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#	Article Title	Author	Hits
1	Avatar - out of this world	Joe Viglione	15
2	Mott The Hoople Live, October 2009	Joe Viglione	10
3	JOHNNY RIVERS at Lombardo's in Randolph, Massachusetts	Joseph Tortelli	36
4	THE REMASTERS: THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER	Joseph Tortelli	83
5	Rare Beatles / Bobby Hebb tape	Joe Viglione	31
6	Fox Pass...I Believed Moments	Nancy	39
7	Remembering Frank Kerr / Frankie Venom by Gary Pig Gold	Gary Pig Gold	78
8	Phil Lesh audio book "Searching For The Sound: My Life With The Grateful Dead"	Joe Viglione	42
9	Ben Orr of THE CARS and THE GRESSHOPPERS: A Tribute and some reminiscing	Joe Viglione	58
10	Andy Warhol - cover of Gemmzine Hard Copy Vol. 1, #1????	Gemmzine Editorial Board and Writers	13
11	R.I.P. John Kalishes - Mirage CD	Lisa Ralphs	53
12	Rita Coolidge, an Appreciation	Joe Viglione	29
13	Dickie Peterson: An Appreciation of Blue Cheer	Joe Viglione	92
14	The Jim Morrison Scream by Harvey Wharfield	Harvey Wharfield	40
15	MOTOWN SPECIAL on PBS Shout Factory	Official Press Release	13
16	The Marvelettes	Joe Viglione	19
17	GENRES: Girl Groups vs Space Age Bachelor Pad	Joe Viglione	13
18	The Ronettes: Ronnie Spector by Joe Viglione	Joe Viglione	23
19	Shirley Alston Reeves and The Shirelles Live In Medford, Massachusetts	Joe Viglione	50
20	Cracker: Bred for Endurance by Lisa Burns	Lisa B. Burns	383
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Avatar - out of this world

