Variety (May 1946)

44 •BOMSTIIAS-M17SIC RECOMMENDED RECORDS 'or Jocks and Jukes) (F, By BARRY GRAY iWOR-Mutual's All-Night M.C.) Frank. Sinatra (vocal with Axel Stordahl Orch) "They.Say Its Won- derful"-"fhe Girl That I Many" (Columbia 30975). Bow-beaux sings two great tunes from the Irving Ber- lin "Annie Get Your Gun" score. With Axel.Stordahl backing the Sin- atra lyric reading, there's little left to be desired- in top pop singing. "They Say" will lead the juke box fave sheet within a few weeks. Only compotish will be the same tune by Perry Como.' Backing is another Berlin pretty called "The Girl That I-Marry;'; it will do well with hearth listeners, It has a breathless quality that spells sock appeal. Highly ad- vised for jukes and airtime! Charlie Splvak (vocal by Jimmie Saunders) ."Along With Mc"-"Spring Magic" (Victor. 187C). "Along With Me" is a lead tunc from the current Broadway hit "Call Me Mister." As played here by Charlie Spivakand company, it's a bit -difficult to recog- nize. Jimmie Saunders with the Stardrcamers group doesn't sell it well. Not . recommended. "Spring Magic," .on the reverse, sounds -bet- ter, mainly because it presents more highlighted Spivak horn. Although Saunders docs better, with words handed him, he sounds so sad about it all. Femme group sound like a gathering of "Betty Bpops." Best side of the-, two, but .not strong enough to muster lots of nickels or air time. Orrln Tucker (vocal by Scottee Marsh and Orrin Tucker) "Come Rain or Come Shine"-"Just Make Love to Me" (Musicraf t 15063), This is Maestro Tucker's debut off* wax since his'discharge from the service. Playing a completely sweet and subdued arrangement of "Come Rain," he fails to deliver anything distinguishing. On this particular . tune that's bad, F.qr .the song is there. Tucker has given it nothing but stock, and underplayed that. Scottee Marsh, the' group's femme chirper, doesn't know what to do, with the word; and tries a half- hearted blues slant. It's an all 'round poor job on a fine tune. Not recommended. "Just Make Love to Me" showcases a chorus by- the Maestro; He shouldn't sing on records. Not recommended. Harry James (vocal by Buddy DiVitb and Willie Smith) "I Didn't Mean a Word I Said"-"Who's Sorry Now" (Columbia 36973). "I Didn't Mean" throws a whale of a job into the ring. Highlighted by the James horn, with a lovely intro, soft stuff 'n'all, it's a tough'one to lick. Buddy DiVito sings like one of the better band vocalists around, but even then he sounds, a little lazy in the final beats. "Who's-Sorry Now" is a re-, vival side. Lot of fine brass blasts by James starts it off. Willie 'Smith does a good skat rendition. Recom- mended for air and nickelodeon. Dinah Shore (vocal with Spade. Cooley Orch) (vocal with Meredith Willson Orch) "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly"-"I Got Lost in His Arms" (Columbia 36976). Miss Shore does a rural turn on "Doin* What Comes Natur'lly'' accompanied by the Spade Cooley crew. From the "Annie Get Your Gun" score, it will lose a lot. of juke potentials, for the hearth buy- ers won't henv it on the networks. It has been barred by all four ma- jors in New York. But it should go well in diskboxes. A perky tune that affords Miss Shore, the oppor- tunity to sell the lyric lightly. Recommended for boxes only. Meredith Willson's orchestra backs Miss Shore on the reverse offering., "I Got Lost in His Arms." It's lovely to hear, and the finest waxwork the Southern singer has' done in many a date. Musically, and lyrically; it's tops. Miss Shore and Willson do each department great justice. Highr ly recommended. Vaughn Monroe, (vocal by Vaughn Monroe and Norton Sisters) "All the Time"-"Love on a Greyhound Bus" (Victor 1860). For them as likes Monroe's singing, "All the Time" is their buy. Lyrically and musically it's a neat job by Ralph Freed and. Sammy Fain for the M-G pic "No Leave, No. Love." It'll sell. It'll probably be one of the top 10 on the diskbox parade. - Recommended. "Love on a Greyhound Bus - ' is a rhythm tune. Cleverly written. Monroe sings again. Three Suns (vocal by Artie Dunn) "It Couldnlt Be Triie!"