Sanford Clark, "A Cheat" c/w "Usta Be My Baby," Dot 45-15516 (rel. 10/1956)

This week we revisit past posts from the Facebook era that deserve another hearing. Since so many posts disappeared into the algorithmic abyss of FB, we're givin' 'em a second presentation. We hope you enjoy this trawl through our earlier days.

Sanford Clark had a major rockabilly hit with his 1956 classic “The Fool”—one of the few non-Elvis records in this style to crack the Top 10. This surprise success took the bashful vocalist and his producer Lee Hazelwood by surprise. Next came a greater challenge: whadda we do for an encore?     Hazelwood called Clark back to his Phoenix, AZ studio in June and October of ’56. In the June session, the B side of today’s 45 was taped. The latter session, which also yielded a ghastly, ill-advised version of Black big bandleader Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens,” provided the necessary A side. With this recording, called “A Cheat,” Hazelwood and guitarist Al Casey created a glimpse into the future of popular music. They brought South Asian sounds into rock ‘n’ roll for what appears to be the first time.     I don’t believe this was planned. Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” provided a powerful challenge for other pop-music makers—as The Beatles’ singles would do a few years hence. Top this—if ya can! Elvis’ record is a pop music landmark and remains as haunting and affecting as it must have been in 1956. It was parodied by Stan Freberg and dissected by various record labels as if its codex could be cracked like a safe.     Hazelwood, Casey and Clark transcend imitation with “A Cheat.” Though their inspiration is clear, their approach is more adventurous. With a stark, faint backing of lightly brushed snare drum and acoustic bass, guitarist Casey double-tracks. On the bottom layer, he plays high-register figures. On top is Clark’s vocal and guitar figures on the lower strings of the guitar. This minor-key melody sits on one chord for its verses. Only on the raga-style guitar break—in which Casey plays in octaves using the first and sixth strings of his instrument—do additional chords enter the picture, and they’re suggested rather than played.     It’s a mesmerizing song and performance, but too eerie and avant-garde for its day. This second single charted but struggled to #74; the youth of 1956 didn’t know what to make of it. As Clark commented later: “It seemed like it was too far out.” Thank goodness for the individuals who go too far out; this recording now sounds brilliant and innovative. In late 1956, it drew a collective “what the…?!?” from the world.

Cash Box didn't know from things like Eastern music, raga, or other non-pop terms, so "unusual guitar backing" was their best summation. This was creativity on par with anything out of Sun Records in Memphis--the record, that is, not this review!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bafl70vsk8tfwgl44nrbx/2110a.mp3?rlkey=y8ftort84jge3nqpvmk18roh7&st=n2vc2ulj&dl=0

“Usta Be My Baby” came from the June ’56 session and is standard-issue early rockabilly. Clark’s mellow voice is not well-suited for rockers, but he does a decent job here. (His propensity for getting out of key is a bigger problem; he emits several “clams” in his performance.)     Casey’s bouncy, bright guitar figures, strong rock ‘n’ roll drumming and a vocal chorus that helps rather than hinders prop up Clark’s somnolent stand. Casey takes a blazing solo that rivals anything Scotty Moore did on Elvis’ early recordings. Though strictly B-side stuff, it’s delivered with atmosphere and integrity.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p3sdev01whva9w19vb2cg/2110b.mp3?rlkey=bsp4x0tf5jol073ejh79gw9xz&st=6syldfyt&dl=0

Sanford Clark was not a great vocalist, but the settings producer Hazelwood created for him, abetted by Al Casey’s superb guitar work, make for a series of impressive singles. Bear Family released Clark’s complete early sides on a 1992 CD called The Fool. Its unissued sides reveal the flaws in the singer’s approach but highlight his best moves on several acknowledged classics. It's since been supplemented by a solid entry in their ...Rocks! series. "A Cheat" is the closing track on that newer disc.

Tomorrow: Curious-yet-soulful UK femme pop with Sharon Tandy, via the US release of a 1965 British single. She has an outstanding voice and approach.