________________________________________________________________________
______________ ______________
______________ ______________
______________ S P E C T R O P O P ______________
______________ ______________
________________________________________________________________________
Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are 6 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Seasonal Similitude / The Stephen Crane Village 45
From: Billy G. Spradlin
2. Re: Newbeats & some others = Snoopy & the Others
From: Mochilli
3. Eddie Rambeau - Fan Club
From: Rosemarie Edwards
4. Re: Best falsetto? Boys and Girls Together!
From: Leonardo Flores
5. Early 70's artists and radio - plus
From: Country Paul
6. Re: Renaissance / Illusion
From: Eddy
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 03:53:40 -0000
From: Billy G. Spradlin
Subject: Re: Seasonal Similitude / The Stephen Crane Village 45
It wasn't really a debate - I was curuous about the 45 and wanted more
information about it. Im listening to it (on headphones) right now
and its very likely the Seasons could have moonlighted on it, since
Charles Calello arranged/conducted the record. "Hey Summer" aways
sounded like the 4 Seasons meet late 60's bubblegum to me. They could
have eaisly went down that road like Lou Christie did and perhaps scored
some hits instead of going MOR near the end of their Philips era.
Billy
Update: oops forgot to mention that it is Bobby Valli singing the
lead on "Hey Summer". Did they release any other 45's?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 04:31:37 -0000
From: Mochilli
Subject: Re: Newbeats & some others = Snoopy & the Others
Guy Lawrence wrote:
> The Newbeats were one of those groups cursed with a downhill slope
> saleswise after an initial smash hit...
A little something extra regarding the Newbeats/falsetto discussion.
In 1966 Larry Henley left THE NEWBEATS, for a time, due to a
contract dispute. Mike Gibson, of my hometown of Louisville Kentucky,
was asked to take over on lead vocals by their manager.
(Mike was the lead singer of THE MONARCHS, a top Louisville group at
the time. His soaring falsettos can be heard on The Monarchs
recordings such as; 1962's OVER THE MOUNTAIN on Reegal, 1963's THIS
OLD HEART & 'TIL I HEAR IT FROM YOU on Jam, & 1964-5's LOOK HOMEWARD
ANGEL, WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN, & THIS
OLD HEART on Sound Stage 7.)
Mark and Dean Mathis of THE NEWBEATS came to Louisville to record
with Mike. At least two tracks were cut at that session which was
probably done at the ALLEN-MARTIN STUDIOS here in town.
Released on the Hickory label was the single SWEET THANG b/w YOU
BETTER TAKE ME HOME. The record was released as by SNOOPY AND THE
OTHERS due to futher dispute regarding the rights to THE NEWBEATS
name.
Of other possible interest is the fact that several members of the
local groups SOUL, INC, and THE KEYES also performed on this release.
Larry Henley returned to THE NEWBEATS shortly after the release of
this record.
Regards to an enjoyable discussion group,
MOCHILLI in LOUISVILLE
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 05:06:52 -0000
From: Rosemarie Edwards
Subject: Eddie Rambeau - Fan Club
We have just added a fan club - to our site for 'Eddie Rambeau'
Rosemarie - Leeds UK
http://www.edrambeau.com
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 06:13:06 -0000
From: Leonardo Flores
Subject: Re: Best falsetto? Boys and Girls Together!
Best Falsetto song? That's got to be "Boys and Girls Together" By Johnny
and The Expressions on Josie 949. There the whole damn group is singing
Fallsetto throughout the entire song..it doesn't let up for one moment.
Great party lyrics, great Soul production, just makes you want to get on
the floor and dance with a girl. it's what a great record is suppose to
sound like.
Cheers, Leonardo Flores
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 01:29:55 -0500
From: Country Paul
Subject: Early 70's artists and radio - plus
Hotcha! We've hit the era "when I first came into my fame," as Andy Pratt
sang in "Avenging Annie," an era still fondly remembered by a handful of the
Connecticut faithful of the period. To my ears, much of what
progressive/college rock radio was playing in the early 70's is in so many
ways the logical extension of Spectropop's core. Let's not forget the Beach
Boys in their progressive mode were big in this realm, too; WHCN was a major
"Sunflower" and "Surf's Up" station. Also in the mainstream, the newly-Bob
Welched Fleetwood Mac and Badfinger's "No Dice" with the majestic "Name of
The Game."
Bobster:
> I don't believe there is anything quite like the powerful beauty of
> Fairport Convention's 1st American album ("Fotheringay", "No Man's Land",
> etc.). Long live McGuinness Flint. "When I'm Dead and Gone" b/w "Lazy
> Afternoon" is one of my very favorites from the early 7Ts.....Ian Matthews
> is a groovy composer, singer, and musician. ,
Fairport's first [US] Lp is still unmatched, especially side 1. (Special
kudos for Norman's mention of "The Bunch," although to my ears a better
concept than execution; also a wistful sigh for the album by Fotheringay,
Sandy Denny's post-Fairport group.) Ian Matthews always had one or two
superb tracks per album, often more. His pleasant "Woodstock" was actually
among the least of those; his "Seven Bridges Road" was superb. There's a
"greatest songs" CD of his just waiting to be compiled. And "When I'm Dead
and Gone" still moves as no other record I know does (maybe the Band's "Rag
Mama Rag") and as Javed said, it doesn't sounded dated at all. Same feeling
is in the Rumour's late 70's "Frozen Years" (Stiff); some of the same
players, too. (Peter Lerner, thanks for the Flint story!)
