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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 11 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Bobby "Boris" Pickett; mystery song
From: Country Paul
2. Re: What Does A Girl Do?
From: Martin Roberts
3. Re: Who Killed Your Song?
From: Claire Francis
4. Re: Dani Sheridan question
From: Declan Meehan
5. Bob Feldman / Ernie Maresca
From: Tom Adams
6. Re: the big finish
From: Gary Myers
7. Re: Who Killed Your Song?
From: Mark Wirtz
8. Re: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
From: Phil X Milstein
9. Re: Cincy acts
From: Gary Myers
10. Re: Velvelettes
From: Davie Gordon
11. New @ S'pop
From: The S'pop Team
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:32:54 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Bobby "Boris" Pickett; mystery song
I'm at least two weeks behind -- hope to get caught up a bit more later, but
here are two items of interest which may not have yet been covered:
1. Bobby "Boris" Pickett has re-cut a short version of "Monster Mash" as
"Monster Slash," ecologically-themed to help counter the downing of forests
and other environmental disasters going on in the US. Hear it -- and download
it -- at http://www.monsterslash.org/. There's also a brief bio of Mr. Pickett
there, and a photo of him recording this re-working. He also has an official
website, at http://www.themonstermash.com/ .
2. In my search for a clean copy of what I thought was Clifford T. Ward's
"Dream," a song of which I have become extremely enamored, I found out
it wasn't the late Mr. Ward! According to fellow S'pop correspondant Nick
Archer, he has an unidentified tape-of-a-tape copy of this song with no
credits. Someone suggested it might be Clifford T. Ward, and the track was
posted (perhaps on musica) under that name. I recently asked if anyone had
a cleaner copy they could post, and Nick sent this track again, along with
a similarly titled track by Clifford T. Ward, "A Dream." Sadly, Mr. Ward's
dream isn't mine, but this other track is absolutely radiant to my ears.
In an effort to identify it, I have played it to the files section of two
other groups:
Harmony High: http://tinyurl.com/3672v
and TweedleeDumTwo: http://tinyurl.com/474nx
(If room were to open on musica, I'd play it here if you wanted to hear it
again.) Any help would be appreciated; I tried to google the song title, but
you can imagine how many million entries there are for "Dream"!
Finally, I really like the Jaynetts' "Cry Behind The Daisies," now on musica.
It reminds me a bit of The Twilettes' "Where's My Baby," another outstanding
musica discovery for me.
Country Paul
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 21:55:28 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Re: What Does A Girl Do?
Cool N reviewed the CD:
> I picked up my copy a few weeks ago and while it's not really
> major league stuff (kinda like Garpax Girls), it'll do in a pinch.
Although I know what 'N' (Nigel?, Nancy?) means, being far more excitable
I must add my threepenny bit: I confess to being a bit of a girl group nut,
but it's another essential purchase! Maybe it's par for the course to get
blasé with the way Mr. Patrick in particular keeps compiling these obscure
girl group recordings. He's been doing it for so long that the high quality is
expected and perhaps taken for granted. Mick's first comp for Kent (a
subsidiary of Ace Records,) "Where The Girls Are," came out 20 years ago
and featured 16 tracks. This time for less than a tenner (10 UK Pounds) you
get 26 tracks, fun and informative sleeve notes, obscure pics, great sound
and sides that only the most avid collector will have. Not much has changed
except now they are even better value for money!
As for the music on this latest disc, some deserve their 'no hit' status but
many, with a smidgen of luck, could have rubbed shoulders with the Angels,
Chiffons, Lesley Gore, etc., as hits on the chart and in our memory banks.
As always I'll be avidly looking forward to the next CD release.
Martin
PS Mick gets sole compiling credit on "What Does A Girl Do," but the name
of his regular compiling buddy, Malcolm Baumgart, should not be omitted in
the doffing of caps dept.
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 08:25:45 EST
From: Claire Francis
Subject: Re: Who Killed Your Song?
Rob Pingel asked:
> ... Would any of the songwriters out there care to make
> specific comments about the most disappointing covers
> of their tunes. Or, on a more positive note, give examples
> of covers that exceeded all expectations.
