So we can catch our breath. Here's the next ten songs on forty five.
1) She's Not There-The Road (Kama Sutra KA-256) 1968
One of the more sought after 45s is this cover of the Zombies' classic. But for many many years The Road's version was the one I was most familiar with. Somebody was listening to The Vanilla Fudge judging by the arrangement and over the top ending that owes more to You Keep Me Hanging On than The Zombies. My copy was shot, so I decided to get this replacement which is a half step ahead of mine, less craters and scratches, but could use a nice clean itself. B side A Bummer is lots of fun, a two note riff till the middle break to which somebody is yawning in the background. Priceless.
2) Goodbye 50's Hello 60's-Quaker City Boys (Swan S4045) 1959
Well hell, what's this. Some of that ragtime pop that did go out of style at the stroke of midnight in 1960. The so called marching sound of Philadelphia they said. B side You Call Everybody Darlin' is Fats Domino meeting Cliff Steward and the San Francisco Boys in Philadelphia. An acquired taste for sure.
3) Living Doll-Cliff Richard (ABC Paramount 45-10042) #30 1959
With the Drifters from the UK, but when George Tredwell threw a tizzy, they changed their name to The Shadows Cliff could have been the UK answer to Ricky Nelson, in this song. Hank Marvin is the UK's answer to James Burton at this time period B side Apron Strings is more fun. Try to find the 45 with The Drifters's name on it. It's worth a bit more.
4) Be Bop Baby-Ricky Nelson (Imperial 5463) #4 1957
B side Have I Told You Lately That I Love You made it to number 29. Imagine that, the followup we have Ricky Nelson and James Burton to compare notes. Only here in Record World you get such wonders such as me and my half crocked comments. Ricky Nelson, like Bobby Darin and Brenda Lee seem to have their music in these singles going steady anthology. I think I'm more used to the smooth out stereo version than the mono 45 mix which is up close and personal. Of late, Rick's later stuff have appeared here, not that the Imperial sides are hard to find but most that I do find are chewed up. I didn't buy this one, when the BIG SALE was going on at St Vinnie's in June but it was still here, I could tell by its former owner still has his name on a tape. Those things are a bitch to remove so I guess it will have to stay on. The B side is bit too poppy for regular plays.
5) Rusty Bells-Brenda Lee (Decca 31849) #33 1965
Come in Brenda Lee with this mellow weeper. The original intent was to find Is It True but Mad City Music X had about 12 other Brenda Lee songs, but I didn't find it in the quarter bins. When I see about the songs that Lee placed on the charts I am shocked how oldies radio rarely plays her music. B side If You Don't she reveals her inner Dusty Springfield.
6) Doodle Doo Doo-World's Greatest Jazz Band (Atlantic Jazz 45-5108) 1971
Dixieland jazz from Yank Lawson and Bob Haggard. Jazz records were not exactly selling big time in the 70s, certainly not jazz so any one that I find, I usually buy with a sense of wonderment. Root Dog, combines more of a swing jazz to the New Orleans beat. Kinda of a update in sound but also looking back at the past.
7) Would You Ever-Dorothy Collins (Coral 9-61753) 1956
Pop chanteuse with Dick Jacobs arranging the number in accordance of the 1950s pop sound. B side Baby Can Rock is gag gag gag me with a spoon. Is it rock? Hell no. It's a Minute forty eight of Ha ha ha haaa baby can rock.
8) Would You Mind-Hank Snow (RCA 47-6057) 1955
The other side Yellow Roses made number 3 on the country charts but Hank's glory years were in the late 40s and early 50s, just like labelmate Eddy Arnold. Andy Williams did cover Would You Mind, one of the more uptempo hillbilly country songs from Snow. Would You Mind does Hank Williams proud, as well as Bob Wills, (all them fiddles)
9) I Do-The Marvelows (ABC Paramount 45-10629) #37 1965
A soul song so obscure I knew nothing about it till J Geils Band covered it in 1977 and scored a 1981 live version of said song. Collectors around the world are always looking for their singles, to which they recorded for ABC for four years. The B side My Heart is a sadly outdated cha cha number, tho I dig the baritone bass singer.
10) Open Up Your Heart-Roy Agee (Shirley 123631) 1963
A reissue of SH 106, when Atlantic distributed this, I remember the record from the first batch of boxed records you can get at the thrift stores in the 60s, mostly Atlantic stuff and probably the best of the batch. Echoes of Bobby Blue Bland on Open Up Your Heart including the crooning and moans, with Ray Badger's over the top horns making this a better song than I remembered. First time I heard this 50 years ago, I wasn't impressed but now, it has grown on me to the point that I needed to find a new copy. Out of the three museum forty fives, this one plays the best.
