I bought this because it was a US pressing and $1. I was expecting jazz rock. I'm not sure why, maybe it's their dress.
What is known and none of this is certain is that the band were California based.
That's it.
Okay, a little more, this album and two singles were released in 1969 on the Dot label. Singers / guitarists Mike Collings and Roger White were credited with writing all of the original material.
That's it.
Well, apart from some after facts.
The band disbanded after this album though (at least) Collings and White joined / formed a band called Feather with John Townshend (later of the Sanford Townshend Band) who released an album in 1970, "Friends By Feather" (Columbia), which followed up on a couple of singles released on smaller labels. Collings and White, again, wrote most of the songs.
Both albums, were produced by J.R. Shanklin.(who worked with Nilsson in the mid 60s).
Collings and White subsequently became part of the Loggins and Messina recording and touring band (that fact is very loose). Roger White toured with Gene Clark in the mid-70s (that is established).
That's it.
The music is of it's time but I like the time and highly influenced by what was happening around them. There is nothing wrong with that. Some bands have been cult favourites with the same philosophy.
There is nothing particularly individual here but it is hard to dislike this album as there are quite a few good songs amongst the musical schizophrenia. The overall sound is rustic country but there are nods to hippie music, Baroque pop, old school garage, soft psych, and just plain pop.
It may be musically ambitious but it could also be described as giving the people what they want by giving them as many familiar sounds as possible. I'm probably wrong but I suspect the members don't have roots in any of the American traditional musical idioms tackled.
But that's no a bad thing because every song the band tackles is convincing though they lack that one song to make them cult favourites. The name also, "Catch" at the time may have been a good idea but on the digital highway trying to find a band called "Catch" with a self titled album of the same name is not easy. The more famous "America" I imagine suffer the same problem.
All songs written by band member Mike Collings and Roger White unless noted.
Tracks best in italics)
Side One
Amber – very nice. A bit like Crosby Stills and Nash or The Byrds with deeper (voiced) harmonies. Very nice and a couple of years ahead of it's time.
Come Near Me – country rock with a light jovial bounce and few authentic country roots but nice nevertheless with a catchy melody.
Storm – country rock over tones overlaid on (horn) pop with a little bit of fuzz guitar not dissimilar to what Paul Revere and The Raiders were doing around this time.
City Ditty – a trip to back to ye olde world music with the ragtime circus atmosphere popular at the time. Hints of Lovin Spoonful and Sopwith Camel.
The Dandelion And The Butterfly – more horn and sting big pop and a Left Banke feel.
Live – shades of Country Joe and the Fish tough with big horns..
Side Two
I'm On The Road To Memphis – covered by Buddy Alan and Don Rich on their "We're Real Good Friends" album (Capitol, 1971). Buddy Alan was Buck Owens son and Don Rich was Bucks lead guitarist. Country rock sounds like The Beau Brummels or Paul Revere and the Raiders on their country rock excursions.
Something Golden – hmmm, plain pop
Crash And Burn – fuzz guitar mayhem and a little out of place with the other songs but a standout track.
Nine Roses – the obligatory long song. Eight minutes. Moody and not too bad.
Just A Closer Walk With Thee – (trad arranged Collings, White) – a traditional gospel song done by everyone. Dating to the 30s the original was made by the Selah Jubilee Singers in 1941 but is associated with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who recorded her own version on 2 December 1941. Red Foley's 1950 recording was one of the first religious hits in Country music. This one has a New Orleans feel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_a_Closer_Walk_with_Thee
Arranged By – Catch, Dave Blumberg (who had ' has worked at Motown with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes and others as well as with The Fifth Dimension, Trini Lopez and many others (tracks: A4), Ken Kotwitz (tracks: A3, B2, B4)
A band called Catch they released a privately pressed album in 1972, "Caught Live at the Golden Hawk". That Catch seem to be a different band out of Des Moines and have a female singer.
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band had released two or three albums by the time Jim decided to put out this solo release.
Though it's not really "solo" just Jim and some of his band in a less raucous mood. The album was recorded live in the studio (with two tracks, "I Got Mine" and "Buffalo Skinners" recorded live at Club 47 in Cambridge. Massachusetts) by a truncated version of the Jug Band (Jim Kweskin on vocals and guitar, Mel Lyman on harmonica, and Fritz Richmond on washtub bass).
I suspect there were traditional tunes that Jim wanted to tackle that didn't fit the full band sound
Again, the band sound loose but aren't. They practiced a lot to sound this relaxed and loose. And you have to. For the music to come out naturally there can't be worries about the musicianship.
This album covers the pre-rock American songbook … there is ragtime, country, blues, a cowboy song, gospel, Tin Pan Alley and even a Zulu folk song.
All done in Jim's jug band style, though low key and quiet.
And that applies here though instead of the full jazz band this is the jug band equivalent of a trio playing cool jazz..
The harmonica of Mel Lyman is amazing whilst Fritz Richmond keeps the beat on the washtub bass. But, central to it all is Jim Kweskin with his acoustic guitar and vocals tha are both of another time and keenly contemporary.
The material may have been old but the melodies, emotions and narratives within the songs do resonate now, as they would have in 1966.
His audience was marginal then and now it may be still be , though with the internet it may be larger, but a song (or recording) should have a life beyond when it was written or recorded. We (the masses) look and "old" paintings, don't we? We read classic" novels, don't we? We (sometimes) even watch films form the "golden years of cinema", don't we? They why not listen to old music? Double old here … a singer in 1965 singing old music. I hear people saying, I listen to Led Zeppelin or I listen to Queen but that is more of a case of listening to music that was around when you were young that you still listen to now. The time has come to dig deep and go for something that was around before you were born.
Good music is good music regardless of its age and it is "new" if you haven't heard it before even if it was recorded fifty years ago.
Jim Kweskin (born July 18, 1940, Stamford, Connecticut) played solo in coffee houses throughout the early folk boom before forming The Jug Band. The group broke up in the late 60s and Kweskin pursued a solo career in music, but also ran a day job / career as a construction contractor in the Los Angeles area.
He continues to play today in small club and venues in the US …
All the songs are "traditionals" unless noted.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Sister Kate's Night Out – A medley composed of "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" (A. J. Piron), "Heebie Jeebies" (Boyd Atkins) and "Fifteen Cents" (Frankie Jaxon). "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" was recorded by The Original Memphis Five (1922), The Cotton Pickers (1923) and others. It seems to be adapted from a 1917 Louis Armstrong composition, ‘Take Your Feet Off Katie’s Head’. "Heebie Jeebies" was recorded by Louis Armstrong (1926) , "15 Cents" was recorded by Frankie Jaxon (1933). The songs are seamless. A great way to start the album
Hannah – Kweskin says he learnt the song from an old 78 rpm record by Chris Bouchillion (1926). A blues with great harmonica by Mel Lyman.
Bye and Bye – is an old Baptist gospel tune, written in 1906 by Charles Albert Tindley. There were gospel versions by the Nazarene Church Choir (1928) , The Golden Gate Quartet (1941), The Blind Boys of Alabama (1950), The Soul Stirrers (1950) and many others. Country versions include Frank & James McCravy (1927) ,The Kentucky Mountain Choristers (1929) and others. Louis Armstrong also recorded it in 1939. Kweskin is in fine voice though quite 60s. A joy. Bound to make you feel good.
