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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Death By Chocolate
From: laughingmood
2. Retro-tributes
From: Ian Chapman
3. Re: Lennon Sisters/Margo Guryan
From: Patrick Rands
4. Re: Kenny Laguna
From: radiopro
5. re: Lesley Gore acetates
From: Marc Miller
6. Re: GARRY SHERMAN & PHIL SPECTOR
From: Mick Patrick
7. Ronettes/George Harrison/Chiffons
From: Will Stos
8. Re: RONNIE SPECTOR ON APPLE
From: Mick Patrick
9. Nino Tempo
From: Alan Gordon
10. Re: Kenny Laguna
From: Alan Gordon
11. Re: Lesley Gore acetates
From: Billy G Spradlin
12. Little Roger
From: Alan Gordon
13. Spector arrangers
From: Mark Wirtz
14. Phil's guitar sound
From: Alan Gordon
15. Lisa Mychols in concert
From: Ken Levine
16. Ricky's backup guys, Lesley Gore
From: Alan Gordon
17. Re: 78 RPM
From: Mick Patrick
18. Re: RONNIE SPECTOR ON APPLE
From: Phil Chapman
19. Re: Phil's guitar sound
From: richard hattersley
20. Re: 78 RPM
From: Den Lindquist
21. Jodelles?
From: Mark Frumento
22. Lesley Gore is a Rocker too
From: Patrick Rands
23. Re: 78 RPM
From: Patrick Rands
24. Re: 78 RPM
From: Rat Pfink
25. Re: 78 RPM
From: Mikey
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 00:33:54 -0000
From: laughingmood
Subject: Re: Death By Chocolate
> Kingsley Abbott:
> Lastly, the eclectic el label (Part of Cherry Red) where
> again you'll find the lovely Louis and many sunshiney
> collections like "Sunshine Pop 99" (El acme 28).
Stewart Mason:
> The impresario of el, Mike Alway, also had a hand in the
> creation of a current band on the Jetset label called Death By
> Chocolate, whose upcoming second album (due July 9) ZAP THE WORLD
> I find irresistably charming.
Again, let's not forget the wonderful Siesta Records out of Madrid,
Spain. They also co-release alot of Mike Alway's If label stuff like
Death By Chocolate, David Candy and the Songs For The Jet Set series,
which include great cover versions of Free Design, Margo Guryan,
Wendy & Bonnie and a whole host of other sunshine/soft pop. The real
gem though is the Reverie series on Siesta. Designed for children,
these cds (in particular the compilations Algebra Spaghetti,
Simultaneous Ice Cream and Dream Drops) have great versions of
Sagittarius tunes, Eternity's Children and others. The first two are
produced and arranged by Louis Phillipe. Highly recommended.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 01:49:28 +0100
From: Ian Chapman
Subject: Retro-tributes
Thus spake Will Stos:-
> Spectropop has chatted about It's My Party, Sylvia and the
> Sapphires, and now I'm about to go looking for the Jodelles.
Check out musica, Will. Never let it be said I can't take a
hint.....
> What are some other notable tributes groups that have
> recorded material? Do we have any kind of consensus on who
> has recreated the sound best? I know I love the cheeky stuff
> Rachel Sweet did, and the tracks For Real did as the
> Luminaries on the Grace of My Heart soundtrack was nice.
> What else is out there?
Well, the Jack Fitpatrick/Jim Fogerty book "Collecting Phil
Spector" has a partial list of Spector/girl-group
soundalikes from the 60s, 70s and 80s which is a useful
starting point. But I think we need to distinguish records
that actually attempted to faithfully recreate a 60s
Spector/girl-group record from those which were *influenced*
by the Spector sound. "Influenced by" casts a wide net and
can be anything from a wall of sound treatment set to
contemporary lyrics (e.g. Wah's "Story of the Blues", White
& Torch's "Parade", the Paranoids' "Stupid Guy") to nothing
more than the token use of castanets (John Travolta's
"Sandy", Roxy Music's "Dance Away").
The Jodelles, Sylvia & the Sapphires, For Real and It's My
Party fall into the recreation category, with appropriately
naive boy-meets-girl lyrics. Others I'd include from the
70s would be Patti & the Patettes' "Summer Heartbreak",
Lynsey De Paul's "Ooh I Do" and possibly ex-Flirtation
Pearly Gates with "Johnny & The Jukebox", although that's
more of a tongue-in-cheek death disc parody (with the
classic spoken ending "......some nights I dream I can see
you Johnny, riding along the star-studded highway, thru' the
almighty heavens, towards that great juke-box in the sky").
