Today's Batch o' Bacharach--Jo Stafford, Dionne, The Lettermen, Lawrence Welk!

Today, of course, being any day (or time of day) you come across this post. Assuming the material is still up.

So far, I've done a lousy job keeping my Burt offerings categorized into different series, partly because there's just so much stuff. So, from now on, I'll just have a single Burt series. The "Batch o'" series. When all else fails, streamline.

Some fabulous material here, starting with nine Dionne Warwick Burt-tracks that don't get as much attention as Burt's bigger numbers but should. All come from thrift store or Half-Price Books vinyl. A buck a shot, mostly--such is the lack of value placed on D.'s stuff these days. Check Out Time is almost jolting if you've never heard it before, because--despite some softening of the subject--the lyrcis describe an instance of stalking. Hal's lyrics drift off subject a little in the middle portion (where the topic switches to Dionne's desire for independence vice her need for safety), but how amazing to see such a topic dealt with in any way, pop-music-wise, in 1970. The arrangement is awesome. Only the Strong, Only the Brave and The Last One to be Loved are two more Burt-gems that deserve a higher level of audibility. And I just made up "higher level of audibility." I don't know what it means.

The other Dionne Burt-titles aren't at the same level of awesomeness, but they're still superb. Just slightly less so.

The highlight of the second zip file has to be Sy Oliver's Yes, Indeed-style arrangement of What the World Needs Now Is Love for the Paul Weston Orchestra. The great Jo Stafford sings with Warren Covington and the Pied Pipers, long after she left the latter gang. Just pretend it's the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and that Burt and Hal wrote the tune in 1944. Maybe switch to mono and turn down the treble to enhance the fantasy.

Peter Nero's (They Long to Be) Close to You is superb and soporific (soporifically superb?), and Vikki Carr's version of One Less Bell... is one more worthy handling of the classic tune. There must be a bad version of this song someplace, but I'm happy to say I haven't run into it.

Anyone Who Had a Heart comes from a Columbia Record Club fake-hits LP, the name of which I forgot. The singer received no credit. Not a bad cover at all. Not good, either, but I don't have the heart to trash it.

If you're like me, you'll be surprised at the excellence of Lawrence Welk's Do You Know the Way to San Jose.

These are Burt-sides not to be missed.

Click here to reach them: Today's Batch o' Bacharach.

BURTLIST

Check Out Time--Dionne Warwick, 1970.
Go with Love--Dionne Warwick, 1970.
Don't Go Breaking My Heart--D.W., 1965.
Any Old Time of the Day--D.W., 1963.
I Smiled Yesterday--D.W., 1962.
Only the Strong, Only the Brave--D.W., 1965.
Make the Music Play--D.W., 1963.
The Last One to Be Loved--D.W., 1964.
Please Make Him Love Me--D.W., 1963.
Baby, It's You--The Lettermen, 1969.
They Long to Be Close to You--Peter Nero.
One Less Bell to Answer--Vikki Carr.
What the World Needs Now...--Jo Stafford, Warren Covington, Pied Pipers, with Paul Weston and His Orch., 1970.
Where There's a Heartache--The Sandpipers, 1970.
Anyone Who Had a Heart--(Columbia Record Club DS63)
Do You Know the Way to San Jose--Lawrence Welk, 1969.

Lee

Cats, cats everywhere

Andy, Perry, Pete, Rosie, Mario, Perry again. Click on each photo for much larger image.




Lee

Tales from The Huffington Post Realm: Huff-Po Congratulates Hillary

As most of us know, Hillary won Pennsylvania last night. The folks at Huffington Post couldn't wait to congratulate her. Some of the headlines and blog titles currently at Po:

Clinton Survives Another Day
Is Hillary's Win a Win?
Was Race a Strong Factor in Clear Clinton Win in Pennsylvania?
Why Hillary Makes My Wife Scream
Chelsea Clinton Disses Her Dad Again
Matthews Says That Media Created "Delusion" That Hillary Can Win
The Loser in Pennsylvania: The Democratic Party
Is Hillary Lucky to Be a White Woman?
Hillary Threatens to Obliterate Iran

Oh, and here's the picture they used for the headline Clinton Wins Pennsylvania:






And I could have sworn Clinton was the other Democratic candidate. Shows you what I know.

