______________________________________________________________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ S P E C T R O P O P ________________ ________________ ________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Volume #0348 November 22, 1999 ______________________________________________________________________ Here are sensational new sounds, featuring the very latest innovationsSubject: As the Delrons Turn Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: Jimmy Cresitelli, Jimxxxxxcom To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com Hi Will and everyone! I read that part about Kathy Romeo's weight in "Girl-Groups: Story of A Sound." She certainly did not seem to fit that description, judging by her yearbook pictures. Methinks there is more to the story... we've actually been trying to find Kathy Romeo for her take on the story! Tom Waters: in response, Reparata IS the one with the dark flip you see on the cover of their LP. (The LP "Whenever A Teenager Cries.") Carol Drobnicki is the tall one and, I believe, also the one in the "piled up" hairstyle in that shot that appears in the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock And Roll. Carol's yearbook photo features her in a killer blonde flip, and her facial expression is very serious! (I love yearbook photos from the sixties!) As for a boxed set: excellent idea! I'm not sure where I got my recording of I'm Nobody's Baby Now, but it's great, isn't it? They recorded so many fine sides... and if there wasn't enough material for a great boxed set, how about a Delrons / Secrets compilation? Now that would be something. Those Secrets rule! --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Reparata Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: Kingsley Abbott, kinxxxxxa.freeserve.co.uk To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com Jimmy wrote about the glorious Reparata and The Delrons, and I very much agree that they were one of the best! I loved a lot of their stuff, and remember seeing a clip of a reformed Delrons doing a TV show, when I visited a friends house in Stockholm. Ingemar, who is a Spectropop member, may be able to tell us where it dates from. (Ingemar - It was at Goran's flat). Regarding Goldmine articles, there were in fact two published I believe: April 83 and Dec 7 1984. I don't know who wrote the second, but the first was a short one page interview with Reperata O'Leary by Raanan Gegerer. I reproed it in my Girl Group clippings book that I put together a few years ago. There was also a disog. by Ed Engel. They may well get some re-released tracks in the UK on a Mick Patrick compilation. I seem to recall him talking to me about them a month or two back.I reckon anything on them would be good, as the Collectables issue of a few years ago was OK but left some serious gaps. Hope this helps bring back thoughts of those amazing flouncy petticoats. They REALLY don't make 'em like that any more! Kingsley Abbott --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Re: Delrons day on Spectropop Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: Michael B Kelly, docxxxxx.com To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com Jimmy Cresitelli, Jimxxxxxcom wrote: > a Delrons article / interview that might have run in > Goldmine? Was it Doc who wrote it? > Jimmy, No, I did not write it. But I do have a Reparata LP, CD, and a great article from the 70s. Doc --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Gold Star Studios Received: 11/18/99 3:42 am From: jake tassell, xwsf.taxxxxxin.net To: spectxxxxxe.com Dear Spectropop Hello, great to see a flourishing Spector site on the web! Anyway, I wondered if you could tell me - Is there a site you can direct me to, or even a book, with technical information about Gold Star. I want to know things like: The dimensions of the echo chambers, microphones, building materials - the lot. On an English TV documentary Stan Ross said the best reverb they had at Gold Star was in the toilet! Would you happen to know which tracks were recorded in said fashion? Thanks. Good luck with it all. Oh, also do you know if 'Don't Pity Me' by Joannie Sommers was recorded at Gold Star? Was it Hal Blaine on drums? And was Spector responsible for the awesome production on'Quicksand' by Kell Osbourne? If you can answer one of these questions I'll be happy. Thanks again. Jake from London. --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: LA Music Award/Brian Wilson & Wondermints Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: Ponak, David, david.xxxxxcom To: 'Spectropop', spectxxxxxities.com Wednesday evening the LA Music awards were held at the El Rey Theater. After a tight set by the Wondermints, Carol Kaye presented Brian Wilson with a Lifetime Achievment award and then joined Brian, the 'Mints, and Jeffrey Foskett on a beautiful version of "God Only Knows." Seeing Brian and Carol actually perform together on stage was quite an exciting and touching moment. --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: "He Hit Me" was recorded at Mirasound Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: WASE RADIO,xxxxxt.org To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com To Jamie LePage: "He Hit Me" was recorded at Mirasound studios in New York. There is a world of difference between Mirasound and Gold Star. Gold Star had a vast "wide open" sound, whereas Mirasound had a very compressed sound. When Phil first started recording in New York, he first used Bell Sound for Ray Peterson's "Corrina Corrina". For some reason he decided to use Mirasound, a very dingy place that was frequently visited by rats. According to the Mark Ribowsky book on Phil Spector, that producer liked the thicker walls there, which meant better echo. He used the studio to record the first two Crystals' songs "There's No Other Like My Baby" and "Uptown". He also recorded Curtis Lee's big hit "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" as well as his minor follow-up "Under The Moon Of Love". What drove to record in Los Angeles was allegedly an act of paranoia. He felt that a snoop from the New York's musician's union was spying on him. Plus he allegedly didn't get along with a lot of those musicians. He felt that the Los Angeles musicians were younger and were more amenable to his ideas. Mirasound was the home of not only the Crystals first two hits, but the facility was also used by Ruby and the Romantics, The Chiffons, The Dixie Cups, The Jellybeans, and many others. Gold Star was not only used by Spector but was also visited by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, The Murmaids, Chris Montez, Eddie Cochran, The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and many many others that I can't think of. The Beach Boys recorded the instrumental back tracks to " California Girls" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" at Gold Star. Unfortunatedly all studios mentioned are all defunct. What a shame. Michael G. Marvin WASE radio --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Re: Things Are Changing Received: 11/22/99 1:27 am From: Jamie LePage, le_pagxxxxxities.com To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com Carol Kaye wrote: >About this recording which I put right on and checked back >and forth quite a few times. That's definitely Hal Blaine... >The riff you hear is myself playing that on guitar...and >then the bass (Ray Pohlman) joins me later on that - >Pohlman is sort of "buried" a little in the track, but you >hear him from time to time. That is so amazing that you can recall all the players from hearing the track! (btw, I am so envious that you've heard the instrumental only track! I would love to have this!) One story often cited (posted here too) is that Brian filled in for a drunken Leon Russell on this session. I tend to think otherwise and that the "Leon incident" was at one of the Christmas Album sessions. I suppose you would recall if Brian replaced Leon on the Things Are Changing session. Please let us have your comments on this. Mark said: >>it should be obvious that Darlene blew the >>doors off Diana on this one. > >I always tho't that too......Darlene could sound like any >singer she wanted, and she was a great singer. When we >recorded for the Supremes...it never seemed that they were >very good singers, but I tho't that Ross later got it >together a little better. I understand what you mean. Especially when comparing the Darlene version of "Things are Changing" to the Supremes take, it becomes very obvious. I never tire of Darlene's gospel-influenced input into this era of popular music recorded in Los Angeles. Jamie --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- End
