An old promotional invitation for the After Easter Ball, arranged by the White Lily Socials, at the Bahn Frei Turn Hall, Sat. Eve., April 13, 1912.
Printed on the back, is the following cheeky and charming song:
I've Got to Go and Get Myself a Girl Like You
Little Miss Muffet sat down on a tuffet, whatever a tuffet may be, When young Sammy Snyder sat down right beside her and spoke unto her soothingly; Be quite alarmless, for I am quite harmless, But I saw you were human like me, So I thought I might sit and look at you a bit, And this is the answer, said he, The more of you I see The more my heart tells me:
REFRAIN:
I've got to go and get myself a girl like you, That's some job to do, For they come feew, but believe me, If I can't find one just like you, I don't care who you belong to, I'll come right back again, Right straight back again and steal you.
Little Miss Muffet stood up on her tuffet, and said, Vas is los mit your head, You're feverish, mercy, run right home to nursie and tell her to put you to bed; Where can you find sir, a girl of my kind, sir, If your optics could "op" you would see, That while boys will be boys and while girls will be girls, There is only one me, and that's me. Said he, I guess that's so But still I guess I'll go.
5) Lastly, a high-five to Neatorama for listening to Rian (again) and posting about KKC.
Want to give high-fives too? Participation is a lot like Thursday Thirteen, only your post is links to who and what you like. (Plus, it's only 5 instead of 13!)
The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!
Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).
Patty Clayton was the first radio voice of Chiquita for radio in 1944, followed by Elsa Miranda for 1945-6 promotional tour. Elsa Puerto Rican not related to the Brazillian singer in the fruit hat who inspired the character of Chiquita Banana.
Here's the original Chiquita Banana theatrical ad:
Chiquita became so popular that parody ensued... I give you Juanita Banana by the Peels (1965).
In 1987 artist Oscar Grillo, creator of the Pink Panther, transformed Chiquita Banana from banana woman into a woman. And that's about when I lost interest in her.
Chantilly lace and a pretty face And a pony tail a hangin down That wiggle in the walk And giggle in the talk Makes the world go round There ain't nothin in the world Like a big eyed girl That makes me act so funny Make me spend my money Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose Like a girl, oh baby that's what I like
My mom used to sing this song -- everywhere. My kids even know it now. Hence my darn-near-hatred of the Chantilly fragrance.
Even though Xmas is past, don't knock the winter kids' music -- there's not a hint of Christmas in Frosty the Snowman. Recorded as a cash-in follow-up to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the silly little song gave a personality to every snowman made by kids since (well, up until Calvin took it a different direction) . We even overlook that the song ends with the disgusting death of the main character, and his ominous promise of resurrection...maybe there's something more Easter in the song than Christmas.
I stumbled into this baby on Saturday during thrift shop excursions.
A select group of records, each with sticker prices higher than the LPs in the regular rack, sat at the wrap desk. I poked through them and while I could wrinkle my nose at most of them, this one stuck out both for its comic cover design (as in 'looks like a comic' -- tho, I admit it is comic in other ways) and for its hefty (for me) price tag. $8.99? I've paid much less for a box full of records. In fact, I don't think I've paid this much for a record since they were the only other way to buy them other than cassette tape... And I didn't even know what this one was or who made it.
New Birth? Featuring Leslie Wilson? Behold The Mighty Army? And why did the thrift shop think this was worthy of such a price? Was it the slit-open but largely intact cellophane? Well, curiosity and nice looking vinyl won over and I brought it home.
Turns out New Birth was a concept band. The brainchild of Vernon Bullock, New Birth was a touring company comprised of several groups who could each perform separately as well as part of the larger group. They were formed in 1963 with some help from Harvey Fuqua, and signed with RCA, but it wasn't until 1971 that Leslie Wilson (and his brother Melvin Wilson, Ann Bogan and a few others) joined.
New Birth recorded five albums for RCA. Then, in 1975, they split with RCA, Harvey Fuqua and their management and signed with Buddah Records where they made two records.
