Percy Faith

Artist: Percy Faith

LP: Disco Party

Song: "7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)"

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Anyone who's gone digging through record bins at any GoodWill Thrift Store already knows that Percy Faith records make up about 35% of what's available there (another 30% are Ray Conniff records, 20% are Barbra Streisand albums, and the remaining 15% are "other"). If you're like me, you flip through the Percy, Ray and Babs records without giving them a thought. But if you come across this late-career Percy Faith disco LP (he died the year after its release), I recommend you snatch it up. Every cut could be the soundtrack for a rooftop chase scene in one of my favorite TV shows from the '70s! You can read about Percy Faith and find the extensive list of albums he released throughout his 40-year career on Wikipedia here.

 

 [ Percy Faith: April 7, 1908 — February 9, 1976 ]

Bobby Bloom

Artist: Bobby Bloom

LP: The Bobby Bloom Album

Song: "Oh, I Wish I Knew"

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Song: "Montego Bay"

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With his soul-searching eyes and swarthy good looks that are part Daniel Day-Lewis and part Tom Jones, singer Bobby Bloom is one of the sexiest things I've seen on the front of an album in a long, long time. After singing with a doo-wop group, doing some session work with Shuggie Otis and Louis Jordan, and writing and recording a Pepsi jingle, Bobby Bloom finally had a hit of his own with "Montego Bay," which went to #8 on the U.S. singles charts in 1970. Sadly, Bobby Bloom suffered from depression and his promising career was cut short when he "accidentally" shot himself in February of 1974. You can read about Bobby Bloom here and watch the video for his hit single by clicking on the link below. I have to admit that one of the things I admire most about Bobby Bloom is his unibrow, which gives him an aura of virility, yet also makes him seem thoughtful and tender. Unfortunately, you don't really see the unibrow around much anymore, since guys these days somehow think they look better like this.

Bobby Bloom on YouTube:

[ "Montego Bay" ]

 [ Bobby Bloom: January 15, 1946 — February 28, 1974 ]

Ron & Nama

Artist: Ron & Nama

LP: Donkey Debka! Young Israel Sings

Song: "Yafim Haleilot Bikna'an"

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Israeli folk music isn't really my bag, but I picked this record up anyway because the cover features such a nice photo of handsome Ron with his guitar and sexy hairy chest, and lovely Nama with her cute little ass. Liner notes, pictures and info from the "Ron & Nama Debka Donkey" LP insert booklet are included below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fernando Fernández

Artist: Fernando Fernández

LP: Hipocrita y Otros Exitos de Fernando Fernández

Song: "Amor Vendido"
(con Orquesta de Sergio Guerrero)

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Last Saturday I watched a 1947 John Ford film called "The Fugitive," filmed entirely in México and starring Henry Fonda, Dolores Del Rio and Pedro Armendariz. In the film's opening credits I noticed there was a character called "The Singer" played by Fernando Fernández, whose 1967 greatest hits compilation I have in my collection. Born in Puebla, México in 1916, Fernando Fernández went on to become one of the premiere crooners of Latin America. He appeared in numerous films, some of them directed by his cousin/step-brother Emilio, others directed by his half-brother Jaime. Even a disfiguring car accident in 1960 didn't keep Fernando Fernández from appearing on the silver screen! You can read more about Fernando here, find a list of films in which he appeared here, and see his mug on a neat movie poster here. You'll find a video clip from one of his old movies, some difficult-to-photograph LP liner notes and a nice head shot of the handsome Sñr. Fernández included below.

Fernando Fernández on YouTube:

[ "Eres Exactamente" ]

 

 

[ Fernando Fernández: November 3, 1916 — November 24, 1999 ]

Nancy Wilson

Artist: Nancy Wilson

LP: Tender Loving Care

Song: "Don't Go to Strangers"

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My friend Gene and I went to see Nancy Wilson at Jazz Alley last night. She was lovely—a real class act—and she gave us a wonderful evening. She performed "Don't Go to Strangers" early in her set, but my favorite number of the night was "Guess Who I Saw Today," her debut single on Capitol Records back in 1960. You can read more about Miss Nancy Wilson's life and career on Wikipedia here and on her website here. The notes and photos from the back of her 1966 "Tender Loving Care" LP (plus a neat picture from the web) are included below.

