Spectropop - Digest Number 255

• From: Spectropop Group
• Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 11:46:48

                  http://www.spectropop.com
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There are 8 messages in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

      1. Jackie DeShannon interview
           From: Will George 
      2. Carole King Video Interview Now Available on CaroleKing.com
           From: newsletter 
      3. Soft Pop Questions - Ruthann Friedman, Russ Guigere and Lexia
           From: Luis Suarez 
      4. Needles and Pins ID
           From: "Spector Collector" 
      5. Re: Ann-Margret
           From: Will George 
      6. Spector or Medley???
           From: Mark Landwehr 
      7. Unchained Allegations
           From: LePageWeb 
      8. "He snipped me and it felt like a bris"
           From: "James F.  Cassidy" 


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Message: 1
   Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 23:56:15 EDT
   From: Will George 
Subject: Jackie DeShannon interview

I was in the audience today for a taping of the
nationally syndicated show "Speaking Freely." The guest
was Jackie DeShannon. She spoke about her career, music
and creative process. Nothing groundbreaking for fans
that already know her story, but a nice chat. It is
supposed to air in December. Check their website
(www.freedomforum.org) and your local listings for time
and channel. There will also be a review of it at the
Jackie DeShannon Appreciation Society website
(http://jackiedeshannon.tripod.com)
in the near future.



After Jackie's interview, there was another segment
filmed with Judy Collins. She was much more open with
anecdotes about her life, and spoke of her activism and
music. She even sang a few snippets, and still has the
same voice. It was a very interesting and enjoyable
interview.

-Will


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Message: 2
   Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 10:31:37 +0900
   From: newsletter 
Subject: Carole King Video Interview Now Available on CaroleKing.com

We at CaroleKing.com are pleased to announce that the
first of the new series of CaroleKing "Love Makes The
World" video interviews is now available on
CaroleKing.com.  Look for this and future interviews on
the NEW ALBUM page - or simply click here:

http://www.caroleking.com/albumpage.html


CaroleKing.com


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Message: 3
   Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 01:37:35 -0000
   From: Luis Suarez 
Subject: Soft Pop Questions - Ruthann Friedman, Russ Guigere and Lexia

Hey Everyone.

I'm pretty much a Spectropop lurker, but I've got some
questions for the Soft Pop gurus. 

How's the Ruthann Freidman album? I've read that it's a
minor folk masterpiece, but that was from someone who was
selling it.

Do any Spectropopppers dig the Russ Guigere Lp? I own it,
but after a cursory listen, I filed it away. Did I miss
something?

I also own a record called Lexia on, i believe, MGM/Verve.
There's some nice moments, but I've seen it for sale for
$30-$50! Is this inflation due to Japanese Soft Rock
wantlists, or what?

Thanks,

Luis Suarez


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Message: 4
   Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2001 22:44:13 +0000
   From: "Spector Collector" 
Subject: Needles and Pins ID

Hey gang,

Great news, in the form of positive identification, for
Tom Borsboom and everyone else wondering who did the
version of "Needles and Pins" posted here a couple of
weeks ago: it's by Love and Tears, and was released in
the United States in 1972 on Polydor 15038. There are no
clues on the label regarding possible Steve Marriott
involvement; apart from composer credit, the only
information reads "A Michael Holm/Dieter Behlinda
Production." Hope this helps, and sorry it took so long
to get back to you, Tom!

David A. Young


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Message: 5
   Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 23:49:47 EDT
   From: Will George 
Subject: Re: Ann-Margret

In a message dated 10/2/01 9:35:24 AM, spectropop writes:

> Will George let on that Bear Family did an Ann-Margret
> set. Was there really enough material for that? Any
> further comments on the box set and/or Ms. Margret's
> Brill era recordings?

