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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 10 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Sue Raney and Joanie Sommers
From: Bill Reed
2. Re: Starsailor not done their homework!
From: Mark Wirtz
3. Lennon 1971
From: Eddy Smit
4. Re: Katch 22. (Soft Rock)
From: JJ
5. Alternate White Album takes
From: David Mirich
6. Before And After
From: Stuffed Animal
7. Chiffons album
From: David Bell
8. Catching up yet again....
From: Country Paul
9. Re: George Harrison and The Spoonful
From: Steve Harvey
10. soft rock
From: Alan Zweig
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 02:24:04 -0000
From: Bill Reed
Subject: Re: Sue Raney and Joanie Sommers
> I have more Sue Raney music if anyone is interested,
> including her version of the Margo Guryan song
> Sunday Mornin' and another great track from Alive &
> in Love. She's a favorite of mine, 01 . Point of information: I saw Sue Raney perform at a sold-out
concert in Thousand Oaks, California a few months back. Doubtful
that she will EVER perform her pop material in public again,
but as a jazz-influenced pop chantootsie she is still just about
unsurpassed. Looks and sounds exactly the way she did did in the
1960s. Even from the front row. EVEN two inches away. . .when I
stood in line to shake her hand after the show. The best
cheekbones in the biz! Uncanny!
> Anyone know if anyone else did a version
> of Who's Afraid? It says on the LP the song is from the movie
> Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
2. I have a 45 of Who's Afraid? (Webster - North) by jazz singer
Frank D'Rone on Columbia. The flip is a Teddy Randazzo/R. Allison
tune, Too Good To Be Forgotten. Both sides arr. by a name totally
new to me. . .Lou Toby.
Come to think of it, according to contemporary reports that have
come my way, the terrific D'Rrone, too, is too in possession of
most of his Sixties chops.
3. I saw Joanie Sommers in person a year or so ago at L.A.'s
Cinegrill. She still has a nice voice, but seems to have
misplaced most of the performing skills that she most likely
once possessed. Very nervous, specs' perched on the end of
her nose, and clutching a handful of sheet music which she
continuously kept dropping on the floor. I think she more or
less disappointed---I seem to recall the word "unprepared"
bandied about a bit---a number of old friends (several of
them still powers in the biz) who had come to root her on
in what could only be viewed as a kind of comeback attempt.
Yours,
Mr. First Nighter
http://www.cllrdr.com
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Message: 2
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 03:12:32 -0000
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Re: Starsailor not done their homework!
Richard Hattersley:
> An interview with Starsailor in my local paper this week.
> They were asked why they didn't use more Phil Spector tracks
> for their album........
Sounds to me the response, "Well, actually, we didn't really
know much about him, except that he had this really big name
and did some stuff with the Beatles. So, needing a bit of a
lift in our sagging career, we thought, hey, it might really
do us some good to have him associated with us... somehow.
He might get us some publicity. If we play it right, we don't
even have to use what he does, or we can change it, or whetever
... Blimey, we could even fire "echo boy" if we get bored
with him and all those weird sounds they say he uses. So long
as we get his name on that CD!"
Speaking simply as a music fan, it so happens that I really
like Starsailor and their music - a lot. But I will never
forgive them - regardless of how Spector may, or may not,
have performed according to their "expectations" - for the
undignified and graceless way in which they humiliated this
historic talent. Even given the worst scenario, a tiny bit
of discretion might have been apropriate, instead of
condescendingly milking and exploiting the "conflict" like
a tacky reality show. Even at their best, Starsailor, less
than being severely hard pressed to fill the grand master's
shoes, couldn't even squeeze through their lace holes.
Mark Wirtz
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 10:59:29 +0200
From: Eddy Smit
Subject: Lennon 1971
Anybody any further information on this "singalong" jam ?
Tracks are from a jam October 9, 1971... the following is from
'This day in Beatles history':
"Yoko Ono's art exhibit "This Is Not Here" opens at the Everson
Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, on John Lennon's birthday. The
exhibit will run through October 27. The proceedings are filmed
and are broadcast on US television on May 11, 1972, as "John and
Yoko in Syracuse, New York". John and Yoko join with some members
of the Onondaga Indian tribe who are protesting US government
confiscation of their land for highway construction. A jam session
in celebration of John's birthday comes together at a Syracuse
hotel, with Ringo, Phil Spector, Klaus Voorman, Allen Ginsberg, Jim
Keltner (and possibly Eric Clapton) taking part. John and Yoko are
interviewed by a Japanese journalist, the interview becoming known
as "the argument interview" due to the unusual amount of
disagreement between John and Yoko."
