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Spectropop - Digest Number 1363
- From: Spectropop Group
- Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004
________________________________________________________________________
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
________________________________________________________________________
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Smile Live
From: Doug Richard
2. Re: Happy (Songwriters) Together
From: Alan Gordon
3. The Victorians, info needed
From: Rob Stride
4. Valentine's Day
From: Superoldies
5. Re: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil off-Broadway
From: Paul Balser
6. Re: Mad Lads
From: Howard
7. Johnny Cymbal - Discography
From: Rex Strother
8. Re: John Waters
From: Al Kooper
9. Yiddishisms
From: Various
10. Re: Doris Troy musicians
From: Mike Rashkow
11. Micky Monkee's voice???
From: Albabe Gordon
12. A Spectropop Exclusive from Mark Wirtz
From: Mark Wirtz aka Michael Sinclair
13. Re: The Movies / Mad Lads
From: James Botticelli
14. Laugh In- Legendary and Banana Splits
From: Mark Hill
15. Re: & the flames went higher
From: S'pop Team
16. Bear Family Bobby Vee Box Set
From: Bob Celli
17. Association / Tandyn Almer
From: Various
18. Funny "B" side story.
From: Bob Celli
19. An era ends: Relic Rack closing in Hackensack, NJ
From: Country Paul
20. Re: Happy Together
From: Jon Adelson
21. Skyla Records
From: Austin Powell
22. The Diplomats / "Son Rumores".
From: Julio Niño
23. Re: Kooder Levine Bras
From: Al Kooper
24. Pat Boone; Valiant; Drifters ;Ray Peterson; quickies
From: Country Paul
25. At This Stage Of The Game
From: Phil C
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 15:57:05 -0000
From: Doug Richard
Subject: Smile Live
37 years on, fans finally hear lost work by master of pop
Richard Williams
Saturday February 21, 2004
The Guardian
Pop music's great lost masterpiece was revealed in all its eccentric
splendour in London last night when Brian Wilson, the 61-year-old
founder of the Beach Boys, presented the world premiere of Smile, a
1967 project which was intended to top the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band but was abandoned in a welter of psychotropic
drugs, warring egos and shattered confidence.
Multiple ovations were the reward for a pristine performance of the
45-minute song cycle by Wilson and his 18 musicians, who reproduced
the groundbreaking complexity and sophistication of a work inspired
by the friendly but intense transatlantic rivalry between the Beach
Boys and the Beatles at a time when pop music was evolving at an
unprecedented rate.
Wilson spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in a
Hollywood recording studio assembling Smile. To the outside world,
the 24-year-old Californian was a pop genius at the top of his form:
a year earlier he had created Pet Sounds, an album that still appears
at the top of most all-time-greatest polls, and Good Vibrations, an
epic single which sold millions around the world.
The sudden collapse of the Smile project mirrored Wilson's own
disintegration. At what appeared to be the zenith of the Beach Boys'
popularity, he entered a period of withdrawal lasting 30 years,
during which he was in and out of psychotherapy and made only
infrequent appearances on the concert stage and in the recording
studio.
Two years ago, however, he returned to action at the head of a band
of younger musicians devoted to recreating the most difficult and
adventurous of his compositions. When he arrived in London two years
ago to perform Pet Sounds in its entirety, Wilson received standing
ovations suffused with a degree of affection few performers can have
experienced.
His audiences fully understood not just the fundamental nature of his
contribution to the evolution of pop music, but the troubled nature
of his personal life.
Poignant
That warmth was reproduced last night at the first of five eagerly
awaited concerts at the Festival Hall. Once again Wilson was to be
found sitting at an electric piano whose keys he barely brushed, but
his fans were neither shocked nor deterred by the diminished vocal
powers of a man who once played a leading role in pop's greatest
harmony group. In his grainy, sometimes quavering voice, his
listeners could hear a poignant reflection of everything that has
happened to him in the four decades since he brought a mythical
California to life with songs such as I Get Around, California Girls
and Fun Fun Fun.
