45 RPMs 83: The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn w/Florence Ballard lead

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The Supremes ~ Buttered Popcorn

45 RPM record  

photo by Styrous®

 

    

On Friday, July 21, 1961, Tamla records released Buttered Popcorn, a song written by Motown executives Berry Gordy and Barney Ales, produced by Gordy, and released as a Tamla label single by the Motown singing group The Supremes. 

 

Buttered Popcorn featured Florence Ballard on lead, rather than Diana Ross, but it is the only song with Ballard as the sole lead by The Supremes.            

       

Buttered Popcorn was considered by Motown's Quality Control department to be the best song to be issued as the Supremes' second Motown single. However, Berry Gordy was determined that Ross should be the group's main lead and wanted the group's cover of The Miracles song, Who's Lovin' You to be the single's A-side. In the end, Gordy and Quality Control compromised; the Ballard-led song would remain the single's A-side, but the single would be promoted as if it was a "double A-side" one.         

 

 

The Supremes ~ Who's Lovin' You

45 RPM record  

photo by Styrous®

 

 

Stevie Chick of The Guardian, said that Ballard was 'A bold, big-voiced belter' and described the song as 'A piece of raw, ribald soul lacking the polish that gilded their [The Supremes'] later hits'. Also, 'Ballard growls salaciously on Popcorn that her boyfriend "likes it greasy, and sticky, and salty, and gooey", a knowingly saucy performance that somehow escaped the interference of Motown's infamous Quality Control department.' Bonnie Stiernberg of Paste wrote, 'the innuendo-laced track is not unlike buttered popcorn—salty, fluffy, and oh so good'      

 

Both sides of the single received a lot of airplay on local Detroit stations, but problems arose. The first version of the song was withdrawn because it was considered "too raw", and a smoother take was released. Gordy did little to promote the single's A-side, and, some time later, the label discovered that the song could be conceived to have a scandalous "double meaning", and switch to pushing the B-side alone before ceasing promotion of the single altogether.  (link to lyrics below). 

       

Buttered Popcorn was considered by Motown's Quality Control department to be the best song to be issued as the Supremes' second Motown single.         

      

Third Man Records, a new website, has started up and has announced an ongoing partnership with Universal Music to bring Tamla's classic early Motown records back to vinyl (link below).        

        

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Buttered Popcorn, written by Barney Ales, Berry Gordy Jr.* - 2:34

Side 2:

B - Who's Loving You, written by William Robinson* - 2:44

Companies, etc.

    Pressed By – American Record Pressing Co.

 Notes:

 

Disc Jockey Advance Sample

 

Supremes* – Buttered Popcorn / Who's Loving You
Label:    Tamla – T-54045
Format:    Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: Jul 21, 1961
Genre:    Funk / Soul, Pop
Style:    Soul        

        

Viewfinder links:       

         

Buttered Popcorn lyrics        

Nella Dodds          
Berry Gordy         

The Miracles            

The Supremes         

Temptations
     
Net links:       

         

Classic Motown ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn        

Motown Junkies ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn        

Third Man Records ~ The Supremes – Buttered Popcorn                 
     
YouTube links:      
                

The Supremes w/Florence Ballard ~ Buttered Popcorn        

The Supremes ~ Who's Loving You   
        
         

        

        

Styrous® ~ Monday, September 7, 2020

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20,000 vinyl LPs 345: Eddie Kendricks ~ For You

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Eddie Kendricks ~ For You    

vinyl LP front cover  

cover photo by Jim Britt 

photo of album cover by Styrous®

 

 

 

This month, on December 17, is the birthday of Edward James Kendrick, better known as Eddie Kendricks, he was an American tenor singer and songwriter; he co-founded the Motown singing group the Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971.          

 

For You was released in December of 1974, I'd like to think it was especially for his birthday, but maybe not. Kendricks was born in Union Springs, Alabama in 1939.          

