POLYUSHKO POLE (Cossack Patrol / The Rocket Man)

Music: Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (1934) song from "Symphony No.4 - Poem of the Komsomol Fighters"
Lyrics: Viktor Gusev (1934)

Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (1898-1974) grew up in a bilingual family and spoke perfect Russian and German. His German father, named Konstantin Knipper, worked as a Railroad Engineer. Lev Knipper was the nephew of actress Olga Knipper-Chekhova, the wife of Anton Chekhov, and a junior brother of Olga Tschechowa, the wife of Michael Chekhov. Lev Knipper studied piano from childhood and received an excellent private education. He also played good tennis and was an avid mountain-climber.

Lev Knipper was an officer in the White Army of Baron Vrangel, fighting against the Bolshevik communists during the Russian Civil War in the Ukraine and in the Crimea (1918). He briefly emigrated and lived in Germany, but after some time he was rehabilitated by the Soviet secret service and returned to the Soviet Russia. There he worked for the secret service under Lavrenti Beria, being attached to the propaganda department of the Red Army. He completed his music education at the Moscow Gnesin Institute, where his teachers were Mikhail Gnesin and Reinhold Glière. He composed patriotic songs and contributed music scores for several Soviet films. He also collaborated with Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko at the Moscow Art Theatre. Knipper was prolific. He wrote 5 operas (including one on the The Little Prince), 20 symphonies, ballets, pieces for piano and other film musics. He also studied ethnomusicology in the Central Asian Republics and researched folk music from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

In 1934 Lev Knipper wrote his "Symphony No.4 in D major, Opus 41 - Poem of the Komsomol Fighters" (Komsomol was the Union of Communist Youth), which includes the famous song "Polyushko Pole" with lyrics (dedicated to the Red Army Field Marshall Kliment Voroshilov) by Victor Gusev. The music became one of the Marching songs of the Red Army Choir and one of the primary Russian patriotic anthems, long outlasting in popularity both the symphony that introduced it and the regime for which it was created.

"Polyushko Pole" became also known as "Meadowlands", "Song of the Plaines", "Cavalry of the Steppes", "O Field My Field" and Western arrangements as "Cossack Patrol". Some sources claim that the song was originally written during the Russian Civil War (1918) and was sung by the Red Army and a couple of anti-Soviet webpages even by White Army. Morton Gould addapted the song in 1945 in the USA as "The Red Cavalry Song" and it was broadcoasted by The Glenn Miller Orchestra under direction of Jerry Gray early 1945. A recording as "Cossack Patrol" was made by Ted Heath in England for Decca in February 1945. Bandleader Tex Beneke with The Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded their version in 1946 for RCA.

The Russians have a long history of Folk music and the Soviets expanded upon this with several dozen songs, especially during the Great Patriotic War. During the Great Patriotic War, many of these songs as well as traditional folk songs were performed by specialized choirs and ensembles for the frontline troops in all sectors.

After the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army Choir came into prominence, though it existed since 12 October, 1928, where it performed as the Red Army Song Ensemble at the Frunze Club under the direction of Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov, a music professor at the Moscow Conservatory.
By 1933 the group had reorganized as the The Choir of the Red Army of the USSR and split into three cooperating subunits, a male choir, an orchestra, and an ensemble of dancers, bringing total numbers to over three hundred. They performed traditional folk music, original compositions by Soviet composers such as V Solovyov-Sedoi, A. Novikov, M. Blanter, and B. Mokrousov. In 1936, they were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In 1937 it won the Grand Prix - the highest honour bestowed by the jury - at the International Exposition dedicated to Art and Technology in Modern Life, held in Paris. (a recording of "Polyushko Pole" was made in Paris). During the Great Patriotic War, over 1,500 performances were made at all Soviet Fronts, sometimes in collusion with the smaller ensembles mentioned above.

The Spotnicks - The Rocket Man (1962)

The Krew Kats - (Jim Sullivan (lead guitar), Brian Locking (bass), Brian Bennett (drums) and Tony Belcher (guitar) - arranged the first rock instrumental of "Polyuska Pole" as "Samovar" in June 1961. The Spotnicks reworked the song with their space sound and full of rocket sound effects as "The Rocket Man" in 1961 and The Cliffters from Denmark followed with a strong "Riding Cossack" in 1962.

Pojuschie Gitary (The Singing Guitars - Leningrad) - Polyushko Pole (1969)

collection 1-25
01 Polyushko Pole (v) - 1934 USSR - Nikandr Khanaev & Ork. G.A.B.T.
02 Polyushka Pole (v) - 1937 USSR (rec. in Paris) - Red Army Choir
03 The Red Cavalry March - 1946 US RCA - Tex Beneke with The Glenn Miller Orchestra
04 Polyushko Pole (v) - 1959 RU Melodiya - Red Army Choir
05 Cossack Patrol - 1960 UK Columbia - Eddie Calvert
06 Samovar - 1961 UK HMV - The Krew Kats
07 The Rocket Man - 1961 SE Karusell - The Spotnicks
08 Riding Cossack - 1962 DK Philips - The Cliffters
09 Cossack Patrol - 1962 SE Odeon - The Climbers
10 Mars One - 1962 NO Viking - The Beatnicks
11 The Rocket Man (radio) - 1962 SE/UK BBC Saturday Club - The Spotnicks
12 Tundra Patrol - 1963 BE NewTone - The Ruby's
13 The Rocket Man - 1963 IT Odeon - I 5 Rizzo
14 Policko Pole - 1963 CZ Supraphon - Miroslav Kefurt
15 The Rocket Man (live) - 1963 SE live Paris - The Spotnicks
16 Meadowlands - 1964 CA London - The Chessmen
17 Tus Lagrimas - 1965 VE Philips - Los Claners
18 Du Gehst Voruber (v) - 1966 NL Ariola - The Tielman Brothers
19 Praderas - 1966 UY CBS - Los Iracundos
20 Riding Cossack - 1968 DK studio rehearsal - The Cliffters
21 Polyushko Pole - 1969 RU Melodiya - Pojuschie Gitary (The Singing Guitars)
22 Cossack Patrol - 1969 SE Polydor - The Sentimentals
23 Polyushko Polye - 1971 SE/JP Canyon - The Spotnicks
24 Polyushka Pole - 1971 JP Canyon - The Sharp Five
25 Samovar - 1974 US/JP Liberty - The Ventures
collection 26-39
26 Cossack Patrol - 1975 NL Philips - The Jumping Jewels
27 Cossack Patrol - 1976 DE EMI Electrola - Peter Orloff Sound Orchester
28 The Rocket Man '77 - 1977 SE Polydor - The Spotnicks
29 Polyushka Pole - 1980 JP King - Terry & The Blue Jeans
30 The Rocket Man - 1981 NL DSR - Paul Selier
31 The Rocket Man - 1985 UK Twang - The Rapiers
32 The Rocket Man - 1986 SE Polydor - The Vanguards
33 Cossack Patrol - 1987 FI Rautalanka - Rami Hammar & The Riders
34 Kasakkapartio - 1990 FI YLE - The Quiets
35 The Rocket Man '97 - 1997 SE Riverside - The Spotnicks
36 Cossack Rocket Patrol - 2000 US MuSick - The Space Cossacks
37 The Rocket Man - 2001 NO/NL Rarity Records - The Pistoleros
38 The Rocket Man - 2004 NL Bluedevils - The Blue Devils
39 The Rocket Man - 2004 SE SVG - The Ryders

