The Barry Sisters- Side by Side

Nice to get one in for a dollar.  Great price for something like this from the Barry Sisters, who are frequent visitors to this blog.  It also had a couple of songs that I really like on it. This record was once owned by one Thea Singer, who I believe was a Holocaust survivor who lived in the Bellaire area and passed in 2014.

I posted their version of Fiddler on the Roof, but besides that, this is the first album I have had on the blog from Merna and Claire that was not strictly klezmer.  Released on Roulette Records in 1961, the album features the duo tackling some of the more popular standards of the last decade.  Really good stuff.  Obviously, the Sister’s talents were not confined to Yiddish.

I really liked this album and had about 2/3’s of it slated for sample consideration even the quasi-now-it’s-poor-taste “Who’s Sorry Now” (You-tube it).  However, I decided to go with “Why Don’t You Do Right” and “It’s Alright With Me”.

This album really swings. Great mastery of the material. Satisfactory.

Terry Snyder and The All Stars- Persuasive Percussion Vol 2

This was $2.40.  Since it is a Command record, plus it has a version of my favorite song, “Brazil”, buying it was a no-brainer.  In fact, as with other Command records, I bought this twice.  I am unsure how much I paid for the second copy.

About a couple weeks ago, I saw Pink Martini play at Jones Hall.  In all honesty, when I bought the ticket, I thought I was going to see the French Pink Turtle, who play pop tunes in a hot/swing jazz style.  After discovering my mistake, I read enough good things to go ahead and see Pink Martini.  And they were pretty good.  If I had to describe them, I would say they were a lot like seeing this blog  live.  Interestingly arranged tunes from a diverse source, with styles and languages from around the world.  They were backed by the Houston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Reineke.  They had a great version of Dvorak’s Moon aria, from Rusalka. It was a really great show.  Anyway, they also closed the set with a great version of “Brazil” which brings us here.

Of all the songs I frequently post on this blog, “Brazil” written by Ary Barroso in 1939, takes the title as the most posted. I am not 100% sure why this watercolor ode to the country where I should disclose I was born and spent the first year of my life hits home to me.  Perhaps it is the beat and the rhythm, or the wonderful melody lines.  I am not going to go much deeper in the subject other than my favorite version is that done by Esquivel.

This is the second series of Persuasive Percussion.  The first volume sold well and proved to be popular for the label.  Drummer Terry Snyder served as the band leader on this effort and for his part assembled three groups of Command musicians for this record.  The first group featured a large orchestra along with additional drummers Wille Rodriguez and Artie Marotti.  The second group keeps the three drummers with a simple saxophone, trumpet, and trombone, plus a rhythm section.  The third group adds Doug Allen to the drum circle along with an expanded rhythm section.  Standard Command performers include Doc Severinsen, Tommy Matola, Urbie Green, and Dick Hyman.  The effort was produced by none other than Enoch Light.

Link to Terry Synder’s Spaceagepop page

This album is a pretty good collection of tunes and does put a highlight on the percussion end which some percussion albums oddly fail to do. A lot of good moments here.  For a sample, I decided to go with ” In A Persian Market” which features Severinsen’s trumpet. I also went with the centerpiece of today’s blog, “Brazil”.  Pretty decent version.  I have yet to hear a real awful version of this song but as soon as I can post one, I will.

Good record, Satisfactory

VA- Songs & Marches of the Gael

Here is a record I got for $3 expressively for this week. It is a collection of Irish songs and instrumentals some of which are pretty popular numbers.  The performers are all Irish and probably not well known on this side of the Atlantic. It was recorded in Ireland by Glenside Records and released by ABC-Paramount in either 1960 or 1964, depending on the source you want to believe.

For a sample, we have one of my favorite Irish songs, the ever bitter “Skibbereen” sung by Patricia Blake, born in County Mayo.  I knew a guy here in Houston from Skibbereen.  I met a dude here in Houston from Skibbereen.  He had one of the worst sets of teeth I have ever seen.  I mean they were brown like Boston baked beans. Is he still alive?  I do not know.  One of the side effects of not drinking is a lost the rich mosaic of people I used to interact with from all over the world. Anyway, we also have a collection of marches by the Banba Brass and Reed Band.  These include popular nationalist numbers “The Bold Fenian Men”, “The Men of The West”, and ” A Nation Once Again”.  I like how the bands weaves these songs together.

