Female Voices, Part 2--Burt and Hal time

In part two of Female Voices (name suggested by Crimson Crow), we will be hearing five Hal David and Burt Bacharach gems as sung by Shani Wallis, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, and Barbara Acklin. Take it away, ladies:

Let Your Love Come Through (from Casino Royale), Shani Wallis. Arr. and cond. by David Whitaker, 1967. From Kapp label 45.

The Look of Love (from Casino Royale), Shani Wallis. Arr. and cond. by David Whitaker, 1967. Flip of above.

In the Land of Make Believe, Dusty Springfield, 1967. From Atlantic 45.

Here I Am, Dionne Warwick, Arr. by Burt Bacharach, 1965. From Scepter Records 45.

Go with Love, Barbara Acklin, 1969. From Brunswick label LP.

Superior tunes, superior vocalists--what a deal, no? If I had to pick a favorite from the bunch, it would probably be Let Your Love Come Through (I wonder if Burt had heard Day Tripper?). Though, to be honest, I'm also very fond of Shani's version of The Look of Love. Then again, Go with Love is beautifully done--Barbara Acklin has one heck of a voice.

Of course, the last two selections have a lot going for them.

So, my favorite selections are 1, 2, 3, 4. And 5. More Female Voices to come.

Lee

The Clooney Sisters: "Saturday Night Mood"

For our Saturday night mood, here's Rosemary and Betty Clooney with Tony Pastor and His Orchestra:

Saturday Night Mood, The Clooney Sisters w. Tony Pastor and His Orchestra (1948)

















The file came from the above 1954 LP. It (the file) required ten edits, is all. Gone are three or four "explosions," as I call loud pops caused by needle digs. Not the proper background for Rosie and Betty....













"Hi, I'm Rosie, and I approve of this post."


Lee

Oprah story; Elvis on Be Be Record

Howwwww-dee! Here's a good, detailed piece on the Winfrey/Frey A Million Little Pieces situation: http://articles.news.aol.com/tv/article.adp?id=20060125202909990033

My favorite line: "'Mr. Bravado Tough Guy,' she mockingly called the author whose book she had enshrined last fall and whose reputation she had recently saved." Poor James Frey. "Intense criticsm, including angry e-mails on her Web site" inspired Oprah to confront the guy and ask him, once and for, if he had been telling the truth in his memoir. Nope--as the Smoking Gun website had already revealed two weeks previously. Boy, Oprah is nothing if not fast on the draw.

I imagine that Twelve-Steppers would like to twelve-stomp the guy for claiming he overcame his allegedly serious addiction without the aid of the Twelve Steps. One of his Denison University professors, interviewed on local TV, said Frey was an "irresponsible" student. You know, I believe that. I'm not sure why, but I do.

Granville has become a real tourist center lately, though we haven't spotted any CNN, MSNBC, etc. trucks while passing through there. Nor have we seen any sign of super-duper macho guy Frey. If I were him, I'd be hiding under the nearest bed. ("We seeee you, James. Come ouuuuuut.")

This is weird. When the central Ohio highway shooter was at large, network news programs were reporting a few miles down the road from my place of employment. In fact, the shooter struck once on a street I used as a shortcut going home. Then the world's media were piled up in Columbus, Ohio, a city I lived in for ten years--they were there to cover the 2004 election theft. Now a good chunk of the media has been hanging around nearby Granville. I can't get away from those folks. I can't.

If they insist on following me, they may as well come over and do a piece on my blog. It would be the courteous thing to do.

Anyway, here's Elvis on the famous label, Be Be Record. I bought this in Hong Kong at an antique shop around, oh, 1983.


















I assume the pose is from the movie Love Me Tender? Dunno. I don't think the background is the original one....

It's a 10" sleeve, by the way. The LP contained within was not on the Be Be label, memory tells me. And no Elvis to be heard in the grooves. However, a couple bootleg Presley tracks turned up on another ten-incher I dug out: Wooden Heart and Surrender. Or maybe It's Now or Never.

