I think I had this song on album once. I do have it on tape, and have several downloads of it. It is one of my favourite GL songs, and what I would like to know is does a good sounding version or copy exist? I don't think I've ever heard this song clearly. Also, for some of you who have seen him in concert more than I, have you ever seen him perform it? It's a song that doesn't get mentioned often. Is it because it is much more mainstream than the monster folk songs he put out around the same time? Just curious, thanx.

I think I had this song on album once. I do have it on tape, and have several downloads of it. It is one of my favourite GL songs, and what I would like to know is does a good sounding version or copy exist? I don't think I've ever heard this song clearly. Also, for some of you who have seen him in concert more than I, have you ever seen him perform it? It's a song that doesn't get mentioned often. Is it because it is much more mainstream than the monster folk songs he put out around the same time? Just curious, thanx.

Good questions. I'm eagerly waiting for these very intelligent fans to answer this. It's always so exciting here to see what I can learn next. Very helprdul and knowlegable folks here.

Good questions. I'm eagerly waiting for these very intelligent fans to answer this. It's always so exciting here to see what I can learn next. Very helprdul and knowlegable folks here.

I can email you an mp3 of it.
Tony
stony_baloney@yahoo.com

There are decent remasters of it on two Bear Family CDs, Back Here On Earth/Did She Mention My Name (Plus) and Sunday Concert Plus. They are two different studio tracks (known respectively as the NY version and the Nashville version). Both were released on 45s, but never on an LP. Needless-to-say, perhaps, the Bear Family CD versions are good quality.

ah ha Valerie beat me to it whilst I was busy composing and researching

Hi Doug
I admire your taste as this is IMHO simply the very best overlooked HIT that Gordon had
There are two studio recordings available on two of the Bear Family CDs of regurgitated United Artists albums
I am still unsure which one was the actual Hit version that appeared on a single***
As I noted just the other day in the Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues topic at:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...c;f=1;t=003756
"Spin, Spin was the "B" of For Lovin' Me, which was his second United Artists single in 1966"
the two versions are
1.known as the "Nashville version Take 8" and is on this CD:-
http://www.bear-family.de/images/bcd15691.jpg
and 2.the "New York remake version" on this CD:-
http://www.bear-family.de/images/bcd15699.jpg
Presumably the Hit single version*** is the best
As I said above I really do not know which one became the Hit single***
to my ear they both sound good and nearly identical
The main difference between the 2 Bear family tracks is that the NY one starts with Gord aying "it is just a matter of everybody listening" then there is a cueing "Spin Spin take 16" then Gord's 1,2;1,2
one clue should be the running time
The NY is 2:44
and the Nashville is shorter at 2:29
(because of course it has no intro)
BUT the flipside of the JLTTB single I referenced is
http://i9.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/a2/02/e9_1.JPG
dang 2:32 is twixt the two!!!
However that single version is I submit more likely to be the longer NY version without the intro?? i do have a(now)-cracked copy of this that I heard long before I got the Bear Family CDs and am pretty certain it had no such intro.
Of course someone here in Light(foot)land who knows everything (guess who??) can hopefully put us wise to this bit of Lightfoot trivia
Well yes and no I might well have seen him perform it at Montreal's New Penelope in May 1967 but feel sure I did not else it would have stuck in my mind as CRT certainly did that evening
However there is obviously at least a snippet around (I think on the Bob Dylan presents the Juno video amomgst a collage of things)
True but as the first song I ever heard Gord sing in 1965 I try to mention it as often as possible
It remains a mystery to me why this gets overlooked so often
(Omitted from both the Songbook boxset and The Complete Greatest Hits AND Classic Masters CDs)
What were they all thinking or does Gord dislike it so much that he vetoes all attempts to honour it. If so all the more strange that the Bear Family were "able" to include not one but two versions!!
John Fowles
Discuss
***Now I see that Val says that both versions made it into singles.. I never knew that before

