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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 20 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
From: Richard Havers
2. Re: Rude Rod
From: Susan
3. Re: Sidewalk Skipper Band
From: Gary Myers
4. Re: Farmer's Daughter
From: Bob Hanes
5. Re: Sidewalk Skipper Band
From: Barry Margolis
6. The Paupers
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
7. The $ound Investment
From: Dave Monroe
8. Canadian music regulations
From: John
9. Re: Rare Breed
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
10. Things to do while reading Spectropop mail
From: Karen Andrew
11. Regional Soul Sites
From: Dave Monroe
12. John Abbott R. I. P.
From: Ray
13. Hal David surprise to me / Ray Stevens redux
From: Mike Rashkow
14. Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
From: Mark Frumento
15. Re: Chris Curtis
From: Mike Griffiths
16. Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
From: Steve Harvey
17. Re: Chris Curtis & the Deep Purple Flowerpot Men
From: Eddy
18. Re: Ray Stevens redux
From: Nick Archer
19. Mandala
From: Javed Jafri
20. Diane Hilderbrand and/or Jack Keller
From: Richard
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 20:06:04 +0000
From: Richard Havers
Subject: Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
Eddy wrote:
> The Guardian has in common with the BBC obituary that they both
> attribute the Flowerpot Men's "Let's Go To San Francisco" to Chris.
> What has Chris got to do with this record, if anything at all?!
> Drums perhaps?
I always had Carlo Little as the drummer on 'San Francisco'. John
Lord ended up playing keyboards in the touring Flowerpot Men and
that's possibly how the Curtis connection developed. This is my take,
and by no means fact. Mark Frumento, can you confirm with John Carter
what the facts are?
Richard
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Message: 2
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 15:16:41 EST
From: Susan
Subject: Re: Rude Rod
Phil M:
> Why the hell would Rod Stewart wake Maggie May out of a sound slumber
> if he's not absolutely SURE he has something to say to her? I mean,
> could a guy be any ruder to a snoozing lady? No wonder he goes through
> women like some guys go through tissue paper. Then again, if she
> really is as dirty, no-good lovin' a woman as The Beatles suggest,
> maybe ol' Rod had good reason to be so rude to her after all.
Maybe it's just the metaphorical Wake-up call??? ;-)
This was my first Favorite Song...and "Stay With Me" was another fave
for this youngester...yeah, there's a serious lack of couth in both,
but DAMN they're good songs!!!
Susan
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 12:42:25 -0800
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Sidewalk Skipper Band
Andres:
> Could you pls tell us a bit more about this group Sidewalk Skipper Band
I looks as if Phil Milstein has already sent you the info from my book.
There is one correction: Capitol 2127 is 2/68, not 2/66 as shown. Also,
leader Brian Balestrieri had a solo single and LP on a Milwaukee label
in '78.
If it's possible for you to mention my book as the source for the info,
I would greatly appreciate it - "Do You Hear That Beat - Wisconsin Pop/
Rock in the 50's & 60's" (1994) - still available, and I hope to
(finally!) have the follow-up out this summer.
I was in an oldies show in Milwaukee in '03 that included bassist Barry
Biehoff of the SSB.
Barry:
> Sidewalk Skipper Band single is a really amazing single.
I've yet to hear it.
> They recorded more songs for Capitol and there's a 12" acetate of
> (I think) 6 songs.
They had 2 singles released on Capitol (and one on Teen Town), and
reportedly recorded an album's worth of material.
gem
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 12:39:20 -0800
From: Bob Hanes
Subject: Re: Farmer's Daughter
I have an interview from the Art Fine, Lil Art's Poker Party public
access TV show where Danny Hutton says that Brian had nothing to do
(save, writing the song) with the Basil Swift & the Seegrams recording.
What is the truth?
