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Post by jk on Jul 1, 2022 15:56:35 GMT -5
While we're still trudging down Memory Lane, this is one I remember hearing as a young child. From the musical film Calamity Jane (1953), this is Doris Day singing "The Black Hills of Dakota" (I also remember hearing her singing "The Deadwood Stage" from that same film): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamity_Jane_(film)
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airplanetag
Dude/Dudette
Posts: 60
Likes: 96
Favorite Album: The Beach Boys Love You
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Post by airplanetag on Jul 1, 2022 16:26:17 GMT -5
"Was Helter Skelter the first heavy metal song?" seems to have been asked several times over the years at Hoffman. I'd say the first heavy metal song was an instrumental (and the YouTube commenters on this video would seem to agree with me). Link Wray's "Rumble" was a US top twenty hit in 1958: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(instrumental)The B-side is great too! It was used in the intro of Pink Flamingos, the John Waters cult classic film.
I love the eerie droney part in the middle. I've been trying to learn guitar and this is one of the songs I keep coming back to when I'm practicing.
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Post by lizzielooziani on Jul 1, 2022 21:58:53 GMT -5
I’d like to put in a good word for a group many haven’t heard of - The Bobettes, a girl group from New York. They had a top ten hit in the US in 1957, Mr Lee. It’s been a favorite of mine since first hearing it so many years ago. It’s worth checking out.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 2, 2022 1:38:28 GMT -5
While we're still trudging down Memory Lane, this is one I remember hearing as a young child. From the musical film Calamity Jane (1953), this is Doris Day singing "The Black Hills of Dakota" (I also remember hearing her singing "The Deadwood Stage" from that same film): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamity_Jane_(film)One of my most favorite films!
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Post by jk on Jul 2, 2022 3:12:27 GMT -5
"Was Helter Skelter the first heavy metal song?" seems to have been asked several times over the years at Hoffman. I'd say the first heavy metal song was an instrumental (and the YouTube commenters on this video would seem to agree with me). Link Wray's "Rumble" was a US top twenty hit in 1958: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_(instrumental)The B-side is great too! It was used in the intro of Pink Flamingos, the John Waters cult classic film.
I love the eerie droney part in the middle. I've been trying to learn guitar and this is one of the songs I keep coming back to when I'm practicing.
airplanetag , I've relinked your video for those like me who couldn't watch it: Great stuff! I can imagine it's a good choice if you're teaching yourself guitar. As a left-hander I used to knock out tunes on my guitarist brother's guitars as a kid, mainly Duane Eddy and Shadows/Jet Harris things. It even got me a gig as a bass guitarist for a while! Anyway, keep practicing! It's a great asset to be able to play.
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Post by jk on Jul 2, 2022 3:19:23 GMT -5
I’d like to put in a good word for a group many haven’t heard of - The Bobettes, a girl group from New York. They had a top ten hit in the US in 1957, Mr Lee. It’s been a favorite of mine since first hearing it so many years ago. It’s worth checking out.
Here you go, Lizzie: I'm sure you've mentioned this one before, possibly across the road. I see The Bobbettes recorded a second, less complimentary song about Mr. Lee. Sadly, only one of the original quintet is still with us. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bobbettes
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Post by jk on Jul 4, 2022 12:27:12 GMT -5
This high-spirited performance by J.P. Richardson aka The Big Bopper of his self-composed US #6 hit "Chantilly Lace" comes from The Dick Clark Show of either 20 September or 22 November 1958 (the Bopper performed on both occasions). That's such a heart-warming moment at 1:56 when the girl in the audience whispers to her friend, "He's cute!" And heartbreaking to know that he would be dead within a few months, killed in the infamous plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bopper
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 5, 2022 15:31:22 GMT -5
Love 'The Big Bopper', I have a CD of his stuff and I think it's top stuff. Lot's of comedy and humor in his music and sad his career was cut short like the others. Speaking of The Party Begins, the first known or regarded as first Rock n Roll album, is that by the 'Johnny Burnette & The Rock n Roll Trio'. Recorded in and released in 1956, which puts them ahead of Elvis and even Little Richard in terms of LP's. It's one of the rarest albums to find these days, and prices command around the 1000 dollar mark for an average/good copy. There's something 'raw' and 'raunchy' about these sides, lots of energy for sure. Take this one, 'The Train Kept A Rollin'. These guys would become the blueprint for what we know as 'Rockabilly' music. It would be silly to say they invented it, because you can find traces of Rockabilly back to the 40's, or maybe even earlier. Coming from an era of Patti Page, Perry Como, Mario Lanza.... This sort of music must have seemed like from 'out of space'. Johnny had a good career eventually moving into the softer Pop sound of the 60's along with his
pal's Bobby Vee, Johnny Tillotson, Roy Orbison and made some great records using big string sections. Unfortunately, Johnny was killed in a freak boating accident in 1964.
