Kenny and the Dreamdusters

Artist: Kenny and the Dreamdusters

LP: Organ Favorites

Song: "Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider"
[ listen ]

Here's a mellow little melody for early on a Monday morning. Though I realize the Hammond was invented during the past 100 years, Kenny's organ playing always takes me back to summertime on the Eastern seaboard in the mid-to-late 18th century. How about you?

Although the Hammond Organ was invented in the 20th
century, it is amazing how a player such as Kenny Arland
can produce effects and moods with a wonderful nostalgia
on the instrument. Kenny and the Dreamdusters present
a program of the songs most requested in their public
appearances in smart supper clubs from coast to coast.

Vibes — Betty Roland; Piano and Celeste — Will Dressler

Les Paul [1915-2009]

Artist: Les Paul

LP: Les Paul Now!
Song: "Lover"
[ listen ]

Song: "Sleep"
[ listen ]

The father of the electric guitar—the man who made rock-n-roll possible—died last Thursday at the age of 94. Les Paul's innovative recording techniques (overdubbing, delay effects, multi-track recording) and musical inventions (the solid-body electric guitar, the hands-free neck-worn harmonica holder) were invaluable contributions to the popular music of the 1950s, '60s and '70s and are still being used and elaborated upon today. You can read all about Les Paul's life and career here (did you know he was Steve Miller's godfather?) and find his Rolling Stone obituary here. The photos and extensive liner notes from Les Paul's terrific 1967 "Les Paul Now!" LP are included below. To bid on your own copy of the record, just go here or here—but hurry, only a few days left!

.
Let's say you're going to visit Les Paul. Well, there's
a good chance that you won't find him at home. He's
perhaps out paying return (or repeat) visits to Bell
Laboratories of Thomas Edison's home and lab, or
a tape duplicating plant, or a recording studio in New
York or Chicago, or Detroit, or Hollywood, or a music
store where he'll be found browsing in the new guitar
department, looking at recent developments in the
instrument, or in a place showing electronic equipment—
again looking at tape machines and/or recording accessories
for new processes and advances. Then again, he may not
be in any of these places. He might be found in a club
somewhere around the country playing, or 'jamming'—a
more apt description. Or, if not in a club, he's at home,
surrounded by numerous friends—all top-flight
musicians—'jamming' until the wee hours.

All of this is where the ideas come from. He hears
or sees something and asks why it can't be better
than it is. This natural curiosity, along with the
initiative and drive to carry these questions through
to an answer has always been with him, thus leaving
him open to the full credit (or blame as the case may be)
for today's electronic and multiple recording scene.

To go back to the beginning, he didn't think a
plain guitar was loud enough. You know, if you're
playing for a lot of people you want them all to
hear you, not just the few right in front of you.What
to do about it? Amplify it! The first experiment worked,
but it really wasn't the complete answer...he took
the playback arm of his Victrola, jammed the needle
into the guitar, and played through the phonograph
amplifier. Advancing, he found regular commercial
amplification systems unsatisfactory also, so started
building his own. And he's still building them, always
striving for improvement and that elusive 'perfection.'

While on the subject of guitars, there are many,
many innovations that he is personally responsible
for—in many cases as much for popularizing as for
actually inventing or creating the idea. The most
sought after guitar today is the Les Paul model, which
he designed for Gibson. It is not basically sought as a
collector's item, but is wanted by guitarists because
of its sound. At this writing Gibson is formulating
plans to again build and market this model, with
many improvements over the older model, as
evidenced by the sounds of this record album.

Now that we're on the subject of sound, another
of Les' pet peeves was inferior recording procedures.
One day, while rehearsing the Bing Crosby show, Les
mentioned to Bing his dissatisfaction of the sound that
was being heard on phonograph records. Bing told him
that if he thought he could do better why didn't he build
his own recording studio. California weather being what
it was, a garage wasn't really necessary for the car, so
the location problem was taken care of. Now partitioned
into studio and control room the equipment problem arose.
As was normal for him, existing commercial equipment
wasn't up to his exacting standards so the construction
crew (Les and a couple of friends) was called into service.
The first recording lathe (magnetic tape was to come
several years later) was constructed of parts salvaged
from everywhere. There were several reasons for this—
one being the fact that no such parts were available
as such for the function to be performed and had
to be either hand made or converted for its particular
purpose. So, various aircraft parts, plumbing parts,
etc. were used. As an example, a Cadillac flywheel
was chosen for the turntable because of its perfect
balance, connecting to the motor turning it by a cable
normally used by dentists for their drills. An echo, or
delay effect was created by using a playback head behind
the recording head and feeding the signal back to the
record head while recording, thus recording more than
one of the same signal simultaneously, or rather with a
slight delay. This process was later adapted to tape
recording. A side-note on the quality Les was getting
out of this garage studio is the fact that in the late
1940s Consumers Research was recommending to their
readers the use of Les' records to check the quality
of their equipment.