Are you sure you really want to hear stories about the "agony and the
frustration"? True, there is a lot of pain in this business, not only from
people who "killed your song", but from people who ripped you off,
as well, and so much more. I am sure we all have many of these stories –
I know I do! But why dredge this stuff up? Do we all really want to put all
this kind of pain under the S'pop microscope? Let's keep it as positive
as we can. It's so much better for the immune system of the Spectropop
members and our website!
Love & Light,
Claire Francis
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 11:27:56 -0000
From: Declan Meehan
Subject: Re: Dani Sheridan question
Country Paul wrote:
> Declan Meehan cites Dani Sheridan: Guess I'm Dumb (Planet), co-
> written by Russ Titelman. Is this the same song Glen Campbell did
> and Brian Wilson produced? Is it a good version?
Yes Paul, it's the same song and a pretty fine version too, quite faithful to
Brian's arrangement but with an overall Brit-girl production, though less
'beat' than Shel Talmy's other productions. Took me a while to track
down the original UK 7" (Planet PLF 106), but it's currently available on
the RPM CD 'The Best of Planet Records' (RPM 215), along with other
great Shel Talmy sounds (i.e., The Creation, The Thoughts, etc.). Like
many other Planet releases Dani Sheridan's version of "Guess I'm Dumb"
may (?) have had a US 7" release.
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 15:12:58 -0000
From: Tom Adams
Subject: Bob Feldman / Ernie Maresca
Hi, folks. Just a reminder that this week's guest on Bob Feldman's Internet
radio show (Saturdays, noon to 1 pm EST on http://wwnnradio.com ) will be
Ernie Maresca. Next week, Bob's guest will be Artie Kornfeld.
I listened to last week's show (with Jack Keller as his guest) and thought
it was great! Lots of stuff I'd never heard.
BTW, the show actually runs two hours, but the first hour is mostly sales
and advertising for the cruise line that sponsors the show. The "good stuff"
is all in that second hour (noon to 1 EST).
Take care,
Tom Adams
Boulder, CO
http://www.bouldercool.com
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 10:20:35 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: the big finish
Country Paul wrote:
> Legend has it that Mozart's father used to wake him in the
> morning by playing an unresolved V7 chord on the piano
> several times; young Wolfgang would have to get up and
> resolve it!
On a Laugh-In appearance, Victor Borge once said he had been criticized
for not ending his songs, so he wanted to remedy that. He sat down and
played a big arpeggio and said "Clair De Lune", then another one, etc.,
playing only ending chords for several famous pieces.
When we played a regular dance contest in the late '60s, we often had to
repeat songs like "Knock On Wood" several times. Our regular ending was
to use the intro chords, a drum fill after the bIII chord, then a big "I" chord.
After a couple of repeats, we sometimes amused ourselves by leaving off
the drum fill and "I" chord, ending on the bIII chord.
gem
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 21:21:58 -0000
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Re: Who Killed Your Song?
Rob Pingel asked:
> ... Would any of the songwriters out there care to make
> specific comments about the most disappointing covers
> of their tunes. Or, on a more positive note, give examples
> of covers that exceeded all expectations.
What a cool question!
Speaking for myself, while I believe to have done a nice job in covering
several other composers' works, there is a producer by the name of
Mark Wirtz who seriously butchered a few of my compositions in shoddy
cover versions. Yes, I myself was shamefully guilty of having produced
covers of my original recordings (which I was coerced into by the suits)
that were quite pitiful. The Decca MW Orch. & Chorus version of "Theme
>From A Teenage Opera," for instance, jumps to mind. It taught me once
and for all that I am incapable of copying myself, and that ya just can't put
the baby back in the womb, or the milk back in the cow ;)
Exceeded my expectations? The recent One Fine Day hard rock (!) cover
of "EFTO (Grocer Jack)" really amazed me. I didn't think it could be done.
But they pulled it off, kids and all, even if the thing sounds like a sacrilege
to some ;)
I'll be curious to see the reports from other writers!
