A Collegiate Trip With Gene Marshall

Often when a particularly ridiculous title (or one with a truly unusual turn of phrase) crops up on a song-poem record label, the resulting song turns out to be a disappointment. I've found, though, that this doesn't seem to be the case (in my hearing, at least) for Gene Marshall records with singularly weird titles. Maybe it's something in his consistently measured, sincere reading of whatever was placed in front of him, or maybe the folks at Preview knew how to dole out the right material for the right singer.

Whatever the case, here's another example. What the hell could "Seas and Safaris - College Style" be, I thought to myself. Why, it's a fanciful description of a college semester on a cruise around the world, of course, on the good ship S.S. Universe. On a whim, I did a search, and at the risk of revealing that I'm the last one to know about this, but it turns out that this is a real thing! You can read about it here.

Lyricist Pearl Martuffi dutifully fits in the names of about two dozen ports (and any song that mentions Samoa has had an in with me ever since "The Humpty Dance" did the same), and the Preview folks place the whole thing over a nice, loping MOR track. Best of all is Gene's warm vocal. Bon Voyage!

Download: Gene Marshall - Seas and Safaris - College Style
Play:

I cannot work up the same enthusiasm for the turgid flip side, "I Sing to Keep From Crying", although I must say that Gene Marshall again rises to the challenge, and sounds close to tears himself on the opening lines, at the point that he sings of the cause of the heartbreak in the writer's life.

Download: Gene Marshall - I Sing to Keep From Crying
Play:

\

Supper Club Social Commentary

I think I'll go out tonight for my birthday. Perhaps to that Supper Club in Boston, where the star of the Sterling Label, Norm Burns, plays each Wednesday. What really makes him swell is the way he mixes the standard, smooth supper club sound with a deep social message. The last time I was there, he knocked me out with a meaningful number called "Not For Ourselves Alone". I rushed out and bought a copy. Here 'tis:

Download: Norm Burns and the Satellites - Not For Ourselves Alone

Play:  

I think maybe I'll try and get there a little late. The opening act, Shelly Stuart, is not exactly in the same league as Norm as a singer. She has a bit of trouble staying on pitch and her tone isn't all that great. Plus, the material is less than interesting. She's on the b-side of Norm's song, for some reason, with an endless meandering piece that she sang last time I saw their show, called "The Waltz of Memories". See what you think:

Download: Shelley Stuart - The Waltz of Memories

Play:  

She's a B-Bomb Baby

Time is fleeing this week, so I'll just say a few words about this week's record, which comes from Tin Pan Alley's great series of ridiculous stabs at Garage Rock from the late 1960's, many of which featured Mike Thomas. Both of these songs are winners, in a Tin Pan Alley sort of way, but clearly the weirder of the two is "B-Bomb Baby", which shoots for garage authenticity and misses at every turn, most spectacularly during the fractured guitar solo, which has to be heard to be believed. The lyrics are a treat, too!

Download: Mike Thomas - B-Bomb Baby
Play:

The flip side, "Airplane Blues", is no slouch either - what with the way every single problem that could go wrong with the airplane does go wrong, one after another. The band (and song) are quite subdued in comparison with "B-Bomb Baby", but there are still some moments to be enjoyed.

Download: Mike Thomas - Airplane Blues
Play:

"You Killed Me With Your Tongue..."

Yep, those are the words - "You killed me with your tongue" - and who better to sing such overwrought lyrics than our own Sammy Marshall, the king of the pained song-poem vocal, the veritable Prince of amateur songwriter heartbreak. And that's just (arguably) the most over the top moment in "Marble Casket". Other moments in the running: "you shoved my bleeding heart", "your scalding tears", and of course the title metaphor. Oh, and there are really only about four chords here - would it have been that hard for the bass player to keep them straight. Apparently so, judging from the segment beginning at about the one minute mark.

"Marble Casket" appeared on the tiny Blue-J label, part of the Globe song-poem factory of labels. This label was perhaps a group effort, as a glance at the songwriting credits on this 45, and the others listed at AS/PMA shows not a single writer (as is often the case for these small labels), but four or five names which turn up in various combinations as the writers on some (but not all) of the songs from the label. One of the writers who shows up on other Blue-J records (but not on this one) is listed here as the publisher of these songs!

UPDATE 9/12/20: Please see the comments section for some interesting information from Darryl Bullock. Thanks, Darryl!

Download: Sammy Marshall - Marble Casket
Play:

Also worth noting, at least for the curiosity factor, is that the label address, listed as a Post Office Box at the AS/PMA site, is technically given as, not "P.O. Box 30", but rather "Drawer 30", in Stanton, Ill (just outside of Champaign). I'm quite certain I've never seen that particular phrase as an address before.

