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Songs People Should Hear - kvincent5555 - 01-05-2010
gryphon Wrote:Obscure folk cover tucked away on the forth side of the Boxed album by Mike Oldfield .......Personally I have always loved this little trackmile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNmsvcmk8Gc&feature=related
Nice. .
Songs People Should Hear - gryphon - 01-05-2010
Taken from a French or Belgian TV performance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN7HrXnRvls
Look for the studio and who appears in the mirrored background by mistake behind Davey!!!!!
h
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 02-05-2010
![[Image: P13334KO911.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P133/P13334KO911.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCdGqed6Ajg
from wikipedia
"Midnight Confessions" is a 1968 single by The Grass Roots, written by Lou Josie with vocals by Warren Entner and Rob Grill. It is the group's highest-charting single, reaching #5 on the U.S. pop chart in October 1968 and earning RIAA gold record certification.
The song was included on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film Jackie Brown.
The Grass Roots are a U.S. rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.
In their career, The Grass Roots achieved one platinum album, two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Between 1967 and 1972, The Grass Roots set a record for being on the Billboard charts for 307 straight weeks. They have sold over thirty million records worldwide.
Early member Rob Grill and a newer lineup of The Grass Roots continue to play many live shows each year. The band holds the U.S. attendance record for a concert consisting of only one act, by performing for approximately 600,000 people on July 4, 1982 in Washington, D.C. The band released a new live album chronicling their fourteen Top 40 Billboard hits titled Live Gold in 2008.
The sound of your footsteps
Telling me that you're near
Your soft gentle motion, baby
Brings out the need in me that no-one can hear, except
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
I love you
But a little gold ring you wear on your hand makes me understand
There's another before me, you'll never be mine
I'm wasting my time
Staggering through the daytime
Your image on my mind
Passing so close beside you baby
Sometimes the feelings are so hard to hide, except
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
I love you
But a little gold ring you wear on your hand makes me understand
There's another before me, you'll never be mine
I'm wasting my time
In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
Na na-na na na na na-na
Na na-na na na na na-na
Songs People Should Hear - kvincent5555 - 02-05-2010
The White Stripes - Effect & Cause
Fun tune. Fun lyrics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzWckYfZhbA
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 03-05-2010
![[Image: P14250NWR08.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P142/P14250NWR08.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g02WmLzozs8
from wikipedia
"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" is a 1964 single by Major Lance. The single was written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Okeh label president, Carl Davis. The song was Major Lance's third release to make the Billboard Hot 100 and his most successful hit. "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" went to number five on the Hot 100 and number one on the Cash Box R&B chart.
In 1974, Major Lance recorded the song as a disco version, peaking at number fifty-nine on the Billboard soul singles chart.
Major Lance (April 4, 1939 â September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among followers of Northern soul.
Major Lance was born in Winterville, Mississippi. Major was his given forename. As a child, he relocated with his family to Chicago, attending Wells High School - the same school as Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler - taking up boxing and also singing as a member of the Five Gospel Harmonaires. In the mid-1950s, he and singer Otis Leavill formed a group, the Floats, who broke up before recording any material. Lance became a featured dancer on a local TV show, and presenter Jim Lounsbury secured him a one-off record deal with Mercury Records, who released his single "I Got a Girl", written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, in 1959. The record was not successful, and Lance worked at various jobs over the next few years.
In 1962 he signed with OKeh Records on Mayfield's recommendation. His first single, "Delilah", was not successful, but established his partnership with a writing and arranging team of Mayfield, Carl Davis, and Johnny Pate, often with members of Mayfield's group The Impressions on backing vocals. Together they developed a distinctive, Latin-tinged sound which epitomised Chicago soul in contrast to music recorded elsewhere.
The second Okeh single, "The Monkey Time", became a #2 Billboard R&B chart and #8 pop hit in 1963. A succession of hits followed quickly, including "Hey Little Girl", "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (his biggest hit, reaching #5 in the US pop chart and #40 in the UK, where it was his only chart success), "The Matador" (the only one not written by Mayfield), "Rhythm", "Sometimes I Wonder", "Come See", and "Ain't It A Shame".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote:
"Blessed with a warm, sweet voice, Major Lance was one of the leading figures of Chicago soul during the '60s and the top-selling artist for OKeh Records during the decade. Lance not only had a lovely voice, but his material was excellent... It was urban, uptown soul and while it was considerably less gritty than its Southern counterpart, its breezy rhythms and joyous melodies made songs like "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" some of the most popular good-time R&B of its era."
