ELLIE GREENWICH: Da Do Ron...Gone

Most real fans of classic rock know the name Ellie Greenwich.

In the pre-Mp3 era, when people had an attention span, and would actually hold a 45 rpm and look at it, and read the label, the ubiquitous credit Greenwich-Barry would often appear...
...on "Leader of the Pack", "Be My Baby," and "River Deep, Mountain High" and dozens more.

If the song you loved in the 60's wasn't credited to Greenwich-Barry, it was probably one of the other husband-wife teams: Mann-Weill or Goffin-King, but the ones from Greenwich-Barry tended to have a little more edge and urgency. Even their more light-hearted numbers, like "Da Doo Ron Ron," had a streetwise cool to them.

The half-Jewish Brooklyn girl called herself "Ellie Gaye" when she issued her first single for RCA in 1958, while still a student at Queens College. "Silly Isn't It" wasn't a hit, but she soon had a few with a songwriting partner. And that guy was...Tony Powers.

With Powers, Ellie wrote "He's Got The Power" for The Exciters," "Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" for Darlene Love, and "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts?" (Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans). Phil Spector got songwriting co-credits on the last two, while Leiber & Stoller, fans of Ellie, published her early work.

She learned a lot about the mechanics of hit-making, and in 1962 after marrying Jeff Adelberg (aka Jeff Barry) the new songwriting team gave "Hanky Panky" to Tommy James, and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" to Manfred Mann. Ellie and Jeff divorced in 1966, but not before they had many, many more hits on the charts.

Ellie tried for a solo career in 1968 ("Composes, Produces, Sings" lp) which few people knew about at the time...except in Japan, where "Niki Hoekey" (which she didn't write) was a #1 hit. In 1973 Ellie recorded a new solo album, which included many of her early classics updated for a more contemporary sound, such as "Maybe I Know," originally a Top Ten for Lesley Gore. Ellie would partner with a variety of songwriters, and while the hits were fewer, she still had 'em, including "Sunshine After The Rain" in 1977 for Elkie Brooks and "Keep It Confidential," a 1983 blockbuster for Nona Hendryx.

As for Jeff Barry, he too had writing partners both before and after Ellie Greenwich. With Ben Raleigh, he'd written "Tell Laura I Love Her," and among the post-Ellie hits was "Sugar Sugar" co-written with Andy Kim.

In the early 90's, "Leader of the Pack," a musical based on Ellie's life, made it to Broadway. The Greenwich-Barry team was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1991. Ellie, at 68, was being treated for pneumonia in a New York City hospital when she suffered a fatal heart attack two days ago (August 27th).

Since you're at the Illfolks blog, where you don't expect or want a dumbass download of her hit songs as sung by The Shangri-La's, Dixie Cups, Lesley Gore and other easily available artists, here's 15 tracks...almost all sung by Ellie herself in the 60's and 70's, almost all written or co-written by her as well:
1. Silly Isn't It - as Ellie Gaye (1958)
2. You Don't Know (1965)
3. Nobody Thought (unreleased, Ellie with male back-up vocal)
4. If Ellie Doesn't Change (Unreleased, male group demo)
5. That's What They Said (Unreleased, male lead, demo)
6. Goodnight Goodnight (from her '68 solo album)
7. Niki Hoekey (by Vegas-Ford, a hit in Japan, '68 solo album)
8. Chapel of Love (1973 solo album)
9. A Long Time Comin' ('68 solo album)
10. Sunshine After the Rain ('68 solo album)
11. Maybe I Know (1973 solo album)
12. And Then He Kissed Me (1973 solo album)
13. Be My Baby (1973 solo album)
14. Today I Met The Boy... (1973 solo album)
15. River Deep Mountain High (1973 solo album)
ELLIE GREENWICH

MECHANICAL BIRD: EBN and OZN - - ROCKIN' ROBIN

Computer duo EBN (a variation of his last name Liben) and OZN (a chop on his last name Rosen) were briefly popular circa 1983 when they had hits with "AEIOU Sometimes Y," and "Bag Lady (I Wonder)." The rock video for “Bag Lady” featured comic legend Imogene Coca and a more traditional guitar-hero sound from the team. They broke up in 1985, and EBN died of a heart attack in 1998. OZN had some success with his own "One Voice Records" label.
Naturally Illfolks only remembers them from their delightfully dumb disco-electronic cover version of "Rockin' Robin," with the creepy vocoder electro-voice effect only Peter Frampton thinks is still cool (Alvino Rey's talking guitar from the 40's, is still cool.)
"Rockin' Robin" was a tune anybody could enjoy. When it first arrived in 1958 sung by Bobby Day (real last name, Byrd) it was silly enough for toddlers, catchy for teens, and even adults could dance to it (as they once did to equally idiotic Kay Kyser big band hits). There was no sharp divide as there is now, in terms of age or race. Everyone snapped their fingers to "Rockin' Robin," and over the years, anyone with that first name, from manic comic Robin Williams to boxer-contender Robin Blake used it for an entrance song.
The punky Ebn & Ozn team needed to slow down the analog tape recorder for the lead vocals in order to get a funky black-sounding deep voice, which only adds to the oddness of the double-track electronic-tricked chorus. The result? You can kick the bird, overcook the bird and sauce the bird in any kind of strange way...but it's still kinda tasty.
ROCKIN' ROBIN

YOU JUST WANNA BE WEIRD - Pam Tillis

Yes, daughter of Mel Tillis, but on her first album, the gal was trying for punky country-crossover, an album that was a slightly sour version of Rachel Sweet. Punningly titled “Beyond the Doll Of Cutie,” it wasn’t what hayseeds wanted, and the new wavers were way too kewl to pay attention to her either. Too bad. Good album. After it went nowhere, Pam went mainstream country to save her career.

