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Volume #0312 August 26, 1999
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The Sukiyaki Song - Kyu Sakamoto
Subject: Japanese pop
Received: 08/25/99 11:25 am
From: Glenn Sadin, glenn_mxxxxxlink.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Sheila sez...
>My name is Sheila B. and I
>publish a fanzine called "Cha Cha Charming"...which
>celebrates sixties girl groups, Japanese pop, and heavy
>metal...my Japanese pop obsession has had my Discoveries
>and Goldmine subscriptions on hold for awhile.
Welcome Sheila! I, too, am a big collector of Japanese pop.
In fact, I am currently producing two compilations of
Japanese pop from the '50s & '60s for Romulan Records, to
be titled "Ginza Go Go" Volumes 1 & 2.
>And if anyone is interested in those 90s producers looking
>to capture that sixties sound, I'd HIGHLY recommend getting
>a copy of a single by Japanese female pop duo-Puffy. The
>single is called "Kore ga watashi no ikiru michi" and IT
>IS the sixties. Recorded in mono, Beatles sound,
>infectious melodies, young female singers. Absolutely
>breathtaking. You can order it from
>http://www.deodeo.com
Puffy is one of my fave contemporary J-POP groups. The
above-mentioned single (which, translated, means "This is
my life's path") was a #1 hit in Japan a few years ago. It
was written and produced by Tamio Okuda, who has recorded
some truly great pop albums of his own. "Kore Ga Watashi
no Ikiru Michi" is also available on Puffy's great "Jet CD"
album, which is also available from Not Lame Recordings
(www.notlame.com).
Girl Group fans would also be well-advised to seek out
recordings by another Japanese group called the Peanuts,
who were big stars in Japan from the late '50s through to
the mid-'70s at least. The Peanuts are comprised of two
twin sisters, and are best known in America as the tiny
fairy princesses who sing the Mothra song in the old
Godzilla movies! I have about six CDs by the Peanuts, and
they are really delightful, especially when they take
American pop songs like "Sherry" or "Poetry in Motion" and
sing them in Japanese!
>Puffy and New York 90's girl group IT"S MY PARTY are the
>only groups that give me faith in the recreation of "that"
>sound.
When my band recently appeared at the International Pop
Festival in Los Angeles, It's My Party played in the slot
just before us. They were really cool!
Glenn
Glenn Sadin
glenn_mxxxxxhlink.net
Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for THE BERKELEY SQUIRES:
http://www.termites.com/BerkeleySquires.html
Read about JAPANESE POP MUSIC from the 1950s thru the 1990s:
http://home.earthlink.net/~glenn_mariko/nihon.htm
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Subject: even more charming....
Received: 08/26/99 6:46 am
From: Sheila Burgel, pxxxxxrport.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Hello again! I thought since a few of you have expressed
interest in Cha Cha Charming, I'd list some information
about the 'zine and how to obtain it.
The new issue features a HUGE guide to Japanese pop music
(Puffy, My Little Lover, Chocolat, Shena Ringo), Sixties
British girls feature with lots of rare photos, guide to
obscure French sixties girl singers (Chantal Kelly, Annie
Philippe, Gillian Hills), girl groups top ten lists by
Spectropop guests (Doc Rock, Will Stos, Ian Chapman, etc)
and others, Megadeth in Japan, and also pieces on It's My
Party, Irma Thomas, and more!!
You can order it directly from me for $5 domestic, $8
international. Check, cash, or money order!
Sheila B.
284 Lafayette Street
#5D
New York, NY
10012
I couldn't agree more with Will Stos' comments about the
new "Where the Girls Are" Volume II. Even though Goldie
and The Gingerbreads are on the CD cover, the compilation
feels more like a soul comp. than a GG comp. Silky and the
Shutangs and The Teardrops are definitely the highlights!
It seems that everyone picks The Teardrops' "You won't be
there" as the favorite, though I much prefer the flipside
"Tears come Tumbling." It almost has the same sadness and
innocence of the Shamettes "you're welcome back."
I'd have to say Tammy St. John's "dark shadows...." kills
the Diane and Annita version. If there is any Brit girl
track that GG fans should hear, it's Tammy doing this
number. It's featured on Here Come the Girls volume I.
Sheila B.
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Subject: Cha Cha Charming/It's My Party
Received: 08/25/99 11:25 am
From: Kaye Krebs, ThePixxxxxcom
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Hello Sheila,
This is actually my first post to Spectropop too, although
I have enjoyed reading this informed, interesting group for
several months. Your mention of the NY 90's girl group,
"It's My Party," inspired me to write as I just met them
and they are, indeed, terrific! John Giotto, the group's
manager/producer, contacted me to ask if the girls could
meet us before or after the show in Boston (last Saturday).
I invited them to have breakfast with us Saturday
morning...at which they blew us all away with an a
capella rendition of "Summertime USA," one of our more
obscure....ah, let's change that to "most collectible"....
records. We were so impressed by these personable and
talented 14-year-olds that we added the number to the show
Saturday night and (to their surprise) brought them up on
the stage to sing it with us. Afterwards, we invited them
to a party where they jammed like pros with the rest of
the show....the Olympics, Ernie Valens and Brook Street.
Welcome to Spectropop, Sheila! You are probably not aware
of it, but you actually gave me some [music] credibility
with my two daughters when you published that article on
The Pixies Three next to the article on Megadeth in "Cha,
Cha Charming." I owe you, Sheila.
Kaye Krebs
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Subject: Re: Hep Stars
Received: 08/26/99 6:46 am
From: David Atlee Phillips, wuxxxxxet.se
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Billy G. Spradlin asked about The Hep Stars' album of
Millenium/Sagittarius/Ballroom covers:
>I just wondered if they sang these songs in Swedish or
>English language?
