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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. This Diamond Ring
From: Al Kooper
2. Re: sediS-B sdrawkcaB fo noitalipmoC : Raeb Ylzzirg A Flesym Tog
From: Stephane Rebeschini
3. Re: Gretchen Christopher
From: John
4. Re: I'm Brian, fly me
From: Bob Hanes
5. Welcome mat
From: Jerry Osborne
6. Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
From: Martin Roberts
7. Spector listings
From: Kingsley Abbott
8. Re: Artie Butler/Jay and the Americans
From: Mike McKay
9. Re: Welcome/Joe's Pub
From: Mike Rashkow
10. Re: Jan and Arnie (Ginsburg)
From: Mike McKay
11. Re: Songs' Running Times (60's/70's versus now)
From: Paul Levinson
12. Re: Question for Austin and Ron
From: Ron Dante
13. collecting music
From: Alan Zweig
14. RE: Stupid songs...and stupider still..
From: Mike McKay
15. Speaking of Zally
From: Steve Harvey
16. Re: Zal Yanovsky
From: Steve Harvey
17. Re: Spine shiverers
From: Paul Bryant
18. Beatles footage
From: Ed Rambeau
19. Tracey Dey
From: Ed Rambeau
20. EMail repost from J. Abbott, "60s Show" host
From: Robert R. Radil
21. Beatles footage
From: Ed Rambeau
22. A question for Eddie Rambeau.
From: Julio Niño
23. Writing to length
From: Ed Rambeau
24. birthdays
From: Alan Zweig
25. The Other Voices
From: Ed Rambeau
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 12:04:57 EST
From: Al Kooper
Subject: This Diamond Ring
Previously:
> I can remember getting in a friendly argument with the late, great
> Rick Danko about "This Diamond Ring". I'd asked him about the
> Bandish lp on Atco by Roger Tillison when Rick mentioned Roger
> writing "This Diamond Ring". I said it was written by Al Kooper,
> but Danko kept saying it was Roger. Did Roger have anything to do
> with the tune?
not to my knowledge - AK
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 18:43:03 +0100
From: Stephane Rebeschini
Subject: Re: sediS-B sdrawkcaB fo noitalipmoC : Raeb Ylzzirg A Flesym Tog
lightning_15228 a écrit:
> I am in the process of making a compilation (for my own use, of course)
> of those neat backwards B-sides of hit singles that were deliberately
> pressed to prevent double-side hit exposures. Here's what I have so
> far:
> noollaB wolleY -- Yellow Balloon -- Canterbury 508 (With nothing else
> to place on the B-side at the time, this is what was decided)
>
> That's it for now. I'm sure there are other ones out there, so if
> anybody can help me out with some titles, I'd be very appreciative.
> Thanks.
Bonjour de France
Here are two more, although I'm not sure if they really were "hit
singles". Both are US pressings with Picture Sleeves.
FLESYM TOG, Got Myself A Grizzly Bear/ Raeb Ylzzirg A Flesym Tog…,
Musicor 1367, 1968
Rare US garage pop, Bside is the Aside backward
CRACKERJACK SOCIETY The, Walk in the Sky / Listen To This Side, CBS
4-44434 1967 or 68
US pop rock, no music on flip but variating generator sounds ("Listen To
This Side" IS unlistenable!!)
Stephane
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 17:28:23 -0000
From: John
Subject: Re: Gretchen Christopher
> John. I for one would welcome Gretchen to the list. The lovely
> silky Fleetwoods are one of the treasures of the early 60s and
> quite, quite unique.
She was and clearly is the driving force behind the group. I've
asked her, so it's up to her when and if. Anybody who knows her can
tell you she's a fascinating person, and would be a great addition
to this place. She's still writing and performing, and the stuff
she's composing now is easily Broadway quality.
John
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:31:03 -0800 (PST)
From: Bob Hanes
Subject: Re: I'm Brian, fly me
fact: Audry was asked by Brian to meet the airplane that Brian flew back
to L.A. (alone, I mean without a companion), and only Audry (no Murry)
and when he arrived he asked his mom to take him "home" to the house in
Hawthorne, just to reassure himself of something, somehow. It becomes a
mystery from there. A private family matter to be more precise.
p.r.: The stock story is that Brian was insecure about his marriage and
hated the road.
more fact: Well, we know he hated the road, he'd tried to "get off" a
couple of times before, in brief respites.
opinion: The guy was doing way more than yeoman's work for the "greater
good of the cause", even without the insecurity of possible infidelity
of a new, young, hip wife, no one could keep the pace this man had set
for himself. He was the poster boy for, "today's record is tomorrow's
expectation".
