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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 8 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: Early Nancy Sinatra
From: Mikey
2. Does The Team Think ?
From: Simon White
3. Re: Early Nancy Sinatra
From: Mike Edwards
4. Re: Odd Musical Moment on TV
From: Guy Lawrence
5. Jack Nitzsche at Birthday Time
From: Martin Roberts
6. Re: Tony Hatch and the Searchers
From: Mick Patrick
7. Re: Some Other Guy
From: Sean Anglum
8. Re: Does The Team Think ?
From: Andrew Hickey
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 14:36:43 -0400
From: Mikey
Subject: Re: Early Nancy Sinatra
Hi Artie,
No, I've never heard that X rated "Like I Do".....but I'd
sure like to.
Did Frank really fire everyone at Reprise who helped put it
out? What a mean bastard!!!
Best regards,
Mikey
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 20:16:55 +0100
From: Simon White
Subject: Does The Team Think ?
I have a friend here with me, a young man of only 27, who
is heavily into The Beatles and The Beach Boys and so out
of my sphere of interest. He's just posed a question to
me than try as I might, I cannot answer (because I don't
understand it). So I'm calling on the experts.
The question is this: -
"Would you say that Brian Wilson used the 'Wall Of Sound'
to a better effect than Phil Spector by concentrating its
meaning on love not aggression?"
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 15:12:11 -0400
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Re: Early Nancy Sinatra
David Ponak writes (re: Nancy Sinatra's early Reprise 45s):
> Rhino/Warner Strategic Marketing no longer owns these
> masters. They're now in the hands of Nancy herself, so
> she (and her management) calls the shots as to how the
> material gets reissued and compiled.
Thanks, David, at least I know who to bug now. I just hope
Nancy has as favorable an opinion of her early work as we
collectors do. Her version of "Like I Do", for example, has
a strong following among popcorn and girl-group fans.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 20:56:51 +0100
From: Guy Lawrence
Subject: Re: Odd Musical Moment on TV
David Coyle wrote:
> I was watching one of those blooper specials .... hosted
> like always by Dick Clark. Anyway, he showed an outtake
> ...from the show "McHale's Navy" in 1962. The cast was bored
> waiting for the director to yell action, so they start
> improvising. One of the cast members starts singing "Papa-
> oom-mow-mow," ala the great Rivingtons hit, and another
> starts improv-ing lyrics in a high-pitched doowoppish voice
> ...Pretty soon the whole cast...papa-oom-mow-mowing...
I don't know anything about McHale's Navy but I do know that I
have this on a semi-official compilation album - "The Big Itch
Volume 3" on Mr. Mannicotti records. This was a great series put
out by the people behind Kicks magazine and Norton records.
Volume 1 features a whole side of songs that go "Papa-oom-mow-mow!"
Guy
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 21:27:15 +0100
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: Jack Nitzsche at Birthday Time
Preparing to celebrate Jack's official first birthday on
Spectropop, the beauticians have come in and given the site
a bit of a makeover. More a cut and blow-dry than the full
perm but hopefully prettier and with a few surprises. Also,
the addresses have had to be been changed, sorry. Please
alter your 'favourites menu' on the web accordingly! Thanks
to Phil Chapman for his patience and help here, I'm sure that
the headache it's caused will ultimately seem worth it!
More important though, is the addition of two new pages. The
first, unveiled today is "In Hardback...Nitzsche on the Book-
shelf": http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/inhardback.htm
I'm really pleased with this page as there is some great
writing: "Rolling With The Stones" compilation presented by
Richard Havers; "The CMusic Book Empire" reviewed by Kingsley
Abbott; "Shakey" reviewed by Phil Milstein, and "Waiting For
The Sun" reviewed by Bryan Thomas. With the writing skills of
these fellas, I've wisely kept my comments to the margins!
These books, to a greater or lesser degree, feature Mr.
Nitzsche. If you'd like to contribute a review to this page
please get in touch. I'd particularly like a review of "2Stoned"
and "A Deep Shade Of Blue", or perhaps you'd care to write on
another title?
