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THE ALBUMS

There was another jazz album released this month, and it’s starting to bother me a bit. I’m trying really hard to have an opinion of it. It’s just…I still can’t get a grip on it. Ornette Coleman released his fourth studio album, Change Of The Century, and from what I’ve read it sold pretty well. Both Allmusic.com and The Rolling Stone Album Guide have given it five stars, so it has to be good. Right?

MIRIAM MAKEBA – MIRIAM MAKEBA

The great thing about this album is that it was, probably, the first album to really introduce African music to the western world. Miriam Makeba was from South Africa and was part of a Bantu ethnic group called Xhosa. At the time this album was recorded, Miriam was in exile, living in New York, and her musical career in the US was on the rise. From what I understand she had left South Africa to pursue a career in music, but when she was away the Sharpville Massacre happened and two of her family members was killed. When she tried to return she was not allowed back in and her passport was cancelled. After this, she became a very outspoken critic of apartheid and the white-minority government. She did not return to her home country until 1990 when the apartheid ended. And even though all of this sounds terrible, it’s not really apparent in this recording that there has been a lot of suffering involved. A lot of the songs have a pretty cheerful atmosphere and I would not suspect any foul play here just by listening to it.

African jazz, Indonesian lullabies, calypso; there’s a lot going on here. Shitloads of influences that merge together to make an album that is, well, it’s not amazing, but it is pretty good and really interesting. There aren’t enough great songs on here to make it really stand out, and the songs that do can’t make up for the boring ones, but there are some highlights. Like I said though, the biggest problem is the gap between the good ones and the others. Where some songs can make me dance and try to sing along, the next one can make me fall asleep. A good example is the opening of the album where The Retreat Song is a great track, and when an album starts like that you think you’re in for a treat, but already at the second track you’re brought back down to earth as Suliram isn’t really cutting it. However, at song number three, The Click Song (Qongqothwane), we’re back at it. An amazing song with the clicks that some tribal languages have. It’s a song that they used to sing when a young girl got married in her native village in Johannesburg, and it’s just a really great track with, obviously, a lot of history.

Mbube (also one of the good ones) had me thinking that IT was the reason the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight was written, but after some research, I realized that it’s actually a cover of the original song, first released in 1939 by Solomon Linda. And I have to say that this is much better than the Western version that has bothered us for so long. Time to let that bastard go, and bring Makemba, maybe even Solomon, into the mix.

I’m gonna let Mama Africa go now. To summarise it in an easy-to-understand way, the songs that are in English are a waste and were only added to cater to the uncultured Americans, while almost all the tracks that are in her native language have something to offer. Let’s say I like at least half of this album.

THE EVERLY BROTHERS – IT’S EVERLY TIME!

Man, I don’t think you can sound any more goody-two-shoes than this. Then again, that’s a breath of fresh air in the year 2020 when songs about «Wet Ass Pussies» top the charts. So, yeah, this is cool with me. The Everly Brothers are brothers and have been playing together since the 40s, and back then they even played with their mom and dad. Talk about wholesome family kinda stuff, huh? I don’t know, maybe not. But they turned out fine. Up until this point in time at least. But I have heard through the grapevine that they stumbled upon some drugs later in their career.

No matter, cause we’re not there yet. So now, from what I understand, they are doing good. Musically at least. They’ve already released some timeless classics like; Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie and All I Have To Do Is Dream, so we all know that they know what they’re doing. Good.

So, It’s Everly Time is the third album from this duo, and the first one on Warner Bros. Records. It reached Nr. 9 in the US and Nr. 2 in the UK; which was, and still is, their highest album chart position. The songs on this record are all about love, and one would think that there comes a point when it’s just too much of that sugary sweet nonsense, but the songs are definitively good enough to get away with it. Of course, back in the 50s (even though this is released in 1960, it’s pretty obvious that this is what I would call 50s music) this kind of love song was the shit, so it doesn’t surprise me that this is the main theme here.

And like I said, the songs are good enough. Good enough to defend its high chart position, good enough to smother me with love songs, and good enough to listen to over and over. I can’t actually mention one track that shouldn’t have been on this album (and that’s the first album in 1960 so far that can pride itself on that statement), then again there are some songs that are just too slow for me. But that alone doesn’t make it bad, so I’ll let it pass.

There’s a wholesome mix between pop, rock, and blues here that helps make this album interesting, and the harmonies, which is the standout trait of The Everly Brothers, are unquestionably on point. While the pop genre is represented by only one really good song, Carol Jane, and only one blues track called Nashville Blues; the rock genre is where they really excel. Songs like Just In Case, What Kind Of Girl Are You, and I Want You To Know knock this album up a few notches alone. This might not be the best album in the world, but so far it is the best album released in 1960. And I have to mention that there is no doubt that The Everly Brothers has influenced a lot of the bands that will emerge later in this decade.

JOHNNY CASH – NOW, THERE WAS A SONG!