         

The Temptations began singing background for Mary Wells but became the most successful male vocal group of the 1960s. Although technically Kendricks was first tenor in the group's harmony, he often sang in the falsetto register. Among the Temptations songs Kendricks sang lead on were Dream Come True (1962), the group's first charting single; The Way You Do the Things You Do (1964), the group's first US Top 20 hit; I'll Be in Trouble (1964); The Girl's Alright With Me (1964), a popular B-side that Kendricks co-wrote; Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) (1964); Get Ready (1966); Please Return Your Love to Me (1968); and Just My Imagination (1971).              

         

With the Temptations, Kendricks was responsible for creating most of the group's vocal arrangements, and also served as wardrobe manager. He remained in the group through the rest of the decade, but a number of issues began to push him away from it in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was uncomfortable with singing the psychedelic style that Whitfield was now crafting for the group as opposed to the romantic ballads they had sung under the direction of Smokey Robinson; his friend Paul Williams was often too ill to perform with the group; and Kendricks often found himself at odds with bandmates Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin. As he grew away from the group, Kendricks began to rekindle his friendship with ex-Temptation David Ruffin, who convinced him to leave. He also stated that his relationship with Berry Gordy was less than cordial. "Berry Gordy is a man I don't know, I only met him about three times," he said, but "I know he didn't particularly care for me." Kendricks stated that he did not agree with many decisions that were made.      

 

I wasn't knocked out by the ballads on the album but If You Think (You Can) was my favorite one. In the funk category, One Tear and If You Think (You Can) knock my socks off.   

    

   

Tracklist:
       
Side 1:

        

A1 - Please Don't Go Away, Arranged By Jimmie Haskell, Leonard Caston, Written by Leonard Caston - 4:57

A2 - One Tear, Arranged By Jimmie Haskell, Leonard Caston, Written by Leonard Caston - 4:00

A3 - Shoeshine Boy, Arranged By Jerry Long, Sanford Shire, Written by Harry Booker, Linda Allen (7) - 3:14

A4 - Deep And Quiet Love, Written by  Frank Wilson, Kathy Wakefield - 5:34

       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Let Yourself Go, Arranged By Jerry Long, Leonard Caston, Written by  Harold Clayton, Leonard Caston, Mbaji, Sigidi - 5:45

B2 - If, Arranged By Jimmie Haskell, Leonard Caston, Written by  David Gates - 3:09

B3 - If You Think (You Can), Arranged By Jimmie Haskell, Leonard Caston, Written by  Barbara Dickerson, Leonard Caston - 3:59

B4 - Time In A Bottle, Arranged By Jimmie Haskell, Sanford Shire, Written by  Jim Croce - 2:59
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Recorded At – Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios
    Mixed At – Motown/Hitsville U.S.A. Recording Studios
    Copyright © – Motown Record Corporation
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Motown Record Corporation
       
Credits:
       
    Art Direction – Katarina Petterson*
    Backing Vocals [Background] – Carolyn Hurley, Carolyn Majors, Carolyn Willis, Frank Wilson, Harry Booker, Karin Patterson, Leonard Caston, Mara Baygulow, Myrna Matthews, Wayne Cooper (2)
    Engineer [Mixing] – Angel Balestier, Frank Wilson
    Engineer [Recording] – Angel Balestier, Art Stewart, Russ Terrana
    Photography By – Jim Britt
    Producer – Frank Wilson, Leonard Caston
       
Notes:
       
Recorded and mixed at Motown Recording Studios, Hollywood, California.

℗ © 1974 Motown Record Corporation
Printed in U.S.A.

       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
       
    Matrix / Runout (Side A label): D5RS-7815
    Matrix / Runout (Side B label): D5RS-7816-2

Eddie Kendricks – For You
Label:    Tamla – T6-335S1, Tamla – T6 335S1
Format:    Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk

         

Viewfinder links:        

        

Melvin Franklin                 

Eddie Kendricks         

David Ruffin         

The Temptations           

Mary Wells       

Otis Williams      

        

YouTube links:        

         

If You Think (You Can)         

Let Yourself Go           

One Tear        

        

        

         

        

        

        

Styrous® ~ Sunday, December 17, 1923       
       

 

 

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Record Producers Extraordinaire

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Behind every great musician/group is a Record Producer who had a vision and the expertise to make the sound of that musician or group unique.           

