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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 12 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
From: Dave Monroe
2. Soft Sounds for Gentle People
From: Margaret G Still
3. Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
From: Mark Maldwyn
4. Re: MP3s, Obscure CDs, and Satellite Radio
From: S.J. Dibai
5. Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
From: John H
6. Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
From: Bill Smith
7. Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
From: John H
8. "I'm Counting On You" > Alicia Evelyn > Johnny Nash > Phil Spector
From: Mick Patrick
9. Amber and "The 81"
From: Julio Niņo
10. Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
From: Kurt Benbenek
11. How to do the 81!!
From: Tony Leong
12. Re: "I'm Counting On You" > Alicia Evelyn > Johnny Nash > Phil Spector
From: Lyn Nuttall
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 08:24:34 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
Amber wrote:
> I remember it well. It was May 1964; "In My Lonely Room"
> by Martha & the Vandellas was at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100
> and "Hello Dolly" by Louis Armstrong was at #1. Gag! I know
> which one I preferred! I'd made a bit of a name for myself
> already, having been voted The Girl Most Likely six weeks on
> the trot on the Corny Collins Show, and was booked by a famous
> Philly DJ named Hy Lit to demonstrate The 81, a hot line dance
> the teens all loved... I found that out many months later when
> I bought a fabulous record called "The 81" by Candy & the
> Kisses... I can still do The 81...
Here's a perennial question amongst my set. Just how DOES one
do The 81? "In a big boss line," sure, but ...
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 03:54:12 -0000
From: Margaret G Still
Subject: Soft Sounds for Gentle People
Has anyone else on this group been enjoying this unusually good,
but probably gray area, series on the Pet Records label? There
are 3 volumes, with a 4th in the making, of 1966-71 trippy pop,
from ethereal to wonderfully solipsistic!
List of cuts can be viewed at
http://www.forcedexposure.com/labels/pet.records.html
Got a question:
Who wrote the liner notes? They are funny and well-researched,
but not credited.
Best,
Margaret G. Still
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:05:26 -0000
From: Mark Maldwyn
Subject: Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
Dennis Hoban wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who filled me in on one of my fave flicks. If
> it's on DVD or CD, I hope to find it in some commercial venue.
> Rockin' and reelin' from carpet to ceilin'
Last year I saw Beyond... together with The Valley of the Dolls
(Sharon Tate etc. music Dory Previn/Dionne Warwick) on DVD together.
Mark Maldwyn
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 22:42:30 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Re: MP3s, Obscure CDs, and Satellite Radio
Will Stos:
> I also enjoy going to the store and looking through the stacks.
> Now that I have a collection that goes beyond major artists, I
> find it increasingly difficult to find good buys at a CD store.
> Online retailers have the imports and more obscure stuff. Still,
> coming from a smaller city, there was nothing quite like
> travelling to the nearest metropolis, heading straight to a big
> record store and seeing what I could find.
I haven't experienced that problem much and I don't know if it's
because I am from a big city or if it's because I'm from
Philadelphia specifically. It seems like all you have to do in
this town is walk around and you'll stumble upon yet another
groovy little (or, occasionally, big) independently-owned store
that stocks all sorts of weirdities.
Dave Monroe:
> But what I worried about with CDs I worry even more about with
> mp3s, that the ability to select ONLY the tracks one thinks at
> last one wants, certain tracks will simply disappear, at least
> from ready circulation.
A valid concern! Thus, many unjustly overlooked tracks from the
past could continue to be overlooked in the future. This would do
a great disservice to artists like Gene Pitney, who put out some
awesome singles, but in my opinion had many many album tracks
that were just as good as--sometimes better than--his 45s. If you
think you just want a few of his hits, you'll be able to download
them and that's that. But say you can't just download them, so
you buy a greatest hits CD and find out you like him so much that
you wanna splurge on the two-fers of his albums. The latter
scenario is preferable.
There's another problem here which I will convey with a personal
example. I noticed that the various artists CD "Swan's Soul
Sides" (on the Kent divison of UK Ace) had two tracks on it that
I'd been dying to hear: The Buena Vistas' "Hot Shot" and Tony
Galla's "In Love." There were 24 other tracks on that disc, only
three of which I was already familiar with (and already owned).
So, not being made of money, I thought time and time again, "Is
it WORTH buying this whole CD just for TWO tracks? Maybe a
friend of mine has mp3s of those songs that he can send me. I've
never even heard of some of these songs or artists; what's to
say I'll like them?" Finally, only because I'd developed a
sweeth tooth for Swan Records, I bought the CD. It quickly
became one of the best various artists CDs I'd ever purchased!
