Technicolor Jane, Coming With Fran, Plus The Caravelles Complete And A Velvety Lamb Secret Song!

Some things that shouldn't add up sometimes add up quite nicely. For example, take one part Jane Powell...

Impossible Chic With Greta, Blusey Jazz With Carrie, Plus Movies 'n' Such With Laura, Herrmann Underwater And A Collective Unconsciousness Secret Song!

"People don't know me in the sticks," quipped Greta Keller, the elegant, Vienna-born diva who was so popular during her astonishing two year run at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria that they named their club room after her, calling it (of course) The Waldorf Keller.

Exclusive Gloria, Plus Betty's Completeness, More Maisel Music, Herrmann's Tippi, Plus A Former Bowie Band Member Secret Song!

There's no one like Gloria Lynne. She can take on any musical genre - jazz, blues, Broadway, pop - and bend them to her will. It's no wonder that she won a first prize trophy at an Apollo Theatre amateur talent contest in the 1930s - after lying about her age in order to qualify, since she was only 15 years old. Such spunk!

Morgana For Everyone, Ruth & Vido Get Down, Plus Herrmann x 2 And A Peppery Secret Song!

All along, if we're to take her word for it, jazz and blues singer Morgana King's truest ambition was to become an actor. Yet even before she was cast in "The Godfather" in 1972, she'd already been one of our finest actors for nearly two decades. But on vinyl.

Nancy's Nite, Chloe's Fiddling, Plus Ana's So Kewl, Lotus Land's Epics And A Boy-Boutique Secret Song!

Spring has sprung! And with it, more cheerful tunes. In case of our first vocalist, we have yet another singer who's a mystery wrapped in a sphinx wrapped in a Rubik's Cube. Intrigued? I knew you would be.

Herrmann Hangs, Dakota's Most, Plus Screamin' Halloween Tunes And A Revealing Secret Song!

Do yourself a favor this Halloween. Once you've returned from your party, parade, bar or hookah lounge, or after you've shoved that last handful of candy into some sticky kid's hand, sit back and watch "Hangover Square," a must-see thriller about a composer played by Laird Cregor who goes mad - bonkers, I tell you, bonkers - and also (possibly) murderous. Plus, it co-stars the inimitable George Sanders who's in full George Sanders bitch-mode:

LaVerne Goes Live, Hitchcock's Best, Chakiris Croons, Plus Pyewacket And A Stunt Queen Secret Song!

Think only today's singers are raunchy? That only they cross the line? Oh, hahahahaha! LaVern Baker laughs at you. In fact, "Think Twice," LaVern's duet with Jackie Wilson, was so racy it was banned outright - and that was in the late 60s. But some things are just too good to remain hidden. Give a listen:

Haven't heard of LaVern? She was a popular R&B queen in the 1950s who started out singing in nightclubs under the name "Little Miss Sharecropper." Like most legends, she couldn't, or wouldn't, leave well enough alone. Thank goodness. She was still truckin', as they used to say, live in Hollywood in 1991 in this Sassy Cheerful Exclusive!, the year she was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame.

Believe it or not, she sounded better than ever, maybe because she returned to her jazz and blues roots, especially on cuts like "Slow Rollin' Mama" and "I Cried A Tear." Oh, and in the song, "Saved," where she claims she no longer "smokes, cusses, drinks and dances the hootchie-coo," you get the distinct feeling that she's bending the truth a little. Yes, the song ends with her "stepping on to glory," but I'm sure she did it on her own terms.

Look, the couple below is making sweet love. Actually, it's a murder, but with Hitchcock, as you know, love, cruelty and death are one and the same.

Have you ever seen "Frenzy?" It's late-era Hitchcock, so not as well known, but it's one of my favorites, and the music by Ron Goodwin is appropriately upbeat, yet menacing. A track from that film can be heard in "Psycho: The Essential Alfred Hitchcock," a wonderful two-CD set which includes essential tracks not only from Bernard Herrmann, but Dimitri Tiomkin ("Dial 'M' For Murder," "Strangers On A Train"), Franz Waxman ("Suspicion," "Rear Window") and a host more going all the way back to music for 1935's "The 39 Steps." In other words, there's something for every Hitchcock fan to celebrate!

