Happy or Manic -- Your Choice!

It's a 1987 release.

01. Let Me Call You Sweetheart / Some of These Days / Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet (3:36)

02. The Bantam Step (2:34)

03. Fluffy Ruffles (2:31)

04. Good Gravy Rag (2:17)

05. Triangle Jazz Blues (1:31)

06. Piano Tuners Walk Away Rag (3:06)

07. Maple Leaf Rag (3:14)

08. Take Me Out to the Ballgame (2:22)

09. There's a Tavern in the Town (1:11)

10. Dill Pickles Rag (1:54)

11. Put Your Arms Around Me Honey / Come Josephine in My Flying Machine / Chinatown, My Chinatown (3:35)

12. The Band Played On / East Side West Side / Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie (3:08)

13. At a Georgia Camp Meeting (2:39)

14. Hello My Baby / In the Good Old Summertime / My Gal Sal (3:49)

15. Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland (2:02)

16. I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy / Shine on Harvest Moon / By the Light of the Silvery Moon (2:41)

I assume we reach the count of 26 by adding the medley elements?  I didn't try.

This is way too artificial to me!  We got an aggressively semi-tuned piano, and some very cheesy sound effects via wood blocks, wheezing whistles, and the like.  Something played bass in a couple of cuts, sounding to me like an oompahing tuba.

All I can say is, if this is good as your memories get, I pity you.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Monday, if you haven't been checked into a rubber room after listening!

  

I'll Say It's So Jo!

It's a fine anthology of a wonderful singer from the Big Band era.

DISC ONE:

01 - Little Man with a Candy Cigar - Jo Stafford With Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - 1941

02 - Haunted Heart - Jo Stafford - 1948

03 - If - Jo Stafford - 1950

04 - In a Little Spanish Town (T'was on a Night Like This) - The Pied Pipers Feat. Jo Stafford - 1939

05 - April and You - Jo Stafford & Liberace - 1953

06 - Where Are You - Jo Stafford - 1953

07 - The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers Feat. Jo Stafford - 1944

08 - I'll Remember April - Jo Stafford - 1958

09 - Blues In The Night - Jo Stafford, The Starlighters - 1959

10 - Floatin' Down to Cotton Town - Jo Stafford & Frankie Laine - 1953

11 - Every Night When the Sun Goes In - Jo Stafford, The Starlighters - 1959

12 - The Night We Called It a Day - Jo Stafford - 1963

13 - The Gentleman Is a Dope (from Allegro) - Jo Stafford - 1958

14 - My Darling, My Darling (from Where's Charley) - Gordon MacRae, Jo Stafford, The Starlighters - 1949

15 - Young and Foolish (from Plain & Fancy) - Jo Stafford - 1955

16 - Tomorrow Mountain (from Beggar's Holiday) - Jo Stafford - 1958

17 - (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me) - Jo Stafford,Norman Luboff Choir - 1953

18 - Teardrops from My Eyes - Jo Stafford & Gene Autry - 1950

19 - Dancing in the Dark (from The Bandwagon) - Jo Stafford, The Starlighters - 1952

20 - Love Is Here to Stay (from The Goldwyn Follies) - Jo Stafford - 1953

21 - The Gypsy in My Soul - Jo Stafford And Art Van Damme Quintet - 1956

22 - Imagination - Jo Stafford - 1960

23 - If I Were a Bell - Jo Stafford - 1953

24 - No Other Love - Jo Stafford - 1963

25 - You're Blase (from Bow Bells) - Jo Stafford & Paul Weston (as Jonathan & Darlene Edwards) - 1957

DISC TWO:

01 - You and Your Love - Jo Stafford - 1943

02 - As I Love You - Jo Stafford - 1955

03 - Teach Me Tonight - Jo Stafford - 1954

04 - When April Comes Again - Jo Stafford - 1950

05 - St. Louis Blues - Jo Stafford - 1955

06 - Good Nite - Jo Stafford - 1957

07 - Make the Man Love Me (from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) - Jo Stafford - 1951