The Right Reverend Bob, dumb angel chapel,
Church of the Harmonic Overdub
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 14:50:46 -0600
From: Barry Margolis
Subject: Re: Sidewalk Skipper Band
Andres:
> Could you pls tell us a bit more about this group Sidewalk Skipper Band
SIDEWALK SKIPPER BAND
Personnel incl:
JOE BALESTRIERI, DAVE McDOWELL, RICK NOVAC and TOM YOAKUM.
45s:
1 Strawberry Tuesday/Cynthia At The Garden (Capitol 12127) 1968
2 It's Raining Flowers In My House/Seventeenth Summer (Capitol 2205) 1968
3 Jeanne At The Circus/Sidewalk Skipper (TeenTown 113) 1969
Apparently from the Milwaukee area though they recorded in Chicago.
Inclusion here may be marginal since the material is harmony pop a-la
Association but with odd forays into psychedelia, as in the case of
Strawberry Tuesday, featured on the Brain Shadows CD compilation. Not
unlike U.K. pop-psych. The flip is airy baroque flower-pop. Brian
Balestrieri would still be around as a solo artist in the late
seventies. Hope this helps.
Barry
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 12:50:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
Subject: The Paupers
Javed Jafri wrote:
> Here's a partial list and I know I have left out names:
> The Paupers
I just dug out my Paupers album [which still has the "How to Make Your
Paupers Flick Book Flick" uncut] and was reminded that two of them [at
least] went on to do very well, Skip Prokop with Lighthouse and Brad
Campbell whi slipped across the Ambassador Bridge and joined up with
Bob Seger, after a stint with Janis Joplin.
Einar E K
PS my favorites, Crowbar, didn't arrive until 1970.
eeeeeeek
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 12:58:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: The $ound Investment
Gary Myers wrote:
> The Sidewalk Skipper Band - STRAWBERRY TUESDAY, 1968
>
> Milwaukee band, covered in my book, "Do You Hear That Beat".
Gary, anyone, anybody here familiar with "Cheryle" b/w "My Baby's
Been Talkin'" by The $ound Investment (sic)? On Dave Kennedy Records
ca. 1969? I'm presuming this is a Milwaukee record. Thanks all ...
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 05 Mar 2005 21:09:46 -0000
From: John
Subject: Canadian music regulations
Previously:
> After intense music industry lobbying in Ottawa, fanned by
> continuing support by RPM. the CRTC's radio regulations were revised
> in 1971 to mandate 30 percent domestic quotas on radio airplay. The
> package also gave rise to the adoption of Stan's MAPL coding to
> identify Music, Artist, Production and Lyrics - any two of which in
> a record qualified it as "Canadian".
It should be noted that the mandate is now 35% and will soon become
40% if the CRTC has it's way ... and it usually does.
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 13:14:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
Subject: Re: Rare Breed
Barry Margolis wrote:
> However, the one thing that I have never found out is exactly
> who the Rare Breed were.
As far as I can tell, the Rare Breed is the ONLY band listed in
the Nuggets series as, "Personnel: unknown" hmmmmmmmm? eeeek
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 14:01:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Karen Andrew
Subject: Things to do while reading Spectropop mail
This is not one of those informative e-mails. Just some thoughts.
It's a rare day-off with no plans for once (I'm working 6 days a week
due to personnel shortage) so I thought it was a good day to catch-up
my Spectropop e-mail. It's a cold and dreary day outside - perfect
for a Spectropop afternoon!
What to do while my dial-up service takes its sweet old time opening
my mail, deleting it, etc? Listen to CDs, eat my lunch, drink a glass
of vanilla-flavored soy milk, brush my teeth (a feat not to spray
toothpaste on the keyboard and screen!), play with the cat, brush my
hair, watch the rain or snow clouds roll in as I gaze out the kitchen
window, don my socks and sneakers.
I just want to thank all of you Spectropoppers for giving me an
enjoyable afternoon by reading all of your interesting and informative
e-mails! This beats TV re-runs and cleaning the house!
Well, I'm off to the Cincinnati Mills Mall for some exercise!
