Beatle Bob

25/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Lost Gems: "Look, Here Comes The Sun" - The Sunshine Company (1968). Southern California soft pop quintet The Sunshine Company were frustrated folkies whose record label and producers kept pushing them toward pop. On their third and final album, they got closest to their harmonies 'n' acoustic guitar vision. The single from the album, "Look, Here Comes The Sun" was a breezy, baroquey folkie sunshine pop song that is sumptuously listenable and disarmingly lovely. With great melodies, pretty production, and the atmosphere of a spring morning, it has the hang of a great Mamas and the Papas lovely pop song that shimmers and swaggers. "Look, Here Comes The Sun" was reviewed in Billboard Magazine in their June 28, 1968 issue in their "Spotlight Singles" column. It was one of 120 singles reviewed for that week and was projected to reach Top 20 of the Hot 100 chart. Here was their review: "Group has gone higher on the Hot 100 with each release and this powerhouse two-sided entry has the ingredients to firmly put them in the Top 20. "Sun" side is a smooth, easy beat ballad." Unfortunately this glorious slice of sunshine pop, "Look, Here Comes The Sun," peaked at only #56. The song did reach the Top 10 on a few Top 40 radio stations: #4 on Tuscon, Arizona's KTKT 990 AM, #3 on Tulsa, Oklahoma's KAKC 970 AM, #8 on Los Angeles' KHJ 930 AM, #10 on Boston's WECB 640 AM
https://youtu.be/XXntK7JZitw

25/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All-Time: #38. "Mighty, Mighty Mustang" - Dick Dale (1964) It's hard to overestimate the talent and influence of Dick Dale. With the possible exception of Les Paul, no modern guitar player has done so much behind the scenes to create the sound and gear of contemporary electric guitar, from helping to develop the Showman amp and outboard reverb gear to his playing itself, which incorporated Middle Eastern scales over Chuck Berry-styled blues progressions in the late '50s and early '60s when such things were unheard of on electric guitar -- and he did all this by playing guitar left-handed, upside down, and backwards, and at massive volume. Dick Dale was not only King of the Surf Guitar but his unique amp-ed Fender guitar turned out some of the coolest car related tracks ever. And his timing was impeccable because songs like "Mighty, Mighty Mustang" (featuring a rare Dick Dale vocal), were being played in cruising cars all over the country, at a time when car culture was at its height. https://youtu.be/B9eBhMDD-vc

23/05/2022

SCOPITONE SUNDAYS: A Tribute To The Classic Video Jukeboxes Of The 60's: I continue my month of French Covers Of American Hits fest with the fabby Petula Clark and "Ceux Qui Ont On Couer" her French language cover of the Bacharach/David hit *Anyone Who Had A Heart." Now natch, Pet needs no introduction. If you don't know Ms. Clark's fantastic career, you're simply not in the know of pop music. As to the tune, "Anyone Who Had A Heart" was written for Dionne Warwick - who hit #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1964. Dionne's first of many Top 10 hits. Petula recorded the tune in severall foreign language versions for the international market - a common practice at the time when hit recordings invariably required lyrics to be translated into the market's native tongue. Pet reached #7 in France with "Ceux Qui Ont On Couer," then #5 in Italy with "Queil Qui Not Uh Coeur* and #1 in Spain with "Tu No Ines Corazon." Meanwhile, Dionne's version also met with success internationally. Pet has never recorded the tune in English stating that Dionne had "definitively recorded the song in it's original language." As for as this particular Scopitonery product is concerned, you won't find your usual rancid quality of women's undergarments or breast shots in a classy Petula Clark endeavor. What we get is Pet's stellar French version in a near perfect piece of pop songwriting. Quite, simply, fantastique! https://youtu.be/Z1HOi_nGsd4

