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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 23 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Saturday's Father
From: Steve Harvey
2. Re: Liz Damon and the Orient Express
From: Mary S.
3. Re: "Silent Knight"
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
4. Re: Lesley Gore Christmas songs?
From: Jim Allio
5. Re: Bee Gees Soul
From: Friscopedro
6. Re: Richard Thompson
From: A. Zweig
7. Righteous Brothers on Haven
From: Peter Richmond
8. Re: Canadian Re-issues
From: Superoldies
9. Re: Lesley Gore Christmas songs?
From: Patrick Rands
10. Re: Unreleased Partridge Family
From: Patrick Rands
11. Gay Davies
From: Steve Harvey
12. Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop Update
From: Martin Roberts
13. Re: Saturday's Father
From: Rob Stride
14. Re: Teddy Randazzo R.I.P.
From: Mick Patrick
15. "Girls' Song"
From: Bob Rashkow
16. Re: The Wild Ones / Chip Taylor
From: Guy Lawrence
17. USA No 1s which were UK chart failures
From: Paul Bryant
18. Re: "Girls' Song"
From: Richard Havers
19. This Ain't No Disco
From: Stuffed Animal
20. Living in Love
From: Julio Niño
21. The Bunch
From: Steve Harvey
22. Re: Rusty York
From: Peter Lerner
23. Seasons' Gazette
From: S.J. Dibai
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 08:44:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Saturday's Father
Andrew Jones wrote:
> A side note to the 4 Seasons "Gazette" discussion: I have the single
> "Saturday's Father," which (if I'm not mistaken) was the only single
> released from the album. The B-side was a tune called "Good-Bye
> Girl," which sounds like a leftover track from their "golden era"
> (and which, as far as I can tell, hasn't been released before or
> since).
It's interesting how we sometimes question a band's motives when they
try to do something out of their familiar territory - ala the Byrds
going country with "Sweetheart of the Rodeo". I'm glad people are
picking up on IMO. "Something On Her Mind" was an instant favorite of
mine due to the hooks. "Saturday's Father" was the first example of
Men's Lib that I know of in rock and roll. The first (and maybe only
until Sting's "I'm So Happy I'm Crying") tune to deal with fathers'
rights.
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Message: 2
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 16:49:22 -0000
From: Mary S.
Subject: Re: Liz Damon and the Orient Express
Art Longmire wrote:
> I heard or read somewhere that Liz Damon and the Orient Express'
> 1970 LP may be released on CD. This group has long been a sort
> of cult favorite of mine mainly because of their great double-sided
> 45 "1900 Yesterday/You're Falling in Love" which is one of the
> great easy listening classics...
Hi, Art!
Oh, I just love Liz Damon's Orient Express and have two of their
albums. Both are on the White Whale label, which also put out great
records by Nino Tempo and April Stevens and the Turtles, among others.
It's wonderful to know that others have enjoyed the easy listening
and gentle music by Liz Damon and her group. Hawaii can be proud of
that group. Of course, I also like Don Ho, who is practically a
symbol of Hawaiian popular/native music. He has a very soft voice,
but it has a lovely quality. Unfortunately, on some of his albums,
he mixed in a lot of patter with the audience, which I thought
distracted from his music.
Mary S. in Ohio
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:27:43 +0100
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
Subject: Re: "Silent Knight"
Andrew Jones wrote:
> I have an album called "Beserkley's Back!", an anthology of tracks
> by the company's top artists (Greg Kihn, Jonathan Richman,
> Earthquake, etc.) According to the label, the last track on Side One
> is "Silent Knight," with all the arranging / producing credits
> previously mentioned; yet there's no silent track ending that side -
> after the last "real" song, there's just the runoff groove and the
> inner groove. Sonically, of course, it makes little difference, but
> just the same....
This one is available on a 45 as well... and I'm not kidding...! :)
The "artist" is Son Of Pete.
Take care.
/Sebastian
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 14:22:49 EST
From: Jim Allio
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore Christmas songs?
Lesley Gore recorded a CD of holiday material in 2000 and 2001,
including original songs written or co-written by Gore like "If
Every Night Were Christmas Eve" and "My Christmas Party," as well
as standards like "Jingle Bell Rock," "Have Yourself A Merry...,"
and "Winter Wonderland." Although presaged in interviews in
mainstream media like Sunday Parade and others, the CD ultimately
was not issued. Maybe next year...
