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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. "Whiter Shade Of Pale"
From: Frank Murphy
2. Max Crook & the Musitron
From: Jon Christopher Pennington
3. Re: Nanette Workman
From: Gary Myers
4. Re: Ben Raleigh
From: Artie Wayne
5. Tony Orlando / Wind / Joey Levine / Bo Gentry
From: Artie Wayne
6. Re: Groovin' with Tony Orlando and Kenny Laguna
From: Mark Frumento
7. "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe"
From: Austin Powell
8. "Secret Love"
From: Austin Powell
9. Re: Ben Raleigh - country covers
From: Tom Taber
10. Steff (Sulke)
From: Barry Margolis
11. Re: The Buddy Holly Story (supposedly...)
From: Joe Nelson
12. French Artistes: Les Surfs et Ria Bartok
From: Vlaovic B
13. Sedaka/Greefield "Where the Boys Are"
From: Dave O'Gara
14. Re: "(Do) The Bluebeat"
From: Lyn Nuttall
15. Re: The Montanas
From: Gary Myers
16. The Buddy Holly Story (movie)
From: Gary Myers
17. Re: The Montanas
From: Orion
18. Re: Chuck Sagle
From: Davie Gordon
19. Typical Midwest winter day
From: Karen Andrew
20. Re: Groovin' with Tony Orlando
From: Tom Diehl
21. Don Ho and Galveston
From: Denny Tedesco
22. Jerry Kennedy
From: Lyn Nuttall
23. Re: Roy Orbison bios
From: S.J. Dibai
24. Thane Russal & Jimmy Page & The Rolling Stones
From: Margaret G Still
25. Re: James Griffin R.I.P.
From: Glenn
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 21:08:38 +0000
From: Frank Murphy
Subject: "Whiter Shade Of Pale"
I think both songs ("A Whiter Shade..." and "Je T´Aime..") have a
certain classic flavor, I don´t know if they are based on some
classical piece. At the time several critics felt it had been
influenced by Jacques Louissier and his Play Bach albums, but I
gather the band were listening to Percy Sledge more than Johann
Sebastian. Check: http://tinyurl.com/6kloz . Of course Percy did a
great version of a Whiter Shade Of Pale.
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: 2
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 14:57:15 -0800
From: Jon Christopher Pennington
Subject: Max Crook & the Musitron
Somebody had a post here earlier about Max Crook. Anyhow, I learned
that Max Crook is my roommate's cousin. He has a website at
http://www.maxcrook.com . According to the web site, it appears
that Crook based his Musitron on the clavioline, originally created
by Georges Jenny (also the inventor of the ondioline).
Jon P.
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 16:06:01 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Nanette Workman
FWIW, Nanette Workman is mentioned in my Wisc. book because Hal Atkinson
of La Crosse's Shy Guys knew her in school in MS. Atkinson ran into her
while visiting back in MS and she suggested he try England, where he
wound doing some session singing in the Brotherhood of Man. Atkinson
gradually added acting to his accomplishments and has had several parts,
commercials, etc.
gem
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 17:07:57 -0800 (PST)
From: Artie Wayne
Subject: Re: Ben Raleigh
Steve...How ya' Doin'? It's interesting that you should bring up the
idea of a country artist covering "Wonderful, Wonderful". Ben once
told me that Eddy Arnold cut the song around the time he did "Make
the World go Away", but RCA thought the chord changes were "too
progressive for country" and as far as I know was never released.
By the way, I declined Al Gallico's offer to record in Nashville and
become a country star...not just because as an African-American I
didn't want to deal with the social climate, but at the time, Music
Row wouldn't even accept an a minor chord in a country song.
regards, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com/
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 17:31:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Artie Wayne
Subject: Tony Orlando / Wind / Joey Levine / Bo Gentry
Dave...How ya' doin'? You wanted some info on Tony Orlando and Wind?
Well...My partner Kelli Ross and I administered the copyrights "Make
Believe", which went top 40 in the U.S. and the b-side, "Groovin'
with Mr. Bloe", which was top ten in the U.K.
If I'm not mistaken, it was the first collaboration by Joey Levine
and Bo Gentry, whose publishing companies we represented.
regards, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com/
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 14:29:21 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Re: Groovin' with Tony Orlando and Kenny Laguna
Dave Monroe wrote:
> I just spun Wind's version of "Groovin' with Mr. Bloe" last
> night! Anyone have any info on either Wind or Mr. Bloe?
