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Volume #0388 February 17, 1999
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Also available on 4 & 8 track tape cartridges and Musicassettes
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Subject: Re: Them Critters
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Alec Palao
To: Spectropop!
>Any comments on the Critters Project Three records,
Can't recommend the "Touch N' Go" LP enough; performance,
production and songwriting are all top-notch. Only Jimmy
Ryan and Kenny Gorka remained from the Kapp period. I
heard the second Project 3 LP a few years ago and seem to
recall it was disappointing. There is however an excellent
non-LP single side from around the time of the Touch N'Go
sessions, "Lisa, But Not The Same", produced by Wes
Farrell.
>Also, isn't there a Critters tie-in with Bonner/Gordon and
>Anders/Poncia? Possibly even with latter-day Lovin' Spoonful?
The Kapp records were Kama-Sutra productions, supervised
by Artie Ripp, and KS alumni Anders and Poncia wrote the
later singles "Marryin' Kind Of Love" and "Bad
Misunderstanding" (the latter probably my favourite
Critters record). The title cut to the "Touch N'Go" LP was
written by Bonner and Gordon, and the LP also features a
nice version of the Spoonful's "Younger Generation".
Don't forget the band also had a 45 prior to "Younger Girl",
the crudely likeable "No One Else But You"/"I'm Telling
Everyone" on Prancer. There are also tracks from the
pre-Kapp period like "Georgianna" that surfaced on
exploitative LPs in wake of the bands chart success,
though these may be demos by their earlier incarnation the
Vibra-Tones.
ALEC
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Subject: The Ventures
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Paul Urbahns
To: Spectropop!
Carol Kaye wrote:
<< The Ventures could play their own music, they just
sometimes added studio musicians with them to play on the
recordings (Tommy Tedesco on guitar). >>
As I understand it from their early albums the Ventures
originally referred to Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. They used
other musicians to fill out the sound because two guitars
do not a group make. If you look at the original cover for
the Colorful Ventures album it only shows the two of them.
Eventually the Ventures represented a group of four
(sometimes five musicians). But most of their albums use
fill in musicians to make a fuller sound.
Paul Urbahns
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Subject: Hal on Playboys, re: FZ
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Carol Kaye
To: Spectropop!
That's really something that Gary Lewis would claim it's
"him" on drums on the Playboys things!! It was always Hal
Blaine on drums, you can match his sound with the other
things Hal cut....I saw Gary Lewis there, he was always
smiling, just hung around, mainly in the booth while we
sat and recorded the tracks for him (he was a very happy
person having us there to cut his tracks for him). I
never saw Keltner on their stuff at all, it was always Hal,
a date wasn't called if Hal couldn't make it period.
This is typical tho' of how the groups would cover their
own tracks (a pun on words here), as they couldn't let the
press know that they did *not* cut their own things,
typically 60s stuff....we knew it, it was pretty overt,
but didn't care, we got top-dollar, kept the business
going playing on everyone's things, etc. But I'm a little
surprised at the affable Gary Lewis saying those things,
guess he tho't that he'd never get caught....well, just
read Hal Blaine's book: "The Wrecking Crew".
Earl Palmer's book "Backbeat....The Earl Palmer Story" is
also out on amazon.com (Smithsonian Press) and is about to
come out in paperback also, he's got some good tales of
all our 60s work too, altho' his book focuses on his
entire life beginning in New Orleans.
Yes, I did play elec. 12-string guitar on "Freak Out", the
other two guitarists were Dennis Budimer and Tommy Tedesco,
think we were the only studio musicians besides maybe a
percussionist on those 1st two Frank Zappa lps....Frank
used his own drummer and bassist on those, plus played his
guitar too. Nice man, great to work for, music was
interesting (and Tommy loved to see the hangers-on
sitting in their bathing suits in the studio too).
Our CD "Thumbs Up", playing to raving audiences in
Milwaukee, St. Louis, Denver, parts of Texas and Maryland,
thanks DJs!
Best,
Carol Kaye
http://www.carolkaye.com/
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Subject: 101 Strings go crazy
Received: 02/17/00 1:07 am
From: Kieron Tyler
To: Spectropop!
101 Strings have an album called "Astro Sounds From The
Year 2000" which is amazing. One of the top psyche
exploitation LPs - even better than the Cosmic Eye or Zig
Zag People. It includes tracks like "Flameout" which
starts with Byrds-style guitar then goes into this wooshy
phased bit with strings. A couple of tracks on side 2 have
girls moaning over wind sounds and whip noises. An
extraordinary record - god alone knows what anyone made of
it. Some of it also came out under the name The Animated
Egg, but I think with less wiggy production effects.
Apparently most (of the more normal) 101 Strings records
were recorded in Germany. They made another good one with
Les Baxter in about 1968 or '69.
