What the Hell???

It's Tin Pan Alley Blowout Day here at the home of Song Poem of the Week, with six for the price of two. And the usual two are free! Was there any other song-poem label which displayed more variety during its years of operation than Tin Pan Alley? From 1950's efforts in doo-wop, they moved into the sounds of the day, taking stabs at calypso, topical song, novelty pop, and 1960's pop, among many other genre's, and plenty of hard to define releases. Beyond that, Tin Pan Alley records' lyrics can be among the weirdest I've found on song-poem records. Here, in chronological order, are three supremely odd releases. First up, an almost comical pairing of marital complaints, both from the pen of the perfectly named Larry Loco. First up, Billy Grey offers up Mr. Loco's views of Marriage, from the male perspective. 

Download: Billy Grey - Marriage

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  Then, on the flip side, Eleanor Shaw presents Larry's conception of the complaints of a woman, not only about her marraige, but about all men. The sound quality here is terrible, by the way, but the words more than make up for it.

Download: Eleanor Shaw - Man

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  Moving up several years now: Near the end of their days as a label, Tin Pan Alley stopped identifying the performers by name, and started slapping a couple of group names on their labels. The last four songs are by "New Image". First up is "Pride", with the lyrics shoehorned - no, pistol-whipped - into a rockin' backing track. I've listened to this nearly a half-dozen times, and have no idea what the hell she's singing about. 

Download: New Image - Pride

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 No such problems with the flip side, "A Girl and a Guy in Love", the problems here, instead, being the sheer banality of the lyrics (have there ever been worse or more obvious rhymes than those featured in this record?), and the barely in tune vocal.

Download: New Image - A Girl and a Guy in Love

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  Leaving the best for last, here's one of the highest numbers I've ever seen on a TPA record - meaning it is among their last releases. Beyond that, it's easily one of the most unhinged things I've heard on a TPA record (on both sides) - in both cases, my first thought, again, was "what the hell???". But I think I'll let both sides speak for themselves. Here's "Fortune Teller": 

Download: New Image - Fortune Teller

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And perhaps my favorite of the six, this little slice of Steppenwolf wannabe rock, "Lady Wildcat".

Download: New Image - Lady Wildcat

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A Song For Jackie

It's EP day here! And what better kind of EP to share than a Halmark EP, or, in this case, a "Hallmark" EP. For their "Hallmark" releases, the label actually went so far as to bother to name the singers on the tracks, something they rarely did on the more common "Halmark" series. This EP is by Bob Storm. 

As a special request to a blog correspondent, and in honor of the upcoming 46th anniversary of the death of JFK, here's a very vaguely written tribute to Jackie Kennedy, one which has always been a favorite of mine, "My Fair Lady". It's worth noting that, like most of the Halmark records in circulation, this record came out some time in the 1970's, meaning that not only is it completely out of time with the pop music of the day, but that the song-poet waited about a decade to submit his Kennedy tribute to the song-poem mill, which would have meant that any audience the song might have had, had no doubt lost interest at least a half-dozen years earlier. 

However, this is one Halmark (or Hallmark) record in which the song, as written, actually seems to go very well with the backing selected, rather than having been shoehorned in. 

Download: Bob Storm - My Fair Lady

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The second song on the EP was part of the AS/PMA download page for years, and no doubt circulates among collectors. However, it is one of the most amazing lyrics to be heard among song-poems, and an equally amazing match of lyric and singers (although it was written by a male, which surprises me), and perhaps there are those out there who have never heard it. Also, this version of the MP3 should be in significantly higher quality than the one which circulates. Perhaps one of you can make sense to the lyrics of "Let's Lay it On the Line". 

Download: Bob Storm - Let's Lay it On the Line

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(Incidentally, if there's something any reader out there is looking for, or a genre, subject matter or label you'd like to see represented here, please don't hesitate to let me know, via a comment on this or any other posting.)

Anyway, the songs on the flip side, "Michigan Baby" and "Ageless Love", don't hold the same fascination for me, but perhaps they will connect with you a bit more.

