Peggy Lee On Record (1941-1995)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ridin'High, Dec 29, 2016.

  1. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    Mack could also be a nickname for (Jack) Marshall.
     
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  2. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    So far, over 30 albums in tribute of Peggy Lee have been released. Neat, no?



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    Yeah, both photos (front, back) are appealing to the eye, and I for one have no qualms with the track selection. It satisfies the promise of being a tribute or, as the album's sub-title would have it, "a reflection on Peggy Lee." All but one of the songs were sung by Peggy at one point or another, and the one exception (an original co-written by Welsman) can be justified with several reasonable arguments.

    (For the ultra fan who might be wondering, it is true that Peggy did not record "When You're Smiling." However, she sang the numbers in concert, on radio & television. What's more, a few of those versions of "When You're Smiling" are extant.)

    Just as importantly, the CD includes a handful of numbers showcasing Peggy Lee the songwriter, an aspect of her art that should not be ignored in a tribute. (Welsman is, by the way, a Canadian singer-pianist.)


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    Ha. The title does stick out like a sore thumb. To be fair, the song itself is not entirely out of place. After all, the CD is essentially a tribute to men of all sorts, and "Goldfinger" was a member of the species. A cold-hearted man with the Midas touch and the kiss of death.

    While the number does suck (as far as my opinion is concerned), it is capably re-interpreted by Rebecca, who is a jazz singer. Rather than offering the bombast of a Shirley Bassey, she swings it at a pleasant midtempo. (Still: it is no felicitous song choice.)

    Will Friedwald's liner notes start out by pointing out the CD's connection to the Peggy Lee LP. Rightly so: the opening medley is clearly modeled after the songs from that LP. And, although the voices and temperaments are different, some of Peggy's phrasing/intonation remains with Rebecca.





    That said, this CD is not a Peggy Lee tribute per se. (At least, not in full.) Rather, the disc can be deemed Rebecca's personal addition to the tradition of albums about men -- the tradition that we were discussing earlier.

    Or, alternatively, we could think of Rebecca's I Like Men as her tribute to female predecessors who have memorably sung about the "un-fair" sex. Granted that Kilgore gives the lion's share to Peggy Lee and her songs, there are also plenty of tunes here which are associated with other singers. For instance, we are reminded of Judy Garland's neighbor, "The Boy Next Door," as well as the one that got away. There is also the dope that Sassy and various other hopeless females keep falling for, not to say anything of the occasional men on which Anita O'Day, Jeri Southern and other naked nightingales secretly feasted (on a remote island in the Pacific) ...


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    Last edited: Sep 11, 2018
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  3. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    :D
    By golly, they ARE twins! I don't have than Jonah album in my library. Neat. The front cover cracks me up -- Capitol should've gone all the way and done a complimentary cover for I Like Men! that depicts three handsome young men wearing suits with aprons and performing domestic chores around the house (table dressing, dusting, vacuuming) to contrast the girls and their earthmover. Even better if Peggy was seated in the midst of this domesticated frenzy, pictured holding a teacup and saucer and gazing up at one of the men as he refills her cup from a silver pot :D:love:

    Mandy may not have made up her mind, but the previous owner of that Jones album pictured in the photo certainly has, as he's installed a definitive rating system. Also, I take issue with this sentence - "[Jones] sounds as if he could sing on forever, because he's singing about chicks, the proper object of every man's attentions." But I'll take it within context of its time period, and I'll try not to let it ruffle this chick's feathers today.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2018
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  4. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    Definitely a far better choice that "Goldfinger," no matter who is doing it! I bet that Peggy liked that song, as well as Carly Simon's take on it.

    From the quote below, we know that Carly went through a Peggy Lee phase. (I take Carly meant that she drew inspiration from Peggy's albums and concerts.)


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    An even better James Bond selection for Peggy to sing would have been "Higher and Higher," the Rita Coolidge hit from the 007 film Octopussy.


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    While Carly Simon might have just had a Peggy Lee phase, Rita Coolidge apparently had a full Peggy Lee "mooning." Peggy was a definitive stylistic influence on Peggy, though one naturally tempered by a generational gap, and by Rita's cultivation of music genres from more recent times.


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    In fact, Rita once said that the sound of Peggy's voice was the primeval, primordial reason why she became a singer. (The one using the adjectives "primeval" & "primordial" is me, not Rita. I am using them in reference to Rita's claim that she was three years old when she first listened to Peggy!


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    Last edited: Sep 11, 2018
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  5. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    " ... I like it, I like it ..."
    :D
     
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  6. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
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    Seconded.