Last night, however, was about much more than respectful nostalgia.
Smile, which lay in ruins for 37 years, was to be reassembled and
presented in something as close as possible to its planned form.
With Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations, Wilson had demonstrated his
increasing mastery of recording techniques, exploiting editing and
overdubbing facilities to create the impression of vast instrumental
and vocal resources. Obsessed by his discoveries, and tired of
travelling with the band, he immersed himself in laying the
foundations of his masterpiece.
The touchingly romantic lyrics of Pet Sounds had been produced by
Tony Asher, a Hollywood advertising copywriter; for his new project,
Wilson turned to Van Dyke Parks, a 22-year-old prodigy who took his
tunes and added words of great poetic resonance but little connection
with anything that had previously emerged from the mouths of the
Beach Boys. A song called Surf's Up, for example, began: "A diamond
necklace played the pawn / Hand in hand some drummed along / To a
handsome man and baton."
When Wilson appeared on a national TV show and sang Surf's Up alone
at the piano, Leonard Bernstein was moved to describe it
as "beautiful even in its obscurity".
But when the rest of the Beach Boys returned from their latest
foreign tour, not all of them were delighted by what they found.
Love, Wilson's cousin and the group's lead singer, was particularly
disconcerted, aggressively inviting Parks to elucidate some of the
lines he was going to sing. Against the wishes of other members of
the group, Love's opinion prevailed. Smile was summarily abandoned,
its demise hastened when Wilson felt that by recording a piece called
Fire he had precipitated a rash of conflagrations in the vicinity of
the studio.
Although he had sent his record company a list of the tracks he
intended to include on Smile, and although they printed almost half a
million sleeves, he never got as far as assembling a final version.
As the legend grew, so bootleggers stepped into the breach, working
with tapes that had found their way out of the studio archives and
attempting to create something faithful to Wilson's original
conception.
After Parks had received an ovation just for taking his seat in the
stalls, last night's concert began with an imaginative recreation of
the mood of the Beach Boys' Party album, an informal singalong with
the musicians grouped around Wilson, who led them through lovely
versions of In My Room and Please Let Me Wonder, accompanied by
acoustic guitars and bongos, before moving into the more elaborate
treatments of California Girls, Dance Dance Dance, Don't Worry Baby,
Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows and many others.
The second half was devoted to a 45-minute arrangement of Smile,
divided into three movements in which even the familiar sections were
made to seem new. The a cappella Our Prayer provided a lustrous
prelude, but it was the variety of instrumental texture that
constantly took the ear. Banjos, calliopes, Swanee whistles, tack
pianos, fruity trombones, cackling trumpets and a Polynesian ukelele
made it seem like the grandest of American symphonies, and Wilson the
natural heir to Charles Ives.
The composer sat impassively as his humour came to the fore, notably
when the musicians made barnyard noises and forsook instruments for
toys. But great waves of harmonies or a sudden burst of Palm Court
strings would send the music charging off in another direction, each
one seemingly more diverting than the last. The string and horn
players donned firemen's hats for Fire, just as Wilson had invited
their predecessors to do in 1967, and the whole piece ended in
triumph with the churning chorale, juddering cellos and whooshing
theremin of Good Vibrations, which can never in its long life have
been engulfed in a more ecstatic reception.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 10:29:40 -0700 (MST)
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Re: Happy (Songwriters) Together
While we are on the topic of how many performances some songs
have enjoyed. The following songs have been played 7, nearing
8, million times:
"You've Lost That Lovin Feeling"
"Never My Love"
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
Does anyone know if ASCAP has a 'most performed' list?
Best
That Alan
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 09:54:47 -0000
From: Rob Stride
Subject: The Victorians, info needed
I wonder if anyone can help me?
I am after information on the Victorians, a male 60s
harmony group. I've heard a copy of their version of "Move
In A Little Closer" some time ago which I liked. And then
Phil C played a track called "Baby Toys" to Harmony High
last week which i absolutely Love. I am trying to find a
discography, biography and details of any CD reissues.
