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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. foreign versions
From: Jim
2. Re: Lawrence Welk; Muscle Shoals Studios gone?; Don Grady
From: Country Paul
3. Re: Farmer's Daughter 45?
From: Steve Harvey
4. Denny Reed
From: Country Paul
5. Yellow Balloon website
From: Stephanie
6. Jimmy Webb, Cass Elliot and "Saturday Suit"
From: John H
7. Re: Time Life "The Rock'n'Rroll Era"
From: Ray
8. Bobby Hart
From: Austin Roberts
9. Re: Jimmy Webb / "Earthbound" / 5th Dimension
From: Bob Celli
10. Re: identical titles
From: Tom Taber
11. Re: identical titles
From: Joe Nelson
12. Shirelles at NYC Town Hall March 4
From: Paul
13. Re: McCracken up
From: Phil X Milstein
14. RIP Pip Edward Patten
From: Eddy Smit
15. Re: Muscle Shoals studio closes
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
16. Re: Hit pressing matters
From: Paul Urbahns
17. Re: Lawrence Welk
From: Steve McClure
18. Re: Athena label from Nashville?
From: Scott
19. Re: Time, oh time
From: Bill Mulvy
20. Artie Wayne & the 5th Dimension
From: Anthony Parsons
21. Lance Fortune
From: Chris Rowling
22. Lance Fortune; "Low Grades" demo.
From: Julio Niño
23. Re: Basil Swift
From: Eddy
24. Re: 5th Dimension "Earthbound" personnel
From: Anthony Parsons
25. Re: Bobby Hart
From: Mikey
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 23:27:16 -0000
From: Jim
Subject: foreign versions
Hello. I am a serious oldies collector looking for foreign versions of American
hits. I am especially interested in Sandy Posey's recordings in Italian. Any
sources and information is appreciated. Please e-mail me offlist if you have
any.
Thanks so much,
Jim in KC
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 21:57:54 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Re: Lawrence Welk; Muscle Shoals Studios gone?; Don Grady
Mike Bennidict wrote:
> [The Chantays] were on Lawrence Welk? I've only been alive 32
> years but I know Welk was a Big Band Leader and though I think
> he had some country acts, having a surf rock group on the show
> suprises me.
Welk actually had a small hit, at least in Providence, with a song called
"Breakwater," featuring ocean sound effects and a section of each verse
in 5/4 time. Very listenable, almost surf-music-like as I remember, but still
middle-road enough to satisfy his base.
Anthony Parsons wrote:
> When I was in college, I was lucky enough to become the
> "unofficial" fifth member of the Muscle Shoals Horns....I
> played many sessions with the Horns, as well as some without
> them, in all the Muscle Shoals studios and I traveled with
> them more than once to Nashville to record ...
Welcome to Spectropop, Antone. I'm sure you'll have some great stories to
tell. Did I just hear that the Muscle Shoals studios are closing due to lack
of business? Ouch. Sad if true. By the way, we played the Jack Tempchin
version of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" on the radio a few times; very nice.
Steve Jarrell wrote:
> A caller called my radio show today and said that she had
> been looking for 30+ years for a song with a repeated lyric
> phrase, "The children of St. Monica". She said she thought
> it came out between 1966-68. Any idea?
Steve, if it hasn't been answered already, it's by Don Grady on Canterbury.
He put out some pretty decent stuff on that label, my favorite being
"Impressions With Syvonne." Still don't know what that lyric is about, but
the sound is great!
Only 6 digests behind now....
Country Paul
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:10:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Farmer's Daughter 45?
Country Paul asked:
> Was "Farmer's Daughter" a single?
Yep, it was a US single, but by Fleetwood Mac. At least Lindsey knew
a good Brian tune when he heard it.
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 23:35:57 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Denny Reed
You never can tell who will read what you've written and reply to it.
When the Spectropop folks asked me to review "Teenage Crush, Vol. 4" (found
at http://www.spectropop.com/recommends/index2004.htm#TeenageCrush ), I
commented that many of the songs on the CD were the soundtrack of my life,
and that some were very sweet. About one, I commented: "Even rarer and
'sweeter' [than Andy Rose's 'Just Young'], one listen to Denny Reed's 'A
Teenager Feels It Too' (a Sill-Hazlewood product on Trey which started on
MCI, the original label of Sanford Clark's 'The Fool') will send you to the
dentist with an instant cavity!" But I also noted that the song was in a group
of "quality records that have also been under-exposed on reissues and
on the radio."
