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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 21 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Soft Sounds For Gentle People Vol 2 CD
From: JJ
2. Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
From: Ken Silverwood
3. Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
From: Eddy
4. Re: Modern Doo Wop
From: Paul Balser
5. Re: Need help with song title/artist
From: Ken Silverwood
6. Re: Beatles No 2s
From: Andrew Hickey
7. Re: Soft Sounds For Gentle People Vol 2 CD
From: Orion
8. Re: Modern Doo Wop
From: Bob Wallis
9. Re: Estelle and Nedra Christmas songs
From: Sean
10. Re: Modern Doo Wop
From: Bob Wallis
11. Let It Be...Filmed
From: David Coyle
12. Re: Bob Seger
From: Art Longmire
13. BeatlesBeatleBeatles
From: Albabe Gordon
14. Rev-ola CD "The Deep Six"
From: Ian Slater
15. Wild Thing / The Hollies
From: David Coyle
16. Let It Friggin' Be
From: Albabe Gordon
17. The First Disco Rekkid
From: James Botticelli
18. Re: Needles And Pins and Jackie DeShannon
From: Albabe Gordon
19. now playing at musica...
From: Bill George
20. Re: Modern Doo Wop
From: Natasha McNamee
21. Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
From: Paul Bryant
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 11:41:43 -0000
From: JJ
Subject: Soft Sounds For Gentle People Vol 2 CD
**Anybody seen this CD??
I cannot get hold of the maker, so...
JJ/Sweden
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Message: 2
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 11:05:35 -0000
From: Ken Silverwood
Subject: Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
Dave Heasman wrote:
> ("Across The Universe") was first released in 1966 on a
> charity LP in England.
Yeah, wasn't it for wildlife or RSPB or the likes? I seem to
remember it had sketches of the artists who donated tracks to
the LP on the front cover. Another artist on it was Rolf
Harris. Don't think it would have been as early as 1966 though.
Ken On The West Coast.
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 11:46:56 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
Dave Heasman:
> ("Across The Universe") was first released in 1966 on a
> charity LP in England.
That would be "No One's Gonna Change Our World", which is a
December 1969 release (UK only), which also includes the
otherwise unavailable "Wings" by the Hollies.
Eddy
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:10:24 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
From: Paul Balser
Subject: Re: Modern Doo Wop
Paul Bryant enquired:
> Aha! What other modern doo wop records are there?
> (What's modern? I suppose anything from the last 20
> years...)
One of the best groups that perform & record today are
the Van-Dells. 50s/60s & Doo Wop.
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 10:59:11 -0000
From: Ken Silverwood
Subject: Re: Need help with song title/artist
Justin McDevitt:
> To my question: A few nights ago, I was listening to the oldies
> channel included in the specific satellite package that I subscribe
> to. Just after listening to a great recording of Bobby Freeman's
> Betty Lou's Got A New Pair Of Shoes, a song was played that I really
> enjoyed; (a real rocker). In all the years I've been listening to
> rock 'n roll, I've never heard this track. Based on the lyrics, I
> believe that the song is title Sugaree.
Hi Justin, The song is indeed "Sugaree". It's by Rusty York on Chess
1730 & was written by Marty Robbins c 1959. It reached #77 in US
charts & you're right, it's a great romp! I think it is included on
one of Ace's "Golden Age Of American Rock'n 'roll" volumes.
Ken On The West Coast
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 18:24:52 +0100
From: Andrew Hickey
Subject: Re: Beatles No 2s
Someone reported that:
> (The Beatles reached No.2 with) Please Please Me (in) Jan 1963 (and
> that) No.1 was The Wayward Wind by Frank Ifield
But Please Please Me *was* number one in most charts in the UK. Just
not all of them.
Earth Song by Michael Jackson kept Free As A Bird from No.1, IIRC.
Robson & Jerome kept Anthology 1 from No.1.
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 12:44:29 -0600
From: Orion
Subject: Re: Soft Sounds For Gentle People Vol 2 CD
JJ asked about Soft Sounds For Gentle People Vol 2 CD:
> Anybody seen this CD?? I cannot get hold of the maker, so...
