________________________________________________________________________
______________ ______________
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______________ S P E C T R O P O P ______________
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________________________________________________________________________
Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are 25 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Power, Big, Yes & Peak labels
From: Martin Roberts
2. Re: Roemans/ Savage Lost
From: Jeff Lemlich
3. Re: Barbara Alston
From: John Clemente
4. Roxy music
From: Mike edwards
5. Re: Where The Glories Are / Savage Lost
From: Mick Patrick
6. Re: Hit questions
From: Jeff Lemlich
7. Parade
From: Ian Chapman
8. Spector or Wilson? Chicken or egg?
From: Jim Cassidy
9. Hit Records and Power Records
From: James Botticelli
10. Lucy In London
From: Ian Chapman
11. House Of The Rising Sun single version
From: paulurbahn@aol.com
12. Re: Hang On (A Bit Longer) Sloopy
From: Billy Spradlin
13. Re: Da doo ron ron by Mick Jagger ????
From: Eddy Smit
14. The Pixies Three
From: Ian Slater
15. Normie Rowe
From: Norman
16. Operator, operator...
From: Paul Woods
17. Normie Rowe
From: Norman
18. Jamie's Twang Gang; Carol Connors
From: Country Paul
19. Re: The Power label
From: Martin Roberts
20. Raspberries
From: Stuffed Animal
21. Re: Barbara Alston
From: Tony
22. Re: The Chiffons etc
From: Jack Madani
23. revisiting Me About You
From: Phil Milstein
24. Re: Beatles titles
From: Eddy
25. Re: Gorshin's Riddler
From: Phil Milstein
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 23:17:28 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Power, Big, Yes & Peak labels
> Re Pollyanna; I'd guess one of two recordings. Either John Corey...
Oh dear! In my defence...well both 45's are worth tracking down anyway!
Risking putting my foot in it twice in one evening; Dan was asking
about the Power label. Like a lot of 'poppers when I see these 'budget
knockoffs' I tend to buy if a track or two appeals. I'm afraid a
collector might have problems collecting all the 'Power' releases.
Unlike Hit Records who used the same artist under different names, Power
did the same with their labels! Sister labels to Power, same /similar
label, numbering and address. One example is 'Big', with The Song
Spinners - "He's A Rebel"/The Glitters - "Stop The Music". Another is
'Yes' eg. Glitters - "Sherry"/Al Freed - "Ramblin' Rose". And another
'Peak' with Jennie Feathers - "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"/Ginny Starr
- "Release Me"....etc. The one release I would urge you to get is on the
Power label, The Song Spinners with (putting my head once more into the
lion's mouth!) - an original song, "Diddle De Dum", a real 'stooped' male
doowop.
Ol' Big Mouth,
Martin
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:48:37 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Re: Roemans/ Savage Lost
Mike Edwards wrote:
> Bertie Higgins of "Key Largo" was in the Roemans? Yeah, it's
> right here in Jeff's book. It's that sort of tome.
Thanks for the plug, Mike!
Yes, Bertie Higgins was the long-time Roemans drummer, going back to
their early days as Lanny & The Impressions. You might have heard of
the guy who briefly replaced him in the band -- Tommy South (the late
brother of Joe South). Other famous Roemans alumni include Berry
Oakley (pre-Allman Brothers) and Monty Yoho (pre-Outlaws). I have a
1970 Roemans photo up on the music forum part of the Limestone
Records site, and will be adding a much earlier photo pretty soon.
I'm not sure if Diane From Manchester Square was a real person, but I
do know the record was another one of those great Miami radio hits,
reaching #20 on WQAM and #33 on WFUN in March 1965 (yes, it's in the
bloody book!)
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 20:10:48 -0500
From: John Clemente
Subject: Re: Barbara Alston
Hello All,
In response to Don Charles' question about Barbara Alston. I interviewed
Barbara in April of 1998 for my book. She was working on a story about
her times with The Crystals, was working out of her home and was going to
school. These days, she does not make herself readily available, but, as
far as I know, the last time I called her home a few months ago, she was
alive and well (thank goodness).
Regards, John Clemente
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 01:16:40 -0000
From: Mike edwards
Subject: Roxy music
Back in the late 80s, on a visit to the UK, I picked up a couple of
bootleg girl-group albums from Rob Finnis' store in Fulham, London.
