Variety (November 1952)

OKCHKSTKAS'MrrSIC 66 Jocks, Jukes and Disks HERM SCHOENFELP ■ ■„ lll . l n.n , ■ , , Georgia Gibbs: “A Moth And A Flame”-“The Photograph On The Piano” (Mercury). Georgia Gibbs has a clock followup to her “Kiss of Fire” etching in “A Moth and A Flame.” Latter is another driv- ing number with a Latin beat mixed with an Hebraic melodic strain. Miss Gibbs belts it over stylishly, backed by a lush orches- tral arrangement. Flip is a cute Dixieland item which is also due for considerable Jock and juke spins. Doris Day-Johnnie Ray: “Ma Says, Pa Says”-”A Full Time Job” (Columbia). * Johnnie Ray's change of pace on these light, cry-proof items should help lift him high on the bestseller lists again. He gets, of course.’ a major assist from Doris Day, who sells these sides with her flawless rhythm attack. “JVla Says,” another item from Josef Marais' South African Veld repertory, which has been hitting on wax recently, has a big hit po- tential. Reverse is another happy slice which- will stir some noise. Margaret Whiting: “Gome Back To Me, Johnny”-“Why Don’t You Believe Me” (Capitol). Margaret Whiting gets her best material in some time on these sides* "John- ny” is a lovely ballad which she projects with simplicity and warmth. “Believe Me” is a bigger production . which Miss Whiting also projects for maximum impact. Lou Busch orch furnishes excellent backing. Don Cherry: “From Your Lips Only-“I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire” (Decca). “Lips” is a strong ballad entry which gets topflight showcasing via this vocal from Don Cherry. Cherry hits strongly without straining’for those special belting sounds so prevalent with other male singers currently. Cherry also gives a fine rendition to the superlative oldie on the flip. Mantovani: “La Cumparsita”- “Tango Della Luna” (London). Mantovani’s rich instrumental styl- ing is evident in its best form on “La Cumparsita.” The Latin standard is worked over in a taste- ful symphonic arrangement which is likely to make a strong dent in the pop. market. Reverse is in . a similar groove, with Mantovani giving out with the brand of or- chestral coloring that has ranked him among the top instrumental crews in the business. Jo Staff ord-Frankie Laine: “Chow, Willy”-“Christmas Roses” (Columbia). “Chow, Willy” is still another Marais veld number de- livered by the high-riding Stafford- Laine team. It’s a tuneful, rhyth- mic number due for the mid-hit bracket, "Christmas Roses” has a stronger potential. It’s a country- styled item with a clever lyric de- livered in top form by this duet. Although pdgged for the Christ- mas season, it avoids the cliche flavor of most of the seasonal songs. Don Estes: “All Day Singin’ and Dinner On the Ground”-“One Kiss” (Victor). Don Estes is one of Vic- tor’s more promising young vocal- ists who’s due to break through with the right material. “Dinner On The Ground” is a lively item in the. folksy groove. It’s possible that there have been too many of these numbers for it to step out very far. “One Kiss” is another in- teresting side, also folk-styled but in a waltz tempo. Lucy Ann Simms: “It’s The End of the Line”-“Red Is For Roses” (Columbia). “End of the Line” is a finely written torch number which rates spins. Lucy Ann Simms pipes the standout lyric with a del- icate blues shading. This side stands up under repeated spins and could build slowly into an im- portant pop item. “Roses” is an-, other melancholy number deliv- ered in excellent style by Miss Simms. Percy Faith batons with usual tastefulness. Album Review* “Christmas With Eddie Fisher” (Victor). With Eddie Fisher remain- ing consistently on top of the hit lists for the past year, this set of Christmas tunes will be a click sea- sonal package. Fisher handles the assignment in fine voice and with' good taste. The album’s, repertory is varied, mixing up standards like “Silent Night” and “Come All Ye Faithful” with Irving Berlin's “White Christmas.” Other numbers include “You’re All X Want For Christmas,” “Christmas Day,” “That’s What Christmas Means To Me,” “Here Comes Santa Claus” and. “Jingle Bells.” Hugo