SHG: Len Barry: "1-2-3"

Len Barry: “1-2-3”
Entered the chart on: 10/23/65
Peaked on: 11/20/65
Weeks at #2: 1
Song at #1: “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes

We have reached the end of 1965 and with it, the end of “short” years of the 60s. The reason 1965 seems to have generated few #2 hits looks like it’s because most songs didn’t seem to be spending much time at #2; that is, most songs that made it to #2 eventually peaked at #1. We’ll see the opposite over the ensuing years of the 60s, which are choked with songs that stalled at #2 behind long-runners in the top spot.

Having said that, let’s examine the case of Len Barry, probably the first alumnus of Second Hand Goods to chart with two different acts: first as the lead singer of the Dovells (remember “Bristol Stomp”?) and now as a solo act. This is another one of those songs where I kind of remember the main hook, but I don’t have a clear picture of the entire song. Methinks I need to refresh my memory...



Appropriately, starting off with someone counting in the song, a la “Wooly Bully.” Appropriate also that this should come second to the Supremes, as the arrangement here is so very Motown. The horns on this really sparkle, piano and guitar handle the rhythm with those slamming drums, and there’s even some vibes for color.

This one’s coming back to me now. I think Len’s voice has improved a good deal from the uncontrolled wail on “Bristol Stomp.” He has learned a lot more technique in the interim, and puts in a very impassioned performance here, reaching its peak with the “It’s easy, like taking candy from a baby” climax.

Better than I had remembered. A total production with an excellent vocal. Ending ’65 in style.

Rating: 4

SHG: Shep & the Limelites: "Daddy's Home"

Shep & the Limelites: “Daddy’s Home”
Entered the chart on: 4/10/1961
Peaked on: 5/29/1961
Weeks at #2: 1
Song at #1: “Travellin’ Man” by Ricky Nelson

And so, here we have our first “Answer Song.” My bible, the Whitburn book, informs me that this song was written in response to the Heartbeats’ “A Thousand Miles Away,” a song I’ve never heard, and a song I think few modern listeners have, considering it didn’t crack the top 40 and never shows up on oldies playlists.

On to the subject of the “Answer Song,” it’s a bit of a dead horse trope. It was a big deal in the 50s and 60s, Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” begat Jody Miller’s “Queen of the House,” the Shirelles “Mama Said” begat Jan Bradley’s “Mama Didn’t Lie,” Claude King’s “Wolverton Mountain” begat Jo Ann Campbell’s “(I’m the Girl On) Wolverton Mountain.” And so on and so forth. In retrospect, it seems a rather silly conceit, not to mention a lazy songwriting device. “What’s popular right now? ‘Please Help Me I’m Falling’? OK, I can bang something out. ‘(I Can’t Help You) I’m Falling Too.’ Bang! It’s a hit!”

I guess the last we got of the “Answer Songs” was that whole “Roxanne, Roxanne” business in the late 80s, which has to be the only song that begat not only an Answer Artist in Roxanne Shanté, but an Answer Artist to the Answer Artist in The Real Roxanne. I never knew what the big deal was, and to be honest, I couldn’t hum you any of the Roxanne songs even if you paid me.

Back on the subject of Shep & the Limelites, technically “Daddy’s Home” is the sequel to “A Thousand Miles Away” and not an “answer song” since James “Shep” Sheppard was the lead singer of both groups, and co-wrote both songs. I had their name wrong all these years. I had thought it was the Limeliters, but no, the record label ensures me it’s Limelites, with no “R.” So shall we get on with the review?



Ooo...more vibes! They were one of my favorite featured instruments on “He’ll Have to Go,” and they add a lovely, glassy sound to this. The “rat-a-tat” backing vocals are a nice touch, too. Before they get to the bridge, it sounds like the sax player runs out of breath. Made me giggle!

Now for the negative side, this kind of doo-wop was rather old hat by ’61 and while the singing is excellent (Shep nails the “I’m not a thousand miles away” at the end in particular), the song doesn’t completely involve me. The “Daddy’s home to stay” refrain is the only really memorable thing about it.

So...a bit of a throwaway, in a gloriously pretty package.

Rating: 3

SHG: Jim Reeves: "He'll Have to Go"

Jim Reeves: “He’ll Have to Go”
Entered the chart on: 1/11/1960
Peaked on: 3/7/1960
Weeks at #2: 3
Song at #1: “Theme From A Summer Place” by Percy Faith

“Put your sweet lips a little closer to the foam...”

Is this the first honest, real, unadulterated country song we’ve reviewed here at Second Hand Goods? I wouldn’t count “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation,” as that was transparently Marty Robbins trying very hard to appeal to a mainstream pop audience, i.e.: “See? Not everyone from Arizona is a gun-toting reprobate!” “The All-American Boy” I also wouldn’t call a country song, despite being performed by a country singer. And “Just Walking in the Rain” may have started life as a country song, but it was anything but by the time Johnnie Ray got to it. Dammit, Ray Conniff!

So, yes, Jim Reeves gives us our first full, uncut taste of Country & Western here at Second Hand Goods. This was a record I know from my grandparents’ collection, they were way into classic country (being Oklahoma natives), though I recall it being rather crooner-ish for country. I also know the cover by English sophisti-poppers Prefab Sprout, it appears as a bonus track on the CD release of their 1985 opus Two Wheels Good*.

But I digress. It’s the original which concerns us here.



I think you could call this “countrypolitan.” How can I guess? Chet Atkins arranging and producing it probably has something to do with that. How many country records do you know that feature a vibraphone? Wait, is this the first instance of vibes on Second Hand Goods? I think it just might be!

The arrangement here is actually really very soft and delicate. Brushed drums, backing chorus is almost at a whisper, gently strummed guitar, it’s all there and it’s all pushed in the background, rather fitting for a song meant to evoke an intimate telephone conversation about a man asking his beloved to choose between him and the other man she’s currently spending the evening with.

As previously implied, the arrangement is kept secondary to Reeves’ honeyed baritone voice, which fairly oozes out of the speakers like molasses. He’s a very precise singer, rolling over each syllable with an intense deliberation. I prefer a little more expression from my singers, but I have to admit the man had some serious vocal chops.

While this is not my preferred style, I have to admire the craftsmanship that went into this. It’s very well-done. Kind of like a museum piece; look at it, appreciate it and move on.

Rating: 3

*the US title of Steve McQueen. Apparently, the actor’s estate threatened a lawsuit unless Kitchenware/Epic changed the title of the album. They also abbreviated the bouncy album-opener “Faron Young” to just “Faron” to be on the safe side (and speaking of classic country, the tune’s lyrics reference Young’s “It’s Four in the Morning”).