1) The Great Stone Face Buster Keaton - “You Must Remember This” - Shirley Temple - Singing Actors 2) Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow - - The Gentle Art of Whistling in Movies, TV & Pop Records 3) All The Music that’s Fit to Print - New Musical Express 4) Mirth Of A Nation: American Style -Vintage Comedy and Comedy Heroes 5) Don’t Always Believe The Label - Sometimes Record Credits Don’t Tell The Whole Story 6) Let There Be Drums - Instrumental 45s 7) Songs From A Darkened Movie Theater - Movie Songs 8) Do Right Woman - Aretha Franklin 9) What’s Ike Got To Do With It? - Ike & Tina Turner 10) They’ve Got Them Covered” - Cover Versions 11) Dawning of A New Age - Hi-Fi and Full Dimensional Sound 12) Very Memorable Optical Illusion - Hollywood Voice Doubles 13) Let Your Backbone Slip - Dance Songs 14) Space: The Final Frontier - Space-related Songs 16) Wait A Minute: There’s More! - The World of Sequel Songs 17) Catching A Wave - 60s Surf & Hot Rod Songs 18) Charting A Musical Course - Hit Parades & Musical Charts 19) From A Different Perspective - The World of Gender-Altered Lyrics 20) Laughter On The Screen - Unforgettable Movie Comedians from the Early Years 21) The Fundamental Things Apply - “As Time Goes By” and the film “Casablanca” 22) Movin’ On Down The Line - The World Of Train & Railroad Songs 23) It Paid To Advertise - British Print Ads of the 50s & 60s 24) That’s The Way They Liked It - The World of Henry Stone & his TK Records Empire 25) Ring Ring Goes The Bell - Songs about School & Schooldays 26) How High Can You Go: Falsetto Singing In the Classic Rock Era 27) Tall In the Saddle - The World Of TV Westerns 28) They Had Them Covered - The World Of Classic Songs Revivals 29) Tempting Doo-Wop & Keyboard Jazz 30) Who Ya Gonna Call? - The World of Telephone Songs Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil 31) That Lovin’ Feeling - The Songs Of Harry 32) The Magic of Jukebox 45s 33) “The Name’s Not The Names’s Not Always Always The The Same” Same - The World of alternative Song titles 34) Who Said What: The Ladies - Classic One-Liners Spoken By Legendary Actresses 35) Songwriters In Their Own Words - A Classic Interviews with Curtis Mayfield & Gamble & Huff 36) Witches, Voodoo & Monster Mayhem - The World Of Halloween Records 37) Before The Beatles - The Early Days of Parlophone Records 38) The Songs of Tony Joe White 39) The Same Old Story - The World of Musical Films Based on Movie Dramas 40) Songs We’ll Always Remember - “You Really Got Me” 41) Drop The Coin Right Into The Slot - The World of Jukeboxes & Jukebox Songs 42) Hidden Players - The World of Musicians Ghosting For Actors 43) I’ve Heard That Christmas Song Before - The World of Holiday Song Revivals 44) The Big Beat Sound of New Orleans - Celebrating Dave Bartholomew 45) Sounds Familiar - Vintage Songs on Recent Movie Soundtracks 46) Mirth Of A Nation - British Style 47) Two For The Price Of Soul - A Couple of Unforgettable R&B Ballads 48) I Read The News Today Oh Boy - The World of Songs About News and Newspapers 49) Laughter In Numbers - The World of Comedy Duos and Teams 50) From Texas to California - Songs of and by Charles Brown 51) Struttin’ & Groovin’ - Instrumental Soul of the 1960’s 52) Who Said What: The Oscar Edition - Classic Dialog From Vintage Movies 53) Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - The Songs of Ashford & Simpson 54) The Taxman Cometh - The World of Money-Related Songs 55) Put The Rhythm To The Groove - The World of Songs About Pop & Pop Records 56) Breaking Up Is Hard To Do - The Songs of Neil Sedaka 57) Striking This Chords - The World of Rock ’n’ Roll Guitar Riffs 58) White Line Fever - The World of Road-Related Songs 59) Betcha By Golly Wow - The Songs Of Them Bell 60) A Drop of the Hard Stuff - The World of Whisky-Related Songs 61) Under The Covers - Vintage Rock recorded by the Beatles 62) I Wanna Be Where You Are - The Songs of Leon Ware 63) Platter Chatter & Turntable Spins - The World of Radio DJs & DJ Songs 64) Shake A Tail Feather - Dance Songs of the Early 60s 65) History Making Movies - The World of Musical Biopics 66) Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Songs of Gerry Goffin 67) From Rosa’s Cantina to the Tallahatchie Ridge - The World Of Country Story Songs 68) Hot Fun and Sunny Afternoons - The World of Summer Songs 69) Famous Last Words - Memorable Movie Last Lines 70) Swingin’ The Boogie - The World of Boogie Woogie Music 71) Battle of the Banned - The World of Censored Songs & Music 72) Shake It Up Baby - The Songs of Bert Berns 73) Riding In My Automobile - The World of Car Songs 74) Once Upon A Time…in 1969 - Superlative 45s from a Notable Year 75) Game On - The World of Sporting Songs & Anthems 76) A Writer Takes His Pen To Write His Words Again - Memorable Lyrics from Classic Motown Songs 77) Sumptin’ Funky Going On - The Songs of Donnie Fritts 78) Talking Pictures - Romantic Dialog from Vintage Hollywood Movies 79) By Any Other Name - Pseudonyms & Aliases in Pop & Rock Music 80) Ladies Of The Night - Songs about Hookers, Strippers & All-Around Bad Girls 81) Lyrics Not Always Required - The World of Scat Singing 82) Monsters & Mayhem - The World of Songs For Halloween 83) Mixed Media - TV Shows That Became Movies 84) Walking The Blues - The Songs of Willie Dixon 85) Hey, Stop What’s The Sound? - Sound Effects in Rock & Pop Records 86) Doo-lang, doo-lang, doo-lang - The World of 50’s & 60’s Girl Groups 87) Branding With The Stars - Vintage Celebrity Endorsements & Musical Commercials 88) You Now Them, You Just Can’t Sing Them - Famous Song Titles Not Included In Their Lyrics 89) Southern Nights - The Songs of Allen Toussaint 90) Wild and Wacky - The World of Vintage Novelty Songs 91) Celluloid Rock - Posters & Trailers from Early Rock Movies 92) From Hot Pants to Blue Suede Shoes - Vintage Songs About Stylish & Hip Clothing 93) People Get Ready - The Songs of Curtis Mayfield 94) A Door To Yesterday Song Profile - “Different Drum” by Michael Nesmith 95) A Taste of Vintage New Orleans - Favorite R&B Tracks from the Crescent City 96) Celluloid Heroes & Heroines - Name Dropping Songs Citing Movie Stars 97) To Everything There Is A Season - Indelible Memories of the Folk-Rock Era 98) Ring Ring Goes The Bell - Sound Effects in Pop & Rock Records Pt. 2 99) Round Midnight - A Group of Instrumental Jazz Classics 100) If Lovin’ You Is Wrong - The Songs Of Homer Banks 101) In Their Own Words - Songwriters Performing Their Songs Which Were Hits For Other Artists 102) Reel Rousers & Killer Grooves - Guitar Rock Instrumentals 1958 - 1963 103) The Linda Ronstadt Jukebox - Original Versions of Her Hit Songs 104) And Thereby Hangs The Tale - The World of Vintage Story Songs 105) A wop-op-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom! - The Unforgettable Little Richard 106) Stardust, Glitter & Platform Boots - The World of Seventies Glam Rock 107) In Their Own Words (Vol.2) - Songwriters Performing Their Songs Which Were Hits For Other Artists 108) The Beatles’ Vintage Jukebox - Original R&B, Rock & Country Hits Recorded by the Beatles 109) The Elvis Presley Jukebox - Original Versions of Classic Songs Recorded By Elvis 110) Reach Out, I’ll Be There - The Songs of Holland, Dozier and Holland 111) Groovin’ On The Keys - Outstanding Organ Instrumentals 112) Who Were They Singing About - Name Dropping Songs Citing Singers, Musicians & Song Titles 113) The Rolling Stones Vintage Jukebox - Original Versions of Songs They Recorded 114) Replying In Kind - The World of Answer & Sequel Songs 115) Look To The Skies “It’s Buchanan & Goodman’s “Flying Saucer!” - Wacky World of Break-In Songs Buster (1895-1966) was born Joseph Frank Keaton in Piqua, Kansas. He began acting in short films in 1917 and eventually starred in some memorable pictures that he directed himself including “The Navigator” in 1923 and his most famous movie “The General” three years later. His deadpan expression matched the hapless situations in which his characters usually found themselves and his remarkable personal stunt work remains unchallenged to this day. Here’s the link to a compilation of outstanding Keaton scenes presented for educational purposes: https:// youtu.be/UWEjxkkB8Xs Of all the movies which feature steam trains, “The General” (1926) with its Civil War setting is an outstanding example starring Buster Keaton and his treasured locomotive. A personal memory: Film archivist Raymond Rohauer used to control the distribution rights to Buster Keaton’s silent films and I remember going to see Keaton’s 1924 picture “Sherlock Jr. in the late 1960’s at a screening organized by Rohauer at the Academy One & Two cinemas in Oxford Street, London. Over the years, various dramatic actors made records as singers: they include Richard Harris, Maureen O’Hara, Clint Eastwood, Anthony Perkins, Bruce Willis, Jack Palance and David Hasselhoff. Richard Chamberlain even clocked up a Top Ten hit with a song based on the theme from his 1960’s TV series “Dr. Kildare”. Contemporary actors are continuing this tradition; for example, using the alias Childish Gambino, actor and director Donald Glover (who appeared in such TV series as “Community” and “Atlanta”) found fame on the charts in 2017 with his song “Redbone”. Robert Mitchum was also particularly partial to singing and even recorded an LP of calypso songs in 1957. A year later, with Don Raye, he co-wrote “The “The Ballad Of Thunder Road” which a young Randy Sparks sang on the soundtrack of the moonshine drama “Thunder Road” released by United Artists. Robert recorded “The Ballad” himself and, issued as a single on Capitol, it even made inroads into the pop charts; <div class="player-unavailable"><h1 class="message">An error occurred.</h1>< “The Little Colonel” (20th Century Fox: 1935) In the 2017 film ‘The Shape Of Water’, the leading character Elisa Esposito (played by Sally Hawkins) sees a vintageclip of Bill Robinson showing Shirley Temple how to tap-dance up a flight of stairs.This famous sequence comes from the 1935 20th Century Fox film “The Little Colonel”. A much acclaimed tap-dancer Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson appeared in Broadway musicals and Hollywood films In the 30’s and 40’s. He also made some records including the song “Doin’ The New Low Down” written by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh. He recorded it twice and here’s the second version; released in 1933 on Brunswick, it features Don Redman & His Orchestra with Bill singing and tapping! This is the link: https://youtu.be/yKmSDIxJBao <div class="player-unavailable"><h1 class="message">An error occurred.</h1><Shirley Temple (1928–2014) was the m This Latin-tinged midtempo ballad by Mort Garson & Bob HIlliard was the first and most successful hit for the R&B group from Akron, Ohio, known as Ruby & The Romantics. Arranged and conducted by Leroy Kirkland and produced by Allen Stanton, their single was released on Kapp Records and it topped both the Pop & R&B charts in the spring of 1963. pt if it is disabled in your browser.</div></div> The song was successfully revived by Frankie Valli in ’75 and among the many other artists who recorded it were Christina Aguilera, Fontella Bass, Cher, Hank Crawford, Bobby Darin, Betty Everett & Jerry Butler, Glee Cast, Isaac Hayes, The Heptones, k.d. lang, Brenda Lee, Julie London, Sugar Minott, Chris Montez, Esther Phillips, Martha Reeves, Dee Dee Sharp, The Supremes, The Undisputed Truth, Dionne Warwick, and Tony Joe White. An extract of the version by Amy Winehouse was used as the opening music in the British drama series “Love, Lies And Records” which premiered in 2017 on BBC1 in the UK and on Acorn TV in the US. “Our Day Will Come” was Ruby & The Romantics’ first success; among the other songs they introduced were “Hey There Lonely Boy” (written by Leon Carr & Earl Shuman and later memorably recorded in 1969 as “Hey There Lonely Girl” by Eddie Holman) and also “When You’re Young And In Love”, written by Van McCoy and famously revived in ’67 by Motown girl group The Marvelettes. Return to the Table Of Contents Whistling has been featured on a host of pop songs and records over the years. A group of memorable uses emanated from movies and