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Volume #0283 June 30, 1999
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You'll get all the Top Pops at Boots Record Shops
Subject: Bones Howe
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: mike white, Mike.Whxxxxc.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
Hi everybody!
This is my first posting to the list (thanks for the
tip-off, Dennis!) and it's a heck of a long shot: Does
anybody know of the current whereabouts of Bones Howe?
I'm writing a research feature on soft pop for a Canadian
music paper and consider him to be the all-time best
producer of the genre (the Association's "Birthday," alone,
would convince me of that!). To get 20 minutes of phone/
e-mail time to pick his brain about some of those sessions
would be incredible. I'd be eternally indebted to anyone
who could contact me privately with even the most tenuous
lead.
Thank you all,
Mike White
Toronto
Mike.Whxxxxc.com
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Subject: Philateley/TWNHA Fanzines
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Ian Chapman, iandxxxxnet.co.uk
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
>Will Stos wrote:
>Does Mick Patrick still publish Philately and That Will
> Never Happen again? Were they any good?
Hi Will,
Some background on those fanzines: I used to write for
both "Philately" and "That Will Never Happen Again", and
the last issue was the TWNHA double-issue Brit-girl
special which appeared in the late-80s. Philately
initially evolved from the Phil Spector Appreciation
Society photocopied newsletters, which were a bit staid,
and in '83 Mick Patrick, the editor, decided to revamp it
as "Philately" - "The Magazine for Fans of Spector and
Related Black and White Pop" (!!) "That Will Never Happen
Again" was a "sister" publication that had a slightly
wider net.....practically the same as Spectropop in fact,
but very girl-group-oriented. From the relaunch on, the
mags were properly litho'd with card covers.....exactly
the same format as Sheila's "Cha Cha Charming" of today. I
don't think I'm being too biased when I say they were
pretty informative for those pre-'net times......and they
were the only thing around back then. Before Alan
Betrock's book appeared and prompted the critics to
reappraise the whole girl-group genre, it was a struggle
to drum up interest - hardly anyone wanted to know about
pre-Beatle pop (especially in the UK) and we did our best
to keep the Spector/girl-group flag flying and try to get
people to listen to this stuff and realise how good it was.
After Alan's book and video came out, it got easier.....
suddenly it was OK to like girl-groups and fans came
flying out of the closet thick and fast! One of our
proudest moments back then was when the trendy "Face"
magazine did a small feature on the "A - Z of Pop/Soul
Blondes" issue of "That Will Never Happen Again" (Diane,
you were our entry for the letter "R"!!)
I wasn't involved in the publishing or distribution, but I
know that Mick - with a regular day job, and only a couple
of people to help him - found it hard to keep up a regular
publishing schedule, and the mags went from 3 or 4 per year,
down to 2, then to one and eventually to an "occasional"
basis until they faded completely, and his sleeve-note
writing took over.
I do know, however, that another issue of "TWNHA" has been
in the pipeline for a long, long time. It's going to be Vol.
2 of "Blondes", but when it will actually appear is
anybody's guess!!
Ian
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Subject: Os Mutantes
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Kieron Tyler, kierxxxxorg.uk
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
There was a query about their LPs after the first one.
Their second (self-titled, rec. 1968) is like the first,
only more so, but a bit less tuneful. Recommended I think.
Their 3rd (Divine Comedy, with the black cover, 1970) has
lost all the weird feel, and sounds more like a rock LP,
indeed a different band. Its got an almost heavy rock feel
, tempered somewhat, but I don't like it. Stick with the
1st two.
Has anyone heard any early Jorge Ben???
All the best, Kieron
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Subject: Tropicalia, exotica and VDP
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Jamie LePage, le_page_xxxxies.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
Toby wrote:
>I heard Luaka Bop (David Byrne's label) will release
>some kind of Mutantes compilation, is Everything Is
>Possible the one?
Yes, that's the one. Most of it is in Portuguese, but there
is at least one track in English.
>...that new Ultra Lounge compilation is pretty
>good. I have to say, though, that their compilations in
>general aren't very good. They seem to focus too much
>intentionally on the kitchy side of Exotica/Lounge rather
>than treating the genre as seriously as it should be
>treated.
