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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
From: Mick Patrick
2. Re: Sharon Tandy
From: Phil Milstein
3. Intriguing Goffin-King hoax?
From: Paul Tumey
4. Re: Commercial music
From: Art Longmire
5. Re: David Clayton-Thomas / B S & T
From: John Sellards
6. Re: The Kitchen Cinq
From: Art Longmire
7. Re: Peggy March
From: Paul Bryant
8. Buddy Holly
From: Phil Hall
9. Re: Alzo (Fred Affronti), sad passing.....
From: Patrick Rands
10. Re: John Beland / DC5 Mike Smith Update / Artie Wayne
From: Austin Roberts
11. RE: Monkees
From: Richard Hattersley
12. Re: the Archies
From: Ron Dante
13. Re: Late Monkees
From: Mark T
14. Re: Bo Gentry & Richie Cordell
From: Mark T
15. Re: "Sandy"
From: Jim Shannon
16. Re: Re Forgotten 45s
From: Jim Shannon
17. Springwell version of "It's For You" in musica
From: Nick Archer
18. Monkees/Cilla Black
From: Lapka Larry
19. Re: Cilla Black
From: jerophonic
20. Re: Cilla Black
From: Eddy
21. Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
From: Bob Rashkow
22. Re: Awesome (Odd-some?) group names
From: Bob Rashkow
23. Re: The Dis-advantages Of You
From: Justin McDevitt
24. Cilla's You're My World
From: Dan Hughes
25. Re: Alzo (Fred Affronti), sad passing.....
From: Michael Coxe
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:35:54 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
Hi Paul,
While turning the house upside down in a fruitless search
for my Darlene McCrea 45s, I inadvertently came across a
record with your name on it:
Donna Marie "Sunshine Mind" (Columbia 4-44549, 1968).
You wrote it, Pete Dino arranged it, and the producer was
Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner. Although our mate Rashkovsky's name
isn't on the label, I notice that the song was published
by his company, Pineywood Music.
Perhaps you can tell us the background on this nifty piece
of Girl Group/Bubblegum crossover? Donna Marie later joined
the Archies, I believe. The A-side, btw, is a version of
"He Gives Me Love (La, La, La)", Massiel's 1968 Eurovision
Song Contest winner.
To refresh your memory, I've posted the track to musica:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Oh, I found my Darlene McCrea records, all three of them.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:00:36 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Sharon Tandy
Phil Hall wrote:
> The trouble with Ace Records is you can't actually buy anything
> from them. They listed this CD as being on their Big Beat label,
> but when you search Big Beat, they say they have no CD's by an
> artist named Sharon Tandy. You not only can't buy it; you can't
> even get a price. Like a lot of European record sites, they are
> less than user-friendly. Anyone know the trick here?
I've experienced that same problem in the past. I'm sure there
are other quality dealers with this CD in stock, but I ordered
mine last night from Dustygroove.com.
--Phil M.
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:55:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Tumey
Subject: Intriguing Goffin-King hoax?
Check out this link:
http://tinyurl.com/2le2d
The seller claims this is a performance by Goffin and King,
but I've checked every reference source I have, and ain't no
mention of it anywhere. I wonder if this is real or not?
Two warning bells go off for me:
1) Neither song is a Goffin/King composition. Why in the world
would such an established, in-demand songwriting team record
covers of unknown composers?
2) the spelling of the names on the label. Shouldn't it be
"Gerry and Carole?" Does this ring a bell with anyone out there?
I have a sad feeling that the high bidder is going to be bitterly
disappointed.
Best,
Frank
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 21:24:23 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: Commercial music
Doug Richard:
> That sure sounds like the Yardbirds "Great Shakes"
> commercial to me.
Did that jingle go:
"Anyone can be a soda fountain now,
with Great Shakes, Great Shakes"!
I'm not sure if the one I heard was by the Yardbirds, but I sure
remember the commercial.
