Richard Harris - "What a Lot of Flowers" (1972)

I've decided to quickly follow up the last post with another even more prominent actor/musician, Richard Harris. As a musician, he is famous for a 7-minute song called "Mac Arthur Park," and as an actor, he will probably be remembered most (for better or worse) as the first Dumbledore. 

Coming from his 1972 album The Richard Harris Love Album, this song, "What a Lot of Flowers" is a cover of a song from the musical Goodbye Mr. Chips, sung by Peter O'Toole in this clip here. What sets Richard Harris' version apart is the amazing production by the great John Harris, known for such tracks as "Odyssey" and pretty much anything from his album Movements which is much closer to the sound of his work here with our guy Richard Harris.

So here it is, the always pleasing, soulful, and funky "What a Lot of Flowers." And VIOLEEEETTTSSSS!

Paul Hampton - Rest Home For Children (1973)

This is one of the silliest, wildest, most creatively bizarre albums in my collection, and it unsuspectingly comes from a guy who wrote songs with Burt Bacharach. Granted, even then, Paul Hampton's unhinged songwriting style was on display, considering they made a spoken word piece about a couple getting into a deadly car accident immediately after their wedding. He also wrote and performed the bizarre theme song to the equally bizarre 60's sitcom My Mother The Car. On top of being a highly inventive and humorous songwriter and musician, Paul Hampton has had a long career as a television and film actor, starring in many B-Movies and Sci-Fi TV shows throughout the last 3-4 decades.

What I have here is Paul Hampton's second, and as far as I know, final LP, "Rest Home For Children." Paul explores a variety of styles here, varying from piano ballads, Folk songs, poppy Country songs, Waltzes, and even funky Soul ballads. What shows even more variety is his subject matter. He sings about the feeling of being suddenly trampled by old age. He sings about the insecurities brought on by Cosmopolitan Magazine. He sings a ballad from the perspective of a hotel room key. He sings about rats... with lists... and ships. He even uses some of his acting skills to portray a cantankerous roller rink DJ, a crazy man who speaks - or sings - to himself, and a piano bar entertainer - and his audience members. 

It's hard to say whether this album might be your thing or not, because after so many listens, I'm still not entirely certain what kind of thing it is. However, this album always makes me laugh and sparks my imagination. It makes me realize that a song can be about anything, and a great songwriter should be able to write a great song about everything or nothing at all. Paul Hampton is one of the few who can pull it off with style.  

HERE.

Sylvester - Call Me (1983)

Call Me is one of the last albums by the late, great Sylvester James, Queen of all Drag Queens. This is not really the material he is remembered for - Call Me was recorded too late to be full of either his iconic Disco anthems, or his more cutting edge proto-House electronic music. But that's not to say that there's nothing special about this album. Call Me is the perfect example of a great Dollar Bin record - it could easily be scoffed at as something unimportant or forgettable, but when you listen a bit closer, there are countless moments of bizarre magic.

First item worth noting is the very eye-catching Grace Jones-esque cover art, with its solid colors and bold geometric shapes. Before that moment of name recognition even hit me, this was the first thing to make me grab this record. The music itself has a strange quality to it - I can't really picture most of it catching on in a dance club or on the radio, but there is one place these songs would work perfectly - an 80's movie soundtrack. You will understand once you hear it, but first I will provide a track-by-track description of the 80's movie scenes that each song should correspond with.

Trouble In Paradise: this one is definitely 80's montage material. That means someone is either going to be working out, training for a fight, practicing dance choreography, or taking an emotional drive on a lonely highway.

Call Me: this one feels like another montage, but more of a rocking montage. Whatever the character is doing, they are doing it at a time when they have to push themselves harder than ever to hold onto their dream. Following the lyrics, this could be a montage of someone refusing to give up after many failed attempts to woo a potential love interest. Wicked guitar solo.

Good Feelin': this track is just awesome. Definitely the most funky dance floor-ready tune on here. In my fictional 80's movie, all I can imagine is either a dance-off of some sort, or struttin'. The title says it all.

