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Volume #0127 * August 6, 1998
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A lifetime of pure listening enjoyment
Subject: Darlene Love
Sent: 08/05/98 4:39 am
Received: 08/06/98 6:35 am
From: Mark Landwehr, mslXXXX@XXXbs.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
> Darlene has one of the most beautiful and thunderous voices
> in the scene..I don't know why today she is not on top.
>
I agree, Robert...Ronnie has her style (and it's great), others
have theirs. But, for a true all-around, hard-driving rock & roll
female singer, Darlene has been delivering for over 30 years. She
is THE best! Puts Aretha to shame (uh, oh, that's gonna start
something) - From "He's A Rebel " to "Christmas (Baby, Please Come
Home)" to "Lord, If You're a Woman" and beyond, she is in a class
by herself. Why do you think that she was the busiest female
session-singer for many years? Anyway, I'm glad she finally got a
six-figure settlement out of Spector (sorry, Phil, but she
deserved it and you know it)...She deserves ALOT of recognition
and should receive lifetime-achievement awards up the wazoo...Rock
& Roll Hall of Fame induction would be a start...
Mark (a Philles Phanatic and oldies-radio antagonist)
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Subject: Darlene, Ronnie and Phil
Sent: 08/06/98 2:43 am
Received: 08/06/98 6:35 am
From: Jamie LePage, le_page_XXXX@XXXties.com
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Jimmy, JimmyXXXX@XXXom wrote:
>The musical highlight of MY life: a
>giant Christmas stocking appears on-stage... the intro to
>"Christmas" revs up... the music gets louder and louder... then
>slowly, majestically, like a queen, Darlene Love appears, arising
>from behind the stocking like she's coming out of it, arms raised
>in the air like on the cover of the Christmas album... the intro
>voices carol "CHRISTMAS!!!" as Darlene absolutely, magnificently,
>incredibly launches into a sonic version of the song, blowing the
>roof off all of Broadway with her voice. I burst right into tears
>when she did that! I still get chills thinking about it...
I got chills just reading this!
I have the soundtrack to that musical. Very interesting. Of course
it doesn't stand up to the Spector productions, but who would
expect it to? Great fun, and Darlene was in fine form.
>...those Spector cuts never sounded better than on those old 45
>rpm records!
I have the Ronettes' The Ultimate Collection on Marginal (MAR 050)
and I think the sound is much better than the Spector box or the
individual ABKCO Ronettes CD. I suspect the Marginal disc was
mastered from vinyl using the Cedar noise reduction system, but
the sound is so warm. Besides, it has Lovers and I Can Hear Music,
the two rarest Ronettes tracks. btw, anyone know the story behind
Lovers?
If you compare the sound quality between the Philles 45s (mono) of
River Deep and Is This What I Get to the A&M River Deep album
(stereo), it is obvious that the stereo mixes are technically
better; you can hear what is going on in the track, etc. While I
enjoy being able to hear the stereo versions, the mono 45s smoke!
Those latter day Philles records still amaze me every time I
listen to them. I just got through listening to Is This What I Get
For Loving You off the Marginal CD, and the enormity and majesty of
the tracks - simply stunning.
There are very few Darlene-vocal records that I dislike (none?).
"Listen to the King of the Surf Guitar" is brilliant, as is
"Surfin' Hootnanny." I also got the Warner comp 60's Girl Groups
which has three Blossoms tracks on it, and all are very good. BUT,
the tracks she cut with Phil are unbeatable. When she get to the
"Please, please" crescendo in Christmas, it's all over. Just
unbelievable.
As far as comparing Ronnie and Darlene, it's apples and oranges.
Darlene is arguably the better vocalist, but Ronnie has a more
personalized style with its unique appeal. I think it is little
wonder that Ronnie didn't have much success after Phil, but
Darlene, well, that's another story. It seems to me she might have
continued doing backgrounds after the Philles days. Another thing
about Darlene - she worked again for Phil more than a decade after
the Philles period on Lord if You're a Woman, and I kind of wonder
why she did that if she felt she was given the short end of the
stick by Phil during the He's a Rebel days. In any event,
including the Leader of the Pack musical, she has continued to
make a living based almost entirely upon her success with Phil.
Kinda makes you wonder about the lawsuit. Does anyone know if the
court judgement or any other information pertaining to the details
of the suit?
--
le_page_XXXX@XXXties.com
RodeoDrive/5030
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Subject: The Ronettes, Phil Spector and Philles Fans
Sent: 08/05/98 8:43 am
Received: 08/06/98 6:35 am
From: R Teyes, RTeXXXX@XXXom
To: Spectropop List, spectroXXXX@XXXties.com
Thanks for those kind words....
Darlene Love is a diva of song in her own right...Phil was correct
when he said Darlene embodied soul...from such a small stature this
huge voice emanates and touches your very soul..Darlene is song...
today I obtained the dj copy of Philles 125x 45, "Christmas" by
Darlene and needless to say, feel happy...
Phil's remarks about Ronnie before their adjournment: "not
everyone can be like Tina Turner'" (in reference to Ronnie's
difficulties in the music field) is very cruel and unjust...not
everyone wants to be like Tina, Phil, Ronnie is her own person and
style..that has been proven...you yourself cannot be Wagner no
matter how many "little symphonies" you compose...it takes more
than time to prove your worth Phil, and your remarks about your
former wife only makes you more common and less genius...so quit
the rhetoric because you're being sued...I still love your music...
Robert The Ronette Hound
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