Art Longmire
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 20:07:46 -0000
From: John Sellards
Subject: Re: David Clayton-Thomas / B S & T
> What you neglected to mention is DCT has to get permission
> from Bobby Colomby to use the name BS&T and has to pay him
> a cut of the profits everytime he performs under that name.
> Al Kooper (horrified by his "legacy")
But you must really feel vindicated; as you alluded to, the
first LP is really the only one that holds any weight with
critics. I was also fascinated by your passing remark about
Steve Katz, as I always wondered what his background was...
most of the musicians on that record sound like they have a
pretty healthy dose of jazz, and he doesn't, and it really shows.
John Sellards
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 21:19:26 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: The Kitchen Cinq
previously:
> I always thought The Kitchen Cinq was a great name. But
> after they called their first album "Everything But....",
> where could they go next?
> Actually, I think I have that album. They were on Lee
> Hazlewood's label (LHI), weren't they?
Al Kooper:
> I actually wrote a song on that album that I believe was
> their only single. It was called The Street Song.
Hello Al,
Here's a link to a comprehensive article on the Kitchen Cinq:
http://members.aol.com/Shake6677/DFkcinq.com
I wish I had more of their records, I just have one 45 called
"Still In Love With You Baby".
Art Longmire
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 13:15:06 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Bryant
Subject: Re: Peggy March
Ian Chapman wrote:
> Actually, I was just listening to some Peggy March tracks
> the other day and thinking what a damn fine singer she was/is.
When I said "sometimes it's the song not the singer" and
mentioned Miss March I didn't mean this disparagingly - the
point was that any reasonably good female singer would have
had a hit with that song. But she wasn't lucky enough to wrap
her tonsils around any other hit songs. So when you don't
write your own stuff, your at the mercy of your manager, or
fate, or The Mob.
Some singers were clearly in the right place at the right time
and got a steady supply of great songs. Some just as good were
in the wrong place, had the wrong manager, the wrong arranger
- example would be the British singer Kiki Dee - a much better
singer than (say) Sandie Shaw, but she had to wait ten years at
least before she got anywhere near the top 40. And I'm sure you
can think of many other examples.
I imagine that, just like if you listen hard in Hollywood you
can hear the grinding of actors' teeth as they find out a great
part has gone to someone else, 60s pop was full of "If I'd only
got my hands on that song..." tales of woe.
pb
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 20:05:40 -0000
From: Phil Hall
Subject: Buddy Holly
As the credits ran for the 1987 documentary "The Real Buddy
Holly Story" by Paul McCartney, they played what was supposedly
Buddy's last recording; a very country-sounding tune. Does
anyone remember the name of it, and if it's available anywhere?
Thanks,
Phil Hall
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 19:10:17 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Alzo (Fred Affronti), sad passing.....
Damion wrote:
> Just a quick note -- my uncle, Fred Affronti (Alzo) from
> Port Jefferson, New York just passed away this Sunday
> from a massive heart attack. He had just spent 30 years
> getting his work re-released on a Japanese label. He had
> some releases on the Bell label and the Apple label.
> He was a great artist and will be sorely sorely missed.
Hi Damion,
I am devastated to hear of Alzo's passing. He and I had been
corresponding about his CD reissues and I am doing an hour
radio show broadcast on his music on 2/20 (later this month).
I will now do the broadcast in his honor.
I have his 3 albums (2 solo albums and 1 with Udine), does
anyone have any of his early recordings which they could send
me to augment my show? I understand that Jeff Barry produced
Alzo and Udine under the name the Keepers of the Light around
1968 or so, does anyone have this? Or the music on Apple?
Thank you so much.
I'll send another message out when the show date is closer
with specifics to tune in.
:Patrick
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 14:00:49 EST
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: John Beland / DC5 Mike Smith Update / Artie Wayne
Clark Besch:
> Hi, When trying to track down the Dillards White Whale 45s,
> I went to John Beland's website and saw commentary from
> Austin Roberts about him. Austin, how did you connect with John?
Clark,
I met John when the Burrito Bros. recorded a single that
Johnny Cymbal and I wrotre called I'm Drinkin' Canada Dry
(good booze song). Since then John and I have written together
(especially with Freddy Weller) and have stayed in touch. As of
last week John was in New Orleans and moving to Austin.