(Rob is responsible for compiling Ace Records' Golden Age Of American
Rock "N" Roll CDs). They are
Roxy 102/Lookin' For Boys
Cinderellas Baby Baby (I Still Love You)
Girlfriends Jimmy Boy
Earl-Jean I'm Into Something Good
Tiaras You Told Me
Honeys He's A Doll
Ellie Greenwich You Don't Know
Darlettes Here She Comes
Whyte Boots Nightmare
Secrets The Boy Next Door
Tracey Dey I Won't Tell
Rev-Lons After Last Night
Ribbons Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya
Joys I Still Love Him
Cathy Saint Big Bad World
Paris Sisters Dream Lover
Pin-Ups Lookin' For Boys
Roxy 106/Beyond The Wall Of Sound
Dorothy Berry You're So Fine
Bonnets Ya Gotta Take a Chance
Noreen Corcoran Love Kitten
Castanets I Love Him
Diane Renay Watch Out, Sally
Shelley Fabares He Don't Love Me
Jackie DeShannon Needles And Pins
Sadina I Want That Boy
Reparata & The Delrons I'm Nobody's Baby Now
Raindrops That Boy John
Alder Ray A Little Love
Ramona King It's In His Kiss
Shirley Matthews Big Town Boy
Cookies I Never Dreamed
Donna Loren Muscle Bustle
Bobbi-Pins Why Did You Go
Donays Devil In His Heart
Pussycats I Want Your Love
That's 34 great titles. A Happy New Year to all in Spectropop who
were involved with these albums, which I still listen to as many
of the titles have not yet made it to legit CD. And a Happy New
Year to all Spectropop members.
Mike Edwards
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 07:54:31 -0000
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Where The Glories Are / Savage Lost
Kingsley:
> ...Before that issue, they tell me that a new volume of
> "Where The Girls Are" is due. In true Pavlovian style, I
> salivate... maybe Mick can tell us a bit more??
From Mark:
> Does anyone know if (the Glories) released or recorded an
> album? They had an awful lot of singles (8 or 9) for a group
> on a major label to not have an album although maybe an
> unreleased one.
Oh dear, I now have a mental image of Kingsley drooling. :-)
S'right, Ace release "Where The Girls Are #5" later this month.
Spectropop fave raves the Glories are one of the 24 acts (26
tracks) featured. Here's a paragraph from the booklet:
The Glories were a group with excellent credentials. Lead
singer Frances Yvonne (Frankie) Gearing recorded as a member of
the Laddins for Groove and Bob Yorey's Angie and Bardell logos
before fronting the highly regarded Steinways of Oliver label
fame. Her colleague Betty Stokes came from the same stable,
having chirped as a member of Angie Records quartet the
Charlettes, the group that went on to fame as the Toys. Third
member Mildred Vaney had a gospel and jazz background before
turning to the session scene for a living. In 1967 the New York-
based trio were signed through Yorey's production company, Stark
Enterprises, to the Date label, immediately charting with their
debut "I Stand Accused (Of Loving You)" and establishing their
trademark style of furiously soulful vocals and pop-ish, almost
bubblegum songs. The girls sophomore single "(I Love You Babe
But) Give Me My Freedom" bubbled under the Hot 100 but their
third, the uber-commercial "Sing Me A Love Song", failed to
register. Somewhere along the line Betty Stokes surrendered her
post to Dolores Brown who was herself replaced by Rita Harvey
late in 1968. Although the Glories didn't chart again they
released a total of eight 45s for Date, culminating in a
terrific version of James Carr's "Dark End Of The Street" in
mid-1969. Frankie and Mildred struggled on for two years
without a recording deal before enlisting yet another new
third member, Lois Reeves, fresh from her sister Martha's just
disbanded Vandellas, and starting all over again as Quiet
Elegance at Hi Records in Memphis. But thats a whole other
story . . .
Bath running...clock ticking...coffee cooling...yada yada...
more another time.
MICK PATRICK
P.S.
Mike Edwards:
> ...Jeff Lemlich's book, "Savage Lost Florida Garage Bands:
> The 60s And Beyond"...has to be one of the best-researched
> rock `n' roll titles ever. As you flick through the pages,
> you wonder if Jeff made up some of the stuff, it's so obscure!
> ...If they came from Florida they're in here and there are
> some extensive sections covering soul music. The book is great
> value and available from Jeff's website at:
> http://www.limestonerecords.com/author.htm
I second that. Savage Lost is a great book. It has plenty of
girl group facts and info too. MP
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 00:59:44 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Re: Hit questions
Dan Hughes wrote:
> Is there a web site for Hit Records?
