8.01.2006
Back to the Stacks
I haven't turned out one of these in quite a while. But today, I did a lot of work early and am fighting a sore throat so, fuck it, I'll go through some 45.
The Webs People Sure Act Funny b/w You Pretty Fool 45 (MGM)
Man, I don't know about this one. People... is hyped up country-meet-MC5 version of the R&B standard, though it is all slicked up and has really jive Black lady gospel backing vocals. The flip is above average pop-psych, a cross between the Byrds and BeeGees with some nice backwards guitar.
Pat Briley One for My Baby b/w But It's Over (Whiz)
I have a fondness for sub-Donovan rip offs and Pit Briley is a good one. What puts him over the top is a nice combo of relaxed tempo and cheesy horn arrangements. One for My Baby could be really shitty but it is not. Again, star here is the flip - a really nice haunted pop song anchored by very cool bass/drum beat. The piano and horns come in very nicely.
Little Caesar & the Consuls Poison Ivy b/w Hang on Sloopy (Mala)
A serviceable frat rock version of Poison Ivy. The gem is the slow, creeping version of Hang on Sloopy, maybe the best that I've heard. It has a similar feel to Human League's version of You Lost that Loving Feeling. Only complaint is it should be twice as long.
The Blemonts Come on Little Angel b/w How about Me (Sabina)
Good early rock & roll. Little Angel sound like the blueprint for Monster Mash. How about me reminds me of early Beach Boys.
Debbie Dovall Hey Lover b/w This World We Love In (Roulette)
The A side has that girl group meets Motown sound, not quite soulful but jumpier than standard Duh duh dunt girl group sounds. This World... is a slower number and did I hear some German in there? Hmmm.
DeJohn Sisters Straighten Up & Fly Right b/w Wrong Guy (Sunbeam)
Straighten Up... is a great early R&B novelty song about an obnoxious attack money, with a great spoken intro, a flustered teacher, and chorus of "Cool down, teacher. Don't you flip your wig." Wrong Guy is a very cool slow girl group vocal that is very stripped down. Buddy Holly style guitar over a very very very swank bongo percussion track.
Faye Adams I'll be True b/w Happiness to My Soul (Herald)
I'll be True is an okay early rock & roll song. It has a good shuffling beat and the production is barebones enough to make it work. People wonder where bands like the Fall and Swell Maps picked up their "shambolic" shuffle need to listen to some early rock & roll. That shuffle is all over the place. Happiness... is a slow one that reminds me of Wynona Carr, though not as good.
Rusty Geis Harlem Nocturne b/w Danny Boy (Down Home)
Geis's version of Harlem Nocturne is kinda obnoxious and kinda cool. He slows it down and that is great. Then he over exagerates the horn to the point of jive. You can picture him strutting the stage while he plays and that is not good. His overplaying does lead to a few squeaks of the sax but not enough. And then he does a slow version of Danny Boy, which is actually much better than you would think. Walk in off the melody and you might think this an Otis Redding backing track. Of course Geis over exagerates. But the very very cool organ backing really makes it. In fact, the unnamed organist is the real star here.
The Guilloteens Hey You! b/w I Don't Believe (HBR)
There's some great Hanna-Barbera records out there and you can count this as one of them. Hey You! is a great Back From the Grave worthy garage punk cruncher. Teen angst & attitude couple with a great primitive fuzz guitar. I Don't Believe is an odd twangy pop song that sounds like it is supposed to be Blue Eyed Soul but the production couple with clunkiness of the band handicaps it in a good way. This is the most interesting of the two cuts, but Hey You! still rules this 45.
Frank Gorshin Turn Around, Look At Me b/w Free (King)
I am sure at least one of you knew Frank "The Joker" Gorshin made records and you probably have them all. This is my first and it is not bad. The guy has a nice voice and loves to play with it. It is pretty amazing the arsenal of voices he has, all of which he displays on this Vegas floor show-style novelty 45. Hard to listen to more than once.
Eddie Cooley & the Dimples Priscilla b/w I Got a Little Woman (Royal Roost)
Early rock & roll. Priscilla is good for what it is. I Got a Little Woman is a bit better, a safer version of Jerry Lee Lewis. I am sure there are collectors who swoon over this, but not me.
The Tommy Heck Quintet The Lost World b/w Blue 22 (Chariot)
Tommy Heck! What a name! I guess Tommy Hell was taken or maybe a bit edgy for Mr. Heck. That's fine, as Heck does two really good guitar instrumentals. They are lo-fi enough and with a decent amount of twang to provide a nice counter to an exotica string section. I'm talking Lost World here. On Blue 22, Heck shifts things up with some Wipe Out, Mexican guitar, spy music, and noir swing. It all works and makes for a real cool 60s instro 45.
The Webs People Sure Act Funny b/w You Pretty Fool 45 (MGM)
Man, I don't know about this one. People... is hyped up country-meet-MC5 version of the R&B standard, though it is all slicked up and has really jive Black lady gospel backing vocals. The flip is above average pop-psych, a cross between the Byrds and BeeGees with some nice backwards guitar.
Pat Briley One for My Baby b/w But It's Over (Whiz)
I have a fondness for sub-Donovan rip offs and Pit Briley is a good one. What puts him over the top is a nice combo of relaxed tempo and cheesy horn arrangements. One for My Baby could be really shitty but it is not. Again, star here is the flip - a really nice haunted pop song anchored by very cool bass/drum beat. The piano and horns come in very nicely.