Download: Bob Storm - Michigan Baby

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Download: Bob Storm - Ageless Love

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The Songs They Play Are On Vellez!

From what was undoubtedly a tiny label, Vellez, comes an irresistible bit of hillybilly rock song-poemetry. The label slogan - "The Songs They Play Are on Vellez" - seems exceptionally unlikely, as much as I wish it had been the case. 

There's a lot to love in "I'd Be a Fool to Keep On Loving You", from the start stop arrangement, to Ray Phillips' vocal, to the sound of the band, to the name of the author, the fantastically named Jimmy Manship. This sounds a bit like something Country Dick Montana of the Beat Farmers might have done, if he'd been around in the '50's. I am particularly fond of the no-doubt unintended noise captured right at the end of the song, after the last drum beat. 

Download: Ray Phillips, Vocal with Orchestra - I'd Be a Fool to Keep On Loving You

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The flip side, "Our Tomorrow Ended Today", has charms of its own. I noticed in passing that the sound of the band, particularly the pianist, reminded me of the record I recently posted by The Allison Sisters (on the Blue Hen Label). I was amazed, then, when I went to see if this record was listed at the American Song-Poem Archives, and found that the very next record released by Vellez, in sequence after this one, was by the Allison sisters! While that Blue Hen Allison record contained originals, the Vellez record by the Allisons contained what are likely song-poems, as one of them was written by - you guessed it - Jimmy Manship. I wonder if "Strong Chords of Love", on Blue Hen, was recorded at the same sessions as this record and the Allisons' Vellez single.

Download: Ray Phillips, Vocal with Orchestra - Our Tomorrow Ended Today

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As a bonus, here's a link to my post today at WFMU's blog, which is of another, far more ridiculous song-poem.

Phil and Don Meet Jimmy and the Boys

Here's something a little different than what I usually post. I put this little mixture of sounds together late last month. It combines one of the best sounds of the '50's with one of the best sounds of the '70's. I called it "Wake Up Zeppo". Lemme know what you think! 

Download: Wake Up Zeppo (Mash-Up) 

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Mayhams Mayhem

I first heard of song-poems (and heard my first one, "How Long Are You Staying"), when Dr. Demento mentioned the genre in 1993. By the time I got around to trying to order that first compilation album, it was out of print, but instead, I got the second volume (and first CD), "The Makers of Smooth Music". And my first favorite song-poem, by a wide margin, was "The Watusi Whing-Ding Girl". The insane sound of the track - I had no idea it was a one-man band at the time - had me wondering "what the hell is going on here?" I loved the sound of the Chamberlain, the fact that the drumming was rarely in the same song as the rest of the performance, the melody of the thing, the soulful vocal (with its cracking on one note) and the insane solo section. 

While I've never been lucky enough to find a copy of that 45, I have recently been lucky enough to find and purchase a close relative of the performance, and not only that, it overlaps with one of my favorite song-poem stories, that of Norridge Mayhams. For this is a Mayhams Collegiate record, credited to "Variety Joe", but clearly (on the A side anyway), Rodd Keith, in his Film City guise of one man band Rod Rogers. And while this performance is not as off-the-deep-end winningly bizarre as "Watusi...", it's in the same ballpark. 

Rodd has used some of the same backing settings, including that drumbeat, which for some odd reason, plays the fill every FIVE bars, and in the middle of a measure, at that. Not only that, the drums again get completely off the beat with the rest of the track, and the solo section is again messed up - I think there's an edit in there. And of course, there is the fact that we're being encouraged to do a dance step named "The Rattlesnakin Mama". Everyone groove! 

Download: Variety Joe - Dance the Rattlesnakin Mama"

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 The other side seems to feature a different vocalist, one I'm not familiar with, although the backing track seems very likely to be another Rod Rogers' special. I love the deep vibrato on that one setting that recurs throughout. While you're enjoying "You Left Me Honey Honey", particularly the distinctive yelp near the end, please also notice that the songwriter credits on the two sides are different, and yet each is a name used regularly by Norridge Mayhams. Also enjoy Mr. Mayhams' record label design, which is one of my favorites, one which is far better than most of the designs used by major labels over the years.

