Tag: 1960s

The Sweet Inspirations | Unchained Melody

The Sweet Inspirations are a vocal group, formed in the late 1950s, best-known as backup singers for other artists, appearing on recordings for Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Jimi Hendrix, the James Gang, and Yusef Lateef. They toured with Elvis Presley towards the end of his career.

The original members included Doris Troy, who had a hit with “Just One Look” and recorded an album for the Beatles’ Apple label; future superstar Dionne Warwick; and Warwick’s sister Dee Dee. The later lineup on the cut here features lead vocalist Cissy Houston, mother of 1980s superstar Whitney Houston and the aunt of the Warwick sisters. The other members of this classic lineup were Sylvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown, and Myrna Smith. A version of the group continues to tour to this day (Encyclopedia of Popular Music).

Besides their backup work, the group recorded their own singles and albums. [Ed. note: I first became aware of the group from their 1968 single named for the group, “Sweet Inspiration”.] The track here appeared on their third Atlantic album, What The World Needs Now Is Love, and was released as a single. The album, produced by Tom Dowd and arranged by Arif Mardin, bears the unmistakable sonic signature of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (you could ID Roger Hawkins’ snare in a police lineup.)

“Unchained Melody,” with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret, was written for the 1955 movie Unchained. The Righteous Brothers’ 1965 single on Phil Spector’s Phillie Records is probably the most famous recording of the song. That version features a languorous 12/8 rhythm, extracting maximum emotion from Bobby Hatfield’s tenor. The Sweets’ version (1968) is in straight 4/4 and is a bit more up-tempo, but Cissy Houston’s soaring lead is no less emotive.

There’s a half-step modulation at 1:48 as the verse repeats.

Dusty Springfield | Son of a Preacher Man

Included on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, “Son of a Preacher Man” has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Joss Stone, and Foo Fighters, among others.

English singer Dusty Springfield’s cover, included on her 1968 album Dusty in Memphis, is by far the most well-known. The song tells the story of a young girl who runs away with and falls in love with the preacher’s son. The industry magazine Cash Box wrote in 1968 that “the track is “brim-full of the special southern-combo sound and a vocal strongly influenced by Aretha [Franklin].”

The song begins in E and modulates up to A for the last chorus at 1:44

Jay and the Americans | She Cried

“Early-’60s rock & roll albums are a funny animal — no one, not critics or fans, ever really knew what to make of them, mostly because they were usually so superfluous to how we knew and understood the artists involved,” (Qobuz). “Except for Elvis Presley, who still commanded a lot of attention even as he began what ultimately proved to be the downward arc (in terms of quality) of his movie career, no one ever heard the album tracks except the most serious, dedicated fans, who were a tiny, almost microscopic portion of the audience. It wasn’t until the Beach Boys began surprising people with album cuts that were almost good enough to be singles that audiences started to given them a wider listen, though it took the Beatles — who stirred insatiable demand from fans and whose albums met the same standard as their singles — to drive the sale numbers up to significant levels.

Until then, you had fine LPs like She Cried (1962), Jay & the Americans’ debut LP, fine efforts that most fans never heard or even knew about. A Leiber & Stoller production, it reflected their other work of the period, including the group’s covers of then-current Drifters/Ben E. King hits, and also reflected the influence of Phil Spector …”

The title track was the group’s first major hit. Built around a I major / bVII major vamp, the track’s slightly off-kilter instrumental verse (1:45 – 2:02), with strings front and center, leads us to a late whole-step modulation. The single reached #5 on the US pop charts and was the first of four US Top 10 hits for the group.

Sergio Mendes + Brasil ’66 | The Joker

“Musician Herb Alpert, co-founder of the highly successful A&M record label, was so keen on a newly signed act that he lent his name to the group’s debut LP; Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66,” (San Diego Troubador). “The album’s back cover featured straight forward liner notes by Alpert and the creative wordplay of Beatles’ publicist Derek Taylor. Alpert’s hunch about the group would eventually exceed all expectations; for the remainder of the decade, the sound of Brasil ’66, a tempting mixture of bossa nova/samba and “Bacharachesque” arrangements, was seldom out of the spotlight. With consistent Top 40 hits, launched by the groundbreaking single,”Mas Que Nada,” Brasil ’66 was a fixture on AM radio, television variety shows, and concert stages around the globe.

… Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 joined the 2012 class of “Historically Significant Recordings.” His LP was in good company: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” Speech, the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street, and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA were among the other recordings to enter the class. These selections found a permanent home in the Grammy Hall of Fame.”

After a start in a slightly de-tuned G minor, “The Joker” features a transitional section (1:10 – 1:25) which leads us up to A minor. The transition later repeats, but this time with no additional upward modulation. The live version has somewhat lower sound quality and doesn’t allow for embedding, but please check it out as well! Many thanks to our regular contributor Jamie A. for this submission.

Eydie Gormé & Los Panchos | La última noche

“La última noche,” written by Bobby Collazo, was featured on the 1964 album Amore by American singer Eydie Gorme and the trio Los Panchos. Gorme, who was born in New York, grew up speaking Spanish, and “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” is one of the songs that helped establish her as a mainstream star. Los Panchos, generally regarded as one of the most influential Latin American music groups of all time, sold millions of records and also appeared in more than 50 films.

