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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 15 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
From: Keith Beach
2. The Pearls
From: Eric Charge
3. Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
From: Richard Williams
4. Re: "Lovers" authorship / new goodie
From: Kingsley Abbott
5. Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
From: Phil Milstein
6. Re: Bobby Russell / That English sound
From: Antonio Vizcarra
7. Re: Jeff Barry, pre and post-1966
From: Stuffed Animal
8. Re: Bo Diddley launches new website
From: Guy Lawrence
9. Re: Shangri-Las: My View
From: Mark Frumento
10. Re:Jay & the Techniques / Gary Criss / Martha Reeves
From: Bob Rashkow
11. Re: Toni Wine's "Sisters In Sorrow"
From: Allan Rinde
12. Caroline, Mel, Françoise..... and Verdelle
From: Phil Chapman
13. Re: Bobby Russell / That English sound
From: Jeff Lemlich
14. Re: Gary Criss with a Barry-Greenwich song
From: Mike Edwards
15. Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
From: Phil Milstein >
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 08:58:02 -0000
From: Keith Beach
Subject: Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
Shouldn't we be giving Jerry Leiber extra credit for writing
lyrics that suggest so much but explain so little? Plus it's
spoken not sung, so effectively it's a monologue not a song.
I bet he was so pleased to come up with the phrase "that will
never...happen...again"
However I would like him to explain the meaning (and circumstances)
of the lyrics to "Honey, can I put on your clothes".
Keith Beach
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 09:42:22 -0000
From: Eric Charge
Subject: The Pearls
I have had a good ticking off for daring to suggest that the
Holland/Dozier/Holland song "Third Finger Left Hand" is best
interpreted by Britain's own Pearls. Mind you, I did this over
on the Motown site (oops).
The Martha & the Vandellas original sounds like a demo to me -
not one of HDH's best efforts with the group.
The Pearls song captured the twee sentiments perfectly. I also
liked other Pearls records (covers of Ronettes and Stylistics
records, I seem to recall).
Now, I know we have experts here who can offer pearls of wisdom
about this homegrown group. I want to know who they are and
whether there is - or will be - a CD collection available.
Thanks
E
x
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 10:14:30 +0000
From: Richard Williams
Subject: Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
I'm enjoying the exchanges on "Past Present and Future", but
isn't the whole point about the appeal of such a song that it
refuses to tell us everything? That's the difference between
prose and poetry, and it's why so many two and a half minute
songs from the 1960s have such lasting resonance. The writers
didn't try to get everything in, nobody made them, and the fact
that key narrative elements were often omitted sometimes enabled
them to create emotions that didn't necessarily have names.
Richard Williams
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 11:05:40 -0000
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: Re: "Lovers" authorship / new goodie
Phil was wondering about the authorship of The Ronettes'
"Lovers"...a few years back, when she was on the promo trip
for her version of "Don't Worry Baby" for Creation Records,
I got the chance to interview Ronnie for Record Collector
and I asked her specifically about this track. At first she
didn't recall it, but when I sang a few bars to her (a better
definition of desperation you'd be hard pressed to find), she
recalled it and said that she thought that was one that Phil
had written by himself. I'd certainly value Toni's opinion -
maybe Phil started it, they worked on it a bit, and then it
got put on one side as a work-in-progress perhaps...
Here's a luvverly newie one for the season...one that is
dedicated to Jamie...
As I write, the new Lisa Mychols CD "Lost Winter's Dream" is
on its third straight play. This is without doubt a pre-Xmas
treat for all Spectropoppers - don't wait to be given it on
the 25th! Lisa has written it, and worked with Darian and
Nick from the Wondermints, so there are lovely little musical
quotes all over it.
If you like bells, glocks and big drum thumps....Several
tracks stand out: the title track (also in track and girlie
ooohs b.vox form, especially for Elizabeth!) which immediately
recalls The Rag Dolls to my ears, "Listen To the Bells Ring",
"Blizzard Of Aaahs", "x-Mass = Tyme" and "Christmas Came Too
Soon". It's just out on Revola as CR REV 17 - Revola have a
new website just up: http://www.revola.co.uk
Kingsley
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 09:16:30 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
Phil Chapman wrote:
> Dude?? - The lyrics are not gender specific. With her charted
> history of relationships ending in tragedy, she might have put
> her trust in a same-sex partner, her analyst, or who knows how
> sinister? All we do know is that something happened to a
> relatively normal girl that could have permanently impaired her
> capacity to form a lasting relationship. Well, that was the
> Disappointer Sisters' alternative stage interpretation. Shadow
> might have been amused.
And I always thought it was just an old ragdoll that Billie Jo
threw off the Tallahatchee Bridge.
At the moment it doesn't look good,
--Phil M.
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 17:48:02 +0100
From: Antonio Vizcarra
Subject: Re: Bobby Russell / That English sound
Hi Spectropoppers,
I have in my collection an album which has always been something
of a mystery to me. It's entitled "That English Sound" and It's
the usual low-budget compilation of the era featuring covers of
hits like "We can work it out", "As tears go by", "Mrs brown you´ve
got a lovely daughter" and so on. It was released on the Modern Sound
label, produced by William Beasley and probably appeared around 1967.
