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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 26 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Accuracy of Top 40 Playlists
From: Ed Salamon
2. Re: Gary Chester
From: Hal Muskat
3. Re: Billy Abbott's Jewels
From: Gary Myers
4. The Young Rascals
From: Mikey
5. Re: Tex & The Chex
From: Hal Muskat
6. Re: Accuracy of Top 40 Playlists
From: Jim Shannon
7. Re: Long Islanders
From: Steven Prazak
8. Maggie Thrett
From: Mike McKay
9. Re: Rick Nelson - "Your Kind Of Loving"
From: Fred Clemens
10. Re: Queens acts
From: Phil X. Milstein
11. Re: do-be-do-be-doo
From: Clark Besch
12. Re: Long Island acts
From: Gregg Lopez
13. Re: Tandyn Almer
From: Frank Jastfelder
14. Re: Song Hits
From: Gary Myers
15. re: Long Island rockers
From: Larry Lapka
16. Re: the price of love
From: Kingsley Abbot
17. re: Patio Lantern (Vinton)
From: Javed Jafri
18. Re: Your Kind Of Loving
From: Steve Harvey
19. Re: Bobby Vinton v. Buddy Greco
From: Rodney Rawlings
20. Re: Rick's Rarities
From: Doug Richard
21. "S.O.S." / Long Islanders
From: James Botticelli
22. Re: The Embassy label
From: Scott Charbonneau
23. Re: Song Hits / Long Island (City) / Goody's / price of rex
From: Phil X. Milstein
24. Re: Rick's Rarities
From: James Botticelli
25. Re: do-be-do-be-doo
From: Joe Nelson
26. Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart & Jack Keller
From: Austin Roberts
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 15:14:53 -0000
From: Ed Salamon
Subject: Re: Accuracy of Top 40 Playlists
Jim Shannon:
> I'm sure these playlists could have been manipulated by zealous
> music directors with one eye on Cashbox and the other on Arbitron.
Right you are Jim. If anything, playlists were better indicators of
what was played, rather than what was sold. Sales "research" was
pretty unreliable until Soundscan. Most stores spent little time
keeping accurate track of single sales for the benefit of stations
who called them (we in radio really valued those that tried - thanks
30+ years later to Leedle and Rich Cline at NRM, Paul at Record Rama,
Dolores and Don at Stedefords). Store reports could often be
influenced by a 25 box of stock 45s. You will note that most charts
add "and the opinion of the station", which in itself was enough to
negate all of the above. That said, playlists were such an unreliable
indicator of even what was actually played, because of "paper adds",
that today at least two companies make an industry out of monitoring
stations airplay to determine accurate airplay.
Ed "my playlists were always accurate" Salamon
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 09:23:25 -0700
From: Hal Muskat
Subject: Re: Gary Chester
Dennis Diken:
> Hello Hal, I am a major fan of Gary Chester. Please let me know
> of efforts to get the man into the Hall Of Fame.
Thanks Dennis. This effort is barely off the ground. We just keep
talking Gary up to folks who might assist. We need to identify the
folks who make the recommendations and selections and have good folks
like you and our friends write letters to them. If these folks could
just see his credit list from the back of New Breed, they'd be
astounded and would wonder what took themselves so long.
cheers, Hal
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 09:39:57 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Billy Abbott's Jewels
> ...did a little research a few years ago and found Abbott's son.
> Abbott is deceased and his real last name was Vaughn.
Adding a bit to my own info:
I have a phone # and address in Pensauken, NJ for Abbott's son, but
IIRC, that info changed once during a period of only a few months,
and I had the impression that it might be very changeable. Abbott
(Vaughn) died many years ago - quite young - and I thought I had
the year, along with a few other things, but I haven't found
anything in the first couple of places I looked. Also, (not sure of
this) I think the "Jewels" may have been just a name to use on the
record and not a working group.
gem
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:59:25 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: The Young Rascals
My cousin's band used to open up for The Rascals.
My cousin says that live, The Rascals were UNTOUCHABLE.
