The Homer & Jethro Project #66

Well, kids. We made it. We're just mopping up here and I'm throwing caution to the wind and combining the final pair of long players into one post as a special treat and a final nail in this journey.

January 1972 - lsp-4659 - NSB - The Bandit



These last two are without Homer Haynes, but they complete the recordings of the Nashville String Band and you know, in for a penny, in for a pound and my general fetish for discographical completion.

1. "The Bandit"
2. "Estrellita"
3. "Cielito Lindo"
4. "Gay Ranchero" (J. J. Espinosa, Francia Luban)
5. "Marcheta"
6. "The Great El Tigre (The Tiger)"
7. "Spanish Eyes"
8. "You Belong to My Heart"
9. "Cumbanchero"
10. "Bandera"
11. "Vaya Con Dios"

 August 1972 - lsp-4771 -  The World's Greatest Melodies 



The only thing I have to say about this is that I'm willing to contest just about every song on this one as a "World's Greatest Melody"

"Battle Hymn of the Republic"?, "Dixie"?  The "Beer Barrel fucking Polka"?

Surely they were high when they came up with that title...

1. Battle Hymn of the Republic
2. Steel Guitar Rag
3. Fascination
4. Third Man Theme
5. Medley: I'm Thinking Tonight of my Blue Eyes/Wabash Cannonball/Hawaiian Wedding Song
6. Lara's Theme
7. La Paloma
8. St Louis Blues
9. Beer Barrel Polka
10. Dixie

The Homer & Jethro Project #65

#65

The Penultimate post and the last new record released by Homer and Jethro and one as a posthumous tribute to Homer Haynes collecting the remaining studio bits fleshed out with recent singles to make a long player.

February 1972 - lsp-4648 - The Far-Out World of 

I can't think of anything to say here so I'll just copy out the liner notes:

"Wild, wooly, wacky, weird, but never wicked, that was the world of Homer and Jethro. We were the Jet Set Hillbillies; our world extended from the posh gambling casinos of Nevada to Blake's Tavern, one of the greatest saloons of Indianapolis. There were no sacred cows in our world; our targets were beautiful ballads by composers who wanted their songs recorded badly. We were called song butchers, music manglers and more. Our lyrics were laundered for records, radio and T.V.; in person we let it all hang out and liked it much better - so  did our fans. We were lazy. Many agents criticized us for not working hard actually we just never allowed bookings to interfere with a ball game or fishing trip or just doing nothing when we felt like it.

Many acts copied up with little or no success, probably because we weren't acting. We enjoyed making people laugh or pickin' our guitar and mandolin, singing crazy songs and never taking ourselves too seriously. Many comedians made more money, but nobody had the fun we did. We didn't make the scandal sheets, maybe that's where we went wrong. We never used our families in our publicity we figured they were entitled to their privacy and it worked out fine. When Homer passed away on August 7, 1971 our world ended - from that time on it would be half a world.

It will never be the same, but half a world is better than none. To try and replace Homer would be impossible, and I'm not even gonna try. One thing I do know, on the nights I'm on stage working as a single, sometimes I'll miss my lines or play bad notes and way back in my mind I'll hear a little voice say, "Come on dumb ass, do it right."

Sincerely

Jethro Burns"

The Homer & Jethro Project #64

#64

It goes on and forward.

May 1971 - lsp-4553 - NSB - Strung Up

Another pop instrumental contribution.

Of note are a really pretty hot version of the Monkees tune and original contributions by Chet Atkins & Jethro Burns ("Alhambra" & ""Flaky", respectively)

I mean, I feel like I should really have more to say about these Nashville String Band records than I do. But I don't. They'll have to speak for themselves. Though it is kind of a shame to  a certain extent that these kind of light pop instrumental records don't really get made much any more.
It's a niche market, but someone needs to make that niche viable again.
 

Last Train To Clarksville	2:25
Nola	2:24
Geneviève (Shawn-vee-ev)	2:12
Opryland	2:40
Happy Ending	1:56
Alhambra	2:42
El Condor Pasa	2:10
Tennessee Waltz	2:36
The Birth Of The Blues	2:10
Flaky	2:03

The Homer & Jethro Project #63

Here we are again a couple days later and in the final push.

There's less than a week of Spring 2018 to be had and only four more posts to go before this is all over.

I don't know if I should be sad or relieved. I'm neither actually. I'm more interested in moving onto other stuff, but I started this, so I'll damn well finish it.

Damn it.

January 1971 - lsp-4472 - NSB - Identified!

