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Spectropop - Digest Number 1671
- From: Spectropop Group
- Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004
________________________________________________________________________
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
________________________________________________________________________
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Elegants / Vito Picone / Passions, etc
From: Al Kooper
2. The Three Graces
From: Barry
3. Re: Privacy, etc
From: Austin Roberts
4. Re: Ravin' about (Genya) Ravan
From: Eddy
5. Re: French EP's
From: Frank Murphy
6. Good Vibes changes / French EPs
From: Kingsley Abbott
7. Re: Weighing in on Smile
From: Richard Williams
8. Re: John Lennon and the Bleechers
From: ACJ
9. Looking for info
From: Sam Cooper
10. John (Perry) Lennon / " In A Matter Of Moments" in musica
From: Julio Niņo
11. Re: Nothing takes the place of you on a rainy night in Georgia
From: Pres
12. Re: Are you a boy or are you a girl?
From: Jim Fisher
13. Re: Jay and the Americans: Living Above Your Head
From: Justin McDevitt
14. Re: Weighing in on Smile
From: Bob Hanes
15. Beg, Borrow and Steal
From: Dave Monroe
16. Tony May
From: Al Kooper
17. More Smile stuff; Claire Francis; swamp-pop
From: Country Paul
18. Re: Toussaint McCall ... Tracy Turnblad ... sigh ...
From: Norm D. Plume
19. Re: Claude Francois
From: Dave Monroe
20. Song Titled: "Breaking Away" or "I'm Breaking Away"
From: Mike the Bass Player
21. Brian vs. the Beach Boys
From: James Cassidy
22. Pop music as fine art
From: Al Kooper
23. Shaggs on WBCN-FM?
From: Jon P.
24. New '60s internet radio station
From: Partysixties
25. Brian Leak
From: Al Kooper
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 00:39:46 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Re: Elegants / Vito Picone / Passions, etc
> Al, Did (Vit Picone) sound as good live? Also, I think I mentioned
> Buddy Crandall (Randall) from Knickerbocker Rd., NJ. How was he to
> work with?
> The Passions ("Just To Be With You," etc.). Also one of my favorites.
Okay, first off Vito did sound great live. Nice guy too as far as I
recall.
Buddy Crandall preceeded me in The Royal Teens. I lived through Larry
Qualiano on sax and a few others.
The Passions were managed by a guy named Jim Gribble out of 1697 B'way
which is the Ed Sullivan building. I would do some work for Gribble so
I'd bump into The Passions. An Irish guy named Jimmy sang lead for them.
Also a sweet guy. And I worked with Dion in 1965 at Columbia playing on
an album they are gearing up for release now on SONY-Legacy. Carlo from
the Belmonts played drums.
> ... The YMCA is the McBurney "Y" on the north side of W. 23rd
Isn't McBurney on 63rd St off CPW?
Al Kooper
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2004 20:53:49 -0500
From: Barry
Subject: The Three Graces
One of my all-time favorite "bad" group is The Three Graces:
I have the following:
X Equals Kiss/Jimmy Joe (Golden Crest CR-515)
Billy Boy's Funeral March/Lonesome And Sorry (CR-528)
Billy Boy's Tune/Lonesome And Sorry (CR-528) with added echo
7L/Missed (CR-534)
I know there's another single...and they are featured on one side
of a 4 song EP that has The Wailers on the flip.
Anybody know anything about these goofy records?
Barry in Minneapolis
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 01:20:25 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Privacy, etc
Gary Myers:
> Nicely put, Austin. And, even though I *haven't* had a hit (not yet,
> anyway ), I feel blessed to have played music all my life, to still
> be playing and learning, to have worked with many good (and some great)
> players, and to have so many friends in music.
You have a great knowledge of many kinds of music. Hopefully that first
'hit' is right around the corner. I believe the industry is slowly
coming back to real songs. This can only be good for songwriters. Let's
pull for each other.
> Going back further, probably *everyone" thought that Laurie London
> (He's Got The Whole World ...") was female - even the name fit!
You're right! Wasn't he about 13?
AR
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 12:59:14 +0200
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Ravin' about (Genya) Ravan
Joe Nelson:
> IIRC, (Genya Ravan) was supposed to produce a comeback LP for
> Ronnie Spector in the late 70's. Does anyone know what became
> of that project?
Are you referring to 1980's "Siren"? Produced by and featuring
Genya Ravan and released on Genya's Polish label.
