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Dismuke's Hit Of The Week
Previous Selections
June 2005




June 23, 2005
 



This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
B & O Railroad - Click On Image For Larger View
(Click On Image For Larger View)
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
(From 1931 ad)


 
 
 

Perfect label - 1930





What Do I Care?Click on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Imperial Dance Orchestra
Rodman Lewis, vocal                             1930
(Perfect 15274 B mx 9298)
 

Just Can't Be Bothered With MeClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Bert Lown And His Biltmore Hotel Orchestra                       
Buddy Blue, vocal                                 1930
(Perfect 15274 mx 9323)
 

This week's selections come from some of my recent acquisitions of records from the old Perfect label.  I have always enjoyed finding Perfects because I think the artwork with the two worshipping ladies kneeling down before the sun made it one of the more attractive record labels.   Unfortunately, the company's recording techniques were often far from being "perfect."

These first two selections I think are excellent examples of very early 1930s dance band music which was still under the "hot" jazz influence of the "Roaring '20s."   By 1933, many dance bands had adopted a much smoother and more "mellow" sound. 

The Imperial Dance Orchestra in this week's selection was a recording pseudonym for Adrian Schubert and his Salon Orchestra.  Other bands recorded under the pseudonym as well, most notably the California Ramblers.  Schubert was a Musical Director for the Plaza Music Company which produced a number of record labels such as Banner, Regal and Domino.  His output for Plaza was very prolific.    When Plaza merged with Cameo Records (which had previously acquired Perfect and its parent label, Pathe) in 1929  to form the American Record Corporation Schubert continued to record for the new company before moving to the newly formed Crown label in 1930.

I am very fond of this recording of "What Do I Care?" and think it is a very catchy tune.  This particular recording was also issued in Britain on the Imperial label.  Perhaps because the label was called "Imperial"  the pseudonym used on the British release was the Hollywood Dance Orchestra.   "Rodman Lewis," the vocalist, was also a pseudonym.  The actual vocalist was Harold "Scrappy" Lambert. 

Bert Lown and His Biltmore Hotel Orchestra was an actual band which appeared at New York's Biltmore Hotel from late 1929 though the summer of 1932.  The band achieved brief popularity on the strength of a hit recording of one of Lown's own compositions, "Bye Bye Blues."   Until he began recording for Victor in September 1930,  Lown was not under contract with any particular label.  In January 1930, for instance, the same month  that it recorded this Perfect issue for the American Record Corporation,  Lown's band also made records for Columbia's subsidiary label Harmony and for Hit of the Week. 

The actual vocalist on "Just Can't Be Bothered With Me" was Smith Ballew.   At the time, Ballew's dance band was under exclusive contract with the Okeh label.   Since Ballew was very much in demand as a studio vocalist,  he continued to accept work for other record  labels recording under the name "Buddy Blue."   Smith Ballew was recently profiled in my May 26, 2005 update. 
 

The Peanut VendorClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Don Carlos And His Rumba Band           1930
(Perfect 15401-A mx 110316)
 

Sweet AmoritaClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Don Carlos And His Rumba Band           1930
(Perfect 15401-B mx 110286)
 

"The Peanut Vendor" ("El Manisero"} was one of the songs that helped spark the 1930s Latin music craze in the United States.    The tune was composed by Havana pianist Moisés Simóns in 1928 and became very popular in Cuba.   The song was popularized in the United States by Cuban bandleader  Don Azpiazu with English lyrics by his sister-in-law  Marion Sunshine, and Wolfe Gilbert.  The song is still performed by a variety of artists even today. 

Unlike "The Peanut Vendor" Don Carlos and His Rumba Band was anything but Cuban.  The band's name was a recording pseudonym for the Lou Gold band.  Gold was another highly prolific recording studio bandleader in the 1920s and early 1930s.
 
 

 

EXTRA






This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings. 
 
