Great Balls of Fire- who was it wrote for?

[tchr]

I find very it difficult to believe that the 'Jamboree' version of GBOF was recorded outside the Sun studios, as early Sun outtakes are almost identical (I think that this would be more likely with the movie version of 'High School Confidential' though).

Slightly OT: Does the High School Confidential movie-version appear on the Bear Family- or the Charly box-sets?

[peterchecksfield]

I find very it difficult to believe that the 'Jamboree' version of GBOF was recorded outside the Sun studios, as early Sun outtakes are almost identical (I think that this would be more likely with the movie version of 'High School Confidential' though).

Slightly OT: Does the High School Confidential movie-version appear on the Bear Family- or the Charly box-sets?

No, it's never been officially released on vinyl or CD.

As I said earlier I'm not even convinced that it's a Sun recording.

[jllWAfan1982]

It's disappointing that all this material can't be properly catalogued and researched. Shame on them for getting the Sun box sets wrong.

I quite like the idea the HSC was not from a Sun take. Adds a little mystique to it.

[Andrew McRae]

It's disappointing that all this material can't be properly catalogued and researched. Shame on them for getting the Sun box sets wrong.

I quite like the idea the HSC was not from a Sun take. Adds a little mystique to it.

Arguably the original 'guilty party' was Sam Phillips himself, inasmuch as he was said to be notoriously lax in keeping 'records' and accurately labelling and cataloguing all the recordings he produced. No doubt by comparison with 'major' record companies, with larger bureaucracies, the systems at Sun were very casual. This argument was certainly peddled widely in the 70s when a number of people, especially in the UK and Europe, first started taking a keen interest in the wealth of unreleased material and making it available. It still doesn't excuse the guys at Charly (particularly) and BF from not sitting down and listening to things properly and exhaustively to distinguish and identify different takes accurately. But there's a long history of such failures; all the box sets and other significant collections (such as "The Alternate Collection", which was supposed to complement the first box set) have been flawed. Still, it keeps us pedants in business, having something to analyse critically and make a fuss about! And such 'laxity' always allows the continuing possibility that a 'new' take will emerge unannounced and unrecognised, as was the case with "It'll Be Me" (take the umpteenth) on the 'Orby' collection a few years ago.

[thrund]

Never heard this version by Georgia Gibbs (German RCA 1957) before and sounds not bad to me.

http://www.jerryleelewis.org/cgi-data/w ... 7short.mp3
(509 kb mp3 file)

The original youtube posting here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIu46QgeG6I
(7,2 MB mp4 file)

The space details just for you who have a space limit for online connection.


Thomas

[Andrew McRae]

Never heard this version by Georgia Gibbs (German RCA 1957) before and sounds not bad to me.

http://www.jerryleelewis.org/cgi-data/w ... 7short.mp3
(509 kb mp3 file)

The original youtube posting here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIu46QgeG6I
(7,2 MB mp4 file)

The space details just for you who have a space limit for online connection.


Thomas

You're very forgiving! Sounds bloody awful to me! I know I'm an unreconstructed sexist bigot but women shouldn't be allowed to sing "Great Balls Of Fire" any more than they should be allowed to commentate on football matches. One exception only - Mae West (re GBoF, not football!) Mind you, if some of the rumours about her were true...

[thrund]

You're very forgiving! Sounds bloody awful to me! I know I'm an unreconstructed sexist bigot but women shouldn't be allowed to sing "Great Balls Of Fire" any more than they should be allowed to commentate on football matches. One exception only - Mae West (re GBoF, not football!) Mind you, if some of the rumours about her were true...

Maybe when I have heard this version several times I took over your view but not at the moment ,
especially when I remember some versions like Dorothee's or so for example (and we could count much more as you know). In compare with this is Gibbs (female singers) version like a 'ray of hope' and the music behind her voice I like too.
...apart from this, I agree partly with your other points

[peterchecksfield]

I think it's pretty good myself, though I've never liked the song much, even by Jerry (give me 'Breathless' or 'Lovin' Up A Storm' any day!).

[Tony Papard]

Never heard this version by Georgia Gibbs (German RCA 1957) before and sounds not bad to me.

http://www.jerryleelewis.org/cgi-data/w ... 7short.mp3
(509 kb mp3 file)

The original youtube posting here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIu46QgeG6I
(7,2 MB mp4 file)

The space details just for you who have a space limit for online connection.


Thomas

You're very forgiving! Sounds bloody awful to me! I know I'm an unreconstructed sexist bigot but women shouldn't be allowed to sing "Great Balls Of Fire" any more than they should be allowed to commentate on football matches. One exception only - Mae West (re GBoF, not football!) Mind you, if some of the rumours about her were true...

Mmm, I agree with you about Mae West. My partner used to say women can't compose classical music, can't direct movies, can't conduct orchestras, can't become really great painters....

When you think about it, for whatever reason, white males predominate in all these areas. Is it because they are more talented in these areas, or because they have more opportunities?

But there are always exceptions to the rule. A handful of women who can sing rock'n'roll, and I still maintain one of the greatest film directors was Leni Reifenstahl. She made many great non-political documentaries besides 'Olympiad' and 'Triumph of the Will'.