BARCAROLLE

Music: Jacques Offenbach (1864) overture from "Die Rhein Nixen (Les Fées du Rhin)" and melody also used as aria "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" in his opera "Les contes d'Hoffman" (1881)

Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach; 20 June 1819 – 5 October 1880) was a German-born French composer and cellist of the Romantic era and one of the originators of the operetta form. Offenbach's father, born Isaac Eberst in Offenbach am Main around 1780, changed his name to Offenbach when he settled down in Deutz in 1802. In 1816 the family moved to Cologne, where his son Jacob was born in 1819. Of German-Jewish ancestry, he was one of the most influential composers of popular music in Europe in the 19th century, and many of his works remain in the repertory.

Offenbach's numerous operettas, such as Orpheus in the Underworld, and La belle Hélène, were extremely popular in both France and the English-speaking world during the 1850s and 1860s. They combined political and cultural satire with witty grand opera parodies. While his name remains associated most closely with the French operetta and the Second Empire, it is Offenbach's one fully operatic masterpiece, "Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann)", composed at the end of his career, that has become the most familiar of Offenbach's works in major opera houses.

A barcarolle (from French; also Italian barcarola, barcarole) is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. A barcarolle is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier's stroke, almost invariably a moderate tempo 6/8 meter. In classical music, the most famous barcarolles are those by Jacques Offenbach, from his opera The Tales of Hoffmann and Frédéric Chopin's Barcarolle in F sharp major for solo piano.

Les contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann) was first performed in Paris, at the Opéra-Comique, on February 10, 1881. The most famous aria from the opera is the "Barcarolle" (Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour), which is performed in Act 3. Curiously, the aria was not written by Offenbach with Les Contes d'Hoffmann in mind. He wrote it as overture (Elves' song) in the opera Les fées du Rhin (which premiered in Vienna on February 8, 1864 as Die Rheinnixen). Offenbach died with Les contes d'Hoffmann unfinished. Ernest Guiraud completed the scoring and wrote the recitatives for the premiere. He also incorporated this excerpt from one of Offenbach's earlier, long-forgotten operas into the new opera.

"Barcarolle" (song #6) from Offenbach's "Les voix Mystérieuses" (1852) is a different song and was one of the additions from Fritz Oeser in the restored version in 1976.

The first instrumental recording was made in 1902 by Vienna Band (Infanterie-Regiment No.8, Erzhertog Karl Stefan) for Victor. Also released by Victor were versions from Sousa's Band (1906) and Victor Dance Orchestra (1906). However the first vocal version is probably from Geraldine Farrar (soprano) & Antonio Scotti (baritone) (Victor 1909).

A "jazzed up" fashion by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra was recorded in 1937 and piano boogie woogie versions were made by Erskine Butterfield (1944) en Camille Howard (1948). Edmundo Ros took "Barcarolle" to the Latin music on his album "Rhythms of the South" (1957). Electric Johnny (Jan Schouten) found his inspiration on it for his Indo-Rock version with The Skyrockets.

barcarolle collection
01 Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour (v) - 1909 US Victor - Geraldine Farrar & Antonio Scotti
02 Schöne Nacht, O Liebesnacht (v) - 1933 DE Electrola - Comedian Harmonists
03 Venetian Nights (v) - 1933 UK HMV - Al Bowlly & Suzanne Botterill
04 Barcarolle - 1937 US Victor - Tommy Dorsey & his Orchestra
05 Boogie Woogie Barcarolle - 1944 US Joe Davis - Erskine Butterfield
06 Barcarolle - 1944 US Varsity - The Three Suns
07 Barcarolle - 1945 US Capitol - Nat King Cole Trio
08 Barcarolle Boogie - 1948 US Specialty - Camille Howard Trio
09 Barcarolle - 1956 US TV Show - Lawrence Welk Show ft. Myren Floren
10 Barcarolle - 1957 UK Decca - Edmundo Ros & his Orchestra
11 Tonight is so right for love (v) - 1960 US RCA - Elvis Presley
12 Barcarolle - 1962 NL CNR - The Skyrockets
13 Barcarolle - 1962 FR Bel Air - Les Champions
14 Barcarolle - 1963 BR RGE - The Bells
15 Barcarolle - 1966 DE Telefunken - Klaus Wunderlich
16 Barcarolle - 1966 DE Polydor - James Last & his Orchestra
17 Barcarole - 1967 GDR Amiga - Theo Schumann Combo
18 Barcarolle - 1967 DE Columbia - Karl-Heinz Kastel
19 Barcarolle - 1967 NL Carmen - Los Tijuanos
20 Barcarolle - 1978 NL DSR - The Shakin' Arrows
21 Barcarolle - 1981 DE Epic - Ricky King
22 Barcarolle (live) - 1981 NL Live Horn - The Explosion Rockets
23 Barcarolle (live) - 1982 NL Live Drunen - The Replays
24 Barcarolle - 1986 FR Philips - Paul Mauriat & his Orchestra
25 Barcarolle - 1994 NL Rarity Records - Dixie Aces
26 Barcarolle - 1994 NL Rarity Records - The East & West Rockers

BLACK EYES / DARK EYES / OCHI CHORNYE (1927-1969)

* Ochi chornye * Black eyes * Dark eyes * Les yeux noirs * Panung hideung * Ojos negros * Schwarze Augen *
Music: traditional Russian gypsy melody

Music: Florian Hermann Hommage Valse Opus 21 (adapted by Sofus Gerdal in 1884)
Russian lyrics: Evgenii Grebenka (1843) als Ochi Chornye (Ochi Chyornye) (Ochi Chornia)
English translation: Ivan Shevchenko
English lyrics: Jay Arnold als Dark Eyes
or
Music & Spanish lyrics: Sindo Garay (Cuba ca. 1900s)
or
Music & lyrics: Sundanese (West Java) traditional as Panung Hideung

Roots

(L) Feodor Chaliapin - (M) Django Reinhardt - (R) Les Paul

Ofschoon algemeen wordt aangenomen dat de melodie van Black Eyes (Dark Eyes) een stokoude Russische zigeuner melodie is, moeten hier toch wel wat kanttekeningen bij worden gemaakt.

