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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: Marcie Blane
From: Mikey
2. Re: Saint Etienne
From: Phil X Milstein
3. Winfield Scott
From: Frank Murphy
4. Re: This Diamond Ring
From: Joe Nelson
5. Re: This Diamond Ring
From: David Gordon
6. Marcie Blane; Susan Maughan
From: Michael Edwards
7. Re: Saint Etienne's compilations
From: Dave Monroe
8. Re: Winfield Scott
From: Bill Reed
9. contemporaries of Bobby's Girl
From: Hans Huss
10. Me About You; Winfield Scott interview; Cher; Marcie Blane; unusual WBRU website
From: Country Paul
11. Jimmy Easter - The New Breed
From: Lyn Nuttall
12. Obscure Trini Lopez 45, Shel Talmy connection?
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
13. Lownly Crowde
From: Paddy
14. The Anders & Poncia Album
From: MrDrDave
15. S'pop in Nashville
From: Steve Jarrell
16. Re: George Fischoff
From: Clark Besch
17. Re: This Diamond Ring
From: Ken Silverwood
18. Re: Peter Lacey
From: Dindale Hogg
19. Re: whither "Saint Etienne"?
From: Various
20. Re:Winfield Scott
From: Bgas
21. Re: This Diamond Ring
From: Mikey
22. Ron Dante aka Franklin & Benjamin
From: Laura Pinto
23. Re: Marcie Blane
From: Laura Pinto
24. Re: Winfield Scott
From: Tom Diehl
25. Season's Greetings
From: Mark Wirtz
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 10:17:21 -0500
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Marcie Blane
Can someone please tell me where I can order that new Marcie Blane
"best of" Cd that has all her Seville tracks?
many thanks, Mikey
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 13:55:09 -0500
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Saint Etienne
Dave Monroe wrote:
> I've mentioned these here before, but as I finally really get to
> listen to them, I'm convinced that there might be at least a few
> here with some interest in a couple of recent compilations selected
> by English (and I do mean English ...) pop trio Saint Etienne (or,
> at least, by resident DJ extraordinaire Bob Stanley). First, there's
> their 2 CD, 46 track/3 LP, 26 track installment in Family Recordings'
> The Trip series ...
Thanks for these links, I'm gonna look into them. What is the
significance of the "St. Etienne" name? Is it a famous church in London,
or something? Having seen the name around but without having heard them
or known any more about them, I'd figured them for a French group (not to
mention confused them with Belle & Sebastian).
Ignorantly,
--Phil M.
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:05:45 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: Winfield Scott
Here's the gist of "I'm A Roustabout" by Winfield Scott and
Otis Blackwell.
http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/030825/7.shtml
And for a photograph of Winfield plus advice on heating systems
try here http://www.mitchellsupreme.com/news/mitchellfall02.pdf
FrankM
reflections on northern soul Saturday's two thirty pm
http://www.radiomagnetic.com or listen to an archive show
http://www.radiomagnetic.com/archive/index.php?genre=&show=65
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 15:07:27 -0500
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: This Diamond Ring
Steve Harvey:
> This is from another board. Who was that R&B singer?
>
> I recall back in the 60's,I saw an R&B singer on the old Clay Cole
> TV show in NY,singing This Diamond Ring. The host, when introducing
> him, stated that his was the first version of the song. I don't
> remember the singers name. His version seemed slower than the Gary
> Lewis hit.
I should let Al Kooper handle this one. AFAIK, Gary Lewis was the
first to release this. My guess is the R&B act was Jimmy Radcliffe,
who was singing Al's R&B demos at the time including this one.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 23:04:30 -0000
From: David Gordon
Subject: Re: This Diamond Ring
Steve Harvey wrote:>
> This is from another board. Who was that R&B singer?
>
> I recall back in the 60's,I saw an R&B singer on the old Clay Cole
> TV show in NY,singing This Diamond Ring. The host, when introducing
> him, stated that his was the first version of the song. I don't
> remember the singers name. His version seemed slower than the Gary
> Lewis hit.
