One of the most common vintage microphones on Ebay is the Electro-Voice Slimair 636. You can usually get it for less than $100, which is a good bargain for those starting a collection. My guess is that since there’s quite a few being sold out there and it doesn’t quite have the 50’s look, people don’t really pay much attention to it. The EV 636 actually has the slim design that became so popular in the 60’s, and is still being used today.
I’m kind of a kid when I buy vintage microphones. I like to open them and look at all the parts inside. So when a mic offers such an easy access to the element, you can bet that I’m going to check it out. Compared to other vintage microphones, the element is pretty small. And it does look like it’s quite fragile. But it has a nice, crisp sound to it. I’d also have to guess that it’s pretty reliable, since all the EV 636’s I have, work. Besides, if the likes of Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, and Billie Holiday used this model in the past, it certainly can’t be a bad mic.
Gene Vincent
You can download the spec sheet for the EV 636 here.
It’s hard to imagine a 60’s hit starting out with “I was working in my lab, late one night…”. Let alone a song that sounded like it was made for a Halloween party. But then again, when Michael Jackson’s Thriller came out, I don’t think many people could imagine themselves dancing to it. All that would come to your mind was the music video and Vincent Price’s laughter at the end. Nevertheless, just like Thriller, Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash had what it took to make kids of all ages dance to it.
The year was 1962. Bobby Pickett, who wanted to be an actor, ended up in a vocal group called The Cordials. They would sing hits like Little Darlin’, with Bobby exercising his acting abilities by emulating Boris Karloff’s voice (a famous horror movie actor) during the monologue in the middle of the song. At the time, The Twist and the Mashed Potato Time were hot tunes on the radio, and they wanted something that would fit right in. One day, with fellow group member Leonard Capizzi at the piano, they started talking about how audiences loved Bobby’s rendition of Karloff. It was Leonard who suggested, “maybe the Frankenstein monster should start a dance craze”.
You’d think it would be all downhill from there, but they had some trouble releasing it. No record label wanted it. It was not until they showed it to Gary Paxton, who changed the group name to Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, that it really started getting noticed. Paxton produced the song and distributed about 1,000 singles to radio stations. Monster Mash (name inspired by Dee Dee Sharp’s hit) got on the fast track to becoming a #1 Billboard hit.
Bobby Pickett and The Beach Boys
Some people say that Monster Mash ruined Bobby’s life, since everything he did after that was somehow related to the song. But what if they had never written Monster Mash? Would The Cordials launch themselves to stardom in another way? Or would their biggest achievement have been being heard in a small town radio station? Having a song that’s still a hit 50 years later, even though it was called by Elvis himself the dumbest thing he ever heard, is not something anyone can imagine having on their life’s resumé. I’m glad Bobby and Leonard came up with that song. It’s something that amuses me ever since I was a kid. I think it just might have enough gas to go on for another 50 years.
Just for fun, I found the video below on YouTube, of a family that puts on a light show every Halloween. I’d like to see it as an extremely well done tribute to Bobby.
About a month ago I bought this unkown microphone on Ebay. On the listing, the seller stated it looked like a "Trix" mic, but the photo of the "Trix" that he had uploaded looked more like a Grampian that anything else. But I didn't worry too much about not knowing who made the mic. Since it came at a good price, I thought it had the potential to be a good project.
The microphone's element and magnet.
When it arrived, I took a good look at the design and the materials used to make it. I'd have to guess it's European. Maybe made in the UK. Inside, it has a huge magnet, which makes the whole mic weigh about 1,55kg (3.4 lbs). On the back of the magnet there's a clue that one day might help identify the microphone. It has "LS" (or "SL") engraved on it. I don't think they are initials of a past owner, since taking out the magnet was a bit difficult. Besides, people would usually engrave on the outside body of the mic.
Like I said in an earlier post, I usually don't like to mess around with the color or chroming of vintage mics. It's like taking its soul away from it. But since it came in such bad shape, I decided to chrome it. I had a hard time sanding it down to take out most of the imperfections, but I think came out alright. Although, after it was finished, I did question myself if it would look better if I had painted the back part of the mic black, so it would resemble the original thing.
If you know anything about this microphone, please feel free to share your information. By the way, the one special thing about it, is that it still works! The DS rarity scale: 10/10.
Between the 40’s and early 50’s, big bands made a lot of success with their upbeat rhythms. But they also had slow, mellow songs, which were made famous by the sweet, melodic voices of crooners.
In the 50’s, kids continued to want romantic songs, but it was probably hard for them to relate to crooners in their 30’s/40’s. Teens needed idols that had the same age, which would sing about their romantic experiences or that special girl on their block.
