tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6626539580932655682024-03-24T07:00:46.777-07:00Music WeirdThe Music Weird originates from the elemental place of music and attacks all living things. Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-53958651405962887702024-01-18T08:45:00.000-08:002024-01-19T05:24:22.762-08:00The Music Weird's Best of 2023<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVH-Z45mVi6MgkRZR0qb04tjiO76G4QOP2so6sGziyRttRLsgC1fsz2Vy88ukKPrXtLv-KroQ_q9ACMe-fdc2bF58kH8L74KYP8BoqASKm8lr7GpC9GDoKj0DXdqdpepnYgp1wE47XsSeqoAOyU8F10K3vSyy6P_VlZlPbr_dQhxYIev9c6uJvz2no90/s1080/1080x1080.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVH-Z45mVi6MgkRZR0qb04tjiO76G4QOP2so6sGziyRttRLsgC1fsz2Vy88ukKPrXtLv-KroQ_q9ACMe-fdc2bF58kH8L74KYP8BoqASKm8lr7GpC9GDoKj0DXdqdpepnYgp1wE47XsSeqoAOyU8F10K3vSyy6P_VlZlPbr_dQhxYIev9c6uJvz2no90/w276-h276/1080x1080.jpeg" width="276" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: arial;">My top 40 of 2023 in no particular order, although I put tracks from my five favorite albums first. The playlist is available on both Tidal and Spotify.</span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Those five albums are: </span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Good Lee – A World Within</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Helios – Espera</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Nuage – 0% Anxiety</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Seb Wildblood – Separation Anxiety</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Lusine – Long Light</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The complete track list is given in text below. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="height: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 100%; position: relative;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/c43f885d-a9f1-42fb-bc82-5e2c3fa9c4cd?layout=gridify" style="height: 1px; left: 0; margin: 0 auto; min-height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4cwZBLSKkf4j06vXBwFWkn?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><p></p><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-4799a49e-7fff-abc3-e875-2b87a1761987"><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"><colgroup><col></col><col></col><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Artist</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Track</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Album</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Good Lee</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Your Happy Place</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A World Within</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Helios</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Familiar Place</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Espera</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nuage</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Full Moon</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">0% Anxiety</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Seb Wildblood w/Laraaji</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">366</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Separation Anxiety</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lusine</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Transonic</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Long Light</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yotto</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Timbre</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Growth</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Mole</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Being a Total Warm Up</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The River Widens</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Yamil</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Symmetry </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amanecer</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rameses B, Borukon</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Moonlight (Lofi Version)</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amtrac</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Connection</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Extra Time</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bonobo, Jacques Greene</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fold</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Teen Daze</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One for Paradise</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Natural Movement</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Phaeleh</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Walk Away</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A New Day</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Harmonious Thelonious</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Afterhour</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cheapo Sounds</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Khotin </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Computer Break (Late Mix)</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Release Spirit</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I:Cube</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kaszio Plus 1</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Eye Cube</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Entheogenic</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Codices</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kailash</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Jack Vanzet, Thrupence</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Turn Around and Go</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Structures</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lane 8</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Woman</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pépe </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Resonant Bodies</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Reclaim</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Luke Brancaccio, Gai Barone</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Memory Child (Original Mix)</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Until the End</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Isolée</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">7eleven2</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Resort Island</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anthony Naples</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Orb Two</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Orbs</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Vril</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Animist</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Animist</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In Explosions</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nothing in Its Right Place</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fakear</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">About You</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Uppermost</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Do Not Surrender</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">P2P</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stavroz</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Her Eyes Were Red</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Autograf, Johanson</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Over the Sea</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Affirmations</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mord Fustang</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nature Over Form</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">X-Press 2</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Muse</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thee</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Vorso</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Facets</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Holonomy</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Icarus, Bacavi</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All for You</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Change</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Clark</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dolgoch Dry as Ash</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cave Dog</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Otik</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Epiphania</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; 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border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mercury in Retrograde</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I’m in a Midnight Sort of Mood</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Syn Sizzle</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Secret Blend</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Brave</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Destiny</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Abel</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Glasshouse</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cosmic Law</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Elderbrook, Tourist</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Howl (Chill Mix)</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">single</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></span></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-62597220342312435012023-08-12T07:45:00.007-07:002024-01-19T05:26:56.868-08:00The Cristy Lane doll (1985)<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVn6E92mV5mV7bmAPMPB3d0iO8e60ry-ydMds_jNX0XluZZiknFEczz4S-ibVcQdxqcfz0gl-iyRXwCaiI9u9TWmLeMlc4NlPpTZmUErRFSVmU28VFGVSa5cYIXpzTKHW7wm8P-9gP8tTCMo1-aOrgIRHx6beqESbhLtaGrPeLJzYOrpSzZLnKRPsZn4U/s1600/cristy%20doll%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVn6E92mV5mV7bmAPMPB3d0iO8e60ry-ydMds_jNX0XluZZiknFEczz4S-ibVcQdxqcfz0gl-iyRXwCaiI9u9TWmLeMlc4NlPpTZmUErRFSVmU28VFGVSa5cYIXpzTKHW7wm8P-9gP8tTCMo1-aOrgIRHx6beqESbhLtaGrPeLJzYOrpSzZLnKRPsZn4U/s320/cristy%20doll%202.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're here, it might be because you—like me—wondered what the Cristy Lane doll looked like.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
This Cristy Lane doll was introduced in 1985 and sold by mail order. The doll was part of a merchandising blitz that coincided with the 1986 publication of Lane's biography, <i>One Day at a Time, </i>written by her husband/manager, Lee Stoller.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYOZPUAitYWnssKxlpkTvv-2VF7RVHj0FymsLLQguLpZIyiemetTeYxU6FQEtBvxkHxTB1ND-bl9BF0u-hfC5z3g6y5WN9o03WFBCWow7zbqyFELgBgb9mEIIb_XoGc_41CzXaUNFA5CkCbkZWQTQuoYmPvkhbHCT-exe3DfeQckbD3wMfwWyLazDGEo/s892/cristydoll6.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYOZPUAitYWnssKxlpkTvv-2VF7RVHj0FymsLLQguLpZIyiemetTeYxU6FQEtBvxkHxTB1ND-bl9BF0u-hfC5z3g6y5WN9o03WFBCWow7zbqyFELgBgb9mEIIb_XoGc_41CzXaUNFA5CkCbkZWQTQuoYmPvkhbHCT-exe3DfeQckbD3wMfwWyLazDGEo/w271-h320/cristydoll6.jpeg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big-hair energy</td></tr></tbody></table></span></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In early 1985, <i>Billboard</i> reported: </span><div><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />In March, Stoller will add a new product to the mix: a 14-inch Cristy Lane doll, which will retail, along with an album of her gospel and "positive" hits, for $19.95, plus $3 for shipping. He says he will test market it in "half a dozen" areas to give him the data he needs to buy tv time during the Christmas season.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Lane started out as a regular country singer and performed worldly cheating and divorce songs such as <a href="https://youtu.be/SkwJTFgCDJ4">"Slippin' Up Slippin' Around"</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/6WPHE3s4Ujs">"I Just Can't Stay Married to You"</a> before moving into contemporary Christian music, so the reference to "'positive' hits" in the <i>Billboard </i>article indicated that the included album (actually a cassette) would not feature those kinds of songs.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x1OlZ8W5Uru7QJS3ouaGqkatIFcahckbPXropVpBS-anSsDYT5H_f383GSVo906o7RgedXZHkRRrqxK8OOKiIC_B7lFoLV-afDJ6ffENRpTcZ23PcnilMKA8UvBt7fAvW8g0hPSBkjFCGtbzsEKMJ7klQpqEuJxOknfcyakVJzvc5MJKzLLcNqz-8Eg/s501/Cristy%20cassette.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0x1OlZ8W5Uru7QJS3ouaGqkatIFcahckbPXropVpBS-anSsDYT5H_f383GSVo906o7RgedXZHkRRrqxK8OOKiIC_B7lFoLV-afDJ6ffENRpTcZ23PcnilMKA8UvBt7fAvW8g0hPSBkjFCGtbzsEKMJ7klQpqEuJxOknfcyakVJzvc5MJKzLLcNqz-8Eg/s320/Cristy%20cassette.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Interestingly, the cassette that came with the doll was titled <i>Simple Little Words</i> and used the same cover as Lane's secular <a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/652362-Cristy-Lane-Simple-Little-Words">United Artists album of the same name</a> but with a different track list that replaced every song except the title track with religious songs or innocuous songs like "Up on the Housetop" (the Christmas song).<br /></span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRYR6VGv6ZeIYG-oquda2Zk67KEVgRkMyuwO9pmkXUhc6Ghl7pAfRBBHyq58O_DVxwNV1dzqXWzOTkqRCGlccAzYq7GM90EQVxlF169noSCSddi37qMKcw7LSDllQ3zA6Lmu67UllvWsu-wn1ikArt54anWc6UxE9_01o6sMzI4NcBtxl9dHpYvG6vs0/s1600/cristy%20doll%206.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRYR6VGv6ZeIYG-oquda2Zk67KEVgRkMyuwO9pmkXUhc6Ghl7pAfRBBHyq58O_DVxwNV1dzqXWzOTkqRCGlccAzYq7GM90EQVxlF169noSCSddi37qMKcw7LSDllQ3zA6Lmu67UllvWsu-wn1ikArt54anWc6UxE9_01o6sMzI4NcBtxl9dHpYvG6vs0/w150-h200/cristy%20doll%206.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>The doll included a "birth certificate" and wore an almost Victorian dress "patterned after the actual garments worn by Cristy." When I read Lane's biography, I saw the ad for the doll in the back pages (reproduced below) and wondered what it looked like, so here it is for anyone else who has a burning curiosity about the Cristy Lane doll.</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZWJojBcrOXQc0lIEsqyvxMFSeQjDkfH6rSKUNOuHL74itw7Xhh7k2M6Hc5k2mHR5cMBDF3j22NE-gSWOEcSefq2716vSvsiMiFdzjGxutHEPkBo_mkwSpaTvcDs6ZT0RgC8BBi02vOIIchr7gOMI-7gaAxFEliC86uG1mlMiCQLcsU_VJrfFZOnDP8E/s1600/cristy%20doll%205.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZWJojBcrOXQc0lIEsqyvxMFSeQjDkfH6rSKUNOuHL74itw7Xhh7k2M6Hc5k2mHR5cMBDF3j22NE-gSWOEcSefq2716vSvsiMiFdzjGxutHEPkBo_mkwSpaTvcDs6ZT0RgC8BBi02vOIIchr7gOMI-7gaAxFEliC86uG1mlMiCQLcsU_VJrfFZOnDP8E/w150-h200/cristy%20doll%205.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcY-xFFbYztMB16vU128pfhbwvqxlTtLYUuGNZ58QVvHk6c0eWE6j4mWP9ypzaQsqVQxlMak9VEvPWFoRgJTTL6R8QyjE__Ki1CrnGqUdWu157rY4kFxlizvOl1EFZkdkgkF-RNaz7EIWijwvckqWg6o06kuN1TJsLkKkA0KDXEeXopB9S0hrb4StqUo/s936/Cristyad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcY-xFFbYztMB16vU128pfhbwvqxlTtLYUuGNZ58QVvHk6c0eWE6j4mWP9ypzaQsqVQxlMak9VEvPWFoRgJTTL6R8QyjE__Ki1CrnGqUdWu157rY4kFxlizvOl1EFZkdkgkF-RNaz7EIWijwvckqWg6o06kuN1TJsLkKkA0KDXEeXopB9S0hrb4StqUo/w256-h400/Cristyad.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I wonder what the "free gift" was?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-58339715072295734922023-01-03T06:57:00.001-08:002023-01-03T06:57:07.532-08:00Best of 2022<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I created the playlist in both Spotify and Tidal, but one track is missing from the Tidal playlist ("Summer" by Frederik Valentin & Loke Rahbek) because I couldn't find it on there. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fave album of 2022 is still Tourist's <i>Inside Out.</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy.</span></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/5S1gBizCAGBkOgKBMawEqb?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="height: 0px; max-width: 100%; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 100%; position: relative;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/d7a7b650-5eb1-4de6-9369-cc4f8814532e?layout=gridify" style="height: 1px; left: 0; margin: 0 auto; min-height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-61406013274433514392022-07-05T07:49:00.002-07:002022-07-06T06:24:01.434-07:002022 album of the year<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_pqAS7J7F6av3ZbWqEBq7h1SUXriP2jTuL6Wr6bpfpzrvjN9Ccy5_Y3jb8UnIm3DKpd7MHSpB0MUjtEvToYaSPI_arqkT8rSw9HtEkycwu63Gc0JGJMguQo106141FrDO0GpQoulqA3tMexqLrjACVwMa5T_B7jX__SFVT9B7Lz82ggrXkoRxv5k/s1200/a2614186420_10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_pqAS7J7F6av3ZbWqEBq7h1SUXriP2jTuL6Wr6bpfpzrvjN9Ccy5_Y3jb8UnIm3DKpd7MHSpB0MUjtEvToYaSPI_arqkT8rSw9HtEkycwu63Gc0JGJMguQo106141FrDO0GpQoulqA3tMexqLrjACVwMa5T_B7jX__SFVT9B7Lz82ggrXkoRxv5k/w422-h422/a2614186420_10.jpeg" width="422" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tourist – <i>Inside Out</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B09RCSRLM7">Amazon Music</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/inside-out/1607395689">Apple Music</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://officialtourist.bandcamp.com/album/inside-out-2">Bandcamp</a><br /><br /><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5VSjUsRU41obhoHo0ghMO0">Spotify</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year is only half over, but I'm calling it now. </span></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">PS: Those aren't affiliate links--I just provided them for readers' convenience. </span> </p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-23237642151938942232022-01-28T06:38:00.000-08:002022-01-28T06:38:23.613-08:0010 old songs that became new hits<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5WOPtneNr3nYHXFpbhO-IFjRLU3he0TacafiQLRd11W304dzgGsjW3TId35sWqMzzzOQ45reGh_r5L2yw7n8pkU666PQP5lxSmo5_Vejuri5F_glhN_zS5PUMzDFuevhHmpbc8zua-qQXjaJ8Xe4MJKEIzd5kyj1g_I51h9HpzsdIu5K4jVLWitZn=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5WOPtneNr3nYHXFpbhO-IFjRLU3he0TacafiQLRd11W304dzgGsjW3TId35sWqMzzzOQ45reGh_r5L2yw7n8pkU666PQP5lxSmo5_Vejuri5F_glhN_zS5PUMzDFuevhHmpbc8zua-qQXjaJ8Xe4MJKEIzd5kyj1g_I51h9HpzsdIu5K4jVLWitZn=s320" width="242" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">We tend to think of current hits as</span><b><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> </span></b><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">"the music of today," but sometimes today's hits are the music of yesterday. Today on the Music Weird, we'll look at 10 recordings that became hits years—or even decades—after they were originally recorded. Many of these hits reflect the power of disk jockeys and movies to pluck songs out of obscurity or to revive the hits of yesteryear.</span><br /><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Old songs that appear in commercials frequently become chart items in the UK, so this list of 10 recordings could easily be much longer than it is. Greatest hits collections often chart in the UK too; <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10884768/Dame-Vera-Lynn-breaks-chart-record-aged-97-with-album-of-wartime-hits.html">Vera Lynn</a> recently had a Top 20 album hit in the UK with a collection of World War 2-era recordings.</span><br /><br /></span><h3><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></b></h3><h3><b><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Sheriff – "When I'm With You"</span></b></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Canadian rock band <b>Sheriff </b>had a major Canadian hit and a minor U.S. hit with "When I'm With You" in 1983. Six years later, <b>Jay Taylor</b>, a disk jockey in Las Vegas, started playing the song, and then <b>Gabe Baptiste</b> at KRXY in Olympia, Washington, started playing the song too. The song continued to spread nationally, reaching #1 in the US in 1989. Sheriff no longer existed at this point, and attempts to reunite the band to capitalize on its posthumous success fizzled. </span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JyIGlUoTh9I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Benny Bell – "Shaving Cream"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Benny Bell</b>'s 1946 novelty song "Shaving Cream" is like the schoolyard rhyme "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Susie">Mary Had a Steamboat</a>" or "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Bang_Lulu">Bang Bang Lulu</a>"; it sets up the listener to anticipate swear words that the song humorously fails to deliver. (Music Weird has a post about "Mary Had a Steamboat" <a href="http://musicweird.blogspot.com/2014/09/mary-had-steamboat-aka-miss-susie.html">here</a>.)</span><br /><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1975, Bell's old 1946 version became a hit after the <i>Dr. Demento</i> show started playing it. Bell wrote the song, but <b>Paul Wynn</b> was the vocalist on the record, even though Bell is credited as the artist on some pressings. <b>Jim Nesbit</b> recorded a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbRktZNTnUU">country cover version</a> in 1975 that also became a minor hit. </span><br /><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Trivia: In 1984, Atlantic Records wanted <b>Jump 'n the Saddle</b> to record "Shaving Cream" for the band's second album, which was supposed to be the follow up to their novelty hit "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curly_Shuffle">The Curly Shuffle</a>." Jump 'n the Saddle grudgingly recorded a version with new lyrics that criticized Atlantic, so the label refused to release the album and also refused to release Jump 'n the Saddle from their contract, effectively ending the group's career.</span><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSAEownqddg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Ben E. King – "Stand by Me"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Ben E. King</b>'s "Stand by Me" was a Top 5 pop hit in 1961 when it was originally released and became a Top 10 hit again in the US in 1986 when it was used as the title track of the film <i>Stand by Me</i>. In 1987, it topped the UK chart after being featured in a Levi Jeans commercial.</span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/hwZNL7QVJjE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><h3></h3><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">4. UB40 – "Red Red Wine"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>UB40</b>'s 1983 recording of <b>Neil Diamond</b>'s "Red Red Wine" inched into the US Top 40 in 1984. Four years later, in 1988, the single was re-released in the US and became a #1 hit. The unexpected hit competed with UB40's <a href="http://www.discogs.com/UB40-UB40/master/108740">self-titled A&M album</a>, which was also released in 1988.</span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LXbtsCDh-Go?