A CD collection called 'Laguna Tunes' was recommeded here at
Spectropop a couple of years ago. In the liner notes to that
CD Kenny Laguna says that Wind was he and Tony Orlando ("I
sang the high voice and Tony sang baritone"). A GREAT unreleased
track called 'In the Name of Happiness', which Laguna attributes
to Tony Orlando and Wind, is included on the CD. Beyond vocals,
Laguna's involvement with Wind is unclear and he doesn't even
list the single in his online discography. Though in the liner
notes to Laguna Tunes he has a good bit to say - not all good
- about Tony Orlando. He also says that 'Groovin' With Mr Bloe'
was the backing track to a bubble-gum song he had written but
gets the story of the UK hit wrong.
Though it appears to be out of print, 'Laguna Tunes' is well
worth finding for the previously mentioned Tony Orlando track,
Bill Medley's 'Makin' My Way', The Blossoms 'Making Change,
'Spencer Barefoot's stunning cowboy ballad 'Lord' and the classic
novelty 'Stairway to Gilligan's Island' (who could forget that
one?).
Laguna's approach to his career is very entertaining, though as
you'd expect, it's all his perspective. Check out his Laguna Tunes
site, including the liner notes to the CD, at:
http://www.lagunatunes.com/
And on WFMU's site there is a radio interview with Laguna that
is quite entertaining (scroll down to May 2002):
http://wfmu.org/special.php/JS
Mark F
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:01:01 -0000
From: Austin Powell
Subject: "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe"
Dave Monroe:
> I just spun Wind's version of "Groovin' with Mr. Bloe" last night!
> Anyone have any info on either Wind or Mr. Bloe?
Here in Britain, no one picked up the rights to Wind's version of "Make
Believe". The UK publishers of both "Make Believe" and "Groovin' With
Mr. Bloe" (Dick James Music) told me at the time the US label was
"asking telephone numbers" for the master and no one was biting. So....
DJM Records' arranger Zack Lawrence went into the studios and did a
cover version of the instrumental track, releasing it under the name Mr.
Bloe and subsequently making # 2 in May 1970. Zack also did a slightly
different arrangement of "Make Believe" and DJM issued a UK cover
version by a band I was managing at the time, Fluff. We got lots of
airplay, press and TV but missed the UK charts. Fluff's version was
slightly slower, and perhaps more polished. If I had the technology
(and brain) I'd post it to musica, but I have neither !
Austin P.
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 11:14:52 -0000
From: Austin Powell
Subject: "Secret Love"
Phil:
> At least I can remember to remind readers of another fabulous
> version of "Secret Love," one that is most rockin' where Miss
> Day's is so dreamy. I refer of course to The Chiffons' version,
> which is one of my favorite records in their catalogue.
The British Vocalion re-issue label has justreleased a CD of
Kathy Kirby which includes her belting version of "Secret Love",
a number four here in 1963. They've also issued a CD of Lord
Rockingham's Xl which was the session band that worked on Jack
Good's early UK TV shows. See http://www.duttonlabs.demon.co.uk
Austin P.
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Message: 9
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 09:17:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: Ben Raleigh - country covers
Steve Harvey wrote:
> I always thought "Wonderful, Wonderful" should be covered by some
> country act like Randy Travis. It has that loping, C&W feel to it.
After listening to my Bobby Vee CD the other night, I wondered why
country versions of "More Than I Can Say" and "How Many Tears"
haven't flooded the airwaves, one slow, and one as a rave-up!
Tom Taber
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Message: 10
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 09:31:25 -0600
From: Barry Margolis
Subject: Steff (Sulke)
I mentioned that I had 4 singles by Steff (Sulke)....I was wrong; I have 5:
STEFF
Where Did She Go/Others (Epic 5-9870)
She's All Right/I'll Never Let You Go (Epic 5-10015)
Had A Dream/I Follow The Drums (Epic 5-10105)
STEFF SULKE
I'm A Simple Man/One Million Days (Dial 45-4058)
Strings Of My Heart/I Believe (It Takes Two) (Dial 45-4071)
all 5 singles were produced by Buddy Killen.
Love to know more about this guy...
Barry in Minneapolis
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Message: 11
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:37:54 -0500
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: The Buddy Holly Story (supposedly...)
Steve Harvey:
> Speaking of the movie my video box has a shot of Gary "Buddy" Holly
> playing a Telecaster. Pretty silly considering Buddy was the first
> Strat rocker of note.
He's also seen playing a Fender Bronco in the film, which I believe
didn't even exist in his lifetime.
A little less important is Gary Busey's guitar technique in the film -
mostly "walking" partial barre cords (the whole neck is barred, but
the guitarist only plays the lowest two strings, with the pinky on
standby to pick up an alternating sixth against the ring finger's
fifth on the second lowest string). Buddy rarely used this technique
in real life, preferring to capo to the key in question and use open
position chords in A or E to get the same effect.