In 1965, Pate left OKeh and Mayfield began to concentrate on working with his own group. Lance and Davis continued to work together, and "Too Hot To Hold" was a minor hit, but they had diminishing success before Davis in turn left the company. During this period, Lance toured in the UK, where he was supported by Bluesology, a band including pianist Reggie Dwight, later known as Elton John. Lance then worked with country music producer Billy Sherrill in Nashville, producing another minor hit, "It's the Beat". Over the next two years he worked with several producers, with only "Without a Doubt" becoming a minor hit in 1968. Soon afterwards Lance left OKeh and moved to Dakar Records, where he had the Top 40 R&B hit "Follow the Leader." He then moved to Mayfield's Curtom label, which resulted in his last two Top 40 R&B hits, "Stay Away From Me (I Love You too Much)" and "Must Be Love Coming Down." He left Curtom in 1971, and recorded briefly for the Volt and Columbia labels.
In 1972, he relocated to England, so as to capitalise on the success of his older records among fans of Northern Soul music, in dance clubs which played mostly rare and obscure American soul and R&B records. According to one writer, "the Major's contribution was truly phenomenal and unforgettable...He was to become legendary as a UK club act, known to deliver 110% at every performance." While in England he recorded an album, Live at the Torch, a club in Stoke on Trent, which has been described as "perhaps the best Northern Soul album ever made".
Lance returned to Atlanta in 1974, and recorded an updated disco version of "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" for Playboy Records. He set up a new label, Osiris, with former Booker T and the MG's drummer Al Jackson, but again with little success, and his career hit a downward spiral. After recording briefly for the Motown Records subsidiary label Soul, he was convicted of cocaine possession in 1978 and served a four year prison term. On his release, he found that his recordings had become popular on the beach music circuit in the Carolinas, where he continued to undertake live performances. He recorded a comeback album, The Major's Back, and several tracks for the Kat Family label.
However, his attempts to revive his career were thwarted by a heart attack in 1987, and he made no recordings thereafter. In 1994, he gave his final triumphant performance at the Chicago Blues Festival. He died later that year at the age of 55, as a result of heart disease, in Decatur, Georgia. He was interred at Washington Memory Gardens Cemetery in Homewood, Illinois.
Walking through the park, it wasn't quite dark
There was a man sitting on a bench
Out of the crowd as his head lowly bowed
He just moaned and he made no sense
He'd just go
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
I just couldn't help myself
Yes, I was born with a curious mind
I asked this man just what did he mean
When he moaned if he'd be so kind
And he'd just go
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Now that I've grown up
And the woman I love she has gone
Now that I'm a man, I think I understand
Sometimes everyone must sing this song
Listen to me sing
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Can't you hear me, now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Everybody now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Can't you hear me, now
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
Um, um, um, um, um, um
One more time, now
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 04-05-2010
![[Image: 20229683.jpg]](http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/20229683.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK1PpD1z-gs
from wikipedia
"Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by Scott English and Larry Weiss. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album The Outsiders In in 1966. The best known version of the song is the 1967 single released by The American Breed that peaked at #5 in the US in early 1968.
The American Breed's 2:05 single mix of this song was sped-up during mastering for release, while the widely-available original 2:24 version was done at a normal speed. The following year, The American Breed released their last single, âAnyway That You Want Me,â which borrowed its title phrase from this hit. Co-songwriter Scott English later went on to write and sing âBrandy,â which Barry Manilow later covered as his 1974 breakout hit âMandy.â
There have been other cover versions of the song. The first cover was released by The Models in 1966 on the MGM label. Other notable versions include one by Amen Corner, slightly altering the lyrics, which reached #3 in the UK in 1968. A group called Storm tried a cover version in 1971, but it missed making the Top 100. An updated version by Donna McElroy appeared on the Gumby album in 1989. The song is featured in the 1997 film, Wild America.