It was probably not really much of a surprise to anybody, but at least it was out in the open.
More Pop instrumental stuff for light entertaining & cocktails or maybe as the soundtrack to one of those swinging 70's key parties that were the stuff of Penthouse Forum letters and which I probably wouldn't have gotten an invite to anyway.

Colonel Bogey	2:12
White Silver Sands	2:30
Red Wings	2:24
The Three Bells	2:37
Oklahoma Hills	2:26
Strollin'	2:09
Sweet Dreams	2:17
Rocky Top	2:35
Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)	2:54
Green, Green Grass Of Home	2:37

The Homer & Jethro Project #62

#62

Mopping up the last couple of 45 rpm records.

June 1970 - RCA 47-9866 - Daddy Played First Base/You Smell Like Turtles

The  a-side is their version of the Johnny Cash song " Daddy Played Bass" that the no doubt had loads of fun with between appearances on his popular summer replacement variety show.

The other side is just kind of odd. I like it.

November 1970 - RCA 47-9922 - Hello Darlin' #2/Punny Farm


Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Conway Twitty.

 The other side of this record is a lot of what might be referred to as "Dad Jokes" in these razzle dazzle modern times. If you're a parent or plan on being one here's an opportunity to stock up a bit. You never know when you'll need to make a child embarrassed to be around you.

The Homer & Jethro Project #61

I'm actually listening to the Holy Modal Rounders while I type this. There were a few stray Lps that I didn't have digital copies or cds of, so I'm making my own. These are just for me anyway. I'm pretty sure I've already pissed off most of the people who had formerly been keeping this thing on their radar. No need to dig that hole deeper.

I'm also planning on killing the last couple of inches of whisky in that bottle while I do all of it.

It's six months ago and while it looks to warm up considerably for the next couple of days it's been nothing but negative numbers for the last couple of weeks and sitting here with a space heater, records and whisky seems like a perfectly sensible thing to be doing right now.
It's still plenty cold out there.

May 1970 - lsp-4363 - NSB - Down Home

Here we are again with the next installment of sweet pop instrumental jamming from the Boys & Chester. This time we're hitting on some classic country tunes that they already knew. The back of the jacket makes a point to let you, the listener, know that all the instruments on it are acoustic. No electrics.

It works for me.

Under The Double Eagle	2:24
Just A Closer Walk With Thee	2:36
The Arkansas Traveler	1:55
Cold, Cold Heart	2:34
Fraulein	1:59
Wildwood Flower	2:01
Tennessee Rag	2:17
Maiden's Prayer	2:23
South	2:52
Mockingbird Hill	3:00

The Homer & Jethro Project #60

Fucking Hell.

Sixty fucking Homer and fucking Jethro fucking posts.

Will this well never run dry?

November 1969 - lsp-4274 - Nashville String Band

So another couple of years after the last time they released an Lp of straight pop instrumental tunes Homer & Jethro with probably very little arm twisting on their part teamed up with Chet Atkins under the name of the Nashville String Band and recorded this record.

They, in fact, recorded another five after this one. (Well, three more with Homer, anyway). It's a bit of a Spanish/Mexican influenced record no doubt to try and catch on the latter end of the coattails of Herb Albert and his Tijuana Brass. I don't think it really worked, but sales were apparently sufficient to let them continue. So there is that.

I know at other various points in my life I'd have totally shit on this one. It would infuriate me as pure inconsequential nothingness. Virtual fucking Muzak . But now that I'm old enough to laugh at what a pretentious little prick I used to be I can appreciate it for what it is.




I made a meatloaf while I recorded this. It was very good music for making meatloaf to.

La Fiesta	2:30
Yellow Bird	3:18
El Paso	2:47
Granada	2:49
Adios Amigos	2:29
La Golondrina = The Swallow	1:51
Caribbean	2:24
Tomorrow's Tears (Morir Un Poco)	2:07
Maria Elena	3:17
Drina	2:35
In A Little Spanish Town	2:13

The Homer & Jethro Project #59

#59

Well, it's getting down to the wire.

Let us dispense with the preliminary typing and proceed directly to the next album

March 1969 - lsp-4148 - Next Album

Sadly this would be the last long playing album that Homer Haynes would complete under the name of Homer and Jethro. There would be some records that the duo would go on to record with Chet Atkins under the name the Nashville String Band (which will follow in the coming week), a few stray singles and a posthumous compilation , but this is the final record as a whole for our heroes as Homer and Jethro.

But the good news is that it's one of their best efforts. It's good pretty much all the way through with some highlights along the way.
As always mileage will vary, but the "Gal From Possum Holler" is always a winner around here.



