Cult Movie Jams, Billie's Box, Mancini Madness, Plus Bad, Bad Girls, A Halloweenie Surprise, And A Juicy Secret Song!

The first time I saw "Blue Velvet" was the first showing on its first day of release. The theatre was sparsely populated; just me, a friend, and few Upper East Side golden agers who weren't at all prepared for what soon unspooled. I wasn't, either.

Hitch's Thief, Swinging With Midge, Plus Mildred's Blues, Vincent's Afternoon And A Stephanie Secret Song!

In this era of HD TV screens and surround sound systems, it's difficult to explain to people why seeing movies on a big theatre screen is worthwhile. Movies like the immersive "Lost City Of Z," or the intimate "Moonlight," for example, play differently, and much better, on enormous theatre screens. Yet as much as I think I know this, me and my Cuban Luvuh were flat-out stunned when we saw Hitchcock's "To Catch A Thief" in a movie theater a few years back. 

Exclusive Miss Michaels & Xavier, Plus Snoopy Restored And A Little Lying Secret Song!

No, these are not the latest contestants from "RuPaul's Drag Race" (but I betcha they'd cut a bitch for those jewels).

Christmas With Rudolph & Judy & James Brown & Many More, Plus A Planter-Like Secret Song!

If you grew up at a certain time, then the 1964 Rankin-Bass Christmas special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is rooted inside your brain. Don't even try dislodging it. It's stuck there forever. Which, in a lot of ways, isn't such a bad thing, and though it always seems waaaaaay too long (for me) at sixty minutes with commercials, it does have that blissfully absurd little elf who yearns to pursue a different profession:

Premium Porter, Lenny's Dirty Mouth, Vince At The Beach, Plus A Divine Secret Song!

Can you guess who's pictured above? If you guessed Peggy Lee, then you're quicker than me. It's a very young Peggy, of course; the picture was likely taken in the mid-1930s when she was singing at The Buttery Room in Chicago (still a decade away from releasing her first record). What I don't know is when she sang her first Cole Porter song, but I'm glad she's included on "The Very Best Of Cole Porter" - a De-Lovely Cheerful Exclusive! - a compilation where she performs "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" like a perfect (semi) virgin.

Vince Experiments, Nancy Times Two, Plus Vicki Restored And A Double-Blonde Secret Song!

What a fine day you've chosen to stop by! It's a day of discovery and innovation, which means that genres are mixed and matched, comedians go country-pop and mass-market artists take wild risks. It's craziness, I tell you, sheer craziness.

Case in point is Vince Guaraldi, a happily accessible jazz artist who decided to get funky in 1971's "Oaxaca," a Wild White Boy Cheerful Exclusive!

Edie Sings, Tammi Twinkles, Plus 'New' Guaraldi And A Glassy Secret Song!

Hotcha! Edie Adams was no shrinking violet in her day (just like you and me now). One of the first performers who was both a genuine sexpot and played it for laughs - as well as a talented actress, singer and Broadway star - she was, above all, a delightful comedian. And she held her own with her husband, legendary funny man Ernie Kovacs. 

"Edie Adams Sings?" - a Giggly Edie Cheerful Exclusive! - is a 1959 LP which features Edie mixing comedy into her vocals (which is just a polite way of saying that sometimes on this LP she sounds like a strangled cat - wonderfully so). In collaboration with Henry Mancini, she performs in her own flighty fashion on ditties like "Indian Love Call," "Singin' In The Rain," and "Tip Toe Through The Tulips," to name just a few. It's just about irresistible. 

Meanwhile, can Tammi Terrell look any more perky (or dare I say, cheerful)? She's practically shooting rainbows and kittens out of her eyes.

A reader of this blog was kind enough to share this terrific 2-disc retrospective of Tammi's solo career - one cut short by a brain tumor. Following eight grueling operations, she died in 1970 at age twenty-four. 

Despite her brief life, Tammi's output was fairly extensive, from her hugely popular duets with Marvin Gaye, to her early recordings as Tammi Montgomery, and on to her solo efforts at Motown, which include "Come On And See Me," "I Can't Believe You Love Me," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (the latter recorded well before Diana Ross' version). She had a loving, sibling-like relationship with Marvin Gaye, and his LP "What's Going On" is reputed to be a tribute to her. But for me, her own voice is the best tribute of all. 

"Vince Guaraldi again?" you ask. "But I already have all of his stuff." Mmm, maybe not. This Cheerful Blockhead Exclusive! may have a lil' somethin' somethin' you've been missing.

Get this. In 2008 or so, Vince's son was puttering around his father's effects and, lo and behold, wouldn't you know, he stumbled upon never-before-released, live studio recordings made in 1974 by Vince and his trio. I know, right?  Couldn't you just? The gifts of a jazz great just keep on giving.

