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SPECTROPOP - Spectacular! Retro! Pop!
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There are 24 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. Re: John Kongos
From: Dee Lacevic
2. Re: The Cookies
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
3. Re: Paisley Pop
From: Art Longmire
4. Musica listening; Kongos
From: Bob Rashkow
5. Re: John Kongos
From: Art Longmire
6. Maggie Stredder - The Girl With The Glasses
From: Ken Mortimer
7. South Africa
From: Martin Roberts
8. please/pleas/elpees
From: Alan Gordon
9. footage
From: Sean
10. Re: Reparata and the Delrons
From: Louis
11. please... don't... stop...
From: Alan Gordon
12. Re: John Kongos, Scrugg
From: Billy G Spradlin
13. Connie Francis's "Souvenirs" Box Set/Chordettes
From: Tom
14. Back up vocals on Patty Duke's records
From: Louis
15. Re: Sonic Past Music Label
From: Tom Taber
16. Reparata and the Delrons: Spectropop
From: Ian Slater
17. "Lady"/"Fallin' In Love"; Gamma Goochee
From: Phil Milstein
18. Righteous Brothers and Johnny Wimber
From: Stuffed Animal
19. Lyn Cornell
From: Ken Mortimer
20. Martha Smith
From: Ken Mortimer
21. Re: John Kongos
From: Phil Milstein
22. Re: Shangs footage / South African beardos / OOP books
From: Phil Milstein
23. Re: please... don't... stop...
From: Steve Harvey
24. Doo-wop horse rock?
From: Bill George
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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 11:09:39 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dee Lacevic
Subject: Re: John Kongos
I've been listening to a CD called Paisley Pop for
several months now and it features a group called
Schrag doing "Lavender Popcorn" and "I Wish I Was
Five" - both terrific psychedelic pop songs.
If you like this stuff, you should check out John
Kongos' "Lavender Popcorn" CD, which appears to
include everything he did from 1966-1969, both
solo and as "Scrugg" (not "Schrag", but with a
name like that it's tought o keep track). It's
all very good. The CD's on Castle, as is the
"Paisley Pop" compilation. I'd also recommend
the "Ripples" series on Castle - 30 tracks on each
of them (except 29 on Volume 8), and each is
loaded with classics. Some volume are a wee bit
better than others, but as these volumes are only
$10 or $11, even the weakest (IMO "Beach Bash:
Volume 5") is very strong and well worth this
paltry sum of money. If only the b-side to
Timon's wonderful "The Bitter Thoughts Of Little
Jane" would turn up on one of the Castle / Pye
reissues. Anyone got a copy of that?
John
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 20:14:59 +0200
From: Sebastian Fonzeus
Subject: Re: The Cookies
Jimmy Crescitelli
>I just want to go on record as
>saying that The Cookies are one of the best, most professional-
>sounding groups ever. I put them right up there with The Blossoms.
Aaaahhh! The Cookies! I just LOVE their "I Never Dreamed".
Extremely atmospheric and all-around magnificent tune.
Gotta go play it. :)
Take care!
/Sebastian
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 18:43:03 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: Paisley Pop
Art Longmire wrote:
> I've been listening to a CD called Paisley Pop for several
> months now and it features a group called Schrag doing
> "Lavender Popcorn" and "I Wish I Was Five" - both terrific
> psychedelic pop songs.
Noiro:
> The CD you are talking about is overall an excellent CD. It
> has several little known groups with some really good songs.
> I can't answer any part of your question, but wanted to throw
> my nickel opinion out there about the CD.
Hello Noiro,
Thanks for your feedback on this CD, it is indeed excellent and
the tracks I mentioned above are just two of many outstanding songs.
I've had a bit of a struggle researching some of the groups and
artists on this compilation. For instance a group called the Settlers
do a terrific Tony Hatch tune called "Major to Minor" and I would
like to find out more about them and if they did other songs. This
group sounds a bit like the U.S. groups Sunshine Company and Spanky
and Our Gang. Also have to give props to Timon's "The Bitter Thoughts
of Little Jane", one of the best songs about alienation I can remember
hearing...I can never get enough of the great British pop and psych
tunes!