Jim Allio
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 12:05:05 -0800 (GMT-08:00)
From: Friscopedro
Subject: Re: Bee Gees Soul
David Coyle:
> I think the Bee Gees had a very soulful vocal quality. They could
> write a good R&B ballad as good as anybody. It was after the disco
> era swallowed them up that it started to sound ridiculous.
I didn't appreciate the Bee Gees ability with a soul ballad until after
I heard Al Green's version of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", which
seemed like a natural song for Al's voice. The Bee Gees vocal stylings
always struck me as an affectation, especially on "I Started a Joke",
which is over the top with the trembling voice bit. Great songwriters,
I just didn't dig the delivery.
friscopedro
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 15:38:23 -0500
From: A. Zweig
Subject: Re: Richard Thompson
Kingsley Abbott:
> Richard is a lovely man. I'd commend his music to anyone, and he's
> actually far from being all doom and gloom, though I'd agree that
> he's had his down moments!
His down moments, as you call them, have produced beautiful music.
Same with his so-called doom and gloom. I'm not sure I understand why
these distinctions even get made. Back when so-called murder ballads
were a staple of country and blues, I don't think anyone was saying
"Great song. But it's a bit of a downer". It was just assumed that
was one of the places that music went. And good music will always have
an element of sadness, loss etc. Each artist deals with those elements
in a different way. So like I said, I don't understand why certain
artists like Richard Thompson get painted with that "downer" brush. If
his music was nothing but a downer, if there was no redemption or
beauty, maybe I could understand it. But a record like "Shoot out the
lights" is simply a beautiful record that, like a lot of great music,
visits some dark places. The story told in one of my personal
favorites, "From Galway to Graceland", is obviously sad. But so is the
story in "Do you know the way to San Jose". I like "Kites are fun" too
but man does not live by kites alone.
AZ
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:00:05 -0000
From: Peter Richmond
Subject: Righteous Brothers on Haven
I wrote:
> Have you any details of any further unreleased Righteous Brothers
> tracks from their Haven days, I know of four that surfaced in the
> early 90's, the Lambert/Potter produced "Hey Girl" (Goffin/King)
> and "If That's The Way You Want It" (Lambert/Potter) plus the two
> Bill Medley/Art Munson produced "Father Of The Rock N Roll" (Medley)
> and "Happy Song" (Medley).
Glen replied:
> Wow, I didn't even know about those four! Where did they surface?
> I'd especially like to hear their version of "If That's The Way You
> Want It", which was originally recorded by Diamond Head on ABC/
> Dunhill (Diamond Head later signed to Haven) and covered by Tavares
> on Capitol.
"Hey Girl" originally surfaced on the US 1991 Curb Records 77522 "Best
Of The RBs Vol2" album.
All four tracks appeared on the Dutch double album "The Original
Albums 1974-76" on Disky 5285 in 1993.
"If That's The Way You Want It" is unusual in that Bobby Hatfield takes
the lead vocals on the duet, as he does on another Haven track "All You
Get From Love Is A Love Song".
Full details of the albums are on the website, the Disky set is also
featured on the Righteous Brothers Collectors Items page.
Peter.
Righteous Brothers Discography: http://freespace.virgin.net/p.richmond/
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 21:48:06 -0000
From: Superoldies
Subject: Re: Canadian Re-issues
The fact is that CD sales are at an all-time low and small independant
companies are doing better than those who try to legally license &
market products.
A vast majority of oldies CDs out there right now have not been
properly licensed. Bootleg labels like Marginal & Black Tulip are
doing very well. If that quality will do, then there just might be
someone who will release these groups. To find masters, license
them, pay publishing rights, restoration, mastering, artwork and
package such obscure groups would be for the love of the music only.
I'm a collector formerly from Canada and the groups previously
listed are extremely regional.
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 22:21:32 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore Christmas songs?
JD Doyle wrote:
> Can anyone please tell me if Dusty Springfield and Lesley Gore
> recorded any Christmas songs...
Lesley Gore has been working on a Christmas cd for a few years now.
Each year we're left wondering when it will actually be released.
