Did you originate that phrase, or did you get it from your Grandmother? If so, you should be a political speech writer. If not, your Grandmother should get the job.
Thanks for bringing up this CD and its Peggy material, as well as the info. I'm adding the photo and "blurb" above. Those two January 1944 numbers were Peggy Lee's very first masters for the Capitol label. We happened to talk a little bit about them in the first page of this thread (post #13), where there are also photos of both the session and the album on which the tracks first appeared, New American Jazz. The Jazz Unlimited CD has a neat assembly of jazz tracks. It's sort of a reissue of an Australian LP on the Swaggie label: For the complete motherload of masters recorded by the Capitol Jazzmen (in their various incarnations) and other similar jazz groups at Capitol, the set to get is the one seen in the clip posted by Wildroot Indigo: Mosaic Records' Classic Capitol Jazz Sessions. Great jazz instrumental cuts, needless to say, but also worthwhile vocals by not only Peggy Lee but also Billie Holiday, Johnny Mercer, Anita O'Day, Kay Starr, Jack Teagarden ...
Thanks, .crystalised. and Ridin'High... amazing thread. I didn't know there was a photo of Ten Cats and a Mouse: some sporty neckties there--especially Norvo's--and Peggy looks relaxed. Yes, fortunately I have that Swaggie LP as well as the Jazz Unlimited CD... Initially I got these for the Nat Cole material, but really enjoyed the rest, which peaked my interest in early Capitol: so many great artists on these sessions.
Ridin'High, congratulations on an excellent thread! I have been away, but find this marvelous discussion of Peggy Lee's recordings on my return. I may not have a lot to offer in the discussion but am looking forward to learning more about Peggy.
Before we move on to discussing fresh material from Peggy's Decca years, let's talk a bit more about two or three of the album tracks that we recently singled out. "The Gypsy With Fire In His Shoes " The following photo shows the saloon singer in the dress that she wears while performing "The Gypsy with Fire in his Shoes." (Actually, I think this scene takes place right after her performance.) I made reference before to Peggy's comment on Sammy's contribution, but I might as well quote her verbatim, too: "Spanish music generally interested me ... Laurindo Almeida and I wrote The Gypsy with Fire in his Shoes and Dan Dailey tried to do a flamenco dance on the recording, but somehow it didn't quite work. Sammy Davis, Jr. came in, danced on a wooden platform, overdubbing, and this time it was perfect. Like he is." Long before it landed on The Fabulous Peggy Lee, "The Gypsy with Fire in his Shoes" enjoyed a very international life as a single ... A life as a 45-rpm single, that is! (78-pm, too.) In early 1957, this "Gypsy" backed "Where Flamingos Fly" on a 45 that was released in several nations, including the United States, Japan, and Germany. "Gypsy" also made 45/78 appearances in Portugal and the United Kingdom, as the side of the single that featured Peggy's "Mr. Wonderful." Since that number was a hit for her in the UK, 1957 British listeners might have gained a greater familiarity with "Gypsy" that American ones.Even though I have found no corroboration I have to assume that the number was also issued as a single in Spain, the land of flamenco. Some of the non-American pressings credit a certain "José" on the label. Here is, for instance, the Portuguese one: Chico-Mustalainen (Gipsy With Fire In His Shoes) - Carola Tulikenkäinen mustalainen - Katri Helena (1966) The Gypsy With Fire in His Shoes Ah. The full Rawhide Years film in also in YouTube. You can catch the "Gypsy" number at the 39:52 mark: Western movies hd full length - The Rawhide Years 1955 - Best western movies of all time
"You've Got To See Mamma Ev'ry Night" You made me curious as to which lyric was the original one. If we were to go by the sheet music above, it would be the "three girls for company" variant that Peggy Lee used. However, variants seem to have been already in use as early as 1923, when the song was brand new. Although the sheet music is also from that year, we cannot discard the possibility that the variants had also been provided by the songwriters themselves ... When it comes to old blues and ditties such as this one, variants are not unusual. I just gave a listen to the four versions that gained popularity in 1923, paying special attention to the key lines under discussion: 1) Dolly Kay Sunday night you spent with me But you brought your wife for company 2) Aileen Stanley & Billy Murray ... Sunday night, yes, you called on me but you brought three girls for company [In this version, we also hear from the naughty gigolo, impersonated by Murray. Lots of additional and different lyrics. For instance: "I must know where you go And what makes you so gay."] 3) Mamie Smith Sunday night you called on me But you brought three girls for company 4) Sophie Tucker Sunday night you called on me But you brought your wife and your family I sampled a few later versions in YouTube, too. This one took me aback, making me scratch my head: I also found out that the song enjoyed something of a small revival in 2013, when it was included in one of the soundtracks for the HBO show Boardwalk Empire. Liza Minnelli interpreted it: Liza Minnelli- You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night- Boardwalk Empire Vol. 2 Soundtrack Others versions: 7. You Gotta See Your Mama (Dorothy Loudon, an oftentimes raucous nightclub & Broadway songbird) 8. You've Got to See Mama Every Night - Mance Lipscomb (Live) (old male blues/cajun singer) 9. You've Got To See Mama Every Night (Norma Douglas, obscure 1950s songbird) 10. You've Got To See Mama Every Night (Gretchen Wyler, obscure 1950s-1960s songbird) 11. You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night (Sandra Church, obscure 1950s-1960s songbird) 12. You've Gotta See Mama Ev'ry Night (Or You Can't See Mama at All) (Micki Marlo, obscure 1950s-1960s songbird) 13. You've Got To See Mama Ev'ry Night (Georgia Gibbs) 14. You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night (Carol Channing) 15. Marlene Dietrich - You`ve Gotta See Mama, Live. 16. You've Got to See Mama (Recorded March, 1923) (Marrion Harris) And the versions already mentioned: 17. Kay Starr - You've Gotta See Mama Ev'ry Night, or You Can't See Mama At All (1947) 18. Peggy Lee▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬You've Got To See Mamma Every Night
