Doin' The Bird - The Rivingtons

Doin' The Bird

The Rivingtons

Liberty LRP-3282

1963

Awhile back I had a hankering to hear some Johnny Rivers and while I was leafing through my collection of his albums I noticed this album adjacent to them on the shelf.  I was very surprised because I had no memory of ever buying it.  I don't even know why I would have bought it because I'm not a fan of the group and I've never really liked the only song of theirs that I know, "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow."  I'm guessing that I came across a cheap copy at the flea market and took a chance on it out of curiosity.  That's what happens when you have too many records and your memory is deteriorating.  It's not a bad problem to have, since it is like getting a new record all over again although it has also resulted in me buying records I already have.  My memory has gotten so bad that I have created an inventory of my records that I can store on my phone which has eliminated the problem for the most part.  Anyway I pulled this out and gave it a spin and was genuinely impressed by it.  I have little use for novelty records which I think is a term that is apt for "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and its retread on this album "Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow."  "Kickapoo Joy Juice" is also in this vein.  All three are driven by the nonsensical bass vocal riffs of Rocky Wilson Jr. and are inane in a mildly amusing manner.  The self-penned "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is insanely catchy, a true ear worm that I can't really hate but which I can't really like either.  It created a new dance called "The Bird" which is depicted on the back cover of the album.  I tried it out and felt like an idiot.  "Mama-Oom-Mow-Wow" was also written by the group and shamelessly copies the hit but has a more fussy arrangement that is distracting.  The hit's simplicity was part of its stupid appeal.  "Kickapoo Joy Juice" lacks the deranged intensity of the other two songs which exposes the song's dumbness but I still enjoy the song for the most part.  The saving grace for all three songs is the quality of the vocals which rescues them from their idiocy.  Lead vocalist Carl White has a terrific voice reminiscent of Jackie Wilson and the group's harmonies are first rate.  Most of the remaining tracks are rhythm and blues bangers that they have applied their bass heavy formula to.  My favorites include a rocking cover of Billy Ward's "Have Mercy Mercy Baby" and their own jumping composition "Old Time Love" in which White sings his heart out.  The group can't come close to matching Little Richard's energy on "Long Tall Sally" and "Slippin' and Slidin'" but their versions are still quite stimulating.  They don't fare as well with "Unchain My Heart" which will always belong to Ray Charles and their version sounds tame by comparison.  Unchastened they also cover another song associated with Charles, "You Are My Sunshine" but this one is more successful.  It is a very passionate and dynamic performance and features one of White's strongest vocals.  The self-penned" Love Pill" gives Rocky a chance to sing a couple of verses himself and he doesn't come close to giving White any competition, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable track.  Their composition of "Happy Jack" is also fun.  Their self-penned "Standing in the Love Line" offers a respite from the goofiness of so much of the album offering a conventional rhythm and blues love song that shows the group can be compelling playing it straight too.  That is my biggest takeaway from this album.  It took a dumb gimmick to get this band a hit single, but they had the chops to be so much better.  I like their non-novelty songs so much that I feel sad that they were not more successful.  A group this good should have made a bunch of albums.  Maybe if their hit had come earlier, they might have, but coming in at the end of the doo-wop era blunted its impact as did the release of the Trashmen's even more idiotic cover of it "Surfin' Bird" later in the year.  For me this album is a happy surprise and I'm grateful I took a chance on it at some point in the past.  I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't appreciate its charms more at the time, but I guarantee I won't be forgetting I have it any time soon.  Recommended to fans of the Coasters.