It was incredible--vinyl albums and 78s piled to the ceiling in three consecutive shops. I was low on dough (it was our last day of liberty), but I grabbed all I could afford.

And that's how I came to own Elvis on Be Be.

Most people don't know Elvis came out on Be Be. Elvis probably didn't, either.


Lee

Female Voices, Part 1--Jaye P. Morgan

The Gong Show lady, you ask?? Yes. And she made some great pop vocal records. Four examples follow, and they're all classics--especially The Longest Walk, which rates a place on my personal Fifties Top Ten list.

The Longest Walk (Pola, Spielman), Jaye P. Morgan, 1956. With Hugo Winterhalter and His Orch.

Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries (Brown/Henderson), Jaye P. Morgan, 1953. With Frank DeVol and His Orch.

Two Lost Souls (Adler/Ross), Jaye P. Morgan and Perry Como, 1955. With Mitchell Ayres and His Orch.

That's All I Want from You (Fritz Rotter), Jaye P. Morgan. 1954. With Hugo Winterhalter's Orch. and Chorus.

All were hits, too, I should have mentioned. Born Mary Margaret Morgan, Jayne spent part of her childhood in a log cabin, believe it or not. She was the sister of RCA recording stars The Morgan Brothers. And, yes, she was on The Gong Show--which, to be honest, I barely remember. All I recall is that it seemed completely fabricated, like the allegedly impromptu street interviews on The Tonight Show.










"I've hit the heights, Kermit--an appearance at MY(P)WHAE!"--Jaye

Lee

"Oprah Book Snub"--A MY(P)WHAE break-in record

Enlisting the aid of Johnny Cash, The Clovers, Sue Thompson, Kirk Douglas, The Animals, and the Nutty Squirrels (among others), I just constructed the following break-in record in the tradition of Dickie Goodman and Bill Buchanan:

Oprah Book Snub--a MY(P)WHAE Break-in, Lee Hartsfeld, 2006.

Yup. After two weeks of moral agonizing, Oprah Winfrey decided that truth and fiction are, in fact, two different things....

I've got a bet going that the moon and the sun are two different solar bodies, and I hope Ms. Winfrey tackles that question next. I stand to collect three bucks if I'm right.


Lee

Diana celebration at MY(P)WHAE

So, there's an "art" exhibit coming to the Dayton (Ohio) Art Institute called Diana: A Celebration. I'm sure you believe me, but, nevertheless, here's the website for the "art" exhibit in question.

I tried, briefly, to get some information from the place, but everything comes up in pictures (along with loud, crappy piano music). At any rate, I don't need to point out that the late party princess, Diana, is the subject of this "art" show.

Step aside, performance "art" exhibits, "starving artist" sales, and canvases dropped into cow poop--a new concept of "art" has arrived. Shame on the Dayton Art Institute.

And this stuff is happening on our watch, fellow Boomers. While we're going on and on about how unsophisticated the 1950s were, we forgot to take a look around us.

Oh--I found words. Here they are: "This fabulous exhibition showcases the life and works of Diana, Princess of Wales. Rooms within the exhibition feature Diana's childhood, engagement to HRH Prince Charles, their fairytale royal wedding, their children and Diana's life and works before her life was so abruptly ended." Go here to see slide-show photos of the "art" in question.

Funny--back in the backward Fifties, art museums, as rule, showed art. But, luckily, we're living in the sophisticated '00s. Today, art museum exhibits have caught up with the world of Time/Life music ads and Entertainment Tonight. I can hardly stand being so sophisticated. How about you? It's kind of a burden, really.

I suppose the Dayton "Art" Institute has already featured Red Skelton's Greatest Clown Portraits. Several times, at least. I'll bet that, in their search for an even lower path, they smacked right dab into the touring Extra segment. I mean, Diana exhibit.

