________________________________________________________________________
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
________________________________________________________________________
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Rupert's People
From: Stephane Rebeschini
2. Re: Zager and Evans - One Hit Wonders? The Saga!
From: Stephane Rebeschini
3. Re: Snuff Garrett
From: Bob
4. Re: He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
From: Steve Harvey
5. Folk Rock on PBS
From: A. Zweig
6. Re: Mellotrons
From: Richard Hattersley
7. Re: Seasons In The Sun
From: Andrew Jones
8. Re: Brit Girls
From: Ken Mortimer
9. Re: Johnny I Love You
From: Steve Harvey
10. Re: la di da
From: Art Longmire
11. Re: La Dee Dah
From: David A. Young
12. Out Of His Head at FOPP
From: Richard Hattersley
13. Re: Seasons In The Sun
From: Steve Grant
14. "Doo-Wop Music" by California
From: Jeff Lemlich
15. Re: Best line in a song
From: Steve Harvey
16. re: Jeff Barry / Frankie Miller
From: Roger Kaye
17. Rashkow's liver
From: Phil Milstein
18. Re: Sam Cooke
From: Christian Gordon
19. Re: The End of Albums
From: Will Stos
20. Put The Clock Back On The Wall
From: Jeff Lemlich
21. Re: It's the rill thing
From: Clark Besch
22. More Coke Ads @ Musica / Steve Tudanger
From: Mike Rashkow
23. Re: La Dee Dah
From: Hugo M.
24. Re: La Dee Dah / He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
From: Bob Rashkow
25. Re: Telstar / Synths / Friscopedro
From: Albabe Gordon
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 23:44:21 +0100
From: Stephane Rebeschini
Subject: Re: Rupert's People
David Walker a écrit:
> Re Rupert's People: "Reflections of Charles Brown" is a wonderful
> record. Does anyone know who the lead singer was? Can anyone
> confirm or explode my belief that the backing band were Fleur de
> Lys, possibly with Bryn Haworth on lead guitar?.....
There's a good entry about them at "A Tapestry Of Delights" (the UK
counterpart of "Fuzz, Acid & Flowers") there:
http://www.borderlinebooks.com/uk6070s/tapestry.html
The links with the Fleur De Lys are well detailed.
Stephane
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 23:55:50 +0100
From: Stephane Rebeschini
Subject: Re: Zager and Evans - One Hit Wonders? The Saga!
Clark Besch:
> ...As mentioned, Michael Zager was not a member of Zager & Evans.
> Denny Zager was in the duo.
Hi, Sorry about my mistake, I was the first to link (Dennis) Zager &
Evans with Michael Zager... In fact, Michael Zager of "Let's All Chant"
was previously the leader & keyboard player of Ten Wheel Drive, the
group with Genya Ravan, recently discussed here.
Stephane
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 23:28:58 -0000
From: Bob
Subject: Re: Snuff Garrett
Artie Wayne:
> Does anyone know what Snuff Garrett [who produced Bobby Vee, Gary
> Lewis and the playboys] is up to these days?
James Holvay:
> Artie: One of the young men that work in our office (San Fernando,
> CA) is his nephew! Snuff, is retired and living in Phoenix. He's
> had some health problems over the years. He's a collector of
> Western memrobilia. I'll see if he has an email address or
> something, I can foward on to you.
James, Snuff hasn't been in Phoenix for quite some time. He had a
stroke several years ago when he was still in LA but has completely
recovered. As I mentioned in a previous post, he lives in Sonoita,
New Mexico. As I've been involved in writing liner notes over the
last 13 years for several Bobby Vee releases, I've found it quite
informative to talk to Snuffy. He is quite a character indeed!
Bob
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 15:36:58 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Previously:
> How about the Beatles' "Run For Your Life?"
Actually you can't use the Beatles line "I'd rather see you dead
little girl than to be with another man" because it was swiped
from one of Elvis' Sun sides, "Baby Let's Play House", I think (!?)
