The Biggest Hits of '57, Not by the Original Artists

Today we have two RCA Camden budget LPs that cover the "Biggest Hits of '57," primarily with artists of a previous generation, including Tex Beneke, Stuart Foster and Robert Alda. Presumably the thought was that buyers would recognize both the songs and the performers, making a sale more likely.

The market for budget records exploded in the 1950s. With both the cheap labels and the low-price offerings of majors like RCA, performance standards could be surprisingly (but not invariably) high. Today's two LPs are examples - mostly good, but with a few clinkers.

Some Background

First a little background before we get to the records themselves.

Budget record releases have a long if not particularly distinguished history. For all I know they could go back as far as cylinders and single-sided 78s, but certainly the Great Depression was the stimulus for low-priced labels such as Hit of the Week, pressed on coated cardboard.

The advent of the LP in 1948 prompted even more budget productions. Inexpensive albums became inescapable in the 1950s, generally with lesser-known or even anonymous artists recreating the sound of the day's hits. 

My friend Lee Hartsfeld has been documenting and transferring these records on his blog, covering such labels as Parade, Prom, SPC, Allegro, Hollywood, Golden Tone and many others. A typical release might include a former big-band singer such as Loren Becker doing a current tune like "Blue Suede Shoes," along with similar such covers.

Lee has also occasionally taken note of the major labels' forays into inexpensive releases, most recently with a 1959 RCA Camden LP. That post inspired me to dig out a few of my own Camden budget albums, both covering 1957.

The Biggest Hits of '57, Vol. 1

I don't collect budget LPs per se, but the presence of two favored artists - Stuart Foster and Tex Beneke - led to my acquiring these examples of the genre.

Vol. 1 starts off with one of the most unexpected couplings of vocalist and material - Robert Alda, who originated the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, doing Jimmy Bowen's quasi-rockabilly hit, "Party Doll." Alda has an excellent sense of rhythm, so it works much better than I expected, as does his other contribution, Charlie Gracie's "Butterfly."

Robert Alda stares down the microphone

For this and most other cuts on the LP, the backing is led by New York-based arranger and bandleader Earl Sheldon, who had extensive experience with budget labels.

In contrast to Alda's cuts, bandleader and vocalist Tex Beneke brings an unreconstructed big-band sound to Melvin Endsley's "Singing the Blues," which was a hit for Marty Robbins on the country chart and Guy Mitchell in the pop market. Again, it works nicely for Tex and his lively band. The singer also does well with Sinatra's "Hey Jealous Lover," a rudimentary semi-R&B song that was one of Frank's lesser efforts (although it sold well).

Stuart Foster

The superb vocalist Stuart Foster, featured on this blog several times, was tasked with another Sinatra misfire, the awful "Can I Steal a Little Love." He also showed his range with covers of hits by Elvis ("Love Me Tender"), Sonny James ("Young Love"), Jim Lowe's pop novelty "The Green Door," and Pat Boone's "Don't Forbid Me."

Peter Ricardo

There were several calypso hits in the mid-50s, and RCA brought in the smooth Grenada-born and English-resident Peter Ricardo to sing them. The first was "Marianne," a traditional song that Terry Gilkyson and the Easy Riders appropriated and made into a hit. The second was "The Banana Boat Song," another traditional song that became closely associated with Harry Belafonte (who also recorded "Marianne"). Ricardo covers the Tarriers' version, which incorporated part of another traditional song, "Hill and Gully Rider."

I probably don't need to mention that Gilkyson and the Tarriers (one of whom was the actor Alan Arkin) claimed credit for writing these items.

Finally, the album has a rinky-tink version of "Just Walking in the Rain" by pianist Johnny Guarnieri and ensemble. The song, originally by the Prisonaires (who really had been prisoners), was a hit for Johnny Ray.

In all, a good album, probably worth its Nationally Advertised Price of $1.98 (about $20 today).

The Biggest Hits of '57, Vol. 2

Earl Sheldon was more to the fore on the second volume of 1957 hits. He starts things off with a florid version of "So Rare," a late-career hit for Jimmy Dorsey. Sheldon's alto saxophonist is not nearly as conservative as Dorsey and Sheldon's vocal arrangement emphasizes the R&B side of the song.

Similarly, Sheldon's thin-toned guitarist takes over "Around the World," missing altogether the romantic feel of Victor Young's version. Sheldon also does "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," complete with the "oh yeahs" of Billy Williams' hit, but the vocals are buried in the mix and the ukulele accompaniment might not have been appreciated by Fats Waller, who popularized the song in the 1930s.

George DeWitt

New to the lineup of artists was George DeWitt, who was the host of television's Name That Tune, where he warbled a few notes and the contestants had to identify the song. Even though he made some albums (and I own at least one), he wasn't much of a singer, sounding anemic in the company of Stuart Foster and Robert Alda. 

DeWitt was tasked with the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love," which was a mismatch, and with Marty Robbins' "A White Sport Coat (and a Pink Carnation)," where he misses the charm of the original. Finally, he is a weak substitute for Pat Boone's mellow voice in "Love Letters in the Sand."

Also new to the cast was Jim Stover, who does a good Elvis impersonation on "Teddy Bear." I know nothing about Stover. My guess is that he was one of Sheldon's studio singers. The guitarist also does well on this song.

Returning from the first volume were Ricardo,  Foster, Beneke and  Alda. 

Peter Ricardo offered another calypso associated with Harry Belafonte, a sly version of "Mama Look a Boo-Boo," originally recorded by Lord Melody. The three Ricardo songs are taken from his complete LP of calypsos issued by Camden.

Robert Alda sings "Who Needs You," a hit for the overbearing Four Lads. Alda is more intimate, but is not helped by Sheldon's backing. Alda's second number was a game attempt at "Why Baby Why," George Jones' first big country hit. [Correction: musicman1979 points out that this is a Pat Boone song.]

Tex Beneke

Tex Beneke and his band handle the instrumental "Petticoats of Portugal," which was a hit for Coral's Dick Jacobs. Tex presumably is the tenor sax soloist.

The excellent Stuart Foster has only one selection - Cole Porter's hymn-like "True Love," which Bing introduced in High Society.

These Camden records do make for a fun listen or two. Hope you agree.

More Camdens

A final note: RCA started Camden in 1953 to reissue classical recordings, at first under pseudonyms. The label later broadened to include pop and other reissues, then cover recordings such as the ones on view today, and even new recordings. There are examples of all these types on my two sites, including the records linked below:

Dolf van der Linden and His Orchestra - Floating on a Cloud and In a Casino on the Riviera

National Symphony/Hans Kindler - Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 3

Ray McKinley - One Band, Two Styles

Stuart Foster - Today's Hits EP

André Previn - Mad About the Boy and Love Walked In

Cincinnati Symphony/Eugene Goossens - Vaughan Williams - London Symphony

Philadelphia Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski - Music by Wagner and Rimsky-Korsakov

Indianapolis Symphony/Fabien Sevitzky - Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 1

Florence Henderson - Selections from Gypsy and Flower Drum Song

Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy and Stokowski - Music by Liszt, Barber, Menotti and McDonald

Indianapolis Symphony/Fabien Sevitzky - Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony

Perez Prado - Latino!

Bob Carroll - Two EPs of Today's Hits

Gisele MacKenzie - Today's Hits EP

Florence Henderson - The Best from Fiorello! and The Sound of Music