Thanks for your Time.
Regards
Rob Stride
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 08:05:44 -0000
From: Superoldies
Subject: Valentine's Day
The only song I could think of with a direct Valentines Day
reference is Tony Bellus' "Valentine Girl" (flip of his hit
"Robbin' The Cradle"). Any other Valentines Day songs?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 18:05:00 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)
From: Paul Balser
Subject: Re: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil off-Broadway
Dan Hughes:
> Is my memory totally askew, or was it Barry Mann who did
> an "answer song" to Rick Nelson's "Teenage Idol", called
> "Teenage Has-been"?
Yes Barry Mann did record "Teenage Has Been",
flip of "Bless You" ABC 10380 (1962)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:14:25 EST
From: Howard
Subject: Re: Mad Lads
Jim Shannon wrote:
> While we're onto obscure bands, anyone remember
> The Mad Lads "I Wanna Girl"?
Jim, is this the same Mad Lads who had several releases on the
Volt label??
Howard
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 12:57:43 -0700
From: Rex Strother
Subject: Johnny Cymbal - Discography
Calling all completists and perfectionists; I can really use
your help. I've been building a discography of Johnny Cymbal
performances and songwriting credits. But I put an "XXX"
where I am missing information.
Wanna help? Wanna take a look and point out my obvious omissions
and mistakes? Here's your chance. Go to this temporary link and
review to your hearts' content. And I thank you. Just email me
with any corrections, additions, suggestions, condolences.
http://www.alhazan.com/cymbal/discography.html
Rex Strother
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 15:42:08 EST
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Re: John Waters
previously:
> I think nobody has mentioned yet that "Cherry" was included in
> the movie "Cry Baby" by John Waters (I don´t know why John Waters
> films always remind me Frank Capra movies, I have to ask my
> psychiatrist about this).
I worked on the movie "Cry Baby" and had dinner with John Waters
one night. He revealed to me that he was NOT the selector of records
for his movies; a close friend did the choosing. I lost a tiny bit
of respect for him that night - I always thought his taste in music
was part of his charisma.
Al Kooper
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 12:35:08 -0000
From: Various
Subject: Yiddishisms
Enough, already!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Chris Schneider:
> "You couldn't give me a lesson in long-distance spittin'!"
> (Merman),
> P.S. As long you're talking Yiddishisms, why not mention the "Once
> I was a *schlepper* / Now I'm Miss Mazeppa" sung by Faith Dane in
> the Sondheim/Styne score for "Gypsy"?
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
All the Yiddish I learned I absorbed while amongst the Brill building
chosen tribe. They taught us shaguses how to eat (roast beef on rye
w/
Russian dressing,chopped chicken livers etc). I learned about
shnorrs,
hazzars, putzes and menchses. They were our "publishers". We learned
philosophy from them; how to be philosophic about how our royalty
statements, when we got statements, never exactly matched what we
later learned our songs had earned.
C Ponti
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
If you're going to credit Loesser for "nu" why not credit
Irving Berlin or was it Oscar Hammerstein for the line above.
By the way, this is way off topic, like 25-30 years.
Rashkovsky
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Groucho Marx's signature song, from the 1929 [1] Marx Bros. movie
"Animal Crackers," began, "Hooray for Captain Spaulding, the African
explorer / Did someone call me schnorer? / Hooray, hooray, hooray."
I admit that I'm not sure what a schnorer is exactly, but perhaps
Rashkovsky, who I'll bet has done a bit of schnoring in his time, can
illumine us.
The theme song to the Laverne & Shirley [2] TV show opens with TWO
Yiddish words: "Schlemiel, schlmazl, Hossenpfeffer Incorporated." [3]
According to Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax [4], as quoted
in a recent bio of him, "A schlemiel is a person who spills a bowl of
soup; a schlmazl is the person who has the soup spilled on him."
Overschlepping,
--Phil M.