    That's quite the mental image! :laugh:
     
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  7. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Agreed, as long as Benny Carter or Quincy Jones didn't arrange it for Peggy. "In The Still Of The Night" is not as popular as it should be. It's a lovely tune, but I hate Frank's version. Too upbeat and it's not a song that should be swung, although Julie's version is OK.
     
  8. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I like Welsman already, and I haven't even heard her work.
     
  9. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    The great bassist Max Bennett passed away last Saturday, September the 16th, at the fine age of 90. The Iowan was primarily known for his percussively oriented approach, and for his extensive experience as a studio musician. In this forum, you should be able to find appreciative commentary about his collaborations with Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa.

    That's merely the tip of the iceberg, though. The list of names with whom Max played is titanic: Joan Baez, The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Billy Eckstine, Frances Faye, The Fifth Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Michael Franks, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, Terry Gibbs, Arlo Guthrie, Billie Holiday, Jack Jones, Stan Kenton, Carole King, Jackie & Roy, Dean Martin, Roger Miller, The Monkees, Harry Nilsson, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rankin, Frank Rosolino, Lalo Schifrin, Bobby Scott, Barbra Streisand, The Temptations, T-Bone Walker, Joe Williams, and on and on.

    Naturally, many of the aforementioned collaborations were short-lived, consisting of a gig perhaps, or maybe a couple of gatherings in the studio. (In the late 1960s, he became one of the members of the fabled Wrecking Crew.) Of all the vocal artists cited so far, those who had longer-lasting involvements with him were Joni Mitchell (about three years), Joan Baez (part of the 1970s), Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Zappa (in both cases, a bit of studio work & some touring, neither extensive). Yet to be cited, however, is the artist with whom he worked the longest, by far -- over 15 years. (We'll get to that later on. Not that it should be hard to guess, duh.)

    Mind you, Max did not spend his entire life toiling exclusively as a studio musician. A handful of instrumental albums had been released under his name. The earliest go back to the 1950s, the later ones are from the 1980s or 1990s. For instance:


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    Over the decades, he played live gigs with his own jazz groups, too. Those experiences culminated in the creation of the LA Express, a notable fusion band which he co-founded. That was in the 1970s. Other bands followed (Freeway, The Maxx Band, Private Reserve), all of them led by him. As recently as two years ago, he was still playing, per Doug Sclar's post:

    In fact, Max was scheduled to perform this year, on May 20 and June 17 at the Mozambique (Laguna Beach, California). This means that he was professionally active for about 70 years. According to some of his press, he worked on "11 gold/platinum albums, 3 multi-platinum albums, 7 gold albums, 1 Grammy Award-winning album and 3 Grammy-nominated albums."


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    His earliest professional work goes back to the 1949-1954 years, when he was hired by several bands (Herbie Fields, Georgie Auld, Herbie Fields, Charlie Ventura, Sauter & Finnegan, Stan Kenton) and separately played alongside similarly inclined jazz musicians (Stan Levey, Conte Candoli ...), too. Mel Tormé and Helen Carr might have been the very first singers whom he accompanied on record (1954-1955), at Bethlehem. Actually, Max can actually be heard in nearly all of Mel's albums for Bethlehem. As for Max's work with Helen, you can not only hear him on one of her mid-1950s Bethlehem albums (Down in the Depths of the 90th Floor) but vice versa: she sings a couple of vocals on the above-pictured LP. A bit of studio work for Ella, at Decca, (1956) might or might have not followed. (I have to check on that.)

    Then came Peggy Lee. Max Bennett became Peggy's regular bassist in 1956, when he performed nightclub gigs with her and played bass on her Dream Street album (Decca). Following a brief hiatus in late 1957 or early 1958, Max returned to Peggy's fold later in 1958, remaining her primary bassist (on both recording sessions and concert appearances) all the way to at least 1970. But that was not the end of it. In 1979, he recorded one more album with her. They reunited once again in the summer of 1990, when Max and his band Freeway accompanied Peggy (and a string section) on a concert date held in Pasadena, California.

    Should you want to catch Max Bennett in the act of playing behind Peggy Lee, here is a very worthwhile performance. They where filmed while performing for wounded and convalescing soldiers at a ward:




    (Here is another clip version of the same performance. In this one, the picture is far clearer, but the sound more muted: Miss Peggy Lee feels the spirit and rocks the house! .)

