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Volume #0158 October 2, 1998
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Keep surface clean - Use lightweight pick up
Subject: Leader of the (Stereo) Pack
Sent: 09/30/98 9:59 am
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: Charles G. Hill, cXXXX@XXX.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Mark Landwehr, mslXXXX@XXXbs.com wrote:
>
> Although I have in my collection all of the Red-Bird albums and
> all but a handful of the Red-Bird singles, I am having a lot of
> trouble finding a TRUE STEREO version of "Leader of the Pack" with
> the FULL second verse. Any suggestions??? ("true stereo" = Mary on
> one channel, bkgrnd singers on the other channel, motorcycle &
> instrumentation on both channels - as was the case on the Mercury
> Greatest Hits LP).
Elliot Goshman of Taragon Records (http://www.taragon.com)
has put
together a Red Bird (and two Ad Libs cuts on Blue Cat) compilation,
newly mixed from as many original 4-track session tapes as he
and Ron Furmanek could locate; it includes four Shangs cuts, all
in stereo, and "Leader of the Pack" is complete. TARCD-1029 is the
number you need. Obviously, a 15-track collection isn't enough to
do justice to all the Red Bird/Blue Cat material, but you're
probably never going to hear these particular songs any better
than this.
> And while I'm on the subject, why did they cut the second verse?
> What's wrong with "One day my dad said find someone new"??? Is
> this politically incorrect? Or, is it possible that the stereo
> master of this song is defective during this line of the song?
I think the latter; it's always sounded to me like a very sloppy
edit. Certainly political correctness wasn't the issue in the
early Seventies when this version was being circulated...cgh
===================================================================
Charles G. Hill | cXXXX@XXX.com | http://pages.prodigy.com/cghill/
"Now is the Windows of our discontent." - Richard 3.0
===================================================================
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Subject: Re: Leader of the Pack
Sent: 09/30/98 10:47 pm
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: Doc Rock, docroXXXX@XXXcom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
>I am having a lot of trouble finding a TRUE STEREO version of
>"Leader of the Pack" with the FULL second verse. Any suggestions???
The Very Best of Red Bird/Blue Cat Records
Various Artists
Taragon 1029
Discoveries Review by Michael "Doc Rock" Kelly
You just can't judge a CD by its cover. Looking at the cover of
this CD, I was unimpressed. Same old, same old. No new cuts, no
new artists. "I already have these cuts on 45s, LPS, even other
CDs," I lamented to myself.
Then I put the disc in the player, and I heard these cuts for the
first time all over again.
Red Bird and Blue Cat were record labels established in the
mid-sixties by legendary composers Leiber and Stoller. The
song-writing duo had penned many hits for the Coasters, Elvis, and
the Drifters, and they'd worked as producers at Atlantic. Red Bird
and Blue Cat were L&S's stab at having a whole pie instead of just
song writing and producing credits (and cash).
At first, all went well. Eighteen of the first 30 releases on Red
Bird/Blue Cat charted. As time passed though, politics, rivalries,
and a changing music scene resulted in a souring of the project,
and L&S sold out to a partner in 1966.
This CD starts off with the Dixie Cups "Chapel of Love," a record
I was never particularly enamored of, even in 1964 when it kicked
off the Red Bird label and kicked the Beatles out of the #1 spot
on Billboard. But on this CD, "Chapel of Love" sounds soooo fine!
Taragon is to be congratulated on going back to the master tapes
and producing a cut that is far superior to tracks of the same
recording I have heard on other CDs. The clarity of the voices and
instruments makes it sound like a whole new record. The other four
cuts by the Cups also sound terrific, including "Little Bell."
Selection two is equally mesmerizing. Unlike "Chapel of Love," the
Jelly Beans' "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" has been a personal favorite
since I first heard it on the car radio in the Summer of '64. But,
jeeze, Taragon went back to the master tapes and brought out the
sax, the voices, and the piano like I never heard them before. In
fact, they went so far back into the tape vault that the hand
claps that are on the hit 45 are totally missing! Apparently the
claps were a last-minute addition to the hit record. The 'Beans
"Baby Be Mine," a true classic, if somewhat obscure Greenwich-Barry
composition, also springs out of the speakers when compared to my
beloved old 45.
