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THE DION CONNECTION

(CONVERSATIONS & CURIOSITIES)

Written by IAN MAUNDER.

Throughout his career, Dion has made his own versions of other peoples' songs, mixed in amongst largely original and other self penned material that dominates his recorded work. There's a difference, however, between a copy and a cover version. Copies are usually made by untalented or, at the very least, unimaginative artists who like someone else's record and sing it exactly the same, note for note, often pinching the backing music as well. When I started collecting records in the 50's there were so many copy records around, usually white artists like the Crew Cuts and Pat Boone stealing material from black artists, that l developed an obsession with "originals" which persists to this day.

But there has always been a handful of artists around who have a uniquely personal style, and who have the ability to sing other people's songs and make them different, simply because they put their own personality into the song. Dion very definitely falls into this category, and I believe this is one of the reasons for his enduring popularity.

Dion's versions of such material tend to fail into one of three categories;

1) 'quick, we need another track to fill out the album',

2) 'let's groom Dion into a Las Vegas star', and

3) his personal choice of material.

category 1 'quick, we need another track to fill out the album',

the Elegants' "Little Star" (Apt25005,USNO. 1, 1958),

the Classics' "life Is But A Dream" (Dart/Mercury 71829. 1961), and

the Dell Vikings' "Come Go With Me" (Fee Bee 205/Dot 15538,USNo.5. 1957).

Others came from popular solo singers like :

Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover ~tco6140, USNO.2, 1959) and

BobbyVee's "Take Good Care Of My Baby" (Liberty 55354, US No.1, 1961).

That last one wouldn't, at first look, seem to be ideal for Dion, since Vee's voice is light and hiccuppy. more in the Buddy Holly mould, but Dion does an excellent job on it, And let's not forget Dion and the Belmonts own single version of Fats Domino's "I Can't Go On (Rosalie)" (imperial 5369, US R&B No.6, 1955), a daring choice for vocal group treatment, since Fats has such an inimitable style himself. But the group transform the song and make it their own.

category 2 'let's groom Dion into a Las Vegas star',

This music was romantic ballads and jazzy swing numbers by artists who had begun a vocalists with big bands in the 40's. Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, Doris Day, Patti Page and many more. Once convinced that this was the way things would go, the obvious thing to do was to try to turn the more talented rock 'n' roil artists into 'all" round entertainers' so that they (and their hangers on) could survive in the post-rock 'n' roll era. So almost from the start, Dion and the Belmonts were pressed to record standards as album tracks, songs like "One For My Baby" and "Fools Rush in", and of course there's the album of standards which precipitated the split between Dion and the Belmonts. Hit singles came off that album, notably the million-selling "Where Or When".

This is a superb rendition of the old song, showing just how good the group's harmonies could be, the Belmonts were keen to continue in this vein. Dion, on the other hand, was clear that he wanted to sing rock 'n' roll, so they went their separate ways.

Even so, Dion didn't escape the Las Vegas grooming process. In 1962 when he signed to the major Columbia label, he had a string of wonderful rock hits, yet his producer, Robert Mersey, arranged for the albums that followed to contain a high proportion of cabaret-type material. it's not that Dion couldn't do justice to the songs - he's one of those artists who could make a good job of singing the telephone directory - but what was the point? The kids who bought "Ruby Baby" and "Drip Drop" were unlikely to be turned on by Dion singing Al Jolsen's "My Mammy", and fans of Las Vegas regulars like Sinatra or Sammy Davis Jnr. would hardly be rushing out to buy albums by a rock 'n' roller. As it happened, about 18 months later Dion blew the whole thing away by picking up on Robert Johnson and entering his folk 'n' blues phase.

And of course Columbia's marvellous "Bronx Blues" reissue set took out the cabaret dross and gave us an undiluted dose of Dion at his best (though I still haven't forgiven them for omitting "The Road I'm On (Gloria)". Among the more familiar material are a couple of un-issued gems. One is a Bob Dylan song "Baby I'm In The Mood For You" which was not even issued by Dylan until the recent "Biograph" boxed set. Dion probably picked up the song on one of the many occasions that his and Dylan's paths crossed in the Columbia studios. The other is an acoustic version of Sonny Boy Williamson's classic "Don't Start Me Talkin"' (Checker 824, US R&B No.3, 1955) which just features Dion and his guitar, but boy does it move.

category 3 his personal choice of material.

One of the first times he stuck his neck out on a single was his third release on Columbia in 1963. He had always been open about his love of Hank Williams' music, but even so, his choice of "Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw" was a very unusual one. lt was not one of Hank's regular songs, but one of a series of 'moral monologues he recorded under the pseudonym of Luke The Drifter and was a warning about the cruelty of gossip. Dion did a very fine version, but it was a much smaller hit than he was used to at that time because it was so different.

Conversely, his first and fifth singles for Columbia were smashes and both were versions of songs by black vocal group The Drifters. Ruby Baby" (Atlantic 1089. US R&B No.10, 1956)and Drip Drop" Atlantic 1187. US No.58, 1958) both came from a period In The Drifters life when their first great lead singer. Clyde McPhatter. had left, and before the job was taken on by Ben E. King. Dion gave both songs a new dimension with a punchier approach and a fuller sound than the originals.

