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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Animal variations
From: Mike McKay
2. Re: Catholic girl groups?
From: Tony Leong
3. Re: Appaloosa
From: Mike McKay
4. more on Mike Clifford
From: Phil X Milstein
5. Re: what's a 45?
From: Peter Lerner
6. Re: Sedaka's tracks
From: Mike McKay
7. 45rpm: the book
From: Kingsley Abbott
8. Re: Appaloosa; Sedaka bg vox
From: Al Kooper
9. Arkade and "Sentimental Lisa"
From: Peter McCray
10. Re: Carole King demos
From: Brian Ferrari
11. new Diplomats compilation
From: Julio Niño
12. Happenings/Bridge; "Mr. Soul" Brothers; short shorts
From: Country Paul
13. lost recordings
From: Will Stos
14. another belated hello; Kiki Dee's forgotten '60s
From: Tom K
15. Re: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
From: Mikey
16. Re: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
From: Gary Myers
17. Re: What's a 45?
From: Matt Spero
18. Nervous Norvus
From: Country Paul
19. Darn, Witchi-Tai-to isn't on this Cd!
From: Tom Taber
20. Ain't No Soul . . .
From: Al Kooper
21. Hi Ho Silver Throat!
From: S.J. Dibai
22. Another belated hello
From: Joe Nelson
23. Re: Jerden / Rev Ola reviews
From: Patrick Rands
24. Check out Jazz From Lincoln Center
From: Mike Rashkow
25. Ain't No Soul . . .
From: Frank Murphy
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 22:29:29 EDT
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Animal variations
Steve Harvey wrote:
> Recently I made a CD of my fav Animal tunes. In the process I
> discovered two variations of "Boom Boom". I knew about the two
> versions of "Outcast". The two rarer versions of "Boom Boom" and
> "Outcast" can be found on the Cd "The Rhythm & Blues Collection".
> Are there any other variations on Animal tracks that I'm missing?
I assume you're cognizant of the two vastly different versions of "We Gotta
Get Out of This Place." The version that all of us in the United States grew up
loving, which appeared on the U.S. MGM single and concurrent album releases,
was apparently an alternate take shipped to the U.S. by mistake. Almost
everywhere else in the world, a different take was released, one which is
inferior by several million degrees to the U.S. one.
Unfortunately, it's this version that seems to appear on all Animals CD
reissues, and also gets played on U.S. oldies stations (despite bearing scant
resemblance to the take that was actually a hit on these shores).
I've asked before and I'll ask again -- has the U.S. single version of "We
Gotta Get Out of This Place" ever appeared on CD anywhere?
Mike
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 17:06:46 -0000
From: Tony Leong
Subject: Re: Catholic girl groups?
Margaret G. Still asked:
> The Chantels, Reparata and the Delrons ... who else would be Catholic
> School girl groups?
Phil Milstein replied:
> The Shangri-Las. Why do you ask?
The Shangri-Las went to a public high school in Queens (Andrew Jackson).
Mary Ann and Margie went to a Catholic grammar school, and are buried
in a Catholic cemetery in Farmingdale, L.I.
Tony Leong
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 23:00:30 EDT
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Appaloosa
Christian Steiner wrote:
> Yesterday a friend of mine gave me the 1969 LP from Appaloosa
> as a birthday present. I was blown away by hearing the record for
> the first time today, which is produced by Al Kooper. .... Did they
> make a further album?
To follow up a little further on Al Kooper's reply, there was a second
Appaloosa album (sort of), also on Columbia. But by that time the band
was down to a duo and going by the name Compton & Batteau (i.e.,
guitarist/songwriter John Compton and violinist Robin Batteau). This
album, titled "In California," also has some great songs, most notably
"Silk On Steel." John and Robin are augmented by various studio
musicians, some of renown, on this effort.