22/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All Time: #40. "Move Out, Little Mustang" - The Rally-Packs (1964). Although packaged and promoted as a bona fide group, the Fantastic Baggys were actually an L.A. studio project by the duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Sloan and Barri wrote many first-rate (and second-rate) pop/rock and folk-rock tunes in the mid-'60s, but were at this point, as evidenced by the name of the group, doing surf and hot rod material. The similarity of the Fantastic Baggys material to Jan & Dean in particular should come as no surprise, since Sloan and Barri not only wrote some songs for Jan and Dean, but also did some vocals on Jan & Dean records of the era. One of the songs Sloan & Barri recorded under the group name Rally-Packs was "Move Out, Little Mustang." Written by the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, along with Los Angeles KRLA DJ Roger Christian. With a bold use of harmony and extraordinary energy, (especially Hal "The Hit Man" Blaine's propulsive drumming), “Move Out, Little Mustang” describes a guy cruising the streets in his souped-up Mustang when he’s almost run off the road by a hot chick driving a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. After the singer finally catches up to her, she says (voice of Jill Gibson, girlfriend of Jan Berry of Jan & Dean), that she digs his Mustang and decides to ride with him from then on. The exact same recording of "Move Out, Little Mustang" appeared as an album track on Jan & Dean's LITTLE OLD LADY FROM PASEDENA album. (1964). https://youtu.be/cq7HJtC_eaI

22/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All Time: #40. "Move Out, Little Mustang" - The Rally-Packs (1964). Although packaged and promoted as a bona fide group, the Fantastic Baggys were actually an L.A. studio project by the duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Sloan and Barri wrote many first-rate (and second-rate) pop/rock and folk-rock tunes in the mid-'60s, but were at this point, as evidenced by the name of the group, doing surf and hot rod material. The similarity of the Fantastic Baggys material to Jan & Dean in particular should come as no surprise, since Sloan and Barri not only wrote some songs for Jan and Dean, but also did some vocals on Jan & Dean records of the era. One of the songs Sloan & Barri recorded under the group name Rally-Packs was "Move Out, Little Mustang." Written by the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, along with Los Angeles KRLA DJ Roger Christian. With a bold use of harmony and extraordinary energy, (especially Hal "The Hit Man" Blaine's propulsive drumming), “Move Out, Little Mustang” describes a guy cruising the streets in his souped-up Mustang when he’s almost run off the road by a hot chick driving a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. After the singer finally catches up to her, she says (voice of Jill Gibson, girlfriend of Jan Berry of Jan & Dean), that she digs his Mustang and decides to ride with him from then on. The exact same recording of "Move Out, Little Mustang" appeared as an album track on Jan & Dean's LITTLE OLD LADY FROM PASEDENA album. (1964). https://youtu.be/cq7HJtC_eaI

rock 'n roll and car Mustang 1964

21/05/2022

Hey gang, here are this week's most best selling singles & albums in the St. Louis' metro area as made popular on St. Louis' #1 music radio station: KXOK 630AM! On this week's KXOK Sing-A-Long Survey we have a new song at #1: "I Got Rhythm" by the Happenings. Gaining the most ground this week is "Groovin'" by The Rascals which leaps twenty-five spots from #30 to #5. Dropping the most this week is a song by one of St. Louis' best bands - Gayle McCormick & The Klassmen whose "Without You" tumbles fifteen positions from #14 to #29. Of the two Twin Picks Of The Week, I'm high on the autobiographical song of the Mamas and Papas "Creeque Alley. On the KXOK Album charts, The Monkees are at #1 for the thirteenth week in a row with their second album MORE OF THE MONKEES. Of the Pick Albums Of The Week I'm hep to the international instrumental party sounds of Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66's REUNION. The lyrics on the back of the KXOK survey features "Wheels" by another fab St. Louis band, The X-L's, which currently sits at #8.

