Thursday, June 19, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Crayon's To Perfume Girl of the Week: Shirley Matthews, my Big Town Homegirl!
Shirley was a telephone operator!
Originally from the small town of Harrow, Ontario - a small town near Lake Erie, across from Toledo, Ohio - Shirley moved to Toronto to work for Bell Canada and resided on Jameson Avenue, in the community of Parkdale. Shirley made extra money singing at Club Blue Note in the evenings, and was eventually discovered by Bob Crewe while he was visiting Toronto. Bob took Shirley to New York where they recorded 'Big Town Boy' for Canada's Red Leaf Records in 1963 (released on Atlantic in the US)- and the song rocketed to #10 on the Canadian charts and Shirley won Female Vocalist of the Year at the Juno awards in 1964!
Her follow up 'Private Property' released in '64 charted, but the two following singles 'He Makes Me Feel So Pretty' and 'Stop The Clock'(Tamarac in Canada and Amy in the US) -filled with those wonderful and typical girl group flourishes such as claps & bells, did not fair as well.
In 1965 Shirley, also an athlete, decided to settle down, get married, raise a family and become and entrepreneur in the fitness and sports field. Sadly Shirley passed away in 2013.
As a bonus, here are the Big Town Boys!
Crayons to Perfume is coming soon to WFMU's Ichiban Soul, hosted by Glynis Ward, DJ girlgroupgirl
Monday, June 16, 2014
B. Brock And The Sultans Do The Beetle
Whoever these guys were, they ripped.
Crown Records put out a fair amount of schlock in their day, but this 1964 LP release to capitalize on Beatlemania is in an entire league of its own.
"Do The Beetle" "30 LB. Beetle" and "Feed The Beetle" are all wild surf instro-burners worthy of single releases, but the off-key, unassured vocal cover of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" seals the deal that this off-the-rails kitsch long player would fade into record buying obscurity for years to come.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Happy birthday Herschell Gordon Lewis!
The great Herschell Gordon Lewis celebrates his 85th birthday today, enjoy this 2010 documentary on the one and only "godfather of gore"!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Crime Stoppers Atlanta
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| Red Dodge Nitro |
Ray Price - Invitation To The Blues (2:51)
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Crayons To Perfume Girl of the week - Miriam Linna: She's Everybody's Baby Now!
Here's a taste of Miriam's smashing live debut performance!
Out NOW is Miriam's first solo 45, 'My Love Has Gone' (Del Shannon) backed with an amazingly lush 'There Goes My Babe' - a cover of an early Neil Young composition.
Look for the new LP out June 10th, 2014 - "We tried to do meaningful songs that people may not have ever heard, a lot of 'em are lesser known songs" said Miriam when I spoke to her a few weeks ago. All of the songs are covers except for one, and all of you will be surprised at her choice of material, which is perfect for her style, and her voice such as the Ramones 'Questioningly' and Reparata & The Delron's 'I'm Nobody's Baby Now' which Miriam makes sound more like a Shangri-La's song.
Crayons to Perfume is coming soon to WFMU's Ichiban Soul, hosted by Glynis Ward, DJ girlgroupgirl
Friday, June 6, 2014
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Trouble In My Arms (MP3)
How 'bout a few minutes of ultra-catchy honky-tonk for your Tuesday night?
Monday, June 2, 2014
Run, Run, Run
1 The Who: Run Run Run
2 The Gestures: Run, Run, Run
3 Ronny Douglas: Run, Run, Run
4 Thom Kelling: Run Run Run
5 The Supremes: Run, Run, Run
6 Giorgio & Marco's Men: Run Run
7 Third Rail: Run, Run, Run
8 Norma Tanega: Run, On The Run
9 The Mourning Reign: Run Run Run
10 The McCoys: Runaway
11 Flanagan & Allen: Run Rabbit Run
12 Amen Corner: Run, Run, Run
13 The Velvet Underground: Run, Run, Run
14 Yuya Uchida & The Blue Jeans: Run, Run, Run
15 Jo Jo Gunne: Run Run Run
16 Ann Peebles: Run, Run, Run
17 Tim Dandy: Run, Run, Run, Run, Run
18 Tommy James & The Shondells: Run, Run, Baby, Run
19 Delroy Wilson: Run Run
20 Jim Webb: Run, Run, Run
21 Orval Prophet: Run Run Run
22 The Riats: Run Run Run
23 Darlene Love: Run, Run, Runaway
24 Bo Diddley: Run Diddley Daddy
25 Jerry Williams: Run Run Roadrunner
26 Stonewall Jackson: Run
27 The Great Scots: Run, Run For Your Life
28 The Teen Turbans: Didn't He Run
29 The Carousels: The Run-Run
30 The Illusion: Run, Run, Run
31 Yoko Ono: Run, Run, Run
32 Cheater Slicks: Run, Run, Run
RUN RUN RUN
Crayons to Perfume Girls of the Week: The Beat Chics! One Single Wonders
Both Jimmy Page and the Beatles? Oh, Now I Know (wink wink!!)
