The Battle of Bunker Hill, as reenacted by Savio and Tommy

The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775, as compellingly portrayed by Revolutionary War reenactors Tommy (left) and Savio (right).

Lee

The Star-Spangled Burt, and other patriotic classics!

Happy Fourth! To make it even happier, here are four patriotic classics for your Friday, starting with two 78 rpm selections from 1931--a rousing rendition of Edwin Franko Goldman's On the Mall and a not-shabby version of Julius Fucik's Entry of the Gladiators (as Thunder and Blazes). Great music, cheap pressing. Life can be that way.

We continue with two 2008 Lee Hartsfeld originals--The Star-Spangled Burt (our National Anthem done up in Burt style) and The Star-Spangled Banner on Mars. Oh, it's up there, all right, along with the various faces, pyramids, and mysterious markings of all and every type. Well, unless those websites are lying. (They wouldn't lie on the Net, would they?)

The originals were entered via Casio keyboard onto my Noteworthy Composer® software, transferred to cassette, transferred back, and then doctored with MAGIX. That's about it. Oh, and about seven hours of work (but fun work--the best kind).

As we go forth on this Fourth, remember that, after you've used our product for 30 days, a month will have passed.

To the sounds:

Click here to reach the zip file: The Star-Spangled Burt, and more!

PLAYLIST

On the Mall--American Military Band, 1931. From 78.
Thunder and Blazes (Entry of the G.)--American Military Band, 1931.
The Star-Spangled Burt (Lee Hartsfeld)--Lee Hartsfeld, 2008.
The Star-Spangled Banner on Mars (Lee Hartsefld)--Lee, again, 2008.


Lee

Independence Day 2008, Part 1

A little early, but why not? There's lots to put up, so I thought I'd share in stages.

Five 78 rpm selections of a patriotic nature, and all ripped by me from my collection. I always point that out lest anyone think I've borrowed the stuff. And what good stuff we have, starting with The American Eagle March by J.G. Boehme, of whom I know zip. Great march, though.

Next is Turkey in the Straw, as arranged by A. De Filippi for this 1938 Andre Kostelanetz recording. Just perfect late-Thirties easy listening of the lively type.

Next, The Star Spangled Banner as arranged by John Philip Sousa and performed by Prince's Orchestra--er, Band--in 1916. I'm not sure how I coaxed so much sound out of these worn-down grooves, but I did.

Then we have actor Wesley Addy reading a portion of Daniel Webster's 1825 Bunker Hill Monument speech. Those who imagine Barack Obama to be the last word in eloquence may be better off skipping this, lest it serve as a jolting reality check regarding brilliant speech-writing and what it actually sounds like. From a 1941 Columbia 78--part of a larger set that I only have three or four discs of/from.

In fact, Arianna Huffington and her fellow anti-populists might also want to skip this excerpt--the bit about "popular government" may confuse or enrage them. Or both.

We close with the 2500-strong Billy Sunday Chorus singing America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) into what must have been a really, really big recording horn. Or a long row of horns. The side is from 1917, several years before microphones were used on commercial recordings, so--all things considered--I reckon the fidelity is pretty remarkable.

By the way, this is the late Wesley Addy. I recognize him from a number of TV and movie roles:


















Click here to reach zip file: Independence Day 2008, Part 1

PLAYLIST

AMERICAN EAGLE MARCH--Prince's Band, 1917.
TURKEY IN THE STRAW--Andre Kostelanetz Presents, 1938.
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER--Prince's Band, 1916.
A SELECTION FROM "SACRED OBLIGATIONS" (Daniel Webster)--Wesley Addy, 1941.
AMERICA (MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THEE)--Billy Sunday Chorus, 1917.


Lee

Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus; and more!

I first posted this text on Nov. 5, 2005:

Years before Disney made Mary Poppins, Alan Holmes and His New Tones recorded Patricia Smith (a.k.a. Gloria Parker) and Don Fenton's Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus. You'll have to admit, that title looks (and sounds) a lot like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (the Disney title). Remarkably so. Anyway, when Disney was sued for allegedly swiping the earlier title, it successfully defended itself by claiming that Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus (a.k.a. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious) was a common slang word. (Sure, it was.) A pretty fragilistic argument, if you ask us, but nobody did, of course. It's the opinion of MYPWHAE that Disney won because it had lots of money. That's our explan-aladojus. I mean, -alidocious.

My, our cynicism is quite atrocious, isn't it?

(End of Nov. 5, 2005 text.)

I heard from Gloria Parker herself on March 16, 2006. She wrote:

"Hi! This is Gloria Parker & Patricia Smith was my pen name when I wrote Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus!I liked your explan-aladojus and yes Disney was quite atrocious! Thanks! Please visit www.missgloriaparker.com for more info. about my "Super Song" God Bless You!"