The Cuckoo – is a traditional English ballad by Margaret Casson (published 1790). Recorded by Kelly Harrell (1926) Clarence Ashley (1929) and others. It was picked up by the folk boom and recorded by The New Lost City Ramblers (1962), The Holy Modal Rounders (1964) and many other folk performers. Quite solemn. I can see why this appealed to certain parts of the folk boom.
I Ain't Never Been Satisfied – (with Marilyn Kweskin, lead vocal) is and "original" with new words and music by Jim and Marilyn Kweskin, and is based on children's ring games. Simple and effective
Eight More Miles to Louisville – is a "new" song recorded by Grandpa Jones in 1957. A beautifully upbeat way to finish the side.
Side Two
I Got Mine – Kweskin refers a version recorded by Pink Anderson in 1950 but the song is based on an old vaudeville from 1902 (by John Queen & Charlie Cartwell), called ‘I Got Mine (The Coon Song)’ which was recorded by Arthur Collins & Joe Natus. Country versions were recorded by Fiddlin’ John Carson (1924), Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers (1926) and others. African-American versions were recorded by Big Boy George Owens (1926 as ‘The Coon Crap Game’], Frank Stokes (1928), Robert (Barbecue Bob) & Charlie Hicks (1930 as ’Darktown Gamblin – Part 1 (The Crap Game)). Recorded live and lively with Kweskin quite growly
Buffalo Skinners – is traditional and genuine cowboy song from the 1800s, published by John Lomax in the 1910 collection Cowboy Songs, recorded for the Library of Congress in 1935 by Pete Harris. Woody Guthrie (a favourite of Kweskin) recorded it at least a couple times, with altered words; once with Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry (1944) and solo (1945). It, also, was picked dup by the folk boom and recorded by Jack Elliott & Derroll Adams (1957) Pete Seeger (1956), Cisco Houston (1962), Eric Von Schmidt (1963) and others. The second of the live songs. A haunting and beautiful song.
Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor – is based on W.C. Handy's "Atlanta Blues" which in turn comes from an old folksong. It was recorded by Ethel Waters (1926), Jelly Roll Morton (1938), Sidney Bechet (1940), Jimmy Yancey (1944), Guthrie [1940s, released 1964), Cisco Houston (1958), The Weavers (1959), The Journeymen (1961), and Mississippi John Hurt (1966). A hoot … great lyrics.
Guabi Guabi – (with Fritz Richmond, 2nd voice) is a Zulu folksong from the Nde-Ele tribe. It was recorded by George Sibanda, from Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1952 but made famous by Jack Elliott in 1964. Cute and quite catchy.
My Creole Belle – Kweskin say he learned this song from Mississippi John Hurt who recorded it in 1963. It is based on the 1902 song ‘Creole Belles’, written by George Sidney and J. Bodewald Lampe, recorded by Sousa’s Band and others. More great harmonica work in this New Orleans old time blues.
Relax Your Mind – Kweskin says he learned the song from Leadbelly who recorded it in1948. Very Leadbelly … there is a sense of doom over everything. I love the sentiment though.
And …
Wonderful … takes me back to, errr, to the first time I found old-timey and ragtime records in op shops in the 80s. I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
Ha, none
Sounds
Three Songs – A Look at the Ragtime Era (Sister Kate's Night Out) …
Johnny Mathis hasn't reached the iconic status of other singers from the 20th century.
And this is a guy who has sold 350 million records worldwide, making him, arguably, the third biggest selling artist of the 20th century.
Perhaps it is because he is still around, perhaps it's because his music is often dismissed as easy listening (which it is but, so?), perhaps it's because he never revolutionised anything musically, perhaps it's because he was a great trad pop singer in the wrong era, perhaps it's because he never had a notable crossover film career, perhaps it's because of the fact that, despite tackling many genres of music, he really only had one style.
Perhaps it's a little bit of each of these.
But, it is undeniable that whatever he sings and whererever he records, there he is, sounding as smooth as ever … and always in excellent voice.
I've always needed music to sooth the brain. Electronic ambient doesn't do it for me, whale sounds don't do it for me, soft rock doesn't do it for me, very few rock balladeers do it for me.
Traditional pop singers and lounge do work.
And what could be more trad pop and lounge-ier than Johnny Mathis.
Admittedly his lounge can be velour rather than leather and have shag pile rather than parquetry and rugs (ie: he came after the great lounge singers) but his romantic balladry, really does belong at a relaxed cocktail party or as dinner music.
And that's not criticism. Music sets mood, creates good vibes, and doesn't always have to intrude on peoples lives, after all some people just aren't into music that much (regardless of what they say, or think)
Johnny, also, came at a time when the industry and some of the public needed an antidote to Elvis Presley. Both were born in 1935, both were influenced by black and white musicians, both came to prominence in the mid-50s, and both, had long chart careers. The joke of course is that Elvis and Johnny admired each other s talents and covered each other (as well as doing many of the same standards).
Wikipedia: "Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, United States, in 1935, the fourth of seven children of Clem Mathis and his wife, Mildred Boyd. The family moved to San Francisco, California, settling on 32nd Ave. in the Richmond District, where Johnny grew up. His father had worked in vaudeville, and when he saw his son's talent, he bought an old upright piano for $25 and encouraged him … Mathis was a star athlete at GeorgeWashingtonHigh School in San Francisco. He was a high jumper and hurdler, and he played on the basketball team. In 1954, he enrolled at San Francisco State University on an athletic scholarship, intending to become an English teacher and a physical education teacher … In San Francisco while singing at a Sunday afternoon jam session with a friend's jazz sextet at the Black Hawk Club, Mathis attracted the attention of the club's co-founder, Helen Noga. She became Mathis' music manager, and in September 1955, after Noga had found Mathis a job singing weekends at Ann Dee's 440 Club, she learned that George Avakian, head of Popular Music A&R at Columbia Records, was on vacation near San Francisco. After repeated calls, Noga finally persuaded Avakian to come hear Mathis at the 440 Club. After hearing Mathis sing, Avakian sent his record company a telegram stating: "Have found phenomenal 19-year-old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts." … At San FranciscoState, Mathis had become noteworthy as a high jumper, and in 1956 he was asked to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team that would travel to Melbourne, Australia, that November. Mathis had to decide whether to go to the Olympic trials or to keep his appointment in New York City to make his first recordings. On his father's advice, Mathis opted to embark on a professional singing career. His LP record album was released in late 1956 instead of waiting until the first quarter of 1957 … Mathis's first record album, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song, was a slow-selling jazz album, but Mathis stayed in New York City to sing in nightclubs. His second album was produced by Columbia Records vice-president and record producer Mitch Miller, who helped to define the Mathis sound. Miller preferred that Mathis sing soft, romantic ballads, pairing him up with conductor and music arranger Ray Conniff, and later, Ray Ellis, Glenn Osser, and Robert Mersey. In late 1956, Mathis recorded two of his most popular songs: "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "It's Not For Me To Say"."
Those songs placed at #14 and #5 on the US charts respectively and his career was underway. Within a year he had a #1 ("Chances Are") and another Top 10, one Top 20 and six Top 40 songs. And this was during the Elvis Presley chart juggernaut.
In a 1968 interview, Mathis cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby among his musical influences.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mathis) and this isn't the case of some pop star name dropping what he thinks will make him look cool. You can hear all three of those singers in Johnny's voice regardless of the genre of music he tackles.
