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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 12 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Frankie A., Lesley G. and Paul A.
From: Jim Fisher
2. One Bad Apple (don't spoil the whole bunch, girl)
From: Steve Propes
3. Re: Ides Of March
From: Clark Besch
4. Re: Ready-Steady website; Small Circle; Teddy & The Pandas
From: Country Paul
5. Re: Ides Of March
From: Charles G Hill
6. Re: early Ides
From: Mike Dugo
7. Re: Roger Nichols, etc.
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
8. Re: Judee Sill
From: Bryan
9. Re: Teddy & the Pandas
From: Gary Myers
10. Re: Lesley Gore's "What Am I Gonna Do With You"
From: John H
11. Re: Lou Johnson info/corrections
From: Bill
12. Re: Lesley Gore's "What Am I Gonna Do With You".
From: Jim Allio
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:50:55 -0700
From: Jim Fisher
Subject: Re: Frankie A., Lesley G. and Paul A.
Larry Watts Jr. wrote:
> I just had a discussion with my mother where I named
> Frankie Avalon and Neil Sedaka as worst singers of the
> early sixties.
Larry, your comments re Frankie's vocals are interesting. I saw
him in a Grease revival a couple of years back here in LA, and
after the show he came out and did a few non-Grease tunes. He
actually sounded pretty good. I always been a fan so perhaps I
cut more slack than I should have, but he really was not too bad!
I think his worst was probably on "Bobby Sox To Stockings," where
at about 55 seconds into the tune he sings, "doubt as what to SAY."
The "say" is not pretty. He repeats the line toward the end, and
it's better the second time around.
Larry continued:
> Am I alone in thinking Lesley Gore's vocal on "What Am I
> Gonna To Do With You (Hey Baby)" is horrible?
I love Lesley's version of "What Am I Gonna ..." I think her vocal
on it is perfect for the song. Her phrasing; everything.
Larry again:
> I've become quite enamored with Paul Anka's "Love Me
> Warm And Tender," and I've always loved his mid-'70s
> United Artist stuff.
Paul Anka's vocals on the original version of "Puppy Love" are
about on a par with Frankie's "Bobby Sox" effort, but by the time
he did "Love Me Warm..." he was a different singer. It's great.
I saw Fabian in about '61 or so on a package show with, I think,
Bobby Rydell and maybe Crash Craddock. Indeed, Fabe couldn't sing
to save his life but it didn't matter one little bit -- we were
there and so were they.
Jim
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 05:37:17 -0000
From: Steve Propes
Subject: One Bad Apple (don't spoil the whole bunch, girl)
The other night, on Larry King Live, commentator and attorney
Nancy Grace (of the Society of the Perpetual Snarl) made the
observation about one of Michael Jackson's song titles: "One
Bad Apple." Was that her subtle way of drawing the Osmonds
into this fiasco?
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 05:39:15 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: Ides Of March
Mike Bennidict wrote:
> The Ides of March were probably only known nationwide
> for a 1970 hit called "I'm Your Vehicle" ...
Mike, you are right about most of this. The Ides are not well known
nationally, but had a great following in Chicago, and still do. Their
early songs on Parrot, from 1965 to '68, are available on a CD from
Sundazed. Their Warner Brothers stuff, including "Vehicle," is
available on Rhino Handmade. Their great "Nobody Loves Me" 45, on
Kapp from '69, as well as their mid-'70s RCA stuff is still not on
CD. Most fans of Chicago '60s groups that live there still know that
the Ides are likely the best of the groups still playing. They also
recently made a DVD reliving their career from the beginning to today.
Pretty cool. Their website is at: http://www.theidesofmarch.com/
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:41:35 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Re: Ready-Steady website; Small Circle; Teddy & The Pandas
> Paul @ RSG! website
> http://www.ready-steady-go.org.uk
Don't know about The Smoke, but thanks for the lead to your website.
I hadn't known about it before; lots of fun!
Mike Bennidict:
> Anyone familliar with Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of
> Friends? I just heard a song by them called "Love's So Fine."
They had a great version of Carole King's "Snow Queen," which (I'm
not sure) may have been the original release, at least on 45 (A&M).
> Once Upon A Time In Massachusetts
> The Teddy & The Pandas Story
> by Mike Dugo
All are to be congratulated for the excellent and thorough story. "Once
Upon A Time" was a station favorite in Providence, RI, in the shadow
of all but the weakest signals from the Boston radio market, and thus
was a major hit there as well. According to the group's own website
http://www.teddyandthepandas.com/, four out of five of the Pandas live
within a couple of hours of Boston; so who knows if they might get
together for a reunion; the "Where Are They Now" page certainly hints
at the possibility.
Country Paul
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 18:12:38 -0500
From: Charles G Hill
Subject: Re: Ides Of March
Mike Bennidict requests:
> Anyone know of any other single releases in that period?
> They certainly wouldn't have charted nationally.
