Oldies
Lil Marlene-Marlene Dietrich (Decca 23456) MCA-60137 1950
The Wild Side Of Life/Six Pack To Go-Hank Thompson (Capitol 6079) 1952, 1960
I Found Someone Of My Own-Cal Smith MCA-60171 1972
Little Green Apples-Roger Miller b/w Mohair Sam-Charlie Rich (Smash 1420) 1968/1965
T For Texas Yodel-Grandpa Jones (Monument WSB 03438) 1982
The Marlene Dietrich single was the oddball find. The two best known Hank Thompson songs are side by side here, Cal Smith starts an impressive top 10 run on the country charts with this Free Movement cover, the other side is The Lord Knows I'm Drinking. I always liked Roger's version of Little Green Apples which, true to form is stripped down folk country. Interesting to note that Smash opted for Mohair Sam rather than another of Roger's other hits.
Going Going Gone-Brook Benton (Mercury 72230) #35 1964
Send For Me-Nat "King" Cole (Capitol F-3737) #6 1957
Funny-Gene McDaniels (Liberty F-55444) #99 1962
What Would I Do-Mickey & Sylvia (RCA 47-7811) #46 1960
Hobo Blues Part 1 and 2-Jimmy Smith (Verve VK-10283) #69 1963
Backfield In Motion-Mel & Time (Bamboo 107) #10 1969
Nat Cole is been more MOR pop but once in a while he would show off his blues side and Send For Me is one of his straighter R and B numbers and one of my fave songs from him. Funny, on the other hand, McDaniels sounds bored with a blah Snuff Garrett production. B side Chapel Of Tears shows more real soul and would have worked better as A side. What Would I Do would be the only top 100 placement on the RCA label, (tho they record for RCA, Love Is Strange was on Groove and a couple others on VIK) a serviceable R and B song, tho others like B side This Is My Story which made number 100 for a week, arranged by Mickey Baker and King Curtis adding some sax. Jimmy Smith did make the billboard top 100 more often than you think with the jazz blues of Hobo Blues. Backfield In Motion from Mel and Tim was Chicago soul to which Gene Chandler had some input on production. This record is the scratchy one. Finding Brook Benton singles have been quite easy, Going Going Gone is a odd time country flavored number that really doesn't do Brook much justice.
New York Mining Disaster 1941-The Bee Gees (Atco 45-6487) #14 1967
Even The Bad Times Are Good-The Tremeloes (Epic 5-10233) #36 1967
How Do You Catch A Girl?-Sam The Sham (MGM K-13649) #26 1966
Airplane Song (my airplane)-The Royal Guardsmen (Laurie LR-3391) #46 1967
Sunshine Games-The Music Explosion (Laurie LR-3400) #63 1967
Jack Of Diamonds-The Daily Flash (Parrot PAR-308) 1966
Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead-The Fifth Estate (Jubilee JB-5573) #11 1967
Smile A Little Smile For Me-The Flying Machine (Congress 6-6000) #5 `1969
They Took You Away I'm Glad I'm Glad-Josephine (Valiant V-745) 1966
Cat's Eye In The Window-Tommy James (Roulette R-7126) #90 1972
Shine-Waylon Jennings (RCA JK-12367) 1981 #5 Country
The Valley Below-Eddy Arnold (RCA JK-13339) 1982
Whoever had these records were major record buyers of the 1966-1969 era. Most of these songs had better placement in the regional charts, namely The Fifth Estate's Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, to which I've been searching for this forty five and came up empty a couple times. The Bee Gees' NY Mining Disaster would be the first of many top 20 singles. The Flying Machine's Smile A Little Smile did hit number 1 around the area. The Josephine track is the response to They're Coming To Take Me Away Ah Haaa, and I'm sure Jerry Samuels had something to do with that track. The Joseph track on the other side is the regular speed male vocal version that is seldom heard, unless you have the 45. The Record is a bit scratchy on the Josephine side but for a curio it's worth keeping. The Daily Flash Jack Of Diamonds is the b side to Queen Jane App. which stories say that the band wasn't happy and shelved the Bob Dylan cover. Jack Of Diamonds did make it on the Rhino box set of Nuggets and seems more happy there than as b side. As with most of the Parrot 45s, the sound quality leaves something to be desired by. Sunshine Games was the followup to Little Bit O Soul but I swore I never heard this song on the radio despite the number 63 chart placement, the other side Can't Stop Now sounds like uninspired Paul Revere And The Raiders. The Airplane Song was the first song that was related to Snoopy and the Red Baron song and tho it was nicely sounded bubblegum, people didn't buy it. So Right To Be In Love, didn't chart, tho Laurie Records re released Baby Let's Wait and stuck that song as a B side. B side to Airplane Song is Om, a throwaway hippie dippy number that is quite unlike the Royal Guardsmen. Not too many folks covered Harold Arlen, which the Fifth Estate did and Arlen wasn't exactly thrilled when he heard this version. But then again he didn't mind the royalty checks coming in either. Sam The Sham songs are always fun to get and hear again. He was on a roll with How Do You Catch A Girl. Likewise the Tremeloes.
Tommy James has always been a great artist and finding Cat's Eye In The Window is a rare find. Waylon continue to deliver great music even as his star was beginning to fade in 1981 with Shine. Eddy Arnold was more mellow country than I cared for but The Valley Below is like to Cattle Call as El Paso City is to El Paso from Marty Robbins, it showed that when Eddy wanted to do the old lonesome cowboy songs of the past, he could still do it. But radio didn't care, nor did the buying public, the record sunk without a trace on the charts.
Israelites, as mentioned before, was a replacement copy for mine that had a big scratch through the record, this record was one of the early big reggae hits before Bob Marley and Desmond Dekker would have a couple more UNI singles that would grace the charts but to me this song was his signature tune. I could use another you, I don't think is as scratchy as the AZ copy that I found but RCA at that time was using those crappy recycled vinyl that made the record sound scratchy even after a couple plays. Eddy Raven was a journey man country artist but his RCA years are probably his best known. I got duped into buying the Curb best of, which was remakes of his hits but Sony music never gave Eddy much justice, giving a cheap 9 song best of that missed a few hits and All American Country, which is a better buy, but even back then Sony BMG threw this in the Wal Mart bargain bin section, back when Wally World had a CD and bargain bin section.
This is actually the first decent find of 45s in the area since Coralville of last year. The greatest fear was thinking perhaps the guy that has the monthly Marion record sales is out scouring the bins or having first dibs when Goodwill or Salvation Army has one. Usually I don't have a find of music of 1966 thru 1968 rock and pop hits in this quantity and quality. Brook Benton is quietly sneaking up the charts of 45s found but it's always cool to find Jimmy Smith's music as well. While Josephine and The Daily Flash's singles are a bit scratchy, they do fit the pattern of music that I found growing up from old thrift stores. Piece by piece, they are the reminder of days of AM radio and hearing something new between the crap that was Donnie Osmond or Tony Orlando or Beverly Bremmers. It's a shame we don't have that anymore, thanks to Corporate Radio and the GOP's 1996 Control (Telecommications) act. Till the next batch comes in, this will have to do.
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