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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 14 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Cher & Spector
From: Robert
2. Beverley's "Happy New Year"
From: Mario
3. Re: Cher & Spector
From: Rick Hough
4. Re: Colgems
From: Larry Lapka
5. Re: Cher & Spector
From: Tom Taber
6. Re: This Diamond Ring
From: Davie L Gordon
7. Re: Marcie Blane
From: Carl
8. Season's Greetings
From: Claire Francis
9. Re: Colgems
From: Joe Nelson
10. Re: Saint Etienne
From: Stewart Mason
11. Re: Obscure Trini Lopez 45, Shel Talmy connection?
From: Scott Swanson
12. Re: Tony Middleton / Claus Ogerman
From: Chris Schneider
13. Re: Season's Greetings
From: Stewart Epstein
14. Re: Colgems
From: Mike
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 04:45:31 -0000
From: Robert
Subject: Re: Cher & Spector
Previously:
> ... "A Woman's Story" ... 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.
Country Paul:
> 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? :-)
The 3rd Cher track is a duet with Nilsson of A LOVE LIKE YOURS that
was also produced by Phil Spector, although possibly a few months
later than A Woman's Story/Baby I Love You. It was also a Warner-
Spector single release.
Rob
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:22:32 -0000
From: Mario
Subject: Beverley's "Happy New Year"
Has anyone here heard the great Deram 45 (I think it was the label's debut,
along with Cat Stevens' "First Cut ...") "Happy New Year," by Beverley. It is
a tasty, bluesy yet still pop downbeat song with bitter irony in the lyric. I do
know that the song's writer is Randy Newman. I have never been able to
find the B-side (nor its title), nor Randy's demo version. It's worth searching
out. I saw it on a friend's vinyl comp "UK Girl Singers" Anyone have more
on this?
mo
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:58:56 -0000
From: Rick Hough
Subject: Re: Cher & Spector
Country Paul asked:
> THREE tracks? The two sides of the 45 - and what else, please?
In the fall of '74, Mo Ostin of WB pushed his two prime acquisitions of the
year to record together. Their first effort was the Nilsson/Cher duet "A Love
Like Yours", recorded towards the end of the John Lennon "Rock'n'Roll"
sessions. The results were good enough (fantastic, actually) to justify an
album, and "A Woman's Story" and "Baby I Love You" were then cut. Those
tracks were the debut Warner-Spector 45 (WS 0400 November '74, in
stereo). With only three tracks cut, and product overdue for the high-priced
Cher, the album project was called off due to Spector's "excessively slow
working habits" (there had also been much drama in the studio).
Cher's album project went to Jimmy Webb who had "Stars" in stores by
February, and in cut-out bins shortly thereafter. Phil Spector continued
working at his own pace, turning his production effort to Dion and "Born
To Be With You". Whatever was unfinished for Cher would have definitely
gone to Dion -- isn't it all cut in the same key? (The Nilsson/Cher duet
was released in March '75 (Warner-Spector 0402), and with no more
Cher tracks Spector borrowed her 1969 "Hangin 'On" from Atlantic for the
B-side.)
When Warner-Spector ceased business in '77 Phil took every centimeter
of tape with him. I checked THAT out a long time ago!
> I'm impressed by what a S&C-ologist you are.
I'm not! It's been hell just trying to get a pre-'65 timeline together. Sonny
didn't keep a diary till 1968, Gold Star didn't keep session details, many
sessions were non-union, Atlantic's records are unreliable (and their
warehouse burned down), biographers (Sonny included) make it up as
they go, some lie because of the rip-offs they were involved in, others lie
for the hell of it and the rest just don't remember!
Thanks for the kind words, but I don't think my name's gonna be on "The
Complete Sonny & Cher Sessionography" any time soon!
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 05:30:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Larry Lapka
Subject: Re: Colgems
Dear John Fox and all:
Thanks for your suggestions. The reason that I am focusing on Colgems
only rather than Colpix also is that I have an affinity with Colgems that I
simply don't have with Colpix. I was nine years old when The Monkees
project was brought to the world, and I didn't even know that Colpix existed
when I was a kid, other than the couple of Davy Jones 45s I had on that
label that I was able to find in the 1970s.
Also, Colgems' discography is so limited, that it makes it easier to look at
and examine.
One question: I don't believe that Colpix ceased to exist when "Last Train
To Clarksville" was released, although for all intents and purposes, its
remaining shelf life was pretty short at this point in 1966. What was the
final, last record released on the Colpix label? Was it a rerelease of the
David Jones album (obviously put back on the shelves to coincide with the
Monkees project)? I remember that there was one episode of the show
where I think Bobby Sherman was actually holding a copy of the David
Jones album, so I assume it was available in 1966.
Any help on this, or other Colgems related stuff, would be appreciated.