"Roller Coaster," which I once described as "Byrds-y," was released two months
after "You Wouldn't Listen," and made it to #92 in Billboard. "You Need Love"
was next, I think.
A good sampling of pre-"Vehicle" material was issued on CD by Sundazed as
"Ideology".
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 10:01:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Dugo
Subject: Re: early Ides
Mike Bennidict wrote:
> Their first local hit was a song called "You Didn't Listen
> To Me" ...
Minor correction, Mike -- the Ides' first hit was titled "You Wouldn't
Listen." They did have other single releases, most notably "Roller
Coaster." You can buy a CD from Sundazed ( http://www.sundazed.com ),
covering their "garage band" period with almost all their pre-"Vehicle"
songs.
Mike Dugo
http://www.60sgaragebands.com
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 01:17:50 +0200
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
Subject: Re: Roger Nichols, etc.
Hello!
Antone wrote:
> I'd really love to hear the Roger Nichols & Small Circle of
> Friends version of "Love So Fine" -- any chance it could be
> played to musica?
I just played the Roger Nichols version to musica. It's one of my
all-time favourite tunes, and the entire album is absolutely gorgeous --
in my top 25 (or so) albums. I'm also a sucker for "I Fell" by The
Four King Cousins which you mentioned -- lovely stuff! :) By the way,
have you heard "Thru Spray Colored Glasses" by Desi, Dino & Billy?
It was their only 45 on Uni and it reminds me a whole lot of "I Fell".
Take care!
Sebastian
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 18:38:48 -0700
From: Bryan
Subject: Re: Judee Sill
Country Paul wrote:
> There is a new Judee Sill album out in Europe, apparently
> containing demos, radio and TV broadcasts, live concerts,
> etc. It's called "Dreams Come True";
Actually, it's been issued on the Runt-distributed Water label. You
can see all of the label's releases at: http://www.buyrunt.com/water.html
The description reads:
Judee Sill: Dreams Come True (Hi - I Love You Right)
water140
upc code: 646315 714
Singer/songwriter Judee Sill was the first person signed to David
Geffen's Asylum Records. In the early '70s, she released two
brilliant but commercially unsuccessful albums on that label
before being dropped. Her third album, recorded in the mid-'70s,
remained unreleased after her 1979 death. The eight songs intended
for that album are included here, freshly mixed by Jim O'Rourke.
This two-disc set also includes many Sill rarities from the '60s
and '70s, including a 12-minute, five-song live video clip on enhanced
CD. Super-deluxe packaging featuring a 72-page book!
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 20:52:39 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: Teddy & the Pandas
> Once Upon A Time In Massachusetts
> The Teddy & The Pandas Story
> by Mike Dugo
Great story. I spoke with Teddy Dewart several years ago, as I felt
prompted to find him because of the Unchained Mynds' (Wisconsin)
remake of "We Can't Go On This Way."
gem
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 04:58:22 -0000
From: John H
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore's "What Am I Gonna Do With You"
Pres wrote:
> Back to Lesley Gore: am I alone in thinking her vocal
> on "What Am I To Do With You (Hey Baby)" is horrible? It
> sounds to my ears like she's trying to channel Ann-Margret
> and only nailing the flat parts.
That depends, I've found, on which version you're listening to. The
one on "It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology" is quite beautiful,
sensitive, and touching. The version I've heard elsewhere, however,
has Lesley attempting to belt several notes and growl on others. Still
nice, but not as heart-rending.
-John H
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 05:56:55 EDT
From: Bill
Subject: Re: Lou Johnson info/corrections
Rob Pingel wrote:
> My CD copy of "Sweet Southern Soul", Mar 057, ... does not
> include liner notes or credits for label, producer, arranger, etc.
Rob, many thanks for the details about the Lou Johnson Marginal CD,
which I own. As you say the liner gives only minimal information.
"Magic Potion" (instrumental) was issued on a CD called "Midnight Brew:
22 Stormin' Northern Soul Instrumental Classics" by UK Goldmine
(GSCD 126.)
Cheers,
Bill
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2005 23:45:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jim Allio
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore's "What Am I Gonna Do With You".
No big surprise that I am a huge fan of Lesley Gore's version of
"What Am I Gonna Do With You," or should I say, versions, because
there are actually three distinct takes by Gore on this number. There
is a single-voiced, echoey version on her 1965 "My Town, My Guy
And Me" album, which appears on several CD compilations. There
is a superb, double-voiced version on the monaural edition of that
LP, which has never made it to CD. And there is a third take, which
first appeared on the 1987 CD release of "The Golden Hits Of Lesley
Gore," that is an edgier, jazzier take on this great song, while
retaining the commitment to lyric and conviction that Gore brings
to the previously heard renditions.
In addition, depending on which compilation you get, there are
variations in mix, reverb, echo, etc.
Great melody, incredibly deep lyric about a conflicted heart, and
brilliant production key the searingly sad vocals on all three.
Jim Allio
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