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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 16 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. George Goldner and Tico Records
From: Team Spectropop
2. Re: Kingsmen / Little Latin Lupe Lu
From: Richard Havers
3. Re: Kingsmen / Little Latin Lupe Lu
From: James Botticelli
4. Re: new Motown book
From: Stephanie Campbell
5. Re: Boston stuff and more
From: Clark
6. Motor City?
From: Lindsay Martin
7. Re: Maurice Gibb
From: Eddy
8. I don't know iƒ you like parodies of 60's songs, but if you do.....
From: Douglas Tor Hershman
9. Re: The Forum
From: Billy G. Spradlin
10. Re: George Goldner and Tico Records
From: Mike Edwards
11. Re: Mark Eric
From: Brian Chidester
12. Re: Who'da thought it? - Joanie Sommers
From: Frank
13. Re: George Goldner and Tico Records
From: Phil Milstein
14. Re: Maurice Gibb
From: Phil Milstein
15. Josephine Sunday versus Robin Ward
From: Amber
16. Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
From: Martin Roberts
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 13:40:16 -0000
From: Team Spectropop
Subject: George Goldner and Tico Records
There's probably no form of popular music more under-appreciated
in the United States than Latin music. Yet, it's hard to imagine
a time when it wasn't heard there. Given that large sections of
the country were once Mexican territory, Latin songs and dances
have been a part of the cultural tapestry of America for a very
long time! Over the last 75 years, their influence on country,
jazz, rock, reggae, rhythm and blues, disco and even Broadway show
tunes has been profound; you can hear it in songs as diverse as
"San Antonio Rose", "St. Louis Blues", "Spanish Harlem", "Doo Wah
Diddy Diddy", "Turn The Beat Around" and Irving Berlin's "Heat
Wave".
In the '40s, the first nationally-distributed independent labels
devoted to Latin music came into being - Mardi Gras, Verne, Coda,
Seeco and others. George Goldner's Tico Records was arguably
foremost among these companies...
After many months of preparation, Spectropop are pleased to
announce the launch of Mambo Gee Gee: The Story Of George Goldner
And Tico Records by Stuffed Animal.
Written in the inimitable style we have come to expect from Senor
Animal, Mambo Gee Gee is a work of major research worthy of Vanity
Fair. So kick off your shoes and get comfy, you're in for a long
and very entertaining read...
Start here:
http://www.spectropop.com/tico/index.htm
Enjoy!
The Spectropop Team
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 23:34:34 +0000
From: Richard Havers
Subject: Re: Kingsmen / Little Latin Lupe Lu
Ron wrote:
> I was always kinda partial to the Kingsmen's garage version of
> "Little Latin Lupe Lu".
Phil Milstein:
> Anyone know if their version was ever released on a single, and
> if so whether it too may have charted?
It came out in 1964 on Wand (157). Got to No.46 and spent 9 weeks on
the chart.
Richard
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 18:53:22 -0500
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Re: Kingsmen / Little Latin Lupe Lu
Phil Milstein wrote:
> Anyone know if (the Kingsmen's) version (of Little Latin Lupe Lu) was
> ever released on a single, and if so whether it too may have charted?
7.11.64 #46 peak. On chart 9 weeks, Wand #157...Did I beat Mick? BTW, I
think their version of "Money" surpasses both Barrett Strong and the
Beatles.
--
James Botticelli
Member: The EZ Revolution
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 02:31:30 -0000
From: Stephanie Campbell
Subject: Re: new Motown book
Phil Milstein:
> 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,
This book is a waste of time if you have read all of the other Motown
books and there are TONS of innacuracies in this book. If someone
doesn't know that much about Motown or has not read Otis Williams of
the Temps bio, or Mary Wilson's Dreamgirl: My Life As A Supreme, or
Nelson George's Where Did Our Love Go, they don't need this book....
He got all of his information from other books and the library, he
hardly interviewed anyone. It's clearly the business side of Motown and
it's interesting reading but some of the things he says are better said
in other books.
Stephanie
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Message: 5
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 05:58:12 -0000
From: Clark
Subject: Re: Boston stuff and more
Just a note on all of this week's postings that were of interest to
me. I'm wondering how long Dick Summer was on WBZ. Someone said
early 68 was last? I know this is a mistake to mention, but
somewhere in my archives, I have a 15 minute aircheck I or my brother
taped at 2 am off Dick's subway show while living in Dodge City,
Kansas that is classic memories, like what I spoke of recent emails,
i.e. sponsors, his son in the studio, 45 edits, Fugs in concert etc.