American Breed's âBend Me Shape Meâ was later featured in a 2000 TV commercial for Flexon eyeglass frames (revived in 2007), as well as a 2001 TV commercial for Mercedes-Benz station wagons, and a 2002 TV commercial for Gap Stretch Jeans.
The American Breed was an American rock band that was formed in 1966 and disbanded in 1969.
The group was formed in Cicero, Illinois as Gary & The Nite Lites. The group's greatest success was the single, "Bend Me, Shape Me," which reached number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. The song, written by Scott English and Larry Weiss, was a remake of a recording by The Outsiders that had been released the year before. The group also appeared on the 16 December 1967 episode of the television show American Bandstand, along with Pink Floyd.
The original members of the group were Gary Loizzo on vocals, Charles Colbert, Jr. on bass guitar, Al Ciner on guitar, and Lee Graziano on drums. All members were from the greater Chicago area. As Gary & The Nite Lites, they were somewhat successful in Chicago and released one single. Soon afterwards, the group underwent several changes. They moved to the Acta record label and renamed themselves The American Breed. Two new members were also added by 1968: Kevin Murphy on keyboards and Andre Fischer on drums.
The band enjoyed its greatest success in 1967 and 1968. They released five singles that reached the charts, including "Step Out Of Your Mind", "Green Light" and "Bend Me, Shape Me". The latter track was their biggest seller, and sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The group went through several more name and personnel changes, but with Ciner and Murphy remaining as core members through the changes. First was shortening the name to 'The Breed', then re-naming the band 'Smoke', before evolving to a R&B funk sound as 'Ask Rufus'. They added singer Paulette McWilliams, who was later replaced by Chaka Khan, and finally became Rufus, (former American Breed drummer Andre Fisher returned as Rufus's drummer during this period), and the band later scored their first Top 10 hit under the Rufus name with "Tell Me Something Good" in 1974. Fischer later married Natalie Cole. A compilation album, Bend Me, Shape Me: The Best of the American Breed, was released in 1994. "Bend Me, Shape Me" continues to receive occasional airplay on oldies radio stations.
In celebration of the 2005 baseball World Championship of the Chicago White Sox, the American Breed issued a CD single entitled "Rock with the Sox." The single was produced by Gary Loizzo.
The American Breed appeared also on the soundtrack to the films No Way to Treat a Lady (1968) and The Brain (1969).
You are all the woman I need
And baby you know it
(Know it, know it, know it)
You can make this beggar a king
A clown or a poet
(Poet, poet, poet)
I'll give you all that I own
You got me standing in line
Out in the cold
Pay me some mind
Bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
Long as you love me
It's all right
Bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
You got the power to turn on the light
Everybody tells me I'm wrong
To want you so badly
(Badly, badly, badly)
But there's a force driving me on
I follow it gladly
(Gladly, gladly, gladly)
So let them laugh I don't care
'Cause I got nothing to hide
All that I want is you by my side
Bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
Long as you love me
It's all right
Bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
You got the power
To turn on the light
Yeah, bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
Long as you love me
It's all right
Bend me, shape me
Anyway you want me
You got the power
To turn on the light
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 05-05-2010
![[Image: p11580n3njx.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp100/p115/p11580n3njx.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHshmDAc4lk
from wikipedia
"Spooky" was originally an instrumental song by saxophonist Mike Sharpe (Shapiro) which first charted in 1967 hitting #57 on the US pop charts. Its best known version was created by The Classics IV when guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics (Harry Middlebrooks, Jr. is also credited as a writer). In 1968, the vocal version of the song reached #3 in the U.S. (Billboard Hot 100) and #46 in the UK.
Cobb (along with bandmates Robert Nix and Dean Daughtry) later became part of the Atlanta Rhythm Section and re-recorded "Spooky" in 1979. ARS's version hit #48 in the UK and #17 in the US.
