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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 24 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Reparata & The Delrons tracklist
From: Rob Pingel
2. Kiki Dee / Jackie DeShannon / ANOTHER girl group box?
From: Steve
3. Re: Call Me
From: Howard Earnshaw
4. Re: arranged by Alan Lorber
From: James Botticelli
5. "Por Que" update
From: David A Young
6. U.P. Grooves!
From: Andrew C Jones
7. "My Coloring Book"; Eugene Record; Baby Washington; NJ doowop nevue
From: Country Paul
8. Re: Oh Why / Sag Warum
From: Frank
9. Re: Bobby Vee's "True Love Never Runs Smooth"
From: Bob Celli
10. Re: The Great Train Robbery
From: Jens Koch
11. Re: Reparata & The Delrons
From: Will Stos
12. Re: Soldier Boys
From: McGee
13. Re: Camillo Felgen
From: Ivor Lyttle
14. Re: Bob Crewe at Motown
From: James Holvay
15. Re: I Go To Pieces ... Everytime
From: Simon White
16. Re: mystery sound effect
From: Joe Nelson
17. Re: "Call Me"
From: C Ponti
18. Re: "My Coloring Book"
From: Gary Myers
19. Tony Hatch on "Call Me"
From: Mick Patrick
20. Re: Call Me Again
From: James Botticelli
21. Re: New Motown remixes
From: Various
22. Re: ANOTHER girl group box?
From: Will Stos
23. Re: ANOTHER girl group box?
From: John Black
24. Re: Gillian Hills
From: Mark Maldwyn
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 12:55:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rob Pingel
Subject: Re: Reparata & The Delrons tracklist
Thanks for listing the tracks. The inclusion of "Shoes" by Reparata is
a slight head-scratcher. The lead vocal is clearly a guy. Is there a
story here?
Rob Pingel
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 23:25:53 -0000
From: Steve
Subject: Kiki Dee / Jackie DeShannon / ANOTHER girl group box?
G'day, everyone. Just a couple of things that you may or may not be
aware of.
The spectacular Spectrum label in the UK has done it again. Kiki Dee's
Tamla-Motown LP from 1970 has been reissued in full, complete with
several bonus tracks -- yay! Now that this one has appeared, I am hopeful
that a compilation of her Fontana material may not be too far away -- I
feel it in my run-off grooves!
Again in the UK, BGO are releasing two Jackie DeShannon albums on one
CD, "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" and "This Is Jackie DeShannon." The
"Don't Turn Your Back On Me" album is apparently a UK version of the
Beatles Tour LP with various tracks subtracted and others added just
to make it interesting!
And the "Breakin' It Up On The Beatles Tour" LP is being released by
our friends at RPM. Also the full album plus eight bonus tracks, mostly
singles from the same period. Unfortunately "Little Yellow Roses" does
not seem to be included, but this is a minor quibble.
And finally, I have just read that there may be ANOTHER girl group box
set in preparation or on the way. This one is a 4-CD set from Universal
Music, perhaps taking in labels like Dot, ABC, Kapp, MGM, Decca, Smash,
Cub, Mercury, etc. If such a thing exists it may turn up later this year
(perhaps if the Rhino set does really well). Just the IDEA of such a set
is enough to make me go weak at the knees! Can you guys think of some
absolute favourite tracks that appear on these labels?
Cheers,
Steve
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:55:18 EDT
From: Howard Earnshaw
Subject: Re: Call Me
Mike Bennidict asked:
> Question about an Instrumental: Well it was sort of an
> instrumental. It was a remake of Chris Montez's Call Me. But
> it featured women going ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba to the tune.
> Anyone know the name of this group and when this version
> came out?
The instrumental version of "Call Me" is by Eddie Bishop, on ABC if I
remember correctly. A more recent remake was done by Snake Davis on a
CD of Northern Souls covers.
Howard
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 20:01:52 -0400
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: arranged by Alan Lorber
Mick Patrick asked:
> How great to see someone mention Alan Lorber, one of my
> favourite arrangers. You seem to know a lot about him.
> By any chance, do you have a complete list of the records
> he arranged?
Look for Susan Rafey on Verve from '66 doing a fuzz-filled easy
rendition of "The Big Hurt" Wow!