Hey, here's a good write-up at GirlfriendTravel.com: "Don't miss this chance to see... Diana, a Celebration in Dayton, Ohio. The exhibition tells the story of Diana through nine galleries: Tiara; The Spencer Women; Childhood; Engagement; Royal Wedding; Charity; Tribute; Style; and Condolence. The centerpiece of DIANA, A CELEBRATION is the glorious, show-stopping Royal Wedding gallery, featuring Diana’s resplendent gown from her 1981 marriage to Prince Charles, along with her diamond tiara, veil, 25-foot-long train, shoes, parasol and bridesmaid’s dress." May 19-26, 2006. "This will be your only chance to see this incredible exhibit in the US before it returns to the UK. "

Dang--I'd better get me a ticket. Meanwhile, here is the superb beauty-shop quartet (just kidding, just kidding) The Chordettes, in pre-Mister Sandman mode, with Runnin' Wild:

Runnin' Wild (Gray, Wood, Gibbs), The Chordettes, 1951. From Columbia 45.


Our musical tribute to Diana on this Thursday, January 26, 2006.


Lee

Early Burt Special, Part 6

I received a very nice e-mail from one of Beware of the Blog's bloggers, and I really appreciated that. The perfect time for me to chill. And what better way to chill than with some early Burt?

Well, there might be better ways. Theoretically. But probably not.

Anyway, some fabulous bintage Vacharach--er, vintage Bacharach, beginning with a number we hear all of that time, but usually not in its original-single form. I refer to 1965's What's New Pussycat?, with its unforgettable opening, which I had forgotten about until I heard it again a few years ago. This is one awesome single:

What's New, Pussycat? (David; Bacharach), Tom Jones, 1965. From Parrot single.

Written for the movie of the same name, WNP? is the perfect example of a Bacharach song that sounds more complex than it is. Its chief gimmick is a modulation to bVI that, in turn, modulates to bII. Once the key of bII is stated, the song returns to the main key via a simple downward half-step. It's pretty basic chordplay, but part of Burt's gift lies in making the simple sound profound.

More of the same, and from the same year and singer:

To Wait for Love (Is to Waste Your Life Away) (Bacharach, David), Tom Jones, 1965. Musical director: Les Reed. From Decca 45.

Now for three late-'50s classics, beginning with the flip side of Johnny Mathis' It's Not for Me to Say--a David-Bacharach gem called Warm and Tender, from the movie Lizzie.

Warm and Tender (H. David--Bacharach), Johnny Mathis with Ray Conniff, 1957. From Columbia 45.

And we close with two 1958 titles--The Five Blobs' Saturday Night in Tiajuana (flip of the David-Bacharach hit The Blob) and Tony Bennett's The Night That Heaven Fell.

Which is to say, here are the Five Blobs and Tony Bennett. (How often does one get to type that?)

Saturday Night in Tijuana (Bacharach), The Five Blobs, 1958. From Columbia 45.

The Night That Heaven Fell (H. David--Bacharach), Tony Bennett with Ray Ellis and His Orch. and Chorus, 1958. From Columbia 45.

More to come? You Burt. I mean, bet.


Lee

It's your lucky Wednesday--more Leeworks!!

The two most recent posts at, um, that blog (you know the one) feature photos of semiotician Roland Barthes and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. While I'm sure that Beware of the Blog isn't trying to give the semi-subliminal message that they're an intellectual and radical sort of place, that's the effect, nonetheless. Such is the power of images.

Well, seeing as how I'm about to present a few of my own musical efforts, I thought I'd upload a photo of Beethoven, who was a great musical genius. Don't get any ideas. (Just kidding. Please do.)



















"Lee is a musical genius. I'm Beethoven, and you have my word on it."--Beethoven

Yes, you have Beethoven's word that he is, in fact, Beethoven. Or, in fact, was.

If Beethoven were alive, he'd be a pretty disgusting sight. But he would also be charmed by my soothing music--I just know it. Well, maybe not so soothing. What I've done is add a ton of effects to old cassette recordings from my Korg Poly-800 (which fetched a couple hundred bucks on eBay) and my Casio keyboard (which I still have), whatever model it is. It's a Casio. And it has keys and patches. That's all I know.

