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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 8 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Let It Be...Naked
From: Michael
2. Re: Frank Sinatra's "Watertown" / Needles & Pins, Sonny & Jackie / long Rising Sun
From: Phil Milstein
3. Pro Bono or Oh No no?
From: Steve Harvey
4. Re: Jackie and (especially) Gayle
From: Phil Milstein
5. Invitation - new to group
From: Superoldies
6. Re: To That Alan Gordon
From: That Alan Gordon
7. Re: "Let It Be ... Naked"
From: Andrew Jones
8. Re: Gay, Lesbian & Cross Gender GG songs
From: Steve Harvey
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:38:26 -0000
From: Michael
Subject: Re: Let It Be...Naked
David:
> I'm surprised that I haven't seen more discussion of the newly
> released Beatles album "Let It Be...Naked."
I posted a bit about it in some other folders I'm a member of. Here's
an axct copy of those comments...some of these points David has
already hit on, but the first comment falls in line with a recent
thread in here:
My first thought... Kinda lame that this is a double disc set, as the
first disc is about 35 minutes and the second about 25 minutes,
meaning the contents of both could have easily fit onto one disc with
plenty of breathing room.
Some of the songs are just cleaner remixes of the same songs/takes
already released. 'Get Back' is the same take we've always heard, but
here without the studio intro of the album version, nor the coda of
the single version. 'Dig A Pony' is also the same version as the old
album, just remixed. They even chopped out those 'All I want is' bits
as the old album did, instead of leaving them in as heard in the movie.
'For You Blue' is another straight remix of the familiar version. The
first track on here that ISN'T the previously released record is 'The
Long And Winding Road.' This might be the movie version. Anyway, here
there's no choir or orchestration, but there is some cool Leslie'd
guitar. Nice, intimate performance, compared to the lush version that
was the hit. Next is 'Two Of Us,' again the same take as the old album.
'I've Got A Feeling' is cool...It's another new version: They recorded
this twice on the rooftop. One was the version that made the original
album, and this is the other. I can't say it's better, but a nice
refreshing difference. 'One After 909' again is the familiar version.
'Don't Let Me Down' sounds like the movie version, from the rooftop, or
a combination of that and another version, since we don't hear John
screw up the last verse as he does in the movie. 'I Me Mine' stems from
the same take used for the album, but without the brass...but with the
extension that Phil Spector created. Still, this new mix sounds nice
and clean. The acoustic guitar sounds bright. 'Across The Universe' is
also an underdub of the common version. This one is simply acoustic
guitar, a thumping drumbeat, sitar, and John's voice. None of the
backing vocals, choir, wah wah guitar, piano or bird sounds that were
dubbed in later are heard here. Interesting alternative. The fade has
John's voice fading into reverb. And 'Let It Be' is mainly the same
take as the common version, but without orchestration, and with a
guitar solo that matches neither the album or single version (closer to
the single, though).
The second disc is a 25 minute (rough guess...don't have it handy)
collage of studio chatter and brief bits of songs. It's called 'Fly On
The Wall.' Kind of interesting. There's even a short take on 1964's
"Every Little Thing," led by George. But don't listen to this disc for
the music, since each musical bit is only a few seconds long.
So as I said, if you're a Beatle fan looking for some previously
unreleased gems, there are SOME here, but it's not a whole disc of
that. Some are just cleanups of what we have, kinda like the 'Yellow
Submarine Songtrack' approach done to 'Let It Be' songs.
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:19:03 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Frank Sinatra's "Watertown" / Needles & Pins, Sonny & Jackie / long Rising Sun
Has Watertown ever been released on CD?
Glenn wrote:
> My source: The Encycopedia of Record Producers:
> "[Jackie De Shannon] and Nitzsche... wrote many songs together,
> including the hit single 'Needles and Pins', recorded by the
> Searchers in 1964 and Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks in 1986. Although
> co-writing credit is attributed to Sonny Bono, Nitzsche explains
> that 'Sonny was having a rough time then. He was going through his
> first divorce.'
