You find some warped stuff at Goodwill....

As in, warped 12" 78s. Too bad, since these are in lovely shape, otherwise. Only $1.99, though, so no big loss. In fact, by tracking heavy, I was able to get three of the six sides ripped and ready, so I'm happy.

This 1939 Boston Symphony Orch. recording--narrated in truly strange style by Richard Hale--was the first American recording of Peter and the Wolf, and it's beautifully recorded and performed. What I love about "Classical" discs of this era is the realness of the sound, the naturalness of the acoustics. I reckon it was all the engineers could do to keep the dynamic bursts from bouncing the cutting stylus, so such vital advances as ping-pong stereo and 800-track mixdowns would have to wait their day.

Restored tonight by MAGIX and me.

To the half set:

Peter and the Wolf (Sergei Prokofiev)--Boston Symphony Orch., Dir. Serge Koussevitzky.

Narrated by Richard Hale. Victor M-566; 1939 (Sides 1, 5, and 6.)


Lee

Rhythm and Blues in the Night

Until I scanned this cover just now, I didn't realize quite how awful it is. That's Julie Newmar, probably wishing afterwards they'd ditch the negatives--they didn't. I found this at Goodwill back in 2009, and memory told me that I'd posted the entire thing--I didn't. So, now I am. You'll get to hear all fourteen tracks, an entire five of which (all from the Abbey label) have been identified by collectors. My thanks to this fine page, and another which I forgot to bookmark. No, wait--here it is: Link.

Now you know as little as I do about this hyper-cheap Hollywood label LP of 1957. My copy has some groove-wear issues, but MAGIX and I eliminated most of them by choosing the best portion of the two channels. The result is a near-pristine rip of a two-bit pressing, and would we want any less?

Excellent stuff here--it hops, it jumps, it rocks. (The music, not the needle.) Steady Roll, by the way, is the male version of My Daddy Rocks Me (with a Steady Roll), and a masterpiece of subtlety next to track #6, Featherweight Baby. I'm Going To Rock Till I Drop is another really refined use of metaphor. To the sounds:

Rhythm and Blues in the Night

CALL ME DARLIN'--Bobby Marshall (Abbey 3014), 1950.
I'M GONNA LIVE FOR TODAY--Male singer, 1949.
DON'T CRY DARLIN'--Master Keys (Abbey 3017), 1950.
STEADY ROLL--Bill Gooden (Abbey A66), 1949.
TELL ME PRETTY BABY--Ralph Willis and Spider Sam (Abbey 3005), 1949.
FEATHERWEIGHT BABY--Jack Dupree and the Back Room Boys, 1950.
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN--Unknown group.
MISTER BLUES--Unknown male vocal group.
I WANT TO ROCK TILL I DROP--Unknown female vocal, 1949.
I DON'T HURT ANYMORE--Unknown female vocal.
IF YOU BELIEVE--Unknown vocal group.
HONEY LOVE--Unknown female vocal.
COME TO ME DARLIN'--Unknown male vocal.
WHEN MY HEART BEATS LIKE A HAMMER--Unknown male vocal.


Lee

Savio presents... Ash Wednesday at MY(P)WHAE!

Two Ash Wednesday selections recorded by your blogger on his Casio WK-3800, both by the marvelous gospel songwriter, Bentley DeForest (B.D.) Ackely. These are straight out of vintage song folios, except for some embellishment by me, especially in the second number, where the harp part is ad-libbed. I've always wanted to type "where the harp part is ad-libbed."

I layered the Casio patches with sound-on-sound, so these are me, me, and me. Savio sez, "Download today! I did!" A savvy cat, that Savio.

Btw, In the Garden with Jesus is not to be confused with the much more famous In the Garden, though it is reminiscent of same. (Well, these songs were produced in huge numbers, so complete originality wasn't always achievable.)

To the instrumentals: Ash Wednesday--Lee at the Casio WK-3800


Forgive Me, Lord (B.D. Ackley)
In the Garden with Jesus (B.D. Ackley)

Lee Hartsfeld, Casio WK-3800


Lee

Sunday morning gospel: Sacred Songs by the Northlanders of Sweden

Sorry about the lack of Sunday Morning Gospel last Sunday--a temporary PC crash was the cause. Temporary crashes being the best kind, of course. I was getting a "Disc read error" message, with instructions to Alt + Ctrl +Del, which accomplished nothing. Neither did rebooting. Yet, for some reason, when I turned my PC back on several hours later, everything was as before. Very strange.

Just like today's LP cover, you say? Well, it's certainly different. And cool. But the music can't possibly be half as cool, right? Wrong. The music is terrific. Thanks go to Diane Werts, who thrifted this LP for me, and to MAGIX, for making everything (with my guidance) sound better.

So, can I fill you in on today's group, the Northlanders of Sweden? Sure thing. Here's what the back jacket has to say: Back jacket. Not very helpful, I know. Well, we know they're from Sweden, anyway--yet, despite that fact, they sound ready to break into yodel at any moment. In fact, their entire sound strikes me as central European, but I do not complain, since I love the polkas, schottisches, and waltzes (apologies to Snoopy) from that neck of the planet. As "ethnic" sounds go, such music doesn't get a lot of respect, I realize, but whose problem is that? Ours?

Fantastically entertaining sounds, even if they're not as northern as my ears expected. I'm not exactly an expert on ethnic sounds, anyway, but I know what I dig. Prepare yourself for The Bird Song.

To the music: Sacred Songs by the Northlanders of Sweden.

The Bird Song
Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary
When Morning Breaks
The Sweetest Name on Earth
Onward Christian Soldiers
A Sailor Am I
I Know a Place
A Name I Highly Treasure
He the Pearly Gates Will Open
The Name Above All Others
I Come to the Savior
The Christian March to Glory

Sacred Songs by the Northlanders of Sweden (Christian Faith 1241)



Lee