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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 13 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Paul Simon a/k/a Jerry Landis
From: Clark Besch
2. You're Ready Now girls
From: Simon White
3. Terry Melcher
From: Martin Roberts
4. Re: late-period Rascals
From: Phil X Milstein
5. Re: Gene McDaniels
From: Simon White
6. Johnny Walsh
From: Peter Lerner
7. Hi Everyone, from Alan O'Day
From: Alan O'Day
8. Re: Sounds Of Sunshine discog.
From: Martin Nathan
9. Sunny spells
From: Various
10. Re: Anka's "Flashback" [O'Day/ Wayne]
From: Raul Richards
11. Re: Eugene McDaniels
From: Norm D.
12. Gene McDaniels
From: Phil Chapman
13. Re: You're Ready Now girls
From: doowopdaddy@aol.com
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 14:44:55 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: Paul Simon a/k/a Jerry Landis
Artie Wayne re: Al Bennett of Liberty Records:
> Ed had Paul 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.
Joe Nelson:
> Gotta be the latter reason, especially since Gene McDaniels was
> also black. Of course, that's not saying an overtly political
> record that didn't embrace a cause as liberal as civil rights
> wouldn't slip through the cracks... does the name Victor Lumberg
> mean anything to anyone?
Especially if you listen to "My Buddy Carl", the flip of Liberty's
hit "An Open Letter to my Teenage Son" by Lundberg. Of course,
this 45 happened years after Artie's situation, making it easier
for Liberty to make these decisions happen.
Clark
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 12:09:14 +0100
From: Simon White
Subject: You're Ready Now girls
I hope we haven't been down this road before, but is it known
who the girls are backing Frankie Valli on his Smash Records
recording "You're Ready Now"?
Simon White
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 21:26:55 +0100
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Terry Melcher
Thanks for the many flattering comments on and off list regarding
"The Producers - Terry Melcher" pages on the site. I must thank
Phil Chapman and Mick Patrick for making what I write (hopefully) understandable to all. Thanks guys.
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/producers.htm
Eddie Hodges wrote to the site before the Terry Melcher's pages went
'live' but I didn't want to delay their launching any longer than
necessary. His addition however will not be the only one to the pages.
Watch this space!
Martin
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 11:05:46 -0800
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: late-period Rascals
Clark Besch wrote:
> .......... Unlike many groups where their music passed them
> by, The Rascals don't fit that groove. There was no other
> group that sounded like The Rascals, at least until J. Geils
> in '72 or so. It's just so surprising how a group with so many
> terrific songs in a row could suddenly not have any.
Here's a passage from Genya Ravan's recent memoir "Lollipop Lounge,"
inadvertently revealing a fact about the late-period Rascals I'd
never heard:
"Ten Wheel Drive continued for some years without me, recruiting
as a replacement singer Annie Sutton, who'd sung with The Rascals
for a while before that band folded."
Did Annie Sutton ever record with The Rascals? Is her membership
in the group a well-known fact today, or has it slipped through
the cracks of history?
--Phil M.
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 21:30:00 +0100
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: Gene McDaniels
Howard Earnshaw wrote:
> "...... not to mention one of the most atmospheric ballads
> to ever reach vinyl, (Eugene McDaniels) "Another Tear Falls"
There is a piece of film of Gene performing this song and,
I don't say this lightly, it is awesome.
He wrote some great song too.
Simon White
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 12:18:43 +0100
From: Peter Lerner
Subject: Johnny Walsh
Can anyone tell me anything about the singer Johnny Walsh,
who recorded a nice version of Jackie DeShannon's song
"Green trees" on Columbia 43936 (coupled with Ian Whitcomb's
"The end")? I assume he was the same JW who recorded "Girl
Machine" on Warners much earlier in the 60s. Information
gratefully received.