“You Just Wanna Be Weird” is a boppin’ smack in the head to immature geeks who have to call attention to themselves by being “far out.” In the real world, it’s loud clothing and jackass stunts...add booze or drugs and the idiot starts mugging and miming and laughing at his own brilliance, not knowing or caring that the laughs he’s getting are based on “what a jerk” not “what a wild and crazy guy.”

In the cyber world, well, we’ve all been in the forums where overposting schmucks call attention to themselves with bad pun names, inane avatars (that usually involve somebody cross-eyed, retarded or drawn by R. Crumb), a witless motto under every post, and a mountain of twitching animated gifs which they also use on whatever blog they desperately want people to visit. They favor “punk’d” headers that make you look at the post, only to see it’s a lame joke or a Photoshop job that’s been circulating among high schoolers for months. If they reply to anyone else’s post it’s to make a tasteless joke with a self-placed LOL at the end.

Pam Tillis has some pity for the fool she’s putting down. Most anyone else would gladly make him swallow his own fake rubber vomit and rubber dog doo, so that something far more realistic came out of both ends at the same time. In other words, leave comedy to the professionals, and leave “acting out” to the Gay Pride parade.
You Just Wanna Be Weird

TWIGGY & SEVERIN BROWNE: COOKING SCHOOL

It's not strange that Twiggy once tried for a singing career. What's definitely odd is that the woman who would've looked pregnant if she swallowed a walnut, actually covered the obscure "Cooking School," the amiably hippie-dippy dopey tune authored by Severin Browne (whose brother, for a change, won't be named).
With mandolin in the wind, to help bolster her wispy voice, Twiggy gamely tries a country waltz tempo on this tale of two nude beach idiots who turn up the heat while taking culinary classes:
"I saw him the next day while streaking a hallway. We went to the same cooking school! He majored in crepes and in almonds, I studied desserts made with cheese. We spent some time making love with the wind in the trees. Oh, woah, oh, woah.
Soon we had classes together! Sweet pastries and basic Chinese. We learned to get fat. Well, it comes down to that; it's the art of refined gluttony!"
Unbelievable on every level. Twiggy streaking. Twiggy getting fat. Twiggy naked with Severin Browne??
Alas, the song is nostalgia, not reality: "Now he's cooking in Utah, not far from B.Y.U. He's got his wife, and I got my own life, but I'll never forget cooking school."
So you won't have to go hunting through the sick recesses of the illfolks blog for it, Browne's original version is nestled right under Twiggy's. His version makes a little more sense (it was generally moronic-looking guys who streaked), and ends with the same wistful musing on lost love: "She's got her own life, and she's somebody's wife, but I'll never forget cooking school."
If you like the tunes, some starving record dealer would be only to glad to sell you the whole albums, probably for less than the price of a helping of peas.
TWIGGY: COOKING SCHOOL
SEVERIN: COOKING SCHOOL

MIGHTY SPARROW: A FACE LIKE JACK PALANCE

Van Dyke Parks used a fragment of "Jack Palance" on one of his eccentric albums, "Discover America," which made it seem that either he, or some insane studio musician, was impersonating a lunatic calypso singer. Actually, he was doing an early form of blogging, offering a tease to intrigue people into searching out an artist and buying his work. (He also, on the same album, threw in a plug for The Mills Brothers.)

The singer Van was trying to move: Trinidad's Mighty Sparrow (aka Slinger Francisco). You can learn all about him at his own mightysparrow dot com, where he has a load of CD's to sell to you, but gosh, no mp3 files to give away, just some "real audio" clips instead.

Since "Jack Palance" doesn't seem to be on any of the CDs, let it be a minor theft and serve as an introduction to the flights of fancy from Mr. Sparrow. The song is a cheerful rant that old whores should get off the street and let hotter sluts prevail. One 60 year-old broad in particular has Mighty shaking his head, 'cause she's SO ugly she looks like...

...But on the positive side, a whore who looks like Jack Palance and can still find someone willing to pay to do one-armed push ups on top of her, must be doing something right. Sparrow says, if the street is narrow, and her ugly old barrow is truly in the way..."move! Step aside and give your daughter a chance!"
MIGHTY SPARROW - JACK PALANCE

DEL SHANNON - "ALIVE BUT I'M DEAD"

Real fans of the pained and paranoid world of Del Shannon were delighted by Raven's 2 CD set, with annotated booklet, that not only contained the obvious, but unearthed some of the curious.
The most exciting finds were a pair of morbid unissued tracks: "Distant Ghost" and "Deadly Game," which were part of a "trilogy" that also included, "Alive But I'm Dead." Which had us Del-irious folk asking, "So, why was THAT track left off?"

