1961 100th Night Show "Points West"

Look at me, being marginally topical on Memorial Day (U. S. only, all you foreigners don't need to remember anything in particular today). This is a recording of the 1961 100th Night Show from the United States Military Academy at West Point--that's a pic of the boys above that I pinched from a web site because the album cover was lost. There were supposed to be photos of the actual show, but the link was broken, such a pity.

The album features a series of military related songs and skits which are somewhat more clever than they needed to be, backed by a really great band. There are your basic jokes about bad military food, inspection by tough generals, and the obligatory cross dressing number. I bought the record because there is a song entitled "Ballad of Dead Moose" which is about a fictional (I think--google Dead Moose and you get a lot of really gory images) Native American leader at Little Big Horn. Sadly, the record's in bad shape--I skipped the overture on side 2 altogether, and should have passed on the overture on side 1.
"Civilization" is pretty dubious song about how Native Americans have given up scalping white men and embraced indoor plumbing (so to speak)--but hey, this is before Civil Rights kicked in so it's probably no more or less PC that anyone else of the era. I'm being polite here because I reckon at some point one of the class of '61 is going to happen upon this site and I don't feel like fielding hate mail from army guys.

The 1961 100th Night Show "Points West" featuring the USMA Band, Major W. H. Schempf, conductor. Custom Pressed by Recorded Publications Company, Camden NJ A32M-80942

Side 1 rundown:

Overture
PIO
Supe's On
Kaydet Blues
General Sump

Phil Reed on the Hammond Organ

I wasn't even able to locate a image of Phil Reed, so presumably he never had anything he recorded released on album. I only have this on 78, including "Lora-Belle Lee" and "There's Yes! Yes! in Your Eyes".

Anyone got a copy of Bashful Bubber Blows?


Phil Reed
Dance Tone Records 372

Don't you love Google Books? Here are some other ads from an old Billboard magazine that I found on my way to getting the ad for Phil Reed:

Au Casino de Paris dans Plasirs

Today’s album scratches many itches, and very well, indeed. First, there are some exceedingly tasty performances from legendary Golden Gate quartet, PLUS some very schlock-infested Paris dance hall tunes in a delightfully overblown fashion.

GGQ takes center stage on a killer version of St. Louis Blues and-—as much as I loathe this song, these guys do it right-—When the Saints Go Marching In. They show how subtle harmonies are done in the wordless “Sexe”, and ably back up Line Renaud in Conga Parade, C’est l’Amour, and Tilt. The album cover alerted me to expect a kitchy classic, and it did not disappoint. Does anyone else love it when genius musicians show up in completely unexpected roles, and still manage to blow off the roof? This is truly my album of the week, and well worth the outrageous sum of $10 I spent for it.

Line Renaud au Casino de Paris with the Golden Gate Quartet

Pathé ATX 132



Now, may we talk about “Les Angels”, the backup babes? I am overwhelmingly hetero, so can I get some guys out there to agree with me that the babe poses on this album cover are SO not sexy? Are we trying to hide bad Brazilians, or just trying to be grossly coy? Either way, it's wrong wrong wrong.

I mean, really?



Seriously?



To show you boys I understand what a sexy girl is, here is a video featuring Helen. She would make me consider changing teams.

Spectacular is the Sound For It!

Spectacular, indeed...spectacularly over the TOP. The "tuba thunder" of Roger King Mozian's "Bells of St. Mary's. Robert Maxwell harp orchestra and "Hong Kong Holiday". Sabre Dance for harmonica ensemble. And a visit again with Charles Camillieri's "Spectacular Accordions". This is great stuff and it made me smile.

Spectacular Is the Sound For It!

Living It Up

Do all Bert Kaempfert tunes sound like 1960s Budweiser commercials....or do all 60s Budweiser commercials sound like Bert Kaempfert songs? Hmmm. Well, not ALL of them sound like beer commercials, mind you...Danke Schoen on this album is the most sluggish and drug induced version I could ever imagine and seemed to run about 8 or 10 minutes total. Otherwise, be ready to be peppified and snappied to death....I'm not sure why this one really doesn't appeal to me as much as I thought it might. But you're not a cranky person are you, YOU should like it a lot!

Living It Up! - Bert Kaempfert and his orchestra

Dang, I Got Orange Cheetos Dust All Over My White Opera Gloves.

If you've ever dreamed of having your own posh High Society bash, here is my lovely gift to you--"Let's Dance With Ernie: Ernie Heckscher at the Cotillion Ball". It features all of the tasteful and discreet music you'd expect, such as the Gigi Medley, the Charleston Medley, as well as several Medley medleys. And I have been so thoughtful as to leave each entire side intact, otherwise known as I was so bored by this album that I didn't bother to divide the tracks.

So, on with the planning of your glamorous Cotillion Ball! And take it from me, don't serve any Cheetos as finger food.

Let's Dance With Ernie - Ernie Heckscher at the Cotillion Ball

Souvenirs in Steel and Checkers

Capsule review: Steel drum versions of the Minute Waltz (actual run time: 1:51) and Moonlight Sonata with all the usual clusterfuckery that might be expected from a steel band on the payroll of a major airline. Or is “clusterfuckitude” the correct form of the word?