Winter- halter orch and chorus supply fine backgrounds. Nelson Eddy: “Oklahoma” (Co- lumbia). Latest in the series of wax version of Broadway musicals produced by Columbia exec vice- prexy Goddard Lieberson, “Okla- homa!” is another standout addi- tion to the label’s legituner reper- tory. The 10-year old Rodgers & Hammerstein score still registers with melodic freshness and lyric cleverness despite its familiarity. In the lead role, Nelson Eddy pro- jects his baritone with unusual flexibility and carries the main burden of this set with superlative vocals of “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey With A Fringe on Top” and “People Will Say We’re In Love” with Virginia Haskins and Portia Nelson, “F’ore Jud Is Dead” with Lee Cass and “The Farmer'and The Cowman” with the rest of the company. Miss Haskins also scores with her lucid soprano pipes as the roman- tic femme lead while Miss Nelson delivers the “Kansas City” number with Wilton Clary in appropriately strident epmedy style. Kaye Ballard hits as Ado Annie on “I Cain’t Say No” wihle David Morris handles “It’s A Scandal! It’s An Outrage” with dramatic punch as does Lee Cass on “Lonely Room.” David Atkinson also contributes topflight support. Lehman Engel, who has batoned the previous Columbia legituner albums, gives this set rich orches- tral aftd choral backing. Platter Pointer* Burl Ives has packaged a first- rate album of Christmas folk songs for Decca ... In a straight pop vein, the Three Suns also hit with a flock of Xmas, seasonal instru- mentals for Victor . . . Decca has come- up with an interesting collec- tion in Victor Young's “Love Themes From the Motion Pictures” . . . Vicente Gomez’s superlative guitar is showcased on the musical themes from the United Artists pic, “The Fighter” (Decca) . . . Steve Lawrence hits on “Tango Of Roses,” another big ballad in the Latin genre (King) . . . Dolores Gray's version of “I Don’t Care” is a straight carbon of Damita Jo’s slice for Victor . . . Paul Weston orch, with Charles Nelson vocal- ling, has a good side In “The Com- mandments of Love” (Columbia) . . . On the same label, Sammy KS»ye has two fine sides in “Sailin’ Along the Ohio” and “Forget Me Not” .. . Anita O'Day scores strong- ly on “The Lady is A Tramp” with good rhythmic backing (Mercury) . . . Count Basie is spotlighted on a jive organ in “Paradise Squat” with Eddie Davis on sax for a solid side -(Mercury) . . Savannah Churchill has a fine slice in “Walk- ing By The River” (Victor) . . . Guy Lombardo has One of his top dance arrangements on “Because You're Mine”.with Kenny Martin vocalling (Decca). . . _ Standout folk, western, religious, blues, rhythm, etc.: Jimmie Davis, “Please, Please” (Decca)... Loyd Weaver, “One Wheel Draggin’” (Coral)...AI Britt, “Wishing Ring” (M-G-M).. .Jimmy Ballard, “The Creek's Gone Muddy” (King)... Ahmad Jamal’s Three Strings, “A Gal In’ Calico” (Okeh).. .The Swal- lows, “Where Do I Go From Here” (King) ... Red Rodney Sextet, “Honeysuckle Rose” (Okeh). Best Bets • GEORGIA GIBBS “A MOTH AND A FLAME” Mercury “The Photograph on the Piano" DORIS DAY-JOHNNIE RAY “MA SAYS, PA SAYS” Columbia • “A Full Time Job" MARGARET WHITING “COME BAClfc TO ME, JOHNNIE” Capitol ‘ “Why Don’t You Believe Me" DON CHERRY “FROM YOUR LIPS ONLY” Decca “I Don’t Want To Set the World On Fire" Wednesday, N6vcml>er 12, 1952 Longhair Disk Review Verdi: H Trovatore (RCA Vic- tor, 2 LPs, $11.14). A topflight de- finitive recording of the reliable old operatic workhorse, full of spirit, dramatic drive and distin- guished singing. Zinka Milanov brings lyric beauty and expressive- ness to the Leonora role; Fedora Barbieri is an impressive, richly- voiced contralto as Azucena; Jussi Bjoerfing a manly, musical Man- rico and Leonard Warren a power- ful Duke. Robert Shaw Chorale and RCA Orchestra lend fine as- sists, under Renato Cellini’s au- thoritative baton. Mozart: Serenade No. 7 in D (Decca, LP, $5.85). So-called “Haff- ner” Serenade is very long (no less than eight movements). Actually part-symph, part-concerto, it's a pleasant, melodious work, well re- corded - and performed here by a