Archie Campbell

Artist: Archie Campbell

LP: All Star Jamboree
Song: "The Master's Hand"
[ listen ]

When I was a kid, there were two or three old men at church who always receited "The Master's Hand" whenever they were asked to speak at the puplit during sacrament meeting. It's an engaging parable and people usually seemed to pay more attention to their telling of the story than to anything else those men ever said at the pulpit or anywhere else. The only trouble with this nice Archie Campbell recording of "The Master's Hand" is that you actually get to hear "the master" playing the "worthless" violin at the auction during a brief instrumental interlude. His playing really isn't very good, but for the sake of the story it still somehow drives the price of the rickety instrument up from $3 to $3,000. In this case I'm afraid a final selling price of $23.95 would have been more realistic. You can read about country singer and Hee-Haw writer/star Archie Campell here and I've included a clip below of Archie doing one of his comic routines with Roy Clark on an episode of Hee-Haw, along with the LP liner notes about the inexpensiveness fabulousness of GUEST STAR Records.

Archie Campbell w/ Roy Clark on YouTube:
[ "Rindercella" ]

GUEST STAR Records is proud to present recordings by a
wide variety of established, well known performing artists.

We believe you will find that GUEST STAR Records, at a
moderate cost, will enable you to build a fine library of
top quality artists, without sacrificing quality.

Within each GUEST STAR Record are recordings of additional
outstandingly talented artists, in keeping with the context
of the particular headline artist, to provide you with a
wider range of talent and musical selections.

We hope you will agree that GUEST STAR Records are
an excellent addition to your musical library and will
provide you with many hours of musical
satisfaction and enjoyment.

If you would like a catalog of our albums, please write
to us. We will answer your request immediately.

YOUR BEST BUY IN RECORD ENTERTAINMENT
FINE RECORDS NEED NOT BE EXPENSIVE
GUEST STAR RECORDS 88 ST. FRANCIS ST.
NEWARK, N.J.

[ Archie Campbell: November 7, 1914 — August 29, 1987 ]

Tommy Körberg

Artist: Tommy Körberg

LP: 7" single
Song: "Judy Min Vän"
[ listen ]

Last night I stopped at a gas station/garage on my way home from work to add some air to my bicycle tires. I found a gray '70s Mercedes Benz parked in front of the pump, with a little old German man angrily pacing back and forth in front of it, bellowing a string of profanities in both English and German (he repeatedly yelled "scheize!"... or, more precisely, "scheiße!"). I soon found out he had just purchased a new headlight kit for his old Mercedes, but the light on the driver's side already wasn't working, not even the hi-beams. Anyway, I hope that guy's day got better and I'm dedicating today's posting to him... even though I just found out that Tommy Körberg is actually from Sweden. Scheize!!

Marty Levitt Orchestra featuring Harriet Kane

Artist: Marty Levitt Orchestra featuring Harriet Kane

LP: Bar Mitzvah Favorites
Song: "My Bar Mitzvah Boy"
[ listen ]

Here's another from the stash of Israeli-Jewish LPs I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. With lines like "with life dispensing tones she ripples through the blood streams of her listeners" and "the throbbing sigh, the carefree laugh, the lingering tear bobble like bubbles in her champagne of song," the notes on the back of this one are some of the strangest—and best—I've ever seen. Marty Levitt, who died in March of 2008, and his wife Harriet, who evidently died while still in her prime, were a popular entertainment duo on the Jewish-American circuit, playing for many weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, etc. You can read about Marty here, and I've included the aforementioned notes from the back of the LP below, along with a video clip of Marty and Harriet performing at an event in Brooklyn about 25 years ago.