Since I have nothing particularly relevant to say about this album, in lieu of more ange-babble, here is an excerpt from Richard Nixon’s “Checkers’ speech, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

Pat and I have the satisfaction that every dime that we have got is honestly ours.

I should say this, that Pat doesn't have a mink coat. But she does have a respectable Republican cloth coat, and I always tell her she would look good in anything.

One other thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they will probably be saying this about me, too. We did get something, a gift, after the election.

A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog, and, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore, saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was?

It was a little cocker spaniel dog, in a crate that he had sent all the way from Texas, black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the six year old, named it Checkers.

And you know, the kids, like all kids, loved the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we are going to keep it.


Pan Am Jet North Star Steelband

Big. Tiny. Little.

Collectors of the Third Man Theme, do we have a version done on honky tony piano already? No? Then this is a joyous day, indeed. And I don't think I've ever heard honky tonk piano backed by xylophone, either. Xylophone has a tendency of balancing out a lot of sins, including barrelhouse piano. Otherwise this album is just a lot of annoying tinny sounding piano tunes, though some have redeemingly stupid titles like Spaghetti Rag and Tiny's Tinkle piano.

EDIT: the "Anonymous" audio morality police have noted in comments that this album is actually and inexplicably available through iTunes. But not all scratchy and in mono like my rip! I quietly sob. But to no avail. I have removed most of the songs, leaving the all-important Third Man Theme and a few others for nibbling purposes only. If you need the full Tiny meal, go get the cleaned up, pre-chewed, and pre-digested with no life left in them versions from your local iTunes emporium! Buy local!

A few from Make Room For Tiny "Big" Tiny Little Brunswick BL 54030

Let's Get Together

Three fun songs make this one worthwhile--The Perfect Song, an off-kilter shuffle featuring an out of tune honky tonk piano; Harmonica Joe, a dorky-bluesy big band tribute to a master of the mouth organ; and Turkey Mambo, what Perez Prado might have performed at a square dance. Skip the rest unless you need some soothing nap time music.

Let's Get Together - Richard Hayman, his Harmonica and his Orchestra

A Whole Mess of Ritmo

Well...it's ritmo. And the album cover says it's Piano Magic. And someone liked Volume I well enough to record this second one. And....the record is unbreakable. There ya go!

Piano Magic Volume II - Damy Simon y su ritmo

Wacker Series

Such an unwieldy album title, "The Hits That Made Ralph Marterie and his Orchestra Famous". I prefer to refer to it by the cryptic designation on the back cover, "Wacker Series". I got nothing here, it's big band dance music, it's snappy and toe-tappy, but really not up to my weirdness standards, even with tune titles such as Shish-Kebab and Bongo Guitar. Maybe I should start putting the pleasant but not strange albums on my Bouffartique site (you know, the one I'm keeping on standby for the day that someone reports this blog and it disappears?) and only pout the genuine wierdness here. I dunno, sounds too much like work.

The Hits That Made Ralph Marterie and his Orchestra Famous Let's Add Blah Blah Blah to Make The Title Even Longer

Come Aboard the Gusto World of Hits!

Pop a Dramamine and grab a Schlitz, today we’re hitting the high seas with a low-budget knockoff of Herb Alpert hits—-virtually identical to the originals except without, well, the gusto. In fact, it’s so low budget they didn’t even bother to add a klaxon horn at the end of Tijuana Taxi-- though it does show up inexplicably at the end of “Malibu”. Maybe the Schlitz was free-flowing at the recording session. There are also some odd versions of Mame, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, and Born Free a la Alpert haphazardly scotch-taped into place.

The producers didn’t even bother to give the session band a snappy name, so I am dubbing them the Gusto’s, extraneous apostrophe and all.

Come Aboard the Gusto World of Hits !

Syd Dale & the New Elizabethans

We were all given a lovely gift today from radioman, a regular reader of this blog--a 1969 library music album featuring compositions by Syd Dale and Dick Hyman. It's called New Elizabethans "Girl With Golden Hair", and radioman's description works for me: "Library-Music God, Syd Dale, with harpsichord and 60's swirly-bits (ripped at 320)". He thinks it's rare and unavailable online, and I am going to take him at his word.

Can we all say a nice "Thank you, radioman" in unison?

Girl With Golden Hair - The New Elizabethans, with compositions by Syd Dale and Dick Hyman

Who Dat?

I've neglected this space for more than a week, so you might well be asking "Who Dat" now that I'm back. HA! That's a good one on me, thinking anyone actually noticed I was gone.

Let's look at the swell album cover close up:



Anyway, this album is a nepotism special, Leroy Anthony is the less well known brother of Ray Anthony. Leroy plays the bari sax and does lots of original compositions, some of which, like "Story Book Ball" are incredibly stupid, and therefore considered superior here. All of the other are instrumentals, and nicely arranged and fun to listen to. Worth downloading if you like upbeat swing dance music.

Who Dat? - Leroy Anthony and his Orchestra