Can Nancy ever be too fancy? Of course not. There can, however, be too many hooker-themed Halloween costumes. Must everything be whorey on Halloween? And that's coming from me. Anywaywe'regettingofftrack, there's too much of many things these days, but too much Fancy Nancy? GTFOH.
Did you know? Nancy's 1964 LP, "How Glad I Am" - a Nicely Nancy Cheerful Exclusive! - reached #4 on the Billboard charts, making it one of her most successful albums. The title track even earned her a Grammy Award for Best R&B performance.
Not surprisingly, out of her astounding 70+ LP catalog, "How Glad I Am" has only gained in popularity - even before her recent death - due largely, I think, to her stunning versatility from track-to-track. There really is something here for everyone, from soul to straight-up jazz to ballads and more. She preferred to be called a "song stylist," as you know, and "How Glad I Am" shows her at the top of her game.
Let's romp from a premiere song stylist to a jazz pioneer. I speak, of course, of Miss Gloria Lynne.
This time, in 1962's "Gloria Blue" (a Lucious Miss Lynne Cheerful Exclusive! just for you) she delivers exactly what the title promises: blues. And few knew them as well as Gloria, what with her bleak, impoverished bayou upbringing, her later homelessness in the midst of her career because of thieving management and her sometimes tragic love life. For me, this is one of her best LPs, and not only because of her breathtaking vocals. When she sings "Trouble Is A Man," for example, it cuts deep; you can feel the pained conflict of a woman who still yearns for the man who caused her such unrelenting heartache.
A word about the quality: I've not attempt to fiddle with the LP's tracks, and they vary in quality, with some, particularly the first two, exhibiting a slight hiss. But trust me, this won't get in the way of your enjoyment of this magnificent album.
EDIT 10/27: Whoa, horsey! Cheerful reader "Champ Doberman" has been kind enough to share a link from his CD rip, so if you'd rather that instead of my LP rip (I try, I swear I do), see his link in the comments section. And do thank him profusely!
Since it's Halloween, a time when many yearn to be slutty (no judgement here) (obvi), why not do it old-school and inspire yourself with some prototypical slut music?
The music's from "Beat Girl," a 1960 exploitation movie which one appalled reviewer called "machine made dirt!" Is the movie any good? Daddio, let's just say that it's an entertaining time capsule chockablock with teen torment, a few wowza stripper scenes, along with appearances by Christopher Lee and a very young Oliver Reed, who looks soused (but then he always did).
What makes the soundtrack interesting? Dig this: it was the legendary John Barry's very first feature assignment, and guuuuurl, he does not disappoint. This is swingin', hep-cat jazz of a very high order - and clearly more than the film deserved - with a lecherous horn section, twangy electric guitars and non-stop beatnik rhythms. It also nicely anticipates his score for "James Bond." In other words, it's a must.
For a more traditional Halloween playlist, think of puddytats:
Do you know Roy Webb? You've heard his music if you've watched old horror movies like "Cat People" and "I Walk With a Zombie," though for some reason, he's not as heralded as other composers from Hollywood's "Golden Age." That he worked almost exclusively for RKO may have something to do with it, since, by and large, RKO was considered a B-movie outlet.
The exceptions included many classic movies, such as "The Enchanted Cottage" and "I Married A Witch," which had mesmerizing scores by Webb. And like Hitchcock/Herrmann, Webb was linked with horror producer Val Lewton's series of thrillers. Below, the collection of his scores for Lewton includes many spooky tracks, of course, but there's more to Webb than that. He was mentored by Max Steiner, after all, and like him, his scores are lush and gorgeously melodic. As of this date, this is the only LP devoted to his music.
Before we go on, a word about comments. As you may know, I regularly play wack-a-mole with countless adbots that leave their annoying notices in the comments section of each post. Lately, they've gotten much worse. They're like cockroaches. They're not going away. And at this point, I'm officially over it.
Sorry to say, but from now on, you'll need to register to leave comments on The Cheerful (you can always create a fake-name email address to use for comments here and all over the web). I hope you understand - and I hope you keep commenting, too, since I love the back and forth and the sharing 'n' giggles 'n' such. I do this for fun, of course (it's my knitting), but for you too.
Meanwhile, Halloween is coming up, a holiday that The Secret Song File believes is for amateurs (along with New Year's Eve). But maybe she's just being cranky. She hates trick or treaters...
....and dressing up as a slut is for, what, any given Wednesday? Tuesday? Or maybe she just wants to remind you of her splendor all year 'round:
In the meantime, she'd like to offer you a spanking new album to relax apres Halloween, and from a - *cough*many*hints*to*follow* - nocturnal singer/songwriter who's ready to grace you with another solo LP, but this time for sunup. And it's just divine, I swear.
Have a great Halloweenie!
Leave treats in the comments, if you like (but no rocks).
