__________________________________________________________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ S P E C T R O P O P __________ __________ __________ __________________________________________________________ Volume #0199 December 23, 1998 __________________________________________________________ Produced in accordance with the most demanding standardsSubject: "Girls Can Tell" Sent: 12/22/98 5:27 pm Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: Billy G. Spradlin, biXXXXXXXXre.net To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com One of my favorite Crystals songs is "Girls Can Tell" which is on the "Wall of Sound" box set and the ABKCO best-of. Why wasn't this song released as a single in the USA and why did Phil keep it on the shelf so long? Also I have a single by Clydie King called "He Always Comes Back" on Imperial produced by Marshall Lieb. Its a great record. Does anyone have a discography on her? Thanks. Billy G. --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Ronnie Life Sent: 12/22/98 9:36 am Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: R Teyes, RTXXXXXXXXom To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com To All Ronettes/Ronnie Fans: I went to see Ronnie at LIFE here in New York City last Wed. She came out a little late but what a star! She did her Xmas songs, was a lil chubby and her hair was great! The band was good but the system just as good, not excellent. She dialogued with the audience who loved her. A few people kept screaming for old hits and she saved these for the end. I shouted "I love you Ronnie" and she winked at me. After the show, a few of us waited in the cold outside for her and she was gracious but her entourage rushed her into a limo. She is something else!!! Robert Tirado The Ronette Hound --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: answers, CK Sent: 12/23/98 5:31 am Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: Carol Kaye, carolXXXXXXXXlink.net To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com Whew, isn't this Christmas season something? Sorry it took a little time to get back with answers to your questions: Dave, I cut "You Made Me So Very Happy" w/Brenda Holloway (Ernie Freeman arrangement) for Motown; I constantly saw Brenda and her sister Pat (singing on the background of "Feelin' Alright," hit we cut also w/Joe Cocker, Sunset Sound, summer of 1968, was a No. 1 chart record twice, in 2 movies right now), and I also saw Clydie King all over the place during the 60s recording bonanza. I don't know about the Diana Ross purported jealousy, anything could have happened back then. But I do know there was a lot more jealousy surrounding Tammi Terrell (absolutely the finest female singer we recorded Motown LA with in the 60s). The tragedy w/ Tammi was undeniably terrible, that woman could sing. She was a nice lady too. But of course Darlene Love, Fanita, Jeanne, Brenda, Pat, Clydie, and all the rest of the studio singers; that's a huge array of some fine talents. That's all I know as far as any "rumor" goes, we never really saw much "dirt" in our business/studio work, we were all there with our coffee to work -- and at any "party" (sorry, this must come as a blow) we would have (I attended about 4-5 parties over the years, had 2 of my own), we'd usually sit around and talk business as we all had to get up the next day early -- We were not the drug crowd at all, we had work to do. It was sometimes a very dull life but the music and the great talents made it sometimes fun and totally exciting. It was hard work, you "play" your instrument, but it's hard physical work, you play much, much harder and more intense (and invent more, it's an art) on record dates than you ever do playing live. No, never any tension (just on the Disney scores, tough music), just the opposite, you try to stay awake with coffee to be alert and drugs were totally frowned upon in the 60s studios (came into the 70s studios though', but NOT with our bunch). We could cut a hit album in 6 hours. John, I do have my own CDs out (please see my website: http://www.carolkaye.com/books.htm), some jazz and funky stuff like duets with Ray Brown, all good stuff, and I am back out playing some nice jazz concerts now -- I am at the Jazz Bakery Dec. 29th and 30th (best jazz club in LA) with Ray Pizzi, jazz sax legend and the fine Mitch Holder on guitar (studio and jazz player). I used to tour with Joe Pass a bit in the early 70s, and also with the great Hampton Hawes, around the time I was recording with Cannonball Adderly, Joe Williams, Gene Ammons, etc. I was a jazz guitar player in the 50s before studio work, worked a lot w/ Teddy Edwards, Billy Higgins, Jack Sheldon, that bunch. The CDs reflect that plus all the kinds of playing I did in the studios, I have excellent musicians on them. I also produced a fine CD on Joe Pass in 1971. They're all listed there, as well as the 25+ tutorials I wrote and produced, recorded, etc. I've taught music since 1949 but had to stop in the busy 60s. Resumed again in 1969, teaching some of the famous bassists like Dave Hungate, John Clayton etc. Doc, yes I played on Johnny Angel. Fanita (and your ears) would be right I'd say. Don't know for sure, but that makes sense. Yes, probably the Sally Stevens group, they were doing tons of dates too but the singers like Jackie Ward, Ron, etc. were the most-working crews of backup studio singers. I don't want you to think I don't think the world of Cher, and I even stuck up for her singing on "Alfie" when Mel Torme and I got into a discussion about Cher's singing (she did a good job on that), Mel and I laugh about that now. But god bless, he's not been well since his stroke -- we miss him. Wonderful man, huge genius. Cher was not the backup singer that the rest of them were, probably in time she could have been (but she quickly became a star, thanks to Sonny's production genius, yes, he was great in the booth, couldn't pat his foot in time, but knew how to