The least progressive artist of the year is back with his third album in the span of one year. He is nothing if not productive though, but when they all sound the same; is it really worth it?

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THE ALBUMS

BO DIDDLEY – IS A GUNSLINGER

Three albums and they all sound the same. Like, not just the same feel, same groove, but it even sounds like it’s the same song. Over and over again, for the third time this year. Now, Bo Diddley isn’t bad, so it’s not that it’s such a pain, but it is kinda frustrating. Is he never gonna evolve past what he has going on now? Is this it?

Obviously, this is a rock ’n’ roll/blues record. Nothing has changed there. And I might be a bit too hard on ol’ Bo, but this just doesn’t cut it for me. It’s not really a bad record, but I’m stuck here wanting something new, something fresh. Instead, I am served up the same thing as always. It’s like eating the same ass every day and never getting to the real prize.

The cover is really cool though. Bo looks amazing in his cowboy get-up, with his guitar at his feet, looking like he is about to shoot some poor bastard. Cadillac and Ride On Josephine are the coolest songs on here, but I’m struggling to pick out anything else. He is a legend. A guitar-slinging, quick-mouthed legend. But some legends fade, and right now the grip is loosening for Bo Diddley.

MUDDY WATERS – AT NEWPORT 1960

Since we’re already talking about legends; how ‘bout some Muddy Waters. This live record was recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in July. It’s a mix of old popular tunes and new compositions, and listening to it makes me wish that I was there. Usually, I shy away from live albums as I consider it a waste of time. But then again, most of the live albums I don’t like are from the present and not-so-distant past, and albums like «The Last Waltz» are fucking amazing. So listening to Muddy at Newport makes me think that they just knew how to do it better back then, and now it’s all turned to shit. Live albums that is.

Muddy Waters has a stage presence you can touch and feel through the speakers. His voice demands your attention, his guitar cries out to you and grips your insides, and his backing band is as steady as they come. There isn’t much not to like here really.

Muddy Waters had numerous Top 10 hits in the early ’50s, but after that, he never had another one. But his album sales were consistently good, and even though his sales were highest in the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, and Chicago, his popularity showed itself on his tour in England in ‘58 for example, where the attendance was high. And not to mention that The Rolling Stones named themselves after his song «Rollin’ Stone». The Newport show might as well have been a landmark on its own, where the hipsters of the time were dancing to his every note, and the rock enthusiasts started to get their eyes up for Muddy Waters.

Check out songs like Hoochie Coochie Man, Baby, Please Don’t Go, and Got My Mojo Working.

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THE SINGLES

Lawrence Welk, with his song Calcutta, would end up being the oldest person (at the time) to hit #1 on the charts at age 57. Calcutta is originally a German tune called Tivoli Melody, and that’s about how interesting this will become. Except for the fact that Lawerence Welk’s style was known as «champagne music».

NEIL SEDAKA – CALENDAR GIRL

I’ve always thought of Neil Sedaka as a snobby, sleazy guy. Now I can’t really back that up with anything, but that’s just how I pictured him. And I’m not even sure if I’ve ever heard any of his songs before either, but after hearing Calendar Girl it feels like I’m not that far off at least.

The song is a straight-up pop tune that follows all the rules. It’s cheery to the point of nausea, but it’s still pretty catchy. I challenge you to listen to it and not sing along with the chorus. Then there’s the debate of whether it’s good or just relatable, and I would definitively say it’s relatable. I’m just singing along to it because it’s simple, and the fact that it’s made from a recipe of how to create a song.

BEN E. KING – SPANISH HARLEM

I remember walking around in New York back in 1994 with my dad, and he took me and my brother up through Central Park and into Harlem. I was pretty young at the time, only 10 years old, but Harlem’s reputation had reached my young Norwegian self and I remember being a bit freaked out about walking up there. Everything was awesome though. The streets were bustling with life, there was street artists busting rhymes on the corners, it was loud, and I remember buying a CD at HMV across from the Apollo (i might be memorizing the streets wrong). Anyway, when I told my dad that I was not 100% sure about this and that I’d heard that Harlem was not for the faint of heart, he just said «Harlem isn’t that bad, son. But Spanish Harlem? We’re not getting anywhere near that place»

If my dad was correct about how bad Spanish Harlem was, I never did find out. But Spanish Harlem by Ben E. King doesn’t give the impression that it was fucked up in the ‘60s, I mean, at least there was a rose there…

The song was written by Jerry Lieber and Phil Spector, and it was Ben E. King’s first hit after he left The Drifters. I’m fond of the song, but mostly because I like Ben’s voice. For me this it’s a bit too slow and uneventful to make a dent in my memory, but it does have its charm.

ARETHA FRANKLIN – WON’T BE LONG

Aretha Franklin didn’t enter the scene with a bang. It wasn’t until later when she moved away from Columbia Records that her musical expression and artistry blossomed. Like on this single, Won’t Be Long, she’s into a more of a jazz sound, and she will keep on dabbing with this, some pop, and standards up until later in the ’60s from what I understand. But that doesn’t mean you can’t hear the soul in her voice already!

Cause, damn! She sounds amazing. That voice is something special, and we’re lucky that we are allowed to enjoy it. Won’t Be Long only managed the 76th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but the song is a lot better than that would imply. She’s accompanied by some jazz music, but her singing makes it sound like she wants to burst into something else already. It’s powerful, beautiful, and she’s got a shitload of soul.

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THE CHARTS

Two new songs enter the Top 3 this month. Well, at least one that I haven’t written about before. Kathy Young & The Innocents steps up from Top 10 and Bert Kaempfert with his version of boredom, Wonderland By Night, for some unexplainable reason manages to sell well this month. I guess old people bought a lot of records…

Johnny Burnette managed to sneak into the charts this month with his You’re Sixteen. And I didn’t notice this when I wrote about this song in an earlier post, but you can actually “hear” his crazy eyes already at the start of the song. The picture of his face in my mind is completely fucked up at the line “peaches and cream”, I can just see his eyes bulging for some reason. Jerry Butler makes a return to This Band Could Be Your Life with the song He Will Break Your Heart it’s starting to get some recognition, while Connie Francis has yet another song breach the top. Many Tears Ago is actually her best song (or maybe more like the only song I’ve kinda liked) so far this year. Ferrante & Teicher join in with another instrumental theme song. This time it’s Theme From “Exodus”, and it’s a bit easier to listen to than Theme From The ‘’Apartment’’.

Lolita steps up with a genuinely terrible song; Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea. She’s from Austria. Ray Peterson got some help from Phil Spector on Corinna, Corinna, a fairly okay pop tune, and Rosie & The Originals is the last artist to make it into The Top 10 this year with Angel Baby.

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That’s it for 1960. It has had some definite highlights, and quite a few disappointments. I’ve found some artist I’ve never listened to before which I ended up liking, and I’ve listened to some songs that was an absolute waste of time. But it’s all worth it. The next post will be a recap of the year 1960. I just need to figure out how I wanna do it first.

1961 starts soon…

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Petter Milde

This Band Could Be Your Life