Who knows.

The world of re-issues is a frustrating one. A missing track might have to do with rights issues, some compiler's judgment call, or just the time and money involved not only in licensing, but finding the masters.

Jeff Lynne wrote "Alive But I'm Dead," which Del recorded back in 1973, when nobody seemed to care one way or another.

Del Shannon, in his shortened lifetime, got very little recognition. His rather brooding looks were not like Fabian or Elvis, so even when he did have a hit, the fan mags weren't putting him on their covers. The songs that charted, did so in spite of the high level of hate and hurt on them..."Runaway" with its eerie keyboard solo, the bitter "Hats off to Larry," or the panicky "Stranger in Town." The songs were so good they could briefly push Rydell or Anka off the Top 10, the way a B horror movie could sometimes beat a major Doris Day release for a week or two at the box office.
Shannon also wrote "I Go to Pieces" which became a hit via smoother, friendlier covers than his own strained and stressed version, and soon he was just another guy on the oldies circuit. He sometimes got a second chance (the sadly titled "Drop Down and Get Me" album) but disappointment was inevitable. His third chance was an excellent Jeff Lynne-produced solo disc and a possible shot at joining The Traveling Wilburys. You all know what happened next; on very wrong anti-depressive medication, he took his own life.

Death hasn't given Shannon the spooky aura of Roy Orbison, or even the solemn respect given to Ritchie Valens. He's still obscure, which would not have surprised the cynical Mr. Shannon, who could make the song "Oh How Happy" sound painful.

As he frowned and grimaced and braced himself to sing "Runaway" at some oldies show for the zillionth time, he may have flashed on the line "Alive But I'm Dead," but who knows. He seemed to be a private man who was rarely interviewed and put it all into the music and lyrics. And here's one that almost got away.

ALIVE BUT I'M DEAD Instant download or listen on line, no pop-unders or porn-overs.

update 2011: here's a better, re-mastered version, 192 bit-rate:
ALIVE BUT I'M DEAD Instant download or listen on line, no pop-unders or porn-overs.

ELVIS COSTELLO SINGS IAN DURY

You might remember the "Stiffs Live" tour...the beginnings of so many great acts, many now forgotten, a few still having some cult status, and one or two still big stars. Elvis Costello, even with so much original material, liked to cover other artists, and even Stiffs such as Nick Lowe and Ian Dury.
"The Roadette Song" actually goes back to Ian's early group, Kilburn and the High Roads. Any band fronted by Ian Dury was sure to have some weird groupies, and the High Roads had some Roadettes: "She can roll her shoulder, she can roll her ass. Ain't no doubt about it, she's a gamey lass..."
Apparently back then, Elvis attracted a Roadette or two as well. A live track copped from a vinyl boot.

ELVIS SINGS IAN

INNUENDO SMUT: "LET'S DUET" Cornporn

What a rarity; a subtle dirty song. That's "Let's Duet," a cute and corny bit of crassness that turned up in the docu-parody film "Walk Hard." This pun-filled toss-off co-written by Judd Apatow had modest success in theaters, and probably the same indifference in the DVD release, but it's worth your time, if you like comedy that doesn't take itself or its target too seriously.

One of the musical highlights in this fractured factual fairy tale of some legend crossed between Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and "The King" his own self, is the moment when Dewey Cox (plenty more dick puns where that came from) joins his lady love for a "let's do it" duet. She sounds a bit more like Nancy Sinatra than June Carter Cash, but that's part of the fun; you can bring your own set of musical references to the film and to the songs. The opening line could, if you feel like it, be considered a nudge-nudge and wink-wink to "Throw mama from the train...a kiss," more than any derivative of Ruth Wallis or Benny Bell.

"In my dreams you're blowing me...some kisses."
"That's one of my favorite things to do."
"You and I could go down...in history."
"That's what I'm prayin' to do with you."

Let's leave it right there, and let you enjoy the rest of the dirt in this ditty. Check out the film, buy the soundtrack, or just go find someone and play this song as inspiration and foreplay.
Let's Duet
Download or listen on line. No capcha codes. No porn ads. No percentage going to the blogger for his "hard work." The hard work was done by the artist.

MIKE SEEGER and OTHA YOUNG pass on

Several months ago, the folk world was alerted to the impending end of Mike Seeger, an ill folkie who moved to a hospice knowing that he'd soon be going to his grave.
Folk fans were told to send cards to Mike through his booking agency, Folklore Productions, who'd forward them to the hospice that was caring for him. Mike was grateful to receive them. He'd fought illness for a long time, first leukemia, and then plasma cell myeloma, a cancer of the blood.

