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hornet61
Guest
according to whitburn...It was 4 guys and 2 girls mavell and good along with fuentes and caudill were the guys and Debbie Lewis and brenda mcnish were the ladiesLes Stock said:
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Non-Hits you couldn't live without
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
Re: Mercy
"Love Can Make You Happy" was on the SUNDI label initially. Later they were picked up by Warner Brothers, and you can find this song on both the Sundi and Warner Brother's LP's by Mercy. Did WB also press "Love Can Make You Happy" on 45 as well?
"Love Can Make You Happy" was on the SUNDI label initially. Later they were picked up by Warner Brothers, and you can find this song on both the Sundi and Warner Brother's LP's by Mercy. Did WB also press "Love Can Make You Happy" on 45 as well?
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hornet61
Guest
Re: Mercy
Mercy is a convoluted group for sure...... three different groups on two different labels....i understand that a re-recorded version of "Love Will Make Me happy" was released on WB. Since Whitburn listed the WB line-up, I have to believe that the re-recorded WB version charted and not the Sundi version. Good job discovering the Sundi version......
johnbasalla said:
Mercy is a convoluted group for sure...... three different groups on two different labels....i understand that a re-recorded version of "Love Will Make Me happy" was released on WB. Since Whitburn listed the WB line-up, I have to believe that the re-recorded WB version charted and not the Sundi version. Good job discovering the Sundi version......
Re: More Mercy mystery
Billboard magazine listed the Sundi label as the hit version. The followup single was on Warner Brothers. I have the 45 on Sundi. I also have the LP with "Love...Happy" on Sundi Records AND the Warner Brothers album with "Love...Happy" on it. The Sundi album has a 1968 date on it. On the front cover are 3 girls along with a special encircled notice that says: "Featuring the ORIGINAL HIT RECORDING". On the Warner Brothers album, Mercy has a population explosion with 4 guys and 2 girls. Members names are only given on the Warner Brothers record. The Sundi album is made up of cover versions of then recent hits, up to 3 years old, with the exception of "Love Can Make You Happy". The Warner Brothers album has a combination of covers and new tunes, most of which were composed by Jack Sigler, Jr., whose name appears on both albums. On the Warner Brothers record, he is promoted as the group's leader. He probably does play on the Sundi record too. There's a story of the group on the Warner Brothers record. They are from Tampa, Florida. Sundi Records is from Tampa, Florida, but manufactured by the Jamie Record Company of Philadelphia, PA. Jamie was the label home of guitar great Duane Eddy. Now, what about the hit song? Well, "Love Can Make You Happy" sounds best on Sundi Records. The one on Warner Brothers is either a different recording, or a re-mixed version of the original. I can't conclusively determine by ear. An article on Wikipedia says its a different recording. The Warner Brothers record is not as dynamic. The vocals don't have as good of a presence, for one thing. The high-pitched "ding" sound, which is a part of the performance and production that stands out, is mixed down a bit in the Warner Brothers version. It was the Sundi album that appeared on the Billboard LP charts in 1969.
I've never seen a Warner Brothers '45' of "Love Can Make You Happy". For what it's worth, the B-side of the Sundi single is a great, hard-rocking fuzz guitar Rock instrumental called "Fireball".
