What do The Buckinghams, Gilberto Gil & The Temptations Have In Common?

Some time ago--I mean like years ago--I discovered a piece of background noise that was used in at least 3 different songs. I call it background noise because that's what it is. Not music. Rather it's the sound of children's voices having fun.

You might ask how I can tell that such a soundbite is the very same one on 3 very different songs. After all, it's a pretty obscure clip and just used for effect in the songs. And most regular listeners wouldn't even play attention to the clip, much less realize that it's the same one. But the key for me to having recognized the recordings as being one and the same is in the voice of what seems to be an adult shouting something like, "Harry!" It could be Larry or Gary or Barry. I'm going with Harry. But whatever the actual name is it's the same one. Also there's a little bit of children's voices before and after the "Harry!" that serves to prove it's the same soundbite.

I know you're all dying to know just what this recording is and where it appears. So here we go. The first recording is the longest and clearest of the three. It is found on "Have You Noticed You're Alive (reprise)" by The Buckinghams from 1967. The "Harry!" yell is heard right around the 11 second mark:





The next this clip is found on is a totally different song. Totally different country, too. It's at the beginning of a song by Brazilian singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil called "Domingo No Parque" from 1968. The title translates to "Sunday at the Park." The "Harry!" shriek can be heard right around the 8 second mark. The beginning part of the clip is less audible and clear. But from the Harry part on you can tell it's the same as the one on The Buckinghams tune.





Finally, on a third and still very different song you can hear this background noise once again. This time it's on The Temptations song "Ain't No Justice" from 1973. On this song you can hear much of the beginning of the clip up to the point of the Harry. And then the music gets louder and the clip less audible. Oh, and the clip seems to be only on the right channel/speaker. You can hear "Harry!" right around the 3:16 mark:




There you have it! Were you able to hear it on all three songs? Are you convinced it's the same clip? Do you wonder where this soundbite was recorded and when? I sure do. And how did it ever circulate around to 3 different record labels (Columbia, Phillips, Motown, respectively)? Also I can't help but wonder if this same clip was used in any other songs.

I've been meaning to write this post for soooo long. I always had a hard time remembering which Buckinghams' tune had the clip. But there it all is.

Songs for the Christmas Season 17

Some of that early 1970's pop/rock sound for our selections today. First, we have The Osmond Brothers with "Sleigh Ride." No, not the familiar holiday tune but an original from them.






And next is The Partridge Family with their take on "Winter Wonderland." Just in case you didn't know, The Partridge Family did not really play anything on this song. Keith Partridge, aka David Cassidy, did sing the lead though.

Songs for the Christmas Season 9

How about a couple of more rockin' Christmas tunes today? First we have from 1968, "Christmas is My Time of Year" by The Christmas Spirit, featuring the familiar vocal of Howard Kaylan of The Turtles fame.






Next we have popular English band Slade doing their timeless holiday song, "Merry Xmas Everybody" from 1973.

Songs for the Christmas Season 1

I'm a huge fan of Christmas music. It is a dying art, though. Nowadays many pop artists put out Christmas albums, but the music feels more like someone going through the motions. Fulfilling recording contract obligations. Doing the same old tired songs. Sounding very uninspired. Rare is the new track which captures the essence and feel of Christmas Magic. I'm sure most Christmas music aficionados would agree the we are not currently living during the apex of recorded holiday music. That was years ago. Certainly there have been great new songs recorded in the last few decades and perhaps even great new versions of standard Christmas tunes. And there are some great, harder-to-find new albums that don't fit the 'pop' moniker, thus reducing their visibility and marketability. But I think we would agree the pinnacle of recorded holiday music is from the 1940s to the 1980's. Before the 1940's there was much recorded Christmas music to be found, but its sonic quality can make it very difficult to listen to. After the 1980's, well, recording technology became exceptional but musical inspiration for this genre was way past its peak.

The good news is that those five decades left us an amazing collection of Christmas jewels in so many genres of music. And today I will start sharing some of the ones I really like. For my first post I will have two country-pop songs which kind of remind me of each other.

First up is Tanya Tucker doing "Christmas to Christmas"





And next is Vince Vance & the Valiants with "All I Want for Christmas is You"





Don't you think these two songs should always be played back-to-back?

Songs for the Thanksgiving Season 2

So I sidetracked a bit and didn't get to my daily postings of 'thankful' songs. So here are a few a couple days before Thanksgiving.

First up we have John Denver thanking God he's a country boy (which I don't think he really was. Mountain man maybe. Oh well, it's all just semantics).





And next we have Neil Diamond being thankful for the night.

Some of My All-Time Favorite Christmas Albums

It's officially Christmastime and I'm going to list a few of my all-time favourite Christmas albums. Now mind you, I'm not one of these collectors of obscure holiday music nor do I have an extensive collection of Christmas albums. I have plenty of mp3's of shows I have recorded over the years on radio stations and special podcasts that people have put together. But I really don't spend time shopping around for them, especially since the best stuff is from the 50s, 60s and 70s and nothing made recently or nowadays will ever compare.

