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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 12 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Lou Christie's Backing Vocals
From: John Clemente
2. Re: Origins of "High Coin"
From: Steve Harvey
3. John Kongas/Lynne Randell/Quentin E Klopjaeger
From: Norman
4. Bob Hope musical legacy/We 5 "Live"
From: Clark Besch
5. RE: The Cat Came Back
From: Martin Roberts
6. Subject: Origins of "High Coin"
From: Frank Uhle
7. Re: Jack Nitzsche Update
From: Austin Powell
8. Re: Connie Francis
From: Simon White
9. Re: Back up vocals on "Lightning Strikes" (Toni Wine chimes in)
From: Denise Ferri
10. Re: Lou Christie's Backing Vocals
From: Sean
11. Estelle of the Ronettes/Ganser Twins
From: Sean
12. Skip Battin's "High Coin", John Kongos, We Five
From: Art Longmire
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 23:10:54 -0400
From: John Clemente
Subject: Lou Christie's Backing Vocals
Hello All,
Denise Ferri's affirmation about "Lightning Strikes" is
in keeping with what Peggy Santiglia Davison told me when
I interviewed her for Girl Groups. Jiggs says that they
used to take turns on session dates. Jiggs sang on "Rhapsody
In The Rain" and on "I'm Gonna Make You Mine". Denise also
commented that, at the time, there was a photo of her, Peggy
and Bernadette with Lou Christie in a teen mag. Of course,
this was a long time ago. I'll recheck my sources.
Regards,
John Clemente
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 20:11:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: Origins of "High Coin"
> Does anybody know who was the first to record the song
> "High Coin" that was written by Van Dyke Parks?
I always loved that song. I first heard it by the Charlatans
on their LP (with only 2 original members). Jackie DeShannon
and the Harper's Bizarre did versions as well as the Beach
Boys (unreleased). Van Dyke did one on Song Cycle. I have a
single somewhere by someone I never heard of on a label with
an Indian beating a drum on the top, same label as the Murmaids
single, I think.
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 18:41:35 +0930
From: Norman
Subject: John Kongas/Lynne Randell/Quentin E Klopjaeger
Hi,
Good to see John(ny) Kongos get an airing on the Spectropop group.
I know that sourcing African beat is nothing new to the outside
world, Pete Seeger with Wimoweh, Mick Fleetwood and that bloke
who used to sing with Art Garfunkel. However, He's Gonna Step On
You Again is so memorable. The Partyboys did a version later in
the 80s.
I remember Tokoloshe Man well however I can't find reference to
it on my local chart source.
Should anybody be interested two great sites to go to: "South
African Rock Digest" at http://www.sarockdigest.com/ and "South
African Rock Encyclopaedia" at http://www.rock.co.za/ - In the
Encyclopedia you will see some "groovy" pics of Johnny Kongos and
the G Men (three of the four members are bespectactled a le Buddy
Holly).
Re: Lynne Randell. Yes, she is Australian but was born in Liverpool
UK. So I reckon that would make her a "scouser" of sorts.
Re: Quentin E Klopjaeger.
Real Name William Charles Boardman aka Billy Forrest. He has
recorded under several psuedynoms. I have both Sad Simon Lives
and his version of Marty Wilde's Abergavenny on 45.
Norman
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 15:42:09 -0000
From: Clark Besch
Subject: Bob Hope musical legacy/We 5 "Live"
Hi, I was just thinking about how great Bob Hope was to watch
all those years! Listening to Phyllis Diller, Mickey Rooney,
Nancy Sinatra, Ann-Margret and all tell all their great stories
about Bob on Larry King was not only fun to hear, but great to
see some of these people again. Ann-Margret still looks great! :)
Anyway, one thing they didn't point out was the current up to
date musical acts Bob had on his TV specials in the 60s. He was
in vaudeville and most likely would have not have been a candidate
for being a rock 'n roll fan, but I'm sure you've likely seen the
Beach Boys' great performances on his specials and I'm sure I
remember him having current hot acts on whenever he had his special.
So, for those interested, played to musica is his introduction to
a lip-synched We 5 "You Were on my Mind" as I taped it off my TV
during, most likely, his 1965 Christmas special. As a bonus to show
how great a one hit wonder band can sound "live", a 1966 TV
appearance of their great third single "You Let a Love Burn Out"
showcasing their great vocal capabilities. Enjoy! By the way, on
the Hope special, they also performed the "B" side of their big hit
("Small World"). Take care,
Clark Besch
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 19:11:33 +0100
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: RE: The Cat Came Back
Ian relieved the parts:
> Hate to see a man in misery.......would it be "Big Daddy
> & the Cat", by the Blackwells (Jamie/London)?
Thanks Ian,
I had a restless night but was rejuvenated in the morning on
reading your message. The Blackwells it is and a pleasure to
play it again, a fine (uncredited) string drenched production!
Martin
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 16:20:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: Frank Uhle
Subject: Subject: Origins of "High Coin"
> Does anybody know who was the first to record the song
> "High Coin" that was written by Van Dyke Parks? I think
> I heard that it was Bobby Vee but I'm not sure.
I used to think this, and actually emailed Bobby Vee to ask him!
He said he'd gotten the song from a pile of demos. His (great)
version came out on Liberty and he took co-writing credit, which
he explained was because he changed some of the lyrics to a more
commercial style.
