This One Can't Wait for March 31st

Christmas is a-coming and it's a-jumping

 Christmas is a-coming and it's a-jumping 

 Christmas is a-coming and it's a-jumping 

Boy it won't be long

 - Lead Belly

I wanted to start out by making sure everyone knew that I know what time of year it is, and that Advent starts this Sunday. Because I'm going to share a record which was created for use on an entirely different Christian holiday, but I just obtained the record this week, and I can't wait four months to share it. It looks like this: 

When a song-poem shows up for sale or auction with a title as ridiculous as "I Love My Little Red Nose Rabbit the Best", the chances are - always - that the actual recording will be a let down. That's absolutely usually the case. But I went for it anyway and was delighted to win the auction at a low price and no other bidders. 

It is, as you've no doubt guessed, an Easter-themed record. And Sammy Marshall, under the frequently used name Sonny Marcell, is the performer. And I think that's almost all I'll say, as I'd like you to experience all aspects of this 85 second masterpiece for yourselves. I'll only say that Sammy gives it his all, and never for a moment sounds like he's contemptuous of the material.  Here 'tis. Happy Easter.  

Download: Sonny Marcell - I Love My Little Red Nose Rabbit the Best

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Incidentally, this song was copyrighted on May 18th, 1964, and song-poet John Hansen clearly had big intentions for it, as he took out classified ads in at least three issues of Billboard Magazine in 1964 and 1965. Curiously, only one of those issue dates was before or anywhere near Easter in those years. Also please note that in one of those ads, Mr. Hansen was additionally plugging his song "I Hire a Monkey". Who wouldn't pay to hear that one?  

The flip side is "My Love Letter Came From Paris", and like "Red Nose Rabbit", it just featuring Sammy and a pianist (as stated in those ads, by the way). The narrated part of this record in the middle has some marvelously lyrical phrases, such as "In the state of New Jersey", "Every time I see long, cold winters", and "annual rainfall". In fact, that entire section is one clunky phrase after another, to the point (at least for me) of hilarity. Oh, and don't miss the end of the sung sections, where we learn that receiving a letter from Paris reminds him of.... their time together in Paris.  

Incidentally, I'd like to dedicate this post to Sammy Marshall - real name Marc Simpson, as I learned only recently that Sammy Marshall/Ben Tate/Sonny Marcell/Marc Simpson/Etc.... died five years ago, in May of 2018. Here is his obituary. 

Download: Sonny Marcell - My Love Letter Came From Paris

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Fables of the Banana Queen for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers, and a big THANK YOU to everyone everywhere who reads and listens to my posts. I have something extremely rare and also, quite entertaining for you today. It's a 78 RPM acetate on the Fable label. And it looks like this: 

My best guess is that only a handful of copies of this record were made, or perhaps only one. Certainly, this record wouldn't have been pressed in anywhere near the number of copies that a "released" Fable (or any other label's records, song-poem or otherwise) would have been. 

Happily, both songs are fairly delightful. I am guessing that these are song-poems, although with Fable, that's not a given - the label released plenty of records which were not. I'd be interested to hear what anyone out there thinks. Normally, the odd subject matter of the first side I'm sharing - "Banana Queen" - would be a clear clue that it WAS a song poem. Yet Fable released several songs of an odd nature which were probably not song-poems. So I'm really guessing. 

Anyway, this is a whole lot of fun. It's got a calypso beat, the sort of reverb-laden production that I love, funny and creative lyrics, and I would venture to say that it absolutely deserved to be released. But it does not appear that a release ever occurred. 

Download: Unknown - Banana Queen

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No performer is listed on either side. The flip side, "Baby You're the Best" does bear the name "Shirley", but as the song is sung by a male, that clearly refers to someone other than the performer. Maybe Shirley was "The Best". 

"Baby, You're the Best" is a rockabilly flavored number. It features a bass line lifted directly from "Don't Be Cruel", a "wild man" sort of lead vocal, with simple backing by a small combo. It's a bit too understated for me, but things perk up briefly on a couple of slightly more swingin' bridge sections.

Given the Calypso influence on one side, and the "Don't Be Cruel" influence on the other, I would peg this release from very late 1956 or some time in 1957. And since nothing, ever, has sounded as great as late 1956 and all of 1957, these are quite wonderful to hear.  

Download: Unknown - Baby You're the Best

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What's The Story?

It's Native American Heritage Month. 

There are certainly a plethora of reasons why its important that there is a Native American Heritage Month, and it would nice if the existence of this occasion was as publicized even a quarter as much as, say Black History Month, or even as much as that thing they do during the World Series when everyone holds up cards for people who fought cancer. 

But it doesn't get that attention. So here's an example from the world of the song-poem that demonstrates in its own small way one reason why it's important that there is a Native American Heritage Month. This record, "Hurry Up Old Man" by Bob Gerard, is certainly nowhere near the most egregious insult that the Native Americans have experienced. Undoubtedly not even the most egregious sin against them that took place in the year this record was made (1967 - the copyright listing is here). 

But it'll do. The co-opting of stereotypical (and no doubt inaccurate) "Indian" musical styles and the catchphrases and tossed-off references in the lyrics would, I'm sure, be insulting to many Natives. 

Beyond that, I honestly don't know what the story here is about. The sound quality of this record is abysmal, and I can't make out just enough words in the second verse to cause me to completely lose the thread of whatever story the songwriters - and it took three people to write this masterpiece, none of whom, oddly was label head Jack Covais, who often claimed a songwriting credit - were trying to tell. There are a couple of other key lines I also can't decipher. And the title line comes at the end, and seems to be almost an afterthought, although given that it is the title, I assume it was meant to have some importance. If anyone wants to share what they think the entire lyric is, I'd be much obliged. 

Download: Bob Gerard - Hurry Up Old Man

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The flip side, "Tell Me", is one of these supper club sort of thing with a Latin lilt, and is about as tedious as a song-poem can be. Jack Covais did credit himself as the cowriter of this one. I hope he was proud. 

Download: Bob Gerard - Tell Me

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