|
An occasional blog about populist politics and popular music, not necessarily at the same time. LinksLocal Links My Other Websites Music Politics Others Networking Music DatabaseArtist Search: Website SearchGoogle: Recent Reading
Music DatabaseArtist Search: Website SearchGoogle: |
Monday, February 17, 2025 Music Week
February archive (in progress). Music: Current count 43700 [43642) rated (+58), 44 [30] unrated (+14). When I left you two weeks ago, I vowed to do nothing else until I resolved my server problem. I wrote about it at some length then, and if you're really curious, you can follow the whole saga in gory detail through my server notes file. I still seemed to be nowhere near finding a solution last Monday, nor had I written much the previous week, so it was easy to scratch any thought of Music Week last week. By then I had sent out an initial round of letters, which generally got fast but not very satisfying responses. Last Monday I found myself again searching for more vendors -- especially ones offering DirectAdmin as an alternative to cPanel, as the latter appears to be a company one is best off not depending on. But I found a few positive reviews of a company that was still offering cPanel at reasonable prices, so I also dashed off a letter to Shock Hosting. While their prices seemed to be too good to be true, their reputation appeared solid, and I liked their reply: it got quickly to the important points, didn't get distracted with by details, and exuded confidence, especially on the thorny email problem. I slept on it, and woke up thinking it might be the best answer. In particular, I could hope that they could handle the migration quickly and expertly. So I made sure I had my backups in order, signed up, and put them to work. After a few hours, they had moved five accounts, and were ready to serve web pages. That left me with the task of redirecting DNS to the new server, which I finally managed after some initial bungling. Also with shutting down the old server, and keeping them from billing me for another month, a task which was excessively fraught as they had made themselves virtually incommunicado of late: phone calls went to answering machine or simply rang endlessly; email to every known address that had worked previously bounced; a contact form on their still-running (but obviously dated) website accepting input but in no way acknowledging it. As the bill was scheduled for the day after I moved, I prepared to challenge the charges, but my card wasn't billed, so a sigh of relief there. DNS normally takes 24-48 hours to propagate, so I took that as a sign to relax. When I did finally check later that evening, I was going to the new server, and getting web pages as expected. I notified all of the people I host websites for, and didn't get any alarms back. I had previously set up a second email address to collect the torrent of mail the old server's WHM put out. I deleted several thousand messages from the old server, but got nothing to replace them. I did test that the email addresses are working. But I let my service ticket expire without getting to the bottom of where the new server is sending notices. Most likely it is to a local mailbox. If so, they're waiting for me. If not, it's nice to know I have a vendor with a working support ticket system. So so far, so good. I've logged in to the new WHM, and started taking notes on how it works, what's new, and what's no longer available (hopefully, just a lot of security headaches, as much of that is now buried underneath a layer of Cloud Linux). More thorough testing is in order -- among other things, there is always a good chance that running on a newer operating system will break old code (and yes, I'm looking at you, PHP) -- so if you do run across anything amiss, please let me know. I still have some cleanup to do on the server planning files, although it would be easier just to declare them done and walk away leaving all the loose ends that way. In theory, they may help someone else navigate those waters. More likely, some AI robot will suck them up and blow a fuse. But for personal use, the planning files were useful as a means of organizing and sorting a fairly large amount of research. My spreadsheet was much less useful, and given that most of my time was spent on the learning curve, much more frustrating. What I wanted was a somewhat simpler tool, which would allow me to construct a table with all the data, then limit my view to side-by-side comparison of selected columns. Experts will probably tell me that spreadsheets can do exactly that, and that my inability to do so was pure ignorance, and possibly stubbornness, on my part. While admitting the charges, I'd still counter that the UI sucks, then perhaps cite my authority in designing ones that don't suck. Still, I have some more projects where a spreadsheet might be useful, so I'll admit to learning a few things that might come in handy. I'll also be moving on to more planning files, as I try to figure out what to do, and how to do it, before the political apocalypse hits me personally. The big one is where to focus my writing: too big to start here, or even speculate about. Others will cover more mundane topics, like how the music and books are organized around the house, and a few will involve shopping. One relatively easy one there is specing out a new computer for my wife: her old one is 6+ years old, and while the main complaint right now is a noisy CPU fan, it should be easy to do better. The more daunting one is buying a new car: that old one has 18 years on it, and something mysterious wrong with it (but it does have a CD player, which doesn't seem to be a thing these days). The one file I already have opened is called Subscriptions. After Robert Christgau made his move to Bluesky, I figured I should follow suit, if only just to keep track of things. So when I finally had a bit of free time last week, I made my move and set up an account. My understanding at this point is very rudimentary, hence the planning file. One reason practically no one knows about my Bluesky account is that I've been "permanently blocked" from Facebook, with my account scheduled for demolition. I wrote a bit about this in the Subscriptions file, so I won't repeat that here, other than to reiterate that I'm so disgusted with them I don't have any present intention of coming back. That said, don't think that I won't miss Clifford Ocheltree, among a few others. Maybe I'll sign up for a few Substacks. Maybe I'll create one of my own. I spent most of the first week just listening to oldies, which definitely included Louis Armstrong's 16 Most Requested Songs. That got me thinking about Christgau's review of Ella & Louis, so I wrote a fairly long bit on that below. I don't own this particular edition, but I own and/or can stream all of it (and then some). I also noticed that I never reviewed What a Wonderful World, and that led me to consider a few more gaps in my Ella Fitzgerald. There, the obvious gap was that while I had long ago given The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books a curt A-, I hadn't broken out the constituent sets -- all of which had been released as separate CDs, many with secondary "Best Ofs." I own the box, but haven't played in ages, so that seemed like something pleasant I could do while sweating over server details. That, of course, led to more missed albums (with more of the Pablos yet to come). I'm rather surprised at how much I wound up writing. Perhaps there is a lesson there for the future? Last couple days I picked up a couple new-ish albums from Christgau's February Consumer Guide, just to avoid coming up empty in those slots. Meanwhile, the new jazz demo queue is growing. I'll tend to it when I open up some desk space, but right now I'm in no hurry. Since the election, I've buried myself first in the Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll, and then in the server shopping. It's cold and miserable outside, and at 74 it's bothering me like never before. I've let lots of everyday things fall to the wayside. I'm finally getting a breather, and don't feel guilty about taking it a bit easy for a while. Especially as I can see the next big thing coming: I'm scheduled for cataract surgery on the 27th, with the other eye a month or so later. Most people I know got good results that way, but I'm a worrier and expect it to be a lot of trouble before it gets better. We'll see about that, but I don't want to take much on until we do. As for the rest of the world, I realize that ignoring it won't make any difference, but paying close attention and speaking as loud and clear as I could didn't do much good either. Today I got a letter from a hitherto unknown reader:
I'm going to treat this as part of my Q&A and try to come up with a more thoughtful answer, but sure, I have things to say. While I've made very little effort to follow the news, and especially to let myself get involved in subjects like Democratic political strategy, I can't live in the same house as my wife and stay unaware of what's happening. And while I'm tempted to just point back to my post-election essay and add a heaping of "I told you so," some things I posited as possibilities then have evaporated, while I didn't anticipate a few things that have happened, or at least marginally shifted beyond my expectations. At some point I'll look into things like this and that more closely. But I'm also painfully aware that whatever I do come up with go nowhere and amount to nothing, at least as long as I'm operating the way I have the last few years. I'm not oblivious to the fact that there are people, some known and others unknown, who appreciate my writing. I'm just trying to figure out what path makes the most sense for me at this particular time. I can't go into that here, but will write more about it in the near future. What I can do here is leave you with three thoughts:
I'm not unaware of or insensitive to the very real damage that Trump and Musk -- and it's probably good tactics to treat them as inseparable, with Musk by far the dominant personality -- are doing and will continue to do until they're stopped. I'm also no less opposed to genocide than I've been since I first used the word on October 9, 2023. But as I noted in my post-election piece, the Trump election definitively quashes the notion, which persisted very faintly as long as Biden was president, that anyone involved might develop a bit of conscience and stop the killing short of complete destruction. One thing I put great emphasis on in my assessment of how bad a Trump election would be is opportunity costs. Trump's election ensure that the US will do nothing to address the very real problems that Democrats spent way too much time pretending to have finessed for at least the next four years -- plus whatever extra time it takes to undo what they do manage to do. Given the speed with which they are wrecking things, I may have underestimated those opportunity costs. One more thing that I likely underestimated was the extent to which Trumpist power is going to brutalize everyone, even those who resist it. Genocide in Gaza is not just a tragedy befallen a mostly helpless people, but a monument to the notion of "might makes right," which will encourage its use elsewhere, while numbing our response. As proverbs attest, such brutality is almost certain to return to haunt us. Minor tech note: Long boxes look out of place in my album covers totem pole, I had two of them this week, and dealt with them inconsistently. I skipped Louis Armstrong's The Complete Hot Five and Seven Recordings, and went with the very similar (but properly cropped) The Best Of cover. However, for The Brill Building Sound, I went with a scan of Disc 1 instead of the whole long box (which could have been cropped to something very similar -- you'll have trouble making out the volume number, anyway). Don't expect much from me in coming weeks. I have much else to do, and limited time and abilities. One thing I will promise to make an effort at is to respond to my questions. I have two in the queue now, and hope to field more. New records reviewed this week: Kasey Chambers: Backbone (2024, Metropolitan Groove Merchants/Essence Music Group): Singer-songwriter from Australia, 1999 debut was a pretty credible country album, released an album every 2-3 years up to 2018, then a gap until this one. She's still credible in country, except for the live closer, where she's a rock star. B+(**) [sp] Jax: Dear Joe, (2024, Atlantic): Singer-songwriter Jacqueline Miskanic, or Gregg since she got married, first album after nearly a decade of singles, in a career that includes American Idol and thyroid cancer and a RIAA Gold hit that probably got this released, but not pressed. Christgau describes this as "utterly original," but didn't review it until after the Dean's List deadline, possibly because it got zero tracked reviews (but AOTY has 573 user ratings, but the User Score is 11, which raises more questions than it answers -- I can't recall ever having seen a rating that low). First play just annoyed me until the song "Zombieland" got my attention. Two (maybe three) more songs could register as pop, which got this a much needed second play -- much of the album is barely sketched out, easily obscured by outbursts of anthemizing. That's all I can afford, or perhaps stand, at the moment, but enough bits signify to make wonder if this might not just be smart ("spicy is better than bland") but prophetic ("we'll be laughin' when the Walmarts hit the fan"). A- [sp] Ella Langley: Hungover (2024, Sawgod/Columbia): Country singer-songwriter from Alabama, first album after a 2023 EP. Heavy on the drinking songs, but "Nicotine" too. [Later reissued with five extra tracks I haven't heard, as Still Hungover.] B+(**) [sp] Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries: Amadou & Mariam: La Vie Est Belle (1998-2022 [2024], Because Music): Duo from Mali, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia, 1989 debut translates as The Blind Couple of Mali. Dates are iffy here: this draws on six 2004-17 albums on Because Music (including Remixes), while reviews suggest a start date of 1998 (their first European album), and mention that the last cut was a single from 2022, although "Mogolu" appears to be new here, if not necessarily a new song. Not sure this improves on their better albums, but the beats -- even the remix ones -- eventually won me over. A- [sp] Old music: Amadou & Mariam: La Confusion (2017, Because Music): The famed "blind couple of Mali," met in the 1970s, started recording in the 1980s, moved to Paris in 1996, where they were signed by EmArcy, breakthrough was Dimanche à Bamako (2004), their first on this label. Not counting Remixes, this is their fourth -- and not counting the 2024 compilation, their most recent. I don't have the patience to fully sort this out, but so far it's not clear this doesn't rank with their better albums. B+(***) [sp] Louis Armstrong: What a Wonderful World (1967 [1988], MCA): With all the Armstrong I've heard -- 61 albums, a dozen or more multiple CDs -- I was surprised to find I had missed this item, released in Europe and Canada in 1968 but evidently not in the US until the CD era, to cash in on the last and probably the best remembered of his iconic 1960s pop hits. Bob Thiele claims six song credits (mostly