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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 16 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Link Wray, R.I.P.
From: Ayrton Mugnaini
2. Re: Cameo-Parkway
From: Stephen C. Propes
3. Toni Wine / Jersey Boys / Delrons / Whyte Boots / Marcy Jo / Jackie DeShannon
From: S'pop Projects
4. Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
From: Will Stos
5. Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
From: Phil X Milstein
6. Re: Stu Phillips > Carrie Nations > Marcells > Peanut Butter Conspiracy > Ashes
From: Mick Patrick
7. Re: Cameo-Parkway songwriters
From: Paul Oliverio
8. Re: Bernie Felt Pretty Lowe
From: S.J. Dibai
9. Re: Reparata & the Delrons > Producer & Arranger Credits
From: Austin Roberts
10. Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
From: Stephen C. Propes
11. Cameo-Parkway clarifications
From: Frank Young
12. Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
From: Mick Patrick
13. Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls
From: Dennis Hoban
14. Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
From: "Will Stos"
15. Knight Life - The Musical (Jeff Barry)
From: "Laura"
16. Zola Taylor
From: Richard Fannan
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:04:48 -0300 (ART)
From: Ayrton Mugnaini
Subject: Re: Link Wray, R.I.P.
Austin Powell wrote:
> Danish newspaper "Politiken" reported the death of Link Wray
> on 21st November. He'd lived in Copenhagen for much of the
> last 20 years the newspaper said. No cause of death was given.
I found the news below on Wikipedia.
Art and life go on!
Cheerio,
Ayrton
Frederick Lincoln 'Link' Wray Jr (May 2, 1929 – November 5,
2005) was a rock and roll guitar player most noted for
introducing a new sound for electric guitars in his major hit,
the 1958 instrumental "Rumble", by Link Wray and his Ray Men.
Before Rumble, electric guitars were used to produce clean
sounds and jazz chords. Wray made a new sound by inventing
fuzz-tone, adding feedback, distortion and noise. He pioneered
the power chord.
Wray was born in Dunn, North Carolina. It was there that Link
first heard slide guitar at age 8 from a black player named
"Hambone". Link and his family later moved to Norfolk,
Virginia as his father got work in the Navy shipyards. His
family later moved to Washington DC, and from there they moved
to a farm in Accokeek, Maryland. After moving with his parents
to Arizona, Wray joined the US Army and entertained the troops
on the American Forces Network in Germany.
Wray was a veteran of the Korean war, where he contracted
tuberculosis that ultimately cost him a lung and earned him
the nickname, "One-Lung Link". Despite this, on his rare vocal
numbers he displays a range equivalent to Clarence "Frogman"
Henry.
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 20:10:02 -0000
From: Stephen C. Propes
Subject: Re: Cameo-Parkway
Previously:
> Similarly Cameo's garage band/punk material from such as ?
> & The Mysterians and Bob Seeger are well regarded. And the
> bigger hits?
Though these did not originate in the Cameo/Parkway factory, but
were acquired as master buys from smaller regional labels.
As to the sound-a-like factor, according to John Madera, the
label's owner and songwriter Bernie Lowe was a major practicioner
of reworking other people's hits into his label's release schedule.
An early example was his co-comp "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" for
Elvis, which he replicated into his own label's "Fabulous" by
Charlie Gracie.
Madara told me that Lowe was a highly stressed individual, and
after C/P folded, got a much less tense job sorting auto parts.
Seriously.
Steve
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 20:23:40 -0000
From: S'pop Projects
Subject: Toni Wine / Jersey Boys / Delrons / Whyte Boots / Marcy Jo / Jackie DeShannon
New @ S'pop
Toni Wine:
http://www.spectropop.com/ToniWine/index.htm
Jersey Boys:
http://www.spectropop.com/recommends/index2005.htm#JerseyBoys
Reparata & the Delrons:
http://www.spectropop.com/Reparata/index.htm
The Whyte Boots:
http://www.spectropop.com/WhyteBoots/index.htm
Marcy Jo:
http://www.spectropop.com/MarcyJo/index.htm
Jackie DeShannon:
http://www.spectropop.com/recommends/index2005.htm#JackieDeShannon2
Any questions?