The Right Reverend Bob, dumb angel chapel,
Church of the Harmonic Overdub
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 09:06:18 -0800
From: Jerry Osborne
Subject: Welcome mat
Laura,
Thank you for throwing out the welcome mat!
I am also grateful for the kind words about the "Mr. Music" feature.
We'll talk again soon.
Jerry
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:07:03 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
This week, the record playing on the home page is The Paris
Sisters, "It's My Party", which narrowly beat the competition
from Merry Clayton's "It's In His Kiss". Next week's choice
is between two obscure artists, Bobby Jason with "Venus", yes
the Frankie Avalon 'classic' but not as you've heard it before,
and Vince Howard and the Vin-ettes with a classic Dean Martin
song, "Return To Me", which again doesn't owe much to the original.
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
Al Hazan and Jack Nitzsche's Record of the Week features the
final two tracks from The Starr Sisters. They were apparently
'fairly big down under'. Juni, one of the sisters (she adds her
comments on the page), met, fell-in-love with and married an
Aussie, after touring with her sisters. If any of our members
from the antipodes have any stories...
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/ahjnrotw.htm
On The Radio is playing the final KHJ Jingle (at least for a
while) #12 (Bacharach).
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/radio.htm
Next week...let fly the balloons, fire those guns in salute...
for a major new feature, Jack Nitzsche speaks. Jack's only radio
interview, broadcast just once by local BBC Radio Oxford in 1981,
gets its international debut.
The interview with musical breaks lasts for over 75 minutes. Jack
talks about his life from piano lessons in Michigan to working with
Willy DeVille and (as much as time permits) everything in between.
Split into approximately 5-minute sections, these will be in mp3
format. Many Thanks to Karel Beer, who conducted the interview with
Jack, for allowing it to be broadcast on the site. Do checkout his
piece on the re-releasing of Jack Nitzsche's St. Giles LP at
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/recordreviews.htm
Is that it? Well, actually no. How does this sound? Next week,
Al and Jack's ROTW page features the first airing of a backing
session featuring some of the cream of LA players, recorded at
Gold Star, produced and written by Al Hazan, arranged by Jack
and featuring some of the wildest piano playing this side of
the Mississippi. Oh yes, and one of the musicians adds some
comments on the session. Pretty good eh! Can live get any sweeter :-)
Martin
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 19:48:49 -0000
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: Spector listings
A very big thanks to all Spectropop members who have
sent in their Spector-produced Top Tens. So far nearly
twenty tracks have been given first place, some of them most
unexpected to say the least, and over 80 different tracks have
appeared in your listings. However...I'm not yet satisfied!
I would love even more of you to respond to make it all more
stastically valid.
Please email me directly with your ordered Spector produced
Top Ten, plus your fave track from the Christmas album (no
prizes for guessing which track is in the lead there, though
there is a strong second placing emerging).
Thanks to all of you in advance
Kingsley Abbott
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:43:50 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Artie Butler/Jay and the Americans
Michael Edwards wrote:
> ...on a J&TA album entitled "Try Some Of This", the sleeve
> notes to which tell us that Bob Feldman produced it and
> Jimmy Wisner was the arranger.
> The album featured 3 arrangers, one of whom was Artie Butler,
> now an esteemed Spectropop member. And what a job he did.
> The songs he arranged are:
> "You Ain't As Hip As All That Baby" (wr: Jeff Barry)
As I was reading down the post, I was hoping a mention of
this song would surface. I don't have the album in question,
but I do have this track on a 45, and it's been a longtime
favorite of mine. Sounded like a natural hit to me, with a
memorable chorus and a sentiment that surely many could relate to.
Mike
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Message: 9
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:54:03 EST
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Re: Welcome/Joe's Pub
Al Kooper
> I'm still kickin' - gonna be 60 on feb 5
> If you're in NYC, come to Joe's Pub in the Village
> I'm playin' 2 shows that night to prevent anyone from
> throwin' me a surprise party. Would love ta see ya
> For that matter any Spectropoppers are welcome as well!
