Blame It On The Dells

So I find this Dells record in New Orleans. "Love Is Blue," and it kills me.  It's filled, head to tail, with overwrought and hammy readings of pop tunes, including a particularly treacly "A Summer Place." And I love it. I'm not being hipster ironic. I don't think it's so bad it's good. I love the emotion and performances, even if it occasionally makes me laugh. (You can grab the whole thing here, if you dare.)

I shared "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" with you last week to mixed reviews. This made me think of a few more pop tunes turned into oversouled melodramas.

Millie Jackson's version of the Bad Company classic is pretty straight forward. Nothing too dramatic here, unless you picture her on the toilet when singing it.

Junior Parker absolutely floored me with his haunting version of George Harrison's "The Inner Light," which you can listen to HERE.

This time, he takes on another George classic, "Taxman." There ain't nothing cooler than when he says, "And if you take a walk...and this is awful...I'll tax your feet." (Actually, he says "And this is awful" a few more times, and every one makes me smile.)

Lyn Collins' version of the Gershwin classic "A Foggy Day," is not quite as over the top as The Dells, but when it kicks in with the groove at around 1:25, I could plotz.

Words fail me, actually, with the track from 24 Karat Black. They recorded for Stax, and thanks to the splendid Numero label, have been reissued. But, this is too much. It's an original, but it is hall of fame bound. Please, for me, listen to it.
(H/T to Sal Maida for this one.) 

Finally, it's back to The Dells, and another masterpiece of exaggeration, with a version of Bobby Russell via Bobby Goldsboro's sick-making tune, "Honey."  Just read these lyrics without selling a few buicks.




See the tree, how big it's grown
But friend it hasn't been too long
It wasn't big
I laughed at her and she got mad
The first day that she planted it, was just a twig
Then the first snow came
And she ran out to brush the snow away
So it wouldn't die
Came runnin' in all excited
Slipped and almost hurt herself
And I laughed till I cried
She was always young at heart
Kinda dumb and kinda smart and I loved her so
And I surprised her with a puppy
Kept me up all Christmas Eve two years ago
And it would sure embarrass her
When I came in from workin' late
'Cause I would know
That she'd been sittin' there and cryin'
Over some sad and silly late, late show

And honey, I miss you
And I'm bein' good
And I'd love to be with you
If only I could

She wrecked the car and she was sad
And so afraid that I'd be mad
But what the heck
Though I pretended hard to be
Guess you could say she saw through me
And hugged my neck
I came home unexpectedly
And caught her cryin' needlessly
In the middle of the day
And it was in the early Spring
When flowers bloom and robins sing
She went away

And honey, I miss you
And I'm bein' good
And I'd love to be with you
If only I could

One day while I was not at home
While she was there and all alone
The angels came
Now all I have is memories of Honey
And I wake up nights and call her name
Now my life's an empty stage
Where Honey lived and Honey played
And love grew up
And a small cloud passes overhead
And cries down on the flower bed
That Honey loved

And see the tree how big it's grown
But friend it hasn't been too long
It wasn't big
And I laughed at her and she got mad
The first day that she planted it, was just a twig



Check out the line "slipped and almost hurt herself" at around 0:52. (This time, you're allowed to laugh.)

Again, I'm serious. I love this shit.





Millie Jackson





Junior Parker





Lyn Collins




 24 Karat Black







The Dells