 
 

YearningClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys
Bob Wills, vocal                                      1939
(Vocalion 04934 mx DAL 624)

Do You Ever Think Of Me?Click on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Jimmie Davis, vocal                                 1937
(Decca 5400-B mx 61812)

Honky Tonk BluesClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Jimmie Davis, vocal
with Brown's Musical Brownies                1937
(Decca 5400-A mx 61872)
 
 

I have a lot of fun putting together these "extra" updates.  It is interesting to be able to explore and present music ranging from grand opera to - well, the kind of stuff featured in this update.

As is the case today, in certain parts of the United States during the 1930s, what we now call  "country and western" was more popular than the more mainstream popular music of the day.  I have mixed feelings towards 1930s country records.   Some of them I really enjoy - especially the Western Swing.    Others are just way too rustic for my taste. 

As is also the case today, the lyrics for this genre of music were often quite dismal and depressing.   This week's recording of  "Honky Tonk Blues" is a somewhat mild example of this.  I do not doubt that getting drunk in a cheap bar and ending up in jail is something that certain people of a certain demographic can relate to.   But I am not sure why anyone - including such people - would wish to contemplate such things as a form of entertainment.   However, if one ignores the words, the recording is kind of catchy with a great beat and interesting piano and violin solos.

"Do You Ever Think Of Me" and "Yearning" do not feature such dismal lyrics - perhaps because both selections are country adaptations of more mainstream pop songs dating back to the 1920s.   I enjoy the steel guitar effects that can be heard on both recordings.

Bob Wills was one of the top names in Western Swing and made many rather good recordings.  Jimmie Davis was a popular 1930s country and western crooner who later became Governor of Louisiana on two occasions.    Davis was not the only prominent politician whose career was launched by country music success.  W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, the flour mill manager turned broadcaster who originally discovered Bob Wills used his fame to become Governor of Texas as well as a U.S. Senator.



June 16, 2005

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
Chrysler Eights & Sixes
Chrysler
Chrysler Six Roadster
Chrysler Imperial Eight Close Coupled Sedan
Chrysler Eight DeLuxe Coupe
(From 1931 ad)



 

 
Note:  This week's updates  (the regular update as well as the "extra") come courtesy of guest contributor Christian Kohlhaas who has provided both the music and the commentary.   My only contribution was to transfer and digitalize the recordings.   Mr. Kohlhaas has been collecting 78 rpm records for only a couple of years but has already put together a very interesting and diverse collection - as evidenced by the excellent selections he has chosen.  You can read more about Christian Kohlhaas as well as view his photo and contact information by clicking here.
 
 
 

Too TiredClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
The Ambassadors                              1924
(Vocalion A 14928)
 

Indian Love CallClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
The Ambassadors                              1924
(Vocalion A 14928 )
 

Both of the above acoustic selections highlight the jazzy dance music style of the mid 1920s.  The arrangement of "Too Tired" is particularly good, and "Indian Love Call" gets very jazzy towards the end.  These recordings feature Phil Napoleon on trumpet and Miff Mole on trombone.  Mole was an influential figure in the early 1920s jazz scene, and recorded many songs, often paired with Red Nichols.  This particular record is one of the first 78s I ever bought and it helped spark my interest in 1920s hot dance and jazz music.  The jazz and hot dance recordings of the mid 1920s immediately prior to the advent of electrical recording technology in 1925 have a very distinctive sound which I find quite enjoyable.
 

By My SideClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra             1931
(Hit Of The Week  1150)
 

Whistling In The DarkClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra             1930
(Hit Of The Week 1144)
 

Sam Lanin was a prolific bandleader of the period who employed many top-notch musicians.  Miff Mole, Bix Beiderbecke and Eddie Lang played in his bands for instance.  The two selections here both come from cardboard "Hit of the Week" discs and both feature catchy numbers.  Lanin's rendition of "Whistling in the Dark" I believe is excellent, with a distinctive early '30s sound to it.  "By My Side" was another popular song of the early '30s and is quite interesting as well.

