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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: James Ray, Hutch Davie and "I've Got My Mind Set On You"
From: Norm D.
2. Re: Shivaree
From: Regina Litman
3. Re: James Ray > Rudy Clark
From: Mick Patrick
4. Re: Shivaree
From: Gary
5. Re: Rudy Clark
From: Phil X Milstein
6. Re: Shivaree
From: Phil X Milstein
7. tape baking; Zappa; Jayhawks
From: Country Paul
8. Re: good Vibrations
From: Rob
9. Re: Sheila North on Catch
From: Ashley Wells
10. Holy Cash-In, Batman!
From: Dave Monroe
11. re: Wilson Pickett
From: Kingsley Abbott
12. Playmates: "Piece of the Sky"
From: Rob Indart
13. Re: Aretha Franklin, Pat Thomas
From: Mike Edwards
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 05:09:24 -0800 (PST)
From: Norm D.
Subject: Re: James Ray, Hutch Davie and "I've Got My Mind Set On You"
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> ..."I've Got My Mind Set On You." I am amazed every time
> I listen to this song, largely by the audacity of its
> arrangement. The thing is like seven songs in one, and the
> fact that it includes tuba and banjo is less notable that
> the instruments it DOESN'T include, such as Indian
> harmonium and didgeridoo (and I'm not entirely sure about
> the didgeridoo). One could treat the result as a bizarre
> example of neo-Rococco excess, or as a singular piece of
> music that is utterly unlike anything else of its time.
Fully agreed, Phil! And please, let's not forget the choir
who sound not unlike The Fisk Jubilee Singers - perfect
enunciation from the days when "gospel" was still called
"spiritual".
Any more info on the elusive Rudy Clark?
Norm D.
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:12:59 -0000
From: Regina Litman
Subject: Re: Shivaree
Marc Miller wrote:
> While browsing the AB site, I came across this schedule
> for Shivaree: http://www.tv.com/users/TomAlger/profile.php
I heard of "Shivaree" long after it aired - possibly somewhere
online in the Internet age (which for me started in August 1996).
I was familiar with Shindig (network prime time), Hullabaloo
(network prime time), Hollywood A-Go-Go (syndicated, aired in
Washington, DC, at 10:00 on Saturday nights, past my bedtime
even on a non-school night), Where the Action Is (network after
school), and the Lloyd Thaxton show (syndicated after school).
Was Shivaree like any of these shows?
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 20:50:26 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: James Ray > Rudy Clark
Those with a special interest in the songs of Rudy Clark
should investigate the BMI site: http://tinyurl.com/az6nz
It's great to see him and James Ray under discussion, but
to save going over old ground again, I dug out the following
from the S'pop Archives:
> Someone was asking about the great songwriter Rudy Clark.
> One of his compositions is currently playing @ musica: The
> Bracelets "Waddle, Waddle" (Congress 104, 1962). Some of you
> might recall this track from the movie Hairspray. It didn't
> make it to the soundtrack album. If you like Claudine Clark
> or the Rocky Fellers, you'll dig this too:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/files/musica/
>
> Rudy (real name Rudolph) has cropped up in discussion here
> before, usually in conjunction with vocalist James Ray. A
> quick search of the S'pop archives throws up the following:
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Life was grim for James Ray (real name James Ray Raymond)
> until a talented new songwriter and a dynamic A & R man
> entered his world and changed it around.
>
> Having already enjoyed Top 30 hits under his own name and
> as the imminence grise behind both the Fireflies and Dicky
> Doo & the Don'ts, by 1961 Gerry Granahan had founded the
> Caprice label and immediately charted again with his
> discoveries the Angels and Janie Grant.
>
> Delivering demos to the Caprice office on a regular basis
> was Rudy Clark who, in addition to being the local mail
> carrier, was an enthusiastic songwriter in his spare time.
> Clark would frequently sit at the piano and play his latest
> compositions for Granahan who advised him that his songs
> were good but his voice was not and to bring in someone who
> could really sing.
>
> Clark took Granahan at his word and brought in James Ray
> whom he had discovered performing in a club. The singer was
> destitute at the time and living rough on the rooftop of an
> apartment block.
