By the way, ''American Bandstand'', the TV show in U.S., is abundant in junk musics. On this program at first, which became on the air nation-widely in daily afternoons with the host Dick Clark in 1957, there occupied more white covers of R&B hits than black originals because of the time when segregation was taken openly. But like a case of Elvis Presley's rendition of What'd I Say which brought Ray Charles into the recognition of whites (this description is taken from the words in some interview with Ray), such covers lead to the future 'crossover (black songs are also sold to whites)'. Most of them, however, were considerably doubtful things in a musical sense. Some covers of R&B become no business of those who are famous for their sentimental pop songs. On the other hand, there came to TV programs the blacks like Chubby Checker or Lloyd Price in a way of attracting whites. Gary U.S. Bonds was one of them. Although lip-syncing on almost all of TV programs, he shouted up-tempo rock'n'rolls with a raucous voice, and many were influenced by the presense of him far more powerful than any other whites. Actually, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band helped his early '80s revivals.
On the Far East Network (the present American Forces Network) radio programs, disk jockeys like Wolfman Jack played joyful rock'n'rolls, and I remember Gary U.S. Bonds' songs on the air. Now I buy and listen to the bests "The Very Best of Gary U.S. Bonds"or the rares "Take Me Back to New Orleans" , which contain recordings of Legrand Records in his heyday. Frank Guida, the label owner and producer in Norfork, Virginia, overdubbed vocals or choruses or horns to the songs, which finally sounded bad in ambience but oddly intense. That is far from today's 'Quality Control' in which we make a mess at a slight noise. ''Hey hey hey hey yeah'' in the song New Orleans is the synonym for rock'n'roll also in Japan. Quarter to Three or School Is Out have lyrics typical for rock'n'roll, like "Keep out of dads or moms and having a good time". They remind me of Finger 5 (a legendary group in Japan)'s School Paradise for example. The Church Street Five's performances, featuring the saxophonist Daddy G a.k.a. Gene Barge (Earl Swanson on New Orleans), are full of savageness. Dear Lady Twist or Twist, Twist Senora are tinged with calypso, which became the label owner's favorite when he was drafted into Trinidad. I Wanta Holler (But The Town's Too Small), which had been on the shelf at that time, delivers fine beats of the jungle and funky organ. It is a sort of charm that there are many second or third brews of his own hits, because everyone did the same thing until the first half of 1960s. While he had a childish Copy Cat complaining that "They stole our ideas, you know", he shouts along with big beats stuffed with something feathery, and it finally makes its peculiar savor.
Even when he is over 60 in the 21st century, you can recognize him vital on the live album "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents". Out of Work or This Little Girl of Mine may make you smile, for you remember Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart. The compliation including his revival hits of the early '80s, "The Best of Gary U.S. Bonds(EMI)" is backed by the rock'n'roll of The E Street Band. It is true that I feel good when I listen to it but it is lacking in the confusion appeared in Legrand years. In the R&B or Soul field, backing musicians of each label built their own sounds and made several currents by the interaction of the labels. Among them, there sometimes comes a solitary sound with one idea brought by one label like Gary U.S. Bonds' Legrand. According to the CD liner notes, they insist the Legrand sound, that is, their way of adding over-modulation and making impacts on the recordings, should have been imitated anywhere else. However, I think it is solitary because its cruel production had little been imitated. You know there's something on your mind even in the ruins of the time. (2004/08/15)(2005/09/05)