Written by Joe Viglione

Friday, 18 December 2009 09:29

The trailer for this film didn't excite - which is odd because those advance advertisements usually feature the best moments of the movie being promoted setting moviegoers up for a big letdown. It's the complete opposite here - Avatar lives up to its advance billing of being a spectacular motion picture in a way that the trailer couldn't possibly exhibit - meaning, word of mouth will sell this picture and the reported 100 million dollar marketing campaign is built to set that word of mouth in motion. And though Science Fiction still does not garner the respect Hollywood devotes to films like Titanic or The Godfather, Science Fiction is quite often big box office. The presence of Sigourney Weaver is akin to putting former crew members of Star Trek into Independence Day or Babylon5, Sci Fi fans love to "phone home" and like the familiar. Weaver's stints in the Alien franchise and the underrated Galaxy Quest put her talents on full display which is why it is so surprising to find her acting stiff and controlled at the beginning of this film. It opens like one of those 1950s horror flicks with a plot that needs to get up to speed but, thankfully, Cameron is smart enough to avoid "Roland Emmerich syndrome" where there is no plot, just onslaught and good ideas that tend to go sideways through the necessity of belief suspension. Cameron's story has some meat, though somewhat derivative, and when Joe Pantoliano tells Keanu Reeves "It means buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy. Cause Kansas is going bye-bye" in the first Matrix movie, it was that film's nod to The Wizard of Oz being the high mark, something to aspire to. Here the Oz reference pops up again with the line "You're not in Kansas anymore", and Sam Worthington, who was so much fun in Terminator: Salvation as Marcus Wright, gets to play a clueless Keanu Reeves type, wheelchair bound and ready to fit into The Matrix. The obvious references to humans leaving the "real world" to go into the Matrix is the metamorphosis at play here as Worthington, Sigourney and company get into their avatar ...in almost the same way that Reeves and Laurence Fishburne plug into the Matrix. The robot suits the army personnel get into reflect - almost exactly - the suits used in Matrix: Revolutions. Heck, why did they even bother building new ones when those originals could've effectively been recycled? Beyond taking as liberally from The Matrix as The Matrix did with every other movie - most especially the Terminator flicks (machines destroy humans for supremacy), is Cameron's luxury of being able to work with the George Lucas-founded Skywalker Sound as well as Industrial Light and Magic. So if Lou Reed's big hit, "Transformer" was, as critics said, Lou Reed playing David Bowie playing Lou Reed, then Avatar is truly Cameron playing Wachowski brothers playing James Cameron....with some George Lucas thrown in to boot. And did anyone notice that the film is opening on Steven Spielberg's 63rd birthday? E.T. doesn't phone home here...the earthlings fly to E.T...or more accurately, the earthlings ARE the extraterrestrial life. Even Uhura from Star Trek is put into the mix as Zoe Saldana's major role here combines new actors from the Terminator and Star Trek series into this new delight. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2000 film, The Sixth Day, featured clones swimming in similar water pods where the DNA and other essentials of human replication could all merge together, and that aspect from a "lost" Arnold movie is part of this mix, and one could go on and on with the borrowing...where the Matrix: Revolutions gave a nod to Galaxy Quest (Fishburne bursting out of Will Smith's wife's ship), here they just take one of the stars of Galaxy Quest, Signourney Weaver. Now on to the movie. It is exquisite. Cameron is a superb filmmaker who keeps his flaws to a minimum (unlike the aforementioned Roland Emmerich, see 2012 for the reasons why)...so when he indulges in holograms for the army's strategy sessions he improves upon what we saw glimpses of in Matrix: Revolutions, and adds more. The world of Pandora is absolutely wondrous, a land of Oz indeed, Alice in Wonderland, take your pick. Floating mountains is creative, as are the impressive Banshees. It isn't that these creatures are dissimilar to creatures from planet Earth, indeed, they are - if not mutations - distant cousins of dogs, reptiles and underwater life. Also improving on his work in The Abyss, Cameron takes the journey to the nth degree...the 3D was annoying when I first put the glasses on, when my eyes adjusted to the technology I didn't want the film to end. Cascading waterfalls, Harry Potter fly-through-the-air wizardry, vibrations from Lord of the Rings Stephen Lang is annoying as Colonel Miles Quaritch, a character actor from Law & Order episodes as well as a latter day TV version of The Fugitive, he may as well be Sam Elliot and William Hurt as Gen. 'Thunderbolt' Ross in their respective Hulk movies...or in Hurt's cameo in the first Iron Man. Because here they get in their Iron Man suits as well Just as "Avatar" was the working title of the 1997 James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies, the flashes of inspiration and originality here are decorated with the familiar. Michelle Rodriguez who appeared in 2003's S.W.A.T. with Hollywood's earlier rendition of Sam Worthington, Colin Farrell, goes from playing Chris Sanchez from that film to Trudy Chacon here. Not a "name" cast, outside of Weaver, but one that has actors from "Lost" and "Law & Order", familiar faces getting their day in the sun. The thousands of names affiliated with this movie scroll a la Star Wars intro at the end, Leona Lewis doing a perfect Celine Dion imitation for the love theme to the flick, "I See You", and chances are the male audience that will be attracted to this movie will come back for more bringing their girlfriends...Cameron a master of getting repeated viewings out of his audience. Yes, he splashes ideas from King Kong throughout the journey, and it all works. Where you have to suspend belief for Roland Emmerich, Cameron makes his magical world very believable and, despite its hostility, a vacation spot that's worth the risk. Links Interesting thing about the Times review noting "Initial reaction to a conventional trailer was flat"...yeah, as revealed in my review above. What were they thinking? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/19/movies/19avatar.html http://www.cleveland.com/sun/intermission/index.ssf/2009/12/james_cameron_looks_good_with.html Interview with Zoe Saldana on her role as Uhura in Star Trek http://scifiwire.com/2009/05/star-treks-zoe-saldana-re.php http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5b1f69da4015d79cb5fced851c896918 http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/12/17/box-office-preview-avatar/ http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/12/20/avatar-takes-73-million/ http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20091221/cameron-s-avatar-spell-binds-audience-id-1094746.html http://blog.beliefnet.com/onecity/2009/12/interdependence-and-avatar.html http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm How Much Did Avatar really cost? from Vanity Fair http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/12/how-much-did-avatar-really-cost.html Avatar Box Office Zooms http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30679&Itemid=70

Last Updated on Monday, 28 December 2009 06:25

Mott

Mott The Hoople Live, October 2009

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 22 November 2009 16:48

Hammersmith Apollo 2009 http://www.hunter-mott.com/discography/hammersmith_apollo_2009.html Mott The Hoople Make Triumphant Comeback http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/mott-the-hoople-make-triumphant-copmeback/ Live At Fillmore West http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3xftxqtdld0e

