Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Ask Mr. Music by Jerry Osborne

FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 14, 2010


DEAR JERRY: Born in 1950, and being a Paula, you can imagine I was shocked the first time I heard Paul & Paula's “Hey Paula.” Before then, I never once heard my name in a song, much less the title.

Even Steve Lawrence's “Girls, Girls, Girls,” which you wrote about last year, does not include Paula r— and this tune mentions over 100 names of girls!

Against all odds, at the same time as “Hey Paula,” Dickey Lee came along with “Don't Wanna Think About Paula.”

Naturally I bought both of these right away. But there is another Paul & Paula song, titled “Dear Paula,” but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Though not in the title, Paul & Paula also referred to each other by name in “Young Lovers,” their second hit.
Before “Hey Paula,” did any boy-girl duo have a No. 1 pop/rock hit? I can't thank of a one.
—Paula Blake, Gettysburg, Pa.


DEAR PAULA: Actually, we'll deal with “Dear Paula” later. Let's start with “Hey Paula.”

You can't think of one because there isn't one, at least not in your lifetime. Paul & Paula became the first male-female vocal duo since the 1940s with a No. 1 pop hit!

Right after their success, many others followed, including: Nino Tempo & April Stevens (“Deep Purple”); Dale & Grace (“I'm Leaving It Up to You”); Sonny & Cher (“I Got You Babe”); Nancy & Frank Sinatra (“Somethin' Stupid”), etc. Still, “Hey Paula” outsold all the others and became the No. 1 male-female duo hit of the entire '60s decade.

Excluded as per your question are same gender vocal duos (Everly Brothers); instrumental duos (Santo & Johnny); and duos with only one singer (Les Paul & Mary Ford).

Now for some material for an “Overnight Sensation” scrapbook for all Paulas:

For four weeks in 1963 (March 10 through April 6) “Hey Paula,” “Don't Wanna Think About Paula,” and “Young Lovers” were all on the nation's charts. Your name was on the air everywhere!

The only other girl's names in hit titles at that time were: “Alice in Wonderland” (Neil Sedaka); “Amy” (Paul Petersen); “Linda” (Jan & Dean); “What Will My Mary Say” (Johnny Mathis); “Ruby Baby” (Dion); and “Sandy” (Dion). Yet none of these reached the heights of “Hey Paula.”

Two different songs on the chart with the same girl's name in the titles is not common, nor is it unheard of.

For example, in late February as “Hey Paula” sat at No. 1, Jan & Dean (“Linda”) and Dickie Lee (“I Saw Linda Yesterday”) both charted with separate serenades to Linda.

What is very atypical is seeing the same artist, in this case Dicky Lee, with consecutive releases of hit songs (“I Saw Linda Yesterday” and “Don't Wanna Think About Paula”), each of which is one of two simultaneous hits (one by Lee, the other by someone else) containing the same girl's name r— first Linda and then Paula.

Everybody got that?

“Dear Paula,” issued in 1965 (Philips 40296), is an unusual and fascinating recording. With the original “Hey Paula” playing in the background, Paul first reads his letter written to Paula, then she reads her reply to Paul.

In this story, they haven't seen each other in quite some time and both reminisce fondly about their real-life experiences and adventures in 1963 and '64.

Let's take a peek at their mail:

PAUL: “Remember on the Dick Clark show [1963], when we began to pantomime our record [“Hey Paula”] it started to skip and everyone started laughing? Dick said that was the first time he'd ever seen anything happen like that.”

PAULA: “It seems like yesterday when we made our records and started our travels all over the world. Do you remember on Bandstand when they gave us the Gold Records [1963], and they dropped one? I thought it was the end of the world.”

“Dear Paula,” along with all of their essential tunes, can be had on the easily available 31-track CD, “Greatest Hits” (Underground 103324).


IZ ZAT SO? Several weeks before “Hey Paula” hit the charts, the same song came out by the same pair, but using their real first names: Jill (Jackson) & Ray (Hildebrand).

Copies of the Jill & Ray original (Le Cam 979) now bring $70 to $100, compared to about $10 for the smash hit crediting Paul & Paula (Philips 40084).

Jerry Osborne answers as many questions as possible through this column. Write Jerry at: Box 255, Port Townsend, WA 98368  E-mail: jpo@olympus.net


Visit his Web site: www.jerryosborne.com 
All values quoted in this column are for near-mint condition.
Copyright 2010 Osborne Enterprises- Reprinted By Permission







Music News & Notes

Amebix to release new EP, working on new album

Legendary metal/crust punk godfathers Amebix have risen from the dead, and a three-song EP entitled Redux will be released by Profane Existence Records on June 28th, 2010. The EP will feature live and rerecorded versions of several of the band’s best-loved classics, including “Winter,” “Chain Reaction,” and the immortal battle cry, “Arise.” Redux will be available on CD, 12? LP and digitally. The vinyl edition will include a free download card, which will feature a live version of “Progress?” as a bonus track.

