Tommy Collins

Artist: Tommy Collins

LP: Words and Music Country Style
Song: "Love-a-me S'il Vous Plait"
[ listen ]

Tommy Collins has been one of my favorite old-time country singers ever since I heard him sing "You Better Not Do That" on a country compilation CD about twelve years ago. And after seeing his picture on this 1957 "Made In England" LP I found in Fargo, North Dakota this past summer, I like him even more. What a hunk! Unfortunately, Collins abandoned his musical career in 1957 to begin studying to become a minister. He didn't record again until the early-to-mid 1960s, after realizing that ministering wasn't really his thing. You can read about the life and career of Tommy Collins (aka Leonard Raymond Sipes) on his Rockabilly Hall of Fame page here. Biographical notes from the back of this LP—along with accompanying drawings depicting the stages of his life from about 1939 to 1957—are included below.

[ Tommy Collins: September 28, 1930 — March 14, 2000 ]

Bogdan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn

Artist: Bogdan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn

LP: Nie Obiecuj Nie Przyrzekaj
Song: "Nie Obiecuj Nie Przyrzekaj (Do Not Promise)"
[ listen ]

Here's an LP from (early 1970s?) Poland that I found at Cheapo Records in Cambridge, Massachusetts last month. I can't tell you much about Bodgan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn except that in the late '60s, Danuta looked a lot like my Auntie Karen. If anyone reading this can provide more info on the duo, that would be great! My web search did turn up some neat YouTube clips, which I've included below with photos and notes (in Polish) from the LP.

Bogdan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn on YouTube:
[ "Ciuciu-Babka" ]

Bogdan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn on YouTube:
[ "Zapamietajmy Kazda Chwile" ]

Bogdan Czyżewski and Danuta Rinn on YouTube:
[ "Pamiętaj o Mnie" ]

An Unintentional Mess

Actually, I made this mess on purpose.

side one:
01. Yo Fo - Molotov
02. Rains - Igor Kornelyuk
03. Monkey See, Monkey Do - Addrisi Brothers
04. Flashback - Eberhard Schoener w/ Sting
05. I Was Waiting For You - Richard Cocciante
06. Summer Wind - Andre Kostelanetz & His Orchestra
07. Mister Female Crazy - Dave Howard
08. News - Tune-Yards
09. Forgive Me - Le Loup
10. Stranger In Paradise - Gisele MacKenzie
11. Maori Brown Eyes - Leroy Holmes, His Orchestra and Chorus
12. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On - Edwin Starr
13. Show Some Respect - Tina Turner
14. Creole - The Crusaders
[ listen ]

side two:
01. Besoin Pour Vivre - Claude Dubois
02. Burn With the Fever - Bugs Tomorrow
03. Come Out the Wilderness - His Name Is Alive
04. Freeze-Frame - The J. Geils Band
05. Mirror - Vikki Carr
06. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas - Kiyoshi Sakazume
07. Mulher Brasileira - Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra
08. The Lonely Spy - Lori and the Chameleons
09. Trying to Get You - Z-66
10. The Crystal Ship - The Doors
11. Ernest, Un Coup D'Blanc - Jacques Debronckart
12. Anko Kanashiya (Tearful Maiden of Oshima Island) - Yotsuo Koyama's Cherry Blossom Ensemble
13. Save a Prayer - Duran Duran
14. Troubles - Major Lance
[ listen ]

Doug Oldham

Artist: Doug Oldham

LP: Christmas With Doug Oldham
Song: "No Room"
[ listen ]
Song: "Mary's Boy Child"
[ listen ]

Being named "Old-ham" is an unfortunately appropriate coincidence for this talented elderly Christian gentleman with a flair for incorporating earnest melodrama, spoken word, and robust vibrato into his religious musical performances. Still, Doug seems like an amiable fellow and I wouldn't mind spending Christmas with him, his lovely wife Laura Lee, and their three daughters—who range from "just like dad" to "just like mom" with one "mixed" daughter in between. The girls have been strategically placed in the family's holiday photo in case folks have trouble guessing which daughter goes where on the Oldham genetic spectrum. You can read about Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee Doug Oldham on his website here, were you can also order more of his music on CDs, which his daughter Rebekah will send to you, if she can find the time.

[ Doug , Laura Lee and Laura Lee's boots. ]

"Big" Tiny Little

Artist: "Big" Tiny Little

LP: Christmas With "Big" Tiny Little
Song: "Santa's Chopsticks"
[ listen ]
Song: "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
[ listen ]

As my mother always used to say, Christmas just isn't Christmas without mistletoe, spiked egg-nog and the honky-tonk piano music of "Big" Tiny Little. You can go here and here to read about this talented father of eight from Worthington, Minnesota who first got his start on The Lawrence Welk Show.

[ "Big" Tiny Little ]

Jimmy Smith

Artist: Jimmy Smith

LP: The Cat
Song: "Theme From 'Joy House'"
[ listen ]

[ "Joy House"—aka: "Les Félins" ]

This morning I rode my bike to work through temperatures of 18°F, which actually felt like 12° according to some local weather website. If you ask me, it felt more like -39°. It doesn't often get below freezing here in Seattle and it's been like this for more than a week, so we're all really suffering here. This Jimmy Smith track should heat things up a bit. In the 1950s, Jimmy Smith evidently revolutionized the way the Hammond organ was being played! One of his most popular and successful albums, "The Cat" was produced by Creed Taylor and reached #12 on Billboard's pop album charts back in 1964. You can read more about Jimmy Smith here and here, and some neat pictures and info from the LP are included below.