However, a friend of mine recently discovered a low-budget release
on "Record" records by (the late) Skip Battin (Battyn), LA studio
habitue and crony of Kim Fowley and The Byrds, featuring "High Coin"
and stating on the label "original version" as some small West Coast
labels at the time often did. Played back to back with Bobby Vee's
disc, this is clearly the inspiration for the latter, which is a bit
slicker but has an almost identical arrangement (presumably it was
the demo disc that Vee heard, either via this 45 or an acetate).
Since Battin was around the same scene as Parks in LA at the time,
I would have to give his version the nod, though I have no other
corroborating evidence.
Frank Uhle
Full details courtesy Karl Ikola:
Skip Battyn and the Group: High Coin b/w Mr. Responsibility
(US, Record RR-11, 1965) [the flipside is a Kim Fowley composition
which Kim also recorded on his own]
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 20:20:08 +0100
From: Austin Powell
Subject: Re: Jack Nitzsche Update
Martin Roberts wrote:
> The Record Of The Week on the home page,
> http://www.spectropop.com/JackNitzsche/index.htm is fab -
> The Pleasures' "Music City". ("Music City" reminds me of a
> song that contains the lyric, "and the cat came back", can
> someone put me out of my misery and remind me which one,
> please!)
Martin: You made my day. For years I have wondered about
"Music City". I have it on a UK Sue label compilation album,
"The Sue Story" (1964/65 ?) which was virtually worn out from
playing that track.....I'd never been able to trace The Pleasures
and the Sue LP carried no credits as to producer or US label.....
In fact the writer's credit says "Smith".....Nearly 40 years on,
the mystery is solved !!!! Thanks.....
Now, does anyone know anything about "Don't Cry" c/w "The Dream
Train Special" by The Clefs from 1962 ? Released in the UK on
Salvo 1810.
Austin Powell.
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 21:58:01 +0100
From: Simon White
Subject: Re: Connie Francis
I just remembered something....
I managed a shop in Covent Garden for a few years mid-nineties.
Rupert Everett was a customer. One day the guy in the shop
opposite came in and told me that Connie Francis had just been
in looking at his patterned knitwear! (maybe she wanted to be
warm that winter?) I looked up the street but she'd already gone.
I wish I'd met her. Hey Ho.
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 21:26:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Denise Ferri
Subject: Re: Back up vocals on "Lightning Strikes" (Toni Wine chimes in)
I was just wondering when Toni Wine recorded the background on
"Lightning Strikes" and with whom? And also who hired her....??
Unless there are two versions of the song?...I can tell you that
Bernadette, Peggy and myself did the back-up for the song and
album, and we also helped Lou with the background vocal arrangements
....I actually sang the bottom part...and the three of us were the
only singers in the studio with Lou....it took weeks of rehearsing
and recording...(and did you say Ellie Greenwich was also on that
date?) This is very interesting, please enlighten me...
Thanks,
Denise
..and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine"....who did back-up with her on that
one??? Thanks...looking forward to hearing from you...............
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 17:32:24 EDT
From: Sean
Subject: Re: Lou Christie's Backing Vocals
I was going to say I was always told Jiggs from the Angels
was on "Lightning Strikes" along with Peggy. At first I heard
it was all of the Angels but I've heard by this time Barbara
had no interest in singing.
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 22:40:07 -0000
From: Sean
Subject: Estelle of the Ronettes/Ganser Twins
Well, we all know Ronnie Spector is still singing the classic
songs she did with the Ronettes, I mean Cher and Darlene Love.
I've seen Nedra Ross on TV not too long ago and she mentioned
she was in the Ronettes and she isn't shy about it. Now I wanna
know where the heck has Estelle Bennett been? She was always the
good-looking Ronette to me and always seemed real mature although
I'm pretty sure Ronnie was older than her. And on Shindig when
they sang "Be My Baby," was that Nedra and Estelle's vocals on the
pre-recorded track?
About the Ganser Twins, I read from a post way back, can anyone
tell the difference between Margie and Mary Ann. I definitely can!
First off, during TV shows if you ever notice, Mary Ann is always
looking bored and often looks down at the ground while Margie is
always smiling and seems to be having a good ol' time. (Betty always
seemed confused for some reason to me while performing on TV, I
guess because she was gone for so long, she didn't know the routines
too well.) But most of all I can tell the difference by the way they
smile. When Mary Ann smiles, her eyes squint and her teeth don't
really show, but when Margie smiles her eyes are wide open and she
has a full smile on her face.
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 22:48:45 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Skip Battin's "High Coin", John Kongos, We Five
Thanks to all for the info on "High Coin", it certainly seems
to be a standard of LA pop. Frank Uhle mentioned a version
(possibly the earliest) by Skip Battin that may have influenced
Bobby Vee's take on the song - I'd love to hear it. I still
haven't heard Vee's version yet, or the ones described by Steve
Harvey (Van Dyke Parks, Jackie DeShannon). The "Indian Beating
the Drum" label is Chattahootchie, whose biggest act was probably
Thee Midnighters - now if THEY had recorded "High Coin" that would
really be something!
Also thanks for the response to my query on John Kongos - great
that his excellent "He's Gonna Step On You" and his musical
output in general, is so highly regarded. I get the impression that
his follow-up hit "Tokoloshe Man" was just about as good -
unfortunately, that one never got any play here in the States, at
least not in my area, so still haven't heard it. So many songs, so
little time!
The post on the We Five was interesting...I have the 45 of "You Let
A Love Burn Out" and it is a fantastic number, probably their best
song overall.
Best,
Art Longmire
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