About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2011)
EXAMINING THE SPOILS FROM KURT WOODS’ FRONT PORCH Gracious sakes, am I as overdue for a col umn as a mother gerbil who's been preggers for 37 days?! (If she doesn't drop that litter of little squeaks soon, she's gonna be in trou ble!!) Likewise, if I don't come up with some readable words—and anon—I may forget how to write and have to sit on a downtown corner selling pencils out of a cup until I croak from sheer boredom. And that just won't do. Like a pilgrim on a hajj to a religious shrine, I whizzed to Kurt Wood's famed Front Porch Record Sale back on Apr. 23 and 24. "Thin out those dollar 45s in the garage," Kurt entreated me. "I'm tired of hauling them around to shows." Since I hadn't been through them in over a year, I went to work and suc ceeded not only in scarfing up six long boxes of singles, but also ultimately in cramming them into Van Ella without her blowing a pis ton en route home. This column will concern a whet of what I found, with sequels doubtless to follow. As in the way I file them, the "A"s come first. 1) "I Believe I'll Find Happiness"—Johnny Adams (Watch 6330). Known as "The Tan Canary," Johnny Adams had near-countless local hits in New Orleans as well as several national successes: other than his massive hits, my research led me to list some 50 singles by the man on such labels as Ric, Ron, Hep’ Me, Pacemaker (from Texas) and even nationals like S.S.S. International (Nashville), Modern (L. A.) and Atlantic. My record here, produced and arranged by that Creole Beethoven Wardell Quezergue, dates from, say, 1962. I haven't played it yet, but if there's to be a surprise, it will be to find it anything but top notch. Mr. Adams passed in September, 1998 at the age of 66 after an illustrious 40-year career. 2) "Both Sides Now"—Aerial Landscape (RCA 47-9520). This group from Sacramento (California, not Kentucky!) was originally known as Forth & Main. They had another RCA 45, "Proposition 13," which I think I have as well. It's from 1967; mine was issued in '68. This is their entire discography. I even found a photo of the group online! 3) "I Like to Party"—Alpaca Phase III (Atlantic 3038). These folks were an Atlanta studio group and hit the R&B charts with this in 1974. A subsequent single on Clintone Records (which I lack) followed in 1975. Both of these discs are in demand in England, though, so our obscurity becomes their treasure. 4) "What Now My Love"—Richard Anthony (V.I.P. 25022). If any of you are familiar with a French go-go singer by this name, well, here is his excursion into American popdom. It was released in August, 1965 and sank like an anvil. How Motown got ahold of this master (V.I.P. was a Motown subsidiary) is beyond me. Gad. 5) "Kellogg's Presents the Banana Splits" (Decca [Special] 34578). They're primarily known for their theme song (below). This EP (Extended Play 45) contains that ditty and three others. (Another EP contains four more songs: I've already found a good copy of that.) Although I still need the group's lone chart entry, the theme song "The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)" on Decca 32429, at least I have the cut here and can terrorize the waiting masses with it on my radio problem... and I'll mention that at the end of this column. 6) "A Grain of Sand"—Susan Barrett (RCA 47-8888). This is the first of her four RCA singles and was issued in roughly June, 1966. She also had an LP on RCA issued in March, 1967. All of her records are decent enough, but for some reason European collectors want her third single. (I’m not sure if I have it or not.) A copy recently sold online for $169.38. (Why such an odd figure? Gee, I guess the col lector doesn't exercise enough.) You can find her photo online... I did. 7) "Without You"—The Bay Ridge (Atlantic 2520). Sort of a second take on the style of The Young Rascals, these guys (who really were from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn) issued two singles for Atlantic in 1968. Mine here was quite the hit on WKLO in Louisville in its day, and that's a far journey from the hills of West Brooklyn (and there ARE hills there, thank you!). BTW, I think I have the other one, too. 8) "Jambalaya"—Jimmy Beasley (Modern 1009). Beasley, a prolific recording artist, could imitate Fats Domino even better than Fats could imitate himself. I located seven singles and three LPs by the man, who inci dentally hailed from Kansas City. None of his discs made the national charts, but all of them received much notice and sold widely and steadily. It is a tribute to Beasley's talent that he mastered the Ninth Ward accent, which the still living (born 1928) Mr. Domino has spoken all his (so far) 83 years. Hey, where y'at? 9) "I Just Want to Fall in Love"/ "Love at First Sight"—Archie Bell & the Drells (Atlantic 2793). This is the hardest of Bell's Atlantic singles to find on a red label store stock copy, and here one is! The