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Volume #0197 December 21, 1998
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Demonstrated at all dealers the 28th of each month
Subject: Dion
Sent: 12/19/98 10:23 pm
Received: 12/21/98 6:50 am
From: goran.kraft, goran.kXXXXXXXXet.se
To: 'spectrXXXXXXXXties.com', spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
I've just joined this list (after recommendations given on the
very active and enjoyable Jonathan Richman e-mail-list) and I'm
delighted with all the good music being discussed here.
Anyone interested in Dion should visit:
New site : http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Basement/9489/
index.html
And this time of year Dion's "Rock'n'roll Christmas" is essential
listening!
Best regards/ Goran Kraft
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Subject: from Carol K
Sent: 12/16/98 4:34 am
Received: 12/16/98 7:32 am
From: Carol Kaye, carolXXXXXXXXlink.net
To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
John, I'm still reading people's posts, and am amazed at how much
people know out there about so many hits. We were just sitting in
the studios creating those records, but knew what all our bunch of
350 or so studio musicians, what they were doing, with other
recordings. Still the public amazes me, their data, etc.
Yes, I was one of the bass players on Tina's "River Deep Mountain
High", but at Gold Star Recorders. Ray Pohlman also played Fender
Bass on that, and they had a Dano, as well as a string bass. The
studio (as I remember) was VERY crowded both in the booth and in
the main studio itself. We liked the arrangement, Tina was in the
vocal booth singing (altho' I suspect they added the final vocals
on later, as Phil would normally do).
I always saw Darlene Love and usually the Blossoms with her also
on the studio dates with Phil Spector, didn't matter the singer/
group, they were always there. So am pretty sure it's Darlene and
Blossoms and maybe some others too like Clydie King, one of the
Holloways, Brenda and Pat. You saw them around in those years too,
constantly as well as some fine other singers, Jackie Ward, and
Gracia Nitzsche (Jack's wife at that time).
Even Cher as I understand it, could have sung some background, but
she was NOT a regular background studio singer at all, that's a
highly professional fine career -- you have to be one of the
greatest singers of all time to be a successful studio singer, be
able to sight-read music, etc. and have a ton of live singing
experience to do that line of work. While I love Cher as a person,
played on their things, and she's a fine actress, well.....you get
it I'm sure.
So not sure about who later added their voices, but know that
Darlene Love had to be one of them for sure, she was Phil's
mainstay vocalist.
The list that someone posted: Vogues, Ronettes, Animals, Paul
Revere, Crystals, Righteous Bros., and Dusty Springfield -- those
are the groups/singers I recorded with fairly constantly.
Am playing bass on "Soul & Inspiration" for instance, guitar tho'
on a few as I was a studio guitarist since 1957 (Sam Cooke,
Ritchie Valens etc.) then accidentally picked up the Fender Bass
when someone didn't show up at Capitol Records for a record date
one day late 1963 and mostly played bass from then on (was a lot
more fun than playing rock guitar, I was a jazz guitarist before
studio work in LA, and had built a fine reputation as one so they
say, playing in the black clubs mostly, it was very hot back then
in LA, not "cool" jazz as they sometimes say).
So there are a lot of early hits I did on guitar first. Anyway,
for what it's worth, that's all I know about that particular date
with Tina.
We all felt that "River Deep Mountain High" was going to be a
blast of a hit, it had that feel. And were surprised when it
didn't climb on the charts like the rest of Phil's hits. I think
most people in Hollywood were there to watch that date (they were
called record dates then, not sessions), at least it felt like it,
quite a bit of excitement around Phil.
Phil was fun to work for mostly, altho' some of the takes were
like anywhere from 20 to almost 30 takes (don't ask me why, don't
know, he was experimenting like Brian Wilson later did also in the
booth, but also there was a sort of "tune pitch", he'd sort of wear
us out and then we'd pull together for the last 4-5 takes for a
final hit take -- you felt it, and he did too). Most record dates
had 3-4-5 takes tops with the other artists.
Phil was responsible for a lot of innovations in recording -- the
use of earphones, the barriers to cut down on mike leakage, the
placement of mikes, uses of the echo systems, and the muting of
drums, etc.
He would kid with us on the dates sometimes, and we'd kid back.
Sometimes it got a little raucous -- he'd pick on someone's
Achilles heel, mostly in fun, but it got a little hairy at a few
times, we'd just feed it back to him, and he loved that, the
banter and all. Carol Kaye http://www.carolkaye.com/
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Subject: Lower the Flame
Sent: 12/16/98 8:24 am
Received: 12/17/98 7:48 am
From: IAC, ianXXXXXXXXlnet.co.uk
To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
Hi Doc,
Yes, it was the Shirelles who did "Lower the Flame" - an early track
of theirs - writers are Snyder/Kahan/Williams.
Ian Chapman
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Subject: Collectibles and Sue Thompson
Sent: 12/16/98 2:55 am
Received: 12/16/98 7:32 am
From: Doc Rock, docrXXXXXXXXcom
To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
Some Collectibles CDs may be inferior, but ...
Literally as I was interviewing Sue Thompson for an article a few
years ago, my review copy of her Collectibles CD arrived. She had
no advance warning about it!
But she loved it, and the sound quality and track selection are
excellent.
Doc
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Subject: The Dovers & Blue Things
Sent: 12/16/98 2:03 pm
Received: 12/17/98 7:48 am
From: Javed Jafri, javedjXXXXXXXXt.ca
To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
Glad to see other people share my love for "What Am I Gonna Do" by
the Dovers. I have had it on a "Pebbles" comp for a long time and
it's been my favorite from that particular volume ( "It's Cold
Outside" by The Choir comes in a close second, though). The
singer reminds me of the Buckinghams.
Speaking of obscure psyche/pop. Is anyone familiar with a
Midwestern group called The Blue Things. They did a great
Beatlesque song called "Pretty Things". Most of their early
material is very British Invasion influenced but like the big guys
they progressed to release some very psychedelic sounding material
like "The Coney Island Of Your Mind" and "You Can Live In Our Tree".
Perhaps some of this material is a bit contrived but it's
interesting to see how even the so-called garage bands evolved and
went through the various stages from Mersey to folk-rock to
psychedelic to burnout. A comp of theirs called "The Blue Things
Story" was released on Collectables a few years back.
Javed
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Subject: Will Stos, John Rausch, & "I Wonder"
Sent: 12/16/98 11:43 am
Received: 12/17/98 7:48 am
From: Jimmy Cresitelli, JimmXXXXXXXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
Hi John,
I was referring to the mix that has that extra "ba-RRUMP RRUMP
RRUMP, ba-RRUMP RRUMP RRUMP" at the beginning of "I Wonder" by the
Ronettes... I believe I first heard it on the mono Ronettes LP, but
I can't go back and check because my receiver died this week!!! Or,
am I thinking of the stereo version, which I have on tape?? Either
way, I love that beginning.
Hi Will,
Thanks for your input... I guess I have a soft spot in my heart
for the Ronettes' version of "I Wonder," because it was the first
one I heard... summer of 1970, when I first became attuned to the
classics. A woman on my block in Brooklyn GAVE me her copy of
Philles 4006... I played "I Wonder" over and over... I also love
the Butterflys' version a lot... but the Crystals' side has fallen
to third place in my opinion: it really IS too much! La La's
straining so hard to be heard above that wall of sound... I mean,
it's a fantastic record, but Ronnie's cut has been the one to do
it for me after all these years. It's got staying power.
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