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Volume #0366 January 8, 2000
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An endeavor to epitomize great stars in the recording field
Subject: Phil Spector award
Received: 01/06/00 4:01 am
From: john rausch,xxxxx.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Recieved this email and wanted to pass it along to all
Spectropoppers.
Hope someone can find something to submit.
...................
This is NARAS! re: Spector 2000 Trustee Award
Gentlemen:
I hope I'm addressing the creators of Spectropop!
This year the National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences' (NARAS) will honor legendary producer/writer
Phil Spector with its Trustee Award for his outstanding
contributions to the recording industry in a non-performing
capacity.
I am gathering material for The Recording Academy to be
used in a short (3-4 minute) retrospective video of his
career that will show before the award is presented. This
ceremony will be part of the annual Grammy Nominees
reception, which takes place on Tuesday, February 22,
during Grammy week in Los Angeles. This is a non-broadcast
event, although we will be also creating a short clip for
broadcast as well. Your material cannot and will not be
broadcast unless we can confirm your copyright ownership.
The Academy would greatly appreciate your help in
providing material from your archives to include in our
non-broadcast presentation. We are in need of any
photographic stills or video of Phil, the Brill Building,
the recording studios and the various performers he
produced - not only from the early days, but up to the
present.
If you have material you would like to contibute, please
contact me. I will ask you to send it directly to NARAS
headquarters in Los Angeles. We will, of course, pay any
necessary duplcation fees and shipping costs involved. Be
aware that this compilation has a very limited budget. We
have no funds to license material and are receiving a very
limited amount of material from Spector management.
Our aim is to present the very best tribute to Phil that
we can. If you can help, please contact me. Thank you very
much.
Eric Jerstad
NARAS / RAMP
email address:xxxxxell.net
John Rausch
Phil Spector`s Wall Of Sound at
http://members.tripod.com/~rauschj/
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Subject: Re: This is NARAS! re: Spector 2000 Trustee Award
Received: 01/08/00 12:31 pm
From: Spectropop Admin, spectxxxxxe.com
To: Eric Jerstad,xxxxxell.net
CC: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Dear Mr. Jerstad,
Thank you for your email addressed to Spectropop
Administration which listmember John Rausch has forwarded
to the list.
Spectropop Admin confirms that your request has been duly
posted to all members of our discussion group. By way of
cc of this email to the Spectropop mailing list,
Spectropop Admin requests that any queries or offers to
submit material to NARAS be sent directly to you at
"Eric Jerstad" xxxxxell.net>.
Listmembers are reminded that NARAS cannot use material
that is copyrighted unless the rights to the copyrighted
material are owned and/or controlled by the submitting
party.
Spectropop Admin speaks on behalf of the entire discussion
group in expressing thanks to you for giving us the
opportunity to submit material for possible inclusion in
the retrospective video of Mr. Spector's career. We are
thrilled to learn of this award, and Spectropop
listmembers are certain to support NARAS's efforts to
present the very best tribute to Phil Spector possible.
Sincerely yours,
Spectropop Admin
spectxxxxxe.com
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Subject: Darlene Love On Letterman
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: David Feldman, fexxxxxnderables.com
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Jimmy asked:
> Speaking of Darlene, I caught her on Letterman. I wonder
> why she turns "Christmas" into a clap-happy singalong?
> That song should rip the hearts out of everyone who's
> listening... still, her voice was great, and I DID cry,
> especially when she tore up the last few lines.
Darlene sings this song every year on the show (has almost
since the show began on NBC) and most years, they try to
do a little something different with the song or
arrangment. I love this about the show and Dave
Letterman and Paul Shaffer -- Letterman always gives her a
great intro.
More than any singer I know, Love combines passion and
restraint. I don't think she could be undignified or
unclassy if she tried. She looks and sounds just great
right now. It's wonderful to see her still at the top of
her game.
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Subject: Outrageous Cherry - Spector's next big group?
Received: 01/08/00 11:17 am
From: Bryan Thomas, xxxxxfi.com
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Hello Spectropop Listers,
I thought some of you out there might get a kick out of
something I just read in the current issue of MOJO,
January 2000 issue, pg. 12, in "News Round-Up":
"Phil Spector is reportedly considering a return to the
studio. It seems the producer heard Outrageous Cherry (a
Detroit fuzz-thing with Brian Wilson melodies), on the
radio, and announced his intentions to Kim Fowley with the
immortal words, 'These guys are f&#$ing great.'"
