Monday, December 27, 2010

Gary "U.S." Bonds- The Best of Gary "U.S." Bonds (Rhino)


Rhino's 1990 Best-of is likely the choicest collection of Gary "U.S" Bonds' '60s hits. As a Tidewater native, I carry a candle for this guy. I'm also fascinated with the bizarre way that the Norfolk R&B Sound, pioneered by Bonds' producer/manager, Frank Guida & his house band, The Church Street Five, demonstrates such a strong affinity for West Indian Calypso. No doubt, Harry Belafonte's Caribbean sound was a hot-selling revelation for American audiences at the time. Bonds' 2nd LP was even called Twist Up Calypso (1962). While a little odd, theirs was an adaptive formula that worked for making fresh, upbeat party records for the 60's American Bandstand set.

This song- School Is In- is my son Amos' favorite thing in the entire universe. I have played this 45 so many times that the sound must be stuck to my walls. Man, he just loves it:



Some trivia: A censored version of Not Me became a hit for The Orlons in 1963. Also, Frank Guida claimed that Dion's Runaround Sue was a rip-off of Quarter To Three.

Seven Day Weekend
:



Download Link: Gary "U.S." Bonds- The Best of Gary "U.S." Bonds (Rhino) 320kbps

1 New Orleans
2 Take Me Back to New Orleans
3 Quarter to Three
4 No More Homework
5 School Is Out
6 School Is In
7 Dear Lady Twist
8 Twist, Twist Senora
9 Havin' So Much Fun
10 Do the Bumpsie
11 Perdido (Parts 1 and 2)
12 Seven Day Weekend
13 Soul Food
14 Copy Cat
15 I Wanna Holler (But the Town's Too Small)
16 Lover's Moon
17 Not Me
18 Where Did the Naughty Little Girl Go

9 comments:

Holly said...

'I Wanna Holler' is one of the best songs ever, and unfortunately most people only know it (if at all) via the Detroit Cobra's not-as-good cover.

So everyone needs to check this out! :-)

Holly said...

Oh! Also try and check the "Norfolk Rock & Roll Sound" comp for Mr. Bond's 'Satan Go Away', another song that always makes me smile.

Can you tell I'm stuck at my mechanics? Luckily they have wifi as well as being pretty darn all around awesome! WASP automotive for anyone near Durham NC.

nicholab said...

awesome! holly- do you have that comp?

Holly said...

I do - but I won't be stopping home 'til Thursday at best (long story). I'll try to remember to pick it up & upload.

Holly said...

Head over to my (cough) "blog" for the Norfolk Rock 'n' Roll Sound

http://hollisterbanister.blogspot.com/

nicholab said...

fresh!

My Mind said...

I listened to this yesterday, and I enjoyed the whole thing, but "I Wanna Holler" really stood out -- such a great beat! Thanks again, Nick!

Holly said...

I first heard of Gary U.S.Bonds back in the 80s via his friendship/partnership with Bruce Springsteen. When I later discovered 'I Wanna Holler', I felt that Gary had pretty much summed up the main themes of Bruce's major lps in one 4 minute song.

And I do love Bruce, too. :-)

Unknown said...

I can see why Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt keep coming back to Gary U.S. Bonds -- besides that great party sound, he's a delightful, charming guy! Terrific stories in this video interview about good times and bad, but no sex, no drugs! I think you'll enjoy this and hope you'll share it with friends! Thanks! http://www.mrmedia.com/2013/05/hey-bruuuuuuce-gary-u-s-bonds-is-back-with-a-rock-memoir-2013-video-interview/#.UaAdUeu_2pl