with George Weiss), and he produced, laying the schmaltz on so thick that only the unique and still masterful Armstrong can cut through it. Several more gems here -- "Cabaret" you must know, "Dream a Little Dream of Me" you really should; "The Home Fire" and "Give Me Your Kisses" and "I Guess I'll Get the Papers and Go Home," too. He proved his genius in the 1920s, and spread it far and wide in the 1950s. In his waning days, all he needs is an occasional flicker to remind us he's incomparable. A- [r] Louis Armstrong: Rhythm Saved the World [The Original Decca Recordings: Volume 1] (1935-36 [1991], MCA): You know him: trumpet player from New Orleans, started out with King Oliver and almost immediately eclipsed him, joined Fletcher Henderson to invent big band jazz -- in a group that also, and for much longer, featured Coleman Hawkins -- moving on to his landmark Hot Five and Hot Seven groups, not to mention backing some of the most brilliant singers of the 1920s, and becoming one himself, and by the time he turned 30, he was leading and starting in his own big band. Still, his records in the 1930s rarely matched expectations: the band never really challenged the star, and the label threw pretty much anything at him -- "La Cucaracha," "Red Sails in the Sunset," "Old Man Mose," "Solitude," "Shoe Shine Boy," "The Music Goes Round and Round," "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" -- hoping something would hit. Indeed, some things do. B+(***) [sp] Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra: Heart Full of Rhythm [The Original Decca Recordings: Volume 2] (1936-38 [1993], MCA): His Orchestra gets cover credit, but the really hot stretch from 8-10, including a "Swing That Music" that really does, put Armstrong in front of Jimmy Dorsey's Orchestra. Armstrong's own crew seem less distinguished, with Luis Russell (piano) and Paul Barbarin (drums) the only names I recognize -- at least until J.C. Higginbotham shows up with his trombone, and is joined for "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" by Albert Nicholas, Wilbur de Paris, and Red Allen. A- [sp] Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra: Vol. III: Pocketful of Dreams (1935-38 [1995], Decca Jazz): They switched up the title here, but this is all 1938 except for two takes of "Got a Bran' New Suit" from 1935 tacked onto the end, with several unreleased tracks -- mostly alternate takes -- slipped in. The beefed up band opens strong, but they thin out after 8 tracks, and Higginbotham and Russell depart after 16, but Armstrong is such a delight they're hardly missed. A- [sp] Louis Armstrong: The Complete Town Hall Concert 1947 (1947 [2004], Fresh Sound): Released on 2-LP in the RCA Tribune series in 1983, copied to 2-CD a few years later (1992), all 21 tracks fit comfortably on a single CD (78:56). The set opened with Dick Cary (piano), Bob Haggart (bass), and Sid Catlett (drums), joined six tracks in by Peanuts Hucko (clarinet/tenor sax), Bobby Hackett (trumpet), and Jack Teagarden (trombone, a couple vocals plus his bit in "Rockin' Chair"), with drum relief from George Wettling (the encore?). This set the template for his later live albums, but you get an extra helping of old New Orleans classics. Not ideal sound. [NB: Napster fucked up and skipped every other song, so I had to play this twice to get everything. Christgau says this "is the Armstrong I play when I want the whole package." For that, I advise any of the four discs from The California Concerts, which offer peak performances -- the first from when "All Stars" meant Earl Hines and Barney Bigard; the last from when he had fully worked out his schtick with Velma Middleton -- although the "whole package" kept evolving up through the more subdued (and poignant) Louis in London in 1968.] A- [r] Louis Armstrong: The Best Live Concert (1965 [1976], Disques Festival): Live set in Paris, with Armstrong coming off his big pop hit "Hello Dolly" -- the set list also includes "Cabaret," which he released as a single later, and "Mack the Knife," his biggest chart hit of the previous decade, as well as a broad selection of his standards, and a couple tunes I don't recall elsewhere ("Volare," "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"). Band is his standard hot five, but only Billy Kyle remains from even the later editions of the All Stars, and Jewell Brown won't make you forget Velma Middleton. Still comes close to justifying the hyperbolic title. [Later reissued on two separate CDs, even though it would fit on one. Seems like only a matter of time and copyright law before this gets resurrected on a single CD, like Fresh Sound did for Town Hall 1947.] A- [sp] Louis Armstrong: The Best Live Concert Vol. 1 [Jazz in Paris] (1965 [2000], Gitanes Jazz/EmArcy): First half, 11 tracks, 39:32, I give it a slight edge, but dock it for being incomplete. B+(***) [sp] Louis Armstrong: The Best Live Concert Vol. 2 [Jazz in Paris] (1965 [2000], Gitanes Jazz/EmArcy): Second half, 10 tracks, 39:07, a bit less exciting when the star takes his breaks, but those are part of the package; also docked for being incomplete. B+(***) [sp] Louis Armstrong and Friends [Jazz in Paris] (1933-39 [2001], Gitanes Jazz/EmArcy): Everything here was recorded in Paris during the 1930s, but Armstrong is only present on the first seven tracks (1934), followed by other scattered sessions by long-forgotten bandleaders (Freddy Johnson, Arthur Briggs, Danny Polo) or singers (Greta Keller and Marlene Dietrich later made their way to greater fame in America, the latter more in movies). The Armstrong cuts are brilliant, but redundant to US recordings. The others are credible, especially on songs as catchy as "I Got Rhythm" and "Sweet Georgia Brown." B+(***) [sp] Louis Armstrong: The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (1925-30 [2000], Columbia/Legacy, 4CD): Discogs has the whole package scanned, so you can see the care that went into compiling "the most important recordings in the history of jazz." I didn't buy this when it came out, because I already had multiple copies of most of it: JSP's 4-CD Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, which improved on the sound quality of Legacy's first Armstrong releases (1989-93, starting with The Hot Fives and extending into the big bands of 1931, as well as the superb 4-CD selection of early Armstrong on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1994): roughly speaking, it gives you the better half of this more focused set, mixed in with truly extraordinary highlights from earlier and slightly later -- including select cuts from his sessions with blues singers (and Jimmie Rodgers -- I also own Affinity's 6-CD box of The Complete Recordings of Louis Armstrong and the Blues Singers, which isn't all great but is valuable history). One pass through all 255 minutes here is no way to listen, especially with expectations so high that anything not instantly recognized is likely to seem a bit off. But I have no doubt that further listening would sustain the expected grade. [PS: The first three CDs have also been released separately, in 2003, as Vol. 1 through Vol. 3. I had them listed in my database with their 4-star Penguin Guide grades, so I rather arbitrarily assigned them minimal A- grades: aside from the covers, I have no idea what the packaging looks like, but it is almost certainly a downgrade from the box. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to upgrade any/all of them should I have the opportunity to give them more time. There is also a sampler. Given that Complete was released in long-box format, I'll use the sampler for the cover gallery.] A [sp] Louis Armstrong: The Best of the Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (1925-29, [2000], Columbia/Legacy): Sometimes the label would offer a cheap single-disc sampler to promote its more lavish box sets, and they did that here, with a generous 20 tracks (54:48), most stone cold classics -- even today "West End Blues" turned my head -- although they slipped in an alternate take to remind you that even as the copyrights have expired in Europe, they still have the originals. Mostly instrumentals, with only the first stirrings of the singer he would become. If, say, the only Armstrong you own is a later collection like 16 Most Requested Songs (1954-66 [1994], Columbia), you might look for this. [PS: I was going to offer Legacy's 2005 Jazz Moods: Hot as an alternative, as it draws from the same period, but the song count drops to 14, and the omissions include "West End Blues. On the other hand, it does deliver the hot.] A [sp] Dingonek Street Band: Primal Economics (2018, Accurate): One-shot jazz band, led by trumpet player Bobby Spellman, who has a later nonet album under his own name, but all other credits since 2009 are group efforts. This group includes tenor sax (Greg Blair), baritone sax (Tyler Burchfield), soprano sax/clarinet (Emily Pecoraro), tuba (Josiah Reibstein, and drums (Buddy Bigboy). Touches of klezmer as well as New Orleans. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis (1956-57 [2021], Ober Entertainment/20th Century Masterworks): In Europe, copyrights expire after a very generous 50 years, whereas in America they can be extended as long as Disney thinks they can make money by monopolizing Mickey Mouse (and as long as US pols are willing to take some of that money to extend the favor). The longer copyrights have done little to keep American music in print -- even something as obvious as the Armstrong box above (and much more) is out of print (well, in this case the bits are still available, just not the bobs) -- while creating obstacles for importers and, more important right now, streaming companies. I have mixed views on Europe's post-copyright compilations: on the one hand, it generates a lot of opportunistic, redundant, and often slipshod product, but it also makes it possible for devoted fans and serious producers and compilers to keep the history alive, and keep it available (at least somewhere, somehow), and the best sets (which include JSP's and Proper's boxes, Fresh Sound's 1950s jazz, the deep blues and country catalogs of Document and Bear Family, Allen Lowe's book supplements, and the recent "revisits" by Ezz-Thetics) are real treasures. This is all preface to this particular album, which I'm only listening to by proxy -- I can stream the song list, just not attached to this particular artwork -- and only bothering with because Christgau gave it an A+, and I know that carries some weight with my readers. Why he picked this particular product I have no idea: my guess is that he's grown increasingly sentimental over Armstrong of late -- he picked Live in London as his favorite album of 2024 -- and this is music he's always loved but never written about; then he somehow stumbled on this particular CD, saw it as something new he could write about, that has some added value. Two problems here: one is that you can't buy (or stream) this in the US (at least it's not on Amazon); the other has to do with the selection and sessions. One of Christgau's best lines was when he described Norman Granz's "get rich slow" schemes. One of the most fruitful ones was getting Ella Fitzgerald to sing nearly everything in "the great American songbook." Pairing her with Armstrong was a side-project (their sessions aren't included in The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books -- the 16-CD box of 1956-64 studio sessions released in 1993) but it was perfectly in character. They recorded three albums (1956-57) together: Ella and Louis, Ella and Louis Again, and Porgy and Bess. The big revelation here was how adroitly Armstrong, who had a reputation for gravel-voiced crude comedy, adapted to such sophisticated fare, but he is every bit as note-perfect as Ella, and arguably even sexier. Their first album -- the first 11 songs here -- still feels a bit tentative, as if two consummate professionals (and their overthinking producer) were trying to find the fit. It was remarkable enough, but their reunion on More Ella & Louis far surpassed it, as both artists are less reserved, even willing to flirt a little. The CD helps itself to five fine songs from the second album, but any compilation that omits "Let's Do It," "They All Laughed," "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," "I Won't Dance," "Our Love Is Here to Stay," and "A Fine Romance" is cheating you. By the way, the label here, Ober Entertainment, has been operating since 2020, making a specialty of picking up some famous album, then tacking on a few extra songs to create a bargain CD. The albums in their catalog are mostly obvious -- Monk's Music, Time Out, Mingus Ah Um, Concert by the Sea, At the Pershing, Jazz in Silhouette, and also a few non-jazz entries, like Moanin' in the Moonlight and Elvis Presley (the Dylan is renamed Debut Album) -- so any you pick up are likely to be enjoyed, but for me they mostly just muddy up the history. A- [sp] Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong: The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (1956-57 [1997], Verve, 3CD): Useful if you want to put all your eggs in one basket, with the first disc giving you all of Ella & Louis plus five tracks from More Ella & Louis, the second completing the album -- it was originally a double-LP which also required 2-CD -- with space for two bonus live tracks. The third disc gives you Porgy & Bess, where the stars are backed by (up against?) Russell Garcia's Orchestra and the Judd Conlon Singers, with a 10:50 "Overture" delaying their entrance for a surprisingly unmemorable "Summertime" -- beyond which Gershwin has never seemed whiter -- at least until Armstrong gets a more congenial band toward the end. It's unlikely you'll ever play the third disc a second time, but the first two may be the best available configuration for this wonderful pairing. B+(***) [sp] PS: This music has been endlessly repackaged. I also have ratings for:
Fitzgerald has also sung a lot of Gershwin on her own. I gave The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books (1956-64 [1993], Verve, 16CD) an A-, but didn't break out most of the component sets, which were also reissued on CD around then (based on earlier LPs, issued as they were recorded). The George and Ira Gershwin Songbook was released in 1998 on 4-CD, where all but 2 tracks on the 4th CD were alternate takes and remixes. There was an earlier Ella Sings Gershwin on Decca from 1950, with just Ellis Larkins on piano. This was reissued with some extra tracks from 1954 as Pure Ella, in 1994, and widely hailed, but I thought it "sounds thin and arch," and disposed of it with a B-. Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956 [1997], Verve, 2CD): Her first two singles were in 1936, with Teddy Wilson, better known for his work with Billie Holiday (now mostly remembered as her work with him), but she rose to prominence with Chick Webb, and took over his Orchestra when he died in 1939. She recorded with Decca until 1956, when Norman Granz picked her up, with the idea of her remaking the "great American songbook," which starts here, with eight classic songs per side for the 2-LP, plus three alternate takes for the CD reissue. Granz only wanted "hints of jazz," so he entrusted the music to Buddy Bregman, who added "rudimental strings" to a disciplined near-big band. Many fabulous songs, which she nails perfectly. The band never gets carried away, and the strings rarely help -- probably just what Granz wanted. [PS: I'm listening to the 1993 box set, but the component albums were later released separately, so I'll go with those release dates.] A- [cd] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book (1956 [1997], Verve, 2CD): Recorded a few months later, another batch of prime show tunes, although fewer I recognize as brilliant or at least clever. Buddy Bregman returns with orchestra, probably the same musicians but leaning a bit harder on the strings. This works fine when the songs are so good the arrangements hardly matter. The vocals are impeccable. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald With Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957 [1999], Verve, 3CD): Next in sequence, I reviewed this back in 2020, so as a placeholder I'll just recycle that review (with a couple minor edits): Key thing here is the band: Ellington and His Orchestra. They got co-credit on the original 1957 4-LP set, before "songbook" became a single word and a Fitzgerald trademark. She is, of course, miles ahead of any singer Ellington ever hired, adding import and sass to lyrics that were often just an afterthought -- but that may be because the band never really needed them. Two real solid CDs here, although I like some of their later live recordings, where she is less inhibited by Granz's songbook concept, even more. Third disc bogs down a lot, and not just the alternate takes and chatter (but you never have to play it). B+(**) [cd] PS: Also previously rated:
Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1958 [2000], Verve, 2CD): Back to formula here, this time with Paul Weston arranging and conducting, some of the same musicians but less notable and more strings (except on items like "Alexander's Ragtime Band," where they would be ridiculous). The formula seems designed to raise the singer's respectability -- something she took pains to demolish on her best live recordings -- the net effect of all this professionalism is to focus attention on the songwriters. This one excels because Berlin not only wrote great songs you all know, but more great songs you don't, so Ella can go 32 deep with him and never hint at scraping the barrel (although a couple sink under the arrangements). You may also discover that he can be as witty as Porter (e.g., "Tropical Heatwave"). A- [cd] PS: There's also a live version, recorded a couple weeks later but unreleased until 2022:
Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Books (1959 [1998], Verve, 4CD): Nelson Riddle arranged and conducted, with a big band that included several stars (Benny Carter, Pete Candoli, Plas Johnson, Herb Ellis or Barney Kessel, Lou Levy or Paul Smith) plus a large string section. The first 1959 LP was Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book "recorded under the supervision of Norman Granz," which was quickly followed by Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book "music arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle," but by the end of 1959 (and again in 1964) the whole set was reissued on 5-LP with Book changed to Books. It appeared on 3-CD in 1987 (back to singular Book), even before the 1993 box, which packages it as a box-inside-the-box, including its own miniature book and a packet of supplementary artwork. That's the edition I'm listening to, although the post-box separate release in 1997 tacked on a 4th CD of alternate takes and remixes (probably best ignored). Some great songs, of course, though not as consistent as the Berlin or Porter. [PS: I listened to disc 4 on Spotify. It's functionally a very listenable sampler, maybe even a bit better than the others, as the repeats tend to focus on the better songs.] B+(***) [cd] Ella Fitzgerald: The Very Best of the Gershwin Song Book (1959 [2007], Verve): A tight 12-song, 44:50 sampler. While there are more string-laden ballads than I would have picked, even they are done with impeccable taste -- you can count on Nelson Riddle for that much, and Ella is superb, even breaking out a bit of scat on "I Got Rhythm." A- [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book (1960-61 [1993], Verve, 2CD): Less famous than the earlier songwriters in this series, the obvious compensations are to cut the book back to six songs per side, and punch them up by bringing Billy May in. Perhaps Arlen's fame got diluted by working with so many lyricists -- serially with Ted Koehler, Yip Harburg, and Johnny Mercer, with further bits by Leo Robin, Ira Gershwin, and Billy Rose -- but the roster of songs is extraordinary, making this perhaps the most satisfying set in the series. A [cd] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book (1963 [2005], Verve): Winding down, they dialed this back to 1-LP, 12 songs composed by Kern, with various lyricists (Otto Harbach, Dorothy Fields, Oscar Hammerstein II, Bernard Dougall, Johnny Mercer) -- still, only "A Fine Romance" is as indelibly etched in my mind as the top 6-10 songs from previous volumes. Nelson Riddle returns to the helm, so you can expect a smooth and steady ride. The lesser known songs -- a couple more I do recognize -- are interesting, and Ella is supreme, as usual. [was: B+] B+(**) [cd] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964 [1997], Verve): Last volume in The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books, a 13-song LP, again with Nelson Riddle arranging and conducting. Mercer was most often a lyricist, often with Harold Arlen, but claims two sole credits here. (This repeats one of seven titles from the Arlen songbook, "This Time the Dream's on Me," so omits some of his most famous songs, like "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (no way Riddle could have competed with Billy May on that one.) B+(***) [cd] Ella Fitzgerald: Like Someone in Love (1957, Verve): Not in the Song Book series, but a more scattered set of standards given the same basic treatment, here by Frank De Vol and His Orchestra, mostly strings, the only musicians explicitly credited were Stan Getz (tenor sax) and Ted Nash (alto sax). [PS: A 1991 CD reissue added four tracks, but the current digital is back to the original 15.] B+(**) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald at the Opera House (1957 [1986], Verve): Title reminded me of other At the Opera House albums, one by Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge, another by Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson. It turns out that all three come from a Jazz at the Philharmonic show on Sept. 29 in Chicago's Civic Opera House, where her set is backed by Oscar Peterson (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Jo Jones (drums), with the others (also Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, and Sonny Stitt) joining in for the finale ("Stompin' at the Savoy"). The CD reissue adds a second set from Oct. 7 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Same songs (minus "Them There Eyes," but with "Oh, Lady Be Good!" added to the encore bash. I don't see any point in docking this for redundancy. It's good enough to play twice. A- [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella in Rome: The Birthday Concert (1958 [1988], Verve): More live albums than anyone needs, but this one is at least as good as At the Opera House, and offers a broader selection of key songs. She's just backed with a trio -- Lou Levy (piano), Max Bennett (bass), and Gus Johnson (drums) -- at least until the "Stompin' at the Savoy" finale, when Oscar Peterson's trio takes charge. A- [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Get Happy! (1957-59 [1998], Verve): This, including two extra tracks added to the CD, was cobbled together from seven sessions with five big bands, with Frank DeVol handling six tracks -- probably spare parts from other albums, shelved because they were too upbeat, with too much scat. We all know she's a great ballad singer, but I love it when she kicks up her heels on things like "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" and "Like Young." And I'll never turn down another "Blue Skies." Still, where's the title song? A- [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers (1958-59 [2003], Verve): "Sweet and Lovely," "Let's Fall in Love," "Makin' Whoopee," "Moonlight Serenade," "Can't We Be Friends," on down to "Lullaby of Broadway." Frank DeVol arranged and conducted. He's probably the least famous of her conductors, but he hits his mark as consistently as she does, although she's on a higher plane. Still, I'm afraid we're getting used to this excellence. [PS: CD reissue from 2003 has same 12 songs as the original 1959 album, but does credit Harry "Sweets" Edison on most tracks, along with "others unknown."] B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Hello, Love (1957-59 [2004], Verve): Scraps from three sessions, all with Frank DeVol arranging and conducting. More standards, but show ones this time, which means lots of strings and orchestral woodwinds, although you can hear a bit of tenor sax, credited to Ben Webster. B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (1959-60 [2002], Verve): Even as much as I loathe Xmas music, I'm surprised to find that I never checked out this inevitable product. Frank DeVol arranged and conducted 12 relatively secular ditties, from "Jingle Bells" to "White Christmas," the only surprise "Good Morning Blues" (Count Basie/Eddie Durham/Jimmy Rushing). CD picks up an earlier single with Russ Garcia, and some alternate takes, expanding 34:00 to 52:14, and dropping the grade a notch. B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! (1961 [1989], Verve): Session recorded in Los Angeles, 14 scattered standards, backed by Lou Levy (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Joe Mondragon (bass), and Gus Johnson (drums). More classic song book fare from scattered sources, with "Cry Me a River" a standout (as it always is). B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Swings Gently With Nelson (1961-62 [1993], Verve): More with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, following Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson (1962) -- 1958's similarly titled Ella Swings Lightly was done with Marty Paich's Dek-Tette, but Riddle appears on several of the Song Books. Standards like "Sweet and Slow," "The Very Thought of You," "My One and Only Love," and "Body and Soul." CD adds two spare tracks, one far from gentle. B+(**) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Rhythm Is My Business (1962 [1999], Verve): Mostly standards -- Ella gets a co-credit for "Rough Ridin'" -- and mostly upbeat, only a couple I associate with her. Bill Doggett plays organ, arranges and conducts a slightly short big band (3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 4 reeds, Hank Jones on piano, Mundell Lowe on guitar, two bass players, drums, but no string section. Ella, as usual, is up for anything. CD adds two extra tracks. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Sings Broadway (1962 [2001], Verve): Twelve songs from eight Broadway musicals dating from 1947-56, the CD adding nothing to the trim 34:05 LP. Frank DeVol arranged and conducted. As usual, this turns on the songs, some really excellent. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald/Count Basie: Ella and Basie! (1963 [1997], Verve): The late 1950s saw the emergence of Basie's "New Testament" band, which reached maximum power on an album that fully earned the title The Complete Atomic Basie. One thing the band did a lot of from 1956 on was to hook up with various singers, which included 1957 album with Ella and Joe Williams, followed by sessions with Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr., and many more. Here they reunite on what is basically another Song Book album -- only "Shiny Stockings" is really specific to Basie (or actually Frank Foster) -- although Basie puts a bit more oomph into Ellington and Waller than Riddle or DeVol would. CD adds some unnecessary alternate takes. B+(**) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: These Are the Blues (1963, Verve): Ten songs, from Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey via Leroy Carr and "Trouble in Mind" to Louis Armstrong, with "St. Louis Blues" the only base she's previously touched. Small group, keyed by Wild Bill Davis on organ, with Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), Gus Johnson (drums), and Roy Eldridge (trumpet). B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Hello, Dolly! (1964 [2005], Verve): This makes me wonder if the idea behind the Song Books wasn't some kind of "world's greatest singer" competition, where she does all the standards just to prove that no one else does them better, or at least consistently as well. At some point you enter the phase where people start challenging you with new songs, which about sums up the first three here: "Hello, Dolly!" (a hit for Louis Armstrong), "People" (Barbra Streisand), and "Can't Buy Me Love" (the Beatles). Frank DeVol arranges and conducts, so beaucoup strings on "People" and a lot of brass on "Can't Buy Me Love" -- Big Band Beatles is still something I doubt we need, but this is proof of concept (much better than Count Basie or Ray Charles with the moptops). After that, she goes back to familiar territory -- "Volare" is the closest thing to a challenge, but it isn't that new, and she's done it before -- where she and they are faultless but also unexciting. B+(**) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella in Japan: 'S Wonderful (1964 [2011], Verve, 2CD): Two live sets, recorded three days apart in Tokyo, the first in Hibiya Kokaido Public Hall, the second in Hotel Okura. The Roy Eldridge Quartet backs, with Tommy Flanagan (piano), Bill Yancy (bass), and Gus Johnson (drums), and both discs add local musicians toward the end -- the first ends with a 10:53 "Jam Session." Two songs appear on both sets ("Cheek to Cheek" and "Bill Bailey" -- she does a lot of ad-libbing on the latter). Another good live album (or two). B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Whisper Not (1966 [2002], Verve): A dozen standards, ranging as far as "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" but some old favorites, arranged and conducted by Marty Paich. B+(**) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Brighten the Corner (1967, Capitol): Norman Granz sold Verve in 1961 to MGM, but he continued to produce Ella there through 1966, and again after 1973 when he founded his new label, Pablo. Verve declined as a jazz label over the 1960s, although producer Creed Taylor and arrangers like Claude Ogerman and Oliver Nelson had some success, until they moved on in the 1970s -- indeed, Verve's most memorable release of the late 1960s was The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). After 1970, it virtually disappeared, as MGM went to PolyGram, which had picked up its own jazz label, EmArcy, from Philips, and ultimately to Universal Music Group, which revived Verve as its jazz label in 1999. Granz also managed Ella, but without his own label, he sent her to Capitol, and later to Atlantic, but a brief series of albums that under any other name would be long forgotten. This was her first post-Verve album, a collection of hymns -- one