1. There Ain’t a Chicken Safe in Tennessee
2. The Gal from Possum Holler
3. I Ain’t Got a Worry in the World
4. Little Arrows

5. D-i-v-o-r-c-e (B-a-c-o-n And E-g-g-s)

6. What Have You Done For Me Lately
7. I Upped My Income (Up Yours)
8. Cab Driver
9. I Haven’t The Foggiest
10. Pennsylvania Turnpike
11. Like Mother Used to Make
12. You Know a Thousand Ways

The Homer & Jethro Project #58

#58

Another day has dawned and time marches on and you are the oldest you've ever been in your entire life up until this moment and on into the next when you get even older.

Here's more live action Homer and Jethro

October 1968 - lsp-4024 - Live at Vanderbilt U

Another live Lp.

You know the drill.
Comedy bits separated from most of the tunes for convenience sake.
It's funny and good natured and nobody cusses.
Sit back and listen.

The Homer & Jethro Project #57

#57

I'm going one over my post queue quota for tonight.
Mostly because this is the record I want to listen to to end with this go round.

(Much to the consternation of  the cat who has taken to sitting directly on the mouspad to stare me into putting food into her dish while she impedes my progress in finishing this post. She's only hurting herself...)

This Lp is pretty quality though.
Starting with the cover.

February 1968 - lsp- 3973 - There's Nothing Like an Old Hippie


I mean, just look at that cover. That's fucking hilarious. The album itself is good too.
You can pick your own favorites, but I'm partial to the two openers.

A1	Hill Billy Hippie	2:15
A2	I Crept Into The Crypt And Cried	2:50
A3	Owed To Don Bowman	1:59
A4	Four Rooms And Path	2:21
A5	World's Oldest Teenager	1:46
A6	The Hootin' Holler Hilton Bar And Grill	1:55
B1	Indian Trader	2:25
B2	That Little Boy Of Mine	2:01
B3	I Taught Her Everything She Knows	2:14
B4	I Couldn't Spell "Pffft"	2:03
B5	It Ain't No Fun To Be A Pigeon	2:07
B6	The Second Hundred Years	2:10

The Homer & Jethro Project #56

#56

It's the last day of May and full on Summer is fast approaching.
Hopefully you're getting swimsuit ready.
Fortunately for the world, I don't swim, so I'm already ready for not being in a swimsuit.
It's better for everyone that way.

September 1967 - lsp-3877 - Somethin' Stupid

I have nothing to add about this one except that it makes me really miss having a decent Jewish bakery around where I could get an actual bagel.

*sigh*

A1	The Ballad Of Roger Miller	2:32
A2	Somethin' Stupid	1:58
A3	Upside Down	2:20
A4	The Bagel Song	2:20
A5	I Can Spell Banana	2:20
A6	Kosher Chitlins	1:57
B1	Laugh And Scratch	2:52
B2	Smellin' Like A Rose	2:27
B3	Human Cannon Ball	2:13
B4	Pearl Handled Pocket Knife	2:50
B5	Old Grand Dad	2:30
B6	Sow, Sow, Sow Your Oats	1:37

The Homer & Jethro Project #55

#55

The end is in sight, kids. Down to the last dozen posts for this Spring Spree.

It's not everybody's cup of tea, but for some it's the something they didn't actually know they needed in their tiny lives. (I didn't until I heard it and my life was pretty small even before)

Now I do. And I'm willing to share.

So onward we go even deeper into 1967 for today's installment of the H & J P

May 1967 - lsp-3822 - Nashville Cats

A1	Nashville Cats	2:40
A2	Laugh It Up	2:12
A3	No Matter Where You Go	2:20
A4	Go To Hal	2:27
A5	The Square Song	2:00
A6	He's Goin' Down	2:31
B1	She Loves You	2:20
B2	Hillbilly Hands	1:59
B3	Winchester Cathedral	2:25
B4	Doctor Quincy Quack	2:27
B5	Pusan U (Sioux City Sue)	2:50
B6	Playin' Checkers With My Poodle	2:25

The Homer & Jethro Project #54

#54

I've still got more than a dozen of  these posts yet to do up at the moment, but I am pleased to say that I just yesterday scored one of the early singles that I've been looking for an original copy of for many  years already. If you've been playing along at home all this time, you've already been enjoying the upgraded fruits of my search for the elusive "I've Got Tears in my Ears/She Made Toothpicks of the Timbers of my Heart" for a while now. But as I type this, I have yet to actually receive it. There's a decent placeholder rip from somebody else sitting in the queue. I eagerly await the opportunity to swap it out for my own copy because it's mine.

