20,000 vinyl LPs 192: Flora the Red Menace & Harold Prince

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Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP front cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

The Broadway musical theater Producer, Harold Prince, died today, July 31, 2019, in Reykjavík, Iceland; he was 91 years old.      

       

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP front cover

photo by Styrous® 

Flora the Red Menace was just one of dozens of musicals he was involved with in one way or another. Some of them were: West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Company, Candide, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Call Me Madam, The Phantom of the Opera, Kiss of the Spider Woman, , , , , ,     

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP front cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

The list of the film, opera and stage productions he has worked on staggers the imagination (links below) . . .            

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP front cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

Prince was born in Manhattan on January 30, 1928, the son of a family that was of German Jewish descent. He began work in the theatre as an assistant stage manager to theatrical producer and director George Abbott. With Abbott he co-produced The Pajama Game, which won the 1955 Tony Award for Best Musical.           

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP back cover

photo by Styrous® 

He was offered the job of directing Cats by Lloyd Webber but turned it down. Oh, well! Can't call 'em every time. He actually had a few clunkers along the way; it was not a perfect record, but oh boy! The record he left was astounding!          

 

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

Flora the Red Menace opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on May 11, 1965 and closed on July 24, 1965, after 87 performances. The cast featured Liza Minnelli as Flora, Bob Dishy as Harry Toukarian and Cathryn Damon as Comrade Charlotte. Direction was by George Abbott, choreography by Lee Theodore, with scenic design by William and Jean Eckart, costume design by Donald Brooks and lighting design by Tharon Musser. Minnelli won the Tony Award, the youngest person to have done so at age 19, until Frankie Michaels won in 1966 at age 11.              

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

The show was not written for Minnelli; Robert Russell was rumored to have written the show as a vehicle for Barbra Streisand. George Abbott became involved, thinking it would be a vehicle for Eydie Gormé.

Receiving promising out-of-town reviews in New Haven and Boston, the show was recorded two days before its Broadway opening. However, the New York critics were not enthusiastic, and when it closed it had lost almost all of its $400,000 investment.        

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

Of course, I have a favorite from this album, it is Sing Happy! Sung by Liza Minnelli, it starts out as a bouncy but gentle and quiet tango then eventually goes into a stock musical comedy song with a grand finale (link below).    

      

The Flame is pretty good; sung by Mary Louise Wilson, it is a vibrant czardas that fits very nicely in a musical; it's also a whole lot of fun (link below).                     

         

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous® 

The story revolves around fashion designer hopeful Flora Meszaros (Liza Minnelli) and her involvement in the Communist Party during the Great Depression (link below) of the 1930's. The plot of the story bears out the Karl Marx warning that history repeats itself as farce. Complete plot below.       

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP, side 1

photo by Styrous® 

In spite of the star poser of Minelli, the play was not a huge success. The Original Broadway Cast Rrecording was released by RCA Victor in May 1965.          

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP label, side 1

photo by Styrous® 

Flora the Red Menace ~ Original Broadway Cast Rrecording

vinyl LP label, side 2

photo by Styrous® 
 

Viewfinder links:       

Kiss of the Spider Woman film          
The Pajama Game     
West Side Story ~ Maria, Tony, Bimbo's & Leo Friedman      
    
Net links:       
       
Filmography      
Stage productions     
Synopsis       
Time ~ Marx's Revenge       
Variety ~ Flora, the Red Menace      
    
YouTube links:       
    
The Flame       
Sing Happy       
       
     

Liza Minnelli ~ Flora the Red Menace - 1965    

   
    
     

I always had a good time in theatre, 

even when shows don't turn out as well as I'd like. 