-"Evcrybody Loves My Baby" (Majestic 7180). Three Suns have added another disk for the hinterland audience to grab up. ' On the air for over five years, their greatest mail and wax action comes from the stix. "It Couldn't Be True"' explains their outdoor appeal. Homily designed, with Dunn quietly lyricizin, it's ".easy to listen to. Great for trie back porch, and the portable disk player. Not hep enough for' city slickers. Recommended for. non- metropolis airshots and crossroads voices. "Everybody" rates same. Rural draw is proven by trade at. five-year hotel date. Almost all are from "Waycross" or "Laughing Well," and "had to see What the boys looked like." M-G OKAYS RELEASE OF W LEAVE' SONGS Hollywood, May 7. After much discussion Metro last week agreed to let platter compan- ies release tunes from "No Leave- No Love," Van Johnson starrer, on May 15 as originally scheduled. Film canned for. some time; was carded for national release May 5 until change of plans set' date back to early autumn. Immediately, Metro asked 14 record Arms, which have disked songs from pic that they be deferred also. Several of the diskeries really went to bat. notably. Capitol and Cosmo. Former has two "Leave" songs with Dinning Sisters and pointed out that items had been dis- tributed and everything set to break the tape on May 15. ~ Cosmo, which has four songs from pic, warbled by film's femme lead, Pat Kirkwood, made same pitch to Metro, with result May 15 date will stand. British Best Sheet Sellers (Week Endiiio April 2G. M0i London, April 27. Chlckery Chick.... Connelly Cruising Down River.Cinophonic Can't Begin to Tell You. .Chnpcll Along Navajo Trail... .Maurice Ashby do la Zouch Gay I'll BUy That' Dream Wood Grand Night Singing.. .Chappcll Bygones Be Bygones.. .Feldmnn I Dream of You... .Macmolodics Might Well Be Spring. .Chappell Kentucky .. ..... ...Connelly If I'-hod a Dozen Hearts.Victoria Cosmo Stock To Hit Market Soon Next indie recording company whose stock will go on the market in over-the-counter trading, probably will be Cosmopolitan. Details of the move have just been worked out. Some 300,000 shores will be made available at an undisclosed price. Cosmo, set up by Harry Bunks, recently drew financial Support from Wall Street. COAST PLUGGERS NAME NEW SET OF OFFICERS Hollywood, May 7. .!'At weekend confab of board of governors of Coast branch of Music Publishers- Contact Employees, four new officers were.appointed to terms of six months. Nat Winecoff (Southern Music) was named re- gional director; Mac Green (Paul- Pioneer Music), secretary; Lucky Wilber (Advance Music), receiver of applications from prospective members; Harry Coe (Fox Publ.), receiver, of applications from new pubs. Thus local group of piuggers fol- lowed advice of national prexy Bob Miller, who suggested administrative duties be split up so no member of board was-bogged down with work. Al Comparte was formerly handler of all business as director-secretary, but quit three Weeks ago because duties interfered with job. at Re- public Music. Piuggers here prompt- ly petitioned Miller to name salaried fulltime Coast chieftain, but prexy nixed proposal, deeming it unfeas- ible <and too expensive. He pointed out that dues realized (less- pre- miums on insurance policies given members upon joining) from 115. current unionists here would not un- derwrite cost. Newly appointed of^ ficers will receive no salaries. 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines 1. Oh What It Seemed to Be (13) (Santly-J) | Frankie^CaWe' 2. Prisoner of Love (5) (Mayfair).... Perry Como .. 3. Laughing On .the Outside (2) (BMI).... Dinah Shore .. 4. Gypsy (2) (Leeds). ...... , .Columbia , .Columbia .. . .Victor . .Columbia ( Dinah Shore!.. .. ..Columbia .......... | j nk spots............ ..Decca 6. All Through the Day (4) (Williamson).. j gjjjj^' .... Viotor .Columbia I Stan Kenton ........Capitol " j Dinah Shore. ,. Columbia 7. I'm a Big Girl Now (2) (World)., Sammy Kaye ........ .Victor 6. Shoo-Fly Pie (7) (Criterion) 8. Day By Day (10) (Barton). 9. You Won't Be Satisfied (10) (Mutual). 10. Sioux City Sue (Morris) .. Coming Up Seems Like Qld Times (Feist) ,... I Don't Know Enough About You (CP) Don't Be a Baby, Baby (Triangle)...... In Love In Vain (T. B. Harms)........ Bumble Boogie (Martin)............... Atlanta, Ga. (Stevens) ( Frank Sinatra \ Bing Crosby ,, j Les 1rown . , I Perry Como .. ( Bing Crosby . .Columbia Decca , .Columbia .....Victor .Decca ( Tony Pastor .', Cosmo Nursery Rhymes s Continued from page 1 — males," "Three. Little Fishies," "Rum and Coca-Cola," "Don't Sqiieoza Da Banana," "Josephine Please Do Not Lean on the Bell," "Bell Bottom Trousers" (old Navy song which sold a million when revived during the wardays), "Dance with the Dolly With the Hole In Her Stocking." The Harlem influence, of course, is potent, as for instance the past and present "Ah Dec Ah Dec Ah," Slim Gaillard's "Cement Mixer," "Chimin' Switch" bjs*Lucky Millili- ter & Co., Lionel Hampton's "Hcy- Ba-Ba-Re-Bop," "Hold Tight (I Want Some Sea Food Mama)," "Honey Drippers," "Frim Fram Sauce," . "Straighten Up and Fly Right," among others. A novelty song in tin Pan Alley is a rarity. Few click/commercially and otherwise. They run the'.gamut from "Ja-Da" to "Lilly of the Val- ley," from "Oh Johnny" to ' You'd Be Surprised," and in latter years there have been "GI Jive," "Strip Polka," "Oodles of Noodles," "Pickle in the Middle (With the Mustard on Top)," etc... ■ ' ' The reason for this dearth is axi- omatic in the music business. The so-called "belter" songwriters won't tackle a number of this type unless to order, as for instance Irving Bcr.- lin's "You'd Be Surprised," or L Wolfe Gilbert's "Lily of the Valley," or "Oh By Jingo." Which means that newcomers, such as the sur- prised World War I novelty "Ja Da,-" or today's "Maiiv.y Doats," "Chickery Chick" and "Onc-Zy Two Zy" must be strictly bankhitc. Few firms will risk them. Santly- Joy is a house notable for its novelty so it gets first I Guy Lombardo....... .Decca ( Vaughn Monroe ...... Victor Peggy Lee ..........Capitol {Mills. Bros. .. .... .Decca! s° n 6 publications, Tommy Dorscy ..Victor «"».<* at them. The others must de- Margaret' Whiting . .Capitol l p ? nd on Phonal; plugging usually v^.. i,,..^ V, ..... Vla a record > hcn «' this or that col- Freddy Martin ( Sammy Kaye ... ( Andrews Sisters .,. .Victor Victor Decca ored artist strives .for a novelty, and frequently cracks through with a hit. Wednesday, May 8. Its Like Checking an Elephant Drummers and bass fiddlers in the Times Square area who .ii their cumbersome instruments in the night will hove to seek o» arrangements for storage which had heretofore been convenient?'" attended by a deep, subway-lever checking service under the Tim Bldg. on 42d street. The service, giving up a considerable portion IS its storage space, found it necessary to post a "no drums allowed" L over nn exposed pile of band instruments in the crowded front '«\Mii ing their owners'. Attendant, solicitous to the burdened musicians, feels badlv aunn it but can't figure what to do with the huge drums and other instrn nicnts he has cared for as long as six months with no callers to redeon them. "Sonic of the boys", he says, ..'"leave them with me' for onlv' day or two, but I got no more room for these forgotten drums"' " Inside Orchestras-Music Cosmopolitan Records is pulling an unusual -'stunt in N. Y. rooms at which bands under contract to it open runs. Company gives away record iiigs of each band free to customers for one ninht only. First time the stunt was tried was at the Pennsylvania hotel, where Tony Pastor debuted several weeks ago. Then the disks were distributed opening night. When Hal Mclntyre went into the Commodore hotel last week (2i the same idea was to'be applied, but it was delayed until Saturdav (4) n had been determined at Pastor's opening that no purpose was served iii distributing free records to opening night crowds .'since the latter consist mostly of music publishers and other tradespeople who look, upon record, ings of songs other' than their own as things to scale in the wind.. One of Irving Berlin's tunes. "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," from the forthcoming Broadway, legit production. "Annie Get Your Gun," got a strong hypo in St. Louis when a Jimmy Dorsey version of the song'was put on'the air. Gil Ncwsomc. the disk jockey, interrupted the record saving "Sorry folks, we can't let you hear the lyrics," because they're radio- restricted. However, the announcement caused inquiries to pour into the' station. The show's original sophisticated lyrics have been given a sapblio treat- ment for radio. Claude ThornhiJI's hew orchestra consists of Bob Jcnney, Tasso Harris Ray Schmidt, trombones; Louis Mucci. Rusty Dcdrick .and Jake Kovcn! trumpets; Sandy Spicgelstcin. Fred-Schmidt, french horns: Bob Walters; Jack Fcrricr. Karl Swift. Ted Goddardi John Nelson, Chet Pardee, saxes; and Billy Exincr, drums: Seb Julian, guitar: Bob Chevak, bass. Maestro himself plays piano; Betty Bennett and