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Spirit – "Mr. Skin"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Mr. Skin" was a song from <b>Spirit</b>'s 1970 album <i>Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus</i>. In 1973, Epic Records released a greatest hits collection, <i>The Best of Spirit</i>, and reissued "Mr. Skin" as a single. Surprisingly, it charted in the lower rungs of the <i>Billboard </i>Hot 100. </span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ltsF6x17LkY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b></b></span><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">6. The Beatles – "Got to Get You into My Life"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>The Beatles</b> recorded Paul McCartney's song "Got to Get You into My Life" for their 1966 album <i>Revolver. </i>In 1976, Capitol reissued it as a single to coincide with the greatest-hits collection <i>Rock 'n' Roll Music</i>, and the song became a Top 10 hit. It would be the Beatles' last Top 10 hit until 20 years later, when the posthumous creation "Free as a Bird" hit the Top 10 on the US and UK charts. <b></b></span><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b></b></span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r95-7zfgtLw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Danzig – "Mother"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Mother" was included on Danzig's self-titled debut album in 1988. Almost six years later, the studio version—slightly remixed—barely missed the Top 40. The latter-day success of the recording resulted from Danzig including a live version of the song on the <i>Thrall-Demonsweatlive</i> EP. </span><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5pzbS0Dvg70" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><h3><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></b></h3><h3><b><span style="font-family: arial;">8. The Doors – "Break on Through (To the Other Side)"</span></b></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>The Doors</b>' "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" is one of those oldies hits that is much better known than its meager chart position would suggest. When it was originally released as a single in 1967, it didn't even crack the Hot 100. When re-released 24 years later, it became a somewhat bigger hit in the UK but </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">stalled at #64. </span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rOpQjD-rX0g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><b><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></span></b><br /><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">9. The Belle Stars – "Iko Iko (The Clapping Song)"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>The Belle Stars</b>' 1982 recording of the Dixie Cups' 1965 hit "Iko Iko (The Clapping Song)" was a moderate UK hit when originally released. In 1989, after the song appeared in the film <i>Rain Man</i>, it gained new life and went to #14 in the US. </span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a8Yg9QDJJA8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h3><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Ted Weems – "Heartaches"</span></h3><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ted Weems' "Heartaches" is possibly the most dramatic example on this list. Weems recorded the song for RCA Victor in 1931 and again for Decca in 1938. In 1947, a disk jockey in Charlotte, North Carolina, started spinning the 1931 recording, and interest in the record started to spread. Both RCA Victor and Decca reissued their respective versions in order to meet the demand, and the 1931 recording sailed to #1 during its 16-week run on the pop chart. </span><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LoTcgryE74Y?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-28211397973016844292022-01-16T13:01:00.005-08:002022-01-16T13:08:56.146-08:00Download Jeopardy-style game show theme music for free<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisDO1E5H1zOi5W9s8LL274NOhxIjK0GnCpq5JWym9bCl9I6C76bXe0fO8Ap-7VtRn2cRfoKXAjkZKJ-0lPPHrgOnUWVFfirx3i4tJs-wZpqlm5c_ObNsqISmB-XQRf3fHzLu9CHp5yQ5BqyqukrqMV7fImbS5dLdpCDWUKIpoenV3b9HXx-1FgI6Vi=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="800" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisDO1E5H1zOi5W9s8LL274NOhxIjK0GnCpq5JWym9bCl9I6C76bXe0fO8Ap-7VtRn2cRfoKXAjkZKJ-0lPPHrgOnUWVFfirx3i4tJs-wZpqlm5c_ObNsqISmB-XQRf3fHzLu9CHp5yQ5BqyqukrqMV7fImbS5dLdpCDWUKIpoenV3b9HXx-1FgI6Vi=w495-h288" width="495" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Here's a piece of copyright- and royalty-free music I recorded that you can use if you are looking for something similar to the <i>Jeopardy</i> game-show theme for training events, videos, PowerPoint presentations, etc., but can't use the actual <i>Jeopardy</i> theme for copyright reasons.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I posted the track on YouTube a while ago but am adding it to this page so people can find it more easily. To download the audio, click the download link below or use a YouTube-to-MP3 site to rip the audio directly from the video.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z29KH9PcRhNj-T3SXuOCRGokKAgcy5HJ/view?usp=sharing">MP3 download link</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">(When you click the link above, a preview screen will appear. Click the download icon in the top right-hand corner to download the file.)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MLj-WNU0hh4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-53791579250598992672021-11-12T16:54:00.008-08:002021-11-17T08:50:04.396-08:00First appearance of "My Favorite Things" on a Christmas album? It wasn't Jack Jones<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-or9S_RT52I4/YRGau2pxcjI/AAAAAAAADzQ/u-d8gAo6VVgVWB18jgpE8OO1zaELfFVwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/the-pete-king-chorale-and-orchestra-my-favorite-things-kapp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-or9S_RT52I4/YRGau2pxcjI/AAAAAAAADzQ/u-d8gAo6VVgVWB18jgpE8OO1zaELfFVwQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/the-pete-king-chorale-and-orchestra-my-favorite-things-kapp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><b>Jack Jones</b> is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Favorite_Things_(song)">often</a> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/holiday/8078515/my-favorite-things-christmas-sound-of-music">credited</a> as the first artist to include the song "My Favorite Things" on a Christmas album, but Jones was beaten to the punch by several years by another artist: <b>Pete King</b>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"My Favorite Things," from the <b>Richard Rodgers</b> and <b>Oscar Hammerstein II</b> musical <i>The Sound of Music</i>, wasn't intended to be a Christmas song at all. It contains some mentions of snowflakes and sleigh bells, though, and quickly became associated with the holiday.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1C0MIZDOrg/YY8MOnslZWI/AAAAAAAAEnU/m7RIXb0oSYUxL56Oe5i_FjeY0N7wrN3awCLcBGAsYHQ/s1138/81uGDyqoQJL._SL1153_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1113" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1C0MIZDOrg/YY8MOnslZWI/AAAAAAAAEnU/m7RIXb0oSYUxL56Oe5i_FjeY0N7wrN3awCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/81uGDyqoQJL._SL1153_.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>The Sound of Music</i> opened on Broadway in 1959, and that same year, the <b>Pete King Chorale </b>recorded an album of songs from the musical, which was titled <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/5529080-The-Pete-King-Chorale-The-Sound-Of-Music">The Sound of Music</a></i>. The chorale's rendition of "My Favorite Things" was even released as a <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/k312x">single</a>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BjxGzPyvDU/YY8BJ838iOI/AAAAAAAAEm8/mIhr5ZUmyvkVj7smNYliGjHWnLS_aE7jACLcBGAsYHQ/s599/R-11296503-1603133815-8292.jpeg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="599" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BjxGzPyvDU/YY8BJ838iOI/AAAAAAAAEm8/mIhr5ZUmyvkVj7smNYliGjHWnLS_aE7jACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/R-11296503-1603133815-8292.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The following year, the <b>Pete King Chorale</b> included the song as the first cut on their 1960 Kapp Records Christmas album, <i>Christmas Time</i>. Kapp again released "My Favorite Things" as a single, this time with a <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/k360">holiday-themed picture sleeve</a>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1961, <b>Julie Andrews</b> performed the song on a televised Christmas special. And then in 1964, Jack Jones recorded the version that is usually credited as the song's first appearance on a Christmas album. Within five years, the song had drifted into the Christmas category and soon appeared in mid-'60s Christmas albums by artists such as <b><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/5682430-The-Supremes-Merry-Christmas">The Supremes</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/2299978-Kenny-Burrell-Have-Yourself-A-Soulful-Little-Christmas">Kenny Burrell</a>.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pete King wasn't merely the first artist to include the song on a Christmas album—he also had a role in Jack Jones' recording of "My Favorite Things": King brought Jones to Kapp Records initially and arranged some of his early albums. King didn't arrange Jones' version of "My Favorite Things," though; that credit goes to </span><a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/253409" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Marty Manning</b></a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Pete King Chorale's Christmas album was a good seller and Kapp reissued it every year around the holidays in the early 1960s. The chorale's sound, if you haven't heard them, is more pop oriented than that of, say, the <b>Robert Shaw Chorale</b>. You can listen to the entire album in the video below.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">King was an orchestral pop composer and arranger who was born in Greenville, Ohio, home of the famous <a href="https://www.maidrite-greenville.com/">Maid-Rite Drive-In Sandwiches</a> shop. (King might have eaten there, because it's been open for more than 80 years!) King enjoyed about a decade of work as a bandleader, arranger, and recording artist until </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a stroke left him deaf and he was forced to retire from music. You can find his bandleading and arranging credits on many recordings by top-tier artists such as </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Doris Day</b><span style="font-family: arial;">, </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Dean Martin</b><span style="font-family: arial;">, and </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Julie London</b><span style="font-family: arial;">, and he has an </span><a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/373966-Pete-King-2" style="font-family: arial;">extensive</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/2081751-The-Pete-King-Chorale" style="font-family: arial;">discography</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> under his own name as well.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ujLOjc02JgI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><p></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-74419682928666384212021-10-26T16:53:00.015-07:002022-06-15T13:32:39.071-07:00Clyde Otis, The Diamonds' "The Stroll," and the mysterious Nancy Lee (1957)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFOZWU0xTpc/YXlCezXwxLI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/1ZW7sZjI92gtMVxrPle3bYh0g-_iy-rbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/US_sheet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1162" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFOZWU0xTpc/YXlCezXwxLI/AAAAAAAAEkQ/1ZW7sZjI92gtMVxrPle3bYh0g-_iy-rbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/US_sheet.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;">What if you wrote a #1 hit all by yourself but a music industry bigwig put his teen daughter's name on the song as your co-writer? And then she was featured in all the publicity for the song instead of you? That's exactly what happened to <b>Clyde Otis</b> in 1957 with "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Z4k6edoBM">The Stroll</a>." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Song publishing was a big source of revenue in the music industry in the 1950s, so it inevitably became a bargaining chip for people in positions of power. Songwriters were often asked to give up a portion of their royalties and share the credit for their work in exchange for getting their song published, and practically no songwriter was immune to being exploited in this way. Both struggling and established songwriters fell prey to these arrangements, and one particularly egregious example involved Otis and "The Stroll."</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnNgaE6M1EY/YXiBnnOFudI/AAAAAAAAEjY/ItMRDgb7Ruc4JjCqmizxItnohvySfvWYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s843/clyde-otis-music-group-711x843.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Clyde Otis" border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="711" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnNgaE6M1EY/YXiBnnOFudI/AAAAAAAAEjY/ItMRDgb7Ruc4JjCqmizxItnohvySfvWYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w270-h320/clyde-otis-music-group-711x843.jpg" title="Clyde Otis" width="270" /></a></div>Although Otis wrote the song, which was later recorded by the Canadian vocal group <b>The Diamonds</b>, the story actually begins with The Diamonds. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Dick Clark</b>, the host of TV's <i>American Bandstand</i>, tipped off The Diamonds to the fact that teenagers were doing a dance called “The Stroll” to “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7R-ck2LRWo">C.C. Rider</a>,” sung by turban-wearing R&B shouter <b>Chuck Willis.</b> An opportunity existed, Clark said, for someone to create a song specifically for the dance, which was a laid-back line dance that <i>Billboard</i> described as a "rock and roll version of the minuet."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Diamonds thought this was a great idea and asked songwriter Clyde Otis to write such a song. Otis had written his first Top 20 hit in 1956 for <b>Nat King Cole</b> ("<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGwRMyGEVWQ">That's All There Is to That</a>") and then wrote a bunch more hits for <b>Brook Benton</b> in addition to becoming one of the first African-American A&R men at a major label, in this case Mercury Records, which was also The Diamonds' label.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">By any measure, Otis knocked it out of the park with "The Stroll." It's a memorable song with a hypnotic rhythm that perfectly accompanies the dance it was designed for. Even though The Diamonds were Canadian and a little square, the record ended up having great crossover appeal for rock, pop, and R&B listeners. And the saxophone part was not just icing on the cake—it transformed a gentle stroll into something that sounded raunchy and dangerous.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The song seemed like an inevitable hit, and The Diamonds, Mercury Records, and the song's publishing company were all delighted. But in an odd twist, Clyde Otis—the guy who actually wrote the song—didn't receive as much glory (or money) for it as he should have, because he ended up sharing the composing credit with teenager <b>Nancy Lee </b>as part of a promotional scheme that was probably completely unnecessary.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Nancy Lee was the daughter of <b>Jack Lee</b>, an executive at Meridian Music, the company that published Otis's new song, and someone—possibly Jack Lee himself—had an out-of-the-box marketing idea: What if they claimed that his teen daughter had co-written the song? Wouldn't that be a great hook for radio and magazine stories? Music reporters and disk jockeys would be clamoring to learn more about this delightful teen upstart! And, of course, the record would sell well as a result.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">You can look at this promotional campaign in a few different ways. Nancy's sudden appearance as the co-writer of "The Stroll" was either a) a fraudulent attempt to create interest in the song by claiming that it was written by a high schooler when it wasn't, b) a crass attempt to attach an executive's kid to a sure-fire hit so she could enjoy 15 minutes of fame, or c) an offensive attempt to whitewash the involvement of a black songwriter in a song that was recorded by a white vocal group. Elements of all these might have come into play.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Nancy Lee's alleged involvement in writing the song fueled the marketing campaign, and she appeared in a number of promotional photos with The Diamonds. Some of these photos were used for the sheet music of "The Stroll," and others accompanied magazine articles that profiled the teen.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1urcJrssCnw/YXiHfeA2-KI/AAAAAAAAEjg/sSybuOLx2yccmXVrdFqcwfHtacQAuvEpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1112/Aus_sheet.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="846" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1urcJrssCnw/YXiHfeA2-KI/AAAAAAAAEjg/sSybuOLx2yccmXVrdFqcwfHtacQAuvEpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h263/Aus_sheet.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">What did Clyde Otis think about this arrangement with Nancy Lee? I don't know, but I doubt that he, as the sole songwriter, was overjoyed at being omitted from photos that supposedly depicted the writer of "The Stroll." </span><span style="font-family: arial;">A 1958 issue of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Radio Mirror</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> went so far as to refer to the song as Nancy's composition without even mentioning Otis.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> It's hard to imagine that all this exclusion was unrelated to Otis's skin color. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In <i>DISCoveries</i> magazine in 2004, <b>Andy Merey</b> asked The Diamonds' <b>Dave Somerville</b> about Nancy Lee:</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Who was Nancy Lee?: Curiously, on the original "Stroll" 45, Clyde Otis shares songwriter credits with the mysterious Nancy Lee. Upon examining the original legal songwriter document for "The Stroll", signed on November 17, 1957 by Meridian Music Corporation and the other parties involved, it reveals that Nancy Lee was seventeen at the time, too young to sign the contract on her own, so her mother co-signed as legal guardian. </span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">It seems strange and unlikely that an established songwriter of the stature of Clyde Otis would team up with an underage, seventeen-year old schoolgirl in the big city of New York and collaborate with her in composing "The Stroll". I asked David Somerville about Nancy Lee and how did she come about co-writing "The Stroll". He said, "You wanna know something? She didn't write a damn thing. The song belonged to Clyde Otis. She was the daughter of one of the executives at the publishing company." </span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">The songwriter share was divided up as follows: 66 2/3% for Clyde Otis who solely wrote the song, and 33 1/3% for Nancy Lee, er, Meridian Music Corporation. But such shenanigans shouldn't really come as a surprise, for they ran rampant within record companies and music publishing firms during the 1950s. </span></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">In the case of Nancy Lee, the misfeasance was unabashedly blatant. The sheet music for "The Stroll" featured a photo of Nancy Lee, identified as co-writer, flanked by The Diamonds in Stroll position. The British version featured a similar picture but with Nancy Lee in Stroll action as she is being observed by The Diamonds. But this was an imaginative and cute idea just the same. Most sheet music at the time simply featured a picture of the song artists; seldom were there any action shots.</span></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiPDtUKgTHA/YXiHprfKNxI/AAAAAAAAEjk/MymTOhzPHX8RE7Zn3HoNSkf6irlrDNyMACLcBGAsYHQ/s669/Cash%2BBox%2BDec.%2B14%252C%2B1957.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="666" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiPDtUKgTHA/YXiHprfKNxI/AAAAAAAAEjk/MymTOhzPHX8RE7Zn3HoNSkf6irlrDNyMACLcBGAsYHQ/w174-h175/Cash%2BBox%2BDec.%2B14%252C%2B1957.png" title="Cash Box, Dec. 14, 1957" width="174" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">So, adding injury to insult, Otis was not only excluded from the song's promotional campaign but also had to give up a third of the song's publishing royalties in order to maintain the publisher's ruse that Nancy Lee co-wrote the song. Yet Nancy couldn't even receive the money herself, because she was a minor, so a third of Otis's royalties went to Nancy's mom.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;">Here's a philosophical question: In exchange for giving up a third of his royalties and some name recognition, did Clyde Otis get any bang for his buck out of this Nancy Lee stunt? </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;">I don't think so. The song was probably on track to succeed no matter what, given the A-list artists and major label behind it and the endorsement of Dick Clark, who played a big role as a hit maker by featuring up-and-coming records and artists on his show. Whether or not the Nancy Lee marketing campaign made a difference, "The Stroll" became a smash hit on the pop and R&B charts (#1 in <i>Cash Box</i>!), and teens across the nation lined up to do the Stroll to this and other records in a similar vein, such as </span><b style="text-align: left;">The Revels</b><span style="text-align: left;"> “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19TjJOUxMo">Midnight Stroll</a>” and Chuck Willis’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo1KLgtDoxw">Betty And Dupree</a>.” </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;">Clyde Otis himself further capitalized on the craze by recording an EP of pop standards </span><a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/nc887107us">“in Stroll tempo”</a> in 1958 (although his name was hard to find on the record). And </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Willis, for his part in all of it, became known as the King of the Stroll. Nancy Lee does not appear to have continued her music career beyond appearing in some photo shoots with The Diamonds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPyRSDeYweA/YXiIrglJxEI/AAAAAAAAEj4/LUNrn7aSJNUUd3ek2Dmd41ix10gcjuALgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1078/Record%2BMirror%2B1958.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="734" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPyRSDeYweA/YXiIrglJxEI/AAAAAAAAEj4/LUNrn7aSJNUUd3ek2Dmd41ix10gcjuALgCLcBGAsYHQ/w218-h320/Record%2BMirror%2B1958.png" title="Record Mirror, 1958" width="218" /> </a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PPyRSDeYweA/YXiIrglJxEI/AAAAAAAAEj4/LUNrn7aSJNUUd3ek2Dmd41ix10gcjuALgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1078/Record%2BMirror%2B1958.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsyhJr6m53s/YXiI4sXKD2I/AAAAAAAAEkA/MGt5yBEaN8Qu9mNRflLjYx2aEuirFsaugCLcBGAsYHQ/s852/Dec.%2B16%252C%2B1957%2BBillboard.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="402" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsyhJr6m53s/YXiI4sXKD2I/AAAAAAAAEkA/MGt5yBEaN8Qu9mNRflLjYx2aEuirFsaugCLcBGAsYHQ/w151-h320/Dec.%2B16%252C%2B1957%2BBillboard.png" title="Billboard, Dec. 16, 1957" width="151" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><div><br /><br /></div></div></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-85038482389838805772021-10-14T11:04:00.003-07:002021-10-14T11:10:55.571-07:00Joe Dowell's rarest album: BGA Benefit Concert 2002<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26pWx7GXB_I/YWhkZiQEehI/AAAAAAAAD1E/_wChekA1ZSIuUkiW7lV4M9YMAjZVp6RxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2249.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2040" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26pWx7GXB_I/YWhkZiQEehI/AAAAAAAAD1E/_wChekA1ZSIuUkiW7lV4M9YMAjZVp6RxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2249.JPG" width="319" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Joe Dowell</b>, who scored a #1 US pop hit with "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujuEnYuUf6w">Wooden Heart</a>" in 1961, released a number of obscure records after being dropped by Smash Records just two years later, but his rarest album isn't <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/10880593-Joe-Dowell-Joe-Dowell-Sings-Folk-Songs">Joe Dowell Sings Folk Songs</a></i>, the private-label album from 1964 that was pressed in an edition of 500, or <i>Of Earth & Heaven</i>, his self-released inspirational CD. His rarest album is <i>BGA Benefit Concert</i>, a live recording of a program he performed as a fundraiser for Bloomington Grove Academy in Bloomington, Illinois, in October 2002. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BD2KPII_iPY/YWhrlJEU-UI/AAAAAAAAD1M/LBE9JKmGmLc032mp9ficFvqPKI-LDAJcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/R-10079797-1498555538-8373.jpeg.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BD2KPII_iPY/YWhrlJEU-UI/AAAAAAAAD1M/LBE9JKmGmLc032mp9ficFvqPKI-LDAJcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/R-10079797-1498555538-8373.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know anything about Bloomington Grove Academy other than that it is <a href="https://www.ghostquest.net/haunted-places-illinois-usa.html">allegedly haunted</a>. The live album didn't receive a retail release and doesn't even have a proper cover; it's just a CD-R with a paper label that Joe gave away to a small number of people. Joe gave me the copy above when I interviewed him for the liner notes of the Bear Family CD <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/10079797-Joe-Dowell-Wooden-Heart">Wooden Heart</a>. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Bloomington Grove Academy concert, Dowell performs variously with live instrumental accompaniment and pre-recorded instrumental backing tracks and was joined by his wife and daughters on vocals on some songs. A guest singer, <b>Ronnie Jones</b>, sings "Old Man River" and possibly "It's More Than a Tattered Flag," which is sung by someone other than Joe. One of Joe's daughters sings "I Got the Sun in the Morning" solo. The second half of the concert includes instrumental renditions of a piece by Moritz Moszkowski, Santo & Johnny's dreamy guitar instrumental "Sleepwalk," and the country standard "Steel Guitar Rag." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The only songs in the program that Joe had recorded before are "Wooden Heart" and "Jamaica Farewell," the latter of which he included on his 1964 folk album. Most of the songs are pop and folk standards, including an interpretation of <b>Ed Ames</b>' hit "My Cup Runneth Over." When I interviewed Joe, he told me that he wished Smash Records had allowed him to become an easy-listening vocalist like Ames instead of positioning him as a teen idol, which Joe believed sabotaged his career aspirations. He really disliked the label "teen idol."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The copy of the CD that Joe gave me has a note on the front that was written by Joe's friend <b>Paul Dunn</b>, a former disk jockey. At the time that we were working on the Bear Family anthology, Joe was lobbying hard for it to include an updated new recording of "Wooden Heart," which he was certain would become a #1 hit all over again and catapult him into the late-night television talk-show circuit. That didn't happen, but the note reflects some of that effort:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Hey, Greg,</span></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here is a rare copy of Joe Dowell's LIVE Bloomington Grove Academy Fund Raising CD. HIGHLIGHTS of the CD include Joe Dowell singing a great, updated version of "Wooden Heart" with his German wife and two daughters singing on the chorus. I wish that Joe's upcoming Bear Family CD would include a year 2003 version of Joe singing "Wooden Heart" with his family! Cuts #1, 2, 9 and 18 feature Joe doing Frank Sinatra songs with Frank's original orchestral backgrounds. Joe's voice really comes through strong on cuts #5, 7 and 10. You will also enjoy guest artist Ronnie Jones doing an a capella version of Showboat's "Old Man River"! </span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sincerely,</span></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul Dunn</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For those who would like to experience this rare concert program and hear what Joe sounded like 40 years after "Wooden Heart" went to #1, I uploaded most of the tracks to YouTube, and they can be heard below.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CIZ81WkpVNo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/enYCwYmrTzM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-EsubD0n5Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3xFP3ajrXfw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_vREOg8pi4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gR-xiSgOT3Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zsjJ_62DlCA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lyHek_hkISc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BM8-dt5_HbA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kA9n2gOedBs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-88521289456210949982021-09-27T12:19:00.007-07:002021-09-29T10:12:52.699-07:00Halloween novelty hit "Monster Mash" becomes a cereal<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSerAy_s00I/YVIL0iIULhI/AAAAAAAAD0o/x3srJNE65VkDJWlLWB6SExu3idajq-w-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/MonsterMashCereal_Lead.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSerAy_s00I/YVIL0iIULhI/AAAAAAAAD0o/x3srJNE65VkDJWlLWB6SExu3idajq-w-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MonsterMashCereal_Lead.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Bobby "Boris" Pickett</b>'s 1962 chart-topper "The Monster Mash" is the daddy of all Halloween novelty records, and because of the song's renewed popularity on Tik Tok, General Mills is releasing a new limited-edition monster cereal this season called "Monster Mash."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">General Mills says the cereal is being released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their monster cereals, which were introduced in 1971, but I'm guessing that the Tik Tok popularity of "Monster Mash" influenced the direction that their anniversary celebration took.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Whatever the catalyst, the song "Monster Mash" is worth celebrating. It holds up to repeated listening better than a lot of novelty songs and inspired the great <i>Mr. Show</i> sketch <a href="https://youtu.be/Fo4tzrxyXsA">"Monster Parties: Fact or Fiction?"</a> Collectors of Halloween-themed novelties know that a lot of these songs are terrible, but "Monster Mash" is catchy, crackles with energy, and tells a story.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bRLML36HnzU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Although Monster Mash cereal is being branded as a new cereal, it isn't exactly new. It's a combination of pieces from all five monster cereals: Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute, and Fruity Yummy Mummy. The inclusion of the latter two cereals is interesting, because those varieties have been discontinued for years, and, apart from a brief return to the market several years ago, will be available for the first time in a long time in the Monster Mash medley. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A caveat, though: If you fondly remember Fruit Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy from your childhood, don't get your hopes up about revisiting them in the Monster Mash mix, because they might be reformulated like the other three monster cereals. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That's right—the monster cereals of today are nothing like they were when they were introduced. Back in the '70s, the monster cereals were made with oat flour, so the flavor and texture were similar to Cheerios. When the monster cereals started being offered only as seasonal items at Halloween, the recipes were reformulated, and now they're made with corn meal, like Cap'n Crunch. And also like Cap'n Crunch, the crunchy bits now have the same ability to shred the roof of your mouth as broken glass and volcanic rock.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWfnUix5NSQ/YVIQwAUdYMI/AAAAAAAAD0w/j161nqHyehQEvAWdJNO8lrrzI88Py5khgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/1920px-2007_Reverse_Flying_V_in_Trans_Amber.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1920" height="130" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWfnUix5NSQ/YVIQwAUdYMI/AAAAAAAAD0w/j161nqHyehQEvAWdJNO8lrrzI88Py5khgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1920px-2007_Reverse_Flying_V_in_Trans_Amber.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Food quality aside, any addition to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Cereals">monster cereals</a> line is sure to excite cereal fanatics, for whom the monster cereals hold a special place in pop-culture history. The new Monster Mash box has an awesome retro 1970s look but at least one anachronism: The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Flying_V">reverse flying-V guitar</a> that Boo Berry is playing wasn't introduced until 2007.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T4clhqP27jQ/YVITnHbWtBI/AAAAAAAAD04/sxAttK2xNiEdcptBzkhsu6PO9HBlQUmIACLcBGAsYHQ/s467/Boo-Berry-1972-1-700x467.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="332" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T4clhqP27jQ/YVITnHbWtBI/AAAAAAAAD04/sxAttK2xNiEdcptBzkhsu6PO9HBlQUmIACLcBGAsYHQ/w99-h140/Boo-Berry-1972-1-700x467.png" width="99" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">A brief aside about Boo Berry: As a longtime fan, I miss the old recipe, so when Cheerios introduced a blueberry flavor a few years ago, I hoped it would be more like the original Boo Berry than the current Boo Berry is. Unfortunately, the blueberry flavor is subtle and the cereal has no marshmallows, which are an integral part of the monster cereal experience. However, if you removed the marshmallows from a box of modern Boo Berry and added them to the blueberry Cheerios, you'd end up with something more like the original Boo Berry than the current Boo Berry is. Someone should do this and let me know how it is.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's worth mentioning that the monster cereal characters are no strangers to novelty records. In 1979, General Mills issued a series of <a href="https://www.45cat.com/artist/count-chocula-boo-berry-frankenberry">flexi discs</a> that featured the monster characters, including the classics "The Monsters Go Disco" and "Monster Adventures in Outer Space." </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sp47uMX7jl4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KgaH_S6yg7Q" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-21234537712488905002021-09-05T07:58:00.010-07:002021-09-05T18:49:15.694-07:00When Encyclopedia Britannica hated rock 'n' roll<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-de09hFmvpCM/YTTNIQVvxHI/AAAAAAAAD0E/_ZAV1ChjtC0dqlrRWiaQJVmBGtVwTTgdACLcBGAsYHQ/s389/s-l500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="389" height="302" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-de09hFmvpCM/YTTNIQVvxHI/AAAAAAAAD0E/_ZAV1ChjtC0dqlrRWiaQJVmBGtVwTTgdACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/s-l500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The alleged use of educational and reference materials to push an agenda has been a point of controversy in the sciences for decades, but did you know that the <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i> was used to promote the anti-rock 'n' roll viewpoints of cultural elites in the late '50s and early '60s? </span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's true. In </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Arnold Shaw</b>'s excellent book <i>The Rockin' 50s</i> (published in 1973), Shaw shares some quotations about the state of music in 1958 from the <i>Encyclopedia Britannica </i>yearbook.<i> </i>The encyclopedia entry was written by <b>Sigmund Spaeth</b>, a <i>Britannica</i> contributor who really hated rock 'n' roll. Spaeth summed up the po</span><span style="font-family: arial;">pular music of 1958 like this:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">The incubus of rock 'n' roll continued to weigh down the popular music of the year, with a majority of the music representing some form of the illiterate, savage noise.... The violence of this juvenile concentration on aboriginal rhythms actually led to several cities eventually barring rock 'n' roll from public performance. ... One of the biggest sensations of the 'Hit Parade' was a definitely Negro exaltation, <i><a href="https://youtu.be/984-NtJhnSM">He's Got the Whole World in His Hands</a></i>...."</span></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1959</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Intrigued by this outpouring of racially loaded anti-rock rhetoric</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> from </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a stodgy encyclopedia, I looked at</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Britannica Book of the Year 1960 </i><span style="font-family: arial;">to see if Spaeth h</span><span style="font-family: arial;">eld forth in a similar manner that year. He d</span><span style="font-family: arial;">id! Spaeth wrote:</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">The menace of 'rock 'n' roll' continued through 1959, although it showed some signs of weakening. <b>Elvis Presley</b>'s military service did not interfere noticeably with his standing as high priest of the cult, and his popularity with teen-agers accounted for at least three hits....</span></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">...There was also a flicker of encouragement in the fact that some real folk music managed to find its way into the mass of incredible trash, a trend already established by the jazzed-up Negro exaltation, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hand." </span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There </span><span style="font-family: arial;">he goes again with that "Negro exaltation" stuff. He really liked that phrase. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Spaeth also liked show tunes, or at least some of them. Remarking</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> that the "few good songs" that were released in 1959 "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">were</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> seldom heard except in the theatres," he went on to say:</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">When <b>Kurt Weill</b> wrote </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Three-Penny Opera</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, he deliberately turned out a vulgar, worthless tune called "Mack, the Knife." Brought up to date and recorded by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iooViITRp9M">Bobby Darin</a></b>, it became one of the big hits of the year.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere in the entry he gets in some digs</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> at <b>Fabian</b>, describing him as "highly synthetic." Fair enough. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1961</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> 1962 yearbook </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Spaeth was right back at it, beginning his article on the previous year's music</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> thusly:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Once more it was difficult if not impossible to express any enthusiasm for the music being produced in the U.S. As of 1961 there was very little material that could be credited with either musical value or novelty. There was the same emphasis on the "big beat" characteristic of the nauseous "rock 'n' roll," although this particular type of musical illiteracy seemed gradually to be losing its hold on even the most undiscriminating teen-agers. </span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I wonder if many teenagers read this encyclopedia entry and agreed? <br /><br />Spaeth argued, with some merit, that the hit records of 1961 were hits only because of payola and the star power of the performers, not the quality of the songs: </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">Again the success of a popular song depended largely on phonograph records rather than sheet music, and the sale of records could be traced to the drawing power of the interpreters, not the merit or appeal of the song. The form of bribery known as "payola" reportedly continued to play an important role in such spurious promotion of commercial trash. </span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After giving a rundown of the previous </span><span style="font-family: arial;">year's hits, Spaeth managed to find two pop records he actually liked: </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">To balance such a consistent array of nonsense, there were at least two songs published in 1961 that could command respect. The first was the theme from the motion picture <i>Exodus</i>, by <b>Ernest Gold</b>, whose background music for that film won an Academy award. The song had an excellent melody of the Hebraic type and was helpfully recorded by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BmpRhEvEF4">Pat Boone</a></b> (also credited with the words), the <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi8WgNE86gA">Ferrante-Teicher</a></b> team and orchestrally by <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns3F5vCpnjg">Mantovani</a></b>. </span></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The other outstanding popular song of 1961 was "Never on Sunday," also derived from a film of the same title and winner of the "Oscar" as the best of the year in that field. The composer was a Greek, <b>Manos Hodijidakis</b>, and the song profited by the recordings of <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hQueg0p8I">Don Costa</a></b>, <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPNASiM8rNQ">the Chordettes</a></b> and the star of the picture itself, <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul3tMi1uG6o">Melina Mercouri</a></b>. </span></p></blockquote><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Even though I'm a Pat Boone fan, I find it pretty amusing that a person could hate all the music of the rock 'n' roll era until Pat Boone's vocal version of "The Exodus Song" came along.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Today, artists in music and film are sometimes criticized for remaking old songs and movies instead of creating new ones, but Spaeth felt differently; he hated new music and liked old music, so he saw any return to pre-rock songs and styles as an improvement:<br /></span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">There was an encouraging trend toward the revival of song hits of the past, including some authentic folk music, obviously resulting from the increasing realization by even the juvenile singers of the poverty of current material.</span></blockquote><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1962</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Fascinated by Spaeth's indefatigable crusade against rock, I hoped to find a continuation of his thoughts in the following year's installment</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, but the 1963 yearbook contained a much milder assessment of the previous year's music. What changed? Well, Spaeth didn't write that year's entry—he died in 1965, so he appears to have retired from <i>Britannica </i>in '63. The 1963 entry on popular music was written by <b>Lester L. Brown</b>, who said:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">There was some improvement in the general quality of rock 'n' roll records over previous years, mainly because the smaller recording firms that had championed the idiom in the beginning had acquired enough wealth to dignify the songs with thoughtful arrangements using brasses and strings. Rock 'n' roll was essentially the same musical ragamuffin it had been in the mid-1950s but was somewhat more attractively outfitted. </span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The standard narrative in rock histories is that popular music was so insipid and uninspiring in the early '60s that music listeners were desperate for anything new and different, and that's why the British Invasion happened, but according to the <i>Encyclopedia Britannica</i>, American pop music was actually better in 1963 than it had been in the previous years, including 1958, which is my personal favorite year in music. It's an opinion I don't recall ever hearing or reading elsewhere.</span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaoMGYX736k/YTEe0sHTdvI/AAAAAAAADz8/Dun6_TOYoIcyy7p6u8_ZG1A0pXSVggviACLcBGAsYHQ/s331/Sigmund_Spaeth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="279" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LaoMGYX736k/YTEe0sHTdvI/AAAAAAAADz8/Dun6_TOYoIcyy7p6u8_ZG1A0pXSVggviACLcBGAsYHQ/w180-h213/Sigmund_Spaeth.jpg" title="Sigmund Spaeth" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Who was this Spaeth guy, you ask? He was almost 80 years old when he wrote the words above and had been active in music, music instruction, and music journalism for decades. A musicology PhD, he wrote for <i>The New Yorker</i> in the 1920s and</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> hosted some radio shows in the 1930s: </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Keys to Happiness </i><span style="font-family: arial;">(a piano instruction program), </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Tune Detective </i><span style="font-family: arial;">(which became Spaeth's nickname), </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Song Sleuth</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Sigmund Spaeth's Musical Quiz. </i><span style="font-family: arial;">He wrote some books too. He wasn't alone in being a high-profile hater of rock 'n' roll in the '50s; he had allies among folks like <b>Mitch Miller</b> and <b>Stan Freberg</b>. </span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sz2LIRRcg50/YTTYhOWaD9I/AAAAAAAAD0U/YwjIt7oZFlUAT8CFfCiXjL-XP6J-BXlgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/s-l500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sz2LIRRcg50/YTTYhOWaD9I/AAAAAAAAD0U/YwjIt7oZFlUAT8CFfCiXjL-XP6J-BXlgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/s-l500.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-5227532165127620702021-06-09T11:55:00.010-07:002021-06-20T11:47:37.240-07:00Songs about Howard Hughes: 1972-78<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg6r-Ll54aY/YLenIXUiBOI/AAAAAAAADww/DZVbTlE9kCMazUVIotvs2THtXbBn9ufKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s363/Howard%2BHughes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg6r-Ll54aY/YLenIXUiBOI/AAAAAAAADww/DZVbTlE9kCMazUVIotvs2THtXbBn9ufKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Howard%2BHughes.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Howard Hughes</b>' reputation as one of the world's wealthiest men and an eccentric crackpot captured the popular imagination in the 1970s. A notorious recluse, Hughes was reported to have odd personal habits such as saving his urine in jars, wearing Kleenex boxes like shoes, and allowing his toenails to grow several inches long.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Hughes' pop-culture image and many of the strange claims about his life came from <b>Clifford Irving</b>'s 1971 best-selling book <i>Autobiography of Howard Hughes</i>, a literary hoax for which Irving spent 17 months in prison.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As a result of the book and the controversies that followed, Hughes became the topic of many songs in addition to occasionally being mentioned in song lyrics. Sometimes he was referenced indirectly. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">For example, the R&B group <b>The Hues Corporation</b>, who had a #1 hit with "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSP_Jqn5eUM">Rock the Boat</a>" in 1974, originally wanted to call itself <b>The Children of Howard Hughes</b> but abandoned the idea for legal reasons and used the homophonous name <i>Hues</i> instead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Today on <i>The Music Weird</i>, we look back at the songs Hughes—and Clifford Irving—inspired in the 1970s.