This one's so complicated that I had to call in a favor from my buddy, girl-group collector extraordinaire John Clemente. He wrote THEE definitive book on the subject, "Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked The World" (you can get it here). Anyhoo, he's here to explain the subject......
"The Honey Bees had two singles on Fontana. The first, 'One Wonderful Night', was actually The Cookies singing under the Honey Bees' name. There actually was no real Honey Bees group. Despite years of rumors, Carole King did not sing on that record."
"As for 'Some Of Your Lovin'', the group on this record is The Orchids, who had previously released a few singles on Columbia, like 'Harlem Tango'. 'Some Of Your Lovin'' was a demo that producers Gerry Goffin and Carole King had lying around. 'One Wonderful Night' had gotten good airplay and charted locally (in New York), so Fontana wanted another Honey Bees single. There is another version with the exact same backing track that has Carole King singing lead, and was later released in 1966 on Goffin-King's Tomorrow label as the B-side of her single 'Road To Nowhere'. I do not know whose vocal was recorded first."
Thanks, John. For those of you who have read his book, I have exciting news; he's working on a revised edition! It'll have MORE groups, MORE interview material, MORE pictures, MORE girl-group goodness! Watch this space for further details!!
The Honey Bees - Some Of Your Lovin' (Fontana 1505) - 1965
good work valentino 45
ReplyDeleteJohn Clemente needs to provide more information about The Orchids and the recording sessions he says they sang on. Before he died, Gerry Goffin stated that the group on "Some Of Your Lovin" was The Cookies with a different lead singer. Gerry didn't remember who it was, but many have speculated that Barbara Alston of The Crystals was that singer.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you it CERTAINLY isn't Barbara Alston - her timbre is completely different. As for Gerry Goffin's memory, well, it wasn't great, especially after 25+ years of drug addiction and mental problems. It is my experience from doing countless interviews that the artists themselves are the WORST source of information, mainly because their memories are so hazy.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that Barbara Alston of The Crystals told me herself that it was not her on lead. Margaret Ross of The Cookies said that it was not her on lead. I've no doubt that Gerry Goffin remembered it the way he told Mr. Jacobs. I agree with Mr. Sibello that Barbara Alston's tone of voice is definitely not the same. If you trust your ears and listen to "That Boy Is Messin' Up My Mind" and "Love Is What You Make It" alongside "Please Be My Boyfriend" and "Some Of Your Lovin'", it sounds like the same lead singer. Goffin-King knew of The Orchids and used them on some demos when The Cookies were not available. Dee Dee Kenniebrew of The Crystals stated that The Crystals did not record "Please Be My Boyfriend", recorded between July and August of 1964, which sounds, to me, like the same lead singer as The Orchids lead. The Crystals, by this time, were history with Spector, having secured release from their contract. I also concur with Mr. Sibello about artists not remembering accurate details about their own experiences. This falls to the historians who piece the lineage together using what they have at their disposal. I’m sure Mr. Jacobs exercised the same procedure as I did. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to go on re: The Orchids. I have one photo of them with Bobby Darin and Terry Melcher in the studio. To use Mr. Jacobs own word when referring to Goffin’s comment, he ‘speculated’! With all things considered, my theory has just as much validity as Mr. Jacobs’.
ReplyDeleteAll I have is my well-tuned voice recognition ears, but I'd bet Carole King was one of the backup singers on One Wonderful Night. She was certainly in the studio, and is billed as the arranger on the record label.
ReplyDeleteI've heard several Orchids records, and they don't sound anything like the singers on "Some Of Your Lovin'." People who say the lead voice has nothing in common with Barbara Alston? If it isn't here, someone's imitating the hell out of her phrasing. I want to see documented evidence for what's being claimed here. "Sounds like to me" is not hard evidence.
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