Prolific German pop composer James Last died on Tuesday. He was 86. Last began his career as a big band leader, but in the mid-60s, while a staff arranger for German Polydor Records, he hit on his definitive formula when he directed an album called Non-Stop Dancing.
On the album he wove together contemporary pop using strings, horns, a swinging backbeat, and mixed in sounds of a live audience to make a party record. The record became a hit and he turned the formula into a sprawling series of albums stretching over the next five decades. Though somewhat formulaic, his catalog is extensive and varied as he included various genres and guests, but he also never met a clutch of Top 10 hits he didn't incorporate into one of his medleys. The mofo had the gumption to even take Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" into easy overdrive, along with T.Rex's "Children of the Revolution" AND the Alice Cooper Group's "School's Out."
He also had a European TV show, won a million awards, and sold over 100 million albums. He finally retired from touring earlier this year.
Also, the word from the rare soul scene is Detroit soul singer, Almeta Latimer, aka Almeta Lattimore, has also passed. To most folks I'd reckon she's a complete unknown, but deep soulies and select record collectors will know her from her killer funk take on the standard, "Tobacco Road."
She also sang background on Aretha Franklin's Spirit In The Dark album. She didn't make many records, but she did follow "Tobacco Road" with a single that's now considered a benchmark of crossover soul, "These Memories." Then, in 1980, she made a couple more singles with John Freeman; the singles didn't chart and she was last seen performing in the UK at the Northampton weekender in 2006.
If you've been anywhere within internet or radio waves reach, I'm sure y'all all know both Ornette Coleman and Christopher Lee died this week as well. If you've not read Dave Segal's Ornette Coleman obit, do it NOW.
As for the mighty Christopher Lee, there are a million folks eulogizing him for his brilliance as an actor. However, I feel his contribution to the HEAVIEST of heavy metal's Christmas jams should also be noted.
