FUN WITH MUSIC

Over at one of my fave music blogs, Keep The Coffee Coming, we recently had a mystery artist to identify. It really had me goin’ for a while, and I have to admit I was stumped right up til the final ‘reveal.’ I highly recommend you head over there and have a listen to the Sunday, September 28 post titled “Blue Shadows on the Trail” aka “I Never See Maggie Alone” and see if you can guess who it is. And if you don’t want a spoiler, don’t look at the comments first!

All this guessing got me thinking about some of the more or less obscure oldies we don’t hear often enough. One of my favorites is a sweet little Brill Building number by Greenwich/Barry) and recorded by the girl group called The Butterflys. Happily there is a video of it on YouTube, so you can hear it again. The only thing better would be if it had footage of the gals performing it, but we can’t be too picky. So here it is – have a listen to the lyrics and remember your own early dating days.




Photo from www.fiftiesweb.com
Video by YT member VinylRecords60

WHEN GIRL GROUPS RULED THE EARTH - REPARATA AND THE DEL-RONS

Ah, those distant days of long ago (that would be the 1960s) when Girl Groups were everywhere. And known for their distinctive style. The very first wave of GGs often wore smoothly coiffed bouffant hair, and party dresses with white gloves, but then came the beehive, mascara, mini-skirts (or form-fitting stirrup pants) and boots. Those were the days all right. And the groups had sweet and lyrical names; names like The Angels, The Chiffons, The Cookies, The Shangri-Las, Reparata and The Del-rons…Hold on, back up a minute…run that last one by me again. Yes, Reparata and the Del-rons. They may not have been a household name back in those early days, not like the Ronettes or Crystals anyway, but they had quite a loyal following. Their modest hits include “Whenever a Teenager Cries,” “In My Diary” and my personal fave, a number which certainly gives the Shangri-Las’ teen tragedies a run for their money, “I’m Nobody’s Baby Now.” You’re probably wondering where the group’s name came from. Well, the story goes like this:

The girls were all friends from the same Catholic high school in Brooklyn. When they formed their first quartet in 1962, they called themselves the Del-rons, in homage to a popular male group of the day The Del-Vikings. Later on, their manager didn’t think that name had enough pizzazz, and asked them to come up with something more “flamboyant.” So the lead singer, Mary Aiese, renamed herself Reparata, after her favorite nun at school. Now, I’m no expert in nun’s names, but I going to go out on a limb here and say that Reparata might be related to the noun, reparation, which means to make repairs or make amends, or offer expiation, atonement. Okay, I think we’re getting somewhere.

The girls did everything right. They had genuine talent; they recorded, toured, hung out with Dick Clark, but they never quite made it to the heights that many, myself included, think they should have. As the 60s wore on, and the British invaded, it got tough for everybody. In a real ironic twist, Reparata and the Del-rons gained a stronger following in the UK. Today, they are attracting renewed attention, as interest in early rock and pop is kind of looping back to see just what we might have missed the first time. You might say that the listening public is making reparations.

Panic - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgJhhFEHcnI

BEST IN SHOW - A List of Vintage Love Songs

Like every music person, I have a bunch of love songs I would put at the top. That doesn't necessarily mean I think they're all the best songs ever written, but for me they are best a summing up those emotional highs and lows we've all found ourselves from time to time. Here's my list from my teenage years, broken down into handy categories. See how yours compare, or send in a list of titles and categories of your own.


Happiest Love Song: "I Got You Babe" Sonny & Cher. Two hippies against da wurld.

Saddest Love Song: "Long Long Time" Linda Ronstadt. What's worse than getting dumped?

Best Break-up Song: "This Time" Troy Shondell. No light at the end of his tunnel.

Best Make-up Song: "The Best Part of Making Up" The Ronettes. Big hair knows all about it.
(see picture)

Best Kiss-off Song: "Hats Off to Larry" Del Shannon. He loses half a point for that line about wanting her back regardless, but I'll still give him the medal.

Best Come Back To Me Song: "He'll Only Hurt You" Dion. Love the big finish!

Best Love Song to Something Other Than a Person: "Dirty Water" The Standells. Frat Rock at its absolute best!