Meanwhile, who's the swaggy-looking dude leaning out of the truck cab below?

Why, it's our old friend George Chakiris: dancer, Academy Award-winning actor, singer and all-around nice guy. How do I know he's nice? Because me and my Cuban Luvuh met him briefly a few weeks ago at a tribute to his career. He could not have been more gentlemanly, and at seventy-nine years old, he still has a tall dancer's build - from a few feet away, you'd swear he was in his mid-forties. In fact, given the way he moved, I'm almost certain he can still do this:

Chakiris hasn't gotten his due as a singer - he was one of the few who wasn't dubbed in "West Side Story - and as we learned that night, it's what brought him his greatest pleasure besides dancing. "Memories Are Made Of This" - a Dancing Greek Cheerful Exclusive! - is one of his better LPs. The orchestrations are smart (it's Frank Sinatra's official Capitol band) and Chakiris' vocals are sharper and more confident than in past efforts, especially on "Witchcraft" and "A Taste Of Honey." Though he can tend to overuse his lower register for woo-woo-woo effect, this is a stylish LP from beginning to end.

Since Christmas is coming, shouldn't we celebrate a famous puss?

Yes, it's Pyewacket, the famous puss from "Bell, Book & Candle" (that other puss is awfully nice, too). It's a terrific movie, of course - not "great," necessarily, but perfectly pleasant - and the soundtrack by George Duning, believe it or or not, is a brightly fizzy listen for the holidays. No, really. Wonderful to listen to while hanging lights on the tree 'n' such. Or for cuddling your own little Pyewacket.

There are stunt queens - and then, guuuuuuurl, there are Stunt Quenns! The Secret Song File has to give it up for this pop singer's midnight dump earlier this week: an all-new CD, plus accompanying videos, out of nowhere. Who cares if it's any good or not, because at least this mess and this mess were pushed off the news cycle for a few hours.

Some of it's not bad, and it's definitely better than her last CD (which The Secret Song File listened to once, then promptly deleted). Are the videos good? Who knows - and they aren't here, but the music is. Yet the question remains, how will music's other pop divas one-up this?

Good God, what will Mariah do?!

Pull your own stunt in the comments, if you like.

The Semi-Annual "That's So Strange" Post With Oliva, Herrmann, Brown Bunnies, Jaye P, And A 16-Year-Old Secret Song!

Sometimes things in life are strange. And I mean that in a good way. Who would have thought, for example, that the lovely Gene Tierney - she was one of Hollywood's most elegant movie stars - would inspire a wee little piano aria? And Piper Laurie? And Robert Ryan? Oh, and can we back up for a moment and talk about Gene's hat? That hat! It's all about that hat.

Okay, so on to this Tinkling Keys Cheerful Exclusive! All three - Gene, Piper and Ryan - get piano portraits from Stephan Oliva, a France-born composer and pianist who candidly worships Herrmann (you might recognize Herrmann's signature minor/major seventh chord in the "After Dark Suite"). Oliva's an acquired taste, I'll admit, but he's also an original, and if you clear every thought from your mind, sit back, and hit play, you'll be transported.

Let's move on to Vincent Gallo's paid-for-BJ, shall we? Hide the kittens! They really shouldn't see this:

"The Brown Bunny," as you might recall, is a 2003 film that killed Roger Ebert, or at least director Vincent Gallo thought so, and he wanted credit for it. I haven't seen "The Brown Bunny," but I remember reading Roger's original Cannes review (it was a pan, to put it mildly), which prompted a furious Vincent to call Ebert a "fat pig" and wish cancer upon him. Ebert's response was classic: "Although I am fat, one day I will be thin, but Mr. Gallo will always be the director of 'The Brown Bunny.'"

Here's where the strange part comes in. Gallo next shaved 20 minutes or so for the film's commercial release - and Roger liked it. And the soundtrack? Given that the movie supposedly harkens back to the restlessness of 60's and 70's road movies like "Easy Rider" and "Two Lane Blacktop," it's likewise a daydreamy-restless collection of moody jazz, songs by the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, and haunting melodies from composer John Frusciante. It (almost) makes me want to see the movie - and that really is strange.

