Let's Dance With Earl Bostic (King LP 529 stereo)

Side 1:
01) Lover Come Back To Me
02) The Merry Widow Waltz
03) Cracked Ice
04) Song Of The Islands
05) Danube Waves
06) Wrap It Up

Side 2:
01) Blue Skies
02) Ubangi Stomp
03) Cherry Bean
04) Earl's Imagination
05) My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice
06) Liebestraum

Let's Dance With Earl Bostic (King LP 529 stereo) Mega

Let's Dance With Earl Bostic (King LP 529 stereo) Zippy

To round off the Be Bop Wino Bostickathon of  Earl Bostic King LPs here's a 1959 re-recorded stereo version of the LP originally released as King 395-529 in December 1956.

Original 1956 version in mono

The 1956 LP consisted of tracks which had previously been released as singles, mostly in 1953 and 1954. As with the other early Earl Bostic 12 inch LPs, this one went through several re-releases. It was reissued as King 529 in 1958 with a new cover as shown below:

Between March and June 1959 Earl Bostic re-recorded every LP which he had previously issued in the King 500 series, with the exception of his last release in the series, King 597 "Alto Magic In Hi-Fi: A Dance Party With Bostic."

The albums which were re-recorded in 1959 were:

395-500   The Best Of Bostic

395-503   Earl Bostic For You

395-515   Altotude

395-525   Dance Time

395-529   Let's Dance With Earl Bostic

       547   Invitation To Dance With Bostic

       558   C'mon And Dance With Earl Bostic

       571   Bostic Rocks Hits Of The Swing Age

       583   Bostic Showcase Of Swinging Dance Hits

 

The first 5 LPs in the series had already been reissued in mono with the prefix 395 removed from their numbers in 1958. They also had been given new covers which were re-used on the 1959 stereo issues. 

Alternative cover for stereo issue of "Let's Dance"

With the exception of "The Merry Widow Waltz", which was recorded during sessions for LPs in the King 600 series, the tracks for the stereo version of "Let's Dance With Earl Bostic" were recorded towards the end of the re-recording sessions in June 1959. The final such session was held on June 15th when nine tracks were recorded for the stereo version of "Invitation To Dance With Bostic" (King 547).

 Recording details for "Let's Dance With Earl Bostic" (stereo):

Los Angeles, January 27th / 28th, 1959

Personnel: Earl Bostic (alto sax); Elmer Schmidt (vibraphone); Sir Charles Thompson (piano); Rene Hall and Allan Seltzer (guitars); Herb Gordy (bass); Earl Palmer (drums) -

The Merry Widow Waltz

Cincinnati, June 9th and 10th, 1959

Personnel: Earl Bostic (alto sax); Roland Johnson (vibraphone); Joe Thomas (piano); Warren Stephens and Allan Seltzer (guitars); Herb Gordy (bass); William Erskine (drums) -

Cincinnati, June 9th, 1959:

Lover Come Back To Me

Cracked Ice

Song Of The Islands

Danube Waves

Wrap It Up

Blue Skies

Ubangi Stomp

Cincinnati, June 10th, 1959:

Cherry Bean

Earl's Imagination

My Heart At Thy Sweet Voice

Liebestraum

Sources - Bruyninckx, Billboard, The Cash Box, Both Sides Now website.

Artwork - Discogs, 3345ca, various record sales sites.

And with this post we come to the end of the Bostic King LP marathon. I'm all Bosticked out. There will be a look at Earl's pre-King work in the near future but in the meantime let's tune in to some other R&B artists. There's a loada stuff in the pipeline to keep you lockdowners a-movin' and a groovin'. Keep on truckin' everyone!

