Screenland Plus TV-Land (Jul 1959 - May 1960)

Reviews of new discs by SHELDON WAX A FABULOUS exponent of the Big Beat, Jackie Wilson carries its banners high in his new Brunswick album, "So Much". Jackie's vocal range borders on the unbelievable and it's certainly given a workout on this LP. Among the tunes stamped with the indelible Wilson brand — "The Magic Of Love", "Talk That Talk" and "Thrill Of Love" Far be it for the Ames Brothers to allow the heavy interest in country and western music to pass them by. The boys' new Victor album, "The Ames Brothers Sing The Best In The Country", is the first venture afield for the group which has tackled just about every other musical area. Included in this ode to the outdoors is "Love Me Tender", "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "On Top Of Old Smoky". . . . Bob Beckham, one of the newer voices on the Decca label, has put forth his first album, "Just As Much As Ever". Bob uses a strong, straightforward approach to a vocal and we must say it's refreshing and unusually easy on the ears. Bob's choice of material is excellent including top grade standards like "Where Or When", "September In The Rain" and "When I Fall In Love". . . . Roulette Records' pert blonde songstress, Cathy Carr, has a Caarr-load of goodies in her latest album, "Shy". Cathy's outlook is young and infectious and transmits sincerity in large chunks on numbers such as "I'm Nobody's Baby", "Blame It On My Youth" and "Teach Me Tonight". ■ A song-writing team with only slightly less tenure than Gilbert and Sullivan — Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen — has been "honored" by a new Lena Horne album offering some of their long string of standards. The Victor LP includes the internationally acclaimed "Like Someone In Love", "It Could Happen To You" and "It's Anybody's Spring", and some lesser lights, "Just My Luck", "Get Rid Of Monday" and "Ring The Bell". Lena, accompanied by husband Lennie Hayton's orchestra, is in fine voice. . . . Two of Mercury Records' finest perform58 ers, Brook Benton and Dinah Washington, have teamed up on a single that could presage more outings for this pair, there being strong possibilities that either "Baby" or "I Do" could come up a hit. . . . The Platters' new Mercury coupling of the oldies, "Sleepy Lagoon" and "Harbor Lights", is another example of the group's ability to pump new life into standards. "Lagoon" strikes us as the stronger side but it's hard to fault the "Harbor Lights" entry. . . . Jimmie Rodgers' latest contribution to the cause of good listening is a Roulette duo, "TLC (Tender Love and Care)" and "Waltzing Matilda". "Matilda" has been given a tremendous revival because of its use in the movie "On The Beach" and Jimmie"s handling should make it more popular than ever. But the side on which Jimmie really shines is "TLC" — definitely firstrate Rodgers. . . . Janice Harper r-r-rreally swings on her Capitol revival of "Cry Me A River", Julie London's big hit of several years back. Janice's "River" is at vocal high tide all the way. The flip side, "Just Say I Love Him", is a ballad that isn't quite in the same league with its running mate but Janice gets maximum mileage from it. ■ TV private eye Mike Hammer finally gets his due in an album of theme music from the show. Hammer, as you already know, is a hard guy, and the music in the Victor album conducted by Skip Martin has that same hard, two-fisted quality to it. . . . Eileen Barton can always be counted on for a solid performance, no matter what form her material takes. In the case of her new United Artists release, "That Old Feeling" and "The Joke", the material is up to the performance which makes for a delightful double helping of Barton a la carte. . . . Verve Records most ambitious project to date is a five-LP album of Ella Fitzgerald singing the George and Ira Gershwin Songbooks. With album jackets illustrated by famed French painter Bernard Buffet, the whole produc tion spells top quality with, of course, the top attraction being the pairing of nonpareil song stylist Fitzgerald with the monumental output of the Gershwins. Taken all in all — a Herculean task fantastically accomplished. . . . Conway Twitty, who has corralled a large segment of the teenage audience into staunch supporters, doesn't let his growing band of followers down on his latest M-G-M disk, "Lonely Blue Boy" coupled with "Star Spangled Heaven". "Blue Boy" has the rocking beat that has proved so suitable for Conway's delivery. "Heaven" is pretty much along for the ride. . . . Sarah Vaughan, may well have another entry in her personal hit parade. Her new Mercury pairing of "Eternally" and "You're My Baby" has all the ingredients to keep the Vaughan boom moving right along. . . . Glen Osser's swinging marching band steps smartly out on the United Artists label with a brisk run-through of the Woody Herman classic, "Woodchopper's Ball". The reverse side is a medley of tunes done in a style combining Sousa and Kenton. ■ The Mary Kaye Trio mixes a good solid jazz sense with comic relief and a remarkable attunement to what the public wants. Its latest effort, "On The Sunset Strip", a Warner Bros. LP, has all of the Trio's many facets on glittering display. Among the offerings — "Begin The Beguine", "You Go To My Head" and "Up A Lazy River". . . . Georgie Auld and his tenor sax are augmented by strings on a dual United Artists offering, "Harlem Nocturne", and the Rodgers and Hart classic. "Manhattan". The Auld sax paints moody "tone poems" on New York, N. Y. . . . Anne Phillips' new Roulette album, "Born To Be Blue", is an LP-full of torch songs and Anne certainly gives them the proper Helen Morgan touch. Among the sad and sophisticated items on hand are "A Stranger In Town", "When Sunny Gets Blue" and "You Don't Know What Love is". . . . Kitty Kallen's Columbia etching of "That Old Feeling" gave us that old feeling. Good songs never die; they just wait around for a good singer to revive them. The flip side, "Need Me", is typical Tin Pan Alley ballad fare given a good run for the money by Miss Kallen. . . . Nat "King" Cole's latest Capitol offering is unique in that on one of the sides, "Whatcha Gonna Do?", Nat is vocal-less, it being a showcase for his considerable keyboard talents. The reverse side is a more familiar Cole with Nat doing a fine job on a new ballad called "Time And The River". . . . Ricky Nelson's new Imperial EP, "Ricky Sings Spirituals", showcases another side of Ricky's still-growing vocal talents. Young Nelson handles the material in properly reverent style. The songs "Glory Train". "I Bowed My Head In Shame", "March With The Band Of The Lord" and "If You Believe It" should settle the issue once and for all of whether Ricky is just a one groove rock V roller. He is not! ™D