So, ragweed pollen has arrived, and so I feel like I'm blogging in my sleep. In fact, I might be asleep--can't be sure. But, trusting that I am in fact awake, here are 22 memorable mono tracks, starting with some 78-rpm thrift finds of the past two weeks: The Dell-Vikings on Fee Bee (with the ballad side sounding terrible, but the hit side--Come Go With Me--sounding terrific), The Heartbeats with Oh Baby Don't, and LaVerne Baker on Atlantic with the rocking Jim Dandy. Note the distortion and tape-glitch in How Can I Find True Love--flaws which also appeared in the 45 rpm release, if not as blatantly.
Then, back to 45 rpm singles, with a terrific, more-or-less-r-&-r ballad by Fred Weismantel, sung beautifully by the Four Voices: Darling, Thanks to You. This 1955 performance, much like the same songwriter and group's Lovely One (also in this playlist), is the perfect marriage of 50s-quartet pop and doo-wop--the Four Lads meet the Dell-Vikings, sort of.
Then, the incomparable June Valli with 1957's Street of Memories, probably my favorite of this bunch (and with enough reverb for two sides). Next, Magic Star--Tel-Star with lyrics--beautifully arranged by Bill Justis for Margie Singleton on Mercury. And we have ? and the Mysterians with the two-chord romp, Got To, a 1967 effort which--as the B-side of Girl (You Captivate Me)--charted, though just barely. Meanwhile, Carl Perkins' Hollywood City (1962, Columbia), cowritten by Otis Blackwell, completely failed to chart, though it probably should have.
Very tight musicianship distinguishes Boyd Bennett's Right Around the Corner, while tight doo-wop harmonizing graces the Turbans' Sister Sookey of the same year (1956).
Then, Clyde Battin and Gary Paxton's (Skip and Flip) 1959 Lunch Hour, which is not to be confused with June Valli's 1958 single of the same name (farther down in this list). Jerry Lee Lewis' 1961 Money, not surprisingly, went nowhere (Lewis having committed bigamy in 1957 with a 13-year-old bride--not the kind of thing that helps a pop career), whereas Ray Conniff's Strollin' and Boppin' hit the Top 20 as one of the numbers on the LP Dance the Bop! And Conniff was, at the time and by contrast, legally married to his second wife.
Conniff leads the orchestra on the Four Voices' Top 20 hit, Lovely One, an unusually elegant doo-wop effort, and he provides a reasonably rocking background for Guy Mitchell's Take Me Back Baby, penned by Claude Demetrius (cited as "Demetuis" on the label), and a minor hit for Guy. This is followed by Dealer of Dreams, a Buck Ram number which failed to chart for the Penguins. Then, the frenetic, solo-filled, honking-sax classic, The Goof (1952).
Which brings us to our playlist's most out of place track, the 1968 Where Did You Come From by the Buckinghams. Afterwards, a subdued June Valli demonstrates that teen rock was no challenge for her (Lunch Hour, 1958), Sunny Gale provides a country-fied Come Go With Me, and the Mint Juleps give us a highly effective12-bar-blues rocker, Vip-a-Dip (another non-charter).
DOWNLOAD: Memorable Mono Media, Pt. 3.zip
How Can I Find True Love--The Dell-Vikings, 1957 (Fee Bee 205, 78 rpm)
Come Go With Me--Same
Oh Baby Don't--The Heartbeats, 1956 (Hull Records 720, 78 rpm)
Jim Dandy--LaVerne Baker and the Gliders w. Orch., 1956 (Atlantic 116, 78 rpm)
Darling, Thanks to You (Weismantel)--The Four Voices, 1955
Street of Memories--June Valli w. Joe Reisman's Orch. and Chorus, 1957
Magic Star (Tel-Star)--Margie Singleton, Merry Melody Singers, Arr. Bill Justis, 1963
Got To--? (Question Mark) and the Mysterians, 1967
Hollywood City (O. Blackwell-W. Scott)--Carl Perkins, 1962
Right Around the Corner--Boyd Bennett and His Rockets, 1956
Sister Sookey--Tubans, 1956
Lunch Hour--Skip and Flip (Clyde Battin--Gary Paxton), 1959
Money--Jerry Lee Lewis and His Pumping Piano, 1961 (Sun 371)
Strollin' and Boppin' (Conniff)--Jimmy Richards (Ray Conniff), 1958
Lovely One (Weismantel)--The Four Voices, 1956
Take Me Baby Baby (Claude Demetrius)--Guy Mitchell w. Ray Conniff, 1956
Dealer of Dreams (Buck Ram)--The Penguins, 1956
The Goof--Big Jay McNeely and His Orch., 1952
Where Did You Come From--The Buckinghams, 1968
Lunch Hour--June Valli, 1958
Come Go With Me--Sunny Gale, Orch. and Chorus Dir. by Sid Bass, 1957
Vip-a-Dip--Mint Juleps, 1956
Lee
15 comments:
It's too much mono media for just one man! Thanks, Lee. And did I spot a flip side in there that will show up in October? Here's hopin'! (as opposed to hoppin'...)
