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There are 18 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Each Time I Glide, I Wobble
From: "Spector Collector"
2. Re: Bon Bons
From: Ron Buono
3. Each Time (The Girls Can't Help It)
From: Stewart Mason
4. Re: The Bon Bons - Looking for other songs
From: Billy G. Spradlin
5. ROBIN WARD: THE LATA MANGESHKAR OF HOLLYWOOD
From: Mick Patrick
6. I Wonder
From: John Clemente
7. Skirt the issue
From: "Phil Chapman"
8. Re: Rydell's backing singers
From: Ron Buono
9. Re: Tim Rose
From: "Joseph Scott"
10. Yellow Balloon
From: Cass
11. ELLIE IN THE FLESH
From: Mick Patrick
12. Re: Brute Force
From: Mike Rashkow
13. Mirrors Of Your Mind
From: "Phil Chapman"
14. Dontiki, Fugs, Girard, Wisner, Ward, Force
From: "Paul Payton"
15. Re: Searchers Each Time
From: Billy G. Spradlin
16. L.A. Spector Lovers
From: Brian Chidester
17. Sam the Record Man
From: "Vlaovic B"
18. SAM THE RECORD MAN
From: Warren Cosford
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 02:44:47 +0000
From: "Spector Collector"
Subject: Each Time I Glide, I Wobble
Peter Lerner asked about The Bon Bons' "Each Time" last
time around. I've heard before that there was supposedly
some Shangri-Las involvement, but I don't believe that's
been confirmed, has it? The only constant across their
four Coral sides is production by Henry Jerome; composers
are different on each of the tracks. The single in
question (62435, backed with "Everybody Wants My Boy
Friend") is certainly the stronger, but 62402, "What's
Wrong with Ringo?"/"Come on Baby," is no throwaway. Let
the buyer beware: there was a McGuire Sisters-type girl
group called The Bon Bons that recorded on London in the
'50s, so don't make the same mistake I did and think that
you've made an important discovery if you see their
records on a list someday.
Billy G. Spradlin expressed delighted dismay that there
was a girl group version of this "Each Time," and I'd
like to point him to another: the more-than-credible
"Erect-a-Spector" homage by Leslee Swanson that kicks off
the 1984 Rhino LP "The Girls Can't Help It," a
compilation of then-current girl sounds.
It was good to hear that Frank Wright had confirmed that,
as I've always believed, Phil Spector was the producer of
Troy Shondell's "The Glider." (It seems like this was
acknowledged in a Goldmine or Discoveries interview with
Shondell a couple of years back, but I can't be sure.) In
addition to the Everest LP Frank mentioned, the song is
available on a 1994 Shondell CD from Canada called "The
Trance" on Dunhill. Now if only someone would confirm my
suspicion that Phil is also the producer of Curtis Lee's
version of "The Wobble," or has that already been done?
(Or if not, are there at least others out there that
suspect the same thing?)
Finally, why doesn't EMI, or at least Collectables, put
out a compilation of the stuff Phil did during his brief
A&R stint at Liberty? There's bound to be some first-time
stereo and unreleased material in there.
David A. Young
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 16:52:02 EST
From: Ron Buono
Subject: Re: Bon Bons
In a message dated 11/4/01, Spectropop writes:
> Who can tell me anything about the Bon Bons? Their
> Coral 45 of Jackie DeShannon's sublime "Each time"
> (Coral 62435, produced by Henry Jerome) is a classic
> girl group sound. Did they do anything else, and were
> they really some or any of the Shangri-las, as the
> vocal similarity is close to say the least.
HI PETER
According to the late Alan Betrock's "Girl Groups
Discography" The BON BONS are "rumored to have contained
members of The Shangri-La's". To my ears, I certainly do
not hear Mary Weiss' voice in the mix, but if you listen
to "Everybody wants my Boyfriend", on the phrase "Oooh
tra-la-la...." that certainly may be a GANSA twin!
And by the way, have you ever heard The Searchers'
Spectorized version of "Each Time"? It ROCKS!
RON
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 09:55:14 -0700
From: Stewart Mason
Subject: Each Time (The Girls Can't Help It)
Billy Spradlin writes:
>> Who can tell me anything about the Bon Bons? Their Coral
>> 45 of Jackie DeShannon's sublime "Each time" (Coral 62435,
>> produced by Henry Jerome) is a classic girl group sound.
>
>I didnt know there was a girl group version of this song!
>The only versions I'm familar with are the Searchers
>1966 version (recorded with tons of compression and
>reverb on everything!) and Marti Jones laid back cover
>on her "Used Guitars" CD.