Earl Bostic - Dance Time (stereo) re-ripped and re-upped

Side 1:
01) Harlem Nocturne
02) Where Or When
03) Sweet Lorraine
04) Poeme
05) You Go To My Head
06) Off Shore

Side 2:
01) The Moon Is Low
02) Ain't Misbehavin'
03) The Sheik Of Araby
04) I Hear A Rhapsody
05) Roses Of Picardy
06) Melancholy Serenade

Earl Bostic - Dance Time (stereo) Mega

Earl Bostic - Dance Time (stereo) Zippy

1980s reissue on the Sing label of the stereo version of Earl Bostic's "Dance Time" album (King 525) which was issued in July / August 1959. The stereo version was recorded in March / April 1959 as follows:

Cincinnati, March 26th, 1959. Personnel: Earl Bostic (alto sax); Roland Johnson (vibraphone); Jon Thomas (piano); Allan Seltzer (guitar); Herb Gordy (bass); William Erskine (drums):

Harlem Nocturne

Where Or When

Sweet Lorraine

You Go To My Head

Off Shore

Ain't Misbehavin'

The Sheik Of Araby

I Hear A Rhapsody

Roses Of Picardy

Melancholic Serenade

 

Cincinnati, April 8th, 1959. Personnel: Earl Bostic (alto sax); Roland Johnson (vibraphone); Claude Jones (piano); Warren Stephens, Allan Seltzer (guitars); Herb Gordy (bass); William Erskine (drums):

Poeme

The Moon Is Low

 

The recording details listed towards the bottom of the back cover of this Sing reissue are for the original mono version of the LP, King 395-525 which was released in 1956. It was the 4th Bostic 12 inch LP to be released and like its predecessors it consisted of singles dating back to 1951, although 4 more recently recorded sides from April 1956 were included.

All this and much more on the Earl Bostic King LP saga is revealed on the original post of this album from 2017:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2017/10/earl-bostic-dance-time.html

Head on over to see the original covers used on the mono version plus musings on the re-recording of Earl's King 500 series LPs. You can also read of my horrified realisation that I'd been giving wrong information on previous Bostic posts.

For this post I have re-recorded and re-ripped my LP as the 2017 mp3s were rather indistinct. The sound quality on the new mp3s is audibly better, as is the clarity of the numerous clicks and crackles on this second hand (purchased in Love Music, Glasgow) slab of vinyl.

The post also includes a folder of 1950s artwork from the King issue of this collection.

One more Bostic platter to go, and it's a new one which has not been posted previously. I'm just about all Bosticked out, but I know that there are some of you out there who just can't get enough! BTW "Where Or When" from this album is my latest ear worm. Can't get it out of my head. Until the next Bostic post, my R&B chums!

Earl Bostic For You (King LP 395-503 and King LP 503 stereo)

Side 1:
01) Sleep
02) Moonglow
03) Velvet Sunset
04) For You
05) The Very Thought Of You
06) Linger Awhile

Side 2:
01) Cherokee
02) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
03) Memories
04) Embraceable You
05) Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams
06) Night And Day

Earl Bostic For You (King LP 395-503) Mega

Earl Bostic For You (King LP 395-503) Zippy 

I've altered the downloads which featured on the first posting of these mono and stereo iterations of "Earl Bostic For You." For the mono version I've used the artwork from the first issue of this LP in February 1956 as King 395-503. The music files were ripped from my copy of the 1980s Sing issue of this collection. The download includes the Sing artwork which is almost a copy of the second issue of this collection in 1958 with a front cover which featured a picture of Earl on his lonesome holding his sax in the air. This cover was also used for the stereo issue which consisted of 1959 re-recordings of the tracks.

For the stereo version I've managed to dig up improved artwork from the web, although the back cover is a "mash up" of two different versions.

The original post should be read for the recording details of the stereo version and also for the original release details of the singles which were used on the 1956 / 1958 mono LP. The recording details of these singles can be found on the back cover of the Sing issue. Original post from October 2017:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2017/10/earl-bostic-for-you-mono-and-stereo.html

 

 Earl Bostic For You (King LP 503 - stereo) Mega

Earl Bostic For You (King LP 503 - stereo) Zippy

The tracklist is the same as King 395-503. The difference between the mono and stereo versions is very noticeable with different arrangements being used for the re-recordings. I know which version I prefer, in fact I would say that 395-503 may well be my favourite Bostic album as he powers through a series of abrasive versions of standards which were recorded for singles between 1950 and 1954.

