MISTER TUTOR MAN!!!

I have a really remarkable release from the folks at Halmark today, but first, let's get updated as to my latest corrections to the earlier posts. In this case, I have corrected four posts from September, 2010 - one post from that month was already corrected some time ago. 

The corrected posts include an EP from Gus Kondas' vanity label, featuring three Film City productions (two by Rodd Keith) and one from Globe. Others just fixed today include a Gene Marshall record about Watergate, an oddity from the Lee Hudson song-poem factory, and yet another ridiculously great offering from the Phil Celia era at Tin Pan Alley. As mentioned, a fifth post that month, featuring a marvelous Meloclass release, which may or may not have been a song-poem, was already corrected some time ago. 

And now....

Weeding one's way through Halmark releases can be pretty much the dictionary defamation of a SLOG, and many a promising title turns out to be another turgid setting of vapid lyricism, set to a depressingly familiar backing track. Still, when I saw the auction last month for something called "Mr. Tutor Man" on a Halmark 45, I dedicated myself to earning that purchase. And that purchase was for the princely sum of One Dollar (plus shipping). 

And I'm here to tell you that, in a rare occurrence, this fantastically named Halmark track is, well, fantastic - (as is, I feel compelled to add, the song-poet's name: Ida G. Yaggi). The song is just about as peculiar as they come, too. And as a bonus, it's set to a backing track that I don't recall hearing before - although I may end up corrected on that. 

But truly, this thing is a wonder - compilation worthy, I'd say. I've now listened about five times now, and I simply have no idea what the song-poet is going on about. But first, let's enjoy the late '60's, Las Vegas-y opening blast of horns and chorus. The first verse is all about music, which made me think the writer meant "Mister Tooter Man" (as in a brass instrument), but then the verse ends with those classic lyrics "Teach Baby to Pattycake". 

The left turn turns out to be the focus of the rest of the song, as the vocalist - who I ALSO don't recognize as a Halmark regular - signs dramatically and with significant emotion about baking pattycakes for the last 100 seconds or so. 

All in all, a most enjoyable car crash of a song-poem. 

Download: Halmark Productions - Mister Tutor Man

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The rest of the EP, unfortunately, contains resolutely typical and borderline unlistenable Halmark product, featuring Mary Kim on the next two songs, and her husband Jack on the last track. 

First up is an exploration about whether the singer/writer is truly experiencing love, in the song "Is It Real": 

Download: Halmark Productions - Is It Real?
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Next up is a masterpiece of taking a few short lines of text - in this case, yet again, about discovering and being saved by Jesus, and stretching them into nearly three minutes, a la "My Daddy, He Died in 1969". In this case, the title is "I Trust in the Savior": 

Download: Halmark Productions - I Trust in the Savior
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And finally, we have a song-poet who apparently was bidding farewell to a close friend, and wanted to make sure the friend knew he wouldn't be forgotten, and to further make sure that he himself (the writer) wouldn't be forgotten. And he even throws in a little advice, along with several lines of text which would never, ever, be able to be fit well into a melody or song. Here's "Friendship is a Lasting Thing": 

Download: Halmark Productions - Friendship is a Lasting Thing
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Lew Tobin Goes to the Cape

 Greetings, Citizens of Earth!

I have a very interesting guest submission as a feature today, but first, let's get caught up on the old posts I've corrected. This time around, it's November of 2010, and during that month, I offered up a Gene Marshall record appropriate for Veterans' Day, a Halmark record very appropriate (or at least, to the degree that any Halmark record is appropriate for anything) for Thanksgiving, a countrified Rodd Keith entry, and a bizarre Sammy Marshall release, meant to commemorate the Kansas Centennial of 1961, with a song about, yes, serial killers. 

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And now, for something unexpected: 

Several years ago, Andrew Bohan reached out to me in e-mail. I don't exactly recall what it was that I posted, or where, that led him to seek contact, but before long, he was sending me a lot of his favorite obscure '50's and '60's releases, including girl group and doo-wop sort of things. And what's more, he made an active effort to figure out just which of his holdings would resonate with me, which only one other person - my closest friend - had ever really tried, or been able, to do. Over the subsequent months of contact, he sent me more than a half-dozen records which have since become all-time favorites of mine - seriously, top 1000 recordings of all time sort of stuff. 