Marty Levitt Orchestra featuring Harriet Kane on YouTube:
[ "Shmaravoznik" ]
October 21, 1984 at the H.E.S. in Brooklyn, NY

BAR MITZVAH FAVORITES is an album of emotions,
photographing in color and depth feelings of pride and
joy, hope and regret, nostalgia and frustration that
pervade Jewish-American living. These thirteen musical
pictures in photogenic words and rhythm depict the
stages of human development from infancy to golden age
with the aspirations, attitudes and pitfalls that crowd
each level. The whole family, three generations in all,
from bubeleh to babenuh, from zindele to zaydenuh, are
portrayed as moving, sensing and interacting beings.

This recording will grip your heart. This recording will
be your favorite as well as ours.

Harriet Kane has a voice full of heart. With life dispen-
sing tones she ripples through the blood streams of her
listeners. She injects pulsating life into her audiences.
The bright eyed dreams of youth, the hopes of mom
and dad, and the golden memories of grandparents are
saturated with her vocal warmth. The throbbing sigh, the
carefree laugh, the lingering tear bobble like bubbles in her
champagne of song. Her style is bewitching—intoxicating.
Her captivating vitality ignites us all. The dynamic quality
of Harriet's vocal renditions is augmented by the masterly
interplay of her husband's scintillating skill. Her voice is
wedded to his music; her feelings with the quiver of his
clarinet. Harriet and Marty, with his orchestra, form a
sensational combination. They are not just a pair of per-
formers. They are not just talented entertainers. They
have done what few have been able to duplicate. They
have fused together the sparkling essence of Yiddish-
American music with decor and artistry unsurpassed.

Listening to this record you will understand why they
are the most sought after entertainment package
of the Bar Mitzvah circuit.

* * * * * * *

MY BAR MITZVAH BOY

Murray Rumsey, the creator of this musical piece of
sheer beauty, is a highly sensitive, talented composer.
Out of the heart of his inner being the words were formed,
the notes were fashioned. For many years afer publication
he hesitated to share his musical joy with the listening
world. There was no one on the Yiddish-American scene
to interpret this song properly; no one who could reveal
the splendor and beauty of this work. When Harriet Kane
came upon the scene all reservations were removed. Her
vocal imagery and penetrating warmth convinced him
she was the one to do this song justice. The dreams
of every Jewish mom and dad glisten in the words
and spirit of this song.

My Bar Mitzvah boy
You're my pride and joy
Your baby days are over
Now you are a man
Be true to your religion
A staunch American

The feelings and hopes of first generation parents are
spelled out in heartful tunes, as the mother tells her
Bar Mitzvah boy the kind of man she wants him to be.

[ Marty Levitt and Harriet Kane—an entertainment package with no reservations. ]

T.C. Jones

Artist: T.C. Jones

LP: T.C. Jones Himself! - at the Crescendo on the Sunset Strip
Song: "I've Got the World On a String"
[ listen ]
Song: "Bette Davis"
[ listen ]
Song: "Louella Parsons"
[ listen ]

In further honor of the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival going on this week, here are three tracks from a 1959 T.C. Jones album I found in the used bins a few months ago. Funny and vulgar female impersonators are a dime a dozen nowadays, but there weren't too many of them back in the 1950s, so T.C. really was one-of-a-kind—and evidently one of the best. You can read more about Thomas Craig Jones here, find lots of great pictures and news articles about him here, and in case you've never heard the voice of Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons before, you can listen to her hilariously stilted 1947 interview with actress Joan Crawford here.

[ T.C. Jones — Bette Davis as Lady Macbeth ]

The greatest artist in his field, T.C. (Thomas Craig) Jones

is "Caught In The Act" at the world-famous Crescendo on
Hollywood's Gay White Way - The Sunset Strip.

In a completely uninhibited performance before the film-
colony elite, T.C. does all the "bits" he dare not do on
Television or on The Broadway Stage. For your repeated
pleasure - here is unabridged, "The Best Of - T.C. Jones."