I agree with you, but remember this Tiki Sampler is just
what it claims to be: a sampler. There are many solid CD
reissues that do justice to the genre. Besides, if the
novelty aspect loops in enough "new" fans, it will help
justify more exotica reissues. No market - no release.
>...take all the marimba stuff from the
>Beach Boys' Smile for example..*pure Martin Denny*! And
>Baxter's experimentations with echo, reverb and huge
>orchestras certainly also foreshadowed what a certain
>Brian Wilson would do 10-15 years later. Baxter recorded a
>theremin album in 1949, for Christ's sake!! :-)
Interesting points.
>
>Another thing, Jamie....when VDP performed Heroes &
>Villians, did he sing the released single version or did
>he incorporate any of the fragments/segments which were
>recorded but never used (i.e "part 2")?
The version he performed live was similar to the released
Heroes and Villians. I really wanted to yell out "In the
Cantina!" but I thought that would blow my cool, and as
Geets always says, everyone has a limited amount of cool
and it's important not to blow it. Besides, VDP and co.
were using detailed charts on every song, so I doubt they
would have been able to launch into an impromptu version
of In the Cantina. And in retrospect, I guess it was
wiser not to embarrass everyone sitting at the table with
such an outburst. So instead I yelled out "Do 'Come to the
Sunshine'!" (just kidding).
Jamie
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Subject: Where the Girls Aren't...
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Brian Ferrari, BriGuyxxxxm
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
Hello everyone!
I've been lurking on the list for a while and finally
decided to jump on in:
Jack Madani wrote (RE: Where the Girls Are CD) :
> I have vol. 1 and was a *little*
>disappointed that many of the songs that I liked on the
>old Kent vinyl release of the same name weren't on the ACE
>cd release--and in one case, the song Please Don't Kiss Me
>Again, the cd contains what is called an "underdub"
>version
I'm not quite sure what the point of this "underdub" is.
The only good thing about it is that it gives me the
opportunity to sing the "Hey Hey Hey" back-ups that they
left off!
Actually, the Charmettes song is the only one on both the
Kent vinyl and Ace CD. They are two completely different
collections. There are some great songs on the vinyl that
will hopefully make it to CD. Bernadette Peters, circa
1965, doing "We'll Start the Party Again" is a standout.
Brian Ferrari
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Correction...
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Carol Kaye, carolkxxxxink.net
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
Meant that the "Dodge" ad (not "Nissan", they're using our
"Feelin' Alright" hit), obviously recorded lately, was the
only exception I've heard to "good music" being recorded
currently for ads.
Carol Kaye
http://www.carolkaye.com/
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Re: commercials with hits
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Big L, bixxxxmail.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
This subject came up in our club (DecalcoMania)
newsletter. as a result, I began keeping a log of
every spot I saw using oldies. I was surprised to
detect that there as been a definite shift into 70s
music as opposed to 60s. In fact, about 90% of the
tunes were from 1970 or later.
The thing I hate is that they usually rerecord them
into a pathetically inferior sounding version. I
remember a few years ago some sponsor was using "So
Tired" by the Kinks. For awhile, the original version
ran, then was sudddenly replaced by a version that
sounded like the lead singer was on Valium or
something. We Kinks fans got highly incensed.
The point that was made in our newsletter was this:
how much product recognition is generated by using
oldies as opposed to original jingles? I can't name
the sponsor currently using "You Sexy Thing" as a
tease. But try these on for size:
The king of beers
No matter what shape
Hi ho hey hey, chew your little troubles away
If you've got the time, we've got the beer
Things go better with...
You'll flip at the zip
The Uncola
That's just a few. How many of you 35 and older knew
most, if not all of them?
Here are the answers, as if you needed them.
Budweiser; Roll-Aids; Wrigley's Spearmint gum;
Miller; Coca-Cola; RC Cola' 7-Up
In fact, they've brought that last one back. Remember
the Uncola Underground?
I doubt if anyone will remember todays oldies
commercials even one year from now, let alone 20 or 30.
