We're the Banana Splits (1969)

How many of you remember "The Banana Splits"? It was a Saturday morning show, and they were made up of Bingo (a gorilla), Fleagle (a beagle), Snorky (an elephant), and Drooper (a lion). They sang, clowned around, and introduced cartoons - "The Arabian Knights", "Danger Island", and "The Three Musketeers".

Well, after years of looking for this LP, I finally bought in on eBay a few years ago, and it was in MINT condition! The record label says it's a "promotional copy - not for sale", so I was even more excited about finally finding it (don't ask me how much I paid for it - I try not to think about how much money I've spent on my various collections). The only song I really remember is "The Tra La La Song", and it's my favorite on the album. I don't remember the rest of the songs, and they sang a little rougher than I remember - not as bubblegum as I thought. But, it brings back pleasant memories of my childhood - sigh. So, here's the entire album for your listening pleasure!

Track listing for We're the Banana Splits:

Side 1:
1. We're the Banana Splits
2. I'm Gonna Find a Cave
3. This Spot
4. Doin' the Banana Split
5. Toy Piano Melody
6. Soul

Side 2:
1. The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)
2. Wait Til Tomorrow
3. You're the Lovin' End
4. In New Orleans
5. Two-Ton Tessie
6. Don't Go Away - Go-Go Girl

Leo Addeo & His Orchestra - More Hawaii in Hi-Fi (1960)

I found this little gem in the 50-cent clearance section at one of our local Half-Price Books stores! I am currently obsessed with anything Hawaiian (check out my Luau Compilation in one of my previous posts), so every time I see an album of Hawaiian music, I just have to buy it. It doesn't matter that I may already have umpteen million versions of the same songs - as long as it's someone different performing them, I'll buy them!

Here's some info about Leo Addeo, courtesy of Space Age Pop:

Leo Addeo - Born October 14, 1914, New York City, New York; Died May 1979, Long Island, New York

Addeo was one of RCA's key house arrangers for most of the 1950s and 1960s. An Italian American from Brooklyn, Addeo's specialty was Hawaiian music. He studied violin as a child, but switched to clarinet and saxophone in his teens when he noticed these instruments were in greater demand for local dance bands. He gradually moved from performing to arranging, working with Gene Krupa, Larry Clinton, and Frankie Carle.

Hugo Winterhalter hired Addeo as an orchestrator and brought him along when he moved to RCA in the early 1950s. Addeo was a steady producer for RCA, backing vocalists such as Vaughan Monroe and Don Cherry, arranging and conducting on numerous credited and uncredited instrumentals, and writing an occasional song. Addeo held down the marimba band corner for RCA's "Living" series, producing a respectable knock-off of Julius Wechter's Baja Marimba Band.

Track Listing for Leo Addeo and His Orchestra - More Hawaii in Hi-Fi:

Side 1:
1. The Sheik of Araby
2. Isle of Paradise
3. Near You
4. Song of India
5. Harbor Lights

Side 2:
1. Third Man Theme
2. Moon of Manakoora
3. To You, Sweetheart, Aloha
4. Song of the Islands
5. Red Sails in the Sunset

Patty Duke Sings Songs from Valley of the Dolls and other selections (1968)

Patty Duke has been one of my all-time favorite actresses for as long as I can remember. You could say that I went through a period when I was pretty much obsessed with her - recording all her movies and her TV show when they came on TV, buying her old record albums (I'm only missing one), and buying various memorabilia such as the Patty Duke Board Game, paper dolls, etc. In trying to decide what to post next, a friend of mine requested that I post this album. So, Bradley, this one's for you!

