The Peggy Lee Bio-Discography And Videography:
The Polydor Contract
by Iván Santiago-Mercado

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Peggy Lee's Recording Career, 1977

Peggy Lee (ldr), Ken Barnes (pdr), Steve Taylor (eng), The Pete Moore Orchestra (acc), Peter Moore (snt), Other Individuals Unknown (unk), Peggy Lee (v, spk, bkv), Joan Baxter, Maggie Stredder, Clare Torrey (bkv)

Songs

1. "Lover"
These Polydor sessions' version of "Lover" contains lyrics that are almost entirely different from those heard in Peggy Lee's hit from 1952. Yet both set of lyrics were written by Lorenz Hart for the same song and are, therefore, legitimate.

The lyrics that Lee recorded for this 1977 master are actually the original ones, from the soundtrack of the 1932 movie Love Me Tonight. The suggestion to use them came from Dick Vosburgh, an American-born, London-based lyricist, broadcaster, and writer of special material.

2. "Here Now"
In the Polydor LP Peggy, this song by Dan Kimpel and Marc Allen Trujillo is listed as "Here And Now." However, Lee's singing of the lyrics does not support the inclusion of the conjunction "and."

The song is also extant in a rehearsal version that was issued in the CD At Her Best. In that disc, the title is given as "Here, Now."

There's yet another release of the song, this one sung by a r&b singer. Her 1996 CD gives the title as "Here Now" (no comma included). I have chosen this third variant over the others, chiefly because it is the spelling used by EMI Music Publishing, which holds copyright control of the number.


Arrangements

1. "Lover"
Over the years, Peggy Lee tried different arrangements on "Lover," a song that had been originally written as a waltz but which she treated as anything but. Each arrangement updated the song, presenting it in a more contemporaneous musical style. For Lee's initial approach, see sessions dated April 28 and May 1, 1952. For other treatments, see Capitol session dated February 8, 1961 (Early, "Dinner" Show) and, from this discography's page for Peggy Lee's Television Specials, look for the year 1967.

This Polydor version constitutes Lee's fourth treatment. With the help of conductor-arranger Pete Moore, "Lover" is re-shaped into a disco-oriented anthem.

2. "Here Now"
In addition to Peter Moore's arrangement, Peggy Lee kept two more in her music sheet library, one by Don Savage and the other by Yutaka Yokokura.

3. "I Go To Rio"
4. "I'm Not In Love"
Peggy Lee's sheet music library also contains two arrangements of the song "I Go To Rio." One, used in these sessions, is credited to Pete Moore. The other is by Byron Olson. The same distribution and credits apply to "I'm Not In Love."


Personnel

1. Recitative
Peggy Lee's speaking voice is heard in portions of "Courage Madame."

2. Background vocals
"Here Now" and "Switchin' Channels" are the only songs from these sessions on which background vocals are heard.


Issues / Collectors' Corner

1. Peggy [LP, CS]
The catalogue number of the Polydor LP Peggy begins with the word "super," which I do not know to be part of the cassette version. (n.b. : 3170 458 is the number of the cassette; Super 2383 458 is the number of the LP. )

2. [You Give Me] Fever [CD]
The Spectrum label has issued the CD You Give Me Fever twice, first in 1993 and then in 1998 -- the latter under a simpler title, Fever. The track sequencing is the same in both issues, but the artwork differs. Specifically, the reissue uses an iconic b&w Peggy Lee publicity photo (dating from around 1960), whereas the original issue features a b&w publicity photo, taken circa 1955. Both covers (and the cover of the original Polydor album Peggy can be seen in this discography's photo gallery, part IV. Collectors should take note that the 1998 reissue is the only commercial instance in which the much-used iconic photo has been reproduced with its original backdrop intact.


