The Limeliters- Fourteen 14K Folk Songs

DSCN1061The was a $1.00. It had a lot of good songs on it.

The Limelighters were formed in 1959. They would call it quits in 1965 after 13 or so records. There would be later reformations, reunions, and tours throughout the years. The original members are either dead or retired. However, the band still plays live with new members. The Kingston Trio (who original Limelighter Lou Gottlieb worked for as an arranger) does the same thing. It would appear that folk bands are hydra like creatures that don’t die but grow new heads and carry on. The Limelighters never had a true hit record in terms of charts, but were well known for their wide spanning repertoire of songs.DSCN1062

This album illustrates this repertoire. Included on this album, which was I believe was their 9th, are standards from folk (both US and British), Irish, and cowboy songbooks. “Drill Ye Tarriers”, “Betty and Dupree”, “John Riley”, “Gambler’s Blues (St James Infirmary)” , and “Whoopee Ti Yi Yo” illustrate this. Also included is “Hangman, Hangman” which has been interpreted by many artists in the world of folk, blues , and rock (Think “Gallow’s Pole”). But the song I got this album for was “The Midnight Special”. This album contains what may be the best version of this song by white artists. Lyrically wise, it is very close to the Leadbelly version.

A view from a guard tower, Feb. 5, 2013 in Sugar Land, TX at the Central State Prison Farm, the center of this song.
A view from a guard tower, Feb. 5, 2013 in Sugar Land, TX at the Central State Prison Farm, the center of this song.

Leadbelly, who popularized the song, drew from much source material including other prison songs and a 1923 jailbreak for this. Versions by Johnny Rivers and Credence Clearwater Revival both state that those who squabble and fight in Houston would be “prison bound”. Leadbelly’s version, however, states “Sugar Land bound”. Growing up in Sugar Land, when I first heard Leadbelly’s version, I understood exactly where he was singing about. It is about the old Central Unit Prision, where Leadbelly was once a guest, in Sugar Land at I-90 and Highway 6. The Midnight Special in the song was the train that would run on across I-90. The prison would close in 2011. The non-Sugar Land version of the song is sung below by Harry Dean Stanton in Cool Hand Luke.

Regardless of the version, I got to give it up for the songs that call out Houston. I also often wonder about the deputies Benson Crocker and Jimmy Boone mentioned in the song. Were they good ol’ boys, were they dirty and corrupt, or were they civil servants just doing the job they were paid to do? Whoever they were, they were notable enough to be included in the song.

Common sign around I-90 and Highway 6 back in the day.
Common sign around I-90 and Highway 6 back in the day.

Submitted for the sample then, is “The Midnight Special”.

This record is Top Rated for me due to the width and breadth of great songs on it.

The Partridge Family- At Home with their Greatest Hits

DSCN1110I got this for a dollar in tribute to the untimely death of Suzanne Crough , AKA Tracy the tambourine player, on April 27 of this year at the age of 52.

suzanne-crough-1-435Suzanne’s death comes as a shock as she was the youngest and had no discernable drug habit. She is preceded in death by Ruben Kincaid, who died last year. Although she was able to steer clear of the many personal problems that plague child stars, she was unable to find a sustainable career after the show. Her last role was in 1980. She then left show business for marriage and the private sector. Of her Partridge brethren, she seemed closest to Shirley Jones. David Cassidy, she says, is egotistic. The first drummer was universally hated. Not a whole lot about Danny or Susan.suz_tamb2

Below is an excellent interview with Suzanne from 2000. In it she talks about the show, the stars, and her “Tracy-Specific” tambourines.

An Interview with Suzanne.

