Tommy James and the Shondelles C or D

Long CBC interview about the mob stuff:
http://www.cbc.ca/day6/blog/2011/02/11/tommy-james-the-mob-and-the-music/

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One night when I was like 13, I was working on a poetry assignment for my Grade 8 english class, we had to assemble our own poetry anthology, meeting certain requirements, and only so many could be lyrics from songs, blah blah blah, this is not important, anyway, it was really late, like maybe 10 or something, or maybe later, because I was the only up in my house and I was working in the kitchen, but I called into the crappy radio station and requested "Crimson & Clover" and they played it, and maybe even put me on the air for like 5 seconds, I don't remember, but they definitely said my name. Which is an uncommon name. That's important to remember.
Two years later, I meet this girl at a party. We talk for a while and finally feel friendly enought to tell each other our names. She looks at me and says "You're XXXXX? Did you ever request 'Crimson & Clover' on such-and-such FM? You're soooooo rad!"
I got kissed with tongue for the first time that night.

― My Huckleberry Friend (Horace Mann), Friday, February 20, 2004 7:46 AM (6 years ago)

This is a fucking great story!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp2u0sgwvPQ

"ah dig snow and the rain and the bright sunshiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine"

who is gonna groove to Tommy with me today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv3WB2loIA4

I'm sure I've mentioned it, but how wild that three people had three huge hits with three covers of his songs in the '80s?

miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaage

huggin a tree when you get near it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-guC_7XXs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgUmBBN6Kj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unbR8vjy9cE

Travelin' is a gold mine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah6iAzTBl9c

trust each other in love
and we can't stop believing for a single day

Fun fact: "Crimson and Clover" is a rough mix. Tommy played it off-air for WLS (Chicago AM radio powerhouse) during an interview/promo spot. Unbeknownst to him, WLS recorded it. When he left the station and got in his limo, he turned on the radio and heard, "World exclusive from Tommy James and the Shondells!" and the rough mix of "Crimson." Because the station played it every 20 minutes (and because it was hugely influential in making hits), Tommy had to release it like that.

Had no intention of seeing this (barely knew of its existence, to be honest), but now I think I will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saHzng8fxLs

got a freebie best of Tommy James CD, was kinda excited to play it. fired it up: uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggh it's a LIVE compilation from like, 2007. it says live on the spine but not on the cover, and only on the linernotes inside does it say in fine print

bleh

ugh

his albums on roulette are some of the best-sounding vinyl I own - Travelin' is a fantastic album

Crimson and clover. Possibly the greatest song of all time

Yes.

It's so good.

yeeaahh

yep

they have a couple of these! "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony" are up there too

I'd add Crystal Blue Persuasion to the list. One of the great singles bands of all time

totally. i like "Mirage" a lot too.

their evolution is incredible. they made "Hanky Panky" when they were still in high school in 1966. some DJs started playing bootlegged copies of it and it became a regional hit, tromping a record deal. in 1967 later they release "I Think We're Alone Now". in 1968 they release "Mony Mony". in 1969 they release "Crimson & Clover".

these are insane singles. like damn. fwiw the albums are not too shabby either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9S8liz2HSQ

Otm, but Crimson and Clover is just unbelievable

Was anybody who played on “Hanky Panky” besides Tommy on the later records?

he's still alive, right? who was in his band? did he really have a band? did he have a writing partner?

He eventually did have more or less a regular band and writing partner(s).

re: "Hanky Panky"

In February 1964 the band recorded the Jeff Barry–Ellie Greenwich song "Hanky Panky" (originally a B-side by the Raindrops[4]). Released by Snap Records, a local label, James's version sold respectably in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but Snap Records had no national distribution. The band toured the eastern Midwest, but no other market took to the song. The single failed to chart nationally, and the Shondells disbanded in 1965 after its members graduated from high school.

...

in 1965, Pittsburgh dance promoter Bob Mack had unearthed the forgotten single "Hanky Panky", playing it at various dance parties, and radio stations there touted it as an "exclusive". Listener response encouraged regular play, and demand soared. Bootleggers responded by printing 80,000 black market copies of the recording, which were sold in Pennsylvania stores.

James first learned of all this activity in April 1966 after getting a telephone call from Pittsburgh disc jockey "Mad Mike" Metro to come and perform the song. James attempted to contact other members of the Shondells, but they had all moved away, joined the service or gotten married and left the music business altogether.

James later sells a tape master (taken from a copy of the original single, as the session tape had dissappeared) to Roulette, and the rereleased single goes to #1 in the summer of '66.

Their narrative is amazing, going from basically being the Kingsmen (who had a similar thing happen with "Louie Louie"), become early Bubblegum kingpins before reaching from (and attaining!) Psych cred with "Crimson and Clover", getting Hubert Humphrey to write liner notes and turning down Woodstock before burning out mightily in '70.

That Wikipedia article also says

In 2009 James and the surviving Shondells, Gray, Vale and Rosman, reunited to record music for a soundtrack of a proposed film based on James' autobiography, Me, the Mob, and the Music, released in February 2010. The group still gets together from time to time for special video/TV events and nostalgia shows.

Aargh. Ron Rosman, one ‘s’

finally ordering that autobio

You will not regret it

and turning down Woodstock before burning out mightily in '70.

We were in Hawaii, and my secretary called and said, ‘Yeah, listen, there’s this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field.’ That’ s how it was put to me. So we passed.”

Thread delivers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYhruUQpr7k

i like this song too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lke1pCmYFCU

"I like the way you hold my hand, it lets me know that you understand"

this line always sounded so Rolling Stones to me

I's say classic. Also, anyone else find it weird that three '80s pop stars each had huge hits covering different Tommy James songs?
― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, February 18, 2004 4:17 PM (fourteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvNJ1UnR0I

when Joan Jett and the Cramps cover your songs

Spotted this at the record show today, passed as it was late and priced like $10 (this is the LP w/"Draggin' The Line"--which was advertised with a large hype sticker still attached)

https://images.eil.com/large_image/TOMMY_JAMES_CHRISTIAN%2BOF%2BTHE%2BWORLD-516301.jpg

waow

I know, right? You can see the sticker HERE. I like how it screams "It's not all xtian gobbledygook! The song you like is on here!"

would kill for a Prince cover of "Crystal Blue Persuasion"

picked up the "Christian of the World" today. its very much in that mode of back-to-the-roots country rock everyone was doing around then. im halfway through the first side and "Dragging the Line" is definitely the standout. they always nail the arrangements w these singles. there is that palm muted guitar again, and the droney organ.

there is the strong Philly soul reference throughout that is always there w Tommy James, which makes a great fit for this occasionally psychedelic gospel rock. some of the tracks remind me of All Things Must Pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t9hxTZsv2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqmI7_jkqB8

"Light of Day" is pretty cool. another song Prince should cover.