The Magnificent Goldberg

Nah. Wait another 40 years — you might set a record! MG

Naaah, they are really boring dates. The Mainstream lps are way better and funkier. Particularly the one with Jimmy Forrest and Walter Bishop. MG

Oh yeah - I read a history of Motown several years (decades?) ago. One thing that REALLY impressed me was that Gordy one day sauntered over to the school across the road and picked out this girl, apparently at random, and offered her a job as quality control. She must have been pretty bright, because she later became a lawyer. Anyway, Gordy said tht she could have anything she needed to do the job so, after she'd thought about it a bit, she asked the technicians to make her a record player set up that would sound just like a car radio, so she could hear what the records would sound like the first (most crucial) time most people would hear them. So Clem, listen to the stuff on a '60s car radio, preferably in a car. MG

Yes sir Clem, yes sir. Does the Duke singles box cover Peacock & Songbird, too? Never heard of it before. Actually, I thought Motown was great in '59 & '60 with Paul Gyten's "The hunch" and B Strong's "Money" and Miracles "Shop around" and a few others, up to "Fingertips" or "Can I get a witness". By the way, anyone know who played sax on "The hunch"? Whatever his name, he was the same guy who played on Moses Davis' "Moses groove"/"For dancers only" on Tollie (Davis being the writer of "Jan Jan", you all undoubtedly know). MG

There are all those Prestige reissues on 45rpm vinyl. $50 a go! WTF? How do you get an LP's worth of music onto a 45rpm 12" - and have it come out half decent? MG

I like "Full view" on Milestone. Really mellow, soulful feeling. MG

What an audience! Wow! MG

Every so often, over the past 40 years, I've felt like buying that Earl Anderza. I wonder if I will this time... MG

Ernest Frank Dick Cheney

I've never heard "Done it again". I've got a very tatty copy of "Swingin' at the Gate". I like Lytle a lot. These PJz came out between the Keepnews Jzld/Tuba stuff and the Keepnews Milestones. They seem to show Lytle expanding his ideas before getting to the Milestones, which are fabluloso! But, in their own right, not viewed as transitional albums, I think they're excellent (the live one anyway). The whole thing feels beautiful. And there's stuff in there that he never did any other time. It's a bit like some of Freddie Roach's albums - "My people (soul people)", "All that's good" "Down to earth" - not in the music, but the way it feels. MG

Haven't got any of those, but they're on my list. Do you have information or just a vague feeling? MG No info really just a feeling, you can get these on the concord site . But on Amazon the only copy of The Chant goes for around $49.99. Does anyone know for sure what Concord is going to keep in print and what titles they are going to let go out of print ? Quite... MG

Haven't got any of those, but they're on my list. Do you have information or just a vague feeling? MG

Ah, that's interesting. I wonder what they've issued in this line recenly. MG

Done! And a Jaws/Griffin at the same time (ah, my foolish heart!). $11 post for 2 CDs! My my! Oh well, still good value. What good people there are here! MG

Thanks very much folks! MG

Garth, all I'm saying is that if there is a CD available of this 'Plenty, Plenty Soul' album with different takes, I would be looking for this. With mono or stereo takes, whatever... the new issue is in stereo and sounds very good to my ears My copy is the 1989 US release and even I think it sounds dull (and I usually put up with what I can get). Is the new one a big improvement on the 1989? MG

Does Effin' Starbucks own Effin' Concord? MG

I had "Set us free", briefly. Reuben Wislon fan though I am, I just couldn't listen to it more than a couple of times. But indeed, a revived Rare Groove series would be a great thing. Soul Stream was mentioning Jimmy McGriff's "I've got a NEW woman" the other day. From what he said, I'd reckon that'd be a good candidate. And I'd also like to see the two PJ Johnny Lytle LPs reissued. I've only got the live one and it's in a right state! MG

