Variety (May 1956)

MUSIC PfiRmfr Jocks, Jukes and Disks -By HERM SCHOENFELD- Elvis Presley: “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”-“My Baby Left Me” (RCA Victor). The cur¬ rent phenom of the music biz, Elvis Presley probably could have a hit if his name were on a blank disk. This coupling is sure of a big ride even though the material is not up to the level of his “Heart¬ break Hotel” smash. “I Want You” is a slow ballad with a strong beat and Presley belts it with his identifying vocalisthenics. Flip, in a traditional blues vein, also gets an energetic workout. Carmen McRae: “Star F.yes”- “Tonight He's Out To Break An¬ other Heart” (Decca). A solid com¬ mercial disk by a savvy songstress who's due to break out with a big switched to a more “commercial” idiom. These sides may have steam, but they go nowhere. Vic¬ tor, incidentally, is laying the r&r beat on thick. Eartha Kitt has “Honolulu Rock ’n’ Roll” and Vaughn Monroe is on “The Rock ’n’ Roll Express.” These obvious takeoffs can, and do, get boring. Ocie Smith: “Lost Horizon”- “Going, Going, Gone” (MGM). “Lost Horizon,” from the legit mu¬ sical, “Shangri-La,” is an interest¬ ing, atmospheric ballad with a quasi-exotic quality. Ocie Smith, backed by the Joe Lipman orch, sells the lyric nicely. Ray Bloch batons the same number effec¬ tively, segueing into a choral ver¬ sion of the title tune from the show. On the MGM flip, “Going, Wednesday, May 9, 1956 Album Reviews Best Bets ELVIS PRESLEY ... .1 WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU (RCA Vic for) . '...My Baby Left Me CARMEN McRAE ..STAR EYES (Decca) . Tonight He’s Out to Break Another Heart MANTOVANI ..HEART OF PARIS ( London) .. •.. Merry Go Round Waltz WERNER MULLER ORCH .SIMMONETTA (Decca) .... • •.• • All My Love one sooner or later. Her lightly swinging version of the lovely bal¬ lad, “Star Eyes,” should cop plenty of jockey spins. Miss McRae is equally effective on the reverse deck, an excellent entry with a smart lyric and catching tune. Mantovani: “Heart of Paris”- “Merry Go Round Waltz” (London). With the pop biz in a schizophrenic state between rock ’n’ rollers and class instrumentals, Mantovani’s “Heart of Paris” could make the grade in the latter category. Its impact builds with repeat spins. Flip is so-so. Werner Muller Orch: “Simon- etta”-“All My Love” (D e c c a). “Simonetta” keeps turning up on wax and this side by the German maestro, Werner Muller, is one of the brightest workovers of this standard. It's another side that could ride the current instrumental cycle all the way. Flip is a highly effective version of the pop bolero hit of several years ago. Billy Eckstine: “The Tennessee Rock 'n' Roll”-“Condemned For Life” (RCA Victor). Everybody is rocking 'n' rolling, even when they oughtn’t to be. Billy Eck¬ stine, whose previous ballad re¬ leases failed to register, has been Going, Gone” has a fair lyric set to a familiar tango melody. Jo Stafford: “Warm All Over”- “Big D” (Columbia). Jo Stafford fails to put the necessary heat into “Warm All Over,” one of the nu¬ merous tunes out of the Frank Loesser score to “The Most Happy Fella.” Flip is another tune from the show, a rousing number about Dallas. Denise Lor: “That’s The Way I Feel”-“Hurt Me” ' (Liberty). De¬ nise Lor has a good potential in “That’s The Way That I Feel,” a smart ballad which she delivers with a sense of humor. Excellent change-of-pace for jocks who want to get away from the simple, and simpleton, vocals now on the pop lists. “Hurt Me” is a pedestrian torch number. Ralph Waldo Cummings: “The Black Weekend”-“Hold On” (ABC- Paramount). “The Black Week¬ end” is an offbeat piece of folk- styled material about any holiday weekend when the auto casualties mount to headline figures. This is a tune with a gruesome safe-driv¬ ing message. Coincidentally, there’s a similar message by Tommy Brewer in a catching rhy¬ thm & blues tune, “Drag, Brother, Drag,” about hot-rod hazards, on the indie Crystalette label. On the