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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 13 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Nutty Squirrels cds
From: The Grapeman
2. Stu Phillips/Barbi Benton
From: Bill George
3. Kane & Abel meet the real Righteous Brothers
From: Mick Patrick
4. Re: To know him is to love him.......in court
From: Andrew Jones
5. 60sgaragebands.com - November Updates
From: Mike Dugo
6. Re: Jerome Brothers / Darin D'Anna
From: Frank Uhle
7. Chants / Jerome Brothers
From: Martin Roberts
8. Re: To know him is to love him.......in court
From: Mike
9. Re: The Chants
From: Mike
10. Re: Kane & Abel meet the real Righteous Brothers
From: Martin Roberts
11. James Brown on PBS American Masters
From: Neb Rodgers
12. Re: Tommy Boyce and The Pleasers
From: David A. Young
13. Re: Kane & Abel / James Holvay
From: Mick Patrick
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 13:51:40 -0000
From: The Grapeman
Subject: Nutty Squirrels cds
I know I saw these offered on some web site, but I can't remember or
find it. Anyone know it?
Thanks,
Grape
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 04:11:12 -0000
From: Bill George
Subject: Stu Phillips/Barbi Benton
I'd like to thank Stu Phillips for tipping me off about the song he
co-wrote for Barbi Benton called Ain't That Just The Way. I hadn't
known it existed before. Well, I found a copy on Ebay and it's a great
song. Actually Stu, I remember that song from the episode of McCloud
that she appeared in, and I always loved it. Great job - I think it's
one of her best recordings. Who did you say had an international hit
with it a few years ago?
- Bill
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 08:42:22 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Kane & Abel meet the real Righteous Brothers
Some months back, I asked:
> So where was I? Oh yeah, who were Kane & Abel?
Since then, "He Will Break Your Heart" by Kane & Abel -
one of the best Righteous Brothers/Phil Spector soundalike
records there ever was, has been released on Ace Records'
"Phil's Spectre: A Wall Of Soundalikes" CD. The track was
co-written and produced by James Holvay. I had a nice e-mail
from him the other day. See below:
> Mick: I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for including
> my song/production of "He Will Break Your Heart" by Kane &
> Abel, on the ("Phil's Spector" CD). It really meant a lot
> to me. A few years after the single was released, The
> Righteous Brothers came into the lounge at the Sands Hotel
> (Las Vegas), to see my group (The Mob) perform. They came
> backstage after the show and we told them about "He Will
> Break Your Heart". Big Al our lead singer, along with his
> brother Little Artie, were Kane & Abel, prior to the
> formation of The Mob. Bill & Bobby fell out laughing and
> related this story. They said they were on tour in the
> midwest, when the song (Break Your Heart) came on the radio.
> They said that they had cut a lot of tracks with Spector
> but couldn't remember cutting that one. They said they
> both sat there in the station wagon, scratching their heads
> saying "Did we cut this? I don't remember recording this?"
> What's amazing is I ocassionally see a royalty check for
> that song. They still play it in countries in Europe, etc.
> Thanks again. James Holvay
So, in a nutshell, the answer to my original query is that
Kane & Abel were Big Al Herrera and his brother Little Artie
Herrera, future members of the Mob.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 09:46:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Andrew Jones
Subject: Re: To know him is to love him.......in court
Paul Urbahns: I have an old Goldmine issue with the story behind that
"To Know Him Is To Love Him" situation. If no one else explains it
within the next day or so, I'll dig for it and summarize it here.
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 20:34:23 -0600
From: Mike Dugo
Subject: 60sgaragebands.com - November Updates
The November updates to 60sgaragebands.com are now online. Included:
The recollections of Barry Lewis of San Francisco's pioneering The
Hedds; an interview with three members of Washington's Brutus & The
Bullies; and an interview with Oregon's The Wayds. And, of course,
all the News & Nuggets that's fit to print...
Mike Dugo
http://www.60sgaragebands.com
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 12:34:44 -0500 (EST)
From: Frank Uhle
Subject: Re: Jerome Brothers / Darin D'Anna
> One of my favorite records produced by the Jerome Brothers was an
> obscure release of the song "We Were Lovers" by Darin D'Anna (World
> Artists 1045). It's a cover of the Exciters recording and it is
> GREAT!!! Has anyone else ever heard of this record?????
I have this 45 - you're right, it's pretty good! I filed it alongside
Tommy Regan's "I Adore You" on World Artists 1049 (a version of "I Adore
Him" by the Angels), and a handful of other "guy" versions I have of Girl
Group songs. Was World Artists trying to hedge their bets with the
arrivial of the British Invasion by doing these cross-gender covers?
Frank Uhle
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:22:53 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Chants / Jerome Brothers
Hello Artie,
I'm pleased to have played another of your compositions to musica,
The Chants' "Choo Choo", a good piece of dance, doo wop, rock n roll
nonsense, so much fun in just over two minutes!
I'm not sure if my ears are being influenced by Mick's post with
the info that Peter Antell was in the Chants, but the lead singer
sure sounds familiar.
Most of the Jeromes' doo wop 45s do not carry arranger (or producer)
credits. This one, however, does: arranged Billy Mure. The only credit
for John(ny) Abbott on a Jerome Brothers doo wop 45 that I can find
is The Camelots, "Pocahontas"/"Searchin' For My Baby", Ember 1108,
which just pre-dates their first recordings for Reparata. I'm all in
favour of arrangers getting their fair share of the credit (!) but to
attribute the Jerome's success to Mr. Abbott strikes me as presumptuous.