TV where usually it’s an expression of a carefree mood as in THE FISHIN’ HOLE (written by Earle Hagen & Herbert Spencer)which famously opened the 1960’s TV series “The Andy Griffith Show”. Whenever the Harlem Globetrotters appeared on television, you’d hear thewhistling chorus from the Brother Bones record of SWEET GEORGIA BROWN (Bernie/Pinkard/Casey).By contrast, Ennio Morricone used whistling in part of his menacing melodies in Italian westerns, most famously in the theme from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY in 1966. Walt Disney’s 1937 animated classic “Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs” featured Snow White (voiced by Adriana Caselotti) singing the aptly-titled WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK (Frank Churchill/Larry Morey) while a group of birds do the actually whistling. Along with Cappy Barra and His Harmonica Band, Deanna Durbin sang I LOVE TO WHISTLE (Harold Adamson/Jimmy McHugh) in her 1937 Universal movie “Mad About Music” and three years later, Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Cliff Edwards) taught Pinocchio (Dickie Jones) how to put his lips together and sing GIVE A LITTLE WHISTLE (Harline/Washington) in the 1940 Disney box-office cartoon hit “Pinocchio”. Bing Crosby sang and whistled Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS in Paramount’s 1942 movie “Holiday Inn”; the COLONEL BOGEY MARCH (Alford) was famously whistled by British soldiers in the 1957 Columbia war picture “The Bridge On The River Kwai” and in 1979, Eric Idle was seen strapped to a cross in the 1979 Monty Python film “Life Of Brian”, singing his own composition ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE. Below is my partial list of pop, rock & country records which memorably contained whistling: AIN’T GWINE WHISTLE DIXIE (Anymo’) (Mahal/Davis) by Taj Mahal (Columbia: 1969) ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE (Idle) by Monty Python (UK Virgin 1991) BLUESETTE (Thielemans) by Toots Thielemans (ABC-Paramount: 1963) CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU (Martin/Arnold/Morrow) by Barry Manilow (Arista: 1978) CENTERFOLD (Justman) by The J. Geils Band (EMI America: 1982) CHARLIE’S SHOES by Billy Walker (Baham) (Columbia: 1962) DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY (McFerrin) by Bobby McFerrin (EMI/Manhattan: 1988) GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS (Gabriel) by Peter Gabriel (Mercury: 1980) GOLDEN YEARS (Bowie) by David Bowie (RCA: 1975) GOOD LIFE (Fisher/Kutzle/Zancanella) by OneRepublic (Mosley: 2009) GONNA FIND ME A BLUEBIRD (Rainwater) by Marvin Rainwater THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (Morricone) by Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra (RCA: 1968) THE HAPPY WHISTLER (Robertson) by Don Robertson (Capitol: 1956) HERE COMES MY BABY (Stevens) by The Tremeloes (Epic: 1967) THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY Movie Theme (Washington/Tiomkin) by Leroy Holmes & His Orchestra feat. Fred Lowery (MGM: 1954) I CAN HEAR THE GRASS GROW (Wood) by The Move (Deram: 1967) I LOVE TO WHISTLE (Adamson/McHugh) by Fats Waller & His Rhythm (Victor: 1937) I WAS KAISER BILL’S BATMAN (Cook/Greenaway) by Whistling Jack Smith (Deram: 1967) IF I WERE A BLACKBIRD by Ronnie Ronalde (UK Columbia: 1950) JEALOUS GUY (Lennon) by John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band (Capitol: 1988) JEALOUS GUY (Lennon) by Roxy Music (UK Polydor: 1981) JOYRIDE (Gessle) by Roxette (EMI: 1991) JUST WALKING IN THE RAIN (Bragg/Riley) by Johnnie Ray (Columbia: 1956) LAZY SUNDAY (Marriott/Lane) by Small Faces (Immediate: 1968) MAGIC MOMENTS (Bacharach/David) by Perry Como (RCA: 1958) MANY TEARS AGO (Scott) by Connie Francis (MGM: 1960) MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS (Byrd) by Professor Longhair & His New Orleans Boys (Atlantic: 1949) ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE SCHOOLYARD (Simon) by Paul Simon (Columbia: 1972) ME, MYSELF AND I (Mercer/Mason/Huston/Clinton/ Wynn/Birdsong/Jolicoeur/Tilmon) by De La Soul (Tommy Boy: 1989) MICHAEL (Arr: Fisher) by The Highwaymen (United Artists: 1961) MONTEGO BAY (Barry/Bloom) by Bobby Bloom (L&R/MGM: 1970) MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (Green) by Buddy Morrow & His Orchestra (RCA: 1960) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART (Bacharach/David) by Gene Pitney (Musicor: 1962) PATIENCE (Rose/Adler/Hudson/McKagan/Stradin) by Guns ’N’ Roses (Geffen: 1989) THE POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS (Mannot/Rouzaud/Lawrence) by Les Baxter, His Chorus & Orchestra (Capitol: 1956) SINGING THE BLUES (Endsley) by Guy Mitchell (Columbia: 1956) SINGING THE BLUES (Endsley) by Tommy Steele & The Steelmen (UK Decca: 1956) (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY (Cropper/Redding) by Otis Redding (Volt: 1968) THE GYPSY ROVER (The Whistling Gypsy) (McQuire, Arr: Fisher) by The Highwaymen (United Artists: 1961) THE PHONOGRAPH SONG (Our Melody) (Dixie/Lindt/Evans/Hughes) by Art Mooney & His Orchestra w/The Cloverleafs (MGM: 1956) THE STORY OF MY LIFE (Bacharach/David) by Marty Robbins (Columbia: 1958) SUKIYAKI (Nakamura) by Kyu Sakamoto (Capitol: 1963) SWEET GEORGIA BROWN (Bernie/Pinkard/Casey) by Brother Bones & His Shadows (Tempo: 1949) TIGHTEN UP (Auerbach/Carney) by The Black Keys (Nonesuch: 2010) WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN (Sternberg) by The Bangles (Columbia: 1986) WALKING THE DOG (Thomas) by Rufus Thomas (Stax: 1963) WHISTLE (Dillard/Glass/Killian/Franks/Isaac/Mobley) by Flo Rida (Poe Boy/Atlantic: 2012) WHISTLE STOP (Breedlove) by Louis Prima w/Sam Butera & The Witnesses (Capitol: 1957) WHISTLING IN THE WILDWOOD (Cavanaugh/Rose/Stock) by Bing Crosby (Decca: 1939) WIND OF CHANGE (Meine) by The Scorpions (Mercury: 1991) YOUNG FOLKS (Moren/Yttling/Eriksson) by Peter, Bjorn & John (Almost Gold: 2007) Return to Table Of Contents When I was in the UK music business in the 60’s and 70’s, it was the paper on which everyone relied for pop and rock news. Certainly there were other music magazines