It's a matter of personal pride.

January 1967 - lsp-3701 - It Ain't Necessarily Square

Following up half a decade later from "Playing It Straight" the boys throw down another straight up instrumental record of all playing and no jokes. There's some recent hits thrown in with another batch of jazz standards and as always a double helping of Ellington tunes to cap off the festivities.

I have no issues with any of this.

• A1 Call Me
• A2 Lil' Darlin'
• A3 Broadway
• A4 More (Theme from "Mondo Cane")
• A5 Cute
• A6 Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
• B1 The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Them From "The Sandpiper")
• B2 The Sweetest Sounds
• B3 Shiny Stockings
• B4 Satin Doll
• B5 Take the "A" Train

The Homer & Jethro Project #53

#53

Still going.

October 1966 - lsp-3673 - Wanted For Murder

Here we go. Back on track with their strengths. Relevant links go to the originals. Of note is the spoken word track "Great Men Repeat Themselves" which is a parody of an urban legend that alleged numerous weird coincidences surrounding the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln & Kennedy.
This is like that, but funnier despite it concerning coincidences featuring then president Lyndon B. Johnson


I Love You Drops
No Hair Sam
He Loves Me
I Want To Go With You
Wanted For Murder
Great Men Repeat Themselves
I Don't Flirt Anymore
Drop Dead Little Darlin'
Lying Time
Tiger By The Tail
Good Little Boys 
What A Lousy Day Was Yesterday

The Homer & Jethro Project #52

#52

It's actually been a few weeks since I last put a post together for this project. But I have the advantage of doing these months out in advance so I get to have my yearly Fall bender and try and catch up with that and the Hüsker Dü box set on Numero Group while this can sit and stew for as long as it will. It will still be here and still be months ahead of me for whenever I get around to picking it back up again.

There's even yet a few items I need to pull the trigger on and others to digitize and lots of other recent arrivals that I've really yet to sit down and gone through. It's never fucking ending.

At least it's less expensive than a meth addiction and I get to keep my teeth. Plus the records are reusable and some gain value, so like, totally worth it for whoever gets my shit when I'm dead. (if the people in charge of dispersing it aren't complete morons and just chuck it all in a dumpster...)

But we're here for Homer and Jethro

May 1966 - lsp-3538 - Any News From Nashville

I'll be honest, this is not my favorite of their Lps. It sounds like they had some fun making it, but it's way too Nashville inside joke to really resonate with me 52 years after its release. It's more or less kind of a throwaway for me, but other people's mileage may vary.

I mean, I usually listen to what I'm posting about while I type so I can remember what it is that I'm posting about. In this case, I'm not. I'm listening to Hüsker Dü.

The Homer & Jethro Project #51

#51

This is my goal number for the night's typing.
I want a coffee and some time on the couch turning my brain off for a while playing Fallout for the umpteenth time and the umpteenth hour.

I feel like I've earned it.

January 1966 - lsp-3462 - The Old Crusty Minstrels


The title is, for those not in the know, a jab at the New Christy Minstrels who were a large ensemble cast folk chorus of interchangeable performers going all across the country being super positive and a well scrubbed Aryan wet dream singing the songs of the people. (And their moniker was in fact derived from Christy's Minstrels who were a pre-Civil War 19th Century blackface minstrel show. So. Yeah, there's that aspect too.)

Relevant links below:

King of the Camp
Red Roses For A Blue Lady
Cotton Fields
She Broke My Heart At Walgreens
The Old Potato Peel Booze
The Chase Is On
The Great Society
Charlie Cheated on His Income Tax
The One On The Right Is The One On The Left (this is actually from 1966 when Johnny Cash made a comedy record called "Everybody Loves a Nut" which included a number of songs previously recorded by his wife's former musical accomplices. This one and the next for example.)
Egg Eatin' Dog (see above)
People Who Like People
Camp Runamuck

The Homer & Jethro Project #50

Half a hundred

This is a lot of typing.

#50

March 1965 - lsp-3357 - Sing Tenderly and other Great Love Ballads

Here we go. Back to the start taking popular songs of the day and giving them that certain Homer and Jethro special country touch. All popular songs that are part of the canon and ones that a quick Youtube search will bring instantly bring up an embarrassment of riches in terms of other performers.

Do that at your leisure. In the meantime marvel at these versions. It was surprisingly the only release they had in the year 1965, for better or worse, and all the more remarkable at a time when most record releasing acts might easily put out two or three lps in any given year.

