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Jamie LePage (1953-2002)
http://www.spectropop.com/Jamie.htm
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There are 10 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: WIRTZ & THE BREAKAWAYS
From: Mark Wirtz
2. PP Arnold
From: Bob Rashkow
3. Shelby/faves
From: Stewart Mason
4. Vernons Girls spin-offs
From: MarkWirtz11@aol.com
5. favourite labels
From: Kingsley Abbott
6. The Battle of San Onofre
From: Don Charles
7. Mercy's appearance in the film, Fireball Jungle (1968)
From: Mike Edwards
8. The Jaynetts in the film, Sugar Cookies (1972)
From: Mike Edwards
9. Re: more cartoon rock
From: Will George
10. Vernons Girls spin-offs
From: Mark Wirtz
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 21:37:06 EDT
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Re: WIRTZ & THE BREAKAWAYS
mick patrick writes:
> Yep, I've got that CD Mark, but it doesn't contain your
> version of "I Can Hear Music". Is that track on one of your
> other RPM CDs?
Ooops, you're right (blush). It's on the just released Castle
Records comp "The Songs Of The Beach Boys" CMRCCD 295. Also on
that comp, my production of Peanut's "I'm Waiting For The Day."
Mind you, if you want to hear more stuff on which I used the
Ladybirds - Breakaways combo, or mixture, there are 23 tracks
of it on my RPM 172 comp CD "THE GO-GO MUSIC OF MARK WIRTZ
(including "I Can hear Music").
> ..however, does contain some of my favorite Wirtz productions,
> such as "Feeling Better" by Krimson Kake from 1969. Can you
> remember who sang back-ups for Kris Ife and Samantha Jones on
> this track?
The Breakaways, of course - Sam was one of them once. It was
like a reunion :)
Thanks for your interest
Mark :)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 04:34:02 -0000
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: PP Arnold
Was P P Arnold a member of Ike and Tina's Ikettes? Didn't have
any idea. Her take on "First Cut Is The Deepest" is second on
my list only to Keith Hampshire's 1973 version that died halfway
up the chart (with apologies to Rod Stewart!!!) Also like "If You
Think You're Groovy" very muchly. Jeff Glenn has yet another version
of "First Cut" on his list that I'd love to hear sometime. Looking
forward to Stephen McParland's the Walker Brothers book. Anyone
keeping up with the Bulletin Board will note that another thing
I've found out recently is that Joe Brooks, who penned "You Light
Up My Life", a classic 70s smash, may also be responsible for the
brilliant and stirring (IMHO) "My Ship Is Comin' In". What a
DIFFERENCE 11 years makes!
Bobster
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 12:06:44 -0400
From: Stewart Mason
Subject: Shelby/faves
The Doc wrote:
> ..and, speaking of Shelby Singleton Productions - a lot of good
> music from that stable.
I will forever associate Shelby Singleton with the cheap 8-tracks
and LPs that came out on Share, Plantation and his other labels
back in the '70s, which were staples in any truck stop, Stuckeys
or TG&Y Variety Store in the south. Anyone but me remember Harlow
Wilcox's "Groovy Grubworm," which was on seemingly *every*
Plantation Records compilation?
Frank Youngwerth asks:
>So why is Paris Tower your favorite label of all time? Who else
>has a favorite label, and which is it?
I've always thought the best labels were the ones where you could
see the label and have at least *some* idea what the record would
sound like. (I've always loved the '80s/early '90s UK indie Sarah
Records for that very reason: they had a sound, a graphic design,
and an attitude that made all of the records feel related even though
the individual bands could sound very different from one another).
I'm usually not disappointed by anything that came out on Warner
Brothers between 1966 and 1970, plus I tend to buy UK releases on
the Transatlantic and Immediate labels on faith, and of course
Red Bird and Blue Cat rarely disappoint. Back in the new-wave days
of my childhood ('78 to '84 or so), I would buy pretty much anything
that came out on Sire Records, no questions asked.
Stewart
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 22:24:11 EDT
From: MarkWirtz11@aol.com
Subject: Vernons Girls spin-offs
Norman writes:
> The Breakaways were a spin-off group from the Vernon Girls.
