Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 19th May 2023. Strap yourselves in and prepare for another musical roller-coaster....over to....

Jayne -

"Greetings RPMers. Lots of performances and tunes experienced this week. Here are three of them."

Piers -

"Starting with an amazing performance by  Rhiannon Giddens in Norwich last Friday, we have been keeping busy musically this week. I know that Jayne is choosing one of RG's  so I will avoid duplication.  I was sent this one by my nephew who thought I might like it. I was a bit dubious at first but it is growing on me. I know nothing about her..."

"Have a great time folks..."

Jackie -

John -

"Hi RPMers, I hope you're all keeping safe and well. Here are three tracks from albums I've listened to this week..."

Philip -

"All songs in the main part of Gretchen's performance were her own compositions apart from "Guadalupe" by Tom Russell, which she described as his hymn. She followed it with "Say Grace," which she said was her hymn. Her encore comprised three covers, namely Rodney Crowell's "I Ain't Livin' Long Like This" (a hit for Waylon Jennings in 1979), Mickey Newbury's "Why You Been Gone So Long" (she said he was one of the greatest songwriters of all time- her opinion carries some weight with me but I think she's much better herself), and the Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen number "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" that was included on Frank Sinatra's late-'50s album "Only The Lonely." None other than Frank's fellow New Jerseyite Bruce Springsteen declared during an appearance at Mr. Sinatra's 80th birthday party that this was his favourite Sinatra album. I wonder if it was Roy Orbison's favourite too?"

"Best wishes and good health to all."

Nina -

"Hi folks. It's been a busy 2 weeks with visitors from far & wide in Cornwall + the Tunes in the Dunes music festival last weekend. Enjoyed listening to your selections while laptop bashing today. Here's mine for this week..."

"Take care, all. Cheers!"

Alan -

"Time to look at one of rock's most overlooked  sub-genres........... food. Yup, this weeks tasty morsels all relate to something we can't live without, although we could possibly get by without at least one of today's selections:

First up, it's breakfast, and a tale of a two timing young lady who, presumably, tired of preparing the singers favourite day starter."

Newbeats- 'Bread and butter' (7" single released 28th August 1964. Hickory label)

Perhaps overly familiar thanks to its Top 20 placing in the UK charts but did you know it reached Number 2 in the US charts, Number 8 in Australia and sold over one million copies? It also featured in a few films,  '9½ Weeks',  'Baby Talk', the 1998 comedy-drama film, 'Simon Birch', as well as in the 2004 Will Ferrell comedy, 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'.It was featured in the TV showsT'he Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars' and in the Lizzie McGuire episode "She Said, He Said, She Said" and has also been used as a jingle for the Schmidt Baking Company, Savacentre, Spam, Doritos, Little Chef and Quaker Rice Cakes as well as in a 2018 television commercial for Walmart. There's more info on the group in my 'What is Soul Vol 2' article.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ds1UmnSqg

"And so, on to dinner, here's a group of guys literally salivating over their favourite 'dejeuner'."

The Dorsets- 'Pork chops' (initially 7" single released in UK 1965. Sue label. This from 'The UK Sue Label Story Vol.4' CD released 2006. Kent label)

"Originally released on the tiny US Asnes label in 1961, The Dorsets (or The Dulcets as they were actually named before an error was made at the pressing plant) this was the sole release by the group. After a couple of unproductive years performing around New York's clubs there was a partial split which saw three members, George "Smitty" Smith , Edward "Sonny" Bivins and Winfred "Blue" Lovett  form the Manhattans. Signed to the Carnival label they were soon off the mark with 'For the very first time' and became popular on the burgeoning disco circuit. Signed to the De Luxe label the group overcame the death of Smith in 1970 and, after recruiting Gerald Alston, nephew of The Shirelles' lead singer, Shirley Alston-Reeves, they struck gold in 1973 with 'There's no me without you' and followed this in 1976 with the US number one 'Kiss and say goodbye' which became only the second single to achieve platinum sales. There were many line up changes in the following years with two line ups eventually hitting the road up to the current day whilst their recording career continued until 2013. There are four volumes of The Sue Story, a label initially formed by Island Records to release discs from the US Sue label formed by Juggy Murray. However, UK Sue's head honcho Guy Stevens began releasing other labels material on the label which saw the two Sue's cease to be conjoined. Stevens personally selected virtually every release but, as there were no successful chart hits for the label, it was hardly surprising when Stevens' ego saw him branch out from the day job and begin to associate himself with Islands burgeoning 'white' psychedelia and prog artists. Sue's final year saw some of their finest releases and, importantly, Stevens oversaw the selection of tracks for the release of the important 'Sue Story' compilations which give a great insight into the then burgeoning mod scene in London."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62z1nUOG1dA

"And finally, it's time for TV snacks."

The Supremes- 'Buttered Popcorn' (US only 7" single released 21 July 1961. Tamla label. This from Diana Ross and the Supremes 'In the beginning' LP. released   World Records/EMI label)

"Following two singles on the Lu-Pine label the five piece Primettes sought out Smokey Robinson and pleaded with him to arrange a audition with Tamla, recently set up by Robinson and Berry Gordy Jnr. Reduced to a four piece, 'I want a guy' was issued 9th March 1961 and was followed in July by another membership reduction and this soulful 'novelty' song which features the groups then lead singer when appearing live, Florence Ballard. This proved to be Florence's sole lead vocal with the group but it does show a 'soulful' side that disappeared as soon as Diana Ross was 'promoted' by Gordy. Some years later, Stevie Chick of The Guardian, listed the single as one of the best 10 Supremes songs. He went on that Ballard was 'A bold, big-voiced belter' describing the song as 'A piece of raw, ribald soul lacking the polish that gilded their later hits. Ballard growls salaciously 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."  Certainly it's a step change which followed a short time later when they broke through with songs which featured the 'classic' Motown sound on singles such as 'When the lovelight starts....' and 'Where did our love go' before going global with 'Baby Love' where Florence and Mary Wilson were reduced to simply cooing 'Baby, Baby.... Ooooh, oooh' etc. 'Buttered Popcorn' never sold in any quantities thanks to several reasons including lack of promotion due to the perceived double entendres in the lyrics and that Gordy insisted on a rerecording shortly after its release as he considered the single 'too raw'. Here Florence's vocals certainly bear comparison to the early recordings by Mary Wells. The album features all three early singles and a selection of early LP tracks including the improbable '(The man with the) Rock and Roll Banjo Band'!!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLfwo8luyZk

Dave -

"Hi RPMers, hope all is well with you. Here’s my 3 tunes this week.". . 

Jean -

"Fellow RPMers - I thought I would give you a few weeks grace before I saturate you with Joe Bonamassa tracks. His concert in Blackpool was exceptional and I hope he goes back to London next year as that will be easier to get to! This week I am playing the 3 covers that he did but by the originator."

Tim -

"A folk / rock sandwich this week; a tasty trad tune filling I can't get out of my head between to "doorstops" of heaviness..."

'Til Next Time....