but the NME had the edge and it really came into its own as the British beat boom exploded in the early 60’s. Issued every Friday, it came loaded with trade ads, interviews, concert reviews and articles on current artists…PLUS the revered NME Top 30 singles chart. If a single was #1 in the NME, that was the pinnacle of success! EMI was one of the local record companies which relied heavily on the NME’s chart placings. The paper’s latest chart was completed each Tuesday morning and EMI would print out the Top 30 and distribute it to their staff (see below sample), underlining all the company’s hits. When I was in the UK music business in the 60’s and 70’s, it was the paper on which everyone relied for pop and rock news. Certainly there were other music magazines but the NME had the edge and it really came into its own as the British beat boom exploded in the early 60’s. Issued every Friday, it came loaded with trade ads, interviews, concert reviews and articles on current artists…PLUS the revered NME Top 30 singles chart. If a single was #1 in the NME, that was the When I was in the UK music business in the 60’s and 70’s, it was the paper on which everyone relied for pop and rock news. Certainly there were other music magazines but the NME had the edge and it really came into its own as the British beat boom exploded in the early 60’s. Issued every Friday, it came loaded with trade ads, interviews, concert reviews and articles on current artists…PLUS the revered NME Top 30 singles chart. If a single was #1 in the NME, that was the pinnacle of success! EMI was one of the local record companies which relied heavily on the NME’s chart placings. The paper’s latest chart was completed each Tuesday morning and EMI would print out the Top 30 and distribute it to their staff (see below sample), underlining all the company’s hits. Return to Table Of Contents Billboard magazine pointed out that FREAKY FRIDAY became the first comedy record to hit the Top Ten of their Hot 100 singles chart since ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s WHITE AND NERDY in 2006. However, I’m turning the clock back to earlier times… The following article is not in any way a comprehensive list of recorded comedy but rather some selected examples of records and comedians that I’ve enjoyed over the years. I hope that you may discover one or two tracks for the first time and that the YouTube links might lead you to search out further material by these artists and creators. Because British comedy is so individual and its output so extensive, I decided to separate their contributions from those on this side of the Atlantic. Consequently, “Mirth Of A Nation, English Style” will follow in a future blog. Comedy records come in a number of different forms. As far back as when voices and music were first recorded, humor played a significant role and then radio proved to be a major outlet for comedians. Vintage comedy can be found in the 1946 sound recording THE TEMPERANCE LECTURE by W.C. Fieldsand countless commercial recordings of old radio comedy shows featuring such stars as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, George Burns & Gracie Allen plus the famous on-air ‘feuds’ between W.C. Fields and Edgar Bergen’s dummy, Charlie McCarthy. Abbott & Costello developed their famous WHO’S ON FIRST routine in the 1930’s and they popularized it on radio and in two movies in the 1940’s. In later years, the range of comedy records expanded dramatically including, for instance, a chart-topping 1962 album called “The First Family” featuring President Kennedy impersonator Vaughn Meader. The most common form of comedy records is CD’s or streamed recordings of in-person live performances by a wide-range of comedians; these have often resulted in noteworthy releases ranging from “Comedy Minus One” by Albert Brooks (ABC: 1973), “Is It Something I Said?” by Richard Pryor(Reprise: 1975), “Reality…What A Concept” by Robin Williams(Casablanca: 1979), “What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most?” by Joan Rivers (Geffen: 1983), “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” by Eddie Murphy (Columbia: 1983), “I Have A Pony” by Steven Wright (Warner Bros: 1985), “Have You Seen Me Lately?” by Sam Kinison (Warner Bros: 1988) and “The Day TheLaughter Died” by Andrew Dice Clay (Def American: 1990) to “Obsessed” by Jim Gaffigan on Comedy Central in 2014 and “Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time” by Patton Oswalt also on Comedy Central in 2014. Of course, most contemporary performances are also available on DVD. Among the many veteran artists whose stand-up acts were memorably committed to disc: Phyllis Diller, Woody Allen, Jackie Vernon, Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks and Jonathan Winters and their recordings were initially released on LP’s Here’s a group of my all-time favorite routines recorded by comedians in concert… DRIVING INSTRUCTOR (Newhart) by Bob Newhart (Warner Bros: 1960) From his Grammy-winning debut LP “The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart” https://youtu.be/XaUYQZR-y7I WONDERFUL WINO (Carlin) by George Carlin (RCA: 1967) George’s famous satire of Top 40 radio stations & doo-wop songs from his LP “Take-Offs & Put- Ons” https://youtu.be/g06yxZVeIKM HELLO MUDDUH, HELLO FADDUH! (A Letter From Camp) by Allan Sherman (Warner Bros: 1963) From his LP “My Son, The Nut”, it utilized a theme from Ponchielli’s “Dance Of The Hours”. https://youtu.be/VLLsZHplMaE THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN (Reiner/Brooks) by Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks (World Pacific: 1960) Their classic routine from the LP “2000 Years With Carl Reiner & Mel Brooks” https://youtu.be/nBOStiFpRFs The LP was later re-issued on Capitol. DEPARTMENT STORE (Berman) by Shelley Berman (Verve: 1959) From his debut hit LP “Inside Shelley Berman”;\ this was released in Britain as a two-part single titled HOLD ON: https://youtu.be/ nWwUgjkOHAA POISONING PIGEONS IN THE PARK (Lehrer) by Tom Lehrer (Lehrer: 1959) From his LP “An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer”. Pianist/satirist