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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 10 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Darlene Woods / Starlings
From: John S. Weathers
2. Re: Julius LaRosa
From: James Botticelli
3. Re: Fantasia: gotta get away
From: David A. Young
4. Collectors Choice; "some crooner"; more
From: Country Paul
5. Godfrey Daniel
From: Phil Milstein
6. Re: Bassett Hand
From: Hugo M.
7. Re: Julius LaRosa
From: Mike Rashkow
8. Brian Wilson
From: Lindsay Martin
9. Re: Freakbeat
From: Stewart Mason
10. Re: Youm Youm
From: David A. Young
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 21:01:51 -0400
From: John S. Weathers
Subject: Darlene Woods / Starlings
Hello,
Does anyone have any links / photos / info on a group known as Darlene
Woods and the Starlings? They recorded a 45 on World Pacific in 1959 -
"That's Me" / "All I Want". It has a female lead (of course) with
male backup. I heard it initially from Ian Slater (thanks) and managed
to acquire the 45 a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks,
John S. Weathers
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 20:28:44 -0400
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Julius LaRosa
John Berg wrote:
> By contrast, my kids (22, 19 and 15) like much of the same music
> I like, and I listen to all their current faves (well, maybe not
> the rap stuff, but fortunately they are much more into '60s groups!)
> I can go to the clubs where my son's band plays and not seem too out
> of place. At times I almost worry about this -- what do my kids
> have to rebel against if we all like rock?
Well, that is partially what gave birth to the Exotica/Easy Listening
movement of the mid 90's. Fronted by bands like Combustible Edison,
these folks and their peers, veterans of rock, punk, new wave, yadayada
grew tired of going into the bank and hearing the Stones "Satisfaction",
going into the dentist's office to be drilled to Beatles music. So they
became contrarian and identified the music that used to be piped into
banks and dentist offices and began the process of rediscovering all
that trashed and donated vinyl (Esquivel, Martin Denny, "Now" Sound LP's,
etc) and made that the sound of rebellion. Reactionary music critics,
mired in preconceived notions, dismissed it as Republican Chic, but it
was a genuine period of joy for many of us, the pure rebelliousness of
something right under our very noses.
On the kids thing John, PJ O'Rourke noted in an article a few years back
('99?) that kids on kollij kampuses were dressing like hippies in bells
and long hair, groovin' to the soundz of the 6T's. He asked rhetorically
if Baby Boomers ever in a million years would have shown up on their
kollij kampuses wearing Zoot suits and listening to Big Bands! Feud for
thought, eh?
--
James Botticelli
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 01:01:18 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Re: Fantasia: gotta get away
A great addition to the listening lounge, Harvey, and much appreciated.
I can confirm for you that the record was released in the U.S. as you
suspected, namely on Mala 562, but I have no other information about it.
I consider the song's producer, Richard Perry, to be grossly
underappreciated, particularly in light of his tremendous success. An
overview of his body of work, big hits and buried treasures alike,
reveals a truly impressive legacy. Does anyone have any current contact
information for him? I'd like to interview him for a Discoveries article.
Contact me off list if you can help.
Thanks,
David
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 21:23:35 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Collectors Choice; "some crooner"; more
To all interested, the new "Phil's Spectre" CD is available in the US
through Collectors Choice. They've also released six Bobby Darin CD's from
Atco; no bonus tracks, though. Of significant additional interest, an
import, "94 Baker Street: The Pop Psych Sounds of the Apple Era 1967-1969."
"From 94 Baker Street in London, the Beatles' Apple Music Publishing
produced some of the UK's best pop and psych of the late 60's. Here are 21
nuggests from those heady days: "Sycamore Sid" Focal Point; "Dear Delilah"
Grapefruit (whom McCartney produced); "Children of the Sun" Misunderstood;
"Tube Train" Iveys; and more, plus unissued demos and alternates." Anyone
know what else is on it? And is it is good?
"Honeydhont":
> I bumped into some crooner Julius LaRosa on his album You're Gonna Hear
> From Me on MGM.
At the risk of piling on, Dan Hughes and Bill Reed gotcha on that one, Mr.