Eddy
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2004 12:56:25 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: Re: French EP's
Tom:
> I meant to say it wasn't the track on the EP that was marked out to
> be the hit, if you know what I mean. It wasn't the "plug side". Two
> track singles were often issued in France for jukebox and other
> promotional use, but usually these came without picture sleeves.
Thanks Tom, your message is now understood and thanks Frank for the
info on the EP's.
There's a current craze within mod and EZy DJ's for foreign cover
versions of sixties UK and US dance stuff. Our local university radio
station (www.subcity.org) has a French DJ, Marjore, who in the middle
of a bunch of French hip Hop will "drop", as they say, an old sixties
YeYe track.
I do think Ricahrd Anthony is a great singer and he adds something to
even a very familar song.
The Scopitones site is featuring Richard Anthony, Claude Francois and
Johnny Halliday at:
http://scopitones.com/scopitone_of_the_day_archive.html
FrankM
reflections on northern soul Saturday's two thirty pm
www.radiomagnetic.com or listen to an archive show
www.radiomagnetic.com/archive/rnb.php
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 12:53:19 +0100
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: Good Vibes changes / French EPs
Richard H wrote:
> .......and last of all, changing the lyrics to 'Good Vibrations'
> is pointless and stupid.
One good thing about it is that it has finally got Tony Asher's name
on the writing credits - something I feel should always have been
the case as, let's not forget, he was very much involved with the
early conception and building of the song in the Pet Sounds sessions.
Re French EPs - Yes they were/are lovely treasured artefacts of the
era, but there were also some French two track singles in the later
sixties at least. I recall working in Paris c.'69 and going to a
store mid evening and coming upon some attractive card pic sleeves
that I still have - Byrds' Ballad of Easy Rider being one.
Kingsley
PS I'd love to hear more from the list members who were there about
the Brill/Girl Group era in NY especially - how the girls/session
singers were recruited/treated/remunerated etc etc Any takers?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 14:03:21 +0100
From: Richard Williams
Subject: Re: Weighing in on Smile
Re recent comments by Bill Reed, Mark Frumento, Phil Milstein and
others: I've written before in favour of the basic principle of
recording and releasing the reconstructed version of Smile, having
attended the premiere at the Festival Hall earlier this year. Now
I've bought the CD and listened to it, and maybe there are one or
two other things I can add.
First, whereas the concert was overwhelming, musically and emotionally,
the CD does not convey the same sensation. Maybe this is inevitable:
you don't put on the CD after seeing Van Dyke Parks taking his seat in
the stalls to warm applause, or after watching Brian walk on stage to
take his place at the keyboard, to an ovation. I think, though, that it
is partly to do with the quality of the recording: the performances are
fine, but the overall sound is less warm than I would have liked. I
guess it's to do with changes in technology and the sensibility of the
guy doing the mixing. I know they used Sunset Sound for the recording,
in a gesture to the old days, but the mixdowns were done somewhere else,
and the result sounds a little two-dimensional to me, in the way that
digital-era recordings sometimes do.
Second, although I don't agree with those people who have expressed
their intention to ignore the new recordings on the grounds that it
isn't the "real" Smile, I do have to accept, after hearing the CD, that
the voices of the other Beach Boys are missed. No disrespect whatever to
the current band, whose exemplary work has enabled us to hear the work
in something close to its intended form. But this really is, to return
to a point I made a few weeks ago, like hearing Duke Ellington's music
played without his musicians: not quite the real thing, although better
than nothing for generations born to late to see Ellington, Johnny
Hodges, Cootie Williams and the rest.
In sum, I'd say that this is not the original Smile. It is a performance
of Smile, and we can accept or reject it as we wish. And I'd guess that
not even the harshest critic of Smile would object to the sight of Brian,
after decades of being treated like a freak, returning to prominence for
all the right reasons, his immense contribution to music finally
receiving its proper recognition.
Richard Williams
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 10:25:41 -0400
From: ACJ
Subject: Re: John Lennon and the Bleechers
For Andres Jurak: In his book "The Beatles On Record," J.P. Russell
lists this record among several (like Peter Cook & Dudley Moore's "L.S.
Bumblebee") which were thought to be Beatles records in disguise, but
really weren't. Russell says that "Ram You Hard" "may well feature a
John Lennon, but it is not THE John Lennon."
ACJ
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2004 14:56:31 -0000
From: Sam Cooper
Subject: Looking for info
I'm looking for info about:
1) Michael Rabon & Choctaw
2) Sarah (produced by Steve Cropper)
Both albums are circa around 1972...anyone have any clues about the
artists and/or their other endeavors?
