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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: Bert Weedon & "Apache"
From: Austin Powell
2. Re:The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
From: Peter McCray
3. Re: Beg, Borrow & Steal
From: Robert Pingel
4. Re: Sylvan
From: Dave Monroe
5. Re: Arrangers
From: Robert Pingel
6. Re: Terry Phillips / Virginia Wolves
From: Joe Nelson
7. Re: Claude Francois
From: Dave Monroe
8. Re: Herb Alpert's vocals
From: Ray
9. Re: Pop music as fine art.
From: Mark Wirtz
10. Abnak / Richard Perry/ Claude Francois/ Jim Croce
From: Artie Wayne
11. Re: Bert Weedon & Apache
From: Frank Murphy
12. Re: Arrangers - Carole King
From: Austin Roberts
13. Re: The Angels
From: Austin Roberts
14. Re: L. David Sloane
From: Austin Roberts
15. Re: Decca/MCA
From: Joe Nelson
16. Re: Bert Weedon OBE; Beach Boys
From: Mike Edwards"
17. Re: Carol Jarvis / Connie Questell
From: Jimmy Botticelli
18. Re: The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
From: Phil X Milstein
19. Re: days of Steam
From: Austin Roberts
20. Re: The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
From: Austin Roberts
21. Re: "Breaking Away" or "I'm Breaking Away"
From: Mike the Bass Player
22. Re: Michael Rabon & Choctaw
From: Mike McKay
23. Re: Steam comes alive
From: Gary Myers
24. Rocky Matero
From: Bruce Milne
25. Crib & Ben
From: JJ
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 11:12:54 +0100
From: Austin Powell
Subject: Re: Bert Weedon & "Apache"
Quoting Phil X Milstein:
> I recently acquired a dub of Bert Weedon playing "Apache." I am aware
> that he debuted this song, but I wonder if he mightn't've also
> rerecorded it at some point later in his career....
Whether Bert beat The Shadows to "Apache" here in the U.K. is a moot
point. What is clear is that The Shads beat Bert to the highest chart
position despite both records coming out virtually the same week. Bert,
I believe, did re-record "Apache" for a different label much later in
his career for the Contour (part of Phonogram at the time) label I think
- he only ever recorded it once for his original label Top Rank.
Austin P
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 20:12:05 +1000
From: Peter McCray
Subject: Re:The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
Phil Milstein:
> Enjoy "Rose Peddles" now at musica.
Austin:
> I remember Terry Phillips ..... liked Rose Peddles as a bubblegum
> B side in case radio stations liked it better.
Thanks Phil and Austin - great story all round!
Hadn't heard of the Virginia Wolves before Austin, but did a little
digging and found another Virginia Wolves 45 - Stay / B.L.T. released
the previous year, 1966, on Amy. Does this ring any bells, or was
there another pack of Wolves?!
Peter
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 07:19:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Pingel
Subject: Re: Beg, Borrow & Steal
Also a pretty good version by Mouse.
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 07:39:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: Sylvan
Mark M:
> Thanks for the Sylvan information. I now know she
> also co-wrote such songs as It's Not Unusual and
> is a talented songwriter and photographer.
You're very welcome! I'm hardly an expert, but I am
motivated to do a little reserach when it comes to
such matters, so ... but "It's Not Unusual"? I missed
that one somehow. Reminds me, though, that years ago,
while visiting out-of-town friends, I picked up an
early-70s vintage Tom Jones biography at a rummage
sale, and, having skimmed it at least, felt obligated
to give it to a friend who's a TJ fanatic. We got a
good laugh out of an interview with at least one of
the song's authors, who claimed that "INU" was a
particularly difficult song to write, as, while it's
certainly NOT unusual to go out at any time, being
loved by anyone is another matter entirely ...
Dave (who's slowly getting a feel for the format here)
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 07:51:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Pingel
Subject: Re: Arrangers
Mark Wirtz:
> If Carole King is respectfully mentioned, then why the the dickens
> was Jimmy Webb's name omitted???
Yes, of course, Jimmy Webb. I also forgot to mention Al Capps who is
a favorite of mine.
