JAY & DEE, "WHAT A NIGHT, NIGHT, NIGHT" C/W "DREAM TALK," ARLISS 1008 (REL.10/1961)

 

Doris Troy made three singles prior to her 1963 hit “Just One Look.” The first two were under her real-life name Doris Payne; the third was as one half of Jay and Dee for a big-sounding duet r&b item for the obscure Arliss Records. Arliss has a very 1970s label design, which puzzled me when I encountered this single, but I picked it up out of curiosity. I saw Gregory Carroll’s name, which ought’ve been a tipoff, since he worked with Doris as a songwriter, demo-singer and arranger.

The two songs have a big, bold sound that reminds me of Chicago-made Black records of the day; on first listen, it seemed like a male duet. Then I heard a voice I recognized. I was at a loss to put a name to the singer. Thank you, 45cat.com, for user comments revealed that one of the voices (the “Dee”?) was Doris Payne.

Here’s another “why wasn’t this a hit?” r&b single that had pop crossover potential and didn’t swim far enough upstream to become well-known. Perhaps the little label blew their budget on graphic design. It did get an eager thumbs-up from Cash Box, as seen below.

Who “Jay” was is anyone’s guess. It might have been Gregory Carroll; I don’t have any other examples of his voice for comparison’s sake. Producer Irv Rothman did the honors on a few other singles with Gregory Carroll’s involvement at the time. They worked together. It’s possible Carroll is that other voice. Just a guess.

Onto the record. A jazzy brass fanfare opens “Oh, What a Night, Night, Night,” a joyous recollection of a grand romantic (and, I’d wager, sexual) evening. Troy’s distinctive voice trades vows of love and affection with the male singer. There’s real feeling in their harmonies, and Carroll’s arrangement gives this kiss-and-tell side a massive showy sound. If not made in Chicago, it evokes that city’s r&b sound with style.

Cash Box deemed this a Pick of the Week, right below James Ray's classic "If You Gotta

Make a Fool of Somebody," on October 21, 1961.

“Dream Talk” dates from the big band era. Published in 1946, and co-written by Henry Jerome, an oft-encountered name in New York-based vernacular recordings, it works well in a rock ‘n’ roll/r&b idiom, and again features the two voice in splendid form. Their good vibes are infectious, and the massive band sound, which includes a sneaky blues guitar, gives this side even more of a hit feel. Though the song’s lyric is melancholy, you don’t get that from the performance, which rings the rafters with its exuberance.

This single is styrene, and it looked worse for the wear, but it plays fine and delivers a rich sound—both surprising to me. I’d love to know who manufactured this release; I have other styrene 45s from the era that deliver the same big, well-modulated sound with the high and low ends well-represented. They might be from the same plant, and perhaps they used better materials. Record labels chose styrene because it was less expensive than vinyl, but its volatile chemical compound might have done better in certain climates or temperatures. Again, just wild armchair-biologist guesses and theories. I’m glad that some styrenes are this hi-fi-sounding.

Doris Troy debuted as a solo artist, under that stage name, in April 1963 with “Just One Look,” one of that year’s best singles; three more Atlantic Records 45s followed, plus an LP with nine unique songs. It’s a powerful body of work, those 17 recordings, and the spendy “Just One Look” LP has been reissued on vinyl; it’s well worth getting. Ace Records did a good career-spanning anthology of Troy’s work that’s less expensive and easier to find.

Tomorrow: Marlina Mars delivers a pair of soulful girl-group-style solo winners on a 1963 Capitol Records 45. Another great voice that should’ve found success.