Sam Cooper
http://samcooper.iuma.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2004 12:22:30 -0000
From: Julio Niņo
Subject: John (Perry) Lennon / " In A Matter Of Moments" in musica
Hola Everybody.
Iīm having my Saturday morning overdose of caffeine, trying to
wake my brain.
Andres wrote about "Ram You Hard" by the Regggae group The
Bleechers, which is credited to have been written "John Lennon".
I havenīt seen a copy of the single (I havenīt even been able to
listen to the song), but this is a much mentioned topic in
skinheads circles. Although many people are convinced that John
Lennon himself wrote the song ( and they even show a much earlier
pic of him with very short hair to prove his rude boy affiliation),
I think that it must be a confusion originated by a Lee Perry Joke
(Perry was the producer of the group and crediting the song to
John Lennon is a typical example of his particular sense of humor).
Changing the subject, thanks a lot to "Kees at Eindhoven" for
playing Louise Cordetīs "In A Matter Of Moments" in musica. Itīs
a lovely little song.
Chao.
Julio Niņo.
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 02 Oct 2004 11:34:00 -0400
From: Pres
Subject: Re: Nothing takes the place of you on a rainy night in Georgia
ModGirl:
> Another must-repeater for me is "Nothing Takes The Place of You" (by
> Touissant McCall)...oh...my...aching...heart...
Oh my god! The first time I heard that song was at my first viewing
of "hairspay", and I was at the record store immediately after the movie
for the soundtrack.
Everytime I play that song I have to repeat at least twice and I still
get choked up somewhere around the "...as I write this letter, it's
raining on my window pane"
For some reason I also need to hear Brook Benton's "Rainy Night In
Georgia" in the same sitting. It's Nothing's city slicker cousin, of
sorts. The "sigh, gulp, sob" moment for me is "... and late at night,
when it's hard to rest I hold your picture to my chest" "and I
feel fine" and then he does that trill-thing off the word fine
and I well up everytime.
While I'm confessing I must ask, does anyone else out there find the
"oh, oh, ohhhhhh"s in the Ronettes' "Do I Love You" to be one of the
purest expressions of love when the depth of said love can not be into
words? Probably not, but it raises the hair on my arms and then I get
choked up. That's a lot of hair, too!
Just a softy,
pres
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Message: 12
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 08:39:11 -0700
From: Jim Fisher
Subject: Re: Are you a boy or are you a girl?
When I first heard Jimmy Elledge doing "Funny how time slips away" I
thought it was a new girl singer in the mould of a Brenda Lee/Helen
Shapiro. Don't know how much more wrong I could of been. Great song
though. And speaking of Brenda--is that Floyd Cramer playing in the
background on her ballads?? Jim.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 12:02:31 -0500
From: Justin McDevitt
Subject: Re: Jay and the Americans: Living Above Your Head
Stephanie wrote:
> ... are there any people here who love "Living Above Your Head" and
> "Capture The Moment" as much as I do?
Of all their output, this track from the summer of 1966 is my favorite.
It has that Latin overlay, similar to Only In America; those great
trumpets, the La, La La's etc. The solid drumming adds further
richness to the song.
Justin McDevitt
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 10:36:15 -0700
From: Bob Hanes
Subject: Re: Weighing in on Smile
The never was a 1967 version of SMiLE, so Smile is what we have PERIOD.
I concede and concur that the vocal blend of the brothers, cousin, and
friend is irreplaceable, and a "thing" of legendary artistic status.
Carl and Dennis (whose voice btw was integral to Brian's productions,
not so much the Carl ones) are gone and mayn't participate.
There were very few (relatively) vocals from "the day" done for SMiLE.
The huge exception being Heroes & Villains. Lots and lots of vocal
sessions exist for that work.
What Wilson and Parks, have finished here in 2004 IS Smile. There is
no turning back.
Sahanaja and Mertons have come very very close to reproducing the tracks
exactly as they were done originally by the "wrecking crew" or "the
clique" session cats back in the day.
It is also amazing that Brian decided to use almost every "feel" I have
ever heard for Wind Chimes somewhere in the track or bks! No mean feat
indeed.
