Saturday Night 78s!

Prince's Dance Orchestra, Fred and Adele Astaire, and George Gershwin. What a playlist, no?

As always, the 78s are from my personal shellac collection (all pressed on personal shellac). And, as often happens, a couple of these are repeats--namely, Mohammed and Afghanistan. I last featured these two titles in August of last year, and these new transfers should sound better, since they were done with my new Rek-o-Kut preamp.

The Gershwin disc turned up for me in Edinburgh, Scotland--I think I paid $12 for it (whatever six pounds came out to circa 1980). It was recorded by in England in 1926, and features Fred Astaire, his sister Adele, and George Gershwin. My desk lamp, turned at an angle, made some nice lighting for the 78 label (above).

These are terrific 78s--the only kind I ever put up here. That is my guarantee to you, one I will (possibly) never betray.

Oh, and I've switched to 4Shared as my storage site of choice, now that 1) my Box.net account has reverted to a free one, and 2) since it turns out that 4Shared is Mac-Friendly, after all. I'm keeping an eye on the monthly bandwidth and may decide to double it to keep pace with traffic. I'm in wait-and-see mode right now.

I've always wanted to type "I'm in wait-and-see mode right now."

Click here to reach folder: Saturday Night 78s. I've posted the four selections as individual files and as a single zip file.

PLAYLIST

Mohammed (Earl)--Prince's Dance Orchestra, 1920.

Afghanistan (Donnelly)--Prince's Dance Orchestra, 1920.

Fascinating Rhythm (George and Ira Gershwin)--Fred and Adele Astaire, George Gershwin, 1926.

The Half of It Dearie, Blues (Same)--Fred Astaire and George Gershwin, 1926.



Lee

78s for Wednesday

There are only four of them, but what 78s! (What 78s? These 78s, of course.) Your typical theme-free MY(P)WHAE playlist, only weirder and wilder than the norm.

And, at least in the case of our first selection, less PC. Like many a song from the Ragtime Era, Alagazam is racist as can be (though "coffee-colored" is actually a new one to me) AND fascinating as music. If we tossed out all the "darkie" sheet music covers and censored all the lyrics of the same nature.... Well, we'd be tossing out lot of terrific music. In my view, we have to take the past as it happened. It's kind of a package deal, in that respect. The good and the sad, together. Censoring the past is too much like censoring it.

Plus, good ragtime is what life is all about. At least in my opinion.

Anyhow, along with the Peerless Quartet's 1915 mock-tribute to "colored" soldiers, we get the flip side, When Old Bill Bailey Plays the Ukalele, which I'm dedicating to Steven. And that's exactly how "Ukalele" is spelled in the title, because Bill Bailey is--you'll never guess--African-American. At least, according to the sheet music cover (which I found on eBay). "Ukalele" is supposed to tip us off in that respect. Ahhh, 1915.

The disc is moderately worn, but I think I got some nice sound out of it, especially in the bass region (to the extent that such a region existed in those days). I'm surprised by the punch of the percussion, in particular. Meanwhile, the highs are tinny as can be. Ahhh, 1915.

I've Got a Walkie Talkie and Bobby Sox Bounce are very post-ragtime-era, and I include them here because they happened to follow the Peerless Quartet in my order of ripping. And I've always wanted to type "order of ripping."

Don't mind me. I'm just typing this while half-awake. (Or am I half-asleep?)

Click here to reach folder: 78s for Wednesday.

PLAYLIST

Alagazam (To the Music of the Band) (Andrew B. Sterling-Harry Von Tilzer)--Peerless Quartet, 1915.

When Old Bill Bailey Plays the Ukalele (Chas. McCarron-Nat. Vincent)--Peerless Quartet, 1915.

I've Got a Walkie Talkie (David-Rodney-Block)--George Olsen and His Orch.; vocal by Judith Blair, 1946.

