Variety (September 1956)

45 MUSIC PSxtitrirr Wednesday, September j.2, 1956 Jocks, Jukes and Disks • . • By MIKE GROSS The Platters: “It Isn’t Right”- ard steps “You’ll Never Never Know” (Mer- “Thai cury). One of the most consistent eff^tive! vocal groups around today, The up a s Platters keep their clicko batting Howard average going with “It Isn’t Right.” Tune’s bright rhythmic appeal ’ Ai) makes it a natural for jock and an(1 gilv juke play. Flip side showcases the (Columbi harmonizers in a more dramatic a happy mood with good-spinning potential, and Silv too. a bouyar Chuck Berry: “Too Much Mon- 9^ / 01 ” ‘ key Business”-“Brown Eyed Hand- * 1 ® r some Man” (Chess). The raucus S i y®® rhythmic pace and wry lyric con- CUCK . a * tent of “Too Much Monkey Busi- tension ness” gives Chuck Beriy a solid lavor * wax winner. He belts with a socko Gordoi vocal punch that keeps the slice out Love ard steps in with a spirited slicing of “Thank You Lord.” Blending of message and beat are worked out effectively and the side will rack up a strong commercial score. Howard is pleasantly schmaltzy on his vocal workover of “Never, Never, Never.” Lu Ann Simms: “Golden Roses and Silver Bells”-“Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo” (Columbia). Lu Ann Simms is in a happy mood on “Golden Roses and Silver Bells,” giving the side a bouyant reading. It could take off for a potent spinning rackup. Her workover of "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo” gives the tune, an instrumental click a few seasons ago, a new di¬ mension which will win it new favor. Gordon MacRae: “Obey”-“With- out Love” (Capitol). Based on the Album Reviews Best Bets THE PLATTERS. . -IT ISN’T RIGHT ( Mercury) .. You’ll Never Never Know CHUCK BERRY.TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS ( Chess ) . Brown Eyed Handsome Man FRANKIE LYMON & TEENAGERS.THE ABC’s Ofr LOVE (Gee) .*.. Share LAWRENCE WELK and hi« CHAMPAGNE MUSIC (Exclusively on Coral) 264th Consecutive Week Arapron Ballroom—Ocean Park, Cal, ABC-TV—Sat 9-10 P. M. EDT Sponsored by OodKe Dealers of America Longhair Reviews rolling in high gear. He’s not too successful with “Brown Eyed Handsome Man,” however. Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers: “The ABC’s of Love”-“Share” (Gee). Frankie Lymon. is back in a solid swinging groove on “The ABC’s of Love,” making it a cinch for big play on all levels. Leading his hep teenager vocal combo, Ly-. mon takes the tune for a free¬ wheeling ride. Bottom deck is in an emotional ballad groove with lotsa impact. Ann Gilbert: “There Will Never Be Another You’-“Tall Boy” (Groove). Newcomer Ann Gilbert displays vocal power in her disk debut. She’s got a solid song¬ selling savvy that works well with the rhythmic “There Will Never Be Another You” and'the romantic “Tall Boy.” Both sides indicate a bright shellac future and “There Will Never Be Another You” should get her off to a fast start in deejay and jukebox circles. Carmen McRae: “Namely You”- *Tm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket” (Decca).- Although Don Cherry and .Julius LaRosa are out ahead of Carmen McRae on “Namely You,’.' thrush has a good chance to pick up some of the mar¬ bles when the tune starts riioving. It’s an appealing item from the up¬ coming Broadway legituner, “Li’l Abner,” and she gives it an ear- catching reading. She’s also ef¬ fective on the rehashing of “I’m Putting All My Eggs In One Bas¬ ket.” Eddy Howard Orch: “Thank You Lord”-“Never, Never, Never” (Mercury). In keeping with the current religioso vogue, Eddy How- first theme from Jackie Gleason’s “Tawny” composition, “Obey” is a romantic melodic idea that comes off okay with' the lyric addition. Gordon MacRae brings it home in a solid vocal rendition. He’s also in top form on the oldie “Without Love,” which will get top spins via its tiein with his 20tb-Fox pic, .