I assume, without really knowing, that these sung were
sung in English. If you put everything in perspective, the
Beatles' breakthrough was only 2-3 years back at the time,
and it was the first time that people (I guess in every
non-English country, not just in Sweden) saw the power of
using the English language. As this was the first
generation which didn't use its native languages, most of
the bands relied on original material written by English
or American composers. I guess it was simply more
practical, because it wasn't like it is now with English
speaking culture being *everywhere*; on TV, on radio, in
newspapers, etc, etc. Back in the sixties, a platform, for
want of a better word, for music written in English by
people who didn't have it as their native language, didn't
exist.
Another reason for using material by American/English
songwriters was of course that it was a safer way to
public recognition, atleast locally. A line should, or
at least, could, be drawn between the Nuggets bands from
USA and their global counterparts, represented in Sweden
by bands like Tages, The Shanes, and, yep, The Hep Stars.
Garage bands playing the same songs ("Hey Joe"...."Louie
Louie") all over the world at the same time. Tages started
their career by playing Beatles covers and won a contest in
1964 which labeled them as "The Beatles of the Swedish west
coast". So it was things like that that got most of these
bands going in the first place, and I assume it was
similar in USA too. *Why* The Hep Stars chose to cover
unknown Californian stuff is beyond my imagination, when
they probably could've been more successful (artistically
as well as commercially) by covering more famous songs.
>I also remember reading on a ABBA Fan page that some of
>the Hep Stars recordings have been re-issued on CD in
>Sweden in the early 90's.
I know I have a lengthier article/review of The Hep Stars
back catalog *somewhere*, but I can't find it...it'd be
interesting to find out what's written about this record,
so I'll see if I dig it up later this week (sorry, I'm
pretty busy, advanced maths and things like that....)
>I always held ABBA in high
>regard as a classic Pop group when critics and rock fans
>here in the USA dismissed them as a disposable Top 40
>bubblegum act.
It's always been like that....who listens to the artists
'the critics' hyped in 1974 *today*?? Let's just say
"Tarkus" hasn't aged that well...
:-)
Trucker Toby
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Subject: Tony Burrows & the Hit Squad
Received: 08/26/99 6:46 am
From: Jamie LePage, le_pagxxxxxities.com
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
I just got a brand new CD by Tony Burrows & the Hit Squad,
"All the Hits & More" released on the UK Prestige label
(CDSGP 0418). It is a re-recording of several hits Tony
originally sang for various artists. I generally stay away
from albums of re-recordings, and no doubt the original
Burrows recordings are superior, but this album is a
worthwhile listen for fans of Ivy League, Flowerpot Men,
White Plains and Edison Lighthouse. Burrows is in fine
voice and the backing band and arrangements are not
annoyingly intrusive. The sleeve, though, is an atrocious
brown with yellow/brown lettering and a photo of Tony and
his "hit men" decked out in gangster attire! If I didn't
know the name Tony Burrows, I wouldn't have given the CD a
second look.
The UK Prestige label is run by Keith Thomas, who
apparently was a touring member of the Hollies in the 60's.
According to sources, Keith co-wrote their 1965 hit Look
Through Any Window with Graham Gouldman under the pseudonym
"Silverman" (Can our Hollies experts shed any light on this?).
Prestige specializes in budget line releases of
re-recordings by US and UK artists who no longer have
deals. They have re-recordings out by Foundations, Troggs,
Middle of the Road, Herman's Hermits, and many others.
These are CDs one is likely to encounter at roadside
markets, kiosks, etc.
But what makes this re-recording more palatable than other
similar re-recordings is the outstanding songwriting. Great
pop songs crafted by UK writers John Carter, Ken Lewis,
Tony Macauley, Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook. Here is the
track list (with the original artists listed next to the
title):
Tossin and Turnin (Ivy League)
Funny How Love Can Be (Version 1)(Ivy League)
Let's Go to San Francisco (Flowerpot Men)
My Baby Loves Lovin (White Plains)
When you are a King (White Plains)
Carolina's Comin' Home (White Plains)
Julie do you love me (White Plains)
In a moment of madness (White Plains & Flowerpot Men)
I've got you on my mind (White Plains)
United we stand (Brotherhood of Man)
Where are you going my love (Brotherhood of Man)
Beach Baby (First Class)
Love Grows (Edison Lighthouse)
Melanie Makes Me Smile (TB)
Gimme Dat Ding (Pipkins)
Funny How Love Can Be (version 2, a slowed down "big
ballad" version)
I don't care *at all* for the "new" arrangement of the
last track. If they were going to go to the trouble of
doing two versions of this song, I wish they would have
done an up tempo version like Danny Hutton's. Hutton's
recording has always been a personal fave.
Tony Burrows rules!
All the best,
Jamie
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Subject: Lesley Gore/Little Peggy March
Received: 08/26/99 6:46 am
From: john rausch,xxxxx.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
I recently sent some scans of L.Gore pic sleeves to this
guy who runs a nice Lesley Gore site and thought someone
would be interested in checking his
sitexxxxxtp://www.patswayne.com/lesley/lgore.htm
He has also some other sites going as well,one is for
Little Peggy Mxxxxxp://www.patswayne.com/peggy/
John Rausch
Presenting The fabulous
Ronexxxxxp://www.geocities.com/Sunsetstrip/Studio/2469/
And
Phil Spector`s wall Of sxxxxxp://members.tripod.com/~rauschj/
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Re: *Girl* George?!?!?! :-)
Received: 08/25/99 11:25 am
From: David Atlee Phillips, wuxxxxxet.se
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Shelby Riggsxxxxxmci.net wrote:
>Other Female Singers receiving votes are:
^^^^^^^^
>Boy George
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ohhh my Gawd.........hahaha, I'm speechless!!!!
Tobias
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