[ The Cat ]

[ Jimmy Smith ]

[ Alain Delon ]

[ Lalo Schifrin ]

[ Jimmy Smith: December 8, 1928 — February 8, 2005 ]

The "You Know Who" Group

Artist: The "You Know Who" Group

LP: First Album
Song: "Hey You and the Wind and the Rain"
[ listen ]

Here's another LP I picked up at Weirdo Records in Cambridge, Mass a few weeks ago. Why is it that every time I come up with a dynamite idea for a creative new novelty band, I discover that somebody else has already beaten me to it? Anyway, you can read about The "You Know Who" Group here.

Byanka y Maleza

Artist: Byanka y Maleza

LP: 20 Navidexitos
Song: "Sueño De Invierno"
[ listen ]
Song: "El Niño Del Tambor"
[ listen ]

The holidays are upon us. It's a frosty 22°F in Seattle this morning, so Christmas music makes perfect sense. This 1982 various artists Navidad LP from Mexico features holiday favorites by a variety of niños—including two tracks from Byanka y Maleza. The dynamic duo evidently kept singing together even as they outgrew their golden jumpsuits to become sexy Mexican cowgirls.

Richard Cocciante

Artist: Richard Cocciante

LP: Richard Cocciante
Song: "When Love Has Gone Away"
[ listen ]

This past Thursday my friend Nicholai invited me to join him for Seattle's "First Thursday" art walk in Pioneer Square—the old part of the city. We met at the Something Old Something New thrift store at 3rd and Washington (map), where I flipped through a bin of old LPs and found this 1976 treasure from French/Italian singer Richard Cocciante. We visited lots of galleries and saw lots of art that night, some good and some bad. At one point, Nicholai approached a tough, biker-type guy with a pointy, multi-faceted beard and gave him this compliment: "I love the amusement park you've created with your facial hair!" The man was not pleased, but his girlfriend answered his scowl with a whispered, "that was really complimentary!" It's fun hanging out with Nicholai.

Remo Germani

Artist: Remo Germani

LP: San Remo '67
Song: "La Rivoluzione"
[ listen ]

With Portland painted red, I said goodbye to my friend Alex and began the drive northward back to Seattle. Just after crossing the mighty Columbia River, I saw signs for the city of Vancouver, which I'd never been to before. I decided to have a look, and of course I stumbled upon a record store—Mermaid Music in this case. I found some neat things there, including this various artists LP from the San Remo song competition of 1967. "La Rivoluzione" didn't win the top prize, but it's one of my favorites on the record. You can find the LP liner notes below, along with a neat Remo Germani music video, also from 1967. You can read about Remo Germani on Wikipedia here and visit his official website here.

Remo Germani on YouTube:
[ "Al Chiaro Di Luna" ]

[ Remo Germani ]

The Mario Panas Sound

Artist: The Mario Panas Sound

LP: Bouzouki Dancing
Song: "Die Bouzouki Klang Durch Die Sommernacht"
[ listen ]

While visiting my friend Alex in Portland last weekend, we also painted Everyday Music red and I bought this beautiful and unusual bouzouki-themed LP while we were waiting for the paint to dry. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what a bouzouki was until I looked it up on the internet and discovered it's one of these. After some more research, I found out that Mario Panas was one of the writers of his daughter Vicky's Eurovision Contest-winning hit, "Apres Toi," which represented Luxembourg in 1971. (You can read more about that and see her perform the song here.) Also, I found out that Mario Panas is originally from Greece and is AKA Leo Leandros, and he's A sometimes KA Leandros Papathanasiou. I'd have to agree though that "The Leandros Papathanasiou Sound" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

[ Mario Panas, Leo Leandros, etc. ]

Patrick Hernandez

Artist: Patrick Hernandez

LP: Born to Be Alive
Song: "Show Me the Way You Kiss"
[ listen ]

After returning from Boston last week, I drove to Vashon Island for Thanksgiving dinner with my family and then headed down to Portland, Oregon to visit my friend Alex before he moved to Phoenix. We painted the town red, starting with the Mississippi District, where I found this 1979 Patrick Hernandez LP featuring the international disco hit "Born to Be Alive." I actually came across this LP in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in July for $5, but decided not to pick it up there. I'm glad, since the CD & Game Exchange on Mississippi had it for just a buck. You can read about Patrick Hernandez on Wikipedia here.

Eavesdroppings

Overheard when: 9:53pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Overheard where: Piecora's Pizza at 1401 East Madison Street in Seattle, WA [map]
Overheard who: a cute and boyish 20-something-year-old fellow with blond wavy hair, speaking to his charming female dining companion in the booth directly behind me in the pizzeria's main front room.
Overheard what: "Sex is a really strong force and it lures people in. If two people are both good at it, it can be a lot of fun! But if one person isn't very good at it... It's like tennis: If two people are both great tennis players, they can have a really good game. But if one of the players has never even held a racket in their hands before, so they don't know what they're doing and they keep hitting the ball over the fence and into the net all the time... well that's not much fun for the other person, since they just end up standing around and waiting the whole time."

John Yam

Artist: John Yam

LP: 7" single
Song: "Our Love Is Over"
[ listen ]

A few blocks up Massachusetts Avenue from Cheapo Records is Weirdo Records, where I found lots of great used vinyl at good prices—including this groovy 1971 John Yam 4-track EP from Singapore. They have a little listening station where you can sample the records before buying them, and the owner is really friendly and helpful. I wasn't keeping track at the time, but I think she gave me a bit of a discount. Thanks!

Between Cheapo and Weirdo, I'd used up my entire record-shopping day and found more records than I could comfortably carry, afford, or fit into a suitcase. (My checked bag was so heavy I had to pay JetBlue $50 just to load it onto the plane. They must have had to hire a bodybuilder.) My web search turned up more neat-looking record stores in Boston and Cambridge that I didn't get to, so I'll have to go back soon.