Can anyone advise on which Amazon US seller I should use to get the Tiny Grimes CD I'm after please? The choices are Yokomusic, NY Newbury Comics, MA Imprintmusic, CA Russpotter1, WI CPCSam, NY There's a bit of price difference, but not enough to put me off. After the discussion a few months ago about Caiman, it would be helpful if anyone knows whether any of these sellers is likely to be stringing me along, before I hit the button. MG

I need to get the Tiny Grimes. My LP is in BAD nick, though I've put up with it for nearly 40 years. MG

Thanks Allen. I'm interested in this article. Would I be able to get anywhere googling those guys? MG

He of the Mosaic set? The American date format is a dead giveaway that it didn't happen in Tescos of Banbury. If it ever happened, it would have been in America so, yes, it could have been Charles Brown returned from the grave. MG

I think singers have always been popular. Whitburn aggregates somehow the hits to establish a top ten sellers for each decade. in the 1900-1909 period, the top 10 sellers were all vocalists, or vocal groups. In the next decade, one band - Prince's Orchestra - was in the top 10. In the twenties, there were still Jolson, Gene Austin, Ruth Etting and Marion Harris in the top 10. And while in the thirties bands predominated, Crosby was #1, Waller and Valee were both in the top 10, and most of the bands' most popular recordings were vocals. That's true of the forties, too, but with Sinatra, Como, Shore and the Andrews sisters coming in. And of course, by the fifties, the top ten were all singers once more. Taking the long view, you can look at the "Jazz Age" (and to a lesser extent, the "Swing Era") as minor blips along the road. MG

Yes, it's Joel Whitburn. The data are by no means perfect. In particular, it's evident that sales to African Americans weren't taken into account in anything that was being published in those days (not terribly surprising). But I've always assumed that, despite the enormous difficulties of producing such information, what Whitburn did was the best available and basically that we have to take it, warts and all. If the challenges you've referred to have resulted in better data being published, I'd be most grateful to know where. MG