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob will be at the Touhill Center tonight enjoying that 70's troubadour of folk & pop: Don McLean. Don McLean released his debut album, TAPESTRY, at the dawn of the 1970s when the hangover haze of the 1960s still lingered strongly in the air. McLean specialized in that netherworld between '60s coffeehouse folk and '70s introspection, navigating the distance between confessional singer/songwriter and MOR pop. When his songs are not haunting in its occasional beauty, it’s bouncy enough to still be a good time, He'd never abandon this aesthetic, crafting a handsome, modest body of work over the course of nearly five decades, but he'd always be known for "American Pie," his 1971 chart-topper. A long, winding elegy for rock & roll, "American Pie" spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts but that smash success was eclipsed by its enduring afterlife in the culture, where it served as the fodder for nostalgia and parodies for decades, eventually earning entry into the National Recording Registry in 2017. McLean wrote it half a century ago, at the age of 24 – and to mark the anniversary, a new documentary, inevitably titled The Day the Music Died, will be released. A Broadway show is planned for 2022, and even a children’s book. That’s a lot of fuss for one song. So strong was the allure of "American Pie" that it suggested McLean only had one charting hit, which isn't true: its follow-up, "Vincent," peaked #12, and throughout the '70s he was a mainstay on Billboard's adult contemporary charts, culminating in his final crossover hit in the form of a 1980 cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying."

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob Presents RANDY RAINBOW'S THROWBACK THURSDAY'S: "Microwaves (Are Watching You"). Randy Rainbow not only took Trump to task during his Presidency but also his pack of political puppet lapdogs who bowed to his will. Here, Randy Rainbow mocks Kellyanne Conway's remarks that people can theoretically be spied on from their microwave ovens. So Randy Rainbow warns us all of appliance espionage This song parody in which he puts his own spin on the Hall & Oates classic, "Private Eyes" https://youtu.be/Ub5GkBtIjhc

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All-Time: #43. "Custom Machine" - Bruce & Terry (1963) Best known for their hits as the Rip Chords, the vocal duo of Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher collaborated on countless hot-rod and surf records during the mid-1960s, working under a seemingly endless variety of studio guises. While Johnston was already a well-known West Coast session player, Melcher (the son of Doris Day) had released a series of singles under the name Terry Day before being named Columbia Records' youngest-ever staff producer; he brought Johnston to the company to release 1963's Surfin' Round the World, and the pair soon began collaborating regularly. As the Rip Chords, they scored their biggest hit with 1964's "Hey Little Cobra; " a series of singles credited to Bruce and Terry followed before the duo went their separate ways, with Johnston joining the Beach Boys and Melcher enjoying even greater success as a producer, especially his work with Paul Revere & The Raiders. One of the duo's best was "Custom Machine" a song written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys who recorded it as an album track. Because Bruce & Terry were a virtual vocal overdubbing machine and therefore their songs appear in mono-only formats. This becomes the only way to hear the final product as it was etched into black phonograph records, as B&T would overdub right directly onto the final single track mix. It also gives the sound of these tracks an edgy, mid-rangey "squashed" kind of compression to them, making them leap out of the speakers. And the lyrics: "Well she's metal flake blue with a corvette mill." "Custom Machine" can't rival the majesty of Johnston's later compositions or Melcher's productions, but the seeds are planted. If you could broadcast "Custom Machine" over a transistor radio, you could imagine hot rods with no problems. "Custom Machine" would peak at only #85 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. https://youtu.be/1t9vf11zLIc

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Power Pop Anthems: "Kind Of A Girl" - Tinted Windows (2009). A multigenerational power-pop supergroup featuring a Smashing Pumpkin (lead guitarist James Iha), a Waynes Fountain (bassist Adam Schlesinger), a Hanson (singer Tony Hanson) and a Cheap Trick (drummer Bun E. Carlos); Tinted Windows combined a supergroup pedigree with an appreciation for sugary, unapologetic power pop. Ever since the days of "MMM Bop," Hanson has shown a flair for sugary pure pop, something he continued to develop as he and his brothers turned from teen sensations into working troubadours, but their steady, solid work in the 2000s never got as much attention as their first hits, so many listeners may be surprised to hear how comfortable he is with this fuzzy, old-fashioned power pop. Tinted Windows only released on album, and the first single from their self-titled debut was "Kind Of A Girl," a balanced collaboration, its melodies bearing the indelible stamp of both Hanson and Schlesinger, while its music is colored by Iha's saturated '70s guitars and pinned down by Carlos' tight rhythms. The song is a product of a bunch of longtime veterans getting back to basics and playing their first love. There's not much abandon on "Kind Of A Girl," only precision -- the pleasure of the popcraft outweighs much of the caution in the construction, especially when the insistent hooks are delivered with such puppy-dog earnestness by Taylor Hanson. Of all the guys here, he is the only one to never have performed in a guitar-heavy rock & roll band, and his thrill to be singing these sweet melodies over these big, fuzzy guitars can be infectious. https://youtu.be/c1acLwi-jos