Rivers at lombardos

JOHNNY RIVERS at Lombardo's in Randolph, Massachusetts

Written by Joseph Tortelli

Saturday, 21 November 2009 17:58

JOHNNY RIVERS at Lombardo's in Randolph January 18, 2002 by Joseph Tortelli When Johnny Rivers sang the yearning folk song "500 Miles" in the midst of his performance at Lombardo's, the evening reached an emotional peak. Not only because he referenced the nation's recent tragedy in the introduction, but also because the bittersweet ballad is not part of his standard repertoire. Originally recorded for his 1965 album "Johnny Rivers Rocks The Folk," "500 Miles" delivered the kind of unexpected treat that his fans could cherish. After all, the singer-guitarist has loads of uptempo hit singles to pack into a two-hour show. Rivers opened the evening with a rearranged version of "Midnight Special," a mid-60s smash that doubled as the theme to the late-night concert television series starring howling disc jockey Wolfman Jack. Letting loose spirited guitar licks, Rivers unveiled the Willie Dixon voodoo ditty titled "Seventh Son," which finds the singer proclaiming his clairvoyant powers against a rocking musical background. Known as the king of the "a go-go" sound during the '60s, Rivers gained recognition for his chart-topping interpretation of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." No small feat in the summer of 1964 when Beatlemania and the British Invasion dominated pop music. He developed a unique style based on chunky rhythm guitar, memorable lead guitar riffs, and lots of hand-clapping behind his soulful/rockabilly voice. Rivers created exciting records then. With the support of an exceptional three-piece band, Rivers creates a less frantic, more mature excitement now. And no song better captures his sound than "Secret Agent Man," yet another TV theme song. In addition to the James Bondish "swinging on the Riviera" lyrics, "Secret Agent Man" uncoils Rivers' string-stretching guitar licks, which remain among the most memorable instrumental lines of the '60s. The slim, still-cool looking Rivers closed the set with "Secret Agent Man," a song tailored to rev up a crowd for an encore. As important as upbeat rock 'n' roll is to the Rivers style, it expresses only one part of his musical work. He introduced songwriter Jimmy Webb to a wider audience with his majestic production of "Summer Rain." In concert, the Hammond B-3 organ filled out the song's glorious sound. Rivers, himself, composed the Number One hit "Poor Side of Town," a bittersweet love ballad that has been covered by many other artists. On a Motown classic, Rivers coaxed the audience to sing the chorus to "Baby I Need Your Loving," exploiting one of the crowd-pleasing techniques he has mastered over a four decade journey inaugurated at the West Coast's Whiskey A Go-Go. But that was the '60s. This night he was playing at Lombardo's with a similar spark and professionalism. The 750-strong audience responded, listening raptly to the intimate "Tracks of My Tears," clapping to the rollicking "Rockin' Pneumonia & the Boogie Woogie Flu," and hitting the dance floor for the slinky "Barefootin'." For the encore, Rivers said "good night" with his moving arrangement of "Slow Dancin' (Swayin' to the Music)." The late '70s standard actually worked better in live performance, where Rivers crafted a dynamic arrangement. And Lombardo's floor overflowed with slow-dancing couples. Rivers stayed after the show to sign autographs for fans, who understood that his singing "500 Miles" had transformed an entertaining evening into a special event.

