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Exploring Uncharted Patterns of Sound
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There are 12 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 74:
1. Re: FIRST WAVE CD to be released next week
From: "mikey1"
2. Born to be Together.
From: "andreas nyberg"
3. Re: The Lettermen
From: alan zweig
4. Re: Chad & Jeremy correction
From: Carol Kaye
5. Chad and Jeremy, Batman and Robin
From: Tom Simon
6. Chad & Jeremy's finest (half) hours
From: "James F. Cassidy"
7. CHAD, JEREMY & SHEL
From: "radiopro"
8. Margo Guryan-Take A Picture
From: David Ponak
9. Fw: Spanky and Our Gang - Margo Guryan
From: Jamie LePage
10. CK and S&G Sessions
From: Greg Matecko
11. Season's Greetings
From: "John Hesterman"
12. merry holidays to all!
From: esqeditor
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 21:11:23 -0500
From: "mikey1"
Subject: Re: FIRST WAVE CD to be released next week
"Brad Elliott" wrote:
> "Karate" is an alternate title for "Beach Boy Stomp."
> The master tape is labeled for "BB Stomp" and the
> engineer's slate calls are for "BB Stomp," so that's
> the title we went with. The liner notes, however, do
> note that the track also has been released as "Karate."
Hello Brad.
Thanks for the clarification. Great job!!
Mike
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Message: 2
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 13:32:49 +0100
From: "andreas nyberg"
Subject: Born to be Together.
Please.
If someone knows anything about Gold Star studios, the
place, the walls or the tape recorder Spector used on his
tracks, feel free to mail me at:
antel...............
I would like to know everything about this magic place
and its gadgets.
//Andreas//
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Message: 3
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 07:02:26 -0500
From: alan zweig
Subject: Re: The Lettermen
"mikey1" wrote
>
>Hey AZ......I know that The Lettermen have somewhat of
>a unhip reputation, but boy, could those guys sing. The
>whole trouble was the Capitol Records A&R guys who made
>them record some unhip songs.
Hey mikey, I didn't say they weren't hip (or hep either
for that matter.) I just said Chad and Jeremy were hipper.
Of course for all I know Jeremy Stewart might have been a
right wing fascist and those Pike brothers in the
Lettermen might have been stone freaks. You can't judge a
singer by a haircut. Having said that, those Lettermen
did have some really bad haircuts.
But I love their singing. Their version of "Light my
Fire". What's really great is this song they do - which
I'm sure is some classic tune by someone else I've never
heard - "Mary's Rainbow". That could have been a huge hit
for them if they'd only dressed a bit better. After all,
if you look at their first couple of records, the
Association also had bad haircuts.
So anyway, mikey, I love the Lettermen. They were good
even after Dave left.
AZ
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 10:33:47 -0800
From: Carol Kaye
Subject: Re: Chad & Jeremy correction
>>>>>>>>.. Chad and Jeremy.<<<
> Yes, I agree that they were wonderful singers....unlike
> the Lettermen (who used Jim Gordon btw on drums) who I
> had a lot of personal contact with, kidding-wise with
> Tony, and being able to converse with them - they were
> great guys, the Lettermen....
I wonder how that got turned around......I usually keep
a copy of what I send in but didn't this time.....the
Lettermen were wonderful singers.....Chad & Jeremy too
(I do remember cutting "Willow Weep For Me" as one of
the tunes cut for them....), but somehow the word
"unlike" got in there, probably because of the personal
contact being big with the Lettermen. Anyway, had to
clear that up....the Lettermen were wonderful singers
and Chad and Jeremy were also.
Carol Kaye
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
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Message: 5
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 09:19:17 -0600
From: Tom Simon
Subject: Chad and Jeremy, Batman and Robin
At 03:55 AM 12/19/2000 , Claudia wrote:
>
>
>They (Chad and Jeremy) were quite hot at the time,
>having just come off a Dick VanDyke Show and having
>appeared on other American television.
>
>
I remember their appearance on Batman in the 60's, in a
show where the plot called for Catwoman to steal their
voices. Silly, but a lot of fun.
Tom Simon
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Message: 6
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 10:28:28 -0500
From: "James F. Cassidy"
Subject: Chad & Jeremy's finest (half) hours
Besides all the nice things Spectropoppers have had to
say about Chad & Jeremy, it is also worth noting that
they were guest stars on two of my very favorite
episodes of the Batman TV show (#63 - The Cat's Meow &
#64 - The Bat's Kow Tow in 12/66). The plot is
described thusly: "Catwoman plots to appropriate the
voices of Chad and Jeremy with a Voice Eraser when the
singing duo stop over at Wayne Manor." It also starred
the great Julie Newmar (is it getting hot in here?) and
featured Steve Allen as TV host "Allen Stevens."
Jim Cassidy
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Message: 7
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 09:22:25 -0500
From: "radiopro"
Subject: CHAD, JEREMY & SHEL
SHEL TALMY
That's a name worth entering into this group now that
Chad & Jeremy are being discussed. His "story" is at
least interesting if not amazing. Not only did he
produce the earliest recordings by C&J....but also many
of the earliest recordings by The Who, The Kinks, David
Jones (Bowie), The Easybeats and others.
What may also make him worth noting in this group is
that he is an American who, in the early 60s, took a
holiday in London from his job as an engineer in a L.A.
recording studio and "fell into" becoming (arguably)
England's first independent producer.
He also says that he went to school with Phil Spector.
In the early 80s I co-produced a radio documentary on
his career and still occasionally hear from him.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Message: 8
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 16:20:46 -0800
From: David Ponak
Subject: Margo Guryan-Take A Picture
With all the talk of Japanese and British soft-pop
reissues, I'm surprised that there's been little
mention that Margo Guryan's "Take A Picture" LP has
been reissued right here in the U.S. on Franklin Castle.
