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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 10 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
From: Martin Roberts
2. Nashville S'poppers
From: Ed Salamon
3. Re: Spanky & Our Gang Q
From: Austin Roberts
4. Re: Melba Moore
From: Mike Rashkow
5. Re: Scott English?
From: Ed Salamon
6. Re: Kane Triplets now playing in Musica
From: George S.
7. I need help with UK Direction label.
From: Howard
8. Re: Mark Lindsay & Artie Butler
From: Frank Jastfelder
9. Lewis & Clarke Down Under
From: Lyn Nuttall
10. Smoke Rings from the Smoke Ring? (Vogues)
From: Clark Besch
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:07:03 +0100
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
Sorry for the delay in updating the site - I've not been on
holiday just busy, busy. So what have I got for you? Well, a
lot of bits and a groovy ROTW that I doubt many of you have
heard. Record of the week is Vince Howard and the Vin-ettes with
their rendition of "The Wayward Wind". Hear it on the Home Page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
Part Six of Karel Beer's interview with Jack Nitzsche deals
with producing records and making demos & sparks with Graham
Parker. Hear it On The Radio page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/radio.htm
I'm pleased to add not only a new record to the discography,
but a new release, C.C. Adcock's "Stealin' All Day". I've not
received my CD yet but I assume it's from the same session that
produced "Castin' My Spell". If so it should be well worth a
listen. "Castin'.." is a mighty, drivin' blues number.
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/discography.htm
Part two of Gary Pig Gold's interview with Harvey Kurbernik on
the Fufkin web site is linked from 'In Hardback'. It's well worth
a read. Harvey talks about Andrew Loog Oldham and Jack Nitzsche.
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/inhardback.htm
The Previous ROTW has been updated, so if you wish to see the
labels and read the reviews of records you may have missed
hearing get on over to:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/pastrotw3.htm
I share the sadness at Greg Shaw's passing. Although I was
unable to get him to write for the site, he enjoyed it, was
free with his advice and, in the case of his 'zine BOMP! and
Ken Barnes' interview, extremely generous.
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/magazines.htm#bomp
Martin
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 20:27:34 -0000
From: Ed Salamon
Subject: Nashville S'poppers
Nashville S'poppers held another unofficial meeting on
Sunday at my place. Austin Roberts, beach music/northern soul
legend Clifford Curry, Steve Jarrell (Sons Of The Beach) and
Nick Archer gathered to quiz Jack Keller about his days at
Aldon music and the songs he wrote and or produced for the
Monkees, Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Little Eva, etc. etc..
A photo of the group can be found at:
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/lst
Ed Salamon
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 18:34:00 EDT
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Spanky & Our Gang Q
Clark,
Thanks for the info on Mama Cass; we were both on Dunhill for a
while. I remember the song "Waiting For A Song That Never Comes"
because Terry Cashman played me the demo when I was writing for
ABC's publishing where Terry gave me my first writing deal (1968).
Anyway, thanx to all you folks who reminded me about Mama Cass's
record. Steve Barri (Cass's producer at the time) always loved that
song and finally cut it on Cass.
Austin R.
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 17:53:09 EDT
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Re: Melba Moore
George S.
Just a note regarding Melba Moore.... She and Valerie
> Simpson (Ashford &Simpson) sang background vocals for the
> James & Bobby Purify sessions at Mirasound.
Al Kooper:
> Gentlemen: Just a note regarding Melba Moorman (actual name)
> ....she & Valerie Simpson sang bg vox on the BS&T Child Is
> Father To The Man sessions at Columbia Studios.
OK, she sang at my wedding--now what.
di la,
Rashkovsky
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 18:55:19 -0000
From: Ed Salamon
Subject: Re: Scott English?
Dan Hughes wrote:
> Write to Scott English here:
> http://www.ampcast.com/music/11848/contact.php
Country Paul
> Is this "our" Scott English? This guy seems to be a jazz-rock
> guitarist with a new age bent.
No, 'our' Scott English ironically now lives in London (not
Indiana, as the one Dan provided). I sent Richard Campbell's
contact info to Scott, so that Scott could respond if he wished.
Ed Salamon
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 20:51:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: George S.
Subject: Re: Kane Triplets now playing in Musica
Clark Besch:
> Also new to Musica is female vocal group the Kane
> Triplets doing "Buttercup Days." It was written by
> Teddy Randazzo and Victoria Pike, produced by Henry
> Jerome, arranged by Hutch Davie and released on
> United artists 50466 in November, 1968. It has some
> nice harmonies that sound like Carole King and Ellie
> Greenwich to me at times.
Ellie Greenwich also did some tunes with Bob Crewe and
Hutch Davie at Mirasound which I photographed between
takes...and yes, you'd be surprised who sang background
for many artists at that time.
