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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 14 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Freddy Weller of the Raiders
From: Austin Roberts
2. Nesmith, Lindsay and Others
From: Larry Lapka
3. Gerry Goffin
From: James Day
4. S'pop Netiquette Reminder
From: S'pop Team
5. Russ Titelman
From: Declan Meehan
6. Re: "Look At Me Girl"
From: Margaret Still
7. Re: We Wrote 'Em And We Sing 'Em
From: Phil X Milstein
8. Re: Barbara MIlls
From: Simon White
9. Re: Chiffons stereo -- fine points
From: Billy G Spradlin
10. Re: later Raiders
From: Brent Cash
11. Re: Indian Reservation lead vox
From: Austin Roberts
12. Re: Little Pattie
From: Jim Fisher
13. Re: Someone To Talk To - The Breakaways & Darling
From: Mick Patrick
14. Sandy Salisbury radio appearance
From: Joey Stec
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 00:19:02 EST
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Freddy Weller of the Raiders
Previously:
> ...Freddy Weller was to be marketed to the country crowd, Keith
> Allison more as a rockabilly type artist, and Mark Lindsay to those
> who like slick, "MOR" or "AOR" type music...
Keith won the Paul McCartney lookalike contest (Dick Clark) and then
they realized he was a talented singer/musician and made him part of
the Raiders.
Austin Roberts
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2004 14:03:18 -0000
From: Larry Lapka
Subject: Nesmith, Lindsay and Others
Dear all,
Having grown up in a generally black area of New York City in the 1960s
(specifically Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, Queens), it was a true
revelation when The Monkees came on the scene. Not that we didn't all
love The Beatles, but The Monkees were "our" group (I was nine when
"Last Train to Clarksville" came out).
My mom bought my sister and me the first single and first album, and
what a perfect pop album it was! Mike Nesmith's tracks did seem
tacked on, but let me tell you, they stood out from the rest. I had
never heard anything like it, and I always looked at subsequent albums
for the songs that he had on them. In fact, I voted for Mike as my
favorite Monkee in the contest that I think Fleer or Topps had way back
when!
Anyway, in the 1970s, I continued to buy Nesmith records, but I
couldn't get into so much of his work at this point in time. For every
"Joanne," there were lots of other tracks that got a single listen and
probably haven't been heard by my ears since. I now realize that many
of his compositions deserve more than one listen, but for a guy who
loved "Sweet Young Thing," this just wasn't going to happen.
I think Lindsay was looking into pursuing other areas in the music
world by the time his solo outings/Raider stuff petered out. I have not
heard any of his recent solo material, but I have heard that it is
pretty good.
And in passing, I just saw a great show at Westbury Music Fair, with
Peter Noone headlining a three-hour show with Micky Dolenz, Spencer
Davis Group and Gary Lewis. Short takes:
Spencer Davis: surprisingly good, musically the most talented of this
foursome. No Steve Winwood, but for the short time they played, they
were by far the best of this bunch.
Gary Lewis: While he still isn't much of a singer, he kept the place
entertained. He was hoarse, but the deepness of his voice now gave him
the ability to pull off "Sealed With a Kiss" unlike his performance on
record. I was amazed!
Micky Dolenz: What can you say? A review-proof set. Sang with his
sister, Coco, whose voice has also matured. Both were excellent, and
Micky looked far from bored.
Peter Noone: One word: terrific! This guy is real good--no one should
knock him at this point. This guy knows his place in rock history and
just goes with it. He's as exuberant as my nine year old is--and yes,
my son loved this whole show! There is hope!
Larry L.
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 2004 11:24:43 -0800 (PST)
From: James Day
Subject: Gerry Goffin
Hi, this is my first message. I'm trying to get in touch with Gerry
Goffin. We were close friends from 1951 to about 1955. Last time I
saw him was one night he came back to visit his mother in Jamaica,
New York. He told me he was going to write music with his wife Carole.
Never did I ever dream the gifted talent. I still live in the same
house, and where he lived our back yards kissed each other. In those
days I was known as Jimmy. Any help would greatly be appreciated.
Off-list replies only, please.
Thanks,
James Day
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 18:59:38 -0000
From: S'pop Team
Subject: S'pop Netiquette Reminder
To ensure the continued smooth running of Spectropop,
please take a moment to reacquaint yourself with the
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Keep it clear:
Membership is global, hence messages are displayed in non-English
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text-messaging is difficult to follow and can distort the meaning.
Upper-case is the Internet equivalent of SHOUTING. During periods
of heavy traffic, messages presented in this way will be delayed
until the moderator has the time to reformat them.
