Your understanding is appreciated

Most readers of this blog are aware of the fact that most of my music posts are for 48 hours only. It's a choice I've made, and I've explained my reasons for doing this in previous posts. Basically, I feel that music downloading of any sort (even paid), is having a deleterious impact on the record business. But I digress. . ..

From time-to-time, especially recently, I have received emails from readers "beseeching," "imploring," etc. that I re-post a music file because said correspondents missed out on downloading one music post or another. Please understand that I just don't have the time to honor these requests; and even if I did, I am disinclined to do so. For as should be obvious by now, I'm somewhat conflicted against uploading these files even the first time around.

That being said, check in tomorrow for a slightly unusual---and I think---interesting file download.

Annals of Anxious Acronymy

G.A.S.P. Which stands for Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play, a recently formed parental group devoted to stemming the increasing popularity among adolescents of something called the "choking game," AKA "space monkey," "sleeper hold" and "funky chicken", i.e. restricting the blood flow to the brain in order to cause a quick euphoric sensation.

Now I ask you. . .just whatever happened to good, old-fashioned model airplane glue sniffing?

Yours truly,

Mrs. Grover Cleveland

The NEW Group

What's New, the LP that I digitalized today's download from, is now fifty miles away, back safe and sound with its original owner. Thus, no cover photo shot. I could only find a handful of references---and nothing substantial--- to this New Group (formerly The Group) album on the net. (And most of them, in Japanese.) Hell. . .I came up with more "hits" for my Uncle Earl's Hog Calling Instruction LP. (There are more ways to intone "Suweeee!" than ya might think.)

One of those few Google "hits" re: The Group confirmed what I'd recalled about the LP's particulars, i.e. that it was released on Morris Levy's Roulette label in 1964, a year or two after the group's. . .I mean The Group's RCA LP. See yesterday's post for more on The Group.

arr & cond by O.B. Massingill (not much about him on the net either)

Download available for 48 hours only.

______________________

"Don't think! Whenever you do, the nation's well-being suffers."

Something overheard one brittle, witty evening at the Algonquin Round Table? Hardly! Instead, I heard this line spoken yesterday (actually I didn't hear it, a friend told me about it) by Larry to Curly in the Three Stooges' Half Shot Shooters.

And just because I---I mean---my friend, chose to watch a Stooges short on AMC rather than Satajit Ray's Pather Panchali on the Sundance Channel, that doesn't necessarily mean that I---I mean--- he's a bad person. . .does it?

LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS. . .

Dear Mr. Reed,

I have some info for you on the people that made up the group called "The Group". I just came across your blog today as I was doing research for a documentary I'm working on about an unfinished film from 1962 called "Ten Girls Ago". Most of the film was shot but they ran out of money. It was supposed to be the first musical filmed in Canada at a studio just outside of Toronto. The film starred Bert Lahr, Eddie Foy Jr., Buster Keaton, Dion, Jan Miner, and Riselle Bain. The members of THE GROUP played a trio of black leather clad people called the "Jay-Dees" a take-off of the slang JD for Juvenile Delinquent. Here is what it says about them in copy that was given to potential investors in the film.

"Toronto's own Ann Gable has teamed with Larry Benson and Tom Kampman to create an outstanding new singing-comedy team. Miss Gable is well-known in television and allied fields in both the United States and Canada. Mr. Benson is a nightclub jazz singer. Mr. Kampman is a member of the Ray Charles Singers on the Perry Como televison show. Together they have headlined at such clubs as New Yorks's famouse BLUE ANGEL and BON SOIR."

Of other musical interest, Riselle Bain played a girl that worked at her aunt's (Jan Miner) diner where Dion was a dishwasher. She went on to be part of the group THE FORUM and had a minor hit on the west coast with THE RIVER IS WIDE. The other members of THE FORUM were Phil Campos and Rene Nole. Ms. Bain had a small career as a child actress under the name Babette Bain and most notably appeared as the child Miriam in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. She currently is a Cantor at a synagogue in Florida.

The first 3 photos were taken by John Sebert and the two diner photos that have Riselle Bain in them were taken by Ed Bagley.

--- Jack Dragga