Beauty Shop Beat

The cover is a classic, but the highlight of this album is the upbeat "Oh By Jingo" with its flawless harmonies and swinging backup by Bob Bain and the Players.

The Clark Sisters began their career performing as the Sentimentalists (snappy name) with the Tommy Dorsey Band. Their early roots were in barbershop, but despite the choice of some quintessential barbershop numbers on this album (Down By the Old Mill Stream, Sweet Adeline) there is (thankfully) little in common with typical mustachio'd quartets. Yeah, you want to download this one.


Beauty Shop Beat - The Clark Sisters
Coral Records CRL 57290

Oh By Jingo
Play that Barbershop Chord
Goodbye My Coney Island Baby
That Old Gang of Mine
Down By the Old Mill Stream
My Honey, Honey

You Tell Me Your Dream and I'll Tell You Mine
Waiting For the Robert E. Lee
Fly, Kentucky baby
Sweet Adeline
Rockin' In the Cradle of the Deep
Moon Medley:
a) By the Light of the Silvery Moon
b) Oh Mr. Moon
c) In the Evening By the Moonlight

The Reality of High Society Twisting

Apparently I can’t escape the world of weird music even when I sleep—last night I dreamed I was in a shop in Chicago and considered buying a rare inflatable record of some astronauts singing, it was supposedly very strange, or so the clerk was telling me. It would have to be, to justify the $127 price tag...so sorry people, I passed on it in my dream , so I won’t be posting any bizarre figments of my imagination. Only bizarre figments of my reality.

Today’s real album is “Twistin’ in High Society” by Lester Lanin (Lester Lenin would have been SO much more interesting, wouldn't it?) and his orchestra.
There are all sorts of highlights on this, including Mack the Knife Twist, Darktown Strutters’ Ball Twist, Muskrat Ramble Twist (which of course makes me think of Country Joe & the Fish "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die") Charleston Twist (which sounds like a visit to the chiropractor waiting to happen), and Organ Twist (yee-owtch!) This is a very excellent twisting for old people entry, very entertaining indeed.

The last song is “When the Saints go Twisting in”, which of course meant that I had to leave the room when it was playing to go scream into my pillow for a spell. Not only is it my song-nemesis “Saints”, but it also features both a tinkly honky tonk piano AND a Duane Eddy twangy guitar imitator, both of which are known to send me ‘round the bend as well. But in all, surprisingly high marks for this one despite the last cut.

Twistin' In High Society - Lester Lanin and his Orchestra - Epic BN 620

This was actually re-released on CD with a second collection twist music for the elderly country club set, but it's gone out of print again.

Sweet Georgia Brown - Twist
Blue Moon
At the Darktown Strutters' Ball
Josephine
Guitar Boogie Twist
Charleston

Organ Twist
Muskrat Ramble
I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
Mack the Knife
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
The Twisting Saints

Of Wandr'ing Minstrels and Leopard Maillots

Hot babe in a leopard swimsuit in a flower garden. Cole Porter. The Donkey serenade. Porgy & Bess sung by white people. My Fair Lady. Gilbert and Sullivan. Sure, I can see a common thread there, can't you?

The Best Musical Comedy Songs - The Broadway Singers and Orchestra

Halo Records 50245

I Could Have Danced All Night
Standing on the Corner Watching All the Girls Go By
Summertime
June is Busting Out All Over
Some Enchanted Evening
A Wand'ring Minstrel
Donkey Serenade
(Is it even possible to have too many versions of "Donkey Serenade"?)
People Will Say We're in Love
Make Believe
Deep in My Heart, Dear
They Say It's Wonderful
You're the Top

The Magic Fingers of Merlin

Hello, I believe we've met before....

I started listening to the album "The Magic Fingers of Merlin & His Trio" and soon realized that I was listening to cuts from the Dayton Selby and Willene Barton album The Feminine Sax I posted a while back. There are duplicates songs (Snake Eyes here = Seven Eleven on the other album, Vincent's Last Stand here is Barton's Blues on the Feminine Sax) as well as several songs that are new to me.

