Nowadays, thanks to the Internet and social media, it is easy to record and get your music out there. Of course, making it easy also means everyone else is doing the same thing, and hence, it's much more difficult to stand out and be heard. The artists that I follow here that I root for each week to garner some success, in reality have a long way to go to make a chart. And, with the exception of Phoebe Ryan being a featured artist on a Chainsmokers single that hit the Billboard Hot 100, no one has. There are literally thousands of artists out there competing for one hundred spots on the Hot 100, or two hundred on that trade magazine's Album chart.
A few weeks ago, my wife Barbara was sent some vintage pictures from a cousin of her extended family growing up in the Hyde Park area of upstate New York, which included their parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Another first cousin of theirs, Tom Smith, she mentioned was in a band that played not just that area of New York state, but New York City as well.
My first reaction to that was, "cool", and perhaps I thought that they were most likely a bar band, or one that played dances and such. For the heck of it, I asked her what the name of the band was, and she replied, "Mortimer". Ok, cool. But then she mentioned that they were pretty popular in the area and they put an album out. Perhaps it was similar to The Doughboys, a 1960's band that emerged around the same time in my home county of Union County and New Jersey (who at the turn of the millennium got back together)
My interest was increasing. Unlike today, it wasn't easy to get an album produced back in the 1960's. Most likely, you had to be signed by a major record label (or, at the very least, by a smaller, regional label), and you had to be in the right place at the right time. That record company also needed a decent distribution system to get the records out.
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| Album cover of Mortimer's self-titled album, originally released in 1968 on Philips Records |
For the heck of it, I Googled Mortimer and believe it or not, I got some hits. Several of them. And although other acts since have used the name, there was actual information on the band that Barbara was referring to. I showed her the album cover and she said that yes, that was indeed the album (and was a bit surprised that it was found on the Internet). Not only that, but YouTube had several of the songs, as well as an interview by one of the members, Tony Van Benschoten about the history of the band.
It seems that the band, a trio, consisting of Van Benschoten, Barb's cousin Tom Smith (the lead singer), as well as Guy Masson, actually evolved from a band called The Teddy Boys, and was signed to the legendary Cameo-Parkway label, releasing several singles in 1966, which was during the heart of the garage-band era. These guys fit that genre perfectly, being from the mid-Hudson valley. They were on the verge of success until a business manager named Allen Klein bought the label, retired it, and cut all the artists associated with it. It wouldn't be the first time Klein would screw the band.
Undaunted, the three members formed Mortimer, a rather unique blend of garage-rock, folk-rock and even "sunshine pop" (a label given acts such as Spanky & Our Gang, The Grass Roots, Harpers Bizarre, Peppermint Rainbow, and other similar acts). The three members were all guitarists by trade, with Van Benschoten playing bass and Masson doing modified drums. Their eponymous album was released in 1968.
Well, by now, I wanted to see if the band got any publicity, at least in the trade magazines. Billboard, as well as Cash Box and Record World were the major trade publications for the music industry, and so I start thumbing through, online, archived Billboard issues in the faint hopes that they could be mentioned. And, lo and behold, in the March 30, 1968 issue of Billboard, under the "Top 60 Singles Spotlight" there was Mortimer's single, "Dedicated Music Man". They were signed to Philips Records, which was a well-known record label specializing mostly in classical music but also a growing number of pop records as well, most notably The Four Seasons, who joined that label back in 1964 and was still riding high with a string of hits on Philips. The heavy rock band Blue Cheer, who was hot at the time with its unique version of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues", was also on Philips, as well as established artists like Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers. Its related labels were Mercury and Smash, also major labels, so it seemed the band had a good deal of promotion behind it.
The review in Billboard for "Dedicated Music Man" was as such:
"Powerful group sound on a solid rock number with well done lyric. Should fast establish newcomers as top disk sellers for the Hot 100."
Record World had a more cynical view of the single:
"Funny song about a musician whose girl feels neglected. As amusing joke on current groups. Could be a smash".
A few weeks later, the debut album was released by Philips. Billboard's review:
"Backed by their guitars, this fine new young trio has come up with a rock album of considerable appeal, spiced as it is with folk rock. Their debut single, "Dedicated Music Man" is but one of the 10 excellent cuts. "Where Dragons Guard the Doors", "Waiting for Someone" and "Life's Sweet Music" are three others. "Mortimer's Theme" is a good three-guitar instrumental."