These have included "Lost Love" by the Koo Kittens, "Kissing School" by Tannie Taylor, and, particularly, Bald Headed Papa by the Gingersnaps and "Love in Return" by the Nightingales. Not long after our first contact, he started posting like crazy to YouTube, and I'm taking this opportunity to give back and drive a bit of traffic to his site, because not only did he share all of the above - and a lot more - with me, he just sent me a song-poem which seems like to have something of an offbeat backstory (although... who knows...). 

The record involves the Sterling label and its head honcho, Lew Tobin. Unlike many of his competitors, Tobin appears to have done very little sharing of his talent and output with other labels, be they vanity labels or something else. But here's one of the rare ones, a record which came out on both Sterling and on what may be the only release from Cape Records, featuring a singer who does not appear on any other documented song-poem release, Jerry Dixon. 

What's more, while the B side, which I'm sharing first, sounds fairly similar to what Tobin was putting out at the time (although it should also be noted that this is the earliest recorded documented on Sterling at AS/PMA), the flip side sounds nothing (to me, at least) like anything else. Tobin ever released.

Andrew has posted the A-side to youtube, as it is in line with his tastes and interests, but he knew that the B-side would float my boat, and he not only sent it to me, he also gave me the okay to share it on this site. I am aware that this record is out there on the internet (something I usually avoid duplicating), but as it would not easily turn up in a search for song-poems - given the lack of a common label or performer - I'm still sharing it here. 

It's a chugging little number with simple backing and simple lyrics. Jerry Dixon sings the fairly downcast lyrics in a cheery and bouncy manner. It quickly wormed its way into my brain. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Download: Jerry Dixon with Lew Tobin's Orchestra - Gambler's Blues

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And now the A-side. Again, this sounds quite unlike Tobin's style - no crisp production, no tinny guitar, nothing. This is almost a doo-wop style ballad, with piano triplets, a somewhat thick production haze and soulful female backing vocalists. I'm fascinated by this record, and would love to know it's provenance. I'm sure there's a bit of a story there. 

As Andrew has posted this one, I'm not doing a "play" line here, and if you want to simply hear it, you can go to his YouTube site here. But you can still download it: 

Download: Jerry Dixon and the Jewels with Lew Tobin's Orchestra - Gambler's Blues

Many, many thanks for Andrew - you've brought me joy in music many times over. 

Rod Rogers: Jazz Singer

 Greetings - Happy March!

I have - yet again - updated another month's worth of posts. This time, as it was December of 2010, there were some Christmas releases mixed in. In addition to a rare Delicks label Christmas release (complete with comment at the bottom from the author of the song-poems), and holiday offerings from Mike Thomas and Sammy Marshall, there were also two stellar offerings, one an interesting number from Rodd Keith and the other an incomprehensible number from the Melodiers on Tin Pan Alley. 

And speaking of Rodd Keith: 

I have two 45's on the label which is named "Dave Owens' Circle 'D'" ("If it's Circle 'D', It's Good"), and previously shared the other of these discs (a Rodd Keith/Sammy Marshall hybrid) four years ago here. 

Today I have the other one. And there's a question here for you, my reading and listening audience. Because these tracks aren't really very good - with the exception of one very cool section. But I have a feeling that there are those out there who would prefer that ALL Rodd Keith tracks see release and/or sharing at some point. I don't believe this is true for any other person in the song-poem world. So my question is this - are there those of you who want to hear everything I own by Rodd, even if it's poor to middling, as these tracks are? Or should I self edit more? 

Regardless, I think I would have shared this one - "Tears of Happiness" - anyway, because of how much I enjoy a solo section near the end. First, let's note that someone helpfully wrote "Jazz Singer" in large letters around much of the label. I've listened to this track several times, and honestly, that's not what I hear. Not even in the same ballpark. Not even in the same sport. This is Rodd at 3/4s of his most unctuous, and the song seems to go on forever. But then, the magic of the Chamberlin hits at 1:58, and for 23 seconds, I'm in heaven. 

Download: Rod Rogers - Tears of Happiness

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From the same musical world - and beat to hell for the first minute or so (and I will soon try again to fix that skip...) - is "I Couldn't Live Without You", but this one doesn't even have the benefit of a very  interesting Chamberlin arrangement. Also, is there a link between his inability to live without her and his not having a dime? I must know!

Time to EMOTE, Rod!: 

Download: Rod Rogers - I Couldn't Live Without You

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