However, this LP also includes 3 really brilliant songs, which I
don't think were covers of current hits, and that sound more American
than British. They also sound as if they had been recorded around
1963/1964.
The titles of the songs are as follows: "You make the decisions",
"Just give me time" (A Brian Wilson soundalike song with falsetto
harmonies) and "Bless you little girl" (a slow Mersey influenced
number).
As the record was pressed in Nashville and I think Bobby Russell
wrote also a song called "Bless you little girl", could these
three songs be connected somehow with Bobby Russell? Or are they
simply regional hits that were included in the album along with
more popular hits?
Any information is really welcomed :-)
Thanks in advance and all the best.
Antonio
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 17:14:43 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: Re: Jeff Barry, pre and post-1966
Mick:
> Curious: the fact that no Red Bird recordings featured in Stuffed
> Animal's recent list of Essential Jeff Barry Productions. An
> oversight, one presumes. If not, oh well, chacun a son gout!
It bears pointing out here that my list was a list of album productions,
not singles. If your favorite Raindrops/Dixie Cups/Shangri-Las single
wasn't included, that's why. As for early Jeff Barry album productions
like THE RAINDROPS, The Dixie Cups' CHAPEL OF LOVE, and The Shangri-Las'
albums, much as I love them, I don't believe that they represent the best
of his production work (not to mention the fact that the tracks were often
co-produced by Joe Jones, Leiber and Stoller, Shadow Morton, etc)!
As I said years ago in my Goldmine article, "Recipe for Rock and Roll,"
Jeff Barry didn't come into his own as a producer until he started working
with Neil Diamond. True, Ellie Greenwich co-produced those sessions, but
if you compare Neil Diamond's Bang sides with Jeff's later productions for
people like Bobby Bloom, Andy Kim and Ron Dante, it's obvious that Jeff's
production style was dominant on Neil's records. That's when his gospel-
style rhythm sections (i. e. handclappings and tambourines) really came to
the fore. I'm certainly not saying that his early album productions are
not worth collecting! Far from it . . . but in my opinion, the studio
work Jeff did between 1965 and 1980 is his BEST work. Everything that
came before was a warm-up.
Stuffed Animal
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 15:05:41 -0800
From: Guy Lawrence
Subject: Re: Bo Diddley launches new website
David Blakey wrote:
> Bo Diddley, one of the founding fathers of rock & roll and the
> popularizer of the world-famous "Bo Diddley beat", has announced
> that he will be launching his new website this coming Thanksgiving.
Is that the same David Blakey who used to dispense marvellous second
hand records and musical wisdom from a little white cottage deep in
the English countryside?
Regards, Guy.
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 00:00:23 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Re: Shangri-Las: My View
As a pure amateur compared to many of you in this field, having
already raved endlessly here about the Shangri-Las CD on RPM, and
having been inspired by the recent posts to listen one more time...
here's my two cents worth:
Technically speaking (whatever that means) "Out In The Streets" is
probably their best song (at least in my opinion). However, among
the many values of the RPM package is that the stereo version of at
least one song seems to bring some new attention to it: "The Train
From Kansas City." The stereo is fabulous and I'd say it's a strong
contender for "the Shangri-Las best."
Of the rest, well, I'm astonished that "Love You More Than Yesterday"
was just a B-side!
Mark
(still in love with "the picture")
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Message: 10
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 19:10:01 -0500
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Re:Jay & the Techniques / Gary Criss / Martha Reeves
Thanks to those who provided the info on Jay & The Techniques'
early 70s recordings. They're one of my favorites but I only know
up through "Singles Game", August 1968.
I may be somewhat obvious here but Gary Criss was the voice of The
Glass Bottle on Avco-Embassy who had a chart with "Ain't Got Time
Anymore" in the fall of 1971. I also have their (admittedly not as
interesting) "Don't it Make You Feel So Good" presumably from a few
months later. What I didn't know was that he did Our Favorite
Melodies on the Diamond label (where is it, where is it, where is
it).
I agree about Standing In The Shadows Of Motown that the focus was
and should have been on the late James Jamerson, Robert White, et al.
Still...wouldn't some of us have loved to hear Martha Reeves get
into "I'm Ready For Love" or "Quicksand" just to name two!!!
Bobster
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Message: 11
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 20:49:51 -0000
From: Allan Rinde
Subject: Re: Toni Wine's "Sisters In Sorrow"
Country Paul wrote:
> And to Allan Rinde for Toni Wine: I have Toni's "Sisters of
> Sorrow" on Colpix. Am I really hearing it right as a song
> about bigamy?!? Great refrain on this record!
Toni says: "Sisters In Sorrow" (which was actually a 1970 ATCO
release, and also cut by Brenda Lee) is not a song about bigamy.
Glad you liked it, though.
