Joe Jackson- Body and Soul

DSCN2477This was $2.40 rounding up. I seem to recall quite a few copies at various Half Priced Books s I guess it sold well.  I did not know this until after I posted this but today is the 201st birthday of Adolphe Sax who, you guessed it , invented the saxophone. In turn, he is responsible for both some of the best and worst music known to man kind. Before I knew this fact, I got this to pander but mainly for the cover. I felt it was clever. The cover BTW is an homage to Sonny Rollins, Vol 2.MI0000213180

Joe Jackson was recently in Houston sometime around the last month or so. He is still pretty active, wrapping up a US tour and touring into 2016, mostly in Europe. He also released his first studio album in seven years, Fast Forward.

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Jackson’s Web Page

 

As the cover would then suggest, this is a jazz influenced pop album. Released in 1984 after setting up his home base in New York City, it would be his seventh studio album. It is heavy on Jackson’s horns. In all, it is a prime example of the sophisti-pop or adult contemporary-new wave of the 80’s that I hate. That is just me. The album sold well and was successful. It went to # 20 in the US and # 14 in the UK. I believe the only single for the record was “You Can’t Get What You Want (Til You Know What You Want)”. That charted in the US at #15. You know what, I stand corrected “Happy Ending” and “Be My Number Two” were also released as singles. Jackson would also take a lengthy break after touring behind this album, calling it “the hardest (tour) I ever did”.DSCN2478

After listening to this album, I kind of settled on “Loisaida”, a series of instrumental vignettes featuring piano and horns prominently. I realize you probably want to hear vocals, but tough. If you want to hear them, buy the album off of his webpage. The guy has to eat, too so get over it. Still not happy?  Ok, I will cave and throw you a bone with “Go For It”.JOE-JACKSON2

Meh. I get what he was trying to do, and in all truth, this was probably ahead of the curve in the mid-eighties, but it is not the type of music I like. I prefer Jackson’s 70’s work.

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Dino, Desi, and Billy- Souvenir

DSCN2475This was one dollar.  Not sure why I bought it other than it was cheap.  It had a few covers worth giving the benefit of the doubt. On a side note, I had a fun day of working late and hanging out in parking lots so this should be quick.

11696409_1Dino, Desi, and Billy was a 60’s band consisting of three friends: Dino Martin (son of Dean), Desi Arnaz Jr (son of Senior) and some guy named Billy Hinsche.  They had a few early hits followed by a few releases.  Obviously, family connections helped.  As a result, critics were harsh on the band, accusing them of taking resources away from more talented bands. But they did have some success.  The band would break up in 1969 due to the activities of the members.  Dino would pass away in 1987 but was replaced on oldies reunions by his brother Ricci. Below is a lip from Dean Martin’s TV show , with Dean humorously introducing the band.

Webpage of Billy Hinsche.

This was there fourth album and their third released in 1966.  It is mostly of pop covers.  Such covers include “Black is Black”, the Kink’s “Sunny Afternoon” and the Beatles “Got to Get You Into my Life”.  These songs are okay.  Nothing really radical.DSCN2476

For a sample, I went with “Turn Down Day”, a hit for the US band, The Cyrkle.

Meh.  Just another 60’s pop band to me.  Sorry. To their credit, they were young when they did this.

 

Jimmy Durante- September Song

DSCN2473This was 80 cents.  Believe it or not, I am a fan of the Ol’ Schnozzola himself, probably due to the Warner Brother’s cartoons I watched as a kid.  MGM and Hanna Barbera also stole from Durante’s act as well.220px-Jimmy_Durante_in_Broadway_to_Hollywood_trailer

When people ask me who I would see live if I could see anybody dead or alive, I usually answer Jimmy Durante (1893-1980).  And although in all honesty, I should say the Pogues, Durante is number two on my list. From his meager beginnings , he became a star in vaudeville, on records, the movies, television, and radio. His earlier work displayed his sense of humor and timing, his gravely voice, and his abuse of the English language, all trademarks of his act.