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UNEARTHLY TRANCE: New Album Artwork Unveiled
New York's UNEARTHLY TRANCE will release its fifth studio album, aptly titled "V", on September 28 in North America and October 4 internationally. The follow-up to "Electrocution" was recorded in at SIR studios in the band's hometown with engineering help from Sanford Parker and Rich Tapper. The record was mastered by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room and mixed by the band's own Jay Newman. The CD artwork was designed by Glyn Scrawled and can be viewed below. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Unveiled", "Solar Eye", "Sleeping While They Feast" and "Into A Chasm".

UNEARTHLY TRANCE recently released a split LP with THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE via Chrome Peeler and Humanless Records.






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Avenged Sevenfold Unveil 'Nightmare' CD Details
Following the huge success of their first single "Nightmare" – which hit the #1 Rock Song spot on iTunes in its debut week and racked up nearly two million hits on YouTube – Avenged Sevenfold have rolled out some new info on the album of the same name, including ultra-sick cover art, the complete track listing and the specs on a pretty cool deluxe edition.

Nightmare is slated tobe released on July 27th in standard CD and download versions, as well as the short-run “Book of Nightmares” limited edition which comes with alternate cover art, a black-bound book containing lyric sheets, liner notes and artwork topped off with a silver-plated crest, plus a poster-sized “Death Bat Anatomy” embossed lithograph.










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Listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps" Live From Freedom Hall!





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Heaven & Hell Announce Ronnie James Dio Tribute Show

Heaven & Hell, the group made up of Black Sabbath alumni from the 80's, will reassemble for a one-time concert in tribute to their late lead singer Ronnie James Dio. The performance will be on July 24 at the High Voltage Festival, a date that had originally scheduled for the group and canceled two-weeks before Dio's passing.

Making up the group for the show will be Heaven and Hell members Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and Vinny Appice on drums. Taking Dio's vocal spot will be Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion) and Jorn Lande (Norwegian band Masterplan).

Tony Iommi said "Ronnie's passing has left a huge hole, we hadn't anywhere near finished what we set out to do as a band together. He was so looking forward to the European tour and we hope this appearance will go some way to fulfilling that."

Geezer Butler added, "It's going to be a very emotional occasion. Ronnie loved his fans like no-one else I know - and they loved him. It will be a privilege doing a gig in honour of his memory, and to help towards his charity. Above all, I hope it encourages people to have regular check-ups for this disease. Early detection is vital, and greatly improves the chance of a cure. I know everyone has heard that a million times before, but seeing one of your best friends die because we all think we're immune from this disease, really brings it home. Do it for yourself, your family, your friends. Ronnie would be proud of you."

Proceeds from the show will go to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout cancer program.

Rediscovering Ukrainian Album Cover Art - Permanent Collection Exhibit, Ukrainian National Museum

“Rediscovering Ukrainian Album Cover Art” Permanent Collection Exhibit opens Fri July 9, 2010 7:00 pm. Exhibit thru July 30. Ukrainian National Museum, 2249 W Superior St, Chgo. Thurs-Sun, 11 am to 4 pm. 312-421-8020 Adults $5.00 (312) 421-8020

Ukrainian Album Cover Art Exhibit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 15, 2010 – “Rediscovering Ukrainian Album Cover Art” an exhibit from the permanent collection of the Ukrainian National Museum opens Friday, July 9, 2010 7:00 pm. Over 110 album covers will be exhibited through July 30th.

Album cover art, as artistic expression, is nearing extinction. The album cover was a true 'marriage' of two very distinct and different media -- art and music. LP covers were an outlet for experimentation, art, fun, social comment and the power of the visual image to entice you to listen to the music contained therein. As technology advanced, music became available on cassette, CD, and now as a download. The exhibit celebrates the artists who, in most cases, anonymously contributed their art.

The album covers selected in our Album Cover Art exhibit also reflect the artistic expression of both musician and cover artist as well as the impact of two cultures. Influences of the American culture on the immigrant’s life experience are evident in many of the later album covers from the 50’s thru the 90’s.

Well over 100 album covers were selected from the 1200 albums that comprise the permanent collection of the Ukrainian National Museum. Along with the album covers, archived treasures, never before displayed, will be available for viewing during this exhibit. LP’s will also be for sale.

The Ukrainian National Museum is located in the heart of the Ukrainian Village, at 2249 West Superior Street in Chicago. Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission: Adults $5.00, Children under 12 - Free. Free Parking is available beside the Museum. For driving instructions, visit the Museum's website at www.ukrainiannationalmuseum.org. For additional information, please feel free to call (312) 421-8020 or e-mail Admin@UkrainianNationalMuseum.org

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The Ukrainian National Museum boasts a library, permanent collections and extensive archives and an exhibit hall. The Museum collects, preserves, exhibits and serves as a resource for research, the artifacts and records of the Ukrainian Immigration.