Tommy James and the Shondelles C or D

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDSUB020402181625592986&sql=A4kqpg44ttv8z

Look at the way they don't build directly to the chorus, and they have one weird part where it's just the bass going back and fourth between two notes.

and a lot of great songs of that era had cool little bass or drum or whatever breaks. but that was part of the classic songwriting and arrangement style of the day.

i think it's an absolutely fantastic song. i just don't find it weird.

(Did I say that last time? I think someone else did.)

everyone always forgets "Baby baby I can't take it no more" and "Sweet cherry wine."

Of course, "Mirage" is just "I Think We're Alone Now" backwards - so conceptual geniuses into the bargain

Brought an old mix CD to the gym today, found a Tommy James and Shondells triptych at the end:

"Sweet Cherry Wine"
"Love's Closin' in on Me"
"Sugar on Sunday"

and my god, they made the elliptical machine almost tolerable. Totally, positively, classic.

I'm going to download C + C right now.

Also, there's a letter from Herbert Humphreys on the back!

My faves:

Mirage (I agree even better than ITWAN)
Out of the Blue
I'm Taken
And you have to love "Hello banana, I am a tangeriiiiiinnnne.. . ."

? and the Mysterians do own "Do Something to Me," though, although TJ's version is decent.

So is the Crimson & Clover LP worth getting? I should probably get something of theirs, considering how much I love C&C, "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crystal Blue Persuasion," etc.

(It) is actually the beginning of James' shift to uplifting religious themes that would really blossom on his second solo record. Christian of the World is not a concept record as such, but there is a theme of spirituality running through the lyrics. The title track is a sun-kissed plea for salvation, "Sing Sing Sing" rejects material possessions in favor of the power of song, "Sail a Happy Ship" directs people to turn to religion for peace and friendship, and "Church Street Soul Revival" is a beautiful, open-hearted celebration of God. The music is an amazing blend of bubblegum and gospel with some soul and a bit of country thrown in for good measure. James is on a creative roll here: his vocals are deeply heartfelt and soulful, the songwriting is powerful, and the whole record is strong from beginning to end. It isn't too surprising that apart from the hit single "Dragging the Line," the record was completely ignored. James' bubblegum persona preceded him. No one was quite ready to consider him a serious musician capable of creating an album as fully realized and creative as Christian of the World. Luckily, 30-plus years later one can divorce him or herself from James' lightweight image and see the record for the lost classic that it is.

He did turn up at the Atlanta Pop Festival, however...

This man speaks the truth

I was supposed to go last night to BeeBeeKing's to see him on a comp from my buddy who was playing in the band but, somewhat mysteriously, all the tickets to the sold-out show that were reserved for the band seemed to have disappeared, so dud for that reason, but otherwise classic.

Where is the love for "Kathleen McArthur"?

"I'm Comin' Home" is like cheapass songwriting at it's BEST, a vague rip of "Jumpin' Jack Flash"'s riff and the chorus from "He's So Fine" and it fucking WORKS. Just got a crappy "as advertised on TV!" US cdouble vinyl comp for cheap and man, it's all good. And it's missing so many songs that've been mentioned on this thread!

Also "Cat's Eye in the Window" IS "Horse w No Name". Bubblegum rips off a lot, and so leaves itself open for same due to lack of respect to "art" going both ways?

"He has sold, to date, over 100 million records and has been awarded 23 gold singles and 9 gold and platinum albums."

...according to James' website. But I believe it. It's mind boggling how many classic songs this dude has written. As a singles band, I think the Shondells (and James solo) rivals the Monkees. Is that crazy to think?

Hell no. And as mentioned upthread, I think, it was interesting to see how often he got covered in the eighties and how so many of those covers were big hits! A transitional character, if you like. Liminal even. (I'll stop there.)

Sadly, the most recent cover I can think of is REM doing "Draggin' the Line."

in addition to the 30 or so absolutely perfect and transcendent pop songs already mentioned, i feel compelled to add a word or two on behalf of 1969's "on behalf of the entire staff & management," from the tommy james experimental era. it's basically an early guided by voices song, right down to the way the lead vocal is recorded. and james isn't that much older than robert pollard. the replacements could've covered it too, circa "treatment bound." and, um, it's great.

How about the production on "Ball of Fire"? I know somebody else mentioned the tune, but hell, talk about lo-fi weirdness long before Sebadoh!

actually, it was you, fact checking, that mentioned it before.

