Dean Christopher & His Orchestra - Images
Ron Frangipane & His Orchestra - The Music of Laura Nyro
(Mainstream MRL-302 & 304)
It makes sense to post the following two albums together thanks to biographical and musical reasons. Before recording for Mainstream Dean Christopher and Ron Frangipane worked for Jeff Barry's label Steed mainly as arrangers. Jeff Barry achieved fame as songwriter for the Ronettes (Be My Baby), the Shangri-Las (Leader of the Pack) or as co-author of Ike and Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, to name only a few. Dean Christopher was also brother of Barry's then wife Nancy Cal Cagno. If you like to read more about Jeff Barry and Steed check this one: Jeff Barry: The Man and His Music
Christopher and Frangipane continued their collaboration on Mainstream: While Christopher played piano on Frangipane's The Music of Laura Nyro and Rated X for Excitement Frangipane on his part played piano on Christopher's Images. Both also worked on Bobby Shad & The Bad Men - A 65-Piece Rock Workship (MRL-306).
While Ron Frangipane later worked as keyboard player, arranger and producer for the likes of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Neil Diamond, Grace Slick, Dusty Springfield or Townes Van Zandt and as composer of film scores of which the one for Alejandro Jodorowsky's cult movie The Holy Mountain is the most mentionable, Dean Christopher mainly worked as journalist and writer in the advertising and entertainment sector in the decades to come returning to play and compose jazz in 1990 - check out his website for more informations about and some essays and writings by Dean Christopher himself (thx Cheeba!).
Apart from personal associations both albums also share the same concept as they feature big orchestral covers of famous pop and rock songs. Furthermore most of the musicians playing on Images also play on The Music of Laura Nyro. So where's the difference if there is one? Simply said Frangipane's album is the better one, it is more varied, complex and compelling, and it has a jazzier feel at times. Not all the songs are on the same level but be it only for gems like California Shoeshine Boys or Stoned Soul Picnic I would grab this album whereas Images does not add much to the original songs in my opinion which may have something to do with the short duration of the songs: only one exceeds 3 minutes so there is simply not much room for development. Images is not a bad album, I just doesn't make me flip out. It may be the right stuff for nostalgic moods when you're in need for some light-hearted and lively interpretations of classic songs and don't care if the strings sound a little cheesy sometimes.
While Ron Frangipane later worked as keyboard player, arranger and producer for the likes of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Neil Diamond, Grace Slick, Dusty Springfield or Townes Van Zandt and as composer of film scores of which the one for Alejandro Jodorowsky's cult movie The Holy Mountain is the most mentionable, Dean Christopher mainly worked as journalist and writer in the advertising and entertainment sector in the decades to come returning to play and compose jazz in 1990 - check out his website for more informations about and some essays and writings by Dean Christopher himself (thx Cheeba!).
Apart from personal associations both albums also share the same concept as they feature big orchestral covers of famous pop and rock songs. Furthermore most of the musicians playing on Images also play on The Music of Laura Nyro. So where's the difference if there is one? Simply said Frangipane's album is the better one, it is more varied, complex and compelling, and it has a jazzier feel at times. Not all the songs are on the same level but be it only for gems like California Shoeshine Boys or Stoned Soul Picnic I would grab this album whereas Images does not add much to the original songs in my opinion which may have something to do with the short duration of the songs: only one exceeds 3 minutes so there is simply not much room for development. Images is not a bad album, I just doesn't make me flip out. It may be the right stuff for nostalgic moods when you're in need for some light-hearted and lively interpretations of classic songs and don't care if the strings sound a little cheesy sometimes.
Ron Frangipane - California Shoeshine Boys (excerpt):
Dean Christopher - Eli's Coming:
I pass on by to list all the musicians involved as there are so many. Just click the small pics for credits and tracklists.
No recording dates and locations are given on both records, I assume 1969 or 1970, New York City.
No recording dates and locations are given on both records, I assume 1969 or 1970, New York City.
Links in comments
22 comments:
Dean Christopher - Images:
Vinyl rip, MP3 @320k or FLAC
Ron Frangipane - The Music of Laura Nyro:
Vinyl rip, MP3 @320k or FLAC1 and FLAC2
Thank man good stuff!
Good works :D, thanks for sharing, Yoda.
Many thanks for these Arekadin! I know some folks will be pretty pleased with the Frangipane (calling dr. ish) and would like to extend my gratitude on behalf of the shad shack for these. I've linked both albums to this page.
Excellent write-up too! Interesting that Frangipane and Christopher were close. I know there's not a lot out there about D.C. so appreciate the info!