[ T.C. Jones: October 26, 1920 — September 21, 1971 ]

Joan Fontaine

Today is Joan Fontaine's 92nd birthday! Fontaine, who won the 1941 Best Actress Oscar for her work in Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, now lives in Carmel, California with her dogs. (Do you think she hangs out with Doris Day?) You can read all about Joan Fontaine on Wikipedia here. While searching for pictures of the actress, I came across this wonderful Vanity Fair interview she did back in March of 2008:

Seven decades after she began her Hollywood and stage career, Academy Award-winning actress Joan Fontaine, 90, leads a quiet life at her California home, Villa Fontana. Here, the former screen darling ruminates on her beloved dogs, chastity, and doing it all over again.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Working in my garden while my five A.S.P.C.A. dogs smell the roses ... or water them.

What is your greatest fear?
As I lost my Brentwood, California, house and its contents in a firestorm in 1964, I fear the same might happen to Villa Fontana.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Eleanor of Aquitaine, as she was my all-time favorite role, in The Lion In Winter, and which gave me the best reviews of my career.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying a car just for my canines.

What is your favorite journey?
Portofino to Capri.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Virginity.

On what occasion do you lie?
When being tactful ... or evasive.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"Ah!"

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The English language.

What is your current state of mind?
Contentment.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Recklessness.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impulsiveness.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Gossiping, denigration, chitchat, disloyalty.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Peace and tranquility.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Losing a child.

What is your most treasured possession?
My house and its three acres of gardens, in the woods.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Independence, sense of humor.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Knowledge and respect, affection without demands.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Intellect, honesty, openness, loyalty.

Who are your favorite writers?
Du Maurier, Shakespeare, Dickens, the Bronës, Gwendolyn Brooks.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
D'Artagnan, from The Three Musketeers, who taught me some things were going on in Milady's boudoir. My mother, when I questioned her at 10 years old, said, "You'll have to ask someone else."

Who are your heroes in real life?
Winston Churchill. Alas, no "greats" today, except Mother Teresa.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Me again. "Get it right this time!"

What is it that you most dislike?
Noise.

How would you like to die?
In bed—alone.

What is your motto?
"Free at last!"

[ Happy Birthday, Joan Fontaine! ]

Mrs. Miller

Artist: Mrs. Miller

LP: The Country Soul of Mrs. Miller
Song: "A Little Bitty Tear"
[ listen ]
Song: "Waitin' In Your Welfare Line"
[ listen ]

I wasn't able to take a shower this morning (water main broke), so instead I slapped myself in the face with a strong dose of vibrato to get me up and going. You can read all about the glorious life and career of whistling songstress Mrs. Elva Miller here and here, and producer Lex De Azevedo's notes from the back of the LP are included below. Here's a neat clip of Jimmy Durante and Mrs. Miller performing a duet at the Hollywood Palace. And of course she sits on the piano.

Mrs. Miller on YouTube:
[ "Inky Dinky Duet" ]
at the Hollywood Palace w/ Jimmy Durante

There was a time when the worlds of pop and country
music were sharply divided, and few singers ventured
from one into another. Today, stars like Dean Martin, Jo
Stafford, John Gary, and Al Martino sing both popular
and country songs with ease and charm and skill. It is,
however, not without concern that a record company
permits a star, firmly established in one field, to make
his or her entry into another. Conferences are held,
merchandising experts consulted, sales figures projected,
fresh flowers placed in front of small vinyl likenesses
of Herb Alpert and the Beatles.

None of this was necessary when Mrs. Elva Miller
expressed a wish to record an album of country songs.
True enough, Mrs. Miller's other successes have all
been with popular music. Yet it has been obvious
from the beginning that this delightful lady's talent
covers all fields. The warmth and naturalness that
Mrs. Miller brings to her art have a universal appeal
that would surely be suitable to almost any vocal form.

