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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 12 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Shortest track of all time
From: Dan Hughes
2. Disco As I Knew It: My Two Cents ; )
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
3. Re: Wild Thing
From: Susan Hilton
4. Re: Disco
From: James Botticelli
5. Re: Japanese Bubblegum CDs
From: Patrick Rands
6. Re: Calling Patrick Rands re: Cymbal & Clinger
From: Patrick Rands
7. Re: Disco
From: James Botticelli
8. Re: Sonny
From: Jon
9. Re: The Very Last Day
From: Mike McKay
10. how to shorten that pesky long link
From: Bryan
11. Re: Bee Gees
From: Phil Milstein
12. Shivaree Theme
From: sd45john
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 19:05:55 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Shortest track of all time
Even a silent track lasts a particular amount of time, so one silent
track could be shorter than another. I know of two silent tracks:
1. The album WCPAEB 3 (West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band), from about
1968, had a silent track that ran several minutes entitled "Anniversary
of World War III." Get it?
2. A silent single--three minutes of silence if I remember correctly--was
available for jukeboxes at the beginning of the rock and roll era so that
diners who hated the music could have a few minutes' respite. "Three
Glorious Minutes of Silence" or something similar was the title. May
have done well in restaurants, but can you imagine Casey playing it in
his countdown show if it sold enough to make the charts? Love it!
---Dan
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 21:14:00 EST
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
Subject: Disco As I Knew It: My Two Cents ; )
Disco was anything that woke us up from the doldrums of early to mid
70s radio blah. It started for us with barry White and ended with
synthesized Giorgio Moroder.
It got us up off the couch and onto the N Train, speeding into
Manhattan at midnight: each subway car contained 1000 Puerto Rican
girls, 1000 Black girls, and 1000 gay guys, all exchanging cigarettes,
insults, grooming tips, and gel.
Most of us were in polyester Nik Nik and Huckapoo shirts, so
plasticized that you were wrecked for the night if you dropped a
Newport down the front of your shirt. (Don't smoke on the subway,
darling.) Wide belts with offensive brass buckles... too-tight shoes...
and drape-y slacks which often looked like fiberglass curtain material.
What were we thinking? More importantly: what did we care?
Clubbing until four AM or later: dancing with scarves and fans and
whistles, making sure we got the best spot in front of the tall mirrors
at Les Mouches... smoking way to many Newports, drinking way too many
Gin and Tonics... sweating like all get out... the men's room at Les
Mouches had a row of hand dryers against the wall, mounted above long
radiators; we figured out we could sit on the radiators, raise our
hands up to activate the dryers... and dry our hair. Truly an
accommodating discoteque!
Then, hours later, sometimes at 7 AM, walking out into the sunny
morning, wondering how all of a sudden it became Sunday. Time for Mass?
Nope... breakfast at any available hash house, sharing booths and
counters with hookers, fly boys and girls, the homeless, and the like,
all still trading cigarettes and insults. But no gel that early, please.
==Jimmy==
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 01:10:37 +0000
From: Susan Hilton
Subject: Re: Wild Thing
David Coyle wrote:
> 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'?"
Jerry Lintelf answered:
> I think it's by The Wild Ones. I have it on a UK United Artists
> compilation LP from the '60s called "16 Great Hits" with a cute girl
> on the cover.
Yes, that's the band, I was just reading about this in the liners to
>From Nowhere, a CD on Repertoire that came out this year. WT was
written by Chip Taylor, brother of movie actor John Voight. The Wild
Ones recorded it in 1965 and when Troggs manager Larry Page heard their
tape on a trip to NYC he brought the song back for the band, thinking
it'd make a good B side. It was recorded in less than 15 minutes and
the Troggs had to beg to make it an A side. (My question for David is,
why didn't you answer the trivia question and win something??)
Hearing "Wild Thing" on the car radio is one of my earliest memories.
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 21:26:28 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Disco
Phil Milstein wrote:
> I've always thought that the definition of disco had to do with a
> particular rhythm and style on the hi-hat, with which you have it and
> without which you do not. I wish I was savvy enough to describe those
> factors properly, but, as with pornography, I think most of us know it
> when we hear it.
I think what you're referring to is the hi hat cymbal being tapped
slightly opened for a short tap then shut quickly on the upbeat of each
bass drum kick creating the fabled boom tssss boom tssss boom tssss boom
tssss sound that DID annoy many, even those who like disco. The first
discernible one of these I believe occured in M.F.S.B.'s "TSOP" which
became the theme for Soul Train, thereby catching the ears of people all
across the spectrum every week.
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 06:18:32 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Japanese Bubblegum CDs
Mark wrote:
> I've seen some reference to a Japanese bootleg series with the
> horrid title "Bubblegum MF"
I have a handful of these discs and I love them. Generally speaking
I would say out of the 30 tracks per disc, there are 7 to 10 amazing
songs and the rest are curious but not crucial. In fact, I was going
to fire through what I have, picking out my favorites and then play
them on my radio show nexy month.
One thing I doubt: they are really from Japan. I kind of wondered if
they weren't indeed put together by the folks who did the Bubblegum
Is The Naked Truth book, the cds seemed to compliment the book, and
at one time I read an interview with someone who worked on the book,
and they mentioned the series and how it was the only way to get a
hold of some of this music.
:Patrick
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 06:08:22 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Calling Patrick Rands re: Cymbal & Clinger
Rex Strother wrote:
> If Patrick Rands is out there, will he/you please contact me
> off-list. I've seen in earlier posts, that you were doing
> research into Cymbal/Clinger.
Hi Rex,
That would indeed be true. Johnny Cymbal was an amazing talent, and
deserves to be appreciated more than he is these days - that is one
thing I have discovered while researching Johnny and The Clinger
Sisters.