"Go You Where You Go" / "River River" I know very little about the two songs that you singled out above, .crystalised. The one specific factoid about "River River" that I can offer is that, around the same time as Peggy, it was also recorded by future Broadway and Hollywood star Rita Moreno, who had grown up idolizing Peggy's singing. As for "Go You Where You Go," it was suitably chosen as the B side for the Decca single whose A side was "Where Can I Go without You." Thematically, then, that's a single about traveling -- and also about being stuck in one place (a mental place). My general take on both numbers is that, when Peggy Lee recorded them, "River River" and "Go You Where You Go" must have been newly written, commercial pieces ... pieces which might have been making the rounds from label to label, in the hope of getting picked up by a company or an artist. If so, Decca might have asked Peggy to record them, and she might have liked them enough to do so. Or Peggy might have been directly approached by the songs' pluggers. The following photo (from the 1940s) displays a tough sell in the making. Two of Hollywood's most famous songpluggers are trying to talk Peggy into doing one of the tunes that they had been hired to promote: Moving on to other topics ... Lately, while paying renewed attention to Peggy's early Decca discography, one thing that I'm noticing is the existence of a subset of songs which share a geographical motif. In addition to those mentioned, another one that comes to mind is "Guess I'll Go Back Home (Next Summer)" ... It all makes me wonder if a concept album, along those lines, was being considered around that time. Something else that I've also begun to notice, specifically in connection to tracks such as "Go Where You Go," "Sans Souci," and "River River," from the Lover album (plus "Autumn in Rome" and especially "Where Flamingos Fly," both from other albums): they have a rarified, faraway and moody atmosphere that rank them as Peggy Lee's closest incursions into the world of exotica music. Going back to the commercial pedigree of both tunes ... "River River" was co-written by Ben Oakland and Bob Russell. Oakland also wrote two other ditties recorded by Peggy, both of which are lots of silly fun: "Summer Vacation" (Decca) and "I Went to your Wedding" (Capitol). Bob Russell is a pretty well known commercially-oriented songwriter, with quite a few notable hits and even some standards under his belt ("Dance Ballerina Dance," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "You Came a Long Way from St. Louis," et cetera). Al Frisch, co-writer of "Go You Where You Go," became known over the decades for overtly sentimental commercial tunes like "Flowers Mean Forgiveness," "I Won't Cry Anymore," "Two Different Worlds," "Winner Takes It All," "Congratulations to Someone," "This Is No Laughing Matter," "Roses in the Rain," etc. Lyricist Ralph Care did not have as long a career. About three months after the release of Peggy's version of his "Go You Where You Go" on Decca single, the 36-year-old died of an asthma attack. I don't think that he got to write any song of lasting impact. He was the lyricist behind the type of forgettable ditties that the amenable Nat King Cole would sometimes agree to record (e.g., "I Envy") as well as similarly old fashioned, sentimental or cloying numbers picked up by folks such as Eddy Howard, Dinah Shore, Tony Martin, and Patti Page ... For instance, there was a Shore-Martin duet called "A Penny for a Kiss" -- not the Tavares hit, which is from decades later. I do like his lyric for "Go You Where You Go," but I am heavily influenced by Gordon's enticingly odd arrangement and Peggy's mournful yet warm interpretation.
"Just One of Those Things" / "I Hear the Music Now" From the Lover album, those two are not among the songs that catch my attention the most, neither. "Just One of Those Things" is actually a fraternal twin to "Lover." Gordon and Peggy clearly cut both numbers from the same cloth; in fact, they were recorded at the same session -- from which no other numbers are known to have been waxed. In addition to recording it, Peggy also took her version of the Cole Porter standard to TV, where she used it as an upbeat opener. See, for instance, the segment above, from her guest appearance on a show hosted by clownish entertainer Red Skelton. (She shows up right after the :45 mark.) Once finished with "Just One of Those Things," she proceeds to do a ballad, for which she picks one of her rarer Decca cuts -- a song to which I happened to allude in my previous post. (Between songs, dig the personnel's change of props right on the spot.) About "I Hear the Music Now" ... Jazz singer Chris Connor was someone who might have disagreed with our downplaying of that number (whose melody dates back to the 19th century, incidentally). A Peggyfan, Chris liked this song so much that she performed it countless times in concert, and recorded it twice. Here is her swinging take, as recorded for her Atlantic Records album Witchcraft in 1959: I Hear The Music Now . With this post, the thread's OP (moi) concludes his look into some neglected odds and ends from previous posts. Next: let's talk about hits and key numbers from Peggy's contract with Decca Records (before we finally move on to another record label).