08 - Warm All Over (from The Most Happy Fella) - Jo Stafford - 1956

09 - The Best Things in Life Are Free (from Good News) - Jo Stafford - 1947

10 - One (based on One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story) - Jo Stafford - 1957

11 - These Foolish Things (Remind Me oOf You) - Jo Stafford and Art Van Damme Quintet - 1956

12 - The Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (from Here Comes The Groom) - Jo Stafford & Frankie Laine - 1951

13 - The Nearness of You - Jo Stafford - 1956

14 - Smoking My Sad Cigarette - Jo Stafford - 1952

15 - The Party's Over (from Bells Are Ringing) - Jo Stafford - 1969

16 - The Folks Who Live on the Hill - Jo Stafford - 1960

17 - A Thought in My Heart - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae - 1949

18 - Yes, Indeed! - Jo Stafford - 1941

19 - I'm Your Girl (from Me & Juliet) - Jo Stafford - 1953

20 - When I'm Not Near the Boy I Love (from Finian's Rainbow) - Jo Stafford - 1965

21 - Whispering Hope - Jo Stafford - 1978

22 - Shenandoah - Jo Stafford - 1961

23 - What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry - Jo Stafford - 1960

24 - I'll Be Seeing You - Jo Stafford - 1958

25 - Candy - Jo Stafford - 1960

26 - The Last Time I Saw Paris (from Lady Be Good) - Jo Stafford - 1960

DISC THREE:

01 - All The Things You Are (from Very Warm for May) - Jo Stafford - 1952

02 - If I Loved You (from Carousel) - Jo Stafford - 1947

03 - What Is This Thing Called Love (from Wake Up & Dream) - The Pied Pipers Feat. Jo Stafford - 1969

04 - Come Rain or Come Shine (from St. Louis Woman) - Jo Stafford - 1952

05 - With These Hands - Nelson Eddy & Jo Stafford - 1951

06 - Use Your Imagination (from Out Of This World) - Jo Stafford - 1950

07 - Three-Cornered Tune - Jo Stafford - 1951

08 - It Happened in Sun Valley (from Sun Valley Serenade) - Jo Stafford, The Starlighters - 1956

09 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Jo Stafford - 1953

10 - Oh! Look at Me Now - Jo Stafford - 1963

11 - Ghost of a Chance - Jo Stafford feat. Warren Covington, trombone - 1967

12 - My Heart's in the Highlands - Jo Stafford feat. Mitch Miller, oboe & English horn - 1953

13 - My One and Only Highland Fling (from The Barcleys of Broadway) - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae - 1949

14 - I Didn't Know About You - Jo Stafford with The Pied Pipers - 1944

15 - Indiscretion (from Indiscretion of an American Wife) - Jo Stafford & Liberace - 1953

16 - Old Devil Moon (from Finian's Rainbow - Jo Stafford - 1957

17 - For You - Jo Stafford With Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - 1941

18 - Silence Is Golden - Jo Stafford, Vic Damone - 1957

19 - The King of Paris - Jo Stafford, Norman Luboff Choir - 1956

20 - I Should Care - Jo Stafford - 1958

21 - Stardust - Jo Stafford - 1950

22 - I See Your Face Before Me (from Between the Devil) - Jo Stafford - 1965

23 - You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford - 1952

24 - Stayin' Alive (from Saturday Night Fever) - Jo Stafford & Paul Weston (as Jonathan & Darlene Edwards) - 1979

25 - I Am Woman - Jo Stafford & Paul Weston (as Jonathan & Darlene Edwards) - 1979

DISC ONE PERMANENT LINK.

DISC TWO PERMANENT LINK.

DISC THREE PERMANENT LINK.

THIS  LINKFOR ALL THREE DISCS GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

Happy listening!  See you Monday.