Liner notes from the album:

What you will hear in this superb collection has been hailed as 'the excited voice of Patty Duke,' which is not, as it sounds, a misnomer, but which is a deliberate way of suggesting that Patty Duke's lustrous, range-rich and expressive voice displays the very essence of excitement itself. Of course, Patty is an exciting singer, but precisely because her voice is excited and emotional and full of action.
The songs themselves are diversified, in keeping with Patty Duke's own wide and considerable talents. The numbers demonstrate the subtle nuances of character, of mood and of motivation, of deep human understanding of the troubled soul who sings them. This is the personality of 'Neely O'Hara' in "Valley Of The Dolls", the destroying and self destructive, self-centered and eruptive singer which Patty Duke portrays with such power and verisimilitude.
The combination of singer and actress is a rarity in show business, as the long history of the musical stage has so often attested. Patty Duke combines both talents in a stirring and striking blend of rare accomplishment. Her achievements as a stage and motion picture actress, crowned with a coveted and much deserved Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Oscar Award for her unforgettable performance as young Helen Keller in 'The Miracle Worker' are well known. If it were at all possible, Patty Duke surpasses herself as Neely O'Hara in "Dolls", and one detects the magic of her talents in the warm modulations of her voice, in the heart-touching airs, the nostalgic themes, and above all, the deeply moving arias which come through.
What impresses above all is the diversity and range of Patty Duke's performance. Here gathered together are different songs which express the gamut of emotions which charge through vibrant and dynamic Neely O'Hara. And different they are, for they exhibit the changing moods of a woman alternately in ecstasy and anguish‹self-pity and romance, bitter cynicism and bright hope, yielding softness and brassy harshness. There are few performers who can offer this gamut of human emotions with such clarity and with such controlled power. Patty Duke has added to her laurels, and added to your entertainment pleasure.

Liner Notes By GENE KELLY

Track listing for Patty Duke Sings Songs from Valley of the Dolls and other selections:

Side 1:
1. It's Impossible
2. Come Live with Me
3. Give a Little More
4. I'll Plant My Own Tree
5. Theme from "Valley of the Dolls"

Side 2:
1. My Own Little Place
2. Half Hearted Kisses
3. Roses are Red (My Love)
4. A Million Things to Do
5. Forever Young
6. Learn to Live with Your Heartbreak

You Are My Sunshine

"You Are My Sunshine" is my very favorite song in the whole wide world. My mom would sing it to me when I was a little kid, and it's one of the first songs to which I learned the words. I had a kids version on Peter Pan Records - a little plastic yellow record, smaller than a 45 but played at 78rpm - that eventually broke or was tossed away. It was a pleasant surprise several years ago when, on an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager", the Doctor and Seven of Nine sang it (if anyone has a copy of their version, I sure would like a copy of it!). It was revived in the 2000 movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (although the movie takes place during the Depression in the 1930s, and the song wasn't actually recorded until about 1940). Most recently, a really cool version by Stine J was played at the end of an episode of "Queer as Folk" and on the soundtrack of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith".

So, because I love this song so much, I decided to create a compilation of just this song sung by as many different artists as I could find. This compilation includes versions by the original, Jimmie Davis (who was later Governor of Louisiana), country versions, jazz versions, children's versions, live versions, and even a punk version by Screaching Weasel. Who knew? Well, I came up with 46 different versions, so I split it up evenly into two zip files to be able to burn them to a couple of CDs. You may be wondering (or not) about the picture I chose. I'll tell you anyway - Stinkerbelle was my adorable little tabby that died in June of liver cancer (I have two other geriatric cats). I always sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her, and I sang it to her as she died. So, I am dedicating this compilation to her, because she was, and forever will be, "my sunshine".

Artists who perform on You Are My Sunshine 1:
1. Albert Ammons & His Rhythm Kings
2. Ames Brothers
3. Bert Kaempfert
4. Bing Crosby
5. Bob Dylan (with Johnny Cash)
6. Bryan White
7. Burl Ives
8. Disneyland Children's Sing-Along Chorus & Larry Groce
9. Firehouse Five Plus Two
10. Gene Harris & Scott Hamilton Quintet
11. Jimmie Davis (the original)
12. Johnny & The Hurricanes
13. Kevin Devine
14. Mills Brothers
15. Mississippi John Hurt
16. Nat King Cole
17. Neil Diamond
18. Norman Blake (from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?")
19. Pete Seeger
20. Ray Charles
21. Rick Nelson
22. Slim Whitman
23. Stine J (from "Mr. and Mrs. Smith")

