More answers to your questions
re: YEH YEH:
>>>I think it was in one of your mailing where you stated that some of the best seldom heard songs can be heard in food stores. Well, I was in one and they played a song I hadn't heard in ages!!!I didn't know title or artist!!! I dropped everything and stood below the ceiling speaker listening closely! I later was told it was Georgie Fame's "Yeh, Yeh". What a fantastic song!!! (John)
>>>Yep, one of MY very favorites, too ... oldies jocks on the list should this one a spin, too! Another bona fide Top 20 Hit that gets virtually NO airplay these days. "Yeh, Yeh" ROCKS!!! (kk)
The stereo version actually is the British single version (conveniently the youtube video shows the british single ... which was mono only, the stereo mix first showed up I believe around 2001). The sax solo was cut out of the US 45 (why?? it really makes the song better!). He also cut a version of the song in German with a different backing track, in an era when it was cheaper to use the original backing track (I guess the multitrack tape had already been lost by that point).
tom
It's weird to hear that sax solo after hearing this song WITHOUT it for 45 years! Yeah, I like it OK ... but for my money, there's never been ANYTHING wrong with the original single ... this track ROCKS!!! (We featured a Burton Cummings / Randy Bachman remake a year or two ago, too ... but Georgie Fame KILLS on this track as far as I'm concerned!) kk
re: THE CARAVELLES:
Maybe my mind is shot to heck, but I certainly seem to recall that 'The Caravelles' were actually 'Patience & Prudence' who had to record under a different name since they were under contract.
'You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry' is on Eric CD Hard To Find Hits, volume #2 liner notes.
Happy New Year Kent,
Health, Happiness and Web HITS in 2011!
Sweet Dreams -
Charlie Fraser
First I've ever heard of the Patience and Prudence connection ... The Caravelles were a British duo consisting of Andrea Simpson and Lois Wilkinson. Patience and Prudence were two sisters named Patience and Prudence (their real names!) McIntyre from Los Angeles (who got their recording gig because Daddy was a band leader!) ... so no, I don't think there's ANY connection here. (Your inquiry made me dig out my Eric "Hard To Find" CD 'though to see what you were talking about ... don't see anything there either as far as a "connection" goes.)
Since we featured The Caravelles' Top Three Pop Smash from 1963 the other day, how about giving a listen to Patience and Prudence's Top Three Hit from eight years earlier, "Tonight You Belong To Me"! (kk)
re: GARDEN OF EDEN:
Kent,
Just one small comment to make after reading your Sunday Comments for today. One of your readers mentioned Joe Valino's 1956 song, GARDEN OF EDEN on Vik Records, I believe. Does anyone remember Bobby Comstock's version of 1961 on Festival Records?
Here in OKC it made it to number 2 on our local top 40 radio station.
Larry Neal
Comstock has come under more than his fair share scrutiny from our FH Readers over the years ... the general consensus seems to be that he was quite "over-rated" ... however, in the scheme of things, he really only had one minor hit (and "Garden Of Eden" wasn't it.) The closest he came to The National Top 40 was his rendition of "Tennessee Waltz" released back in 1959 ... it peaked at #42 in Cash Box and stopped ten points lower in Billboard. Would be happy to feature his version of "Garden Of Eden" since Tom Diehl was kind enough to send it to us. (kk)
re: KIP AND KEN:
Where can I hear that Kip and Ken thing listed in your Biggest Songs Of Summer list?
NH
How about right here?!?!? Although this one failed to hit The National Charts, it was a Top Ten Hit on WLS back in 1965! Here ya go! (kk)
re: SANTO AND JOHNNY:
Whoa, stop the presses!!!! You've got Johnny Farina from Santo and Johnny on your list?!?!?
Can Johnny tell me this recording history behind "Tear Drop" (1959)?
Seems Johnny and Santo recorded a demo and the record company thought it was rather good, so they dubbed in a guitar and bass, and out the door it went to score Top 40!!!http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/teardrop.mp3
Thank You!
Jersey John
Hmmm ... was it REALLY that simple, Johnny??? (It rarely was!)
We'd love for you to share the story behind this record with our readers! (kk)
We recorded this follow up to Sleep Walk live with a bass and drummer.
Happy New Year!
Johnny Farina
ONE MORE ...
After talking with Joel Whitburn (in conjunction with Davie Allan and Mike Curb and the Max Frost and the Troopers / "Shape Of Things To Come" topic), he told me ANOTHER Davie Allan story that I thought was worth mentioning ... it revolves around a TRUE musical treasure, Larry Knechtel ... so I wanted to share this with our readers, too! (kk)
re: LARRY KNECHTEL:
Here's something I remember about Davie Allan ... when I was visiting with Duane Eddy in Franklin, Tennessee, his neighbor, Larry Knechtel, came over and joined us for dinner. Duane had a copy of my Top Pop Singles book and he asked Larry to browse through it and tell us all the hits that he played on. We only got through about the middle of the “C’s” and he amazingly knocked off about 20-25 titles. I distinctly remember in the “A’s” that he did mention playing on some Davie Allan sessions. We never got to “Max Frost”, but I would bet that he was in that session also!
Joel Whitburn
Larry Knechtel was a studio musician extraordiaire, performing on literally hundreds and hundreds of hit songs both as part of The Wrecking Crew and on his own. He started his career as one of Duane Eddy's Rebel Rousers and some twenty years later was part of Bread, where he played both piano and bass for the band. In between he was even part of the Shindig "house" band!
The guy was literally on EVERYTHING ... that's Larry playing piano on the monster Simon and Garfunkel hit "Bridge Over Troubled Water", for which he won a Grammy.
Just SOME of the artists that Larry worked with over the years (and this is nowhere NEAR a complete list) include (alphabetically): The Association, Chet Atkins, Joan Baez, The Beach Boys, Stephen Bishop, The Byrds, Elvis Costello, Neil Diamond, Fats Domino, England Dan and John Ford Coley, The Everly Brothers, The Fifth Dimension, Connie Francis, The Grass Roots, Richard Harris (yep, that's him on "MacArthur Park", too!), Jan and Dean, Billy Joel, The Mamas and the Papas, Dave Mason, Barry McGuire, The Monkees, Randy Newman, Nilsson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, The Partridge Family, Poco, Elvis Presley (he was even on Elvis' 1968 "Comeback" Television Special!), Johnny Rivers, Tommy Roe, Seals and Crofts, Nancy Sinatra, Spanky and Our Gang, Phil Spector, Steppenwolf, Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner, The Turtles, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams, Jr., Mason Williams and, of course, the aforementioned Bread, Duane Eddy and Simon and Garfunkel. Man, what a career!!!
Sadly, Larry passed away last year ... but he left behind a recorded legacy that rivals the best that music has ever had to offer. (Now HERE'S a guy who deserves a decent career retrospective!!!) kk
