European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Reviving the late great and utterly demented Spike Jones by Mitchell Lanos Bero associated Presse Ody Davis is partial to idiot babble. He enjoys All the sneezes giggles gurgles clucks hiccups gunshots and other assorted mayhem that his band commits nightly but idiot babble is his favorite. Davis is an accomplished jazz musician a Man of refinement and taste. At least he was until he undertook a lifelong ambition of reviving the music of the late great and utterly demented Spike Jones. Now his nights Are spent in a cacophony of cowbells dashboards Auto horns Brake Drums Duck Calls toilet plungers and buckets of junk and he laves every menu Teeth. Spike Jones was the impish bandleader who sprang fully crazed onto the american scene in 1942 with a wild recording of a song called Der fuehrer s face which offered he Bronx cheer to Adolf Hitler after that Rie made a successful career of satirizing popular tunes and murdering the classics with a band that significantly expanded the definition of a musical instrument. Jows died in 1 is at ago 53, and or a while his Muslo seemed dead As Well. But it was revived on the radio in the Early 1970s by or. Demento. The los Angeles disc jockey with a passion for the bizarre. Last month nearly 30 years after Jones death Eddy Davis and Hla new York repertory jazz ensemble began playing the music of Spike Jones and his City slickers at Michael s pub a Manhattan nightclub. Ever since i was a Little kid i be heard the records and always wanted to tie part of a band like this lha 46-year-old Davis said. Probably almost every musician i be known in my Lite has wanted to be part of a band like this and it never happened Davis made it happen after a was approached with the idea by the owner of Michael s pub. He began work on the project just before last Christmas poring Over Solkai Wim Ltd. A Center. No right. What aver Tattrie popular Aonga in via 1940. Scores provided by Spike Jones jr., the bandleader s Eon and transcribing the scores to other songs from records. The scores he said had notations such As glug Hie and sput which together described a vocal chant of gut Abul hic sput gut a but hic sput As Well As the aforementioned idiot that s created by having everyone in the band babble incoherently. The hardest part was assembling the Davis said he could t find the tuned Kentucky cowbells that Jones used so he had to Settle Tor Alpine cowbells from Germany. Then there was the search for the perfect Brake drum. Davis said he first tried clanging a drum from a Ford pickup since that was what Jones used and it had about As much sound As hitting a Brick so he walked Down aisle after aisle of Brake Drums in an Auto Salvage shop in Lafayette ind hitting them with a Small Hammer until he Lound a Chrysler Brake drum with just the right sound he had an easier time with some of the other equipment a Klaxon Horn a starter pistol two tuned gongs. Some of the items that played a memorable part in the City slickers performances had to be deleted on the insistence of the nightclub management two Loy cannons for example and an electric Horn Davis brought together an ensemble of six other musicians and put together a show that touches on the highlights of Jones career Dor fuehrer s face. Cocktails or two Holiday for strings serenade for a Jerk and the William Tell overture. Davis said the group has been swamped with Calls for concert performances and he is thinking of creating a Broadway show. The act has won the acclaim of Spike Jones jr., a los Angeles to producer who would like Davis and his band to Complete a record his father was recording when he died. Jones said the band reminded him of his father s band in its Early stages before it got Large and added a lot of stage business. Charley s Pride is his country style by Jim Lewis United press International Harley Pride figures that his new marriage to Oryland s 16th Avenue records was made in heaven. Pride who is in the top 15 in world record sales was released from his contract with Ria records last year alter a mutually profitable association of More than two decades. Ria released the trailblazing Black country music Singer at Prida s request. I did t go running to try to sign with somebody else. I said wait. I d better sea what was happening. And while i was assessing this record Deal came about. Some said Why Don t you Tell them ii was planned i said no. I be never gone and made up anything i Tell it