I was fortunate enough to see Compton & Batteau live on at least two
occasions in the early 1970s in a small coffee house setting, and they were
wonderful indeed. In addition to tracks from the two albums, I can recall
them doing an affecting cover of Rick Nelson's "Traveling Man."
Robin Batteau went on to several other bands and cut an album with his
brother ("Batteaux"), and later still became a successful writer of jingles
(profiled in People magazine many years ago). John Compton is still around,
going variously by Johnny Compton or John Parker Compton. A few years
ago, I discovered his website and e-mailed him a gushing fan letter, which he
graciously responded to -- while also sending me a copy of his contemporary
CD, "Sailing 'Round The World," which has some very nice moments.
You can learn more about John Compton here:
http://www.vmcrecords.com/index.html
Mike
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 13:46:35 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: more on Mike Clifford
An entry in Wayne Jancik's "Billboard Book Of One-Hit Wonders" might
answer some remaining questions about Mike Clifford. And I quote:
-------------------
MIKE CLIFFORD
CLOSE TO CATHY
(Bob Goodman, Earl Shuman)
United Artists 489
No. 12, November 3, 1962
"... His voice really rubs me the right way," said Mae West of Mike
Clifford in the legend's last film, Sextette (1978).
"I've seen a lot of people go and come in the last 40 years," wrote Mike
Clifford in a letter to the author. "In 1964, Sonny & Cher were my
opening act! I toured with the Supremes, before their first hit; Mary
Wilson wrote of me in her book, Dreamgirls...'
When five, Mike (b. Nov. 5, 1943, Los Angeles) started singing with a
group of strolling sidewalk musicians on the island of Catalina, where
his parents owned a summertime business. His father, Cal Clifford, was a
trumpet player with Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Paul Whiteman, and his
own unit, The Cavaliers. Mike -- who got the chance to perfect his
performance with his dad's band -- was making demos at the age of 15.
The following year, he was greased up, suited, and crooning in
nightclubs. Helen Noga, Johnny Mathis' manager, happened to hear Mike's
singing and decided to manage him; she also introduced him to Mathis'
label, Columbia. Mike's first few singles for Columbia were not bad teen
idol tunes; the Paul Anka-supervised "Uh Huh"actually had raw and
youthful energy.
Noga arranged for Mike to make his first of several appearances on "The
Ed Sullivan Show," in 1961 -- an event that would cause him to miss his
awaited high school prom and graduation. Bio materials report that Mike
Clifford had his first major hit -- a number-one charter, no less --
that year with the Lawrence Welk/George Cates tune "Bombay," in
Venezuela. The success garnered the 18 year old his own TV special on
the state-owned network, emanating from Caracas. On his return, Mike was
ushered into the studios for a recording session for United Artists.
"Close to Cathy," as well as his debut LP, For The Love Of Mike, were
the result. His odes to girls like "Cathy" and "Joanna" though, were
puffy pop, with leanings toward earlier times; definitely not the fodder
for die-hard rock and rollers.
While "What To Do With Laurie" (#68, 1963) and "One Boy Too Late" (#96,
1963) did chart, the road as a recording artist got rougher for Mike.
More records were made for Cameo, Sidewalk, America International, and
Air Records, some reportedly popular in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
Through it all, Clifford appeared often on "American Bandstand," made
four tours with the Dick Clark Caravan and appearances on the Joey
Bishop, Donald O'Connor, and Mike Douglas shows; as well as repeat
performances at such clubs as Mister Kelly's, the Hullaballoo Club and
various Playboy Clubs.
In 1965, Mike Clifford made his acting debut opposite "Leave It To
Beaver's" Tony Dow and "Lassie's" Tommy Rettig in ABC-TV's short-lived
soap series "Never Too Young." That same year, Clifford and Casey Kasem
co-hosted the syndicated music show "Shebang," and appeared with 30-foot
tall Tommy Kirk and Beau Bridges in the sci-fi silly Village Of The
Giants (1965).