Best,
Art Longmire
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 18:43:41 -0000
From: Bob Rashkow
Subject: Musica listening; Kongos
I highly recommend anything by John Kongos at any time during
his diverse career. I also have the 1971 LP with the incredible
Tokoloshe Man and He's Gonna Step...which oh-so-briefly appeared
on the Hot 100 in '71. A cuople of very moving ballads on there
too. Just dropped by musica to listen to Jimmy Hughes and Dawn's
Early Light. I sampled about a minute of each which was really
more like 3 minutes--there's something kookily wrong with my Media
Player and it keeps sticking, creating a very psychedelic effect
(especially on Dawn's Early Light, which otherwise sounds TRES COOL)
and the only time it plays smooth straight through is on already-
downloaded mp3s. So on to try and correct that problem if I can do
it without invoking the AOL gods......Hughes sounds really great,
too! Did anyone hear ClearChannel CEO justifying his profit machine
to Terry Gross on NPR this morning? What a laugh.
Bobster
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 18:56:20 -0000
From: Art Longmire
Subject: Re: John Kongos
Art Longmire wrote:
> ... musician named John Kongos...who had a song out way back
> in 1971 that I have been looking for called "He's Gonna Step
> On You Again". Anybody else remember hearing this?
Phil M:
> My local station, WWDJ in Hackensack, NJ, played it heavily in
> '71, during the same period I would bike over there every
> Wednesday afternoon (timed to coincide with the release of the
> week's new chart) and watch the DJs spin. A great track, which
> holds up to this day. I was delighted to locate a pic sleeve 45
> of it at some point over the years. On Elektra, if I recall. I
> believe Kongos was South African.
Hello Phil,
Interesting that this tune was played in certain American markets
...I remember it as being just a killer track that I listened for
every day on KFXM in Victorville CA. This was about six months
after I first started buying records. No question, those were the
glory years of A.M. radio, I remember some of the other tunes played
at the time including "13 Questions" by Seatrain (which I didn't get
either) and "Nevada Fighter" by Michael Nesmith (which I did get!)
I feel lucky to have experienced the great days of radio before it
all turned to corporate B.S.!
Best,
Art Longmire
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 21:55:32 +0100
From: Ken Mortimer
Subject: Maggie Stredder - The Girl With The Glasses
Hi Everyone
I've just discovered the existence of this book which is now
'out of print'. I've tried ordering a copy from my local
Waterstones and over the 'net' from Amazon - all to no avail.
Does anyone have a spare copy of this book they'd be prepared
to sell me or has anyone seen a copy on their travels recently?
Thanks
Ken
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 21:22:09 +0100
From: Martin Roberts
Subject: South Africa
Anita Harris was from the UK, Anita Bryant and Anita Humes
were from the US. Anita Harris occasionally wore glasses, not
sure about the 'other' Anitas, but I am fairly sure that none
of them had beards. Although Marc Frumento, Kingsley Abbott,
Phil Chapman and Phil Milstein do. I wonder if perchance they
are South Africans?
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Message: 8
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 15:20:04 -0700
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: please/pleas/elpees
Steve Harvey:
> Yesterday I did my weekly check down at the local Goodwill.
> You can always tell when somebody's collection get
> donated by alot of the same era LPs and their condition.
Good gosh, man..! What a great find. I got rid of a huge pile
of "oldies" LPs when I "upgraded" to supposedly better sounding
new pressings. I forgot that I was keeping all my autographs -
from seeing those folks at concerts when I was very young -
inside said sleeves... sigh
Eddy Smit:
> Completely forgot about this, but here's what Lennon had to
> say in his Playboy interview :
I'm a little behind on my digest-reading, so please pardon my
pleas of probable philistinism.
Hey Eddy Sir. Did you copy that text directly or were you
transcribing that from an audio source?
I could be very wrong here, but aren't the lyrics to that song:
"Please lend your little ears to my Pleas"? But I guess that
might be a result of John's scouse pronunciation of "my" as "me".
