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John Edmund Andrew Phillips
Aug. 30, 1935 - March 18, 2001
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There are 13 messages in this issue.
Topics in this Digest Number 131:
1. Vintage McCoy
From: "Phil Chapman"
2. pop singers/"novelty" material
From: "Jack Madani"
3. What did Dino Meano?
From: James Botticelli
4. The Delrons
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
5. Re: Spectors old car in dispute.
From: "GSPECTOR"
6. Ed Cobb
From: "Phil Chapman"
7. Re: Ed Cobb
From: "Peter Lerner"
8. Re: BB remasters
From: The Right Reverend Bob
9. Sonny Bono
From: "Phil Chapman"
10. Sonny and Psychedelic ( a little OT)
From: Jon Cook
11. About Ritchie Valens tribute on the 25th
From: "Randy M. Kosht"
12. Pee B.S.
From: James Botticelli
13. Dean Martin
From: Paul Urbahns
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 22:36:16 -0000
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Vintage McCoy
While searching through some old stuff for more Van
McCoy tunes I came across a delightful track entitled
"It's You" by Theresa Lindsey on Correc-Tone, produced
by William Weatherspoon. It's a Barbara Lewis style
vocal over a Motown backtrack. Any of you DJs out there
know more about this?
Phil
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 11:02:54 -0500
From: "Jack Madani"
Subject: pop singers/"novelty" material
> Most of Dean Martin's material on this show - and even
> on the records I've heard - remind me of "novelty
> material". I know I've asked about novelty material
> before. But it's one of my obsessions I guess. Does
> anyone know what I'm asking?
I think I do, Alan. I think you're talking about the
earlier material Dean did on Capitol, as opposed to the
later Reprise stuff. The Capitol recordings do indeed
veer more towards "novelty" status, as for example
"That's Amore." I tend to think it was the record
company jamming what they saw as ethnically appropriate
material down the throat of their resident "italian"
singer (who, if I have my timeline right, was seen at
the time as a not too sure bet to make it as a solo
singer). Kind of like making Marian Anderson, that
beautifully trained operatic-type singer, record an
album of "negro spirituals" because, um, well, because
of her skin color. Cultural segregation--feh. It's as
repellant as segregation of the racial variety.
Anyhow.
When he was singing a song I enjoyed, I could really
appreciate the qualities of Dean's voice. It was quite
unique. I can't think of another crooner of the era
that sounded like him. It was almost bluesy.
Agreed. Bluesy is a good way to put it--I myself often
think of it as being "endearingly lazy." And yet it
not *really* lazy--Dino knew what he was doing.
The best Dino, to me, is either just him with his
accompanist Ken Lane (who also wrote "Everybody Loves
Somebody"), of which I wish I could get my hands on
some of that stuff in cd form; or else it's some of
that great, overproduced sounding stuff he recorded at
Reprise, which tends to run very much in the style of
Everybody Loves Somebody. In that case, you get these
great wheezing 6/8 rhythms with the piano pounding out
furious 16th note patterns, and the mixed-chorus
backing singers going great guns ooh-ing and ah-ing it
up, and the drummer (I used to think it was Hal Blaine
but I guess it was Earl Palmer after all) whapping away
at these weirdly simple yet compelling 8th note runs
that grow in intensity like a latterday Manheim
Crescendo, all so that Dino can sing like he could
barely rouse himself off the barstool to make the
session date. (I have a recording of Dino, I forget
which tune it is but I think it's a Christmas-related
number, where they left some of the studio chatter on
at the beginning of the recording, and you hear Dino
ask "what time is it? I gotta get a tattoo at 2:30."
And of course the whole orchestra cracks up).
Spectropop-wise, it's interesting to see all the
familiar names that pop up on those Reprise dates:
Ernie Freeman, Bill Justis, Billy Strange.
And the door is still open to my heart,
jack
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Message: 3
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 13:03:38 EST
From: James Botticelli
Subject: What did Dino Meano?
spectropop wrote:
>Does anyone know what I'm asking?
I think you are asking "did deano record any consistently
great LP's" Well, yes there are two that I recommend:
"Dino Does It The French Way" is the greatest LP he ever
recorded IMHO, and his "Cha Cha D'Amore" LP is pretty
Latino for Dino, pretty smokin' and sexxxy all the way
through. I'll burn 'em up for you in about a week Alan
Z...both came out on CD boots a few years back on
the--Casa Nostra--label~...
