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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 11 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Shirley Bassey in possible great record shock!
From: Simon White
2. lives in legacy
From: Phil X. Milstein
3. Re: Patty Lace & the Petticoats
From: Mick Patrick
4. Cameo-Parkway NEWS!!!!
From: S.J. Dibai
5. Re: magnificent 7 Al Caiolas
From: max weiner
6. Re: Cameo-Parkway and ABKCO
From: superoldies
7. Re: "Guess Who?"
From: Lloyd Davis
8. Re: when they're 64
From: Eddy Smith
9. Re: Jeanne Thomas
From: Simon White
10. Re: the death of Shindig
From: Steve Jarrell
11. Re: Let's Twist Again
From: Paul Urbahn
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 23:02:35 +0000
From: Simon White
Subject: Shirley Bassey in possible great record shock!
Ok then, who was Flip Cartridge?
I was played a Shirley Bassey 45 last year "Don't Take The Lovers From
The World" on United Artists, written by Hugo and Luigi and had to have
it and soon did.
Two days ago I was passing a record shop and just popped in for a
browse - as you do - and there was a London American 45, "Dear Mrs
Applebee/Don't Take The Lovers From The World" by Flip Cartridge. The
U.S. label was Parrot - which of course was the U.S. home of British
acts such as Elkie Brooks, Kathy Kirby, Tom Jones, Billy Fury and (gulp)
Lulu, amongst others
Of course we can ignore the horrible topside but as I understand it
"Don't Take The Lovers From The World" may have been written for Ms
Bassey.
So this Flip Cartridge version must be the second one? It still has the
tango rhythm but is taken at a slower pace. Was he a UK singer?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 18:55:35 +0000
From: Phil X. Milstein
Subject: lives in legacy
While searching online for some further information on the death of
Priscilla Paris, I located a site that carries current and accurate
mini-obits of prominent names. Reviewing the last few weeks of notices,
I cut-n-pasted those I thought would be of interest here, and grouped
the most Spectrocentric ones nearest the top. Priscilla's listing
doesn't tell us anything more than we already knew, but I found the one
below it to be especially sad -- if not for the music world than at
least for the son Jordan. The site can be found at
http://www.lifeinlegacy.com/ .
--Phil M.
-----------------------
Priscilla Paris -- Youngest sister of the pop vocal group The Paris
Sisters, best known for their 1961 top 5 hit "I Love How You Love Me",
who had several other hits including "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" and
"Be My Boy", who in 1969 recorded a solo album of her own called
"Priscilla Loves Billy", died unexpectedly on March 5 in Paris, France
at age 59.
Tule Livingston Dillow -- First wife of singer/songwriter Warren Zevon
and mother to their son Jordan Zevon, who recorded with Zevon as Lyme &
Cybelle and had a minor hit with "Follow Me" (#65 in 1966), died of
breast cancer on March 3 in Brea, California at the age of 57.
Steve Duboff -- Half of the singing, songwriting and producing duo with
Artie Kornfeld, who as the Changin' Times, recorded and charted with
their original version of "The Pied Piper" in 1965, a year before it
became a big hit for Crispian St. Peters, who also wrote the 1960's hits
"The Rain, the Park and Other Things" and "We Can Fly" for the Cowsills,
died Feb. 28 in Malibu, California after a long illness at the age of 62.
Vernon Williams -- Singer with the R&B vocal group the Satintones, one
of the first groups signed to Barry Gordy's Motown label in 1961, who
sang second tenor on their singles including "I Know How It Feels", who
also sang with the groups the Royal Holidays, the Pyramids and the Four
Sonics, died March 11 after a lengthy illness. His age and place of
death were not available.
Mary Ann Fisher -- R&B singer who toured in the 1950's and 60's with Ray
Charles, B.B. King, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Percy Mayfield and Bobby
Bland, and who had a minor chart hit in 1961 with "I Can't Take It",
died March 12 at a hospice in Louisville, Kentucky at the age of 81.
J.J. Malone -- Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist, who toured with
acts like Al Green, Joe Simon and Etta James, who as an executive at
Fantasy/Galaxy records in the late 60's and early 70's worked with
artists like Little Johnny Taylor, Big Mama Thornton and Creedence
Clearwater Revival (he helped develop CCR's sound and allegedly wrote
many of their tunes though he is not credited), who was rediscovered as
a performer in the 1980's and continued to record until 2001, died Feb.