Dear Al,
My younger son, Duke, often works as the house sound mixer in
Joe's Pub. I think he would be honored to handle the board for
you. I know I would be honored if that happened. If you have
any wish to request him, his real name is Roger Rashkow, but
everyone knows him simply as Duke.
Some people think he has good ears and fast hands. I know he's
a good human being--his mother raised him.
Michael Rashkow
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Message: 10
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:51:15 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Jan and Arnie (Ginsburg)
Country Paul wrote:
> I haven't figured "Jennie Lee" out yet 44 years in, and
> haven't cared - it is a great rock and roll record -
> apparently about a stripper no less, so maybe I would like
> to hear the lyrics! (They posted anywhere?) And you no doubt
> know that Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg went on to become one of
> the radio legends of Boston
According to Joel Whitburn, these are two entirely different
Arnie Ginsburgs.
Mike
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Message: 11
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 19:57:16 -0000
From: Paul Levinson
Subject: Re: Songs' Running Times (60's/70's versus now)
Laura wrote:
> For those of you who worked in the music business during
> the 60's and 70's is, did having a two- or three-minute
> limitation on the running time of a record intended for
> mass production and hopefully destined for the national
> Top Forty put a damper on your creativity? Or was the
> knowledge that you had to keep the length of songs to a
> given running time actually helpful to you, because it
> "forced" you to work within certain guidelines and
> parameters and assisted in the creative process?
Here's a response, from a slightly different perspective:
I used to think, when I started writing and publishing short
stories in the early-mid 1990s, that ideas had inherently
different best lengths in stories -- some would be best at
1000 words, others at 5000, etc. Some ideas were so big that
they could only work at novel-length.
But by the end of the 1990s, when I started writing and publishing
novels, I changed my view, and I now that think most ideas can work
well at any length. If you want to write a novel rather than a short
story from an idea, you have to fill in more details, bring in a few
more secondary characters, but the choice is how many vegetables you
want to put on your Subway sandwich. The basic sandwich is the same.
I think the same is probabaly true of songs and recordings. The
Beatles' "Hey Jude" was long because of its ending -- the song could
have worked just as well without it. On a lyrical level, most of the
story in songs is usually told in a few verses. Altough I love every
verse of "Positively Fourth Street", I think the song would have been
much the same without some of its middle verses.
So, there's nothing inherently better or worse about longer and
shorter songs. It's more a question of whether you want to wear
jacket and tie or just shirt.
All best,
Paul
http://www.sff.net/people/paullevinson
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Message: 12
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:38:51 -0000
From: Ron Dante
Subject: Re: Question for Austin and Ron
Mark wrote:
> Just wanted to ask you guys how you felt about the term
> "bubblegum" being used in relation to your music. Is is
> something that you don't mind or are you offended by it?
> It seems that it began to get used for most uptempo, cheery,
> happy sounding pop at some point. I personally don't mind
> it although I prefer the term "sunshine pop" myself. Over
> the years, the term bubblegum has gotten so corrupted that
> it is now used for any kind of music that appeals to teens,
> regardless of what type of music it is. I personally don't think
> I've heard true bubblegum since Debbie Gibson in the late 80s.
I don't mind the term Bubblegum at all. We were making music
for teens and pre-teens so it fits right in with calling it
Bubblegum. We never meant to compete with the harder Rock
that was out there. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is considering
having a Bubblegum show later this year with The 1910 Fruitgum
Company, The Ohio Express, Tommmy Roe and myself, I hear.
Ron Dante
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Message: 13
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 15:41:41 -0500
From: Alan Zweig
Subject: collecting music
Mark:
> I don't know if I would fit in the record collector category,
> although I do collect. I consider myself a music collector
> and I look for music I like. Again, like I said, I collect music.
I understand the distinction and this may be true in your case.
But just to be clear, EVERYONE says that. People with 25,000
records, completists, those who would buy the same song over
again because of a different pressing, people who still haven't
played half the records they own etc etc. They all say "I don't
collect records. I collect music".
AZ
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Message: 14
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 14:20:09 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: RE: Stupid songs...and stupider still..
Denis Gagnon wrote:
> What about "The crusher" by the Novas ?
> I always thought I was one of a few hundreds that bought this 45.
Probably had to me more than that in order for it to reach
#88 on the Hot 100. Also got airplay -- and I can prove it
'cause I have an aircheck of the top jock on my local Top 40
station playing it.
And anyway, there's brilliantly stupid (like this one), and
just plain stupid (e.g., Disco Duck) -- right?
