RETRO REWIND: 1960-1963: GREATEST ERA EVER FOR POP NOVELTY SONGS

Commentary by Don Rose

Perhaps it was because rock and roll was taking a breather, waning a bit after its ferocious beginnings circa 1951-1954 and before 1964's "Big Bang" of the Beatles (as Little Steven likes to say). Perhaps it was because Elvis, the King of Rock, had gone in the Army - then returned to become a movie star, deviating from his rock roots. Or perhaps everyone felt the way Decca Records did, when they turned down the Beatles after a January 1962 audition because they believed "guitar groups are on their way out." Whatever the reason, there sure were a ton of unusual yet immortal novelty songs that made the pop charts between 1960 and 1963.

Just look at the evidence below.

How do you define a novelty song? We define it loosely as a song with a strong hook and/or concept, featuring at least one unique sound or lyric, something that makes it different than any other tune, often with a heavy dose of humor, and often the biggest (or only) hit for the performer or group who recorded it. And now, some of the top novelty hits of 1960-1963:

Runaway (1961) - the first hit by Del Shannon featured a famous solo by Max Crook, one of the most distinctive in rock history, performed on a heavily-modified clavioline (early synthesizer) that Crook called the "Musitron"

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp) (1961) - immortal hit by Allan Sherman, using a classical passage as the music under his sweet humorous lyrics based on his son's complaints from camp, peaked at #9; received the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance

Telstar - 1962 hit instrumental by The Tornados featured a Univox Clavioline

Monster Mash - hit by Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers (1962) peaked at #1, and is still one of my favorite songs of all time; fun clever lyrics, a dead-on Boris Karloff impression by Pickett, and an irresistable rocking backing track, especially the drums on the opening bars

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On the Bedpost Overnight) - 1961 hit by Lonnie Donegan, who led the Skiffle craze in Britain that inspired the early Beatles, peaked at #5

Mr. Custer (Larry Verne) (1960) peaked at #1

If You Wanna Be Happy (Jimmy Soul) (1963) peaked at #1; featured the immortal line, "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife..."

Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow (The Rivingtons) (1962) peaked at #48; covered live by the Beach Boys in their early days

Speedy Gonzales (Pat Boone) (1962) peaked at #6

Mr. Bass Man (Johnny Cymbal) (1963) peaked at #16

My Boomerang Won't Come Back (Charlie Drake) (1962) peaked at #21

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport (Rolf Harris) (1963) peaked at #6 - features a unique homemade instrument making the "wakawakawaka" sound that starts the song; YouTube fans can find a rare recording of Rolf with the Beatles, for which he changed the words in honor of the Fab Four and the group provides a bit of backup

Alley-Oop (The Hollywood Argyles) (1960) peaked at #1

Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp) (Barry Mann) (1961) peaked at #7

I encourage you to check out all of the above songs. If you feel I left any notable novelty tunes out, feel free to send them and we can add to this list. Send to: info@thelareport.com.

MAR 22: RAY BRADBURY RETURNS TO MYSTERY BOOKSTORE TO SIGN "WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS" AT NOON

Sunday, March 22 at 12:00 noon RAY BRADBURY signs
WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS
William Morrow, $24.99

This is another reason we love living in LA: because we get to see the master of science fiction and fantasy LIVE and in person! The Mystery Bookstore on Broxton in Westwood Village says:

We are thrilled to welcome the legendary Ray Bradbury to The Mystery Bookstore to sign this new collection of stories – 21 stories, never before published, and a poem for good measure. There's something here to delight every Bradbury fan, from science fiction ("Fly Away Home," about Mars exploration) to surreal slices of small-town life ("Ma Perkins Comes to Stay," in which a radio star simply materializes in Joe's living room). Mr. Bradbury will be with us for an hour, and will sign only books purchased at The Mystery Bookstore. We ask that each trip through the signing line be limited to one book per person. Thanks for your cooperation!

MAR 15: Z-DAY HAS LANDED IN MARINA DEL REY; ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT PRESENTS DAYLONG EVENT IN HONOR OF "ZEITGEIST" MOVIE AND ADDENDUM

Event Listing - Posted by Don Rose

Here is a listing I was sent that sounds like an enlightening event:

~ Connect with a New Possibility for Humanity ~
With the "global economic crisis" unfolding around us, people are asking for answers. The Zeitgeist Movement is a tool for awareness and a forum for change. Please join us this Sunday for a worldwide gathering and action day, to expand awareness and get ourselves into motion. We are the ones we've been waiting for!

The Annual Meeting Day for The Zeitgeist Movement Worldwide - Z-Day - is March 15th each year. In 2008, over 1800 Z-Day events took place, in 70 countries. This year it's all about impact: delivering the message of the Zeitgeist Movement TheZeitgeistMovement.com, and incorporating the vision of The Venus Project.

WHAT: Z-Day (Zeitgeist Day), Los Angeles, CA (Westside)
WHEN: Sunday, March 15th, 1:30pm - 6:30pm
NOTE: Event is limited to the first 100 people to register, so RSVP ASAP!
WHERE: MODERN OM 13452 Washington Blvd., Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Just east of Lincoln Blvd., near Venice Beach
PARKING: At Costco (across the street from Modern Om) or on the street
FEE: Suggested donation of $10+, to support the work of The Venus Project and this event

Event Program:

Doors open at 1:30pm

1:45pm - 3:45pm Screening: Zeitgeist: Addendum
(or watch it beforehand at http://www.ZeitgeistMovie.com)

4:00pm - 6:30pm: LIVE Global Webcast from New York of The Zeitgeist Movement Presentation, followed by Q & A and discussion with Jacque Fresco & Roxanne Meadows of The Venus Project and Zeitgeist filmmaker Peter Joseph.