Mike (August 15, 1933 - August 7, 2009) issued many solo albums, but probably had wider success with his group the New Lost City Ramblers, a trio rivaled only by the Kingston bunch back in the late 50's and early 60's. The Ramblers were far more bluegrass than the Kingston Trio, favoring older and more traditional tunes, sung in a less commercial and much more authentic way. When you hear the download, you'll think you're listening to something recorded in the 1930's.
And yes, of course, Mike Seeger's famous siblings are his half-brother Pete, and his sister Peggy, who joined him for the 1967 album "Peggy and Mike Seeger Sing." The timely song for this untimely death, is about The Great Depression of the 30's, which isn't too far in grimness from the "recession" of today.
"No Depression in Heaven"
Instant download, or listen on line. No pop-ups or porn ads.



A day earlier, August 6th, Otha Young died. He was 66. His name is well known to Juice Newton fans. He was a key member of her band from the Silver Spur era on RCA in the 70's, right through her hit-filled time at Capitol and beyond. He also wrote one of her best known songs, "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)." It was #1 on the country charts and was #7 on the pop charts.

The nice price RCA compilation "Juice Newton and the Silver Spurs: The Early Years"
has eight tracks, six of them from Otha Young: "The Sweetest Thing," "One Step Away," "Just Remember Who Your Friends Are," "Love is a Word," "Roll On Truckers" and "Won't You Stay Just a Little Bit Longer." He also wrote "Close Enough, ""It's Not Impossible" and "What Can I Do with My Heart" among others, all covered by Juice on various albums. Juice has a MySpace page, still puts together tour dates a few times a month, and will always be singing the great songs of Otha Young, who leaves behind a wife and daughter.

When it came to creating a slick, commercial crossover tune with a good hook and some nice guitar licks, Otha was the man. Nothing wrong with giving the public a song that's catchy from the very first listen, and is still fun after dozens of spins. For some songwriters, that skill was not possible. For Otha Young? Well, enjoy "It's Not Impossible," ripped from a vinyl copy of "Well Kept Secrets."

It's Not Impossible. Sung by Juice Newton. Written by Otha Young

DEVILLE FLIES THE COOP - Aug 27, 53 - Aug 6, 09

William Borsay, who most knew as Mink Deville and then as Willy DeVille, died of pancreatic cancer.
Mink Deville (man and band) first gained notoriety at CBGB's in the late 70's, but it wasn't your ordinary punk outfit. He was older than some of the other punks, having already disbanded two groups and discarded the stage-name Billy DeSade. His music showed the influences of John Lee Hooker and John Hammond, things not evident with The Dead Boys or Richard Hell. Willy grew up listening to the Brill Building sounds on AM-radio, including the old Leiber-Stoller, Mann-Weill and Pomus-Shuman tunes. No surprise that he later wrote songs with Doc Pomus himself.
Pomus enthused, "DeVille knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song. And the harsh reality in his voice and phrasing is yesterday, today, and tomorrow—timeless in the same way that loneliness, no money, and troubles find each other and never quit for a minute." But it was three albums into DeVille's career before Pomus and DeVille worked successfully together on songs for the "Le Chat Bleu" album.
It was producer and Phil Spector-crony Jack Nitzsche who helmed the first Mink DeVille release in 1977, and helped send the single "Spanish Stroll" into the Top 20 in various markets around the world.
Like the Brill Building greats, white composers who created songs for black and Latino acts that seemed very authentic, DeVille explored all kinds of ethnic stylings, moving from doo-wop to punk to Latino to Cajun and R&B. No surprise then, that with nothing for critics and fans to pin down as typical DeVille, he generally existed on the other side of fame. He had a cult following in America, but was actually better appreciated in Europe. In fact, "Le Chat Bleu," rated in the Top 5 of the year by Rolling Stone, was initially released only in Europe, and it took a year before it won a Stateside pressing. No wonder DeVille broke with his label (Capitol) after that and signed with another (Atlantic, not that they could do much for him on his two album-contract). Some said it was DeVille's stylings, some said he just didn't suit MTV...whatever, he kept going.
Mink Devlle issued six albums between 1977-1985, and re-named Willy DeVille in 1987, he issued ten more, his last two being the ethnic "Crow Jane Alley" (reflecting his Native American heritage) and last year's "Pistola."
Willy was still active until fairly recently, when his diagnosed Hepatitis C problem was compounded by the discovery of pancreatic cancer. Hep C was not an unexpected problem for a man addicted to heroin for well over a decade, but the complication of cancer was lethal, and this form, very, very quick and deadly. The news was broken via his website on June 15th: "Keep Willy In Your Thoughts. It is with a broken heart that I have to tell you that while the doctors examined Willy to prepare him for the Hep C treatment, they discovered that he has pancreatic cancer."
Le Chat Bleu, 11 songs with bonus track, an interview with Deville and Pomus

HEY PAULA - ABDUL LEAVES A DULL SHOW

Usually the world of Popular Moronics is not a topic for Illfolks, but let's praise the decision of Paula Abdul, to walk away from a program that has done a lot to bring mediocrity, sameness and dullness to the music world. With lame contestants brought in for a laugh and quickly discarded, "American Idol" rewards unoriginality. Contestants given a serious shot at winning, must be just like past winners, and like any number of sound-alikes in the R&B or C&W genre. There isn't a cliche that the judges don't really love, and they expect perfection in the puppets who are supposed to be the next Britney or Whitney, etc. etc.

