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Volume #0416 May 9, 2000
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THE PERSONALITY SOUND of the SIXTIES
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Subject: Studio Engineers
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: Don Richardson
To: Spectropop!
Any of the contributors/participants/readers of the list
also happen to have been a studio engineer in the '60s?
I'm looking to hear from someone that was on that side of
the glass. I just have a few background questions on
equipment as well as the LA studios used during the
period that I need as background for a short interview.
I didn't want to clutter up the list with missives about
2, 03 , 04 track machines that few would be interested in.
So if you are willing to help, please contact me
privately. I'll be happy to post the interview to the
list when it is finished.
--Don
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Subject: Echo-Plex - Nancy Sinatra
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: Carol Kaye
To: Spectropop!
The Echo-Plex was somewhat a much-used box in movie work
early 70s. I first used it for Brian Wilson on the bass
-- but doubt if anything got recorded permanently with it,
he was looking for new sounds, hence I tried the Echo-plex
and Gibson Maestro box, with steam, clave, octave-doubling
effects late 60s into the 70s in films such as "Airport"
-- you hear both those things on the theme and also on Big
Jake as I recall.
Percussionist Emil Richards also widely used the Echo-Plex
especially with his famous water-gongs, which he'd hit and
then lower into the water -- they were for those horror
movies, weird scary effect. One day out at Fox, he broke
us up by laughing into the mike on his vibes while the
Echo-Plex was on, and his laughing was so contagious, we
couldn't stop laughing (the whole band) and they had to
take a long break....cost the studio about 1 hour of time,
someone would start giggling as soon as the take was
rolled.
Bud Shank (and later Tom Scott) was another one who used
sax through the Echo-Plex successfully - we'd set our
rates of speed at the same speed (you had to synchronize
with the beat which was always the click-track we'd hear
in our earphones). Was a noisy box the Echo-Plex was, but
was the best echo of its day.
Carol Kaye
http://www.carolkaye.com/
PS. What'd you all think of the wonderful Nancy Sinatra
"Movin' w/Nancy" special? I tho't she was great with Dino,
Sammy, her Dad, and her "Friday's Child"...she's as
beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside too, was
just a joy to work for, but oh....those tinny clicky bass
sounds they got in the booth, totally the opposite of my
regular bass sounds, but that's what they wanted. Billy
Strange always wrote some exciting charts. You missed me,
I'm sitting just in back of where you see Billy in the big
studio part with Frank - the nice scenes with her and her
Dad are for real, there was a nice love-bond between them
which was beautiful.
Nice to see an offspring love her parent and hold him up
with such love and regards, how refreshing -- a "new"
thing: loving and respecting your parent in our business!
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Subject: Re: chris montez
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: claudia
To: Spectropop!
> Tobias, yes, I'm playing on all of Chris Montez's things
> of the 60s, guitar on his 1st hit of "Let's Dance", and
Oh my god..
I am so excited to see Carol Kaye's email.
I am such a huge fan of Chris Montez and you Carol !!!
My first exposure to Chris was listening to him do Let's
Dance on a very hot trip to North Dakota in 1963.
When I first heard the song,I was nuts about him from
then on. I have all his albums and 4 cd's.
To this day..I just adore his voice.
Carol,you are just a goddess!
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Subject: From the haul of Montez
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: DJ JimmyB
To: Spectropop!
In a message dated 5/7/0 2:43:51 AM, you wrote:
>As far as I know
>there are no Montez releases with these hits together with
>his A&M sides.
I just picked up the Japanese "A&M Remasters" of his best
sides (27 in all I think) and I have to say its superb.
Pricy, but superb. I got it at Other Music in NYC. I
passed on two other obscure A&M reissues and am now
kicking myself. Does anyone have a discography of this
label excluding Herb, Jules and the CTI combo platters?
Thanks in advance.
Jimmy Botticelli
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Subject: Chris Montez
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: Scott Bauman
To: Spectropop!
Jamie LePage wrote:
> One final note, Call Me was definitely NOT the Chris
> Montez blueprint. Years before Call Me, Montez was a
> Latino rocker with two big hits - Let's Dance and Some
> Kinda Fun, both rockin' little rekkids that share nothing
> with the later Montez sides cut for A&M. As far as I know
> there are no Montez releases with these hits together with
> his A&M sides.
There is a CD entitled "Let's Dance! Chris Montez
All-Time Greatest Hits" on Sandstone Music (which appears
to be part of DCC). It contains 21 tracks -- 11 Monogram
recordings (including Let's Dance and Some Kinda Fun) and
10 A&M recordings (including Call Me, The More I See You
and Time After Time).
If you're just looking for the A&M tracks, I recommend the
import CD "Chris Montez: Master Series" with 20 A&M
recordings.
-- Scott
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Subject: Montez, A&M and an old person speaks up
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: Viceroy Fizzobottom
To: Spectropop!
