Spectropop - Digest Number 1811

• From: Spectropop Group
• Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005

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               SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 19 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. ALP / The Vikings / Claire Francis
           From: Frank Murphy 
      2. Re: Razor's Edge
           From: Michael Thom 
      3. Re: Harry Pitch and The Beatles
           From: Dave Heasman 
      4. Re: Harry Pitch, Frank Ifield and the Beatles
           From: Steve Harvey 
      5. Re: answering the answers
           From: Phil X Milstein 
      6. Re: more Bob Moore
           From: Phil X Milstein 
      7. Goldie & the Gingerbreads
           From: S'pop 
      8. Frequently misheard lyrics: the case of 'He Is The Boy'
           From: Hans Huss 
      9. Re: Harry Pitch and The Beatles
           From: Lyn Nuttall 
     10. Re: Frank Ifield / The Montanas / "Secret Love"
           From: David Coyle 
     11. Re: Toni Fisher
           From: Peter Lerner 
     12. "Little Star"
           From: Austin Roberts 
     13. Re: (Miss)Toni Fisher
           From: Tom Diehl 
     14. Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic
           From: Karen Andrew 
     15. Re: Samantha Jones
           From: Peter Lerner 
     16. Chuck Berry "Czech me out"
           From: Karen Andrew 
     17. Re: (Miss)Toni Fisher
           From: Barry Margolis 
     18. Eddie Rambeau sings Al Kooper?
           From: Steve Fuji 
     19. Wayne Newton's "Better Now Than Later" (Artie Wayne/Ben Raleigh)
           From: Julio Niño 


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Message: 1
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:47:47 +0000
   From: Frank Murphy 
Subject: ALP / The Vikings / Claire Francis


The Vikings at the time of the following recording were Donnie Coutts, 
Mike Fraser, Alan Gorrie bass, Dougie Wightman drums Drew Larg vocals.

ALP Records were an offshoot of ventures promoted by pirate station 
Radio Scotland and Andy Lothian. Releases included:

My Baby’s not there/When my baby cries - The Poor Souls
It’s gonna be morning/I wanna hear you say yeah - The Hi Fi’s
Love Me/ Please don’t change your mind - The Poor Souls
Friday night/ Lonely boy - The Red Hawkes
Bad News feeling/ What can I do - The Vikings

"It was left to the Vikings to try for Alp’s elusive hit, with Bad news 
feeling, a Paul Simon Song."

Here's an extract from the history of Scottish Rock and Pop by Brian 
Hogg:

"We joined the label in 1966," recalls Donnie Coutts, "and were given 
songs to learn for a producer, a lady from Brooklyn who took her little 
dog everywhere. We passed the audition, but the record was a shambles. 
We didn't know what we wanted to do. There was a harpsichord sitting in 
the corner and we suddenly thought, 'That’s a good idea.' It became the 
dominant thing on the single. The B-side was recorded in precisely six 
minutes because the studio was booked for someone else. I knew it was 
guaranteed a play on Radio Luxembourg between 12 and 12.15 because that 
was the Polydor slot. I used to sit up every night and think I was a 
star. It actually sold about 1,200 copies."

Brian Hogg adds, "There never was a Simon and Garfunkel version of 'Bad 
news Feeling', which is not entirely surprising. It was a largely 
undistinguished composition but in the prevailing folk-rock climate 
Polydor eagerly grabbed the hitherto hidden song in the hope it would 
emulate 'Sound of Silence' or 'Homeward Bound'. The single is ordinary 
rather than bad, while the fey harpsichord is unnecessary. 'What can I 
do' was superior, but being completed so hurriedly resembles a demo 
rather than a finished master."

Frank Murphy
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: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 17:16:25 -0600
   From: Michael Thom 
Subject: Re: Razor's Edge


James Botticelli wrote:
> Guess what I got as a late holiday gift? The Razor's Edge - "Let's 
> Call It A Day Girl". The original 45 on Pow! Records.

RP wrote:
> And check out the flip side, "Avril".  

I have their follow-45 on Pow!, also: "Baby's On His Way"/"True Patron 
of the Arts" (Pow! 105), and another single on the Canadian REO, "Don't 
Let Me Catch You in His Arms"/"Night and Day" (REO 8969).  REO was 
distributed by Quality.  I'm not sure if the REO single precedes or 
follows the US releases on Pow!.  All are in the same sunshine pop vein.







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Message: 3         
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 23:52:24 -0000
   From: Dave Heasman 
Subject: Re: Harry Pitch and The Beatles


Mike Edwards:
> I wonder if it was Harry's playing on this 45 (a huge hit in the UK 
> that year) that encouraged the Beatles to include the harmonica 
> intro on "Love Me Do" ... Certainly the Beatles went on to issue an 
> LP with Frank Ifield in 1964.