Rock and Roll is just about the only style of music that Mathis hasn’t done. “I put my toe in the water" Mathis said of rock and roll. “But said, okay, you don’t do it very well". (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mathis)
But he did record rock songs in his easy listening trad pop style as he did jazz and Broadway standards, country, Christmas tunes, gospel, Brazilian and Spanish songs, R&B, soul, and disco.
He subsumed all musical genres into his musical style and temperament.
The trouble was, from the late 50s on, the adult contemporary audience (his main audience) was shrinking. So, from about the mid 60s through to the mid 70s Johnny's albums reflected the need to appeal to as many people as possible, as long as that didn't go outside his style. The albums, of this period, are predominantly cover versions of contemporary song hits combined with popular film themes of the day.
And, this I love. As a kid trawling through op shops I came across dozens of Johnny Mathis albums (did I mention he has sold in excess of 350 million records world wide) and when I flipped them over there he was singing The Beatles, Kris Kristofferson, The Hollies, The Fifth Dimension, Neil Diamond, Simon & Garfunkel and The Doors (!).
All done in trad pop romantic style.
What's not to like.
I bought a handful of these and have no dramas playing them for others.
This album, from 1970, fits into this era perfectly. Covers of the day and film themes done in Johnny's style.
Things may have been burning, figuratively and literally in 1970 but Johnny was there to ease the pain.
And he's still out there touring.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head – (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – The theme to the film "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" (1969) and a #1 (US) for B. J. Thomas (1970). A corny but undeniably catchy song.
Honey Come Back – (Jimmy Webb) – Glen Campbell's #2 country hit (US) in 1970. The spoken segments aren't as convincing as the vocals but it is wonderful cheese.
Watch What Happens – (Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand) – One of the songs from the French film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964) and done by Tony Bennett in 1965 and Frank Sinatra in 1969. Nice but ….
Something – (George Harrison) – The Beatles #1 from 1969. One of the greatest Beatles ballads. This is given the big band sound which works really well with the uber emotional performance like Elvis gave it in 1973. Johnny performance is somewhere in between the original and that. Like George Harrison being back by a big band. Still, the song is great …
Alfie – (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – From the 1966 film "Alfie". The song was a major hit for Cilla Black (UK#1 1966) and Dionne Warwick (US#15 1967). A love song to a bloke sung by a bloke. Well , it was when first sung by the chicks, though it can be said that here it could be one bloke giving advice to another. No need to Freud-erise over this.
Midnight Cowboy – (Jeff Barry, Jack Gold) – From the film "Midnight Cowboy" (1969). The song was a harmonica instrumental by Toots Thielemans. It was covered by instrumental duo Ferrante & Teicher (#10 US 1970). Lyrics were added. The haunting music comes through successfully, lyrics or not.
Side Two
A Man and a Woman – (Pierre Barouth, Jerry Keller, Francis Lai) – From the French film "A Man and a Woman" (1966) with English lyrics by Jerry Keller. A beautiful song.
Odds and Ends – (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – Dionne Warwick's #7( Adult Contemporary ), #43 (The Billboard Hot 100) hit from 1969.
Jean – (Rod McKuen) – Oliver had a #2 (US) hit with this great Rod McKuen song in 1969. A great song.
Everybody's Talkin' – (Fred Neil) – From the film "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) and a #6 (US) for Nilsson in 1969. Written well before being used in the film (about a male hustler). Another great song.
Bridge over Troubled Water – (Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel) – Simon & Garfunkel's #1 from 1970. Some interesting keyboards with a Fisher Price vibe give this a distinct quirky edge but Johnny's vocals are good.
And …
Very good … I'm keeping it which increases my Johnny Mathis collection to five or six albums. Hopefully, this doesn't mean I will start collecting all though there are a couple …
Pitney's hyper emotional style with his operatic vocal tendencies is perfect for Italian pop music of the 60s. The beat and pop appeal to the kids and the operatic stylings appeal to the older listeners.
The move, wasn't however, novel.
The Italian-Americans with their love of music had their feet in jazz going back to the earliest sounds coming out of New Orleans. The trad pop singers were awash with them: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Al Martino, Jerry Vale and many others. The Italians flocked to the new sounds of rock 'n' roll also: Bobby Darin, Bobby Rydell, Dion, Johnny Restivo, Jack Scott, Annette Funicello, Connie Francis, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, The Four Seasons and others. It was a way to escape poverty or the mundane.
Italian music was everywhere in the early 1960s.
The success of Italian films, the emergence of the San Remo song contest all had an impact on American and English speaking audiences.
Connie Francis had recorded an album of Italian songs, "Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites" (1959) and Dean Martin had some mixed language on the Italian themed "Dino: Italian Love Songs ) from 1960.
The big push on Italian sounds as opposed to Italian American singers probably dates back to "Volare" by Domenico Modugno released in 1958. It spent five non-consecutive weeks at #1 and became Billboard's number-one single for the year and the first Grammy winner for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1958. (It was translated and also sing in mixed language by all sorts of people including Bobby Rydell, Dean Martin (#12 1958), Al Martino, and later Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Jerry Vale, David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Dalida, Gipsy Kings, and Barry White.
But, Gene Pitney wasn't Italian.
And you didn't have to be to have hits.
Elvis Presley and his love of Dean Martin, Mario Lanza and Caruso had no trouble taking the Neapolitan numbers ‘O Sole Mio’ and ‘Torna a’ Surriento’, Anglicising them and having hits with them as "It's Now or Never" (a mammoth #1US, 1960) and "Surrender" (#1US, 1961). He would go on to record the traditional Neapolitan ballad "Santa Lucia" in Italian for his 1964 film "Viva Las Vegas" (the song was released on his " Elvis for Everyone" LP from 1965).
This is not aimed just at the Italian market but also at at American-Italians, Italian immigrants of other nations and the "hip" pop music crowd in general.
So why not Gene?
The sixties was pop music at its greatest experimentation and it was expressed in it's desire to appeal to all people and exclude no one.
And that meant recording foreign language songs or foreign themed songs, or both.
Elvis, Johnny Cash, Connie Francis, Trini Lopez, Bobby Darin, Bobby Rydell, Jay and the Americans, were all releasing albums or singles in foreign languages.
American pop stars singing in German, Spanish, Yiddish, French and Italian words were all on the airwaves, somewhere.
There were three ways to tackle the foreign language experiment. Sing foreign language songs in their language, sing foreign language songs translated into English or sing English songs in the foreign language.
Gene, here (largely), sings English songs (including at least three songs that had been big hits for him) in Italian whilst throwing in some more recent Italian compositions. This approach may be, because, the album seems to have compiled some of Gene's Italian language single releases going back to 1962 (the Italians loved him).
Regardless of motivation, it works. For those not familiar with Italian traditional tunes you can hear familiar 60s songs … the same beat, the same melody, the same groove just sung in Italian.
The album did well overseas and was followed up by Gene's appearance at the 1966 San Remo song contest at which he sang "Nessuno Mi Puo Giudicare" which became the title of another album of Italian songs for him in 1966.
