JSngry Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 No questions here, just a repository, prompted by His Boy Elroy's Dorothy Parker LP.. Something tells me that there's a secret wormhole where that whenever you think you know every Verve record that's ever been made, they slip another one out, just to keep you off-balance. Case in point, found in blogland: Only released on 45 EP, no less! Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 Talking about records you wouldn't imediately think of as being on Verve, how about BERT DAHLANDER - SKAL (MGV 8253) ? e.g. as seen here: http://diskunion.net/jazz/ct/detail/JZC20121221-100 Coming to think of it and while googling that release, I came across an older topic on that subject and a (totally forgotten) post of mine from 6 years ago on this very forum so I might as well quote myself to elaborate on the "obscure ones at Verve": "What about BERT DAHLANDER's "SKAL" LP (Nils-Bertil Dahlander, in fact, or "Bert Dale" for the linguistically lesser talented Yanks - BTW, anybody know of any reissue sources for this?), or what about that TONI HARPER LP (been a long time since she'd been a child singing star) or how about that obscurity by REX MIDDLETON'S Hi-Fi's (nice LP, BTW)? (And there were many more jazz-tinged vocal albums on Verve who did not make it to everlasting fame - probably about as many as on Bethlehem) Or how about LYLE RITZ on ukulele? And you even got SPIKE JONES on Verve. And who TF was that ERNIE HECKSCHER orchestra?" Quote
JSngry Posted December 9, 2014 Author Report Posted December 9, 2014 Pictures say thousands of words! Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 Ernie Heckscher and Verve sure looks like an exceedingly unlikely pairing. Looks more like one of those "Music to Groom your Mustache to" etc.background music platter series that the major labels did in the 50s. As far as I can see at a relatively quick glance only the Toni Harper cover made it into the "Verve - The Sound of America" book. Too bad for Bert Dahlander (and Rex Middleton too). Quote
colinmce Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 More like Bottomless Pit of Nightmares. Quote
ejp626 Posted December 9, 2014 Report Posted December 9, 2014 More like Bottomless Pit of Nightmares.It does seem somedays like almost anything was thrown onto vinyl back then (almost like the Youtube of its day). I'd probably listen to Skal though. Quote
Leeway Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 Looks like the sort of stuff that clogs the 25 cents record bin at the local Goodwill. Quote
duaneiac Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 The Lyle Ritz album was reissued on CD by Verve (or whoever owned Verve at the time). It's quite good if you happen to like jazz ukulele music. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 More like Bottomless Pit of Nightmares. It does seem somedays like almost anything was thrown onto vinyl back then (almost like the Youtube of its day). I'd probably listen to Skal though. Say whatever you want about latter-day Toni Harper and never mind Spike Jones or cocktail piano, but don't give NILS-BERTIL DAHLANDER short shrift. His "Skal" album was quite a valid jazz album in its own context of European expatriates working in the US (feat. Counce, Howard Roberts and Feldman, BTW) - and rated 3 1/2 stars by Down Beat, FWIW. The cliché-laden cover art and album title more speak volumes of the immature, INANE brains of the A&R men and marketing smartasses of the AMERICAN label that issued the LP. Not an isolated case, though. Quote
Brad Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 Quite a mixed bag there. Guess they were trying to get $$ from wherever they could. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) It might be interesting to see what other unlikely items there were in the Verve catalog if you look closer. Maybe they had their share of oddball releases in the 60s too? Bert Dahlander and Toni Harper (to me at least) aren't that unexpected (but then I knew about the Dahlander LP for a long time) but cocktail piano or Spike Jones? I wonder what hand Norman Granz had in selecting THESE?? At least as far as I am with the recent Verve story book they don't quite fit into the narrative.. Edited December 10, 2014 by Big Beat Steve Quote
JSngry Posted December 10, 2014 Author Report Posted December 10, 2014 I read somewhere that Barney Kessell was a "talent scout" for Verve...whether that translated to an actual A&R gig, I don't know. and yes, MGM Verve had plenty of weird WTF? stuff. Plenty. They had a pop line (Righteous Brothers, Janis Ian, Laura Nyro, Blues Project. Mothers Of Invention) a comedy line (The Wit Of America is On Verve!), and Easy Listening Instrumental line (Pat Williams readily comes to mind, and some Don Sebesky guided project(s))...those are names you might have ehard of, I guarantee you there were some you haven't...Sandy Hurvitz, later knwon as Essrah Mohawk, she made her debut on Verve, produced by Ian Underwood, with Eddie gomez on bass...gut the Dorothy PArker thing, that's want sealed the deal for me. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 Yes, now that you mention it .. wasn't Zappa on BIZARRE, a Verve subsidiary? Quote
JSngry Posted December 10, 2014 Author Report Posted December 10, 2014 The Mothers were originally on Verve, straight-up. BIZZARRE/STRAIGHT was a Zappa/Herb Cohen venture, a production company, iirc, that really came into play when they moved to Warner Brothers. Quote
MomsMobley Posted December 10, 2014 Report Posted December 10, 2014 No questions here, just a repository, prompted by His Boy Elroy's Dorothy Parker LP.. Something tells me that there's a secret wormhole where that whenever you think you know every Verve record that's ever been made, they slip another one out, just to keep you off-balance. Case in point, found in blogland: Only released on 45 EP, no less! Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 That Dalida LP album title is so ..... eerie ...and tragic (considering that she eventually committed suicide). She was BIG over here in Europe, so maybe this record contained European recordings reissued for the US market? Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 Too bad ... That record wouldn't even fetch extra (or even top) money in cllasic car colectors's circls who are all keen on automobilia and collectabilia relating to their favorite car marques. Take an original vinyl from the 50s and 60s where a VW Beetle, an English sports car (or other cars that have obvious "cult" status or at least a hardcore collector following) feature prominently on the cover and you might well sell these LPs for relatively good money in car collector circles though the music might be ho-hum ... Just for their attractive and collectible artwork ... Rolls owners/collectors don't usually fall into that category, though ... Quote
paul secor Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 Those are recordings that I never would have imagined on Verve. More like things that Caedmon would have released. Quote
RayB Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 (edited) Got to laugh - as I write this I'm watching Dick Van Dyke murder the cockney accent in Mary Poppins. God knows what Elsa Lanchester does to it!!! Edited December 11, 2014 by RayB Quote
Peter Friedman Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 I had the Bert Dahlander LP at one time. It was not bad, but nothing exceptional either. Quote
Big Beat Steve Posted December 11, 2014 Report Posted December 11, 2014 I had the Bert Dahlander LP at one time. It was not bad, but nothing exceptional either. While I wouldn't have expected anything "exceptional" I certainly would not have minded taking it off your hands either. Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.