JB
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 01:44:40 -0000
From: David A Young
Subject: "Por Que" update
In case it helps to identify possible release data, Julio has kindly
taken time out of his Barcelona vacation to let me know that the
version of "Oh Why" playing in musica as "Por Que" (and discussed in
detail in message 30846) is not in Spanish after all, but in Portugese
-- Brazilian Portugese, to be exact. C'mon, detectives, help me out here.
David A. Young
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:00:43 -0400
From: Andrew C Jones
Subject: U.P. Grooves!
A long time ago, I may (or may not) have told this group about my
"U.P.Grooves!" If I didn't, it's an attempt to chronicle every pre-1987
commercially-released record with a connection to the Upper Peninsula,
or U.P., of Michigan.
Well, now I am proud to announce that U.P. Grooves! has its own website
-- it's a simple text-only affair, explaining the project, listing the
relevant discs I have and/or know about, and listing the "unsolved
mysteries" I'm still trying to solve.
The URL is in my signature. If you have any comments, questions, or info
that might be useful to the project, please send it to me off-list, either
to my primary e-mail address (from where this message came), or to my
alternate e-mail address which appears at the end of the site. Thanks!
ACJ
http://community.webtv.net/andrucharlz/UPGROOVESTheUpper
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 00:28:56 -0400
From: Country Paul
Subject: "My Coloring Book"; Eugene Record; Baby Washington; NJ doowop nevue
Bob Rashkow wrote:
> ... capitalize on the MOR success that Barbra Streisand
> (whose version unfortunately overshadowed Sandy Stewart's
> and Kitty Kallen's wonderful, heartbreaking renditions) had
> with the tune.
Who was Sandy Stewart? Did she ever have anything else that hit the charts?
Google shows a 1994 "Sandy Stewart And Family" album and a 1995 CD tribute
to Jerome Kern, as well as her 1962 "My Coloring Book" album -- but I'm not
finding much else in-between (except for http://tinyurl.com/cmffz , yielding
not only lyrics for a song of hers called "Get My Way," but also an opportunity
to download Sandy Stewart ringtones! Talk about obscure!). What did she do in
through the rest of the '60s, '70s, and '80s? (And for my money, hers was the
authoritative version of that song. It can still get to me.)
Phil Milstein, thanks for posting the extensive Eugene Record obit. With so
many folks sadly passing around the same time, I though Record was getting
shortchanged. Good to see I was wrong.
Mick Patrick asked:
> Are there any Baby Washington fans/collectors out there?
> Must be!
I'm particularly fond of her doo-wop era output, particularly "The Time"
on Neptune, a great throbbing ballad. The contrast to her Sue work is like
comparing Mary Wells' "Bye Bye Baby" (my favorite of hers) to her sweeter
hit material. Of course, "That's How Heartaches Are Made" remains delicious.
Is she still recording?
Steve Jarrell asked:
> [A]are there any clubs with bands that play '50s and '60s in
> NYC? I'd like to go hear one.
Ya gotta come to New Jersey. The Whiskey Cafe in Lyndhurst regularly books
doo-wop artists, and they are also the new home of UGHA's meetings/concerts.
Also, a veritable doo-wop orgy takes place every Labor Day weekend at the
Parsippany [NJ] Hilton at Lead East ( http://leadeast.net/ ), "The world's
biggest hot rod party." Local doo-wop groups aplenty, plus bigger names with
many of the original members (this year the recently-disappointing Kenny
Vance & The Planotones, Impalas (original lead singer), Passions (Jimmy
Gallagher, the lead, now sings with the Legends of Doo-Wop), Norman Fox &
The Rob Roys (original lead), Limelites (no Shep, of course, but the new guy
is good), and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge (really great when I saw
them last year, especially on Crests' numbers).
Will Stos mentions:
> ...Ketty Lester. I love "Love Letters" and "Some Things Are
> Better Left Unsaid" and just recently found "Please Don't Cry
> Anymore" and "Once Upon A Time." What a voice!
"Once Upon A Time" is to me the authoritative performance of that song. Her
reading is exquisite. Thanks for mentioning it. You also asked about a best-of
collection: in her discography at http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/klester.htm ,
there's a 1982 "best of" LP noted. That's as close as I could find. (Maybe
someone else already suggested one, since I'm back still catching up on
digests from the last week in July!)
