THE EDSELS, "BONE SHAKER JOE" C/W "MY JEALOUS ONE," CAPITOL 4588 (REL. 6/1961)
The
Edsels hailed from the small industrial town of Campbell, Ohio. This quintet
had auto-related names from the start. Their first moniker was The Essos. They moved
from gasoline to the vehicles that eat it up when they aligned with Henry Ford’s
legendary automotive flop (named after his son). Ford was a real jerk, so
boo-hoo-hoo. This Black vocal group—Ford’s worst nightmare—assumed the name and
turned a lemon into lemonade in a series of exciting singles.
They
struck doo-wop gold with their 1958 debut “Rama-Lama-Ding Dong,” which, issued
on the Dub label, failed to chart. The group roamed from label to label with
similar results. Then, in 1961, as a revival of doo-wop took the nation, a
reissued “Rama-Lama” zooped up the charts and attracted the attention of major
labels. Capitol Records got to The Edsels first and signed them in 1961. They
made three fine 45s for Capitol—New York recordings that benefit from the talent
pool of session musicians, NYC session players add personality to the many
recordings they accompanied; the LA equivalent, including the beloved ‘Wrecking
Crew,’ tend toward the bland and prosaic and make every 1960s record sound the
same.
The
group most often recorded self-penned material, but for “Bone Shaker Joe” they
made an exception. This rough-edged ode to gambling gets a big, rowdy sound as
it relays the story of a dice-flinging risk-taker whose addiction to shakin’
those bones leads to…well, listen for yourself.
On
both sides of this single, the rhythm guitarist performs their job with
authority. The strummed guitar is front-and-center, and its presence drives the
vocal group to perform with fervor. It also gives this Black doo-wop record an
air of rockabilly. Such fusions are one of the delights of vernacular music in
these history-deemed in-between years—and proof that rock ‘n’ roll never died:
it went underground.
>>>Hear it HERE!!!<<<
On
the flip, “My Jealous One,” co-written by Edsel Larry Green, is a perfect specimen
of the earthy rockaballad. That chonkin’ guitar leads the way through an
atmospheric side with a decided “Elvis” sound—though lead singer George “Wydell”
Jones has no intention to mimic Presley’s mimicry.
The bare amount of backing gives this song a hypnotic appeal. I find I have to listen to it at least two times—there’s just something about it. Delightful bonus touch: a second guitar plays arpeggiated chords throughout and a couple of times they lose their place. They recover, but it’s a human moment that I find endearing. We’ve all been there!
>>>Hear it HERE!!!<<<
I
have all of The Edsels’ Capitol singles and there’s one I’ve not yet shared
here. Future post!
The
group recorded into the late 1960s, never to repeat the delayed success of
their hit. Original members continued in a revival of the group. Once a fixture
on the oldies circuit, Edsels 2.0 stopped with the passing of lead man Jones,
Marshall Sewell and Emmett Perkins in the mid-2000s. Descendants of the
original five continue the group, which a Wikipedia entry claims are still a
going concern. Wikipedia pages only get updated when someone cares enough to
contend with their insane moderators, so this may no longer be current.
Not recommended is the Jasmine CD pictured in the marquee. It's chosen for visual flair only. Jasmine's CDs sound terrible!
Tomorrow: Big George Hardin sounds like he’s heard about rhythm and blues and wants to give it a go! A weird-but-charming 1958 platter from the obscure Recorte label. Hardin’s only record: once you hear it you may understand why! (It’s not bad, so no worries there…)
Thanks once more, Frank! I wish on the first track that they had dispensed with the "novelty-style" spoken parts and quirky arrangement stops throughout because the rest of the performance is really smoking hot and with such a killer lead vocal.
ReplyDelete(gunshots) Them dice was LOADED! Hilarious!
ReplyDelete