Linda At Midnight, Marian's Marianess, Plus Swingin' Hepcat Jazz, April's Dreams And A Perfumed Heart Secret Song!

Doesn't she look so very-very Greenwich? Connecticut, that is, the hometown of Miss Linda Purl, the celebrated actress, and yes, a luminous jazz chanteuse.

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.

Monkees Give Head, Exclusive Candi, Plus More Robin, Bette's Curls And A Gag-Jazz Secret Song!

I've always liked "The Monkees," the late-60s TV series about a loopy rock band created by "Five Easy Pieces" director Bob Rafelson (of all people). Some mocked the show as a rotten-stinking money-grab designed to exploit The Beatles craze, and while that might have been the thinking of network executives when they bought it, the show itself clearly just wanted to make everyone giggle. When I was just a teensy little gumdrop, the combo of milk, cereal and the slapstick antics of "The Monkees" was purest ecstasy. 

Still, I wasn't old enough to know that they'd made a movie just after their show was cancelled. It's probably a good thing, because if I had, I would have wanted to go - and there's no way in hell my parents would have let me. Why? Because the movie is deliberately designed as a near-plotless LSD trip in which The Monkees, Frank Zappa, Teri Garr, Annette Funicello and Jack Nicholson (in one of his earliest roles) cavort, chuckle and generally hippie-out in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Palm Springs. 

Anita's Finest, Sheila's Confirmin', Plus Bette's Best And A Tiny Diva Secret Song!

Peace out, yo, from Anita to you (don't you feel better now?)  (I do). As you may know, I've highlighted a lot of Anita LPs here from her later years (because they're the hardest to find and every Anita fan should have them), but I got to thinking the other day, what if there are readers out there who only know Anita from the this blog? It's certainly possible, and that would be a shame, since early and mid-career Anita is just flat-out fantastic.

Below, you'll find what I think is the best-evuh compilation of classic Anita.

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.

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!

Swingin' Barry, Georgia's Nibs, A Big Howdee From Minnie, A Classic Crime Scene, Plus An Oh-So-Very-Blue Secret Song!

Today post is full of laughs and romance and danger! But first, a little intrigue by way of John Barry's kicky 1965 score for "The Knack And How To Get It," a groovalicious soundtrack with funky organ, xylophone, a fabulously overactive percussion section and a horn section that'll  - pow! - blow you into kingdom come.

The movie, which is actually pretty good, is all about "Swingin' London" in the 1960's - mods! hippies! rockers! - and stars Rita Tushingham, the movie's "Jo" from "Taste Of Honey," so you know it's going to be so far out. And Barry's music jacks it all up. Did I say far out? I think I did. Trust me. You'll love it.

Speaking of groovy and all kinds of fine, say hello to Miss Georgia Gibbs:

In the Exclusively Cheerful Nibs! posting, Miss Gibbs herself - who started her career by performing jazz and R&B covers, then moved on to pop - starts off this 1966 collection with a wonderfully snazzy version of "Something's Got To Give." But my favorite is her take on "Do It Again." Not many singers can sound so scrubby clean, yet so down low and dirty, at the same time, but somehow Miss Gibbs pulls it off.

In the mood for a giggle? Me, too. So 'cmon, now, pull up a bucket of chicken and a box of wine, cuz Minnie's got a few story's to tell ya'.

I'd never really followed the career of Minnie when I was mini myself, but when I happened upon the 1963 comedy LP "Howdee! Cousin Minnie Pearl, The Gal From Grinder's Switch At The Party" something told me to grab it.

In this Cheerfully Downhome Exclusive!, Minnie chats about her booze-swillin' Uncle Naybob, sings a few songs, like "How To Catch A Man" ("Hog tie 'im!") and chitchats about her own looks. "A feller told me I looked like a fresh breath of spring," she says, then meekly corrects herself. "Well, actually, he didn't use those words, he said I looked like the end of a hard winter." Plus, she talks all about her "good friend Elvis." How can you go wrong?

I've always held a special place in my heart for film noir (and John Garfield, the ultimate dumb-luck hunk).

And yet it's not just the skewed camera angles, concealing shadows or nefarious storylines that have pulled me in. The danger-girl jazz-infused music adds to the fun, too, and most of it makes for great listening (even out of context).

"Crime Scene USA" is hard to beat in this regard with its collection of tunes from classics like "Double Indemnity" and "Mildred Pierce," to name just two, by a Who's Who of composers such as Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, Elmer Bernstein and even Marvin Hamlisch. It's perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon, but really, any day is a bad-girl good day for music like this.

Some time ago, The Secret Song File was crowned Miss Sausage Queen USA, and, yes, I know what you're thinking, and yes, you'd be right. How else do you think Beauty Queens win their crowns? They're not getting down on their knees for the Lord (rim-shot!) (oh, no I di'nt!).

What in hell's bells does that have to do with today's musical offering (or anything, really)? Beats me. So anyhoo, let's give today's hints in pictures! This popular jazz songstress with a poppin' new CD has THIS as a first name, plus a last name which sounds like the moniker of THIS chateau. OMG, was that supereasy or what?

