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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 17 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: The Forum
From: Javed Jafri
2. Re: The Forum / Salt Water Taffy
From: James Botticelli
3. Re: The Forum
From: David Matthews
4. Neil Diamond back in musica!
From: Mike Edwards
5. Maurice Gibb / new Motown tome
From: Phil Milstein
6. Re: Catherine Spaak
From: Patrick Rands
7. Re: Buddy Kaye / Bea Verdi
From: Mary
8. “Who'da thought it?!” - Joanie Sommers
From: Mike Edwards
9. Re: Little Latin Lupe Lu
From: Richard Havers
10. Re: The Forum - The River Is Wide
From: Mike Dugo
11. Tommy Sands Live
From: Leonardo Flores
12. Re: Neil Diamond / The Forum / Lupe Lu
From: Ron
13. Re: The Forum
From: James Botticelli
14. The Roogalatin' Bobby Jameson
From: Steve Stanley
15. Re: Kingsmen/Lupe Lu
From: Phil Milstein
16. Re: The Forum
From: Den Lindquist
17. 365 Days website, featuring Brute Force
From: David Parkinson
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 20:18:25 -0500
From: Javed Jafri
Subject: Re: The Forum
Kingsley Abbott:
> The Forum's 'The River Is Wide' is from August 1967 when it peaked # 45
> on Billboard. Their album, together with 9 bonus tracks has just come
> onto CD for the first time here in the UK on Revola (Rev 14).
And don't forget that the Grassroots also charted with a version of "The
River Is Wide" in 1969 and their version charted even higher at # 31. Which
version do Spectropopers prefer? I like the Forum's version better but also
enjoy the 'Roots.
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 19:45:04 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: The Forum / Salt Water Taffy
Richard Williams wrote:
> So now, thanks to Spectropop, I discover that (the Forum) made an album,
> and it's my next target.
I have the LP, as I mentioned, but then Kingsley mentioned that the UK
reissue has bonus tracks included. Unless you're a staunch vinyl purist
that CD has to be something to behear. Does anyone have any commentary on
the CD?
Also, in today's mail was a Japanese CD reissue of an LP by Salt Water
Taffy, originally recorded in '68 on Buddah. Real softrock on some tracks
and strongly anticipating bubblegum on a couple of others, but in a good
way, sort of a Cowsillish way...
--
James Botticelli
Member: The EZ Revolution
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:02:07 +0000
From: David Matthews
Subject: Re: The Forum
Richard Williams:
> Spectropop really is amazing. I've been winding myself up for weeks to send
> a request for information on the Forum's single, more or less identical to
> bnbnk's. A year or two ago I acquired the UK 45, on London American; then,
> a few months later, I found a promo copy on the same label. I've been
> playing both sides constantly ever since. Why didn't I hear it when it came
> out? To me it sounds like the best Bacharach record Bacharach never made:
> the same combination of uptown smoothness and R&B intensity. And yet each
> side is so different from the other. I Fall In Love has the most swooningly
> romantic fade-out of all time; The River Is Wide is just deliriously crazy.
> They capture a certain moment when adventurousness was what pop music was
> all about. So now, thanks to Spectropop, I discover that they made an album,
> and it's my next target.
Good old Joe Foster and co at Rev-Ola (a subsidiary of Cherry Red) have
just reissued The Forum's sole 1967 album in the UK. "The River is wide"
album has the catalogue number CRREV14. This excellent reissue includes
the entire album, all their non-LP singles, radically different takes of
"The River is wide" track and 3 unreleased Les Baxter conducted instru-
mentals. For more details go to: http://www.revola.co.uk/
Can I just say thanks to Joe and his team at Rev-Ola. I have purchased
all of their available re-issues (well, the ones that veer towards the
sunshine side of 60s pop) and to discover lost classics such as The Blades
of Grass, The Moon, Chris Lucey, Thomas and Richard Frost and Mark Eric
really is a dream come true for me. Life can be great can't it.
Take care Spectropoppers.
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 02:44:53 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Neil Diamond back in musica!
Neil Diamond is back in the music lounge!
A few months' back I played a Neil Diamond song recorded by Cliff
Richard to musica, "Just Another Guy". Neil is back in Spectropopland
as the writer of "That New Boy In Town" by Jan Tanzy on Where The
Girls Are Vol 5.
He made some other splashes prior to "Solitary Man" – he wrote "Sunday
And Me" for Jay & The Americans in 1965 and cut a very good 45 for
Columbia under his own name in 1963, "Clown Town". Back in 1962, he co-
wrote "Ten Lonely Guys" for Pat Boone along with nine others including
Feldman, Gottehrer and Goldstein (later to become the Strangeloves).
Neil treated us to a version of this on his CD, "Up On The Roof – Songs
From The Brill Building" (1993).
Going back even further, Neil cut his first 45, "You Are Me Love At
Last" with Jack Packer as Neil and Jack on a small New York label, Duel.