I don't think the James' penned "Tighter, Tighter" gets enough love; well, except on certain oldies stations.

speaking of "ball of fire," can someone tell me what the first line is? i hear "scarlet hovering my head," which makes no grammatical sense whatsoever but kind of does make sense with the rest of the song (which, by the way, makes for a fairly excellent 9/11 song!). is there some word or piece of syntax that i'm missing in there?

according to songmeanings.net you're right

excellent. that's confirmation enough for me!

i've had a tommy james 2cd comp for a while, but never really listened to 'Draggin' the Line' before, which is my new favourite song.

another two that aren't mentioned above but are really wonderful are 'She' and 'Loved One'

Fucking Mirage!

I have a hard time saying anything bad about TJ&Shondelles. In fact, the later into their catalog, the better, yeah...

Cellophane Symphony ('69) has way good moments going on

"Evergreen" from that record is a psychedelic sloe-jam of sorts, while "Making Good Time" is something that should have been covered by Elvis circa '75. It just has that kinda vibe. Vaguely swamprock, and name-checking different cities and stuff.

another two that aren't mentioned above but are really wonderful are 'She' and 'Loved One'

Oh, yes. Yes. "Loved One" is...yeah. If you like "Tighter, Tighter", then...

Dude was a GREAT singer. Maybe still so now, dunno. Can anyone report?

saw him in coney island this summer and he was kinda great. he was headlining a straight-up oldies bill, and the average age of the crowd was easily over 50. first up, johnny maestro and the brooklyn bridge ("worst that could happen") did their name proud with some nice singing over pedestrian bar-band arrangements. next up, jay black simply can't sing anymore -- i mean, really really really has no vocal skills whatsoever -- and he knows it and he spent 70 percent of his stage time telling stories and cracking jokes, which he's damn good at. dude is hilarious. he too had the pedestrian bar-band oldies lounge thing behind him. then they cleared the stage for tommy & the shondells, who came out with marshall stacks, leather pants, long hair, etc., and who were a mix of old guys and one or two young ringers who look like they play in wooden shjips in their spare time. they turned up the volume from roughly three to roughly 12, scared more than a few 60- and 70-year-olds out of the venue, sang every song you could legitimately expect to hear (i.e. most of their rhino anthology, including "mirage," "ball of fire" and other faves from this thread), and quite legimately rocked. when oasis tour the oldie circuit in 2035, i imagine they will sound similar, and i will be ok with that, though they won't be as good.

so classic i can't even believe it.

great story fcc, thanks.

yeah, awesome story

i wonder if Tommy knows about this whole garage/60s pop subculture? maybe he's been listening to little steven's show?

...although he should be legitimately pissed about not receiving the kind of lip service a lot of these retro bands pay to far inferior bands from the 60s.

Anytime he wants to do a European tour, I'm there!

yeah, i found a fantastic 2005(or so?) version of Crystal Blue Persuasion on youtube. he's still awesome.

Mirage is great, as is Out Of The Blue.

Tommy James in 2006

Crystal Blue Persuasion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m9d4IyCmIs

I Think We're Alone Now - not a great video, but you can tell he's still got it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzmmwsOjl7s

Crimson and Clover!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6444EeeQBiw

look over yonder
what do you see?

just picked up travelin' from '70 on roulette. much goodness on here. bloody water, travelin', gotta get back to you.

"candy maker" is the jam!

Read about fifty pages of his memoir Me, The Mob, And The Music and it's very good.

Was he involved with the Mob?

You'll have to read the book ;)

Let's put it this way: the very beginning of the book, the incident which prompts him to tell his story, is the death of Morris Levy. Do you know who that is?

Ah, I see. I forgot they were on Roulette!

Morris Levy is such a colorful character, his cameo in Ahmet Ertegun's biography steals the show from the subject http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bkrev/hitmen-nyt.php

"Meet the Comer" off of Christian of the World = vocal melody from Neil Young's "Helpless"

"bad vibrations everywhere..."

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

uggest Ban Permalink
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.

might be a little late

love the singing in the chorus of "Silk, Satin, Carriage Waiting".