Oh, and these are no "reject" efforts, by the way, but gorgeously recorded tracks with Vince in his prime. There's even a so-insane-it-works mash-up of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Linus And Lucy." So dance a little dance, Guaraldi-heads, Vince is back, and he sounds better than ever.

Alert the press! The Secret Song File is back to lounging on top of her desk. "Why?" you ask. Because she looks oh-so-fine doing it, silly (#obviously). She's also listening to the spanking new CD by a severely underrated American songstress whom some have compared to Bjork and Kate Bush.

Yet that's so short-sighted, really, since she's definitely got her own "thang" going on, as the kids say (do they really still say that?) (God, I hope not). Besides, her father's a member of the Blue Man Group, her mother's a New Wave vanguard - and, sheesh, something had to come of that mix, don't you think? Luckily, it's something good.

But please, don't ever mix bleach and vinegar 'cause it'll make chlorine gas and you'll die (why do I know these things?).  

Mix it up in the comments, if you like. I swear it's safe (ish). 

An All-Treats Halloween (No Rocks!), Plus A Secret Song!

There are many horrifying creatures to dress up as this Halloween night, and a few that are downright ghastly, but if you're good, and by all means sincere, then you're in luck. The Good Pumpkin will reward you with delectable musical treats. In fact, since you're here right now, that's proof enough of your goodness and sincerity, right? Oh, hell no. So let's get on with the treats. 

I know quite a few of you have crumb catchers, and while anyone below the age of fifteen is surely too young to watch a Hitchcock movie like, oh, let's say "Psycho," for example...

...they'll probably love "Strangers On A Train." And they also might enjoy "Alfred Hitchcock Presents 'Ghost Stories For Young People,'" a 1960 LP which is full of spo-o-o-oky tales, like "Johnny Takes Vanishing Lessons" and "The Open Window."

And yet the scariest part for kids - though the most fun for you - will likely be Hitchcock himself given his mucus-clogged, sonorous voice as he introduces each tale. Better yet, you can take these free-standing intros and secretly drop them into your kids' playlists. That'll really scare the stuffing out of them. Just kidding, of course. Mwuahaha!

I don't think Halloween is complete without Vince Guaraldi, and on the 1968 LP "Oh Good Grief" even the melancholy "Great Pumpkin Waltz" is included, so how can you go wrong? Along with that Halloween theme, all of your favorite Guaraldi Peanuts jazz cuts are here - but with a bit of a twist. 

In this instance, Guaraldi re-orchestrated his themes with electric guitar, harpshicord and a lot of other atypical instruments, or at least atypical to these pieces. We've all heard "Lucy and Linus Theme" a billion times before, but now it sounds fresh (and just slightly hippie-chick) (this is a good thing) (and no, that ain't a cigarette in his mouth). 

More treats! Have you heard of "Lambert, Hendricks & Ross?" Lots of people haven't. I didn't know who they were till my Cuban Luvuh introduced me to them. 

I guess you could call them sort of a precursor to "Manhattan Transfer," but they're more hard-core jazz than that, though I love both groups. They collaborated with the Count Basie Orchestra, amongst other jazz greats, and "High Flying," in which they perform with The Ike Isaacs Trio, won them a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Group Performance in 1962. 

There's a lot to treasure here, like their take on "Cookin' At The Continental" and "A Night In Tunisia," to name just two standouts (the opening number, Blue," is gorgeous). Plus it's a super Cheerful Exclusive! too.

There's always a place for Herrmann on Halloween (try the "Shower" cue from "Psycho" when those li'l trick or treaters come knocking) (I did this once and my neighbor was appalled, I tell you, appalled) (the kids loved it). But then, really, Herrmann is for the ages. And in this age, specifically, there's a must-have, spanking new 14 CD overview of his work at Fox.

And, yes, it's a Cheerful Exclusive!, two CDs at a time. In the first two, there's the complete scores from "Jane Eyre" and "Anna And The King Of Siam," and they've both been restored to perfection from the original tracks (in "Jane Eyre's" case, for the first time). So take note, Herrmann-Heads, this collection is pour vous!

Please, my chickens, I beg of you. Be careful stepping into elevators this Halloween. Especially if there's a pre-op transexual in a bad wig wielding a razor. What? It could happen. Actually, the greatest horror you'll likely to face this Halloween is the morning after while your stomach struggles to recover from all that candy and cake and booze and whatever else you put in your mouth (and, no, I'm not going there) (that's just tacky).

If your tummy and soul are struggling, then the Secret Song File suggests a nice, breezy California jam (it's freshly hatched, or just dropped, or whatever the hell some marketing brain trust is saying these days). You might know who they are, but even if you don't, they're music is creamy-dreamy goodness, I promise. Does love return? It does here. Do frisky little wolves from the UK like to watch movies projected onto a screen? Sure. Oh, and remember, that candy corn crap you're eating? Sugared wax. Mmm-hmm. Just sayin'.

Me? I'd much rather have chocolate - but the good stuff. 

Toss around some treats in the comments, if you like!