JAYNETTS: SALLY GO ROUND THE ROSES ORIG. LP TUFF RARE

$

214

You are bidding on an ORIGINAL copy of "Sally Go Round the Roses" by the Jaynetts, released in 1963 on Tuff Records (Tuff 13). The matrix reads "TU-5559" for those keeping score at home. A hideously rare lp, it's a minor miracle if you even FIND one, never mind in this kind of shape! The cover has extremely minor imperfections (1/2" seam split on the top that doesn't go all the way through the thick jacket, slight wear on the corners, slight ringwear on the back, a vertical ripple in the paste on cover), but still comes in at a solid VG+, close to EX. The vinyl looks, i kid you not, like BRAND NEW. It plays with the slightest bit of surface crackle at the very beginning of "Sally..." (enough to let you know it's an lp, anyway), but once the music starts for real, it's only audible between tracks, and not very much at that! I was truly stunned to find this lp and wanted to keep it, but I'm sure some of you out there have been looking for quite some time for a keeper copy like this to show up, so here's your chance! Here's what the All Music Guide had to say about this fantastic album...

"A rare album that sells for at least a C-note if you can find a copy. The haunting title track, its successor "Keep an Eye on Her," and "Dear Abby" are the centerpieces. "Abby," credited to the Hearts, is a strange but effective innocent teen number that got it share of spins; the Hearts seek the advice of columnist Dear Abby and threaten to go outside and eat worms if their hearts aren't soothed. The Jaynettes sang on the Hearts' recordings and vice versa. Producer Abner Specter used whoever to achieve that sound, and singers like Baby Washington constantly dropped by. Also decent are "Seesaw," "One Track Mind," "Pick up My Marbles," and "Archie's Melody." There's also a popular instrumental of "Sally"; Spector hated wasting good cuts as B-sides so he used instrumentals and captioned them: "Sing Along Without the Jaynettes" or "Sing Along Without the Hearts," a very popular concept back in the day. "— Andrew Hamilton

"The Jaynetts, from The Bronx, NY, recorded one of the more discussed recordings of all time, the mystical-sounding "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," which shot to number two on the pop charts in 1963. Though publicity photos showed three women as the Jaynetts, five were actually in the studio on the "Sally" recording session: Johnnie Louise Richardson (formerly of Johnnie & Joe), Ethel Davis, Mary Sue Wells, Yvonne Bushnell, and Ada Ray. Zell Sanders co-wrote the song with Lona Stevens, who later married producer Abner Spector. Spector, oddly enough, was a Chicago producer who later created blues recordings by the likes of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Compton & Batteau, and blue-eyed soul singer Wayne Cochran. Around the time of "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," he had worked with the Corsairs and the Tune Weavers.

Spector had worked with Zell Sanders before on a record by the Hearts entitled "Dear Abby," which received some airplay but never charted. Sanders had previously recorded the Hearts, beginning in 1953 when the group members were Hazel Crutchfield, Louise Harris, Joyce Weiss, and at various times, Betty Harris and Baby Washington. The Hearts on "Dear Abby," however, were the same young women who sang on "Sally Go Round the Roses." Obviously, some previous members got upset at Zell using their name so Tuff labeled subsequent recordings the Jaynetts.

Johnnie Louise Richardson remembered Abner Spector (he died of a stroke on October 25, 1988) as an electronics nut. Spector sequestered the girls in the studio on a Friday and didn't allow them to leave until the following week when the recording was completed. Anybody who came in the studio during the enduring week of recording got on the track. Buddy Miles and Artie Butler are remembered as playing on the session. It's rumored Spector had about 20 voices on "Sally," and that the session cost more than $60,000 (unlikely since that was an unheard-of amount of money to spend on a single in 1963).

The song itself has a hypnotic feel, a crazy organ part, nursery rhyme-sounding lyrics, a wall of voices, and an undeniable funky beat. All kinds of theories have been tossed around about the song's meaning. Some say it's a religious experience, about a mental breakdown, about a closeted lesbian, etc.... all garbage. The song is simply a skip-rope rhyme said by girls when they jumped rope; some lyrics were added that fit the music and you had a song. With "Sally" it's not the words, it's that incessant beat, screaming organ, and the fading in and out that drives the tune. Follow-ups to "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" like "Snowman, Snowman," "Sweet Potato Nose," and "Keep an Eye on Her" did nothing. Tuff gave up on the girls, but they continued recording on Zell Sanders' J&S label, recording more non-charters: "Chicken, Chicken Crane or Crow," "Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar," and "Winky Dink."  - All Music Guide

See my other auctions for more rare vinyl, I have some great stuff up this week! Please note that I will be unable to return email until May 1st, as I will be on vacation. Good luck!

-----------------------Shipping Rates: -------------------------

U.S. - $3.50 (media rate)/$5.50 (Priority Mail)

International - $6.00 (surface)/$12.00 (air) Insurance is an additional $2.50 (optional)