Sammy Ambrose on Musicor 1061 - it was listed in Billboard Dec 19,
1964 - the same week as Gary Lewis' version so either Musicor were
slow in getting it released or Liberty were the opposite.
Davie
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 02:38:05 -0000
From: Michael Edwards
Subject: Marcie Blane; Susan Maughan
Mick Patrick writes in the Marcie Blane Story:
> The month of December 1962 found the US airwaves filled with
> female teen idols.
Wow, 42 years ago this month and it seems like only yesterday. I
enjoyed this article, which we can all find at:
http://www.spectropop.com/MarcieBlane/index.htm
Loved the pics, record labels, sheet music and EP covers. It reminded
me of the old days of "That Will Never Happen Again".
> 1965's "She'll Break The String" marked the end of her recording
> career
And that wasn't a bad way to bow out. "She'll Break The String"/"The
Hurtin Kind" is a very solid double-sider with "…String" co-written
by the seldom mentioned, George Fischoff, who, a couple of years
later, started the whole sunshine pop thing with "Ain't Gonna Lie"
for Keith and "Lazy Day" for Spanky And Our Gang.
> (As a follow-up to "Bobby's Girl") the Hoffman/Klein team came up
> with "What Does A Girl Do". When the song entered the Hot 100 in
> February, it must have seemed as if smash hit number two was about
> to happen, but it wasn't to be, and it stalled at a lowly #82,
> disappearing after just two weeks.
To me, it always seemed as if "WDAGD" charted higher; it's great song
and so different from "Bobby's Girl" in an era when follow-ups to
girl group hits had a tendency to be a lot weaker than their hit
predecessors. Think Little Peggy March, the Angels, the Jaynetts and
Shelley Fabares.
Mick mentions that Susan Maughan had the UK hit with "Bobby's Girl".
Her UK follow-up was a relative flop; "Hand A Handkerchief To Helen"
reached only # 41 in early '63. However this very likable song was
written by S'pop member, Paul Evans (with partner, Fred Tobias). Does
anyone know of a US version? I believe Canadian singer, Pat Hervey,
may have recorded it but I'm not sure whether or not she released it
in the US.
Thanks, Mike Edwards
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:18:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: Saint Etienne's compilations
John H wrote:
> "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.
Thanks for the validation! And, boy, that TRIPle LP
set came in handy when I spun a "Not Sucking in the
Seventies" night here this past Friday, and am looking
forward to busting out at LEAST The Attack's "Lady
Orange Peel" at our weekly 60s night. And that Tammy
St. John track has become my theme song as I put in
some after-hours holiday overtime here ...
Dave
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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 02:01:59 -0000
From: Bill Reed
Subject: Re: Winfield Scott
Here's a link to an interview with Scott that was conducted only a
little more than a year ago:
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvisnews_qandawithwinfieldscott.shtml
If he had died in the interim, that is the sort of thing I would tend
to notice.
Bill Reed
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 05:26:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Hans Huss
Subject: contemporaries of Bobby's Girl
For a December stroll down memory lane, here are twenty records that
entered the Billboard HOT 100 during the 16 weeks that ‘Bobby’s Girl’
was in the charts (Oct 20, 1962 – Feb 2, 1963). A few good tunes,
wouldn’t you say?
* Anna (Go To Him) – Arthur Alexander (Dot)
* Comin’ Home baby – Mel Torme (Atlantic)
* Keep Your Hands Off My Baby – Little Eva (Dimension)
* Up On The Roof – Drifters (Atlantic)
* Chains – Cookies (Dimension)
* Go Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence (Columbia)
* You Threw A Lucky Punch – Gene Chandler (Vee Jay)
* Two Lovers – Mary Wells (Motown)
* Tell Him – Exciters (United Artists)
* The Night Has A Thousand Eyes – Bobby Vee (Liberty)
* Don’t Make Me Over – Dionne Warwick (Scepter)
* You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me – Miracles (Tamla)
* He’s Sure The Boy I Love – Crystals (Philles)
* Hey Paula – Paul & Paula (Philips)
* Call On Me – Bobby Bland (Duke)
* Mama Didn’t Lie – Jan Bradley (Chess)
* How Much Is That Doggie In The Window –Baby Jane & the Rockabyes
(United Artists)
* Rhythm Of The Rain – Cascades (Valiant)
* Hitch Hike – Marvin Gaye (Tamla)
* The End Of The World – Skeeter Davis (RCA Victor)
And that’s still leaving out some very great records by the Four Seasons,
the Marvelettes, Lou Christie, Johnny Thunder, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue
Jeans, the Radiants, the Beach Boys, Dion, Chris Montez, Elvis Presley
and many others. Wow! I always thought 1963 and 1964 were the good years…
HH
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Message: 10
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 01:04:51 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Me About You; Winfield Scott interview; Cher; Marcie Blane; unusual WBRU website
Alan Gordon:
> I think that Garry Bonner`s version produced by Jack
> Nitzsche was the best version and could have been a hit.