Then there are the four cuts by the Shangri-Las. Some months ago I
gave a glowing review to the Shangs Best Of CD on Mercury. And that
CD was great. But the four cuts on the Red Bird/Blue Cat CD by the
Shangs are all superior. For one thing, they are all in stereo --
they were in mono on the Mercury CD! Collectors will know that,
when presented in stereo, "Leader of the Pack" invariably is
missing the line, "One day my dad said find someone new." Well, on
this Taragon CD, the line always-missing is present, in stereo!
In spite of being a big fan of the Shangs, "I Can Never Go Home
Anymore" never grabbed me. Until now. The voices of the girls are
so clear, so true, so close on this CD. I mean, I can hear feeling
and vibrato that I never knew the girls had! And the band sounds
like it is in my living room.
The other cuts are the Tradewinds "New York's A Lonely Town" (in
mono); The Ad-Libs' "The Boy From New York City" and "He Ain't No
Angel"; and the Butterflys (sic) "Good Night Baby." They all sound
equally good.
A bonus from Taragon's trek into the tape vault for master tapes
is longer fade-outs on many cuts then ever heard before, notably
on "Remember (Walking in the Sand)."
I've always been a supporter of monaural, as well as a fan of the
vinyl 45. I resisted the CD revolution for years, and although I
now have scores of CDs, I've been a reluctant consumer. But now I
am won over. The promise of the digital CD is fulfilled on this
disc.
If only Tarragon had included the other 15 cuts of the first 30
releases on the two labels. I've heard tell there of a European
two-CD, 60-track set of Red Bird/Blue Cat material, label unknown.
But that's looking a gift horse in the mouth, isn't it? Maybe in
the future. For now, I've learned that the saying about judging a
book by its cover really does apply to oldies reissues, as well.
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Subject: leader of the pack
Sent: 09/30/98 9:41 am
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: john rausch, jXXXX@XXXnet
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
mark
the most recent (((stereo))) version of "leader" I have heard has
the motorcycle "revving" and panning from left to right speakers,
Chi Chi McCauley`s "I know he loves me " is cool too. any info on
who she was/is? I have noticed she also recorded on parkway label
also, have you heard those?
jonr
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Subject: Darlene's book signing in LA?
Sent: 10/01/98 1:37 am
Received: 10/01/98 3:13 am
From: james fisher, JHFAXXXX@XXX.net
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
I'm holding off buying LOVE 'till I find out is Darlene has any
plans to come to the Los Angeles area on a promo/book signing trip
....does anyone know if it's in the cards? I'm going to buy it
either way but a signed copy would be great. Plus I'd get to see
the great D.L. in the flesh!! Thanks for any info, Jim.
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Subject: Harpers Bizarre/New Colony Six
Sent: 09/30/98 12:20 pm
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: Frank Youngwerth, FMXXXX@XXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
>I've ordered a CD with them called "Secret Life" but I don't
>know what songs are on it yet (it was really cheap so I figured
>I'd have a go at it anyway), is this recommended, and is it an
>original record or is it another compilation?
The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (it wasn't cheap for me to get
on CD!) was an original LP by the group, and doesn't duplicate any
songs with the recent Warner comp. Overall it's a very good album,
standout tracks being "Me Japanese Boy," "Funny How Love Can Be,"
"Mad," and R. Nichols-P. Williams' "The Drifter".
>"Umbrellas Of Cheirbourg
I've always liked the Don Costa versions of songs from Legrand's
score, on a United Artists LP The Go-Between" by Michel Legrand. I
guess it's fair to say if USA have Bacharach, then France have
Legrand. Both composers make pretty similar sounding music
although Legrand is mostly famous for his film scores. On this LP
from 1979 (bought it in a thrift store for less than a dollar!), he
performs two symphonic suites - one on each side - of two of his
most famous scores, together with a huuuuuuuge symphony orchestra.
This is highly recommended if you don't have it already!
>Oh yeah, before I go, what is there to say about New Colony Six?
>All I know about them is that they were connected to The
>Association...a short, basic introduction, please.
New Colony Six were from Chicago, and started out as more of a
punkish garage band. "I Confess" is a great Kinks-ish mid-tempo
ballad (covered by Boston's Lyres). "At the River's Edge" appears
on the new and highly recommended Nuggets box set. It's a folksy/
raveup suicide sort of thing. I think these were done before a new
lead vocalist (Ronnie Rice) joined the fold, and the group turned
toward a smoother harmony approach (which I like a lot too). I
wasn't aware of any direct connection with the Association, though.
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Subject: New Colony Six Era
Sent: 09/30/98 8:50 am
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: CLAUDIA CUNNINGHAM, TPXXXX@XXX.net
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Didn't the New Colony Six also have the pretty,
"I Will Always Think About You" in 1968?
