Emilia Conde

 

Artist: Emilia Conde

LP: My Latin Mood

Song: "No Puedo Olvidar (Strangers In the Night)"

[ listen ]

Song: "Campanitas De Cristal"

[ listen ]

When I posted some tracks by Puerto Rican singer Emilia Conde last year, several of her relatives left comments saying what a wonderful person she was and how much they've all missed her since she passed away back in February of 1998. I only wish I'd had the chance to know her too. If anyone has more info about Emilia Conde (when and where was she born?) or maybe some nice stories or anecdotes, I'd love to hear them! In the meantime, here are a few more songs by the wonderful singer, this time from her very first LP, "My Latin Mood." English and Spanish liner notes included below, along with a neat photo taken from the back of the record.

   

  

Munich's 800 Years

 

Artist: Various Bavarians

LP: Munich's 800 Years: Authentic Music of Bavaria
—Side One—

[ listen ]

—Side Two—
[ listen ]

As you can tell by the pained expression on this lovely fräulein's face, carrying six full mugs (plus two jugs) all at once is a task that is neither easy nor enjoyable. But still it's worth doing in order to keep Munich's reveling crowds of yodelers, tuba-players and knee-slappers in a perpetual state of jolly intoxication. This record doesn't include any breaks between tracks, so I decided to go ahead and post the entire wacky thing. The pictures, drawings, track list and liner notes from the back of the LP are included below, and here's a list of musicians featured on the record: 

Alfons Bauer

Rosl Günther

Georg Blädel

Ado Riegler

Alfred Pongratz

Reserl Bauer

Heinz-Maria Linz

Weiss Ferdl

Dr. Emil Vierlinger

Jodler Duo

  

  

  

  

  

 

Jacky Doumbé

 

Artist: Jacky Doumbé

LP: Diba la Bobe (Ina Ndo) / (Kape) Magic

Song: "Longue"

[ listen ]

There's no date anywhere on this one—titled "Diba la Bobe (Ina Ndo)" on the front, and called "(Kape) Magic" on the back and on the spine—but I'm guessing it's from the mid-to-late 1970s. The record—which showcases not only Jacky Doumbé's terrific music, but also his impeccable taste in sweaters—was printed and distributed in Paris, France, though Doumbé is originally from Cameroon.

Betty Wright

 

Artist: Betty Wright

LP: Travelin' In the Wright Circle

Song: "I'm Telling You Now"

[ listen ]

Can anyone guess what Gloria Estefan and Alice Cooper have in common? Betty Wright! Betty's songs have been sampled by a huge roster of contemporary artists; you can find out which ones and read more about the singer here. When I first found this record, I was surprised to see Betty on the cover wearing almost exactly what I wear while riding my bike to work each day. (I bring a chance of clothes, of course, since the outfit isn't really appropriate for work.) Unfortunately for Betty, when she was sending the final draft of the album's liner notes to the sleeve designer, she was also mailing a very personal note to her husband. Somehow the two envelopes got mixed up, but by the time anyone realized what had happened, it was too late to make any changes since the record was already being sold in stores.

La Buena Onda

 

Artist: La Buena Onda

LP: Solo, Te Vi Llorando

Song: "Ula Ula"

[ listen ]

It's been years since I've taken Spanish, but if I remember correctly, "Ula Ula" by La Buena Onda translates as "Hula Hula" by The Good Honda.

My February Mexithong

 

...and you will know me by my red mexithong.

side one:
01. El Gato Montes - Banda Corrida of Mexico City
02. La Joven Mancornadora - La Consentida
03. Streets of Laredo - Tex Ritter
04. El Cocorrón - Lucho Azcarraga y Su Conjunto
05. Under the Boardwalk - Tom Tom Club
06. Amor Del Mar - Tommy Ramirez y Sus Sonorritmicos
07. En la Esquina (Down on the Corner) - La Buena Onda
08. Hoy Mejor Que Mañana - Raphael
09. Scalinatella (Stairway to the Sea) - Enoch Light & His Orchestra
10. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You - Danny Guglielmi w/ Dena
11. Unterseeglaskuppelstadt - Reuber
12. Club Verde - La Típica de Chapultepec de Daniel Zaraboso
13. Love Is Where You Find It - The Whispers
14. Lamento de Amor - Panteón Rococo
15. El Combo Corazón - Panico
[ listen ]

side two:
01. "Señor" Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini & His Orchestra
02. Nada de Ti - Eddie Palmieri
03. Hey, Amigo - Los Humildes
04. Hurts So Good - John Cougar
05. La Sombra de Tu Sonrisa - Emilia Conde
06. Do You Want to Come to My Party - His Name Is Alive
07. Soy Solo Para Ti - Victor Boa y Su Música
08. Velvet Mornings - Démis Roussos
09. Wandering Singer - Yang Ming
10. A Donde Quiera - Marco Antonio Muñiz
11. La Casita - Antonio Bribiesca
12. Come to the Mardi Gras - Edmundo Ros & His Orchestra
13. Old Man Mose - Georgia Gibbs
14. Mañana - Javier Solis
15. The White Fox Returns - Artie Butler
[ listen ]

Toots & the Maytals

Artist: Toots & the Maytals

LP: Funky Kingston

Song: "Country Road"

[ listen ]

Have you ever wondered how it would sound if John Denver had been born in Kingston? Popular reggae group Toots & the Maytals hold the record for the most #1 hits in Jamaica! You can read about the group here.

