 Vinyl Junkie TM by Cub Coda
"The man who actually knows where George Tomsco really izz!"
Let Us Now Praise Travis Klein & Itzy Records
Various Artists
Pittsburgh was a fertile, creative breeding ground for no-holds-barred radio programming from the mid-1950s into the early 60s. The competition between DJs for their share of the audience was fierce and consequently each radio personality played tunes that couldn't be heard anywhere else and certainly nothing that was heard on a national level. Pittsburgh in the late 1950s and early 60s was a musical scene unlike any others; songs that had flopped a year or so back could become "instant oldies" if said record "had the sound."
The marketplace also had a penchant for R&B stompers, novelty instrumentals, doo-wop smoothies, and proto-soul ravers. Enter into compiling and making sense out of all this free range chicken musical scene comes one Travis Klein. Just another doo-wop Nazi, you say! Au contraire, mon fraire! Travis' dad - the Itzy that his label's named after - was the heavy duty record middle man between the jukebox guys and the record distributors in Pittsburgh for all the cool R&B labels like King, Atlantic, Rama, Excello, etc. In other words, Travis saw it all go down, he was there, he's brand name, he ain't guessin'.
But hey, nostalgic tears for a bygone radio scene aside, if the stuff wasn't any damm good, you wouldn't be readin' about it here, right! And here's where it gets heavy for me. There's stuff on these comps that are records that I actually own, records that I have actually sought out and opened my wallet for and paid cash on the barrelhead to acquire. And if you're under the assumption that's a common occurrence just talk to my buddy Dick Blackburn and he'll be glad to tell ya how dagblasted cheap I am (not mean, though!).
There's also a pile of songs that were - until now - vague wisps of memory submerged from my countless teenage hours spent with a transistor radio glued to the side of my head. We also welcome these entries onto digital drink coasters because I can actually remember a time about 10-11 years ago where it was considered a lead pipe cinch that certain records on small labels would never see the compact disc light of day, this in the days before noise reduction evened out the playing field a little bit. Everything presented here gets the top drawer Cedarization treatment, so even the real old beat-up ones don't sound too bad. And as each volume rolls on, a musical scene begins to unfold before your eyes and it's a wild ride, indeed. Pittsburgh sho' had a lotta music goin' on!
At The Hop I serves up 24 sterling examples of this wide range of programming and shows how it all appealed to the local scene. From wildass instrumentals like "The Red Headed Flea" by the Caps and "The Hunch" by Mad Mike and the Maniacs to hard core doo-wop obscurities like "Bila" by the Versatones, and the haunting "4 Million Miles Away" by the Uniques to rockers like the original "Charlena" by the Sevilles, the Pittsburgh scene obviously had a built-in audience for this kinda stuff.
For Lovers Only features 24 doo-wop obscurities that firmly burrow into the heart of what that city also dug in their hometown sound. Fans of the slow and smooth should take the time to investigate "You" by the Initials, "I Do Love You" by Tex and the Chex, the soulful "Oh My Angel" by Bertha Tillman, "I Don't Want Everything" by Jimmy McHugh and "High On A Hill" by Scott English, the closest anything on here comes to being an actual hit. A solid set that's perfect for slow dancing in the kitchen.
Often what separates a hit from a miss in the doo-wop pantheon of rock 'n' roll is a tough and very close call. Surely talent counts for something, but in a genre where the blend and sound are of tantamount importance, one could honestly say that the feel is almost everything. In this regard, the 24 tracks collected on For Lovers Only II shine as classic examples of the form. Johnny Paar's "I Know A Girl," the De Vaurs' "Where Are You," the Fabulaires' "Wedding Song," the Majors' "Les Qua," the Jaguars' "The Way You Look Tonight," all have the sound and the style and why they never became big hits (outside of Pittsburgh, that is) remains a head scratcher. But few slow song comps sustain a mood and ambiance as well as this one does (all of it vocal group to soul ballad stuff with the lone ringer slow instrumental "Black and Blue" by the Gigolo's being the exception) and even obscure efforts like the Vels' "Mysterious Teenage" (great whistling!), and (yes, you knew it was coming, folks) the mega buck collector's piece "Searching" by the Tamaneers shine as the true jewels of the genre they are.
At The Hop II is a 24 karat winner all the way. Kickin' off with Frank Motley and his Crew's "Honkin' At Midnight," it becomes apparent that this comp is going to concentrate on uptempo goodies as much as doo-wop dreamies.
The Ring A Dings' insanely energetic "Snacky Poo" (is this-utilizing the same band track as Johnny Faire's rockabilly classic, "Bertha Lou"? Too close to call, methinks!) sounds great next to Rusty Isabel's piano pounder, "Firewater." And while vocal group classics like Ronnie and the HiLites' "A Slow Dance" and the Royal Jesters' "Love Me" are aboard, they're buttressed alongside two or three whoops of novelty trash like the Four Sounds' "Mama Ubangi Bangi," Ronnie Cook's "The Goo Goo Muck" or the slopjar instrumental by the Royal Teens, "Mad Gass."
