=======================================================
___ ___ ___ __ ____ ___ __ ___ __ ___
/ __)( ,\( _) / _)(_ _)( ,) / \( ,\ / \( ,\
\__ \ ) _/ ) _)( (_ )( ) \( () )) _/( () )) _/
(___/(_) (___) \__) (__) (_)\_)\__/(_) \__/(_)
=======================================================
Volume #0042 02/13/98
=======================================================
America's Foremost Amusement Newsletter
Subject: Petula Clark; Tony Hatch
Sent: 2/11/98 6:55 AM
Received: 2/11/98 9:31 PM
From: Jack Madani, Jack_Mad 2.nj.us
Jamie Le Page notes:
> ...>Pet Clark epitomizes Swinging Sixties London to my
> ears. I hear two bars of "I Know A Place" and images of
> kinky boots, miniskirts and Carnaby Street come to mind.
Oh, triple amen to that! Truer words were never spake!
> ...>it's been mentioned here before, but _Here Comes the
> Girls_ reissue series on Sequel has many wonderful Tony
> Hatch recordings, some very obscure. Check out You'd
> Better Come Home by Pet Clark off Volume One.
Of the very many Hatch productions on the volumes of this series that I
have, my personal favorite is from volume 4, subtitled "You Can Be Wrong
About Boys." The cut I'm thinking of is called "Lonely Without You,"
sung by Julie Grant. Oh, the heartbreaking pathos, especially on the
bridge when she sings "there was no one in the world before you..."
> Also, if you like Pet Clark's records,
And a bunch have been reissued, either on RPM or See For Miles or Sequel.
I want to mention in particular a Sequel reissue called "Petula Clark
Today," apparently a sort of odds-&-sods collection but almost all of it
is Hatch-produced. One song in particular: "Take Good Care Of Your
Heart," an excellent take on Beach-Boys-Today!-era Brian Wilson.
> check out Jackie Trent, who was also produced by Tony
>Hatch. Trent/Hatch co-wrote many hits together.
Weren't they in fact married to each other? And weren't they known in
the business as "Mr. & Mrs. Music?" Oh man, how cool is that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Madani - Princeton Day School, The Great Road,
Princeton, NJ 08540 Jack_Mad 2.nj.us
"It is when the gods hate a man with uncommon abhorrence that they
drive him into the profession of a schoolmaster." --Seneca, 64 A.D.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---[ archived by Spectropop - 02 /13/98 - 12:57:25 AM ]-----
Subject: Re: Tony Hatch... et al
Sent: 2/11/98 10:29 AM
Received: 2/11/98 9:31 PM
From: Marc Wielage, rax.com
Big L, bi mail.com asked:
>>>>
I am compiling a
list of great records, that were big hits, that are
largely ignored by the oldies stations. Maybe we can
get a thread going on this. Here's a few...
<<<<
<list of songs deleted>
>These are just a few. Why aren't these, and other
>great records played? Is it something about the
>concept of oldies radio in general?
------------------------<snip>------------------------
Here's what I said about it in the rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1970s FAQ:
8.0: 1970s OLDIES RADIO STATIONS
8.1 - Radio Playlists
H Glazer <hmg net> wrote:
There are a lot of big 70s hits by big-name acts that you just never hear
anymore. Can anyone explain oldies radio's aversion to these songs:
"Family of Man" - Three Dog Night "Touch Me in the Morning" - Diana Ross
"Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye "Half Breed" - Cher "Helen Wheels" - Paul
McCartney & Wings
Marc Wielage < rax.com> answers:
Essentially, the way Oldies radio works is that the songs on their
playlists come from five sets of criteria:
1) songs that test well with "focus groups" of people
2) songs that were relatively-big hits (or had big airplay) during their
respective eras
3) songs that are played by other similar stations that get big ratings.
4) songs that, according to their market research, are familiar to large
groups of people. ("You know every song we play!")
5) songs that are requested most frequently by listeners.
Unfortunately, songs that you and I might agree are *good* don't always
fit the above requirements! If I won the Lottery and could run a station,
I'd use the above criteria, but I'd also let my guts determine whether
we'd play a song, and how often we'd play it.
LA oldies champ KRTH-FM just hit #7 or #8 in the ratings (as of late
1996), and given that there's at least 50-60 stations in the market, this
is incredibly successful. However, I believe their current playlist
covers less than 400 songs, if that. The 70s oldies station, KCBS-FM, has
a similarly-restricted playlist, yet has somewhat lower ratings.
As to the songs on your list: I'd say "Touch Me in the Morning" and
"Let's Get it On" are played quite often on those soul ballad "Quiet
Storm" stations. I'm not much of a "Half-Breed" fan (and it often shows
up on 70s Turkeys lists), but I definitely agree with you on "Family of
Man" and "Helen Wheels" not being played often enough.
--MFW
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-= Marc Wielage | "The computerized authority =-
-= MusicTrax, Ltd. | on rock, pop, & soul." =-
-= Chatsworth, CA | rax.com =-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
---[ archived by Spectropop - 02 /13/98 - 12:57:25 AM ]-----
Subject: Re: I Want Candy
Sent: 2/11/98 11:39 PM
Received: 2/11/98 11:48 PM
From: le_page_ ies.com
Scott Bauman writes:
> A few years ago, I heard an interesting story about one
> infringement claim that was made. The copyright owners of
> "Willie and the Hand Jive" sued over the Strangeloves'
> song "I Want Candy." (This is kind of interesting since
> both borrow heavily from Bo Diddley.)
Bo Diddley may have started recording after Johnny Otis, but Diddley's
debut record _Bo Diddley/I'm a Man_ was a double punch knockout of a
single that trademarked the "Bo Diddley Beat." As far as I know, Willie &
the Hand Jive came out about 2 1/2 years after that single. Both Bo
Diddley and Willie & the Hand Jive employed that rhythm which is
undoubtedly rooted in Africa. The song Hambone from the 40's is the
earliest recorded example I know of. I once heard that rhythm was called
"Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits." In any event, writing a song using a
distinctive rhythm is a dubious basis for a infringement case.
I heard about someone who was similarly accused of infringing the Johnny
Otis title. The offensive recording was a throwaway jam/instrumental for
a low-budget movie, a yakety-yak sax solo over a Bo Diddley groove; yet
infringement claims came out of the woodwork. This person made a quick
settlement for a few grand to avoid the hassle of litigation. Hand Jive,
indeed. Purely speculation but I imagine it is Otis' people and not the
publisher who make these claims.
> ...the Strangeloves agreed to record "Willie and the Hand
> Jive" and, more remarkably, promised that their version
> would chart...the Strangeloves' version of "Willie and the
> Hand Jive" charted at number 100 for one week and then
> dropped off the charts. (I wonder how they managed that
> one?!)
Musta been before the days of Soundscan. Richard Gottehrer & Co.
apparently had some influential friends who for whatever reason were
sympathetic.
LePageWeb
---[ archived by Spectropop - 02 /13/98 - 12:57:25 AM ]-----
End
Spectropop text contents © 1998 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.
