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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. Four Seasons
From: Norman
2. Jeff & Ellie 45
From: Stephane Rebeschini
3. Phil Spector - Top 40 Hits?
From: Richard Havers
4. Scepter listing
From: Mike Edwards
5. Jeff and Ellie/Down 5
From: Stuffed Animal
6. Re. More on Artie Wayne
From: Phil Milstein
7. Bernadette; Belmonts
From: Phil Milstein
8. Artie Butler
From: Patrick
9. Sorry, more Lovey Kravezit!
From: Guy Lawrence
10. Philles Musicassette in America
From: "Peter Richmond"
11. Re: Bon-Aires
From: Martin Roberts
12. Re: Chuck Barris; Eddie Rambeau
From: James Botticelli
13. Re: Northern Soul
From: Simon White
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 18:54:50 +1030
From: Norman
Subject: Four Seasons
Stuart Miller wrote on the 4 Seasons:
> You should hear their version of "Tambourine Man".
Next to "Queen Jane Approximately" this is one of my favourite
tracks on the Rhino CD.
Because of the stereo separation I like playing with the
balance control...groovy.
Norman
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 10:39:45 +0100
From: Stephane Rebeschini
Subject: Jeff & Ellie 45
Ian Chapman a écrit:
> Just browsing through some old issues of Billboard and
> Cashbox tonight, as you do, and a couple of things caught
> my eye:
> First, in an April '67 issue, a full-page ad for a new
> single by a 4-guy group called The Down 5, entitled "I'm
> Takin' It Home"/"Show Me" on the Parrot label, produced by
> Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich. I've never heard this - can
> anyone give us a quickie review?
Hi
I have this single and I would describe it as a male NY
Italo/American R&B/soul group, with songs composed by Dennis
Carbone, one sounding a lot like "99 1/2 (Won't Do)". It was
indeed produced by Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich.
Stephane
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 10:21:53 +0000
From: Richard Havers
Subject: Phil Spector - Top 40 Hits?
On a trivia note, can anyone tell me exactly how many Top 40
hits Phil had in the USA? As a producer, rather than covers
of Phil's songs.
Thanks
Richard
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 10:30:47 -0500
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Scepter listing
Phil Milstein asks:
> Anyone know where I can find a (more or less) comprehensive
> Scepter 45s discography? All I'm after at the moment is the
> main label, rather than all those groovy subsids.
Phil, go to:
http://www.recordmaster.com/
Set up a search under "label" and 7". This URL appears in the
panel on the left of Spectropop main page. The resultant format
may have its limitations but it will get you going at the click
of your mouse button.
Good hunting and don't forget that one by Beverly Bremers called
"Don't Say You Don't Remember".
Mike Edwards
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 16:36:33 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: Jeff and Ellie/Down 5
Ian Chapman asked about:
> ....a full-page ad for a new single by a 4-guy group called
> The Down 5, entitled "I'm Takin' It Home"/"Show Me" on the
> Parrot label, produced by Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich. I've
> never heard this - can anyone give us a quickie review?
This is probably the last project Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich
worked on as a production team. Both sides are written by Dennis
Carbone (presumably the lead singer), and they sound very much
like Jeff's work with The Illusion.
Stuffed Animal
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 11:05:46 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re. More on Artie Wayne
Artie Wayne wrote:
> Jeff......Thanks for playing "Automated Man" to musica.
> I must have recorded it in the sixties......I don't remember
> a thing about it!!!!
Great record, Artie, even if you do draw a blank on it yourself.
By the way, are you the same Artie Wayne who got to pose (or at
least, superim-pose) with Anita Ekberg for an LP cover? I saw a
copy on the wall of a collector's store the other day, but when
I asked about its availability was informed that it's Not For
Sale At Any Price.
--Phil M.
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 11:42:15 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Bernadette; Belmonts
Anyone know of any interviews in which Bernadette Peters
discusses her early recording career?
On another matter, the recent musica posting of "Diddle De Dum"
by The Song Spinners was billed there as a Belmonts cover.
Listening to it, however, I can't help but wonder if it's not
merely a cover but rather the Bronx boys themselves. The backing
vocals in particular are strikingly similar to their sound. Might
they actually have covered themselves on that one?
--Phil M.
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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 17:42:13 -0000
From: Patrick
Subject: Artie Butler
I'm pretty sure Artie Butler has been discussed here - but
has anyone seen his website? Tremendous! Check it out:
http://www.artiebutler.com/
Check out the soundbites area for his story on "Sally Go
`Round The Roses" by the Jaynetts. And there's so much more
too - I'm still checking out the site and there's a lot more
to investigate.
Patrick
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Message: 9
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 18:12:06 -0000
From: Guy Lawrence
Subject: Sorry, more Lovey Kravezit!
This has to be one of our more bizarre threads but I'm afraid
I can't resist adding to it...I own the following:
Vic Dana - "Lovey Kravezit"/"Hello Roomate" (Verna Blackwell)
Dolton Records NO.317 (Inspired by the Columbia Picture
"The Silencers") Prod. Bob Reisdorff Arr. Tommy Oliver
The dealer I bought it from told me it was "bubblegum". That
sure ain't what I'd call it!
Regards,
Guy
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 19:11:12 -0000
From: "Peter Richmond"
Subject: Philles Musicassette in America
Ian Chapman wrote:
> The other interesting item was included in a feature on "the
> musicassette in America". There were listings of available
> cassette album titles for all the major labels, and I was
> surprised to see Philles included. Although there was only
> one title available (the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost
> That Lovin' Feelin'"), I don't think I was aware that there
> was any official "from the time" Philles cassette product.