The show's a farce. Do we care if Ryan is gay, and aren't we bored with Simon's smirks, Randy's "dawg" and "pitchy" and Paula's warm-hearted dribbling and fumbling? Nobody cares who wins, and few even buy a second album from any contestant. While Cowell couldn't walk away from his $30 million a year, or Seacrest the $10 million, Paula Abdul rejected the $5 million offered her...either because she's greedy, bored, or stupid. Whatever..."Hey Paula," glad you've helped give the show a kick in the ass and some negative publicity. Even the suicide of Paula's stalker, a tooth-challenged lunatic who overdosed near Paula's home, had failed to dissuade people from ignoring the pop-culture poop machine that is "American Idol." Maybe not having addled Abdul for kicks will finally push the show toward the cancellation it deserves.

Since the show is so stupid, so's this "tribute" to Paula Abdul. It's the moronic puppy-love duet "Hey Paula" in French and German cover versions.

Your download is the hideous combination of "Hey Vivi, Hey Gerhard" from Vivi Bach and Gerhard Wendland followed by "Hey Paula" by Donald Lautrec and Ginette Sage. And no, Gerhard doesn't call Vivi a "frickin' cunt," on second listen, it sounds more like "fraggin' kont." Too bad, a curse or two would elevate this song from merely creepy to decadently perverted. The Frenchies are just irritatingly sweet.

HEY PAULA in German and French Instant download or listen on line. No waiting, pop-ups or pop-unders or porn ads.

Obscure Lyric Versions of Instrumental Hits

Here's a "Top Twelve" of songs that probably would not have been hits if only a singer's version was available.

Face it, not every set of words is wonderful, and when a lyricist is actually and intentionally hacking into a song that was an instrumental hit, the result is bound to be second rate.

This may be why Dean Martin's overbaked crooning style worked so well...his boozy sense of the ridiculous forced him to sing with barely concealed smirky disdain for the lyrics...such banal ones as "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" or "That's Amore." And here, it's "Poor People of Paris," which would've driven Dino to drink if he wasn't already half-bagged before he got to the studio.

Other winning tunes that were losers in lyric form: "Theme from a Summer Place" and "Sleepwalk" both evoking images that make words unnecessary. Adding explanation to "Spanish Flea" or "Bonanza" is just pointless. "Never on Sunday" is borderline grating even without lyrics, along with "In the Mood," which Peter Sellers loathed (and so it was played at his funeral).

Most of these tunes you'll recognize instantly and agree, "Why add lyrics?" But the answer might be...just for the challenge of it. It's a challenge for a lyricist to even attempt to match wits and words with a powerful melody, and a challenge for a singer to make that song his own. That might explain Sammy Davis Jr's "You Can Count On Me," which takes the music from the crime series "Hawaii 5-0" and makes it into another type of crime.

Bonanza, In the Mood, Spanish Flea, Sleepwalk, Theme from a Summer Place, Apache, Music to Watch Girls By, Poor People of Paris, Hawaii 5-0, Never on Sunday, Blue Tango and Telstar...
Don't Sing and it'll be a Hit! Sing it...and lose!

Gina Gershon: Bye Bye Birdie, La Di Da Sunday Morning

Gina Gershon is at work rehearsing for her new Broadway musical...a revival of the old Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie." The roles originally played by Chita Rivera and Dick Van Dyke will be taken by Gina, and John Stamos. Even for those who know Gina's got a great singing voice, this has to come as a bit of a shock. There's no tune in that 1963 show that bears a trace of sultry eroticism...so if Gina can pull it off, there will be people pulling it off in every row.
Gina's last appearance on Broadway was taking over the Sally Bowles role in a revival of "Cabaret," a show much more suited to her (as the picture above would indicate).
To give you an idea of how emotive Gina can be, listen to "La Di Da Sunday Morning," a track used on the soundtrack to the justly obscure film "Beer for my Horses." The tune has a bit of Spaghetti western whistling, a dash of Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee," and a dark sexuality that could've lured Lee Hazlewood to his doom:
"Senorita, would you like to dance with me?"
I lifted up my dress and said, "Do you like what you see?"
Gina Gershon Instant listen or download, no pop-ups pop-unders or put-ons.

The Lydian Chromatic GEORGE RUSSELL Dies

When most people think of modern jazz, they think of monotonous riffs, irritating flip-flops of flats and sharps, and an audience of clueless white accountants in horn-rimmed glasses nodding their heads up and down while admiring the hostile blacks on stage that they'd avoid on the street.

Most people also think of jazz as an illiterate music form, all of it easily improvised. That's because they really don't know jazz, or legends such as George Russell, recently 86'd at the age of 86 (June 23, 1923 - July 27, 2009). The Illfolks image collages George young and old, enduring over so many decades.

George Russell, a drummer and pianist better known as a composer, arranger and band leader, wrote the book "The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization" in 1953. That's pretty heavy stuff for an orphan who grew up singing at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Cincinnati. He became fascinated with music theory and received a University scholarship. When tuberculosis prevented his service in World War II, as well as his drumming in Benny Carter's band, he devoted his time to composing jazz and putting the lid on his theory (Lydian, that is.)

