Hospital horrors for Halloween 2011!

Click here to hear: Hospital Horrors for Halloween 2011

SLAYLIST

CALLIN' DR. CASEY (Loudermilk)--John D. Loudermilk, 1962.
BEN CRAZY--Dickie Goodman, 1962.
DR. BEN BASEY--Mickey Shorr and the Cutups, 1962.
WITCH DOCTOR--Frank Thomas (Big 4 Hits 233, 1958).
THAT HYPNOTIZING MAN--Dolly Connolly, 1912.
HOORAY, HOORAY, I'M GOIN' AWAY--Dolly Kaye w. Mitchell Ayres O., 1947.
HYPNOTIZED--Ted Fio Rito Orch,; vocal: Muzzy Marcellino, 1936.
THE DISORDERLY ORDERLY--Sammy Davis, Jr., 1964.


Lee

Three "Thing"'s for Halloween 2011!

Today, three Things definitely worth listening to.

Click here to hear: Three Things

SLAYLIST

THE THING (Grean)--Cliff Holland w. Les Morgan Orch. (Tops 267)
THE THING--The Sundowners Band (Windsor 7106)
THE THING--Danny Kaye w. Ken Darby Orch. and Cho. (Decca 27350; 1950)


Lee

Fidel presents: Meow-loween at MY(P)WHAE!

I thought "Meow-loween" was pretty clever of me... until I Googled it and got 900 matches. I hate it when people steal my ideas before I can come up with them.

In the photo above, you're seeing Fidel and his brother, Raul. Twins, of course, and with a talent for making the exact same poses. I swear that no Photoshopping was involved, unless you're using "Photoshopping" as a generic term, in which case, yes, it was. Originally, I was simply going to move Fidel closer to the pumpkins, but then I thought, Why not have two Fidels? Days later, I invented the already-in-use term "Meow-loween." And I suppose someone's already pre-stolen "cat-o'lantern." (Yup--44,700 results.)

All ripped from records in my collection and restored with MAGIX Audio Cleaning Lab 14: Meow-loween!


SLAYLIST

LUCKY BLACK CAT--The Lancers, 1955.
I TAUT I TAW A PUDDY TAT--Benny Lee and Mary w. Nat Temple Orch., 1950.
KITTEN ON THE KEYS (Confrey)--Frank Banta and Jack Austin, piano duet, 1922.
DINGBAT, THE SINGING CAT--Freddy Martin O.; vocal: Stuart Wade, 1946.
ME-OW (Kaufman)--Joseph C. Smith's Orch., 1918.
TABBY THE CAT--Pied Pipers, Paul Weston Orch., 1944.
THAT CAT STEP--Sanford's Famous Dance Orch., 1920.
LEAVE MY KITTEN ALONE--Johnny Preston, 1960.
I WANT A GOOD HOME FOR MY CAT--Betty Johnson w. Charles Grean, 1958.
ONE PART DOG, NINE PARTS CAT (Bacharach-Hilliard)--Dick Van Dyke, 1961.
A CAT-ASTROPHE--Prince's Orch., 1919.
PUSS 'N BOOTS--Paul DeWitt, Maxine Adams, and the Cricketones.
DOG AND CAT POLKA--Wasyl Gula w. I Jego Nowa Modan Ork., 1937.
KITTEN ON THE KEYS--John Scott Trotter Orch., 1941.


Lee (and Fidel)

Getting hairy over Halloween!

Today's slaylist includes Ichabod Crane, from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), and both a mono and stereo version of Witch Doctor, as released on cheapo labels Promenade and Crown. They're the same recording, except that only the mono mix features a sped-up vocal, and then only in the first chorus. I refer to the "oo-ee-oo-ah-ah..." portion, which is sung in falsetto, and over which they obviously intended to dub the sped-up part, but didn't (except that one time). Now, I find it amazing enough to have both a mono and stereo mix of this cut-rate cover version, let alone slightly different mixes, but I speak as someone who has been collecting records for way, way too long. Please keep that in mind.

The two other cheap covers in our list--Little Blue Man and Dinner with Drac--are also Promenade covers, with the first a stereo Crown label release (like Witch Doctor). (I hope you're taking notes.) And there are three re-runs, including Durward Kirby's Crime Doesn't Pay!, and three shellac titles, including Georgie Price's 1923 version of Barney Google. The horse-race portion of the latter is revelatory, being basically the same routine used by Doodles Weaver 25 years later on the Spike Jones recording of William Tell Overture, only minus the Feetlebaum character/punchline. Never know what you'll find when you plop the needle down on an old 78 (old 78s being the most common type).

I'm Normal, of course, was an "answer" to They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! and is nearly as hilarious. "The Emperor" was Bob Hudson, of Hudson and Landry fame. You'll want to dive without delay into this tub of tingling titles:

Click here to hear: Getting Hairy Over Halloween!


SLAYLIST

SATAN AND THE POLAR BEAR--David Rose Orch., 1957.
LITTLE MONSTER--Baker Sisters, w. Hugo Peretti Orch., 1956.
ICHABOD CRANE--Lawrence Welk Orch.; vocal: Dick Hill, 1949.
WITCH DOCTOR (Stereo)--12 Top Hits (Crown CST-114)
WITCH DOCTOR (Mono)--John Logan (Promenade A-41 4)
DINNER WITH DRAC--John Logan (Promenade A-41 4)
I'M NORMAL--The Emperor (Bob Hudson), 1966.
CINDER FELLER--The Five Fellows (Melloclass 1002)
CRIME DOESN'T PAY!--Durward Kirby w. The Patriots (Davis 999)
BARNEY GOOGLE--Georgie Price (Victor 19066; 1923)
THE LITTLE BLUE MAN--12 Top Hits (Crown CST-114)
IN THE YEAR 2525--The New World
I LOVE ME--Billy Murray (Victor 19066; 1923)
MAGIC EYES--Oriole Orch. (Brunswick 2437; 1923)
WHAT A LOVELY PARTY (Greenfield-Keller)--Buchanan and Greenfield, 1964.


Lee

The media left vs. the left

Given the lukewarm comment and download rate this Halloween, I've decided to adopt a casual posting pace, if for no other reason than the chance to use the cool phrase, "casual posting pace." I always feel like I'm on some deadline, but this is obviously some trick of perception caused by the essential Internet/user dynamic.

Speaking of tricks, illusionist Penn Jillette seems to be....

(Essay continues at MY(P)WAHE Text.)

Lee

Sunday morning gospel--Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan

A short post today, whipped together at the last moment. I'm just recovering from oral surgery--extraction went fine, but the general anesthesia has had me doped for the past two days (just as the post-op instructions indicated it would!). So I'm someplace in last week, or possibly the start of this one. Kind of like same-location jet lag. Hence, a last-minute SMG.

We'll be hearing four sacred selections ripped from two recently-bought 78s. Well, three sacred selections, anyway--Alabama Jubilee (written in 1915) isn't exactly a gospel number, though the lyrics seem to be describing a camp meeting.

Click here to hear: Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan


DON'T YOU HEAR JERUSALEM MOAN--Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers w. Riley Puckett, 1926.
ALABAMA JUBILEE--Same.
JESUS IS MY LIGHT AND SONG (Kirkpatrick)--Gypsy Smith (Columbia A-5158; 1910)
WHEN THE MISTS HAVE ROLLED AWAY--Harrison and Anthony, 1910. (Same disc)


Lee