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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 13 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Ode to Billie Joel
From: Steve Harvey
2. Re: Ginny Arnell
From: Mike Edwards
3. Re: Craig Douglas - The Singing Milkman
From: Ken Silverwood
4. Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
From: Amber
5. Revola availability
From: Kingsley Abbott
6. Re: Candy and the Kisses / Ode To Billie Joe / Third Finger Left Hand
From: James Botticelli
7. Toni Wine, Billie Joe, Jeff Barry & Ann-Margret "Over The Rainbow"
From: Bill George
8. Re: Ode To Billie Joe
From: Phil Chapman
9. Re: Over The Rainbow / Wonderful World
From: Steve Harvey
10. Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
From: Shawn Baldwin
11. Re: Toni Wine discography
From: Mike Edwards
12. Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
From: James Botticelli
13. A-Side and M&M CDs
From: Mike Edwards
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2002 18:12:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Ode to Billie Joel
> Are you sure the box didn't contain Thing from the
> Addams Family? I am getting so confused!
Actually it was a box full of true stereo Phil Spector
Christmas albums that Phil found out about.
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 03:17:00 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: Ginny Arnell
What a nice way to end Thanksgiving! Ian Chapman has kindly
played a very rare early 60s 45 to musica, Ginny Arnell's
"Tell Me What He Said". I love it – that backing track just
rolls along there. I agree, it's not better than Helen
Shapiro's version, probably because it was recorded a couple
of years earlier. But then, as we saw from the list of Helen's
US songs, she held her own against anyone – Chuck Jackson
included.
"Tell Me What He Said" (the other version of which is by the
Playmates – now out on a Westside UK CD) is one of Jeff
Barry's great forgotten songs. I have even seen one scribe
credit the song to John Barry!
Gary Criss vs Craig Douglas on "Our Favorite Melodies"? Gary
for me, Ian. I think he puts across a more soulful vocal than
Craig. There's certain deliberateness about the way he sings
this great song. I like Craig singing "Rainbows" and "Ring-A-
Ding" in "It's Trad Dad". He also resurrected another US stiff,
Jerry Jackson's "Time" and did a nice job of that too. I don't
think he could have handled Jerry's northern soul opus, "It's
Rough Out There", though.
Thanks again,
Mike Edwards
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 11:01:21 -0000
From: Ken Silverwood
Subject: Re: Craig Douglas - The Singing Milkman
Hi,
On the subject of Craig Douglas,I read this little gem recently.
It appears Mr. Douglas was performing on a TV show in England
singing his latest ballad, also on the bill were the Rolling Stones.
In a previous incarnation Craig was a milkman, which was well known.
Well, a furious row had blown up and Craig was refusing to appear.
It transpires that Keith & Mick had left 4 empty milk bottles outside
Craig's dressing-room door, resulting in Craig slamming his dressing
-room door and having to be cajolled into appearing by a gaggle of
producers. Very satanic eh!
Ken On The West Coast
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 21:38:38 -0000
From: Amber
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
Ian Chapman:
> Yay, Candy & the Kisses "The 81"!! What an irresistible
> record...The 81 as a dance had been around for awhile before
> Candy & the Kisses' record...The story goes that producer/
> writer Jerry Ross was at a Philly record hop watching some
> kids doing the 81 to the Martha & the Vandellas' tune "In My
> Lonely Room", and decided to make a new "81" record - based
> on the Vandellas' song - with Candy, Suzanne and Jeannette.
(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
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:29:37 -0000
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: Revola availability
Doug asked about availability of Lisa Mychols and The Moon. I have
copies of both in front of me, so they certainly should be at
Amazon any day now. I believe that The Forum and the Mark Eric
issues should be along sometime soon too. Repeat again, gang...Lisa
M is faboo!
Kingsley
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 17:29:08 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Candy and the Kisses / Ode To Billie Joe / Third Finger Left Hand
Phil M wrote:
> And I always thought it was just an old ragdoll that>> Billie Jo
> threw off the Tallahatchee Bridge.
Phil C:
> Are you referring to the alleged original seven minute 'B' side
> which explained a lot more about what was thrown off that bridge?