Musicians on the mono version include John Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine, Benny Golson, Count Hastings and Blue Mitchell, all of whom made their mark in the jazz field.

By way of contrast the stereo version was recorded over a short period in 1959 by the same group of musicians which makes for a certain "sameness" about the tracks. It's well worth your while to download and compare both versions.

Elsewhere on the blog:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2017/10/earl-bostic-for-you-mono-and-stereo.html

The original post of these albums with the lowdown on these platters that most definitely matter. The Bostic-a-thon goes on ... and on ...

With grateful thanks to the original uploaders of the LP artwork.

Sonny Thompson - Mellow Blues For The Late Hours (King LP 655)

Side 1:
01) Mellow Blues (Part 1)
02) Palmetto
03) Clang, Clang, Clang
04) Sugar Cane
05) Cat On The Keys (Part 1)
06) Cat On The Keys (Part 2)
07) Cotton Ball
08) Single Shot

Side 2:
01) Smoke Stack Blues
02) Real, Real Fine
03) Let's Move
04) Behind The Sun
05) Blues Mambo
06) First Base
07) Gum Shoe
08) Frog Legs

Mellow Blues For The Late Hours (Mega)

Mellow Blues For The Late Hours (Zippy)

Released in October 1959, this King collection of Sonny Thompson instrumentals doesn't consist solely of late night, closing time "slows", there are some shufflers and jumpers in here too. It's the echo drenched sleazy sax and piano after hours instros that appeal to me but the tracks aimed at the dance crowd are also worth a listen.

I've reconstructed the album using tracks from various reissue compilations kicking around in my collection plus artwork found on the internet. My thanks to the original uploaders. Note that some of the tracks on this album were originally released as two part singles. In such cases I have assumed that the "part 1" from these singles are the tracks featured on the LP. The release details of the singles are given below. The information was gathered from 45worlds.com, discogs.com and Billboard magazine which can be searched via google.

Original Release Details:

Sugar Cane / I'm Coming Back Home To Stay - King 4345 - April 1950

After Sundown / Frog Legs - King 4364 - June 1950

Nightfall / Palmetto - King 4384 - July 1950

Smoke Stack Blues / Uncle Sam Blues - King 4431 - March 1951

Mellow Blues (Part 1) / Mellow Blues (Part 2) - King 4488 - December 1951

I'll Drown In My Tears / Clang, Clang, Clang - King 4527 - April 1952

Let's Call It A Day / Blues Mambo - King 4541 - June 1952

Real, Real Fine (Part 1) / Real, Real Fine (Part 2) - King 4554 - October 1952

Let's Move / My Heart Needs Someone - King 4657 - September 1953

I'm Beggin' And Pleadin' / Single Shot - King 4718 - May 1954

Cotton Ball (Part 1) / Cotton Ball (Part 2) - King 4729 - July 1954

Cat On The Keys (Part 1) / Cat On The Keys (Part 2) - King 4746 - October 1954

Behind The Sun (Part 1) / Behind The Sun (Part 2) - King 4791 - April 1955

First Base / Lonely Moon - King 4809 - July 1955

Gum Shoe / Stop, Come See Me - King 5055 - June 1957

Elsewhere On The Blog:

Cat On The Keys

A 1980s Swingtime collection with quite a few tracks in common with the Mellow Blues For The Late Hours LP. The original post in 2007 has a write up on the career of Sonny Thompson and can be found here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2007/09/sonny-thompson-cat-on-keys_5464.html

The LP was later re-upped with more complete artwork in 2017 here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2017/04/sonny-thompson-cat-on-keys-re-up.html 

There are now updated download links on both of these posts.

For an in-depth look at a couple of Sonny Thompson 78 rpm singles thanks to El Enmascarado, go to the following posts which still have working links for your listening pleasure -

Cotton Ball Parts 1 and 2 (King 4729) 

Late Freight / Sonny's Return (Miracle 128) 

I see my write up on "Cotton Ball" inadvertently anticipated the feel of the "Mellow Blues For The Late Hours" LP. The comments are worth reading!

A Request!

