The Los Angeles Chargers proved the world that they are pretenders to the cause as Kansas City swept them 30-13 in K.C. on a above normal winter's day. They fail to close the deal once again. They still got an outside chance of making the playoffs but not beating the Chiefs this season might have regulated them to watching the playoffs on TV again.
Passings: Keely Smith, female counterpoint to the late Louis Prima and a pretty good torch singer in her own right passed away from heart failure on Saturday at age 89. http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/17/iconic-vocalist-keely-smith-dies-from-apparent-heart-failure-at-89/
Ralph Carney-Eccentric guitar player who was part of Tin Huey years ago, died Sunday from injuries received in a auto accident. He was 61. Carney was part of Tom Waits's Island albums of the mid 80s (Rain Dogs, Frank's Wild Years)
On Monday, it will mark 20 years since Chris Farley passed away. We still miss him.
What's one more bargain hunt? So I went up to Dubuque to fight the Christmas crowd holding up the check out lines and screaming babies making everybody deaf. I would like to say that the Mexican supper was good, but it really wasn't, it was dried out and luke warm but the help was gracious. For next year, my new found girlfriend will restrict me to an organic and vegan sort of diet. We'll worry about that till she gets back from vacation.
Even if it's a week before Christmas, I did managed to find some 45s and a couple CDs. Moondog had a buy 2 get one free and of course I found three, an early Johnny Rivers best of, Allman Brothers Peaking At The Beacon and Meet The Smithereens, their Beatles tribute album. For albums, I found A LeRoux Keep The Fire Buring and a New Life by Marshall Tucker but while debating to get Eliot Easton Change No Change LP and putting it back for a second, some dude came out of nowhere and picked it up under my face. It's not that I'm hurting for new music, in fact I found 10 45s of note that compensate for the whole thing. Alas, Susie Darling by Robin Luke was too scratchy to play the whole thing through. That happens.
1. The Blues-Henry Mancini (RCA 47-7785) 1960
Although Henry is associated with the light music as a composer, he would strike up some dark songs once in a while and perhaps a future look into his best moments would be in order Days Of Wine And Roses not withstanding. His Peter Gunn composition has been used by the likes of Duane Eddy and The Pirates. The Blues is a dark little number that would fit in well with Peter Gunn or Mr Lucky. Since it was a very dark little number it didn't chart. B side Big Noise From Winnetka has been a fox trot classic for anybody who plays it.
2) Dum Dum-Brenda Lee (Decca 31272) #4 1961
Little Miss Dynamite was a constant chart topping rockabilly country singer and she was in a middle of peak years of putting out good songs. This song Jackie DeShannon co wrote and of course she would go on to her own career. Dum Dum is uptempo, b side Eventually is a I'm Sorry knockoff complete with the weeping strings in the background. That made number 56 on the charts.
3) All Alone Am I-Brenda Lee (Decca 31424) #3 1962
It seems in the past couple years Brenda Lee 45s have been found and documented here at SGS. My mom had a few of them in her collection but I have not warmed up to them as much but since they were a part of the early years, the inner hoarder in me would pick them up and listen to once and donate back to St Vincent De Paul. Brenda Lee did specialize in picking heart break songs and All Alone Am I is one of them. This doesn't depress me as much as Losing You did, but I wouldn't consider this to be essential listening. Save All Your Lovin' For Me, the B side continues the ballad on one side, rock and roll on the other side mentality that Lee was famous for. I tend to favor the rock and rollers more so too. This B side made number 53, but is never heard on the radio anymore.
4) My Girl Sloopy-The Vibrations (Atlantic 2221) #26 1964
I'm guessing a doo wop/r and b group in the style of The Rivingtons, they had a hit with The Watusi for Checker in 1961 (#25) and their last soul shot, There's Love In Them Hills was written and produced by Gamble Huff and covered by the Pointer Sisters in the mid 70s, one of the most funkiest songs the Pointer's ever put out. Anyway, back to the subject, My Girl Sloopy actually predates The McCoy's version and was produced by Bert Berns, who at that time for Atlantic produced a few nifty singles from Ben E King. The B side to the Atlantic Oldies Series to this song is Mr Lee by The Bobbettes (#6 1957). Would have been more fun had Atlantic tacked on I Shot Mr. Lee for fun and giggles. (Boom Boom, shot him in the head, Boom Boom now he's in heaven, inspirational lyric)
Note: check out the b side to Mr. Lee Look At The Stars, some of the toughest r and b from 16 year old female singers.
5) Missing You-Ray Peterson (Dunes 45-2006) #29 1961
Originally done by Red Sovine and Webb Pierce, this is Ray's attempt for the pop charts.
6) There She Goes-Jerry Wallace (Challenge 59098) #26 1961
7) The Yard Went On Forever-Richard Harris (Dunhill D-4170) #64 1968
Jimmy Webb, the guy behind MacArthur Park to which he shopped to The Association and they turned it down (too long they said) and so he gave this one to Richard Harris and had a number 2 hit. The first 7 minute song to made number 2 so to speak, so the followup was this goofy child choir song that I originally loved when I was 7 years old but nowadays the novelty has worn off. One of those guilty pleasure songs. Kinda like a prog rock Yummy Yummy Yummy.
8) A Brand New Me-Dusty Springfield (Atlantic 45-2685) #24 1969
Dusty's blue eyed soul was a perfect fit for the Gamble-Huff team as she covered this Jerry Butler hit and it sold fairly well. While Atlantic has always been the best label for Soul music, their 45s tended to be a bit troublesome. my copy came from Plastic Products out of Memphis, which did the Midwestern distribution for Atlantic product, and half the time the records were either warped, or the vinyl had imperfections, namely bullets, small dots in the plastic that didn't melt all the way through. Plus it wasn't pressed right either, the record weaves back and forth. Somebody took the time to decode the places where Atlantic got their records pressed. http://www.anorakscorner.com/PressingPlantInfo.html
9) Lollipops And Roses-Jack Jones (Kapp K-435) #66 1962
Pop singer with a muzak mushy type of song that better forgotten. I like Husbands and Wives better, as well as The Race Is On.
