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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: "Sandy"
From: Steve Harvey
2. Great Shakes
From: Steve Harvey
3. Re: News about Levi; "I Who Have Nothing"
From: ACJ
4. Connie and Kirby
From: Dan Hughes
5. Re: Songwriter credits
From: Steve Harvey
6. Troggs
From: Mike Edwards
7. Re: Unichord
From: Jerophonic
8. Psychedelic compilation albums
From: Dan Hughes
9. Tommy Li Puma?
From: Chris Mondia
10. Happy Birthday Al Kooper
From: Glenn
11. Re: Mono vs Stereo
From: Bob Radil
12. Re: Hits You Missed
From: Mike McKay
13. Re: Cilla Black
From: Eddy
14. Re: Great Shakes
From: Al Kooper
15. Re: Pseudo-Italian Originals & It's For You
From: Steve Crump
16. S'Poppers on American Bandstand
From: Clark Besch
17. Re: Lost Songs On Radio
From: David Coyle
18. happy birthday mr kooper
From: Alan Zweig
19. Re: Big Endings
From: Steveo
20. Re: Sharon Tandy
From: Phil Hall
21. Re: The Kitchen Cinq
From: Rat Pfink
22. MONY Matters
From: Chris
23. Connie Francis
From: David Bell
24. Re: Burt Bacharach/Al Kooper
From: Steveo
25. Re: It's For You
From: Steven Prazak
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 18:54:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: "Sandy"
Jim wrote:
> Also, a gorgeous pop ballad called "Sandy' that
> you never hear on the so called "oldies" stations.
The Swingin' Blue Jeans did a nice version too.
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 18:45:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Great Shakes
Country Paul wrote:
> I'm looking for an original jingle from a New York
> based product called "Cool Shakes."
Hey, hey, Paul,
Do you mean "Great" Shakes? The same ones that used to sell
Columbia/Epic EPs to promote their product? There is a Yardbirds
ad for them on one of the Yardbird double CD sets ("Hi, I'm Keith
Yardbird for Great Shakes. . . .)
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 22:12:30 -0500 (EST)
From: ACJ
Subject: Re: News about Levi; "I Who Have Nothing"
Just read the story about "Live with Levi."
http://www.detnews.com/2004/entertainment/0402/04/d01-54681.htm
It's great to see Mr. Stubbs performing again, but that first
paragraph ... calling Levi a "crooner"? (I'm not trying to start
that thread up again; I just find Levi too fiery to be a crooner.)
And about "I Who Have Nothing," just mentioned in the Italian-songs
thread: I heard that when Leiber & Stoller were producing Ben E.
King's original (English) version, they actually borrowed the backing
track from the Italian version because they didn't think they could
duplicate it or better it. True?
ACJ
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:33:13 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Connie and Kirby
Paul mentions a Connie Francis cut:
> "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N"...
Could that be the same song that was a 1963 hit by Kirby St.
Romain? "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N, da-da-da-da, in the summer-time."
---Dan
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 18:59:33 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Songwriter credits
Actually, Alan was the only one in the Animals that
DIDN'T want to record "House of the Rising Sun." Their
manager convinced them that there were too many names
(evidently he never saw the first Band single) to put
under the writer's credits so he suggested using just
Alan's. He got money for everybody else's idea so of
course they were pissed.
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 03:35:41 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Troggs
Andrew Hickey wrote:
> I'm only surprised there were no singles by The Troggs or Status
> Quo in '68 referencing Muffin The Mule or Andy Pandy...)
Paul Bryant responds:
> But there was a group called The Flowerpot Men!!!
Not quite sure of the thread here but there was a very strong track
on the Troggs' 1967 LP, "Cellophane" entitled "Little Red Donkey",
which came out as a 45 the following year by Freddie Garrity on UK
Columbia. (Freddie was the lead singer of Freddie & The Dreamers).
"Cellophane" also included "Love Is All Around", a # 7 hit in the US
in 1968. It was revived by R.E.M in 1991 and Wet Wet Wet in 1994 (UK
# 1). The latter version was on the soundtrack of the film "Four
Weddings And A Funeral", produced by the same team who gave us "Love
Actually" (released before the holidays in the US).
Way to go, Reg!
Mike
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 03:02:59 -0000
From: Jerophonic
Subject: Re: Unichord
Previously:
> James Brown's great two-sided single "There Was a Time" b/w "I Can't
> Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)" -- both one chord songs.