Lehrer wrote songs for the American version of the British hit TV show “That Was The Week That Was” and recorded them on his 1963 Reprise album “That Was The Year That Was” https://youtu.be/B8IuxcCHkD0 In addition, here’s a studio recording of A LITTLE MORE GAUZE by Mike Nichols & Elaine May (Mercury: 1962) From their LP “Mike Nichols & Elaine May Examine Doctors” https://youtu.be/rFc7W1XhmVE That’s the same Mike Nichols who became an award-winning movie director. Records parodying and spoofing well-known songs have been very successful for various artists over the years ranging from Cheech & Chong, Ben Colder(aka Sheb Wooley) to Stan Freberg and of course, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic. There are a zillion humorous Comedy songs out there and many have been memorably recorded. They range from LYDIA THE TATTOOED LADY by Groucho Marx, INKA DINKA DOO by Jimmy Durante, THE THING by Phil Harris and SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE! THAT CIGARETTE by Tex Williamsthrough to A BOY NAMED SUE by Johnny Cash, SPRINGTIME FOR HITLERby Mel Brooks, KING TUT by Steve Martin and THE CHANUKAH SONG by Adam Sandler. Not that every comedic musical performance starts out with a comedy song. For example, in 1937 in their film “Way Out West”, Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy (with a member of vocal group The Avalon Boys) performed the 1913 ballad THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE; Ollie sang the song ‘straight’ but Stan, after joining in using his mellifluous tenor voice, repeated the chorus by injecting a pseudo-bass vocal by miming to the deep voice of Chill Wills; then, at the end of the song, he switched to lip-syncing the lyric’s final lines in a high voice provided by one of the film’s actresses Rosina Lawrence. I released this track on United Artists Records in the UK in 1975 and it charted over there at #2! The other fascinating category is Novelty Records which in this case are comedy songs specifically produced in concept form. Among the many contenders: THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER by Sheb Wooley, THEY’RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HAAA! by Napoleon XIV, SNOOPY Vs. THE RED BARON by The Royal Guardsmen and TRANSFUSION by Nervous Norvus plus both AHAB THE ARAB and THE STREAK by Ray Stevens. ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGONET (Freberg/Butler/Rozsa) by Stan Freberg Featuring Daws Butler & June Foray (Capitol: 1953) In ’53, “Dragnet” was a hit TV police series and comedian/satirist Stan Freberg created this outstanding send-up of the show. https://youtu.be/oUdFLyNCeI4 THE FLYING SAUCER (Pts.1&2) by Buchanan & Goodman (Luniverse: 1956) Songwriters Bill Buchanan (he co-wrote Bobby Vee’s 1962 hit PLEASE DON’T ASK ABOUT BARBARA) & Dickie Goodman conceived and produced this, the granddaddy of all break-in records, linking together mock news reporter voices with extracts from 17 actual hit singles of the ‘55/’56 period. After he split with Buchanan three years later, Dickie Goodman went on to devise a host of other break-in hits over the years, the most successful being MR. JAWS in ’75. https://youtu.be/byK01DWXfgQ RIOT IN CELL BLOCK #9 (Leiber/Stoller) by The Robins (Spark: 1954) One of Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller’s sound effects-laden mini-playlets; the record’s descriptive dialog was spoken by Richard Berry of LOUIE LOUIE fame https://youtu.be/_0qN6EBrhPU ALLEY-OOP (Frazier) by The Hollywood Argyles (Lute: 1960) Written by country singer Dallas Frazier, this was a #1 hit in the summer of 1960; although the artist credit reads The Hollywood Argyles, the group didn’t exist then and the singer was just Gary Paxton who’d recorded as Flip of Skip & Flipand went on to found Garpax Records, the label which scored with MONSTER MASH! Here’s ALLEY-OOP https://youtu.be/zLD_LTXRmDY STRANDED IN THE JUNGLE (Johnson/Smith) by The Cadets (Modern: 1956): With my favorite tagline ‘Meanwhile, back in the States’, this was a major hit for R&B group The Cadets, although it was a cover of a song by The Jayhawks. The main voice you hear is that of bass singer Will ‘Dub’ Jones who later joined The Coasters. https://youtu.be/aG_Ur9zQL6g MONSTER MASH (Pickett/Capizzi) by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers (Garpax: 1962) Among the most popular Halloween records, its storyline of a monster rising from a slab and dancing was the perfect setting for Bobby Pickett’s fine impersonation of actor Boris Karloff’s voice. Darlene Love sang backup. https://youtu.be/LimhRLuRqPY My other honorable mentions in this category: DEAD MAN’S CURVE (Wilson/Berry/Christian/Kornfeld) by Jan & Dean(Liberty: 1964) Co-written by Brian Wilson, this 45 was highlighted by sound effects of screeching tires and Jan Berry’s four-line description of a fictional auto accident. WITCH DOCTOR (Bagdasarian) by (The Music Of) David Seville (Liberty: 1958) This was the recording on which Ross Bagdasarian (aka David Seville) introduced his “Chipmunk” voices that he developed into an entire industry. Yiddish humorist Mickey Katz (and father of actor Joel Grey) cut a parody version called KNISH DOCTOR. Bagdasarian had earlier co-written (with novelist William Saroyan) Rosemary Clooney’s 1951 hit, COME ON- A MY HOUSE. SURFIN’ BIRD by The Trashmen (Garrett: 1963) Based on two earlier hits THE BIRD’S THE WORD and PAPA-OOM-MOW-MOW both by R&B group The Rivingtons. CHAOS (Arbogast/Ross) by Arbogast & Ross (Liberty: 1959) Michael Ochs turned me on to this, another superb lampooning of Top 40/rock & roll radio. To close out this overview of certain American comedy recordings, the spoken intro of Stan Freberg’s ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGONET is worth repeating along with a tip of the hat to the long-forgotten days of the gramophone… “The legend you are about to hear is true; only the needle should be changed to protect the record”! Correction: In #9 of my “Door To Yesterday” series, the reference to the song CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO being featured in the Abbott & Costello 1941 movie “Buck Privates” was incorrect. In fact, CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO was first heard in the Sonya Henie/John Payne/Glenn Miller film “Sun Valley Serenade” in 1941. The famous song featured in “Buck Privates” was the Andrews Sisters hit BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY. Return to the Table Of Contents This single topped the Billboard Hot 100 on December 27, 1969; it was the very last release by Diana Ross & The Supremes before Ms. Ross started her legendary solo career BUT despite the credit on the record itself, neither of the other Supremes were on the record! At the actual session, Diana Ross was supported vocally by Maxine and Julia Waters, two sisters who later sang backup for Neil Diamond and who are part of a west coast family of session singers. Listen closely to the Diana Ross track and you can also hear the voice of singer Johnny Bristol; he not only produced the session but also as part of the Johnny & Jackey duo had recorded the original version of “Someday We’ll Be Together” on Gwen & Harvey Fuqua’s Tri-Phi Records along with his singing partner Jackey Beavers. The song was co-authored by Johnny and Jackey along with the said Mr. Fuqua. Here’s the record: https://youtu.be/HXGz8i0I2L0 And here’s another example of recorded confusion! In 1961, a song written by Rose Marie McCoy and Joe Seneca called IT’S GONNA WORK OUT FINE became a major hit (#2 R&B and #14 Pop) on the Sue label for Ike & Tina Turner. Tina was definitely the singer on the record but the male voice responding to her and to whom she refers as “Ikey” was in fact not Ike at all but Mickey Baker. Four years earlier, guitarist/singer Mickey, along with Sylvia Vanderpool, had scored a success as Mickey & Sylvia with LOVE IS STRANGE, the song which a decade later was successfully revived by Peaches And Herb. When the Turners performed IT’S GONNA WORK OUT FINE live, Ike spoke the dialog himself, but Rose Marie McCoy who was at the recording session confirmed that Mickey was the male voice on the original record and here it is: https://youtu.be/XaJrCQt21Wg Footnote: In later years, the late guitarist-singer Sylvia Vanderpool had her own hit single with the sexually-charged song “Pillow Talk” in ’73 on which she was billed simply as ‘Sylvia’. She married Joe Robinson and together they formed All Platinum/Vibration Records which was later known as Sugar Hill and she was referred to the ‘Mother Of Hip-Hop’ after producing and co- writing the landmark rap record “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. Return to the Table Of Contents In the late 1950’s into the early 60’s, a wave of rock instrumental records became formidable chart hits. Among the standouts were REBEL-’ROUSERby guitarist Duane Eddy & His Twangy Guitar, RUMBLE by fellow guitarist Link Wray & His Ray Men, SLEEP WALK by steel guitarist Santo & rhythm guitarist Johnny, THE HAPPY ORGAN by keyboard whiz Dave ‘Baby’Cortez, TEQUILA by The Champs, RED RIVER ROCK by Johnny & The Hurricanes, WALK-DON’T RUN by The Ventures plus RAUNCHY by Bill Justis & His Orchestra, NUT ROCKER by B. Bumble & The Stingers and WHEELS by The String-A- Longs. When the surf rock era arrived, it gave us PIPELINE by The Chantays, SURF RIDER by The Lively Ones, MISIRLOU by Dick Dale & The Del-Tones and WIPE OUT by The Surfaris. Some great instrumentals also came out of England led by TELSTAR by The Tornadoes and APACHE by The Shadows which was successfully covered here by Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann. (Trivia note: the group who had the TELSTAR hit were called The Tornados in Britain but here they were named The Tornadoes.) WALK DON’T RUN was the tune that launched the Ventures on what was to become a long and eventful career. Guitarists Don Wilson and Bob Bogle formed the Ventures in Tacoma, Washington, and hired bass player Nokie Edwards who passed away last month. The drummer on the original WALK-DON’T RUN session was Skip Moore who opted out of the group and was replaced briefly by Howie Johnson until Mel Taylor joined the line-up in ’62. The tune had been composed and first recorded in 1954 by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith and was famously recorded three years later by the renowned country guitarist Chet Atkins. Bob Bogle discovered Chet’s version and The Ventures cut and released it on Blue Horizon, the label started by Don Wilson’s mother. The Ventures’ 45 hit #2 on the Hot 100 in the last week of August 1960. Four years later, the group recorded an updated version as WALK-DON’T RUN ’64 and that single took the tune back into the Top Ten but it’s the original single (eventually issued on Dolton Records) which really packs the punch. Listen to it here: https://youtu.be/Xs3Xugl541g WIPEOUT by The Surfaris (from Glendora, California) became the most successful of all surf instrumentals. It was recorded in ’62 and intended to be the B-side of the group’s track “Surfer Joe” but it turned out to have much more potential. The tune was written by the group’s members: rhythm guitarist Bob Berryhill, lead guitarist Jim Fuller, bassist Pat Connolly and drummer Ron Wilson. The record memorably opens with a cracking sound effect followed by a demented, laughing voice announcing the tune’s title; then Ron takes over, injecting his masterful, pulsating drumbeat which sets the hypnotic pace before the rest of the group takes over. Released on Dot, the single reached #2 on Billboard’s pop chart in August ’63. The tune was successfully revived in ’87 by The Fat Boys together with The Beach Boys, but nothing compares to the Surfaris’ original and for absolute proof here it is: https://youtu.be/oHSM2P4PALY I was a huge fan of drum instrumentals of that period and in particular the milestone single TEEN BEAT by Sandy Nelson. Sandy had started out as a member of the Hollywood High School band KipTyler & The Flips along with future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston. Sandy cut a demo of TEEN BEAT and took it to DJ Art Laboe who’d just had success on his