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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 8 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Johnny Bragg of the Prisonaires/Marigolds, R.I.P.
From: Ed Salamon
2. Tammy Wynette and the art of the concept album
From: Phil X Milstein
3. Re: The Argonauts from Boston
From: Phil X Milstein
4. Carl Wayne, R.I.P.
From: MJ
5. Re: Al Kooper's British LPs
From: S.J. Dibai
6. Re: All Night Workers
From: Phil X Milstein
7. Re: Tricia, Tell Your Daddy
From: S.J. Dibai
8. Re: Promo Men
From: (That) Alan Gordon
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 18:49:52 -0000
From: Ed Salamon
Subject: Johnny Bragg of the Prisonaires/Marigolds, R.I.P.
Johnny Bragg, of the Prisonaires and "Just Walkin' in the Rain"
fame, died of cancer around 12:30 a.m. Sept. 1 at the Imperial Manor
Convalescent Center in Madison, Tennessee. Funeral arrangements have
not yet been arranged, but they will be handled by Smith Brothers
(615-726-1476).
Johnny's daughter, Misti, said he was 79.
Michael Gray
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
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Michael is involved with the CMHoF's R&B themed Nightrain To
Nashville Exhibit, and wrote the liner notes to the related CD
booklet.
Bragg was also in the Marigold's on Excello ("Run Run Joe").
Ed Salamon
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 15:52:16 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Tammy Wynette and the art of the concept album
Long before Billy Spears was a gleam in Paul McCartney's eye, hillbilly,
folk and country artists were making albums based on singular lyric
themes. But this past weekend I found a record from this milieu that may
well be the most misguided "concept album" of all-time (and that's even
taking into account the career of Rick Wakeman), a Tammy Wynette release
from 1973 titled "Kids Say The Darndest Things." Each of the 11 songs on
it mines the mode and storyline of her recent smashes "I Don't Wanna
Play House" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (both of which are included), presenting
a melodramatic tale of marital collapse and its effect on the singer's
children.
The premise of the children being even more damaged by divorce than the
parents worked to its best possible effect on the aforementioned hits,
with their several strengths all coming together at once to override the
sentimental underpinnings. But stretching this idea to the length of a
full LP was asking entirely too much of it, and listening to "Kids Say
The Darndest Things" was consequently as unpleasant a musical experience
as I've had in quite a while.
The song titles express the bathos and hopelessness of this LP better
than I can describe them: Bedtime Story / My Daddy Doll / I Wish I Had A
Mommy Like You / Listen, Spot / Too Many Daddies / Joey / Buy Me A Daddy
/ Don't Make Me Go To School / as well as the title song and the two
hits. (I can just imagine the pitch meetings producer Billy Sherrill
took while collecting songs for "Kids Say ..." -- and hesitate to
consider what the rejects might've been like.) Even the cover art is a
cloying mess, which you can judge for yourselves as I've posted a scan
of it to the Photos section. In short, "Kids Say The Darndest Things" is
a puerile piece of pabulum, for which all involved ought to have been
sent to bed without dessert. The one redeeming note I can add is that
it's unlikely to be reissued any time soon.
All this brings me to a question, one which will hopefully land us back
in more Spectropoppish territory. Does anyone know of another album that
was, in essence, a single long-format follow-up to a recent hit by the
same performer?
Whoo,
--Phil M.
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 14:33:29 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: The Argonauts from Boston
Niels wrote:
> One more question up for this great group. This one might prove
> difficult, but I'll try anyway. I'm looking for info on Paul
> McDonald of The Argonauts, which was a British Invasion band from
> Boston around 1965 and 1966. The group made one vox organ
> dominated demo produced by Barry Tashian of The Remains at Ace
> Recording Studio in Boston. I'd like to know what happened to
> McDonald.
"Till The Stroke Of Dawn," Aram Heller's thin but authoritative
"discography of New England garage bands from the 1960s" (to quote
its subtitle) mentions The Argonauts only in its "mystery bands"
appendix, a listing of groups info on which Heller hadn't yet
tracked down as of the book's 1993 publication. There he says only
of them:
> The Argonauts: Avon, Massachusetts? Featured Doug Yule!!
If you'd like to try for an update of this information, pose it in
the form of a msg. to Aram and I'll see that he gets it. He's a great
cat, and I'm sure you'll hear back if you write him.
--Phil M.
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 16:28:02 -0400
From: MJ
Subject: Carl Wayne, R.I.P.
Move singer Carl Wayne dies at 61.
Carl Wayne, the lead singer of influential 1960s pop group the Move,
has died at the age of 61. He had hits with songs such as Flowers in
the Rain - the first song to be played on BBC Radio 1 when it began
in 1967 - and I Can Hear the Grass Grow.