Belatedly,
Country Paul
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 07:37:44 +0200
From: Frank
Subject: Re: Oh Why / Sag Warum
David A. Young asked:
> Label credits on the Teddy Bears LP, 45, and French EP all
> list the composer as H. P. Spector; how'd it change to "Harvey,"
> and the publisher to Travis, here? How do the credits on the
> Camillo record read?
On the copy I have, David, the label credits reads:
Sag Warum (Oh Why)
Spector-Nicolas
I doubt very much that Adamo ever recorded Sag Warum. He only
recorded his own stuff.
Frank
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 10:54:32 -0000
From: Bob Celli
Subject: Re: Bobby Vee's "True Love Never Runs Smooth"
Bill asked:
> Does anyone know where I might obtain a copy of Bobby Vee's
> version of "True Love Never Runs Smooth"? It was released in
> the early '60s as a single and was backed by "Hey Little Girl."
Joop Jansen asked:
> Bill, Are you sure about that Bobby Vee release, because I
> can't find any proof.
Bobby released the song in the U.K. only, in 1965.
Bob
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 13:23:49 +0200
From: Jens Koch
Subject: Re: The Great Train Robbery
Barry Green wrote:
> Norm D. is correct, the track is by the Outer Limits ... Both sides
> of the single are written by Christie, which is the Jeff Christie of
> "Yellow River" fame a couple of years later.
This is very fascinating (and thanks both Norm and Barry). I have both the
"Yellow River" and "San Bernadino" singles by Christie. Is Jeff Christie
the singer on "The Great Train Robbery"?
Jens
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 12:28:16 -0000
From: Will Stos
Subject: Re: Reparata & The Delrons
Ed Salamon wrote:
> Former World Artists' (Pgh label) head Lou Guarino had steel
> guitar overdubbed onto "Whenever A Teenager Cries" and
> issued it on his new NAMI label. He knew I had a fondness
> for '60s artists, but I never played it.
That record always struck me as countryish. In today's looser definition
of country it probably would have been picked up by country stations.
But back in the '70s? Did it get any airplay?
Will : )
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 09:09:45 -0400
From: McGee
Subject: Re: Soldier Boys
Mick Patrick wrote:
> I don't know much about Valli, but I do know that her answer song
> to the Shirelles' "Soldier Boy" (on which she actually sings OVER
> their original record!!) is featured on the group's new 60-track
> (count 'em!) "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" 2-CD set.
> Read more about the set in S'pop message #30041 and at this link:
> http://tinyurl.com/88gyh[4]
Hey la back at ya, Mick. I thought I'd share the Amazon.com review of
that set:
"This digitally remastered 60-track two-CD set is the ultimate tribute to
The Shirelles. It includes all their many U.S./worldwide hits, the best
B-sides, rarities, a smattering of LP tracks and several selections new
to CD as well as the previously-unreleased recording of 'That Boy Is
Messing Up My Mind.' Compiled and annotated by leading femme pop authority
Mick Patrick, this highly desirable package features detailed sleeve-
notes, rare photos and memorabilia."
Way to go, Mick!
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:22:17 +0100 (BST)
From: Ivor Lyttle
Subject: Re: Camillo Felgen
Frank wrote:
> Could be "Sag Warum" by Camillo, a huge hit in Europe
> at the time far exceeding the original.
Camillo (Camille Jean-Nicolas Felgen) passed away on July 16th
this year in his native Luxembourg at the age of 84. He started
his career as a broadcaster with Radio Luxembourg, and later
turned to lyric writing and singing. He wrote the German lyrics
for a number of Connie Francis hits and for the two songs that
the Beatles recorded in Germany. He had over 2000 songs to his
credit. Camillo represented Luxembourg twice in the Eurovision
Song Contest. "Sag Warum (Oh Why)" was his biggest hit, but he
had others as a singer. He was probably best known in Germany as
their presenter of the daft international game show "Jeux Sans
Frontier" ("Spaß ohne Grenzen" or "It's A Knockout" in England).
He is survived by his wife and two sons from his first marriage.