Bobby Sox Bounce (Spinosa-Weems)--Tom Spinosa and His Orchestra, featuring vocal trio of Pat Fowler, Donna Fowler, and Annabel Brown.



Lee

'S Mervelous! Part 2

I promised yet more Merv, and here are nineteen more Mervs--four from vinyl, the rest from 78s. Proof that I do not promise more Merv in jest.

And what Merv tracks they are. I should note that, in spite of what the first label image might suggest, Love Is on a Holiday is not in this playlist--that track already had its day in the blog (Much More Merv, Aug. 16). I had wanted to include this image with that post, but I hadn't taken it yet. So, you can see the problem....

The Midnight Music image, however, is no con--three tracks from that 1952 10" LP are included here (the title track, Nighty-Night, and Deep in a Dream). Then we have the third image--a Philips 78 rpm picture sleeve from 1954 (found in Hong Kong!), on which Merv's Girl with a Figure Like an Hour-Glass is mentioned (click for larger image). Another con--that track isn't in today's playlist, either. Again, see Much More Merv.

You know, I've got confused myself now. I mean, I've got myself confused now.

O.K., what else? Oh, yes--Along Came Joe, from 1961, was penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and appeared on the Carlton label as the flip of the Merv hit The Charanga. How cool is that?

Hey Garcon! and All the Livelong Day are from Merv's Columbia period (RCA being his pre-Columbian period), during which he produced a lot of great sides but no hits. And the rest are Merv with Freddy Martin and His Orch., and I can't possibly pick any Merv-with-Freddy favorites, since I like them all so much.

But I will, anyway: It Happens Every Spring, My One and Only Highland Fling, and Havin' a Wonderful Wish. My favorite from the entire playlist, however: I Kiss Your Hand, Madame.

In fact, Madame is probably my favorite Merv, period. I'd previously named Ginny as Merv's best solo side, but (as is often the case) I didn't know what I was typing.

To the Merv:

Click here to reach folder: 'S Mervelous, Part 2!

PLAYLIST

ALONG CAME JOE (Bacharach-David)--w. Sid Bass O. and Cho., 1961.
MIDNIGHT MUSIC--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1952.
DEEP IN A DREAM--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1952.
WEDDIN' DAY--w. Freddy Martin and the Martin Men, 1949.
IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.
JUST FOR FUN (Livingston-Evans)--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.
NIGHTY-NIGHT (Joe Davis)--w. Freddy Martin O., Martin Men, 1952.
YOU WAS (Webster-Burke)--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.
ONCE IN LOVE WITH AMY (Loesser)--w. Freddy Martin O., Martin Men, 1949.
IF YOU COULD CARE--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.
MY ONE AND ONLY HIGHLAND FLING--w. Freddy Martin Orch.,
HAVIN' A WONDERFUL WISH (TIME YOU WERE HERE)--w. FM, Martin Men, 1949.
THE LITTLE OLD CHURCH NEAR LEICESTER SQUARE--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.
I KISS YOUR HAND, MADAME--with Percy Faith Orch., 1953.
I WOULD IF I COULD (Cy Coben)--w. Freddy Martin O., Martin Men, 1951.
HEY, GARCON!--with Norman Luboff Orch. and Cho., 1953.
ALL THE LIVELONG DAY--with Paul Weston Orch. and Cho., 1953.
YOUR KISS--w. Freddy Martin Orch., 1949.

Enjoy!


Lee

Breaking News from The Daily Kos!!!!

"Apocalpytic (sic) Christianity has become enshrined as the de-facto government endorsed religion, in the headquarters of the most powerful armed forces on Earth."

Puh-leeze. That's about as likely as snow in Ohio in September.

Dream on, Daily Kos. (Uh-oh. Wait a minute. What's going on outside?)


















AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!



Lee

Cat news and stuff

I see that the downloads are picking up a little on today's gospel offering. The group desperately needs to be in a zip file, but my Box.net account (where that option exists for me) is still maxed out. In fact, my "sharing bandwidth" is at 110 percent!