De originele Russische tekst van de song Ochi Chornye was afkomstig van een gedicht van de Oekraïense schrijver Yevgeniy Pavlovich Grebyonka (Evgenii Grebenka) en werd voor het eerst in 1843 gepubliceerd. Zijn tekst werd gezet op Hommage Valse Opus 21 van de Duitse componist Florian Hermann in een arrangement van Sofus Gerdal en in 1884 gepubliceerd. In 1897 werd het opnieuw gepubliceerd door A. Gutheil in Moscou. De eerste opname werd waarschijnlijk gemaakt in 1927 door de Russische bas operazanger Feodor Chaliapin, die voornamelijk buiten Rusland optrad en met zijn eigen bewerking zorgde voor de populariteit van de song. De indrukwekkende uitvoeringen van het befaamde Russian Red Army Choir moet zeker genoemd worden.

De Cubaanse componist Sindo Garay (1867-1968) beweerde in een interview gemaakt door Desi Arnaz en Harry Belafonte voor de documentaire "Roots of Rhythm" (1994), dat hij deze song reeds in 1900's had geschreven en uitgevoerd en dat waarschijnlijk een Russische zeeman het lied had meegenomen naar zijn vaderland (of zou het andersom zijn?). In ieder geval zongen The Lecuona Cuban Boys hun bewerking als Ojos Negros in de 1930's in alle hoeken van de wereld. De grote populariteit volgde in het begin van de 1940's na de Engelse tekst van Jay Arnold als Dark Eyes

De Sundanese bewoners op West Java geloven heilig dat de melodie die wij kennen als Ochi Chornye hun eigen volksliedje Panung Hideung (Neus op je gezicht) is. Maar ook hier zal mogelijk een Russische zeeman voor de import hebben gezorgd.

Regisseur Ernst Lubitsch gebruikte Ochi Chornye als hoofdthema voor zijn film "The shop around the corner" uit 1940 met James Stewart.

Natuurlijk is er de magistrale gitaar bewerking van Les Yeux Noirs door Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France, opgenomen op 13 december 1940. De gitaar hoogstandjes van Les Paul (1944) en Chet Atkins (1954) hebben zeker bijgedragen aan de populariteit van het nummer als een instrumental.

Black Eyes Rock

In het voormalig Nederlands-Indië was de melodie zo populair, dat moeders deze melodie vaak neurieden als slaapliedje voor hun kleintjes. Het nummer was ook bekend als het Sundanese (West Java) volksliedje Panon Hideung. The Tielman Brothers brachten hun uitvoering live op de planken sedert hun komst naar Nederland (Breda) in 1957. In januari 1960 speelden zij Black Eyes live op TV in AVRO's Weekendshow. Toch zou een andere legendarisch Indo band met de eerste rock instrumental van het nummer op de platenmarkt komen. De uitvoering Black Eyes Rock van de op het CNR label debuterende Electric Johnny & his Skyrockets werd een enorme inspiratiebron voor beginnende gitaristen. De gitaartechniek van Jan Schouten alias Electric Johnny leek helemaal op de wijze zoals je een mandoline bespeeld en dit werd een van zijn karakteristieke kenmerken. Met de single gekoppeld aan de al even befaamde eigen compositie Johnny On His Strings werd door de Skyrockets tevens een uniek stukje Nederlandse rock historie geschreven. Het was in 1960/1961 de eerste rock produktie die in de USA (Felsted), Canada (London), Engeland (London), Scandinavië (Sonet) en Frankrijk (Ducretet Thomson) werd uitgebracht. Als curieus feit valt te melden dat er van "Black Eyes Rock" twee totaal verschillende versies bestaan.De Skyrockets streefden altijd naar perfectie in arrangementen en sound kregen het voor elkaar om beide nummers opnieuw te mogen opnemen. Ze waren nu in het bezit gekomen van betere Höfner gitaren en hadden hun zelfgebouwde installatie opgewaardeerd. Ze hadden ook meer ervaring in de studio inzake de ideale soundbalans. Deze nieuwe veel betere versies werden snel uitgebracht onder hetzelfde labelnummer en alleen de oerversie van Black Eyes Rock werd per abuis in 1963 nog eens opnieuw uitgebracht in een serie met al hun 6 singles met fotohoes.

Terug naar The Tielman Brothers in 1960. Zij lieten hun Black Eyes horen op een single uitgebracht door Bovema op hun Imperial label. Het was tevens de allereerste instrumentale opname van The Tielman Brothers en Andy Tielman en zijn broers hadden de melodie zo knap gearrangeerd en gespeeld op hun Gibson gitaren dat deze uitvoering nog nauwelijks te verbeteren was. In het Jazzmaster tijdperk speelden ze het met lange improvisaties, maar helaas hebben zij een dergelijke lange versie nooit op de plaat gezet. Gelukkig zijn er wel wat live banden uit die periode boven water gekomen, waarop dergelijke uitvoeringen staan. Door SamSam Music werd in 1992 een CD in de handel gebracht, waarop 8.21 min. van zo'n live uitvoering uit 1965 te genieten valt. Uiterst boeiend en gevoelig gespeeld bleken ook de bandopnamen met live interpretaties van Frits Galistan als sologitarist van The Twangies (Rarity CD - Live) en Oety & his Real Rockers (met de sprankelende piano van Iwan Wernet).

The Jokers en Jimmy Duncombe & The Rackets

Twee van mijn favoriete Black Eyes komen nu aan bod. Allereerst die van The Jokers uit Antwerpen, die met hun Jazzmaster virtuoos Ronny Sigo aan de sologitaar in 1964 op de platenmarkt verscheen. Vanaf de eerste noot wordt je tot het einde toe door de bijzondere rijke klank die Ronny uit zijn Jazzmaster weet te toveren gegrepen. Overigens speelde Sigo eerst bij The Bonanzas voor hij bij The Jokers kwam en er bestaat een repetitie opname van Black Eyes (Tielman Brothers) uit 1962. Hieruit blijkt dat Ronny Sigo al in een vroeg stadium iets met Black Eyes had. Magistraal is naar mijn mening ook de plaat van Jimmy Duncombe & The Rackets. De opname werd gemaakt als een demo op 24-02-1964 door The Continentals in de Tonstudio Bauer in Ludwigsburg, maar platenmaatschappij Elite bracht enkele singles op de markt onder de naam Jimmy & The Rackets. De linkshandige gitarist Jimmy Duncombe speelde in 1961 bij Sonny Steward & The Dynamos in de Top Ten Club in Hamburg, daarna werkten ze contracten af in o.a. de Weindorf in Frankfurt. Hij zag The Tielman Brothers voor het eerst in 1962 in de Jolly Bar in Hanau toen ze zelf aldaar in Bernhards Eck speelden. In een e-mail bericht wat ik in 2001 van hem ontving schreef hij .....I was very impressed by Andy Tielman's playing and The Tielman Brothers is still my all time favourite live band. I suppose that I absorbed some of Andy's style, and certainly at the time I was very happy to be friends with him........