For country music, however, she has some good
qualifications. It is widely known that Mrs. Miller,
when not following her career, is a housewife in
Claremont, California. It may be somewhat less well
known that Mrs. Miller was born in Joplin, Missouri,
on the edge of the Ozarks, and brought up on a
farm near Dodge city, Kansas, onetime wild and
rowdy cowtown of the Old West, where there was
much appreciation of both country and western music.
She grew up steeped with an affection for this kind
of music, second only to her fondness for gospel
music, and the equal of her appreciation for
the popular songs she loves so well.

This early interest certainly shows here, and it seems
certain that this album will reach many who have
been slow in their appreciation for country music.
For Mrs. Miller brings to this medium a breath—
more accurately, perhaps, a gale—of fresh air,
just as she has brought to all of popular music
a new and very personal and almost indefinably
wonderful spirit of enjoyment. It is with very
special fondness, therefore, that we commend
to you this album of songs by a lady who has
rightly won an unprecedented place in the hearts
of listeners everywhere—an album of songs en-
hanced by THE COUNTRY SOUL OF MRS. MILLER.

—Produced by LEX DE AZEVEDO

[ Mrs. Miller: October 5, 1907 — July 5, 1997 ]

Hello People

Artist: Hello People

LP: The Handsome Devils
Song: "Take the Love In Your Body"
[ listen ]

My advice for today: Take the love in your body, let it out. I don't have time to write anything more about this Hello People LP that was produced and engineered by Todd Rundgren in 1974 (and found by me in Grand Forks, North Dakota in July of 2009), so I'm just going act out the rest of my comments in mime.

Since this is the first Hello People record in years,
the first temptation is to be historical about the band.
But a band that has outlasted most other American
bands since '67 has so much history that obviously
something else makes them still worth recording in
'74. That something can hopefully now be heard
as successfully as it has been seen in the past.
—Todd Rundgren

Los Angeles Negros

Artist: Los Angeles Negros

LP: Con Todo Mi Amor
Song: "Porque No Soy Poeta"
[ listen ]

The annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is in full swing, and I've decided to post something from Latin America today in honor of the two documentaries I watched last night. Amancio: Two Faces on a Tombstone explores the hate-crime murder of 23-year-old gay female impersonator Amancio Corrales in Yuma, Arizona in May of 2005. Frustrated with the lack of response from the local sheriff's investigation unit, Michael Baughman—an elderly gay man and long-time Yuma resident—starts a community project in order to raise awareness and hopefully bring Amancio's killer to justice. The filmmaking is a little clunky, but it's a moving story and I recommend watching it if you get the chance. Unfortunately I can't say the same for the other film, Paolo, about a melodramatic and self-absorbed Peruvian clotheshorse living in NYC who decides to return to Peru to visit family and search for his estranged father. For a doc purportedly focused on cultural alienation and long-lost family connections, Paolo spends an alarming amount of screen time prancing around in his underwear. The women in Paolo's life are generally more interesting and charming than he, but they're relegated to duties of constant fawning, as Paolo seems to grow impatient with any conversation that isn't about him. Ultimately, we learn that finally meeting his father face-to-face is lower on Paolo's priority list than an upcoming Madonna concert. You can see what other films are playing in the festival here, and you can read about the band Los Angeles Negros on Wikipedia here, though the site's dates may be slightly off. According to the back of the LP, "Con Todo Mi Amor" was recorded in Argentina in 1973, which—according to the online encyclopedia—would be three years before the Chilean band reformed in Argentina. Here are the notes from the back of the LP:

LOS ANGELES NEGROS, el grupo Argentino que se consagro
con el super-hit "Y VOLVERE," ahora forma parte del elenco
UA Latino. PRESENTAMOS estas ultimas grabaciones,
efectuadas por la prestigiosa marca ODEON de Argentina,
en este LP titulado "CON TODO MI AMOR," que sera
un exito mas de LOS ANGELES NEGROS.