It was just offered on ebay. I purchased a copy of it. $12.99 plus
shipping I believe.
Orion
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 18:47:39 -0000
From: Bob Wallis
Subject: Re: Modern Doo Wop
Previously:
> Aha! What other modern doo wop records are there? (What's modern? I
> suppose anything from the last 20 years...)
An excellent contemporary Doo Wop group is Kenny Vance and the Planotones.
Kenny Vance was a founding member of Jay and the Americans and can today
sing falsetto like a New York angel. They did the soundtrack singing for
the 2000 movie "Looking for an Echo" which is about a ficticious 50s doo
wop group called "Vinnie and the Dreamers". This is not a bunch of snot-
nosed kids emulating the doo wop sound - this is the real thing. Combined
with modern recording technology the sound from their CDs will give you
goose-bumps!
Bob
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 18:56:55 -0000
From: Sean
Subject: Re: Estelle and Nedra Christmas songs
Thanks! I had a feeling they were on "Sleigh Ride". Where can I find
"Mashed Potato Time" and "The Twist"? I heard somewhere both of these
songs were on Crystals albums! Also which parts are Nedra and Estelle
singing on "Breakin Up" because there a lot of different background
parts, or are they singing all of them?
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 20:41:41 -0000
From: Bob Wallis
Subject: Re: Modern Doo Wop
I wrote:
> An excellent contemporary Doo Wop group is Kenny Vance and the
> Planotones. Kenny Vance was a founding member of Jay and the
> Americans and can today sing falsetto like a New York angel. They
> did the soundtrack singing for the 2000 movie "Looking for an Echo"
> which is about a ficticious 50s doo wop group called "Vinnie and the
> Dreamers". This is not a bunch of snot-nosed kids emulating the doo
> wop sound - this is the real thing. Combined with modern recording
> technology the sound from their CDs will give you goose-bumps!
Woah, I forgot to mention that Garry Bonner is involved with the
Planotones as well - right "That" Alan (who says the old Park Street
Diner in nearby Ayer, Massachusetts is where the song "Happy
together" was born)?
I digress....
Bob
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:10:28 -0800 (PST)
From: David Coyle
Subject: Let It Be...Filmed
I think the whole reason that the movie "Let It Be" has been branded
as a "sad" film is because it really does show the Beatles getting
on each other's nerves and becoming uninspired by the process of
recording with each other. And it is a document of the band breaking
up. It may not have looked so much that way at the time the film was
released, but with the perspective of 30-plus years, one realizes
just how sad it is. Maybe it's just because the band broke up, never
got back together, and now never will, because half of them are dead.
Of course, and this is where my opinion might get panned, I've only
seen the film once, on a grainy bootleg video tape back in the early
'90s. It's one of those movies which should have been shown on one of
AMC's movie preservation festivals or as one of VH-1's "Movies That
Rock." Now, more than ever, it needs to be re-released on DVD. It
might change my mind. It might change a lot of minds.
It also doesn't make it any different that the last part of the
"Beatles Anthology" also is sad in that you can tell the end is near
in more ways than one.
David
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Message: 12
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 21:16:34 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: Bob Seger
Clark Besch wrote:
> When all that fantastic Cameo/Parkway stuff of his sits unreleased,
> the piece of crap ("Old Time") continues to be praised on oldies
> radio.
Bill Brown:
> I cannot believe that "Feel Like A Number" is not included in Bob
> Seger's recent greatest hits collection either, but who knows what
> these people are thinking when they put these collections together?
Not to mention "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" by Bob, which I remember
getting massive radio airplay on KFXM when I was in 7th grade in
Victorville, California...another example of a great tune on top-40
back in the day that is IGNORED today!
Art
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Message: 13
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:19:36 -0800
From: Albabe Gordon
Subject: BeatlesBeatleBeatles
David Coyle on Let It Be...Naked:
> One of Spector's 1970 touches that I never really minded were the
> false starts and bits of studio..."
