DO YOU REMEMBER? Billboard #1 HOT 100 (This Week in 1969) Tommy James & the Shondells: Crimson and Clover Crimson and Clover is a 1968 song by Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the groups sound and composition. Crimson and Clover was released in late 1968 as a rough mix after a radio station leaked it. It spent 16 weeks on the U.S. charts, reaching #1 in the United States and other countries. The single has sold 5 million copies, making it Tommy James and the Shondells best-selling song. Following the release of Mony Mony, Tommy James wanted to change direction of the groups sound, and began producing his own material. At the time, James said this was out of necessity and ambition, wanting to move from singles into albums. He departed from the groups principal songwriters Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell, and was given complete artistic control by Roulette Records. The title, Crimson and Clover, was decided before a song had been written for it. The combination of unknown meaning came to James as he was waking up, comprising his favorite color – crimson – and his favorite flower – clover. (There is also a species of clover native to Europe called the crimson clover.) A song to fit the phrase was written by Tommy James and bassist Mike Vale, but was scrapped. His following collaboration with drummer Peter Lucia Jr. was more successful. During the songs production, Roulette Records wanted a new single, so the group agreed to release Do Something to Me to gain time to complete the song. Crimson and Clover was recorded in late 1968 in about 5 hours. Tommy James played most of the instruments, while Mike Vale played bass and Peter Lucia Jr. played drums. The song contains a tremolo effect on the guitar, set so that it vibrated in time with the songs rhythm. Near the end of the recording, the band had an idea of utilizing the tremolo effect with vocals. To achieve this, the voice microphone was plugged into an Ampeg guitar amplifier with tremolo turned on, and the output from the amplifier was recorded while James sang Crimson and clover, over and over.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 03:21:50 +0000
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