Artists who perform on You Are My Sunshine 2:
1. Anne Murray
2. Boxcar Willie
3. Carl McVoy
4. Collins Kids (joined by Rosemary Clooney and others)
5. Countdown Kids
6. Delbert McClinton
7. Elizabeth Mitchell
8. Gene Autry
9. Heidi Hauge
10. James Morrison
11. Kitty Kallen
12. Les Elgart
13. Mac Wiseman
14. Mitch Miller
15. Ruby Murray
16. Sara Gazarek
17. Sara Hickman
18. Screaching Weasel
19. Tom Petty
20. Tommy Hunter
21. Trini Lopez
22. Wilf Carter
23. Willie Nelson (with Leon Russell)

Jumpin' Gene Simmons 1933-2006

Rockabilly singer and songwriter Gene Simmons (no, not the long-tongued guy from KISS!) died on Tuesday, August 29, 2006. In his early career, Gene was part of the Sun Records list of stars, which included Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. He later joined the famous Bill Black Combo as their lead singer, until the untimely death of Bill Black. He reached #11 on the Billboard charts in 1964 with his hit "Haunted House". Later he turned his talents to songwriting, including Tim McGraw's first hit in 1994, "Indian Outlaw".
I did find a copy of his hit, "Haunted House", and have posted it for your listening pleasure.
Haunted House

Richard Harris - A Tramp Shining (1968)

Today's offering is Richard Harris' 1968 album "A Tramp Shining", which contains his hit "MacArthur Park". The entire album was written, arranged, and produced by Jimmy Webb. Now, the back of the album says "Richard Harris sings" - well, I suppose I have heard worse. It was actually pretty painful for me to listen to this album, but one of the reasons I like it (and many other albums) is because it is so bad! Yes, yes, I know "MacArthur Park" was a big hit, reaching #2 for Mr.Harris in 1968; but, the song itself is so bad and then to be an even bigger hit ten years later for Donna Summer, reaching #1! I mean, have you really listened to the words? Just the same, I can't help liking it! (FYI - it only reached #38 for the Four Tops in 1971.) And I do like Richard Harris - he was a magnificent actor! Anyway, for all you Richard Harris the SINGER fans, here's "A Tramp Shining". I've got to go now because it's raining here in Dallas, and I think I left my birthday cake out in the rain.....

Track Listing for Richard Harris - A Tramp Shining:

Side 1:
1. Didn't We
2. Paper Chase
3. Name of My Sorrow
4. Lovers Such as I
5. In the Final Hours

Side 2:
1. MacArthur Park
2. Dancing Girl
3. If You Must Leave My Life
4. A Tramp Shining

Maynard Ferguson 1928-2006

Maynard Ferguson, one of the greatest jazz trumpeters, died Wednesday, August 23, after a short illness. Maynard's trademark was the ability to hit really high notes, and he made the pop charts with his Grammy-nominated version of "Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky)". He had recently recorded an album, which will be released later this year. The music world has certainly lost one of its greatest, and music lovers all over will miss him and his talent very much.
For information about Maynard Ferguson, and to listen to some sound clips, visit his official website: www.maynardferguson.com.

Luau Compilation

Today is my birthday! Yep, I am definitely a Leo (if you look closely at my profile picture, you'll see that there's a Leo picture in the girl's room). Since my birthday falls on a Monday this year, I'm not having my birthday party until Saturday, and it's going to be a Hawaiian luau! So, in preparation for the luau, yesterday I spent several hours creating three different compilations of Hawaiian music to play at my party. (I did it the easy way and let iTunes pick the songs for me, so you'll find that there are several songs by the same musicians - iTunes picks randomly.) Anyway, since I'd already created these compilations, I decided to go ahead and post one of them. You'll find some more contemporary Hawaiian songs here (such as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) along with the typical steel guitar type music (Jack DeMello) and even a cute tune from Annette Funicello's "Hawaiiannette" album. Plus, "Hawaii Five-O" is on here! As I said, there's a variety - not just your usual Hawaiian tunes. Hope y'all enjoy it - aloha!