> I'd like to see a thread touching on the Vernon Girls and the
> spin-off groups that they led to....
Hey, Norman - how cool of you to write this!! Thank you so much
for reminding even me of the hierarchy of the British studio girl
groups. I'm saving it!!
Mark (Wirtz)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 5
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 11:33:24 +0100
From: Kingsley Abbott
Subject: favourite labels
Frank asked about our fave label...It's sort of tricky
from an English perspective, because the 'catch-all'
labels London (Decca group) and Stateside (EMI)
were such important channels for fine and obscure
US pop during those key early and mid-sixties years.
Leaving those aside, I loved Pye International (yellow
label incarnation) and of course Red Bird. But then
again, I had many Motown moments, and of course
Atlantic, Capitol. UA and...disappears drooling into
inner recesses of storage shelves.... :-)
Kingsley Abbott
PS Let me echo Mick's welcome to Stephen
McParland who has been a fine buddy of mine for
well over twenty years now....his books are legendary
and I'm sure his comments will prove fascinating!
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 6
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 16:05:50 +0000
From: Don Charles
Subject: The Battle of San Onofre
Does anyone have any information about this narrative song?
I know that Annette Funicello recorded "The Battle Of San Onofre"
for her BEACH PARTY album in 1964, but there is no record of its
authors in either the BMI or ASCAP databases. Who wrote it, and
was it ever cut by anyone else?
Don Charles
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Message: 7
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 18:16:08 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: Mercy's appearance in the film, Fireball Jungle (1968)
The film, Fireball Jungle, is written up enthusiastically in
Michael Weldon's book, Psychotronic Video Guide. "…A long,
amazing, comedy-filler sequence is in a bizarre club where
gay men and women sit on toilet seats at the bar and beer
comes from a urinal. One woman has a painted-on dress, another
has eyes painted on her eyelids (a great shock effect). A
Tiny Tim imitator (!) with a howling dog entertains. All that
plus the nice, lame, fake-hippie group Mercy singing their
real-life hit single "Love Can Make You Happy"(!) at the
'Have A Joint' Club. A sign on the wall says 'LSD for lunch bunch…"
The film was made in Tampa and offers a decidedly non-South Beach
view of Florida. Stock footage of the Sebring car races is also
featured. Mercy's appearance has to be one of the most unusual for
those performing a top-5 song ever. Fireball Jungle is available
on video from: www.somethingweird.com. Well worth seeing.
Mike Edwards
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 18:27:59 -0000
From: Mike Edwards
Subject: The Jaynetts in the film, Sugar Cookies (1972)
While I have Michael Weldon's Psychotronic Video Guide open,
let me move on to Sugar Cookies from 1972: "..It's similar in
some ways to Performance and is a lot more interesting than most
of today's "erotic thrillers". (Mary) Woronov and (Lynn) Lowry
have nude scenes together and the haunting "Sally Go Round The
Roses" by the Jaynetts, always rumored to be a lesbian theme,
is on the soundtrack.."
Although the Jaynetts don't appear in the film, it's another
example of a top 5 tune ending up in strange surroundings.
Mike Edwards
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Message: 9
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 17:33:39 EDT
From: Will George
Subject: Re: more cartoon rock
The Cartoon Channel has a new channel on cable called Boomerang.
I was watching the other day, and they featured Josie & the
Pussycats, Droopy, and others. One other cartoon they showed
that I had completely forgotten about was The Chan Clan. They
were the younger generation of Charlie Chan's family, who solved
crime and played rock and roll. The song I heard was actually
quite good. Anyone have any info on them?
Bill
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
Message: 10
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 22:12:00 -0000
From: Mark Wirtz
Subject: Vernons Girls spin-offs
Norman writes:
> The Breakaways were a spin-off group from the Vernon Girls.
> I'd like to see a thread touching on the Vernon Girls and the
> spin-off groups that they led to....
Hey, Norman - how cool of you to write this!! Thank you so much
for reminding even me of the hierarchy of the British studio girl
groups. I'm saving it!!
Mark (Wirtz)
-------------------[ archived by Spectropop ]-------------------
End
