Our newest issue is packed with new, informative articles on the
coolest and strangest music you never thought you'd hear about,
and features a cool 4-color cover, lots of high-quality photos,
tons of new wacky and weird CD reviews and it's more fun than
a barrell of Jimmy Swaggart records!
The new
issue features:
ALLAN
SHERMAN
In this day and age, Allan Sherman has been basically
overlooked, but at this magazine we revere him as a brilliant,
master satirist, and we've wanted to do this story on him for
a long time.
Writer Wilhelm Murg tells the story of Sherman, a former television producer who never actually planned to become a recording artist.
With song parodies like "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", Sherman was a Kennedy-era smash and went on to record several brilliant albums, but never captured America's attention in the same way again, as he did in "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah", his paen to life in a boy's summer camp.
Sherman was a complicated fellow, and our article sheds new light into the portly man with the witty sense of humor, and guy-next-door vocals.
101
STRINGS
So, you've been passing up those syrupy, mass-produced albums of string-laden arrangements for years, eh? Ever wonder if you've been missing anything there? Probably not, but Brad Bigelow enlightens us on the best (and worst) of most of of those violin extravaganzas (like the 101 Strings, and other organizations.)
Believe it or not, there are some gems in them thar hills, and in this article you'll learn more that you ever thought was possible about strings albums.
CHAINO
Little has been written
about Chaino (pronounced Cha-Een-Oh), until Dan Nowicki's article
for us. The mysterious bongo man recorded several key percussion
albums in the '50s, and played in clubs with name players as diverse
as Dizzy Gillespie and Steve Allen.
Although his records seemed to portray an innocent young African man, swept away from his native village and whisked into America's recording studios, in reality he was a Chicago-born musician who was happy to go along with what the press department at the record companies said about him, as long as the checks kept coming in.
A moody, but brilliant musician, Chaino led a troubled and difficult life. Read about his fascinating story in this issue.
LONDON
RECORD STORE REPORT
Taking a trip abroad? Wonder where the best record shops in London are? Well, then this short piece is for you! London native Nick Hollywood spills the beans to writer Maurizio Mansuetti about the best spots to score rare and precious British vinyl in England's largest city.
ROBERT
MOOG INTERVIEW
We proudly feature an exclusive interview with the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, Dr. Robert Moog! The impact of his invention is still felt in pop music today, even though his instruments have since been eclipsed by other synthesizers of today.
Still, the Moog's influence on the recording industry was a swift and strong one, with most pop groups of the '60s (Beatles, Beach Boys, etc.) eager to add the synthesizer's unique sounds to their records.
Dr. Moog tells us the history of his invention, as well as his failure to maintain his foothold in the synthesizer market.
With today's record producers and musicians digging into the past's sounds, the Moog Synthesizer has become a prized and much sought-after instrument.
WEIRD
AND WONDERFUL LP COVERS
Our Centerfold this issue is a wide selection from our reader's collections of some of the Weirdest and most Wonderful LP covers we've ever seen.
We think you'll get a kick out of checking out this full-color spread!
IRWIN
CHUSID INTERVIEW
A real mover and shaker in the Cool and Strange music industry, Irwin Chusid is not only the curator overseeing the incredible Raymond Scott estate, he is also the manager for Juan Esquivel!
He's also a noted music historian and radio show host, and is now a published author, with his new book "Songs in the Key of Z".
Chusid chats with C&SM editor Dana Countryman about his book and some of the unusual recording artists that he's written about. The book is a real winner in our opinion, so if it sounds intriguing, read all about it in this exclusive interview.
SAM ULANO
New York City's Sam Ulano is our featured "New Artist Profile", although this new artist has been playing drums professionally for over 60 years!
What makes this musician so special are his recordings for children. Ulano accompanies him self on drums, while he makes up songs, based on children's nursery rhymes. There are no other instrumentsjust drums! The effect is both charming and humorous.
Writer Michael Greenberg interviewed Sam and we find out more about this 80-year old drummer/vocalist!
THE EUROPEAN LOUNGE SCENE
There's been a wild revival of older styles of musicnot just in the USA, but also overseas in Europe. Young people there have become fascinated with bossa nova, EZ Listening, and Italian soundtrack music. All of these sources are plainly evident in the music played in many nightclubs of both England and Italy, in particular. Maurizio Mansuetti takes us on a tour of the best clubs in these areas, as well a spotlight on some of the smaller record labels specialing in these sounds.
NERVOUS NORVUS
Remember the novelty hit "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus? The ode to the dangers of unsafe driving was a surprise hit in 1956, and in fact, was banned by many radio stations as being too gruesome! In fact, the record was a REAL surprise to Nervous Norvus (real name: Jimmy Drake), as he had only sent out a demo of his song to a local DJ, who added car crash sound effects and put it on the air.
Drake's story is a fascinating one, and Phil Milstein has done a bang-up (sorry, could'nt help it...) job with his fine biography for this issue of our magazine.
THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC STORY- V. VALE INTERVIEW
The impact of the '90s books, INCREDIBLY STRANGE MUSIC, Vol. 1 & 2 continues to be felt by those who collect unusual records. In fact, we here at this magazine consider the books to the the Bible of the field of cool and strange record collecting.
Writer Rich Wilhelm contributes this interview with the elusive V. Vale, co-creator of the ISM book series, and sheds some light on the behind-the-scenes of how the books were put together and Vale's own insights into their popularity.
Read all about it in this issue of Cool And Strange Music Magazine!
