Telly Savalas- Telly

DSCN1082Hey, who loves you Baby? This was $4. How could I not?

Right off the bat, in the liner notes, Telly lets you know that “singing is not my bag”. However, “this is how Telly feels about this or that song” (both actual quotes). Released in 1974, hot on the success of Kojak, this was his first album. He would release several more with modest success. His version of Bread’s “If”, on this record, was actually a #1 hit in the UK.

I would hesitate to say that this is a really great album, but it is extremely listenable. Telly’s songs are a cross combination of spoken word and singing. It his delivery is what you would expect from the TV tough guy. . “You’ve lost that Loving Feeling”, You and Me Against the World”, and “Help me Make it Through the Night” suggest I am a lover , not a fighter, without letting you forget that I am still a tough guy. The song selection on this record is awesome. If you still wear medallions, you should be all over this. And he does not have that bad a voice. At the very least, the man knows what territory his range belongs in.DSCN1081

There were several songs to choose from. I wanted something that was more singing than spoken. The Beatles’ classic “Something” showcases this.

I hate to give this a top rating but it really sounds pretty good all things considered. And it delivered on what it promised, which is big in my book. It sounds like I wanted it to sound when I bought it. Are my ratings trite and arbitrary? Sure, but all ratings are trite and arbitrary. At the end of the day, Telly “can only make mistakes by pretending to be a great singer”(Also in the liner notes). By working within his limits, as a result, he nails this album.

Claudine Longet- Colours

DSCN1050This was a $1. I dig French chicks. Seems like a good purchase.

Claudine Longet achieved fame outside of France in the good old US of A. Born in Paris, she first burst on the scene on American TV, starting first on McHale’s Navy. She also frequented the Andy Williams show among other television programs. Williams would later become her first husband, and, in a phenomenon that continues to amaze me, remained close friends after the divorce. Her breakout year came in 1966 when she sang on the season finale of Run For Your Life. This caught the eye of Herb Alpert who signed her shortly afterwards and thus began her singing career. She received further fame after singing the theme and staring in the Peter Seller’s film, The Party. She continued TV and recording netting gold records and charting singles along the way.

Here’s a fun fact: in a time in the industry before Suge Knight , Claudine killed a fella. In 1976, she shot her live-in boyfriend, champion skier Spider Sabich. Claudine claimed that the shooting was accidental using the Goodfellas defense that the gun went off in her hand accidently. Because of procedural error, the prosecution called not admit into evidence blood samples which they claim contained cocaine, nor could they use her diary which did not paint a picture of a happy relationship. Saturday Night Live would mock this in a sketch that has as much relevance today as Mad Magazine sticking it to Spiro Agnew. In the end, Claudine was sentenced to 30 days in jail for negligent homicide. After a civil suit with the family was settled out of court, Claudine married her defense attorney and left the public eye. They are still married and still very much out of the spotlight. Below is a link to an excellent story that ran in GQ that talks about the trial as well as the aftermath. Apparently, Spider was loved by the community and Claudine was ostracized after the shooting.

Excellent GQ Article

In terms of the record, it is ok. I prefer my French singers to be upbeat and to sing in French. This album does neither. The songs are all pretty much slow tempo wise. Likewise, despite French inflection in her voice, all the songs are in English. This album came out in 1968 and went as high as #155 on Billboard. The song selection is pretty good as is the music. And she does really have a lovely voice. If you like the slower type stuff, then this has what you are looking for. The second side seems to be the better one to me, with “Let it Be Me” and “Hurry on Down”. As a side note, Randy Newman wrote the last song on the album “ I Think it’s Going to Rain Today”. He also plays piano on the track.DSCN1051

As a sample, I went with Joni Mitchell’s “ Both Sides Now” which was a breakout hit that year for Judy Collins. It is not the best song on the album, but it is one of my favorite songs and it is not bad.

Meh. As I stated, I like my French singers poppy and French. The GQ article brings up a good fact that if not for the shooting, with proper development, Claudine might have been relevant for another decade or so. But regardless, I will take some Bardot or Gall any day over this.

V/A- Country Music Hits by Country Music’s Stars

DSCN1041This was $2. It boasted a good lineup of country stars.