The Columbia single, right? Still brings tears to my eyes and shivers down
my back on the right occasions. This version in an album would have, I
believe, driven it home. Still a brilliant composition, IMO.
ACJ wrote:
> [I]f 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.
There's an interview with him (at age 78) in the Star-Ledger of New Jersey:
http://www.patdinizio.com/sNewsD.asp?newsID=166 . Well worth the read. Scott
lives about three towns over from me! (Pat Dinizio is well known from his
work with The Smithereens.)
Me earlier:
> 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....)
Rick Hough replied:
> 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.
THREE tracks? The two sides of the 45 - and what else, please? Available
where? (Musica, perhaps?!? Hint, hint....) Are there unfinished tracks which
are finished enough to be listenable? And are they around? I'm impressed by
what a S&C-ologist you are - perhaps you are to S&C as Mick Patrick is to
girl groups? :-)
Interesting story about Marcie Blane. I guess she could actually sing after
all. The buzz going around when the record came out was that it was done as
a favor to her father, that she couldn't really sing, that she desperately
needed the doubled vocal line and about a hundred punch-ins to make it
happen, and that when the record hit everyone was surprised. I remember the
first time I heard it, music-directing on WBRU - the "You're not a kid
anymore" hook was the first sign to my ears that the record would happen.
Speaking of WBRU, and blowing my own horn a bit, a new web-page, oriented
toward those involved with the station, is posted at
http://bracksco.com/wbru/. It cites the period when WBRU, then a
closed-circuit college station, got its 20,000-watt commercial FM license
and played big band and middle road for a year or so, before erupting as a
pioneering progressive rock station (and at one time Rolling Stone
Magazine's medium-market Station of the Year). The website is hosted by Fred
Brack, who was Program Director in that transitional time. There's a
12-minute "Music '67 demo" (our middle-road format, called by the college
paper "big bland in 4/4 time"; the history page explains why we had to do
that). I've got a couple of lines in it. There's also a brief bio for those
just dying to know who's behind these rambling rants. :-)
Country Paul
(formerly Dr. Strangevoice in the early progressive days of WBRU)
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Message: 11
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 04:59:22 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Jimmy Easter - The New Breed
I'm wondering if anyone here knows of a version of "The New Breed" by
its writer, Jimmy Easter.
It could be on the Cha Cha label, maybe even under the name of The
Artistics, or Jimmy Easter & The Artistics.
I know of versions by:
- Jimmy Holiday ('65, Diplomacy single)
- Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs ('66, Parlophone Australia single)
- Ron Moody and the Centaurs ('69, Columbia single)
- The Pietasters ('97, Hellcat album)
I've seen mention of an "original" by Jimmy Easter but no evidence
that it exists. Maybe Jimmy Holiday's is the original. Beats me!
I've found other songs called "New Breed" but they seem to be what I
call red herrings.
Thanks,
Lyn
http://PopArchives.com.au
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Message: 12
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 18:25:51 +0100
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
Subject: Obscure Trini Lopez 45, Shel Talmy connection?
Hello!