So imagine my surprise to hear from Denny Reed himself, who was kind
enough to write me a couple of notes, and give his permission to share
them with you:
"I wanted to thank you for your review of an album that I am a part of
titled 'Teenage Crush Volume 4' on Ace Records. Yes, I am the 'sugar
singer' (Denny Reed) that you spoke about giving an instant cavity on the
song "A Teenager Feels It Too." Well, you were correct.
"Having said that, I wondered if you ever analyzed why or where the sugar
came from or how it evolved. Just look at the roots of where our music came
from. At 16 years old I was a huge fan of Johnny Mathis and, believe it or
not, Bing Crosby. My friends at the time thought I was nuts. However, I
wanted to build a big range. So I practiced hours and hours every day with
Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby. I eventually was able to sing higher than
Mathis and lower than Crosby, and developed a 4-octave range. Now, when I
recorded " A Teenager Feels It Too" I had only sung with a band twice before
in my life. I had not developed my range but I was learning to sing from
Mathis and Crosby, both "crooners." I was a teenage crooner. Hence the
sugar, plus I was 16 or 17 years old and was pretty innocent, totally
unsophisticated and downright sheltered from the ways of the world....
"By the way, I am living in Illinois currently, about 25 minutes out of St.
Louis, MO, and about 4 or 5 hours drive to Nashville, Tennessee. Would you
have any suggestions on how I could get in the voiceover game in this area?
I have written and sung on radio commercials, but it was never enough to
keep me afloat on an ongoing regular basis. I sang demos for publishers on
the west coast, in which my job was to get the feel and sound of whoever
they were pitching the song to. In that regard, I have sung demos for
Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Elvis, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins, Gordon
Lightfoot, BJ Thomas and others....I have signed or had offers to sign with
most of the old school major labels. I have recorded for United Artists;
incidentally, the only thing I ever recorded for them is now sort of a
collectable called 'I'm Comin' Home' taken from an Elvis album, 'Elvis Is
back.' Charlie Rich wrote the song and I wrote the narration. I recorded
at the old Bell sound studios. Teddy Randazzo and his singing group did
live vocal background and Al Ciola played guitar. I nailed it on the second
take with no overdubs.
"I was signed to United Artists by Eddie Matthews and Aaron Schroeder [who]
managed myself and Gene Pitney. That whole story of meeting Aaron Schroeder
is a very interesting story....I was [also] with Tower(Capitol) Records [and]
Trey Records (Lester Sill And Lee Hazelwood's Label and unfortunately
distributed by Atlantic Records). I feel sure that had...'A Teenager Feels
It Too' been on RCA, or let's say a 'white' label for lack of a better word,
like Chancellor or other strong independents of the day, the record would
have been a top 10 record. When I went on tour I had a lot of black
promotion men who were handling product from Atco and Atlantic, and this
bubblegum type of material that I had was not in the their contact basis
which was R & B. So lack of good distribution and promotion really hurt the
potential sales. I came into Detroit and met with this black promo man an
he said, 'You got a cool record man, but it ain't really happenin' with my
Stations....'
"I recorded ['Teenager'] in Phoenix, AZ at Ramsey's Audio Recorders. Duane
Eddy was also with Sill and Hazelwood. It was a tiny little studio, and the
echo chamber was a 1000-gallon propane tank. They put a microphone inside
and wired it into the control booth.
"Now here is something I bet you didn't know!!! On EVERY Duane Eddy hit,
there were sparrows singing on the track. That's right, the birds would
gather on top of the tank and sing away. When the engineer (Jack Miller)
would turn down the volume levels on the instuments but left the echo
chamber open, you could hear the 'Boids' tweeting away. Of course with the
music up it was totally buried. If you want to verify this call Jack Miller
Productions in Phoenix AZ and confirm. Phil Spector used to work around
with Sill and Hazelwood. Jazz drummer Pete Magadini was partially
responsible for getting me my first record contract. [He's] also from
Phoenix."
Thanks to Denny for taking the time to talk a bit about his life and
experiences. I've invited him to join Spectropop, but if anyone has
questions to pass along to him in the meanwhile, I'd be glad to do so.
