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There are 8 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. The Teddy Bears
From: Brian Chidester
2. JERRY FULLER
From: "Warren Cosford"
3. New Colony Six
From: Ron
4. Lorraine Mazzola
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
5. reparata
From: john rausch
6. Reparata
From: Frank Youngwerth
7. Re: Reparata Redux
From: Doc Rock
8. Reparata Redux
From: John Clemente
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 00:58:01 EDT
From: Brian Chidester
Subject: The Teddy Bears
Does anyone know anything about the Teddy Bears in the
1960s? I've heard more than one person say that some
version of the group existed and played live even up
until 1966. I know that Spector wasn't involved past
1960, but were Marshall or Annette even involved either?
Anyone else ever heard of this touring act?
Brian
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 09:19:17 -0400
From: "Warren Cosford"
Subject: JERRY FULLER
Jane Wade wrote:
> In 1965 Jerry Fuller had an East Coast hit that was a
> ballad. Very heavy production on it - lots of strings.
>
>
> It was breathtakingly beautiful.
>
> Over the years I've tried to remember the name of it
> but come up short.
>
> Can anyone help? Jane
Hi Jane: Might it have been "Goodnight Pretty Girl"?
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 13:42:50 EDT
From: Ron
Subject: New Colony Six
Great to hear!! Now if we could just get the Mercury
albums of another Chicago band, the New Colony
Six..........(Some people are never satisfied.)
Ron
Efram Turchick writes:
> Sundazed is indeed working on CD reissues for the
> Cryan Shames (Chicago version)! We don't have a firm
> release date yet, but sometime late this year or early
> next year seems likely. So, er ... mark your calendars!
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Message: 4
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 07:25:36 EDT
From: Jimmy Crescitelli
Subject: Lorraine Mazzola
Donny Hampton: Correct... the only real Reparata was / is
Mary Aiese. Lorraine usurped the name when she fronted
the group. There have been some posts re the various
legal technicalities...
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 22:35:22 -0400
From: john rausch
Subject: reparata
Jamie says...
"Dare I say it? Try as I may, I just don't get Reparata
and the Delrons."
....Don`t feel left out Jamie, I too feel as you do.
Although I have not heard an entire collection by them,
what I have heard has made me passively say, "well
that`s nice"
And that`s the end of it.
I do actually like Captain Of Your Ship, Toom Toom and
Read My Diary. I believe from the latter part of the 60s.
The earlier World Artist recordings are just beyound my
grasp . Although I do find the group name intriguing.
Maybe with such a cool name I expect something more. I
was also quite amazed at how much interest was being
posted on the group.
Jamie, maybe you and I are just out of the loop. But it's
good to see so much interest on this list. Who knows who
will be discussed next? Just my 2 cents worth :-)
John Rausch
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Message: 6
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 11:20:46 EDT
From: Frank Youngwerth
Subject: Reparata
I think plenty of us "out here" haven't been able to
figure out what some girl group fans hear in Reparata and
the Delrons. Still, they're an interesting group, and it
intrigues me that one Reparata was in Lady Flash, since I
clearly remember hearing their single on the radio. I'm
too young to have caught any prime Spectropop as it
"happened" on AM, coming in around the time of "Go All
the Way" by the Raspberries, which sounded extremely "60s"
(i.e. Spect-acular) to this 10-year-old back in '72.
Frank Youngwerth
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 20:14:12 -0400
From: Doc Rock
Subject: Re: Reparata Redux
> The current thread reminds me once again of something I
> have wondered for a long time - that is, why don't I
> hold Reparata and the Delrons' recordings in high esteem
> like so many other GG fans do?
Jamie,
Your comments fascinate me. I guess it is individual
preference at work. I love all Reparata, especially the
remakes (aka covers). Usually I don't like LP cut remakes
of my favorite hits, but most of hers, I prefer to the
originals, a first for me!
Yet there have been MANY artists lauded wildly in
Spectropop that -- well, when I heard them on the radio
35 years ago, I assumed they were being played due to
payola or the station manager's mother requested them. I
couldn't believe that any of my fellow teens really
wanted to hear them. Now I am astonished that fellow
Poppers actually treasure them!
Individual differences/preferences at work, I guess!
Doc
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 01:59:12 -0400
From: John Clemente
Subject: Reparata Redux
Hello All,
Jamie, I had to chuckle when I read your post. At the
risk of inadvertently contradicting my own glorious
praises of Reparata & The Delrons in my book, I will say
that I must agree with Jamie. I couldn't bestow the
specific praise afforded to them, either, despite their
talent as a group.