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Post by jk on Jul 6, 2022 15:17:12 GMT -5
Love 'The Big Bopper', I have a CD of his stuff and I think it's top stuff. Lot's of comedy and humor in his music and sad his career was cut short like the others. Speaking of The Party Begins, the first known or regarded as first Rock n Roll album, is that by the 'Johnny Burnette & The Rock n Roll Trio'.
Recorded in and released in 1956, which puts them ahead of Elvis and even Little Richard in terms of LP's. It's one of the rarest albums to find these days, and prices command around the 1000 dollar mark for an average/good copy. There's something 'raw' and 'raunchy' about these sides, lots of energy for sure.
Coming from an era of Patti Page, Perry Como, Mario Lanza.... This sort of music must have seemed like from 'out of space'.
Johnny had a good career eventually moving into the softer Pop sound of the 60's along with his
pal's Bobby Vee, Johnny Tillotson, Roy Orbison and made some great records using big string sections. Unfortunately, Johnny was killed in a freak boating accident in 1964. That's amazing. I can recall hearing "Dreamin'" and "You're Sixteen" at the time and they are a lot softer! (This reminds me of the UK's Billy Fury, originally a wild rocker with a suggestive stage act who ended up singing ballads, the most famous being "Halfway To Paradise".) Another Johnny I remember hearing at that time was Johnny Preston. His big hit in 1960, "Running Bear", was in fact written by J.P. Richardson. The "Indian" sounds were done by later country star George Jones and either The Big Bopper or the session's producer Bill Hall, depending on the source. It was released in late '59, hence its inclusion here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Preston
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Post by lizzielooziani on Jul 6, 2022 20:37:44 GMT -5
So many wonderful songs!
I’ll add a couple of classic New Orleans 50s music: Sea Cruise -Frankie Ford (Beach Boys did a cover) Don’t You Just Know It -Huey “Piano” Smith (Brian and Jan Berry recoded a cover of this)
I’m also a big Rick(y) Nelson fan. Love his rockabilly type songs. But a favorite of mine is the ballad Lonesome Town. Simply beautiful.
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Post by jk on Jul 7, 2022 3:56:46 GMT -5
So many wonderful songs! I’ll add a couple of classic New Orleans 50s music: Sea Cruise -Frankie Ford (Beach Boys did a cover) Don’t You Just Know It -Huey “Piano” Smith (Brian and Jan Berry recoded a cover of this) I’m also a big Rick(y) Nelson fan. Love his rockabilly type songs. But a favorite of mine is the ballad Lonesome Town. Simply beautiful. One of the first records I ever heard on Radio Luxembourg in 1961 was Ricky's "Hello Mary Lou". It was the other side, "Travelin' Man", that hit #1 in the US that year -- twice! But neither of those belong here. (I keep forgetting there's a "doldrum years" thread covering the pre-Beatles '60s that would come in very handy at such times.) Here's "Lonesome Town": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricky_Nelson
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 7, 2022 6:24:19 GMT -5
The Great! Ricky Nelson. Another big fan of his... I have most of his early material, but not so much of his later work. Those early recordings are magic. That particular one there, 'Lonesome Town', features the wonderful 'Jordanaires' who sang on Elvis' recordings. They were the most sought after group in their day, doing backings on many artists recordings, and also doing their own. Ricky and his father insisted only on using the best in the business, since they could afford it also, having the successful TV show, 'The Ozzie And Harriet Show', which Ricky starred in and his brother David. Unlike some of his contempories, Ricky came out of nowhere and floored the music industry. Many have to spend years working hard and earning their dues, but Ricky never did that. He decided to make a record to impress a girl, he goes in, records a cover version of 'I'm Walkin', a Fats Domino song, and all of a sudden he is a music star! You wouldn't think so by listening to it, but inexperienced, green to the gills, and he walks out of the studio sounding like this: Ricky tells the story of the early days...'You go into a studio on Friday, cut the record, by Monday morning, it's there in the record shop'! How's that for a turnaround?
Carl Perkins talked about him how 'Ricky never moved on stage (unlike Elvis).... but he never had to'. It's true, you watch all the early black and white footage, and the music does the moving and grooving, not the artist. Wonderful stuff!