I managed to make everything sound like a Moog with an attitude problem, and some of the feedback might have made the late Jimi Hendrix weep with envy. But things maybe sound too harsh--I don't know. I thought that you could, you know, listen to them and maybe let me know what you think, and stuff like that. Here are some Leeworks for your Wednesday:

UFO Abduction Fugue (Lee Hartsfeld, 1992), recorded from Casio snyth. I'm absolutely, positively, almost sure the beginning portion qualifies as a fugue. In other words, I don't know. But it works.

SF Sketches (In Four Parts) (Lee Hartsfeld, 1988), recorded from Korg Poly-800 and piled with MAGIX effects. I wrote this after reading a circa-1918 treatise on modern harmony. In case this music sounds the least bit out there, remember that it was the art-music norm about that time (1918). I like the last section best--it was constructed from nearly nothing--a minor-third/Major-third motif repeated at rapid tempo through the scale. Whatever "the scale" would be, in this case. It makes a nice contrast to the parallel chords at the start of the piece.

Pointless Technical Exercise, No. 2 (Lee Hartsfeld, 1993), recorded from Poly-800 and sonically jazzed up. At the time, I thought this was awful. But it works at this picked-up tempo and with mushy echo and increased "color."

Video Arcade Lost in Tunnel (Lee Hartsfeld, 1992), recorded from Casio and turned into a sci-fi soundtrack by MAGIX. The outer limits of parallel chord progressions.

Beethoven just told me not to quit my day job. Thanks, Ludwig. Well, at least I'm alive, dude.


Lee, indignant

"Shake for Me"--my first Howlin' Wolf 45

It feels a little wrong to follow a Miss America post with a raunchy, "she wobbles when she walks"-style Howlin' Wolf side. But seeing as how that pageant no longer exists, why not follow the wholesome with the not so wholesome? So, I will.

By the way, CMT insists that the MA pageant is alive and well, but the footage they aired last Saturday didn't fool me for a minute.

Anyway, twenty-nine years ago, I found Shake for Me in a Pensacola, Florida thrift store not far from Corry Station, a.k.a. the Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC). It was (and remains) pretty beat-up, but I'd already heard Howlin' Wolf on LP and I liked him. So I bought it. 50 cents, I think it was. My first Howlin' Wolf 45.

And it sounds pretty darned good through my heavy-tracking Stanton cartridge. Let's shake along with Wolf, Willie Dixon, and the killer guitar work of Hubert Sumlin, all from 1961. (Please click on photo to get to file):




















A record that's hard to shake....

Lee

I miss "Miss America"

I miss the Miss America pageant already. CMT put it to rest Saturday night--it was almost like watching another planet's version of an Earth custom. And James Denton, sexy or not (I wouldn't know), was possibly the worst host to ever show up on television, let alone at MA. I can't imagine a less effective MA MC--and, really, all you have to do is ham it up. Gary Collins and Bert Parks could do a better job than Denton in their sleep. The MA-hosting position has a handful of basic job requirements, all of them beyond Denton: 1) treat the whole farce as if it were deeply important; 2) act interested in the contestants; 3) maintain eye contact with the contestants (see number 2); 4) know where you're at, script-wise, and 5) occasionally play the clown. Note: "occasionally." As opposed to your entire time on camera.

I have other complaints (the contestants looked like fitness models, the lighting was too low throughout, the pace was too rushed, etc.), but the bottom line is this: farce doesn't work as farce unless it's played to the hilt. Camp has to be aggressively stated to succeed. Problem is, CMT may not recognize Miss America as farce. I mean, check out the music videos at that place. They may have thought they were shooting a documentary.

I miss Miss America. I need your help, Johnny Desmond:

Miss America! (Bernie Wayne), 1955. From Coral 45.

Ah, yes. That takes me right back to 1955. Which is weird, because I wasn't even born until 1957.