Ivor Lyttle
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Message: 14
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 20:17:16 -0700
From: James Holvay
Subject: Re: Bob Crewe at Motown
Artie Wayne wrote:
> I have a correction to my Motown remix story. The song that
> Bob Crewe played me was "My Eyes Adored You" ...
Artie, my group was on Private Stock at the time, and we heard that
they worked that record forever (6+ months), trying to get the stations
to play it. Maybe it ties into your story about Crewe and Gordy.
Jame
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:37:53 +0100
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: I Go To Pieces ... Everytime
Just a few thoughts while I wait for the phone to ring and try and work out
when Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes version of "Don't Leave Me This Way"
was released on 45. It also stops me worrying about who exactly Joy Lovejoy
was.
Re: "Call Me"
Are we sure Mr Hatch recorded it with Keely Smith, or just wrote it for her?
Incidently, I have here a disco version of "Call Me" on Pye by Family
Affair, led by Jackie Trent, which doesn't work on any level, being neither
fish nor fowl. The string lines are very reminicent (the same, in fact) of
another song, "Your Magic Put A Spell On Me," sung by L.J. Johnson and from
the same year, 1976. The producer of "Magic" claims that his string line
was later lifted for another record by Brainstorm called "Loving Is Really
My Game," but it may be a case of chickens and eggs between "Call Me" and
"Magic." The disco version of "Call Me" makes for pretty grim listening (it
stinks, to be quite honest, and is therefore both fish AND foul). The flip
side,"Love Hustle," was played in certain less-discerning clubs in the UK,
and as such was reissued later for that market on the Casino Classics label.
Ed Salamon wrote, re: Larry Weiss"
> The B-side of that single was later discovered by someone
> in the UK at Arista in the '80s, and was released as an A-side
> single and made the Top 40 there. The song was called 'I Go
To Pieces ... Everytime."
Mr Salamon, please thank Mr Weiss for "I Go To Pieces ... Everytime" for me.
It is truly magnificent. A hugely popular record on the Northern Soul scene,
hence the later issue here (although I think it was in the late '70s). In
fact the UK issue was on the same label as the Family Affair 45 above.
Artie Wayne wrote, re: "My Eyes Adored You":
I'm afraid I can hear why Mr Berry Gordy would let this one go -- bad
business move or not !
Dee Dah La (whatever happened to him?)
Simon White
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Message: 16
Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 21:29:55 -0400
From: Joe Nelson
Subject: Re: mystery sound effect
David A Young:
> So there I was, listening to "Phil's Spectre II," the way you do. It
> struck me that the sound effect (kinda reminds me of drops of water)
> used in The Fantastic Vantastic's "Gee What a Boy" resembles the one
> (or ones) employed in The Blossoms' "I'm In Love" and The Sherry
> Sisters' "Sailor Boy." Anybody know how this effect is achieved?
Not being familiar with any of the tunes I can't say much about this,
but if you run an instrument too percussive through a spring reverb
you get a very dripping water effect out of it. Check out the
Chantays' "Pipeline" for one of the clearest examples I can think of.
Joe Nelson
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 14:34:38 -0000
From: C Ponti
Subject: Re: "Call Me"
Mike Bennidict:
> ... a remake of Chris Montez's Call Me.
Mick Patrick:
> Chris Montez's "Call Me"??!! You'd better not let Joop hear you
> say that! Or Petula Clark! She'd clock you! Actually, I believe
> the original version of "Call Me" was NOT by Pet, but by Keely
> Smith. Tony Hatch himself told me that. He should know, he wrote
> and produced it. However, I've never been able to track down her
> version. Can anyone assist?
Joop:
> I completely agree with you on this one Mick. I am also looking for
> the Keely Smith-version. Yet without result. Here's some more info
> on "Call me":
> http://www.originals.be/eng/main.cfm?c=t_upd_show&id=826
Gents, I think Tony Hatch is amazing. "Don't Sleep In The Subway"
was so innovative, yet retaining that bit of British music hall
kitsch that was in "Downtown" as well. I wanted to contact Tony. I
discovered a real estate company in NY is using the phrase "the
lights are much brighter there-downtown" and would bet they haven't
licensed it. I called his publisher, who is not the greatest watchdog-
he never called back! I am a fellow songwriter trying to help one of
my heroes,
C. Ponti
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 09:53:55 -0700
From: Gary Myers
Subject: Re: "My Coloring Book"
Country Paul:
> Who was Sandy Stewart?
