Spectropop - Digest Number 2031

• From: Spectropop Group
• Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005

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               SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 12 messages in this issue.


Topics in this digest:

      1. Tony Hatch Competition
           From: Mick Patrick 
      2. Re: Vinnie Bell
           From: Joe Nelson 
      3. Re: Link Wray or Way
           From: Steve Harvey 
      4. Re: Bryan MacLean
           From: Steve Harvey 
      5. Re: The current Love
           From: Scott Charbonneau 
      6. Re: Chris Montez
           From: Rob 
      7. Bob Crewe and Oliver
           From: Rob 
      8. Re: The current Love
           From: John DeAngelis 
      9. Re: Lesley Gore's "Small Talk"
           From: Anthony Parsons 
     10. Re: "Soldier Boy"s
           From: Chris 
     11. Re: The Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce's band)
           From: Various 
     12. Re: Eighteen year olds
           From: Various 


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Message: 1
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 17:30:27 +0100
   From: Mick Patrick 
Subject: Tony Hatch Competition

I have on my desk a copy of "HATCHBOX", a recent release on Castle 
Music/Sanctuary. The box contains six albums by Tony Hatch - "The 
Tony Hatch Sound", "A Latin Happening", "Beautiful In The Rain", 
"The Two Of Us", "Sounds Of The Seventies" and "Hit The Road To 
Themeland" - each packaged in a mini-replica of its original artwork. 
Tony's recollections of each of the LPs are contained in the booklet. 
The box set could be yours if you can answer the following question.

Last week I reviewed three CDs by John Carter for the S'pop 
Recommends section. If you've not read the review, find it here:
http://www.spectropop.com/recommends/index2005.htm#JohnCarter
My question is this: why is the middle one of those three CDs so 
titled?

Best correct answer wins "Hatchbox". By "best" I mean interesting, 
informative and witty - preferably all three.

Hey la,

Mick Patrick




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Message: 2         
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 13:42:56 -0400
   From: Joe Nelson 
Subject: Re: Vinnie Bell

Al Kooper:
> Vinnie (Bell) built his own pedals to get his unique underwater 
> sound, BTW. That's why it was unique. Nobody else had the pedals.

The pop mix of Shania Twain's "You're Still The One" has a simiular
guitar sound during the solo (the straight country mix has a pedal
steel). Did Vinnie play that, or is the secret out of the bag?

Joe Nelson





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Message: 3         
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 10:59:08 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Steve Harvey 
Subject: Re: Link Wray or Way

Norm D Plume wrote:
> The recent postings about Link Wray coincided with an advertising 
> card I just found poked through my door for a local cab firm called
> ....Link Way. I once, also, saw a courier firm called Quicksilver 
> Messenger Service. Any other examples of like this (intended or 
> otherwise)?

As a kid who read Marvel comics Stan Lee, the founder, was the man. 
Years later I discovered a produce company called Stanley Marvel. I 
wonder if there will be "Rumblings" over the car firm's use of Link's 
name. 

Steve Harvey





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Message: 4         
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 11:05:42 -0700 (PDT)
   From: Steve Harvey 
Subject: Re: Bryan MacLean

The first time I met Arthur Lee was at the Chestnut Cabaret in the 
90s. While having him sign my Elektra albums I asked, "Where's Bryan 
MacLean these days?". Arthur "Mr. Flip" Lee sarcastically replied,  
"He's over there (a word for self-entertaining)!"  I returned with, 
"You better hope not because he's standing next to your luggage". 
Arthur cracked up laughing. The fact that he was willing to take a 
joke put him high esteem in my book. For a long time I thought maybe 
Bryan and him were on the outs, but he always acknowledges Bryan's 
contribution when I see him. They also did that live album which came 
out on a Rhino picture disc years ago. That should be reissued.