Wikipedia Bio of Durante

This album was made late in his career and does not have the comedic asides of his earlier work ( with the exception of “One Room Home”).  In fact, there is very little comedic elements on it. Released in 1963, this is a collection of Durante performing standards.  The liner notes have endorsements from Eddie Cantor, Joey Bishop, Doris Day, and Sophie Tucker. Although, I prefer his earlier work, the songs on this album show a determined optimism that shines thru the tracks.  The title track and “Young at Heart” are great examples of this. DSCN2474

For a sample, I was stuck between a few songs but ultimately went with “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” as it is a beautiful sentiment.  Also, as I like to pander to Liverpool FC fans, here is his take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.MTE1ODA0OTcxNjE1ODgwNzE3

Satisfactory record.

 

Claudine Longet- The Look of Love

DSCN2471This was one dollar.  I like the French chicks but prefer them to sing in French. Also, I spent less than ten minutes on today’s post.Claudine-Longet-05-GQ_03May13_getty_bThis is the third Claudine Longet album I have posted on this site.  Not sure why I favor her, but here we go.  It has been hard finding French chicks in general for under $5.  I am particularly proud of the first post I did on her.  I think it was one of my more informative posts.  Besides that and the second post, there is not much more I can say about Longet personally or professionally.

Link to the First Donkey Show Post

This was Longet’s second album.  Released in 1967, it reached # 33 on the Billboard charts.  It is an easy listening mix of pop and bossa nova, heavily influenced by the Brazilian music at the time.  It also contains two Beatle compositions and one Bacharach/ David tune.  Decent album if you are into that kind of thing.DSCN2472

I went back and forth between Bacharach’s “Look of Love” which she does well and the McCartney tune “When I’m Sixty Four”.  I felt she did a decent version of that as well.  After some thought , I flipped a coin and got tails.  So here is a waify version of “When I’m Sixty Four”.  Note that this came out pretty close to the original version’s release.

maxresdefaultI was going to make a bad joke about shooting the messenger here, but decided to go ahead and give this a satisfactory rating.  I would say it is among the better of her work.

Johnny Horton- Greatest Hits

DSCN2469This came out of the dollar bin.  Another month has come and gone.  Still kind of reeling from Halloween shenanigans so this week will definitely be written on the fly.1133632

Johnny Horton was born in Los Angeles in 1925, but moved to East Texas as a child.  A rising star in the country western world with rockabilly leanings, his life was cut tragically short in 1960 by a drunk driver in Milano, Texas, while driving from a show at Austin’s Skyline Club to his home in Shreveport.  Johnny Cash read from Chapter 20 in the Book of John at his service.12465432493_5df8ba7f20_b

Bio from the Texas State Historical Association

Horton’s second wife at the time of his death was Billie Jean Jones.  Jones was also the second wife of Hank Williams.  So at the ripe age of 27, Jones was a two time widow .  According to Wikipedia, she is still alive and still does what she can to promote the legacies of her famous dead husbands.Hank_Williams_Billy_Jean_1952

This album is a greatest hits collection, probably put together after his death.  Horton was known for his historical ballads or saga-songs.  “The Battle of New Orleans” is his most famous number and best example of this.  Most of the songs on this album follow this style. Overall, Horton’s work is good and this is a decent record, although the historical ballads get old after awhile. eb4b31a1e49ae58e05b39214cd1b0420

It should also be noted that Horton is no way affiliated with Johnny Rebel, who recorded racist songs in the  60’s.  That would be Cliff Trahan. Unfortunately, due to his song “Johnny Reb”, Horton often gets accredited to Trahan’s catalog.DSCN2470

When I bought the album, I had “Sink The Bismark” in my head for a sample.  This is my favorite Horton tune.  However, after a few listens, I decided to go with “Jim Bridger” which tells the story of one of the nations most prominent mountain men.  I think I liked the music on this song better.Johnny_Horton_cemeter_bench_MVI_2635

I normally do not give good reviews to dead people when I don’t have to, but this is a decent enough record, even if the historical saga angle gets stale.  Satisfactory record.