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

been reading the book. it's an amazing story. i like how the success of the "California Sun" cover by peers the Rivieras prompted him to do their own cover and make "Hanky Panky" theirs. they had only heard "Hanky Panky" as covered by friends of theirs, rather than the original track which they never heard. so when the time came to record it, they had to make up lyrics.

someone finally uploaded one of my faves. the final song on midnight rider, "keep it in the groove." bad rip but gives the idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcuqzjcKdY

i finished the book today. wow. that was crazy. im a bit sad it is so short, less than 300 pages and only really covers through the 60s (his post-60s career is a few paragraphs). "One helluva ride" it promises and damn it certainly is that.

it is crazy how his career intersected with these mob wars in New England in the late 60's/early 70's. his manager/label boss/etc Morris Levy was this legendary gangster label boss who never paid anybody but ran like a million rackets, from bootlegging records to inventing cutouts/Greatest Hits with one new song vinyl. there was payola, there was accounting fraud, he knew people in the mob, people that The Godfather and The Sopranos are based on. Fat Tony would hang out at his place. it was the Sopranos running a record label.

Tommy James was basically living week-to-week, every time he had a hit the question was "where's the next song?" it was a single-based strategy. Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell (who wrote "I Think We're Alone Now") were his writers (Tommy James kind of being abusive towards them in parts but he is pretty honest in him being a horrible person at times fwiw) the book has some cool stories of them making up songs in their place at 888 Eighth. the Cowsills were friends and would stay there, apparently the father was an alcoholic so Tommy's would be a place they could hang out to escape alcoholic abuse. Tommy did pills and pot and stuff but stayed away from acid and the heavier stuff. he ends up going to rehab, the famous Betty Ford Clinic, and staying sober and productive, finally finding success with a third marriage. then Billy Idol, Tiffany, and Joan Jett find success (1987 is a great 30th anniversary). unfortunately his longtime frenemy Morris Levy gets caught killing a record retailer during an FBI investigation of MCA.

i love reading about them making "Mony Mony", it sounds like a tape editing Frankenstein's monster of a recording, them putting on all these layers and different instruments and copying loops. then they are writing lyrics and looking for something like Bonie Marony or Woolly Bully or Sloopy and go up on the roof for a smoke and they look out and see a neon sign MONY MONY MONY (with the $ in the O) on the Mutual of New York building. he says it was a sign from God.

the long version of "Crimson & Clover" was actually edited together from a first shorter version of it, and part of the song is played at a different speed, and it has always bugged him, cos they were in the middle of mixing and he brought the tape to a radio station, had let them play it, and they ended up taping it and playing it, letting it out into the world early. it seems like he had to deal with that kind of stuff constantly, just no control. one time his label boss had to disappear for 6 months due to mob wars and Tommy James took his lawyer to all the printers they had used for record labels. as in, the labels themselves. all the accountants a the label, all the record plant people, were bought off, and would not divulge any information. they found out he owed them $40 million dollars. i don't think he ever got this but i am not sure. it is definitely an interesting relationship, the guy was clearly using him, yet he also helped him out, he made him a star, got him on tv, promoted the heck out of him, and also been a friend in many ways. at one point he reminds Tommy that his records would be worth more if he was dead, and it's somehow a touching moment. after "Mony Mony" comes out his draft card comes in and Levy gets him out of that, which is like, he just saved his life.

amazing book! i want to get all of the records now.

one of the highlights was a party they were having to celebrate Levy's return from that 6 months of hiding out. it was right when "Crystal Blue Persuasion" came out, and Tito Puente (also on Roulette) was covering the song at this crazy party.

Lots of people worked with that guy. I seem to recall some story of the Basie band recounting a water pistol fight with that guy whilst on tour, hiding behind the buses.

Some of the Latin labels were started by George Goldner but then when he had a bad day at the track he had to sell them to Levy.

There's some good stuff in the Seymour Stein book about Goldner and Levy. The Red Bird label was also handed over by Goldner (after Leiber & Stoller relinquished their interest) to Levy, which effectively ended the label. As Stein was a Red Bird employee, this is essentially what led to Stein forming the Sire label.

an interesting side story they get into was that Levy was the guy who owned the Chuck Berry copyright who sued John Lennon over "Come Together" and when he won made John cover other songs he owned on the "Rock n Roll" record. and then he printed his own bootleg version of the record called "Roots". LOL this guy was an epic hustler.

I met somebody about once who I knew was involved in Red Bird and so I mentioned the name of the label and he said “You want to know about THAT?” and that was the end of that line of questioning.

I thought Leiber and Stoller relinquished only after it was already effectively a done deal.

Don't know the details but it sounds like it was it was all done as one big deal simultaneously. Leiber & Stoller accepted a symbolic $1 to get out of it.

Think the most detailed version of the story I read was in Josh Alan Friedman’s Tell the Truth Until They Bleed but I don’t have a copy. It’s also discussed in Leiber and Stoller’s Hound Dog.

