THE ORIGINALS FEATURING TONY ALLAN, "LET ME HEAR YOU SAY YEAH" C/W "WISHING STAR," ORIGINAL SOUND OR-10 (REL. 7/1960)

Among a sea of colorful contenders, Tony Allen was a standout in the LA r&b scene. He had a major hit with "Nite Owl," a 1955 Specialty Records 45 that is his most often-encountered release. Allen recorded non-stop under several names--a trait that made it a challenge to catalog all his work. 

    Born in New Orleans, Allen (whose birth name is Allan) was sent by his family to Los Angeles during WWII, perhaps to keep him out of trouble in NOLA's infamous Ninth Ward (also home to million-selling star Fats Domino). He attended high school in LA and was chums with Eugene Church and other soon-to-be Black music personalities.

    He appears to have made his disc debut in 1952 for a small LA label. "Nite Owl," the intended B-side of his Specialty Records debut, established Allen/Allan as someone to watch in '55; he continued to record (and record) for the next decade.

Allen performed as part of various vocal groups, which includes today's platter, a scarce 1960 effort for Original Sound, the label that launched the oldies reissue market with their series of Oldies but Goodies LP comps. The label's original roster contained an eccentric flurry of performers, including Jayne Mansfield, instrumentalists Preston Epps and Sandy Nelson and a variety of old-school vocal groups who kept the '50s sound alive and well into the throes of Beatlemania.

Label owner Art Laboe seemed to have a fondness for vocal group sounds. Hi lo-fi, anything-goes style had a broad reach and such future visionaries as Frank Zappa made records for his label.

    Into this potent stew came The Originals, a vocal group featuring Tony Allan, as credited on the labels of the two 45s made for Original Sound. Again, the B-side was the most impressive, but the hat-trick of "Nite Owl" didn't happen twice. Laboe was good about the promotion of his oldies LPs, but the original singles often fell by the wayside.

    To add to the confusion, another song called "Wishing Star" was popular at the time and attracted several cover versions. Had Laboe gone with the powerhouse "Let Me Hear You Say Yeah" as the A, this no-go showboat might have charted in r&b. Six decades later, hindsight is 20/20.

    It opens with a party atmosphere; co-ed chatter that ceases when Allan's commanding voice enters the picture. To a gritty blues band and a lo-fi atmosphere, a raw, uncompromised r&b performance bursts out of the speakers. Those background chit-chatters become a fervent, loose chorus whose call and response routine is engaging and electric.

    I'm unsure who The Originals were; perhaps the loose vocal chorus? Or the tuff backup band...? Both parties add to the delicious atmosphere of this midnight mover which ends on a dime.

    With better recording fidelity or an arrangement, the raggedy magic of "Let Me Hear You Say Yeah" would be lost. We're fortunate it is what it is, unscathed by any attempt for the pop music market.

"Wishing Star" sounds like a different group and was the obvious attempt at a chart-friendly pop/r&b stand. With a string section and some sort of arrangement, it feels like one of The Drifters' recordings with Ben E. King. They were riding high in 1960, so the style made commercial sense.

    Though a shadow of the nocturnal underworld vibe of "Let Me Hear...," it's a decent soul-ish ballad and shows Allan's versatility. When called for, he was a perfect crooner; if a racket was the goal, he could let loose, as he does on the other side of this disc.

    "Wishing Star" feels like Art Laboe creating future content for his Oldies but Goodies LPs. It's possible it appeared on one of the many volumes in this series. (The four Originals tracks do appear on an undated compilation LP, The Best of Original Records [sic].

Ace Records in the UK issued a solid collection of Allen's work in their 2009 CD Here Comes The Nite Owl! West Coast R&B And Doo Wop 1954-61. This CD doesn't contain the Originals tracks, but offers a good account of a prolific performer at their peak.

Tomorrow: moody teen LA garage/folk rock by The Tidal Waves, via a 1966 Hanna-Barbera Records single. Baroque pop with strings on one side; frat-rock raver on the other.