20 of cancer in Hawaii at the age of 68.
Hank Marr -- R&B organist considered one of the world's masters of the
Hammond B-3 organ, who performed at Caesar's Palace, The Johnny Carson
Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Merv Griffin Show, who recorded
several records for the King and Federal labels, and had a minor hit
with 1964's instrumental "The Greasy Spoon", died March 16 in Columbus,
Ohio at the age of 77.
Tony Lee -- One of Britain's best-loved and most popular jazz pianists,
who played with such stars as Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, and whose
best known work was on recordings with big-band drummer Phil Seamen, as
well as several solo albums, died March 2 in Esher, Surrey, England at
the age of 69.
Alf Bicknell -- Chauffer to the Beatles during the height of their fame,
from the filming of the group "Help!" in 1964 until they quit touring in
1966, who became close to the group and was the inspiration of the song
"Drive My Car", and whose autobiography written with Garry Marsh, called
"The Original Baby You Can Drive My Car", was published in 1998, died
March 9 at his home in Oxford, England at age 75.
Edmund Sylvers -- Drummer and lead singer of the Sylvers, a Memphis
family group of nine brothers and sisters best known for the #1 pop hit
"Boogie Fever" in 1974 and the follow-up hits "Hot Line" (#5) and "High
School Dance" (#17), who had a solo R&B/dance hit of his own in 1980
with "That Burning Love", who later backed such artists as Janet Jackson
and The Whispers, and who was the voice of Marlon Jackson in the 1970's
Jackson's cartoon, died March 11 of lung cancer at a hospital in
Richmond, Virginia at the age of 47.
Ruth Ellington Boatwright -- Sister of jazz's greatest bandleader Duke
Ellington, who was the longtime president of Tempo Music, the company
that managed Ellington's business affairs and owned most of Ellington's
compositions, died March 7 in New York City after a long illness at age 88.
Anna Carter Gordon Davis -- Country and gospel singer, and one of the
original members of The Chuck Wagon Gang, a popular family quartet
created in Texas in 1935, and who was the widow of former Louisiana Gov.
Jimmie Davis, died March 5 in Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 86.
Peggy DeCastro -- Oldest member and lead singer of the Cuban-born
DeCastro Sisters (with sisters Babette --died 1993 -- and Cherie), who
sang on their big hit "Teach Me Tonight" (#2 in 1955) as well as other
songs like "Boom Boom Boomerang" and "It's Yours", who over the last 50
years were regular performers at Las Vegas casinos and who were inducted
into the Casino Legends Hall of Fame, died March 6 at her Las Vegas home
after a long illness at age 82.
John McGeoch -- British punk rocker and guitarist who co-founded the
band Magazine in the late 1970's, who was also a member of Siouxie & the
Banshees, P.I.L. and Visage at various points in his career, and who did
session work for such acts as Generation X and Ultravox, died in his
sleep on March 4 at his home in London at the age of 48.
Jack Sperling -- Noted jazz and big-band drummer who performed and
recorded with Bunny Berigan, Tex Beneke, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet,
and others, and who was the drummer on such NBC variety shows as those
of Steve Allen, Dean Martin and Andy Williams, and on "Rowan and
Martin's Laugh-In", died Feb. 26 in El Segundo, California at the age of 81.
Charles Bailey -- Country musician who with his brother Dan performed as
The Bailey Brothers, who were regular performers on WSM radio's Grand
Ole Opry beginning in the 1940's, died March 12 in Bear, Delaware at the
age of 88.
J.J. Jackson -- Longtime Los Angeles disc jockey who made history as one
of the original 5 MTV VJ's, who helped usher in the video music era when
the cable network was launched on August 1, 1981, who introduced videos,
did interviews with the biggest stars of the day and hosted several
programs at MTV during his five year tenure, and who later returned to
L.A. radio and worked at several stations, most recently as the
afternoon host at KTWV, died March 17 of a heart attack while driving in
Los Angeles. He was 62 years old.