At some point there was a merger floated between Atlantic and Red Bird by the two Jerrys Leiber and Wexler but this made Ahmet Ertegun a little suspicious and Goldner as well as Red Bird’s lawyer, Lee Eastman, put the kibosh on it.

Thought the eventual new partner in Red Bird was someone like Morris Levy but wasn’t actually him.

Or maybe he came along a little later, after Jerry and Mike were already gone.

Ah, I see the story is recounted in a bit more detail in Ken Emerson's Always Magic in the Air. Jerry and Mike had started to get nervous about possible leverage mobsters might have over Goldner and the chance that some unknown mobsters might suddenly become partners in Red Bird through him. They took the initiative and sold out to Goldner for a buck (announced in Billboard
April 1966). Doesn't say what happened after Goldner gained total control, just that "Goldner made short work of Red Bird, which quickly collapsed."

The would-be Atlantic merger you mention was basically Jerry and Mike's attempt to "drive out" or "control" Goldner, whom they didn't trust.

Yes. In Hound Dog Jerry says he was called into a surprise meeting in a deli on Broadway with one of George’s friends ( who is named in that Josh Alan Friedman book) and then discussed the situation with his father-in-law and one of his father-in-law’s friends, a Rothschild, who both hinted that he should sell.

Sorry to be such a nerd about this. The most detailed version is truly frightening, partly by its nature partly because Jerry Leiber is such a good storyteller.

lord knows i'm a lazy, unfocused poster, with many unfinished projects and half-assed, un-submitted ballots

but this would be a great discography for a listening thread imo

YES, I would be so down for that. They're one of those "holy shit, they did THAT song too??" bands, like the Isley Brothers or...Manfred Mann comes to mind, but I know there are many better examples out there. But it's definitely worth digging deep beyond the singles for TJ & Shondells

otm

Dragging the Liiiiiiiiine

in xpost Hound Dog, the Lieber & Stoller joint autobio, they came to treasure Goldner as they realized that he had "the musical taste of a 14-year-old girl," and could always tell them just what a song needed a little more or less of--and if he liked it right away, with no changes needed---! He was a shy, studious-looking fellow, yet always beautifully tailored, like the financial genius with a modest office in an august firm, City of London more than Wall Street. But they also came to realize that he was a zombie gambler in a bottomless pit---realizing it when pulled into that little xpost meeting, and also when they heard two goodfellas moving furniture around in the next room, talkin' 'bout how it would be a nice place for meetin's. So yeah, sold him Redbird for a dollar, got the hell out.

Getting past the most obvious choices, here's Celebration: Complete Roulette Recordings 1966-1973. Don't know this label, Grapefruit, or how it might sound, but 40 bucks for a 6-CD import, so hey George Goldner might we;; be right about a chance worth taking, in this instance:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71+0Cd-C--L._SL1200_.jpg

etween 1966 and 1973, Tommy James issued thirteen albums on Roulette either as a solo performer or with The Roulettes. All of these recordings now appear on this definitive 6-CD set. This includes "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" albums which of course duplicated tracks from regular albums. These tracks have been left in their respective original albums. Although these albums have all appeared on CD reissues at various times over the years, this is the first box set to gather together all of the recordings in one set. In addition, there is the bonus of all of the recordings that never featured on the original LPs. Some of these tracks are making their CD debut within this collection. The 141-track box set features 16 tracks that were only ever released on 45s or were previously unissued until earlier compilations were released on CD. Produced by Bob Fisher whose detailed essay covers the entire history of the group with quotes by Tommy James from his biography and the notes to previous reissues. The booklet includes details of all of their chart achievements in the USA and the UK along with numerous reproductions of advertisements, reviews and news stories from music industry magazines. Designed by Michael Robson and mastered by Simon Murphy this is the definitive collection of Tommy James & the Shondells tracing their career from garage and bubblegum pop band through career defining psychedelic albums into Tommy James solo years as an introspective singer/songwriter. Disc One contains the first two albums "Hanky Panky" and "It's Only Love" plus the non- album B-side of the 'Hanky Panky' 45 and six titles previously unissued which made their first and only appearance on a long deleted 1997 CD set. Disc Two contains the albums "I Think We're Alone Now", "Something Special" and "Getting Together". Disc Three features 'Mony, Mony'. Their first and only UK No 1 single and the album titled after that hit alongside their classic psychedelic album, "Crimson & Clover" and the 45 version of the title track. Disc Four presents their second career defining psychedelic album "Cellophane Symphony" including the long version of the title track and a track from the album sessions, 'Contact', only previously released on the aforementioned 1997 compilation. Disc four also features the one track on the album "The Best of Tommy James & The Shondells" that hadn't been on an album before, 'Ball of Fire' and the first seven titles on "Travellin'" the last Tommy James & The Shondells album. Disc Five opens with the continuation of the "Travellin'" album with it's last three tracks before moving on to the first Tommy James solo albums "Tommy James" and "Christian Of the World" which features his last major hit single, 'Draggin' the Line'. Disc Six concludes the box with his last album for Roulette, 1971's "My Head, My Bed and My Red Guitar" his country -rock album co-produced in Nashville with Pete Drake and featuring such legendary country sidemen as Scotty Moore, D. J. Fontana, Charlie McCoy, Buddy Spicer and others.