> I can't find evidence to support its existence, and there's no trace
> of these original lyrics anywhere on the internet. Even Bobie Gentry
> remains silent on the issue.
Another chink...2002 saw The New Master Sounds on Blow-It-Hard Records
put out a Jimmy McGriff styled organ groove cover called "Ode To Bobbie
Gentry". Not a bad little (7") rekkid either. The instro remains silent
on the bridge issue but some say that if Billie Jo had not come to that
bridge he might have been President today...
Eric Charge wrote:
> "Third Finger Left Hand" is best interpreted by Britain's own Pearls.
> The Martha & the Vandellas original sounds like a demo to me - not
> one of HDH's best efforts with the group.
More than a demo, more than a demo to me. It's the flipside Stateside
of "Jimmy Mack", never having appeared on any album Stateside. It's a
fingerpopper of the first order at this address.
Steve Harvey wrote:
> ...Holland/Dozier/Holland song "Third Finger Left Hand"...by
> Britain's own Pearls... That was a hit in this area under the
> name The 81. A dance craze that never caught on.
Sorry Stanley, no fish today. The "81" came out in 64 and although
similar tempo-wise the two songs are different lyrically and
musically.
JB/Mr. Nitpick
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 17:51:48 EST
From: Bill George
Subject: Toni Wine, Billie Joe, Jeff Barry & Ann-Margret "Over The Rainbow"
Any way we can get a definitive Toni Wine discography? Not backgrounds
(that would be a mile long) but lead vocals? I don't have any of her
music, but enjoy her songs by other artists, so I'd love to know how
much is out there and hear some of it!
PHil Milstein:
> And I always thought it was just an old ragdoll that Billie Jo threw
> off the Tallahatchee Bridge.
I don't recall anything in the lyrics about a rag doll. Methinks you
have the film version in your head? I remember reading something Bobbie
Gentry wrote about the song (I'm a HUGE fan of hers, by the way). She
said something like: I never meant for the song to be so confusing. It
was obvious to me what was thrown off the bridge, (or was that 'why he
killed himself'?) But nobody seemed to be able to figure it out. I
figured its better to keep quiet and let it be a mystery. The film's
version of events didn't come from her.
Previously:
> But I had a question - perhaps a bit off topic - for Spectropoppers
> who may have seen "Finding Forrester". At the end is a bright and
> breezy rock-steady version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" coupled
> with "Wonderful World" (the Louis Armstrong song, not the Hermits/
> Sam Cooke 'vehicle'). It made half the kids cry it was so beautiful,
> to say nothing of the moistening mine own eyes did. Anyone know who
> sang it????
I haven't seen the film, but the version you are referring to is
probably by a Hawaiin singer whose name escapes me. (look in the
Hawaiian section of your local record store.) The singer passed away
recently, but that version has been used in a number of films and
television, and is very moving.
I was looking on the "official" Ann-Margret website, and noticed her
discography listed some "master reels". A couple of the songs are
"Saying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye" and "Room Without
A Door", both of which come from Lisa Hartman's self-titled Jeff Barry
-produced album. There are no dates given for the recordings, which to
my knowlege were never released. Does anyone know anything about these
recordings?
-Bill
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:59:32 -0000
From: Phil Chapman
Subject: Re: Ode To Billie Joe
Phil M:
> That version is news to me. I believe the "old ragdoll" theory came
> from the movie of the same name, which was based on the song but
> with extravagant extrapolation.
[from various sources]
In the spring of '67 unheralded newcomer Bobbie Gentry got signed by
Capitol Records in L.A. to see what kind of records she could make
and what kind of reception they'd get; within a few days she recorded
a standard blues song, "Mississippi Delta," with her own unknown
"Ode to Billie Joe" as the B-side. "Ode", sung only to Bobbie's guitar
accompaniment, was originally seven minutes long and explained a lot
more about what was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
Quickly Capitol execs noticed the strength of the B-side, so they added
strings and cut the length almost in half to give the song an air of
mystery and make it more suitable for AM radio airplay, and it was
released as Bobbie's first single.