Best,
Mark w :)
http://www.markwirtz.com
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 16:34:43 -0800
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
Martin Roberts wrote:
> I'd guess most of this audience became hip to a different beat
> but give your mum and dad a bell and see if they remember being
> groovy to the 'Mariachi Brass featuring Chet Baker' with their
> rendition of "La Bamba". This weeks ROTW on the home page:
> http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
I haven't had a chance to listen to the Mariachi Brass feat. Chet Baker
with their rendition of "La Bamba" yet, but I'm already beaming with
anticipation just from Martin's notes for it. I had no idea a Richard Williams
reader, in this case titled "Long Distance Call," existed, but I already have
an order in for a copy.
Baila bamba,
--Phil
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 10:22:57 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Cincy acts
Dan Hughes wrote:
> Do either of you guys, or anyone else with a Cincinnati (or Ohio)
> background, know of a blind folksinger named Dave Gordon, who
> sounded a lot like Steve Goodman?
Means nothing to me, but, if it helps, Osborne's Price Guide lists a Dave
Gordon & The Reb-Tides on Press, from 1966.
gem
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 21:55:00 -0000
From: Davie Gordon
Subject: Re: Velvelettes
Country Paul wrote:
> Frank Murphy, about The Velvelettes' Motown Anthology album, is "You'll
> Never Cherish A Love So True" on there? What a greatsong -- especially
> the drummer's roll-around with the rimshot at the end. If it is there,
> is the version at least close to the original recording?
"You'll Never Cherish ..." is by The Vells, a different group than the Velvelettes.
The Vells were an early grouping of Martha & The Vandellas.
Davie
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2004 12:25:07 -0000
From: The S'pop Team
Subject: New @ S'pop
Stuck for something to read? Why not try one of the
recent S'pop feature articles:
All Over But The Crying: The Sandpipers Story
by Jeff Lemlich:
http://www.spectropop.com/Sandpipers/index.htm
The Dickens You Say
by Phil Milstein:
http://www.spectropop.com/Dickens/index.htm
The Daughters Of Eve
by Mick Patrick:
http://www.spectropop.com/DaughtersOfEve/index.htm
Bagpipes, Boystown And Other Deep Purple Productions
The Nino Tempo Interview
by Bill Reed:
http://www.spectropop.com/NinoTempo/index.htm
Don't Let Him Touch You: The Angelettes Story
by Julie Abbott Hammersley:
http://www.spectropop.com/Dickens/index.htm
Ron Dante Remembers The '60s
by Laura Pinto:
http://www.spectropop.com/RonDante60s/index.htm
Hatchback: The Tony Hatch Story
by Mick Patrick:
http://www.spectropop.com/TonyHatch/index.htm
The View From The Front Porch
by Country Paul Payton:
http://www.spectropop.com/FrontPorch/index.htm
Nut Rocker: When Tchaikovsky Met B. Bumble, How I
Was Instrumental
by Al Hazan:
http://www.spectropop.com/NutRocker/index.htm
The Beverley Jones Story
as told by Beverley Jones to Mick Patrick:
http://www.spectropop.com/BeverleyJones/index.htm
Please Phil Spector: His Subjects Pay Homage
by David A. Young:
http://www.spectropop.com/PPS/index.htm
Peter Antell, John Linde and the Percells
by John Clemente:
http://www.spectropop.com/percells/index.htm
How To Write A Hit Song
by Ellie Greenwich:
http://www.spectropop.com/EllieGreenwich/index.htm
Ed And Sam Chalpin, His Father The Pop Singer
A Recitation Of The Ridiculous
by Mike Rashkow:
http://www.spectropop.com/SamChalpin/index.htm
Emily's Illness: Diagnosis Of A Song
The Nora Guthrie Story
by Phil Milstein:
http://www.spectropop.com/NoraGuthrie/index.htm
Discussion, corrections, additions very welcome.
Access many more articles via the S'pop homepage:
http://www.spectropop.com
Enjoy,
The S'pop Team
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Coming soon:
Kenny Young
Marcie Blane
The 2 Of Clubs
Patty Michaels
Teddy & the Pandas
The Breakaways
...and more
Watch this space.
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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