Doctor My Ears
I don't know how many people have heard of Doc Pomus, but I'll bet that just about everyone knows at least one of his songs. Doc was a Brill Building songwriter, a trustee of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, an indomitable polio victim (those of us who grew up in the fifties will remember how common this crippling disease was - and how frightening; I was in the first batch of testees when the Salk vaccine came out - we got official "Polio Pioneer" buttons and certificates; some of us, me among them, were in the group that actually got the vaccine), and an elected member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He wrote for people like The Drifters, Ray Charles, and Elvis Presley.
Today's CD was a disc released several years ago on Rhino (a great label), entitled Till The Night Is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus, a release that demonstrates how good the often misconceived tribute album can be.
My personal highlights are Lou Reed's imitable performance of "This Magic Moment", John Hiatt's rocking "A Mess of Blues", Los Lobos' fuzztoned take on "Lonely Avenue", and Brian Wilson's production of "Sweets for My Sweet". Other songs covered by the likes of Dylan, B.B.King, Aaron Neville, Shawn Colvin, and Dion (BRONX BOY!!!) include "Young Blood", "I Count the Tears", and "Save the Last Dance for Me" (although my favorite cover of this by - yes, Emmylou Harris - is not part of this set). The range of artists itself is a tribute to the writer and his songs.
These songs were written by a man out of the tin pan alley tradition who put his heart into his work. In the days of the singer-songwriter, the old school pros are sometimes looked down upon as commercial hacks without genuine feeling or soul.
Not Doc Pomus.
Today's CD was a disc released several years ago on Rhino (a great label), entitled Till The Night Is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus, a release that demonstrates how good the often misconceived tribute album can be.
My personal highlights are Lou Reed's imitable performance of "This Magic Moment", John Hiatt's rocking "A Mess of Blues", Los Lobos' fuzztoned take on "Lonely Avenue", and Brian Wilson's production of "Sweets for My Sweet". Other songs covered by the likes of Dylan, B.B.King, Aaron Neville, Shawn Colvin, and Dion (BRONX BOY!!!) include "Young Blood", "I Count the Tears", and "Save the Last Dance for Me" (although my favorite cover of this by - yes, Emmylou Harris - is not part of this set). The range of artists itself is a tribute to the writer and his songs.
These songs were written by a man out of the tin pan alley tradition who put his heart into his work. In the days of the singer-songwriter, the old school pros are sometimes looked down upon as commercial hacks without genuine feeling or soul.
Not Doc Pomus.
posted by DJStan at 7:52 PM
2 Comments:
It's a gem of a collection, and it always reminds me how much we lost when the pop world turned away from professional songsmiths in favor of self-contained acts.
Thanks for stopping by - it is a very nice set. One further note - I should also have given props to Doc's songwriting partner of many years, Mort Shuman.
Post a Comment
<< Home