Here's the first of my little "In-Between Chapters Interruptions" to STEVE's PHIL SPECTOR Series ...
We’re calling it Chapter 2-A …
Yesterday, STEVE KNUETTEL touched on a few of the subjects that we have covered before in FORGOTTEN HITS. (We featured a more in-depth look at the CURTIS LEE Hit PRETTY LITTLE ANGEL EYES as part of our TOMMY BOYCE AND BOBBY HART Series, for example ...
http://forgottenhits.com/the_music_of_tommy_boyce_and_bobby_hart
And we ALSO covered the ORIGINAL version of TWIST AND SHOUT by THE TOP NOTES as produced by PHIL SPECTOR ... no, THE ISLEY BROTHERS were NOT the first artists to cut this track!!! ... as part of our HISTORY OF ATLANTIC RECORDS Series several years back. And, during our BOBBY DARIN Series, we told you how the often arrogant and pompous DARIN once insulted PHIL SPECTOR without even realizing who he was talking to ... only to turn around a few months later and inquire as to how he might go about getting SPECTOR ... then one of the BIGGEST and most sought-after talents on the music scene ... to produce one of his tracks!!! BOTH of these items are presented below in our typical '60's FLASHBACK fashion!!!
From THE HISTORY OF ATLANTIC RECORDS
(Forgotten Hits, 2003):
Ask who sang the original version of
"Twist and Shout" and most people will say The Isley Brothers.
Others may even say The Beatles. But the truth is that the Atlantic Records
vocal group The Top Notes recorded the original on February 23, 1961. It
was produced by none other than Phil Spector (why it was left off the Phil
Spector 4-disc boxed set 'Back To Mono,' released in 1991, is anyone's guess),
and the writers were Bert Berns (under the pseudonym Bert Russell) and Bill
Medley. Though recorded in February, it wasn't released until that
September as Atlantic single 2115, and then as the B-Side of "Always Late
(Why Lead Me On)".
Other singles released by the group are:
"Wonderful Time"/"Walkin' With Love" (Atlantic 2066; 1960)
"Say Man"/"Warm Your Heart" (Atlantic 2080; 1960)
"Hearts of Stone"/"The Basic Things" (Atlantic 2097; 1961)
"Come Back, Cleopatra"/ ?? (Festival 1021; 1962)
"It's Alright"/"I Love You So Much" (ABC 10399; 1963)
The original arrangement of "Twist And Shout" is practically
unrecognizable with the exception of the lyrics.
Atlantic co-founder Jerry Wexler: "It was when (Phil) Spector was working
with us, and he and I produced the record and it was horrible. Bert
(Berns) was such a newcomer, he was sitting in the spectator's booth, watching
Phil and I butcher this song. Phil changed the middle around, we had the
wrong tempo, the wrong feel, but we didn't realize that Bert could've produced
it. Did he say anything afterward? Yeah, he said 'Man, you f**ked it up.'
"
The Bert (Russell) Berns self-produced, un-"f**ked up" version became
a #1 R&B hit and a #17 pop hit for Wand Records in the summer of 1962 (the
Isley's second release for the label) and it was also this version that was
copied by The Beatles, as engineer Norman Smith explains: "Someone
suggested they do "Twist and Shout" with John taking the lead
vocal. But by this time all their throats were sore; it was 12 hours
since we had started working. John's, in particular, was almost
completely gone so we really had to get it right the first time. The
Beatles on the studio floor and us in the control room. John sucked a
couple more Zubes, had a bit of a gargle with milk and away we went."
The Beatles included their version on their debut LP 'Please Please Me,'
released in the U.K. on March 22, 1963, by Parlophone. (It was released in the U.S. by Vee-Jay
Records under the title 'Introducing The Beatles' on July 22, 1963.)
"Twist and Shout" was also the title of The Beatles' first EP, issued
on July 12th, and on March 2, 1964 Tollie Records issued it with "There's
a Place" on the flip, where it became a #2 hit.
