Friday, June 3, 2011

Penny and The Quarters-You and Me


If you haven't seen the movie Blue Valentine, you should. Definitely not a first date type of movie but it's a raw look at a real couple. Along with some great acting and nice cinematography, it's very relatable, and perfectly captures the ups and downs of a relationship (may your lows never be as low as their lows). But other than the above, the best thing about the movie is its soundtrack, and especially, this jamandhalf. "You and Me" is really the heartbeat of the movie, popping up from time to time, providing the viewer with a regular pulse on where the movie is and where its come from.

With a classic doo-wop feel invigorated by the clarity of Penny's enchanting voice, "You and Me" is a obscure Motown classic with its simplicity being its true hallmark. With only a guitar and the back up band, the band eschews loud in favor of clean. With nothing to get in the way, the feelings of the jam are amplified that much louder and come out untarnished, only emboldened by the creaky sound quality. The song itself is a mystery, as SunsetintheRearview puts it:

          "It has been estimated that when Penny & The Quarters recorded their previously unreleased demo,        “You and Me,” the singers were all teenagers. Little more is known about the band other than the fact that they were invited to audition by Harmonic Sounds Studio in Columbus, Ohio, to record three of their demos sometime between 1970 and 1975. Whether they actually recorded the songs in the studio or in the home of the studio’s owner, Clem Price, is unknown. After Price died in 2006, the songs were discovered in one of his storage units and thereafter given to an archival record company called The Numero Group. In 2011 Numero Group publicized their efforts to track down members of Penny & The Quarters or their surviving family members to share the monetary profits from “You and Me.” One member of Numero Group has stated, “we have played this recording to over 100 movers and shakers from the time and no one has a clue.”

Whatever it is, wherever it came from, its just beautiful music that I hope all of you love. Check it out below.



Penny and The Quarters You and Me

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