“The Best Things In Life Are Free.” Terri Stevens: “Sweet World”- “That’s How I Cried For You” | (RCA Victor). Out of the score for the upcoming tele spec, “Jack and the Beanstalk,” /‘Sweet World” is a potent ballad effort which comes off as a likeable shellac bet in Terri Stevens hands. It's mellow, senti¬ mental and easy on the ear. Her workover of “That’s How I Cried For You” is also a good deejay pro¬ gramming item. Bobby Scott: “Pity The Poor, Poor Man”-“White Line’’ (ABC- Paramount). “Pity The Poor, Poor Man” is a high-powered folk-styled entry which Bobby Scott sells with a lot of punch. Side is packed with lots of spinning appeal for the jocks and the coinbox trade. Fran- ; tic pace of “White Line” gives it some attraction for the blue-jean- ers. Les Baxter Orch: “Gian t”- “There’s Never Been Anyone Else But You” (Capitol). Coupling, an extraction of, {hemes from the WB “Giant” score, adds up to another strong shellac entry from Les Bax¬ ter. ’ Takeoff potential rests with the title theme, a rousing- tribute to Texas, which the orch and chorus deliver like they were natives. Re¬ verse is strictly instrumental and makes for pleasant listening. Verdi: La Traviata (RCA Victor). Recorded in Italy under the baton of Pierre Monteux, this is a su¬ perlative version* of the popular Verdi opera from every viewpoint: performance, 'recording technique and packaging. Topnotch' cast is headed by Rosanna Carteri, Ce- sare Valletti arid Leonard Warren with the Rome Opera House Or¬ chestra and chorus. Set comes with the Italian-English libretto and, iri the limited edition, also with a handsomely bound volume of Alexander Dumas’ novel, “Ca¬ mille,” with a^ preface by RCA’s. album chief George R. Marek. Brahms: Concerto In D Major For Violin Ac Orchestra {Colum¬ bia). Violinist Zino Francescatti gives an expressive, melodic read¬ ing to. this standard of the con¬ certo repertory. Eugene Orman- dy conducts the Philadelphia Or¬ chestra^ Dofnenico . Cimarosa: II Matri- monio.Segreto (Angel). A 18th Century Italian opera, “II Matri- moriio Segreto” (The Secret Marriage) is performed with wit, style and vocal distinction by an | Italian cast with Eugenia Ratti, Graziella Sciutti, Ebe Stignani, Carlo Badioli, Franco Calabrese, Luigi Alva and the Orchestra of the La Piccola Scala. With an Eng- i lish translation of the libretto. Bizet: Symphony in C Major; Jeux d’Enfants (Capitol). Bizet’s i early symphony, an interesting; if derivative work; and a suite in the i composer’s mature style in clear, solid readings by the London Sym¬ phony under Emanuel Young’s baton. Carl Haverlin, BMI prexy, named Radio & Television chair¬ man of thp N. Y. State Citizens Committee for the Public Schools. Gordon MacRae: “The Best Things In Life Are Free” (Capi¬ tol). Although tliis isn”t a sound¬ track from the 20th-Fox, DeSylva- Brown & Hepderson biopic, Capi¬ tol has another package winner. Gordon MacRae, one of the pic’s stars, takes it alone here and whips out the oldies in an in¬ gratiating style. He gets a sock assist from the Van Alexander orch as he runs through the title song, “It All Depends On You,” “Sonny. Boy” and “You’re The Creaiff In My Coffee,” among others. “Hildeearde”: (SeecO). For those who’ve never gottten around to see Hildegarde work in a nit- ery, this album, at least one side of it, is the next best thing. The Seeco people took their tape re¬ corders to the Cotillion Room of the Hotel 1 Pierre- in N, Y< and grooved a standout performance that holds lip. in shellac. In the Cotillion routine are such ’ Hilde¬ garde efforts as “I’m in Favor Of Friendship,” “In