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There are 7 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 242:
1. ANN-MARGRET
From: mick patrick
2. Reparata & The Delrons on RCA
From: John Clemente
3. Macaulay & Macleod
From: Kieron Tyler
4. Aldon/Screen Gems Productions (Wine/King/Castro)
From: John Clemente
5. Just a thought
From: "Martin Roberts"
6. Re:GOIN' BACK: THE SONGS OF GOFFIN AND KING.
From: "Peter Lerner"
7. Re:GOIN' BACK: THE SONGS OF GOFFIN AND KING.
From: Mick Patrick
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 15:19:59 +0100 (BST)
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: ANN-MARGRET
GREETINGS,
I can't answer Peter Lerner's question about the producer
of "I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND" by ANN-MARGRET. My copy of
the 45 is English, without producer credits. However, I
was just reading a rather informative paragraph about the
track contained on the CD "EARLY GIRLS" Vol.2 (Ace CDCHD
657). My pal Rob Finnis takes some beating in the
sleevenote department:
"Actress, singer and dancer Ann-Margret Olsson was born
in Valsboyn, Sweden in 1941 and brought to the US at age
5. Raised in various Illinois towns, she first attracted
attention when appearing on the TV talent showcase Ted
Mack's Amateur Hour at the age of 16. After a spell at
North-Western University, where she sang with the college
band, she joined a combo and performed in night-clubs. In
1961 she made her Hollywood screen debut as Bette Davis'
daughter in Pocketful Of Miracles and signed with RCA
that same year after being spotted by A&R man Dick Pierce
in Las Vegas. Though essentially a song and dance
entertainer, her earliest singles were aimed at the pop
market and were recorded in Nashville with that city's
finest session men in attendance. She notched up a US Top
20 hit at her first attempt with the bluesy, despairing
"I Just Don't Understand" featuring Charlie McCoy on
harmonica and with vocal accompaniment by the Jordanaires".
(Rob Finnis, 1997).
This CD features some great tracks by Barbie Gaye, Babs
Tino and Terry & the Tunisians, all documented in a
superb booklet. You can find further details on the Ace
website:
www.acerecords.co.uk
Ann-Margret made some great records with Sloan & Barri,
David Gates and Lee Hazlewood. She deserves your
attention.
MICK PATRICK
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 23:05:45 -0400
From: John Clemente
Subject: Reparata & The Delrons on RCA
Hello All,
I must say that I agree with Ian Chapman's old review of
"I'm Nobody's Baby Now". It is dead on. The bells used
in the recording are very haunting, like a death knell.
This is probably the best of the RCA recordings with He
Don't Want You and "Nobody's" flip, "The Loneliest Girl
In Town" running close seconds. I mistakenly reported
that Ellie Greenwich had a hand in the writing, but I
found subsequently that this is not true. Jeff and Ellie
had split in late 1965, to reunite briefly for "River
Deep, Mountain High" and "I Can Hear Music" in 1966. The
easiest RCA singles to find appear to be "I Can Hear The
Rain/Always Waitin'" and "Take A Look Around You/I Can
Tell". You can bet I'll be more actively hunting them
down.
Regards,
John Clemente
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 13:48:06 +0100
From: Kieron Tyler
Subject: Macaulay & Macleod
Hello there,
Steveronic mentioned the forthcoming double CD of
Macaulay & Macleod on Sanctuary entitled Buttercups and
Rainbows. (By the way - for pedants it's Macaulay, not
Macauley).
It's nice to see that someone is keen to see this come
out. The package will include full liner notes and
comments from Tony Macaulay himself, and attempts a bit
of an overview of his background leading to him becoming
a staff writer at Pye in 1967. There's 50 tracks: one
unreleased Jefferson track and whole load of obscure
singles from Bright Winter, The Sweetcorn, Tina Tott and
Sandra Barry. Hits are there, but hopefully they are
balanced by the unfamiliar material.
All the best, Kieron Tyler
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Message: 4
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 23:17:54 -0400
From: John Clemente
Subject: Aldon/Screen Gems Productions (Wine/King/Castro)
Hello All,
In reference to the curiosity on background singers for
Carole King, Toni Wine, and Bernadette Castro, these
chores were most probably handled by The Cookies. They
were already with King by the time she recorded "It Might
As Well Rain Until September", so the voices at the very
end would probably be them. All the songwriters at
Screen Gems were pushed to also record. Freddie Scott
stated this in a radio interview about 10 years ago. The
Cookies were still the in-house group, which is why they
are on "Hey, Girl".