This was the second Sonny Thompson LP released on King. The first Sonny LP, "Moody Blues - Play Only After Midnight" was released in April 1958. I have the tracks to reconstruct it except one - "Low Down" which was released on the single King 4992 b/w "Lost In This Great Big City" in December 1956. If anyone out there has a decent rip of "Low Down" and is willing to see it posted on the blog, please get in touch via email.

The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (King LP 295-106)

Side 1:
01) Big Boy
02) Darn That Dream
03) Soft Winds
04) Sophisticated Lady

Side 2:
01) They Can't Take That Away From Me
02) What's New
03) 633-Knock!
04) Danny Boy

The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (Mega)

The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings (Zippy)

Back in November 2019 I posted a "reconstruction" of the Bill Jennings / Leo Parker King LP "Billy In The Lion's Den." That 12 incher from 1957 was an expanded version of an LP originally released as a 10 incher in 1955 - "Jazz Interlude" (King LP 295-105) -

At roughly the same time (going by the issue numbers) King released the 10 inch LP that I have "reconstructed" for this post - "The Fabulous Guitar Of Bill Jennings." Four of the eight tracks originated from the July 1954 sessions with Leo Parker ( but sans Parker, natch) and the remaining four tracks were from an October 1954 session on which Jennings was backed by the Bill Doggett combo.

A couple of the tracks recorded with Doggett are good R&B swingers ("Big Boy" and "633-Knock!") with "Big Boy" being a substantial R&B hit in 1955. The rest of the tracks are fine mellow jazz with "Soft Winds" perhaps being the closest to R&B in feel. It was interesting to find that Billboard reviewed some of the single releases of these tracks as jazz ("What's New" / "Soft Winds" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me") while the remaining tracks were reviewed under R&B. See below for details on the issue on single of the tracks on this LP.

Recording Details

They Can't Take That Away From Me; What's New; Soft Winds; Sophisticated Lady were recorded in Cincinnati on July 8th 1954 by the following personnel: Bill Jennings (guitar); Andrew Johnson (piano and organ); Joe Williams (bass); George DeHart (drums)

Big Boy; Darn That Dream; 633-Knock!; Danny Boy were recorded in Cincinnati in October 1954 by the following personnel: Bill Jennings (guitar); Bill Doggett (organ); Jimmy Glover (bass); Shep Shepherd (drums)

Single Release Details

What's New / Soft Winds - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4735 - released August 1954

Big Boy / Danny Boy - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4760 - released December 1954

Darn That Dream / Blue Grass - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4771 - released February 1955

Sophisticated Lady / 633-Knock! - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4786 - released April 1955

They Can't Take That Away From Me / Sweet And Lovely - Bill Jennings Quartet - King 45-4805 - released June 1955

Elsewhere On The Blog

Get yourself over to the post on the Bill Jennings / Leo Parker LP "Billy In The Lion's Den" for more of Bill's guitar stylings plus the lowdown on his career as an R&B session man (mostly with King) and as an exponent of soul jazz (mostly with Prestige).

My thanks to the original uploaders of the album artwork. The front and back covers were from amazon.it and the disc labels were adapted from discogs.com.

The Untouchable Sound Of Bill Black's Combo

Side 1:
01. White Silver Sands
02. Movin'
03. Smokie - Part 2
04. Monkey-Shine
05. Don't Be Cruel
06. Little Queenie
07. Josephine
08. Willie

Side 2:
01. Turn On Your Love Light
02. Memphis, Tennessee
03. Hearts Of Stone
04. Twist-Her
05. Honky Train
06. Little Jasper
07. Do It - Rat Now
08. So What

The Untouchable Sound Of Bill Black's Combo (Mega)

 The Untouchable Sound Of Bill Black's Combo (Zippy)

As bass player in Elvis, Scotty and Bill, Bill Black sits for evermore at the top table in rock and roll Valhalla. What we have here is a boffo compilation of instrumental sides recorded by the group he formed in 1959 after splitting with Elvis - Bill Black's Combo.