Now the original version of Pittsburgh's Greatest Hits Volume I was released back in 1966 as a two record vinyl set, and this new edition restores the previous tracks missing from the original compact disc issue of a few years back. Highlights include the Shepherds' "Island of Love," "Fried Onions" by Lord Rockingham, Chuck Edwards' "Bullfight," and the Triumphs' "Draggin' Wagon." Like they say, it sets the tone. But Volume II of PGH is where the series really hits its stride. Twenty-eight tracks of dynamite, but of special note are "Oh But She Did" by the El Capris, the garage band innocence of "Someone" by the Contrails, the rambling soul of the AlmaKeys' "Please Come Back To Me," early Lou Christie with the Classics on "Close Your Eyes," and an early Vogues effort under their original Val Aires handle, "Which One Will It Be." And if a well constructed slow ballad rings your chimes, you absolutely have to hear Johnny Jack doing "Need You," nothing less than proto-soul genius. But for sheer curiosity and nutzoid novelty value, nothing tops the inclusion here of the premium 45 issued by Brooke Bond Foods, promoting its TV commercial with the Marquis Chimps masquerading as rock 'n' rollers prostelyzing the virtues of Red Rose Tea. This is loose, raw, out of control and slightly demented sounding; in short just about perfect!
Oh yeah, if anybody's got a video clip of the TV commercial, can ya dub me a copy? I'd love it! The third entry into the series has much to recommend it. If you're a doo-wop fan, you'll be delighted with such obscure highlights as the El Capris' Latin flavored "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Wop" (no relation to Little Anthony and the Imperials' similarly titled "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop"), the Four Dots' "He Man Looking For A She Girl," and "I Go Lookin' For Jeanie" by the Valaires (later Vogues). Twenty-eight tracks of superlative music and - as far as I know - the only place you can get "High Flying Wine" by Inflammable Dan on compact disc.
Volume 4 kicks off with a track that virtually defines the series' very strengths and weaknesses. "Cloudburst" by the Orlandos is both - by turns a doo-wop slow classic that's painfully out of tune in spots, whose production values hover somewhere in the one mike in a broom closet category while yet being solidly of one piece, resolutely and defiantly sincere in its spirit. In other words, music of the highest and most immediate warts and all reality, a thing to be treasured. That this ragged but right aesthetic would find a place on the radio in a market like Pittsburgh is amazing enough, that it prospered is even more amazing. That it pops up again and again on this collection ("Lover's Prayer" by Anne Keith with the Altairs is of massive head shaking ambiance; what the hell's going on here!) is even more of a testimony to its uniqueness and vitality. Jewel Akens and the Four Dots' "Pleading For Your Love," the Sabres' jazzy "You Can Depend On Me," and the Three Vales' crude blueser "Blue Lights Down Low," are the big tickets here.
Volume 5 has the preponderance of its track lineup devoted to local Pittsburgh artists. This is also one of the few volumes that actually has some tracks that later progressed into national hits, the two notable examples being "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells" by the Del-Vikings, heard here in their original Fee Bee versions. Other cool ones include an early vocal effort by George Benson with the Altairs ("If You Love Me") and the loose as a goose, greasepit instrumentally the Vibra-Sonics, "Drag Race."
Volume 6 includes solid efforts from local bigwigs Jimmy Beaumont (a nice take on Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone To Love"), the Skyliners, the Four Dots, Lou Christie, and the stray instrumental here and there, making this one a bit of a hodgepodge. But the musical quotient stays reasonably high, with the original "See You In September" from locals the Tempos and "Blue Moon" by the Marcels being counted up in the mix. But as always with this eccentric series, obscuros like "Christmas Plea" by the Dynamics and "Broken Heart" by the Vel-Tones carry just as much - if not more - musical weight than their better known counterparts. The instrumental highlight on here goes to local combo the Savoys' "Slappin' Rods And Leaky Oil."
Volume 7 keeps the pace fairly brisk, combining hard charging rock 'n' roll turns from Buddy Sharpe ("Linda Lee"), the Shufflers (the previously unreleased instrumental "Soul Shufflin'"), with solid turns from local stars Chuck Jackson, the Val Aires, the Caravelles, the Marcels, the Del Vikings and Lou Christie with this volume's lone "real hit," "Two Faces Have I." Closing out this compilation is a delightful bonus track, an acappela audition tape of the Skyliners working on "Since I Don't Have You," a defining moment in the history of the local scene, preserved here, imperfections and all.
The eighth volume is another solid one, with this particular volume showcasing the better white vocal groups that worked the Steel City circuit during the late 195Os and early 60s. Classic sides by the Holidays ("Pretend"), the Moonbeams ("Don't Go Away"), the Fenways ("The Number One Song In The Country"), the Five Playboys ("Mr.- Echo"), and the Dantes (the Beach Boy-like "Top Down Time"), pepper the sequencing in a most musical way.
Other local favorites include Jimmy Beaumont ("Everybody's Crying"), Chuck Jackson (a beautiful reading of "Willette"), the Skyliners ("The Loser"), and Lou Christie, who weighs in with the biggest hit here - certainly from a national standpoint - the original "The Gypsy Cried."
All of these volumes are available directly from Itzy Records, 6416 Landview Road, Pittsburgh, PA-15217. In Travis Klein's own words, "I am interested in adding retail stores, individual customers and distributors to my account list. Please encourage all customers to call for prices, which vary according to quantity." And that number to call is (412) 421-0755.
- See ya next month |