It exposed me to so much great music that is unfairly ignored,
and it opened my eyes to a whole new chapter in Philly music
history that I'd not been aware of before.
See my point?
Will Stos, responding to Dave Monroe:
> but just imagine not having to buy the same song over and over
> again on numerous compilations to get the few new tunes you
> want?
I'm both an audiophile and a mix fanatic, so I usually don't mind
such repetition because so often--with oldies, anyway--the same
song appears on numerous comps, but in different mixes or
versions.
> Now, who wants to guess what satellite radio will add to this
> equation?
I'm not even hooked up for it, but it seems to be the wave of the
future, as conventional radio is clearly losing listeners and
engaging in desperate ploys to win them back. That Cousin Brucie
found a home on Sirius after being unceremoniously dumped by
WCBS-FM--at a time when oldies formats were being dropped like a
prostitute's panties--makes me think that Satellite Radio is
going to be the new home of the oldies.
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:56:45 -0000
From: John H
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
Dave Monroe wrote:
> Here's a perennial question amongst my set. Just how DOES one
> do The 81? "In a big boss line," sure, but ...
Good question. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the Zonk.
(The Peanut Duck is a lot easier.)
-John H.
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:41:01 -0500
From: Bill Smith
Subject: Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
Dennis Hoban wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who filled me in on one of my fave flicks. If
> it's on DVD or CD, I hope to find it in some commercial venue.
> Rockin' and reelin' from carpet to ceilin'
Mark Maldwyn wrote:
> Last year I saw Beyond... together with The Valley of the Dolls
> (Sharon Tate etc. music Dory Previn/Dionne Warwick) on DVD
> together.
It's funny how one word ('Beyond') can make a movie so different.
"Beyond...." is a breast-fest for str8 males, while "Valley...."
is one major camp gay flick.
Bill
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:59:35 -0000
From: John H
Subject: Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls + Valley Of The Dolls
Mark Maldwyn wrote:
> Last year I saw Beyond... together with The Valley of the Dolls
> (Sharon Tate etc. music Dory Previn/Dionne Warwick) on DVD
> together.
Indeed, there is a Region 2 (European) dvd release encompassing
both films. However, rumor has it both films will be getting
special edition releases here in the states early next year from
Fox's "Cinema Classics Collection."
-John H.
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 23:25:34 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: "I'm Counting On You" > Alicia Evelyn > Johnny Nash > Phil Spector
Me, in June, on Lyn Nuttall's query concerning songs entitled
"I'm Counting On You":
> According to the record label, the song of that title recorded
> by Johnny Nash was written by Alicia Evelyn. Johnny O'Keefe
> recorded a cover version of the same song for the Australian
> market. Petula Clark did likewise for the UK.
>
> The Don Robertson-penned "I'm Counting On You" is a different
> song. Robertson is mistaken about his composition being
> recorded by Johnny Nash.
>
> BMI list 19 songs entitled "I'm Counting On You". ASCAP list
> three. But none of them appear to be credited to Alicia Evelyn
> - an error, I guess.
>
> Whoever wrote it, it's a good song and Johnny Nash performs
> it beautifully - what a great vocalist he was. Although not
> credited on the label, his version was produced by Phil
> Spector. That's how come Petula Clark's cover qualified for
> inclusion on the "Wallpaper Of Sound" CD.
Sorry it took me so long, but "I'm Counting On You" by Johnny
Nash is now playing at musica:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica
Full details are: Johnny Nash "I'm Counting On You" (ABC
Paramount 10230, 1961); written by Alicia Evelyn; conducted by
Robert Mersey; produced (uncredited) by Phil Spector.
I's a strong track, and a bit rare, but Johnny Nash made very
many better records (and I ain't talking about his reggae
offerings, good though they are). Oh for a legit CD!
Alicia Carolyn Evelyn wrote a stack of songs, including Jackie
Wilson's "I Get The Sweetest Feeling", co-authored with Van
McCoy.
Any questions?
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 21:53:07 -0000
From: Julio Niņo
Subject: Amber and "The 81"
Hola everybody.
Mick comments about Amberīs memories of "The 81" and "In My
Lonely Room":
> Dear Amber has been quiet for some time. I do hope she's not
> back in prison, I mean hospital.
>
> Somewhere I have a copy of "The 81" by Allen Cromer on the
> Edge label from 1963 - different song, but same dance. When
> there's room, and if there's any interest, and if I can find
> the record, I could upload it to musica.