When I saw Reparata & The Delrons in the mid-80s at the
Bottom Line in New York, I must say that they put on a
superb show. Every song, every dance step was obviously
well-rehearsed. In fact, when I interviewed her for
"Girl Groups", Mary stated that one of the reasons for
considering the group's retirement was because, despite
her obviously hard work, jobs were getting scarce. She
had been thinking about it at the time we spoke and it
became a reality about a year ago. Richard Nader told
her he couldn't put her on shows because the group never
had a big hit. Please remember now, that "Whenever..."
and "Tommy" were huge in New York City, but were bottom
rung chart placings on the nationals. It was especially
shameful to forego this group because they were so
polished. At the time I saw them, the trio was Reparata,
Nanette Licari, a member since '66 and Cookie Sirico, a
member since '69. Cookie's first Delrons assignment was
as part of Reparata & The Delrons Rock and Roll
Revolution LP on Avco Embassy in 1970. Mary also sang on
every cut on this LP, although she is not pictured on the
cover. I didn't list this LP in my discography because
at the time "Girl Groups" was going to press, I became
aware that there was some sort of LP, but no info beyond
that. I never asked Mary and she never mentioned it. It
wasn't until after "Girl Groups" came out that I saw the
album and was given the info by a Reparata fan who
confirmed her presence on the vinyl. The LP was produced
by the Jerome Bros. and arranged by John Abbott, the
three gents who had stayed with the group from their
inception. I believe that they firmly believed in
Reparata's voice. Heck, they put her on the road as a
soloist after Sheila Reilly and Carol Drobnicki quit over
too many tours and too little money. A press release for
their signing to RCA shows only Mary in the picture with
all the execs. Her solo single for Big Tree (billed as
Reparata) is produced by them. It's highly unlikely that
they would do anything for a Delrons group without her,
since they had invested so much time in a group that she
fronted. As far as Lorraine Mazzola taking the name
because she sang lead, she never had the chance. They
never recorded again as The Delrons after the Avco LP and
after Mary's departure. This is when the remaining trio
(Mazzola, Sirico and Licari) worked locally and did demos.
Maybe that's when Lorraine took over as lead and was
heard by Barry Manilow. If anyone out there has released
Delrons material dated after 1970, please let me know,
I'd like to see it, but I seriously doubt it. Mary was
using Reparata for her solo career since '71. Mary did
not relinquish her name to Lorraine. That was all
Lorraine's idea. Both Mary and Nanette Licari confirmed
this. After Lorraine defaulted on the lawsuit, Mary
resumed working with Nanette and Cookie.
As far as the quality of their material, I wouldn't
compare them to The Chiffons. It's like comparing apples
to oranges. Different voices, different singing styles,
different producers. As far as their version of "I Have
A Boyfriend", my opinion is 'sorry, don't mess with
originals'. That's the way I feel about covers of "Be My
Baby" and "Heat Wave"; 'please don't bother, the original
can't be improved'. Even non-charting material by The
Chiffons is wonderful (B.T. Puppy LP). Mary herself
complained in interviews about some of the material they
were given. Except for "I Can Hear The Rain" and "I'm
Nobody's Baby Now", I haven't heard the RCA material
either. Two of those Kapp singles seriously miss the
mark (okay, they're phhhhhhth!). "Your Big Mistake" on
Laurie is pleasant, but I wouldn't pay big bucks for it,
even though you never see it. I like their Mala material.
I felt it suited their style while updating it. Their
wonderful single, "Captain of Your Ship" [that IS Mary
singing the lead parts through a voice filter; sorry Dave]
and it's flip, "Toom Toom" were writting by Kenny Young
("Please Don't Kiss Me Again"/"Under The Boardwalk"), but
it's obvious that Reparata & The Delrons were not always
on the "A" list for material. "Heaven Only Knows/Summer
Laughter" is good, but not great. I like "You Can't
Change A Young Boy's Mind", but I've played it for other
GG nuts who only shrug. Whenever I see a Reparata & The
Delrons single that I don't have for sale at a reasonable
price, I will snatch it up, but I feel their singles
don't do enough for me to rate them as high as The
Chiffons or The Cookies. This is not to say that they
aren't talented. Some material by otherwise good groups
is sometimes simply for fans (e.g. Bobbie Smith & The
Dream Girls on Metro). It all comes down to a matter of
taste. . . oh, come on! Everyone out there has at least
one artist that they collect where everyone else says
"yawn" on some material. Okay, you can start throwing
your bricks now!
John Clemente
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