This pleased me greatly as the group is signed to Del-Fi
Records DF2K (Del-Fi 2000) imprint, the label where I work.
Last year (October) we released the group's debut on the
new label, called Out There In The Dark, which has been
receiving good critical praise so far.
This isn't the first time that the band have been
mentioned in the same breath as Mr. Spector. All Media
Guide's web- site (allmusic.com) have previously said that
the band sound "something like The Shadows of Knight
produced by Phil Spector!" and Chris Handyside [Detroit
Metro Times, and allmusic.com] praised the new album's
production by the band's leader, Matthew Smith, saying
that "Smith's production hand is as studied and
effectively reverent as his songcraft. Phil Spector, Brian
Wilson, George Martin and others who laid the brickwork for
the FM pop production that followed them are all in
attendance as producer Smith brings the wall of sound, the
wash of reverb, throws in some horns for emotional impact,
tweaks the delay and, occasionally, makes the whole damn
thing sound as though it were recorded in a metal room
with a cement ceiling."
Anyway, thought some of you might like to know about this.
Bryan Thomas
publicity/A&R/Film & TV licensing
Del-Fi/DF2K Records
xxxxxfi.com
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Subject: spector (of course)
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: Rein Smilde, rein.sxxxxxlo.nl
To: spectxxxxxities.com
Hi there,
First of all, happy everything.
Does anybody know the Ronettes singing "When Lucy was in
London, she wore my miniskirt" (or something like this). I
do think I remember a Lucy Ball show in the sixties "Lucy
in London", with music from Dave Clarck 5 and something of
a titlesong by The Ronettes.
On tape I do have a very rare recording of Phil singing a
song called: "You're so fine". I was told he recorded this
for someones birthday. Any information on this one?
On the ferry from France to the UK a couple of weeks ago,
I've bought a Hallmark CD (cat. nr. 308242) called:
"Christmas Wall Of Sound: A tribute to Phil Spector". Same
tracks as on THE X-mas LP/CD, + "Rockin' around the
christmas tree", "Jingle bell rock", "Let it snow, let it
snow". Great recxxxxx99).
I also have a CD (Jive Bunny and the mastermixers:
christmas party. Label: Music Collection Int. Ltd., 36-38
Caxton Way, Watford, hertfordshir WD1 8UF (UK)) cat.nr.
MCCDX 014) with some of THE X-mas songs (in the Spector
way), but with 2 (additional) tracks: "Jingle bells", and
"Have yourself a merry little Christmas". These 2 sound as
real Spector productions. Any info on this one?
Regards,
Rein Smilde. (Netherlands)
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Subject: fanboy gushing for Bill Inglot
Received: 01/08/00 11:17 am
From: Stewart Mason, flaxxxxx.com
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
I'm not positive that Bill Inglot is out here in
Spectropopland, but just in case: Bill, you are the single
greatest engineer in the world. And the new Stooges box on
Rhino Handmade, 1970: THE COMPLETE FUN HOUSE SESSIONS, is
the best work you have ever done.
FUN HOUSE has long been one of my all-time favorite albums,
but all the vinyl and CD copies I have previously owned
have sounded like sludge. Wildly exciting and deceptively
complex sludge, true, but sludge nonetheless. But the
liner notes here state that the band and producer Don
Gallucci were shooting for a pristine, crystal-clear
version of the Stooges' enormous roaring noise, and for
the very first time, that's what you can hear. These CDs
sound like you're in the room with them. And as you can
imagine, that's a mildly scary place to be. Not only is it
like I'm hearing this music for the first time, I am
hearing elements I never even imagined were there. Not
even THE PET SOUNDS SESSIONS was this revelatory.
This is definitely not a box set for everyone. Even
Stooges fans might balk at the prospect of THIRTY-FOUR
(count 'em!) takes of "Loose." Not me, though. And if that
prospect doesn't scare you and you have $140 to drop -- or
like me you know someone with exquisite taste in Christmas
gifts -- then I think you might find this extraordinary.
