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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 23 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Shindig vs. Hullabaloo
From: Regina Litman
2. "Eefin' Alvin"
From: Jennifer Sharpe
3. Re: Playmates on ABC Paramount
From: Ashley Wells
4. Re: Joanie Sommers
From: Tom Taber
5. HB ND
From: Phil X Milstein
6. Re: cycle sounds
From: Brian
7. Re: Canterbury
From: Brian
8. Re: Hullabaloo
From: Tony
9. Ellie Greenwich Remembers Steve Tudanger
From: S'pop Projects
10. Joe Jones, R.I.P.
From: S'pop Projects
11. John Krondes & the Jordanaires
From: Paul Levinson
12. Re: Neil Diamond
From: Regina Litman
13. Lulu, Mike DesBarres, Adrienne Posta and----Chitra Neogy??????
From: Tony Leong
14. Brass band UK Spector cover
From: Mark Maldwyn
15. Shindig, Hallabaloo etc
From: Paul Urbahns
16. Re: Shindig v. Hullabaloo
From: Steve
17. Re: Shindig vs. Hullabaloo
From: Chris
18. Brute Force in New York
From: Paul Levinson
19. Re: James Ray & George Harrison
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
20. Re: Shindig v. Hullabaloo
From: Tony Leong
21. I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face
From: Richard Williams
22. Vibrations > Playmates post-Roulette
From: Country Paul
23. Re: Playmates on ABC Paramount
From: Artie Wayne
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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 03:04:52 -0000
From: Regina Litman
Subject: Re: Shindig vs. Hullabaloo
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> Compare these standards to those of Hullabaloo, where:
> * dancers had feature status
At least one "Shindig" dancer became a featured performer - a girl or
young woman named Carol who wore big glasses that made her stand
out from the rest. I remember reading in a magazine article at the time
that Carol hadn't been wearing glasses (either she had perfect vision
or wore contacts), but someone in a position of authority on the show
suggested that she wear them to see what the audience reaction would
be. And it worked because she became instantly recognizable because
of them.
> * choreography was insipid
As a 12-13-year-old, it didn't matter to me.
> * 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)
I loved both "Hullabaloo" and "Shindig", but one of the attractions
of "Hullabaloo" for me was the guest host.
> * forced acts to engage in hokey medley of current Top 5 hits
One of my favorite "Hullabaloo" memories is of Herman (Peter Noone)
and Freddie (of Freddie and the Dreamers) singing that song
from "Mary Poppins" with the long title - "Supercalifragilistic, etc".
> 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.
I watched a couple of "Shindig" shows at the Museum of Television and
Radio in New York this past August. They only have about four in
their immediately-available collection, but maybe the branch in L.A.
has some more, and maybe there are more in the parts of the
collection that are not kept immediately available to walk-in guests.
What I noticed from the "Shindig" shows that I watched was the fast-
paced action. I also wondered if a whole "Shindig" show was done at
once or if these were clips filmed at different times and then put
together to make a half hour show. (One more "Hullabaloo" difference -
I think it was an hour long, compared to "Shindig"'s 30 minutes. But
there was a time when "Shindig" aired twice a week. Also, I believe
that "Shindig" went through the summer of 1965 with all new episodes,
while "Hullabaloo" went to reruns - and was also aired, at least in
Washington, at 10:00, which was past my bedtime even in the summer.
The night that Herman/Freddie duet rerun aired, I was already in my
parents' doghouse for some transgression earlier that day, and it
didn't make things better for me when I was caught trying to sneak a
peek at this show when I should have been in bed. Tuesday, August 3,
1965.)
I also noticed this quick scene-changing in a "Where the Action Is"
episode I watched at the same museum a few years ago. (At the time,
this was the only "Action" episode they had there.) The "Action"
episode disabused me of the notion that the only places they ever
went on location were in Southern California. In the show I watched,
they had Bobby Vee, native of the upper midwest, performing in
Minnesota, and the Four Seasons, natives of the New Jersey suburbs
of New York City, performing in Brooklyn, if I recall correctly.