Very much doubt it. Proper funky harmonicas could be heard on "Hey 
Baby", Roy Orbison's "Candy Man" & Ann Margret's "I Just Don't 
Understand". That sound was in the air.

The Beatles didn't issue an LP with Ifield, EMI did.

Dave, chromatically challenged in London






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Message: 4         
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:02:37 -0800 (PST)
   From: Steve Harvey 
Subject: Re: Harry Pitch, Frank Ifield and the Beatles


Mike Edwards wrote:
> Certainly the Beatles went on to issue an LP with
> Frank Ifield in 1964.

That album had little do with the Beatles. It was more
of a case of Veejay trying to stretch their rights to
the one Beatles lp they had licensed. So they split it
with Frank Ifield to make the most of it. Same thing
with that Four Seasons vs. The Beatles lp. None of the
acts had any say in the issuing of these lps.

That said the Beatles do cover "I Remember You" (with
Lennon trying to upstage Paul by shouting replies in
the background) on the Kingsize Taylor tape of their
last gig at the Star Klub.





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Message: 5         
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:58:12 -0500
   From: Phil X Milstein 
Subject: Re: answering the answers


Pres wrote:
> I usually find myself rolling my eyes and wondering why anyone  
> bothered. The ones that I'm aware of seemed to have little -- if 
> any -- on the charts except the Shep & The Limelites/The Heartbeats 
> singles mentioned by Gary Myers earlier. But I never think of those 
> as answer records -- I see them as more of a serialized novel.

I've been wondering lately why some records seem to generate a
certain kind of excited attention, demonstrated by such things as answer
records, parodies, quickie knockoffs and other artifacts of "buzz,"
while other records may be every bit as popular, yet fail to inspire
such a response. I think it largely has to do with novelty (as in its
original meaning of newness) -- in fact "buzz response" most often seems
to attach to unknown artists, whose arrival is new and hence striking to
the public. On top of that the song itself has to offer some sort of
fresh approach -- not necessarily a "novelty record" per se, but one
that in some way or other causes the public's ears to perk up, gets them
chatting over the office bubbler, etc. Examples abound, but ones that
spring immediately to mind include "Leader Of The Pack," "Louie Louie,"
"They're Coming To Take Me Away," and, more recently, "The Girls Just
Wanna Have Fun" and "Achy Breaky Heart."

Am I anywhere close to cracking this timeless riddle, or am I simply a
bit off the beam?

--Phil M.





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Message: 6         
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:58:21 -0500
   From: Phil X Milstein 
Subject: Re: more Bob Moore


R. Stevie Moore wrote:
> I miss Roy. Checketh this out:
> http://www.angelfire.com/tn2/bobloyce/orbison.html
> http://www.angelfire.com/tn2/bobloyce/

Please don't miss these links if you can help it, as there's some
terrific photos and fascinating text to be found there. What R. Stevie
neglects to mention is that Bob Moore, the focal point of these links
and one of the premiere Nashville bassists of his time, is his father.
In fact, if I read his stories correctly, Roy Orbison was a close friend
of the family as he (R. Stevie that is, not Roy O.) was growing up.

Color me sincerely impressed. The closest thing to a celebrity among my
parents' friends when I was a kid was someone who knew the guy who drew
Mutt & Jeff.

Frank Murphy wrote:
> Read the whole story here:
> http://www.loadofold.com/boots/mor_rm71.html
> and a more recent interview here:
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp2/artists/m/middle_of_the_road/located/page1.shtml

I also urge interested parties to not miss Frank's links, as well (if
you'll excuse the hot dog humor), both of which include alongside the
Middle Of The Road info tons of other interesting pages. The first one,
to a Glam Rock site, is particularly rich, while the latter, although
more limited, is to a Top Of The Pops (TOTP2 actually, which seems to
be a retro spinoff of the main TOTP) page featuring a number of "Where
Are They Now" interviews and updates.

Happy clicking,
--Phil M.





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Message: 7         
   Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 16:35:22 -0000
   From: S'pop 
Subject: Goldie & the Gingerbreads


Forwarded from the S'pop Public Bulletin Board:

Does anyone know whether Goldie & The Gingerbreads ever made an 
album, or whether a compilation was ever made (LP or, preferably, 
CD). If so, does anyone have any details? 