Join us again for more Tales from the Huffington Post Realm. Buwa-ha-ha-haaa!!!


Lee

Campaign 2008--Suite (Lee Hartsfeld)

My newest piece of music--Campaign 2008--Suite. I reused some fifteen-year-old recordings to make this--specifically, from a cassette containing my 1992 Paranormal Suite, which I'd written with 1985 music software on a Macintosh 512K computer and played through a Korg Poly-800 synthesizer.

Two of the tracks feature my patented Flowing Sound effect, a term I just now made up. F.S. is achieved by piling up filters and setting my reverb and echo features to blend together until the sounds don't know where they're going. Or when. Nor do they care.

Enjoy!

Click here to reach Campaign, 2008--Suite(Lee Hartsfeld)


SUITELIST

Last-Minute Campaigning
Race for the Democratic Candidacy
The Primary Process
The Obama Effect
Focusing on Delegates
The Obama Effect, Part 2
Doing the Math
Muting the TV
Democracy Marches On




Lee

www.Hitrecordsofnashville.com

I should have mentioned this terrific site in my Hit label post. It's called Hit Records of Nashville, and I can't imagine a more thorough labor of love. There's even a discussion group! Paul Urbahns is the man who put together this nicely organized, very user-friendly site.

Wow. I had no idea Ray Stevens appeared on the Hit version of Speedy Gonzales. And I happen to have that one....

Looks like there'll be much more to come at the site, too.


Lee

The Andrews Sisters' "Blonde Sailor." Anyone have?

Does anyone have an mp3 of The Andrew Sisters' Blonde Sailor that he or she could share? It's needed for an Anzac Day radio program in New Zealand, so it'll be serving a proud cause. It's not anywhere in my collection, but I figured someone out there probably has it.

Thanks!

Sunday Morning Gospel: Perry Como--I Believe (1956, 1953... er, whenever)

Perry Como, I believe, had some serious talent. And I believe that finding I Believe for 99 cents is one of my better thrift-store scores, even if the album is common, and even if I ended up with the fake (electronically reprocessed) stereo version. Reason being, a decent copy is the exception to the rule. I Believe shares that distinction with other dirt-common discs like The Eddie Duchin Story. They're everywhere, but how many are VG or above? Few.

I believe that's because popular records get played a lot, as a rule.

Anyway, in honor of the Pope's visit to the U.S., here's the entire 1956 I Believe in all of its faux-stereo glory. About half the tunes making for a fine Catholic playlist (especially The Rosary and Ave Maria), while the other six fall into the category of Protestant, Jewish, or pop-sacred. And I just made up "pop-sacred." I like it.

Great singing, first-rate arrangements, and surprisingly effective fake stereo. (In a few instances, I was fooled. Shame on me.) The tracks date from 1949 to 1953, and tell me it doesn't sound like real stereo on a few titles. Uncanny.

Como pours his heart into these performances in his usual passionately laid-back way, and you'll believe that he believes every word he's singing. I don't believe, but rather know, that Perry is my favorite pop singer of all time.

Click to reach zip files:

Perry Como--I Believe (Side One).
Perry Como--I Believe (Side Two).

PLAYLIST

I Believe, 1953.
Onward, Christian Soldiers, 1953.
Goodnight, Sweet Jesus, 1953.
Act of Contrition, 1953.
Ave Maria, 1949.
The Rosary, 1950.
Eli, Eli, 1953.
Kol Nidrei, 1953.
Nearer, My God, to Thee, 1953.
Abide with Me, 1953.
The Lord's Prayer, 1949.
Bless This House, 1950.



Lee