Procol Harum

Artist: Procol Harum

LP: Exotic Birds and Fruit

Song: "As Strong As Samson"

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Song: "The Thin End of the Wedge"

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Song: "Fresh Fruit"

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Speaking of classic bands I'm just now finally getting into: Digging up a terrific Procol Harum single (no, not "A Whiter Shade of Pale") at my local record store a month or two ago prompted me to embark on a mini-binge, buying just about all of the group's early LPs, which the store just happened to have used copies of in stock. "Exotic Birds and Fruit" is Procol Harum's 7th LP, released in 1974. Peaking at only #86 on the US album charts, it was their least successful record up to that point...which, as we now know, probably means it was their best one so far!

Formed in 1967, Procol Harum is one of those bands whose name I'd heard and whose records I'd seen over the years, but I'd just never bothered looking into them. (Others are Three Dog Night, UFO, Uriah Heep...there are a bunch of them.) Anyway, these guys are good. I'm glad I've finally added some of their stuff to my collection! You can read about Procol Harum here, and there's info on this particular record right here.

 

[ Procol Harum ]

Sacha Distel

Artist: Sacha Distel

LP: 7" single

Song: "Adios Amigo"

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Song: "Mister Casanova"

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After work today I stopped by Golden Oldies Records to rummage through their Air Supply. Of course, according to the alphabet you have to go through ABBA to get to Air Supply, and for whatever lucky reason, somebody had plopped this Sacha Distel record right into the middle of ABBA...like, between the Bs: ABSachaDistelBA.I love any song that includes whistling, but even better if the song's in German with a Spanish chorus!

[ Sacha Distel: January 29, 1933 — July 22, 2004 ]

Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys

Artist: Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys

LP: Rhapsody In Rhythm
Song: "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue"
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Song: "Tara Lara"

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I was milling about in Tacoma this past Saturday afternoon after a family get-together for my 8-year-old nephew's birthday in Gig Harbor and before meeting my friend Ryan in the evening to see US at Grand Cinema. I finally paid a visit to the wonderful Tacoma Book Center, and then I popped in at House of Records, where I picked up this 1955 LP by Spanish piano master Geri Galian, who, frankly, I've never heard of before. But then it seems most people nowadays haven't. 

According to the album liner notes, Galian appeared in several hit Hollywood films of the 1940s and '50s, he performed at places like the Hollywood Bowl and Biltmore Theatre in L.A., and at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas...but now the poor guy doesn't even have a Wikipedia page! The sparkly magic he whips up at the piano keyboard is absolutely brilliant and exciting—it's like he's playing all 88 keys at once! I don't see any reason why this guy shouldn't still be famous. It's time for a Geri Galian revival! You with me? I'm putting in an order for bobbleheads and t-shirts.

Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys on YouTube:

[ "Jungle Rumba" ]  

[ Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Piano ]

[ House of Records / Turntable Treasures — Tacoma, WA ]

The Equals

Artist: The Equals

LP: Baby, Come Back

Song: "Laurel and Hardy" 
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I've got my good friend Ryan, as well as R&B singer/guitarist Barbara Lynn, to thank for leading me to this 1968 LP by The Equals. Ryan, who's way more connected to what's going on in our city than I am, invited me to join her and a few other friends to see Barbara Lynn perform at the Light In the Attic label's warehouse just a few blocks from my place. It was a sensational show—Ms. Lynn was fantastic! Not only that, but she's a real sweetheart. It was her very first time in Seattle!

The show was part of Light In the Attic's Second Annual Summer Spectacular, for which they'd arranged food trucks to surround the place and had vendors on hand for a record fair too, which is where I found The Equals. The group features Eddie Grant, aka. Eddy Grant, who's the same guy who rocked down to Electric Avenue about 15 years later, in 1983. "Laurel and Hardy," which peaked at #35 on the British singles charts, was the group's follow-up to "Baby, Come Back," a #1 hit in Britain that peaked at #32 in the USA. You can read more about The Equals here. Thanks again, Ryan, for inviting me to the show. I would have really missed out without you!

