He's In Town

A very youthful Carole King & Gerry Goffin

Someday, with any luck, there will be a really great boxed set anthology of all of the amazing songs written by Carole King & Gerry Goffin that were recorded by other artists. While there are a couple of cd's out there from Ace Records in the UK, it's time that a definitive set was compiled stateside, even though it would probably be a licensing nightmare. In most cases, these were tunes that Goffin & King had no intention of releasing themselves. The songs were written at their day job for the publishing houses in the Brill Building days of the very early 1960's.

This was a time when the Doo-Wop sounds of the 1950's were still alive & well, just prior to the British Invasion. If you're gonna borrow (or steal), do it from a good source and songwriters at the Brill Building were fishing for hits. Today's featured song has a composition structure very similar to any of the hits by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, with a healthy dash of Phil Spector's musical drama thrown in. One could say there's a whiff of the Beach Boys sound present, but it was a bit early for them to have been influential in New York. I do admit that the song is something of an obscurity, but I like the overall sound of it and the mood created by the vocal harmonies inside the chord progression.

The Tokens

I first heard the Goffin-King song "He's In Town" as a cover version by The Rockin' Berries on a British Rock compilation. Turns out that the original American version by The Tokens was one of a few different B-sides of their most famous recording, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". The Tokens' recording has something of the tentative feel of a demo to it, but that has its own charm. The Rockin' Berries' version feels more assured, with lots of cool tropo-surf guitar and replaces the brief but cloying sax solo with simple vocal la-la's. Really, they're the same, just different.

Here's the 1963 version by The Tokens.

And now, here's The Rockin' Berries' recording from October of 1964. This single reached #3 in the UK charts. I've always been amazed by the ability of British musicians to reinvent American music, sell it back to us and have us believe it was their idea all along. Go figure.

By the way, I discovered an interesting footnote regarding The Tokens. Beginning in late 1963, members of The Tokens also began serving as record producers for other artists, working on such classic recordings as "He's So Fine" and "One Fine Day" for The Chiffons, "Denise" by Randy & The Rainbows, and "See You In September" and "I Got Rhythm" by The Happenings. They also ran their own record label, B. T. Puppy Records. Nice bullet points on anyone's resume.

You can find some good stuff at Amazon from both the Tokens and The Rockin' Berries, along with the afore-mentioned Ace compilations of the Goffin-King material. Don't forget to look at the excellent, but out of print series from Rhino, The British Invasion. Have fun shopping!

Kover Albums: Drink A Toast To Innocence

Through the looking glass of Facebook, I've been able to make contact with some musicians & regular fan folks who enjoy a fun musical sub-genre known as Power Pop. Who can resist strong, positive, melodic rock with killer harmonies and more songwriting hooks than a fishing lure? Not me. I'm in!

One day, I happened upon a Facebook page for a concern known as Monsters Of Lite Rock. The page is essentially an ongoing playlist for their favorite songs from the mid to late 1970's when pop singles got a little.. fluffy. Think of groups like Firefall, Little River Band, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Seals & Crofts and The Carpenters, along with the many individual one hit wonders and you'll have a handle on their concept. If there's a radio station in your town with any resemblance to the word 'magic' in their call letters, there's a solid chance it's a lite rock station.

Well, sure enough, the folks at MOLR have decided to produce a full length tribute CD filled with choice cover versions of classic soft rock singles. The title, "Drink A Toast To Innocence" is a nod to a lyric from one the softest of the soft-rockers, Dan Fogelberg. The album is scheduled for release in the spring, so it isn't available quite yet, but so far, the lineup looks like this:

Linus Of Hollywood - "More Than I Can Say" (Leo Sayer)
Vegas With Randolph - "Cool Change" (Little River Band)
An American Underdog - "Thunder Island" (Jay Ferguson)
Eytan Mirsky - "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" (Rupert Holmes)
David Myhr - "The Things We Do For Love" (10cc)

Brandon Schott - "Thank You For Being A Friend" (Andrew Gold)
Mike Viola - "Steal Away" (Robbie Dupree)
The Popdudes - "Magnet & Steel" (Walter Egan)
The Sonic Executive Sessions - "On & On" (Stephen Bishop)
Paul Bertolino - "Just Remember I Love You" (Firefall)
Willie Wisely - "So Into You" (Atlanta Rhythm Section)
Throwback Suburbia - "I Love You" (Climax Blues Band)
The Davenports - "Just When I Needed You Most" (Randy VanWarmer)

And that's just who's in so far. Apparently, there will be a bunch more. If the names of the artists doing the covers aren't familiar to you yet, please trust me, they're all really great! There aren't any audio samples out yet, but I do have a K-Tel inspired video preview for you, direct from MOLR and it's pretty darn snappy. Enjoy!