Stewart
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Subject: Re: Four Seasons mono/stereo
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: WASE RADIO,xxxxxt.org
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
To Kingsley Abbott:
Interesting post on the Four Seasons mono/stereo
situation. For a long time, I thought the early Seasons'
hits were recorded on only three tracks. For example
"Sherry" has the entire rhythm section on the left channel,
Frankie centered and the background vocals on the right.
Also if my memory serves me correctly, the mono version of
"Sherry" fades out later than on the stereo one. Another
example of primitive stereo on the Four Seasons is "Big
Girls Don't Cry". On this track the rhythm section and
hanclaps are on the left, Frankie Valli and the group (in
parts) are centerred and the background vocals (who
sometimes harmonize with their center channel selves) are
on the right. Personally I am a stereo oldies bug.
Sometimes I like to hear an oldie in stereo just for the
fun of it. But I can understand why some people would
rather hear these songs in mono-because that's how we
heard them on AM radio or 45 rpm vinyl singles. But to
each his or her own. Have a great millenium Kingsley and
everyone.
Michael G. Marvin
WASE radio
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Subject: Bill Deal and the Rhondells
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: Kaye Krebs, ThePixxxxxcom
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Re Claudia's (Claudia, xxxxxv.net) inquiry about Bill
Deal and the Rhondells and whatever happened to them :
Claudia, I am delighted to tell you that they live and
continue to perform (sounding just as good as ever) here
in my hometown of Virginia Beach, VA.
Best regards,
Kaye Krebs
The Pixies Three
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Subject: golden days of Beach Music
Received: 01/06/00 4:49 am
From: DJ JimmyB, DJJimxxxxxcom
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
In a message dated 1/5/0 12:59:50 PM, you wrote:
>Most of the '60's beach bands...The Embers, Catalinas,
>Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, Tams, Chairman of the
>Board, etc.... are still around.
>
>DICKYG
Thanks for the news DickyG...Perhaps you could share with
us your memories of the golden days of Beach Music and the
culture of Beach. I, for one, would love to know more...
Jimmy Botticelli
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Subject: Hardy, Gainsbourg & regional variations
Received: 01/07/00 3:17 am
From: Lindsay Martin, lindsay_mxxxxxsnet.com.au
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Jake Tassell approvingly mentions French writer/producer/
singer Serge Gainsbourg and his work with Francoise Hardy,
Jane Birkin and others.
Hardy's "Comment Te Dire Adieu", has a spoken refrain
which is one of the most sexy and heartbreaking things
I've heard on a pop record. And take a look at the lyrics,
by Gainsbourg (go to
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/warren/francoise/ly/).
The whole thing is brilliantly based around "ex", which he
works into a prominent position in almost every line
(ex-amour, Kleenex, explication, prétexte etc.), thus
echoing the singer's apprehensions about becoming an
ex-lover. How many pop songwriters would have dared to be
quite this arty - and pulled it off - in 1968?
What Jake says about regional variations of pop/rock is to
the point. It interests me (especially as an Australian) to
see what happens when musicians beyond the U.S. take on a
musical genre which is essentially American. Sometimes it
doesn't come off, and probably all countries outside of
America have had their embarrassing versions of ersatz
American pop, but when it does come off the result can be
fresh and stunning. Tommy Steele never really sounds
convincing to me as a rocker, but you don't need to make
any excuses for Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' "Shakin' All
Over". (And check out "The Cruel Sea", a surf-instrumental
masterpiece by Britain's Dakotas, of Billy J. Kramer fame!)
The beauty of it is that, pop often being a hit and miss
thing, regional variations sometimes hit on something
brilliant and fresh which is universally appealing but
which wouldn't otherwise have been possible. For a start,
outsiders are bound to have their own skewed view of the
music they're trying to emulate, and if they lack the
slickness of mainstream production and marketing savvy
this can be an advantage too. (Of course, it gets
complicated when you get U.S. bands reworking British
Invasion pop, which was a reworking of American pop in the
first place.)
Take a listen to the full works - not just the
British-produced "Friday On My Mind" - of Australia's
Easybeats (actually made up of Brits & Europeans - we're a
nation of immigrants). See (1) whether you agree with me
that this was one of the best groups working in the Beat/
Brit Invasion genre and (2) how much of their creativity
within this genre may have been a result of their
geographic isolation from (in this case) the U.K.
