I've tried to avoid featuring any one label too frequently, but am making an exception today. Even though I have already featured Tin Pan Alley this month, this one just came my way, and I'm too enamored of it to wait to share it. Seeing the names of each side of this record, I knew that either one of them (or both) could be a killer of a weird, wonderful number.
What would you think, upon seeing "Tin Cans, Tin Cans, Tin Cans" and "I'm Sorry I Put on Charlie's Shoes" as the potential hit tunes on this double A-sider? Especially with the extraordinary Phil Celia doing the vocals on each? (I've featured Phil Celia a few times both here and in my WFMU posts. I encourage you to seek out those previous posts, as Celia's other offerings are also excellent, deeply weird records.)
In my opinion, the winner of the blue ribbon is "Charlie's Shoes". It's got a peppy setting, a nice combo backing, and some truly peculiar lyrics, which are fairly well locked into the 1950's setting into which they were born.
Play:
That's not to say that "Tin Cans" isn't also in the running. It's got a downright odd melodic setting (although it's also one I've had trouble getting out of my head), a jazzy feeling, and some more deeply idiosyncratic lyrics (I, for one, have never thought of tin cans as being lonely).
Plus, it features a solo (a very nice one, too) played on an instrument that I'm pretty sure I've never heard given a solo on a song-poem record before. I'll let you discover the details of that magic yourself.
3 comments:
let's hear it for the trombone!!!
Between this, "Keep Smiling, Pay Your Taxes", and "If Butch the Rough Barber Man Shaves Castro", Phil Celia is fast becoming my new favorite song-poem singer! Oh my god....just when you think maybe he's singing about going out with Charlie's girl and so now he's in "Charlie's shoes".......no! He ACTUALLY is singing about trying on Charlie's shoes!! Thank God for song-poems!!!!!!!!!!!
I wasn't originally going to grab the b-side but the cursed thing was stuck in my head when it ended. Not that I'm complaining. Thanks!
Post a Comment