Billboard magazine listed the Sundi label as the hit version. The followup single was on Warner Brothers. I have the 45 on Sundi. I also have the LP with "Love...Happy" on Sundi Records AND the Warner Brothers album with "Love...Happy" on it. The Sundi album has a 1968 date on it. On the front cover are 3 girls along with a special encircled notice that says: "Featuring the ORIGINAL HIT RECORDING". On the Warner Brothers album, Mercy has a population explosion with 4 guys and 2 girls. Members names are only given on the Warner Brothers record. The Sundi album is made up of cover versions of then recent hits, up to 3 years old, with the exception of "Love Can Make You Happy". The Warner Brothers album has a combination of covers and new tunes, most of which were composed by Jack Sigler, Jr., whose name appears on both albums. On the Warner Brothers record, he is promoted as the group's leader. He probably does play on the Sundi record too. There's a story of the group on the Warner Brothers record. They are from Tampa, Florida. Sundi Records is from Tampa, Florida, but manufactured by the Jamie Record Company of Philadelphia, PA. Jamie was the label home of guitar great Duane Eddy. Now, what about the hit song? Well, "Love Can Make You Happy" sounds best on Sundi Records. The one on Warner Brothers is either a different recording, or a re-mixed version of the original. I can't conclusively determine by ear. An article on Wikipedia says its a different recording. The Warner Brothers record is not as dynamic. The vocals don't have as good of a presence, for one thing. The high-pitched "ding" sound, which is a part of the performance and production that stands out, is mixed down a bit in the Warner Brothers version. It was the Sundi album that appeared on the Billboard LP charts in 1969.
I've never seen a Warner Brothers '45' of "Love Can Make You Happy". For what it's worth, the B-side of the Sundi single is a great, hard-rocking fuzz guitar Rock instrumental called "Fireball".
I'm really enjoying sharing some of these lost greats with all of you who are interested, and thank you for reading. Since this is primarily a radio board, it occurred to me that I should ask if anybody knows of internet forums, kind of like this, where people post about music. If you know of one or some that would welcome this sort of contribution, please share. Now, on to more 45 rpm records that were not hits, that I grabbed from the radio station before they were thrown out, plus the story of one I regret not taking.
"ANGRY" by The Voices of East Harlem, 1972 (Elektra Records). Well, we know where the group hailed from. There are a number of songs by them that you can hear on the internet, but I didn't find this one. This one is an early 1970s R&B, gospel-tinged tune with a touch of anger in the performance. Let's just say, this is what The Edwin Hawkins Singers might sound like if they were "Angry".
"A WOMAN'S PLACE" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, 1974 (MAM/London Records) From 1972 to mid 1974 he enjoyed hits with varying degrees of success. His biggest, of course, was his first, "Alone Again, Naturally". I always surmised that "A Woman's Place" knocked him out of contention due to the non-P.C. nature of the content. He wrote the song and sings "I believe a woman's place is in the home". Still it's unique and I respect his right to freedom of speech. Recently, I and some others listened to some of his LPs. We noticed that they were quite unexceptional. His hit singles, while ok to good, pale when played next to his other stuff because then you notice how everything is kind of cut from the same mediocre cloth.
"STEP UP TO THE MIKE" by The One and Only Extragordonary Band, 1975 (RCA Records). Here's a powerful, hot Pop-Rock piece. It's a lot of fun.
It starts out with cheers and throughout a guy asking people to "Step Up To The Mike". Then different voices take the lead vocals, and sing about a different topic. One of them is about God not being dead. This spiritual section is the best, as it is the only one whose content and meaning is obvious.
"SOLDIER OF FORTUNE" by Alan O'Day, 1977 (Pacific Records, distributed by Atlantic). In 1977, this writer of hits for others enjoyed his own brush with stardom... the chart-topping hit "Undercover Angel". In late November, 1977 we received a promo copy of the "Soldier of Fortune" single. This is a credible, upbeat, fun soft rocker. He also put out "Skinny Girls" which was good too.
NOW ONE THAT I MISSED:
In 1975 the All Platinum company, whose labels were All Platinum, Stang, Turbo and Vibration, had a big hit with the incredibly fun and infectious "Shame, Shame,Shame" by Shirley and Company. Within a year, we got a single from them by Jesus Alvarez that was the spitting image of "Shame, Shame, Shame" with another title. It was fun, I guess, but so unnecessary. Today I "kick myself" for not taking this one home with me because it's mind boggling how they could do such a thing, and think they'd have success with it. However, I did get one called "More Shame" by Seldon Powell and Company. This was nothing more then a faithful instrumental version of "Shame, Shame, Shame", with a slight Jazz-tinge to it, thanks to the lead instrument being a saxophone. The B-side which is "More Shame"-Part II" ends with a little singing, presumably by Shirley of Shirley and Company. Boy, they must have really wanted to milk that hit if they could.
