D. J. David B. Spins Comics-Tunes: Marvelous and Unknown
Every Tuesday, I, D.J. David B., post to this little blog of ours on the subject of music, as it relates to comics. The nexus of tunes and ‘toons, as it were. In addition to being two things I collect, comics and records have something else in common. Both were created, at least in part, by unknown talents working without credit.
In comics we think of uncredited writers, pencillers and inkers slaving away in an art studio. (It wasn’t until relatively recently that the talented men and women behind the scenes got the credit they deserved. Today, their names are even on the covers!)
Similarly, there were talented musicians behind the scenes of hit records who never got their names on record covers. They were called “session players” and just like the guys getting paid by the page to create comic books in the comics shops of old (when “comics shop” meant a place to make comics, not to buy them) session players were called into the recording studio to anonymously add a guitar part, play a little piano, or put some percussion on what would become a hit record – without their names on it.
Isn’t it interesting that both comic artists and musicians work in a studio? Coincidence? Or something more?
Some of these so-called “session men” went on to be successful on their own. Glen Campbell is a good example of a guitar player who went from session obscurity to fame as a vocalist with his own hit records. Another of these break-out session players was Leon Russell, with his hit single Tight Rope.
I’m not going to attempt to list Leon’s session credits; I’m sure you can Google his name and find hundreds. But I would like to present one of his most obscure records, that just happens to be a tie-in with comic books. Called The Super Record of the Super Heroes, and credited to the Super Dupers (a non-existent band made up of session musicians), this track comes from an album of comics-oriented songs from 1966 (natch!). That sure sounds like Leon Russell on this recording of Captain Marvel Jones.
Click below and enjoy. Shazam, y’all!
Captain Marvel Jones - Super Dupers
— DJ David B.
Somewhere I have a Batmania-era album called SUNDAY MORNING WITH THE COMICS that combines legit nostalgia with making horrible fun of comics and OTR characters. If I recall correctly, this song is actually on that album but I certainly never made the Leon Russell connection. Sure sounds like him, though! He played a small neighborhood theater here recently!
From my meager research I have found that these tracks were released on at least two different LPs, or two different covers at least. There were also one or two singles.
Also, as an aside to Ryan: This is the same source as “The Phantom” that I shared a few weeks ago. Leon Russell was the producer of the album so you can credit the song to him or to the Super Dupers.
hey i actually just bought this album The Super Record of the Super Heroes, for 3 bucks and its in almost mint condition only a tiny scratch and the cover is in excellent shape. my question is how much do you think its worth today
Wow! I guess I’m just a year late for this discussion! I’ve been listening to the whole SUPER RECORD OF SUPERHEROES for awhile now. I had the LP when I was a child and came into contact with some clean MP3′s of the songs some months back. Now it’s on regular rotation on my iPod! I love this album now as much as I did when I heard it back in kindergarten!