Birthday wishes from Ray Stevens

Wednesday (May 22nd) was my 56th Birthday, and Ray Stevens was on hand to wish me a happy day.  Not in person, of course, but with a 45 rpm EP of musical Birthday wishes.  Being someone who likes to work ahead, Ray made this all the way back in 1959 or 1960, just knowing that I'd be getting a used copy from eBay right on (or just after) my 56th Birthday.  He knew this.  I don't know how he knew it, but he did.  (I plead the sixth.  Sense, that is.)

Hey, I just report on such phenomena.  I leave the explaining up to scientists.

Remembrance Records was connected with Bill Lowery's Atlanta, GA label NRC.  (Thanks to eBrothersOther's  for this info.)  Remembrance put out EPs for weddings, birthdays, and wedding anniversaries, and births.  Check the eBrothers link for five other selections from this label.

The above label image (from my disc) has been whitened considerably--the actual label is scuffed and dirty with age.  Cool detail: the flip side credits a song to one R. Ragsdale, which of course is Stevens' real name (Harold Ray Ragsdale).

Anyway, these are cool.  I wonder if Ray's doing the piano work throughout?  I ask because, on at least one of them, he's snapping his fingers as the ivories are being tickled, which strongly suggests he's not the ivory tickler on that one.  But it could be sound on sound.

Happy Birthday from Ray Stevens

Friendship Birthday (Gini Hayes-Ray Stevens)--Ray Stevens
It's Your Birthday Today (Don Welch)--Ray Stevens Chorus
Don't Count the Candles (G. Ray-R. Gene)--Ray Stevens
Have a Happy Day Today (V. Kaulfuss-R. Ragsdale)--Gini Hayes

Remembrance Records EP BD-001; 1959 or 1960.

Thanks, Ray!

Lee

Pentecost concert: Your blogger at the keyboard

Click here to hear:  Pentecost Concert--Lee H. 

                  

Pentecostal Fire Is Falling (Bennard) (Patch: Church 1)

According to Thy Kindness, God (Bach) (Patch: Chapel Organ)

Hail Thee, Festival Day (Vaughan Williams) (Patch: Chapel Organ)

In the Shadow of His Wings (Excell) (Patch: Stereo Grand Piano)

In Thee Is Gladness (Gastoldi) (Patch: Church 1)

Oppressed with Care (MacCaulay) (Patch: Chapel Organ)

Lee, at the Casio WK-3800

Lee

Three from "Country and Western Hits" (Ultraphonic 1664)

I previously posted Blue Suede Shoes and Heartbreak Hotel from an uncredited 78 (Value Hit Parade Tunes 119).  Here they are, this time, in their LP form (Ultraphonic 1664), also uncredited.  They've been mastered with echo and at a slightly faster speed, but they're the same tracks.

Also included is I Forgot to Remember to Forget, which I haven't yet compared to the Gateway version, though I'm pretty sure they're not the same.  (This stuff gets impossible to explain after a while!)

To the three Ultraphonic tracks, ripped from the above LP: Country & Western Hits

Blue Suede Shoes
Heartbreak Hotel
I Forgot to Remember to Forget

(No artist credited: Ultraphonic 1664)



Lee

Sarge Presents.... Fake rock and roll and country hits on 78!

"Only the fakest," promises Sarge.  (Actually, she said, "Mergow, merp, mergow.")  Mostly repeats in this list, but all are new rips.  Re-rips, I guess you could call them.

Two fake versions of That's All Right (both of which copy the Marty Robbins, vice Elvis, recording), two fakes of Hound Dog, and a copy of Hambone which sort of combines the Red Saunders version with the Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford pop version.  And does so very cheaply.  At the Hop, courtesy of Waldorf, is a poster child for audio wow.  And I've always wanted to type that.

All were ripped from 78s.  So if any of them sound like 78s, now you know why.  I still can't believe I got my battered copy of Tops R-255 (That's All Right, by Pat Patterson) to sound as good as it does.  I guess what few grooves are left on the disc must be quality grooves.  That's my best, blogging-in-the-early-a.m. guess.

Sarge orders you to download the fake shellac: Razzle Dazzle

PLAYLIST

Razzle Dazzle--Jack Daniels w. the Four Jacks and Herbie Layne's O. (Gateway 1134; 1955)
Hound Dog--Terry Wall (Hep 297)
I Forgot to Remember to Forget--Jack Daniels w. the Country All-Stars (Gateway 1146; 1955)
That's All Right--Pat Patterson w. the Texas Wranglers (Tops R-255-49)
Hambone (R. Saunders)--Bud Roman and Mimi Martel (Tops 323)
At the Hop--Hal Willis and the Woodchuckers (Top Hit Tunes TH-16-2)
Hound Dog--No artist credited (Royale 788)
Blue Suede Shoes--No artist credited (Value Hit Parade Tunes 119)
Heartbreak Hotel--Same
Sh-Boom--The Four Deals (Tops R-240)
That's All Right--No artist credited (Western Extended Play Records HB-8)
Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee--Western Playboys, v: Les Guthrie (Western Magic 1203; 1949)


Lee

New camera

For my 56th Birthday (coming up shortly), a Canon Powershot A2400 IS.  A "beginner's" camera, the reviews say.  Funny, I seem to recall having taken photos for the past three decades or longer.  But my memory's getting fuzzy, so maybe I am just starting out.

I love the way consumer products are marketed that way--"starter" synthesizers  and the like.  So, gee, if I spend several thousand on a synthesizer, I'll be able to play Chopin's Op. 10 and 25 Etudes at concert tempo?  Overnight?

My self-photos look way more like me than the rigid, show-every-pore images taken by my Kodak.  The cats look more like cats.  And so on.  Only major drawback with this tiny camera is the need for lots of light for zooms, else grainy shots.  Oh, well.  I'm just starting out, so who cares?

Cats (in order of appearance): James; James; Sarge; Alphonse; Whitey; Sarge.  Sarge, a.k.a. Sergeant Stripes, is a tiny, bossy female who adores Daddy nearly as much as he adores her.