In Gainsbourg's case, you have some corny little attempts
at American pop, but these are countered by such
masterpieces as "69 Année Erotique" (with Jane Birkin) and
"Initials B.B". And how extraordinary are "Bonnie and Clyde"
(with Bardot) and "Harley-Davidson" (Bardot): here are
examples of the outsider distilling some element of
American culture, giving it his own cultural spin, and
producing something startling and original, as if by
accident. It almost reminds me of those bizarre Japanese
t-shirts with random samples of English printed on them.
Lindsay
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Subject: re: French Pop; a matter of definition
Received: 01/08/00 11:17 am
From: Frank, fxxxxxc.fr
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Jake wrote:
>To Frank at The End of The Tunnel re: French Pop;- Johnny
>Halliday, Sylvie Vartan and Eddie Mitchell - ils sont tres
>merdique, c'est vrai! The problem is though - every time I
>visit my expatriate brother in Paris and want to know
>about a record I've heard (and I have heard some great
>ones), I can never find out anything, because when quizzed,
>somebody always makes a shamed face and says "Oh - you
>don't really want to know about that! - It's rubbish!" -
>which is why I voiced my question to the list in the first
>place. No great Gaul pop? With respect, M'sieur, what about
>Serge Gainsbourg's three decades worth of uniquely witty,
>wicked, sexy, and stylish output? And all the records he
>made with Jane Birkin, Mireille Mathieu, Brigitte Bardot,
>France Gall, Anna Karina, Nana Mouskouri, Charlotte
>Gainsbourg, etc. etc. etc. I can count at least three
>Francoise Hardy discs that are as good as, say, the best
>Marrianne Faithfull records, and I think that's really
>just the tip. I mean sure, the French didn't produce any
>Led Zeppelin-type 'rock-legends' (you'll never know how
>glad I am about that) - but then no-one else made great
>Easy Listening in the way that Francis Lai and Michel
>LeGrande did etc. etc. Just like everybody else's stuff;
>French stuff has its own uniqueness, its own flavour and
>its own 'special fragrance' just like Mid-Sixties Detroit
>Stompers have or Mersey Beat has or New York Acapella
>DooWop has or California Surf Instrumentals have. This is,
>as always, a matter of one's own personal aesthetic but I
>don't see why a form should be invalidated purely because
>it doesn't fit in with some 'official' version of what is
>and what isn't pop history.
Well Jake, you are right there, after all it may be a
matter of definition.
I wouldn't have put Serge Gainsbourg and most of the stuff
he wrote and /or produced in the categories of music we
were talking about. Maybe I should have.
I surely wouldn't say there are no French artists worth of
any interest. If you're willing to extand your scope to
people like Michel Legrand or Francis Lai, then you must
never forget Charles Trenet the best one ever (and after
all he wrote and created "Beyond The Sea" for which Bobby
Darin must have thanked him and "I wish you love"......
I was merely thinking of a kind of music that could be
coppared to the great period of US and British pop/rock
and in this particular kind of music, I'm afraid to say
that we had to do with appaling French covers by
incredibly bad French artists. At least most of the time
even though there were some exceptions (wich as a French
saying goes: 'exceptions only confirm the rule." In the
60's probably Richard Anthony and maybe Daniel Gerard were
the only ones whose covers were not shameful. Then later
on Eddie Mitchell ended up doing some really good stuff
(mostly originals though). And by the way I wonder if you
ever heard anything by Gerard Manset, who is probably the
most interesting artist we had for years alongside
Gainsbourg.
Frank
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Subject: Northern Covers
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: jake tassell, xwsf.taxxxxxin.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Hi Delia
All the famous girl/boy Northern duets that I know are a
bit weird. 'As Long as You Love Me I'll Stay' by Ronnie
and Robyn. Great record, can't imagine anyone covering it
though. August and Deneen - 'We Go Together' - all those
lyrics about 'Marvin and Tammy and Sonny and Cher' I can't
think how that would work. Hmm -'We Got Togetherness' by
The Jewels might be good - it's a straight-up 100
miles-an-hour monster cacophonyfest (sort of like Edwin
Starr and The Velvet Underground having simultaneous
heart-attacks with Lurch on harpsichord accompaniment and
The Incredible Hulk playing lead road-bumper). It's a
great record; pretty unsophisticated and would be easy to
play. If you want a copy of the original (my copy is on
American MGM) then have a scout round The Northern Soul
Webring -
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/mike.hughes/welcome_to_the_northern_soul_cir.htm
.