"Spooky" has also been covered by a number of artists including Dusty Springfield (whose version was featured prominently in the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Andy Williams, Martha and the Vandellas, Michel Pagliaro (recorded song in French), Velvet Monkeys, Daniel Ash, R.E.M., The Jazz Butcher, GoldieLocks, Imogen Heap, Lydia Lunch, David Sanborn, The Golden Cups, and The Puppini Sisters.
It also appeared in Episode 5 "Mooning and Crooning" of Eastwick's season 1. The song was also featured as part of the soundtrack of the 1985 movie, 'Fandango', staring Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson, and Suzy Amis and the 2008 film, 'How to Lose Friends & Alienate People', staring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox. The Classics IV's version was sampled by The Bloodhound Gang for their song "Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?"
Classics IV was a pop rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, in 1965. The band and its lead singer Dennis Yost are principally known for the hits "Spooky" and "Stormy", both released in 1968 and both of which have become cover standards.
The group grew out of a local cover band called The Classics, consisting of Talmadge Branch, Walter Eaton, Burt Norton, and Robert Nix, who went on to play in The Atlanta Rhythm Section and on the first two Lynyrd Skynyrd albums. However, the very first Classics consisted of Walter Eaton on lead guitar, Burt Norton on rhythm guitar, Glen Futch on bass guitar, Bobby Bowen on drums, plus Greg Carrol on saxophone, with a second sax player added at a later date.
Most rehearsals were held at the Norton residence in the Lakewood section of Jacksonville, Florida, beginning sometime in 1960 or 1961. The band played Ventures covers, instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime", and a rendition of The Tornados "Telstar", as well as "Sherry" by The Four Seasons. Robert Nix and Dennis Yost traded places on drums a few times prior to the Classics IV being formed.
The original Classics IV members were Dennis Yost (vocals & drums), James R. Cobb (guitars), Wally Eaton (guitars) and Joe Wilson (bass). During live shows, Yost would stand in the front of the stage and play drums while singing the lead vocals. Wilson was eventually replaced by Dean Daughtry.
The Classics IV moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1967 and were discovered by Bill Lowery who produced their first national hit in 1968 with "Spooky", a song they recorded in 1967 on the Imperial Records label. Guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics to an instrumental called "Spooky", a regional hit for saxophonist Mike Sharpe. The song made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S., and #46 in the UK. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
Having achieved popularity, the group brought in Kim Venable on drums so that Yost could focus on singing. They changed the band name to Classics IV Featuring Dennis Yost and enjoyed two last Top 10 hits, "Stormy" (1968, #5) and "Traces" (1969, #2) and a Top Twenty hit, "Everyday With You Girl" (1969, #19). "Stormy" and "Traces" both sold over one million units, and were awarded gold discs by the R.I.A.A..
They changed their name again, to Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, and had one last minor hit, "What Am I Crying For?" (1972, #39) on the MGM South label. Cobb, Daughtry and producer Buddy Buie joined the Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1974.
In the cool of the evening when ev'rything is gettin' kind of groovy,
I call you up and ask you if you want to go and meet and see a movie,
First you say no, you've got some plans for the night,
And then you stop, and say, "All right."
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
You always keep me guessin', I never seem to know what you are thinkin'.
And if a fella looks at you, it's for sure your little eye will be a-winkin'.
I get confused, 'cause I don't know where I stand,
And then you smile, and hold my hand.
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Spooky!
If you decide someday to stop this little game that you are playin',
I'm gonna tell you all what my heart's been a-dyin' to be sayin'.
Just like a ghost, you've been a-hauntin' my dreams,
So I'll propose... on Halloween.
Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you.
Spooky,
Spooky,
Spooky,
Oh-whoa, all right,
I said Spooky!
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 06-05-2010
![[Image: P06956LNUVD.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP000/P069/P06956LNUVD.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5IzwSektno
from wikipedia
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is a song written by Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield which was a #1 hit for Connie Francis in the summer of 1960.
Although "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was written as a bluesy ballad, Francis envisioned the song as polka style number feeling that as such it would fare well in the German market and producer Arnold Maxin followed Francis' advisement in the 7 April 1960 session at Olmstead Studios (NYC) when Francis cut the song with the Joe Sherman Orchestra.
