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Entertainment for everyone
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There are 10 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 291:
1. Go AIP with Robin Ward (and Donna Loren)
From: "Jack Madani"
2. five questions
From: Jeff Lemlich
3. Girl Group Gems "Soul to Surf"
From: LePageWeb
4. Sal Trimachi
From: "Don Charles"
5. Fifth Estate question
From: Jeff Lemlich
6. Noses Run In The Family
From: James Botticelli
7. Susie Forgive Me
From: Jeff Lemlich
8. Intentionally deleted
By: "Spectropop Administration"
9. Re: Gary Usher and Joanie Sommers
From: "Frank Wright"
10. Re: Joanie Sommers, actress
From: Frank Wright
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 10:19:48 -0500
From: "Jack Madani"
Subject: Go AIP with Robin Ward (and Donna Loren)
>Robin Ward was the singing voice of
>Linda Evans in the 1965 A.I.P. movie Beach Blanket Bingo.
>Thank God!! The future Dynasty star lip-synced to
>Robin's recordings of "New Love" and "Fly Boy".
>Unfortunately these performances were never commercially
>released but Donna Loren's versions of both songs can be
>found on her recently released Collectables CD "The Very
>Best Of Donna Loren".
Yeah, but I'm afraid Donna's after-the-fact recordings
don't nearly do justice to the movie versions. Even her
own track from BBB, "It Only Hurts When I Cry," is a
re-recording with a different instrumental arrangement
from what was in the movie. And while the lp version of
"Cry" is pretty damn hip (it very much has the air of the
T-Bones' "No Matter What Shape Your Stomach's In"), it
pales when compared with the glorious wall of sound that
was in the movie. Hey, the movie version can practically
bring me to tears--and I'm not even peelin' onions!
BTW, I used to think that the movie Beach Blanket Bingo
has the very best set of recordings of any of the AIP
flicks. I still think that the highlights of BBB are the
best ever (New Love, Fly Boy, It Only Hurts When I Cry, I
Think You Think, I'll Never Change Him, and the title
song), but I now think that, for overall high
quality--and this includes all the incidental background
music, not just the sung songs--Ski Party would have to
take the prize. The songs are good, the Hondells sing
several of the featured tunes, and Gary Usher takes care
of all the incidental music with what sounds like the
Wrecking Crew doing all the playing. Plus (IIRC) there's
a Bob Crewe tune thrown down in the middle of the flick
for good measure.
Pulling out all the great music from Beach Blanket Bingo
and Ski Party, and putting it onto one cd. Now, THERE'S
a task worthy of some good bootlegger's time.
>This information comes from Stephen J. McParland's
>beachtastic book "It's Party Time: A Musical
>Appreciation of the Beach Party Film Genre".
What a beacherrific book. Well worth owning. Covers not
just the AIP flicks, but the similarly
beachy/hotroddy/teen-oriented flicks put out by other
studios.
jack
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:16:34 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: five questions
(1) Who were the Brigands? Artie and Kris Resnick share
writer's credits, and I have a feeling it's them on the
record, perhaps joined by Kenny "Seagulls/Squirrels/San
Francisco Earthquake" Young.
(2) Who were the Pepsi-Tones... and how did a Van McCoy
tune end up on a Pepsi-Cola giveaway record, on a St.
Louis label?
(3) Who is the female voice on "How Can I Ever Find A
Way" by the Fifth Estate?
(4) Were The Zebra on Philips really the Lemon Pipers?
The Paul Leka connection is a hint, but the vocals sound
similar to my ears as well. "MISS ANNE" was a hit song
in Sarasota, Florida in 1968!
(5) One more Van McCoy question -- who was THE STATE
DEPT. on Abbott Records?
Jeff Lemlich
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 11:04:08 +0900
From: LePageWeb
Subject: Girl Group Gems "Soul to Surf"
Hello all,
Many of us have seen Girl Group Gems "Soul to Surf"
advertised on Donna Loren's website.
It's released by "Red-Bird Entertainment" and features
the Red Bird record company logo. It's not in the local
Tower or Virgin.
Red Bird??? I'm pretty sure none of the tracks on the CD
are/were Red Bird masters. What gives?
Has anyone got this CD yet? If so, how about a little
review? The CD only has 15 tracks on it. One has to
wonder why. The total time of the disc must only be
about 36:00 or so. Well, the price is only $15, the same
as an autographed glossy 8X10 of Donna Loren with NO
music, so I guess it's fair enough.