How come nobody sued them over using that line, but got Lennon for
the "here comes old flattop"?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 17:36:59 -0500
From: A. Zweig
Subject: Folk Rock on PBS
David Coyle:
> I was nearly impressed by the "Rock At Fifty" special, considering
> it was the first special of its kind I'd ever seen that had some
> British Invasion content...
I missed that show but because of the discussion here, I ended up
watching the "Folk rock" special. Mostly it made me feel weird.
Since I'm older and grayer and fatter than I was back when I first
heard these songs, I can't criticize their appearance. But in some
cases, there was something unsatisfying and even unseemly about their
performances. Not all of them. But I thought the Lovin Spoonful
performance, for instance, was a big sham. I don't really know how
many of the original members were there. That might have been Jerry
Yester singing "Daydream". But it was a joke when the original bass
player - or was it the drummer - sang "Do you believe in magic" and
in order to extend the illusion, played an autoharp. The crowd loved
it. But to me it just sounded like a not particularly good cover
band.
I can't begrudge former members of this or that band, trying to make
a living playing songs from forty years ago, even if they weren't the
singer (or even if they really can't sing at all). But there's
something about seeing them on a PBS special rather than at a local
Holiday Inn lounge, that makes it somehow sadder for me.
If they want to make a living and John Sebastian won't cooperate, then
they should still be able to. But it wasn't very satisfying to watch
it. I also was a bit creeped out by Spanky and Our Gang. Spanky was
there. And there were a couple of older gentlemen who may well have
been in the original band. And bolstered by some new backup singers,
they did a fair job of reproducing a couple of hits. But they were a
very interesting band once upon a time, capable of surprising little
flourishes and arrangements. And now they were just human jukeboxes.
Obviously I think musicians should be able to perform as long as they
can. But sometimes there's something sad about it.
AZ
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 23:59:41 +0000
From: Richard Hattersley
Subject: Re: Mellotrons
> I would love to find an electronic keyboard such as Casio and
> Yamaha makes that has a setting for "Mellotron." I know the
> original ones were difficult to master and awkward to play, but
> they made such a great sound.
A few years back I saw an add in a music mag selling Cd's with
samples of the original mellotron tapes used in the machines. Thus
enabling you to load the sounds into a sampler and play them at
will.
Richard
http://www.wiz.to/richardsnow
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 19:03:10 -0500 (EST)
From: Andrew Jones
Subject: Re: Seasons In The Sun
Bill George: Rod McKuen's album "Seasons In the Sun" (on Warner Bros.)
had TWO versions by McKuen, one a studio version with a band, one a
live acoustic version. The album is, indeed, full of McKuen
translations of Brel - and even a Brel translation of McKuen!
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 00:10:35 -0000
From: Ken Mortimer
Subject: Re: Brit Girls
Mike Dino:
> Hi Gang: At long last a group that I can really sink my teeth
> into! Love the Girl Group scene and British Pop including all
> those wonderful Brit Girls!
Hi Mike, What about Madeline Bell, Clodagh Rodgers, Barry St. John,
Clare Torry, Vicki Brown, Sue and Sunny, Lesley Duncan, Sylvia
McNeill - the list goes on forever.
Check out the new website for Jackie Lee. This is really good...
http://www.jackielee.freeserve.co.uk/
Ken
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 15:59:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Johnny I Love You
Simon White wrote:
> ...is Booker T. and The M. G.'s "Johnny I Love You". It's quite
> simply a love song to a man sung by a man. I have no idea who's
> singing on it..."
Julio Niño:
> The voice in "Johnny I Love You" is Booker T Jones.
I know that tune since it's the only vocal that I ever heard Booker
T do. I took it to be admiration, not homosexual longing, for the
other man. A plea to an ally in the time of need, "we've got to
clean up this town".
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 00:13:46 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: la di da
John wrote:
> OK, what was the song that went la di da, oh boy, let's go,
> cha cha cha? (This is not a test...for some reason, this song
> popped into my mind with this thread)
Stuart Miller:
> "Lucky Lady Bug" by Crewe/Slay. Sung by the 4 Seasons. Maybe.