  

Great Country, So-So Album

That's my capsule review.   Details:

01. The Pledge of Allegiance (0:31)

02. Star Spangled Banner (2:06)

03. Liberty Fanfare (4:17)

04. America (3:17)

05. This Is My Country (4:08)

06. City of New Orleans (4:34)

07. Doodletown Fifers (4:21)

08. God Bless America (4:06)

09. Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy (2:39)

10. This Land Is Your Land (2:33)

11. The Gettysburg Address (5:38)

12. America, We're Proud to Serve (4:26)

13. America the Beautiful (5:06)

14. 1812 Overture (15:38)

15. The Stars and Stripes Forever (3:35)

Track One is ruined by some moron adding reverb to the kids’ recitation of our pledge. The other tracks live up to the broad intent of “pops.” For example, there’s probably no way to perform “This Is My Country” without it sounding campy.

“America the Beautiful” starts out schmaltzy, but wins you over by the end. The grand old “1812” would be better served without the cannon sounds, whether live or dubbed. They’re mushy sounding. And I wish they had taken the training wheels off of “The Stars and Stripes Forever”! Instead of pepping up for the big repeat at the end, the thing slows down like the orchestra ran out of steam.

Overall, this is not the best advertising for a post-Williams version of the Pops.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

This wraps up 2025's JULY SPOCKEBRATION.  See you on Monday for a month of music comps!

  

Some Say the Greatest

But what would HE say?

01. Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land (2:44)

02. Cisco Houston - Do Re Mi (2:35)

03. The Weavers - So Long - It's Been Good to Know Yuh (2:27)

04. Odetta - Pastures of Plenty (4:05)

05. Cisco Houston - Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) (4:40)

06. Cisco Houston - 900 Miles (3:26)

07. Country Joe McDonald - Roll on Columbia (3:28)

08. Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston - Hard, Ain't It Hard (2:48)

09. Woody Guthrie - Dirty Overalls (1:58)

10. Woody Guthrie - (Take Me) Riding in My Car (1:52)

11. Cisco Houston - Ship in the Sky (1:51)

12. The Weavers - The Sinking of the Reuben James (2:46)

13. Odetta - Rambling Round Your City (4:05)

14. Cisco Houston - Jesus Christ (2:26)

15. Country Joe McDonald - When the Curfew Blows (2:18)

16. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - 1913 Massacre (3:52)

17. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott - Talking Fish Blues (3:28)

18. Cisco Houston - Curly Headed Baby (3:08)

19. The Weavers - Jackhammer John (2:38)

20. Odetta - The Great Historical Bum (2:01)

21. Joan Baez - Pretty Boy Floyd (4:24)

22. Jim Kweskin - Buffalo Skinners (5:30)

23. Woody Guthrie with Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry - Hard Travelin' (2:12)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

As you might imagine, for this album we’re in full-on worship mode of Ye Greate Folke Singer ande Troubadoure.

PERMANENT LINK.

Decide for yourself how much these treatments vary from your ideal.  See you on Thursday!

  

No Need to Be Beastly Anymore!

It's a 1995 release of some nifty WWII-era songs.

01. Helen Forrest, Harry James and His Orchestra - I Don't to Walk Without You, Baby (2:55)

02. Kay Kyser - Praise the Lord & Pass the Ammunition (2:34)

03. Jo Stafford - There Are Such Things (3:01)

04. Rod McKuen - I Fall in Love Too Easily (3:08)

05. Vera Lynn - The White Cliffs of Dover (3:04)

06. Soviet Army Chorus & Drum Corps - Katyuska, Towards the Unknown March (2:21)

07. Lena Horne - You Don't Have to Know the Language (2:57)

08. The Andrews Sisters - Pennsylvania Polka (2:49)

09. Elton Britt - There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere (2:44)

10. Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians - The Marine's Hymn (2:33)

11. Noel Coward - Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans (3:13)

12. Ambrose & Anne Shelton - Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer (2:49)

13. Paul Weston & His Orchestra, Jo Stafford - I'll Be Seeing You (3:32)

14. The Soviet Army Big Band - The Allies March (1:45)

After hundreds of hours adoring songs of the big-band era, I had honestly never before heard Tracks Seven or Eleven.  Of course, like all normal types, I would have been glad to go on not hearing Rod McKuen’s breathy, weepy exhalations.

