Christmas With Mozelle

 Are you tired of Bob Kames?  Good, so am I.  Unfortunately, this share also featured an organ, but it's a much more stately affair, accompanying some singers in an English country church.  In fact, there is no artist credited, just church choir and organ.  But that's not why I'm sharing this early RCA LP.  I'm sharing it for the great Mozelle Thompson cover.  I don't know much about this Thompson person (the internet seems to be limited to Thompson, Mozelle (1927-1970), African American artist from Pittsburgh), but I've been finding his covers here and there and really enjoying the style.  You can find a few examples on the blog here, here and here, and I've got more I hope to scan and post after the holidays are over.  (I thought I'd shared more of the album covers, and not just the doodles, but I can't find them if I did.  I'm such a slacker...)  If you know more about this fellow, I'd really appreciate any info you can send my way.  I remember how excited I was when I found this LP, even though the front and back covers had come apart, and I think the record was in a different stack.  But I put it all together and got a decent rip from it.  Later on I found a UK issue of the same music, dated a year later, so I suppose it came out in the US first, oddly enough.  That cover is down at the bottom of the page, it's not nearly as good as the one above.  Anyhow, here's a brand new share for you, An English Country Church Choir With Organ-Christmas In England-Carol Service In A Country Church (RCA Victor LPM-1568, 1957, Mono).

1. Bells: Organ
2. O Come, All Ye Faithful
3. As With Gladness Men Of Old
4. Once In Royal David's City
5. The Holly And The Ivy
6. Joy To The World
7. The First Noel
8. Good King Wenceslas
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Angels From The Realms Of Glory
11. Away In A Manger
12. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
13. Coventry Carol
14. I Saw Three Ships
15. Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
16. Organ

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Oodles Of Doodles CCCXLIII

Another week, another doodle. Actually, I think it's been more like two or three. Anyhow, here's a great doodle from Mozelle Thompson, much more of whose work can be seen here. This comes to us from the flipside of George Feyer-Memories Of Popular Operas (RCA Victor LSP-1926, 1959). When I found this doodle on the back of the record, it was in terrible shape. The top and bottom of the art were covered in strapping tape, and it took a lot of work to get the image out from under there. I, of course, was too lazy and inexperienced, so I asked my friend Inkydog to see if he would take a crack at it. He did, the results look great, and I thank him very much!

Oodles Of Doodles CCCXXXVIII

What doodle have I got for you tonight? How about another great picture by the great Mozelle Thompson? The style is almost unmistakable at this point, I've seen so many of them. As soon as I picked this LP up and turned it over, I knew who it was. The LP in question is The Voices Of Walter Schumann-When We Were Young (RCA Victor LPM-1477, 1959). This doodle takes up over 2/3 of the back cover, so the graphic designers at RCA knew what they had on their hands. Art like this can't be confined to some out-of-the-way corner of a back cover. I recently got a comment from a grand-nephew of Mr. Thompson's, but I'm afraid he didn't know much more about him than I do. Someday we'll get the right visitor around here, and they'll spill the beans on the story behind this great illustrator. I think Mozelle is now the most frequently blogged doodle artist around these parts. Follow these links for all the other times he's been displayed around these parts. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and one maybe.

Oodles Of Doodles CCCXXXIII

Well, I never thought I'd get this far in my doodles. The first hundred was pretty easy, the second hundred took a while, but it wasn't too hard. The third hundred took even longer, and now I am one third of the way to my first thousand. It's an odd milestone to celebrate, but here I am anyway. And I found a handful of doodles by one of the great doodle artists, Mozelle Thompson. Still don't know much about him, but I know he's fairly prolific. I believe that prior to this doodle, all of his work has been for RCA, but with this one, he spreads out to MGM. These six doodles are actually from inside the gatefold cover of The Starlight Symphony Conducted By Cyril Ornadel-The Musical World Of Cole Porter (MGM E3843, 1960). I've got no idea why I picked this record up, but I did, then I opened it up, and there were these doodles. I think these doodles represent the 6 musicals named on the cover, those being Kiss Me Kate, Born To Dance, Leave It To Me, Can Can, Silk Stockings and Rosalie. I can't tell you which one is which but I'm sure many of you can figure them all out.

So, where else have you seen artwork here at the blog by Mozelle Thompson? Let me count the ways: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 And one maybe that I just noticed last night in an old post.

Oodles Of Doodles CCCXXVIII

Another doodle for you tonight from another artist that you've seen plenty of times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) before here at the blog. This is from the flipside of Al Nevins And His Orchestra-Dancing With The Blues (RCA Victor LPM-1654, 1958). Yep, that's Al Nevins from The Three Suns. And the artist here is Mozelle Thompson, who I've shared out quite a bit around here. Very nice work, I wish I could find out more about him. They must have thought quite highly of him to allow that large signature to be featured so prominently with his work.

More Mozelle

I've brought you plenty (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) of doodles by an artist named Mozelle Thompson, but this is the first time I've found his artwork on a cover. This is Cantor Josef "Yossele" Rosenblatt-Songs Of My People (RCA Camden CAL 597, 1960). Quie a nice picture of a mother reading or singing to her child. There's something a little creepy about the kid, though, with those big hollow eyes staring out of the album cover, as if he can see you out there, 47 years in the future...