For two years in the '70s, Mike played the dual role of Johnny
Casino/Teen Angel -- opposite John Travolta-Barry Bostwick -- in the
national touring company of the musical Grease. He sang "Love Will Keep
Us Together" with femme fatale Mae West in her last flick, the Regis
Philbin-Keith Moon-Alice Cooper extravaganza Sextette (1978); sang the
love theme to Orson Welles' Necromancy (1972), and appeared in John
Hurt's Lord Of The Rings (1978).
And then there's the commercials he did -- Inglenook Wine, MJB Coffee,
Holloway Candies, and Ortho Mattresses.
"Right now, I have a part-time job, and I'm doing demos for
songwriters," wrote Clifford. "Even though I only made $4,000 from
'Cathy' -- and I'm obviously not a millionaire -- I feel so lucky to
have worked all over the world and known so many great people. All of my
initial dreams have come true, as far as my career goes. Anything that
happens after this is pure gravy.
"Music is a part of my life like breathing," said Mike. "As long as I
still have a breath, I'll still be singing. I still enjoy it and do it
every chance I get.'
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 19:39:33 +0100
From: Peter Lerner
Subject: Re: what's a 45?
Phil Milstein wrote:
> I understand the estimable Jim Dawson and Steve Propes have a new book
> out on the history of the 45. I don't have its title or other info yet,
> but I can bet the Spectropopulation will account for a number of copies
> sold once it becomes fully available.
It's already out, and extremely interesting. Published by Backbeat Books
of San Francisco, and entitled "45 RPM: The History, Heroes And Villains Of A Pop Music Revolution". UK purchasers can get it from A&R
Booksearch -- e-mail me if you need details.
Peter
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 22:38:51 EDT
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Sedaka's tracks
Gary Myers wrote:
> Although I'm sure it wasn't him, some of the vocal bg on one Pitney song
> always sounded to me like Sedaka. IIRC, I think it's "It Hurts To Be In
> Love."
Somewhere along the line, I can recall hearing that "It Hurts To Be In Love"
was originally pitched to Neil Sedaka, but that he turned it down, whereupon
it was picked up by Gene Pitney. I have no idea if there's any truth to that,
but the nature of the song makes it at least plausible.
Mike
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 13:07:30 +0100
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: 45rpm: the book
Phil Milstein wrote:
> I understand the estimable Jim Dawson and Steve Propes
> have a new book out on the history of the 45. I don't have
> its title or other info yet.
45 RPM -- The History, Heroes And Villains Of A Pop Music Revolution
Jim Dawson & Steve Propes
Backbeat
$19.95
ISBN 0-87930-757-9
Very good it is, too -- knowledgeable, well-written and very nicely presented.
Kingsley
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 05:53:57 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Re: Appaloosa; Sedaka bg vox
re: Appaloosa LP:
> What about the other half?
Almost timeless. To quote myself, in the song "Sad Sad Sunshine":
"Oh I do not ever claim to seek perfection ..."
re: Sedaka bg vox:
> Although I'm sure it wasn't him, some of the vocal bg on one
> Pitney song always sounded to me like Sedaka. IIRC, I think it's
> "It Hurts To Be In Love."
Don't be so sure. Neil wrote it. He sang 'em. Originally a demo. So much
so that there is no "real" stereo version available anywhere.
P.S. I wrote the flipside, which has my least favorite bg vocals of anything
I've ever been connected with.
Honest Al Kooper
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 21:42:03 +1000
From: Peter McCray
Subject: Arkade and "Sentimental Lisa"
Over the past few months, I've been tracking round various second-hand
stores on the Web hoping to get together a collection of the handful of 45s
released in the early '70s by Arkade. Arkade had a great sound and very
nearly 'made it'. If there was any justice they most certainly would have!
As has been mentioned here previously, Arkade was made up of Austin
Roberts, of course, as well as Price and Walsh.
