Dartman's Advent Calendar 2011: Day 21

Christmas is a special time of the year. No other trio put it better than the one that's hiding behind flap 21. Recorded a decade before they would be all the rage for the second time in their career, this sentiment can be found by opening the window. Enjoy!

Advent Calendar 2011 Day 21

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2011: Day 6

After yesterday's taste from Line Material, we need a new twist. Click on the link to find out what we found under door number 6! Enjoy!

Advent Calendar 2011 Day 6

Kenneth Johnson Is A Fan of "Tattered Clothing"

Received this e-mail a few days ago from Kenneth Johnson, the man behind such great television shows as the original V, the Bionic Woman and most importantly, The Incredible Hulk:

Dear Rich...
Recently I had the privlegde of hearing your song, Tattered Clothing. I thought it was both fun and poignant (not unlike our old show). It's wonderful to know that you were such a fan of The Hulk. We certainly labored to make each episode as meaningful and substantive as possible. Our largest audience was actually adults. Working with Bix and Lou was always a treat. We all cared a lot. I'm glad it impacted on you so favorably. And that it inspired you to write the cool song. It reminds me that in one of the episodes I wrote this line for Bix -- after he had awakened yet again in tattered clothing: "...I have got to get some shirts that stretch."
Thanks again for taking the time to write the song. It's great to hear that my work captured your imagination.

All the best...

Kenny

Needless to say, I am very flattered and pretty excited. If you have no idea what I am talking about then here's the scoop:



In January of last year I released the single, "Tattered Clothing". I wrote the song about 6 years ago and recorded it in various cities over the last year of the Avenue Q Tour. It features some great playing by some great players. It is an ode to the 70s television classic, "The Incredible Hulk". It is available on I-Tunes & Amazon All proceeds from the sale of this single will go to The Richard S Dart Memorial Arts Scholarship.

Singles Collection Episode 62: Ralph Marteire Rocks Out The Barrel

Ralph Marterie achieved his highest success in the U.S. charts with a cover of "Skokiaan" in 1954. He attempted to blur the lines between big band music and rock and roll by covering versions of Bill Haley's "Crazy, Man, Crazy" amongst other early rock and roll hits. It was an interesting single in my dad's collection that brought him to my attention. A song called "Rock and Roll The Barrel". It's a rather up-tempo pop number that tickles the ear. See if you think so when you take a listen. Enjoy!

Ralph Marteire-Rock and Roll Out The Barrel

Singles Collection Episode 61: The Frogman Cometh

Clarence "Frogman" Henry is best known for his trademark croak. If you are scratching your head wondering what that is, maybe you've never seen "The Lost Boys". There is a scene in that classic flick where Corey Haim is shampooing his hair in the bath tub and singing along to Clarence's biggest hit, "Ain't Got No Home". In the song, Clarence sings like a frog, a girl and himself (the lonely boy). In addition to this gigantic hit. Clarence is also known as The Beatles' opening act during their 1964 tour of the US and Canada. He's been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Here is that ginormous hit that gave Clarence his nick name and his career. Here is "Ain't Go No Home". Enjoy!

Clarence "Frogman" Henry - Ain't Got No Home

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2010: Day 4

Today we get a glimpse of 70s celebrity as we open the panel for day 3. When the flap is pulled back we see none other than Huggy Bear himself, Antonio Fargas! Apparently, when the 5th season of "Starsky and Hutch" ended the series in 1979, Dutch producer Ton "Shell" Schellekens found Mr. Fargas and brought him to the recording studio to record this rare Christmas single. Even though it didn't come out until the following October, it still boasts that Antonio was, in fact, Huggy Bear from Starsky and Hutch. I'm not sure if that helped or hindered the track. But here it is in our Advent calendar so you can enjoy the sweet sounds of Starsky and Hutch's favorite informant. Enjoy!

Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas - It's Christmas

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2010: Day 1

Here we are on December 1, 2010. This year, instead of the usual posting of random Christmas LPs or videos or mixes, I thought I would try something different. This is Dartman's Advent Calendar. Just like an advent calendar, each day another part of the picture gets opened to reveal another treat!! Today is Day 1 so we open the tab marked 1 and find a great morsel from none other than the late, great, Lionel Hampton. Here's Lionel and the band jamming out the instrumental tune, "Gin For Christmas". It's interesting to note that Lionel doesn't play the vibes on this track. He's playing drums! Enjoy!