Notes:
1. Not quite the Spectropop era, of course, but then again I'm sure he
sang it a time or two in the 1960s.
2. A '70s show about the '50s, so skipping right over the Spectropop
era, although I believe the song was co-written by Gimble & Fox, whose
work did often cross into our sphere of common interest.
3. My linguistic research places "Hossenpfeffer," while certainly
Yiddish-sounding, as specifically German.
4. Whose stardom was entirely within the Spectropop era.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
There's Harry Belafonte's "Matilda," where he says: "...now the whole
mishpoocha (sp?)."
And Neil Sedaka's "Oy, Carol" (sorry)
Jon Adelson
Schlepper of Latent Inanities
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 10:05:29 EST
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Re: Doris Troy musicians
When working at Sounds On Broadway, I did a demo session for
Doris Troy. I'm pretty sure it was the first time I had ever
seen Chuck Rainey, Cornell Dupree or Richard Tee in a studio.
I know with certainty that I got Chuck's phone number from him
after the date.
Chuck and Richard became first call for Ellie G. and me for
our work, and Cornell too though he went back to Texas for a
while shortly after to care for his Dad who was ill.
It didn't take long for those three to make their marks as
great studio players. Richard had a very unique, individual
style/feel. Nobody sounded like him.
Chuck was tremendous but I always had problems getting a clean,
tight sound from him. Don't know if it was his attack, his amp,
his ax or whether it was me. Guys like Joe Macho, Julie Rugierro,
Jerry Jamott, Bob Bushnell and Russell George I had no difficulty
getting down, so I have to assume it was something about Chuck
that was the difference.
Anyway, the point of it is, that as far as I knew then or know
now, Doris was the first one who brought those guys into the
NYC recording scene. I'd be interested in hearing from others
about when they first saw them on sessions.
Di la,
Rashkovsky
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 11
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 20:26:55 -0800
From: Albabe Gordon
Subject: Micky Monkee's voice???
Phil Milstein says of Micky Monkee:
> ...he has a very weak voice. But he infuses it with so much
> feeling, and with such perfect appreciation of each mode he
> sings in, that he improved every single track he was featured
> on, essentially forcing de facto lead singer Davy Jones to the
> role of lead tambourine."
Wow!!! Usually we tend to agree, sir, but... You think Micky's
voice is weak??? "No Time", "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone",
"Pleasant Valley Sunday"...? Sounds ballsy to me... at least
as ballsy as Ms Slick.
As for Davy... we agree once more...
John Fox sings: Oh Micky You're So Fine
> There are musicians, and there are entertainers. There
> are even musicians who become entertainers (Eric Clapton?).
> Micky Dolenz was hardly a musician, but he was a great
> entertainer--as an actor, comedian and even as a singer.
> Every time I listen to The Monkees' Greatest Hits album I
> remind myself how underrated he was. "Goin' Down" is one
> of the great vocal performances of all time (and the horn
> parts aren't bad either!"
I certainly agree with you about Clapton, and "Goin' Down's"
horns. But as for Micky's singing... I guess it depends on
your definition of a musician. Micky did play guitar in a
band before the Monkees, so he could at least play a bit.
And if a singer is a musician, then I would say he's a musician,
as he had some serious soul and control with his instrument...
as opposed to the lovely and beautiful Shelly Fabares who is
definitely an entertainer.
Habbareeba sagga soggin, hobareeba sag...etc.,
~albabe
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 17:41:28 -0000
From: Mark Wirtz aka Michael Sinclair
Subject: A Spectropop Exclusive from Mark Wirtz
A personal, exclusive invitation...
Two years ago, Spectropop member Mark Frumento contacted
me (God only knows how he found me) to invite me to join
Spectropop and meet some of the loyal friends of my music.
I was a million miles away from making 'records' at the time,
working as a magazine feature writer and restaurant/drama
critic by night, and doing casual labor jobs by day.