Another addition on the site is Gloria Packard's tale on
"The Jack I Knew...Friends Reminisce" page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/friends.htm
"At The Movies...Nitzsche On The Silver Screen":
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/movies.htm has, thanks
to Mike Edwards' help, a new movie title added "Four For Texas",
which leads nicely to the second new page coming next week:
"Movie Reviews...Jack's Score Of Ten". This page is also looking
for reviewers. (The biggest surprise I've had regarding the site
is the postbag relating to Jack Nitzsche's film work; far more
than on any other topic)
Now back to our scheduled transmission:
Record of This Week is one of the 45s that began my pursuit of
all things Nitzsche: Eddie Hodges' "The Water Is Over My Head",
playing now on the Home page:
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm
Continuing the movie theme, next week the choice is between a
poignant piece of incidental music or a rather special duet by
Tammy Wynette & Freddy Fender, "No One Knows Better Than You",
co-written by Jack. Both are from the movie "When You Comin'
Back, Red Ryder".
On "Nitzsche Radio...Don't Touch That Dial":
http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm KHJ10 Folk-
Rock is the jingle of the week, a goodie but a shortie.
Martin
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 21:46:48 +0100
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re: Tony Hatch and the Searchers
Ken Silverwood:
> ...for Mick to ask of Tony Hatch if possible, the impeccable
> choice of top tunes the Searchers had as "A" sides where they
> all supplied by Chris Curtis as I believe he had an impressive
> collection of US 45s.
Mike Edwards:
> "Saturday Night Out" was another composition by the prolific
> Tony Hatch using the pseudonym, Mark Anthony..."Saturday Night
> Out" did appear on the flipside of the US version of "Needles
> And Pins" (Kapp 577) as that 45 was released with two different
> b-sides. The song was also the theme from a film of the same
> name from 1963...
I asked Tony Hatch about the Searchers some time ago. Here's an
extract from his response:
> As the Beatles entered the charts with "Love Me Do" (and we
> heard about Brian Epstein's other signings) Margot Quantrell of
> the Breakaways (and from Liverpool herself) suggested I visit
> Liverpool where she would take me to a few clubs in the area.
> First we went to a place in Bootle. It was a Friday night and
> packed. We watched the Searchers and the Undertakers perform
> several sets. Amongst other numbers, the Searchers performed
> "Sweets For My Sweet". It already sounded like a hit record and
> the crowd loved it. That same night I met the group's manager and
> it was agreed on the spot to sign them immediately to Pye and
> make "Sweets For My Sweet" the first single. He was most anxious
> to get the Undertakers to a label as well so, since they were
> very different to The Searchers but great in their own right, I
> decided to sign them as well.
>
> Margot took me to a few other locations that weekend but nothing
> hit me as forcefully as the potential of The Searchers. Also I'd
> signed two groups on the first night and could hardly go back to
> Pye with any more. The contracts were signed and the Searchers
> recorded "Sweets For My Sweet" and a 'B' side live at Pye Studios
> in a couple of hours. "Sweets" was so catchy nothing could stop
> it from going to Number 1.
>
> As the group didn't write songs I looked at the rest of their act
> for a follow-up but nothing seemed exactly right. Also we couldn't
> find anything from the same source as "Sweets". That's how I came
> to write "Sugar And Spice" but disguised it under the name of Fred
> Nightingale because I thought the group wouldn't want to record a
> Tony Hatch song. It went to Number 2 so nobody could complain and
> the group say they always knew I had written it, anyway.
>
> Tony Jackson sang on many titles including the first album. I think
> he left the group shortly after "Sugar And Spice". Frank Allen
> joined on bass with Mike Pender taking over lead vocals. At first,
> everybody outside the group (including me) tried to keep them all
> together but it was quite obvious there was a huge problem. The
> sound of the Searchers changed and for the better. The combination
> of the warmer Mike Pender on lead vocals with Chris Curtis doing
> the high harmonies was actually a great improvement on the original
> sound.