Half-Hearted

The day after Bill left him, Miguel gathered the broken pieces of his heart and threw them into the Umatilla River.

side one:
01. Etude—Op. 10, No. 6 in E-flat minor - Frédéric Chopin (piano: Boris Berezovsky)
02. Love You Honey - Randy and the Gypsys
03. King of the Jungle - Baumann
04. Smooth Operator - Sade
05. Saddle Mountain - Le Loup
06. Hatari - Tune-Yards
07. Nina Never Knew - Jack Jones
08. Fish 9 - Colin Newman
09. Dreaming Man - Stoneground
10. Avec Les Filles Je Ne Sais Pas - Philippe Lavil
11. America - Prince and the Revolution
12. Kiss of Death - The Lords of the New Church
[ listen ]

side two:
01. Dominos - The Big Pink
02. Oh Darlin' - Magnétophone
03. The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise - Devo
04. Lovesaver - Stingray
05. Airport - Wet Willie
06. Pendant L'été - Michele Torr
07. If You Were the Only Girl - Roy Hamilton
08. Happiness - Riceboy Sleeps
09. Nocturn - Kate Bush
10. You Are My Lucky Star - Werner Müller & His Orchestra
11. Irresistible - Daniel Santos
12. Prelude—Op. 28, No. 19 in E-flat major - Frédéric Chopin (piano: Rafael Orozco)
[ listen ]

Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra

Artist: Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra

LP: Mambo Holiday
Song: "Bee-Ree-Bee"
[ listen ]

Here's a lively little Latin number to kick off a lazy October weekend. You can read about Machito and His Afro-Cuban Orchestra here and here. I wish I'd heard of the "Bee-Ree-Bee" a few days ago when I was playing Lexulous and had nothing on my rack but a whole bunch of the letter 'E.' I've played four games of Lexulous so far (the Facebook version of Scrabble) and I've lost every time. I'm looking for some new opponents who aren't very smart. If you're interested, let me know.

[ Machito, aka. Frank Raul Grillo: February 16, 1909 — April 15, 1984 ]

Focus

Artist: Focus

LP: In and Out of Focus
Song: "Black Beauty"
[ listen ]

Sorry if that LP cover looks a little blurry. Don't have time to write much now—on my way to see a man about a horse. Here are the LP liner notes:

Produced by Hubert Terheggen for RTM.
Recorded at Sound Technique Studios, London.
All compositions published world-wide by Radio-Tele Music.
"In and Out of Focus" was originally released
by Sire in 1970 (SES97027).

Slightly over three years ago, I saw a group perform in
Holland. Without a doubt they were the most original
band I had ever seen. Their music, a unique blend of
classical, jazz and rock was a refreshing change
from the hard driving rock, extremely popular in
England and the United States at that time. I
was equally, if not more so impressed with the
personalities, depth of musical knowledge, ability
and drive of the group's motivating forces, Jan
Akkerman, guitarist and Thijs van Leer, the
band's organist, flutist and vocalist.

The group was FOCUS and had been formed in mid
1969 as a trio by Thijs van Leer with bass guitarist
Martin Dresden and drummer Hans Cleuver. Guitarist
Jan Akkerman, then with Brainbox, one of the top
Dutch pop groups, joined to make it
a quartet in November, 1969.

After several months, two trips to Holland and some
heavy meetings with Hubert Terheggen, the head of the
FOCUS management team, FOCUS was signed to Sire
Records and shortly thereafter, this record "In and
Out of Focus" was released. The record received
the critical acclaim of both FM radio and record
reviewers, but strong sales never materialized.

That was three years ago and the group has under-
gone many changes. After a year of moderate success,
Jan Akkerman decided to rejoin drummer Pierre van der
Linden also ex-Brainbox. They formed a new bgand and
asked Thijs van Leer to come with them. Cyril Havermans
joined on bass guitar and they continued to call the
band FOCUS. Bert Ruiter replaced Cyril Havermans
in September, 1971.