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Worst Album Cover Art Work Of All-Time: 1. MY WAY - Ernie Menehune, "Hawaii's suntanned Irishman." Ernie has played Caesar’s Palace but puts a dive motel on his album cover. Tell it like it is, suntanned Irishman. He was on stage at the Spanish trail, but worked as a busboy, in those other places. He's the night manager as well. 24 hour coffee shop?
3 heated pools?
AND Ernie Menehune???
This is a vacation we will long remember. #2. RUNNING -
Ziggy Byfield & The Blackheart Band (1980) Born to be Mild. A badass biker metal rocker named Ziggy. Hard to believe that didn’t catch on. So did the Blackheart Band ditch Ziggy for Joan Jett after this disaster? Running out of self esteem and riding a Honda wearing leather pants. Even the ja****it model looks bored. 3. A "STREETFAIR" OF MUSIC - The Accordionettes. The Accordionettes, the Partridge Family of the ‘70s polka scene who just got off their shifts at Target complete with stitched names on their vests. I wonder if either of those guys ever tried picking up chicks by saying they’re musicians only to find out they play with this group. What, ONE accordion amongst the Accordionett's? That is a bit of a letdown. This is the music that plays on the escalator down to hell. They were always the last act at any concert. It made sure the crowd would leave the venue as soon as possible. Music to get high on while listening to this album backwards.You ever wonder what happen to all these clean cut happy smile teens on these albums? 4. HELLO LOVERS ROGER NUSIC HERE - Roger Nusic (1993)
Gonna put this on the turntable, pour my lover some wine in a wooden gourd, give her the album cover to look at, and wait for the romance to start. Is it a cape? Is it a Neolithic loincloth? Only Roger knows. And it's better not to ask. He lied. There's more than one copy of the album out there in delete bin Heaven. "For You Only." My ass.

19/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Lost Artefact Albums Of The 60's: BACK TO SOUL - Anna King (1964) One of numerous woman singers who passed through James Brown's touring show as a protégée of sorts, King did a couple of obscure early-'60s singles before she replaced Tammy Montgomery (later to record as Motown star Tammi Terrell) in Brown's show in 1963. King's only album is notable not so much for her vocals (though they're good) as the involvement of James Brown as producer; Brown (usually under pseudonyms) also wrote some of the material. King was a part of Brown's touring show at the time these tracks were recorded in 1963 and 1964, and unsurprisingly the sound is very similar to the kind of stuff her producer was doing in the early '60s before his leap into funk: hard, bluesy R&B-proto-soul, with tight band arrangements including horns and organ. A few covers of outside material are thrown in (Martha & the Vandellas' "Come and Get These Memories," Chuck Jackson's "I Don't Want to Cry"), but overall it sounds a little like a James Brown session with a different singer. Unkindly, some might listen to this and wonder how much better it could have sounded if Brown had done the singing, and it's also evident that while the songs are sturdy enough, J.B. was holding onto the real killers for himself. That would be doing the record a bit of a disservice because King's vocals are acceptably gritty and powerful. The songs are solid, if not on the killer level of something like "Out of Sight," with Brown's up-tempo "If You Don't Think" being a particular standout owing to its sharp bluesy guitar lines and dramatic horn punctuations. Also on the record is her hit duet with Bobby Byrd, "Baby Baby Baby." It's unfortunate King wasn't able to record much more material to speak of with Brown or anyone else, but this is a good one-shot early soul LP, and recommended to general James Brown fans for its accurate reflection of his instrumental sound circa 1963-1964. https://youtu.be/PAYihdzEZvk