Oodles Of Doodles CCLXXIV

Just to throw everyone off, here's a fourth doodle for the day, the second one from Mozelle Thompson. I knew about this doodle a long time ago from a CD reissue of this LP I saw online. But it was only recently that I stumbled across this Living Stereo version. (I think I found a mono version a while ago, but threw it back because the cover was in terrible shape.) This is one of those rare doodles that's reproduced in color on the back of the sleeve. In fact, this one is odd in that a similar, thought not identical, doodle is featured on the front of the LP. You have to look close to see that it's not the same, but it's not. The fact that it's in the background and slightly blurry behind Mr. Fiedler doesn't help, either. I wonder if it's actually drawn that large, or if they've composited two pictures together? Either way, I've got a scan of the LP cover for you, but Blogger is giving me a hard time about posting it. Hopefully I'll be able to get it up before I finish typing this post. The LP in question is Boston Pops Orchestra-Arthur Fiedler, Conductor-Marches In Hi-Fi (RCA Victor LSC-2229, 1958), and is my first doodle from an RCA Red Seal record, which was their line for classical releases. Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops did plenty of slightly more popular stuff, but it all came out on the Red Seal line.

Oodles Of Doodles CCLXXII-More Mozelle

While I'm posting doodles, I wanted to get up this great candelabra by Mozelle Thompson. This is an artist that I've posted before, but I still don't know much about him or her. There's got to be some info out there somewhere, but I haven't found it. Not that I've looked real hard. I wouldn't make first cut as a host on History Detectives, I'm afraid. Anyhow, this doodle comes, not from a Liberace LP, but from the back of Emery Deutsch, His Violin And Orchestra-Candlelight Moods (RCA Victor LPM-1094, 1958).

Oodles Of Doodles CCXXXVII

I've got a great doodle for you tonight from Floyd Cramer-Hello Blues (RCA Victor LSP-2151, 1960). Check it out! Some cats are really diggin' the sounds comin' from that jukebox. I'm going to assume that it's just a coincidence that he appears do be doing the moonwalk more than 20 years before Michael invented it. Oh, don't miss the signature on this one, Mozelle Thompson. That name has popped up here more than once. An added bonus is the ID tag from the front, Swinging Blues For Boppers. Righteous!

Oodles Of Doodles CCXX

Here's a lovely fluid doodle of two folks dancing a waltz. How do I know they are waltzing? Well, the LP this hails from is The Melachrino Orchestra Conducted By George Melachrino-Strauss Waltzes (RCA Victor LSP-1757, 1958). And that's all well and good, but the important thing here is the signature on the doodle. Myelle Thompson, or something like that. We've seen this artist several times before. Still no info on her, though. Someday, someone will stumble across this blog and will be able to tell us all about her, I hope. So stay tuned!

Oodles Of Doodles CCXVI

Here's a rare color doodle for you. I think there have only been two or three doodles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, OK 6) before this one that were in color, and some of them probably don't count for whatever reason. You may not count this one, since it's not really a pen-and-ink drawing, but it fits most of my other, rather loose, requirements. It's on the back of an LP from the right time period and I like it, so what more does it need. This is from a classical LP, which is also a little rare, but it's more on the popular side than most. The LP is Moon, Wind And Stars by Morton Gould And His Orchestra (RCA Victor Red Seal LM-2232, 1958). Look closely and you'll see a signature in the watercolor. It's a name that I've seen twice before (1, 2) on doodles I've shared here, which is another great reason for sharing it. I'm still not exactly sure of the name, and Google is no help for any variation I can come up with. It's either Mayelle Thompson or Mazelle Thompson, take your pick. But either way, it's a great addition to the doodle collection.

Oodles Of Doodles CCV

It's been a while, but I haven't forgotten those if you who love the doodles. These dancing guypies are from, where else, Gypsy Sandor And His Orchestra-Play, Gypsy, Play (RCA Victor LPM-1739, 1958). The name looks to me like Mezelle Thompson, which doesn't seem to return much. Why is Hello chopping off my pictures? Is anyone else having this problem? I'm sure by the time most of you see this post, I'll have it fixed, but right now the lower third of my picture above is missing. When I posted the bee shot earlier, I had to try like 5 times before I got it up. What a pain...

OK, I've tried four times now and I can't get the picture to post properly. I'll try again later. Perhaps something is screwy out in Cali. There, I finally got the entire doodle to display. It only took seven or eight tries. I think I'm going to bed...

Wait, it still doesn't post the whole picture when you click on the smaller version. This is going to have to get fixed tomorrow.

Oodles of Doodles XXI

This rather lovely doodle of a lady listening to her LP collection is from the back of Gogi Grant-Torch Time (RCA Victor LPM-1940, 1959). The artist signed this one, but I'm having a hard time making out the signature. I'm guessing something like Myelle Thompson, but that doesn't return any hits at Google. Anyhow, some of you record buffs out there may imagine this to be the perfect woman, but if you look closely, she has those LPs scattered about the floor, and they aren't in their sleeves! That's no way to treat a fine piece of vinyl!