Thursday, April 18, 2013

BIG NEWS!!!

Before getting to this week's offering, I have some big news! This has been long-in-the-works, but today, I can finally announce that the folks at the online Happy Puppy Records label have put together what will likely be the first of a series of compilations of tracks culled from this site. 

The releases will contain tracks I've previously featured, along with excerpts from my pithy comments on each track, all in one package. The first compilation features a heady mix of tracks by the one and only Rodd Keith, with 20, count 'em 20 big, excellent selections. The compilation can be found here, and there will also be a link to it in my links column to the right of my posts. I will provide updates on further compilations as they become available!

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And now, what better way to celebrate this auspicious event than with a Rodd Keith record, in this case in his guise as Rod Rogers with the Film City Orchestra and Chorus. 


If you listen carefully, you can hear Rod's Chamberlin warming up even as you read these words. It's another  patriotic special, a plea for all listeners to "Join In the Fight for Freedom", and Rod has taken on his most patriotic vocal tones, added the Chamberlin's trumpet setting for some stirring fills, an oboe-ish solo, and a quick 6/8 march. Just as your heart begins racing with Red, White and Blue fervor, it's over, lasting just barely 90 seconds.

Download: Rod Rogers and the Film City Orchestra and Chorus - Join in the Fight For Freedom
Play:

Rodd makes up for the brevity of the A-side, and then some, in providing us with a flip side which is an astonishing (for a song-poem) four minutes and-then-some long. But really, is four minutes too long to tell the story of the life of Douglas MacArthur? For that is what we have here, in "Ballad of MacArthur". 


Download: Rod Rogers and the Film City Orchestra and Chorus - Ballad of MacArthur
Play:


Incidentally, I just did a search for that "Film City" address (which is actually nearly a mile from Sunset and Vine), and it looks like there is now a Spa and an "Alphabiotic Balance Center" at that location today. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Bob! And good to have all the tunes in one big happy heap!

And thanks for today's Film City gem! Reminds me of another patriotic Film city double-sider, which you actually may have posted? It's John F. Kennedy/The 678th. (Film City 2038, so the one you posted is actually earlier).

(haven't forgotten about the G.B. sessions either, you'll be getting a surprise soon)

Sammy Reed said...

I might as well leave the address to the other record mentioned.
http://bobpurse.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-love-that-sound.html