Silly Sundays - Stan Freberg - Incident at Los Varoces

Our final post for Vegas/Canyon week here at She'll Grow Back also marks the introduction of a new feature: Silly Sundays. After this week's near-death of one of my favorite blogs, Dr. Forrest's Cheeze Factory, I've realized it's time to post or repost some of my favorite silly recordings. (This week's is more serious than most, and much longer too.)

If I had twelve hours to spend on this post, I would put up an additional webpage detailing all the cultural references in this fifty-year old recording, but I don't have anywhere near that long.* So let me just say this:

Stan Freberg was the son of a Baptist minister, and the voracious spirit of Las Vegas, even fifty years ago, bothered him no end. In 1957, network radio was dying, and sponsors were light on the ground. Despite the weak position he found himself as a network radio comedian, Freberg recorded a twenty-minute-long, all-out attack on Las Vegas. Like the best satire, it's just as funny and prescient today as it was at the time. (There have been, in the past week, at least two blog or forum posts tying North Korea's nuclear bragging into this piece.)

And, also like the best satire, it scared the crap out of the people responsible for distributing it to the masses. After hearing it pre-broadcast, weak-willed CBS Radio execs demanded a different ending for this, though I imagine they didn't expect God Himself to take an active role in the new version. (I've never heard the second version, and I don't think it's ever been released to the public after that first broadcast. Anyone out there wanna try to prove me wrong? Please? And, also, boo hiss for censorship!) Stan himself gives us all the details in his delightful autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh.

In 1957, Freberg was at the top of his game. He wrote and produced 15 near-flawless half hours of radio, and it's an incredible shame that these CDs are out of print. Luckily, a best-of is available, via the buy link down there. Like all of the best of Stan's work, today's recording also features Daws Butler, Peter Leeds, June "Rocky" Foray and Peggy Taylor, with the Billy May Orchestra, and also Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires.

This track is 20 minutes long, and 50 MB. Download with care.

Stan Freberg - Incident At Los Varoces
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*If you're looking for extensively-researched blog posts on Freberg, look no further than this page here.

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Tom Jones

To quote the trailer for Mars Attacks!*, "Yes, Tom Jones." (This is another person you probably don't need the links for.)

I've had this version for a while, but I've been sitting on it because, well, it's not particularly good. It's not bad, either, but it's just so... mediocre. Tom's performance is okay, but I don't know if I'd classify it as "Rockin'."

Anyway, I had the opportunity to see Mr. Jones live in Las Vegas, and passed. (There were a lot of people I could've seen live in Las Vegas, but Tom's the only one I know of that's recorded a version of Stag.) I did get to hear, through an open theater door, Tom welcoming his audience to the MGM Grand. Does that count?

Anyway, here's another take on Lloyd Price's version of the Stagger Lee legend. More Vegas audio tomorrow, as I begin a new feature here on She'll Grow Back: Silly Sundays. Stay tuned!

Tom Jones - Stagger Lee
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*Mars Attacks! is one of my favorite Vegas movies. Odd, I know, since you don't see much of it outside of Tom's show and the Neon Graveyard.

Thurl Ravenscroft and Stan Jones - Grand Canyon

Stan Jones (AMG wiki Disney-centric bio), if the back cover of this album can be believed (click through to read it, then click to the AMG link to read a different version of the story), was a simple park ranger, until one day he coincidentally met some Hollywood types. They suggested he seek fame and fortune, and the rest is history.

He's best known these days, of course, as the writer of "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky." Here's a track from his 1958 Disneyland Records album (via), with narration and some vocals from our patron saint, Thurl Ravenscroft.

(This record was only available at Disneyland and national parks, so it's pretty hard to come by these days. The buy link currently goes to one copy for $92, though you can get the whole schmear -- and another Jones/Ravenscroft album, plus lots of other things -- at that via link.)

Keep coming back, folks -- I still have more vacation-themed things for you this week.

Thurl Ravenscroft and Stan Jones - Grand Canyon
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The Grascals and Dolly Parton - Viva Las Vegas

The Grascals (official MySpace wiki AMG) are a bluegrass band from Nashville, who've worked with Dierks Bentley, George Jones, The Jordanaires, and Dolly Parton.

I've had this perky track on my hard drive for a while now, thanks to Boy Howdy over at Cover Lay Down. Since I first heard this, I'd be willing to bet I've listened to this version at least five times as much as Elvis's original version.

And when, on vacation, I played this for the family, they all liked it a lot too. I know that may not sound impressive, but it takes a lot to please all four members of my family musically. Let's just say that upbeat bluegrass covers of songs we all know will usually do the trick.

Come back tomorrow to hear the dulcet tones of She'll Grow Back's patron saint, Thurl Ravenscroft.

The Grascals feat. Dolly Parton - Viva Las Vegas
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Johnny Cash - A Day In The Grand Canyon

Forty-eight years ago, Johnny Cash released an album entitled The Lure of the Grand Canyon. It contained a new recording (by king of the thrift store conductors, Andre Kostelanetz) of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, with added sound effects and followed by this long explanatory track from Johnny.

This album has been out of print for decades, and I haven't been able to find the whole album, though this track was reprinted in the Bear Family's awe-inspiring collection of box sets.