The Ventures - Dark Eyes Twist

In mei 1962 werd door The Ventures het nummer als Dark Eyes op de kaart gezet. Het was te vinden op hun LP "Twist vol. 2" (Dance With) als Dark Eyes Twist". Persoonlijk hoor ik liever de uitvoeringen van onze eigen Indo-Rock groepen. The Ventures speelden het nummer teveel recht toe recht aan, zonder de opbouw van de langzame passages naar de climax met indrukwekkende tempoversnellingen. Wel maakte het nummer indruk over de gehele wereld en met name in Brazilië (The Bells 1963, The Rebels 1963), Argentinië (Los Iracundos 1966), Japan (All Stars Wagon 1966) en in de USA zelf (Eddie & The Showmen 1964, The Revelaires 1964) werden hun arrangementen nagespeeld.

Engeland, Frankrijk, Australië en Nieuw Zeeland

Het is 1963 als de Engelse gitaarpionier Bert Weedon met de fascinerende single Dark Eyes / Black Jackets op het HMV label verschijnt, die goede herinneringen oproept aan Radio Luxemburg, waar deze nummers destijds veel gedraaid werden. Black Eyes van Jimmy & The Rackets werd zowaar ook in Engeland op het Parlophone label uitgebracht. Echter een opnieuw ingespeelde track, die minder spectaculair klonk, onder de naam The Hearts. De bekende Franse gitaargroep Les Fantomes nam in 1963 het nummer Les yeux noirs op. In Australië maken The Atlantics hun platendebuut in februari 1963 op het CBS label met Dark Eyes. Ze zouden zich datzelfde jaar nog onsterfelijk maken met Bombora. De multi-gitarist Graeme Bartlett uit Nieuw Zeeland maakte in 1963 een cover van The Atlantics uitvoering voor het Zodiac label.

Scandinavië - Dark Eyes Beat

Terug naar Europa bij de Scandinavische groepen. Allereerst zijn er The Spotnicks die Dark Eyes tijdens hun Londense platensessie voor Oriole in september 1962 opnamen voor hun 1e LP "Out-A-Space / The Spotnicks In London". In 1963 worden nog twee uitvoeringen van Dark Eyes (Svarta Ögen) door Zweedse groepen uitgebracht. The Kingsmen borduurden voort op de arrangementen van The Spotnicks en bij The Falcons was tevens een saxofonist aan het werk. In Finland brachten The Scaffolds hun Dark Eyes Beat in februari 1963 onder de aandacht van de 'rautalalanka' liefhebbers. De legendarische Finse topband The Sounds werden erg populair in Japan met hun single Manchurian Beat en Emma. Speciaal voor de Japanse markt namen ze in 1965 nog een aantal instrumentals op, waaronder Dark Eyes. In het Fins: Mustat Silmät.

collection 1-28
01 - Feodor Chaliapin - Ochi chornye (v) - 1927 RU Electric recordings
02 - Lecuona Cuban Boys - Ojos Negros - 1938 CU/US
03 - Al Bowlly - Dark Eyes (v) - 1939 UK HMV
04 - Django Reinhardt - Les Yeux Noirs - 1940 FR
05 - Spike Jones & his City Slickers - Hotcha Cornia - 1943 US RCA
06 - Les Paul Trio - Dark Eyes - 1944 US Decca
07 - Gene Krupa Trio - Dark Eyes - 1945 US Columbia
08 - Art van Damme Quintet - Dark Eyes - 1949 US Capitol
09 - Les Paul - Dark Eyes - 1953 US unissued
10 - Chet Atkins - Ochi Chornya - 1955 US RCA
11 - Esquivel - Dark Eyes - 1958 US RCA
12 - The Tielman Brothers - Black Eyes (TV show) - 1960 NL TV show
13 - Electric Johnny & his Skyrockets - Black Eyes Rock (version #1) - 1960 NL CNR
14 - The Tielman Brothers - Black Eyes - 1960 NL Imperial
15 - Electric Johnny & his Skyrockets - Black Eyes Rock (version #2) - 1960 NL CNR
16 - The R' Jays - Dark Eyes (live) - 1961 AU Festival
17 - The Ventures - Dark Eyes - 1962 US Dolton
18 - The Spotnicks - Dark Eyes - 1962 SE/UK Oriole
19 - René & the Alligators - Black Eyes (live 6:45) - 1962 NL live tape
20 - The Falcons - Dark Eyes - 1962 SE Polydor
21 - The Bonanzas (ft. Ronny Sigo) - Black Eyes (rehearsal) - 1962 BE rehearsal tape
22 - Bert Weedon - Dark Eyes - 1963 UK HMV
23 - The Atlantics - Dark Eyes - 1963 AU CBS
24 - The Bells - Olhos Negros - 1963 BR RGE
25 - The Rebels - Olhos Negros - 1963 BR VS Records
26 - The Scaffolds - Dark Eyes Beat - 1963 FI HMV
27 - Les Fantomes - Les Yeux Noirs - 1963 FR Vogue
28 - The Twangies - Black Eyes (live) - 1963 NBL/DE live tape
collection 29-50
29 - Oety & his Real Rockers - Black Eyes (live) - 1963 NL/DE live tape
30 - Graeme Bartlett - Dark Eyes - 1963 NZ Zodiac
31 - The Kingsmen - Dark Eyes - 1963 SE Odeon
32 - The Chessmen - Dark Eyes - 1963 US
33 - The Tielman Brothers - Black Eyes (live 7:40) - 1963 NL/DE live tape
34 - The Esquires - Dark Eyes Beat (demo) - 1963 FI demo tape
35 - The Esquires - Dark Eyes (rehearsal) - 1963 FI rehearsal tape
36 - The Jokers - Black Eyes - 1964 BE Discostar
37 - Jimmy & The Rackets - Black Eyes - 1964 UK/DE Elite
38 - Eddie & The Showmen - Dark Eyes - 1964 US Liberty
39 - The Revelaires - Dark Eyes - 1964 US unissued
40 - The Sounds - Dark Eyes - 1965 FI/JP Philips
41 - The Four Beat Breakers - Black Eyes (live, incomplete) - 1965 NL live Palais de Dance
42 - The Tielman Brothers - Black Eyes (live 8:21) - 1965 NL live tape
43 - The All Stars Wagon - Black Eyes - 1966 JP Teicheiku
44 - Los Iracundos - Ojos Negros - 1966 UY/AR RCA
45 - The Coasters - Black Eyes - 1966 JP Union
46 - The Five Suns - Dark Eyes - 1967 JP Reprise
47 - Ladi Geisler - Schwarze Augen - 1968 DE Polydor
48 - Burt Blanca - Dark Eyes - 1969 BE Ronnex
49 - Terry and the Blue Jeans - Dark Eyes - 1969 JP King
50 - The Sentimentals - Dark eyes - 1969 SE/JP Polydor