Cross-references

1. Foreign [Non-British] Issues
For details about any release of Peggy Lee's original Polydor album Peggy outside of England, consult this discography's foreign issues page.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Ken Barnes (pdr), Steve Taylor (eng), Peter Moore, Jack Parnell (con), Pete Moore & Jack Parnell Orchestras (acc), Bob Burns (as), Duncan Lamont, Tommy Whittle (ts), Kenny Baker (t), Richard Edwards, Don Lusher (tb), Tony Fisher (fh), Judd Proctor (g), Unknown (str), Ronnie Price (key), Ronnie Verrell (d), Peggy Lee (v)

Concert & Repertoire

The London Live Sessions
Peggy Lee performed two shows at the London Palladium on the evening of March 13, 1977. (She also did a third show on a different evening; see next session.)

During the week that had preceded the March 13 concerts, three-hour afternoon rehearsals had taken place in London's Dorchester Hotel Ballroom.

There had also been a three-hour orchestra rehearsal on the afternoon of March 13. Lee had been present during the rehearsal's last hour and a half, rehearsing with the orchestra.

That evening, Peggy Lee sang a total of 17 songs throughout the earlier show, 20 songs throughout the second show. Fellow fan Tony Nesbit attended both shows and kept notes. Thanks to his generosity, I can share herein the entire evening's running song order.

First show:
1. Love For Sale /2. Everything Must Change /3. You Gotta Know How /4. The Folks Who Live On The Hill /5. I Go To Rio /6. I'm Not In Love /7. Lover /8. Have A Good Time /9. Touch Me In The Morning /10. Make Believe 11. Fever /12. Why Don't You Do Right? /13. Is That All There Is? /14. Sing A Rainbow /15. Mr. Wonderful /16. Mack The Knife /17. Here's To You

Second show:
1. Love For Sale /2. Everything Must Change /3. You Gotta Know How
/4. The Folks Who Live On The Hill /5. I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard /6. I Go To Rio /7. I'm Not In Love /8. Lover /9. Have A Good Time /10. Touch Me In The Morning /11. Make Believe /12. Rodgers & Hart Medley /13. Fever /14. Why Don't You Do Right? /15. Is That All There Is? /16. Sing A Rainbow /17. Mr. Wonderful /18. Mack the Knife /19. Dreams Of Summer /20. Here's To You

The Live Album For The Polydor Label

The contract that Ken Barnes and Peggy Lee signed with Polydor Records stipulated that they had to deliver a studio album and a live album culled from the two shows performed on the evening of March 13, 1977. While putting the live album together, Barnes obviously had the option to pick songs from either show.

Out of a total of 20 different songs, 16 were picked. Those included 14 which were sung in both shows and two that were sung only in the second show ("I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard" and "Dreams Of Summer)."

Excluded from the live album were "I Go To Rio," "I'm Not In Love," and "Lover." All three vocals existed in two versions, since Lee had sung them in both shows. Space limitations probably account for the decision to omit them. Fortunately, studio versions of all 3 numbers were released in Lee's other album for Polydor. (See session dated March 7, 8, 9, 1977.)

Also excluded from the live album was the "Rodgers & Hart Medley" that Lee sang only during the second show of the evening. Length was probably the reason for its exclusion: the medley is over 10 minutes long. Lee reprised the medley during her third London Palladium concert, which has also been commercially issued. (See next session, dated March 20, 1977. The third concert was also produced by Ken Barnes but it has no ties to Polydor Records.)


Songs

1. "You Gotta Know How"
When Peggy Lee sang the number "You Gotta Know How," she avoided the titular contraction, uttering the title instead as "You Got To Know How." Accordingly, the track listing of her Polydor LP calls the song "You Got To Know How."

In this discography, I have opted to list the song as "You Gotta Know How," which is the spelling used on songwriter Sippie Wallace's own albums, and the spelling accepted by the Library of Congress.

As for the reasons why Lee avoided the contraction, they are unknown. It could have been a concession to British audiences, who generally do not favor American slang. It could have also been an attempt at heightening the song's inherent humor; she sings the words "got to" in a teasingly comical manner that would have not necessarily come across, had she used the contraction instead.