>
> Granahan saw in the five-foot-tall Washington DC-born 20-
> year-old a talent of Ray Charles-like proportions and
> immediately signed him to Caprice, bought him a new wardrobe
> of clothes and found him somewhere to live.
>
> Before the year was over singer Ray and composer Clark were
> basking in the glory of "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of
> Somebody" riding high on the pop charts and in the R & B Top
> 10. Subsequent James Ray releases included the hit "Itty
> Bitty Pieces", "Got My Mind Set On You" (a huge hit for
> George Harrison many years later) and the original version
> of Ben E. King & Dee Dee Sharp's "We Got A Thing Going On".
>
> Rudy Clark went on to sign with Bobby Darin's T.M. Music
> publishing company and write such great songs as "It's In
> His Kiss" and "Good Lovin'". "If You Gotta Make A Fool Of
> Somebody" was successfully revived by Brit-popsters Freddie
> & the Dreamers in 1963 and three years later in soulful
> style by Maxine Brown.
>
> James Ray Raymond died in the '60s from an overdose of
> drugs. What a waste.
>
> -------------------------------------------
>
> Rudy Clark composed a slew of excellent numbers, frequently
> with songwriting partner Artie Resnick. Off the top of my
> head, in addition to those mentioned above, here are just
> a few of my personal favourites:
>
> Beg Me - Chuck Jackson (Wand)
> Spanish Boy - Merry Clayton (Capitol)
> Fool Fool Fool - Barbara Acklin (Brunswick)
> I Found My Place - Reparata & the Delrons (World Artists)
> Deeper - The Rubies (VJ)
> Blow Joe - The Angels (Caprice)
> Baby I Dig Love - Rudy Lewis (Atlantic)
> Am I Ever Gonna See My Baby Again - The Sweet Inspirations
> (Atlantic)
>
> Other versions of most of these songs exist; I've listed
> my favourites.
>
> Before anyone corrects me, I should point out that James
> Ray's recording debut was as Little Jimmy Ray in 1959.
> Details are: "Make Her Mine" bw "You Need To Fall In Love"
> Galliant 1001
>
> Memory tells me that more information about Rudy Clark is
> to be found in Bobby Darin biographies, of which there are
> several.
>
> Hey la,
>
> Mick Patrick
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 01:59:15 -0000
From: Gary
Subject: Re: Shivaree
> Was Shivaree like any of these shows?
Shivaree was a 30 min show hosted by Gene Weed. They usually
had about 4 guests on each show and each did one or two songs.
It was pretty much like Shindig except that they did complete
songs where on Shindig sometimes you only heard portions. Plus
Shindig was "live" most of the time and Shivaree was done by
the act lip-synching.
Shivaree was syndicated but shot at the ABC Studios, as was
Shindig which was a national show. Shivaree also had well-
known acts, like Shindig, such as The Yardbirds, The Byrds,
Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, Sam The Sham, Ronettes,
Supremes, and others but Shivaree also had more lesser known
acts like The Lively Set, Vicki Gomez, The Uniques, Human
Beings, Reflections, Josephine Sunday and more.
Gary
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:03:32 -0500
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Rudy Clark
Norm D. wrote:
> Any more info on the elusive Rudy Clark?
He wrote a lot of James Ray's songs, so I assume he was
associated with Ray, Hutch Davie or both. Since my Charly
album is still handy, I'll detail the R. Clark titles
included on it:
The Old Man And The Mule
If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody
Itty Bitty Pieces
It's Been A Drag
You Remember The Face
Things Are Gonna Be Different
I've Got My Mind Set On You*
--Phil M.
*not included on the LP, so I'm attributing this title
to Clark from memory.
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 16:18:01 -0500
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: Re: Shivaree
Regina Litman wrote:
> I was familiar with Shindig (network prime time), Hullabaloo
> (network prime time), Hollywood A-Go-Go (syndicated, aired in
> Washington, DC, at 10:00 on Saturday nights, past my bedtime
> even on a non-school night), Where the Action Is (network after
> school), and the Lloyd Thaxton show (syndicated after school).
> Was Shivaree like any of these shows?