==
Big L Check out my Radio Legends pages at:
bixxxxmail.com http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/9816
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: by "the original artists"
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Ron Bierma, ELRONxxxxm
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
>So they use well known siongers sometimes in the re-sings
>but seldom the original singer.
sorry to contradict you old chap, but I've noticed just
the opposite recently. Stones-Start Me Up and Give Me
Shelter, Sly's Everyday People, Louis' What a Wonderful
World (what does everyone think of the upcoming Louis and
Kenny G duet and video of this song?-that's another topic,
eh?), Louis Prima's Jump, Jive and Wail, I Feel Good by
James Brown, Express Yourself by Charles Watts 103 st band,
etc. This original artist trend may have been spurred by
the Divine Miss M winning her lawsuit regarding sound-alike
ads.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Commercial use of songs....
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Robert Charles-Dunne, xxxxt.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
There are a couple of issues that really annoy me about
the pop culture iconography being co-opted by commercial
interests. The first is context: When a Canadian bank
exploited a re-recording of Dylan's "Times They Are
A'Changing" to huck their new Internet division Mbanx,
fans were apoplectic. Though the song served the bank's
purpose of positioning itself as a radical departure from
the 'old' way of banking, people couldn't believe they'd
have the cheek to use Dylan to achieve that end. The
context was jarring. Whether Dylan PERSONALLY approved the
use of the song in this fashion [as opposed to the
publisher, which usually controls such rights] escaped
scrutiny in the ensuing debate. The fact that this became
an issue of debate in a variety of media vehicles also
served the bank's interests, for it kept the name and logo
in the spotlight.
The second issue, and this one REALLY burns ME up, is the
Vege-matic method employed to cull just the bits of a song
they want to use, and what is excised in the process. A
couple of blatant examples of late: Tampax is using The
Zombies' "Time Of The Season" as a backdrop to
pop-festival footage that ends with the payoff 'Tampax Was
There,' or words to that effect. Trouble is, Tampax has
managed to erase a couple of lines of lyric in its hurry
to hit the verse and stay within the 30 second time frame.
Same with a recent Kinks song, in which several pre-chorus
lines were lost, all for the sake of brevity.
I have a sense of humour about the ways in which pop
culture can be exploited, and respectful use of material
is to be encouraged. [The Mexicali bridge of Love's "Alone
Again Or" in a spot for - I THINK it was - Miller Beer was
a perfect example. Unfortunately, it only ran for a week
or two.] But when the ad agency brain-trusts re-arrange
and even slice'n'dice the songs in question, the resulting
irritation factor for the target audience outweighs
whatever benefit the advertiser THINKS it may be achieving
by using the song.
So, for any advertising agency types who may be
subscribers, a word of advice: Don't use our most
cherished songs in a disrespectful context, and leave the
continuity of the song intact. Anything less is an insult
to the very people you're aiming to reach.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Jingles
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: Ian Chapman, iandxxxxnet.co.uk
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
I'm with the "tasteful" brigade on this one! But another
point to remember is that these ads can bring an artist
back into the public eye and open up work opportunities.
The UK has a history of putting "oldies" performers back
in the charts when a reissue latches on with the public
through an ad. Remember the case of Andy Williams who we
discussed recently, over here promoting "Music To Watch
Girls By" after the Levis ad led to plays in clubs all
over the country.
Ian
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: oldies/commercials
Received: 06/29/99 11:36 pm
From: john rausch, jxxxxet
To: Spectropop List, spectroxxxxies.com
Thanks to all who had a reply to my last topic on
oldies/commercials.seems like the consensus is in favor for the most
part.And Diane,that`s interesting what you mention about using the first
8 bars=no royalties.Also I must confess that I own one of those import
cds of all your recordings,I understand that overseas , after a certain
time lapses, the copyright is not effective,hence so many import cds of
very hard to find recordings(here in the states).Many sound as if they
were taken directly from a vinyl source.If it is any consolation,the
"best of diane renay" import cd I have is very inferior in sound
quality.I think the original 45s in my collection sound better .
John
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