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sonny Hall – "Howard Hughes Is Alive and Well" (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sonny Hall</b> appears to have started the Howard Hughes song frenzy with this talking-blues-styled song about a musician who works for Hughes but has never seen him. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vl4D-E4t-SQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bud & Bud, AKA the Hooper Twins – "Howard Hughes Is Alive and Well" (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Hall's record was soon covered by <b>Bud & Bud</b>, who sound a bit like <b>Homer & Jethro</b>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GAPYXpHz3s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leo Teel – "Like Trying to Find Howard Hughes" (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This mournful song about a heartbroken man doesn't have a chorus, and the titular line is sung only once. <b>Teel</b> was a Texas artist and recording engineer who cut <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N80cAFnlQI&t=83s">a single for Decca</a> way back in 1951.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sH1hHVC8me8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">John Hartford – "Howard Hughes' Blues" (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The great <b>John Hartford</b> offers a gently parodic but sympathetic view of Hughes. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u4S0OzdpQfE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dave Barry – <i>Will the Real Howard Hughes Please Stand Up?</i> LP (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Humorist <b>Dave Barry</b> released this LP that references <b>Howard Hughes</b> in the title as well as in the track "H.H." on side two. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJGZKP4e-V0/YMDbs6ShH7I/AAAAAAAADw4/WhuTHoEwXNkpG2m5qoAMfuUxCUUyODBTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1333/barry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="1333" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJGZKP4e-V0/YMDbs6ShH7I/AAAAAAAADw4/WhuTHoEwXNkpG2m5qoAMfuUxCUUyODBTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/barry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wayne Thomis – <i>Howard Hughes Press Conference</i> LP (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A weird nonmusical entry: After <b>Clifford Irving</b> published his fraudulent <b>Howard Hughes</b> autobiography, Hughes held a press conference to challenge the authenticity of the book, and this press conference was released on LP for some reason. You can listen to the whole thing on <a href="https://archive.org/details/ipse_dixit_00072">archive.org</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uxx4zggyllw/YMDesxMDvUI/AAAAAAAADxA/ux3exCghsd0iQsNedjVdT4KMCMmqidYKACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/waynethomis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uxx4zggyllw/YMDesxMDvUI/AAAAAAAADxA/ux3exCghsd0iQsNedjVdT4KMCMmqidYKACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/waynethomis.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jim Croce – "Workin' at the Car Wash Blues" (1974)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This song is a character study of an ambitious car wash employee who dreams of becoming rich and describes himself as an "undiscovered Howard Hughes."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gfYBtes2EWU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10cc – "The Wall Street Shuffle" (1974)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A sardonic view of Wall Street moneymaking, "The Wall Street Shuffle" asks, "Howard Hughes, did your money make you better?"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/foT1ITubs1A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">AC/DC – "Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to Be a Millionaire)" (1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This song about wanting to get rich in rock 'n' roll ends with a shout-out to neighbor Howard, a reference to <b>Howard Hughes</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BSIFNuFa-RE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Glenn Martin – "The Ballad of Howard Hughes' Will" (1976)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Hughes died in 1976, so his will became the topic of this country novelty song.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LN3_O-Ql_YI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Buford Hirman & the Contesters – "Howard's Will (Part 1)" (1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Another song about Hughes' will. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qen-Vt3xUtU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Cruse Family – "Ode to Howard Hughes" (1977)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I haven't heard this song, but the gospel group <b>The Cruse Family</b> included "Ode to Howard Hughes" on their 1977 LP <i>Faith</i>. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2HNN0D1SBs/YMD4al8WK8I/AAAAAAAADxI/cM-EZ1cc7L0m203wkn083Med4DSwcUBxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cruse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x2HNN0D1SBs/YMD4al8WK8I/AAAAAAAADxI/cM-EZ1cc7L0m203wkn083Med4DSwcUBxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/cruse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ernie Dunlap – "Spruce Goose" (1977)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Spruce Goose" refers to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules">Hughes H-4 Hercules</a>, the largest flying boat ever built. Nicknamed the "Spruce Goose" because it was made out of wood (birch, incidentally—not spruce), it was designed and built by <b>Howard Hughes</b>' Hughes Aircraft Company in the 1940s.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueE5Nv4YKp8/YMELv8Mq5nI/AAAAAAAADxQ/wzK7ULoUGoY4PyqsiDQCX-WPNnh-51zsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/ernie-dunlap-spruce-goose-cin-kay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueE5Nv4YKp8/YMELv8Mq5nI/AAAAAAAADxQ/wzK7ULoUGoY4PyqsiDQCX-WPNnh-51zsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ernie-dunlap-spruce-goose-cin-kay.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">The Tights – "Howard Hughes" (1978)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">British punk band <b>The Tights</b> released only two singles during its initial run, one of which is this ode to Howard Hughes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OTJcIuz0o38" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Boomtown Rats – "Me and Howard Hughes" (1978)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Me and Howard Hughes" is a portrait of a reclusive friend who compares himself to <b>Howard Hughes</b>.</span><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T-4YVBJoL_Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-27516172646952424832021-05-20T06:58:00.005-07:002021-05-28T05:18:20.576-07:00Jaws inspired a wave of shark-themed novelty songs in 1975-76<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zp-L92qNUDM/YKZMOMsMY4I/AAAAAAAADvo/l5kUyN4G_LsTefVuxeeF7EiC_CqI51BLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s389/JAWS_Movie_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zp-L92qNUDM/YKZMOMsMY4I/AAAAAAAADvo/l5kUyN4G_LsTefVuxeeF7EiC_CqI51BLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/JAWS_Movie_poster.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Steven Spielberg</b>'s film <i>Jaws,</i> released in the summer of 1975, was a blockbuster box-office hit. It was the highest-grossing film of all time until <i>Star Wars</i> bested it in 1977, and it inspired a wave of shark-themed novelty songs. A few <i>Jaws</i>-themed records came out after 1976, and the film was mentioned in Queen's 1978 hit "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GugsCdLHm-Q">Bicycle Race</a>," but the majority of the craze occurred within 18 months of the movie's release. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Byron McNaughton & His All News Orchestra – "Right from the Shark's Jaws (The Jaws Interview)" (Jamie J 1427, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This break-in comedy record "bubbled under" the <i>Billboard </i>Hot 100. Originally released on the small Route label, it was picked up for national distribution by Jamie Records. The record reached the Top 10 at Philadelphia's WFIL. The B-side, "Jaws Jam," was credited to a different artist, <b>The Chief</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9vpUhVo5_Ag" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dickie Goodman – "Mr. Jaws" (Cash CR 451, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The king of all <i>Jaws </i>novelties and the only one to become a major hit, "Mr. Jaws" was a #1 hit in <i>Cash Box</i> and a Top 5 hit in <i>Billboard</i>. A few years later, <b>Dickie Goodman</b> tried to exploit the <i>Jaws</i> theme again with a sequel, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7F8dk5YgZA">Mrs. Jaws</a>," but that one didn't chart.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JeYCOFblZRg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sharktooth – "Jaws" (Bryan B-1021, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This funky cut is instrumental except for a voice that repeatedly says "Jaws," similar to <b>The Champs</b>' 1958 hit "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_JFLb1IItM">Tequila</a>." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IcHYzpgXDZw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The End – "Do the Jaws" (20th Century TC-2229, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A one-off single by a studio group. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTCtf1_rS_Q/YKZQacNrAkI/AAAAAAAADvw/ICDjCHKLgFsnbHTMYXQfaYUQ-dKx-c5cACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Do%2Bthe%2BJaws.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTCtf1_rS_Q/YKZQacNrAkI/AAAAAAAADvw/ICDjCHKLgFsnbHTMYXQfaYUQ-dKx-c5cACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Do%2Bthe%2BJaws.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Atlantic Ocean – "Jaws" (Atco 45-7032, 1975)</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Weird, mostly instrumental tune with interjections of "Jaws" and some talking. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0yQ2lxHz3PI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seven Seas – "Super 'Jaws'" (RCA Victor XB 02048, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">French <i>Jaws</i> record. Another mostly instrumental tune with interjections of "Jaws!"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/etXTzTy4hMw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Johnny Otis – "Jaws" (1975)</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Veteran R&B performer <b>Johnny Otis</b> delivered this funky instrumental that has some ocean sound effects and screaming toward the end. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FG9gBB4RbS8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hobie Cat – "Mr. Gums" (96x 9600, 1975)</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet another <i>Jaws</i>-themed break-in comedy record. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GyGWHiZfIhI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Investigators – "Jaws Is Working for the C.I.A." (Andee 4002, 1975)</span></h3><h4><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="font-family: Times; font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From the title, I was expecting another break-in comedy record, but it's an actual song. </span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; font-weight: 400; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NEzSTbvbKNI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Homemade Theatre – "Santa Jaws" and "Santa Jaws Part 2" (A&M AM-407, 1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This Christmas-themed <i>Jaws</i> novelty comes from Canada. </span></div><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BU-wfjmMeWs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELZGHmrF9pA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Darryl Rhoades & The HaHavishnu Orchestra – "Surfin' Shark" (Wonder, 1976)</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Beach Boys</b>-styled novelty about a surfer whose legs are eaten by a shark. The refrain "super jaws" is repeated at the end. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGDXEBdUZ9Y" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Love Bite – "Killer Jaws" (Magnet MAG 53, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A one-off UK single recorded for the same label as <b>Peter Shelley</b> and <b>Alvin Stardust</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPFNTgzYbSg/YKZVnq6RgOI/AAAAAAAADv4/xYVnQrmAysgoxWAIZO-k1xSrsXPcpa4WACLcBGAsYHQ/s300/love%2Bbite.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="287" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPFNTgzYbSg/YKZVnq6RgOI/AAAAAAAADv4/xYVnQrmAysgoxWAIZO-k1xSrsXPcpa4WACLcBGAsYHQ/s0/love%2Bbite.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ted Rogers – "Beware of Mr. Shark" (Sol-Doon SDR 010, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A British novelty attempt to make some coin from the <i>Jaws</i> fad.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9bnvVeE9tiM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ed Lawhorne – "Never Swim Again"/"Don't Let Old Jaws Bite You" (Plumbers 6015-14 , 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">A double-sided <i>Jaws</i>-themed record from the short-lived Plumbers label of North Carolina.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7t5tCfYWVdo/YKZjm92Y1SI/AAAAAAAADwA/pv3bGuHeeBY1vR59wmvv-DPYifPRsz21ACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/ed-lawhorne-dont-let-old-jaws-bite-you-plumbers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="799" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7t5tCfYWVdo/YKZjm92Y1SI/AAAAAAAADwA/pv3bGuHeeBY1vR59wmvv-DPYifPRsz21ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ed-lawhorne-dont-let-old-jaws-bite-you-plumbers.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias – "Dread Jaws" (Transatlantic BIG 541, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Reggae song about <i>Jaws</i> released in the UK. Parts of the melody resemble <b>Bob Marley</b>'s "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHlSE9j5FGY">No Woman, No Cry</a>." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lBcgcp9UZ_c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Steve Allen Backed by "Red Eye" – "Jaws" (Viking VS330, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">New Zealand release by the NZ <b>Steve Allen</b>, not the US television personality. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEB9xnXlfYM/YKZktEp168I/AAAAAAAADwI/j3lKDGZlPAEXbdO03l61G9j9C6VSOCLAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/steve-allen-backed-by-red-eye-jaws-viking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="700" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kEB9xnXlfYM/YKZktEp168I/AAAAAAAADwI/j3lKDGZlPAEXbdO03l61G9j9C6VSOCLAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/steve-allen-backed-by-red-eye-jaws-viking.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Errol Holt/Ja Man All Stars – "Shark Out Deh"/"Jaws" (Locks LOX 17, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Reggae two-sider.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mqJ4GUCRMgY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CL2GsJ6NzRk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skin—Flesh and Bones – "Jaws" (Spider Man, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Jamaican record with this <i>Jaws</i>-themed track on the B-side. The A-side is by <b>Merlyn Webber</b>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aubmnsfKu-4/YKZmCJrf5sI/AAAAAAAADwQ/w3XXfE9oFI0GQh7XFpyIuDMKou5HUCOJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/R-4865924-1426538262-6729.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="597" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aubmnsfKu-4/YKZmCJrf5sI/AAAAAAAADwQ/w3XXfE9oFI0GQh7XFpyIuDMKou5HUCOJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/R-4865924-1426538262-6729.jpeg.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Richard Hewson Orchestra – "Shark Bite" (Splash CP 6, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Disco number that may or may not be about <i>Jaws</i>, but the timing suggests that it's part of the craze. It was a double-sided shark-themed single, because the B-side was an instrumental titled "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgMi9yOdb_Y">Hammerhead</a>." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEOluRKzYHI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bigbite & Mack – "Deep Tooth" (Fun-E-Bone 4322, 1976?) </span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Another break-in comedy record.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XqpFYBcYK5g" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Gums o</i>riginal soundtrack – "Thar She Blows" (1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This song is only tangentially related to <i>Jaws</i>, but the X-rated <i>Jaws </i>parody <i>Gums</i>, about a killer mermaid, concludes with a raunchy "Mack the Knife"-styled theme song. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfAYOfnbVO0/YKZnZ761GUI/AAAAAAAADwY/ICARieK66XgR9m6wAS9xKpE0zTPRJNj_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/gums.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfAYOfnbVO0/YKZnZ761GUI/AAAAAAAADwY/ICARieK66XgR9m6wAS9xKpE0zTPRJNj_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gums.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-7155927110220558912021-05-05T08:16:00.011-07:002021-05-21T18:47:23.171-07:00"Deep Throat" on 45: 1972-78<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFzyLVo9NSE/YHMDWCeaGVI/AAAAAAAADtQ/8IGTN7P8dI0hHm-CrwEJnpvmNdRp2XuRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1187/800px-Deep_throat_PD_poster_%2528restored%252C_borderless%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qFzyLVo9NSE/YHMDWCeaGVI/AAAAAAAADtQ/8IGTN7P8dI0hHm-CrwEJnpvmNdRp2XuRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/800px-Deep_throat_PD_poster_%2528restored%252C_borderless%2529.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Practically every pop-culture craze, fad, notable event, and miscellaneous point of interest used to generate a slew of cash-in records, often but not always made by unknown artists who hoped to exploit the moment for some quick fame and fortune but usually failed. Their efforts may have been futile in their day, but they're fun to look back on now as examples of the indomitable human spirit, as we did recently with <a href="http://musicweird.blogspot.com/2021/04/songs-from-pet-rock-craze-1976.html">songs from the Pet Rock craze</a>. Today's <i>Music Weird</i> looks at records that were released in the wake of <i>Deep Throat</i>, the 1972 adult film that was the first hardcore feature to achieve mainstream success.</span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Directed by <b>Gerard Damiano</b>, <i>Deep Throat</i> was a surprise hit. The first "porno chic" film, it played in mainstream cinemas, was ranked that year as one of the top 10 highest-grossing films by <i>Variety</i>, and was thoroughly absorbed into mainstream pop culture via jokes, television talk shows, music, and even the Watergate scandal, in which "Deep Throat" became the code name of <b>Bob Woodward</b>'s secret informant. <b>Richard Nixon</b> himself, according to <b><a href="https://www.therialtoreport.com/2021/02/14/john-t-bone/">John T. Bone</a></b>, tried to arrange a screening of the film for one of his private parties. The movie played in adult cinemas for years and spawned one R-rated sequel, numerous X-rated sequels, and the documentary <i><a href="https://youtu.be/dgXfPA1FOTU">Inside Deep Throat</a></i>, a look back at the film's cultural impact. Damiano himself revisited the film in 1984 with the sequel <i>Throat... 12 Years After</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The <i>Deep Throat</i>-related records are a little different from some fad records in that a few attempted to look like official soundtrack releases or like recordings that featured star <b>Linda Lovelace</b>, either by including images of Lovelace or using artist names that suggested Lovelace's involvement. Lovelace made no commercial musical recordings (although you can hear her sing "Nearer, My God, to Thee," "Happy Birthday to You," and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in the 1975 film <i>Linda Lovelace for President</i>), but she became world famous as a result of <i>Deep Throat</i>, so record labels hoped that her recognizable face would sell.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The theme music from <i>Deep Throat</i> was also popular with easy-listening and middle-of-the-road instrumental artists, who, by recording these tunes, could appear to be a little bit racy and hip while still delivering smooth instrumental music that didn't depart from their typical fare.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leon Ware & Bob Hilliard – "Deep Throat (Filmmusik) (Parts I-VI)" (1972)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Released only in Germany, <a href="https://www.45cat.com/artist/leon-ware-bob-hilliard">these three singles</a> feature remakes of instrumental music from <i>Deep Throat</i>. The titles don't correspond with the titles that were used on the <i>Deep Throat </i>soundtrack album. The video below contains a remake of the eight-minute-long instrumental "Love Is Strange" (not the <b>Mickey & Sylvia</b> song, although it does contain an interpolation of the "Love Is Strange" guitar riff), but on the single it's generically titled "Deep Throat V." The description on the YouTube video says that this single was sold at adult cinemas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mQGsntJdtd0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPPIg6Tie7E/YHMLynTye8I/AAAAAAAADtg/rLSR2vwKN4MrDRFFBWANEIG3YfbNPFZeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s599/R-4345092-1591029076-7644.jpeg.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="599" height="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DPPIg6Tie7E/YHMLynTye8I/AAAAAAAADtg/rLSR2vwKN4MrDRFFBWANEIG3YfbNPFZeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w232-h229/R-4345092-1591029076-7644.jpeg.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Linda & the Lollipops – "Theme from Deep Throat" (1973)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This oddball vocal record is notable for its incomprehensible singing and moaning by the female vocalist, who is named Linda in reference to Linda Lovelace but is not Lovelace. The Italian single had a picture sleeve with a topless image of Lovelace, which I censored here so that I don't get a content warning on my blog, but you can see the full monty over at <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Linda-And-The-Lollipops-Tema-Dal-Film-Deep-Throat-Gola-Profonda/release/4345092">Discogs</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oX0IJ4qGa2I" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Julius Wechter & the Baja Marimba Band – "Theme from 'Deep Throat'" (1973)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">One of several MOR covers of the theme, this one was released as a single. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54HEiV-HM4M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">T.J. Stone – "She's Got to Have It" b/w "Deeper and Deeper (My Love Grows)" (1974)</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SK_mbvmtj0Y/YJKx-2X5z6I/AAAAAAAADus/Z63vUwRz7jQ_-Xh3jyQSzDRRnB5x-l2zgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/tj-stone-shes-got-to-have-it-bryan.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SK_mbvmtj0Y/YJKx-2X5z6I/AAAAAAAADus/Z63vUwRz7jQ_-Xh3jyQSzDRRnB5x-l2zgCLcBGAsYHQ/w244-h240/tj-stone-shes-got-to-have-it-bryan.