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Volume #0129 August 12, 1998
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Music Everywhere You Go
Subject: DL v AF, etc...
Sent: 08/08/98 12:26 am
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: Mark Landwehr, mslXXXX@XXXbs.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
> [Darlene Love] Puts Aretha to shame (uh, oh, that's gonna
> start something)
>
Well, I think I was feeling a little goofy when I said that...
Actually, if DL had been given the same great tunes to sing that
AF was given, a comparison would be more justified. They each did
superb work with what they had, but just imagine AF singing "He's
A Rebel"...Nah, don't think that would cut it - BUT, DL singing
"Respect" would have been interesting. I guess the real reason for
my statement is that I believe, as David Feldman said, that DL is
the most VERSATILE of the female singers. As John Rausch put it,
"Darlene can belt out anything thrown her way." Exactly my point
(and, in reflection, my only point).
Aretha is the "Queen of Soul" because 1) she is the best female
soul singer, and 2) she was billed as a solo and marketed that way.
Poor Darlene...She was just a MEMBER of the Blossoms, a MEMBER
of Bob B. Soxx & the Bluejeans, and a PSEUDO-MEMBER of the
Crystals!!! What relatively scant material she was given by
Spector under her own name did not propel her to solo fame, and
that was Spector's doing...He was so annoyed by the fact that he
could not control her career (like Ronnie), and the DJs/Program
Directors were so annoyed with Phil's arrogance, that she never
had a chance (through no fault of her own). Phil Spector was the
best and worst thing that ever happened for her career!!!
Something buried deep in my half-dead brain cells reminds me of a
film clip I once saw of a young Aretha on one of the TV music
shows (Shindig? Hullabaloo?) wailing away on a song with the
Blossoms backing her up, and Darlene was having the time of her
life, rooting Aretha on as the intensity of the song kept building.
What a great sight!!! Darlene seemed in awe of Aretha's talents
- Pretty classy lady, if you ask me.
Mark (Philles Phanatic)
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Subject: Flo and Lala
Sent: 08/10/98 9:17 am
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: WILLIAM STOS, wsXXXX@XXXt.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
> It's funny how a singer like Darlene Love can be overlooked for
> ages then all of a sudden, we notice her. Darlene's thunderous
> voice reminds me of another singer who has been totally overlooked
> as a solo singer, and I do mean Florence Ballard of the Supremes.
> However, there is a song out there
> recorded by the early Supremes before they hit it large, and Flo
> sings "Buttered Popcorn" with the other girls as lead.
Have you ever heard "Baby Don't Go" by Florence and the Supremes
on their debut album? That's a great track too! You know, it is
really sad that Mary and Flo didn't sing lead more often. Diana
has an okay voice, but I get tired of listening to her after a
while. It's also a shame Mary didn't win when it was her versus
Diana for lead on "Where Did Our Love Go." She lost by 2-1 when
the producers (HDH) had to choose. But, what I find the most
disappointing is that the Marvelettes, who were first offered the
song, didn't recorded it! Those gals could have been the Supremes
I'm sure, and none of them have her ego out of check!
Also, one singer no one has talked about is Lala Brooks of the
Crystals! Her voices just thunders on her records. It is higher
and a little more girly than Ronnie's or Darlene's, but She
shouldn't be forgotten amongst the Spector gals. (It would be
interesting to hear Barbara Alston on a more booming Spector
production too!)
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Subject: Girl Groups Article/Little Ann
Sent: 08/10/98 2:30 am
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: Francesc Sole, fsXXXX@XXXes
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
The August issue of UK's Record Collector magazine includes an 11-
page and very interesting article on the Girl Group sound.
Includes a GG UK Discography, plenty of sleeve pictures, lists of
"singles to sell granny for" and interviews with Bob Crewe Ellie
Greenwich. Among other interesting things, she says "my fave group
of all time were The Pointer Sisters" and "Jeff and I have been
talking recently about maybe writing together again, but there's
nothing definite. There was talk of a show where we showed how a
song was written, and maybe to write one each night on stage".
Francesc
np - David Hamilton's Detroit Dancers cd on Kent. Another
magnificent cd full of unreleased gems, such as What Should I Do,
by Little Ann. Mouthwatering! What a beautiful and powerful voice,
and those cool cool horns!!... I don't understand how could this
never be released!
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Subject: Re: Darlene vs. Aretha
Sent: 08/07/98 10:55 pm
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: Ron Sauer, RGSaXXXX@XXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
I couldn't choose between the two. But don't overlook Irma
Thomas. "Wish Someone Would Care" is one of the great sixties soul
songs.
Ron
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Subject: Girls vs. Girl Groups
Sent: 08/08/98 5:04 am
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: Doc Rock, docroXXXX@XXXcom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Darlene and Ronnie (and Flo and Diana) are great, but I am more into
groups. Give me the Crystals any day!
