________________________________________________________________________
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
________________________________________________________________________
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Let It Be
From: S'pop Team
2. Re: Randy Scouse Git
From: Stewart Mason
3. Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
From: Paul Levinson
4. Re: Monkees
From: Clark Besch
5. Re: Peggy March
From: Bill Reed
6. Re: Songwriting credits on House Of The Rising Sun
From: Andrew Hickey
7. Re: Monkees / RSG
From: Norm D. Plume
8. Wilson Pickett's covers
From: Clark Besch
9. Re: Time Is On My Side
From: Eddy
10. Last Night @ Joe's Pub...........
From: Emile
11. Re: Bogus groups
From: Mike McKay
12. You're My World; Connie Francis
From: Tom
13. Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
From: Donna Marie
14. Fwd: Slate Article: Holy Pop Relic
From: Neb Rodgers
15. Re: Bobby Vee & Ventures
From: Hugo M.
16. Whiter Shade of pale /When a man loves a woman
From: Frank Murphy
17. Re: Psychedelic compilation albums
From: Mike Page
18. Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
From: Clark Besch
19. Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
From: Mark T
20. Re: Front Runners; Eddie Rambeau
From: Ed Rambeau
21. Re: Monkees
From: Mikey
22. Re: Bogus groups
From: Denny Pine
23. Re: Forgotten 45s
From: Mike McKay
24. Re: Springwell version of "It's For You" in musica
From: Clark Besch
25. Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
From: Tom Taber
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 16:30:25 -0000
From: S'pop Team
Subject: Let It Be
Dear Members,
To avoid the board becoming swamped, recent Beatles-related
posts were put on hold. Discussion about the British Invasion
is never far away, and information apparently knows no limits.
There are countless websites and discussion groups dedicated
to every aspect of the Beatles, their music and influence.
Here are but a few:
http://www.beatleworld.co.uk/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beatles-collectors/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beatlescollectorsworldwide/
http://pub34.ezboard.com/fgeorgeharrison62164frm1
http://thebeatles.hyperboards.com/
For the time being, Spectropop says a fond farewell to the
Fab Four with the messages that remain outstanding below.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Tina Vozick
Date: Sun Feb 1, 2004 7:04pm
Subject: The Beatles take America
Dan Hughes:
> My cousin and I are are the same age. He went to high school in
> Minneapolis, I in Indianapolis, both of us in the class of 1965.
> We sent each other letters weekly. I remember him asking me in one
> letter if I was a Beatlemaniac yet. I had no idea what he was
> talking about. He told me they were a group from Britain and they
> were taking America by storm. So I started listening more carefully
> to the radio, and when the DJ announced a Beatles song (I Want To
> Hold Your Hand, of course), I was surprised. I had heard that song
> several times over the past couple of weeks, thought it was catchy
> and nice, but didn't realize that this was the group causing all
> the fuss.
In January 1964 my junior high school crowd was divided
into three groups - the "She Loves You" folks, the "I Wanna
Hold Your Hand" folks, and the unenlightened we each tried to
convert. The distinction was based on where you had
your first visceral experience of the Beatles: the
"She Loves You" people saw the footage on the
Jack Paar show late one Friday night in the beginning
of January, and were blown away by it, and the "I Wanna
Hold Your Hand" people were playing catch-up - not
having seen them, but having heard them on the radio -
but equally passionate. We felt sorry for the heathen
who didn't know what we were arguing about, and we
proselytized about this until February, Ed Sullivan, and
then it no longer mattered.
But for me, it was the grainy, black-and-white footage on Jack Paar
that did it, and I forever will think "She Loves You" was the best.
Didn't know I'd still be talking about it 40 years later...
Further on first viewing: my recollection actually is that I saw the
Beatles in very late November or possibly early December 1963
on Jack Paar, and that perhaps the early January airing of the
newsreel was the second time - but my memory may be playing tricks.
Does anyone recall? Also, I do not remember this at all, but
I read somewhere that Walter Cronkite showed a clip from the
same newsreel that Jack Paar aired - but Cronkite broadcast it
on November 21, 1963, on the evening news the night before Dallas.