The entrance of tape recording on the scene was
a boon in the fact that mistakes could be erased
or edited rather than piling up large stacks of ruined
or experimental discs. Although he'd been making
multiple records on disc up to this time, that is
playing all the parts himself with the theory that
in this way everyone in the orchestra is bound to
have the same feeling towards the arrangement,
he went along with the rest of the industry, maybe
even a little ahead of the rest of the industry, and
switched to tape. Again, modifications. With trepidation,
Ampex built for Les a tape recorder with an extra playback
head ahead of the erase and record head, thus enabling
him to play along with the previous recorded part and
re-record part after part until the final arrangement was
completed. This had drawbacks, as if, say five parts were
recorded and in the process of recording the sixth a
mistake was made, Les had to start all over again.
Using two or more recorders wasn't really the anwer
either, so again Les went to Ampex with a revolutionary
idea. This time an eight-track recorder was built to his
specifications, and, ultra-critical specifications they
were. In using one-machine or two-machine methods
all electronic components had to have very close tolerances
as any flaw, noise, variation in level, distortion, etc. would
be increased with every generation, some adding up to
unbearable disturbances. Quite a bit of this would be
absorbed with the multi-track recorder in the fact that
several parts could be recorded and still be original
recordings, mixed together later for the final product,
or all be combined to one of the tracks leaving all but
one of the tracks to be used again for more parts.

You could almost say that Les was recording in stereo
long before stereo entered our lives. There was a feeling
of motion, a changing of color or mood, depth,
and—all of this out of one speaker.

With all the above as background, what could be more
natural for Les than to be the first performer to record in
the U.S.A. for phase 4 stereo. They're pretty critical too...

* * * * * * *

The LES PAUL CUSTOM GUITAR is THE guitar used
on this phase 4 stereo LP. Redesigned this year by
Les for Gibson, this guitar embodies specially designed
electronic circuitry based around solid body construction
which is responsible for the power, clear sparkling tone,
and vast diversification of sound that has been the
trademark of Les Paul over the years.

Manay hours of experimentation, trial and error went
into this instrument, and its secret is one of the
most sought after by guitarists the world over.

Les Paul
[June 9, 1915 - August 13, 2009]
We will miss you, Les.

Ardell DeBerg

Artist: Ardell DeBerg

LP: I Know Where I'm Goin'

Song: "The Little Boy From the Carpenter Shop"
[ listen ]

When I first saw this record, I of course admired Ardell's shirt, sunglasses and motorcycle and immediately wantetd to find out where he was going so I could meet him there. Unfortunately, it turns out he was just going to Mr. and Mrs. Dethmers' house. I picked the song "The Little Boy From the Carpenter Shop" for two reasons: First, it covers Jesus' entire life and plan of eternal salvation in just under 2.5 minutes. Second, this is one of the tracks where you can hear Ardell singing a duet with himself. The notes and photos from the back of the record are included here:

I am happy for the opportunity to write the backliner for the

first record ARDELL DeBERG is recording. Ardell has played the
bass guitar for THE AMBASSADOR QUARTET for the past five
years. His singing career dates back many years. The song, "He
Makes a Way," on this record was sung by him at a church
when he was three years old.

I am sure you will be touched by his voice and the selection
of songs. I feel his title song, "I Know Where I'm Goin'," is
very appropriate, not only for the front cover of his album,
but also as his personal testimony. I highly recommend
this Benson Album to all Gospel music lovers.

Sincerely, Ken Mulder—THE AMBASSADOR QUARTET
The site for the album cover was chosen by Ardell and was taken
at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dethmers of Boydon, Iowa.
THE AMBASSADOR QUARTET is backing Ardell on six of the ten songs
of this album. On the songs, "Build My Mansion" and "The Little Boy
From the Carpenter Shop," Ardell sings a duet with himself.