AR
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 20:06:01 +0000
From: Richard Hattersley
Subject: RE: Monkees
previously:
>Why did they miss it? Because due to Nesmiths (and a lessor
> Tork) urging, The Monkees were convinced that they were far
> better individual talents than they really were.
I dont think they thought that, I have heard them all admit
that as soon as they took over the music from Kirschner that
the sales plumeted. They knew that Don K had a golden ear
and that they would sell more records with him. I think it
was more a sense of pride.
In early '67 pepole were going around sayin, "the Monkees
don't/ can't play their own instruments" and that had to hurt
the 2 musicians in the band. I have also heard Peter Tork say
that he would have prefered to stay with Boyce and Hart as
long as they would just let him play a little guitar on the
records, just so that when people said "you don't play on your
records" he could say "Yes I do".
That would have been the best solution, to let Mike and Peter
have their input with Boyce and Hart (the best Monkees producers)
producing, and Donnie K picking the best tunes.
Alas both sides were a little stuborn.
Richard
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:54:40 -0000
From: Ron Dante
Subject: Re: the Archies
Mike Edwards:
> Does anyone know if the great Tony Passalacqua sang on any
> of the Archies' records?
Mike.
Tony was never on any of the Archie sessions as I remember.
Most of the singing was done by Toni Wine and myself. There
were other studio singers who came in once in a while but I
never saw this guy Tony.
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:22:06 -0000
From: Mark T
Subject: Re: Late Monkees
If ever there was a group that woulda, coulda, shoulda done
so much better it was The Monkees. Under Kirshner, they had
the best of everything, songwriters, arrangers, producers. All
they had to do was record and they could have been on top for
a long time. Instead, they blew it. History might have been
different if Nesmith and his ego wasn't picked for the band
and they took someone else who would have been happy selling
millions of records and making millions of dollars.
So, they got their creative control. Where did that get them in
1970 when they were all has-beens? Ironically, Nesmith landed on
his feet the best with his country stuff but the other three threw
it all away for nothing. They so wanted to be accepted by the people
who would never accept them and they just didn't care about the ones
who did. But they never even learned from it.
When they reformed in 1986 and mounted a bit of a comeback, they
had a gig playing at an MTV Superbowl party. According to Mickey's
book, Davy demanded more money and they wound up blowing off the gig,
which led to MTV boycotting them and their music. End of comeback.
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 17:13:45 -0000
From: Mark T
Subject: Re: Bo Gentry & Richie Cordell
> Bo and Richie's "Love is Here" 45 is GREAT! They did steal
> John and Paul's "tit tit tit...", but a greatly crafted pop
> song that was top 10 in Wichita, but anywhere else?? Their
> only other Columbia 45, "Stone Go Getter" (I think the title)
> was not so hot, in my opinion.
I wholeheartedly agree. Love is Here is a great tune and the
follow-up, was a huge disappointment. I guess when the first
one didn't sell, they changed their sound.
It would make a very interesting listing to put together of great
song writers, like Gentry and Cordell, Lambert and Potter, etc.
who had more more success writing for other people than they did
recording themselves. Speaking of Lambert and Potter, I'm surprised
that I don't hear them talked about more on this board. Most of what
I've heard from them in the early to mid 70s is pure genius.
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:59:41 -0000
From: Jim Shannon
Subject: Re: "Sandy"
me:
> Also, a georgeous pop ballad called "Sandy' that you never
> hear on the so called "oldies" stations. It was released in
> '65 or '66 by Ronnie and Daytonas. Is it available on CD?
Michael Godin wrote:
> Jim, You should listen to my oldies radio show, Treasure
Island Oldies. I played Sandy by Ronny & The Daytonas not
> long ago. I will dig out my copy of Respectable by The
> Outsiders and play it on the show next week (not this week -
> The Name Game Special is happening this week: every song will
> have someone's name in the title).