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Subject: Philles - Tomorrow's Sound Today....
Sent: 08/08/98 6:30 am
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: R Teyes, RTeXXXX@XXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Let's not get into discussions about who's the better female
singer...Aretha or Darlene...they both have different styles
altogether...I like some of Aretha's material but she wails much
too much for me and this takes away the pleasure of listening to
her for too long...on the other hand, Darlene makes me want to
listen to her all night...Darlene goes from soft to loud gradually
and this is an asset for any singer...plus her voice is so
beautiful that she can sing anything...
Ronnie Spector's voice has the uniqueness Jon from Ohio describes.
She certainly is not an operatic diva but yes a contemporary
vocalist with excellent rhythm and natural vibrato...Ronnie
unfortunately has been typecast into an oldies type singer but she
can only blame herself for this...granted, she can do a "You Mean
So Much", "Take Me Home" of lately but focusing on singing mostly
oldies is not good for her...if her husband manager Jonathan would
be more careful in choosing her material, Ronnie has a chance at
making it big again...we all love her...
Florence Ballard had a voice of an angel...I saw her here in NYC in
the 60s when the Supremes did Ed Sullivan and I was present in the
rehearsals...Ed only allowed one rehearsal before his show on
Sundays...Flo kept hitting the wrong notes on Baby Love and I
recall Nelson Riddle who was the bandleader then stop the music
and asking her to sing only with the pianist and I heard her voice
alone (in order to get the correct pitch) and she sounded so
beautiful I got goosebumps...Mary Wilson is right...Flo would've
been quite a singer had fate not intervened...
Robert the Ronette Hound
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Subject: Re: The Platters(?)
Sent: 08/07/98 10:58 pm
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: Ron Sauer, RGSaXXXX@XXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
In a message dated 98-08-07 06:31:06 EDT, you write:
<< Now, fortunately all 5 of these were the original version with
Sonny Turner on lead. However, I noticed that the familiar
Platters yawners ("Harbor Lights", "The Great Pretender", etc.)
were very definitely NOT the original versions.
The CD was Platinum Disc Corporation (La Crose, Wisconsin) #09352.
Anyone know what gives?
DICKYG >>
If the Sonny Turner Platters were originals, could the remakes
have been them also? I think they did a "Greatest Hits" album on
Musicor which contained remakes of the Mercury hits. I believe
Gene Pitney used the same backgrounds for his album of Platters
hits.
Ron
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Subject: THE TIJUANA BRASS
Sent: 08/08/98 1:34 pm
Received: 08/12/98 10:38 am
From: CLAUDIA CUNNINGHAM, TPXXXX@XXX.net
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
I couldn't believe it when I saw Herb Alpert the other night doing
a commercial. Even if it was a dumb commercial, it was good to see
him.
How can these pinheads running the oldies stations NOT play
someone as talented as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass? It
simply doesn't add up. I have all his albums and his songs which
usually made the top of the charts, always made you feel
great.
Consider these great tunes of theirs: Whipped Cream/Tijuana Taxi,
Spanish Flea, The Work Song, A Taste of Honey, The Happening,
The Lonely Bull, Mame....I could go on, but the point is that
the true golden age of pop music seems to be lost due to the
nearsightedness and lack of imagination by station programmers.
What a crime!
I especially notice that none of the oldies stations play a very
important genre of 50s and 60s music, namely instrumentals. Need I
mention things like Wade in the Water by Ramsey Lewis, or Cast Your
Fate to the Wind by Sounds Orchestral, or Fly Me to the Moon by Joe
Harnell. Don't forget A Walk in the Black Forest by Horst Jankowski,
or Sugar Lips by Al Hirt....And there is anything by Duane Eddy
(Guitar Man/Because They're Young/Rebel Rouser) and Sandy Nelson
(Let There Be Drums/Teen Beat). Banished to Siberia are Top Ten
hits like Harlem Nocturne by the Vicounts and Enchanted Sea, a
truly classic and haunting instrumental from 1959. Ferrante and
Teicher are gone with the wind and Bee Bumble and the Stingers can
stick it! Red River Rock never gets air time, or tunes like Last
Night or Floyd Cramer's Last Date. Theme from a Summer Place?
Forget it. The classic Dave Brubeck tune, "Take Five", and the
aforementioned are only the tip of a very big iceberg. One more
sticks out in my mind:
Booker T. and the MG's had several hits like Hip Hug Her, Green
Onions, and the theme from Hang 'Em High...Now, these were very
big hits and very prominent on the charts, yet they get no air
play at all. I guess I can tsk-tsk and cluck my tongue and shake
my head all night and nothing will be done, but it's good to
remember those wonderful songs which take us back to a sweet and
special time. Where IS that time machine???? Excuse me, I gotta
pack!!
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