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The Exciting NEW Way to Enjoy the Music You Want
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There are 13 messages in this issue of Spectropop.
Topics in this Digest Number 420:
1. Spectropop is an interesting group
From: Richard Hattersley
2. Re: The Matchmakers
From: "Jeff Lemlich"
3. Re: MATCHMAKERS
From: Michael Sinclair
4. Jackie DeShannon: new issue and CD available
From: Will George
5. Re: Philwit release on RPM
From: Michael Sinclair
6. Jimmie Rodgers, Hugo & Luigi
From: "Paul Payton"
7. Hazan - Composer Research - Help?
From: Rex Strother
8. Re: The Grape
From: Bobby Lloyd Hicks
9. The Grape and Regional Hits
From: "Javed Jafri"
10. Thanx again, Jeff
From: Bob Rashkow
11. Harry Nilsson?
From: Mark Frumento
12. Re: NewVoice-Excerpt
From: Leonardo Flores
13. Globetrotters LP
From: Frank Youngwerth
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 00:23:21 +0000
From: Richard Hattersley
Subject: Spectropop is an interesting group
Hi everyone.
I have just joined this group, and I am finding the posts
to be very interesting and educational. I'm only 27 and
was not there for all the great music you discuss, but I
reckon I know more about 60s music than anyone else my age!!
It's a pleasure to read posts from Mark Wirtz too. Wow!
I'm not a whizz on Marks music but of course I know all
his biggies. Brilliant records. I play "My White Bicycle"
on my CD during the breaks in my gigs and some times
people come and ask "what was that" cos they have dug it
so much.
Anyway I have a question: Does anybody know what musicians
played on Del Shannon's recordings (BIG TOP AND AMY MALA
ONES). I know max crook played his musitron. I am
intersted in this sort of thing. Carol Kaye says she
remembers playing on some of his Snuff Garrett dates for
Liberty but not the others. I believe they were all
produced by Harry Balk. Is that correct? Is he still
alive? What does he do now? The production on Stranger in
Town is pseudo Spector - I love it.
anyway, thanks!
Richard Hattersley
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:21:09 -0500
From: "Jeff Lemlich"
Subject: Re: The Matchmakers
> Luis Suarez wrote:
> Wooly Wooly Watsgong (R. Lindt/Bigsby/M. Antony) b/w
> Tell Me A Secret (M. Antony/Bigsby)
This got a U.S. release! I have it right here in front of
me:
Chapter One 45-2906 THE MATCHMAKERS - Wooly Wooly
Watsgong/Tell Me A Secret
Jeff Lemlich
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 19:45:00 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Sinclair
Subject: Re: MATCHMAKERS
--- Luis Suarez wrote:
> Thank you so much for your recollections regarding the
> Matchmakers. When was the last time you heard those
> songs?
30 years ago - honestly.
> The Matchmakers tracks hold up better than you would
> think, especially considering how quickly they were
> written and recorded.
Cool! I'm happy to hear it. Like I said before, even though
the whole Matchmakers things was a bit of a scam in the
sense that there were no real "Matchmakers," the recordings
were done with genuine enthusiasm and sincerety. You know,
in a way, that stuff reminds me of "Spinal Tap," in which
the actors pretending to be a real group also got into it
so much, that the performances became genuine.
> Being a big fan of bubblegum music,..
I also liked bubble gum and still do. In all truth, there
was some tremendously creative work done in bubble gum,
especially the really early ones (before they were called
bubble gum). Bryan Hyland, for instance made some
extraordinary records, with arranging and production work
that was nothing less than brilliant and trend setting.
It's tragic that with all the justified attention given to
people like Phil Spector and Jack Nitzsche etc, nobody
ever mentions greats like Don Costa (arr/prod for all the
early Paul Anka hits), Stan Applebaum (arr/prod for the
classic Neil Sedaka hits), Quincy Jones (!!!) arr/prod for
golden hits like "It's My Party," and Snuff Garrett (prod
of the classic Bobby Vee hits), or Chet Atkins, the genius
behind countless pop rock creations. They paved the way
for so many of us, AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TO COPY
>FROM!!!
> I like all of the songs, but Sandy, Leila, Baby Make Me
> Happy, Tell Me A Secret, Thank You Baby and Lovers'
> Congregation are my favorites.
I do not remember all of the songs, but I do recall Sandy
and Tell me A Secret, both of which I really liked myslf
> I have some Matchmakers 45's from Germany and Spain.