We Shall Overcome - The Freedom Singers

We Shall Overcome

The Freedom Singers

Mercury MG 20879

1963

This is a post in honor of MLK day.  Lately during these divisive and tumultuous times, I have been listening to political music from the 1960s, much of it folk music.  The debut album by the Freedom Singers is one of my favorites.  The group came out of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and several members were field secretaries for SNCC.  They were formed to spread the message of civil rights equality and to raise funds for SNCC activities.  I first encountered the group on an album called "Newport Broadside" which features political songs from the 1963 Newport Folk Festival.  I bought it because I was interested in the songs performed by Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs but the three tracks by the Freedom Singers greatly impressed me.  Aside from Joan Baez they are easily the best singers on the record which is otherwise comprised of music by white folkies.  Two of the tracks they performed are also on this record, "Dogs" and "Get on Board."  I was so impressed that I bought this record when I came across it in a record store many years ago.  The record opens with "Dogs" by civil rights activists James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette which uses the ability of different breeds and types of dogs to get along as a comparison for race relations.  The group performs acapella as they do throughout the album with only handclaps for percussive support.  They are applauded at the end of the song so I assume they had a small audience present when they recorded this album.  "Woke Up" is derived from an old gospel song but the lyrics have been adapted to focus on freedom rather than Jesus.  The group are superb singers and their harmonies are very invigorating to hear.  This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Next up they tackle the popular traditional folk song "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow."  They have changed the setting of the song from Kentucky to Georgia where the group was formed and where most of them are from.  The song is not specifically about the civil rights struggle nor is Leadbelly's "Sylvie" which they perform after it.  The song is also known as "Bring Me Little Water Sylvie" and describes a thirsty farm worker seeking water.  The group deliver a powerful interpretation of the song that gets a strong reaction from the audience.  This is followed by another Leadbelly song "Pick a Bale of Cotton" which also has no obvious connection to the civil rights movement aside from perhaps the hardships suffered by black farm laborers.  I'm not complaining though as the group delivers a very spirited performance.  "We Shall Overcome" is such a cliché at this point I have trouble relating to it.  Whenever I hear Pete Seeger or Joan Baez singing it, I wince.  However the Freedom Singers are such skilled singers that they keep my attention as they deliver it and restore some of its potency for me.  Side two opens with "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" which is derived from a gospel song but instead of heading to heaven they are marching to freedom with topical references to segregation and reactionary city commissioners.  It is a heartfelt and stirring performance.  "We Shall Not Be Moved" is another spiritual that has been adapted for civil rights activism and given an energetic interpretation by the group driven by their wonderful harmonies.   It is followed by a mournful version of "Cotton-Eyed Joe" that will be unrecognizable to fans of Rednex's high energy dance song.  I don't perceive any connection to the civil rights aside from the song's pre-Civil War origins as a song sung by slaves on plantations.  "Get On Board" is derived from a 19th Century gospel song called "The Gospel Train."  Instead of riding to Zion, the song encourages fighting for human rights and freedom with topical references to getting arrested and resisting angry mobs.  It is a very engaging rendition.  This theme continues on "Freedom Train" where the slow somber pace of the song showcases the remarkable vocal harmonies of the group.  The album concludes with an enthusiastic performance of the gospel song "This Little Light of Mine" that substitutes the light of freedom for the light of God and gives the record an impassioned and uplifting finish.  When I was younger I was a fan of more pointed and aggressive political music, but as I've gotten older I prefer more subtle music like this that stresses emotion over dogma.  Much of this music is not overtly political at all but I think its aura of brotherhood and decency is more effective than most political music that I have heard.  Even beyond the lyrical content, the remarkable singing skill and the warmth of the performances make this an enormously appealing album.  I find it makes an inspirational soundtrack for contemplating the legacy of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and hoping that during the difficult days ahead that this country will still reach the promised land of racial equality.  Recommended to fans of the Impressions.

San Francisco Bay Blues - The Halifax Three

San Francisco Bay Blues
The Halifax Three
Epic BN26060
1963 

Several years ago I was browsing through the new arrivals bin at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo when this record caught my eye.  I was initially attracted to it by the group's name because I'm interested in Canadian folk music and also because I'm a fan of the title track.  Looking at the cover I realized one of the guys looked familiar and after a moment I realized it was Denny Doherty of my childhood faves, the Mamas and the Papas.  So I bought it not expecting much, but I have no regrets.  The group was basically a knock-off of the Kingston Trio with a similar sound featuring an emphasis on three part harmonies.  Doherty did most of the lead vocals along with Pat La Croix and Richard Byrne did all the arrangements as well as playing guitar.  The record begins with Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" which they deliver in a slick corny style that reminds me of a barbershop quartet or something you'd see in a variety show.  The record improves with a dramatic arrangement of the traditional work song "Rocks and Gravel."  My favorite version of this song is the one by Ian and Sylvia on their debut album, but this one is nearly as good with some wonderful vocal harmonies.  "Little Sparrow" is another traditional song also known as "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies."  There are numerous recordings of this song, but this one is quite pretty with another strong vocal arrangement.  "San Miguel" was written by Jane Bowers and it was previously recorded by the Kingston Trio.  This version has a beefed up vocal arrangement that makes it more romantic and engaging.  Their version of Mike Settle's "Sing Hallelujah" likewise benefits from dynamic vocal harmonies.  Side one ends with the much covered traditional song "East Virginia."  The group's version sounds like the one Joan Baez cut on her debut album.  They are both moody and atmospheric although I'd give Baez the edge for being more expressive.  Side two opens with "I'm Gonna Tell God" which is credited to Bob Gibson who recorded it with Hamilton Camp but it is actually derived from the old spiritual "The Welcome Table."  The trio offers up a lively performance, but gospel music wasn't their strength, they don't sound convincing.  "Rubin Had a Train" is a traditional song that has been recorded by a lot of bluegrass groups under the title "Reuben's Train."  The group gives a fast paced rendition that is one of my favorite tracks on the record.  The record slows down for "A Satisfied Mind" by Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes which was a big hit for Porter Wagoner.  I prefer his version as well as the one by the Byrds on "Turn! Turn! Turn!" although the vocal on this track is very lovely.  "The Man Who Wouldn't Sing Along with Mitch" is the kind of novelty folk song that the Kingston Trio used to record such as "M. T. A.".  It is the most commercial track on the record and was released as a single.  I dislike it enormously.  The trio atones for it with the classic traditional folk song "The Great Silky" which is one of my favorite Child ballads.  There are better versions around, but I find this one melodic and appealing although lacking in the haunting quality that Joan Baez gave it on her second album.  "He Call Me Boy" was written by Richard Byrne, the only original song on the record.  It is extremely derivative being a fake slave ballad but it has a dramatic sound that at least gives the record a stirring finish.  Obviously this is a minor record that will likely only appeal to folk buffs but if you like the Mamas and the Papas and in particular Denny Doherty's voice as much as I do, you may want to pick this up if you stumble across a cheap copy.  The material is mostly ordinary but the singing is first rate.  Recommended to Kingston Trio fans.