LAST DATE

Music: Floyd Cramer (1960)
Lyrics: Boudleaux Bryant - Skeeter Davis (1960) as "My last date (with you)"
Lyrics: Conway Twitty (1972) as "(Lost her love) on our last date"

In 1958 Chet Atkins signed the Nasville session pianist Floyd Cramer (1933-1997) to RCA as an instrumental artist; his fourth single was “Last Date,” featuring the slip-note style. Earlier, Cramer had worked on the Hank Locklin session that had produced “Please Help Me, I’m Falling”; the composer, Don Robertson, had sent a demo on which he played piano, sliding up into a note from the one beneath, and that was the technique that Cramer incorporated into his style.
“It’s been done for a long time on the guitar by people like Maybelle Carter,” Cramer said, “and by lots of people on the steel guitar. Half-tones are very common, but the style I use mainly is a whole-tone slur which gives more of a lonesome, cowboy sound”

It was at Atkins’s suggestion that Cramer wrote “Last Date” to showcase the “bent-note” or “slip-note” style - a method not dissimilar to guitar-picking in that he would hit one key and then slide his finger onto the next, creating a blue, lonesome sound. Cramer made the melody shine in a different way than when played by more percussive pianists. He had a flow to his piano playing. He was very interested in the rhythm of the song, and he wanted the melody to be heard distinctly. Not surprisingly, (the slip note style) spread very quickly because it made listening, especially on romantic ballads, very palatable.

Members of “The Nashville A-Team” - Grady Martin (guitar), Bob Moore (bass) and Buddy Harman (drums) - backed Floyd Cramer during the “Last Date” session in July 1960. Producer was Chet Atkins.

“Last Date” was a bigger pop than country hit, climbing to #2; the only record keeping it from #1 was Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” another record Cramer had played on. Its hanting melody, which would provoke many an imitation, including an early one from Lawrence Welk who just missed the Top 20.

(No. 03+04) Skeeter Davis--who had enjoyed several career boosts during the 1950s--achieved star status in the early years of the 1960s. Combining her traditional country roots with pop influences, she co-wrote an answer song and recorded "My Last Date With You" in December 1960, her first crossover success. The number reached #5 on the Country charts and #26 on the Pop charts in 1961. Also a version of Joni James charted early 1961.

(No.15) The Spotnicks reworked “Last Date” for their album “In Paris” in 1963. A classy track with a marvellously full guitar treatment in the best tradition of Spotnicks’space sound. Often covered but never beaten.

01 Last Date 1960 US RCA Floyd Cramer
02 Last Date 1960 US DOT Lawrence Welk
03 My last date (with you) (v) 1960 US RCA Skeeter Davis
04 My last date (with you) (v) 1960 US MGM Joni James
05 Last Date 1961 US Dolton The Ventures
06 Last Date 1961 US Coral The Boss Combo
07 Last Date 1961 US Kapp Billy Mure
08 My last date (with you) (v) 1962 US RCA Ann-Margret
09 Last Date 1962 US Monument Jerry Byrd
10 Last Date 1962 NL Radio tape The Hot Rollers
11 Last Date 1962 US Capitol King Curtis
12 Last Date 1962 US DOT The Fireballs
13 Last Date (live) 1962 DE Live recording The Saturns
14 Last Date (live) 1963 NL/DE Live recording The Javalins
15 Last Date 1963 SE Karusell The Spotnicks
16 Last Date (live) 1963 NL/DE Live Astoria, Freiburg The Twangies
17 Last Date (live) 1963 NL/DE Live Tivoli, Stuttgard Oety & his Real Rockers
18 Last Date 1963 US Hi Records Ace Cannon
19 Last Date 1964 US A&M Bobby Wayne
20 Last Date 1964 US Starday Dean Manuel
21 Last Date (live) 1965 DE Live recording The Starfighters
22 Last Date (rehearsal) 1965 NL Rehearsal tape Les Richards
23 Last Date 1965 NL unissued The Young Savages
24 Last Date 1965 NZ Salem Kevin Watson
25 Last Date 1965 SE Columbia Hasse Rosen
26 My last date (with you) (v) 1965 SE Sonet Jerry Williams & The Violents
27 Last Date 1965 US RCA Duane Eddy
28 Last Date (w-o overdubs) 1965 US unissued Duane Eddy
29 Last Date 1966 DK Jacks Beat Group Seven
30 Last Time 1970 US Plantation Harlow Wilcox & The Oakies
31 Last Date 1970 US RCA Henry Mancini
32 Last Date '72 1972 SE Polydor The Spotnicks
33 (Lost her love) on our last date (v) 1972 US MCA Conway Twitty
34 Last Date 1975 DK EMI Tommy Seebach
35 Last Date 1975 US RCA The Pridesmen
36 Last Date 1977 CA Amical Les Megatones
37 Last Date 1979 NL Killroy Peter Hill
38 Last Date 1983 UK Red Door The Rapiers
39 Last Date 1984 NL DSR The Desperates
40 Last Date 1987 I.R.S. Records R.E.M.
41 Last Date 1990 NL Rarity Records The Red Angels
42 Last Date 1991 NL MC demo The Spectacles
43 Last Date 1992 NL AMR The Shakin' Arrows
44 Last Date 1994 NL Rarity Records The Classics
45 Last Date 1995 SE T-Cats Records The T-Cats
46 Last Date 1995 NL demo Gerard Javalin
47 Last Date 1997 BE/NL Rarity Records The Boys
48 Last Date '97 1997 SE Riverside The Spotnicks
49 Last Date (live) 1998 SE Live Goteborg The Spotnicks
50 Last Date 1999 NL Rarity Records The Blue Comets
51 Last Date (live) 2001 SE/NL Rarity Records The Invaders
52 Last Date (live) 2001 US Yep Roc Records Los Straitjackets
53 Last Date 2002 UK Heroic Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes
54 Last Date '03 2003 SE Wista The Spotnicks
55 Last Date 2004 NL Bluedevils The Blue Devils
56 Last Date 2004 NL MaBi Ronny Flohr & Oriental Four
57 Last Date 2004 SE MVD The Goldfingers
58 Last Date 2006 NL HJDM Dixie Aces
…

WILD WEEKEND

Music: Phil Todaro - Tom Shannon (1959)

The Rockin’ Rebels! They achieved fame with just two hit tunes. ‘Wild Weekend’ and “Rockin’ Crickets’ in 1963 – but what makes this group unique is that the two recordings were by two completely different groups, and in fact, a total of at least six bands participated in this venture in one fashion or another! Their story began in 1959.

tunes, news and weather - this is the spot where things get better - on the, Tommy Shannon show, KB radio, KB radio……
Those words were part of the Jingle new DJ Tom Shannon used for his radio show at WKBW 1520 AM in Buffalo, New York. His music partner Phil Todaro had a studio in Buffalo. One day in the Summer of 1959 the Russ Hallett Trio (Binghamton, NY) were recording. Tom Shannon asked them to compose a jingle for him and according to Russ Hallett, his trio "Wrote the words and music for the song", and "It got airplay every thirty minutes back then". The lyrics were sung by Russ Hallett. The original Jingle was much longer and had some repetition to it. The melody is the basis for what became 'Wild Weekend'.

