Variety (October 1956)

so MUSIC PfitelETY Wednesday, October 10, .1950 Jocks f Jukes and Disks By MIKE GROSS Mitch Miller Orch: “Song of the Sparrow” (Columbia). Theme for last week’s CBS-TV “Studio Onfe” stanza, “A Man’s World,” gets a two-sided workover on this Mitch Miller coupling. One side is a light-hearted straight instrumental version while the flip features a buoyant choral rendition with June Erickson as featured vocalist. The lyric is perfectly matched to the bright and catchy beat, making the side a shoo-in for top bracket slot¬ ting. Nat King Cole: “To the Ends of the Earth”-“Night Lights” (Capi¬ tol). Chalk up another strong bal¬ lad coupling for Nat King Cole. Both sides are stick-out entries but “From the Bottom of My Heart” (Coral). There’s enough bounce in Don Cornell’s “See-Saw” to please the rock ’n’ roll fans and the juke trade. Driving beat and power¬ house delivery will make it a spin¬ ning noisemaker. Reverse side also gives him an opportunity to display his belting beat. Buchanan & Goodman: “Buchan¬ an & Goodman On Trial”-“Crazy” (Luniverse). The music biz rookies, Buchanan & Goodman, who stirred up an industry storm a few months ago with “The Flying Saucer,” are back with a sequel in “Buchanan & Goodman On Trial.” It’s built along the same lines, narrative and rock ’n’ roll song excerpts, but it Album Reviews Best Bets MITCH MILLER ORCH.SONG OF THE SPARROW ( Columbia ) .. • .... Song of the Sparrow NAT KING COLE.TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH ( Capitol) .... • Night Lights BILLY ECKSTINE.THE CHOSEN FEW (RCA Victor) .*. Just Call Me Crazy GEORGE SHAW .... .NO ONE ( Decca) . A Faded Summer Love THE GAYLORDS.THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER ( Mercury) . A Little Love Longhair Reviews the nod will probably go to “To the Ends of the Earth” because of its more exciting melodic line. It’s a natural for top play on all levels. Billy Eckstine: “The Chosen Few”-“Just Call Me Crazy” (RCA Victor), “'The Chosen Few” is the side that could bring Billy Eck¬ stine to the top of the platter heap once again. It’s a sock melody- lyric blending that Eckstine whips out with a strong ballad style, The mood is philosophical, romantic and completely winning. “Just Call Me Crazy” also shows off the crooner in top vocal form and it rates attention. It’ll be a hard pull, though, to get the spins away from “The Chosen Few.” Georgie Shaw: “No One”—“A Faded Summer Love” (Decca). Georgie Shaw seems to have found the big ballad to get him back on the turntables in “No One.” It’s a top-drawer entry that takes hold with Shaw’s effective balladeering, “A Faded Summer Love” is in the old-fashioned ballad groove that Shaw and choral assist build into pleasing platter fare. The Gaylords: “The Mountain Climber”-“A Little Love” (Mer¬ cury). The bright melodic line of “The Mountain Climber” gives the Gaylords a chance at another clicko slice. The offbeat lyric supplies added listening values and the group takes advantage of the mate¬ rial with a happy and zestful read¬ ing. They are nicely rhythmic with “A Little Love,”, making it another attention-getter. Don Cornell: “See-Saw”-“From lacks the impact of the original and it’s doubtful if it will go as far. “Crazy” is a wild instrumental filler. Doris Day: “JuIie”-“Love In A Home” (Columbia). Just off a dis- click in “Whatever Will Be, Will Be,” Doris Day will pick up auto¬ matic spins for “Julie,” title tune from her upcoming Metro starrer. It’s a melodic ballad piece which she delivers with authority. “Love In A Home.” entry from'the “Li’l Abner” legituner, is an average offering that won’t excite too many spinners. Lou Monte: “Elvis Presley For President”-‘“If I Was A Million¬ aire” (RCA Victor). It’s a good thing that teenagers don’t have the right to vote for “Elvis Presley For President” could be the first cam¬ paign song to swing an election. It’s a fast-paced entry with, lyric values pegged strictly for the juve set and Lou Monte goes all-out to get the message across. His work- over of the oldie, “If I Was A 1 Mil¬ lionaire,” is also souped-up and even gets an Italian lyric insertion for extra measure. Marion Marlowe: “Whatever Hap¬ pened To You”-“Wherever Flamin¬ gos Fly” (Cadence). “Whatever Happened To You” is a pretty bal¬ lad that gets a warm-hearted.read¬ ing by Marion Marlowe arid an ear-appealing choral and instru¬ mental backing. It’s a tasty disk that the jocks should go for. Thrush is in an effective, moody (Continued on page 56) Carl Orff: Die Kluge (Angel). The newest major work of the Ger¬ man modernist Carl Orff to be 'added to the LP catalog, “Die Kluge” is a striking theatrical op¬ era with continuous musical inter¬ est and a pervasive sense of hu¬ mor. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, in the title role, heads an excellent cast in a performance directed by the composer. A German-English libretto is included in the package. Beethoven: Sonatas No. 30, 31, 32 (Columbia). Young piano virtuoso Glenn Gould in sensitive and searching interpretations of three complex Beethoven .sonatas. Gould also authors the liner notes which are far more obscure than his per¬ formance. Offenbach in America (RCA Vic¬ tor). A charming collection of light Offenbach pieces which were played by the composer during his tour of America some 75 years ago. The Boston Pops Orchestra, under Arthur Fiedler, plays with its usual lustre and vitality. George R. Marek supplies an appropriately witty history of the event. Milstein Miniatures (Capitol). Vi¬ olinist Nathan Milstein in an at¬ tractive recital of brief pieces, in¬ cluding Smetana’s “From My Homeland,” Brahm’s “Hungarian Dance No. 2” and several other compositions covering a wide range of moods. Milstein plays in pol¬ ished style with Leon Pommers accompanying on the piano. Herm. Lionel Hampton orch sails for England Saturday (13) for his first band tour in that country on an exchange deal. He’il be gone about 1 five weeks. " Bing Crosby: “Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings” (Verve). Bing Crosby’s first wax trip away from Decca in more than 20 years is a happy musical excursion. Working with Buddy Bregman’s modern- styled arrangements on standards that he somehow missed putting into the groove before, Crosby is gay, buoyant and seemingly ever youthful. The? Crosby-Bregman combo, latter also supplying the orch backing, gives the evergreens a fresh spark. Set shapes as a sock commercial bet. Patty. McGovern: “Wednesday’s Child” (Atlantic). Musical arrang¬ ers are finally coming into their own. On this package arranger Thomas Talbert gets equal billing with thrush Patty McGovern, and he rates it, too. He’s an exponent of the modern jazz school but he recognizes the values of the stand¬ ards. He adds imaginative musical twists that give the oldies bright new angles. Miss McGovern stays in the running with simple and di¬ rect interpretations. The 12-tune package slows up occasionally when they drift into their own compositions, but there’s * enough stuff from the vet tunesmiths to keep everybody happy. Russ Morgan Orch: "Everybody Dance” (Decca). This a designed- for-dancing disk and throughout the dozen numbers it doesn’t miss a beat. The Morgan manner is easy to take and especially good for terping. The platter runs Qff like a swank hotel room band set mixing up waltzes, foxtrots, tangos and rhumbas for good results. Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong: “Ella and Louis” (Verve). Cover of this 'new Verve package is just a photo of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong without any identifying tag. They don’t need any. Their faces are as familiar as their style and their styles comple¬ ment each other perfectly. Set is done in a moderate and restrained jazz groove that shows ’em off in duets, or Armstrong’s muted trum¬ peting to Miss Fitzgerald’s singing, or Miss Fitzgerald’s humming to Armstrong’s open horn blowing. Whatever road they take, to bring home the standards, it’s all done in top showmanly style. The Os¬ car Peterson Trio gives the stars solid musical support. The Golden Strings: “Music to Knit By” (Kapp). There’s nothing in this package tc make everyone sit uo and take notice but that’s not its purpose. Pegged for re¬ laxation, the Golden Strings, with Arnold Eidus as violin soloist, builds a dreamy mood with Brahms’ "Lullaby.” Victor Her¬ bert’s “Toyland,” Stephen Foster’s “Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair” and the Hariourg-Arlen “Over the Rainbow’! among others. Carmen Cavallaro:' “Poetry in Ivory” (Decca). The romantic keyboard touch that’s been identi¬ fied with