Michael,
Thanks for the info. Glad there places like Treasure Island
Oldies that think "outside the box". I'll have to listen. Do
you have the Tradewinds "Mind Excursion"? Another forgotten 45-
"I wish you could be here" from Cyrkle. Thanks.
Jim Shannon
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 15:47:27 -0000
From: Jim Shannon
Subject: Re: Re Forgotten 45s
Justin McDevitt wrote:
> In reference to 2 of the 3 songs that you mentioned in your
> post, I have a 45 reissue with Time Won't Let me on the A-side
> with Girl in Love as the B-side. Barefoot In Baltimore is a
> song that I remember hearing on the radio in August of 1968;
> great percussion and Trippy-Dippy lyrics. I do not have the 45,
> though this track is included on the Strawberry alarm Clock
> comp which I do have in my CD collection.
Justin,
I'm pretty sure "Girl in Love' was released as its own single
on Capitol ('66). Heavy orchestration and almost over-produced
but nice.
Jim Shannon
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 14:36:42 -0000
From: Nick Archer
Subject: Springwell version of "It's For You" in musica
I've played Springwell's version of "It's For You" to musica.
It's the first version I ever heard. It was on a Parrot 45.
Nick Archer
Nashville TN
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 05:45:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Lapka Larry
Subject: Monkees/Cilla Black
Dear Mark and Clark (would be a great name for a band,
wouldn't it?):
I kind of liked Justus, which was more a vehicle for
their reunion tour than anything else. Mike Nesmith
pulled out, and the album got absolutely no airplay at
all, while Rhino was fumbling around trying to figure
out what to do with this white elephant. It was no
Headquarters, but there was plenty on it that I
enjoyed. I know that one brave soul dared a college
radio station to play it--not telling the station that
it was the Monkees--the station played it, and the
switchboard lit up with positive responses. When it
came out that it was a Monkees album, that was it on
that station.
"Alternate Title"--better known here as "Randy Scouse
Git"--was one of the Monkees biggest international
hits, and it came off of Headquarters. Again, I know
Colgems preferred something more immediate, but again,
you have to wonder why that wasn't released here as a
single. Was it because Micky Dolenz wrote it, and it
would have been their first self-written A side?
Also, could somebody please explain to me why the
title "Randy Scouse Git" was deemed so offensive that
it became "Alternate Title?" I have heard various
explanations, but I am sure that somebody here can
come up with one that makes sense. Is there a problem
with one of the words--Randy, Scouse or Git--that my
American ears and eyes haven't picked up on?
Cilla Black is certainly an acquired taste, kind of
like Helen Shapiro. I think that's why neither made it
in America, which preferred the Lesley Gore/girl
group/Diana Ross/Motown female voice over those type
of voices.
Personally, I've come to appreciate Black and
Shapiro's vocal talents more as I get older.
Happy Birthday Al Kooper!
Larry Lapka
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Message: 19
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 11:30:26 -0000
From: jerophonic
Subject: Re: Cilla Black
jerophonic wrote:
> Also, is "It's For You" available on CD? And did
> anyone ever cover it besides Three Dog Night?
Paul Bryant:
> It's For You is on any number of Best of Cilla cd
> compilations, and on this list of Beatle covers
> http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/clemenr/covers/coversfull.html#part3
> I just learned that another Beatle giveaway song, I'm in Love,
> given to the Fourmost, was covered by none other than Wilson
> Pickett.
Thanks for the Cilla info.
Be careful that "I'm in Love" by Pickett isn't the
Bobby Womack tune of the same name.
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Message: 20
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 09:44:27 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Cilla Black
I think you'll find it tough to do better than this one: http://www.101cd.com/music/info.asp?id=6122408
Peter Riley:
> Also, is "It's For You" available on CD?
It can be heard on BBC2's Sound of the Sixties. Go to
http://www.bbc/co.uk/radio2/sounds60s/playlist.