Great review, David. As for the above quote: The "bits" etc. weren't
Spector's, as some were in the original version of the album prepared
by Geof Emerick (Now available at all reliable Bootlegger's outlets
everywhere). I've also seen it called "The Martin Mix," which I believe
is untrue.
As for the cover: I wasn't crazy about it. I thought it looked like a
cheapo "Target" special reissue from a lessor talent.
> Could this be ushering in the near-future possibility of seeing the
> "Let It Be" movie given full release...
There is a two disc version of the Let It Be movie that's been appearing
on eBay for about a year or so, that I've heard is of pretty phenomenal
quality. It has at least another hour of extra material too. The rumour
is that someone "acquired" the master tapes for the official release,
and that this boot is similar to what the eventual official release will
be:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3364662744&category=41544
If anyone has this and can burn a copy, I'd love to trade for something.
(I can say that since it's a boot... right?)
A good friend of mine has been working really close with Paul McCartney
for the last couple of years, and it has been said by Paul that Let It Be
will be out soon... whatever "soon" means. It was originally slated for
this Christmas, but is now (according to I.C.E) set up for next year.
> ...acoustic White Album...
I never heard about this being released. That would be great. There are
some decent quality versions of this available as a boots.
> ...Live At The Hollywood Bowl...
I've also heard that there is a mix of this that was prepared by George
Martin a few years back. I would love to hear this remastered with today's
standards.
I was in a record store last year that was playing some really amazing
Live Beatles boots that sounded pretty great and were darn good
performances too...much better and more rockin' than the Hollywood Bowl.
I don't know what they were, and since I couldn't afford them, I didn't
file to memory what they were. These would be the ones to release.
best stuff,
~albabe
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Message: 14
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 21:28:04 -0000
From: Ian Slater
Subject: Rev-ola CD "The Deep Six"
Recent messages have included several about the new releases on the
Rev-Ola label. I'd like to add mention of the "Deep Six" CD (Rev-Ola
cr rev 46) and thank Steve Stanley and Cherry Red records for re-
issuing this folk-rock group's entire previous catalogue, together
with a very informative and well-llustrated information sheet. It's a
nice collection but the stand-out tracks for me are "Unlock the Door"
with Dean Cannon singing lead, and their version of the doo-wop classic
"Image of a Girl", which is a showcase for the group's beautiful
harmonies. I have an unissued two-track acetate by the group which I'll
try to upload to Musica some time. There was discussion about the Deep
Six & Dean Cannon in these pages in May, compiled in Digests 892 - 895.
Ian Slater
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Message: 15
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:28:43 -0800 (PST)
From: David Coyle
Subject: Wild Thing / The Hollies
The other day, I was in a Sam Goody store, and I saw a clerk wearing
a button that said: "Q: Who Was The First Group To Cover 'Wild Thing'?"
Apparently Sam Goody's chain has a new pop music trivia game for sale
in its stores, and this was a tie-in. Do you know how much it took for
me to keep from saying "The Troggs" and explaining how the Troggs had
gotten it from a recording made by an LA club band? (I forget who it
was...)
Re: "In The Hollies Style" is probably one of the best, if not THE best,
non-Beatles British beat LPs of the era. There are so many great songs
on the album, starting with the medley of "Nitty Gritty/Something's Got
A Hold On Me" which is a great kickoff. Very live sounding. Not a lot of
hits on the LP, but great music nonetheless. One of my favorite is
"You'll Be Mine," an understated number with 12-string acoustic guitar,
complete with solo. "Please Don't Feel Too Bad" is a great beat ballad,
which was referred to simply as "workmanlike" when it later appeared on
"Not The Hits Again," which is a good compendium of the Hollies lesser-
known tracks of the 1963-66 era. Some of the best numbers of the beat
group era were workmanlike, in my opinion.
Then there was "What Kind Of Boy," written specifically for the band by
US soul singer Big Dee Irwin. You can almost imagine the Hollies
standing offstage at Wembley Stadium in 1964 being taught the song by
Irwin when they all played the NME Pollwinner's Concert.
