AL Green- Call Me

So I have largely quit buying new records and have been focused on getting thru the ones I have. Which leads to the problem of Saturday. As I like to put good albums on the weekend, my roster of Saturday-worthy records is shrinking. So it dawned on me that I need to dig into the collections of records I was given while doing this blog as there are some real gems within them as compared to the questionable stuff I buy. So from the collection of the late Al Pallister, we have this which is general regarded as Al Green’s masterpiece.

Released in 1973 after his platinum 1972 release, I’m Still In Love With You, Call Me went to # 10 on the US charts, going Gold in the process. Green’s sixth album, many consider it his best work.

Partly because it drew on an array of influences, most notably Hank Williams and Green’s cover of ” I’m SO Lonesome I Could Cry”, which I am using as a sample. But mostly, it was Green’s unbelievable talent that made this record what it was.

So Lonesome I could Cry

The Jazz Allstars- Thunderball, The Man from U.N.C.L.E and other Secret Agent Themes

Here is a record I paid $3.20 for back in 2015 and criminally let sit until today. From Design Records, a product of Pickwick International, in 1966, we have this collection of jazz inspired takes on spy music , at times set to the classics. I can’t remember why I did anything in 2015, let alone buy this album. I would also like to point out that this is post # 2,000.

But what a good album it is. It consists of famous spy themes from movies as well as classical music played in a thrilling fashion. There is no distinctive listing of personnel, but the listing of secret agents include J. J. Johnson ( whose trombone is very prevalent on this), Mundell Lowe, Ernie Royal, Milt Hinton, Joe Newman, Bobby Crowe, Johnny Knapp, Sy Salzberg, and Larry Charles.

For samples, I went with the title track. I also went with “The Saboteur” which is a jazz take on Borodin’s “Prince Igor” and “Win Lose R Spy” which is an excellent rendition of Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” bets known for its use with Alfred Hitchcock.

Thunderball
The Saboteur
Win Lose or Spy

VA- Stereo Action Unlimited

Here is a wonderful album I recently purchased for $1 I think. From RCA/ Victor , we have this 1961 space age compilation of really good music featuring such stars as Marty Gold, Dick Schory, and Leo Addeo among others. For the time, it really pushed the envelope, arrangement-wise. Heavy emphasis on making the most of stereo recording.

I could post all the songs for a sample, but I was able to whittle it down to four. From Ray Martin, we have what s ne of the best versions of “Flight of the Bumble Bee” that I have heard. Next we have “Expresso” from The Guitars Unlimited Plus 7. From Bernie Green, we have “Kiss of Fire”. Finally from Manny Albam, we have an odd mix of “Stompin at the Savoy” and “Johnson Rag”, play simultaneously thru different sides of the stereo.

Flight of the Bumble Bee
Expresso
Kiss of Fire
Savoy/ Johnson

Robert Maxwell- The Harp In Hi-FI

Trying to close out this week as well as this month’s 6th anniversary as easy as possible. I jumped on this for $2 for the title alone. When I got it home, I was even more stoked to see that his was one of Robert Maxwell’s. I kind of stumbled over an earlier Maxwell record from this site which you can see here . I kind of stumbled on that in the same fashion.

From 1956 and Mercury Records, here we have Maxwell ( credited as Bobby on the front cover) and his harp which flows with ease between the exotica and the space-age pop. Really excellent record. I think I recorded the whole thing. It is amazing.

Against my better judgement, I am going to go with four samples; two written by Maxwell, ( “Ebb Tide” & Shangri-La”) and two standards, “Hindustan” and blog favorite, “Limehouse Blues”. I known I doubled “Limehouse” this month, again, against my better judgement.

Ebb Tide
Shangri La
Hindustan
Limehouse Blues

Duane Eddy- Have “Twangy” Guitar Will Travel

I almost immediately regret posting this today as it really makes for a great Saturday record. I paid all but $1 for this, in 2020 nonetheless when I felt that used records were ( and still are ) over priced.

Duane Eddy ( born in Corning, NY 1938) sold over 12 million records by 1963, 5 years after his big signature hit “Rebel-‘Rouser” ( run, Forrest, run). Known for the Twangy sound as advertised on the record, Eddy is still alive today at the time of this writing.

This was Eddy’s first album from Jamie Records in 1958. Produced by Lester Sill and Lee Hazelwood ( who would produce a string of hits for the guitarist), the record would go to #5 on the charts as well as produce5 singles including the one mentioned above as well as “Ramrod”. It also paved the way for many bands who imitated Eddy’s sound, including the Ventures.

For a sample, I went with “Stalkin'”.

I was going to say satisfactory but this is a quite excellent record. Top Rated.