Bugaloos

Artist: Bugaloos

LP: Bugaloos
Song: "If You Become a Bugaloo"
[ listen ]

Song: "The Senses of Our World"
[ listen ]

On the back of this record, it says "The Bugaloos," discovered and created by Sid & Marty Krofft... so any idea how the Krofft brothers created the Bugaloos while at the same time discovering them? You can read all about the Bugaloos and their short-lived Saturday morning kids TV show here, (can you imagine Phil Collins in this band? I can just see him flitting around Tranquility Forest in his gossamer wings—yuck!) and go here to find out what the four Bugaloos are up to nowadays.

[ John McIndoe ]

[ Caroline Ellis ]

[ Wayne Laryea ]

[ John Philpott ]

* * * * * * *

This is one of my favorite things found at the Ernie November store in Rapid City, South Dakota—sold to me by the two nice employees pictured below. Rapid City is where I started my road trip (nearly a month ago... get over it already, right?)

[ Ernie November . 1319 West Main Street . Rapid City, SD ]

Lustquencher Bobsled

The title for this one comes from some email spam at work, but I sure could use a ride on the lustquencher bobsled right about now.

side one:
01. Blue - Lene Lovich
02. Neon Lights - Kraftwerk
03. Nobody Sees Me Like You Do - Yoko Ono w/ The Apples In Stereo
04. Wayfaring Pilgrim - Polly Johnson
05. Dreams - The Duncan Brothers
06. Suboceana - Tom Tom Club
07. Que Te Quiero - Katrina and the Waves
08. Ice Cold - Inga
09. Sinfonia Per Un Addio/La Serenissima - Rondò Veneziano
10. Deliverance - Space
11. Rainbow - Slowblow
12. Les Romantiques - Léo Ferré
[ listen ]

side two:
01. Dream of Love (Liebestraum) - Ferrante & Teicher
02. Una - Lucio Battisti
03. Akaka Falls (Ka Wailele O Kaka) - Jack de Mello & His Orchestra and Chorus
04. Telephone Line - Electric Light Orchestra
05. Hocus Pocus II - Focus
06. When the Night Comes - The Boomtown Rats
07. Dapple Rose - Slade
08. Your Kiss, Your Touch - Talya Ferro
09. Erev Shel Shoshanim (Night of Roses) - The Parvarim
10. The Fourth Day - Sybarite
11. Buru Durivu (Lonely Drive) - Chiyo Okamura
12. A Beat For You - Pseudo Echo
13. Golly! Golly! Go Buddy! - Bow Wow Wow
14. Guanajuato De Mi Guanajuato - Raúl Vidauri y su Organo Melódico
[ listen ]

The Lancers

Artist: The Lancers

LP: 7" single

Song: "See You In Seattle (At the Big World's Fair)"
[ listen ]

Here's a neat souvenir single from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair—but I had to go all the way to Fargo, North Dakota to find it! There are still some large pieces of space junk in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood that serve as a reminder of the event that celebrated looking forward to the 21st century and the exploration of the final frontier. You can read all about the Century 21 Exposition (aka. the Seattle World's Fair) here. I couldn't find anything online about The Lancers—unless they re-emerged as a Latin pop group in the 1990s. Here are the notes from the back of the record:

Seattle World's Fair — April 21 to October 21

THE LANCERS, famous singing quartet, bring you back the
glamorous enchanting days of Seattle's great World's Fair.
Let them spark your memories of the first world's fair to be
held in the United States in more than 22 years...of 180 days
of thrills and excitement in the biggest glimpse into the future
man has ever had. In their inimitable close harmony, they recall
for you the WORLD OF TOMORROW displayed in the gigantic
Washington State Coliseum...the beautiful, inspirational U.S.
Science Pavilion...the unforgettable performances of celebrated
artists from all over the world...the colorful Boulevards of the World
with its potpourri of sights and sounds of other lands...the
daring new look of the Monorail gliding silently, swiftly from
downtown Seattle...and the spectacular restaurant topping
the famous Space Needle revolving a full turn every
hour as you dine in the sky!

THESE ARE THE MEMORIES THE LANCERS RECREATE FOR
YOU IN THIS SOUVENIR EDITION OF THE THEME SONG
OF THE SEATTLE WORLD'S FAIR!

Orion

Artist: Orion

LP: Sunrise

Song: "I Heard You Talkin' With Your Eyes"
[ listen ]

How come it's always the guy who shows up with the George Jones hair and the rhinestone-studded Lone Ranger mask who gets all the lovin'? Some fans thought Elvis Presley had faked his death in 1977 in order to continue his musical career as the mask-wearing Orion. Unfortunately, this reincarnation of The King was shot and killed by three young punks with sawed-off shotguns while working at his convenience store in Orrville, Alabama in 1998. You can read all about that here and visit the official Jimmy "Orion" Ellis website here for pictures, performances and more. I think it's safe to say: "they don't make 'em like this anymore."