Chi-Chi-Cas- Ten-An-Go” arid “That’s Enter¬ tainment.” On the flip side are such studio recorded" items ''as “The Great Adventure,” “Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo” and “Wunderbar.” ^here’s more fun. in the Cotillion Room side but it still adds up to a slick celebrity grooving. Sammy Kaye Orch: “What Makes Sammy Swing” (Columia). Sammy Kaye has dropped the “sway” from his arrangements for this set and he comes across as a strictlty swinging maestro. The package is virtually a salute to the swinging orchs of the late 1930s and early ’40s and Kaye days down a solid beat. He concentrates on the tunes that various orchs made faShous in those days and he does , w<$ by them all. In the .reper¬ toire are such memorable items as “Cherokee,” “Tuxedo Junction,” “One O’clock Jump,” “In The Mood” and “Jersey Bounce” among others. Somethin’ Smith & The Red¬ heads: “Come To Broadway” (Epic). The. sunny shuffle-beat quality that Somethin’- Smith & The Redheads have been putting into their single slices is packed into one happy package here. Some of the songs have already gotten a good, pop single ride (“Shanty In Old Shanty Town,” “Cecila”) but they’re all worth rehearring. There’s also lots of fun in their treatment of shch oldies as VLulla- by ’ of Broadway,” “42d Street,” “Manhattan” and “Give My Re¬ gards To Broadway.” Della Reese: “Melancholy Baby” (Jubilee). A newcomer blues sing¬ er, Della Reese shows up like a pro in this package of evergreens." Her power-packed styling brings new meaning to the oldies and indicates that she’s a warbler worth watch¬ ing. Among the standouts in the set are “Melancholy Baby,” “One For My Baby” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well.” Sid Bass’ arranging»conducting chores are standout. Lorry Raine: “Interlude” (Ad* vance). The wax warmth that’s trademarked Lorry Raine in her single platter -offerings, is spot¬ lighted for socko results in. this potpourri of lesser-known songs. Thrush’s approach to a lyric is sure and understanding and she gives ’em all style and importance. Several tunes in’the 12-song pack¬ age could step out on their own as pop single entries. Ampng them are “My Love Left Town” and “Contentment.” She gets a -top¬ flight orch backing from Nelson Riddle and Russ Garcia. PESsiETr 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines MY PRAYER (8). DON’T BE CRUEL (4) CANADIAN SUNSET (5) Platters . M&rcury Elvis Presley ... Victor ( Hupo Winterhalter . Victor \ Andy Williams . Cadence Doris Day . Columbia Patti Page . Met cury Elvis Presley . Victor WHATEVER WILL,. BE, TyiLL BE (8) ....‘ .V..' Doris Day . Columbia ALLEGHENY &OON (til). Patti Page . Metcury l HOUNij*DOG .; ^' Elvis Presley . Victor ^THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO THAT (3)... Nat (King) Cole . Capitol •HONKY TONK (1) ... Bill Doggett . King • TONIGHT YOU BELONG TO ME (1) ... Patience & Prudence ... Liberty YOU DON'T KNOW ME (1) ... Jerry Vale . Columbia Second Group BE-BOP-A-LULA . Gene Vincent . Capitol I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU... Elvis Presley . Victor «c ctre-pt f Georgia Gibbs . Mercury SIKEET ..... I Tony Bennett . -.Columbia Helmut Zacharias . Deqca ® WHITE ULACS BLOOM AGAIN .■ mny Vaughn ".S . Florian Zabach ’ . Mercury THIS DAY. .... Joni James ..Mem R A SUMMER NIGHT ....... Mitch Miller . Columbia MMER BREI&E ... Eddie Heywood ... Mercury .... Perry Como ..Victor T LOST MY MIND. Pat Boone . Dot I IN THE RAIN . Johnnie Ray . Columbia f Figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 10] HAPPINESS STREET . (VHEN THE WHITE ULACS BLOOM AGAIN GIVE US THIS DAY. .. SONG FOR A SUMMER NIGHT ... SOFT, SUMMER BREI&E .. MORE .. I ALMOST I.OST MY MIND. WALKING IN THE RAIN .