                        ~ Harold Prince

     
     
        
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, July 31, 2019            

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20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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1,001 LaserDiscs 13: Tom Petty ~ A Bunch of Videos & Some Other Stuff

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Tom Petty ~ A Bunch of Videos & Some Other Stuff

LaserDisc front cover
photo by Styrous®

Tom Petty ~ A Bunch of Videos & Some Other Stuff

LaserDisc back cover

photo by Styrous®

Tom Petty ~ A Bunch of Videos & Some Other Stuff

LaserDisc back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

Tom Petty ~ A Bunch of Videos & Some Other Stuff

LaserDisc back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

 

  
    
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1     Introduction   
A2     Jammin' Me   
A3     Here Comes My Girl   
A4     Interlude   
A5     I Need To Know   
A6     Interlude   
A7     The Insider   
A8     Interlude   
A9     Don't Come Around Here No More   
A10     Interlude   
A11     The Waiting   
A12     Interlude   
A13     You Got Lucky   
A14     Interlude   
A15     Breakdown   
A16     Interlude   
A17     I'm Stupid   

Side 2:

B1     Refugee   
B2     Interlude   
B3     I Won't Back Down   
B4     Interlude   
B5     Woman In Love   
B6     Interlude   
B7     American Girl   
B8     End Credits   

Notes:

Color approx. 64 minutes
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode: 0 14381-6832-6

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers ‎– A Bunch Of Videos And Some Other Stuff
Label: Image Entertainment, Inc. ‎– ID6832TP
Series: The Music Disc –
Format: Laserdisc, 12", Compilation, Stereo, NTSC, CD Video
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
     
        
     
     
Net links:          
    
Billboard ~ Tom Petty's 12 Greatest Videos       
NY Times ~   
      Tom Petty, Classic Rocker? Sure. And Weird Video Star, Too   
Rolling Stone ~ 10 Greatest Tom Petty Music Videos     
Tom Petty discography
      
YouTube links:          
    
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ~  
           A Bunch Of Videos And Some Other Stuff (29 min.)        
     
    

Styrous® ~ Wednesday, July 30, 2019      
       
   

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1,001 LaserDiscs archive
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Brenda Lee articles/mentions

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Golden Earring ~ Moontan & Radar Love  
The Platters ~ My Prayer    
 
    
   
  
 
        

Brenda Lee - ca 1958
Pensacola, Florida

photo by Frank Hardy

 

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 Music Notes
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20,000 vinyl LP 191: Golden Earring ~ Moontan & Radar Love

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Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP front cover detail
album cover photo by Ronnie Hertz
Model - Jilly Johnson
photo of album cover by Styrous®

This was the first album by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring I bought. Moontan is the ninth studio album by them and was released in July of 1973 but I didn't come across it until a few years later.
       

Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP front cover
album cover photo by Ronnie Hertz
Model - Jilly Johnson
photo of album cover by Styrous®

This U.S. version of the album was originally issued with the UK "exotic dancer" cover, but it was quickly withdrawn and replaced with the "earring" cover.     

 Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP front cover replacement

  

           

For me Radar Love is the epitome of hard rock; it is fast and furious with great drum and bass guitar breaks that let you take a breath and gasp for air at the same time (link below).        
            

From Wikipedia:

The song is written from the point of view of a car or truck driver who thinks of his beloved "baby", telling that they are able to share their feelings at distance without physical means like telephone or letters. He explains how this works and, while listening to a song on the radio, makes comments on the late night traffic in the early morning hour.   

        

Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP back cover
album bacl cover photo by Ronnie Hertz
photo of album back cover by Styrous®

Vanilla Queen is a great song with a mellow but staccato synth intro that slowly builds into the song. At nine minutes and fifteen seconds it manages to travel with great abandon and has some lovely, quiet moments with delightful guitar work by George Kooymans then dramtic orchestral and horn backing by Job Maarse at the end which fades.      

It gets trippy and samples the Marilyn Monroe character in There's No Business Like Show Business: "Well, in simple English I'm..." from the "Lazy" performance and "What's your name, Honey?" from the Heat Wave performance of the Irving Berlin song (link below).

There is a performance version at eleven and a half minutes recorded live on April 25, 1975, at Winterland in San Francisco, California  (link below).        