The initial line up which featured on the group's biggest hits was - Bill Black (electric bass), Reggie Young (lead guitar), Martin Wills (tenor sax), Joe Lewis Hall (piano) and Jerry Arnold (drums). Their brand of danceable beat heavy music was an instant hit with "Smokie Parts 1 and 2" reaching number 17 in the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1959 and topping the R&B chart in January 1960. The run of chart success continued through 1960 into 1961 with "White Silver Sands" being their biggest hit at number 9 in the Hot 100 and number 1 in the R&B chart.

Their last top 20 hit was "Hearts Of Stone" in February 1961, but their records continued to enter the top 40 and then the lower reaches of the Hot 100 for several years - see the details below in the Trax Fax section. Unfortunately poor health caused Bill to retire from touring and concentrate on a recording studio he opened in Memphis.

The Combo carried on touring with a changing line up (sans Bill) which included Ace Cannon, Carl McAvoy and Chips Moman at various times and at the request of The Beatles featured as the opening act of the Fab Four's US tour of 1964. Bill sadly passed away in October 1965 while undergoing surgery for a brain tumor.

Bill Black's Combo continued to tour and record after Bill's death. There is one example of their later work on this compilation, an excellent version of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light."

Their music wasn't well known in the UK, with only two of their records brushing the lower reaches of the charts over here in late 1960, so this LP came as a pleasant surprise when I bought it back in the 1980's. There is a touch of slightly cheesy organ on a few tracks, but in the main it's excellent toe-tapping stuff with "Twist-Her" being a standout for me. It's an absolutely essential choice for your next Big Boss Twist Party, groovers!

Bill Black's Combo was a big influence on fellow Memphis groups The Mar-Keys and Booker T and the MGs, so if you're a fan of their sounds, then you'll love this LP.

There's a marvellous YouTube clip of the group in action in the film "Teenage Millionaire" in 1961. They come across as super-cool -  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm_xBHCtubM

 Teenage Millionaire

A good short article on the group is here -

 http://www.tsimon.com/bblack.htm

Trax Trax Trax - The Fax Fax Fax

Smokie - Part 1 / Smokie - Part 2 - released on Hi 45-2018 in October 1959 - #17 in the Billboard Hot 100, December 1959. #1 in the Billboard Hot R&B Sides, January 1960.

White Silver Sands / The Wheel - released on Hi 45-2021 in February 1960 - #9 in the Billboard Hot 100, March, 1960. #1 in the Billboard Hot R&B Sides, May 1960. #50 in the UK charts in September 1960.

Josephine / Dry Bones - released on Hi 45-2022 in May 1960 - #18 in the Billboard Hot 100, July 1960.

Don't Be Cruel / Rollin' - released on Hi 45-2026 in August 1960 - #11 in the Billboard Hot 100, October 1960. #9 in the Billboard Hot R&B Sides, October, 1960. #32 in the UK charts in November 1960.

Blue Tango / Willie - released on Hi 45-2027 in November 1960 - #16 in the Billboard Hot 100, December 1960.

Hearts Of Stone / Royal Blue - released on Hi 45-2028 in February 1961 - #20 in the Billboard Hot 100, March, 1961.

Movin' / Honky Train - released on Hi 45-2038 in August 1961 - #41 in the Billboard Hot 100, October, 1961.

Twist-Her / My Girl Josephine - released on Hi 45-2042 in November 1961 - #26 in the Billboard Hot 100, January, 1962

So What / Blues For The Red Boy - released on Hi 45-2055 in July 1962 - # 78 in the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1962.

Do It - Rat Now / Little Jasper - released on Hi 45-2064 in March 1963 - #51 in the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1963.

Monkey-Shine / Long Gone - released on Hi 45-2069 in August 1963 - #47 in the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1963.

Memphis Tennessee and Little Queenie - released on Hi LP HL 12017 "Bill Black's Combo Plays Tunes By Chuck Berry" in June 1964.

Little Queenie / Boo-Ray - released on Hi 45-2079 in August 1964 - #73 in the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1964.

Turn On Your Love Light / Ribbon Of Darkness - released on Hi 45-2145 in May 1968 - #83 in the Billboard Hot 100, July, 1968.