In the US "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was intended to serve as the B-side for the track "Jealous of You (Tango Della Gelosia)", which like Francis' precedent A-side hit "Mama" was a ballad of Italian origin; however most American radio stations preferred to play "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and - while "Jealous of You" did reach #19 - "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 27 June 1960 and remained there the following week. The first of Francis' three US #1's, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was also ranked on the R&B chart at #2 and was the only one of Francis' major hits to cross over to the C&W charts where it peaked at #24.
A #5 hit in the UK, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was #1 in Australia for three weeks in July 1960 and in South Africa ranked as the #15 hit for that year.
Francis' instincts re the German hit potential of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" proved correct: rendered as "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel" became the best-selling single of 1960in Germany where the original English version of the song also reached #25 in Germany. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was also #1 in Norway for eight weeks. Translated versions of the song include those made by Celly Campello (in Portuguese as "Alguém é bobo de alguém"), Marketta Joutsi (in Finnish as "Pajunköyttä") and Siw Malmkvist (in Swedish as "Tunna skivor"). Subsequent to "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", Francis herself began to cut versions of all her single releases in several different languages.
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was remade in 1979 by Debby Boone who had previously had Top 20 C&W hits with her Connie Francis hit remakes "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" and "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart"; however Boone's version of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" only reached #48 C&W. The song has also been an album cut for Lynn Anderson, Pat Boone, Ann Breen, Sierra Hull, Margo, Jody Miller, Marie Osmond, Sandy Posey and Bobby Vee.
The song originally recorded by Connie Francis entitled "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" is often confused with an earlier song of the same title written by Ace Adams and Lionel Hampton which has been recorded by LaVern Baker, Michael Jackson, Etta James, the Heartbeats (#78/ 1957), Clyde McPhatter, Little Jimmy Scott, Kay Starr, Dakota Staton and Dinah Washington.
The arrangement performed by Connie Francis is noted for its organ introduction. This is the only place in this arrangement featuring the organ.
The tears I cry for you, could fill an ocean.
But you don't care how many tears I cry.
And though you only lead me on and hurt me.
I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye.
Cause everybody's somebody's fool.
Everybody's somebody's plaything.
And there are no exceptions to the rule.
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool.
I told myself it's best that I forget you
Though I'm a fool at least I know the score
Yet darlin' I'd be twice as blue without you
It hurts but I come runnin' back for more
Cause everybody's somebody's fool.
Everybody's somebody's plaything.
And there are no exceptions to the rule.
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool.
Someday you'll find someone you really care for.
And if her love should prove to be untrue.
You'll know how much this heart of mine is breaking.
You'll cry for her the way i've cried for you.
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool.
Everybody's somebody's plaything.
And there are no exceptions to the rule.
Yes, everybody's somebody's fool.
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 07-05-2010
![[Image: p11193royt7.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp100/p111/p11193royt7.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoYRWY-r2so
"The Worst That Could Happen" is a song with lyrics and music written by singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded on The 5th Dimension's 1967 album of nearly all-Jimmy Webb songs, The Magic Garden, "The Worst That Could Happen" later reached the Billboard Hot 100's top 40 (at #38) on 4 January 1969 and peaked at #3 on 1-8 February 1969 for Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge.
It has been stated that along with "MacArthur Park" and "By The Time I Get to Phoenix", "The Worst That Could Happen" is about a love affair he had with a woman named Susan.
Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge (or simply The Brooklyn Bridge) is an American musical group, best known for their million selling rendition of Jimmy Webbâs "The Worst That Could Happen" (1968).
Brooklyn-born Johnny Maestro (born John Mastrangelo; May 7, 1939 â March 24, 2010) began his career in 1957 as the original lead singer of The Crests, one of the first interracial groups of the recording industry. [1] [2] Patricia VanDross, older sister to famed R&B singer Luther Vandross sang with Johnny Maestro during his tenure as lead vocalist with The Crests. After a regional hit with "My Juanita"/"Sweetest One" on the Joyce label, and two years of chart success on Coed Records with "16 Candles", "Step by Step", "The Angels Listened In", and "Trouble in Paradise", Maestro left The Crests for a solo career. Maestro was unable to reach his former chart heights with The Crests, but did have Top 40 hits with "What A Surprise" and "Model Girl" in 1961 and 1962, respectively.
