tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post7484994953111546738..comments2024-03-26T22:40:26.729-04:00Comments on Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else: The Fake Sixties, Part 1--Good Vibrations, Surfin' Bird, This Diamond Ring, more!Lee Hartsfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-79416806066688917442020-02-29T10:24:40.082-05:002020-02-29T10:24:40.082-05:00Yes I agree it is really nice to see the original ...Yes I agree it is really nice to see the original 45rpm / EP labels & LP covers as well.Apesvillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14875520637771224442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-45519555646310422892020-01-23T11:22:26.109-05:002020-01-23T11:22:26.109-05:00Thanks for digitizing these cover records, I so lo...Thanks for digitizing these cover records, I so look forward to these every time!Gilmarvinylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12440526134980020867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-38977970818665649672020-01-22T22:58:23.111-05:002020-01-22T22:58:23.111-05:00Scott--Oh, and in the Fake Sixties realm, the Song...Scott--Oh, and in the Fake Sixties realm, the Song Hits and Hit Parader label designs look high-class and elegant.Lee Hartsfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-10054692760870471462020-01-22T22:56:22.388-05:002020-01-22T22:56:22.388-05:00Scott--That's a good question. I'm guessi...Scott--That's a good question. I'm guessing that they sound perfectly on pitch! And lavishly produced.<br /><br />Buster--Yes, the faux Kinks are really under-produced here, though I think the British Top Six version fares much better in terms of guitar distortion. But the groups just aren't into it. And the real versions feature that Chess-style mic-overload effect that the Stones also employed. This "Dang Me" does come off well, though the singer is no Miller. I have a higher opinion of him than you do, but we're on the same page with Gary Lewis--I think that, even back in the day, I found this voice pretty lacking. But the Gary Lewis productions were so superb, especially "Just My Style." I'm surprised that the cheapjack Song Hits label came as close as it did to the full sound of the original, with just the right type and amount of echo. As opposed to the Hit Parader "Good Vibrations," which doesn't even try to sound remotely like a Brian Wilson production. It's like some guys recording a halfhearted demo in their bedroom prior to working out the harmonies.Lee Hartsfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-21752101760101492572020-01-22T20:58:18.735-05:002020-01-22T20:58:18.735-05:00I think the two best covers are two of the songs I...I think the two best covers are two of the songs I sneered at - "Dang Me" and "This Diamond Ring." I suspect it's because a} it's relatively easy to imitate Roger Miller's mannerisms and b) anyone can sing as well as Gary Lewis. It's harder to match the vocal quality of Colin Blunstone of the Zombies or even Mick Jagger. And it's tough to come up with the power and elan of the early Kinks.<br /><br />Fun to hear, though!Busterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08918896767504950096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-79851143537350982282020-01-22T20:05:55.972-05:002020-01-22T20:05:55.972-05:00The parallel universe does seem to have a differen...The parallel universe does seem to have a different pitch than we have here......I wonder if the originals sound off key in their world? Scott1669https://www.blogger.com/profile/09544711465561815652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-50189303263042499242020-01-22T13:49:21.082-05:002020-01-22T13:49:21.082-05:00Lee - About Surfin Bird: yeah, that surprised me t...Lee - About Surfin Bird: yeah, that surprised me too. If I knew the sources of the Trashmen record the first time I heard it, everyone else must have, too.Busterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08918896767504950096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-13765290520484904142020-01-22T13:31:50.463-05:002020-01-22T13:31:50.463-05:00Ernie, yes! Very true. They had some nasty word...Ernie, yes! Very true. They had some nasty words for me when I pulled up the file. I can understand, with them being left to linger so long.<br /><br />Mac, Thanks--sometimes I think my essays are too long, so I really appreciate nice words about them. And it's astonishing, isn't it, how the cheapies could copy the sound and original charts down to the last note and no one even blinked? Then again, we have "cover" bands nowadays, and their output would fall into the sound-alike category. But I imagine the licensing is far more complex now. Of course, the cheapies were operating on the edge of legitimacy, so maybe the makers of the real hits decided it was less trouble to simply ignore them.<br /><br />Buster, I always liked those last two titles, and as awful as "Surfin' Bird" may be (and it is), I have affectionate memories of its use by Cleveland and Detroit horror hosts for some of their bits. As you probably know, the Trashmen were sued for ripping off the Rivingtons' "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," and it wasn't until years later I discovered neither had originated with "Surfin' Bird." The lyrics are so garbled, I always thought it went "The bird--the bird--the bird is the weirdo; Well, the bird, etc." and I wondered what the hay that could mean. I assume "The Bird's the word" refers to a dance--as in, the Bird is the latest thing. That a group thought it could rip off twose hits and not get sued tells us a lot about the casual attitude of the time toward song rights.Lee Hartsfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15378950382643333359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-40223679620555186532020-01-22T11:54:56.266-05:002020-01-22T11:54:56.266-05:00Surfin Bird, This Diamond Ring and Dang Me were aw...Surfin Bird, This Diamond Ring and Dang Me were awful enough on their own. They did not require the Pickwick folks to make them even worse. But still, I want to see what that company's "artists" made of the Zombies and the Kinks. Probably American revenge for the British Invasion.<br /><br />Maybe it's just me, but I am always disappointed when these records don't specify the artists, even with a fake name. Is that a factor that separates the cheap labels from the really cheap labels?Busterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08918896767504950096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-78854786841536915772020-01-22T11:13:14.607-05:002020-01-22T11:13:14.607-05:00Wonderful as usual story line here and yes, I subs...Wonderful as usual story line here and yes, I subscribe to your theory that there is (or was) an alternative reality that allowed for the creation of these fakes - I mean, in this Litigates society how could one get away with this? The royalties asked surely would have sunk the effort right?<br /><br />Your preface lines are what keeps me coming back even if I don't always grab the hits so please, keep doing what your doin' there Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15226547923246444273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-2312196499392595152020-01-22T08:42:43.606-05:002020-01-22T08:42:43.606-05:00Glad you rescued these from oblivion. Twice, it s...Glad you rescued these from oblivion. Twice, it sounds like. :)Erniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02589056878160272070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13248979.post-18855506838269797232020-01-22T05:25:34.788-05:002020-01-22T05:25:34.788-05:00Thanks love those posts filled with obscure covers...Thanks love those posts filled with obscure coversMonkey D. Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05872463134026719614noreply@blogger.com