A Tale of Two Bonnies

I've been a bit busy these last two weeks, hence there have been no posts. We had a pipe spring a leak in the basement ten days ago, and it damaged several stacks of my reel to reel tapes - more on this when I next post to my other site. But my free time since, until yesterday, was largely taken up with various ways of drying out and reviving the tapes and boxes that got damaged. 

But now I've had time to work up a new post, AND, as usual, to repair another month's worth of old posts. The big news, to me at least, on this front, is that I've finally gotten the chance to fix a post featuring one of the two or three best song-poems I've ever posted, Cara Stewart and Jeff Reynolds with  "Doc Nut", a song-poem so good I even got it onto the Dr. Demento show. Definitely one of my top ten favorite song-poems, as you may have heard if you listened to the podcast I was interviewed on. That post can be found here. 

The other posts I fixed include a rather horrible, very late period Film City record featuring Jimmie James, an even worse record from Cinema's catch all group "The Real Pros", and a truly curious release on Fable from well after that label was believed to have been defunct.

And now: 

Today's entry, from Preview, seems to be unique. It's credited to Bonnie Britton, and the few sites out there that have mentioned this record also mention that it seems to involve two different singers, singing under that name. I think it's possible that both songs are sung by the same person, using a different register, but concede that it's more likely that it's two different women. 

And I don't think either of them belonged in front of a microphone. 

This is the ONLY record known on Preview or anywhere else to be credited to Bonnie Britton. The same sites I mentioned above indicate that there is some suspicion that the singer on the b-side might be a singer who appeared somewhat frequently on Preview who was billed as Bonnie Graham, but even those sites are unsure, and I'm not familiar enough with Bonnie Graham to comment. I don't recall thinking that she couldn't sing, however, and I definitely think that's the case on both sides, here. 

The more blatently incompetent singer is heard on the A-side, singing a song apparently written by someone who lived in Alaska, as it's a peon to The Land of the Midnight Sun (I'm assuming the song-poet to have been an American, and not from any of the foreign "Lands of the Midnight Sun"). This singer positively warbles at times, with a barely controlled soprano drawing several of the words completely out of the shape the started in. The label helpfully made the song-poet believe that the record was a reasonable length for a pop record in the late 1960's, adding more than 45 seconds to its actual length.

Download: Bonnie Britton - My Land

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The flip side, "Kissin' Kinfolk", has some downright peculiar lyrics, as befits the title subject, and it's quite worth listening closely to them. This side's Bonnie has a pouty, teasing and whiny tone to her voice, no particular style, and a distinct difficulty staying on pitch.

I think this is a fairly odd record, from the lyrics, to the idiosycratic backing to what I find to be a genuinely irritating vocal style. And in this case, the label added nearly 20 seconds to the length listed on the label.

Download: Bonnie Britton - Kissin' Kinfolk
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When "Your" Ready - Be My Steady

Good Day, Y'all!

As usual, I have re-purposed another month's worth of posts, in this case, posts from exactly eight years ago this month, August of 2012. What a different world it was then. 

I actually made five posts that month - those were the days - and have repaired all of them. These include: A scratchy but very enjoyable Norm Burns record, a Sammy Marshall record with a very famous title, a Mike Thomas/Tin Pan Alley special with a ridiculous title, one of the last couple of records (and a terrible one, too) put out my Norridge Mayhams, and a bouncy, countrified Rodd Keith and the Raindrops number. 

And speaking of Rodd Keith: 

It has been quite a while since I featured Rodd Keith, in any of his guises, and that's why I turned to my pile of Roddeliciousness and selcted a platter from around 1964 or 1965. "When Your (sic) Ready - Be My Steady" features a frothy Chamberlin track, a Rodd-and-Rodd duet, and some cutesy lyrics that feature all of the most obvious rhymes possible.

An interesting sidelight here is that the song-poet, who wrote both sides of this record, covered up the publishing information with his own name. It's also not clear to me at all why they wouldn't have chosen to correct the song-poet's spelling...

Download: Rod Rogers and the Swinging Strings - When Your Ready - Be My Steady
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The flip side, "Harbor of Love" is a down-tempo thing, which drags on and on, seeming to be much more than the 30 seconds longer than it is, compared to its fun flip side. This is only moderate on the Unctuous-Rodd scale, but it's too far up that ladder for my tastes.

Download: Rod Rogers and the Swinging Strings - Harbor of Love
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Johnny Williams and His Hot Spot

First off, I must acknowledge that I've taken more time than usual (maybe than ever) between posts. I only posted twice in July. I'm hoping to not have this happen again.

 I have now returned to correcting/updating formerly broken links, and in my reverse chronological order pattern, I have now repaired posts from September of 2012, including a nearly unique Halmark entry - featuring a guitar and vocal specialty on one side! - a clever and funny Gene Marshall record, an early Real Pros 45 featuring their one-man-band performer on one side and Rodd Keith on the other, and another Rodd Keith record (as Rod Rogers), on the tiny Lutone label.

 And NOW!!!!

I may have mentioned a few times - such as every time I post one of his records - how much I love Johnny Williams and his decidedly unprofessional, off the cuff sounding and barely in control vocal style. So every time I manage to put my hands on one of his records, it's a sure bet that it will end up here within a few days or weeks.

And while today's offering is not perhaps among his masterpieces, it's close enough. As you can see above, it's got a superbly catchy titled, "I've Got a Hot Spot In My Heart For You", and it's got everything I could want from Johnny - a hyperactive guitar intro, a fun, bouncy backing, simple, but effective lyrics and a highly energized vocal from the lead singer, who as usual sounds like a 70 year old man who is missing some of his teeth.

 I really have to wonder what Tin Pan Alley was thinking in employing this guy, and putting him in front of almost comically revved up backing. What's more, I would love to know what the customers thought, upon hearing Mr. Williams' interpretation of their lyrical submissions.

On the other hand, it's true that Tin Pan Alley generally did a better job of superficially capturing the trends of the day in real time than most song-poem labels, and that by this point (this record is from around 1959) some rock and roll was getting fairly silly and at times frantic - this record does capture a bit of the energy of a record like "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" - if little of the talent or quality. But even compared with the hit records I'm thinking of, this is just over-the-top weird and ridiculous. And man, do I love it. 

Download: Johnny Williams - I've Got a Hot Spot In My Heart For You
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As I've also said before, I do not, however, believe that Johnny Williams was a singer capable of effectively putting forward a vocal on a ballad and/or on material requiring sensitive feelings. And that's what we have on the flip side "You Went Away". He is, typically, completely over his head. Also, what is that groaning sound that recurs at several points here - it sounds sort of like the bass, or its amp, is malfunctioning. Any guesses?

 Download: Johnny Williams - You Went Away
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