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:16:32 -0000
From: Jennifer Sharpe
Subject: "Eefin' Alvin"
I am researching the rhythmic wheezing artform, particular to hillbillies,
known as "eefing" or "hoodling." Although I've gathered a pretty
comprehensive collection of eefing recordings, I am still looking for
a copy of The Chipmunks' contribution to the genre, "Eefin' Alvin."
Does anyone out there have a copy of this?
Any interesting anecdotes about eefing, its history, or its maestro,
Jimmy Riddle, would also be most welcome.
Thanks!
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 18:45:45 +1100
From: Ashley Wells
Subject: Re: Playmates on ABC Paramount
Furthermore to The Playmates, "I Cross My Fingers" and
"She Never Looked Better", both on ABC Paramount from 1963,
are FANTASTIC. Although more known as a novelty act, much
of their material was of great teen sound in its own right.
Their ABC Paramount material seems to be overlooked, but
even many of their Roulette releases were great also.
They had four releases on ABC Paramount between 1963 and
1965. Here are the details of their two best of those:
"She Never Looked Better"
Written by Paul Vance and Leon Carr; arranged by Alan Lorber.
"I Cross My Fingers"
Written by W. Kent & W. Farrar, arranged by Sid Feller.
As you can tell from the songwriters and arrangers, that's
why they are great songs! I'd like to know if any of you
don't know these two songs. One is a fantastic uptempo
teener and the other is a stirring doo wop style teen ballad.
Later,
Ash
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 08:56:28 -0800 (PST)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: Joanie Sommers
Bill Mulvy wrote:
> The Joanie Sommers clip of "Don't Pity Me" on one of the
> Hullabaloo DVDs is a live rendition that differs considerably
> from the studio version. It is a dynamite rendition and she
> has quite a pair of eyes.
Miss Sommers is scheduled to make a special appearance at a show on
Jan. 28 at the Palace Theatre in Lockport, NY (15 miles NE of Buffalo).
They've been advertising it on KB 1520.
As many people mourn the loss of "oldies" radio, and with today's tight
playlists, let me report that a few weeks back KB played three songs in
a row that I couldn't identify, except that one was by Sam Cooke!
Tom Taber
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 11:28:43 -0500
From: Phil X Milstein
Subject: HB ND
I was looking through an excellent Neil Diamond fansite this morning, at
http://iaisnd.com, and learned that not only is Neil an expert fencer, that
he auditioned for the lead role in the movie version of "Lenny," and that
he was raised in part in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but also that today is his
65th birthday.
To which I can only add,
Soolaimon,
--Phil M.
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:27:59 -0500
From: Brian
Subject: Re: cycle sounds
previously:
> Mind you, Brooks doesn't actually say that Joe rode his
> bike into the studio itself, which does seem a little unlikely,
> not to say unsafe.
There were tons of hot rod and motorcycle sound effects albums in
the '60s. Also, some of the better engineers in Hollywood went out
on hire with a Nagra or some field recording device to capture those
sounds. Davie Allan/Mike Curb featured them on tons of Arrows
recordings from 1965-66, and the Dave Myers Effects cut a genius
album of psychedelic instrumental guitar with "drag" and "cycle"
effects in 1967.
Brian
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:31:35 -0500
From: Brian
Subject: Re: Canterbury
Brian Chidester wrote:
> In Pasadena you have Poo-Bah Records and Canterbury Records,
> both great stores.
Country Paul asked:
> Is the latter any relation to the Canterbury Records label?
No. I actually asked them the same question. What I was told is that
Canterbury Records, in Pasadena, was a jazz and folk store opened
in 1959. And with those high-minded aspirations, I suppose naming
their shop after a literary classic like the "Canterbury Tales" was
not out of line. But the owner now, Russell, did not even know there
was a record label named Canterbury in the '60s.
Brian
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:22:08 -0000
From: Tony
Subject: Re: Hullabaloo
Bill Mulvy wrote:
> The Joanie Sommers clip of "Don't Pity Me" on one of the
> Hullabaloo DVDs is a live rendition that differs considerably
> from the studio version. It is a dynamite rendition and she
> has quite a pair of eyes.