If either of the above are true, it's no wonder we have
the Beatles and JFK all tied together in our minds.
yeah, yeah, yeah
Tina Vozick
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Mike McKay
Date: Sun Feb 1, 2004 1:17pm
Subject: Re: Beatles reunion on SNL
previously:
> cash offer was for something like $25,000, maybe
> even less. At any rate, as McCartney and Lennon saw
> this they joked among themselves that it'd be a gas
> if they actually turned up then and there and performed
Dee wrote:
> The offer was for $3000, with the additional comment
> that "hey, you can give Ringo less if you want". And
> the reunion which almost happened would have just been
> Paul and John - but even so, it would have pleased
> many.
Right. The other errors in the original poster's account of this
are that it did not take place on the night George Harrison was
the musical guest...and that John and Paul never did get as far
as hailing a cab to go to the studios. They thought about it, but
in the end decided they were too tired or lazy to go through with it.
Mike
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Paul Bryant
Date: Sun Feb 1, 2004 8:43pm
Subject: Re: Beatles, Mike Mac photo exhibits at the Smithsonian
Alan Haber wrote:
> one young father was reading the photo captions from
> McCartney's exhibit to his son; when the boy asked
> what the Scaffold was, the father read one of the
> captions to himself and then proudly announced,
> "Why, they're a pop group!" Priceless, in a good
> way.
I must repeat the hopefully true tale of the American
teenager overheard in a record shop in 1974 - "Hey,
look, Paul McCartney was in a group before Wings!"
pb
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Steve Harvey
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 0:15am
Subject: Tit for Tat
It's not a myth. I can remember reading the same
interview and thinking, "Well, I was right after all?"
Whodda thought such nice lads would stoop so low. Who
do they think they were . . . the Stones!
Actually I read an interview with McCartney a few
years back in which he said that they *were* singing
'tit', but had told George Martin they were singing
'dit' so he wouldn't make them redo it.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Bob Bailey
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 1:18am
Subject: Re: Mono "Magical Mystery Tour"
The very first state of the Mono issue of MMT to the U.S was in fact
different. I have better than 100 various issues of Beatles singles
and LP from all over he world. And also have a very extensive
alternate tracks both stereo and mono.
On the MMT "Blue Jay Way" on the first mono mix has some sounds
missing from it that appeared on the stereo mix quite noticeable.
And 'I Am the Walrus" has the single version on it. There were 2
versions of it made. The first mono mix had the lyrics " Sitting in
an English garden waiting waiting for the sun..If the sun don't come
you get a tan from standing in the English rain"
And the second mix replaces the last word "rain" with "war".
And the break in the middle are both different in duration. I have
numerous takes of many of these oddities that are quite interesting
to listen to.
The rechannelled portion in the middle is taken from earlier takes
that were mastered in mono and then rechanneled and then cut and
snipped. I am the Walrus is a collection of probably 30 or 40
different takes.
I have a copy of the original mono take that once you listen to it
you can definitely hear it and see how the whole finished recording
was built around it.
Some one show me how to upload it as an MP3 I would be more than
happy to share it for those interested in hearing.
Bob
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Andrew Hickey
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 3:05pm
Subject: Re: Spectropop - Re: Uni-Chord songs
> Sorry Norm, but there are two chords in Tomorrow Never Knows,
> although the bass plays around the C the actual chords go
> from C to Bb.
You've got this the wrong way round - the chord stays on C
throughout the song, but at a couple of points the *bass*
moves to the Bb, implying a chord change where one didn't
exist in the basic song - a typical McCartney move as he
wouldn't be too happy with staying on one chord for too long.
For a similar example look at That Means A Lot, which is
essentially Ticket To Ride but without the one-chord
verse - while Lennon was obviously the more chordal composer
generally, McCartney seemed unhappy with
having the melody depart too far from the chords)
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Frank Murphy
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 9:58am
Subject: MMT
I don't have an "official" answer to your question, but I would think
that there must be unique mono mixes of the "Magical Mystery Tour"
film songs themselves...as they first appeared on an EP in the UK,
which I don't reckon would have been stereo.
The magical mystery tour was released as a twin EP set in the UK in both
mono and stereo.
The catalogue numbers were MMT-1 and SMMT-1.
The stereo version was later re issued in 1973. I had a mono version now
lost
so I do not know if there were any sonic differences. There must be a web
site devoted to the differences in mono and stereo versions of Beatles'
records.
