Yet another attempt to document the 45 findings and trying to make sense of it all. Turns out the majority of these singles did come from 1957 and 1958, to which The Sounds of 57 would be the perfect title.
As with the majority of these songs, I have no clue how they sound, I just went with a feeling that I might find something of value to listen to. Most of these artists were minor, except for Ruth Brown and Ted Taylor. As with dated 50's big band production, these were the sounds of the times, all the way down to Vaughn Monroe's muzak arrangements. The majority of these are still keepers, the lesser known an experiment not to hit the reject button. That's how it goes when you look at old 50s records. Keeping an open mind always works.
1) Amstel Beer Calypso-Jamaica Johnny (Phillips 399 146 DF) 1957
Jamaica Johnny made a bunch of singles in the late 50s, mostly via Phillips Netherlands but I never seen a picture sleeve of this before. A product of the times Amstel is noted for the first imported dutch beer. Heineken bought them out in 1968 and closed the dutch brewery down, but it's still going strong. If you can handle the aftertaste tho.
2) Stan The Man-Steve Bledsoe and the blue jays (Scope 1961x45) 1958
Stan Musial, one of the greatest all time St Louis Cardinals ever gets a country song named for him. B side Peabody's Tomb is a novel rockabilly number complete with a crazy baritone singer to boot.
3) Shepherd Of The Stars-Dick Noel (Fraternity F-788) 1957
Best known for covering Hot Dog That Made Her Mad (Wanda Jackson had a bigger hit with her version) Noel was a pop crooner somewhat in a Perry Como vein or a not so rowdy Al Martino. Maybe the b side Moonlight In Mexico was the hit. Who cares anyway?
4) Jealous-Danny Kellarney (Fraternity F-783) 1957
One of two singles Danny recorded for Fraternity, basically in the style of Guy Mitchell and Ray Conniff productions. Songs this paranoid shouldn't be so happy and bouncy. You Can't Fool An Angel is B side pop nonsense.
5) Two Ways-Shirley Norwood (Fraternity F-789) 1957
Another unknown pop singer of the 50s, Shirley probably best known for Two Hearts (with an arrow between), this is the first of two forgotten singles for Fraternity. The annoying accordion didn't help things. Take My Heart is more annoying accordion and pop muzak vocals.
6) Days Are Dark-Ted Taylor (Ebb 113) 1957
After going through 4 pop standards, we get lowdown in the R and B from Ted Taylor, who has a career recording for various labels in his career, mostly for Ronn/Jewel in the 60s. Days Are Dark have that perfect r and b shuffle. Everywhere I go, is uptempo rock, Taylor sings in a Little Willie John vein. A keeper.
7) Pretend You Don't See Her-Steve Allen (Coral 9-61909) 1957
Light muzak jazz from Allen. As well as I Still Haven't Got Him.
8) When You Return-Tony Williams (Mercury 71158x45) 1957
The voice of The Platters tries for a solo career, trading the Platters for a orchestra but still under Buck Ram's production. In the long run, Johnny Mathis and Al Hibbler had him beat, simply of better songs or arrangments. The failure of this song put Williams back to the Platters till 1961 when he tried again for a solo career and had some singles on Reprise and Phillips. B side Let's Start All Over Again is more MOR Hogwash.
9) San-Terry Snyder And His Rhythm (Coral 9-61901) 1957
Later covered by Chet Atkins and Tom Tomilinson and Jerry Kennedy, it's a country slated rockabilly number. I have a soft spot for instrumentals like this song. B side is That Certain Party, guitarist is none other is Al Caiola .Somehow I can picture Owen Bradley producing these sessions.
10) The Stroll-The Lancers (Coral 9-61930) 1957
Of course, The Diamonds had the better known hit, but it did sounds like Mickey Baker played guitar on this version by the Lancers. Neely Plumb arranged this, he'd later become a producer for RCA and gave us Hugo Montgergo's Good, Bad And Ugly. B side Jo Ann is cover originally done by The Playmates, which is a bit more lively than The Playmates. If you really care.