My introduction to this song came via Rhino's excellent
1984 comp THE GIRLS CAN'T HELP IT, which has a terrific
version by Seattle-based singer Leslee Swanson, formerly
of the Dynette Set (who were probably best known for
adding backing vocals to various songs by the Young
Fresh Fellows -- Dynette Setter Christy McWilson is
married to head Fellow and Ian Hunter lookalike Scott
McCaughey). An obscure rendition, but a terrific one.
There's another cover of interest on THE GIRLS CAN'T
HELP IT, an almost surfy take on the Crystals' fairly
obscure Barry/Greenwich cut "Little Boy" by an otherwise
unrecorded (as far as I know) Orange County group called
the Signals. It's just phenomenal.
Stewart
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 21:02:53 -0000
From: Billy G. Spradlin
Subject: Re: The Bon Bons - Looking for other songs
Just listened to the Bon Bons "Each Time". Its not the
huge Wall-Of-Sound production I was expecting, but a
excellent record anyway!
Another request: I was reading the liner notes to
Marshall Crenshaw's "This Is Easy!" best-of comp on
Rhino (great stuff!). He mentions Babs Cooper "Honest I
Do" as an inspiration for his 1982 track "Our Town"
>from his "Field Day" LP ..anyone familar with this song?
Im also on the lookout for several tracks mentioned in
Mojo Collectables "Minister Of Sound" list: (Never
heard these)
Jerry Ganey - Just A Fool
Keely Smith - No One Ever Tells You
PJ Proby - I Can't Make It Alone
Samantha Jones - I Deserve It
Harvey & Doc - Oh Baby
Thanks,
Billy
Message: 5
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 12:30:13 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: ROBIN WARD: THE LATA MANGESHKAR OF HOLLYWOOD
Greetings,
Original Message from Doc Rock:
> ... I have the CD "The Story of ROBIN WARD: All the
> Hits and More" and she rules!
Ah, the good Doctor, a man who knows his Secrets from his
Tammys and his Angels from his Pixies Three - a veritable
guru of the Pixie Girl Sound. Take it from me and Doc,
if you have a penchant for Connie Stevens, Jill Jackson,
the Paris Sisters, April Stevens and Shelley Fabares, you
simply have to get yourself some Robin Ward records.
Here's a little information culled from the
aforementioned C'mon, Get Happy! website's interview with
Jackie/Robin.....
She was born Jacqueline Eloise McDonnell in Hawaii and
grew up in Nebraska. When the McDonnell Sisters started
winning talent shows, their parents moved the family to
California to give their three daughters a chance in
showbiz. The trio performed on the Bandstand Revue TV
show for four years in the mid-50s but when her two big
sisters quit to get married Jackie turned to studio
singing. For a while she combined singing demos with
studying music at college. Smart move.
A spell as a solo artist on the Dot label, where she was
known as Robin (her own daughter's name) Ward was a mere
blip in an incredible career. Here are just a few of her
credentials:
Robin/Jackie was the female voice on every recording by
the Partridge Family, both on TV and on record.
She was a regular performer on Shindig! (Robin/Jackie led
the white female trio), the Sonny & Cher Show, the Red
Skelton Show, the Carol Burnett Show and the Danny Kaye
Show.
She was the singing voice of Natalie Wood in the movies
"Inside Daisy Clover" and "The Great Race".
In Pat Boone's record "Speedy Gonzales" Robin/Jackie sang
the part of Speedy.
Robin/Jackie sang back-ups on recordings by Mama Cass,
the Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Nancy
Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Sonny & Cher, etc, etc.
The TV theme songs for "Batman" and "Flipper" were both
sung by Robin/Jackie.
She was the singing voice of Janet Leigh in the movie
"American Dream" and of Cindy Bear in "Hey There, It's
Yogi Bear!".
Robin/Jackie has sung in over 800 movies and in countless
TV commercials making her one of the most prolific
voice-over artsits of all time.
Jackie had a great talent for sounding younger than she
really was, which is why she masqueraded as her own
daughter for her solo recordings. When "Wonderful Summer"
hit the charts she felt unable to promote the record on
TV because, although she sounded 16, she didn't look it
and felt that her teenage fans would be disappointed.
Jackie was a woman of extreme good looks but her picture
did not appear at all on her "Wonderful Summer" LP. The
album is one of the lost treasures of the girl-group era
and was re-released on CD in Japan some years back.