Original Sound label with BONGO ROCK by Preston Epps. Art gave the green light and Sandy cut the original TEEN BEAT master with Richard Podolor (aka Richie Allen) on guitar and the single exploded, reaching #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in October 1959. Art Laboe (aka Arthur Egnoian) got co-writing credit on both BONGO ROCK and TEEN BEAT and here’s the original TEEN BEAT record: https://youtu.be/1lbxeJRtfGw After that, Sandy switched to Imperial Records and hit paydirt with LET THERE BE DRUMS (Nelson/Podolor) which reached #7 in December ’61. Ahead of Sandy and Preston’s hits, there had been TOPSY Part II by jazz drummer Cozy Cole which climbed to #3 on the Hot 100 in late October ’58. Another of my other favorites of that era was an outstanding instrumental out of England in 1963 called DIAMONDS by guitarist Jet Harris & drummer Tony Meehan; both were former members of Cliff Richard’s backing group The Shadows and the tune was by Jerry Lordan, composer of the aforementioned APACHE. DIAMONDS was covered over here by Buddy Harman, one of Nashville’s most respected session drummers who played on a zillion hits ranging from CATHY’S CLOWN by The Everly Brothers to OH PRETTY WOMAN by Roy Orbison. Talking of session drummers, I also have to mention three more of my favorites… The incredible Earl Palmer whose extensive work in both New Orleans and Los Angeles studios is legendary; if you check out Little Richard’s original 1957 version of LUCILLE, you’ll hear how Earl’s tight beat keeps the whole track pumping; Hal Blaine of the infamous Wrecking Crew of studio musicians who contributed his artistry to Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound productions amongst countless other records; plus Benny Benjamin, the stalwart and essential drummer from Motown’s Funk Brothers house band during that label’s formative years. FYI, this article intentionally does not cover the slew of memorable drummers in rock & r&b bands such as Keith Moon, Jerry Allison, John Bonham, Levon Helm, Charlie Watts, Ginger Baker, Clyde Stubblefield and D.J. Fontana. Finally, I must make mention of Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band who brilliantly revived Preston Epps’ BONGO ROCK in ’73, the same year that British drummer Cozy Powell revived the rock instrumental in the UK with his single DANCE WITH THE DEVIL which attained the #3 slot over there. So let’s finish by listening to the original BONGO ROCK by Preston Epps on Original Sound Records which reached #14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the last week of June, 1959: https://youtu.be/iuT8nLQ9-U4 Return to the Table Of Contents At this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, REMEMBER ME (written by Kristen Anderson- Lopez and Robert Lopez and featured in the animated film success “Coco”) won the Best Song Oscar®. It will be interesting to see if, in years to come, audiences will still instantly connect “Remember Me” with that Disney/Pixar movie. I say that because, over the years, a whole host of songs that were originally written for and introduced in motion pictures have far outlived the movies themselves. For instance, who remembers that CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE was first heard in the Jackie Gleason film “Papa’s Delicate Condition” or that CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO was introduced in theAbbott & Costello comedy “Buck Privates”? Similarly, we instantly remember Willie Nelson’s song ON THE ROAD AGAIN but most of us have long forgotten the film “Honeysuckle Rose” for which it was written. In addition, UNCHAINED MELODY is most closely associated with the Patrick Swayze/ Demi Moore movie “Ghost” rather than the 1955 prison picture “Unchained” for which it was originally crafted. Another example of a major hit song emanating from a less than memorable picture is Stevie Wonder’s songI JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU which was written for and introduced in the 1984 comedy “The Woman In Red” directed by and starring Gene Wilder. Stevie says that he had written the basic melody a few years earlier; he updated it and added the lyric specially for the movie. The initial verse spells out the lyric’s formula: “No New Year’s day to celebrate/No choc’late covered candy hearts to give away/No first of spring/No song to sig/In fact here’s just another ordinary day”. The song went on to win the Best Song Oscar ® at the Academy Awards show in March ’85. Released on Tamla in ’84, Stevie’s self-produced single of I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU hit #1 R&B, #1 Pop & #1 AC here and #1 in the UK. Among other artists who recorded the song: Big Daddy, Acker Bilk, Richard Clayderman, Herbie Hancock Feat. Raul Midon, Engelbert Humperdinck, Howard Keel, Barry Manilow, Paul Mauriat, Diane Schuur & Herbie Hancock, The Shadows, Shinehead, The Stylistics, Frankie Vaughan and also Roger Williams. Here’s Stevie’s hit single: https://youtu.be/mhJDj2o7L98 Stevie’s I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU later turned up in another movie, the 2008 Julianne Moore/Mark Ruffalo film “Blindness” in which it was sung by cast member Gael Garcia Bernal. Coincidentally, that’s the same artist who sang REMEMBER ME in “Coco”. Similarly, the popularity of another Oscar-winning song “(I’ve Had) THE TIME OF MY LIFE” has proved to have an extended life. Written by Franke Previte, Don Markowitz and John DeNicola, it was introduced in the hit Patrick Swayze/Jennifer Grey movie “Dirty Dancing” in 1987. Sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes and issued as a single on RCA, it reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in November ’87; in the UK, it climbed to #6 that year and returned to their Top 10 in January ’91. The song has since been featured on the soundtracks of a number of other movies including “Corky Romano” (2001), “Going The Distance” (2010), “The Muppets” (2011) and “Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb” (2014). Here’s the Bill Medley/Jennifer Warnes single: https://youtu.be/6eyCDj1s4NI For