Chuck "Be-Bop Charlie" Niles -- Legendary jazz radio host known also as
"Mr. Jazz" and the "Minister of Cool", whose legacy was often captured
in the song titles of prominent jazz musicians, and whose smooth
baritone voice and music knowledge helped him become the recipient of
the only Hollywood Walk of Fame star awarded to a jazz radio host, died
March 15 in Santa Monica of complications from a stroke at age 76.
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 00:35:15 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Patty Lace & the Petticoats
Jimmy Bee wrote, referring to Patty Lace and the Petticoats:
> Over the top and underappreciated. ... Who were they? Where
> from? Sneaky Sue wanna know!
Martin Roberts:
> Who they were is fairly easy; the label lists them as Patty
> Lace, Paula, Peppi and Pixie. As for the other questions...
> I'm sure Mick Patrick has used Patty Lace tracks on various
> CD and LP compilations. I bet if pushed he may be able to
> provide further info, such as age, bra size, town of birth.
20, 20, 20 and 21. 34B, 34B, 34B and 36C. All from Orange,
New Jersey.
Alright, I made all that up.
Dunno much about Patty Lace and her gang, except they were
four good looking black chicks, as pictured on the cover of
their to-die-for 4-track French EP. The group's records were
produced by the Feldman/Goldstein/Gottehrer team, which I
guess means they were New York-based. I think they were
session singers and as such made records using other names.
Isn't the fabulous "I Want You To Be My Boyfriend" by the
Chic-lets supposed to be them with Diane Christian of the
Darlettes singing lead? Reparata told me that they supplied
backing vocals on some tracks on the Delrons' "Whenever A
Teenager Cries" LP. None of their records are available on
legit CD - shame! So I've played one of the best to musica:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Patty Lace and the Petticoats "Girls Don't Trust That Boy"
(Kapp K-585, 1964). Written by Robert Spencer. Arranged by
Leroy Glover. A Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer Production.
Neb Rodgers wrote:
> The Get your DJ Name Quiz!
> http://quizme.stvlive.com/djname/quiz.php
My result was DJ Divine Monster. I can live with that. I've
never been called Divine before. Well, not to my face.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 23:51:39 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Cameo-Parkway NEWS!!!!
Ladies and gentlement of Spectropop!
Someone told Jeff Tamarkin what I said about the possibility of the
Cameo-Parkway compilations coming out this year. And he sent me one
hell of an e-mail in response. He wrote:
>>Hello SJ,
Your email regarding the status of the Cameo-Parkway reissues was
passed along to me. I can tell you with 100% certainty that the
reissues will be rolling out this summer, with liner notes written
by me (I've conducted thus far 25 interviews with C-P related
artists, employees, producers, musicians, even family members). I
can't tell you much about the actual content (look for announcements
soon) but I can confirm that there will indeed be a multi-CD boxed
set and several individual best-ofs. I can also tell you that I've
heard some of the remasters and the sound is incredible--it is true
that Jody wanted to wait until they could deliver these recordings
in superb sound quality. You'll be pleased, I'm sure.
We've all been hearing for years that these reissues were on the
way, and so I can't blame anyone for thinking this is another false
alarm, but it's not. As Southside Johnny sang, this time it's for
real. Feel free to spread the word.
Jeff Tamarkin<<
Break out the champagne, everyone!
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 10:03:36 -0800 (PST)
From: max weiner
Subject: Re: magnificent 7 Al Caiolas
Dan Hughes joked:
> No Mac, not the same guy. There are actually seven different Al Caiolas,
> hard to tell apart because their styles are so similar.
Thanks Dan,
Didn't realize there were 7. Wow! Appreciate the info.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:49:16 -0000
From: superoldies
Subject: Re: Cameo-Parkway and ABKCO
previously:
> ... and then maybe some compilations featuring Doo-Wop, Teen
> Idols, '60s Dance Craze, Girl Groups, and Garage Bands.
That would be the best idea since there are many low charting Cameo-
Parkway releases that you'll never find anywhere, like Georgie Young
& The Rockin' Boys ("9 More Miles") for example. A low charter, but a
hit nonetheless, and it deserves to be released. Individual CDs as
mentioned would be ideal.