Rob Pingel
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 10:49:52 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: Terry Phillips / Virginia Wolves
Austin Roberts:
> The funny aside to this, which I may have mentioned before, is, that
> I was at Parris Island (Marine Boot Camp; oh boy) at the time of the
> record's release (1967), and the Drill Instructors went through our
> mail. They called me out in front of the Platoon and made me read the
> Billboard revue and then made me eat it. The Marines are kind of
> serious.
I believe it. My brother's nineteenth birthday came up while he was at
Parris Island. His present from the DI: his own personal extra twenty
minutes of "mountain climbing".
Joe Nelson
(figures Austin can explain this better than I can...)
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 07:55:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: Claude Francois
Tom K. White wrote:
> I havent heard of that LP but it sounds like my
> kind of thing - what else is on it and where can I
> get a hold of it?
Well, I got it via Dusty Groove America, but, looking
at the Nowsound page for it (it's on their Boss-A-Tone
label), while it was allegedly limited to 400 copies,
it doesn't say that they DON'T have any left, so ...
so if the URL below makes it through, here 'tis ...
http://crea.html.it/sito/NOWSOUND/4.htm
At any rate, here's their tracklisting ...
ROGERS non chiederò aiuto
MAURIZIO 24 ore spese bene con amore (spinning wheel)
DIEGO PEPE lunedì
JOHNNY DORELLI con lui,con me (music to watch girls by)
LUISA CASALI il momento della verità
LEO SARDO ormai
GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI zero in amore
MAURIZIO MASLA troppo sole (sunny)
PIRANHAS qualcuno per te
SCOOTERS le pigne in testa
ELIO GANDOLFI capelli (hair)
NOES DESCAMPS
EVY domani il mondo sarà nelle nostre mani
FABIO BRASILE vai vai vai
SOLUZIONE DUE fulminato
LARA ST. PAUL la canzone portafortuna
CLAUDE FRANCOIS prendi prendi (bend me,shape me)
VANNI MAPELLI Baciccia il pirata
"Noes Descamps" is, of course, Noel Deschamps, which
is an Italian language version of his pretty decent
cover of The Zombies' "She's Not There." That "Neil
MacArthur" version of course blows it out of the
water, and if you have to have one ND track, it might
as well be his cover of Gene Vincent's "Bird Doggin'"
("Pour le Pied"), but ...
But the rest as I recall (I have to haul that one out
again, I've been neglecting it) is all fairly groovy
60s Italian stuff, some EZ listening (they also put
out a decent Italo-bossa comp), some soundtracky, er,
tracks, some shake/beat/whatever, most if not all of
it worth having around, if only in case you suddenly
find yourself needing incidental music for
exploitation film club scenes or somesuch ...
Dave
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 13:25:54 +0100
From: Ray
Subject: Re: Herb Alpert's vocals
Phil Milstein:
> Does anyone know of the existence of a listing of Herb Alpert's vocals
> on record? If not, is there anyone who might be willing to help me start
> compiling one? The singing of his that I've heard is among the most
> sublime in the entire canon of pop, and, from what I've heard of his
> trumpet playing, I'm mystified as to how he could've chosen the latter
> on which to focus his career.
http://www.herbalpert.com/biocomponents/disco.html
http://www.tijuanabrass.com/tjb1.php3
http://www.tijuanabrass.com/alpert/alpert1.php3
Should get a start with the above links.
Ray
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 08:08:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Re: Pop music as fine art.
I concede to Austin - as I do to Al Kooper when he
pointed to works such as "River Deep" etc. as art -
that any artist's creation is "Art." The dictionary
defines the word as a neutral term, not as a standard
or quality measure. As such, art is simply art.
Whether or not it is good or bad or profound or
meaningless, it is, much like beauty itself, in the
subjective eye (or ear) of the beholder. And so, we
formally categorise all kinds of "arts" as such - from
the liberal and fine arts, to the entertaining arts,
to even the culinary arts (in which a cheeseburger
qualifies as art). In that sense, even a race car
driver can call himself a "motor propelled vessel
artist," and NASCAR is art.