 - Christian Kohlhaas
 
 

 

EXTRA







This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings. 
 
 
 

Die Ganze Welt Ist HimmelblauClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Marek Weber And His Orchestra          circa 1930
(Victor 6126-B)

Es Muß Was Wunderbares SeinClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Marek Weber And His Orchestra          circa 1930
(Victor V-6126-A mx BD9210)

Du Schwarzer ZigeunerClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Continental Dance Orchestra                  circa 1936
(Radiodisque R8112A mx1155)

Heißes BlutClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Continental Dance Orchestra          circa 1936
(Radiodisque R8112 B - mx 1156)
 

The "Extra" selections this week highlight German recordings from the 1930s.  The German musical scene of the '20s and '30s featured many superb musicians and songwriters, many of whom were forced to flee the country as the Nazi Party increased in strength.  Marek Weber himself fled Germany in the '30s, eventually ending up in the United States.  I think that both of his recordings on this update are excellent, and also feature fine vocals (in German of course). 

I have no information about the "Continental Dance Orchestra."  It might be a recording pseudonym or the name of an actual band.  Both selections were recorded in Europe, as indicated on the record label.  "Du Schwarzer Zigeuner" was a popular song in Europe at the time, and was recorded by many bands including English ones.  I think it has a very haunting melody and I never seem to tire of listening to it.  European tango music was outstanding too, and I think "Heißes Blut" is no exception.

- Christian Kohlhaas



June 9, 2005

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
NYK Line - Travel To The Orient - Click On Image For Larger View
(Click on image for larger view)
NYK Line
Motor Ships To The Orient
(From 1933 ad)


 

Shuffle Off To BuffaloClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Leon Nash And His Orchestra
Bob Gordon, vocal                                            1933
(Crown 3468-A mx 2617)
 

You're Getting To Be A Habit With MeClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Elmer Feldkamp And His Orchestra
Elmer Feldkamp, vocal                                      1933
(Crown 3468-B mx 2019 )
 
 

Here are two selections from the highly successful 1933 Warner Brothers movie musical 42nd Street.   The film is still widely available today on DVD and VHS and is recommended for its entertaining musical numbers and its Busby Berkeley choreography.

Both selections come from an old Crown record.  Crown was a bargain label that was sold through the F.W. Woolworth dime store chain.  It was one of the very few American record labels to have been founded during the early 1930s.  Its output of dance band recordings was often quite excellent and the label is popular with vintage record collectors.   Crown records sold for 25 cents each and, for a while, they even boasted a playing time of 5 minutes per side.  Unfortunately,  many people during the Depression years of the early 1930s could not spare even an extra 25 cents (about $3.70 in today's money) for luxuries such as phonograph records, especially when the popular tunes of the day could be heard for free on the radio.  Crown folded in late 1933, less than 3 years after its founding. 

I have not been able to locate any information about Leon Nash and His Orchestra.  I am not sure whether Nash was a real person or a recording pseudonym.   His orchestra, however, recorded several sides for Crown.

Elmer Feldkamp was an early 1930s crooner who was quite prolific in the recording studios singing with a variety of bands on different labels.     Beyond that, I have not been able to locate much information about him other than the fact he also played the clarinet and the alto sax and that he died in 1938.

You will, unfortunately, hear a slight bit of distortion on the very loudest notes on "Shuffle Off To Buffalo."  At first, I thought I might have had the volume turned up too high when I transferred the recording to my hard drive.  But it turned out that the distortion is inherent in the record itself.   The grooves appear to be in decent shape so I am not sure if the distortion is a result of a technical  error in the recording studio or whether a previous owner of the record attempted to get more than the recommended one play per steel needle on their wind-up phonograph and ended up wiping out the grooves on only the loudest portions.   I am inclined to suspect the latter.  A great many records were badly damaged by owners who were either too cheap or too poor to change out their needles after every play. 