Right, so when we start talking sausages and supereasy, it's time to hit the trail. 

Tell me if you've ever been crowned (and for what) in the comments. I swear I won't judge (too much)!

Who Is Lea Roberts? Plus Audrey's Melodies, Monk's San Francisco, Gobel's Giggles And A Swedish Bird Secret Song!

Who is Lea Roberts? All we know is that she was a soul singer in the late 1960's and early 70's. She was born in Ohio in 1946, recorded a handful of albums, a few of which hit the Billboard charts - and that's it, that's all we know. She's a strange anomaly; virtually forgotten by the 1980's, then rediscovered, to a certain extent, in the Internet age by way of YouTube videos and a few early blog shares. Is she still alive? Is she still singing - somewhere?

You'll likely find these questions a bit more urgent after you listen to her 1975 LP "Lady Lea" - A Cheerful Lossless Exclusive! - because she sounds like a blissful cross between Aretha Franklin and Della Reese, though you won't mistake her for anyone else. Just give a listen to the first track, her take on the Free's classic "All Right Now" which all but obliterates the original with its driving high energy and vocal ferocity. 

Or her version of "Laughter In The Rain," which, according to Neil Sedaka's bio "My Own Story" sent him and his management into a panic when it hit the airwaves - and the charts - well ahead of his own version. "We've got to push up our release before she gets too much airtime!" he exclaimed at the time. Lea beat him to the punch by an entire month (I don't why this amuses me) (but it does). The rest of the album runs the gamut from soulful rock to gospel-tinged ballads and more.

There's no Wikipedia entry for Lea, no Billboard bio, and precious little information about her on other sites and blogs beyond her LP credits and date of birth. She's a mystery wrapped up in one of the most versatile soul voices of the 70's. So who is Lea Roberts? Maybe her kitty-cat knows:

I'll bet you know who appears below in the colorful hexaptych (which is a six-paneled painting) (I so had to look that up):

Yes, it's the fabulous Audrey Hepburn. She's another anomaly, though of a different kind. Everyone likes Audrey Hepburn. No, really. Have you ever heard anyone say, "Oh, I hate Audrey Hepburn?" You haven't. And you won't. Something about her is endearing to both men (who wanted to protect her as they would a little sister) (or sleep with her) and women (who want to be like her and, especially, dress like her). Even when she appeared in stinkers, like "Paris When It Sizzles," she emerged completely unscathed. Well played, Audrey, well played.

"Music From The Films Of Audrey Hepburn" isn't just for fans of Audrey, but if you are, the music will have special appeal. But really, how many compilations out there have terrific music from Henry Mancini, Frederick Lowe, Franz Waxman, the Gershwins and more? Oh, and vocals from both Fred Astaire and Audrey herself?

Speaking of hexaptychs, the six-headed creature below is a certain monk we all know:

Get this. Monk was almost entirely self-taught on the piano. In fact, the only training he had, if you can call it that, was eavesdropping on his sister's piano lesson and a brief class in high school. Some people are just born to do what they do, right? And Monk was born to play. Period.

1959's "Thelonious Alone In San Francisco," Monk's second solo LP, spotlights a wonderful live show. Like most of Monk's work, his performance here of original compositions and covers - with his split-second timing and head-turning shifts in rhythms and style - is consistently surprising (still). Even if you're not partial to piano jazz, give it a try. You'll be surprised, too.

Do you know the milk-pitching comedian/singer/actor below?

I didn't, or thought I didn't, when I spotted the LP below. And then I was like, "Wait a minute, wasn't he on game shows or something years ago?" He was, but as I next learned, there was a lot more than game shows to George Gobel. He was a noted comic, a TV sitcom headliner, an actor and a terrific Irish tenor. Oh, and he was really famous.

I was thrown for a moment, but then I remembered Woody Allen's movie "Radio Days," particularly a scene in which a group of glamorous radio stars toasted themselves and their everlasting fame. The joke, of course, was that hardly anyone remembers old radio stars anymore - fame doesn't actually guarantee immortality (which means people like this will soon be forgotten) (I hope) (pretty please?).

I'm guessing that Gobel is forgotten at this point because his career hit its stride just as the U.S. was moving from the post-war innocence of the 1950's to the rebellious 60's, which meant that Gobel's brand of old school comedy - as polished and, yes, funny, as it was - soon found itself shunted aside.

1959's "Live At The Sands" - a Giggly Cheerful Exclusive! - finds Gobel in top form. "You might not like my act, but you've got to admire my nerve," he quips, then tells tales about his wife (or "spooky ol' Alice"), his literally blue-nosed friend Sweeney, his misfortunes on the road, calamities in the bathtub, dating as a youth, problem nudity (on his part) and more. Plus he sings really well. He'd probably have been an even bigger hit if he was around today in our more conservative times, which isn't meant as a knock at all.