Karen
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 13:14:36 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Regional Soul Sites
Gary, wheoever else might have an interest, information on Milwaukee
Soul expanding daily here: http://funkandsoul.blogspot.com/
Not exclusively Milwaukee, but ... and these more extensive sites are
linked there, but, just in case, the very Great Dante Carfagne's Ohio
Soul Recordings: http://www.ohiosoulrecordings.com/
The very great Brian Poust's Georgia R&B and Soul Records:
http://64.82.97.82/gasoul/index.html
And here's one on Indiana 45s (inc. garage and soul):
http://www.indiana45s.com/
Hope something there is of use to someone here.
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Message: 12
Date: Sun, 06 Mar 2005 00:03:33 -0000
From: Ray
Subject: John Abbott R. I. P.
I was sorry to hear that John Abbott passed away a few months ago.
He was the arranger for all the Jerome Brothers recordings including
Reparata and the Delrons, Left Banke, the Fifth Estate and so on. He
also arranged practically all of Melanie's early tracks (Beautiful
People through Lay Down..Candles in the Rain)as well as Dion (Abraham
Martin and John.) And so many other hits.
He was a musical genius. He was able to adapt his talents to many
different music styles and was successful at each one. I think his
greatest accomplishment was his Spector sounding "I'm Nobody's Baby
Now" By Reparata and the Delrons. It wasn't his bigest hit record,
but maybe his most respected. He almost out-Spectored - Spector.
John will be missed.
Ray
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Message: 13
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 21:53:30 EST
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Hal David surprise to me / Ray Stevens redux
Happened to glance at the great B side to Don Gibson's 1960-ish, Oh
Lonesome Me--tune called Sea Of Heartbreak. Writers: Hal David/
Paul Hampton.
Also, at the risk of being laughed out of the group, I had reason to
go back and listen to Ray Stevens. I have always had a high opinion
of his work, but after a long time without hearing his stuff, I was
moved to see if there are others out there who also think he was
underrated and under-appreciated.
Go back and take another listen to: Unwind, Mr. Business Man,
Gitarzan, The Streak and maybe The Mooonlight Special if you have
any interest.
These are masterful songs, arrangements and records. Though he may
be off topic by virtue of his Nashville location, he fits the period
and had many major hit records.
Other viewpoints--particularly the arrangement on Unwind.
Di la,
Rashkovsky
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Message: 14
Date: Sun, 06 Mar 2005 13:57:23 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
Richard Havers wrote:
> I always had Carlo Little as the drummer on 'San Francisco'. John
> Lord ended up playing keyboards in the touring Flowerpot Men and
> that's possibly how the Curtis connection developed. This is my
> take, and by no means fact. Mark Frumento, can you confirm with
> John Carter what the facts are?
The drummer on 'San Francisco' is clearly Clem Cattini (as Mark
Wirtz points out it's the "fills" that give him away). On later
recordings Richard Hudson was the drummer.
Steve Harvey's reply gives you the rest of the story.
Here are John's comments as you requested:
"I saw this in the Times and I've contacted the editor to tell him
these facts are not true. I really don't know where they get their
info from. It was Clem on the record and when the band toured it was
Carlo Little. When John Lord left the FPM touring band to get Deep
Purple together maybe Chris Curtis was involved then. BYE John"
Hope that helps.
Mark F.
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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 06 Mar 2005 06:24:43 -0000
From: Mike Griffiths
Subject: Re: Chris Curtis
Chris's amazing falsetto harmonies on the Searchers recording of
"Needles And Pins" makes a strong argument that their version eclipses
the original recording by Jackie DeShannon.
As a songwriter he came up with at least two classics:
"I Pretend I'm With You", flipside of "Don't Throw Your Love Away" is
built around a riff very similar to "You Really Got Me", which was
actually released two months later!
"If I Could Find Someone" from the Bumble Bee EP and the Sounds Like
The Searchers album is a folk-rock gem in the style of Jackie
DeShannon and the Byrds.