Dhont. "Some crooner" was huge in the early 50's. Discovered by Arthur
Godfrey, he was featured on Arthur Godfrey's show when that meant to its
generation what Dick Clark's meant to the next. There's a Spectropop link,
perhaps indrectly: LaRosa's "Eh Cumpari" was the first record and first hit
on Cadence. Godfrey's show also featured the Chordettes, also on Cadence; I
believe Cadence owner Archie Bleyer was Godfrey's musical director. (Dan and
Bill, do I have that right?)
Short takes:
Martin, thanks for posting Carol Connors' notes re: Jack Nitzsche (
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/friends.htm ). The site keeps getting
better and better.
Phil M., thanks for playing "Youm" to musica. Definitely too good a track to
keep secret! One day I'll have the capability....
Country Paul
a/k/a "Some DJ"
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 20:20:48 -0400
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Godfrey Daniel
Bill Reed wrote:
> awshucks Godfrey went---at warp Jerry Lee Lewis speed--- from being
> the most powerful personality in radio-TV to dead media meat almost
> overnight. The meglomaniacal character, Lonesome Rhodes, brilliantly
> portrayed in the film "A Face in the Crowd" by Andy Griffith was
> based on Godfrey.
I always thought there was a healthy dose of Elvis in that character --
in the massiveness of his fame and charisma, if not in his (the
character's) political ambitions -- but the listed release date of 1957
would seem to weigh against that. Still it's a brilliant (and
underappreciated) film, ultra-insightful in its depiction of the
motivational force of TV, and with a performance by Andy Griffith that
will leave you shaking your head in wonder as to how he could have taken
himself out of the dramatic mode so early in his career.
> LaRosa, meanwhile, went on to carve a nice recording career for
> himself. No spectropop that I can recall, however.
I grew up listening to LaRosa (via my parents, actually) on a daily
basis, as a DJ on the adult-pop NYC station WNEW-AM. Don't remember much
about him, other than the fact that he had a great speaking voice, too.
--Phil M.
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 03:22:00 -0000
From: Hugo M.
Subject: Re: Bassett Hand
Um, that was me that had the 'Youm' 45 listed in a sale catalogue...
I referred in that listing to other productions that I had seen
credited to B. Hand, someone mentioned here; I believe the other
place where I have seen that name was on the Beach-Nuts 45 on Bang.
Song title was something like "Summer Means Fun", that one. (The one
that Osborne's guide mistakenly says that Lou Reed performed on.)
Unfortunately, I don't presently have a copy of that 45 to confirm my
sometimes-hazy memory.
diddy-dum diddy-doo,
Hugo M.
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:24:50 EDT
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Re: Julius LaRosa
Bill Reed writes:
> LaRosa, meanwhile, went on to carve a nice recording career for
> himself. No spectropop that I can recall, however.
...and was a successful NYC deejay for at least several years.
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 14:05:20 +1000
From: Lindsay Martin
Subject: Brian Wilson
John Berg wrote:
> By contrast, my kids (22, 19 and 15) like much of the same music
> I like, and I listen to all their current faves ......
My experience exactly! Last year I went to see Brian Wilson in
Brisbane with my 19-year-old son, who a couple of times during the
concert identified a song for me. Not only that, he'd give me the
year and the album it was on...
I was thinking, "What's happening here? I'm the one who's supposed
to know this stuff: I was THERE!" The audience was of course full
of people of all ages. A 20-something guy sitting in front of us sat
placidly until "Surfer Girl" started, then he went ape, screaming and
clapping and waving his arms.
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 22:32:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Stewart Mason
Subject: Re: Freakbeat
For Phil M. re: "Freakbeat" - I've always taken it to mean a small
cluster of UK bands who took the Who and Kinks as their primary
influence and added a level of art-school-influenced theatricality:
the Creation and John's Children, I suppose, are the exemplars of the
form. I like the term because it's handy as shorthand, but I don't
use it much simply because not many people know what it means!
S
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2003 00:52:47 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Re: Youm Youm
Thanks for sharing that record on musica, Phil! It's the backing track
to the provocatively titled "You Can't Take My Boyfriend's Woody" by
The Angels and The Powder Puffs, in case you didn't realize that.
David
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