Voice recording #254, more from Jan. 7, again on Sirius Channel 5.
Eddie Cochran, "Sittin' in the Balcony", no year given. Cochran was an early rocker. I' not sure this song qualifies as rock 'n' roll. It has guitars and a very constant rhythm. 4,850.
Jim Henderson, "Snap Your Fingers", year? 4,900. And I moved Eddie Cochran up from 4,900 because I feared I might be able to populate most of the 4,900-5,000 slots just today otherwise.
James Darren, "Pin a Medal on Joey", year? 4,825.
Elvis Presley, "Need Your Love Tonight", year? 4,750.
The Browns, "The Old Lamp-Lighter", late '50s. He was the old lamp-lighter "of long, long ago." This song now qualifies as long, long ago. It was a remake -- at least I assume it was the same old lamp-lighter song that was a No. 1 hit during the '40s. The Browns had a number of nostalgic, sentimental songs. This was not the best. I think "The Three Bells" was by The Browns. This one is 4,800.
The Flares, "Foot Stompin' Part 1", year? I don't know whether there was a part two. The beat, just by stomping the sound, wasn't as dynamic as, say, The Lumineers' foot stomping. Another pet peeve: The Flares are spelled like a warning flare, but I have seen people write something like, "He finished the project with flare," when what they really mean is "with flair," as in panache. 4,825.
The Moonglows, "Mostly something", year? It's not just a case of being old so there weren't as many bells and whistles in the production, but this is not a very good piece of music. 4,840.
Jerry Lee Lewis, "Whole Lotta Shakin'", year? This is a classic, with drums and Jerry Lee's rocking' piano. 4,400.
Ike and Tina Turner, "A Fool in Love", year? I didn't realize they were recording in the '50s. I remember then from the mid-60s -- which really isn't must of a stretch, as I look back at it. I'm not sure which of them sang the lead. Ike's career didn't last much past the mid-60s, but Tina has kept going pretty much to the present. This is an early soul-rock song, more rock than soul. 4,825.
Pat Boone, "Speedy Gonzales", year? This song would not be made today. It caricatures and generalizes about Hispanics/Latinos. I'm not sure what was the the purpose for this song, but I guess it was supposed to be a funny novelty record. It's definitely dated. 4,925.
Little Richard, "Jenny Jenny", 1957. It's classic Little Richard, right down to the "Woooooo!" It is a great classic. It has been remade since, I believe by Mitch Ryder and possibly others. 3,900.
Bobby Vee, "Rubber Ball", year? This song is not to be confused with The Cyrkle's "Red Rubber Ball" from the '60s. This one is a song about a guy who has been done wrong by a woman who treats him like a rubber ball because he comes bouncing back to her. 4,200.
Fronc Pourcel, "Only You", year? This is an orchestral version of a song with actual words -- a love song, of course. There are a whole lot of strings in a high register, and they do a lot of things with those strings. The sung song is a better version. 4,600.
The Kingston Trio, but I neglected to record the song's title and year. They were probably the foremost folk group of a really folky decade. 4,700.
The Earls, "Remember When", year? It goes "re-mem-mem, re-mem-ba-mem-ber." It's a catchy tune. 4,600.
Edd Byrnes and Connie Stevens, "Kookie Kookie" (Lend Me Your Comb)", year? Edd "Kookie" Byrnes was a short-lived Hollywood heartthrob on the original "77 Sunset Strip" TV show. I believe his character's name was Kookie. He had a lot of long, wavy hair, pretty well Brylcreemed up in the '50s style. I pretty sure the character was known for combing his hair on the show. Connie Stevens was frequently seen as a beach bunny in the surfer movies that were popular then. This was a chance to take advantage of current popularity with a novelty song. The time warp that produced this song was probably best illustrated by Kookie's final words to Connie Stevens: "Baby, you're the ginchiest." I don't think that was a popular slang word even in the '50s. This song wasn't the ginchiest, but for its novel effects I'll give it 4,750.
Sam Cooke, I believe it's called "Send Me Your Lovin'", year? Sam had a long and distinguished career, but this was not one of its highlights. This is more a song of unrequited love than a gospel song, but there is kind of a gospel choir singing backup. 4,800.
The Dell-Vikings, "Come Go With Me", year? This was a typical group of the time, with a lead singer doing the melody and a deep-voiced guy for special effects. It's a jaunty tune, up-tempo, a good song for its time. The lyrics played with the four words in the title. At times the group sang, "come and go with me" and "come on, go with me."4,350.
Jelly Beans, I believe it's "I Want to Love Him So Bad", year? Probably about as bad as the singing in this one. 4,850, possibly.
The Big Bopper, but I didn't record the title or year. I hadn't heard it before, but the music is almost identical to "Chantilly Lace". I'm not sure why that was possible. Perhaps the same person wrote both songs so there was no copyright problem. This song was not good. 4,950.
Everly Brothers, "Dream", year? I believe that's the title; the words are "all I have do is dream," or more accurately "dre-ee-ee-ee-eam, dream, dream, dream." The Everly Brothers were the most underrated (or least rated) act of the '50s. They were not in Elvis country, but up there near the top. Their music was good, and this was one of their best songs. I think it was Don Everly, not Phil, who died in 2014. I give the song 4,050.
The Crows, "Gee", as in the first half of gee whiz, year? Before there were Black Crowes or Counting Crows or even Sheryl Crow, there were The Crows. They and this song were not particularly good. 4,900.
Faron Young, "Hello Walls", year? It's a country crossover. He was saying hello to the walls in a deep voice. 4,850.
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