George Schowerer
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 02:33:33 -0400
From: Howard
Subject: I need help with UK Direction label.
I'm putting together an article on the (UK) Direction label
which was started in the late 1960's. It was a 'sister' label
of the (UK)C.B.S. label. I've managed to track down the majority
of the releases (which wasn't easy as the numbering system was a
bit erratic)and I've got plenty of singles and a few albums in my
personal collection, so I won't not short of label pictures.
BUT.... I just can't seem to find out any history on the label,
i.e. who was behind it, who picked the releases, etc. etc..
Can anyone help with this vital information??
here's hoping ..
Howard
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 10:51:51 +0200
From: Frank Jastfelder
Subject: Re: Mark Lindsay & Artie Butler
> schrieb Artie Butler:
> Working with Mark was a pleasure. He was a lot of fun to work
> with, and we stay in touch to this day. Regarding the flugelhorn,
> it was Burt who brought it into popularity initially. It was such
> a great sound, all of us other guys jumped on the bandwagon.
Thanks for the infos and honesty. Burt's sophisticated style was
too good not to be influenced by, I guess. But I must say that,
in spite of the "inspiration", you found your own distinctive
Artie Butler sound too. And that sound I love as much as Burt's.
Was Jerry Fuller working as a kind of freelance producer for Columbia
at that time? All the artists you mentioned were on that label.
Just checked the OST to The Love Machine. You wrote a song with
Mark Lindsay on that ("Amanda") produced by Burt Bacharach & Hal
David. Now what a team and what a tune! From the jingly guitar
intro to the rimshot drums, the spheric strings and the melancholy
flugelhorn it's all in there beautifully arranged. IMHO the whole
soundtrack is a masterpiece of cool and glamorous pop music.
Frank J.
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 06:16:36 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Lewis & Clarke Down Under
A Lewis & Clarke Expedition sidelight: Australian band The
Executives took L&C's "Windy Day" to #7 in Sydney in '68.
Another L&C song "This Town Ain't The Same Any More" was the
B-side. Details at my page:
http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=418
Corrections welcome!
Lyn
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 05:02:47 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Smoke Rings from the Smoke Ring? (Vogues)
I passed our commentary on to Smoke Ring member, Mike Semrad,
and his reply for posting here follows. I do disagree with his
statement that the Vogues had recorded "No Not Much" as an LP cut
when the Smoke Ring did, since the LP with it came out after the
single had become a hit, not before. I also think the Vogues just
happened to record the song and didn't record it "because" of the
Smoke Ring hit. It was just coincidence, I believe.
Clark
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Clark, We had NO knowledge of the Vogues version of "No Not Much"
when it was recorded in Memphis (at Sam Phillips Recording Studio
...2nd home of Sun Records). The recording was done ABOUT October/
November 1968 and released on Memphis local label Gold Dust. I
recall seeing both sheet music AND listening to the Four Lads 45
from 1955 (?) in working up the song.
As to chords, you are right. We knew HOW to play the chords off the
sheet music, but Dickey Lee and Allen Reynolds arranged it to, not
only simplify the chord progressions to make it more "pop-rock",
but to also lend itself a little more to the simplistic but more
modern "Memphis back-beat, albeit subtle" that they recommended.
The Vogues arrangement was almost a carbon copy of the Four Lads
hit except maybe for some strings added here and there. Our cut
was more of a "pop-rock" feel..not "big-band".
The first time we knew of the Vogues version was a large full-page
ad in Billboard about Feb 1969 - (the legendary 'outrage' stating
something like "we just laid two eggs" or something similar...and
specifically referred to "we think our version of "No Not Much" on
the flip of "Women Helping Man" is better than 'their' hit (referring
to Smoke Ring). By the time we snagged a copy of the now touted "2-
sided hit"...they'd already reached the charts...and ultimately sunk
our version.
We were obviously not pleased with this...however I've since actually
conversed with the original Vogues (who somewhat recently seemed to
be banished to playing only in a few counties in Pennsylvania, as
some cover group, over time, obtained their "name" and tours as the
originators. Ironically, one of our producers, Allen Reynolds had his
first hit as a songwriter with the Vogues some time earlier w/ "Five
O'Clock World". The Vogues I talked to and Smoke Ring members NOW laugh
about and freely talk about those days in early 1969..but at that time
it was upsetting.
I'd guess for sure that the Vogues had already recorded "No Not Much"
as an LP cut and/or a B-side around the time we did...and ONLY touted
or even PUT it on the B-side of "Woman Helping Man" once they noted
the success we were having with it. I doubt they EVER released that
45 originally with the intentions of plugging both sides.
That's as I remember it. Thanks for the input...
Mike Semrad
Member - The Smoke Ring (1968-69 and 1994-Present)
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