Shivaree (which I know only from isolated clips acquired in
recent years) seems to have been patterned after Shindig,
with intros kept very brief and upbeat, the better to maintain
its non-stop pace. The set was based on large bleachers, which
allowed for a certain expansiveness (abetted by the director's
use of occasional long shots), and for the shifting from act
to act to seem relatively seamless. Dancers, as on Shindig,
stayed mostly to the background. I believe performers would
play live from time to time.
Compare these standards to those of Hullabaloo, where:
* dancers had feature status
* choreography was insipid
* included male dancers
* hosts were established middle-of-the-road stars, or younger
stars hoping to break into MOR roles (Shindig adopted a similar
policy after Jack Good left)
* virtually all acts were lip-sync (except for "Hullabaloo
A-Go-Go" segment at show's end, which was usually pretty swell)
* forced acts to engage in hokey medley of current Top 5 hits
* most stultifying of all, set pieces would often include "live
mannikins," that is willowy models situated in a corny set (not
even always based on a song's lyric) and commanded to stay
stock-still
I bring up Hullabaloo's many shortcomings to indicate just how
exciting (despite their reliance on lip-syncing) Shindig and
Shivaree could be. Things really moved on the latter two shows,
and clips from them are almost always a solid treat to watch.
Dig,
--Phil M.
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Message: 7
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 01:12:47 -0600 (CST)
From: Country Paul
Subject: tape baking; Zappa; Jayhawks
Joe Nelson:
> I'm told that sticky shed issues really only became a problem
> in the mid to late 70's although there are earlier examples.
> Frank Zappa found it was a problem when he remastered his old
> MGM catalogue for CD. (That's no typo folks, you just saw
> Frank Zappa mentioned in Spectropop! The chaos and
> destruction now happening around you is the consequence of
> violating the natural order of the world.) Apparently he'd
> never heard of tape baking or the tapes weren't bankable for
> some reason. I know acetate stocks aren't bankable but it's
> hard to picture a label of MGM's stature using them.
I heard that earlier tape stock doesn't need to be baked, but
sometime from the mid-to-late 60s onward the formulation
changed and the shedding became an issue.
As for Zappa, he did some really fine short songs on the "Freak
Out" album; for example, strip away the gruff/satirical vocals,
and "How Could I Be Such A Fool" is one of the prettier songs
ever written. And of course there's his early 60s work with
Del-Fi to consider.
Mick Patrick:
> Classic record, "Stranded In The Jungle", but the original was
> by the Jayhawks, not the Cadets. Mind you, I have nothing
> against the Cadets (aka the Jacks) http://tinyurl.com/9tyme or
> the Flairs http://tinyurl.com/e3zeq , both of which were great
> groups.
FYI, The Jayhawks' "Stranded" (on Flash Records - those LA
folks sure liked those "bright" names) is available on a CD
out of Canada (also on Flash) along with the rest of their
recorded output. Check out http://tinyurl.com/e3zeq . Wonder
if they'd been on a larger label (or even an indie with the
pull of big wheels like the Biharis) they might have had the
bigger hit. interesting note: "The Vibrations (a.k.a. the
Jayhawks) recorded a new version of this song which later
became a minor hit in 1961 (peaking at only #117)." (Source:
http://www.allbutforgottenoldies.net/wpon/04-20-05.html )
Anyone know if this is the hitmaking Vibrations or a
coincidental name?
By the way, the source above is for a DJ on an oldies station
near Detroit, WPON http://www.wpon.com/. This temporary
computer has no speakers. Anyone heard the station? How is it?
Country Paul
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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 07:11:44 -0500
From: Rob
Subject: Re: good Vibrations
Country Paul asked:
> "The Vibrations (a.k.a. the Jayhawks) recorded a new
> version of this song which later became a minor hit in
> 1961 (peaking at only #117)." ... Anyone know if this
> is the hitmaking Vibrations or a coincidental name?
It's the same Vibrations that had hits in the '60s, but with minor
lineup changes. See http://tinyurl.com/ajkxq .