I thought it was a song by Art and Dottie Todd - whose title I
cannot for the life of me remember. Oh, well - I'm probably wrong
anyway.
Art
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 11
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 01:06:02 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Re: La Dee Dah
John wrote:
> OK, what was the song that went la di da, oh boy, let's go,
> cha cha cha? (This is not a test...for some reason, this song
> popped into my mind with this thread)
...to which Stuart replied:
> "Lucky Lady Bug" by Crewe/Slay. Sung by the 4 Seasons. Maybe.
Stuart, the composer credits you list appear on the record I was
going to cite in answer to John's query, and maybe Frankie and the
boys recorded the song under that title, but the version I have is
called "La Dee Dah" and is credited (on Swan 4002) to Billy & Lillie,
who do in fact sound a bit like ye olde Seasons if you squint.
David
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 00:14:58 +0000
From: Richard Hattersley
Subject: Out Of His Head at FOPP
Just a note for British members. I just picked up a copy of the
Phil Spector bio "Out Of His Head" at FOPP for £5 in paperback.
It's a new updated edition complete with a sad pic of Phil being
arrested.
Richard
http://www.wiz.to/richardsnow
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 19:37:44 -0500
From: Steve Grant
Subject: Re: Seasons In The Sun
Previously:
> Terry Jacks probably did write the last verse of his version -
> in the Brel/McKuen original, that last verse is about a cheating
> wife, and would NOT have fit Terry's recording.
Of course, the original is by Brel alone, and is in French. Did
McKuen record his own version with his English lyrics? I've only
ever heard Brel's version and Terry Jack's. Musically, they are
QUITE different.
The Kingston Trio also did a nice version of "SITS", complete with
reference to faithless wife. In fact, theirs was the only version
I knew until Terry Jacks arrived on the scene.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 01:01:30 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: "Doo-Wop Music" by California
Les Fradkin wrote:
> I've just joined the group at the urging of my good friend
> Mark Wirtz. My music is clearly influenced by many icons of
> this group including Spector, Beach Boys and Curt Boettcher.
Greetings to the Fearless Fradkin!
Les, what can you tell us about your 1977 recording, "Doo-Wop Music"
by California (Laurie 3651)?
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 16:14:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Best line in a song
Always loved Billy Lee Riley's line "cat jumped out and started a
band" and the Stones' "sunshine bores the daylights outta me".
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 21:00:55 -0500
From: Roger Kaye
Subject: re: Jeff Barry / Frankie Miller
Eddy:
> I just bought the Frankie Miller CD "Dancing in the rain".
> It has 6 out of 10 songs co-written by Jeff Barry. Unfortunately
> it does not include any details on the musicians. Maybe the
> original (vinyl) release has some more info. Anybody got the
> scoop on this?
Eddy, Hard to believe this is on CD. Is it a reissue or the original
1986 pressing? Worth picking up for the often covered "I'd Lie To
You For Your Love", which Frankie even put out a video for that got
a few (very few) spins on Empty-Vee back in the day. Anyway, I pulled
my copy of the lp and credited as "the band":
Frankie Miller - guitar & Vocals
Chrissie Robinson - bass
Simon Kirke - drums
Brian Robertson - guitar
with additional musicians
Guitar: Mitch Watkins, Mitch Perry, Hiram Bullock, Tim Renwick, Ricky
Byrd & Chris Spedding
Keyboards: Peter Wood, Robbie Kilgore
Percussion: Jimmy Maelen, Jimmy Bralower
Horns: Wayne Jackson, Bob Funk, Lou Cortelezzi
Background vocals: Bonnie Bramlett, Eric Troyer, Elaine Caswell,
Chrissy Faith, Frankie Miller
No info on who plays on which track.