Tracks Six and Fourteen, songs by our OTHER allies in WWII, are interesting too.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

  

See you on Monday for our final week of this year's JULY SPOCKEBRATION!

  

It's All Rigged, I Tell Ya!

This 1988 release is fun and peppy.

01. Blow Ye Winds (1:15)

02. Away Rio (2:20)

03. Heave Away Me Johnnys (1:56)

04. Maid of Amsterdam (A' Rovin') (1:24)

05. Shenandoah (2:13)

06. Staten Island Hornpipe (1:44)

07. Boston Harbor (1:06)

08. Black-Eyed Susan (3:03)

09. Blow the Man Down (1:39)

10. Steamboat (1:12)

11. Bold Riley (2:08)

12. Sailor's Hymn (Eternal Father) (1:38)

13. Strike the Bell (1:31)

14. Bound for South Australia / New York Girls (2:32)

15. Rollin' Down to Old Maui (2:41)

16. I'm Bound Away / Lord Franklin (4:08)

17. Off to Sea Once More (1:43)

18. Ripples of Music (1:31)

19. Leaving of Liverpool (2:12)

20. Spanish Ladies / Admiral Benbow (1:38)

21. Baltimore Clipper (4:30)

22. The Water Is Wide / Skye Boat Song (2:31)

23. Under the Bridge (3:36)

Make sure to mail in the customer survey, too.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya on Thursday, swabbies!

  

Even Though the White Cliffs Aren't in the USA ...

... these songs from the WWII era are still vital to the American experience!

A few years ago I shared one tape of the cassette release.  I later came across the whole anthology.

The White Cliffs Of Dover, disc 1:

01 - Now Is the Hour - Bing Crosby

02 - It Had to Be You - Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest

03 - I Can't Begin to Tell You - Harry James and His Orchestra with Betty Grable

04 - Always - Deanna Durbin

05 - Love Letters - Dick Haymes with Victor Young and His Orchestra

06 - Sleepy Lagoon - Harry James and His Orchestra

07 - Auf Wiedersehn, Sweetheart - Vera Lynn

08 - I'll Be Seeing You - Jo Stafford

09 - Sleepy Time Gal - Harry James and His Orchestra

10 - As Time Goes By - Dooley Wilson

11 - Embraceable You - Jimmy Dorsey

12 - By the Light of the Silv'ry Moon - Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Snooky Lanson and the Boys

13 - The Gypsy - The Ink Spots

14 - Seems Like Old Times - Guy Lombardo

15 - Give Me Five Minutes More - Tex Beneke with The Miller Orchestra

16 - My Devotion - Vaughn Monroe and His Orcestra

17 - Serenade in Blue - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires

18 - Deep Purple - Larry Clinton and His Orchestra with Bea Wain

19 - That Old Feeling - Shep Fields and His Ripping Rhythm Orchestra with Bob Goday

20 - You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To - Dinah Shore

21 - That Old Black Magic - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Skip Nelson and the Modernaires

The White Cliffs Of Dover, disc 2:

01 - Dancing in the Dark - Artie Shaw and His Orchestra02 - Miss You - Dinah Shore with Orchestra

03 - Marie - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Jack Leonard

04 - I Think of You - Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Frank Sinatra

05 - My Buddy - Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye with Tommy Ryan

06 - Lili Marlene - Perry Como

07 - Something to Remember You By - Dinah Shore with Orchestra

08 - To Each His Own - Eddy Howard and His Orchestra

09 - My Prayer - The Ink Spots

10 - Peg o' My Heart - Harmonicats

11 - Maria Elena - Jimmy Dorsey

12 - Mam'selle - Art Lund

13 - Mexicali Rose - Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra

14 - La Vie En Rose - Édith Piaf

15 - I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire - The Ink Spots

16 - Where Or When - Guy Lombardo

17 - Linda - Buddy Clark with Ray Noble's Orchestra

18 - Moonlight Becomes You - Bing Crosby

19 - Harbor Lights - Frances Langford with Sam Koki and His Islanders

20 - We'll Meet Again - Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians

21 - (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover - Kay Kyser and His Orchestra with Harry Babbitt

ALL IN ONE FILE!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Thursday!