I also wonder whatīs Amber doing lately. I heard through the
grapevine that she got a reduction of her sentence for her
meritorious services to the institution she was confined in. It
seems that she directed a school of ladies, instructing the
tomboyish prisoners in the useful art of choosing the most
convenient eye shadow and lipstick colors to go with their
uniforms. She also taught them how to dance with style The Bug,
The Bird, The Monkey, The Cockroach, The Chic and of course
The 81, among other cool rhythms. Bitchy tongues suggested
that the training included more questionable abilities like some
tricks for getting rid of your rivals, like adding poison to
their make up or using home made bombs.
I donīt know how to dance The 81 (which Iīm convinced would had
been Pythagoras' favorite dance). Iīve often asked myself which
could have been the origin of that surprising name. Maybe Amber
could give me some lessons.
And Mick, I would love to listen to Allen Cromerīs "The 81".
Chao.
Julio Niņo.
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 02:47:56 -0000
From: Kurt Benbenek
Subject: Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
Frank wrote:
> But what's more frightening for me is the thought that someday
> MP3s might replace CDs. The loss in quality is significant if
> you really care about sound.
All commercial audio formats have their advantages and
disadvantages.
Some of us who move around a lot like the convenience of being
able to store thousands of albums on one computer hard drive.
Lugging around hundreds of pounds of vinyl LPs and singles in
orange creates is no longer a nagging issue in my life.
Besides, these days it appears that all formats are thriving
quite nicely in either new or used form. Collector's markets
will assure that formats like 8-track tape, 78 RPM discs and
even reel-to-reel are preserved for generations to come.
When I was in London last month, I was very happy to see that
singles can still be purchased in CD and in 45 RPM formats.
Also, new and re-issued vinyl albums are being released all the
time, often with bonus tracks not included on CD versions. For
example, the double vinyl version of Brian Wilson's "Smile"
contained several non-CD bonus tracks. I just got the new
Sundazed music catalogue in the mail and it contains page after
page of tempting vinyl reissues. Vinyl seems very far from
being dead.
Personally, I like the fact that my music collection is now
divided into unique formats. I like the fact that some of my
albums have full-size 12 X 12 cover artwork. And I like the
fact that I have cassette mixtapes that friends gave me in the
80s. But I REALLY like the fact that I can throw 100 album's
worth of mp3s into iTunes and search and easily browse through
tracks.
Audio quality has never been a huge issue with me. Again, every
format has it's own advantages. The important thing is the
quality of the songwriting, production values and overall
emotion of a song or album. A good song is still a good song,
whether on cassette, CD or mp3...or on an Edison cylinder.
Kurt Benbenek
Long Beach, CA
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 03:13:07 -0000
From: Tony Leong
Subject: How to do the 81!!
Someone recently showed me how the 81 was done!! Bear with me,
I can DO it, but describing it is a bit hard!! Just bend both
arms up at the elbow and in an upward swim-like motion, cross
both hands in front of each other twice then hold up both
index fingers. Those from the MTV generation can see a sample
in the Bananarama "Venus" video (there's a shot of Siobhan
doing the hand motions. Those a bit older---think of the Asian
girl, Bernadette from the TV show ZOOM!, doing the arm motions!!
When I first did the 81 to "In My Lonley Room", it was a bit
hard being that the Vandellas track had a faster tempo than the
Candy cut!! Too bad there's no footage existing of Candy and
the Kisses performing the song.
And Will, yes, my Mom said that "Do The 81" was played a lot
here in New York in the mid-60's. It was one of those
nationally unknown, but big in the NY area hits like "It's
Gonna Take A Miracle", and the majority of Ruby and The
Romantics records!!! Oh, and how can I forget to mention
"Whenever A Teenager Cires" by Reparata and the Delrons!!!!
Tony Leong
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 07:42:42 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Re: "I'm Counting On You" > Alicia Evelyn > Johnny Nash > Phil Spector
Mick Patrick:
> "I'm Counting On You" by Johnny Nash is now playing at musica:
> ...Any questions?
No questions, but many thanks for letting us hear this (and a
fine recording it is, too, just as a bonus). I know this will
be of immese interest to Australian members.
As you know, the song is forever associated down here with our
rock legend Johnny O'Keefe whose 1961 version was a national hit.
Because of JO'K's friendship with songwriter Alicia Evelyn (she
even came out here to be on his 'This Is Your Life'), and the
fact that he recorded the song after meeting her in New York, a
lot of Australians (including myself) had long assumed that his
was the original version.
With your help though, Mick, we rewrote this tiny bit of pop
history: the record is set straight at
http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=98
Cheers,
Lyn
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