FrankM
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Joe Nelson
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 3:30pm
Subject: Re: Rare mono albums from "The Great Mono Phase-Out of 1968!"
previously:
> And speaking of Beatles, somebody told me that the mono
> version of Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol MAL-2835) is no
> different than the common stereo version.
> Can anyone else expand on this?
Billy Spradlin:
> I'm not surprised if it isn't much different since the UK
> issue was a mono EP and the original Capitol album had
> several songs in fake stereo. I was very happy to get songs
> like "Penny Lane" in true stereo when the CD came out in 1987.
The UK release of the EP was two parallel mono and stereo releases,
the only time the Beatles released an EP in this manner. The
rechanneled tracks on the US LP were all single B sides that hadn't
been remixed for stereo yet. Undoubtedly EMI UK would have remixed
those tracks for stereo if Capitol had requested stereo mixes for
inclusion on the LP.
Joe Nelson
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Sean Anglum
Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 10:31pm
Subject: Re: Rare mono albums/MMTour
As was illuminated on in the most recent edition of "Beatleogy"
(a great Canadian Beatle mag) there are some definite differences
in the Mono and Stereo Magical Mystery Tour lps. On of the most
obvious is the mix and addition of more instrumentation and guitar
effects on Blue Jay Way. Your Mother Should Know also differs quite
a bit. Ditto for the title tune.
The mono mixes of these tunes are some of the easiest to get on CD
if you get a hold of the Beatles EPs Box from Capitol. I believe
Collectors Choice still offers this wonderful set, complete with
repro'd EP jackets. They also have the Beatles Singles Box with
the outrageously fantastic mono mix of Baby, You're a Rich Man,
one of my all time faves from the Fabs!!
-Sean
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Albabe Gordon
Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 1:12am
Subject: Tomorrow Never Knows
Norm D. Plume says of Uni-Chord songs like Tomorrow Never Knows:
> "Tomorrow Never Knows" by The Beatles, which is all in C (with a
> little help from George Martin as non-writer, but maybe we should
> put that discussion to bed now)."
(No offence Mr. Plume) I hear many people talk about this being
a one chord song... even George Martin says so. I think when
interviewed for the Beatles Anthology, George also says it only
has one note in the melody.
Maybe I'm just picking nits here, but the melody has 5 notes...
And there is shift down a whole step from the song's key of C
(dominant C7) to a Bb during the second line of the verse. Now
maybe John continues to play a C7 during the shift, but it's fairly
obvious that there is a Bb chord on top of a pedal C at that point
played by something like an organ - or more likely for the period -
a Melotron (but maybe the Beatles didn't have one yet). Of course
it could also be some weird loops that emulate the Bb chord. I
guess for musicality sakes you could say that the song goes from
a C7 to a full 7 note C11 chord.
There is also what may be either a bass note or a tom tom tuned to
Bb that precipitates the Bb/C. Lewisohn says Paul matches
"Ringo note for mesmerizing note." I guess in that case it would be
both.
Floatin' down stream, obviously,
~albabe
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Albabe Gordon
Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 1:50am
Alan Haber says of A Hard Day's Night in D.C.
> '..."newly-restored print" of A Hard Day's Night ...'
Usually when a new version of a movie is re-released in theaters,
it means they've re-mastered it for whatever format is new and
groovy... but A Hard Days Night came out mastered for DVD last year
(at least I think it was last year - but then again, I've always
had trouble with that whole Time/Space continuum thang). If you
have the VHS version or the Laser Disc version, don't get rid of
them. The picture might be somewhat better on the DVD, but the
sound on my LD version and even my older Hi-Fi VHS tape version,
seriously kicks the DVD's butt. In fact it sounds better to me than
the CD.
Also: The Maysles Bros. "The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit" movie
has a DVD release date of tomorrow. And I understand it has lotsa
extra cool stuff.
I know the opening chord of A Hard Days Night, neener neener neener,
~albabe
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Albabe Gordon
Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 1:56am
Subject: Teat teat teat
Joe Nelson says:
> Reminds me of the myth that the Paul and George are singing
> "tit tit tit" behind John's vocal on "Girl". It's "dit", not
> "tit", but the t's run together and create the illusion."
Hey Joe (wow, I like the sound of that...). Actually, the new
myth says that the old myth wasn't a myth...