The best things I can say about the flip side, "Please Try", are that it's fairly peppy, and that it's over in the blink of an eye, lasting all of 113 seconds. I didn't start my turntable up slowly, by the way - the opening guitar really does sound like that.

Download: Sammy Marshall - Please Try
Play:

My Gifts to You, Part Two

Well, last week, I celebrated some personal milestones as well as a happy reunion, by sharing some of the all time favorites of mine which have come to me from others' collections. At the time, I also meant to mention that the same happy week had brought the news that I am, for the first time, a Great-Uncle, as my niece and her husband have welcomed their first child.

As promised, here is part two of "my gifts to you", this time featuring three  classics from the mind of Rodd Keith. I assume that these tracks have circulated somewhat, but also believe that they are largely unheard by the larger song-poem loving community. All three of these are certainly good enough that they should have been anthologized by now. Again I'll mention that since these were sent through e-mail and/or via the mail on CD, I don't have the b-sides or label scans for these three tracks.

First up, a true "lost classic" from the Preview years, a soulful, deeply felt vocal and musical setting from Rodd, of a first rate lyric, in the song "Someday". I truly believe this one to be compilation-worthy, well above many of the tracks that have been chosen for CD release over the years. It's got one of my favorite Rodd vocals, nice understated drumming, wonderful backing vocals, and a nice band sound. I could absolutely see this being an actual '60's hit and a beloved "oldie", if only such things could happen to the best of the song-poem world:

Download: Rodd Keith - Someday
Play:

Next up, we take a trip over to Film City, for a ride with The Swinging Strings, courtesy of Rod Rogers, with the happily ridiculous title "Give Me an X-Ray Picture of Your Heart". Rodd really sells the story song, and genuinely soars on a really nice bridge. That section, about "Dr. Brown", despite the goofy lyrics, is just lovely, and Rodd's vocal never indicates for a moment that he's singing lyrics which are anything less than classic.

Download: Rod Rogers and the Swinging Strings - Give Me an X-Ray Picture of Your Heart
Play:

Finally, back to Preview, for one of the earliest releases on that label (number 1002), in which Rodd shows more than a bit of his Film City style. But what else could have possibly been called for a song called "Down The Mississippi-Ippy-Yi"? Here we have another story song, taking us all the way from a wedding to a 50th anniversary, with a riverboat tying both occasions together. To me, this sounds unlike any other Rodd Keith record, with the scratching guitar, the smile so apparent in his vocal, the minimalist backing, and the big finish, which to me is worth the price of admission, both for Rodd's ending vocal, and for the guitar, which sounds very much to me like a lift from Les Paul's arrangement of "How High the Moon".

Download: Rodd Keith - Down The Mississippi-Ippy-Yi
Play:

I know that at least one of these tracks came to me from my friend Michael in New York, and deep thanks again go to him. Unfortunately, after all these years, I've lost track of exactly where the other two tracks came from. Many thanks to whoever provided me with them, and for the many years of enjoyment I've had with them. I hope you enjoy them just as much.

My Gifts to You, Part One

These last four days have been pretty wonderful, as I hoped and thought they would be. On Saturday, I saw one of my two oldest friends, and spent a nice amount of time with her - this was only the second time we'd been together in about 28 years, so that was really special. Then yesterday, the 21st, was my daughter Wendy's 21st Birthday! And today? Well, today, my wife and I celebrate our 24th Anniversary.

So to honor and reflect these happy times, I wanted to give a gift to all of you who like to look around in here from week to week or time to time. So I'm casting aside one of my rules for this site and throwing my collection wide open for the next two weeks, in a way I have usually avoided.

You see, I've deliberately made this site almost exclusively about records of which I physically own a copy. However, this has always meant that there is a large number of song-poems which I own only on tape or as files, which I've obtained in trade or otherwise, from other generous collectors, over the past 16 years of collecting and sharing. And a smaller number of those are truly great, and not generally known in the song-poem world. While it's likely that some of the tracks I'll be sharing this week and next do float around in collectors' circles, I'm guessing that many of you who visit here have never heard (or even heard of) most or all of them, and I want to rectify that, because these are really great records.

Due to the fact that these were all shared with me from other collectors, I have to go with the sound quality in which I received them, and I don't have scans of any record labels for these two weeks of posts.

