Right Now! (Mel Tormé album)
Encyclopedia
Right Now! is a 1966 studio album
by Mel Tormé
. Columbia followed up Tormé's 1965 album of standards
with "an obvious bid to sell records by putting Tormé's voice on pre-sold hits of the mid-'60s." "The Velvet Fog's" descent on contemporary middle-of-the-road top-40 melodies from Paul Simon and the Bacharach-David catalogue leads some to emphasize the commercialism of the project and file this period of Tormé's career in the lounge music section of records stores, as evidenced by his appearances on compilations like the Ultra Lounge
series. However, music critic Will Friedwald makes a strong case that the work of Tormé and arranger Mort Garson
elevated the project above "an album of straight "covers
"."
In 1997, Right Now! was treated to a CD reissue, with previously unreleased bonus tracks and liners notes.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
. Columbia followed up Tormé's 1965 album of standards
That's All (Mel Tormé album)
That's All is a 1965 studio album by Mel Tormé, arranged by Robert Mersey. In 1997 it was reissued with 12 bonus tracks.-Track listing:#"I've Got You Under My Skin" – 2:52#"That's All" – 3:50...
with "an obvious bid to sell records by putting Tormé's voice on pre-sold hits of the mid-'60s." "The Velvet Fog's" descent on contemporary middle-of-the-road top-40 melodies from Paul Simon and the Bacharach-David catalogue leads some to emphasize the commercialism of the project and file this period of Tormé's career in the lounge music section of records stores, as evidenced by his appearances on compilations like the Ultra Lounge
Ultra lounge
An ultra lounge is a style nightclub lounge, that came to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Ultralounges tend to be small to mid-sized venues, featuring cocktails and an upscale atmosphere....
series. However, music critic Will Friedwald makes a strong case that the work of Tormé and arranger Mort Garson
Mort Garson
Mort Garson who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was an electronic musician best known for his albums that predominantly feature Moog synthesizers.-Early life:...
elevated the project above "an album of straight "covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
"."
In 1997, Right Now! was treated to a CD reissue, with previously unreleased bonus tracks and liners notes.
Track listing
- "Comin' Home BabyComin' Home Baby"Comin' Home Baby" was the last single released from the album, Call Me Irresponsible, by Michael Bublé. It was released on April 25, 2008. "Comin' Home Baby" features the Grammy Award-winning group Boyz II Men...
" (Bob DoroughBob DoroughBob Dorough is an American bebop and cool jazz pianist, composer and vocalese singer.He worked with Miles Davis and Allen Ginsberg, and his adventurous style was an influence on Mose Allison, among other singers...
, Ben Tucker) – 3:21 - "Homeward BoundHomeward Bound (song)"Homeward Bound" is an American folk song written by Paul Simon, performed by Simon and Garfunkel, produced by Bob Johnston and recorded on December 14, 1965. The song describes his longing to return home, both to his then girlfriend, Kathy Chitty in Brentwood, Essex, England, and to return to the...
" (Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
) – 2:33 - "My Little Red Book" (Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
) – 2:40 - "Walk on By" (Bacharach, David) – 2:56
- "If I Had a HammerIf I Had a Hammer"If I Had a Hammer " is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the progressive movement, and was first recorded by The Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman, and then by Peter, Paul and Mary.- Early...
" (Lee Hays, Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
) – 3:05 - "Strangers in the NightStrangers in the Night"Strangers in the Night" is a popular song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It was originally created under the title Beddy Bye as part of the instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed...
" (Bert KaempfertBert KaempfertBert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...
, Charles Singleton, Eddie SnyderEddie SnyderEdward Abraham Snyder was an American composer and songwriter. Snyder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, "Strangers in the Night"....
) – 2:41 - "Better Use Your Head" (Vargus Pike, Teddy RandazzoTeddy RandazzoTeddy Randazzo was a NYC born pop songwriter who composed 1960s hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", and "Hurt So Bad"...