THE REBELS 1959 Tom Gorman (left) - Paul Balon - Mickey Kipler - Jim Kipler (seated)

While hosting a record hop, Shannon was approached by a local high school band on the bill, the Rebels, named after Duane Eddy's backing group. The band asked Shannon if they could play an instrumental version of his theme song. Shannon hadn't thought of the tune as an instrumental, but after hearing the group's version of it, he quickly booked them into a studio. Released on Todaro and Shannon's own Marlee label - named after the girlfriends of owners Tom Shannon (Marva Hoffman) and Phil Todaro (Lee Howe ) - in 1959, the record sold fairly wel in eastern US, kicking up enough noise to secure the band a spot on Dick Clark's Amercian Bandstand. It was at this point that Clark told Shannon it was unwise to continue calling the group by the same name as Duane Eddy's nationally known backing group, and on their next two Marlee releases, the group became known as the Buffalo Rebels. ’Buffalo Blues’ follows the same general theme as ‘Weekend’ and is a more effective record. The tempo is more workable and the feel is undeniably bluesier.

The Russ Hallett trio was furious. Not at the Rebels for recording it, but at Shannon and Todaro for not giving them any credit for the words or melody. Their names were nowhere in sight. They tried to go back to the studio and get their original tapes, but the studio was gone.

By 1962, the Rebels had terminated their relationship with Tom Shannon, because they weren't getting paid. Tom Shannon was in the army, stationed at Fort Dixon in New Jersey. During this time, another DJ (Syracuse, New York's Jimmy O'Brien) had started using the three-year-old record as the theme song for his show. This caught the ear of Swan Records president Bernie Binnick, who tracked down Shannon and struck a lease deal for the master. This time, the single hit the national charts, rising to the number eight spot on the national charts in early 1963. The record actually entered the Billboard charts charts in December of 1962. In March of 1963, they made their debut on the R+B chart listings. The name change on the label to The Rockin’ Rebels was necessary to avoid confusion with Duane Eddy's band.

But the story gets more interesting from here, as Todaro and Shannon found themselves with a hit record but no band to record the follow-up. Fortunately, the same time they had been cutting the (Buffalo) Rebels, they also released a 45 on their Shan-Todd label by a Canadian group called Big John Little and the Rockers. Renamed the Hot Toddys, their "Rockin' Crickets" was originally released in March of 1959 and actually made the national charts, peaking out at number 57. It had a sound close enough to the Rebels to make it worthy of resuscitation as the follow-up to "Wild Weekend," while the vocal flip side ("Shakin' and Stompin'") was deemed outdated and unusable. So another local group, the Jesters, was pressed into service to contribute the flip, "Hully Gully Rock," and the subsequent album. By now, Todaro's and Shannon's Rockin' Rebels project had been responsible for three national hits from just two records, the tracks themselves being made by three entirely separate bands who, in total, had worked under at least six different names. Although the Jesters produced more Rockin' Rebels tracks than any of the other configurations, they were the only ones to not have a hit record to their credit.

And in one final, oddball addendum to this confusing story, Swan re-released "Wild Weekend" in 1966 and featured yet another group on the flipside. So in a minor footnote to rock history, Kathy Lynn and the Playboys' "Donkey Twine" became the last incarnation of the Rockin' Rebels on vinyl. At least for now, perhaps.

Thanks goes to 'piroe' for his contribution.
More info about: The Rockin' Rebels

01 Jingle DJ Tommy Shannon 1959 US KB Radio Buffalo, NY Russ Hallett Trio
02 Wild Weekend 1959 US Marlee The Rebels
03 Wild Weekend Cha-Cha 1959 US Marlee The Rebels
04 Wild Weekend 1960 US Jazz Annie The Tremolos
05 Buffalo Blues 1960 US Marlee The Buffalo Rebels
06 Wild Weekend 1961 AU W&G The Thunderbirds
07 Wild Weekend 1963 US Del-Fi The Lively Ones
08 Wild Weekend 1963 US DOT The Surfaris (= The Challengers)
09 Rumblers' Wild Weekend 1963 US Downey The Rumblers
10 Wild Weekend 1963 US Park Ave Johnny Fortune
11 Wild Weekend 1963 US Epic Bobby Gregg & Friends
12 Wild Weekend 1963 CA Dart The Spitfires
13 Wild Weekend 1963 US W.B. The Routers
14 Wild Weekend 1963 US World Pacific The De-Fenders
15 Another Wild Weekend 1963 US Swan The Rockin' Rebels
16 Wild Weekend 1964 FR Philips Joey & The Showmen
17 Wild Weekend 1964 CA ARC The Offbeats
18 Wild Weekend 1964 JP Teichiku Terry & The Blue Jeans
19 Wild Weekend (v) 1964 US unissued The Rivieras
20 Wild Weekend 1964 US Vitaphonic demo The Iguanas
21 Wild Weekend 1973 US Karma Sutra Sha Na Na
22 Wild Weekend 1980 SE Jan The Silent Rockers
23 Wild Weekend 1987 US Kix4u Jon & The Nightriders
24 It's a wild weekend (v) 1989 US Virgin NRBQ
25 Wild Weekend 1997 AU Canetoad The Thunderbirds
26 Wild Weekend 1998 DE NPR The Cruncher

CARAVAN (1965-2002)

Music: Juan Tizol - Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1936)
Lyrics: Irving Mills (1936)

"Caravan" has been recorded so many times that a radio station could play a different version of the song for 24 hours straight without a repetition.
More versions: Caravan 1936-1964 (69 tracks)

No. 01) 'Caravan' with a drum solo from The Ventures (recorded live in Japan) is probably one of the most widely discussed rock instrumental of that era - "Caravan". This classic Tizol/Ellington/Mills number is reborn at the hands of the Ventures. It goes all the way back to their first album in 1960 (where Bob Bogle played lead on it). It can take a long time to appreciate all the esoteric skill that went into this live performance. Nokie Edwards, once again, has three solos that have left many guitarists scratching their heads, and Mel Taylor serves up a perfect solo of his own. The bass solo heard in the tune is Mel playing the low "E" of Bob Bogle's bass with his drumsticks while Bob fingers the correct notes. The Ventures did not invent this routine - it goes back to Gene Krupa playing a tune called "Big Noise from Winnetka" with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 40's, but it is still a great stage bit in live performance. Nokie also - and effortlessly - uses a dazzling bag of tricks that only guitarists would recognize and appreciate for their tremendous technique. This is the first clearly recorded example (in the last solo), of Nokie using both the flat pick and his fingers in a hybrid picking style - something that has become the mainstay of his live performances today.