Who would have thought that a crush for your younger brother and sister’s babysitter would give you a #1 hit in the US, UK, and #2 in Germany? Diana was one of Paul Anka’s first songs, and it launched him to stardom right away. When Diana Ayoub, 20 years old at the time, babysat for his younger siblings, he was only 15. She had no interest in him, which was probably better for Anka to express his unmatched feelings in a poem, and later turn it into a song. Diana sold over 10 million copies all over the world, only second to White Christmas, as the best selling single of all time. Nothing like starting your career at 16 with a #1 hit.
Anka proved to the world that he was here to stay, by recording You Are My Destiny the following year. By now, teens had endorsed him as a musical spokesperson for young love. And in turn, he embraced this role by writing more hit songs. And not only for himself. He also wrote It Doesn’t Matter Anymore for Buddy Holly, and for other artists, such as Pat Boone and Connie Francis.
In 1959 he continued to be a success. He starred in his first movie, Girls Town, in which he sang Lonely Boy, another US #1. Right after that, Put Your Head On My Shoulder hit the charts. It only got to the second place in the US because of Bobby Darin’s Mack The Knife.
After making millions of kids dream of their school sweethearts, it was time for Paul to forget Diana and move on to have a real relationship. The one person that made him forget his platonic love for an older woman was Annette Funicello. She was one year younger than him, and at the time already a singer and a Walt Disney TV show presenter. The future star of beach-themed movies (along with Frankie Avalon), convinced Anka to write some songs for her next album. But before sparks could fly a bit higher, Walt Disney himself ended this starting relationship. Like always, it was all about appearances and professional image. Nevertheless, Anka did get one more hit when he recorded Puppy Love, inspired by this partially fulfilled passion.
Annette Funicello and Paul Anka
By the early 60’s, Paul Anka started to focus musically on the adult market. But his business smarts continued to blossom. He was already an underage millionaire, and made another bold move by buying the rights to his old masters. He also starred in more movies, hosted TV shows, wrote over 125 compositions (including the opening for The Tonight Show), and launched his own record label (Spanka).
He continued his career and today, is still a name mentioned in the music business. In 2007, Paul Anka released Classic Songs, My Way, with contemporary artists such as Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Bublé. I guess Anka will always be someone you can expect more from.
In the 50’s, things were more simple. The small city groups and singers could launch for stardom by getting a DJ to play their record, cut at a small local studio. Small agents could find talent at sock hops, at a neighborhood garage, or at the nearest street corner. You get the picture. Even so, there must have been a lot of talented vocal groups who never had a shot, or could have come very close to making it to the mainstream galaxy of Rock n’ Roll stars, but never made it. A bad agent, or the lack of, lyrics that just weren’t good enough, or never being at the right place, at the right time. There are so many reasons for not making it to the top, that many harmonious voices were bound to fade away into oblivion.
Fast forward to the 80’s, when things really got to a much more commercial level. It was probably harder for the wannabe star. I would imagine that getting a top music company executive to listen to a demo tape was something almost impossible in a lifetime.
Jump forward to 2012. As you get out of the DeLorean lent by Marty McFly, things start to get simpler again. Although it’s still difficult to be noticed just by walking through the lobby of a big recording company, there are now ways to reach notoriety even for those who never thought about being known all over the world. We are now living in the digital world, where things can spread from Rio de Janeiro to Hong Kong like wildfire, in a matter of minutes. In other words, your 15 minutes of fame can be stretched for years.
Ever since YouTube opened the doors of revolutionary communication, video sharing was never the same. And although not everything you see online deserves your full attention, there are many who make the most of this chance. I’d say that the smart ones are learning more and more how to make the most of this social tool.
Sayaka Alessandra is one of these people. This former Sky Italia TV presenter started uploading videos around 2008. Although you would never imagine a half Japanese half Sicilian girl, who lived in places such as Bangladesh and India, sing 50’s/60’s hits, that’s exactly how she surprises us. A great Elvis fan, she has a very cool singing flavor with her deep intonations in some of her covers. It’s a delight to listen and see her home performances. And as you can see by the videos, it’s not just about the singing. She looks like she’s really having fun, which makes you enjoy the videos even more.
As she made success through YouTube, she went on to live performances, and recorded more songs. Some of the new ones are on her Myspace page and YouTube, and sound like that they were recorded in a studio. But I have to say, my favorite songs will always be the homemade videos that made her famous. Maybe someday, after she accomplishes her accolades, she might go back to basics.
