TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1955)

ALLEN'S TURNTABLE H 1 1, there! It's me again, back at you for our monthly record roundup. I guess it's Maytime, or spring cleaning time, or something, but there's always time for music, so let's see what's doing in the disc department. Joni James, that pretty lass with the plaintive voice, has a new release of an oldie — which is just right for her style — "When You Wish Upon a Star." This could be the new hit Joni has been wishing for. On the backing she asks the musical question, "Is This the End of the Line?" (M-G-M) If mambo is your meat, you'll like Perez Prado's latest album, "Mambo Mambo," which will be released in a couple of weeks. Some of the tunes include "April in Portugal," "Mambo a la Kenton," "Mambo a la Billy May," and "Mambo de Chattanooga." (Victor) Jumping from mambo to mish-mash, if you will, here's a confusing album title for you: "Hipsters, Flipsters and Finger Poppin' Daddies, Knock Me Your Lobes." That's the name of it — for real — and it's done by Lord Buckley, the West Coast musical maniac, who does parodies on Shakespeare, with "hip" language, jazz phraseology, and so on. This particular set was originally recited to a background of jazz standards, but the music was deleted because it drowned out the "recitations." (Victor) Columbia Records have signed two talented newcomers, with big hopes for both of them. One is a baritone, Steve Clayton, who debuts with two ballads, "Where You Go, Go I," and "Aladdin's Lamp." The other is Cathy Johnson — discovered by The Four Lads Quartet, by the way, in Buffalo, New York — and her first two sides are "Rockin' and Yodelin' " and "Guilty Shadows." Good beginning, kids. "Les and Mary" is the simple title of a fine album — by Les Paul and Mary Ford, of course. They have taken some standard favorites and given them the usual FordPaul touch. Included are such familiar chestnuts as "Tico-Tico," "Falling in Love with Love," "Sunny Side of the Street," "Just One of Those Things," and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." (Capitol) Dolores Hawkins, the "George" girl, has a new blues recording of "Smoky Morning," which I kinda like. The backing is a rhythm and blues tune, "No Such Luck." Don Costa's orchestra on both. Dolores did a wonderful job on my Tonight TV show a few weeks ago when she previewed both of these sides. (Epic) T M-G-M has taken some of their big v single sellers of the past few months and * put them together in an album called "Pop Parade," and it makes for a good variety set. Included are: Joni James' "How Im portant Can It Be?"; "All of You," by Rush Adams; "The Finger of Suspicion," by The Naturals; Pat O'Day's "Earth Angel"; Tommy Mara's "Pledging My Love"; Billy Fields' "Sincerely"; Franklyn MacCormack's "Melody of Love"; and "Ballad of Davy Crockett," by James Brown. The Chordettes have come up with their first single record since their big hit, "Mr. Sandman," and you should be hearing it for quite a while. The gals have chosen a tune in the novelty groove, called "The Dudelsack Song." This side has German lyrics and some unusual Scotch bagpipe playing. The backing is a rhythm song, "Lonely Lips," with some "bum-de-bum" beat sounds in the background "rendered" by conductor Archie Bleyer. (Cadence) Molly Goldberg and comedian Red Buttons are just about the last two people you'd ever think of for a platter duet, but Columbia thought of it — and very happily — and the results are: "Practice, Darling, Practice" and "My Mother's Lullaby," with orchestral accompaniment by Jimmy Carroll. On the "Practice" side Molly urges Red to please practice his fiddle because, as she tells him, "You'll be a Heifetz yet." Al Martino is one crooner who has really improved tremendously, following his European sojourn. Al studied voice seriously while on the Continent, and you'll notice the difference in his quality on his first record since returning to America. He sings an inspirational ballad, "Love Is Eternal," and a jump ditty, "Snowy, Snowy Mountains," with Monty Kelly's orchestra. An interesting sidelight to "Love Is Eternal" is that the lyrics were written by Jean Stone, the wife of Irving Stone, who authored the best-selling book of the same title. (Capitol) After all the hullabaloo with the male quartets, it now seems to be the singing sister groups who are riding high — The DeJohns, The De Castros, The McGuires, and so forth. And here come The DeMarco Sisters, five of the nicest kids in show business, with what looks like just the hit they've been waiting for — "Two Hearts" and "Dreamboat." (Decca) Lawrence Welk and his orchestra have recorded two instrumentals which should appeal to Welk fans, "The Elephants' Tango" and "Lazy Gondolier." The Welk accordion is very much present, but Lawrence seems to have left out some of the extra sound effects he usually employs for his "Champagne Music" bubbles. (Coral) If you like jazz, give a listen to an album titled "King Richard The Swing-Hearted." This one is by Dick Collins, the new trumpet discovery, who sounds so much like the late, great Bix Beiderbecke. In fact he has been tagged "Bix" Collins by many musicians and record people, and big predictions have been made for the Collins musical future. (Victor) Ginny Gibson has waxed the cute new novelty, "Whatever Lola Wants," backed with a lyrical warning, "If Anything Should Happen to You." Well, something just might happen with this record, especially the "Lola" tune, which could turn out to be another "Hernando's Hideaway" kind of thing. (M-G-M) Two new sides by Eddie Fisher — "Take My Love" and "Just One More Time"— and I think they're just about the best recordings he has ever done. "Take My Love" is a rich ballad, with a tender lyric, from the M-G-M musical, "The Glass Slipper." It was written by the composers of "Hi Lili, Hi Lo" and has much of the same charm. "Just One More Time" is a bouncey rhythm ballad. (Victor) If you follow the Arthur Godfrey shows and would like to take a trip to New York, but can't get there, maybe you'll settle for a new album called, "A Visit to New York with Arthur Godfrey and All the Little Godfreys." It's just what it sounds like — a musical tribute to the big town by Mr. G. and his entire cast: Frank Parker, Janette Davis, The Mariners, Marion Marlowe, The McGuire Sisters, Haleloke, and the newest Little Godfrey, Carmel Quinn. (Columbia) And I should be going, as my space is gone. So long for now — be seeing you next month with the June tunes. The Four Coins — George Mantalis, Michael James (top), George James, Jim Gregorakis (bottom) — have a hit in "My Anxious Heart."