He'll Understand: this is a sort of slow Gospel jam - very inspirational. In the movie, this would be reserved for a quiet moment - a walk in the park perhaps.

One Night Only: this one picks up right where the last one ends, but then some slow, sexy drum and bass slaps come in. Definitely a tender Highlander-style steamy sex scene here.

Too Late: this one has a synth line that sounds humorously like the Ghostbusters theme. This would be the part where they are fixing up the firehouse and taking calls around the city. 

Power of Love: here are some lyrics: "Short Circuit! You blew my fuse! I'm overloaded and confused!" I think that says it all. This is a song about the loving heart of Johnny 5. There is a breakdown in the end that sounds like a major influence on Dan Deacon's frantic sound.

Band of Gold: this is a bit more of a classic Sylvester Disco track. Has a real feel-good quality to it. This song is definitely reserved for the closing credits of a romantic family film in the 80's. Warm fuzzy feelings as you walk out of the theater.

There you have it. This album is awesome.

HERE.

The Spellbinders - The Magic of The Spellbinders (1966)

This album right here is an absolute gem. The Magic of... is the only recorded LP by a group of five talented and upbeat singers and musicians known as The Spellbinders. Normally fetching prices from 50-100 dollars, I was lucky to find my well-loved copy for a dollar at K Starke Records in Chicago. Entirely arranged and conducted by a pre-"The Hustle" Van McCoy, this record epitomizes the sound of the soulful 60's.

With 11 tracks coming in at under 30 minutes, this is a pop album through and through. Every song feels happy and positive - even the forlorn love ballads seem to have a pep in their step. This particular copy of the record is the stereophonic version, and sounds absolutely awesome on a good sound system or a pair of headphones - it's like you are in the middle of the room and they are playing the songs all around you - a musical group hug, if you will. To quote the band themselves, on the back of the record sleeve, "We like to sing just plain old soul!" The album sounds just like the cover would suggest: a touch of class, and 5 big happy smiles.

HERE.

Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem - "Pullit All The Way Down" (1990)

22 years ago, Miami Bass stars Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem (of Beatmaster Clay D. and The Get Funky Crew) released this great album on Vision Records. I picked this up for a pittance at Mr. Peabody's in Chicago mostly based on the playful album art - at the time, I was not really familiar with Clay D's masterful production skills, and had only heard Prince Rahiem's excellent solo track "Loose My Money" once or twice - it didn't even occur to me that this was the same artist. I was more than pleasantly surprised to hear an album full of innovative, funky, trunk rattling beats and above-average (especially for Miami in the 90's) double-time flows just bubbling with youthful tongue-twisting energy.

First, I'll share the title track, "Pullit All The Way Down," which is a bit more typical of what I would expect from a Miami Bass group in 1990, but still lends the feeling that it is somehow a cut above the rest. Prince Rahiem wastes no breath bouncing his words all over the track, and Clay D's funky bass line and complex drum fills make this one a hit:

Next is a track that really took me by surprise with the use of a soulful sample that is chopped up with a smacking drum in a way that I had almost never heard from this era or region. The lyrics are a bit more introspective as well, focusing on the pains of dealing with fake friends - a common struggle in Hip-Hop. Here's "So Called Friends":

Finally, here's "Ding-A-Ling," which not only uses a sample from Chuck Berry's song "My Ding-A-Ling," but reinterprets the lyrics of the original as well. As simple as it is, this song is a lot of fun, and once again, Clay D's drum fills are mind-numbingly awesome and I believe way ahead of their time:

Overall, this is an album with a lot of highlights (even more than I chose to share), and very few misses (There is one song where they try to pull off an uncanny Public Enemy impression in honor of Nelson Mandela which is interesting for a group from Miami, but seems like too much of a rip-off of their sound even if it is intentional). Although Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem definitely had their impact in their own time and place, I have a feeling that their influence should have been much greater. Their production seems unique and inventive - even sounding modern and relevant 22 years later - and Prince Rahiem is an incredibly competent emcee. Enjoy this gem!