Enjoy,
The S'pop Team
Coming soon:
The Orchids
Kim Fowley
and much more
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:07:37 -0000
From: Will Stos
Subject: Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
S.J. Dibai writes:
> In fact, I'm also crazy about going out to a store and buying
> said CD or record. I order online if and when I have to. And
> Will, aren't you a 20-something like me? Hmm--maybe you and I
> can start a backlash against mp3s. The Young Spectropoppers'
> Revolution or some such, LOL.
I'm in! Just like the die-hards who refused to let vinyl die,
we can do our best to keep CDs around! I must admit, vinyl does
have a bit more going for it though. There's the art of
scratching and mixing that just doesn't quite have the same
impact on CDs (although this is more useful to the post-
Spectropop era. Still, holding a tangible object like a CD and
flipping through the liner notes is very satisfying. I also
enjoy going to the store and looking through the stacks. Now
that I have a collection that goes beyond major artists, I find
it increasingly difficult to find good buys at a CD store.
Online retailers have the imports and more obscure stuff. Still,
coming from a smaller city, there was nothing quite like
travelling to the nearest metropolis, heading straight to a big
record store and seeing what I could find. In the days before
the Internet was as advanced as it has become and before I knew
about magazines like Record Collector and DISCoveries, finding
new CDs was also a great surprise! I miss that feeling.
Dave Monroe writes:
> But what I worried about with CDs I worry even more about
> with mp3s, that the ability to select ONLY the tracks one
> thinks at last one wants, certain tracks will simply disappear,
> at least from ready circulation.
I'm of two minds on this. Rarely do I listen to a CD all the way
through any more unless I compile the track list. When I first
get a new CD (whether and album or compilation) I give all the
tracks a couple of listens. Usually there are a few stand-out
tracks that I rip and compile into my own mix tape or
compilation CD. While this might not be that case with great
pieces of work such as the White album or Dusty in Memphis, etc,
a lot of albums are loaded with filler (especially quickie pop
acts). This is why I love the girl groups so much. They were so
single-orientated that every song had to be a hit. Although
some groups put out great album tracks, there was some junk.
With MP3s, as with singles, every song has to be worthwhile. On
these new downloading sites you don't have to buy the whole
album if you don't want to. Some completists will want
everything, and acts that are album-driven will still encourage
you to get the complete album in order, but just imagine not
having to buy the same song over and over again on numerous
compilations to get the few new tunes you want? In fact, the
money you save might be used to buy album tracks you haven't
heard yet. Fans of contemporary music should also delight in
this new form of "single" since CD singles appeared to have
died. But, buying compilations and albums has introduced me to
songs and artists I might have otherwise missed. And some songs
do grow on me after a number of listens. Still, as much as I
appreciate compilers choosing track order, I prefer to mix and
mash my own CDs. I can choose my own songs, an order that
suits my mood, etc. You didn't have this option in the vinyl
era, but those of us who came of age during mix-tape mania
couldn't imagine it any other way. In fact, punk enthusiasts
would often make mix tapes, leave them in public places, and
introduce other people to music you couldn't find on radio.
Now, who wants to guess what satellite radio will add to this
equation?
Will : )
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:02:08 -0500
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: LPs, CDs, MP3s ...
Dave Monroe wrote:
> But what I worried about with CDs I worry even more about with
> mp3s, that the ability to select ONLY the tracks one thinks at
> last one wants, certain tracks will simply disappear, at least
> from ready circulation. ...
Which is why I believe that, if prevailing trends continue, the
music industry will wind up returning to its pre-1967 state in
which the emphasis is on individual songs, rather than the
grouping of them in album form.
Another result could be that, with fewer and fewer companies
being able to remain commercially viable (and few if any new
ones springing up), the industry will take on a much more
grassroots face than it ever has before, with more and more
artists selling homemade albums (in whatever form that may be;
I read in yesterday's paper that the Barenaked Ladies will be
issuing their new album on flashdrive sticks only) from the
bandstand, their website and etc.
