Comments on: JIMMY YOUNG – “The Man From Laramie”

By: doberman

doberman — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:28:34 +0000

Another of my favs. back in my RAF days. This 78 got a lot of plays in the billet in the summer of 1955.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:07:25 +0000

JY’s “Chain Gang” is a forehead-slapping moment. Sing along to the chorus using the words “d’you wanna be in my gang, my gang, my gang” – young Gadd must have been taking notes (this must be well-known and I’ve missed it all this time, surely?). And wow, yes, that fade-out… 1956 you say?

By: Eli

Eli — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:56:25 +0000

Yes, Chain Gang is pretty good. He also covered Walkin’ After Midnight as a rocker.

Anyway, I love this record, it sounds quite exciting and dramatic next to most of the other contemporary chart hits (which I’m listening to as well).

I don’t really see how you can describe JY’s voice as ‘terrible’; it sounds as though it simply isn’t to your taste, Tom. Technically, his voice is very good. These were the days before Joe Meek could make someone like Heinz sound semi-decent. The vast majority of pre-rock (and even many post) hits are a captured studio performance, warts-and-all.

Al Martino’s version could only limp to #19. It doesn’t sound half as good arranged as a ballad. Italian-American Al is probably as well equipped as JY to sing it. But it wasn’t an original country song anyway: it was just written for a Western movie by two Hollywood songsmiths.

By: abdoujaparov

abdoujaparov — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:57:12 +0000

The Chaing Gang that WL was talking about
http://open.spotify.com/track/5JcDGmS7jynlcuCW7HKbxs

It is pretty remarkable.

By: wichitalineman

wichitalineman — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:53:55 +0000

The US original – or the US hit, at any rate – was by Al Martino, who makes for an even less convincing Gary Cooper-alike than JY.

By: Matabloonia

Matabloonia — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:55:56 +0000

Можно было бы и лучше изложить, хотя можно было бы и хуже

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:30:51 +0000

The nights are fair drawing in.

By: Mark G

Mark G — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:47:48 +0000

“what’s the recipe today, Tom?”

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:20:57 +0000

I wonder if JY ever attempted the similarly titled Sam Cooke song. “Ar-HAR that’s thee sound. Of. Thee. Man. Working. On. Thee. Chaingang you see.”

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:40:31 +0000

An odd reversal of the Pat Boone phenomenon – Jim sounds godawful on ballads (Unchained Melody), and starchy on c&w (this and Wayward Wind). But given a rocker…

Chain Gang, a no.9 hit from early the following year, has to be heard to be believed. The backing – caterwauling brass, whipcrack snare, moaning convicts – sounds like it was recorded in a quarry, and Young’s vocal is drenched in reverb. On first listen I assumed it was an Anglo take on the Heartbreak Hotel vocal production. Then I realised, with shock and awe, that Chain Gang predates HH by months.

If this wasn’t enough it trips out at the end into proto-dub, Young’s voice echoing in a void of tape delay and lonesome stand-up bass. One for the RGM Appreciation Society, then, but this would a remarkable production in late 55/early 56 even for Joe Meek.