People who long term regular readers of this blog, yes I know there are a couple of you, would know I am quite partial to Jay and the Americans.
This album is the first Jay and the Americans album.
There were two “Jay’s” (actually there is a third who tours with them now but did not record with them in the 60s) and this album is with the first Jay.
Check my other comments for background, biography and what not but, in short, this album and the hit single “She Cried’ it is named after feature the first Jay, Jay Traynor. After the two followed up singles tanked Traynor left to pursue a (very patchy) solo career.
He wasn’t the first lead vocalist to leave a vocal group and he would not be the last but he was probably the only one who didn’t leave at the best time possible. He really should have stuck around till the band was more established before leaving to give his solo career a better chance in the marketplace.
In any event, we have this album with him.
This era before the rise of the Beatles and the resurgence of American rock is often criminally overlooked, probably because it was predominantly pop rock focussed rather than rock n roll or R&B focussed.
Because of the focus there was a lot happening in the pop world (if not the rock ‘n’ roll world).
Pop vocalists and vocal groups were creating increasingly complex vocal arrangements to heighten the emotion the song wants to give rise too.
They were experimenting with production techniques to embellish their vocals and heighten the emotional resonance of a song.
Likewise, they were trying out increasingly complex musical arrangements that compliment and play off the voices, the pinnacle coming with Phil Spector and his wall of sound.
This is finely polished pop and because of its multi layered levels, inevitably, finely polished operatic pop.
And, if you don’t want to accept it as quite revolutionary then it must be accepted that it is quite experimental.
These white (usually first or generation migrant) kids predominantly from the urban rust belt States loved their doo wop music and took their inspirations from that and the rise of rock and roll. The merger of rock with trad pop and swing (by Bobby Darin, Pat Boone and others) gave them a world of tin pan alley material to draw from, material which was already written to tell stories of people and emotions. It was only a case of adding a beat or rock surliness and sensibilities to the same.
The style was given a giant boost by the hugely popular glorious pop operatic, classical music and tin pan alley singles put out by Elvis in the early 60s : “It’s Now or Never”, “Surrender”, “Wooden Heart”, “Can't Help Falling In Love”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” etc.
Symphonic rock and prog rock with classical pretentions were more than ten years away but, even baroque rock was seven years off but, here, rocking pop was already merging with classical music of eras past.
The success of these operatic pop songs sealed the direction these kids who could sing were going to go in.
“Kids who could sing” being the operative words.
It ran contrary to Bob Dylan and his well thought out lyrics or the beat of the Beatles with “their off-key caterwauling” (Thank you Mr Burns).
This was the voice as an instrument in music something which was not lost on Brian Wilson or Phil Spector.
This album is heavy on songs by Leiber and Stoller who also produce the album. The band were, at this stage, signed to Leiber and Stoller, who had worked in R&B and with Elvis, and had a vision of where to take this pop music. They dusted down some of their old songs and gave them a new 1962 uber pop sound. The other songs are all popular hits of the day and have been treated in the same fashion.
There is a single minded purpose to achieve this hyper emotional pop which makes all the songs hang together regardless of the original authors of original versions.
I suspect there is more Leiber and Stoller than Jay and the Americans in the sound here but the group had just been signed and had no muscles to flex.
And, in any event, it doesn’t matter as they were barking up the same tree.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
- Drums – (Leiber-Stoller) – perhaps first recorded by Jay and the Americans. A wonderful piece of early 60s vocal pop. Quite restrained and very catchy.
- Kansas City – (Leiber-Stoller) – First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield in 1952 this was a #1 hit (US pop) for Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" became one of Leiber and Stoller's most recorded tunes, with more than four hundred versions apparently, including versions by Little Richard (1955), the Beatles (1964), Bill Haley (1960), Peggy Lee (1962), Trini Lopez (1963, #23 US pop), The Everly Brothers (1965). I prefer this a little gruffer and with more beat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_(Leiber_and_Stoller_song)
- My Clair De Lune – (Leiber-Stoller) – a #68 Pop hit for trad popper Steve Lawrence in 1961. Quite romantic
- Save The Last Dance For Me – (Pomus-Shuman) – a #1 US (pop, R&B) hit for The Drifters in 1960. A great song. This is well sung but doesn't compare to the original. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Last_Dance_for_Me
- Dawning – (Powers-Barkan) – perhaps first recorded by Jay and the Americans. This was the B-side to "She Cried" and is a wonderful piece of 60s sub-operatic hyper emotional pop.
