Bedazzled!

Bedazzled.tv's DeeJay Spike Priggen at Brooklyn's Sidecar Thursday January 10th

Spike Priggen (AKA "Cookie" of Bedazzled.tv and Scopitones.com) will be DeeJaying at Sidecar on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn every other Thursday starting January 10th. I'll be "spinning" everything from Freakbeat to Dub, up to and including Glam, Bubblegum, Pop-Psych, Sunshine Pop, Garage Rock, Girl Groups, British Invasion, Punk, New Wave, Northern Soul, Ska, Funk, Soundtracks & other great musics of the 60's, 70's, 80's and beyond. Also expect to see some obscure Mod Retro Video action, courtesy of Bedazzled.tv on the monitors. Link to FaceBook Event page.

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Nino Tempo & April Stevens - "I Can't Go On Livin' Baby Without You" on The Lloyd Thaxton Show 8/18/66

Buy - "Hey Baby! The Nino Tempo & April Stevens Anthology"

Nino Tempo & April Stevens - "All Strung Out" on The Lloyd Thaxton Show 8/18/66

Via Dean Falcone on Facebook

The Wrecking Crew on The Righteous Brothers- "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" Backing Track

The Wrecking Crew

Via FaceBook friend Gary A. Schneider of Open Mynd Collectibles

Tribute To Ellie Greenwich: The Ronettes - "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine"

RIP Ellie Greenwich.

Check out this  amazing Ronettes track written by Ms. Greenwich courtesy of Derek's Daily 45.

Rabbit Factory Soul Revue with Ronnie Spector

I'll be in Milwaukee (!) for my 1st wedding anniversary but my fellow NYers should check  this out.

"After two sold out summer soul revue-style shows in 2007, Chicago-based southern music label The Rabbit Factory, Inc. returns with a bigger and better line-up. Not since Atlantic Records foray into the American south or the golden age of soul music at the Apollo Theatre and Chicago’s Regal Theatre has the gritty sound of southern soul appeared up north with such force as with the Rabbit Factory Soul Revue. The vintage “chitlin circuit”-styled bill features classic southern soul artists performing with an eight-piece dance band, Wiley & the Checkmates, from Oxford, MS."

"The July 6th show will feature the core Rabbit Factory Soul Revue of The Checkmates performing with Herbert Wiley, the legendary Roscoe Robinson (Blind Boys of Alabama), Ralph ‘Soul’ Jackson (Spooner Oldham/Muscle Shoals) and Hermon Hitson (Jimi Hendrix/Isley Brothers/Joe Tex). This line-up has been receiving rave reviews from its high profile performances at SXSW and the Ponderosa Stomp. The show itself is part of the popular JellyNYC McCarren Park Pool Party series, opening for Ronnie Spector." Sunday, July 6th... Doors at 2PM.

Larry Levine, an Inventor of ‘Wall of Sound,’ Is Dead at 80

"Larry Levine, the recording engineer who helped create Phil Spector’s groundbreaking “wall of sound” technique on hit records by the Crystals, the Ronettes and the Righteous Brothers, died May 8 at his home in Encino, Calif. He was 80.

Mr. Levine had been suffering from emphysema, said a cousin, Stan Ross.

Mr. Levine, a house engineer at Gold Star Recording Studios in Hollywood, first collaborated with Mr. Spector in 1962 on the Crystals hit “He’s A Rebel,” the first of many Spector-produced records featuring lush instrumental backgrounds and heavy use of echo chamber. The wall of sound technique, which Mr. Spector and Mr. Levine refined through a process of trial and error, defined a string of hits, including “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain” by the Ronettes, “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me” by the Crystals, and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers." Link. via Stupefaction who says "Thats Larry on the left in the picture, and of course, Phil Spector in the middle."

Phil Spector Sessions: "Sleigh Ride" - Ronettes [Overdub Take 2]

Sleigh Ride - Ronettes [Overdub Take 2].mp3
Archive Photo by © Chris Walter from Photofeatures International
Buy "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector" 

Phil Spector Sessions: Ike & Tina Turner- "River Deep, Mountain High" [Takes 1 - 18]

From all accounts, Ike was not involved in this recording. Phil agreed to put his name on it if he promised to stay away from the sessions....
River Deep, Mountain High [Takes 1 - 4].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Take 5].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Takes 6 - 11].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Takes 12 - 14].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Take 15].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Takes 16 & 17].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Take 18 W_ Backing-Vocals].mp3
River Deep, Mountain High [Take 18 W_ All Vocals].mp3

Bruce Springsteen "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

20th September 1978 - Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ posted by stefaantje007

Isn't it weird how Bruce's arrangement of this song is the default version that everybody does now? I heard Little Richard do it recently and he was doing the Bruce version. And I've heard a bunch of others as well. As I remember it, it was a thing they just released to radio stations, originally. I just searched Amazon and it's on this Now That's What I Call Christmas! Compilation. You can also buy it at the iTunes store.

I mean, I like it, but it's got very little to do with the version I used to hear and sing as a child. That one had a totally different melody and phrasing on the chorus. And on the verse, for that matter. Bruce kind of just stripped the melody and the vocal timing right out of it and totally Brucified it. But somehow people decided that's the way they're gonna do it now.

Update: commenter bjimba says: "Bruce didn't invent this arrangement, Phil Spector did. Listen to the Crystals' version of "Santa Claus is coming to town" on the ubiquitous Phil Spector Christmas Gift to You / Phil Spector's Christmas Album / god knows what other titles they've come up with for the same collection. Mind you, the E Street Band definitely put their own stamp on the arrangement, and it's probably where most people have heard it. But give Spector his due."

I went back and listened to the Phil Spector/Crystal's version again and he's totally right, although I still think people are ripping off Bruce's version and not going back as far as the Crystal's version for inspiration...