If you were a teensy li'l crumb-catcher in the mid 1970's and early 80's, then you might recognize a certain bespectacled game show perennial below:

It's Jaye P. Morgan, of course, the mischievous wit of "The Match Game," "The Gong Show," and many others. That's not the strange part. In addition to her TV appearances and a short-lived series, she was also a celebrated 1950's-era singer and a popular nightclub performer throughout the 60's. That's not the strange part, either.

Here's what's strange - in a good way. She put out a CD in 1983 called "Lately!," a Wonderful Surprise Cheerful Exclusive!, and it's fantastic. And no, I'm not kidding. In addition to some cool slow jams and standards, she opens the set with her own take on The Police's hit "Every Breath You Take," and it's every bit as wistful and menacing as the original. **NEW LINK!

Look at our friend Bernard Herrmann. Is he tired of Hitchcock? No, he just thinks it's strange that Phillip Glass has been stealing from him left and right for decades and has never once given him credit (listen to the opening theme from "Vertigo" or "North By Northwest" if you doubt me) (and those are just for starters) (at least Sondheim owns up to it when he grabs a bit or two from Herrmann) (but I digress).

What's really strange is that Herrmann and Glass are now together - at last? - in "Four American Quartets," a sumptuous serving of Glass, Ralph Evans, George Antheil and, yes, Herrmann, whose concluding 1965 piece, "Echos For String Quartet," is startling, passionate, fearless and unmistakably his own.

And so we come to the end of another post - and the end of someone's life. You see, it's never a good idea to get on the Secret Song's bad side. She just can't help herself. Violent? Perhaps. Fabulous? Of course. But also strange. Why? Because just after she dispatched with that meddlesome something-or-other below, she went home and listened to a new CD by a 16 year-old girl. For reals.

And here's the really-really strange part. She likes it - and so do I. Honestly, who would have thought that an "alterna" CD by a New Zealand girl who counts Jamie Spears as one of her most ardent fans would make for such enjoyable listening. Not me. Is it a one-time fluke? Maybe. But for now, at least, let's hope for the best.

Try to stay positive - like Liza! - but don't get all sticky about it, m'k?  

Share your tempered positivity (and strangeness!) in the comments, if you like. 

Cole Times Two, June's Ballads, Marion's Best, Herrmann & Friends, Plus An "Eg Likar Norsk" Secret Song!

Have you ever seen "Night & Day," the 1946 biopic with Cary Grant about the life of Cole Porter? You know, the one that has him happily hetero-married? It's hilarious to watch now - kind of like reading certain old newspaper articles. Times, they are a changin', as they say, though we'll see by how much in the coming days.

As Stephen Sondheim has noted, Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter "are the two acknowledged gay lyricists in the American pantheon, but Hart's style conceals his homosexuality; Porter's parades it." So let's start the parade, ya'll! Let's enjoy Cole Porter - as interpreted by two very different jazz performers. First up, Cheryl Bentyne.

You may know her from her years with "The Manhattan Transfer," and since the early 1990's, she's carved out a very nice solo career. Her best effort, I think, is 2009's "The Cole Porter Songbook," where she brings unexpected warmth to Porter's lyrics, particularly on "Begin the Beguine" and "Ev-ry Time We Say Goodbye." She's like buttuh, I promise.

At the other end of the spectrum - bam! pow! pizazz! - we have the one and only Anita O'Day.

The "Jezebel Of Jazz" (so called after she was arrested for pot possession in 1946 and sent to prison for four months) was, of course, a jazzcat vocal stylist. So while she's emotionally connected to Porter's words, she's arguably more interested in how she can make them sound, especially in relation to the other instruments in her band. The result is a dazzling display of vocal pyrotechnics and chic sophistication. In other words, Porter and O'Day are wonderfully well-matched.

Let's move along to June Christy's "Ballad Collection," a 2000 CD brought home by my Cuban Luvuh - and yes, it's a Cheerful Exclusive! Poor June. Early in her career, she told a reporter that she didn't think she sang very well. Naturally, the critics picked up on this and deemed her singing "lightweight" and "inferior" for most of her career. Even worse, because her first LP was titled "Something Cool," the adjective "cold" was added to their arsenal.