Well I have had to spend a few dollars to acquire some of these 45s, but it's
been well worth it. In terms of completing the collection, I thought I was
just about there when I finally found a source to buy the single Where You
Lead b/w Sentimental Lisa. Unfortunately, I didn't research my purchase quite
thoroughly enough and I've ended up with a promo version of Where You
Lead, with a stereo version on the A-side and the mono on the B-side. Not
to worry -- a very nice piece to have anyway.
But I'm still on the trail of a version of the original single release to hear the
B-side track, Sentimental Lisa.
In doing a bit more digging around on the Web looking for a source -- no luck
so far -- I came across something interesting. Around the same time as Arkade
was releasing Sentimental Lisa on the B-side of Where You Lead, there were
three separate releases of this very same title on the A-sides of singles by:
Price and Walsh -- Sentimental Lisa b/w No Place Like Home (ABC)
Stump Magpie -- Sentimental Lisa b/w The Road Ahead (Dunhill)
Larry Meredith -- Sentimental Lisa b/w Holy Rollin' (Bell)
The Price and Walsh release MUST be the same song as the Arkade one. I
wonder if it is the same recording? And I wonder about the Stump Magpie and
Larry Meredith recordings -- same song, or just coincidence?
It's pure idle curiosity, but if Austin or anyone else knew anything of these
recordings -- particularly if the Price and Walsh recording was different to
the Arkade release -- I'd be real interested to know. And if anyone could be
kind enough to play any of these recordings of Sentimental Lisa they might
have to musica, I'd be especially grateful to hear them.
Peter
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 20:54:21 EDT
From: Brian Ferrari
Subject: Re: Carole King demos
Hello all,
I've been enjoying all the Carole King demos that have found their way into
the musica lately. Thanks to all that posted!
I have the grey market Carole King Brill Building Legends CD that includes,
according to the packaging, her demo version of "Some Of Your Lovin'."
The actual track on the CD, though (which is on there twice) is The Honey
Bees' version.
Does anyone know if there is a surviving Carole King demo version of this
song?
Thanks,
Brian Ferrari
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 19:39:55 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: new Diplomats compilation
Hola, everybody.
Today I was awakened by the postman. I forgive him because he brings
me Ace Records' new Diplomats compilation. It includes all my preferred
songs, and the sound is fantastic. The collection contains tunes recorded
for Arock (my favorites), Wand and Dynamo, six of them previously
unreleased. The group voices sound sharp and smooth, fascinating as
a razor edge, and mixed perfectly, organically (by the way, who is the main
voice?).
My favorite Diplomats songs are "He's Got You Now" and "Can't Get You
Off My Mind". The latter is so beautiful that it always produces a kind of
perplexity to me. My scientific mind has problems trying to understand the
biological meaning of the aesthetic feelings; maybe it's a secondary effect
of something. I also like the previously unreleased "Forever", in which the
singer's voice reminds me a lot of Van McCoy.
Ady Croasdell's notes are as exhaustive and interesting as you can expect
from Ace, and the booklet includes a Diplomats discography by Peter
Gibbon.
Chao,
Julio Niño.
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Message: 12
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 01:45:32 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Happenings/Bridge; "Mr. Soul" Brothers; short shorts
Karen Andrew:
> Country Paul, I'm envious! To see and hear the Happenings and
> then Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge - all in one weekend!
> Where were you during these events (ie. town, state)?
To add to Fred Clemens' response, The Happenings were in New Providence,
NJ on July 3, one mile from my house. Johnny Maestro and company were in
Summit, NJ, five miles away. Oh yeah, the fireworks were good, too. (Fred, I'm
in Chatham; what town are youin? Off-list is fine...)
Martin Roberts:
> The Everly's "Mr. Soul" is playing on
> http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
> ...Be prepared to have your flabber gasted.