> I have one: The Night Has a Thousand Eyes, by Joe Cash b/w
> Loop De Loop by Herbert Hunter. Who are they really?
Herbert Hunter was... Herbert Hunter (hey, it makes more sense
than Teddy Vann telling Gil Hamilton that from that point on,
he'll be known as Johnny Thunder. "Here, record this nursery
rhyme!") I have not heard the Joe Cash track.
Andrew Jones wrote:
> Whenever the soloist was female, the label usually identified
> her as "Kathy Shannon". Was this a real name? If not, does
> anyone know who she really was?
According to list member (and Hit label researcher) Paul Urbahns,
many of the Kathy Shannon records were actually by Rickie Page,
session singer extraordinaire (The Bermudas, Majorettes, etc.)
Jeff Lemlich
http://www.limestonerecords.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 01:24:21 -0000
From: Ian Chapman
Subject: Parade
Smokey Roberds wrote:
> Thank you to Mike for posting the Parade interview on
> http://www.60sgaragebands.com
It makes a fascinating read, Smokey. Interesting to see the
Stuart Margolin connection mentioned. I recall a movie from
the late 70s, "A Shining Season", in which Jerry Riopelle
made a cameo appearance - I believe Stuart directed this.
Were you involved too?
On a separate note, were you and the guys ever aware of the
UK cover of "Sunshine Girl (Boy)" by the Greek-born singer
Vicky Leandros, also issued in '67, on Philips?
Ian
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 21:35:25 -0500
From: Jim Cassidy
Subject: Spector or Wilson? Chicken or egg?
Phil M. wrote:
> Correct me if the chronology doesn't check out, but This
> Could Be The Night always struck me as Spector's response
> to Pet Sounds - that chromatic harmonica, in particular.
... and the organ and bassoon (?) on the verses of "Walking
In The Rain" by the Ronettes always struck me as the inspiration
for some of the arrangements on Pet Sounds.
Jim Cassidy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 21:26:46 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Hit Records and Power Records
Mikey wrote:
> All I know it that it was pressed at Synthetic Plastics...
Isn't plastic synthetic by nature?
That reminds me of the show occasionally on volunteer radio a
round here called "Yesterday's Memories"
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 01:48:46 -0000
From: Ian Chapman
Subject: Lucy In London
Phil wrote:
> http://www.youns.com/lucy/videospecials.asp
> Thanks for the link, David. Finding this was a great way
> to kick off the new year. I wasn't able to view the videoclip,
> although just about remember its UK airing, but managed to
> grab the sound. Fun to hear Spectorised quotes from our
> National Anthem and The Skaters Waltz!
> However, I don't think it sounds like Phil singing, in
> fact it's more like a fully-produced MFQ track(?)
This was a real memory jogger. I was able to view the
videoclip, but I didn't recall the song or that particular
sequence at all. What I do remember is Anthony Newley
acting as Lucy's personal guide to London and showing her
what were then considered to be slightly more alternative
places to visit. One of which was Madame Tussaud's
(evidently not quite the tourist magnet it is today).
I agree that the voice on the theme song doesn't sound like
Phil - I think anyone who's ever heard Phil singing "Pretty
Girl" would probably agree! Could well be the MFQ - it's
certainly dripping with that later-period Philles sound.
But what struck me the most was that structurally, the song
is a basic psychedelic rehash of "Da Doo Ron Ron", with a
trippy slo-motion section spliced in the middle (.....man)
Ian
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 11
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2003 22:01:23 EST
From: paulurbahn@aol.com
Subject: House Of The Rising Sun single version
> Did not something similar happen with The Animals' House Of
> The Rising Sun after the greatest hits album's version included
> a longer Alan Price organ break and either one or two additional
> verses ("I'm going back to New Orleans, my race is almost run...."
> and/or " Well it's a one foot on the platform and the other foot
> on the train..."
Yes. I don't know if the original single has ever been issued on CD.
Everyone I've heard about has the longer version.
Paul Urbahns
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 04:19:08 -0000
From: Billy Spradlin
Subject: Re: Hang On (A Bit Longer) Sloopy
Playing catch-up with messages here.
The first time I heard the McCoys long version of "Sloopy" was on
Dick Bartley's "Solid Gold Saturday Night" back in the mid 1980's.
I always wondered why they chopped it out.
BTW The full length mono mix first appeared on Rhino's "Dick Bartley
Presents One Hit Wonders Of The 60s, Vol. 2".
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 06:31:29 +0100
From: Eddy Smit
Subject: Re: Da doo ron ron by Mick Jagger ????