    In the world of Peggy Lee Music, Max is of course best known as the man who introduced her to "Fever." The story: in early 1958 or thereabouts, Peggy was searching for a torch number with a strong bass line and a sexy feel, to add to her concert act. She asked her musicians to be on the lookout, if they could. Around that time, Max was doing a gig with Nino Tempo at a small club in LA. Therein, a young customer professed to be a singer and asked if he could sit in with them after intermission, for a song or two. He told Max and Nino that he wanted to sing "Fever." When both musicians confessed that they had never heard the tune, the customer taught it to them. Torchy lyric, sexy vibe, strong bass line. Max proceeded to phone Peggy about it. Liking what she heard, the latter quickly acquired the sheet music.

    At that point, it so happened that Peggy (re-married not long ago) made the decision to take a short break from performing. Hence Max opted to accept an offer from Norman Granz to go on an European tour with Ella Fitzgerald, for several months. One upshot of that decision was that, despite having been the guy who found the song for Peggy, Max missed on the opportunity of being the bassist at the recording session of "Fever" (May 1958).

    Fortunately, Max had plenty of chances to play "Fever" later on, after he rejoined Peggy's crew. Indeed, he is the bassist on Peggy's second Capitol recording of "Fever" (1961), as well as countless TV and concert performances of hers. One of those have already posted here (post #668, page 27). It's a popular YouTube clip featuring a 1967 TV outing.


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    In a nutshell, the largest bulk of Max Bennett's extensive career as a studio musician was spent working with Peggy Lee. Their earliest collaborations date from 1956, their last known one from 1990. And she deservedly credited him for being the one who brought the song "Fever" to her attention.

    Peggy is one of just two or three singers to whom Max dedicated a full page on his own website (Max Bennett - Jazz Years ). Here are a few of the bassist's comments about the singer, some from that website, some from elsewhere:


    .... when I first started as a jazz musician I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics either. I grew up in the swing era and the bebop era - that's what I got into. And my first influences were Duke Ellington, followed by Nat Cole. Then I got into the big band things although I still like Duke's band far more. Woody Herman's band I loved. Tommy Dorsey had a great band, but too commercial for my ears. But then down the road as I started playing with more vocalists - I didn't do that until later... Peggy Lee was the first person I worked with where I really started paying attention to the vocals and saw how they affect the music; she, by the way, was great to work for; very intellectual and very particular. She did a lot of commercial things but there was a special way that she did everything.

    Working with Peggy Lee was a unique experience. She was totally professional and presented a complete show with a great band, great lighting and a plethora of songs to totally entertain the audience. The word "classy" immediately comes to mind. I worked with her for several years and enjoyed it immensely.

    She was very appreciative of the contributions from the members of her personal rhythm section which I was a part of. She was very musical, sensitive, creative and not bad to look at either!

    ... if she liked the way you played, you could do no wrong. She was definitely on your side. Yes, sometimes she could go beyond perfectionism unnecessarily. But it was never, 'I know more than you do.' She just would get into something and worry it to death.



    In addition to playing music on the (electric) bass, Max's long-life passions included sailing.


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    Last edited: Sep 22, 2018
  10. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    On the song “Dreams of Summer” on the Peggy Lee in London (the Love portion) there appears to be a skip at about the 1:15 mark. Does anybody else have this on their copy?
     
  11. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    I believe that the skip (or whatever else that could be) is there, on all copies. In other words, it originates in the producer's tape.

    Now, the above is a tentative answer on my part. I think I'm right, but I haven't really checked my own copy. (I don't have my LPs handy, and I'm momentarily away from my CD collection.)

    In addition to the original LP, the track has come out on two CDs, including the relatively recent, definitive CD/DVD set from Universal:


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    YouTube has come to our rescue: listen to the audio clip below (an upload from the above-shown, official CD-DVD set).




    I do hear the skip.

    So: if it's showing up on that set, the skip must be on the original LP as well.

    It's very minor, don't you think? I mean, it does not subtract from my listening of the performance.

    By the way, did you mean "live" instead of "love" portion? (Just checking. It's been so long since I last listened to the full album that I might be forgetting the inclusion of a love medley, or anything along those lines ...)
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2018
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  12. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored

    I did, in fact, mean “live.” Fat fingers.

    I’m glad to hear that this skip is on all copies. I recently acquired the newer CD/DVD set, and wanted to make use of being within the return period if I had needed an exchange.
     
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  13. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    My comment above is old. It goes all the way back to the very first page of this thread.

    Not long after having posted, I was quite unhappy to discover that this ultra-rare clip had been taken off YouTube.

    Good news.

    Since then, the clip has actually been gloriously restored and commercially issued.

    Now I'm thrilled to find out that, just a month ago, the restored version was uploaded to YouTube.

    Here it is. (If you haven't done so yet, check it out before it gets taken off again!) To hear Peggy's vocal, go to 3:25, and once again, at 6:40.


