Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Post War Blues, Soul & Rock. 1945 - 1975

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
Major: Is the version you posted the original version released in the US? Seems a bit different to me. Also the length of the version you posted is 4:15, which is longer than the maximum length for airplay in the US at the time. All songs, in order to get airplay, needed to be no longer than 2:30 to 2:45. Three minutes was pushing it. Sometimes known in songwriter circles as the Three Minute Story. You got no more than three minutes to tell your story.

As an aside (yes, there is always an aside), the shortest hit of the R&R era was Stay (please, please stay), by Maurice Williams and the Famous Zodiacs. It clocks in at 1:31, as I remember.

Hi PC

This is Parts 1&2 - i.e. the a-side AND the b-side, strung together. You are quite right. Records were just not that long back then!

I seem to recall that it was Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" that pushed the envelope - so much so that Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops based his vocal on "Reach Out" on Dylan's phrasing.....

PS. I'm out and about right now. I'll pop Maurice Williams/Stay up later. A brilliant tune!!:D;)
 
Last edited:

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
Good one PC.

Here's a couple more by the man...

[video=youtube;nLEfXsp4-Tg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLEfXsp4-Tg[/video]

[video=youtube;-uYmV8Nfucg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uYmV8Nfucg[/video]
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,449
Location
South of Nashville
Even though Come and Get It has a different beat, it has the standard 12 bar blues progression--I, IV, V chord structure with a pronounced turnaround. Love it.

The changes on This Feeling are more akin to a normal R&B song.

Maurice Williams and the Famous Zodiacs were still touring on the Beach Music Circuit (East Coast) as late as the early 70s. A friend of mine was on I-95 in South Carolina back then and saw their bus on the road, headed for another gig. He said it was an older bus and smaller than the buses of today--maybe even a school bus type of bus? Painted on the side was a sign that read, "Maurice Williams and the Famous Zodiacs." Wonder where they are today, some 40 years later? Glad I took a different route to fame and riches. The life of a scuffling musician is not an easy one.
 

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
Even though Come and Get It has a different beat, it has the standard 12 bar blues progression--I, IV, V chord structure with a pronounced turnaround. Love it.

The changes on This Feeling are more akin to a normal R&B song.

Maurice Williams and the Famous Zodiacs were still touring on the Beach Music Circuit (East Coast) as late as the early 70s. A friend of mine was on I-95 in South Carolina back then and saw their bus on the road, headed for another gig. He said it was an older bus and smaller than the buses of today--maybe even a school bus type of bus? Painted on the side was a sign that read, "Maurice Williams and the Famous Zodiacs." Wonder where they are today, some 40 years later? Glad I took a different route to fame and riches. The life of a scuffling musician is not an easy one.

Yup, a difficult business!

Maurice lives in Charlotte, NC, so that would have been a fairly local gig, perhaps. Still doing a few gigs to this day, apparently:D
 

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
From 1959, The Vocaleers, sounding a little like Jerry Butler & The Impressions did back then.....

[video=youtube;RUjdjh5eFdg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUjdjh5eFdg[/video]
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,449
Location
South of Nashville
Ah, the lead tenor with close harmony; ain't it great. Thanks, James.

I'm too young to remember the Ink Spots, but I have heard of them and have listened to their music. Very nice.
 
Ah, the lead tenor with close harmony; ain't it great. Thanks, James.

I'm too young to remember the Ink Spots, but I have heard of them and have listened to their music. Very nice.

My father was a big fan in their day. He always loved the original group with Hoppy and the rest.
Somewhere in America today there is still a group playing with the name Ink Spots and singing their songs. Life is good. :p
 

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
Here's one that I've never understood a word of!! :D;)

[video=youtube;5nujs7VyHyQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nujs7VyHyQ[/video]
 
Messages
15,563
Location
East Central Indiana
I see your hippies and raise you decent music:p:

OK SourPuss. You must be THE MAN..!!
Here's the InkSpots of my generation. I even included the damn 'words'..just in case...

