Little Caesar and the Consuls: "You've Really Got a Hold on Me"

December 13, 1965 (1 week)

1965 was wrapping up which meant that a second year of Beatlemania was in the can. It wasn't quite as heady as a year earlier but it was still very much present. Though lacking the same unrelenting schedule of releases and re-releases, The Beatles still managed to have three number one hits in Canada with "Yesterday" only topping out at number four being their sole blemish. Some of the lesser lights who had found fame in their slipstream began giving way in favour of groups like The Rolling Stones but there was still no question who reigned. Such was the thirst for more material that the Ringo-sung "Boys" from all the way back in the first half of '63 found itself on the RPM charts for a brief stint. The public couldn't wait for more.

It is perhaps with this in mind that Toronto's Little Caesar and the Consuls returned to the hit parade with their cover of "You've Really Got a Hold on Me". Not originally a Beatles number, no, but one that was identifiable enough with the Fab Four, as many of their cover versions had become. It had languished on Beatlemania! with The Beatles, the re-named Canadian version of their second album, with no evidence that anyone, anywhere thought it merited being released as a single in its own right. (The Beatles had an embargo on putting out non-original 45's back in Britain but few cared about respecting their wishes abroad; nevertheless, covers such as "Twist and Shout", "Roller Over Beethoven", and "Rock and Roll Music" were more sought out for singles markets in various countries)

If Little Caesar and the Consuls weren't quite an established chart act in Canada then they were certainly on the rise. Their rendition of "(My Girl) Sloopy" made it all the way to number three in their homeland and even did respectably enough on the American Hot 100. While more and more groups were becoming self-sufficient with their material, the Consuls had to once again go the cover version route. While "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" is a great choice for a band looking to score a second Top 10 hit in the row, their version doesn't do much with the Smokey Robinson composition.

Singer/pianist Bruce Morshead tries some country and western style vocals but little else in the arrangement suggests much beyond a laid back wedding band discount Beatles. Slowing down the pace of an already mid-tempo number wasn't the best idea though it should be said that their "Sloopy" is surprisingly languid and it works fairly well. But here it just sounds like they're going through the motions of a song they know well and are clearly fond of. Maybe a little too fond of since reverence seldom results in inspiration.

I've heard people put forth the notion that a cover version ought to improve on the original but I'm not sure I'd expect that much from every single remake - and, indeed, it didn't behoove Little Caesar and the Consuls to have done so. What I would say though is that something new ought to be tried out on a cover. Give me a reason to listen to their "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" as an alternative to The Mircales or The Beatles and that's good enough. But they failed to do so which then begs the question: why bother?

Score: 4

Jay and the Americans: "Cara Mia"

July 12, 1965 (1 week)

A point I seem to be hammering home of late is that the groups who wrote their own songs tended to have the upper hand in terms of longevity. A part of why we remember The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan is that they had the advantage of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson (and, I suppose, Mike Love), Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and, well, Bob Dylan respectively. All of them started off performing and recording covers but they all gradually developed songwriting chops to help see them through the mid-sixties' pop boom.

Like Herman's Hermits over in Britain, Jay and the Americans didn't have the same facility for songwriting and had to rely on other sources for material. (Three quarters of The Four Seasons were similarly disinclined towards penning their own music and lyrics but they had the team of singer Bob Gauido along with Bob Crewe to keep them in hits) For whatever reason, they had little use for songwriting teams of the day — either that or the songwriting teams has little use for them — and were thus forced to plunder the cover version market. And boy did they come up with an inspired choice for their latest hit.

Co-composed by light pop master Mantovani and producer Bunny Lewis — credited to the pseudonyms Tulio Trapani and Lee Lange respectively — "Cara Mia" was originally a major hit for British singer David Whitfield in 1954. Not only did it reach number one in the UK but it even made the Top 10 on the American charts, a rarity for an English single a full decade prior to Beatlemania. Though hardly a favourite of the critics (they were still firmly in 'Charlie Parker is God' mode), Whitfield was hugely popular in his day. If not quite as technically accomplished a vocalist as Mario Lanza, his powerful operatic tenor was a thing to behold. True, his recordings are a little hard to appreciate more than seventy years on but give them a few plays and you may well get used to him.

To say that Jay and the Americans were brave to tackle a song that appealed more to Greatest Generation parents than to their Baby Boom kids is probably an understatement. The fact that they were toying with bridging the ever-widening generation gap suggests that they had ambitions beyond the pop charts though it must be said that groups back then were looking to some unlikely sources for their material. The Beach Boys were soon to begin recording their rendition of "Sloop John B", an old folk song written by that very prolific individual Trad. Arr. The Byrds had recently released their debut album Mr. Tambourine Man which closed out with an eccentric version of the Vera Lynne World War II standard "We'll Meet Again" while its soon-to-be follow-up Turn! Turn! Turn! would include the Biblical title track, a re-writing of traditional ballad "He Was a Friend of Mine" and an oddball remake of the Stephen Foster classic "Oh! Susannah". 

Jay Black's lead vocal is as impressive as Whitfield's but I'm not convinced he put the same level of care into his reading. It's as if we're just meant to be treated to Black's astonishing range — as well as some tremendous backing vocals from his fellow Americans — while the song itself is largely irrelevant. Add on a thumping beat and it's all bulldozer histrionic pop with no regard for subtly. It makes for a compelling if rather tiring listen. It's pretty much the audio equivalent to having a guest stay at your place: it's fun for a bit, starts to get a bit much after a while and then you're quite happy when it's all over and everything can get back to peace and quiet. By no means awful but they clearly had twice as much fun making it as I had listening to it.

Score: 6

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Con Can

Entering this week's RPM Top 10 is Little Caesar and the Consuls with "(My Girl) Sloopy". Soon to be known as "Hang on Sloopy" by The McCoys, the Consuls could only take cold comfort in getting there first with what would prove to be a far less well-remembered version. But is it as good? I'd say so. The Toronto-based group did it a lot slower than you may be used to but that's no bad thing. Whatsmore, it's still just as catchy. A near number one in Canada, it could do no better than the midway point of Billboard's Hot 100. Proof that luck, timing, and place can be the difference between a number one smash and mere also ran. Still, we'll be seeing Little Caesar and his chums before long in this space so clearly things were looking up for them back home.