Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My favorite song to play over and over on my new JSX Mini Colossal

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Op-mjhGoPvY&mode=related&search=

Dang! I left my headphones in the confluence room. Have to listen tomorrow.

Rare Blend opened for them a couple years ago at our Rib Fest. In fact, before us Spyro Gyra played!

Did they have tremelo or some digital facsimile on the vocals? Any original members left? I always loved that song even though they tacked two slightly different versions together that were slightly out of tune with each other. Anyone else ever notice that? It's only on the long version, they must have edited in a long middle that was recorded on another day or take. No tuners in those days.

Check out this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=x69pjsvIB0g&mode=related&search=

To me it is one of the all time great garage rock tunes, was a completely different band, look at the guitar behind Tommy James' head.

Tommy was still there obviously, but I really couldn't say as to the rest of the band. And yes, tremolo was the order of the day!

The Rickenbacker guitar behind Tommy's head on Hanky Panky is being played by George Magura, a very talented multi-instrumentalist from Pittsburgh who unfortunately died a few years back. George could play any instrument and spent time after the Shondells as a producer and band director. He played sax, guitar and keyboards in the Three Rivers Blues Band in Pittsburgh in the early 1970s. I was the bass player in that band. George told me he played bass on "I Think We're Alone Now," and I never doubted him. Tommy canned George and the other Shondells, most of whom were from the Pittsburgh area, when he really hit it big. The rest of the Shondells played around Pittsburgh for years in various groups. I have tapes of George singing on the radio in Cleveland with TRBB. The guitarist in TRBB for a brief while was Steve Dudas, late of Ringo & the Roundheads.

Dave, did he play the lead on Hanky Panky? Whoever played it was great. I heard he canned the band or it was too long after they recorded it and the band was scattered, but the original band was great. Very interesting history you have there Dave.

I don't think George played lead on "Hanky Panky," although he could have because he was quite accomplished on every instrument. According to the Shondell's official website (www.tommyjames.com), Tommy recorded the song in Michigan well before 1966. I think it may have been either Clark Race or Terry Lee, two hotrod Pittsburgh DJs, who broke the record. Tommy had to put a band together fast, so he grabbed the Pittsburgh group The Raconteurs. After they were fired, we played a couple of double bills with the ex-Shondells, but I can't recall what name they used. I do remember that they were based in either Connellsville or Charleroi, Pennsylvania.

George isn't listed as having played bass on "I Think We're Alone Now," but George was not the type of guy to make things up. He had spent time in divinity school and was honest to a fault, which often caused trouble in bands. George lasted only a short time with the Shondells, and it may have been because he was opinionated. Somehow, he wound up married with two kids and teaching high school band in 1971, which was when I met him.

Three Rivers Blues Band was a Chicago Transit Authority clone, and we did NO blues (but the name sounded good). After three years with horns and starving on about $10 a night apiece, the core of the band stuck together, fired the horns, and became Pyewacket (not the British band of the same name) -- a Yes, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep cover band. Pyewacket put out one record on a local label. ("Boogie, Boogie, Boogie"/"Another Turn Around the Sun"). Mine is the Chipmunk-like voice singing "Boogie"). The 45 still turns up on EBay now and then.

TRBB also had one record on Buddah -- "Captain America" (trying to capitalize on "Easy Rider" -- in late 1970. The main claim to fame of "Captain America" is its terrible lyrics: "Captain America/off to see the world. Captain America/ off your bike you're hurled."

Even Lennon/McCartney never thought of that rhyme.