ABC-Par flip, “Hold On” is a rou¬ tine hillbilly fare. The Phantom: “Whispering”- “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue” (Capitol). The Phantom, a name¬ less rider of the keyboard range, is a ragtirpe stylist very much in the groove of Crazy Otto or Capi¬ tol’s other 88 er, Joe (Fingers) Carr. The nickelodeon sound has a catching quality and maybe that nom de disk will catch a few extra spins from the jocks. Nick Noble: “The Big, Big Lad- der”-“She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” (Mercury). “Big Ladder” is a catching religioso tune with a happy rhythm and a matching lyric. Nick Noble im¬ presses with his pleasing, effortless vocal. “She Loves Me” is a neat ballad, also with good chances. Joe Sherman Orch & Chorus: “The Song From ‘The Searchers’”- “P o r t u g u e.s e Washerwomen” (Kapp). From the Warner Bros, film, “The Searchers,” the title sorig is a big oatuner in a classic mold. Like the western pix where it doesnt’ matter if the plots don’t vary, the familiar lyric and melodic ideas in this number have been jelled anew into a very tasteful en¬ try. Ed McGurdy contributes a fine solo vocal to this side. Tex Ritter also has a neat version of this tune on Capitol. “Portuguese Washerwoman” on the Kapp re¬ verse is a rollicking tune color¬ fully projected by orch and chorus. Decca’s attractive package series, “Your Musical Holiday,” a global Cook’s tour in music that was launched last year in cooperation with Holiday' magazine, has now been extended with six more ex¬ cellent albums. The Holiday mag motif has been retained via the cover photos while the repertory covers some additional territory. There is a fine New York set cut by the Werner Muller orch and a collection of southland songs lushly rendered by the Guy Luypaerts orch. The four other albums are Latin-based, one each devoted to Spain, Barcelona, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The Barce¬ lona set, by a Catalan band with assists from native folk dancers and a choir, has a particularly charming local flavor. A1 Nevlns Orch: “Escapade In Sound” (RCA Victor). A1 Nevins, former guitarist with the Three Suns, cuts a neat figure as a pop maestro in this package. He batons a big orch with plenty of fiddles and the result is a classy choral- instrumental wrap-up of some fine standards. Set is pegged to a “night of romance and adventure” and the tunes tell the story via “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” “Moonlight Cocktail,” “Old Devil Moon,” “Love For Sale,” “Esca¬ pade;” “In The Still of the Night,"’ “Anything Goes” and “Let’s Put Out the Lights,” among others. Louis Armstrong: “European Concert Recordings by Ambassador Satch” (Columbia). Louis Arm¬ strong’s news-making tour of Eu¬ rope last year, which caused the U.S. State Dept, to finally awaken to jazz as America’s most desirable export (next to money), is the occa¬ sion for this latest Satchmo collec¬ tion. The numbers are familiar and all of them have been per¬ formed better by Armstrong in the past, but this set is marked bv » sock photo of Satchmo in tails an? striped pants, verily America’s best goodwill envoy. Dixieland faves as “Royal Garden Blues’' “Tin Roof Blues,” “12th Street Rag,” “Tiger Rag,” and others were taped in various cities of western Europe. As usual, Arm¬ strong’s vocals are among the best things on the platter. Frances Wayne-Neal Hefti Orch- “Songs for My Man” (Epic). Th ! s Mr. & Mrs. team adds up to a socle musical combo. Frances Wayne, a fine stylist who knows how to sell a £ong without becoming crassly commercial,' is showcased here in a superlative collection. Neal Hefti her husband, batons the orch back- drops with perfect balance. Miss Wayne’s workover of “Mood Indi¬ go,” “Let’s Do It,” “The Man I Love” and “I’m Beginning To See the Light” are tops in this passel of standouts. Lionel Hampton-Art Tatum-Bud- dy Rich Trio (Clef). Three first- class jazzmen join in a swinging collection of standards. It’s pleas¬ ing blend