RK
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 21:06:12 -0500
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Rashkow's liver
A glance at the label of the Jean Shepherd LP "Declassified" (Mercury,
1971) reveals an interesting aside, of the sort not usually
encountered on labels:
"Sound produced, edited, assembled and mixed by Mike Rashkow (P.S. I
also make very good chopped liver)"
Care to share your recipe, Mr. R.?
--Phil M.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 18
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 21:26:54 -0500
From: Christian Gordon
Subject: Re: Sam Cooke
David Coyle:
> Sam Cooke may have asked for clear enunciation from his artists
> on SAR Records, but you'll notice beyond that that so many of the
> singers for the label sound just like Sam! Particularly Bobby
> Womack and Mel Carter, whose version of "When A Boy Is In Love"
> is almost indistinguishable from Sam's version. Of course it's a
> testimony to just how clear a voice Sam had...
Of course, everything is subject to opinion. That said, I have yet
to hear a voice that can match that of Sam Cooke's.
To your point, his enunciation served to enhance his vocal - it
helped to set him apart because he wasn't just a singer - he was a
story teller.
Christian
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 19
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 02:28:09 -0000
From: Will Stos
Subject: Re: The End of Albums
I don't think the biggest problem is the price of an album. I
routinely spend up to $30 or even more (Canadian mind you) for good
import comps). The big problem for so many people my age (early 20s)
is that with the death of the single, album-makers have got the idea
that if they put 2 or 3 good tracks in with 8 or 10 filler tracks,
the music consumer won't notice, or (before downloading) couldn't do
anything but by the whole CD. Why buy a cd when you know most of the
songs (on pop and r&b albums anyway) are going to be bad. Why not
just select the ones you like. Of course, it's different if an artist
takes the time to construct a good album where the majority of tracks
are worth listening to more than once. I honestly think downloaders
are thumbing their nose at the record industry for giving us low
quality, derivitive pap. After downloading some tracks from an album,
if I like enough of them, I'll go an by the album. In Canada they're
trying to relaunch the single, and if I've heard it and I like, I'll
buy it. But I just don't take a chance on an album anymore. The
person on the list who described the excitement of bringing home a cd
or album and taking off the wrap has it right. It can be fun. It
still is when I get a new girl group or northern soul collection,
most of the time. But it can also be a huge disappointment. And if it
feels like your ripping up $20 more than a couple of times, you wise
up. I feel no guilt when I download songs from artists I would never
hear on radio or if their not available here yet. If I like them,
I'll support the artist by buying the cd. If I don't I don't listen
to them again. It's called testing the merchandise. Or, maybe it's
like a music public library. Why buy the book right away when you can
find out if you like it first. I doubt the album, like the single,
will ever really die. It'll come back in some other form. The trend
of making mix tapes or cds is a new way of consumer-made albums.
After all, the customer is always right.
Will
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 20
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 20:12:14 -0500
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Put The Clock Back On The Wall
For That Alan Gordon:
There is a version of "Hey, Put The Clock Back On The Wall" that I
don't think has been discussed... by C.C. & The Chasers. It's on
Cori Records, and oddly credits just Bonner as the writer of the
song (same deal with the flip, "Two And Twenty", which credits just
Bonner).
I was just wondering if you recalled anything about C.C. & The
Chasers, or the recording of this particular version.
Thanks,
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 21
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 06:14:54 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: It's the rill thing
Phil Milstein wrote:
> Love Mike & Ellie's Coke jingles. Had the company ever used
> ads as good as those, I might've started drinking their product.
Phil, YOU are SO RIGHT! Great stuff! Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Sat, 06 Dec 2003 22:53:03 EST
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: More Coke Ads @ Musica / Steve Tudanger
Me:
> Two of the Coke ads - "Come Take My Hand" with lead vocal by Ellie
> Greenwich and "Do You Remember" - have been posted to musica for
> all to hear: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Mark Frumento:
> More please! These are great tracks! Thanks--I love 'em.
Phil Milstein:
> Love Mike & Ellie's Coke jingles. Had the company ever used ads as
> good as those, I might've started drinking their product.