[video=youtube;LmKzWE5FBq8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmKzWE5FBq8[/video]

[video=youtube;uTLAvaqAnCc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTLAvaqAnCc[/video]
 
Last edited:
OK SourPuss. You must be THE MAN..!!
Here's the InkSpots of my generation. I even included the damn 'words'..just in case...

[video=youtube;LmKzWE5FBq8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmKzWE5FBq8[/video]

[video=youtube;uTLAvaqAnCc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTLAvaqAnCc[/video]

You had them available and yet your listened to long haired hippies?! lol lol I have this one in my jukebox.

I'll see you The Platters and raise you:
[video=youtube_share;50uEkWvgD_8]http://youtu.be/50uEkWvgD_8[/video]
Yes, yes, yes....:p
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,449
Location
South of Nashville
The Platters, Wow. Does that take me back. My girlfriend back then had several Platters' records (they were classic oldies by that time). I think we must have worn all of them out. On nights we spent time at her house, we had the den to ourselves, with no interruptions. Years later I asked her why we were given so much privacy. She said it was simple, her Dad would rather have us there in the den, than out in my car. He was a smart man. To this day I can't hear the Platters without having fond memories of those nights so long ago. Thanks for bringing back those memories, HD.
 

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
Something from Motown today.

Here's an earlyish Instrumental by the house band, recorded on 27th January 1965. It would later have vocals added by a few folks, including Jimmy Ruffin and Marvin Gaye, but it stands as an instro all by itself.

Personnel: Earl Van Dyke (Organ & Piano), Russell Conway & Donald Towns (Trumpet), George Bohannon & Bob Cousar (Trombone), Hank Cosby (Tenor Sax), Mike Terry (Baritone Sax), Robert White & Joe Messina (Guitar), James Jamerson (Elec Bass), Benny Benjamin (Drums), Paul Riser (Tambourine).

Backing Vocals: The Andantes (Louvaine Demps, Marlene Barrow & Jackie Hicks).

[video=youtube;J9cw2mPFcUk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9cw2mPFcUk[/video]
 

majormajor

One Too Many
Messages
1,713
Location
UK
And here's Junior Walker from May '64...

[video=youtube;jlVJyvosz_Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlVJyvosz_Y[/video]
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,449
Location
South of Nashville
Thanks Major. When I first saw the band assembling, I thought he had a clarinet until I realized who the featured artist was. So I looked a little closer and saw that Jr. Walker was playing the soprano sax. They are pitched in Bb just like the tenor sax, but tuned an octave higher. Jr. is mostly noted for his tenor work, which is excellent, but he does a good job on the soprano in this song. They are hard instruments to get good tone on. But he nailed it.

Here is Jr. doing Shotgun, his signature hit. He is playing the tenor, and probably a Selmer Mark VI, which was the top of the line back then. Early 1966, as I remember. Ah, yes the Go Go Dancers. I had forgotten about them. Met two of them when I was a lifeguard in Daytona Beach. They were a year or two older than me, and way beyond my level. For those of you too young to remember Go Go Dancers, they danced in elevated cages, usually to either side of the band, as they are doing here. All of them moved very well.

[video=youtube;YnhI_ECOAK4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnhI_ECOAK4[/video]
 

vitanola

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,254
Location
Gopher Prairie, MI
You had them available and yet your listened to long haired hippies?! lol lol I have this one in my jukebox.

I'll see you The Platters and raise you:

Yes, yes, yes....:p

modernist rubbish!

here:


Even a Blues:


[video=youtube_share;nXZoIByrJ9Q]http://youtu.be/nXZoIByrJ9Q[/video]

I suppose that if one parses words the above does fall under the rubric of "Post War Blues", but I'm afraid that it does not really fit the spirit of the post.



This might be more in keeping with the real meaning of this thread:

[video=youtube_share;Z2CgXwuT6l4]http://youtu.be/Z2CgXwuT6l4[/video]
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,144
Messages
3,075,082
Members
54,124
Latest member
usedxPielt
Top