example, when Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were hired by Paramount to write songs for director Rouben Mamoulian’s 1932 romantic comedy film “Love Me Tonight” starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald, they created a ballad called ISN’T IT ROMANTIC which was performed on screen by Mr. Chevalier & Ms. MacDonald and various other cast members in a memorable multi-scene sequence which you can see in this six-minute clip: https://youtu.be/GGNQ7TrVDrg ISN’T IT ROMANTIC became a Hit Parade favorite and, published by Paramount’s Famous Music, it was further used in over a dozen other Paramount films including “Night After Night” (1932), “The Lady Eve” (’41), “The Palm Beach Story” (’42), “The Major & The Minor” (’42), “I Walk Alone” (’47), “A Foreign Affair” (’48), “Sorry, Wrong Number” (’48), “Isn’t It Romantic” (’48), “Sabrina” (’54), “The Rat Race” (’62), “It’s Only Money” (’62), “Goodbye Columbus” (’69), “The Day Of The Locust” (’75) and “Mommie Dearest” in ’81. Occasionally the song was sung (as by crooner Rudy Vallee in “The Palm Beach Story”) and sometimes the tune was used as part of a background score or it played on a radio or record player. In “Sabrina” it was used in a ballroom dance sequence and a few bars of the melody were whistled by one of the film’s stars, William Holden. Even today with the music industry awash in hip-hop and with streaming replacing records as the dominant form of music distribution, many of the true classic songs of yesteryear are still money-earners. It’s sometimes fascinating to trace the history of very vintage copyrights which have often been part of extensive changes of ownership. For example, Sony/ATV currently controls and administers the former EMI Music Publishing catalog which includes such timeless copyrights as OVER THE RAINBOW (written by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg for the 1939 film “The Wizard Of Oz”) and SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, created by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown and featured initially in “The Hollywood Revue Of 1929”. Both songs were originally part of the giant /Fiest Miller publishing catalog (known in the industry as The Big 3) which was later acquired by MGM. Through various transactions within the music publishing industry, the Big 3 catalog became part of what turned into other growing catalogs of copyrights; it was part of United Artists Music which was sold to CBS Songs in 1982 which was sold to SBK in ’86 which was sold to Thorn EMI in ’89. Only time will tell what kind of continued life lays ahead for the vast numbers of vintage copyrights that are held by the major music publishers.Revivals of classic songs by today’s performers and the placing of older songs in contemporary films, tv and commercials is vital for songwriters of yesteryear and their heirs. Return to the Table Of Contents It’s been over 50 years since we first heard Chips Moman and Dan Penn’s exquisite ballad DO RIGHT WOMAN — DO RIGHT MAN and maybe its lyric including such lines as “A woman’s only human You should understand She’s not just a plaything She’s flesh and blood just like her man” resonates just as much with today’s audiences. First recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1967, it remains an outstanding performance, showcasing her passionate soulful vocal style. Produced by Jerry Wexler, the rhythm track was recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals and the record was later completed in New York with Aretha on vocals and piano backed up by the voices of Carolyn & Erma Franklin and Cissy Houston. Because DO RIGHT WOMAN was released as the B-side to the million-selling I NEVER LOVED A MAN (The Way I Love You), it unfortunately didn’t receive a high chart placing in Billboard, reaching only #37 on their R&B list. Barbara Mandrell revived the song in 1970 and her Billy Sherrill-produced version climbed to #17 Country in early ’71. Here’s Aretha’s original record: https://youtu.be/MR7gVTnx6tk Among the many other artists who recorded the song: Johnny Adams, Joan Baez, William Bell, Elkie Brooks, Marc Broussard, Cher, Otis Clay, Joe Cocker, Delaney & Bonnie, Barbara Dickson, The Flying Burrito Bros., Etta James, Brenda Lee, Lulu, Barbara Mandrell, Martha & The Vandellas (in a medley), Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Sinead O’Connor, Maceo Parker, Gram Parsons, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, Esther Phillips, The Rusitx, Phoebe Snow, Billie Jo Spears, The Sweet Inspirations, The Commitments featuring NIamh Kavanagh, The Three Degrees, Oscar Toney Jr., Billy Vera & Judy Clay, Dionne Warwick, Kitty Wells, and also Marva Wright. Chips Moman and Dan Penn also wrote another soul classic together namely THE DARK END OF THE STREET, a huge success for James Carr in ’67. Chips was a guitarist, producer and studio owner and his other songwriting hits included B.J. Thomas’s 1975 Country smash (Hey Won’t You Play) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG (written with Larry Butler) and Waylon Jennings’ 1977 hit LUCKENBACK, TEXAS (Back To The Basics Of Love) which he wrote with Bobby Emmons. Dan Penn is also a guitarist and producer and, collaborating with his longtime friend and organist Spooner Oldham, he notched up other songwriting successes such as IT TEARS ME UP by Percy Sledge in ’66, SWEET INSPIRATION by The Sweet Inspirations in ’68 and CRY LIKE A BABY by The Box Tops also in ’68. Return to Table Of Contents The short answer to the above question is: A great deal! A new stage production: “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” has opened to rave reviews in London. Obviously whenever Tina’s history is under the microscope, her former husband and musical partner Ike Turner also comes into focus. If you put all the stories about his & Tina’s tumultuous private life aside, you discover a multi-talented pioneer in both blues and rhythm & blues music. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1931, Ike was an exemplary guitarist,
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