> How rare are they? (Peter R. .......??)
I wasn't aware of it either!
Peter.
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Message: 11
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 20:20:06 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Re: Bon-Aires
Billy asked,
> One of my favorite 4-Seasons sound alikes was the
> Bon-Aires' "Bye-Bye" on Rust 5077, 1964. I only have
> an mp3 of it - does anyone have the producer/arranger
> info? Being on Rust Records, I'm wondering if there's
> any Bright Tunes (aka The Tokens) involvement???
Close, very very close.....
written and produced Neil Levenson.
Martin
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 15:27:50 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Chuck Barris; Eddie Rambeau
Rosemarie wrote:
> ...but then I am allowed - I have heard "Summertime Guy"
I too have heard "Summertime Guy", still have the single
in fact! It was played at a small Top-40 radio station down
the street from my house in Lexington MA called WCOP-AM.
I met Shelly Fabares there when she was on the road promoting
"Johnny Angel". We used to go in and watch the DJ eddie
eddie eddie eddie eddie eddie mi--tchellll who later went on
to become Emperor Fenway, the morning man on 1510 WMEX, home
of Arnie Woo Woo Ginsberg.
JB
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2003 21:11:03 +0000
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: Northern Soul
Mike Edwards wrote:
> Simon, I wonder if you would share some thoughts with us.
> At the back of his Northern Soul 500 book, Kev Roberts
> lists northern soul top-10s from the late 60s to the present.
> The early lists feature somewhat well known records such
> as "You're Ready Now" and the Impressions' "You've Been
> Cheating". The later lists are made up of titles that are
> totally unknown outside of the Northern Soul Scene. Couple
> that with the fact that some of the earlier items such as
> "You're Ready Now" have no credibility on the Northern Scene
> these days and an "outsider" wonders what the reasons are
> for this shift. I would be interested in your feedback.
> Oh yes and I did love that Ral Donner 45 you played on the
> Metropolitan Soul Show a couple of weeks' back. Was it
> "Don't Let It Slip Away"?
Don't really know if there is an answer to all this, Mike, but...
The scene's history goes way back to when some of the records
mentioned were current, hence the Impressions for instance.
In the sixties, U.S. soul imports were not that common in the
U.K., and as the Northern Soul scene developed, more records had
to be found to fuel the interest. Certain deejays had direct
access to the States and this, coupled with the mass cheap
import of 45s [sometimes as ships ballast, it seems] led to
the explosion of rare U.S. soul on the scene. But Northern
Soul has always been a two-sided thing - danceability and
collectability. Therefore, 45s like "You're Ready Now",
which is very danceable [and Northern Soul has a VERY distinct
dance style] but not rare, will have appealed to the less 'hip'
amongst the Northern crowd, but not to the hardcore Soul fans
- because it is a pop record after all.
Compare it to the Del Larks' "Job Opening", for instance, which
is rare and soul, but couldn't be a pop hit in a million years
because it is a wonderful, messy, noisy, racket. It was one of
those records which almost seem to have been made with Northern
Soul in mind! [And they exist too!]
In between all this, and remembering there was intense rivalry
between clubs and deejays to find obscure things no one else had,
45s were played that had no real soul connection, but the beat
was right and they were rare - at least until more turned up,
which, most often, they did.
Therefore, Julius Wechter's "Along Comes Mary" (remember
neither he nor the song meant a thing in the U.K.); Mike Post's
"Afternoon Of The Rhino"; the Righteous Brothers' "Rat Race" -
all of which were part of an instrumental phase the Northern
Scene went through - were big Northern tracks. Similarly, U.S.
hits like the Outsiders' "Time Wont Let Me" and Spiral Staircase's
"MoreToday Than Yesterday" are all well-known on the scene yet
have little credibility [although the Outsiders is a personal
favourite]
For another instance, Vlaovic B just asked: -
> Was the record "Out Of My Mind" by Rain a Northern Soul 'hit'?
> I thought I'd noted it on a compilation once, but wasn't sure
> and in fact couldn't believe it!
This was indeed a Northern-played track from the 'poppier' end.
It was played at The Wigan Casino, the best-known and the most
commercial of the Northern venues and again, was something you
couldn't get away with playing now! It's on a CD: "Wigan Casino
Story - The Final Chapter".
The Northern Scene shrank to die-hards and collectors in the
Eighties and early Nineties and by that time a lot of records
were either 'played out' i.e. over-played, or didn't fit the
accepted Northern criteria, being too slow perhaps. But the
last ten years or so have seen a move towards a more beat-ballad
sound [think early sixties Drifters] and more recently, a
bluesier r'n'b sound. So the emphasis has shifted again.
Really though, putting a finger on it is difficult.
Any one who's interested could do worse than type the phrase
"Northern Soul" into Google and look at what comes up. It is a
very mad, passionate scene, believe me.
To be honest, you either know when something is "Northern" or not!
Have a listen to my show:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This Sunday 12th January 2003 on Soul 24-7
7pm-9pm GMT
http://www.Soul24-7.com
The Metropolitan Soul Show
2 hours of Northern Soul.
This week - The Utterly Marvellous Simon White.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I'm always happy to do dedications and requests (best placed in
advance of the show)
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