Bubbles, Without Buck

 He taught a young Fred Astaire some showstopping tap moves. He was part of the classic act Buck and Bubbles that played every important vaudeville house, and performed in the Hollywood classic "Cabin in the Sky". And even if it's not true that George Gershwin wrote the part of Sportin' Life especially for him, he played the role in the original cast of Porgy and Bess. Are those enough reasons for you to remember the name John W."Bubbles" Sublett?

Witness the awesomeness:

Despite some schlocky arrangements (think backup chorus on Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You") there's some real charm on the album.

Hear the music

The Swingin' Shepherd Plays For Teens

A hearty "howdy" to all you teens who read this blog, or as you-all say, a "shout up", I KNOW there are veritable dozens of you out there, give or take a score, today's HEP PLATTER is for YOU! What could possibly be more in tune with today's teen than a flute-playing Canadian who plays swingin' dance versions of such cutting edge (OUCH!) numbers as Darktown Strutters Ball and (gulp, must take a Xanax before listening, you know all about my "Saints" phobia? SAINTS ALERT!) When the Saints Go Marching In? Plus, he wrote a bunch of new songs that are sure to resonate with the acne-inflicted, namely "Swingin' Shepherd Blues Twist", "Twist the Hully Gully", and "Twist That Thing" (I did, and it's still throbbing).

Is anyone else terrified of this babe on the front cover, with her painted-on black light dress and matching lip-smear? I'm going to put on this album and frenetically hully gully myself into an amnesic state in the hopes that her image disappears from my mind's eye. 

 

Darktown Strutter's Ball

Koff, koff

Millions, and Possibly Billions of Strings

  

Today’s album probably would be deemed too corny and over the top for Welk-watching blue-haired grannies, which means it may be just a tad too understated for me. Both Werner and Helmut rate alarmingly high on my last.fm charts due to my passion for Teenagers Rock Party  and  SuperTwist, respectively. 


Unfortunately there is nothing of that caliber on today's album, though the kitsch factor rates a fairly respectable 3.7745 pfennigs/hectare on the official kitsch mathematical calibration scale. Such as Mr. Muller's "Bistro" (written by two Belgians so it HAS to be good!):

Zillions 

Daddy's Little Girl

Hmm. Well. I just made the mistake of googling today's artist only to find a lot of information I really didn't want to know.

ANYWAY!.

Of much lesser interest was the fact that he had a very wholesome TV show in the 50s and 60s. And this album is based on those warm fuzzy memories. Which of course means this album is shite, and despite having some peppy upbeat big band arrangements it's pretty forgettable.

Get a huge heaping bowlful of Post Toasties and give it a try, here. 

You DO know I was referring to the album, right....?

Mexi-Kerr

Here's an album that sounds a lot like when your mom singing along with her Herb Alpert albums while she was doing the housework. You mom, not mine, mine sort of hums along with music. Drives me nuts.

This album is notable in that it contains probably the most heinous version of "Michelle" ever recorded, even worse than the Beatles version, if such a thing is possible. .

And the intentionally funny, though ethnically insensitive, liner notes are actually kinda funny.

This seems like the sort of album that would have made the rounds 20 times or more online already--if you already have it, lucky you, because this version is scratched to death. Vaya con Queso, y'all!

Mexi-Kerr

Muri-cord

Self-published album of music played on the Wurlitzer Style 235 pipe organ at the Six-Mile-Uptown Theatre in Highland, Michigan. The organ had not been played between 1942 and 1970, when it was fully restored. It must have been something to hear this wonderful instrument played in person.

  Muri-cord S-1    Recorded May 9-10 1970

   

Scat Singing

Today we have the dubious taste trifecta of homophobia, sexism, racism, and…. well……it made me laugh more than once.  Despite its title, “John” is pretty sparse on the scatological humor, but is still the vinyl equivalent of poetry scrawled on a bathroom wall. The humor pretty much hits bullseye or totally misses the mark—but in all it’s still pretty funny to hear lounge-y arrangements of incredibly sophomoric one-liners (most of the songs run a minute or less).  File this one under Borscht Belt After Hours, and also file it under It’s a Keeper, at least in my whacked out collection.

Tomboy:



Songs