Mike
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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:16:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Speaking of Zally
The Zalman's "As Long As You're Here" had the same
tune backwards on the B-side. I can remember being
amazed when my very own mudda told me that it was
nothing new and that she could remember 45s that did
the same thing in her day (Did they even have records
that far back?!)
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Message: 16
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 11:11:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Zal Yanovsky
Zally ended up abandoning this type of behavior to win
custody of his daughter in the early 70s. He had to
convince the judge that his rock and roll days were
over, which is why he dropped out of the music scene
for good (except for a brief reunion of the Spoons in
One Trick Pony). He started a wonderful restaurant
callee Chez Piggie which revived downtown Kingston,
Ontario and is still running today. Once he set his
mind to something it seemed Zally got the job done.
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 10:58:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Bryant
Subject: Re: Spine shiverers
Alan Haber wrote:
> I'm curious about other S'poppers' spine-shiver moments.
I'll limit myself to one! So - back to the ever-enigmatic
Shangs - I Can Never Go Home Anymore - a one-two knockout
punch in the emotional solar plexus, when the gals sing
"Hush little baby, don't you cry, mama won't go away" -
followed by Mary's agonized, abandoned cry "MAMA!"
Aargh!
pb
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Message: 18
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:52:07 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: Beatles footage
Steveo:
> Ed, This footage with "Navy Blue" playing on the Beatles
> transistor radios in their limo is on a dvd called "The First U.S.
> Visit"(The Beatles)released by Apple Records/MPI Home Video DVD
> 6218 in 1998. Should be available in Video Stores. If you can't
> find it after awhile,I'll loan you mine. : )
Eddy:
> An expanded version of this video is scheduled for release on dvd
> on February 3rd.
Thanks for that info, Eddy.
Ed Rambeau
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Message: 19
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:45:53 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: Tracey Dey
Mick Patrick:
> How great to read Ed Rambeau's stories of his days with Bob Crewe
> and the gang. We can't get enough Bob Crewe yarns here at S'pop.
> Ed, can I ask you about Tracey Dey? Is there anything interesting
> you'd like to share? When did you last see her? Was there any
> rivalry between her and Diane Renay
First of all, Mick, I was never aware that there was any rivalry
between Tracey Dey and Diane Renay, but I could certainly ask Diane
if there was. As for Tracey Dey...haven't seen her since the days
at Bob Crewe Productions.
As for Bob Crewe, I worked at GENUIS, INC as a staff songwriter
for years so I know Bob very well. Haven't seen him in years,
however. I understand that he had a real health issue for a while,
but according to Dan Crewe (his brother) who I just saw recently
at the Old Time Radio Convention in Newark, Bob is supposedly
doing fine. I guess most people know about his major accident
some time ago where he was hit by a car while walking and was
thrown 20 feet into the air. He ended up with 26 broken bones
and was in a full body cast for almost a year. He managed to
make it through that with flying colors. Bob and I always got
along except when it came to the Concrete and Clay album cover.
There were so many great shots taken of me and Bob ended up
putting the worse shot on the cover with a superimpozed brick wall
behind me. Thank God that collectables changed the CD cover.
It isn't the best...but it looks a hell of a lot better than the
Bob Crewe version.
> As an aide-memoire, I've posted a Tracey Dey track to musica. It's
> one you wrote: "Here Comes The Boy" (Amy 894, 1963), written by
> Eddie Rambeau & Bud Rehak, Arranged & Conducted by Charles Calello,
> A Bob Crewe Production. It scratched the Billboard Hot 100 late in
> '63: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Thanks for posting the song, Mick. I just had a computer crash
and lost all my old mp3s, so at least I'll be able to get this
one back.
Ed Rambeau
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Message: 20
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 18:47:58 -0000
From: Robert R. Radil
Subject: EMail repost from J. Abbott, "60s Show" host
The following email is from Jim Abbott to me,
posted here with his permission:
-------------
Subj: Re: "Good Morning Starshine" details
Date: 1/18/04 5:49:22 AM Eastern Standard Time
Bob: FYI, the "Eddie Hazleton" Good Morning Starshine, b/w
"Over My Head", was put out on Dynovoice 917. Now that I know
it was the first version put out, and that the artist was in
fact Eddie Rambeau, I will move it into the highest priority
on my want list, and reel it in soon.