hesitates to use the word "gospel" as that suggests a measure of enthusiasm and joy that producer Dave Dexter Jr. has thoroughly precluded, not just through utterly bland arrangements but by hemming her in with the sedate backing vocals of the Ralph Carmichael Choir. Still, the cliché about singing the phone book comes to mind: even the most demure songs here are quite lovely, and few have ever been done this expertly. Then there's "I Shall Not Be Moved," where she stifles the temptation to sub "Stilled" for "Moved," but reminds you she could just as easily have aimed to raise the rafters. B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas (1967, Capitol): From the same team that brought you the Brighten the Corner hymnal -- Dave Dexter Jr. (producer), Ralph Carmichael (choirmaster), Robert Black and Grace Price (arrangers) -- a very staid, pious, definitely not swinging Christmas. This reminds me of trying to sing these same songs when I was a child. And while she's much better at it than we were, I can still hear our voices in the penumbra here, and feel our (or maybe just my) embarrassment. PS: Streamers have a "Deluxe Edition" which merely appends Brighten the Corner. I think there is also a reissue combining this with Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, which must produce cognitive dissonance as well as seasonal nausea. B- [r] Ella Fitzgerald: Misty Blue (1967 [1968], Capitol): Capitol Records is famously located in Hollywood, and we're used to the cliché of Hollywood producers spitballing X-meets-Y-with-Z concepts and turning them into projects. To some extent, Capitol did that with Sinatra and Cole, but they never got this simplistic. Concept here is Ella sings recent country hits, but with big band orchestration, like Ray Charles, so they brought in Sid Feller to arrange and conduct. It doesn't work, although a couple light spots were pleasant enough ("Walking in the Sunshine," "Don't Let That Doorknob Hit You"). "Born to Lose" reminded me enough of Charles I looked it up and found out why. If you have the 4-CD Charles box, you may understand that the formula rarely worked for him either, the exceptions coming early and taking us by surprise. Granz made us feel like Ella could sing anything and make it her own. Dave Dexter Jr. makes us realize that she shouldn't sing everything, even if she's really good at it. B [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: 30 by Ella (1968 [2000], Capitol): Concept here is explained below the title: "All-Time Favorite Songs in the Fantastic Fitzgerald Fashion With Benny Carter's Backing." It's fairly common for veteran singers to squeeze bits of their hits into medleys, and Ella certainly has way more songs fans want to hear than could ever be fit into a set, but this is surprisingly formalized: six medleys of six songs each adding up to 53:29 (per the original LP back cover) -- the CD adds "Hawaiian War Chant" as a 2:18 bonus, because why the hell not? I don't know how that adds up to 30 -- maybe producer Dave Dexter Jr. dozed off and lost count? The song choices and transitions are clever, and Ella is as dexterous as you'd expect in maneuvering through Carter's maze, but most of the songs slip by unnoticed -- isn't recognition the sole point of medleys? -- and the band billed as "Benny Carter's Magnificent 7" seems to be lacking something -- swing, I think. B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Sunshine of Your Love (1968 [1969], MPS/Prestige): Live album, produced by Norman Granz, recorded in San Francisco, the first side with Ernie Hecksher's big band, leading off with recent pop songs ("Hey Jude," "Sunshine of Your Love," "This Girl's in Love With You"), the second side with Tommy Flanagan's trio doing older standards (slipping in a Jobim). B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella (1969, Reprise): New label, new songs, produced by by Richard Perry -- opens with two by Smokey Robinson, includes two by Randy Newman, first side ends with "Got to Get You Into My Life," second side ends with "Knock on Wood." A young (26) Richard Perry produced: at this point his resume was thin and scattered (Captain Beefheart, Tiny Tim, Fats Domino), but became famous in the 1970s, especially with Barbra Streisand and Carly Simon. A respectable soul album at a time when songwriters were rising over interpretative singers (Dionne Warwick being the obvious comparison here). B+(*) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Things Ain't What They Used to Be (And You Better Believe It) (1969 [1970], Reprise): Norman Granz is back as producer, and he's brought in Gerald Wilson to arrange and conduct a star-laden very big band. Song selection falls short of ideal, but this is probably the most potent big band she's had in nearly a decade. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald in Budapest (1970 [1999], Pablo): Norman Granz sold Verve in 1961, but continued to produce her until she left Verve in 1967, after which he managed her, and gets credit for producing her live albums. When he launched his Pablo label in 1973, he rounded up the old gang and started producing new studio sets, while also releasing some of his store of live tapes. One of the best compilations of her live work was The Concert Years, a 4-CD Pablo box released in 1994, where the first disc combines a 1953 performance in Japan with two sets from 1966-67, and the later discs track her from 1971-83. This is another fine concert, backed by Tommy Flanagan's trio, long set at 78:17, hits many of her later high points, ending with "Mack the Knife" and "People." B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella à Nice (1971 [1982], Pablo): She was still managed by Granz in the years separating her Verve and Pablo records, so it's likely that her live act -- as opposed to her studio albums at Capitol -- never changed much. But this set offers one innovation: medleys. She starts with "Night and Day," followed by more Porter, then a "Ballad Medley" from "Body and Soul" to Gershwin, and "The Bossa Scene" (mostly Jobim), and later "Aspects of Duke," although she limits her Beatles bag to "Something" -- followed by "St. Louis Blues," closing out with "Close to You" and "Put a Little Love in Your Heart." Backed by Tommy Flanagan's trio. B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald/Count Basie/Oscar Peterson/Stan Getz/Roy Eldridge/Eddie Lockjaw Davis/Ray Brown/Harry Edison/Al Grey/Tommy Flanagan/Ed Thigpen/Keeter Betts: Jazz at the Santa Monica Civic '72 (1972 [1991], Pablo, 3CD): I filed this under Jazz at the Philharmonic, and some sources credit the JATP All Stars, the nominal group that takes over after Basie's opening set. This show is regarded as the founding event of Norman Granz's Pablo label, much as the original 1944 Jazz at the Philharmonic First Concert led to Granz's Norgran, Clef, and Verve labels. But I figured I'd just go with the artist names on the front cover, in the order given, especially as that fits neatly in the series of Fitzgerald albums. The concert was originally released as four separate LPs, but by 1974 had been consolidated into a 3-LP box, which was converted to 3-CD in 1991. The first CD is mostly Basie, plus one track from the JATP All Stars (Getz, Davis, Eldridge, etc.), who fill the second CD except for an Oscar Peterson/Ray Brown duet. Ella headlines the third CD, backed by Flanagan's trio and, aside from a 4 song intermission, the Basie big band, with everyone piling on "C Jam Blues" for the finale. The word most often associated with Granz is "impressario," as his JATP shows were his labels were at least initially just a sideline to merchandise and promote his shows. The First