It is a 5-CD box set, with a beautiful hardbound book,
as is standard with Bear Family. It includes all of
Ann-Margret's recordings except for her album and
singles with Lee Hazlewood, her Tommy soundtrack stuff,
and her 1980 disco album. The dates are 1961-66 I
believe. Disc 5 is mostly her film music, including Viva
Las Vegas (her tracks on CD for the first time), State
Fair, Bye Bye Birdie, The Swinger, etc. The rest of the
discs consist of her four RCA albums, her singles, many
unreleased tracks, her album with Al Hirt (Beauty and
the Beast), and a couple other odd album projects. There
are many styles represented, from early rock n roll (I
Just Don't Understand), girl group (Little Star, What Am
I Suppose To Do), show-biz (Billy Bailey) standards, and
her sublime lounge classic, Bachelors Paradise. No,
she's not a great vocalist, but she has a certain style.
Yes, there are some horrific tracks on here, but there
are also some great, overlooked classics here, including
three Sloan-Barri songs, a couple of Goffin-King tunes,
and a previously unreleased Bacharach-David composition.
It's a hefty price for the casual fan, but well worth it
in my opinion.

Will


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Message: 6
   Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 12:22:45 -0400
   From: Mark Landwehr 
Subject: Spector or Medley???

Since posting a reply RE: "Home of the Brave" producer
discrepancies, innocently using Philles 129 "Unchained
Melody" as an example of not believing everything one
sees on a record label, I have been barraged by
Spectropoppers who zealously contend that Spector DID
produce that song - I intimated that Medley MIGHT have
produced it....Talk about stirring up the beehive!!!

Let's say that Phil did produce it...If so, then tell me
why the heck didn't he put his name on the label as
producer??? He put his name on many other B-sides (which
is what "Unchained" started out to be) - even on those
funky instrumentals!!! Why, then, didn't he put it on
this song (a very GOOD song, at that)?? Give me a
definitive answer and I'll cross over to the other side
(an answer of "he forgot" won't cut it)!

Jack Fitzpatrick told me that he listed "Unchained" as
produced by Phil just to avoid controversy - He wasn't
convinced that Phil DID produce it, though...Peter
Richmond certainly wasn't convinced either...Mark
Ribowsky told me that, according to Larry Levine, Phil
produced EVERYTHING the Righteous Brothers did...A- and
B-sides, and all LP tracks. Whew! Where does one go from
THERE???

TO CAROL KAYE:

What really went on here, Carol, was Phil at the
"Unchained Melody" sessions???

Mark
The Phil Spector Record Label Gallery (revised) @
http://home.tbbs.net/~msland/Spector



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Message: 7
   Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 15:58:49 +0900
   From: LePageWeb 
Subject: Unchained Allegations

"Don Charles" wrote:

> Heaven has no wrath like a Spector fanatic informed that
> one of his favorite Philles hits was not, in fact,
> produced by Phil Spector!  I had the same argument about
> "Unchained Melody" with former Goldmine editor Jeff
> Tamarkin.
> 
> It took Peter Richmond's wonderfully provocative article
> from Philately (I forget the date of publication) to
> convince him . . . and I'm still not certain he's
> totally convinced.

Well, I'm convinced that Spector added his producer
credit after the record gained airplay. I also think the
"wall-of-sound" on this recording is less dense than on
other Philles records of the day. But it takes a leap of
faith to go from there to believing Medley produced the
side. I don't have the answers, but it is kinda fun to
think about for a minute. By the way, due respect and
kudos to Peter Richmond for his true dedication to the
cause which all can see firsthand at the most incredible
Righteous Brothers website on the internet (linked at the
Spectropop Righteous Brothers page).

First of all, if anyone knew the value of the throwaway
B-side, it was Phil Spector. When he didn't claim
writer credit on the B, he gave it away (e.g., to
Medley, Hatfield, Turner). Yet, Mr. Spector intentionally
put a cover on the B of Hung on You. Did Spector suddenly
decide he didn't mind giving away 1/2 the publishing
money on his next hit record to an outside publisher?
Don't even joke about it. So, then, why did Spector
suddenly deviate from form and use an expensive production
of an outside song as the flip? Don't tell me he just
forgot this time! 