It was after "Drip Drop" that Dion became infatuated with the blues and his next single was VERY different. An acoustic version of Muddy Waters' l'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" (Chess 1560. US R&B No.3, 1954) in which his voice slithers around the lyrics and shows just what a Bronx boy can do with the Delta blues. He followed it up with an incredibly inventive acoustic version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" (Chess 1691. US No.8, 1958) which changed it from a rock 'n' roll anthem into folk blues. He then followed through with a version of Spoonful" which was obviously based on Howlin' Wolf's recording (Chess 1762. No placing. 1960). although Wolf himself had learned the song from Charlie Patton's 1929 recording. No doubt about it, the blues Dion-style was a revelation.

Dion's comeback album in 1968 could, taken at face value, almost fit into category 1. it contained Dion's big hit single "Abraham, Martin and John" written by Dick Holler, two songs written by Dion himself, and the other eight songs on the album were all versions of other artists material. But that impression is quickly dumped by a listen to the album. Here we have Dion the folkie (with a touch of blues and Jazz for good measure). On the folk side he turns ln wonderfully personal versions of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long lime". Fred Neil's "The Dolphins". Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and Leonard Cohen's "Sisters Of Mercy". The blues comes from an aid Lightnin' Hopkins' song "Sonny Boy". There's a touch of soul done very much his own way in the Four Tops "Loving You is Sweeter Than Ever" (Motown 1096. US No.45, 1966). But if you were ever in any doubt about the sheer artistry and talent of Senor DiMucci, one track is a real cracker. It's Dion's version of Jimi Hendrix' "Purple Haze". In Jimi's hands it was a thunderous semi-psychedelic rocker, so it comes as a huge surprise to hear Dion sing it as a light. lilting love song with a wispy flute weaving around his voice. And it works Dion really pulls off a brilliant transformation with this track.

I suppose we could really look back to the Dion and the Belmonts 'Together Again' album in 1968 to see the direction Dion might take, since one of the songs chosen was John Denver's "For Bobbie", a song written for Denver's own baby's birth. Dion moved to Warners and made four extremely fine folky albums for them, with almost all the tracks self-penned. He did include a few covers, including the inevitable Beatles songs. His versions of "Blackbird" and "Let It Be" are very creditable, but it's hard to be objective when you've heard them done so many times by so many people. I can't help feeling that one of Dion's poorer choices was Melanie's "Close To it All". it's not that he doesn't sing it well ,it's just that it's a song of such childlike naivety that only an artist like Melanie, whose whole image was one of bruised innocence, can get away with it. (And before reader Graham Davies, who combines an expert knowledge of doo-wop with a love of Melanie offers to rearrange my features, let me say I love Melaile too). A singer whose image is more street-wise like Dion, sounds decidedly strange singing it.

Dion continued his fiirtation with the blues on his first Warner album, 'Sit Down Old Friend', which contained mainly self-written material but did include a fine version of Bo Diddley's "You Can't judge A Book By The Cover" (Checker 1019. US No.48, 1962).

On his last Warner album, 'Streetheart' in 1976. Dion moved back into rocking territory. including a version of the Temptations' "The Way You Do The Things You Do" (Gordy 7028. US No.11,1964) which turned the close-harmony, high-falsetto original into something more down-home.

He also slipped out from Warners in 1975 to make on album with Mr. WalI of Sound himself, Phil Spector. In many respects this should have been a triumph. Dion's voice allied to Spector's unique production techniques promised a lot -and a lot less than finally got delivered. I personally feel the dearth of memorable songs on the album is the main reason, as both men are in fine form. Nevertheless over the years l find myself only playing two tracks regularly. One is a Dion original, "New York City Song", which he sings in his folky style with no sign of Spector production. The other is a cover, and to my mind is worth the price of the album on It's own. It's a superb version of the Chordettes' "Born To Be with You" (Caduce 1291, US No.5,1956). ironically, Dave Edmunds had already re-cut the song with a production that was very similar to Spector's, so it might have seemed that for Dion and Spector to do it would be a complete waste of time. But It wasn't. The song is taken very slow with a heavy beat and an extended, wonderfully sleazy tenor sax intro before the Brooklyn Dodger comes in with a superb laid back, almost jazzy vocal. A definite 91/2 out of 10 for this one.

Dion's last secular album for a while was the unjustly ignored 'Return Of The Wanderer' in 1978. Here the self penned songs were wonderful, complemented by Dion's usual good taste in covers. A rousing version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic" (Kama Sutra 201, US No.9, 1965) brings the album to a sprightly close, while he continues his long standing reworkings of Bob Dylan with "Spanish Harlem incident". And he still loves the old groaner, as his inclusion on the 'Dream On Fire' album of Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings" proves. He also shows an affection for Tom Waits by including "Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night". He continued this by including Walt's "Serenade" on the 'Yo Frankie' album In 1990. With 1992's excellent 'Dream or' Fire' album, he demonstrated to all prepared to listen that he had lost none of his knack to pick out the best of other people's songs and do something creative with them. With Nick Lowe's "I Knew The Bride", recorded as an out and out rocker by both Lowe and Dave Edmunds, Dion turned lt very successfully into what can be best described as semi-country. But undoubtedly the success of the album, and of his stage shows at the time, was the acappella rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "if I Should Fail Behind" where the harmonies and soulful singing take the man right back to the street corners and tenement hallways where he began.

There are very few artists with careers as long as Dion's who can honestly say they haven't occasionally chosen duff songs for themselves. Dion can.