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The success of <i>Deep Throat</i> led to director <b>Joseph W. Sarno</b> directing an R-rated comedy sequel, <i>Deep Throat Part II</i>, that was aimed at the mainstream but flopped, in part because it's a silly mess of a movie. It brought back stars <b>Linda Lovelace</b> and <b>Harry Reems</b> and added a number of other porn veterans in straight acting roles, including <b>Jamie Gillis</b>, <b>Marc Stevens</b>, <b>Tina Russell</b>, <b>Chris Jordan</b>, and <b>Andrea True</b>, the latter of whom would later notch a Top 5 pop hit with "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73RYirgeLV4">More, More, More</a>." The soundtracks of both <i>Deep Throat</i> and <i>Deep Throat Part II</i> were released on LP in 1974, and although the first soundtrack album didn't identify any artists, <i>Deep Throat Part II</i> did. This track by <b>T.J. Stone</b> was even released as a single. <br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DVXrHjZwEqA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lindy Lovelace – "Be My Baby" (1974)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The name was surely intended to make people believe it might be Linda Lovelace of <i>Deep Throat </i>fame, but it's not. A disco remake of <b>The Ronettes</b> "<a href="https://youtu.be/u9xxURZ1v3g">Be My Baby</a>," this was the artist's only release, at least under this name. Arranged and conducted in the UK by Richard Hewson, the record wasn't a hit, and I've never heard it. I tried to contact Hewson a while back to ask about the story behind this single but didn't get a reply.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i431bFuznV4/YJKTlmgVx6I/AAAAAAAADuk/lEFLfNxazqcDYNjPEhqLtyMUJEwdPrOsACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/lindy-lovelace-be-my-baby-1974.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="695" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i431bFuznV4/YJKTlmgVx6I/AAAAAAAADuk/lEFLfNxazqcDYNjPEhqLtyMUJEwdPrOsACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/lindy-lovelace-be-my-baby-1974.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB9PDP4vOgs/YHMEmbXyhcI/AAAAAAAADtY/dCTaZnDN2aEw08hKREeSWYRcIVX87BXzACLcBGAsYHQ/s604/los-indios-tabajaras-theme-from-deep-throat-rca.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="600" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iB9PDP4vOgs/YHMEmbXyhcI/AAAAAAAADtY/dCTaZnDN2aEw08hKREeSWYRcIVX87BXzACLcBGAsYHQ/w235-h236/los-indios-tabajaras-theme-from-deep-throat-rca.jpeg" width="235" /></a></div>Los Indios Tabajaras – "Theme from 'Deep Throat'" (1975)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Los Indios Tabajaras</b> were a prolific Brazilian instrumental guitar duo who specialized in easy-listening music that had a light "world music" touch. The Japanese picture sleeve for their interpretation of "Theme from 'Deep Throat'" included a photo of Linda Lovelace and an illustration of her that appeared on theatrical posters and the <i>Deep Throat </i>soundtrack album. I'm guessing that no one asked for permission.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dBHGPnhXcrk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dolphin – "Linda Lovelace" (1977)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The UK band <b>Dolphin</b> included the original song "Linda Lovelace" on their debut album, <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Dolphin-Goodbye/master/1648234">Goodbye</a></i>. The following year, it was released as the B-side of the single "<a href="https://youtu.be/2209_fMg1Go">Carry Me Away</a>."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X4GWV3JXG-Q" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some 1970s LPs that include "Theme from 'Deep Throat'" </span></h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Rusty Bryant on <i>For the Good Times </i>(1973) (<a href="https://youtu.be/3Uq2K78INRg">listen here</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The Richard Gold Orchestra on <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Grand-Fantastic-Strings-Richard-Gold-Orchestra-New-Screen-Theme-Music/release/8683064">New Screen Theme Music</a> </i>(1976)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The original soundtracks of both <i>Deep Throat</i> and the R-rated sequel, <i>Deep Throat Part II</i> (1974) (<a href="https://youtu.be/R7sxPSR_IEQ">listen here</a>)</span></li></ul><p></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-35668758785153460282021-05-02T14:48:00.022-07:002021-09-30T10:46:24.919-07:00Homer Lee Sewell – "Ring Around the Bath Tub" (1965)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1qZyNa48I0/YI6_O8-c6BI/AAAAAAAADuU/uSKaNVE-rB4rEY8PeeDWGTlhru84kkbuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s910/Sewell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="910" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1qZyNa48I0/YI6_O8-c6BI/AAAAAAAADuU/uSKaNVE-rB4rEY8PeeDWGTlhru84kkbuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sewell.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>With its reference to vomiting and depiction of a sentient ring of soap scum, </span></span><b style="font-family: arial;">Homer Lee Sewell'</b><span style="font-family: arial;">s "Ring Around the Bath Tub" is one of the weirdest old country songs I've heard in a while. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It sounds like a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_poem">song poem</a> but was written and recorded by Sewell himself, a Texas country singer, recording engineer, and recording studio owner who once cut a single for </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Pappy Daily</b><span style="font-family: arial;">'s D Records label with a young </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Willie Nelson</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> on lead guitar. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sewell was born in Wills Point, Texas, in 1920 and <a href="https://www.greenwoodfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/Homer-Sewell/#!/Obituary">died in 2018 at the age of 98</a> in Haltom City just outside Fort Worth, about an hour and a half from Wills Point. His grave marker describes him as a "Country Poet."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">He ran Oakridge Music Recording Service and Demo Studio in Haltom City as well as Oakridge Records, on which he released his own music and music by other country and even rock 'n' roll artists. His entry on <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/2577070-Homer-Lee-Sewell">Discogs</a> lumps together records by Sewell and <b>Homer Lee</b>, but Homer Lee was a different artist. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sewell's recording career appears to have begun in the late '50s. He recorded the previously mentioned D Records single, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBcHC2fMGrY">She's Mad at Me</a>" b/w "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDfwZrWGT_k">Whisper Your Name</a>," both original songs, in 1959, but that wasn't necessarily his first record. These two songs are more conventional country fare than the bizarre "Ring Around the Bath Tub." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The book <i>Willie Nelson: An Epic Life</i> by <b>Joe Nick Patoski</b> talks about how Nelson came to play guitar on a recording by Sewell, whom Patoski identifies as "another Cowtown Hoedown regular," referring to the Fort Worth country music radio show that aired on KCUL from 1957-61: </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">"I found out he [Willie Nelson] was a good lead man," Sewell said, "so I asked him if he wanted to play on my record." Sewell rounded up Willie, <b>Paul East</b>, an upright bass player named <b>Bill Bramlett</b>, and two fiddlers and paid <b>Uncle Hank Craig</b> $200 to get his recording made and released on D Records. An alternate version of "Whisper Your Name," recorded on the stage of the Majestic with Sewell on fiddle and Willie and Paul East on guitar, supported by <b>Jack Zachary</b>, <b>Hank Craig</b>'s son <b>Eddie Craig</b> on bass, and Bill Bramlett—members of the Hoedown house band—was used as the B side of the single. "I got more airplay on that than I did with 'She's Mad at Me,'" recalled Sewell. "It had a good beat to it." <b>Lawton Williams</b> played the record on KCUL, and so did the disc jockeys on KTJS in Sewell's hometown, Hobart, Oklahoma. But sales were feeble....</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Around that time Sewell also launched his Oakridge label and began releasing singles by himself and others that probably had been recorded at his Oakridge studio. If the catalog numbers can be believed, it appears that his first release was "Open Arms" b/w "Always Broke" (Oakridge OR101). A later single, "<a href="https://youtu.be/3bkcNrty0sk">Country Boy Shuffle</a>" and "Two Silver Dollars," was numbered OR 104 and was released in 1959, according to <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/0r104">45cat</a>, so "Open Arms" might have preceded the D Records single. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">None of these were hits, but some recordings Sewell released on Oakridge—of himself and others—have been included in modern anthologies of vintage country and rockabilly music.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That brings us to "Ring Around the Bath Tub," which, according to <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/8386608">45cat</a>, was released in 1965. It is a surreal account of a man's conflict with an anthropomorphized ring of bathtub soap scum that keeps him awake at night. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The offbeat story and slurping sound effects at the end might qualify this as a novelty record, but the narrative is played straight and even includes some religious imagery in the chorus. The mention of vomiting is very unusual for a song of this era, and the almost random length of each line in the lyrics keeps the listener guessing about where the melody is going. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The B-side, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFqpW1HBCF8">Image of Daddy and Me</a>," is a sad but somewhat confusing recitation that breaks into song on the choruses. It's one of those country weepers in which a child begs its parents to stop fighting, but the story is told by an observer in a courtroom who alternately quotes the child and the mother, the latter of whom says the titular line that the child is the "image of daddy and me." </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Here are the lyrics of "Ring Around the Bath Tub":</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Friends, that old ring around the bathtub sure must be lonesome…</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The towel is on the towel rack</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And soap is in the container</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The garbage disposal is all stopped up</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And the ring around the bathtub makes me want to throw up</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m drying myself off with the towel from the rack</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And the dripping from faucet is running down my back</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The ring around the bathtub has just about wore me out</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ll try and get some sleep now if that ring around the bathtub don’t interrupt</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I dreamed last night I was in Heaven</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was sleeping away in a room on flight eleven</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When I awoke I’m-a whirling sound</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The ring around the bathtub was up walking around</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I got me some scouring pads and I put him back in place</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And when I got through, he said, “You’re a human disgrace”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“If you go to sleep,” he said, “I’ll just interrupt again”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“I may be a ring around the bathtub, but brother, your troubles have just begin”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I dreamed last night I was in Heaven</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sleeping away in a room on flight eleven</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I awoke I’m-a whirling sound</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The ring around the bathtub was up walking around</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That ring around the bathtub was up walking around</span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">(slurp)</span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zi5aQ41x6yM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-14460775232847310192021-04-21T07:22:00.024-07:002021-04-23T13:29:26.899-07:00Songs from the Pet Rock craze (1976)<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEB6VgDyQXI/YIAeFLzRVtI/AAAAAAAADt0/4DN-Uhi4VGEKO7ok2w9qivaMZ0UqI5dbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1399/PetRock.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1399" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QEB6VgDyQXI/YIAeFLzRVtI/AAAAAAAADt0/4DN-Uhi4VGEKO7ok2w9qivaMZ0UqI5dbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/PetRock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Remember Pet Rocks? <i>Mother Jones</i> called them "one of the great crazes of 1976," and <i>Time Magazine</i> ranked them among the Top 10 toy crazes of all time. Inventor <b>Gary Dahl</b> struck gold, at least for a little while, by selling ordinary rocks in a pet-carrier-like container that held some excelsior as bedding and a pamphlet on how to care for the rock. Like most crazes, the Pet Rock also inspired a handful of novelty records that year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Introduced at the end of 1975 and priced at about $4.00, Pet Rocks were an instant success, but by 1977 the fad had run its course, and Dahl donated his remaining inventory of 100,000 Pet Rocks to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Al Bolt "I'm in Love with My Pet Rock" (Cin-Kay CK-201, Feb. 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Country singer <b>Al Bolt</b> wasted no time in rushing a Pet Rock novelty song to market. The title suggests that the song is about romantic love for a Pet Rock, but it's actually about a child who loves the rock that followed him home.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CvzspHuoINY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Walter Rockite – "The Pet Rocks Are Coming" (Westbound WT-5022, May 1976)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">None of the creators of this break-in comedy record wanted to be identified by their real names, apparently, because the artist is credited as <b>Walter Rockite</b>, the composer as <b>Sandy Granite</b>, and the producer as <b>Sparkle Quartz</b>. Or maybe that was just part of the joke. The record is set up as an interview, like many of <b>Dickie Goodman</b>'s break-in hits, with Rockite and others asking questions, to which snippets of hit songs play in reply. The topic, generally speaking, is the Pet Rock craze, but the questions veer into miscellaneous celebrity news, with rock puns and jokes being the only real thread. The B-side, credited to the <b>Walter Rockite Rock Conglomerate</b>, was a song called "Rocky Road."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7tR2dz4_o4E" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chuck McCabe & the K-ROCK News Team – "That Old Pet Rock of Mine" and "Live at the Pet Rock Show" (GRT Records, GRT-044, 1976)</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Pet Rock inventor <b>Gary Dahl</b> actually cowrote the A-side of this double-sided Pet Rock single, which GRT Records advertised as "the greatest rock hit of all time." Get it? It wasn't a hit at all, and as far as I can tell didn't get substantial airplay, but the B-side, "Live at the Pet Rock Show," is a fairly amusing break-in comedy record in which all the snippets of popular songs sound like re-recordings, a strategy that would get around the licensing problems that often plagued break-in records. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X7j-LsgOG8M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Michael Andrews – "Pet Rock" (Theta 2019-A, 1976)</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Released in the summer of 1976, "Pet Rock" by <b>Michael Andrews</b> inspired a Los Angeles secretary named <b>Jannene Swift </b>to marry a 50-pound rock. The song got a little airplay but not nearly as much attention as the resulting marriage, which made national news. The wedding ceremony was performed at a park on Wilshire Boulevard in L.A., and the union was described as the first "inter-rock-cial" marriage.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFYKREWx9lA/YIApFxuZwtI/AAAAAAAADt8/nuR-ERQb7AYFr2c9krOE_PbPtsaAWAB7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s759/michael-andrews-pet-rock-theta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFYKREWx9lA/YIApFxuZwtI/AAAAAAAADt8/nuR-ERQb7AYFr2c9krOE_PbPtsaAWAB7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/michael-andrews-pet-rock-theta.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Merlin – "Without My Rock" and "Pet Rock Rock" (Stonehenge 3001, 1976)</span></h3><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This double-sided Pet Rock record was supposed to accompany a book by author <b>Thomas N. Corpening</b> that was going to be titled either <i>Pet Rock Jokes & Songs</i>, as it says on the label of the 45, or <i>The Pet Rock Joke Book</i>, as it says in <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-corpening&pid=197423966&fhid=41825">Corpening's obituary</a>, but I haven't seen any evidence that this book was actually published. The Texas band Merlin set Corpening's lyrics to music for this single.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZCDEU0EI3jI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hN5e1xkeYRE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">That was the end of the craze, but it wasn't the end of Pet Rocks. In fact, Pet Rocks are <a href="https://www.petrock.com/">still available today</a>. A record label called <a href="https://www.discogs.com/label/189970-Pet-Rock-Records">Pet Rock</a> was active in the 1990s-2010s. <b>Teenage Fanclub</b> had a song called "Pet Rock" on their 1991 album <i>Bandwagonesque</i>. A band called <b><a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/5223696-The-Pet-Rocks">The Pet Rocks</a></b> released a couple albums. Some children's books about Pet Rocks have been published. And if you'd like to have an authentic vintage Pet Rock, they sell on eBay for around $40 these days. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOb-YL6DmYk/YIBi1QXD9yI/AAAAAAAADuE/8-ZADl4eggM6cNtp7JWisXE6aLYQenBYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1519/ReggieandMe.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1519" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOb-YL6DmYk/YIBi1QXD9yI/AAAAAAAADuE/8-ZADl4eggM6cNtp7JWisXE6aLYQenBYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ReggieandMe.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-35995156917306264342021-03-07T09:02:00.005-08:002021-03-07T09:03:43.967-08:00The Four Coins and Four Coins Drive in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YrwZX3dPjrY/YDFfH3MIayI/AAAAAAAADsA/AN39JAXwqOwWIi1JwtbJRFgKZ5aRCpfZACLcBGAsYHQ/s649/fourcoins.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="649" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YrwZX3dPjrY/YDFfH3MIayI/AAAAAAAADsA/AN39JAXwqOwWIi1JwtbJRFgKZ5aRCpfZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/fourcoins.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Like <b>Perry Como</b> and <b>Bobby Vinton</b>, the vocal quartet <b>The Four Coins</b> came from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where a street is named in their honor: Four Coins Drive. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's not the most impressive street—it winds past a cemetery and through a commercial zone—but it's a nice gesture in recognition of the group, which charted 16 hits from 1954-1960 between the <i>Billboard</i>, <i>Cash Box</i>, and <i>Music Vendor</i> charts.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1sjfxiUjgg/YDFfijdN-YI/AAAAAAAADsM/NH1GV-MCaVwH8U7dwsqUto-IpRHrBGJzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s639/fourcoins2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n1sjfxiUjgg/YDFfijdN-YI/AAAAAAAADsM/NH1GV-MCaVwH8U7dwsqUto-IpRHrBGJzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/fourcoins2.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Cousins <b>Jimmy Gregorakis</b> and <b>George Mantalis</b> and brothers <b>George</b> and <b>Michael Mahramas </b>originally formed the group as <b>The Four Keys</b> and recorded a couple records for the independent Corona Records label under that name before changing to The Four Coins when Epic Records signed them. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“Shangri-La," a million seller, was their biggest hit on the <i>Billboard</i> chart, peaking at #11 in 1957, but if you follow the <i>Music Vendor </i>pop chart, they had one hit that charted even higher: "Memories of You" reached #9 in 1955, giving the group its only Top 10 entry. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Michael Mahramas left the group in 1959 to pursue an acting career and was replaced by brother <b>Jack Mahramas</b>, and The Four Coins soldiered on, recording two albums of <a href="https://www.discogs.com/The-Four-Coins-Greek-Songs/master/1608133">Greek</a> <a href="https://www.discogs.com/The-Four-Coins-Greek-Songs-Mama-Never-Taught-Me/master/1527842">songs</a> in the 1960s and continuing to release singles into the <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/20052006us">1970s</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Four Coins Drive was named in their honor in the late 1980s, and the group reunited in the 2000s for a some local performances and the PBS special <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/dec/11/magic-moments-best-50s-pop/">Magic Moments: The Best of '50s Pop</a>, in which they sang <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woCj0HHRID4">"Shangri-La."</a></span></p><p></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EWP___jbc0o" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9xtMF59cUw" width="560"></iframe></div><p></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-22887366283469348172021-02-02T17:32:00.006-08:002021-02-02T18:20:45.032-08:00Mike Thomas – "Bubbly, Bubbly Root Beer" (1977)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KKjPUFf7RU/YBn4LF47-4I/AAAAAAAADrE/MI7reKvrLeUOube24ssA_I1ryaTQcvsQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s652/mike-thomas-bubbly-bubbly-root-beer-tin-pan-alley.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="652" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KKjPUFf7RU/YBn4LF47-4I/AAAAAAAADrE/MI7reKvrLeUOube24ssA_I1ryaTQcvsQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mike-thomas-bubbly-bubbly-root-beer-tin-pan-alley.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Donald Archibald</b> copyrighted three songs in 1977: "Bubby, Bubbly Root Beer," "Victory Rock, Rock, Rock!" and "The Lullaby of the Clouds." Only the first one, as far as I know, was recorded. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7AVIBGydrg/YBn6gHepoaI/AAAAAAAADrQ/9iTH5DQrb1M5QRaqnKl3Qsx2lDHqMMIngCLcBGAsYHQ/s634/archibald.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="634" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H7AVIBGydrg/YBn6gHepoaI/AAAAAAAADrQ/9iTH5DQrb1M5QRaqnKl3Qsx2lDHqMMIngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/archibald.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Archibald sent his lyrics to Tin Pan Alley, a song-poem company that was founded in New York in 1941, according to </span><a href="http://www.songpoemmusic.com/labels/tinpan.htm" style="font-family: arial;">songpoemmusic.com</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, and then relocated to Sarastota, Florida. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The song-poem industry, if you don't know, was a peculiar area of the vanity recording industry in which musical hopefuls would send their lyrics to companies who advertised in the back of magazines. These advertisements gave the impression that the song-poem companies were mainstream music entities looking for up-and-coming lyricists to supply words for future hit records, but in reality, the companies were bottom feeders who flattered applicants and coaxed them into sending money to finance recordings of quickly and cheaply arranged songs in independent studios, resulting in records that were pressed in very limited numbers and had absolutely no chance of achieving the commercial success that the companies suggested was a possibility.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">"Bubbly, Bubbly Root Beer" was performed by <b>Mike Thomas</b>, a stalwart musician of the Tin Pan Alley label who in this particular performance sounds like an Australian singer to me, but his other performances on other Tin Pan Alley recordings sound completely different.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As an enthusiast of song-poem recordings, I think "Bubbly, Bubbly Root Beer" is one of the better efforts in this field. The stanza about moonwalks is questionable, but the rest of the lyrics are pretty solid, and the song itself expresses nostalgia for dad's homemade root beer as well as national brands such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason%27s_Root_Beer">Mason's</a> (a childhood favorite of mine) and <a href="https://www.root-beer.org/modules.php?name=Brands&rbop=Brand&bid=979">Hy's</a>. The minimalist guitar/bass/drums arrangement by Mike Thomas lends the song an appealingly unpretentious garage-rock quality.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know anything about Donald Archibald, but maybe one of his friends or relatives will comment on this post and we'll find out what inspired him to send his hard-earned money and sentimental root beer poem to Tin Pan Alley and commision this song. Whatever his motivation, the combination of his heartfelt lyrics and Thomas's simple vocal/instrumental arrangement resulted in what, as far as I'm concerned, is really a high-water mark in the weird world of song-poem recordings. </span></div><div><p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E89_MFbqP4o/X8lMzjPMklI/AAAAAAAADoA/REFBOtva6lEzAl5CvlMhY_ccfYNU1s0mwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png"><img height="747" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E89_MFbqP4o/X8lMzjPMklI/AAAAAAAADoA/REFBOtva6lEzAl5CvlMhY_ccfYNU1s0mwCLcBGAsYHQ/w664-h747/image.png" width="664" /></a><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nPKWt1bqXGI" width="560"></iframe></div><p></p></div></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-21339129000531001532021-01-23T08:20:00.007-08:002021-01-23T08:34:26.175-08:00Wisconsin's short-lived Swastika Records label (1959)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rvcbDoNZ3rQ/X_XB3mtKXbI/AAAAAAAADqQ/SATnGzeW3WA_-uA530C7Lpu4W2-ehKXQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s468/midwest-ranchers-riding-down-the-canyon-swastika.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="468" height="202" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rvcbDoNZ3rQ/X_XB3mtKXbI/AAAAAAAADqQ/SATnGzeW3WA_-uA530C7Lpu4W2-ehKXQgCLcBGAsYHQ/w459-h202/midwest-ranchers-riding-down-the-canyon-swastika.jpg" width="459" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the most spectacular pivots from a terrible idea to a great one occurred with this short-lived Wisconsin record label that was not only called Swastika Records but also prominently featured a swastika symbol in the logo.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Existing for only two months in 1959, the label was an imprint of <b>Jim Kirchstein</b> of Sauk City, Wisconsin, and became a longstanding source of dismay to Kirchstein, who later believed that the FBI investigated him because of it. Turning lemons into lemonade, Kirschstein quickly abandoned the Swastika label and renamed it Cuca Records, which—as many oldies fans know—became the center of regional independent music making in Wisconsin and achieved national fame with artists such as <b>The Fendermen</b>, whose "<a href="https://youtu.be/Lg4JEqYUlx4">Mule Skinner Blues</a>" was a Top 5 pop hit in 1960.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But we're getting ahead of ourselves. First came Swastika Records, which Kirchstein says he innocently, if naively, named in recognition of the large German-American population in Wisconsin and in reference to the traditional meaning of the swastika as a symbol of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika">good luck</a>. He explained his rationale for the name in <b>Gary E. Myers</b>' book <i>Do You Hear that Beat: Wisconsin Pop/Rock in the 50's & 60's</i>:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">'That was a very dumb thing I did,' said Kirchstein. 'This was in the 50's and the horrors of World War II were just 15 years before that. I had the idea of creating a series of German related type music and the swastika was basically a symbol of good luck, a symbol of the sun.' </span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Swastika Records endured long enough to release only two singles: one by the <b>Midwest Ranchers</b> (Swastika 1000) and one by <b>Willy Tremain's Thunderbirds </b>(Swastika 1001).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The Midwest Ranchers were a country combo with a trumpeter, and their Swastika single was the only record they released. (Steel guitarist <b>Leroy Gilbertson</b> later released a <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/j1082">solo single</a> on Cuca in 1962.) The Midwest Ranchers' single contained remakes of the <b>Gene Autry</b> and <b>Smiley Burnette</b> song "<a href="https://youtu.be/B6et5oL_ZnM">Riding Down the Canyon</a>" and <b>Carl Smith</b>'s 1950 country hit "<a href="https://youtu.be/aE3HEOWnHIo">I Overlooked an Orchard</a>." Kirchstein paid RCA's pressing plant in Chicago to manufacture 300 copies.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0qFQ67qLro/YAxCiny8XEI/AAAAAAAADqs/ZxvaLWUlQ9cueWYM2xxsBOa66-0YLWivgCLcBGAsYHQ/s418/R-6709695-1519324659-4461.jpeg.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0qFQ67qLro/YAxCiny8XEI/AAAAAAAADqs/ZxvaLWUlQ9cueWYM2xxsBOa66-0YLWivgCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h320/R-6709695-1519324659-4461.jpeg.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In this label image from <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Midwest-Ranchers-Riding-Down-The-Canyon/release/6709695">Discogs</a>, someone tried to black out the swastika symbol with a marker!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Swastika's other single, the rock 'n' roll instrumental "Midnight Express" by <b>Willy Tremain's Thunderbirds</b>, was again pressed at the RCA plant in an initial batch of 300. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fYT6wGsMIAc" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The record was a good seller, so Kirchstein went to RCA to press another batch of 300. This time, RCA raised objections to the label's name and logo:</span></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">...[A]fter he placed an order for more copies of the release, his RCA contact, Bill Leonards found a problem with the records. The original label name chosen for Kirchstein's releases was Swastika and the records' paper labels included the symbol in their artwork, causing workers and management at the RCA facility to feel uncomfortable with the Nazi association. Kirchstein maintained that he chose the Swastika insignia because the large German population of Sauk City considered it a good luck sign. He had no intention of conjuring up pro-Nazi sentiments through his record business. (In later years, he believed the FBI investigated his activities based solely on this "dumb thing" he did.) Impulsively, Kirchstein decided while on the telephone with Leonards to rename his business Cuca, the nickname of his wife's Mexican-American cousin from Los Cusas, New Mexico.[<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">1</a>]<br /><br /></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">With the founding of Cuca Records, the Swastika name and logo were abandoned, and Willy Tremain's Thunderbirds became <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/nc747652us">the first artist on Cuca</a>, with the spelling of Tremain's first name changed from Willy to Willie.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In its entry on Tremain, Gary E. Myers' second book on Wisconsin music, <i>On that Wisconsin Beat: More Pop/Rock/Soul/Country</i>, contains a follow-up anecdote about the Swastika label: </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1995 [Tremain] obtained several copies of his 36-year old disc. 'We used to hire these kids to sell the records at our dances,' he explains. 'A few years ago my brother ran into one of those guys who still had a box of autographed copies on Swastika.' Jim Kirchstein laughingly said he wanted to get them and burn them - Jerry Osborn's 1999 price guide listed the disc at $200-$300.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">According to Myers' book, even though the catalog numbers suggest that the Midwest Ranchers' record preceded the one by Tremain's Thunderbirds, Tremain's record was released in July 1959 and the Midwest Ranchers' record in August 1959. Cuca's debut, the reissue of the Tremain record, was also released in August 1959.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By the way, any music lovers who are interested in Myers' highly informative books on Wisconsin music of the '50s and '60s should visit <a href="http://www.music-gem.com/wisconsin-music-books.html">his website</a> where he's offering both of them at clearance prices. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtjPUDNry_w/YAxKvaWMU8I/AAAAAAAADq4/l0YmpIGPgIcuMAwVxisJ3IhzneFv2AOBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1928.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LtjPUDNry_w/YAxKvaWMU8I/AAAAAAAADq4/l0YmpIGPgIcuMAwVxisJ3IhzneFv2AOBwCLcBGAsYHQ/w283-h200/IMG_1928.JPG" width="283" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-65748666811445151952021-01-03T06:58:00.005-08:002021-01-03T10:04:33.922-08:00The Music Weird's best of 2020<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--i1EW9x-7nY/X-9epfMh7BI/AAAAAAAADpY/wlH9qCoTX5IsHyeMF90eHo849Wzzk0kPACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/nope.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--i1EW9x-7nY/X-9epfMh7BI/AAAAAAAADpY/wlH9qCoTX5IsHyeMF90eHo849Wzzk0kPACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nope.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For years I've done most of my music listening in the car while commuting or traveling, but in 2020 I didn't go anywhere, so I had to carve out time to listen to music in a way that I haven't in the past. It was worth the effort.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the interest of posting this in a timely manner, I'm not going to write about all these tracks individually, many of which are singles and all of which got lots of spins by me this year, but I will mention my three most-listened-to albums of 2020 in order of release:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JZyY5Beg8k/X_HZeUy6FzI/AAAAAAAADpo/m4KjOydICY8EhVu7NeI_ACiCOGDjcbNewCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/woods.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JZyY5Beg8k/X_HZeUy6FzI/AAAAAAAADpo/m4KjOydICY8EhVu7NeI_ACiCOGDjcbNewCLcBGAsYHQ/w187-h187/woods.jpg" width="187" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Woods – "Strange to Explain" (May 22, 2020)</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm a longtime fan of Woods, but they hit it out of the park with <i>Strange to Explain</i>, their best album since 2009's <i>Songs of Shame</i> in my opinion (although they released a lot of great music in between). I had this playing on repeat all through the summer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hQ7QD_VmhG8/X_HZt48Pz8I/AAAAAAAADpw/_Z6pwmRDDOEcvHtcIlEU9VzRFsMxO7D8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/a1299003716_10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hQ7QD_VmhG8/X_HZt48Pz8I/AAAAAAAADpw/_Z6pwmRDDOEcvHtcIlEU9VzRFsMxO7D8ACLcBGAsYHQ/w183-h180/a1299003716_10.jpg" width="183" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Waifu Shrine - POP (October 9, 2020)</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>POP</i> has a ramshackle DIY vibe that takes me back to the days of <a href="https://www.discogs.com/label/4132-Blackbean-And-Placenta-Tape-Club">Blackbean and Placenta Tape Club</a> but has plenty of traditional pop songcraft too. Underneath it all, "Spring Arrived Right in Time" is a future pop standard worthy of Tin Pan Alley, and "Toy Keyboard" has one of the best uses of a chipmunk voice since <i>We're Only in It for the Money</i> or even "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUuqpFLLvQ">Martian Hop</a>."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjTDOkp9nO4/X_HZ_z6EjXI/AAAAAAAADp4/SILlshYnlqcT1XDrV-Fq6u0kbYt9DpO4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/beachvacation.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="182" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjTDOkp9nO4/X_HZ_z6EjXI/AAAAAAAADp4/SILlshYnlqcT1XDrV-Fq6u0kbYt9DpO4wCLcBGAsYHQ/w182-h182/beachvacation.jpg" width="182" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Beach Vacation – I Fell Apart (November 13, 2020)</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Just lovely from start to finish. It's not as much of a loss that Wild Nothing no longer sounds like <i>Gemini</i> when we have bands like Beach Vacation creating similarly gauzy, dreamy music that is simultaneously nostalgic and new. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Music Weird's Best of 2020 Spotify playlist</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Artist/track/album</b></span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Beach Vacation – "Break the Ice" – <a href="https://beachvacation.bandcamp.com/album/i-fell-apart">I Fell Apart</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Spring Reverb – "Bric-A-Brac" – <a href="https://springreverb.bandcamp.com/album/bric-a-brac">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Nessie Next Door – "Love Rind" – <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6w5bOTInmiEorjKJR6bgWk">Dot the Eye and Cross the Tea</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Waifu Shrine – "Toy Keyboard" – <a href="https://calebchase.bandcamp.com/album/pop">POP</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Jan flu – "Lacrosse" – <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6oJb6DwxnLk13hrd0RAwsP">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Corey Flood – "Heaven Or" – <a href="https://coreyflood.bandcamp.com/album/hanging-garden">Hanging Garden</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Love Tan – "What's the Point" – <a href="https://permanentslump.bandcamp.com/album/love-tan">Love Tan</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I Saw You Yesterday – "Wander" – <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2M9DEAwDcec8CrfXeK14vX?highlight=spotify:track:4mFI0W3faMWo0wY5iIaADj">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Breakup Films – "All Kinds of Flowers" – <a href="https://breakupfilms.bandcamp.com/track/all-kinds-of-flowers">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hank Midnight – "New City" – <a href="https://hankmidnight.bandcamp.com/album/gardens">Gardens EP</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Black Currants – "Carousel" – <a href="https://blackcurrants.bandcamp.com/track/carousel">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Secret American – "Heavy Feels" – <a href="https://secretamericanmusic.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-feels-lp">Heavy Feels</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Grazer – "Fever Dream" – <a href="https://grazer2.bandcamp.com/track/fever-dream">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Choo – "Fool" – <a href="https://jonathanchiu.bandcamp.com/track/fool">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">GRMLN – "Sun" – <a href="https://grmln.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-world">Goodbye, World</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The Francine Odysseys – "Hide Your Eyes" – <a href="https://thefrancineodysseys.bandcamp.com/album/what-if-we-were-wrong">What If We Were Wrong</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Keeps – "Light in a Dream" – <a href="https://keepsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/affectianado">Affectianado</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Lunchbox – "Dream Parade" – <a href="https://tim-and-donna-lunchbox.bandcamp.com/album/after-school-special">After School Special</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Emma Kupa – "Nothing at All" – <a href="https://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/it-will-come-easier">It Will Come Easier</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The Memories – "In My Heart I'm Sailing" – <a href="https://gnartapes.bandcamp.com/album/pickles-pies">Pickles & Pies</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Grrrl Gang – "Love Song" – <a href="https://grrrlgang.bandcamp.com/album/here-to-stay">Here to Stay!</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The Very Most – "Her Three-Year Old Laugh or the Time the Microphones Played in My Living Room" – <a href="https://kocliko.bandcamp.com/album/kr17-needs-help">Needs Help</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Northern Portrait – "At Attention" – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukuhbig604s">single</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Woods – "Where Do You Go When You Dream" – <a href="https://woodsfamilyband.bandcamp.com/album/strange-to-explain">Strange to Explain</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Terry vs. Tori – "High Tide" – <a href="https://terryvstori.bandcamp.com/album/leap-day">Leap Day</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">The Sweet Serenades – "City Lights" – <a href="https://thesweetserenades.bandcamp.com/">City Lights</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Tycho – "Weather" – <a href="https://tycho.bandcamp.com/album/simulcast-2">Simulcast</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Echo Delta – "After 15" – <a href="https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/echo-delta-subluminal-projections">Subluminal Projections</a></span></li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/0VLUvDIUAcE5rIzWIeXCsr" width="300"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Best reissues</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Various artists – <a href="https://strumandthrum.bandcamp.com/">Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Various artists – <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Iconic-Standards-Stereo-Various-Artists/dp/B086J5LLMB">Iconic Pop Standards in Stereo</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Iconic-Country-Originals-Various-Artists/dp/B086J4GZ2S">Iconic Country Originals in Stereo </a>(full disclosure: I worked on these, but they are pretty amazing)</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, a new <b>Cozy Catastrophes</b> track from the last days of the year:</span></p><p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=904086405/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; height: 120px; width: 100%;"><a href="https://februaryrecords.bandcamp.com/track/im-dreaming-of-a-white-christmas">I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by Cozy Catastrophes</a></iframe></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-51816693681980946522020-12-24T06:57:00.005-08:002020-12-24T10:16:44.334-08:00Religious Santa songs<span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OoIoCxBk8Zc/VI5BDRskjvI/AAAAAAAABL4/ei5t5i8gYu4/s1600/vintage_santa_child_praying_christmas_card-r2c55e31ffc07450d8697a76944bfcb7b_i40k2_8byvr_512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OoIoCxBk8Zc/VI5BDRskjvI/AAAAAAAABL4/ei5t5i8gYu4/s1600/vintage_santa_child_praying_christmas_card-r2c55e31ffc07450d8697a76944bfcb7b_i40k2_8byvr_512.jpg" width="248" /></span></a></div>
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<span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">"Perhaps the thing about Christmas that bothers Christians more than
anything else," <a href="http://www.equip.org/perspectives/saint-nicholas-can-santa-claus-be-saved/">says</a> the Christian Research Institute, "is <b>Santa Claus</b>. Is Santa a hopelessly pagan idea, or can
Santa Claus be saved?"</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuuGuDCRN7I/VI7oo7zItpI/AAAAAAAABMI/XIJgpPP0Tfc/s1600/SANTA%2BCHURCH%2BSIGN.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yuuGuDCRN7I/VI7oo7zItpI/AAAAAAAABMI/XIJgpPP0Tfc/s1600/SANTA%2BCHURCH%2BSIGN.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Even though Santa Claus is partly based on the fourth-century Christian bishop <b>Saint Nicholas</b>, the modern Santa is a secular figure who appears in many thoroughly secular contexts, including numerous horror films and even some adult films. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>Some songwriters have tried to "save" the secular Santa by writing songs that place him in an explicitly Christian context. These songwriters, whether or not they viewed Santa as a secular rival of <b>Jesus</b>, usually tried to mend the perceived rift between the two by grafting religion onto Santa or grafting Santa onto religion. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">But some of these attempts to mix Santa and religion seem to confuse rather than clarify. For example, is the vintage greeting card pictured above suggesting that Santa hears our prayers? </span><br />
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<span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Today on Music Weird, we'll
listen to some of the efforts to combine Santa and religion. A few are
earnest and a few are jokes, but all are unusual. </span><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">In these songs, you'll hear a number of offbeat revisions to the Santa and God stories: God is Santa, Santa is God, Santa is immortal, Santa is guided by prayers, etc. </span><br />
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Pat Boone – "I Saw Santa Prayin'"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">I've never seen Santa prayin', but I did see <b>Pat Boone</b> perform this song in concert years ago, and he introduced it by saying that he wrote it as an attempt to reconcile, for kids, the two main figureheads of the Christmas season. </span><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">How did he do that? By depicting Santa as a prayerful Christian man and servant of the Lord. The chorus is "I saw Santa prayin'/I saw Santa kneel before the Lord." Many years after I first heard it, </span><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Boone recorded the song for his 2007 album<i> The True Spirit of Christmas</i>. </span><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><br /></span>
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Hank Snow – "God Is My Santa Claus"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">In this 1966 song by Canadian country star <b>Hank Snow</b>, a young schoolboy teaches us that God is Santa and Santa is God. The lyrics not only state that "God is my Santa Claus" but also that the "real Santa" is God. </span>
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Restless Heart – "Santa's Prayer"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">In the 2013 <b>Restless Heart</b> song "Santa's Prayer," Santa himself decries the commercialization of Christmas and hopes that people will remember its true meaning. A reviewer on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Santas-Prayer/dp/B00G2SP8GA">Amazon</a> calls this "One of the Best Christmas Songs ever written</span><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">." </span>