Perhaps that's a look of polite disbelief on Peggy's face, as those gents attempt to sell "Blum, Blum, I Wonder Who I Am" back to her
THE DECCA PERIOD: HIT SINGLES Back to our regular program. Now that we have finished covering all original Peggy Lee LPs on Decca Records, let's dedicate a few posts to her Decca singles, starting with the ones that charted. On the label under discussion, she scored 10 top thirty hits, plus one additional number that made the top 100. The rest of this post will be dedicated to her biggest hit amidst that bunch. Lover The story of how Peggy came up with her novel approach to this old standard has been told often. Variations of it can be found in other forum threads. A full, detailed page can also be found at the online Peggy Lee discography , whose information has been already copied (though without attribution) on one of the aforementioned threads. Still, it won't hurt if we go over the story's essentials in the present thread, too. The sound of galloping horses on a scene from the above-shown French movie inspired Peggy to come up with an arrangement that mimicked their rhythm. Since she mentally associated galloping sounds with Latin beats (and since percussion was deemed the most suitable instrument to create the excitement of an approaching stampede), it is not surprising that the choice of musical genre wounded up being mambo. As for a song, Peggy and her group settled on "Lover" (a waltz that dated back to around 1933) as a suitable song on which to try their mambo sketch. "Just One of Those Things" might have also been under consideration; I can only offer this possibility as speculation on my part. Then Peggy and her men took their "Lover" to her nightclub dates. As she recalled it: "The bongos would be playing straight eights. The congas would be playing six-eight and other Latin rhythms, and the drums played a straight fast four. We tried this in clubs and concerts, and people went wild over it, including some pros." Among the pros who had gone to see Peggy perform: Decca executives Milt Gabler and Sonny Burke. When they told Peggy that they would love to have her record the number for Decca, she didn't mull over it for long. Capitol, her label at the time, had not been receptive to Peggy's proposal to make a studio recording of "Lover." She had told them that it would doubtlessly be a hit for the label; they had retorted that, for the time being, the label had no interest in releasing any versions of "Lover." Well, if Capitol wasn't willing to pay any attention to her suggestions, Decca was more than willing to do so. Since Peggy's contract with Capitol happened to be up for renewal around this time, it was easy for her to sign with Decca. A recording of "Lover" was attempted at her second session for the label, about a month after she had joined it. With 36 musicians enlisted to play, the cacophony posed seemingly insurmountable problems during this first attempt. A second try, conducted a few days later, produced a far more satisfactory master, which was released to the public soon thereafter. Peggy's interpretation of "Lover" sold a quarter of a million within its first two weeks, and reached the million mark at some point later. It spent 20 weeks in Billboard's chart, peaking at #3. It was actually Peggy's only top ten while at Decca. (Not that she was wanting for them. She had already had numerous top ten hits at both Capitol and Columbia, and would go on to score more after her departure from Decca.) Near the beginning of this thread, we mentioned how the reprisal of Peggy Lee 1942 version of "Why Don't You Do Right" on a 1943 movie (Stage Door Canteen) extended that hit's popularity and longevity. A similar statement could be made about the 1952 hit "Lover," which Peggy reprised for the 1953 film The Jazz Singer. The following movie clip has been already posted in other forum threads, but it's exciting enough to deserve one more look at it: And here is the original Decca studio recording: 1952 HITS ARCHIVE: Lover - Peggy Lee & Gordon Jenkins . Naturally, Peggy continued to perform her version of "Lover" over the ensuing decades. Audiences demanded it. Eventually, however, the artist's preference for fresh material and fresh approaches led to a recast of the song in new styles, and to the removal of the original mambo approach. In the mid-1960s, she sang it with a rock beat, on television. In the late 1970s, she recorded it anew, with additional lyrics and in a very contemporary vibe (not sure what would we call this one ... kind of a mix of "festive Brazilian" and "proto-disco"?): Peggy Lee - Lover (1977) . Next: More Decca hits
THE DECCA PERIOD: HIT SINGLES (CONTINUED) The preceding post discussed "Lover," Peggy Lee's biggest hit single on Decca. A correction: it spent 13 weeks on the Billboard charts (not 20 weeks, as I mistakenly wrote above.) With that detail out of the way, let us now move on to Lee's other Decca hits. 2. Mr. Wonderful (1956) Featuring Sammy Davis, Jr. on the title role, a musical titled Mr. Wonderful made its Broadway debut in early 1956. Although the show was generally rated as mediocre, Sammy's star quality kept it alive for nearly 400 performances. Also factoring in its longevity was the musical's catalogue of fine, tasteful songs, some of them new, some of them old. Two of the new tunes went on to making some noise in the music charts. "Too Close for Comfort" became a top 40 hit for Eydie Gorme. Eydie's success was short-lived (one week in the chart, at #39), but the song's longevity was not. "Too Close for Comfort" is now a bona fide standard that has been recorded by many other singers, including Peggy Lee -- on Capitol, in 1960. Back in 1956, however, the major hit from Mr. Wondeful was the title song. Record companies rushed to have their stars cover it. For instance, Decca enlisted Peggy Lee to record a version of the song well in advance of the show's March 22 premiere. She did so on January 6. Other designated singers included Sarah Vaughan at Mercury and Teddi King at RCA Victor. All three women enjoyed hits with the number, placing it in several Billboard charts. The singer on top varied from chart to chart, although the one with the best overall showing was Peggy Lee. To illustrate, we can take a look at the radio airplay chart, where Sarah peaked at #13 and Peggy at #14, and Teddi at #18. On the main chart, however, Sarah had the lowest peak (#38), Teddi was ahead by a few notches (#32), and Peggy comfortably outdistanced both of them, at #23. Of the three, the vocalist who spent the most weeks on the main chart was also Peggy (10), followed by Sarah (7). But it was in the United Kingdom that Peggy hit it big with "Mr. Wonderful." Over there, the nicely old fashioned, ultra-romantic number peaked at #5. It is not surprising, then, that "Mr. Wonderful" became a staple of her concerts and tours over British land. Various live versions of "Mr. Wonderful," most of them performed in the UK, have indeed survived, and a few can be currently found in YouTube. (Meanwhile, in the United States, she seldom performed this number.) The version that I am showcasing below is the original hit single, though. This clip makes for nice viewing because it has a generous montage of photos. (Beware, though, of the fact that it misses the ending, which I consider the most captivating and impressive segment of Peggy's interpretation!...) (Here is another clip, this one including the full performance: 1956 HITS ARCHIVE: Mr. Wonderful - Peggy Lee .) 