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<\/center><\/p>\nAlfonso Lovo \u2013 La Gigantona<\/em><\/strong> Joan Rivers \u2013 <\/strong>Presents Mr. Phyllis & Other Funny Stories<\/strong><\/em> Jerry Lee Lewis \u2013 <\/strong>The Killer Live! 1964-1970<\/strong><\/em> Dion \u2013 <\/strong>The Complete Laurie Singles<\/strong><\/em>
\nCount on the Numero Group for fascinating, outside-the-box releases of previously-ignored music. Their Buttons<\/em><\/a> powerop compilation, their reissues of rare material by soul\/r&b artist Lou Ragland<\/strong><\/a>, and The Boddie Recording Company<\/strong><\/a>, and funksters Father’s Children<\/strong><\/a> all brought obscurities out of undeserved shadows. And those are just a few. One of the latest is La Gigantona<\/em>. Originally slated for release in the mid 1970s, this album by Nicaraguan Alfonso Lovo<\/strong> was a victim of that country’s political unrest. Will it sound to untrained ears like Santana<\/strong>? Sure, it will. The presence of percussionist Jos\u00e9 \u201cChepito\u201d Areas<\/strong> will only reinforce that sonic connection. But there’s a psychedelic weirdness here \u2013 treated vocals, out-there guitar \u2013 that moves well beyond Santana’s bag of tricks. Rescued from the sole surviving acetate of the finished album sessions, La Gigantona<\/em> is a funky, Latin psych-flavored disc that may conjure \u201cwhat ifs\u201d in your mind.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/joan_rivers.jpg\")
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\nIt’s the rare comedy record \u2013 The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart<\/em>, for example — that sounds as fresh today as in 1962. Joan Rivers<\/strong> started her stand-up career (these days, when she’s known more as a \u201cpersonality,\u201d we forget she ever had one) back in the mid 60s, and her debut LP has been reissued by the eclectic sorts at Rock Beat. While a lot of her humor here is built around the subject of her hairdreser (the Mr Phyllis of the title) her approach is surprisingly non-homophobic. Remember, this was 1965. The material is delivered in a well-timed, manic style, and Rivers deftly riffs off the audience’s reaction to her jokes. The absurdity of the gags \u2013 bits about wig farms and such \u2013 is pretty goofy, but there’s a sly and subtle wit to her material that might pass you by on the first listen.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/jerry_lee_live.jpg\")
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\nFleshtones<\/strong><\/a> biographer Joe Bonomo<\/strong> authored a rhapsodic book-length mash note to one of music’s all-time great albums, Jerry Lee Lewis<\/strong>‘ landmark 1964 LP Live! At the Star Club<\/em>. Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found<\/em><\/a> is required reading, irrespective of how you feel about Lewis. Recently Hip-O Select collected that album with two other live Lewis documents: The Greatest Live Show on Earth<\/em> (1964) and Live at the International Las Vegas<\/em> (1970). While the second ’64 LP certainly suffers in comparison to the German concert, it has its moments, and a bunch of outtakes rise to a similar standard. By the time of the Vegas gig, Lewis had figured out where the money was (hint: country and western), but even it is worthwhile. Sixty live tracks is a Whole Lotta Lewis, but at least a full third of it (and possibly half) is some of the wildest stuff you’ll ever hear.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/dion.jpg\")
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\nReal Gone Music continues a tradition its founders began at their old label (Collectors’ Choice Music) of putting together career-spanning singles collection of pop artists. For completists, these can’t be beat: nearly always sourced from the master tapes, there’s excellent mastering, transfer and fidelity to be found. And since we’re talking about singles, any number of non-LP sides appear, sometimes making their first appearance in digital format. Dion DiMucci<\/strong> \u2013 known in those teen idol days simply by his first name \u2013 enjoyed some well-deserved hits through his time on Laurie (a period that nearly extended to both ends of the 1960s), but nearly all of the hits came in the pre-Beatles<\/strong> era. Of course \u201cRunaround Sue\u201d and \u201cThe Wanderer\u201d are here, but too are some interesting late-period pieces including a bizarre reinvention of Jimi Hendrix<\/strong>‘s \u201cPurple Haze\u201d (#63 pop) that sounds more like Arthur Lee<\/strong>‘s Love<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
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