As you will hear, the violins play a big part on this record but they
were overdubbed after Neil and Jack's session. In his biography,
"Solitary Star" it states that the song is "strongly reminiscent of the
Jewish folk song "Ber Mir Bist Du Schein" with the "tacky violins
ethnicizing the tune even more". The world may not have been "ready for
the first Jewish folk-rock song" but with the test of time "You Are My
Love At Last' stands up as a great 45.
Enjoy – and comments are always welcome.
Mike Edwards (still looking for that big 45 by Chase Webster on Dot –
the one called "Like I've Never Been Gone" from 1962, of course)
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 11:00:56 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Maurice Gibb / new Motown tome
An interesting commentary in the online magazine Reason about the
passing of Maurice Gibb, in particular about why it's been so overlooked
in the press. See http://www.reason.com/hod/bd020603.shtml.
Also, a new Motown book is out, entitled Motown: Music, Money, Sex, And
Power. Judging from the title, it focuses primarily on business aspects.
The author is Gerald Posner, a brilliant journalist best known for his
Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald And The Assassination Of JFK.
--Phil M.
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 17:16:27 -0000
From: Patrick Rands
Subject: Re: Catherine Spaak
Previously:
> Sadly, it appears they are no longer archiving the shows after they
> have been broadcast
Newsflash - I just learned that the auto-archive will be working
again starting tonight - so you will indeed be able to hear the
Catherine Spaak spotlight radio show once it gets archived to the
site http://www.zbconline.com/tp-archive.php - great news. I'm not
sure if I mentioned it - but Catherine Spaak worked with Ennio
Morricone and would appeal to fans of his soundtrack/vocal work.
:Patrick
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 18:52:59 -0000
From: Mary
Subject: Re: Buddy Kaye / Bea Verdi
Mick Patrick wrote:
> I just read in Discoveries magazine that the lyricist Buddy Kaye has
> died. I suspect many S'pop types will have some of his songs in their
> collections. Dusty Springfield, for example, recorded quite a few of
> his numbers: "All Cried Out", "Little By Little" and "In The Middle Of
> Nowhere" for starters. Buddy's song catalogue also includes many
> popular TV themes, such as "I Dream Of Jeannie", which he wrote with
> Hugo Montenegro, one of his many collaborators. He penned most of his
> famous 1960s songs with Philip Springer or Bea Verdi. He had actually
> been on the Tin Pan Alley scene since the 1940s, "A, You're Adorable"
> being one of his unforgettable vintage songs. Buddy's biggest ever hit
> composition was probably Pat Boone's "Speedy Gonzales". He died on
> November 21st 2002, aged 84.
Just wondering if anyone knows what ever happend to the co-writer Bea
Verdi...who co-wrote songs wiith Buddy Kaye? They did hits for Dusty
Springfield....thanks for info in this....Mary
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 03:22:21 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: “Who'da thought it?!” - Joanie Sommers
Recently we ran a series entitled "Who'da thought it?!" in which
members listed titles from unusual sources (mostly white pop artists)
that became favorites on the UK's Northern Soul scene. One 45 I don't
think I saw listed was "Don't Pity Me" by Joanie Sommers of "Johnny
Get Angry" fame. Kev Roberts talks about the Northern Soul Paradox in
his book "The Northern Soul Top 500": "Many Northern hits are spoken
of as being soul classics, yet are performed by pop artists like Holly
St James, Joanie Sommers, Timi Yuro and Lynne Randell". Kev goes so far
as to list "Don't Pity Me" as # 18 in the bubbling under section of his
survey, right there above Benny Spellman's "Fortune Teller"!
S'pop member, Frank, has done the right thing and set up a fan site
for Joanie Sommers and "Don't Pity Me is playing in that lounge right
now: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Joanie_Sommers/files/
Enjoy – and comments are always welcome.
Mike Edwards (still looking for that big 45 by Chase Webster on Dot –
the one called "Like I've Never Been Gone" from 1962, of course)
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:11:06 +0000
From: Richard Havers
Subject: Re: Little Latin Lupe Lu
Justin McDevitt wrote:
> Where can I find out the peak chart position and date for Little Latin
> Lupe Lu, specifically the version performed by Mitch Ryder and the
> Detroit Wheels?
It entered the charts on march 5 1966 at No.88, two places above the
Righteous Bros. 'Soul and Inspiration' who also entered that same
week. The following week Mitch went up to No.60. then 44, 27, 22, 17
where it stayed for two weeks before slipping back to No.20 and then
slowly, but gracefully descended the charts. The week that Mitch first
made No.17 was the week that the Brothers reached No.1 with Soul and
Inspiration.
Richard
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Message: 10
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 13:49:25 -0600
From: Mike Dugo
Subject: Re: The Forum - The River Is Wide
Is The Forum's "The River Is Wide" the same song that The Grassroots did?
It's a favorite of mine...