Gin For Christmas - Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra

ELVIS Month 2010: The King Kids In The Ring

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. I was in travel hell due to a certain airline's lack of competence but we need not discuss that. What we can discuss is the era of the Elvis soundtrack EP. Back when Elvis movies were more common on the big screen, there were a few soundtracks that never saw an LP release. Instead, six songs from the film would be released as an EP and that would be the only way to get even close to owning any music from the film. The great thing about this is that you still only spent the price of a single and you could get 6 songs. The bad thing was that you only got six songs from the film. One of these "EP soundtracks" was for the film "Kid Galahad" in 1962. It was a kitchy remake of a 1937 film that starred Edward G Robinson, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. Elvis' version was not quite as tough as the original but it still boasted the legendary Charles Bronson in the cast as well as the first screen appearance of Ed Asner. Anyway, the soundtrack was typical Elvis movie fair but sounds great. Here is that original EP soundtrack from 1962. Here is "Kid Galahad". Enjoy!

Kid Galahad Soundtrack EP

Singles Collection Episode 8: Micky Dolenz vrs. The Vampire! (re-post)

Seeing as how I'm drumming for Micky Dolenz this Saturday night in Bangor, Maine, I felt that I would re-post this special Micky Dolenz edition of the singles collection. This time out it's Micky singing Harry Nilson's "Daybreak" from the 1973 film, "Son of Dracula". Apparently, this was the only original song used in the film. This single is the promo edition which features a different mix than the released version! I have always been a huge fan of this song and Micky sounds amazing on it. Enjoy!

Daybreak MP3

For those of you who are interested in coming this Saturday night, you can check out more about it here.

When Children's Heros Go Disco Part 3

Well, after the release of "Sesame Street Fever" and "Sesame Street Disco", we fast forward about 24 years and the world gets to see a remix album made from these records! What's that, you say? A remix album from Sesame Street? Yes, it's true. It happened like this: back when the album was a hit, the record's executive producer, Arthur Shimkin commissioned Larry Levan to do remixes of "C is for Cookie", but they remained unreleased until 2003, when a strange twist of fate occurred. Ninja Tune records was looking to license the track ‘Pinball Number Count’ for the first ‘Now, Listen’ mix CD (these were mix CDs that were released in the 90s). The Pinball song had never been released commercially and was the holy grail for Sesame Street fans and DJs alike. However, the song was not allowed to appear on the album due to worries within the Henson corporation about content on some of the rap tracks on the CD. They thought that it was an unsuitable setting for their material. Instead, Ninja Tune took it upon themselves to make a separate mix containing all Sesame Street songs. It was during a scouring of the Sesame Street archives at their NY offices that they found the unreleased mixes of "C is for Cookie" done all those years ago. As a result, a 12" single was put together with the Pinball song and several different remixes of the Cookie song as well. Here is that find for you now! Here is "Sold Steel presents Sesame Street". Enjoy!

Solid Steel presents Sesame Street

Singles Collection Episode 60: The Hollywood Flames Buzz Around

Here is another great single from my dad's collection. It's a classic hit from The Hollywood Flames, a band formed in 1949 in Watts, Los Angeles. Over the years the group, under various names, is believed to have recorded for about nineteen different record labels, including Aladdin and Specialty. By 1954, the group were usually billed as The Hollywood Flames, but also recorded as The Turks, The Jets, and The Sounds. In 1957, the group released "Buzz Buzz Buzz", which reached #5 on the R&B chart and #11 on the pop chart. They continued to record for several more years, with a fluctuating line-up before splitting up around 1967. Their buzzing hit gained new life when it was featured in the Johnny Depp film, "Blow". Here is that single featuring the hit, "Buzz Buzz Buzz" backed with "Crazy" (not the Willie Nelson penned song). I love this single and I hope you do as well. Enjoy!

The Hollywood Flames-Buzz Buzz Buzz/Crazy

Singles Collection Episode 59: Toni Basil Leads The Cheer

Seeing as how my buddy, Micky Dolenz, celebrated a birthday this past Monday, I thought it only fitting that I post the classic Toni Basil single, "Mickey". If you were breathing in the 80s then you already know all there is to know about this song. It skyrocketed Toni Basil to superstardom. However, Basil has been around since the 60s. In fact, she was the choreographer and even appears performing a dance in the classic Monkees film, "HEAD". She was part of several famous street dance troupes in the seventies and in the eighties she tried her hand at singing. Her only #1 hit comes from her album, "Word Of Mouth". She continues to dance and choreograph to this day. Here is Toni Basil with her classic slice of 80s pop culture. Enjoy!

Toni Basil-MICKEY

They Stooge To Monkee

Today is my good friend, Micky Dolenz's birthday. He turns 65 today and is still going strong. As you read this, he is playing the role of Wilbur Turnblatt in the West End production of Hairspray in London, England. After that, he comes home to the US and this summer I will have the utmost privilege of playing a few gigs with him. To celebrate his birthday, I have asked The Three Stooges to personally wish him a Happy Birthday! Actually, it's just a coincidence. Back in 1961, in what has been touted as a unique marketing adventure, the Three Stooges recorded this birthday record in 238 different versions - one for each unique named child. So, you could purchase a 45-sized, 33 1/3-play record of the Three Stooges singing "Happy Birthday to You", personalized with your name. Sales were reported to be very slow, and with so many versions produced, stocking all of them was problematic. Production stopped soon thereafter. I was fortunate enough to find one of these in my travels for a measly $1.00. I share it with you now! As a bonus I've included the promo poster from the original release and an extra bonus Birthday song from the Stooges. Here is The Three Stooges with "Happy Birthday To Mickey". (yes I know Micky Dolenz spells his name without an e but what are you gonna do?!) Enjoy!

