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Spectropop V#0197

  • From: The Spectropop Group
  • Date: 12/21/98

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       Volume #0197                       December 21, 1998   
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        Demonstrated at all dealers the 28th of each month    
    
    
    
    
    
    Subject:     Dion
    Sent:        12/19/98 10:23 pm
    Received:    12/21/98 6:50 am
    From:        goran.kraft, goran.kXXXXXXXXet.se
    To:          'spectrXXXXXXXXties.com', spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    I've just joined this list (after recommendations given on the 
    very active and enjoyable Jonathan Richman e-mail-list) and I'm 
    delighted with all the good music being discussed here.
    
    Anyone interested in Dion should visit:
    New site : http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Basement/9489/
    
    index.html
    
    And this time of year Dion's "Rock'n'roll Christmas" is essential 
    listening!
    
    Best regards/ Goran Kraft
    
    
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    Subject:     from Carol K
    Sent:        12/16/98 4:34 am
    Received:    12/16/98 7:32 am
    From:        Carol Kaye, carolXXXXXXXXlink.net
    To:          Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    John, I'm still reading people's posts, and am amazed at how much 
    people know out there about so many hits. We were just sitting in 
    the studios creating those records, but knew what all our bunch of
    350 or so studio musicians, what they were doing, with other 
    recordings. Still the public amazes me, their data, etc.
    
    Yes, I was one of the bass players on Tina's "River Deep Mountain 
    High", but at Gold Star Recorders. Ray Pohlman also played Fender 
    Bass on that, and they had a Dano, as well as a string bass. The 
    studio (as I remember) was VERY crowded both in the booth and in 
    the main studio itself. We liked the arrangement, Tina was in the 
    vocal booth singing (altho' I suspect they added the final vocals 
    on later, as Phil would normally do).
    
    I always saw Darlene Love and usually the Blossoms with her also 
    on the studio dates with Phil Spector, didn't matter the singer/
    group, they were always there. So am pretty sure it's Darlene and 
    Blossoms and maybe some others too like Clydie King, one of the 
    Holloways, Brenda and Pat. You saw them around in those years too,
    constantly as well as some fine other singers, Jackie Ward, and 
    Gracia Nitzsche (Jack's wife at that time).
    
    Even Cher as I understand it, could have sung some background, but
    she was NOT a regular background studio singer at all, that's a 
    highly professional fine career -- you have to be one of the 
    greatest singers of all time to be a successful studio singer, be 
    able to sight-read music, etc. and have a ton of live singing 
    experience to do that line of work. While I love Cher as a person,
    played on their things, and she's a fine actress, well.....you get 
    it I'm sure.
    
    So not sure about who later added their voices, but know that 
    Darlene Love had to be one of them for sure, she was Phil's 
    mainstay vocalist.
    
    The list that someone posted: Vogues, Ronettes, Animals, Paul 
    Revere, Crystals, Righteous Bros., and Dusty Springfield -- those 
    are the groups/singers I recorded with fairly constantly.
    
    Am playing bass on "Soul & Inspiration" for instance, guitar tho' 
    on a few as I was a studio guitarist since 1957 (Sam Cooke, 
    Ritchie Valens etc.) then accidentally picked up the Fender Bass 
    when someone didn't show up at Capitol Records for a record date 
    one day late 1963 and mostly played bass from then on (was a lot 
    more fun than playing rock guitar, I was a jazz guitarist before 
    studio work in LA, and had built a fine reputation as one so they 
    say, playing in the black clubs mostly, it was very hot back then 
    in LA, not "cool" jazz as they sometimes say).
    
    So there are a lot of early hits I did on guitar first. Anyway, 
    for what it's worth, that's all I know about that particular date 
    with Tina.
    
    We all felt that "River Deep Mountain High" was going to be a 
    blast of a hit, it had that feel. And were surprised when it 
    didn't climb on the charts like the rest of Phil's hits. I think 
    most people in Hollywood were there to watch that date (they were 
    called record dates then, not sessions), at least it felt like it,
    quite a bit of excitement around Phil.
    