She was Sandra Galitz (b: 7/10/37; Philadelphia) - per Whitburn:
regular on Eddie Fisher and Perry Como shows. No other chart action
besides MCB.
gem
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Message: 19
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 19:27:55 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Tony Hatch on "Call Me"
Joop:
> I completely agree with you on this one Mick. I am also looking for
> the Keely Smith-version. Yet without result. Here's some more info
> on "Call me":
> http://www.originals.be/eng/main.cfm?c=t_upd_show&id=826
Simon White:
> Are we sure Mr Hatch recorded it with Keely Smith, or just wrote
> it for her?
I interviewed Tony Hatch a while back. One of these days I'll make
the whole thing available on S'pop. In the meantime . . . there's a
service I can render. HA! Here's what the great man told me about
"Call Me":
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Keely Smith was on US Reprise and her fiancé/boyfriend was Jimmy
Bowen, who was a producer at the label. Reprise was distributed by
Pye in the UK. Jimmy asked me to write a song which Keely could
record with me in London. It was "Call Me", which we did Latin style
with a big band. It was difficult working with another producer but
we got through it. Knowing the record wasn't going to be released I
asked Petula Clark to sing it on her first album after "Downtown".
>From that LP Chris Montez recorded it and it was a hit in the USA.
Lulu also released a good version for Decca in the UK but it wasn't
a hit."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 20
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 14:45:32 -0400
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Call Me Again
Simon White wrote:
> Incidently, I have here a disco version of "Call Me" on Pye by
> Family Affair, led by Jackie Trent, which doesn't work on any level
Well I like it, does that count? Anyway, The New Classic Singers did
a wordless version on Capitol, FYI.
JB
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Message: 21
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:49:03 +0100
From: Various
Subject: Re: New Motown remixes
Several posts on the same subject - no more please:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey Artie, While I definitely empathize with your take on this, I see
the re-mixes as a tribute, not an attempt to improve on the
originals. Prior to finding the website, I had read an article
interviewing the DJ/remixers on the process in Keyboard magazine, and
I saw how they were in awe & respect of the care taken with the
originals. They looked for juicy bits & pieces to highlight as part
of their tracks. For instance, that soloed guitar passage on the
beginning of #1 was awesome to hear for me.
I too still prefer the originals, but its fun to hear inside the
little sonic secrets. More a diversion than a competitor. Just
another perspective...
Alan O'Day
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading through some of the posts on this subject, I keep coming back
to Artie Wayne's original comments, to the effect that he as one with
first hand knowledge as to how hard those classic mixes came now feels
distress in seeing them cast aside in pursuit of a more *modern*
approach - I guess he felt the originals were seen as not cutting it
with a younger audience.
Sometimes I feel as if I were a contemporary *name* artist, it'd be
fun to throw in a DVD full of mp3's of individual tracks from the CD
it came with: cue up all the tracks simulateously in Adobe Audition
(or some other "studio" wav editor) and voila! - the multi is there on
your computer, ready for you to remix as you will. Obviously such a
move wouldn't replace the official version, but it'd be fascinating to
hear what people would do with it.
Admittedly I haven't heard the project in question, but I think it
bears mention that for it to have happened at all the originals had to
stand the test of time. We can bitch about, say, Akon "defiling" "Mr.
Lonely", but that record wouldn't exist at all if Akon hadn't been
aware of Bobby Vinton's original to begin with - a note that flies
comfortingly in the face of the image of young kids for whom the world
that was here before them is at best irrelevant. If young remixers
want to put their stamp on the legendary Motown catalog, to me that's
a testimony as to how a legend lives on beyond it's time. Which is
more than I can probably say for the new mixes themselves - and I dare
suggest that applies to the remixer's own bodies of work as well.
Looking at it that way, the tribute aspect of the project is that it
stood out enough to have happened at all.
Joe Nelson
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Harvey wrote:
> I'll second that. It seems too many of today's "artists" are all too
> willing to ride on the coattails of previous generations and then
> take credit. Sampling is just a nicer way of saying stealing.
Perhaps you mean "Sampling illegally ...," as in a great many cases
the samples are legitimately licensed and paid for.