2. Lyrics Changes
3. "Have A Good Time"
4. "I'm Not In Love"
To Paul Simon's line "God bless the USA," Lee adds the words "and the UK." In "I'm Not In Love," she also changes the original line "It hides a nasty stain that's lying there" to ""It hides a message that's lying there."


Songwriters

1. Walter Donaldson
2. Sippie Wallace
3. "You Gotta Know How"
The Polydor album Live In London wrongly credits the song "You Gotta Know How" to Walter Donaldson. There is indeed a song titled "You Got To Know How" that was co-written by Donaldson with Ernie Erdman, but Peggy Lee sings an altogether different number, written and originally recorded by blues songstress Sippie Wallace. My thanks to Allen Bardin for pointing out the correct songwriter.

4. Yutaka Kokokura
5. "Dreams Of Summer"
The name of the composer of "Dreams Of Summer" is (mis)spelled in the various sources at my reach. His first name appears as "Utaka" or "Utakaka" in a few magazine articles. Moreover, the sleeve of the Polydor album Live In London credits him as "Yutaka Kokakura."

The correct spelling is Yutaka Kokokura, as evinced not only by Library of Congress entries but also in the artist's own work. (In addition to being a songwriter, Yutaka Kokokura is a keyboardist, koto player and vocalist who has released a couple of CDs in the 'smooth jazz' vein. He has also done a substantial amount of work as producer and remixer. With credits dating back to the 1970s, Yokokura has continued to reap credits in the twenty-first century.)


Personnel

See notes under session dated March 20, 1977.


Issues / Collectors' Corner

1. Live In London [LP; Mercury]
In the United States, the Polydor album Live In London was briefly released by Mercury in an abbreviated, 10-track version.

Mercury's files actually list the album as canceled. It presumably was, though not before some copies made it to a few chain stores. In fact, Peggy Lee fan and collector Wayne Brasler reports that he bought the Mercury edition of the LP in the late 1970s at a store in Chicago (either Sam Goody's or Montgomery Ward, he recalls). Brasler has also kindly shared with me a scan of the album's front and back covers, which are essentially identical to the Polydor original.

The differences between the two editions of the album pertain to the number and sequencing of the tracks. The Mercury LP includes just 10 songs. On side A, both the Polydor and the Mercury editions start and finish with the same songs: "Love For Sale" and "Everything Must Change" (tracks #1 and #2), "The Folks Who Live On The Hill" and "Touch Me In The Morning" (tracks #4 and #5). But the central portion of the two editions differ. The Mercuy LP has inserted "Fever" in the middle of side A; in the Polydor version, "Fever" is the first track on side B.

On side B, the Mercury edition offers the following five numbers: "Mack The Knife," "Is That All There Is?," "Make Believe," "Dreams of Summer," and "Here's To You."

The back cover of the Mercury LP states that it is "[a]lso available on Musicassette and Stereo 8 Track Tapes: MCR-4-1-1172, MC-8-1172." I do not know if, before its cancellation, the album actually came out in those configurations.

The Canadian version of the album follows the same track listing as the Mercury version. It is on Polydor; its catalogue number is 2482 415.

The album versions on American Mercury and Canadian Polydor thus contain only 10 of the 16 original tracks. The following six songs were omitted: "You Got To Know How," "I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard," "Have A Good Time," "Why Don't You Do Right," "Sing A Rainbow" and "Mr. Wonderful."

2. Live In London [LP/CS]
The catalogue number of this LP begins with the word "super," which I do not know to be part of the cassette version. (n.b.: 3170 448 is the number of the cassette; 2383 448 is the number of the LP.)


Cross-references

1. Foreign [Non-British] Issues
For details about any release of Peggy Lee's original Polydor album Live In London outside of England and the United States, consult this discography's foreign issues page.

