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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: barely-charting Mothers
From: Various
2. Re: Bobby Hebb
From: Phil X Milstein
3. Re: In Arts
From: Phil X Milstein
4. Re: Sunny
From: Bob Rashkow
5. Re: American Dreams
From: Orion
6. Re: Artie (not Garfunkel) and Paul
From: Country Paul
7. Re: (Dick &) Dee Dee
From: Country Paul
8. Re: "Happiness Is"
From: Mario
9. Re: Jordan & Wayne
From: Tom Diehl
10. Re: Hurricane Smith
From: Joe Nelson
11. New Lesley Gore material
From: Jim Allio
12. Re: two cents on Anka
From: Clark Besch
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 14:54:10 -0700
From: Various
Subject: Re: barely-charting Mothers
Similar responses:
Mike Edwards wrote:
> The '60s saw the greatest change in popular music ever. The
> decade started with Frankie Avalon at # 1 with "Why" but
> within six years the Mothers Of Invention were charting with
> "Who Are The Brain Police" (from their "Freak Out" album).
-----
Charles Ulrich:
I think you're exaggerating the change a little by using this example.
"Who Are The Brain Police?" was actually the B-side of "Trouble Comin'
Every Day". Neither side reached #1. Did they chart at all? I do know
that "Freak Out!" spent 23 weeks on the Billboard album chart, but
never rose higher than #130.
-----
Steve Harvey:
On what planet did The Mothers ever chart? I thought "Valley Girl" was
Zappa's first charting disc. I only know "Who Are The Brain Police"
because I got the LP because it was so weird looking.
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 17:58:16 -0400
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Bobby Hebb
Richard Havers wrote:
> Apparently Bobby Hebb's big hit Sunny was written the day
> after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Arriving
> at his Manhattan apartment in the early hours, Bobby was so
> disturbed by the events of the day that he was unable to sleep.
What kind of work was Hebb doing at the time? Apart from "Sunny,"
I know precious little about his career.
--Phil M.
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 21:38:22 -0400
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: In Arts
Guy Lawrence wrote:
> ... Does anyone know anything about Smart &
> Cole or the interesting looking In Arts label?
Here is a partial In Arts discography:
101: Good Time Singers: High Flyin' Birds / Hey I Dig The Country
102: ESB: Let Me Touch You / Mushroom People
103: Good Time Singers: I Could Gather Flowers / When The Morning Comes
104: Stormy & Sunny: Little Brother / All The Warm Is Gone
106: Tommy Brooks: Fly Away And Hurry Home / Foolish Pride
108: Emanuel & The People: Man Said / Blowin' In The Wind
109: Inc. Smart & Cole: Nature Boy / Ashes Ashes
Not sure what to make of the "Inc." preceding "Smart & Cole" -- does
anything like that appear on your copy?
--Phil M.
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 22:57:00 EDT
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Re: Sunny
The first and one of the only covers of "Sunny" I heard was Paul
Mauriat's instrumental version, on the flip of "Love Is Blue."
The bass line always belched a little on my copy.
Bobster
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 01 May 2005 22:37:34 -0500
From: Orion
Subject: Re: American Dreams
Clark Besch wrote:
> Hi, for those of you who have followed the cancellation news of
> NBC's '60s-themed show, "American Dreams", it seems there is a slim
> possibility now that it might not be cancelled this coming year
> after all. Don't get your hopes up tho. Tom Verica (Jack Pryor on
> the series) says the odds are slim, but there was a recent good
> sign about the series.
Although I have not watched even one of the programs, my firm belief
is that nostalgia can never be properly re-recorded. The only true
nostalgia that we can feel good about and comfortable with is that
which is actually from that era. Just my opinion, but I think many
feel this way.
Orion
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 00:08:27 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Re: Artie (not Garfunkel) and Paul
Artie Wayne wrote:
> Ed [Silvers] had Paul [Simon] and I play the song
> live for Al in his office. Although he was from the
> south, I don't think Al dropped me from the label
> because he was predjudiced [Did I mention that I'm
> black?]...but because he would rather promote singers
> like Bobby Vee and Gene McDaniels...pop singers
> without political agendas.
> Paul and I were disappointed, but Ed was ready to
> quit Liberty Records over it. I told him I
> appreciated what he was willing to do, but it
> wouldn't solve anything.
Artie Wayne, thank you for the Paul Simon/Jerry Landis story. I had
only been familiar with a few of Paul/Jerry's pre-Simon & Garfunkel
songs, and the process of learning more has been an eye-opening
and positive experience. I'm sorry to read of the near-misses you had
at onstage stardom, but you certainly seem to have had your share
of it within the industry offstage.
