New Music Friday: Harpo Speaks!; Brit Girls 1962-70; Jackie DeShannon Demos

Our picks this week. Links go to ImportCDs.

Harpo Speaks!: The Riverside Symphony Concert Featuring Peter And The Wolf

To listen to Harpo Speaks! Is to experience a brush with magic, astonished and captivated by the talent before you, and filled with wonder and gratitude for the privilege of witnessing it, whether in 1964 or today. 

Says Marx's son, Bill: "To have this recording be released and let people hear it is an honor. Dad didn't really want people to know what he sounded like because it would have destroyed the character of Harpo that he created. But I think, now, he would accept this graciously and gratefully because it goes beyond just seeing a guy being funny. It goes to the heart of what life is about: Doing what you love and doing it the best you can." 

Harpo Speaks! places listeners in the room, immersed in the swell of the Riverside Orchestra as Marx performs alongside the symphony and leads them in a narration of Peter and the Wolf. In another unusual move for Marx, he allowed the recording of the show for posterity, though the tapes seemingly disappeared after his death. CD.

Really Into Somethin' - Brit Girl Sounds & Styles 1962-1970 

An 89-track collection with comprehensive booklet including rare photos and info. 

Featuring a comprehensive collection of UK female recordings - the vast majority appearing on CD for the first time. 

With familiar names including Lulu, Dusty Springfield, Julie Driscoll, PP Arnold and Cilla Black joined by lesser-known but equally essential cuts from Adrienne Poster (Posta), The Chantelles and Tammy St John. 

Following on from RPM's popular 'Dream Babes' series from the 1990s and 2000s, Strawberry makes it's belated debut into the affectionately named Brit Girls' world, with plenty of 60s genres covered including beat, soul, folk and pop. 

The 3CD set includes UK originals by established UK songwriters Cook/Greenaway, Arnold/ Martin/Morrow and Murray/Callander alongside competitive UK covers of US originals from classic songwriting teams Goffin/King, Holland/Dozier/Holland and Spector/Greenwich, together with self-penned tracks by prolific songwriters Barbara Ruskin, Val McKenna and Valerie Avon. 

Including several unreleased gems from the archives of Shel Talmy, Dana Gillespie, Ember Records and Joe Meek's Tea Chest Tapes. 3-CD set. 

Jackie DeShannon - Girl of Yesterday - Acoustic Folk Demos

Via Real Gone Music: 

Love Forever, our 2025 set of demos from Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon, set collector hearts a-flutter all over the world with it's collection of introspective, folk rock-flavored tunes drawn from her unreleased recordings for Metric Music Publishing. 

Now, we're one-upping ourselves with Girl of Yesterday-Acoustic Folk Demos, a collection of COMPLETELY UNRELEASED acoustic folk demos from Jackie, taken from the same rich source of material. 

Folk music came naturally to Jackie. She got her start singing gospel at home and in church as a child in her native Kentucky, and then singing country songs in her teens on her own weekly radio show. And her first, self-titled album for Liberty in 1963 consisted entirely of folk repertoire. But that album only featured folk songs written by other artists. 

Girl of Yesterday-Acoustic Folk Demos, on the other hand, presents a dozen tunes, all penned by Jackie for an album distributed by Metric in 1964. Accompanied only by her own accomplished fingerpicked acoustic guitar, DeShannon delivered a stunning set of heart-rendingly sung, haunting music imbued with the doubt, confusion, and excitement of finding adult identity. 

Although grounded in acoustic folk, it looked forward to both folk-rock and the singer-songwriter era in it's lyrical maturity and melodic complexity. Only 500 to 1000 copies were pressed in November 1964, it's availability limited to various A&R personnel and other music industry staff who made decisions with recording artists looking for material. 

With Girl of Yesterday-Acoustic Folk Demos, this remarkable material finally gains the exposure it deserves. Among the highlights are a couple of songs that were soon covered by famous artists. Certainly the most renowned is "Don't Doubt Yourself, Babe," given a Bo Diddley beat by The Byrds (Jackie was a huge Byrds booster and fan) on their Top Ten 1965 debut album Mr. Tambourine Man, though it was titled "It's Gonna Be All Right" on her far folkier arrangement on the original Metric Music demo LP. And Marianne Faithfull covered the superbly bittersweet "With You in Mind" on her 1967 album Love in a Mist. 

We also hear the first appearance of "Splendor in the Grass," later a 1966 DeShannon single given backing by The Byrds. Richie Unterberger's notes feature candid recollections from Jackie about the motivations behind the songs and the vibrant, mid-'60s LA scene from which they emerged. Remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision and featuring photos from Jackie's private collection. CD, Vinyl.