In The Beginning - Paul Revere and the Raiders

In The Beginning
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Jerden JRL-7004
1966

This is a 1966 reissue of the Raiders' second album on Sande Records originally released in 1963.  The original has different cover art but an identical track selection and running order.  Over the holidays I paid a visit to my aunt and uncle who live up in the redwoods in Northern California.  At one point my aunt mentioned having traveled around the Pacific Northwest with a rock band in her younger days.  I was immediately interested in this tidbit and pressed her for more details.  When she said they were Paul Revere and the Raiders I was flabbergasted.  She said she was dating one of the guys in the band.  I asked his name and when she replied Mark Lindsay I went nuts.  My aunt dated Mark Lindsay, I still can't believe it.  She was unimpressed about all of this.  Mark was a nice guy but she didn't think the band was all that special and she disliked Revere.  This was of course before the band became famous, back when they were a struggling group working in small venues playing music like the songs on this album.  I pulled out this record when I got back home and listening to it, I can understand my aunt's lack of enthusiasm.  I really enjoy the record, but there is not much here that suggests the band's meteoric rise once they signed with Columbia Records.  They sound like a bar band, albeit an extremely good one with excellent taste in material.  Many of the songs are very well known covers.  Their version of Big Joe Turner's classic "Shake Rattle and Roll" is highly energetic driven by Revere's hot organ riffing.  They wisely avoid going up against Elvis by turning "Don't Be Cruel" into an instrumental that features Revere on organ dueling with Lindsay on sax with Lindsay winning.  Their rocking version of Bill Doggett's hit instrumental "Honky Tonk" is excellent, one of the best versions that I've heard.  Unfortunately there are also pedestrian performances of "So Fine" and "Hey Baby" that are less entertaining than the hit versions by the Fiestas and Bruce Channel.  Their uninspired version of Hank Ballard's "Work with Me Annie" isn't much better aside from Revere's dynamic piano solo.  The less famous covers include a punchy version of Ray Sharpe's "Linda Lu" that showcases Lindsay's charisma as a singer.  The Delmore Brothers' country classic "Blues Stay Away From Me" is transformed into a high energy instrumental that makes it nearly unrecognizable.  It is one of my favorite cuts on the record.  Larry Bright's "Mojo Workout" suits the band's sound extremely well.  They increase the tempo and Lindsay's gritty vocal gives the song plenty of oomph.  It is another one of my favorites.  Dave "Baby" Cortez's "Rinky Dink" is a vehicle for Revere to show his chops although Lindsay steals the spotlight with a brief but smoking sax solo.  Their version of "Irresistible You" seems to be taken from the Bobby Darin version and Lindsay shows he can swing just as well as Darin with one of his strongest vocal performances on the album.  The one "original" track on the album is "Crisco" (also known as "Crisco Party") and it is easily the best cut on the record.  The record is worth buying for it alone.  It features the music from the Olympics' "Hully Gully" but with entirely new lyrics.  It is a frat-rock classic with a lascivious vocal from Lindsay that has future rock star written all over it.  It is about boys, girls and a whole lotta Crisco and you can figure out the rest.  Did kids really do stuff like this back then?  I'll have to ask my aunt about that next time I see her.  This album is too derivative to be essential, but it is a lot of fun and a terrific record for a toga party.  Recommended to fans of the Wailers and the Kingsmen. 