Tough Stuff (Sun's Instrumental Gold)

Side A:
01. Raunchy - Bill Justis
02. College Man - Bill Justis
03. Flip Flop And Bop - Bill Justis
04. The Snuggle - Bill Justis
05. Bop Train - Bill Justis
06. 706 Union - Brad Suggs
07. Cloudy - Brad Suggs
08. Groovy Train - Wade Cagle

Side B:
01. Bo Diddley - Jimmy Van Eaton
02. Thunderbird - Sonny Burgess
03. Itchy - Sonny Burgess
04. In The Mood - The Hawk
05. Lewis Workout - Jerry Lee Lewis
06. Eddie's Blues - Eddie Bush
07. Jack's Jump - Frank Frost
08. Crawlback - Frank Frost

Tough Stuff (Mega)

Tough Stuff (Zippy)

Summertime posts tend to be pretty thin on the ground on "Be Bop Wino." Last year, for example, saw July and August being entirely missed out. One reason for the summer scarcity is that during the long, hot, sunny days I embark on my annual "Kicks-athon" which is where I load up the media player with a stack of instrumental, rockabilly, surf and rockin' R&B tracks, turn on auto-DJ, and stretch out with a couple of old copies of the only rock 'n' roll magazine worth a damn - "Kicks."

Founded by Miriam Linna and the late and much missed Billy Miller, "Kicks" was a revelation to me when a work colleague passed on a copy of the seventh and last issue. It was a window on a weird alternative universe where early 1960s teen instrumental groups, surf bands, stoned rockabillies, drunken hillbillies, doo wop groups and wild, wild R&B shouters still ruled the airwaves. And the writing was just as wild as the music! I can say that "Kicks" was partly responsible for making me the man I am today, i.e. a hopeless dropout.

So this summer I'm gonna attempt to keep the Kicks spirit alive on Be Bop Wino with rockin' stuff hot off my new turntable. This doesn't mean there'll be a surge of rockabilly and surf on the blog as I just don't have the vinyl for that. Besides, there are other blogs that do that kind of stuff far better than I could hope to do. I'm thinking of Uncle Gil and Twilightzone and there's a myriad of others where you can pick up on the necessary twangin' thang for your very own Kicks-athon. R&B is still the meat and drink of Be Bop Wino, but we may occasionally "stray" from the usual path in the next few weeks.

"Tough Stuff" - old Charly comp of instros originally issued on Sun and Phillips International. "Raunchy" by Bill Justis was a huge international hit, charting twice in the UK in 1958 for example. The rest of the tracks are not so well known (outside of the cognoscenti), but it's all good jumpin' fun. The Sonny Burgess tracks featuring Billy Lee Riley on harmonica are absolute standouts but the unissued sides by Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Bush (Carl Mann's guitarist) are basically jams which lack focus and were never intended to be released. "Eddie's Blues" with its distorted guitar workout foreshadows a thousand aimless guitar noodles which started to appear from 1966 onwards. Indeed at times it's hard to believe that the recording dates from 1959.

That said, this is an entertaining collection and a good soundtrack for summer fun, fun, fun. The sleeve notes by Sun expert Martin Hawkins are very informative and are the ideal poolside reading while you sip a long cool one.

Original Release Details

Bill Justis - Raunchy / The Midnite Man - Phillips International 3519 - September 1957.

Bill Justis - College Man / The Stranger - Phillips International 3522 - February 1958.

Bill Justis - Bop Train / String Of Pearls-Cha Hot Cha - Phillips International 3535 - October 1958.

Bill Justis - Flip Flop And Bop and The Snuggle issued on P.I. LP 1950 - "Cloud 9" - August 1960.

Brad Suggs - 706 Union / Low Outside - Phillips International 3545 - September 1959.

Brad Suggs - Cloudy / Partly Cloudy - Phillips International 3554 - April 1960.

Wade Cagle And The Escorts - Groovy Train / Highland Rock - Sun 360 - April 1961.

Jimmy Van Eaton - Bo Diddley - unissued Sun recording, 1959. Another version was recorded and issued on Nita 127 in 1960.

