Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
- chriscurtisfan
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Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
I know this could be off-topic, but you are my music historians and experts -- it's been driving me crazy about this "Black is Black" song, by a Spanish(?) band called Los Bravos.
Gene Pitney had some connection with this song, according to this link/discussion....
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3445
Is it possible for somebody to sound so identical to Pitney without being Pitney??
Another YT poster seems to add to the confusion as he lists it as both...
Gene Pitney had some connection with this song, according to this link/discussion....
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3445
Is it possible for somebody to sound so identical to Pitney without being Pitney??
Another YT poster seems to add to the confusion as he lists it as both...
Dedicated to the best Drummer on Planet Earth (RIP) http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisCurtisFan
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
That's just a rumor as far as I can tell. Pitney's not one of the writers, and on the site you linked it said that Gene tried to remember if he had done the session or not. I think this is tongue in cheek, clearly you would remember being present and recording a lead vocal to Black Is Black. Gene has never said he was involved, to my knowledge.
Great Ramp In My Opinion.
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
This was not .you tube is great for old clips but a lot of the time some post videos and don't have a clue and whoever wrote the blurb on songfacts has made it up, the singer was Mike Kogel who had a sound of Pitney, there are number of Los Bravos tracks on Youtube check some out, if it was Pitney, he musta have done the others then.
Someone the other day posted a Hollies video entitled Air That I Breathe, song was actually He Ain't Heavy etc.
Some Searchers videos posted which are in fact Mike Pender's Searchers
Someone the other day posted a Hollies video entitled Air That I Breathe, song was actually He Ain't Heavy etc.
Some Searchers videos posted which are in fact Mike Pender's Searchers
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Talkingf of GP here's a single he released in 1970, sank without trace but in my view, one of his best.
- chriscurtisfan
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- Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:37 pm
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Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Thanks, everybody for helping me with this unsolved mystery. Roy, I had never heard Sandman, and I've never met a GP song I didn't love. Add one more to that pile! The man's vocal style was unmistakable and that's why BisB was making me crazy. Just visited Wikipedia, and he wrote some great tunes, not only for himself, but other people, as well! "Rubber Ball" by Bobby Vee, "He's a Rebel" by The Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou" -- all 3 just outstanding. He was truly remarkable, beyond being a wonderful singer. Too bad he passed so young. Sigh....
Dedicated to the best Drummer on Planet Earth (RIP) http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisCurtisFan
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Gene is one of my fave singers of all time but for this one the nod goe to Los Bravos
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
George both were Los Bravos whoever posted it as Gene Pitney got it wrong
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
He was without any doubt Mike Kogel (a.k.a. Mike Kennedy) who did that session, his voice is really unmistakeable. I saw him singin this song live.
In fact, the voices heard in the song are the only part recorded by the original Bravos musicians (back vocals credited to Toni Luz, the spaniard guitarrist), they both travelled to London. All instrumental tracks were recorded with english musicians. This story is well told in this book.
Another antique legend about that "Black Is Black" sessions is that Jimmy Page played guitar, as well as many other songs of that era...
Great song, by the way.
In fact, the voices heard in the song are the only part recorded by the original Bravos musicians (back vocals credited to Toni Luz, the spaniard guitarrist), they both travelled to London. All instrumental tracks were recorded with english musicians. This story is well told in this book.
Another antique legend about that "Black Is Black" sessions is that Jimmy Page played guitar, as well as many other songs of that era...
Great song, by the way.
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
I'd like to know who played on "Going Nowhere". Always a big fave of mine, it should have been a much bigger hit for them. Was this session men as well?
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Yeah, great song, too. I like it a lot.
I think a bunch of these songs were probably recorded at Decca during the same timeframe (April-June 1966). Mike Vogel (Kennedy) recorded lead vox, and Toni Luz backing vocals (the rest of the band made some vocals too). They could only play/record, as the whole real band, in a version of "La Moto", they wanted to show they could do it, and used some spare studio time when nobody knew they were doing it.
The recording project of Los Bravos was some kind of a joint venture between Alain Milhaud (a french AR/producer at Columbia Spain) and Phil Solomon (Radio Caroline) with Decca. So there was some "contractual agreements" probably unknown for the band, that they had to face when they travelled to England to record the songs.
The rumour says the musicians for those primary records were Jimmy Page and Billie Sullivan at guitar, John Bonham at drums, Herbie Flowers at bass, etc. Ivor Raymonde made the arrangements.
There was another great spanish band with similar connection with Ivor Raymonde, and they made wonderful music (probably the best spanish pop LP "as a whole" of all the 60s). Their record with Decca is now a sought-after collector item:
Los Íberos
Summertime Girl
I think a bunch of these songs were probably recorded at Decca during the same timeframe (April-June 1966). Mike Vogel (Kennedy) recorded lead vox, and Toni Luz backing vocals (the rest of the band made some vocals too). They could only play/record, as the whole real band, in a version of "La Moto", they wanted to show they could do it, and used some spare studio time when nobody knew they were doing it.
The recording project of Los Bravos was some kind of a joint venture between Alain Milhaud (a french AR/producer at Columbia Spain) and Phil Solomon (Radio Caroline) with Decca. So there was some "contractual agreements" probably unknown for the band, that they had to face when they travelled to England to record the songs.
The rumour says the musicians for those primary records were Jimmy Page and Billie Sullivan at guitar, John Bonham at drums, Herbie Flowers at bass, etc. Ivor Raymonde made the arrangements.
There was another great spanish band with similar connection with Ivor Raymonde, and they made wonderful music (probably the best spanish pop LP "as a whole" of all the 60s). Their record with Decca is now a sought-after collector item:
Los Íberos
Summertime Girl
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Thanks for the info, I always love learning about bands that weren't huge but made some good music.
Los Bravos also did a nice version of the Easybeats song "Bring A Little Lovin'"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45BwWU86M78
Los Bravos also did a nice version of the Easybeats song "Bring A Little Lovin'"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45BwWU86M78
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
Your welcome, Jeff.
Yes, "Bring A Little Lovin' ", that's a great number, too. One of my favourites from Los Bravos when I make some djing at parties, being the other one (apart from "Black Is Black") "I'm Cuttin' Out"... totally impossible not to move your feet with that song.
I think Milhaud knew about "Bring A Little Lovin' " in a Midem convention, it has a curious history behind. It was the main hit for their second film, named in spanish "Dame Un Poco de Amooor...!".
Yes, "Bring A Little Lovin' ", that's a great number, too. One of my favourites from Los Bravos when I make some djing at parties, being the other one (apart from "Black Is Black") "I'm Cuttin' Out"... totally impossible not to move your feet with that song.
I think Milhaud knew about "Bring A Little Lovin' " in a Midem convention, it has a curious history behind. It was the main hit for their second film, named in spanish "Dame Un Poco de Amooor...!".
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
"Bring A Little Lovin' " was written by Vanda and Young for Los Bravos, there is a demo version of them doing it floating around. They also offered Los Bravos a song called "Wait A Minute" as a follow up, but the group didn't like that one.
Re: Gene Pitney vs. Los Bravos
I've been a Gene Pitney fan for years but never thought that the Los Bravos tune was Gene, the singer sang slightly sharp on most of Black is Black and Gene always sang right on key.