Anyway, I remember he gave the date as January 68, so may have been
near the end, but he was fun. He raves about a "New great group"
called "the Spirit". I can only assume he was speaking of Spirit od
Ode records. That would certainly explain the raves! I'm pretty
sure I have WBZ (Dick? or WKYC playing the Fugs' "Garden is Open" on
tape, so the Reprise stuff did get airplay there too. Personally, I
used to play "Kill for Peace" on my old 60's show in the 80's. It
seems very poignant today. As for KOMA AM, yes, they're news now. Too
bad! Will be great if WSAI goes on-line!
Take care, Clark
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 17:54:14 +1000
From: Lindsay Martin
Subject: Motor City?
Could some wise person here please clarify the meaning of "Motor City"
for me? I can't quite get a handle on what it is. It seems to be some
kind of post-60s neo-Motown sub-genre of Northern Soul... or is it?
Thanks,
Lindsay
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Message: 7
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 09:15:59 +0100
From: Eddy
Subject: Re: Maurice Gibb
Phil Milstein:
> 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
I got a "not found" message for this link, Phil. Maybe a few lines on the
essentials instead?
Thanks, Eddy
(Admin Note: The URL was printed incorrectly in the first instance. The one
quoted above is correct.)
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Message: 8
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 08:44:19 -0000
From: Douglas Tor Hershman
Subject: I don't know iƒ you like parodies of 60's songs, but if you do.....
My lill' song has been in the Top 10, on Mp3.com's parody chart, for
a while, it is funny!
http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/3025/3025703.html
)))((((((
(•)...(•)
....U....
..[___]..
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Message: 9
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 09:09:59 -0000
From: Billy G. Spradlin
Subject: Re: The Forum
As much I liked the Grassroots' cover - it's the one I heard first,
but I take the Forum's original. The Grassroots' version is a bit
too "laid back" and makes me wonder if it was an LP track that got
pulled as a 45. The Forum's production is more dynamic, and I love
the "Cantcha feel it Baby" part and that nasally counterpoint voice
(which reminds me of Joey Levine) jumps in with the chorus ("The River
get WIDE!!!"). Were they a studio creation or a real band? After
listening to it again this song would have been perfect for the
Righteous Brothers to record - they were starting to hurt for hits by
that time.
Billy
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Message: 10
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 11:53:07 -0500
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: George Goldner and Tico Records
Stuffed Animal:
> There's probably no form of popular music more under-appreciated in
> the United States than Latin music.
I would have to disagree with this. Billboard publishes two Latin charts
and many artists pay at least lip service to Latin culture when making
recordings. Take Geri Halliwell: "Mi Chico Latino" wasn't put out to
introduce us to a new genre, it was an attempt to get with a mainstream
sound. Likewise, Boyzone with "Experiencia Religiosa" (Mystical Experience)
and "Palabras" (Words); both were attempts to aim at a very big market.
> Yet, it's hard to imagine a time when it wasn't heard here. Given that
> large sections of the country were once Mexican territory, Latin songs
> and dances have been a part of our cultural tapestry for a very long time.
I would suggest that most Latin music has its basis in Puerto Rican and
Cuban culture. Although both countries are Spanish speaking, any ties they
have to Mexico seem to end there.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 16:14:49 EST
From: Brian Chidester
Subject: Re: Mark Eric
I have an interview with Mark Eric from two years ago, where he discusses
being influenced by the Beach Boys' "Friends" record, as well as Walter
Wanderly. He also had a song recorded by the Four Freshmen in '67, which
Brian Wilson cannot even lay claim to. I find his 1969 album to be so
fun, a little absurd vocally... the warble of a Sun truly setting on the
California Sound. Mark did a show in L.A. at the Highland Grounds last
April, which was really cool, as he played probably half the songs from
MIDSUMMER'S solo on piano. Unfortunately, for a lot of us here in L.A.,
he hasn't been so easy to work with once he found that we had interest in
his music. I was sorry to tell him that I didn't know anyone who could
make him a superstar this late in the game. I do hope he's doing well.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 00:41:33 -0000
From: Frank
Subject: Re: Who'da thought it? - Joanie Sommers
Mike Edwards wrote:
> 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 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"!
---
Thanks, Mike for helping me better understand the definition of
Northern Soul. Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it, most
of the Norther Soul songs were not necessarily hits in the U.S. or
the U.K. at the time of their release. Joanie Sommers did perform
"Don't Pity Me" on the NBC Hullabaloo program on 11 May 1965, but the
record did not chart in the U.S. Her video is on Vol.9 of the
Hullabaloo series. I believe it was lip-synched instead of sung live.