In the Spring of last year, 03 things coincided: UK's Harmony
Rock band Spyderbaby started sending me demos of their work,
asking for my guidance; Train's "Calling All Angels" was
released and blew me away and my daughter Nicole (living in
Spain) begged me to produce Barcelona's premiere Rock band
Les Philippes' debut album (as it turned out, the band's leader
- a fan of my past stuff - is Nicole's boyfriend).
That did it. Loving Spyderbaby's and Les Philippes' work, and
already fired up by my heroes Brendan O'Brian's and "Mutt" Lange's
awesome productions, I put down the shovel and the quill, and, in
July, symbolically stepped onto a plane to Barcelona to abort my
'sabbatical' and officially 'came back'.
Keeping a promise I made some weeks back, I would like to now
share a sample fruit of my labors since in a Spectropop exclusive:
My first 'single' production in 20 years, "Learning 2 Live With Love"
(also my first song collaboration with Kris Ife in 30 years) for my
newly formed DeamTunes label. An 'excerpt' (wink, wink) from the
Mark Wirtz EarTheatre "Love Is Eggshaped" soundtrack CD to my same
titled book (out now), it features Spyderbaby and Spectropop member
Rob Stride's formidable lead vocals, SP members Tony and Anthony
Rivers' magical harmonies, and, last, not least, SP's noble knight
Phil Chapman's generous audio wizardry during the London sessions.
In order to keep things simple, I have posted the track, together
with extensive personnel credit info and pictures, on a secret page
on my http://www.markwirtz.com website, which is exclusive to
Spectropop members:
http://markwirtz0.tripod.com/mw/id41.html
Hope to see you there. Let me know what y'all think. (I'll shrewdly
show the most enthusiastic feed-backs to the powers that be when I
shortly knock on the door of my ancient music 'home', EMI Records...
nudge, nudge, say no more...)
Warm best,
Mark Wirtz
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 00:23:45 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: The Movies / Mad Lads
Art Longmire wrote:
> Speaking of Memphis vocal groups on Stax, another one I
> like is the Astors who did the terrific "Candy" back around
> 1965 or '66. I have this 45, but have never heard any of the
> group's other songs.
There is a CD called "The Astors Meet The Newcomers", good
summaries of the work of each group. Includes 'Candy'.
http://tinyurl.com/338gu
JB
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 02:37:06 -0500
From: Mark Hill
Subject: Laugh In- Legendary and Banana Splits
Howard asks:
> Dr. Mark: are you still keeping up with Laugh-In and the
> musical acts? I was wondering if they've shown either the
> Legendary Stardust Cowboy's appearance or Wild Man Fischer's (!)
> appearance on the show.
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy just made his appearance today.
He was in a tall white cowboy hat and had yellow plastic chaps. Playing, "Paralized" and another tune. Dan and Dick didn't quite
know what to make of him. It was quite unusual.
Legendary's own website. See him pictured with David Bowie:
http://www.stardustcowboy.com/
> With all the non-sequiter pop star appearances, you never know
> who will turn up.
In addition to Legendary, todays show had surprise visits by
Rosemary Clooney and Drooper of THE BANANA SPLITS. They cut in
a segment from the Splits show that fit right in visually, since
THE BANANA SPLITS was basically a Laugh-In clone anyway. (And both
were on NBC to boot.)
Clark Besch:
> I remember taping many of these as half hour shows on cable
> in the 80's--thus they cut the musical acts usually.
This is the magnificent TRIO netowork. They go out of their
way to broadcast rare and unusual TV shows. For once, they got
Laugh-In right. These are the *entire* LAUGH-IN episodes. From
the wonderful NBC Peacock logo to the endless clapping long after
the credits at the end of each episode. These episodes are intact!
"Dr. Mark" Hill * The Doctor Of Pop Culture
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/popmusicpopculture
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 12:10:50 -0000
From: S'pop Team
Subject: Re: & the flames went higher
Last cool quotes for burning thread.....
Phil Milstein:
> Saw an amusing squib in yesterday's newspaper,
> stating that the Cash family has turned down an offer to
> feature ... "Ring Of Fire" as the soundtrack to an ad
> campaign for a hemorrhoid ointment!