How is that possible, I wonder? When I tried to d/l something from Box a few days ago, I was informed that the user's (i.e., my) account had exceeded its sharing bandwidth. So... how could it keep climbing? It should stay at 100 percent, shouldn't it?

So many questions, so few answers....

Meanwhile, the storage site 4Shared, which I'm growing to like, turns out not to be Mac-friendly. If I migrate there for good, I'll be doing a disservice to my Mac-using readers, so that's out. All of the other free sites I've sampled are without a multiple-upload option--it's one file per individual upload. Sure, you can do multiple individual uploads (I hope that made sense), but you can't move them in chunks. I like to upload ten or so files at one time. Is that too much to ask from life?

People have fought and died over countless centuries for the right to upload ten or so files at one time, and I'd be disgracing the memory of their sacrifice by settling for anything less. It's a moral issue.

And you thought blogging was easy. And sanity-sustaining. Ha! That's all I can say.

Oops. Forgot the italics. Ha!

So, I've done my going-on-and-on-about-storage-site-concerns essay for the week. Now, to cats....

A while back, I told you about our super-friendly black stray cat, Tommy. He's still around. And he's still not "fixed." He somehow knows (as do all members of his species) when not to be around. As in, during the day when the vet's is open. And on the days in question. Cats are born with this instinct.

So, he hasn't been fixed. His time will come, though. Yes, it will. At any rate, Tommy is affectionate, and then some. I speak as one who's had his chin groomed by Tommy.

Gomez (whom we'd mistaken, for weeks, for a cat named Romeo--long story) is still around, only minus part of his front right paw. We're guessing he got it snagged in a raccoon trap. So, we've been cleaning the wound in a Clorox/water mix and giving him a liquid antibiotic. Then it's back to Dr. Mike for surgery. Cleaning the wound allows Mike to know just what he has to cut off and what he can save. Poor Gomez....

In an effort to keep things lighthearted, I've been calling him Limpy. A.k.a. Limp-Along Cassidy. But he knows my heart is breaking for him. He's probably loving the sympathy, too. It's the least he deserves for enduring this ordeal so bravely.

The sooner we get Gomez and Tommy fixed, the better. Because they'll be less inclined to roam. And because we'll be keeping the stray cat population down. Cats deserve a far better life than what a homeless existence gives them.

I don't want to say that nature is cruel. It doesn't need to be said....

Soon--more Merv.



Lee

Sunday Morning Gospel--The Rhythm Masters, The McLain, Leach, and Jordan Families!

We won't be hearing any tunes from Hymns Children Love (above)--at least, not in this post. But I needed a picture for today's Sunday Morning Gospel, and I had this cool shot waiting for its time in the blog--so, up it went. I found this set a couple weeks ago at the local Goodwill. It's missing a disc. Thrift store 78 sets often are.

OR they contain the wrong records. Or they contain pieces of once-whole discs. Thrifting is not a hobby for the squeamish, let me tell you.

Anyway, we will be hearing some terrific family singing groups, along with a very polished but spirited Southern quartet called The Rhythm Masters. They're allowed to be both, of course. We have them doing Palms of Victory, one of my all-time favorites, which I discovered a while back in a tune-book-with-hymns from the 1880s. I hyphenated that phrase because it's a type of songbook. The combining of tunes (the melodies) with hymns (the words) was a big deal for a while, though it was becoming less of one as the 19th century ran out. (Ran out of what, you ask? Why, years, of course.)

Anyway, since these comments are getting us nowhere, why don't we head on over to this morning's gospel sing? Yes, let's. And while I'd love to tell you anything about today's artists, the original LPs are gone from my collection, along with any or all information they contained. However, the music remains (saved to cassette tape thirteen years ago), and let us be glad for that. This is music that deserves to remain:

Click here to reach folder: Sunday Morning Gospel, 08-02-07. (Files no longer available)

PLAYLIST

Let the Light Shine Down on Me--McLain Family.
Palms of Victory--The Rhythm Masters.