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 10:06:58 -0700
From: Hal Muskat
Subject: Re: Tex & The Chex
Hi Phil, Alan,
The name Chex came from the fact that this was an inter-racial, multi
enthnic group. I believe one of the guys was Puerto Rican, Tex is Black
and the other three were Jewish, Italian and Irish - at least in 1962 -
63. A very Brooklyn band. Or so says my chromosome depleted memory.
Where is Rod "Tex" Bristow? cheers, Hal
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 18:24:10 -0000
From: Jim Shannon
Subject: Re: Accuracy of Top 40 Playlists
Mike McKay wrote:
> I worked at a 500-watt daytimer in 1971 (which nevertheless gave the
> big, established Top 40 station in town a run for its money for a
> time). We were independently owned, and no one in management knew or
> cared anything about the music we played. I can recall any number of
> records we kept on our local survey for several weeks after they'd
> stiffed nationally, just 'cause we really liked 'em! "That's Fine"
> by Brownsville Station and "Give Up Your Guns" by The Buoys are two
> that come to mind from that summer.
Mike:
Similiar situation in my market, where the underdog but creative
station would give the smaller labels and singles a little better
chance by keeping on the playlist. Two songs from the spring of
'68- "Mrs Bluebird" by Eternity's Children and "Sit with Guru" from
the Strawberry Alarmclock.
JIm Shannon
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:01:15 -0400
From: Steven Prazak
Subject: Re: Long Islanders
...lest we neglect the oft-neglected Barnaby Bye; two sweet 'n'
syrupy pop elpees for Atlantic including both Alessi Brothers
and Illusion drummer Mike Ricciardella.
Steven Prazak
Atlanta, GA
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 15:57:17 EDT
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Maggie Thrett
Al Kooper wrote:
> Include adjacent Queens (the borough, not the people) and ya get KISS,
> Run DMC, Steve Katz, Harvey Brooks, James Brown (St. Albans-dweller)
> Maggie Thrett...
Wow, there's a name from out of the past!
In high school I worked at a movie theatre that showed "Three in the
Attic" for an extended run. I got to know the film (and its fine
soundtrack by Chad and Jeremy) quite well.
Maggie played the very long-haired hippie chick, one of three who try
to screw the life out of Christopher Jones in retaliation for his
trifling. (Death, where is thy sting? Especially when one of the others
was Yvette Mimieux!).
I didn't realize Maggie had any kind of a musical career. What's the
scoop, Al?
Mike
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 22:53:02 -0000
From: Fred Clemens
Subject: Re: Rick Nelson - "Your Kind Of Loving"
S.J. Dibai wrote:
> Hello, Spectropoppers! I was watching an "Ed Sullivan" clip that I
> taped just to get Rick Nelson doing his groovy 1966 (?) record "Your
> Kind Of Loving." It seems like he's miming to a recording, so I'm
> assuming that what I hear there is what I would hear on the 45. I've
> been looking for a while now to see if this track is available on
> CD, but I haven't found it yet. Does anyone know of a CD release?
I'm fairly certain that the performance was live, as most Sullivan
performances were, to my knowledge. On that same broadcast, he also
sang the flip side, "Fire Breathing Dragon", appearing without his
band. Both performances were at least close if they were in deed done
live. I do have a OZZIE AND HARRIET episode where he also performs
"Your Kind Of Loving" at the end of the program. That IS different
from the record.
Fred Clemens
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:00:20 +0000
From: Phil X. Milstein
Subject: Re: Queens acts
Al Kooper wrote:
> Include adjacent Queens (the borough, not the people) and ya get KISS,
> Run DMC, Steve Katz, Harvey Brooks, James Brown (St. Albans-dweller)
> Maggie Thrett, The Rockin' Chairs, Paul Harris and....
Not to mention Simon, and Garfunkel, Los Ramones y Las Shangri-Las.
--Phil M.
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 05:42:58 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: do-be-do-be-doo
Karen Andrew wrote:
> It's funny that Frank Sinatra did not like "Strangers in the Night".
> That was one of his most famous songs, at least in his later years.