I never realized that the Everly Brothers had Neil Young's vocal texture
without the quaver. Maybe not the authoritative version, but a superb
addition to the collection. Thanks, Martin; my flabber is thoroughly gasted
and the website hasn't even been refreshed yet!
Who reads short shorts? (hey, it *is* summer):
Phil X Milstein, Re: Catholic Girl Groups
> The Shangri-Las.
With two girls named Weiss?!? (Oy vey!)
Ken on the West Coast:
> I hope some kind soul can post a picture to the site of Mikki & Griff
Saw one posted in the Photos section. They look like 1960s Nashville gospel
singers!
Mick Patrick:
> (wondering if there are S'poppers who don't know what a 45 is)
I've got about 13,000 of them, and while I don't play them all, I do ramble
'round the collection often enough that it isn't gathering too much dust.
> Al "I Coulda Been The Next Frank Gari" Kooper
The artist who did "Utopia," right? Is there a story behind your comment?
Country Paul
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Message: 13
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 13:10:05 -0000
From: Will Stos
Subject: lost recordings
I just read that a man in Australia found a suitcase full of unreleased
recordings and memorabilia. Apparently this lost archive was well-known
among Beatle fans. That got me wondering, are there any other well-
known "lost recordings" out there that may be of interest to this group?
And are these really lost, or just being hidden away by producers or
engineers or artists?
Thanks,
Will : )
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Message: 14
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 16:12:14 -0000
From: Tom K
Subject: another belated hello; Kiki Dee's forgotten '60s
Hi there, my name's Tom K. I've been lurking here for a while, I'm
afraid to say, but I figured it was time I introduced myself. I'm 20,
I'm from England and I'm a budding singer-songwriter in a vaguely
Gene Pitney-ish mould (it's a pity I wasn't born a few decades earlier!)
Naturally I'm in love with spectacular retro pop in all its forms, and
I've been really amazed to see people like Al Kooper and Mark Wirtz,
who are not only legends but personal heroes, post here. (Anyone
seen Mark lately, by the way? My dream would be for him to produce
me!)
While I'm here I thought I'd mention Kiki Dee. Are there any fans out
there of her '60s recordings for the British Fontana label, and/or her
early '70s Motown stuff? I think it's a crime that almost none of this has
officially been rereleased on CD, especially when we're talking about
music of such quality as I Was Only Kidding (an early Goffin-King song --
who else recorded it?), Running Out Of Fools, Why Don't I Run Away
>From You, Stop And Think, etc., which mixed the grandeur of Spector
with the down-to-earth soul of Motown. If there's any justice in the
world this stuff should be released pronto!
Tom K
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Message: 15
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 18:17:10 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
Phil M:
> In light of this, it seems to me that a) he deliberately tried to
> play in Ringo's style on those sessions (which most good session
> players, in most situations, would've done anyway), and b) if he
> couldn't tell the difference (listening back, years later, to the
> release versions), then Ringo's playing must've been "pretty" good
> already. However, does the fact (if indeed it was a fact) of him
> overdubbing the parts mean Capitol had access to EMI's multitracks?
> Otherwise, wouldn't he just have been doubling the parts that were
> already down?
Phil.....there were no Multis TO use!! The Beatles first 25 songs (or
so) were recorded on Two track, so Since Capitol had the stereo
masters, it would be the same. Purdie would have just recorded right
over Ringos drums, mixed correctly, it would sound fine. Purdie says
in an interview in the book "The Big Beat" that he did this all the
time...Producers would mix a song to mono, then want a different drum
sound, and they would get Purdie to "go right over the top". Mono
hides alot of sins as you know....
Mikey
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Message: 16
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 17:11:52 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
Mikey:
> As for Purdie, I've heard all the bashing of this gentleman, and it
> makes no sense. Ask yourself this question: This was a top call,
> experienced, and well respected Session guy who played on hundreds
> of hit records. Why would he lie about playing on Beatles records
> and tarnish his reputation?