The Cookies definitely remembered backing Bernadette
Castro, because when they were told they would be singing
behind her, Dorothy Jones recalled that they thought they
would see a little girl enter the studio. In America,
Bernadette Castro was best known for jumping on a
fold-away bed on television to demonstrate the
reliability of her father's Castro Convertibles. Of
course, when she entered the studio, The Cookies realized
how much time had passed. That commercial was filmed in
the early 50s. She was, in 1964, 20 years old. She also
recorded two singles for Beach Records which pre-date the
Colpix singles, billed simply as Bernadette. She is now
the Parks Commissioner for the state of New York.
I am not completely sure about the backing on the Toni
Wine records. Of course, I'll go to the source!
Regards,
John Clemente
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 21:47:42 +0100
From: "Martin Roberts"
Subject: Just a thought
Been playing some old 45's great, stuff some of them,
Spectopop has had me playing records much more than I had
for awhile (CD,s are just so easy) but one of them got me
thinking. Bobby Day "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" a Jack Nitzsche
arr. and very good, what I hadn't really noticed/can't
remember I noticed before was that it's a Bob B. Soxx cop.
Zip-A-Dee was such a big hit, all the talk, ground
breaking production, wonderful, marvelous etc., etc. Why so
few (in comparison) Erect-A-Spector's in this style?
A few had a stab Victorians, Baby Jane/Rockabyes, Majors
a few others even The Raindrops had a great go stab at it.
Just a couple of hits though Little Eva/Big Dee Irwin
"Swinging On A Star" & Inez & Charlie Foxx "Mockingbird
Hill" (Just been reminded -thank you Phil- of an even
more 'Spectorry' version of this by Scott & Shelly on
Columbia).
Was this because Zip was a 'novelty hit'?, the
unrepeatable quality of Spectors production? or the
sheer beauty of Bobby Sheen, Darlene Love & Fanita James
vocals? Just thinking out a loud,
Martin
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Message: 6
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 11:40:18 +0100
From: "Peter Lerner"
Subject: Re:GOIN' BACK: THE SONGS OF GOFFIN AND KING.
Mann and Weil, Greenwich and Barry...and the wonderful
Jackie DeShannon. I could compile that one five times over.
Peter
"Donny Hampton" wrote:
> I recently heard someone badmouth this compilation because
> it doesn't contain any original versions. Utter bullshit!
> Don't let anyone turn you against it before you've
> listened for yourself. This CD provides all the proof you
> need that original versions are not necessary to make a
> good songbook. The British artists represented (and they
> include The Rockin' Berries, Long John Baldry, Jackie
> Trent and Petula Clark) honor Carole and Gerry with
> good-to-excellent interpretations of some of their
> best-known songs..... I want Sequel to give the songs of
> Mann and Weil and Barry and Greenwich the same treatment,
> and I'm actively urging them to do so.
Don Charles
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 12:06:44 +0100 (BST)
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: Re:GOIN' BACK: THE SONGS OF GOFFIN AND KING.
GREETINGS,
D C Hampton wrote:
> ...the most exquisite CD collection I've heard
> recently is GOIN' BACK: THE SONGS OF GOFFIN AND KING.
> It was released by UK Sequel a couple of years ago. I
> recently heard someone badmouth this compilation
> because it doesn't contain any original versions.
It was me that badmouthed the "Goin' Back" CD to Mr
Hampton. And guess what? It was me that compiled it, too!
It was not really my intention to slag the compilation
off. I merely wanted to inform DC that Sequel's "Songs Of"
series, of which the Goffin/King volume is part, were
intended as tongue-in-cheek collections of cover versions.
That is, they were compiled with a sense of irony.
I never imagined that people might actually prefer the De
Laine Sisters to Carole King, Miki & Griff to Steve &
Eydie, Goldie to Dusty Springfield, the Wolves to the
Drifters, the Kestrels to the Shirelles, Jimmy Justice to
the Drifters, etc. Oh, well. As we say over here in
England; there's nowt so queer as folk.
Unfortunately, there are too few versions of
Greenwich/Barry compositions in the Pye catalogue for
Sequel (now known as Sanctuary) to attempt a "Songs Of
Jeff & Ellie" compilation. However, I have been asked to
compile a CD entitled "WALLPAPER OF SOUND" featuring
British versions of Phil Spector originals. Of course, it
will contain quite a few EG/JB songs. And I can guarantee
that not one of the versions will be as good as the
American originals. Donny Hampton will adore it!
If he is lucky, some kind soul will compile a CD containing:
"Baby I Love You" by Cats Pyjamas
"Be My Baby" by Linda Lovelace or Tiny Tim
"Chapel Of Love" by Johnathan Richman
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by U2
"Da Doo Ron Ron" by Brian Poole & the Tremeloes
"Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" by the Nutty Squirrels
"Leader Of The Pack" by the Joan Collins Fan Club (Need I go on?)
But it will not be me, I respect the work of Jeff Barry
and Ellie Greenwich too much.
MICK PATRICK
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