This sound was part of a unique genre of music. It seems to me
that after Sgt. Pepper changed the course of pop music to
psychedelic, there was a short post-psychedelic musical period
which featured everything from soul singers singing things like,
"Cowboys To Girls", "I Found Love On a Two Way Street", "I'll
Always Love My Mama", "Color Him Father", "5-10-15-20-25 Years of
Love", "Who's Making Love", "La La Means I Love You", and so forth,
to the hideous bubble gum music which featured ditties like,
"Yummy Yummy", "Simon Says", "1-2-3 Redlight", "Dizzy", "I Think I
Love You" and others.
Then there was the Blood Sweat and Tears Sound with groups like
New Colony Six, featuring a softer edge. Among this particular
genre, a couple of groups come to mind: Liz Damon's Orient Express
("1900 Yesterday") and the Lemon Pipers ("Rice is Nice" and the
too-often-played-on-oldies-radio, "Green Tambourine").
It always struck me in particular that after the historic Sergeant
Pepper, that music didn't know which way to go. How could anyone
top that? So it went in many different directions, trying to find
a particular groove. Out of this confusion came some interesting
material, some of which I mentioned above. Claudia
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Subject: The Girls
Sent: 09/30/98 9:46 am
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: john rausch, jXXXX@XXXnet
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
mark wrote:
>...Check the issue number, John-o...Chico's Girl is Capitol 5675.
thanks mark, The Girls 45 I have, "my baby" is Capitol 5528...
another mystery solved by the "phil phanatic" :-)
jonr
Presenting the Fabulous
RonettXXXX@XXX://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/2469/
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Subject: New Burt Bacharach album - when's the release date?
Sent: 10/01/98 5:57 am
Received: 10/01/98 8:32 am
From: Udo Dirkschneider, MUV96XXXX@XXXnt2.lu.se
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Hey everybody,
I guess you all know ol' Burt is releasing a new album with
Elvis Costello, does anyone know *when* it's released?
October....November? I've already read tons of raving reviews,
it got 10 out of 10 in Sweden's leading music magazine POP for
example....it's apparently a return to the sixties with a
'real' 24 piece string orchestra, Gals and Pals wordless vocals
and everything else which made Burt's music so heavenly in the
first place. The actual music also sounds very inspired and full
of energy, a feeling of life which Burt lost in the mid-seventies
after his soundtrack to Lost Horizon (my favourite Bacharach
album!). Woman and Futures sounds pretty uninspired, don't you
think?
Tobias
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Subject: Spector covers
Sent: 10/01/98 9:11 am
Received: 10/01/98 8:32 am
From: john rausch, jXXXX@XXXnet
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Just got a new batch of spector cover versions 45s, some I have
heard and some not, and while playing them i was completely blown
away by a version of the Ronettes "do i love you" done by Bill
Deal and the Rhondells, wow, 100 times better than the one done
by Jay and the Americans. Just wondering if anyone else has a
fave spector cover they would like to share?
thanks
jonr
Presenting the Fabulous
RonettXXXX@XXX://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/2469/
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Subject: Leader of the Pack
Sent: 09/30/98 2:09 pm
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: David Feldman, feldXXXX@XXXderables.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
>Merry Clayton did RDMH in "Leader of the Pack?" On Broadway? But I
>was sitting right there in the second row... it was Darlene... she
>blew the roof off the place for the second time that night, after
>first doing it by singing "Christmas," in which she wrenched the
>hearts out of hundreds of theatregopers and then threw them, still
>beating wildly, into the slushy street. It was incredible.
Sure did, Jimmy. Is it possible that Darlene Love took a leave
from the show at some point? Merry Clayton seems like an apt
replacement/understudy for Darlene. But I can't imagine the show
having anywhere near the impact with MC as DL.
Dave Feldman
CD of the Week: Teatro (Willie Nelson)
Liver of the Week: Chopped
Annoyance of the Month: Humidity (NOT the heat)
Best Time Killer of the 90's: Filling out the UPDATED gender survey at
"http://www.imponderables.com"
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Subject: Re: Spectropop V#0157
Sent: 09/30/98 10:04 am
Received: 10/01/98 1:26 am
From: Alicia Martuge, ZablXXXX@XXX.net
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Okay so Merry Clayton wasn't on Broadway.Who knows?I hadn't even
played my copy of River Deep Mountain High.My memory's going, you
know?
Alicia
four tops girl
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