The Italian experiment worked so well that Gene released the Spanish language "Pitney Español" in 1966 though he has nothing on Connie Francis who released albums, apart from the Italian one, in Spanish (1960), Jewish (1960), German (1964) and err, Irish (1962)
This album was Gene's eight album.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
A Poche Ore Da Te (Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa) – (David-Bacharach-Mogol) – his #17 from 1963. A magnificent song and this version hits all the right notes
Città Spietata (Town Without Pity) – (Washington-Tiomkin-Nome) – his #13 hit from 1962. Another good reading.
Un Soldino (If I Didn't Have A Dime) – (Russel-Medley-Pace) – recorded by Gene in 1962. A gentle poppy song with Gene in great voice though "jukebox" in Italian is , apparently, "jukebox".
Ritorna (Half Heaven, Half Heartache) – (Schroeder-Gold-Goehring-Mogol) – his #12 from 1963. Another great song and well done though it doesn't hit the emotional high as the English version.
Resta Sempre Accanto A Me (True Love Never Runs Smooth) – (Bacharach-David-Pallesi) – his #21 from 1963. Glorious.
E Se Domani (If Tomorrow) – (Calabrese-Rossi) – perhaps done originally by Fausto Cigliano for the San Remo 1964 contest.
Side Two
Che Sara Di Me (What Will Happen To Me) – (Specchia-Leuzzi) – pure early 60s fluff in any language.
Quando Vedrai La Mia Ragazza (When You See My Girl) – (Giacci-Rossi) – Little Tony and Laila Kinnunen both recorded it in 1964. A great song with a good beat … you can almost see the visuals to this in one of the Italian dramatic comedies of the early 60s.
E Quando Viene La Notte (Come The Night) – (Pace) – a dramatic one with a good beat.
Non Lasciamoci (Only Love Can Break A Heart) – (Bacharach-David-Pace) – his #2 from 1962. Very nice.
Johnny's third album for his new label, Columbia, in a year.
The album is groundbreaking in the Johnny Cash world …
It is his first concept album, though it is not a fully fledged concept album like some of his later albums. The songs aren't necessarily linked and the storytelling isn't as cohesive but the album does have a theme beyond just being a batch of old and newly written folk songs.
It is Cash's first folk album. It is not pure folk but it is as close to folk as Cash would come. Almost everything is written by Cash in an old style himself but he also adds some traditional material and occasional oldie like "Clementine" that fits perfectly with the rest of the songs. There are hints of gospel, country, cowboy songs and even old nursey rhymes but it all hangs together well as different aspects of life on the land or , :songs from our soil".. (Well, it's not part of my heritage but I have read John Steinbeck, William Faulkner and Erskine Caldwell so i get the picture)
His boom-chicka-boom sound is preserved but softened and pop-ified somewhat. The introduction of occasional piano and backing vocals (by The Jordanaires) fill out the sound but don't compromise Cash's aesthetic.
Columbia, no doubt, encouraged him to do this album though with some pop concessions like using Elvis' backing vocalists the Jordanaires and having Johnny's voice crisp and deep in the centre of everything. Johnny was going down this path but , I suspect, Columbia would have been happy. The folk boom was beginning to take off – The Kingston Trio were big in the charts and The Weavers, despite being banned, were very popular. The format of a loose concept album also was proven – Marty Robbins had put out an album of country Hawaiian flavoured songs in 1957 ("Songs of the Islands") and Burl Ives and Oscar Brand had put out numerous "themed" albums. Likewise, story songs were very popular – Johnny Horton was riding high in the charts ina style not dissimilar from Johnnt Cs. It was for them a no brainer. As long as Johnny was churning out material of good quality they were happy.
And he was.
So a folk-ish, country-ish pop album about life on the land, in particular the struggles of life on the land was given the green light.
But when you dig deep you see something unsettling. There is a lot of death on this album:
"As many have noted, the album is filled with death. His mother dies (Don’t Step on Mother’s Roses), his father dies (again, Roses), his grandfather dies (Grandfather’s Clock), a native warrior threatens murder (Old Apache Squaw), a carousing miner is murdered behind a saloon on the eve of his wedding (Clementine), three prospectors thirst to death in the desert (Hank and Joe and Me), a cemetery caretaker ponders his forthcoming lonely death (The Caretaker), and it’s all rounded with a meditation on the return of Christ (The Great Speckled Bird). Other songs offer little cheeriness. The farm gets flooded (Five Feet High and Rising), the family ponders asking the rich man in town for help as they starve (The Man on the Hill), and a sailor gets homesick (I Want to Go Home)". https://raisemyglasstothebside.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/album-review-songs-of-our-soil-johnny-cash/
Cash himself said in his "Man in Black" biography that at the time his growing amphetamine and barbiturate dependence caused him to dwell on issues of death. Did that affect his songwriting? I think there is too much pop psychiatry is such assertions … any album dealing with songs of the land, workers and poor people isn't going to be about cocktail parties and soirees. Death and dying are going to be featured in any album with that theme. To exclude it would be disingenuous. It is how you approach the subject that counts …
And despite the darkness there is hope in his voice and a bounce in the music which is not just a concession to pop. There is optimism there and the belief that there is something better around the corner.
What is most convincing is Johnny's voice.
He may be stiffer than he was on his first album for Columbia "The Fabulous Johnny Cash" (1958) and less inspired than on his second "Hymns by Johnny Cash" (1959) but his stiffness could be a stoicness in the face of the material. After all you are telling real life stories (no doubt) of living and dying and Johnny's direct baritone is perfect for that.
Johnny has written songs to cover all aspects of the land (and added some traditional material or oldies that fit in). And, he never did waste time getting to the point. His songs are excellent little dramas in music. They are stories with beginnings and ends and what strikes you most is they communicate so much even though most are under three minutes long … though, at times, you do wish they were a little longer if for no other reason than the mood they create..
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Drink To Me – (Cash) – The song is an adaptation of the old English song “Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes” which was based on a 1616 poem by Ben Jonson derived from Greek verses by Philostratus. On the album "Personal File" Cash revealed that it was the first song he ever performed publicly for a high school event. Quite a pretty song.
Five Feet High and Rising – (Cash) – a fantastic song. Both funny and dramatic and very catchy.
The Man on the Hill – (Cash) – a farming family thinks of asking rich man in town for help as they starve. Cheery (not).
Hank and Joe and Me – (Cash) – echoes of "Cool Water" here a cowboy-ish song where everybody dies. It's a hoot because it's slightly surreal given it's subject matter and the Jordanaires backing vocals echoing the narrator.
Clementine – (Billy Mize, Buddy Mize) – A variation on the "Oh My Darling Clementine" theme given a newer twist co-written by country singer Billy Mize
I Want to Go Home – (Traditional) – known to most people as "Sloop John B". The Kingston Trio recorded the song in 1958 as "The John B. Sails" but it goes back to the 1920s. Okay, The Beach Boys version (1966) is the best but this is pretty nifty also. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloop_John_B
The Caretaker – (Cash) – a caretaker in a cemetery … perfect subject for a song? Actually, after observing many a funeral the cemetery caretaker ponders his forthcoming lonely death.
Old Apache Squaw – (Cash) – an Native American tale which prefigures his later Native American album "Bitter Tears" from 1964.
Don't Step On Mother's Roses – (Cash) – a sad song about a boy thinking about his deceased mother but gaining strength from the roses she planted. Beautiful.