11) I Can't Help It-Margaret Whiting (Dot 45-15680) #74 1958
Probably the only batch of forty fives that made the charts, this is Margaret's only Dot single on the top 100. She could do country but being stuck with Vaughn Monroe's arrangements turns this more into MOR than country. B side That's Why I Was Born, is a cover of the Janice Harper number. A bit too over the top for Margaret to pull this off.
12) Since You Went Away From Me-Sandy Stewart (Okeh 4-6941) #23 1953
Best known for the number 20 My Coloring Book, Sandy brings a bit of moodiness to a spare Joe Reisman's arrangement. B side Before, goes too much in the MOR well for me to care.
13) The Auctioneer-Leroy Van Dyke (Dot 45-15503) #19 1956
Of course, Walk On By gave him a big hit in 1961 but this is the song that Leroy is best known for. The original version is hillbilly country gold. And he was an auctioneer before hand too. Andy Nelson plays guitar, (no relation to Willie ya know) I Fell In Love With A Poni Tail is the B side.
14) Wait Little Darling-Kay Cee Jones (Decca 9-30020) 1956
She scored with the Japanese Farewell Song in 1955. This was her first single for Decca, however, the rumor had it that the b side The Gypsy Fortune Teller was then picked to be the a side. Neither song charted. I think I like Wait Little Darling a bit more.
15) Looking For Someone To Love-Jerri Adams (Columbia 4-40992) 1957
Jerri was a dead-ringer for Doris Day's singing and she was Doris' label and used Ray Conniff. I'm All Right Now borrows the tapdance that Archie Breyer used for The Cordettes at the beginning, then Ray's arrangements turns it more into country. Conniff's vocal group turns it back to MOR, in a way.
16) This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'-Ruth Brown (Atlantic 45-1197) #24 1958
The find of the bargain hunt. Includes the original Atlantic sleeve. Bobby Darin and King Curtis wrote this, and Curtis plays sax, Micky Baker on guitar. Ruth Brown remains one of the underrated Atlantic soul singers and this song proves she can rock with the best of them. Record hunters are always on the prowl looking for old Atlantic singles of the 50s and 60s, but it is a rare occasion to find the singles that are still in good shape. B side Why Me returns Ruth back into hard core R and B blues.
17) It's An Open Secret-The Joy Strings (Atco 45-6292) 1964 (#32 UK)
The off the wall find was this one off for Atco by The Joystrings, led by Joy Webb. A UK band basically part of the Salvation Army band, they were UK Christian folk/rock tho I use the rock term very loosely. Perhaps the most gospel of recordings for Atlantic/Atco (this was leased from EMI actually, they were on Regal Zonophone in the UK). The last Atco single I found was Johnny Milton which was more polka jazz, but back then Atlantic would find odd ball stuff from Bent Fabric, Mr. Acker Bilk and Jorge Imgerson and stash them on the Atco label. The Joy Strings would have one more single in the states (on Epic) and basically stayed on the other side of the pond.
This monthly foray into the Quad Cities once again yielded some decent finds and not so much decent finds either. I found the Zappa Apostrophe'/Overnight Sensation 2 on 1 Cd on Rykodisc as well as Synergy/The Jupiter Menace, The Vogues Greatest Hits, Best Of Jesse Winchester, and King Crimson Islands for a dollar apiece. The not so great was Kacey Chambers/Wayward Angel (I had that once and donated it) and American Authors Oh, What A Life. Plus I got to take part of the Pub 1848 Acoustic Jam later that evening. Co Op Moline still didn't have the new Neil Young Home Grown album, and I passed on I can't sit still by Don Henley and Do You Love Me by the Countours since the line at the Goodwill in Bettendorf was crowded and I didn't feel like waiting. All of the records mentioned came from Moline's Goodwill, after somebody donated a bunch of late 50s pop standards. I cherry picked the best out the bunch just to hear them. I suspect once Ragged Records open their doors, I'll be back but I did promised Sean Ryan, the host of the Pub 1848 jam that I would return soon.
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