All aboard!
Martin
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 20:30:25 -0000
From: Mike
Subject: Re: To know him is to love him.......in court
Paul,
I went googling, it appears to be about copyright and ownership. Mother
Bertha Music vs Bourne Music. I don't have the record so I don't know
more than this. I remember the record sung by The Teddy Bears in about
1960. I think Phil might have been singing on this record, but not sure?
Maybe someone out there knows more about the group.
Mike
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 20:41:55 -0000
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The Chants
Mick Patrick:
> I've just placed a pic of the Chants in the photos section. To view
> it, click here http://www.spectropop.com/go2/members.html then click
> on Photos. Recognize the guy on the left? It's none other that your
> pal from the S'pop New York Shindig, Peter Antell. I hear that Peter
> is the subject of a forthcoming S'pop feature, written by John
> Clemente. Can't wait!.
Martin Roberts:
> Peter has been behind some great records and to read he was in the
> Chants...! Is being interviewed by John...! With a feature coming...
> WOW! Can life get any better :-)
Did you know that in the 60's there was in Liverpool a black male
group called The Chants? They specialised in Motown style music and
made records and were pretty good. One of the guys was called Eddie
Amoo and younger relatives in the 80's (?) had a similar group
called The Real Thing. They made records and one of them went Crufts
Champion Dog of the Year a few years later. If that set of a line
queries, I dont know what will.
Mike
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 22:20:01 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Re: Kane & Abel meet the real Righteous Brothers
Mick relayed a message from James Holvay and added:
> So, in a nutshell, the answer to my original query is that
> Kane & Abel were Big Al Herrera and his brother Little Artie
> Herrera, future members of the Mob.
Great story Mick, the way this info comes to light is so cool.
Thanks for sharing.
My copy of Kane & Abel's, Red Bird 45, "He Will Break Your Heart",
looks very clean but plays with the same distortion that it does
on the "Phil's Spectre" CD. I'd guess the producers, in this case,
"A DeFrancesco Prod." got a mite carried away with the equalizer.
Of course, the Red Bird record is a re-worded re-cut of Kane and
Abel's "Break Down And Cry" (Destination 607). If required I could
play this to musica.
Martin
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 15:18:57 -0800 (PST)
From: Neb Rodgers
Subject: James Brown on PBS American Masters
James Brown, American Master.... yeooowwww! This episode comes on Wed
night 10/29/03 at 9:30pm, on most PBS stations.
-Neb
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Message: 12
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 00:57:04 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Re: Tommy Boyce and The Pleasers
Mike Nathan wrote:
> Who knows anything about the late Tommy Boyce's involvement in the
> late 70's with production of a band called "The Pleasers".
He hasn't come forward on the topic yet, Mike, but I suspect that our
own Phil Chapman might have some info; he's credited as arranger on
one of the two Boyce-produced singles I have by The Pleasers, "Precis
of a Friend" (I have one earlier 45 as well, but it's not produced by
Tommy). All are great Merseybeat-type efforts; which'll explain the
title of their out-of-print, apparently complete, 17-track 1996 CD
anthology "Thamesbeat."
Tommy Boyce also produced the great (well, I like it anyway) and
highly uncharacteristic Iggy Pop album "Party," also on Arista, in
1981, three years after the Pleasers singles. Was he a staff producer
for the label, perhaps? If so, judging from the high quality of the
Pleasers 'n' Pop material, it'd be worth searching out any other
projects with which he might have been involved.
David
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 22:42:40 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Kane & Abel / James Holvay
Martin Roberts:
> Great story Mick, the way this info comes to light is so cool.
> Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked James Holvay's Kane & Abel story. Since then, I
contacted him again, in hope he'd tell me something about the
two versions of the record with different lyrics, and how it
ended up on Red Bird. Here's his reply:
> Hey Mick: I'm working on a book thats about half way finished,
> with all of the stories I've accumulated over the years.
> Regarding Kane & Abel, the original song that was recorded was
> "Break Down & Cry" on Destination. The money man (Joe
> Defrancesco) who financed the session and a lot of other
> sessions that I produced, also worked with a writer by the
> name of Jimmy Petersen. He brought Jimmy P. in (unbeknownst to
> me, while I was out on the road with The Dick Clark Caravan Of
> Stars tour as the guitar player) and changed some of the
> lyrics. Joe had a established a relationship with George
> Goldner thru Ral Donner and the previous session I had done
> with him. I personally never met George but heard a lot of
> stories about him from Ral. Ral loved the guy. We cut "Break
> Down & Cry" on a Tuesday night and they were playing the
> acetate on the soul station WVON, on Friday. That was the way
> it was back in the day. Destination along with USA, Twinight &
> Daylight Records, were all part of a big indie distributor
> called Allstate Distributors. They distributed all of the
> Motown, Chess and other indie R&B labels, so they were wired
> into the black stations. The promo guy (Howard Bedno) was "thee
> man" when it came to gettin' your record on the air, providing
> it was in the grooves. Howard told the jocks at WVON that Kane
> & Abel were the black answer to the Righteous Bros. The station
> loved it and jumped all over the record until they saw their
> pictures. (James Holvay)
By the way, the version of "He Will Break Your Heart" contained
on the "Phil's Spectre" CD is taken from an original mastertape
supplied by Sun Records, the current owners of the Red Bird
catalogue. So I guess we'll never hear it sounding any better. I
(almost) prefer the original Destination version.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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