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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 9 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: "Me About You"
From: (That) Alan Gordon
2. Re: Lines from "Tweedle Dee"
From: Various
3. Ron Dante @ musica
From: Laura Pinto
4. Darlene Love interview: archived audio
From: David A. Young
5. Re: Saint Etienne's compilations
From: John H
6. Augio Rios; Sonny/Phil; Bob Lind; Sally Field
From: Country Paul
7. Re: Lines from "Tweedle Dee"
From: ACJ
8. Sonny's Productions
From: Rick H.
9. Marcie Blane
From: S'pop Team
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 09:55:16 -0700
From: (That) Alan Gordon
Subject: Re: "Me About You"
Steve Harvey wanted to know why "Me About You" was never a top ten hit?
Well, I think there are a million great songs that never were hits. I
agree with you Steve, I think it is one of the best songs Garry and I
ever wrote. Maybe some day it will be used in a film and may yet be a
hit, but it has been recorded by a lot of people and I`m very grateful
for that. We wrote a song called "Celebrate" that was done by two or
three acts and was a hit, so things have a way of working out. I think
that Garry Bonner`s version produced by Jack Nitzsche was the best
version and could have been a hit. Thanks for liking the song.
Best, That Alan, the man who couldn't cut and paste!!!
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Message: 2
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 20:35:52 -0000
From: Various
Subject: Re: Lines from "Tweedle Dee"
A selection of posts on the same topic:
________________________________________________________________
Al Kooper wrote:
> I asked for a translation of:
> hunkies, hunkies peices bite
> I'm gonna see my baby tonight
The one person who would know the translation of the line in the song
is Maureen O'Hara. Legend has it those were the words she whispered
into John Wayne's ear at the end of "The Quiet Man"!!!!!
Best, That Alan Gordon
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I believe the line as written went,
Munchies, munchies, pizza pie ...
But when Mr. Scott recorded it he had something in his mouth -- whether
indeed it was a piece a' pizza or not history has unfortunately failed
to note -- so it came out a bit unclear.
Always helpfully,
--Phil M.
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A Google search revealed that sometimes it's "fishes bite," sometimes
"fish that bite." With other lyrics like "humpty dumpty," I wonder if
that line was taken from a little known or undocumented children's rhyme.
Made me think about what Allan Sherman was working on shortly before he
passed on. He was trying to collect as many "naughty" children rhymes as
he could - you know, like "...Don't you know that wall's been plastered?
Get off that wall, you dirty SPIDER!"
The one I remember from age 4 (1954) started with "Lady of Spain I adore
you..." If you remember the next line, or would like to know it, see me
after school - um - I mean off list!
Tom Taber
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 18:15:00 -0000
From: Laura Pinto
Subject: Ron Dante @ musica
Hi S'poppers,
Further to Mike Edwards' post on Ron Dante's version of "He's Raining
in My Sunshine," I have uploaded same to musica.
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
Enjoy!
Laura
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 20:25:46 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: Darlene Love interview: archived audio
Happy holidays, gang,
I wrote recently with only a few hours' notice of a scheduled Air
America interview with Darlene Love. Good news for all who missed
it: It's available on demand at the station's archived audio site.
Simply to to http://tinyurl.com/7yw8e and scroll down to November
30. The show's in .mp3 format; Darlene's segment is the final half
hour. Enjoy!
David A. Young
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 04:43:50 -0000
From: John H
Subject: Re: Saint Etienne's compilations
"The Trip" is definitely that! I've had it about a month and already
I am hunting down more from the likes of the Poppy Family, Spanky &
Our Gang, and many other artists featured on the collection.
"Mario's Cafe" is also a stunner, the highlight being Tammy St.
John's "Dark Shadows and Empty Hallways." I've heard many versions
of this song, none of which compare to Tammy's heart-chomping
rendition.
John H.
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 01:05:36 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Augio Rios; Sonny/Phil; Bob Lind; Sally Field
Julio Nino wrote:
> [Augie Rios'] accent doesn't sound Spanish at all, so unless
> he left Spain being a baby I think it could be a mistake.
The citation at that webpage had no further accreditation, and Mexican
heritage is more believable to me.
I've been enjoying the Sonny-style vs. Phil Spector-style posts. Nothing
further to add, just fascinating "listening" to those who were closer to
the action offering their well-thought-out comments. And Gary Spector,
glad you're aboard. Your sense of loss is almost palpable. No matter how
strange or remote your father was/is, or how alienated you feel, know
that he touched many lives deeply with his music, mine being one in
particular.