  

Alive in the USA

These are live recordings, and they're fun.

01. Theme & Intro/Ciribiribin (1:13)

02. Easy Ridin’ (2:55)

03. Maybe (3:11)

04. My Greatest Mistake (3:23)

05. That’s for Me (2:46)

06. Song of the Islands (3:29)

07. The Moon Won’t Talk (3:18)

08. You Think of Everything (3:17)

09. The Nearness of You (2:42)

10. Swanee River (2:32)

11. It Wouldn’t Be Love (3:23)

12. Fools Rush In (3:09)

13. Blueberry Hill (3:02)

14. Sharp as a Tack (1:29)

15. I’m Nobody’s Baby (2:50)

16. A Million Dreams Ago (3:14)

17. One Look at You (2:44)

18. It All Comes Back to Me Now (3:02)

19. Georgia on My Mind (4:23)

20. Braggin’ (3:12)

21. Intermezzo (2:52)

22. For Want of a Star (3:35)

23. Beyond the Moon (2:54)

24. Frenesi (3:03)

25. Cross Country Jump/Theme & Sign-Off (4:48)

You can hear crowd noises in places -- I assume these are radio broadcasts.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

What a wonderful part of our national heritage!  See you Thursday.

  

Is She ... Authentic? Nudge Nudge

Judge for yourself after listening to this 1985 cassette.

It's a short one:

01. Authentic Strip Tease Music 01 (14:22)
02. Authentic Strip Tease Music 02 (12:38)

There are no track lists on the tape, hence the generic clumping.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Now YOU TOO can practice your stripping in the privacy of your own home!  Wow the neighbors!  Give Aunt Bessie a heart attack!  Get out there and STRIP, baby!

See you Thursday.

  

Don't Stray Too Far

Or else you'll miss a lot of fun music this month!

Not every selection this month is strictly "Irish" music, but it's all got that Celtic/Gaelic bump.  To wit:

01. The Dream (2:43)

02. The Strayaway Child (3:04)

03. Martin Wynne's / The Pigeon on the Gate (2:38)

04. Midnight on the Water / Star of the County Down (2:57)

05. The Dancing Dog / The Blarney Pilgrim (3:19)

06. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (3:40)

07. Lord Inchquin (2:43)

08. The Butterfly / Swallowtail Jig (3:39)

09. Castle Kelly (2:37)

10. The Southwind (2:29)

11. Kesh Jig / The Kid on the Mountain (3:37)

12. Somewhere Over the Rainbow / The Dream (4:19)

Charming for those who like tinkles.  The business card was in the cassette, don’t hold ye olde posting entity responsible for wrong turns!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Listen to the tinkles and get a little bouncy!  See you Thursday.

  

He da Man!

The RAGTIME man, that is!

For our last installment of Things I Love, here is some socko, boffo ragtime fun!

01. Rose Leaf Rag (5:36)

02. The Cannon Ball (2:27)

03. Ragtime Nightingale (4:19)

04. Dill Pickles (2:20)

05. The Entertainer (5:08)

06. Hilarity Rag (3:15)

07. Search-Light Rag (4:06)

08. Grace And Beauty (3:32)

09. Grizzly Bear Rag (3:03)

10. Wild Cherries Rag (3:00)

11. American Beauty (4:06)

12. Fig Leaf Rag (5:04)

Cripple Creek, a Ragtime Suite for Piano

13. The Imperial Rag (2:44)

14. The Anchoria Leland (5:31)

15. The Vindicator (2:35)

16. Dr. Jackpot (2:33)

17. Poverty Gulch (3:13)

18. Old Mortality (4:57)

It's a 1986 release.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Monday, we're gonna spend the month of March harkening back to one o' my ancestral homegrounds.  Can ya guess which one?

  

Talk About a Round-Up!

This is an album of such fun!