Steve Harvey




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Message: 5         
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 18:11:22 -0000
   From: Scott Charbonneau 
Subject: Re: The current Love

There is too much to go into here as to why Arthur Lee and the Love 
Band, as they have taken to calling themslves now, have parted ways. 
Check out http:// love.torbenskott.dk. Click on the link to the 
August 8 newsletter from the band. Also, click on the link to Mike 
Randall's diaries from the month of July (around the 23rd or so - the 
piece is called "All For Nothing, Nothing For All."). 

Scott




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Message: 6         
   Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:29:02 -0000
   From: Rob 
Subject: Re: Chris Montez

I've been curious about Chris' music for a long time......last week I 
got a mint copy of his The More I See You LP......very intriguing and 
enjoyable......definitely a unique voice...kind of a male Astrud 
Gilberto....I'm not really interested in the Monogram material, but 
want to get a hold of his other 3 A&M LPs......those Japanese CDs are 
beyond my wallet's reach right now.

Rob





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Message: 7         
   Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:46:16 -0000
   From: Rob 
Subject: Bob Crewe and Oliver

All this talk about Bob Crewe......does anyone have any stories or 
inside info on Oliver or the Oliver/Crewe pairing? Bob produced his 
first 2 LP's. There's so little info around on Oliver...anything 
would be appreciated, thanks.....also, there's not one official 
Oliver CD on the market....sad really, as I believe him to be an 
extremely underrated talent.

Rob




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Message: 8         
   Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:55:05 -0000
   From: John DeAngelis 
Subject: Re: The current Love

My comments were directed to the fact that Florence said "Love IS 
Arthur Lee. ALWAYS WAS (my emphasis), always will be." Bryan 
MacLean's songs prove that that comment isn't a true representation 
of the old Love. And I've heard stories that Johnny Echols hasn't 
gotten some of the credit due him, either. As for the current band, 
I wouldn't make any assumptions good or (especially) bad about what 
their future capabilities might be. I just wish them the best.

peace & music,
John DeAngelis




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Message: 9         
   Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 20:10:09 -0500
   From: Anthony Parsons 
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore's "Small Talk"

John H:
> I've always been delighted by this obscure Lesley gem [Small Talk].
> Soft pop with a wistful touch. Sadly, it sounds so *quiet* amongst 
> the surrounding songs on the Mercury Anthology collection. Does 
> anyone know if there's a remastered, ie. louder, version on any 
> other collections? Also, I know this song wasn't a hit for LG, but 
> I believe it's one of her best and was wondering if anyone has any 
> backstory on its recording. Thanks!

I don't believe anyone ever answered this post, so I'm going to now.  
I just did back to back to back comparisons of the Mercury Anthology 
version and the Bear Family box set version with the version found on 
the Australian CD  compilation Start The Party Again.  At first I was 
confused because the Australian CD version is so much stronger 
sounding, I thought it was a case of mono vs. stereo. , But after 
repeated listening to all 3 versions, I conclude there is only a 
single mono mix and the Australian version is just mastered way  
better.  The Mercury and Bear Family versions sound identical to me.  

The Start The Party Again CD also has mono mixes of Brink Of Disaster 
with a longer fade than any other version, and a stunning-in-mono 
Summer And Sandy.  When the bass on the latter comes in at the 
beginning, it rocks the room!  Sonically, most of the cuts on this CD 
seem superior to other releases, especially What's A Girl Supposed To 
Do which has much-improved bottom range sound, and No Matter What You 
Do, which really swings.  

So if you don't have this CD, I highly recommend it.  

Sincerely,

Antone

P.S.  Lesley Gore is Antone's all time favorite artist!




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Message: 10        
   Date: Mon, 15 Aug 2005 06:02:35 -0000
   From: Chris 
Subject: Re: "Soldier Boy"s

Phil M:
> The Shirelles answered their own hit with "(Mama) My Soldier Boy Is 
> Coming Home," on Scepter 12123. The flip was "Soldier Boy" -- was 
> that the same version as the original hit, or a remake?