I neglected to ask her how, or from where, she came up with that word. That would be an interesting story (Disney's version of events, like many works of fiction, being not so interesting).

Our playlist continues with La Bamba De Vera Cruz and its flip, Beyond the Sea, both performed in 1948 by the MGM Orchestra under Macklin Marrow. Things get darned close to the Bo Diddley beat in La Bamba--listen closely. Also on the EZ front, Jack Pleis' 1953 version of Rachmaninoff-Paganini's Eighteenth Variation--just one of the most fabulous pop instrumental sides ever cut. When I see Jack Pleis' name on a record, I buy it. You'll hear why.

Back to novelty fare with Chuck Murphy's One Beer, from 1953. Not nearly as memorable as the Gloria Parker number, but no weak brew, either.

Huh? is possibly my favorite song title of all time. Actually, the complete title is Huh? (Boolya Botten Booten Baby), but I prefer the more concise version. This was one of the first records I featured, way back in May, 2005. Enjoy. These were all ripped from 78s, by the way.

(ZIP FILE RETIRED, but you can hear Supercalafajalistickespealadojus at this recent post: Novelty Festival, Part 1 See other "Novelty Festival" posts for Huh? and One Beer. (Just type "novelty festival" into blog's search box in upper l.h. corner.)

PLAYLIST

SUPERCALAFAJALISTICKESPEALADOJUS (THE SUPER SONG) (Gloria Parker-Don Fenton)--Alan Holmes and His New Tones, 1950.
LA BAMBA DE VERA CRUZ--Macklin Marrow c. MGM Orchestra, 1948.
BEYOND THE SEA (LA MER)--Macklin Marrow, MGM Orch., 1948.
HUH? (BOOLYA BOTTEN BOOTEN BABY)--The Top Kicks, 1954.
THE EIGHTEENTH VARIATION--Jack Pleis Orch., 1953.
ONE BEER--Chuck Murphy w. Pee Wee Erwin, 1953.

















Lee

Talking the F-word (Faith): To Obama's progressive supporters, I say....

Find out what I have to say at MY(P)WHAE Text: To Obama's progressive supporters....

Excerpt from essay:

Ohhhhhh, I had no idea things would get this entertaining this quickly.

Neither did these guys:












Lee

Sunday morning gospel--Sacred shellac.

Silas Jones Vail's Scatter Seeds of Kindness is a very famous Sunday School hymn, yet I had to look through a number of songbooks before stumbling onto Scatter. I first struck pay dirt with the 1879 Wreath of Praise (pictured above). No copyright date for the Vail tune, alas, but we can be sure it was written on or before 1879.

We'll be hearing Henry Burr and Gwilym Miles' 1914 version, which I ripped yesterday along with the rest.

And... four by baritone Homer Rodeheaver, including my all-time favorite version of Old Rugged Cross and a memorable rendition of Maude Battersby and Charles Gabriel's An Evening Prayer, which has been recorded by everyone from The Florida Boys to Mahalia Jackson to Willie Nelson to Elvis. The Old Southern Sacred Singers make a third appearance at this blog with Charles Gabriel's Where the Gates Swing Outward Never (hm... didn't we just hear a version?) and William Lee Golden and Johnson Oatman, Jr.'s country-style classic Will My Mother Know Me There? Mother was written in 1906, a couple decades or so before A.P. Carter stole it.

Smith's Sacred Singers return, too--and they're always way more than welcome here. These are two titles new to the blog--City of Gold and Climbing Up the Golden Stairs, the latter not to be confused with Jacob's Ladder. They're wonderful--the songs and the singers.

And there are two spirituals performed by baritone Oscar Seagle (who sounds black but wasn't), and a rerun of a 1924 private recording of His Eye Is on the Sparrow, first featured last week.

Enjoy.

Click here to reach playlist: Sacred Shellac for June 29.

PLAYLIST

OLD RUGGED CROSS--Mrs. William Asher-Homer Rodeheaver, 1920.
FORGIVE ME LORD--Homer Rodeheaver, 1920.
AN EVENING PRAYER--Homer Rodeheaver, 1915.
HOW SWEET IS HIS LOVE--Homer Rodeheaver, 1915.
WHERE THE GATES SWING OUTWARD NEVER--Old Southern Sacred Singers, 1929.
WILL MY MOTHER KNOW ME THERE--Same guys.
CITY OF GOLD--Smith's Sacred Singers, 1929.
CLIMBING UP THE GOLDEN STAIRS--Smith's Sacred Singers, 1929.
STANDIN' IN THE NEED OF PRAYER--Oscar Seagle, 1920.
GOLDEN CROWN--Oscar Seagle, 1920.
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW--HARRY K. SHIELDS, 1924.
SCATTER SEEDS OF KINDNESS--Henry Burr, Gwilym Miles, 1914.


Lee