--Phil Milstein
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have no thoughts at all on the "Motown Remixed" album project. I
reviewed it for 'manifesto' magazine a few issue ago and this is the
last paragraph:
"Of course most readers here will know the originals and it's
difficult to make comparisons. Purists will quite reasonably argue
that they don't need to be tampered with, but that argument misses
the point. Some of these tracks are nearly forty years old and
technology has moved on. You couldn't play the original 1973 version
of 'Keep On Truckin" to a club full of eighteen year olds, but these
remixed versions may well get their attention, and that can only be
a good thing because they may well go back and appreciate the talent
that Eddie was, that Edwin was, that Marvin, Smokey, Gladys and so
many others in the Motown galaxy were. Plus it might give them the
idea that a writing melody isn't a crime ! Overall I think the
ballads work best here, but it's an interesting project and one you
need to hear and make up your own mind."
Anyway, what's not on the album, but is on a recent UK Tamla Motown
45 is a butched-up version of Diana Ross And The Supremes' "Honey
Bee" which stays true to the era in which it originated and truly
"kicks arse". I can say arse because it's not rude in any other
language and we British here don't mind it because we're liberals.
Simon White
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Harvey wrote:
> It seems too many of today's "artists" are all too willing to ride
> on the coattails of previous generations and then take credit.
> Sampling is just a nicer way of saying stealing.
Au contraire, mon frere! Not in the least because, if nothing else,
there's a good chance that at least the publishing company, the
record company, and the artist of record (in, I'm guessing, order of
amount of compensation) are getting paid for it (Clyde Stubblefield
notoriously excepted, but that's both the industry's and the law's
fault, not everyone's who's ever sampled his break from "Funky
Drummer").
And even if and when they're not (which seems increasingly rarer and
rare these days, especially on any releases that actually achieve any
notoriety, make any money), records people might never otherwise have
heard, that might never have been much heard again, are kept in, even
brought back into circulation. A favorite 45 'round these parts, for
example, is Maggie Thrett's "Soupy" (q.v.), but I doubt we'd have ever
even come across it had it not been for De la Soul's "Jenifa (Taught
Me)."
When has pop music ever clearly, unbambigously, inarguably NOT been
about repetition, appropriation, recontextualization, recycling,
imitation, homage, et al., i.e., "stealing" de facto, if not de jure
(and even then ...)? How many, say, blues and/or I-IV-V(-IV)
progressions have y'all heard in your lifetimes? Will you, in the
end? And have you written off, say, "La Bamba" and "Twist and Shout"
and "Louie Louie" and "Hang On Sloopy" and "Juicy" and ... and ... as
a result? And so on ...
Do note that many of the tracks by the artists I presume you are
scare-quoting above ultimately bear rather little resemblance to the
ones they sample, beyond that moment of the break or hook or vocal or
bassline et al. (interesting as well that people rarely complain
about breakbeat samples vs. melodic ones of whatever stripe as well,
but such are the prejudices of western music).
Sampling is simply a new way of making music, is all. Instrumental
proficiency doesn't hurt, I don't argue that, but it's hardly been a
prerequisite for recording a great pop (Spectro- or otherwise)
record. Me, I've a clutch of Rickenbackers (Pete Townshend/Paul
Weller, me) that I've been sorely neglecting since the 20th century,
but I wish I had the ear and the turntable skills of hip-hop
acquaintances in town as well.
There's a pecking order here. Classicists look down on jazzbos,
jazzbos look down on rockers, rockers look down on pop stars, not to
mention the electronicists and turntablists, they all have their
internal hierarchies as well, they all look down on C&W in the
meantime, they complain about the lack of technical competence and
musical complexity on the way down, and deride the the lack of
relevance, innovation and "authenticity" on the way up.
It's so-called "smooth jazz" (it's not the smooth I necessarily
contest there) that sets me a-sniffin', so ... but perahps take a
listen to and appreciate the complexities of, say, The Beastie Boys'
Paul's Boutique (the Sgt. Pepper of sampling) or De La Soul's Three
Feet High and Rising (if there ever was a Spectrohiphop LP) or Public
Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Miilions to Hold Us Back or DJ Shadows'
Endtroducing or ... before writing off the practice.
Okay, this morning's rant now out of the way ...