My Grandfather's Clock – (Henry Clay Work) – A grandfather and a tall clock are one in the same, metaphorically speaking. This is an old song dating back to 1876 that, apparently, was so popular that the tall clock became known as the "grandfather clock". There you've learnt something. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Grandfather%27s_Clock
It Could Be You (Instead of Him) – (Vic McAlpin) – McAlpin was a professional songwriter based in Nashville. I think this may be the first recording of this song. A gospel type song with a great message and perfect Jordanaires backing.
And …
Marvellous … It creeps up on you. I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1959 Five Feet High And Rising Country Singles #14
1959 Five Feet High And Rising The Billboard Hot 100 #76
And why not, when this album was released in 1976 country music was all over the pop charts.
Country singers were regularly cracking the pop charts, country rock acts were in abundance, original rock n rollers were returning to their country roots, and trad popular artists were incorporating country sounds or at least putting out the odd country flavoured album.
Guy Mitchell and Dean Martin had already flirted with country sounds in the 60s and early 70s. Bing had a crack even earlier than that. Even Frank Sinatra flirted with some country sounds in the late 1960s. But by the 70s it was normal to pack up and record in Nashville (or bring Nashville to you?) as albums by Andy Williams ("You Lay So Easy On My Mind", 1974), Al Martino ("Country Style", 1973) and Perry Como ("Perry Como In Nashville", 1975) suggest.
And importantly Rod's temperament if not his style was distinctly "country".
As the liner notes to this album say:
Rod McKuen and country music – the two are rarely connected in the minds of those who appreciate the work of the world’s best loved poet. But Rod’s love of and affinity for country & western flavored songs is a long standing one. His collection of c&w records must be one of the largest in or out of Nashville and his own music and lyrics frequently echo his love of the country style. And McKuen songs are no strangers to the world of country music… witness some of the leading artists in the field who have performed them: Glen Campbell, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, Bobby Goldsboro, Tom T. Hall, Tommy Roe, Waylon Jennings, Lynda K. Lance, Roy Clark, Johnny Cash, Bobby Wright, Don Cherry, Skeeter Davis, The Nashville Brass, Floyd Cramer, Hoyt Axton, The Anita Kerr Singers, Jimmie Rodgers, Leroy Van Dyke, Hank Williams, Jr. – just to name a few (can Loretta Haggers be far behind?)
It is noteworthy that nearly all these performers listed also write themselves, so they really have to like another writer’s work to perform it.
Rod McKuen and country? Right at home! He’s exactly where he should be. Exactly where you should be too. Join him there… in McKuen Country.
Rod's songs are perfectly suited to country singer … lost love, times past, home, regrets, loneliness, fear of loneliness, general melancholia but that doesn't mean country music suits Rod.
You would think that Rod's growl of a voice would be perfectly suited for country but it's not. He is to urban and in any event country singers aren't grizzled in the voice usually, just in appearance, occasionally.
When Rod tries to sing to the style he moves out of his range and the song doesn't work. The melodies and pace don't always match the vocals, as if his voice was trying to catch up to the music.
But when he nails it, usually on songs which hint at country, his songs are beautifully evocative in the typically Rod way.
And, luckily, most songs are done in Rod's normal voice, tempo and persona with country sounds to provide atmosphere, and even then some of that is very low key. And that is saying something – check out (in the trivia section at the end) the powerhouse musicians playing session for Rod. A weird group. The album was recorded in few places .. a pity it would have been (surreally) great to see all these people in the same studio at the same time.
The "country" in this album comes from the themes that Rod loves using and those themes are what made the songs attractive to country singers in the first place, as noted in the liner notes above.
Full circle.
The covers generally fit in with the originals whilst the originals are, mainly, updated songs Rod had previously done but has now given a county feel. And, I'm not sure the "brand new" compositions aren't actually dusted off old songs either but it doesn't matter in the least.
Central to Rod's music is the message and his telling of the message.
Check out my other entries for biographical details.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Silver Threads And Golden Needles – (Dick Reynolds, Jack Rhodes) – The song was first recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956 but English pop group The Springfields (with Dusty Springfield) had a #20 with it in 1962 (the first single by a British group to reach the American Billboard top 20). Recorded by everyone, Linda Ronstadt also had a country Top 20 (#20, #67 pop US ) with it in 1974. This is just plain weird with chirpy female backing vocals over Rod's gruff grizzle. The standout is some very quirky guitar work. It isn't a total success but it it tickles me.
Hello Heartaches – (Rod McKuen) – originally from the 1968 film "Joanna" but sung by Barbara Kay. "Heartaches" is a typically country motif and works here.
My Old Man – (Rod McKuen) – Originally recorded for RCA in the 60s, here updated. Quite a bouncy song given that McKuen's father had deserted his mother before he was born. Undeniably catchy though.
My Friend – (Hans Hammerschmid, Hildegard Knef, Rod McKuen) – around this period McKuen wrote a few songs with Hans and actress Hildegard … "We Live On Islands" on his "Sleep Warm" album from 1975. Strings added to the instruments. This is unusual as it comes across as a European ballad with country overtones, which is what it is, I suppose. It also has a downbeat twist … also very European, perhaps.
Sunshine – (Rod McKuen) – A beautiful song with some great lyrics.
Long, Long Time – (Gary White) – Linda Ronstadt had a #25 pop hit with this in 1970. Another beautiful song done beautifully by Rod.
I'm Coming Home – (Rod McKuen) – originally done for the film " Lisa, Bright And Dark" from 1973. Rod is perfectly happy here and it works.
Side Two
Guess I'd Rather Be In Colorado – (Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert) – The writers are husband and wife and members of the Starlight Vocal Band. They were friends from the folk scene with John Denver and co-wrote with him " Take Me Home, Country Roads". That and this song are taken from Denver's 1971 album " Poems, Prayers & Promises". This with it's gentle country folk lop works.
ChesterCounty – (Anita Kerr, Rod McKuen) – co-written with regular co-writer arranger and singer Kerr. Another winner. Gentle, though not quite country despite the themes.
Rose – (Rod McKuen) – More country themes about a working family with mother, Rose, at its center. Quite jarring given the bounce and light hearted feel but tragic subject matter.
The Story Of My Life – (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – A early song by the hit writing pair which was a 1957 hit for US country singer Marty Robbins (#1 country, #15 pop US). A great song done respectably by Rod.
The Summer's Long – (Rod McKuen) – Originally recorded in the late 1960s and then the song was given to (and recorded, perhaps, by) Summer's Children (a duo of Curt Boettcher and Victoria Winston). Quite beautiful. Recorded live in Denver, Colorado at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Help Me Make It Through The Night – (Kris Kristofferson) – The great Kristofferson song released on his debut self titled album from 1970. Sammi Smith had the hit with it in 1971 (#1 country, #8 pop US) but it was covered extensively including, by, Elvis Presley (1971), Joan Baez (1971), Willie Nelson (#4 country 1980 US). A good reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_Me_Make_It_Through_the_Night
The World I Used To Know – (Rod McKuen) – Originally done by Rod on his "Seasons In The Sun" album from 1964. A great McKuen song whichever way he does it.