Last Updated on Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:16

They Should Have Known Better

HE REMASTERS: THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

Written by Joseph Tortelli

Thursday, 19 November 2009 20:48

Direct link to this article here: http://tinyurl.com/theyshouldhaveknownbetter Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and rarities in Gemm.com itself. THE REMASTERS: THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER by: Joseph Tortelli It's hard to complain about the recent release of The Beatles' remastered catalog. It certainly marks a welcome update and improvement of the recordings' digital sound. Still, had these reissues been expanded editions, they would have added far more to our appreciation of the songs within the context of their 1960s origins. The Beatles' records were just that: seven and twelve inch vinyl discs. They were the best format available at the time, but today's remasters need not be limited by the restraints of past technology. Yet, that is just what has happened with the re-releases which precisely replicate the vinyl LPs. Or do they? Well, not exactly. They largely follow the primary British releases, over which John, Paul, George, Ringo, and George Martin exercised some control. But that control was circumscribed by the constant need of record labels for more product, by the amount of music that fit onto a vinyl disc, and by that disc holding music on two separate flip-sides. The content and song order was influenced by this fact: The first and last songs on each side of an LP were considered the critical building blocks to developing an overall album. With all these limits in mind, there are still some glaring discrepancies between the remasters and the favored British releases. First, The Beatles pressed Magical Mystery Tour as an EP, not an LP. If the goal is to be exact, shouldn't the remastered Mystery Tour also be EP length? Additionally, the 1960s Beatle canon never included anything titled Past Masters. Doesn't the Past Masters compilation alter the group's vision? Would they not have put it together in 1970, had they wanted something like it? Finally, The Beatles themselves hardly considered Yellow Submarine part of the canon, which is why they spared the LP soundtrack only six of their songs: the title cut and "All You Need Is Love" had been previously issued, while the four new songs were regarded as ill-fitting a "real" Beatle album. Most importantly, The Beatles original discs were issued far differently in America than in Britain. The British LPs offered a more generous serving of 14 tracks; the American releases were usually reduced to 11 songs, but their quality was enhanced by including singles like "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine" and "Strawberry Fields Forever." For reasons specific to both markets, American labels preferred to add hit 45s to punch up album sales, but British labels frequently isolated their singles from their albums. Because of the gigantic scale of the American teen market in the 1960s, it's safe to say that U.S. sales far outpaced British sales. Simply put: More kids bought and heard the American adaptations of Beatle records. By sheer volume, this legitimizes the American practice of mixing singles into albums. And it codifies American releases as essential aspects of Beatle history. This is not to argue that the American records are necessarily superior; that's a matter of taste. But it does shine a beacon that should have ignited the remastering of the 14-song U.K. originals AND expanded CDs showing the music within the context of American Beatlemania. With the added time afforded CDs, the two traditions could easily have been accommodated by including singles and other extraneous tracks on "deluxe" editions. Here's a list of album titles along with some songs that would have enhanced the listening experience and historical memory of each CD. PLEASE PLEASE ME To the original 14-track U.K. release, add the British No. 1 singles "From Me To You"/"Thank You Girl" and the all-time Yeah-yeah-yeah smash "She Loves You"/"I'll Get You." Expanded edition tracks: 18 WITH THE BEATLES - Supplement the British album with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," which opened Meet The Beatles and started it all in America. "This Boy," the Brit B-side of "Hold Your Hand" and the third cut on the Meet LP surely belongs. It's easy to make a case for the single version of "Love Me Do," which reached No. 1 in America four months after "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (even though it was their debut hit in the U.K.); plus the similar-sounding LP session recording is on the Please Please Me disc. The rock 'n' roll screamer "Long Tall Sally" and "I Call Your Name" both filled key spots on The Beatles Second Album in America but were relegated to an EP in Britain. (And, by the way, what happened to that