Teri Landi wrote re. Andrew Oldham Orchestra tracks:
> John Paul Jones was likely a session musician or possibly an
> arranger (Mike Leander generally arranged the Andrew Oldham
> Orchestra recordings) but he did not produce ALO recordings.
> Andrew himself was the producer on these.
John Paul Jones was credited as Musical Director.
Eddy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 10:12:15 -0000
From: Ian Slater
Subject: The Pixies Three
Doc wrote:
> On New Years Eve, the new CD by the Pixies Three went on sale!
Thanks Doc for that information, and for alerting us to this
great 60s girl-group who remain active with their original line-up.
I had the privilege of being their first British (I think in fact
their first overseas) fan club member a few years back but lost
touch until Doc's timely message. Doc also wrote a great biography
on the group in the October 1993 issue of "Discoveries" magazine.
Please check out their website and their CDs. Their "Our History"
CD contains some beautiful unissued early material including demos
which, with their simple arrangements, have a strong doo-wop flavour.
It also has their previously unissued version of "Make Me your Baby"
- the definitive version to me and perhaps their best record. The
new tracks in the "Now and Then" CD have a C&W flavour. Can't wait
to hear the new one!
Ian Slater
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Message: 15
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 22:33:23 +1030
From: Norman
Subject: Normie Rowe
Ken Silverwood asked:
>Talking Australian, how come we never give
>Normie Rowe a mention...
Good old Normie Rowe. One of his last chart hits in 1970
was the Johnny Young-penned "Hello".
Norman
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 16
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 12:07:16 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
From: Paul Woods
Subject: Operator, operator...
I've often wondered if there was any significance in the
coincidence of phone numbers between The Marvelettes' "Beechwood
45789" and Wilson Pickett's "634-5789". Is it maybe an in-joke
referring to an actual phone number? Anyone know?
Wudzi
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Message: 17
Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 00:04:22 +1030
From: Norman
Subject: Normie Rowe
Ken Silverwood:
> Talking Australian, how come we never give
> Normie Rowe a mention,
The following is only a quick run through. There are many
other recordings and stories about Normie and I think details
about them can be found elsewhere. Good ol' Normie Rowe.
During a period when most National pop idols in Australia
were from British or European stock Normie was actually
Australian! Although we historically refer to his early
recordings as Normie Rowe in the singular, he was backed by
the Playboys.
We were still using that nomenclature thing, i.e. Normie Rowe
and The Playboys, Ray Brown and The Whispers, Tony Worsley and
The Blue Jays etc.
"It Ain't Necessarily So" (from Porgy and Bess) via the
Merseybeats was his first success in 1965. Helped along by
the then broadcasting laws in Australia that forbid blasphemy
it went to #8 in my hometown, and #1 nationally.
He gained some chart success again the same year with "I
(Who Have Nothing)", reaching #13 (#7 nationally).
If it worked with Porgy and Bess why not try Doris Day.
Normie's next hit in 1965 was with "Que Sera, Sera" backed
with Johnny Kidd's "Shakin' All Over" (or vice versa, depending
which geographical state one was living in at the time).
The double-sided hit went to #1 (#2 nationally).
By now he was a household name. His next hit was in November
1965. My all-time favourite Normie Rowe track - "Tell Him I'm
Not Home"(#2 nationally).
In 1966 "Breaking Point" went #2 nationally but only managed
#18 in my hometown.
The same can be said for his next record in 1966 "Pride and Joy".
#16 nationally and similar charting here, only it was a double
sided hit with "The Stones That I Throw" getting equal airplay.
The same year "Oh La La" (which was recorded in England) was
his second national #1. This being my second all-time favourite
Normie Rowe track.
"It's Not Easy" (also recorded in England) made it to #2 nationally
(#12 in my hometown) in 1966.
"Goin' Home"/"I Don't Care" reached #16 on my hometown charts on
28th April 1967 (#7 nationally).
Among his later recordings "Hello" and "Elizabeth" got some air
time, especially through TV shows like Uptight and Happening 70
(both Lewis-Young productions), but by this time he had gone the
way of most pop idols, into the realms of MOR material.
He was drafted into the army in 1968 and did a tour of duty in
Vietnam. He once maintained that when he was at training camp no
other soldier there shared his birth date (the Australian government
used a "lottery" of birth dates to draft men into the Army during
the days of conscription). He felt as if the government had used
him as some PR exercise. The irony being many years later he became
a spokesperson for Viet Vets in Australia.