Please Please Me/Introducing the Beatles/The Early Beatles - The Beatles

Please Please Me
The Beatles
Parlophone PCS 3042
1963

Introducing the Beatles
The Beatles
Vee-Jay Records SR 1062
1964

The Early Beatles
The Beatles
Apple Records ST 2309
1965

I recently watched the documentary "Good Ol' Freda" which is about Freda Kelly, Brian Epstein's secretary who ran the Beatles' official fan club.  I loved the film, she seems like a really good person and her stories were fantastic, especially the ones about the early days when the group was just becoming famous.  I've always wished that I could have witnessed Beatlemania first hand and Kelly's perspective on it fascinated me.  Thus I pulled out the Fabs' first album to experience a little bit of those heady days myself. "Please Please Me" is far from my favorite Beatles' album, but I dig its youthful exuberance and innocence.  It is best experienced in the Parlophone version which has the most songs and a classic cover picture.  Mine is a reissue from the early 1980s I believe, I no longer remember when I bought it.  The Vee-Jay version was the first Beatles album released in America.  Vee-Jay got it when the idiots at Capitol Records passed on it.  I have a counterfeit version.  Originals are not hard to find but I don't think they are worth their exorbitant cost.  I bought mine in a chain record store around 1974.  It was among the first Beatles albums that I bought, I chose it because it was cheaper than the Capitol/Apple albums.  The cover says stereo but the record sounds mono to me, which I prefer.  It follows the running order of the Parlophone album but drops "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why."  Capitol belatedly issued "The Early Beatles" to replace the Vee-Jay album when Vee-Jay's license to the material expired.  Capitol crudely jumbled up the running order and released only 11 of the original 14 tracks on the Parlophone version.  This version restores "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" but drops "I Saw Her Standing There," "Misery" and "There's A Place."  I have an Apple reissue that I bought in the mid-1970s because I couldn't find a copy of the Parlophone album living out in the suburbs and shopping at crummy chain record stores.  The Parlophone album is the one I play when I want to hear this music.  I keep the other two only as a dumb collector thing.  The album opens with the Lennon/McCartney composition "I Saw Her Standing There" which is one of the Beatles' most successful rock and roll songs.  I've always loved it and I think it ranks with the best work of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Buddy Holly as one of the definitive statements of the genre.  McCartney's urgent vocal and that irresistible, shuffling riff still thrill me 40 years after I first heard them.  The Vee-Jay album omits McCartney's count-in to the song which invariably irks me on the rare occasions that I give it a spin.  Lennon and McCartney's "Misery" is a bit maudlin but the expressive joint McCartney and Lennon vocal makes it palatable for me.  Arthur Alexander's "Anna" is one of the strongest tracks on the record thanks to a mesmerizing and sensitive vocal from Lennon.  The group's cover of the Cookies' Goffin/King hit "Chains" suffers from a weak George Harrison vocal although the harmony vocals (always a Beatles strength) are very pleasing.  Ringo does better with a rocking cover of the Shirelles' "Boys" that benefits from his enthusiasm as well as a superbly messy guitar solo from Harrison.  "Ask Me Why" is a Lennon/McCartney original that features another strong Lennon vocal that makes it sound deeper than it really is.  Side one concludes with "Please Please Me" the group's classic breakthrough single.  More than 50 years after its original release, the song still sparkles with inventiveness and brilliance.  As a kid I failed to recognize the sexual undertone to the song, which makes it seem even bolder given the repressed era in which it first appeared.  Side two opens with the group's debut single "Love Me Do."  Even as a child I thought the song was inane but I'm won over by the joint vocal and Lennon's harmonica playing as well.  "P. S. I Love You" shows off McCartney's romantic side to great effect.  From the very beginning the man has had a gift for silly love songs.  The band turns to the Shirelles again for a cover of "Baby It's You" that is given a tremendous dramatic interpretation by Lennon that shreds the original.  The Lennon/McCartney original "Do You Want to Know a Secret" proves to be a good vehicle for Harrison suiting the limitations of his range and his natural understated and laconic style.  McCartney pulls out all the stops for a romantic interpretation of "A Taste of Honey" worthy of a pop crooner.  The final Lennon/McCartney original is "There's a Place" which is notable for its introspective lyrics and its churning, distinctively British Invasion sound.  The side ends with the band's explosive interpretation of "Twist and Shout" which thanks to Lennon's throat shredding performance is an eternal rock classic, rivaling the best work of James Brown and Little Richard in its intensity and passion.  If the Beatles had never recorded another album, they'd still have a place in rock history for this wonderful record, one of the very best of its era.  I can only imagine how exciting it must have been when people heard it for the first time, how I envy them that thrill.  Recommended to people who wish they could have seen the Beatles at the Cavern Club.