 

For rock, it was Les Paul, John Hammond, Sam Phillips, Jimmy Iovine, Jeff Lynne, Trevor Horn, Jimmy Miller, Roy Thomas Baker, Sam Phillips, Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, Daniel Lanois, Paul A. Rothchild, George Martin for the The Beatles and Jim Steinman for Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler (now THAT'S diversity for you).   

 

In country/western it was Owen Bradley, Paul Cohen, Billy Sherrill, Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter and Don Law.    

 

For easy listening it was Jimmy Webb, Jackie Gleason, Billy Vaughn, Arif Mardin, Mantovani, Mitch Miller and Al De Lory for Glen Campbell and Capitol Records.    

 

For jazz it was David Axelrod, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Teo Macero, Tom Dowd, Norman Granz, Bob Thiele, Cannonball Adderley and Sonny Lester.    

 

For the Motown/soul sound it was Phil Spector, George Clinton, Jerry Wexler, William "Mickey" Stevenson, Berry Gordy and Norman Whitfield for The Temptations.             

 

For Electronic music it was Dieter Moebius, Vangelis for Chrisma, Edgar Froese for Tangerine Dream, and Conny Plank for Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, Cluster, Guru Guru, Kraan, Neu!, Eurythmics, Ultravox and Kraftwerk.        

For punk no one topped Steve Albini. He produced the albums for his bands, Big Black, Rapeman, Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He produced albums for Nirvana, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, as well.

 

I'm not sure WHERE Brian Eno belongs! He's produced sound ranging from film soundtracks to ambient To experimental for John Cale, Jon Hassell and Laraaji, to new wave for Talking Heads, Ultravox and Devo, and everything in between.            

     

     

      

     

Viewfinder links:

      

Cannonball Adderley           

Chet Atkins       

David Axelrod        

all things Beatles       

Owen Bradley      

John Cale        

Glen Campbell      

George Clinton         

Al De Lory        

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF)

Devo        

Tom Dowd        

Duke Ellington      

Brian Eno        

Eurythmics           

Jackie Gleason          

Berry Gordy, Jr.     

Norman Granz      

Trevor Horn       

Quincy Jones           

Kitaro        

Kraftwerk    

Jeff Lynne       

Teo Macero          

Mantovani              

Arif Mardin      

George Martin           

Meat Loaf       

Mitch Miller         

Les Paul         

Conny Plank        

Todd Rundgren        

Klaus Schulze            

Billy Sherrill        

Stamatis Spanoudakis          

Phil Spector        

Jim Steinman        

Talking Heads          

Tangerine Dream       

The Temptations        

Bob Thiele         

Isao Tomita          

Bonnie Tyler         

Ultravox         

Vangelis        

Billy Vaughn         

Jimmy Webb         

Jerry Wexler         

Norman Whitfield      

Brian Wilson        

Otis Williams         

     

Net links:

     

     

     

Music Needs You ~ 7 Distinct Types of Record Producers     

Recording Connection ~ What Does a Music Producer Do?   

     

     

     

A tip of my hat to all of them!

     

     

     

Styrous® ~ Monday, June 21, 2021   

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45 RPMs 56: Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash

 

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photos by Styrous®

 

Today is the birthday of the "Monster Mash Man", Bobby (Boris) Pickett, who was an American singer, songwriter, actor and comedian known for co-writing and performing the 1962 novelty song hit, Monster Mash.     

I remember dancing to Monster Mash in my early twenties with total joyful abandon! I LOVED this song!    

