Tuesday, February 05, 2013

That's Her Kissy Face - In Prison

Continuing last week's feature of songs sent to me from a long-time song-poem pal, I've got two songs from a Cinema release, featuring of course The Real Pros. As with last week's feature, because I'm getting these from outside of my collection, I don't have label scans.

The two songs contained on this record could hardly be more different. On the A-side, we've got a light-as-a-feather pop confection called "That's Her Kissy Face", featuring the unusual pairing of acoustic guitar and cheapo synth, over which the singer - who I think is Bobbi Blake - sings a wonderful sweet lyric about a mother's love for her young daughter. Despite the ridiculously low production values, it's a keeper!

Download: The Real Pros - That's Her Kissy Face
Play:

On the flip side, we have Gene Marshall, emoting all over something called "Prison Blues", something of tone poem (a tone-song-poem?), with absolutely no beat or rhythm. Over outtakes from the Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly song-intro file, Gene does a first rate job of offering up the feeling behind the songwriter's words of woe. It's a fairly singular sound and performance from within the song-poem world, actually. Have a listen:

Download: The Real Pros - Prison Blues
Play:

A big thank you to Michael, from me and all the readers and listeners!

AND an addendum, all these years later - it appears I was wrong about both singers here. I'm not convinced that it is not Bobbi Blake on the first cut and it is not Gene Marshall on the flip. I don't know the female singer, and the male singer is the same one who was on most of the earliest Cinema releases. 

6 comments:

Stu Shea said...

The a-side is sweet, although I don't think that's the same Bobbi Blake that I'm used to hearing. This Bobbi Blake can't hit notes that the more familiar one can...

Anonymous said...

"Over outtakes from the Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly song-intro file" HAHAHA! That made me laugh, Bob, you know one thing I never thank you for is your COMMENTARY!

Roaratorio said...

"Prison Blues" is a longtime favorite of mine (although I don't think that's Gene Marshall singing; this particular overripe vocalist appeared on the Real Pros singles up until 1972, when Cinema switched over to the more familiar stable of M.S.R. singers & arrangements).

Timmy said...

KissyFace = Best song of the 20th. Century

Anonymous said...

5/27/20:
Now that we're able to hear these 5 years later, I now don't think it's Bobbi singing "Kissy Face" - "off-day" or no "off-day".
And yeah, that's Mr. One Man Band from the earlier Real Pros singing "Prison Blues".

JW said...

It's Debbie Davis on vocal.