The Deuces Wild [Los Angeles], "I'm In A Whirl" c/w "The Meaning Of Love," Specialty 654 (rel. 12/1958)
Today's record showed up one week ago at the Tacoma record wingding. I knew of it as one of Specialty Records' infrequent forays into rockabilly. But the debut single of teen duo The Deuces Wild resists easy categorization. Its songwriters and performers attempt to do music in a set style but overjump their mark into the future.
Gary Vallette and Ron Amerman were onto something they perhaps didn't realize with these two sides. If you told me this record was from 1964, I'd believe it. Its musical choices and driving, fierce performance style make what was, on the surface, just another teen rocker in the Everly Brothers vein a futuristic epistle from the twilight zone.
Vallette was born in Kansas in 1937; Amerman, who later used the stage name of Fats Johnson, entered stage left in 1939. They met in Los Angeles sometime before late 1958, by which time they'd begun to perform together. Then-unknown Sonny Bono, future Phil Spector toadie and ruiner of copyright laws, was a talent scout/gofer for Specialty Records and spotted the duo. He liked what he heard and convinced the label, known for its wild Black r&b, to sign the pair.
Where the duo's musical influences came from is unknown, but the two songs they delivered are far beyond the typical rock 'n' roll song of its day. Most songs had perhaps five chords, tops, and hewed to blues-based formats. Not The Deuces Wild!
"I'm in a Whirl" is the obvious A-side. This could be a 1963 British beat-group recording, although no British recording studio would have allowed the gritty, bottom-heavy guitar sounds. Some of the energy of Eddie Cochran's current hits is felt in this performance, but the music and harmony singing is years ahead of the bell curve. There's some of the energy of, dare I say, punk in their performance. It's over in under two minutes, but doesn't feel too short. It does what needs doing and exits without fanfare.
Nothing on the radio could compare to the compressed, fierce and far-reaching sound of this platter. The B-side appears to have picked up the most airplay, which is a surprise, as you may agree once you've heard it. Specialty Records did nothing to publicize the record in print; Bono accompanied the boys to San Francisco, where they plugged their record to anyone who'd listen. Meanwhile, illiteracy in the music press plagued their future:
Vallette was born in Kansas in 1937; Amerman, who later used the stage name of Fats Johnson, entered stage left in 1939. They met in Los Angeles sometime before late 1958, by which time they'd begun to perform together. Then-unknown Sonny Bono, future Phil Spector toadie and ruiner of copyright laws, was a talent scout/gofer for Specialty Records and spotted the duo. He liked what he heard and convinced the label, known for its wild Black r&b, to sign the pair.
Where the duo's musical influences came from is unknown, but the two songs they delivered are far beyond the typical rock 'n' roll song of its day. Most songs had perhaps five chords, tops, and hewed to blues-based formats. Not The Deuces Wild!
"I'm in a Whirl" is the obvious A-side. This could be a 1963 British beat-group recording, although no British recording studio would have allowed the gritty, bottom-heavy guitar sounds. Some of the energy of Eddie Cochran's current hits is felt in this performance, but the music and harmony singing is years ahead of the bell curve. There's some of the energy of, dare I say, punk in their performance. It's over in under two minutes, but doesn't feel too short. It does what needs doing and exits without fanfare.
Nothing on the radio could compare to the compressed, fierce and far-reaching sound of this platter. The B-side appears to have picked up the most airplay, which is a surprise, as you may agree once you've heard it. Specialty Records did nothing to publicize the record in print; Bono accompanied the boys to San Francisco, where they plugged their record to anyone who'd listen. Meanwhile, illiteracy in the music press plagued their future:
Billboard gave the single a decent review but mis-spelled their name, which made a search for the group friutless (heh) until I found out the mistake, which was catching...
One of two mentions of today's record in Cash Box (which declined to review it) continues the U before E blunder, Small wonder this record didn't succeed. I thought people were more literate in 1958. I am shocked!
Latch on to your chapeaus for "The Meaning of Love." Where did THIS come from? " It's built on an eerie chord progression with a fierce, stark feeling. Latin percussion and a rapid tempo add to this moodier side. It's not a ballad; this thoughtful song bursts with teen emotion and tension.
The vocal harmonies are adventurous and exciting; the melody always surprises the listener and creates a gripping mood that's hard to shake off. The duo creates a hypnotic, fascinating sound that's almost 100% them: chugging rhythm guitars and their tight, adventurous vocal harmonies.
I could go on, but that would only delay your immersion in this unforgettable recording. Have at it!
The Deuces Wild flank the banjo player on the cover of their lone 1963 LP, Singin' and Pickin', which contains a couple of originals amongst the usual suspects of traditional folk songs and anti-nuclear-holocaust anthems.
Amerman used this as a jumping point, He joined The New Christy Minstrels, that wholesome hotbed of 1960s rockers-to-be. There he adopted the stage name of Fats Johnson, which he used until his passing in Las Vegas in 2007.
Gary Vallette went to college and studied art, from painting to sculpture. He didn't abandon music; he played in other bands and became a master of vocal arrangements for multiple voices. He appears to've led a happy life and passed on in 2020 at 83.
Tomorrow: Miss LaVell returns with a 1963 single for Duke Records. Flute bossa nova nightmare (of the good kind) on one side; bluesy grandstander on the other.
I can hear that Everly Bros. harmonies but these guys were ahead of the curve with their "folk" sound. No wonder one of the "Johnson" boys ended up in the New Christy Minstrels with their brand of folk. Googled "Strontium Ninety" and, of course, someone posted it to YouTube. It's a fun song in a Tom Lehrer vein.
ReplyDelete