Although most of the Hullabaloo guests sang vocals live over the
record, the live vocal sounded much more interesting than the recorded
versions! I too noticed that when Joanie Sommers sang "Don't Pity Me"
(followed by the great Supremes doing "Back In My Arms Again", with
Flo drowning out the others).
The other good example I can think of is Dusty Springfield singing
"Some Of Your Lovin". I prefer THAT version over the released record.
Singing into those overhead mikes really made the singers project
and sound raw. On the other hand, Shindig was much more of a treat
because the live vocals and re-recorded (and often sped up and
punchier backing tracks) made everything more exciting.
Tony
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:33:52 -0000
From: S'pop Projects
Subject: Ellie Greenwich Remembers Steve Tudanger
New at S'pop
Ellie Greenwich has penned for us a lovely tribute to
her late friend Steve Tudanger. Clearly, Tudie was a
great guy who will be sorely missed by all who knew him.
Tudie - Steve Tudanger Remembered, by Ellie Greenwich:
http://www.spectropop.com/SteveTudanger/index.htm
R.I.P.
The S'pop Team
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:41:41 -0000
From: S'pop Projects
Subject: Joe Jones, R.I.P.
Dear Members,
As reported previously, Joe Jones, of "You Talk Too
Much" fame, passed away last November. An obituary
has been added to the S'pop Remembers section. Please
take the time to read it:
http://www.spectropop.com/remembers/JoeJones.htm
R.I.P.
The S'pop Team
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Message: 11
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 04:55:10 -0000
From: Paul Levinson
Subject: John Krondes & the Jordanaires
Been a good week for music . .. Just got back from The
Electric Lady - Jimi Hendrix's recording studio on 8th
Street in the Village (NYC) - where John Krondes was
finishing up a great new recording of "Baby I Love You"
with the Jordanaires (they had put in their harmony
beforehand). Yes, Elvis' fabled background group. They're
in their 70s now, but as John said to me, they still sound
as if they're in their 20s or younger. (The song, "Baby I
Love You, " was the Ronettes' hit written by Ellie
Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector - later recorded by
Andy Kim. It's always been one of my all-time favorites. )
The Sweet Inspirations, Elvis' girl background group, are
on this new recording too, with famous sidemen on just
about every instrument. ..
So, what I was doing there?
Well. .. . John's father the late Jim Krondes and I had
written some songs in the late 1960s (Jim the music, I
the lyrics - songs like "Snow Flurries," "Teardrops Make
No Sound," "The Winds of Change" ). Don't worry, you
likely never heard of them, but who knows, you may someday
not too far away. .. John and I met one or two times,
years ago, in Jim's recording studio. John was just a kid
then. Now he's burning up the charts with "Indiana Girl,"
a new song he wrote. The mix I heard of "Baby I Love You"
was great - 72 tracks of Spectropopping rock 'n' roll!
The Jordanaires sound maybe better than they did in the
1950s. Whew . .. rock 'n' roll, not only does it never die,
it's some kind of fountain of youth. John and Elvis'
singers and musicians have recorded more than 30 tracks...
enough for a few CDs . .. Stay tuned.
All best, Paul
www.sff.net/people/paullevinson
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:29:10 -0000
From: Regina Litman
Subject: Re: Neil Diamond
Mike Edwards wrote:
> But talking of the Solitaires, they recorded a Neil Diamond
> song for MGM in 1964, "Fool That I Am". This and other early
> 60s' Neil Diamond compositions are nicely detailed at:
> http://iaisnd.com/biography.cfm?id=` Neil wrote Billy
> Fury's "Where Do You Run?"? I didn't know that. Depending on
> your taste, the list shows a number of Neil Diamond pre-
> "Solitary Man" titles that are as good as anything he ever
> recorded subsequently.
The following is a more direct link to the menu page for the
list of songs: http://iaisnd.com/songs.cfm?id==stats&?pageid=4
By the way, Neil hit the big 6-5 today, as did Aaron Neville.