JB
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 08:04:05 EST
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
Subject: The Delrons
Tony Leong is right when he labels groups like the
Sisters and the Delrons as "underrated." Especially
those Delrons: they have everything a great girl group
needs to ensure immortality: excellent songs... one or
two obscure albums... angst... wads of shifting members
over the years... intrigue... lies and lawsuits...
stolen identities...
Did I mention great songs? Their lives would make a
great movie. And I recently learned, and it may have
been posted here, that the Delrons' Kathy Romeo was
ousted from the group because she was "flat," not "fat."
>From the 1964 St. Brendan's High School Yearbook (which
has pics of all the girls in their bouffanted glory) is
a picture of Kathy Romeo stacking chairs after an event
in the auditorium. A friend of mine pencilled in:
"Probably after one of Reparata's concerts for the
entire student body!"
Jim "B-Sides Can Be Nice, Too" Crescitelli
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 14:33:11 -0700
From: "GSPECTOR"
Subject: Re: Spectors old car in dispute.
Hello.
I thought this group might find this article very
interesting if you like old cars.
If anyone has ever wondered what ever became of my
fathers old Cobra (Pictured between pages 206-207 of
Ronnies book "Be My Baby") here it is.
The car has looked a lot better though I have only seen
Black and White pictures of it. It was stored away
before I came along.
>From the Keyboard of:
G. Spector
Not just another P.S. fan.
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 22:36:16 -0000
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Ed Cobb
> Ed Cobb is also, "Edward All-American True-Heart, Albino
> Cobb" of the always entertaining, Four Preps!
>
> The Right Reverend Bob, dumb angel chapel, The Church of
> the Harmonic Overdub
....thanks for that info, a true all-rounder! - here's a
clip from one of the Four Preps' websites...
ED COBB:
Another original member - has carved out an enviable
niche for himself in the entertainment industry since
those early days at Hollywood High. He has produced, co
produced or written records with sales in excess of 40
million, including such landmark hits as "Dirty Water,"
"Every Little Bit Hurts," "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear
White," and the precedent-shattering "Tainted Love" which
made musical history by gaining number 1 status in 17
countries. It remained on the Billboard best-selling
chart for over 42 consecutive weeks and smashed the old
mark set by "Rock Around the Clock," earning Ed one of
his three mentions in the Guiness Book of World Records.
In addition, his book, "Tainted Love", is textbook
reading for the University of Hawaii. He's received 32
Gold and Platinum records for producing and/or sound
engineering such artists as The Lettermen, The Standells,
Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan and Pink Floyd, been nominated
for three Grammies and received two Record of the Year
Awards for Sound. He's also been cited in Guiness as a
breeder of World Record-breaking Appaloosa and Quarter
Horses and was recently elected President of the Idaho
Racing Commission.
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 21:07:19 -0000
From: "Peter Lerner"
Subject: Re: Ed Cobb
Cobb and Mayorga seem either to have been, or to have
been responsible for, those great early 60s Capitol
instrumentals by the Piltdown Men.
"Phil Chapman" wrote:
> >"Heartbeat" was another throbbing near-miss,
> >recorded with, oddly enough, producer Ed Cobb, who was
> >more renowned for his work with garage-pop groups like
> >the Standells and the Chocolate Watch Band.
>
> Ed Cobb should also be reknown for writing Brenda
> Holloway's "Every Little Bit Hurts" and producing Ketty
> Lester's "Love Letters" with that unforgettable Lincoln
> Mayorga piano part.
>
> "Heartbeat" was also recorded by Dusty Springfield and
> used for a short period to open the UK TV pop show
> "Ready Steady Go".
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Message: 8
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 09:08:59 -0800 (PST)
From: The Right Reverend Bob
Subject: Re: BB remasters
To those of you who dislike David Leaf's original liner
notes on the 2-fers, I give you David's own words on
the subject.
I said, "I see your notes are back in print with the
2-fer reissues, it's good to have both back in print!"
His response, "I would have preferred, that they
(Capitol), put out single cds, with LOTS, of bonus
tracks. For the people who want the old ones, they can
still get them from BMG, and at a used record store,
and sometimes in the bins, anyway.
I would have liked it better if there was something new
on the market to buy!"
David has also, in the not so distant past, (at the
time of the release of what we referred to as the
"pickwick" single disc reissues) expressed to me, "
that I'm glad other people are getting a chance to
write the liner notes, I'm tired of my words, I've
written enough on the subject, and am starting to
repeat myself."