Cheers,
Mike
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Message: 16
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 16:16:18 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Chris Curtis & the Flowerpot Men
Eddy wrote:
> The Guardian has in common with the BBC obituary that they both
> attribute the Flowerpot Men's "Let's Go To San Francisco" to Chris.
> What has Chris got to do with this record, if anything at all?!
> Drums perhaps?
Having just browsed the new Deep Purple bio (couldn't find the new
one on Gene Clark) I think it's the Purps that are connected to the
Pots, not so much Chris Curtis. Chris had this idea of a band that
was like a carousel. Different people would be playing in it every
time you saw it. He was trying to get the money up to start it using
musicians like Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmoore, etc. A couple of them
took off to tour Germany as the Flowerpot Men. By the time they
returned Chris had given up his idea, but the musicians had forged
the link that would become Deep Purple.
Steve
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Message: 17
Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 16:29:57 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Chris Curtis & the Deep Purple Flowerpot Men
Steve Harvey:
> By the time they returned Chris had given up his idea, but the
> musicians had forged the link that would become Deep Purple.
Here are Chris' own comments on that particular episode:
My money was running out and I had an idea for doing a band called
the Roundabout where you have a nucleus of musicians who come and go
with myself as the lynchpin. I met Jon Lord, who was living in a dump,
and I flew Ritchie Blackmore and his girlfriend over from Germany. I
introduced them to a friend of Vicki Wickham, who was the editor of
Ready Steady Go!. He was Tony Edwards, who was in the clothing
business. He thought I wasn't right for the group and they left me
behind. I met him a few weeks later and he told me they had changed
their name to Deep Purple. He arranged for them to record a song that
I had been playing to Jon Lord for months, "Hush" by Joe South, and it
became a very big hit for them in the States.
Eddy
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Message: 18
Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 07:42:29 -0600
From: Nick Archer
Subject: Re: Ray Stevens redux
Mike Rashkow wrote:
> I had reason to go back and listen to Ray Stevens. Go back and take
> another listen to: Unwind, Mr. Business Man, Gitarzan, The Streak
> and maybe The Mooonlight Special if you have any interest.
I've always liked "Isn't It Lonely Together" by Ray.
Nick Archer
Check out Nashville's classic pop and soft rock radio station SM95,
now streaming at http://www.live365.com/stations/nikarcher
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Message: 19
Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 21:17:03 -0800
From: Javed Jafri
Subject: Mandala
Frank:
> A school chum became one of the many Scots emigrees to Canada and
> he sent me couple of records back in including Opportunity by the
> Mandala which according to a recent e mail form Airchex was in the
> Vancouver chart for this week in 1967. I don't know what happenned
> to the rest of the band but I have a solo single by Domenic Troiano
> which I believe was played on the modern side of the Northern soul
> scene. I think he joined the James Gang at some point.
"Opportunity" was a world class record which reached number 3 in
Toronto in Feb 1967. Like "Gaslight" by The Ugly Ducklings it
compares very favorably with anything on the Billboard Top 10 at the
time. Both of these songs were played in some US markets but suffered
from distribution problems. They should and could have been worl-wide
smashes. The Mandala's lead singer was quite the performer. George
Oliver with his "soul crusade." He was a legend in Toronto. Oliver
left the band and was replaced by Roy Kenner and the Mandala had
another top 10 hit with Loveitis in 1968 ( yes the same song that J
Giels also covered). They evolved into Bush who are best known for
their Canadian FM hit "I Can Hear You Knocking." Yes Dom Troiano was
a member of the James Gang and he also did a stint in the Guess Who.
Javed
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Message: 20
Date: Sun, 06 Mar 2005 03:14:25 -0000
From: Richard
Subject: Diane Hilderbrand and/or Jack Keller
Does anyone know how to reach Diane Hildebrand and/or Jack Keller?
I am attempting to contact either or both of them to interview
them for some liner notes I am writing.
Thanks,
Richard
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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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