By 1967, another New York vocal group called the Del-Satins--who had become well-known in the New York area as weekly performers on the local dance party program The Clay Cole Show, had made several non-charting recordings between 1959 and 1967 under their own name, and were also noted for backing up Dion on his post-Belmonts recordings--were looking for a new lead singer to replace original lead Stan Ziska. Other members were brothers Fred and Tom Ferrara (baritone and bass), Les Cauchi (first tenor) and Bobby Failla (second tenor). According to Cauchi, members of the group ran into Maestro at a local gym, playing his guitar, and approached him with the offer to join the group. After initially turning them down, Maestro's manager, Betty Sperber, called Cauchi and told him Maestro had changed his mind.
In 1968, Sperber, owner and founder of the talent management and booking agency Action Talents in New York City, was hosting her once a month Battle of the Bands talent search at the Cloud Nine nightclub in Long Island and brought Maestro along as the evening's special guest star. Action Talents' Vice President and General Manager Alan White suggested that Maestro be backed up that night by a seven-piece brass-filled group of youngsters called The Rhythm Method. That night's performance was such a success that the next day Sperber decided to combine the talents of Maestro, the four Del-Satins, and The Rhythm Method. The new group's name came about after White made the off-handed comment that "it would be easier to sell the Brooklyn Bridge" than book the proposed 12-piece act.
Johnny and the Bridge rehearsed their unusual combination of smooth vocal harmonies and full horns, and signed a recording contract with Buddha records. Their first release, a version of the Jimmy Webb song "The Worst That Could Happen" (a note-for-note cover of the version previously recorded by The 5th Dimension on the album The Magic Garden, which had not been released as a single), reached No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart. It sold over one and a quarter million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A.. The follow up, "Welcome Me Love", and its flip side, "Blessed is the Rain" â both by Tony Romeo â each reached the Top 50. A dramatic version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and the controversial "Your Husband, My Wife" also reached the middle ranges of the charts. The group sold over 10 million records by 1972, including LP sales, mostly produced by Wes Farrell. Appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Della Reese Show, and other programs helped to bring the group to the national stage.
After its heyday, The Brooklyn Bridge downsized to a five-man group, with the vocalists playing their own instruments. For example, Maestro could be seen on stage playing rhythm guitar, while former Rhythm Method bassist Jim Rosica picked up a vocal part. Later in the 1970s, as the Rock and Roll Revival evolved from a nostalgic fad to a respected genre, the group began to add members, retaining its core vocalists. By 1985, the group had solidified into an eight piece group, including original Del Satins Cauchi and Fred Ferrara and original Bridge member Rosica, and augmented by a horn section for special occasions. The drummer for the current line up, Lou Agiesta, was the drummer for the original American touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar.
The later version of the Brooklyn Bridge released a Christmas EP in 1989 and a greatest hits compilation in 1993, re-recording Maestro's hits with The Crests. In the early 1990s, Maestro moonlighted as the background tenor on Joel Katz's studio project CD Joel & the Dymensions (which also featured baritone-bass Bobby Jay). In 1994, The Brooklyn Bridge recorded a 10-song a cappella CD.
Recently, the Brooklyn Bridge was featured in one of PBS's biggest fundraising events ever, "Doo Wop 50", performing both "Sixteen Candles" and "The Worst That Could Happen"; the entire program was released on VHS and DVD. In 2005, the Brooklyn Bridge released a full concert-length DVD as part of the Pops Legends Live series. They continue to tour and in 2004 released a CD on the Collectables label titled Today, featuring more re-recordings of their hits and versions of other groups' songs of the 1950s and 1960s.
The Brooklyn Bridge was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame with the class of 2005.
The Brooklyn Bridge were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006. On March 31, 2009, the album Today, Volume 2 was released on CD by Collectables.