3. Just One Of Those Things (1952) Peggy's version of this Cole Porter standard was clearly conceived as a fraternal twin to "Lover." Both were recorded at the same session. ("Lover" had to be re-recorded, though.) Both follow essentially the same musical approach and both ended up being sung on the movie The Jazz Singer. Both were hits for Peggy, too, with this one peaking at #14 ... Just one of those things, you know? Lee might have personally favored this standard, because she frequently performed it on the radio, and sang it in on TV as well. Concert audiences probably showed a consistently enthusiastic response to her interpretation; she kept on singing the number over the decades, all the way into the 1990s. Here are three Lee versions, one done on the radio (1952), another on TV (1954), and the third one in concert (1984): Peggy Lee - "Just One of Those Things" (1954) Just One Of Those Things Peggy Lee - 'Just one of those things' Through the years (and, once again, in a pattern similar to that of "Lover"), Peggy Lee tried to keep her approach to "Just One of Those Things" fresh by re-casting it in other music styles. When she re-recorded the song for a 1979 studio album, the latin approach of her 1952 recordings was exchanged for a more contemporary disco feel. (You can hear the latter here: Just One Of Those Things.) 4. Be Anything (1952) Peggy's very first hit on Decca Records was "Be Anything (But Be Mine)," which was also one of the four songs that she had recorded on her first session for the label. It peaked at #21, thereby besting competition from one female (Helen O'Connell, #27) and one male singer (Champ Butler, #26). But it did not manage to come anywhere near the #7 peak achieved by the first version out on the market. Top ten status was enjoyed only by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra, who did the number in the company of a prominently featured, celestially-sounding male chorus. The record labels that released the versions by Butler, Lee, and O'Connell were simply a bit late to the party. By the time that Decca got Lee to record her interpretation, Eddy Howard's version of the song had already entered the music charts. "Be Anything" is actually one of those pop songs that managed to find favor among r&b singers as well; LaVern Butler and Ruth Brown were among those who recorded it. In later years, there would also be versions by Gloria Lynne, Lou Rawls, Connie Francis, and Timi Yuro, among others. 5. Who's Gonna Pay The Check? (1953) At Columbia Records, the woman had asked her man, "Why Don't You Do Right?" ... At Capitol Records, she would proclaim that "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" ... And at Decca Records, the lady kept on wondering "Who's Gonna Pay the Check?" This top 30 hit combines elements from "Why Don't You Do Right?" and "Mañana." All three are teasing, humorous character songs. In "Who's Gonna Pay the Check?," the character is an Italian-American donna -- possibly a tipsy one -- who is going out with a flashy paysano. At the joint or restaurant (and elsewhere), he is quick to order expensive food, drinks, and other stuff for everybody, yet seems a bit slow when the time comes to put actual money on the table. Both literally and figuratively, Donna Peggina fears that she is going to be left stuck with the tab ... A lighthearted number, with both lyrics and music by Peggy Lee alone. 6. River River (1952) In the Billboard charts, the two previously discussed numbers peaked at #21 ("Be Anything") and #22 ("Who's Gonna Pay the Check?"). The chart peak of "River River" was #23. For the sake of completeness, I'll re-post below some already made comments about this song. To be continued
THE DECCA PERIOD: HIT SINGLES (CONCLUDED) 7. Let Me Go, Lover (1954) In 1945, country singer-songwriter Jenny Lou Carson became the first female to pen a #1 country hit. Tex Ritter, the pioneer country singer and western film star, topped the chart with her composition "You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often." Hank Williams' long battle with alcoholism and untimely death (January 1, 1953) inspired Jenny Lou to write a tune that she called "Let Me Go, Devil." The devil in question was the bottle. Not surprisingly, Capitol's Tex Ritter was among those who recorded this number in 1953. Neither this version nor several others managed to make the charts. Still working on its promotion, the song's music publishing house tried to pique the interest of Columbia A&R man Mitch Miller. The man's activities at the time included not only signing artists and producing their sessions for Columbia but also choosing the music to be featured on CBS-TV shows such as Studio One (a then-popular "drama of the week" anthological series). Miller was not sold on "Let Me Go, Devil." He turned the song down because its lyric did not strike him as commercially appealing. He did like the music, though. Confident that they could change his mind, the publishing house acted fast. Three songwriters quickly got together for the purpose of turning in a new, more romantic and safer-sounding lyric. That's how "Let Me Go, Devil" was transformed into "Let Me Go, Lover." Satisfied with the new version, Miller decided to use the tune on an upcoming episode of Studio One. According to Miller himself, his intention was to cut the tune “with a voice nobody knew, so the audience wouldn’t be distracted from the story line.” He had a perfect candidate in Joan Weber, a youngster that he had recently signed to Columbia. To his ears, Joan "sounded like every girl you ever heard singing behind the counter in a five and-dime store.” (She was merely 18 years old and just out of high school, albeit already pregnant and married.) Named after the song, the aforementioned episode of Studio One had as its main characters an elusive murderer and the disc jockey that he enjoyed antagonizing. I haven't watched it, but I'm gathering that the setting was a radio station. Apparently, the murderer relished in leaving the same clue of his stealthy presence: turning the turntables to his favorite record, "Let Me Go, Lover." (The poor thing must have never heard of "Murder, He Says," the old Betty Hutton hit that would have suited him to a T. And he wasn't yet hip to fact that murderers love to have "Misty" played for them.) The upshot of the murderer's tastes in crime and music: the TV audience was subjected to the "Let Me Go" tune again and again during the 60 minutes of the telecast -- on six different occasions, to be exact. Afterwards, they could not let go of it. Criminal indeed. Radio stations were inundated with requests, and record dealers ordered 500,000 copies within the two weeks that followed the telecast. "Let Me Go, Lover" became a huge 1954-1955 success for Columbia Records, reaching the top of the music charts and passing the million mark in sales. It is said to have been the first TV hit single ever. Not surprisingly, all the other labels soon zoomed in, searching for a piece of the action. Numerous versions of the hit tune were recorded by everybody and their family. Such was the popularity of the number that, between late 1954 and early 1955, five singers managed to take it to the charts in the United States: Columbia's Weber (#1), Coral's Teresa Brewer (#6), Mercury's Patti Page (#8), RCA's Sunny Gale (#17), and Decca's Peggy Lee (#26). From the perspective of a Billboard reviewer who was not enthused by Lee's version, her recording had been released "much too late ... to get a token of the share of the action." (And yet, it still managed to chart. I read somewhere that it also enjoyed the special distinction of been the only one to reaching #1 in the Hit Parade, but I'm not sure which is the Hit Parade to which the comment is alluding.) 