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There are 5 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 161:
1. Brill Building doc
From: Deena Canale
2. Phil Jagger/Mick Spector
From: John Rausch
3. DynoVoice
From: "Joseph E. Vine Jr."
4. Shadow Morton
From: LePageWeb
5. RE: twinn connection
From: "Patrick Phelan"
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 17:42:20 -0400 (EDT)
From: Deena Canale
Subject: Brill Building doc
Finally, I feel qualified to contribute to Spectropop!
Here's my review of last night's Brill Building event at
the Museum of TV and Radio.
A few hours ago I witnessed the premiere screening at the
Museum of TV & Radio of an upcoming A&E documentary about
the Brill Building songwriters of the '60s. Among those
interviewed & profiled in the film are Leiber & Stoller,
Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, Doc Pomus, Barry
Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich,
Shadow Morton, Don Kirshner, Ben E. King, Bill Medley,
Bobby Vee, Shirley Alston-Reeves, Tony Orlando, Dionne
Warwick, Burt Bacharach...and on & on. Interspersed with
the interviews are tons of archival photos & footage,
including some amazing home movies of the Shangri-Las in
the recording studio, plus lotsa poetic mid-60s footage
of New York City streets. Speaking of the Shangs, Mary
Weiss (who was in the audience) also speaks in a brief
snippet--all traces of her Queens accent (as immortalized
in those "good taste tips" radio ads on "Myrmidons of
Melodrama") are gone, but she still wears her long blonde
hair parted on the side.
After the screening there was a panel discussion/Q&A
segment with two of the filmmakers and the elusive Shadow
Morton. What a character he was! He wore a black
Gilligan-type sailor cap with the brim down over his eyes,
and related many darkly hilarious and irreverent
anecdotes about his days with Red Bird in no-nonsense
Brooklynese. He also publicly gave Mary Weiss the props
he never gave her years ago..."Here she was, this teenage
girl with no experience in show-biz, and I made her act
out all these crazy parts...Nobody else was doing
anything like 'Past Present and Future' and 'I Can Never
Go Home Anymore'...I musta been outta my skull...but no
matter what I asked her to do, she delivered, each and
every time." Someone asked if he had any plans to
produce in the future...his rambling answer included his
hidden desire to record an album called "The Pack," "with
all the old back-up singers singing lead, and all the
famous singers singing back-up."
Anyhow, the film is scheduled to be aired on A&E some
time during the week of August 27, along with separate
docs on Leiber & Stoller, Burt Bacharach, and Dionne
Warwick. Miss it at your peril!
Deena
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Message: 2
Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 21:22:09 -0400
From: John Rausch
Subject: Phil Jagger/Mick Spector
Just wondered if anyone has any info... It recently came
to my attention that one of the Crystals' Philles B Sides,
Irving (Jaggered 16ths) is actually a tip of the hat to
Mick Jagger, hence the name....Just curious as this is
news to me, kinda makes sense tho.......
John Rausch
Phil Spector`s Wall Of Sound @
http://members.tripod.com/~rauschj/
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 14:15:19 -0000
From: "Joseph E. Vine Jr."
Subject: DynoVoice
>"Mick Patrick" wrote:
>
> > I just opened my copy of the new DYNOVOICE STORY double
> > CD this morning. Diane Renay, Jeanne Thomas and the Beach
> > Girls are all featured. But what I want now is a Tracey
> > Dey meets the Rag Dolls compilation!
I would like to see the full DynoVoice CD Track List.
Who released the DynoVoice / DynoVox CD? (Westside?)
My dynoVoice CD "wish list":
The Toys:
See How They Run MONO version
The Toys:
Attack STEREO version
The Toys:
Silver Spoon
The Toys:
Happy Birthday Broken Heart
The Invitations:
Hallelujah
The Invitiations:
What's Wrong With Me Baby
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 15:07:23 +0900
From: LePageWeb
Subject: Shadow Morton
Mick wrote:
> Shadow said in an interview that the Goodies were from
> Long Island and that he wrote "Leader Of The Pack" for
> them. NOT the Shangs. HORRORS!!!! Mind you, it has been
> said that he talks a lot of rubbish. I could not
> possibly comment.
No comment here either ;-)
However, allowing Mr. Morton to speak for himself...
> "Leader Of The Pack" was not written for the
> Shangri-Las. It was written for another Long Island
> group called the Goodies...I found this group during
> the time "Remember" was out...the Shangri-Las ended
> up with that song, but Jerry Leiber didn't know what
> it was until just before we went into the studio.
> Leiber [asked] "Do you have anything?" And I said,
> "'Leader Of The Pack' and...he says, "No." And that's
> when I went out looking for a group to sing the song.
> Again, I did a con job. I recorded the song secretly.
> I snuck out to Ultrasonic and cut it. I had a
> wonderful relationship with Billy Stahl, who owned
> Ultrasonic--the studio really was his vision--he let
> me have free rein. So, I called musicians as if
> everything was okey-dokey and we recorded it
> privately, with no interference. And it worked! In
> fact, it sounded great! Leiber had to accept it! In
> fact, I don't think Ellie heard the song until it was
> on the radio!
Reached for a comment on these allegations, Ellie
Greenwich responded:
> "I find that amazing, mind-boggling that he would say
> that. It's unfortunate that his memory has dimmed to
> such a point. How can I even respond to something like
> that? All I can say is that he had a very good time at
> "Leader Of The Pack" on Broadway (the show was based
> on the song). Maybe his mind snapped during
> intermission!"
The above excerpt is from the essential Goldmine
interview, linked at the Brill Building page:
http://www.spectropop.com/go2/shadow_morton.html
Mary Weiss rules!
Jamie
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Message: 5
Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 00:14:23 -0700
From: "Patrick Phelan"
Subject: RE: twinn connection
> What is the story with "twinn Connection"?
>
> Are they actually twins? I only know the track "foolin
> around". Do they have much of a catalogue, and if so are
> the records impossibly hard to find?.
>
> If anyone has any info...
>
> Thanks...........Hush.
twinn connexion [sic] put out one of my favorite albums
ever. their self-titled lp is on decca (DL 75020). i
have found two different 45s, also on decca, but all
the songs come from the lp.
the record is produced by jerry keller, and written and
arranged by jerry keller & dave blume. there's a
version of "turn down day" which was made famous by the
cyrkle (written by keller and blume). also, buddy
saltzman (who recorded with the cyrkle[?]) plays drums.
"according to fuzz, acid, and flowers," TC's backing
band is the "coalition" in the two "carolyn hester
coalition" albums.
there's a little spread on them in "teen world"
magazine from march 1969. the text reads: "the twinn
connexion, jerry and jay hopkins from helena, montana,
are very blond, very identical, very good-looking, very
hopeful -- and very talented! when they weren't
changing places and confusing everyone in sight, they
played in their grade school band, acted in summer
stock while in junior high, had their own TV show in
high school, sang in local clubs all over montana and
then finally came to new york to perform. a man from
decca records caught their act in a greenwich village
coffee house and signed them up. the result -- instant
raves. if you've heard their single, 'oh, what a
lovely day,' you know why. now see how jerry and jay
felt about it... while they were recording it."
the album has it all: *very silly lyrics, groovy music
with harpsichord, sitar, etc., major ear-piercing
harmonies, and a hilarious cover photo. the twinns are
wearing matching, textured white and yellow suits with
green ascots, accented by a pin that says "2x." highly
recommended (it's not impossible to find -- i've found
several copies -- seems to come up on ebay every couple
months).
anybody know anything else about the group? wish
somebody'd reissue this with unreleased tracks...
p
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