When Brian first started touring, people would say, "yeah it's great
that he's getting out but he misses notes and seems so weird". A friend
of mine, and Brian's btw, had this to say: "some people do not recognize
a miracle. Even when the see water turned into wine" Later when Brian
started singing better in live show (something no one does all the time
IMHO) the nay sayers and the hangers on of history, would still find
reason to quibble. My sources retort to those folks after the Pet
Sounds tour was, "now you recognize the miracle of water into wine, but
you don't like vintage". I think those comments are apropos to what is
being said about Smile on this forum.
Smile as it exists is a wondrous piece of music. I love the Beach Boys
almost as much as facilitator, musical secretary, friend, acolyte, and
all around great musician Darian Sahanaja does, but they do not exist in
this dimension, save our memories and our software. The emotional and
not to mention legal issues that surround any release of the "SMiLE"
material would have kept it "vaulted" forever if not for the urgings of
Brian's wife and friends. Remember this was a guy who didn't know that
the public loved Pet Sounds until he toured it, and saw the response.
The Melinda forced "audit" of Capitol's accounting of the sales of Pet
Sounds in the sixties PROVED that not only did Pet Sounds go gold "in
the day" but was Platinum by Feb of 1967.
Not everything you read in books and hear on the radio is true.
Why believe me? I have no answer, except check it out for yourself.
I first heard of SMiLE in 1966 when it's imminent release appeared
planned for Jan. 15, 1967. The pronouncement was, for me, in the New
Releases page added to the Phono-Log book at Thompson's Records on
Broadway in the village of Eugene, Oregon. I chased that album through
Crawdaddy, Cheetah, and yes even the glossy teeny-bopper rags of the
day, until Smiley Smile came out and then I backed off until we
"unearthed" some tapes in the seventies. I participated in the
selection of the SMiLE tracks used on the GV box set, I have heard
things not in circulation. I make these observations not to aggrandize
myself but to explain how committed I am to this work as a fan.
I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER THAT BRIAN HAS CHOSEN THIS TIME AND MANNER TO
RELEASE HIS Smile. It is everything I hoped for, in every way! Set
aside your regrets and your prejudices and embrace ONE MORE MIRACLE
in the LIFE OF BRIAN! Please! You deserve to enjoy the masterpiece.
The Right Reverend Bob, dumb angel chapel,
Church of the Harmonic Overdub
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 12:47:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Beg, Borrow and Steal
I wonder if any one here can confirm/deny that there
is at least subtle difference betwixt The Rare Breed's
and The Ohio Express' releases of "Beg, Borrow and
Steal," despite common wisdom about them having been
identical tracks, simply attributed in turn to
different artists. I've long been convinced that the
Rare Breed release has a more insistent rhythm track,
more pounding, more bass-heavy, and not necessarily
and effect of various pressings. Help! Thanks ...
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 22:04:38 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Tony May
Mick Patrick:
> Tony May was a US songwriter whose name is known to me via numerous
> great soul records on RCA, frequently in conjunction with Larry
> Banks. Is there a US version of "Here I Go Again", I wonder?
Tony May was a black engineer at a studio (Adelphi - 1650 B'way) where
I was an apprentice engineer. He wrote songs on the side and I played
on some of his demos in exchange for engineering lessons. This circa
'60-'61. He had something to do with Bessie Banks who did the original
record of the Moodies "Go Now". A very talented man who deserved better.
Al Kooper
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 00:44:54 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: More Smile stuff; Claire Francis; swamp-pop
Eddy:
> Basically I resent Brian for reducing the rest of the Beach
> Boys to a touring band and hiring studio musicians to satisfy his
> ego, for claiming that the Wondermints are superior to what he had
> at his disposition in 1966/67.
I take that kind of comment from Brian with a grain of salt, and choose
to trust my ears; IMO the Wondermints are damn fine. The current Beach
Boys are basically Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and a band. Al Jardine
has his own act, and the other two Wilson Brothers have departed. With
the three living members and Brian not on the best of terms, and Brian
wanting/needing to tour, I'll gratefully take what's offered. This is
hardly to denigrate the input and contributions of all the BBs; indeed
I miss their presences. But sadly two of them will never come back and
the other three apparently can't or won't. So paraphrasing William de
Vaughn, I'm thankful for what I've got.
> Smile is magic, but the 2004 version is way inferior to the 1967
> version (based on the bootleg versions) ! But maybe Brian had a
> little birdy on his shoulder telling him that a 2004 version would
> be much more profitable to him than the 1967 version...