Country Paul
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 05:27:18 -0000
From: Stephanie
Subject: Yellow Balloon website
Can you believe it, I found a website dedicated to the Yellow Balloon!
http://theyellowballoon.tripod.com/
Stephanie
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 05:29:16 -0000
From: John H
Subject: Jimmy Webb, Cass Elliot and "Saturday Suit"
I've always loved Webb's "Saturday Suit" on Cass Elliot's 1972 "The Road
Is No Place For A Lady" album. I believe he wrote it specifically for her, as
she was the first to record it. (Jimmy's version appeared a year or two later
on "The Naked Ape" soundtrack, and Art Garfunkel's was done in 1978, I
think.) This version has never been on CD, sadly, but it is in my opinion the
best. I haven't heard the entirety of Webb's own version (saving up for his
boxed set, for this one song alone) but the short clip at rhinohandmade.com
sounds amazing. Does anyone know if it was covered by any other parties,
or have any other information on the song in general?
-John H.
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:25:15 -0000
From: Ray
Subject: Re: Time Life "The Rock'n'Rroll Era"
Doug asked:
> Can anyone tell me, or know where I can find, a complete list
> of what CDs were issued in the Time Life "The Rock'n'Roll
> Era" series?
See http://tinyurl.com/4s3ks
ray
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 04:45:04 -0500
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Bobby Hart
I talked at length with Bobby Hart today, mostly to catch up but also to tell
him how popular he is on Spectropop and try to get him to join. He was
flattered about the group's interest, but told me he didn't have Internet and
probably won't be getting it anytime soon -- I think he hates it. Sorry, but I
tried, as I said I would.
I will call Danny Janssen soon, and I believe I can get him to come onboard.
I'll let everyone know.
Take care,
Austin Roberts
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 14:14:26 -0000
From: Bob Celli
Subject: Re: Jimmy Webb / "Earthbound" / 5th Dimension
Einar Einarsson Kvaran asked:
> I'm wondering if this "reunion" included Hal Blaine and the Wrecking
> Crew, who were such a big part of the original 5th Dimension, and a
> lot of other Jimmy Webb stuff for that matter?
I have a copy of the LP, which I only played once when I bought it years
ago so I can't review it for you! But I can tell you that Hal Blaine is not listed
in the credits. Drums were done by Harvey Mason and Jeff Porcaro. Some
other players included Larry Coryell on acoustic guitar solos. Guitars: Fred
Tackett, Jesse Ed Davis, Dennis Budimir and Dan Ferguson. Bass: Paul
Stallworth. ARP synth: Bill Como. Percussion: Harvey Mason. Brass: Michael
Lawrence. With the Sid Sharp Strings, and French horns by David Duke
and Vince DeRosa. Recording studios were Sunset Sound and Village
Recorders.
Bob
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 06:15:30 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: identical titles
Phil X. Milstein wrote:
> It can't be all that common for two songs of a substantially similar
> (if not identical) title, even if such an innocuous one as this, to
> both hit big within a short period of time.
"Rock and Roll Fantasy" -- Kinks and Bad Company, circa '78-'79.
Tom Taber
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:42:38 -0500
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: identical titles
Phil X. Milstein wrote:
> It can't be all that common for two songs of a substantially similar
> (if not identical) title, even if such an innocuous one as this, to
> both hit big within a short period of time.
In 1988, Bobby Brown's solo debut "Don't Be Cruel" was a hit at the same
time as Cheap Trick's cover of the Elvis song of the same name.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 14:50:29 -0000
From: Paul
Subject: Shirelles at NYC Town Hall March 4
The Shirelles, with original member Beverly Lee, are appearing at Town
Hall in NYC on Friday, March 4th. If you've never seen Beverly's show, this
is a great opportunity. Bev really pulls out all the stops at shows like this:
big band, overture, costume changes (Bob Mackie gowns), and elaborate
staging. Her group has been together for over 15 years and they sound
great. They do all the hits, plus a medley of B-sides and low-charting songs,
and other stuff. They have a reputation as one of the best live acts on the
oldies circuit. Beverly was always the "dancingest" Shirelle, and she still
has the same moves as she did 30-40 years ago. She goes wild during
the finale and tears the house down. She totally captures the spirit of the
original group.
http://tinyurl.com/63xuc
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Message: 13
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 11:10:30 -0800
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: McCracken up
Artie Wayne wrote:
> Claire...How ya' doin'? First I want to thank you for producing such
> an enjoyable record. Although Hugh McCracken and I wrote "It's Only
> the Dog" for the Kingsmen ...