Musicians: Banjo – Pete Seeger, Roy Clark / Bass – Clyde Hoggan / Guitar – Barry McGuire, Big Jim Sullivan, Billy Strange, Dave Koonse, Don Costa, Glen Campbell, John Morrell, Rod McKuen, Roy Clark, Sneaky Pete / Harmonica – Tommy Morgan / Oboe – David Sherr / Piano – Leslie Pearson, Lincoln Mayorga, Paul Smith, Pete Jolly / Chorus Master – Evangeline Carmichael, Mike Sams / Producer – Rod McKuen, Wade Alexander
Recorded In Nashville, Chattanooga, and Memphis, Tennessee; Los Angeles & Bakersfield, California; and London. Side 2 Song 5 was recorded live in Denver, Colorado at the Red Rocks Amphitheater
The Skyliners were a white American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh. The original line-up was: Jimmy Beaumont (lead), Janet Vogel (soprano), Wally Lester (tenor), Jackie Taylor (bass voice, guitarist), Joe Verscharen (baritone).
In 1956 Joe Rock (aged 20), an ABC promotion man, was visiting an Italian social club at Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, A capella vocal groups with a black sound were big. That night Rock saw a young teen group called The Montereys that included Jimmy Beaumont (aged 16, almost) . Rock was impressed by Beaumont's vocals and lured him to another group he managed called The Crescents and with the addition of a couple of people from another group, The Eirios, they became The Skyliners who went on to have hits in the late 50s including "Since I Don't Have You" (1959, #2) and 1960 "Pennies From Heaven" (1960, #24).
They released two albums (though the later was a rehash of the earlier one). That group broke up in the 1964.
Original member Jack Taylor, with Joe Rock’s permission, re-launched The Skyliners in 1965 with a new group of singers released a song and broke up.
In 1970, Jimmy Beaumont, Janet Vogel Rapp, Lester, and VerScharen reformed to tour and record. They recorded this album and promoted themselves. They appeared on the oldies revival and doo-wop revival circuit for several years before breaking up in 1976.
But that's not the end, Jimmy Beaumont formed Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners in the 1990s with Nick Pociask, Dick Muse, and Donna Groom to appear on doo-wop tours and television specials.
And they are still out there somewhere.
The Skyliners were among the more dramatic, theatrical white doo-wop groups and, oddly, weren't made up of (predominantly) either Italians or Jewish types. Their one enduring moment is "Since I Don't Have You" but this album, late in the piece (and which I did not know about), intrigued me, so I forked out $4.
The band have cast off any doo-wop stylings.
This is pure vocal group MOR sunshine pop (google this blog for "sunshine pop" definitions).
The album was recorded in 1970 but sounds 1969. You could here this music on any number of inoffensive TV specials of the time but in it's own way it is quite beautiful. Of course, I'm partial to vocals and vocal groups.
Having said that there is a lot going on within the grooves. There are shared lead vocals between the male and female leads. There are tempo changes on some tracks suggesting jazz rock influences of Blood Sweat and Tears or Chicago Transit Authority. There is also a slight dreamy psych vibe over a few songs and an autumnal melancholy air over other tracks.
Well, it is on the Kama Sutra label (Brewer & Shipley, Lovin' Spoonful, Sopwith Camel).
Okay all those inflections are weighted down by middle of the road inoffensiveness but they do poke out enough to make the album quite distinctive, and lovely.
They sound like a a more white version of The Fifth Dimension, and there is nothing wrong with that.
You can see a chick in a mini skirt and an umbrella tiptoeing through Manhattan Park with the New York City skyline in the background …err, the cover art is alluding to that.
You are literally transported to that time and place.
I'm not sure where you would play it now … dinner party, nightclub, coffee shop … but I would like to give it a whirl and see what happens
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Once Upon A Time (Yesterday) – (Joe Rock / Jimmy Beaumont) – an excellent example of MOR sunshine pop.
Maybe I Could Have Loved You Better – (Joe Rock / Jimmy Beaumont) – dreamy and slightly trippy.
That's My World – (Joe Rock / Thom Davies) – a ballad.
Put A Little Love In Your Heart – (Randy Myers / Jackie DeShannon / Jimmy Holiday) – an interesting take on this song. It doesn't sound like the original at all but has it's own vibe with a black soul feel.
What's Your Plan – (Janet Vogel Rapp) – a ballad with horns and strings.
Side Two
The Thought Of Yesterday – (Jimmy Beaumont / Janet Vogel Rapp) – a groovy sunshine pop number with busy background.
Dry Your Eyes – (Joe Rock / Jimmy Beaumont) – lead vocals by Janet and it is quite catchy. Apparently originally done in 1967 but unreleased till here.
Make Mine As Good As Yours – (Jimmy Beaumont / Janet Vogel Rapp) – a group effort.
Always Something There To Remind Me – (Burt Bacharach / Hal David) – The great Bacharach and David song done by Dionne Warwick, Sandie Shaw and others. It works here also and is a little quirky.
And So It Goes – (Jimmy Beaumont / Janet Vogel Rapp / Joe Verscharen) – a busy song with enough layers to make Brian Wilson happy.
Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow – (Joe Rock / Jimmy Beaumont) – a dramatic ballad softened by strings. Well sung.
Produced by Jag Gerz (not an individual but Pittsburg locals, pop group and label mates The Jaggerz). The album was recorded at Don Elliott's Studio, N.Y. Oct.1970
I had not heard of Lori Lieberman before I googled her but she had a profile and has one again …
wikipedia: "Lori Lieberman (born November 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who accompanies herself on guitar and piano. She first came to public attention in the early 1970s with a series of albums on Capitol Records, one of which featured the first recording of "Killing Me Softly With His Song". After a long hiatus, she resumed her recording career in the mid-1990s … Of Jewish background, Lieberman, the middle sibling of three sisters, spent her childhood and adolescence travelling between California and Switzerland consequent to her father's career in chemical engineering. Though she has acknowledged the positive aspects of having an international upbringing, it is the drawbacks – a sense of alienation and not fitting in – that subsequently became a recurring motif on her albums, first apparent in "House Full of Women" (from Becoming) and "Straw Colored Girl" (from Straw Colored Girl) and most recently on the title track of her eleventh album, Bend Like Steel … Lieberman began singing and composing at a young age, simultaneously acquiring a taste for French singers and songwriters as well as American rock and pop music. The latter passion was fed by an older sister who would return from trips to the U.S. with albums by Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Leonard Cohen and Jefferson Airplane … Shortly after she returned to America to study in her late teens, Lieberman was signed to a production, recording and publishing deal struck between Capitol Records and songwriters Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel".
She released her first album in 1972. "Becoming" was her second release. She went on to release another three albums (and a Greatest Hits – without having a hit, aaahhh only the major labels would do that) before retiring from recording in 1978. She then sang on an animated cartoon series and wrote and recorded songs for the TV series "Fame" in the early 1980s.
She subsequently returned to music and has released eight albums since 1995.
Not bad, but her great claim to fame is she was the first to record "Killing Me Softly with His Song", on her first album, which was written by Gimbel & Fox. The song of course went to #1 with Roberta Flack in 1973 and then again to #1 with The Fugees in 1996. There was some minor controversy in where did the inspiration for the song come from. Lieberman said it comes from a poem she wrote after she saw Don McLean perform "Empty Chairs" live and that seems to have been the case.
Lieberman was a songwriter and, clearly, wanted to be in the singer songwriter mould. Gimbel (born 1927) & Fox (born 1940) were songwriters and had been around for years. Both, originally from New York had hooked up on the west coast and had been doing music in film and television.
I suspect they could read the market and saw there was money to be made from the new, young breed of singer-songwriters who were well represented by young females.
