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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 18 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Trying to reach ...
From: Richard Campbell
2. Re: Smile special on Showtime
From: Austin Roberts
3. Re: Spanky & Our Gang
From: Richard Campbell
4. Re: Merseybeats USA
From: Steve Harvey
5. Charlie Drake; Mindrocker; FA&F
From: Bob Rashkow
6. Re: Merseybeats USA
From: Phil X Milstein
7. Re: flips turned hits
From: Clark Besch
8. Re: New Kenny Lynch´s compilation.
From: Chris
9. Many Diamond Rings!
From: Al Kooper
10. Re: Reverb-erb-erb-erb
From: John Fox
11. Re: New Kenny Lynch´s compilation.
From: Gary Myers
12. Re: flips turned hits
From: Mikey
13. Re: Many Diamond Rings!
From: Mikey
14. Re: flips turned hits
From: Gary Myers
15. Lewis & Clarke to Musica
From: Clark Besch
16. Re: Spanky & Our Gang
From: Robert Pingel
17. Goffin-King's "adult" period
From: Barry
18. Re: Trying to reach ...
From: John Hamilton
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:47:24 -0000
From: Richard Campbell
Subject: Trying to reach ...
Does anyone know how to reach 60s session guys Phil Kaye or Ben Benay?
I would also like to get in touch with songwriters M. Segal or S. English,
who wrote "Welcome To The World" for Mama Cass Elliot in 1969. I am
working on liner notes and I'd like to interview them.
Richard Campbell
http://www.casselliot.com
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 21:04:45 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Smile special on Showtime
I loved it, just because you can still see the past and present spark in Brian.
Austin Roberts
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:44:06 -0000
From: Richard Campbell
Subject: Re: Spanky & Our Gang
J.K. wrote:
> One of my top 5 albums of all time, Spanky and Our Gang --
> Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme Or Reason, is apparently
> coming out as part of a Spanky And Our Gang 4CD Boxset --
> The Complete Mercury Recordings
'Tis true. I worked on this package, and it will also have single versions
and their first Mercury single, which was not on any album. Enjoy ... and
I agree completely about the "yellow album".
Richard
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 18:22:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Merseybeats USA
Don Szmansky wrote:
> My name is Don Szmansky, from Louisville, KY. I found this group
> during a Google search for "merseybeats usa", a band I played in
> almost 40 years ago. I was shocked to actually find entries where
> folks knew about the band, other than a few die hard "Q"(NRBQ)
> fanatics. I sent a reply to a thread that is a couple years old,
> but hopefully someone is still interested.
Don, welcome to the group. I got a tape years ago of various NRBQ
offshoots including the Merseybeats USA from Tommy Ardolino of
NRBQ. Cool to hear from you.
Steve Harvey
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 21:39:11 EDT
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Charlie Drake; Mindrocker; FA&F
Mark Wirtz mentioned that among the television comedians he saw was
Charlie Drake. Did he actually perform "My Boomerang Won't Come Back"
with visuals? Was it any funnier than it is on record?
My first random listen in the overwhelmingly nostalgic "Mindrocker" CD
series is Volume 8. Cool, cool, cool. Includes two great cuts by The Family
Tree on Mira; "You'd Better Come Home" by the Head Lyters on Wand;
Chicago's own Poother Unltd. doing "Tastee Freeze" (Cadet, 1968); and
New York's Minitmen with a catchy little number called "Smokin' In The
Boys' Room" (Rust, 1965), not to be confused with Brownsville Station's
song. Can't wait to hear the rest of the CDs.
Tomorrow in Evanston I get Fuzz, Acid And Flowers. Hey hey hey!
Bobster
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 22:29:45 -0400
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Merseybeats USA
Don Szmansky wrote:
> My name is Don Szmansky, from Louisville, KY. I found this group
> during a Google search for "merseybeats usa", a band I played in
> almost 40 years ago. I was shocked to actually find entries where
> folks knew about the band, other than a few die hard "Q"(NRBQ)
> fanatics. I sent a reply to a thread that is a couple years old,
> but hopefully someone is still interested.