Miss America! songwriter Bernie Wayne also gave us the classic ballad Blue Velvet. Don't know if he provided the words or music, or a little of both. Here's Tony Bennett's hit 1951 recording:

Blue Velvet (Bernie Wayne/Lee Morris), Tony Bennett with Percy Faith and His Orch., 1951. From Columbia LP of same name.

My favorite BV versions are Bennett's and the later rendition by the Clovers. Bobby Vinton's is pretty good, too.

Last August, I made this prediction: "Of course, the move to cable will change (the Miss America pageant). In time, MA will become louder, more compact, and flashier. It will conform to cable's standard format: lots of noise and motion sandwiched between even noisier commercials."

More compact, yes. Otherwise, my forecast was as inept as James Denton's "hosting."

Other TV-related predictions of mine that didn't quite come true: My verdict that Beverly Hills 90210 was too stupid to last even one season; my verdict that women would find Ally McBeal insulting; and my theory that TV viewers would quickly become sick of all-over-the-place camera work, the type featured in allegedly serious dramas like Homicide: Life on the Streets.

I don't think I have a career as a program developer, or whatever those guys are called.

Lee

"Feared by the bad, loved by the good."

Things are looking better for James Frey. Just kidding.

I only had time to read two on-line pieces about Frey--there's just way too much out there. One column was excellent, the other not so. The no-so column suggested that it doesn't matter whether a self-help memoir is factual or not. Why? Because the columnist has low regard for the self-help genre. Brilliant.

Glad there are writers gifted enough to find genuine humor in the Frey mess. Hopefully, I'll read a piece by one of them sometime.

Meanwhile, I've enlisted the aid of two more right-doers to go after bad boy (and even worse writer) James Frey. Those good-doers are Superman and Robin Hood.

Why? Because I happen to have records about each. First, from the band who gave us Vehicle:

Superman (Jim Peterik), The Ides of March, 1970. From Warner Bros. 45.

And, from the TV show Robin Hood, here's "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men. Feared by the bad, loved by the good. Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood."

My favorite part is those last three lines: "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood." One of the great moments in the annals of running out of lyrics. I recall that, in the Monty Python parody of this theme, final rhymes were inserted. For comic effect, of course (as if same were required).

Robin Hood (Carl Sigman), Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra, 1955.

Silly, but unbelievably fun. Riddle rocked.

Gotta love that bridge: "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood, etc."

James, he's riding through the glen. You're finished.


Lee

Ray Cathode, a.k.a. George Martin--"Time Beat" and "Waltz In Orbit."

The 1962 Parlophone single Time Beat/Waltz in Orbit has been described by Beatles producer George Martin as "a compilation of electronic sounds composed by a certain 'Ray Cathode'--me!"
Martin made the single at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which specialized in musique concrete (electro-acoustical music) for radio and television. Based on what I've read so far, and based on what my ears tell me, there is no synthesizer to be heard on these two numbers, though I may be wrong. It's been known to happen. But I think what we're hearing are the types of electronically-manipulated sounds the Beatles featured on Revolver and elsewhere--sounds whose history dates back to the beginnings of magnetic tape ("tape music" was an early term for this kind of thing). Hard to believe, but John Lennon's Tomorrow Never Knows wasn't all that new-sounding for its day, except of course in the realm of pop music. Unless we count Mr. Martin's two efforts, of which I find the waltz to be far more interesting (though both are good). Many thanks to Les, who sent me these files after I posted Martin's Niagara Theme. Glad to learn of these and, especially, to have the chance to hear them:

Time Beat, Ray Cathode (George Martin), 1962. Made at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Waltz in Orbit, Ray Cathode (George Martin), 1962. Made at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Ray Cathode--get it? Anyway, I believe both numbers were written by Martin, as well, though I'm not positive. Anyway, the Beatles were pretty lucky to hook up with this man, don't you think? They owed much to him, Leethinks....

Thanks, again, to Les for these great sides.

Lee