Not this year. In fact, some music was released to radio, but no one
I know has ever obtained a copy of the song or songs (as far as I
know it was a cassette).
:Patrick
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 22:33:44 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Unreleased Partridge Family
Mark T:
> Has anyone heard anything about a possible box set of all of the
> unreleased songs used on the The Partridge Family show but never
> put out commercially?
I usually get all of my info from the C'Mon Get Happy message board,
and last time I checked, The Partridge Family box set of rarities
had been cancelled: http://www.cmongethappy.com/messageboard.html
A real shame because I've been trying to get my hands on the Johnny
Cymbal/Peggy Clinger unreleased Partridge Family song called Me
Loving You.
:Patrick
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 08:33:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Gay Davies
> In "Lola" by the Kinks, it's Lola who is a man. The clues are there,
> like "in a dark brown voice," "she walked like a woman and talked
> like a man" and "when she picked me up she almost broke my spine."
> The most interesting thing about the lyrics is that it turns out
> that not only does the singer realize Lola is actually a man, he
> doesn't care!
> Is there something about Ray Davies I didn't realise? In "Mirror of
> Love", an obscure 1972-ish Kinks single, he sings "you're the best
> man I ever had".
Bisexuality has been part of the Brother Davies' history. David Watts
was a promoter who wanted Dave Davies and was immortalized by Brother
Ray.
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Message: 12
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:50:44 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop Update
Don Randi's "Spanish Harlem" won the battle of the West-Coast
session men and the new Record Of The Week playing on the Jack
Nitzsche @ S'pop home page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
The choice next week is between Toni Jones' "Dear (Here Comes My
Baby)" and Keely Smith's "No One Ever Tells You".
Jingle #6, "Curtain Up", is playing On The Radio page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/radio.htm
There has been an overwhelming response to my request for reviews
of Jack's movie scores and I'm pleased that, only six months after
Michael Kemp's first critique, the site now has another one! This
one is written by Mike Edwards who gets stuck in to "Village Of
The Giants". Thanks Mike:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/moviereviews.htm
Martin
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Message: 13
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 16:16:04 -0000
From: Rob Stride
Subject: Re: Saturday's Father
Steve Harvey:
> It's interesting how we sometimes question a band's motives when
> they try to do something out of their familiar territory - ala the
> Byrds going country with "Sweetheart of the Rodeo". I'm glad
> people are picking up on IMO. "Something On Her Mind" was an
> instant favorite of mine due to the hooks. "Saturday's Father" was
> the first example of Men's Lib that I know of in rock and roll. The
> first (and maybe only until Sting's "I'm So Happy I'm Crying") tune
> to deal with fathers' rights.
It seems the group is quite split on The Four Seasons Genuine Imitaion
Life Gazette, but the fact that it has given us so much to talk and
debate justifies its relevance, after all isn't that what Art is all
about.
The next great album by the 4 Seasons would have to be the 1972
Chameleon recorded on Mowest. This was another total breakaway with
tradition and layed the musical foundations for the highly sucessful
Who Loves You album of 1975.
Joe Long played some of his best bass on this (Chameleon) album of
Soul/Rock songs. Joe was to bow out after singing and playing Bass on
the title track of Who Loves You, IMHO the last Track to really have
the FOUR SEASONS sound!
I think it was poor judgement of Bob & Frankie to let him go (besides
them he was the longest serving 4 Season) although I know they wanted
to try something new?
I would be interested to hear the group's opinion on both these
albums and on the departure of one of my all time favourite bass
players.
Rob Stride
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Message: 14
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 17:29:37 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Teddy Randazzo R.I.P.
elichar:
> What a rotten shame. I had always loved (Teddy Randazzo's)
> work. He wrote some of the best soulful ballads of the 1960s.
> One masterpiece of his (co-written with Weinstein and Lou
> Stallman) is one of my all-time favorites: "You Better Go".
> It was first recorded (and is best known) by Derek Martin for
> Roulette in 1965, and later by Frankie Valli, Darrell Banks
> and Nancy Wilson. I don't know who produced the Martin
> version, but it is exquisite!