Thinking back on what I know of Liberty's output, they probably were
indeed one of the least politically-oriented labels of the time. Thank
you for your insights.
Country Paul
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Message: 7
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 00:26:43 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: Re: (Dick &) Dee Dee
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> Last night, while trying to Google up some research info, I
> stumbled upon http://www.dickanddeedee.com which bills itself
> as the "official Dick & Dee Dee site." It turns out to be the
> website of the rarely-sighted Mary "Dee Dee" Sperling Phelps,
> and is dedicated primarily to her forthcoming memoir! ...[Y]ou
> can submit your EMA for notification when the book is ready
> for purchase.
Her links page, http://www.dickanddeedee.com/music_websites.asp, leads to
some interesting folks, too. Thanks for the heads-up, Phil; the book excerpt
is quite well-written, and I too look forward to its publication (she's got
my e-mail on her list too).
Country Paul
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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 05:13:47 -0000
From: Mario
Subject: Re: "Happiness Is"
Another version of "Happiness Is" was by a '60s garage band named
Beaver & The Trappers. The interesting thing was their lead singer
was Jerry Mathers, the famous child actor. At the end they sing,
"Happiness is ... Beaver." It may not be the same song, I'm not sure.
By 1967 Mathers was in the National Guard and appeared on the '67 Emmy
broadcast to help quash rumors of his having died while on a tour of
duty in Vietnam. Of course, he'd enlisted in the Guard to avoid the
prospect of Vietnam.
mo
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 05:19:38 -0000
From: Tom Diehl
Subject: Re: Jordan & Wayne
Artie Wayne wrote:
> Laura...How ya' doin'? Thanks for all the nice things you
> said about the record I did with Danny Jordan. I wish the
> record buying public had been as appreciative as you and
> your parakeets!
Artie, do you happen to know if any stock copies were even pressed
up for this record? Some of the Diamond releases appear to me to
have been mono only. However I have been surprised at seeing stock
copies of some of the releases.
Tom "Diamond Hunter" Diehl
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Message: 10
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 01:53:54 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: Hurricane Smith
David Coyle wrote:
> There was a story that when Norman Smith was engineering
> some of the Beatles recording sessions, he showed John
> Lennon a song that he had written with the Beatles in mind.
> Lennon didn't do anything about it, and it was never recorded
> by the group. Does anybody know if this song was "Oh Babe,
> What Would You Say?," which Smith ended up having a hit with
> in the '70s, or "Don't Let It Die", which was recorded either
> by Smith or another group in the same decade?
I can't see John showing the enthusiasm for "Oh Babe" that he had
for the song in question. The only reason the song was never recorded
by The Beatles was that they realized they'd forgotten to put the
traditional Ringo vocal on the album ("Rubber Soul"). John promised
he'd put the song on the next Beatles album, but all involved
realized that it stuck out like a sore thumb among the other
"Revolver" tracks and shouldn't have been included.
For what it's worth, when "Oh Babe" topped the Cashbox chart,
Lennon sent Smith a congratulatory telegram.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 11
Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 22:57:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jim Allio
Subject: New Lesley Gore material
For a brief snippet of the title song of Lesley Gore's upcoming CD,
"Ever Since," and a sneak peek at the album cover, see:
http://tinyurl.com/dwerq
Jim Allio
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Message: 12
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 12:57:47 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: two cents on Anka
Country Paul wrote:
> Rob Pingel, I appreciate your defense of Paul Anka's many
> accomplishments, and I do enjoy his early recordings, many of
> which I own on original pressings. However, I personally found
> his recordings grew increasingly irritating to me, and I find
> the sexism of "You're Having My Baby" grossly offensive.
Since we are going to delve into Anka's '70s stuff now, I'll put in two
cents on both. As for his early stuff, I basically consider him just
like the other teen idols of the time as far as his singing went: Not
bad, not great. At least he wrote his own songs. Of those, I like "It's
Time To Cry" best. As for his "Having my Baby" era, I don't mind most
of those other than the one I mentioned. In saying so, I bought that
record, "didn't have to keep it," could have swept it from my record
collection, but I wouldn't do it. :)
My fave by Anka is the Buddah 45, "Jubilation", which is an epic and
has a lot going on in it. The upbeat break reminds me of the change
of pace in the elongated "MacArthur Park" done a few years earlier.
I notice he did a 45 on Fame in '74 which had "Flashback" on the flip.
This must be Artie Wayne's great song. Can anyone post it to musica?
Artie, any comments on writing a song for another big-time writer?
Clark
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