The sad news can be found here. My thanks to Myron for letting this blog know.
("This blog" being, of course, me. But "this blog" sounds more official.)
No foul play is suspected. Apparently, he died peacefully, which is good. Here's one of Gene's best recordings--this Bacaharch/David number was written for the John Ford film of the same name:
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Bacharach/David), Gene Pitney, 1962. From Sceptor LP.
Box.net is still moving extraordinarily slowly. But, rejoice--their blog announces that everything will be fine. By the start of next week, that is.
Please try to contain your excitement....
R.I.P., Gene. More of this fine artist to come, Box.net willing.
Lee
7 comments:
And I quote: “This file is currently in transition between file servers.
It will be available to download shortly.
Please contact Box.net support for more information.”
In Transition? HA!
Lee,
Gene Pitney's death is sad news but so was Jackie McLean's--yet no mention has been made or tribute paid on any blog that I frequent. Can't someone say some kind words of remembrance for this giant of jazz?
Well, David, a few colleagues here in France did mention Mack's death - as a matter of fact I heard of it myself on Lucie's 'Rock'n'Blues' blog...
I wuzza 'bout 14-16 when that dude had his day. You get different opinions about his voice and a lotta folks put him in "the guilty pleasure" category...Either way, I bought every album he recorded and still think his singing style was pretty damned original..Tellya what...If you were goin' thru a break-up with a teenage girl at the time...Pitney could bringya to tears.......
Stevo,
Yeah, Pitney was a victim of rock-snobbery (though I think one of the big-deal critics liked him--can't remember who). So many popular singers aren't cool with the critics, and yet their careers carry on, unbroken, and their fanship remains large, and they keep making records. Which is why I figure that the uncool guys, from Manilow to Yanni, are within their rights to tell the scribes where to shove their pens. Except, why bother?
Pitney got a nice but brief blurb in today's paper, and I couldn't help thinking that, had it been a substitute drummer for Zomba-Bomba-Roo who had stubbed his toe on a pebble, the write-up would have been full page.
He made fabulous records, and I hardly expect the rock-snob crowd to recognize a good record when one graces their hearing. (You caught me on a roll. Sorry!)
Thanks for your comments!
Lee
Whooooaaah! You sound like me when I get onto hip-hop! I would like to go on record as a bona fide rock snob who adores Gene Pitney's music. Most of my friends in that category do as well. I used to close my DJ nights in the punk era with a Pistols and then "Backstage (I'm Lonely)," just to show the kids who had more bombast. On a trip to Chicago in the '80s to see Roxy Music perform, a bunch of us stayed an extra night to take in Gene at Park West. He was no less than astounding, with three encores. As for the rock crits, Lester Bangs, Richard Meltzer, and Robert Cristgau were all huge Pitney fans. I mean, his records rawwwkked!
Friendlier,
Sorry to be answering so late--glad to hear Gene was viewed positively by rock critics. That's good. But I have to wonder why he got such a nothing blurb in our paper, which usually goes along with whatever ideas of cool vs. uncool are in vogue at the moment. Maybe he's fallen out of cool with current critics? Or they don't know who he was, maybe.
It just seemed to me he was getting the usual ho-hum treatment reserved for those who aren't happening in the hip world of Now.
Anyway, thanks for commenting!
Lee
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