In the past year, FOCUS has emerged as the first truly
progressive band from continental Europe to achieve
prominence in Great Britain and the United States.
Why they succeeded, where countless other groups
failed, was because of their totally original sound
both on record and in personal appearances. Their
music is far removed from the rock cliche we
have been used to for the past six years.
This is the key to their success.

Their more recent albums, "Moving Waves" and "Focus
3" and their three triumphant tours of Britain resulted
in FOCUS winning both the Melody Maker Brightest
Hope 1972 and New Musical Express "Best New Talent
of 1972" awards. FOCUS is fast being recognized as
super-stars here in the United States and American
audiences are anxiously awaiting the first FOCUS tour
scheduled for early spring of this year. This, their
first album is important because it traces the current
success of FOCUS, back to the inception and early
roots of the group and should not be overlooked. It
is for just this reason that we have repackaged
and made available again "In and Out of Focus."

SEYMOUR STEIN — January, 1973

Richard Roberts

Artist: Richard Roberts

LP: My Father's Favorite Songs
Song: "When He Reached Down His Hand"
[ listen ]

When he reached his hand down my WHAT!? This 1968 debut album from televangelist Oral Roberts' son Richard brings two questions immediately to mind: 1. How on Earth did someone like Oral Roberts produce such a sexy hunk of a son? 2. Who the hell names their kid "Oral?" Anyway, you can read all about teenage-heartthrob-turned-Vegas-superstar-hopeful-turned-ORU-President-turned-former-ORU-President Richard Roberts here, and these notes are from the back of the LP:

"My Father's Favorite Songs"

Richard Roberts is a young talent that promises to surge

into the forefront of sacred music. Here he has combined

old hymns which have formed the core of a 20-year world-

wide ministry, with exciting new songs and arrange-

ments written especially for this album.

[ Richard Roberts: surging to the forefront. ]

Richard's is a voice singing with the understanding that

talent, beyond being an end to itself, is a gift to be given

freely to others. It is part of his heritage that he sees music

as an inspiring ministry all its own. In the fluent ministry of

Richard's talent, he becomes not only the voice of the rich

grassroots beauty of Oral Roberts Crusades...he begins

to express his own depth of commitment to Christ.

The songs presented here are contemporary and powerful

in arrangement; yet they bear witness to an age-old

simplicity of Gospel. Interwoven with both old and

new is the theme of man's need and God's redemptive

plan. Without exception each song presents a moment

of personal confrontation between you—the listener—

and a very touchable substance of faith.

[ Richard Roberts: a very touchable substance. ]

In "My Father's Favorite Songs" Richard affirms the beauty

and simplicity of the old gospel hymns and adds a new

dynamic all his own. This album is the introduction of a

striking talent which, before long, should be riding the

crest of a vibrant new current in sacred music.

Cheryl Dilcher

Artist: Cheryl Dilcher

LP: 7" single
Song: "Lovin' Woman"
[ listen ]

Cheryl Dilcher has one of the most incredible stories in show business. Frustrated that her slutty robot housewife schtick failed to click with fans and critics alike, the Allentown, PA native rearranged her hair, put on more makeup, donned an over-sized metallic bow-tie found at an estate sale in Scranton and ultimately hit it big as an eccentric gay pioneer in the German new-wave movement.

Disclaimer: The information above is false. It was just a silly joke I made up to get attention and because I couldn't find any info about Ms. Dilcher on the web. I didn't know what else to say! The truth is, Cheryl Dilcher was a talented, hard-working musician, songwriter, and performer from Allentown who released several neat-looking LPs in the 1970s (see some of them here, and find a review of her first LP here) and she even worked with George Harrison on his last LP for Columbia. You can read more about Cheryl Dilcher on a website I just found here. Sadly, Cheryl passed away back in 2005, though she still has good friends from the music industry and fans around the world who won't let some asshole in Seattle make demeaning jokes about her record covers without giving him a stern talking to. But you have to admit, she does kinda' look like Klaus Nomi as a mid-'70s Maybelline housewife in this particular photo.