In 1986, The Beatles' version was included in the films 'Ferris Bueller's Day
Off' starring Matthew Broderick and 'Back To School' starring Rodney
Dangerfield, causing Capitol to re-release the song. As a result, it
became a #23 hit that August.
The original, however, has slipped through the cracks of time - and being a hit
for both The Isleys and for a band as tremendous as The Beatles not once but
twice certainly didn't help. However, it is attached here today for your
listening enjoyment.
--- Ed Parker (JacoFan)
You've really got to give a lot of credit to THE ISLEY
BROTHERS for finding any type of inspiration in this original TOP NOTES
recording ... their version doesn't sound ANYTHING at all like the
original. Likewise, to THE BEATLES, who took it over the top ... despite
the length of their album recording session as described above by JacoFan,
their version of TWIST AND SHOUT has to rank as one of the greatest JOHN LENNON
vocals EVER!
Ahmet Ertegen's brother, Nesuhi, had moved to California, and was about to
accept a position with Imperial Records there. Ahmet flew out to the west
coast with Jerry Wexler and persuaded Nesuhi not to sign with Imperial ... in
fact, they kicked in stock to allow him to join Atlantic instead as a
partner. With Atlantic subsidiaries sprouting up all over the country, it
was decided that Nesuhi would remain in California, scouting talent in that
territory.
In 1960, a young producer named PHIL SPECTOR was producing records for the
small Trey Record Label, owned by Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood (and
distributed by Atlantic.) Growing restless, he asked Sill to introduce
him to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had recently moved out to New York
after their association with Spark Records. Spector was invited to join
them and was soon working as an Atlantic session guitarist on tracks for THE
COASTERS, BEN E. KING and THE DRIFTERS. (In fact, that's Spector's guitar
solo you hear on the DRIFTERS' classic hit ON BROADWAY!)
Leiber and Stoller then gave him a chance to produce a couple of tunes on the
Dunes label: CORRNIA, CORRINA for RAY PETERSON and PRETTY LITTLE ANGEL
EYES for CURTIS LEE. Atlantic liked what they heard on those records and
signed him as a staff producer. His first offering was today's track,
TWIST AND SHOUT as done by THE TOP NOTES. It stiffed and songwriter Bert
Berns said that Spector had ruined his song. In fact, he was so upset
that he took it to THE ISLEY BROTHERS to record it in the style Berns felt was
more deserving and appropriate. Naturally, it was a huge hit.
(Ironic that Spector's earliest work would not only tank ... but that the song
in question, TWIST AND SHOUT, would become a link to one of the most famous
groups he would ever produce ... THE BEATLES!)
While at Atlantic, Spector also produced tracks for BILLY STORM, LAVERN BAKER
and RUTH BROWN, but none of them were very successful. He left the label
in 1961 to form his own PHILLES RECORDS with his ex-boss, Lester
Sill. (kk)
From our BOBBY DARIN Series
(FORGOTTEN HITS, 2005)
ANOTHER major criticism I kept coming across while researching BOBBY DARIN was about his songwriting talent. Those close to him say that DARIN just cranked 'em out in a "throw enough shit against the wall and sooner or later something will stick" sort of fashion. Good ones, mediocre ones and awful ones ... but he never stopped writing. (There's a story that has circulated for years stating that producer-extraordinaire PHIL SPECTOR was once brought by BOBBY DARIN's mansion where he watched BOBBY pitching his latest tunes to ATLANTIC RECORDS President AHMET ERTEGUN in the early '60's. ERTEGUN, who by then was used to the routine, would listen to 15-20 of BOBBY's latest efforts, knowing full well that three or four of the songs offered would be really good ... but that he had to listen to all the others in order to find the needle in a haystack. After four or five songs, SPECTOR reportedly said, "Just a second, man, are you crazy or am I? Those songs are horrible!!!" DARIN had him thrown out. A year later when SPECTOR was the hottest producer on the planet, BOBBY asked ERTEGUN, "Do you think you could get this kid to work with me?", not remembering the incident at all!) kk
http://forgottenhits.com/the_bobby_darin_story
TODAY'S MUSIC:
Twist And Shout by The Top Notes (produced by Phil Spector)
YES ... THIS is the ORIGINAL Version!!! If you've never heard this one before, give it a listen ... you'll be AMAZED at the energy lacking from this first commitment to wax!