Welcome, Don. So good to hear from a representative of the Merseybeats,
U.S.A.! In honor of your arrival, I have played the group's "Nobody
Loves Me That Way" to musica, our online "listening lounge." The track
reminds me somewhat of The Beau Brummels* -- were they an overt
influence, or is the similarity merely coincidental? I'm also curious
about the label, Top Dog -- a Louisville indie? Any good stories behind
the label, its ownership, or any of the other artists who recorded for
it? Finally, is he record at all representative of the group's sound?
By the way, you may find my article about The Dickens, an NRBQ spinoff
group who made one, unreleased 45 for Scepter, of some interest. It's at
the Spectropop homepage, at http://www.spectropop.com , where you
will also find links to all manner of terrific (and usually photo-laden)
articles on other '60s artists both obscure and famous.
Yeah,
--Phil Milstein
*Another ephemeral NRBQ/Beau Brummels connection: if I'm not
mistaken, Sal Valentino's original name was Spampinato, a named he shares
with NRBQ bassist Joey Spampinato (as well as his brother, current guitarist
Johnny S'etc.). Curiously, both saw fit to change their names, as Joey went
under the name "Jody St. Nicholas" early in his career.
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:47:52 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: flips turned hits
Phil Chapman prompted:
> Just how many flips turned into hits?
One flip-turned-hit that seldom gets mentioned is The Vogues' "No Not
Much". I mention it because it cost my Nebraska buddy and his group
a hit! In late 1968, Nebraska's Smoke Ring cut The Four Lads' old song
"No Not Much" and released it on a local label, Golddust. The song went
to #6 in Lincoln on KLMS. In early 69, Buddah picked the record up and
it made the Hot 100. At the same time, The Vogues were doing well with
their Reprise 45, "Woman Helping Man". Some DJ somewhere realized
The Vogues' flip side was "No Not Much," which was charting by Smoke
Ring, even making the Top 20 of tight-listed Boss Radio KHJ! Anyway,
they tried The Vogues and found a much sweeter, slicker rendition, and
suddenly it was the hit and the stations playing the Smoke Ring version
dropped it and picked up The Vogues' version! Without the Smoke
Ring's version, the Vogues 45 would have died with the dropping of
"Woman Helping Man" from radio lists.
Clark
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 07:09:38 -0000
From: Chris
Subject: Re: New Kenny Lynch´s compilation.
Julio:
> The beautiful Goffin-King´s "The World I Used To Know",
> with a marvelous strings arrangement. I didn´t know that song.
> Maybe somebody could tell me who did the original.
Hi again Julio,
Jimmie Rodgers had some airplay with his version in '64 (another
one from the KPLS 19/4/64 aircheck!). Sweet, sweet song... buscalo!
Chris
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 07:28:07 EDT
From: Al Kooper
Subject: Many Diamond Rings!
Mikey
> Why didn't you write anything else for Gary Lewis
> after "This Diamond Ring" went top 5??
We wrote TONS of songs for Gary.
The producer turned them all down
Al "former reject" Kooper
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 09:05:20 EDT
From: John Fox
Subject: Re: Reverb-erb-erb-erb
Joe Nelson writes:
> reverb plates were frequently housed in attics
In the guided tour of the Motown Museum/Hitsville USA in Detroit,
they show you the original "echo chamber" which is a hole in the
roof going up to the attic, asking someone on the tour to stand
below the hole and sing. It works!
John Fox
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 09:49:25 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: New Kenny Lynch´s compilation.
Julio:
> The beautiful Goffin-King´s "The World I Used To Know" ...
> Maybe somebody could tell me who did the original.
Chris:
> Jimmie Rodgers had some airplay with his version in '64 ...
The Jimmie Rodgers record is a song written by Rod McKuen,
so if Julio's correct about it being Goffin-King, then it
must be a different song.
gem
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 12:22:22 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: flips turned hits
Clark Besch:
> One flip-turned-hit that seldom gets mentioned is The Vogues'
> "No Not Much". I mention it because it cost my Nebraska buddy
> and his group a hit!
Clark, I'm a Vogues fanatic. What you say is true in that
the DJs flipped the Vogues 45 and started playing "No Not Much".
