Making Due with Just a Few

Greeting!

First up, here is yet another Song-Poem ad, courtesy of Brian. This one is just a little blurry:

Next, I will share the latest month's worth of updates to previous broken links, which in this case are for February of 2013. That month featured a split feature on a vanity label called Patmar, a Real Pros record where I seem to have misidentified the singers on both sides of the disc, a Valentine's post from Halmark, and a Rodd Keith countrified number.

And speaking of Rodd Keith, he is featured again today, in his earlier guise as Rod Rogers and the Swinging Strings. On this Film City release, he does a typically nice job creating a music bed with the Chamberlin, but two things stand out for me in this performance.

The first is that the song-poet has not provided Film City with enough lyrics for a two minute song, perhaps not even enough for a one minute song. After an initial verse, we are treated to elements of the same, remaining lyrics for the last 90 seconds of the song, expanded nicely with multiple instrumental breaks.

The other is that those lyrics that are present seem to have presented Rodd with little chance to format them into a typical song or chord pattern. To my ear, after that opening verse, the lyrics come out of him seemingly at random, with little sense of consistent or memorable melody or, really, much of a coherent chord structure. I'm not sure he could have done much better, given what he was offered, but this really sounds tossed-off.

It's worth noting that this is one of the highest numbered Rod Rogers records on Film City. Publishing information I found in a web search dates the copyright on the song to December of 1968, which is actually after I thought he'd moved to Preview, and his name disappears from the Film City label less than 100 numbers later (although one of my all time favorites from Rodd, "The Watusi Whing-Ding Girl" came even later in his tenure).

Download: Rod Rogers and the Swinging Strings - You Stole My Heart Cupid
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As more indication that Rodd was on the way out the door, the flip side of this record is performed by Rodd's eventual replacement, Frank Perry (indeed, this record number is a full 80 releases prior to anything by Perry documented at AS/PMA). The offering here is a downright torpid number - I doubt that's Rodd on the Chamberlin - in which even the song-poet doesn't seem to have known how to spell his loved one's name, given the confusing title: "Lea, My Leah". There aren't a ton of lyrics to this one, either.

Download: Frank Perry and the Swinging Strings - Lea, My Leah
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Truth and Universal Truth: The Inspirational Songs of Michael Kasberg

Several weeks ago, I posted a song-poem single written by the singularly unusual and wonderful song-poet, Michael Kasberg. I mentioned that, once he got the song-poem bug, he really went to town, creating his own label, and churning out several albums of his idiosyncratic material. I had a few requests for more Michael Kasberg, and today, I am honoring those requests.

But first, I want to update you yet again as to the fact that I have corrected the broken links on another month's worth of posts, in this case, those from March of 2013. These include a typically odd and disjointed entry from Mike Thomas on Tin Pan Alley, an above average record for the Noval label (which admittedly isn't saying much), a typically stodgy release on Film-Tone, and a Gene Marshall record featuring a really poor choice of words on one side and blatant plagiarism on the flip side. I've actually updated the text on that last one to indicate that the folks at Preview seem to have recognized the thievery and turned the publishing credit over to the holder of the copyright on the song being ripped off.

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And now on to Michael Kasberg, with that full album as promised, "Truth and Universal Truth: The Inspirational Songs of Michael Kasberg".

Mr. Kasberg seems to have used the folks at MSR, perhaps exclusively, for his releases on his own Kay-Em label. Here, he credits Richard Kent (much more well known under a similar aka, Dick Kent), Barbara Foster (who I believe is Bobbi Blake - I'm sure Sammy Reed can confirm or rule this out), and Joan Merrill, who I am not familiar with. I don't see a date my copy of the album, but the AS/PMA website lists it as having been released in 1982 (with all of his albums having been produced between 1978 and 1984, the latter date lining up with the end of known production from MSR).

Here's an edited, rearranged version of what I wrote about Michael Kasberg back in December:

Kasberg's songs feature tortured syntax, a sense of jokiness, and a "slightly off" feeling throughout much of his material, and all of this shines through on most of his songs - certainly more often than not. The word "idiosyncratic" could have been invented for Mr. Kasberg.

I am not going to highlight anything specific from this album, but rather, just let you enjoy it from start to finish. I've simply digitized it in two files, side one and side two. The titles can be seen in the scans of the record labels and in small print on the photo of the back cover. I also encourage you to read this enlarged scan of the text found in the center of the back cover, as it is just as enjoyable as the music:

I have not checked these files for any skips or electronic glitches - I simply didn't have time to listen to the entire thing twice - if there are any imperfections, please let me know, and I will fix the section as soon as I get the chance.

Download: Richard Kent, Barbara Foster and Joan Merrill - Truth and Universal Truth: The Inspirational Songs of Michael Kasberg, Side One
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Download: Richard Kent, Barbara Foster and Joan Merrill - Truth and Universal Truth: The Inspirational Songs of Michael Kasberg, Side Two
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Brother Gone in San Jose

Greetings!

I have just completed refurbishing yet another month's worth of song-poem posts, in this case, April of 2013. That month's posts included a one-hit-non-wonder on Tin Pan Alley, a Chicago Cubs-related 78 on Stylecraft, another 78, this one a Globe acetate, featuring both Sammy Marshall and a really nice entry from Kris Arden, and a patriotic entry from Rod (Keith) Rogers on Film City. 

Plus, here's yet another song-poem ad, about as simple as they come, found and shared by Brian Kramp:

In the waning days of the Tin Pan Alley label, all of the songs were turned over to a band called "New Image", and they appear on the final few (documented) releases on the label, dominating perhaps the last 200 releases (I'm guessing here, as only a few dozen from this period have actually been documented, all of which are by New Image). 

The sound doesn't differ much from what the label had been putting out, for the most part, since the early '70's at least - a tiny combo with a somewhat tinny sound, playing largely blues-related three and four chord numbers, in this case with a female singer who emotion-laden vocals make it clear that she was invested in the process, but whose actual ability is not always up to the task. 

I rather enjoy "Gorgeous Day in San Jose". It's as basic as they come, but the singer's voice appeals to me (as this singer often does), and the melody is simple but effective. I am quite taken with the writer credit - "Brother Gone" - and wish I knew the story there. 

Download: New Image - Gorgeous Day in San Jose

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For the flip side, "Little Church in the Valley", the composers at Tin Pan Alley (and the members of New Image) made the interesting choice to pair the thankful and religious lyrics offered by the song-poet with a set of bluesy chords and a progression which are typical of pleading, often sexually frank songs of love, whether wanted, fulfilled or gone wrong. It's a weird mashup to my ears.

Download: New Image - Little Church in the Valley
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