Crayons to Perfume is coming soon to WFMU's Ichiban Soul, hosted by Glynis Ward, DJ girlgroupgirl
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Crayons to Perfume Girl of The Week: TAMMY! The Puerto Rician Dynamo
Tammy (no last name known) was a child recording star in her homeland of Puerto Rico. She has two LP's and a half of her own (one half shared with Julio Angel, the Puerto Rican equivellent of Paul Anka in the 60's). The records are a mixture of popular songs, some traditional music and amazingly rockin' tunes.
I think her best is 'Perro Que Ladra (no muerde)' - a dog that barks does not bite - (pretty much a cover of 'Shaggy Dog').
'Una Chica Ye Ye' is another goodie!
I found the 2 a Go Go LP in a thrift store for .25 cents on my honeymoon, I'd say it was a pretty good deal.
Crayons to Perfume is coming soon to WFMU's Ichiban Soul, hosted by Glynis Ward, DJ girlgroupgirl
Jim Burgett on the ORO Label
When one thinks about great rockabilly records of the late 50's & early 60's, more often than not "Lake Tahoe" does not come to mind.
But that's exactly where Jim Burgett & his band first set up shop at the American Legion hall in 1957.
The boys gained enough notoriety on the scene that Columbia came calling, and in 1961 Burgett released the spooky minor-key ballad "The Living Dead" b/w "Let's Investigate."
After this, Burgett returned to cut two discs on the Modesto, California ORO label that released his first single "I Believe In You" b/w "Live It Up" in February 1960.
These recording sessions produced his arguably most well-known track "Scene Of The Crime" b/w "I Wouldn't Dare" in 1963. The same year saw the release of "Pauline" b/w "This Is The Night."
Burgett's only other major label 45rpm release was " Now I Taste The Tears" b/w "Innocence Is To Blame" on MGM in 1969.
Jim Burgett now lives in Las Vegas, where he still performs on a regular basis.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
WFMU Record Fair
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| Fool's Paradise Saturday 1-3 |
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Sun Ra Centenary
Today, May 22, marks the 100th anniversary of the day that the immortal Sun Ra first arrived on Earth. To celebrate his centenary, here is a collection of links that will both entertain long time acolytes of the intergalactic one as well as inform those who are just discovering this titan for the ages.
First up, you can listen to last Sunday's broadcast on WNYC when David Garland welcomed Michael D. Anderson (aka the Good Doctor and Dr Bop) and WFMU's Irwin Chusid to talk about the legacy of Sun Ra and the new reissues of his music that the two of them are overseeing. An informative and entertaining hour of music and conversation that should not be missed.
WNYC: Musical Messages from Saturn: 100 years of Sun Ra
Type "Sun Ra" in the search box on YouTube and you will find an endless supply of music and video clips. But here are a few longer videos that will give you a fuller picture of his singular genius.
Sun Ra: Brother from Another Planet is a one hour BBC documentary from 2005 directed by Don Letts, an excellent overview of his life and career, featuring interviews with Wayne Kramer, John Sinclair, Archie Shepp, members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, and many others along with lots of vintage performance footage.
Sun-Ra: A Joyful Noise is a 1980 jazz film by Robert Mugge documenting performances by Sun Ra and His Arkestra in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore, along with interviews and rehearsal footage.
Sun Ra: Prophet of Music is a half-hour episode of Detroit Black Journal, originally broadcast on WTVS television in 1981.
Space is the Place, filmed in 1972 and released in 1974, is Sun Ra's feature film. An utterly unique blend of science fiction, surrealism, comedy and jazz, Space is the Place is essential viewing for fans of Sun Ra's music and psychotronic movie fans alike. (edit: upon revisiting this post a year later, the YouTube link I originally provided has been removed. I have replaced it with a version of the movie which is split into six parts, below is Part 1).
All of this audio and video should be plenty to keep everyone busy on this most holy of days. But to continue keeping up on all news Sun Ra, bookmark the Sun Ra Arkive and follow it on Facebook. I also recommend a new paperback published by the good folks over at KICKS Books, This Planet is Doomed: The Science Fiction Poetry of Sun Ra, collected from tape recordings and transcriptions culled from the Sun Ra Archives.