Should I assume this was the same Hugh McCracken as the session
guitarist of that name? I don't recall seeing his name on other writing
credits -- was this his one-and-only?
--Phil M. (and no, that is NOT short for "Phil McCracken"!)
http://www.aspma.com/probe
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Message: 14
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 18:55:42 +0100
From: Eddy Smit
Subject: RIP Pip Edward Patten
Member of Gladys Knight & The Pips Dies
by the Associated Press
ATLANTA - Edward Patten, a member of the Grammy-winning Gladys
Knight & The Pips, died early Friday at a suburban Detroit hospital, said
his cousin, another member of the group. He was 65.
Patten, an Atlanta native who lived in Detroit, died at a hospital in Michigan
from a stroke he suffered a few days before, said William Guest.
Gladys Knight & the Pips - comprised of Knight; her brother, Merald "Bubba"
Knight; and their cousins Guest and Patten - recorded for Motown from
1966-1973 and for Buddah Records from 1973-77. They later recorded
for CBS until breaking up in 1989.
The group, whose hits included "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and
"Midnight Train to Georgia," won four Grammys and was inducted to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Patten, known for his high tenor voice, joined the group in 1959, Guest
said. Patten's father was a bandleader and he, along with the rest of the
family, grew up around music.
Patten was one of the founders of Crew Records, based in Detroit and
Atlanta, and sang backup for the label's recording artists, Crew spokeswoman
Denise Fussell said.
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Message: 15
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 11:57:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
Subject: Re: Muscle Shoals studio closes
previously:
> Historic Muscle Shoals Recording Studio Closes
This story was also posted on the Fabulous Ruins of Detroit site, where
the folks there are thrilled to have this historic console working in Detroit.
It's the "One person's loss is another's gain" syndrome.
Einar
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Message: 16
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:41:35 EST
From: Paul Urbahns
Subject: Re: Hit pressing matters
Billy G. Spradlin asked:
> All the stereo Hit 45s I have in my collection were pressed
> on vinyl, instead of cheap shellac (hard plastic). Who did
> Hit Records' pressing?
I don't know who pressed the earliest ones, but about 1964 they opened
their own pressing plant called Record Service Company, so basically they
pressed their own. It was a full line company from studio to distribution,
all built on sound-a-likes.
Paul Urbahns
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Message: 17
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 08:45:49 +0900
From: Steve McClure
Subject: Re: Lawrence Welk
Dear fellow Spectropoppers:
I never thought I would be posting to the group about Lawrence Welk,
but hey, life is full of surprises! For the definitive word on Larry's
North Dakota birthplace, check out this wunnerful website:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NDSTRwelk.html
I passed through North Dakota (it's easy to find; it's just north of
South Dakota) many years ago, and imagine my regret on learning these
many years later that I had been near the birthplace of the Great Man
without realizing it.
Yours, etc.,
Steve
PS: This may seem an odd segue, but if anyone has a line on tickets to
any of the Cream reunion gigs in London in May, please contact me
off-list.
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 18:16:14 EST
From: Scott
Subject: Re: Athena label from Nashville?
previously:
> Can anybody else think of any other records on Athena
> that are worth mentioning?
You mentioned The Femine Complex - here's a brief overview:
http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/FEMININEcomplex.htm
fairly obscure - The Jaedes
http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/JAEDES.htm
Scott
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Message: 19
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:48:35 -0600
From: Bill Mulvy
Subject: Re: Time, oh time
I remember when groups with long songs, on 8 track cartridges, had
their songs faded down at the end of the track, then the track
clicked and then they faded back up. Who was the genius who thought
of this? It would have been a lot better if they just let it go to
the end and put up with the momentary click.
Bill Mulvy
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Message: 20
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 11:33:03 -0600
From: Anthony Parsons
Subject: Artie Wayne & the 5th Dimension
Hi Artie: Although I was well aware of your prowess in songwriting,
I'd forgotten that you were the co-author of Flashback. It's one of
my favorite 5th Dimension tunes!
The Earthbound LP has not been released on CD to my knowledge. And
unfortunately, I don't have the capacity to upload it to musica but
if there is anyone in the Chicago area who can do so, I'll be glad to
supply my LP in order to make it happen. Any interested party can
write me off-list. I live on the far north side of Chicago and can
travel anywhere public transportation goes.