> Take a look at some of the picture sleeves:
WHOA!!!!!! I had no idea those recordings got all those
releases!! All I ever knew was that "Fickle Lizzy Ann" and
"Baby Make Me Happy" came out as singles on Vogue Germany
and did well there, and that the album was released
containing the balance of the tracks we cut back then, and
that the publisher put his name on the songs instead of
mine and collected all the royalties. Who cares. It seems
that, most importantly, I made some music that is still
being enjoyed decades later. That's worth more than any
money I may have lost :)
> Cellophane Mary Jane by Astronaut Alan and his Planets
> and Fantastic Fair by the Guards both make uncredited
> appearances.
LOLOL - Astronaut Alan? The Guards? LOLOL I had no
idea.
I certainly remember Cellophane Mary Jane and Fantastic
Fair though. In fact, I re-recorded Fantastic Fair
properly for EMI undertMary Jane becdame a re-recorded
B-side for...? I forgot, LOL - OH - I remember now - it
was the B-side for the "Keith West-Mark Wirtz single I
arranged and recorded for Electrola (EMI)Germany, "Engel
Fallen Nicht vom Himmel" produced by Neils Nobach. Oh boy...
memories...
Well, you have certainly educated me to some things I
didn't know, and opened the lid to some boxes I had
forgotten even existed
> Baby Make Me Happy (Mark Wirtz/Chas Mills/Rudi Lindt)
> b/w Goody Goody Goody (Mark Wirtz/Chas Mills)
So he DID put my name on these after all? Hmmm..
how come I never saw any royalties? Rudi Linhd, by the
way, is the "publisher," LOL
> substitutes Rosalind Wirtz for the Bigsby writing
> credit on both sides.
oooh, the bastard!
> So here are the players, correct me if I'm wrong:
>
> Mark Wirtz aka Rosalind Wirtz aka Bigsby aka Philwit
Almost correct. Also aka Rudi Lind, though that
was the publisher's pen name, not mine! If you want to
complete the list in general, I also wrote some things
as J. Ferdy (i.e. "A Touch Of velvet, A Sting Of
Brass," and, if I'm not mistaken, the Russ Loader
singles. In fact, at the time, I don't believe that
any of my UK produced records ever carried my actual
Mark Wirtz name as composer - that may have changed
since on more recent re-releases or compilation
tracks. Only as of my US Capitol "Balloon" LP release
did my compositions carry the Mark Wirtz name).
> Petra Hold aka Maria Feltham aka Pegasus
Correct
> Miki Antony and Chas Mills were established session
> men, am I correct?
No. Miki Anthony was a songwriter and recording
artist whom I produced for RCA UK - i.e. "Dear Aunty
Mary").
Chas Mills was a songwriter and session background
singer. He co-wrote with Mike Leander before he and I
had a brief co-writing association.
> Are either of them on the Matchmakers picture
> sleeves?
No. The other guys in the picture are musicians that
all played in different bands, but I brought them
together specifically for the Kris Ife/Judd sessions
(and, by proxy, the Matchmakers), not using my regular
studio crew, because I wanted a free/loose rock group
feel, rather than a slick studio musician feel. These,
by the way, were the only sessions I ever did in my
career (aside from my work with Tomorrow), for which I
did not write fully notated and orchestrated
arrangements. Perhaps that is why those recordings
have a certain sparkle about them, because it was the
one time when I wasn't the "arranger/conducter/musical
director," but the leader of a rock band. And I had
the best time just jamming and rocking!! :):):)
> So does that make Rudi Lindt the German music
> publisher?
Yep. Mind you - that is a pseudonym too!!!
LOLOLOLOL
> Thank you for the music Mr. Wirtz,
Thank you for the education, and the trip down
memory lane. And most of all, thank you for listening
to and enjoying my music!
Very best,
Mark (Wirtz)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 11:26:24 EST
From: Will George
Subject: Jackie DeShannon: new issue and CD available
I just wanted to let everyone know that the latest issue
of JACKIE, the magazine of the Jackie DeShannon
Appreciation Society, is up on the JDSAS website
(http://jackiedeshannon.tripod.com).
Also, we are offering Volume 1 in a series of CDs of cover
versions of Jackie's songs. There should be quite a bit of
stuff on this disc that would interest most people here.
Enjoy!
Bill
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 21:19:28 -0000
From: Michael Sinclair
Subject: Re: Philwit release on RPM
--- In Spectropop, "Cedric" quotes Mark Stratford of RPM:
> "Yes, sometime in the future but not sure when exactly .