Augmenting the latter situation could be the sale of live albums
immediately after the conclusion of a concert. Clear Channel has
already been doing this, and if the experiment succeeds I
imagine other promoters will follow suit.
It's been amusing to see Sony's latest attempt at locking up the
digital realm blow up in their face; however I have no doubt the
majors in general will keep trying, and if they ever get it down
the result will be a return to business-as-usual. However it all
goes down, all these new possibilities will at very least keep
things INTERESTING for observers of the music industry!
Dig,
--Phil M.
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:55:47 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Stu Phillips > Carrie Nations > Marcells > Peanut Butter Conspiracy > Ashes
Stu Phillips (composer of "BTVOTD"):
> To complete the story behind "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls,"
> the only info I can add is that the second vocalist who sang
> with Lynn Carey on the soundtrack was a girl named Barbara
> Robison. At the time, she was the female lead in the Peanut
> Butter Conspiracy (Alan Brackett/John Merrill, etc.) All of
> the back-up harmonies were performed by Lynn and Barbara. Lynn
> Carey has her own website, at http://www.mamalion.com . Barbara
> unfortunately passed away not too long after performing on the
> soundtrack.
Hey Stu, long time...
How uncanny, the two CDs I took with me to play at work yesterday
were "Spreading From The Ashes" by the Peanut Butter Conspiracy
(http://tinyurl.com/928qo) and "The Complete Colpix Sessions" by
the Marcels (http://tinyurl.com/adv78).
"Blue Moon" has earned its "classic" status, but there is so much
more to the Marcels than just that song. I find their recordings
a great blend of the early '60s doo wop, R&B and pop modes -
perfect crossover music. Whoever's idea it was to have the guys
remake "One Last Kiss" (from "Bye Bye Birdie") in the style of
Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans-meet-the Ronettes is obviously some
kind of pop genius. Did you do a lot of work in the R&B idiom,
Stu? If so, any favourites, or stories?
And how hands-on were you in selecting the Marcels' material?
The reason I ask is because the group recorded some songs
written by Pearl Woods, a singer-songwriter in whom I have a
special interest. Did you know Pearl, by any chance?
To those with insatiable appetites for all things Russ Meyer/
Lynn Carey/Carrie Nations/BTVOTD-related, might I recommend Stu's
autobiography "Stu Who? Forty Years of Navigating the Minefields
of the Music Business". Find a review of the book by our own Mike
Edwards here: http://tinyurl.com/72um8 or read more about it at
Stu's site: http://www.stuwho.com/index.html
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy CD is worth getting on the strength
of just one track: the Barbara "Sandi" Robison-led "Is There
Anything I Can Do", a Jackie DeShannon-penned jingle-jangle
Sonny & Cher-style folk rock-meets-Spector nugget cut at Gold
Star in 1966 when they were called the Ashes.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 08:27:51 -0800 (PST)
From: Paul Oliverio
Subject: Re: Cameo-Parkway songwriters
Paul Oliverio wrote:
> Maybe Cameo-Parkway was disparaged because the song that made
> the label famous was composed by a conspicuously non-Cameo-
> Parkway artist. HANK BALLARD wrote "The Twist" and Dick Clark
> had it covered verbatim by Chubby Checker.
Just for the record: Does anyone know the name Rip Spencer?
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:00:11 -0000
From: S.J. Dibai
Subject: Re: Bernie Felt Pretty Lowe
Stephen C. Propes wrote:
> Madara told me that Lowe was a highly stressed individual, and
> after C/P folded, got a much less tense job sorting auto parts.
> Seriously.
I believe it. By mid-1965, when he sold his controlling interest
in C-P, he was fed up with the music business, depressed, and in
poor physical health. He'd always been a notoriously stingy,
paranoid fellow who was constantly preoccupied with losing all
his fortune and being poor again. Just think how devastating it
must have been for him when the events of 1964 unfolded: C-P's
ticket to success had always been "American Bandstand"--which
left Philly high and dry just as the British Invasion was
happening! And Lowe was, by all accounts, painfully conscious of
Motown, so it hurt him to see Motown's popularity skyrocket in
1964 while C-P was tossed aside overnight.
