________________________________________________________________________
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
________________________________________________________________________
There are 17 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Kathy Lynn & the Playboys / Rockin' Rebels etc
From: Mick Patrick
2. Re: French rockpop
From: Jeff
3. Re: Joe Jeffrey Group
From: Robert R. Radil
4. Re: Royal Guardsmen titles
From: Jeff Lemlich
5. La Compagnie
From: Jesse
6. Charlie Rich
From: Pres
7. Re: cannibal pop
From: Davie Gordon
8. Darin movie; to David Young; French-Canadian artists; Nanette Workman
From: Country Paul
9. "Teenage Tears"
From: Gary Myers
10. Al Gorgoni on-line!
From: Country Paul
11. Re: Royal Guardsmen
From: Lyn Nuttall
12. Re: Joe Jeffrey Group
From: Shawn Nagy
13. The Blossoms' "Cry Like a Baby"
From: John H
14. Hip-O Select Launches The Complete Motown Singles'' Project
From: Ray
15. Re: British versions / Jimmy Buffett
From: Austin Powell
16. Re: Marty Wilde / Joe Meek
From: Austin Powell
17. France Gall @ musica
From: Frank
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 15:49:16 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Kathy Lynn & the Playboys / Rockin' Rebels etc
Davie Gordon:
> If you feel like driving yourself nuts, try investigating who
> the Rockin' Rebels were (in all their incarnations) - it makes
> Parliament/Funkadelic seem relatively simple. Try searching
> the archives for "Rockin' Rebels" - I think I posted some stuff
> a couple of years back.
Indeed, a complicated story, with several different groups of
musicians recording under the Rebels/Rockin' Rebels moniker.
>From the "Where The Girls Are, Vol 6" CD booklet:
A person could get a headache trying to document the tangled
recording career of Kathy Lynn and the Playboys in all their
guises, but here goes. Originating from the Buffalo area of
upstate New York, the foursome made their Swan label debut in
1964 as an instrumental act. Not too surprising, as drummer Tony
DiMaria's previous group, the Jesters, had recorded for Swan in
1963 as the latest and most prolific incarnation of 'Wild Weekend'
chartriders the Rockin' Rebels; not so much a band, more a
franchise owned by Buffalo DJ Tom Shannon, with whom Tony wrote
half a dozen of the outfit's tunes.
Nick Ameno and Carl Cisco were DiMaria's fellow Playboys, while
Kathy Lynn concealed the identity of Kathleen Mary Keppen. 'My
Special Boy', which married a typical girlie lyric to a driving
surf/drag-style backing, was her first vocal outing for the
Philadelphia-based company. The group's early 1965 release 'Little
Baby', like their others a group composition, struck a much more
elaborate note altogether; Kathy's rough-edged vocal interplay
with a cascading grand piano and what sounds like a flourish of
hunting horns giving rise to the speculation - what would the
soundtrack of The Ten Commandments have sounded like had it been
performed by Brenda Lee?! The group also cut a Booker T-inspired
instrumental entitled 'Donkey Twine', which Swan slapped on the
flip of an early 1966 reissue of the Rockin' Rebels' 'Wild Weekend'.
Kathy and the guys then moved their base of operation to Detroit,
from where they re-launched themselves in a bewilderment of
identities, releasing 45s on Motown's V.I.P. subsidiary as the La
Salles, and on the La Salle label as both the Buena Vistas and the
Antiques. It was as funky instrumentalists the Buena Vistas that
the combo made their first chart showing, with 'Hot Shot', pressed
on Swan in the summer of 1966. Later that year, sandwiched between
two Buena Vistas' follow-ups, the logo released a soulful revival
of 'Let The Good Times Roll', with Kathy Lynn playing Shirley to
Link Wray's Lee. Further Buena Vistas' recordings were issued on
Marquee, among them 'Here Come Da Judge', another Hot 100 entry for
the group in 1968.
