Fever and Smoke, 1961 RCA Victor (click for bigger)
There's no sociopolitical subtext to this week's audioblogging, just a Monday morning pick-me-up. The Three Suns (Al Nevins, Morty Nevins and Artie Dunn playing the accordion, organ and guitar) had a long, eclectic career. You can find out lots more about them here than I have space to discuss. My favorite period of their long discography is the early 1960s when their producers and arranger Charles Albertine went a little haywire with wonderful world of stereo and the public's lust for exotic, gimmicky sounds. Some of the tracks below have been released on various "lounge" (a label I detest) compilations, while others have never been introduced to the digital generation (CD releases of The Three Suns are few and far between). These are all taken from the original vinyl.
First up is three selections from their wonderful Fever and Smoke (see above)LP:
Fever (3:04, 3.6mb mp3)
Tequila (2:16, 2.7mb mp3)
Colonel Bogey March (2:30, 2.9mb mp3)
And here's where things get a lot stanger:
Movin' 'n' Groovin', 1962 RCA Victor (click for bigger)
Movin' 'n' Groovin' was part of RCA's fabulous "Stereo Action" series, a collection of deluxe albums in heavy sleeves with die-cut covers meant to be the ultimate show-offs for their new stereo systems. Indeed, stereo was never quite as bonkers as "The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow", but the recording quality and brilliant engineering was state-of-the-art for the time. Listen to these on headphones!
Movin' and Groovin' (2:54, 3.4mb mp3)
Jungle Drums (3:51, 4.5mb mp3)
Danny's Inferno (2:49, 3.3mb mp3)
Now doesn't that make your Monday a lot more fun? Please read the audioblog disclaimer.
9 comments:
You have not one but two of their masterpieces. It boggles the mind.
In "Fever"..is someone playing a Kazoo? I can't identify that sound other than it reminds me of a kazoo.
I believe that's a Vox organ. Great sound, isn't it?
Awesome. Thanks for posting. I loved the Three Suns when I was in high school and college. "Moonlight and Roses" was my favorite. Was it they who recorded "Crazylegs," the song dedicated to Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch?
Oooh, I'm not familiar with that one.
I guess a good point to make would be that The Three Suns were NOT obscure; they were a popular band with a career that lasted decades. They had huge hit songs like "Peg 'o' My Heart".
This stuff only seems obscure now because it gets totally left out of all histories of contemporary music. Instrumental Pop? What's that? And yet it was enormously popular, influential stuff.
I like instrumentals on occasion..that organ really tripped me out... thanks PSP for your monday audio :)
PSP, I found "Crazy Legs" by the Three Suns.
http://www.netsoundsmusic.com/nsudsii/2/196328815/1104/2.html
So glad I wasn't having a Geezer Moment.
Cheers!
Oh MY GOD! A remix of that version of "Fever" is in Bill Murray's movie, "The Man Who Knew Too Little." Which, if you've never seen it, you must go out and rent it immediately.
And I must get a Three Suns CD immediately. If not sooner.
OMG!!! I downloaded these to my desktop way back some weeks ago, and I finally got around to listening to them today. These could be the kewlest recordings I've ever heard! Why have I never heard of the Three Suns? OMG!!!
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