Musiquarium

November 4 2022

A-BOMB

Not only was she explosively sexy, but her voice could blow you away.

We love this nuclear themed 45 sleeve for an Abbe Lane four song disc, which we guess is titled simply Abbe Lane. It came from RCA Española and was released in Spain in 1958 with the offerings: “Que será será,” “¡Ay! Que Me Vuelvo Loca,” “Banana Boat (Day-O),” and “Very Satisfied.” All four songs are easy to sample online, so give them a whirl if you wish.

The rear sleeve text is fun. It says: Abbe Lane is without a doubt one of the most popular and applauded voices of the current musical moment. All her performances are hits and the songs she sings come to us covered in a rhythm and color that make them even more seductive.

Without a doubt, the secret of her success lies in herself, in her warm voice, in her exquisite way of conveying the message of her music to the listener, in her magnetic figure and great physical attractiveness.

In this recording, Abbe Lane sings in English and Spanish, interprets two calypsos, a fashionable rhythm that has come to dispute the primacy enjoyed by the much-discussed “rock and roll,” and two melodies that will be popular through the warm voice of the artist pampered by the public and critics worldwide: Abbe Lane.

The promotional staff at RCA Española might have loved Lane, but they couldn’t spell. They open the third paragraph by calling her “Abre,” instead of Abbe. That amused us. We also like how, according to the front office brains, calypso was supplanting rock and roll. Really? Well, it turned out to be a marathon, not a sprint. We have a bonus shot of Lane below, for your viewing pleasure.

Spain, RCA, Abbe Lane, nukes

Musiquarium

October 7 2022

HOUSTON HOSPITALITY

Fitzgerald and friends enter the no-go zone.

Today in 1955 in Houston, musicians Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, personal assistant Georgiana Henry, and concert promoter Norman Granz were arrested, ostensibly for the crime of illegal gambling. Five undercover cops had barged into the backstage area at the Houston Music Hall during a mid-set break and caught Jacquet and Gillespie playing craps. Fitzgerald was having a snack. Henry was nearby, as assistants tend to be. And Granz was arrested for blocking the cops’ access to Fitzgerald’s private bathroom because he feared they might plant drugs—a trick he’d seen before. The photo shows Fitzgerald and Henry. The despondent singer told gathered reporters, “I have nothing to say. What is there to say? I was only having a piece of pie and a cup of coffee.”

The gambling charge was, of course, just a pretext. Ella and company were actually arrested for playing to an integrated audience. Segregation had been made illegal the year before, but local authorities weren’t budging in their attempts to keep the city divided, and jazz music, because of its popularity and tendency to elevate black culture, was feared by the old guard as the thin edge of the wedge of equal rights. Back then, opponents of equality called non-segregated shows such as Fitzgerald’s “forced integration,” because whites had no option to partake without mingling with blacks. The phrase is eerily similar to “forced diversity,” which you hear a lot in 2022, and will continue to hear in upcoming years.

Pretext arrests are really about plausible deniability. Even today on fact-checking websites like Snopes, the arrest is not fully labeled an incident of racist harassment. They were actually gambling, goes the logic. But so were thousands of other Houstonians that night, including, probably, cops at poker sessions in their dens. Everyone breaks the law. Policing is about who is targeted. Five of Houston’s finest bursting into a private backstage area when no probable cause existed is itself proof that the arrest was harassment. But it’s the cops who write the record, and in covering up their true motivations they also get to skew official history. It’s the oldest game in the book.

Fitzgerald and her companions weren’t taken to jail until after they completed the few songs left in their show, a concession doubtless bestowed in order to prevent the audience from getting riotous. After being released the musicians made it back to Houston Music Hall and played a second contracted show—again, leniency that was probably a crowd control measure, if not a favor to the concert venue itself. The police had accomplished their objective. They’d sent a message and, because news media were present at the jail, had embarrassed the performers nationally. We suspect that Fitzgerald’s heart wasn’t really in that second performance. It had to be clear to her that no matter what protections blacks were given with a pen and ink in Washington, D.C., actual power in the south flowed from a corrupt badge and the muzzle of a gun.

If you want to hear Ella at her magical best, have a listen to this.

Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Georgiana Henry, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Norman Granz

Musiquarium

September 26 2022

SONGS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY

Rarely has adult contemporary music inspired thoughts quite this adult.

