Playing right now: Hank Mobley and His All Stars
(When I first started this blog I was on a Hank kick, but it's actually been awhile since I pulled this album out. Still sounds hot.)
Damn, it's after 2 a.m. The wife is out of town and I just got back from karaoke a little bit ago. And wouldn't you know it, the phone started ringing no more than 2 seconds after I got in the door. That was a good thing. I was hoping I'd talk to her tonight. She's in DC for a conference. I have the house to myself (w/the cats) until Friday when I head down there.
There were estate sales on Friday (!) and Saturday that both lead me to some goodies. On Friday there was one out in Oakdale, which is south, kind of far out there. The house was in the middle of this pre-fab village that was probably the site of a forest 20 years ago. At first all I was finding among the records were musicals and radio shows. Then I pulled out a copy of the Electric Company album, the soundtrack to Exodus, the soundtrack to a movie called The Interns which looks like a stag movie or some sensationalist thing to make you think about letting it all hang out, Frank Sinatra's The Voice (6-eye Columbia label) and.......the real treasure among the bunch....the Music Explosion's Little Bit of Soul album.....SEALED!!
The husband hosting the sale worried me because when I first came up he said he'd give me a deal on all the records, about 200 total. So when I pulled 5 I wondered how much he'd want. Three bucks. Ha cha.
And, 2 days after I got a package of record mailers that I had ordered, this guy had 25 more that he sold to me for about 1/5 of what I paid for the others. All this and I still made it to work on time.
On Saturday there was an estate sale across the street from the former church that I grew up in. (It's now a Jewish senior retirement home and prior to becoming that, it was used for the set of Sharon Stone's lame remake of Diabolique. ) It stated at 9 and I couldn't have walked in later than 9:01 only to see a guy with John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band album under his arm. And a customer I recognized from work was walking around with some albums under his arm. There were a few in a cabinet upstairs but more downstairs. I rummaged through both sets and found some weird stuff:
* The soundtrack to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg which includes a color book with it
* This is My Beloved, which I bought mainly because it was on an original Atlantic label. It's music and narrative I think, based on the book by Walter Benton.The cover looks more like it should be called This is the Woman I'm stalking since there's a doll (dame, that is) in capris and a sleeveless top opened to the midriff, and she's leaning against a wall like the cat in the Pepe le Pew cartoons. Off to the left is a guy w/his back to the camera, holding his arms out like, "'eh! C'mere!"
* Les Baxter's La Femme, played by Franck Pourcel. Too muzaky but cool cover of a nude posed all arty-like
* Sim Shalom - Jazz Rock Service. I don't know either, but it was recorded in Pittsburgh in 1970 at Rodef Shalom
* Harold Betters- On Your Account. 2LP put out by Dollar Savings Bank, hence the bad pun in the name. Would First National ever do something like this these days??
* Duke Ellington Presents. '80s Japanese reissue of a so-so album on Bethlehem.
* Adlai Stevenson - The Man, the Candidate the Statesman.
* A Treasury of Ribaldry - Readings by Martyn Greene. It's on Riverside, Monk's label, so that's where the appeal lies.
* Julie London-Calendar Girl.
* Frank Sinatra - Where are You?
* George Shearing Quintet - When Lights ARe Low. This is some of his best early stuff.
* An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer
* Patsy Abbott _ Have I Had You Before. On Chess Records and autographed.
* Threep[enny Opera . Sealed.
* Nat "King" Cole - St. Louis Blues
* A sort-of lame 70s Sammy Davis Jr. comp that you could order off of tv. It's lame because there are remakes of tunes like "WHat Kind of Fool Am I" but it DOES have "Shaft" on it. Same won't do the "bad mother-shut your mouth" schtick but he does keep referring to Shaft as a black dick.
Everything was in incredible shape. After about the 5 minute record, I just figured everything was cool.
I had a 7" copy of Pearl Bailey sings for Adults but I must've put it down at the sale because I totally forgot about it until last night. And it wasn't with my purchases.
But that whole booty only ran me $10. I could've paid $16 for as many records but there were "make an offer" signs all over the place, so I did and they said yes.
I have to work the closing shift tomorrow at work, something I never do. I'm going to sign off but I know I'll be online for awhile, dawdling.
Remind me to write about last night's Amoeba Knievel gig next time.
That Umbrellas of Cherbourg soundtrack is totally marvy. How many discs is it? I have a 2CD set, seems like that'd be a bit much to put on a vinyl release.
ReplyDeleteThat Umbrellas of Cherbourg soundtrack is totally marvy. How many discs is it? I have a 2CD set, seems like that'd be a bit much to put on a vinyl release.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to it now. The opening track was pretty jazzy and swinging. Now it's on the "In Front of the Store" track, which seems a little more operatic.
ReplyDeleteIt's only about an hour, with both sides, so you must have more stuff on it. I've never seen the movie because it looked hokey when I saw a preview of it (it was remastered sometime w/in the last 10 years).
Have you ever heard "The young girls of Roquefort" or something like that? Deneuve was in that too and Legrand did the music. I had the soundtrack for awhile but only listened to the first record (it had 2 LPs) and eventually sold it. I liked it but never played it.
I think the edition I have is the entire soundtrack to the film. Which I love, incidentally. Yes it looks a bit hokey, but it has the same kind of thing that Help! had - that ultra-saturated color that makes you think - wow, the early sixties must have been immense. In my mind, 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is an art-house version of Cliff Richard's 'The Young Ones,' - and as such is unassailable.
ReplyDeleteAnyway - the soundtrack: the vocals can get a bit shrill at times, but I just like the conceit of a movie in which every single line of dialogue is sung. And of course it has an absolutely dymamite signature tune in "I Will Wait For You" - Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, Chris Montez, Andy Williams, Astrud Gilberto - I don't think I've ever heard a version of that song that I didn't adore.
Never seen 'The Young Girls of Roquefort,' but I will seek it out now that you've mentioned it.
Apropos of nothing: what's your opinion of Sinatra's "Watertown"?
It's funny, I recognized the song "Watch What Happens" (the other recurring melody) because Sergio Mendes, Sinatra and Joe Negri all covered it) but it took me a verse or two to place "I Will Wait for You." But it's true, it's a good song, and one covered by many.
ReplyDeleteWatertown: It's okay. I remember my folks had an 8-track tape of it. And "SOunds of Sinatra" the Frank-centric show that used to be on WJAS-AM, used to feature songs from it. If you're interested, there's a copy of it at the S. Side Goodwill. Or there was a couple weeks ago. But wait, your turntable needs a new belt or something, right? Oh forget it, you're all ipod/future ways of listening, aren't ya?