DESCRIPTION:
Sapient music lover a momentary digression.. Is Stan Applebaum familiar?. Better still ~like tectonic plates~ is shake rattle and roll your music ? A clunky link to a musician with longstanding rock n roll associations .
We're talking late 1950s early 1960s rock n roll Now you're talking . Don Costa Dick Jacobs Belford Hendricks etc Stan Applebaum a byword for American arrangers seamlessly doing the rock n roll"thang" In a sense our men in bad world of rockers with charts for major artists Neil Sedaka Paul Anka etc Arrangements by the wodgeload backed by big record sales for early 1960s pop singers. Four decades ago The Lonely Surfer hitster Jack Nitzsche wrote a creditable score for 1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Before that bespectacled Nitzsche had acted arranger for Phil Spector' Christmas hits album. . Years later asked his favourite musicians Jack Nitzsche said "the greatest arranger or at least most inspirational for me was Stan Applebaum"Handy plaudits . So when Elmer Bernsteins's Somewhere in the used to be ~ needed filling out pop style. Applebaum was co opted . It must be said , the song deserved A billing but had to settle for a B side.
Perhaps melodies flourished more freely then .The song from the 1962 Walk on the Wild Side not to be confused with later endeavour by Lou Reed. was sung by silky warm baritone Brook Benton.~ deserving a chapter to himself. Along with Joe Williams Billy Eckstine Johnny Hartman Benton oodles more black singers Roy Hamilton Gene McDaniels Earl Grant Arthur Prysock Johnny Nash as a teenage balladeer in the 1950s ~ Benton one of best voices from the era. does a wonderful job on Bernstein's song. Benton not a voice meandering through a melody to satisfy a recording contract . If you want to check Benton start with Call Me Irresponsible but also this Elmer Bernstein song with Mack David lyrics adding shape to the emotions . ~ almost good enough to show Sinatra the door ?. I met Elmer Bernstein briefly but such is life circumstances did not allow fulsome gratitude for his varied musical achievements. He told me that your friend and mine Johnny (contracted nowadays to to John ) Williams was the pianist in his orchestra on the film God's little Acre with Robert Ryan ..
Guilty as charged I did not know the song Somewhere in the Used to be was on vinyl. Such was lack of music communication back then. everyone lived in hermetically sealed bubbles . You knew what was in the top twenty but that was your lot. From the film soundtrack.Benton's voice is so balming and Bernstein's song so good I never tire listening.. The roll call of Stan Applebaum's achievements is substantial Ben E King Bobby Vinton some of the big pop stars benefiting from his arrangements.. Years ago when vinyls were in vogue I acquired from Phoenix Arizona and grateful for it Joanie Sommers 1963 album Sommers Seasons . Overseeing the attractively scored arrangements Stan Applebaum By the way Jack Nitzsche said the key to a great pop arrangement is the bass line. Listen to the bass guitar ( most likelyTommy Tedesco ) on Somewhere in the Used to be.

2015 jan just noticed a posting of David Raksin's Laura arranged by Stan Applebaum . A First heariing attractive splay of some surprising wordless voices in the mix tapping Applebaum's gift for a populist as well as a pop twist..

Comment re~ glitch on song The song is in perfect nick. The chorus has been (artificially) repeated~ good music with the late Brook Benton's balmy baritone coaxing it along ~ deserves a repeat.Hallie is mentioned on the film soundtrack as Brook Benton briefly sings the late Elmer Bernstein's lovely song. .
Recently I took another look at a favourite comedy Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Still stands up the Wonder is how such a mega undertaking could hold together over 155 minutes of some of the best high colour screen fun of the 1960s. Theyre all excellent Ethel Merman hilarous. But this viewing afforded greater appreciation the superb visual mastery of Sid Caesar extracting every hilarious moment from his onscreen performance. when Merman swipes him with her handbag the impact might have been lost dispersed int the California skies But Caesar handed the ball seizes the opportunity and runs with it big time Caesars hilarious mugging grimace out of the Three Stooges for a moment dominates the vast screen.Terrific ~but then the movie is ditto. with Phil Silvers Jonathan Winters a special gathering of comedys greats. Music by Ernest Gold and Mack David mentioned above in Somewhere in the Used to be provided the lyrics. The movie deserves every accolade.played in cinemas for months this video allows opportunity to listen again to Elmer Bernsteins wonderful theme song graced by Mack Davids so evocative lyrics.