_________________________________________________________________ ______________ _____________ ______________ 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
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