You Can't Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos

1950-60年代に活躍した名ソングライター、ドク・ポーマスが残した驚愕のデモ音源集『You Can't Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos』。120以上の未発表曲を収録した6枚組CD！

数多くのヒット曲を世に送り出したソングライターのドク・ポーマス。20世紀のスタンダードとなった「A Teenager In Love」、「Viva Las Vegas」、「Lonely Avenue」、「Save The Last Dance For Me」、「This Magic Moment」といった彼のペンによる名曲は、エルビス・プレスリー、ルー・リード、ドリフターズ、ビーチ・ボーイズ、レイ・チャールズ、コースターズ、ディオンヌ・ワーウィック、ディオン、エヴァリー・ブラザーズ、リンダ・ロンシュタットなど、数多くのアーティストによって録音されてきました。これらヒット曲のデモに加え、リリースされることの無かった幻の楽曲群も多数収録。160曲以上の収録曲のうち120曲以上が未発表音源。

In honor of his 100th birthday, Omnivore Recordings presents You Cant Hip a Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos, a loving and exhaustive tribute to one of the Brill Building eras greatest lyricists/songwriters with musical partner Mort Shuman. (For those needing a point of reference, his songs include Ray Charles "Lonely Avenue," the Drifters "This Magic Moment" and "Save the Last Dance for Me," Elvis Presleys "Viva La Vegas" and "Little Sister," and Dions "Teenager in Love.") Pomus & Shumans tunes were covered by many artists because the music they wrote, though based in R&B, rock, and doo wop, was stylistically flexible enough to work for pop singers, bands, and others to interpret, hence the hundreds of recordings of the material. Pomus, born Jerome Solon Felder, taped demos of his songs as they were being written and immediately afterward. Those tapes (totaling 165 rare and unreleased demos) were archived by Pomus daughter, Sharyn Felder. She took the project to producer Cheryl Pawelski, who painstakingly restored and coordinated with Felder to shape this six-disc collection. The vast majority of these cuts are sung by Shuman in the studio, but there are uncredited singers as well including Neil Sedaka, Ellie Greenwich, the Crowns, Kenny Rankin, and others. In addition to the music there is a 148-page booklet containing track-by-track annotations by Felder and Pawelski, and a host of essays by Felder, Peter Guralnick, Geoffrey Himes, and TV writer/producer Eddie Gorodetsky. There are dozens of rare photos and other ephemera. Two of the sets greatest surprises occur on disc one: "This Magic Moment" and "A Teenager in Love" were both recorded in 1961 at Pomus house on Long Island. Greenwich handles vocals on three tracks from Disc Two including "The Sweet Pain of Love," "If Ellie Doesnt Change," and "Brother, You Deserve Each Other." Other vocalists on the set include Bobby Andriani, Peter Anders, John McFarland, and a host of unknowns. Disc Threes demo of "Its a Mans World," Im Gonna Cry til My Tears Run Dry," and "Diamonds and Gold" are beautifully sung by Rankin. Disc Four contains nothing but treasures including "Helplessly," "Night Life," "Johnny Midnight," and the glorious, anthemic, "All for the Sake of Love." Disc Five contains 31 demos written for Elvis Presley. Among them "Turn Me Loose," "Viva Las Vegas," "Im a Man," "Kissin Cousins," two versions each of "Clambake" and "Pot Luck," and many more. The producers may have left the best for last. Disc Six offers 23 (22 unreleased) demos sung by Pomus, some featuring full bands. Two selections, "Here Come the Blues," and "Bye Baby Bye," were cut live at the Musicale Club in Harlem. Theres the original demo of "Lonely Avenue" followed by "Boogie Woogie Country Girl." "You Better Believe It" is delivered in a duet by Pomus and Shuman. For any fan of Pomus, the Brill Building, and early rock and pop, You Cant Hip a Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos is a holy grail. ~ Thom Jurek