Genre: pop
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: The Globe Trotters
Company: Kirshner
Catalog: KES-108
Year: 1970
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: gimmick gatefold cover
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 4948
Price: $100.00
Spurred on by the massive commercial successes of The Archies, the early 1970s found every major television network rushing to capitalize on the trend. CBS television was no different, eagerly green-lighting Don Kirshner's Harlem Globetrotters cartoon series (1970-73).
For his part, as the consummate marketing professional Kirshner made sure that the television series was accompanied by a tie-in record - 1970's "The Globetrotters" (coincidently released on the Kirshner label). Produced by Jeff Barry, the results were certainly commercial, but in a number of ways were quite different from your standard bubblegum outing. First off, in spite of the name check, participation by The Globetrotters was apparently rather limited - Globetrotter front man Meadowlark Lemon adding occasional background vocals. The rest of the album was turned over to Kirshner's stable of hired guns, including Barry, Ron Dante, and the team of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. Unlike most Kirshner bubblegum efforts, this one abandoned the typical top-40 attack in favor of a distinctive soul feel. That influence undoubtedly reflected un-credited contributions from a number of largely forgotten late-1950s/early-1960s groups, including J.R. Bailey and The Cadillacs ('Rainy Day Bells'), Billy Guy and The Coasters ('Sneaky Pete'), Johnny Moore and The Drifters ('Marathon Mary') and The Platters. Perhaps the biggest surprise is simply the fact that pop guys like Sedaka and Greenfield or Rudy Clark could write something as funky as 'River Queen' or 'Gravy'. Elsewhere two singles were pulled from the LP:
-
1970's 'Cheer Me Up' b/w 'Gravy' (Kirshner
catalog number 63-5006)
- 1970's 'Rainy Day Bells' b/w 'Meadowlark' (Kirshner 63-5008)
Cool LP that I don't think has ever seen a CD reissue. Came with a nifty gimmick cover.
"The Globe
Trotters" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) The Globetrotter's Theme (Jeff Barry) - 0:41
2.) Globetrottin' (Jeff Barry) - 2:19
3.) Bouncin' All Over the World (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:01
4.) Sneaky Pete (R. Clark - J.R. Bailey - K. Williams) - 2:45
5.) Marathon Mary (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:06
6.) River Queen (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:06
7.) House Party (Rudy Clark - J.R. Bailey - K. Williams) - 3:00
(side
2)
8.) Gravy (Rudy Clark - J.R.
Bailey - K. Williams) - 3:19
4.)
Meadowlark (Neil Sedaka -
Howard Greenfield) - 2:22
5.) Lillia Peabody (Rudy
Clark - J.R. Bailey - K. Williams) - 2:56
6.) Put a Little Meat On Your Bones (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:00
8.) Rainy Day Bells (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:02
9.) Cheer Me Up (Jeff Barry - Ron Dante - J. Carr) - 2:22
I know there are also a couple of non-LP singles:
- 1971's 'Duke Of Earl' b/w 'Everybody's Got Hot Pants' (Kirshner catalog number 63-5012)
- 1971's 'Everybody Needs Love' b/w 'ESP' (Kirshner catalog number 63-5016)
- 'Sweet Georgia Brown' b/w 'Bye Bye Blues' (Harlem Globetrotters catalog number 45-HGT-300 A/B
The latter serves as their theme song as at one time was sold at their performances.
