Posted by Ronnie Allen on August 09, 2008 at 12:05:04:
I am posting this as a new thread because my original thread is, as Elvis would say, "way down"!
Okay, here are my comments regarding the list that I posted a few days ago.
First off, I sent the list to legendary New York deejay Clay Cole, and he was nice enough to post it on his website and acknowledge me. So thank you so much Clay!
I have included the link to Clay's "Cole Bin" page (a part of his website) which contains the information I sent here, in a very nice format.
Also thanks to all of you here who responded.
My personal opinion reflects what others have said here.
The list has many valid choices but I feel some are a bit much. Okay, even preposterous!
I wonder how many of those "teen time-slot" deejays who made up the so-called "disc advisory council, were, in fact teenagers. I doubt that very many were, if any.
The biggest problem, I see, was the "Orchestral" category. I suspect most teenagers at that time would view all of those listed as "Squaresville." Hugo Winterhalter? Jimmy Dorsey? Lawrence Welk? Granted that teenagers did buy an occasional hit single by these gifted instrumentalists ("Canadian Sunset" and "So Rare" and "Calcutta") but I can't really see those LPs listed as being a part of a "Basic Pop Album Library" for that age group.
I am not suggesting that ANY of the 30 albums were bad. Far from it although, to be honest, there are a few I am not familiar with. I am simply suggesting that to me, some simply did not fit the "Basic Pop Album Library for Teenagers" heading.
Maybe a few teenagers were singing along with Mitch but I suspect in the grand scheme of things relatively few were participating in that activity.
Surely the core audiences for Judy Garland's incredible live LP and Ella's Gershwin tribute were NOT teenagers.
And Ooooo!, that Jackie Gleason album seemed like a bit much to me. How sweet it is? Away it should have GONE from that list!
I was also somewhat curious as to why Percy Faith's "Sound Of Music" LP was preferred over the original cast LP. (The film had not yet come out at that time.)
Anyway, I am most appreciative at the response to my post, both here and elsewhere.
I only wish I had saved MORE issues of Cash Box!