Sun Ra left this astral plane on May 30, 1993, but there is no doubt that he is still out there, perhaps living on his native Saturn, watching us from afar, or more likely zigzagging across the universe and spreading his message to interplanetary life in galaxies we mere mortals don't even know about yet.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
The Liquid Guitar of Vinnie Bell
2 Frankie Calen: (Help Me) Telstar
3 Diane Renay: The Company You Keep
4 The Chanters: Bongo, Bongo
5 Bob Crewe: An Angel Is Love
6 The Moons: Gammera
7 The Baby Dolls: Now That I've Lost You
8 Kai Winding feat. Kenny Burrell: Surf Bird
9 The Cheese Cakes: Heading For A Heartbreak
10 Ichabod & The Cranes: Supermarket Of Love
11 The Vampires: The Creep
12 Johnny Thunder: Horror Show
13 The Crystals: My Place
14 Tracey Dey: Any Kind Of Love
15 The Tymes: Street Talk
16 Carmen Taylor: My Son
17 The Archies: The Weatherbee
18 Frankie Valli: Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
19 The Bob Crewe Generation: The Black Queen's Beads
20 Johnny Cymbal: Robinson Crusoe On Mars
21 Gene Pitney: The Last Two People On Earth
22 Robert Mosley: Goodbye My Lover Goodbye
23 Bobby Shad & The Bad Men: I Want You Back
24 Rita Pavone: Don't Tell Me Not To Love You
25 Declaration Of Independence: Morning Glory Man
26 The Cinderellas: Please Don't Wake Me
27 Reparata & The Delrons: Saturday Night Didn't Happen
28 Quadrangle: She's Too Familiar Now
29 Errma Franklin: Abracadabra
30 Eddie Rambeau: The Train
31 The Cherry People: Don't Hang Me Up Girl
32 Ferrante & Teicher: Lay Lady Lay
33 Gene Pitney: Just One Smile
34 The Shangri: Las: Past, Present And Future
35 Teri Thornton: Why Don't You Love Me
36 Tracey Dey: I Won't Tell
37 Gene Stridel: Where Does That Leave Me
38 Shirley Ellis: I See It, I Like It, I Want It
39 Steve Karmen: Let's Get Down To It
40 The Heatwaves: Nowhere To Go
41 The Unclaimed: Memories Of Green Eyes
42 Diane Christian: It Happened One Night
43 The Brass Ring: Rosemary's Baby
44 Donna Lynn: When Your Heart Rings, Answer (Don't Hang Up On Love)
45 Vinnie Bell: Shindig
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Wolf Call
Earl Washington - Wolf Call (2:07)
The Rainmaker: Some Songs of Harry Nilsson
1 Little Richard: Groovy Little Suzy
2 Mary Hopkin: The Puppy Song
3 Micky Dolenz: Daybreak
4 Ella Fitzgerald: Open Your Window
5 New Christy Minstrels: A Travelin' Man
6 Modern Folk Quartet: This Could Be The Night
7 Mike Melvoin: One
8 The Mystic Moods Orch.: I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City
9 The Ronettes: Paradise
10 Tom Northcott: 1941
11 Patty Pravo: 1941
12 Kenny Everett: It's Been So Long
13 Kenny Everett: Without Her
14 Lulu: Without Him
15 Collage: Story Of Rock And Roll
16 The Yardbirds: Ten Little Indians
17 Cryan' Shames: Rainmaker
18 Rosyln Kind: (I Guess) The Lord Must Be In New York City
19 David Cassidy: The Puppy Song
20 The Shangri-Las: Paradise
21 The Turtles: The Battle Of The Bands
22 Astrud Gilberto: Without Him
23 The Ronettes: Here I Sit
24 Tom Northcott: The Rainmaker
25 Pandemonium: 1941
26 Astrud Gilberto: Wailing Of The Willow
27 Herb Alpert: Without Her
28 Eternal Triangle: I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
Pure Country
Here's the Billboard magazine (10/08/1966) promoting Johnny Dollar's then-new 45rpm recording of Windburn. What tickles me is the reference to "pure country" which is perhaps a little surprising in light of the fact that the recording was positively saturated with the sounds of country fuzztone guitar! And that is, to be sure, a fine thing.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Gin & Bourbon
Here's both sides of a solidly rockin' mid-1960s effort from the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Georgia. The top side's a booze-oriented tribute to / rip-off of The Newbeats' big 1964 hit Bread And Butter and the flip's the Little Walter standard.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Neighborhood Vs. Wynonie Harris
I'd give just about anything to see a photo of the flashing sign on his Long Island lawn reading "The World's Greatest Blues Singer Lives Here." As the great Dizzy Dean once said, "it ain't bragging if you can do it."
Below: Wynonie Harris, via ACE records.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Happy Record Store Day!
UPDATE: Third and final try...what we see here is R. Crumb's artwork, accompanying a story by Harvey Pekar. Thanks to Matt Fiveash for illuminating me.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The Iceman Cometh To Atlanta
Things could be far, far worse.
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