THE RAYS, "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW" C/W "BRIGHT BROWN EYES," PERRI L-1004 (REL. 7/1962)

Sometimes I hear an obscure old single and think that it may have inspired more famous performers to try out its sound—often with greater success than the little-known original. Such is the case with the A side of today’s single, a 1962 non-hit by veteran r&b vocal group The Rays. We’ve played their records here in the past; theirs is a consistent set of good records.

They worked with Bob Crewe, whose vision of pop music cast a larger influence than acknowledged. His productions and songs for The Four Seasons were a major stylistic vibe of 1960s pop music. His name is on a legion of excellent girl-group singles and his forays into r&b and rock ‘n’ roll are worthy. He wasn’t afraid to experiment and fail; that’s the only way to grow as a creative person. In the topside of today’s disc, Crewe anticipated the sound of UK hitmakers The Dave Clark Five by at least a year.

It’s conceivable that the group got their hands on this single; British musicians of the day picked up copies of American 45s brought over by sea merchants, who recognized a good racket and worked it as a side hustle. It’s also possible that this record was played on the radio. This may be utter coincidence, which does happen all the time, but the resemblance is eerie.

“Are You Happy Now? (Yeah-Yeah Song)” was co-written by Crewe and Sid Bass. Bass was an older bandleader, arranger and musician who recorded easy-listening material for RCA-Victor and might seem out of touch with teen music of the 1960s. Eighteen years Crewe’s senior, Bass clicked with the younger producer and appeared to get the impact his mentee sought to achieve.

With credited lead singer Hal Miller, this scornful song of an adios to a bad relationship has harsh, shouty vocals, loud electric rhythm guitar and a folkish melody that anticipates British beat-group music to come. All this needs is a bigger presence from the drummer to complete a proto-DC5 sound. It’s hard not to think of their hit “Bits and Pieces” while hearing this recording. Who knows? Maybe it’s just a fluke; it was a wild record for ’62 and retains its outlier intensity.

We’re back to more familiar turf on the B side “My Brown Eyes,” a classy doo-wop ballad with traditional r&b harmonies and the fish-beat vibe. The beefed-up vocal style prevails; this is a more forceful approach than usual for such a song. It makes it more impressive and convincing. The group shows off their skill with vocal harmony here and there’s still a touch of the unusual.

The group’s next single would be their last. “Sad Saturday,” for Amy Records, goes for 400 dollars-ish these days, and it’s another one to keep an eye out for amidst a careless seller’s scramble of “old records.” There are copies out there in dollar bins—I can smell them from here!

Tomorrow: Phil and Del deliver soulful duo harmonies on an ahead-of-its-time 1962 release on the little-known Linda label.