Shagadelic indeed! Literally hundreds of records were released during the 1950s and 1960s carrying the Enoch Light name. Light was born in Ohio and led The Light Brigade, which was a big band that primarily played on the radio and in theaters that scored the 1937 hit “Summer Night.” After they disbanded, they became a […]
Song Of The Day – “Whipped Cream” by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Before forming the Tijuana Brass and a record company (A&M) that still lives today, Herb Alpert was best known for co-writing Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” and producing tracks for Jan & Dean. All that changed in 1962 when he recorded “The Lonely Bull” in his garage and gave birth to one of the biggest recording […]
Song Of The Day – “A Lot Of Livin’ To Do” by Sammy Davis, Jr.
It’s the wham of Sam, from the musical Bye Bye Birdie. Without Sammy Davis Jr., there wouldn’t have been a James Brown or Prince. He was clearly the most talented of the Rat Pack by a mile…could sing circles around Frank and Dino…and had the moves and comedic talents to make him the total entertainment […]
Song Of The Day – “Savoy Truffle” by Ella Fitzgerald
About a month ago, I featured Fats Domino’s recording of “Lady Madonna” from the 1969 album Fats Is Back. That record was produced by Richard Perry for Reprise Records, and today’s Song Of the Day follows Perry to the very next project he worked on, Ella by Ella Fitzgerald. Reprise records of the late ‘60s […]
Song Of the Day – “The Alley Cat” by Bent Fabric
Dance crazes come and go, but they are never forgotten. Today there’s Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” wreaking havoc across dance floors all over the world. In the 1990s, there was “The Macarena.” In the 1980s, country line dancing and “The Lambada” had their day in the sun, and the ‘70s gave us “The Electric Slide.” But […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Love (Can Make You Happy)” by Mercy
This slice of easy listening splendor hit the number two slot on the Billboard charts in 1969. At the time Mercy consisted of artists signed to the small Sundi Record label from Florida, and centered around member Jack Sigler, Jr. Once the song began to take off on the charts, Sundi rush-released an album with […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Swinging On A Star” by Bing Crosby
This Academy Award winner for Best Original Song was composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for the 1944 film “Going My Way” in which Bing Crosby plays a priest. The song’s genesis came out of a meeting at Crosby’s house between him and Van Heusen to discuss music for the film. Crosby son […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Windmills Of Your Mind” by Noel Harrison
He was perhaps best known for his acting role as Mark Slate in the TV series, “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” but Noel Harrison had a fruitful recording career in the 1960s culminating in three long out-of-print albums for Reprise Records. This 1968 Academy Award winning song was composed by Michel Legrand (music) and Alan & […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cowboy” by The Neon Philharmonic
There’s nothing like the kaleidoscopic sound of West Coast Pop Music from the late 1960s. Groups like The Neon Philharmonic could have only happened in a world nurtured by an artist-friendly record label like Warner Bros. and its sister label Reprise with label mates like Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Harpers Bizarre, the Association and […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Bond Street” by Enoch Light and the Light Brigade
Shagadelic indeed! Literally hundreds of records were released during the 1960s carrying the Enoch Light name. Light was born in Ohio and was a vice president of easy listening record label, Grand Award, before founding Command Records in 1959. Light’s stock in trade was state-of-the-art mood music records that took full advantage of the capabilities […]
