Heeeeeere's Rodd!
Here's a great one from Rodd Keith, masquerading as Rod Rivers and the "Big Action Sound", on the Action label.
This song title "Before I Go Out" isn't all that intriguing, but the lyric is great - when lyricist Valliere Hancock uses the phrase "Go Out", she adds "Like a Light", and the rest of the words make it clear that she's talking about all the things she wants to do and learn before she dies!
Rodd's brilliant use of the Chamberlain, as well as his vocal stylings, only add to the fun. I'd be surprised if this wasn't recorded around the same time as the equally jazzy and atmospheric "Tom Dooley Last Will and Testament" (from the Norris the Troubadour album, and which everyone reading this words should hear, if you haven't already). Like that song, this has a cool, laid back vocal that nonetheless fits the unusual words.Play:
For the B-side, the same writer submitted another song, "The Splendor of Love". She shows none of the spirit that makes the A-side so interesting, going so far as to borrow the opening line from a former #1 song which was heavily identified with that same opening line, "Love is a Many Splendored Thing".
Easily the best thing about this song is the Chamberlain track that Rodd created for it. At times, it reminds me of some of the John Lennon Mellotron experiments which are available on bootlegs (the Mellotron being essentially the same instrument as a Chamberlain). There is a moment in the backing track from about the 1:45 point to the 2:00 point which I find to be nothing short of gorgeous, and which certainly shows off Rodd's keyboard genius.
Play:
7 comments:
I'm on a Mac using 10.4 / Safari 4.0.5 / Vienna 2.2.2 - no problems ever. Puts me in a position where I can't begin to guess what their problems might be, though.
Mac os X 10.6.5 Browser Safari 5.0.3 no problems might try upgrade there adobe flash player to newer version. Its normally not a mac problem but another company's soft wear causing the issue. divishare is not the most reliable. I just click the symbol on the end of the player click download wait 15 seconds then click the download again & it works. but i have had the problem mention on other blogs with divishare in the past.
No problems on 10.6.5 with Firefox browser
Using 10.5.8 with the newest version of Google Chrome. No problems.
I wish that the pressing and the record quality were better...you could really hear the keyboard work then. Thanks for posting these!
No Mac info, just thanks for another Rodd.
His vocals sound like he must have really been strung out at the time.
I always wonder what he could have become if he'd become a regular producer.
What I usually do is buy 3 turntables and then rerecord these songs on a Test Pressing lacquer. Then I drink liquor. I noticed that if I play each rerecorded record then they sound OK. But if I listen to them while playing another record, they all sound jumbled together. Anyways, "When I Go out" is a great song to place on my tombstone, so thanx for the offering.
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