Eddy
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 09:15:39 -0000
From: JJ
Subject: Re: Katch 22. (Soft Rock)
Rob wrote:
> Hi All,
> I also have this album [Katch 22] but I think on this occasion
> the term "Soft Rock" is a misnomer. The cover depicts the band
> stuck in a gooey mess which is the sort of mixture made in a
> sweet (candy) factory. This is probably why the album is called
> "It's Soft Rock & Allsorts" and not the start of a great new
> musical experience. Of course this may just be pie in the sky.
>
> Rob
**"Timeless Pop-sike and Other Delights" is what I'm calling
my FADING YELLOW CDs, STILL, the psych Talibans, on various
Net sites, has given me a hard time, for adding too much late
60s/early 70s Pop on said comps(yawn)
JJ
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 06:19:13 -0600
From: David Mirich
Subject: Alternate White Album takes
Steve Harvey
> A very knowledgable record collector told me that Harrison came
> over in 1968 to visit the US and heard the tapes for the White
> Album (about to be released). He went and remixed his cuts on
> the LP, but you can only hear his remixes on albums with 'Mastered
> By Capitol' in the run-off grooves. Anyone else ever heard of this
> or have one of those rare White Albums? Radically different versions
> from the ones that most people know.
Alan Gordon:
>I've never heard this. I'm assuming this is apocryphal, but I'd
>love to hear these versions, if they do exist. I think that the
>stereo and mono versions of this album are fairly different... and
>that may be where the rumor started. I'm assuming you/he meant that
>George went back to England to remix his cuts, as it's not likely
>that Capitol would have the session multi-track tapes(?)
Last Saturday on the Breakfast with the Beatles radio show
I listened to various alternate versions of many White Album
songs and also wondered where they came from.
Dave Mirich
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 15:18:20 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: Before And After
Artie Wayne:
> I had the good fortune of working with Van McCoy at
> three different publishing companies April-Blackwood,
> Daedalus music and Warner brothers music. Not only could
> he write irresistible hooks within his songs,he put the
> icing on the cake with his stellar productions. One of
> the songs I placed at April-Blackwood was "Before And
> After" with Lor Crane, who produced it with Chad And Jeremy.
> I'm glad a lot of you remember it.
The version I remember is the excellent Claus Ogerman-arranged
version from Lesley Gore's stunning MY TOWN, MY GUY AND ME album.
Stuff
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 19:02:29 -0000
From: David Bell
Subject: Chiffons album
I'm amazed that the exceedingly rare Chiffons' LP on BT Puppy
has attracted so few bids on Ebay. If you want this album,
then you've got about 13 hours to put your bid in. No, I'm not
selling it but thought that members might be interested to know
of its sale.
David.
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 16:08:13 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Catching up yet again....
Thanks once again to work, vacation, and a blackout-inducing
hurricane, I'm again two weeks behind. So, here goes....
Steve Harvey
> ...[T]his guy used to [live] in Rockford
> and reviewed the book on George [Harrison's]
> first visit:
> http://billionbrads.home.att.net/harrison.htm
Looks like interesting marginalia. Anyone on the list read it?
Mike Carter:
> One, that I have to know about and hope someone here can
> shed some light, is "How Am I Gonna Leave You" written and
> performed by BABS COOPER. This is just like a coca-cola.
> One is not enough.
Mick Patrick:
> Babs Cooper? I stand to be corrected, but I think she later
> joined the Womenfolk.
She had a good but somewhat "overheated" version of the Innocents'
"Honest I Do," also on Indigo.
James Botticelli:
> I have a confession to make. I'm all Artied out. There are soooo
> many significant Arties in the world of Spectropop I can't keep
> track of 'em.
Let me add one last one: Artie Garr, the name Art Garfunkel used
for a little while after being Tom Graph and before being the
second half of "Simon and."
Re: Girls with months: Rosemary June, who did "I'll Always Be In
Love With You" on Paris, sort of an orchestrated Connie Francis
big-beat rock-ballad version of a hoary old chestnut.
Re: Twilettes, a friend sent it to me, nothing but title and artist.
I now know (thanks to David Young and others) that it was a Steve
Venet production, and am glad that Mick Patrick had it to play to
musica. (Question: I get confused between Steve Venet and Nik Venet.
Who's who, please? And are they related?)
Artie Wayne, thank you for your tribute to Johnny Cash of September
15. It was very touching. I too have felt very much affected by his
passing. And as a white Jewish kid from Westchester, I had a hard
time explaining/defending my affinity for country music, and
especially Johnny Cash, to some of my friends, too.
Interesting article on Annette Tucker; thanks to all involved.
I either didn't know or had forgotten that the Electric Prunes
didn't write all their material. The interview certainly explains
their erratic output.
B Vlaovic:
> Once again the http://1050chum.com website provides a lot of
> statistical info to help in identifying Canadian groups/hits etc.