Download: Variety Joe - You Left Me Money Honey

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Daddy!

I sure love these 1950's Tin Pan Alley singles. There's apparently some overlap on the early TPA singles between legit releases, vanity pressings and song-poems, and to be honest, today's sample (at least the A-side) seems, to me, too professional and too conventionally "good" to be a song-poem. On the other hand, the '50's TPA records have a fairly high level of performance and production quality, even those which are likely or clearly song poems. And the flip side of this one certainly sounds like a song-poem to me. So who knows? Regardless, I did want to share this one, "Daddy!", by Alberta Jordan, because it's a really fun record, one which should be recalled fondly by people of a certain age, as a favorite big late '50's hit, but of course, that's not the case. I don't know why - who could resist that opening section. You know you're in for something fun. And I find the lead vocal irresistible - dig the sharp intake of breath at the one minute mark! The echo on the final verse is the only clue (to me) that something outside of the norm is going on here. Enjoy!: 

Download: Alberta Jordan - Daddy!

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Side two, as mentioned above, sounds much more song-poemy to me, although I suppose one could also say it sounds like any number of pop hit b-sides from the same era. Here's Alberta Jordan, again, with "Should I Trust You With My Heart?":

Download: Alberta Jordan - Should I Trust You With My Heart?

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The Stranger

Here's a nice Rodd Keith number, set to a backing track I've heard on at least two of Rodd's other Preview singles. There's a lot to love here, from the opening moment, where you can here the intake of breath (I always like that on a record) to the way the writer shoehorns in a rhyme by mentioning the name of deputy, to the overall (fairly comical) concept of the citizens of a "town" the size of the one mentioned here, making the decision they make at the end of the song. I also tend to really enjoy the Rodd Keith records where he tries to sound like he's a country and western singer. Enjoy "The Stranger": 

Download: Rodd Keith and the Raindrops - The Stranger

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The flip-side, "Lonely Nights", is a pretty typical early period Preview record - actually, this one doesn't sound too much different from what I'd expect to hear on a failed (or minor hit) MOR record of the period, although there's something about Rodd's vocal (and those chirpy back-ups) which sets it apart just a bit from those major label releases: 

Download: Rodd Keith and the Raindrops - Lonely Nights

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Never Like This!!!!

Frequent readers will know that I usually go on, often at length, about the songs I'm posting. Today, I think I'll skip most of that, and let you discover the wonders of this two sided smash for yourself. I will say that I suspect that, were there still song-poem compilations being made, the song "Never Like This" would be a shoo-in for inclusion. Aside from that, it appears that Joseph Scott, Jr., the author of both these songs, had some major personal stories, if not out and out issues, that he wanted to express through song. Mike Thomas sings both songs for us, starting with "Never Like This": 

Download: Mike Thomas - Never Like This

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And now, here's the almost equally fascinating flip side, "My Wife":

Download: Mike Thomas - My Wife

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A Canary Record

I thought I might touch from time to time on the smaller labels that are represented in my collection. The Canary label is listed in the ASPMA website, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it was more of a vanity project than a true song-poem outfit. It seems to have been largely set up to produce records of the compositions of Earl Miles, as well as a few other writers. In fact, at the time that ASPMA stopped being updated, the company remained in the hands of someone from the Miles family. 

Many of the records on Canary were performed by Durward Erwin, who has one of the more interesting names found on song-poem or vanity labels. The production values are higher here, as I've found them to be on several smaller labels (as well as the labels that were subsidiaries of places such as the Globe family of labels), and as a result, the songs tend to sound more professional than much of what I've shared here. 