HOWEVER, the Vogues 45 was out before the Smoke Rings 45, and
all indications were that the Smoke Ring heard the Vogues 45,
and decided to cover the "B" side, and were not covering the
Four Lads.
The Vogues producer, Dick Glasser, had been a session musician
on the Four Lads version, and thats how The Vogues came to
record the song.
I am 99.9999% sure that the Smoke Ring did not come up with
the idea of covering The Four Lads.
All the best,
Mikey
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 12:33:31 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Many Diamond Rings!
Me:
> Why didn't you write anything else for Gary Lewis
> after "This Diamond Ring" went top 5??
Al Kooper:
> We wrote TONS of songs for Gary.
> The producer turned them all down
Really? Snuffy Garrett didnt like them?
Al, what kind of songs were they? Did anyone else ever
record the ones that were turned down?
Is there a chance we could have you post a couple to musica...
maybe what you intended the follow up to "This Diamond Ring" to be?
Many thanks
Mikey
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 09:51:50 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: flips turned hits
Clark Besch:
> One flip-turned-hit that seldom gets mentioned is The Vogues'
> "No Not Much". I mention it because it cost my Nebraska buddy
> and his group a hit! In late 1968, Nebraska's Smoke Ring cut
> The Four Lads' old song "No Not Much" ...
It's been a long time, but in my recollection, the Vogues'
version is far superior to the Smoke Ring. Seems to me the
latter group did it with very simple chords (and I *am* a
chord guy ).
gem
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 14:37:28 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Lewis & Clarke to Musica
It took 200 years of exploration, but the Lewis and Clarke
Expedition has finally discovered Musica! Now playing is
their October, 1969 release, "Why Need they Pretend?".
That makes the song 35 years old this month! Anyway, I think
it has a real Harper's Bizarre feel of that time. Played next
to Bizarre's "Knock on Wood" from same period, you can hear a
lot of similarities. As I believe was mentioned earlier, one
half of the expedition, Boomer Castleman, is spotlighted this
month at Lance Records monthly interview site at
http://www.lancerecords.com/news2.htm
Enjoy, Clark(e)?
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 13:52:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Pingel
Subject: Re: Spanky & Our Gang
J.K. wrote:
> One of my top 5 albums of all time, Spanky and Our Gang --
> Anything You Choose b/w Without Rhyme Or Reason, is apparently
> coming out as part of a Spanky And Our Gang 4CD Boxset --
> The Complete Mercury Recordings
Richard Campbell:
> 'Tis true. I worked on this package, and it will also have
> single versions and their first Mercury single, which was
> not on any album. Enjoy ... and I agree completely about
> the "yellow album".
Completely agree with you about this record. I purchased
a copy at some cut-out bin in the late 60's, and is one
of the few LPs from the 60's that I still play. It's an
amazing mix of pop, folk rock, jazz, blues and whatnot.
SAOG may have suffered from having a few AM radio hits
when it wasn't particularly cool. This is a must-have
album for anyone who loves pop music. 5 stars.
Rob Pingel
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 17:42:15 -0500
From: Barry
Subject: Goffin-King's "adult" period
Julio:
> The beautiful Goffin-King´s "The World I Used To Know",
> with a marvelous strings arrangement. I didn´t know that song.
> Maybe somebody could tell me who did the original.
Gee....I wish someone would compile a legal CD of all the
"grown up", "adult" songs written by Goffin-King later in
their career.
I wonder if people realize that they wrote some terrific
later songs, with thoughtful lyrics and great melodies, such as
I WASN'T BORN TO FOLLOW
GOIN' BACK
IS THIS WHAT I GET FOR LOVING YOU
HUNG ON YOU
PORPOISE SONG
LADY OF THE LAKE
etc.
Barry
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 20:53:31 -0000
From: John Hamilton
Subject: Re: Trying to reach ...
Hey, Richard - it's great to see you on this forum! I hope
someone here can help you with the info you're looking for.
Is it safe to assume those liner notes you're working on are
for a new Cass compilation or re-release?
Looking forward to that Spanky & Our Gang package as well.
Cheers,
John Hamilton
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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