It really is quite a famous Northern Stomper so it's
probably on a compilation. Mister CD in Berwick Street has
hundreds and hundreds of cheap Northern compos', you might
find it there (if you're willing to put in the hours).
I last saw Edwin Starr a few years ago, he was good then,
probably still is now.
Good Luck
Jake Tassell (in rainy SW2)
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Subject: Northern soul duets
Received: 01/07/00 3:15 am
From: Ian Chapman, iaxxxxx.net
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
Delia wrote:
> Also........someone has asked one of my bands to do a
> northern soul cover version for a compilation..........I just
> wondered if anyone could think of any good northern soul
> boy/girl duets ???
A few come to mind.....
Gene Chandler/Barbara Acklin - From the Teacher to the Preacher
Jimmy Holiday/Clydie King - Ready, Willing & Able
Frankie & Johnny - I'll Hold You
Wilson Pickett (& Cissy Houston) - Come Home Baby
Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell - Two Can Have A Party
Inez & Charlie Foxx - Tightrope
Newby & Johnson - Sweet Happiness
August & Deneen - We Go Together
Steinways - You've Been Leading Me On (best of the lot IMO - a great
girl/boy call/response tune)
BTW, I saw Edwin Starr at a Motown a couple of years ago,
and he was well worth it!
Ian
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Subject: the greatest Non-Motown Motown record ever
Received: 01/06/00 4:49 am
From: DJ JimmyB, DJJimxxxxxcom
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
In a message dated 1/5/0 12:59:50 PM, you wrote:
>Also........someone has asked one of my bands to do a
>northern soul cover version for a compilation..........I just
>wondered if anyone could think of any good northern soul
>boy/girl duets ???
Sorry Delia, no boy/girl duet comes to mind at the moment,
but as far as Edwin Starr is concerned, the greatest
Non-Motown Motown record ever has to be his recording of
S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight) which came out on Ric Tic in
Detroit in 1966 and BEGS to be Born Again. It could easily
be a duet and you could call it northern (it has the
essential tambourine!) Hope this helps.
Jimmy Botticelli
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Subject: Supremes
Received: 01/07/00 3:17 am
From: Stos, William, xxxxx.tyenet.com
To: Spectropop List, spectxxxxxities.com
>I didn't have any records by the Supremes, so I picked up
>a really cheap compilation CD called [hey, dig those
>aliterations!!!] "Baby Love" during my vacation. So I put
>the disc into my stereo today and....it's a horrible 80s
>sounding remake with NO original recordings! I now notice
>"re-recordings" in fine-print...does anybody know anything
>about this CD? The record label appears to be Success and
>the cat. number is "16287CD". The Supremes "line up" on
>this record is Sherrie Payne, Lynda Laurence and Jean
>Terrel. I don't know if they were original members or
>not...
They were all members at some time or another during the
seventies. They also go by the name of the FLOs Former
Ladies Of The Supremes (and no, they say that is not a
tribute to the late Flo Ballard, an original). There are
many updated recordings by the group, and various other
members, some good, some awful. Like all new recordings,
they don't quite have the original flare, but they can
sometimes come close. For example, a new Supremes record
track "He's My Man" is probably just as good as the
original late 70s version. The problem comes when mostly
unplugged Supremes tracks are redone in eletric fashion.
>The annoying thing is that all the *songs* are fantastic!
>But I didn't expect the production of the "Miami Vice"
>theme to come out of the speakers....so can anyone tell me
>what the deal is with this bizarre remake CD, and also
>recommend a proper Supremes compilation with the proper
>originals, performed by the proper group members.
There are many good comps out there. I'd head for the
anthology series, with 2 cds at 26 tracks each. Some fair
tracks, most are superb! For just the hits, there is a
single cd version of the anthology out too!
Check out some Supremes web sites to ask other fans what
they'd recommend!
By the way, there is a heavily circulating rumour that the
Supremes (Diana, Mary, Cindy) will reunite to do a brief
tour following a Temptations-style tv special/movie. What
is everbody's thoughts on this?
Will
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