The Secret Song File is weary of conservative times and having to calm men down, such as the one below. You know the type; threatened by change or new technology or sexual equality for all. Blah-blah-blah. Stuff the tears already! Because if you're that tightly-wound, you'll miss out on...doves and Swedes and drummers and foxes. Not to mention spanking new music.

Today's entry is a delish new CD from a Swedish band with a female vocalist who sounds a little like Bjork, but more innocent, and skillful bandmates who're creating some of today's most inventive indietronica (I didn't make up that ridiculous term, I swear) (don't you dare hold it against me). So go on, shirk your establishmentarian shackles and for God's sakes stop crying about stupid things. A gentle roar and a DJ to ease your mind are all you need.

I only say these things because I care (do you believe me?). 

Share your gentle roar in the comments!

A Bevy Of Late-Summer Treats! Plus A Good Chums Secret Song!

Summer is almost over. Balls, I say, balls! Fall arrives, back to school, back to work, the holidays, the traffic. Pretty soon, we'll all be very busy. But, hey, maybe by Christmas, Tom Cruise will have a new girlfriend. The new TV season will be starting, too. Which reminds me, when I was just a wee thing, I only knew Nancy Walker as "that lady in the paper towel commercials," and later, as Rhoda's mother, having no idea that she was a major force on Broadway (towards the end of her career, she also directed the movie "Can't Stop The Music") (but let's not go there).

In 1959, she starred in "My Square Laddie," a giggly send-up of "My Fair Lady" in which she played a tough, gum-smacking Brooklyn broad (what else?) who makes a bet with her girlfriend Zasu Pitts that she can turn a stuffy Englishman into a Brooklyn roughneck. "What makes a limey such a priss?" she asks Zasu. And yes, this is a Cheerful Exclusive! Yippee!

The LP unfolds like an old-fashioned radio play, with lots of snappy dialogue and bubbly underscore between the songs - this is a good thing in this case - and the songs? How can you go wrong with "My Fair Lady" send-ups like "I'm Kinda Partial To His Puss" and "I Could Have Boozed All Night?"

I swear I've become obsessed with Martha Raye in the past year or so. She's pictured below entertaining the troops in Vietnam, something she also did in WWII and the Korean War (she's the only civilian woman to earn the rank of Colonel, plus an honorary membership with the Green Berets, and the only woman to be buried with full military honors at Fort Bragg). I thought I had most of her releases, but lo-and-behold, I didn't.

For those who still remain unconvinced of how terrific she was as a singer - or can't get past the poor quality of some of her old scritchy-scratchy releases (and I understand that) - then you're in for a wonderful Cheerful Exclusive treat. Hooray! Here's a spanking-new release with gorgeously remastered tracks. I swear, she's never sounded better.

Speaking of never better and always fabulous, behold Miss Billie Holiday (in a rare color photo):

"I hate straight singing," she once said. "I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That's all I know." And that was enough. More than enough. Especially with "Lady Sings The Blues," reputedly her favorite LP, and it's not hard imagine why.

From the first title song - which will practically blast out of your speakers (in a good way) - this is jazz singing at its best and most soulful. Did she have the best voice? No. Could she interpret her songs better than practically any other jazz singer before or since? Oh my God, yes. And don't worry, "Strange Fruit" is here. I don't think this song will ever age or lose its heartbreaking power.

Tony Curtis. What a likable jackass. God only knows knows what he's doing in "Taras Bulba," an awful 1962 movie which is so dull it unfolds like molasses. It also stars Yul Brynner doing his usual, late-career, macho-gasbag thing that people somehow found virile. But whatever.

So why are we talking about this movie with an awful title based on a great book? Because, soundtrack-heads, it has a fantastic, unsung, super-rare score by Franz Waxman, one that Bernard Herrmann, a cranky sort who wasn't given to undeserved praise, called "the score of a lifetime."

This version includes the entire score in a new recording and it's almost impossibly grand and sweeping and romantic. If you've enjoyed Waxman's "Sunset Boulevard" or "Bride of Frankenstein," then trust me, this is so up your alley (and be patient, it's a 2-CD download) (fold some laundry or something while it's doing its thing and it'll be ready in no time).

The Secret Song File is feeling artistic-ish today, but don't worry, there ain't nothing Hipster going on here, m'k? Dreaded Hipsters, as you know, come from Brooklyn, but so do a lot of good things, like this Brooklyn-based group whose music has alternately been labeled Nu Disco, Dance Pop, Indie Electro and Chic Pop Lite (honestly, they must tie up some queen in a back room till he comes up with new genre labels these days) (all of which tell you nothing) (but I digress).

Labels aside, this supernew CD is just larkish fun - and a nice way to ride out the summer. Who are they? I can only give you one hint, and I swear it's all you'll need. Jennifer Aniston earned lasting fame by appearing on the sitcom (fill-in-the-blank). Okay? It's that easy. That's their name. For reals. I'm totally telling the truth.

Would I lie to you, honey? Oh, no, no, no!

And, hey, confabulate in the comments if the mood strikes.