"ANGRY" by The Voices of East Harlem, 1972 (Elektra Records). Well, we know where the group hailed from. There are a number of songs by them that you can hear on the internet, but I didn't find this one. This one is an early 1970s R&B, gospel-tinged tune with a touch of anger in the performance. Let's just say, this is what The Edwin Hawkins Singers might sound like if they were "Angry".
"A WOMAN'S PLACE" by Gilbert O'Sullivan, 1974 (MAM/London Records) From 1972 to mid 1974 he enjoyed hits with varying degrees of success. His biggest, of course, was his first, "Alone Again, Naturally". I always surmised that "A Woman's Place" knocked him out of contention due to the non-P.C. nature of the content. He wrote the song and sings "I believe a woman's place is in the home". Still it's unique and I respect his right to freedom of speech. Recently, I and some others listened to some of his LPs. We noticed that they were quite unexceptional. His hit singles, while ok to good, pale when played next to his other stuff because then you notice how everything is kind of cut from the same mediocre cloth.
"STEP UP TO THE MIKE" by The One and Only Extragordonary Band, 1975 (RCA Records). Here's a powerful, hot Pop-Rock piece. It's a lot of fun.
It starts out with cheers and throughout a guy asking people to "Step Up To The Mike". Then different voices take the lead vocals, and sing about a different topic. One of them is about God not being dead. This spiritual section is the best, as it is the only one whose content and meaning is obvious.
"SOLDIER OF FORTUNE" by Alan O'Day, 1977 (Pacific Records, distributed by Atlantic). In 1977, this writer of hits for others enjoyed his own brush with stardom... the chart-topping hit "Undercover Angel". In late November, 1977 we received a promo copy of the "Soldier of Fortune" single. This is a credible, upbeat, fun soft rocker. He also put out "Skinny Girls" which was good too.
NOW ONE THAT I MISSED:
In 1975 the All Platinum company, whose labels were All Platinum, Stang, Turbo and Vibration, had a big hit with the incredibly fun and infectious "Shame, Shame,Shame" by Shirley and Company. Within a year, we got a single from them by Jesus Alvarez that was the spitting image of "Shame, Shame, Shame" with another title. It was fun, I guess, but so unnecessary. Today I "kick myself" for not taking this one home with me because it's mind boggling how they could do such a thing, and think they'd have success with it. However, I did get one called "More Shame" by Seldon Powell and Company. This was nothing more then a faithful instrumental version of "Shame, Shame, Shame", with a slight Jazz-tinge to it, thanks to the lead instrument being a saxophone. The B-side which is "More Shame"-Part II" ends with a little singing, presumably by Shirley of Shirley and Company. Boy, they must have really wanted to milk that hit if they could.
Ok, the first song that comes to my mind is "Younger Girl" by the Critters from 1966. It was written by John Sebastian and originally performed by the Lovin' Spoonful, but I don't think the Lovin' Spoonful version was released as a single. The Critters' cover, which is the better known version (and better version IMHO), reached only #38 in the UK and didn't chart at all in the US, which tells us that the song is really underrated. Its bass-line is in a class of its own. Excellent song.
Another one I must mention is "Theme from the Magnificent Seven" by Al Caiola from 1961. It reached #35 in the US, but I think it was another grossly underrated gem, especially given its time frame. The tune is just so damn catchy and upbeat. I think it has tons more substance than an instrumental like "Theme from Shaft" (which spent 2 weeks at #1), for instance. Andalthough a tune like "Pick Up the Pieces" is catchy, it gets repetitive and boring REALLY fast. "Magnificent Seven" is perfect...short and sweet. But Al Caiola's version is the best by far and the only one that does the tune justice, IMHO...all the other versions that I've heard don't even come close.