David
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Message: 16
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 14:00:11 -0800
From: Albabe Gordon
Subject: Let It Friggin' Be
Just thought I'd post this again so that all the opinions and such, can
be resolved without fisticuffs and bloodshed:
Let It Be... Naked Fans: There is a nice track-by-track detail of which
takes were used and what was done to them, in the latest issue of I.C.E.
(#201). I.C.E. posts all their magazine articles on their site about a
month after the magazine hits the stands. A good read.
~albabe
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Message: 17
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 17:37:46 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: The First Disco Rekkid
Stuffed Animal wrote:
> The cut "Take My Love" from Honey Cone's TAKE ME WITH YOU album is
> the earliest example I can find of true, pure disco music. It
> appeared in 1969!
Take a listen to the Delfonics 1968 debut LP "La La Means I Love You".
They do an uptempo Philadelphia-styled version of--I think--"Hurt So
Bad" by Little Anthony. I submit that to be the first disco record as
disco is generally thought to be a spinoff (pun intended) of Philly
soul. Invictus and Hot Wax was really Motown spinoff stuff to my ears
and Motown soundalikes was what was played at sixties discotheques.
That's really what "Northern Soul" is, lost discotheque rekkids. A
book worth checking by the way is "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life". Two
Brits wrote it. Its the bible on the history of DJ culture the roots
of which were formed in Jamaica. A page turner. And lots on discotheque/
jet set culture.
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Message: 18
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:54:42 -0800
From: Albabe Gordon
Subject: Re: Needles And Pins and Jackie DeShannon
Peter Lerner on Needles And Pins:
> Glenn confirms what I always suspected, that Jackie DeShannon had
> a hand in writing "Needles and Pins."
I remember reading somewhere that Jackie didn't "have a hand" in the
writing of "Needles and Pins." I heard that "she" wrote it... period
... and that she "traded" half of it to Sonny Boy. It's been alleged
for years that Phil Spector expected a writers credit on some songs
because he figured they would be nothing before they were "Spectorized."
Sonny had a good teacher in ways other than production.
If true, that doesn't make Sonny a songwriter... it makes him a
business man.
I have heard over the years that Lennon was inspired listening to
Jackie work out the intro lick on one of her new songs ("When You
Walk In The Room"?) enough to write "Ticket To Ride." They do sound
somewhat similar. Apocryphal?
peace,
~albabe
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Message: 19
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 17:51:38 EST
From: Bill George
Subject: now playing at musica...
I've added the third and final song from Jackie DeShannon's 1968
album Me About You, written by Bonner & Gordon, called "I'm With
You." Enjoy.
Bill
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Message: 20
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 23:46:12 +0000 (GMT)
From: Natasha McNamee
Subject: Re: Modern Doo Wop
Paul Bryant wrote:
> Aha! What other modern doo wop records are there?
> (What's modern? I suppose anything from the last 20
> years...)
The Crystalairs are a German group who do some
gorgeous stuff like "Mr Moon", "Never Such Love", all with
lovely harmonies. I get their stuff off Kazaa but you
can buy their CDs from the likes of http://www.bim-bam.com etc
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Message: 21
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2003 15:48:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Bryant
Subject: Re: Let It Be...Naked / Across The Universe
Dave Heasman wrote:
> ("Across The Universe") was first released in 1966
> on a charity LP in England.
Recorded in February 1968 and briefly considered as
the next single before McCartney wrote "Lady Madonna"
(he had a habit of coming up with the singles in the
Beatles' latter years), "Across the Universe" then lay
around for over a year before being given to the World
Wildlife Fund who issued it on an album in December '69
called "No One's Gonna Change Our World" (ironic
title if ever there was one). Then Phil Spector was
given the tapes when he was hired to do "Let it Be". He
slowed the track right down and added strings and
choir.
The first (Feb '68) version was the first time the
Beatles had used female voices on one of their records
- this a famous story. It turned out that the fabs
couldn't sing the high parts, so in the spirit of the
times McCartney went outside and grabbed two of the
female fans who were always hanging around outside the
studio. So they had their 15 minutes of fame.
The "Across the Universe" comparison would therefore
be between the version on Let it Be...Naked and the
one on Past Masters Vol 2.
pb
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