Peggy Lee (ldr), Ken Barnes (pdr), Steve Taylor (eng), Peter Moore, Jack Parnell (con), Pete Moore & Jack Parnell Orchestras (acc), Bob Burns (as), Duncan Lamont, Tommy Whittle (ts), Kenny Baker (t), Richard Edwards, Don Lusher (tb), Tony Fisher (fh), Judd Proctor (g), Unknown (str), Ronnie Price (key), Ronnie Verrell (d), Peggy Lee (v, spk)

Masters

1. Ownership
This March 20 show was produced with the expectation that Polydor would acquire and release it. But the record company passed, arguing that ownership of the March 13 concerts sufficed. Hence the original tapes remain in the possession of producer Ken Barnes.

2. "Touch Me In The Morning"
3. Dreams Of Summer
4. "Is That All There Is?"
Three numbers from the March 20, 1977 evening seem to have been released separately from the rest of the concert.

Producer Ken Barnes has explained that, during its decades in storage, the concert's master tape suffered heavy drop-out in some spots. Thus some of the numbers could not be included in the original release of the concert (1996).

Barnes has confirmed that the above-listed version of "Is That All There Is?" indeed belongs to the March 20 concert. Its release in 1997 was possible only thanks to extensive work on the master.

As for "Touch Me In The Morning" and "Dreams Of Summer," I do not have corroboration of their origin. Still, I do have every reason to believe that they come from this evening. As heard in The New Collection, both seem to be concert tracks. In any case, their incorporation to this concert should be deemed tentative.

With the addition of those three masters, the total number of March 20, 1977 Palladium performances reaches 20.

5. Sequencing
I do not know the actual running order of this Peggy Lee concert. Hence I have listed the numbers in the same sequence in which they appear in the CD At Her Best. I have also tagged at the end three performances that -- as explained in points #2, #3, and #4 above -- are believed to have been part of the concert, though they were not included in that CD.


Dating

1. March 13, 1977
2. March 20, 1977
Over the years, some concertgoers who attended Peggy Lee's London Palladium shows have expressed confusion over the exact days in which she performed at this venue. Ken Barnes, producer of Lee's concerts at the Palladium, has corroborated that concerts took place on both March 13 and March 20, 1977.

Specifics about this session's concert remain fuzzy. Some fans who attended the March 13 shows insist that they never saw notice of any additional dates anywhere. Could it be that the March 20 concert was reserved for an invited-audience, and that there was no advertisement? Such a possibility is not highly likely. Granting that over 30 years have passed since this event took place, producer Ken Barnes recalls it as advertised and well-attended.

More likely, any lack of widespread awareness must have resulted from last-minute scheduling. I have been told that the March 20 concert was set up belatedly at the request of Peggy Lee. She was not entirely happy with the performances that she had given on the evening of March 13, and wanted to have another opportunity to perform a show to her satisfaction. (She probably had the album in mind. Polydor still decided to use the March 13 material, as already mentioned.) Unlike the weeks-long notice for the first concert evening, reports about the second evening thus had to be given just a few days before the event actually happened.

Since no plans for the March 20 concert were made until after March 13, it is hardly surprising that published interviews and press releases from the time make no reference to the event. Witness, for instance, the article that appeared in the March 19, 1977 issue of Melody Maker. Lee was obviously interviewed for the piece before the night of March 13. At interview time, the March 20 concert had not been even proposed. Hence Max Jones writes that Lee "is playing only one concert date, which seems short ration in view of the length of time which separates her occasional visits." Lee is then quoted as having said: "I know, but I'm doing two shows so you might as well say I'm doing two nights ..."

As with the earlier shows, a three-hour orchestra rehearsal was held on the afternoon of the March 20 concert. And once again, Peggy Lee rehearsed with the orchestra during the last hour and a half.

3. March 20, 1997
According to the discographical notes in the Pulse/Castle 2CD At Her Best, half of the disc's contents were recorded in concert at the London Palladium on March 20, 1997. This is merely a typographical error; the second 9 of "1997" should have been a 7.