extraordinary George Harrison four-note guitar figure that was so prominent in 1964 and on the Meet The Beatles version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand"? It sounds buried in the remastered mix.) Expanded edition tracks: 19 A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - Easily accomplished. In the U.S., the LP Something New complemented (and duplicated some of) A Hard Day's Night during the summer of 1964. "Matchbox," "Slowdown," and "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand," were on Something New, and just to complete the German-language lesson, bring aboard "Sie Liebt Dich." Expanded edition tracks: 18 FOR SALE - Add to the U.K. album one of the Beatles' greatest two-sided singles, "I Feel Fine"/"She's A Woman." Because these tracks opened The Beatles '65, the American LP has the edge over its U.K. counterpart. Expanded edition tracks: 16 HELP - Another soundtrack that was cut badly in the U.S. Still, the superior Brit version would benefit from the inclusion of the rollicking "I'm Down" (B-side of "Help" single); "Yes It Is" (B-side of "Ticket To Ride"); and "Bad Boy," the foursome's last rock 'n' roll cover song, and a good one it is. Expanded edition tracks: 17 RUBBER SOUL - "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out" were issued virtually simultaneously with this album, and later put on the American butcher-cover extract titled Yesterday And Today (not exactly these Colonies finest hour). Expanded edition tracks: 16 REVOLVER - Here's another easy one: "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" belong for sure. Because it was a lesser played B-side, John Lennon's "Rain" has been deprived the popular acclaim it has long deserved; as an LP track, it will shine on. Expanded edition tracks: 16 SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND - This one is to important to add to or subtract from. Plus it was the first LP issued exactly the same in the U.K. and the U.S. Of course, one could make a case for "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields," which were issued as an earlier single due to demands from the record label for a fresh 45. MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - It's George Harrison's turn: "The Inner Light" is his delicate, brilliant, sitar-drenched B-side that belongs here, along with "Lady Madonna." Another nice fit would be "You Know My Name," the oddball B-side to "Let It Be," which was spawned in recording sessions back in 1967. Expanded edition tracks: 14 THE BEATLES (WHITE ALBUM) - Because it's two albums, it's long enough without the extras. YELLOW SUBMARINE - In re-imagining the underwhelming original LP, the remasters might take a page from Magical Mystery Tour. In addition to the title song and EP-length quartet of new tracks on the LP, the CD should include the songs that fill much of Past Masters disc two. "Hey Jude," "Revolution," "Get Back," "Don't Let Me Down," "The Ballad Of John And Yoko," "Old Brown Shoe," "Across The Universe," and "Let It Be." Admittedly, this is not as snug a chronological fit as the others, but it maintains and improves the catalog title. (Alternately, the four songs from the LP could be spread across other albums, particularly the psychedelic Magical Mystery Tour.) Expanded edition tracks: 13 ABBEY ROAD - Why tinker with perfection? LET IT BE - The title says it all; Phil Spector's production makes it a piece to itself. Some final thoughts: Another reason to leave in tact Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, and Abbey Road is because they routinely outsell the rest of the catalog. Most recently, this happened when the remasters dominated the album charts. The "big three" topped those charts, while the earlier "Beatlemania" era albums, along with Yellow Submarine, lagged far behind. Adding songs to them will provide twin benefits: First, the new songs will significantly beef-up sales, revitalizing those important titles; second, the added tracks will allow listeners to enjoy The Beatles' recordings as they were enjoyed during the 1960s on BOTH sides of the Atlantic. Why not the best of both worlds? Remember to click on the photos and album covers to find tons and tons of Beatles products and rarities in Gemm.com itself. Gemmzine's continuing coverage of all things Beatles for the upcoming BEATexpo2009 (see below) Direct link to this article here: http://tinyurl.com/theyshouldhaveknownbetter Other Beatles articles in Gemmzine: http://beatlesdirectory.blogspot.com/ Peter Calo does more traditional takes on instrumental Beatles: http://tinyurl.com/calobeatles R Stevie Moore actually remasters his own Beatles collection: http://tinyurl.com/rsteviemooredoesbeatles More Gemmzine Beatles articles: http://beatlesdirectory.blogspot.com/ GEMM on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GemmMarket Celebrate the Music & Magicof The Beatles @ LiverpoolProductions BeatExpo 2009