Stalkin’

VA- Wattstax:The Living Word

Happy Saturday. We are closing out the month with the 1973 soundtrack form the film Wattstax, the documentary of the concert of the same name, held in 1972 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts Riots. Known as Black Woodstock, the event featured such luminaries as The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Eddie Floyd, and the Bar-Keys among others.

Give the history of this event, this was a poor choice for a Saturday record ( as well as the end of the month), so I will post links here, here, here, and here. From what I can tell today, this is an excellent record. A lot of the spoke words were very familiar due to their use as samples. De La Soul seemed to come to mind with this.

I could have used about any track for this, but I am going with the reason I bought this album: The King, Mr. Albert King . It was my now deceased ex-roommate who turned me on to King and this song, one of my favorites “I’ll Play The Blues For You”. I still think it needs to Scooby Doo-like horn opening from the studio version but great song regardless. Almost every guitar hero since the 1960’s has owed a debt to this original.

Top Rated Record. Happy Halloween. I did not celebrate last year and I do not imagine I will do so this year. See you in November. (Ed Note: I finished this post 4 mins before my Internet ran out)

ill play the blues for you

Harry Belafonte- Calypso

I am so done with this month. It looks like I paid #1.50 for this, making it a steal. Released by Harry Belafonte on RCA Victor in 1956, this record features many of his big songs of the period including “Day-O” and Jamaica Farewell”. As it was his third album, it was his first big breakthrough, as well as the first LP by a single artist to sell over one million copies

For a sample, I am going with “Will His Love Be Like His Rum”. I was originally going to go with “Star-O” but I felt it was too derivative of “Day-O”. It is literally the nocturnal version of the latter and I did not realize it when I listened to the record, but it makes a good book end, using both songs to start their respective sides. Top rated record See you next month.

Will His Love Be Like His Rum

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris- Trio

Trying to get all of this month’s posts done in one fowl swoop. Here is one that just made sense, both to buy (which I did for $6) and to post on Saturday.

Here is a record from three of the biggest females in the music industry, all of which were admirers of each other works and had been trying to collaborate with each other since the 1970’s. Well, this was the first studio record from all three, released by Warner Brothers in 1987. It was a unmitigated success (not sure if unmitigated is the right adjective but I wrote it so there it is), selling 4 million copies, hitting #1 on the country charts, and taking the #6 on the Billboard 200. It also won Grammy for Best Country Performance by a duo or group as well as a the Academy of Country Music Award for Best Album.

I do not remember much about this record back in October when I listened to it, other than it was probably pretty good and I imagine I liked it enough. Like most records this month, it was quite well played and worn.

For a sample, I went with “The Pain of Loving You”.

Top Rated Record.

The Pain Of Loving You

Blue Cheer- Vincebus Eruptum

Trying just to finish this week after taking a long hiatus from writing these things. For a visionary band like Blue Cheer, who were the fathers of the heavy music of the 1970’s, they probably deserve a whole lot more than what I am giving here, but regardless, here is their first album which was a steal at $2.40.

Blue Cheer, from San Francisco, was a psychedelic band whose loud, driven sound paved the way for hard music. This was their first effort, released by Phillips in 1968. It was their highest charting record at #11 and produced their biggest single (which was also their first), “Summertime Blues” which peaked at # 14. They defined a hard blues sound from a classic power trio persepctive.

This album consists of half covers and half original and mostly sounds really driven. Lots of noise and feedback. I have to divorce myself from the many imitators when I listen to this and remember who ground breaking this was. All together this is a really great album.

For a sample I went with Mose Allison’s tribute to Mississippi State Penitentiary, “Parchment Farm”.

Really great record. Top Rated

Parchment Farm

The Stylistics- ST

$8 was definitely not to much for this album. I unfortunately recorded every song for sample consideration and feel that the choice to select one probably helped delay my wanting to get around to writing this post.

But I luckily, I whittled it down to three songs from this Philly vocal group, the Stylistics, in 1971. From Avco Records and recorded by Thom Bell. The was the groups first record and as known (at least on Wikipedia) as a “sweet soul landmark”. The group at the time, consisted of Russell Thompkins Jr on lead vocals with support from Airrion Love, James Smith, Herb Murrell, James Dunn, and Larry Wright. The record went to #23 on Billboard as well as # 3 on the R&B chart. It also spawned five singles, all of which would hit the R&B Top Ten.

Not really related but this is as good a time as any to link this. Sing it Ocean Billy.

So , here we come to real decision making. I am bypassing “Country Living” and “Point Of No Return” and selecting “Ebony Eyes”as my sample. Really could have been any album on this record.

Top Rated Record.

Ebony Eyes