"My Son, the Folk Singer"
"My Son, the Celebrity"
"My Son, the Nut"
"For Swingin' Livers Only!"
Allan Sherman
Collectors Choice/Warner Bros.
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Just in time for the high, holy days comes the re-release of the meat (kosher, of course) of song parodist Allan Sherman's catalog.
If you listen to any of these releases with no sense of context, you'll undoubtedly be scratching your head -- at the references as well as the fact that his first three releases reached the No. 1 slot. Then again, so were radio and record pundits of the day.
Sherman was a veteran producer and comedy writer ("I've Got a Secret," "The Steve Allen Show") when he tried his hand at performing. That these parodies of popular songs, rewritten with mostly Jewish humor (although many, like "Automation" are true snapshots of the time) would become that popular was truly a phenomenon. They are, for sure, old school: completely clean, heavy on the corn (complete with canned applause) and "in house."
Whether anyone could replicate his success today is doubtful. Unfortunately, today's world is a much more cynical, "hip" place.
That said, some of the highlights from these discs include "The Streets of Miami," "Jump Down, Spin Around (Pick a Dress o' Cotton)" and "Seltzer Boy" (from "Folk Singer"); "Mexican Hat Dance," "The Bronx Bird Watcher," "Won't You Come Home, Disraeli?" (from "Celebrity"); "Rat Fink" (a nod to Huntington's Soupy Sales), "Hail to Thee, Fat Person" and the No. 5 pop hit "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!" (from "Nut") and "Pop Hates the Beatles," "America's a Nice Italian Name" and "Beautiful Teamsters" (from "Livers").
"My Son, the Folk Singer""My Son, the Celebrity"
"My Son, the Nut"
"For Swingin' Livers Only!"
Allan Sherman
Collectors Choice/Warner Bros.
----------
Just in time for the high, holy days comes the re-release of the meat (kosher, of course) of song parodist Allan Sherman's catalog.
If you listen to any of these releases with no sense of context, you'll undoubtedly be scratching your head -- at the references as well as the fact that his first three releases reached the No. 1 slot. Then again, so were radio and record pundits of the day.
Sherman was a veteran producer and comedy writer ("I've Got a Secret," "The Steve Allen Show") when he tried his hand at performing. That these parodies of popular songs, rewritten with mostly Jewish humor (although many, like "Automation" are true snapshots of the time) would become that popular was truly a phenomenon. They are, for sure, old school: completely clean, heavy on the corn (complete with canned applause) and "in house."
Whether anyone could replicate his success today is doubtful. Unfortunately, today's world is a much more cynical, "hip" place.
That said, some of the highlights from these discs include "The Streets of Miami," "Jump Down, Spin Around (Pick a Dress o' Cotton)" and "Seltzer Boy" (from "Folk Singer"); "Mexican Hat Dance," "The Bronx Bird Watcher," "Won't You Come Home, Disraeli?" (from "Celebrity"); "Rat Fink" (a nod to Huntington's Soupy Sales), "Hail to Thee, Fat Person" and the No. 5 pop hit "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!" (from "Nut") and "Pop Hates the Beatles," "America's a Nice Italian Name" and "Beautiful Teamsters" (from "Livers").
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"The Mathematics of Love"
Peter Parcek
www.peterparcekband.com
Redstar/Vizztone
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Parcek's sophomore effort came out in 2009, so I'm a little behind with this one, but it's never too late to give some props to a good record.
As far as I can figure, Boston-based Parcek has been honing his talents "under the radar" for a while (although he's won a number of Boston music awards).
This 10-song disc not only showcases his tasteful guitar work but an appreciation (and virtuosity) of different styles. From the opening "Showbiz Blues," a Delta-styled stomp penned by Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green and the quick-picking instrumental "Rollin'" to Jessie Mae Hemphill's slow moan "Lord, Help the Poor and Needy" and a blistering take on Ray Charles' "Busted" (with singular help from organ legend Al Kooper), this is a solid-as-a-rock roots-blues disc.
Other standouts are the John Mooney-sounding (and that's a compliment) take on Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Kokomo Me Baby" and a rolling, two-fisted version of Lucinda Williams' "Get Right With God."