Last Updated on Saturday, 21 November 2009 17:48

MOTOWN SPECIAL on PBS Shout Factory

Written by Official Press Release

Sunday, 04 October 2009 13:33

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 20, 2005 NEW MOTOWN SPECIAL PREMIERES ON PBS IN AUGUST MOTOWN - The Early Years (My Music #202) Program Features New Performances By The Joe Billingslea's Contours, The Four Tops, Brenda Halloway, Gladys Horton's Marvelettes, The Miracles, Martha Reeves, Dennis Edwards Temptation Review, The Velvelettes And Archival Performances By Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye And More - Presented In True Stereo For The First Time LOS ANGELES, CA -- This August, PBS premieres "MOTOWN - The Early Years," an all-new musical performance special produced by TJL Productions which airs as part of the My Music fundraising series. "MOTOWN - The Early Years" features a spectacular mix of classic performances and rare footage culled from the Motown archives, and new performances by '60s-era Motown groups; performing their biggest hits are The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations and more. In addition, exclusively available through PBS is the accompanying four-disc MOTOWN - The Early Years CD boxed-set, featuring more than 30 classic Motown songs extended and remixed from the original recordings, many in true stereo for the first time. This high-energy Motown television special and exclusive CD boxed set will make their nationwide debut August 6th. Co-hosted by Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Duke Fakirr of The Four Tops, Claudette Robinson of The Miracles, and Martha Reeves, the "MOTOWN - The Early Years" special features many up-tempo and uplifting emotional highlights. The Contours, The Marvelettes, The Velvelettes and Brenda Holloway make their debut on any televised Motown special with performances of their best-loved classics. The special also features rare classic performances, such as Motown super-star "Little" Stevie Wonder performing "Uptight! Everything Is Alright," The Temptations performing "My Girl," Marvin Gaye performing "Ain't That Peculiar" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with Tammi Terrell. This music special also includes multiple rare archival performances by Diana Ross & The Supremes and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. Much of this footage has not been seen since its original air date! "MOTOWN - The Early Years" marks the first Motown special with vintage performance footage aligned with a new stereo mix from the original recordings. While compiling the Motown classics for the boxed set, TJL Productions and Shout! Factory were granted exclusive access to the original recording sessions, not only enabling stereo mixes to be created for the broadcast and CD release, but allowing extended versions of more than 30 tracks to be mixed for the companion CD boxed set of four CDs of hits by the original artists. Producer TJ Lubinsky, creator of the My Music series, explains, "Since most of these '60s-era Motown recordings were originally mixed for mono AM car radios, and previous stereo attempts often lack the punch and drive of the mono 45s. Because of our exclusive access to the actual parts -- guitars, pianos, percussion, horns and strings - we were able to produce never-before-heard extended mixes of some of these classics." The four-disc collection, with songs only available to PBS members, includes such rarities as the CD-debut of Stevie Wonder's "Purple Raindrops," the original B-side of his 1966 hit "Uptight." "This song, along with all the other big hits and rare B-sides created for this PBS package are some of the most sought after tunes in the Motown vaults," Lubinsky explains. "For example, we found an extra two minutes on the end of 'Tracks Of My Tears' by The Miracles that the public has never heard. The original song had been edited down to meet the strict 2:45 minute radio regulation. Our true stereo extended mix, which can only be found on PBS's MOTOWN - The Early Years CD boxed, runs 4:05 - talk about miracles!" The program and DVD features the last televised full performance of original Four Tops member Obie Bensen who passed away weeks after the taping. In a rare appearance, the original Four Tops lead singer was present at the recording to reunite with his friends for this special. # # # For interviews with Martha Reeves and/or My Music creator/producer TJ Lubinsky: Contact Andy Tinker at 412-822-8330 For more information about the MOTOWN - The Early Years CD boxed set: Contact Stacey Studebaker/Shout! Factory 310-979-5602 or sstudebaker@shoutfactory.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it MOTOWN - The Early Years (My Music #202) Song Sequence: ACT I "Dancing In The Streets" - Martha Reeves "Do You Love Me" - Joe Billingslea's Contours Dennis Edwards Temptations Review Medley: "Get Ready," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," (Dedication to original members - all passed), My Girl (reprise) ACT II: "Uptight! Everything Is Alright" - "Little" Stevie Wonder (archival - true stereo) "Ain't That Peculiar" - Marvin Gaye (archival - true stereo) "Reach Out, I'll Be There" (archival tribute to Levi Stubbs, ailing former lead of The 4 Tops) "Baby I Need Your Loving" - Four Tops "Bernadette" / "It's The Same Old Song" - Four Tops "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch (I Can't Help Myself)" - Four Tops ACT III: "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" - Martha Reeves "Nowhere To Run" - Martha Reeves "Ooo Baby Baby" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (archival full performance true stereo) "Tracks Of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (archival full performance true stereo) "You Really Got A Hold On Me" - The Miracles "Going To A Go-Go" - The Miracles ACT IV "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terell (archival, true stereo) Ladies of Motown tribute: "My Guy" - Mary Wells "Every Little Bit Hurts" - Brenda Holloway "Please, Mr. Postman" - Gladys Horton's Marvelettes "Needle In A Haystack" - The Velvelettes "Stop! In The Name Of Love" - Diana Ross & The Supremes (archival, true stereo) "Back In My Arms Again" - Diana Ross & The Supremes (archival, true stereo) Encore credit Segment Vintage Motown Review Clips, 1964 at The Apollo Theater / end credit sequence

