Late to our own party

AM, Then FM quietly turned a year old earlier this week.

Quietly, as I told our friend Scholar over at Souled On the other night, because I was so busy earlier this week with other things that I hadn’t had time to do a one-year anniversary post.

Before we snap the caps on the bevvies …

Thanks to all the music fans who stop by regularly. Hope you’re finding tunes you dig. Thanks to all the music bloggers who have made us welcome and provided wise counsel.

Now, as Sports Illustrated’s Peter King says, some facts about AM, Then FM’s first year that may interest only me:

We did 212 posts. The “Three under the tree” series of Christmas tunes was by far the most popular thing we did all year.

Otherwise, our three most-read posts were on the 30th anniversary of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crash, a novelty piece of Chicago house music from the ’80s and my favorite cut from the soundtrack to the Disney film”The Jungle Book.”

The No. 4 most-read post was from baseball’s opening day, but I suspect that has more to do with aging horndogs curious about a certain ballgirl once employed by the Cubs. She was mentioned and pictured in that post, and her name turns up almost every day in the search statistics.

So, what to expect in AM, Then FM’s second year? We’ll just keep on keepin’ on.

We have a lot of vintage vinyl (and a fair number of CDs) waiting to be ripped. Sleepy Sundays have ended, but we’re working up a year’s worth of posts on another of my faves. The Christmas tunes will return in November. Remember also that we take requests, so don’t be shy. Finally, I promise to try to write shorter than longer. Easier on everyone that way.

Today’s tune? A greatest hit of sorts. You liked it in September. Enjoy it again.

“I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song),” Louis Prima and Phil Harris, from “The Jungle Book” soundtrack, 1967, with dialogue featuring some of the other voice actors from the film. I don’t recall where I found this version, nor do I know its source.

And again.

“I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song),” Louis Prima, Gia Maione and Sam Butera and the Witnesses, from “The New Sounds of the Louis Prima Show,” 1969. Dig the Hammond organ on this one. (The album is out of print, but it’s available as a download at Amazon and eMusic.)

After we posted this in September, our friend Larry from the wonderful Funky 16 Corners added this note: “I’d be willing to bet that the Hammond on that record is Richie Varola (Varhola), a young organ virtuoso that played/recorded with the Witnesses in the late 60’s/early 70’s. He did an LP for Verve as ‘Little Richie Varola’, which has some blistering cuts on it.”