Continuing last week's feature of songs sent to me from a long-time song-poem pal, I've got two songs from a Cinema release, featuring of course The Real Pros. As with last week's feature, because I'm getting these from outside of my collection, I don't have label scans.
The two songs contained on this record could hardly be more different. On the A-side, we've got a light-as-a-feather pop confection called "That's Her Kissy Face", featuring the unusual pairing of acoustic guitar and cheapo synth, over which the singer - who I think is Bobbi Blake - sings a wonderful sweet lyric about a mother's love for her young daughter. Despite the ridiculously low production values, it's a keeper!
Download: The Real Pros - That's Her Kissy Face
Play:
On the flip side, we have Gene Marshall, emoting all over something called "Prison Blues", something of tone poem (a tone-song-poem?), with absolutely no beat or rhythm. Over outtakes from the Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly song-intro file, Gene does a first rate job of offering up the feeling behind the songwriter's words of woe. It's a fairly singular sound and performance from within the song-poem world, actually. Have a listen:
Download: The Real Pros - Prison Blues
Play:
A big thank you to Michael, from me and all the readers and listeners!
AND an addendum, all these years later - it appears I was wrong about both singers here. I'm not convinced that it is not Bobbi Blake on the first cut and it is not Gene Marshall on the flip. I don't know the female singer, and the male singer is the same one who was on most of the earliest Cinema releases.
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6 comments:
The a-side is sweet, although I don't think that's the same Bobbi Blake that I'm used to hearing. This Bobbi Blake can't hit notes that the more familiar one can...
"Over outtakes from the Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly song-intro file" HAHAHA! That made me laugh, Bob, you know one thing I never thank you for is your COMMENTARY!
"Prison Blues" is a longtime favorite of mine (although I don't think that's Gene Marshall singing; this particular overripe vocalist appeared on the Real Pros singles up until 1972, when Cinema switched over to the more familiar stable of M.S.R. singers & arrangements).
KissyFace = Best song of the 20th. Century
5/27/20:
Now that we're able to hear these 5 years later, I now don't think it's Bobbi singing "Kissy Face" - "off-day" or no "off-day".
And yeah, that's Mr. One Man Band from the earlier Real Pros singing "Prison Blues".
It's Debbie Davis on vocal.
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