The Zeitgeist Movement, as of this writing, has attracted over 145,000 members worldwide. We expect this to grow very quickly after Zeitgeist Day. For more information and other locations worldwide, visit: http://www.TheZeitgeistMovement.com.

PLEASE support The Zeitgeist Movement with your Donations at the event.

RSVP at http://zdayeventla.eventbrite.com

Feel free to forward this event to friends and colleagues!

THE GOAL: To trigger an unprecedented global awareness of a new possibility for humanity. The Zeitgeist Movement 1.5 hour DVD Digital Slideshow is a video version of the 'Activist and Orientation Guide'. This presentation covers the most important points of The Movement and is Narrated by the award-winning Filmmaker Peter Joseph.

MAR 13-15: GREEN LIFESTYLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009

Event Listing by Don Rose

Filmlovers who crave enlightening entertainment and want to meet other eco-conscious people should attend the GREEN LIFESTYLE FILM FESTIVAL at UCLA this weekend. Location: the James Bridges Theatre in the NorthEast area of campus. Films run all weekend at UCLA, and there is also a closing gala awards dinner and ceremony on Sunday evening in Hollywood. More details, including a full schedule of events, can be found on the festival website: www.greenlifestylefilmfestival.com.

TICKETS/ADMISSION:

To purchase tickets to the 13th-15th March 2009 Green Lifestyle Film Festival please click on the following link for the Ticketing agent: www.InTicketing.com
Presented by Serenity Spaces
or you can purchase tickets at the door.

All of the outdoor events and exhibitor booths, including book & DVD signings, will be free of charge to the public and available for the entire duration of the film festival until 5pm on Sunday 15th March.

RECIPES FOR LIFE:

For the 2 hour Recipes For Life DVD Compilation of the highlights of the Speakers and presentations by the 2008 festival filmmakers please click on this link:
Recipes for Life.

PARKING:

Parking for the James Bridges Theatre (UCLA): Lot 3 (Hilgard & Sunset), $8/car; this lot also has Handicap parking and access.

FRED & FRIENDS: FRESH FUN FUNCTIONAL PRODUCTS, VERY COOL DESIGNS (NEW BRAND, AVAILABLE AT BLACK MARKET)

by Don Rose

Black Market (stores in West Los Angeles and Long Beach) sent a recent email about a new brand: Fred & Friends. The LA Report loves these products -- some of the funnest yet functional designs we've seen in a while (assuming funnest is an actual word). Take a look.

Top Left: ICE INVADERS™ a close encounter of the frozen kind - Did you spend a good portion of your childhood (and your allowance) blasting 2-dimensional aliens to smithereens? Now you can freeze those precious moments in time with Ice Invaders. 100% pure silicone, oven-safe, dishwasher-safe, raygun-safe! Peggable clear boxes. ©2009 FRED

Top Right: ONE MAN TRY™ Mr. P, the human tape dispenser - Mr. P is always getting himself into sticky situations. In this case, the solution is simple - just pull the end of the tape from Mr. P's mouth, and tear out what you need with his serrated shoes. Voila! One Man Try is packaged in a recyclable cardobard box. Design: Propaganda ©2006 PROPAGANDA & FRED

Middle Left: SNACK & STACK™ take along utensils - The silicone handles of these mid-size utensils lock together securely for easy storage and packing, not to mention endless amusement. Perfect for lunch boxes, picnics, your desk drawer or glove box. Each set of three is packed in a peggable recyclable clear box. Design: Winnif Pang ©2008 FRED

Middle Right: FEET FIRST: MANHOLE MATS™ street style for your home - Manhole Mats are clever visual puns. They're great graphic designs. They're reproductions of some of the world's great manhole covers. They're 24" diameter, nylon flocked, super durable, indoor/outdoor floor mats. Street style for your home! FEET FIRST mats are made from 100% recycled truck tires with durable nylon flocking, usable indoors or out, washable, durable, and endearing. Design: Jason Amendolara ©2005 FRED (*Black Market only has the City of Los Angeles Sanitary Sewer Manhole Mat in stores)

Bottom Left: CHOPSTICK KIDS™ chinese with ease - Having trouble taming your chopsticks? You're not alone. You could practice for a few more years or you could just call the Chopstick Kids for help. These soft, washable, food-safe hinges really keep your chopsticks in line and add an element of fun to the dining experience. And they're not just for kids either - Fred uses them himself! The assorted Boy and Girl styles stand around 2 3/4" tall, and are molded from food-grade silicone rubber, so they're dishwasher-safe. They come with a nice set of melamine chopsticks, or you can use them with your own - the openings at the bottom stretch to hold those break-wood chopsticks or even your nice ivory ones. Each set is packed in a handsome peggable clear box measuring around 7.5" x 2.5" x 1". Design: Liz Goulet Dubois ©2005 FRED

Bottom Right: 2-CARAT CUP™ ooh la latte! - Here's a great way to start the day - a graceful porcelain cup that adorns you with a sparkling solitaire diamond ring when you pick it up! But wait, here's the BEST part - we've packed the 2-Carat Cup in an elegant oversize jewelry box, so when you present it as a gift, all you see is the ring! A great cup, a terrific gift, a charming social expression -- this one's got it all. White porcelain with gold or platinum glaze and clear sparkling Swarovski crystal, individually boxed with removable wrapper. Design: Yusuke Fujinuma ©2008 FRED

Black Market LA: 2023/2025 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90036, phone: 310-966-1555, fax: 310-966-1655. Black Market LB: 429 E. 1st Street. Long Beach, California 90802, phone: 562-628-2222, fax: 562-628-2236.