Phil C:
This got mentioned on a UK morning talk radio show. It led
to a whole phone-in of similar concepts.... the winner being
"Love Really Hurts Without You" as an ad for lubricant jelly!
Tom Taber:
Might I suggest the ad agency try to acquire "You
Can't Sit Down"? May be Freda Payne could sing it!
Art Longmire:
I saw the story on a news website yesterday-according to the article,
it was Merle Kilgore himself who was offering up the song for the ad,
and it was nixed by the Cash family, who called the idea "moronic".
Interesting how when artists pass away their executors seem to offer
up items from their back catalogues for the quick bucks. For
instance, it seems like every time I turn my TV on I hear Freddie
Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" used to hawk some product or other-would
this have happened if he was still alive?
However, the flip side of the coin is that sometimes you get to hear
some great songs that might not get exposure otherwise. An example is
a commercial I keep seeing for Fixodent, which uses this incredibly
beautiful 60's soul tune...I don't know the song or the title, but
the lyric goes "I just want to be there with you". If anyone knows
the song title and/or artist who does this, you'd be doing me a huge
favor.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 12:49:03 -0000
From: Bob Celli
Subject: Bear Family Bobby Vee Box Set
Speaking of Bear Family, I was in contact with Richard
Weize about doing a Bobby Vee set last June. He said he
was interested and to get back in touch early this year.
I did, and to my dismay he told me that he contacted EMI
and they were not leasing any material to him at this time!
Anyone know about this? Perhaps Alan Warner can be a help!
Bob Celli
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 13:02:03 -0000
From: Various
Subject: Association / Tandyn Almer
Al Kooper wrote:
> And let's not forget the writer of Along Comes Mary......
> Tandyn Almer. One of the greatest real names in the history
> of rock n roll!!!
Austin:
Right up there with Mars Bonfire.
Ed Salamon:
Let's not forget our fellow Nashvillian, Tupper Saussy
(Neon Philharmonic).
Bob Radil:
And "Brute Force". ("Nobody Knows" by The Chiffons)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 18
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 13:01:08 -0000
From: Bob Celli
Subject: Funny "B" side story.
Here's a funny "B" side story regarding Bobby Vee's 1967 hit,
"Come Back When You Grow Up". The song was originally released
c/with "That's All In The Past", a song written by Bobby. He
was approached by the producers of the movie "Africa Texas Style"
to record the theme song from the movie titled "Swahili Serenade".
They offered him a one time fee of $3000.00 to do it and he accepted
figuring as things were going, the record wasn't going to break
nationally.
They recoupled "Swahili Serenade" with "Come Back When You Grow Up"
and lo and behold the record ended up doing nearly three million
copies in sales by the end of its run thus screwing BV out of all
those potential royalties on "That's All In The Past" I guess
sometimes you roll the dice and get snake eyes!
Bob Celli
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 19
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 09:21:52 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: An era ends: Relic Rack closing in Hackensack, NJ
Fellow S'pop brethen and "sistren",
I just received this e-mail, which will be of interest
especially for those of us in the New York-New Jersey
area. However, this store is worth travelling to.
"Please forward this sad news to vinyl junkies that you
know:
"Relic Records in Hackensack, NJ is closing its doors on
April 1. Owner George Lavatelli will then continue to do
business from his home. He's had the shop since the mid-
seventies and it's demise was featured in an article in
the The Record newspaper this week [the region's biggest
daily paper].
"Relic Record Shoppe, 136 Main St Hackensack, NJ 07601,
Tel: 201 342 4848.
"Get there while you can.
"/s/ Robin"
Although no longer in business together, the shop was
long affiliated with Relic Records, the great reissue
label of 50's and 60's group harmony music, a/k/a
doo-wop. It has a large, well-organized collection,
and would be well worth a visit from serious collectors.