For those who'd like to hear the music:
The Buena Vistas' 'Hot Shot' is contained on Kent's "Swan's Soul
Sides" CD, CDKEND 120.
The Buena Vistas' 'Kick Back' is on "Super Funk", BGP CDBGPD 131.
'Let The Good Times Roll' by Kathy Lynn and Link Wray is on Link's
"The Swan Singles Collection", Rollercoaster RCCD 3011.
The bulk of the Rockin' Rebels' output can be found on the CD "Tom
Shannon Presents The Rockin' Rebels", Ace CDCHD 126. The group's
story is brilliantly told in the CD booklet by Dave Burke and Alan
Taylor of the instrumental magazine Pipeline.
'I Got A Guy' and 'Rock City' by Kathy Lynn and the Playboys can be
found on "Girls With Guitars", Ace CDCHD 989.
'My Special Boy' and 'Little Baby' by Kathy Lynn and the Playboys
are on "Where The Girls Are, Vol 6", Ace CDCHD 1032.
Kathy Lynn is a huge fave of mine, with a voice like Brenda Lee,
but punkier. Has anyone ever seen a photo of her and the Playboys?
Also, I'd love to know what instrument Kathy played. Does anyone
know? Any questions for me? Hope not, as I'm afraid I already have
one of my <<<<< heads >>>>>. Doh!
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 19:14:30 -0000
From: Jeff
Subject: Re: French rockpop
Can someone recommend any French rockpop greatest hits CD? We have
many greatest soul CD'S /greatest Motown cd's etc. but I have never
seen a greatest Euro hits CD, or greatest French or Italian hits CD.
....Jeff
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 19:09:05 -0000
From: Robert R. Radil
Subject: Re: Joe Jeffrey Group
Clark Besch wrote:
> The third is of interest to me because it is the US release of "My
> Baby Loves Lovin'." In April, 1970, I heard the Joe Jeffrey version
> on "Rate-A-Record" on American Bandstand, and thought it a cool 45.
> I began watching for it on charts and stores, but soon heard the
> White Plains' version, which of course skyrocketed to the top. I
> long maintained that the version I had heard first was better
> (though going only on memory).
The Joe Jeffery version is the only one that got played on WKBW,
Buffalo around April, 1970, although they now play the White Plains
version as an oldie.
Bob Radil
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 21:29:14 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Re: Royal Guardsmen titles
Javed Jafri:
> Different from what and why, Jeff?
Instead of a beagle named Snoopy, this is the tale of a beaver named
Squeaky... who takes on the bloody Black Knight, as opposed to the
bloody Red Baron. It appears to be a Canadian-only release. When
space frees up in musica, I'll upload the track for you to hear.
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:29:57 -0000
From: Jesse
Subject: La Compagnie
Cedric asked:
> Wasn't "La Compagnie" Michel Colombier's own label?
Frank Replied:
> No, it was owned by a film producer named Norbert Saada.
> I don't remember precisely, but Michel Colombier may have
> had some records on the label.
When I was a teenager, in the late 1980s, I bought two singles
by an obscure singer called Tina. I found one on a Brussels
fleamarket, the other in a Salvation Army store. I treasure
them dearly. Both are La Compagnie productions by Norbert Saada,
and both were arranged (or musically directed, as the label says)
by Michel Colombier, in 1968. The label is Vogue Belgium.
One single (VB 074) has covers of River Deep Mountain High
(Comme le fleuve aime la mer) and A Love Like Yours (Don't
Come Knocking Everyday) — the latter, renamed Toc, Toc, Toc,
is just great. To my ears, it's even better than Tina Turner's
version. It's also louder.
The other single (VB 080) is even better. S'il le fallait is a
cover of an Italian song by Massara and Pallavicini with French
lyrics by Vline Buggy; Cest toujours is an adaptation of a Pike/
Randazzo song (I don't know what the original is; it sounds
familiar). S'il le fallait combines a louder-than-Spector Wall
of Sound with a dark, threatening organ. Try that on your cats.
