Liner Notes

Early rock and roll female

Episode dedicated to Dino Baskovic (1974-2025)

This is the third of four records from Connie Francis that my dad has in his collection. She WAS the top charting female US artist of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Her popularity was due to her voice and being able to sing in multiple languages. And she was a hit maker during the early days of rock and roll.

So get ready to hear a star who was estimated to have sold more than 200 million records worldwide in Volume 218: Rock and Roll Connie.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Connie Francis – Connie Francis
Label: Metro Records – M-519
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Released: 1964
Genre: Pop
Style: Vocal

We will hear 7 of the 10 tunes on this album.

Someone Else’s Boy
Written-By – Athena Hosey and Hal Gordon

Too Many Rules
Written-By – Don Stirling and Harold Temkin

I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter (did I hear a little flash of an Elvis impersonation?)
Written-By – Hank Hunter and Mark Barkan

We Have Something More (Than A Summer Love)
Written-By – Jennie Lee Lambert and Mickey Gentile

It Happened Last Night
Written-By – Earl Wilson, Leonard Whitcup and Slugger Wilson

Two for the road with a double shot of Francis penned tunes
Plenty Good Lovin’
Written-By – Connie Francis

Vacation
Written-By – Connie Francis, Gary Weston and Hank Hunter

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#conniefrancis #earlyrockandroll #musichistory #vinylrecordcollecting

Here is the Episode Script!

I am dedicating this episode to a supporter we lost way too soon last week. Dino was a college classmate, a colleague, and a friend. He touched many lives in his work in public relations, as a college instructor, a YMCA youth coach, and the host of an irreverent internet show that kept many of us entertained and sane during Covid.

He was a husband and father to two girls.

He touched all of those lives in such a positive way.

Dino’s first bout with a brain tumor and operation was about 20 years ago. At the beginning of the pandemic the cancer returned and this time he suffered a stroke on the operating table. Then last February 28, he made this post:

“After yet another stroke, combined with advanced tumor growth and few if any viable options remaining, I have decided to look into End of Life care.”

What he and his friends got to witness was a one year celebration of life. When he had the strength, small gatherings would be planned so people could let him know how they felt about him.

He remained his witty and irreverent self to the very end.

One of his friends posted after his death: “he had the most positive attitude I’ve ever witnessed even when being dealt such a shitty hand.“

So I smoke this Cuban cigar and sip this glass of bourbon in your honor.

Dino Baskovic was fifty years old.

[Open]

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 218 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

This is the third of four records from Connie Francis that my dad has in his collection. She WAS the top charting female US artist of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Her popularity was due to her voice and being able to sing in multiple languages. And she was a hit maker during the early days of rock and roll.

So get ready to hear a star who was estimated to have sold more than 200 million records worldwide in Volume 218: Rock and Roll Connie.

[Music: Someone Else’s Boy]

Backed by an orchestra conducted by Cliff Parman, there is Connie Francis singing Someone Else’s Boy
Written-By – Athena Hosey and Hal Gordon

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

Because I thought it was time to hear this great voice again. We had featured her in Volume 63: Connie’s Italian Hits and Volume 184: Connie’s Sing Along.

This time the record is filled with some great uptempo tunes along with a couple of ballads. In fact, Connie even wrote two that you’ll hear later.

But what’s interesting is, I wasn’t familiar with anything on the disk. Not sure why, but it doesn’t matter. It’s been a fun one to listen to.

So let’s move on. At the heart of any rock and roller is rebelion.

[Music: Too Many Rules]

Too Many Rules
Written-By – Don Stirling and Harold Temkin

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Connie Francis – Connie Francis
Label: Metro Records – M-519
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Released: 1964
Genre: Pop
Style: Vocal

I believe this is a budget label compilation because I found most of these songs on earlier Connie Francis albums.

We will hear 7 of the 10 tunes on this album.

The liner notes are short, so I’ll read them all.

Connie Francis is the type of singer who pleases them all. She appeals to every age group from grandparents to grandchildren. When Connie Francis sings a song it is done with drama and meaning, with warmth and conviction, and every age recognizes this.

Miss Francis has the most distinguished career of any young artist in show business. She has sung around the world and in more than than a dozen languages. She is a world-wide hit-maker who takes her songs to the people of Europe and Asia in their own languages, in jukeboxes around the world you can hear Connie singing the songs on this album, and other of her hits, in German, Jewish, Italian, Spanish and French, to name just a few of the many tongues.