MICK PATRICK
Message: 6
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 20:35:57 -0500
From: John Clemente
Subject: I Wonder
Hello All,
In response to the subject of where "I Wonder" was
recorded, this would tie in with what I was told by
Barbara Alston when she said that The Crystals continued
to record with Phil, but not in California. La La was
the only one flying back and forth. At least this is
what I was led to believe from La La when she stated
that all her leads were cut separately. In other
interviews she talks about her trips to California,
relating her shopping trips with Cher.
Regards,
John Clemente
Message: 7
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 23:06:42 -0000
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Skirt the issue
Don Charles:
>....I'm practically beside myself with joy at hearing
>rare Ellie demos like the original "I'll Try Anything"
Reading this brings to mind a little cut of 60s kitsch:
After checking out Dusty's "I'll Try Anything" in one of
those anechoic listening booths that resembled a
space-age hairdryer (styles were BIG those days) I was
sufficiently smitten to purchase a copy. Imagine my
surprise on reading the following, neatly inserted into
the 7" sleeve:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SENSATIONAL POP MINI-SKIRT
EXCLUSIVE TO THE PURCHASERS OF
"I'LL TRY ANYTHING" Records or Music
In beautiful white material specially printed with the
words and music of Dusty Springfield's latest hit record
"I'll Try Anything"
Only 15/- each (Including Postage & Packing)
*Normal price if available to the public at least 22/6*
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A maximum skirt length of 24" precluded placing an
order, but somebody must have? And did this fate
befall any other classic songs of the 60s?
And if anybody is wondering what planet I'm on, the
evidence is posted to the Photos area in a folder
called "I'll Try Anything order coupon".
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/lst
Message: 8
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 17:01:58 EST
From: Ron Buono
Subject: Re: Rydell's backing singers
In a message dated 11/4/0, spectropop writes:
> I have a nagging but vague memory that I asked this
> question on Spectropop a long time ago, and that
> somebody had an answer--something along the line of,
> it was these three middle-aged matrons who used to do
> needlepoint between takes. Something real surprising
> like that.
Hi Jack-
I believe it was I who had asked that question a while
back, and I too was quite surprised to hear about the
black trio of matrons who always sounded like white
teeny-boppers to me! Now, can anyone tell us who the girl
group was on Del Shannon's "Little Town Flirt", "Too Many
Teardrops" and other tracks? They were as good or better
than many of the gal groups of that time. Dont'cha think?
RON
Message: 9
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 18:19:01 -0700
From: "Joseph Scott"
Subject: Re: Tim Rose
Rose has a great voice -- he wasn't the first to record
either Bonnie Dobson's song "Morning Dew" or Fred
Hellerman and Fran Minkoff's song "Come Away Melinda,"
but his versions of these two songs were very influential
on other artists.
Joseph Scott
Message: 10
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 04:39:13 -0000
From: Cass
Subject: Yellow Balloon
Hello,
I just now have had the time to read through many of
the posts on this board and saw a few about the band
"Yellow Balloon".
Just wanted to pass along the url to a site all about
that Amazing band!!
www.geocities.com/yellownoollab
Many Smiles,
Cass
Message: 11
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 10:46:40 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mick Patrick
Subject: ELLIE IN THE FLESH
Greetings,
Yowzah! The stream of epistles from MIKE RASHKOW
continues to enthrall us all. With the interest in all
things ELlIE GREENWICH-related rekindled by the Brill
Tone bootleg CDs and A & E's Hitmakers documentary,
Rashkowski's recollections could not be more well timed.
And hey, this guy knows how to DISH. My only concern is
that we are keeping him away from his golf.
The tracks "IN THE FLESH" and "MAN OVERBOARD" on the
eponymous 1976 debut album by BLONDIE feature
backing-vocals by Ellie Greenwich, Hilda Harris and Micki
Harris. One cannot help but presume that "Micki" Harris
and Ellie's 1960s pal "Mikie" Harris of the Rag Dolls/Les
Girls are one and the same person.
More on LES GIRLS: the plug-side of Laurie 3368, "I
STILL LOVE YOU", was written by Mikie Harris and Mike
Lendell (aka Rashkow). The arranger was Pete Dino and the
producer credits read: "A Mikiemike Music Prod. Prod. by
Mike Rashkow". Mike tells me that the lead vocals were
by Mikie and he and she were not yet married at the time.
It's a great track and I think the only reason we didn't
use it on the 1984 "Where The Girls Are" LP or the 1993
"Kiss'n'Tell" CD (which I compiled from the comfort of a
hospital bed!) is that EMI (who now own the Laurie label)
were unable to locate a mastertape.
Right, it's about time I got back to listening to
"CHICO'S GIRL" by BERNADETTE PETERS. Backing-vocals on
this 1980 track are by ... wait for it, wait for it ...
