following recordings come from at least two, and possibly three different agencies, they were all spliced together on one reel.

The majority of the tape is the portion that originally came in the box pictured to the right, from the William D. Cunningham and Associates Agency. This tape contains examples of the work of 18 actresses for the clients to choose from (although oddly, one of them - Carol Byron - is not listed on the tape box). It’s interesting to hear many of the clips used on this tape - the ‘70’s were a very different time in terms of both sales pitch styles and the portrayal of women’s roles.

In my previous advertising post, which featured male vocal talent, several of the men featured were very well known names from TV shows and/or movies. In contrast, there are only a couple of names which sort of ring a bell here, and even in those cases, I’m not sure I recognize the names. Perhaps some of you will be more familiar with them. The sound of this part of the tape had deteriorated somewhat over the years, and had so much bass in places as to be unintelligible. I have tried to clean this up, but the result is fairly hissy. 

Part 1 - Doris Belack,  Jane Alice Brandon, Fran Brill, Carol Byron, Carol Emshoff (MP3)
Part 2 - Alberta Grant, Mary Hamill, Christine Lavren, Wendy Lesniak (MP3)
Part 3 - Lynne Lipton, Jeanne Lucas, Pat Mahen, Chris Noel (MP3)
Part 4 - Katherine Page, Erika Peterson, Carol Pfander, Isobel Robins, Jeanne Tanzy (MP3)

Spliced onto this reel were seven other pieces, four of them vocal ads, three of them music beds or other instrumental accompaniments. The “Ad Music” listed second is very familiar to me, but I can’t put a name to it. The other two, including one two minute segment, are unknown to me.

1 - Fly the Friendly Skies (MP3)
2 - Ad Music (MP3)
3 - Kentucky Fried Chicken (MP3)
4 - Ad Music (MP3)
5 - Ad Music (MP3)
6 - Seattle (MP3)
7 - Fly the Friendly Skies (MP3)

Finally, attached to the end of the reel, heading the other direction, was this fragment of another ad presentation, this one featuring the award winning ads produced by Chuck Blore Creative Services. First up is Mac Davis, with an ad based on one of his mid ‘70’s hits, promoting the use of radio to advertise. Then comes Glen Campbell, sounding to me like he’s channeling Roger Miller, also promoting radio, to a tune I’m unfamiliar with. Then come two interesting religious ads. I found the juxtaposition of those final ads with the narrator’s comments about how their job is “to sell” fairly jarring. 

Award Winning Ads Presentation (MP3)

Tape Box (JPG)

Bob

Popcorn AND a Coke, Please!

 I picked up today’s offering at least 25 years ago. I don’t remember where I was, but I got three albums from the same company. These were promo albums, sent to schools to promote a product aimed at increasing the reading ability of 11-18 year olds who were lagging behind, and who were reading at perhaps the 2nd or 3rd grade level. The records, as you will hear, would have been accompanied by a filmstrip and an quiz sheet. The album also came with an advertising booklet and a mail-in form, all of which I’ve included in the files, below.

 

The albums start with a teaser about the story soon to come, and today’s word list. This is followed by excerpts from that story, each one of which contains one of today’s words. The next frame would contain that key word, along with three similar words, and the student would be asked to select the correct word. Then there is a story about today’s subject, followed by more questions.

 

I enjoy the announcer’s clear, precise style of speaking on all of the tracks, but my clear favorite of the half-dozen tracks on the albums I found was “Popcorn and a Coke, Please”, and various things the announcer said quickly found their way into the various sound-manipulation cassette tapes I was making at the time. I was particularly a fan of the way he says such words as “Thrust” (one of the wrong answers) and “Salt” (one of the key words).

 

The subject of the b-side is particularly interesting in light of global warming, having been recorded many years before the term came into use. 

 

The stories themselves, which take up the second half of each 18-minute track, are less interesting to me than the word reviews and tests in the first halves - those first half segments are likely to be like a diamond mine for those who enjoy playing with sound.

 

1.) Acoustifone - Popcorn AND a Coke, Please (MP3)

2.) Acoustifone – So, Let’s Melt the North Pole (MP3)

 

Album Cover (JPG) – Record Label Side A (JPG) - Record Label Side B (JPG) – Booklet Cover (JPG) – Booklet Page 2 (JPG) – Booklet Page 3 (JPG) – Booklet Page 4 (JPG) – Booklet Page 5 (JPG) – Booklet Back Cover (JPG) – Mailer (JPG)