Record of the day: Various performers, “On the Rocks Part 2”

Various performers, “On the Rocks Part 2” (Capitol Cd 7243855443326)

Are you ready to laugh until you cry? This is the effect produced by listening to this absurd Capitol CD which recovers from oblivion where unbelievable recordings had rightly fallen, authentic masterpieces of involuntary humor which in their own way describe well the dismay that the advent of Rock’n’Roll aroused in that large part of the musical environment that identified with characters such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, June Christie, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and in general all the various performers and the orchestras that had thrived in the 1950s.

Taken by surprise by the arrival of these musical “savages” with glittered hair and banana quiffs, they initially tried to ignore their existence, but after the explosion of Elvis, Little Richard, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones this was no longer possible , so to stay afloat many of these musicians tried to promptly adapt to the new style with hilariously clumsy results, as demonstrated by the “orchestral” version of “Satisfaction” arranged by David McCallum (with the theme entrusted to the English horn!) the horrendous circus revival of the Beatles’ “Carry That Weight” by Francis Lai or the chilling cover of “Mrs. Robinson” created by Guy Lombardo (it cannot be described , you have to hear it to believe it).

With amused cruelty, producer Wayne Watkins has fished out from the warehouses deservedly disappeared characters such as the Hollyridge Strings grappling with “I Get Around” by the Beach Boys, not to mention the surreal arrangement of “Light My Fire” by a certain John Andrew Tartaglia who certainly will have made Jim Morrison turn in his grave.

The total inability to understand rock language on the part of these musicians is so obvious that it is almost endearing; dealing with songs made of a few chords and simple rhythms, these arrangers accustomed to the Broadway stage are unable to do anything but stuff them with instruments that have nothing to do with them (glockenspiels, harps, bongos, xylophone), making them absolutely indigestible. It’s impossible not to laugh at the Little Big Horns as they shred Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” starting, who knows why, with the sound of a western gunfight followed by the chase of a group of Indians on horseback. Have fun!.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.