The Right Reverend Bob, dumb angel chapel, The Church
of the Harmonic Overdub
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Message: 9
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 22:36:18 -0000
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Sonny Bono
Billy G Spradlin wrote:
> One of my all-time favorites that Sonny wrote for Cher
> is "Where Do You Go",
Same here! Sonny's arrangements were ryhthmically more
inventive than Phil's, and although they didn't 'churn'
the same way, they made interesting listening - slightly
sloppier yet somehow more charming.
When "Where Do You Go" was released I was so struck by
the use of both quadruple and triple time concurrently
(or so it seemed to me) that I enthusiastically took it
into school to play to the music teacher, whose only
comment was "..it's a bit crowded!".
The down side for me on S&C records was Sonny's voice,
and I find myself (even today) gravitating to one half of
the stereo so as to hear less vocal. It's interesting
that they used the same studio, mainly the same musicians,
but different engineer. I thought the vocals always
sounded 'removed' from the backtrack. This is something
Spector got absolutely perfect. From a mix perspective,
Sonny's tracks often got 'grabbed' by compressors when
the bass guitar kicked in, particularly noticeable in
"Where Do You Go" and "Sunny". That said, I still love
all their recordings, my favourite possibly being "Have I
Stayed Too Long" - does anybody know if there's a stereo
version?
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Message: 10
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 17:05:22 EST
From: Jon Cook
Subject: Sonny and Psychedelic ( a little OT)
After reading Stewart Mason's take on Inner Views, I
have to say that he's already written a fitting review
that sums up the album well. That backing track of Laugh
At Me put to rest any concerns I had of Sonny being
lightweight. Having Carol Kaye and Co didn't hurt,
though. The liner notes seem to indicate that even Sonny
didn't know what he was thinking when asked about this
work later. I can't imagine too many list members being
dissapointed by the CD. Still, my girlfriend is a 60s
pop fan, but has a dislike for Sonny and Cher,
especially Sonny's unique singing. "Revolution Kind" has
the distinct power to drive her up the wall. Slightly
off-topic , I have a great fascination for Psychedelic
albums, especially those by artists who were already
established in pop- Chad and Jeremy, Four Seasons, etc.
I'm looking next to aquire the Tokens "Intercourse",
which I only recently heard about. Does anybody know of
others that they could suggest to me, besides the
obvious Satanic Majesties and SF Sorrow? I'm learning a
lot from this list BTW.
Thanks-
Jon Cook
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Message: 11
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 13:14:25 -0800
From: "Randy M. Kosht"
Subject: About Ritchie Valens tribute on the 25th
This question's for Carol Kaye:
About the Ritchie Valens tribute on the 25th, is that
going to be public; i.e., are there tickets available,
what time is it, etc.?
I would love to see it to catch your remarks on Ritchie,
and also on the chance Chris Montez might appear. My
A&M Records "hobby" started when I bought my first LP,
Chris' "The More I See You"; Bob Keane also figures
heavily in A&M's pre-history.
Best regards,
Randy Kosht, A&Mania
Publisher, A&M Records: The Discography
P.S.: Anybody else into Chris' music might wish to
check the discussion board at A&M Corner (formerly
Rudy's Corner) -- go to
http://www.amcorner.com/forums/am/
If Chris' 1968 album "Watch What Happens" (SP 4157)
isn't already the Album of the Week, it will be any day
now.
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Message: 12
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 12:58:31 EST
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Pee B.S.
spectropop wrote:
>If anything, they should do the opposite -- FLOOD the
>airwaves with the "high minded stuff" and then tell us,
>"We're not showing the Girl Groups special until you
>make a donation!" ;-)
yeah....now yer talkin'...
JB/"The Clintonian Legacy: Eight years between two
Bushes"
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Message: 13
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 22:18:07 EST
From: Paul Urbahns
Subject: Dean Martin
AZ wrote:
> The other night PBS showed a Dean Martin
> biographical thing called "That's Amore" which
> consisted almost entirely of musical performances
> from his show. At some point he did this really
> slowed-down version of "You're nobody till somebody
> loves you" and it was the first time I ever liked
> that song.
Dean recorded two versions of the song for Reprise and I
believe one for Capitol. The first version was on an
album called Dream With Dean which is comprised of slow
pieces accompanied by Ken Lane (his pianist on the TV
show) Great stuff but of course its out of print now. He
later recut the song with full orchestra and chorus and
that wass the hit version.
Paul Urbahns
"a guy who misses the Dean Martin TV show"
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