But Muhammad Ali went on to become the one and only CHAMP of boxing, and to this day there has never been anyone like him. Mike Tyson was close, but he started biting people and tattooing his face, walking around like a crazy motherfucker. And a lot of guys have tried to become the new champion, but in my eyes no one has even come close. So these games in 1960 were really something special. To see this legend step onto the world scene and never look back. Yeah, that is something.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. Now you see me, now you don’t. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t

-Mohammed Ali

The soundtrack to these games was delivered by Johnny Cash, with his album «Ride This Train», Jo Stafford’s «Jo + Jazz», Billy Eckstine’s «No Cover, No Minimum», Bill Haley & his Comets’ «Haley’s Juke Box», and singles by Jerry Butler, Johnny Horton, The Drifters, and Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs.

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THE ALBUMS

Let’s just get a couple of them outta the way straight of the bat here. Billy Eckstine does not impress me with «No Cover, No Minimum».  This guy has been around for a long time before releasing this album. He is a band leader, and has had his own big band where big guys like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis have played. He has made a name for himself throughout his career, but to me, he just sounds like a second-rate crooner with a trumpet. And Jo Stafford has released an album that was totally overlooked in 1960, and I will continue to do so. Cause it’s boring. Boring I tell you. If you happen to be a jazz-head though; this album was re-released in 1993 and it did get its wings at that point.

Bill Haley & His Comets also released an album in August, but for the second time this year, I’m unable to check it out. It’s not on Spotify, and I’m not gonna go out and buy all the records I can’t find there. I ain’t got that kind of money. I did listen to some of the other stuff they have released though, and it sounds pretty good. I mean, it’s rockabilly music, so it’s not fucking amazing. But I did like it a lot more than the bands I booked every now and then at The Crossroad Club. Not that this should clear anything up…

Johnny Cash though, he’s got an interesting album out. I say interesting because it’s a bit unusual, not because it’s bad. «Ride This Train» is his eighth album and what would probably be his first concept album. According to the cover, it is «A Stirring Travelogue of America in Song and Story», and it is seemingly railroad-themed. Before each song he tells a story to give some context of what the song is about. This includes playing historical characters and talking about different destinations visited by train. The songs are not about trains though.

I guess you understand why I find this a bit interesting and unusual by now. It took me a while to manage to get into this album. With the storytelling, it just makes it difficult for me to even look at it as an album. The biggest problem is that between every song you kinda have to reset yourself again, and by the time the new song starts the last one is completely forgotten. It’s just a strenuous way to listen to music.

So even though I enjoy the small stories, it would be a lot better if that was its own thing. And the songs would probably have been done more justice if they were able to stand alone. This one definitively doesn’t end up as one of Johnny Cash’s best albums. There are no instant classics, but rather an album that would be nice to keep up at your cabin. Cause it is good cabin music. But I can’t find any other setting where this would be a hit.

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THE SINGLES

Now before I start with this month’s releases I’d like to mention a couple of songs that I missed last month. Why I missed it? Because it’s dann near impossible to keep track of everything. But since I’m the one in charge here I can do shit the way I want to. I feel it’s important to mention this song as it is the first single where Tina Turner did lead vocals, and it’s actually the first time she used that name as well. Her real name is Anna Mae Bullock, and up until now she has been using the stage name; Little Ann. A Fool In Love is Ike & Tina Turner’s first single as an R&B duo and it swings pretty damn good. The other song is Shakin’ All Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates. Also a cool song. It topped the charts in the UK but didn’t become a hit outside of Europe until some other bands recorded it.

I’ve managed to find four singles that were released in August 1960. All four of them are listenable. And I think most of them will end up doing pretty good at the charts.

JERRY BUTLER – HE WILL BREAK YOUR HEART

Jerry Butler wrote He Will Break Your Heart with Calvin Carter and Curtis Mayfield. When listening to this song I could never have guessed that Curtis Mayfield had anything to do with it, but then again I’m not all caught up with his history either. But, according to Wikipedia, Curtis met Jerry Butler when he was fourteen years old and joined the vocal group «The Impressions» at the same time as Jerry. Now the group was called «Jerry Butler & The Impressions».

I just needed some info on this as it was new to me. It’s always cool to stumble over facts like this. And Curtis Mayfield is a bigger name to me than Jerry Butler is, so it actually piqued my interest a bit. «He Will Break Your Heart» is an ok song. But I think it’s one of those songs that you’d like to check out if you heard it in the background of some movie scene. You know? It sounds great in some settings, but listening to it in your own living room doesn’t give you the same feel.

But I like the fact that Curtis Mayfield co-wrote it.

JOHNNY HORTON – NORTH TO ALASKA

This might not be a novelty song, but Johnny Horton will always be that kind of artist to me. So when listening to North To Alaska I can’t help but think that it’s just another one of those stupid songs. This might not be fair, but that doesn’t really bother me.

The song was featured in the movie of the same name, which is a comedic western/northern, starring John Wayne. It was played during the opening titles and helped set up an introduction to the story. The fact that I’m calling it a novelty song didn’t stop it from topping the Country Singles chart, so it could be that I should eat my words. But the way I see it, the genre of a song is not necessarily defined by anyone else than the listener. So I’m not gonna eat anything at this particular moment.

From what I understand this was Johnny Horton’s last release before his death as he perished in a car accident on November 5th. So my respects will be paid in the sense that his songs aren’t awful, they just don’t rock my world.

THE DRIFTERS – SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME

Performed by The Drifters with Ben E. King on lead vocals. This one started out as a track that just went in one ear and out the other. But the more I listened to it the better Save The Last Dance For Me got. It’s one of those love songs that makes you wanna curl up on the couch with your girl in your arms. And of course, Ben E. King does have a great voice.

The song was released three months after Ben E. King left the group and did pretty good on both the Pop chart and the R&B chart. It was planned to be the B-side, but according to Doc Pomus, the songwriter, Dick Clark managed to turn it over to become the A-side.

MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS – STAY

This is probably the best single released this month. And probably the one most people know best as well. Stay is a doo-woop song written by Maurice Williams when he was only fifteen years old. Apparently, he wrote it to his date who had to go home at 10 o’clock, and he wanted her to stay longer. And to be perfectly honest. If someone wrote me a song in that case, I would definitively have stayed longer. And more…

Stay did hit No. 1 at some point and has to be considered a pretty damn big hit. It was later recorded by Jackson Browne, The Hollies, Cyndi Lauper and The Four Seasons, and it became popular once more when it was added to the soundtrack of the movie «Dirty Dancing». It had sold over 8 million copies by 1990, so yeah, a pretty big hit.

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THE CHARTS

Three new songs hit the charts this month. All three have been written about when they were released. Two good, one annoying. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini, It’s Now Or Never and Walk, Don’t Run.

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Petter Milde

This Band Could Be Your Life