This is not to bash Purdie, but:
1. IIRC, in the Goldmine story he said a couple of other strange things
besides the Beatles remarks - like something about playing on "Please,
Please, Please" when that came out about 5 yrs before the song that he
had already said was the first hit he played on. (However, at this point
I don't recall exactly what all was supposedly said).
Yes, why would he lie, but I've seen that sort of thing before. Why does
Jerry Cole, who has also done a lot in the business, lay claim to
writing songs that he didn't? It's strange, but who knows why some
people do things like that.
gem
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 23:00:37 EDT
From: Matt Spero
Subject: Re: What's a 45?
A 45 is this strange black thing made usually made out of vinyl . . .
it most often has groves in and it is said that putting them on an
object called a turntable and placing the needle on said 45 causes a
vibration that goes into an amlifier and eventually makes its way to
a speaker where sound comes out. Most people say they sound something
simular to a CD or mp3 . . . interesting huh!
Matt Spero
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Message: 18
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 18:11:21 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Nervous Norvus
A while back mention was made that our own Phil Milstein had compiled a
Nervous Norvus ["Transfusion"] anthology on Norton. Aside from the
compelling writing in the liner notes, the album itself is very interesting
and strange. Yes, the hits are the high points - "Transfusion" and (to a
lesser degree) "Ape Call" - but Norvus/Jimmy Drake was as talented as he was
highly idiosyncratic. I've been trying to place his accent; it sounds like a
Minnesota-North Dakota-Canadian style of enunciation. And then there's his
choice of instrument: tenor guitar with foot-tapping for rhythmn, although a
couple of tracks are more fully fleshed out. Also, like so many comedians,
if one listens through one can hear the sadness and desperation in Drake's
life as he tried to follow-up with one novelty after another. Fun musically,
fascinating sociologically.
Side note from Phil's research: the car crash used on 1958's "Transfusion,"
actually recorded in 1937, was used again in Paul Hampton's oddly-haunting
1960 "Two-Hour Honeymoon" (Dot) and in Jimmie Cross's 1964 death-novelty "I
Want My Baby Back." (Other records, too.)
I really like the "Al Pitney" demo playing to musica now, and the Barbi
Benton "He's A Rebel" is sorta cool too (but the fuzz guitar where the sax
used to be is a bit of an eye-opener); Benton really "gets it" on the
chorus. Musica (actually the powers that be at yahoogroups) seems to be
liking me more lately!
Country Paul
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Message: 19
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 10:55:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Darn, Witchi-Tai-to isn't on this Cd!
But, for the more-than-a-smattering of 'poppers who
wanted to know more, Almeron Records ("Yesterday's
Sounds a Week from Tuesday") has just issued "The
Skeletons: "LIVE" at the Amador 1979." This "limited
to 1000 copies" disc contains 78 minutes of covers of
such like-genred artists as George Jones and Adam Ant,
Percy Faith and the Stones, Lesley Gore and the Count
Five; not to mention the Crystals, Annette, Jan and
Arnie, the Ventures, Richard Rodgers, and a score of
others. (Has "Amazing Grace" and "Surfin' Bird" ever
graced the same slab of plastic before?)
A co-worker asked, "Who have you got distributing it?"
I replied, "I thought I'd hire the same guy who edited
the songs, designed the booklet and disc, paid for the
licensing, and wrote some of the liner notes. He's not
real good, but he works dirt cheap!" E-mail me off
list, or just go looking on Ebay.
Tom "Will he ever get back his $4000.00?" Taber
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Message: 20
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2004 05:56:35 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Ain't No Soul . . .
Previously:
> Ending it all with: "Yeah, but ten years from now nobody's gonna
> want to buy your shoes, but my basses will have increased in price
> very nicely, thank you."
My wife would like to know what size they are and if they're ALL 10
years old.......
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Message: 21
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 19:23:32 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Hi Ho Silver Throat!
