DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski, Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe. So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs!
With Gratitude For Gena Rowlands, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Quarry, Leo Gorcey, Arthur Alexander and Joey Heatherton, Your Splendid Bohemian, Rich Buckland.
DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT A BRILL BUILDING TRIPLE PLAY: WONDERWOMEN WHO ROCKED THE MAN'S WORLD, WITH CATHY CARROLL, EARL-JEAN MCCRAE, AND TRACEY DEY.
There is an interesting theme coursing through these are three dynamic pop hits of the Brill Building era, all by one hit wonders, sung by extraordinary, up and coming stylists, and crafted by some of the most influential music men of the time:
Cathy Carroll’s 1962 hit, “Poor Little Puppet” (produced and arranged by Stan Applebaum, written by Howard Greenfield (Neil Sedaka’s partner, here collaborating with Jack Keller); 1963’s “Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys Do,” by Earl-Jean McCrae (with the Cookies), produced by Gerry Goffin, written by Goffin and Carole King, also with Jack Keller; and Tracey Dey, singing “I Won’t Tell,” from 1964, produced by Bob Crewe, written by Crewe with The Four Season’s Bob Gaudio.
The theme is irony. All three feature tough minded, independent young females, endeavoring for autonomy in a man’s world, delivering songs written by powerful men who controlled every aspect of their creation and production. These appeared in the time pre-Women’s Liberation, and demonstrate strength, heartbreak, and a tension that pulls against the undertoe of subservience.
Taken in chronological order:
- “Poor Little Puppet” was originally recorded by Jan and Dean in 1961 as a sleepy, Everly Brothers clone, and it didn’t do much. But, here, as interpreted by Cathy Carroll, and helmed by Stan Applebaum, the tune takes flight in a punchier, more uptempo arrangement. It charted at 91 on the top 100 - Cathy’s only showing, and the surprise twist at the end is powerful, when the singer, looking in the mirror, admits that she herself is the puppet, whose strings are being controlled by the man whose love she craves.
2. In 1963, The Cookies were on top with “Chains,” the Goffin-King hit, later covered by The Beatles, and “Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys Do,” (also by those chart-topping songwriters), was perfectly designed for them and their irresistible lead singer Earl-Jean McCrae. When they sing: “I’m everything a girl should be.. 36-21-35,” it feels quite cringe-worthy nowadays. Irresistible is right, because Gerry Goffin proceeded to make a baby with the vocalist, even though his marriage with King remained undissolved until 6 years later. They even continued to write for Earl-Jean, creating (I’m Into Something Good - which she recorded before Herman’s Hermits)
3. In “I Won’t Tell,” from 1964, the singer vows to keep her illicit romance a secret, so as not to hurt her sister. Tracey Dey, born Nora Ferrari in Yonkers, had made a name for herself as the “Teenage Cleopatra” capitalizing on the notoriety of the Liz Taylor blockbuster. She caught the eye of The Four Season’s maestro, Bob Gaudio when she recorded “Jerry, I’m your Sherry” , playing off the title of the group’s hit ‘Sherry”. Together with the production genius Bob Crewe, they crafted this pop classic the teenage Cleo. Tracey soon got out of the business, earned a Master’s degree from Columbia, and became a teacher and screenwriter. Clearly, this was a savvy entrepreneur from an early age. (Btw: the original masters of this recording were lost - so, this version was taken directly off a 45 disc). Enjoy!