Buddy Hughes handle vocals. Band's first date around N. Y. opens May 29 at Post Lodge, Larchmont, N. Y. With the selection of Meredith Willson's song "Iowa," as the official centennial song for this year's celebration of 100 years of statehood,' 'the old war between "like" and "as" is on again. Purists and sentimentalists are arguing that phrase of the song that goes. "Iowa, it's a beautiful name when you say it like we say it back home." Purists insist "as" replace "like" and the sentimentalists say "like it or not—you will sing it as it says." Controversy has introduced the song to many Iowans for the first time and has become a good "spark plug." : Marie Greene, Signature record.chantooscy, who started .something with her recorded hcllos to individual' disk spinners around the country, lms already made 125 special recordings for that many stations' platter men. Instead of sending out the record "cold." Miss Greene has recorded an. introduction of herself to the man behind the record table, saying in' effect,- "How are you," and "Hoik you like what lollows." She has over 500 special disks to go. Sammy Kaye, originally planning to stage his "So You Want to Lead a Band" contest finals in the Hollywood Bowl, has settled for the Palladium, June 5, with the Bowl unavailable. Band is running contest in conjunc- tion with Kaycs radio program over ABC weekly, from which finalists have been selected to compete for the $1,000 top prize. Contestants who appear at the Palladium were picked from the four regional* in the coun- try and will be given /transportation to the coast. "On Charte Dans Mon Quartier", currently biggest song hit in France. and only ditty since prewar days there to sell more than a million copies, will be published in the U. S. late this month by Southern Music Co., which has a link-in with Societe D'Editions Musicalcs Internationales, Paris pul> firm which put out the ballad. Eddie Heyman has been signed by South- ern to give the song a new set of lyrics, and the Yankee version tenta- tively is titled, "Ploum. Ploum, Tra La La". Wall St. Journal, New York daily devoted to the stock market, smv enough significance in the chase after Capitol stock last week and the general increasing importance ot the Held, .to go into detail in a story re- porting sales figures, the problems besetting production, the future outlook, etc. Paramount has draped a cloak of secrecy over the four Frank Locsscr tunes which Betty Hutton this week is recording for "Perils of Pauline" on the Coast lot. Studio is even making an attempt to keep from public the titles of the ditties. It is all part of the Par. effort to prevent any info at all on numbers leaking out which pdssibly might take shine of new- ness off the songs when finally they reach public. RCA-Victor caught the mistake shortly after the Freddy Marlin re- cording of "Just an Old Fashioned Song" was released, erroneously credit- ing Artie Wayne as vocalist rather than Clyde Rogers.. Understood only a few thousand reached buyers before plattcry printed up new labels and got the matter righted. Decca Adds Wise, Rady To N.Y. Production Staff Decca Records has appointed Ronald Wise and Simon Rady for prodiicliohM work in Dccca's N. Y. headquarters. Wise, one time asst. director of classical music at RCA-Victor in Camden, N; J., will be. in charge of Dccca's classical records. Recently, he had been, associated .with Eli Oberstein's Classic Records Co. Wise's first duties at Decca will be the preparation for re-releasing of the company's backlog of Classical albums. »Rady, who produced "Tuby the Tuba" for Cosmo Records, will con- centrate on albums for children. He had been, a producer of musical shows for CBS and NBC. * ED CONDON BLAZING ONE-NIGHT AIR TRAD. Eddie Condon's jazz orchestra is probably' the first group of musicians to hit the one-night trait by .an-. Condon last week hopped from New York to Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, and back to N. Y m a 15-seal Lockheed Lodestar. Plane was secured for him by 1 ,1C A" Charter Agency,, the outfit cited w last week's Variety as having so- licited orchestra managers ynd ase»- cics for business in transporlmfi bands. ; Air Charter outfit doesn': own its own ships, but acts as a^'c-nt _W' those who do. It holds compile'fi"*- on planes available to il, covering the types of planes, their conditio", ability and experience of pilots, etc-