Annisteen Allen, "Fujiyama Mama" c/w "Wheels of Love," Capitol 3048 (rel. 1/1955)
One month ago (post #2020) we heard Annisteen Allen's final single for Decca Records. Here we hop to late 1954 and one of her most sought-after platters. I found my first copy of this single whilst buzzing through a large box of abandoned random 45s in a driving rain. (I was under the back lid of an SUV so only my feet got soaked.) This was one of several surprises in this mass of unsleeved records. I've shared some of the other rarities from this haul in the past.
Alas, my first copy of Capitol 3048 had damage to its B-side. Since the single goes for big bucks most of the time, I hoped I'd luck out again in the future. And, since someone up there (in the 45-rpm office) seems to approve of me, a near-mint copy showed up on eBay for one fifth the going rate. Pounce! And thus, with some slight misgivings (to be discussed forthwith), I present you with one of the wildest, most outré r&b records of the 1950s.
"Fujiyama Mama" was penned by Earl Burrows, who had a handful of songs recorded in 1955 and changed his nom de plume to Jack Hammer. He then let out a ream of vivid rock 'n' roll and r&b items, including "Great Balls of Fire." This song had several cover versions including another on Capitol Records by rockabilly Wanda Jackson--the version most people know. One approaches such a song with concern; is it racist or just be-bop nonsense? In this case, it's both. While the lyric makes no reference to Asian stereotypes, the "Oriental sound gimmicks," as described by the sober Billboard reviewer, are a regrettable cliche--then and now.
The song isn't about an Asian person; it trades on the rhyme of yama and mama as it tells the first-person narrative of one wild woman who's proud of her eccentric ways. In the hands of Annisteen Allen, it gets a fervent and rousing treatment.
Burrows' lyric abounds with vivid, absurd details. This femme fatale smokes dynamite, has visited A-bomb devastation sites and doesn't care one bit what people think. This 12-bar blues has the energy of a Daffy Duck cartoon; exaggerated backup vocals by a Black male group (The Cues?) add to the merriment. This record is a force of nature and, despite its arrangement, wild as they come.
Alas, my first copy of Capitol 3048 had damage to its B-side. Since the single goes for big bucks most of the time, I hoped I'd luck out again in the future. And, since someone up there (in the 45-rpm office) seems to approve of me, a near-mint copy showed up on eBay for one fifth the going rate. Pounce! And thus, with some slight misgivings (to be discussed forthwith), I present you with one of the wildest, most outré r&b records of the 1950s.
"Fujiyama Mama" was penned by Earl Burrows, who had a handful of songs recorded in 1955 and changed his nom de plume to Jack Hammer. He then let out a ream of vivid rock 'n' roll and r&b items, including "Great Balls of Fire." This song had several cover versions including another on Capitol Records by rockabilly Wanda Jackson--the version most people know. One approaches such a song with concern; is it racist or just be-bop nonsense? In this case, it's both. While the lyric makes no reference to Asian stereotypes, the "Oriental sound gimmicks," as described by the sober Billboard reviewer, are a regrettable cliche--then and now.
The song isn't about an Asian person; it trades on the rhyme of yama and mama as it tells the first-person narrative of one wild woman who's proud of her eccentric ways. In the hands of Annisteen Allen, it gets a fervent and rousing treatment.
Burrows' lyric abounds with vivid, absurd details. This femme fatale smokes dynamite, has visited A-bomb devastation sites and doesn't care one bit what people think. This 12-bar blues has the energy of a Daffy Duck cartoon; exaggerated backup vocals by a Black male group (The Cues?) add to the merriment. This record is a force of nature and, despite its arrangement, wild as they come.
Cash Box passed on a review of today's record, so we
turn to Billboard, who often fumbled song titles but
give a less lurid account of this most lurid release.
Value for money is "Wheels of Love," penned by Rose Marie McCoy and Charlie Singleton, one of my favorite r&b cleffing teams. They wrote many fine songs in their time together and continued to write good material on their own after they broke up their partnership. This is a fine example of them at their best: a catchy song with clever and logical imagery, based on its titular conceit, and with plenty of room for an expressive vocalist to add their own touch.
Ms. Allen sounds so confident and at ease in this session. She embellishes this blues with vocal flourishes aplenty (check out the "tuh-huh-hurning" at around 00:49 and her "hah-hah-hah" later in the record), and Plas Johnson takes a powerhouse sax solo in Capitol Records' legendary studio on Hollywood Boulevard.
This could've been an A-side on its own; these singers might have taken for granted the wealth of fine material given them by so many adept songwriters. I often get as excited by the songwriter credits on a record of this vintage as I do by who performs the song itself. A McCoy-Singleton song is always reason for joy.
Ms. Allen sounds so confident and at ease in this session. She embellishes this blues with vocal flourishes aplenty (check out the "tuh-huh-hurning" at around 00:49 and her "hah-hah-hah" later in the record), and Plas Johnson takes a powerhouse sax solo in Capitol Records' legendary studio on Hollywood Boulevard.
This could've been an A-side on its own; these singers might have taken for granted the wealth of fine material given them by so many adept songwriters. I often get as excited by the songwriter credits on a record of this vintage as I do by who performs the song itself. A McCoy-Singleton song is always reason for joy.
And that's all we got--but it's a lot. Enjoy!
Tomorrow: surf guitar king Eddie Bertrand and The Showmen with their second instrumental 45 for Liberty Records. A twin-spin killer-diller from 1963!
I looked up Mount Fujiyama thinking it might have been in the news in 1955. Its last eruption was in 1707 so I wonder what spurred the songwriters to write it. Almost a novelty song — but not funny at all. Miss Allen really rocks and the doo-woppers do right by her with their FOO-jee-yama-yama-yama refrain. "Wheels of Love" is indeed a well-written song.
ReplyDelete