8. Where Can I Go Without You? (1954) Peggy Lee wrote and recorded this lyric in 1952 but Nat King Cole was the one who went on to make it widely known. Her version was actually left to collect dust for two years. Peggy's 1954 chart success with another ballad ("Baubles, Bangles and Beads") might have motivated Decca Records to notice "Where Can I Go Without You?," while searching for a follow-up. In addition to releasing the ballad on a single, the company also included it (as well as "Baubles, Bangles and Beads") in a newly produced album, titled Songs in an Intimate Style. The decision to retrieve and release the master as a 45/78 single worked: Lee's version of her own song peaked at #28. But it was its subsequent inclusion in Nat's popular and classic 1957 Capitol album Love Is the Thing that cemented the tune's lasting appeal. Dozens of artists have (re-)recorded it since them, including Lee herself (for her Capitol album Mink Jazz). Incidentally, this song has its own thread in the forum: Nat King Cole - "Where Can I Go Without You". . The thread is actually dedicated to discussing a specific line variant; to wit: 9. Watermelon Weather (1952) On Decca, Peggy Lee and Bing Crosby recorded four duets together, plus one trio (with Bob Hope as the third wheel) and a couple of ensemble performances. "Watermelon Weather" was one of the duets. Two recordings of "Watermelon Weather" actually made the 1952 charts, thus competing for attention and top placement. One recording was released by RCA Victor, the other by Decca. Victor won the battle with a testosterone-fueled interpretation by Perry Como and the then-very popular Eddie Fisher. They climbed the top 30 ladder, landing at #19. Bing and Peggy settled for a #28. 10. Baubles, Bangles And Beads (1953) After making the rounds in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the musical Kismet came to the Big Apple, premiering on Broadway during the first week of December 1953. It turned out to be a smash success. Record labels rushed to release competing versions of the show's songs, after picking members of their respective artist rosters to record them. At Decca, Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee and The Four Aces were enlisted for this purpose. In addition to several singles, an EP with these artists' interpretations of four Kismet numbers was issued by the company. Peggy Lee's version of "Baubles, Bangles And Beads" entered Billboard's charts on the same week that the musical opened. It peaked at #30. Competing versions from other labels (e.g., Georgia Gibbs at Mercury, Lu Ann Simms at Columbia) were not able to make Billboard's top 30. Marty Paich, who would later become famous for his "Dex-Tette" recordings, arranged Peggy's version of "Baubles, Bangles and Beads." You can hear their work in the clip below. Six years later, Peggy commissioned a new arrangement, possibly from Benny Carter. That's the version which you see her perform in the following clip: Baubles, Bangles, & Beads . Besides the ten top 30 hits listed above, Peggy Lee also had a top 100 Decca entry with "Joey, Joey, Joey" (from the musical Most Happy Fella). Her 1956 rendition of that showtune spent six weeks in the lower quarter of the chart, peaking at #76.
I've got two Peggy Lee box sets (from a recent estate sale)....with lots of overlap. Proper Box 45 Peggy Lee The Peggy Lee Story (2002) Proper Box 108 Peggy Lee Miss Wonderful (2010) I prefer the 2002 set due to the Benny Goodman years starting off disc 1 (tracks 1-14); but the 2010 set has a much better booklet in terms of photos. She might be the only artist Proper took another crack at.
Your review of Peggy's Decca hits inspired me to consider the programming for a "lost" Decca album, titled Peggy Lee's Greatest Hits. Side One Lover River River Be Anything Let Me Go, Lover Joey, Joey, Joey Mr. Wonderful Side Two Just One Of Those Things Watermelon Weather Who's Gonna Pay The Check Where Can I Go Without You Baubles, Bangles And Beads The Tavern
Nice (and Proper) topic. In addition to the two box sets, there is also an one-disc release, part of the label's Proper Introduction To series. Issued in 2004: All three Proper releases feature detailed, fine liner notes by Joop Visser, a Dutch instrumentalist, singer, and composer. (The man has major business credentials, too. Starting in the 1960s and continuing for the first half of the 1970s, Visser worked as a producer/A&R man at Bovema, EMI's branch in the Netherlands. Afterwards, he was one of the principals in one of the earliest European labels to concentrate on releasing catalogue music. This century, he showed up as a contestant (half of a duo) in Holland's Got Talent, the Dutch version of the TV franchise. Alas, the appearance was not well received by the show's judges. One of them even asked if the performance had been meant as a joke. I believe that some amount of controversy came out of the situation.) Besides liner notes, each of the Proper booklets includes discographical information and photographs, too. I agree that the better set of photos is in the second set's booklet. Some of these photos are fairly rare. I believe that the majority of them were culled from obscure music magazines from the 1940s and early 1950s. On the other hand, most of the photos on the first booklet can be found in Peggy's autobiography. Nice as they are, they would fail to strike fans as unusual. As for the Proper Introduction CD, naturally it has far fewer pics (about five), but they are in full size and very appealing to the eye. So, quite a few pluses. Since Proper is a Public Domain label, the sound quality is not top-notch, of course. But, as far as PD CDs go, they sound fine to me. You made me curious; just checked into this. If we were to circumscribe to female singers, then I believe that Peggy's only "Proper match" is this lady friend of hers (with whom she, by the way, happened to share a full LP, while both were on Decca Records): Proper Box 74 Ella Fitzgerald Romance in Rhythm (2004) Proper Box 116 Ella Fitzgerald Dearly Beloved (2007) Male acts are a different matter: Proper Box has 'doubled our pleasure' far more often ... Miles Davis 17 Young Miles 171 Essential Miles Louis Armstrong 24 Satchmo in the Forties 93 King Louis Charlie Parker 46 Boss Bird 99 Chasing the Bird Charles Mingus 77 The Young Rebel 188 Mingus Moods John Coltrane 136 Early Trane 181 Out of this World Peggy, Ella, and these five guys are the only acts who I know to have two Proper boxes. I could be unaware of others, however; it's a relatively large catalogue. The last Proper Box (of which I am aware) came out last year (2016), raising the grand total to 200 boxes.