01. Harry Jackson - Morning Grub Holler (0:18)

02. Harry Jackson - Round-up Cook (0:49)

03. Tex-I-An Boys - Chisholm Trail (3:00)

04. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, Get Along Little dog (3:02)

05. Cisco Houston - Little Joe the Wrangler (2:39)

06. Harry Jackson - Little Joe the Wrangler's Sister Nell (3:28)

07. Harry K. McClintock - Utah Carl (1:31)

08. Tex-I-An Boys - Put Your Little Foot (1:26)

09. Peter LaFarge - Trail to Mexico (2:28)

10. Peter Hurd - Las Chapparreras (1:22)

11. Woody Guthrie - Buffalo Skinners (3:15)

12. Ray Reed - Zebra Dun (3:52)

13. Harry Jackson - Some Cowboy Brag Talk (1:35)

14. Roger Welsh - Horse Wrangler (3:08)

15. Harry Jackson - Strawberry Roan (4:55)

16. John A. Lomax - Texian Boys (1:53)

17. Leadbelly - Cow Cow Yicky Yicky Ya (1:33)

18. Woody Guthrie - Jesse James (Leadbelly's version) (3:00)

19. Pete Seeger - Home on the Range (1:52)

20. Rosalie Sorrels - Empty Cot in the Bunkhouse Tonight (2:13)

21. Leadbelly - Springime in the Rockies (3:04)

22. Dave Fredrickson - Lone Star Trail (2:54)

23. Peter LaFarge - Rodeo Hand (1:48)

24. Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston - Philadelphia Lawyer (2:31)

25. Cisco Houston - The Dying Cowboy (3:02)

26. Hermes Nye - The Devil Made Texas (2:08)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

You can have yer "new country," give me these closer-to-real songs any day!

See you on Monday.  Happy Valentine's Day!

  

I Will, Will You?

I came across this cassette of will Rogers radio broadcasts and was intrigued. Here you go!

01. Will Sings "Where the Blue of the Night" (1:56)

02. Plans (16:51)

03. Congress and Law (3:07)

04. Taxes (2:42)

05. President's Day (15:52)

06. Mothers Day (3:42)

I gotta warn you that the things discussed in the track "President's Day" meander all over creation.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Enjoy good ole Will, even if you don't get all the jokes ebcause they're topical.  See you Thursday!

  

Don't Get TOO Mad

It's a 1996 release.

01. Miss Ann-Margret - Thirteen Men (2:44)

02. Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce (Guacha Guaro) (2:27)

03. Walter Wanderley - The Girl from Ipanema (2:29)

04. Nancy Wilson - Call Me (2:16)

05. Harold Johnson Sextet - Sorry ‘Bout That, Part 1 (2:11)

06. Mel Tormé - Comin’ Home Baby (2:45)

07. René Touzet - Baby Elephant Walk (2:36)

08. Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova (2:48)

09. Connie Francis - Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa Isso Pra La) (2:09)

10. Les Elgart & His Orchestra - Frenesi-Twist (1:47)

11. Pérez Prado & His Orchestra - Why Wait (2:23)

12. Earl Grant - House of Bamboo (2:41)

13. Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers - Cantaloupe Island (3:47)

14. “Brother” Jack McDuff - Hot Barbecue (2:59)

15. Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66 - Mas que nada (2:41)

16. Dick Hyman & His Orchestra - Washington Square (2:32)

17. Trudy Pitts - Take Five (4:31)

18. Mose Allison - I’m Not Talking (2:33)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

IMO it’s trying too hard to beat the Ultra-Lounge series’ packaging at its own game.  The “insert” is a sheet of semi-card stock about two inches square, evidently intended to entice consumers to buy all the volumes so as to have the complete saga of Doris and Rex.  This is way too cynical and dismissive of the craftsmanship (dare we say “art”?) in the originals, and makes fun of the historical period.

But the music ain’t bad.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Monday!

  

No More Fighting

I guess I'm a wimp, but it really bugs me when disagreements and arguing go so far as to lead to physical violence.  Some causes are worth fighting for, like the War Between the States.

This is an interesting 1998 release.

