Variety (July 1958)

54 MUSIC Pfint&fr Wednesday, July - 9, 1958 Jocks, Jlikes and Disks .By HERM SCHOENFELD■ Perry Como (RCA Vi ct o r): •‘MOON TALK” (Roncom*), a lightly swinging ballad which; re¬ turns to the idiom of “Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes/’ looks like another big one for Perry Como. “BEATS THERE A HEART SO TRUE” (Kabl*> is a lovely ballad also with solid chances. Jonah Jones Quartet (Capitol): “Slowly But Surely” (Massey**, a jumping tune, makes a standout showcase for this slick swinging foursome featuring Jonah Jones of “CARAMBA” (Unartt) is an okay Latinized entry also spotlighting a flute lead. Maxine Daniels (Trend): “A FOGGY DAY” (Gershwin*), the standard, gets another good work¬ out, including the verse, by this British songstress. “SOMEBODY ELSE IS TAKING MY PLACE” (Shapiro-Bernstein*) is. another standard handled in straightfor¬ ward style, with choral backing. Don Costa: Orch (ABC-Para- moiint): “ALMOST IN . YOUR ARMS” (Paramount*) from the PERRY COMO.. (RCA Victor),. JONAH JONES QUARTET.. (Capitol).............,...... JILL COREY, .i....... . ..... (Columbia)............... DICK ROMAN... (MGM) .. .... GOGI GRANT... RCA Victor). . ...... ...... . V: MOON TALK .....: .Beats There A Heart. So True ... . . .,.. SLOWLY BUT SURELY .... Ballin' The Jack / .WHEREFORE ART THOU ROMEO ....... ...Big Daddy .... ;. . VAGABOND SHOES ........ Love Is a Many-Splendoured Thing _ STRANGE ARE Tift WAYS OF LOVE ...... 1................. Marjoiaina muted trumpet. “BALLIN'. THE JACK” (Marks*), the oldie, also gets a cracker jack ride due for plenty of spins. Jill C o r e y (Colu mb i'aV: “W H E R E FORE ART THOU ROMEO” (Korwin*), a clever blend of the Bard and the big beat, gets a click reading by Jill Corey. “BIG DADDY’ (Empress*) is an okay bluesy side. Dick Roman (MGM>: “VAGA¬ BOND SHOES” (Jefferson**, a solid piece of material, is an excel- lent showcase for this singer whose clear belting style has definite im¬ pact. “LOVE IS A M AN Y-SPLEN- DORED THING” (Miller**, the Oscar-Winning pie song of a few years ago, gets an all-out roman¬ tic workout. Gogi Grant (RCA-* Victor):. “STRANGE ARE THE WAYS OF LOVE”. (Feist*), from the film, “The Young Land,” is a western- tinged ballad in the groove . of “The Wayward Wind,” which launched Gogi Grant several years ago. “MARJOLAINA” (Bourne*) is a pleasing number with a. Latin flavor. Betty Madigan (Coral): “DANCE EVERYONE DANCE” (Bourne*), based on an Israeli melody, is zest¬ fully delivered by Betty Madigan for strong impact. “MY SYM¬ PHONY OF LOVE” (Rhyme Sc Rhythm*) is a good big ballad with a beat. Eddy Arnold (RCA Victor): “THE DAY YOU LEFT ME" (Hill & Range*), a folk-styled song with an above-par lyric, gets one of Eddy Arnold’s easy, assured vocals for neat results. “REAL LOVE” (Aquff-Rose*) is another good folk number that, makes for pleasing listening. Royal Teens (ABC-Paramount): “HARVEY’S GOT A GIRL FRIEND" (Admiration!) is a cute rocking item belted by this combo for good returns among the kids. “HANGIN’ AROUND” (Admira¬ tion*) is an okay slow-tempoed bal¬ lad, in the current genre. Les Baxter Orch: “LOVE SONG FROM ‘HOUSEBOAT’ ’• (Famous*;, a pic song with a lilting melody, is framed in a slick orch and choral arrangement for solid change-of- pace programming. “LILY OF LAGUNA” (Mayfair*) is a pleasing oldfashioned-type rhythm song. Eddie Lawrence (Coral): “THE GOOD OLD DAYS” (Merrick** is another firstrate comedy produc¬ tion by Eddie Lawrence whose sa¬ tirical approach sustains a consis¬ tently high disk average. . “THE HI-FI BLUES” (Merrick*) is a broad thrust at the hi-fi movement, Rollo & Bolliver (MGM): “MIL¬ DRED. OUR CHOIR DIRECTOR” (Trinity** is an offbeat comedy disk with narration in heavy Eng-; lish accent punctuated by some bloodcurdling, screams. It’s weird enough to catch on. “THE HOOBA- SCHNOB MACHINE” (Trinity** is a les* successful saga.. Saiu Samson (Verve):. “RO¬ MANI” (Shapiro-Bernstein*), a fine ballad Importation, is colorfully belt by Sam Samson, Who sounds tike « cros.v between Satchmo and Louis Prim.