First up, my choice for the quintessential Cara Stewart record. While I'd give a close second to the marvelous "Song of the Burmese Land", for my money, Cara and her svengali Lee Hudson never topped Iris Tipton's "I Spent My Last Three Dollars on an Irish Sweepstake Ticket". It's got everything I want in a Cara record: clever lyrics, Lee's masterful arranging - the string section and accordion flourishes are particularly nice - the fun, bouncy feel, and the inviting, warm smile in Cara's voice. Plus, there's a really amazing instrumental section - it's been suggested that what sounds like insanely closely miked pizzicato strings is actually a Chamberlin - if so, this might be the best work I've ever heard from that magical instrument. Barring anyone who can tell me that a Chamberlin could have produced that wondrous sound, I'm going to assume there really was a violin section on this record. Regardless, this whole record - from the Iris label - is pure magic, and certainly among my top 25 song-poem records:

Download: Cara Stewart I Spent My Last Three Dollars on an Irish Sweepstake Ticket
Play:

Next up is a record from an otherwise unknown artist, working within the Film City family, in this case on the Endeavor label. The song is "My Point of View", and it opens with a flourish which may well be my favorite 8 second blast of Chamberlin work ever. It doesn't quite live up to that insanely forceful opening, but how could it? The singer, Guy Hewstan (with the ever present Film City Orchestra) has a perfect amount of smarm for the pleading lyrics, and he really sells them (I LOVE the way he sings "one that's been both'rin' me"), even when it's hard to tell exactly what they mean (is that "there's romance on my hands"?). The Chamberlin track is hotter than most of those I've heard, with a hellishly busy (and wonderful) rhythm track. This is another one I'd probably put in that top 25.

Download: Guy Hewstan with the Film City Orchestra - My Point of View
Play:

And finally, here are both sides of a single that appeared on the Cowtown label back in 1960, credited to Anne and Bill Calhoun. The AS/PMA website is non-committal as to whether this particular record is a song-poem, while saying that the label itself released song-poems and vanity pressings. The quality of the song writing and performing here could lend itself to either conclusion - the A-side sounding to me more like a vanity release and the b-side sounding more song-poemy, but what do I know. I enjoy both of these songs quite a bit, if admittedly not nearly as much as the first two offerings, above, and I think they both deserve a wider audience.

On the A-side, Anne and Bill perform the song "Navajo". This was probably meant as sincere tribute at the time, but comes across today as more than a bit condescending. I do love the typical late '50's pop song chord changes that make up the chorus of this song:

Download: Anne and Bill Calhoun: Navajo
Play:

And the flip side, which is called "Apple Dumpling", and which has a sound I associate with the Globe song-poem factory:

Download: Anne and Bill Calhoun: Apple Dumpling
Play:

Special thanks to Michael and Phil for this week's offerings!

Kisses From Rod

Welcome to post number 250! If I had an MP3 of a fanfare, it would be here. Lacking that, it's still time to share something nice! Something that looks like this:

And there's never a bad time to share one of Rodd Keith's "Rod Rogers" records for Film City, and here's another winner, a bouncy slow twist number called "When We Kiss", complete with some patented genius Chamberlin orchestration - here identified as "The Film City Orchestra" instead of "The Swinging Strings", and, including a nice faux sax section solo section. Enjoy!

Download: Rod Rogers and the Film City Orchestra - When We Kiss
Play:

The flip side, from the same song-poet, is not in the same league as "When We Kiss". "All of My Heart is an example of Rodd in lounge singer mode, a little of which goes a long way with me, but the some listeners mileage may vary. Even within the averageness, there are some nice moments, such as the momentary solo around the 1:25 point - I wish there was more of that!

Download: Rod Rogers and the Film City Orchestra - All of My Heart
Play:

The Song-Poet as Comedy Writer

Every now and then, the song-poem collector (well, at least this song-poem collector) is surprised by a the work of a song-poet that is not only designed to be funny, but one which actually succeeds at being deliberately humorous. While today's example is perhaps far from the greatest example of absurdist humor that you're likely to hear, it is a nice effort, with some unexpected turns of phrase and several moments that had me grinning and saying, "wait.... what?". See if you don't agree as Gene Marshall tells us about Chick Sandone's view of "Walkin' to Work": 

Download: Gene Marshall - Walkin' to Work

Play:  

On the flip side, Chick Sandone offers up a much more typical song-poem subject, what it feels like to be left behind by the love of one's life. Unlike the flip side, "A Wrinkled Note" never gets past the cliche level, and even Gene Marshall turns in a less than adequate performance, actually going significantly out of tune on a few occasions. 

Download: Gene Marshall - A Wrinkled Note

Play:  

My Many, Many Moods

I wrote this post a few weeks ago, and thought I'd posted it, but clearly had not. But this is one of those rare times when I'm going to share my own work.

Because a few weeks ago, an album's worth of material that I recorded back in 1996 and 1997, collected back then (and again now) into a collection titled "The Many Moods of Bob", is part of the online "Happy Puppy Records" label.