 

  

Lynn Anderson

 

Artist: Lynn Anderson

LP: Ride, Ride, Ride

Song: "Ride, Ride, Ride"

[ listen ]

Born in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1947, Lynn Anderson learned how to be a country music superstar from her mother, Liz. After winning more than 700 trophies in horse shows when she was a tot (she's still an avid rider), Lynn went on to become one of country music's most popular singers of the 1970s—scoring several #1 hits and landing a bunch more in the top ten throughout the decade. Her 1970 country hit "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" was her most popular—even making its way onto the pop charts, where it climbed all the way to #3. In 2000, the governor of Tennessee officially named June 15th "Lynn Anderson Day," and in three of the state's counties (and one in Kentucky), October 3rd has been set aside as a special day to honor Lynn Anderson's hair. After hitting a rough patch in the mid-2000s (she was arrested for several DUIs and for shoplifting a Harry Potter DVD), Lynn seems to be back on track, spending the past several years performing and winning awards. You can read more about Lynn Anderson here, see her complete discography here, and visit her website here for news, music, videos, horse pictures and more! The notes and photos from the back of her 1967 debut album are included below.

  

 [ Ride... ]

 

[ Ride... ]

  

[ Ride. ] 

    

   

 

Thelma Houston

 

Artist: Thelma Houston

LP: The Devil In Me

Song: "I'm Here Again"

[ listen ]

Born in Leland, Mississippi in 1943, Thelma Houston is primarily known for her popular cover version of "Don't Leave Me This Way," which topped Billboard's Hot 100, R&B and Dance singles charts in 1976. "The Devil In Me" was Houston's follow-up record, and, though filled with the same energetic, danceable pizazz that gave her a hit the year before, it didn't bring her a similar success. The album's first single, "I'm Here Again" only reached #21 on Billboard's R&B singles charts, but just see if you can keep your body from dancin' to it! You can read all about the fabulous life and career of Thelma Houston here and find videos, pictures, new music samples and become Thelma Houston's friend on her MySpace page here.

The Hesitations

 

Artist: The Hesitations

LP: The New Born Free

Song: "Let's Groove"

[ listen ]

I spent nearly two hours last night rubbing and peeling to get the giant promo sticker off the lower third of the front of this LP cover (it hid the 3 guys in white, yellow and green shirts up to their eyelids) and I got a big blister on my thumb in the process. (I'm willing to suffer for my art.) Unfortunately, someone put a series of scratches across the first side of the record, which pretty much ruins four of the tracks. You can hear the scratches when "Let's Groove" begins, but they mostly disappear after about a minute since the song is near the end of the side. Formed in Cleveland in the mid '60s, The Hesitations split up temporarily after the accidental shooting death of lead singer George "King" Scott in February of 1968. You can read a little about the group here, and visit the website of the newly formed Hesitations here if you'd like to book them for a special event. Notes and photos from the back of "The New Born Free" LP, released in 1968, are included here:

  

  

  

  

 

The Cyrkle

 

Artist: The Cyrkle

LP: Red Rubber Ball

Song: "Red Rubber Ball"

[ listen ]

Song: "Cloudy"

[ listen ]

The morning sun was shining like a red rubber ball in Seattle yesterday, but when I looked outside today, I saw that the sky had turned...cloudy. Both of these songs were written by Paul Simon at around the time Cyrkle bassist Tom Dawes was on tour with Simon and Garfunkel. "Red Rubber Ball" became The Cyrkle's first hit syngle, making it all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1966. With their jaunty melodies and clean-cut good looks (see video clip below), The Cyrkle seemed destined for the big time after band manager Brian Epstein got them a gig playing 14 shows with The Beatles on their 1966 US tour. Sadly, the hits stopped for The Cyrkle just as suddenly as they had begun and the group called it quits at the end of 1967. (Tom Dawes did have one last hit of sorts with the "plop-plop-fizz-fizz" Alka-Seltzer jingle in the 1970s.) You can read more about The Cyrkle here and here and the cheeky "Red Rubber Ball" LP liner notes are included below.

The Cyrkle on YouTube:
[ "Red Rubber Ball" ]
from "Hullabaloo" TV show—April, 1966

  

  

 

Dennis Plies

 

Artist: Dennis Plies

LP: Marimba Melodies

Song: "Springs of Living Water"

[ listen ]

I was feeling a little under the weather this morning, but a sip from Dennis and Jan's bubbly "Springs of Living Water" quickly put things right again. Originally from California, Dennis Plies was a young man of only 15 when he and his marimba took first place at the local, state, regional and national musical contests sponsored by Youth For Christ. According to the internet, Plies now teaches at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon, where he's been since 1979—and according to Dennis himself, this record was released in 1963. Some friends and I took a weekend road trip getaway down to Portland just this past weekend; if I'd known Dennis was there, I'd have invited him to join us for some delicious chocolate cake at the Rimsky-Korsakoffeehouse, where he could have signed his LP for me while we enjoyed the cafe's live classical piano music provided by a lovely Brazilian woman named Diana.

  

  

 

Tex Ritter

 

Artist: Tex Ritter

LP: Blood On the Saddle

Song: "The Face On the Barroom Floor"

[ listen ]

Song: "Rye Whiskey"

[ listen ]

Here are a couple songs from an album by Jack Tripper's father. Born in Texas in 1905, Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter is one of country music's earliest pioneers. He starred as a singing cowboy in a whole bunch of films in the 1930s and '40s and had a string of country hits throughout his long career. He performed his Oscar-winning theme song for the film HIGH NOON at the very first televised Oscar ceremony in 1953, and in 1964 Ritter became the 5th person to be inducted into the County Music Hall of Fame. You can read more about the life and career of Tex Ritter here and find a list of his film and TV appearances here. The liner notes and pictures from the back of the "Blood On the Saddle" LP (released in 1960) are included below.

 

 

[ Tex Ritter: January 12, 1905 — January 2, 1974 ]