Clark Besch:
> Phil, YOU are SO RIGHT! Great stuff!
I'll drink to that.
David A. Young:
> A hearty second from me; I enjoyed 'em a lot. And while we're on
> the subject of musica requests, I for one would love to hear the
> unreleased Delicates cuts Mick mentioned a coupla days ago. Please.
OK, have two more Cokes on me: "How Much Nicer It Would Be Together"
(lead vocal by Ellie Greenwich) and "Dusty Roads" (me on lead). Best
served chilled: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
I had little or nothing to do with "How Much Nicer It Would Be
Together" -- I think it was all Steve Tudanger and Ellie, though all
of us might be credited. The latin kind of up-tempo El Watusi thing
is certainly Stevie. I never heard Ellie play that feel and I know
that Steve played the piano when we did the demo.
Steve Tudanger was a great talent who, for various reasons, never got
to the top -- though I think he made a good living doing jingles and
background. Not very healthy these days, he's had two strokes and
doesn't even have a keyboard anymore.
Ellie and I once produced him and sold the master to Mercury -
"Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout You Now". It bombed immediately. We bought
it back and sold it to Chelsea. Bombed there too.
Doo bee doo bee doo,
Michael Rashkow
PS For those of you who wish I would go back to RV'ing and get off
the horn, I will be working for the next couple of weeks and will
probably only respond to serious provocation.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 23
Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2003 00:51:02 -0000
From: Hugo M.
Subject: Re: La Dee Dah
John wrote:
> OK, what was the song that went la di da, oh boy, let's go,
> cha cha cha? (This is not a test...for some reason, this song
> popped into my mind with this thread)
That's "La Dee Dah" by Billy & Lillie, Swan 4002. 1957?
In 1963, Swan put out Marcy Jo & Eddie Rambeau doing a 'medley of
oldies' 45 in the style of Little Caesar And The Romans, titles and
catch phrases from late fifties tunes that people were likely to
remember, and they had the chutzpah to include "La Dee Dah" in it,
somewhere between "In The Still Of The Night" and "Good Golly Miss
Molly". I wonder if that sparked a big ol' Billy & Lillie revival.
Hey-nonny-nonny,
Hugo M.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 23:25:31 EST
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Re: La Dee Dah / He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
Actually, Stuart Miller, "Lucky Ladybug" was Billy & Lillie's follow
up to "La Dee Dah". which is the song in Jon Adelson's question.
They're pretty much in the same vein, not among my favorite tunes of
the late 5Ts. And I'm the one who can't remember the lyrics to the
refrain there. Is it something like "Ladybug, silly, silly, lucky
one, chirpy chirp"? Am I even close??!!
Julio, here's two more examples of "I love it when you kill me" songs,
"Take Me, Break Me" by the Underground Sunshine, who were from central
Wisconsin and recorded briefly but brilliantly on Intrepid, and "He
Likes It" by the McCoys, from the INFINITE MCCOYS LP.
"He likes the feel of pain/He takes it like a game/Your mercy is in
vain/Cause he likes the pain, he likes the pain......" Ouchhhhh!
Bobster
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 20:56:00 -0800
From: Albabe Gordon
Subject: Re: Telstar / Synths / Friscopedro
Sorry... still catching up here.
Nick Archer wrote:
> What instrument was used on "Telstar" by the Tornados? Was that
> an early synth?
James Botticelli wrote:
> It's the thing Kai Winding used. Forget the name. Early synth
> will do though!
Clavoline? Maybe a Theramin? (One of the thangies that's been used
on soundtracks for scary movies since the Precambrian?)
Actually I think the sound in Telstar is just a funky organ that's
been filtered or compressed. And this and none of the above qualify
as a synth.
And... a mellatron doesn't count either. It uses tapes of recordings,
so technically it doesn't synthesize anything at all.
To friscopedro: Change your name and get back to cleaning up the new
digs, fella.
peace,
~albabe
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
End
