Echoes of the Spectorian Era, Vol. 14: I Wake Up Crying Because I Can't Kick the Wall-of-Sound Habit!

 Welcome to Vol. 14 of my series 

 covering the Sound of Spector... 

 the great Wall-of-Sound 

 recordings of the 60s! 

 THE BUTTERFLYS 

The song "I Wonder" was recorded by Phil Spector's girl group
The Crystals and released as a single in the U.K. It was also waxed
by Spector's Ronettes and released as an album track.

When it comes to the version of "I Wonder" released as a single by
The Butterflys (aka Butterflies), a girl group once called the Buttons
and made up of two former Crystals, wonder is all one can do.

In the fall of 1964, the Butterflys made a run at the top 50 with "Good Night Baby."
Some believe their follow-up, "I Wonder," was merely the overdubbed voice of
Ellie Greenwich, the Brill Building vet who wrote the song and provided
female vocals for another group, the Rainbows. I wonder if it really
matters.  The sound's the thing and the Butterflys' version of
"I Wonder," the only one released as a single in the

U.S., is girl group nirvana!

 "I Wonder" - The Butterflys 

 (Jan. 1965, highest chart pos. #117) 

 THE FURYS 

In 1962 Gene Pitney had a doublesided hit with "Only Love Can Break a Heart"
backed with "If I Didn't Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)"

Here's a Spectoresque cover of that fab flip arranged by Jack Nitzsche and
performed by R&B/doo-wop vet Jerome Evans and his group The Furys.

 "If I Didn't Have a Dime" - The Furys 

 (September 1964, uncharted) 

 MAUREEN GRAY 

I introduced Maureen Gray in vol. 2 of Echoes. As you might recall, Maureen

was the young singing sensation discovered by John Madara of the East Coast

songwriting/producing team of Madara & White. Maureen was only age 12

when she boldly marched into Madara's Philadelphia record store and told

him she could sing.  Madara signed the confident girl to a recording

contract.  Over the two years that followed Madara wrote and

produced more than a dozen of Maureen's recordings.

Here's a great one I'm posting for the first time. The moment you hear those

clacking castanets you'll know that this recording, which included budding

Philly Sound giant Leon Huff on keyboards, is an excellent example of the

East Coast Wall-Of-Sound that imitated Spector's West Coast production

style. Here is so young Maureen Gray with the flip side of "So Young,"

the splendidly Spectorian "There Is a Boy."

 "There Is a Boy" - Maureen Gray 

 (Jan. 1962, B side of "So Young") 

 TOM JONES 

Now here's a drama drenched Wall of Soundalike ballad
by Tom Jones that'll hit you like a ton of bricks!

It's the Welshman's powerful interpretation of the Burt Bacharach -
Hal David song "I Wake Up Crying," a top 20 R&B hit

for Chuck Jackson in 1961.

Awaken to Spectorian Splendor
with Mr. Tom Jones!

 "I Wake Up Crying" - Tom Jones 

 (from Dec. 1967 album 13 Smash Hits) 

 NINO TEMPO & 

 APRIL STEVENS 

Now here are Nino Tempo & April Stevens, the Grammy Award winning duo
from Niagara Falls that you met in vol. 4 of this series. The exciting brother-sister
act captured lightning in a bottle with the recording you are about to hear.

As the pictures above and below indicate, Nino & April emerged from
the deep end of the gene pool. They had the right look, the right sound
and the talent to become top recording artists.

When the family moved from Niagara Falls to California, Nino, a musical
prodigy, landed gigs as a session musician and worked under Phil Spector
as a member of The Wrecking Crew. Nino signed a recording contract
and began making records singing duets with his sister Carol who
went by the name April Stevens.

Nino wrote songs for the pair to record including "The Habit of Lovin' You Baby"

which the sibs waxed at the end of 1966. "Habit" was given the Spectorian studio

treatment and the single hit the street at the start of 1967. Unfortunately "Habit"

went to waste because it was released as the B side of "You'll Be Needing Me

Baby" which only Bubbled Under and never climbed above #133 on the chart.
What a shame! I hope you will agree that this killer B coulda been a killer A!

 "The Habit of Lovin' You Baby" - Nino Tempo & April Stevens 

 (Jan. 1967, B side  of "You'll Be Needing Me Baby") 

 BILLY JOE ROYAL 

Georgia born, country influenced pop singer Billy Joe Royal is best known for his hits
"Down in the Boondocks," "I Knew You When" and "Cherry Hill Park." In 1965 Royal

recorded the Joe South song "I've Got To Be Somebody." By Christmas Billy Joe's
Spectoresque single was climbing toward the top 40, helped along by this stirring
blue-eyed soul performance on the teen music TV show Shindig.

 "I've Got To Be Somebody" - Billy Joe Royal 

 (Dec. 1965/Jan. 1966, highest chart pos. #38, 
 live perf. on Nov. 6, 1965 ep. of Shindig) 

 REPARATA & 

 THE DELRONS 

Gotta love those New York girl groups. Mary Aiese, stage name Reparata,
and her Brooklyn trio of Catholic school girls called the Delrons, made a name
for themselves in the U.S. and the UK doing what mid 60s girl groups

 did best, singing songs about the pain of teenage love.

Reparata considers the group's RCA recording sessions to be their best work,
and she points to the single "I'm Nobody's Baby Now," written by Jeff Barry
and performed in the style of the Shangri-Las, as her favorite. Mine too!

 "I'm Nobody's Baby Now" - Reparata & the Delrons 

 (April 1966, uncharted) 

 I hope you enjoyed my 

 Echoes 14 platter party. 

 Stay tuned for more 

 splendid Spectorian sounds 

 coming your way in volume 15! 

Have a Shady day!