Does anybody know if Michel Colombier, who passed away recently,
produced/arranged any other singles in the 'girlgroup' genre?
Jesse
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 01:12:03 -0500
From: Pres
Subject: Charlie Rich
Yesterday I scored a copy of The Complete Smash Recordings for the
wee price of $6 - a pretty big score it seems since Amazon is
offering used copies starting at $55.
Does anyone know the original track order of "The Best Years" LP?
The cd's sequencing is making me crazy and I'd like to try it
chronologically. I've looked around the net but I was only able to
find the track order for "The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich".
Also, somewhere in my search I saw mention of Ray Stevens arranging
some of the Smash recordings. Any further info would be appreciated
in that respect as well info on Smash b-sides other than "Mohair Sam".
With advance thanks,
pres
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2005 23:52:31 -0000
From: Davie Gordon
Subject: Re: cannibal pop
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> "'The Yarn Of The Nancy Bell,' the best-known of W.S. Gilbert's
> comic ballads, is an account of cannibalism forced by a shipwreck.
> The yarn is told by the sole survivor, who ate nine of his
> shipmates." So there ya go -- "Timothy" was TAME compared to
> "... The Nancy Bell"!
These are a bit outside normal Spectropop territory but then again
songs about cannibalism are not usually Spectropop territory either.
Mountain - "Nantucket sleighride"
ZZ: Who is Owen Coffin, to whom the song is dedicated?
Felix: Owen Coffin....he was in the crew of the ship 'Essex', which
figured in the most famous of all whaling disasters. The ship went off
in 1820 and was stove in by a whale - it actually turned round and
smashed into the hull of the ship. After a day and a half, it sunk,
and they were thousands of miles from any place where they could land
- not just any land, be cause there were cannibals and headhun ters
about then - but a safe place. Well, to cut a long story short, it
reached the point where 5 of them were trying to get to land in this
long boat, and they had to draw straws to see who was going to die to
feed and sustain the other 4....and Owen Coffin drew the short straw.
This is a from a 1971 interview with Felix Pappalardi for "Zigzag" -
back in the days when Zigzag was probably the best music read
available. The full interview can be seen at:
http://pappalardi.com/Articles12.html
then there's:
Paul Kantner & Grace Slick - "Silver Spoon" from rhe "Sunfighter" lp
- written by Grace as an exercise in seeing how obnoxious she could be:
"What if you were
starving to death and
they only food you had
was me - what would
you say to the cannibal
question? Would your
answer be perfectly
free?
Your mama told you never
to eat your friends
with your fingers and
hands, but I say you
ought to eat what
you will - shove it
in your mouth any way
that your can. "
If that's whetted your appetite the full lyrics, the ones quoted
are quite mild, are at: http://tinyurl.com/4yvlg
I've alwas been very fond of that album if for no other reason that's
it's maybe the only place you'll hear a gospel group (the Edwin
Hawkins Singers) swearing.
Davie - humming cannibal songs
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:32:20 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Darin movie; to David Young; French-Canadian artists; Nanette Workman
Phil M.:
> I noticed that the current issue of AARP* magazine has an article
> on Spacey-as-Darin. Although I soon realized it's in response to
> Darin's likely popularity among their core readership (of silver-
> haired golden agers), at first I thought it was a response to
> Spacey's age vis-a-vis Darin's.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but the age thing keeps popping up in
reviews. The Star-Ledger, our statewide newspaper of record in NJ,
basically dunned the whole movie based on that as a foundation. They
also called it Spacey's ego trip and a few other things, none
complimentary. Considering the subject matter, it makes me want to see
the flick even more.
David Young, the program you suggested for the Seattle Women's Chorus
shounds like a lot of fun. Don't think I can make it to the NW, but
have a smile for me!