Anyway, decent enough album.  Satisfactory. If you are looking for Irish songs for you St Paddy’s Day party, may I suggest opening up the Irish Category.  Over the past two years, I have posted a significant number of Irish albums on this blog.

Roberta Flack- Chapter Two

This was $5 putting it on the high end of the record buying scale for me.  But I enjoyed the last album I posted of Roberta Flack’s (which was her first) and felt this was a logical progression.

In that earlier post, I profiled Flack as best as I could, depending on how busy I was that week.  Flack is a prolific R&B singer and pianist who scored a massive hit with “Killing Me Softly” as well as “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “The First Time I Saw Your Face”.  As the title would suggest, this was Flack’s second album.  Produced by Joe Dorn and King Curtis, and arranged by Donnie Hathaway, the album features a collection of songs from various song writers including Bob Dylan, Jim Webb, and Saskatchewan’s own Buffy St Marie.  Decent album and a great continuation of what she started on the first as well as framework for where she was heading in the future.

There were a couple of tunes I really liked, but at the end of the day, I went with one of my favorite songs, “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha.

Good album.  Satisfactory.

Jerry Lee Lewis-Touching Home

Keepin it rolling with country or at the very least country-esque with this release from Jerry Lee Lewis.  This was $1.00.  Insanely low.

This record, released in 1971, was made during the Killer’s foray into country music.  Rock and roll audiences had shunned him since his marriage to his 13 year old cousin and by that point, he had basically either grown out of rock and roll or the scene grew out of him.  Take your pick.

How would the marriage scandal play out today?  That is a good question.  I am sure there would be tons more media coverage of it today for sure.  Other than that, I am not sure how people today would act.  Anyway, that takes away from the fact that Lewis’s sound played great into country music.  This album went to #11 on the country charts.  It also yielded a #3 country single, “Touching Home”.

Off the bat, the one thing I did not like about this album is that the piano is really in the background on most of these tracks.  I mean, I get it, this is an album of musicians, but Lewis’ signature piano sound is what he is known for.  Why would you not want to capitalize on it?  Well for what ever reason, this deficit 1s made up for by the number of good session musicians on here including Bob Moore, Buddy Harman. Kenny Lovelace, and on steel guitar, Pete Drake.  Lewis is also backed up on vocals by The Nashville Sounds and the Jordanaires. Not too shabby.

Despite of my beef with the piano, this is a pretty decent album.  I was leaning towards “Help Me Make It Through The Night” as well as a couple others on side 2, but when I heard “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”, I knew my choices were over.  This is the most piano driven song on the album.  It has a call out to Drake as well as Lovelace.  Finally, the Killer’s vocals go crazy in the song.  So here it is as a sample.

Satisfactory record. There are enough really good tunes to make up for the diminished piano role.

The Classics IV- Traces

DSCN5265This was $3.00 at a record show.  I think I got the band name confused with another band when I bought it as I was expected more garage rock sound.  I am really not feeling it this week so I would expect posts to be brief until “it” returns.  I am going out on a limb, but I also imagine during this time, there will be a lot of meh records.

10/15/01-- Bob Mack/staff -- Copy photo of publicity photo of the Classics IV of about 1969 (L-R) Lawrence Shaul, Kim Venable, Wally Eaton, Auburn Burrell and Dennis Yost.

The Classics IV formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1965.  Led by singer/drummer, Dennis Yost, the band pioneered the soft southern rock sound.  The big hit I recognize them for is “Spooky”, but later singles “Stormy” and “Traces” from this album were bigger hits.  Yost was replaced on drums in order for him to act like more of a front man, a role he held until 2006 when he suffered a brain injury.  He made a few appearance afterwards until his death in 2008 of respiratory failure.  He was 65.

Current web page for the band

This was the band’s third and best charting record, getting up to #45 on Billboard.  Released in 1969, it produced the title single as well as “Everyday with You Girl”.  I also liked their version of “Sunny”, and “Our Day Will Come” .  When I pulled this out this month, I thought there was one track that was really electrifying.  I must have got my records confused.  Upon a second listening, I could not find such as track.  As stated above, this is pretty much classic soft rock, southern style.DSCN5266 (800x777)

For a sample, I decided to go with “Free”.  I also really liked this track as well.9c7db44c

$3.00 is cutting it, but this is a satisfactory record.  Maybe not at $5, but for $3, sure.