Agreed, "You Better Go" is a magnificent record, readily
available on CD, for those who might be interested. It was
not only co-written by Randazzo, but arranged and produced by
him as well. In a quest to make musica a Randazzo-only zone,
I've posted Martin's "Your Daddy Wants His Baby Back (Roulette
4647, 1965), another Randazzo song/arrangement/production:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Phil Chapman:
> Also good to see mention of the often overlooked Royalettes,
> Teddy Randazzo's flagship girlgroup. Though Sheila Ross's
> flugel-like vocal timbre was not to everyone's taste, it was
> a perfect vehicle for TR's unique blend of Bacharach and
> Rogers & Hammerstein.
I hear the Royalettes, complete with flugel-like lead-singer,
are on the comeback trail. If Sheila could be persuaded to add
"Livin' In Love" (her solo single as Sheila Anthony on Teddy's
Buttercup label) to her repertoire, she might land a few gigs
at Northern Soul venues over here in Blighty. Is this great
track out on CD? Anyone?
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 12:43:19 EST
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: "Girls' Song"
Richard Havers may have solved a riddle that's been bugging me. "The
Girls' Song" by Jackie DeShannon...also recorded (later?) by the Fifth
Dimension? "It's a girls' song, so don't you boys be singing along...."
First heard this one on Kiddie-A-Go-Go and it would have to be late '67
or early '68; 5th D's 45 is listed as 1970. Could this have been
Jackie's version Pandora and company were spinning?
Bobster
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Message: 16
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:18:54 -0000
From: Guy Lawrence
Subject: Re: The Wild Ones / Chip Taylor
Phil Milstein wrote:
> The Wild Ones were known more for their ridiculously tall,
> plasticized pompadours than for their music.
Hi Phil, aren't you thinking of the later 60s group called
Wild Thing, a bar band whose album was a rare lapse of taste
for the Elektra label? They certainly had that kind of hair.
Can anyone play the Wild Ones version of "Wild Thing" to musica?
I've been looking for it for most of my life!
Regards,
Guy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TweedleeDumsDrive-In/
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 11:32:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Bryant
Subject: USA No 1s which were UK chart failures
Dear all
I have a list of these is anyone's interested - they
all made No 1 in the US but didn't chart at all in the
UK. It's a weird list as you may imagine, & contains
such surprising songs as
Please Mr Postman - Marvelettes
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & the Playboys
The Sound of Silence - Simon & Grafunkel
Cherish - The Association
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
Windy - The Association
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James
pb
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Message: 18
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:37:03 +0000
From: Richard Havers
Subject: Re: "Girls' Song"
Bob Rashkow wrote:
> Richard Havers may have solved a riddle that's been bugging me. "The
> Girls' Song" by Jackie DeShannon...also recorded (later?) by the Fifth
> Dimension? "It's a girls' song, so don't you boys be singing
> along...."
> First heard this one on Kiddie-A-Go-Go and it would have to be late '67
> or early '68; 5th D's 45 is listed as 1970. Could this have been
> Jackie's version Pandora and company were spinning?
Hi Bob
The 5th D recorded 'The Girl's Song' for their brilliant album 'The
Magic Garden' in mid to late 1967. It didn't get a single release
until 1970. I think the album came out at Christmas '67 and charted
in mid January. No idea when Jackie's version was done, but I assume
it was post the 5th d as it has always been said that JLW wrote the
Bacharach-like 'Gil's Song' specifically for Florence and Marilyn.
Richard
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Message: 19
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:45:37 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: This Ain't No Disco
I think we've established that disco music's roots go back
far before the 1970s, and that the sounds coming out of
Philadelphia, Detroit and New York City in the '50s and '60s
set important precedents. We'd do well to remember that disco
venues and disco music are two different things, though . . .
the venues existed before the genre did. Therefore, Cameo-Parkway
dance hits, for example, may indeed be "disco records" (singles
and/or albums played in discotheques) but they are not, for the
most part, disco music (a specific sound tailored for discotheques).
Anyone who wants to explore the roots of disco further should pick up
a great little book called "Saturday Night Forever" by Alan Jones and
Jussi Kantonen. For a behind-the-scenes look at the disco scene from
a record executive active in it from the beginning, check out Mel Cheren's "Keep On Dancin': My Life and The Paradise Garage." Cheren's
lengthy personal asides will try your patience, but his book is so
informative, it's worth the effort.