If the rest of the album is half as good as these teasers, it'll be a must-add to the Phillydog's Kovers Kollection! I don't know yet if the album is going to be available on vinyl, but if it were, I'd be really happy about that. I have doubts that we'll see 8 tracks or cassettes though.

I'll put up a post on the Kool Kovers Facebook page when I hear about a solid release date. By the way, if you visit that page and "Like" it, you'll get a notification whenever there's a new post on this blog! So please head on over and do so. Sure would appreciate it. Thanks!

Anyway, now that you've had a proper introduction, here's a YouTube link to a bonus full-length video from the album! It's Australia's finest, Michael Carpenter, with his awesome cover of Cliff Richard's 1979 hit, "We Don't Talk Anymore". Crank this one up! I seriously think this version is way better than the original.

Hitchin' A Ride

During a recent conversation with a friend regarding some of the so-called 'soft pop' vocal groups of the 1960's and early '70's like The Association and The Free Design, the oft-heard lament of "nobody sounds like that anymore" came up. Well, maybe someone does and that someone is The Explorers Club.

I have to say right up front that their album, "Grand Hotel", has become one of my favorites over the last year. Don't let the worn, retro cover art fool you, it's a 2012 release. Happily, the band has progressed from doing stunningly accurate recreations of The Beach Boys post-surf, cars 'n girls sound on their first album, "Freedom Wind", which was absolutely great in lots of ways but also potentially a trap that could have impeded the band's artistic progress.

Explorers Club founder Jason Brewer says this about his hopes for the album. “We really want this record to make a lot of people smile; to inject some positivity into the world. Let’s stop making things so serious and introspective and get away on a musical vacation so we can bring a little bit of joy to people.” To illustrate Brewer's point, here's an early mix of "Run Run Run". I do hear a bit of the 5th Dimension in the intro. It sets the mood nicely.

During his college years, when Brewer and a friend found themselves in an Atlanta studio with plans to record their tune "Forever", he thought, "Wouldn’t it be fun to make something that sounded like Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Bones Howe and all those great ’60s producers? At the time, I was into ’90s groups like Apples in Stereo, who were doing ’60s-type stuff, but it was all so lo-fi."

Posting "Forever" online, Brewer got significant and encouraging feedback, which led to him seeking and finding the like-minded musicians who would comprise The Explorers Club. Regarding the band name, Brewer says "I was a big fan of that Wes Anderson film 'The Life Aquatic' and there’s a scene in it where Bill Murray goes into a bar feeling all depressed, thinking, 'My life is a mess. What am I gonna do?' and my thought, seeing 'Explorers Club' written on the wall, was 'That sure is a cool name for a band!'" The handle suitably described what listeners heard on "Freedom Wind"; a dozen fresh songs that evoke the bracing spirit of classic pop-rock, performed by a young band with a distinct personality and an inexhaustible supply of singing, playing and arranging chops.

The Explorers Club

Recording of what was to become "Grand Hotel" commenced in 2009, but the album’s conception and considerable birth pains preceded it by several months. "After we toured behind 'Freedom Wind' and got a good response," explains Brewer, "I went to our label at the time and said, 'I have a concept for the next record. I want it to be like a musical vacation, a kind of travelogue, like you’re checking into a hotel that’s filled with all these interesting activities, feelings and emotions.'" The label picked up the travel brochure but never really got on board for the trip Brewer had planned. A modest recording budget was allotted, which went fast. Sessions bogged down as "Grand Hotel" turned into a band-financed venture. The Explorers Club finally purchased the in-progress project from the label, then contacted respected music industry veteran Marc Nathan (already a big fan of "Freedom Wind"), who suggested fixes to songs, helped tighten the album’s programming and put the band together with mixing engineer Mark Linett, best known for his work on The Beach Boys "Smile Sessions" and "Pet Sounds" reissues.