 
 

EXTRA






This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings. 
 
 

It Made You Happy When You Made Me CryClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Honey Duke And His Uke                      1926
(Harmony 306-H mx 142949)

Thinking Of YouClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Honey Duke And His Uke                      1926
(Harmony 306-H mx 143120)
 

American popular culture witnessed a number of rather zany and sometimes bizarre fads during the 1920s: flagpole sitting, raccoon coats, dance marathons, psychoanalysis, mahjongg - and ukulele playing.

This week's "Extra" selections feature Johnny Marvin, a very popular 1920s vocalist and ukulele player.   "Honey Duke and His Uke" was a pseudonym that he sometimes performed under in vaudeville and on records.   One of Marvin's fans was the Prince of Wales and, on a 1928 trip to England, he presented the Prince with a ukulele and reportedly gave him some lessons.   For a while, Johnny Marvin had his own radio program.  In the 1930s, he moved to California and wrote songs for Gene Autry movies. 



 
June 2, 2005
 
 

This week's Hit of the Week is brought to you by
Dodge Brothers Type A Sedan - Click On Image For Larger View
(Click on image for larger view)
Dodge Brothers - Detroit
(From 1935 ad)



 
 
 
 
 





CopenhagenClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Oriole Orchestra                              1924
(Brunswick 2752-B)
 

My Rose MarieClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Oriole Orchestra                              1924
(Brunswick 2752-A )
 
 

The full name of the band featured on this week's selections was Russo and Fio Rito's Oriole Terrace Orchestra named after co-leaders Dan Russo and Ted Fio Rito.  The Oriole Terrace was a popular Detroit nightclub which, in 1924, briefly employed a chorus girl who performed under the stage name of Bille Cassin.  That chorus girl later became famous under a new stage name: Joan Crawford.   Fio Rito, who was also a very prolific composer with over 100 songs to his credit, assumed sole control over the band in 1928 and it remained active into the 1950s.

I think this recording of "Copenhagen" is outstanding.   The song, an early jazz classic,  was composed by Indiana bandleader Charlie Davis and was first recorded on May 6, 1924 on the Gennett label by The Wolverines, a Midwestern territory band which is best remembered as the first band that legendary cornet player Bix Beiderbecke worked for. The Oriole Orchestra version of "Copenhagen" was recorded on October 18, 1924. 

 
 

EXTRA









This section will  present 78 rpm recordings that do not fall within the range of the vintage pop and jazz  fare that I usually  present.  Here I will feature recordings from a wide variety of eras, musical genres and nationalities as well as occasional spoken word recordings. 
 
 

All Over Nothing At AllClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Aileen Stanley - Billy Murray, vocals            1922
(Victor 18943-A)

I'll Stand Beneath Your Window To-night And WhistleClick on song title to stream or right clock on folder to download
Aileen Stanley - Billy Murray, vocals            1922
(Victor 18943-B)
 

Billy Murray was the best known and most recorded American vocalist of the first two and a half decades of the 20th century.   He made his first recordings in San Francisco in 1897 for a local cylinder record company.  By 1903 he was a regularly making records in New York for the major record labels of the day.   Murray's voice and style of singing was well-suited for acoustical recording.  However, with the advent of microphones and the introduction of electrical recording in 1925,  public taste began to change in favor of "crooning" and Murray's popularity went into decline.  During the 1930s, he did voice work for a number of Max Fleicher cartoons, including a few Betty Boop features, and continued to make occasional recordings as late as 1943. 

Aileen Stanley performed in cabarets and vaudeville before appearing in the 1920 Broadway review Silks And Satins.  That same year she began recording for the Victor Talking Machine Company where she was paired with Billy Murray on a number of recordings. 

Both of these recordings were already a bit old fashioned when they were issued in 1922 and are more typical of the novelty vocal recordings of the 1910s. 


 
 

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