Larry Lapka
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 06:16:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: Cher & Spector
Country Paul asked:
> THREE tracks? The two sides of the 45 - and what else, please?
I believe the Cher/Nilsson track was recorded during a break in a Spector/
Lennon session.
Tom Taber
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 15:48:36 -0000
From: Davie L Gordon
Subject: Re: This Diamond Ring
Ken Silverwood wrote:
> I would guess that it was Sammy Ambrose, who actually turns out to
> be Tony Middleton, former lead singer with the group The Willows.
Tony Middleton is definitely not Sammy Ambrose. Ambrose died some
years ago, whereas as far as I know Tony Middleton is still with us.
Davie
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 16:22:44 -0000
From: Carl
Subject: Re: Marcie Blane
Mikey asked:
> Can someone please tell me where I can order that new Marcie Blane
> "best of" CD that has all her Seville tracks?
I got mine from http://www.deepdiscountcd.com . They are often the lowest
price, as shipping is included in the price quoted. Loved the CD, long overdue.
Carl
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 07:40:07 EST
From: Claire Francis
Subject: Season's Greetings
And the very same to you Dear Mark, as well to all of the
Spectropop gang.
Love & Light,
Claire Francis
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 13:17:08 -0500
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: Colgems
Larry Lapka:
> One question: I don't believe that Colpix ceased to exist when "Last
> Train To Clarksville" was released, although for all intents and
> purposes, its remaining shelf life was pretty short at this point in
> 1966. What was the final, last record released on the Colpix label?
> Was it a rerelease of the David Jones album (obviously put back on
> the shelves to coincide with the Monkees project)? I remember that
> there was one episode of the show where I think Bobby Sherman was
> actually holding a copy of the David Jones album, so I assume it was
> available in 1966.
My question was as to the difference in fates between the two labels.
I believe Colgems effectively was absorbed into Bell when the latter
label was bought by Screen Gems / Columbia Pictures Television around
1970 (imagine the Partridge Family on Colgems), yet the Colpix masters
didn't follow to the new label? What's the connection vs. what's the
difference?
Joe Nelson
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 03:45:23 -0500
From: Stewart Mason
Subject: Re: Saint Etienne
Phil Milstein asks:
> 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).
They're named after, of all things, a French football club: the
opening track on their (excellent) first album, FOXBASE: ALPHA,
includes bits from a radio broadcast of one of the club's matches.
(To keep period-specific, I'll also point out that the best track
on this album is a brilliant reimagination of Neil Young's "Only
Love Can Break Your Heart," one of his prettiest songs turned into
a trippy piece of dance-floor psychedelia.)
I too recommend all of the previously-mentioned titles highly, and
say without reservation that if Bob Stanley isn't a Spectropopper,
he should be. One of the most enjoyable times I've ever had as a
journalist was interviewing Mr. Stanley a few years ago, which
devolved into a long and detailed conversation about the '60s records
of one of our shared passions, France Gall.
S
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:07:32 -0800
From: Scott Swanson
Subject: Re: Obscure Trini Lopez 45, Shel Talmy connection?
Sebastian writes:
> 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?
>From the keyboard of Mr. Trini Lopez himself:
"I met him [Shel] in Hollywood in the early 60's and he asked
me to listen to this song. I liked it and recorded it. I have
not seen him since that time. 'Sinner Not A Saint' was the only
song of his I ever recorded."
As for the United Modern and Denny Paul questions, I can't help
you there. Let me know if you get a definitive answer on either
subject.
Hope this helps,
Scott
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:11:54 -0800 (GMT-08:00)
From: Chris Schneider
Subject: Re: Tony Middleton / Claus Ogerman
Ken Silverwood wrote:
> (Tony) 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.
My first thought, when I read this, was that the "Paris Blues"
alluded to was Ellngton's and Strayhorn's song, the one written for
the movie of that title. Then a visit to the relevant portion of
http://www.bjbear71.com/Ogerman/Claus.html#Index persuaded me that it
was a separate song. Still, being a fan of both Arlen & Mercer (who
wrote the song on the flip side) and of Ellington & Strayhorn, I must
admit that my curiosity is piqued.
What's the story with the Ogerman/Middleton "Paris Blues"?
Chris
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 11:19:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Stewart Epstein
Subject: Re: Season's Greetings
Dear Claire,
Thank you for that sweet holiday greeting to all of us. My sister
is a "seer" who works with police forces.
Best wishes,
Stew
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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 14:09:40 -0500
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Colgems
Larry, I don't believe the Davy Jones Lp was ever re-released by Colpix,
or anyone.
I think they did not want to mess with Davy's image as a Monkee during
the Monkees period, and after that, the LP was so dated they just
shelved it. I have a copy and it's nothing to write about, material wise.
And for the record, its Tommy Boyce holding a copy of the Lp on "I Dream
of Jeannie" :))
mikey
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