This didn't help her self-esteem (obviously), and she battled alcoholism during much of her latter life. Interestingly, she first caught people's attention when she stepped in for the departing Anita O'Day with Stan Kenton's Orchestra (which is also when she changed her name from Shirley Luster to the stage name June Christy).

When you listen to this CD, you'll be shocked, first, that anyone in their right mind could find her singing "cold," for she's the warmest of jazz singers, and to call her "inferior"...well, don't get me started. I suppose its justice, of some sort, that she's now regarded as a masterful jazz performer twenty years after her death. The music she's left is luscious.

Quick, who first popularized the songs "After You've Gone," "Who's Sorry Now" and "Tea For Two?"

Wrong! It was Marion Harris, the first white singer to perform jazz and blues and the most popular singer in the 1910's and 20's (by far). Discovered by Fred Astaire's dance mentor Vernon Castle, she debuted in 1915 on the Broadway stage for Irving Berlin, created a sensation in Ziegfeld's Follies - "Who is that white girl singing 'colored music?" many critics breathlessly asked - then rocketed to fame when she started recording for Victor and Columbia records. Any jazz baby flapper worth their salt had plenty of Marion's records ready to play (or wake up with) on their phonograph.

Her life took a dark turn once her career sputtered in the early 1930's. After several unsuccessful marriages, she retreated to small cabarets in Europe, suffered an unspecified "neurological disorder" during the Blitz - which literally bombed her out of her London home - and tragically, in 1944, died in a fire in a dilapidated hotel room started by her own lit cigarette.

For a singer who's largely been forgotten, her discography of songs is astonishing in terms of how many standards she launched into the world's consciousness. "After You've Gone" - yes, it's a Cheerful Exclusive! - brings together all of Marion's best performances. Since some of the tracks date back to 1916, the quality varies, but listen close, and you can hear why she was "the bee's knees," as the kids said back then, and shocking, too. She was a very languorous singer - the inertia in her voice is erotic - which meant that in "Jazz Baby," when she sang, "There's something in the tone of a saxophone that makes me wanna do a wiggle all my own," she wasn't just breaking taboos, she was celebrating them.

Gregory Peck and Ann Todd gave good face in Hitchcock's "The Paradine Case," don't you think?

Okay, so maybe "The Paradine Case" isn't one of Hitchcock's best (actually, there's no maybe about it) (Pauline Kael famously noted, "If you can't remember if you've seen it or not, chances are you did and forgot it"), but the score, that's another matter. In 1995's "The Paradine Case: Hollywood Piano Concertos," you get not just work from Bernard Herrmann, but Franz Waxman and Alex North, which means it's an almost deliriously gorgeous collection of music.

Admit it, it's happened to you. It's happened to the Secret Song File. You leave a trick's place, and just when you're far enough away for it to be inconvenient to return, you realize that you've left your panties behind. Tres-tres inconvenience! It's like your memory went on the fritz or something. If only life were like one of those old mix tapes, where forgotten songs and old favorites could be found with just a quick rewind or fast-forward. 

That seems to be the thinking behind this Norwegian group's newest offering, which brings together all of their favorite tunes and such - from sources as varied as Vangelis and XTC and Rare Bird. And like the best mix tape, they all compliment each other beautifully. So remember, don't ever forget your panties, because some things just can't be rewound.

And, yes, your mama was right, you could be in a car accident, so make sure they're fresh and clean for the EMT boys. 

No panties allowed in the comments, but please, drop whatever else you like!

Dames, Dames, Dames, Plus Keely & Jimmy Hit The Clubs, Hitchcock Dances (No, Really), And A JFK Secret Song!

"Va-Va-Voom!," a terrific 1985 2-LP compilation, spotlights classic Hollywood "dames" singing for their supper, like Sophia Loren above. For those too young to know, those were the days when gals wore lovely garter stockings and white gloves to the corner newsstand or the butcher's and such (it was really like that) (you can't tell me it wasn't). And can we talk about that hat? And the nice-girl pearls. Flaw. Less.

How did I come upon such a treasure? It started innocently enough. Me and my Cuban Luvuh were LP shopping a few weeks ago, sorting through what seemed like a giant heap of garbage - yuck, all those Paul Anka and Johnny Mathis LPs - when I happened upon "Va-Va-Voom!" and looked curiously at the list of performers. There's Marilyn Monroe, of course, Sophia, Jane Russell and Jayne Mansfield, but also less predictable entries from Rhonda Fleming, Diana Dors, Mamie Van Doren and more.