When it comes to "genius," however, I'll stick to my
guns. The word describes unique, divine, super-human,
abilities -- again, without reference to good or evil,
or productive or destructive. Hey, sure, to me as a
technical ignoramus, my car mechanic is a bloody
"genius," as is anybody that can do something that I
can't do. Alas, in the strict meaning of the word,
regardless of how skilful he is, unless that mechanic
can make my car drive without any gas in it, he's just
a brilliant practitioner, not a genius.
Yes, Brian was/is brilliant, and extraordinarily
talent. As were Spector and Goffin-King, Quincy Jones,
and many, many others (including Al Kooper et al). But
geniuses they weren't. Well, maybe Miles Davis (a
virtuoso) was one... his stuff surely bordered on,
probably passed into, unique and super-human...
The point of my initial remarks was never meant to be
an indulgent exercise in semantics, nor a degradation
of Brian's (or other artists') amazing talents and
skills. It was merely an appeal to put the often
bandied about "superlatives" into perspective, as they
only too often serve as a provoking source of
prejudice, snobby elitism and discrimination, rather
than gracing the artists and their "art" with the
respect they deserve (or the pressure of an
insurmountable burden, which they don't).
Peace,
Mark Wirtz
www.markwirtz.com
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 08:27:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Artie Wayne
Subject: Abnak / Richard Perry/ Claude Francois/ Jim Croce
How ya'll doin'? Once again I'll try to catch up ...
to Guy Lawrence, Clark Blesh,and Brent...
When I heard the records being cut by Abnak records in
the late sixties, as a songwriter/ publisher I saw a
chance to get in on the ground floor of a winning
situation. I submitted a song I wrote with Bob
Halley, "Just Imagine", which John Abnak cut on Jon and
Robin. As time passed, John also cut "Open up Your
Heart" with the U.S. Males and "Busy, Busy Bee" with Bobby
Patterson. John put Bobby and me together to write, but
nothing much came from it. When I moved to California
and went to work for Viva [which later was bought by
Warner Bros] I put my songwriting on hold and lost
touch with the Abnak crew.
to Phil Millstein and Mark Wirtz...
Thanks for helping me get in touch with my old friend
Richard Perry.
to the recent postings on Claude Francois...
Although my partner Kelli Ross and I gave Claude the
French sub-publishing rights to Janis Ian
and "Society's' Child", and dealt with him for years, I
never knew he had been a top singer in France. You
learn something on Spectropop everyday.
Finally, I'm proud to say that the song Patti Dahlstrom
and I wrote for our late friend Jim Croce, "Sending my
Good Thoughts to You" is being used for the climax of
the new documentary on Jim...and has been entered in
the Sundance film festival.
regards, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com/
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 16:49:50 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: Re: Bert Weedon & Apache
Phil Milstein wrote:
> I recently acquired a dub of Bert Weedon playing "Apache." I am
> aware that he debuted this song, but I wonder if he mightn't've also
> rerecorded it at some point later in his career.
Having had a look at this site I'm sure he has rerecorded it, and on several
occasions: http://www.bertweedon.com/lps.htm
The most likely candidate would be the 1976 Warwick album which was TV
advertised and a #1 album.
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
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 12:55:25 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Arrangers - Carole King
Jimmy Botticelli wrote:
> I found a copy of Neil Sedaka's 1982 autobio at a thrift shop in
> Connecticut this past summer...He and Carole were quite an item
> once upon a time. I guess 'Oh Carol' comes from that one.
Carole's answer record was "Oh Neil."
AR
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 13:21:13 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: The Angels
Barry wrote:
> Does anybody know an amazingly hot single by The Angels,
> "You're The Cause Of It" on RCA? When I found a copy of
> this obscure single, I was floored.
Jeff Lemlich asked:
> Barry, was this song written by Trade Martin? If so, I have a
> version by The Lovables on Toot (which I believe may have been
> Martin's label).
To my ears, the sheer beauty of the Angels' version of "Till" outweighs
anything they ever did, especially after changing lead singers and
producers, though I like Bobby Feldman very much.
Austin R.
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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 13:24:05 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: L. David Sloane
Jack Madani asked:
> Was L. David Sloane originally a tune that was meant for Doris Day?