     
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  14. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    Wonderful! Thanks for alerting us, @Ridin'High. Where/how is this beanstalk film commercially issued?
     
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  15. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter


    Hi, .crystalised. It's on this item:


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    which is a Blu-Ray set. The "Beanstalk" toon is included as part of an extensive amount of bonus footage:


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    It was released in 2013. Today (2018), you can find this set in places like Amazon, usually at a slightly cheaper price.

    Those interested should beware, though: there are also VHS, laser discs, and "plain DVD" editions but none of those includes the above-listed bonus footage. That's because they are older ( 1987-2000) versions of the set's main feature. What you want is the Blu-Ray.
     
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  16. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Beautiful restoration. It's incredible what can be done with old film nowadays.
     
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  17. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    Among my (many) favorite Peggy Lee interpretations, there is one titled "There Is No Fool Like an Old Fool." Well, I'm living that sentiment now. (Not the "old" part though -- mind you very much, ahem. "Forever young" I shall remain!)

    There's no fool like someone who doesn't follow his own advice ... like me.

    So: the "Jasper and the Beanstalk" video clip is now gone from YouTube. I was planning to upload it to my computer, but my old foolishness cause me to wait a little too long. If, by any chance, anyone here has uploaded it, and can send it my away, that would be very nice!

    (Normally, I would gladly buy a copy of the DVD, but this one comes only on Blu-Ray, a technology to which I do not have access.)


     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2018
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  18. Artur Torres

    Artur Torres New Improved Full Dimensional Stereo

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    Being aware of Peggy Lee's recordings in London, I wonder how good it would be if she had recorded a few songs or a particular album at Abbey Road studios (if she did not), as Judy Garland did.
     
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  19. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    Peggy at Abbey Road. Intriguing thought. I've also wondered what she'd sound like recording in Nashville with the A-Team.
     
  20. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    Thank you for the tip. I just bought it. There are not many copies left.

    After WWII, my Dad was considering animation for a career. He was glad that he did not, because the era of low-cost, poor quality animation, with severe budget constraints was just about to take hold until animation was dead for another 30-40 years. Despite all the computer animation features being cranked out, it has died once again (as far as creativity is concerned) except in a few small pockets
     
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  21. Woonshadow

    Woonshadow Well-Known Member

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  22. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter


    Thank you, Woonshadow. Happy to have a more direct explanation.



    A thief with good taste! And he's in good company: I remember that the New York film critic Rex Reed was (almost?) arrested once for leaving Tower Records at West 66th without paying for CDs that he was carrying in his pockets, one of them being by Peggy Lee ... Hey, maybe the man that broke into your apartment was our good ole Rex! ... He just couldn't have enough Peggy, you know (and was planning to return the turntable to you later that day).

    Anyway, enough with my failed dreams of becoming a detective. I relished your anecdote, down to the evocative description of the Nancy-like neighbor. For those of us in need of visual representation:


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    Like most everything, it takes a while to get the hang of it. This particular post didn't come out right, but I believe that it was still easy to figure it out where your comment started and where it ended. I also believe that a previous post of yours came out perfectly fine. It's probably a matter of one or two more tries on your part, before you become as much of an expert at posting as all of us here.

    By the way, were you also quoting/celebrating Kurt Weill, or is your opening phrase to be taken at face value?

    To go back to our main subject ... Peggy Lee did not sing Weill's "I'm a Stranger Myself," but she did perform a handful of his other songs, including "Lost in the Stars":


     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2019
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  23. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

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    :laugh:

    A thief with good taste, indeed. I've never had a burglar try and make off with any of my Peggy Lee records, although I've occasionally found them broken on the shelf. The early (Canadian?) Decca LPs are not as flexible as conventional vinyl. Not sure if the domestic issues were the same.
     
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  24. Rusty Brooklyn

    Rusty Brooklyn Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn
    Hi

    I just found this version of Fever on youtube.

    Its the very first song. Has great alternate lyrics. Particularly the "local yokels stand and gawk" line.

    Where can I find it on cd? What do you know about it?

    I'm guessing its on The Peggy Lee Songbook from 1989.

    By the way, I saw PL upclose at a small club circa 1990 NYC. She sang in a wheelchair, but still mesmerizing. Between songs, PL said when her manager first relayed the club's offer to perform, he described the venue as a "topless joint". She said she paused for a moment, managed a little disappointment, then replied, "Well, I guess that'll be ok". She found out later he actually said "tappas joint". Turned out to be The Ballroom, a Chelsea supper club featuring Spanish style small plates.

    Thanks.
     
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  25. Rusty Brooklyn

    Rusty Brooklyn Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Brooklyn
    oops.... here's the youtube link:
     
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