(Following titles by The Leach Family):

He'll Hold to My Hand
I Know My Name Is Written There
I'll Have a New Life
Oh, What a Day
I'm Going Up
I'll Wake Up in Glory
God Walks the Dark Hills
Living in Canaan

Will the Circle Be Unbroken--Country Gospel Boys

(Following titles by the Jordan Family):

If You Don't Love Your Neighbor
What Kind of Man
Cry from the Cross
Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord
I'm on the Road that Leads to Glory
He Took Your Place
Are You Washed in the Blood?
Higher Ground
He Gave His All


See ya next Sunday!


Lee

More 78s That May Change Your Life!

More 78s to (possibly) transform your existence--I just added ten titles to the folder, for a total of twenty. Your life may be changed twenty times over.

A few comments about the sides, starting with Alan Dale's I'm Late. It's on Columbia, which is cool, because Alan Dale tends to turn up (if at all) on Coral. And its one of the best songs from Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland. And it's masterfully arranged by Percy Faith. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Somebody could have played it to death, that's what. And someone did. But I got a decent file out of it, anyway. Took some work, but Took is my middle name. Er, I mean, Took Some is my mid....

Never mind.

The flip, Arthur Fields and Dorothy Schwartz' I'll Buy You a Star, is terrific, too.

And I'm glad to finally have a copy of Earl Fuller's Howdy and Russian Rag. Someday, I'll find a better-sounding copy and be even gladder. I did my best (cutting hiss and swish without killing the music is my middle name). Fuller's band has never sounded better.

Eleventh Hour Melody, a cover of an Al Hibbler hit, comes from the cheapo label Broadway. It's really not that bad, considering the cheapness of the production and the minimum of musicians. They do quite well under the circumstances. If you can get past the chintzy intro, there's much to enjoy.

I kind of like Harry James' version of Misirlou, though my copy has enough surface noise for about ten 78s. Luckily, you'll only hear a portion thereof. (The surface noise, that is.)

Enjoy!

Link to the folder: 78s That May Change Your Life
(Files no longer available)

PLAYLIST

The Arkansaw Traveller--Talking, 1900.
Morning in Noah's Ark--Arthur Pryor's Band, 1907.
Mr. Rooster (Lampe)--Arthur Pryor's Band, 1910.
Cherry Ripe (Bridge)--London String Quartette, 1922.
Sally in Our Alley (Bridge)--London String Quartette, 1922.
My Dog Has Fleas (David Rose)--Victor Young Concert Orch., 1945.
The Big Bass Viol (Bohannon)--The Revelers.
Big Movie Show in the Sky (Dolan-Mercer)--Blue Barron and His Orch., vocal by Bobby Beers and the Choir, 1949.
I Wish I Were Somebody Else--Lorry Raine with Cliff Parman Orchestra.
Fickle and False--Lorry Raine with Jack Halloran (?) Chorus and Orchestra
Russian Rag (Cobb)--Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty O., 1918.
Howdy--Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty O., 1918.
Heavenly Road--The Reverlers.
Misirlou (Roubanis)--Harry James and His Orch., 1941.
Ebb Tide (Maxwell)--Frank Chacksfield and His Orch., 1953.
Waltzing Bugle Boy (Ray Martin)--Frank Chacksfield, 1953.
Minuet in G, No. 2 (Beethoven)--Mischa Elman, violin; Percy B. Kahn, piano; 1910
Eleventh Hour Melody--Jack Richards w. the Kenneth Wayne Orch.
I'm Late (Hilliard-Fain)--Alan Dale w. Percy Faith Orch., 1951.
I'll Buy You a Star (Fields-Schwartz)--Alan Dale w. Percy Faith Orch., 1951.


More shellac to come!


Lee