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His Master's Voice
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There are 7 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 165:
1. Craig Smith
From: Kieron Tyler
2. Can anybody help.....!?
From: Jeffrey Glenn
3. Boys Town (Where My Broken Hearted Buddies Go)
From: "Phil Chapman"
4. Nino & April
From: "Phil Chapman"
5. Nino & April
From: Frank Youngwerth
6. Nino & April (again)
From: Alan Miller
7. RIS
From: John Frank
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Message: 1
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 13:15:26 +0100
From: Kieron Tyler
Subject: Craig Smith
Dear Everyone,
Ron was asking about Craig Smith, here's something I
wrote on him.
All the best, Kieron
Maitreya Kali's two albums Apache and Inca, issued in
1971 and 1972, have homemade sleeves littered with
muddled child-like scrawl suggesting hippy brain damage
and mystical babbling. Even the name Maitreya Kali is
confused: Maitreya is the Buddhist name for the
messiah-to-come while Kali is a Hindu goddess.
Apache and Inca contain a series of affecting and out of
focus songs, ranging from the startling song cycle Knot
The Frieze to aural damage on the Skip Spence level. But
where Spence's Oar was the sound of a fragmented,
post-breakdown mind, Apache and Inca offer a glimpse into
the before and after of a major-league freakout.
In 1967 Maitreya Kali was plain old Craig Smith, a member
of The Penny Arkade, who recorded under the supervision
of Monkee Mike Nesmith. Duly impressed with Smith's
songwriting, The Monkees recorded his Salesman for their
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones album. Another of
Smith's compositions, "Holly", turned up on Andy Williams'
1967 album Love, Andy. Through Capitol producer Nick
Venet he entered The Beach Boys inner circle - Mike Love
is heard on Apache's version of Salesman. Smith was also
in the Capitol Records duo Chris and Craig, and had links
with Glenn Campbell, Neil Young and Frank Zappa.
Smith's future as a mover in L.A.'s pop scene seemed
assured, but something went wrong. Monkees producer Chip
Douglas met him in 1971: "He was spaced out and had come
back from Peru and had an album he was selling hand to
hand. He had a spider tattooed in the middle of his
forehead. He was just a nice kid, a nice American boy. To
see him years later it was pretty bizarre. He said,
'Remember me, I used to be Craig Smith.' He was pretty
trippy."
The two albums mix group performances from around 1967
with later solo, acoustic musings. The former are
top-notch examples of West Coast pop-psychedelia, pitched
between country-style Monkees and Neil Young's songs for
The Buffalo Springfield - the shimmering Color Fantasy
could pass as a Springfield outtake. The solo songs,
although conventionally structured, are intense, creepy
odes documenting lost love and estrangement.
"Music does bring violence and wonderful things happen"
he sings on I'm Walkin' Solo. Whatever it was that
happened to Craig Smith, it certainly wasn't wonderful.
Kieron Tyler.
Thanks to Andrew Sandoval.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 20:24:47 -0000
From: Jeffrey Glenn
Subject: Can anybody help.....!?
Hi everyone,
I have a couple of 45's that I'm trying to find some
information on, and hopefully someone here in this forum
of great knowledge of all cool 60's music (and more) can
help out. It would definitely be greatly appreciated!
By the way, a scan of the labels of both 45's are at
http://www.geocities.com/theretrosla/spectropop.html
The first 45 is "Talk With Me"/"In The 70's" by St.
Niklus on Twin Artist Records TA-5001. The A-side is a
terrific folk/rock tune; the B-side an instrumental.
I've never even heard of this label before; nor is there
an address on the label. My guess on when this was
released would be 1966, but I'd like to know for sure.
The other single is actually a Bell Sound Studios acetate
dated 5/9/66. One side is a pop ballad (with a bit of a
pre-British Invasion feel) called "Cry I Will Tonight";
the other a good uptempo mid-60's pop tune (with a slight
garage undercurrent a la some fuzztone mixed low in the
track) called "Plan My Life." Does anyone know who this
is? The 2-part harmonized lead vocals on the B-side
sounds like a younger, sweeter Everly Brothers (though of
course, it's not).
