A 1950's Rock Session, TV Variety from 1962, Some Odd Interviews, a Truly Bewildering Acetate, and 1980's Radio Jingles

What a wondrous cornucopia of sounds I have for you, this last night of  January, 2002. Let's get right to it. 

First up, a tape which is probably the most fascinating (to me, at least) that I've shared in some time. The box states that it contains excerpts from "The Brazilian Suite", but rather than that, this seven minutes of tape features a small combo, making an attempt to record a song, sometime very likely in the late 1950's, judging from the style of the song and the design of that Scotch tape box that housed it.

I can find no indication that this is a "known" song, and I've labeled it "Blue Tears". And a lovely little number it is, bathed in echo, with a soft backing of a few instruments and a female trio adding some "oohs" and such, and fronted by a lead singer who sounds frozen in 1957-58 or so. There is one complete take, followed by a few breakdowns, and another take is starting just as the tape runs out. 

What a lovely, mysterious little wonder. 

Unknown - Blue Tears (multiple takes)

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Okay, that's the tape that I was most excited about. Here's one that many other readers may find even more fascinating. It's from a collection of tapes that I bought a few decades ago, and am still going through (!), by someone who recorded television shows and performances which were of interested to him or her fairly incessantly in the 1960's. There is a photo of the inside of the tape box, below, but here is a rundown of what you'll hear, during the nearly 90 minutes contained in this recording: 

1.) Mort Sahl hosting the Tonight Show - the last show of a week of hosting duties, while NBC was waiting for Johnny Carson to be available. The date is June 15, 1962, and lengthy excerpts of the show are heard, including an interview with the secretary for the Gemini astronauts, and conversations with someone who appears to be a professor, about some fairly weighty subjects. The recording of this show takes up more than half of the tape. 

2.) The Dave Brubeck combo performing on The Ed Sullivan Show on June 17, 1962

3.) The next subsequent episode of the Tonight Show - from the following Monday, June 18th (hey, that was my brother's eighth birthday!), featuring Steve Lawrence hosting, Steve Allen and songwriter Billy Rose as guests (Allen sings) and, believe it or not, Mort Sahl returning, as another guest.

4.) Oscar Peterson performing on The Today Show (undated)

5.) And my favorite segment, at the end, the wonderful, incomparable Limeliters, performing a few songs on what appears to also be The Today Show (also undated) 

Download: TV Recordings, 1962 - Mort Sahl, Dave Brubeck, Steve Allen, Oscar Peterson, tThe Limeliters

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And here's the inside of the tape box, with The Limeliters' name spelled incorrectly!: 

 

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Here's a tape which is more than a bit of a mystery to me. It sounds like a series of interviews for various positions, but the variety of positions makes me think that this was something else, perhaps even a rehearsal or practice at either interviewing people or being interviewed. 

There are a few references to the Indianapolis Hilton, so I suspect that's where this was being recorded, and most of the jobs being interviewed for involve hotel work of some sort. But not all of them, and not a single one seems to be for the same specific job as any of the other interviews. So it's sort of strange. Strange enough that I thought I'd share it with you. See what you think!

Download: A Series of Interviews at the Indianapolis Hilton

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And now it's time for our "Acetate of the Month". Now if you thought the purpose of the interview tape was inscrutable, or if you thought the "Blue Tears" tape was mysterious, that all may be true, but neither is as inscrutable or mysterious as today's Acetate. 

Imagine my surprise and bewilderment when I heard the following sounds - clearly and entirely backwards - coming out of an unlabeled acetate. 

Download: Bizarre Backwards Acetate

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My guess is that this was made for use as some sort of effect on some radio program. 

Now I'm sure a lot of you have the ability to turn this around, using one type of software or another, but I've done it for you, and the results are just as bewildering - here we have an old woman singing a sort of nonsensical folk song - one I am unfamiliar with, in which one of the key words is "pumpernickel" - with her performance chopped up so as to make the rendition all the more incomprehensible. Then, of course, they flipped it backwards for the acetate recording. Wow. 

Download: Bizarre Backwards Acetate (reversed)

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Finally, our very short reel, and a return to normalcy. What we have here is the production of a company called Continental Recordings, with a little more than three minutes of jingles and production music for WGAN, AM 560 in southern Maine

Download: Continental Recordings - WGAN Jingles and Production Music, 1982

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And here's that tape box: 

Comments are welcome and encouraged!

See you next time....

Two Great Commercials and Two Home Recordings

Happy Leap Year Day,

It's been quite a while since I updated the Scotch Tape Box series, mostly because I've barely had time recently to complete posts at all. But today's the day. Last time I updated the series, I acknowledged having accidentally skipped over two designs, and offered up one of those, promising one more to come.

I actually suspect that this one, while coming after the iconic and stark black and gray box they used in for much of the 1950's, actually came before the clock motif one that I shared last time, but there's no way I can be even remotely certain.