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Message: 9
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 22:40:18 -0000
From: Sean
Subject: footage
Can anyone tell which footage of the Shangri-Las still exists?
I only have a Shindig episode of them where Mary, Margie, and
Maryann sing "Shout" "Out In the Streets" and "Great Big Kiss".
And I have Mary, Margie, Maryann, and Betty singing on a later
Shindig episode but I only have them singing "Right Now And Not
Later" on it.
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Message: 10
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 04:53:24 -0000
From: Louis
Subject: Re: Reparata and the Delrons
Louis asked:
> Is the correct title of the song "We Need You" or "A Song
> For All" because it is listed as track 18 on Collectables
> CD COL-CD-0527 as "A Song For All"? Do you know what the
> label and number of the record is?
Ian:
> The details are:
> "Shoes"/"A Song For All" (reached #43 in the UK chart) 1975
> Polydor 2066 562 (UK, also released as Dart 2066 562)
> Polydor 14271 (US)
> "Jesabee Lancer (The Belly Dancer)"/"We Need You" 1976
> Polydor 2058 688 (UK)
> Polydor 14298 (US, but apparently unreleased)
Dear Ian,
Thank you Ian for the information. It is curious that on my
Reparata & the Delrons "Whenever A Teenager Cries" (Collectables
CD COL-CD-0527) song 18. "A Song For All" starts out with the
words "We Need You." I thought that is what you mean by a song
titled "We Need You."
I have never seen a song on any of my 3 Reparata and the Delron's
CDs called "We Need You." That is why I was questioning.
Also, my Reparata & the Delrons "Whenever A Teenager Cries"
(Collectables CD COL-CD-0527) just lists as song "19. Jesibee
Lancer" and it does not have the complete title "Jesibee Lancer
(The Belly Dancer)".
Furthermore, I noticed that song 19. is DELETED on the current
issues of the Reparata & the Delrons Collectables CDs, if you look
it up on www.amazon.com or www.oldies.com so they must have removed
it for some reason. Anybody know why?
Also, the back of the cover is a write up by Johnny Holiday.
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Message: 11
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 15:27:58 -0700
From: Alan Gordon
Subject: please... don't... stop...
Steve Harvey:
> Actually a recently found acetate of the Beatles came up
> for sale on Ebay. The title of this demo disc was "Please
> Pleasure Me"! Mr. Epstein freaked out upon seeing this title
> and told the boys, "You are just asking for trouble, lads."
> Eppie had them quickly change it to the better known "Please
> Please Me".
Is this true??? I have never heard this account... I would
assume that the label was mis-worded by whoever typed it.
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Message: 12
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 05:03:24 -0000
From: Billy G Spradlin
Subject: Re: John Kongos, Scrugg
John Kongos "He's Gonna Step On You" appeared on Rhino's CD
"Super Hits of the '70's - Have a Nice Day Volume 6.
Great song.
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Message: 13
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 06:12:26 -0000
From: Tom
Subject: Connie Francis's "Souvenirs" Box Set/Chordettes
I had no idea that one of the people here on Spectropop
worked on the great "Souvenirs" Connie Francis box set.
I would like to thank you for the selection of songs on
the CDs, because I think it's the best Connie Francis
collection that has ever been issued. I bought it as
soon as it was released, and I've played it countless
times since then. I love the girl group items with
"Souvenirs" being my favourite track with that sound.
"Lollipop Lips" is another really great one. My favourite
tracks though are the torch songs like "Whose Heart Are You
Breaking Tonight?" and "You Know You Don't Want Me". These
two great songs are rarely featured on any Connie collections
(in fact, I can't think of any besides this one), but I think
they are the best of that genre. Again, you had incredible
great taste in selecting the tracks for this collection, I
just love it. If any Connie Francis fans still do not have a
copy of this set and if you can find a copy, I would recommended
it as a definite essential.
Regarding the Chordettes, they were one of my favourite
original girl groups when I first became interested in the
sound. Their harmonies were so pure and beautiful that listening
to one of their recordings, to me, was like feeling a refreshing
breeze blow into the room. My all-time favourite track that they
issued is "No Other Arms, No Other Lips".