group's beginnings in Houston on the tiny Ovide label are well documented: their second single for the label was the local smash hit "Dog Eat Dog" (Ovide 228). To create a backside for it, they enlisted the assistance of their compatriot local group The T.S.U. Tornadoes (their hit was "Getting the Corners" [Atlantic 2579]) and came up with a jam that conveniently filled the flip- side. "Dog Eat Dog" sold so well that Ovide couldn't handle distribution, so Ovide leased the masters to Atlantic: they issued the disc as Atlantic 2478. I don't remember the specifics, but several disc jockeys at once discovered that "jam session" B-side (which had been recorded in one take!), flipped the disc, and began play ing that instead. The result? "Tighten Up" took off like a pre-season hurricane in early 1968 and is still selling and still being played worldwide. The group had 10 or 11 subse quent Atlantic singles (plus three albums), then signed with Glades Records for a couple of singles, and finally lit with T.S.O.P. in Philadelphia. I list both sides here because each was a hit in separate markets (which often happened with the group's discs). Not bad... to create something on a whim and have it still danceable and playable after 43 years. My single, almost forgotten by compari son, is from 1971. 10) "Happy New Year"—Beverly (Deram 7502). This disc features an early Beverly Martyn (English folk performer) along with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins. It's a virtual unknown and rarer than operatic Toyotas. My copy is so far gone that I may have to send out for a faith healer to get it to play, but I really don't care. I grabbed it because it looked interesting. So there. 11) "I'm Gonna Show Him"—Calie Bitetti (Susan 4200). Now we REALLY get obscure! It's a girl group single from June, 1963, and is anthologized in Japanese and Italian col lections! Mine is a store stock copy, so some one somewhere bought it: that means some radio station somewhere (like maybe KQV in Pittsburgh or WISE in Asheville) must have played it. I'm at a loss for further facts. 12) "Mother Dear You've Got a Silly Daughter"—Sharon Black (Philips 40290). This is an answer to Herman's Hermits' hit "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and came out in 1965 to marginal notice. Well, it's a good obscurity to file away for eventual airplay... be forewarned. 13) "I've Got That Feeling"—Cornell Blakely (Mable 0020). This Newberry, SC native seems to have had an interesting and varied career. He seems to have been left fielder for The Greenville Black Spinners, an old Negro Leagues team; he recorded both pop and gospel music; and he owned a radio station. This 45 is from 1965 or 1966, and is one of at least 10 the man issued out of Detroit (where he lived for a time) and South Carolina. Some things (like this) just look interesting; I won't know what it is until I put it on the air blind. Stay tuned. 14) "Keeper of the Keys"—(Michael) Brewer & (Tom) Shipley (A&M 905). This early 1968 disc is the duo's first record. They went on to have the well-known "One Toke Over the Line" in 1971, as well as my favorite of theirs, "Tarkio Road" (whose name evokes a small Missouri town). Jerry Garcia often guested on their ses sions: he might even be in on this 45. 15) "He Made You Mine"—Brighter Side of Darkness (Magic Touch 9011). This 1978 disc is by the same Chicago group that gave us the million-selling hit "Love Jones" in 1972. Their career output consisted of five singles and an LP. Now I only lack their Starvue 1028 single "Because I Love You" from 1974 to have it all. "Love Jones" is a tender little master piece: they wrote it themselves. Here it is now 38-plus years later (these guys are, like, 53 or 54 now) and it still sounds fresh. That's a leading criterion for good pop music. I'll pick up later where I've left off, but I wanna tell you about my radio problem. Y'see, I was the original oldies deejay on WUOG when it went on the air in October, 1972, and the station has brought me back (for the sum mer, anyway... maybe longer if there's audi ence support). My show (Ort.'s Oldies Radio Problem) airs Fridays from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. (for now) on 90.5 FM, WUOG. For those of you too far removed to receive a clear signal (say Sylva, NC or St. Simon's Island), WUOG streams online. Oh, your poor computer... now it can get a headache just like yours from listening to me play useless old records and prattle on about them as if someone might be even remotely interested. Vinyl collecting isn't dead; neither is gonzo radio! (Nor am I!) Now I gotta think of writing columny about this year's Classic City Brewfest and a road trip I took to Flowery Branch, GA to revel in the glories of Toasted & Tapped, a brewpub in a most unlikely spot... but not tonight. I'm signing off for now. Pffft. (30.) William Orten Carlton = ORT. Weird Old Records Editor for Flagpole. 12 FLAGPOLE.COM-JULY 13, 2011