The album contains a record size lyric sheet with great pix on it on one side . . .

Golden Earring ~ Moontan

vinyl LP insert with photos

photo by Styrous®

. . . and the lyrics on the other, especially, Radar Love!

 

Golden Earring ~ Moontan

Radar Love lyrics

photo by Styrous®

   

          

Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP record sleeve
photo by Styrous®


"Radar Love"

I've been drivin' all night
My hand's wet on the wheel
There's a voice in my head
That drives my heel
It's my baby callin'
Says: I need you here
And it's a half past four
And I'm shifting gear

When she is lonely
And the longing gets too much
She sends a cable
Coming in from above
Don't need no phone at all

We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a wave in the air
Radar Love

      

Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP record label, side 1
photo by Styrous®


The radio's playing some forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
The road has got me hypnotized
And I'm speeding into a new sunrise

When I get lonely
And I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort
Comin' in from above
Don't need no letter at all

We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a line in the sky
Radar Love

Golden Earring ~ Moontan
vinyl LP record label, side 2
photo by Styrous®


No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow

And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee's "Coming On Strong"
And the newsman sang his same song
One more radar love is gone

When I get lonely and I'm sure I've had enough
She sends her comfort, coming in from above
We don't need no letter at all

We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a line in the sky
We've got a thing that's called Radar Love
We've got a thing that's called
Radar Love

        

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Radar Love - 6:24
A2 - Candy's Going Bad - 6:12
A3 - Vanilla Queen - 9:20

Side 2:

B1 - Big Tree, Blue Sea - 8:13
B2 - Are You Receiving Me, written by J. Fenton* - 9:32

Companies, etc.

    Manufactured By – MCA Records, Inc.
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – Track Records Ltd.
    Copyright (c) – MCA Records, Inc.
    Published By – Larry Shayne Music, Inc.
    Pressed By – MCA Pressing Plant, Pinckneyville

Credits:


    Executive-Producer – Fred Haayen
    Producer, Arranged By – Golden Earring
    Written-By – B. Hay*, G. Kooymans*

Personnel: 

• George Kooymans — guitar, vocals
• Rinus Gerritsen — bass, keyboards
• Barry Hay — flute, vocals
• Cesar Zuiderwijk — drums
• Eelco Gelling — guitar
• Bertus Borgers — saxophone

Additional personnel

• Patricia Paay — vocals
• Job Maarse — string & horn arrangements   

Notes:

Includes a 11½" X 11½" black and white insert with lyrics on one side and live band photos on the other side.
Label Variation to Moontan: Parenthesis around Label Matrix, no asterisk in Side B Label Matrix.
Recorded In Holland.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): MCA396
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): MCA397
    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, etched): MCA-396-W2
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, etched): MCA 397-W2
    Matrix / Runout (Sides A, B, stamped): ◈-P-◈

Golden Earring ‎– Moontan
Label: MCA Records ‎– MCA-396, Track Record ‎– MCA-396
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock, Hard Rock

          

          

Viewfinder links:         

Irving Berlin         

Marilyn Monroe          

        

Net links:         

        

Discography          

Lineups & Timeline         

Golden Earring ~ website history & bio     
SongFacts ~ Radar Love      

VinylBeat ~ Banned!       

 

YouTube links:         

        

Radar Love with lyrics         

Radar Love live                   

Vanilla Queen         

Vanilla Queen Winterland, San Francisco, 1975    
Vanilla Queen (Acoustic Live) Grand Cafe ’De Kroon’, Amsterdam, 1992  
Brenda Lee ~ Coming On Strong         

Ted Nugent touring with Golden Earring and about Radar Love          

          

 

What does radar love mean?

Before you could send a text message or call someone in their car, there was no way to communicate to a driver - unless you had a certain telepathic love that could convey from a distance your desire to be with that person, something you might call Radar Love!      
      