Best Regards,
Rob
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:47:49 +1100
From: Ashley Wells
Subject: Re: Sheila North on Catch
I've been listening to a fair bit of recordings written by Gene Page
and/or Billy Page. Does anyone have more detailed info on their
output as songwriters and producers? I know Gene Page arranged
and was involved with many big songs such as The Righteous Bros.'
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and Dobie Gray's "The In Crowd,"
but it's their early '60s involvement that Interests me so much.
They certainly were involved with some classic girl group/ female
teeners of that period.
Sheila North's "I Won't Play Second Fiddle" on Catch is a great one,
and very obscure. It's known to be classed as a Northern Soul rarity,
and It's more of an uptempo teen/ girl group classic.
I can play it to musica If many of you don't know it. The other side,
"Golly Gee," is a schmaltzy but very cute teen song also. A great
double sider.
Thanks,
Ash.
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 07:12:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Monroe
Subject: Holy Cash-In, Batman!
>From Larry Grogan's always informative Funky 16 Corners
blog, on Gate Wesley & Band's "(Zap! Pow!) Do the Batman"
and other bat-tracks ...
http://tinyurl.com/c6tdf
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Message: 11
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:23:51 -0000
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: re: Wilson Pickett
I was saddened to read of Wilson's passing, and thought I'd share
one small story about him. Sometime in the mid-sixties, when
Wilson was very big on the UK club scene, a small group of us
under the leadership of Dave Godin and David Nathan had made
the journey out to London Airport to greet in Irma Thomas on
what I'm pretty sure was her first visit to our shores. Wilson
happened to be on the same flight, and they arrived in the
hall at the same time. Irma assumed that the greeting party
was for him, but Wilson quickly noticed a welcome banner
and some homemade badges for Irma, and took backward steps
away from her limelight saying something like "No, it's your
show here, girl!". He just stood and watched with the rest of
us, enjoying the greetings she was getting, and then stayed
for a bit to chat to everyone. He was physically a much smaller
man than you might expect, but with a huge grin and a big
heart. He'll be much missed, but his key recordings will
last and last.
Kingsley
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Message: 12
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 15:51:07 -0000
From: Rob Indart
Subject: Playmates: "Piece of the Sky"
Does anybody know who wrote The Playmates' single "Piece Of The
Sky," on Colpix? It sounds like if it was a Leiber and Stoller
production, but I'm not sure. I think it's probably the best
Playmates record issued, it has that Brill Building feel to it.
Best regards,
Rob
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Message: 13
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:29:44 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: Aretha Franklin, Pat Thomas
Mick Patrick wrote:
> Merry Clayton's version of "It's In His Kiss" (Capitol 4984) was
> released in 1963. Next came Ramona King's (Warner Bros 5416) early
> the following year. Betty Everett's hit rendition (Vee Jay 585) was
> the third to be issued. It's hard to choose a favourite. Aretha
> Franklin live on Shindig! takes some beating.
Aretha backed by the Blossoms from Shindig! is a great version.
Apparently she also made a studio version which was issued on a
Columbia LP, "Running Out Of Fools", in 1964. The track details are:
Every Little Bit Hurts
How Glad I Am
I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face
It's Just A Matter Of Time
My Guy
Mockingbird
One Room Paradise
Running Out Of Fools
It's In His Kiss
Two Sides Of Love
Walk On By
You'll Lose a Good Thing
As good as Aretha's live version of "It's In His Kiss" is, this is
one to investigate. I see CBS included "Mockingbird", "You'll Lose
A Good Thing" and "Running Out Of Fools" on their double CD "The
Queen In Waiting: The Columbia Years 1960-1965". Does anyone know
if the other tracks are on out CD yet? I'd welcome any of the above
tracks on musica.
She does a fine version of "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's
Face", which was an oft-recorded but never charted track, with great
versions from Baby Washington, Spyder Turner, Dusty Springfield, Dee
Dee Warwick and Pat Thomas.
Pat's version intrigues me because the other side of her 1964 version
on Verve was another great title, "The Long Long Night". As I've
only heard this in mp3 format, can anyone confirm that the writer
was Jerry Ragavoy/Norman Meade. It sounds well up to his high
standard ... with some Bacharach thrown in.
Thanks, Mike
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