The Seekers - The Seekers

The Seekers
The Seekers
Marvel MLPS 3060
1965 

This is the American version of the Seekers' Australian debut album originally released in 1963 as "Introducing the Seekers" on W & G records.  It has different artwork and a different running order than the original album, but is otherwise identical.  As I mentioned in my post on "A World of Our Own" I've been a fan of this group since childhood, but if this had been my introduction to the group I might not have become a fan.  It is easily their weakest album and probably was only released here to capitalize on the chart success of "I'll Never Find Another You" which is mentioned in the liner notes.  Most of the songs on the record will be familiar to anyone who is a fan of the folk revival of the 1950s and early 1960s.  The group was obviously influenced by the Weavers and much of the album comes from their repertoire.  All but three of the songs are traditional songs with arrangements credited to band members Judith Durham, Athol Guy and Bruce Woodley as well as Ken Ray.  Ray had been the original lead singer for the group, but had left the band and been replaced by Durham.  I suspect that Ray had little involvement with this album, but rather was being listed in place of the fourth Seeker, Keith Potger whose day job as a radio producer with the Australian Broadcasting Commission forbade him from being involved with outside commercial projects.  Most of these traditional songs are of a spiritual or gospel nature which is not a particular favorite of mine nor do I think it really suits the band.  I don't like any version of "Kumbaya" and despite a stirring vocal from Durham "All My Trials" bores me.  I find the repetition of "Dese Bones G'wine Rise Again" to be tedious and the minstrel-style dialect they employ near the end of the song is embarrassing if not offensive.  They fare a little better with "This Train" and "The Light From the Lighthouse" which are more dynamic although the pretty vocals aren't all that convincing.  The only religious track that I really like is "When Stars Begin To Fall."  The ebullience of Durham's lead vocal and the group's vocal support make this uplifting song work for me.  It is one of my favorite cuts on the album.  I like the three secular traditional songs for the most part.  The Irish drinking song "Wild Rover" is overly familiar and the Seeker's version is competent but not particularly interesting although the vocal interplay in the chorus is engaging.  "Run Come See" is a ballad from the Bahamas about a shipwreck in 1929.  It is a folk song, but not a traditional one, various artists have claimed authorship of the song, but the album lists it without a songwriting credit.  I assume that the Seekers learned it from the Weavers' version of the song.  It is a catchy song but the performance though pleasant is a little stiff.  "Katy Cline" is an old-timey bluegrass song given a robust banjo-driven performance by the group with country-inflected vocals that are surprisingly credible.  It is another one of my favorite cuts on the album.  The album also contains three contemporary compositions.  Two come from the Weavers.  Their performance of Lee Hays "Lonesome Traveler" is similar to the original and has a lot of energy.  In contrast their version of Hays and Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer" is the most subdued and dull version I've ever heard.  My favorite track is the only number composed by a Seeker, Potger's "Chilly Winds."  It is a folk style tune with derivative lyrics, but I still find it very appealing.  The vocal harmonies are pleasing and the group sings it with enthusiasm.  The Seekers were a pop-folk group but I greatly prefer their pop side to their folk side.  I like my folk more gritty and sensual, the Seekers' interpretations of folk songs tend to be too genteel and slick for my taste.  Almost all of my favorite Seekers tracks are contemporary pop songs.  Nonetheless thanks to Judith Durham's fabulous voice, I find most of their traditional folk tracks to be modestly enjoyable and I'm happy I have this record.  Recommended to fans of the Weavers. 

Hear! Hear! - The Searchers

Hear! Hear!
The Searchers
Mercury MG 20914
1964

The second best group to emerge from Liverpool in the 1960s recorded a live album at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany just like the Beatles.  It was recorded and released in England in 1963 and released in the U.S. the following year.  The Beatles' "Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962" was a rip-off released long after the Beatles had broken up although an interesting artifact for Beatlemaniacs.  The Searchers' album is actually a pretty good record.  It sounds a lot better than the Fabs' record mostly because it was recorded when the Star Club was closed with more professional equipment.  The audience noise that appears between tracks was added later.  So I guess you could argue it is not really a live album in the conventional sense.  The songs are mostly rock and roll oldies.  There are a pair of Buddy Holly songs, "Listen to Me" and "Learning the Game" (weirdly listed as "Led in the Game" in the liner notes.  The Searchers also tackled Fats Domino's "Rosalie," Bo Diddley's "I Can Tell," Chris Kenner's "Sick and Tired," The Drifters' "Sweets For My Sweets," Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" and The Coasters' "Ain't That Just Like Me"  The liner notes incorrectly credit the song to Claude Demetrius and Fleecie Moore presumably someone mixed it up with their song "Ain't That Just Like a Woman."  The song was actually written by Billy Guy and Earl Carroll (of "Speedo" fame.)  For the most part the group did not stray too far from the original versions in their covers, but they are poppier.  The group's crisp sound and polished vocals make many of the songs sound smoother and more removed from their rhythm and blues origin.  There are a few instances where the Searchers changed the songs more radically.  For the band's cover of James Brown's "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" (released by Brown under the pseudonym Nat Kendrick and the Swans), they gave the song a Merseybeat transformation speeding up the tempo, riffing with jangly guitars and singing a repeated refrain of "yeah" that makes the song barely recognizable.  The Olympics' "Hully Gully" received a similar makeover being taken at a breakneck pace with ringing guitars and a soaring vocal from Tony Jackson.  They also transformed Boudleaux Bryant's "Hey Joe" (which was a hit for Carl Smith as well as Frankie Laine) with a full on rocked up attack with great results.  The one new song on the record is "I Sure Know a Lot About Love."  The song has no writing credit but it has the classic Searchers' sound with a reverb laden joint vocal and a twangy guitar riff.  It reminds me of their hit cover of "Love Potion No. 9."  It is my favorite track on the album and I would prefer more tracks like it rather than all the oldies although I presume that was what the band played in their Hamburg shows just as the Beatles did.  I don't approve of the lack of originality on the album, but I still enjoy it consistently.  The Searchers performed with a lot of enthusiasm and energy and I've always dug their distinctive sound.  Their choice of covers is excellent as well.  The dubbed applause is very annoying though, I wish they had recorded an actual show instead.  Recommended to people who prefer "Love Potion No. 9" over "Needles and Pins."