> But, I just think it was a sexy, sort of magical song, especially if
> you let your thoughts wonder while listening to it. Well, we all
> have our likes and dislikes, heh?
"That's Life" does it for me! Depending on what month it is, y'know?
My, myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy,
Clark
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:25:11 -0700
From: Gregg Lopez
Subject: Re: Long Island acts
I recall reading Sterling Morrison refer to the Velvet Underground, jokingly
I think, as 'a tight Long Island bar band'. By 1969, 03 /4 of the band was from
L.I. If one wants to groove on the L.I. scene of the '60s, then dig into the
output of Pickwick records during Lou Reed's tenure. One cut in particular
stands out -- from the 'Soundsville!' LP -- an amazing Curtis Mayfield homage
called 'First Impression' by The Hi-Lifes, which I'd like to post to musica
when there's space.
As a serious music fan growing up on L.I., I had to take the LIRR to the city,
so as never again to witness the blank expression of a Sam Goody clerk at
the mall when asking for '96 Tears'.
Other famous L.I. acts: Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat and Public Enemy.
GL
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 12:07:02 +0200
From: Frank Jastfelder
Subject: Re: Tandyn Almer
Andrew Weiner wrote:
> I got curious about Tandyn Almer after I discovered the Ballroom's
> version of You Turned Me Around, the greatest hit The Association
> never had. ... But I wonder how many more great songs he might
> have written if he hadn't been busy inventing bongs.
I guess his song, then, should be retitled "Along Comes Mary Jane". Or
does it already have that connotation?
Frank
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 23:15:43 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Song Hits
Phil M. provided link:
> http://www.aspma.com/temp/SongHits;
Phil, I tried the link, got a kind of index page (with an alien saying I got the
wrong address, or something like that), tried site search, but did not find
a Donnie Brooks article.
gem
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Message: 15
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 05:45:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Larry Lapka
Subject: re: Long Island rockers
Dear All:
I guess you could lump Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island together,
although in my original post I was just thinking about the Island.
Am I dreaming, or do Boyce and Hart (one or the other) have roots
on Long Island, too? I am pretty sure that others related to The
Monkees' success had Long Island roots, including Diane Hildebrand
and Neil Sedaka -- growing up in South Jamaica, Queens in the mid to
late 1960s and early 1970s, I knew Neil's nephew. Also, doesn't Don
Kirshner have Island roots?
For obvious reason, I did not list Mariah Carey.
Larry Lapka
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 17:49:19 +0100
From: Kingsley Abbot
Subject: Re: the price of love
Ah!!! The memories of prices of British records! For what it's worth
I'll put in my twopenneth ...
In 1962 I'd say that singles were 6s 3d -- they went to 6s 8d (3 for a
pound) circa late '63 ish. Full-price albums were 32s 6d, with budget
ones (eg Ace of Glubs, etc.) at about 21s 6d, and imports (Transat in
Lisle street -- oh happy days!) at 42s 6d. (For non-British members:
20s = one pound then.)
My memory is that Woolwoths' Embassy range was exactly half-price,
at 3s 4d -- anyone confirm? This lower price was also roughly the price
of deleted discs, if you could find them at the time, tho they could also
be cheaper -- I recall finding a big batch of US singles in the Holloway
Road for 2s 6d.
Can some kind US member of a certain age give US equivalents of the
time??
Kingsley (happily pedantic) Abbott
P.S. For obscure girl groups, I love the Inspirations' version of 'What
Am I Gonna Do With You (Hey Baby)'.
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 22:10:03 -0700
From: Javed Jafri
Subject: re: Patio Lantern (Vinton)
Clark Besch wrote:
> Along the Vinton topic, was listening to Kim Mitchell's "Patio
> Lantern" from the '80s the other day and realized he says something
> about his first date and listening to "Roses are Red".
Actually Cark, the "Patio Lantern" lyrics reference another Bobby Vinton
song, "Blue on Blue", not "Roses are Red"
Here's the lyric:
Dancing to an old song
Bobby Vinton's Blue on Blue
Heartache on Heartache
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:46:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Your Kind Of Loving
S.J. Dibai wrote:
> I was watching an "Ed Sullivan" clip that I taped just to get Rick
> Nelson doing his groovy 1966 (?) record "Your Kind Of Loving."