Johnny Maestro died on March 24, 2010 from cancer in Cape Coral, Florida at age 70
Girl, I heard you're getting married
Heard you're getting married, this time you're really sure
And this is the end, they say you really mean it
This guy's the one that makes you feel so safe, so sane and so secure
And, baby, if he loves you more than me
Maybe it's the best thing
Maybe it's the best thing for you
But it's the worst that could happen to me
I'll never get married
Never get married, you know that's not my scene
But a girl like you needs to be married
I've known all along you couldn't live forever in between
And, baby, if he loves you more than me
Maybe it's the best thing
Maybe it's the best thing for you
But it's the worst that could happen to me
And, girl, I don't really blame you for having a dream of your own
Hey, girl, I don't really blame you
A woman like you needs a house and a home, baby
If he really loves you more than me
Maybe it's the best thing
Maybe it's the best thing for you
But it's the worst that could happen
Oh, girl, don't wanna get married
Girl, I'm never, never gonna marry, no no
No, it's the worst that could happen
The worst that could happen
Oh, girl, the worst that could happen
Songs People Should Hear - Music Head - 08-05-2010
![[Image: P15905GTOC3.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P159/P15905GTOC3.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbWULu5_nXI
from wikipedia
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the debut song by the British band Procol Harum, released 12 May 1967. The single reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. (Without much promotion, it reached #5 on the US charts, as well.)
With its haunting tone and Bach overtones, vocals by Gary Brooker, and unusual lyrics by Keith Reid, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" reached #1 in several countries when released in 1967. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic. In 2009 it was the most played song in public places in the UK, and the United Kingdom performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited in 2004 recognized it as the most-played record by British broadcasting of the past 70 years. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone placed "A Whiter Shade of Pale" #57 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
More than 900 recorded cover versions by other artists are known. The song has been included in many music compilations over the decades and has also been used in the soundtracks of numerous films, including The Big Chill, Purple Haze, Breaking the Waves, The Boat That Rocked and notably in Martin Scorsese's segment of New York Stories. Cover versions of the song have also been featured in many films, for example by King Curtis in Withnail and I and by Annie Lennox in The Net.
The original writing credits were for Brooker and Reid only. On 30 July 2009, Matthew Fisher won co-writing credit for the music in a unanimous ruling from the Law Lords of the House of Lords.
The song was performed and recorded at Olympic Studios, with Gary Brooker providing the vocals and piano, Matthew Fisher on a Hammond M-102 organ, David Knights on bass, and Ray Royer on guitar. Drums were provided by session drummer Bill Eyden. A few days later, the song was re-recorded with the band's then newly-recruited drummer Bobby Harrison. That version, though, was considered inferior, and one of the original mono recordings was chosen for release.
Producer for the record was Denny Cordell and Keith Grant was the sound engineer.
The song was included on the original U.S. release of the Procol Harum album, but not on the UK version.
Reid told Songfacts that he got the title at a party, which gave him a starting point for the song. He overheard someone at the party saying to a woman, "You've turned a whiter shade of pale," and the phrase stuck in his mind. The original lyrics had four verses, of which only two are heard on the original recording. The third verse has been heard in live performances by Procol Harum, and more seldom also the fourth. The author of Procol Harum: beyond the pale, Claes Johansen, suggests that the song "deals in metaphorical form with a male/female relationship which after some negotiation ends in a sexual act." This is supported by Tim de Lisle in Lives of the Great Songs, who remarks that the lyrics concern a drunken seduction, which is described through references to sex as a form of travel, usually nautical, using mythical and literary journeys. Other observers have also commented that the lyrics concern a sexual relationship.
The phrase a whiter shade of pale has since gained widespread use in the English language, noticed by several dictionaries. As such, the phrase is today often used in contexts independent of any consideration of the song. It has also been heavily paraphrased, in forms like an Xer shade of Y - this to the extent that it has been recognized as a snowclone - a type of cliché and phrasal template.
The Hammond organ line of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sleepers, Wake!" and "Air on a G String", but contrary to popular belief, the song is not a direct copy or paraphrase of any music by Bach, although it makes clear references to both pieces. This similarity is referenced in the 1982 play The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard and the 1991 film The Commitments. A yet closer melodic influence that is seldom cited can arguably be found in the organ choral prelude "O Mensch bewein dein' Sunde Gross" (O Man, Lament Your Sin So Great) from Bach's so-called Orgelbuechlein (Little Organ Book). The music also borrows ideas from "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge.