Regardless, this one is an absolute favorite, one which they didn't use for very long at all, judging from the frequency with which these boxes turn up (rarely). There's a hell of a lot going on here. The scotch design on the outside edge is still there, and there is a vestige of the grey image of a reel, but if you didn't know what it was, you wouldn't necessarily figure it out.

As to the rest of the box, it's so busy that I'm not surprised they dispensed with it quickly. It says "PE backing", directly over part of the writing on the grey box, and the entire left side of the box is given over to drawings of various kinds of weather, with the phrase "Weather Balanced" in the center. This phrase is also on the edges of the box. I have no idea what that has to do with anything - maybe someone can enlighten me. And like the previous tape box shared, this one again trumpets the fact that the reel has 50% more tape on it than a seven inch reel could previously hold.

I'm guessing they decided this was too complicated to be worthwhile, but I love it.

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Another project, one I have been keeping up with, is the "Very Short Reels" project, which is linked with that phrase at the bottom of this page. This time around, instead of again tacking the short reel onto the end of my post, I'm going to lead off with it, because this is one of my favorite tapes ever. I found it in 1992, most likely at the ALS Mammoth Music Mart, which I've written about multiple times, so won't describe it again. 

The five inch box had a cover I would have found irresistible, then and now: 

Are you kidding me? Some local ad agency's own tape of an ad produced for some company's Cherry Sauce? And recorded two days after I was born? That's for me. 

In most cases when I find something this cool, the actual contents turn out to be something of a disappointment. But not this time. I love old-timey radio advertisements, as my multiple posts of the Star Ads should make clear. And this one is as good as all but the very best of the Star Ads. 

It's heard in two versions, a version with the chorus vocals (including a section of individual vocals), but with no voice over, and the version with the spoken voice over. Oddly, perhaps, I prefer the version without the voice over, by far. There is just so much going on in that basic track, The section from 0:10 to 0:18 is masterfully arranged and played. I almost feel like it's spoiled when someone talks over it. I also love the xylophone player getting his part right as the take is announced at the beginning of the backing track version. Finally, I think it's entirely possible that one of these singers later moved over to the Star Ads agency. If you have a listen to some of those ads, particularly the ones featuring the guy I call "the voice" of Star Ads. He's heard here in the first and last ads, and I think he's in this ad, solo, at the 0:48 spot. 

One of my favorite things that I've ever found on a reel - The Comstock Cherry Sauce ad by The Gordon Best Company. 

Download: The Gordon Best Company - Comstock Cherry Sauce, Basic Track

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Download: The Gordon Best Company - Comstock Cherry Sauce, With Voice Over

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Always remember: Lighten each dish with extra delish. 

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Well, that's a tape I've been enjoying for over 25 years. Here's one I just discovered this week. It was in the middle of a off-the-air recording of Victor Borge's TV show circa late 1958 or 1959. That was enjoyable enough, but basically captured his act, which I adore (I would rank Borge among the top three or four comedians of the century), but which I am extremely familiar with/ 

However, the show contained several lengthy ads for Pontiac, including, delightfully, one of almost two minutes featuring Bob and Ray, and which I don't believe has ever been anthologized or captured on youtube, etc. So here is that ad, for your dining and dancing pleasure: 

Download: Bob and Ray for Pontiac, Circa 1959

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Next up is a short bit of recording which I found in the middle of someone's recordings of some mid-1950's pop music. Usually that type of tape is wholly uninteresting, containing material that either never needs to be heard again (ahem, Mantovani), or which is readily available on youtube, or things that qualify for both of those descriptions. 

And yet, here was an absolutely lovely little 7 1/2 minute blast of a happy family (or perhaps family and friends), singing together fairly joyously at times. There are several children present and someone playing a guitar. After a brief rendition of the children's song, "Five Little Ducks", we move on to the recent hits of the day. 

Based on the songs sung, I'm guessing this tape to be from 1957, probably early 1957, based on the familiarity everyone present has with several hits from late in 1956. That this is right in the heart of what is perhaps my single favorite 18 months ever for popular music surely adds to my enjoyment, but I hope those who listen to it will find it at least pleasant and sweet. 

The songs that follow are: Marianne, Wringle Wrangle, and one I don't recognize, all featuring guitar and enthusiastic singing from the children present, then Horace the Horse (a children's song) and The Green Door, both sung a capella, and with a lot of comments from the children. The raucous nature of these recordings then gives way to a very sweet and harmonious version of "Blueberry Hill". During this song, though, one of the children decides it's time to stop recording and becomes increasingly loud about his or her displeasure, and the recording is ended. 

