"Spanish Harlem" - Demo (1960)

This recording of “Spanish Harlem” has just become my favorite version among the scores that have been recorded. And that includes the iconic version by Ben E. King. Why? Because it’s so bare and simple. With no marimbas or percussion, Jerry Leiber’s vocals (that’s him singing) really leap out and the beauty of the words is so much more apparent.

And the guitar playing, by Phil Spector, is a very pleasant surprise. He’s nuanced in his approach, in much the same way as Mr. Leiber is with his vocals. Mike Stoller apparently produced the session. Phil Spector and Jerry Leiber are the accredited songwriters.

Here are the lyrics- seeing them written down reinforces their beauty. And below that is a link to the Ben E. King version in its finished form. You be the judge.

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem

A red rose up in Spanish Harlem

It is a special one, it's never seen the sun

It only comes out when the moon is on the run

And all the stars are gleaming

It's growing in the street right up through the concrete

But soft and sweet and dreamin'

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem

A red rose up in Spanish Harlem

With eyes as black as coal that looks down in my soul

And starts a fire there and then I lose control

I have to beg your pardon

I'm goin' to pick that rose and watch her

As she grows in my garden

I'm goin' to pick that rose and watch her

As she grows in my garden

(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)

La la la, la la la, la la la la

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOoutJtMCi8

Eddie Ray - A National Treasure

One of the best things about doing this blog has been the people I've gotten to know, and correspond with, from the things I post. But the oddest, and most unlikely, of friendships I have made from doing this, is with Eddie Ray. That's his story in the video above. With a 3 decades head start, you wouldn't think we'd have much in common. But then again, there's the music.

I met Eddie Ray about 2 years ago, when I was first doing this blog. I wasn't writing every day, mostly confining myself to a post, or two, a week. I had intended to just do movie and book reviews. It was my wife, Sue, who broadened my horizons.

Sue works out of our home, while I don't work at all. She works upstairs in her office, while I piddle about downstairs in another, smaller room which we call the "computer room." I don't bother her too much during the day, but this one particular day I must have been annoying her enough that she "found" something for me to do.

Handing me an article from a local paper, I think it was the Huntersville Times, she pointed out the http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/ which is about 20 minutes from our home. I love music, and North Carolina is the birthplace of so many musical artists, that I figured what can I lose? I had heard of Eddie Ray, but knew very little about him beyond some background stuff I had read in biographies of various rhythm and blues artists.

When I arrived at the Museum I was greeted by a man, a little older than myself, and as we were walking around, looking at the exhibits, it came to me that this was Eddie Ray.

I have always been amazed at people who manage to carve out a niche for themselves, and then leave a mark upon the world in which they have lived. I'm still trying to find the secret. But Ed is one those rare individuals. Five minutes in his presence is all it takes to feel as if you have known this man your entire life. And in a way, you have.

So much of the music you listen to today, although it probably would have come to the surface anyway, came through the actions of Mr. Ray. From the late 1940's, and on through the 1970's, Eddie Ray was behind the scenes, a triple threat. He doesn't play anything, but he does write lyrics, and has a terrific ear for what is good. He has traveled the road from rhythm and blues to Pink Floyd and back again, covering every genre in between. And along the way he even helped to set the standards for artists royalties in a world of ever changing technology. In 1980 Eddie Ray was selected, and appointed, by President Reagan, as a Commissioner on the US Copyright Tribunal. Eddie served on that Tribunal for eight years, chairing it for 4 of them.

Hopefully we will see a book from Eddie soon. His life, in and out of the record business, is one of the most interesting of all the stories to come out of the world of entertainment. And did I mention he doesn't play any instrument? Unless you count his ever young and agile mind.