The lovely sleeve you see above for the 1956 George Shearing Quintet album Velvet Carpet features as its cover model the always alluring Vikki Dougan, nicely posed in a gold gown that covers far more of her body than fans could have reasonably expected based on her many racy promo images. The photos of her below actually holding the album while wearing see-through lingerie are more in keeping with her usual modus operandi. Shearing, who was born blind yet became a virtuoso pianist, was a very popular performer beginning in 1950 and continuing though the 1980s. That’s a nice run for a musician. We went online and checked out the tunes on this platter. They’re pure easy listening, which, contrary to its name, made us uneasy as hell. But as our ears rebelled, Dougan was on hand to soothe our eyes, so it worked out fine.

Vikki Dougan, George Shearing

Musiquarium

May 9 2022

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

You should have started long before now to look good for June.

May is when the typical person really starts thinking about his or her beach body. Sadly, they should have started thinking about it in November or December to have a shot at a skinny summer, but who can pass up all that holiday food? Well, British pin-up June Wilkinson wanted to help. Fitness is a time honored niche for celebrities who can’t quite sustain careers in more glamorous areas. Sometimes those who go into the field were never true stars. Other times they were top of the heap but fell off, like Jane Fonda when she became a fitness queen during the 1980s, or Miss Thighmaster of 1991, Suzanne Somers.

Wilkinson was in the never category. She wasn’t a big star on screen or television, but was popular as a model—and people always want to know how models stay fit. Calendar Records was happy oblige the public by releasing a Wilkinson exercise record in 1962. Titled June Wilkinson and Her Physical Fitness Formula, the platter featured instrumental tunes along with exercise lessons narrated by Wilkinson, among them those classic old school calisthenics like swing kicks and leg raises. There’s also a fitness guide, a calorie calendar, a chart of desirable weights for various heights, a sample menu, and of course, photos of Wilkinson demonstrating the exercises.

We have no sales figures for the record, but if it had been a runaway success she’d have made another—which she didn’t. But it probably wasn’t June’s fault. Calendar Records was a fledgling imprint that went on to release a few obscure singles and a political spoken word record by Barry Goldwater. Need we say more? We have a bit more Wilkinson in the website. We recommend checking out her famous tongue here (maybe some tongue exercises would have helped the record’s sales), and the famous rest of her here.

Calendar Records, June Wilkinson

Musiquarium

July 13 2021

CONSTANTLY ATTIRED

I'm supposed to be working plainclothed but what's a queen to do?

The blaxploitation film Cleopatra Jones premiered today in 1973, so we thought it was an appropriate moment to post this sleeve for the soundtrack, a pretty good record, like blaxploitation soundtracks tended to be. It’s a re-issue, which is why it looks so pristine. The artists include Joe Simon & The Mainstreeters on the title tune, plus contributions from Millie Jackson, Carl Brandt, and J.J. Johnson. But our interest in this is the image of star Tamara Dobson, who plays the titular badass government agent cum fashion plate. We cropped and de-texted the cover and the result is the poster-like image you see below. Fun movie too.

Cleopatra Jones, Tamara Dobson, Joe Simon, Millie Jackson, Carl Brandt, J.J. Johnson, blaxploitation

Musiquarium

June 17 2021

PLAYING WITH DOLLS

Monroe doesn't even have to be real to steal the show.

Bet you’ve never seen anything quite like this before. And depending on how you feel about dolls maybe you don’t want to see anything like it again. The photo shows Japanese singer Junko Sakurada performing with a terrifying—er, we mean fascinating—doll of film immortal Marilyn Monroe. This is not quite as leftfield a pairing as it looks. Sakurada covered the Monroe song “I Wanna Be Loved by You” on her 1976 live album Nee ki ga tsuite yo, aka Hey! Be Aware, so she’s possibly performing that tune with the help of some terrifying—er, we mean appealing—visual accompaniment. Try not to imagine this nightmare version of Monroe being somewhere inside your house when you go to sleep tonight.

Japan, Junko Sakurada, Marilyn Monroe

Femmes Fatales, Musiquarium

March 2 2021

KILLING US SOFTLY

The performance was good, but the encore was unforgettable.

We asked you to stay tuned, and quicker than you can say ring-a-ding-ding above is Setsuko Ogawa as promised. Her guitar isn’t just for decoration. In addition to her many film credits she released a 1973 single and later sang the theme song of the Nikkatsu Studios roman porno flick Enka Jôshikô: Kizudarake no Kaben—translation: “petals full of scars”—in which she headlined.

We’ve seen Ogawa described as the first roman porno star, and that could be true. Her debut film was 1971’s Irogoyomi ōoku hiwa, aka Castle Orgies, and it was Nikkatsu’s first official offering from its radical new genre, or possibly the second, depending on which source you believe. She starred in another Nikkatsu movie that year, so she was certainly among the genre’s first recognizable faces.