He went through the tragedy of losing his young son, and in a
period of obscurity had to rely on touring gigs to earn a living.
Some gigs took him to such far away places as Port Hedland (Western
Australia but so far north it is closer to Indonesia!).
After he climbed out of this near obscurity he became involved in
"Les Miserables"
And re-invented himself. His rendition of "Bring Him Home" has to
be heard to be believed. A brilliant voice.
I last saw Normie in 2002 when he appeared at the Semaphore Palais
here in Adelaide.
He had two local musicians backing him, one on keyboards the other
guitar. He was bloody fantastic. He has reached the stage where
he doesn't have to ape his younger days to please the audience
(although his hits were not excluded from the show). He could do
a set of totally new numbers and still have the audience spellbound.
He is a great entertainer.
I would recommend Chris Spencer et al, Who's Who of Australian Rock
and Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopaedia of Rock, the latter a
bit dated now but still useful (one of the first serious attempts
to catalogue Australian rock music), as the first points of call
in reading about Australian Pop Music. The chart positions I refer
to in this posting are from Noel McGrath's book as well as from Radio
5AD charts here in Adelaide.
Norman
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Message: 18
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 15:47:11 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Jamie's Twang Gang; Carol Connors
Happy New Year - just back from vacation including 3 days in Los Angeles.
I'm not evening trying to catch up yet, so I haven't yet seen the posts of
the past couple of weeks.
I just got and am enjoying the "Twang Gang" CD, just out on Jamie. It is an
extremely interesting and revealing review of where Lee Hazlewood and
company came from. (Excellent liner notes by John P. Dixon, too - wish they
were longer!) While Duane Eddy and Al Casey are on it as session
instrumentalists, the album contains vocals by Hazlewood's Phoenix coterie,
emphasizing the work of the late Donnie Owens ("Need You" was the big
beautiful hit, and the very pretty follow-up, "Between Midnight and Dawn,"
is also here), plus Sanford Clark, Don Cole (also with Owens as The Two
Dons, sounding very Everly-like), and a generous portion of Mr. H. both as
himself and under the nom-de-plume of Mark Robinson. Although very late
50's-early 60's, the CD has a lot of early LA-soft-pop-sunshine feeling and
a hint of alt-country, and has a lot more ballads than uptempo material. A
forgotten find, particularly enjoyable for fans of early Sill-Hazlewood and
Spector productions, like myself. (Spector's work isn't present here, but I
can hear the two-way street of influences, intentional or subliminal.)
By the way, Frank Lipsius tells me there may be a Volume 2, focusing on the
Sharps. They were a black group who did the rebel yells and nice group
harmonies behind Duane Eddy's hits on Jamies - the kind of stuff usually
associated with white country artists. Of course, Jamie also had Ray Sharpe
("Linda Lu"), a black artist doing rockabilly. (Any relation, Frank?)
Considering those records came at the early dawn of improved race relations,
this was pretty pioneering stuff. Of course, "the kids" "got it" before many
of their parents did. (By the way, at the last WFMU Record Fair, I saw a
copy of the Ray Sharpe album on Jamie offered for $175.00!)
From the LA Weekly, 12/26/02-1/3/03, this nasty little paragraph in the
"Slushed in 2002" column on page 37 is quoted without further comment:
"'Are you out of your mind?' screeched a chubby-cheeked matron with an
impossibly fried comb-over at the opening night of 'Tell Veronica,' when
asked if she might be the mother of the play's star, Charlene Tilton. The
rhetorical 'How old do you think I am?' was followed by the inevitable
'Don't you know who I am?' before the bellowed answer: 'I am Carol
Connors' - Oscar-nominated lyricist for the theme from 'Rocky.' We decided
that we were 'Gonna Fly Now' before we told the songbird she looked like
Tilton's grandmother."
More soon,
Country Paul
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Message: 19
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 20:10:06 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Re: The Power label
Still only the 3rd day of 2003 and already 3 mistakes! Pretty strong going
even by my standards, maybe the last of the year? :) When I played The Song
Spinners on Power I thought of the Belmonts but couldn't find a record to go
with the title. Mike kindly reminded me off list, a further look and yes there
it is. To show the Power of Power I've posted their cover version to musica. I
think it's a lot of fun. Dig the ending when they just seem to run out of steam!
On the subject of 'Sound-A-likes labels' Paul Urbans, if memory serves - which
it doesn't seem to be at the moment! - is very knowledgeable on the Hit Record
label. Perhaps he has some more information on Power. And what was the third
mistake? The 45 Mike Rashkow mentioned arranged by Teacho and sung by the Jive
5 was "Goin Wild" not "You Gotta Run".