Many thanks,

Tim Rolls 
tjrolls@hotmail.com





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Message: 8         
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 05:52:01 -0800 (PST)
   From: Hans Huss 
Subject: Frequently misheard lyrics: the case of 'He Is The Boy'


Speaking of Little Eva: for years and years I've been trying to decipher 
the three first lines of 'He Is The Boy'. Another fantastic tune, as 
fine an example of Klezmer meets R&B on Broadway as you could wish for, 
but something tells me 'You never set eyes on a passing crate' is not 
what she sang (even if it were about her boyfriend). I will not 
embarrass the list with my guesses at the first two lines but please 
help!

HH





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Message: 9         
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 20:33:47 -0000
   From: Lyn Nuttall 
Subject: Re: Harry Pitch and The Beatles


Michael Edwards:
> I wonder if it was Harry's playing on this 45 (a huge hit in the UK
> that year) that encouraged the Beatles to include the harmonica 
> intro on "Love Me Do". 

Other replies have pointed out the lack of a hard link. On the other
hand, the Beatles were immersed in the pop music of their day, and
were working to impress the current pop audience, so there is a lot of
continuity from what we were listening to before Beatlemania to the
early works of the Beatles themselves.  So if you were used to to
hearing The Everlys, Brill Building pop, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry,
Smokey Robinson... it wasn't a great leap to the Beatles, and it
wasn't meant to be, because the Beatles knew their audience. The
harmonica didn't sound out of place in a new pop song to people who'd
dug 'Hey Baby' and 'I Remember You' (there may be other examples), so
it was fine for it to go into the Beatles mix.





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Message: 10        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 12:38:42 -0800 (PST)
   From: David Coyle 
Subject: Re: Frank Ifield / The Montanas / "Secret Love"


Mike Edwards:
> ... the Beatles went on to issue an LP with Frank Ifield in 1964

Well, not quite. The album entitled "Jolly What! The Beatles and Frank 
Ifield On Stage" was just another of Vee-Jay's rehashes of the 
"Introducing The Beatles" LP which was itself a rehash of the British 
"Please Please Me" LP (another version came out on Capitol as "The 
Early Beatles"). 

The LP was probably issued without the knowledge of the Beatles OR 
Frank Ifield, and certainly was not an "on stage" affair. It was just 
most of the tracks off or "Introducing..." interspersed with some 
tracks by Ifield, who I presume was handled in the US by Vee-Jay at 
the time.

"Introducing The Beatles" by the way was also reissued as "The Beatles 
vs. The Four Seasons," which paired it with a Four Seasons LP as a 2-LP 
set with scorecards and other cheap extras. I think the Four Seasons 
lost that battle...

Vee-Jay probably did not realize at the time, however, that the Beatles 
did perform Ifield's "I Remember You" in their early shows, 
occasionally, notably on their last Star-Club Hamburg appearance which 
was recorded for posterity.

Re: The Montanas. I am one of the thousands of collectors who probably 
has a copy of the "You've Got To Be Loved" single. I thought it 
interesting that a song by a UK group was released in the US on a 
label called Independence, which was red, white and blue and sported a 
picture of a Revolutionary War-era drum. 

The "new" mix of the flipside is a bit of a rip-off on the Sequel CD. 
They probably thought leaving in the stoned mumbling about hay fever 
might turn off any new Montanas fans... And no, it's not the same tune 
as the Buckinghams track.

Re: "Secret Love." Another good version was recorded in the UK by Ian 
and the Zodiacs and appeared on the 1963 Oriole LP "This Is Merseybeat." 
It's a nice Mersey version bordering on early Bluebeat. How many guys 
or male groups actually covered this song?

David





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Message: 11        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:05:52 -0000
   From: Peter Lerner 
Subject: Re: Toni Fisher


Barry is compiling a Miss Toni discography and listed the following:
> Signet 3-275
> The Big Hurt/Memphis Belle 1959
> Signet 3-276
> How Deep Is The Ocean/Blue Blue Blue 1960
> Signet 3-279
> Everlasting Love/The Red Sea Of Mars
> Signet 3-400
> You Never Told Me/A Man That's Steady
> Signet 5-394
> Toot Toot Amore/You Never Told Me
> Columbia 4-42066
> Love Big/If I Loved You 1961
> Bigtop 45-3097
> West Of The Wall (same melody as Toot Toot)/What Did I Do 1962
> Bigtop 45-3124
> The Music From The House Next Door/Quickly My Love
> Smash
> (I know I have at least 2 singles, but they're not handy)
> Capitol  5901
> A Million Heartbeats From Now/Train Of Love 1967
> Capitol
> (I'm quite sure I have another single, but it's not handy, either)

I have the following three 45s on Smash:

1797  Hold me / Laugh or cry
1820  Cry a little for me / Disappointments
1847  Your royal majesty / Billy, marry me

"Your royal majesty" is quite an effective translation of Edith Piaf's 
"Milord".