Mythologically speaking,
~albabe
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
From: Bob Radil
Date: Wed Feb 4, 2004 3:33pm
Subject: Re: Mono "Magical Mystery Tour"
Mike McKay wrote:
> I do know that the non-film songs that were appended to the US
> stereo album release were in rechanneled stereo. In the early 70s
> I got a German import of the MMT album that had these tracks in
> true stereo (except for "I Am the Walrus," all mixes of which start
> in true stereo and then go to rechanneled a third of the way through),
> and it was a revelation! Still the best these songs have ever sounded
> anywhere.
As I recall, "Strawberry Fields Forever" was in true stereo on the
original LP. "Penny Lane", "All You Need Is Love", & "Baby You're A
Rich Man" were all in a fake stereo that didn't sum to mono properly
due to some phase reversals at mid-frequencies.
Bob Radil
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 20:51:42 -0800 (PST)
From: Stewart Mason
Subject: Re: Randy Scouse Git
Larry Lapka asks:
> 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?
Having a leaf through my Eric Partridge, I note that "randy
Scouse git" means, approximately, "lecherous Liverpool b*st*rd".
It's an insult that the father on the British sitcom Til Death
Do Us Part used on his son-in-law with some regularity, which
is where Mickey first heard it, when he was in London with the
rest of the Monkees in early 1967. Because the song was meant
to be a kind of travelogue of that trip, he just chose a phrase
he remembered from the visit, not really knowing that it was
vulgar and rude.
Incidentally, Til Death Do Us Part became the American sitcom
All in the Family, so imagine some of the things that Archie
used to call Meathead and you'll have an idea of why the idea
of a song called "Randy Scouse Git" was considered inappropriate.
S
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 05:43:09 -0000
From: Paul Levinson
Subject: Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
Mick Patrick wrote:
> 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.
Ah yes, Sunshine Mind ... does my heart good to talk about it,
Mick...
To begin with, I usually wrote lyrics not music. But from time
to time, I would get a musical urge, and pound out two or three
songs, complete with music and lyrics, in a night or two. This
would be on the piano over in Tina's house (then my girl friend,
a little later and since then my wife).
So, back at the end of 1967, if memory serves, I wrote three
songs, lyrics and music, in a weekend: "Sunshine Mind", "Waking
Up to Love" (which I sold to Bob Reno's publishing outfit, and
I think Ron Dante did the demo), and "Today is Just Like You"
(which appeared on my 1972 LP, Twice Upon A Rhyme).
I played "Sunshine Mind" for Mike Rashkow and Ellie Greenwich.
(I was signed to them -- Pineywood Productions -- as part of
the three-man group, The Other Voices. We released "May My
Heart Be Cast Into Stone" and "No Olympian Height" on Atlantic
-- with "Hung Up On Love," written by me and Mikie Harris, on
the B-side of both 45s.) Mike and Ellie bought Sunshine Mind the
second I finished singing it. I remember Mike saying, with typical
honesty, "I was waiting for something to go wrong in this song,
but, suprisingly, it didn't..."
Mike and Ellie had signed the Fuzzie Bunnies, and thought
"Sunshine Mind" would be perfect for them. The Fuzzies did
record it, but, in the end, they released a cover of "The Sun
Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" with another song by me "Lemons and
Limes" (a bit of a psychedelic hodge-podge) on the B-side.
Meanwhile, Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner (I think he did the charts for the
Fuzzies) liked Sunshine Mind, and thought it would work for Donna
Marie. I remember he told me she sounded "a little Petula", and
she sure did. Sunshine Mind, as you say, wound up on the B-side of
her record. (The story of my life, musically: a study in B-sides...)
Sunshine Mind was always one of my favorite compositions, and still
is. I like its internal rhymes: "Lately my world had seemed shaded,
the colors of love lost their gloss and were faded..." I like "lost
their gloss..."
Here's something you may find of interest: I originally wrote
the song so that the chorus ended with "find", and the first line
of the next verse began, "My way in this city of rain clouds...."
The Fuzzie Bunniess sang it this way. But Donna Marie tagged on
"my way" to the end of the chorus, and stuck in "here" as the
beginning of the next verse, so it sang, "Here in this city of
rain clouds..." I always liked my way better! (The eternal
conceits of the writer...)