18/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All Time #44. "Hot Rod" - The Collins Kids (1957) By the the time Lawrence and Lawrencine Collins were 11 and 13, respectively, they were already tearing it up on country package shows, recording for Columbia Records, and performing on national TV almost weekly. Older sister Lorrie held up the cowgirl fringe-rustling-against-nylons teenage sensuality department; kid brother Larry was a bundle of hyperkinetic energy, bopping all over the place while laying down exciting, twangy guitar breaks learned firsthand from the King of the Doublenecked Mosrite, Joe Maphis. As time went on, the Collins' recordings veered from mawkish brother/sister country-style duets to white-hot rockabilly, and they were just reaching their peak when Lorrie eloped, effectively breaking up the act. Their filmed television appearances and recordings are testimony to the fact that the Collins Kids weren't just "good for their age," they were just plain good, period. ​The Collins Kids were all about fun, they both obviously are having the time of their lives and their energy level can match or exceed anything Elvis, Mick Jagger or Bruce Springsteen or, hell, name any Rock singer you can think of, could put out. But under all that these were innocent kids, just having a good time doing what they loved to do. One of the duo's best was "Hot Rod," a super wild Rockabilly hot dance floor jiver! One of Larry's few turns at vocals, like "Hot Rod," are filled with the sort of exuberance rarely heard in today's highly-polished world of pop music. "Hot Rod" is a damn near perfect 1950s rock & roll song. And they can't wait to old enough to drive: "I'm only fourteen, but I'm goin' on fifteen/
But I wanna be sixteen, so I can get me a hot rod." *Here's The Collins Kids performing "Hot Rod" on the syndicated Compton, Ca. country music show: Town Hall Party (airdate: Jan. 25, 1958). https://youtu.be/SpqsaISqH8Y

18/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Pedal To The Metal Top 50 Car Songs Of All Time: #45. "Ride On Josephine" - Sleepy Labeef (1963). Sleepy LaBeef became the ultimate rockabilly survivor, his live performances retaining the same raw power as he approached his eighth decade that they had in the years when he was among the music's pioneers. The 6'7" singer had heavily lidded eyes that made him appear half-asleep, hence his nickname. Sleepy LaBeef was one of dozens of second-string rockabilly acts of the 1950s who found a new and receptive audience in Europe, Great Britain, the Netherlands and parts of the United States in the '70s. But one thing set LaBeef apart from the sizable majority of his comrades -- Sleepy actually got better with the passage of time. When LaBeef began cutting new records in the '70s, his rich baritone voice had gained plenty of strength and seasoning after a few thousand h***y tonk gigs, and thanks in part to a lack of interest in booze and drugs, LaBeef sounded every bit as energetic and enthusiastic as he did when he first started making records in 1957. LaBeef never put much stock in the notion of songwriting, having recorded only a tiny handful or originals over the course of his career, but he's long seemed able to sing and play a little bit of everything, and though his deep voice led him to record a big stack of Johnny Cash covers for Starday. He could also tackle songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Johnny Horton, Chuck Berry and make each one sound as if it had been written with him in mind. Sleepy's cover of Bo Diddley's "Ride On Josephine" is frantic and unique, practically feral in its forward momentum and fused with a rockabilly backbeat that sends it into orbit. A sound tough and untamed, as Josephine is one smokin' hot rod mama: "Josephine's a-drivin' a hot rod Ford/
Something that'll really eat up the road/
It's souped up from a-front to rear/
Somebody that'll really dig away from here." https://youtu.be/hxw-UmMDk10

