By Scott Freeman
A couple of years back I heard this 45 on an Ebay auction—that’s what I love about Ebay is that sellers sometimes offer bidders sound samples of their items—and later bought this 45 off of a different website. Scant information of Eddie And The Atmosphere exists. I know nothing of the outfit. I have seen a couple of different 45s off of the Libra label in the past, but I have also been unsuccessful at uncovering any information about the Libra label itself.
There is a plethora of information, however, about two of the names listed of this 45: Billy Dawn Smith and Otis Blackwell. I discovered that both Smith and Blackwell were born and raised in Brooklyn. Smith was a noted doo-wop artist of the 50s and Blackwell gained popularity as a songwriter during the same time. In fact, Blackwell was noted as writing the following tunes: “All Shook Up,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Fever,” “Great Balls Of Fire.” All great hits, to be sure. So Smith and Blackwell share a hometown with similar interests in music, but I could find no specific evidence of linking them together. This 45 is the only piece of evidence I’ve got.
What I do know, though, is that “7 Days Of Nothing” is a corker of a tune! You have great interplay between the organ and the band with a grittiness that just rocks the house.
Colorful yet depressing lyrics take the listener through a week of gloom, sadness and drinking. Yet the music itself is quite uplifting so you have a nice contrast with the language. Hope you enjoy!
Sound file is for educational purposes only.
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