*-:, with Floyd Green's tombo backing up. “SQUEEZE ME PRETTY MAMA” (B1EM) isjai fast- t?mpeed jazz-rocker. The Windsors (United Artists): “SAKt ROCK” (Unart*) registers as an- attractive rocking instru¬ mental with some jungle reffects. Par “Houseboat” pic, is shaped into a highly pleasing instrumental slice via an arrangement fpr solo trumpet with orch. “BING, BANG, BONG’ ’(Paramount*), from . the same film, is a melodic novelty idea handled by chorus. Rosemarie McCoy (Coral): “RE¬ MEMBERING” (Skidmore*), a fine ballad with a good beat, is stylish¬ ly delivered by this songstress for strong impact. “JOY AND JUBI¬ LATION” (Shapiro-Bernstein*) is a colorful revivalist-type entry. .. The Gum ’'Drops (Coral): “MY OWN TRUE LOVE” (Remick*), ■ a big ballad, turns up. in a good, mod¬ erately rocking version by this male combo. “ON THE WINGS OF THE WIND” (Cornell*) is an¬ other classy number which this group harmonizes effectively,. Dannie Mason (Crystalette): “KINDA LIKE LOVE” (Ranger*) is an okay rocking ballad nicely de- livered. “CONSIDERATION” (Ranger*) is a wordy number.. Dakota Staton (C a p it o 1): “BLUES IN MY HEART” (Goth¬ am*), a.legit blues tune,: gets a savvy workover from this expert songstress. “CONFESSIN' THE. BLUES” (Leeds*) is another solid blues entry. Both sides are from Miss Staton’s “in the Night”, album. The .Charades (United Artists): “SHANG LANG A DING DONG” (Atlantic*) is a routine rocking en¬ try with repetitive nonsense lyrics. “MAKE ME HAPPY BABY” (Atr lantic*) is a cute uptempo slice in the same idiom. The Five Keys (Capitol*: “EMILY PLEASE” (Bourne**, a slow rocking ballad with a dliched lyric, gets a good workover by this c o m b o and its . lead . tenor. ‘‘HANDY ANDY” (Kahl*) is an¬ other familiarly styled rocker. BUly Robbs A The Chips (Edison- International): “SHIM . SHAM” (Milbee*) is a snappy, rhythm side with a lyric that features some more of. those nonsense syllables so widely used currently. “TEEDLE DE BUM BUM” (Milbee*) switches the syllables, but it’s in . the same groove. Randy Sparks (Verve): “THE HANGMAN” (Sparrow*) is a ma¬ cabre number with limited pop ap¬ peal, but folksinger Randy Sparks delivers it with dramatic force. “DOWN THUNDER ROAD” (Spar¬ row*) is an okay folksy rhythm tune. • The Excels. (Central>: * “BABY DOLL” (Newkirk!) is a standard- cutf rocking item done in the usual harmony style by this combo. “YOU’RE MINE FOREVER” (New¬ kirk*) is a slow ballad effectively projected by the lead tenor of this group. *ASCAP. tBMI. Anne Francis Suing Safari Label on Pad Los Angeles, July 8. Anne Francis has brought breach - of - contract suit against Safari Record Co., asking $10,800 damages and declaratory relief to determine rights .. of a contract inked in 1957. In Superior Court action actress asserts she was to make 16 re¬ cordings under pact,. and waxed four sides. She declares Safari hasn’t either released recordings or been abie to obtain masters now held by Capitol Records, which as- sertedly is holding, them because Safer! hasn't yet. paid certain fees due for using Capitol facilities. .