Monster Mash came out in the midst of the "Mashed Potato" dance craze. The dance move and mashed potato song were first made famous by James Brown in 1959 and used in his concerts regularly. It was also danced to songs such as Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp. The move vaguely resembles that of the twist, by Chubby Checker but is more like a slow version of The Pony, also recorded by Checker. There are videos of the dance moves on YouTube (links below). The Mashed Potato was first popularized internationally after being named in the lyrics of the first Motown mega-hit in the song Do You Love Me written by Berry Gordy, Jr. and performed by The Contours in 1962.         

Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash  

45 RPM record sleeve front

 

Monster Mash is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster rises from his lab to perform a new dance, inspired by the Mashed Potato. The dance becomes "the hit of the land" when the scientist throws a party for other monsters, among them classic 1940s horror film icons such as the Wolfman, Igor, Count Dracula and his son. In addition to narrating the song in a Boris Karloff voice, Pickett also impersonated horror film actor Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula with the line, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?" The mad scientist explains that the twist has been replaced by the Monster Mash, which Dracula embraces by joining the house band, the Crypt-Kicker Five. The story closes with the mad scientist inviting "you, the living" to the party at his castle.       

 

 

Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash  

45 RPM record sleeve front

 

 

In 1985, with a growing awareness of rap music, Pickett released Monster Rap, which describes the mad scientist's frustration at being unable to teach the dancing monster from Monster Mash how to talk. The problem is solved when he teaches the monster to rap.        

 

In 1964 the Beach Boys did a cover of Monster Mash; in 1980 Sha Na Na did a cover and Bad Manners did a faster version of the song. In 1997, the horror punk band, the Misfits, recorded a cover version of Monster Mash as part of a promotion. And in 2016, it was turned into a string quartet by, who else, The Midnight String Quartet.       

 

In 1977 Vincent Price covered the song and used footage from the film, The Monster Club and included dancers from Pan's People; it's a hoot to watch (link below)!      

Vincent Price & Pan's People dancers - 1977

Monster Mash video still

I came across a photo of Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester dancing to records on the set of the 1935 film, The Bride Of Frankenstein. They could very easily have been dancing to Monster Mash.       

Elsa Lanchester & Boris Karloff

The Bride Of Frankenstein - 1935 

photographer unknown

 

Pickett co-wrote Monster Mash with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962. The song was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato, which inspired the title. The song featured Pickett's impersonations of veteran horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (the latter with the line "Whatever happened to my Transylvanian Twist?"). Every major record label declined the song, but after hearing it, Gary S. Paxton agreed to produce and engineer it; among the musicians who played on it were pianist Leon Russell and The Ventures drummer Mel Taylor. Issued on Paxton's Garpax Records, the single became a million seller. It was styled as being by "Bobby 'Boris' Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers".      

The song took no time at all to create. "The song wrote itself in a half hour and it took less than a half hour to record it," Pickett told The Washington Post.       

Bobby (Boris) Pickett - October 31, 1987 

photo by Robert Gabriel/LA Times

 

Monster Mash reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962. The track re-entered the U.S. charts twice, in August 1970, and again in May 1973, when it reached the #10 spot. In Britain it took until October 1973 for the tune to become popular, peaking at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart. For the second time, the record sold over one million copies. The tune remains a Halloween perennial on radio and on iTunes. A Christmas-themed follow-up, Monster's Holiday, (b/w Monster Motion) was also released in 1962 and reached number 30 in December that year. Blood Bank Blues (b/w Me and My Mummy) did not chart. This was followed by further monster-themed recordings such as the album The Original Monster Mash and such singles as Werewolf Watusi and The Monster Swim. In 1973, Pickett rerecorded Me and My Mummy for a Metromedia 45 (it did not chart). Another of Pickett's songs, Graduation Day, made number 80 in June 1963.           
  