Miscellaneous Fun Fact I learned while researching this post: According to Shirley Jones’ autobiography, her step son, David Cassidy was nicknamed Donkey by his brothers because he was extremely well endowed. Pretty creepy information for your step mom to write about, eh? I probably would not have put that in my autobiography, but to each their own.3260-0001

As far as the album goes, it has their popular numbers. However, I am not a great fan. I was more into the Monkees as far as TV show bands go. They at least had the illusion of being a band. Also I get that the network was trying to make David Cassidy the teen idol star, but would it have killed you to have Shirley Jones sing more? This is at best (or worst) a David Cassidy album.DSCN1111

I was going to post something else, but decided to use “I’ll Meet You Half Way”, which seems to be Suzanne’s favorite song or at least the one she acknowledged in the interview.gab-231272-partridge-family

Meh. Done with this album. Rest in peace Tracy and congratulations for staying out of that “Sleazy Strip Joint” that Danny said you were headed to in the pilot episode.

War- The World is a Ghetto

DSCN1044This was a dollar. The title track is my favorite War song.

DSCN1045This album was a Billboard # 1 and would be the Billboard’s album of the year for 1973. The two singles, “The Cisco Kid” and “The World is a Ghetto” would chart #2 and #7, respectively. This would be their fifth album and third after the departure of Eric Burdon.

War’s Web Page

Other than the singles, what more can be said about this? It came along at the middle of War’s successful string of hit records and it exemplifies the 70’s California mix of styles that is War. I like to keep Saturday’s short so there.

Here is “Beetles In the Bog”. Enjoy.

This is a Top Rated album for me.

VA- The Blues Story

DSCN1103B.B King is dead at 89.  He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday May 14. His health had been in decline as of late.  And despite this fact, here am I caught with my pants down and nothing but this compilation album of the Blues I paid a couple bucks for some time ago. (I wrote this on the fly)

News Story on his Death

I saw BB King play when I was in High School.  I think it was 11th grade.  That would have been 1990 or 1991. He played at the Benson and Hedges Blues Fest at the Summit (aka Compaq Center aka Lakewood Church) in Houston.  Also on the bill were Johnny Lee Hooker, Johnny Winters, John Campbell ( I thought it was Chris Whitley but documentation suggests otherwise), and I think Etta James.  It was an awesome show that we probably paid less than $20 to see because that was back when concerts were cheap.  We also left with a handful of Benson and Hedges menthols.  BB’s live shows have diminished as of late due to age and health.  Either way, he was the last person from that show alive. If Benson and Hedges had a Tontine (look it up), he would have been the winner.  And now they are all gone.

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The album itself is ok.  Poor condition.  I bought it for the Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Memphis Slim, and Elmore James’ songs.  Overall it has a good mix of Chicago style blues.  I prefer the grittier artists over BB personally.

Here is “Guess Who” by BB King. I wanted to use “Payin the Cost to be the Boss” but it skipped too much.  Again, this album is pretty beat. Also, I do not know what instrument is being played after the guitar solo and assume it is a horn of some sorts. Regardless, BB King was a true blues legend.  Rest in Peace.

Gary Lewis and the Playboys-This Diamond Ring

DSCN1038I bought this for a dollar. It had a good track of songs that I knew on it.

If you look at the cover and look at the name, you can put two and two together: Gary Lewis is Jerry Lewis’ son. At first, Gary was hesitant to use his famous father’s name, probably for the reasons shown on the back of this album. However, after a successful stint as a house band at Disneyland, one of his father’s associates made that decision for him and took them into the studio. As the suits wanted to greatly increase their odds of making a hit record, they used session musicians on their first single , “This Diamond Ring”. Between this and the fact that there are more pictures of Jerry Lewis than the band on their first album, I imagine these were what Gary was trying to avoid.

DSCN1040Regardless, it did bring them success. They would go on to make eight gold singles, twelve top 40 hit singles, and four gold records, including his only #1, “This Diamond Ring”. It should be noted that this was during the British Invasion of the 60’s and The Playboys were one of the few US success stories at that time. Gary Lewis is still alive and still touring. He takes part in nostalgia cruises as well as shows across the US here and there.

