Just for the Records and the Winner of the Last Battle

vinyl 33rpm gramaphone records. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

          Over a year ago I put up a post where I pondered liquidating my collection of vinyl LP records.  Then last fall I did another post about how I'd started putting some of the albums up for sale on Craigslist.  At the time I was offering four sealed boxes of 50 albums for $100 per box.   I kept reposting these to Craigslist and waited to see what would happen.

          There were a few queries of interest and one young man even came to look through one of the boxes.  He wanted to cherry-pick through the boxes to make his own box of 50.  I told him I'd wait to see if anyone else would buy according to my terms.

          Finally, after five months of listings on Craigslist, another young man expressed interest in buying the entire lot of records.  When he came to my house he admitted that he was a dealer.  I'd already corresponded with other dealers who were willing to pay anywhere from ten cents to less than a dollar per record--an offer I adamantly refused to even consider.

          Anyway, this fellow came over and looked through all four of my record boxes.  Though he didn't want to let on that he was overly interested, it was pretty clear that he saw several albums that caught his attention.   He offered me $100 for the whole lot.  I declined and he started to leave.  Then with a deep sigh of resignation he came back and said he'd give me $200.  It was half of what I'd been asking, but I wanted to be rid of those boxes that had been sitting on the floor in the middle of my office for the past five months.

         I accepted the offer.   I was rid of a little bit more of my stuff that has been taking up space.  He seemed pleased to have more inventory to take to the record shows and put online.  I'm sure he'll make a tidy profit.   All in all it's okay by me.

                     Battle of the Bands Result

         The reason for my record update story was told not only to fill in those who wondered about the outcome of those earlier posts, but also mostly to provide some background information about my most recent Battle of the Bands selection as well as a few of the previous ones.

          As I'd mentioned in that post of last October I've reconnected my turntable and I've been listening to some of the albums I've decided to hang onto for now.  Each week day as I work on my computer I'll listen to anywhere from one to six albums.  In doing so I'm being reminded of some wonderful cover versions of songs and I've been using some of those in Battle of the Bands posts.  Some of my future Battle of the Bands match-ups will be also inspired by the albums I'm listening to of late.

         Such is the case in my most recent Battle.   The Sugar Shoppe is a group whose album I've enjoyed immensely since it was released in 1968.  (You can read my story about this group on my blog Wrote By Rote.)  So I'll admit that I'm partial to their version of the song Privilege.  They are the first ones I heard do this song so it's the version I'm most accustomed to hearing.

         Only recently while thinking about song covers did I discover the version of Privilege by Paul Jones.  Since I knew that the song had come from a movie (it says so on the Sugar Shoppe album cover) I looked on YouTube and there it was.    Paul Jones does an  outstanding job with the song.   I like the arrangement and the performance.  I especially like the big orchestral production.  I think Privilege is an excellent song and Jones does it very well.  

          But I'm biased toward the version with which I'm most accustomed to hearing.  The arrangement and performance of the Sugar Shoppe is likewise polished with pleasant vocal harmonies.  In context with the rest of the Sugar Shoppe album this song shows another facet of this group's talents.  I might be so bold as to put Sugar Shoppe on a par with the Mamas and Papas.  They were a good group that probably could have had a lot of lasting power if they'd been promoted better.

         In this previous Battle my vote goes to the Sugar Shoppe which means that the contest is a tie.

         Paul Jones              7 votes

         Sugar Shoppe         7 votes

        Not a bad contest!

         Should I have held out on selling my vinyl to see if I could have gotten more for it?   Do you ever listen to old records and recapture memories?   What do you think of the outcome of the Paul Jones/Sugar Shoppe contest?

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Battle of the Bands: Privilege

         It's the first of the month and that means it's time for Battle of the Bands, the blog event started by the bloggers at Far Away Series and Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends.   The point of the Battle is for you to listen to the songs presented below and then in the comment section tell us your favorite version and why you like that one the best.    After you've voted here move on to the next participating blogs that you'll find listed below and vote on their match-ups.

Familiarity Breeds Bias

         In the Battle I'm presenting in this post I've chosen a song that I'm pretty sure will be unfamiliar to most.   Perhaps this will not go over with some of you, but my thought is that the purest Battle might be the one that starts out with no preconceived favorites or preferences due to having known a particular version.  I think other Battles have shown an inclination for voters to go with the version they knew and discard the version that was "new" to their ears.

         This will be my experiment and we'll see what you think.  No crazy 80's song in this match-up.  I'm sticking with a relatively safe sound from the 60's.   Let me know if you like the song in addition to telling me which version you prefer.  Please don't let the "newness" of the song be off-putting to your sense of fair judgment.

          I will probably take this approach again in the future.  That is unless I'm roundly lambasted by all for doing this.   But of course it wouldn't be the first time.

Privilege
(from the film soundtrack of the same name)

        Wikipedia says:    "Privilege is a British film directed by Peter Watkins. It was released in 1967...The story is set in the then near-future of the 1970s and concerns a disillusioned pop singer, played by Paul Jones, who is manipulated by the church and state which seek to turn him into a messianic leader."

       In his review of Privilege Roger Ebert said "This is a bitter, uncompromising movie, and although it isn't quite successful it is fascinating and important."

        I do not recall ever hearing this song in the film itself so either I missed it or it was only on the soundtrack of the album.   The song encapsulates what the movie is about.  

          Confusingly, on YouTube you can find recordings of "Set Me Free",  another song used in the movie,  listed as "Privilege (Set Me Free)".    This song was later covered by Patti Smith.  There are several places on the internet where these two songs have been confused.