See you later, Kieron
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: 101 Strings
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Paul Urbahns
To: Spectropop!
Billy G wrote:
<< What makes it horrible is that it sounded like the
producers dubbed in a small rock band behind 101 Strings
playing 50's R&R style (ala the Platters hits...Triplets
on piano) and to make matters worse they added a hideous
(white sounding) chorus singing "Doo-Wop" styled
background vocals! And this did this to every song on the
album. It is one of the weirdest sounding LP's I have in
my collection! >>
I have and really like the album (along with most all the
Somerset releases) Dave Miller (discoverer of Bill
Haley...Crazy Man Crazy) produced those 101 Strings albums.
No dubbing in a rock band here, that is the rhythm section
and they swing. I always felt the vocals on Back Beat
Symphony (the title of the album) was recorded about 1958
and the background vocals were intended to sound kinda
like the Crew Cuts. The Crew Cuts did a similar type album
called "Crew Cuts go Longhair" or something like that. Of
course, the Crew Cuts weren't backed up by the mighty
Hamburg Philharmonic (the orchestra on the early 101
Strings albums, this one included). That is the Hamburg
Philharmonic in full formal dress on the back cover of the
Somerset releases by the 101 Strings. The background
vocals are not actually words but oohs and aahs like Ray
Conniff was doing. That's so the same album could be
marketed internationally. The Back Beat Symphony was
deleted fairly early on in the 60s but some of the tracks
surfaced on other 101 Strings albums. I have a stereo copy
which is fantastic quality sound. I only wish the other
independent labels of the day were so stereo quality aware.
As a post script to this long post. Little Anthony (of
Little Anthony & The Imperials) when talking about his Don
Costa sessions during the late 60s said the vocals were
done in the US and Don would fly the tapes to England and
use the 101 Strings for the backgrounds. This is the only
reference I've seen anybody mention the orchestra expect
on their own albums. I am assuming Don Costa used the same
studio orchestra that the 101 Strings producer did in the
late 60s when most of the 101 albums were recorded in
England with a group of studio musicians.
Paul "listening to Back Beat Symphony now" Urbahns
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Spector doc?
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Ian Chapman
To: Spectropop!
Hi all,
There was mention on the list recently of a Spector
documentary. Has it aired yet in the US? If not, I'd
appreciate details of when it is scheduled and on which
channel, so I can get it VDO'd.
Thanks
Ian
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: The Touring Association
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Ponak, David
To: Spectropop!
I've seen the current touring version of the Association
twice in the past 3 years, and it's well worth checking
out. Larry Ramos and Russ Guigure are the only original
members, but the supplementary guys are really good
musicians (but with a bad 80's fashion sense). Aside from
one cheesy oldies medley, they stick with playing many
great Association singles and LP tracks.. Time For Livin', 05 Man Band, Everything That Touches You, No Fair At All,
and all the more obvious hits. The vocal harmonies are
wonderful. It may not be the real Association, but it
sounds great to hear the songs performed nonetheless.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Association
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: Paul Urbahns
To: Spectropop!
Stewart wrote:
<< I notice that "The Association" is playing at one of my
local Indian casinos this weekend, and something smells
wrong about it. Does anyone have any information about
current touring lineups, including if anyone in the real
band is involved? I've been suspecting for a while that
this casino (the Camel Rock, near Santa Fe) either
knowingly or unwittingly books a lot of ripoffs. >>
The last couple of times I saw them they had most of the
originals and did a good show. They did mention for
several years the name was "contracted out" to a booking
agency that sent groups out on the road. One night they
were the Association and the next night in another town
they would be another group with a totally different show.
There are booking agencies that work this way and they are
in their rights if they contract to use the name. Let's
face it most of these groups from the 60s seldom want to
do "one night stands" and constant touring when the
members are between 50 and 65. One of the few exceptions
is The Beach Boys, but then their touring band was almost
always independent of the studio productions only the
singers were the same in most cases during their hit
period. There are several Drifters, Platters, Bill Haleys
Comets and Del Vikings. Rob Grill has toured under the
Grass Roots name for years and I have seen him have as few
as three members (should have been the Rob Grill Trio)
total. With a group name, consider yourself lucky to have
one original member. Last time I saw the Box Tops live
they were billed as The Box Tops band and had one original
member (a guitar player who did the vocals) and served as
the backup band for the other performers on the show.
Paul Urbahns
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Subject: Mike Alway's Diary
Received: 02/17/00 1:06 am
From: DJ JimmyB
To: Spectropop!
In a message dated 2/15/0 3:01:01 PM, you wrote:
>mike alway comes in our shop regularly so if anyone wants
>to send a message i can make sure it gets passed on.......
Sure Delia, ask him what's in that diary of his that
Kahimi Karie sings about on one of her LP's!...thanks in
advance...JB
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