Wayne died peacefully at home on Tuesday morning after battling cancer.
He was born on 18 August 1943 in Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham.
After the Move, he enjoyed success with the Hollies when he joined
them in 2000.
Carl was one of the music businesses's great characters... It has been
an honour to work with him. (Bobby Elliot, The Hollies drummer)
The Hollies manager, Jimmy Smith, told BBC Radio WM - where Wayne had
also worked as a presenter - his death had come as a great shock to the
whole band.
He said: "We are shocked by it because we didn't expect it to be so
sudden. We have got a tour in the autumn and he was looking forward to
coming back and joining us. His wife called me on Friday to say he was
ill but wanted to keep it quiet while there was hope, and we were all
hoping."
The Hollies' drummer Bobby Elliot said: "The Hollies and the world of
music have lost a shining star, a true professional. It is a very sad
day for the band. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Susan,
son Jack and all of his family. Carl was one of the music business's
great characters. He was a fearless performer and a powerhouse singer.
It has been an honour to work with him. I shall remember his five years
with The Hollies with great pride and affection."
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 21:01:29 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Re: Al Kooper's British LPs
Al Kooper, in response to my question about the other albums he
bought along with "Odessey":
> Edgar Broughton Band w/raw meat on the cover
> the famous Brian Auger-Julie Driscoll album
A friend of mine had a copy of a double LP by Auger & Driscoll
called "Streetnoise." I don't know if this is the one you heard--it
contained songs like "Save The Country" and "I Ain't Got No...I Got
Life." My friend lent it to me for a while and I recall that it was
technically quite good, but not really my bag. "Serious" jazz-rock.
I have another friend who has a huge crush on Julie Driscoll. We
were recently at a record store and he bought a CD of a different
Auger-Driscoll album.....the first chance he got, he opened the
thing up and scoured the packaging for nice pictures of Julie. I
think it's true that we men never outgrow puberty.
> coupla Downliners Sect LPs
I only know a couple of tracks by this group, but I would guess
these albums to be among the "weeds" in your record garden.
> a blues anthology
> a soul anthology
> Autumn by Spencer Davis Group
> The Herd
Is this the group that did a rather hyper, ultra-poppy single
called "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die"? Must admit I am no expert
on that band.
Thanks for remembering what you could remember--I wasn't sure if
you'd recall any of them after all this time.
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 16:44:56 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: All Night Workers
Country Paul wrote:
> That group, a/k/a Otis & The All Night Workers, is the one with the
> pre-Velvet Underground Lou Reed. RS-1, "Don't Put All Your Eggs In
> One Basket," a great little soulful rocker, made it to #1 in Syracuse,
> NY. (I notice the flip side is posted to musica as of this writing.)
Reed (along with John Cale, a former member of LaMonte Young's drone
ensemble, and Terry Philips, a former collaborator of Phil Spector)
co-wrote that flipside, "Why Don't You Smile," but there's no evidence
he played on the record. As a recent graduate of Syracuse University and
leader of local bar bands during his tenure there, Reed was familiar
with the denizens of the Syracuse music scene, and thus likely played a
role in getting "Why Don't You Smile" into the All Night Workers' hands,
but that is probably as far as his involvement went.
--Phil M.
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 21:17:44 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Re: Tricia, Tell Your Daddy
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> The following year saw a cover version by Jay & The Americans --
> anyone have that one?
Yeah, somewhere in my jumble of JATA stuff. Haven't played it in a
while, but I do remember it well. It was on the "Capture The Moment"
LP, and it had a much different feel from the original. Faster, more
spirited, and with smooth harmonies. But having just listened to
Andy Kim's version, I am truly touched. Hard to say which one I like
better. The funny thing about JATA singing that song is that Jay
Black was and is a staunchly conservative Republican, which makes me
wonder how he felt about singing a song that seems to have been
tailor-made for a left-wing, or at least centrist, singer.
And I think I'd better stop right there because once I get started
on politics.....
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2004 11:15:21 -0700
From: (That) Alan Gordon
Subject: Re: Promo Men
I know all of us at S'pop love to talk about the song's, writers,
performers, producers, and labels etc. I would like to bring up a
topic that brings a smile to my face, The Promotion Men of the
business. Two that come to mind are Johnny Bond from Philly, and
Otis Pollard who both sadly are no longer with us. I wonder if any
of my fellow S'poppers have some good names and stories to share.
I know we have some famous members who work in radio, Ed Salamon,
Mike McCann, and others. I would especially like to hear from the
"Somerville Sage", telling us about the promo men he has run into.
I am trying to find an old friend, who once was the head of Capital
records promotion dept. Bruce Wendell. I first met Bruce at
Koppelman and Rubin. If anyone out there knows where he might be,
please contact me off list, I would appreciate it.
Best, That Alan
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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