Re: French artists, we're overlooking French Canada here. In 1969-70,
there was a fine single on Gamma by (sorry if I accidentally switched
genders here - it's been a long time since I took French) La Coeur
d'une Generation [The Heart of a Generation] called "A Toi (Ton Nom)"
[For You (Your Name)], a very pretty slow 6/8 ballad. At the same time
I discovered that one, I also found L'Ostiddcho [The Ostrich]'s "Le
Fin du Monde" [The End of The World], not the Skeeter Davis track but
a very serious and adventurous progressive item with a big psychedelic
freakout at the end. I think the group was part of the Robert
Charlebois circle of influence. Unfortunately, its seriousness was
undermined by have been recorded very cheaply (Farfisa instead of
Hammond organ), but the song itself is very classically beautiful.
There (plus one Charlebois 45, "Lindbergh," which was a very big
French-Canadian hit) ends my knowledge of French Canadian music of the
era, except for Nanette Workman's "The Look of Love" on Canusa (1967),
a very credible version also issued in the US, and the only one I'm
familiar with of a myriad of 45s she issued in the 60s; details and
pictures at: http://www.retrojeunesse60.com/nanette.workman.html
A few years later, Big Tree in the US put out an English version of a
very fine disco-pop album which rocked out very credibly; if you can,
find the track "Save Me." (The Canadian and US releases were the same
tracks but with very different mixes.) She also sang some backgrounds
for the Rolling Stones on "Let It Bleed" and "Tattoo You" as well as
for all the Beatles individually (except Paul). She's originally from
New York, but raised in Mississippi! Her official website shows her
still active in music, and still a good lookin' lady as well:
http://www.nanette.qc.ca/
FYI, her 60s page is part of a larger site, featuring Quebecois girl
singers of the 60s: http://www.retrojeunesse60.com/les.chanteuses.html
Have fun, folks!
Country Paul
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 21:08:50 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: "Teenage Tears"
Margaret G Still:
> "Teenage Tears," the flipside of Wilde's "Bad Boy," has always
> sounded kinda Joe Meek-associated to me, too.
Do you happen to have the names of the writers of "Teenage Tears"?
I'm wondering if it's the same song as "The In-Between Years" by
James MacArthur, or the same as one recorded by Jimmy Jordan on New
Phoenix.
gem
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 01:43:41 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Al Gorgoni on-line!
Check out http://www.gorgoni.net
Country Paul
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 11
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 08:26:31 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Re: Royal Guardsmen
For Australian radio "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" had the word "bloody"
beeped out. If you sang along with it as it was played, you sang
something like "The 'BOOP' Red Baron of Ger-man-y" (or loudly put in
the offending word anyway, as a pointless act of teenage defiance). I
think it was left intact on the record itself, which went to #1 in our
four major cities. It seems unbelievable at this remote distance: I
just saw a Rick Mayall DVD on display in a popular local store with a
word on the cover that most of our newspapers still won't print in
full.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 09:00:38 -0000
From: Shawn Nagy
Subject: Re: Joe Jeffrey Group
My Baby Loves Lovin': When I finally got a copy, I had heard the
White Plains version so much I liked it much better.
I have a handful of Joe Jeffrey group's LP tracks + My Baby Loves
Lovin' on SuperOldies.com, but I don't see a lot of Spectropoppers
stopping by the site for some reason.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 07:00:21 -0000
From: John H
Subject: The Blossoms' "Cry Like a Baby"
Google searches haven't yielded any lyrics to the beloved song. Can
anyone assist? Is she really singing:
No no I'm not scaring that cat in the chair
Because I know that he'll be sitting there
eek. Help!
-John H.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 19:34:56 -0000
From: Ray
Subject: Hip-O Select Launches The Complete Motown Singles'' Project
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 7, 2005--Hip-O Select.com, a
division of Universal Music Enterprises, will release the first
volume of "The Complete Motown Singles" on January 14, 2005, and on
the iTunes Music Store on January 18, 2005. This first volume,
covering the years 1959 through 1961, showcases the early history
of the classic label on a 6-CD, 154-track set. It will feature the
A-side and B-side of every single released by Motown and its
subsidiaries during its first three years of existence. This
collection will not be available at traditional retail; it will be
sold exclusively online at http://www.hip-oselect.com/ available
for download from the iTunes Music Store.
