Dean Jones- Introducing Dean Jones

I bought this some time ago at a Saturday sale at a serious record collector’s warehouse.  I thought it was $3 when I picked it out but when I went to pay, they told me it was $6.  No big deal but at the time, my limit for this blog was $5 and was pretty zealous about keeping it that way.  Well, times have changed and my limit has gone up to reflect the current mood of record prices so here is this thing, back from the pile of the dead (overpriced).  On a side note, trying to bang out the rest of this month’s blog today.  I had earlier lamented about getting the blog too far ahead due to the fact that it is hard to make timely observations when I am months into the future.  Well, I have reconsidered this and found that the benefits of doing the blog in this fashion do not outweigh the benefits of getting ahead of myself.  At the end of the day today, I am hoping to get three weeks ahead.

If you watched Disney movies as a kid (or perhaps an adult.  It’s your world), you should know our next subject, Dean Jones.  Jones , born in Decatur, Alabama in 1931, starred in various films for Walt including That Darn Cat!, The Million Dollar Duck, and most famously two movies in the Herbie the Love Bug series.  He started his career on the stage, working on Broadway in such works as Under The Yum Yum Tree.  TV was his next stepping stone, working on his own series, Ensign O’ Toole, (which is referenced on this album cover heavily)..  In the 70’s, he started in the lead role in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, but dropped out shortly after opening night due to his ongoing divorce proceedings.  He remained active all his life playing the villain in 1992’s Beethoven and Kelly’s grandfather in Saved By The Bell:Hawaiian Style as well as smaller roles in Clear and Present Danger and Other People’s Money. Really surprised that there is no Law & Order credits here, but regardless, Jones died from Parkinson’s in 2015.  He was 84.

This album came out on Valiant Records in 1963, fresh off his role on Ensign.  12 tracks backed by the arrangement and conduction of Shorty Rogers.  Jones had considerable singing chops from his work on the stage so this record was no stretch as some thespian records can be at times.   All said, this record is slightly uneven.  After listening to the first track, I thought this was going to be a great album. a couple tracks later, I felt the opposite.  And then back and forth and so on. The music is pretty good and Jones can sing so neither of these are weighing it down.  Probably just personal preference on the song selection. Am I rambling?  Do I want to get this month finished?  Yes on both counts.

For a sample, I was really leaning on the opening track, “Inside Out”.  However, I went with “Every Day (You’ve Got To Rise Up)” as the later was a but more upbeat.

Meh.  Could have used better songs. Other than that, pretty decent album.  Probably would have given it a better review if it was $3 rather than $6.

John Schneider- Quiet Man

This was $2.40 at a discount.  I used to like getting celebrity records on this site but that was when I was unemployed and had all day to write post.  Those days have past.

John Schneider, born in Mount Kisco, NY in 1960, is best known for his portrayal of Beauregard “Bo” Duke from the Dukes of Hazard.  As a child from the 80’s, this was my favorite TV show.  Like most kids my age, I had a crush on Daisy Duke as well as hated shows when Bo and Luke’s cousins took over during contract disputes (or going on the NASCAR circuit as the show stated). Along with playing Chips, me and my pal used to play Dukes of Hazard but for some reason, I always had to be Luke (since my friend argued that his name was Jon, I was always Paunch in Chips). Back to Schneider, it should be noted that he had a re-occurring role as Superman’s adoptive father in Smallvile.

Not sure of those were simpler times or if we just turned an eye to casual racism.  Well my bet is on the latter but I do not want to turn this into a big debate.  I will say this: Sorrell Booke and James Best, who played Boss Hogg and Roscoe P Coltrane, were good friends and were allowed to ad-lib on set.  Best also taught acting classes later in his career and one of his students was a young Quentin Tarantino.  It was at Best’s classes where Tarantino met collaborators who would work on his films.

Schneider was able to parlay his popularity on Dukes to a successful music career.  He recorded ten albums (including a Christmas album with Dukes’ co-star Tom Wopat) with four Country #1 singles to his credit.  This was Schneider’s third album, released on the Scotti Brothers label in 1983.  It did not chart.

Decent album but I would have probably liked it more if I was a girl in the 80’s.  There are some decent moments.  As a whole, I really do not like much 80’s country so I am a bit biased to start with this. 

For a sample, I went with the old Johnny Burnette classic “Dreamin” which was released as a single.  It charted at #32 on the country chart.

Meh.  As stated above, do not like 80’s country and I am pretty much over the Dukes.  Not 10 anymore. I mean it sounds just as good as anything else from that decade, it is just not my proverbial cup of tea.