Wasn't L. Davis Sloane written by Billy Meshel?
Austin R.
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Message: 15
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 14:39:20 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: Decca/MCA
Davie Gordon wrote:
> MCA (Music Corporation of America) in the US owned the US Decca
> group of labels (Decca, Coral, Brunswick, Vocalion, etc.) -- the UK
> licence for MCA owned material was with the UK Decca label which
> was a different UK-owned company. The licensing deal expired in
> late '67 or early '68 - MCA couldn't use the Decca name in the UK
> because over here it was owned by the UK Decca label -- so they used
> their US corporate name MCA -- the first time MCA had been used as
> the name for a label. US Decca was eventually wound up in the US in
> '73 and replaced there by MCA. That's the simplified version -- the
> full version would drive you to drink :-)
Apparently Decca began as a single entity, then split off into two very different
labels. Once UK Decca tried to establish a presence stateside the name was
already taken, thus was born London Records. But then there was a London
UK -- what was that?
Joe Nelson
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Message: 16
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 18:41:58 -0000
From: Mike Edwards"
Subject: Re: Bert Weedon OBE; Beach Boys
Good to see Bert Weedon getting a nod on the site. I just did a Google
search and found that he has an official website at:
http://www.bertweedon.com/index.shtml
Bert also debuted a tune called "Ginchy" which the Ventures put out
as a B-side of their "Lullaby Of The Leaves" 45 in 1961. It's one of the
few examples of a pre-Lennon-McCartney tune appearing on a US
recording.
UK record companies found a winning formula for packaging oldies in
the mid '70s. They put out compilations with the title "20 Golden Greats",
and one of the most successful was one by Bert's contemporaries, The
Shadows. A K-Tel type company named Warwick decided that you didn't
need to have original recordings; tuneful re-recordings would work well
enough for the Moms and Dads audience. So came Bert Weedon's "22
Golden Greats", which made it to # 1 on the UK album charts. I don't
have the track details but this compilation may have included a re-recording
of "Apache".
Another successful 20 Golden Greats' compilation was one by the Beach
Boys from 1977, which, in spite of the number of Mike Love co-penned
songs, was a very fine album. Incidentally, it contained more non-Brian
Wilson tracks than any other Beach Boys' album: "Surfin' USA", "Sloop
John B", "Then I Kissed Her" and "I Can Hear Music". Some members
have drawn attention to Brian's skills as a producer, and these four tracks
are fine examples of this. The group didn't even need a Brian Wilson song
to make a great record.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 17
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:46:03 -0400
From: Jimmy Botticelli
Subject: Re: Carol Jarvis / Connie Questell
Joe Strigle asked:
> What/who is a Connie Questell?
Never mind. I got my merds wixed.
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Message: 18
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 16:33:51 +0000
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
I wrote:
> The A-side was an update of a McHugh-Gaskill non-standard titled
> "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me," flip an A.R.
> original (published under his birth name of George Robertson)
> titled "Rose Peddles Everywhere She Goes."
Chris A. Schneider replied:
> Kindly explain your use of the phrase "non-standard" in connection
> with a song which has been recorded by Louis Armstrong, Count Basie
> with Jimmy Rushing, Sidney Bechet, Tony Bennett, Benny Carter, June ...
My explanation is "sheer ignorance." Let's pretend I called it a "standard,"
instead.
--Phil M.
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Message: 19
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 18:21:45 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: days of Steam
Andrew C. Jones asked:
> Was any S'popper involved, either onstage or offstage, with
> the "real" version of the group Steam that was formed in the
> wake of the huge success of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"?
Na Na Hey Hey was cut in the last hour of a session Paul Leka was producing
on me. We had finished, so he decided to cut the B-side to a single for Gary
DeCarlo, another Mercury/Phillips/Fontana artist. Gary , Paul and Dale Frazier
(all super people, I might add) had written the song as a 'definite' B-side. They
had a Mellotron and some kind of electric drum sounding thing, plus ash trays,
Coke bottles, cans, chairs, plus a percussion kit. I can't remember if I played
some of the cans, sticks, rocks or whatever but I probably might have, since
Paul never let anyone sit around, they had to be doing something musical or,
in this case, rhythmical.