Carol Kaye wrote:
>Tobias, yes, I'm playing on all of Chris Montez's things
>of the 60s, guitar on his 1st hit of "Let's Dance"
I hope it's not the same "Let's Dance" that David Bowie
recorded in the Eighties...
> About the way he did those standards sometimes tho',
> having been a stone-cold bebop jazzer, it was kind of
> hard to play those jazz tunes in the pop vein for me at
> times....
The standards are what got me to buy this Best Of,
particularly "I Will Wait For You" which happens to be
Michel Legrand's main theme to "The Umbrellas Of
Cherbourg" [if you haven't watched this movie, do so!!!].
Funny how any kind of music can be Montezised.
Jamie LePage, God's gift to soft rock, wrote:
>Welcome, little brother, to the A&M Sound. Granted, not all
>A&M releases fall into the same pattern, but enough do
>that a definable sound can be attributed to the name A&M.
Thanks, that was a great summation of the A&M sound, but
I already knew most of it! :-)
Can anyone recommend the Liza Minelli "Best Of" on A&M?
I've only heard her version of "Leaving On A Jet Plane"
which is fantastic [and *that* is an A&M sound you can
bring home to your mother!]...
>What are the common denominators? For one, great
>songwriting and song selection (the R in A&R). Bacharach/
>David come up quite often, Lennon/McCartney and Brian
>Wilson covers show up regularly,
What Brian Wilson covers on A&M are you thinking of?
Because I only know of Nick De Caro's "Caroline No" and
The Four King Cousins' "God Only KNows"...Hugo Montenegro
did Good Vibes, but he wasn't an A&M artist as far as I
know.
>and of course there were the Almo staff writers
>like Roger Nichols to furnish material to the A&M artists.
.....Randy Newman was covered fairly regularly too, which
is funny when you think his sarcastic lyrics would clash
with the A&M artists' "image"...
>Sandpipers, Bacharach, Claudine Longet, Small Circle of
>Friends and Chris Montez typify the sound - a decidedly
>"young adult"-oriented approach.
I have to say, though, that Montez' music is more raw and
less orchestrated than the others. He got those Baja
Marimba Band arrangements (Julius Wechster played on
Montez' sessions, no?), but not the strings and brass and
multi-harmony backing vocals....
>All I can suggest to you, Toby, about the A&M sound is:
>Don't expect to be challenged, or overwhelmed. It's easy,
>light, and wonderfully appealing.
Exactly. Cotton candy for dinner 24/7! :-)
>One final note, Call Me was definitely NOT the Chris
>Montez blueprint.
Maybe "blueprint" isn't the word I was looking for, but I
meant that nearly every song on his Best Of sounds like a
"Call Me" clone. Which is fine with me.
Lastly, Bob Hanes cautioned me:
>I won't even try and explain why you're naive about the biz
>these days, it just ain't that simple.
Well Bob, you old Sixties radical, it's better to be
young and naive than old and wise...or *just* old :-)
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Subject: Gourmet Gorme
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: DJ JimmyB
To: Spectropop!
In a message dated 5/7/0 2:43:51 AM, you wrote:
>The name is Eydie Gorme
And a must have LP for all is her Bossa Nova LP from 1963
on Columbia. The absolute worst track is "Blame It On The
Bossa Nova". All other tracks are excellent bossa early
6T's standards given swingin' bossa arrangements with her
sassy vocals capping them off. And what a blouse she
sports on thee cover....JB
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Subject: Jeff & Ellie's studio
Received: 05/09/00 12:17 am
From: WASE RADIO
To: Spectropop!
Hey Phil:
I would believe that most of the other Raindrops
songs except for "What a Guy" was done at Mirasound.
According to the Alan Betrock book "Girl Groups-Story of
a Sound", Mirasound was considered "Jeff and Ellie's"
studio. I believe most of Neil Diamond's Bang hits was
recorded at Dick Charles or possibly A&R studios in New
York. But I know he did not record at Mirasound or even
Bell Sound studios.
Happy listening :):):):):):):):)
Michael G. Marvin
WASE radio
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Subject: Re: Spectropop V#0415
Received: 05/07/00 4:47 pm
From: Michael Godin
To: Spectropop!
Hi everyone. Just wanted to share with you all that I am
proud to let you know that Sunday, May 7th is the 3rd
Anniversary of Treaure Island Oldies Show on the Internet.
Considering the length of time audio has been available on
the 'Net, Treasure Island Oldies Show is one of the
pioneer and long running shows. I extend a warm invitation
to you to listen live beginning at 6 p.m. Pacific time at
www.TreasureIslandOldies.com.
Thanks very much and I enjoy being a member of Spectropop.
Michael Godin
Host
Treasure Island Oldies Show
www.TreasureIslandOldies.com
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