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 01:10:06 -0000
From: Phil Chapman
Subject: Caroline, Mel, Françoise..... and Verdelle
[Just before this thread's totally dead....]
Martin wrote:
> ...Mel Carter's "Tar And Cement", very good. Although as
> far as the 'Battle Of The Bands' goes; close but just not
> close enough. Caroline Munro gets the gold!
David:
> I agree with that. Caroline gets my vote too in the Battle
> of the Bands. However, neither version is a patch on the
> Françoise Hardy version "La Maison Ou J'Ai Grandi".
> Wonderful, wonderful recording.
It's a close call, but for me THE version is by Verdelle Smith.
There's something appropriately poignant about her voice (have
a listen in musica). Although as you say David, Françoise's is
a wonderful recording, she has taken the route of the stark
original by Adriano Celentano (currently available on CD), and
I prefer the Vance-Pockriss arrangement. However, I could be
influenced by having first heard the song around the time of
being rehoused to a 'greener' area during 60s UK industrial
slum-clearance, kind of "Tar & Cement" in reverse.
Phil
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 05:26:37 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Re: Bobby Russell / That English sound
Antonio Vizcarra wrote:
> ...the Modern Sound label album "That English Sound". This LP also
> includes 3 really brilliant songs, which I don't think were covers
> of current hits, and that sound more American than British. They
> also sound as if they had been recorded around 1963/1964. The
> titles of the songs are as follows: "You make the decisions", "Just
> give me time" (A Brian Wilson soundalike song with falsetto
> harmonies) and "Bless you little girl" (a slow Mersey influenced
> number). As the record was pressed in Nashville and I think Bobby
> Russell wrote also a song called "Bless you little girl", could
> these three songs be connected somehow with Bobby Russell?
"Bless You Little Girl" was written by Bergen White; he gets credit
for it on the Hit label single (#180) by "Bobby & Buddy". I guess
he's Buddy here, because that's definitely him singing. I have not
heard "Just Give Me Time", but from your description I'd be willing
to bet that's another Bergen White vocal. (It, too, originally came
out under the artist name "Bobby & Buddy", this time on Hit 162. If
you're getting the impression Bobby Russell and Bergen White are all
over this album, you are correct!) I am not familiar with "You Make
The Decisions".
Sadly, I do not have "That English Sound", but I am the proud owner
of "From Britain With Beat" (Modern Sound 544), a kitsch classic that
features an amazing cover shot of four ho-dads wearing long moppish
wigs. The tracks consist of previously-released "Hit" label singles
by the likes of the Doodles, Roamers, Beagles, Chords, Jalopy Five,
Beasts, Ed Hardin, and Jackie & The Giants. I can confirm at least
four Bobby Russell lead vocals on this album ("I Want To Hold Your
Hand", "Satisfaction", "Sha La La", and "Broken Hearted Sad & Blue"),
all four of them tracks that came out initially under four different
artist names. Bobby also wrote the track "Come On On", which was
first released as "Jackie & The Giants" on Hit 209, but later
appeared (in this same form) on albums by the Chords and the Now
Generation. Bobby's original tunes stand as probably the most
recycled Hit/Modern Sound tracks of all, kind of funny when you
consider they were still being recycled when he was hitting it big
writing "The Joker Went Wild", "Honey", and "Little Green Apples".
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 03:07:27 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: Gary Criss with a Barry-Greenwich song
Bob Rashkow writes:
> I may be somewhat obvious here but Gary Criss was the voice of The
> Glass Bottle on Avco-Embassy who had a chart with "Ain't Got Time
> Anymore" in the fall of 1971...What I didn't know was that he did
> "Our Favorite Melodies"...
Great input, Bob, because I knew he did "Our Favorite Melodies", but
knew nothing about his involvement with the Glass Bottle on Avco.
Looks like GB gave him his only US chart entries, as there is nothing
listed under his own name despite a run of nice 45s for Diamond in
the early 60s. I found a Barry-Greenwich song, "Pretty Thing", by Gary
on Avco and have posted it to musica. It is from 1972 and is arranged
by Bill Ramal who did the arrangements on the Diamond sides.
1962's "Our Favorite Melodies' was written by Wes Farrell and Bob
Elgin and the b-side, "Welcome To My Heart" by Bob Brass and Irvin
Levine. You would think that these great songs were tailor made for
the spring/summer of `62 but, inexplicably, neither side scored in
the US. All credit, I guess, to Craig Douglas for picking up on a
good thing when he heard one.
Any information on Gary Criss would be appreciated. I just hope he
bumped into Jeff Lemlich at sometime during his career.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 15
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2002 22:13:34 +0000
From: Phil Milstein >
Subject: Re: The Shangri-Las "Past, Present And Future"
Richard Williams wrote:
> I'm enjoying the exchanges on "Past Present and Future", but
> isn't the whole point about the appeal of such a song that it
> refuses to tell us everything?
Questions unanswered are for me, too, a key ingredient to my
affection for certain popsongs. But I also wonder whether
the lyricist him- or herself even knew the secrets.
--Phil Milstein
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End