Ten out of ten!!!
Ian
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 09:33:50 -0400
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Lennon Sisters/Margo Guryan
Ian Chapman wrote:
> I don't know all their Dot material, but my fave is the 45
> "He's Gotta Lotta Lovin'".
> Must be one of the most girl-group things they ever did -
> very bouncy in a pop-Motown kinda way
I once saw a Lennon Sisters single up for auction, with them
doing a Margo Guryan song, "Love." Does anyone have a copy of
this, and know whether it is as sweet sounding as Margo's
songs?? If anyone has knowledge about all the Margo Guryan
covers, it would be interesting to make a list.
I'll start with Sue Raney "Sunday Morning" from her With a
Little Help From My Friends LP, a jazzed up version,
:Patrick
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 10:05:07 -0400
From: radiopro
Subject: Re: Kenny Laguna
Hi Folks:
Check out an interview with him here http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/JS
He has some good Morris Levy Stories.
WC
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 13:28:15 -0400
From: Marc Miller
Subject: re: Lesley Gore acetates
Harvey Williams:
> Unfortunately I have no idea when they date from, but the fact that they
> play at 78 rpm indicates a date around 1962 or earlier.
Actually, 78rpm was last used in the States in 1959, but it was really dead
a year before. I know in India, for example, 78s were used well into the
60's (there are Indian Beatle 78s!!) When did the UK last use 78s?
Marc
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 20:29:07 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: GARRY SHERMAN & PHIL SPECTOR
Rashkovsky:
> In a song I once wrote, "Please Phil Spector", there is a line
> ...."get Gene or Garry or Specs to write the charts, give me
> the Blossoms to sing background from their hearts"... Of course
> Gene is Gene Page and Specs is Jack Nitzsche, but for the life
> of me, I can't come up with Garry's last name - help me...
Me:
> I'd always assumed Garry refers to the great arranger Garry
> Sherman. Although I'm not aware of him ever working with Spector.
Rashkovsky:
> Mick. Yes it is Garry Sherman - and if you say he never worked
> with Spector, then even if Phil swore to me on a stack of Philles
> 45's that Garry charted them all, I'd trust you.
Hi,
Maybe I should've been more pedantic. I'm sorry if the thought of
that horrifies anyone. :-) To my knowledge, New York-based Garry
Sherman never worked as an arranger for Phil Spector. However, the
two DID work together at least once. "On Broadway" by the Drifters,
recorded in New York in 1963, was arranged y Garry Sherman and
featured a guitar solo by Phil Spector.
Rashkovsky:
> By the way, Garry was a great arranger. I was around a lot of
> sessions with him. Nice guy too, but very unsual. I was given to
> understand that he was educated as a podiatrist and he wore very
> funny looking sandal type shoes even in NYC.
According to her autobiography, Cissy Houston was among the back-up
singers on "On Broadway". Allow me to quote a brief passage from
that book...
Cissy Houston:
"Garry has earned Pulitzer Prize nominations for his symphonic
compositions, arranged thirty number one records and masterminded a
long-running series of Coke commercials, one of which I sang on. But
back in the early-1960s he was brand new to R&B; his experience was
strictly orchestral. Next to hipsters like Leiber & Stoller, Garry
looked like a fish out of water. He wore those clunky 'space shoes'
(from his days as a podiatrist), loose-fitting, comfortable clothing
and had frizzy red hair. But it was not for his personal style that
Jerry and Mike hired him. Garry Sherman was a genius at
orchestration. Writing parts for strings, brass, woodwinds and
percussion, he was able to create the moods and drama that Leiber &
Stoller were searching for...Garry Sherman became known as one of
the most brilliant arrangers on the scene. His first big record was
Jay & the Americans' 'She Cried', another Leiber & Stoller production.
Garry was able to translate the intent of songwriters like Barry Mann
& Cynthia Weil and Carole King & Gerry Goffin into first class charts.
One of the key players responsible for blending the black R&B sound
with pop."
'How Sweet The Sound' by Cissy Houston and Jonathan Singer, published
by Doubleday in 1998, is an essential read for anyone with an interest
in the Brill Building scene. I came across a copy quite by accident
while wheeling my mother around a Fleetwood shopping centre a couple of
summers ago. I began reading it on the car journey home and ended up
devouring it in one sitting. My Mum got a bit of a "bag on" because I
was ignoring her, I seem to recall. Bless! Rashkovsky, you will love
this book.