Nick Archer:
> As a DJ in the 70s, it was hard to keep up with the duos. One station that
> I worked for played Batdorf & Rodney, Deardorf & Joseph, Cecilio & Kapono,
> Gallagher & Lyle, Mouth & McNeal, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and LeBlanc
> & Carr, not to mention the Neilson-Pearson Band, the Larsen-Feiten Band, the
> Tarney-Spencer Band, the Sanford-Townsend Band, and the Pousette-Dart Band.
> Lucky that you could put the album up next to the board to announce it. <
Nick, these names bring back memories for me, too. Batdorf & Rodney were
mainstream with us; "Can You See Him?" was the big track. Deardorff &
Joseph's "gimmick" (forgive me) was that Deardorff was quadraplegic and was
propped up on a board when they performed. (Really.) Tarney-Spencer had the
gently rockin' "Bye Bye Now My Sweet Love," with some superb vocals. Aztec
Two-Step was almost WHCN's house band (shared with NRBQ); their Jerry
Yester-produced Elektra album is still my favorite of all their work
("Prisoner" and "Highway Song" are breathtaking). Stealer's Wheel were also
great favorites from this period; Joe Egan had a wonderful solo album after
they split up - find it for the gorgeous "Back On The Road Again." And of
course Gerry Rafferty's solo albums were wonderful when they were new
(pre-burnout).
Lenny LeBlanc and Pete Carr had a good album, as I remember, but LeBlanc had
a solo LP on Big Tree with a remarkable song called "Ain't It Funny," which
got extensive airplay on WWYZ (as well as WHCN) in Hartford. It was a
signature song of 'YZ, which had a truly unique format: soft (as in volume
and texture, not musical weight) rock - gentle music of substance by
credible rock and folk artists with some pop crossover. There would be name
artists, but very few of the hit tracks listeners were burned out on.
Instead, you'd hear lots of the "inner cuts" from the major artists, and the
"turntable hits" most album-rock jocks listened to at home but couldn't play
on the air due to formats. The combination was truly magical - an artistic
success, a ratings success, a commercial success. One guy, Bob Craig,
programmed the whole station 24/7. 'YZ was really beautiful. When he got
hired away to Philadelphia, they brought in a consultant and killed it by
degrees.
(By the way, Pousette-Dart was one guy - Jon Pousette-Dart, another "next
big thing" from Boston.)
Nick again:
> ...the brother groups? Addrissi Brothers, Allman Brothers, Curtis
> Brothers, Winters Brothers, Hudson Brothers, Wilson Brothers, and a member
> of both groups, Sutherland Brothers & Quiver.
I've got "Cherrystone," a great rocker by the Addrisi Brothers on Del-Fi,
probably c. 1959. And I remember some fine SB&Q tracks, but the names elude
me.
Bobster:
> ...McKendree Spring's 1st and 2nd albums? ... have heard good things, but
> not actually heard any of their stuff.
Not "front line" for the period, IMO, but worth a listen. Recommended?
Depends on the purchase price.
Re: the Seatrain (Capitol) LP with "13 Questions" and "Willing" - when it
was new I thought they would have longevity and major status. Sadly, as a
group they've been relegated to second tier in the minds of many, but they
were super pioneers. Put on a good live show, too.
Mike Edwards, thanks for mentioning my favorite Ketty Lester song, the
incomperable "Once Upon A Time" (Era), the follow-up to "Love Letters." What
a voice, and what a beautiful arrangement!
Steve Harvey:
> When I heard the Kit Kats sing "Oh My Angel" I was able to track down the
> original by Bertha Tilman so I'm not totally lost in the woods.
That track still moves me - Tillman's reading of the bridge is
inspirational. Never heard the Kit Kats' version, but as the New Hope, they
did "Won't Find Better Than Me" on Jamie, another of my favorites, with
quite a nod to the Beach Boys. Huge in Philly, almost unknown elsewhere.
Dan Hughes, I was in suburban New York City till '62, then home for college
vacations while in Providence RI from '62-'71; Hartford, CT was home from
'71-early 90's, with an overlap with northern New Jersey (NYC metro again)
starting in 1988. All this plus half year in Denver, CO in '74. I'd also
consciously followed other regional markets looking for breakouts, and had a
lot of friends from Pitssburgh in the mid '60's who brought me up to speed
on some of the oldies scene there. Both my luck and consciously, I
gravitated to markets where lots of music got played - they were just more
interesting. (And Art Munson, thanks for the answers; towns don't get a lot
smaller in CT than East Morris! It's real pretty, though.)
Stuart Miller, I never meant to accuse you of only collecting the Seasons.
And I like your list of falsetto leads; it's a treat to see the great Donnie
Elbert there. ("What Can I Do" on Deluxe will curl your hair!)
JB's duos: nice work! But Pacific Gas & Electric was indeed a group, as were
AC/DC (of course) and Alive & Kickin'. The latter were produced by Tommy
James; their bass player, Ron Pell, was selling airtime at WDRC in Hartford
when I DJ'd there. Missing from the list: Don & Dewey, whose "Koko Joe" was
nicely covered by the Righteous Brothers on Moonglow.
Thanks, everybody, for the wonderful time travel of these last few digests
to back when I was "really" Country Paul. I've been smiling all night!
CP
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 08:09:55 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Renaissance / Illusion
Matthew,
In case you haven't seen it yet, allow me to refer you to my previous post...
The way I see it there is no way that HELP 27 can be released in in the early
70's. Nevertheless, since you seem to actually have the record, details would
be appreciated re: song titles.
Eddy
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
End