The release is the first phase of a plan that extends through
Motown's 50th Anniversary in 2009, with Hip-O Select issuing further
volumes covering all of Motown's single releases during its tenure
as a Detroit-based operation. The label moved to Los Angeles in 1972.
"Motown is the jewel in the crown when it comes to soul and pop
music," says Pat Lawrence, Senior Vice-President, UMe. "They defined
a sound in a way that no label before or since ever has. The classic
Motown roster reads like a music Who's Who. Smokey Robinson. Diana
Ross. Stevie Wonder. Marvin Gaye. The Supremes. The Temptations. The
Funk Brothers. The depth of their artistry is unparalleled."
The initial volume includes Motown's first major hits, like "Money
(That's What I Want)" (Barrett Strong), "Shop Around" (The Miracles)
and "Please Mr. Postman" (The Marvelettes), plus the raw Motown
debuts of The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, et
al. The packaging for the set resembles a scaled-down 78-rpm-era
"album," with cardboard sleeves to hold each of the discs, and more
than 100 pages of rare photos and notes. Each box will feature an
actual reproduction 45 rpm single from its respective era. In the
booklet is a personal written introduction by Motown founder Berry
Gordy, who co-wrote and produced nearly every track on Volume 1; a
personal chronicle from Mable John, Gordy's first signed female
artist; and a historical overview by author Craig Werner. Also
included are detailed track-by-track annotations by the Grammy-
nominated author Bill Dahl, with assistance by associate producer
and noted Motown discographer Keith Hughes. UMe A&R VP Harry Weinger
has overseen the project.
"It's an awesome undertaking," says Weinger, "for an awesome and
worthy body of work. This is a window to the beginnings of a musical
institution, where you can hear the one-offs and experiments next to
the big hits, and where you just might hear the revolution to come."
ray
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 16:15:23 -0000
From: Austin Powell
Subject: Re: British versions / Jimmy Buffett
Me, earlier:
> It happened again with the Kinks "Lola" - the words Coca-Cola were
> substituted by "Cherry Cola".
Clark:
> And it 'appened agin with Jimmy Buffet's "Come Monday" changing "I
> got my Hush Puppies on" to "I got my hiking boots on"!
Me again.....My copy of "Come Monday" (UK) ABC 4001 relased in '74
has the "Hush Puppies" lyric. It's one of my favourites - shame Mr.
B never meant more on this side of the pond.
Austin P
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 10:43:27 -0000
From: Austin Powell
Subject: Re: Marty Wilde / Joe Meek
Margaret G Still:
> 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.
According to John Repsch's book on Meek, Joe engineered (not produced)
Marty Wilde's "Sea Of Love", which was in the UK charts at the same
time as Joe's production of Mike Preston's "Mr. Blue" on Decca and
Emile Ford's "What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For" co-
produced with Michael Barclay for Pye. Joe was an engineer at IBC
studios which may well have been used for other Marty Wilde's records,
although I think Philips had their own studios near Marble Arch.
Sequel Records here issued a CD of Joe's early work as a studio
engineer and sometime co-producer "The Joe Meek Story, Volume 5 - The
Early Years" back in 1997 which includes work by Lonnie Dongean,
Dickie Valentine, Pet Clark and others.
Repsch's book listed Joe's discography which started with a trad jazz
track by Humphrey Lyttleton, "Bad Penny Blues". Although it seems Joe
produced the A side, he only engineered the B side. There's no mention
of Joe Brown ever having been recorded by Joe Meek in the book.
Austin P.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2005 09:37:23 +0100
From: Frank
Subject: France Gall @ musica
I said:
> This is one of the few tracks she recorded for EMI before moving to
> Warners. It has not been re-released since...
Thanks to the S'pop team, who kindly managed it for me, the Frankenstein
track is now playing at Musica
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
See if you enjoy.
Frank
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
End