Gary’s Web Site

This album is ok but lacks something for me. Gary’s voice could use a little more edge for my tastes.  When you compare it to what was coming from the UK at the time, it seems kinda vanilla.  The song selection is pretty good though. “Keep Searchin”, “Sweet Little Rock and Roller”, and “Forget Him” stand out to me. “All Day and All of the Night” and “The Night has a Thousand Eyes” are ok but I can not shake the original versions. It should be noted that I wanted to post a Live Youtube performance but everything was lip-synced television spots.

I choose “Needles and Pins” as the sample. It was written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono, first released by Jackie Del Shannon, and made a hit by the Searchers. I guess I am still enamored by the Ramones’ version of this. The Chipmunks also do a catchy version as well.

Meh. I could have used a bit more out of this than what I got. Plus I am not an adolescent girl from the 60’s.

Pickwick Label- Misc Songs from the Late 60’s

DSCN1004This was in the $1 bin. The cover caught my eye and I am always curious about Beatles cover’s, especially “Hey Jude”.

Pickwick Records, founded by Cy Leslie in 1950, specialized in the budget record. Lou Reed started his musical career there as a staff songwriter, writing and occasionally recording novelty songs such at “The Ostrich” before writing 100 songs about heroin. I get it Lou; you know junkies. Regardless, it was during this time he met session musician John Cale and Velvet Underground was born. Back to Pickwick, besides novelties and re-issues, they were known for producing sound-alike records. These records used session musicians, and in house bands to produce songs that sound as close to the original as possible.

That is what this album is. And that IS WHY I HATE IT SO. You had an opportunity to do something and you chose to just shamelessly copy what has been done. If this album took anything even remotely close to a risk and failed, I would like it more. This must have came out in 1968 or 1969 based on the songs on it. And it has songs I really like (“Those Were the Days”, “Both Sides Now” and the Ohio Express’s follow up to “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy”: “Chewy, Chewy, Chewy”). However, I would rather listen to the original. Granted, this greatly takes into account the ease in which music is available today. But still, this could have done anything, and akin to burying gold, it does nothing.DSCN1005

Of the copy songs, there are a few that are okay. But after much internal struggle, I can not reward these. Instead, I am going with “Kansas City” a #1 single in 1959 for Wilbert Harrison. It sticks out like a sore thumb on this record as it is not a copy nor from the swinging 60’s, the obvious theme of the record.

Boo. Low Rating. Most likely never buying another Pickwick album again. (Note: Accidently bought one last week).

Bobbie Gentry- Fancy

DSCN1036I got this one for the title track, a lovely little country ditty about a mother who leads her daughter into prostitution to pay the bills. Too blunt for you? Does courtesan make it better then? It was $5.00.

If “Ode to Billy Joe” was Bobbie Gentry’s Citizen Kane, “Fancy” was not doubt her Touch of Evil. It would reach #26 on the Billboard Country charts and #31 on the Top 100 in 1970. It would later prove to be a bigger hit for Reba McEntire. After playing it for years during her encores, she finally recorded it in 1990. In 1991, it would reach #8 on the country charts and become her signature song. In fact, I had no idea Gentry even wrote and performed this until recently. Gentry’s album would go as high as #34 on the country charts and got her an Academy of Country Music Award as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Female Vocalist.DSCN1037

Which leads to my chief criticism: there is only one Gentry written song on the album. The other songs aren’t bad but it would seem she had her most success with her own written story driven songs. So why not showcase Gentry’s talents? It should be noted that there is no shortage of excellent song writers on this album: Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Leon Russell, and Harry Nilson. “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”, “Find’em, Fool’em, and Forget’em”,” He Made a Woman Out of Me”, and “Delta Man”, among others, also point out the other issue. This record is closer to soul music that country. To me “Fancy” is all soul music. In this framework, it is a pretty good album.

I went with “Fancy” for the sample as this song was the reason I bought the album. The horns and the strings, again, make this closer to soul music for me than country.

Satisfactory purchase for me.