Ellie Greenwich and Mikie Harris. Barry Mann plays on it,
too.
MICK PATRICK
Message: 12
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 09:56:48 EST
From: Mike Rashkow
Subject: Re: Brute Force
David Ponak writes:
> Artists performing include Brute Force,
Wow, Brute Force lives. Did not know that. Wrote some
very unique stuff in the late sixties. Was on Columbia,
where they gave him a real good shot-possibly two albums,
and then Hank Medress from the Tokens produced a live
(live in the studio thing) with him. My favorite was "In
Jim's Garage" on the first album.
But more to the point for the Spectropop group is that
Ellie G. Mikie H and Jeannie T did all the backgrounds
on that first album and do they souund good or what??
I would also offer that if you want to hear them at their
background best, find a copy of "S.O.S. Heart In Distress"
on Cameo, it was produced by Richie Cordell (later of
Joan Jett fame) and Beau Gentry (who seems to be off the
radar for a long time). Artie Butler did the charts. When
you listen to "the girls" on this one check out Jeannie
up in the stratosphere nailing some notes that only dogs
usually can hear. The parts were overdubbed in Bell
Sound Studio C. I was the button pusher on the date, and
it is etched in my memory.
S.O.S. is still one of my all time personal top ten
records. Artie Butler wrote a little morse code kind of
thing done with (I think) guitar doubled with
glockenspiel that was the repetitious figure in the chart.
Very unique. Record didn't make it. I always thought
someone would re-do it and get a hit......
I'm takin' on hurt it's comin' in waves baby.
I'm sinkin' so fast and I'm so afraid--someone save me.
I can see pictures of my whole love story goin' down down down
I can see heartbreak and it's headed straight for me goin' down down down
Just like a ship that's lost in a stormy sea,
baby I need help-oh won't you rescue me.
S.O.S Heart In Distress
S.O.S Heart In Distress
Not Cynthia Weil or Carol Bayer Sager, but not too shabby.
Message: 13
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 23:53:51 -0000
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Mirrors Of Your Mind
Mike Rashkow:
>The recent contact with the Spectropop group motivated me
>to go back to the archives and confirm some information.
So did I, and came up with your DRC recording of
"Mirrors Of Your Mind", an uncharacteristic Teddy
Randazzo tune. It may have taken 34 years, but it has
really grown on me! It always annoyed me that you didn't
fix the bass glitch on the first repeat chorus. Neat
phasing though. Who are all the vocals? Flipside
arranged by Sy Klopps, really!! - that's the one eyed
like to know more about?
>....the final mix on RDMH....
>As God is my witness, she played it, took it off the
>turntable and threw it across the room---absolutely
>distraught.
Yes, I can imagine. I learned very early on never ever
to have the songwriter present during the arrangement or
the mix - unless, of course, they were the artist....and
even then... (runs for cover)
Message: 14
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 02:46:12 -0500
From: "Paul Payton"
Subject: Dontiki, Fugs, Girard, Wisner, Ward, Force
Catching up on stuff....
Beware: Flash pages on Dontiki site (www.dontiki.com)
hijacked my navigation toolbars; you can't get out of it
unless you use ctrl-alt-del. Not very nice surprise,
folks, although the graphics were a treat....
Re: The Fugs, guess what's online: www.thefugs.com!
Their stuff's in print, too.
Re: Chuck Girard - his Christian group's first album
"Love Song" (eponymous, I believe) got airplay on
hippie-progressive radio (at the time) WHCN in Hartford,
CT, especially "Feel The Love," very Beach Boysy and
beautiful - the message was subtle enough to get away
with on left-wing mainstream radio.
Re: Jimmy Wisner didn't quite "disappear"; I met him a
couple of years ago at Taylor Made Studios in Caldwell,
NJ, producing the "comeback" album for Tommy James on
Aura. It's worth checking out - there are some
surprisingly deep Beach Boys-type sounds on it.
Nice to have you aboard, Mike Rashkow. And folks who
know '50's music as well will pick up that Tony
Pass[alaqua] was the lead voice of the Fascinators
("Chapel Bells"/"Oh, Rose Marie"), wasn't he? Two NYC
group harmony classics!
Re: Robin Ward - "Wonderful Summer" is a masterpiece;
wish I knew more of her output. Question: were she and
Dale Ward (he had "A Letter From Sherry" also on Dot
around the same time, '63) related? (And who did the
voice of "Sherry" on the Dale Ward 45?)
