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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 9 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Sue Thompson's "Walkin' My Baby"
From: Mick Patrick
2. The Hearts LP
From: Mick Patrick
3. Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
From: Tom Taber
4. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by The Bachs Lunch in musica
From: David A. Young
5. Re: One Kiss . . . Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found
From: Mark Frumento
6. Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
From: Al Quaglieri
7. You'll Never Walk Alone
From: Ken Charmer
8. Re: City Zu "Give A Little Bit"
From: Billy G Texas
9. Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
From: Clark Besch
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:48:46 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Sue Thompson's "Walkin' My Baby"
Al Kooper:
> How about a thread of famous cover battles ?????
Austin Powell:
> ...Carol Deene covered both "Sad Movies" and "Norman" from
> Sue Thompson...
I was transfixed on the bus ride home this evening by a woman
who looked the dead spit of Sue Thompson, the 1965 version.
I'd imagine she was aiming for the Nancy Sinatra look, but the
frills weren't quite right. She ruined the fantasy totally
when she opened her trap. Oh well. Anyway, I have a Sue
Thompson-related question. But first, some background...
To the fans of SUE THOMPSON, who scored her first hit in 1961
with 'Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)', she was a pop princess with a
baby doll voice. Little did they know that she was a 36-year-
old thrice-married mom who had been in showbiz since the late
1940s.
She was born Eva Sue McKee on a farm just outside Nevada,
Missouri. Barely surviving the Depression, the family upped
sticks for Sheridan, California before settling in San Jose in
time for Sue's graduation. By 1948 she had married, given birth
to a child and divorced.
For years Sue had dreamed of a career in music. She entered and
won a beauty contest, the prize a two-week engagement at a
local vaudeville theatre. That first engagement opened the door
to nightclub gigs, where western swing band maestro Dude Martin
caught Sue's act and invited her to guest on his TV show. So
positive was the response that he signed her up as a regular.
Adopting the surname Thompson, Sue made her debut on wax in
1950 with Martin's Roundup Gang on Mercury, not long after her
employer had become her second husband, but the marriage proved
an unhappy one. After their divorce Sue married veteran singer
Hank Penny.
Pacting with Decca, she recorded both solo and with husband
number three, but her few releases went nowhere. Her next
chance to record, as Taffy Thomas on Columbia in 1960, was
fleeting.
In 1961 Sue Thompson made her bow on Hickory Records with
'Angel, Angel', but it fell to composer John D. Loudermilk to
come up with a sophomore release that would propel her
chartwards. He delivered 'Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)', which
hurtled into the Top 5. For a few years the hits kept coming
with 'Norman', 'Have A Good Time', 'James (Hold The Ladder
Steady)' and 'Paper Tiger', the latter proving to be her last
pop charter.
The little lady stuck with the 'now' sound through 1965 for
striking follow-ups like 'It's Break-Up Time', 'Sweet Hunk Of
Misery' and 'WALKIN' MY BABY'. The latter, written by
brothers Dean and Mark Mathis of the Newbeats, and previously
waxed by the Trashmen and Allen Wayne, was clearly a song with
hit potential, yet not one of Sue's slick decks clicked.
By now her marriage to Hank Penny had ended. In 1966 Sue went
to Vietnam to entertain the troops but was exposed to Agent
Orange while there, resulting in years of ill health.
Clearly a woman with staying power, she returned to the
spotlight in the 1970s with a series of hits on the Country
charts. Sue's long association with Hickory continued until
1976.
Today, after swearing off men forever, the gal with the baby
doll voice is happily ensconced in Las Vegas with husband number
four.
Anyway, getting back to that question. I'm itching to hear the
song 'WALKIN' MY BABY' by the Trashmen and/or Allen Wayne. How
do these compare to Sue's version? Are either available on CD?
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 21:43:37 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: The Hearts LP
Dear Abby,
Here's one for our hard-core girl groupies.
On re-reading John Clemente's fab book Girl Groups, I noticed
that he lists in his discography of the Hearts an LP, "I Feel
So Good", released on the Zell's label in 1970.
Does anyone out there have a copy of the long-player? I hope
so. If so, I'd love to know the complete track list please. A
scan of the album's cover would be great too.
Can anyone help?
If not, I'll go eat worms!
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 11:58:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> "Odd And Obscure" is an intriguing name for a commercial, AM
> radio show. Just how odd and obscure did Mr. Donovan's playlist
> get?