• Even though Safari hasn’t ful¬ filled its obligation to her, accord¬ ing to actress, diskery maintains she is still bound to firm by her contract, arid she is unable to seek record deal' elsewhere. Van CUbura: Tchaikovsky Con¬ certo No. 1 (RCA Victor). This is one disk that’s surefire to sweep across any barriers between the longhair arid pop markets. Playing the work which copped: the head- ; line-making prize in the recent Moscow Competition, Van Cliburn reveals a commanding power of the keyboard in a sharply etched disk performance under the baton of the Russian maestro, Kiril Kon r drashin, ThisLP by Cliburn, who’s how as much a household name in his own way as Elvis Presley, could be the first to accomplish What Presley; did in the pop field— namely be the first single package by a longhair artist to sell 1,000,- 000 copies. The fact that this parr ticular work of Tchaikovsky , con¬ tains the theme which was adapted into the pop song, “Tonight We Love,” will help make this a mass culture commodity. “The Vikings” (United Artists). Scored by the Italian composer, Mario Nascimbene, the soundtrack from “The Vikings” shapes as a vigorous, colorful work. While the music is heavily dependent bn the visual image,' the sock b.o. im¬ pact of the film should give this set a wide play among.the film’s customers. Langston Hughes: “The Weary Blues” (MGM). The poetry-with- jazz kick, which bowed in the more esoteric night spots, has now spread to wax. In this package, poet Langston Hughes reads a group of his works, some of which are in a blues. pattern, to some swinging arrangements played by a topflight jazz crew including Red Allen, Vic Dickenson, Sam Taylor and the Horace Parian Quintet. There’s nothing self-consciously precious about it; it hits straight from the shoulder. Bobby Hackeit: “Don’t Take Your Love From Me” (Capitol*. Bobby Hackett’s lucid horn, which was so successfully featured in the series of Jackie Gleason albums, here takes over the topline spot in a program of lush instrumentals with incidental choral effects. Hackett’s trumpet works on 'such numbers as the-title song, “The Thrill Is Gone,” “Wonderful One,” “Ziguener,” “Softly As A Morning Sunrise” and others. David Terry’s orch backs up. “Roger Williams Plays Gersh¬ win” (Kapp). Roger Williams, a concert' pianist with a lush pop style, turns up with a solidly com¬ mercial set in this meeting with the works of the late George Gershwin, a pop songwriter with longhair aspiration. Williains gives a strong, clear reading to the “Rhapsody Jn Blue” on one side, supported by the Symphony of the Air,. and completes the package with a set of Gershwin standards, including “Liza” and “I Got Rhythm,” backed by the Marty on 1. PURPLE PEOPLE EATER (5) 2. YAKETY YAK (4> . 3. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM (6) 4. SECRETLY (3) ..... 5. HARD HEADED WOMAN (1) 6. POOR. LITTLE FOOL (1) ..... .v.Y. 7. PATRICIA (2) 8. BIG MAN (4) 9. GOT A MATCH (1) Y .........v,,.,. 10 ENCHANTED ISLAND (1) Second Group RETURN TO ME . . ... ...V; LEFT OUT OF YOUR HEART JENNIE LfeE SPLISH SPLASflt . FOR YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE SUGAR MOON . ; ........ TWILIGHT TIME . ......... '.vJ.; YOU NEED HANDS ... .. ♦ DO YOU WANNA DANCE .... \ ..,:. f rebel rouser ... •,... ; {Figures in parentheses indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 101 4 A A A J ▲ AAA_A rf T ft VTVT1 Gold orch. . It’s another bestseller, for Williams/ Margaret Whiting: “Margaret” (Dot). A slick pop stylist, Margaret Whiting shows a highly pleasing bucolic side in this package. With persuasive sincerity, she works 1 through a Sheaf of hits, some of them from, the country field, in-, eluding “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “Half As . Much," “Tennessee Waltz,” “Cold, Cold Heart” and others. Milt Rogers orch backs up ably. Frank Comstock Orch: “Pat¬ terns” (Columbia). Frank Corn- stock is