10) Sealed With A Kiss-Brian Hyland (ABC-Paramount 45-10336) #3 1962
Out of the all teen idols of the 60s, the ones that have come into view for me lately have been Johnny Tilliotson and Brian himself and history will treat both of them as legitimate folks that made pretty good music. The jury is still out on Bobby Vinton though although Bobby's version in 1972 wasn't bad either. Of course it's Stanley Applebaum's dated arrangements which makes this song forever associated with 1962 but even pop idol songs of that past, if there's a good melody and lyrical content people will remember them better. As for today if this is the final edition of Singles Going Steady, I can't think of a more appropriate song to conclude such vinyl finds. In the vinyl renaissance of this century, Brian Hyland 45's have played a role in compiling the SGS series. My music tastes will continue to skate all over the place long after we said our goodbyes but for off the wall things, I'd say Brian Hyland was one of the more interesting finds. Even if they were straight ahead pop.
Record Reviews:
Wheeler Walker Jr-Redneck Bullshit (Thirty Tigers 2017)
This is by far the most un politically correct album ever made, it's a cream pie between the titties of corporate country radio and big vat of acid that scars bro country but it's so country honest and funny that I had to hear it twice to get the whole thing. Ben Hoffman (formerly of Comedy Central's Ben Show) is a comedian masquerading as Wheeler Walker Jr and this album that released in February of this year is honky tonk smut, I mean it would offend the meek on such titles as Which One O You Queers Gonna Suck .....or for the ladies Sit On My Face (not the Monty Python song but rather a Walker original) and Family Tree is so sick it has to be heard to be believed. Dave Cobb (Whiskey Myers) produces the album and gives it a real country honky tonk feel. For heartbreak galore there's I Can't Fuck You Out Of My Mind but Walker's best song is a song about getting his heart broken. It's called Fuck You Bitch. Don't expect the bro country stations to play it but I just might enough to include it in the best of 2017. Which shows you where my mind is at.
Grade A-
Bette Midler-Bathhouse Betty (Warner Bros 1996)
Somehow, It's The Girls was so good that it enticed me to find The Divine Miss M's other albums in the two dollar bins and Bathhouse Betty is one that comes up quite a bit. I don't know, I tend to fall asleep on the ballads, and her hip hop moves have dated (Big Sox comes to mind). She's great at the jazz standards and tin pin alley uptempo numbers that she doesn't do enough of. But what sinks this for me is that One Monkey Don't Stop No Show isn't the Joe Tex number but rather Big Mama Thornton's. Which is okay. But David Foster is the reason this album goes back to the donation box at Goodwill.
Grade C+
The Dashboard Saviors-Love Sorrow Hatred Madness (Medium Cool/Twin Tone 1995)
One of those band that got caught up in the Americana craze of the 1990s but the feather in their cap was Peter Buck producing their first album. I'm always a sucker for the boozy vocals, and Rolling Stone ripoff chords and Todd McBride sets things on fire with Just Like Geronimo. They do sound like Athens' answer to the Gear Daddies or for that matter a harder Jayhawks. The ballads on side 2 do drag a bit, but then they right that wrong with a sloppy Happy Camper that makes the Faces sound polished. I may have to be on the lookout for their previous two albums. This turned out to be their final effort before the money ran out.
Grade A-
Allman Brothers Band-Peaking At The Beacon (550 Music/Epic 2000)
For a moment, this live document was going to be a economical affair till we get the 27 minute High Falls which really goes nowhere, especially on the drum solo that goes on forever. But for the final Dickie Betts album it's a bit historical and of course Seven Turns that despite a mix that buries the vocals is pleasant ear candy. But I think it borrows a few too many songs off the first album and basically you had to be there to witness this.
Grade C+
Johnny Rivers-This Could Be The One (Jasmine 2013)
A few of these songs ended up on cheapo compilations on cheapo labels in the 60s (Pickwick, Spectrum, Design) and captures Johnny Rivers as an not too impressive impersonator of Elvis, Ricky Nelson or Buddy Holly for that matter. In fact this doesn't even hit of the later live recordings that Imperial made that showed Rivers was a good covers artist. He was certainly trying to be a Elvis wannabe on the Gone and Suede Recordings, and the band he was with was very cheesy at best, they weren't no Scotty, Bill or DJ for that matter. He did better by making White Cliffs Of Dover a uptempo number and had a more rock and roll vibe on the throwaway The Customary Thing, one of two singles recorded for Cub Records. Then on Chancellor Records they cheesed him up again although his version of Johnny Cash's So Doggone Lomesome proved he was more pop rock than pop teen idol which that the label responsible for Fabian and Frankie Avalon became a clash of ideas. The last stop, at Capitol Records, he covered Long Black Veil with Nick Vinet producing and it wasn't bad. In true fashion this compilation came out on the cheapo cheapo Jasmine label, a label that has done justice of finding such of River's forgotten and forgettable 45s and of course it's only for fans that are looking for off the wall stuff, or audiophiles or anthologists trying to piece together Rivers' career. I still think the choice stuff, Pickwick cherry picked and did put out on the S/T Johnny Rivers album that was a part of my growing up years. I still enjoy the Guyden one off Hole In The Ground with the catchy response "way down down" and the Elvis ripoffs are admirable but it's not an essential album you can live with.
Grade B-
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