>
> Same chord as each other?
Not an easy question to answer. "There Was a Time" is something like
Dm7 or Dm9.
"I Can't Stand Myself" was recorded by JB at King Records' studio in
Cincinnati with a local blue-eyed group, the Dapps, and then released
on 45 at a slower speed. So on record it's close to the key of D, but
it may have been played in a higher key.
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:57:02 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Psychedelic compilation albums
Orion sez,
> The Flowerpot Men were great. For someone that never released
> an LP here in the US....
I'm pretty sure I have a compilation album from the mid- or late
sixties that has a couple of cuts by the Flowerpot Men. Twelve
psychedelic songs, that type of thing. Can't remember the label
or other acts, though.
Hey, anybody remember a psychedelic compilation on Sidewalk from
maybe 1967? Groups like the Glass Family and....jeez I'm drawing
a blank here. I just remember it's one of my alltime favorite comps
of unknown acts.
---Dan
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 16:28:31 -0000
From: Chris Mondia
Subject: Tommy Li Puma?
I was wondering why I never read much about the mid to late 60s
production work of Tommy Li Puma. Primarily his work for A&M records
artists during that time period. This is quite unfortunate, because
as anyone who has delved into those records knows, he had his
own 'sound' as much as any of the greats from that era (Spector,
Wilson, Bacharach, etc.)
The first two Claudine Longet albums alone are stunning. To me, they
are more a showcase for Li Puma's production genius (and the genius
arrangements of Nick De Caro) than they are a showcase for the vocals
of Longet. Basically, these were Li Puma records, she was just the
singer. Similar to the way most people view the work of Bacharach/David.
When you hear one of their records, they are exactly that. THEIR records.
The singer is just another instrument they used. Anyway, I bring this up
because I rarely see Li Puma mentioned in discussion of the great
producers of the era. His work on "Softly" by the Sandpipers and the
classic Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends alone should place
him in the top echelon of producers. Thoughts? Comments?
Speaking of Roger Nichols, why is he not listed in the producer/songwriter
listings on Spectropop? Come on folks, it's ROGER NICHOLS!
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 04:58:32 -0000
From: Glenn
Subject: Happy Birthday Al Kooper
This birthday's a special one for you, Al. Hope it's very happy!
Thanks for all the great music.
And thanks for bugging CBS until they put out the Zombies' "Odyssey
and Oracle" album, which gave the world "Time of the Season".
I'd like to hear that story sometime - how you heard the album in the
first place, and what about it inspired you to put so much effort
into getting it released?
Anyway, have a wonderful birthday!
Glenn
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 05:05:33 -0000
From: Bob Radil
Subject: Re: Mono vs Stereo
Frank Murphy wrote re. why records were released in both mono
and stereo mixes:
> At the time it was said that a new light weight cartridge was
> required to play stereo records implying that older record players
> had tone arms with a huge and heavy flip cartridge with a broader
> stylus at the end of it.
Actually, it's not really the weight but the groove characteristic.
The groove on a mono record just wiggles back and forth,
horizontally. A stereo groove also has a vertical component that
requires the stylus to not only go back and forth but also up and
down. Another way to look at it is that the inner wall of the groove,
or the side towards the label, has the left channel and the outer
wall, the side towards the edge, has the right channel. The
stylus/cartridge of a mono tonearm may not move as well or isn't as
flexible in the vertical direction.
Bob Radil
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:44:54 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Hits You Missed
> "Shimmy, Shimmy, Shimmy, Sherry" -- ?? This was a good jumpin'
> Contours-styled tune (but it was NOT "Shake Sherry"!).
Davie Gordon replied:
> Possibly "Shimmy Sherry" by Jerry Heyward and The Everglades
> (Symbol 916,1962) written by Phil Medley.
Actually, I was the one who posted this query. And though you've
got the year about right, I'm pretty certain this isn't the record
in question. I can still see the lettering on the single, and there
was more than one "Shimmy" in the title (and certainly more than
one sung!). And the group name doesn't sound right at all. I don't
recall it being a single name plus a backing group, though I can't
swear this is the case.
But thanks for trying!
Mike
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 08:54:03 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Cilla Black
Jerophonic wrote:
> John Lennon recorded a spoken intro for "It's For You", and
> Paul did the same for Peter & Gordon. Local radio played
> these intros constantly.
These were available to radio stations on a promo only 45 (Capitol
PRO 2720). Pretty rare item, but also available on bootleg.