> To refresh your memory, I've posted the track to musica:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
That's great -- I'm gonna download it as soon as I finish this post.
(I have a couple of copies of the 45, but nothing on computer.)
By the way, as long as I have you here, I wanted to tell you:
Mike Rashkow sent me a copy of your "Wall of Soundalikes". I
love it, and especially Jackie DeShannon's "When You Walk In The
Room", which I've been listening to about a dozen times a day.
I always loved The Searchers' version, but Jackie's is pure heaven!
Thanks for everything -- keep up the great work!
All bests,
Paul
http://www.sff.net/people/paullevinson
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:18:34 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: Monkees
Richard Hattersley wrote:
> 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.
Richard, I agree that we were wondering about the Monkees' playing
talents. I remember being really mad when I found out the TV show
was cancelled.
Whether they would have been better off staying with Don K, not
sure. In 68/69/70, sure there was material there, but no matter
the name or how big the hit,the Archies, Edison Lighthouse, etc.
They also went fairly fast into the past. Times would have passed
the Monkees by. "Tear Drop City" was a perfect "old styled" Monkees
song and it wasn't very big in 69.
Hmm, what if Jeff Barry had been hired? "Rainbow Ride" was as
close as anyone could come to a great Monkees sounding record
in 69. Suppose the Monkees recorded that? Then, Jeff said, let's
try covering Ronettes songs! You never know! :)
Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:19:00 -0000
From: Bill Reed
Subject: Re: Peggy March
previously:
> But she wasn't lucky enough to wrap
> her tonsils around any other hit songs.
That might be true in the U.S., but in both Japan AND Germany,
she had (still has?) a much larger performing and recording
career with multiple hits sung in the respective languages of
those countries.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 07:12:15 +0100
From: Andrew Hickey
Subject: Re: Songwriting credits on House Of The Rising Sun
Richard Hattersley:
> With respect to your question, Only on Trad songs does
> the arranger earn the writers royalties. With "Whiter
> Shade of Pale" being by known authors, Matthew Fisher
> would not be entitiled to any writers royalty. :-(
True, but he *could* have copyrighted the arrangement as a
derivative work, so anyone who performed the song with his
organ part would have to pay him royalties, if he'd known
such a thing existed at the time and if he had the permission
of the two writers...
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 03:18:56 -0800 (PST)
From: Norm D. Plume
Subject: Re: Monkees / RSG
Lapka Larry wrote:
> "Alternate Title"--better known here as "Randy Scouse
> Git"--was one of the Monkees biggest international hits,
> 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?
"Randy Scouse Git" might best be translated as an oversexed,
Liverpudlian b*st*rd. The expression was used a lot, at the
time, in the very popular TV sitcom "Til Death Do Us Part".
The father, Alf Garnett, described his hated son-in-law as
such. Mickey Dolenz apparently saw the show and picked up
the expression. No idea why the record company decided to
retitle it...maybe they thought it would offend the radio
DJs' sensitivity to keep saying it? It became known as RSG.
As you US guys & gals probabaly know: "Til Death..." became, in
the USA, "All In The Family"; Alf Garnett became Archie Bunker.
And the Randy Scouse Git? He was played by actor Tony Booth,
father of Cherie Booth (now Blair). So British PM Tony Blair
has the original RSG as his father-in-law.
Hope all this doesn't get lost in translation.
Tarra for now
Norm D. Plume
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:27:32 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Wilson Pickett's covers
jerophonic wrote:
> I just learned that another Beatle giveaway song, I'm in Love,
> given to the Fourmost, was covered by none other than Wilson
> Pickett.
> Be careful that "I'm in Love" by Pickett isn't the
> Bobby Womack tune of the same name.
When Wilson covered "Hey Jude", "Hey Joe" and "Sugar, Sugar"
in one year, I thought he'd lost his mind! Hey Ron Dante,
what'd ya think when you heard Pickett doing "Sugar, Sugar"??
Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 09:36:34 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Time Is On My Side
James Botticelli:
> I always thought Irma Thomas did the original version of
> "Time Is On My Side". Then along comes my pal with a Verve
> recording by Kai Winding -- a vocal version -- that by all
> sounds sounds like it may have come first. Anyone know
> anything about this?
Irma Thomas does have the original. The Kai Winding version
is from the same year though.