Bob Dylan In Concert: Brandeis University 1963 - Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan In Concert: Brandeis University 1963
Bob Dylan
Columbia 88697-84743-1
2011

I took my kid to see Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Bowl last fall.  I say "see" but it was more like "hear" since Dylan refused to allow the Bowl's cameras to be trained on him for the the big screen projections on the side of the stage.  Unless you were in the pit, you could barely see him especially since Dylan also kept the stage lights dim so all you could see was a shadowy figure scurrying back and forth from the piano to the front of the stage.  The music was terrific but Dylan barely said a word to the crowd and when he did you could hardly understand his hasty mumbles.  There was a time when Bob wasn't so bashful.  I enjoy hearing his early concerts where he actually deigned to acknowledge his audience and even tell a few stories.  This show was discovered in the collection of the critic Ralph J. Gleason.  It dates from a folk festival at Brandeis University on May 10, 1963 just a few weeks before the release of his breakthrough album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan."  Side one starts with a song from that album, "Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance."  The recording starts in the middle of the song.  It is a charming folk blues derived from a 1920s recording by Henry Thomas.  It is followed by "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," the first of three talking blues songs on the album, which is two too many for me.  This is my favorite of the three.  It presents the viewpoint of a paranoid right-wing fanatic with considerable humor.  It was supposed to appear on "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" but was yanked by record company weasels following the controversy that surrounded Dylan's attempt to perform it on "The Ed Sullivan Show" which was vetoed by CBS television weasels.  You can hear the studio version on the first "Bootleg Series" collection.  Next up is "Ballad of Hollis Brown" which appeared on his third album, "The Times They Are a-Changin'," and which I think is one of the best of his early songs.  It tells the grim tale of a South Dakota farmer who kills himself and his family over despair about his hopeless poverty.  The incessant guitar riff and the apocalyptic imagery of the song foreshadow Dylan's classic "All Along the Watchtower."  The side closes with a powerful performance of "Masters Of War" which also appeared on "Freewheelin.'"  I find many of Dylan's protest songs to be heavy-handed and dated, but this one holds up really well, unfortunately it is still very relevant.  I really dig its venomous tone.  It deservedly gets a rousing response from the audience at this show.  Side two opens with another "Freewheelin'" song, "Talkin' World War III Blues."  The song is a humorous look at a post-nuclear apocalypse.  "Bob Dylan's Dream" is yet another tune from "Freewheelin'" and is set to the melody of a traditional English folk song.  Its poignant and autobiographical tone sets it apart from a lot of Dylan's early songs and it is one of my favorite songs from that era.  Dylan sings it with a lot of feeling in this performance.  The album concludes with "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" which was an outtake from the "Freewheelin'" sessions which eventually appeared on the first "Bootleg Series" collection.  It is the oldest song on the album dating back to 1961.  Dylan introduces the song by telling the story of the failed picnic that inspired the song.  The song has some humor, but it is pretty slight.  He had so many other better songs by this point, I'm surprised that he still included it in his performance repertoire.  The audience seems to like it though.  I'm really happy with this record.  I dig the retro art work and the high quality pressing.  The sound quality of the original recording is excellent and the performance has a lot of feeling and intimacy.  It is just Dylan with a harmonica and an acoustic guitar but it still sounds rich and satisfying.  It is a very worthy addition to his amazing catalog.  Columbia keeps cranking out these archival Dylan recordings and I've yet to hear one that wasn't really worthwhile.  I hope there are many more still to come.  Recommended to people who love "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan."