I'm in no position to be the final judge, but these and other careless
inaccuracies put the film in the Worst R&R Movie of All Time category
for me.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 12
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:26:05 -0500
From: Vlaovic B
Subject: French Artistes: Les Surfs et Ria Bartok
Lots of talk about French artistes leads me to ask about one of my
favourite French acts of the 60s. Les Surfs! Why haven't they been
brought up lately? I ask how many 6 piece brother sister acts of
Madagascar origins, producing French R&R were there? Were they
really popular in their time? Great stuff though. Any recommended
compilations? I understand the two sisters have died, but 3 of the
brothers now live in Montreal.
Also I bring up for discussion the late Miss Ria Bartok, I love her
French stuff, but the two German tracks I have (Sixties Girls, Vol 3)
are superlative. Was she popular in France? Did she have any hits?
Was her death in 1966 (fire, je crois) big news at all?
Thanks
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Message: 13
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 18:01:27 -0000
From: Dave O'Gara
Subject: Sedaka/Greefield "Where the Boys Are"
The recent discussions about movie legend Doris Day and Secret Love
reminded me of a story a radio colleague of mine told me but I've
never been able to confirm..in a nutshell the story goes that Neil
Sedaka and Howard Greenfield were commissioned to write the theme for
Where the Boys Are flick. Reportedly, they spent quite a long time
working on this song knowing the exposure it would get in the
film..But when it came time to present the song to whatever movie
honcho was going to make the decision on the use of their
composition, one of the honcho's underlings supposedly tells the
writers that they can't just bring one song for consideration. The
movie mogul needs to have a choice and THEN he makes a decision as to
what song to include in the film. So, you guessed it, according to
the story, Sedaka and Greenfield go and dash off what they consider a
much less stellar effort feeling there's no way this second tune
would be considered and, of course, the movie honcho chose the second
version of Where the Boys Are and that's the one that became the
smash...Any truth to this story or is it a showbiz urban legend?
Also, while talking movie themes, why didn't Pitney's version of The
Man Who Shot Liberty Valance make it onto the soundtrack?
And finally, anybody like Billy Stewart's version of Secret Love?
Dave 0'
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Message: 14
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 12:15:42 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Re: "(Do) The Bluebeat"
Julio Niño wrote:
> I have the instrumental version of "Do The Bluebeat" by > Los Sonor
> and must be the same song because it is credited to Barkan / Raleigh.
> It was included in the Phillips EP 436-316, 1965.
Excellent! Nice to have these little mysteries cleared up. I've
updated my "Blue Beat" page with acknowledgement to you:
http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=h5
> There´s another song titled just "The Bluebeat", composed by
> Stapleton / Harris, that was first recorded I think by Chris
> Farlowe and his Group in 1964, under the pseudonymous "The Beazers".
Indeed: Stapleton was apparently Cyril Stapleton, the British
bandleader who produced the track.
Yet another "Blue Beat" was written by Neil Levenson and Steve Duboff,
recorded by The Bon-Aires for Rust in '63 but not released at the time.
¡Muchas gracias!
Lyn
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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:26:05 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: The Montanas
Barry Margolis:
> Everyone should able to find a copy of the US Independence single
> "You've Got To Be Loved".
It was also covered by the 4 Freshmen on one of their Liberty LP's.
gem
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Message: 16
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:33:51 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: The Buddy Holly Story (movie)
Previously:
> The Buddy Holly Story had just come out so I asked Gary about the
> fictional Crickets in the film.
I played for the pre-production cast party at the Culver City Studio
lot. Busey was there, but I didn't meet him. Met Don Stroud, who
played the drummer and Charles Martin-Smith, who played the bass
player (and, of course, the memorable Toad from "American Graffiti").
On a break I went to another studio a few doors away where Stroud was
jamming with Buddy Miles (on guitar) and a bass player. Miles had been
tired to tutor Stroud on drums. Stroud also asked me a couple of
drumming questions.
gem
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 13:12:19 -0600
From: Orion
Subject: Re: The Montanas
Barry Margolis wrote:
> The Montanas are one of my favorite obscure UK pop groups. Everyone
> should able to find a copy of the US Independence single "You've Got
> To Be Loved". It was a huge local hit in California and Chicago, and
> this tiny label pressed up TONS of copies. Both sides are first-rate.
> The two Warner Brothers singles, "That's How Happiness Begins" and
> "Ciao, Baby" are also excellent. There's also more US Independence
> singles, "Run To Me", "Heaven Help You", and "A Step In The Right
> Direction" also are great. The Decca single is less so. Check 'em out
> ....most of these singles are not particularly rare.....