Concert is especially notable, not just because "Blues #2" there has been nominated as the first rock and roll record but because the rhythm section was such a revelation (especially Les Paul on guitar and Nat King Cole on piano). The shows went on to generate dozens of albums, some with headline artist credits and many more just under the corporate logo. None of those, at least the dozen-plus I've heard, are essential, but most of them are jam sessions packed with loads of fun. If this seems less star-laden than the 1950s shows, it's because they're all getting older, not least Granz. His big three stars -- Basie, Fitzgerald, and Peterson -- got major revivals on Pablo (as did Eldridge and Edison, and others not present here, like Zoot Sims). The first two sets are fun as you'd expect, but Ella really earns her headline credit, and not just with her standards but also with a couple of outstanding then-new songs ("You've Got a Friend" and "What's Going On?"). B+(***) [sp] Ella Fitzgerald: Ella in London (1974, Pablo): Norman Granz sold Verve in 1961, but continued to produce Ella there through 1966. In 1973, he started a new label, Pablo, and he quickly rounded up several of his 1950s stars, starting with Ella. This one is a live set from Ronnie Scott's, backed by Tommy Flanagan (piano), Joe Pass (guitar), Keter Betts (bass), and Bobby Durham (drums). B+(**) [sp] Greta Keller: Greta Keller Sings Kurt Weill (1953, Atlantic): Cabaret singer and actress (1903-77) from Vienna, moved to Berlin c. 1929, appearing in her first film in 1931, then on to Paris, New York and Hollywood, before eventually returning to Vienna. If her voice and mannerisms seem familiar, that's because she was the archetypal model others (including Marlene Dietrich) drew on -- Cabaret, for instance, kicks off with one of her recordings. This 10-inch LP (28:50) kicks off with with six Kurt Weill songs in English (three with Ogden Nash lyrics), and closes with one more, after a medley in German from Threepenny Opera -- some of my favorite music ever. Perhaps a bit too somber, but a remarkable voice. B+(***) [sp] Ella Mae Morse: Capitol Collectors Series (1942-57 [1992], Capitol): Jazz/pop singer (1924-99), started in 1942 with a hit of "Cow-Cow Boogie" backed by Freddie Slack and His Orchestra, followed with several more hits (all collected here; doesn't seem to have recorded much of anything later, but continued to tour). B+(**) [sp] PS: This appears to be identical to The Very Best of Ella Mae Morse (1942-57 [1998], Collectables), which I previously graded B and should now upgrade to match. Bobby Vee: Legendary Masters (1959-68 [1973], United Artists): One of those "teen idol" singers who appeared in the early 1960s, born in North Dakota, last name Velline, had a couple memorable hits early on -- "Devil or Angel" (1960), "Take Good Care of My Baby" (1961), "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" (1962) -- and hung on for a long career, touring until he got Alzheimer's in 2011 and died in 2016, but few albums after 1969. This has much more than anyone needs, including enough of I Remember Buddy Holly (1963) to quell my curiosity. B [r] Grade (or other) changes: The Brill Building Sound (1957-67 [1993], ERA, 4CD): 1619 Broadway, corner of 49th Street, 11 floors, built 1931, became a center for songwriters and publishers in the 1930s, at first focusing on big bands and musical theater. In the late 1950s some of their tenants to cash in on the rock and roll market, with considerable success during the 1961-64 period, which produced 52 songs collected here (vs. 10 for 1957-60, and 12 for 1965-67). Along with a similar operation at 1650 Broadway, their product has been designated a "sound," but unless you lived through this period, nearly everything here sounds like something else from someone more famous. If you didn't, among artists here, you really should have single-artist compilations of the Drifters and the Shirelles (who have much more, and even better, work elsewhere, as do Dion and the Everly Brothers, with one stray song each). The next tier is probably Bobby Darin and the Shangri-Las, or maybe Neil Sedaka, although their songs, plus a dozen more fluke hits, are likely to show up on other compilations (e.g., "girl groups") from the period. But I started listening to a lot of AM radio around 1961, so most of this music is not just familiar but deeply embedded. From 1964 on, my own interest moved pretty hard to the British Invasion. The Brill Building songwriters tried to cash in on that too, and had a few more big hits with what are not little-remembered bands (Manfred Mann, Paul Revere & the Raiders), and they still resonate with me. I don't really know what the afterstory was: immediate competition came from other song factories, especially Motown, but after Dylan, Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richard, et al., artists who didn't write their own songs went out of style, and in the 1970s FM eclipsed AM, focusing on longer album cuts at the expense of punchy little novelty singles. Meanwhile, the most famous Brill Building alumnus, Carole King, became a big star, singing her own songs. So this box works for me as nostalgic time capsule, although it misses at least as much of 1961-64 as it captures (a period quickly deprecated as obsolete as soon as the Beatles hit, perhaps even more quickly than the new wave/punks bemoaned the mid-1970s). For the later 1960s, I may have to crack open that 4-CD Nuggets box, but it won't be as cheerfully integrated at this sampler is. [was: A-] A [cd] Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (1965-68 [1998], Rhino, 4CD): Back in 1972, rock critic and future Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye compiled a 2-LP collection of late-1960s "psychedelic" rock, about half minor hits and the rest perfectly fitted: median chart position was 55, with "Psychotic Reaction" at 5, 5 more top-20 songs, 4 below 100, and 5 that didn't chart at all. I picked up the Sire reissue in 1976, and it immediately became a favorite. Rhino picked up on the idea, and starting in 1984 released a series of 12 LPs under the Nuggets name, with Volume 1: The Hits repeating 6 songs from the 2-LP, which they followed up with a CD series called Nuggets: Psychedelic Sixties (3 separate CDs, released 1986-89). In 1998, they reconceived the franchise, with this box set: Volume 1 completely reissues the original 2-LP, with 3 more CDs adding 91 more tracks (116 total, compare to 168 in the 12-LP series). Hard to say whether (or how much) the quality declines as the quantity piles on. I listened to a pretty average amount of rock in 1961-65, but cut way back during my asocial years (1966-72), so only a few of the scattered hits here -- "Wooly Bully" obviously, plus some things like "Louie Louie," "Laugh Laugh," and "She's About a Mover" -- hit a nostalgic nerve. Sure, this sounds very white, male, and American compared to at least 80% of the 1955-75 music I've been enjoying so much of late. But the sound is consistent and coherent, with its heavy guitar din, and resonates with a period I lived through, even if I wasn't very connected to it. B+(***) [cd] PS: Rhino followed this box with Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From the British Empire and Beyond (1964-69 [2001], Rhino, 4CD), which mostly focused on similar music from UK groups (most famously the Pretty Things, Small Faces, and the Move), with the Guess Who from Canada, and "beyond" extending as far as Os Mutantes. Rechecked with no grade change: Swamp Dogg: Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St (2024, Oh Boy): B+(***) [sp] Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
|