This track is over 10 minutes long, and almost 20 MB in size. Download with care. Before this week of posts is over, I hope to upload some of my own sound recordings from the recent trip. Stay tuned!

Johnny Cash - A Day In The Grand Canyon
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Multiple Mondays: Route 66

I must begin with an apology. I kind of extended my vacation for a few extra days this weekend, and neglected to post a Stagger Lee Saturday. I even had the song already uploaded, and just kept putting it off till it was Sunday morning, and too late. I hope this week of posts I have planned will make it up to y'all.

So this year my family's vacation was to the Great American Southwest. We saw Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, The Grand Canyon, and a tiny part of "The Main Street Of America," Route 66. The classic song commemorating this road was written by Bobby Troup, inspired unsurprisingly by a trip on the highway. It was first recorded in 1946 by The Nat King Cole Trio (wiki fansite AMG) and has since been covered by scores of other artists. I've amassed 18 versions, and cut those somewhat randomly down to 9 for this post. (Upon request, I'll post the other nine some other Monday.)

First, we hear the original version, with its smooth, jazzy piano. I've been digging on Nat King Cole a lot lately, though he's not the type of thing I post much on this blog. Joe Turner's (wiki AMG) 1971 performance turns the song into a swingin' jump blues, a lot like the late 50's "race" records I love so much. (In fact, I made it the second version in this mix before I did my research, since it sounds so late-50s to me.) Chuck Berry's (official wiki AMG) 1961 version served, as so many of his records did, as a template for a Rolling Stones (official wiki AMG) cover, in 1964. Then, we hear from an obscure Ohio garage band, The Alarm Clocks (official AMG), who credit the song to the Stones two years later.

Enough rock for now. Al Jarreau (official wiki AMG) uses some sound effects in his otherwise a capella version of the song, from 2002. After that palate cleanser, we hear Asleep At The Wheel's (official wiki AMG) lovely 1976 boogie-woogie version, followed by a version I'm not so proud of.

Natalie Cole is a shameless grave-excavating ghoul, to be sure. But when I was listening to this collection at work last week, I still enjoyed her version for its musical merits. I kind of like this, even though I would never admit it to her face. (This song also has the distinction of being heard many times a day in Disney's California Adventure.)

Finally, another Disney-related song. For use in Pixar's world-endingly-popular 2006 film Cars (also inspired by a trip across the country, incidentally), they hired Atlanta's own John Mayer (official wiki AMG) to record his own rocking version of the song, and I love it so much it ends this collection.

As usual, I've uploaded individual files in addition to a complete zip, which I recommend for ease of downloading. But I must add a final word of warning to all: Do not play this collection as driving music. You WILL get a speeding ticket.

1 - Nat King Cole (1 2)
2 - Joe Turner (1 2)

3 - Chuck Berry (1 2)

4- The Rolling Stones (1 2)
5- The Alarm Clocks (1 2)
6 - Al Jarreau (1 2)
7 - Asleep At The Wheel (1 2)
8 - Natalie Cole (1 2)
9 - John Mayer (1 2)

Zip file

Stagger Lee Saturdays - Paul Asbell

Paul Asbell (official MySpace AMG) is a well-traveled Chicago boy (if you click on either of the first two links, you can see the impressive list of people he's played with), now transplanted to Vermont, where he plays his blend of acoustic folk blues and even gives private lessons.

This take on Stag is from Paul's 2005 album Steel String Americana, which also includes a Dr. John cover and the girl-group classic "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" In the liner notes, Paul writes:

"Stack-O-Lee, Stagolee, Staggerlee... there are as many musical variants of this folk epic as there are spellings of the man's name. And i mean entirely different SONGS here, with different melodies, refrains- practically everything different except the mythical bad dude with the original bad 'tude. ... The Louisiana variant of this tune seems to represent a different branch of the Stagolee tree than the Furry Lewis/John Hurt songster variant. My version comes more from the Louisiana side of the family."

I really like the opening line, with it's understated assertion that Stag and Billy "just couldn't get along," and the emphasis on the oral folk tradition that gave birth to this song, with the repeated "'That right? You don't say!"

Folks, I'm on vacation starting Tuesday, so there may be no Stagger Lee next Saturday. I'm going to try to get one in the pipeline, but I have an awful lot to do between now and then, so no promises.

Paul Asbell - Stack A Lee
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Stagger Lee Saturdays - Sam The Sham

Sam The Sham (official fansite wiki AMG) is best known as the be-turbaned lead singer of The Pharaohs, who had the two rockin' novelty hits "Wooly Bully" and "Li'l Red Riding Hood." The year after "...Riding Hood," Sam (born Domingo Samudio) took off the turban and released his tarot-card covered album, Ten of Pentacles. In addition to his cover of Lloyd Price's take on Stag, it also includes covers of "Stand By Me" and two songs by The Coasters, along with quite a few originals.

Sam's sax player and co-songwriter, Frank Carabetta, is featured heavily on this track, along with a lovely piano really high in the mix. I know this makes two weeks in a row with really horn-heavy pop versions of Stag, so we'll have a bluesy version next Saturday.

(Note: this song is long out of print, except on an imported German 3-disc box set, so the buy link is probably wishful thinking yet again.)

Sam The Sham - Stagger Lee
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