These four tunes are apparently selections from a 12" record of the same name. Despite the title, Welk does no playing of any dixieland, but instead produces a record played by some already very well respected players in the genre; some from his usual band, others from elsewhere. I found a bunch of info (including the original liner notes from the 12") on this blog about Pete Fountain, who is featured on this record playing clarinet.
But hey, just when I was ready to dismiss Welk entirely, I have to admit that this is a pretty great little selection of tunes - and he did co-write one of them, which is a nice touch. Frankly, he put together some great players and got them to make some great dixieland, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't mind finding the full 12" to add to my collection, for now this little morsel will have to do.
My only real complaint: there's no banjo on this record, so what the heck is the banjo doing on the cover? Major disappointment for me, since I'm really looking for some good banjo music and so far not finding any.
Star Wars (20th Century Records)
Yes, 20th Century as in 20th Century Fox.
Unfortunately I'm missing the original sleeve that I assume this had at one point, although if it was pressed as a promo it may have been in a boring one anyway. This EPIC records sleeve is clearly not a match, but I figured it was interesting enough to deserve a photograph. At least this record was at one point important enough for someone to want to put their initials on it, so I guess that's something.
Side one is more or less what you'd expect, although it is a strange and protracted arrangement of the Star Wars main theme, with weird quick cuts between sections and an awkward fade out at the end. One interesting thing about such a short, manic edit of the theme is the opportunity it offers to compare the instrumentation choices in the different sections side by side. Some very cool decisions, and great use of the orchestra. It also struck me that you very rarely hear movie themes written purely for orchestra anymore - generally rock or electronic music elements are worked in somehow, or take over entirely. I believe it has less to do with budget (since you're still paying for the entire orchestra, unless you're using a sample set), and more to do with audience attention span and the need for increasingly "driving" music (rather than an interest in the human touch).
Side two is a little more fun - the Cantina Band song in its full splendor, all 2:44 of it. There's about three or four sections to this tune that I'm pretty sure I'd never heard before. It's much easier to hear the details on a record like this than in the movie, and I was fascinated to hear that it's about 50% synthesizers (fulfilling most of the bass and comping duties) and 50% sax and clarinet (playing all the lead lines, including the iconic clarinet melody). It's a very cool take on a dixieland feel in an alien setting.
The synth patches are actually quite cool, although they now might be seen as somewhat cheesy, since these are the kinds of sounds that inspired a thousand digital synth presets in the last 30 years or so - patches with names like "SquishBass" and "DrmsofSteel".
The song itself has some weird tonal business going on, some weird energy killing harmonic leaps back to the tonic - but the melodies are killer throughout. Most of this song, as I recall, is obscured or cut out entirely in the cantina scene itself, so the bulk of the tune struck me as brand new. The main theme is repeated quite a few times, and indeed this version ends with that section, on a long fadeout.
Interesting too that the Cantina Band song is credited to the London Symphony Orchestra - while I would believe that the woodwind section played all the horns, I find it unlikely that they convinced their regular pianist to play the synthesizer parts, and indeed I would bet they were played by John Williams himself. Likely the credit is due to contractual obligations.
Lawrence Welk - Out of a Clear Blue Sky/Theme from My Three Sons (Dot)
"Hello! This is Lawrence Welk. You've made me a very happy man by helping to make my Dot record of 'Calcutta!' sell a million copies. So, do every DJ, everywhere; thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
So begin both sides of this record, with a little shout-out from the Welkmeister himself. I actually have two copies of this from my avant turntablism days, and I used that same vocal sample in a piece that I wrote as a composition student in college.
Anyway, this is a promotional 45 of typical Welk schlock. There are a few very cool production choices, particularly some great harpsichord playing and some very cool use of a group of female vocalists, but if I'm going to listen to Welk's releases, I'll stick with the Dixieland record above.
The Blue-Tail Fly (Cricket)
I really hate to use an already overused meme, but;
This looks like a record from the '40s though, so I'm guessing the producer would disagree. Since this is apparently for "Little Americans", I'm assuming Evon Hartmann felt that an old black man in raggedy clothes entertaining aryan looking kids in front of a corn field (with a spotted dog looking on, no less) is a classic American scene. To me, our guitar-weilding protagonist looks like he's just been blackmailed by his audience into singing for them, lest he be falsely reported for child abuse.
I dont know how much farther I can go with this, so let's focus instead on the pretty awesome-looking inside label.
Much better.
Ironically, after all that hubub it turns out the singer on this track is pretty obviously white. Ultimately what we get is a pretty mediocre and really long running arrangement of "Jimmy Crack Corn", with the original narrative intact - a slave intentionally allows his master to die via negligence.
So, uhm...
Well anyway, apparently "CRICKET BONUS PLAY RECORDS give you the greatest plus in children's entertainment" which I guess means indoctrination into a culture where our national history of racial struggle is re-appropriated as consumerist children's entertainment. I mean c'mon, 29¢ was a lot back then!
Oh, and side two? Side two is totally phoned in. Based on the audio quality and the credit given to "Chorus" for singing, I'm pretty certain they pulled an old 78 out of the archives and re-recorded both sides onto one side of this 45. Decent a-capella versions of "Oh Susanna" and "Camptown Races" populate this side. Nothing to write home about - basically the equivalent of the "shovelware" on 90's CD-ROMs. Thanks, Cricket!
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