At Buddah, Melvin created a new stage presence for New Birth's rebirth. Bill Witten made stage costumes for the group, which had come to Marvin in his dreams. The group also incorporated the use of rear screen projection and had films commissioned to run as part of their performance, which was also a first for R & B artists. (soulwalking.co.uk)
It was during these "Buddah years" that the band "all lived together in a mansion in the famed Hollywood Hills that they dubbed 'the band house'."
Also during this time, in 1976, they released Love Potion. The album had award-winning cover art, designed by Melvin Wilson and photographer Norman Seeff, which featured all 12 band members posing together naked.
In 1977 they released Behold The Mighty Army, which was the last album. In-fighting & bickering over money, creative differences (and likely who used who's toothbrush) brought the New Birth to the same old death.
New Birth's songs have apparently been covered (or sampled) by K-Ci & Jo Jo, Notorious BIG, Something for the People, and De La Soul, to name a few. So some of it may sound a bit familiar.
As for the sound of the LP, it's classic soul mixed with old school funk and it doesn't disappoint.
New Birth still exists -- with Melvin & Leslie Wilson. But that's not the New Birth that Bullock had in mind, now is it.
I love my country, 'deed I do But oh, that war has made me blue. I like fightin' that's my name, But fightin' is the least a-bout the fightin' game. When Mister Hoover said to cut my dinner down, I never even hesitate, I never frown; I cut my sugar, I cut my coal, But now they dug deep in my soul.
I've got the blues -- I've got the blues, I've got the alcoholic blues. No more beer my heart to cheer; Goodbye whiskey, you used to make me frisky. So long high-ball, so long gin. Oh, tell me when you comin' back a-gin? Blues -- I've got the blues Since they amputated my booze Lord-y Lord-y, war is well -- you know, I don't have to tell-- Oh, I've got the alcoholic blues, some blues -- I've got the blues.
Prohibition that's the name, Prohibition, drives me insane. I'm so thirsty, soon I'll die, I'm simply goin' to 'vaporate, I'm just that dry. I wouldn't mind to live forever in a trench, Just if my daily thirst they only let me quench; And not with Bevo or Gingerale I want real stuff by the pail.
Copyright 1919 by Broadway Music Corporation. Words by Edward Laska, music by Albert Von Tilzer.
In 1958, RCA Camden released "Hits of the '50s", just 1/5 short of the actual decade's end. Not that they were missing much -- the hits for the rest of the decade echoed what's on this record: light popular music, with just a touch of rock-and-roll. This is a 'cover' album in the traditional sense, new versions of popular music performed by B-list musicians rather than the one who popularized the song. The Honeydreamers, Connie Haines, Dave Martin and the Strollers, they had names outside of this album, and are a step above a studio band. The songs are actually pretty good: Peter Ricardo's version of the Banana Boat Song takes from the Tarrier's version, and is a bouncy alternative to the rather somber Bellafonte version.
That space helmet kicks ass -- remember, in 1958, sending a person into space was still a sci-fi fantasy. Once we started popping people out of our atmosphere, space helmets stopped looking like this one, opting for a more stark, aviation style.
The antenna on top is a classy Googie, Jetsons thing -- with radio and television dominating the world, everything in The Future would need an antenna, even your head (they were actually pretty close). Back in the fifties, though, putting airtight plastic over a kid's head was preparation for their spacefaring futures -- their flying cars were only a few years away. Until then, though, Dad dons his porkpie hat, mom wears her opera gloves, everyone hops into the Volkswagen to drive it to the farthest star. Make sure the canvas roof is closed, though. That cloth sunroof, incidentally, warranted a credit on the back of the cover: Volkswagen Sunroof supplied by Fifth Avenue Motors, New York City. The photographer's name, the models' names? Nowhere to be found.
Songs For One Night Of The Year, a mix-tape for Halloween (it seems to be more environmental and creepy than singing about vampires), from blush-response
"Vaudeville stars Butterbeans & Susie made a good living in the 1920s through the 50s, singing light comedic songs about the war between the sexes and the pitfalls of domestic life," says Baikinange.