The Knickerbockers did a version, too.
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Message: 19
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 22:41:51 -0000
From: Rodney Rawlings
Subject: Re: Bobby Vinton v. Buddy Greco
S.J. Dibai wrote:
> Thanks for sharing Buddy Greco's version of "Mr. Lonely." ...
> Greco's delivery is assured and professional, but where's the
> vulnerability? The raw emotion? The strained falsetto, adding that
> extra layer of pathos?? I'll take Bobby Vinton's version any day.
I've never heard Greco's version, but I love the Vinton version for the
exact reasons you do.
I should mention here that this is NOT the song I was seeking in the other
thread about "I am the lonely man, that's me." I still hope someone can
come through for me on that.
Rodney Rawlings
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Message: 20
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 09:19:52 -0000
From: Doug Richard
Subject: Re: Rick's Rarities
S.J. Dibai wrote:
> I was watching an "Ed Sullivan" clip that I taped just to get Rick
> Nelson doing his groovy 1966 (?) record "Your Kind Of Loving."
Both "Your Kind Of Loving" and its flip, "Fire Breathing Dragon",
are on the new Ace CD "Rick's Rarities". Here's a link:
http://www.acerecords.co.uk/gotrt/feb04/cdchd995.html
Doug
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Message: 21
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 15:09:07 -0400
From: James Botticelli
Subject: "S.O.S." / Long Islanders
Simon White wrote:
> "Hey hey, I'm sending,
> Out an S.O.S."
from Maine to Mexico?....greatest non-Motown Motown rekkid ever.
Gregg Lopez wrote:
> Other famous L.I. acts: Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat and Public Enemy.
Was Vanilla Fudge mentioned?
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Message: 22
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 16:47:44 -0000
From: Scott Charbonneau
Subject: Re: The Embassy label
Howard (collector of obscure British cover versions!!):
> And would anybody be interested in hearing more on Woolies' Embassy
> label?
Didn't the Jaybirds, who would later become better known as Ten Years
After, release a few 7" on the label? And wasn't there a compilation
LP here in the US crica '64 or '65, put out by 20th Century Fox,
entitled The Original Liverpool Beat? Believe this was a collection
of various Embassy releases.
Scott
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Message: 23
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 12:30:59 +0000
From: Phil X. Milstein
Subject: Re: Song Hits / Long Island (City) / Goody's / price of rex
Gary Myers wrote:
> Phil, I tried the link, got a kind of index page (with an alien
> saying I got the wrong address, or something like that), tried site
> search, but did not find a Donnie Brooks article.
My mistake -- one little misplaced semi-colon, and the whole damn thing
breaks down! The correct link is: http://www.aspma.com/temp/SongHits
The issue is cover-dated February, 1962.
> I recall reading Sterling Morrison refer to the Velvet Underground,
> jokingly I think, as 'a tight Long Island bar band'. By 1969, 03 /4 of
> the band was from L.I. If one wants to groove on the L.I. scene of the
> '60s, then dig into the output of Pickwick records during Lou Reed's
> tenure.
Pickwick was not in Long Island but rather Long Island City, which, I'm
not mistaken, is the most westerly neighborhood of Queens, and visible
from Manhattan.
> As a serious music fan growing up on L.I., I had to take the LIRR to
> the city, so as never again to witness the blank expression of a Sam
> Goody clerk at the mall when asking for '96 Tears'.
I knew someone who worked at a Goody's, in Jersey, at the time The
Allman Brothers were at their peak popularity. Whenever someone would
ask him where to find "Eat A Peach," he'd feign mishearing and lead the
kid to the Edith Piaf section.
> Other famous L.I. acts: Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat and Public Enemy.
Foghat?! I always thought they were English. Maybe I'm confusing them
with Humble Pie.
Kingsley Abbot wrote:
> Can some kind US member of a certain age give US equivalents of the
> time?