Another one I must mention is "Theme from the Magnificent Seven" by Al Caiola from 1961. It reached #35 in the US, but I think it was another grossly underrated gem, especially given its time frame. The tune is just so damn catchy and upbeat. I think it has tons more substance than an instrumental like "Theme from Shaft" (which spent 2 weeks at #1), for instance. Andalthough a tune like "Pick Up the Pieces" is catchy, it gets repetitive and boring REALLY fast. "Magnificent Seven" is perfect...short and sweet. But Al Caiola's version is the best by far and the only one that does the tune justice, IMHO...all the other versions that I've heard don't even come close.
mook said:
Keith Richard agrees. In a recent interview, he says that's the one obscure song of theirs that's his favorite. It was in their show for years. It's a centerpiece in the movie Gimmie Shelter. Some Top 40 stations played it as an album cut.
With regards to Michelle by The Beatles, WABC played it as an album cut for ten weeks, which is typically the commitment they'd give to a hit single. But it was never a single, and never charted.
Cool. I'm going to seek out both Al Caiola and the Critters recording. I believe I actually have heard "Younger Girl", but don't know by whom.
Thank you "vinyltapeCD" for the detail. The passion for music, and the detailed information and opinion, encourage me to seek these out. It also makes for interesting reading too. However, I still have yet to hear from a radio or former radio person that took records from their station(s) once it was determined that they were going to otherwise be thrown away. Just a few years ago I had a friend who worked at an AC station who grabbed a bunch of CDs that the station had left out for staff to take as they saw fit. He got a new version of the Dionne Warwick hit "Anyone Who Had A Heart" which wasn't too bad.
Thank you "vinyltapeCD" for the detail. The passion for music, and the detailed information and opinion, encourage me to seek these out. It also makes for interesting reading too. However, I still have yet to hear from a radio or former radio person that took records from their station(s) once it was determined that they were going to otherwise be thrown away. Just a few years ago I had a friend who worked at an AC station who grabbed a bunch of CDs that the station had left out for staff to take as they saw fit. He got a new version of the Dionne Warwick hit "Anyone Who Had A Heart" which wasn't too bad.
I have bought CDs at used record stores that had wording to that effect printed on them. I have yet to ever hear of a label demanding their stuff back from a station. If they did, the station probably wouldn't honor the request unless the label paid the return postage for shipping.TheBigA said:
John, I'm glad to hear that you're interested in checking out these songs. I actually have both of the songs stored in an mp3 from a tape that my dad recorded off the radio back in 1998. If you like, I would be happy to send you the mp3 so that you could listen to the two songs. Both my dad and I think the tape has (surprisingly) excellent sound quality, leagues better than YouTube or any other free music source. The only catch is that the songs aren't complete...they are usually missing a few seconds from the beginning, since it would take a few seconds for my dad to identify the songs he wanted and then hit "Record". Otherwise, you could also check out the songs on YouTube, but YouTube sound quality doesn't really do the songs justice in my opinion, since you can't hear some of the details (like the bass on "Younger Girl", for example) which actually make the songs great. Just say yes and I will email you the mp3.johnbasalla said:
Here's an interesting lip-sync from a Critters TV appearance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFpgMBCV3HM
I wonder if that's Sebastian playing zither on their recording.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFpgMBCV3HM
I wonder if that's Sebastian playing zither on their recording.
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hornet61
Guest
vinyltapecd said:
Younger Girl by The Critters charted #42 in the US
and #52 by the Hondell's both in 1966.
VINYLTAPECD: YES! If I like 'em, I'll be seeking them out.