[ Jimmy "Orion" Ellis: February 26, 1945 — December 12, 1998 ]

* * * * * * *

Orion's 1979 "Sunrise" LP was one of the things I found along with a bunch of other neat stuff at this vinyl-filled antique store in Fargo, North Dakota:

[ Main Avenue Antiques . 1330 Main Avenue . Fargo, ND ]

Kenny Roberts

Artist: Kenny Roberts

LP: Yodellin' Kenny Roberts Sings Country Songs

Song: "Arizona Yodeler"
[ listen ]

More great old country music from the Dakotas here—this one from the same Bismarck antique mall as the Faye Tucker LP. You can read about Yodellin' Kenny Roberts on Wikipedia here. I know it must seem like I'll never stop blabbing about the stuff I found on my Dakota road trip, but don't worry—soon. In the meantime, I've finally put my vacation pics up on the web; you can look at them here if you want.

[ Kenny Roberts ]

Conny und Peter Kraus

Artist: Conny und Peter Kraus

LP: Die Große Stereo-Starparade—Folge 2

Song: "Sag Mir, Was Du Denkst"
[ listen ]

Here's some more old German music from the Dakotas—this one from a various artists compilation LP found at the Seeds of Hope Thrift Store on Main Avenue in downtown Bismarck, ND. You can read about Peter Kraus here and see the sharp-looking Peter und Conny (Froboess) singing "Sag Mir, Was Du Denkst" while peddling around a lake in the 1960 film Conny und Peter Machen Musik on YouTube here.

[ Peter Kraus und Conny Froboess ]

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Artist: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

LP: Next...

Song: "Next"
[ listen ]

I first heard this fantastic version of the Jacques Brel song when my friend Sam stuck it on a mix about a month ago. I looked for a copy of the LP online, but the few I found were sorta expensive, so I figured I'd wait and look again later. Luckily, on my trip I found a copy for $1 at a little pawn shop in downtown Brookings, South Dakota! You can read about the late Alex Harvey here and visit the official website for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band right here.

Bo Hansson

Artist: Bo Hansson

LP: Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings

Song: "The Black Riders/Flight to the Ford"
[ listen ]

Thirty years before Peter Jackson made his Lord of the Rings movies, there was Swedish organist Bo Hansson and his Lord of the Rings LP—which is one of many great things I found at Budget Music in Grand Forks, North Dakota. You can read about Hansson's life and career here—and also here, where you can look at some pictures, hear more music, see his discography, etc. LP liner notes included below.

A few years ago one began to hear from Scandinavia of
a brilliant organist, BO HANSSON. He formed that rarity,
a rock duo, with a fellow Swede, Janne Karlsson. The two
toured regularly from '67 through '69, and released three
albums, now something of collectors' pieces. Few British
musicians of the time were unaware of them; Jimi Hendrix
not only jammed regularly with them, but invited them
to tour with his Experience.

Bo split to concentrate on writing. Professor Tolkien's trilogy
fascinated him, reached deep into his remote and rather other-
wordly nature. The music thus inspired was recorded on a
portable eight-track, in a rented house on an island off
Stockholm. It is very much Hansson's album: Apart from
the writing, he plays organ, guitar, Moog Synthesiser, and
bass. Helping him are RUNE CARLSSON (drums), GUNNAR
BERGSTEN (saxophone), STEN BERGMAN (flute),
and a few anonymous 'friends.'
—Stratton Smith

* * * * * * *

[ Budget Music . 714 South Washington Street . Grand Forks, ND ]

Peter and Paul

Artist: Peter and Paul

LP: Sounds of Peter and Paul

Song: "No Beer Today"
[ listen ]

Along with (and amongst) all the Christians in North and South Dakota, there are lots of Germans—see here. The Dakota thrift stores are filled with the polka albums of Lawrence Welk (German heritage, born in Strasberg, North Dakota in 1903). But Lawrence Welk isn't the only Polka king in the region—just ask Peter and Paul! (here's their website.) I found their LP at Antiques On Broadway in Fargo. The Wendinger Brothers were reportedly in their early-to-mid 20s when photographed for the cover of this album, but to me they both look like they're pushing 50.

[ Peter and Paul with Santa (center) in Branson, MO in 2008 ]