Record World's review of the album:
"Here are three dedicated music men. They make soft sounds, which in many cases, is about music and the effect it could and should have. The 'Dedicated Music Man' single (a wry comment, indeed) is here with other attractive new songs"
Unfortunately, neither the album nor the single was able to hit the charts, although Philips kept promoting the single into the summer of '68. Kal Rudman, founder of the tip sheet The Friday Morning Quarterback (FMQB), also had a column in Record World called "Money Music", which tracked the progress of new songs on various radio stations. While apparently the song got some airplay on the radio in New York (presumably, progressive rock stations, as the song wasn't on the playlist of top 40's WMCA or WABC), it failed to spread, although it was popular upstate. In July, Rudman wrote:
"The effort of a record company to break a new group is often considerable these days. Philips has gone all out on two groups, Hello People and Mortimer......Mortimer uses a soft sound and are unique among groups in that they achieve simplicity by only using three acoustical guitars and a variety of percussion instruments. 'Dedicated Music Man' is on (radio stations) WKBW, WYSL (both Buffalo) and WBBF (Rochester)".
While Philips tried in earnest to break "Dedicated Music Man", the band traveled to the UK, perhaps to search for a new record deal, one that maybe would bring them better luck. In the summer of 1968, while working the New York City folk circuit, their manager Danny Secunda (whose brother Tony managed the very popular British band The Move), got them overseas, and wound up at the offices, of all places, Apple Records, the new, fledging label started by The Beatles.
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| Ad that was placed in Billboard Magazine from April 20, 1968 |
It is customary for bands looking for a record deal to drop off a demo tape at the office, but Mortimer didn't bring one with them, offering instead to play live, with only guitars and an improving percussion. It was then that none other than George Harrison came into the office, heard them and lived what they saw, and persuaded the label to sign them!
By early 1969, the band started recording. Paul McCartney was set to produce their second album, but was not available, so Peter Asher (one half of the British-invasion duo Peter & Gordon, as well as the brother of McCartney's ex-girlfriend Jane Asher, did the honors). The first single was slated to be the McCartney-penned "On Our Way Home" (which would eventually become "Two of Us", that the Fab Four would place on their Let It Be album), while the rest of the album, like their debut was written by the band members.
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| Album cover for Mortimer's second album which was slated to be released on Apple Records, but was canceled at the last minute. The album was finally released in 2017. |
The song was on a list of releases for that spring, right behind the debut single by The Iveys, "Maybe Tomorrow" (a band, which would soon be renamed Badfinger, would have much success for the label in the next few years). But, lightning would strike a second time for Mortimer, and not in a good way.
The fledging Apple label, and the Beatles themselves, still reeling from the death of their manager Brian Epstein in 1967, were in need of a direction and guidance for their new label, and so Allen Klein---the same guy who cut the roster of Cameo-Parkway records, was brought on to run Apple records, and become the Beatles' new manager (although McCartney had preferred his father-in-law, Lee Eastman). Unfortunately, Klein once again cut several artists from the roster....and a second time, Mortimer were on the chopping block, in spite of their finished album, done in once again by Klein. Klein, incidentally owned ABKCO, Inc, which had the rights to the Rolling Stones output in the 1960's, and was once the Stones' manager as well.
Deflated, Mortimer called it quits, with Smith and Van Benschoten staying the UK for awhile. Smith, my wife's cousin would meet his future wife, many years older than him, in the UK, and both came back to live in Stone Ridge, NY, not too far from where he grew up in the Hyde Park area. Barbara rarely saw him in recent years, and he passed away around 2004 at the age of 54. Masson, who played on Van Morrison's Moondance album, also passed away, leaving Van Benschoten the only survivor. See below for a video interview he cut recently:
In spite of the relative obscurity, the debut album was released on CD a while back. But the best news was that the second album, On Our Way Home, that was never released on Apple, finally saw the light of day in 2017, almost fifty years after it was recorded.
KING IS QUEEN: Elle King garners her third SNS #1 as "Baby Outlaw" takes the top spot, knocking out The Revivalists' "Change" after a four week run, as well as that band's 8-week reign of the top spot as "You and I" had occupied the top after that. The top songs are basically unchanged, with only The Kooks' "Chicken Bone" cracking the top 5, moving the still persistent Panic At the Disco "High Hopes" to #6. Last week's Top Debut, The Black Keys, get the Impact award as "Lo/Hi" becomes the duo's eighth straight top 20 SNS song.