Little Caesar & the Consuls Poison Ivy b/w Hang on Sloopy (Mala)
A serviceable frat rock version of Poison Ivy. The gem is the slow, creeping version of Hang on Sloopy, maybe the best that I've heard. It has a similar feel to Human League's version of You Lost that Loving Feeling. Only complaint is it should be twice as long.
The Blemonts Come on Little Angel b/w How about Me (Sabina)
Good early rock & roll. Little Angel sound like the blueprint for Monster Mash. How about me reminds me of early Beach Boys.
Debbie Dovall Hey Lover b/w This World We Love In (Roulette)
The A side has that girl group meets Motown sound, not quite soulful but jumpier than standard Duh duh dunt girl group sounds. This World... is a slower number and did I hear some German in there? Hmmm.
DeJohn Sisters Straighten Up & Fly Right b/w Wrong Guy (Sunbeam)
Straighten Up... is a great early R&B novelty song about an obnoxious attack money, with a great spoken intro, a flustered teacher, and chorus of "Cool down, teacher. Don't you flip your wig." Wrong Guy is a very cool slow girl group vocal that is very stripped down. Buddy Holly style guitar over a very very very swank bongo percussion track.
Faye Adams I'll be True b/w Happiness to My Soul (Herald)
I'll be True is an okay early rock & roll song. It has a good shuffling beat and the production is barebones enough to make it work. People wonder where bands like the Fall and Swell Maps picked up their "shambolic" shuffle need to listen to some early rock & roll. That shuffle is all over the place. Happiness... is a slow one that reminds me of Wynona Carr, though not as good.
Rusty Geis Harlem Nocturne b/w Danny Boy (Down Home)
Geis's version of Harlem Nocturne is kinda obnoxious and kinda cool. He slows it down and that is great. Then he over exagerates the horn to the point of jive. You can picture him strutting the stage while he plays and that is not good. His overplaying does lead to a few squeaks of the sax but not enough. And then he does a slow version of Danny Boy, which is actually much better than you would think. Walk in off the melody and you might think this an Otis Redding backing track. Of course Geis over exagerates. But the very very cool organ backing really makes it. In fact, the unnamed organist is the real star here.
The Guilloteens Hey You! b/w I Don't Believe (HBR)
There's some great Hanna-Barbera records out there and you can count this as one of them. Hey You! is a great Back From the Grave worthy garage punk cruncher. Teen angst & attitude couple with a great primitive fuzz guitar. I Don't Believe is an odd twangy pop song that sounds like it is supposed to be Blue Eyed Soul but the production couple with clunkiness of the band handicaps it in a good way. This is the most interesting of the two cuts, but Hey You! still rules this 45.
Frank Gorshin Turn Around, Look At Me b/w Free (King)
I am sure at least one of you knew Frank "The Joker" Gorshin made records and you probably have them all. This is my first and it is not bad. The guy has a nice voice and loves to play with it. It is pretty amazing the arsenal of voices he has, all of which he displays on this Vegas floor show-style novelty 45. Hard to listen to more than once.
Eddie Cooley & the Dimples Priscilla b/w I Got a Little Woman (Royal Roost)
Early rock & roll. Priscilla is good for what it is. I Got a Little Woman is a bit better, a safer version of Jerry Lee Lewis. I am sure there are collectors who swoon over this, but not me.
The Tommy Heck Quintet The Lost World b/w Blue 22 (Chariot)
Tommy Heck! What a name! I guess Tommy Hell was taken or maybe a bit edgy for Mr. Heck. That's fine, as Heck does two really good guitar instrumentals. They are lo-fi enough and with a decent amount of twang to provide a nice counter to an exotica string section. I'm talking Lost World here. On Blue 22, Heck shifts things up with some Wipe Out, Mexican guitar, spy music, and noir swing. It all works and makes for a real cool 60s instro 45.
# posted by Scott Soriano : 14:29
Comments:
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I for one have got to hear the Gorshin. The way you describe the Webs makes it sound like a must also. The thing that differentiates your music blog from others is eklechtichness.
For example, thanks for the Israeli dude couple of weeks back.
For example, thanks for the Israeli dude couple of weeks back.
# posted by 
: 19:03
: 19:03
LOL, maybe I should start being so blunt over at my blog.
Anyway, I always love the tip sheet posts. The only one of these that I have is the Eddie Cooley, which turns up pretty frequently. It's decent but, I agree, nothing to get too excited about. Oh, I think that I had that Belmonts disc at one time. Decent but not really my kind of thing.
Anyway, I always love the tip sheet posts. The only one of these that I have is the Eddie Cooley, which turns up pretty frequently. It's decent but, I agree, nothing to get too excited about. Oh, I think that I had that Belmonts disc at one time. Decent but not really my kind of thing.
We appreciate it all; The music and the words.
I'm still grooving with The Ordells.
Thanks again!
Scott
I'm still grooving with The Ordells.
Thanks again!
Scott
# posted by : 10:13
: 10:13
Yeah, like I'm gonna go scouring the ends of the earth for Tommy Heck records . . . .
But seriously - I thought you'd made a mistake, you usually link us vinyl zombies up nice (for which many thanks!)
Anyway I'll keep my eyes open - anyone named frickin' Tommy Heck has GOT to be good!
-j
But seriously - I thought you'd made a mistake, you usually link us vinyl zombies up nice (for which many thanks!)
Anyway I'll keep my eyes open - anyone named frickin' Tommy Heck has GOT to be good!
-j
I hate to show off my comic book geek side but I feel point out that Frank Gorshin played "The Riddler" not "The Joker."
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# posted by : 12:56
: 12:56<< Home
