The Spectropop Group Archives
presented by Friends of Spectropop

[Prev by Date] [Next by Date] [Index] [Search]

Spectropop V#0388

  • From: The Spectropop Group
  • Date: 02/17/00

  •            
    _________________________________________________________________
    ______________                                      _____________
    ______________     S  P  E  C  T  R  O  P  O  P     _____________
    ______________                                      _____________
    _________________________________________________________________
       Volume #0388                              February 17, 1999   
    _________________________________________________________________
     Also available on 4 & 8 track tape cartridges and Musicassettes
    _________________________________________________________________
    
     
    
    
    
    
    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
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    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
    
      
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    
    
    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/
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
     
    
    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
    
    
    --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
    End
    

    Click here to go to The Spectropop Group


    Spectropop text contents & copy; copyright Spectropop unless stated otherwise. All rights in and to the contents of these documents, including each element embodied therein, is subject to copyright protection under international copyright law. Any use, reuse, reproduction and/or adaptation without written permission of the owners is a violation of copyright law and is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.