Tom
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Message: 14
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 08:25:23 -0000
From: Louis
Subject: Back up vocals on Patty Duke's records
Denise:
> "Lightning Strikes" and the entire "Lightning Strikes" album
> was not backed up by The Tammys.
Hi Denise,
Did you mention to me previously that you did the backing
vocals on Patty Duke's records?
Do you remember which Patty Duke records you sang on?
Do you remember who else did back up vocals on those records?
Patty Duke's records were among my favorites.
Thanks,
Louis
Girl Groups:
http://surf.to/girlgroups
Patty Duke:
http://surf.to/pattyduke
http://come.to/pattyduke
http://fly.to/pattyduke
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Message: 15
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 06:19:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Taber
Subject: Re: Sonic Past Music Label
David Goodwin:
> "sonically compatible with our US Stereo systems?"
> Uhh, what?
It occurred to me that much of the rest of the world
may think we Americans have our heads stuck so far up
our you-know-what that we'd need the high frequencies
boosted significantly in order to hear them at all!
I'm not sure that they aren't correct in that possible
assumption!
Tom Taber
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:57:13 +0100
From: Ian Slater
Subject: Reparata and the Delrons: Spectropop
Further to the items on this super group, I'd like to clear up
some confusion about track naming.
On the Collectables CD, the track titled "Love for You and Me"
is titled "A Song for All" on the 45 (it is the flip of "Shoes").
The track Collectables call "A Song for All" is in fact titled
"We Need You" on the 45: it is the flip of the Europe only ( I
believe) "Jesabee Lancer". Both are really beautiful ballads,
the former being wistfully philosophical, and the latter, as
Ian Chapman has pointed out, a religious song. It is indeed a
pity the sound quality on the Collectables CD is so lamentable
in parts: "We Need You" sounds as though it was dubbed from a 45
that had been regularly cleaned on a mill-stone. That said, my
visually mint (and much better-sounding) original still sounds
as though the girls had servings of Rice Krispies with them in
the recording booth, so a pukka CD from the original masters
would be very welcome.
Ian Slater
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 12:33:45 -0500
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: "Lady"/"Fallin' In Love"; Gamma Goochee
I have only just now gotten around to ordering Ace's Brian
Wilson "Pet Projects" CD. Although I already owned most of
the material elsewhere, the idea of having it all in one place
appealed to me. But, as I was comfortably enjoying the already-
familiar, one track I had never heard before leapt out from the
middle of the album and grabbed me where I live. I recognized
the American Spring track "Fallin' In Love" as a cover of Dennis
Wilson & Rumbo's breathtaking "Lady" ... but where had this
version been all my life? So brief, and yet the atmosphere it
creates is so palpable that I cannot imagine it leaving anything
that might come in its path unchanged.
I played this new version over and over again. Judging just from
this one song, Dennis clearly had a songwriting gift. Call me a
criminal or a jerk, but I've never heard his "Pacific Ocean Blue"
album. Is any of it half as good as "Lady"/"Fallin' In Love"? Is
it available on CD?
Realizing that I need to hear more of Dennis' writing and singing,
I found a very good discography of his solo and Beach Boys work at
http://www.cabinessence.com/dennis/disc.html
On an unrelated -- and frankly self-promotional -- matter, those
interested in The Gamma Goochee, who was discussed here a few months
ago, will want to read my interview with him, just published in
Roctober #36. See http://www.roctober.com/roctober for ordering info.
--Phil Milstein
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Message: 18
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 17:37:20 +0000
From: Stuffed Animal
Subject: Righteous Brothers and Johnny Wimber
Peter Richmnd wrote:
> When the duo broke off as the Righteous Brothers, Johnnie Wimber
> worked with them as arranger and conductor on the 1963 debut
> album "Right Now" on Moonglow Records. However in late 1963 at the
> age of 29, he quit the music business completely to enter the
> discipleship, working in a factory to make ends meet and was
> reunited with his wife who had left him. Becoming the senior
> pastor of the Anaheim Vineyard Christian Fellowship in 1977, he
> also became a best selling author and conference speaker.
