A friend sent this along as a "birth-day" present. It's Shirley Raymond's only release. I'm not sure, but could be this side's never been comped. Google makes me think it hasn't, but I have a hard time accepting that a cut this good hasn't been re-issued somewhere, sometime.
It's not as though it's unknown. Mr. Finewine likes the tune a good bit. He's played it at least four times on his show, which given the seemingly infinite depth of that man's crates says quite a lot. But ya know, his playlists are the only online evidence I can find of it getting spins, which makes me think the 45 is a tough-ish find. Certainly I didn't have an mp3 of "What A Wedding Day" until I ripped my own.
The flip-side, "You're Gonna Miss Me", shows up here and there, but as far as I can tell never tied to comp or even a label scan. I'm thinking most or all were sourced from Sir Shambling's site where a download has been available for some time. Could be it's never been comped either.....it's just "around".
Only saying because I'm surprised. Raymond's voice is top notch, it's a seriously good record.
The the interplay of bass and drums is the thing on "What A Wedding Day". Sir Shambling suggests that John Boudreaux is on the sticks, and as far as I'm concerned Charles Mingus might as well be playing the bass [that's a very small joke]. You can read what Shambling has to say and pick up the flip-side where Raymond really shows off her pipes, here.
As a side note....the Amistad Research Center in Hartford, Conn. has put up a small exhibition called "Keeping The Music Alive" to celebrate their recent acquisition of Harold Battiste's papers. Too bad it's not closer to home, there a few items in the show I'd like to see. One of the exhibits is a copy of this 45. Since I can't find a discography, I'm taking that to mean this is first record issued on the At Last label.
Hope ya'll enjoy....
Hi Ana -
ReplyDeleteCheck out my blog for a 'lil present for you ;-)
I'm gonna post a proper link on the blog, but it won't hurt to put one here too. Holly's offering the only comp of King Solomon's output ever released. A really nice collection. Ya'll should check it out.
ReplyDeletehttp://hollisterbanister.blogspot.com/
Thanks a bunch Holly, it's a lovely present.
Oh and btw...I didn't have about three quarters of the comp, which is a good bit more than I expected.
ReplyDeleteuhmmm...a good bit less?
ReplyDeleteAna - Thanks for this one. if you have time, I'd love to hear the flip at good sound quality, since Sir Shambling has it at a very very low bit rate.
ReplyDeleteMan...I've been away from blogland for a few months and trying to get caught up. Thanks for this! This is the At Last discog. as I know it:
ReplyDelete1001 - Shirley Raymond (didn't know this one until today!)
1002 - Woods Bros. - To You My Love / Love Love Love
1003 - Mel Lastie - I Guess / Red Tyler - Olde Wine
1004 - ??
1005 - Eddie Bo - Tee Na Na Na Na Nay / Twinkle Toes
1006 - Eddie Bo - I Found a Little Girl / Hold Me
A quick Google search for "at last 1004" plopped me on to the Home of the Groove, with Dan saying it's 'unaccounted for.' And that the Eddie Bo ones were the last ones. I'll take his word for it!
The Woods Bros. is some treacly easy listening. I haven't heard the Mel Lastie / Red Tyler one but I bet it's pretty cool!
Ok more blog catching up...
Isosceles...thanks so much! That's marvelous. I've heard the Mel Lastie/Red Tyler split single and I def need to pick it up. I had to pass on a copy recently because my record budget was severely busted.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, 1004 is missing in action. I'll have to keep my eyes open.
I only own one of the Eddie Bos....Tee Na Na Nay can be tough to find.
Thanks again for the info, I'm gonna cut and paste for reference.
oh yeah...the Mel Lastie/Red Tyler single is much jazzier than you might expect from the label, but good. You know some of those guys at AFO played in one of Ornette Coleman's early line ups, right?
ReplyDeleteHowdy again! That's cool that you've heard the Mel n Alvin one; I was wondering if it would be jazzy ala AFO Combo stuff. I don't think I knew about them playing with Ornette Coleman though!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it took me quite a while to track down my slightly chewed up copy of "Tee Na Na"...I think some enterprising person should make Santeria candles specifically for tracking Eddie Bo obscurities... I'd buy one! I just got the Reggie Hall cover of "Tee Na Na" on Rip in the mail yesterday.
Oh, and I just googled the name of the woman who wrote the songs on the Woods Bros. 7" and it turns out she (Germaine Bazzle) is a jazz singer down your way, still.
Cheers! -Travis
Travis...I can't find the article which lays out the whole Ornette Coleman connection...but I do remember that Coleman was in New Orleans for awhile before heading out to the West Coast. He stayed with Mel Lastie's family. I'm thinking the unrecorded line-up was something like Lastie, Harold Battiste, Ellis Marsalis, Coleman, and Ed Blackwell. Could also be that Alvin Lastie was in there somewhere. Blackwell of course went on to play with Coleman later.
ReplyDeleteActually, I just found where Coleman says he met Blackwell in Los Angeles but it's in the same paragraph where he talks about staying with Lastie. Odd because Lastie and Blackwell were old friends, from the same hood.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've undoubtedly got a few facts wrong, but the gist of the thing is correct.