	Tenderly
	I Got Rhythm
	Fly Me To The Moon
	Moon River
	Arrivederci Roma
	Baubles, Bangles And Beads
	Misty
	Laura
	I'm In The Mood For Love
	You Made Me Love You
	Donkey Serenade
	The Very Thought Of You

The Homer & Jethro Project #49

Need to plow through a couple of fresh posts tonight.

#49

October 1964 - lsp-2954 - Fractured Folk Songs


I'm going to assume that the title alone should give you an idea of what we're dealing with here at the tail end of the great American Folk Revival that was part of the many musical streams killed off by Limeys in this year. It was a sad time. But at least it got Dylan to go electric.

Little Maggie
Mama Don't Whip Little Buford
The Playboy Song
I Don't Give A Hoot (For The Nanny)
So Long (It's Been Good To Know You)
Goodnight Irene
Why Don't You Wash Your Feet
After The Hangover's Over
Rye Whiskey
Fractured Folk Song
Jimmy Drinks Corn
The Funny Farm

The Homer & Jethro Project #48

#48

And so it goes.

March 1964 - RCA 47-8345 - I Want to Hold Your Hand / She Loves You

Like they did with  Elvis the decade previous, Homer and Jethro had to go with the times and attempt to lampoon the then current fad. So they made this one which I won't linger on.
The less said the better.

July 1964 - lsp-2928 - Cornfucius Say

So yeah, 1964 was a different time. Civil Rights were being fought for hard in the streets as well as equality and and end to racial discrimination, but apparently Asian stereotypes were still game.

(See also Mickey Rooney's yellow face portrayal of "Mr. Yunioshi" in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for even cringier shit)

But it is what it is and to deny that it existed is to deny where we started and how far we've come and still need to go.

(One really shouldn't be looking for racial sensitivity in the comedy from half a century ago anyway.)

So at this point our boys were still doing their Kellogs Corn Flakes work. There were another couple of commercials too. One that is a surreal take on the pervasive nature of advertising and one that would probably prompt an Asian American boycott nowadays. (and I'm not sure I'd blame them.)
At least they have their names on the back of their shirts so you can tell them apart.

This leg of the Corn Flakes campaign even came with its own Cornfucius Joke Book (here in a nice .pdf format from my own personal copy.) that could be gotten as a premium for sending in your box tops collected over the course of many many breakfasts and bachelor dinners.

Contents therein assured to entertain six year olds and grandparents.

Of note on the record is another version of the Frank Loesser tune "Slow Boat to China" (see H&JP #10) and two more particular favorites in "Cousin John and Cousin Mabel" and Cy Coben's great working man's lament "My Boss". He wrote a lot of songs for Homer & Jethro, but this is the clear winner.

Cornfucius Say
Doin' My Homework (While I Watch TV)
Cousin John And Cousin Mabel
Doctor Foo Man Choo
Mother Goose Is Chicken
A Slow Boat To China
Gonna Send 'Em Home
Oh Golly, Cornfucius
Darlin' You Look So Good To Me
Chow Hound's Lament
My Boss
Monsters Of The World, Unite!

The Homer & Jethro Project #47

No compilations today.

I want to continue powering through the H&J P.

Be patient.

September 1963 - lsp-2743 - Ooh, That's Corny


Sometime in the midst of 1963, between MLK delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial and JFK's assassination in Dallas, Homer and Jethro dropped this Lp.

It also coincided with them hooking up with Kellogs for a national ad campaign for Corn Flakes. Never ones to shy away from really corny humor, H & J fully embraced the steady paycheck from Kellogs and embarked on a second career as shameless sell out shills doing commercials.

One a based on "Rock Island Line", one telling worse jokes than usual and even another one that required some mountain climbing action sequences without stunt doubles all appeared and went out over the airwaves raising their public profile and hopefully their bank balances as well their nightly appearance fees.

And keeping with the corny theme they put out this record with more mostly originals. There's also a redo of both sides of their 1950 release of "I've Got Tears In My Ears / She Made Toothpicks Of The Timbers Of My Heart" (see H&JP #10) and one old timey cover from the 20s thrown in for good measure.

Ooh, That's Corny
Does Anybody Here Play The Piano?
Bread 'N Gravy
The Charms Of The City Ain't For Me
She Made Toothpicks Of The Timber Of My Heart
I Can't Tell My Heart
Don't Go In The Lion's Cage Tonight
When Banana Skins Are Falling
I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In Bed While I Cried Over You
I'll Never See Maggie Alone
I'm The Guy
Mama Get The Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)