Luau Compilation 1 Track Listing (yes, they're in alphabetical order - I'm funny that way) -

1. Adventures in Paradise - Les Adams & His Fabulous Hawaiians
2. At the Bay of the Rainbows - George Kainapau
3. Beyond the Reef - Jack DeMello
4. Blue Hawaii - Dick Contino
5. Blue Lei - George Kainapau
6. Diamond Head - Dick Contino
7. Far Across the Sea - Alfred Apaka
8. Farewell My Tani - Les Adams & His Fabulous Hawaiians
9. Hawai'i 78 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
10. Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures
11. Hawaii Sang Me to Sleep - Les Adams & His Fabulous Hawaiians
12. Hawaiian Luau - George Kainapau
13. Hawaiian War Chant - Dick Contino
14. Hawaiian Wedding Song - Elvis Presley
15. Kalua Skys - Les Adams & His Fabulous Hawaiians
16. Kauai Beauty - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
17. Lei Aloha - George Kainapau
18. Lei Hana I Ka Makani Ualau'awa - Keali'i Reichel
19. Maui Medley - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
20. On the Beach at Waikiki - Les Adams & His Fabulous Hawaiians
21. Pineapple Princess - Annette Funicello
22. Pua 'Ala Aumoe - Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau
23. That's What the Lei Said to Me - George Kainapau
24. To Make You Love Me, Kuu Ipo - George Kainapau
25. Tropical - Dick Contino
26. Waimea Waltz - Arthur Lyman

Luau Compilation

Eydie Gorme - Amor (1964)

I love Eydie Gorme. I grew up listening to her "Amor" and "More Amor" albums. Every weekend, my mother would play those two albums while she baked or did school work (she was a teacher), and I listened while I played with my Barbies or cut pictures out of teen magazines. When my mother passed away in 1993, I (being an only child) inherited her record collection, thus adding to my own already nice-sized collection. I still listen to these albums, and they bring back wonderful memories of being a little girl with not a care in the world. "Amor" is my favorite of the two, so I am posting it in honor of Eydie's birthday yesterday (August 16). If there is enough interest, I will post the "More Amor" album later.

Track listing for Eydie Gorme - Amor:

Side 1:
1. Piel Canela
2. Y....
3. Nosotros
4. Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado
5. Di Que No Es Verdad
6. Historia de Un Amor

Side 2:
1. Sabor a Mi
2. Amor
3. Noche de Ronda
4. Caminito
5. Media Vuelta
6. La Ultima Noche

Mystic Moods Orchestra - One Stormy Night (1972)

Talk about a productive afternoon! I went to the Half-Price Books store in Richardson on my way home from work and bought ten albums from the clearance bin for 50 cents each! Yowza! Three of the albums were by the Mystic Moods Orchestra - "One Stormy Night", "Emotions", and "Extensions". I got them mostly for their great covers, and was going to post "One Stormy Night" but found that Mr.Lucky already has it posted on his site, along with a nice little write-up. So, if you love Mystic Moods and are looking for "One Stormy Night", you can find it on Mr.Lucky's World of M (link is gone). And please let him know I sent you!

UPDATE on 10/03/08 - by request, I have now posted my own link to this album!

Track Listing for Mystic Moods Orchestra - One Stormy Night:

Side A -
1. A Dream
2. Minstrel Boy
3. Sayonara
4. One Stormy Night
5. In Your Arms

Side B -
1. Fire Island
2. Aja Toro
3. Hot Bagel
4. Local Freight
5. Autumn Leaves

Here are the pictures of the other two Mystic Moods Orchestra albums I bought:

Summer Compilation

Okay! I finally finished my first compilation – a compilation of “summer” songs that hit the Top-40 between 1955 and 1978! Yeah, I know summer is half over – oh, well. There are 28 songs in this compilation and they will all fit on one 80 minute CD. I had a hard time choosing the songs because I have so many summer songs. Finally, I decided to just do songs with “summer” in the title, and only if they had hit the top 40 between 1955 and 1978. Why these dates? They didn’t have Billboard charts before 1955, so I don’t know what songs actually charted – this means that a couple of my favorite songs aren’t on here – and I chose 1978 as the last year to include because I just HAD to include “Summer Nights” from “Grease”, plus I wanted to create a nostalgic feeling. I had two more songs for this compilation, “Summer Rain” by Johnny Rivers and “Summer (The First Time)” by Bobby Goldsboro, but they didn’t fit on the CD when I went to burn it, so I removed them to keep the compilation down to one CD. If anybody wants either of these, I’ll be happy to post them. I also had a song called “Hot Summer Nights” by Night from 1979, but it was more of a hard rock song, so I nixed it. There was one song that I haven’t been able to find, “Summer Set” by Monty Kelly – it reached #30 in 1960. If anyone has it, please let me know!

Here’s the track listing:

1. Theme from ‘A Summer Place” – Percy Faith & His Orchestra - #1 in 1960 (instrumental - the granddaddy of ALL summer songs, if you ask me)
2. Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone - #2 in 1969
3. In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry - #3 in 1970
4. Summer Nights – Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta - #5 in 1978
5. Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer – Nat King Cole - #6 in 1963 (kinda hokey, but it grows on you)
6. One Summer Night – The Danleers - #7 in 1958
7. Song for a Summer Night – Mitch Miller - #8 in 1956 (instrumental)
8. Summertime – Billy Stewart - #10 in 1966 (I could do a couple of CDs just with different versions of this song alone)
9. Soft Summer Breeze – Eddie Heywood - #11 in 1956 (instrumental)
10. That Sunday, That Summer – Nat King Cole - #12 in 1963
11. Here Comes Summer – Jerry Keller - #14 in 1959
12. My Summer Love – Ruby & the Romantics - #16 in 1963
13. Lazy Summer Night – The Four Preps - #21 in 1958
14. Summer Nights – Marianne Faithfull - #24 in 1965 (NOT the same as the one from “Grease”)
15. Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra - #25 in 1966 (what would ANY compilation be without Frank?)
16. Summertime, Summertime – The Jamies - #26 in 1958 AND #38 in 1962
17. Happy Summer Days – Ronnie Dove - #27 in 1966
18. Almost Summer – Celebration (featuring Mike Love) - #28 in 1978 (Does anyone remember this movie? I loved it back then!)
19. Summer Sand – Dawn - #33 in 1971
20. Summer Samba (So Nice) – Walter Wanderley - #26 in 1966 (instrumental)
21. Theme from “Summer of ‘42” – Peter Nero - #21 in 1971 (instrumental)
22. Wonderful Summer – Robin Ward - #14 in 1963 (1963 was a good year for summer songs)
23. Summer’s Gone – Paul Anka - #11 in 1960
24. Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran - #8 in 1958 (the original, and best, version)
25. A Summer Song – Chad & Jeremy - #7 in 1964
26. Summer Breeze – Seals & Crofts - #6 in 1972
27. Summer in the City – The Lovin’ Spoonful - #1 in 1966
28. Summer – War - #7 in 1976

Here’s the link:

Summer Compilation

Links to Others Added

I added links to some of my favorite blogs, so check them out! I've visited all of them and they're all really cool! Unfortunately, one of my favorites, Mondo Daddykin, is no longer around - and he had some GREAT stuff! Anyway, please visit these links - you won't be disappointed!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Stax o' Wax - my new blog dedicated to those wonderful vinyl records of yesteryear! I will be posting records from my personal collection, which includes quite a variety - "oldies" rock, soundtracks, TV-related, easy listening, lounge, exotica, TV and movie actors who recorded albums, and quite a few strange records. I'll also post my own compilations - in fact, my first post will be a compilation that I'm still working on. So, please be patient - I'm a newbie at this. But, I hope you'll enjoy what I have to offer. And I welcome any advice from those of you who have been at this for awhile!