Sonny Burgess - Thunderbird / Itchy - Sun 304 - August 1958.

The Hawk - In The Mood / I Get The Blues When It Rains - Phillips International 3559 - August 1960. "The Hawk" is Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Lewis Workout - unissued Sun recording, 1959.

Eddie Bush - Eddie's Blues - unissued Sun recording, October 1959. Eddie Bush was the guitarist in Carl Mann's band.

Frank Frost with The Night Hawks - Jack's Jump - issued on PILP 1975 "Hey Boss Man!" - 1962.

Frank Frost - Jelly Roll King / Crawlback - Phillips International 3578 - June 1962.

Earl Bostic For You (Mono and Stereo Versions)

Side 1:

01. Sleep

02. Moonglow

03. Velvet Sunset

04. For You

05. The Very Thought Of You

06. Linger Awhile

Side 2:

01. Cherokee

02. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

03. Memories

04. Embraceable You

05. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

06. Night And Day

Earl Bostic For You (mono)

"Earl Bostic For You" (King 395-503) was released simultaneously with "The Best Of Bostic" (King 395-500) in February 1956. The original front cover differed from the one reproduced on this 1980's Sing reissue -

The above cover scan is from "PopBopRocktilUDrop" at https://kimsloans.wordpress.com/

In 1958 "Earl Bostic For You" was reissued as King 503 with a new cover, which is reproduced on this Sing issue.

Like its companion LP "The Best Of Bostic," "Earl Bostic For You" was a compilation of tracks which had previously been released as singles. The recording dates and personnel are listed on the back cover of the LP. The release dates of the singles featuring the LP tracks are listed below. Tracks in italics are not on this album.

Original single release of the tracks on "Earl Bostic For You."

"Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" / "Serenade" - King 4369 - May 1950

"Sleep" / "September Song" (Clyde Terrell) - King 4444 - May 1951

"Linger Awhile" / "Velvet Sunset" - King 4536 - May 1952

"Moonglow" / "Ain't Misbehavin'" - King 4550 - August 1952

"For You" / "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" - King 4570 - October 1952

"Cherokee" / "The Song Is Ended" - King 4623 - May 1953

"The Very Thought Of You" / "Memories" - King 4653 - August 1953

"Night And Day" / "Embraceable You" - King 4765 - January 1955

"Earl Bostic For You" was re-recorded in stereo in Cincinnati on March 26th, 27th and 28th, 1959. The personnel for these sessions was -Earl Bostic (alto sax); Roland Johnson (vibraphone); Jon Thomas (piano); Allan Seltzer (guitar); Herb Gordy (bass); William Erskine (drums). The stereo release had the same front cover as King 503, with the addition of the word "Stereo" of course!

In 1987 King released a CD version of "Earl Bostic For You" (KCD-503) with the 1958 front cover. Although there is no mention of "stereo" on the CD cover, the tracks are in fact the stereo re-recordings from 1959. Some of them are quite different from the versions on the mono release, e.g. the early 50's mono version of "Velvet Sunset" has a wordless background vocal chorus throughout, while the 1959 version is a straight ahead instrumental with no background vocals. Similarly, the 1950 mono version of "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" is a hepcat band vocal combined with bass picking by Keeter Betts, while the 1959 version is a Bostic instrumental.

Above: budget 1980's CD release - in stereo. I've "reconstituted" the stereo version of the LP by combining rips from, well, you-know-where, with a front cover from Discogs.com. So here for your delectation is the stereo version of "Earl Bostic For You" -

Earl Bostic For You (stereo)

Track order is the same as the mono version. 

Cash Box, April 25th, 1959, right guy, wrong instrument

And that's the end of our unplanned Earl Bostic season! It's fun when these things just sort of "take off," and I've learned another bit of R&B history as I had little idea that Earl had taken part in such a short, sharp, intensive period of re-recording of previously existing albums. Thanks to everyone who commented and special thanks to Daddy Cool and Bear From Delaware for their insights into the Bostic LP situation. I have no idea what the next blog post will be but I'm sure I can come up with something from the Vinyl Vault. Stay tuned!