While most "illiterate" jazz musicians could spin your brain dizzy in tossing off references to diminished fifths and major vs minor tonalities, Russell awed them with the book, and the new bebop music he was creating (much of it while toiling as a salesman in Macy's).

By the mid 50's he was leading top stars for recording sessions, and use royalties to quit his day job and make music his life. He spent the 60's fronting his George Russell Sextet, mostly in jazz-loving Europe. He returned to America in the 70's to teach his jazz theories at the New England Conservatory of Music, while continuing to compose. "The African Game" (1985) was a major Grammy-nominated work, but he was active well into the 1990's.

Should you have an inquiring set of ears and dangling lobes, below is your introduction to Mr. Russell's world. Which isn't to say it'll change your opinion if you find modern jazz irritating after 3 minutes. Still, it's a tasty assortment of Jazz Workshop tracks credited to the George Russell Smalltet, a catch-all name for various players who sat in on sessions in 1956, including Bill Evans on piano, with, among other top names, Art Farmer, Teddy Kotick, Milt Hinton and Joe Harris. You can hear, on so many tracks, how intricate the arrangements are, and the musicianship involved in following those charts.

Tracks include: Ye Hypocrite, Ye Beelzebub, Jack's Blues, Livingstone I Presume, Ezz-Thetic, Night Sound, Round Johnny Rondo, Fellow Delegates, Witch Hunt, The Sad Sergeant, Knights of the Steamtable, Concerto for Billy the Kid, and Ballad of Hix Blewitt.
GEORGE RUSSELL compilation

Marsha Malamet - Chosen by Saint Etienne

Two years ago, the Illfolks blog chose "I Don't Dare" as a way of introducing people to Marsha Malamet, who was singing in the high, Kate Bush end of the scale, well before Kate began to warble.
This year, Saint Etienne produced a 2 CD artist-compilation, oh so retro-cleverly titled "The Trip," which takes listeners through an array of 60's and 70's songs. And who should turn up but Marsha Malamet and "I Don't Dare," a song known on the Internet only through it's appearance on this blog.
Also on the compilation: "Time to Break Down" By The Supremes, "My Love is Your Love" from The Isley Brothers, "You've Come This Way" by Nancy Priddy, "Auntie Aviator" by John & Beverly Martyn, "Radio Song" by Dillard and Clark and "I Start Counting" by Dusty Springfield among many others.
Since Saint Etienne is most heavily influential among both the trippers and the twee, the recommendation of "I Don't Dare" may lead people to seek out her old lp "Coney Island Winter," or check on Marsha's current work (which you can hear on her MySpace page). Here's "I Don't Dare" in its original vinyl form, as it was upped 2 years ago...
Malamet sings I DON'T DARE Do you? Instant Download. No codes, forwarding links or ads.

Charlie Weaver: CUMQUAT TIME IN MT. IDY

It's summer, it's hot, and it's time for the 'quats.

Quat, in Chinese, means "orange." You can look up "cum" for yourself. The ancient fruit was unknown in the U.K. and U.S.A. till the 1850's, and didn't become even remotely popular till Florida and California were well settled and farmers were looking for new and novel citrus items to grow. You might remember W.C. Fields delighting in the name, selling them in his store in "It's A Gift."

Cliff Arquette ((December 28, 1905 – September 23, 1974) loved them, too. Yes, he was the grandfather of Rosanna and Patricia and David Arquette. Also the sex-changed Alexis (formerly Robert) whom you surely wanted to see pictured with Cliff. For most, he's best known as the genial rustic Charlie Weaver, wisecracking on "The Hollywood Squares" quiz show, but you can find some very funny material on him from earlier decades.

"Charlie Weaver" was a character Arquette developed after years of playing old-timers on radio (like "The Oldtimer" on the Fibber McGee and Molly show). He and partner Dave Willock had their own "Dave and Charlie" show for a while. In 1957, Cliff retired, figuring on spending his time curating a Civil War museum. But two years later, he heard Jack Paar ask the burning question, "Whatever became of Cliff Arquette," and from a guest spot he became a regular, bringing along "Letters from Mama." This was a convenient way for him to be funny without memorizing material.

"Letters from Mama" filled with rather bizarre jokes about denizens such as Leonard Box, Wallace Swine and Elsie Krack, became a hit novelty book, and he issued a record album, and then...an album of songs. He was aided and abetted on this one by Charles Dant, who was the orchestra leader for "The Judy Canova Show," and later worked at RCA conducting the bands behind such diverse singers as Dennis Day and Ezio Pinza.

Cumquats can be preserved in syrup and kept all year-long, and now, thanks to the Internet, it can be "Cumquat Time" all year long, too. Or as long as the Rapidshare download doesn't expire. Do your part, and at least once a month, come by and download the song again.
It's CUMQUAT TIME in Mt. Idy
Update: Nov, 2011. Rapidshare's annoying "30 days without a download kills it" policy killed the original link. Since most of you got it in time, here's something else. It's Weaver's "HAPPY NEW YEAR" song

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Charlie Weaver

Bob Dylan...Lucy Simon...WALTER CRONKITE

"I was sittin` home alone one night in L.A.,
Watchin` old Cronkite on the seven o`clock news.
It seems there was an earthquake that
Left nothin` but a Panama hat
And a pair of old Greek shoes...
So I turned it off and went to grab another beer.
Seems like every time you turn around
There`s another hard-luck story that you`re gonna hear..."

