The Platters,"Voo-Vee-Ah-Bee" c/w "Shake It Up Mambo," Federal 45-12198 (rel. 11/1954)
The great early Platters return with their wildest moment on vinyl! Emoji-wise, my reaction to the group's efforts for Federal Records rates a 😍. Their first year on Mercury Records gets a 😊, and anything after 1957, with rare exceptions, elicits a big ol' 🥱.
We played the group's prior Federal disc "Love All Night" here not too long ago. This one had long been on my want list when a copy for a most affordable price showed up on eBay. I'd bought from the seller before; they undergrade their wares, and their VG is most people's VG+. This Platters platter didn't disappoint, and I was transfixed on first listen. I hope you'll have a similar epiphanic glee when you lend me your ears.
We played the group's prior Federal disc "Love All Night" here not too long ago. This one had long been on my want list when a copy for a most affordable price showed up on eBay. I'd bought from the seller before; they undergrade their wares, and their VG is most people's VG+. This Platters platter didn't disappoint, and I was transfixed on first listen. I hope you'll have a similar epiphanic glee when you lend me your ears.
This late 1954 disc bridges the two main influences of early vocal group r&b: modern jazz and Latin rhythms. For the former, "Voo-Vee-Ah-Bee" dishes up hipster argot gets an eccentric workout on this jivin' side, which almost gets into Slim Gailliard territory. The sound reaches back to the post-war style of vocal group r&b. The twin leads of Tony Williams and she-Platter Zora Taylor are delightful, and the goofball vibe of this side is intoxicating. Award-winning lyric: 'Til your feet get balled, voo-vee-ah-bee is a hobby with you.
Add a twangy guitar solo, lotsa drums and mucho reverb and you've got a slice of boppin' nonsense delivered with the joy of an insane evangelist, minus all that religious baggage. 10/10 in this music lover's book!
Add a twangy guitar solo, lotsa drums and mucho reverb and you've got a slice of boppin' nonsense delivered with the joy of an insane evangelist, minus all that religious baggage. 10/10 in this music lover's book!
Alas, the search engine on the website that hosts all the vintage music mags I use here isn't working well this week. It refuses to acknowledge my search requests, even though they exist within the magazines' text (which is searchable). There might be a Cash Box review of this single; I can't find it. King Records, who owned Federal, were notorious for delaying their promotion of new records. The ad in today's marquee comes two months after this single went on sale. No way to run a railroad!
The flip of this platter could be a canary training record ("nice bird...pretty bird...") and I'd still be happy. But the sonic boom of "Shake it Up Mambo" awaits!
I love these Latin-infused early vocal group outings, and the quintet is inspired on this percussion-laden rave-up. Dig that intro: a descending, nimble piano line bolstered by conga fury (with some bongo fury for good measure). The Platters come in with a wild chant. Meanwhile, the drummer's ridin' the cymbals to add excitement to this sonic stew. Tony Williams gets all het up as he delivers his dissertation on the joys of mambo.
The combined conga/bongo fury gets louder as this disc continues its 45 spins per minute. This may be Tony Williams' finest moment on record. It's a crime that the group's manager Buck Ram forced them into a middle-of-the-road group that crooned bland standards. They had this energy untapped for years.
I love these Latin-infused early vocal group outings, and the quintet is inspired on this percussion-laden rave-up. Dig that intro: a descending, nimble piano line bolstered by conga fury (with some bongo fury for good measure). The Platters come in with a wild chant. Meanwhile, the drummer's ridin' the cymbals to add excitement to this sonic stew. Tony Williams gets all het up as he delivers his dissertation on the joys of mambo.
The combined conga/bongo fury gets louder as this disc continues its 45 spins per minute. This may be Tony Williams' finest moment on record. It's a crime that the group's manager Buck Ram forced them into a middle-of-the-road group that crooned bland standards. They had this energy untapped for years.
Here's another record a DJ could use to get a crowd on their feet. The beat is irresistible and the vocal harmonies are raw and inventive. 11/10 for this masterpiece!
The Platters' Federal sides were collected by Ace Records (UK) on a 2004 CD that includes their backup vocals for r&b diva Linda Hayes. Bear Family Records did a boxed set on the group that ignored these sides.
Thank goodness they were able to enter the soul scene with a fresh outlook! In 1966, a retooled Platters scored soul hits with "With This Ring," "I Love You 1,000 Times" and made other spinners which weren't chart winners and thus became the property of Northern Soul Ltd. Those Musicor Records sides are awfully good and a world away from the zany, throbbing sound of this 1954 epic.
Tomorrow: piney-woods down-home red-dirt country soul from The Carter Brothers, via a 1965 Jewel Records single.
Wow! Two fun songs to get your feet tapping. ""Voo-Vee-Ah-Bee" certainly sounds like hipster slang or maybe was pig latin for a word or phrase American Culture has lost now to time. For some reason my brain jumps to 1950's The Ames' Brothers "Rag Mop" and 1950's Disney's "Cinderella" with its "Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo" song.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Loved these. I don't have it in me to word well now, but many thanks for these tunes (and fab write-up) that got me outta my self for a brief but welcome slice of my day. :-)
ReplyDeleteDunno whether my previous comment(s) actually posted. Firefox's pop-up blocker decided to kick in hard, despite not doing so before and me leaving comments here before. SIGH. Anyway, just wanted to say I loved these tunes and this write-up and thanks for providing a much-needed brief break from *waves hands around wildly All This* :-)
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