Fred Lowery

Artist: Fred Lowery

LP: Fred Lowery Whistles Your Gospel Favorites

Song: "Whispering Hope" 
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Song: "Shall We Gather At the River?" 
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Song: "Sweet Hour of Prayer" 
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Fred Lowery, who was born in Palestine in 1909 (no, not that Palestine, this one), lost his sight after coming down with scarlet fever when he was only two years old. But though Fred Lowery may have been blind, he still had his vision. When he was around 19 years old and in school, Fred met a bird imitator who encouraged him to take up whistling. Fred did, and soon he was performing with the likes of Vincent Lopez and Horace Heidt and their respective orchestras and he starting scoring hit records like his 1939 rendition of "Indian Love Call." This 1967 LP, on which Lowery whistles some of my gospel favorites, seems like the perfect thing for a wonderfully cool, sunny and  breezy Sunday morning—my first as I enter my 47th year on Earth. You can read more about Fred here and in the liner notes below.

[ Fred Lowery: November 2, 1909 — December 11, 1984 ]

Charles Trenet

 Artist: Charles Trenet

LP: Le Coeur de Paris [10" EP]

Song: "Le Coeur de Paris (The Heart of Paris)"

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Song: "Chanson pour Noel (Song for Christmas)"

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I got most of my Christmas shopping done downtown yesterday, though I was waylaid for a good chunk of minutes by some exciting vinyl distractions at Holy Cow Records in Seattle's famous and historic Pike Place Market. This 8-song 10" EP by Charles Trenet, perhaps the very Frenchest of French male singers, is one of the things I found—it features a cover-drawing by Jean Cocteau! Trenet's record was in the dollar bin, probably because the cover was so worn it had actually split into two separate pieces. But after putting it back together with some invisible tape I had on hand for wrapping presents, it looks almost as good as new. You can read all about Charles Trenet's lengthy and enduring career on Wikipedia here—including details about the time he spent in prison in 1963 for corrupting the morals of four 19-year-old men (as if the morals of 19-year-old men can be corrupted) and about how he went to Hollywood after WWII and became buddies with Charlie Chaplin. You will also learn that Charles Trenet composed some of France's most well-known songs, like "Boum!" and "La Mer," and that he hated math. "Le Coeur de Paris" features Charles doing a little whistling along with his singing, and the second track posted here is one that Trenet wrote especially for Christmas. Biographical and individual track notes are included below. I like that Charles' cows speak French. "Bon jour!"

Charles Trenet on YouTube:

[ "Boum!" ]

[ Charles Trenet: May 18, 1913 — February 19, 2001 ]

A.J. Marshall

Artist: A.J. Marshall

LP: There's a Lot of Lovin' In This Old Boy Yet

Song: "The Mr. In Your Mrs. Kind of Life"

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If you can imagine Seymour Cassel crooning late-'60s lounge standards, you'll have a pretty good idea of what this record is all about. I especially like this particular track because there's whistling at the end—and because I, too, would like to find a Mr. for my Mrs. kind of life. A.J. Marshall was evidently an Al Jolson impersonator earlier in his career, and then after this record flopped he went on to play football for UNC.

 

 

Mrs. Miller

Artist: Mrs. Miller

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

Marvin Rainwater

Artist: Marvin Rainwater

LP: 7" single
Song: "Gonna' Find Me a Bluebird"
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Song: "Get Off the Stool"
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Here are two songs from a 4-track 7" EP from one of my favorite old-time country singers. Marvin Rainwater was born on July 2, 1925 and celebrated his 84th birthday this year! He's ¼ Cherokee (Rainwater is his mother's maiden name) and was the 73rd inductee into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. You can find more info on Marvin Rainwater here, read his bio on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame page here and visit his website here— where you can sign his guestbook and find out what he's up to nowadays. These notes are from the back of the "Meet Marvin Rainwater" 7" EP, which was made and released in the UK:

MARVIN RAINWATER, who is partly of Cherokee Indian descent,
comes from Wichita, Kansas. One of nature's own musicians,
he has penned hundreds of folk style and religious songs and
recently aroused nation-wide attention in America with his
record of "Gonna' Find Me a Bluebird."

Marvin studied veterinary medicine in Washington and is
supremely fond of horses. Tall and handsome, he has, in a
knock-about character, worked in logging camps and in the
U.S. Navy and at the beginning of his career his friends nick-
named him "Starvin' Marvin." Marvin soon put an end to such
talk when his original song "I Gotta Go to Get My Baby" was
covered by six artists on records and made his name a power
to reckon with in the field of country music. Marvin turned the
corner on the road to fame when he won first place on Arthur
Godfrey's talent scouts which led to regular work at CBS in
New York and ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Mo.

Marvin already has many friends in this country and is
making no small contribution to the growing interest that
exists in country music of which he is, indeed, one of
America's supreme exponents.