Bob Dylan, of course.

Perhaps some hardcore Dylanologists thought of the song when Walter Cronkite passed away at the age of 92, two days ago (July 17th). Mr. Cronkite had given up his anchor chair on the CBS Evening News back in 1981, so there's a generation out there who have no idea about "old Cronkite," except perhaps that well re-run clip of him giving the news about JFK's murder in Dallas in 1963.

Briefly put, Walter Cronkite was a real newsman, and unlike the Katie Couric types today, he was famous for finding news, interpreting news, writing and reporting news...not just reciting the news. He did it with a fatherly assurance, so that kids growing up with Uncle Walt Disney, still had an Uncle Walter in their lives...someone who could help them deal with more than the Mickey Mouse problems in life.

Mr. Cronkite, practically pioneered the concept of a news anchor actually going to dangerous places. After going to Vietnam to see the realities there, he editorialized on a February 1968 broadcast: "To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past...The only rational way out...will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people...” President Johnson, still toying with the idea of running for another term, told an aide, "If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost the country.”

Right-wing idiots stewed about Mr. Cronkite's switch from being (like J.F.K.) an early supporter of the war to an opponent. They forgot that Mr. Cronkite was no pacifist flinching at the sight of blood. He was a correspondent in World War II, and saw much worse carnage, but it was a war he believed needed to be fought and won. Mr. Cronkite was on the bloody beach on D-Day, he was at the Battle of the Bulge, and he flew in bomber planes over Germany. In fact when a crewman was killed by gunfire, the civilian Mr. Cronkite took over the .50-caliber machine gun to continue firing.

The disgraceful "patriots" who greeted Mr. Cronkite's death with jeers, are the ones satirized on "All in the Family." On the show, overfed ignorant loudmouth Archie Bunker famously used to come home from work and watch the news just to give "the pinko Cronkite" the raspberry, even if the newsman couldn't hear it. Mr. Cronkite, who enjoyed sailing as a hobby, learned to let these minor drones sail by, while he concentrated on being the influential and important man that they could never be.

Mr. Cronkite kept busy after his retirement from the evening news, and when his wife died in 2005, the elderly gent surprised gossip columnists by dating Carly Simon's older sister Joanna. In failing health over the past year, he died with his family and friends by his side. Of course at 92, his passing was not exactly unexpected, but even if it was at 82 or 72, his fans would have learned from him a stoic sense of adulthood about it, and along with the sorrow, they'd remember the phrase he used to end his broadcasts: "And that's the way it is." Nothing can change the fact of Walter Cronkite's passing, but another fact is that in broadcasting, Walter Cronkite is a legend.

Since Dylan's song is well known, and so many songs about the evening news are, too (notably Don McLean's great "Prime Time") let's go with a ballad about loss, from Joanna and Carly's sister Lucy Simon. It's from Lucy's solo album "Stolen Time." Most of the songs on that one feature her music with lyrics supplied by Jonathan Schwartz or Carole Bayer Sager, but this one is all hers.
"I Want You Back" LUCY SIMON

Gordon of PETER & GORDON - Sudden Death

A sudden heart attack claimed Gordon Waller on July 17th. Sort of a "Half Beatles," Peter and Gordon had a hit with "World Without Love" in 1964. It was written by Paul McCartney and given to the duo primarily because Peter Asher was the brother of Paul's girlfriend, Jane.

Though credited to Lennon-McCartney, John Lennon was one of many to openly mock the song, especially the over-baked opening line, "Please lock me away, and don't allow the day..."

Gordon Waller (June 4, 1945-July 17, 2009) and Peter Asher had a respectable run from 1964 to 1968, even with competition from Chad and Jeremy, an all too similar duo in the eyes (and ears) of most young kids. While Asher went on to work for Apple Records (signing James Taylor) and later produced Linda Ronstadt albums, Gordon tried to stay in front of the microphone, turning up with an obscure solo album in 1972 that featured him completely changed from his mop-top days, in both look and sound.

His next solo albums...arrived 30 years later...and have met a similar fate of neglect: "Plays the Beatles" (2007) and "Rebel Rider" (2008). 2008 was the year Peter and Gordon not only re-united for a Vegas concert, but shared the bill with Chad and Jeremy, all four singing the closing song, the Everly Brothers classic "Bye Bye Love." Peter and Gordon turned up in California for another gig a month later. Many lifelong fans at that show probably wanted "the boys" to sign an old album, or perhaps the 2003 CD, "Definitive Collection: Knights In Rusty Armour." No doubt many who remember buying the 45's back then are feeling pretty old and very mortal at the news of Gordon's passing.