Eddy
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 05:21:34 EST
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Re: Great Shakes
Country Paul wrote:
> I'm looking for an original jingle from a New York based
> product called "Cool Shakes." The lyrics were:
>
> "Foams up like soda fountain shakes do
> when you pour yourself a Cool Shake
> Thick and rich and foamy too,
> Wow, that's a Cool Shake"
In '65, there was a Great Shakes commerecial by the Beach Boys
or The Tokens imitating them, that went:
Anyone can be a soda fountain now
With Great Shakes, Great Shakes
The little aluminum foil type bags GREAT SHAKES came in were quite
handy for transporting small amounts of pot around as well
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 11:53:05 -0000
From: Steve Crump
Subject: Re: Pseudo-Italian Originals & It's For You
Julio Niño wrote:
> Steve, "El Amor" and "La Novia" were composed by the Chilean
> Joaquin Prieto. The archetypal version of "La Novia", (and I
> think the original one), with lyrics in Spanish, was recorded by
> his brother Antonio Prieto. This version was a massive hit in
> Spain in 1961.
Thank you, thank you - I knew that there was probably another version
of "La Novia"! I've just checked Amazon and listened to a short music
clip. Superb!! Antonio has the best voice for that type of song.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you can dig up an original version
of "El Amor" - I'd be interested to hear it!
By the way - "Do The Blue Beat" was recorded by a girl in New Zealand,
Dinah Lee. Like you, I'd be interested to know who did the original.
Relating to another discussion - Mina has a song on a 1965 LP called
"So Che Mi Voi" - "It's For You" in Italian (sorry, couldn't resist it!)
Best
Steve
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:48:57 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: S'Poppers on American Bandstand
Here's an incomplete list of Bandstand appearances by our
Spectropoppers or their songs:
9/24/58 Johnny Tillotson (Well I'm Your Man/Dreamy Eyes)
8/11/59 Johnny Tillotson (True, True Happiness)
12/11/59 Johnny Tillotson (Why Do I Love You So)
4/13/60 Johnny Tillotson (Earth Angel/Pledging my Love)
9/22/60 Johnny Tillotson (Poetry In Motion)
1/18/61 Johnny Tillotson (Jimmy's Girl)
11/28/61 Johnny Tillotson (Dreamy Eyes)
7/20/62 Johnny Tillotson (It Keeps Right on a Hurtin)
11/28/62 Johnny Tillotson (I Can't Help It/I'm So Lonesome I Could
Cry)
2/26/63 Johnny Tillotson (Out of my Mind)
2/1/64 Johnny Tillotson (Worried Guy)
4/1/67 Turtles (Happy Together) Alan Gordon song
5/27/67 Buckinghams (Kind of a Drag/Mercy Mercy Mercy)James Holvay
songs
8/8/70 Ron Dante and the Detergents (Leader of the Laundromat/Double
O Seven)--
1970???????? Can this be right?
8/15/70 Arkade (Sing Out the Love) Austin Roberts
2/20/71 Mob (I Dig Everything About You/Give it to me) Jimmy Holvay
2/10/73 Austin Roberts (Something's Wrong with Me/Keep on Singin)
9/13/75 Austin Roberts (Rocky)
Note that most of these Johnny T dates are when Bandstand was a daily
show. I'm sure that Paul Evans and others must have had songs or
appearances on the show, but were not listed in the book I have.
Dick usually caught groups on their first hit or often when they
never even had a hit, like the Collage we've talked about recently.
Robin Clark made it with her #120 "hit" "Daddy, Daddy", so there are
many that never had hits that were on Bandstand. Wish Dick had all
those clips still. It seems kinda hit and miss in that category.
Keith ("98.6") just got his clips from DC, but cannot share them with
anyone, due to a contract he signed with DC. The Smoke Ring
performed "No Not Much" on AB, but their tape was destroyed, from what
DC corporate has told them. They do have a pic with Dick. Most
people have spoken very highly of Dick Clark and meeting him, unlike
Mr. Sullivan.
If any of our S'Poppers have remembrances of their shows, please
illuminate us!
Clark
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:34:40 -0800 (PST)
From: David Coyle
Subject: Re: Lost Songs On Radio
I have heard "Respectable" by the Outsiders on the radio
precisely once. They played it on a segment called "My Three
Songs" along with "Twist And Shout" by the Beatles and
"Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz (both, oddly enough,
often-played oldies). The underlying theme, of course, was
that all three were originally recorded by the Isley Brothers
(at least original recording that is best-known).
