Defeating boredom...one mp3 at a time!





Cole Porter songs are everywhere! Vocalists revere his witty lyrics, jazz musicians praise his melodic structure, and for 50 years most Americans could whistle or hum along with his tunes. Record companies knew that including a Porter ditty (or two...or even devoting an entire lp) would increase sales, and, as a result, every thrift store crawls with these songs, each flea market stall is rife with them, and if you see a stack of dusty vinyl at a yard sale...well, the odds are good that someone is interpreting classic Cole.







This blog is a humble attempt to offer some of the more unusual/rare/overlooked versions from the Porter canon. Most come from forgotten vinyl, some may come from other sources, none will come from official discography. I'm not here to steal from the record companies. If you see something that is available from Amazon.com please let me know and it will be removed.







I'm no expert on the "great American songbook." I grew up a rabid punk rocker who loved (and still loves) The Ramones, Sex Pistols, and all things Beefheart. My dad loved Broadway, though, and even as I ridiculed his collection of bland records, I was apparently absorbing every song on My Fair Lady, South Pacifiic, and Kiss Me Kate. I can still remember the first time I heart Porter's Lets Do It...did someone just say "Lithuanian and Lats do it?" Hey, I'm Lithuanian! Dad...lets listen to that song again. It sounded so corny when I was a teenager. These days it just sounds good.







The Porter Quarter gets its name from the simple fact that many of the records heard here were purchased for a quarter. Then it occured to me this blog might be considered as a destination...in the same way The Latin Quarter is an actual place. And it rhymes!



















Saturday, February 6, 2010

Eartha Kitt sings Night and Day

Still working on the turntable...installed a new Shure cartridge last night. Currently charging my minidisc recorder. Don't laugh at the minidisc format - Sony no longer produces them, but the last model could record a PCM flow, AND you could actually upload onto your computer for audio "tweaking." Quite a handy device for the vinyl lovers out there. Anyway, just to throw a tune your way, here is an AM radio broadcast from New York city. Its really a shame that somebody edited out the dialogue...Eartha Kitt can be pretty damn funny! Until a more complete recording surfaces, here is Eartha and a piano player, and someone snapping their fingers. http://www.box.net/shared/k9vxd3vkci
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