18/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Worst Album Cover Art Work Of All-Time: 1. S*X AND THE FEMALE - Evangelist Jay Snell. Actually, it was both preached AND practiced under the tent. One right after the other. Many teenagers kept this LP under their beds with a ruler and my store-brand petroleum jelly. Was this a Mother's Day sermon? Don't kiss and Snell! I guarantee you…he knows nothing about it. His sermon is short: "I'd sure like some .. " What's preached "Under the tent" should stay "Under the tent." Meanwhile, at the West End Under that Tent, we'll have s*x, drugs, rock-'n'-roll. Should be a great time! And you prolly won't need a compass, neither.
"Can I have a volunteer from the audience?" Is "under the tent" a euphemism? Alternate title...Welcome to virginity and I'll be your guide. Move over Dr. Ruth and Billy Graham! Let's go see who's preaching at the west end. 2. THE BEETLE BEAT - The Buggs (1964) Recorded in England. Erased in America. Lots of swingin, hoppin and stompin on this album. Recording in England apparently inspires that. The key word, of course, is ORIGINAL. All the groupies constantly fought over which of the Buggs was the cutest. “You’ve heard of the British Invasion. Get ready for the Bugg infestation…” This record's purpose was to fool many parents into buying it thinking they were getting their kids "that new band's" record. I actually new a kid whose mom bought him thid album for Christmas thinking it was The Beatles. Shoulda been a disclaimer "Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation"! 3. DESPEDIDA DE SOLTERA (SHOWER PARTY) - Peñaranda (1969). Actual translation: Bachelorette Party. Hope they have rubber sheets for the shower party. So much ‘wrong’ with this! The four-toed foot, the scratches on his back, her caricature lips, the disjointed-looking woman’s body, and there’s probably more- but I can’t look any longer. Moving on from his blow up doll partner to his latex doll partner.
Still in her trial stage. Money back guarantee.

17/05/2022

Beatle Bob's Lost Gems: "Love Bound" - The Universals (1961) Beginning in the early '60s, the Copiague-Amityville, New York community made its share of contributions to popular music, including The Universals , enthusiastically adopted by Copiague High students as favorite sons. The Group consisted of six guys cutting one single for Festival Records in 1961: "Dreaming" & "Love Bound." The Universal's lead singer, Fred Miller, is the definition of R&B elegance and the settings in which it was displayed on "Love Bound" were tailored for his honey smooth phrasing and crisp enunciation. And his classmates display about as fine as an ethereal chorus as one imagines possible -- and then when the strings come in, violins and cellos alternately, the sheer beauty of the track just overflows. A very smooth/uptown soul production for such a small record label, "Love Bound" is a superb example of pop-oriented soul that was every bit as good as some of the best similar orchestrated soul-pop crossover hits of the time by The Drifters and Ben E. King. And it deserved to be a smash hit. https://youtu.be/vVuxMaK__fM

17/05/2022

Beatle Bob's NOT RIGHT PLAYLIST: Sandy Duncan & Paul Lynde sing "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown." The talented dancer Sandy Duncan has worked in film and television, yet has achieved her greatest success on the musical stage. She's hardly one of my favorites; I find her chipmunk voice more than slightly annoying, and even though she's a lithe and graceful dancer I don't find her very attractive. But her talent is undeniable, and I admire her for having paid her dues (in rubbish like the flop Broadway musical version of 'Canterbury Tales'), and I admire her even more for triumphing over a cancer of the optic nerve that left her blind in one eye. She was granted a one-hour TV special that aired on CBS on November 13, 1974. Her guest stars were dancer Gene Kelly, comedian Paul Lynde, singer/actor John Davidson and TV actress Valorie Armstrong. This TV special is a good showcase for her talents (dancing) and equally a showcase for her weaknesses (singing) as a performer. A ridiculous mid-70s musical number from a Sandy Duncan TV special featuring “middle square” Paul Lynde giving it his all for a performance of the Jim Croce AM radio staple "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown."
Once on Hollywood Squares, Lynde was asked “You’re ther world’s most popular fruit. What are you?”
He replied, “Humble.” With the chorus backing him on vocals, Lynde acts out Jim Croce's song 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown' ... with Lynde in the title role, dressed in a costume that looks like a cross between a zoot suit and Pimp Daddy's outfit. Lynde speaks the lyric rather than singing it, and the words have been cleaned up slightly for prime time: instead of 'He had a razor in his shoe', Lynde recites 'I've got a water pistol, too.' Then he proceeds to sq**rt the dancers with his water gun while they sing the chorus. I despise Lynde (as both a person and a performer), and his interrupting the music to drop one-liners with gut-wrenching thuds. They don’t make stuff like this anymore – thank God. https://youtu.be/7wp3oScM3Z0

