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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 3 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: French rockpop
From: Dave Monroe
2. Re: Joe Brown
From: Margaret G Still
3. Beach Boys/Wilson news
From: Phil X Milstein
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 11:33:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Re: French rockpop
Frank J. wrote:
> Dutronc is not the best example you can find. As a matter of
> fact he was probably one of the very few artists who had his
> own style and a definite consistency. It was all in the lyrics,
> he had the most original lyrics of them all and was instantly
> recognizable through them.
The limitations of being a monolingual English (or, at any rate, American)
speaker with a French pop fetish. Cf. Serge Gainsbourg, I imagine ...
> There were two different periods in the French sixties scene.
> The first one (which started it all) was 100% US influenced with
> (bad) covers of Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy
> Holly ... Really below-par stuff that found a huge audience due
> in part to the translated lyrics. Then as a perfect replica of the
> US scene when Rock N' Roll was washed away by the pop idols.
Noel Deschamps' storming "Pour le pied" (a.k.a. Gene Vincent's "Bird
Doggin'") excepted (think a heavier, more intense "Superlungs My
Supergirl" (Donovan), with horns). But I've assumed the writer was
thinking perhaps of lesser-known garage/"freakbeat"/whatever acts like
Les 5 Gentlemen or Les Lionceaux, or, for that matter, Ronnie Bird, or
even, in their heavier moments, Dutronc or Deschamps. But, in general,
I've the same impression you have, though mine is likely rather more
impressionistic.
> Then when the British scene broke they jumped on the bandwagon
> and every British hit was then covered in French, even the Beatles
> and the Stones.
Eddy Mitchell does a decent "Satisfaction," by the way. Ronnie Bird does
"The Last Time." I've played out, of all things, a "Lovely Rita" by what I
believe was a Quebecois band called Les Merseys, and I've less successful
covers of "Norwegian Wood" and another Rubber Soul-era track ("You
Won't See Me"?) on a Stone EP, et cie. ...
> Those who were able to really be originals and not mere
> copy cats were probably less than a handfull.
Dutronc, Hardy, Gall, Bird and, of course, Gainsbourg come to mind, along
with some scattered tracks by scattered others, but ...
> ... but when it comes right down to it Françoise survived also
> because she really never gave a damn. She just couldn't care
> less about her recording career! A very peculiar girl.
Thank heaven for peculiar girls, then. Viva La Asparagus [sic?]! And
thanks for your response.
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 19:43:02 -0000
From: Margaret G Still
Subject: Re: Joe Brown
Austin Powell wrote:
> Joe Brown ... was managed by the legendary (in Britain) manager
> Larry Parnes. ... Parnes also managed Billy Fury and lesser known
> rockers like Duffy Power, Vince Eager and Marty Wilde.
I've read about a DVD with an hour-long interview of Joe Brown, in which he
supposedly mentions doing sessions behind Parnes' back, and that he (Joe)
was "always down at Joe Meek's." Has anyone seen this interview?
Would anyone know anything about any Joe Meek-associated Marty Wilde
productions? A couple of months ago, Thunderbolt, the Joe Meek Appreciation
Society magazine, reported that Meek had engineered Marty Wilde's "Endless
Sleep" (which was released on Philips). "Teenage Tears," the flipside of Wilde's
"Bad Boy," has always sounded kinda Joe Meek-associated to me, too.
I'm looking forward to hearing Joe Brown's rockin' music at some point. I have
a 45 of his novelty Bruvvers work, but it's way too "cheeky grin" for me.
Best,
Margaret G. Still
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 10:39:27 -0800
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Beach Boys/Wilson news
Today's papers bring some good news from the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson
universe, as well as some very bad news:
Beach Boys Musical Brings Sun to Broadway
http://tinyurl.com/5c62o
"SMiLE" Cellist Markus Sandlund Missing from Phuket, Thailand: Brian
Wilson Asks for Help
http://www.brianwilson.com/news/index.html
Yikes,
--Phil M.
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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