>
> I did write another song for the Searchers and it was "Saturday
> Night Out", published by Toby Music, which (I believe) was a
> company owned by Searchers manager Tito Burns. It was written for
> the film of the same name with Bobby Richards. I think Bobby was
> the musical director for the film. I don't know why I'm not
> credited as a co-writer with Bobby Richards on Sanctuary CD
> releases but will endeavour to find out. I don't have a Searchers
> CD that includes that title.
>
> By now everybody was sending in material for the Searchers and
> they, too, were listening to loads of songs. They found "Needles
> And Pins". They were so busy by now that although I tried to
> organise rehearsal sessions for them in a rehearsal room (rather
> than wasting time and money in a recording studio) it was seldom
> possible. They arrived in the studio with this great song but had
> never played or sung a note of it. We started at about 2pm,
> rehearsed, then made a track, then overdubbed the vocals and
> finally finished recording around midnight. There was much arguing
> at Pye as to which title to release as the next 'A' side. Most
> people preferred the other side but the group wanted "Needles And
> Pins". It was left to me to decide, so I went along with the group
> on the hunch that they, being 'streetwise', would know better than
> any of us what could sell.
>
> I have to give them credit. After "Needles And Pins" they found all
> the songs they recorded and had very firm ideas about how each
> production should sound. The Searchers? Fabulous and great to work
> with although I had to come to terms with having to work many more
> hours in the studio with them than with a solo singer and orchestra
> but it was (and still is) the only way they could work.
As you can tell, Tony is a man with a fine memory and a modest style.
If anyone has any further questions for him, send them in and I'll ask
him. He'll have a new website of his own in a few weeks. I'll keep you
informed.
Mick Patrick
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 16:06:09 -0600
From: Sean Anglum
Subject: Re: Some Other Guy
In addition to the other cover versions recently listed for
"Some Other Guy," please don't forget the fab version by the
Stray Cats (no, not THOSE Stray Cats!) on the soundtrack for
the great film, "Stardust." OK, it's actually Dave Edmunds
performing his retro magic again, but it was a great cover!
Sean Anglum
Boppin' in Colorado
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 01:06:40 +0100
From: Andrew Hickey
Subject: Re: Does The Team Think ?
Simon White wrote:
> I have a friend here with me, a young man of only 27, who
> ....just posed a question: "Would you say that Brian Wilson
> used the 'Wall Of Sound' to a better effect than Phil Spector
> by concentrating its meaning on love not aggression?"
Well, this 'young man of only 24' thinks that's partly right...
but the main reason Wilson's technique was better than Spector's
(IMO) is because he didn't actually use a Wall Of Sound at all...
he took some of Spector's techniques (doubling instruments,
percussion rather than drum kit, lots of echo), but rather than
creating a wall of sound there is a very clear differentiation
between individual elements. That's not to say there's different-
iation between *instruments* - as Wilson has often pointed out
he took the idea of having (say) a guitar and piano play in unison
to create a third sound from Spector, but where Spector's music
sounds like one big block, with Wilson you can clearly pick out
different elements.
Spector's music is very Wagnerian - the arrangements are built
around creating big chordal blocks of sound. Wilson's music I
would compare more to Bach - it's very contrapuntal (especially
the music of the PS/Smile era which is where Spector's influence
is most obvious, other than Wilson's girl group records for the
Honeys, Sharon Marie etc), very delicate, and with lots of moving
parts...
The best songs to compare/contrast are Ike And Tina Turner's
"Save The Last Dance For Me" and the Beach Boys' "Heroes &
Villains." Both tracks start with almost identical backing
tracks, but while the Spector track pummels the listener into
submission, with a powerful, loud vocal, and very limited
dynamic changes in the track (relatively speaking), the Beach
Boys track changes tack after the initial verses (which are
still less overpowering than the Spector version) and goes into
what Jimi Hendrix described as 'psychedelic barbershop', with
lots of moving vocal lines and the harpsichord as the dominant
instrument...
Andrew
http://stealthmunchkin.com
Stealth Munchkin - The World's Greatest Band
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