Now complete and ready for release, "Grand Hotel" was issued by Rock Ridge Music in February 2012. To prepare for its arrival, fans were treated to three downloadable EP “suites” (designated “Californian,” “Carolinian,” and “New Yorker”), each bundled with a pair of early demo mix versions of songs from the album and 3 lively covers of pop classics! The EP's are still available, but only from iTunes.

First, there's a cover of the Burt Bacharach classic, "Walk On By" from the Californian EP. Next, there's the Classics IV hit, "Stormy", from The Carolinian EP. Lastly, from the New Yorker EP, we change gears to "Hitchin' A Ride", the 1970 Vanity Fare pop hit, which we present here! I think they nailed it.

Seriously, "Grand Hotel" is a Grammy-worthy stunner. It's a great leap forward from the already impressive "Freedom Wind" album and it indicates that The Explorers Club have the imagination and abilities to go just about wherever they please and take the rest of us along for the ride. Ready to check in? Do so at The Explorers Club website, where you can buy direct from from the band (yes, they have vinyl!) or there's the usual Amazon method. Either way, you'll be glad you did.

The Twist

This song is a "Kover Klassic" if there ever was one. "The Twist" is one of the very first rock 'n roll records I ever remember hearing. My parents had this single, but I think I played it more than they did. They would have been around the age of 40 at that time, so I'm guessing my Dad got it for a party they were having. This picture sleeve is the one I remember from the 1962 re-release.

In September of 1960, Chubby Checker had his biggest success ever when his recording of "The Twist" hit #1 on the national Billboard Charts. Fifteen months later, Parkway Records re-released the record. By January of 1962, it was on the top of the charts again! This feat has been duplicated only one other time, by Bing Crosby's "White Christmas".

A 78rpm copy of The Twist from 1956

In 1958, Philadelphia TV personality, Dick Clark heard Hank Ballard’s original version of "The Twist" that had appeared on the B-side of Hank Ballard’s single “Teardrops On Your Letter”. Ballard’s version of "The Twist" had become a major hit on the airwaves two years earlier. Ballard had been inspired to write the song after noticing the twisty moves of his background singers.

Chubby Checker & Dick Clark, 1960

Clark also noticed how the Philly kids on his show danced in a unique way to Ballard’s song. Although Clark liked the song and was intrigued by the dance move, Clark felt that Ballard’s band, The Midnighters, were a bit too mature and inappropriate for Clark’s younger audience, and for their parents in particular. Clark then approached Philadelphia’s Cameo/Parkway record label and asked that they record a new version of The Twist using an artist more palatable to the younger generation. The label hired session singer and part-time chicken plucker(!) Ernest Evans (who was renamed Chubby Checker by Clark as a riff on Fats Domino's name), to remake the song applying his own personal style to the song. Evans had already demonstrated his talent for copying other artists on another minor hit of his, 1959’s "The Class". However, the Chubby Checker remake sounded so close to the original that according to the New York Times, "even Mr. Hank Ballard thought it was his own version the first time he heard it on the radio."

So now, you be the judge! Here's the original recording by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters. Everybody twist!

Now, here's the Chubby Checker version. There are subtle differences in the groove on this one. It's more of a straight 4 feel and swings less than Ballard's take. Fairly sure a female backing vocal part was added too.

There's a really great Hank Ballard "Best of" disc out there that was part of Rhino's excellent King Master Series of great R&B artists like Little Willie John, Roy Brown, The 5 Royales, Wynonie Harris and others. King Records was an indie label out of Cincinnati in the '50's that may have served as the model for Atlantic Records in the '60's. Treat yourself to a few of the King Masters at Amazon and put the roll back in your rock!

Chubby Checker's original recording of "The Twist" was only recently made available again due to 2 things: the passing of legendary music business shark, Allen Klein, and the long overdue licensing by Klein's company, ABKCO, of the master recordings of the Cameo/Parkway labels, which ABKCO owned. All Chubby Checker recordings of "The Twist" that you've heard on the radio or seen in stores all these years have been remakes! You can now have the real deal. For those of you interested in Philadelphia rock 'n roll history, the Cameo/Parkway Greatest Hits disc is a must! Even if you're not a Philly kid, it's still great stuff. There's a sweet Cameo/Parkway box set that's still out there too, if you've gotta have it all.