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Post by jk on Jul 7, 2022 6:44:09 GMT -5
The Great! Ricky Nelson. Another big fan of his... I have most of his early material, but not so much of his later work. Those early recordings are magic. That particular one there, 'Lonesome Town', features the wonderful 'Jordanaires' who sang on Elvis' recordings. They were the most sought after group in their day, doing backings on many artists recordings, and also doing their own. Ricky and his father insisted only on using the best in the business, since they could afford it also, having the successful TV show, 'The Ozzie And Harriet Show', which Ricky starred in and his brother David. Unlike some of his contempories, Ricky came out of nowhere and floored the music industry. Many have to spend years working hard and earning their dues, but Ricky never did that. He decided to make a record to impress a girl, he goes in, records a cover version of 'I'm Walkin', a Fats Domino song, and all of a sudden he is a music star! You wouldn't think so by listening to it, but inexperienced, green to the gills, and he walks out of the studio sounding like this: Ricky tells the story of the early days...'You go into a studio on Friday, cut the record, by Monday morning, it's there in the record shop'! How's that for a turnaround?
Carl Perkins talked about him how 'Ricky never moved on stage (unlike Elvis).... but he never had to'. It's true, you watch all the early black and white footage, and the music does the moving and grooving, not the artist. Wonderful stuff!
Great post, Rick. He certainly had the best in the business working with him on "Hello Mary Lou": guitarist James Burton, bassist Joe Osborn and drummer Ritchie Frost -- ye gods!
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 7, 2022 8:11:43 GMT -5
I had the lucky chance JK to actually meet James Burton after a 1999 Elvis show at a hotel.
He was standing in at a hotel after the gig with Ronnie Tutt (Elvis' drummer), Glen D Hardin(Piano and Nashville Studio Legend),
Jerry Scheff (Elvis' bass player), and I walked up to them and gave the whole, 'I'm such a big fan' speech, and they graciously signed a few autographs for me. Being a guitar player, meeting James was such an honor and he was so quiet and sweet. No ego's with any of these guys, so kind and friendly...very humble. Nobody in the room who they were, and yet I was standing within the company of legendary musicians! I wish I had a camera looking back, the moment happened and passed so very quick, but what a memory!
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Post by jk on Jul 7, 2022 8:51:11 GMT -5
I had the lucky chance JK to actually meet James Burton after a 1999 Elvis show at a hotel.
He was standing in at a hotel after the gig with Ronnie Tutt (Elvis' drummer), Glen D Hardin(Piano and Nashville Studio Legend),
Jerry Scheff (Elvis' bass player), and I walked up to them and gave the whole, 'I'm such a big fan' speech, and they graciously signed a few autographs for me. Being a guitar player, meeting James was such an honor and he was so quiet and sweet. No ego's with any of these guys, so kind and friendly...very humble. Nobody in the room who they were, and yet I was standing within the company of legendary musicians! I wish I had a camera looking back, the moment happened and passed so very quick, but what a memory! Wow -- so you were a handshake away from Elvis and goodness know who else! I'm sure my guitarist brother would be supremely jealous of your meeting with the great man.
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Post by lizzielooziani on Jul 7, 2022 19:45:19 GMT -5
Absolutely. Another of my favorites, featuring great work by The Jordanaires and James Burton, Believe What You Say. Rockin!
(Listen to the original record from 1958. I heard a couple of versions that don’t have The Jordanaires for some reason )
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Post by lizzielooziani on Jul 9, 2022 0:13:34 GMT -5
And how could I have forgotten this song, another Louisiana classic from 1959: Phil Phillips and the Twilights -“Sea of Love”. covered by many over the years but this version is my favorite.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 9, 2022 9:34:17 GMT -5
Another guy who had a short career and killed in a car accident at the age of 21, the great Eddie Cochran. Eddie never really got a chance to shine and get recognized in the US as much as he should of been, but the UK/Europe areas totally got into his music. We talk about pioneers, Eddie was one of those guys, but just never got enough wind under his sails to really do big things. He wrote songs, he played great guitar, he loved producing and making music behind the console,
in an era where artists were not considered Producers 'just yet' or allowed to be. He, like Buddy Holly, and Les Paul before them, were the gateway for guys like Brian Wilson to take charge of their music. Eddie is one of the guys right on the top of my list when it comes to the 50's American Rock n Roll,
because he nailed the energy, the lyric, and the guitar sounds and made great records. This ain't 'Summertime Blues' or 'C'mon Everbody', but 'Somethin' Else' really gets under my skin, especially played LOUD!