I need the information so that I can add these tracks to
my Lost Jukebox series of compiling good (and often great!)
obscure 45's from 1964-72 (anyone interested in more info
can e-mail me privately).
Thank you very much to anyone who can help out here!
Jeffrey Glenn
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 16:15:56 +0100
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Boys Town (Where My Broken Hearted Buddies Go)
>And let's not forget "I Love
> How You Love Me" (complete with bagpipes!), "Coldest
> Night Of The Year" ("OK?" "Why not?"), Nino's "Boys' Town",
> April's "Wanting You" and "Teach Me Tiger". No doubt
> about it, they were one class act!!
Agreed Ian, and more mention should be made of "Boys Town
(Where my Broken Hearted Buddies Go)" - This is Brian
Wilson meets Phil Spector, superbly executed by Nino. It
has it all: a teen-anguish lyric set to a melody as
poignant as "God Only Knows", featuring counterpoint
vocals underpinned by the churning drive of a
Spector-style production. The backing track flip is great
listening by itself alone. I know the 'serious' musicians
amongst us don't always favour these 'commercial'
productions, but they surely must appreciate that some of
these single-minded production jobs convey as much, if
not more abstract emotion as any outstanding virtuoso
performance. I think it is a credit to Nino Tempo that he
took his pop endeavours as seriously as his jazz output,
and consequently created a few gems that are still sought
after today.
As an aside, the Varese stereo dub of "All Strung Out"
seems to be straight from the master tape, and sounds a
little dull compared to the "Best Of..." cut which has
been EQ'd to be more like the original 45.
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 16:27:18 +0100
From: "Phil Chapman"
Subject: Nino & April
Alan Zweig:
> I can't think of another
> pop tune which incorporates bagpipes so well.
Worth hearing too is the UK cover by Paul & Barry Ryan -
complete with, you guessed it - bagpipes!
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 18:27:29 EDT
From: Frank Youngwerth
Subject: Nino & April
I think what makes this duo's re-makes of standards (my
two favorites are "Tea for Two" and "My Old Flame") so
lasting in their appeal is that they show a surprising
amount of respect for both the (old) material and (young)
listener. Even though the arrangements seem to follow a
formula, each one must have taken a lot of thought and
preparation (except, maybe, for "Deep Purple," that
appears to have been in part improvised on the date).
They're hardly what you'd call filler. For a pre-Beatles
teen act, Nino and April had an awful lot of musical
experience and integrity.
Frank Youngwerth
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Message: 6
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 04:48:47 -0400
From: Alan Miller
Subject: Nino & April (again)
>if you like the "all strung out" title you are bound to like the
>similarly Spector-ish "i can't go on living (without you
>baby)" (which in my opinion is better than all strung out)
Except what i should have said was "the habit of loving
you". Doh! Which actually reminds me of another question.....
On the Sequel Records comp "Girls Don't Come" there is a
version of "You've lost that loving feelin'" by Brit girl
Barbra Ann which is quite amazing.
Does anyone know of any other titles by her?
Hush.
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Message: 7
Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 22:41:17 -0700
From: John Frank
Subject: RIS
Mick Patrick, in a recent post, mentioned Ris Chantelle
of the early 70s UK girl group the Chantelles. Wasn't
there a "Ris" in the Lana Sisters, the group Dusty first
sang with? Ris is such an odd name, I just had to ask if
it might be the same "Ris".
I also want to mention that it's such a thrill to have
Mick Patrick on the list -- I've been in awe of your
knowledge for years -- ever since the days of "That Will
Never Happen Again." (Any chance of reviving that??) I
see ou're keeping yourself busy with deep involvement
with girl-group/female vocalist anthologies. How do *I*
get a job like that?!
John Frank
--------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]--------------------
End
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