Here's some Johnny Cymbal information I've gathered for you to
gander. Some of Johnny Cymbal's aliases include Derek / Milk /
Taurus / Simonshy / Dallas / American Machine / Eye-Full Tower /
Cymbal / Cymbal/Clinger / The Sideshow / Brother John. Also if you
look in Spectropop at Digest Number 649:
http://www.spectropop.com/archive/digest/d647.htm
Fellow spectropopper Zombie mentions how Johnny is loved in Japan
for his song Pack of Lies. Here's a lengthy article about the
phenomenon here:
http://www.popmatters.com/columns/holden/010925.html
Now's a good time for me to mention that I'm doing a radio show on
the Clingers in Jan '04, and I am going to be putting together the
show soon. I am still unable to find the following Clinger and
Cymbal/Clinger music.
Clinger Sisters
Bread and Butter / b-side unknown
(Jo-Bee 1002?: 196? - the Jo-Bee label is out of Caniga Park,
California and probably produced /written by Lynn Bryson)
Rock Flowers
Always Call Me Up When You're Lonely (RELEASED ON Wheel 32-0042 1972)
Mamas Little Girl (UNRELEASED?)
Love Letters (UNRELEASED?)
Brother John
Out In The Country / Fluff
(A&M 1205: 1970)
All songs by PEGGY CLINGER/JOHNNY CYMBAL -artist unknown unless
noted:
* FEED ME
* FLUFF (b-side to Brother John - Out In The Country A&M 1205 : 1970)
* HEADS OR TAILS
* ONE MORE MILE
* PICTURES (aka PICTURE YOU PICTURE ME)
* SOMETHING TO BELIEVE
* STANDIN IN THE NEED OF LOVE
* VOO DOO WOMAN
* YOU BETTER THINK IT OVER
* ME LOVING YOU (unreleased Partridge Family song included on
acetate pressing of the album Notebook and it's a 12th track on the
acetate, where it was intended to go)
If anyone could please help me with any of this music - or with more
information on Johnny Cymbal, that would be fantastic. Some months
ago, I had talked to Carol, Johnny's widow directly in hopes of
getting these songs, but she hasn't responded to my emails recently.
I would love to be in contact with her again to see if I can get
these last few tracks, or at least information on the artists to
help me track them down. And we definitely owe it to Johnny's memory
to see a resurgence in interest in his amazing work.
:Patrick
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 21:28:17 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Disco
Phil Milstein wrote:
> A great point. Which leads me to wonder if there aren't any CD
> comps of early/obscure disco -- really good collections, I mean
A really good representative sample of early and not well known are
the two David Mancuso compilations called "The Loft" named after
the storied gay underground club in early 7T's NYC.
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 23:40:34 EST
From: Jon
Subject: Re: Sonny
I got nothing but respect for the man. It's like he always said
(though I paraphrase): "I wasn't qualified for anything I ever did."
The man is a testament to drive and ambition, using whatever talent
he had available. He's cool in my book.
jon
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 00:08:22 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: The Very Last Day
Phil Milstein wrote:
> I heard a generic cover version the other day of a song I recognize,
> but cannot quite place who I know it by. It's called "The Very Last
> Day." A Google search shows a prominent version by The Hollies, but
> I don't know if that's the one I'm familiar with. Anyone else cut
> this one? I know I'll feel like a dope once the answers start coming
> in, but that's never stopped me before.
No doubt someone has beat me to this answer, but just in case...
"Very Last Day" was originally done by Peter, Paul and Mary and carries
a composer credit of Paul Stookey-Peter Yarrow. One wonders, however,
if it is entirely theirs...it sounds like it has genuine gospel
underpinnings. But maybe that was the intent, and it's just one of
those songs that *seems* to be a standard with folk origins when in fact
it isn't. The best-ever example of that phenomenon is Lefty Frizzell's
"Long Black Veil." Anyway, I agree that it's a cool song, and The
Hollies do it quite well.
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 18:31:41 -0800
From: Bryan
Subject: how to shorten that pesky long link
> http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
> ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=hairlesspider&include=0&since=-
> 1&sort=3&rows=50
>
> If Yahoo Groups cuts the link short (which it will), you may have to
> copy and paste this address into your browser.
You might try going to Make A Shorter Link:
http://makeashorterlink.com/index.php or: Tiny URL.com http://tinyurl.com/
and pasting it there ...the link is automatically shortened,and you're
provided with a new link that you'll be able to click on and go direct
without having to paste the address into your brower. Here's the same link
from above after Make A Shorter Link shortened it:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L2EC624A6
Just tryin' to help,
Bryan
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 22:49:05 -0500
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Bee Gees
Simon White wrote:
> Much as I'm not a Bee Gees fan I'm astounded how many wonderful
> songs they wrote. "To Love Somebody" is truly, truly great.
Has there ever been a song written and originally recorded by white
artists that was more accepted as authentically black than "To Love
Somebody"? The acceptance of this song among the soul elite has to
have been one of the great thrills of the Bee Gees' career.
--Phil M.
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Message: 12
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 07:06:25 -0000
From: sd45john
Subject: Shivaree Theme
I was watching one of the Shindig shows on tape the other night and
saw the Ventures performing a catchy instrumental. I recognized it
right away as the theme to the 1960s teen music show, Shivaree. I'm
not sure what the exact title is. It was either 'Diamond Head' or
'Caravan'. Does anyone know? I remember hearing the music of the
Ventures way back in the mid-1960s when I was a little kid, and hung
out in the music stores dreaming over the colorful electric guitars
and drum sets. ("Hey kid! Don't handle the guitars!")
SD45John
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