ALBUM: The Fabulous Paul Anka (1959)
MVC Rating: 3.0/$$ (Gained a .5 for introducing me to some obscure R&B)
The cover of this record album has 7, no less, photos of Paul Anka all in different sizes, including the big one. They are all the same floating mug of Anka with an alarming grin..
The Anka mug shots are shaded in purple, green, pink, and red. In medium font THE FABULOUS is followed by PAUL ANKA in really large type.
And then, if you really look, in tiny little itsy bitsy type it says: “AND OTHERS.” (See where I circled it in blue under the A at the end of Paul’s name in the cover above.)
Really? Talk about your bait and switch. Only two of the 10 songs on the 1959 Riviera R0047 album are Anka songs. AND IT NEVER SAYS THAT ON THE COVER, SLEEVE OR RECORD ITSELF. THERE ARE TITLES BUT NO OTHER NAMES EXCEPT ‘AND OTHERS.’
I guess folks back in 1959 had to Google for the playlist with names like I did.. By Googling, I found out there were cuts by such obscure luminaries as Marvin & Johnny, The Cliques and Shirley Gunter& the Queens.
Now I raise this issue because I remember getting burned buying albums back in the day that were actually re-recorded versions of the originals. Of course that information was hard to see on the album without a magnifying glass. Now that pissed me off.
But in this case, it was not so bad for me. I bought this record for 50 cents at a flea market in Fruitland Park, FL, when I was working the area as reporter for the Orlando Sentinel.
Flea markets tend to have old records, that might be valuable if only they were in good condition. Most of the time they are not in good condition, so it’s kind of like the bottom of the barrel. In this case, the Anka album’s cover is torn and taped. However, the vinyl looks good, there are a few minor pops and crackles.
Anyway, I buy these things for the music and, despite, or maybe because of, I enjoy this record for its variety of doo-wop, teenaged 50’s music (think Happy Days) and blues. It actually has B.B. King performing a song on it. It sounds weirdly out of place, but welcomed as a side 2 ender, “Please Love Me.” On the other side there’s “Mary Lou” sung by Young Jessie:
Mary Lou (Mary Lou) she took my watch and chain
Mary Lou (Mary Lou) she took my diamond ring
Mary Lou, she took the keys to my Cadillac car
(Mary Lou) jumped in my kitty and then drove a-far
As it turns out, I don’t really like the two Anka songs as much as most of the other stuff.
My news story, by the way, for the paper was a feature about a woman who worked in this ramshackle flea market. She sold odds and ends, such as used kitchen utensils and pre-worn clothing..
She had higher aspirations, though. She said she had been working on a Star Trek novel for more than a year. It was about a little prince who had been kidnapped by some alien beings. She said she started the story when her husband took their son and ran away. She hadn’t seen them in more than a year. She wanted to get her novel published when she finished.
I never found out if she did.
Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.
What a scam. Made me laugh though. Keep it up.