Seems like Tommy and the ex-Shondells went in pretty much the same musical directions, judging by quotes from Mike Vale and others here---also has YouTube links:

In 1971 the mega-hit group, Tommy James and The Shondells disbanded. The Shondells went on to form Hog Heaven This pg is a tribute to them and their music.

this is still hilarious

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

To be fair, this is how Woodstock was presented to him:

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.”

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, June 23, 2018 12:33 PM (three years ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyQiJKY7NpM

^Immortal masterpiece, perfect 60s primetime psychedelic visuals in that clip. Though as much as I love "Crimson and Clover", "Crystal Blue Persuasion" will always be my #1 TJ song; that main chord progression (Amaj9, Bm7, repeat) is so beautiful, gives me chills. It's the kind of chord progression you hear in soul music of the era way more often than in rock. And since it's just back-and-forth between two chords, it exudes a calm, elegant simplicity.

Also I'm currently hearing TJ's wacky 1995 concept album A Night In Big City (An Audio Movie) for the first time. The liner notes on his official website sum it up better than I can:

Talk about a concept album...Tommy pulled out all the stops on this one - a blend of music and theater reminiscent of an earlier time when the music business had a lot more imagination and fun. On this make believe trip through "Big City" (New York), Tommy and his group, along with the listener, are given the key to the city, a private limousine, and a voluptuous female driver who takes them on the ride of their life.

The album, produced by Tommy and long time friend and arranger Jimmy Wisner, contains 11 great new tracks including sparkling remakes of "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Tighter, Tighter" interspersed with dialogue and sound effects and a comic book style, story guide to help follow the action.

This is Tommy James at his creative best. From "Give It All", a hard, up-tempo alternative rocker, to the dreamy "Who Do You Love" to "Megamation Man", a chilling glimpse into the demonic New World Order.

One would have to go back to the CELLOPHANE SYMPHONY album or perhaps TRAVELIN' to find anything remotely as daring or progressive.

First impression is that the between-song dialogue is extremely cringe (maybe approaching so-bad-it's-good territory), but at least a couple of the songs are improbably good--"Baby Tonight" is a legit new jack swing song with a banging chorus, and "Give It All" is some decent power pop/heartland rock. "Megamation Man" is some Styx-tier dystopian cheese. There's also an unnecessary Mellencampified remake of "I Think We're Alone Now". Mostly I'm just appreciating that he conceived and executed such a bizarre and ambitious project in the mid 90s, even if it's deeply flawed.

saw him in coney island this summer and he was kinda great. he was headlining a straight-up oldies bill, and the average age of the crowd was easily over 50. first up, johnny maestro and the brooklyn bridge ("worst that could happen") did their name proud with some nice singing over pedestrian bar-band arrangements. next up, jay black simply can't sing anymore -- i mean, really really really has no vocal skills whatsoever -- and he knows it and he spent 70 percent of his stage time telling stories and cracking jokes, which he's damn good at. dude is hilarious. he too had the pedestrian bar-band oldies lounge thing behind him. then they cleared the stage for tommy & the shondells, who came out with marshall stacks, leather pants, long hair, etc., and who were a mix of old guys and one or two young ringers who look like they play in wooden shjips in their spare time. they turned up the volume from roughly three to roughly 12, scared more than a few 60- and 70-year-olds out of the venue, sang every song you could legitimately expect to hear (i.e. most of their rhino anthology, including "mirage," "ball of fire" and other faves from this thread), and quite legimately rocked. when oasis tour the oldie circuit in 2035, i imagine they will sound similar, and i will be ok with that, though they won't be as good.

― fact checking cuz, Saturday, December 29, 2007 6:41 PM (sixteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

haha ok i was off by 10 years, but i stand by everything else.