The Homer & Jethro Project #29

#29

So we're closing in on the point where we hit Lps and things switch over to an every other day posting schedule. Aren't you the lucky ones.

But first...

May 1955 - RCA EPA-595 - Let Me Go Blubber

After a busy end of the year previous, for better or worse, there's nothing new from our heroes until May of 1955 when they dropped the mic on this four song elongated player of contemporary hits.
And our six month Homer and Jethro-less national nightmare was over.

1. "Let Me Go, Lover" A pregnant Joan Weber introduced the song on the TV on 1955 to scored her One Hit but the song itself is a rewrite of a previous song encouraging temperance "Let Me Go, Devil" first recorded by Wade Ray who sounds like a real stick in the mud. But such is how bad relationships are in either version.

Homer and Jethro have other issues in their relationship with someone who might politely be referred to as a BBW.

2. "Over the Rainbow" Recorded again and not dissimilar to previous recording in H & J Project #2.

3. "Mister Sandman" the Chordettes earworm that's already sticking in your head just by reading the title. That "bum bum bum bum bum" crap is like mental napalm.


4. "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" Here we go again with the Ames Brothers and a novelty song that couldn't possibly be more soulless and suburban. No panties were dampened by the original.

 And while certainly not my favorite source material for a Homer and Jethro parody they certainly make something much more entertaining out of it.

January 1955- CAS-948(e) - Songs to Tickle Your Funny Bone - 04 - Malady of Love

From the pretty comprehensive sessionography compiled here it seems like this was recorded on January 17, 1955 with the other four songs on the above EP but not released at the time. It finally makes an appearance in 1966 in "electronically reprocessed stereo" on a cheap budget compilation.

The song started life in 1903 as 'Mélodie d'amour' Op. 600 by Hans Engelmann. A nice syrupy light classical piece that you could play at the piano recital and make your grandmother cry.

And there it languished until Billy Vaughn took a crack at it with his orchestra and had a  surprise hit. (It surprises me anyway since it's a terrible song.) Being a hit instrumental meant that somebody had to write some lyrics pretty damn fast so that it could be a vocal hit as well. That task fell to Tom Glazer and then the Four Aces scored with their dreary rendition.

With so much treacly bullshit going around it's no wonder that Homer & Jethro took time out of their busy schedules to make their own recording which they chose not to initially inflict on the public at the time. Which is kind of too bad since it was a pretty good take down.

Oh well, you can enjoy it now at least.