exactly Ilka it is. I m an open Book. I think somebody bigger than us had this to happen. God works in mysterious Pride is Happy and indeed Frisky now that he s the first artist signed by the new 16th Avenue records of the Oryland music group. Part of his enthusiasm derives from the fact that Jerry Bradley who produced some of Pride s most memorable recordings while both were at Ria is the general manager of the Oryland music group. The Singer said he has no animosity with Ria. It was just a letdown after All my Success with Ria. I started looking out there and there was nothing in the stores. So i m having a distribution problem. I m being put Back Back Back Back. I think these people come in a big corporate organization like that and they see a direction they top of the charts top pop singles 1. Jacob s ladder hut inn t tin Hurt 1. Somewhere out Thene undo Ronadl Ijima iivhh3. Lets wait awhile Jonm Jaklon uvin Ona prayer Bong to 6.leandhme . Mandolin rain inn Hormon t to re Lam 7. Respect ttouh5elf Bax two 810 time pita Olbum t. You oot it All Tom Jin 10. Not offs qom a Stop us now us rip top country singles 1. Baby s Rota new babyb0 i no puce Uke Home funny to Rii 1. I la still be Loving you he lakh Hun 4. Small town girl Stew Rinir 1. Tw6nty years too Twy Rogon tothe Moon Hom Bro Irmi 7. Forever to suitor Broom a. Ocean front property Gurgo sir Art �. Youve Bot the touch Ai Mim Theono Way Home top pop albums 1. Licensed to Muth Boyi i supp Ehy when wet Bon Ojiri 3. The Way u is Siuea Horn Tri 1 to Bangs 4. Invisible touch Owah it. Wool it. Leo Hora satellites r. Graceland Piu simon1. N Koht Bonos a Mem 9. The final countdown form 10. Of flex Hur it Wal to Ken top soul singles1. Lets wait awhile Juki Jiakun s. 3. Look no for a new love Lotfy Witecy leak of me Dull nouhiu5. Slowdown loom Emu 6. Love is a dangerous Dame my , a. Have you Ever loved somebody Fuku Jaconi. Six my Koch id. How do you Stop pm Hibrawi Binard top British singles1. Stand by me Bon e Kiu i when a uan loves a woman Pircy she 3. Male stripper urn t uni 4. Rusino in the family Lori u5. Down to Earth Cui Totth Otto the cd we or up had Ai anymwi7. Crush on you tin it & heartache Pliml 1 Shim t. Sonic Boom boy i worm 10. I knew you were waiting own Wachul 1 want to go and that s the Way they saw it. There s no bitter Pride said after All the years As the most prominent and Only one in a handful of Black country artists he has never experienced any resentment. He was asked Why there have been so few Black country artists. I followed country music As a child. I sing like any other country artist. The Only difference is the skin that s the Best Way to explain it. I am what i am even though the skin Don t fit the voice. Thai s being a natural country Singer. No one Black person has come along after me that is As natural a country Singer i m glad the fans bought my voice and my style. I be never had a problem being Black. Naturally the newness has worn off. I m often asked if i Ever got any feedback or problems. There has never been one Lota of someone negatively saying what Are you doing up there or what Are you trying to do. The reason is i m naturally what i am. Once they sea me and hear i m accepted. They like my singing whether i m Green or what Pride said. Pride who lives in Dallas interrupted his annual pilgrimage to the Texas rangers Spring training Camp to come to Nashville recently for interviews. I be been going to Spring training with the ranges since 1972.1 do ail the calisthenic dress out. I take every training that the players Pride who would just As soon talk baseball As music said he once proposed to former Minnesota twins owner Calvin Griffith that he sign the Singer to play in the major leagues. A said he had Sung the National Anthem Lor a twins game and later was invited to Griffith s Box for a Chat. Pride said he mentioned All the empty seats in the stadium and said he could fill those seats. There s a lot of baseball players that have gone out of baseball into country music Jim Reeves Jim de Brown and Conway Twitty to name a few. But there s never been a country music Singer who went Back into tha game. You be got the designated hitter Rule How and Here comes Charley Pride out of country music and is hitting .360 and driving in Alt those runs. And they say is thai the same Charley Pride who sings kiss an Angel Good morning can you imagine How full those seats would be out there wednesday. March 11, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17