Today is also Ray Stevens' birthday. I've seen various years
given for his birth, including 1941.
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Message: 13
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:27:44 -0000
From: Tony Leong
Subject: Lulu, Mike DesBarres, Adrienne Posta and----Chitra Neogy??????
Hi group: The names I mentioned were all actors in the
movie "To Sir With Love". Lulu, Michael, and Adrienne all
also recorded during the '60's and beyond, but there is
listed a song "Perfumed Garden" by Chitra Neogy cut about
1967. Does anyone own it?? Could someone download it here
if you do?? Chitra spoke no lines in the movie, but she
appeared in LOTS of scenes--she was the Indian/SouthAsian
woman in the movie. Apparently, she is still very much
involved in the arts here in New York, and I'd love to
hear her song(s).
Tony Leong
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Message: 14
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 20:25:50 -0000
From: Mark Maldwyn
Subject: Brass band UK Spector cover
Further to the 2 dynamic duo's version of "I Love How You
Love Me" with bagpipes, I feel there is a British Spector
cover which has a brass band backing. Anyone know of one...?
Mark Maldwyn
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Message: 15
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:17:58 -0500
From: Paul Urbahns
Subject: Shindig, Hallabaloo etc
Phil X Milstein wrote:
> I bring up Hullabaloo's many shortcomings to indicate just
> how exciting (despite their reliance on lip-syncing)
> Shindig and Shivaree could be
Actually most of the excerpts that I have seen (and from what
I remember) Shindig rarely ever lip synced. The Blossoms and
The Wellingtons sang background vocals when needed for the
guests. I have the Hullabaloo DVDs and the show as not up to
Shindig standards, used alot of lip syncing and silly dance
numbers. The DVD's did not redub the audio so the sound
quality is vary variable depending on source.
Rhino issued some VHS comps made from the Shindig shows which
were good quality, so I have been hoping they would issue
whole shows like on the Hullabaloo DVDs, but nothing on the
market yet. I would imagine Jimmy O'Neil, the DJ that was the
host, would still be around and could do some new intros, like
Dave Clark (of the Dave Clark Five) did on the Ready Steady Go
series.
Paul Urbahns
Radcliff, KY
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Message: 16
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 09:43:06 EST
From: Steve
Subject: Re: Shindig v. Hullabaloo
I remember watching both Shindig & Hullabaloo each week. I also have the
Hulabaloo DVDs & the Shindig video tapes. Shindig was shot on film and
geared for teens. Everyone sang live and the show moved fast. Hullabaloo
was taped. I once attended a taping at NBC studios in New York.
Some acts on Hullabaloo sang live, some lip-synced, and some sang live to
their original track. They had guest hosts like Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lewis,
etc. to try to draw in the mainstream viewers. The show also had mainstream
production values, like guests singing medleys of the top hits of the day.
About 10 years ago VH1 aired a special about Shindig with interviews with
host Jimmy O'Neill, show regular Bobby Sherman, and lots of clips from
the show. I don't know if it's available anywhere, however.
Steve
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Message: 17
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 08:07:46 -0000
From: Chris
Subject: Re: Shindig vs. Hullabaloo
Regina Litman wrote:
> At least one "Shindig" dancer became a featured performer -
> a young woman named Carol who wore big glasses that made
> her stand out from the rest.
That was Carole Shelyne - "The Girl With The Horn-Rimmed Glasses",
whose career lasted about as long as Piccola Pupa's. Carole also
appeared (with her glasses) in the movie "Out Of Sight".
- Chris
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Message: 18
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 05:08:58 -0000
From: Paul Levinson
Subject: Brute Force in New York
This past Sunday night, it was the Rockwood Music Hall on
Allen Street in NYC - a cozy little place (notwithstanding its
name) where Tina and I joined Stu Nitekman & Kathy Flaherty
to hear Brute Force do a set from 10 to 11pm.
