Crazy People

Back to the roots of this blog, at long last another selection completely dedicated to Chick Bullock. At one point I had skipped 1932 entirely due to a move, so that is where this and the next two posts (covering at least another fifty tunes) will focus. To get things in chrono(lo)gical order, the first track is from Bullock's final recording session of 1931, on December 24. From there we go to January 12, with a song recorded more than three weeks prior to the Boswell Sisters' version. The girls make an appearance on one track, so listen closely. Most of these tracks were released as Chick Bullock and His Levee Loungers, with some exceptions that are noted in the tags, along with the record labels and number. Recording dates are below (which covers what I have through April 19, 1932). Most of these are from my own 78s, but a handful are courtesy of other collectors who have generously shared their collections with me. I've given each of these a listen, compared my original rips with post-restoration versions, and opted to back down on the editing on the theory that perhaps my ears aren't the best judge. On one track I noticed that the cleaned version had obscured some of the instrumentation, so hiss & static is back. Enjoy! +

Tracks

24 December 1931
01. She Didn't Say Yes

12 January 1932
1.   Was That The Human Thing To Do?
2.   How Long Will It Last

13 January
3.   Can't We Talk It Over

14 January
4.   You're My Everything
5.   Of Thee I Sing
6.   Who Cares?

5 February
7.   Kiss Me Goodnight

24 February
8.   Sing A New Song
9.   Stop The Sun, Stop The Moon
10. Soft Lights And Sweet Music
11. Let's Have Another Cup Of Coffee

29 February
12. Keepin' Out Of Mischief Now
13. I Know You're Lying, But I Love It

8 March
14. Somebody Loves You
15. You're Dancing On My Heart
16. Everything Must Have An Ending

14 March
17. You're The One
18. If It Ain't Love

15 March
19. I Can't Believe That It's You
20. Lawd, You Made The Night Too Long

26 March
21. California Medley, Part 2

31 March
22. My Gal Sal
23. Darktown Strutters Ball

4 April
24. I'd Rather Be A Beggar With You
25. My Extraordinary Girl
26. When The Lights Are Soft And Low
27. I'm So Alone With The Crowd

19 April
28. Crazy People

How's Your Uncle?

Here is the remaining batch from 1931. Three cd versions are included (2 Luis Russell, and My Song) because my 78 versions are not as nice. There are five or so .wav files here, the rest are 78s. I recently picked up Sugar which I think Chick Bullock does a nice job singing. Shine On Harvest Moon is one of my favorites, and I love Roy Smeck's guitar work. How's Your Uncle? is a fun tune, I just need a cleaner copy! Recording information is in the idtags, and the tunes are listed below in order of recording dates. Enjoy. +
* Update: I did find a cleaner copy of How's Your Uncle? and a cover for the series has been created. Click the image for full size.

Tracks

21. I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal, You) - Chick Bullock
22. I Can't Get Mississippi Off My Mind - Chick Bullock
23. (With You On My Mind, I Find) I Can't Write The Words - Johnny Hamp and His Orchestra
24. Goin' To Town - Luis Russell and His Orchestra
25. Say The Word - Luis Russell and His Orchestra
26. How's Your Uncle? - The Troubadours
27. Shine On Harvest Moon - Roy Smeck's Trio
28. Sugar - The High Hatters
29. My Song - Phil Spitalny and His Orchestra
30. You Can’t Stop Me From Lovin’ You - Chick Bullock
31. You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) - Chick Bullock
32. Hiding In The Shadows Of The Moon - Lou Gold and His Orchestra
33. Old Playmate - Lou Gold and His Orchestra
34. You Try Somebody Else - Chick Bullock
35. Time On My Hands - Chick Bullock
36. One Of Us Was Wrong - Chick Bullock
37. Pagan Moon - Ted Black and His Orchestra
38. What Price Love? - Chick Bullock
39. Bend Down Sister - Chick Bullock
40. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea - Chick Bullock and His Levee Loungers

Here Comes The Sun (Chick Bullock Vol. 2)

** Note - Apparently a couple of tracks were only coming through one channel, so I have re-recorded the 4 that I believe are the culprits. For those who already downloaded, you can get them as singles here. The download link below has been re-uploaded with the new files. Sorry for any inconvenience!

At last, here is the second batch of Chick Bullock from my collection of 78s that completes my holdings from 1930. To my knowledge none of these have been commercially released on cd. I had hoped to post this much sooner but, lo and behold, I managed to acquire a handful more 78s that included some sides from 1930. The first song “Should I?” is the same version as from Volume 1 (from an Australian Vocalion 697), however this time it comes from a Chicago Mail Order label called Homestead. This label isn’t even listed in the Chick Bullock discography, so of course I had to have it. It’s also slightly cleaner, and with my new turntable, sounds nicer to my ears and hopefully yours. “I’m Yours” by the Roy Smeck Trio was previously thought to have been rejected. As you can see and hear, it wasn’t.

Another recent addition is “So Beats My Heart For You” from the Challenge label (Sears & Roebuck). The discography listed this label as the only label release, however I’ve since learned it at least came out on Banner as well. Nonetheless, it is rare and I didn’t have it in my collection. The recording date and session info is the same as for “Just A Little Closer” and can also be found in the Idtags for that previous Bullock post.

The last new addition features Bullock teaming up with Roy Smeck’s Trio on “Somewhere In Old Wyoming” and “Rose of Romany.” Again, I’m no sound engineer, however the A-side here is pretty scratchy especially at the beginning. So I’ve included two versions, one with my standard single noise reduction filter, and the second with three passes through the filter (and some minor eq adjustment). Please let me know if it sounds any better, or if there is too much fidelity lost.

I’ve also included some pictures of the different labels, but be forewarned that I’m no photographer either. Enjoy. +

Tracks (in order of recording date)

1. Should I?
2. So Beats My Heart For You
3. I’ll Be Blue Just Thinking Of You
4. Don't Tell Her
5. If I Could Be With You
6. Here Comes The Sun
7. My Baby Just Cares For Me
8. Somewhere In Old Wyoming (version 1)
9. Somewhere In Old Wyoming (version 2)
10. Three Little Words
11. You're Driving Me Crazy
12. Rose of Romany
13. When The Organ Played At Twilight
14. I'm Yours
15. To Whom It May Concern
16. Crying Myself To Sleep
17. What Good Am I Without You

Wizard of the Strings

When I picked this up the only thing I knew about Roy Smeck was that some Chick Bullock recordings were issued under his name. This set is rather short (only 41 minutes) but it's more than enough to hear what a musician he was. You can also see footage of Smeck showcasing his amazing talents in some short films on youtube. And you can get the album (including covers, booklet) here. +

Tracks


01. 12th Street Rag
02. Frettin' Blues
03. Shuffle Off To Buffalo
04. Limehouse Blues
05. Nifty Pickin'
06. Tough Pickin'
07. Slippery Fingers
08. Steel Guitar Rag
09. Tiger Rag
10. Guitarese
11. Farewell Blues
12. Ukulele Bounce
13. Bugle Call Rag
14. Laughing Rag