And, just for fun, we've thrown in HEY MEMPHIS by LAVERN BAKER, one of those "in between the chapters" tracks that you've just GOT to hear! WHY they felt a need to redo an already PERFECT record is beyond me, but this was PHIL SPECTOR's take on the ELVIS PRESLEY Hit LITTLE SISTER. Strangely enough, they only changed a few words here and there ... for all intents and purposes, it's EXACTLY the same song simply retitled HEY MEMPHIS. NOT a GREAT recording ... but a very RARE one ... that at LEAST deserves to be heard by our eclectic group out there!!!
Chapter 2-A prompted some immediate comments and corrections ...
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS:
After our PHIL SPECTOR - Part 2A piece went out the other day, we were found guilty by a jury of our musical peers of committing one of the ULTIMATE FORGOTTEN HITS sins ... repeating FALSE information!!! (Ironically, BOTH of these issues came up in the COMMENTS PAGES when our HISTORY OF ATLANTIC RECORDS Series first ran back in 2003. However, because we simply pulled THE TOP NOTES section out of the archives, the erroneous information still appeared as it had gone out way back when ... proving once again that unless us music folks out there start to UPDATE the history books, the WRONG information will continue to circulate for all eternity!!!) So here are the facts, Jack ... and everybody else who wrote in!!!
>>>The Beatles included their version of 'Twist And Shout' on their debut LP 'Please Please Me,' released in the U.K. on March 22, 1963 by Parlophone (it was released in the U.S. by Vee-Jay Records under the title 'Introducing The Beatles' on July 22, 1963.) JacoFan
Great to see the Spector series, but you need to make one updated correction. The text still has "Introducing The Beatles" being released in July, 1963. Although scheduled for release that summer, the LP was not issued by Vee-Jay until January 10, 1964.
Bruce Spizer
Will ABSOLUTELY point that out ... remember, this was a reprint of something that we first published back in 2003 ... it simply ran verbatim. Thanks, Bruce! (kk)
That is exactly what I figured. I just try to get that misinformation corrected whenever I see it, and it is very often. (Bruce Spizer)
And that's EXACTLY why we're going to point it out ... because you're ABSOLUTELY right and it NEEDS to be corrected. (In fact, I believe we printed your "correction" back in '03 after this piece first ran!) Unfortunately, that's the downside of pulling stuff from the archives ... any "follow-up" pieces aren't kept with the original piece. But this is just one more excuse to remind people the importance of FORGOTTEN HITS digging up the REAL truth rather than helping to spread the myth ... so I appreciate your pointing it out ... and this morning we'll set the record straight once again! (kk)
>>>Ask who sang the original version of "Twist and Shout" and most people will say The Isley Brothers. Others may even say The Beatles. But the truth is that Atlantic vocal group The Top Notes recorded the original on February 23, 1961. It was produced by none other than Phil Spector (why it was left off the Phil Spector 4-disc boxed set 'Back To Mono,' released in 1991, is anyone's guess), and the writers were Bert Berns (under the pseudonym Bert Russell) and Bill Medley. (JacoFan)
That would be Phil Medley, not Bill Medley. Phil and Bert also collaborated on Gene Pitney's "If I Didn't Have a Dime" and Jimmy Charles hit it big with Phil's "A Million To One."
Danny Guilfoyle
With tongue firmly planted in cheek, I submit the following ...
So Bill Medley is now claiming he wrote "Twist And Shout"? I knew his ego was a bit out of control when he (reportedly) claimed to have produced "Unchained Medley," but to think he would take credit for Phil Medley's composition of "Twist And Shout" is really brazen. Next, I suppose, he will claim to have written "A Million To One," "If I Didn't Have A Dime" and "Killer Joe," too.