All of these are available on a "Best of Montanas" CD that I purchased
a few years back just because O "You've Got To Be Loved". It is a great
song but there are actually several songs on the CD that imho are better.
Orion
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Message: 18
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 19:18:22 -0000
From: Davie Gordon
Subject: Re: Chuck Sagle
Tom Diehl:
> I was checking out some of my other Diamond label 45s and realized
> where I had seen Chuck (Sagle) mentioned before...
Chuck Sagle's name crops up the arranger on lots of Epic and Columbia
early sizties releases - I think he left Columbia around '68 and moved
to Nashville (but that's just a guess).
Stan Shulman produced most of Ruby Winters' post-Diamond releases.
Whatever happened to Ruby Winters anyway - she just seemed to drop out
of the business completely in the mid-seventies. If I remember rightly
she didn't even resurface when "I Will" was a UK hit.
Davie
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Message: 19
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 12:01:46 -0800 (PST)
From: Karen Andrew
Subject: Typical Midwest winter day
Well, this is nothing earth-shattering but while I was catching up on
my Spectropop e-mail last night, I read all of the "seasons
greetings" messages from the end of the year and I wanted to add my
two cents: Thanks to all the wonderful Spectropop participants who have
contributed so much information and great stories over the year! And,
it's nice to have a some new friends out there whom I've been exchanging
e-mails with off-site!
Lastly, today I woke up to snow fallling here in Cincinnati. We probably
got an inch so, which is no big deal. But, I was called into work on my
day-off and was feeling pretty low. Then, as I got ready for work, I put
on a Beach Boys CD - something my sister recorded for me so I don't know
the name of the album - but it truly lifted my spirits! So, great to hear
their happy tunes and about the joy of surfing, their cars, their girls,
etc. Thanks Beach Boys for making my day!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, SPECTROPOPPERS!
Karen
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Message: 20
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 20:56:22 -0000
From: Tom Diehl
Subject: Re: Groovin' with Tony Orlando
Austin Roberts wrote:
> Wind was a bubblegum group that was actually Tony Orlando. Had a
> top 20 hit with 'Make Believe'.
Tony Orlando also cut a few releases as Bert or Bertell Daché, which
Carole King sang background vocals on. A pair of them appeared on a
Diamond label 45 (this label seemed to have everything back in its
day, just no hits), and I've posted the A side of this hard to find
45 to musica.
Tom "Diamond Prospector" Diehl
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Message: 21
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 15:31:54 EST
From: Denny Tedesco
Subject: Don Ho and Galveston
Hi,
I'm doing research for a documentary and looking for the Don Ho version
of Galveston. Has anyone actually heard it or know where I can obtain a
copy?
Thanks
Denny Tedesco
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Message: 22
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 21:18:58 -0000
From: Lyn Nuttall
Subject: Jerry Kennedy
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> Could that have been the Jerry Kennedy who was longtime director of
> A&R for Mercury's Nashville division?
Probably: his recording of "Blue Beat" was released on Mercury's Smash
label, and the Jerry Kennedy you refer to was releasing records on
Smash at that time.
Lyn
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Message: 23
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 22:06:22 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Re: Roy Orbison bios
Gary Myers, re: Alan Clayson's Orbison bio "Only The Lonely":
> I don't know if that's the same one I read several years ago, as I
> don't recall the author's name, but your "dreafully written"
> description makes me think that must be the one. If so ... it was
> also filled with inaccuracies
Not sure if this is the one I was talking about, Gary. I've read two
Orbison books. "Dark Star: The Roy Orbison Story" by Ellis Amburn was
pretty good. Amburn was clearly a big fan of his subject, and wrote
with great passion and love. His style was also clear and easy to
follow. Problems? Well, he had a tendency to read too much into the
lyrics of Roy's songs, was perhaps too harsh with regards to Roy's
post-MGM '70s albums, and over-emphasized Roy's less-than-photogenic
looks.
But then I read Clayson's book. Or at least as much of it as I could
stand. The writing was unbearable. Clayson jumped all over the place
chronologically, wrote in an emotionally detached style that made him
sound like he didn't really care about Roy, and tried to
overcompensate for his lack of writing talent by being as
grandiloquent (a word I learned from that book) as possible. I
couldn't even read the damn thing without keeping a dictionary by my
side. It expanded my vocabulary, but that's not why I read the book!
However, Gary, I don't recall there being a lot of factual errors in
this bio. It has been several years since I read it, but I recall
the book as being jam-packed with deep detail and analysis that I
found to be quite fascinating. It's just the presentation that sucked.
