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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