01. Leroy Troy - Cumberland Gap (3:28)

02. Simon and Verity Grace - When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1:49)

03. Benny Martin - Home Sweet Home (2:20)

04. Simon and Verity Grace - Two Little Boys (3:23)

05. Grandpa Jones - Grandfather's Clock (2:41)

06. Johnny Gimble - Darling Nellie Gray (2:53)

07. Arthur Smith - Goober Peas (1:55)

08. Simon and Verity Grace - Aura Lee (3:16)

09. Leroy Troy - Brother Green (2:29)

10. The Eddie Adcock Band - Go Down Yonder Moses (2:32)

11. Hoot Hester and Sam Levine - Marching Through Georgia (2:44)

12. Leroy Troy - Write a Letter to My Mother (3:24)

13. Laura Weber - Faded Coat of Blue (4:37)

14. Benny Martin and Arthur Smith - Dixie (2:21)

15. Grandpa Jones - My Pretty Quadroon (3:28)

16. Tommy Faile - Yellow Rose of Texas (2:10)

17. Dick and Jacquie Schuyler - Maryland, My Maryland (2:04)

18. Paul Warren - Listen to the Mockingbird (3:27)

19. Don Ange - Lorena (3:40)

20. Rhonda Renee - Battle Hymn of the Republic (2:24)

These songs were popular across the USA at the time of the conflict.  Many on each side thought they were in the right.  Lots more just got dragged into things.

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you on Thursday, fellow citizens of the world!

  

Don't Stop Boopin'!

Sometimes ya just gotta have some fun.

And it's hard to have more fun than when listening to this 2009 release.

01. That's My Weakness Now (3:36)

02. Don't Be Like That (3:07)

03. Me and the Man in the Moon (2:53)

04. Button Up Your Overcoat (2:59)

05. I Want to Be Bad (3:07)

06. Do Something (2:43)

07. He's So Unusual (3:04)

08. Thank Your Father (2:50)

09. Readin', Ritin', Rhythm (2:38)

10. If I Knew You Better (3:05)

11. I Wanna Be Loved by You (2:08)

12. Get Out and Get Under the Moon (3:31)

13. Is There Anything Wrong in That? (3:06)

14. That's Why I'm Happy (2:23)

15. I'd Do Anything for You (3:03)

16. Ain'tcha? (3:02)

17. I Have to Have You (2:51)

18. I'd Go Barefoot All Winter Long (If You'd Fall for Me in the Spring) (3:22)

19. Dangerous Nan McGrew (2:28)

20. I Owe You (3:07)

21. I've Got 'It' - But It Don't Do Me No Good (2:27)

22. My Man Is on the Make (2:38)

23. I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat (3:02)

24. Hug Me! Kiss Me! Love Me! (2:19)

25. Aba Daba Honeymoon (3:01)

26. The Beanbag Song (2:11)

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

Corny, maybe.  Charming, definitely!  See you Monday.

  

Live from the Barber Shop

This 1997 release is some semi-All-American fun.  Not that it's SEMI fun, but I assume all nationalities can sing barbershop.

01 - Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody - Marquis

02 - I Found a Million-Dollar Baby (In a Five-and-10-Cent Store) - Marquis

03 - Indiana-When I Get Home to Indiana - Yesteryear

04 - Beautiful Dreamer - Nightlife

05 - Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone-Coney Island Baby - Backbeat

06 - For Me and My Gal - Common Ground

07 - I Got Rhythm - Fred

08 - Brown Eyes, Why Are You Blue - Echo Lane

09 - Stars Fell on Alabama - Nightlife

10 - Fit as a Fiddle - Fred

11 - Love Me and the World Is Mine - Bank Street

12 - When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam' - Special Feature

13 - Toot, Toot, Tootsie - Great Stage Robbery

14 - Lida Rose - Seattle Sound

15 - You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You - Excalibur

16 - Let The Rest of the World Go By - Yesteryear

17 - Over the Rainbow (Parody) – Rumors

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

And before you ask ... No, I have not encountered a "Disc One" or "Disc Two."  See you Thursday!

  

Half's Better Than None

I say that because this is Tape Two of a set, but I didn't come across Tape One at the thrift store.

