Record #0869: Ikkunaprinssi (Glendora) / Poika varjoiselta kujalta (Guaglione) – OLAVI VIRTA

Triola T 4329 (original), Finland, 1957
Words & Music by:  Side A – Ray Stanley, Sauvo “Saukki” Puhtila; Side B – Giuseppe Fanciulli, Sauvo “Saukki” Puhtila
Musicians:  Olavi Virta (lead vocals) and his orchestra
Recording sessions:  Produced by Olavi Virta (possibly engineered by Aarre Elo) at Akkuteollisuus’ Studio in Helsinki, Finland, in 1957
Highest chart positions:  Finland did not yet have an official national chart. However, the local magazine “Rytmi” published a ranking titled “What Finland Plays,” on which Side B held the No. 1 position from 15 October to 1 December 1957.

Olavi Virta was arguably Finland’s most popular crooner of the 1950s.
One of Finland’s biggest hits of 1957, the record received extensive radio play on both sides. Both songs later became enduring classics of Finnish popular music.

The record labels credit "Kaarto Vasa" as the arranger for both tracks. In reality, this was a pseudonym used by Olavi Virta. Since he was running the production department at Levytukku (a record importer and the company behind the Triola label) at the time, he arranged the songs himself but chose to hide behind a pen name to separate his roles as a singer and a music businessman.

This single captures the turning point of Finnish popular music in the late 1950s. The A-side kind of represents the birth process of Finnish rock'n'roll with its American teen-pop roots, while the B-side represents the immense Italian lifestyle wave and mambo-swing craze that swept through Finland at the exact same time. Many Italian groups and artists were very popular in Finland in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

This also marked as a turning point for Virta himself. This record essentially caught him at his absolute professional peak, right before his alcoholism and the changing music industry caused everything to crumble.

List price: I didn’t find any list prices nor sold copies. A Finnish antiques store is selling a copy for 25 euros.

 

Record #0868: Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me) / All Dressed Up with a Broken Heart – PEGGY LEE

Capitol 15022 (original), USA, January 1948
Words & Music by:  Side A – Dave Barbour, Peggy Lee; Side B – Fred Patrick, Claude Reese, Jack Val
Musicians:  Peggy Lee (lead vocals, percussion on side A), Dave Barbour (guitar, orchestra lead), Laurindo Almeida (acoustic guitar on side A), the Brazilians (the additional musicians on side A), Dave Barbour’s Orchestra (the additional musicians on side B)
Recording sessions:  Produced by Lee Gillette at Capitol Studios (Melrose Ave.), Los Angeles, CA; Side A – 25. November 1947; Side B – 26. November 1947
Highest chart positions:  Side A – US #1, Australia #2, Brazil #11; Side B – none

“Mañana” was a huge international hit, but the success can not be measured with the charts, as most countries didn’t have those in place in the 1940’s, yet.

When Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour were writing the song, they wanted a very specific, driving Latin rhythm. During the frantic November 1947 recording session, the studio didn't have all the traditional Latin percussion instruments on hand. To solve this, Peggy Lee herself stepped in as a percussionist. She famously tracked down a pair of standard studio chairs and used them as instruments. By slapping the leather seats of the chairs in perfect sync with the band, she created the distinct, sharp, clapping-like backbeat that drives the entire record.

While the record was a massive financial triumph for Capitol Records, it also led to one of the most high-profile plagiarism battles of the era.

A songwriter named Louis J. "Chico" Alvarez sued Peggy Lee and Dave Barbour for $2.25 million (an astronomical sum in 1948). Alvarez claimed that "Mañana" stole its melody and structure from his own copyrighted song, "The Samba-Caramba." Because "Mañana" was dominating the charts and making millions, the legal battle became front-page entertainment news. Ultimately, the court ruled in favour of Lee and Barbour, stating that the similarities were common to the traditional Samba genre and did not constitute copyright infringement.

List price: The median price on Discogs is $3,13. 45cat.com price guide has this at €20. I didn’t find any copies sold in eBay.

 

Record #0867: Honeycomb / Their Hearts Were Full of Spring – JIMMIE RODGERS

Roulette R-4015 (original), USA, July 1957
Words & Music by:  Side A – Bob Merrill; Side B – Bobby Troup
Musicians:  Jimmie Rodgers (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Hugo Peretti & His Orchestra
Recording sessions:  Produced by Hugo & Luigi (possibly at Bell Sound Studio) in New York, NY, spring 1957
Highest chart positions:  Side A – US #1, US Country #7, US R&B #1, US Cashbox #1, Canada #1, UK #30; Side B – none

Jimmie Rodgers was discovered on Arthur Godfrey’s famous “Talent Scouts” television show, where he performed "Honeycomb" while still a struggling, unknown artist. Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore were watching the broadcast and instantly recognized the song's massive potential. However, they felt the TV version lacked energy. The very next day, they signed Rodgers to their brand-new label, Roulette Records, and immediately rushed him into the New York studio to completely revamp the song. They replaced the slow, traditional pop feel of the original 1954 composition with an upbeat, rockabilly-tinged arrangement, transforming the track into a million-selling Billboard number-one hit.

List price: Les Docks lists this at $15-$20. The median price on Discogs is $4,00. 45cat.com price guide has this at €33. Six copies have been sold in eBay in the range of $20-$45.