Did Spector believe an old standard could never become a
contemporary hit? Think Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Did Spector
believe Unchained Melody wasn't suitable for covering?
Think Teddy Bears. Did Spector have too much confidence
in Hung On You? Think British Invasion jitters. 

Did Spector not "hear" Unchained Melody as a grandiose
production in typical wall of sound style with hit
potential?  Dubious conclusion. At the very least, we
know Spector had to approve the recording budget and pay
all those string players. Why would he suddenly let
Medley do expensive string dates? 

Despite the fact that Medley found it difficult to "hear"
a hit song (remember, he unbelievably didn't think
"Lovin' Feeling" was suitable material when he first
heard it!), he nevertheless did exhibit an ability to
ape Spector on arguably the greatest faux Spector
recording ever, Soul and Inspiration, and while that's
true, at the time of Unchained Melody, Medley's work was
much along the lines of What'd I Say and Oo-Poo-Pah-Doo.
Suddenly Medley is producing erect-a-Spector string dates
**on Spector's dime** and Spector is using it as a
throwaway B? I wonder.

(Side note - decades later Medley DID produce the
Righteous Brothers recording of Unchained Melody for Curb
Records in a decidedly inferior version.)

So why did Spector couple Hung On You with Unchained
Melody? Was he shooting for a double A? I don't know, but
it sure would help explain a lot. If so, why didn't he
credit himself on the initial run? Perhaps because he was
banking on Hung On You but stacked the odds this time
just in case? Maybe. I don't know.
 
On the one hand Spector only added the producer credit
after DJs started playing it. That we know. On the other
hand, there is no doubt that Unchained Melody (1) is a
Phil Spector/Philles master, (2) with a budget approved
and bankrolled by Phil, (3) engineered by Phil's guy, (4)
booked and tracked at Phil's preferred studio, (4)
performed by Phil's regular musicians from the local #47,
and; (5) selected for release by Phil and pressed on
Phil's label. People have been called producer for far
less than that! 

Carol Kaye has told us that she and her colleagues
sometimes worked for clueless producers that had to rely
completely on the engineer and musicians to get the
records made. Who got producers credit on those? 
How many times have you heard the proverbial jilted lead
guitarist say "I actually produced the record even
though I didn't get credit for it." Much of the time,
those who make such claim actually believe it themselves!
But you gotta take it all with a grain of salt. 

The contention that Medley produced Unchained Melody will
inevitably remain debatable. Why? Because it was, in fact,
>from its inception, a Phil Spector recording, whether
Medley stood in the Gold Star booth and asked Larry
Levine if there was enough echo or not. Now given what we
are certain Spector DID do in connection with the
production of the recording (1-5 above), if Medley did in
fact "produce" the record, what exactly did he do? Tell
Larry to make it sound more like Lovin' Feeling? Tell Don
Kirschner that Hung on You was more suitable for the
Everly Brothers? Or what?

If someone has a quote from Medley answering this
question I would be very keen to read it.  After
thinking about it, though, it's hard to imagine the
answer could be anything except the typical "I had
the creative ideas but so-and-so took the credit."


Jamie


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Message: 8
   Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 11:44:45 -0400
   From: "James F.  Cassidy" 
Subject: "He snipped me and it felt like a bris"

WHATEVER BECAME OF ... DEPT:

I was listening to the BBC World Service in the car
yesterday when a familiar name caught my ear.

The news story concerned a law passed by the Swedish
Parliament restricting the circumcision of boys. 
Circumcisions will now be allowed only under anaesthetic,
and with a doctor or nurse present. Swedish Jews and
Muslims object to the new law, saying it violates their
religious rights.

The representative of the Swedish Jewish community who
offered his reaction to the new law was identified as
"Rabbi Phil Spector."

Jim Cassidy


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