'Caravan' from The Ventures became one of the most popular rock instrumentals in Japan in 1965 and was covered by many bands.

THE VENTURES - CARAVAN (Shindig! TV Show February 1965)

01 Caravan (live) 1965 US/JP Liberty The Ventures
02 Caravan 1965 JP Toshiba Terry & The Blue Jeans
03 Caravan '65 1965 BE Arcade The Jokers
04 Caravan 1965 BR CBS The Youngsters
05 Caravan 1965 BR Coledisc The Crazy Boys
06 Caravana 1965 ES Regal Los Rockeros
07 Caravana 1965 CL RCA Los Rockets
08 Caravan 1965 JP Ace The Highways
09 Caravan 1965 JP acetate The Five Suns
10 Caravan 1965 JP Polydor Okada Tomomitsu & The Caravan
11 Caravan 1965 JP Toshiba Jimmy Takeuchi & The Exiters
12 Caravan 1965 JP Victor The Spacemen
13 Caravan 1965 JP Victor The Spiders
14 Caravan 1965 US Accant Buddy Merrill
15 Caravan 1965 US DOT The String-A-Longs
16 Caravan 1965 US Lafayette The Virtues
17 Caravan 1966 BR RCA The Secrets
18 Caravan 1966 CA Tradition Les Megatones
19 Caravan 1966 JP GMC The Black Nights
20 Caravan '66 1966 JP King Terry & The Blue Jeans
21 Caravan 1966 JP King The Sharp Five
22 Caravan 1966 JP Teichiku Hiroshi Tsutsumi & his All Stars Wagon
23 Caravan 1966 SE Swedisc The Caretakers
24 Caravan 1966 US Musicor Vinnie Bell
25 Cip a vanna 1966 US/MX Orfeon Bill Haley & his Comets
26 Caravan (live) 1967 JP Columbia The Blue Comets
27 Caravan 1967 US Imperial Jimmy Bryant
28 Caravan 1967 US Live at the Apollo James Brown Band
29 Caravan 1968 BR Equipe The Pop's
30 Caravan 1968 DE Polydor Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra
31 Caravan 1968 US Decca Les Paul
32 Caravan (live) 1968 US/SE Sonet Bill Haley & The Comets
33 Caravan 1969 BE Palette The Flying Guitar
34 Caravan 1969 JP Fontana The Goldfingers
35 Caravan '69 1969 JP King Terry & The Blue Jeans
36 Caravan 1970 UK Fontana Bert Weedon
37 Caravan '71 1971 JP Canyon The Sharp Five
38 Caravan 1972 JP Rich The Galantmen
39 Caravan 1976 US RCA Chet Atkins & Les Paul (Chester & Lester)
40 Caravan 1980 AU J&B Peter Hood
41 Caravan (rehearsal) 1980 NL rehearsal The Moving Strings
42 Caravan 1980 US Tridex The Ventures
43 Caravan 1983 BR The Bumblebees
44 Caravan 1985 NL Rocker The Black Bandits
45 Caravan 1986 JP King Terry Terauchi & Nokie Edwards
46 Caravan 1988 FI Goofin' Records Lester Peabody
47 Caravan 1989 FI Dojo Laika & The Cosmonauts
48 Caravan 1993 US HighTone Dick Dale
49 Skaravan 1993 UK Skazz Jazz Jamaica
50 Caravan 1997 AU Canetoad The Thunderbirds
51 Caravan '99 1999 US V-Gold The Ventures
52 Caravan (live) 2000 US DGM California Guitar Trio
53 Caravan 2000 US Vavoom! Brian Setzer Orchestra
54 Caravan 2002 NL Rarity Records AdVenture
55 Caravan 2002 NL Rarity Records Leo Bennink & The Black Albinos
…

CARAVAN (1936-1964)

Music: Juan Tizol - Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1936)
Lyrics: Irving Mills (1936)

Caravan has been recorded so many times that a radio station could play a different version of the song for 24 hours straight without a repetition. It has been called the first Latin jazz song, but it owes much to Middle Eastern influences as well.
More versions: Caravan 1965-2002 (55 tracks)

As was true for many of Ellington’s compositions, the idea for "Caravan" originated with a musician in his band, trombonist Juan Tizol (born San Juan, Puerto Rico, 20 January 1900; died Inglewood, California, 23 April 1984). He joined Ellington's orchestra in 1929 and remained with him for the next 15 years. Ellington frequently wrote arrangements that took advantage of Tizol’s mastery of the valve trombone, pairing him with saxophones and trumpets.

Mills, who wrote the lyrics for "Caravan", served as the manager of the Ellington band from 1926 to 1939. In addition, he sang on some of their recordings and wrote the lyrics for a number of Ellington songs that became popular standards: "Mood Indigo", "Solitude", "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", "Sophisticated Lady" and others. He was instrumental in getting the Ellington band booked into the Cotton Club in 1927, which was a major step in Ellington’s career.

Tizol sold the "Caravan" song rights to Irving Mills, Ellington’s publisher and manager, for $25. At that time it was customary to pay royalties as a flat settlement fee, but when the song became a hit, Tizol requested a share of the royalties and Mills agreed.

Around the same time that publisher and manager Irving Mills was writing the lyrics for “Caravan,” he was launching two new record labels, Master and Variety. Of the two labels, Variety was reserved for new talent and experimental projects. Helen Oakley, the wife of journalist Stanley Dance, was its A & R (artist and repertoire) manager. She suggested to Mills that they try some small group recordings using musicians from the Ellington Orchestra. Given the go-ahead, Oakley arranged for a number of sessions, one of which included the December 19, 1936, Los Angeles recording of “Caravan” by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopaters. With Bigard on clarinet, the Jazzopaters consisted of Cootie Williams (trumpet), Juan Tizol (valve trombone), Harry Carney (baritone sax), Duke Ellington (piano), Billy Taylor (bass), and Sonny Greer (drums). According to the Variety ledgers "Caravan" was originally titled as "Caravan of Love".
Though the Jazzopator hit proved the feasibility of Oakley’s idea, both the Variety and Master labels were defunct before the close of 1937 due, in part, to stiff business competition.