Eddy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 14:25:50 -0000
From: Emile
Subject: Last Night @ Joe's Pub...........
Last night @ Joe's Pub - I was fortunate enough to attend both of
Al's shows. The early show was Al solo and the late show was with
the Rekooperators.
The first show opened with Hi-heel Sneakers and closed with I Can't
Quit Her - In between he dusted off some of his best known songs,
Just One Smile, a medley of I Can Love A Woman/I Stand Alone/
New York City (You're A Woman), I Can't Keep From Cryin' (on guitar),
told a great story about writing songs in the early sixties and then
performed Junior Was A Heavyweight, which he said was written for
the Shangri-las
He also told about the group therapy session with the Blues Project
which inspired the writing of "The Modern Adventures of Plato,
Diogenes and Freud". He said it would be the last performance of
this song for a while - it was being retired. In between shows the
room was cleared so that they could set-up and soundcheck the
Rekooperators. From the foyer we could hear snippets of The 59th
Street Bridge Song (which wasn't played during the show) and Like
A Rolling Stone. Like A Rolling Stone was sung in Dylan's voice
- I believe it was Jimmy singing during the soundcheck (Al - help
me out here).
The Rekooperators set was heavy on instrumentals and Jimmy vocals
as Al was suffering the effects of a bad cold and throat. Al did
sing Like A Rolling Stone during the show - as well as Season Of
The Witch w/Jimmy, I Can't Keep From Cryin" (full band this time),
a really smokin' Green Onions, Bird's Nest On The Ground & How
Come My Bulldog Don't Bark w/Jimmy on vocals, Al also played
mandolin for 2 songs - I believe one of the songs was by Fred
McDowell. All in all a great night of music.
In the last 12 months - I have been lucky enough to attend 7
different Al performances - 03 solo, 02 Funky Faculty, and 2
Rekooperators shows.
Last year I attended approximately 100 plus shows - and not
to take anything away from last night or any other performance
I've seen in the past year - but the night the Rekooperators
performed a Super Session in NJ in honor of Mike Bloomfield -
had to be one of the best performances I've ever seen in my 30
plus years of attending live events - (now if only there was a
tape of this floating around).
Thak you Al for another great night of music and also for graciously
signing the photo and set-list. Hope you're feeling better.
Don't be a stranger - come back to NY again soon and a very
healthy and happy 60th.
Emile (The guy in the tophat)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 11
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 09:27:18 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Bogus groups
Phil Hall wrote:
> While searching for info about the Poni-Tails recently, I noticed
> they have their own web-site (http://www.theponitails.com/).
> But it doesn't take much of a look to see that this group has
> NOTHING to do with the original group. I know there used to
> be a bogus Shangri-Las and Shirelles too, although I don't know
> if either is still around. In fact, in the late 80's, the bogus
> Shangri-Las sued the real group for using their own name. Who are
> some of the other bogus groups and how can they get away with this?
> Isn't it fraud?
To answer your last question first, it's moral fraud but not
necessarily legal fraud. Through various legal machinations,
managers and others have sometimes succeeded in securing rights
to use of the name of a well-known group, leaving the actual
original membersof the group out in the cold.
The most famous example of this is The Vogues. Chuck Blasko is
the only original member of the group still performing, but he
can appear as "The Vogues" only in Pittsburgh and the immediate
surrounding area. Everywhere else in the world, a bunch of guys
who have nothing to do with the original group or its recordings
is legally permitted to pass themselves off as The Vogues.
I saw this outfit a few years back (someone gave me free tickets
to a show they put on at a local high school auditorium). Nothing
wrong with their performance, but it was extremely offensive to
hear them say "Here's a hit we had back in 1966" (that's a direct
quote).
I have a link to testimony Chuck Blasko gave before a House
subcommittee that tells the whole story of this. Don't have
access to it here at work, but I can post it later.
Meanwhile, I've also seen "The Shangri-las" in the last few years.
I knew going in they were bogus, of course, but went anyway just
to see how they'd do. The most notable comment I can make about
their performance is "What can you say about a group that calls
itself The Shangri-las and does exactly TWO Shangri-las songs in
the course of their entire show?"