This was released by RCA Camden, which was the budget arm of RCA records. They sold a good lot of these records for $1.98 as the label on the record states (That would mean this record has appreciated in value by .02 cents over 50 years). Obviously, they were able to pull previously recorded tracks to make this compilation. It is hard to accurately say when this came out (ok. Straight up, I don’t want to dig any deeper with that).DSCN1043

It is hard to give a real deep review of compilations albums. This one has some great songs from some of the big names of country music including Slim Whitman, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Hank Locklin, and Hank Snow to name a few. These songs seem to come predominately from the 1950’s. What I like about this, besides the variety, is the songs were done before the Nashville sound ruined country music. So the songs are pretty bare boned and not overloaded with string sections and the like.Grandpa and pee wee

When I started this, I was set on using Grandpa Jones “Old Rattler”. However, after time, I realized this would not be a great representation of this album. So I also included Pee Wee King’s version of Leon McAullife’s “Steel Guitar Rag”(note there is no accordion on this track).

This is a very satisfactory record for me. It delivers the classic country sound in a cross section of popular artists.

ZZ Top- Tres Hombres

DSCN1013Hey. I am a month old today. Thank you for your support and thanks for telling your friends. This was in the dollar bin. I got it to celebrate being a month old as well as to rock up the week. Plus as I previously owned this on cassette, it cut down on time spent on critical listening, time in which I could spend dissecting marching band music.DSCN1014

If you don’t know this album or band, you ain’t from around here then. This was the first commercial success for ZZ Top. Some purists would say they never improved on this album. They would later take full advantage of MTV and music videos in the 80’s with their Eliminator album. During this era, drummer Frank Beard lived in Quail Valley. My best friend lived in Mo City Proper. According to the narrative at the time, Frank backed out of his driveway and nearly ran into my pal’s little brother whilst on his bike. Frank apologized and drove off. My buddy’s little brother said he was pretty cool about it.

The Eliminator at a Car Show at the Astro-Arena.  Mostly likely taken in the mid 80's by me.
The Eliminator at a Car Show at the Astro-Arena. Mostly likely taken in the mid 80’s by me.

What more can be said about this album? On a Saturday, not much. For a sample, it was between this and “Master of Sparks”, but in the end, I settled on “Move Me on Down the Line”.

Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66- Look Around

DSCN1011This was in the $1 bin. I will by most anything with a Beatle cover just to check that out.

Sergio Mendes was born in Niteroi (east of Rio) and started playing in local clubs at the beginning of the emergence of Bossa Nova. After some success thru recording and touring, he moved to the US in 1964 and released records with his band, Brasil ’65 for Capital and Atlantic records. Herb Alpert peeled him from Atlantic to record for A&M . He formed a new band, Brasil ’66 and found success, becoming the biggest Brazilian star in the world for a period of time. Thru his career, he seems to fade from the scene only to comeback as his jazz-pop Brazilian style finds a new batch of fans. A three time Grammy winner, he still plays live from time to time as well as work on soundtracks and collaborations.

IMG_1750
Niteroi, Brazil

Sergio’s Home Page

This album was the third from the Brasil ’66 band and the last to include all the original members. Mendes performance of “The Look of Love” at the Academy Awards shot the band into the national spotlight and sent the single to #4. The album itself would rise to #5. The songs are all good and from what I have read, this album marks a departure from reliance on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s songs by interpreting songs from other Brazilians as well as Burt Bacharach, Lennon and McCartney, and his own compositions. The songs on the album all have the standard staples of Brazilian pop-jazz/ Bossa Nova. The vocal lines, the beat, the percussion, the instrumentation, its all there. The vocals go back and forth with some songs in Portuguese and some in English. But the Bossa Nova beat is consistent throughout the album.DSCN1012

For a sample, I was stuck between “The Frog” and “Tristeza”. After some deliberation, I went with the percussion heavy “Tristeza” over the vocal heavy “Frog”. Also, for this week’s twofer, I included “With a Little Help from my Friends”. Personally, I think “Look of Love”, “Look Around”, and “So Many Stars” are better songs, but I figure “A Little Help” is what people want to hear.

This is a Top Rated record as I will play it frequently.