I know Joe often played stuff that I'd seen in my Whitburn
"Bubbling Under" book. I will always be grateful to that show, as
in the spring and summer of 1990 I had a great deal of trouble
sleeping through the night. I was going through my second bout
with M.S. (though it wouldn't be diagnosed for another decade -
it was easier just to label me crazy!), and when I'd wake up after
a few hours of sleep, I was reassured by the knowledge that I
could "improve my time" by giving over my half-awake self to 840's
"Odd and Obscure" on my Sony MW-40 with headphones. It was a sad
day when WHAS became just another AM station a few years later.
Tom Taber
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 23:21:54 -0000
From: David A. Young
Subject: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by The Bachs Lunch in musica
Greetings,
Having made an mp3 of the above-mentioned song at James's request,
I thought others here might like to hear it as well. Both sides of
the single, which is attributed to a pseudonymous Cookies in
Spectropop's archives, are produced by Carole King. The label,
Tomorrow, is distributed by Cameo Parkway.
The disc is not mentioned in the Cookies chapter of John Clemente's
"Girl Groups," though I think it's them. One record that is listed
there is a 1963 effort by them as The Stepping Stones, "I Got My
Job Through The New York Times"/"The Nearness of You," on Philips
40108. Anybody have those and willing to share, please?
Thanks and enjoy,
David A. Young
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 01:01:58 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Re: One Kiss . . . Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found
Martin Roberts wrote:
> It's unlike anything I've seen previously: camp, kitsch, bizarre,
> zany, all of these and more, you've got to see it to believe it!
> How, though, is a real man meant to walk up to a record counter
> and buy a copy?
You don't. You buy it on-line like I did!
This box set should win some kind of design award, if there is such
a thing. I haven't even played it yet and it seems to be worth every
penny. One little observation: even a girl singer novice like me
knows that Mark Wirtz didn't produce Peanut's 'Thank Goodness for the
Rain.' There's not one banjo to be found in the recording. Thank
goodness, however that 'Daddy You Just Gotta Let Him In' finally made
it to CD! Bless the compilers!
Mark F.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 14:43:05 -0400
From: Al Quaglieri
Subject: Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> "Odd And Obscure" is an intriguing name for a commercial, AM
> radio show. Just how odd and obscure did Mr. Donovan's playlist
> get?
I would routinely hear records I never knew existed, which was
pretty amazing.
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 19:29:35 +0200
From: Ken Charmer
Subject: You'll Never Walk Alone
Just to confirm as a lifelong Liverpulian that Gerry and the
Pacemakers version of the above is the anthemn of LFC. It was
adopted when it came out in the 60's (I know cos I was there)
and is played (and sung) before every home game since.
Walk on...
Ken Charmer
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 04:42:28 -0000
From: Billy G Texas
Subject: Re: City Zu "Give A Little Bit"
John Berg wrote:
> There is lots of unreleased City Zu music from the '60s and
> early '70s on tape; it just takes someone willing to invest a
> few thousand dollars to release a proper compilation CD. Jerry
> himself is always looking forward, not back, so he will not
> likely undertake such a project himself but would love to see
> it happen.
I wonder if Sundazed could take that project on, did the group cut
mostly songs in the vien of "Give A Little Bit" or harder rocking
material.
BTW just posted "Give A Little Bit" to Musica for anyone curious.
I have not seen it comped or reissued anywhere..Great mid 60's pop.
Billy G.
http://listen.to/jangleradio
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 05:38:32 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Re: Joe Donovan, DJ
It's amazing to me that Joe's show in the middle of the night could
create SO many memories. One thing I was VERY happy about was when
I started working second shift and could get off work at 11 and tune
in to Joe on my way home. Work on stuff at home and go to sleep
with the transistor and listen to "Odd & obscure" at 3 AM! It was
the closest thing to my childhood days that I could think of. I
think my brother first made me aware of his show in the mid-80's! I
first heard some songs on his show--most memorable was Claudine
Longet's "Think of rain", which he played every once in awhile. He
played lots of stuff that did not even bubble under.
His show even brought people together before the internet did so.
One night, he played 2 songs a guy had sent in on a tape recorded of
WLS Chicago. Joe didn't know one of them, but he did know the great
song "Poor Man's Son" (Rockin Berries' version) played on Ron
Riley's British Billboard show. The other, he also played (from the
tape!) and asked if anyone knew the song. I caled in and told him I
could send the guy a copy and Joe asked "Do you have one for me?" I
DID! The song--"Don't You Know" by Keith Everett. The guy with the
WLS tape and me have been friends since! Joe did a great service to
anyone who listened!
Clark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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