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Post by jk on Jul 19, 2022 4:24:01 GMT -5
Another guy who had a short career and killed in a car accident at the age of 21, the great Eddie Cochran. Eddie never really got a chance to shine and get recognized in the US as much as he should of been, but the UK/Europe areas totally got into his music. We talk about pioneers, Eddie was one of those guys, but just never got enough wind under his sails to really do big things. He wrote songs, he played great guitar, he loved producing and making music behind the console,
in an era where artists were not considered Producers 'just yet' or allowed to be. He, like Buddy Holly, and Les Paul before them, were the gateway for guys like Brian Wilson to take charge of their music. Eddie is one of the guys right on the top of my list when it comes to the 50's American Rock n Roll,
because he nailed the energy, the lyric, and the guitar sounds and made great records. Good call, Rick. Eddie and Chuck Berry were classic rock and roll's prime raconteurs. Most if not all of their songs told a great story in two to three minutes. Great respect for Chuck but he was almost thirty when he had his first hit. I'm guessing the kids could relate better to Eddie, who was only 21 when he died. Although I love so many of his songs, my favourite has to be "Twenty Flight Rock" (1957): (I have a great quote about Eddie which I'll find and post another time.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Cochran
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Post by jk on Jul 19, 2022 7:45:32 GMT -5
(I have a great quote about Eddie which I'll find and post another time.) Here you go. Pete Frame on page 410 of his excellent 2007 book The Restless Generation describes Eddie as "a sweetheart. Not only a gentleman with a warm personality and a great sense of humour but also a masterful guitarist, who was happy to sit around teaching licks and tricks to his [UK tour] travelling companions -- including Jim Sullivan, Joe Brown, Colin Green and Tony Sheridan, all of whom benefited from his instruction, all of whom took his advice and replaced their third string with a thinner gauge second string, allowing them to bend the notes. He pointed Georgie Fame in the direction of Ray Charles and soul music and explained to the others how the engineer at Gold Star Studio in Hollywood [ Stan Ross?] had given his marvellous records such vibrancy. He talked about California, invited them all to come and visit. It was as if [impresario] Larry [Parnes] had hired a professor to lecture to his troupe. Everybody loved him, everybody wept when he died."
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 19, 2022 9:42:43 GMT -5
I just bought all 16 CDs of the Cruisin’ series, which reproduces radio shows with the original U.S. disk jockeys and commercials from top forty AM radio stations and their records from 1955 to 1970. I love the LPs which I haven’t heard in 40 years, and didn’t even know they came out on CDs, and are still in print. The original LPs contain more songs, some of which are missing on later editions due to licensing problems, but some, if not all, of those original LPs are on YouTube.
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Post by jk on Jul 19, 2022 14:45:41 GMT -5
I just bought all 16 CDs of the Cruisin’ series, which reproduces radio shows with the original U.S. disk jockeys and commercials from top forty AM radio stations and their records from 1955 to 1970. I love the LPs which I haven’t heard in 40 years, and didn’t even know they came out on CDs, and are still in print. The original LPs contain more songs, some of which are missing on later editions due to licensing problems, but some, if not all, of those original LPs are on YouTube. Wow, bb. Well I've only ever heard the 1963 LP, at home in the mid 1970s after a hard day's work and accompanied by several beers. (I'd borrowed it from the local record-lending library.) Happily, I somehow managed to stay conscious until the The Kingsmen had been on. Oooh, that cover brings back some memories... www.discogs.com/release/7961709-Various-Cruisin-1963-Featuring-B-Mitchell-Reed-WMCA-New-York
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Post by jk on Jul 20, 2022 13:51:26 GMT -5
Now this was the first time I heard an electric guitar in action, in 1958. Normally this kind of thing didn't get onto UK radio in those days because of the Musician's Union looking out for its members and seeing to it that they had work. (I first heard The Shadows' "Apache" in a big-band version!) This was the record that caused my father to utter the words "howling apes strumming guitars". Yes, folks, the generation gap was a hideous reality in the 1950s. To say nothing of the fact that this particular howling ape when interviewed admitted to making £1000 a week! OK, so Ritchie's version is definitive but this one ain't bad, particularly to my young ears back then. I was sold on that sound! Tommy went on to be a highly respected entertainer and actor, particularly in musicals. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Steele
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Post by jk on Aug 2, 2022 1:31:55 GMT -5
Here's one I'd seen mentioned in print for decades but only got to hear four years ago. A US #2 in 1959, "Sea Of Love" was Phil Phillips's only hit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Phillips
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Post by jk on Aug 12, 2022 14:05:36 GMT -5
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