Mike Dugo
60sgaragebands.com
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Message: 11
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 20:29:51 -0000
From: Leonardo Flores
Subject: Tommy Sands Live
Hello,
I will be DJing Northern and 60's Soft Rock live on TV and the
Internet on a show called Marty's Corner. The special guest on the
show be Capital recording star Tommy Sands who I believe will be
performing a couple of songs live. If you live in the LA area
tickets are available for the studio audience. Please visit the
station web site and click on "Schedules": http://www.kcat.tv
Cheers
Leonardo Flores
http://www.the45club.com
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Message: 12
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 20:55:14 -0000
From: Ron
Subject: Re: Neil Diamond / The Forum / Lupe Lu
Mike Edwards wrote:
> (Neil Diamond) made some other splashes prior to "Solitary Man" – he
> wrote "Sunday And Me" for Jay & The Americans in 1965 and cut a very
> good 45 for Columbia under his own name in 1963, "Clown Town". Back
> in 1962, he co-wrote "Ten Lonely Guys" for Pat Boone along with nine
> others including Feldman, Gottehrer and Goldstein (later to become
> the Strangeloves). Neil treated us to a version of this on his CD,
> "Up On The Roof – Songs From The Brill Building" (1993)
Another of his early songs was "Santa, Santa" by the Rocky Fellers on
Scepter. Thanks for the musica tracks.
Javed Jafri wrote:
> And don't forget that the Grassroots also charted with a version of
> "The River Is Wide" in 1969 and their version charted even higher at
> # 31. Which version do Spectropopers prefer?
Although I am a huge Grassroots fan, I prefer the Forum on this one. I
always thought the powers that be behind the Grassroots rewrote some of
the lyrics when they did the song. However, as the bonus tracks on the
Rev Ola CD indicate, they were part of the original.
Add my thanks to Joe Foster. Along with the Forum, I got Lisa Mychols
and Mark Eric. I can't recommend them highly enough. The song "Lost
Winter's Dream" on the Lisa Mychols CD puts me in mind of a Bob Crewe
production for the Four Seasons.
I was always kanda partial to the Kingsmen's garage version of "Little
Latin Lupe Lu".
Ron
PS. Man this is a great group!
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Message: 13
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 15:08:42 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: The Forum
Javed Jafri wrote:
> ....don't forget that the Grassroots also charted with a version of
> "The River Is Wide" in 1969 and their version charted even higher at
> # 31. Which version do Spectropopers prefer? I like the Forum's version
> better but also enjoy the 'Roots.
The Forum's instrumentation, vocals, and the all around production is--as I
keep hammering at--so completely unique that imho it pales the Grassroots
more Metronomic/AM Pop approach. There's really nothing else out there like
it that I've heard. I hope one of the groups at Siesta decides to cover it
one day.
JB
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Message: 14
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 14:03:50 -0800
From: Steve Stanley
Subject: The Roogalatin' Bobby Jameson
Patrick Rands wrote:
> Thanks for the information on the Bobby Jameson single
> "Gotta Find My Roogalator". You and Joe have been doing
> a great job on the Rev-ola reissues - I even made some
> converts this year! Here's hoping you can get one "working"
> for Bobby Jameson too - :)
Patrick, thanks for the kind words. I was beginning to think
that this stuff would never "See Dawn."
> I just wanted to say that you can hear the Bobby Jameson
> song and a bunch of others (including ones he recorded as
> Chris Lucey) from a radio show I did which is archived here:
> http://www.zbconline.com/tp-archive.php
This was well done, Patrick.
If you want to hear samples of Bobby's "Songs of Protest,"
go here:
http://www.cherryred.co.uk/other/revola_main/artists/chrisluceycrrev7.htm
Steve
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Message: 15
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 17:12:37 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Kingsmen/Lupe Lu
Ron wrote:
> I was always kinda partial to the Kingsmen's garage
> version of "Little Latin Lupe Lu".
Agreed. I believe that's the version currently being excerpted
-- intro and guitar solo, mostly -- behind a ski resort TV ad
in the New England area. It really blasts out of the speakers,
enough to send me scurrying back to my Kingsmen LPs to check it
out in full again. Anyone know if their version was ever released
on a single, and if so whether it too may have charted?
--Phil M.
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Message: 16
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 18:24:09 -0500
From: Den Lindquist
Subject: Re: The Forum
You may not realize it, but there's an earlier version of
The Forum's "The River Is Wide", released as Penthouse 402
in late 1966. It differs some from the Mira version, but has
all the requisite soul & drama of the more well-known version.
The Penthouse version is actually my favorite of the two.
As far as I know, up to now, it hasn't shown up anywhere;
perhaps the Revola CD has it. If not, and if there's room on
musica, I'll put it there.
IMO, both Forum versions leave the Grass Roots version in the dust.
©®THE DOCTOR
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Message: 17
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 15:28:52 -0800
From: David Parkinson
Subject: 365 Days website, featuring Brute Force
http://www.otisfodder.com/365days.html
If anyone has not yet seen this delightful website, check
it out. I am reminded to forward the link to Spectropop,
since today's entry is none other than Brute Force's
"King of Fuh". But if you wander through the archives,
you'll find some real outsider treasures (case in point:
Anthony Newley's version of "Within You, Without You".)
And there's a new gem of craziness every day of the year!!
Cheers,
David
P.S Do not miss "Eres Tu". Astounding.
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