Stay on topic:
Remember that S'pop exists primarily as a forum in which to discuss
'60s "pop" music, not '70s "rock". Preferred topics of discussion
are the songwriters, producers and recording artists of the "Brill
Building" era.
Read the complete Guidelines at http://www.spectropop.com/membership
Thanks to all for your participation and cooperation.
S'pop Admin Team
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 17:50:42 -0000
From: Declan Meehan
Subject: Russ Titelman
Mick Patrick wrote:
> Barbara Mills "Little Things Like That" (Hickory 1347, 1965) Written
> by Russ Titelman and Larry Kolber. Some members might be familiar
> with versions of this excellent song by Suzy Wallis, Linda Lloyd and
> Little Pattie. They're all good.
Thanks, Mick, for that. I have been searching for a copy by Suzy Wallis,
but didn't realise there were other versions. This got me thinking about
the general quality of Russ Titelman's '60s girl sides. He must be one
of the greatest unsung co-writers or writers IMHO, especially in the girl
group genre. I'm constantly moved and blown away every time I locate
one of his sides and I am itching to find more. Here's a list of records I
have, co-written by Russ Titelman. Can anyone please recommend or
identify more?
The Cookies: I Never Dreamed (Dimension)
The Cinderellas: Baby Baby (Dimension)
The Cinderellas: Please Don't Wake Me (Dimension)
The Honeybees: She Don't Deserve You (Fontana)
The Chiffons: What Am I Gonna Do With You (Laurie)
The Inspirations: What Am I Gonna Do With You (Black Pearl)
Margaret Mandolph: I Wanna Make You Happy (Planetary)
Darlene McCrea: My Heart's Not In It (Tower)
Dani Sheridan: Guess I'm Dumb (Planet)
Goldie & The Gingerbreads: Sailor Boy (Decca)
The Chiffons: Sailor Boy (Stateside)
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 18:10:02 -0000
From: Margaret Still
Subject: Re: "Look At Me Girl"
"Look At Me Girl" is great with or without the overdubs. One of my favorite
perfect little pop songs of all time, also! Oddly enough, when I found the
Bobby Vee 45, I only knew the song as done by the Texas garage band
The Playboys of Edinburgh, so the original Vee version was a recent treat
for me. Just in case you've not heard the P of E version, it's available on
a couple of Texas garage comps, and it's also absolutely wonderful.
Best,
M.G. Still
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 11:55:49 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: We Wrote 'Em And We Sing 'Em
Country Paul wrote:
> Fascinating to hear Lincoln Chase's original author's version of "Jim
> Dandy". It's much "cuter" than I would have expected both from Laverne
> Baker's original and from Chase's bass work on Shirley Ellis' "Nitty
> Gritty", but yes, I do like it. This and Eddie Cooley's "Fever" have been
> revelations; I wonder how much of the arrangement of each came from
> the author and how much from the producer, whoever it was.
According to the liner notes, which are posted in the Photos section in
a folder named "WeWroteEm" (along with a segment of the front cover
showing great individual photos of Cooley, Chase and Otis Blackwell),
the project was Blackwell's brainchild, and it seems he oversaw the
production, as well. (The liner notes scan also includes musician
credits, including some familiar names, as well as mini-bios on the
songwriters.)
Since Blackwell was the most successful of the songwriters represented,
it seems to me that he conceived of the project as a way to help pull
some of his colleagues and friends up a bit closer to his perch on the
industry tree, a refreshingly altruistic touch if true. This type of songwriters'
showcase has been done many times for exploitative purposes, where
the writers were no-hopers led to believe their songs would get some
industry attention, but I don't know of any other times it was done with
actual professional writers, at least not at that early stage (1961). Too
bad, as it is both fun and revelatory to hear a writer's own interpretation
of his or her work, even as it might differ from better-known versions.
> More from this album, please!
Michael Greenberg has donated one more track from the "We Wrote 'Em
And We Sing 'Em" album, which I will post on his behalf sometime later
this week. But if you're reading this, Michael, the people have spoken,
and they say, "Please sir, can we have some more?"
Yeah,
--Phil M.
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 18:21:04 +0000
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: Barbara MIlls
Mick Patrick wrote:
> I agree, Barbara was a terrific singer. "(Make It Last) Take Your Time"
> is by far the best of her records. (Hark, is that a chorus of disapproval
> I hear from irate Northern soul fans?)
Well not from this one -- as much as I love her big record on the Northern
scene, 'Queen Of Fools', I love '(Make it Last) Take Your Time' with equal,
errr. ... something. But it's like the love of a brother for a sister, nothing
seedy. Her performance of "Queen Of Fools" is one of the highlights in
"The Strange World Of Northern Soul" DVD for me.