Robert:
> Now playing: Bob Lind's "Goodbye Neon Lies" (World Pacific
> 77879), the 1968 A-side of his last 45 before moving to New
> Mexico for three years. He returned in 1971 with the solid
> "Since There Were Circles" LP (Capitol).
Not sure how I feel about this very "white" quasi-r&b/pop. I can hear why
it wasn't a hit. It's interesting, though, and I do like the new
compositions he has previewed at his website.
John Fox:
> [Shelley Fabares] probably has had the most consistent and
> longest acting career of any of the teen actors-turned-
> singers (not counting Sally Field, who really shouldn't count,
> right?
Maybe not as a singer, but what an excellent actress. (Of course, I
spared myself "The Flying Nun" and that whole era, so I didn't have to
make myself forget it to appreciate her talent. And I apologize in advance
if I dumped on someone's favorite show.)
Country Paul
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:38:42 -0500
From: ACJ
Subject: Re: Lines from "Tweedle Dee"
For Al Kooper: Actually, if Winfield Scott is dead, it happened just
recently - when that "new" Elvis song "I'm A Roustabout" was released a
year or so ago, I heard Mitch Albom interview Winfield Scott, the song's
writer, on his (Albom's) radio show.
ACJ
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 09:46:16 -0000
From: Rick H.
Subject: Sonny's Productions
Phil Chapman writes:
> I often felt that the tracks were over-compressed in an attempt to
> keep the level constant, and that the vocals sometimes sounded
> disconnected from the track. And Sonny's folk-rock vocal approach
> sometimes felt incongruous to his songs and productions.
Sonny's backing tracks post-'64 were often far too rhythmically and
sonically complex for the jangle-pop he was creating. He was trying
to go one better than The Byrds and The Beau Brummels, and when it
came to the final mix-down it was near impossible to blend the vocals
into the track as Spector always did. For a man who gave a generation
the catchphrase "the beat goes on" it's remarkable that his records
were relatively beatless. As a point of reference Phil, your mention
of The Ronettes' "Paradise" is entirely apropos. The Sonny & Cher
vocalizing style (described by a critic at the time as the mating
call of dentist drills) was much more suited to their earlier (but
out-of-style) horn- and harmonica-driven efforts on Vault and
Reprise. By the time Sonny woke up ("Good Combination" 1967) the Ship
Called Sonny & Cher had already sailed. Also, Sonny was not above
overdubbing some additional yelping of his own onto near-complete
mixes ("Sing C'est la Vie", "500 Miles", "Monday",) as well as
quickly slapping French or Italian vocals onto a track for the Euro
market.
Comparisons between state-of-the-art Bonophonic and Spector's Wall of
Sound are only ever made at the listener's peril. Original "stereo"
Sonny & Cher LPs on Atco serve to exacerbate the condition: there's
very little True Stereo to be had, but the re-channel jobs and the 2-
track efforts (actually unmixed Mono featuring music track on right
channel & often-loud vocals on left - or vice-versa) were mercifully
corrected with the Sundazed CD re-issues. "Bonophonic" - an artform
to some, pioneering karaoke to others - reached its zenith with
Cher's self-titled third Imperial LP (1966). As Sonny fiddled
relentlessly with leakage into Gold Star's echo chamber, Cher did
twenty-plus takes on most songs. Critics of the time celebrated
Sonny's mastery of "that deep West Coast Sound", and while it's not
True Stereo it actually sounds almost as thunderously dense and
wonderful as the Mono mixdown.
> ...and "Have I Stayed Too Long" [is there a stereo copy? I'd love
> to examine the track more closely].
No Phil, there isn't. Sonny didn't record in True Stereo until early
1967 ("The Beat Goes On"). A shortened mix of the beautiful "Have I
Stayed Too Long" was prepared but never used. (On a related note, the
True Stereo master of "Plastic Man" now seems lost.)
Country Paul writes:
> By the way, my favorite confluence of Spector/S&C is Cher's
> magnificent "A Woman's Story" c. 1976 - it's incredible how a
> record that slow and throbbing can also cook so well (granted,
> it's a deep simmer, but it's rock that rolls....)
Ain't it great Paul? In its time they dismissed "A Woman's Story" as
a "dirge", and to add insult to injury powerful forces came into play
to make sure this record was never heard on American radio. It was
the first release from a planned 1975 Spector/Cher album. Phil
Spector put considerable effort into launching his new sound (with
Cher) and the three completed tracks are astonishing.