an arrahger-coriductor who likes to find a “pattern’’ to any tune he tackles. Fortunately for the listener, liis “patterns” never stray far afield and make each , number something that can be heard, over and over again. The Comstock “pattern” in this pack¬ age is on swing and with a songbag filled with such as “Love Is Just Around The Corner,” “Sing Some¬ thing Simple,” “Small Fry” and “Spmetirries I’m Happy,” it turns out as a scintillating set.. Lola. Fisher: “From Here To Yonder” (Cadence!. Lola Fisher, the songtress who replaced Julie Andrews iri the Broadway “My Fair Lady” cast, here showcases her lyrical: pipes Ori a fine program of ballads written, by Noel and Gloria Regneys. Some of the tunes . have an arty flavor, but others are in the traditional folk style, stands . outs being “When I Go To Meet My Love,” “Sunday Is A Walking Day,” “What Shall I Dream This Morning” and “Sad Today Smile Tomorrow.” Ted Brown Sextet: “Free Wheel¬ ing” (Vanguard). Ted Brown, on tenor sax, is heading a sharp mod¬ em combo featuring another ten- ornian, Wayne Marsh, and Art Pep¬ per on alto. ■ The saxes play inven¬ tively in their solo takeoffs,; It’s cool stuff but with a good swinging beat in which there’s a feeling of genuine spontaneity. Ronnie BalL on piano; Ben Tucker, on bass, an<f Jeff; Morton, ori drums, complete the sextet. Orson Welles: “No Man Is An Island” (Decca). Orson Welles re¬ cites. a collection of historically famous addresses in restrained, but compelling, style. Included are Lincoln’s‘Gettysburg Address. Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death- speech, Emile- Zola’s plea for Cap¬ tain Dreyfus, . and speeches by Pericles, John Browri, Daniel Web¬ ster and John Donne’s sermon from, which the title of this set was taken. A1 Nevins Orch: “Dancing With The Blues” (RCA Victor). A1 Nev¬ ins, formerly of the Three Suns,, has carved out a new career as batonist of big band instrumental packages. Setting fiddles in fresh sounding arrangements, Nevins has come up with another smart set framed around a blues theme. Numbers range from “Wang Wang Blues” to “What Is This Thing. Called LoVe,” including some orig¬ inals by the arranger, Charles Al- bertfnse. Whelan Tyme: “8 To The Bar” (United Artists), A flashback to the boogie-woogie vein, which has not been intensively exploited of late, is given by pianist Whelan. Tyriie a midwest pianist who knows his way around a keyboard, Tyme hits hard with a jumping, toe-tap¬ ping sound on a group of standards like “Marie,” “Margie,” “Dolores.” etc., all of which are pegged to a girl’s name. An eye-catching photo on the cover of eight lookers draped around a bar is a definite plus. Alfred Apaka & The Hawaiian: “Dreams of the South Seas” (Uran¬ ia). A top exponent of Hawaiian music, Alfred Apaka dishes Up a set of island folksongs in tradition¬ al style iri this package. The selec¬ tions are generally familiar, con¬ taining such Hawaiian oldies ps “Aloha Oe,” “Across The Sea,” “Son of the Island,” “To You, Sweetheart, Aloha”, among others. “Johnny Green An The Holly¬ wood Sound Stage” (MGM). Com¬ poser-conductor Johnny Green, who recently existed the Metro lot as general musical director, has compiled a musical anthology of some top film themes in this inter¬ esting package. Included are Green’s own works for such films as “Raintree County” and “Every-- thing I Have Is Yours”; Bronislau Kaper themes from “The PoWer arid The Prize,” “The Glass Slip-, per,” “Lill” and “Invitation”; Ler- ner Sc Loewe’s. “Heather on The Hill” from “Brigadoon”; Cole Porter’s “Silk Stockings”; and Gershwin’s “American in Paris,”, the latter, being a specially edited version taken the pic soundtrack. Herm.