So here is a short list of some of my favourites and ones definitely worth checking out if you're not familiar with them. In no particular order:

The Anita Kerr Sings - Spend this Holiday with Me (1969)

This is a wonderful album. The music arrangements are very typical (and great) late 60's/early 70's sounding for pop music of the time. Sounds very much like The Free Design from the music to the vocals. I caught two songs off the radio many years ago from this album--the title track and Jingle Bell Rock--and was never able to find out who the artist was until a few years ago when I ordered a copy of this album on cd from Brazil! Anyway, this is a 5 star album and it stays on my iPod all year round.

Glen Campbell - That Christmas Feeling (1968)

Another hard-to-find album. And another I keep on my iPod all year long. This one is very mellow and some may even consider it a bit too melancholy for the festive season. But I love it cause Glen sounds so good on it and the arrangements are top-notch. His rendition of Roger Miller's "Old Toy Trains" is my favorite and I've never heard a better version yet. Other standout tracks include "Little Altar Boy," "Christmas is for Children" and "It Must Be Getting Close to Christmas."

The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card (1971)

If you like the sound of the Partridge Family--aka L.A. studio musicians known as 'The Wrecking Crew'--then you'll love this album. Ok, we all know the Partridge Family was not a real band. They were just actors with a storyline based upon a real band known as The Cowsills. But 'Keith Partridge' and 'Shirley Partridge' really did sing and they contributed their vocals to this album. The rest of the fictional family did not contribute at all to the music and albums. That being said this is a great early 70's pop/soft rock offering featuring the West Coast sound. Most of the numbers here are upbeat and you can't go wrong with any that Keith sings on.

                        

Elvis Presley - Elvis' Christmas Album (1957)

This is not only one of my favourite Christmas albums of all time, but it's one of my favourite albums period. This was the first time Christmas music met rock & roll. Oh sure, Elvis kept the traditional songs modest and low-key but he totally rocked out on the contemporary ones. The arrangements here are very simple and basic. Nothing more than piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, double bass, organ and background vocals. Just like his non-Christmas music of the same era. Standout tracks include all of them, but in particular 'Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me,' 'Santa Claus is Back in Town' and 'I'll Be Home for Christmas.' This album happens to be the best selling Christmas album of all time and for good reason.

                         

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

This is a jazz album that has transcended its exclusive genre to become a pop smash. The music is wonderful. Simple arrangements. Playful melodies. Tunes that stay in your head. Mostly instrumental but a few with children's choirs. Probably the most memorable and recognizable tune, 'Linus & Lucy,' has become a Christmas staple even though the song itself has little or nothing to do with the holiday, other than having been featured in the animated classic. Other than 'Linus & Lucy,' my faves on this excellent album include both versions of 'Christmastime is Here,' 'Skating' and Christmas is Coming.'

                            

Kenny Burrell - Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas (1966)

Another jazz Christmas offering. This one definitely not as well-known as the Vince Guaraldi one but equally essential. Burrell is a master guitarist and surely my favourite player of the genre. The arrangements here include piano, bass, drums, horns and strings. He mainly plays his hollowbody electric but there are a few songs where he plays a nylon string acoustic. This album is timeless and his playing is effortless and spellbinding. It is bebop jazz at its finest during a wondrous era of recorded sound. The most remarkable tracks include 'My Favorite Things,' 'Little Drummer Boy,' 'God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen' and 'Children Go Where I Send Thee.' Gotta love that 60's album cover, too.

So there are 6 of my favourite Christmas albums of all time. I don't want to make this post super-long and it's getting late so I may do a part-two at a later time.

WVVX 103.1FM

Back in the early to mid 1990's, there was still pretty good radio in Chicago anyway. I was always coming across new stations and new programs and was always prepared to record anything good I heard onto cassette tapes.

One of the stations I had come across was WVVX 103.1 FM, broadcasting out of the suburb of Highland Park. It must have been a rather low power station since it was difficult to tune to it and get a clear stereo signal. So most of the time the best way to listen was through a cleaner mono signal.

So on certain evenings I recall 2 dj's who played really obscure (or non-hit singles) rock from the 60's and 70's on this station. Bands such as the Syndicate of Sound, Blues Image and Robin Trower among many others were played. And it sounded like they were actually playing vinyl at that. They each took turns playing brief sets of songs, if I remember correctly. At the moment I don't recall their names, but as I come across the tapes I recorded of their shows, perhaps I will discover their names as well.

I'm not completely certain how many times a week they were on the air, but for some reason my memory is leaning towards 2 weeknights. After a while, their show just disappeared from the air and I never came across it again.

Another short-lived show I stumbled upon on WVVX was "Radio International", a German music program hosted mainly by Monique Skolmar. This show was usually on Saturday afternoons and/or Sundays and I recorded 2 complete 90 minute tapes worth over the course of the show's run. Even though I don't understand German the show was entertaining and the music was enjoyable. I did learn to count in German from 0 to 9 as a result of listening.

I recently uploaded both cassettes as .wav files on my computer and will eventually upload them to a file hosting website which I will link to here.

But I loved WVVX if only for those 2 programs. I don't recall hearing much of anything else on that station except for some heavy metal music. The station had an underground feel to it, and though the sound quality was not crystal clear, I didn't mind. It wasn't commercial and that made it worthwhile.

According to Wikipedia, WVVX was a brokered station that was sold in 1997 at which point its call letters was switched to WXXY.