Insights, observations, cheap gags.
Here’s an oldie but a goodie – from 1963, it’s “Mr. Bass Man” by the late Johnny Cymbal. I dare you to listen to this and not crack a smile.
Told you so.
The Bass Man in question is Ronnie Bright, an R&B/doo-wop singer who was in groups such as the Valentines, the Cadillacs, the Deep River Boys, and the Coasters. But what I want to know is, is he the mystery man behind this vintage Ajax commercial?
You know what’s even more awesome than the fact that Winston cigarettes sponsored a cartoon? The fact that the main characters, as was the custom for TV shows of the ’50s and early ’60s, appeared in ads actually smoking them. Behold, an infamous Winston spot from The Flintstones, circa 1960-61:
See, I told you it was awesome. Even better, and almost lost in the clouds of secondhand smoke, is that little gem of pre-Women’s Lib chauvinism that starts the ad. As Wilma and Betty toil in the yard, Fred has a brilliant idea – “Let’s go around back where we can’t see ‘em!” He’s like Don Draper in an animal pelt.
Winston, who also sponsored The Beverly Hillbillies around the same time, pulled its sponsorship from The Flintstones when Wilma became pregnant. I guess even tobacco companies have to draw the line somewhere.
Oh wait, no they don’t.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t try to spread at least a little holiday cheer with the Listening Booth. So here’s some of said cheer, along with a touch of light symphonic funk. It’s “Jingle Bells” by The Soulful Strings, from their 1968 album The Magic of Christmas.
It took decades for Odessey and Oracle, the 1967 classic by the Zombies, to get the recognition it so richly deserved. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with classic rock has heard “Time of the Season” ad infinitum, which is fine as it is certainly a great song. But today I want to pay some respect to the album’s lead track and single, “Care of Cell 44″. Penned by Zombies co-founder Ron Argent, it combines a great chorus, soaring vocals, and a tastefully deployed Mellotron to achieve all kinds of win. Enjoy.
The General Mills Corporation started producing a little-known, citrus-flavored drink mix called Tang in 1959. It sold pretty poorly for more than half a decade, until the company noticed that it was being used by NASA’s Gemini space program. They latched onto that as a marketing angle, and fifty years later Tang is still synonymous with outer space and astronauts. So much so that many people mistakenly believe that Tang was developed for the space program.
It didn’t take long for General Mills to cash in on the 1969 moon landing, as this ad demonstrates:
Notice the little blurb at the bottom that says “Chosen for Apollo astronauts in outer space”? Makes for a great sales pitch, except it’s not entirely true. According to both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, Tang was not on board during the Apollo 11 mission (which, let’s face it, is the only one people care about besides Apollo 13). But hey, why let facts get in the way of good marketing?
I discovered this vintage tune quite by jazz pianist Ray Bryant quite by chance recently, when it came up on a random last.fm playlist. Actually I should say that a remix of the song, by Irish DJ David Holmes, came up on a random last.fm playlist. You won’t find too many jazz songs that start with a drum break, but then this is probably one of the better jazz/soul hybrids I’ve heard in some time. Joining Bryant are Grady Tate (drums), Ron Carter (bass), and the horn section of Dobbie Hiques and Snookie Young.
Enjoy “Up Above the Rock” by Ray Bryant, the lead track from the 1968 album of the same name.
(As with all listening booth entries, YouTube could take the video down at any time so don’t be surprised if it happens.)
What could be more American than watching some Beach Boys on the 4th of July? Nothing, that’s what. So here’s two clips from YouTube that will probably get taken down soon enough. First let’s watch a performance of “Darlin’” from an unspecified date (I’d guess late ’70s). The lack of Brian Wilson sucks of course, but thanks to brother Carl this is still quite a good performance.
And now for one of the true classics – “Surfin’ USA” from March 14, 1964. This is part of the “Lost Concert” now available on DVD. The syncing seems to be a bit off, but otherwise it’s a great clip.
