Robert Mosley, "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" c/w "Goodbye My Lover Goodbye," Capitol 4961 (rel. 22 Apr 1963)
Robert Mosley (whose surname is sometimes spelled 'Mosely') was a mid-level professional songwriter who, earlier in his career, had a partnership with Mayme Watts. Together, they wrote material for Sarah Vaughn, Louis Jordan, Nat "King" Cole, The Ames Brothers and Kay Starr.
They gravitated towards rhythm and blues by 1960, when Mosley made his first solo recordings in more of a pop mode. (He and Watts made a few duet sides in the 1950s; one of them, "Ain't No Way in the World," was covered by Nashville harmony trio The Browns in 1957.) The Harptones, The Rivieras, Jimmie Rodgers, Adam Wade, and harder-edged acts like Chuck Jackson, Deena Johnson, Bill St. John, Buddy Lamp and Clarence Henry recorded his material. Around this time, Watts and Mosley stopped writing together. Why they split up isn't known. Mosley is the "photo not available" man of 1960s r&b. He managed a late hit with "Sha La La," first recorded by The Shirelles and then by UK group Manfred Mann to greater success. The same happened for both sides of today's single--Mosley's final solo recording.
This was intended for release on Ludix, a Capitol subsidiary formed for producer Luther Dixon, whom Capitol considered as asset after he left his position with Florence Greenberg's Scepter and Wand labels, where he'd charted the course of many rhythm and blues greats. Ludix lasted for six releases, bookended by later singles of The Chantels, the girl group who started a musical revolution in 1958.
Capitol earmarked some unissed Ludix material for their main label. Among them was Robert Mosley's best record--two timeless, evocative songs that were issued just 13 days after I came into the world. The four Capitol singles issued on April 22, 1963 included another unusual disc heard here last year--Jimmy Basile's "I'll Never Be Anyone But Me"--plus a comeback single for country singer Tommy Collins and a solid r&b effort by Black vocalist Jay Miller. These four singles failed in the marketplace.
The few who picked up today's record might have been impressed with the ambition and passion of its two songs. Among those so taken were Liverpool bands The Searchers and The Swinging Blue Jeans; the former group had a Top Five UK hit with their eerie version of "Goodbye My Love," as they'd shortened the title. The Swinging Blue Jeans were one of many European beat groups to tackle "Crazy 'bout My Baby," and their 1965 recording was a flop (and not issued in America).
Mosley's originals comprise one of my top favorite singles, and it seems fitting to play it again, six years after its first go-round on the Jukebox. In all this time, I've hoped a photograph of Robert Mosley might surface. None seem to exist. Songwriters weren't necessarily stars before the 1970s; Mosley was a recording artist, solo and with Mayme Watts, so it seems likely some images of him must exist. (A Black opera singer of the same name, who was well-photographed, has been mistaken for the songwriter, just to further muddy the waters.)
"Crazy 'bout My Baby" opens with a run of flamenco guitar. A torrid wall of Latin sound kicks in. Mosley sings close, passionate harmony with a female voice (could it be Mayme Watts?). This Luther Dixon production builds and builds. Strings enter the picture on the second verse. Mosley's vocal is modest; he's no showboater but sings with feeling and skill. His co-partner, who takes a few solo passages, is excellent.
The strings take the solo break; the blend of their swooping phrases with the reverb-laden samba beat is hypnotizing. The song's melodic turns are unexpected and dramatic. It has an operatic feel unusual for a rhythm and blues song of its day. The total effective is offbeat, exciting and haunting. There's no other recording quite like it; for quality of song and performance, this would be Robert Mosley's finest moment, were the B-side not a windswept masterpiece of romantic longing and regret.
Mosley shares songwriting credit with Leroy Swearingen, a member of doo-wop group The Stereos (who recorded Mosley's excellent "Unless You Mean It" in 1962) and Lamar Symington, who has no other songwriting credits and may have been a friend who suggested some lyrics. This longer-than-usual ballad features another recent Jukebox visitor, session guitarist Vincent Bell, who again uses his water guitar effect.
The songwriter is placed in another epic musical landscape. The song merits this baroque treatment: its impassioned melody, riven with melismatic extensions of words, embodies the brutality of heartbreak, betrayal and the sense of knowing when enough's enough, even if it means pain and regret.
Mosley is perhaps too low in the mix. He has much competition on this big, spacious production. The song gets to me as few pieces of music do; I experience the same mesmerizing grip each time I hear it. The Searchers' hit version tightens up the melody and avoids the composer's heart-on-sleeve emotional approach.
"Goodbye My Lover Goodbye" is better experienced than described. As the last public recording of a man who never quite hit the big time, despite an impressive list of performers, it has a power and glory that has me hooked from start to finish. It may not hit you the same way; I hope it does.
Mosley's original version can be heard in the 2018 film The Green Book, where it's put to good effect. The film's director Peter Farrelly had the Mosley record recommended to him by Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant.
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