Do tell us more about some of the Garry Sherman sessions you worked on.
MICK PATRICK
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 16:55:45 -0400
From: Will Stos
Subject: Ronettes/George Harrison/Chiffons
Speaking of the Ronettes, I just remebered an email a few years
back between John Rausch and myself where he mentioned an
unreleased track George Harrision recorded with Ronnie at Apple
Records. It was call something like "Lovely La-Dee Day." and John
mentioned that it bore a resemblance to the Chiffons' 1969
single "Love Me Like You're Going To Lose Me" which has a "Love me
la-deeday" or "love me every day" chorus from the back-up singers.
But, I don't think we ever decided if it was a copy of the
Chiffons' song, or vice versa. Or perhaps, it had no connection at
all. Many I'm horribly out of the loop on this one, but John, or
any other Ronnie fans out there, is there any connection? If so,
you wonder just how big of a Chiffons fan Harrison was. In his My
Sweet Lord copyright battle he said he must have picked up the
melody of "He's So Fine," while touring with the group. But this
other song was not popular. And I recall Toni Wine tied into this
somehow too? Can anybody straighten this out?
Will : )
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 22:19:18 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: RONNIE SPECTOR ON APPLE
Hi,
"Lovely La-de-day" by Ronnie Spector is included on the currently
available "Complete Apple Singles" $200 ten CD bootleg box set.
Yes, I said two hundred scum-sucking dollars! Although they were
both co-written by Toni Wine, the song and the Chiffons' "Love Me
Like You're Gonna Lose Me" are NOT one and the same. Said bootleg
box set also contains Ronnie's version of the George Harrisong "You".
MICK PATRICK
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 15:10:00 -0700
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Nino Tempo
Bill, I'm very curious about your Nino Tempo article. Is the magazine
where it's printed in Japanese? And if there are indeed no translations
available, would it be possible for you to post it somewhere so we can
all bask in Mr. Tempo's remembrances.
I, for one, am a huge fan oh his and his accomplice, Ms. Stevens (yamma
yamma). As a child hearing her pseudo-Monroe-esque reading of Deep Purple
and Teach Me Tiger probably advanced my prepubescent hormones a few years...
oh yea, and their version of Stardust, and Whispering... I could go on...
thanx,
al babe
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 15:47:10 -0700
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Re: Kenny Laguna
Jeffrey Glenn wrote:
> Oh, and how could I forget this. The CD is worth the price
> just to have on CD Little Roger and The Goosebumps' brilliant
> "Gilligan's Island (Stairway)" - though it's listed here as
> "Stairway To Gilligan's Island"
What was Laguna's involvement with that track? I thought it
came out of San Francisco, and that he worked mostly in New
York. But then again I believe he did some production for
Beserkley in the late '70s, and they were located in the Bay
Area, which would seem to place the perp at the time and
location in question.
--Phil M.
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 23:57:39 -0000
From: Billy G Spradlin
Subject: Re: Lesley Gore acetates
Just a quick note that I posted a jpg of the Lesley Gore "He Gives Me
Love" one-sided Acetate in the Photos file.
BTW, does anyone here have the mono mix of Lesley's "What Am I
Gonna Do With You?". I have the mono single/LP mix of "You
Dont Own Me" without the double tracked vocal.
Billy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 17:18:05 -0700
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Little Roger
Jeffrey Glen:
> Earth Quake is also the band on "Gilligan's Island (Stairway)",
> and they recorded the track at The Who's Ramport Studios in London
> with Little Roger Clark later adding his vocal in San Francisco.
> Truly one of the great novelty records of the 70's!
Jeff, I'd always heard that Dick Bright was the mastermind of "Stairway..." which is not to say that Earthquake wasn't the band on the record. Dick is an
SF musician, actor, writer, and leader of Dick Bright and the HiBalls, Dick
Bright and the Sounds of Delight, and a few other incarnations that are local
dance fodder... good stuff usually. He was also buds with all those crazy
Berzerkely folks.