Country Paul
(sad to see an era end)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 20
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 16:30:21 -0000
From: Jon Adelson
Subject: Re: Happy Together
Javed Jafri wrote:
> The one thing I have to say about Happy Together is that
> it truly does have universal appeal...
I certainly second that.
I play solo piano bar in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C.,
with lots of oldies sing along. I was told before I got to D.C. that
Georgetown was mostly a college crowd, and that my "specialty" would
not go over. Fortunately for me, this has not been the case. Thanks,
I guess, to parents and the use of so many classic songs in movies,
these kids seem to really know their stuff. And I'm talking even into
the 50s, where, e.g., Chantilly Lace always generates mass join in.
(Tonight I'm going to try to work in Seven Little Girls!)
But So Happy Together invariably elicits an especially warm group
smile right from the opening repeated chord (which immediately
identifies the song*), and they sing along with every word, not just
the hook.
Thanks, That Alan, for contributing to my modicum of job security :-)
(*Even though this is such an identifiable opening, I recently got
distracted while vamping the opening minor chord (there's a tendency
for some folk to yell requests during a song...the many faces of an
alcohol-driven show). I kept on vamping for a few more bars to get
back on track, and before I could get to "Imagine me and you", one
patron sang out: "One...is the lonliest number".)
The weather here in D.C. is fine, thank you.
Jon Adelson
P.S. I find it fascinating that this song, a Valentine's Day staple,
is really about unrequited love (per That Alan).
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Message: 21
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 14:47:32 -0000
From: Austin Powell
Subject: Skyla Records
Country Paul wrote:
Anyone have a lead to a label discography? Who owned it?
What's its story?
Skyla Records was part of the Raystar group of companies,
owned by Starla Kaye Rendoni. Jerry Naylor, the ex-Crickets
lead singer recorded for the label just prior to joining the
group. His "Stop Your Crying" was Skyla 1118. He's been in
poor health over the past year but is still active in TV
production and may be able to give us the full story.
Austin
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Message: 22
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 19:23:21 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: The Diplomats / "Son Rumores".
Hola Everybody.
Mick Patrick wrote:
> Oh dear, that sounds like an Ace compilation I don't own.
> Rats! What's the title please?..."
Mick, the title of the compilation is "Soulful Stuff" CDKEN919,
and it was issued in 1988. The notes are by your partner in
crime, Malcolm Baumgart. The Diplomats song, titled in the record
"Can't Get You Off My Mind", is not credited and the notes give
no information about it, but it is a marvelous song, listening to
it is like a shot of gorilla endorphins.
Country Paul wrote about "Son Rumores" by David Soto.:
> "... it would be wonderful if you could play it to musica..."
Paul, I think I have it on an old cassette. I'll play it in a
few days. Stay tuned to musica.
Chao.
Julio Niño.
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Message: 23
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 14:52:32 EST
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Re: Kooder Levine Bras
previously:
> Also, it must have been a little disappointing that both
> versions of the "Ring" 45 have Kooper listed as "Kooder".
> Then, when the cool little pic sleeve 45 of Gary's "Doin
> the Flake" became available, "This Diamond Ring" was on the
> B side. This time they got "Kooper" right, but it was listed
> as "I. Kooper - B. Brass - I. Levine". Apparently, spelling
> was not a big thing at Liberty, as the original "Ring" 45 had
> "Bras" as co-writer, also.
We had a sign on our cubicle at the publishers offices at
that time which read:
Kooder Levine Bras - Inquire within
Al Kooper
Ex-Lingerie Salesman
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 13:34:59 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Pat Boone; Valiant; Drifters ;Ray Peterson; quickies
Eddy, re: Pat Boone's "Beach Girl":
> ...[It]'s available on the following CDs:
> Various Artists - Let's go trippin' (Ace)
> Pat Boone - Love letters in the sand (Universal)
> Pat Boone - More greatest hits
> Pat Boone - Pat's 40 big ones
> Pat Boone - The singles+ (the most recent issue, but
> a Dutch import 2cd, so probably harder to get)
Thank you; will check it out.