Hope that helps!

Peter





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Message: 12        
   Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 15:56:14 -0500
   From: Austin Roberts 
Subject: "Little Star"


I love one hit wonders as well. I've always felt there was magic in 
these records. The artist or group put everything they had into one 
killer record. My favorite one hitter is the Elegants LITTLE STAR.





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Message: 13        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:59:20 -0000
   From: Tom Diehl 
Subject: Re: (Miss)Toni Fisher


Barry Margolis wrote:
> I'd like to compile a complete (Miss) Toni Fisher discography. 

Austin Powellwrote:
> Don't know of a discography, but Harkit Records in the UK has a 
> rather nice 27-track CD with much of her Signet, Big Top, Capitol 
> stuff. Her son Michael Shanklin helped out with the project.

However I've read in a few places that several Signet single sides 
are missing from the cd. Maybe it should have been a 2 cd set.

Tom Diehl





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Message: 14        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:13:15 -0800 (PST)
   From: Karen Andrew 
Subject: Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic


Got to see "Ray" the movie on MLK day. What a movie and what a 
performance by Jamie Fox! I'm bringing this up because, before that 
day, I did not know who Ahmet Ertegun was. Now I read a Spectropop 
e-mail (particularly by Claire Francis writing on Ahmet, Atlantic, 
and Polydor) and I feel like I know something for once. What a great 
education - Spectropop, movies, and recorded music! Thanks everyone!

Karen





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Message: 15        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:14:24 -0000
   From: Peter Lerner 
Subject: Re: Samantha Jones


My good friend Bill asks Mark Wirtz:
> Did you produce the Samantha Jones versions of "Just For Him" or "Put
> A Little Love In Your Heart?"

Well Bill, I just happen to own both records and can tell you that the 
United Artists 45 of "Just for him" (a Jackie DeShannon song 
incidentally) says that it was arranged and conducted by Charles 
Blackwell, but is silent on the production credit. However the album 
"My way" on which Samantha's nice version of PALLIYH can be found, says 
on the sleeve that it was produced by.........

No, I won't spoil it for Mark. Let him tell us.

Peter 






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Message: 16        
   Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2005 16:11:16 -0800 (PST)
   From: Karen Andrew 
Subject: Chuck Berry "Czech me out"


Chuck Berry Plays Sold Out Show in Prague. Rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck 
Berry enjoyed a sold-out show in what was billed as his first appearance 
in the Czech capital. Read the rest of the story on Yahoo - here's the 
link:

http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap/20050119/110615034000.html

Karen





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Message: 17        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 17:47:09 -0600
   From: Barry Margolis 
Subject: Re: (Miss)Toni Fisher


Austin Powell:
> ... Harkit Records in the UK has a rather nice 27-track CD with 
> much of (Toni Fisher's) Signet, Big Top, Capitol stuff. Her son 
> Michael Shanklin helped out with the project.

I've heard that the lowdown on this CD is that they dubbed all 
tracks from vinyl sources, and the sound is not very good.





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Message: 18        
   Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 23:51:08 -0000
   From: Steve Fuji 
Subject: Eddie Rambeau sings Al Kooper?


I've been listening to a song called "I Fell In Love So Easily" from
Eddie Rambeau's "Concrete and Clay" album which credits songwriters
as: Al Kooper-Bob Brass-Irwin Levine. It's a beautiful recording
somewhat reminiscent of the Little Anthony and the Imperials style,
which is not typical of either Rambeau or Kooper's work. If Al or Ed
see this message, do either of you have any recollections regarding
this song?

Steve Fuji





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Message: 19        
   Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 13:55:22 -0000
   From: Julio Niño 
Subject: Wayne Newton's "Better Now Than Later" (Artie Wayne/Ben Raleigh)


Hola Everybody.

Today I have had a rather awful day. This evening I was listening 
to music, feeling depressed and miserable when suddenly a little 
song came to my rescue and made me feel better. The tune was "Better 
Now Than Later" by Wayne Newton, written by Artie Wayne and Ben 
Raleigh. It's a beautiful song. I wasn't familiar with Wayne Newton, 
I have just discovered him. I love his type of voice, androgynous 
and teen sounding, the same kind like Johnny Crawford's or Helen 
Saphiro's. I also like very much his version of "Heart" (when I 
listened to it I thought for a second that I was listening to Rita 
Pavone) and the fantastic "Comin' On Strong", produced by Terry 
Melcher. Are there any other versions of "Better Now Than Later"? 
Maybe Artie could tell me some memories about this beautiful little 
song.

Chao.
Julio Niño.      









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