I've been searching for ages for a 45 by Trini Lopez on the United Modern
label entitled "Sinner Not A Saint". I finally managed to get ahold of a
copy and it arrived today. The writing credits go to "Talmy" and it's
published by "Time Music Pub.". The track appear over at BMI as written by
Shel/Sheldon Talmy (work# 1349187). Is this really correct? How did it end
up with Trini Lopez on this extremely obscure label (Trini's only 45 on the
label as far as i know)? I've noticed that there is a record with the same
title by Denny Paul on US Imperial from 1963. Does anyone know if this is
the same tune, and if so, what is the writing credits on that one? As far
as I know, Shel moved to the UK in 1962. The Trini Lopez 45 was released in
1965 (which in itself is very strange considering that Lopez was signed to
Reprise from 1963 to 1968).
Any info would be appreciated.
Take care!
/Sebastian
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Message: 13
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:53:19 -0000
From: Paddy
Subject: Lownly Crowde
I have been looking for a copy of this, and I noticed that someone
in the group posted an MP3 of it some time this year. Is it rude
of me to beg for it to get posted again? Please?
Paddy
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Message: 14
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:52:38 -0000
From: MrDrDave
Subject: The Anders & Poncia Album
Since there was some discussion of these guys' earlier work recently,
I thought I'd let you folks know that some pictures, observations and
sample songs from 1969's "The Anders & Poncia Album" (ex-Tradewinds)
on Warner Brothers were posted at
http://www.mysticalbeast.blogspot.com last week.
If you haven't already dipped into the world of mp3 blogs, I'd advise
caution, especially if you have bandwidth, storage, or productivity
issues, like I know I have!
MrDrDave
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Message: 15
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 11:32:16 -0600
From: Steve Jarrell
Subject: S'pop in Nashville
Just wanted to let all of the Nashville S'poppers that the "Sons of
the Beach" with special guests Buzz Cason and Clifford Curry will be
performing Wed., Dec. 22 @ 8:00pm at Douglas Corner, 8th Avenue,
Nashville. We are calling it "A Soulful Christmas". Admission is
$10.00 and a canned good. This is to help feed a needy family for
Christmas that is helped by the G.I.F.T. (Giving In Faith Together)
organization that meets at Buzz's studio the 1st Tuesday of every
month.
Happy Holidays to all and hope you can join us!
Steve Jarrell
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Message: 16
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 20:18:43 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: George Fischoff
Mike Edwards wrote:
> And that wasn't a bad way to bow out. "She'll Break The String"/
> "The Hurtin Kind" is a very solid double-sider with "…String" co-written
> by the seldom-mentioned, George Fischoff, who, a couple of years
> later, started the whole sunshine pop thing with "Ain't Gonna Lie"
> for Keith and "Lazy Day" for Spanky And Our Gang.
George Fischoff also had a cool instrumental as an artist in August, 1974.
that made it to #6 on Lincoln's KLMS. It was called "Georgia Porcupine,"
and was cool because it was a throwback to the days of "Happy Organ,"
"Nut Rocker" and "Like Long Hair"! However George augmented the great
piano sound with the production techniques of the seventies, making for
possibly the rockingest instrumental of the decade. Too bad it didn't make
it nationally.
Clark
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 21:27:38 -0000
From: Ken Silverwood
Subject: Re: This Diamond Ring
Steve Harvey asked:
> This is from another board. Who was that R&B singer?
> I recall back in the 60's,I saw an R&B singer on the old Clay Cole TV
> show in NY,singing This Diamond Ring. The host, when introducing
> him, stated that his was the first version of the song. I don't remember
> the singers name. His version seemed slower than the Gary Lewis hit.
I would guess that it was Sammy Ambrose, who actually turns out to
be Tony Middleton, former lead singer with the group The Willows. Mr.
Middleton has one or two choice records on the "Northern" side, "Paris
Blues" and "To The Ends Of The Earth" (old Nat "King" Cole number).
both presided over by our old friend Claus Ogermann.
Ken On The Wesy Coast.
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Message: 18
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 07:25:36 -0000
From: Dindale Hogg
Subject: Re: Peter Lacey
Country Paul wrote:
> Heard a couple of tracks from the new Peter Lacey CD; will order.
> Very nice. Brian Wilson fans - you've been informed.