> The Sugar Shoppe managed a #20 placing with 'Canada' in the
> summer of 1967. For any listeners who might not have been aware,
> 1967 was the 100th anniversary of Canadian confederation, so the
> country was awash in a deluge of patriotism.
I really like this record, which I'd liken to the Mamas and Papas
more than to bubblegum. Fondness isn't something I feel easily
toward "patriotic" records. What seems to separate "Canada"'s
message from too many of the patriotic records in the US is that
it is simply a paean without the mean "love it or leave it"
underbelly that curses too much American patriotic pop and country.
Another neat Canada-centric track - by rockabillies Bob & Lucille,
The Canadian Sweethearts - is "Hootenanny Express." I have it on a
vinyl anthology, and thus don't have a date or label for this, but
it sounds early '60's, and is a bunch of fun. (By the way, the CHUM
website is superb; if you're into the Toronto scene of their era,
I found it to be very thorough and informative.) One other outside-
the-US track, a bit out of our time purview but worth mentioning
while on this thread: Jona Lewie's "Hallelujah Europa" on Stiff
(late 70's?), both tongue-in-cheek and yet kinda proud at the same
time. Smart pop.
Mike Nathan:
> I saw information about a PBS documentary called "Welcome to
> the Club" which traced the history of women in rockabilly.
> This movie featured some great video clips and present day
> interviews. Does anyone know how to get a copy of this video?
Phil Milstein:
> An excellent documentary, by my friend Beth Harrington....My
> only reservation is that in focusing on those big names, it
> seems to imply that they were about the ONLY female rockabillies,
> which, as most of us know, is very far from the tooth.
"Tooth" be told, I agree with Phil - excellent, but too focussed
on too few. And yes, it's a minor quibble - just to get airtime
for something as supposedly "fringe" must have been an effort.
Another rockabilly woman who had a lot ofoutput on Fortune and
related labels: Eileen Songer. I recently discovered her work and,
while pretty raw-sounding overall, there are some treats.
Gotta go - only a week-and-a-half behind now!
Country Paul
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 16:02:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: George Harrison and The Spoonful
As far as the George story I was told it was remixed
over here in the US when George visited in 1968, not
England. He heard the tapes before they were pressed
and decided to remix his tunes. Never heard of the
cuts surfacing or anyone who had them. Could be bunk.
Originally I was told that the fifth What's Shakin'
cut was Alley Oop. This was a couple of years before
it actually appeared as a bonus cut on the reissues.
It was a tune in the Spoons live set and is on the
live tape from the Night Owl (which was suppose to be
released a few years ago, but was shelved). The guy
who told me about the Alley Oop cut now says it was
never part of the Elektra deal. He does a lot of drugs
so who knows? However, when I met Zal I mentioned the
cut as part of the What's Shakin' LP and asked Zally
why it wasn't on the album. He just said, "Ask that
guy why it wasn't on it." When I said Jac Holzman
Zally said, "Yeah." He never corrected me about it not
being an Elektra cut so I still assume the original
story is true.
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 21:24:10 -0400
From: Alan Zweig
Subject: soft rock
Orion:
> "Soft Pop", "Sunshine Pop", "Pop Psyche" in my opinion
> those all mean the same thing.
I'll weigh in on this burning issue.
If everyone agreed to call it "soft rock", I wouldn't argue
but that's the term I think is least appropriate. And that's
partly because I don't think you can really have rock that's
soft. After all, rock comes from rock n roll and that was a
euphemism for having sex and it's hard to have sex when "it"
is soft. "Soft pop" is a little better but for me that always
begged the question "What would hard pop be?" To me, all soft
pop is basically pop music and calling it soft doesn't really
add anything. I think "sunshine pop" works because most of the
stuff in question has a very sunshiney happy lyrical content.
(Then again, there's "Mr Dieingly Sad" which is not sunshiney.
On the other hand, maybe some of you don't think it belongs in
the category to begin with.)
I also think the word "sunshine" here is a sly reference to the
Beach Boys. So it's sort of saying "Beach Boys influenced music".
"Harmony pop" is probably the most descriptive for me since I
usually don't describe anything as soft pop or sunshine pop etc
unless it features harmony singing (though I guess some of it
is really more "unison" singing.) "Pop psyche" works too although
seeing all the stuff that gets called "psychedelic", I've begun
to wonder if I even know what that term means at this point. If
I see the term "pop psyche", I usually assume it's going to be
fairly soft and sunshiney and that the psyche content will be
very..... uh... subtle. So in conclusion.... If I had to choose
one term for music that doesn't rock too much, and features lots
of harmonies and usually has a breezy lyrical content, I'd choose
sunshine pop. And if I could kill one term forever, it would be
soft rock.
AZ
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