Hmmm ... so Wimber didn't arrange the Righteous Brothers albums SOME
BLUE-EYED SOUL and THIS IS NEW! I love RIGHT NOW! but the latter
two LPs are actually my favorites of the Brothers' Moonglow output
... any idea who wrote the arrangements for those albums, Peter?
They are out of this world, especially on "Fannie Mae," "Night Owl,"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do," "I Just Wanna Make Love To You" and
"Gotta Tell You How I Feel!"
I ain't lyin' to you, people ....
Stuff
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Message: 19
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 21:23:48 +0100
From: Ken Mortimer
Subject: Lyn Cornell
Can anyone tell me what Lyn Cornell (ex Vernons Girls) is
doing now?
Thanks
Ken
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Message: 20
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 21:25:50 +0100
From: Ken Mortimer
Subject: Martha Smith
Can anyone tell me whether the Martha Smith who recorded for
Pye in the early/mid 60s is the same Martha Smith who cut a
one off single for RCA in 1976 with a song called 'Open Up
Your Heart'?
Thanks
Ken
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Message: 21
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 17:44:45 -0500
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: John Kongos
Art Longmire wrote:
> I feel lucky to have experienced the great days of radio
> before it all turned to corporate B.S.!
Well about six months after the peak of my WWDJ visitations,
right around the time of "He's Gonna Step On You Again", the
station flipped to all-Christian talk. And that's the way the
program director crumbles ...
--Phil M.
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Message: 22
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 18:10:11 -0500
From: Phil Milstein
Subject: Re: Shangs footage / South African beardos / OOP books
Ken Mortimer wrote re the Maggie Stredder autobiog:
> I've just discovered the existence of this book which is now
> 'out of print'. I've tried ordering a copy from my local
> Waterstones and over the 'net' from Amazon - all to no avail.
> Does anyone have a spare copy of this book they'd be prepared
> to sell me or has anyone seen a copy on their travels recently?
If that request doesn't pan out, you might want to try the Advanced
Book Exchange, which is to the lit world what GEMM is to record-
collecting -- only done up much better. Few are the OOP books I've
searched for there and not found. See http://www.abebooks.com
Sean wrote:
> Can anyone tell which footage of the Shangri-Las still exists?
> I only have a Shindig episode of them where Mary, Margie, and
> Maryann sing "Shout" "Out In the Streets" and "Great Big Kiss".
> And I have Mary, Margie, Maryann, and Betty singing on a later
> Shindig episode but I only have them singing "Right Now And Not
> Later" on it.
I believe John Grecco has an extensive TVography section at the end
of his exhaustive Shangri-Las history, at http://www.redbirdent.com
Martin Roberts wrote:
> Anita Harris was from the UK, Anita Bryant and Anita Humes
> were from the US. Anita Harris occasionally wore glasses, not
> sure about the 'other' Anitas, but I am fairly sure that none
> of them had beards. Although Marc Frumento, Kingsley Abbott,
> Phil Chapman and Phil Milstein do. I wonder if perchance they
> are South Africans?
Not in the least, although I occasionally wear glasses. Manfred
Mann usually wore some sort of lower facial hair, so perhaps there
is something to your cockamamie theory after all.
--the latter Phil
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Message: 23
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 16:15:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve Harvey
Subject: Re: please... don't... stop...
Steve:
> Actually a recently found acetate of the Beatles
> came up for sale on Ebay. The title of this demo disc was
> "Please Pleasure Me"! Mr. Epstein freaked out upon seeing
> this title and told the boys, "You are just asking for
> trouble, lads.".......
Not only that, but the B-side was a version of "Boys"
sung by Brian Epstein backed by Lennon and Gerry
Marsden.
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Message: 24
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 19:28:05 EDT
From: Bill George
Subject: Doo-wop horse rock?
This is just a little diversion for anyone who cares to check
it out...your own little vocal quartet under your control...
http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf
- Bill (back from vacation and catching up)
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