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There are 7 messages in this issue #39.
Topics in this digest:
1. Perry Botkin
From: "Ian Chapman"
2. Perry Botkin on Robin Ward
From: Jamie LePage
3. Wonderful Summer and Wonderful Posts!!!
From: "Antonio Vizcarra"
4. Girl Groups/ John Clemente
From: sheila
5. Announcing www.garyusher.com
From: "Ron Weekes"
6. Lonely Surfer/Claudia Cunningham
From: Steve Todoroff
7. Jackie Ward and Jacky Ward
From: Paul Urbahns
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 22:39:20 +0100
From: "Ian Chapman"
Subject: Perry Botkin
Many thanks Carol, for passing on to us Perry Botkin's
reminiscences of working with Robin Ward and the Cascades.
In my book, Perry's name ranks way up there with Jack
Nitzsche's - just to see it on a label is enough for me to
grab the record unheard. Perry was the arranger on so
many of my favourite girl-group (and guy-group) numbers,
but particularly Shelby Flint's "Wonderland" and all the
tracks by Dean Cannon & the Cannon Sisters on the good ol'
Valiant label. I wondered if Perry has any memories of
those artists and sessions?
Ian
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2000 13:46:00 +0900
From: Jamie LePage
Subject: Perry Botkin on Robin Ward
Carol forwarded Perry Botkin's comments about Robin Ward...
> Gil Garfield and I wrote "Wonderful Summer" and needed to
> cut a demo. Dear Jackie said she'd do the vocal for us and
> off to Gold Star we went.
> We borrowed a surf and birds sound effect record
> from Gold Star and dropped that into the intro and ending
> The final trick was to make Jackie sound very young. We
> sped up the whole mix one quarter tone by wrapping
> splicing tape around the capstan of the multi-track master
> tape recorder. (Probably 3 track at that time).
Wow! What a great post!!! Robin Ward's recordings are
fantastic, and top class West Coast Girl Group
productions. I absolutely ADORE "Winter's Here" and
always wondered how the Caravelles got a hold of the
song and how it came to be that the lyrics were altered
for their recording to "You are Here".
I think I have a fairly good idea of the role Botkin
played in the production team of Botkin/Garfield, but I
wonder what Gil Garfield's role was.
Extremely interesting about speeding up the tape using
splicing tape wrapped around the capstan. This technique
was used prior to VSO (variable speed oscillation),
where the speed of the tape recorder is altered
internally. I wonder if engineers calculated how many
feet of splicing tape it would take to raise the pitch a
1/4 tone, etc.
Also good to know about the thunder and rain sound
effects. Having come from the Gold Star library, it
stands to reason that other records recorded at Gold
Star embodying thunder and rain effects would use the
same Gold Star library effects record...
Sure would like to know ANYTHING about another great
Garfield/Botkin record released on Phil Spector and
Danny Davis' Phi-Dan label, the fabulous Lovers
Wonderland by the Sugar Plums. What is that solo
instrument? Who is the co-writer? Who is the vocalist?
The players? One of my great faves, it was certainly
recorded at Gold Star (I guess).
Thanks for forwarding Perry's comments to the list,
Carol!
All the best,
Jamie
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 22:19:11 +0200
From: "Antonio Vizcarra"
Subject: Wonderful Summer and Wonderful Posts!!!
Hi again
Thanks very much to everybody who sent information on
Terry Black and Robin Ward. Thanks a lot Carol for sharing
with us Perry's memories on the recording of the song. With
"Wonderful Summer" he made one of the best girl group
recordings of all time. I could listen to this song for
hours and get the same feeling of amazement I got the
first time I heard it!!! As for the Orchids there is not
only pictures of them, they even appeared in the film
"Just for fun" perfoming "Don't be like M.r Scrooge". I
wish they had released more records as they were a
brilliant group.
Antonio.
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 13:38:48 -0400
From: sheila
Subject: Girl Groups/ John Clemente
Hi everyone! In response to Jim Crescitelli's question
about John Clemente's new book "Girl Groups: Fabulous
Females the Rocked the World" -I just received my copy
yesterday. Although I have yet to read the text, it is
obvious that John has made an amazing contribution to the
girl group genre.
Girl group fans will be amazed by the photos of
obscurities like Maureen Gray, Beverly Warren, The
Darlettes, etc. And the sections on Jean Thomas and the
Teardrops are larger than those of the Ronettes and
Chiffons! Now that's rare!! In contrast to Alan Betrock's
book, John has made a serious effort to dig up the more
obscure girl groups and shed some light on their careers.
Most of the information and photos in this book came
directly from the artists, as John spent years tracking
down and interviewing the long lost members of these
groups.
John's book also clears up a lot of confusion about those
"mystery" girl groups. Like, who were the Cinderellas? The
Honey Bees? The Palisades? Well, turns out they were all
the Cookies.....but I was stumped on that one for a long
time!
Anyway, this is a must for anyone interested in girl
groups! I couldn't recommend it enough.
Sheila B.
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 12:06:43 -0600
From: "Ron Weekes"
Subject: Announcing www.garyusher.com
For some time now I have been wanting my Gary Usher web
site to appear as www.garyusher.com. Well, thanks to a
friend I don't even know, this has become a reality. The
site is up and running. I think I've checked all of my
local links to make sure everything is connected. I still
have some checking to to on links to other URLs.
I will still maintain the
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/8242
site as a backup. It will just be easier to go to
www.garyusher.com. The nice thing is you won't get any
geocities.com banner ads!!!
Ron Weekes
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Message: 6
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 18:41:54 -0500
From: Steve Todoroff
Subject: Lonely Surfer/Claudia Cunningham
Claudia Cunningham wrote:
> Does anyone know the prominent studio folk who were
> onboard for this recording? Was it recorded at Gold Star?
Claudia,
Regarding your question about this Jack Nitzsche tune, it
was recorded on 5/31/63 at RCA studios. The only one I
know for sure that played on this song was Leon Russell.
I hope this answers some of your questions.
Steve Todoroff
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 13:36:43 EDT
From: Paul Urbahns
Subject: Jackie Ward and Jacky Ward
They are two different singers. Jackie (Robin) Ward of
Wonderful Summer fame is female. Jacky Ward the country
singer was popular in the 70s. He is male.
Case closed.
Paul Urbahns
A Country DJ in the 70s.
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