Below, the obscure 1972 Gordon solo album, and for instant listening and nostalgia, one of the lesser known recordings in the Peter and Gordon catalog, "Flower Lady," a song that shows that the duo did mature, as The Beatles did, in covering more artistic and meaningful compositions. The songwriter is, of course, the Illfolks favorite, Phil Ochs.
Peter and Gordon FLOWER LADY by Phil Ochs
Gordon Waller 1972 solo album

Fishing Crisis "IT AIN'T FUNNY" Pamela Morgan

"The future of our seas has never been more precarious. Ninety years of industrial-scale overfishing has brought us to the brink of an ecological catastrophe and deprived millions of their livelihoods."
You can read more about that at http://www.ecoearth.info, or hundreds of other Internet sites that discuss this issue, or ocean pollution. Some of the governing bodies that supposedly are trying to prevent over-fishing, such as ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) take money for conducting "research" and do little. Ecoearth says the ICCAT really stands for: "the International Conspiracy to Catch All Tunas." They put it bluntly: "the commission is a joke."
But nobody's laughing no more.
And that brings us to "It Ain't Funny" by Pamela Morgan. Though the song is about Newfoundland's slowly faltering fishing industry, the song could easily be about the British fishermen out of work in all the major port cities, or the Irish fishermen. Morgan's a Canadian but her singing style is very U.K.
Pamela spent nearly two decades as the lead singer of Figgy Duff, a Celtic band that happened to be from Newfoundland. They recorded a half-dozen albums, the band coming apart after the death of key member Noel Dinn. Morgan began her solo career two years after Dinn passed on, with the 1995 release "On a Wing and a Prayer." In 2002 she released "Seven Years," and in 2005 the traditional "Ancestral Songs." She created Amber Music, an indie label for her own work, and that of several other talented musicians. You can find mp3 samples of her work, along with Anita Best, Emile Benoit, Vicky Hynes, Peter Navaez, and even some classic Figgy Duff, at: http://www.ambermusic.ca/media.htm
Her song "True or False" has appeared in Celtic music compilations, as has "It Ain't Funny," even though she's not based in Ireland as most on those compilations are.
The lyrics for this version of "It Ain't Funny" go like this:
His lullaby, the waves outside his window
His father and himself made a wonderful pair
Five hundred years of fishing in his family
Still the government wouldn’t listen when he said
“Trouble down there!”

Fat cat smirking in the land of plenty
Making jokes about a people and a culture from a gentler time
Sanctioned and applauded the whole gang rape of the place
But like any rape they blame the victim for the crime

Nautical posturing now is the ultimate insult
It's too little too late- what’s left is up for sale
And the best small boatsmen in the world are on the dole
Stupid and lazy according to the Globe and Mail

It ain’t funny...no more

You can find more details about Pamela at her website http://www.pamelamorgan.ca although it doesn't seem to have been updated since 2007, and the list of tour dates ends with October, 2007. Indie artists do have a lot of trouble keeping websites up, touring, making CD's and earning a living. That's not funny either. The album featuring this song, is now on eMusic.
IT AIN'T FUNNY

DINGLEBERRY BLUES & HERSHEY HIGHWAY biker joe warren

The only reason there's dirty ditties on this site, is to get traffic.

While here, and foraging for more filth, people may just take a moment to check out Martin Briley, Bobby Cole, Ron Nagle or Sarah Kernochan.

Yeah, right. To use Colin Quinn's catchphrase, "That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!"

If you're not sure about downloading songs with such titles as "Dingleberry Blues" and "Hershey Highway," here are some sample lines:

"Look here bitch, that shit's makin' my mustache itch. Go on slut, get in there and wash your butt...Well I got one stuck in my teeth, another one caught in my eye, I got one under my fingernail and I put it back in the pie..."
And
"Do you ride that Hershey HIghway? We've already done it your way, let's do it my way...Some girls don't like it but the others think it's really a hit. But what I don't understand is how them faggots can do it when it hurts me just to shit."

Who'd record such things?

It was Biker Joe Warren, who never got to be a household or outhouse name, like David Allan Coe. Good taste and bad breaks (and maybe bad brakes) did him in. He was always living dangerously. A patriotic redneck, he joined the Army, served in Vietnam, and nearly got himself killed, earning a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.

Back home in '69, Joe ended up doing two years in prison for holding less than two joints of weed. In '71 he began his career as a singer and songwriter, but it sputtered out of control, and so did Joe. Between near-lethal accidents and trying to make a living, he slipped in and out of show business, finally making some kind of dent in 1985 when his lone indie album of filth was released.

More ups and downs followed, and a decade later, he was still hawking the same album, re-issued...and still having hard luck. In 1996 another serious accident laid him horizontal for months. Not long after he recovered, he was knocked more than horizontal by an 18 wheeler. This time, he would rest six feet down.

The legendary Biker Joe is a cult figure, and you can literally buy a cult figure of him, as well as t-shirts, memorabilia, and music by going over to: http://www.bikerjoe.com/order.html. In the meantime, sample some of his shit:
Dingleberry Blues/Hershey Highway

Update: Nov, 2011. Rapidshare's annoying "30 days without a download kills it" policy killed the original links. They are back via a better company.

Dingleberry Blues
Hershey Highway

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