Or maybe he's just trying to live in the present and "right a wrong" of
the past. Personally, I don't want to get into this too deeply. Obviously
the original versions of the hits are spectacular and timeless, but the
remakes aren't embarrassing, "Wonderful" is just that, and the album has
a cohesive unity. It's kind of cool, actually, to have all these
leitmotivs running through it - Wagnerian in conceptual origin, and
certainly unique and contemporary in rock and pop music despite having
been conceived over 35 years ago. (Ooops - almost forgot Andrew Lloyd
Webber, bit he takes virtually one motiv and beats it to death thoroughly
throughout a two-hour show.... But others will differ with me, and maybe
Webber's right - he's richer than I am....)
Gary Myers, thanks for the Hartford-Wisconsin Blue Beats connection.
On musica:
> Claire Francis "Here I Go Again" (Polydor 56079, 1966) Written by
> Tony May, Arranged and Conducted by Nicky Welsh, Produced by Claire
> Francis.
Sounds a bit like Ellie Greenwich or The Chiffons in a parallel universe.
Very interesting....
Modgirl:
> "Sweet Dreams" (by Tommy McLain) is one of those tunes where I find
> myself hitting the replay button over...and over...and over...
> Another must-repeater for me is "Nothing Takes The Place of You" (by
> Touissant McCall)...oh...my...aching...heart...
Amen to both. There's magic in that simple-yet-eloquent swamp pop. If
you haven't heard it yet, the T J Hulin track on "Teenage Crush IV" fits
into that same set of music....
Swampy Paul
(who actually lives 1/4 mile from the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge -
yeah, I know it's a different swamp!)
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Message: 18
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 10:40:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Norm D. Plume
Subject: Re: Toussaint McCall ... Tracy Turnblad ... sigh ...
ModGirl wrote:
> Another must-repeater for me is "Nothing Takes The Place of You"
> (by Toussaint McCall)...oh...my...aching...heart...
Yes, that is such a gorgeous heart-stopper / breaker. And wasn't it
just wonderful in the movie "Hairspray" - complete with Toussaint
McCall himself singing it. That splendid scene was slightly marred
by Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) kicking a rat away from her feet, mid-
smooch. But that's John Waters for you, never the sentimentalist.
Is this the best ever S'Pop-type movie? IMHO, it is. Check out this
list of film quotes from the internet movie data base:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095270/quotes I rest my case!
Norm D.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 19
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 12:21:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: Claude Francois
Frank wrote:
> My God! I never thought I would see the day Claude Franįois is
> mentioned or even worse played her at Spectropop.
Tom:
> Sorry, but I have to disagree, Frank. Claude had an amazingly
> expressive and intense voice....
His cover of The Hollies' "Carrie Anne"--"L'homme au traineau" (French
cover versions seem rarely to be straight translations) on the "Comme
d'habitude" ("My Way") EP--is fantastic. Those trumpets alone ...
"Serre-Moi Griffe-Moi" I have only on EP, but "Prendi Prendi" is on
the Stasera Shake!!! comp LP.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 20
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 13:15:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike the Bass Player
Subject: Song Titled: "Breaking Away" or "I'm Breaking Away"
Spectropoppers,
Only heard this song once or twice but it's been haunting me since the
early 80's. It has a cowbell or chain clanking effect on every quarter
note. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated - Artist, label, year
etc... If anyone has a copy that'd be the best!
Rock and Roll - MIke the Bass Player
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 21
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 17:39:26 -0400
From: James Cassidy
Subject: Brian vs. the Beach Boys
I think we all agree that Brian Wilson deserves recognition for his
contributions to popular music. Spectropoppers, being among the
cognoscenti, have always given him his "props." Yet it has only been
in the last decade or so that he has been increasingly accorded that
recognition from the general public, thanks in large part to the
efforts of people like David Leaf, the late Timothy White, Don Was,
Alan Boyd, and Melinda Wilson. While commercial considerations are
always a factor - a project that will not make money will not get
funded - I am certain their labors have been, first and foremost,
labors of love.
Elevating Brian does not diminish the work of the other Beach Boys.
This is not a zero-sum game. When Brian says "my band is way better
than the Beach Boys," I think he's speaking about his ability to work
with them and their ability to execute his tunes as he envisioned them.
They are better musicians, they use the original arrangements, and
with several multi-instrumentalists, they can create a richer sound.
Above all, they are totally dedicated to Brian. For whatever reasons,
the Beach Boys became an increasingly fractious, dysfunctional family
over time, making it harder for them to work together. In that sense,
I think Brian finds working with his current band more enjoyable.