The album "Blue" Joni Mitchell had gone to #15 in the US, "Tapestry" for Carole King had gone to #1, and Judy Collins, Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, Jackie DeShannon, Linda Ronstadt, and Melanie had all had hits or near misses in the genre.
The trouble was Gimbel and Fox were neither young nor female.
In comes Lori.
Despite her songwriting ability Lori only managed to squeeze out the occasional song as Gimbel and Fox ran the show … writing, producing (and playing) on her first four albums.
There is nothing wrong with this depending on the arrangement and it was probably their contacts that got an unrecorded and untested 21 year old a contract with Capitol records.
They were benevolent svengalis. The music industry is full of them, amongst the autocratic dictators.
I've also read that Norman Gimbel was dating Lori (24 years his junior) at the time.
Well, that's svengali-like as well, if that is correct.
Without sales, and jaded perhaps, it is easy to see why Lori left the music industry the first time around.
But here, on "Becoming" we have a 22 year old in beautiful voice. Okay she didn't write the words but Gimbel and Fox writing for her must have drawn inspiration from her, and wrote songs to suit her and her temperament (and used any ideas she may have thrown up and clearly she has contributed). This would be second nature to guys who wrote for film and television … where a theme song, or jingle had to reflect the character or personality in the show. It's not a puppet / puppet master situation because one could not exist without the other, so close is the nexus between writer and performer.
The beauty of this is, like any group, the specific parts can concentrate on what they do best, and even though Lori has proven, subsequently, that she can write a song, her voice and emotive communicative skills are what is central.
The only problem is that there is, clearly, an attempt to tap into a market and Lori, accordingly, doesn't always sounds all that distinctive from others females in the same genre.
All songs by Gimbel (lyrics) and Fox (music).
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
I Go Along – not the strongest song to lead off.
Becoming – one of those "I'm woman, I have been put down, but I'm becoming stronger". A pretty good one at that even if it was written by blokes. Actually it's very good.
A House Full Of Women – a interesting song with a couple of tempo changes and mood changes. Both funky and singer-songwriter with some sharp lyrics about the men that hang off "a house full of women".
It Didn’t Come Easy – Shades of "Killing Me Softly" but not as distinctive.
No Way Of Knowing – well …so so.
Side Two
Someone Come And Take It – the first really bouncy tune but it's only so so.
Sweet Morning After – hmmmm, maybe Loris should have been allowed to include some of her own songs.
Eleazar – the religious epic …popular in the wake of "Jesus Christ Superstar". Not too bad.
The Seed First – some precious lyrics.
Song Of The Seventies – this is a nice jaunty piece done in the style of early 70s Jackie DeShannon. The lyrics are a bit obscure but the song isn't too bad.
And …
This chick is a real find but on this album, at least, everything's a little too calculated. Still, there are some great moments. Record a few and sell.
"Born in Los Angeles and raised in Switzerland, Lieberman says her father was a chemical engineer and her mother was a homemaker. She notes that her father, Kenneth Lieberman, invented “cottage cheese ceilings” (“the kind everyone hates now and wants to remove,” she jokes and relocated the family in Switzerland to take his business to an international level". http://www.princetoninfo.com/index.php/component/us1more/?key=09-22-2010Lieberman
Personnel: Lori Lieberman – vocals, acoustic guitar / John Guerin – drums / Dean Parks – guitar / Charles Fox – piano, keyboards, producer / Larry Carlton, Dennis Budimir, Ben Benay – guitar / Tom Scott, Bud Shank – saxophone / Max Bennett – bass / John Boyd – vocals / John Wilson – drums
I'm sure they like Trini throughout Latin America.
I know I like Trini.
A regular find in op shops crates he has become a firm favourite.
This Dallas born Hispanic American had his moment in the sun, his moment being ten or so years from about 1963 to 1973, but he is still popular today with audiences.
What is their not to like?
Most of his record oooze middle of the road go go hip sixties attitude. It wasn't cutting edge but it wasn't square. It was groovy music for squares.
Sixties production, sixties beat, sixties songs, covers of sixties songs, if you put this on you have people tapping their feet. Of course, there will be the difficult wanker asking you to play the original by Blind Melon Chitlin, more because they like to let everyone know they know who sang the original rather than a desire to actually hear it. But, that defeats the purpose because this music is tor toe tapping and dancing. The album is made to be played in toto as if you wre having a session (or romantic interlude) at a cabaret club . When you aren't dancing, you can sit back and tap your toe to a gentle beat, and conspire with friends or gaze into your chicks eyes.
Aahhhhh.
Trini was sliding by 1969. He was still well known, and still popular in clubs, with a TV special due to come out and a supporting role in a film, "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) behind him but with no recent chart success.
Someone thought it was time for a change and came up with the idea of teaming him up with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.
Boyce & Hart were on a roll. They had a #8 in 1968 with " I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" and had written and produced a number of hit songs for The Monkees, and had a knack for writing AM pop friendly tunes going back to the early 60s.
The trouble was, despite all attempts, even with Trini's acquiescence, to make Trini into an all round MOR pop entertainer, he was, at heart, a rock n roller from Texas. He loved the beat, he loved the 50s rock n roll rowdiness and he always seemed happiest belting out a tune to the point where it was almost going to topple over into a party jam session . On the slower songs he was best when channelling the emotion of the Hispanic music of his youth and wearing his heart on his sleeve when singing. These are the two Trini's at their happiest.
But, for a long time the rough edges were smoothed out and the emotion was toned down. Trini was compensated by a driving, groovy go go beat for the up-tempo numbers, a large selection of slow songs he could convincingly croon, and chart success..
Boyce & Hart with their ear for AM pop and bubblegum were wrong for Trini. But Boyce & Hart were no fools and neither was Trini. When you put genuine talent together, even when they may not quite fit they work out a way to make the other part conform or you come up with something a little, different.
And this is different. There is a lot of mainstream experimentation going on here. There is a fuzz bass, keyboards, crazed handclaps, tinkly guitars and all sorts of musical grunts and squeaks. This is Trini's acid pscyh album with experimentation on every other song. Okay, it's mainstream experimentation but it is pretty out there by today's standards. Even in 1969 it would have been quite a quirky departure for a mainstream artist. And, the mainstream doesn't like experimentation or quirkiness.
The album failed to chart.
But what a noble failure this is.
I'm not sure if you are getting the "whole enchilada" here but you are getting enough of it to keep you happy.
Probably because someone has slipped some peyote into it.
And you followed it with a glass of mezcal.
Check my other comments for biographical detail on Trini.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin' – (Gerry Marsden) – Gerry and The Pacemakers US#4 from 1964. Trini introduces the album and the song with "Hi everybody, this is Trini Lopez. We'd like to start this album off with one of our favourite tunes. I hope you can dig it … ". I can see why he is asking, pleading. An interesting fuzzed bass keeps the beat but it is odd, especially by Trini standards. This grows on you but I'm not sure why.
Sunshine Superman (Donovan)/Cry Like a Baby (Penn-Oldham) – A medley containing Donovan's US#1 (1966) and The Box Tops US #2 (1968). More fuzz which is still weird given the Donovan portion is supposed to be breezy before the medlet turns to a bouncy "Cry like a Baby. A weird combination.
Sunshine of Your Love – (Pete Brown / Jack Bruce / Eric Clapton) – Cream's US#5 (1968). It's not going to rival Cream but in its own way it's probably more "out there" and it is great.