Phil X Milstein writes (re "Unchained Melody"):
> With her head cavities sounding as if they were harvesting an
> especially prolific batch of mucus (or "mucous," for you English
> readers), Cher nonetheless gamely approached the hallowed Gold Star
> microphone.
As decent families once hid crazy relatives in attics, so Bonologists
wish the dreaded "Unchained" had remained quite firmly chained and
hidden from polite society! Phil, you've undone forty years of hard
work!!! Actually, in the lady's defense, it must be stated that she
contracted a sinus infection in '65 which affected her singing for
close to a year. I don't mean to come off as a apologist but hey,
she's a pretty girl and what's some nasal blockage amongst friends?
(No virus however can be blamed for the VU blowout on "...still MINE"
but she does sustain the note nicely!) If you like this kind of thing
Phil you'll enjoy the alternate version of "Like A Rolling Stone" on
the 1992 2 Classic Imperial LPs on 1 CD: Sonny's bellowing over the
track during the instrumental break, Cher's also getting they lyric
very wrong but soldiers on regardless!
July 1965 saw Cher as well as Sonny & Cher scoring sudden hits and
being pressured by their respective labels for completed albums.
Sonny had signed on to both Atco and Imperial as producer, but had no
follow-up singles to "I Got You Babe" OR "All I Really Want To Do"
and very little contemporary material already recorded; plus touring,
promotion etc. Less daunting pressures gave Brian Wilson his first
nervous breakdown, but Sonny's response was to set up a third deal
(with Atco, Sonny as a solo artist) the following month. Sonny had a
matter of weeks to come up with close to twenty new tracks including
two self-written smash singles so I guess the pressure was on. Cher's
solo "All I Really Want To Do" album initially got some superb
efforts ("I Go To Sleep", "Needles & Pins") but was finished within a
couple of weeks. The duo's LP "Look At Us" was a paste-up of
everything Atco had (they'd re-released "Just You and it was
charting), plus 8 covers. Sonny tried to get a Botown(!) groove going
with the rest of the album, but two Spector-Greenwich-Barry cuts were
legally owed for "Just You's" "inspiration"; "Something You Got" was
rejected and ultimately an old Vault recording ("The Letter") was
tacked on at the last minute. And before you could say "stylistically
diverse", crowds were stopping and gawking in shock at the "Look At
Us" window display at Sam Goody's on Sixth Avenue.
It would be an understatement to call Cher the Spectropop Sweetheart
Who Made Good. As Q Magazine stated in 1992: "When you start to think
about it in any depth, Cher is somehow connected with virtually
eveything musical and popular since 1964. She was, after all,
present - and passing the forceps - at the birth of American Pop. By
the age of 18 she had sung on all Phil Spectors classic singles..."
And the beautiful thing is that after denying her roots for decades
she's now happy to talk about 'em and sing 'em. Ten minutes into her
stunning "farewell" live show she happily swings into a 1965-
authentic "All I Really Want To Do" - complete with bangs, bell-
bottoms and a fur vest. It's truly something for the purists.
Richard Hattersley writes (re "With Love" LP):
> Yeh there are some gems on that album. "Behind The Door" and "But
> I Can't Love You More" are the standouts for me.
Yup - I'm so glad EMI put "But I Can't Love You More" on Legendary
Masters - it's great. But still "With Love" is only available as a
French CD, and 1968's ultra-rare "Backstage" LP has never made it to
CD complete. More gems like "Carnival" and the chilling "Masters of
War" need to be heard. The two LPs would work very well together as a
two-fer. Considering her status as a major artist it's kinda shabby
that only her first two Imperial LPs have ever been released on US
CDs.
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Message: 9
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 10:27:04 -0000
From: S'pop Team
Subject: Marcie Blane
New @ S'pop
Bobby's Girl: The Marcie Blane Story
The month of December 1962 found the US airwaves filled with
female teen idols. "All Alone Am I", lamented Brenda Lee,
while Dee Dee Sharp urged everyone to "Ride", Mary Wells sang
about her "Two Lovers" and Little Eva warned her rivals to
"Keep Your Hands Off My Baby". Groups like the Crystals, the
Orlons, the Exciters and the Cookies were selling like
hotcakes too. Sitting pretty above them all in the record
charts at the time was MARCIE BLANE, who wanted to be . . .
BOBBY'S GIRL.
Read the full story here:
http://www.spectropop.com/MarcieBlane/index.htm
Discussion welcome.
Enjoy,
The S'pop Team
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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