Simon White
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 18:41:20 -0000
From: Billy G Spradlin
Subject: Re: Chiffons stereo -- fine points
Tom Diehl:
> Dr. Dave synched the mono master up to the stereo backing track
> tape. I've got a copy of the stereo backing track tape somewhere,
> it most definitely was NOT cut mono to mono unless someone had
> a 3rd machine running at the same time recording everything to
> 2-track.
The remix sounds wonderful on the headphones. Nice separation of
doo-langing Chiffons, the only thing centered is the lead vocal. I also like
the longer fade-out. I have tried several mono with stereo backing track
synch-up remixes on my PC, and it usually leads to phlange city (think
"The Big Hurt").
Verese's "All-Time Greatest Girl Groups" CD is worth picking up just for
the superb sound quality of many tracks. For instance, it has the cleanest
stereo version of "Dancing In The Street" I have ever heard.
How the backing track wound up in F-G-G's hands for the Angels LP track
is anyone's guess. Maybe they contacted the songwriter, publisher or
even The Tokens about covering the song, and someone lent them the
tape.
Billy
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 18:50:55 -0000
From: Brent Cash
Subject: Re: later Raiders
John Fox wrote:
> ... Next thing you know, Keith is one of the "New Raiders"
> when Paul and Mark replaced Smitty, Fang and Harpo with
> Freddy, Keith and Joe, Jr., the drummer.
Don't forget about "non-household name" Raider Charlie Coe, who was
Fang's replacement and Keith's predecessor. His mug is on "Revolution"
through "Something Happening", my fave LP by them, which has some
of the best drumming of the pop/rock '60's by Joe Correro, Jr. Joe would
turn up later on Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds' "Hallway Symphony" LP,
which I think contains That Alan Gordon's "Anna, No Can Do".
Best wishes,
Brent Cash
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 15:35:34 EST
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Indian Reservation lead vox
Joe Nelson wrote:
> It's definitely him: in particular the way he inflects "so proud to live"
> couldn't be anyone else. I wasn't even aware he was in the group
> until someone pointed out to me he was the singer on that.
OK Joe, prepare to weep. I just spoke with Freddy Weller, who told me that
it was definitely Mark Lindsay who sang the lead on Indian Reservation.
Austin R.
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 13:08:54 -0800
From: Jim Fisher
Subject: Re: Little Pattie
Mick Patrick wrote:
> Details are: Barbara Mills "Little Things Like That" (Hickory
> 1347, 1965). Written by Russ Titelman and Larry Kolber. Some
> members might be familiar with versions of this excellent song
> by Suzy Wallis, Linda Lloyd and Little Pattie. They're all good.
Mick, in your post re "Where The Girls Are" you mention Little Pattie and
her version of "Little Things Like That". Any info on Little Pattie herself?
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 23:59:01 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Someone To Talk To - The Breakaways & Darling
Steve Crump:
> I picked up a record the other day: Epic album (USA pressing)
> - Triple Feature. It contains soundtrack music from "important
> European films"; several tracks from Casanova 70 by Armando
> Trovaioli; several tracks from Divorce Italian Style by the same
> chap; a couple of tracks from the film Darling, one of which is a
> song "Someone To Talk To" sung by a bunch of girls. I'm pretty
> sure it's the Breakaways, does anyone else know about this?
Steve, I'm hoping you have the wherewithal to post "Someone To
Talk To" to musica. I, and a lot of other Breakaways zealots, are
gagging to hear it.
Greg O:
> Yes, it's the Breakaways, but either it's a remix or a slower take
> than what's used in the film, a bit more sultry on vinyl, whereas
> the film take is louder, faster -- after all, it's background to a
> party scene with Julie Christie and Laurence Harvey. I was sad
> the track wasn't included on the recent Breakaways compilation.
The CD was entitled "The Breakaways and Friends: That's How It
Goes - The Pye Anthology". "Someone To Talk To" isn't a Pye
recording. That's why it's not on the CD, Greg. Find a full
tracklist here: http://tinyurl.com/5fg5y
This fabled track was the subject of much discussion at S'pop some
months back. See here: http://tinyurl.com/4b69c
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 22:08:37 -0500
From: Joey Stec
Subject: Sandy Salisbury radio appearance
Sandy Salisbury (of the Millennium , Tommy Roe, Curt Boettcher, Gary
Usher days) will be appearing on KLUX radio from Santa Monica, CA
Saturday, December 4, at 9pm. Sandy is now known as Graham Salisbury,
and is author of several best-selling chidrens' books. Sandy and Joey
Stec will be discusing it all, as they have not seen each other for over
25 years and Sandy has never appeared talking on music radio.
The stream is called "She Comes In Colors."
Regards,
Joey Stec
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