Martin
(Chastened but not cowed!)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 20
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 19:47:14 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: Raspberries
I just read an article about the music industry's current sales slump.
Seems that CD sales are down in nearly every genre . . . the exception is
country music and jazz, where sales are actually up. It's almost
ridiculous, how industry watchers are pointing fingers at the economy, at
Internet downloading, at anything and everything but the music itself. So
what are the powers that be gonna do? Are they going to give us more jazz
and country acts, since that's what the consumer seems to want? Hell, no!
They're just gonna keep bombarding us with punk/alternative rock, hip-hop
and rap until we break down our resistance and buy more of it. Those of us
who were hoping for a return of strong melodies, danceable rhythms and
singing talent are out of luck . . . let's hear it for entertainment in the
New Millennium! (All together now . . . a big, loud RASPBERRY.)
Stuffed Animal
_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8 is here: Try it free* for 2 months
http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 21
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 19:03:40 -0000
From: Tony
Subject: Re: Barbara Alston
Stuffed Animal wrote:
> I just read that Barbara Alston of The Crystals passed away a few
> years back . . . I never heard this before! Is it true?
VERY UNTRUE!!!! Some friends of mine just saw Barbara Alston at the
Girl Groups stamps function, and she is very much alive. There may
be some confusion due to one of those "misinforming R & R
Encyclopedias" that got the info. mixed up about Barbara ALSTON of
the Crystals and Barbara LEE of the Chiffons. Barbara LEE of the
Chiffons died over 10 years ago. However, this one publication
listed the date of her death and cause under Alston's name.
Tony
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 22
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 12:23:30 -0500
From: Jack Madani
Subject: Re: The Chiffons etc
Hey, I'm almost up to Thanksgiving!
Eric Charge:
> THE one perfect record in my humble collection is the Chiffons'
> "Sweet Talkin' Guy". It has thrilled me right from the time, as
> a schoolkid, I organised the kids in class to sing the different
> backing vocal parts at break times. The record always sounds fresh
> and dynamic.
Every single part, instrumental or vocal, in that song seems to occupy its
own cleanly separated, rythmically unique slot. The whole thing together
ends up meshing perfectly like the gears in a John Harrison chronometer.
On top of which, the Chiffons have a vocal blend that is, if not the best,
then is very close to the top of all girl groups.
But I know what you mean about those vocal parts at the end of the song,
when they all come together. It always reminded me of the last movement
of Mozart's Symphony #41. Back in my college days I arranged for my a
cappella group a medley of Baby Talk, New Girl In School, and Papa Ooh Mow
Mow, where at the end of the medley, I overlaid the bomp-ba-bomp parts
from all three songs on top of each other (and then threw in a slice of
Camptown Races for added perversity). It was my most satisfying arranging
moment, and I definitely had the Chiffons in mind when I did it. And
Mozart too.
> Any time my "younger" girlfriend hears a Mickey Monkee song or a Grace
> Airplane song, she always asks if it's Grace or Mickey. I had never
> thought they sounded familiar... but there it is.
I always thought that Cher, from the late seventies onward, sounded
exactly like Dean Martin.
jack
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Message: 23
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 12:11:44 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: revisiting Me About You
Me About You completists will be interested in Sundazed's recent reissue
of the self-titled 1969 LP by the New Jersey psych group Gandalf. I'm
drawing this info from a review (in Ugly Things), and so can't offer any
opinions of my own. For what it's worth, the reviewer seemed to like it.
--Phil M.
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Message: 24
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 15:05:43 -0000
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Beatles titles
It's been a while since I saw the last post on this one, but I don't
wanna withhold you this one: Captain Beefheart - Beatle bones n' smokin'
stones: mentions Strawberry Fields Forever.
Eddy
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Message: 25
Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 09:08:20 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Gorshin's Riddler
Now playing on musica, by request, is "The Riddler", by Frank
Gorshin, replete with fuzz guitar, copious echo and maniacal
laughter. The track is taken from a bootleg compilation, so
release info is scanty and session info nonexistent.
When I went to upload the track this morning I noticed that
musica was empty -- not sure if this was by design or by
accident, but fortunately none the tracks that had been there
(at least as of the last time I checked) were new ones. Like
driving to work on a holiday, it was a bit of a luxury not to
have to squeeze through the usual bottlenecks.
Enjoy,
--Phil M.
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