rare Beatles and Hebb

Rare Beatles / Bobby Hebb tape

Written by Joe Viglione

Sunday, 15 November 2009 11:19

This article is in the hard copy of Gemmzine and from the forthcoming book: SUNNY: THE BOBBY HEBB STORY Chapter 1: Beatles Tape Auctioned in August of 2008 An original 1966 Beatles audio recording tape and the tape machine it was recorded on at the last concert in Toronto, Canada, was put up to bid at 10 AM August 11, 2008 with a minimum bid of $10,000.00. One of the fellows involved in the auction asked me to hear the Bobby Hebb recordings in order to identify Bobby’s five-song set list. It was an honor to hear The Ronettes, The Cyrkle, Barry & The Remains, Bobby and some of the Beatles along with the interview materials the audio-documentary producer put together on August 17, 1966 at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada. On or about Wednesday, January 23, 2008 I wrote some information to give to the individuals engaged in putting the documentary up for auction. This article (written November 14, 2009) is an edit from that essay. This information is part of the forthcoming book: SUNNY - THE BOBBY HEBB STORY Backed by Epic Recording artist Barry & The Remains, there’s a marvelous performance from the “song a day man” which concludes with an extended version of his signature tune, “Sunny”. One month before the Beatles appeared in this Canadian city- one of the fourteen stops on their North American tour - Hebb was riding high with Cashbox magazine ranking “Sunny” as the #1 hit in its publication while Billboard had the song at #2, July 23, 1966…so the song was a constant on the radio smack dab in the middle of this tour. What is also unique about this event is that in October of 1965 Paul McCartney’s song “Yesterday” hit #1 and now – two men who composed songs that history tells us would be all-time classics of 20th century songwriting – were appearing on the same tour. Certainly it was “Sunny” that landed Bobby the gig, but equally important was the respect and admiration The Beatles had for American rhythm and blues artists. You would have to call The Ronettes a pop band more than an R & B group, so Bobby was the sole representative of the sound that helped shape the product the Beatles would present to the world. After performing a Muddy Waters' song entitled "Got My Mojo Working", Bobby Hebb says to the crowd "Thank you very much. This is a song you made possible..." and when Barry Tashian and The Remains begin the opening chords there's pandemonium from the audience on a scale equal to the response The Beatles were receiving. Of all the opening acts on the bill, only Bobby Hebb had the timing perfect - his song riding the top of the charts just as he's touring with The Fab Four, and his uptempo creation with its good-feel modulation and extended vamp here, as superb a daylight as if The Beatles themselves were singing “Good Day Sunshine”, the song McCartney say was inspired by listening to The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream”. That the song has snow-balled since garnering that applause equal to John, Paul, George and Ringo – probably a thousand covers 44 years after its first recordings in 1965 (vibraphonist Dave Pike in America, Mieko “Miko” Hirota in Japan…songs recorded before Jerry Ross produced Bobby’s hit version) - indicates that Hebb could write a song on par with John and Paul and without the Beatles machine behind it to launch it; but a song that could benefit The Beatles tour and stand on the same platform as “Yesterday”, “Let It Be”, “Revolution” and “Day In The Life”. Bobby Hebb's Concert Performance with The Beatles show 1)Crazy Baby (Bobby Hebb) 2)For You (Van McCoy) 3)Good Good Lovin (Mann/Weil) 4)Got My Mojo Working (Muddy Waters) 5)Sunny (Bobby Hebb) The Ronnettes are Ronnie-less at this event, so when you hear them perform “Be My Baby” or a cover of The Shirelle’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” you are hearing the back-up singers. According to Artist’s Facts “Spector did not let Ronnie tour with The Beatles. He replaced her with another Bennett cousin.” So you had Estelle Bennet Vann and Nedra Talley Ross along with another Bennett, but not Ronnie Spector. Keep in mind that The Cyrkle had the guidance of Brian Epstein to help them, and on the fourth of June, 1966, their “Red Rubber Ball” hit #2 on Billboard (as Bobby would a month later with “Sunny”) while “Turn Down Day” was #16 on August 27th, according to Joel Whitburn’s essential “The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits”. So The Cyrkle were riding high at the same time Bobby Hebb was – Mr. Hebb’s second hit from the Sunny album, the Porter Wagoner cover of the J.H. “Red” Hayes/Jack Rhodes composition “A Satisfied Mind” reaching #39 on November 5 of 1966. Oh, to go back in time and change releases! "A Satisfied Mind" was a #1 Country hit for Porter Wagoner in 1955, and though Bobby Hebb certainly had big country leanings – his work with honky-tonk piano legend Poppa John Gordy and the King of the Hillbillies, Roy Acuff proof of that – the Mercury subsidiary, Philips Records, should have followed the smash pop song with “Love Love Love” (which would hit #35 in the U.K. six years later thanks to the Northern Soul movement re-igniting the