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Message: 7
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 14:48:30 -0500
From: Lloyd Davis
Subject: Re: "Guess Who?"
Country Paul wrote:
> Jim, while I don't remember "Sour Suite," I share your opinion of
> Burt Cummings, whose vocal style I find to be as sincere as a three-
> dollar bill. However, "Shakin' All Over" featured a different lead
> singer: Chad Allen. The group had hits in Canada as Chad Allen & The
> Exceptions. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with them.
The group's name had been Chad Allan and the Reflections, but in 1964 the
Detroit group the Reflections had a Top Ten hit with "Just Like Romeo and
Juliet," so Allan's group changed its name to the Expressions.
They were signed to Toronto's Quality Records, who didn't forward any money
for studio time. The group had been paying out of its own pocket to record
at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis (500 miles away), but this time around
they were broke, so the host of a local TV show, "Teen Dance Party,"
smuggled them into the CJAY television studio after hours and bribed a
station employee to engineer the recording.
The studio had only one microphone, a mono recording deck, and no playback
monitors. The guitars were plugged into and mixed through a single amp. When
the drums were judged to be too loud, they were moved away from the mic.
When the band wanted to hear a playback, they had to crowd into the control
room while the engineer unplugged the mic's patch cables and plugged in the
leads to the loudspeaker. At one point, the engineer goofed, and
inadvertently created a tape-delay effect. It reminded them of the slap-back
echo on Elvis's Sun records, as well as those by Cliff Richard and the
Shadows.
Still, they thought "Shakin' All Over" was the B side. The intended A side
was "Where Have You Been All My Life," which had been recorded by Gerry and
the Pacemakers and by Arthur Alexander (I think it was by Mann and Weil).
The Expressions called their version "Till We Kissed," because they didn't
have the record; they'd learned the song off a reel-to-reel tape that a
friend of a friend had made off the radio in England.
George Struth at Quality disagreed, and felt that "Shakin' All Over" was the
hit.
The problem was, how to get it played? In 1965, there were no Canadian
content regulations. Even if there had been, it's doubtful that a Winnipeg
record would have been anything more than a regional hit selling a few
hundred copies.
Struth decided that the record sounded British, so why not let everyone
think it was from the UK? Bear in mind the British Invasion began earlier in
Canada -- acts like the Shadows had sold well for years, a fact that
convinced Capitol of Canada there might be a market for the Beatles in 1963.
Promotional copies of "Shakin' All Over" were sent out with a plain white
label that bore only the title, the time, and "Guess Who?"
I think the plain label may have served two purposes. Not only did it
disguise the origin of the band by not naming them, but it obscured the fact
that the record was on Quality Records.
Quality issued original Canadian recordings, but their bread and butter was
the leasing of masters from independent US labels like Vee Jay, Swan,
Specialty, and Motown. These American records tended to come out on
"subsidiary" labels with names like Reo (my father's collection of 45s
includes vintage Canadian pressings of Four Seasons and Miracles sides on
Reo). The cream-and-red Quality label, known for records by the likes of the
Beau-Marks ("Clap Your Hands") or Bobby Curtola, would have been a dead
giveaway that "Shakin' All Over" was Canadian.
Radio stations played the single, and the urban legends began. DJs and
listeners swore that the record was by any number of British acts, or some
kind of bootleg from a British "supergroup" session.
Scepter leased the single, and the group later recorded at Scepter's studio
in New York. They cut a cover of "Tossin' and Turnin'," which was a hit in
Canada, as well as "Hurting Each Other" (later a hit for the Carpenters) and
"Hey Ho (What You Do to Me)," which was an early composition by Ashford and
Simpson.
When their first album, "Shakin' All Over," came out on Quality, they were
identified as "Chad Allan and the Expressions -- Guess Who?"
Bob Ashley, the band's keyboardist, quit in the autumn of 1965, and was
replaced by Cummings. Allan dropped out in mid 1966, and shortly thereafter
got a gig in Winnipeg hosting CBWT-TV's "Let's Go." The Guess Who were hired
as the house band on that show.