With The Beatles/Meet The Beatles - The Beatles

With The Beatles
The Beatles
Parlophone  PCS  3045
1963

Meet The Beatles
The Beatles
Apple ST 2047
1964 

Meet The Beatles
The Beatles
Capitol T 2047
1964
 
A post for Paulie on the eve of his 70th birthday, ouch.  I haven't heard any quotes from Sir Paul about the occasion but I hope he's happier about it than I am.  Frankly I'm appalled.  I can't believe that my idol is as old as my grandfather was when I first became a Beatles fan.  McCartney seemed eternally youthful back then and I couldn't imagine that ever changing. The idea of a 70 year old rocker would have seemed ludicrous to me.  Elvis was only in his 30s at the time and I thought he was old!  Of course nowadays geriatric rockers are common place, but none of them look as good as McCartney and I don't know that any of them sound as good either.  I can only hope I'll have half of his spirit and vitality when I'm that age, assuming I ever make it that far.  Part of me still believes in "hope I die before I get old."  As I look back through the fog of time at my long history with the Beatles, I can still dimly recall my earliest memory of the band.  It started with "Meet The Beatles" some time when I was about 9 or 10 living in Walnut Creek, a suburb of San Francisco.  My parents had no rock records at the time, but my best friend who lived across the street had a slightly hipper mom with a small record collection.  My favorite at first was her Trini Lopez record which we used to listen to often.  Eventually I got tired of "Lemon Tree" and we tried "Meet The Beatles."  I have to confess I was not an instant fan of the record, but I did fall hard for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and I made my friend play it over and over.  The thrill that song gave me remains one of my most vivid memories of that period.  A few years later as a young teen, I would acquire my own copy of the album which is the Apple re-issue depicted above.  Then in my 20s I acquired the British version of the album, "With The Beatles," which I prefer to its American counterpart.  Finally I picked up an original pressing mono Capitol issue, because I really dislike the stereo mix on the record.  For the most part the vocals and overdubs are in one channel and the instrumental track is in another.  That's good for karaoke but it is really irritating to me when I listen to the album with headphones.  So even though my Apple pressing is flawless I listen more to the Capitol pressing despite it having some surface noise.  The Parlophone album has 14 tracks.  The butchers at Capitol dropped five of the tracks and added the hit single "I Want To Hold Your Hand" plus its flip side "This Boy" and "I Saw Her Standing There" from the British "Please Please Me" album which Capitol had deigned unworthy of release in the United States.  All three are great songs, but none really belong on this album.  For some stupid reason Capitol added a bluish tint to the classic cover photo which I find creepy and replaced Tony Barrow's excellent liner notes with some publicist's hype.  I love "Meet the Beatles" for my history with it and I'll never part with it, but if you only need one version, "With The Beatles" is definitely the one to get.  I think you can make a case that "With The Beatles" was the best rock album ever at the time of its release, it's only serious competition being Buddy Holly's albums, the Everly Brothers' albums for Cadence, "Here's Little Richard" and Elvis Presley's first two albums.  Most rock albums up to this point consisted of a hit single and a bunch of mediocre filler.  "With The Beatles" is a quality listening experience from beginning to end.  It helped transform rock from a singles medium to an album medium.  It consists of seven Lennon-McCartney songs, one from George Harrison and six cover songs.  "All My Loving" is the only truly great Lennon-McCartney song on the album with its propulsive drive and ringing guitar sound, it foreshadows the greatness of the songs on "A Hard Day's Night."  "All I've Got To Do" and "Not A Second Time" boast terrific heartfelt Lennon vocals and demonstrate his growing depth as a songwriter.   "It Won't Be Long" is a bit too derivative of "She Loves You" to be a first rate song, but it is still very enjoyable.  "Little Child" is a slight song, but it rocks out nicely and I dig Lennon's harmonica work.  "I Wanna Be Your Man" is another rocker that makes a great vehicle for Ringo's raucous vocal.  "Hold Me Tight" is a mundane song redeemed by a solid beat and a winning if slightly sloppy vocal from McCartney.  Even the weakest of their songs have so much appeal to them.  Harrison's "Don't Bother Me" is astonishingly good considering that it was his first recorded song.  It has a compelling guitar riff and a rich percussion background.  Its grouchy lyrics establish Harrison's persona right from the start of his career.  I think it is one of his best ever songs and I still prefer it to any of his solo recordings.  The Beatles' taste in cover tunes was impeccable and several are among the strongest tracks on the album.  The band takes on Motown three times and wins every time.  Lennon's passionate vocal carries the day on "Please Mister Postman" and "You Really Got a Hold On Me."  The group's incendiary cover of "Money" is definitive and an eternal rock classic.  The group also delivers a blistering take on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" but the song is undermined by Harrison's weak vocal.  It would have been so much better if John or Paul had sung it.  Harrison does a little better with the Donays' "Devil In Her Heart" although his vocal still sounds a bit strained in places.  "Till There Was You" is another one of those sentimental ballads that McCartney is so fond of.  I love Paulie, but this is my least favorite track on the album.  Surprisingly this Broadway show tune was a regular part of their repertoire back in Hamburg and though I'm not a big fan of it, the eclecticism it displays is a crucial ingredient in McCartney's long-lasting appeal.  His broad taste in music, from classical to experimental to Little Richard to Buddy Holly to Tin Pan Alley schmaltz, has given him so much depth and so many tools to work with, and has made him such an interesting and exciting musician.  Through the years he's come up with a few songs that have made me cringe, but the man has been recording classic records and exploring new musical territory for 50 years now and at 70 years old he can still deliver a show that will knock your socks off.  Happy Birthday Sir Paul, you are truly a titan in popular music history.  Recommended for everybody young and old who appreciates quality pop music. 

Jackie De Shannon - Jackie DeShannon/In The Wind - Jackie DeShannon

 