Cry Cry Cry, Folsom Prison Blues, Hey, Porter, I Walk The Line, Don’t Take Your Guns To Town, Five Feet High and Rising; and that’s just some of the songs Johnny Cash has already written and released. Why this guy became a legend is clear to see already in the early stages of his career, and it’s well fuckin’ earned. To start off your music career by writing these timeless classics is nothing short of extraordinary.

And here he is, in May 1960, releasing his fifth studio album, riddled with cover songs and no originals. This wasn’t a rare occurrence back in the day though. Actually, it was more common than writing your own songs at this point in time. At least that’s what it feels like. But considering his track record, I’m not that exasperated. In fact, I realize that from now on and until…let’s say the 80s, I’m not gonna bother bringing this up anymore.

Now, There Was A Song is a good record. Johnny Cash is Johnny Cash, so with his voice, presence, and guitar, he can make almost any song sound good. I’m not personally acquainted with any of these songs, but I have sat down and listened to the originals as well, and for the most of it Mr. Cash makes them sound better. There are some exceptions though, for example; Ferlin Husky’s version of I Feel Better All Over is a lot cooler than Johnny’s. It’s just something about that old-timey feel that makes my heart smile (keep in mind that I’m not sure if this is the original).

All in all, though, this is a perfectly fine album where Johnny Cash gets to show just how good he is without the pressure of songwriting.

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THE SINGLES

ROY ORBISON – ONLY THE LONELY (KNOW THE WAY I FEEL)

Ok now, this is a classic. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to this song my entire life. Well, not listened intensely, but I’ve heard it through all the different stages of my life. And I still like it. It’s a song that is impossible to not sing along to and it just sits right even though it sounds a bit outdated here in the 21st century.

This is Roy Orbison’s first major hit. While in the studio prior to this song, it was the arrangements of strings, and the doo-wop backing singers, that made Orbison find the sound that would make him one of the first artists to popularize the so-called “Nashville sound”. The song didn’t reach its highest chart listing until two months after its release, hitting Nr. 2 in July, only beaten by another song released this month; I’m Sorry by Brenda Lee.

The B-side, Here Comes That Song Again, struggles to become anything more than just that; a B-side. It might be that the fact that it has to follow Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) is what makes it so generic, but still.

BRENDA LEE – I’M SORRY

Brenda Lee was just fifteen years old when she recorded this one. And considering the song is about unrequited love, should let you know that she hasn’t written this one herself. I’m pretty sure young girls in the US (probably elsewhere as well) were kept on a pretty short leash in the early 1960s, at least short enough to not have had a meaningful relationship and subsequent heartbreak. She has a pretty damn powerful voice though, considering her age and all.

I’m Sorry became a Nr. 1 hit in July, beating Mr. Orbison, which again lets me know that the old guys and girls that lived back then had a different taste in music than me. They liked the slow love songs better than anything else, and does not know what will hit them in a couple of years. But that’s the beauty of music; it’s ever evolving.

The B-side on this one is called That’s All You Gotta Do and it’s a doo-woop song that is completely different from the A-side. And cooler. It really swings, it’s infectious and I can see the dance halls sweating to this one. The «aha’s» and the way she twists her voice on some words shows a confidence not fit for a fifteen-year-old girl. This was not a big of a hit as «I’m Sorry» but it did pretty good…and should have done better.

HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES – ALLEY OOP

The song, Alley Oop, is inspired by a comic strip by the same name. I’m not sure how I like it. It’s annoying but still not terrible. It did reach Nr. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at some point, but…naahh, we’ve been through this already.

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THE CHARTS

Some new additions to the charts this month. Elvis, with Stuck On You, is still on top for a couple of weeks, but he’s knocked off the top by The Everly Brothers. Greenfields keeps hanging on to a top three spot for some reason, and a boring song gets to visit for a week.

Cathy’s Clown is The Everly Brothers’ best-selling single. It makes sense cause the song is pretty cool. What makes it so cool is the structure of the song. It starts with the chorus, has no verses, and instead only bridges. This is not crazy to think about now, but at the time it was almost unheard of. It became a worldwide hit and in 2013 it was added to the National Recording Registry for being such a big influence on popular music. So yeah, it’s safe to say that it was a big hit, and it’s a deserved Nr. 1 spot this month.

Connie Stevens touches the #3 spot for one week and that is absolutely enough. A boring ballad listing Sixteen Reasons why she loves you/him. It was the biggest hit in her musical career, so that tells me that I don’t have to remember her. And then there is Jimmy Jones. Back in the top three for the second time in 1960 with the song Good Timin’. His falsetto singing voice is his trademark and it gets old pretty fast. Not to mention annoying. But the song has a good rhythm. This will be the last time we hear from him, considering charts at least, cause he’ll never make another hit song, and I probably won’t bother bringing him up on any of his later recordings. Thanks, Jim.

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Petter Milde

This Band Could Be Your Life