Sincerely,
Antone
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Message: 21
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 12:19:12 -0000
From: Chris Rowling
Subject: Lance Fortune
More on Lance Fortune: it seems he gave up his solo career and
joined a group called The StaggerLees in 1967. More info: http://www.covington.supanet.com/the_staggerlees.htm
Chris Rowling
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Message: 22
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 20:45:27 -0000
From: Julio Niño
Subject: Lance Fortune; "Low Grades" demo.
Hola Everybody.
I have just gotten up from a four-hour siesta. I feel dazed and
confused (I mean more than usual).
Peter Lerner wrote about Lance Fortune:
> at the time Lance Fortune was something of a mystery man. He
> followed up "Be mine" with three equally charming non hits, all
> on the Pye label, then disappeared...
Hola Peter.
Apart of "Be Mine", I´m only familiar with one other Lance Fortune
track, "This Love I have For You", produced like the previous by Joe
Meek and which I think I prefer to "Be Mine". It has also a great
pizzicato sound. The lyrics are totally naïf (some people would say
silly) but I find Lance's performance very seductive, but perhaps
the fact of having previously seen a picture of Lance could
contribute to the perception of the song. He was a very sexy short
guy (short guys are one of my weaknesses, tall ones are another one).
Some of Joe Meek´s proteges might have had limited voices but they
usually were particularly attractive. Many of them looked cute but
at the same time rough and tough, the type of guys you imagine that
could be recruited around Madras Place.
Changing the subject. Thanks again to Jeff Lemlich for another
wonderful demo. As it has already been pointed out the singers of
"Low Grades" remind one a lot of The Orlons. By the way where was
the Bradley Recording Studio located?.
Chao.
Julio Niño.
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Message: 23
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 12:35:53 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Basil Swift
I wrote:
> ... In the US there was the 45 version of Brian Wilson doing his bit
> as Basil Swift and the Seagrams, c/w Shambles, produced by Nik Venet
> and Danny Hutton on Mercury 72386 (1965).
Phil X wrote:
> I was always under the impression that "Basil Swift" was aka Danny
> Hutton. No?
I'm in no position to argue about this and have to admit that the info
on this 45 is not as clearcut as my post may have suggested. In the
several Beach Boys discographies I have, details on Basil Swift range
from "may feature Brian" (Time Barrier magazine # 24) to attributing
the lead vocals to Brian without any reservations (Brad Elliott's
Surf's Up book). I tend to go for the latter, but I suppose your guess
is as good as mine.
Eddy
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Message: 24
Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 11:41:27 -0600
From: Anthony Parsons
Subject: Re: 5th Dimension "Earthbound" personnel
Einar Einarsson:
> I'm wondering if this "reunion" included Hal Blaine and the Wrecking
> Crew, who were such a big part of the original 5th Dimention, and a
> lot of other Jimmy Webb stuff for that matter?
The only names I recognize from previous 5th Dimension LPs are Fred
Tackett and Dennis Budimir on guitars. Here's the complete musician
line-up:
Produced & Arranged by Jimmy Webb
Drums & Percussion - Harvey Mason
Drums on Moonlight Mile only - Jeffrey Porcaro
Guitars - Fred Tackett, Jesse Ed Davis, Dennis Budimir, Dan Ferguson
Bass - Paul Stallworth
Arp Synthesizer - Bill Como
Keyboards, Vocal Arrangements & special vocal backgrounds - John Myles
Keyboards on Magic In My Life only - David Paich
French Horns - David Duke & Vince DeRosa
Strings - Sid Sharp
Acoustic Guitar solos - Larry Coryell
In looking again at the LP, I discovered that the very bottom of the
back has a quote I like very much:
"The echo of the past is only the sound of an orchestra tuning for
tomorrow's performance."
Hope this has been helpful!
Sincerely,
Antone
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Message: 25
Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 20:02:08 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Bobby Hart
Austin Roberts:
> I talked at length with Bobby Hart today, mostly to catch up but
> also to tell him how popular he is on Spectropop and try to get
> him to join. He was flattered about the group's interest, but told
> me he didn't have Internet and probably won't be getting it anytime
> soon -- I think he hates it. Sorry, but I tried, as I said I would.
Thanks for trying to get my favorite songwriter aboard here in
Spectropop. Much appreciated by this Brooklyn guy!! Bobby won't
remember, but I met him twice in 1976 when he was with D,J,B&H. Went
backstage, got to talk to all the guys, it was great. Everyone was
really nice to me and my friend Paul, and I've never forgotten his
kindness to a dopey 15 year old kid.
Mikey
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
End