Do listeners miss the Beach Boys vocal blend on the new Smile disk? Of
course! But that blend sadly no longer exists since the death of Carl
Wilson, so the question is academic. Because the original, Beach Boys
version of Smile was never completed, it could not be released as a
completed work today. Any misguided attempt to add new parts to the
original tracks would have been disastrous and an insult to the Beach
Boys. The only way to release a completed Smile was to do all-new
recordings.
While I agree with Mark Wirtz that we got the best parts of Smile years
ago, the project *was* conceived as an integrated work; as such, those
parts were excerpts of the original, not the entire original work
itself. In the case of "Heroes and Villains," the "original" released
version was an edit of the truly original, longer version. As the man
who created those gems, Brian Wilson has finally had an opportunity to
mount them in a setting more like what he originally had in mind.
Personally, I think those gems shine even brighter in that setting.
Taken as a whole, the new Smile is a rollercoaster ride (pardon my
metaphor shifting) through the feverishly inventive mind of its creator
-- full of surprises, chills, laughs, and beauty. As for "changing"
the words and arrangement of "Good Vibrations," Brian actually was
reverting to an earlier version of the song. I don't think we should
assume that, by doing so, he thought he was improving on it.
Finally, while I don't think it would be "Spectro proper" to start a
new thread on the definition of genius, the relative artfulness of
classical vs. popular music, or the wordplay of Van Dyke Parks vs. John
Lennon, I will say that IMHO the lyrics to "Surf's Up" are better than
"I am the Walrus," there is definitely genius in the work of Brian
Wilson, and that some of that work is great art.
Jim Cassidy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 22:17:31 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Pop music as fine art
Previously:
> Geez, get real, folks -- popular music is no more "(fine) art" than
> even the most skilfully painted graffiti is. It is not rocket
> science, or a religion, or a human condition altering phenomenon.
> It may even be a form of psychic medication, but it is not medicine!
> It's entertainment. That's all. And that's a lot!
Sorry, I see it as fine art when it is lovingly assembled and
passionately performed with massive talent behind it and an
intellectual overview. "River Deep" by Tina Turner is fine art. You've
Lost That Lovin Feelin' is fine art and the original Good Vibrations
and most of Pet Sounds is akin to Mozart or Beethoven and that IS
rocket science, musically speaking.
H O W E V E R, in my iTunes program where I had downloaded the entire
SMILE album, I did some creative editing. I took various Beach Boy
versions of selections and replaced the new versions i.e. Heroes &
Villains, Wind Chimes, Vegetables and Good Vibrations. It still plays
as a complete piece with the intended chronology, but the seminal
passion is back. Works for me!
I will be at the 10/14 Boston show out of respect for one of my heroes.
I learned a lot from Brian....
Al Kooper
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Message: 23
Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 06:08:01 -0000
From: Jon P.
Subject: Shaggs on WBCN-FM?
I'm trying to track down the story of how the Shaggs were "discovered."
One story credits Harry Palmer who was in the group Ford Theater (and
is also the uncle of R. Stevie Moore). Other stories focus on how the
LP, Philosophy of the World, was played by the freeform radio station
WBCN-FM out of Boston. There was somebody on the list who knew R.
Stevie Moore and I was wondering, if this person was still on the list,
if I could somehow get in touch with Harry Palmer. In addition, if
there is anybody on the list who worked for or listened to WBCN in its
freeform days in the early 1970s who could straighten out the Shaggs
story, that would be great too. I'm thinking of writing an academic
paper on the Shaggs, so I want to get the details absolutely right
about how they were "found" and their first LP was distributed to the
rest of the world.
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Message: 24
Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 09:10:20 -0000
From: Partysixties
Subject: New '60s internet radio station
A mention of a new internet radio station in the Chart Beat column
at Billboard online led me to "Pop Goes The '60s!" at live365.com.
Lots of Spector, lots of girl groups, lots of Brill Building songs.
The hits, the misses, album tracks. You can listen for free at:
http://www.live365.com/stations/followpeggy
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Message: 25
Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 06:09:05 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Brian Leak
Showtime is doing a 90 minute Making of Smile show. Tuesday October
5th at 9 PM EST. To see mucho preview-o, go to http://www.nonesuch.com
and click on the Brian video preview. Have patience on the loadup, and
also occasionally there are seven second blanks and short repeats of
what you have already seen, but there is AMAZING footage in there if
you're a fan of Brian the producer (as opposed to Al Jardine, Mike
Love, or Murry Wilson, the producer). Have fun !!!!!!!
Al "Brian Still Roolz" Kooper
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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