They had a (very) long-haired blonde lead singer, and the two
brunettes were mother and daughter, the latter obviously not even
born when The Shangs had their hits. Their singing and harmonies
were OK (though I could certainly have done without The Shangri-las'
version of "Wind Beneath My Wings"!). There was also a long segment
where they got people from the audience up on stage to dance with
them -- WAY too long, in fact.
After the show, they sat in the lobby of the theater and gave
out autographs. I was sorely tempted to go up to them and say,
"Uh, I know your little secret", but in the end decided to be
a gentleman. Meanwhile, I'm sure 99 percent of the audience was
blissfully unaware that they'd been had.
And that's called...sad.
Mike
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 09:14:31 -0000
From: Tom
Subject: You're My World; Connie Francis
Hi all,
I don't generally care much for the '60s British female
singers like Lulu, Sandie Shaw or Cilla Black. The only
ones I really like are Mary Hopkin (from Wales) and
Marianne Faithfull.
However, in the case of You're My World, I make an exception.
Through the arrangement, lyrics and Black's singing, I can
really feel the emotions that the song is trying to convey.
I love the way that the song builds and the way that the power
the singer feels in her love is echoed by the arrangement. I'm
a big fan of strings on pop records and they are used very
effectively in this tune. I find "You're My World" a very
moving record. The song has been covered by other artists,
including Helen Reddy who also had a hit with it in the mid-'70s.
Her version is also quite good.
Regarding Connie Francis: As a teen (which was only 5 years ago),
I really enjoyed recordings like "Lipstick on Your Collar" and
"Frankie", I used to play them over and over. I still enjoy them
a lot today, as I do most of Connie's recordings. However, my
favourites now are the ballads that she recorded. Songs like
"Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight?", "Wishing It Was You",
"You Know You Don't Want Me", "I'd Let You Break My Heart All
Over Again" and "No One Sends Me Roses" are some of my favourite
recordings of all time. These are all gorgeous songs and I feel
that no one can sing a beautiful heartbreaking ballad like Connie.
As for the teen appeal sides, as I say, I still enjoy her earlier
hits, but I now prefer delicious tracks like "Lollipop Lips",
"Souvenirs" and "It Happened Last Night".
Finally, as for Connie's albums, I agree that the Les Reed LP is
one of the best. Her renditions of "The Last Waltz", "Kiss Me
Goodbye", "Don't Say a Word", etc. are wonderful. With their
haunting melodies, they are perfect for Connie's voice. In my
opinion, Connie is one of the greatest singers of all time.
Tom
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 15:32:30 -0000
From: Donna Marie
Subject: Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
Hi Mick,
Thanks for Sunshine Mind, it's been a long time since I heard
that. Love the Memories.
Donna Marie
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 07:10:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Neb Rodgers
Subject: Fwd: Slate Article: Holy Pop Relic
Not sure if I agree with everything said here, but an
interesting opinion, anyway.
-Neb
---Original Message---
Holy Pop Relic
Why Brian Wilson should leave the unfinished Beach Boy
masterpiece Smile alone.
By Jeff Turrentine
Posted Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at 1:31 PM PT
Later this month, Brian Wilson, the creative force behind the
Beach Boys and one of rock's most revered architects, will play
a series of London concerts during which he will finally share
something he's kept close to his chest for nearly 40 years.
Those in attendance at the Royal Festival Hall on Feb. 20th,
the opening night of Wilson's sold-out six-night event, will
get to hear all the songs that were to have appeared on the
legendary Beach Boys album Smile, performed for the first time
by Wilson and his touring band. News of his decision to play
these songs circulated quickly among pop-music geeks, rock
journalists, and the small community of Smile cultists and
bootleggers whose zealotry has helped turn the unfinished
album over the decades into something like a pop Ark of the
Covenant: a holy relic, temporarily lost to the faithful,
but waiting to be found, restored, and redeemed.
read on, here:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2095025/
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 16:33:04 -0000
From: Hugo M.
Subject: Re: Bobby Vee & Ventures
We were talking about Bobby Vee's team-up LP.s a couple of
days ago, and yesterday I heard the B. V. Meets The Ventures
LP for the first time... 1963, that that one came out... and
I could SWEAR I heard fuzz-distortion on two of the songs there.
Poking around on the net, the information I receive is that
fuzzboxes first were used in '64, a writer in UK said the
first use of fuzz that he knew of was on the two 45s that
launched P J Proby's career in the UK. Does anybody here
know anything that could extend the fuzztone timeline back
a little further?