In this LP Connie sings her American hits of recent months. Tunes like too many rules, vacation, I’m going to be warm this winter and plenty good lovin. All are strong entries that have seen the uppermost reaches of the popularity charts. Throughout the album Connie Francis demonstrates her remarkable way with a song, any kind of song, for all kinds of people.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.
$10.00 High
$1.04 Low

$3.74 Average
$3.20 Median

Last sold on Dec 18, 2023 for $3.99

My dad’s record is in fair condition. Not much noise at the needle drop point or much crackling between the tracks, just that warm vinyl feeling throughout.

The record surface is relatively clean. There are a couple of marks that look like the needle might have been dropped or picked up clumsily. But that’s bound to be on most of my dad’s records.

The cover is in good condition. There’s a slight wrinkle on the closed edge, but the artwork still has a shine to it. While the back cover has a green magic marker streak and red X, there is no address label on the front.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at two bucks.

Next up. Listen closely I could have sworn I heard a little flash of an Elvis impersonation

[Music: I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter]

I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter
Written-By – Hank Hunter and Mark Barkan

We’ve talked in previous episodes about Connie’s life, career in music, her lost love and a brutal attack.

So I’ll summarize.

Connie Francis was born December 12, 1938, Newark, New Jersey. She is an American singer whose recordings in the 1950s and ’60s encompassed country, rock and roll, and traditional vocal pop. She was known for her pursuit of non-Anglophone audiences, which made her a hugely popular international star, and for her tortured personal life.

In 1960, Francis was recognized as the most successful female artist in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia, and in every other country where records were purchased.[5] She was the first woman in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” topped the chart in 1960, she was also the first woman to have 3 No. 1 hits on the chart, just three of her 53 career hits.

Critics say that Connie Francis became the top-charting female artist of her time because of her strong, clear voice and her ability to sing many different styles. Her recordings had a warmth and sincerity that made people feel connected to her songs. Hits like *Where the Boys Are* and *Stupid Cupid* showed her range, from romantic ballads to fun, upbeat tunes. She also recorded in multiple languages, making her popular around the world. With over 200 million records sold, her ability to bring deep emotion to her music helped her stand out in an era filled with new and exciting voices.

Connie Francis is 87 years old.
We just heard about being warm during the winter. What does the summer bring?

[Music: We Have Something More (Than A Summer Love)]

We Have Something More (Than A Summer Love)
Written-By – Jennie Lee Lambert and Mickey Gentile

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with what I meant by the title of this episode.

Connie Francis was not exactly one of the first voices of rock and roll, but she was one of the most successful female pop singers when rock and roll was becoming popular. But yes, some of Connie Francis’s work could be considered early rock and roll, or at least strongly influenced by it. While she was mainly known for pop and ballads, songs like *Stupid Cupid* (1958) had a clear rock and roll feel. Written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, it featured an upbeat rhythm, catchy melody, and playful lyrics that fit right alongside early rock hits of the time. Similarly, *Lipstick on Your Collar* (1959) had a driving beat, electric guitar riffs, and a youthful energy that made it a crossover hit with rock and roll fans.

Though she didn’t have the raw, rebellious edge of artists like Little Richard or Elvis Presley, she blended rock elements with a polished pop style that appealed to a wide audience. Her voice had the power and clarity to handle rock-infused songs while still being smooth and melodic. She appealed to teenagers with catchy, heartfelt songs, and her music often included elements of rock, country, and traditional pop.

Because of this, some of her work sits in that early rock and roll space, showing how the genre was evolving and mixing with other popular styles of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Now here’s one of several songs from this album I also found on Connie Francis Sings Second Hand Love & Other Hits.

[Music: It Happened Last Night]

It Happened Last Night
Written-By – Earl Wilson, Leonard Whitcup and Slugger Wilson

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

I don’t remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

In fact, I don’t think I remember any of the Connie Francis album covers my dad had.

This one has a photo of Connie dressed in a long sleeve, high collared deep red something. I can’t tell what it is because we only see her from about the rib cage up. She’s looking directly into the camera and shyly tugging at the collar. The words Connie Francis are above her in bold and a list of the tunes are underneath her name.

The back cover shows the album covers for 20 other MGM albums. None of them are in my dad’s collection.

But the music on this album sure was fun to listen to.

OK…Two for the road with a double shot of Francis penned tunes

[Music: Plenty Good Lovin’]
[Music: Vacation]

That was Vacation
Written-By – Connie Francis, Gary Weston and Hank Hunter

And before that we heard
Plenty Good Lovin’
Written-By – Connie Francis

And there you have selections from one of the four albums from this singer in my dad’s collection.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 218: Rock and Roll Connie

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 219: Bite Sized Bach Record 1

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.