Peter
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 22:52:24 -0700
From: Alan O'Day
Subject: Hi Everyone, from Alan O'Day
Well, I've been lurking & reading enjoyable snippets since my
pal Artie Wayne suggested I get on board Spectropop (while
waving a loaded gun). Just kidding, but if you know Artie, you
know he can be persuasive. Now seeing two familiar subjects
in the last digest, I guess it's time for me to contribute!
Quick bio: I wrote "Angie Baby" (Helen Reddy), co-wrote
"Rock'n'Roll Heaven" (Righteous Bros), and was the writer &
singer of "Undercover Angel". But years before that I wrote
Bobby Sherman's "The Drum" while a staff writer at both E.H.
Morris Music (Sydney Goldstein), and Viva Music (Ed Silvers,
Snuff Garrett, Artie Wayne). I remained at Viva as a staff
writer when Snuffy left & Viva became Warner Bros. Music, in
total I was there for 13 years.
I co-wrote "Flashback" with Artie in '73. I knew little of the
subsequent politics around the cuts, but I remember clearly the
creative collaborative experience. We were in my funky L.A.
apartment, I was playing the piano; & Artie was alternately
hovering & meditating as we tossed ideas back & forth. The
vibe was very intense, as we both drew upon our "lost love"
memories to mold verse lyrics strong enough to set up the
chorus explosion: "And I flashback! Back to the time you were
mine and we lived in a love song...."
I recall us struggling with the "curse of the second verse",
and Artie blowing my mind with his line "My cigarette has
burned down to my fingers, and it brings me back to now".
Fast forward to a couple years later, when I went to Las Vegas
for a getaway. Noticing that Paul Anka was performing, I called
the hotel and spoke to (as I recall) his manager: "Hi, I'm Alan
O'Day; I co-wrote Paul's hit 'Flashback', and I was wondering
if I could come see his show as a guest?" The answer was no.
Now to the present! I noted Phil Milstein's mention of the
Ponderosa Stomp. I have just returned from an extended stay
in Nashville, followed by an awesome three days in New Orleans,
where I actually played at the Ponerosa Stomp, backing my old
friend actor/guitarist/commercial pilot/author Arch Hall Jr,
as he returned to live performing for the first time in over 40
years. Arch starred in several low budget movies in the 60's,
including "Eegah" and "Wild Guitar"; and the two of us started
a band. With the release of "Wild Guitar", our group Arch Hall
Jr and the Archers toured from New Orleans to Pensacola in a
van, playing live with screenings of the movie! It was a
bizarre, wonderful coming of age experience for me. Arch's old
movies have become favorites of an ever-growing group of retro
-fans, thus he was invited play the Stomp. He in turn invited
me, & the original Archers' bassist/vocalist Joel Christie.
Besides the incredible high of performing with my old cohorts,
the Rockin' Bowl was a Flashback of 50's/60's rockabilly &
blues, where I got to meet Scotty Moore, Roy Head, Earl Palmer,
to name a few; and hear Johnny Farina do "Sleepwalk"!
So with that I'll bring my first post to a close. It's nice to
be in the virtual company of those who experienced the same
music business that I did!
More info on Arch Hall Jr and our Ponderosa reunion experience:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/archhalljr/
General info on the Ponderosa Stomp: http://www.knights-maumau.com/
Norton Records new CD "Wild Guitar" (CED 307) (48 songs & audio
clips from Arch's movies & the Archers, many culled from old
reel-to-reel tapes stored in my garage, and including an
extensiveliner notes booklet)
http://nortonrecords.com/index2.html (click on Artists A-Z)
My website: http://alanoday.com
Chordially,
Alan O'Day
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 05:45:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Martin Nathan
Subject: Re: Sounds Of Sunshine discog.
Phil M:
>same group?:
> Ltd. Touch & Sounds Of Sunshine:
> PIP 8942: The Young And The Restless / Young And The
> Restless (instr.) (1973)
>
> Sounds Of Sunshine:
> PIP 6527: Nadia's Theme / Nadia's Theme (instr.)