Enoch Light-Big Band Bossa Nova

DSCN1048This was in the $1 bin. I posted a Command Record sampler last month. After listening to that record and learning the story, I will buy anything that is on that label, especially by Enoch Light. As detailed in the prior post, Enoch Light was a master of both orchestration and engineering. As a result, his records are technically great and sampled by many artists.

Some History on Enoch Light

This album does not fail to live up to these standards. Both in recording and mastering, this is a very good sounding album. The various instruments employed present a collage of sound. It comes across as a grown up version of Esquivel’s work. As far as the tracks, there are not many bad ones on here. There are a couple Jobin tunes (“Desafinado”, “One Note Samba”), a couple US Jazz standards (“Lullaby of Birdland”, “Take the A Train”), and a Mexican song (“Besame Mucho”) among other things.DSCN1049

For a sample, I went with one of my favorite tunes, “Aquarela do Brasil” or as it is most commonly known, “Brazil”. Written by Ary Barroso in 1939, it has become one of Brazil’s most famous and most covered songs.

Satisfactory Purchase. It is Monday and want to keep the writing/ reading light.

As a bonus, I included what I feel is the best recording of “Brazil”.  In my opinion, the best is from Esquivel. Here it is. Go out and make the most of this Monday.

Perez Prado- Single “Patricia”/ “Why Wait”

perez-prado-patricia-rca-italianaHalf Price Books sells five 45’s for a dollar. The down side to this is you do pay in dignity as you shuffle thru a stack of 45’s. The 45’s are also in pretty bad condition. This was in the lot (cost: 20 cents). It is Perez Prado’s hit single “Patricia” (Note: there was no cover with this).

Perez Prado, the King of Mambo, was born in Cuba in 1916. After playing with other orchestras in night clubs and casino’s, he moved to Mexico in 1949 to start his own band. He gained international fame outside of Cuba in the 40’s, 50’s, and early 60’s. Of his work, people are probably most familiar with “Mambo # 5,” which he wrote along with the slightly less popular but still successful “Mambo #8” (Not sure the story with Mambo #1-4 or #6, &7). He died of a stroke in 1989 at the age of 72.

Some Info on Perez Prado

This single, fueled by the A side, “Patricia”, went to #1 and was the #5 song of 1958. It has been used in TV, movies, and commercials. You probably will recognize it after hearing this live version with Perez at the keyboard.

 

As I like to focus on the obscure, here for your approval, I submit the B side- “Why Wait”. It is a spicy little number with a good groove, good horns, and a good beat. Hopefully after listening, you will not hold Lou Bega against him.

It is hard to rate anyhing I paid .20 cents for but I like this single. Top rating.

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The Kalyna Trio – In The Spring

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This was $3. I was interested because of the Ukrainian angle but after I saw it was from Canada, I was hooked into this purchase. Oddly enough last week, there was another copy at Half Priced Books.

The Ukrainian National Federation was formed in Edmonton, Alberta in 1932. It is dedicated to the preservation of Ukrainian/ Canadian heritage through various programs. It has 13 branches across the country.

The Ukrainian National Federation Webpage

I don’t know much more about the singers than what is on the liner notes. Their debut was in Buenos Aires in 1971. According to a Ukrainian music online store, they are well known even though there is nothing out there on the internets about them. Nadia Kochanska may still be alive in Toronto. Donna Borowec may or not be dead.DSCN1053

The songs are pretty melodies that are well sung. The ladies all have beautiful voices .But what really makes this album are the several songs with the accompaniment of bass by Marc Huminilowych (who I think was in the band Vorona) and the drums by Olesia. It gives a couple of the tracks a real jazzy feel. Otherwise, the songs are accompanied by member Kathy Harasymchuk’s guitar. And again, the songs are quite beautiful.

I used “The Gypsy Girl” as an example for the reason above. It is a shame all the songs did not get the same treatment.

This is satisfactory for me. It delivers a bit more than what I expected and I got to give props to my own Ukrainian Canadian roots.