Austin Roberts to Rashkowsky:
> I think Barry and The Tamerlane had a semi hit record
> called "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" (not to be
> confused with the Boyce and Hart song). Barry, of course,
> later owned the highly successful label Valiant Records,
> which, among other hits, had "Angel On My Shoulder" by
> Shelby Flint.
Chronology's off a bit, Austin; Shelby Flint had Valiant 7001, their first,
and Barry & The T's had a definite hit (at least in may part of the world)
with "WWonder...". (Not being a "chartist," maybe someone can come up with a
billboard number. Valiant was a class act as a label: Flint, Association,
Cascades, B & The T's, Lee Mallory, George Freeman's wonderful "Down and
Out," and many more I'm forgetting.
Julio, thank you for the "Picnic" selection at musica. It sure is a sweet
song, and the string arrangement is very complementary to it. And to (City)
Paul, very nice Grass-Rootsy sound on "Unbelievable (Inconceivable) You" by
the Vogues. Thanks for posting it!
Martin in Denmark:
> I think I've read somewhere that there's a group with a
> license to tour the U.S (is this the group that Country Paul
> saw recently, then?), one who has the rights to tour Europe
> and so on. What's the status of these groups?
I don't know all the details, but there was an original group of Drifters of
the "Money Honey" and "White Christmas" era with Clyde McPhatter as the
lead. They were dumped in favor of a different group who carried on the name
starting with "There Goes My Baby." Ben E. King and Charlie Thomas were two
of the lead singers. According to Shel Stone, attorney and business manager
for Richard Nader's rock shows, Charlie Thomas has the legal right, won in
court, to tour as "The Charlie Thomas Drifters." Since he was the lead
singer on many of the hits of the era I most remember them by - and since
the backing group does sound remarkably like the group of that period - he's
it in my book.
Laura:
> Here's the link to Ray Peterson's site:
> http://www.ray-peterson.com/index.htm
I'm telling Laura, "I love you!" Thanks for the link to one of my guilty
pleasures. He was known to be a "chick's singer" back then, but I always
knew he had a lot more going on than that. The records page is interesting,
especially with all the picture sleeves they've assembled, not the least of
which is the "New Gold" album cover featuring a slightly heavier Mr.
Peterson than the "skinny kid" of yore. (Of course, I should talk!)
Quickies:
Oooops - I erred in my note re: the founding members of the Tokens. It was
Jay Seigel who was there first; the Margo brothers came later. (I had
reversed the order.) Just trying to keep S'pop factual....
Steveo: interesting Neil Sedaka story re: "Breaking Up....":
http://www.btinternet.com/~stevenanorman/sedaka/news.htm
Key line for me: Neil says, "I wanted the high end to cut through, because
my voice had a lot of treble and I was a bit of an egomaniac. I wanted to
bury everyone else!” Maybe that's why I find his records so hard to listen
to!
Country Paul
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 12:47:46 -0000
From: Phil C
Subject: At This Stage Of The Game
Me:
> However, I'm curious about '& The Cluster': there are some
> slightly suspect male backing-vocals with a falsetto in Theremin
> style, and a distinctly Ondiolinique keyboard under the middle 8.
Phil M:
> Most likely the German electronic group who recorded a few
> albums with Eno in the '70s ...
Hell, no! This is way before the need to appear adult and credible
crept into pop records. This is some talented musos attempting to
be commercial doing James Bond meets the Essex, with a flawless
performance by an obscure female singer, a template I've always found
fascinating. Lots of these great records still stand on those merits
today, even if their creators may be reluctant to take the credit.
Country Paul:
> That would properly be The Clusters, who did "Darling Can't
> You Tell" (Tee Gee, 1958) that Al and I were raving over a
> few months ago. (It's my all-time favorite uptempo doo-wop -
> Arlene Smith of the Chantels does a duet lead.) I hadn't
> realized they'd done backups later.
Hi Paul, we need to know:-) Is there anything you can play to
musica so that we could compare?
Phil C
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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