[ April 03, 2006, 15:19: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

ah ha Valerie beat me to it whilst I was busy composing and researching

Hi Doug
I admire your taste as this is IMHO simply the very best overlooked HIT that Gordon had
There are two studio recordings available on two of the Bear Family CDs of regurgitated United Artists albums
I am still unsure which one was the actual Hit version that appeared on a single***
As I noted just the other day in the Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues topic at:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...c;f=1;t=003756
"Spin, Spin was the "B" of For Lovin' Me, which was his second United Artists single in 1966"
the two versions are
1.known as the "Nashville version Take 8" and is on this CD:-
http://www.bear-family.de/images/bcd15691.jpg
and 2.the "New York remake version" on this CD:-
http://www.bear-family.de/images/bcd15699.jpg
Presumably the Hit single version*** is the best
As I said above I really do not know which one became the Hit single***
to my ear they both sound good and nearly identical
The main difference between the 2 Bear family tracks is that the NY one starts with Gord aying "it is just a matter of everybody listening" then there is a cueing "Spin Spin take 16" then Gord's 1,2;1,2
one clue should be the running time
The NY is 2:44
and the Nashville is shorter at 2:29
(because of course it has no intro)
BUT the flipside of the JLTTB single I referenced is
http://i9.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/a2/02/e9_1.JPG
dang 2:32 is twixt the two!!!
However that single version is I submit more likely to be the longer NY version without the intro?? i do have a(now)-cracked copy of this that I heard long before I got the Bear Family CDs and am pretty certain it had no such intro.
Of course someone here in Light(foot)land who knows everything (guess who??) can hopefully put us wise to this bit of Lightfoot trivia
Well yes and no I might well have seen him perform it at Montreal's New Penelope in May 1967 but feel sure I did not else it would have stuck in my mind as CRT certainly did that evening
However there is obviously at least a snippet around (I think on the Bob Dylan presents the Juno video amomgst a collage of things)
True but as the first song I ever heard Gord sing in 1965 I try to mention it as often as possible
It remains a mystery to me why this gets overlooked so often
(Omitted from both the Songbook boxset and The Complete Greatest Hits AND Classic Masters CDs)
What were they all thinking or does Gord dislike it so much that he vetoes all attempts to honour it. If so all the more strange that the Bear Family were "able" to include not one but two versions!!
John Fowles
Discuss
***Now I see that Val says that both versions made it into singles.. I never knew that before

[ April 03, 2006, 15:19: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

Actually, John, I could be wrong on that. I didn't double check. That was vaguely what I remembered but I could be wrong. Given that the New York version was (reportedly) specifically recorded to tone it down a bit for the less country NY audience, I may have leapt to the conclusion that it actually made it onto vinyl.

Muddying the waters there Val
I interpret that as that the NY version was rerecorded for "uncountry" listeners , but was that before or after the original Nashville recording had became a hit In Canada
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwCfArcYlPHQdE0GsSB5a!BVRBZ1EMrtgUOSamrHxJCivsb8G uldqeNnLV*58TzbEQsBLK3u*LoCbFh0na4EjdQEizlQqO2kXCy KaG4WrL!0eMwHSlutWw/spin_spin_19660.jpg[/img]
A screenshot I meant to include in my earlier message
JOhnFowles

Muddying the waters there Val
I interpret that as that the NY version was rerecorded for "uncountry" listeners , but was that before or after the original Nashville recording had became a hit In Canada
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwCfArcYlPHQdE0GsSB5a!BVRBZ1EMrtgUOSamrHxJCivsb8G uldqeNnLV*58TzbEQsBLK3u*LoCbFh0na4EjdQEizlQqO2kXCy KaG4WrL!0eMwHSlutWw/spin_spin_19660.jpg[/img]
A screenshot I meant to include in my earlier message
JOhnFowles

Thanx for the feedback guys.

Thanx for the feedback guys.

Awesome, awesome question. The repsonses are fabulous and very well thought out. I love learning here. I'm honored.

Awesome, awesome question. The repsonses are fabulous and very well thought out. I love learning here. I'm honored.

Thanx for the responses, and the research, John. Is it just me, or does any one else feel that The Monkees should not even be mentioned in the same breath as Gordon Lightfoot, let alone be ranked higher on a music chart. GL had more talent in his pinky finger than that garbage " band " had in their collective bodies.

