500.

Somehow we have managed to let this nonsense get this far. Perhaps too far.

This, ladies and germs is the 500th post.

And to what do we owe this auspicious occasion?

It's the Key to Happiness.

As so beautifully and tersely outlined by Mr. Peanutbutter :

Wise words indeed.

And now on with our show.

Chimpanzee Rocket Ride (1961)

So you'd think for this milestone occasion, I'd have planned well in advance and prepared some kind of extra special post of exquisite rarities or some kind of sonic Holy Grail record that people can only dream about hearing.

You should know me better than that by now.

I'm giving you a pair of space themed novelty songs on weirdly split singles. Here Mike Lawing and the Famous Keys give you "Chimpanzee Rocket Ride" backed with the Penetrators (one of umpteen bands by that name) who do a rousing instrumental called "Blitzkrieg"
Perfect for surfing and late night tiki torch marches.

Everyone's Gone to the Moon (1965)

We pair this with Jonathan King's magnum opus about the future "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" which is inexplicably backed by a cockney flavored rock and roll number about "Little Reuben" I won't pretend to understand. Just lay back and think of England.

This particular Jonathan King track has been quite a favorite around the Swinging Singles Club hallowed halls for many a year, or should I say, many a moon? I hope it amuses you as much as it does us.

The Homer & Jethro Project #42

The answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

#42

September 1960 - RCA 47-7790 - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini / Please, Help Me I'm Falling

A their parting shot to 1960, Homer and Jethro took on the unlikely and impossibly irritating Bryan Hyland hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" about a girl who was embarrassed by the swimsuit that she chose to go to the beach in. Apparently its lack of modesty didn't occur to her when she was purchasing it in the first place.
It's when you hear the terrible crap like the original here that you realize the impact that Elvis' army stint and Chuck Berry's jail time had on the wretched state of popular music at the time.

 Dark days.
It was still a full two years before Dick Dale and surf music would revive the ailing corpse of rock and roll (only to have a bunch of limeys water it down again two years after that)

The B side is a song that would eventually be included on the next Lp. We'll pick it up now.

February 1961 - lsp 2286 - Songs my Mother Never Sang

Another Lp. Another Jack Davis cover. The originals as I am aware are linked.

For this one Chet Atkins decided to leave some of the studio chatter in with the music as an illustration of what he had to put up with. Chester was a patient man.
(The Connie Francis number that kicks things off still makes me laugh.)

Among My Souvenirs
Sweet Violets
Come Here Little Wifey!
The Tattooed Lady
Please Help Me,I'm Falling
How Come There's No Dog Day?
I Love Your Pizza
Don't Jump Off The Roof Dad
Will You Love Me When
She Was Bitten On The Udder By An Adder
In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree

February 1961 - RCA 47-7852 - Are You Lonesome Tonight / I Love Your Pizza

As another bonus to go with the Lp our boys had another dig at Elvis with a stab at "Are You Lonesome Tonight" but the song itself is another much older tune.

The song itself goes back to 1927 when the Canadian tenor, Henry Burr recorded it.



There's not much more to say about it.