The above image was pasted together from two larger shots and put online several years ago. We found full-frame versions of those separate shots, but not at a useful resolution, so two cropped shots stuck together like Siamese twins is what you get. However the resolution on that image is good, so we put it under the digital knife and split it during a dicey operation that took all of five seconds, with the results below. We’ll have more from Ogawa at some point.

Japan, Nikkatsu, Enka Jôshikô: Kizudarake no Kaben, Setsuko Ogawa, roman porno, pinku

Femmes Fatales, Musiquarium

February 27 2021

VARIETY GIRL

Hmm... it's always a tough decision. Which of my many talents should I flaunt today?

Above is a photo of vaudevillian, stage actress, movie star, television host, writer, and internationally renowned singer Pearl Bailey. She excelled in all the various areas of her artistic pursuits, but began her career as a nightclub performer, for years touring around the U.S. before her rise to household fame began by appearing in movies, firstly 1947’s Variety Girl. The next year she split a platter with Buddy Clark, and went on to release more than two dozen albums. The regal image above is undated, but were we to guess, we’d say it’s probably from around the time she appeared in the hit film Carmen Jones in 1954.

Pearly Bailey, Variety Girl, Carmen Jones

Musiquarium

February 5 2021

MUSIQUE DES SPHERES

Turns out the French were the first to land on another planet.

It’s been a while since we’ve looked at the output of genius illustrator Raymond Brenot, so today we have a record cover he painted in 1957 for a compilation disc called Party Interplanetaire. This is tasty work in the classic pin-up mode that made him deservedly famous under both his own name and his occasional pseudonym Carols. So who’s on this vinyl? That would be Jo Courtin, Otto Rubini, Ray Massey, Conrad Janis, and Los Cangaceiros. Household names, right? Well, we never heard of them. If you have, good on you. If you’re unfamiliar and want to hear a few examples, check here and here. But does the music really matter? If you have this just lose the platter and frame the sleeve.

France, Raymond Brenot, Carols, Jo Courtin, Otto Rubini, Ray Massey, Conrad Janis, Los Cangaceiros

Musiquarium

December 30 2020

PUT ANOTHER RIKA ON

Get ready for two 45 shots right between the ears.

We ran across these 45 record sleeves of kick-happy Japanese action star Rika Aoki to add to the collection of images we’ve already shared. The first record has a tune called, “Rika the Girl,” on the A, and “Rika My Girl,” on the flipside. The second record, on which she collaborated with an artist known as Alphard, has, “A Wandering Trip Alone,” on the A (by the way, a very poetic title, we think), and, “No Nameless Zeni,” on the flip. Forget the music—just dig her danger shirtdress. But if you must hear it, try here and here. No guarantees. People who normally listen to very good music are at high risk of serious side effects from listening to J-pop. These may include nausea, dizziness, vomiting, explosive diarrhea, and suicidal thoughts. In rare cases listening to J-pop can induce brain bleeds and pulmonary failure. The worst side effect could be realizing you like J-pop. Consult your physician about whether you are in robust enough condition to consume J-pop.

Japan, Sony Records, Rika Aoki, pinku

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

October 5

1945—Hollywood Black Friday

A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators becomes a riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios when strikers and replacement workers clash. The event helps bring about the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which, among other things, prohibits unions from contributing to political campaigns and requires union leaders to affirm they are not supporters of the Communist Party.

October 4

1957—Sputnik Circles Earth

The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik I, which becomes the first artificial object to orbit the Earth. It orbits for two months and provides valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere. It also panics the United States into a space race that eventually culminates in the U.S. moon landing.

October 4

1970—Janis Joplin Overdoses

American blues singer Janis Joplin is found dead on the floor of her motel room in Los Angeles. The cause of death is determined to be an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.

October 3

1908—Pravda Founded

The newspaper Pravda is founded by Leon Trotsky, Adolph Joffe, Matvey Skobelev and other Russian exiles living in Vienna. The name means “truth” and the paper serves as an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991.

October 3

1957—Ferlinghetti Wins Obscenity Case

An obscenity trial brought against Lawrence Ferlinghetti, owner of the counterculture City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, reaches its conclusion when Judge Clayton Horn rules that Allen Ginsberg’s poetry collection Howl is not obscene.

October 3

1995—Simpson Acquitted

After a long trial watched by millions of people worldwide, former football star O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson subsequently loses a civil suit and is ordered to pay millions in damages.

October 2

1919—Wilson Suffers Stroke

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. He is confined to bed for weeks, but eventually resumes his duties, though his participation is little more than perfunctory. Wilson remains disabled throughout the remainder of his term in office, and the rest of his life.