THE DECCA PERIOD: CULT CLASSICS We have already covered Peggy's US Decca hits. Let's talk now about non-charting numbers which became strongly associated with her, or which have been singled out for praise. Johnny Guitar This is easily Peggy's top cult classic from her Decca years. Internationally, it is also one of her best remembered, most covered and reissued numbers ever -- especially in Japan and across Europe. It even charted in Italy. Peggy Lee and Victor Young co-wrote the song "Johnny Guitar" for the western film of the same name, whose stars were Joan Crawford, Steling Hayden, and Mercedes McCambridge. In the United States, the film was neither popular nor well received when it premiered (1954), but, with the passing of time, it has grown to become a beloved cult classic. The same can be said of the song that served as its theme -- except for the fact that 1954 critics wrote favorably about the tune. (Billboard: "nostalgic tune read with much feeling by Miss Lee. With great style she evokes the memory of her absent lover.") Peggy recorded the number for inclusion in the movie soundtrack. Her soundtrack version is indeed heard at the beginning and end of the flick. She separately recorded "Johnny Guitar" for Decca, too. From the label's vaults, two takes have survived. Both are complete and satisfactory: one of them is the master take, the other an alternate. Both takes have been issued numerous times. As attested by the clip below, Peggy Lee also performed "Johnny Guitar" on TV, in the mid-1950s. More than 50 years later (i.e., in the early years of this century), her interpretation enjoyed a revival thanks to its inclusion in the audio of the Fallout video game series. Songs from Lady and the Tramp While the aforementioned Johnny Guitar film is a cult classic, this Disney movie is a popular classic. Peggy wrote several songs for it, and performed three of them on the soundtrack. Of those, two have become perennials, thanks in part to the scenes to which they are set up, and in part to Peggy's playful, sly lyrics. I am referring to "The Siamese Cat Song" and "He's a Tramp." As for the lyrics that she wrote but did not sing in the soundtrack, "Bella Notte" is widely remembered as well, mainly thanks to the iconic, romantic spaghetti scene throughout which it is heard. By the way, the forum has its own thread on the movie and numbers such as "The Siamese Cat Song": Peggy Lee taught me overdubbing (Lady & The Tramp "making of...") . Album Cuts A handful of songs from Peggy's Decca LPs have also become associated with the singer. Given the fact that we have already discussed them (back when we were talking about the albums themselves), let's merely list them here: "Bye, Bye, Blackbird" and "He Needs Me" (album Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues) "I Don't Want to Play in your Yard" (Sea Shells album), "Black Coffee" & "When the World Was Young" (album Black Coffee with Peggy Lee). Bouquet of Blues Authored by the same songwriter who gave us "Cry Me a River," this Arthur Hamilton number has met a diametrically different fate: unlike "Cry Me a River," "Bouquet of Blues" has remained in obscurity. And, even among the few music listeners who are somewhat aware of it, the version that they tend to recall is Julie London's or, otherwise, Dinah Shore's, whose above-pictured album was named after the song. However, Peggy Lee was the name artist who first recorded it, in a magnificent rendition that is made even more entrancing by Benny Carter's sax playing. As ably expressed by the uploader of this YouTube audio clip, it's a rare and haunting rendition: Peggy Lee // Bouquet of Blues The mood of "great regret" experienced by the song's character is masterfully conveyed by the vocalist and the saxophonist -- in a subtle and bluesy manner, with no histrionics or, um, moaning in the process. Since I said that this song is "hardly known," you might be wondering why is it being included in this list of cult classics. Well, as little known as it might seem nowadays, "Bouquet of Blues" was, in the mid- to late 1950s, "a staple on many a late-night disc jockey show" -- according to one of Peggy's biographers. Support for the biographer's statement comes from a comment once made by the late jazz singer Mark Murphy: he referred to Peggy's take as "a kind of hit among the boosters and the hipsters. Peggy was the girl of great regret." Too bad that, unlike, Julie, Peggy did not record an album For the Night People. I can see that. Or maybe as a replacement for "It's All Right Me." I am wondering in turn if I would have liked to hear "Bouquet of Blues" as part of the album Black Coffee with Peggy Lee. Although the musical accompaniment is different, that song's mood fits right in with album tracks such as "A Woman Alone with the Blues" and the title song ... It could have been a trilogy, actually! I absolutely like the idea of pairing those two. To play a sort-of-musical-chairs game, your comment is also reminding me of this South African single, which pairs two songs that, as far as I know, have not been put together anywhere else: Christmas single Peggy recorded just one Christmas single for Decca. The two songs from that single have become fairly well known among fans of holiday CD compilations, if only because they show up often in such anthologies. (That's most particularly the case with "Ring Those Christmas Bells," which has gone on to acquire quite a few casual fans. The other song, "It's Christmas Time Again" has been anthologized as well, but not quite as often.) I Hear the Music Now To some ears, including mine, this number is not of particular note. (Mind you, it's pleasant, as far as my own opinion is concerned.) It was penned and performed by Peggy probably for the express purpose of fitting a suitable song into a scene from the movie The Jazz Singer, in which she co-starred with Danny Thomas. "I Hear the Music Now" is actually a wedding song -- or rather, a hoping-for-a-wedding song. ("Here Comes the Bride" is the tune that the song's character is 'hearing now.') But let me mention the chief reason why "I Hear the Music Now" is being honored with a special mention here. At least one major music critic has waxed enthusiastically about the number, rating it as one of Peggy's "two most important Decca sides." According to critic Will Friedwald, I Hear the Music Now qualifies as "the most gloriously schmaltzy piece of klutz-pop ever shouted by a shiksa." Well now ... when you put it that way, who could possible disagree?? He also categorizes I Hear the Music Now as the film's "Jewish wedding song," thereby making us ponder as to how much of a Jewish sensibility lies behind the construction of this number. (The Jazz Singer movie pits Judaism and Jazz against one another.)