BIGA: I hear where you're coming from about the ownership of the records, however I think that technically holding on to the ownership was a legal thing so it would be harder to say that sending radio stations free records for airplay was another form of payola. Additionally, making a distinction between "promotional copies" and store copies may have provided the same service. As you probably know, radio stations would get records and today CD's with the words "promotional copy" and sometimes "not for sale" on them. This also has value as a way of making sure the radio station or a retailer can't legally sell the record. I remember that we broke our promo copy of "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle. We simply asked the record company for another one after explaining what happened. They sent a regular store copy with the words "promotional copy - not for sale" rubber stamped on the hit side. Except for a very rare legal reason, the record companies had/have no intention of asking for their old records back. I mean, what's a radio station to do?... Open up and maintain a big warehouse to store every last record they get forever?
In Cleveland, Ohio the long-time Rock music leader (since the late 1960s) WMMS recently gave away their large vinyl library. I would think that a large number of them would be old promo copies.
BIGA: I hear where you're coming from about the ownership of the records, however I think that technically holding on to the ownership was a legal thing so it would be harder to say that sending radio stations free records for airplay was another form of payola. Additionally, making a distinction between "promotional copies" and store copies may have provided the same service. As you probably know, radio stations would get records and today CD's with the words "promotional copy" and sometimes "not for sale" on them. This also has value as a way of making sure the radio station or a retailer can't legally sell the record. I remember that we broke our promo copy of "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle. We simply asked the record company for another one after explaining what happened. They sent a regular store copy with the words "promotional copy - not for sale" rubber stamped on the hit side. Except for a very rare legal reason, the record companies had/have no intention of asking for their old records back. I mean, what's a radio station to do?... Open up and maintain a big warehouse to store every last record they get forever?
In Cleveland, Ohio the long-time Rock music leader (since the late 1960s) WMMS recently gave away their large vinyl library. I would think that a large number of them would be old promo copies.
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hornet61
Guest
hornet61 said:
I forgot to add The "Theme From The Mag 7" was not as under-rated as you might think , it rose to higher glory as the theme for the Marlboro Commercial and the Marlboro man. probably got more airplay everynight on TV than any Number One In History.
Re: They wanted it back!
In 1977 the group Heart got out of their contract with the Canadian based Mushroom Records and signed with Columbia affiliate Portrait Records.
Around the time of their first Portrait record, Mushroom released the unfinished "Magazine" album. Litigation ensued and Mushroom was ordered to call back the album to allow the group to re-do some stuff, add vocals and maybe other things before re-issuing it. The radio station I was at received two copies. One from a local distributor/promoter and the other from, I think, Mushroom records U.S. office. We got a summons from the local distributor that we had to send the album back. So we did. I seem to recall that we may have kept the other one as no summons came for that one that I remember. Mushroom re-issued it in 1978, and the song "Heartless" became a hit. That's the only time something like that ever occurred for us.
In 1977 the group Heart got out of their contract with the Canadian based Mushroom Records and signed with Columbia affiliate Portrait Records.
Around the time of their first Portrait record, Mushroom released the unfinished "Magazine" album. Litigation ensued and Mushroom was ordered to call back the album to allow the group to re-do some stuff, add vocals and maybe other things before re-issuing it. The radio station I was at received two copies. One from a local distributor/promoter and the other from, I think, Mushroom records U.S. office. We got a summons from the local distributor that we had to send the album back. So we did. I seem to recall that we may have kept the other one as no summons came for that one that I remember. Mushroom re-issued it in 1978, and the song "Heartless" became a hit. That's the only time something like that ever occurred for us.
John, I think you might have received the file just now...I went through a few file sending services and none of them seemed to work, so hopefully this one did.....
Let me know if the file actually got through this time!
Let me know if the file actually got through this time!
I got it. Thanks. Seems that downloading is an issue as it indicates that it's a large file. I'll let you know what happens.
John, did you ever have any luck with that file I sent you? I wanted to "crop" it so that it would only have the two songs you wanted, but my computer just wouldn't have it. If size is the issue, I could try to compress it further to 128 kbps instead of 320.
VinyltapeCD, I was not able to hear it. Now it says the link has expired. Sorry.
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