I've also heard that shortly after the record got some airplay and attention, The Goosebumps received a letter of appreciation from Robert Plant, shortly
before Little Roger was delivered a "cease and desist" from Zeps lawyers
(supposedly unbeknownst to Robert Plant). I love irony.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 22:29:59 EDT
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Spector arrangers
With all the interesting exchanges going on about arrangers that worked for
Spector, nobody has mentioned Nino Tempo yet. I have no idea how many
sessions Nino charted for Phil, but he was the arranger for a Phil Spector
Dion session that I attended (on which Nino also played Sax). Nino's chart
was marvellous. Beyond his talent, Nino distinguished himself as a very warm,
mellow and down to earth chap. Considering their history, it's hard to
imagine that Nino didn't write charts for Phil in prior years. Any of you
know any other projects that Nino worked on for Phil?
Mark
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 09:17:00 -0000
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Phil's guitar sound
Luke Robson:
> I was wondering if anyone could possibly tell me what guitars
> Phil Spector used in his 'wall of sound'(ie brands, models, etc)?
> I would greatly appreciate your information.
Luke:
I'm certainly not an expert here, but I've seen a bunch of pics of
Phil's sessions and it seems most of the guys used those nice fat
Gibson jazz guitars like ES-175s, Byrdlands, Super 400s, Barney Kessels,
and the like. But I've also seen pics with Gretsch Nashville 6120s,
Les Pauls, and even a couple of Telecasters. Also, I think I've seen a
studio pic of some of Phil's guys with acoustic guitars all crowded
around a single mike.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 15
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 23:47:49 -0700
From: Ken Levine
Subject: Lisa Mychols in concert
Lisa Mychols ("Lost Winter Dreams" and some of the best 60's covers
EVER) performed last night at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and
I'm happy to report she was fabulous. Great presence, terrific
material, and what a voice!! Apparently she has a CD of 60's covers
in the works. Can't wait. And if you ever get the chance to see
her live, treat yourself.
Ken Levine
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 09:18:13 -0000
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: Ricky's backup guys, Lesley Gore
Someone was asking about Ricky Nelson's Backup singers a little
while back (whoever you were, please excuse my ignorance. My delete
button finger got to that digest before I could stop the pointy little
bastard.) And since no one's jumping to assist, I figured I'd spread
my slim knowledge around.....
As far as I've always read, and heard, and saw on the old Ozzie and Harriet
show: The Jordanaires are Ricky's premier vocal guys. If I'm not mistaken,
they also stand around Ricky and, along with Ricky's rockabilly band, lipsinc
their wonderful harmonies behind his TV appearances. According to rumor, Ozzy
may have been a lot of things, but considering the talents of The Jordanaires,
James Burton, Howard Roberts, Billy Strange, Earl Palmer, James Kirkland and
all the other luminaries that he had the musical foresight to hire as back-up
musicians for his son... well, he obviously knew his music... or at the least,
the right people to consult.
David Feldman:
> Just go to http://www.google.com and click on the "Images" icon and type
> in "Darlene Love" and you'll see dozens of photos of her, many of the
> young Darlene.
I know this has nothing to do with Ms. Love but... Holy moley,
David. I've been surfin' for quite a while and never even noticed that
function on the Google search engine. How very cool. Thanx.
A few people have mentioned Lesley Gore lately and I just wanted to
make a loose aside. Most folks think of Leslie as "just a pop
singer" (I'm sure most of us balk at that moniker), but if you're as big
a fan as I am, you're sure to really dig her great interpretations of some
jazz standards on her Bear family Box Set. I was floored. She's dang jazzy.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 17
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:09:39 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: 78 RPM
Harvey Williams:
> Unfortunately I have no idea when they (Lesley Gore acetates) date from,
> but the fact that they play at 78 rpm indicates a date around 1962 or
> earlier.
Marc Miller:
> Actually, 78rpm was last used in the States in 1959, but it was really
> dead a year before.
Hi,
78 RPM acetates continued to be made into the 1960s. I have some 8 inch
Ellie Greenwich demos dating from c.1962 which play at this speed.
Unfortunately I have no 78 RPM player. DOH!
MICK PATRICK
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Message: 18
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:55:50 -0000
From: Phil Chapman
Subject: Re: RONNIE SPECTOR ON APPLE
Mick Patrick wrote:
"Lovely La-de-day" by Ronnie Spector is included on the currently
> available "Complete Apple Singles" $200 ten CD bootleg box set.
I have a rough copy of this, and it sounds to me like she sings "Love
Me La-de-day" (or "Love Me Laddie Day", if you're Scottish), which is
more or less what the backing vocals sing on "Love Me Like You're
Gonna Lose Me" (possibly my favourite Chiffons tune), so it was
interesting to learn that both songs involve Toni Wine. I'll play
them both to musica when there's a bit of space.... that'll be $20
pleeze.