The following is from an interview Gormé did with The Arizona Republic about the album:

“I knew a lot of them,” Gormé says. “I didn’t even realize I knew them until we worked on them, and they were songs I knew from my house growing up.” She has other memories of making the disc; specifically, of Los Panchos. “They were drinking a lot of wine on those sessions,” she says with a laugh. “They were lovely people. Drunk, but lovely.” Whatever the reason, the artists had a once-in-a-lifetime chemistry.

The track alternates between F minor and F major throughout.

The Sandpipers | Come Saturday Morning

“The Sandpipers were a male vocal trio that recorded a handful of easy listening pop hits in the mid-’60s,” (AllMusic). “The group was distinguished by its light, breezy harmonies, which floated over delicate, breezy string arrangements, as well as the occasional appearance of a wordless female backing vocalist who drifted in and out of the music. Though they didn’t manage to have a long, sustained career, the group did have one Top Ten hit with ‘Guantanamera’ in 1966.

In 1970, they contributed songs to the film The Sterile Cuckoo (“Come Saturday Morning”) and Russ Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Though the Sandpipers continued to record into the ’70s, their audience diminished with each successive year. After spending five years without any chart success, the group disbanded in the mid-’70s.”

Released in September 1969, “Come Saturday Morning” reached #83 on the Pop chart and #9 on the Easy Listening chart. The tune was subsequently covered by Liza Minnelli, Chet Baker, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, and Patti Page, among other artists. Starting in D major, the lilting 6/8 track shifts to F major at 1:51, but by 2:19 the tune has returned to its original key.

Many thanks to MotD regular contributor Rob P. for this submission!

Spanish Rose (from “Bye Bye Birdie”)

This week on MotD we are recognizing the legendary Chita Rivera, a dancer/singer/actress who passed away last week. The first Latino American to ever receive a Kennedy Center Honor, Rivera also won three Tony Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

One of her Tony-nominated roles was her turn as Rose Alvarez in the 1960 Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. “Spanish Rose” comes near the end of the show, and there are modulations throughout. The tune begins in C and successively modulates up by half steps, ultimately landing in Eb.

Sagittarius | My World Fell Down

Sagittarius was the “sunshine pop” pet project of songwriter and producer Gary Usher. He was a co-writer of some well-known Beach Boys songs, such as “In My Room” and “409.” He produced the English duo Chad & Jeremy, and later, the group Peanut Butter Conspiracy. Sagittarius released just two albums, Present Tense and The Blue Marble. Sagittarius wasn’t a band as such; its members were studio pros along for the ride, among them Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, his Bruce and Terry partner Terry Melcher, and Glen Campbell. Producer Curt Boettcher was involved with much of the material, although not on this track.

AllMusic describes the song “My World Fell Down” as “totally enthralling”. The lead vocal is by a well-disguised Glen Campbell. The orchestration owes much to the Beach Boys recordings of the Pet Sounds era — the bouncy chorus is awfully close to “Good Vibrations,” and the drum fills could have been copped from “God Only Knows” (in fact, Hal Blaine in both cases!). The song, written by John Carter and Geoff Stephens, was first recorded by the English band The Ivy League. Sagittarius’ single version, released in 1967, reached #70 on the Billboard chart.

After an intro in G# major, the verse shifts to G# minor, then to F# major at 0:25 for the chorus. More shifts continue throughout. A short passage of musique concrète (or psychedelia, if you will) begins at 1:48. Unusually, that snippet appears on the single edit only; it was replaced in the LP edit by an instrumental passage. The next section feels like a direct appropriation from “Good Vibrations”: a subdued vocal passage, to contrast with the ebullient chorus that follows. A keyboard coda takes us full circle to where we began in G# major.

The Original Caste | One Tin Soldier (Theme from “Billy Jack”)

“Released in 1969, ‘One Tin Soldier’ became a popular song during the Vietnam War and was often heard as an anti-war anthem,” (CountryThangDaily). “It was first recorded by the Canadian pop group The Original Caste and was later on recorded by various artists,” including the band Coven.

“Interestingly, the song charted every year from 1969 to 1974 on various charts, not only in the United States but also in Canada. It went to #6 on the RPM Magazine charts … and peaked at #34 on the American pop charts in early 1970. The song was even a bigger Adult Contemporary hit, reaching #25 in the United States and #5 in Canada.”

The story-based song features a gentle start and a gradual build which is eventually led by a rich winds section in addition to the traditional rock instrumentation. A half-step modulation kicks in at 1:39. Many thanks to our regular contributor Rob P. for this submission!

The Shangri-Las | Leader of the Pack

“Mary Weiss, who in 1964 was the lead singer of the Shangri-Las’ No. 1 hit, ‘Leader of the Pack,’ extracting every ounce of passion and pathos available in a three-minute adolescent soap opera, died last week at her home in Palm Springs, CA. She was 75.” (New York Times).

“‘Leader of the Pack,’ the Shangri-Las’ second and biggest hit, was narrated by a young woman who falls in love with a motorcycle-riding tough guy without her parents’ approval — ‘They told me he was bad/But I knew he was sad’ — and is then left bereft when he dies in a road accident on a rainy night. Produced and co-written by Shadow Morton, the single featured call-and-response vocals, full-tilt teenage angst and motorcycle sound effects. It was excessive and melodramatic, requiring acting as much as singing, but Ms. Weiss sold it with her yearning performance. She was just 15 when it topped the charts.’

After a dialog intro and the start of the iconic heartbeat groove in a detuned Db major at 0:30, there’s a shift to the relative minor for the spoken bridge at 1:31. The next verse starts in D major at 1:47.