Hello Spectropoppers!
In honor of Bill Cosby's birthday, I thought I'd bring up one of the
weirdest '60s albums in my collection, the Cos' 1967 LP "Bill Cosby
Sings/Silver Throat." This was the first of his, er, "singing"
albums, and interestingly it seems like those are the only albums of
his that haven't seen CD release!
What in the world his management, record label, or the Cos himself
was thinking when embarking upon this project is beyond me. Don't get
me wrong, I have always been a fan of his classic TV work
(especially "I Spy"), but the guy just can't sing! The hilarious
liner notes, written by his friends and "Dick Van Dyke Show" writers
Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, actually seem quite sincere until you
hear the album. An excerpt: "We were mad because not once in all
these years of hanging out did he ever say ... 'Hey, I can sing a
little' ... or 'Hey ... would you like to hear me hum something?'
No ... he just goes around saying clever things making everybody
laugh not caring that he could also make people cry. Are the songs
sad? Not necessarily. But the singing is great. And when someone you
dig does something unexpected and it is really great, that act has
been known to bring a tear to one's eye."
Oh, dear God.
So what do we have? Cosby trudging through blues and R&B covers for
the most part, sometimes altering them beyond recognition. His most
famous example of that, the unlikely hit single "Little Ole Man"
(which was Stevie Wonder's "Uptight Everything's Alright" before Cos
got his hands on it) appears here. We know the Cos has a weird sense
of humor, but this is so weird it verges on the absurd. (A herd of
elephants stampede over me every day a half hour after the train runs
over me???) Then there's his ridiculous cover of Ray Charles' "I Got
A Woman," complete with Cos yelling about bumming money off of his
many girlfriends. This theme of a greedy and/or lazy man bumming
money off of women continues in his original composition "Don'cha
Know," which is actually not bad, and ends with the classic line "And
when her money runs out of course--divorce!" (Ha.)
Meanwhile, we hear him struggling to pull of a love ballad ("Tell Me
You Love Me"), adding in out-of-place "Whooo!" noises, his voice thin
and quavering, and giving such an off-key performance on Jimmy
Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" that it's actually quite funny
(and let's face it, even this is better than Peter & Gordon's
insufferable rendition of same).
There is a real gem tucked on side two, a groovy "Mojo Workout" (not
the Larry Bright hit from 1960), which really moves, and Cosby's
vocal is not bad, sassy and confident, playing nicely on the innuendo
in the lyrics while keeping it in check, and adding some funny ad-
libs ("Here I stand/When I fall").
The closer is the funniest and, oddly, most haunting track on the
album, a totally bizarre version of "A Place In The Sun." The
production is the fullest on the album, and Cos carries the melody in
such a way that this would be a great rendition if he could actually
sing the ideas he had in his head. But with his strange, low-toned
nasal delivery and unsteady voice, he sounds kind of like a very
frail old man, which, paired with the song's poignant lyrics, makes
this track really touching. Until you remember that it was recorded
by a healthy 30-year-old comedian, at which point it really makes you
laugh.
I've never heard any of Cosby's other "singing" albums, and I'm not
making it a top priority to do so. But despite being perplexing and
even pointless, "Silver Throat" is nevertheless a fun novelty item
that was worth every cent of the four bucks I paid for a used copy of
it! (But not a penny more.)
Hi ho Silver Throat, and away!
S.J. Dibai
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 10:19:05 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Another belated hello
Someone:
> I just read the Spectropop guidelines and saw that I have just jumped
> in here with no formal introduction. I am Margaret Still; I love and
> collect the music discussed here.
Hmmm - I never knew we were supposed to ID ourselves, either. Here
goes...
