Talkin' about Brenda Lee

How come I never hear about her? Has that voice gone away? Could she use a Jack White type production?

 

If this is a guide, I've seen some recent TV shows (over the last few years) on which Ms. Lee had appeared, and on some of her old chestnuts, when performing them again, she's gone down in pitch a tad smidgen. For example, when she recorded "I'm Sorry" in 1960, she'd sung it in the key of B-flat; on one program a few years ago, she'd sung it in G -- a reduction of three semitones. She also went down one semitone (from A-flat to G) on "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree."

Oh, and on Golden Earring's "Radar Love," the line pertaining to her is:
The radio's playing some forgotten song -
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong."
And I happen to have a copy of that 45 which, apparently, was one of her more obscure numbers. Backed with "You Keep Coming Back To Me," this single was released as Decca 32018 in 1966.

 

I remember "Coming On Strong" very well, 'tho I'm afraid as teenage guys, my friends and I had a few chuckles at the lyric. Loved the reference in Radar Love.

My first Brenda Lee was from an EP with Jamabalaya and Wee Willie. Dynamite at that stage.

I bought a cd about 15? years ago, a lush Nashville thing that I didn't like much, and the last time I saw her was in a quartet with kd lang and other classic ladies on kd's DVD.

I could go for her voice being lower, but maybe she's "got a life" as they say, and doesn't need the kick of performing or recording any more?

 

Not quite sure why she doesn't get more respect ... maybe her sound was perceived as "too Country" ... but she doesn't appear to get the respect that she deserves ... Joel Whitburn rated her the #1 female vocalist for the '60s ... I have always liked her music ... I even sprang for Bear Family's '95 4-CD Box Set ... Brenda Lee - Little Miss Dynamite covering 1956 thru mid '62 (chart wise ... it doesn't include "All Alone Am I") ... the fact that BF (which issues some pretty obscure stuff) hasn't put out Vol. 2 ... 10 years later ... probably tells you that there isn't much demand for her music ...

 

Chip, I also have the Bear Family box, and have the same thought about why the logical second box hasn't come out. She was still on Decca, the licensing would not be a problem?

She had 14 more pop top 40 songs after All Alone Am I.

Probably more if her country hits are included. I've often made a point of telling the ladies that I wasn't Johnny One Time

 

I don't have any Brenda in my collection. What's the best one or two disc overview out there? I'm sure Bradley knows.

 

Anthology would probably be the best ... but I don't know how hard it is to find ... if you can't find Anthology (at a reasonable price) ... The Brenda Lee Story should fill the bill ... it is easy to find and usually less than $10 new ...

 

Steve would know!

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=240704&postcount=5

 

Brenda's voice hasn't gone away.

 

"Anthology "is the only way to go. Done by Inglot and Hersch at Digiprep. Seemingly from original tapes.
By comparison, "Story" sounds not-too-good. In my opinion anyway.

 

Here is the track list for a Brenda Lee CD-R that I did a couple of months ago ...

1) Bigelow 6-200
2) Sweet Nothin´s
3) (If I´m Dreaming) Just Let Me Dream
4) I´m Sorry
5) That´s All You Gotta Do
6) I Want To Be Wanted
7) Emotions
8) Crazy Talk
9) We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me
10) If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
11) Will You Love Me Tomorrow
12) You Can Depend On Me
13) Lover, Come Back To Me
14) Tragedy
15) Dum Dum
16) Here Comes That Feeling
17) Fool #1
18) Anybody But Me
19) Break It To Me Gently
20) Heart In Hand
21) Why Me?
22) All Alone Am I
23) Losing You
24) My Whole World Is Falling Down
25) As Usual
26) The Crying Game
27) Is It True
28) Too Many Rivers
29) No One
30) Coming On Strong



Tracks 1 thru 21 and 29 from Bear Family Box
Tracks 22 thru 25, 27, 28 and 30 from Anthology
Track 26 from The Crying Game

 

Chip, sometimes I get confused as to titles, but I've long wondered if "The Crying Game" that Brenda Lee sang is the same song featured in the movie, where it is performed by a British group whose name escapes me now?

Nice compilation tho, of course, my Bear Box has been on the player this afternoon, so some of these are very fresh in my ears.

Next time you do it, you could add Chuck Berry's "Brenda Lee"

 

Don't feel alone, John ... the older I get the more confused I get ... it has been a while since I saw the movie ... but I think the answer is yes ... Boy George did the movie version ... BL recorded TCG in '65 ... it was the flip of "Thanks a Lot" ...

 

Aaah, I remember "Thanks A Lot", but I don't think I heard the flip.

That "Crying Game" song was a British early 60's tune, IIRC, and Brenda Lee obviously performed it long before the movie version recorded by Boy George. Maybe she heard of it when she toured Germany in 1963, and the Beatles were her opening act?

Anyway, Thanks a lot!

 

BL's version of TCG, which is very good IMO, hit #87 on the US charts in Jan. '65 (so she probably recorded it sometime in the Fall of '64) ... Dave Berry had a version on the British charts that hit #5 in the Fall of '64 ... I am not familiar with the Beatles' version ... did they record it during their Hamburg years?

 

I didn't mean to suggest the Beatles had sung it, just that BL may have come across it in the British Beat ambiance.

Actually, you've found the name that wouldn't come to me, Dave Berry, and with the dates you provide (Fall of 64), it becomes even less obvious that Brenda Lee was covering the song, tho that would be my guess.

Anyway, I can now be sure that if I get one of the cds that BL has with that song on it, it will be the song I was thinking of! Thanks!

 

I see Ace Records is starting to issue Brenda Lee 2fers. I hope the series goes as far as covering the mid 60's (where the Bear Family Box 2 should have gone, if it had ever been planned.)

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/gotrt/nov04/CDCHD1027.html

 

The first 10 LPs will cover into early '65 ... Thank's A Lot/Crying Game ... won't include Too Many Rivers, Comin On Strong or Johnny One Time ...

 

Boy, it doesnt get any better than Brenda singing "Thats All You Gotta Do"

 

Since the Bear Family Box is still available, I'm wondering why Ace wouldn't go for the later Decca years as the focus of a series of cds.

I hope that one of the 2fers will feature the "Is It True" era records. If so, I'll be getting it.

 

Probably, cuz the vast majority of her hits will be covered by the first 10 LPs ...

CD #5 (9th & 10th LPs) should cover it ... Is It True hit the US charts on 10/17/64 ...

 

Best record she ever made, IMO.

 

Anybody besides me remember that Duane Eddy dedicated an instrumental called "Brenda" to Ms. Lee on his 1960 (61?) LP "Girls, Girls, Girls?"

 

I don't think I've ever heard that. But I'm sure you know Chuck Berry had a song about her.

PS some threads ago you referred to a Freddie Cannon song - I have heard that one!

 

Wow, here I am reviving a thread I started from another decade!

But I am very interested in just hearing an another thread (started by .crystalised. about Patsy Cline) that Bear Family may actually be doing a second box set to carry on from the first one.

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/new-bear-family-records-box-for-patsy-cline.388134/page-23

Something to watch for.