David
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 19:36:14 -0500
From: Alan Zweig
Subject: happy birthday mr kooper
Happy Birthday Al Kooper
(it's still before midnight here)
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Message: 19
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:53:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Steveo
Subject: Re: Big Endings
Austin Roberts wrote:
> How about the Capris ending to There's A Moon Out
> Tonight?
3 More....
Connie Francis - "I'll Follow the Boys"
Don Costa - "Theme From The Unforgiven"
Mel Carter - "Be My Love"
Steveo
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Message: 20
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 00:38:15 -0000
From: Phil Hall
Subject: Re: Sharon Tandy
Mick Patrick:
> Strange....the Ace website is one of the easiest to navigate I have
> ever encountered. But remember that they are a record company, not
> a retail outlet. However, I see on their homepage that they have a
> mail order department. You've tried that, obviously. In case not:
> http://www.acerecords.co.uk/mailorder/mailorder.html
Mick,
Their site IS easy to navigate, and I did try their mail-order
page. They want me to e-mail them a MC or Visa Card number, and
I thought it would be nice to know the price and shipping charges
before I give it to them.
Phil Hall
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Message: 21
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 20:11:29 -0500
From: Rat Pfink
Subject: Re: The Kitchen Cinq
Al Kooper wrote:
> I actually wrote a song on that album that I believe was
> their only single. It was called The Street Song.
Al,
"The Street Song" wasn't on the album, it was on their
last (post-LP) single on LHI, "The Street Song" / "When
The Rainbow Disappears".
The Kitchen Cinq actually put out six singles, four on LHI
and two on Decca.
RP
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Message: 22
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:36:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Chris
Subject: MONY Matters
Alan Gordon:
> ...he got the idea for Mony Mony by looking out his window
> where there was a big neon sign atop an office building MONY.
Phil Milstein:
> ...which stood for Mutual of New York -- the name obviously
> chosen to subtly invoke images of greenback dollars.
Whence the equally subtle scene in "Midnight Cowboy" where
Jon Voight and Brenda Vaccaro are playing Scrabble and they
get into an argument about about whether "money" is spelled
with or without an "e."
Someone -- director John Schlesinger? screenwriter Waldo Salt?
novelist James Leo Herlihy? -- must not have had much faith
in the Texas educational system.
Chris
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Message: 23
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 18:01:57 EST
From: David Bell
Subject: Connie Francis
I really do agree with you, Steveo, about Connie embracing
her past but so many singers prefer to forget their early
work, which often includes what they term kiddypop, bubblegum
music.
Artistes like Connie develop into a very different kind of
stylist where Frankie and Vacation simply don't fit. Her
shows at the Sahara, Las Vegas in the mid to late 60s didn't
allow for this type of song to be performed. Even Who's Sorry
Now was given a more adult, clever, supper club arrangement.
I love a lot of the early hits but prefer the later albums
- Connie & Clyde, Bacharach & David, songs Of Les Reed,
Happiness - On Broadway Today etc.
One performance I'd love to see is her supposed last appearance
on the Bandstand, when she sang I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter,
which is a fabulous song. I'd also love to see her singing Don't
Ever Leave Me from an appearance of the time. But I also love the
Ed Sullivan shows from the mid 60s onwards when she does present
more adult material.
I could talk about Connie all night but enough is enough!
David.
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Message: 24
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:43:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Steveo
Subject: Re: Burt Bacharach/Al Kooper
Al Kooper wrote:
> They never let us actually meet. I worshipped Burt at the
> time. There's a chord change in Don't Make Me Over (it's
> the chord in the clear just before "now that I can't live
> without you". From the top it goes C Em, and the next chord
> Bm...(etc)
Al, Not only was the B minor in "Don't Make Me Over" a great
chord change, it has been perceived as a "brace" chord. For
a dotted quarter or so, there's no vocal there, and then the
vocal comes in so it braces the vocal ahead of time. Brilliant.
So are you!
Steveo
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Message: 25
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:11:26 -0500
From: Steven Prazak
Subject: Re: It's For You
I believe the other notable cover of this LenMac tune belonged
to a band called Springwell who released their version on Parrot
in, I think, 1970. Their version is much closer to Three Dog
Night's take than Cilla's, but with a Vanilla Fudge-on-amphetamine
like execution. A minor hit in some U.S. markets.
Steven Prazak
Atlanta, GA
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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