Personnel

1. Sources
My data about the personnel of the London Palladium concerts comes from two sources.
One source is the aforementioned music review, published by Melody Maker magazine on March 19, 1977. Reviewer Ray Coleman lists Bob Burns (alto), Don Lusher (trombone), Kenny Baker (trumpet), Tommy Whittle (tenor) and Ronnie Verrell (drums) as present members of the Jack Parnell Orchestra, which he furthermore describes as "augmented by strings."

My other source is Pulse/Kaz CD #144, which contains the March 20 concert. In addition to the vocalist, the producer, and the conductor, the CD's annotator names five musicians, all of them under the rubric "featured soloists": Richard Edwards, Tony Fisher, Duncan Lamont, Ronnie Price, and Judd Proctor. The Pete Moore Orchestra is credited, too.

Notice that those two sources do not list the same musicians. Furthermore, one source is connected to the March 13 concert, the other to the March 20 concert. However, I believe that the personnel listed by each source applies to both March 13 and March 20. For one possible reason why neither source lists the entire personnel, see next paragraph.

2. Jack Parnell
3. Pete Moore
Lee's shows at the London Palladium were divided into two segments. One segment was conducted by Jack Parnell, the other one by Pete Moore. Melody Maker's reviewer Ray Coleman concentrates on mentioning members of Parnell's orchestra. On the other hand, the annotator of the CD At Her Best (probably producer Ken Barnes himself) singles out the nuclear, small combo which probably worked under Moore's leadership.


Songs

1. Rodgers & Hart Medley
This concert's Rodgers & Hart Medley consists of 4 vocals by Peggy Lee and two instrumentals by the orchestra, for a total timing of 10:19. The vocals, with their respective timings, are: "Who Are You?" (02:14), "Glad To Be Unhappy" (01:32), "It Never Entered My Mind" (02:59), and "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered" (04:20). The two instrumentals are "Where Or When," which follows Lee's first vocal ("Who Are You?"), and "Falling In Love With Love," which precedes Lee's last vocal ("Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered").


Issues And Collectors' Corner

1. Default Recommendations
2. At Her Best [CD]
3. The New Collection [CD]
Throughout this sessionography, I have tried to highlight one recommended issue for each performance -- usually a CD. My recommendations are generally based on sound quality, faithfulness to the original masters and special assets or merits of the production.

In the case of the March 20 London Palladium concert, there really isn't a satisfactory issue to recommend. If I have highlighted At Her Best, it is only because this CD is the least objectionable of the available choices. A finer issue of these concert performances is needed.

Similarly, I have highlighted the CD The New Collection by default. On the positive side, it contains performances not available elsewhere. On the negative side, its track organization is very haphazard. Tracks recorded in the 1960s alternate with tracks recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. Once again, the performances deserve to be re-released in an improved edition.

4. Fever! The Best Of Peggy Lee [CD]
5. Fever! Live At The London Palladium [CD]
Originally issued in 1996, the Pulse/Kaz CD Fever! The Best Of Peggy Lee was later reprinted with a different cover and a partially different title (Fever! Live At The London Palladium). The cover of the earlier version shows a b&w drawing (or rather, a photo negative) of Lee in the mid-1970s. The reprint shows three color photos of Lee, performing some time in the mid-1960s.


Arrangements

In all numbers for which an arranger is identified, the Peggy Lee sheet music library is my source of information. However, this identification must be deemed tentative because I have not actually inspected the library's arrangements. Hence I cannot be fully certain that those arrangements are the same ones used in concert. (This caveat does not apply to "Is That All There Is?" and "The Folks Who Live On The Hill," both well-established numbers from Lee's canon. Although Pete Moore might have made a few adjustments for the occasion, the arrangements played are clearly the ones originally created by Randy Newman and Nelson Riddle.)

Peggy Lee With Ken Barnes At Polydor Records

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