A few days after JFK was killed my parents had a baby and they didn't
like rock and roll enough to name it after Muddy Waters, so they went
with their second pick and named him after a still-unborn baseball
player. This was followed by a childhood so memorable that I never
bothered to remember most of it. I did end up bitten by the
songwriting bug which was a ticket to getting into several garage
bands, but nothing ever became of it. Later I would investigate the
truth about the music industry and realized this wasn't such a bad
thing. (I actually recently started recording demos again, but it'll
strictly be a hobby: not only am I too old and too cranky to start
anything serious at this point but for some reason my hands go numb
whenever I pick up a guitar and I can't feel the pick slip, wrong
strings, etc.)
But that was in the 80's, so what am I doing here? It turns out that
one of those repressed memories was of my sadistic older brother tying
up a neighbor's son in the woods, smashing my record collection
against the porch guardrail and tossing the jagged discs at the poor
kid. It included a lot of cutouts from the 60's and early 70's, some
of which was never reissued after the original 45's were pressed. Over
the years I would occasionally turn up one of these things, but it
wasn't untill a few years ago that I started tracking them down in
earnest. Thus I spent several years waiting for packages from eBay,
including everything from chills at actually holding a copy of the
Epic Splendor's "A Little Rain Must Fall" for the first time in nearly
thirty years to shock and awe at discovering that stock copies of the
Forum's "The River Is Wide" bought during the song's chart run didn't
look anything like my old copy.
Meanwhile, Bob Radil was sending the occasional MP3 of songs that were
popular in his turf but didn't catch on nationally. They all sounded
like I could have owned them at the time, so I added them to the CD's
I was compiling as the records arrived. This was followed by several
people I'd chatted with on Napster hooking me up to their FTP servers
after the RIAA crashed the party, and these turned out to be
goldmines. Apparently:
1) My departed record collection only scratched the surface.
2) My increasing beef with oldies radio wasn't a matter of me getting
fed up with the sound - it was that I was getting bored after the
music ran out. The point was the music didn't run out - I just had to
dig deeper for it.
When searching the Internet for info on the music I was finding,
occasionally the Spectropop archives would pop up. It took a year or
so to figure out how to get in, but I made it and discoverred yet more
people who needed to preserve the forgotten 60's pop I loved so much.
I've got what I've got, they have what they have. Put them together
and the archives burst at the seams, but still hold up. Added to the
exposure to other collectors and archivists, every time I find
something I didn't know about I'm a happy guy.
Aren't you glad you asked?
Joe Nelson
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 23
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 00:44:49 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Jerden / Rev Ola reviews
We've got reviews of all 4 Northwest Battle of the Bands compilations
posted and here's the latest one:
http://www.gullbuy.com/buy/2004/6_1/nwbattlevol4.cfm
You can also read the other reviews from that link if you are interested.
Other recent reviews I've written which might interest Spectropoppers
include the Meet Triste Janero Rev Ola reissue:
http://www.gullbuy.com/buy/2004/7_13/tristejanero.cfm
I'm hoping to be posting more Rev Ola reviews this summer, as well as
finish up a review I've been writing of the Rhino Handmade
Hallucinations compilation.
:Patrick
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 09:47:40 EDT
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Check out Jazz From Lincoln Center
Sure it's off-topic, but it's still music. Doo wop and be bop are just
inconsonant, not inconsistent.
Highly recommend this site:
Click here:
http://jalc.org (Welcome to Jazz at Lincoln Center)
...and don't get me started on Ricky Skaggs.
Di la,
The Eclectic Eccentric Rashkovsky
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 08:31:19 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: Ain't No Soul . . .
Previously:
> Ending it all with: "Yeah, but ten years from now nobody's gonna
> want to buy your shoes, but my basses will have increased in price
> very nicely, thank you."
Surely you omitted the rejoinder that I hear:
"They're only worth anything if you sell them. And when was the last
time you sold a record without buying another two."
FrankM
reflections on northern soul Saturday's two thirty pm:
http://www.radiomagnetic.com or listen to an archive show:
http://www.radiomagnetic.com/archive/rnb.php
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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