Cat. No. BCD 17419: VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ MARTIANS, DEMONS AND FOOLS LIKE ME - THE MCI RECORDS STORY 1954-1961. BEAR FAMILY BCD 17419. (IMPORT).
IN A TINY RECORDING SPACE IN PHOENIX IN MARCH 1956, A SMALL GROUP OF MUSICIANS MADE ROCK’N’ROLL HISTORY WHILE PUTTING ARIZONA ON THE MUSICAL MAP. LEE HAZELWOOD, A STRUGGLING PRODUCER AND SONGWRITER, BROUGHT TO LIFE A BREAKTHROUGH NATIONAL HIT, “THE FOOL”, THAT MADE #7 ON BILLBOARD. IT WAS SUNG BY A NEWCOMER, SANFORD CLARK, AND FEATURED A MEMORABLE, BLUES-ORIENTATED RIFF BY A GUITAR PRODIGY, AL CASEY. THE COMPANY INITIALLY BEGAN MAKING JINGLES FOR COMPANIES AND DEMOS FOR AMATEURS WHO WANTED THEIR LYRICS AND POEMS SET TO MUSIC. MCI’S FIRST RELEASE ACTUALLY WAS A COMMERCIAL PRESSED TO PROMOTE THE MONEY OLDSMOBILE DEALERSHIP IN PHOENIX. SOON AFTER, IN EARLY 1955, THE COUNTRYFIED “BOOGIE BILLY” BY SPENCE BARE BECAME THE FIRST PROPER COMMERCIAL RELEASE.
THE BIGGEST HIT TO BE RELEASED BY MCI WAS THE AFOREMENTIONED “THE FOOL” WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY LEE HAZELWOOD. THE LABEL CONTINUED TO RELEASE SPASMODICALLY UNTIL 1961 BUT NEVER AGAIN ACHIEVED THE SUCCESS OF “THE FOOL”. THEIR DISCOGRAPHY LISTS A VARIETY OF GENRE. WHILST NOT PREDOMINANTLY ROCK’N’ROLL THERE WERE SOME INTERESTING RELEASES ON THE LABEL INCLUDING THE ROCKABILLY BOPPER “THE BOPPIN’ MARTIAN” BY DICK ROBINSON AND THE EARLIEST RELEASES BY WAYNE NEWTON ****
TRACK LISTING: Sanford Clark with Al Casey – The Fool / Spence Bare with Bud Isaacs – Boogie Billy / Jimmy Wilcox and his Music Counselors – Mrs. Arizona Home Owner / Ken Noble – Money Oldsmobile / Maxine Johnson – Scairdy Cat / The Newton Brothers feat. Wayne Newton – I Spy (no vocal group) / Denny Reed – KRLA Radio Station Promo / Denny Reed – A Teenager Feels It To / Mike Murray – Aces Up / Frank Fafara – Only In My Dreams / Lee Hazelwood with Al Casey – Buying On Time (demo) / Spence Bare with Bud Isaacs – Lonesome For A Letter / Sanford Clark – Lonesome For A Letter / Dick Robinson and his Makebelievers – The Boppin’ Martian / The Newton Brothers – I’m No Good Without You / Bobby and The Demons – The Woo / Jim Fleming and The Casuals – Don’t You Just Know It / Al Casey – If I Told You (Wouldn’t Know It All By Myself) / Diane Fortune – Set Me Free / Connie Conway with Jerry Jaka & Bud Isaacs – I Should Not Be Seeing You / Sanford Clark with Al Casey – Blue Suede Shoes (demo) / Ritchie Hart – I Want You / Denny Reed – Hot Water / Eddie LeMaire – You And I Against The World / Terry Tyler – A Thousand Feet Below / Lee Finley with Bud Isaacs – Mother’s Last Call / Sanford Clark with Al Casey – Heartbreak Hotel (demo) / Connie Conway – Leave Her To Fools Like Me / Al Casey – The Pink Panther / Joe Tanner – I Need Your Love / Patti LaSalle – Quarter After Eight / Red McIlvaine – Come To Phoenix / MCI Players – Aunt Hattie’s Bread / Blakley’s Gasoline / Frank Pollack Theme / Mecham Pontiac / Mobilette / Mrs. Baird’s Bread / Packard Bell TV.
CD DIGI-PAK NEW