- She Cried – (Daryll-Richards) – the first version was by Teddy Daryll in 1961 who does the song as a low key sort of death ballad (without the death). Jay and the Americans take it somewhere else and have the hit with it (#5US). It is a glorious song and often covered by all sorts of acts (The Lettermen (1964), P.J. Proby (1965), Del Shannon (1965), Johnny Thunders (1988), Rowland S. Howard (1999)). More operatics in this excellent ballad. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_Cried
Side Two
- Yes – (Leiber-Stoller) – first recorded by Ben E King in early 1962. Nice but distinctive here.
- Stand By Me – (Leiber-Stoller) – a big hit for Ben E King in 1961 (#4US pop, #1 US R&B, #27 UK). A wonderful song done well but, again, it doesnt come close to the original. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_by_Me_(Ben_E._King_song)
- Moon River – (Mercer-Mancini) – written for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961) this was a big hit for Jerry Butler (#11 US pop 1961) and Henry Mancini himself in an instrumental version (also #11 US pop 1961). It has been recorded hundreds of times including well known versions by Andy Williams (1962), Connie Francis (1963), and Rod Stewart (2010). I love this song and this is a great version https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_River
- Tonight – (Sondheim-Bernstein) – The (rightly) well known song from the Broadway (1957) and film (1961) musical, "West Side Story". Despite the familiarity of the song tit never had great singles success. Ferrante & Teicher had an instrumental version in 1961 (#8 pop, #2 easy listening), and Eddie Fisher went to #44US pop, also in 1961. Notably, Andy Williams released a version on his 1962 album, “Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes” which also included the title song "Moon River". A great song and done well but the group vocals don't work as well as a solitary version in the more familiar versions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonight_(1956_song)
- The Other Girls – (Goldstein-Gluck) – the writers were Brill Building writers signed to Leiber & Stoller music. (Interestingly Goldsteinn's lightworks and multimedia work was recognized as an important influence on art, cinema, advertising, fashion, and retail display). A nice mid tempo ballad. The kind of thing Del Shannon could have nailed. Quite good.
- Spanish Harlem – (Leiber-Stoller) – A hit for Ben E King in 1960 (US #15 R&B, US #10 Pop). Perhaps the best of the three Ben E King covers on this album, but then, it's a great song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Harlem_(song)
And …
Not as distinctive as later Jay and the Americans albums but on the songs that are not covers there are the indications of their sound they would perfect. Still, a very enjoyable album … I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1961 Tonight #120 US Pop
1962 She Cried #5 US Pop
1962 Yes – fail to chart
Album
—
England
nothing
Sounds
Drums
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_JnCUTuvY
Kansas City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBN4NCTIsDY
My Claire De Lune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECTv99FDd9c
Dawning
mp3 attached
She Cried
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBpm8tITIiE
Yes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN54jhbozBg
Stand By Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcz7DdLTa3w
Moon River
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwrMgLDf42E
Tonight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40OoJrzf9Ho
Spanish Harlem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBEZLbOGpV4
Others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sFy5_kmEi4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lRsmyRJg8
The Spanish version of “Come a Little Bit Closer’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBGJcz0_GLY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pq5XvsJdtQ
Review
https://www.allmusic.com/album/she-cried-mw0000838332
Bio
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jay-the-americans-mn0000809058/biography
http://www.jayandtheamericans.net/pages/trilogy.htm
http://worldjournal-gs.blogspot.com/2007/03/first-jay-and-americans.html
https://jewishjournal.org/2018/03/30/jay-and-the-americans-began-as-four-jewish-boys-from-brooklyn/
Website
http://www.jayandtheamericans.net/index.htm
Trivia
- The whole group (including the producers) except Jay Traynor (I think) is Jewish