Pickett was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1938.  His father was a theater manager and as a nine-year-old, he watched many horror films. He would later incorporate impressions of them in his Hollywood nightclub act in 1959. An aspiring actor, Pickett began his musical career as a vocalist for a local swing band, Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters. Pickett went to Hollywood, where he performed in a band called The Cordials and would, from time to time, break into impersonations of famous movie actors. His impersonation of Frankenstein actor Boris Karloff was reportedly a major hit with audiences—and a turning point for Pickett's career. That audience response set the events that would lead to Monster Mash in motion during the summer of 1962. Cheesy monster movies were all the rage, and bandmate Lenny Capizzi encouraged Pickett to use his Karloff voice to mock them in a new novelty song.                  

 

Originally, Pickett wasn’t keen – the goofy idea didn’t align with his ambitions to become a serious actor. A fortnight later, he reconsidered after the death of his acting agent.         

 

Pickett had small acting roles in television shows, including The Beverly Hillbillies (as a lieutenant) in 1967, Bonanza in 1969, and in a little-seen film called Deathmaster—about a vampire who lures in a devout following of hippies—in 1972.        

       
       

Deathmaster - 1972 

movie poster
 

 

On April 25, 2007, Bobby (Boris) Pickett died in Los Angeles, California, from leukemia at the age of 69. The May 13, 2007, episode of the Dr. Demento show featured a documentary retrospective of Pickett's work.        

 

 

 Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash  

45 RPM record, side 1

 

 

 

  Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~ Monster Mash Party 

45 RPM record, side 2

 

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A    Monster Mash, written by B. Pickett*, L. Capizzi* - 2:57

Side 2:

B    Monsters' Mash Party, written by B. Pickett*, G. Paxton* - 2:45

Companies, etc.

    Published By – Garpax Music Co.
    Published By – Capizzi Music
    Published By – Underwood Music Co.
    Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Bridgeport

Credits:           

 

     Arranged By, Producer – Gary Paxton

Notes:

Label variation: Garpax is printed smaller than the other version.
This pressing shows no plant stamp in runouts.

Side A: Pub: Garpax Music Co. - Capizzi Music - BMI
Side B: Pub: Garpax Music Co. - Underwood Music Co. - BMI

Barcode and Other Identifiers        

        

    Pressing Plant ID (Etched in runout area): .
    Rights Society: BMI
    Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): GP 44167-A
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): GP 44167-B
    Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167A-1B
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, Etched (Variant 1)): GP44167B-1A
    Matrix / Runout (A-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): GP44167A-1A
    Matrix / Runout (B-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)): . GP-44167-B . '     

      

Bobby (Boris) Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers – Monster Mash
Label: Garpax Records – 45-44167
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Styrene, Bridgeport Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock, Novelty      

      

  

Viewfinder links:       

         

James Brown        

The Contours         

Chubby Checker        

Berry Gordy Jr.         

Boris Karloff          

Elsa Lanchester        
Bela Lugosi         

The Misfits         

Music & Mayhem        

Bobby "Boris" Pickett       

Leon Russell       

Dee Dee Sharp       

The Ventures        
     
Net links:       

         

Coming Soon ~ In Praise of 1972’s The Deathmaster       

Do You Remember ~ Monster Mash: 55 Years Later        

Mental Floss ~ Bobby Pickett, The Man Behind Monster Mash     

NME ~ The strange tale of Monster Mash        

     
YouTube links:      
         

Music:    

 

The Beach Boys ~ Monster Mash (live)           

Chubby Checker -   

        Pony Time (live)        

        The Twist (live)         

The Contours ~ Do You Love Me (live)   

Midnight String Quartet ~ Monster Mash              

The Misfits ~ Monster Mash                 
Bobby (Boris) Pickett ~  

        Me & My Mummy      

        Monster Mash         

        Monster Mash (live)      

        Monster Rap          

Vincent Price ~ Monster Mash                 

Sha Na Na ~ Monster Mash    

Dee Dee Sharp -   

       Mashed Potato Time    

       Mashed Potato Time (live)   

       
Misc.:

         

Deathmaster movie trailer       

Rue Morgue ~ The Hippies Vampires of Deathmaster (1972)        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

Styrous® ~ Thursday, February 11, 2021

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