I've got his first three albums but can find no link to this new one. Any
info would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Dinsdale H. :-D
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Message: 19
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 12:18:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Various
Subject: Re: whither "Saint Etienne"?
Phil Milstein asked:
> What is the significance of the "St. Etienne" name?
-----
Mark Wirtz:
I'm kinda happy about this post, not only because I can report that
St. Etienne is about to come out with a new album that is quite, quite
marvelous, but because vocal studio ace Anthony Rivers played an
important part in its recording with his significant harmony- and
vocal-arrangement contributions. As Anthony's producer, I am proud
of him and his ever blossoming work, his exposure and recognition
further paving the way for his own, forthcoming album release.
Papa Tony Rivers is also proudly smiling on :)
-----
Dave Monroe:
Named after a French soccer team. Their first album, “Fox Base Alpha,”
even opens with a bit of Francophone sportcasting. Now that I think of it,
their video for their (absolutely gorgeous) cover of, of all things, Neil
Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," is subtitled in French, and
they've obviously learned some lessons from records like Francoise
Hardy's "Comment te dire adieu," but they're indelibly English (in the
metropolitan, London sense) nonetheless. But they predate Belle &
Sebastian (named, coincidentally, after a French novel and its attendant
teevee series) by the better part of the ‘90s (1990 vs. 1996). At any rate,
what any of you might think of their own recordings is one thing, but the
bands' tastes as evidenced in such comps is, IMHO, very Spectropoppy
indeed.
-----
John H.:
The band took their name from a football team, I believe.
-----
Jean-Emannuel Dubois:
St Etienne are true Brits but I think their name came from a very famous
French soccer team of the ‘70s named after the town of Saint Etienne (so
it's very European, you see;-)))
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Message: 20
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 17:42:15 EST
From: Bgas
Subject: Re:Winfield Scott
Andrew C. Jones wrote:
> 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.
I checked Google and except for Civil War General Winfield Scott, who is
definitely dead, it would appear that the songwriter Winfield Scott is alive and
well and living in New Jersey. At least he was as of August 2003, when all the
news hit about his acetate of "I'm A Roustabout".
Bgas
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Message: 21
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:47:29 -0500
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: This Diamond Ring
Davie L. Gordon wrote:
> Sammy Ambrose on Musicor 1061 - it was listed in Billboard Dec 19,
> 1964 - the same week as Gary Lewis' version so either Musicor were
> slow in getting it released or Liberty were the opposite.
Anybody have a video or a kinescope of Sammy Ambrose performing "This
Diamond Ring" on Clay Cole?
You will be rewarded!
Mikey
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Message: 22
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 23:32:17 -0000
From: Laura Pinto
Subject: Ron Dante aka Franklin & Benjamin
Hi S'poppers,
Over the past few years, largely thanks to that wonderful online auction
venue, eBay, I've been fortunate enough to acquire most of Ron Dante's
vintage recordings, a few of which have been very rare and hard to find.
One track that keeps eluding me, though, is "Cara Sell Your Pencils,"
released under the name Franklin & Benjamin. Despite several attempts
on my part, I keep getting outbid for this one.
Therefore, I hereby appeal to the Ron Dante fans among you -- is there
anyone who can kindly provide a dub of this record? In exchange for this,
I'll return the favor by providing one of the RD tracks I have in my collection.
Just tell me which of Ron's songs you want in return, and if I got it, YOU
got it.
Please contact me offlist if you'd like to trade.
Thanks much,
Laura
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Message: 23
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 23:22:19 -0000
From: Laura Pinto
Subject: Re: Marcie Blane
> New at Spectropop:
> Bobby's Girl: The Marcie Blane Story
> http://www.spectropop.com/MarcieBlane/index.htm
Excellent article, I enjoyed it a great deal. "Bobby's Girl" has always been
one of my favorites. I love the "You're not a kid anymore" hook, plus the
way the first verse is recited rather than sung. Miss Marcie definitely had
the voice, very pleasing to the ear. Always sounded kind of Dodie Stevens/
"Pink Shoelaces" to me.