) – 2:52 - "Time" (Michael Merchant) – 3:40
- "Secret Agent ManSecret Agent Man (song)"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by Steve Barri and P. F. Sloan. The most famous recording of the song was made by Johnny Rivers for the opening titles of the American broadcast of the British spy series Danger Man, which aired in the U.S. as "Secret Agent" from 1964 to 1966...
" (Steve BarriSteve BarriSteve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
, Sloan) – 2:35 - "Pretty FlamingoPretty Flamingo"Pretty Flamingo" is a song written by Mark Barkan, which became a hit in 1966 when Manfred Mann's recording of it was released as a single. The single reached number one in the UK singles chart on 5 May 1966....
" (Mark BarkanMark BarkanMark Barkan is a songwriter and producer. He was also a musical director for the television show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. This prolific songwriter has written numerous songs including Lesley Gore's Top 5 hit "She's a Fool," the often covered "Pretty Flamingo," which was a hit single for...
) – 2:27 - "Red Rubber BallRed Rubber Ball"Red Rubber Ball" is a pop song which became a hit in the 1966 version recorded by The Cyrkle....
" (Simon, Bruce WoodleyBruce WoodleyBruce William Woodley , is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. He was a founding member of the successful pop-folk group The Seekers, and co-composer of the anthemic song "I Am Australian"...
) – 2:36
Bonus Tracks 1997 Columbia records reissue
- "All That JazzAll That JazzAll That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as dancer, choreographer and director. The film was inspired by Bob Fosse's manic effort to edit his...
" (B. Carter, A. Stillman) – 2:10 - from the 1966 film A Man Called Adam - "You Don't Have To Say You Love MeYou Don't Have to Say You Love Me"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" is the title of a 1966 hit recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield which proved to be her career record reaching #1 UK and #4 US: the song subsequently charted in the UK via remakes by Elvis Presley , Guys 'n' Dolls and Denise Welch with Presley's version...
" (P. Donaggio, V. Pollavincini, V. Wickhams, S. Napier-Bell) – 2:32 - previously unreleased - "Dominique's Discotheque" (R. Straigis, H. Linsley, B. Ross) - 2:56
- "The Power of Love(You Got) The Power of LoveThe Everly Brothers recorded " The Power Of Love", written by Bonnie Bramlett and Joey Cooper, in Hollywood on February 3, 1966. Session artists included Glen Campbell, Larry Knechtel, Jim Gordon and Hal Blaine. Released by Warner Brothers as a single in April 1966, this rock and roll tune was a...
" (Delaney Bramlett, Joey Cooper) - 2:29 - "Lover's Roulette" (P.R. Arenas, C. Edmonds, J. Thompson) - 2:34
- "Ciao Baby" - previously unreleased
- "Molly Marlene" (T. Thornton) - 2:14 - previously unreleased
- "The King" - previously unreleased
- "Lima Lady" (M. Curtis, J. Meyer)
- "Wait Until DarkWait Until DarkWait Until Dark is a play by Frederick Knott.-Synopsis:Susy Hendrix is a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of three con-men searching for the heroin hidden in a doll, which her husband Sam innocently transported from Canada as a favor to a woman who has since been murdered...
" (Henry ManciniHenry ManciniHenry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) - "Only When I'm Lonely" - previously unreleased
Personnel
- Mel TorméMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
- vocal, drumsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Howard Roberts - guitar
- James Getzoff, Robert Barene, Henry Ross, Marshall Sosson, Sidney Sharp, Arnold Belnick, Nathan Ross, Harry Bluestone - violin
- Myron Sadler, Joseph DiFiore - viola
- Armand Karpoff, Frederick Seykora - cello
- Michael Melovin - piano
- Gary Coleman - vibraphone
- Jim GordonJim Gordon (musician)James Beck "Jim" Gordon is an American recording artist, musician and songwriter. The Grammy Award winner was one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s, recording albums with many well-known musicians of the time, and was the drummer in the blues-rock supergroup Derek...
- drums