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Jimmy Boyd – "I Said a Prayer for Santa Claus"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><b>Jimmy Boyd</b>, who recorded the original version of the perennial hit "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76K5UU0ihow">I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus</a>," recorded this religious Santa song in 1953. In it, Boyd prays to keep Santa safe, healthy, and warm as Santa goes about his business at the North Pole and delivers presents to the kids. I particularly like the part where he expresses concern that Santa might run into a television antenna. </span>
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Carson Robison – "Will There Be a Santa Claus in Heaven?" </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This tearjerker is about a dying child who asks if Heaven has a Santa Claus. A video of a recording of it by <b>Jerry House</b> used to be on YouTube and claimed that House wrote the words and music, but the song was actually written by <b>Carson Robison</b> and appeared in his 1936 songbook <i>Tip Top Album of Carson J. Robison Songs</i>. No audio is available online at this time, but quite a few people remember and search for this song. <b>David "Stringbean" Akeman</b> wrote and published <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=yTshAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA908&lpg=PA908&dq=david+akeman+will+there+be+a+santa+claus+in+heaven&source=bl&ots=R6S6JnGFJU&sig=ACfU3U2zMEaBkrDKrEAjsUh-cgj9tG3otQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiau7CR8ubtAhXQW80KHVSwB_cQ6AEwAHoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=david%20akeman%20will%20there%20be%20a%20santa%20claus%20in%20heaven&f=false">a different song with this title in 1968</a> but doesn't appear to have recorded it. A contemporary song that asks the same question is <b>Marshall Fike</b>'s "<a href="https://youtu.be/YDHJTduZlpg">Is There a Santa in Heaven</a>."</span><br />
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<h3><span style="font-family: arial;">Red Sovine – "Faith in Santa"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is another Christmas song like "Will There Be a Santa Claus in Heaven?" about a dying child. In this dreary recitation from 1978, a homeless boy tells Santa that his father is in prison for shooting his mother's boyfriend, that he prays for Santa, and that he'd like to go to Heaven for Christmas. The boy gets his wish and passes away at the end of the song. It's unclear whether the song is asserting that Santa can send souls to Heaven if that's their Christmas wish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">James Brown – "Santa Claus Is Definitely Here to Stay" </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This weird, rambling song declares that Santa Claus is here to stay and also urges people to keep the season strong with faith. You could interpret that as faith in Santa, but I don't think that's the intended meaning. Even though the relationship between Santa and faith is murky in the lyrics, the song is included here because most Santa songs don't mention religious themes such as faith at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The Penguins – "A Christmas Prayer"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>The Penguins</b>' "A Christmas Prayer" from 1955 features an odd mixture of prayer and a desire for material gifts as the Penguins pray that their girl comes home for Christmas and puts her presents under their Christmas tree.</span> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">(Is that a euphemism?) The song doesn't mention Santa by name, but Christmas gifts fall within Santa's dominion, so I think it counts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Jimmy Martin – "Daddy Will Santa Claus Ever Have to Die?"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In addition to having one of the cheesiest music videos ever committed to VHS tape, this 1980 song by the King of Bluegrass, <b>Jimmy Martin</b>, informs us that Santa is an immortal being like God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Pearl Jam "Santa God"</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This song by <b>Pearl Jam</b>, from a limited-edition Christmas single released in 2007, is the mirror image of <b>Hank Snow</b>'s "God Is My Santa Claus." Hank said that God is Santa, but Pearl Jam says that Santa is God. For kids who are greedy for presents, that might be true.</span><br />
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The Santa and Jesus duet from <i>South Park</i></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">This duet between a cartoon Santa and a cartoon Jesus pits a number of religious Christmas carols, including "Joy to the World" and "Away in the Manger," against "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_on_the_House_Top">Up on the House Top</a>." Santa becomes angry that Jesus has more songs than he does, but Jesus smooths things over in the end and the spirit of Christmas prevails. <i> </i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i> Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-17398178636500713092020-12-05T07:10:00.005-08:002020-12-07T06:32:25.862-08:00Helen Beasley: Early Indiana blues artist or not? (1929)<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8aQbhRyFd2Q/X8qEqBcsMpI/AAAAAAAADoc/OSrDKzvoA30dZ8sf7DzEkuWVWHlEbB1dQCLcBGAsYHQ/s585/beasley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="585" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8aQbhRyFd2Q/X8qEqBcsMpI/AAAAAAAADoc/OSrDKzvoA30dZ8sf7DzEkuWVWHlEbB1dQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/beasley.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Indiana is not known as a hotbed of the blues, but I was surprised while browsing the book </span><i style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Regional-Experience-Greenwood-American/dp/031334423X">Blues: A Regional Experience</a></i><span style="font-family: arial;"> to see that only one blues singer was listed for the entire state: <b>Helen Beasley</b>, who waxed a single record in 1929. However, after looking into her biography a bit, I'm not sure that Indiana can claim her.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Beasley made three recordings in her brief recording career, all of which were cut in a Chicago studio for Brunswick Records. The recordings were unadorned, consisting only of Beasley's vocals and a piano that was probably played by fellow Brunswick recording artist <a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/3106522-Frances-Wallace"><b>Frances Wallace</b></a>, according to <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Gospel-Records-1890-1943-University/dp/B00E292RV0">Blues & Gospel Records, 1890-1943, Fourth Edition</a></i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Her first session was a test recording of a song called "California Bound Blues" on April 18, 1929. A week later, on April 25, she recorded "Tia Juana Blues" and "Rambling Mind Blues," two original compositions that Brunswick released on a <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Helen-Beasley-Rambling-Mind-Blues-Tia-Juana-Blues/release/13911366">78</a> as Brunswick 7077. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Because of the similarities between the lyrics of "Tia Juana Blues" and the title of "California Bound Blues," some have surmised that they're actually the same song.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As <b>Wim Verbei</b> points out in his book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Booms-Blues-Journalism-Friendship-American/dp/1496805119">Boom's Blues: Music, Journalism, and Friendship in Wartime</a></i>, "Tia Juana Blues" has a odd stylistic quirk that recurs throughout. Beasley, instead of breaking up her couplets where a pause would normally be expected, pauses in the second couplet. So, instead of singing this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going to California, sweet man / just to wear you off my mind</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">She sings this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm going to California, sweet man, just to / wear you off my mind</span></p></blockquote></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This unconventional phrasing is clearly an artistic choice on Beasley's part, because she repeats the formula throughout the song.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The other side of the single, "Rambling Mind Blues," is a bit quirky, too, because of Beasley's nearly constant use of the vocal technique known as <a href="https://www.freemusicdictionary.com/definition/scoop/">scooping</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After that, she either moved on to other things or didn't garner enough sales to merit an additional release, because that appears to have been her only single.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Beasley's listing in </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Blues: A Regional Experience</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> provides very little biographical information, but it's nevertheless more information than I found anywhere else. Unfortunately, it also appears to be incorrect. It says she was born <b>Helen Slaughter</b> in Indiana on April 25, 1895, and died in Los Angeles on February 3, 1972, but adds that this information is tentative. On the basis of my research, I don't think any of this information relates to Helen Beasley the blues singer, which calls into question whether Beasley was from Indiana at all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Slaughter's obituary in the February 5, 1972, issue of the <i>Bakersfield Californian</i> doesn't mention anything about singing, but more significantly, it gives her husband's name as <b>Paul Slaughter</b>, which means that Slaughter was her married name, not her birth name. Also, <a href="https://i.imgur.com/xBxCDJz.png">Paul was white</a>, and although interracial marriages weren't unheard of in mid 20th century America, they were uncommon.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>SLAUGHTER, HELEN MARIE —<span> </span></b>Rosary will be recited at 8 p.m. Sunday at The Hopson Mortuary Chapel and Requiem Mass will be said at 11 a.m. for Helen M. Slaughter, 77, who died Thursday in a Los Angeles convalescent hospital. Msgr. Patrick Hannon will officiate, and interment will follow in Union Cemetery. Mrs. Slaughter, a native of Indiana, had resided in California 50 years. She had been a resident of Bakersfield many years prior to making her home in the Los Angeles area three years ago. Mrs. Slaughter had been self-employed in the antique business for many years. Her husband, Paul, died in 1963. Survivors include one daughter, Ann Jensen of Los Angeles; four grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Blyth Slaughter of Modesto, and several cousins. Mrs. Slaughter was a member of the Altar Society of St. Joseph and the Third Order of St. Francis. </span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I also found some ads for the antique store, Old House Antiques, that Helen Slaughter ran with her husband. Here's one from 1949: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VhWLJ_LoARw/X8qDts9qDKI/AAAAAAAADoU/BuYHb1iSjRkiYxY4jlI_wOtbFdPS7ZOygCLcBGAsYHQ/s565/Bakersfield%2BCalifornian%252C%2BAug.%2B24%252C%2B1949.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="279" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VhWLJ_LoARw/X8qDts9qDKI/AAAAAAAADoU/BuYHb1iSjRkiYxY4jlI_wOtbFdPS7ZOygCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Bakersfield%2BCalifornian%252C%2BAug.%2B24%252C%2B1949.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Interesting, but most likely irrelevant to the blues. Although it seems questionable to me now whether Helen Beasley came from Indiana at all, the state can claim <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapper_Blackwell"><b>Scrapper Blackwell</b></a> as a native son. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapper_Blackwell">Wikipedia</a> lists his birthplace as Syracuse, South Carolina, but <a href="https://www.wirz.de/music/blackwel.htm">other sources</a> say he was born in Indianapolis where he grew up, recorded <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg2dBSqjrwM">his first record in 1928</a>, and died in 1962 after being shot during a mugging.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Beasley's two commercial recordings are included on the Document Records CD <i><a href="https://thedocumentrecordsstore.com/product/docd-5503/">Blue Girls, Volume 1: 1924-1930</a> </i>and can be heard in the YouTube videos below. Her test recording of "California Bound Blues" remains unreleased.</span></p><p> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1okZMB-0UXs" width="560"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bwIZ-jKLNds" width="560"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21OaZv9M4QA/X8qK8tKQISI/AAAAAAAADoo/P1Gt-A5xPd4JQn31wj80SDcbBBDMIHAJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s423/Helen_Slaughter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="379" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21OaZv9M4QA/X8qK8tKQISI/AAAAAAAADoo/P1Gt-A5xPd4JQn31wj80SDcbBBDMIHAJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Helen_Slaughter.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-65927451909743143852020-12-02T15:58:00.016-08:002020-12-03T06:34:48.377-08:00"Booby": Curious 1950s novelty ads in Billboard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0t7oMovD3fA/X8gsvtnk_1I/AAAAAAAADnk/XbT6BglEcXQvZKClZi9qjRN6uSdWVVPoACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Booby.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="377" height="371" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0t7oMovD3fA/X8gsvtnk_1I/AAAAAAAADnk/XbT6BglEcXQvZKClZi9qjRN6uSdWVVPoACLcBGAsYHQ/w350-h371/Booby.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In 1950, <i>Billboard</i> magazine ran a number of curious advertisements for a "soft, fleshlike" rubber doll called "Booby: The Bouncing Bombshell Queen of Burlesque."</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k3Xt8cAM7k0/X8ggA1W3SAI/AAAAAAAADmg/IGVRiH2ZHpIWsDzIAWSDzOsw2PfzAXPYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1102/Jul.%2B8%252C%2B1950.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1102" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k3Xt8cAM7k0/X8ggA1W3SAI/AAAAAAAADmg/IGVRiH2ZHpIWsDzIAWSDzOsw2PfzAXPYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Jul.%2B8%252C%2B1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Although <i>Billboard</i> came to be exclusively associated with music in later years, it also used to be a trade magazine for carnival operators and vendors of novelties and gaming devices such as pinball machines. During this time in the late 1940s and early '50s, it carried advertisements for some surprisingly adult-oriented novelties.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Seeing these risque ads in the music trade magazines is surprising not only because the ads are explicit for their time but also because the music trades would periodically rail against smutty records (typically in reference to double-entendre R&B singles), so it seems hypocritical that they published ads that could also be accused of being smutty.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The text of the Booby ad at the top of this post says: </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b></b></span></span></h3><blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>The Hottest Selling Novelty Item of the Season!</b></span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>"Booby"</b></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i>The Bouncing Bombshell Queen of the Burlesque</i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Delightfully realistic, made of soft, fleshlike plastic rubber. Looks lifelike and feels lifelike . . . with DELICATE MOULDED CURVES and LOTS OF OOMPH!! 6" in height. She WIGGLES, she SHIMMIES, she SHAKES, she BUMPS and GRINDS! A real burlesque THRILLER! You make her do all these fascinating movements with a cleverly concealed mechanical device. This item is copyrighted and any infringement will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. $7.20 sample dozen. $72.00 per gross. Send $1.00 for sample. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">ORDER NOW . . . be the first in your territory. </span></span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nu1LxkN3Fuw/X8ggV8kQBPI/AAAAAAAADmo/7_OH5Y8pHkMHrU2xNPp9BTfPk-HtToTRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1204/Aug.%2B19%252C%2B1950.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nu1LxkN3Fuw/X8ggV8kQBPI/AAAAAAAADmo/7_OH5Y8pHkMHrU2xNPp9BTfPk-HtToTRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Aug.%2B19%252C%2B1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Harris Mfg. Co. that marketed this compelling novelty item was previously known as the Harris Novelty Company. The company might have changed its name to avoid being confused with another <a href="http://afflictor.com/2010/05/26/listeria-price-of-novelty-items-in-1948/">Harris Novelty Company that operated out of Philadelphia</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Billboard </i>reported in July 1950 that the company's <b>Johnny Harris</b> said that Booby was "becoming one of the hottest items on the market." The article also said that the company was adding carnival merchandise to its product line. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Another product that the company allegedly would soon market was Pete the Poodle, "a fur covered dog that runs in circles and sits up and begs." I haven't seen any ads for this product and don't know if it was ever manufactured.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Lg9F8T_srY/X8ggj90yEzI/AAAAAAAADms/GyZUsDUGvyUlJ0K_OtcRFB1Ti6dDsTcyACLcBGAsYHQ/s856/Sep.%2B2%252C%2B1950.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Lg9F8T_srY/X8ggj90yEzI/AAAAAAAADms/GyZUsDUGvyUlJ0K_OtcRFB1Ti6dDsTcyACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sep.%2B2%252C%2B1950.jpg" /></a></div>The following month, <i>Billboard </i>reported that Harris Manufacturing Company had hired additional staff to accommodate the flood of orders for Booby. As a naturally cynical person, I assume that <i>Billboard</i>'s ongoing coverage of Booby during this brief time in 1950 was related to Harris Mfg.'s constant ad buys in the publication. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Also in August 1950, <i>Billboard </i>ran another item that reported on Harris Mfg. Co.'s introduction of "Salome, a two-inch-high soft rubber plastic item." This new novelty promised to be so enticing that Harris expected it to "run close to the Booby, Queen of Burlesque item that hit top sales." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Salome figure was a similarly risque "harem dancer" who, ads proclaimed, "WIGGLES and SQUIRMS." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m2AmYw638w/X8gg0d2n6KI/AAAAAAAADm4/OMvE-_yH5hw57EsZ44Hn1paW70pQp-NhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s624/Aug.%2B19%252C%2B1950%2B2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="624" height="94" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m2AmYw638w/X8gg0d2n6KI/AAAAAAAADm4/OMvE-_yH5hw57EsZ44Hn1paW70pQp-NhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w100-h94/Aug.%2B19%252C%2B1950%2B2.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The address for Harris Mfg. Co.—5864 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California—was the same address as that of Heinz Distributors, a company that advertised other risque products in <i>Billboard</i>. Heinz sold a 40-page pictorial magazine of "Hollywood's best figure models" that included so-called "Art Nudes." <i>Billboard </i>ran an item about this product too, describing it as a "magazine that is complete with photographic data," which presumably means "photos of naked ladies." <i>Billboard</i> added that the magazine provided instructions "for taking Hollywood glamour photos." Hm. Interesting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z5CQ7vz4OQ/X8ghDTHCqoI/AAAAAAAADm8/1g8_XT3SvrcKpPpeqozp3pwBZ9j5KVzZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1046/Oct.%2B14%252C%2B1950.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z5CQ7vz4OQ/X8ghDTHCqoI/AAAAAAAADm8/1g8_XT3SvrcKpPpeqozp3pwBZ9j5KVzZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Oct.%2B14%252C%2B1950.jpg" /></a></div>In October 1950, Harris introduced Fifi the Fan Dancer, a "flesh-like soft, plastic rubber . . . realistically molded" figure with a "feather fan." The illustration in the ad was fully nude. Clearly, Harris was marketing its products to the audience that would later make the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealDoll" style="font-family: arial;">RealDoll</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> a viable business endeavor.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Longtime readers of <i>Billboard—</i>at least those who are familiar with the magazine's moralizing stance regarding "smutty" content—might be astonished to see that in 1950 the magazine ran ads that featured illustrations of fully nude women. Just a few years earlier, in 1944, the magazine ran an article about the inability of radio to tap nightclub performers for on-air performances because <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=swwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11&dq=smut+billboard&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj46b7XvLDtAhV_GVkFHepbBjsQ6AEwAXoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=smut%20billboard&f=false">"the night club guys ... have been entertaining with smut so long their thinking along lines of showmanship is not clean."</a><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet <i>Billboard </i>itself didn't hesitate to run illustrations of nudes in its magazine in 1950. It just seems kind of weird. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4KwrOxXCBc/X8ghp-6msyI/AAAAAAAADnI/vUrDN7Tc08M1cgKrVKI9OMyKvxAHDk5IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1218/Modern%2BScreen.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4KwrOxXCBc/X8ghp-6msyI/AAAAAAAADnI/vUrDN7Tc08M1cgKrVKI9OMyKvxAHDk5IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1218/Modern%2BScreen.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1218" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4KwrOxXCBc/X8ghp-6msyI/AAAAAAAADnI/vUrDN7Tc08M1cgKrVKI9OMyKvxAHDk5IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Modern%2BScreen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Also in 1950, the 5864 Hollywood Blvd. address of Harris Mfg. Co. appeared in ads in <i>Modern Screen </i>magazine for lists of personal home addresses of Hollywood actors and in <i><a href="https://www.elks.org/magazinescans/1950-12E.pdf">The Elks Magazine</a> </i>in ads for Hollywood Film Exchange, a seller that suggestively offered "home movies (all types)." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1951, the address appeared in ads by Zusser Mfg. Co. in <i>Popular Photography </i>and <i>Home Movies</i> magazines for 8 and 16 mm film. That same year, Hollywood Film Exchange also ran an ad for its enigmatic "home movies" in <i><a href="https://www.archive.legion.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12203/3959/americanlegionma501amer.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">The American Legion Magazine</a></i>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There seemed to be a common thread between these risque businesses that all operated out of the same Hollywood street address. And although the Elks and the American Legion are perceived as conservative social clubs, it's not hard to imagine them as potential audiences for illicit stag films, if that's what these "home movies" actually were. The website of the <a href="https://stage.museumofsex.com/portfolio_page/stag-the-illicit-origins-of-pornographic-film/">Museum of Sex</a> in New York says that "screenings of stag films ... were clandestine events that ... would gather together in American legion halls."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Bringing things back to music, the 5864 Hollywood Blvd. address was also used for Crystalette Records in 1953-54, presumably after Harris moved out, but who knows? The address still exists to this day and has been the home to a number of businesses over the years, but it will always be remembered, at least by me, as the home of Booby, t</span><span style="font-family: arial;">he Bouncing Bombshell Queen of Burlesque.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfacJJCNUew/X8gh4J7p7II/AAAAAAAADnM/T7IbVN-mFWo7pl4hWF7CHdlI7iWp1aojgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/lloyd-shaffer-orchestra-and-chorus-the-dream-crystalette.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="783" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RfacJJCNUew/X8gh4J7p7II/AAAAAAAADnM/T7IbVN-mFWo7pl4hWF7CHdlI7iWp1aojgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/lloyd-shaffer-orchestra-and-chorus-the-dream-crystalette.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSJlM1CBPV4/X8gh9MtxC_I/AAAAAAAADnU/RpJV63OeoZQNfiVxb4IwQ0GsW9eox48jACLcBGAsYHQ/s626/Sep.%2B30%252C%2B1950.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="626" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tSJlM1CBPV4/X8gh9MtxC_I/AAAAAAAADnU/RpJV63OeoZQNfiVxb4IwQ0GsW9eox48jACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Sep.%2B30%252C%2B1950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span>
