1961 in music. • Page 2

Last '61 listen before we change years:

Jimmy Smith's Midnight Special is pretty wonderful. He really finds the sweet spot between jazz and blues and Stanley Turrentine's sax work is just awesome.

 

1. Aretha Franklin - Aretha: With the Ray Bryant Combo
2. Patsy Cline - Showcase
3. The Shadows - The Shadows

There's a ton I haven't heard from this year and my picks feel a bit random.

 

I'll have to do some listening to make a proper top 3, since I still don't know too much from this year. But Ben E. King's Spanish Harlem is an excellent album and my current pick for the best of 1961.

I believe it's also the year he released Stand by Me, which is of course pretty significant.

 

I considered that one too. It’s an excellent album

 

Listened to Aretha Franklin’s debut album from 1961 today; Aretha in Person with the Ray Bryant Combo.

Released when she was just 18, and really an absolute perfect showreel for how talented a singer she was - not a perfect album, and the material doesn’t fully work for her all of the time, but what a talent.

More uptempo R’n’B stuff is when the album is stronger for me, and when it comes closer to Aretha at her best. The more mid tempo jazzy stuff, that are mostly jazz standards isn’t that interesting from an arrangement perspective, though obviously Aretha’s voice is absolutely incredible, so she elevates the blander stuff here to something a lot better.

Definitely more than enough in here for me to come back to this one. Any time spent with her voice is time worth spending.

 

Looking through the credits and lots of great names but Spike Lee’s dad is all over it on bass. That’s pretty cool

 

I didn’t spot that! That is pretty cool!

 

you still have all day tomorrow! haha

 

I won’t have a lot of listening time tomorrow so I wanted to make sure I got this one in today.


Anything on your listening docket?

 

Forgot to vote for 1960, gonna try not to make that mistake for 61. Listened to Stan Getz - Focus and Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Further Out today. Both wrap up a lot of what I love about jazz with a neat bow. Joe Morello and Roy Haynes both knocking it out of the park. Gonna try and get to Shirley Bassey's self-titled record, one of The Kingston Trio records, and maybe one or two others this evening.

 

Double post but also for sure am gonna have to make time to revisit West Side Story

 

Going for a record triple post. Took a detour and put on The Marvelettes debut. Had no clue Marvin Gaye not only was one of the drummers for The Funk Brothers but that he's on drums for "Please Mr. Postman"

 

judy at carnegie and runaway by del shannon

 

Runaway’s a good call. Nothing but hooks

 

One of my favorite music fan details is that the very early synthesizer they used on “Runaway” was so primitive that it literally starts to slide slightly out of tune by the end of the solo. So cool.

 

Favorite 1961 single

1. I Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott

Other favorite 1961 singles..

Crying - Roy Orbison
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Running Scared - Roy Orbison
Stand By Me - Ben E King
Tossin’ and Turnin’ - Bobby Lewis
Can’t Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Surfin’ - The Beach Boys

Notable mention:
Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima

 

Realized I've never sat down with a full Chuck Berry album so putting on New Juke Box Hits. Probably gonna get another handful of records in today. Ended yesterday with The Blues and the Abstract Truth and King of the Delta Blues Singers. I think the early 60s are going to be pretty dominated by jazz for me

 

Hail! hail! rock n roll!

Chuck is the king and somehow still underrated. His lyrics especially are really overlooked

 

This is like one of the greatest live performances ever

 

"Thirteen Question Method" walked so "Back At One" could run

 

It’s crazy to me that for a lot of his career he’d just roll into towns and have local bands back him with no rehearsal.

 

God I'd love to do that. Taylor Swift roll through LA and let me get behind the kit for all of Fearless

 

he truly was insanely talented, just a shame how much of a creep he was

 

Apparently the band for that Toronto show didn’t even meet him til he introduced himself a few songs into the set

 

Judy at Carnegie Hall is such a triumph. Really puts into perspective how well deserved her stardom is/was