leading German ensemble, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, un- der Ferdinand Leitner. Denes Zo- igmondy plays solo violin passages ably. Mahler: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Vox, 2 LPs, $11.90). Mah- ler’s last (and rarely-recorded) symphony is overlong (like so much else he wrote), but it is a profound, melodic work, hailed by some as his finest composition. Here it gets a full-bodied, sympathetic treatment by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, under Jascha Horen- stein, for attractive results. Bron. 1 ‘Andersen/ ‘Beanstalk' Pix Te Get Major Brit. Hypo Via Music Exploitation London, Nov. 4 Major exploitation campaigns for two upcoming Hollywood pi* are to be directed via the music publishing business, with tieups covering distribution of sheet mu- sic and the waxing of disks. As part of the promotion for Samuel Goldwyn’s “Hans Chris- tian Andersen,” RKO Radio Lon- don h.q. have set recordings for eight of the Frank Loesser songs featured in the film, and platters will be marketed within a few weeks. Recordings are also be- ing made of the ballet music, and special albums of Hans Christian Anderson music, as well as regu- lar sheet music, are being prepped for national distribution. • *Harms-Connelly, who have pub- lished five of the songs in “Jack and the Beanstalk,” the Abbott & Costello tinter, have cpllaborated with Warner Bros, in the produc- tion of a booklet which includes the sheet music, pages of stills and a synopsis of the story. Special efforts are being made by the publishers and WB to get the songs featured in “Jack and the Beanstalk” pantomimes throughout the country, and have already set a deal for the Empress Hall ice production, which stars Belita. Songs With Largest Radio Audience The top 30 songs of week (more in case of ties), based on copyrighted Audience Coverage Index & Audience Trend Index. Published by Office of Research, Inc., Dr. John Gray Peatman, Director. Alphabetically listed. Survey Week of October 31-November 6 ’Anywhere I Wander • Frank Because You’re Mine—t“Because You’re Mine” Feist Dance of Destiny Spinlan Glow Worm Marks Half As Much Acuff-R High Noon—t"High Noon" Feist I Went To Your Wedding St. Louis If’n Disney I’m Never Satisfied Simon H Jambalaya Acuff-R Keep It a Secret Shapiro-B Lady of Spain..." ' Fox Lazy River ’ Southern Live Oak Tree ..Burvan Lover ..Famous My ' Favorite Song . Gold Outside Of Heaven Bregman-V-C Punky Punkin ,; Paxton Ruby and the Pearl Famous Sleepytime Gal Miller Somewhere Along Way United Stay Where You Are BMI Takes Two to Tango » Harman That's a-Why , Santly-J To Know You (Is To Love You) Roncom Voters on Parade Morris Walkin’ My Baby Back Home DeSylva-B, H Whisp’ring Serenade Chappell Wish You Were Here—*“Wish You Were Here”.... Chappell You Belong To Me Ridgeway Yours Marks Second Group A Shoulder to Weep On Laurel Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart . v Hill & R Caravan Amer Aca Cherries Dartmouth Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes Four-Star Down by the O-hi-o Forster Everything I Have Is Yours > Robbins Forget Me Not ' Weiss-B Forgetting You .' DeSyJva-B, H Love of My Life Chappell Meet Mr. Callaghan Leeds Mood Indigo Mills Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Nicholas Sophisticated Lady Mills String Along Regent Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me Hill & R Thanks to You . Paramount When I Fall In Love Young Who Kissed Me Last Night Roger Why Don't You Believe Me Brandon Zing a Little Zong-T-t“Just For You” Burvan Top 10 Songs On TV Because You’re Mine Glow Worm High Noon , Lady of Spain No Two People Sleepytime Gal Thumbalina Wish You Were Here— 1 *“Wisli You Belong to Me You’ll Never Get Away You Were Here” .,.. Feist - .. Marks ..,. Feist .... Fox ... Frank ....Miller .... Frank .... Chappell .... Ridgeway .... Bourne FIVE TOP STANDARDS illues in the Night Gypsy in My Soul !!!!!*,!!.’ Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me Slaughter on Tenth Avenue St. Louis Blues ... Remick Robbins Mills Chappell Handy t Filmuslcal. •* Legit musical.' I