DRAGGING THE LINE: I guess the big (and surprising) news among the debuts is the Top Debut, "So Beautiful", by Tommy James. Yes, that Tommy James of Tommy James & the Shondells fame, originators of hit singles in the late 1960's such as "Hanky Panky", "Crimson & Clover", "Mony Mony" and several others. I have always been a fan of their music; it was pretty much the soundtrack of my youth growing up during that time period. And while his solo career has pretty much been limited to two big hits (1971's #4 hit "Dragging the Line", and 1980's #19 entry, "Three Times In Love"), the singer has been always active. That hasn't been more apparent than in this decade alone. While most of his fellow hitmakers have long faded away (if they are even still alive), the 72-year old New Jersey resident (he lives in Cedar Grove) has been active touring as well as other activities to keep his vintage music alive. His 2010 book, "Me, The Mob, and the Music", detailing his career (and his run-ins with the president of his record label at the time, Morris Levy of Roulette Records, who was a front for organized crime) is in the process of being made into a motion picture. While he nor his band have ever been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he did perform at his friend Joan Jett's induction a couple years back, along with Dave Grohl and Miley Cyrus (Jett having had a big hit with James' "Crimson & Clover" in 1982). James, however, WAS inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame back in 2016.
His new single, coming on at #42, is a bit intriguing. Rather than going with his classic sound (whatever that might have been, as he had transcended many genres), the new song sounds like it came from a current pop artist. Complete with auto-tune and the sparse arrangement, it is obvious that James, at his age, is going for the current market. And it has worked to an extent: The song debuted last week at #30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and inches up to #29 this week. While that is probably the lone chart that he probably has a chance to crack, it's still unusual since much of that current chart is loaded with artists who have been popular during the past twenty years, the "oldest" being Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty fame. Still, that band debuted in the late 1990's, thirty years after the Shondells heyday.
Reaction to the song from his longtime fans, according to a Facebook fan page, have been mixed. Many people love the song. It might be auto-tuned, but you can still hear Tommy's voice. Gary MacEntee posted this comment: " 'So Beautiful' is an enjoyably catchy tune with some modern technology that is heard in pop music today....when an artist paints or creates music, he pleases him or herself first".
Some fans, however don't share that sentiment. Larry Driver wrote: "He is so wrapped up in all the new product tools in the studio.....it's horrific that he banded his sound for this claptrap music...Garbage....he needs to be true to himself".
My opinion? Well, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know how I feel about current pop music styles. So, why the high debut at #42? Perhaps, it's the excitement of seeing a new Tommy James song, as well as seeing it on the charts. But several more listens to it on my iPod will determine how high on my chart it will go. Time will tell.
Regardless, James becomes only the fifth artist who began in the 1960's to make the SNS list, following The Beach Boys, Santana, The Monkees, and Paul McCartney, then a member of The Beatles.
Also debuting is the third single by another favorite band, Florence + the Machine, with "Moderation", the third single from her fourth album, High as Hope. It's sort of a bluesy but uptempo romp with emphasis on Florence's voice as well as a strong piano backing. Another winner. "I've Been Waiting", by Lil Peep features iLoveMakonnen and Fall Out Boy, and is a posthumous release for Peep (real name Gustav Elijah Ahr), who passed from a drug overdose in November 2017. He merged hip hop, rock and emo, which essentially comprises this new track. SHAED is an electro-pop band and "Trampoline" is sort of a dreamy excursion. Jade Bird follows up her top 20 "Uh Huh" with "I Get No Joy", and AJR's "100 Bad Days" is a worthy follow-up to the SNS #14 "Burn the House Down".
CORRECTION: In a prior blog where I mentioned that The Revivalists had two of the top three songs on my list (and eventually the top 2), I indicated that only Adele and Cold War Kids had accomplished that feat. I left out Alabama Shakes, who had two songs in the top 3 in June 2015: "Don't Wanna Fight" and "Gimme All Your Love", both SNS #1's.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
March 24, 2019
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 2 |
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Shake the Spirit
|
9 |
| 2 | 1 | The Revivalists - Change | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | The Cranberries - All Over Now | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Tennis- I Miss That Feelin' | 9 |
| 5 | 6 | The Kooks - Chicken Bone | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Panic at the Disco - High Hopes● | 21 |
| 7 | 10 | STRFKR - In the End | 7 |
| 8 | 11 | Cage the Elephant - Ready to Let Go | 6 |
| 9 | 13 | Kungs f Ritual - You Remain | 6 |
| 10 | 8 | Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Hey Mama | 9 |
| 11 | 7 | San Cisco - When I Dream | 8 |
| 12 | 9 | The Big Takeover - Girlie Girlie | 10 |
| 13 | 14 | Greta Van Fleet - You're the One | 9 |
| 14 | 35 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
(Single Only)
|
2 |
| 15 | 12 | The Revivalists - You and I | 14 |
| 16 | 21 | Mark Ronson f. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart | 7 |
| 17 | 15 | Dennis Lloyd - Nevermind | 19 |
| 18 | 18 | Houses - Fast Talk | 10 |
| 19 | 17 | Foster the People - Worst Nights | 11 |
| 20 | 23 | Lauren Daigle - You Say | 7 |
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more
plays on my iPod.
The “Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100” is a list
of current and recent song playlist which I am listening to.
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