    Phil was fun to work for mostly, altho' some of the takes were 
    like anywhere from 20 to almost 30 takes (don't ask me why, don't 
    know, he was experimenting like Brian Wilson later did also in the
    booth, but also there was a sort of "tune pitch", he'd sort of wear
    us out and then we'd pull together for the last 4-5 takes for a 
    final hit take -- you felt it, and he did too). Most record dates 
    had 3-4-5 takes tops with the other artists.
    
    Phil was responsible for a lot of innovations in recording -- the 
    use of earphones, the barriers to cut down on mike leakage, the 
    placement of mikes, uses of the echo systems, and the muting of 
    drums, etc.
    
    He would kid with us on the dates sometimes, and we'd kid back. 
    Sometimes it got a little raucous -- he'd pick on someone's 
    Achilles heel, mostly in fun, but it got a little hairy at a few 
    times, we'd just feed it back to him, and he loved that, the 
    banter and all. Carol Kaye http://www.carolkaye.com/
    
    
    
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    Subject:     Lower the Flame
    Sent:        12/16/98 8:24 am
    Received:    12/17/98 7:48 am
    From:        IAC, ianXXXXXXXXlnet.co.uk
    To:          Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    Hi Doc,
    
    Yes, it was the Shirelles who did "Lower the Flame" - an early track 
    of theirs - writers are Snyder/Kahan/Williams.
    
    Ian Chapman
    
    
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    Subject:     Collectibles and Sue Thompson
    Sent:        12/16/98 2:55 am
    Received:    12/16/98 7:32 am
    From:        Doc Rock, docrXXXXXXXXcom
    To:          Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    
    Some Collectibles CDs may be inferior, but ...
    
    Literally as I was interviewing Sue Thompson for an article a few 
    years ago, my review copy of her Collectibles CD arrived. She had 
    no advance warning about it!
    
    But she loved it, and the sound quality and track selection are 
    excellent.
    
    Doc
    
    
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    Subject:     The Dovers & Blue Things
    Sent:        12/16/98 2:03 pm
    Received:    12/17/98 7:48 am
    From:        Javed Jafri, javedjXXXXXXXXt.ca
    To:          Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    Glad to see other people share my love for "What Am I Gonna Do" by
    the Dovers. I have had it on a "Pebbles" comp for a long time and 
    it's been my favorite from that particular volume ( "It's Cold 
    Outside" by The Choir comes in a close second, though). The 
    singer reminds me of the Buckinghams.
    
    Speaking of obscure psyche/pop. Is anyone familiar with a 
    Midwestern group called The Blue Things. They did a great 
    Beatlesque song called "Pretty Things". Most of their early 
    material is very British Invasion influenced but like the big guys
    they progressed to release some very psychedelic sounding material 
    like "The Coney Island Of Your Mind" and "You Can Live In Our Tree". 
    Perhaps some of this material is a bit contrived but it's 
    interesting to see how even the so-called garage bands evolved and
    went through the various stages from Mersey to folk-rock to 
    psychedelic to burnout. A comp of theirs called "The Blue Things 
    Story" was released on Collectables a few years back.
    
    Javed
    
    
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    Subject:     Will Stos, John Rausch, & "I Wonder"
    Sent:        12/16/98 11:43 am
    Received:    12/17/98 7:48 am
    From:        Jimmy Cresitelli, JimmXXXXXXXXom
    To:          Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com
    
    Hi John,
    
    I was referring to the mix that has that extra "ba-RRUMP RRUMP 
    RRUMP, ba-RRUMP RRUMP RRUMP" at the beginning of "I Wonder" by the
    Ronettes... I believe I first heard it on the mono Ronettes LP, but
    I can't go back and check because my receiver died this week!!! Or,
    am I thinking of the stereo version, which I have on tape?? Either 
    way, I love that beginning.
    
    Hi Will,
    
    Thanks for your input... I guess I have a soft spot in my heart 
    for the Ronettes' version of "I Wonder," because it was the first 
    one I heard... summer of 1970, when I first became attuned to the 
    classics. A woman on my block in Brooklyn GAVE me her copy of 
    Philles 4006... I played "I Wonder" over and over... I also love 
    the Butterflys' version a lot... but the Crystals' side has fallen
    to third place in my opinion: it really IS too much! La La's 
    straining so hard to be heard above that wall of sound... I mean, 
    it's a fantastic record, but Ronnie's cut has been the one to do 
    it for me after all these years. It's got staying power.
    
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