And by the way, I know (without guessing at all) why the Top Notes version was left off the 4-disc Back To Mono set - it sucked!!!
Steve Knuettel (SLK47)
Another error we corrected early on ... the CORRECT writers of the song are BERT RUSSELL (who is REALLY BERT BERNS) and PHIL MEDLEY (who is really NOT BILL MEDLEY of THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS)!!! By the way, your analysis of THE TOP NOTES' version of TWIST AND SHOUT was echoed UNANIMOUSLY by the other folks on our list!!!
Hi Kent,
Regarding your listing of records by the Top Notes, the missing title for Festival 1021 (marked as ?? in your list) is Wait For Me Baby.
A complete discography of the Top Notes in all of their various guises can be found here: www.soulfulkindamusic.net/topnotes.htm
The above site has a great collection of artist discographies (about 600) and label discographies (about 300) of 60s soul music.
Looking forward to the next installment of Phil!
Chris Chapman
Swindon, England
Thanks for the info! (kk)
Lotsa mistakes from yesterday's piece listed below:
1650 Broadway was at 51st ... The Brill Building was at 47th St ... hardly "directly across the street from each other"
Aldon Music did NOT sign Ellie & Jeff Barry, who were signed to Leiber & Stoller nor did they sign Pomus & Shuman, who were signed to Hill & Range.
Also, by the late 50's, the Brill Building was over and everyone except Leiber & Stoller and Burt Bachrach had migrated to 1650 B'way - Aldon Music, Alan Freed, Scepter Records, Beltone Records, April Blackwood Music, Roosevelt Music, Aaron Schroeder, Gene Pitney ALL were at 1650 B'way /
So, in fact, The Brill Building "sound" was actually the 1650 sound.
Al Kooper
1650 resident at the time
I've passed ALL of your notations and corrections on to STEVE KNUETTEL, who wrote this piece ... he's making adjustments, corrections and amendments as we go so that the new, revised, FINISHED piece will be as accurate as we can possibly make it. We are SO fortunate to have folks on the list now who were THERE at the time helping us to ACCURATELY and CORRECTLY compile this history ... and we REALLY do appreciate it!!! (kk)
Kent -
Great stuff on Phil. Al Kooper forwarded it to me. Marshall
Leib was my older sister's older boyfriend. The Teddy Bears used to
rehearse in my living room before they made the first record. I think I
have an acetate of To Know Him Is To Love Him somewhere. Also, would
appreciate the correct spelling of my last name.
Thanks
Russ Titelman
Hi Russ! GREAT to hear from you!!!
I am VERY happy to add your name to our mailing list and panel of experts ... spelled CORRECTLY of course!!! With the number of artists that you've crossed paths with over the years ... and the TREMENDOUS amount of insight and memories that you could share with our readers ... FORGOTTEN HITS becomes a FAR more interesting and enlightening place with you on board! (We are ALWAYS looking to connect with MORE of the people who were there at the time, willing to share those memories with our list. FORGOTTEN HITS has ALSO become a GREAT place to promote ANY upcoming events, whether it be new releases or concert appearances as well as THE place to "Sneak Peek" a track off an as yet unreleased new release. Thanks to the number of artists and deejays now on the list, we've even been able to help line up "on air" radio appearances (and airplay) to help promote some of these events and releases. A very hearty Welcome Aboard!!!
But it wasn't ALL bad news ...
The rave reviews continued to pour in ...
The Phil Spector story is great!
Rockin' Richard
Couldn't agree with you more ... STEVE did a bang-up job with this piece ... hopefully my little in-between chapters asides weren't too much of a distraction!!! (lol) kk
The Phil Spector series is pretty interesting.
It’s cool to see how all of these scenes evolved!
Keep it Coming!
Ken
CLICK HERE TO MOVE ON TO CHAPTER 3:
https://fhphilspector.blogspot.com/2021/04/chapter-3.html
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