Two recent posts on my other blog were devoted to the earliest recordings by singer-composer-pianist Bobby Troup. (Thanks again to lafong for his contributions!) You can read about Troup's early exploits on those posts.By 1953, Capitol had scooped up Troup, and his first LP was soon on record store shelves. I transferred that 10-inch LP many years ago and offered it here. I've now remastered it, added the four songs added to the album's 12-inch incarnation from 1955, and thrown in the three Capitol sides that were never issued on LP.
Here's some of what I wrote about the singer way back when:
Troup first came to notice as a songwriter, with "Daddy" as early as 1941, followed by "Route 66," a big hit for Nat Cole. Later compositions included "Girl Talk" and "The Girl Can't Help It." (Too bad Little Richard didn't do a whole album of Troup, eh?)
This album has three of Troup's own numbers - "The Three Bears" (offered here previously in two different Page Cavanaugh renditions), "Hungry Man" and "Lemon Twist." The latter is set to a familiar bop riff that I can't quite place.
Within the limits of his style, Troup was an enjoyable performer. He never had much of a voice, but what he had he used stylishly, although on these early sides the style can veer into mannerism. He sounds remarkably like Bob Dorough - who, I should add, did not begin recording until three years later.
The four songs added to the 12-inch LP included one by Troup - "You're Looking at Me," a particularly good one.
Capitol issued two Troup singles. First was "12 Five Days, Six Hours and Thirteen Minutes," included on the 12-inch LP, backed with the orphaned "When You're With Somebody Else," which I've added to the download.
 |
| Music Views, December 1954 |
This last Troup single for Capitol came from 1954. Nelson Riddle was the conductor. That was the extent of Bobby's relationship with the label. He was soon to move to Bethlehem and Liberty.
 |
| Music Views, July 1954 |
Troup's First Liberty LP
An excellent article on the Jazz Research site gives the background to Troup's first Liberty album, which dates from 1955. At the time, his trio was playing at LA's Celebrity Room. His manager recorded the trio after hours in an empty club, and the tapes eventually became Bobby's first Liberty LP - just the second album issued on the label.
I transferred that LP in 2011 and have now remastered the results, almost entirely eliminating the surface noise that marred a few cuts.
Here is some of what I wrote 11 years ago:
Troup's troupe here includes multi-instrumentalist Bob Enevoldsen (playing bass on this recording), guitarist Howard Roberts and drummer Don Heath. Bobby sticks to standards for the most part, although he does slip in "The Hucklebuck" for irony's sake, with his piano solo quoting Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time," upon which the 1949 dance sensation was based.
Otherwise, his hipster mannerisms are fairly well in check, with the highlights a rendition of the great Bob Haymes tune "That's All" and a concluding tribute to his fellow singer-pianist-composer, Matt Dennis, with "Let's Get Away from It All." He also amusingly adds his own lyrics to Rodgers and Hart's "Thou Swell." No songs of his own, though!
But before the Liberty LP could be released, Bobby had to complete a commitment to Bethlehem records. For that label, he recorded a 10-inch LP, The Songs of Bobby Troup, which soon was expanded into the 12-inch Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer. His final LP for Bethlehem was The Distinctive Style of Bobby Troup. I have all these albums and will transfer them in the future.
Links to both the Capitol and Liberty recordings are in the comments, as well as the comments sections of the original posts.
17 comments:
Links (Apple lossless):
Bobby Troup Capitol Recordings
https://mega.nz/file/6Acn0DDR#_ni1A--NHwZaqKy7aTyAyuvWFPkqiiIPaf8Dnx0HCGY
Bobby Troup and His Trio
https://mega.nz/file/uREjAB5J#QmKFjxzmTJ1VDYKptmoYglfTLK5-Ggtgg1XfbPzJHeM
I haven't commented for awhile but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your continuing gifts from RVW to David Allyn to Bobby Troup.
A few medical interventions seem to be paying off.
As you noted, Troup had an acting career and his appearance as "Bongo White" in a 1961 bizarro episode of "Perry Mason" has to be seen to be believed and that is not an endorsement.
But generally, and with a decent script, he and Julie London held their own as actors and I have to admit that when she died, I felt that I was now officially Old.
Charlot - So glad you are doing better! Your comments here are always much appreciated. I must admit I have no experience of Bobby and Julie as actors, but I do like them as singers!
Incidentally, Julie London and her ex-husband Jack Webb, had the most amiable divorce I have ever heard of. Not only did Webb repeatedly hire her and Bobby Troup as actors, he and Troup actually owned a restaurant together!
Of all the enterprises that could cause friction, joint restaurateur seems like the top.
They must all have been way cool.
Charlot - That was interesting. But I think Julie and Jack were divorced by the time she and Troup became an item. I don't believe Bobby was, however.
I first encountered Bobby Troup as an actor, I think. He was in MASH, and when the cast was named at the end in the style of a PA announcement, he was the last, so he could end the movie with a profanity. And though I didn't see much TV in the early 70s, a couple of times when visiting my parents I caught an episode of Emergency!, in which he and Julie London were both regulars. I think I knew at the time that she was a singer, but I only learned about his music later -- maybe my father told me while we were watching.
in his book American Popular Song, Alec Wilder mentioned Troup's song "Baby, Baby, All the Time" as something that, in his words, "may be monotonous, but it sure isn't Viennese."
JAC - Troup was the type of songwriter that Wilder disliked; very different from his own approach.
Well, that's the strange thing. In the miscellaneous last chapter, where he can name any song he wants, he picks this one out to compliment it (says he can't get it out of his head), but then does it in this weird backhanded way. "It sure isn't Viennese" is a compliment in this book -- Wilder reserves his ire for those who try to sound classical or operetta-like (he rolls his eyes at Gershwin's more ambitious work) or who have no distinctive sound of their own (he loves all of Arlen EXCEPT "Over the Rainbow," because it doesn't sound like Arlen to him). So I guess he likes this Troup song for sounding American and characteristic of its writer. But he sounds so halfhearted about it, I wonder why he bothered.
Keep 'em comin', Buster! More Bobby is always welcome. Thanks!
JAC - I love Wilder's book (and his music), but he was not particularly consistent in his criticism.
Ernie - More on the way!
You nailed it.
thanks very much. eager to listen!
Hi SD - Hope you enjoy the various Troup recordings!
Not that anyone asked, but Wilder was my gateway drug to the endlessly productive vein of music now known as APS. Wilder was not shy with an opinion and at times was downright prejudicial. The book, nonetheless, remains essential.
sir in tx - Yes, a fascinating read!
Post a Comment