alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on May 26, 2008 16:03:51 GMT
These guys were great, maybe the best American pop harmony band that sounded like they could have been British?
So Happy Together, Eleanor, and a bunch more.
Listening to their greatest hits, their harmonies are right up there with the Beatles and Hollies. But, alas, they didn't have George Martin, Norman Smith, and Geoff Emerick helping them out in Studio #2 ... the sound is a lot muddier than the EMI and Capitol releases.
Did these guys make it across the pond? If not, maybe someone could post a like to a few of their top hits for our British and other friends ...
Here's Eleanor:
Here's So Happy Together:
I'm sure there's more out there.
I love these guys!
P.S. The two lead singers (Flo and Eddie?) became the main backup for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention!
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Post by The End on May 26, 2008 16:46:43 GMT
Yeah, great band with a distinct sound. You should seek out "You Showed Me", a Byrds throw-away (later covered by The Lightning Seeds) and great piece of psych-pop!
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on May 27, 2008 0:51:59 GMT
So Al and others "over there": Were The Turtles even hits in England? Oh, and I was hoping some of the Yank forum members would take me to task for describing them as one of the best pop harmonizers this side of the pond ...
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Post by The End on May 27, 2008 8:27:14 GMT
Yeah, they had a few quite big hits, notably "Happy Together", "Elenore" and "She'd Rather Be With Me" - the B-side of which features one of my all-time favourite tracks - "The Walking Song".
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on May 27, 2008 13:29:05 GMT
OK, great to know, thanks!
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Post by The End on Jun 8, 2008 13:22:27 GMT
Some of the aforementioned Turtles tracks for you Alexis! She'd Rather Be With Me (their biggest hit I think) [music]http://www.fileupyours.com/view/187833/ShedRatherBeWithMe.mp3[/music]
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Post by The End on Jun 8, 2008 13:23:56 GMT
You Showed Me (a Byrds rejected song later covered by The Lightning Seeds) [music]http://www.fileupyours.com/view/187833/YouShowedMe.mp3[/music]
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Post by The End on Jun 8, 2008 13:25:41 GMT
The Walking Song (you'll either love it or hate it!!!) [music]http://www.fileupyours.com/view/187833/TheWalkingSong.mp3[/music]
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jun 8, 2008 13:35:54 GMT
Some of the aforementioned Turtles tracks for you Alexis! She'd Rather Be With Me (their biggest hit I think) These are great, thanks The End! I had their greatest hits CD some years ago, and I had forgotten how much I liked this one
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Post by The End on Jun 8, 2008 16:09:42 GMT
Glad you like them What did you think of The Walking Song - it's not to everyone's taste!
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jun 9, 2008 2:01:06 GMT
Glad you like them What did you think of The Walking Song - it's not to everyone's taste! Well, I will say that many of my very favorite songs were those that grew on me after a few listens, and this may be one of them Edited to say: They have another unusual song that I wound up likeing a lot, "Sound Asleep". It's the only pop song I know that has the sound of wood being sawn off!!
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Post by The End on Jun 9, 2008 18:28:03 GMT
Edited to say: They have another unusual song that I wound up likeing a lot, "Sound Asleep". It's the only pop song I know that has the sound of wood being sawn off!! Ooh, sounds very intriguing - I'll try and seek that one out
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jun 9, 2008 21:47:18 GMT
Edited to say: They have another unusual song that I wound up likeing a lot, "Sound Asleep". It's the only pop song I know that has the sound of wood being sawn off!! Ooh, sounds very intriguing - I'll try and seek that one out Until you do, sir, here's some more from them: "So Happy Together" ("live")urlax.org/Happy-Together-by-The-Turtles-Rare-Live-youtube-metacafe-google-izlesene-video-videolar%C4%B1-indir-izle-seyret-download-yukle-R6XHbPk3CTqPahjMFTctKg4t764t76m.aspxWith a very interesting history of the song below! *** RARE LIVE CONCERT RECORDING *** The Turtles - Happy Together © Scope-A-Tone Films, NYC 1967. All Rights Reserved. "Happy Together" is about unrequited love. Our boy wants the girl to "Imagine how the world could be so very fine," proposing what would happen "If I should call you up." The line in the fadeout, "How is the weather?" refers to the real level of their relationship being nothing more but passing acquaintances with small talk. The Turtles were formed by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan. They were saxophone players who did whatever was trendy in order to make a living as musicians. They played surf-rock, acoustic folk, whatever was big at the time, and in addition to their own bands, played backup for The Coasters, Sonny And Cher and The Righteous Brothers. After a while, they gave up sax and became singers, signing a deal with White Whale Records as The Crosswind Singers. When British groups like The Beatles took over America, they tried to pass themselves off as British singers and renamed themselves The Tyrtles. The record company made them change the name to The Turtles, and tried to make them sound like The Byrds, who were leaders of the folk-rock trend. Like The Byrds had done before, The Turtles recorded a Bob Dylan song for their first single - "It Ain't Be Babe." They had a few more minor hits, but turned down a chance to record "Eve Of Destruction," which became a #1 hit for Barry McGuire. They recorded some gloomy songs that completely flopped, so they decided to try some happier songs. After many other artists passed on "Happy Together," The Turtles decided to record it in an effort to change their image once again. Alan Gordon: "I had nearly half a song already written, mostly lyric ideas, but couldn't find the right melodic concept. The Magicians were in the middle of a week-long engagement at the Unicorn Club in Boston, and one early morning I was visiting my divorced father in nearby Ayer, Massachusetts after being up all night. I had stopped to have breakfast at the Park Street Diner in the town and was miserable with no sleep, the endless dumb gigs we were playing and having a songwriter's block. About the only melody that was throbbing in my tired, fried brain at that hour was the time-immemorial repeated open string pattern that Allen (Jake) Jacobs, the Magician's lead guitarist, would use as he incessantly tuned and retuned after, before, and frequently during each piece we played. Suddenly, some words began to fit and literally minutes later music and lyrics started to take shape. I excitedly and in fairness asked Jake to complete the song with me as co-writer, but he refused, saying it was all 'too simple' for him to be involved, so my regular partner Gary then helped me with the finishing touches. When Gary Klein at the Koppleman/Rubin office heard the result, he immediately knew the song would be perfect for the new and upbeat image being created for The Turtles, and it was his continued enthusiasm that convinced the group to record it." "Happy Together" has been used in lot of commercials for clients like Burger King, The NFL, Nintendo, Red Lobster, Sony Playstation, Florida Orange Juice, Heineken, Clinique and Nickelode. In 1989, this was used in a movie of the same name starring Helen Slater, Patrick Dempsey and Brad Pitt. Source: www.songfacts.com
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Post by The End on Jun 10, 2008 18:51:00 GMT
Fascinating story - thanks for posting Alexis
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alexis
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 447
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Post by alexis on Jun 10, 2008 20:10:09 GMT
Your welcome!
I think the moral of the story is that if someone comes up to you and asks you to write half a song with them ... do it!!
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