I recall singles, during late '60s/early '70s, as having been 69 cents,
with LPs at $3.99. To get a leg up on the competition, a store might
occasionally mark their albums down to $3.79, or even, when they REALLY
wanted to sock it to 'em, $3.69.
--Phil M.
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Message: 24
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 13:27:33 -0400
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Rick's Rarities
S.J. Dibai wrote:
> I was watching an "Ed Sullivan" clip that I taped just to get Rick
> Nelson doing his groovy 1966 (?) record "Your Kind Of Loving."
Doug Richard:
> Both "Your Kind Of Loving" and its flip, "Fire Breathing Dragon",
> are on the new Ace CD "Rick's Rarities". Here's a link:
> http://www.acerecords.co.uk/gotrt/feb04/cdchd995.html
Speaking of Rick Rarities......
"On The Flip Side" OST made for ABC-TV, scored by Burt Bacharach & Hal
David, starring Rick Nelson & Joanie Sommers:
"The story of a young big beat singer named Carlos O'Connor (Rick
Nelson) who finds himself at 21, at the dangerous edge of being a has-
been. His bookings have fallen to about zero, his recording contract
cancelled, and, worst of all, the fan clubs have dropped him in favor
of newer attractions The Hors D'Oeuvres and The West Berlin Nein.
To save him from onrushing obscurity there materializes divine
intervention in the form of four young hipsters from inside the Pearly
Gates, a quartet headed by Angie (Joanie Sommers). Carlos needs their
help, they decide. Didn't they do as much for Frankie in '53?
They go AWOL from Big Pearly, as they call it, and transform themselves
into a swinging group called The Celestials as a backing group for the
solitary Carlos.
Chaos of course ensues. From the top of the Pan Am Building, as they
await Carlos' arrival in NYC , to his hotel, to the Way Out Inn in
Greenwich Village, to a bankruptcy-riddled boutique called Juanita's
Place, to the Cafe Pot, finally to a record company presided over by a
foppish Edwardian, 23.
Carlos re-emerges with a hit record and is once again on top. The songs
are pure Bacharach & David--which is about as pure as you get these
days. Whatever 'firsts' or 'lasts' the show can claim, the writing of
completely contemporary songs for an original television production is
certainly a 'first'. The songs are intricately woven into the plot. But
as the Edwardian record producer says "enough polite"! Listen to these
nuts and they'll have you down on MacDougal Street looking for Juanita's
Place."....Liners
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Message: 25
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 12:23:58 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: do-be-do-be-doo
Karen Andrew wrote:
> It's funny that Frank Sinatra did not like "Strangers in the Night".
> That was one of his most famous songs, at least in his later years.
> But, I just think it was a sexy, sort of magical song, especially if
> you let your thoughts wonder while listening to it. Well, we all
> have our likes and dislikes, heh?
Clark Besch:
> "That's Life" does it for me! Depending on what month it is, y'know?
Jimmy Bowen, who produced both songs, once told an interviewer that
the only song he produced on Frank that he'd ever seen the Chairman of
the Board perform live was "That's Life". Bowen singled out SITN as a
specific example that Frank DIDN'T sing.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 26
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 13:36:51 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart & Jack Keller
> Am I dreaming, or do Boyce and Hart (one or the other) have roots
> on Long Island, too? I am pretty sure that others related to The
> Monkees' success had Long Island roots
Tommy Boyce was from Charlottesville, Va., but lived in NYC during
the time he was working with Curtis Lee (they wrote Pretty Little
Angel Eyes and Under The Moon Of Love for Curtis) and I'm sure he
lived there before and after awhile. Bobby Hart is from Phoenix or
Tuscon Arizona (I forget which one) and worked in NYC awhile too. He
and Boyce did most of their work together in LA.
Jack Keller, who also worked with the Monkees in LA is from Brooklyn.
I have had the pleasure of working with all three (Oscar nomination
with Hart) and they are all terrific talents. Tommy Boyce is greatly
missed by those who knew him and also by those who new his work.
Best, Austin Roberts
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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