These songs are from the humorous side of my writing and recording. The album contains several originals, a cover of a song-poem, a cover of a commercial and a couple of parodies. There are extensive liner notes, as well.

I'm quite honored and a bit overwhelmed that material I thought would only be heard by a few close friends and family has been heard by hundreds and possibly thousands of people.

The album can be found here. Have a listen, if you're of a mind to!

How Are You Defining "Success"?

Here's another one of those very early period Cinema singles, from the period in which house band "The Real Pros" was nothing but one guy with one of those cheap home-model rhythm-chord keyboards. The featured song is "If At First I Don't Succeed", and calls into question for me what the songwriter (and performer) considered "success". Certainly they failed at creating a catchy song or performance. But on the other hand, maybe the intent was to set succeed in setting a record for the number of cliches shoved into one song poem lyric. By the end of the first verse and chorus, we've had "climb the highest mountain" "swim the sea" "prove my love", "give it one more try" and "do or die" as well as the title phrase, and several more follow. See how many you can count!

Download: The Real Pros - If At First I Don't Succeed
Play:

And here's something keen that I never noticed, but which is true of ALL of these earliest Cinema records. The songwriters not only get the standard songwriting credit (despite usually having had nothing to do with the music part of the song, they typically were the only person listed as the writer), but on these records, each of the writers also get a CO-PRODUCER credit. Click on the link for all of the Cinema postings, and see what I mean. Once they got out of their one-man-band period, they seem to have stopped doing this, but what a weird feature!

The flip side "Dancing in the Wine" is yet another one of those "I let you slip away and now I'm at your wedding, watching you with him" songs that I'm sure we've all had quite enough of.

Download: The Real Pros - Dancing in the Wine
Play:

An Instrumental Song-Poem

Here's something quite unusual - in fact, I'm only aware of a few examples of each of two unusual facts regarding today's featured record. The first is that it came with a picture sleeve - I mentioned owning two a few weeks ago, when I posted the other one which I own, and I've since been reminded that a few other song-poems came with picture The other thing is that one of the songs is an instrumental.

There are very few song-poem records with instrumental tracks that I'm aware of, one of them being the marvelous "Elmer 21 Century Hop", which was included on the first Rodd Keith compilation. Like that track, today's offering comes from the Film City factory (although the record itself appeared on the smaller Endeavor label), and is in fact credited to "Film City Orchestra". Like "Elmer", what we have here is a chance to hear the Chamberlin played as a solo instrument, with every sound on this record created on that most wondrous of instruments.

There's no way to know who played this piece for certain. It sounds a bit simplistic for Rodd Keith, but on the other hand, who else was making Film City tracks at the time? And perhaps it sounds so simple because the author of the instrumental (titled "Carmel-By-The-Sea") wrote a simple tune. Whatever the story, it's certainly a fascinating little record, and here it is: 

Download: The Film City Orchestra - Carmel-By-The Sea

Play:  

Here are both sides of that picture sleeve:

The flip side is pretty much a standard-issue Film City style ballad, with the lead singer (as seen above) by moody, handsome JIM WHEELER!!!. Here' s "Smiling Blue Eyes":

Download: Jim Wheeler with the Film City Orchestra - Smiling Blue Eyes

Play:  

Willy Nilly

For the first time in a while, I'm introducing a new name to this series, a singer not previously heard from in my ongoing review of song-poems. It's Cathy Mills, whose work turned up for a brief period around 1966-67 on the Tin Pan Alley label. All of her work that I've been able to find documented occurs within a span of less than 100 release numbers on TPA.

This is a nice one, featuring the goofy word play which seems to have been endemic to people who bought into Tin Pan Alley's deal (i.e. "Fine Cars, Fine Cigars", "Doggone! My Dog is Gone" "Right, Right, Right the Wrong", and too many lyrical couplets to mention). "Willy Nilly Over Billy" also has the garage-lite sound that make so many of TPA's records from this era so pleasantly weird (or weirdly pleasant) to experience.

Cathy Mills has a sweet, engaging voice, which makes me wish that she turned up on more of these records than she does.

Download: Cathy Mills - Willy Nilly Over Billy
Play:

(Of course, some reader may now let me know that Cathy is heard, on another label, under another name, making a connection that I'm perhaps missing...)

The flip side, "Find the Way to My Heart", is, as you'll hear, beat to hell. I started trying to fix the clicks and pops, but the results were almost as bad as the unfixed version, and I eventually gave up, part of the reason being that the song didn't strike me as anything special at all.

Download: Cathy Mills - Find the Way to My Heart
Play:

Finally, today would have been mom's 89th birthday, and I hope that somewhere out there, she's celebrating.