      

           

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, July 30, 2019            

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Erik Satie articles/mentions

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The Irreverent Inspirations    
  
    
     
mentions:    
Blood, Sweat & Tears    
  
    
     
    
   
  
Erik Satie     
photo by Henri Manuel      
    
   
  
    
     
    

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 Music Notes
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45 RPM 34: Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer

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On July 25, 1956, Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman released the wacky novelty single, The Flying Saucer, Pts. 1 & 2 and I would never be the same; I was in my teens! What more can I say?           

Buchanan & Goodman

date & photographer unknown

The Flying Saucer is one of the early attempts at sampling in popular music; it was done with experimental & musique concrète music in the 40's. It featured segments of popular songs intertwined with a spoken "news" commentary to tell the story of a visit of a flying saucer. Bill Buchanan plays the radio announcer, stating that the spacemen are attacking Earth. Dickie Goodman plays reporter John Cameron-Cameron (a play on the broadcaster John Cameron Swayze) (links below).           

Buchanan & Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer Pt. 1
45 rpm record, side 1
photo by Styrous®

The song uses clips from 17 different songs, each of which was a top 20 hit in 1955 or 1956. In order of occurrence:

1. Side One
   • "Open Up That Door" by Nappy Brown (saxophone intro only)
   • "The Great Pretender" by The Platters (referenced as "Too Real" by The Clatters)
   • "I Want You to Be My Girl" by The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon
   • "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard
   • "Poor Me" by Fats Domino
   • "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
   • "Earth Angel" by The Penguins (referenced as "Earth" by The Pelicans)
   • "I Hear You Knocking" by Smiley Lewis (referenced as "Knocking" by Laughing Lewis)
   • "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard
   • "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" by The Platters (referenced as "Uh-Oh" by The Clatters)
   • "The Great Pretender" by The Platters
   
   
   
    
   Buchanan & Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer Pt. 1
   45 rpm record label, side 1
   photo by Styrous®
    
   
   
2. Side Two
   • "Band of Gold" by Don Cherry
   • "Ain't That A Shame" by Fats Domino (referenced as "That's A Shame" by Skinny Dynamo)
   • "Band of Gold" by Don Cherry (again)
   • "Don't Be Angry" by Nappy Brown
   • "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins (referenced as "Shoes" by Pa Gherkins)
   • "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry (referenced as "The Motor Cooled Down" by Huckle Berry)
   • "See You Later Alligator" by Bill Haley & His Comets
   • "My Prayer" by The Platters

 

Buchanan & Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer Pt. 2
45 rpm record, side 2
photo by Styrous®

The record also contains an early, deliberate backward secret message in part two. The alien message in their own language plays as "caution, secretary of defense" when played backward.  There is an excellent breakdown of each sampled tune on Songfacts as well as the lyrics (links below).   

The record was controversial from the moment it hit the shelves. Its wide use of "sampling" prompted music publishers to file suit against Buchanan and Goodman in July (1956). The two men were verbally attacked by record companies, too, with an anonymous source telling Billboard, "If we can't stop this nothing is safe in our business." While The Flying Saucer was not the first record to quote from famous songs (see "Cool Whalin'" by Babs Gonzales), it was the first popular record to sample directly from the records themselves.      

       

Buchanan & Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer Pt. 2
45 rpm record label, side 2
photo by Styrous®

The Flying Saucer reached position 3 in the Billboard rankings for 1956.              

         

        

Viewfinder links:       

        
Fats Domino  
Bill Haley         
The Platters  
Elvis Presley          
The Flying Saucer lyrics        
       

Net links:          

   
Blackcat Rockabilly Europe ~    
            William V. Buchanan            
            Richard Dorian Goodman            
MetaFilter ~ Look to the skies. The flying saucers will always be there   

Songfacts ~ The Flying Saucer             

Wayback Attack ~ Buchanan & Goodman           

       

YouTube links:          

       

Buchanan & Goodman ~ The Flying Saucer Pts. 1 & 2   

        

          

      

         

       

      

         

Styrous® ~ Thursday, July 25, 2019            
     
    

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