Strangely, the original lyrics seem to be lost forever. Theories abound,
but, to this day, Bobbie Gentry keeps her silence, although she has
said that the real theme of the song was indifference. "Those questions
are of secondary importance in my mind. The story of Billie Joe has two
more interesting underlying themes." she says, "First, the illustration
of a group of peoples reaction's to the life and death of Billie Joe,
and its subsequent effect on their lives, is made. Second, the obvious
gap between the girl and her mother is shown when both women experience
a common loss (first Billie Joe, and later, Papa), and yet Mama and the
girl are unable to recognize their mutual loss or share their grief."
---Pass the biscuits, please.
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 16:38:39 -0800 (PST)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Over The Rainbow / Wonderful World
Sitting up here in Scranton at my inlaws' place and I saw your email.
They love Hawaiian music and have the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole CD
'Facing Future' with the 'breezy rock-steady version' of "Somewhere
Over The Rainbow" coupled with "Wonderful World" from "Finding
Forrester".
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 21:17:08 -0600
From: Shawn Baldwin
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
Amber:
> ...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)
Baby, you can purchase Martha Reeves and The Vandellas "Live Wire" 2 cd
Greatest Hits package and I believe "In My Lonely Room" is on there.
Shawn
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 22:17:46 -0500
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: Toni Wine discography
Bill George writes:
> Any way we can get a definitive Toni Wine discography? Not backgrounds
> (that would be a mile long) but lead vocals? I don't have any of her
> music, but enjoy her songs by other artists, so I'd love to know how
> much is out there and hear some of it!
Bill, there is a Toni Wine discography in Philately # 7 (a mag which was a
low-tech predecessor to Spectropop). The article also contains a list of
Toni's compositions (wow! I didn't know she co-wrote "Your Husband, My Wife"
for the Brooklyn Bridge!). Definitive? No question about it.
I guess everyone knows that Toni cut a Christmas 45, "My Boyfriend's Coming
Home For Christmas" on Colpix in 1963. Looks like it was her first 45. It's
available on one legit CD I know of, Westside's "Christmas Past" (released
in 1998). Sleeve notes by one Dave McAleer.
Bill, if you need that Toni Wine info, I would be happy to send in a jpg
file of both lists.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 23:30:52 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Candy & the Kisses / Martha & the Vandellas
Amber wrote:
> (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
Awww... I like that tune more today than yesterday
> Candy & the Kisses "The 81"...on the lovely red label, in very
> small print, were the names Jerry Ross and Kenny Gamble.
Kenny and Jerry....incredible combo...Spectropop and late 6T's
Mercury pop meets phuture philly soul. Is that divine pre-intervention?
> I can still do The 81 - I have to wait until the nurses aren't
> watching -
I too can still do the 81... It reminds me of the dance I never did...
The Shag... which I posit was based on the "81" (post '64 anyway!). We
did the "81" growing up in Lexington, Mass. where we supposed we were
hip to the entire scene. The 81 being the steadfast dance all could
rely upon as social lubrication at our church dances where we hired,
among others, The Hallucinations, later to become J. Geils.
JB
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Message: 13
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 03:39:14 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: A-Side and M&M CDs
From the Discussion Group Archives -
Back in 1999, the late Jamie LePage referenced:
> ...the fantastic Carole King Masterpiece Volumes 1, 02 , 03 on A-Side.
> These are mostly mastered from vinyl, but they are wonderful
> collections. For track listings go to:
> http://www2.gol.com/users/davidr/aside/ The A-Side discog is
> definitely worth checking out.
Member Ed Rothstein responded:
> Where can you buy these titles. They look great.
This discussion is still very relevant for collectors. The website is
still there and the listings are mouth watering. Spectropop's "Where
The Girl Groups Are" spotlights a companion label to A-Side, M&M. And
there's some real candy among the track listings of the 3 CDs that
are featured. (My favorite is Miss Cathy Brasher's "I'll Remember
Jimmy" – what a record that is!)
I wonder if any of our Japanese members can put us in touch with
dealers in their country who might carry A-Side and M&M CDs. It
appears that both labels were Japanese operated and folded in the mid-
90s.
Thanks,
Mike Edwards
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