Wednesday, May 15, 2013

US vinyl finds

During my US trip I picked up quite a lot of vinyl, mostly 45s, in various record shops and thrift stores. Here are a few of them, most of them unissued at the time in the UK, with Youtube clips where available.
The first two are actually UK issues and I was surprised to find quite a few collectable UK 45s among the many US ones. Two were by the Crests - found in a thrift store in Prattville - and this is one of them: Trouble In Paradise/ Always You, released in 1960. The Crests' biggest US hit was Sixteen Candles, a UK copy of which was also among those I found on the trip.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqQRAv1N7k8
Here's another and, surprisingly for a 45 found in the States, it's by a UK artist and still has its centre. It's Zoot Money's Big Roll Band: Let's Run For Cover/ Self Discipline. Released in 1966.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNapVB9lDbY
Jimmy Jones had huge hits in both the US and UK with Handy Man and Good Timin', yet this double sider (Itchin'/ Ee-I-ee-I-oh), also from 1960 wasn't issued in the UK. Itchin' is just as good as his other falsetto pop hits but doesn't seem to be available on Youtube so here's the B side - his version of Old MacDonald.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTN4BtfXug4
Next it's a big US R and B hit for Eugene Church and the Fellows from 1958 which wasn't released in the UK, despite being a classic. It's Pretty Girls Everywhere/ For The Rest Of My Life. Eugene was previously in the Cliques, along with Jesse Belvin.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SK9DNho23M
Little Willie John was one of the greatest ever R and B singers whose life was cut short when he died in prison in 1968. This one (Leave My Kitten Alone/ Let Nobody Love You) was released in the UK on Parlophone in 1959.  The song was later covered by Johnny Preston and also the Beatles, whose version wasn't issued until the 90s.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmyD2AJIqcU
Here's the man who wrote Leave My Kitten Alone, Titus Turner with an excellent double sider from 1953: Living In Misery/ Big Mary's. He wrote several other great R and B numbers including All Around The World and Stick and Stones and his biggest US hit was We Told You Not To Marry, an answer to Lloyd Price's I'm Gonna Get Married.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvWQVbSGZ6c   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltkopDMHQD8
I don't know much about Bill Darnel, but this late 1950s version of the Billy Ward and the Dominoes number, Sixty Minute Man, (regarded as one of the most important early rock and roll songs), is pretty good.  B side is A Hundred Girls.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK1i9bkSYk0
I couldn't go to New Orleans without picking up some New Orleans R and B, and I had a good look around Jim Russell's Rare Records, which sadly looks as though it will fall down soon, with rain leaking in from at least two places in the ceiling. Here's a slow Eddie Bo song which was successful locally - It Must be Love/ What A Fool I've Been.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHJ7RjW6tM
Here's another New Orleans legend, Chris Kenner, with a follow up to I Like It Like That which is virtually identical. Still good though, and an excellent B side, Johnny Little.  Both are Allen Toussaint creations.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-mA-HQXi_Y   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45l20pYFF1U
Jackie Dee was an early (1957) incarnation of Jackie DeShannon, who had just one release on Gone - the uptempo rockabilly number I'll Be True and the slower How Wrong I Was. She was noticed by Eddie Cochran who teamed her up with Sharon Sheeley as a songwriter, before Jackie went on to greatness.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsURGS2xTbs
The next one is a great rocker from around 1960 by Baby Boy Jennings and the Satellites - Goin' Home/ Little Girl. Seems to have been his only 45.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iiUMJ6pvDo

Finally here is Porretta favourite Sugar Pie DeSanto with Slip-in Mules, a follow up to Tommy Tucker's Hi Heel Sneakers. B side is Mr and Mrs.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ONpPDlF0I

2 Comments:

At 8:41 pm , Blogger Nick said...

I see that DFS is using Chris Kenner's I Like It Like That in their latest TV advert.

 
At 11:34 pm , Anonymous john S said...

Great finds - amazing to get the Zoot Money over there with it's original centre; can't believe they didn't dink it.

 

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