I admitt that I hadn't heard the record until earlier
this year, but it's been one of my most played discs
since then. Beautiful soft rock with psychedelic
touches!
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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 19:16:34 +0900
From: Jamie LePage
Subject: Fw: Spanky and Our Gang - Margo Guryan
Reposted from an exchange of messages with Claudia
Cunningham that the Spectropop group may find
interesting.
---
Claudia wrote:
> I recall reading something about Elaine aka Spanky
> and thinking, "Wow, she was really prominent in the
> music business before Our Gang"....she had quite a
> resume'.
>
> She was a good choice to replace Cass Elliott but
> actually no one really could. Elaine's big booming
> voice fit in well with the latter day version of
> Mamas and Papas but her talent was really best
> showcased in her days with Our Gang.
>
> Their songs were so haunting and beautiful, sad yet
> uplifting at the same time, like one of my favorite
> late Sixties songs, "I'd Like to Get to Know You."
>
> By the way, their version of "Raindrops Keep Falling
> on My Head" is very, very good.
>
> I have uncovered lots of stuff about Our Gang. Three
> members are dead, the most recent being Oz Bach, who
> died of cancer in 1998. They were a Chicago
> group...Malcolm Hale, (dead: 1968) Oz, Nigel
> Pickering, Lefty Baker (dead: 1967), John Seiter and
> Kenny Hodges. Most recently Elaine performed with
> Willie Nelson and is touring again. S&OG's stuff is
> now available on CD also. Oz' wife is an activist and
> has a web page telling of how the Veterans Hospital
> probably caused her husband's death.
>
> An interesting observation: All their songs were in
> the "now"...you are there participating in the
> singer's emotions at the time and that's the
> hook....the tried and true method Motown's Berry
> Gordy always insisted on...Make the listener
> participate in what's going on now. It was never "I
> did this or that yesterday..." It's "Don't Mess With
> Bill"...."Stop in the Name of Love"..the song exists
> in the present tense.
>
> This hook was used consistently by Spanky and Our
> Gang..... And do you recall their "Give a Damn",
> (note the present tense!) their one and only "protest"
> type song??..kind of interesting. C.
> *********************************************
> "Now, I can't promise that I'll spend a day with you. I
> can't promise that I'll find a way with you. I can't
> promise, no, I can't promise... that I'll love you...but....."
> ("I'd Like to Get to Know You")
> --------------------------------
> "What a day for picking daisies, and lots of red
> balloons. Baby, you and me, and a shady tree....lazy day,
> lazy day, lazy day... for you and me." ("Lazy
> Day"...Spanky and Our Gang) (See what I mean?)
>
> I loved this group and like to share stuff with other
> like minded people!
>
> Claudia
Claudia and everyone, bear in mind that Jerry Ross
(Philadelphia-based record producer) made all their
early records. Not bad for a start. Later. production
chores were taken over by one Bob Dorough, vocalese
pioneer and renowned jazz producer. Spanky and Our Gang
were very lucky to work with such talented producers.
Since we are on the subject of Spanky and Our Gang, I
would just like to point out that Margo Guryan, who wrote
the fantastic "Sunday Morning" for S&OG, recorded a
lovely album of her own called Take a Picture. The album
has just been reissued in US by Franklin Castle. You can
check it out at
http://www.franklincastle.net/margo.html
Franklin Castle has audio clips and a Live365 station
where you can hear cuts from Margo's album.
Margo sings with a soft whisper-like voice similar to
Claudine Longet, the Caravelles and Paris Sisters. Maybe
a bit too wispy for commercial success, her voice is so
lovely one can barely describe it - girl group innocence
and jazz sophistication doesn't even come close. It's
because her songs are both schooled AND inspired, a rare
combination.
Take a Picture has a self-cover of Think of Rain, which
most of us know from the versions by Claudine Longet,
Jackie DeShannon, and Astrud Gilberto. I adore this song.
Another brilliant track is "Love Songs". A perfect soft
pop recording.
Margo also wrote a song called Spanky and Our Gang. The
demo of this song was included on the Trattoria Family
pressing of Take a Picture, although it is not on the
Franklin Castle edition.
Even though I expect very few have ever heard Take a
Picture before (it was hopelessly obscure before its
reissue on CD), I highly recommend everyone at least give
the tracks a listen on the internet. It's free!
Jamie
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Message: 10
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 23:26:16 -0500
From: Greg Matecko
Subject: CK and S&G Sessions
A little while back, Carol made mention of playing on
some of the Simon and Garfunkel tracks (pictured in the
box set!), and the sessions were described as "boring."
Carol, can you elaborate?
I've been reading some things in magazines lately, and
Paul Simon is being presented as a rather unpleasant man
these days. I've also been reading Victoria Kingston's
S&G bio, and that mentions something about them being
really fussy in the studio after the first couple of
albums. Then again, it also says Madison Square Garden
is in Pittsburgh, too...
Not knowing the situation, it would almost seem that
their music would be more of a challenge than your usual
60's sessions, Carol. Was it the material or the guys?
I like the S&G stuff, but I'm not much of a Simon solo
fan.
Happy Holidays, Spectropoppers!
Greg Matecko
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Message: 11
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 07:18:14 -0800
From: "John Hesterman"
Subject: Season's Greetings
Hi Everyone :)
Just dropped in to say I hope you all have a Wonderful
Christmas and Happy New Year. This group rocks!
All the best,
John H.
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Message: 12
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 18:55:26 EST
From: esqeditor
Subject: merry holidays to all!
Happy and merry holidays to all!
Endless Summer Quarterly
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
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