The Magic Fingers of Merlin and his Trio - The Swinging Hi-Fi Organ

Too Close for Comfort
Bluer Than Blue
Number 33 Wickpick Lane
Little Brown Jug
Dilemma at Dusk
I'll Never Stop Loving You
Blues for Rafe
Snake Eyes
Breakin' the Sound Barrier
Bluer Moon
In the Still of the Night
Vincent's Last Stand

Sunday Swap Meet

Time to burn off some less then stellar entries that has been clogging up my hard drive for quite some time now....



I thought this might be moderately amusing, but except for one time that he uses the phrase "shoot your wad" seriously, there are no laughs to be found, not even cheap ones.

Would you buy a used car from this man? I thought not.



How to Use Tact and Skill in Handling People


This one's is inexplicably still in print, so you only get a few songs to make you want to go out and buy buy buy:



Introducing Pete Rugolo



From the generically named "Afro-Cuban Singers & Orchestra" (since Allegro Records probably assumed you only want one Afro-Cuban album in your collection)It's in pretty bad shape, but don't you want a song called "Conga de los Dandys" for your collection?

Babalu

And last, two from Groucho Marx from an old 45 I've had for ages. This dates from the end of his life when he toured with Marvin Hamlisch. He was forced to sing for his supper when his vile third wife mishandled his money and he was left practically destitute.

Lydia the Tattoed Lady

Show Me a Rose

By Popular Dee-Mand

Look, it’s Lenny Dee in his motorcade, traveling through Dealey Plaza! I can see everything from my vantage point, here on the 6th floor of the Book Depository! Hidey, Lenny!
I dig this album, and happily it’s one of Lenny’s that’s not in print, so I can post it. Lots of “ooo-wah” female vocals backing toe-tappin’ butt-shakin’ organ solos of popular favorites—there’s not a zzzz in the bunch. His “San Antonio Rose” will have you up and do-si-do-ing, even if you have no idea what that means.

By Popular Dee-mand - Lenny Dee

Decca DL 74429

Wagon Wheels
Columbus Stockade Blues
Anytime – Bossa Nova
Sweet Dreams
Just Because
Worried Mind

San Antonio Rose
Blues Stay Away From Me
Devil Woman
Oh, Lonesome Me
I Can’t Stop Loving You
You Don’t Know Me

Animal Hootenanny!

FINE. So I can’t get away with criticizing bland humorless predictable español albums on MY OWN BLOG...so I’ll just go back into my comfort zone with this swell early 60s children’s album “Animal Hootenanny”, which I liked a lot. Get a load of the water stains on that album cover! Actually, the mold was in full flower when I bought it, and I think I ruined one of the few nice shirts I own when I was carrying it to the cash resister. I’ll be sending you the cleaning bill, booth 179 at Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh Indiana!

The music & arrangements on “Animal Hootenanny” are by pianist Hal Serra, vocals and words by Carol Marks, who has a kind of Betty Hutton likability and energy—the helpful liner notes tell us she is “a great dance enthusiast and is the wife of the famous drummer Maurice Marks” (in case that means anything to anyone). Serra’s arrangements are clever & swinging, and the combo doesn’t seem to be holding anything back just because it’s a kids record.


The 11 songs in this very interesting LP album will appeal to the imagination and interest of children of all age levels. These action songs are great for physical fitness and rhythmic activities.

Please: spare me of the details of the "rhythmic activities" you might enjoy while listening to this album, k?

Animal Hootenanny

Statler Records SLP 1015

Animal Train
Polka Dot Puppy Polka
The Froggy Hop
Of Course I'm a Horse
The Monkey Swing (calypso!)

The Penguin Wobble
Busy Bee Boogie
Baby Chick Chick
Ballerina Bear
Ballad of the Sad Giraffe
The Countryside is Swingin'

I Listened To It So You Don't Have To

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Percussion Español

Time Series 2000
S/2026

Arranged & conducted by Al Caiola, who I hold personally responsible for this album

Frenesi
Chiapenecas
Guadalajara
Maria ELena
Vito Paso Doble
Adios

Valencia
Siboney
España
Ay, Ay, Ay
Dengozo Samba
La Golondrina

Florian ZaBach and His Golden Strings

Today: Florian ZaBach. Tomorrow and beyond: many more pearls of schlock from my highly successful search for musical abnormalities in downstate Indiana. Way to go, Hoosiers, I’ll have to commend you for your delightfully appalling lack of musical taste that I can ‘t WAIT to share with the group.