Re: Brute Force - David Ponak, commendations on playing
his music! "Confections of Love" has two of my favorite
songs - "To Sit On A Sandwich" and "No Olympian Height"
- sort of Broadway on Acid. Brute (aka Stephen Friedland)
is still alive and well; he is selling some boutique
pressings of some unreleased work, including the
notorious Apple 45 "King of Fuh." Not the Warner
Brothers stuff though, but "Adam and Evening" is worth
checking out in any format. Irwin Chusid did 90 minutes
live with him a coupla months back on WFMU; many
programs are archived at www.wfmu.org - perhaps this one
is. Anyone interested in the recent CD's can contact me
off-list for his e-mail address (no website yet).
Country Paul
Message: 15
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 05:31:37 -0000
From: Billy G. Spradlin
Subject: Re: Searchers Each Time
> And by the way, have you ever heard The Searchers'
> Spectorized version of "Each Time"? It ROCKS!
Oh I LOVE that version, first time I heard that song -
It's hard to believe Pye or (Kapp in the USA) never
released it as a single. The Searchers (or Producer Tony
Hatch) went through a "Spector" period in 65-66 where
they played everything with tons of reverb and valve
compressed the final mix to the point of distortion - it
sounds great nevertheless.
Billy
Message: 16
Date: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 02:04:24 EST
From: Brian Chidester
Subject: L.A. Spector Lovers
> Who besides me lives in LA?
I live in the Valley.
> Any interest in a Spectropop get together?
Very much so. Didn't Spector live behind Ben Franks on
the Sunset Strip? It is called Mel's Diner now. I think
out of the "American Grafitti"/"Happy Days" nostalgia,
more than anything, but that would be a cool place to
have some lunch -- at the foot of the old Spector mansion.
I'm in.
Brian Chidester
Message: 17
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 09:29:47 -0500
From: "Vlaovic B"
Subject: Sam the Record Man
> When other chains such as HMV came in and glossed up
> their stores, Sam's stood idly by, figuring they were
> the mecca no matter what and it cost them. Their
> renovations came too little too late, the e-tailing
> for the future was haphazard, and shut down and they
> never recovered.
Well, yes, but I think in a designer world the shambolic
charm of Sams Yonge Street location is one of the reasons
it was and remains so special. The hipper than hip HMV
store just doesn't stock anywhere close to what Sams had.
I liked the fact that the store's interior really hadn't
changed in years. Their suburban locations (hell, I'd
even say the Yonge-St. Clair location) were just dull,
and I'd offer that they dragged the whole chain down.
They were not even remotely interesting; but then again
that's probably what the suburban crowd is looking for.
But the Yonge Street location always seemed to have a lot
of turnover of stock, even the obscure stuff. Often I'd
pick up what I wanted but see some other htf releases
that I'd target to buy on my next trip (say a week or so).
I couldn't belive how many times I'd return and they'd be
gone! So the obscure stuff was selling too. And as I
recall their website was pretty heavily promoted, was
very well set up, but just didn't fly. But I don't think
that's a unique situation.
I'd like to think the Yonge Street store will remain in
operation, surely there must be a somewhat larger market
out there with the recent demise of Tower Records at
Yonge and Queen. (actually Tower would have been my
second choice in the city so it too is mourned) Kops &
Vortex on Queen is great, but it seems a little daunting;
always staffed by 'High Fidelity' types and not
encouraging to endless browsing. I like the anonymity of
Sams; you can wander for hours and no one really notices,
you're just another audio-geek wasting away an afternoon.
And as for the cigar smoking clerks, that's one aspect
they've left far behind. Now it's a tatooed and pierced
crowd behind the counters, who surprisingly are
non-judgemental. Example; once sheepishly buying a
volume of 'Here Come the Girls' CD, the Gen Y clerk, told
me how cool he thought the series was! Amazing, and I
expected him to sneer because I wasn't buying something a
little more au courant.
N
Message: 18
Date: Sun, 04 Nov 2001 16:37:32 -0500
From: Warren Cosford
Subject: SAM THE RECORD MAN
Hi Folks
I "run" a number of free subscription information
exchange e-mail "Lists" including The Radio Interest
List and The Music Interest Lists. We have a few
hundred "subscribers" many of whom are Canadian.
I lived and worked in Toronto for 17 years and know The
Sniderman Family fairly well. I think they would
appreciate reading some of the recent posts in
Spectropop about "Sam's". I've sent them onto The Lists
and encouraged members to write some "eulogies" of
their own before next Sunday. I'll post to The Lists
on Monday and make sure Sam and Jason receive copies.
Cheers
Warren Cosford
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