52 Weeks Laine

Though his influence proved less durable than his record sales, Frankie Laine was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1950s, swinging jazz standards as well as half a dozen Western movie themes of the time with his manly baritone. Laine's somewhat artificial Western nature proved more successful in far-off England, where he set two chart records in 1953: his version of "I Believe" stayed at number one in the U.K. for an incredible 18 weeks, and his two subsequent chart-toppers that year ("Hey Joe," "Answer Me") set a record by putting Laine at number one for 27 weeks during the year.

A 4 disc set by Mercury Records all jazz vocal classics with some outstanding vocalists. Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Patti Page, Helen Merrill, Shirley Horn, Chet Baker, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Oscar Peterson, Ernestine Anderson, Thelma Grayson, Morgana King and a few others, all have more than a few numbers on the 4 discs, all accompanied by the big band orchestras that were popular back then, great horns, stand up bass. If you don't recognize more than a few of these songs, even done by others, you my friend have been living under a rock or perhaps just listening to rock. "Take the A Train', 'Satin Doll', 'I Get A Kick Out of You', 'Mame', 'Stardust', 'The Man I Love', 'Oh Lady Be Good', 'See See Ryder, 'Honeysuckle Rose', 'Love for Sale', 'Willow Weep for Me', "Ain't Misbehavin', 'Sweet Lorraine', 'Frankie & Johnny', 'Taking a Chance on Love', 'Sweet Georgia Brown', 'Unforgettable', 'Mack the Knife', just a few of the 100 vocal classics on these discs. Just listening to the lyrics to these songs is a gas, "Got me a big date waiting for my cat, putting his shine on so he can look dap" (from Doodlin' by Sarah Vaughan). Takes me to a time I will spend a few weeks in, when I perfect my time machine and get me some stylish clothes, and more than a few hats, to fit right in. The hoodies can stay home.

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. They made some changes in musicians but settled on a line-up of Pinder, Thomas, Edge, guitarist Justin Hayward, and bassist John Lodge, who stayed together for most of the band's "classic era" into the early 1970s.