            In this post I pit the original film soundtrack version by Paul Jones, who had been the lead singer for Manfred Mann,  against the Canadian group The Sugar Shoppe.

Paul Jones "Privilege"  (1967)

             If this song was not actually used in the film, this version by Paul Jones certainly would have fit well in the context of the film.   Paul Jones has been a significant presence in Britain's entertainment industry while remaining relatively unknown elsewhere.   He's been associated with a number of notable music artists in his career, but  is most  known as the singer and harmonica player in the early inception of the band Manfred Mann.    His solo career did not take off as well as expected after his starring role in Privilege, though he has remained a mainstay in film, media, and music in Britain.




Sugar Shoppe "Privilege"   (1968)

          The Sugar Shoppe was Canada's answer to the Mamas and Papas.  They were good, but never really caught on despite appearances on shows such as Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson.  Their album was critically well received, but only a modest seller.   They were together only a few years before going their separate ways.   Most of you have probably seen the leader of the group Victor Garber.  He's had a solid theater, television, and film career, appearing in films such as Titanic, Argo, and Sleepless in Seattle.  He played the role of Jesus in the 1973 film Godspell.   Sci-fi fans might recall his role as Jack Bristow in the J.J. Abrams ABC series Alias.

          The album "The Sugar Shoppe" is a well-produced foray into the realms of  "sunshine pop".  Nice vocal harmonies with a strong back-up by top studio musicians bring an eclectic collection of tunes ranging from the vaudeville novelty sounding "Poor Papa" to the country flavored Bobbie Gentry "Papa, Won't You Let Me Go to Town" to the darker sound of "Privilege" featured in this Battle.  If you're a fan of vocal groups, The Sugar Shoppe is a group you might want to explore further.

           By the way, the stereo separation in the video below is rather extreme as many recordings back then were.  If you don't get a good balance of channels on your computer you can click the link above in the heading of this section to hear a scratchy mono version that is from a 45.   You may want to listen to both if you're curious.

             Listen to The Sugar Shack's version of "Privilege"




Now It's Up To You

           Which version do you prefer?   Please don't say neither.  Pick one and then visit the other participants listed below:

         Faraway Series
         Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
         Your Daily Dose
         DiscConnected


      I'll announce the winner of this Battle on Friday March 7th.   If you'd like to read more about the background of why I chose this song, I hope you'll visit my post at my memoir blog Wrote By Rote.

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We Want a Messiah! Especially One Who Sings...

Cover of Pink Floyd The Wall

           Before The Who's Tommy, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and The Hunger Games there was Privilege.   This dystopian British film was made in 1967 and though not particularly well known, this film has influenced many films that followed it.

Here's the premise:

           The story takes place "sometime in the near future" in a Britain ruled by a totalitarian government.  Pop singer Steven Shorter (played by Paul Jones) is the most popular star in Britain and perhaps the world.  He's greater than Elvis, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, or any entertainer who has ever taken the stage.  Everyone of all ages adores him.  The marketing machine that drives his fame has turned him into an industry that includes stores, restaurants, dance clubs, and a seeming endless array of products.  He wields a tremendous amount of influence and power.

           The ruling powers can see the power in the pop star and use him to further their agenda of Nationalism and to subdue the restless youth bringing them to a state of "fruitful conformity".   A triumvirate styled government consisting of ruling administrators, corporations, and the church molds Steven Shorter into the image they want him to be.  He becomes their puppet and spokesperson to lead the people into a complacent happy society that lacks individualism.

 Here are the possibilities:

          So many people are looking for their messiah.  People want someone to show them the way to paradise.   Barack Obama has been touted by many to be the messiah they'd been waiting for.   So far we've haven't seen much saving grace from him.

          We've seen men and women alike pick their heroes, their stars, their saviors, in the form of entertainers, politicians, sports figures, and other celebrities.  People want a messiah.  They need a messiah.
What human can fulfill that role?   Many have tried and all have failed.

           What if there were a talented entertainer--one who could sing, dance, and smile with blinding radiance--whom the whole world loved?  The entertainer could be marketed like popular entertainers usually are.   This entertainer's visage would be everywhere so he would be recognized by everyone.   The love and adulation of his universal fans would give him power--a world changing power that would bring peace, harmony, and fulfillment to the entire world.

           Does this sound like the messiah the world is waiting for?

Cover of Privilege

Here's the Movie:

           The film Privilege might be seen as a bit of a relic from 1967.  Many today might find it very dated since it is very 60's.  But it is a classic film with a cult status.   The ideas presented might make you think and the music is an interesting taste of its era.  Privilege is presented in mockumentary style for the most part.  At times it has the appearance of a news report and at other times it's staged concert performances.   There are also dramatized scenes.

           The film's director was greatly influenced by a 1962 documentary about Paul Anka called Lonely Boy.  This short film looks at Anka's career and follows him through a few concert appearances.  One segment of dialogue in the documentary is taken verbatim and used in Privilege.  Lonely Boy is included on the DVD release of Privilege and also makes for some interesting viewing

          Privilege is highly regarded by many critics.  I liked it and you might too if you like the sort of thing that I've just described in this post.

Here's the Deal:

       This post contains clues about the song I'll be presenting in my Battle of the Bands post that will appear on this blog tomorrow.   Hope you'll return for the Battle.

        Have you seen the film Privilege?    Do you think people are looking for some sort of messiah to free them from the drudgery and pain of life?    Would you be surprised to see a popular entertainment figure used by a government to help control people?   Any idea about the song I've chosen for Battle of the Bands?

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