Steve Fuji and I were sorting through a friend's collection last 
Friday and found this record - yes, the flip is the original version.

--Chris




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Message: 11        
   Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2005 09:41:03 -0400
   From: Various 
Subject: Re: The Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce's band)

Several posts on the same subject:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Havers:
> ... the Beach Boys (Mike and Bruce's band) in London last year ... 
> were outstanding, with wonderful harmonies, and had far from 
> degenerated. Indeed even die hard Beach Boy fans not known for 
> their love of Mike Love were even highly complimentary. Their set 
> list as well as containing the usual suspects, ran to 54 songs most 
> nights - shows lasted 2 hours and 30 - 40 minutes (without a 
> break!). Highlights, for me at least, were:- Bluebirds over the 
> Mountain, Kiss me baby The Warmth of the Sun, Please Let me wonder, 
> Darlin', You Still believe in Me, Don't worry Baby, Their Hearts 
> Were full Of Spring, Til I Die, Disney Girls, Come Go With Me, God 
> Only Knows, Sail On Sailor, All Summer Long, and even Little St 
> Nick. The quality of the playing was excellent and the additional 
> vocals of Randell Kirsch, Scott Totten, Chris Farmer and John 
> Cowsill were all of the highest quality.

I'm happy to learn that, Richard, and I thank you for the correct 
information. I've always admired Bruce's talents and his significant 
contributions to the band. It's nice to know that they have all found 
their niche.  A happy ending for all. Thanks for the update.

Florie Gray
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Havers:
> Brian Wilson was a genius, and it is a miracle that he is out there
> performing so well with a band of excellent musicians. Let's not
> forget that the Mike and Bruce Beach Boys give many thousands of
> people a great deal of enjoyment at a hundred plus shows a year. For
> me it's no different to seeing McCartney doing Beatles tunes at Live
> 8 - for which he drew little or no criticism.

I agree with most of what you said except that McCartney was the
original singer on the songs he sung. When a group replaces its 
original singer with a new person, that's when it loses its appeal to 
me.

Bill Mulvy 
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Havers:
> Brian Wilson was a genius ... 

I nominated him for Man Of The 20th Century while on vacation 
listening to my CD-R of Beach Boy Ballads and Instros. 

James Botticelli
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm no huge fan of Mike Love's but I have to agree with your 
statement Bruce J and Mike do a good job of recreating the sound 
much better than Al Jardine and his group and Brian Wilson on his 
Smile tour is stupendous. I have never seen someone like Brian come 
out of an overweight and deep depression and do what he is doing now.
All of the surviving Beach Boys are to be commended.

Stephanie
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Funny you should mention the Beach Boys Lite! A friend of mine got to 
meet Bruce when the Beach Boys played Lancaster, PA. He was an ill 
mood after hearing someone refer to his current outfit as "a Beach 
Boys cover band". Maybe he should throw his lot in with the Ripchords 
since there is one original member left?

Steve Harvey 
----------------------------------------------------------------------











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Message: 12        
   Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2005 09:44:37 -0400
   From: Various 
Subject: Re: Eighteen year olds

Find below several posts on the same subject. No more please, as 
this thread is now closed. Thanks. 

S'pop
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will Stos wrote:
> I'm sure you'd be surprised what you'd find in the average 18-25
> year old's record/MP3 collection.

I think he's right. PJ Rourke wrote an article years ago that 
suggested that if boomers went to college wearing zoot suits and 
singing Sinatra melodies they'd be laughed off campus. But today's 
kids are exposed to a lot of history musically speaking. Last night I 
went to see Mark Wahlberg in Four Brothers. I had had him as a 
student back in '82-'83. The soundtrack to the film was nothing but 
old Motown and soul. My 13 year old knows and loves lots and lots of 
oldies as a matter of course. I was having dinner with her on 
Thursday and asked her what she wanted to do this weekend. Her 
answer? "I wanna be sedated!!"