So far, so good. Then Señor Cuban examined the records to see what condition they were in - and get this, both LPs were bright pink. Literally. Sold. For a dollar and change. So enjoy, dear reader; it's a Cheerful Exclusive! just for you. And, please, if I could dye the ALAC tracks pink, you know I would.

From the Va-Va-Voom Dames to everyone's favorite Vegas Razzmatazz Gal, Miss Keely Smith. "C'mon down and sing pretty for the people!" cries her husband/announcer in this 2005 live recording "Keely Smith '58 - Today," and she doesn't disappoint.

Keely was seventy-three-years-old when she recorded this CD - a joyful Cheerful Exclusive! - but you wouldn't know it from her voice (and I'm not just being nice).

Keep in mind, this is the same Keely Smith who performed "That Old Black Magic" with Kid Rock at the Grammys in 2008, so you know she isn't fooling around. I especially like the medley "Just A Gigolo/Ain't Got Nobody," which is purest old school Vegas. And, yes, she's been wearing the same damn blunt-cut wig for the last forty years (at least) (it may even be the same one) (bless her heart). But, hey, when you've got a "look," you stick with it.

Let's travel back in time. To the 1960's, to be exact. Meet the funkiest comic tramp known to man; the one, the only, Jimmy Lynch. You haven't heard of him? I hadn't either until I happened upon "That Funky Tramp In A Nightclub," and I'm very glad I did. But be warned, before you listen, hide the children, cover the cat's ears! Things are about to get a little bit obscene.

Actually, not that obscene by today's standards (though it's reputed to be the first LP with an F-Bomb). It was recorded at various comedy clubs throughout the midwest in the mid-1960's when Jimmy was on the road, and the crowd, with their shocked gasps and screaming laughter, were as much a part of the show as he was.

Jimmy was also a singer, and he punctuates his more salacious gags with sudden James Brown riffs or howling, infectious cries. But what's really amazing about this LP is the lack of traditional "jokes" or "routines." Jimmy's fully-formed persona is the real gag here, along with all the stories he tells, which pile up on each other, seemingly at random, and keep getting more and more outrageous. I won't even tell you what happens to that female circus guerrilla, but it's genuinely shocking and very funny.

Have you ever seen Hitchcock dance?

What is he doing, exactly? The Rhumba? The Cha-Cha? Perhaps it's Contemporary. Or Hip-Hop. Actually, he's probably shaking his bon-bon to this second volume (3 whole CDs!) of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (the first is here), which once more has Bernard Herrmann pulling out all the stops.

You know the drill; moody strings, sudden jolts of brass and lulling melodies that soften you for the kill. Speaking of the later, the set of suites entitled "Death Scene" include some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard from this composer. Of course, it can turn on a dime - so don't let your guard down. Mwah-ha-ha!

Remember when America wasn't all sneaky and spy-like and doing skeevy backdoor deals? The Secret Song File does. It was called Camelot, and it's long dead by now, though hopefully not burning in Hell like Carrie White (but let's be honest, things were totally skeevy back then, too) (we know better now) (don't we?). Anyhoo, back to Camelot. It's 1962. Two jazz greats - one a composer and performer, the other a vocalist - are gathered to entertain D.C.'s elite. Are you excited yet? You should be.

This fantastic live recording was released in a truncated form originally, but now here it is in all its uncut glory. Two jazz phenoms - one who left his heart in San Francisco; the other, recently deceased, whose most popular song may remind you of a certain candy bar - together at last. Just remember, Camelot is long gone. And it ain't poppin' back to life like Carrie any time soon.

Okay, so maybe Carrie is, but we'll ignore that. 

Make everyone giggle in the comments, wont'cha? We all deserve a giggle.

Anita Restored, Heavy-Breathing Wolfs, Herrmann Swoons, Plus A Hollywood Cavalcade And An Aussie Mountain Secret Song!