Thanx for the responses, and the research, John. Is it just me, or does any one else feel that The Monkees should not even be mentioned in the same breath as Gordon Lightfoot, let alone be ranked higher on a music chart. GL had more talent in his pinky finger than that garbage " band " had in their collective bodies.

True, Doug. But in the '60s, the Monkees were hip... at least to teenage girls. They were one of the original boy bands.

It's been answered here before. But a great sounding of "SPIN SPIN" on the "Sunday Concert Plus", as vlmagee said. I have the 45 single W/flip side "Go Go Round",on UNITED ARTISTS. Also have it on tape: recorded by : Stompin Tom Connors, Live At The Horse Shoe.

It's been answered here before. But a great sounding of "SPIN SPIN" on the "Sunday Concert Plus", as vlmagee said. I have the 45 single W/flip side "Go Go Round",on UNITED ARTISTS. Also have it on tape: recorded by : Stompin Tom Connors, Live At The Horse Shoe.

Does anyone know who wrote 'Last Train'? I'm fairly certain it was not any of the Monkeys. John Stewart still sings "Daydream Believer" in almost all of his concerts. Claims that song as recorded by the Monkeys bought him his home in San Fran. He has no problem w/ it. Same same for Neil Diamond with 'I'm a Believer' and Ian Tyson and his 'Four Strong Winds'...bought him his ranch in Alberta. The Monkeys did not record 'Four Strong Winds'. This most likely belongs on the other list...sorry

Last Train to Clarksville - Words and Music by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart (of "I Wonder What She's Doin' Tonite" fame.)

From the VH1 site:


Boyce and Hart, the songwriting and (later) performing team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, are most famous for writing several of the Monkees' big hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville," "Valleri" and "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone." Together and separately, they also wrote or contributed to hits by several other acts in the 1960s, including Freddie Cannon, Curtis Lee, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Jay And The Americans. In 1967 they began recording on their own as a duo, landing a Top Ten hit the same year with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite." Based in Los Angeles, Boyce and Hart were a West Coast equivalent to the kind of craftsmanship and methodology espoused by Brill Building songwriting teams, although their material was less meaningful and enduring than Goffin-King's or Barry-Greenwich's. They emphasized bright, happy, AM radio melodies with room for lots of vocal harmonies, an appropriate vibe for the Monkees and other acts; it was typical of the L.A. late 1960s pop-rock that would retroactively be dubbed "sunshine pop."


Boyce, the older of the pair, had a history that long predated the Monkees, co-writing a Top Ten hit for Fats Domino in 1959 ("Be My Guest"). Around the early 1960s, he met Hart and the pair spent some time in New York in the mid-1960s, where they (with Wes Farrell) wrote the Jay And The Americans hit "Come a Little Bit Closer." Throughout the first half of the 1960s Boyce wrote or helped write material without any Hart involvement, including hits by Cannon ("Action") and Lee ("Pretty Little Angel Eyes"), while Hart had a piece of the songwriting for Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Hurt So Bad." It wasn't until 1965 that the Boyce-Hart partnership took off in earnest, as they were signed to the Screen Gems publishing company. They knocked off some energetic pop-rockers that were recorded by bands like Paul Revere And The Raiders ([I'm Not Your] Stepping Stone") and the Leaves ("Words"), as well as the theme for the soap opera Days of Our Lives.


They found themselves in the right place at the right time when they were commissioned to write a few songs for the pilot episode of The Monkees (including its famous theme song). Because the Monkees were going to be on TV every week, they needed a steady supply of songs fast, which helped assure that Boyce and Hart placed many of their tunes with the group. These included not only a few hits, but also many album tracks; about half the songs on the Monkees' first album were Boyce-Hart tunes. the Monkees even redid some Boyce-Hart songs, such as "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," "Words" and "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day."


Boyce and Hart's material may not have been the first choice of what the group -- and specifically their most experienced songwriter, Mike Nesmith -- wanted to record. But Boyce-Hart's knack for AM-friendly pop hooks and chipper, just-this-side-of-bubblegum arrangements were very much in tune with the image projected by the group on their show. Boyce and Hart were also involved in the Monkees' first two albums as producers, a role they returned to on the Monkees' then-final, desultory albums in 1969 and 1970.