I recently picked up Eddie Rambeau's "The Train" (Bubbled #129,
11/65) and played it on the show. It should've been a SMASH!
Also got "My Name Is Mud" (Bubbled #112, 07 /65) by him, which I
also played recently, and is also real good.
His '63 Swan duet with Marcy Jo, "Lover's Medley" was real big
on 'DRC, and has been on my "Top 25 Most Wanted 45s" list for
about 10 years now (Bubbled #132, 08 /63). NOBODY has it. Damn,
if the Robbs, aka "Cherokee", are the CEO's of "Bubbling Under"
songs (6, with never a Hot 100 appearance!),
Eddie's got to be at least a vice-president ("Clock" by him
also Bubbled at #122, 10/66, which I haven't tracked down quite
yet. But at least he had his ONE shining moment in the national
Top 40!) Jim
-------------
If anyone has any info on his "want list" just respond here.
I'll forward it to him.
Bob Radil
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Message: 21
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:49:23 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: Beatles footage
Steveo:
> This footage with "Navy Blue" playing on the Beatles
> transistor radios in their limo is on a dvd
> called "The First U.S.Visit"(The Beatles)released by
> Apple Records/MPI Home Video DVD6218 in 1998.
> Should be available in Video Stores.If you can't find
> it after awhile,I'll loan you mine. : )
Thanks, Steveo....I'll look for it. If Tower Records doesn't
have it...then nobody does.
Ed
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Message: 22
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 18:08:25 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: A question for Eddie Rambeau.
Hi Everydody,
I have a question for Eddie Rambeau. I've been listening this
morning to Ria Bartok's "Quand reviendra le garçon que j'attends"
(Columbia 1965, France), a great version of Shirley Matthews'
"Big Town Boy". In the French compilation that includes Ria's
version the song is credited to Rambeau and Rehak, while Shirley's
version is credited in the notes of the compilation Where the
Girls are (Vol.4) to Edward Fluri and Andrew Racheck. Maybe
those are your real names? Could you please confirm if you
wrote that song. Thank you very much.
Julio Niño.
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Message: 23
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:31:50 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: Writing to length
Laura:
> I'm not in the music business, but I am a writer, and I can say from
> personal experience that it's a heck of a lot easier for me to write
> when I don't have a limitation on the number of words I can use -- I
> can just go with the creative flow. However, if you're writing for a
> periodical, you often do have to go by a predetermined word count,
> and editing can be painful! Did any of you have to do any painful
> editing of your musical creations?
I don't believe that we even gave it a second thought in those days,
Laura. Most songs had the A-A-B-A format and usually ended up around
the 2 and 1/2 to 3 minute time slot automatically. Today....anything
goes.
Ed Rambeau
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Message: 24
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:01:36 -0500
From: Alan Zweig
Subject: birthdays
Al Kooper:
>I'm still kickin' - gonna be 60 on feb 5
It's so strange to read that. I'll be 52 the following day.
It's not strange just because our birthdays are close. It's
strange because you're only eight years older than me. And
it's not just you. I have the same reaction often when I
realize how "young" some of my teenage rock heroes actually are.
I think of myself as a teenager staring at the cover of that
Blues Project record and those five "men" on the cover. It's a
fairly simple picture when I look at it now but at the time, it
really held a mystery for me. You were like the five coolest
guys in the world. I just wonder how I would have reacted if
someone had told me "some of those guys are only eight years
older than you". I don't know. Maybe at the time if I'd known
some of them were "only" eight years older than me, I would
have thought eight years was a big gap. But now an eight year
age-gap just seems like nothing.
On a related topic, I remember when I looked at the names of
the bandmembers and it occurred to me that they all might be
Jewish. I've never actually found it if that was true. Anyway,
I guess this wasn't about music, but happy birthday.
AZ
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Message: 25
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 13:33:56 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: The Other Voices
> Around the time we (The New Outlook, later The Other Voices) were
> singing "Concrete and Clay" on the corner, we also went to Orchard
> Beach one afternoon, and were standing on the sand singing
> "Cottonfields" (the Highwaymen song). Some guy walks over and joins
> in, and what a voice -- he sounded just like the one of the
> Highwaymen. We ask him if he'd like to join our group more
> permamently. He just smiles and says, well, I'm actually already
> in a group.... The Highwaymen.
That's a funny story. Maybe you should have asked him if you could
join HIS group. LOL, Ed.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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