Florian is all about the peppy pizzicato and saccharine string arrangements--there's even the obligatory teen beat number, "Fiddle Rock" which will be sure to delight.

Golden Strings - Florian ZaBach and his violin with orchestra
Wing MGW 12172

Meque, Meque
French Dressing
Golden Strings
Petticoats of Portugal
Bimini
Dresden China

Faithless Lover
South of Saigon
Harum Scarum
The Lonely Ones
This Dream Have I
Fiddle Rock

Public Domain-a-Go-Go!

Hully Gully with the Volga Boatmen! Do the Jerk with Sweet Betsy From Pike! Dance the Monkey Mash in the Streets of Laredo! And after you do the swim with Cindy, Get on Board, Little Children! This album offers metaphor-mixing swingin' tunes that the youth group who socialize in the Con-Go room in the basement at First Congregational church will surely want to dance to.

Of course the choice of songs can be summed up in one phrase....”public domain”. Why bother trying to pen a catchy number when it was done years ago, or have pesky royalty fees eat into your profits? Thanks Coronet Records, your albums truly rank among the worst ever. The liner notes rock too:

Any location is suitable for a Discotheque. Whether you use your basement playroom or take over an abandoned railroad station, the bottom of a mine or the top of a mountain, if you get music to the spot and have room for happy dancing couples, you are ready for today's rage, the Discotheque.

Discotheque Dancers-Go-Go

Coronet Records CX-245

Side 1

Monkey Mash = Streets of Laredo/Home on the Range
King Fish Drag = Sweet Betsy From Pike
Blackbird Stomp
Baby Don’t Weep No More (some spirtitual?)
Watusi Ball

Side 2

Baby Love Me More (Volga Boatmen)
Turtle Walk
Swim Cindy Swim (Get on Board Little Children?)
Walking My Baby
Greenstuff (I Gave My Love a Cherry/The Riddle Song)


I love when previous owners personalize album covers, such as this one honoring Rob and Sandy, perhaps recognized for their Hully Gully prowess....

LIVE At the Galt Ocean Mile Hotel

Live from the Rum Room at the Galt Ocean Mile Hotel on Fort Lauderdale...it's the Personalities!
The album is undated, but references to George Wallace and Orval Faubus, Liz Taylor & Richard Burton, and John Profumo & Christine Keeler places it right in the middle of 1963. Thanks to live recordings the Rat Pack and Louis Prima, we all know what the hip nightclub acts of the era sound like, but this recording represents what the squares did on their nights out. Banjo singalongs, Dixieland tunes ("Saints" alert! for those who share my near-violent aversion to the song "When the Saints Go Marching In"), and corny bits a-plenty are what "The Personalities" are all about.

I'm guessing the postcard of the Rum House below dates from approximately the same time--I'll bet they made a hell of a Singapore Sling at the bar.



The Rum House Presents The Personalities

2 cuts--side 1 & side 2
Art Records ALP-32

Shake Your Cubanacan

Such a lazy slattern am I, I have had this album ready to go since last weekend and have just not gotten around to posting it. And it's such a lovely schlocky little album, with gooey string arrangements and wordless ethereal female vocals a-plenty. No, it's not really possible to shake your Cubanacan to it, but surely--just for me--you can try. And report back to the group on your progress.



Look at the great label on the front where is was purchased, I did a Google map search on the name and was shown a location in the Canary Islands. Cool, this album is better traveled than I am. Though I was in Korea once for 5 hours, and have a picture I took of Korean sumo that was on TV to prove it. See the awesome goat mascots in the lower corners of the screen? If US TV had goat mascot sumo, I would watch it all the time. Are you listening, NBC???

Sumo on Korean tv, originally uploaded by baikinange.

Cubanacan Orquestra los Cubanacans
Regal SRG 1069
1963 and 1964

Side one

Mi Espana
Mar
Pa-ran-pan-pan
Prisoniera de Mar
South America, Take It Away
Siboney

Side Two
Rumba azul
Negra Cosentida
Cubanacan
Peanut Vendor
Adios
Jungle Drums