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</div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-80166112834011168832020-09-13T10:24:00.010-07:002020-09-13T16:22:16.913-07:00Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz's surprising contributions to music, 1977-1999<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="345" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NMsyeMC7f_k/X14u3V9VL6I/AAAAAAAADkk/euwAMV-pv4UQU3B4Mu9hOFTPxmvhCCDKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/s-l500.jpeg" width="320" /></div><b><br /></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Earl Butz</b> served as the Secretary of Agriculture for President <b>Richard Nixon</b> and President <b>Gerald Ford</b>, but if you hear his name today, it's probably in reference to an unsavory joke he made in 1976 that cost him his job. This joke, oddly enough, reverberated through the music scene for years afterward and culminated in Butz himself becoming a recording artist!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The story of Butz and his joke had weird connections to the music industry from the beginning. If you haven't heard the story before, this is it: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After the 1976 Republican National Convention, Butz was on a return flight with <b>Pat Boone</b>, <b>Sonny Bono</b>, and <b>John Dean</b>, the latter of whom had been Nixon's White House Counsel, and after testifying in the Watergate hearings, became an author and political commentator.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In their conversation, Boone wondered aloud why Republicans, the party of <b>Abraham Lincoln</b>, were unable to attract more black voters, and Butz, who was notorious for his crude and racist humor, let loose with the reply that led to his resignation from political office. Repeating the punchline of an old joke, Butz said, "I'll tell you what the coloreds want. It's three things: first, a tight pussy; second, loose shoes; and third, a warm place to shit."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Dean reported on the interaction afterward, and amid the ensuing outcry, Butz was forced to resign. Don't feel too bad for poor ol' Butz, though, because despite the controversy, he returned to his home state of Indiana and became dean emeritus of agriculture at Purdue University, began hosting a daily syndicated radio show about agriculture that aired on about 70 stations, served on the board of ConAgra as well as that of an insurance company and a real estate company, and became a popular speaker to civic groups and at banquets.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But back to Butz's joke. Exactly how old was this joke, and where did it come from? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not sure, but it was referenced in a 1972 article in <i>Rolling Stone</i> about <b>The Rolling Stones</b> in which novelist <b>Terry Southern</b>, who worked on the screenplay of the 1964 <b>Stanley Kubrick</b> film <i>Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb</i>, is quoted.<i> </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the article, Southern says that when he first met actor </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Slim Pickens</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> in 1963 during the shooting of the film, Southern asked Pickens if he was settled in, since this was Pickens' first trip to England, and Pickens replied, </span><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-rolling-stones-go-south-231180/" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">"What you know me. Gimme loose fittin’ shoes, a taght pussy, and a warm place to shit and I’m fahn…."</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> In Pickens' telling, the joke was directed at himself and lacked the racial dimension of Butz's version. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When Butz repeated this joke in 1976, it received a lot of coverage in the media. <b>Robin Williams</b> referenced it in his <a href="https://youtu.be/wLgzuFvT2v8?t=731" target="_blank">1977 roast of <b>Richard Pryor</b></a>. It soon became a reference point in a couple different songs too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">One was a 1977 song by <b>G.T. Walls </b>that was released as a single in the Netherlands. It's from an album called <a href="https://www.discogs.com/GT-Walls-Rhythm-And-Booze/release/2203153" target="_blank">Rhythm & Booze</a> that includes songs and singing by Dutch music journalist and novelist <b>Jip Golsteijn</b>. Although the song was almost certainly inspired by the Butz controversy, given the timing, the song is in the spirit of Pickens' version of the joke, not Butz's. It's a wry commentary on modern existence in which the narrator concludes that a more enlightened life would consist of the titular "tight pussy, loose shoes, and a warm place to shit."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8qEVG1X18U" width="560"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">More famously, Butz's punchline became the inspiration for the title song—not to mention the title itself—of the 1978 film <i>Loose Shoes</i>, later retitled <i>Coming Attractions</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The song, sung by </span><b style="font-family: arial;">David Downing </b><span style="font-family: arial;">and filmed in sepia tone in the style of a 1930s </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Cab Calloway </b><span style="font-family: arial;">film, didn't just recycle the punchline for comedic effect—it explicitly commented on Butz and his racism. In the song, Downing ironically sings about how he'd trade all his accomplishments and his place in society for the creature comforts that Butz listed. "I'm not usually invited to a Republican bash," Downing concludes, "unless they have tight pussy, loose shoes, and a warm place to shit."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a brilliant dramatic reenactment of the joke that hilariously inventories obnoxious stereotypes of African-Americans. And as a musical adaptation of a joke, it beat <i>Mr. Show</i>'s "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLDGoEh7jqA" target="_blank">The Joke: The Musical</a>" to the punch by almost 20 years.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J5Sn-A7D76o" width="560"></iframe></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Loose Shoes</i> was a film like <i>Amazon Women on the Moon</i>, <i>Kentucky Fried Movie</i>, <i>The Groove Tube</i>, and <i>Tunnel Vision</i> that presented a series of sketches, fake commercials, fake television-show trailers, and such. It featured appearances by past and future comedy icons such as <b>Buddy Hackett</b> and <b>Bill Murray</b> and a few musical figures like <b>Van Dyke Parks</b> and <b>Jaye P. Morgan</b>. The title song was even released as a single as "The Love Theme Loose Shoes."</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifk92B7QyjQ/X10-UF-ETsI/AAAAAAAADj0/aNY-p9tWNfYUZwkkmZjCsfusNjpw0-2vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s532/R-5732416-1401155388-4899.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="532" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ifk92B7QyjQ/X10-UF-ETsI/AAAAAAAADj0/aNY-p9tWNfYUZwkkmZjCsfusNjpw0-2vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/R-5732416-1401155388-4899.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>But possibly the craziest part of this whole controversy was that Butz himself released a record in 1978. After returning to Indiana in disgrace following the "loose shoes" debacle, Butz recorded a single called "Farmers Are the Roots of America... Make No Mistake About It!" for a tiny label in Alexandria, Indiana, the home of <b>Bill Gaither </b>and his gospel family. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uykdTOyTmVM/X14yCURNvrI/AAAAAAAADkw/H5qIIqbCNpcd2x0wxkGwBU2UgNtAz46NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-13%2Bat%2B10.50.07%2BAM%2Bcopy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="2048" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uykdTOyTmVM/X14yCURNvrI/AAAAAAAADkw/H5qIIqbCNpcd2x0wxkGwBU2UgNtAz46NwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h204/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-13%2Bat%2B10.50.07%2BAM%2Bcopy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The record was the brainchild of <b>John Govro</b>, who ran Pinebrook Studio in Alexandria, and <b>Clarence Phairas</b>, who had a company called Reality of Indiana, Inc. The duo composed both sides of the single, and Govro sang the B-side. Butz's side featured musical backing over which Butz delivered a recitation about "improving farming income, expanding farm export markets and minimizing federal encroachment into farming," according to an August 12, 1978, article in the <i>Anderson Herald Bulletin</i> that was headlined, "Earl Butz sets his caustic comments to music."</div><div><br /></div><div>The record was released on August 17 at the Indiana State Fair, where it sold for $4. Govro said it would be sold through state fairs in addition to receiving national distribution, and he expected robust sales. "...[I]t could be any figure," he said. "We're open for millions. Why not?" He also said that they might record an entire album if the single became a big seller. Fans of dreary political recitations by crotchety old men will be disappointed to learn that this album never came to pass.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="573" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WROxQs6aO14/X14tfbh1UaI/AAAAAAAADkY/vf90y2rNNFUb2HaoTGEC377cGcYp9QMLACLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h136/butz.jpg" title="Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, Aug. 4, 1978" width="320" /></div><br /></div><br />That was it for Butz and his joke for a while, but he lived to see at least one more musical reference to his most notorious contribution to public life: In 1999, <b>Alex Chilton</b>, the former lead singer of <b>The Box Tops</b> and <b>Big Star</b>, titled an album <i>Loose Shoes and Tight Pussy. </i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It is unknown whether or not Butz ever saw this album, but he could have, because he lived until 2008. In the years between his recording debut in 1978 and his death, Butz pled guilty to tax evasion and received yet more negative publicity in the 2007 documentary <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/" target="_blank">King Corn</a></i>, which highlighted his role in increasing the amount of high-fructose corn syrup in American diets.</span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aU1R9bDYfu0/X14kpobfHDI/AAAAAAAADkA/FW9tZPhRl4oUW5VQnMJCZ9HTy13LjquXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s599/R-3546956-1564273790-5815.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="599" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aU1R9bDYfu0/X14kpobfHDI/AAAAAAAADkA/FW9tZPhRl4oUW5VQnMJCZ9HTy13LjquXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/R-3546956-1564273790-5815.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></span></div></div>Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-662653958093265568.post-69507995005248836952020-08-29T08:40:00.004-07:002021-05-23T06:05:54.502-07:00Johnny Folkston's short recording career (1960)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Johnny Folkston</b> released three-and-a-half records in 1960 and then seemed to disappear. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">None of his records had any chart success, but one of his songs, "April Fool," has a small following today, even though it wasn't very favorably reviewed upon its release. I'm a fan of this record, so today's Music Weird will cobble together whatever information I can find.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZrEEYKReMQ/X0pnEnivt6I/AAAAAAAADig/m6tfd7BCUkIlNWDfV1Uky64so3uvVWtxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/johnny-folkston-i-saw-you-out-last-night-magnum-florida.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="445" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZrEEYKReMQ/X0pnEnivt6I/AAAAAAAADig/m6tfd7BCUkIlNWDfV1Uky64so3uvVWtxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/johnny-folkston-i-saw-you-out-last-night-magnum-florida.jpg" width="200" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Johnny Folkston was the stage name of <b>Olen Davis, Jr.</b>, and he was the first signing of Davco Records of Hilliard, Florida, in 1960. As for the origin of his show name, it is perhaps not a coincidence that the town of Folkston, Georgia, is only a 15-minute drive from Hilliard.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Folkston might have come to Davco's attention because of his debut recording for Jacksonville, Florida, label <a href="http://tomrosejournalist.blogspot.com/2011/12/magnum-studio-sound-of-south.html">Magnum Records</a>, "If I Had Never Met You." I haven't heard this record, and it doesn't appear to have gotten any press, but I'm assuming that it was released in early 1960 before Folkston started recording for Davco, because his releases for Davco continued through the end of that year.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">An article in the Aug. 15, 1960, issue of </span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Billboard </i><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">about the founding of Davco </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">identified the label's owners as <b>Frank Walker</b>, son <b>Hampton J. Walker</b>, nephew <b>Wendell Walker</b>, and Folkston himself, who was said to have a stake in the label.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The label's first release was Folkston's "Dance Little Leaves," </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">a song Folkston </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">co-wrote with <b>Mae Boren Axton</b>, the mother of <b>Hoyt Axton</b> and the composer of <b>Elvis Presley</b>'s "<a href="https://youtu.be/e9BLw4W5KU8">Heartbreak Hotel</a>." "Dance Little Leaves" is the only composition for which Folkston has a writing credit in the BMI song publishing database. (He's not listed in the ASCAP or SESAC databases at all.)</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The song's publisher was Dellwood Music, Mae Axton's music publishing company, which she named after Dellwood Avenue in Jacksonville, Florida, where she lived. Jacksonville is about 40 minutes from Hilliard. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The song was recorded in Nashville at Bradley Studio with the <b>Anita Kerr Singers</b> and seasoned Nashville session players such as <b>Floyd Cramer</b>, <b>Hank Garland</b>, <b>Kelso Harston</b>, <b>Junior Husky</b>, and <b>Buddy Harmon</b>, who were billed as <b>The Skyrockets</b>. Producing were <b>Teddy and Doyle Wilburn</b>, AKA the <b>Wilburn Brothers</b>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cash Box</i>, July 30, 1960</td></tr>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">An ad for the record in <i>Cash Box</i> spelled Folkston's first name as "Jonny" and identified Jim Atkins, sales manager of Jacksonville's WAPE, as Folkston's personal manager.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The B-side was "You Said I'd Never Love Again." <i>Cash Box</i> gave the two sides B+ and B ratings, respectively, describing "Dance Little Leaves" as a "[c]harming ditty" and a "cheerful romantic ditty which deserves airtime." "You Said I'd Never Love Again" was described as a "country-sounding ballad."</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Billboard</i> listed "You'd Said I'd Never Love Again" as the top side, giving it a two-star review and criticizing Folkston's singing as being "in a rather flat style." <i>Billboard </i>also gave "Dance Little Leaves" a two-star rating and blandly described the tune as a "mild ditty done at a faster tempo."</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Folkston's early labelmates on the Davco label were <b>Merlene Garner</b> and <b>Jimmy Strickland</b>, and all three were featured alongside each other in trade ads. Garner was a teenage protege of Mae Axton. Axton managed her and toured with her for a while and also co-wrote her first release for Davco, "<a href="https://youtu.be/aQqjecl1GnE">You're It</a>." Axton was also a co-writer of Strickland's first Davco release, "<a href="https://youtu.be/oj12pqyQ9hU">A Little Too Late</a>," as well as a number of other songs throughout Davco's existence.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Folkston's second Davco record, "The Freezing Twist," was a dance tune that invited dancers to alternately twist and freeze, two dances that were introduced in 1958 with <b>Hank Ballard & the Midnighters</b>' "<a href="https://youtu.be/2qoY93CkwlA">The Twist</a>" and <b>Tony & Joe</b>'s "<a href="https://youtu.be/JMFqAndUMvc">The Freeze</a>." Again, the song didn't make much of a splash, and in 1961 the <b>Palais Royals</b> would do Folkston one better by combining the twist, the freeze, and the boogie into "<a href="https://youtu.be/Xenm8f3V_ik">Twistin' Freeze Boogie</a>." Here's an excerpt of Folkston's "The Freezing Twist":</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Cash Box</i> described "The Freezing Twist" as "teen-dance steps ... employed to good rock advantage," and praised the instrumentalists as a "pro sock combo." </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">However, the other side, "April Fool," received only a C+ rating and was described as a "lost-love opus ... relayed with teen-fervor...." </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><i>Billboard</i> was less complimentary, giving "April Fool" a one-star review and writing that Folkston sang it in "so-so fashion." <i>Billboard</i> liked "The Freezing Twist," though, giving it three stars and praising it as "worth spins."</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Despite the poor reviews, "April Fool" has been Folkston's most enduring tune, relatively speaking. It is the only one of his recordings to be anthologized, having been included on the German CD compilation <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-Teen-Age-Dreams-Vol-25/release/11957113">Teen-Age Dreams Vol. 25</a>. </i>It is as of this writing one of only two Folkston songs on YouTube (not including my excerpt of "The Freezing Twist"), and has been uploaded twice. ("Dance Little Leaves" is the other one.) </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In my opinion, "April Fool" is a minor masterpiece of orchestrated pop-folk. Folkston's vocal on this record is appealingly nasal, and the string arrangement, vocal chorus, and minor-key melody are lovely. The song was written by <b>Sid Kessel</b> and <b>Jimmy Rule</b>, the latter of whom had enjoyed some earlier songwriting success with <b>Kitty Wells</b>' "<a href="https://youtu.be/AuuEHUoPXqM">Paying for That Back Street Affair</a>," an answer song to Webb Pierce's "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6mhxpgceVM">Back Street Affair</a>" that became a Top 10 country hit in 1953. Kessel, coincidentally, also co-wrote a Top 10 country hit in 1953: <b>Faron Young</b>'s "<a href="https://youtu.be/Pbb0d0nSKls">I Can't Wait (For the Sun to Go Down)</a>." </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">"April Fool" and "The Freezing Twist" bombed, though. I know of no station where either side of this record received significant airplay. </span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">It stands to reason that Folkston would've gotten some airplay in Jacksonville, but I haven't been able to find any radio surveys that list his recordings. His Davco labelmate Merlene Garner had two singles chart on Jacksonville, Florida, stations; "You're It" and "My Search Has Ended" both registered on WPDQ's weekly survey in late 1960. The other initial Davco signing, Jimmy Strickland, fared about the same as Folkston but went on to record for much longer, cutting singles into the early 1970s for other independent labels and even one single for <a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/4516956">Dot Records</a> in 1966.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">For Christmas 1960, Davco released a split single with two Christmas songs by different artists, one of whom was Folkston. The A side, "<a href="https://www.45cat.com/record/nc341702us">A Child's Christmas</a>," was another Mae Axton composition sung by Folkston. The B-side, "Little White Deer," was recorded by an artist named <b>Mike Flynn</b>. Davco would continue to release records for a few more years, but Folkston had no further releases. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBxwyqTG9g0/X0p41KEin5I/AAAAAAAADi4/XQ3UCnmJtdcgDGvWRZVaUg5-h9CKxfN7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-08-18%2Bat%2B6.37.19%2BPM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1034" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBxwyqTG9g0/X0p41KEin5I/AAAAAAAADi4/XQ3UCnmJtdcgDGvWRZVaUg5-h9CKxfN7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-08-18%2Bat%2B6.37.19%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">In early 1961, Folkston performed for two nights in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the Rockwood Supper Club. A newspaper advertisement ran for two days in the <i>Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times</i> and identified Folkston as an artist on Impecca Records, a label I can find no information about. The Rockwood Supper Club was a locally famous rockabilly club that booked performers such as <b>Carl Perkins</b>, <b>Wanda Jackson</b>, <b>Jerry Lee Lewis</b>, <b>Roy Orbison</b>, <b>Ronnie Hawkins</b>, <b>Scotty McKay</b>, and <b>Sid King & the Five Strings</b>. </span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">That appears to be the end of Folkston's recording career, but Davco soldiered on, releasing singles until at least 1964. In August 1961, <i>Cash Box </i>reported that Davco had moved from Hilliard to a new office on 716 Bugbee in Jacksonville. The staff had changed somewhat; Hampton J. Walker was still the label's head, but Folkston was no longer in the mix.</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Johnny Folkston discography</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">If I Had Never Met You / I Saw You Out Last Night – Magnum MAG-41860, 1960</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Dance Little Leaves / You Said I'd Never Love Again – Davco DR-7479, 1960</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">The Freezing Twist / April Fool – Davco DR-101, 1960</span></div>
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<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">A Child's Christmas / Little White Deer (recorded by Mike Flynn) – Davco 45-102, 1960</span></div>
<br />Greg Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01824643018589133411noreply@blogger.com5