Incidentally, Proby's first two hits in the UK were "Hold Me"
and "Together". In the light of subsequent events... well, the
punchline is "Hold Me Together", but I can't seem to organize
the text of the joke. Get it? (rimshot).
shooby-doo down down...
Hugo M.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 13:28:53 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: Whiter Shade of pale /When a man loves a woman
Read what Gary Brooker and Denny cordell have to say about
the inspiration behind A Whiter Shade of pale
http://www.procolharum.com/99/awsop_repeat.htm
FrankM
reflections on northern soul Saturdays at 14:30 or listen now
http://www.radiomagnetic.com/archive/rnb.php
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 09:12:25 -0000
From: Mike Page
Subject: Re: Psychedelic compilation albums
Orion sez,
> The Flowerpot Men were great. For someone that never released
> an LP here in the US....
There are a couple of Flowerpot Men albums in the UK. I have
one on CD. If anyone is interested, I can dig out the label
details, etc.
Mike
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 18
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:30:05 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
Bob Rashkow wrote:
> Has anyone heard his "Daytime, Nighttime"
> also from around '72-'73? Can that be recommended too?
Bobster, I'll certainly vouch for "Daytime-Nighttime" too!
Fantastic in the same way as "Cut".
Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 19
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:44:54 -0000
From: Mark T
Subject: Re: Question for Paul Levinson - Donna Marie
Mick Patrick:
> 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.
Here's a link to all you would ever want to know about
Donna Marie, including an interview with her:
http://laurapinto.tripod.com/donnamarie/
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 20
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:26:13 EST
From: Ed Rambeau
Subject: Re: Front Runners; Eddie Rambeau
Mike Edwards:
Ed - were you out of the music business from 1970
("Solitary Man") to 1976? More or less. I did a lot of
Broadway after the record industry.
Ed Rambeau.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 21
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:19:52 -0500
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Monkees
There was a problem with Don Kirshner and the guys in that
Don didn't want them in the studio at ALL until they were
needed to sing. Don didn't want them to have anything to do
with the backing tracks, not even in a "4th chair guitar" role.
That caused A LOT of problems for no real reason. it was one of
the reasons The Monkees got the suits to kick Don out. A 1967
power play.
Mikey
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:59:35 EST
From: Denny Pine
Subject: Re: Bogus groups
Today's legitimate Vogues (the original group being from
Turtle Creek, PA) includes original member Chuck Blasko and
two other members. However, they can only perform as the
Vogues within 14 counties of the Tri-State area of PA/WV/OH.
I have seen at least two completely phony groups making dirty
money off of the Vogues name. This hoopla started in the
early 1970's by some crackpot swindler named Brightbill.
It turns my stomach to no end to hear these faux groups
(especially those who weren't even born in the heyday) take
credit for songs they never recorded written by their "good
friends" that they've never met! Just another sign of politics
rearing its ugly head!
Take care
Denny Pine
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 23
Date: Thu, 05 Feb 2004 23:58:54 EST
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Forgotten 45s
Jim Shannon wrote:
> 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"?
Very nice song indeed, which never scaled the heights of the
charts but seem to hang around a long while on the playlists
of the stations I listened to back then.
> Another forgotten 45-
> "I wish you could be here" from Cyrkle.
I've gotten into a LOT of trouble over the years with Paul
Simon fans when I've stated, in no uncertain terms, that this
is the finest song Paul Simon has EVER written in his entire
career (co-wrote, actually, with Bruce Woodley of The Seekers).
In spite of their protests (and any yet to come), I will
continue to stand by that view!
Mike
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 06:21:51 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: Springwell version of "It's For You" in musica
Nick Archer wrote:
> 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.
I always felt Springwell's was a weak attempt at covering
Three Dog Night's great version!
Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 08:24:52 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: First Cut Is The Deepest
Bob Rashkow wrote:
> Has anyone heard his "Daytime, Nighttime" also from
> around '72-'73? Can that be recommended too?
Living near Buffalo and the Canadian border, both
songs were hits in Western N.Y. I remember liking
"Daytime, Nighttime" well enough - much more upbeat,
less grandiose than the other "....Cut".
Tom Taber
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online.
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
End