> Will post news on the web site
> http://www.rpmrecords.co.uk"
>
> Now let's hope it won't take too long.
Thanks for finding out! Alas - no offense - when Mark
Stratford says, "in a couple of months," that usually
means about a year from now. So, his "soon," may well fall
into another millennium, LOL
Best,
Mark (Wirtz)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 15:16:54 -0500
From: "Paul Payton"
Subject: Jimmie Rodgers, Hugo & Luigi
Jack Madani writes:
> [My] favorite track is "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine."
I haven't heard the version you speak of, but check out
the original by Jimmie Rodgers (1959) on Roulette. In fact,
I think Rodgers' ouevre from that time period has many
overlooked gems. Yes, he was pop-folk, but he had that
wonderful voice, arrangements sympathetic to it, and a
signature style that held fast until an unfortunate
serious accident sidelined him in the mid 60's. Check out
"Wonderful You" (with a wonderful full Hugo & Luigi chorus)
and the absolutely naive and non-cynical "Better Loved
You'll Never Be" (totally unhip but exquisite); and then
later, on Dot, "It's Over," his most successful move into
"relevant" folk-pop.
Thinking of Hugo & Luigi choruses, is anyone familiar with
"Just Come Home," credited to Hugo & Luigi, RCA c. 1960?
We're talkin' a large choir, mega production, and a big
6/8 rock ballad beat. A remarkably stirring track (there's
a phrase I don't normally use), this somehow feels very
"European" to me - shades of Bert Kaempfert's rocky but
easy listening backings to Ivo Robic's "Morgen" and Cindy
Ellis' "Do You Think Of Me," both released in German on
Laurie in the US (1959-60), the latter under the English
title.
Known largely as middle-roaders, H&L deserve props for a
bunch of productions which I see as foundations for this
musical area. The Playmates' best on Roulette are theirs,
the aforementioned Jimmie Rodgers Roulette sessions, and
their own "Cha Hua Hua," a neat instrumental with a honkin'
tenor sax lead and wordless chorus. ("The Pets," obviously
a studio group, did a "west coast" version on Arwin, using
an alto sax lead - also a cooker.) H&L subsequently moved
to RCA, where they produced (among many others) the Tokens'
"Lion Sleeps Tonight" and one of my favorite obscurities,
Joe Dodo & The Groovers' "Groovy" (RCA, 1959) - another
phenomenal honkin' sax lead, a rockin' track, and some
"groovy" vocals interspersed. Obviously a studio creation,
this sounds like the same chorus sax player as "Cha Hua
Hua." Does anyone know who this hallowed honker might be?
Country Paul
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 7
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 18:57:56 -0000
From: Rex Strother
Subject: Hazan - Composer Research - Help?
I'm trying to refine my discography of Al Hazan - and
figure the intelligentsia could help.
The songs I'm researching are BONNIE BABY and EVERYBODY'S
GOT A BABY.
I've found these releases that might be the songs (but
need to confirm the composer). Does anyone have a
hard-copy 45 they could check?
EVERYBODY'S GOT A BABY
Jerry Hammond - Terry Tone 196 - June 1960
BONNIE BABY
Jim Easter - Cha Cha 718
Kris Jensen - Colpix 118
Titus Turner - King 5243
Help? Rex Strother
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Message: 8
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 13:12:08 EST
From: Bobby Lloyd Hicks
Subject: Re: The Grape
I remember when Moby Grape performed "8:05" on the Mike
Douglas Show he walked out with hand extended not knowing
that there was a vocal tag. So he stood there while they
sang the reprise with smug looks on their faces ... messin'
with the Establishment!
blh
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 00:28:39 -0500
From: "Javed Jafri"
Subject: The Grape and Regional Hits
Paul Payton Wrote :
> >Incidentally, I believe "8:05"
> >did chart, at least locally, in Providence and other
> >northeast markets. And the Grape was indeed supurbly
> >talented, both individually and as a group.)
Point well taken Paul. "8:05" could very well have been a
regional hit in parts of the country and still miss the
Billboard Hot 100. Which reminds me about a song called
"Gaslight" by the Ugly Ducklings from Toronto. This song
was top 3 here in Toronto and also did very well in some
U.S. markets (Pittsburgh was one, I think) but failed to
crack the Hot 100. The song deserved to be top 10 continent
wide but for whatever reason that was not to be. Poor
record distribution was sometimes the culprit in such cases.
The Ugly Ducklings, with Gaslight, had evolved beyond their
garage roots to create a Garage/Soul/Psyche hybrid that had
top 10 written all over it and at least in Toronto it was.