Thanx for the great reading!
Laura
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Message: 24
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 19:38:56 -0000
From: Tom Diehl
Subject: Re: Winfield Scott
ACJ:
> 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.
Steve Harvey:
> Is it possible that it was an archival tape of Scott that you
> heard? It wouldn't be the first time a radio show has reached into
> the past for a interview to link it up with something current.
Nope, because the acetate of the song was found by Winfield himself
around the time work on 2nd to none was being done...btw he appears
to be living in New Jersey these days. In addition to the below,
please see http://www.patdinizio.com/sNewsD.asp?newsID=6 .
Q & A With Winfield Scott About I'm a Roustabout
By David Troedson (Source: BMG / EPE Aug 16, 2003)
Following is the Q & A with Winfield Scott BMG/RCA has distributed
by EPE.
How did you start in the business?
I started in a vocal group called The Cues and we worked for Ahmet
Ertegun on some sessions with LaVern Baker.
What was the first successful song you wrote?
I wrote Tweedle Dee for LaVern. I presented parts of it to Ertegun
during a rehearsal, and he played it for LaVern. She liked it and I
brought in the whole song the next day. (After finishing writing it
that night.) It was a huge success, and much to my surprise it
turned out that a very young 19-year-old Elvis liked the song and
performed it live on his shows. Unfortunately he never made a studio
version of it.
How did you end up writing for Elvis?
Songwriter Otis Blackwell was a good friend of mine and convinced me
to start writing for pop artists as opposed to just R&B performers.
Otis had written several songs for Elvis including classics like
Don't Be Cruel and All Shook Up, and he had learned just how much
more rewarding it was to write for a star like Elvis.
What were the songs you wrote for Elvis?
In early 1962 we struck gold and had three songs recorded in just a
few weeks. Return To Sender and We're Comin' In Loaded for the film
Girls! Girls! Girls! and Easy Question for the Pot Luck album. We
wrote One Broken Heart For Sale which became the hit single for the
next movie, and Please Don't Drag That String Around which ended up
on the b-side of (You're The) Devil In Disguise. A few years later I
wrote Long Legged Girl with Leslie McFarland and in 1970 Elvis
recorded Stranger In The Crowd which I had written on my own.
Q: What is the biggest success of them all?
As I understand it Return To Sender has sold about 14 million copies
in the U.S. alone.
What's the story behind Roustabout?
When Elvis made a movie, many writers were asked to submit songs for
his films. Elvis would choose the ones he liked and then record
them. Otis and I wrote a song for the 1964 movie Roustabout and
Elvis recorded it. Movie producer Hal Wallis listened to the song
but he objected to the lyrics because they had Elvis saying he
wanted to tell his boss to "stick it in his ear." Mr. Wallis
demanded that a new song called Roustabout be commissioned from
other writers so our version never made it into the movie.
Q: So what happened to the song?
I had a copy of it on acetate and forgot all about it. This happened
almost 40 years ago.
When did you realize that you had something unique?
Well, I didn't really think about it all these years. Then recently
during an interview with a New Jersey newspaper reporter, I
mentioned having a copy of a song I wrote that Elvis recorded for a
movie but was never used. A few days later I got a call from BMG's
Elvis Presley producer Ernst Mikael Jørgensen, who had done an
interview with the same newspaper. Through his conversation with the
reporter, he realized that the song I had made reference to had to
be my version of Roustabout. He came to my home and listened to my
record, and subsequently we made a deal. The original story he and I
were interviewed for was never printed and the journalist left the
paper.
How do you feel about the song getting released so many years later
on the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE CD?
I'm surprised, happy and curious to see what kind of impact it will
have.
How would you describe the song?
It's an up tempo, fun, rock `n roll song.
>From http://www.elvis.com.au © Copyright 2004 Elvis Australia
Enjoy,
Tom Diehl
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 03:46:58 -0000
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Season's Greetings
In celebration of the symbolic, trans-religious, spirit of human
kindness, generosity, peace, and harmony, I wish all of you fellow
S'Poppers a Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy, prosperous New
Year!
Mark Wirtz :)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
End