Download: Family Sing Along Circa 1957

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And finally, a tape I find fairly tedious, but which is unique enough and certainly rare enough to make it worth sharing. This tape contains what appear to be a few friends, repeatedly rehearsing and practicing songs - mostly just two of them - over and over again in different settings and styles, with both organ and piano backing. I have done a lyric search, and I don't believe these are songs which ever became popular - they may not have even ever been published - so this may have been the work of an amateur songwriter with some hope, via these demos, of having a hit song, or simply friends performing material they'd written. Who knows? At the end there are performances of the standard "Laura" and of a song called "Don't Take Your Love From Me" (and there is a glitch in the latter performance), but for the first 36 minutes or so of this 41 minute segment, it's just the same couple of songs, again and again and again. 

Download: Unknown - Rehearsing a Few Songs Over and Over

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A Rather Mysterious Hunk of Tape (and a Few Bonuses)

I have, on several occasions, here and at WFMU late, lamented blog, offered up samples of a huge batch of tapes that I bought many years ago, featuring recordings of various productions, from TV and movies (mostly TV), which were in various stages of completeness. This has included everything from sound effects and foley reels, to soundstage recordings, to completed interview shows, and many other similar items.

Here's one of those tapes, one which is, I strongly suspect, one of those soundstage recordings, but other than that supposition, it remains pretty much a mystery to me, and I'd love to hear any explanations that those of you out there, perhaps with more experience in the field, could share.

What confuses me here is not the scene being recorded - it's pretty clearly a couple, who discussing a job offer the young woman has received, which will unexpectedly take her out of town. But what on earth is the deal with every single piece of dialogue being said twice, once through what sounds like a white-noise generator (even a line as simple as "oh" receives this treatment.

It's sort of hypnotically fascinating, and equally annoying, at the same time.

By the way, near the end (the last three minutes or so), the same tape goes into a completely different recording session (probably something which was being erased by the first segment heard. That segment does not contain the same weird repeated dialogue. It does, however, sound like a more interesting script - does one person refer to it as "Pot Party Poetry" at one point?

There are also a couple of breakdowns, and resulting cursing, for those of you who enjoy such things.

Download: Unknown - Raw Takes from an Unknown Production
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And now, a few little bonuses, which at least some of you may enjoy more than the feature attraction.

First, here are three commercials for something called "Domestic Pure Shortening", which seems to have been a Canadian product. The second of these three ads is VERY remarkable for the ridiculous amount of information (about a contest the company was running), contained in a rapid-fire one minute ad. It cracks me up.

Download: Unknown - Three Domestic Pure Shortening Ads
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And finally, two comical, quite over-the-top ads, one for Corina "Lark" Cigars, one for Aurelia "Biltmore" cigars (I'm guessing the two were related). Each tells the story of "Ralph Ridehome". These are heard on the tape, complete with studio intros. I accidentally labeled the entire file as being two Corina Lark ads.

Download: Unknown - Two 'Corina Lark' Ads
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"How About My Manufacturers Hanover Master Charge?"

Ah, what absolute tedium there is in shooting a movie or a TV show. I can't say I gave this a lot of thought for most of my life, actually. But that was before I delved into a stack of tapes I bought several years ago, most of which featured source tapes for a variety of TV and movie recordings, many of which involved the CBS TV network. I've shared a few of these before, including a sound effects reel and a Howard K. Smith interview.

Those, at least, had some sort of indication of what they were, and the sounds on those tapes were continually interesting throughout.

This tape, however, sort of amazes me. Those involved are clearly filming a TV show or movie (my guess is the former), but I can't believe the amount of sheer repetition the performers are made to go through here. Much of the tape is made up of multiple takes of an excited couple trying to get a marriage license, a scene which seemingly ends with the prospective groom running away. This is performed over and over and over again, with minimal differences between the takes - I can't believe that one of, say, the first ten attempts weren't good enough. We then move onto another scene which is repeated excessively, before returning to retakes of moments from within the first scene.

That scene does not appear to have been more than 40 seconds long, and I can't fathom how long it took to make a 30 minute show, let alone a 90 minute movie, if they spent that much time (including whatever time was not recorded, between takes) on a single conversation. Wow.

Maybe some sleuth out there can figure out what movie/show this recording was for, and perhaps we can all enjoy seeing the final cut of this masterwork.

Download: Unknown - Repeatedly Filming a Few Scenes
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Now, if THAT wasn't enough torture, here is a glimpse into a very different life indeed. Here are my thoughts: if you're feeling inspired to record your phonograph record of Johnny Cash and June Carter singing "Jackson", while you are singing along with the record - DON'T. And if don't know all the words that well - REALLY, DON'T. And if you can't sing - SERIOUSLY, DON'T.

I have no idea what the purpose of this recording would have been. This is an excerpt from a much longer tape - the person involved recorded himself singing extremely badly along with about a half hour of country hits. Was he going to enjoy this later? Send it to someone as torture?

If you want to hear the entire tape, let me know, and I'll post it, otherwise, just enjoy this lovely sample.

Download: Unknown - Singing Along with "Jackson"
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