[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/BabyLover.flv 352 240]
From 1958 to ’59, Pet was swung around so hard from one image and style to another it’s a wonder she didn’t get whiplash. First, she was a Pop singer, doing a movie tune that sounds like a variation of “Little Darlin’.” It’s called “Baby Lover”.
What? You thought we were done with Ross Bagdasarian and the Chipmunks?? Bwaa hah ha! No way.
“Alvin’s Harmonica” is from 1959. The first cut on the audio player is the song as it was released. For the second take I was going to isolate the chipmunk voices where possible, slow them down, then splice them back in. Well, somebody has already done it! I don’t know who did this, but he saved me a lot of work.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JAN07/AlvinsHarmonica.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Audio/JAN07/AlvinsHarmonicaSLOW.mp3]
I’m in my second round of physical therapy for a bad ankle, worn out by more than 30 years of running. The place I’m going to happens to be around the corner from 7 Tech Circle, in Natick, MA. This is an address that was familiar to me nearly 30 years ago. It was the original home of Allison Acoustics. 7 Tech Circle is a modest building, as seen in this aerial photo.
I own two pairs of Allison loudpeakers — the Model 3, purchased in 1979, and the LC-110, that I bought in 1988. Both pairs are still working perfectly. Roy Allison isn’t a household name like Amar Bose, but he is a legend in audio circles, especially in the Boston Area.
Before starting his own company, Allison designed speakers for Acoustic Research in Cambridge, MA. Motown Records went through many pairs of AR3 speakers when monitoring and mixing recordings in the 60’s.
Allison speakers sound very open and natural, favoring dispersion over detail, so they aren’t ideal for punchy studio recordings. But their virtues are immediately apparent to anybody who is familiar with live Classical music.
Besides having an excellent ear for neutral sound reproduction, Roy Allison is a true gentleman. He helped a competitor, Andy Kotsatos, start the still-extant company Boston Acoustics. (I also own a pair of Boston Acoustics A40 speakers, purchased in 1983.) Allison was put out of business during the recession of ’89-’95 in Massachusetts, when his bank called in his loans. Those were tough times around here, believe me, while the minicomputer industry was in its death throes, before the Internet boom saved us.
Roy Allison regrouped and formed a new company called RDL Acoustics, but it didn’t last long. Today he’s retired in Florida, but he’s lent his name to a new line of speakers. They sell replacement drivers for the original series, and every so often I tell myself I should buy a pair of woofers — just in case!
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/Pet1954.flv 400 320]
Here’s a big 5-year jump from the last post. I wish there were more material available from the years in between, because I’d like to know exactly when Pet was put on the wrong track after she outgrew her singing sweetheart days. Most likely it was the fault of her domineering manager-father.
Everything about the way Petula is presented in this 1954 film, with the unfortunate title “Gay Dog,” doesn’t work. She looks 30, not 21. The dress and the hair were undoubtedly the style de rigueur, but the look doesn’t suit her. Based on this clip alone it’s apparent her movie career was going to stall in England.
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/wantoftrying.flv 400 300]
After the silly kiddie stuff in The Huggetts Abroad, Petula was able to play a romantic role in Don’t Ever Leave Me, also from 1949. I hope her hair was done this way intentionally as part of the plot — otherwise, they should have fired Pet’s hairdresser!
[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/doodleoodleday.flv 400 300]
The next video in the Petula series is from the 1949 movie, The Huggetts Abroad; abroad being South Africa. This song, “Doodle Oodle Day”, is even sillier than the nonsensical “Walking Backwards” in the previous post.
