Flame Out! - Janet Blair

 

Lover Man Oh Where Can You Be

Flame Out!

Janet Blair

Arranged and Conducted by Lou Busch

Recorded in Hollywood

Cover Photo by Tommy Mitchell

Cover Design by Don Feld

Dico Records 1301

1959

From the back cover: Jimmy Durante once said, "Janet's loaded with talent. She can do anything". Janey says, "What I like to do best is sing." And in "Flame Out!" the once starry-eyed dance band vocalist returns to her first love – singing.

"Flame Out" is about twelve songs full of love. They are admittedly "touchy," but Janet's message when you hear there sing them that... "although the guy's gone he's either gonna come back of if he doesn't he's out of his mind."

Why Janet's singing are some of the best "heart songs" around, most of them from the two "golden" decades of song writing, the Thirties and the Forties. among the composers are Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. In her own dramatic style Janet treats the creation o these luminaries with the respect they deserve.

The musical backgrounds were arranged and conducted by Lou Busch who, while preserving the same mood tone throughout, created the chance of pace so necessary to this kind of album by variance of orchestral sound. Some numbers have a light, tonal modern jazz back-ground; other, a strikingly beautiful sting sound. Still others employ the sparse feel of a "blues" piano and a lonesome trumpet blowing "out there somewhere."

All are recorded in the highest of brilliant fidelity and are  captured with a lustrous and thrilling "presence."

As you can see, a lot of care has been lavished on Janet's debut album. She deserves it.

Janet Blair's career to date encompasses virtually every phase of the show business world except the circus. With her versatility she may yet make that.

Her first rate of stardom came as "Chief Power Puff Dance" in an Altoona, Pa. dancing school recital. This of course was temporary, because, as everyone knows, you just can't be a "Chief Powder Puff Dancer" after you reach the age of seven.

Since this early remarkable achievement her professional horizons have included warbling from a bandstand with Hal Kemp's orchestra, emoting in summer sock, touring the U.S. for three year in "South Pacific", playing a host of push nitrites, starring in a dozen films, capering in the London production of Bells Are Ringing" and filling America's homes with her acting, singing and dancing on guest appearance and the Sid Caesar and Chevy TV shows.

From Billboard - May 25, 1959: Dico Records, a new label seeking to record established name talent on a profit sharing basis, will be unveiled by its founder, Lou (Joe Fingers) Carr Busch, with its release of Janet Blair's "Flame Out" album. The Busch plan allows the artist a substantial piece in the album's ownership, similar to the participating equity pattern long followed in the motion picture industry.

Miss Blair's album marks her first appearance on records since her days as vocalist with the Hal Kemp Orchestra in 1940. Busch was pianist with the Kemp crew. Her album will consist of torch tunes. It will be released this summer when the songstress returned to the "Chevy Show" as star replacement for Dinah Shore, thereby reaping TV promotional benefits.

Dico will release thru Allied. Label will also featuring Lou Busch's recordings. Busch is currently lining up similar co-ownership album deals with other name personalities.

He launched the label when he concluded a 10-year stint with Capitol Records on May 15. While at Capitol, Busch created his nom de disk, Joe (Fingers) Carr, which he used on Honky-Tonk styled keyboard knuckling.

Busch contends that stabled names deserve far more than the standard 5 per cent royalty paid by record manufactures, and that his profit sharing plan is the only way they can be assured of a larger slice of record sales revenue. The majors, Busch argues, want the artist to pay the recording session costs and then get a mere 5 per cent return. He insisted that his parting with Capitol was amicable and his remarks are aimed at the "5 per cent holy cow" royalty structure of the industry as a whole and not at Capitol alone.

Record companies, Busch said, expert artist to look upon the recording activities as mere hobbies and not as a major source of income. While profit-sharing deals may not be practical for the major labels, Busch said, he feels his plan will attract top names to his firm and prove successful. Co-ownership arrangements with artist, however, won't allow Dico to groom unknown talent, which is a major area of investment for most diskeries. Deals will be made only with established names and not newcomers.

Nico's deals will vary among artists, Busch said. Amount of Equity retained by the Artist will depend upon the extent the artist will invest in the package product.

Get Out Of Town

Autumn Leaves

Glad To Be Unhappy

They Can't Take That Away From Me

Good Morning Heartache

The Gentlemen Is A Dope

Don't Explain

I Get Along Without You Very Well

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

Then You've Never Been Blue

In Love In Vain

Lover Man Oh Where Can You Be