[ Marvin Rainwater ]

Hank Mardigian Sextet feat. George Mgrdichian on the Oud

Artist: Hank Mardigian Sextet feat. George Mgrdichian on the Oud

LP: Oriental Delight
Song: "Mood Orientale"
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Song: "Caucasian Dance"
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Song: "Come My Sweet One"
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Here are some mid-week delights from "the Orient"—or Armenia, to be precise. Not much info about Hank Mardigian or his Sextet on the web, but you can find the New York Times obituary for famed oud player George Mgrdichian here and the "Oriental Delight" LP liner notes are included below.

ORIENTAL DELIGHT is the music of Asia Minor expressing
its sad and joyous moods with exotic and mystic sounds.
This music is truly an expression of Armenia—its people,
culture, history, and not to be overlooked, their feeling.
They knew of no superficial moods or ways of life. There
was only one way to do things—the right way—the full
way. The music is intoxicating because it is played from
the heart with all its warmth and color. The men smoked
their favorite nargula (water pipe), while the women with
veils and necklaces of gold pieces and coins danced to
the exotic and captivating age-old melodies of never-
to-be-forgotten oriental sounds.

Massacres, tortures, and enslavements are blended with
much joy in the music of these people, who, for many
centuries knew only of peace and happiness. History
tells us of the greatness of its early kings, people, and
nation. All of its early music was joyful and told only
of happiness. Then, sadness blanketed the nation
and its people. And, thus, the reason for the moods
of Oriental Delight.

Hank Mardigian's Sextet has, since early childhood, lived
and played oriental music. In the eight, short years that
the six gifted musicians have been playing together, the
band has become one of America's most popular and
well-known Armenian bands of today.

Hank Mardigian, in his playing of the mandolin and the alto
saxophone, has captured the style and authenticity of the
ancient music of Asia Minor. The popularity of the band
is due to his leadership, arrangements, and inspiration.

The oud, a large hand-carved pot-bellied long-necked
mandolin-type string instrument, is the most important
in oriental music. George Mgrdichian, without question,
is considered one of the best oud players in America
and is a perfectionist. He plays very fereely, with genuine
feeling, and his interpretations of the oud have won wide
recognition for him. He is such an artist that when he plays,
the music "lives," and makes you wonder when the oud
will start "talking."

Roupen Gureghian, the youngest member of the band, plays
the clarinet with feeling, and not from notes. The music moves
him so, that the result is a distinctive style of playing.

The rhythm section, which is most important to an oriental
band, has Berge Jehanian playing the castanets for added
flavor. The section is paced by Roger Mgrdichian, who plays
the treble dumbeg, an hour-glass-shaped drum which is
open on one end, with a unique style. George Terkanian
plays the bass dumbeg, which stands thirty inches high
and he excels as "the whistler" in "Come My Sweet One."

Oriental music knows no nationality or language barrier
and Oriental Delight, from the start, will inspire you to
join hands in the barr (dance), or merely sit back, relax,
and enjoy the age-old moods of that distant Middle East.

[ George Mgrdichian: 1935-2006 ]

The Merrymen

Artist: The Merrymen

LP: Beautiful Bermuda
Song: "One, Two, Three"
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I'm already at work, but haven't yet changed out of my bike-riding getup and I haven't had any coffee. It's kind of funny, things you think at times like these. Like, "I haven't seen Bermuda so I must get out of this." Anyway, here are some liner notes from a guy named Eddy De Mello, who also did the album artwork.

Beautiful Bermuda is velvet sunshine, secluded coves, fragrant flowers
and THE MERRYMEN, who have become an integral part of the Bermuda
scene—and if in doubt, ask a Bermudian.

On a personal basis, as many Bermudians now know them, they are
not only entertainers—entertainers' entertainers—but
four warm and friendly young men.

The Merrymen stand high and alone when one mentions Caribbean per-
formers, with a reputation that is reaching the crest of Internationalism.

One rarely feels the excitement of a performance on a record, but once
again The Merrymen have broken the sound barrier. Their in-person
performances are almost concertos between themselves and their
audience and this atmosphere has been captured, but not caged,
on this recording.

Let me be your host as you place the recording on your turntable—find
the proper balance and volume, now relax, but not for long—because
EMILE, ROBIN, STEPHEN and CHRIS will soon have you in that
happy, beautiful Bermuda Mood. --Eddy De Mello