SunshinePark – (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart) – an original. Nicely bouncy and catchy and surprisingly free of effects.
Laleña – (Donovan- Spanish lyrics Trini Lopez) – Donovan's US #33 (1968). Beautiful with English and Spanish lyrics. Heartfelt. Trini should have recorded more material like this.
Pata Cum Cum – (Jan Arlen) – no information on this writer but there was a female singer around in the early singers by the name of Jan Arlen that's all I know. In any event this is the "La Bamba" riff with associated whistles and whatnot that Trini would use in songs like "America", "If I had a Hammer " etc. Energetic and fun.
Side Two
I Heard It Through the Grapevine – (Barrett Strong / Norman Whitfield) – The great Creedence Clearwater Revival song. Ha. Just kidding, well I'm not but that version didn't come out till 1970. Marvin Gaye had a US #1 with this in 1968. This is a great soulful version. Perhaps the second best version.
I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite – (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart) – Boyce & Hart's US#7 of the previous year. Very poppy Monkees like, err pop.
What You Don't Know Won't Hurt You – (Larson-J.Marcellino-G.Marcellino) – Later done by Jackson 5 (1974). Strange, but again it grows on you. It seems that Trini may have been the first to record this?
Come a Little Bit Closer – (Tommy Boyce / Wes Farrell / Bobby Hart) – A US #3 for Jay and the Americans (1964). A great tune and Trini does it well with some great Spanish ad libs. It could have be an outtake from "West Side Story".
My Baby Loves Sad Songs – (Tommy Boyce / Bobby Hart) – A song Boyce & Hart also did on their 1969 album, " It's All Happening On The Inside". Another strange one with a strange bass horn of some sorts keeping the beat (courtesy of arranger Jimmy Haskell). Catchy, and Trini drops Reprise records founder, Frank Sinatra's name in ….
Without You – (Roy Durkee) – written by Durkee of Fire and Ice Ltd, a Hollywood soundtrack group. Quite haunting in that "Walk Away Renee" type of way.
I got this album recently and I knew absolutely nothing about the band and I only bought the record because the band were on the Elektra label from the early 70s.
And, like I have said, I will give anything a go on Elektra … well, anything up to about the mid-70s.
As it turns out it seems I have struck "gold" on paper, vinyl, paper, err on first impressions.
The band has a cult following, thought not from people at the time, but from record collectors subsequently or from people into early 70s prog country rock.
Cult or not there is little information out there on the band but there is a bit of detail on their pedigree …
Members, Danny Mansolino, Mike Rosa and Dave Palmer were from New Jersey garage band (and another cult favourite) The Myddle Class. Dave Palmer went on to some success as an early vocalist with Steely Dan. Kenny Pine was in The Fugs and Jerry Burnham had worked with acts like, The Strangers, James Taylor and The Flying Machine, Jake and the Family Jewels, and The Fifth Avenue Band.
They were probably formed in New York City though New Jersey is home ground and Martha's Vineyard, in Massachusetts comes up as a possible formation point.
The sound is country rock as was popular at the time though it is of a East Coast nature. We (or at least I) tend to associate country rock with California and the south-west and I think that is fair but there is a whole branch of country rock that came up through the sounds of the South, the Appalachian mountain country and up into the north-east of the United States. The Band, southern by nature (despite the overwhelming number of Canadians in the band) set up shop in upstate New York and there is something of the Catskill Mountains in their sound, at least there is when they are playing with Bob Dylan.
The country rock of the East is country rock but without all the familiar country rock stylings … it's older (and more old sounding like The Band), or, more urban with jazz, psych or funk sounds introduced, or, quirkier with more traditional or folk elements in the music, or, more humorous.
It's a bit of a hodgepodge as you would expect form any music overflowing into the country surrounds from the melting pots that are New York City or Boston. What is important is the "feel" of the country … the sense that there was an escape (real or imagined) from the cities in which most of the bands, no doubt, resided and gigged in.
Arlo Guthrie, James Taylor, Rowan Brothers, later Seatrain, early Dr Hook also play in this "rural rock" paddock.
The Quinaimes Band (a naff name) are a good example of this. There are country stylings, with psych and rock elements or are they rock with psych and country elements?.
Either way they come across as a cross between The Band, The Byrds, The Statler Brothers, Al Kooper, and maybe Steppenwolf.
There is a multitude of styles in here but they are all merged which is good and bad. I hate the band that plays each song in a different style … that's just a covers band. The Quinaimes are not that. They have their style and their sound with each song merging elements of all of their core sounds … there is a lot going on … maybe too much. For me, it's fun but for the casual listener it may be too much. Hey, I'm not better than anyone else, I'm just saying this is a potpourri of influences played in virtuoso style and part of the fun is in deciphering it.
Recorded in New York City, this was their only album.
It is of its time but as I have said before, if you like that time and you like that sound then so what?
And whatever goes around …
The sound has come back. Not mainstream but certainly, around the edges of music. Quirky alt country, as I write is everywhere , at least it in Brisbane (and Australia generally … we are following the American lead)
The album included collaborations of some great session musicians such as Danny Kortchmar, Richard Greene among others.
All tracks by Danny Mansolino, David Palmer unless noted.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
Try Me One More Time – (David Bromberg) – written by singer-songwriter Bromberg though he didn't release a version till 2007. A gently humorous song as you would expect from Bromberg with some chicken scratching guitar you would expect from Dr Hook.
Look To Yourself – quite different to the last tune. Slight funky psych elements introduced. A good tune but fark there is a lot going on here.
Green Rolling Hills Of West Virginia – (Bruce Phillips) – Written by political folksinger Utah Phillips The Quinaimes may have been the first to record it but the song is forever identified with the Phillips or Emmylou Harris who recorded it, and made it famous, in 1978 for her album "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town". This is an about face to the last track, a laid back ballad done in a laid back way with shades of The Byrds without their ethereal voices,
Visions Of Johanna – (Bob Dylan) – from Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" (1966) album. A great song and a beautiful cover.
Don't Take No – much The Band like from The Band circa 1971 not surprisingly. And, it's quite good. Actually, really good. I think the song may be about the band
Side Two
Love Brings The Best Out In A Man – (Gus Andrews) – I don't have any detail on who Gus Andrews is. A Grams Parsons like country rock song. Very well done.
Don't Knock – (Roebuck "Pops" Staples, Wesley Westbrook) – a gospel done by the Staples Singers in 1960. Interesting.
Tell Me What You See From There – A gentle Blood Sweat and Tears vibe going on hear without he big sound.
Queequeg (Roll Them Bones) – A good old country thumper, piano and keyboards up front with 50s influences.
Falling Star – A country rock ballad. Perfect for late nights.
Recording:Electric Lady Studios,New York,NY The Record Plant
Produced by Zachary. Production supervisor Jac Holzman.
The Quinaimes Band: David Palmer – Vocals / Jerry Burnham – Bass, Fiddle, Vocals / Danny Mansolino – Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Vocals / Kenny Pine – Guitar, Vocals / Mike Rosa – Drums
Guest Musicians: Richard Greene – Fiddle, Violin / Richard Grando – Saxophone / Allan "Jake" Jacobs – Guitar / Danny Kortchmar – Guitar / Daniel Ben Zebulon – Drums, Congas / Bill Keith – Pedal Steel Guitar
