dcohn@helens.UUCP (David Cohn) (08/28/85)
Forgive me if this isn't the correct newsgroup for this posting, or if
somewhere there is a net.music.rock.lyrics.bizzare that I haven't seen.
I'm trying to get a copy of the lyrics to several songs by The Pretenders.
Chrissie Hynde is notorious for mumbling and slurring words in a fashion that
puts the Kingsmen to shame, and their first album has no lyric sheet.
I'm particularly interested in getting the words to "The Wait" (highest
priority), and also "Telephone call" and "Mystery Achievement".
If you know where I could locate these lyrics, or if you have any good guesses
as to what they're singing, or, if you're just bored and want to write nasty
replies, please send me mail.
Thanks,
_____________________________________________________________________
-Pablo (formerly: pablo@dartvax,
currently: ...uw-beaver!teltone!dataio!helens!dcohn,
futurely: ???)
"Things are more like they are now than they ever have been before"
- Brian Orr
---------------------------------------------------------------------andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Peorgie Tirebiter) (08/29/85)
In article <154@helens.UUCP> dcohn@helens.UUCP (David Cohn) writes: >I'm trying to get a copy of the lyrics to several songs by The Pretenders. >Chrissie Hynde is notorious for mumbling and slurring words in a fashion that >puts the Kingsmen to shame, and their first album has no lyric sheet. Me too. Speaking of the Kingsmen, wasn't it great that Chrissie wrote a completely new song called "Louie Louie"? >I'm particularly interested in getting the words to "The Wait" (highest >priority), and also "Telephone call" and "Mystery Achievement". The first two (especially "The Phone Call") are nearly incomprehensible, but the last shouldn't be that hard to decipher. I'd like to see "Up The Neck" in printed form, too - if only to verify my guesses. >If you know where I could locate these lyrics, or if you have any good >guesses as to what they're singing, or, if you're just bored and want to >write nasty replies, please send me mail. There actually was a songbook at one time; I hadn't bought the LP yet so I just browsed through it to get some of the less intelligible lyrics to "Brass in Pocket". You may still be able to find it at a music store where the turnover is slow... there's a place in Cambridge that still has original Byrds, Beach Boys, and Rascals sheet music! AWR
jw@mck-csc.UUCP (Jeffrey Weiss) (09/04/85)
> Me too. Speaking of the Kingsmen, wasn't it great that Chrissie wrote a > completely new song called "Louie Louie"? *** LINE-EATER-FODDER *** And speaking of "Louie Louie", how about the lyrics to the Kingsmen's version? I caught the middle of them once on the radio a long time ago, and it took about three verses before I realized it was "Louie Louie"! The twisted grammar makes it especially incomprehensible. Jeffrey Weiss McKinsey & Co., Inc. Cambridge, MA {ihnp4, genrad}!mit-eddie!mck-csc!jw
waltt@tekecs.UUCP (Walt Tucker) (09/06/85)
> > I caught the middle of them once on the radio a long time ago, and it took > about three verses before I realized it was "Louie Louie"! The twisted > grammar makes it especially incomprehensible. > > Jeffrey Weiss > McKinsey & Co., Inc. > Cambridge, MA > > {ihnp4, genrad}!mit-eddie!mck-csc!jw The Kingsmen were one of the few local Portland, OR bands (early 60's) that made it. They are still around the area, and do local stuff every once and a while (of course, they are getting up in the years). ANYWAY, in a recent Portland Oregonian interview, the ex-leader of the Kingsmen was asked about "Louie, Louie" and how they arrived at that sound: It seems "Louie, Louie" had been recorded by a couple of national groups of the time on albums (not released as singles), with fully comphrehensible lyrics. The Kingsmen were just starting out, and decided they wanted to make a version of the song to be released as one of their first singles. Not having much money, they decided to record their single in one of the Portland studios. Now, Portland is not exactly the music capital of the west coast, and in the early sixties a quality sound studio in Portland was hard to find. First, they recorded the instruments. Then, they went back and recorded the words (actually, they could have recorded them both together, I'm not sure about this part of the story). However, the position of the microphone, quality of the studio, and the fact that all four band members had to sing into the same microphone (lack of equipment) led to a record that was very garbled. They did not intentional sing it that way -- that's just the way it came out. The Kingsmen almost threw the record out, as it turned out quite different than they intended. But, since they had already spent their money to record it, they decided to release it. People thought there were all sorts of hidden meanings in the record. Controversy surrounded it. Some radio stations refused to play it. This all resulted in a national hit. The rest, as they say, is history... -- Walt Tucker Tektronix, Inc.
andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Rockin' Louie Rogers) (09/08/85)
In article <5672@tekecs.UUCP> waltt@tekecs.UUCP (Walt Tucker) writes: >> I caught the middle of them once on the radio a long time ago, and it took >> about three verses before I realized it was "Louie Louie"! The twisted >> grammar makes it especially incomprehensible. >> >> Jeffrey Weiss > >The Kingsmen were one of the few local Portland, OR bands (early 60's) that >made it. They are still around the area, and do local stuff every once and >a while (of course, they are getting up in the years). Sort of. Only guitarist Mike Mitchell remains from the "Louie Louie" lineup; Dick Peterson and Barry Curtis (mid-60's group) and Freddie Dennis (early 70's) are still aboard. They appeared in Cambridge, MA not too long ago (and I didn't hear about in time! Rats!) >ANYWAY, in a recent Portland Oregonian interview, the ex-leader of the >Kingsmen was asked about "Louie, Louie" and how they arrived at that sound: > >It seems "Louie, Louie" had been recorded by a couple of national groups of >the time on albums (not released as singles), with fully comprehensible >lyrics. The original version was done by Richard Berry (bass voice on the Robins' "Riot in Cell Block #9") and the Pharoahs (no relation to Chuck Berry or Sam the Sham). Several Northwest groups had already covered it, most notably the Wailers (no relation to Bob Marley) with DJ Rockin' Robin Roberts as lead vocalist. Both were definitely released as singles (Berry's as Flip 321); it was the latter version, playing on a nightclub jukebox, that inspired the Kingsmen to learn the song. > The Kingsmen were just starting out, and decided they wanted to >make a version of the song to be released as one of their first singles... Actually, they had been together for about five years, and had already released a single, "Peter Gunn Rock". >However, the position of the microphone, quality of the studio, and the >fact that all four band members had to sing into the same microphone (lack >of equipment) led to a record that was very garbled. They did not >intentionally sing it that way -- that's just the way it came out. Singer/guitarist Jack Ely said that he had to sing into a mike suspended from the ceiling. Other members recall amps being muffled with coats, etc. Paul Revere and the Raiders, though, recorded "LL" in the same studio (Northwest Recording) the following day - and their version was much clearer. (Perhaps the Kingsmen's producer was trying to emulate the "wall of noise" sound used by Frank Guida on Gary "U.S." Bonds' party classics???) >The Kingsmen almost threw the record out, as it turned out quite different >than they intended. But, since they had already spent their money to record >it, they decided to release it. They paid $44 to record "LL". It was originally released on manager/producer Jerry Dennon's Jerden label, and became a modest hit in the Northwest. Some months later, Boston DJ Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsberg (WMEX) broke it on the East Coast, after which Dennon licensed it to New-York based Wand (one of Florence Greenberg's Tiara/Scepter/Wand family of labels, best known for the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson - she apparantly thought the Kingsmen were an R&B group). >People thought there were all sorts of hidden meanings in the record. Perhaps we should send a copy to Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Gore! :-) >Controversy surrounded it. Some radio stations refused to play it. This >all resulted in a national hit. The rest, as they say, is history... The serious student of "Louie Louie" should refer to the articles listed below (copies of which I will send to any potential serious student.) If anyone knows the address of the organization responsible for the attempt to make "LL" the state song of Washington, please send mail. (Unfortunately, the "Louie Rebellion" advertised on the back of the Rhino LP doesn't exist. They returned my check with a note saying that they had encountered legal difficulties with the publisher over the rights to use the name. Too bad.) Rockin' Louie Rogers Credits: Liner notes, "The Best Of Louie Louie" (Rhino 605) Goldmine #87, August 1983 The Wall Street Journal, 8/25/83 P.S.: I have a budget LP called "Surf & Drag" on Columbia Special Products. It features a version of "Louie Louie", credited to the Kingsmen, with clearly enunciated lyrics. Anyone know anything about this?
pickle@nmtvax.UUCP (09/10/85)
[Somewhere, in the darkest corner of a quiet AI lab, a LINE EATER waits quietly, feeding off of unwanted bytes until it grows strong enough to take over the world....] >> Me too. Speaking of the Kingsmen, wasn't it great that Chrissie wrote a >> completely new song called "Louie Louie"? About two years ago I stumbled across a tape of some station (I think it was from California) playing versions of "Louie Louie". Anyway, on the tape was a version as follows: Producer: Okay, kid--you got a girlfriend? Future rock star: Yeah. Producer: What's her name? FRS: Lilly. Producer: Great, put this cotton in your mouth and start singing her name. [A fair rendition of "Louie Louie"] Does anyone know who's responsible for this? Better yet, can anyone direct me to a copy? It's just one of those things a record collection isn't complete without..... Patrick H. Madden | "If I could have three wishes, New Mexico Tech | Give me money, give me money, give me more, more, more, Box 2244 | And take be back, Socorro, NM 87801 | 2+2. Black and white. Wrong and right." {Reality}!cmcl2!lanl!unm-cvax!nmtvax!pickle !ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!pickle
knight@nmtvax.UUCP (09/11/85)
In article <> pickle@nmtvax.UUCP (Patrick Madden) writes: > About two years ago I stumbled across a tape of some station (I think >it was from California) playing versions of "Louie Louie". Anyway, on >the tape was a version as follows: > Producer: Okay, kid--you got a girlfriend? > Future rock star: Yeah. > Producer: What's her name? > FRS: Lilly. > Producer: Great, put this cotton in your mouth and start singing her name. > [A fair rendition of "Louie Louie"] > Does anyone know who's responsible for this? Better yet, can anyone direct >me to a copy? It's just one of those things a record collection isn't complete >without..... Well, I would suspect its from KFJC's Guiness World Records try for the most versions of Louie Louie played. I believe the air name of the DJ who did the compilation was 'Slick'. KFJC's address is 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos, CA (I forget the zip), and their request line is (415) 941-2500. A lot of the versions they played were culled from the listenership (and were truly bizarre). At any rate, contact them for more information. Bob