Ok. On the cover they look like trainee dentists. White jackets, and white turtle neck sweaters. And indeed their oral hygiene can not be faulted, if anything the vocal arrangements are just too clean and tooth- decay free. Less brushing and a bit more candy should have been producer Al de Lory's brief. Still, there are some charming moments on this lp, and I'm pleased the fates led me to its temporary resting place in the charity shop on Walthamstow High Street. And so I place The Lettermen on my trustworthy record deck....
Side 1:
Put Your Head On My Shoulder featuring funkier drums than I would have expected, after the ultra MOR intro this Paul Anka penned ditty develops into a cool album opener. The Letterman vocals instantly striking an agreeable blend to these harmony loving ears. I particularly love the soaring high harmony arrangements here.
Light My Fire we're in classic kitsch late 60s bachelor pad territory. Anyone seen the Elvis movie Speedway? The one with Nancy Sinatra in it? Well, in the movie Elvis lives in a cool trailer with his sex obsessed buddy, and this Doors cover is exactly the type of groove that I can imagine emanating from that pad (and if the trailer is rocking, thou shalt not go knocking, eh?) Brilliant bass playing.
Harper Valley P.T.A The Tony Butala lead vocal lacks a bit of the necessary grit to really let this number truly swing, but once again, the bass kicks butt, and the brass arrangements lend a sassy vibe to this tale of sex in the suburbs.
Hello I Love You I was curious to hear how they tackled this one. It kicks off with the most rudimentary of piano riffs (basically the chorus melody, played in primary school fashion.) There is something really cool about the straight ahead Letterman guys crooning these trippy Doors lyrics, I'm imagining someone spiking the fruit punch at a Quaker meeting with Tequila, and the usually sedentary congregation floating around the Quaker Friends Meeting house with the raging horn. Albeit with gentle urges. Fun.
Gentle On My Mind I love Elvis' version of this track. But unlike the cosmic backwaters-Americana merry- go- around that the Elvis version takes us on, this sounds like an outtake from a particularly pious Christian musical.
Woman Woman The Letterman collective are so much more suited to this cut. Let's call it "funky camp." And, man, those voices sound lovely on those extended choruses "have you got cheating on your mind?" A great closer to side 1, and my personal favourite so far.
Side 2
From Woman Woman to Young Girl like the cycle of life but, er, backwards. Anyway, our chaps give the Gary Pucket and The Union Gap hit a pleasant run through, all a bit tame though, where's the tortured carnal call of the Pucket version? Oh yep, that wouldn't be appropriate for the dentist lab.
This Guy's In Love With You Really nice vocal arrangement, especially on the choruses. Not giving me goosebumps though, the mawkish strings and pedestrian backing underwhelm here.
Hey Jude. Oooof, Really mincing lead vocals here. Sorry Jim Pike. Bloody dreadful actually, rather than comforting words to little Julian Lennon, (as Macca intended) this comes across more like a creepy man in greasy rain coat asking little boy if he wants to come and see puppies. I feel violated, like an unpleasant image flashing up on a late night internet trawl, making you exclaim "oh no!" loudly and instantly deleting your search history, just to pretend it never happened.
Mary's Rainbow Starts out as a close cousin to Gentle On My Mind. Wonderful harmonies on the choruses, and then really cool tempo changes. In fact this is probably the most inventive arrangement on the album. Gently psychedelic.
Scarborough Fair/ Canticle Bold and beautiful vocals here. With the Lettermen themselves sharing a co-credit on the arrangement. Acapella. This comes much closer to the Brian Wilson world of harmony; dark, brooding and never unnecessarily fussy. A classy outro to the album. I would have preferred a few more haunting cuts like this over the frustratingly over obvious choices of 'done to death' Beatles and Bacharach.
Still, if ever I'm entertaining in my Speedway trailer, I'll be more than happy to slip a bit of this vinyl on to add a gentle groove to the proceedings.
Details:
Artist: The Lettermen
Album: Put Your Head On My Shoulder
Label: EMI/CAPITAL E-ST 147
Year: 1968
"I feel violated."
ReplyDeleteOf course you do mate. Lettermen covering Hey Jude? I can only imagine how truly awful that must be.
On a brighter note, tasty writing Johnny boy! Me likey.
That Hey Jude review has been written by a man only too familiar with the world of ChatRoulette...
ReplyDelete'Put Your Head On My Shoulder'. Which one of the Lettermen is asking the question? And which shoulder should I put my head on? So many questions, so few answers...