The Three Stooges-Happy Birthday To Mickey

Singles Collection Episode 58: Johnny & The Hurricanes Take Us To The River

Originally known as The Orbits, Johnny and the Hurricanes burst out of Toledo, Ohio in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris, they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer. Their first hit on their own was a song called "Crossfire" which they recorded in a vacant cinema to provide echo. It became a nationwide U.S. hit which they promptly followed with an instrumental version of "Red River Valley". That became a Top Ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic and sold over a million copies. They chose these songs because they were well recognized and easier to accept with the rock and roll beat of the accordion which then led to the Hammond Chord Organ. Johnny Paris and the Hurricanes were the first rock and roll group to introduce these instruments to the rock and roll world. Here, straight from my father's singles collection, is that great version of "Red River Valley". Complete with it's flip side, "Buckeye", here's Johnny and The Hurricanes with "Red River Rock". Enjoy!

Johnny & The Hurricanes-Red River Rock/Buckeye

Classic Television Episode of The Month: The Incredible Hulk

In honor of the release of my new single, "Tattered Clothing", here is an episode from the classic series! Enjoy!





You can buy "Tattered Clothing" at the following sites:

I-Tunes
Amazon

All proceeds from the sale of this single will go to The Richard S Dart Memorial Arts Scholarship.

A Song For All You Hulk Fans

Today marks the release of my new single, "Tattered Clothing". I wrote the song about 5 years ago and recorded it in various cities over the last year of the Avenue Q Tour. It features some great playing by some great players. It is an ode to the 70s television classic, "The Incredible Hulk". It is available on I-Tunes & Amazon and will soon be available on Rhapsody, Napster, emusic and Lime Wire. All proceeds from the sale of this single will go to The Richard S Dart Memorial Arts Scholarship.

Singles Collection Episode 57: ELO Bows To Rock and Roll

It's hard not to love ELO. The list of hits are astounding and you can actually trace the change in popular music from the seventies to the eighties through their hits. The same band that was doing lush string arrangements with falsetto harmonies in songs like "Telephone Line" would drop the strings and harmonies and lower their voices and give us some good old rock and roll. In fact, their 1983 hit single is entitled, "Rock and Roll Is King." The song went through many changes during recording and at one point was going to be called "Motor Factory" with a completely different set of lyrics. The single proved to be ELO's last UK top twenty hit single, and reached #19 in the U.S. It is and always has been one of my favorites. Here it is for you now. Here is ELO with "Rock and Roll Is King". Enjoy!

ELO-Rock and Roll Is King

The 25 Posts of Christmas: Christmas With Lorne Greene

Back in the early 80s, there was a syndicated radio series entitled, The Spirit of Christmas. It was a bunch of short stories narrated by the late, great, Lorne Greene. It only aired once and was then shelved. The master tapes are long presumed lost but a copy of them was ressurected by a radio jock named Scott Snailham. Thanks to him, we can all share the in the glory of these 30 short episodes. Since he was so kind as to share these items with me, I am paying it forward and sharing them with you. These are truly great. Here is "The Spirit of Christmas with Lorne Greene". Enjoy!

The Spirit of Christmas with Lorne Greene

BONUS:
Here's Lorne's great 1966 Christmas single featuring "Must Be Santa" and "One Solitary Life". I hadn't planned on posting this but when I first posted this, I accidentally put up the wrong link. ANyway, here it is! Enjoy!

Lorne Greene Christmas Single

The 25 Posts of Christmas: Spike Wants Leia's Dad

Today's post is a cute little ditty from the great Spike Jones. Though not as popular as his "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth", this holiday single is still a classic to me. Here is Spike and The City Slickers with their ode to the real father father of Princess Leia. Here's "I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas". Enjoy!

Spike Jones-I Want Eddie Fisher For Christmas

The Best of The World of Wonder: Is That Polish?

When I was a kid and I played the single of They're Coming To Take Me Away by Napolean XIV (yes, I had the single as a kid - still have it today, BTW) I thought that the flip side was something sung in Polish. In actuality, it was just the song backwards. Everything was backwards. The writing on the label, the Warner Brothers logo - the entire side was backwards! I don't know when I came to the realization that it was not polish, but at some point in my post-childhood I figured it out.

They're Coming To Take Me Away - Backwards