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Message: 21
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:35:59 EST
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
I'm with Clark again on this one. Keith Hampshire's "First
Cut" is the Be-All-End-All, only P.P. Arnold and Cat Stevens
come even close. Especially spine-tingling is when he goes
back to the mellow music on verse two, "I still want you by
my side, etc." Has anyone heard his "Daytime, Nighttime"
also from around '72-'73? Can that be recommended too?
Bobster
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Message: 22
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:33:20 EST
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Re: Awesome (Odd-some?) group names
I thought The Guys Who Came Up From Downstairs were from Florida,
but if they were, Jeff Lemlich would surely know about it!
Their wonderful 6Ts teen rebellion tune "Growth" is contained
on the compilation "Hitsville 29 B.C." (The Sparkles) and other
Garage Obscurities". Love that organ on it. Anyone recognize
the riff from John Fred's "Hey Hey, Bunny" on there? I wonder
how many other songs have that same riff or a variation of it.
Barefoot in Baltimore is my favorite Strawberry Alarm Clock song
and that's saying a whole lot!
Bobster
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Message: 23
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 23:21:19 -0700
From: Justin McDevitt
Subject: Re: The Dis-advantages Of You
Hello Spectropop,
Clark Besch wrote:
> I have to go along with Art. I gotta believe the Dunhill
> version is the commercial version too. Anyone else?
First of all, The Brass Ring were the true representatives of
the Now Sound that had its brief moment in the mid to late 60s.
Phil Bodmer, who founded and arranged much of their material
was the pied piper of this genre.
The Dis-Advanges Of You from their third LP is one of my favorite
pop instrumentals of all time; a song that I was first introduced
to on the Benson And Hedges cigarette commercial. I also remember
hearing it played on the radio in early to Mid-1967, around the
time that I first heard it as part of the B&H ad. I am in agreement
with Clark and Art's assessment that the song that was used as part
of the commercial is the Brass Ring's version which I always figured
was the original. Finally, whenever I play my Brass Ring LPs, (I own
the first three), my wife Liz, 14 years my junior and a toddler at
the time of their heyday, says something like; listening to these
guys brings to mind a party in the mid 60s where these suburbanites
are sitting around drinking Martinis and grooving on the tikki torches.
Some of the guys are wearing paisley shirts, because they're the
"happening ones".
Justin McDevitt
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Message: 24
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 21:46:59 -0600
From: Dan Hughes
Subject: Cilla's You're My World
Eddy sez,
> Across the universe was not a hit for Cilla, but
> "You're my world" sure was....
So here I am, a Hoosier in a record shop in Minneapolis, it's
1964 and I'm visiting my cousin, 17 years old and feeling really
cool because I read Billboard and he doesn't so I know more about
music than he does.
I'm shuffling through the 45's on a closeout table, and there's
a copy of Cilla Black's You're My World. Cousin Darryl shrugs,
so what, he says, and I say, But this is the record that knocked
the Beatles out of first place in the British charts! It must be
GREAT! And I ponied up my fifteen cents (no sales tax in those
days, either) and just like that I was the proud owner of the
number one song in England, still hot from the US pressing plant
and even on Capitol, just like the Beatles.
Well, we got back to the house and fired up the record player and
Good grief! It was some girl singing a stupid ballad! With strings
and stuff! How could this beat out the Beatles! Fifteen cents shot,
that's for sure.
Darryl laughed at me. He was a big Yardbirds fan. He had spent
his money more wisely. Bought an ice cream cone.
---Dan
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Message: 25
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 10:17:05 -0800
From: Michael Coxe
Subject: Re: Alzo (Fred Affronti), sad passing.....
Damion noted that:
> my uncle, Fred Affronti (Alzo) from
> Port Jefferson, New York just passed away this Sunday
> from a massive heart attack. He had just spent 30 years
> getting his work re-released on a Japanese label. He had
> some releases on the Bell label and the Apple label.
> He was a great artist and will be sorely sorely missed.
Damion, sorry to hear of your uncle's passing.
The LP he did with Uddi Alinoor in 1968 - "C'mon And join Us!"
on Mercury Records - was a remarkable recording, mixing
several musical genres to create a wonderful and unique
listening experience.
- michael
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