The single was released on 12 May 1967 (UK, Deram Records). It entered the UK charts on 25 May 1967. In two weeks, it had reached number one, where it stayed for six weeks. All in all, it stayed 15 weeks on the UK chart. A May 1972 re-release on Fly Records stayed in the UK charts for a total of 12 weeks, and reached number 13 as highest. In the US, it reached #5 and sold over one million copies.
Chart positions: # 1 (UK), # 1 (Germany) , # 1 (Ireland), # 1 (Australia), # 1 (World), # 3 (Norway VG-lista), # 5 (USA Hot 100)
Over time, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has earned extensive critical acclaim.
It was named joint winner (along with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody") of the Best British Pop Single 1952-1977 at the BRIT Awards, part of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee.
#57 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004.
British TV station Channel 4 placed the song at #19 in its chart of the 100 greatest number one singles.
In 2005, former Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in the Royal Courts of Justice against Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that he co-wrote the music for the song.
Fisher won the case on 20 December 2006 but was awarded 40% of the composers' share of the music copyright, rather than the 50% he was seeking and was not granted royalties prior to 2005.
Gary Brooker and publisher Onward Music were granted leave to appeal, and a hearing on the matter was held before a panel of three judges during the week of 1 October 2007. The decision, on 4 April 2008, by Lord Justice Mummery, in The Court of Appeal upheld Fisher's co-authorship but ruled that he should receive no royalties as he had taken too long (38 years) to bring his claim to litigation. Full royalty rights were returned to Brooker.
On 5 November 2008, Matthew Fisher was granted permission to appeal this decision in the House of Lords. Lawyers say it is the first time the Law Lords have been asked to rule on a copyright dispute involving a song. The appeal was heard in the House of Lords on 22 - 23 April 2009.
On 30 July 2009 the Law Lords unanimously ruled in Fisher's favour. They noted that the delay in bringing the case had not caused any harm to the other party; on the contrary they had benefited financially from it. They also pointed out that there were no time limits to copyright claims under English law. The right to future royalties was therefore returned to Fisher. The musicological basis of the judgment, and its effect on the rights of musicians who contribute composition to future works, have drawn wide attention in the music world.
The first video for the song was shot in the ruins of Witley Court in Worcestershire, England.
The Witley Court video features four of the five musicians who played on the hit single: Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher, David Knights and Ray Royer, in performance and walking through the ruins. Only the drummer in the video isn't on the record: early band member Bobby Harrison is seen miming to session man Bill Eyden's drumming. According to Shindig! Magazine's Procol Harum cover story by Alan Robinson (November-December 2009 issue - page 55), the video was directed by Peter Clifton whose insertion of Vietnam War newsreel footage caused it to be banned from airplay on the "Top of the Pops" TV show. The band subsequently made another video, but by this time, Robin Trower and B.J. Wilson had replaced Royer and Harrison in the band, so only three of the five musicians on the recording are represented, and no performance footage included - only the five musicians cavorting around London, running across fields, etc. This lineup, with Fisher in a monk's cowl, also mimed to the song on "Top of the Pops," and black and white footage of this performance has been shown online, perhaps constituting the third video of the song from 1967.
We Skipped The Light Fandango
Turned Cartweheels From The Floor
I Was Feeling Kind Of Seasick
But The Crowd Called Out For More
The Room Was Humming Harder
As The Ceiling Threw Away
When We Called Out For Another Drink
The Waiter Brought A Tray
And So It Was That Later
As The Miller Told His Tale
That Her Face At First Just Ghostly
Turned A Whiter Shade Of Pale
She Said There Is No Reason
And The Truth Is Made Of Seam
That I Wonder Through My Plain Clothes
Would Not Let Her Be
One Of Sixteen Vestal Virgins
Who Were Leaving For The Coast
And Although My Eyes Were Open
They Might Just As Well Been Closed
And So It Was That Later
As the Miller Told His Tale
That Her Face At First Just Ghostly
Turned A Whiter Shade Of Pale