Freddie Bell & Roberta Linn with the Bell Boys

Artist: Freddie Bell & Roberta Linn with the Bell Boys

LP: Get Yourself a College Girl

Song: "Talkin' About Love"
[ listen ]

There's a new record store in town! Fat Cat Records, located in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, is about midway between Golden Oldies, which is just down the hill by Dick's Drive-In, and Daybreak Records over in Fremont. Fat Cat has only been open a little over a month, but it's already starting to get that comfortable, kinda' messy, lived-in feel of a joint that's been there for ages. 

I dropped by after getting my taxes done at the United Way Free Tax Preparation site up the street (I recommend the service, if you haven't already done your taxes) and found a couple of gems, including this dazzling 'various artists' soundtrack to the hip and happy 1964 cinematic oddity GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL. It's got Nancy Sinatra in it!

Roberta Linn was born in a scrappy little Iowa town called Gravity in 1931 (when the population was 465, but today it's just 187). She graduated from her days as a Lawrence Welk "Champagne Lady" in the 1950s and teamed up with early-rock-n-roll musician Freddie Bell in 1961. They had a show together at the Sands and other Vegas casinos for a few years but divorced in 1972 after Bell began hitting the bottle. He passed away in 2008 at age 76. I'm delighted to see Roberta still going strong, performing with the Sun City Singers in Palm Desert, CA just last week! You can read more about the lovely Ms. Linn here and here and visit her website here.

 

[ Freddie Bell & Roberta Linn w/ the Bell Boys ]

[ Fat Cat Records — Seattle, WA ]

Rolf Berntzen og Johannes Kleppevik

Artist: Rolf Berntzen og Johannes Kleppevik

LP: 7" single

Song: "Torgsangen"
[ listen ]

I hadn't added Rocade Musikk to my list of Bergen record stores, since I'd read that they specialize in country and bluegrass music, and I was looking primarily for Norwegian pop. It was my sister who spotted the store and pointed it out to me as we were ambling down a quaint cobblestone street a few blocks from our hotel. 

When I returned to Rocade to browse the next day, the friendly proprietor asked what kind of music I liked. I was surrounded by bins of country music and it was country that was playing on the store's music system too. I didn't dare say "Boney M" or "Devo" or anything like that. I began by feebly whimpering, "ABBA," then quickly followed up with, "But I like old country music too...like Hank Snow!"...selecting an old country favorite at random.

Little did I know that I had hit the jackpot. The gentleman excitedly pointed out the Hank Snow posters that adorned every wall and then played me a track by a Norwegian country singer (I think it was Bjøro Håland) who had gone to Nashville and recorded in the style of Hank Snow! (Novelty factor = 8; Musical factor = 4.) 

Though I felt kinda bad that I didn't buy any of his country records, I did find some singles I wanted. The amenable clerk repeatedly tried pushing this Rolf Berntzen and Johannes Kleppevik single on me as a souvenir; he had known both men when they were living and the song was recorded in honor of the famous Bergen Fish Market. There were about 35 copies available. I could have bought one for everybody I know! The single ultimately wasn't among my final selections, but he threw in a copy for me anyways for free.

[ Johannes Kleppevik: October 10, 1947 — February 3, 2001 ] 

[ Rolf Berntzen: June 4, 1918 — September 22, 2005 ] 

[ Rocade Musikk — Bergen, Norway ]

Cerrone and LaToya Jackson

Artist: Cerrone and LaToya Jackson

LP: 12" single

Song: "Oops, Oh No!" 
[ listen ]

"Oops, Oh No!" pretty much sums up this entire affair. Cerrone, what were you thinking? It's always a little depressing when you see someone who was on the cutting edge of fashion/glamour/music/nightlife...but then just a decade later they look like they might try to sell you patio furniture.
 

Gene & Debbe

Artist: Gene & Debbe

LP: Hear & Now

Song: "Anyway You Want Me" 
[ listen ]

Song: "Love Will Give Us Wings" 
[ listen ]

Here are a couple tracks from a terrific 1968 LP by Gene Thomas and Debbe Nevills from Nashville, Tennessee. They perform in the vein of Nancy & Lee, but what I particularly admire about this duo is how Gene's restless, searching personality mixes with Debbe's pure simplicity and inner beauty to reaffirm the very laws of nature. Go hear to read about the pair on Wikipedia.

[ Gene Thomas & Debbe Nevills ]

Connie Francis & Hank Williams, Jr.

Artist: Connie Francis & Hank Williams, Jr.

LP: Connie Francis & Hank Williams, Jr. Sing Great Country Favorites

Song: "Wabash Cannonball"
[ listen ]

Before stumbling upon this wonderful 1964 duet LP filled with country standards at a cute little walk-in closet of a store called Skully'z Recordz in the French Quarter of New Orleans, I had no idea that Connie and Hank, Jr. had made a record together—and they've been out driving together too! Like peanut-butter and chocolate, Hank and Connie make a surprisingly delicious combination that truly reflects today's spirit of musical pioneering. Go here to read all about Connie Francis, here to read about Hank Williams, Jr., and there's a bit of information about this record they made together here. Liner notes from the back of the LP are included below. 

 [ Connie Francis & Hank Williams, Jr. ]

[ Skully'z Recordz — New Orleans, Louisiana ]

Asha Bhosle & Shatrughan Sinha

Artist: Asha Bhosle & Shatrughan Sinha

LP: Jaani Dushman

Song: "Aasi Waise Na"

[ listen ]

While in Washington, DC for a conference last December, I came across this soundtrack for "Jaani Dushman," a popular 1979 Bollywood horror flick in which a bunch of brides are killed off by a furry, large-toothed, human-shaped monster just before each of their weddings. You can read about the movie here, and find lots of info about singer Asha Bhosle here and actor/singer Shatrughan Sinha here. When "Jaani Dushman" was remade in 2002, the horrifying wolfman costume was thrown out in favor of using monsters created with dazzling state-of-the-art computerized special effects. You can watch the entire 1979 version of "Jaani Dushman" with no English subtitles here, and go here to watch the 2002 remake.

[ Asha Bhosle ]

[ Shatrughan Sinha ]

[ monster ]