Unforgettable – Nat King Cole 1952
Reviewed by Rivka Willick
Nat King Cole was at his best when he sang the melodic and overly sentimental ballad Unforgettable. Cole had a voice to rival Bing Cosby or Frank Sinatra and his promoters found the right songs to showcase it.
Unforgettable was written by Irving Gordon and was originally titled Uncomparable. Cole sang it with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra in 1951. He did a second recording without orchestration in 1952, which might be the best of his many versions. Cole recorded it in stereo in 1961. After his death Cole’s daughter, Natalie sang a duet to a remix of the 61 recording. The emotional mood and delicious harmony earned three Grammys.
My favorite is still the 1952 version which showcases the young Nat King Cole’s voice and effortless performance. It’s truly ‘Unforgettable’.
Rock Around the Clock Bill Haley & His Comets 1954
Reviewed by Rivka Willick
Haley’s version of Rock Around the Clock is upbeat and a little addictive. The song can be on a loop and nobody seems to care. The song was written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers. The first version had a similar sound to other pop songs of the day, but Haley turned up the tempo. It was first recorded by Sonny Dae and His Knights, but Myers said he wrote it for Haley.
Up until the release of Haley’s version of “Rock Around the Clock” Rock and Roll was a fringe style of music, but this song reached #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. It was featured in the film, Black Board Jungle and gave a sound to teenage rebellion. The catchy words and lyrics made it an ideal spring board for 50’s rock and roll.
The recording features a 7 piece band with Haley taking vocals and rhythm guitar. Billy Williamson played steel guitar and Danny Cedrone played electric guitar. The new sound was complete with Marshall Lytle on string bass, Joey Ambrose on tenor saxophone, Johnny Grande on piano, and Billy Gussak on drums.
Haley’s 1954 version got a new audience as the theme for the 1974 George Lucas movie American Graffiti. He recorded a new version for the TV show ‘Happy Days’.
Hound Dog – Elvis Presley 1956
Reviewed by Rivka Willick
Hound Dog strips down the music to its basics. This is pure rock and roll with Elvis backed by a three piece band. The song written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Storller was not written for Elivs. The blues singer, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thorton recorded it in 1952 and it stayed #1 on the R&B chart for seven weeks. Over the next four years the song was recorded by seven country or blues artists.
Elvis first performed the song live in Vegas complete with hip gyrations and got good reactions. He performed it on the popular Milton Berle Show June 5, 1956, this time with no guitar, but he added a guitar solo from Scotty Moore and some showy drumming from D.J. Fontana. TV censors only noticed Elvis’s hips and a huge controversy rose.
He recorded the studio version with Scotty Moore on lead guitar, Elvis on rhythm guitar, Bill Black on Bass and D.J. Fontana on drums. The recording also features vocals by the Jordanaires. The music was raw and pure energy.
“Hound Dog” was released as the B side of “Don’t Be Cruel” and both sides topped the chart, hitting #1 in Country, Pop, and R&B. RCA later reissued it as a ‘double A side record”.
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Reviewed by Rivka Willick
Chuck Berry wrote and performed Johnny B. Goode in 1958. It made it to #2 on Billboards R& B chart. The lyrics are about a poor country boy who “could play a guitar like ringing a bell’ who makes it to the big times with his music. Berry later told Rolling Stone magazine the original lyrics were about a “poor colored boy” but he changed it so it would be more acceptable and get radio air time.
The lyrics are clever, but the guitar solos are genius. Berry takes the audience for a ride and he just doesn’t stop. Once the song starts, I can’t turn away. There’s a four piece band backing Berry up with Lafayette Leake on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, Fred Below on drums, and Jimmy Rogers on second guitar, but Berry’s guitar is all that really matters.
Berry turned Johnny B. Goode into a standard that major stars tried to immolate. John Lennon played with him. It’s one of the most covered R&B songs ever. The list of artists that recorded it includes B.B. King, Bon Jovi, Buddy Holly, Elton John, Grateful Dead, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimi Hendrix, Meat Loaf, Prince, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, and dozens more.
