IVY TONES, "OO WEE BABY" C/W "EACH TIME," RED TOP 105 (REL. 7/1958)

Here’s one of my long-time favorite records, with a wild, weird flipside that was the intended A. I’ve loved “Oo Wee Baby” by The Ivy Tones since I first heard it over 50 years ago. This was the group’s lone release; they later recorded as The Corvets and as The Corvettes. They came out of North Philadelphia, when lead singer John Ivey and James Thomas got together with James Green and formed a gospel group. The Joylands also had future soul star Howard Tate in their ranks.

In 1957, Ivey, Thomas and Green decided to go r&b. With the addition of William Brown and Robert “Bird” Parks, they became The Ivy Tones. They recorded four original numbers in Philly’s Reco-Art Studio, which gave today’s single that distinctive rough-edged sound so different from the slick NY or LA approaches. Two sides were released by Red Top, a local label that specialized in intense, off-the-wall doo-wop and r&b. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins made a single for them, and one of their releases, The Quintones’ “Down the Aisle of Love,” became a national pop hit when Hunt Records leased the masters in 1958. Red Top 45s aren’t common; all had small pressings since the label had no aspirations of going big.

“Oo Wee Baby” has a strong connection to the work songs and field hollers than John and Alan Lomax recorded as they toured isolated rural areas with their equipment. Its sound reaches back into the core of Black music and casts a spell on any listener perceptive to pick up on its compelling vibe.

A simple, repetitive melody is recited against a crude, persistent beat, accentuated by handclaps. Each section of the verses is repeated four times and the lead singer’s call gets a harmonized response by the other voices. This was rugged and weird-sounding in 1957; the group channeled the music of their ancestors. Like those work songs, “Oo Wee Baby” was perhaps made up as they sang on a street corner; trial and error of a few minutes’ effort was enough to craft its simple words and music.

Few Black vocal group recordings achieve this primitive, powerful feel. It betrays no obvious influences. There’s nothing of The Clovers, Drifters or Midnighters in these guys. They tapped into something from their collective subconscious and got it on tape. This is a work of raw, coarse beauty and the world’s a better place for it.

>>> Hear it HERE! <<<

“Each Time” achieves a Philly equivalent of the Fortune Records sound (that rugged mom and pop imprint from Detroit). With pie-tin percussion and a wandering, weird acoustic bass behind him (along with an occasionally-audible piano), this ballad has a peculiar, pinched sound with less fidelity than its other side. Wailing lead vocal and harmonized back-up achieve something close-ish to the traditional doo-wop sound, but the results are something Frank Zappa might have loved. He adored Black vocal group music and may have owned this single.

Dig the meandering bass outro! The musician plays simple notes of the final chord, but the recorded sound of his instrument and his rambling exit are a thing of rare beauty. This alleged A-side is one of the wildest off-road moments in all of doo-wop. Dee jays and Cash Box pegged “Oo Wee Baby” as the most radio-friendly side but a small label like Red Top had no capital to launch a nationwide hit.

>>> Hear it HERE! <<<

As The Corvets and Corvettes, they became a more up-to-date group. Dig both sides of their killer single for Tone-Craft Records, “Voodoo Baby”/ “I Want to Know Why” via this YouTube link…

https://youtu.be/K7x9BvoKZ6o

Tomorrow: Motown Oddities, Pt. 37: Bayou rocker Bruce Channel records for Mel-O-Dy, a short-lived experiment in cross-pollination by Berry Gordy. Two fine sides (that the soul snobs loathe) from 1964.