Starting in 1967, Boyce and Hart also recorded on their own for A&M Records. Aside from "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite," however, none of their efforts made the Top 20 or came close to that song in quality, although "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)" and "Out & About" both made the Top Forty and "We're All Going to the Same Place" and "Goodbye Baby" charted in lower positions. Boyce and Hart split up, both as songwriters and performers, at the end of the 1960s, although they teamed up with ex-Monkees Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to perform and record for a while in the mid-1970s as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. Boyce committed suicide in November 1994 after a lengthy struggle with illness and depression. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Last Train to Clarksville - Words and Music by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart (of "I Wonder What She's Doin' Tonite" fame.)

From the VH1 site:


Boyce and Hart, the songwriting and (later) performing team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, are most famous for writing several of the Monkees' big hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville," "Valleri" and "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone." Together and separately, they also wrote or contributed to hits by several other acts in the 1960s, including Freddie Cannon, Curtis Lee, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Jay And The Americans. In 1967 they began recording on their own as a duo, landing a Top Ten hit the same year with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite." Based in Los Angeles, Boyce and Hart were a West Coast equivalent to the kind of craftsmanship and methodology espoused by Brill Building songwriting teams, although their material was less meaningful and enduring than Goffin-King's or Barry-Greenwich's. They emphasized bright, happy, AM radio melodies with room for lots of vocal harmonies, an appropriate vibe for the Monkees and other acts; it was typical of the L.A. late 1960s pop-rock that would retroactively be dubbed "sunshine pop."


Boyce, the older of the pair, had a history that long predated the Monkees, co-writing a Top Ten hit for Fats Domino in 1959 ("Be My Guest"). Around the early 1960s, he met Hart and the pair spent some time in New York in the mid-1960s, where they (with Wes Farrell) wrote the Jay And The Americans hit "Come a Little Bit Closer." Throughout the first half of the 1960s Boyce wrote or helped write material without any Hart involvement, including hits by Cannon ("Action") and Lee ("Pretty Little Angel Eyes"), while Hart had a piece of the songwriting for Little Anthony and the Imperials' "Hurt So Bad." It wasn't until 1965 that the Boyce-Hart partnership took off in earnest, as they were signed to the Screen Gems publishing company. They knocked off some energetic pop-rockers that were recorded by bands like Paul Revere And The Raiders ([I'm Not Your] Stepping Stone") and the Leaves ("Words"), as well as the theme for the soap opera Days of Our Lives.


They found themselves in the right place at the right time when they were commissioned to write a few songs for the pilot episode of The Monkees (including its famous theme song). Because the Monkees were going to be on TV every week, they needed a steady supply of songs fast, which helped assure that Boyce and Hart placed many of their tunes with the group. These included not only a few hits, but also many album tracks; about half the songs on the Monkees' first album were Boyce-Hart tunes. the Monkees even redid some Boyce-Hart songs, such as "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone," "Words" and "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day."


Boyce and Hart's material may not have been the first choice of what the group -- and specifically their most experienced songwriter, Mike Nesmith -- wanted to record. But Boyce-Hart's knack for AM-friendly pop hooks and chipper, just-this-side-of-bubblegum arrangements were very much in tune with the image projected by the group on their show. Boyce and Hart were also involved in the Monkees' first two albums as producers, a role they returned to on the Monkees' then-final, desultory albums in 1969 and 1970.

Starting in 1967, Boyce and Hart also recorded on their own for A&M Records. Aside from "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite," however, none of their efforts made the Top 20 or came close to that song in quality, although "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)" and "Out & About" both made the Top Forty and "We're All Going to the Same Place" and "Goodbye Baby" charted in lower positions. Boyce and Hart split up, both as songwriters and performers, at the end of the 1960s, although they teamed up with ex-Monkees Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones to perform and record for a while in the mid-1970s as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. Boyce committed suicide in November 1994 after a lengthy struggle with illness and depression. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Jessi-Joe it is thanks to everyone.

Jessi-Joe it is thanks to everyone.