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 24
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 03:43:33 -0000
From: Margaret G Still
Subject: Thane Russal & Jimmy Page & The Rolling Stones
Many here must be familiar with Thane Russal's grand, fey cover of
the Otis Redding song "Security" with its pounding, over-the-top
"It's All Over Now"-era Rolling Stones arrangement. I discovered
it when the "English Freakbeat" LP's came out, and I later sought out
the only other available cut by Thane Russal ("Drop Everything and
Run" - any idea who composed this?) - a neat free-spirit song, done
by Thane as an ingenue with a lisp.
I know that Thane Russal was supposedly Doug Gibbons, and that he
sang a "ballad-style" song on Decca in 1965 before he did "Security."
Could be that this was Jackie deShannon/Jimmy Page's "I Got My Tears
to Remind Me" - and it could be that Thane/Gibbons' band was called
The Outsiders.
Can anyone confirm that, and tell me where I can find it? I saw the
previous Spectropop discussions on whether or not this was Gibbons/
Russal, and the posts revolved around a possible misspelling of
Gibbons as "Gibbon" or vice-versa, and the thread was dropped after
a couple of posts.
Supposedly, Thane Russal was "noticed" by The Rolling Stones, and
through that association, he got a contract with British CBS, and did
"Security" with Paul Raven / Gary Glitter producing (Raven is said to
also have produced "Drop Everything").
"Security" is by "Thane Russal (and Three). Who are "Three" - and did
the Rolling Stones ever record or perform "Security"? The arrangement
is just so close to what they did - except that the vocals by Thane,
with their INsecurity (he seems almost stagefrightened at first),
though based on Jagger, are appealingly stray-dog-like.
I hear that it was a hit in Australia and nowhere else, but don't
know that for a fact.
I saw rumors on an Australian website (I don't know if the rules here
permit urls, but I'll provide it if it's okay) that Gibbons may also
have connected with Jimmy Page and that Page, aside from co-writing
that song above, may have played on "Security"- any thoughts on that?
Thane Russal then supposedly cut a single in Italy in 1967 for CBS
Italy, "Adesso Tardi" (translation?) b/w "If I Were A Carpenter", and
one more record the following year. He was also said to have fronted
2 bands in Italy, the Electric Heart and Beggar's Farm. Can anyone
confirm? Has anyone heard them? And other info on this guy?
Was it common for 60's British musicians to go to Italy to make
money? I'd heard of going to Hamburg for that, but not Italy. I've
wondered if "going to Italy" meant something else. Any clues?
Best,
Margaret G. Still
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Message: 25
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 06:20:04 -0000
From: Glenn
Subject: Re: James Griffin R.I.P.
Davie Gordon wrote:
> It's always seemed an injustice to me thet when most people think
> of Bread they think only of David Gates - my view was that James
> was the one to add some grit to the recipe.
For my birthday in 1976 I had second row center seats at a gorgeous
outdoor amphitheatre on a lovely summer evening to see Bread, one of
my favorite groups of all time. They had reunited after breaking up
in 1973, and were back on the charts with a new hit. Curtain rises,
and out walks David Gates, followed by Larry Knechtel and Mike Botts.
David starts strumming the stirring intro to "Sweet Surrender" but he
ain't gonna get that far. People in the audience are yelling over the
music. "Where's Jimmy? WHERE'S JIMMY?? Where's JIMMY!" Not a lot of
people, but the ones yelling are very loud.
David Gates stops the band and comes up to the mic. "Jimmy was
homesick," he tells the audience. Then he mutters, "Homesick, and
studio-sick, and touring-sick, people-sick..." He looks up. "Yeah,
we're sorry, but Jimmy couldn't be with us." Some "awww"s from the
audience, and the show went on. It was very good, but I didn't see
Bread that day. I saw David Gates, with the two backing musicians he
would use on almost every solo project - Knechtel and Botts. One of
his solo albums even features a photo of the three of them together.
Jimmy was an essential part of the Bread sound, with amazing vocals
and amazing songs, and he and Gates blended together like blood
brothers. Too bad they couldn't get along like brothers. It wasn't
Gates' fault that Elektra only picked his songs for singles, which
was Griffin's main point of contention. I don't pretend to know the
inner workings and complexities of the band, but Griffin was very
forthright with the press that he was upset with the LABEL. He may
have blamed David by proxy. In any case, in 1976 he took his toys and
went home, and denied me and tens of thousands of Bread fans the
chance to see Bread. I missed him then. I'll miss him now.
Glenn
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