Spectropop - Digest Number 326

• From: Spectropop Group
• Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 05:35:01

                  
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         S  -  P  -  E  -  C  -  T  -  R  -  O  -  P  -  O  -  P         


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        Holiday Greetings to Spectropoppers Throughout the World
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There are 7 messages in this issue of Spectropop.

Topics in this Digest Number 326:

      1. Millennium/Ballroom in New York Times
           From: Robert Bates 
      2. Re: Garry Bonner/Alan Gordon
           From: "Javed Jafri" 
      3. marginal records
           From: "Jack Madani" 
      4. yes sir thats my baby
           From: "Jack Madani" 
      5. Re: Ms Eleanor Greenwich - speedy recovery
           From: Michael Rashkow 
      6. Re: Grady Martin
           From: Michael Rashkow 
      7. Darlene Love's NYC Hunter College Show
           From: "Spectropop Administration" 


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Message: 1
   Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 08:28:34 -0700
   From: Robert Bates 
Subject: Millennium/Ballroom in New York Times

The Millennium/Ballroom album got a little write-up in
the New York Times round-up of box sets in last week's
Arts and Lesiure section. It's hardly a rave, but it's
nice to see Curt and the boys get some publicity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/16/arts/music/16POP.html


[ you must register with NY Times to access this URL. ]


`MAGIC TIME: THE MILLENNIUM/BALLROOM SESSIONS' (Sundazed
11102, three CD's, $34.98). By all accounts, Curt
Boettcher was a perfectionist, a control freak, a
megalomaniac and a fount of unrealistic ambition. In
other words, he was what some call a genius, especially
in the genre of innovative 60's partly sunny psychedelic
soft-pop. With such a temperament, it only makes sense
that his bands didn't last long. Thus, this collection
contains music, most of it long unavailable, from several
different Boettcher groups, chiefly the Millennium and
Ballroom, with additional material from Sagittarius,
Summer's Children and his solo work. The beauty of this
music is the tension between two different impulses:
toward simple, almost cloying soft rock and toward
wickedly meticulous innovation. Imagine Brian Wilson if
he lived near a floral garden instead of the ocean.
Despite some saccharine moments, these CD's (especially
the Millennium disc) are a testament to a master arranger,
composer, musician and producer who left behind a wide
and underappreciated legacy of a dialectical pop that
reveled in the happy, sad and simple complex.
  NEIL STRAUSS

Regards,
Rob B.


--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------


Message: 2
   Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 16:36:00 -0500
   From: "Javed Jafri" 
Subject: Re: Garry Bonner/Alan Gordon

"LePageWeb" wrote:

> ... the songwriting team discovered a group in New
> York called the Rahgoos, and through Koppelman/Rubin they
> inked a deal with Capitol. The group's name was changed
> to Gandalf (from Rahgoos to Gandalf - whatever for???),
> and an album was completed but not released until 1969
> where it promptly fell into obscurity. In 1969, a '67
> psychedelic soft pop album must have seemed completely
> arcane amidst the ever growing stacks of amped up guitar
> bands. There are, however, a number of Bonner/Gordon
> tracks on this album. I've never heard it, but apparently
> it's a big deal in soft pop circles with copies
> exchanging hands for big bucks. I bet others here have
> heard it. Anyone?

I have heard the Gandalf album and posted some info about
it on this very list some years ago. 

[ http://www.spectropop.com/archive/digest/m33.html
]


I still believe that it is a buried treasure and well
worth the effort to seek out. The album is a  psyche-soft
pop-progressive hybrid somewhat like the latter day
Zombies Like the Zombies "Odessey and Oracle" it  was
recorded in 1967 but came out in 1969. Gandalf would not
have heard Odessey and Oracle so their record is a good
example of how totally independent forces in pop music
were moving in the same directions in 1967.

The group got their name from the Wizard in "Lord of The
Rings."

Another obscure psyche-pop record which has received
favorable comparisons to the Zombies is "The Love Cycle"
by Forever Amber. Not quite Sunshine Pop but an enjoyable
listen.


Javed


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Message: 3
   Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 19:17:04 -0500
   From: "Jack Madani" 
Subject: marginal records

So, is there a place where a fella can see tracklists for
albums on the (cough) Marginal label?  I been wondering
about the Crystals and Darlene Love albums especially.

(cough)

jack


--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------


Message: 4
   Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 15:21:20 -0000
   From: "Jack Madani" 
Subject: yes sir thats my baby

Here's what's bothering me about "Yes Sir, That's My
Baby:" I could absolutely SWEAR that I had heard it
before the "artist=date with soul" version that was
posted to the list.  I went back through the spectropop
archives and re-found the posts referring to a release
under the artist name "Hale & The Hushabyes," and that
definitely jogs something in the ol' brainpan; sounds
like the artist name that i remembered.  But then I have
been going through my cd and vinyl collections for the
past few days and I cannot find it anywhere!  Argh! 
Where is it, and how did I hear it?

Any help would be appreciated.  Is it possible someone
can offer a history of this recording and all the places
(legal and otherwise) that it has shown up?  This has
really gotten under my skin.

jack "specs" madani


--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------


Message: 5
   Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 13:36:58 EST
   From: Michael Rashkow 
Subject: Re: Ms Eleanor Greenwich - speedy recovery

Keith Beach writes:

> Can I speak for everyone and ask that you give her a hug
> from all of us in this group. Whether she knows it or not
> she means a lot to us and we need to know she's in good
> health (or getting there).
> 
Sorry to report that I did not make it there. I thought
about it a great deal and decided that I have a
relatively new wife and, good intentions be damned,  why
should I make two women unhappy simultaneously. I think
I've been there--done that. 


--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------


Message: 6
   Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 13:36:57 EST
   From: Michael Rashkow 
Subject: Re: Grady Martin

Spectropop writes:

> Answer?  Nashville based guitar session player Grady
> Martin.

I heard a NPR, All Things Considered segment about Grady
Martin, of whom I was unaware.  He was a major force and
innnovator it seems--according to one musician
interviewed for the broadcast, he was responsible for
accidently inventing "fuzz-tone", when his amp went bad
on---Oh God, if only I could remember the cut. I do know
it his his guitar on Marty Robbins' "El Paso", and the
special character of the sound is said to be incredible
in that he did it on steel strings.

Hey, what do I know, I'm just an innocent bystander
reporting what I heard.  

Rashkovsky


--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------


Message: 7
   Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 10:44:30 +0900
   From: "Spectropop Administration" 
Subject: Darlene Love's NYC Hunter College Show

Posted to Spectropop Bulletin board by Robert Tirado 
 on Sat, 22 Dec 2001

Darlene was magnificent last night. She wore a white
pants outfit and gold sandal type shoes. Her backup of 3
females was augmented by a gospel choir of 6 young people.
She sang most of her hits and closed with Xmas Baby
Please etc.. The theatre was packed and she was ecstatic.
She made moving comments and in particular about her life
in the 80's and the WTC disaster. I had bought a ticket
for my sister Aida as a xmas gift. She loved Darlene's
voice. I have 20 small color handouts of the show I will
send to whomever writes first & sends a self-addressed
envelope. Write first, please so I can advise you if you
are one of the 20. It was a magnificent event!

[ See Robert Tirado's color handout and ad jpeg at the
Spectropop Photo page. It's in the miscellaneous folder.

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/lst
]



--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
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