Jackie De Shannon

Jackie DeShannon

Liberty LRP-3320

1963 

In The Wind
Jackie DeShannon
Imperial  LP-12296
1965

You might notice that the songs on these two albums are largely identical.  I unfortunately didn't notice and once again got rooked by a major record label.  It's not the first time and probably won't be the last time.  I bought "In The Wind" many years ago, it was one of the very first Jackie DeShannon albums that I acquired.  The problem with having a lot of records though is that it is hard to remember what songs are on all of them.  A year or two ago, I was rummaging through the bins at the Pasadena City College Flea Market and I saw "Jackie De Shannon" which was her debut album.  I was quite taken by the cover and even though I remembered some of the songs from "In the Wind" I didn't hesitate to buy it.  I don't really regret it, the debut album's cover photo is awesome and it has more extensive liner notes, the notes on "In the Wind" have been edited out of the ones on the debut and are only half as long.  The debut album is all folk songs mostly from the commercial folk repertoire.  Both albums have 12 songs, "In The Wind" substitutes "Needles and Pins" and "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" for "Betsy From Pike" and "Sing Hallelujah."  "Needles and Pins" is a classic song, it should have been a hit for her and she wrote the passionate "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" but although they are great songs neither is a folk song and they disrupt the atmosphere and consistency of the "In The Wind" album compared to "Jackie De Shannon."  I really like her version of the 19th Century ballad "Betsy From Pike" and her singing on the gospel song "Sing Hallelujah" is excellent.  They are two of my favorite songs on the debut album, which is another reason why I don't mind having it.  I don't know the rationale for reissuing the debut album under another guise but I'm assuming that Imperial was trying to capitalize on Bob Dylan's growing fame or Peter, Paul and Mary's commercial success as well as trying to exploit the Searcher's success with their version of "Needles and Pins" in 1964.  Both albums feature three Dylan songs plus one that he popularized, "Baby Let Me Follow You Down."  My favorite of the four is her exuberant version of "Walkin' Down The Line."  Three songs associated with Peter, Paul and Mary also appear on the record.  "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" is not a good fit for her and she delivers a robust cover of "If I Had A Hammer" but there is nothing interesting about it.  The best of the three is her country flavored version of "500 Miles" which she sings with great feeling.  There is also a soulful vocal on "Oh Sweet Chariot" and her husky vocal on Bobby Darin's "Jailer Bring Me Water" is very effective.  That isn't really a folk song and neither is "Little Yellow Roses" which was written by the English actor Trevor Peacock, but both are arranged to sound like folk songs.  Considering her background in pop and her skill at songwriting, it is surprising to me that her debut album featured only folk style songs, none of which she wrote.  It is a tribute to her great skill as a vocalist and her versatility that the album is still completely convincing.  I like it better than any album Joan Baez ever made.  The instrumentation is mostly acoustic guitar and bass with occasional harmonica and percussion and DeShannon is tastefully supported by background singers throughout the album.  Both albums are really worthwhile, if you are a fan of DeShannon you ought to own at least one of them.  If I had to choose just one, I'd pick "Jackie DeShannon" because it has better song sequencing and I prefer the packaging.  Recommended for people who think that Tom Rush is a better folk singer than Pete Seeger.

My Boyfriend's Back - The Angels

My Boyfriend's Back
The Angels
Smash MGS 27039
1963

I'm a fan of 60s girl groups and this is one of my favorite records in that genre.  This is a Canadian pressing of the second album by the Angels and has their most famous song, "My Boyfriend's Back."  Like that hit single, most of the songs were written by the album's producers: Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer who would later achieve garage band immortality as the Strangeloves.  Many of the songs are blatantly imitative of the title song like "Has Anybody Seen My Boyfriend," "Why Don't the Boy Leave Me Alone" and the sequel "The Guy With The Black Eye."  They are decent enough, but not particularly compelling although the latter does reprise the indignant persona that helps make the title song so memorable.  My favorite songs are the romantic ballads "Someday My Prince Will Come" (from the Disney film "Snow White") and "Till" where the yearning in the vocals is almost palpable.  I believe that "Till" features the group's original lead vocalist, Linda Jansen, but the rest of the album features Peggy Santiglia as the lead singer.  Santiglia is far from the best girl group lead singer, but she does have an emotional quality to her voice that I find very effective.  The catch in her voice when she sings "World Without Love" really sends me.  "Thank You and Good Night" is a dreamy slice of teenage romance with another fine emotional vocal from Santiglia.  Among the uptempo numbers I like "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man," "A Night Has A Thousand Eyes" and especially the rocking "Love Me Now."   The only real loser on the record is a cover of the Chiffons' "He's So Fine" that is so close to the original that it is useless.  Like most early 60s pop albums, this is too inconsistent and derivative to be essential, but it is definitely fun and very worthwhile if you are into girl groups.  Recommended for fans of the Shangri-Las who wish that Mary Weiss hadn't been such a bad girl.

The Composer of Desafinado, Plays - Antonio Carlos Jobim

The Composer of Desafinado, Plays
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Verve  V-8547
1963

I pulled this out thinking I might get rid of it and decided to give it one final spin.  I like the Stan Getz bossa nova albums which rely heavily on Jobim's compositions but I figured that without Getz's sax or Astrud Gilberto's breathy vocals, this instrumental album was kind of useless.  Jobim plays piano on it and he's not exactly Bill Evans.  He mostly plays a single note style that seems kind of basic, even amateurish.  As I listened I was unimpressed at first, the heavy use of strings reminded me of muzak.  But as I listened longer I started to relax, the sound was so soothing and mellow.  It made me feel good.  As a result I've been playing it a lot lately.  It works great as background music but you can listen to it too.  Jobim's piano work has a rightness to it, it fits.  It seems simple but then it carries you away.  The rhythm section swings and I've even come to like the strings.  Jobim is a world class composer, this album is loaded with classic songs: "The Girl From Ipanema," "Insensatez," "Corcovado," "One Note Samba" and "Desafinado."  To hear them flowing out one after another in nice tasteful arrangements is a real pleasure.  It transports me back to another time and place.  I'm not old enough to remember when the bossa nova was popular but I have to admit that this record makes me want to suit up, pour myself a martini and take a slow turn around the room with a lady in a cocktail dress and too much make-up.  Recommended for lounge lizards who are tired of their Martin Denny and Les Baxter records.