Stand back! Nerd approaching! I thought the original article here was very interesting, particularly what it said about the thirties swing bands. So I decided to look at the data to see if it bore out the article. I just limited myself to big bands of the thirties and forties that had #1 hit records, and looked at whether those records were vocal or instrumental. What I found surprised me. Something happened in the mid twenties. I wonder if someone like Allen Lowe knows what it was. This is what I found. THIRTIES/FORTIES BIG BAND #1 HITS Charlie Barnet 1 at #1, vocal Count Basie 1 at #1, vocal Les Brown 3 at #1, 1 instrumental (I’ve got my love to keep me warm) Cab Calloway 1 at #1, vocal Larry Clinton 4 at #1, all vocal Bob Crosby 3 at #1, all vocal Dorsey Brothers 2 at #1, both vocal Jimmy Dorsey 12 at #1, all vocal Tommy Dorsey 17 at #1, 1 instrumental (Satan takes a holiday) Duke Ellington 3 at #1, 2 instrumental (Cocktails for two, I let a song go out of my heart) Benny Goodman 16 at #1, 3 instrumental (Moonglow, Don’t be that way, Jersey bounce) Glen Gray & Casa Loma Orchestra 5 at #1, 1 instrumental (Sunrise serenade) Woody Herman 1 at #1, vocal Harry James 9 at #1, 1 instrumental (Sleepy lagoon) Andy Kirk 2 at #1, both vocal Jimmie Lunceford 1 at #1, vocal Glenn Miller 23 at #1, 4 instrumental (In the mood, Tuxedo Junction, Song of the Volga Boatmen, A string of pearls) Ray Noble 7 at #1, all vocal Red Norvo 2 at #1, both vocal Artie Shaw 4 at #1, 2 instrumental (Begin the beguine, Frenesi) Chick Webb 1 at #1, vocal Teddy Wilson 2 at #1, 1 instrumental (You can’t top me from dreaming) 120 #1 hits from these bands including only 16 instrumentals. Including Paul Whiteman’s 4 #1 hits from the thirties/forties brings the total to 124. So these data do support the statement in the article. But while I was looking through, I couldn’t help noticing the bands of the twenties. And what I saw seemed equally worthwhile looking at in detail. This time, I just looked at whether these bands’ hits (any hit, not a #1) were instrumental or vocal and when. Because there seemed to be a big turnaround. And this is what I got from the twenties. TWENTIES AND THIRTIES BAND HITS Benson Orchestra of Chicago 17 hits from Aug 1921 – Jan 1925 all instrumental. 1 hit in Oct 1925 vocal. Ben Bernie 10 hits from Apr 1923 – Nov 1925 all instrumental. 34 hits from Feb 1926 – Sep 1936 all vocal. Carl Fenton 21 hits from Sep 1920 – Jun 1925 1 vocal. 5 hits from Jul 1925 – Aug 1927 all vocal. Fletcher Henderson 9 hits from Nov 1923 – Dec 1928 all instrumental. 11 hits from Dec 1931 – May 1937 4 vocal Isham Jones 42 hits from Sep 1920 – Sep 1926 all instrumental. 31 hits from Dec 1926 – Feb 1938 3 instrumentals (inc 1 at #1 (Stardust)) Roger Wolfe Kahn 10 hits from Feb 1926 – Sep 1927 4 vocal. 8 hits from Feb 1928 – Nov 1932 1 instrumental Sam Lanin 5 hits from Sep 1923 – Aug 1926 all instrumental. 5 hits from Mar 1927 – May 1930 all vocal. Ted Lewis 43 hits from Jan 1920 – Jan 1927, 5 vocal. 59 hits from Apr 1927 – Nov 1938 6 instrumental Vincent Lopez 19 hits from Jul 1922 – Jun 1926, 2 vocal. 10 hits from Feb 1927 – Jul 1939, 1 instrumental. Ray Miller 12 hits from Apr 1922 – Dec 1925, 1 vocal. 4 hits from Apr 1929 – May 1930, all vocal. Leo Reisman 4 hits from Apr 1921 – Sep 1926, all instrumental. 75 hits from Aug 1927 – Jun 1941, 1 instrumental. Ben Selvin 41 hits from Oct 1919 – Jun 1926 7 vocal. 66 hits from Jul 1926 – Aug 1934, all vocal. Nat Shilkret & the Victor orchestra 15 hits from Nov 1924 – Jun 1927 10 vocal, 5 instrumental. 39 hits from July 1927 – Mar 1932, all vocal. Paul Specht 11 hits from Jan 1923 – Feb 1927, all instrumental. 2 hits Dec 1929 & Feb 1930 both vocal. Frankie Trumbauer 3 hits from Jun – Sep 1927, all instrumental. 6 hits from Dec 1927 – May 1932, all vocal. Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians 7 hits from Dec 1923 – Jun 1925, 2 vocal. 45 hits from July 1925 – Apr 1944, 2 instrumentals. Ted Weems 6 hits from Jul 1922 – Sep 1926, all instrumental. 30 hits from Nov 1927 –Sep 1948, all vocal. Paul Whiteman 88 hits from Oct 1920 – May 1926 5 vocal. 131 hits from Sep 1925 – Nov 1943 15 instrumental. (14 at #1, all vocal) Only Fletcher Henderson had more instrumental hits than vocals after 1928; and he sticks out like a sore thumb in this company anyway. This lot doesn’t summarise quite so handily, because the bands changed over at different dates. But, accepting different dates for the changeover, it’s possible to say that, before the changeover, there were 372 hits by these bands, of which 37 were vocal; 10 per cent. After the change, there were 562 hits, of which 36 were instrumental; 6.4 per cent. Just looking at the #1 hits of these bands gives a similar picture that’s comparable with that of the later bands. Before their changes of direction these bands had 41 #1 hits, of which 5 were vocal. And afterwards, there were 34 #1 hits, of which 1 was an instrumental. Something seems to have changed public taste between late 1925 and early 1927. I don’t know what. But it seems to indicate that the idea that the public can’t hear instrumental music isn’t quite right. Calling Allen Lowe! MG