17/05/2022

SHUT UP AND PLAY: Beatle Bob's Buzzin' Instrumentals: "Theme From The Endless Summer" - The Sandals (1967). The Sandals were the first true surf-rock group to score a major surf film, virtually defining the sound of the genre with their soundtrack to director Bruce Brown's landmark "The Endless Summer." Originally dubbed the Twangs, the group was formed in San Clemente, CA, in 1962 by guitarist Walter Georis and his keyboardist brother Gaston -- recent transplants from Belgium, the siblings brought with them the profound influence of Europe's most popular instrumental band, the Shadows, while lead guitarist John Blakeley, bassist John Gibson, and drummer Danny Brawner were shaped in large part by the Ventures. Rechristened the Sandals, they signed to the World Pacific label in 1964, soon issuing their debut single, "Out Front." Filmmaker Brown was already licensing World Pacific material for his projects, but had previously employed West Coast jazz recordings -- he felt the Sandals perfectly complemented his latest picture, the surfing documentary The Endless Summer, and the group quickly wrote a new instrumental title theme, changing their name to the Sandals to better suit the project. (Their previous World Pacific recordings were also repackaged as the film's official soundtrack.). Brown’s entertaining narration coupled with The Sandals’ timeless soundtrack, (definitely summer breeze cool) and John Van Hamersveld’s iconic poster artwork proved to be the perfect storm. The Endless Summer wasn’t just an instant success in the burgeoning surf scene, it cut much deeper. Selling out theaters across the country, it helped shed the beach-blanket perception of the sport that Hollywood was perpetuating. The blend of the easy going surf instrumentals with Brown’s spectacular footage proved to be pure gold: the movie "The
Endless Summer" ran in New York for a full year and was instrumental (no pun intended) in spreading surf culture worldwide. https://youtu.be/hg4FvOi-N18

16/05/2022

THE SCORERER'S APPRENTICE: JACK NITZSCHE - POP WIZARD. "Do You Want To Dance" - Caesar & Cleo (1964). Although it was recorded early in '64, Caesar And Cleo's 45 cover of Bobby Freeman's "Do You Want To Dance" was not released until September of that year, coincident with the release, the next on the label, of Sonny & Cher's debut 45, "Baby Don't Go" / "Walkin' The Quetzal." It was fairly common for a failed act to adopt a new name in the hope of changing their luck, or for a successful act to use an alias to see if they could still hit the charts. But Reprise's marketing was bizarre and I think unique. Neither single, at least at the time, created much impact. But what if "Do You Want To Dance" had been a huge hit? Would the future of rock'n'roll have been changed forever? Would Cleo have set hearts all a flutter performing "If I Could Turn Back Time" in skimpy attire on a US battleship? Or perhaps sung whilst playfully caressing her asp? Even in the world of politics would Caesar have been elected mayor of Palm Springs? Luckily, the hits soon came tumbling in for Sonny & Cher following their label switch to Atco. "Do You Wanna Dance" is a lot of fun, with Sonny especially in fine vocal form. The Nitzsche arrangements, although not capturing/creating the S&C sound we now know and love, are great. "Do You Want To Dance" would be reissued on Sonny & Cher's first album: BABY PLEASE DON'T GO (1965). https://youtu.be/wxXuUcb7zIw