 

 

 

 

 

Harry Simeone Chorale

Artist: Harry Simeone Chorale

LP: It's Alaska

Song: "Let's Go to Alaska"

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Song: "Otto Von Kotzebue"

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Song: "Remember Alaksa"

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For the past few years, it seems that everything we hear about Alaska has to do with the state's former governor and U.S. presidential hopeful Sarah Palin. But the 49th state is known for lots of other things too, and most of them aren't idiotic, embarrassing or retarded. Harry Simeone and his Chorale are here to remind you of some of those things. You can find the extensive "It's Alaska" LP liner notes below and read more about Harry Simeone on Wikipedia here. If you decide to take Harry's advice and head up to Alaska sometime soon, remember to dress in warm clothing like the young woman on the cover of this record—only don't forget to wear your pants.

 

 

 

[ Harry Simeone: May 9, 1911 — February 22, 2005 ]

Bobby Bare, Norma Jean, Liz Anderson

Artist: Bobby Bare, Norma Jean, Liz Anderson

LP: The Game of Triangles

Song: "One Among the Three of Us"

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In this melancholy song about love triangles, Liz and Norma Jean both admit that they've had to take turns being "in the way" as far as their complicated romantic relationship with Bobby Bare is concerned. But in order to make things fair, I think there should be a verse where Bobby pipes in with, "and then tomorrow, I'll be the one who's in the way!" But alas, this was 1967... so the egocentric, male chauvinist Mr. Bare ends up getting 200% from his women, whereas Liz and Norma Jean have to make do with getting just 50% each from their man. But as country music fans like me know all too well, that's just "life as it really is." You can read about Bobby Bare here, Norma Jean here and Liz Anderson here.

Los Hermanos Arriagada

Artist: Los Hermanos Arriagada

LP: El Trio del Exito

Song: "Dulce Monica"

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Omar, Mario, and Jorge are Los Hermanos Arriagada—who sorta' look like a trio of South American Humphrey Bogarts, if you ask me. Originally from a town called Cañete in southern Chile, The Arriagada Brothers' popularity spread throughout South and Central America as well as into Mexico and Spanish-speaking parts of the USA like New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. You can read about Los Hermanos Arriagada here in Spanish and in English here. The Spanish-language notes from the back of their LP are included below along with a photo of the Arriagadas where, admittedly, they don't look as much like Bogart as they do in the picture above.

Pierre Tchana

Artist: Pierre Tchana

LP: Ambiance Africaine

Song: "Deborah"

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This various-artists album on France's Barclay label features a couple of cuts from Pierre Tchana; "Deborah" is my favorite of the two. I couldn't find much info about Pierre Tchana on the web, but on the World Music Central website I learned that he's originally from Cameroon, and I found a neat-looking Pierre Tchana record cover on the Jam Magica blog here. The French-language liner notes about Pierre Tchana are included below, along with a dynamite photo of the singer riding an old moped.

Gus Vali and His Casbah Ensemble

Artist: Gus Vali and His Casbah Ensemble

LP: All Points East

Song: "Rampee"

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Song: "Misirlou"

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Gus Vali is of Greek heritage, but his terrific 1960 "All Points East" LP whisks listeners away on a musical safari that stops in several exciting locales in the mysteriously exotic near Orient—like Turkey! Track notes for "Rampee" (w/ vocals by Manny Ayvas) and Vali's ponderous interpretation of "Misirlou" are included below, along with LP liner notes by Val Arms in which he calls Gus "fresh." You can find more info on Gus Vali along with a list of his other records on the Hipwax website here.