make hit records). Being a studio singer takes a very fine art of reading, blending well, singing perfectly in tune, singing all kinds of styles " together", and lots more techniques, but as I understand it, she did do some backup, just like Phil would have some guitarists (not regular studio guitarists) there for "fun" too -- that's how Mike Post got started, could barely play guitar but now look where he's at. Hope this helps clarify. Best, Carol Kaye http://www.carolkaye.com/ --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: CHER SARKISIAN Sent: 12/22/98 8:03 am Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: CLAUDIA CUNNINGHAM, TXXXXXXXX.net To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com In response to Cher being a session singer for Spector: A number of years ago I read a book by two former aides of Sonny and Cher who told the fascinating tale of a 27 year old Sonny Bono, hungry to get into show biz, go-phering for Spector at the time. He would run errands, bring coffee and sandwiches to the production engineers and crew and do anything he could to get a foot in Spector's organization. Through his own native talents and the ability to soak up everything around him and learn all the tricks of the production trade, he went up in the organization. Spector used him as singer on some of his tunes doing background vocals. One day Sonny brought his then girlfriend, Cher Sarkisian, with him. Cher had an interesting quality to her voice and was the epitome of a diamond in the rough. She was a young, free spirit who wanted to be a star. Spector allowed her to do some hand claps on some of the recordings, but in time Sonny had her audition for Spector and he liked what he heard. Cher sang along with the voluminous "choir" of Spector singers on "Lovin' Feelin", amongst others Spector productions.. Of course, the rest is history. Can anyone out there confirm the bit about Cher singing on the magnificent Righteous Brothers' mega hit, "Lovin' Feelin'? Claudia --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: New girl group Sent: 12/22/98 9:18 am Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: WILLIAM STOS, wXXXXXXXXt.com To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com I've been talking with John Giotto who has put together a new girl group. They're called It's My Party, and the three or four members are all in their teens. They've recorded two singles including " Can't b/w I'd Much Rather Be With The Girls," and "That Boy John b/w The Boy Next Door." An album is currently in the works. Check out their web page by searching using the key words It's My Party. --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- Subject: Sue Thompson's Coke jingles Sent: 12/22/98 11:32 am Received: 12/23/98 9:23 am From: Doc Rock, docrXXXXXXXXcom To: Spectropop List, spectrXXXXXXXXties.com Sue Thompson's Coke jingles were a topic of my recnet interview with her. I sent Sue a tape of her Coke commercials, since she had no copies herself. "The Coke commercials sound a little bit better to me now than they did at the time. When I was first contacted, the Limeliters and a lot of other artists were all going up to New York to do a commercial. Then Coke would use whatever ones they liked the best. David Carrol, with whom I had recorded in Chicago years before, was in New York when my first Coke commercial came up. The hard part of the session came back to meter and my inability to sing right on the beat. The guys in the band got irritated, and we had quite an afternoon, playing the same part over and over while I tried to get it just right. In those days, it was all live. The track was not recorded first, then the vocal later. This was early '60s." Sue's early Coke commercials are great recordings, but they were not tailored to her style, and are neither rock nor country. "Those first Coke commercials were fine. All I sang then was the jingle. They were not doing the ones yet that fit the artist. Later, they came back to me and wanted me to do new ones. I thought, 'Boy, these people are really gluttons for punishment to throw money at this gal again!' "They sent a man to the West Coast to see me. He contacted me and said they wanted to do a commercial based on 'Paper Tiger,' with the 'Paper Tiger' beat. I told them that the only person who I would trust to do that was Joe Allison, who was with Liberty at that time. This was considered unusual, because Joe was not a musician, he was not a singer. but he knew what he heard in his head as far as an artist was concerned. He had never produced me, but I helped him with Jody Miller and we worked together when he was producing Roy Clark. So I wanted him for that commercial. "When the time came to do it, Joe was out of town. So we ended up with Hank Levine producing my commercial. Hank was an arranger who worked with Joe, but he was not Joe. So we did the session. Glen Campbell played guitar on it, friends like Roger Miller stopped to say 'Hi' as they heard I was in town doing Coke commercials. It was odd because Hank and this other guy were so busy talking they left the tape rolling all the time. It was foolishness, but that way they could bill Coke more money. I think that the commercial could have been a work of art with Joe at the helm. It could have been a lot better. Other artists had very clever tie-ins in their songs. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. I was horrified at how it came out. And there was nothing I could do about it. Because the Coke representative had already gone on to Australia to record the Seekers Coke commercials. "Until you sent them to me, I had never heard my Coke commercials. They never sent them to me. Maybe they thought they were so rotten, too, that they didn't want to spread them around! I will say that they do not sound as bad to me now as they did at the time." Doc --------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------- END
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