Background: Stu (also known as Jonathan Hatch) and I recorded
a song of Brute's (also known as Steve Friedland) called "No
Olympian Height" back in 1968 for Atlantic Records. We were
known as "The Other Voices" then, and produced by Ellie Greenwich
and Mike Rashkow. Spectropoppers may recall that the B-side of
"No Olympian Height" -- "Hung Up Love," written by Mikie Harris
and me -- was included on Rhino's 2004 "Come The Sunshine"
compilation, which, by the way, was recently reissued in the
U.K. as "A Whole Lot Of Rainbows".
It was great to hear Brute sing "No Olympian" after lo these many
years, and fun to do a little harmonizing from our table. (Steve
Friedland, of course, was part of The Tokens, and also wrote
for them.) Guy Davis -- son of Ossie Davis -- followed with some
fine blues songs.
Brute sang a spirited science fiction song titled "Space Mission,"
and was kind enough to mention my novel "Plot To Save Socrates"
from the stage. Stu and Kathy have also written some good science
fiction songs. (There has always been a strong connection, in my
mind, between science fiction and rock 'n' roll -- they both had
their first golden ages at the same time, in the 1950s, after all.)
Brute will be at the CB Gallery in NYC this Friday at 11pm. I'll
very likely be in the audience again.
All best, Paul
www.sff.net/people/paullevinson
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Message: 19
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:03:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Einar Einarsson Kvaran
Subject: Re: James Ray & George Harrison
John Fox wrote:
> For those interested in how George Harrison came to know
> James Ray's "I've Got My Mind Set On You", please check
> out the book "Before He Was Fab".
As I recall the story, Harrison was in the studio. Jim Keltner started
messing around with the beat and GH said, "That sounds like 'Got My
Mind Set On You' -- the Beatles used to play it back then." So they
tried it, and the rest is #1 history.
Einar
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Message: 20
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 18:27:19 -0000
From: Tony Leong
Subject: Re: Shindig v. Hullabaloo
Steve Dworkin:
> About 10 years ago VH1 aired a special about Shindig with
> interviews with host Jimmy O'Neill, show regular Bobby
> Sherman, and lots of clips from the show. I don't know if
> it's available anywhere, however.
Steve, that VH1 Special was only aired at the time to coincide
with the release of the videos. The special itself was never
comercially released, though I taped it back then!! The
special was great with 1992 interviews with Donna Loren, Ray
Pohlman,Doug Sahm, Turtles, and even some of the dancers
(Maria, Anita Mann) and others. I recall frowning at some of
the interviews like Lesley Gore claiming she was somewhat
rebellious, Rick Derringer claiming the McCoys looked
somewhat like the Beatles, and Donna Loren calling Aretha
Franklin a "newcomer"!!!!!
Tony Leong
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Message: 21
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:15:04 +0000
From: Richard Williams
Subject: I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face
This is a song that seems to draw the best from everyone who
performs it, but there is an absolutely devastating version
by Dionne Warwick, produced and arranged (as well as co-
composed) by the great Jerry Ragovoy, on her 1975 album Then
Came You. (The title track, the hit duet with the (Detroit)
Spinners, was produced by the even greater Thom Bell; the
rest is all Ragovoy's.)
Richard Williams
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Message: 22
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 23:54:34 -0600 (CST)
From: Country Paul
Subject: Vibrations > Playmates post-Roulette
Me, earlier:
> "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?
Rob:
> It's the same Vibrations that had hits in the '60s, but
> with minor lineup changes. See http://tinyurl.com/ajkxq .
Thanks, Rob. Marv Goldberg's articles are always fascinating
and certainly loaded with detail.
Ash re: the Playmates:
> ...I also love their releases on ABC Paramount. I can
> mention more details if people don't know their ABC
> Paramount Sides.
I thought their recorded output was exclusively on Roulette.
Please get into the details....
Country Paul
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Message: 23
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 05:24:19 -0800 (PST)
From: Artie Wayne
Subject: Re: Playmates on ABC Paramount
Ash...How ya'doin'? I was one of the writers of the
Playmates records you mentioned, "I Cross my Fingers",
under my real name Wayne Kent. Could you play it to
Musica?
Thanks and regards, Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.com
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