So, what do we call phrases like "happy banjos"? Are they an example of anthropomorphizing or personifying? (Clock ticking; buzzer.) Right! Personifying! In this case, we're talking the happy sound of banjos, which is a human perception/experience. As personified in the form of "happy banjos."
Aren't you glad I cleared that up? And this was a problem LP. Namely, with some bad engineering on Side 1, plus all-over-the-place Googling required to determine the probable recording dates. I had to do some comparison listening, at least for one track, to determine the precise version. But the banjos were smiling all the while!
Seven of these tracks were carried over from a 1953 ten-incher called Banjo Bonanza. The carried-over tracks consist of the entirety of Side 1, plus 1949's Paddlin' Madelin' Home. For some reason, 1948's Baby Face was not retained.
So, the four unique-to-this-LP tracks--Barefoot Days, Pal-ing Around With You, In the Twi-Twi-Twilight, and Joshu-ah--were either recorded in 1958, specifically for his LP, or... they're earlier, unreleased tracks. And there's 1953's "O" (Oh!), which was not on Banjo Bonanza, but was released as a single (45 and 78 rpm). There'll be a quiz.
The sloppy. slapped-together quality of this enterprise suggests a quick release--namely, a cash-in on Sing Along With Mitch. The tracks have the same general vibe, obviously, though Miller's choruses were all-male, while only three of these are men-only (Row, Row, Row; "O," and Barefoot Days). Had all four of the unique-to-this-LP tracks been men-only, we'd have positive proof of a cash-in attempt. But I'm nevertheless pretty sure.
It's tempting to classify Mooney's 1947-1949 glee-style releases--Four-Leaf Clover, in particular --as part of a postwar trend of reviving the "old songs" of the 1890s-1920s, but said songs and styles were in a constant state of revival (and re-revival) prior to the late 1940s. Beatrice Kay's Naughty 90's dates back to 1940, and Frankie Carle recorded versions of Stumbling and Twelfth Street Rag in 1942. And there's the 1941 John Scott Trotter recording of Kitten on the Keys which I posted back in 2019. In short, the neo-Dixieland/-Twenties/-ragtime period didn't start with Del Wood or Pee Wee Hunt. As far as that goes, the novelty numbers of Zez Confrey were the neo-ragtime of their time, and we're talking back to 1920. And people were assessing Dixieland as old hat as early as 1924! ("Old hat as early..."? Hm.)
Maybe the sing-along genre is simply a reflection/acknowledgement of an ongoing style of community singing, which would include glee and close-harmony vocalizing (Barbershop). From the 1800s to the present, glees, church choirs, and Barbershop choruses have been happening behind the scenes of mainstream popular music, but because it rarely show up on recordings, outside of the private type (one notable exception: 1955's Alabama Jubilee), such music seems hopelessly dated. And I think I've set the world's record for overthinking the sing-along genre! But it has me puzzled.
Note: Heartbreaker is a 1948 number inspired by the Ferko String Band (!) and cowritten by Max (Rock Around the Clock) Freedman. And could that group have inspired Mooney? (The FSB did a 1948 version of Four-Leaf Clover which could almost pass for the 1947 hit. Hm.) And Pal-ing Around With You appears to be from 1949.
DOWNLOAD: Those Happy Banjos--Art Mooney and His Orch. (Lion L-70062; 1958)
I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover, 1947
Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goodbye), 1949
Somebody Stole My Rose Colored Glasses, 1949
Row, Row, Row, 1949
Heartbreaker, 1952
Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl), 1949
"O" (Oh1), 1953
(Oh Boy! What a Joy We Had In) Barefoot Days
Pal-ling Around With You
In the Twi-Twi-Twilight
Joshu-ah
Paddlin' Madelin' Home, 1949
Lee
16 comments:
I'm a big fan of Art's Christmas repertoire, but his regular music doesn't do a lot for me. Didn't know this was a comp of old stuff though.
I really need to spring for the 10-inch LP: It's on Discogs for a reasonable price. At eBay, it's being offered by a dealer with too many nasty customer remarks.
Yes, all the way back to 1947. "Four-Leaf Clover" was love at first, um, sound for me. Not sure why I like it so much. And this LP just HAD to be an answer to Mitch Miller's first sing-along LP, especially given the way it was (not so carefully) cobbled together...
Art did re-record "Oh" in Stereo on his Songs Everybody Knows album, the cover artwork of which is on the back cover of Sammy Kaye's New Twists on Old Favorites.
And there was released on rack-job labels like Sutton and Parade an album called Sing Along with Art Mooney. However, John Charles Watson thinks these are the same tracks that are on SPC's Al Goodman sing-along album.
I will try to double-check on the origins of some of the tracks you mentioned in your essay when I have the time. Good choice from MGM's original budget subsudiary label before Metro came on the scene in the mid-1960's.
And of course, "Oh" is probably better remembered by the hit instrumental from Capitol Records by Dixieland trumpet player Pee Wee Hunt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p08p6axZNb4
According to the video description, the song had been around since 1920.
Musicman1979,
At least 1919, in fact! Here's my YouTube rip of the Ted Lewis Jazz Band's recording from that year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqjQeYmZiZQ
Corny, but one of my favorite vintage dance/jazz sides. And whatever you can discover about the "extra" tracks on the 1958 would be appreciated. I found no reference to any other LP or single release for those titles, so I wonder if they were 1) quickly recorded to fill the 12-inch track list, or 2) unreleased mid-1950s sides.
And here's my rip of Paul Biese's 1919 "Oh!" More legitimately jazzy than Lewis' take, and with a prominent banjo. (Just no sing-along chorus!)
Damn, and here I was looking for a mournful banjo requiem. I guess this will have to do for now. Thanks Lee.
rev. b,
Ha! You're welcome. Maybe I can find some unhappy-banjo tracks someplace. (-:
Ok, the MGM original catalog number on the 78 of "Barefoot Days" is 11725. This was before MGM started putting the year on their singles, so my guess for the release date of "Barefoot Days" is 1953.
couldn't find single releases for the other three on E-Bay, so those may still be previously unreleased.
"Barefoot Days" would have been great for The Ames Brothers to record. It is a combination of the sound the group had at Coral Records with the sound of Hugo Winterhalter and Sid Ramin with a healthy dose of "The Man with the Banjo" thrown in for good measure. A picture of a long-gone era with a fun musical soundtrack for good measure.
musicman1979,
Thanks for the information!
Most of these arrangements are hokey and are at least worth a listen. "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye" doesn't even compare to the smoldering torch version by Eydie Gorme on ABC-Paramount, while this version of "Oh" is a combination of the Pee Wee Hunt version meets Sammy Kaye's "Daddy" and the vocal group of "Shanty In Old Shanty Town." Maybe this music filled a void for nostalgia for post-war America during this time period. A lot of the music included here is musically the kind of stuff Mitch Miller would unleash to the public around the time this album came out with the first of his "Sing Along With Mitch" album series. There are a handful of good tunes on this, and some great musical moments, however this is just too hokey for me to give this an album a decent rating. His rack-job Cha-Cha LP and his Decca Songs Everybody Knows albums are a lot better than the kind of music that put him on the map that is featured here.
You are welcome.
Took another scan of the 78 label of Barefoot Days on E-Bay and found the official release date! 1954.
musicman1979,
Thanks. And I see that a sheet music copy is also at eBay.
Saw that too!
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