Don "Stuffed Animal" Charles
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Message: 20
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 19:49:45 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: Living in Love
Mick Patrick said:
> I hear the Royalettes, complete with flugel-like lead-singer,
> are on the comeback trail. If Sheila could be persuaded to add
> "Livin' In Love" (her solo single as Sheila Anthony on Teddy's
> Buttercup label) to her repertoire, She might land a few gigs
> at Northern Soul venues over here in Blighty. Is this great
> track out on CD? Anyone?
Hi, Sheila Anthony´s "Living in Love" (Buttercup / BC-1002) is
included in The Wigan Casino 25th Anniversary CD issued by Goldmine.
I had no idea that Sheila Anthony was Sheila Ross of the Royalettes.
As much as I like Sheila´s version of "Living in Love", my absolute
favourite is Phyllis Dillon´s cover, titled "One Love to Give, One
Life to Live", issued in Jamaica in the early seventies. Phyllis is
a Jamaican singer, the queen of the Rock Steady rhythm, and one of
the few Jamaican girls that ventured into the GG sound (Millie
apart, of course). In the mid sixties she also did a cover of "A
Thing of the Past", that in my opinion can easily compare with the
Shirelles, which has a lot of merit.
Julio Niño
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Message: 21
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 12:17:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: The Bunch
Just got back from the annual record convention held
near Philly the weekend after Thanksgiving. Got a copy
of the Bunch (for $20!) on Cd after looking for it for
years. It has 16 cuts instead of the traditional 12
that appeared in the early 70s on vinyl.
Folk-rock of a different sort, Brit folkies like Sandy
Denny, Richard Thompson, the future Mrs. Thompson -
Linda Peters, etc. Some great covers of early 60s and
50s tunes. The standouts are "My Girl the Merry Month
of May" by the Belmonts (sans Dion, I think) and Sandy
Denny's heartbreaking cover of Buddy's "Learning The
Game".
The bonus cuts are La Bamba, Let There Be Drums, 20
Flight Rock and High School Confidential.
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Message: 22
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 21:01:06 -0000
From: Peter Lerner
Subject: Re: Rusty York
Bill and others
> Justin McDevitt asked about a great tune, and Ken Silverwood
> identified it as Sugaree by Rusty York...
> Would this be the same Rusty York that backed Jackie DeShannon
> in the Cajuns on the tune "Just Another Lie"? The flip side was
> an instrumental called Cajun Blues.
Yes it is. I have a whole CD of stuff by Rusty, out of Cincinnati,
on the Gee-Dee label including both Sugaree and Cajun Blues.
It's nice.
Peter
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Message: 23
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 22:46:13 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Seasons' Gazette
Hello, fellow Spectropoppers! With all this talk about the "Genuine
Imitation Life Gazette," I feel I'd better chime in here.
The 4 Seasons have been my favorite group since I was 16 (that's not
such a dramatic statement considering I'm only 22), but GILG has
never been the first Seasons album I pull off the shelf, so to
speak. Objectively, it's not bad; in fact, some of the songs are
excellent, and the arrangements and productions are impressive. But
it was certainly not what the 4 Seasons did best. The thing is that
they had done social commentary before, but they always did it
within the context of three-minute pop songs: "Dawn", "Rag
Doll", "Big Man In Town", and so on. Plus, they had committed to
vinyl an unabashedly conservative folk-rocker called "Beggars'
Parade", featuring lyrics like "Why should you work like the
rest/When it's easier to protest?" Their songs painted a view of the
world through the eyes of a bunch of hard-working, blue collar
Italian guys from New Jersey, and GILG totally discarded that image.
And that tight pop song format went out the window, too.
I see GILG as being a lot like The Hollies' "Butterfly" (known
as "Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse" here in the USA). The Hollies
were, like the 4 Seasons, an act whose forte was tightly
constructed, tastefully arranged pop-rock that added in small doses
of lyrical and instrumental experimentation as time went on. It was
a hugely successful formula, artistically and commercially. But they
both caught the Sgt. Pepper bug and went overboard with an album
that was technically good, but not in a league with their best work.
Both groups suffered commercially as a result--the Hollies recovered
quickly, while the Seasons didn't.
And how about Chad & Jeremy's "Of Cabbages and Kings"?
S.J. Dibai
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