Dave Monroe
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Doug Carey wrote:
> We have the original works. These remixes are not desecrating
> hallowed ground. I feel they pay homage to the originals while
> moving forward.
Also, think about young people who haven't been exposed to the
originals as much as people who lived through it. Sure, we still have
oldies radio - but how many people under 304 or 40 are listening to
it (I'm 24 and I am, but most of my friends stick to contemporary
stations). If an interesting remix is given a spin in the clubs or on
a contemporary station, it might convince someone to take an interest
in the originals. I'm not a huge fan of hip hop, but I do think
sampling and remixes are interesting ideas. If it's a recognizable
hook, a big hip hop hit can spark new interest in an old song. BTW, I
really enjoyed the Jackson 5 "I Want You Back" remix. But I wasn't so
crazy about some of the others.
Will Stos : )
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Phil X Milstein:
> Amazing that, in the days before studios had a gazillion processing
> choices and automated fader-riding, the mixdown engineers could
> still manage to pump out that many alternate versions. I suppose it
> goes to show, given the virtually infinite amount of choices
> available for each recording, how much of an alchemical art it can
> be to find the "perfect" mixing combination.
We tend to forget, in this modern era in which a single recording gets
remixed for half a dozen different markets (each tailored to sound
appropriate for the market: steel guitars for country, a drum machine
for pop, doubling up the snares for dance, etc) that the word "remix"
originally had a very different meaning. The "re" in remix simply
denoted that the new tape was a rerecording of the contents of another
tape. Since the new tape captured indifinitely the a mixdown of a
multi-channeled tape, the "re" recording was of a "re"mix, from the
very begining. The remixes weren't necessarily as radical as they are
today: it was usually just a matter of someone saying "I was
concentrating so much on bringing the voocal up that I forgot to pull
down the strings, so lets roll the tape and try to get it right this
time".
I spent much of the 90's recording my demos on an analog eight track
machine, mixing through a small 8x4x1 board (if I wanted to use both
sets of outputs I had to channel them in stereo pairs to a small disco
mixer I had and record the stereo output from that). Very simple and
lo-tech, and yet I remember spending hours mixing, usually with a
clear idea of what I had to do but frequently forgetting to tweak an
EQ here or fading in too late there: sometimes I'd go back several
days later when I heard something in the *final* result that I didn't
like. No automation - if anything aided by a lot of note taking while
I worked. Today I'm working on the computer, recording with Adobe
Audition 1.5 and mixing as I go along. A world of new possibilities,
and boring as hell. The new stuff has the sound, but the older days
captured the magic.
Joe Nelson
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:16:22 -0000
From: Will Stos
Subject: Re: ANOTHER girl group box?
Steve Crump wrote:
> And finally, I have just read that there may be ANOTHER girl group
> box set in preparation or on the way. This one is a 4-CD set from
> Universal Music.
I'm salivating at the thought! I really enjoyed the Growin's Up Too
Fast Anthology that was out a few years back. As for tracks, I hope
they dust off some Royalettes tracks. Some personal favs are "It's A
Big Mistake" and "I Don't Want To Be The One."
Will : )
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 23
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 13:04:15 EDT
From: John Black
Subject: Re: ANOTHER girl group box?
Steve Crump wrote:
> And finally, I have just read that there may be ANOTHER girl group
> box set in preparation or on the way. This one is a 4-CD set from
> Universal Music.
Some tracks I'd like to see included:
Kapp--"Patch It Up" by Linda Scott
Mercury--"Here He Comes Now" by The Secrets
Dot--stuff by Carol Jarvis ("Whirlpool of Love")
John Black
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:34:08 -0000
From: Mark Maldwyn
Subject: Re: Gillian Hills
Andres wrote:
> I've bought this CD by Gillian Hills. And what a pic on the cover!
> http://tinyurl.com/92eyo She's the one with black hair in that
> famous scene from Blow Up where the photographer is having fun with
> two beauties (the other one Jane Birkin - blond). She also took
> part in Clockwork Orange as Sonnietta (episode).
Did Gillian Hills only record one British 45? If so one side of is
included on RPM's Dream Babe 5. Gillian also pops up in The world of
Jackie Lee on the cover versions section.
Mark M
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
End