If you've been following this blog over the past few years, then you know I love-love Anita O'Day. A trailblazing bebop and jazz singer - who refused to be anyone's mere "girl singer," as they were called in the day - her childhood was marked by an inattentive, gambling father, a coldly apathetic mother and a botched tonsillectomy which cut out her uvula. That left her unable to sing with vibrato, or hold a note much past two or three bars, if that. It didn't stop her. She learned how to hit notes like a percussionist - bullseye! - and scat-sing with machine-gun power. But she was far from a cold technician. If anything, she epitomized all the joy that a "dame" from a hard-scrabble life could create simply by singing. 

From grueling touring work as a marathon dancer during the Depression - some of the marathons went on for six days or more - to a stint as a singing waitress, to her pioneering work as a jazz singer, she lived a good long life, and remarkably, survived a decades-long heroin addiction. "When you shoot up," she once advised, "the trick is to have someone around in case you OD. You have to be found right away." She eventually quit cold turkey by locking herself down at a beach house, and then just kept going. What remains is her music, and happily, a lot of her best LPs are being remastered, including the two below. Listen to "Stompin' At The Savoy" from "Pick Yourself Up" - especially when she abandons the lyrics and just scats away. It's heaven. 

No, it's not Jessica Rabbit below, but rather, who she was based on:

Have you seen any of director Tex Avery's cartoons? Then you know his were the bawdiest, and I'll argue, funniest, in the 1940's and 50's. He directed the first Daffy Duck cartoon - Daffy is my favorite cartoon character. Of. All. Time - and turned Bugs Bunny into the superchill Brooklyn wesenheimer we all know today. Yes, Bugs' refrain, "What's up, Doc?", first appeared in the Avery-directed short "A Wild Hare." After Warners, he went to Paramount, then MGM, the latter where composer Scott Bradley scored his cartoons. 

Bradley isn't as well known as Carl Stalling, Warners' cartoon composer, but he was just as antic, and his orchestrations were more lush, befitting the "deluxe" MGM of the period. This 1992 CD brings a lot of his tunes together, and no, it's not the best compilation out there (some cuts include the cartoon dialogue) (which I find intrusive), but at least there's a few tracks here that really allow you to appreciate this little-known composer (plus the cover's pretty nifty, don't you think?).

Speaking of compilations, there's so many Bernard Herrmann collections that it's sometimes difficult to keep track. And truthfully, most of them are just thrown together, with no rhyme or reason for why music from one movie, for example, flows into music from another. And another. And another. In other words, they're money-grabs. 

But this 1976 compilation wisely chooses music from just three of Herrmann's efforts, and they compliment each other beautifully, starting with "Citizen Kane," his first feature assignment, then his Oscar-winning score for "The Devil & Daniel Webster," and on to one of his last, and best, for De Palma's "Obsession."

If you listen to the CD from start to finish (which I really recommend), it's like a dark musical portrait that starts out jaunty and cynical, turns fantastical and fiendish, then dives, beautifully, into thunderous, doom-laden romance. It's quite a ride.

Oh, Deanna, you're still missed, I swear. You were just so damn perky.

There's little Deanna and a host of other big-time Hollywood stars - like Dorothy Lamour! Harpo Marx! Marlene Deitrich! - singing and crooning in "Hooray For Hollywood!" a 1972 compilation LP which stretches from the 1930's to the 50's. Who can resist James Cagney singing "Mary's A Grand Ol' Name?' I know I can't. There's also Betty Hutton singing "Oh, It's So Quiet," which, depending on your mood, will either be the most irritating or joyous thing you've heard all day. And, yes, it's a Cheerful Exclusive! just for you.

The Secret Song File is feeling superpouty today. Too many hours on the set. Too many cigarettes and hootch. So how to relax, but not get all sloppy about it. Hmmm.

She knows just what to do (of course). Put on this slickly entertaining alterna CD from the land Down Under. No, really. It's all in good fun, and since they're good musicians and songwriters, you don't have to feel ashamed of yourself. Who are they? Let's just say that they put the "A" in Aussie. and they're one-word name is just another way to say say shaving jelly. Or, you know, have you met Al Pine? Nice guy. Smells funny, but nice guy.

I kid, of course. I've never taken a whiff of Al (but if I did, I'm not telling).

Talk to me below. You'll feel fresh and clean if you do!