Monday, May 11, 2009

Deep in the "Stereo" Heart of (Franchise) Texas

"Music from the Main Dining Room" sounds like a title John Adams or David Byrne would dream up. And the more I stare at this album cover, the more "Louise Wallis" seems like it ought to be an anagram of "Walter A. Lewis," and the more it feels like this ought to mean something. Do you suppose there were further albums of music - by Louise or others - of music from other rooms of the Bill Williams (Franchise) Restaurant?

So many mysteries, so few answers...

4 comments:

  1. Louise looks like she's comfortable handling a big organ.

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  2. Boy, if that's was passes for entertainment in the Main Dining Room at Bill Williams, I'd hate to be seated in the Dining Annex or out on the Veranda.

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  3. Growing up in Texas, I actually heard and saw one of her contemporaries do her electric organ bit at the HIghland Park Cafeteria in Dallas... If you weren't excited enough by the big band favorites turned into electric tremolo, she had a bunch of little electric toys on the top of the organ you could bring the kiddies up to watch.

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  4. Augh! Too much fun! Deep jealousy!

    I'm looking and looking, but I can't find online my favorite ever related piece of ephemera, an album called "Carol and Her Hammond Organ". The cover was to die, and I actually had it and played it, long ago. Nothing could clear a room faster at the end of a party than Carol's unique take on "Downtown"...

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