Carmen Cavallaro gets another slick showcasing in this new package. Putting ton stress on the melodic values, Cavallaro leads his orch through a flock of ear-hugging melodies with his piano in the spotlight throughout. Milton DeLugg: “Roll Out the Barrell” (Kapp). Milton DeLugg bills his studio band as “Happy Music” and his repertory includes a flock of barroom and barbershop faves like “Beer Barrel Polka.” “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree,” “The Man on the Flying Trapeze,” etc. There’s an infectious . com¬ munity-sing quality about this set which ought to send it winging commercially. Gros. P'fiftlETY 10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines 1. DON’T BE CRUEL (8) . 2. WALKING IN THE RAIN (3) Elvis Presley . Victor Johnnie Ray . Columbia CANADIAN SUNSET (9) ..j **upo ^j^? rhaHer . ) Andy Williams . Cadence Helmut Zacharias ..... Decca 4. WHEN THE WHITE LILACS BLOOM AGAIN (4) ,....... . - LeRo/nolmes''' 7.1 ‘ MGM Florian Z abach . Mercury HOUND DOG (10) .. .Eltns 'Presley Victor WHATEVER WILL JBE, WILL BE (12) ...... i ! JDoris Day .. Columbia MIRACLE OF LOVE (1) ..,__ . \^ ny £ ib ? on . V .| Eileen Rodgers . Columbia THE GREEN DOOR (1) . JirrC Lowe . Dot TONIGHT YOU BELONG TO ME (4) . Patience & Prudence .. . Liberty ALLEGHENY MOON (15) Patti Page Mercury 5. HOUND DOG (10) . 6. WHATEVER WILL JBE, WILL BE (12) 7. MIRACLE OF LOVE (1) .. 8. THE GREEN DOOR (1) . 9. TONIGHT YOU BELONG TO ME (4) 10. ALLEGHENY MOON (15) HONK TONK Second Group IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE Bill Doggett . King ( Rusty Draper . Mercury | Vaughn Monroe . Victor . FRIENDLY PERSUASION LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AFTER THE LIGHTS GO DOWN LOW . Al Hibbler . YOU DON’T KNOW ME... Jerry Vale . MY PRAYER . Platters . ..< GIVE US THIS DAY. . j on i James . YOU’LL NEVER, NEVER KNOW . Platters . CHAINS OF LOVE . Pat Boone . C Figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 101 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. tFilm. tt TV. Survey Week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4, 1956 Allegheny Moon.:.*.Oxford Baby Doll—t“Baby Doll” .:.Remick By The Fountains of Rome—*“My Fair Lady” .... Chappell Canadian Sunset.Meridian Cindy, Oh Cindy..Marks-B Don’t Be Cruel ...P&S Every Day Of My Life ... Miller Friendly Persuasion—f‘Friendly Persuasion” .Feist Giant—t“Giant” .• .Witmark Happiness Street. ... Planetary I Almost Lost My> Mind.... .St. Louis I Could Have Danced All Night—*“My Fair Lady”'. Chappell I Cry More.Famous Italian Theme ....Maurice . I’ve Grown Accustomed—*“My Fair Lady” .Chappell La La Collette.Criterion Married 1 Can Always Get—tt “Manhattan Tower”. .Leeds Moonglow—t “Picnic” ...Mills My Prayer . . ...Shapiro-B On The Street Where You Live—*“My Fair Lady”. .Chappell Petticoats Of Portugal .Christopher Poor People Of Paris .Connelly Test Of Time .Paramount Tonight You Belong To Me /.BVC True Love—t“High Society” ...Buxton Hill War and Peace—t“War and Peace” . :.... Famous Whatever Will Be, Will Be—t“Man Who Knew” ... Artists When The White Lilacs Bloom Again .Harms Where In The World . % .Broadcast You Can’t Run Away—t“You Can’t Run Away” .. .Col. Pic. You Don’t Know Me.. . ... H&R Top 30 Songs on TV (More In Case of Ties) A House With Love In Tl .Evans Allegheny Moon.... Oxford Big ‘D’—’'“‘Most Happy Fella” ....Frank Bus Stop Song—t“Bus Stop” ...Miller Canadian Sunset .. Meridian Don't Be Cruel .. ...P&S Endless .... t... Vernon Every Day Of .My Life ....*.Miller Happiness Street ...Planetary Hound Dog ...P&L I Ain’t Gonna Worry...Randy Smith I Almost Lost My Mind .St. Louis I Could Have Danced All Night—*“My Fair Lady”.Chappell I Cry More.Famous It Only Hurts For A Little While.Advanced It’s Delightful To Be Married...Marks Listen, My Love..Wdrld Mama, Teach Me To Dance...Roncom Moonglow—t.“Picnic”.Mills Mr. Wonderful—*“Mr. Wonderful”.Laurel My Prayer .Shapiro-B Nobody Loves The Ump—ft “I Love Lucy”.Desilu On The Street Where You Live— ,i, “My Fair Lady”. Chappell Song For A Summer Night.Cromwell Tonight You Belong To Me.BVC True Love—1“High Society” .. Buxton Hill Wait, Little Darling . Mills Whatever Will Be, Will Be—t“Man Who Knew” ... Artists With A Little Bit Of Luck—* “My Fair Lady” ... Chappell Wouldn't It Be Lovely—*“My Fair Lady” .Chappell