> (1976)
I think it is. I have the 45. The Sounds Of Sunshine version
of Nadia's Theme has words to it. The instrumental version by
Barry DeVorzon is/was the theme to Y&R.
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 15:23:37 +0100
From: Various
Subject: Sunny spells
Dave Monroe
> I recently picked up the Dave Pike recording of "Sunny," and have
> another nice Jack McDuff version as well, but can anyone recommend
> any other recordings of the song?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Version time - I have a 45 here by Joe Harnell which combines
'Sunny" with "The Work Song", another staple of the R&B world
and a song that spawned nearly as many cover versions. It is
called 'Work Sunny Work'. Can you see what they did there?
Clever eh? You can be a part of it here -
http://www.joeharnell.com/moving_ontracks.html
Joe is a respected jazz pianist and this recording is in the
Ramsey Lewis/Les McCann tradition of the '60s but with the
added bonus of a girl chorus chanting a bastardised lyrical
variation of both songs. He also recorded a version of 'Blame
It On The Bossa Nova" which I have not heard, but going by the
'Work Sunny Work" experience I would dearly love to. Any takers?
Simon White
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bob,
Sinatra recorded the song in December 67 for his
Francis A and Edward K album with the Duke.
Richard Havers
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There are two German CDs out called "Sunny" and "Sunny 2" each
featuring 16 different versions of the song. I really enjoy
James Brown's version a lot.
Frank J.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery.
Gary Myers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Les McCann includes two versions of "Sunny" on his 1966
Mercury/Limelight album: Part I in a lounge jazz vein (7mins),
followed by part II, a straight-ahead Ramsey Lewis stylie,
complete with party voices interjecting "Sunny" where
appropriate. (Recorded at Bell Sound Studio, NY and
United Recording, California.)
Phil Chapman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My take is that Sunny has spent more time on S'Pop than
it did on the charts:-)
Rashkovsky
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 09:54:26 EDT
From: Raul Richards
Subject: Re: Anka's "Flashback" [O'Day/ Wayne]
Great to hear Paul Anka's version,such a fantastic song. The
5D version is probably my favourite song of theirs. It's a
real shame it's not all that famous. It's top of my dream
cover list. Thanks Artie!
Paul
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Message: 11
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 07:03:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Norm D.
Subject: Re: Eugene McDaniels
Norm D:
> He started off as a jazz singer...
Gary Myers:
> A bit of which came though on his shake on the word "and"
> in "Point Of No Return".
That's spot on, Gary. Plus, he vocalises a bit of the trumpet
part too. Second time I say it, but.....that is such a great
song. Did Goffin & King write it for him, does anyone know,
or was it one of their "hawked" songs that Liberty picked for
the Left Rev. McD (sorry, I got his soi-disant title wrong in
my previous post)?
Norm D.
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Message: 12
Date: Wed, 4 May 2005 16:20:52 +0100
From: Phil Chapman
Subject: Gene McDaniels
Norm D.
> He was one of the featured acts in that wonderful pre-Beatles
> era UK pop film, "It's Trad Dad" (directed by Richard Lester).
> McDaniels is singing "Another Tear Falls" (by Bacharach & David).
> I remember it as a moody piece: shrouded in shadow, cigarette
> smoke, very film noir... I've not seen it for years, but it's
> left a long impression. If you've never seen this film,
> do try and dig it out: it's so British, it's so hopelessly dated,
> it's so quirky ...
Yes, it's also one of the favourites at the S'pop get-togethers.
There's a reasonable mpeg of "Another Tear Falls" at: http://www.amajor.com/video
PC
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Message: 13
Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 09:54:02 -0400
From: doowopdaddy@aol.com
Subject: Re: You're Ready Now girls
Simon:
> I hope we haven't been down this road before, but is it known
> who the girls are backing Frankie Valli on his Smash Records
> recording "You're Ready Now"?
I believe it is The Angels on the recording of Frankie Valli's
"You're Ready Now".
Mike Miller, doowopdaddy
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