Nevertheless, it's a good 'un.

01 - Poor Butterfly - Fritz Kreisler - 1917

02 - Memories - Paul Reimers - 1916

03 - Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight - Henry Burr - 1918

04 - Hello Central, Give Me No Man's Land - Al Jolson - 1918

05 - Good Morning, Mr Zip-Zip-Zip - Arthur Fields and the Peerless Quartet - 1918

06 - Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning - Arthur Fields - 1918

07 - I Don't Want to Get Well - Van and Schenck - 1918

08 - We'll Do Our Share (While You're Over There) - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

09 - I'm Gonna Pin My Medal on the Girl I Left Behind - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

10 - Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts for Soldiers - Billy Murray - 1915

11 - The Caissons Go Rolling Along (US Field Artillery March) - Sousa's Band - 1918

12 - The Further It Is from Tipperary - Billy Murray - 1918

13 - The Laddies Who Fought and Won - Harry Lauder - 1917

14 - We Don't Want the Bacon (What We Want Is a Piece of the Rhine) - The Peerless Quartet - 1918

15 - The Yanks Started Yankin' - Arthur Fields - 1918

16 - Let the Rest of the World Go By - Elizabeth Spencer and Charles Hart - 1920

17 - I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now - Al Jolson - 1919

18 - How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree) - Arthur Fields - 1918

19 - My Buddy - Henry Burr - 1922

20 - My Dream of the Big Parade - The Peerless Quartet with Billy Murray - 1926

THIS LINK GOOD FOR THREE DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK

See you on Monday for the last installment of this year's JULY SPOCKEBRATION!

  

Cool Water, Just in Time!

This here's a 1959 album from the legendary Sons of the Pioneers.

01 - Cool Water 2:08 

02 - Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo 2:03 

03 - Wind 2:34 

04 - Cowboy's Dream 2:13 

05 - The Last Round-Up 2:49 

06 - Ridin' Home 1:59 

07 - Twilight On The Trail 2:28 

08 - Red River Valley 2:13 

09 - Wagon Wheels 2:15 

10 - Riders In The Sky 2:20 

11 - Blue Prairie 2:49 

12  - Way Out There 1:42 

13 - Empty Saddles 1:52 

14 - Teardrops In My Heart 2:21 

15 - Blue Shadows On The Trail 2:13 

16 - Ridin' Down The Canyon 2:24 

17 - Timber Trail 2:13 

18 - Tumbling Tumbleweeds 2:25

An unforgettable piece of musical American history!  And given the current heat wave in the US Midwest, perhaps your attention will be diverted for a bit!

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See you Thursday for another musical angle on America!

  

Not Corny to Me

It's hard to beat Western Swing sometimes.

01. Osage Stomp (3:05)

02. Spanish Two Step (2:57)

03. A Maiden's Prayer (3:08)

04. Mexicali Rose (3:18)

05. Old Fashioned Love (3:22)

06. Sittin' on Top of the World (3:23)

07. Steel Guitar Rag (2:49)

08. Blue Yodel #1 (2:23)

09. Silver Bell (2:40)

10. That's What I Like 'bout the South (2:39)

11. I'll See You in My Dreams (2:25)

12. The Waltz You Saved Me (2:32)

13. Corrine Corrina (3:04)

14. Time Changes Everything (2:53)

15. Big Beaver (2:50)

16. Honey What You Gonna Do? (2:57)

17. I Found a Dream (2:43)

18. Take Me Back to Tulsa (2:55)

19. New San Antonio Rose (2:48)

20. I Knew the Moment I Lost You (2:58)

21. Twin Guitar Special (2:50)

22. Mississippi Delta Blues (3:00)

23. Roly Poly (2:52)

24. Brain Cloudy Blues (3:01)

It's a 1973 cassette.  These must be taken from discs, because you can hear the pops and surface noise.  Radio transcriptions?  Who knows?

THIS LINK GOOD FOR SEVEN DAYS.

PERMANENT LINK.

See ya Monday, buckaroos!