Phil
PS - Love the snare sound on this one!
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 19
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 12:57:45 +0000
From: richard hattersley
Subject: Re: Phil's guitar sound
Luke Robson:
> I was wondering if anyone could possibly tell me what guitars
> Phil Spector used in his 'wall of sound'(ie brands, models, etc)?
One of the key components of Phils guitar sound was the acoustic
with the delay on. This was played by Carol Kaye usually. The
model she played was an Epiphone Emperor.
Richard
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Message: 20
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:04:57 -0400
From: Den Lindquist
Subject: Re: 78 RPM
> 78 RPM acetates continued to be made into the 1960s. I have some
> 8 inch Ellie Greenwich demos dating from c.1962 which play at
> this speed. Unfortunately I have no 78 RPM player. DOH! MICK PATRICK
Mick,
I don't know if you're familiar with music software like Cooledit 2000,
which is a music editing product, but CE200 can be used to speed-
correct music. If you were to record a 78rpm track at 45rpm or 33rpm,
and apply a speed correction factor (ie, 01 .7333... for 45rpm), the
result would be the song played back at the correct speed.
If you wish to post one of these 78rpms to musica (recorded at 45rpm
or 33rpm), I would be happy to convert it and post it back to musica.
Den
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Message: 21
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:01:34 -0400
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Jodelles?
Ok! I give up. Who the heck are the WONDERFUL Jodelles? Two amazing songs!
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:39:15 -0400
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Lesley Gore is a Rocker too
Alan Gordon wrote:
> A few people have mentioned Lesley Gore lately and I just wanted to
> make a loose aside. Most folks think of Leslie as "just a pop
> singer"
Hi Alan
I love to see the Lesley Gore fans come out - I'm a BIG
Gorehead. There's even a Yahoo Groups Mailing list, in case you
didn't know. Anyone who has any interesting Gore stories to
share we would love to hear them !
Also since you mentioned her jazzy side I'd *also* like to
point out that Lesley Gore is a real ROCKER too. In the mid-70s
she recorded a tune called "Paranoia" which would knock your
little socks off. She should know all about PARANOIA - she's
been stalked twice in her life. In the past year, she recorded
a version of the AC/DC tune Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, which
may shock some, but for us fans in the know, we've known all
along how much she loves to rock!!
:Patrick
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Message: 23
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 11:50:02 -0400
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: 78 RPM
There's a fascinating story buried in the website
http://humanists.net/wasm/costarica.html
about a 60s Acetates (etc) Company.
As a Lesley Gore fan I found this quote interesting:
<<>>
When I think of our clients, I can only indulge in dropping
names:
Lesley Gore (whose dad told me he made corsets and women's
items; Lesley seemed butch);
<<>>
Check out the other "clients" he "namedrops" for some
jawdropping comments. Someone needs to talk to this man and
write his book!! Fascinating stuff!! Anyone know more about
this operation???
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 24
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 16:30:50 -0400
From: Rat Pfink
Subject: Re: 78 RPM
Don't play a 78 with a standard 33/45 stylus, as the
grooves are a different width and you can damage the
record and your stylus. You should buy a stylus
specifically for 78s if you want to digitally record
and speed-correct them.
Try a web search, I've seen several online vendors that
carry these styluses (stylii?).
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 25
Date: Sat, 01 Jun 2002 16:57:28 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: 78 RPM
> 78 RPM acetates continued to be made into the 1960s. I have some
> 8 inch Ellie Greenwich demos dating from c.1962 which play at
> this speed. Unfortunately I have no 78 RPM player. DOH! MICK PATRICK
>>>>>78 rpm acetates actually went longer than that!!! Around 1974
or so, 78 rpm acetates were still being cut in New York City, both by
Dick Charles Recording and also Sanders Recording on 48th st.
Dick Charles was famous because they were the cheapest around and many,
many artists on a budget got their demos cut there. Dick Charles was
still in business in 1984 when I was Production Manager of Quintole
Records here in NYC. I remember his equipment was ANCIENT!!
Sanders Recording, by the way, was where a 13 year old Barbara Striesand
made her first demo. Old man Sanders told me himself when I was there
recording a demo of "Palisades Park" myself.
Ahhh...the memories..
Mikey
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End