Not many sides this time around that I actually have in my own collection. I do have Guy's "Take Me Back Baby" (the flip side of "Knee Deep in the Blues") in pristine condition complete with original picture sleeve; a surprise dollar flea market find. I also have "Lunch Hour" which is a much better side than the one that was chosen to be a hit, "The Wedding."
How in the world did you come up with an original Fee Bee 78 of the Dell-Viking's "Come Go with Me"? Even the original 45 pressings command a pretty penny on the collectors' market. Still, it is one of the finest Doo-Wop tracks ever made.
Also, "Street of Memories" was also covered by Johnnie Ray; his version was on the flip side of "Build Your Love (On A Strong Foundation."). And the name of Ray Conniff's second wife (Swedish) was Ann Engberg.
Ernie,
Do you mean "Sister Sookie"? Yes, that would be a good Halloween number. "As opposed to hoppin'"--ha!
musicman 1979,
Yes, I figured that the Dell-Vikings 78 isn't common. Just a lucky St. Vincent de Paul thrift find. Out of maybe ten 78 albums, I found ONE which housed the three 78s finds. Naturally, I was hoping to luck out and find more. And I agree--"Lunch Hour" is much better than the plug side. And I think I have the Guy Mitchell pic sleeve--my collection houses three or four Mitchell sleeves. "Take Me Back..." is pretty much the only genuine rockabilly number by Guy, and he's quite good, I think. And "Come Go With Me" might be my all-time favorite doo-wop hit--or, at least, one of same.
musicman 1979,
I'll have to track down that Ray recording--and I just found it on YT. Much slower tempo, but effective!
I kind of think Guy's version of "Crazy with Love" (the flip side of "Singing the Blues") qualifies as Rockabilly in my book. At least, it's a good Elvis-styled record. I actually prefer the brassier Pop-flavored treatment of the song by Teresa Brewer that appeared on the flip side of her version of "Mutual Admiration Society."
Excellent sound quality on "Come Go With Me"! I was very surprised. In the past, albums and CD versions of this song have very muddy sound quality. Of course, with shellac, the sound quality on some later 78s was so good it was as if you were actually inside the recording studios with the artists.
These Doo-Wop 78s sound outstanding! Excellent sound quality for a genre that is heavy on artistry and musicianship and lacking in sound quality.
musicman1979,
Yes, the sound is especially great on "Come Go With Me." It sounds better than the flip, though all the 78s sound better than the 45 issues of the day. Lots of lousy fidelity on many doo-wop classics, with the problem made worse by bad reissues (on Collectables and Lost-Nite)!
I don't know now what I was referring to. I read through the whole thing a couple times and don't see anything that would have made me write that comment about a spooky b-side. I must be losing my mind... :(
PS-I found a a Little Drummer Boy that predates Simeone! Shared it at my blog during Christmas in July, did you see it? I know you were collection those a while back. Concordia Choir, I think, from 1956.
Ernie,
Just listened to "Carol of the Drum"--thanks. That was the original title of the 1941 Katherine K. Davis number that Simeone swiped. Your find is further evidence for the number having achieved choral popularity at the time Harry decided to steal it.
Thought you might like that. Too late to fix the situation now though. :(
You might want to consider sharing these 78 RPM Doo-Wop remasters over on Shellac City YouTube, at least the Dell-Vikings one, since you already got both sides of that disc shared over here.
musicman1979,
That's a thought!
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