Here is the line up:
Because of You - Erlene and Her Girlfriends
Dream World - Donna Loren
Cryin' On My Pillow - Dorothy Berry
He's My Boyfriend - Kriss Anderson
Better Be Ready - Annette
He's A Big Deal - Renee Medina
You're So Fine - Dorothy Berry
Muscle Bustle - Donna Loren
The Perfect Boy - Annette
Big Talkin' Jim - The Blossoms
Cassanova - Erlene and her Girlfriends
Little Bit Of Soap - Yvonne Carroll
Hard To Get - The Blossoms
Cross My Heart - Yvonne and the Violets
I Gotta Tell It - The Blossoms
Redbird Entertainment RB-CD-1960
Jamie
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Message: 4
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 18:56:26 +0000
From: "Don Charles"
Subject: Sal Trimachi
>Can anyone tell me more about Sol Trimachi? I know he
>also wrote "123 Red Light" for the 1910 Fruitgum Company,
>but that's about it.
He was one of the Kasentetz-Katz stable of writer/
producers. One other song I know of that he wrote was
"Here She Comes," which was recorded by Dusty Springfield.
Don Charles
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 00:36:48 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Fifth Estate question
Last night I asked who the female voices were, on the
Fifth Estate track "How Can I Ever Find A Way".
According to the notes on the CD, it was an unissued
single... but just this morning I saw a playlist from a
Northern soul event, and a song with that title was
listed. It turns out to be that very song.
So that "unissued" song is actually "How Can I Ever Find
A Way" by Carol & Gerri on MGM. Now if we can find out
who Carol & Gerri were - - perhaps Carol Drobnicki from
Reparata & The Delrons??? Does anyone know?
Jeff Lemlich
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Message: 6
Date: Sat, 10 Nov 2001 10:18:06 EST
From: James Botticelli
Subject: Noses Run In The Family
In a message dated 11/10/01, Jan K writes:
> "Your nose is gonna grow" can be found on Marginal:Girls
> girls girls vol 15. Theme "if you lie the bogeyman will
> get you and your nose is gonna grow" Jan K
perhaps lifted from Johnny Crawford's "Your Nose Is Gonna
Grow" which contains the exact same lyric
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Message: 7
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:30:27 -0000
From: Jeff Lemlich
Subject: Susie Forgive Me
--- In Spectropop, "Spector Collector" wrote:
> Al Quaglieri calls Kenny Karen's "Susie Forgive Me" "one
> of the most hilarious teen death records ever made," and
> although even I loosely categorize it in the "death
> records" category, it fits more neatly into the
> "near-death" genre a la "Endless Sleep": not only does
> Kenny not kill Susie here, even his crippling her turns
> out to be only temporary.
---
I just came across this in the archives, so sorry about
being months late in replying, but... this IS a death
song... since the police officer shoots "Johnny", and
quoting the lyrics: "she ran right out into the street,
and Johnny cried out, dying at her feet".
I featured this on a countdown of some of my favorite
death songs last year. Number one was that
death-by-lightning, everyone-thinks-
it's-a-wedding-but-it's-really-a-funeral tune, "Jimmy
Love" by Cathy Carroll... edging out the ever-popular
death by marijuana classic "Johnny Ander" by Gayle Haness.
Jeff Lemlich
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Message: 8
Intentionally deleted.
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Message: 9
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 03:21:53 -0000
From: "Frank Wright"
Subject: Re: Gary Usher and Joanie Sommers
--- In spectropop "Ron Weekes" wrote:
> Working with Joanie Sommers was the first thing Gary did
> when he arrived at Columbia Records in late 1966. He
> finished up two songs, It Doesn't Matter Anymore and
> Take A Broken Heart (both started by Bob Mersey) that
> wound up being Joanie's last single at Columbia. As
> Usher states in Stephen J McParland's biography, "it was
> just a matter of finishing off what he [Bob] had already
> started." The single was released on Columbia 4-43950
> in December 1966.
Thanks for the info. I have been trying to track down
this disc to complete my Joanie Sommers collection for
years. I tried ordering it when it was released, but was
told that it was unavailable. I never saw it listed in
any auctions or set sales in Goldmine. I finally came to
the conclusion that it was unreleased, or at best, a very
limited release. If anybody owns a copy, I would sure
love to hear it. Please contact me. BTW, both of these
songs are songs that Rick Nelson sang in the soundtrack
of the ABC Stage 67 TV production of "On The Flip Side".
All songs in the show were written by Bacharach/David. I
have always wanted to hear Joanie's versions of these
songs.
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Message: 10
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 03:37:07 -0000
From: Frank Wright
Subject: Re: Joanie Sommers, actress
--- In Spectropop, Jane Wade wrote:
> Who produced Joanie Sommers "One Boy"? Anyone know?
>
> Heaven!
"One Boy" was produced by The Big Sound of Don Ralke.
Ralke is credited for doing the instr. overdubs on Jan &
Arnie's "Jennie Lee", before moving to Warner Bros. to
produce some of that label's early hits by Ed Kookie
Byrnes, Connie Stevens, Tab Hunter, Dick & Dee Dee, and
of course Joanie Sommers. I like his Big Sound. Not
quite as big as Spector achieved, but pretty cool for
1959-60.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
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