Does anyone know her single was released in the U.K., either in 1965
or since then? Joanie recorded several other songs with a similar
sound in the mid 1960s. Some of them remain unreleased.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 22:52:21 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: George Goldner and Tico Records
Stuffed Animal:
> There's probably no form of popular music more under-appreciated in
> the United States than Latin music.
That may be true within the gringo audience, but Latin music (of various
stripes) receives very wide favor among the Latin audience in the U.S.,
which, of course, is huge.
Mike Edwards:
> I would suggest that most Latin music has its basis in Puerto Rican and
> Cuban culture. Although both countries are Spanish speaking, any ties
> they have to Mexico seem to end there.
While that may be true for the northeast, I don't think it holds for the
southwest, where Mexican-derived sounds reign supreme among the Latin
audience.
--Phil M.
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Message: 14
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 23:04:09 +0000
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Maurice Gibb
Eddy wrote:
> I got a "not found" message for this link, Phil. Maybe a few lines on
> the essentials instead?
Admin wrote:
> (Admin Note: The URL was printed incorrectly in the first instance. The
> one quoted above is correct.)
I hope that took care of the problem. It was more of a think-piece (or
perhaps even a rant) than any sort of factual article, so to summarize
the writer's themes could hardly do justice to its essence. However, if
the link still isn't working right (I have no Web access at the mo'),
basically he was PO'd that Maurice's death received so little play in the
press, and tried to explain the reasons why it wasn't more adequately
covered.
--Phil M.
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Message: 15
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2003 10:10:31 -0000
From: Amber
Subject: Josephine Sunday versus Robin Ward
Mick Patrick said:
> And talking of session-singers, thanks so much to Charles G.
> Hill for the heads up regarding the ROBIN/Jackie WARD
> interview featured on the Partridge Family website C'mon Get
> Happy. Thanks to that interview I now know more about the
> "In His Car" girl than I ever thought possible. I'd urge
> everyone to click here and read it all for themselves
> http://www.cmongethappy.com/interviews/jw/index.html
> One subject the interview does not cover was whether or not
> Robin/Jackie recorded using the name Josephine Sunday ...
> must try and contact the lady herself.
Duh! No, silly boy, Josephine Sunday and Robin/Jackie Ward were
two different people, sure enough. In fact I have Josephine's
autograph somewhere among my souvenirs, along with a rather
fetching polka dot bellbottom pant suit I stole from her
dressing room. Josephine made that outfit herself. Oops, ever
so slightly too much information...
Aaah, I remember it well. It was the week before Christmas 1965
and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by the Byrds was at number one. I was
on the comeback trail in Philadelphia. I'd been banned from the
Corny Collins Show and was beginning to miss the limelight. But
Daddy called in a few favors and secured me an invitation from
Dick Clark to demonstrate some new dances on Bandstand. Honey,
I was on that Greyhound bus before you could say Philly
Barracuda!
I'm here to tell you that Josephine Sunday was one of the best
Ronnie Ronette lookalikes you ever clapped eyes on. She had
flown in from Los Angeles to do Bandstand but her father was
born in the Philippines, you see. She told me to call her
Sunday because that was her real middle name. I've forgotten
her surname but it was something Hispanic. My new pal Sunday
gave a very energetic lip-sync performance of "You Won't Even
Know Her Name" that day.
There are three Josephine Sunday records in my collection;
"You Won't Even Know Her Name" on Tower, "He's Not Mine
Anymore" on Pinnacle and another one on the Hemlock label.
At least one of these was in the style of Rosie & the
Originals, I recall. I'll tell you more when and if they ever
let me out of this darn place.
How I wish it was 1965 again (sigh).
A.v.T.
xxx
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Message: 16
Date: Sat, 08 Feb 2003 19:27:34 -0000
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Spectropop update
Phil Crosby's "Where The Blue Of The Night" (Reprise 220 '63)
is the current Record of the Week now playing on the homepage,
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm Next week's
choice is either Timi Yuro with "Could This Be Magic" or Judy
Henske's "Dolphins In The Sea". Both are real corkers.
Nitzsche Radio has a new sound file playing at
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/jacknitzscheradio.htm
The jingles have all been played previously but, as an experiment,
this week's track is the first 'drum session'. There are a few of
these, most are with spoken intro by Jack Nitzsche. I would like
to know if there is an interest in hearing all of them or whether
the site should instead rotate the 'proper' jingles.
Al Hazan has again been taking a trip down memory lane. His
recollections of working with Dora Hall and Jack have now been
added to the Early Days page at
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/AlHazan.htm
It makes for great reading.
Martin
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