@cheeba Thanks for your kind words, I wish I had your word pool - next time I'll do some copy and paste from your blog: "marshmellow of a record" or "saccharine set" would have been very suitable for the Dean Christopher ;)
There's a Dean Christopher who wrote a book called "The Loser's Guide to Personal Failure: At Least 100 Secrets That Will Guarantee Self-Destruction"
About the author ("playing jazz piano", "he spent 8 years in the music business in New York"):
http://www.aguidetofailure.com/About.shtml
Our Dean Christopher?
Cheers!
I think you sleuthed this one out Sherlock - my guess is yes. Compare the pics on the authors' blog here
http://christopherreport.com/?page_id=2
with the pic in the LP. He definitely looks like the same guy + 40 yrs if you ask me.
Hi love The Music of Laura Nyro album grabbed it a while back will try the other one
Hey re your Palcoscenico blog dont forget to add a link on Flying Dutchman blog :)
@cheeba I saw the pictures and thought the same: could be him. But why doesn't he mention his work for Steed and Mainstream then? Nothing to be ashamed of, I'd say.
@Reza I guess you'll like at least one song of Dean Christopher's album, the Nyro-cover "Eli's coming", the rest may be a little too easy... ;)
Vain as I am I would have added a link on Flying Dutch on the same day I started Palcoscenico but I'm just a poor lil' author having no admin rights.... Master Reza carries heavy burden, Arkadin knows. Heavy, heavy burden - give him the ring, er, the key! ;)
Thought I had :(
Done now, link away
I love easy, don't judge book by its cover lol
Hey Arkadin, if it is the same person, I don't think he's embarrassed by that output. He's had a looong list of accomplishments since then (espionage, madison avenue, authoring books, etc) and he doesn't seem like the type of guy to rest on his laurels and live in the past. Those recordings were made 40 years ago and if it's the same cat, they truly seem a lot less interesting than his activities since!
Anyway, hopefully we will get a definitive answer from Mr. Christopher himself since I have posted a question on his blog asking him if he is the same fellow. We'll see if he answers!
Well, that was quick. CONFIRMED. Same guy!
http://christopherreport.com/?page_id=16
@cheeba Thanks for diggin' even deeper! I really like this kind of detective work and it's satisfying to see an assumption proved right.
Mr. Christopher seems to be a nice guy, so I hope my review of his album is not too harsh. It's just my amateurisch opinion anyway, others may disagree.
@Reza Added my bonsai-blog - thanks a lot, mate! :)
Thanks, Arkadin!
Looking forward to hearing this. If I had realized you were posting more gems I would surely have cut short my vacation and returned sooner from Puerto Rico....
@Ish No need to cut short your vacation because of Mr. Christopher (you already know the Frangipane, don't you?) but thanks for leaving a comment having just come back from vacation - welcome back, hope you had a good time! :)
Thanks Arkadin!
Seems to be an easy-listening explosion on the jazz blogs right now, must be summer in your hemosphere I think :)
@Simon Agree with you, it's quite easy and laid-back in blogland right now, it's simply to hot and sticky for complex and demanding music, at least for my dozy brain but wait until autumn when I'll switch to your stormy header pic and start a free jazz series blowing away your stereo... ,)
I was actually going to suggest that it was time to switch to the alternate Arkadin's Ark header, you're a big enough boy now :)
Hey Arkadin! Gotta side with Reza's words of wisdom... easy listenin' can be gratifying when it is well-played - plus context is everything!
That Nyro cover album is the better of the two but there are some good moments on the Dean Christopher set. His arrangement of Lay Lady Lay is great and well-executed by the ensemble IMHO.
@cheeba Agree with you, "Lay, Lady, Lay" is a nugget and my favorite song on this album along with "Eli's Coming" showing Christopher's potential as arranger - too bad, he didn't record much more than "Images".
Hey Arkadin!
Just wanted to pass along the following comment from Dean, Seems he tried to leave one and wasn't successful so he asked me to send it your way:
Hey Cheeba,
I saw the “Ark” blog comment on the “Images” album from 1967. Tried to reply, but I don’t know if my comment got posted (remember, I’m a techno-dunce). Funny thing is, and maybe you could pass it along, is that I completely agree with his assessment. The album WAS soft — that was the assignment Bobby Shad gave me. He wanted “easy,” so that’s what he got. My personal taste is for jazz and classical, but you have to deliver what they’re paying you for. The reviewer’s choice of “Eli’s Coming” was one I would have selected as one of the better ones. (The others are “Sound Of Silence” and “Scarborough Fair.”) I haven’t heard the album in 25 years or more, and wonder if I even have one! Anyway, if you get this message, please send my compliments to (is his name Arkady?) on his well researched and intelligent blog. In recent years I’ve returned to playing and writing jazz — but NOT for a living! For that I’ll stick to journalism, books and advertising. Have a fine weekend! Regards from Dean
If you like, you can reply to him in the thread here:
http://christopherreport.com/?p=116#comments
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