James Botticelli
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It reminds me of the story of Bob Horn wanting to play big band music 
to the teens on the original American Bandstand. Just to show them 
what mom and pop listened to in their teens. No wonder Dick Clark 
took off after Bob was eased out of the picture.

Steve Harvey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Movie soundtracks and satellite radio are the two great hopes for
exposure of 60s music.

Bill Mulvy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kingsley Abbott wrote:
> Whilst we all appreciate that technology and musical genres move on 
> all the time, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. A 
> good record is a good record, and I see no reason why eighteen year 
> olds, or those of Uni student age should not appreciate a wide 
> variety of what has preceeded their generation.

I agree with the notion that 'a good 'un is a good 'un' but I think 
the difficulty for anyone looking back over the decades is to somehow 
imbibe the spirit of the time that was an essential ingredient of the 
music. Music is cultural history, not just music in so many instances.

I think the key here is exposure, and not just to one off records or 
to individual artists. I think there is the ability to build on a 
liking for a particular track or artist from years before into a more 
fulsome appreciation of a genre or an era of music. I know my own 
love of the Blues has been a steady learning curve that was first 
ignited by the Wolf and Muddy.

> Many of my own childrens friend's regularly come and listen to items
> from my collection - I reckon that my sons band may be the only UK
> acts ever to have covered The Millennium's To Claudia...

I've no doubts at all that exposure leads to a love for a particular 
song, but I do think at times it can need some consistent exposure.

> Maybe us S'Pop's members owe it to the kids of today to expose them
> to some of the great music that we love....

I think any art form needs champions and I've no doubt that we can 
influence what younger generations perhaps listen too, and then come 
to appreciate. However, let's not forget that most of us on this list 
are old farts who have a nostalgic love of the past. That isn't to 
say that I don't like some of what I hear from today. If I can stop 
myself from saying "that reminds me of such and such" I often ending 
up liking it more! The place of music in our cultural history is much 
reduced from what it was in the 60s, and 50s....and even 70s. Travel 
has made the world a much smaller place and there's no doubt that 
some of the appeal of artists from across the Atlantic (no matter 
which side you were on) was that they had something mysterious about 
them. I've never doubted that the whole California, sun and surf 
lifestyle was a strong draw for me, although harmony singing was 
something that I loved from singing in a choir. The internet has been 
a huge boon, but at the same time it, along with satellite TV, takes 
mystery away and drops cultural barriers. Clearly this applies on a 
geo-political level just as it does to music.

In my opinion what needs to happen, more than anything else, is for 
radio to get back to the days of having DJs who love the music and 
pick what is played (again the internet could be so important here). 
Programmed garbage, with presenters who are either just going through 
the motions or are more interested in the sound of their own, often 
un-funny voices has been a catastrophe!

I think I'll shut up now

Richard Havers
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, now I feel like I must contribute a little story to this 
thread. I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. It was early 
1999 and we were having "Senior Week," with all sorts of themed days 
for my graduating class. One of these days was "Summer In February" 
day. During lunch period, we were all gathered in the cafeteria 
dressed out of season and dancing to summery music. Since I always 
carried Gene Pitney tapes in my backpack in those days (seriously!), 
I just so happened to have his marvelous "Summertime Dreaming" on 
hand and mustered up the nerve to ask the girl who was monitoring 
the music if I could add that song to the playlist. She told me that 
some other people had already reserved space on the hit parade but I 
might get a chance afterwards. Well, the next song she played was 
some rap tune that dropped the F-bomb very loudly in the first line--
needless to say, THAT shut everything down for a moment.

In the midst of the chaos, I slipped in "Summertime Dreaming." 
People looked a bit perlexed by it, asking "What's THIS?"--but they 
were DANCING to it! Unfortunately, a small contingent of girls who 
had wasted their youths having hopeless crushes on me (I, finding 
them repulsive, had never given them the time of day) complained 
loudly about MY tape being in the machine, pulled it out, and 
inserted something contemporary. Heavy sighs. 

The Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA" did get full play earlier that day, 
however.

S.J. Dibai
----------------------------------------------------------------------
My 15-year-old nephew Greg, while certainly languishing in his 
appreciation for (much of) everything that passes for cool or trendy 
in pop music of the 21st century, appears to be going through a Led 
Zeppelin & other "classic rock" phase, focusing particularly on the 
early 7Ts. I don't know how much of it he's drank in at this point 
because I'm getting the information mainly from my sister; but he 
perked up when I mentioned groups such as The Who and The Kinks. I 
think it helps that my brother-in-law, Dave, is 50 and has always 
been a musician with a very deep love for all late 6Ts and early-to-
mid-7Ts pop and rock. Greg's younger brother Michael, 12, is still 
into groups like Green Day and My Chemical Romance--it could be a lot 
worse!!! At least those groups have a sound!!! BTW I recently heard 
"Stacy's Mom" by the Fountains of Wayne for the first time. 
Everything IMO sounds better at karaoke, but I tink I lock it! 

Bobster
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will wrote:
> I'm sure you'd be surprised what you'd find in the average 18-25 
> year old's record/MP3 collection.

Will - I am uplifted! Cookies, 40s Jazz and lots of other things too 
no doubt - the future is in safe hands!

Kingsley
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Kingsley Abbott wrote:
> This raises an interesting point to my mind: Whilst we all
> appreciate that technology and musical genres move on all the time,
> we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. A good record is
> a good record, and I see no reason why eighteen year olds, or those
> of Uni student age should not appreciate a wide variety of what has
> preceeded their generation.

I think we all start out in life essentially solipsistic, concerned 
with the world outside ourselves only insofar as it might effect us 
directly. As we grow and mature, however, we begin to recognize just 
how interconnected all of life and matter is, and start to spread our
spheres of interest ever farther and wider.

Few history teachers, alas, seem able to draw in their students' 
interest by situating the events under discussion within the context 
of the present-day, contenting themselves instead with the mere 
recitation of names and dates, facts and figures. Indeed, when I was 
a kid I stuffed that crap into my (short-term) memory as well as 
anyone, but I had no idea what any of it meant.

Since contemporary pop music is, by definition, virtually always aimed
at teenagers and young adults, it stands to reason that most people in
that age group will find their musical interests fully occupied by it,
and thus have little need to delve backward in musical time. But, as
they begin to shed their musical solipsism, many people come to 
develop a certain taste for the older stuff (beyond that of nostalgia 
for the music they grew up on), sometimes to the extent that it 
overwhelms nearly all interest in contemporary music (raise your 
hand, all those who see themselves in that).

Thus, it doesn't surprise me to find relatively few kids who don't
object to being fed doses of "historical" music. My strategy is to 
wait 'em out, as sooner or later they'll most likely come around. I 
think For the reasons stated above, though, I think Kingsley has the 
right idea when he says "as long as the context and development is 
explained."

One final note: as much as the pop music of today -- that little of 
it I happen to hear, that is -- leaves me cold, I try not to be 
critical of it, because I'm aware it's not MEANT for me; I'm not 
SUPPOSED to understand it (nor, by extension, like it). And, the kids 
of today are so far-removed from me, culturally-speaking, that it'd 
be nearly impossible to create a record that could appeal (which 
includes "make sense ...") to both them and me, and certainly hardly 
worth trying. But vive le difference, and how does that song go again 
about "the circle of life"? ...

Still, I often wonder if 40 years from now Britney Spears will sound 
as good to the kids who grew up on it as The Shangri-Las, for 
instance, do to us.

Dig,
--Phil Milstein
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Will someone explain to me why (if "Oldies" radio is dying because 
those under 49 don't like it or listen to it, and those 50+ are too 
set in their ways to be advertized to) so many commercials use music 
from 1955 to 1970 to advertize products to those fickle folks under 
age 49???

"Bewildered" Tom Taber
----------------------------------------------------------------------










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