PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5097
San Francisco
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Posted on Aug 13 2010 09:40 PM
The What Four - "Gemini 4"
I am crazy about this song! I think it is a pretty rare single. Phil Dirt describes The What Four as a studio band. The B-side "Night Surf is pretty bad. I put together a cheezy vid to go along with it.
If you have more info on The What Four, please post.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVrFQD_iEZg
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Klas
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 2293
Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Aug 14 2010 05:10 AM
That was a great listen including awesome production and arrangements! And yeah, most likely a studio group. Hadn't heard of this particular What Four before but there were also a few other 60's bands going by the same name including a girl group and a couple of garage bands.
image
According to an old eBay auction, both sides were arranged by the great Jack Nitzsche.
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Klas
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 2293
Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 02:12 AM
And written by Armon Frank. Would that be the same guy who played sax with Dick Dale's Deltones? Oh, and nice vintage space program footage for the video as well. Couldn't help but thinking of our similar "Space Mover" video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILLkV2Q5_CA
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PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5097
San Francisco
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 10:01 AM
Well, DAMN!, Armon was just at the SG101 Con!?! I could have asked him about it.
As for the video- thanks, just recycled stuff from YouTube. I do like the videos where the 45 just goes around in circles, but this is more fun.
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websurfer
Joined: May 14, 2007
Posts: 1753
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 10:21 AM
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed that (and your video). Reminds me a little of Telstar, but maybe that's just the keyboards and space imagery.
Any story about how you happened to come across this rare gem?
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 10:27 AM
I will ask Armon Frank about this 45 for sure when I get the chance! Another interesting clue is notice the label says "A Dick and Dee Dee Production". Dick and Dee were a singing duo who had a hit in 1961 called "The Mountain High" on Liberty Records. Liberty put out Jan and Dean's records and many "studio" surf/hot rod singles and albums. Dick and Dee Dee were later signed to Warner Bros and Reprise is a sublabel of WB. Because of Dick and Dee Dee's history with Liberty and the fact that Jack Nitzche was invloved, a very good guess is the musicains you are hearing are likely Hal Blaine, Billy Strange, and other Wrecking Crew regulars conducted by Jack Nitzche. In fact, that really sounds like Hal's drumming to me.
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PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5097
San Francisco
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 10:37 AM
I love the sleuthing! A couple of clues reveals so much history.
We don't know for a fact that Nitzche was involved (yet). But it sure sounds like the same session that produced "The Last Race".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9FfJrgrUKg
Norm, that would be great if you could ask Armon about it.
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 15 2010 10:44 AM
Will do! Also, the release date for this single is June 1965 according to John Blair's book. That's all the info that's in there about it though.
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PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5097
San Francisco
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Posted on Aug 16 2010 03:02 PM
Jeff contacted Armon, this is what he had to say:
Jeff
Thank you for sharing this with me. Yes I wrote the
song, arranged and produced the song for Dick and Dee Dee
and did not know what happened to the song after I turned it
over to them. I never got a copy of the song.
The tune was recorded by The Vibrants when I was working at
the Cinnamon Cinder in Long Beach. I guess the just
put another name for the band to be able to have control.
Thanks a lot.
Armon Frank
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Brian
Joined: Feb 25, 2006
Posts: 19298
Des Moines, Iowa, USA
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Posted on Aug 16 2010 03:42 PM
Wow! Nice job tracking that one down. I'm glad Armon got some closure on what happened to his song too.
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PolloGuitar
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 5097
San Francisco
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Posted on Aug 16 2010 04:41 PM
More from Armon, in response to a few questions I had for him:
Ferenc
That was to be the B side of a record. The A side was an
incredible production that I'm sure they changed the name as well.
Boy would I love to have a copy of that cut.
The Vibrants were Casey Van Beek on bass, Bob Young on drums, Larry
Brittin on lead guitar, Jess Johnston on guitar and myself on Tenor
Sax and keys. I was the writer on everything. We recorded that at
Columbia Records B studio in 1964 or 5. I remember it was recorded on
one inch 4 track machine, which was hot stuff in that day.
Thanks
Armon
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Klas
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 2293
Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 03:31 AM
Does he mean that the Reprise single is the Vibrants' recording but with added orchestration?
And it appears as "Gemini 4" was the intended A side, not the flip.
From Billboard 10 July 1965:
image
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 09:00 AM
PolloGuitar
Jeff contacted Armon, this is what he had to say:
Jeff
Thank you for sharing this with me. Yes I wrote the
song, arranged and produced the song for Dick and Dee Dee
and did not know what happened to the song after I turned it
over to them. I never got a copy of the song.
The tune was recorded by The Vibrants when I was working at
the Cinnamon Cinder in Long Beach. I guess the just
put another name for the band to be able to have control.
Thanks a lot.
Armon Frank
Awesome! Way to go, Jeff. We are incredibly lucky to have access to legends like Armon Frank. Thanks Armon!
The Vibrants were from Manhattan Beach. They recorded the rippin' single "The Breeze and I", one of my favorites! Ferenc, you can find the Vibrants "Breeze and I" on Surfers Mood Vol 3 (vinyl only).
Here's a pic of The Vibrants for ya...
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 09:15 AM
Klas
Does he mean that the Reprise single is the Vibrants' recording but with added orchestration?
That's likely what they did, but it would be cool to find out more. There is definetly Jack Nitzsche-Phil Specter-esque layered tracks on Gemini 4. Incuding what sounds like a snare overdub. That's why I suspected it might have been Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer doing a double drum track that Specter was known to do. My guess is The Vibrants recorded the basic track and the overdubs were done later at Columbia.
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 09:22 AM
PolloGuitar
More from Armon, in response to a few questions I had for him:
The Vibrants were Casey Van Beek on bass, Bob Young on drums, Larry
Brittin on lead guitar, Jess Johnston on guitar and myself on Tenor
Sax and keys. I was the writer on everything. We recorded that at
Columbia Records B studio in 1964 or 5. I remember it was recorded on
one inch 4 track machine, which was hot stuff in that day.
Thanks
Armon
Wait, that sounds like a different Vibrants than "The Breeze and I" guys. Ferenc, looks like we have another question for Armon.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 09:38 AM
shivers13
The Vibrants were from Manhattan Beach. They recorded the rippin' single "The Breeze and I", one of my favorites! Ferenc, you can find the Vibrants "Breeze and I" on Surfers Mood Vol 3 (vinyl only).
That track plus five others by the Vibrants can also be found on the "Rare Surf Vol. 2: The South Bay Bands" CD - but as Norm noted, this does not appear to be the same band that Armon is talking about.
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shivers13
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 2605
Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Aug 17 2010 09:40 AM
Indeed! Awesome stuff. Wow, two Vibrants! Imagine that.
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