of vibes, piano and drums which, despite the “star” names, has- an integrated quality with, however, plenty of room for freewheeling solos. Tunes include ‘Perdido,” “How High The Moon,” “What Is This Thing Called Love,” “More Than You Know,” “Makin* Whoopee,” “Hallelujah” and T!l Never Be The Same.” Each tune gets lots of time for the teamplay and solo flights. In the jazz album pileup are Earl .Hines’ “Oh Father” (Epic), a sampling of Hines’ diskings cut between 1933 and ’38 . . . “The Teddy Charles Tentet” (Atlantic), some imaginative harmony experi- (Continued ort page 48) PftrtmfY 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines 1. HEARTBREAK HOTEL (7) 2. MAGIC TOUCH (4). IVORY TOWER (3) BLUE SUEDE SHOES ( 8 ) 5. MOONGLOW-PICNIC THEME (2) POOR PEOPLE OF PARIS (12) 7. HOT DIGGITY (5) 8 . MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (2) 9. WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE (4). 10. A TEAR FELL (2) 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. * Legit musical, t Film, ttTV. Survey Week of April 27-May 3, 1956 Birds And The Bees—t“Birds And The Bees”.Gomalco Brazil .Southern Can You Find It In Your Heart..Witmark Flamenco Love .BVC Heart of Paris.;...... Wood Hot Diggity.Roncom How Little We Know . .Morris I Could Have Danced All Night—*“My Fair Lady”. Chappell If You Wanna See Mamie—t“Mamie Stover” .... Miller In a Little Spanish Town.. Feist I’ve Grown Accustomed—*“My Fair Lady”. t . .Chappell Joey, Joey, Joey—*“Most Happy Fella”./..Frank Lisbon Antigua .Southern Moonglow .■..Mills Most Happy Fella—*“Most Happy Fella” .Frank Mr. Wonderful—+“Mr. Wonderful” .Laurel Never Let Me Go—t“Scarlet Hour” .Famous Qn the Street Where You Live—*“My Fair Lady”. .Chappell Picnic—t“Picnic” .Columbia Pic Poor People of Paris .Connelly Port-au-Prince ...Marks Serenade—t“Serenade” .Harms Somebody, Somewhere—*“Most Happy Fella” _Frank Standing On the Corner—*“Most Happy Fella” .. Frank Te Amo . ;.... Southern To Love Again—1“Eddy Duchin Story” .. .ColumbiaPic Too Close for Comfort—*“Mr. Wonderful” ....;.. Laurel We All Need Love...Remick What a Heaverily Night for Love.Tee Kaye Without You ....Broadcast Top 30 Songs on TV Second Croup LISBON ANTIGUA j Nelson n iddle . Capitol . I Mitch Miller . Columbia JUKE BOX BABY ... Perry Como . Victor ROCK AND ROLL WALTZ ... Kay Starr ... Victor CHURCH BELLS MAY RING . Diamonds ' . Mercury STANDING ON THE CORNER... Four Lads . Columbia INNAMORATA . ( Dean Martin . Capitol .*.( Jerry Vale .. Columbia CAN YOU FIND IT IN YOUR HEART . TOnv Bennett . Columbia .*.( Jerry Vale .. Columbia J FIND IT IN YOUR HEART . Tony Bennett . Columbia EDDIE, MY LOVE .. ! £™tane Sister,.'. Dot „ [Teen Queens .RPM SAINTS KOCK AND ROLL . Bil! Comc(5 . Decc - a NO, NOT MUCH. Four Lad,.Columbia [Figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 101 (More In Case of Ties ) ^ Blue Suede Shoes ..,Hi-Lo-H&R Bo Weevil.Reeve Brazil ....Southern Can You Find It in Your Heart.Witmark Delilah Jones—1“Man with the Golden Arm”.Dena Everybody’s Got a Home But Me—*“Pipe Dream”. .Chappell Get Me to the Church—*“My Fair Lady”.Chappell Heartbreak Hotel ...Tree - Hot Diggity ..T... Roncom I Could Have Danced All Night—♦“My Fair Lady” Chappell Innamorata—t“Artists and Models” ..Paramount I’ve Grown Accustomed—*“My Fair^Lady” .Chappell Ivory Tower.Morris Joey, Joey, Joey—*“Most Happy Fella’.’..'.Frank Lisbon Antigua .Southern Magic Touch ......Panther Moritat—*“Three Penny Opera” .. .Hariris Mr. Wonderful—*“Mr. Wonderful” .Laurel No, Not Much ..Beaver On the Street Where You Live—♦“My Fair Lady”. .Chappell Picnic—1 “Picnic” .Columbia Pic Play for Keeps .......Korwin Please Don’t Forget Me Dear ..Sam Weiss Poor People of Paris...Connelly Rock and Roll Waltz .;.Sheldon Rock Island Line .Hollis Standing on the Corner—♦“Most Happy Fella” .... Frank Too Close for Comfort—♦“Mr. Wonderful” ....... Laurel Too Young to Go Steady—♦“Strip for Action” .. Robbins With a Little Bit of Luck—♦“My Fair Lady”.Chappell