The Mills Brothers - Caravan (no instruments!)

No.01+02) “Caravan” by Barney Bigard & his Jazzopaters entered the Pop charts on June 1937 and peaked at #20. Duke Ellington & his Orchestra with their recording from May 14, 1937 on Master (another label from Irving Mills) entered the Pop Charts a month later. Peak postion #4 (18 weeks on the charts).

No.04) The vocal version by Billy Eckstine with the Hugo Winterhalter's Orchestra on M-G-M entered the Pop Charts on April 23, 1949. Peak position: #27.

No.05+06) Here's another curious twist: "Caravan” was revived in 1953, when the instrumental recording by The Esquire Boys (Rainbow) entered the Pop Charts on February 21, peaking at #27 (1 week on the charts). Their guitarist Danny Cedrone was also the lead guitar player on the legendary Bill Haley and his Comets recording of April 12, 1954 "(We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" (Decca). Cedrone died of a broken neck after falling down a staircase in June 17, 1954. Notable as well is his Les Paul-ish use of slapping the strings to simulate a drum on the outro and the use of tape echo.
This record competed against the version of Ralph Marterie & his Orchestra. The guitar part was ripped off - note for note -from the Esquire Boys record. Ralph Marterie had a million-seller peaking at #6.

No.13+14) "Caravan" part 1 and 2 were recorded at Ramsey Recorders in Phoenix Arizona in July 1957 with the following musicians: Al Casey (lead gt.), Duane Eddy (guitar), Corki Casey (guitar), Buddy Wheeler (bass), Robert Taylor (drums) and unknown bariton saxophones. "Ramrod" was also recorded at this session and together with "Caravan" (part 1) released on Ford. Caravan Part 1 and 2 were also released for the first time together in 1961 on the Gregmark label and Parlophone (UK).

No.28+59) The Ventures have recorded "Caravan" many time in their long career. They used the arrangement from The Esquire Boys/Ralph Marterie. For the first time on their debut album "Walk don't run" in 1960 and the second recording featuring their drummer Mel Taylor in 1963. Live on stage he always played a long drum solo.

No.69) Wes Montgomery's jazz guitar version became very popular in Holland, because it was used as tune for the AVRO TV show "Wie van de drie"

01 Caravan 1936 US Variety Barney Bigard & his Jazzopators
02 Caravan 1937 US Master Duke Ellington & his Orchestra
03 Caravan 1938 US Decca The Mills Brothers
04 Caravan 1945 US V-Disc (Decca) Les Paul & his Trio
05 Caravan (v) 1949 US MGM Billy Eckstine with Hugo Winterhalter & Orch.
06 Caravan 1953 US Rainbow The Esquire Boys (ft. Danny Cedrone)
07 Caravan 1953 US Mercury Ralph Marterie
08 Caravan 1954 US RCA Chet Atkins
09 Caravan 1955 US Decca Lenny Dee
10 Caravan 1956 US Tampa Plas Johnson Quartet
11 Caravan (v) 1957 US Capitol Nat King Cole
12 Caravan 1957 US Columbia Michel Legrand
13 Caravan 1957 US Ford Duane Eddy
14 Caravan Pt.2 1957 US Gregmark (1961) Duane Eddy
15 Caravan 1957 US RCA Morton Gould
16 Caravan 1958 US HiFi Records Arthur Lyman
17 Caravan 1958 US Skylark The Penetrators
18 Caravan 1958 US Stepheny Bobby Christian
19 Caravan 1959 FR Barclay Pierre Cavalli
20 Caravan 1959 US Can-Am Santo & Johnny
21 Caravan 1959 US Cover Lynn Vernon
22 Caravan rock 1959 US Flag The Polk Brothers
23 Caravan 1959 US Liberty Martin Denny
24 Caravan 1959 US RM The Atmospheres
25 Caravan '59 1959 US Decca Lenny Dee
26 Caravan 1960 US Everest Dick Hyman
27 Caravan 1960 US Everest Gordon Jenkins
28 Caravan 1960 US Dolton The Ventures
29 Caravan 1960 US Cuca The Caravans
30 Caravan 1960 UK John Lever The Apex Group
31 Caravan 1960 US Mercury Tom & Jerry
32 Caravan 1961 DE Polydor Hazy Osterwald Sextett
33 Caravan 1961 FI Manhattan Heikki Laurila
34 Caravan 1961 UK PYE The Checkmates
35 Caravan 1961 UK/FR Polydor Dava Dacosta & The Strollers
36 Caravan 1961 US Soma The Fendermen
37 Caravana Twist 1961 US/MX Dimsa/Orfeon Bill Haley & his Comets
38 Caravan (live) 1962 NL Live The Hague Ren� & the Alligators
39 Caravan (demo) 1962 UK/FR demo Nero & The Gladiators
40 Caravan (radio) 1962 UK BBC radio The Scorpions
41 Caravan 1962 UK Decca Stanley Black
42 Caravan (radio) 1962 UK radio The Fentones
43 Caravan 1962 US Imperial Sandy Nelson
44 Afro-Caravan 1962 US Love Cozy Cole
45 Caravan 1962 US RCA The Three Suns
46 Caravan 1962 US Rendezvous B. Bumble & The Stingers
47 Caravan 1962 ZA CBS The Diamonds
48 Caravan 1963 BE Marshall The Jokers
49 Caravan 1963 BR Chantecler The Jet Black's
50 Caravana 1963 ES Philips Los Sonor
51 Caravan 1963 FR Decca The Sunlights
52 Caravane 1963 FR Vogue Les Fantomes
53 Caravan 1963 NL Delta The Moving Strings
54 Caravan (demo) 1963 NL demo Don Devil & The Drifters
55 Caravan 1963 NZ Viking Peter Posa
56 Caravan 1963 UK Windsor Rhet Stoller
57 Caravan (v) 1963 US CBS Ray Conniff & his Orchestra & Chorus
58 Caravan 1963 US Challenge The Rhythm Rockers
59 Caravan '63 1963 US Liberty The Ventures
60 Caravan 1963 US Stacy Al Casey
61 Caravan (radio) 1963 UK BBC radio The Moonrakers
62 Caravan 1964 AU HMV The Epics
63 Caravan 1964 CA Meteor Les Tetes Blanches (The Hou-Lops)
64 Caravana 1964 ES Fontana Los Agaros
65 Caravan 1964 US Capitol Roy Clark
66 Caravan 1964 US Garex The Cornells
67 Caravan 1964 UY/AR VIK Los Iracundos
68 Caravan 1964 IT Togo The Constellations
69 Caravan 1964 US Verve Wes Montgomery
…