Today we have Rodd Keith, showing off his ability to make a classic mid 1960's pop confection, with a song called "Reseda". At least, that's what I hear bubbling under this kitchen sink production. My perception is that Rodd was having more than a bit of fun with this one, overdoing just about every aspect of it. The high pitched melody running in the background reminds me a bit of the whistling in "Winchester Cathedral", but tweaked just enough to be even sillier than that song. Then there's the percussion (there aren't really drums, but the beat is being made by something very clattery).
Top all that off with an over-the-top vocal, which I love, but which is completely ridiculous at the same time. I think this one is compilation worthy for sure!
Download: Rodd Keith - Reseda
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On the flip is a sweet waltz, handled more or less straight, although Rodd's vocal stylings, again, set this apart from what was being released by the "real" labels at the time. There's a spark of something really good on both of these sides, and I think something legit could have been made out of either of these, with a lot of tweaking (for example, no pop song needs to have the phrase "in the interim" as part of its lyric.
Please enjoy "My Lovely Star":
Download: Rodd Keith - My Lovely Star
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2 comments:
I'm pretty sure I have this record, and didn't like it the first couple of times I played it. Funny that the song-poet would name a Javanese goddess after a middling California town...pressed for a preference, I"ll go with the flip. Thanks for posting.
"Reseda" isn't working, but "in the interim", we still have "My Lovely Star".
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