WE'RE THE BANANA SPLITS  -  THE BANANA SPLITS

YEAR:  1968
LABEL:  Decca
TRACK LISTING:  We're the Banana Splits,  I'm Gonna Find A Cave,  This Spot,  Doin' the Banana Split,  Toy Piano Melody,  Soul,  The Tra La La Song (One Banana Two Banana),  Wait Til Tomorrow,  You're the Lovin' End,  In New Orleans,  Two Ton Tessie,  Don't Go Away -- Go-Go Girl
IMPRESSIONS:  In the interest of documentary truthfulness, this record actually belonged to my father.  Yep, that's right.  But he was a hippy so what can I say.  Naturally, as a kid I watched reruns of "THE BANANA SPLITS" show on UHF (it was on channel 48, I seem to recall) and loved the silliness -- even if I only saw it on my black & white TV for years.  The sound of the album (as were the songs featured on the TV show) have that bubblegum pop sixties flavour of the songs that were being written for the Monkees.  Hardly a surprise there since I'll bet more than a couple songwriters wrote for both.  And the shocking thing is that one or two of the songs (notably the surprisingly wistful "Wait Til Tomorrow") stand up as legitimate songs that any artist of the time would've been happy to record.  Mostly though, the songs are silly fun most suitable for a children's Saturday morning programme.  It is also recommended that you only listen to this album while wearing white go-go boots.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  I'm Gonna Find A Cave,  This Spot,  Doin' the Banana Split,  Toy Piano Melody,  Soul,  The Tra La La Song (One Banana Two Banana),  Wait Til Tomorrow,  Two Ton Tessie,  Don't Go Away -- Go-Go Girl
FACT SHEET:  WE'RE THE BANANA SPLITS was the only album released by the session musicians who were masquerading as the Banana Splits.  Apparently the vinyl copy I own is the earliest pressing with a darker green cover and no copyright notice on the front cover; later pressings had a lighter green cover with a copyright notice in the bottom left corner.  The Banana Splits, of course, were a band of four musical animals:  Fleegle (the beagle), Bingo (the gorilla), Drooper (the lion) and Snorky (the elephant) who were played by actors in animal suits a la Disneyland.  Apparently vocals on "Doin' the Banana Split" were provided by Barry White (!), "Two Ton Tessie" by Gene Pitney and "You're the Lovin' End" by Al Kooper.  "We're the Banana Splits" was originally intended to be the TV show's theme song but the television executives and advertiser thought "The Tra La La Song" was catchier and the latter was chosen to open the show.     

MUSWELL HILLBILLIES  -  THE KINKS

YEAR:  1971
LABEL:  RCA
TRACK LISTING:  20th Century Man,  Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues,  Holiday,  Skin & Bone,  Alcohol,  Complicated Life,  Here Come the People In Grey,  Have A Cuppa Tea,  Holloway Jail,  Oklahoma U.S.A.,  Uncle Son,  Muswell Hillbilly
BONUS TRACKS:  Mountain Woman,  Kentucky Moon
IMPRESSIONS:  Described by Ben Eisen as probably the Kinks' last "great" album of their golden age, MUSWELL HILLBILLIES is relatively unknown compared to such other famous Kinks albums as SOMETHING ELSE, VILLAGE GREEN..., ARTHUR..., LOLA AND... etc.  After the phenomenal success of "Lola", this album seems more laid-back and less flashy.  It does share something in common with most of the previous Kinks albums in that it's something of a concept album if only obliquely; the subject matter of all the songs seems to be about working class lives.  The album is also, as Stephen Thomas Erlewine points out, "...a skewed, distinctly British, cabaret take on Americana..." with a pronounced bluesy, sometimes New Orleans feel combined with British music hall stylings Kinks fans are familiar with.  Apparently the album was also recorded using ten year old microphones in order to play up the "antique" feel and sound of it.  And "Holiday" must be Adam Sandler's favourite song?  While the album does illustrate the struggles of modern life, it never leaves its protagonists defeated.  I like that. 
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  20th Century Man,  Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues,  Skin & Bone,  Alcohol,  Complicated Life,  Here Come the People In Grey,  Have A Cuppa Tea,  Holloway Jail,  Oklahoma U.S.A.,  Kentucky Moon
FACT SHEET:  MUSWELL HILLBILLIES is the Kinks' ninth album.  This is the first album the Kinks released on RCA records after leaving their previous record label Pye.  Muswell Hill is a section of North London in which Ray & Dave Davies grew up.  The cover photo was taken at the Archway Tavern two miles from Muswell Hill.  The album only went to #48 in the US and didn't chart in the UK making it a significant failure after the success of "Lola".  However, critically it was a success winning "Stereo Review" magazine's "Album of the Year" in 1972 and called by "Rolling Stone" magazine Ray Davies' "signature statement" as a songwriter.  Allmusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls MUSWELL HILLBILLIES "...one of the Kinks' best albums."