I don't remember if I sang any background with everyone or not. I believe it
was Charlie Fach that wanted it out right away, but Gary wanted to be a solo
artist so they called the group Steam and the sucker flew up the charts to
number one and has become a mainstay at sports events even today. Who
woulda thought?
The funny part was, when the record hit number one and Gary still wouldn't
go out with it (what a super vocal he did on the lead), someone at Mercury --
probably Charlie Fach or Paul Leka -- asked me if I'd go out as lead singer of
Steam. Like Gary, I wanted to go solo (Arkade kind of blew that theory for a
while), plus I felt funny about going out as a lead singer who hadn't sung the
lead; maybe I should have. Hell, I don't know, with all the ghost singing several
of us were doing, who knew what would happen and what would never even
mumble at the charts. Wish I could remember better, but that was around 1969.
I do know one thing: Gary DeCarlo should've been a star, he could sing his
ass off.
Hope I remembered everything correctly. I do remember Paul got in some
trouble (probably very little) from the Musicians' Union for using a Mellotron.
That's all I can remember, except the record still holds up, don't it?
Dr. Memory,
Austin Roberts
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Message: 20
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 19:48:56 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: The Virginia Wolves: Rose Peddles ...
Chris A. Schneider wrote:
> Film-noir fans might remember the use of "I Can't Believe That
> You're In Love With Me' in Edgar G. Ulmer's "Detour." Me, I like
> my recording of this 1926 song performed by Anita O'Day and
> The Kentonians.
Chris,
I'm not the one who called it a non-standard. I had heard it before and my
parents knew it note for note and word for word. They were tickled that we
cut it, and couldn't have cared if it was a hit or not ... which it sho' won't.
Austin 'winsome lose some' Roberts
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Message: 21
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 02:29:35 -0000
From: Mike the Bass Player
Subject: Re: "Breaking Away" or "I'm Breaking Away"
Steve Harvey wrote:
> Maybe the cover by Tracy Ullman of Jackie DeShannon's tune?
Thanks. I'm familiar with the Tracy Ullman tune, and this is different.
Lead singer on this tune was a guy.
Mike the Bass Player
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Message: 22
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 23:42:22 EDT
From: Mike McKay
Subject: Re: Michael Rabon & Choctaw
Clark Besch wrote:
> Brent, indeed the US Males 45 is "beloved" by me! Also is Choctaw's
> 1972 single, "Let Your Light Shine On" which I described to Michael
> Rabon as sounding like a country Badfinger style, to which he agreed!
Not to mention "Heaven Knows," the lead track of the Michael Rabon and
Choctaw album -- which is a dead-on Paul McCartney imitation ... and I mean
that in a good way.
Mike
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Message: 23
Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 21:19:32 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Steam comes alive
Andrew C. Jones asked:
> Was any S'popper involved, either onstage or offstage, with the
> "real" version of the group Steam that was formed in the wake of
> the huge success of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"?
I have no connection with it, but a guitar player friend of mine (who
returned to NY from LA several years ago) was almost in a recent version
of the group, which, I guess, included at least one member from the early
days. I could probably get some info from him.
gem
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Message: 24
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 14:33:32 +1000
From: Bruce Milne
Subject: Rocky Matero
I'm looking for some information about Rocky Matero. He had, as far
as I can tell, only one single, Lawdy Miss Clawdy/All Alone (Atco 6165),
produced by Leiber/Stoller. The lyrics to Miss C mention Memphis. I have
never been able to find out even the slimmest piece of info about him.
Regards,
Bruce Milne (Australia)
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Message: 25
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 04:51:22 -0000
From: JJ
Subject: Crib & Ben
I've just posted a very cool original US 60 Decca promo photo of Crib & Ben
to the Photos section, a take-off of the Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. LP cover.
It would be FAB if anyone could supply any info on Eddie Simon and how
many 45s Crib and Ben released, dates, etc. Eddie Simon == Paul Simon's
brother!
Thanx!
JJ/Sweden
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