THE DECCA PERIOD: COLLABORATIONS We have already discussed Peggy Lee's Decca duets with Bing Crosby. Below are a few curious collaborations with other acts. (As part of the ensuing discussion, threads or posts about the other artists will also be included below. The artists in question might be somewhat forgotten, yet still remain worthy of their own discussion, too.) With The Mills Brothers The photo above was probably taken at the record session that produced the song heard in the YouTube clip. The Mills & Lee actually recorded two duets, both of them written by Peggy herself (one on them alone, this other one with Gene DiNovi, her pianist at the time). Both duets are mid/uptempo songs sporting optimistic, uplifting messages. I just checked for Mills Brothers threads in this forum. Most of them are old and closed, but this nice one isn't: Mills Brothers Remasters? . And from that thread, here is a message of possible general interest to all of us: www.hoffman.tv/threads/mills-brothers-remasters.485044/. (It is a relief that the duets with Peggy survived in one shape or another, of course. But, since the Brothers recorded a lot for Decca, many unissued masters could have been lost.) With Mr. Magoo Peggy Lee wrote and sang two suitably silly numbers in the company of the famous character Mr. Magoo, personified by Jim Backus. One number is a cheery march. The better number is a very catchy cha cha piece. Not surprisingly, I didn't find any threads about Mister Magoo in this forum. But I did come across this appreciative comment: With Jimmy Rowles Pianist Jimmy Rowles was Peggy Lee's musical accompanist for a portion of her Decca years. During that time, Peggy got to hear his singing voice, and she immediately felt that he had natural ability as a vocalist. Peggy talked him into singing with her a minor number that she had written on her own. It became very Jimmy's first vocal venture on record. Left in the can at recording time, it was finally issued about 50 years later. Here it is: Peggy Lee & Jimmy Rowles // It's Because We're in Love. Many solo vocals by Jimmy would follow, in later years. (Read also the liner notes in the back cover of the LP shown above. Besides profiling Jimmy, the notes elaborate on Peggy's role in his singing career.) Gee. There is no thread about Jimmy Rowles in this forum. There should be one. Fortunately, we do have quite a few appreciative comments (some, not all, from Lonson's everlasting thread Listening' to Jazz and Conversation).
Love me some Jimmie Rowles! This is a bit off topic, but I've been trying to locate a quote from Rowles about Lee Young (Lester's bro, Nat Cole's drummer) that I believe is from a Billie Holiday bio (I think, maybe Lester). If anybody has it or knows what the h**l I'm talking about, please drop me a line. Thanks!
THE DECCA PERIOD: RECOMMENDED ANTHOLOGIES Over the years, Decca, MCA, Universal and their licensees have released numerous Peggy Lee compilations on LP, cassette, and CD. Here are the five most worthwhile ones: 1. Black Coffee and Other Delights (1994) 2. Classics & Collectibles (2003) These are the top compilations of Peggy Lee's Decca years. Both are 2-CD sets, the first consisting of 46 tracks, the second 52 tracks. And both collections gravitate toward singles, but album tracks can certainly be found on each of them -- more so in the 1994 set. Overlap: twelve tracks are found in both sets. One of the repeat tracks ("Sisters") actually sounds significantly different in the second set, for reasons that will be explained in the next paragraph. There is also a 13th track ("Johnny Guitar") which is found on both sets, but each set actually features a different take. Per its title, Classics & Collectibles dedicates one of its discs to the better-known performances, the other disc to Decca tracks that had seldom or never been digitized before. As can be imagined, the release of Classics & Collectibles was a bonanza for fans, in spite of the relatively high price tag. These days (nearly 15 years after the original release), copies can be found at very low prices on the net. Folks interested in getting one of such copies should be aware of the existence of an early pressing from which two of the 52 tracks are missing. Also, two additional tracks ("The Siamese Cat Song," "Sisters," both of them double-tracked numbers) suffer from a significant error: half of the vocal is missing in each! As for sound quality, it is alright overall, though nowhere near praiseworthy. Still: leaving aside the aforementioned considerations, it's a great collection. 3. A Woman Alone with the Blues (1997) This 18-track CD anthology has superior sound quality and a very fine song program. It is heavily tilted toward ballads, and includes the previously discussed "Bouquet of Blues." Half of the tracks from Black Coffee with Peggy Lee are included, too. It was licensed from MCA by Blue Moon, one of the Spain-based labels from the Fresh Sound family. (I should point out that my comments apply only to that original Spanish issue from 1997. More recently, this CD was reissued in Korea; I have not listened to that reissue.) 4. The Best of Peggy Lee (1960) Internationally, this 2-LP set is probably Peggy Lee's most issued vinyl, surpassing in that regard not only her other Decca LPs but also her entire Capitol LP output. The 24 songs chosen for inclusion comprise a vast variety of genres and styles, thereby giving listeners a satisfactory representation of Lee's Decca years. It is just a very nice item to have, provided that you make the right choice: the mono gatefold 2-LP original Decca version. (Decca also issued this set in simulated stereo. And MCA reissued it in numerous configurations, including non-gatefold, abbreviated, etc. The "simulated stereo" version doesn't sound bad at all, actually; still, monophonic is obviously the best way to go.) 5. Jazz Vocal Collection 24: Peggy Lee (2017) To be discussed in my next post, which will be my very last one about Peggy's Decca years.