That might be sufficient to explain how Sonny got his name on there, but
leaves the question of why Jackie got her's axed off, as well as why
she's (as far as I know) never uttered a peep about it over all these
years, hanging wide open.
Michael wrote:
> Even the first American Animals album used the short version. The first
> American release of the full version was on the 1965 MGM various artists
> compilation '(Mickie Most Presents) British Go Go.' (The cover boasts
> about its inclusion of the long version). MGM's 1966 'Best Of The
> Animals' also has the full version.
Wow, there can't be too many earlier examples of pitching (post-Elvis)
pop music to a collecting impulse. Although, based on Michael's next
line ...
> Also, a good number of young Americans probably first heard the long
> studio version in the 1965 movie 'Go Go Mania (Pop Gear)'
... it would appear the thinking was to try to tie the record release in
with that movie. But that doesn't make it any less interesting.
--Phil M.
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:02:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Pro Bono or Oh No no?
I'm beginning to wonder if Sonny actually wrote much
of anything. The riff for "The Beat Goes On" was thought
up by Carol Kaye and the whole tune basically has
legs because of that riff. Now "Needles and Pins" is not
by him!?!?!?!?
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:48:37 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Jackie and (especially) Gayle
Tony Leong wrote:
> Jackie Miller (the blonde), and Gayle Caldwell (brunette)
> I know mostly from their frequent Shindig appearances.
It occurred to me, while reading Tony's post, that the Gayle
of Jackie & Gayle is likely the same Gayle as the Gayle
credited for a nice, solo rendition of "Home Of The Brave"
on Shindig. The spelling of "Gayle" is the same, and the
one-name presentation might've been used to concur with the
"Jackie & Gayle" presentation, esp. if there was no intention
of spinning her off into a solo career. Gayle, I mean.
I suppose I could compare tapes of both the solo and duo
appearances, but that would be, like, work.
Any further thoughts on this minor mystery?
--Phil M.
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 23:41:33 -0000
From: Superoldies
Subject: Invitation - new to group
Greetings everyone - just a quick note to let everyone here
know that I have a 24/7 free, live oldies station at
http://www.superoldies.com All-Request shows on Tuesday 2-4
CST, currently 8900 tunes from 2500 artists & growing.
Listen in while you're surfing the net!
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 17:58:10 -0700 (MST)
From: That Alan Gordon
Subject: Re: To That Alan Gordon
Glen, thank you ever so much for your very kind words. "Maybe
I'm Old Fashioned" is a favorite song of mine, but I say that
about a lot of my songs. I had my own label back in the early
70s; I recorded that song in my office on a Crown 2-track. I
was the artist "Alias Billy Hills".
The record made some noise in England. I tried to get the feel
of a college Saturday afternoon rah, rah, rah, 50s all american
type song. I like my version better than Sha Na Na's. Bob Ezrin
did a good job producing thier version, it just lacks the
intensity of my version, but knowing how you love their record,
I will have to say they did a nice job. Your hearfelt genuine
words you so kindly offered will stay with me a long time, and
I will also pass them along to Garry Bonner.
Best,
That Alan
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:59:36 -0500 (EST)
From: Andrew Jones
Subject: Re: "Let It Be ... Naked"
David Coyle: I'm looking forward to hearing "Let It Be ...
Naked" myself, although one radio talk-show host I heard,
who fancies himself a musician and a Beatles fan, doesn't
think it's worth the price - he doesn't think the differences
were worth the new release.
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:17:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Gay, Lesbian & Cross Gender GG songs
Dave Marshall wrote:
> How about Brian Wilson's version of I Sleep Alone
> which wasn't only done as a studio demo, but performed
> live at least once.
It was only a demo for Sarah Brightman. No different
than Carole King singing the demo "For Once In My
Life". The absence of a gender change was for the
singer, not the songwriter doing the demo.
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