Song Of The Day 1/31/2015: The Sundown Playboys - "Saturday Nite Special"

Apple Scruffs: Closing the crate on this week of decidedly non-Beatlesque selections from the catalog of Apple Records is something I couldn’t resist. The Sundown Playboys are one of the comparatively few bands that put something out on Apple who are still around. Indeed, they’ve been around since 1947. Some sources date them back even earlier to 1945. They are “the second oldest performing Cajun band in Louisiana,” founded by accordionist Lionel Cromier. The press release doesn’t mention who the oldest band is, but I haven’t gotten any notice about The Hackberry Ramblers (f. 1933) having ceased operations. Fill me in if you happen to have this info in your Rolodex.

After Lionel Cromier passed away from a heart attack in 1971 his progeny took over the core of the band. At some point during this era accordionist Pat Savant, at the age of 16, forwarded a copy of “Saturday Nite Special” over to Apple. George, who we’ve established was Apple Records’ Employee Of The Year pretty much every damn year, fell in love with the recording and issued it in 1972 on 78 rpm. I have to wonder how much adjustment was necessary in the Beatles’ manufacturing facilities to press 78 rpm records. Although you still had the occasional, freakish 78 rpm record being made in the late ’60s/early ’70s (Randy Newman & the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band put out a couple) the medium had almost no practical outlet at the time. No matter though – the sonic infidelities on this recordings are charming my sensible shoes off.