Vintage Collectors Alert: Ace 'Golden Age of American Rock n' Roll - Novelty Edition'

Friends,

Ace UK continues their most famous series with another 'special' edition. This time - novelty hits!

The track line-up looks outstanding and with Duncan Cowell at the mastering 'desk' we should have great sound.

This is scheduled for November release. I'll be ordering mine this weekend!

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/gotrt/oct03/cdchd980.html

Here is the track line-up as copied and pasted from Ace's website:

TRACK LISTING

MARTIAN HOP - RAN-DELLS • MR BASS MAN - JOHNNY CYMBAL • I WANT MY BABY BACK - JIMMY CROSS • BABY SITTIN' BOOGIE - BUZZ CLIFFORD • APE CALL - NERVOUS NORVUS • YOGI - THE IVY THREE • DELICIOUS! - JIM BACKUS & FRIEND • LONG TALL TEXAN - MURRY KELLUM • MR CUSTER - LARRY VERNE • THE PURPLE PEOPLE EATER - SHEB WOOLEY • THE FLYING SAUCER Part 1 - BUCHANAN & GOODMAN • RIP VAN WINKLE - DEVOTIONS • WITCH DOCTOR - DAVID SEVILLE • RUSSIAN BAND STAND - SPENCER & SPENCER with the Sonia Pryor Choir • BEEP BEEP - PLAYMATES • MORE MONEY FOR YOU AND ME - FOUR PREPS • THE MUMMY - BOB McFADDEN & DOR • THE BLOB - FIVE BLOBS • THE LITTLE SPACE GIRL - JESSE LEE TURNER • KOOKIE, KOOKIE (LEND ME YOUR COMB) - EDWARD BYRNES & CONNIE STEVENS • ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKA DOT BIKINI - BRIAN HYLAND • WHO PUT THE BOMP (IN THE BOMP BOMP BOMP) - BARRY MANN • PSYCHO - BOBBY HENDRICKS • AHAB, THE ARAB - RAY STEVENS • HAUNTED HOUSE - GENE SIMMONS • ALLEY-OOP - DYNA-SORES • THE OLD PAYOLA ROLL BLUES Side 1 - STAN FREBERG • AMBROSE Part 5 - LINDA LAURIE • LEADER OF THE LAUNDROMAT - DETERGENTS • THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA-HAA! - NAPOLEON XIV

The version of 'Ahab the Arab' will be the original Mono 45 hit single mix.

Bob

 

Bob,

Thanks for telling us. Good set!

Prepare to have your funny bone tickled.

John

 

Looks great, but how can you go with just the first half of the Buchannan & Goodman and Freberg tracks? I don't think I've ever heard them without their B-sides attached.

 

Rich,

These are the single versions and whenever possible Ace uses the single versions as a part of the authenticity of the 'Golden Age' series...

For instance, they only use Stereo versions in this series when the Stereo version is the only version available or they could not license the Mono 'hit' single mix.

Bob

 

Ture, altho a lot of those songs dont exist in stereo, like Martian Hop Baby Sittin Boogie, Leader of the Laundomat, etc.

 

Hi Mikey,

That was not my point, of course. I was speaking about the goals of the 'Golden Age' series from a big picture perspective. For us vintage collectors, this series has been 'essential' and it is wonderful to see that based on customer demand, they will be continuing the series. Generally, the mastering has been quite good and the liner notes are always very well executed...

Bob

 

Bob, thanks, and great news! I'll put mine on order ASAP...and I love the idea of using the original 'hit' mixes whenever possible, wish more labels would do that just to even things up after years of any old stereo mix for some things...

As Mikey says, a lot of stuff with no stereo masters that we know of, but others that do....this was always the kind of series where the less stereo, the better...and if, by some miracle, a stereo mix is unearthed, wiser to leave it for another compilation where that would be more appropriate.


ED

 

Hi Ed,

Maybe some day we can shake loose all those Mono single masters sitting quietly in the vaults of RCA (BMG) and Liberty (EMI) as two of the more notable targets...

I want them all in addition to the Stereo mixes...

Bob

 

Here is the 'cover' art work...

Seems appropriate!

 

Good morning, Bob!

Yes, we do, and add Grant to that list...we were lamenting the lack of Gary Lewis mono masters the other night....you have to go back to reissue 45's for those...pity, they were THE mixes for that group. How we're to get this stuff extricated I can't imagine, there just doesn't seem to be any interest, and often we seem to get some mono mixes by accident, not design. I'll take 'em either way but, yes, much is still missing, from Elvis and the Beatles on down....

ED

 

Bob, thanks for the info.

Would any of these tracks made your taping project?

mud-

 

Good mornin' Mr. Mud!

One of the problems with a project of this magnitude is later acquiring additional tracks or better-sounding tracks. To date, when I have done so, I have gone back and added tracks or re-recorded tracks. This is time consuming but, paramount. Additionally, I have several place-holders (timed empty space) for a number of anticipated releases such as SH mastered Donovan and the Searchers. I begin 1970 this weekend and I have myself in a 70's mood for the recording sessions!

With regard to the tracks on this disc, a number of them are already recorded (SH mastered tracks included) and I will then have to decide, based on sound quality, if I should re-record them. Additionally, several of the tracks on this disc will be first-timers for me...sorry for the long-winded explanation!

Bob

 

Will you be wearing gold chains and a leisure suit to put you in the mood?



mud-

 

I never had a leisure suit [thank God, I avoided that trend]!

But, I have listened to a lot of of early 70's music this week in order to get my mind out of the serious late 60's. As an example, last night, I was listening to tracks such as 'Venus' - Shocking Blue, 'Little Green Bag' - George Baker Selection, 'Gimme That Ding' - Pipkins and 'Theme From Shaft' - Issac Hayes, to name a few, to get my mind in the 70's....

I do this often on this project in order to prepare.

Bob

 

Nor did I! You're getting in the mood is a good idea. It amazes me how much time has past and how these tunes from various years just run together.

mud-

 

It is interesting to note that novelty tracks, for the most part, sound more dated. In fact, a number of these tracks would never get played today because they are not politically correct. For this project, I am ignoring modern convention in favor of historic autheniticity. How risky!

Bob

 

Bob, someone will turn you in!

mud-

 

If you examine the track listing for this disc, there are several tracks that would not pass a modern 'PC' test...

Those were different times!

Bob

 

It's very exciting news. I hope they continue this excellent series. It is scheduled for release on November 4.

 

Mikey,

Surely YOU have the stereo version of Baby Sittin' Boogie - Buzz Clifford?! Pretty common on various compilations through the years. I was listening to a cassette a while back that had the MONO version which, as was many times the case, a slightly different take (probably done the same day, though). Nice to hear BOTH!

On a side note, if you can find Baby Sittin' Santa by Barry Richards, you'll notice a slightly reconfigured version, with the same "baby", saying a few alternate phrases not on Baby Sittin' Boogie. I have this on a CD called Reindeer Rock (SONY Special Products A 24963).

 

Great news, Bob. Thanks. Killer compilation from Ace.
The Jim Backus (and Friend) novelty, "Delicious!" is worth it alone. Anyone suffering the blues at present, play "Delicious!" right now, and you will put on a happy face (and/or hit the 'frige for a beverage).

 

Hi!

I do not recall this track so, I look forward to putting this disc in the player...

Bob

 

Mikey, the vinyl versions of Baby Sittin' Boogie were stereo with nice wide 60's-type separation.

GM