Record #0862: Sh-Boom / I Spoke Too Soon – THE CREW-CUTS

Mercury 70404 (original), USA, June 1954
Words & Music by:  Side A – James Keyes, Claude & Carl Feaster, Floyd McRae, William Edwards; Side B – Alice Simms, Ira Kosloff
Musicians:  John Perkins (lead tenor vocals), Pat Barrett (second tenor), Rudi Maugeri (baritone vocals), Ray Perkins (bass vocals), David Carroll and His Orchestra
Recording sessions:  Produced by David Carroll most likely at Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL, in May/June 1954
Highest chart positions:  Side A – US #1, Canada #1, UK #12, Australia #1, Belgium #3; Side B – none

In July 1954 both The Crew-Cuts' pop cover and the original R&B version by the African-American vocal group The Chords were in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time (The Chords' version peaked at #5). While the smoother Crew-Cuts version has since faced criticism for "whitewashing" black rhythm and blues for mainstream white audiences during the segregation era, its massive chart success undeniably helped introduce the doo-wop sound to a global audience.

I will post the Chords’ original version, soon.

List price: Discogs.com shows a median price of €5,34. I found 8 copies sold in eBay for $16-$30.

 

Record #0861: Fairyland / One Step at a Time – BRENDA LEE

Decca 30198 (original), Canada, February 1957
Words & Music by:  Side A – Peter De Angelis, Bob Marcucci; Side B – Hugh Ashley
Musicians:  Brenda Lee (lead vocals), Al Caiola and Edward O’Conner (guitars), Sanford Block (bass), Sam “the Man” Taylor (tenor sax), Andrew Ackers (piano), Nick Tagg (organ), Jimmy Crawford (drums), the Ray Charles Singers (backing vocals)
Recording sessions:  Produced by Milt Gabler at Pythian Temple, New York, NY, 3. January 1957
Highest chart positions:  Side A – none; Side B – US #43, US Country #15

Brenda Lee’s first and only recording session in New York produced her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Unexpectedly, the B-side became the hit, while the A-side received little radio airplay.

With “One Step at a Time” she became the youngest artist (age 12) in history to chart on the Billboard Country chart. That record stood unbroken for 43 years.

List price: I didn't find any price information for the Canadian release. The US release: Les Docks lists this at $7-$10. Discogs.com shows a median price of €4,45. I found 13 copies sold in eBay for $20-$68.

 

Record #0860: Fever / Listen to the Rockin’ Bird – PEGGY LEE

Capitol F 3998 (original), Finland, 1958
Words & Music by:  Side A – John Davenport (Otis Blackwell), Eddie Cooley; Side B – Hal Levy, Alice Hawthorne
Musicians:  Peggy Lee (lead vocals, finger snapping on side A), Joe Mondragon (upright bass on side A) Shelly Manne (drums on side A), Howard Roberts (finger snapping on side A), Dave Cavanaugh (finger snapping on side A), an orchestra led by Nelson Riddle on side B
Recording sessions:  Produced by Dave Cavanaugh at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA; Side A - 19. May 1958; Side B – 30. August 1957
Highest chart positions:  Side A – US #8, US R&B #5, Canada #11, UK #5, Australia #2, Netherlands #8; Side B - none

The iconic, sultry sound of "Fever" was completely improvised in the studio. Peggy Lee felt the original big band arrangement was too cluttered, so she threw it out. Instead, the final track relies entirely on just three elements: Lee's voice, a hypnotic double bass played by Joe Mondragon, and drum maestro Shelly Manne playing minimalist rhythms using only his fingers and hands directly on the drum skins.

The original version of "Fever" was recorded by Little Willie John in 1956 as a blues track. When Peggy Lee covered it in 1958, she personally rewrote the lyrics to add the famous historical verses about Romeo and Juliet and Captain Smith and Pocahontas. Because she didn't officially claim the copyright changes at the time, she never received formal songwriting credits or royalties for those timeless lines.

Elvis recorded his cover of “Fever” in April 1960, and it was released on his album “Elvis is back!” later that month. Other artists and groups to cover the song include Helen Shapiro, James Brown, Suzi Quatro, the Cramps and Anne Murray.

On the original US release, “You Don’t Know” appeared on the B-side, as it did in most other countries.

List price: Discogs.com shows a median price of €2. I didn’t find any copies of this sold in eBay.