Sunday morning gospel: The Loopers--It's Worth It All

Courtesy of Martin D. from Georgia, here are Brenda, Louise, Oral, David, and Freddy--The Loopers--from their LP, It's Worth It All. Previously, we've known them as the Looper Trio or the Looper Family, but today they are The Loopers. An eBay search for whom will bring up Bix Beiderbecke.

Not as "down home" as our last Looper offering (the L's second LP), but plenty good, regardless. As the Loopers' music speaks for itself more skillfully than I can in a blog intro, let's simply go right to it. (What do you mean, it's about time?)

Thanks, Martin, for ripping and sharing today's Sunday morning gospel!

Click here to hear: The Loopers--It's Worth It All, Part 1
The Loopers--It's Worth It All, Part 2

TRACKLIST

IT'S WORTH IT ALL
LET GO OF THIS WORLD
LOOK FOR ME AT JESUS' FEET
THE SWEETEST WORDS HE EVER SAID--I FORGIVE
GETTIN' READY TO LEAVE
CARRY ON
JESUS WILL PILOT MY SHIP
TEARS WILL NEVER STAIN THE STREETS OF THAT CITY
HOMESICK FOR HEAVEN
STEPPING ON THE CLOUDS

(Rite Record Productions, Inc.)

Lee

The Roy-Cliffs: Music for Relaxing (Hollywood LPH-5)

Behold--my first perfect scan. This time, I allowed for room on the sides, which resulted in nothing getting shortened or cut off. After much fooling around, I am now an expert in 12" jacket stitching. It helps considerably that the actual stitching part is done automatically by the software, provided I scan the right portions in the proper order before inserting them into the program. Had I consulted the scanning chart in the first place, I'd have saved myself some hassle, but what fun is that? I certainly ended up with some interesting, Fly-esque constructions. I could probably peddle some of it as cyber-art. Remixed jackets. Recontextualized, or something.

But enough of that: Not too long ago, I heard from Roy Riegler, the son of the Roy half of the organ/piano duo the Roy-Cliffs. Sadly, the elder Roy passed away on March 29, but not before learning of my Roy-Cliffs Christmas posts--writes his son, "Dad was very amazed and excited to hear that his songs and some records were out on the internet. Truly astounded him." How about that? To be placed at the top of my "What Blogging Is All About" list.

So, Roy sent me two Roy-Cliff LPs to digitalize and, if I chose, share here. After listening to, and digging, both of these collections, I'm honored to pass along the sounds. This is great middle of the road instrumental pop of pre-rock-domination days, and they serve as proof that there is nothing whatsoever wrong with middle of the road. Those of us who love "easy" sounds already know this, of course. These are smooth, relaxing, highly musical background sounds, and I, for one, admire the skill it takes to present such material.

Hollywood was not the Rolls Royce of record labels, of course, so we can't be surprised that today's share, Music for Relaxing, has a completely different title on the label--as in, Easy Listening Part 1. The latter is the title I used for the zip file, in case you wonder why I didn't call it Music for Relaxing. I'm just going with the flow. And the track order doesn't match, either, along with a couple individual titles. However, the label name is the same! There's that.

Cheap (however enticing) package, but great sounds. And, thanks to this page, we know that all of these are from 1955. Now all that remains is for me to ask Roy, Jr. the questions I should have asked in the first place--e.g., who was Cliff? Was Roy the pianist? For some reason, I thought I already had that info, but I don't. What an ace reporter I'd make, no?

Meanwhile, though, here's a photo of the Roy-Cliffs "in the Baldwin showroom in downtown Cincinnati. Probably from sometime in the 1950s," according to Roy, Jr.

Click here to hear: Roy-Cliffs: Easy Listening No. 1

THERE'S A SMALL HOTEL
JEALOUS
YOU CAN'T BE TRUE DEAR
PEG O' MY HEART
I SURRENDER DEAR
MAKE BELIEVE
SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES
WHY DO I LOVE YOU
TENDERLY
THAT OLD GANG OF MINE
TILL I WALTZ AGAIN WITH YOU
SEPTEMBER SONG
APRIL SHOWERS
ALWAYS
WHISPERING
CARELESS

The Roy-Cliffs, feat. the Baldwin Organsonic Spinet Organ and the Baldwin Piano: Music for Relaxing (Hollywood LPH-5)


Lee

Awesome LP jacket: Over the Moon--The Weatherford Quartet (1963)

This was donated to the MY(P)WHAE library by Diane Werts, whose For Better or Werts column you should be keeping up with. (Click on her name for the link.) After several tries, I finally got the four scans to stitch together properly, though a couple tiny gaps had to be cloned away. I owe my success to finally breaking down and reading the software instructions. It's amazing how helpful it can be to do that.

I neglected to clone out the price tag, but I think it adds charm, don't you? Diane, of course, had to talk herself out of keeping this marvelous example of cover art (by one Jack Richard), and I applaud her powers of self-denial. If that sounds selfish, it is.

I plan to rip the vinyl, which looks rippable, so keep watching the skies for Over the Moon on an upcoming Sunday Morning Gospel. Thanks, Diane!

Lee

A "Christmas in July"-style Goodwill find

1928. Click on image for larger view.

Other finds: a choral LP that didn't live up to the promise of its jacket photo and track listing (I just spot-listened to it), and a praise song collection containing some titles I actually know, thanks to my church organist/pianist gig. Ordinarily, my hymn knowledge fades out around 1955--which, ironically, is two years before I faded in.

Plus, a cat book for Bev. Thrifting is the best therapy I know.

Lee

The Banjo (Gottschalk)--Boston Pops Orch. (1951)

Louis Moreau Gottschalk's famous 1855 piano solo, The Banjo, in a wonderful orchestral transcription (one of four!) by Quinto Maganini. As far as I know, this recording dates from 1951--which is to say, it's not a reissue of the Boston Pops' 1940 recording, as I'd hoped. But it's such a great re-do, I can't complain. It certainly sounds better than my long-gone 78.

The Banjo not only documents very early (what else?) banjo techniques of the African-American variety, it also sounds a heck of a lot like ragtime, which it might as well be. Of course, extremely early examples of any given genre are often explained away as something else--after all, as the thinking goes, ragtime couldn't have existed that long ago, so therefore it didn't, any artifacts to the contrary be durned.

Form-wise, the piece is built on short, repeated phrases, with a melody very similar to Camptown Races popping up in the second half. Not counting a temporary modulation, the key never changes, and I wonder if that, too, is in imitation of period banjo playing--that is, did period banjoists tend to pile up phrases and/or strains without modulating? The effect is monotonous, but in a wonderful way. This is one of those musical works which wants to go on forever. And which deserves to.

Click here to hear: The Banjo (Gottschalk)--Boston Pops Orch. (1951)


Transcribed by Quinto Maganini. (RCA Victor Red Seal 49-1435; 1951)


Lee

A "stiched" image from my new scanner

From 1924. I guess there are only female angels in Heaven??