Don Sargent And The Buddies, "Voodoo Kiss" c/w "Leadfoot," Catalina 4514 (rel. 1/1959)
We enter a world of bongo fury, Technicolor hallucinations and safe driving tips, with Don Sargent and The Buddies. This single has become sought-after by devotees of the exotica sound. Perhaps in response to post-war successes like the stage musical South Pacific, and from GI exposure to tropical overseas culture during the Second World War, exotica sought not to present accurate world music but an American studio-made hodgepodge of motifs and instruments, often filted through the lens of jazz or pop music.
Percussion dominates this genre, alongside a moody soundscape of reverb, unusual chord progressions and an amped-up sense of melodrama. Like 1950s Technicolor, exotica music saturates its every iota with exaggeration and melodrama. Much exotica, like Les Baxter's forays into a series of concept albums (Tamboo, Ritual of the Savage, The Sacred Idol), were all-instumental, but vocals were part of the picture.
How California pop singer Don Sargent got into the scene isn't well-documented, but today's single is prime example of that eerie otherworld. Sargent specialized in unusual pop songs, often sung with the overt emotions of the early Elvis Presley; some of his singles fall more in the rock 'n' roll/pop genre. "Voodoo Kiss" is the exotic outlier. Moody harmonica and the thrum of massed drums (including bongos) kick off this minor-key confession of a lovestruck lad who's paralyzed by desire. "I'm a rag doll stuck full of pins," he wails as bongos abound, with the occasional release of a jazzy guitar chord.
Over and out in under two minutes, "Voodoo Kiss" casts its anguished spell and, were Sargent not so sincere in his performance, it might seem campy. Yet it retains its curious allure. It's become a staple of exotica DJs and commands still-reasonable but still-spendy prices on the market. (I lucked out and found it among a five-dollar lot of singles at my neighborhood Goodwill!)
Percussion dominates this genre, alongside a moody soundscape of reverb, unusual chord progressions and an amped-up sense of melodrama. Like 1950s Technicolor, exotica music saturates its every iota with exaggeration and melodrama. Much exotica, like Les Baxter's forays into a series of concept albums (Tamboo, Ritual of the Savage, The Sacred Idol), were all-instumental, but vocals were part of the picture.
How California pop singer Don Sargent got into the scene isn't well-documented, but today's single is prime example of that eerie otherworld. Sargent specialized in unusual pop songs, often sung with the overt emotions of the early Elvis Presley; some of his singles fall more in the rock 'n' roll/pop genre. "Voodoo Kiss" is the exotic outlier. Moody harmonica and the thrum of massed drums (including bongos) kick off this minor-key confession of a lovestruck lad who's paralyzed by desire. "I'm a rag doll stuck full of pins," he wails as bongos abound, with the occasional release of a jazzy guitar chord.
Over and out in under two minutes, "Voodoo Kiss" casts its anguished spell and, were Sargent not so sincere in his performance, it might seem campy. Yet it retains its curious allure. It's become a staple of exotica DJs and commands still-reasonable but still-spendy prices on the market. (I lucked out and found it among a five-dollar lot of singles at my neighborhood Goodwill!)
We have the luxury of two reviews on this one. Both favor the teen cautionary tale of "Leadfoot" and try to ignore the existence of "Voodoo Kiss," which is the celebrated side that gets DJ plays and appears on compilations of wild, weird Space Age music.
"Leadfoot," the intended A-side, is another minor-key novelty about a reckless driver who floors it until he's floored--permanent-style. The harmonica returns, in a frisky, playful-sinister style. Add automotive sound-effects and you've got a record I hope some Driver's Ed teacher used in-classroom in 1959. It's no "Voodoo Kiss," though!
And there's a Saturday's worth of "huh?!?" "Voodoo Kiss" is part of a three-LP collection of exotica classics titled Technicolor Paraside: Rhum Rhapsodies and Other Exotic Delights. (Just in case you want more of this-type music.) The album cover of this collection serves as today's marquee art.
Tomorrow: Organ instrumentalist Dave "Baby" Cortez does a rare pair of vocals for a Argo Records single of 1964.
"Leadfoot" is a hoot. Wonder how many songs about the perils of hot rodding were recorded. Did teeners really buy these records? "Voodoo Kiss" is spooky enough with that ghostly harmonica. I wonder of Ennio Morricone heard this tune. His use of harmonica on his Italian western scores emulate this haunting sound.
ReplyDeleteLove these!!!
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling you'd like this one!
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