Lowe was clearly not the kind of guy who could move with the
times. C-P had gotten too complacent with the dance craze stuff.
Lowe tried to change the company, but it seemed like he was
changing things only enough to keep them the same. Take "The
81," for instance: not written and produced by Lowe, Mann or
Appell or even cut with the same old session players. But so
what if it was the work of Jerry Ross, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff,
et al? It was still a dance craze record that blatantly ripped
off someone else's song! Lowe just wasn't made for those times.
In reference to his competitor Harold B. Lipsius, he is
believed to have said, "When a lawyer can make money in the
record business, I'm getting out."
All of which brings to mind another Philly record man who got
fed up with the biz: Bernie Binnick. I just did a Spectrosearch
for him and found nothing! I know he did very little in the
music industry after Swan folded, but does anyone know what he
did INSTEAD?
S.J. Dibai
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:12:07 EST
From: Austin Roberts
Subject: Re: Reparata & the Delrons > Producer & Arranger Credits
Bill and Steve Jerome were my first real producers (Phillips)
and, although great, talented guys, they were, shall we say,
from `Far Far Away, in a different galaxy' etc. I loved working
with them in 1968 and 1969.
Happy Thanksgiving to all,
Austin Roberts
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:52:01 -0000
From: Stephen C. Propes
Subject: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
Previously:
> Take (Candy & the Kisses') "The 81," for instance: not
> written and produced by Lowe, Mann or Appell or even cut
> with the same old session players. But so what if it was
> the work of Jerry Ross, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, et al?
> It was still a dance craze record that blatantly ripped
> off someone else's song!
OK, I'll bite. What was the song it "blatantly ripped off"?
...or do I have to play it to find out?
Steve
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Message: 11
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 15:42:47 -0800 (PST)
From: Frank Young
Subject: Cameo-Parkway clarifications
To all who replied to my little screed on Cameo-Parkway:
Thanks for correcting my factual errors. I know very
little about the label's history, and was going
primarily off the records themselves. I didn't know
that "Sheldon-Leon" was really Mann-Appell. Wow! It's
fascinating that. IMO, the stuff they wrote under a
nom de plume is often a lot better than the stuff they
signed their names to.
I'm glad this stuff is getting legitimately re-issued.
I just wish the choices weren't so tame. If I'd never
heard any of these records before, I'd probably be
more excited by the reissues. For one thing, they
could have put more tracks on each of the individual
best-ofs.
As for my controversial comment about C-P being
disparaged: I've heard a lot of trash-talk about the
label over the years, from a lot of collectors who are
tuned into the Spectropop frequency. Many people don't
even know what these records sound like, as they've
never bothered to listen to them.
In the late '70s and early '80s, I found many Cameo-
Parkway 45s in my hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. I
quickly honed in on the Orlons as my favorites of the
lot, but discovered several other worthy performers
and songwriters, while learning that a little Chubby
Checker [and/or Bobby Rydell] can go a long, long way.
There was ZERO information to be found about these
discs, and unfortunately, they seldom, if ever,
published the first name of the songwriters. Hence, my
assumption that the "Dozier" was Lamont; I stand
corrected and am actually pleased to know that this
Dozier is not the D in H-D-H.
I subsequently lost all those discs [accidentally
thrown away by a clueless relative] and it was a long
time before I regained some of them.
But nearly every record collector/Spectropop-type
enthusiast I know has dissed Cameo-Parkway whenever
I've brought up the fact that I like quite a few of
the company's discs. There seems to be some knee-jerk
reaction against C-P by a lot of people. I'm glad to
see that you-all are a more sympathetic bunch.
I'm more clued-in now than I was when I wrote that
prior post. Thanks, one and all!