INNERVISIONS  -  STEVIE WONDER

YEAR:  1973
LABEL:  Motown
TRACK LISTING:  Too High,  Visions,  Living For the City,  Golden Lady,  Higher Ground,  Jesus Children of America,  All In Love Is Fair,  Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing,  He's Misstra Know-It-All
IMPRESSIONS:  Landmark album of his "classic period".  Ridiculously impressive.  Ridiculously prolific.  Ridiculously talented.  In just nine songs, Stevie runs the gamut of themes and subjects from love songs to politics and from hardcore funk to easy listening ballads.  During this period, Stevie would dominate the charts as well as the Grammy Awards with classic album after classic album.  And this album was almost his last.  Only three days after INNERVISIONS' release, Wonder was involved in a car accident when a car driven by his friend crashed into the back of a logging truck; a log smashed through the windshield and hit Stevie directly in the forehead.  The singer was in a coma for four days.  Only when friend and tour director Ira Tucker sang "Higher Ground" loudly into Stevie's ear did the singer begin to tap his fingers to the beat and begin to come around.  The cover painting has always been very strange to me since it practically foretells the car accident that would occur three days after the album's release; we see Stevie inside a shape with an opening that could be viewed as resembling a car windshield with another shape emerging from his forehead which also recalls the log which hit him in the exact same place. 
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Too High,  Visions,  Living For the City,  Higher Ground,  Jesus Children of America,  All In Love Is Fair,  Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing
FACT SHEET:  INNERVISIONS is Stevie Wonder's sixteenth album.  The album won Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording" and "Living For the City" won the Grammy Award for "Best R&B Song".

STORIES FOR RAINY DAYS  -  FRANK LUTHER

YEAR:  196?
LABEL:  Vocalion
TRACK LISTING:  Jack and the Beanstalk,  The Tick Tock Shop,  The Raggleytaggletown Singers,  The Ugly Duckling,  Chicken Licken,  Sleeping Beauty
IMPRESSIONS:  Frank Luther has a really nice way with a children's story.  And how can an album utilizing the words "rainy day" fail to catch my interest.  I've found several Frank Luther recordings and they're all great listens.  Luther has some sort of simpatico with children (and even the adult listener); there is just something in his voice which is not only reassuring to children but also places himself on the same level as the children who are listening to him tell his stories.  Luther never talks down to his listeners.  Children hate that.  Frank Luther tells a story with such enthusiasm as if he's just learned of something really interesting and can't wait to share it with you.  If you have kids or know some, give 'em a couple Frank Luther records.  I'm sure they'd appreciate it.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Come on now . . . once you follow along with Frank Luther you've got to go along to the end.  All of 'em.
FACT SHEET:  It's impossible to determine an accurate discography of Frank Luther's records.  Even the date of "STORIES FOR RAINY DAYS" is uncertain although the best guest places it sometime in the early 1960's probably.  He started out as a country music singer and a big band vocalist but in the mid-30's he happened to record a couple 78s of nursery rhymes at Decca Records and suddenly he was a children's record phenomenon.  His children's records began to sell enormous amounts and pediatricians and child psychologists endorsed his recordings.  Decca at one point claimed in 1946 that 85% of all children's records sold in the English-speaking world were Frank Luther's. 

ISN'T THIS A LOVELY DAY  -  ROY CASTLE

YEAR:  1966
LABEL:  Columbia/Capitol/EMI Gold
TRACK LISTING:  Singin' In the Rain,  April Showers,  Pennies From Heaven,  Isn't This A Lovely Day,  Stormy Weather,  Soon It's Going To Rain,  Here's That Rainy Day,  Gentle Rain,  Everytime It Rains,  Where Do You Go,  February Brings the Rain,  Rain Rain (Don't Go Away)
IMPRESSIONS:  Biff Bailey strikes again!  Here we have Roy Castle's concept album; an album of songs about rain.  I just love the cover photo of a vaguely overcast day with Roy gazing wistfully upward and the earth-toned colour scheme of greens and browns.  The original title of the album was "SONGS FOR A RAINY DAY" (which I kinda prefer) and right there you know it's gotta hit a chord with me.  The song stylings are gentle jazz arrangements with Roy singing in a comfortable, breezy, laid-back style that would make Dean Martin proud.  There is even a nice variety of song styles from ballads to big, jazzy belters and swingin' sixties lounge music (and even a couple bossa novas).  This also isn't just some album of fluff; Castle is accompanied by some of the best British jazzmen of the era.  So if it's your day off and the rain is coming down all afternoon, put this album on (if you can FIND it, that is) as you settle down with a hot cup of coffee (or tea) and I guarantee a wonderful way to pass a rainy half hour.
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Pennies From Heaven,  Isn't This A Lovely Day,  Stormy Weather,  Soon It's Going To Rain,  Here's That Rainy Day,  Gentle Rain,  Everytime It Rains,  February Brings the Rain,  Rain Rain (Don't Go Away)
FACT SHEET:  I believe ISN'T THIS A LOVELY DAY is Roy Castle's third album.  The album is arranged by Victor Graham and features Gordon Beck on piano, Jeff Clyne on bass, Leon Calvert on flugelhorn, Al Newman on saxophone, Ike Isaacs on guitar and Ray Swinfield on flute.  The album was originally released in 1966 as "SONGS FOR A RAINY DAY".