Ridin'High wrote the following as part of a post in response to my previous post: I wrote the following: a terrific theme song. It perfectly summarizes the character Mr. Magoo: I'm a fan of Mister Magoo, although many people don't get the humor of the character, focusing on his nearsightedness. The humor comes from the fact that events occur to accommodate what he thinks he sees (he enters a monster-filled house and perceives it to be a four-star hotel and everything that happens supports Magoo's perception despite what is really going on). As the opening theme shows, one of the unique aspects of Mister Magoo is that nothing bad every happens to him...to many of the people around him yes but not to him. Another aspect of Magoo is that he can take on other roles. As an example, in Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol he is perfectly cast as Scrooge and plays the role straight (none of the normal Magoo like humor while playing Scrooge). There were a series of specials with Magoo taking on other roles like Long John Silver and Cyrano.
THE DECCA PERIOD: RECOMMENDED ANTHOLOGIES (CONCLUDED) 5. Jazz Vocal Collection 24: Peggy Lee (2017) Released less than three weeks ago (on March 21), Peggy Lee's newest issue is from a 26-volume Japanese vocal CD series that features many major vocalists from the world of classic jazz and pop. In addition to the all-time greats shown above, there are also volumes dedicated to Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Mel Tormé, Chet Baker, etc. Furthermore, the collection includes a few volumes which concentrate on themes instead (Gershwin, vocals from the movies, etc.). This is an Universal series. The Peggy Lee CD contains mostly Decca selections ("It Never Entered my Mind," "Johnny Guitar," "Love Me or Leave Me," etc.), but also makes space for three tracks from her Capitol albums Mink Jazz and Beauty and the Beat. (In the case of the latter, the compiler wisely used the track versions without overdubbed applause.) I am currently giving my first spin to the CD, and finding its sound quality all-around solid ... no complaints at all, so far. General collectors and fans of the anthologized singers might be ideal audiences for this series. My reasons for saying so: 1. Each CD consists of merely 10 tracks. Well chosen and very good sounding tracks -- but, still, just ten of 'em. 2. Each volume qualifies as a collector's item. In addition to the CD, the packaging includes an approximately 12" by 9" glossy 18-page booklet, with not only text in Japanese but also quite a few photos, some in color, some in b&w. The images that I placed above and below are not of the CD. The images actually show the front of the slender 12" by 9" box. (Inside the box: the booklet and the CD.) At last: I feel that we have covered Peggy Lee's Decca period well enough. So: we are finished with Decca, and will move on next to a different area of her discography.
PEGGY LEE'S RECORDINGS FOR THE MACGREGOR COMPANY Because of this and other recent posts of yours, I know that you own a whole lot of Peggy Lee stuff already. (All her numbers with Benny Goodman on Columbia, all or most of her Decca albums, and probably a lot of the Capitol items ...) But I am wondering if you and other fellow fans are aware of the recordings that Peggy did for MacGregor in January of 1945? She recorded a total of 17 songs for that company. One of them can be heard in this clip: I should clarify that, though recorded in a studio (just like her Capitol and Decca output), these 17 numbers were originally meant for radio airplay only. The technical name for them is "radio transcriptions." Radio stations nationwide received them on discs that, for many years, were 16" in diameter, and thus unplayable on regular consumer turntables. It follows that this batch of Peggy Lee numbers was not originally intended for commercial sale. In fact, the sale of radio transcription discs was forbidden back then. However ... several decades later, many of Peggy's MacGregor transcriptions started to show up on cassette, vinyl and, eventually, compact disc. (The latter-day owners of the MacGregor company might have been behind the original sale of these numbers to us, "regular consumers." Also, by the 1990s, such mid-1940s recordings might have been deemed to be in the Public Domain.) Here is the premiere LP on which Peggy's MacGregor output was released. This album contains 14 of the 17 songs: And here is the primary CD on which her MacGregor transcriptions can be found. It is, essentially, an unacknowledged reissue of the LP above. In time, batches from this output also started to appear in Public Domain CDs, which often consisted of an unholy combination of transcription numbers with songs from Capitol, Decca, and other sources. Take, for instance, the following two CDs, both of the from PD labels. In the first case, half of the 18 tracks are MacGregor transcriptions. In the second case, only three of the 24 tracks are from MacGregor.
Neat presentation. The boxes look more like what you'd expect from the cover of a street racing magazine. They're exciting and colourful
Ah ... that's a lovely rendition of "Don't Blame Me," and the sound quality of that video is very good for a radio transcription. The LaserLight CD contains 14 tracks, and the other three performances look rare. Have you heard "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" ? These foolish things called PD issues.