production from the original Sunny album) or the non-lp single “Love Me”, a Jerry Ross/Kenny Gamble re-write of “Sunny”. Add to this the fact that Bobby turned down “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” (though the instrumental was recorded for him) as it was too much of a novelty song for his repertoire, and you see how history changes in the blink of an eye in the record industry. But on the concert stage on this tape Hebb's voice and sound are phenomenal. To hear this vintage concert after recording many Bobby Hebb performances live (since1995) well, as you can imagine the renditions are different, soulful and exciting. The Hebb show with The Beatles opens with a Bobby Hebb original, "Crazy Baby", the tenth track on the "Sunny" album. It is followed by a beautiful version of Van McCoy's "For You", the twelfth track on "Sunny" (McCoy, of course, scored with "The Hustle" during the disco era, a #1 hit in May of 1975). The next track is a cover of a Darlene Love & The Blossoms Reprise 45 RPM which may have been a minor hit. "Good Good Lovin" was the flip of their "That's When The Tears Start" circa 1963 and was written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. At a minute and 29 seconds it is the shortest song on the Sunny album, track 5. It’s also interesting to note that Bobby would have a song from a Ronettes related artist, Darlene Love, in his set and give it that soul stir that separates his music from that of the legendary “Wall of Sound”. Bobby likes to call "Got My Mojo Working" by another name "Mojo Workout", but the similar song by the title "Mojo Workout" was inspired by Muddy Waters where Bobby actually plays the original Muddy Waters tune "Got My Mojo Working". "Mojo Workout" is the title of a Sundazed Paul Revere & The Raiders release, written by Larry Bright and recorded by one of Hebb's friends and mentors, Bill Cosby (on Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings) as well as Larry Bright (credited on AMG to Julianna Bright). According to Bright's bio on AMG:"Once in the studio, Bright, inspired by Muddy Waters' "mojo song" (he didn't know the title) decided to make up a mojo song of his own: "Mojo Workout." After local black-owned Tide Records picked it up, the track received heavy airplay on KGFJ, the major R&B station in L.A. Jim Randolph, a black disc jockey at the station, thought Bobby played "Got My Mojo Working" considerably in his days at The Blue Morocco with Sylvia Robinson (of Pillow Talk fame). Bobby replaced Mickey "Guitar" Baker in Mickey & Sylvia (they, of course, hit with "Love Is Strange"), Bobby & Sylvia releasing one 45 RPM together, but Bobby being nicknamed "Mojo" while performing at that venue. You can hear the "Love Is Strange" guitar riff in Dave "Baby" Cortez's hit "Rinky Dink" from 1962. That's because it is Bobby Hebb on lead guitar; Bobby did a LOT of sessions for other artists: soul pioneer Roscoe Shelton, for John Lee Hooker (while Hooker was using another name on the Excello label), spoons for Bo Diddley as well as the aforementioned Poppa John Gordy (whose son, John Gordy Jr. became a huge football star), and others. "Rinky Dink" hit #10 in Billboard August 11, 1962. "Love Is Strange" hit #11 January 12, 1957 for Mickey & Sylvia. Just to give this music a little historical perspective. Columbia artist The Cyrkle's performance included covers of The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys, credible covers that showed their falsetto vocal prowess. The group was highly creative. And The Remains on the tape sound like the early Rolling Stones. Barry and Billy Briggs have appeared on this writer’s television program, Visual Radio, and we've videotaped the group live, so – again - being able to compare something from decades before is totally amazing. Hebb biographer Joseph Tortelli noted that this month, November 2009, The Rolling Stones have a 40th Anniversary Boxed Set commemorating “Get Your Ya Yas Out.” Tortelli feels that the 1969 Rolling Stones tour and the 1966 Beatles/Bobby Hebb tour are two vital and unexplored concert tours. There’s no argument on that here…in fact, I feel that these tours have been under appreciated because of the lack of music available to the public from these giants of the recording industry. There’s no doubt in my mind that scholars hundreds of years from now will appreciate the material that sees release, possibly long after those of us living in this time-line have shed this mortal coil. Just as being with the late Jimmy Miller in the late Allen Klein’s office as Klein’s son Jody played us Sam Cooke productions in 1986 or 1987…material human ears had not heard in decades – it was an honor for me to be among the first to hear this tape, as well as Little Walter DeVenne’s legendary live tape of Jimi Hendrix with Little Richard, discovered (or made public) by my show, Visual Radio, while interviewing DeVenne. There’s lots more Beatles stuff in the vaults. Hoping that this article whets your appetite I remain, Joe Viglione. Additional article on Bobby's music being written here: http://www.gemmzine.com/j/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173:joe-jewell-denny-jiosa-roy-nathanson-cover-qsunnyq&catid=28:cd-reviews&Itemid=28

Last Updated on Monday, 16 November 2009 07:42