Enter Jack Richardson of the McCann-Erickson ad agency, which had the
Coca-Cola account. Richardson had produced radio spots for Coke featuring
Canadian acts like Bobby Curtola, David Clayton Thomas, and the Staccatos
(later the Five Man Electrical Band). He noticed the Guess Who on "Let's Go"
and signed them to do a Coke commercial.
Around 1967, Richardson formed a production company, Nimbus 9, and a label,
Nimbus Records, to be distributed by RCA Victor. The Guess Who and the
Staccatos each got one side of a Nimbus album, "A Wild Pair."
(The Staccatos had recorded for Capitol of Canada since 1965; their one
national hit, "Half Past Midnight," was released in early '67 on Capitol
72453. It peaked at number 10 on Toronto's CHUM chart in March 1967. A
couple of years later, under their new name, they signed with Jimmy Webb's
Lionel label.)
Richardson bought the Guess Who out of their Quality contract, and recorded
their "Wheatfield Soul" album. The first single, "These Eyes," hit #1 at
1050 CHUM in Toronto in mid February 1969, and a couple of months later
peaked at #3 on the CKLW chart in the Detroit area. That support helped
place it in the Top Ten in Billboard.
Guitarist Randy Bachman dropped out of the Guess Who in 1970 and went on to
form Brave Belt, which recorded a couple of albums on Reprise. Chad Allan
was also in this group, along with Fred Turner and Robbie Bachman. Allan
dropped out after the second LP, his place was taken by another brother, Tim
Bachman, and the group became Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Bachman was a contemporary and an acolyte of the jazz guitar legend Lenny
Breau, an influence that really comes through on the Guess Who's "Undun" and
BTO's "Looking Out for Number One." The Guess Who weren't the same group
after he left; personnel-wise, there was a revolving door, particularly at
lead guitar.
Lloyd Davis
Toronto, ON
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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:57:07 +0100
From: Eddy Smith
Subject: Re: when they're 64
Phil X. M. wrote:
> I remember that in
> the first-ever book of Beatles illustrated lyrics, accompanying "When
> I'm 64" was an artist's fantasy version of what the boys would look like
> in 2004. It was a sobering thing to see back when they were still in their
> mid-30s, but now that that time is indeed upon us I'm curious to revisit
> that illustration, to see how accurate the artist may've been
It's in the photo section, Phil!
Eddy
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:31:02 -0000
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: Jeanne Thomas
Mention of Jeanne Thomas promts me to ask the following question.
I have a 45, My Heart Has Told Me What To Do/ Say Something Sweet
To Me (Strand 25026, 1961) by Jeanie Thomas. Does the team think this
is the same person, or a different similarly named chantuese?
Simon
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Message: 10
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 11:33:20 -0600
From: Steve Jarrell
Subject: Re: the death of Shindig
Freeman,
Some of us even remember the Lloyd Thaxton show.
Steve Jarrell
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Message: 11
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 12:14:19 EST
From: Paul Urbahn
Subject: Re: Let's Twist Again
Billy wrote:
> Still ABKCO's explanation for the holdup sounds like a lame excuse
> to me. The technology for a proper remastering project was available
> over 10 years ago. No kind of digital remastering or DVD storage
> wizardry is gonna make "Lets Twist Again" sound better.
Billy, I have long felt that the purpose behind ABKCO Records (that's what
their letterhead says) but I figure it should be ABKCO Music) is to license music
to others like the film industry. That way you are not actually pressing records
(or CDs), sending them to distributors hoping you get your money for them,
etc., but just licensing stuff to other people to use. You only have one
customer to deal with, you have a written contract that will hold up in
court, and you get your money up front.
ABKCO licensed "Let's Twist Again" for use in a television series -- can't
remember the title right now, but I have the soundtrack CD with the song.
The producers must have paid ABKCO's fee. However, I also have a CD of
Peter Noone's recording of "I'm Into Something Good", which was used
in the movie The Naked Gun. I was told by someone in the industry that the
film company had him do a sound-a-like of The Herman's Hermits version
because they could get rights to use the song, but not the original recording,
which ABKCO controlled.
The only problem with that theory is why doesn't ABKCO license the Cameo-
Parkway material -- and Herman's Hermits stuff, for that matter -- to other
companies like Rhino and Collectables? I guess that question will never be
answered. That's why I am thankful to Liberty Bell.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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