Frank Young
__________________________________
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005
http://mail.yahoo.com
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 00:31:52 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
Previously:
> Take (Candy & the Kisses') "The 81," for instance: not
> written and produced by Lowe, Mann or Appell or even cut
> with the same old session players. But so what if it was
> the work of Jerry Ross, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, et al?
> It was still a dance craze record that blatantly ripped
> off someone else's song!
Steve Propes:
> OK, I'll bite. What was the song it "blatantly ripped off"?
> ...or do I have to play it to find out?
A search of the S'pop Discussion Forum Archives throws up
this message from Amber dated 29 Nov 2002:
-----------------------------------------------------------
(Sigh) I remember it well. It was May 1964; "In My Lonely Room"
by Martha & the Vandellas was at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100
and "Hello Dolly" by Louis Armstrong was at #1. Gag! I know
which one I preferred! I'd made a bit of a name for myself
already, having been voted The Girl Most Likely six weeks on
the trot on the Corny Collins Show, and was booked by a famous
Philly DJ named Hy Lit to demonstrate The 81, a hot line dance
the teens all loved. Hy, a very sweet guy, introduced me to
two songwriter friends of his, Kenny Gamble and Jerry Ross were
their names, in the hope they'd help me fulfil my dream of
becoming a recording star. Did I tell you I could sing too?
Darn it, they were more interested in my copy of "In My Lonely
Room" than they were in me. I had to buy another when I got
back home to Baltimore because they never did give me that
record back. Now I know why: they'd taken that disc and made
themselves an almost carbon copy. I found that out many months
later when I bought a fabulous record called "The 81" by Candy
& the Kisses. I could have sworn it was the new Martha & the
Vandellas release when I first heard it. There on the lovely
red label, in very small print, were the names Jerry Ross and
Kenny Gamble.
I can still do The 81 - I have to wait until the nurses aren't
watching - but unfortunately my copies of "In My Lonely Room"
and "The 81" were destroyed in an explosion many years ago.
I've not heard either in ages. What's a girl to do? (sniff)
A.V.T.
xx
----------------------------------------------------------
Dear Amber has been quiet for some time. I do hope she's not
back in prison, I mean hospital.
Somewhere I have a copy of "The 81" by Allen Cromer on the
Edge label from 1963 - different song, but same dance. When
there's room, and if there's any interest, and if I can find
the record, I could upload it to musica.
Hey la,
Mick Patrick
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Message: 13
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 16:52:27 -0800
From: Dennis Hoban
Subject: Re: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls
Thanks to everyone who filled me in on one of my fave flicks. If it's
on DVD or CD, I hope to find it in some commercial venue.
Rockin' and reelin' from carpet to ceilin',
Dennis
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 13:57:29 -0000
From: "Will Stos"
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses "The 81"
It's pretty neat that a mid-size hit like "In My Lonely Room," could
get remade and turned into another mid-size hit like "The 81." I
always really enjoyed the Martha and the Vandellas' song and thought
it should have been a Top 20 contender at least. Does anyone know if
it was one of those regional hits that made the Top 10 in some places
and didn't chart in others?
Will : )
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:30:44 -0000
From: "Laura"
Subject: Knight Life - The Musical (Jeff Barry)
Hi all,
Knight Life, the musical comedy written by Prudence Fraser and Robert
Sternin (who were the main writers for one of my favorite TV
shows, "The Nanny," among others), with music by Jeff Barry, is having
its official world premiere in Vero Beach, Florida on Saturday,
November 26th. For details, visit this page:
http://tinyurl.com/bmnzr
and this page:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/96340.html
Updates to the Jeff Barry fan site are coming shortly, including a few
new photos of Jeff (taken by yours truly!). I'll post here again when
they're online.
Enjoy the writeups,
Laura
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Message: 16
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 23:07:16 -0800
From: Richard Fannan
Subject: Zola Taylor
Steve Propes wrote:
> Are you saying that Zola Taylor is dead? If so, when and where
> did this occur? Personally, I don't believe this. As I've not
> heard details of her passing, I think that 2 members - Reed and
> Taylor - are both with us. And she was an original.
You're right. Zola is alive but hasn't sung in years.
Richard
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