On the other hand, today's offerings fit well into that brand of early '60's pop music which was all over the MOR stations of the day, and your tolerance for that style will probably dictate your enjoyment of this record. Here's a song by another Canary author, Grace Tindell, "Capture It": 

Download: Durward Erwin - Capture It

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And here's a tune by the aforementioned Earl Miles, "A Girl Named Sorrow", sung again by the dulcet pipes of Durward Erwin:

Download: Durward Erwin - A Girl Named Sorrow

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Sammy At the World's Fair

Well, with the world about to find out if my (nearly) home town of Chicago is going to host an Olympics, I thought I'd offer a record which had its inspiration in the World's Fair, an event Chicago hosted twice in the last 120 years. I know that's a slim connection, but what the heck... 

 Judging from other records released on this vanity label (part of the Globe family of labels), this was probably inspired by the 1964 New York World's Fair, or, as both songs would have it, The "World Fair". It's standard issue Sammy Marshall, which can be enjoyable in small to moderate doses. The backing here - apparently a pick-up band - is "The Welshmen". Here's one side, "World Fair Sue": 

Download: Sammy Marshall and the Welshmen - World Fair Sue

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This is also one of the few song-poem records to be issued with a picture sleeve, which I unfortunately do not own, but there's a copy of it here. The other side has considerably more energy, and I'm guessing will be the more popular of the two. Here's "World's Fair Wiggle Walk":

Download: Sammy Marshall and the Welshmen - World Fair Wiggle Walk

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He's Got a Reputation!

Here's one I've loved from the first listen, at least a decade ago, and the only reason I hadn't shared it here is that I thought it had been part of the ASPMA downloads that used to be available. I now see that this wasn't the case. It's called "I've Got a Reputation", by Jim Kent, on the Allstar label. 

I find this record both great as a slice of late 1950's rock and roll AND as a downright peculiar piece of vinyl. Really - what exactly is going on here? It sounds like it was recorded with microphones at the other end of the room, or perhaps, given the sonic quality, at the other end of a hallway. I think maybe that's a very young Sammy Marshall singing (this record is from about 1958), under the name of Jim Kent, and photos of the two of them, from the ASPMA website, show some similarities, but I'm not sure. 

The rockabilly tendencies of the guitarist don't exactly gel with the lead singer's smooth, crooning style, and the understated drumming, while fairly wonderful in its own way (I think there's a cymbal in there, but if there is, it's soft enough to get lost in the surface noise!), strikes me as sounding like its part of another record entirely. Then there's the female vocalist, who must have just stood around, after her opening comment, for the point at which the song was almost finished. 

Be sure to listen for the last drum hit, after the rest of the song seems to have faded out. 

The Allstar label appears to have been almost as fascinating as the Fable label. You can read much more about it, AND see a picture of both the performer and author of this song, here. 

Download: Jim Kent - I've Got a Reputation

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The flip side, "You Should Have Stayed With Me", sports the sort of title I'd expect from a Laura Branigan or a Celine Dion, but it turns out to be s fairly bland supper-club type performance. The entire band, except for the guitarist, seems a little too subdued, with the drummer's performance being almost non-existent!

Download: Jim Kent - You Should Have Stayed With Me

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Here's a Fun One!

Today we have Rodd Keith, showing off his ability to make a classic mid 1960's pop confection, with a song called "Reseda". At least, that's what I hear bubbling under this kitchen sink production. My perception is that Rodd was having more than a bit of fun with this one, overdoing just about every aspect of it. 

The high pitched melody running in the background reminds me a bit of the whistling in "Winchester Cathedral", but tweaked just enough to be even sillier than that song. Then there's the percussion (there aren't really drums, but the beat is being made by something very clattery). Top all that off with an over-the-top vocal, which I love, but which is completely ridiculous at the same time. I think this one is compilation worthy for sure! 

Download: Rodd Keith - Reseda

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On the flip is a sweet waltz, handled more or less straight, although Rodd's vocal stylings, again, set this apart from what was being released by the "real" labels at the time. There's a spark of something really good on both of these sides, and I think something legit could have been made out of either of these, with a lot of tweaking (for example, no pop song needs to have the phrase "in the interim" as part of its lyric. Please enjoy "My Lovely Star":

Download: Rodd Keith - My Lovely Star

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