Sadly the era of the regional hit is long gone. The days
when the Choir were number 1 in Cleveland, The
Merry-Go-Round made the top 10 in L.A. and The New Colony
Six ruled the air-waves in Chicago.
Javed
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 01:36:26 -0000
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Thanx again, Jeff
IMHO there is no track quite like Moby Grape's BITTER WIND
and, alas! probably never will be...a great 60s relic and
folk-acid classic if I do say so myself!!! Any takers?
Thank you again Jeff Glenn for playing "Picardy" on musica
(I will actually have to wait to listen to it until I buy
SPEAKERS for my machine). Speaking of sixties flick title
themes performed by pop groups: how about Turtles- -"Guide
for the Married Man"--!! Groovy tune, but it was by and
large the best thing about the movie!!
The Bobster
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Message: 11
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:20:51 -0000
From: Mark Frumento
Subject: Harry Nilsson?
In one of my early emails with Mark Wirtz he said that
Harry Nilsson is rarely mentioned as major influence of
his work and work of others like Paul McCartney etc. I've
been thinking that it is probably true. At least I never
really put it all together quite that way....
I always thought of Harry Nilsson as having been
influenced by people like Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney etc.
But when you look at the chronology it can appear the
reverse may be true as well. There are so many distinct
traits like the bouncy melody, the vocal style, the home
spun lyrics etc in HN that I am wondering where it all
came from. Certainly it's tempting to assume that the
Beatles and other British bands were the primary
influences of most music in the later 60s but could this
one guy have really been as pivitol as the Beatles?
My interest in Mark's music and others of his day stems
>from my love of British pop/psych... more specifically the
sub-genre called "toy town". Is it possible that this and
other ultra catchy pop stemmed from Harry Nilsson? Can
anyone piece it together?
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 12
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 08:01:40 -0000
From: Leonardo Flores
Subject: Re: NewVoice-Excerpt
Mr. Sinclair,
Thank you, THANK YOU for answering my question concerning
your releases on New Voice records.....and in such detail
like you did. It really made my day as I've had that
question bouncing around in my head for a few years now.
Thank you once again,
Leonardo "Kiddo" Flores
--- In Spectropop, Michael Sinclair wrote:
Bob and Dan Crew and I had become buddies simply because
their music catalogues were administered by EMI's
publishing company Ardmore and Beechwood in those days,
also my publsher at the time. The Crew brothers and I met
during one of their London visits, and, enjoying my music,
they managed to get the US distribution rights for Excerpt.
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 13
Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 03:36:49 EST
From: Frank Youngwerth
Subject: Globetrotters LP
> Also, does anyone have detailed information about the
> sessions that produced the soundtrack for the
> Hanna-Barbera cartoon series "The Harlem Globetrotters?"
> (released on Kirshner Records in 1970).
Album credits read "Recorded in RCA's Studio C, New York
City / Recording Engineer: Mike Moran"
Songs are written by (the producer) Jeff Barry;
Sedaka/Greenfield; and R. Clark/J.R. Bailey/K. Williams.
It's a wonderful, unique album, whoever's singing on it,
and way more interesting than most of the Archies material
I've heard. "Rainy Day Bells" is simply awesome neo-doowop,
and even shows up on a beach music compilation from 10-15
years ago.
Incidentally, there's a little bit written about the album
in the Bubblegum is the Naked Truth book, but the writer
(James, can't remember his last name, lives in Chicago)
told me he hasn't heard the whole album (also that it
turns out, contrary to what he wrote in the book, there
was indeed a Fat Albert soundtrack album).
I recently found the Globetrotters album rated among funk(!)
albums on someone's website, and I recall it got an 8 or
so, on par with one of Curtis Mayfield's better known LPs.
I'm finally caught up on my digests, and I hope it's not
too late to mention Gene Pitney's amazing "Heartbreaker"
as both a straight-gone-psych groover, as well as an
electric sitar feature.
Finally, there's a "live" version of Jan & Dean's "I Found
a Girl" on their Filet of Soul LP on which Hal and the
gang really cook. I prefer it to the studio. Sloan and
Barri did extensive studio work with J&D during this time,
even singing (uncredited) lead on "Move Out Little Mustang"
on the Little Old Lady LP, which also came out as a single
on Imperial under the name Rally Packs.
Now that Bear Family has tackled Ricky Nelson, I'd love to
see 'em do Jan & Dean. Or even better, the complete
sessions of Hal Blaine!!
Frank Youngwerth
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
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