isnw_ecp

APRIL STEVENS & NINO TEMPO - ATCO - TRUE LOVE - LISTEN

	Written by Batchelor & Roberts. Play grade is VG+. Flip is Sweet And Lovely by Arnheim, Tobias & Daniels, VG+. Nino Tempo & April Stevens's relation to rock was pretty tenuous; after all, most of their early and mid-'60s hits were updates of popular standards like "Deep Purple," "Whispering," "Stardust," and "Tea for Two." They weren't quite in the easy-listening mainstream, though, due to the pop/rock feel of most of their arrangements, and Stevens's breathy, sensual style. Tempo, in fact, was a good friend of Phil Spector, working under the producer as a session musician on some of Spector's hits. As pop performers with a bent for Tin Pin Alley material, though, the brother-sister (despite their different last names) duo was kind of stuck between generations, especially two months after their number one hit "Deep Purple," when the Beatles made the top of the hit parade. Tempo and Stevens were born Nino & Carol LoTempio in Niagra Falls, NY. Tempo was a musician from an early age, playing Benny Goodman in The Glenn Miller Story; Stevens was recording when she was a teenager, landing her first Top Ten hit ("I'm in Love Again") in 1951, over a decade before "Deep Purple." In the late '50s, Stevens had a small solo hit with the ridiculously breathy "Teach Me Tiger." In the early '60s, she and Nino teamed up as a duo, signing with Atco. "Deep Purple" was recorded in a mere 15 minutes at the end of a session, explaining the almost improvised nature of the vocals (with Stevens taking long spoken passages) and homespun harmonica, ingredients which gave the record much of its charm. It reached number one in November 1963, and won a Grammy award as best rock & roll record of the year, which says a lot more about the Grammys' questionable grasp of rock than the single, which was at least as much adult pop as rock. They were quickly on the charts again with a soundalike followup, "Whispering" (number 11), but by then the British Invasion made their brand of retro-pop passe, though a few smaller hits followed in the next couple of years. The duo's greatest triumph was "All Strung Out," a 1966 Top 30 hit that rates as one of the greatest Phil Spector-inspired productions of all time. It was originally offered to the Righteous Brothers as a follow-up for the Spector-produced "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin,'" explaining the Wall of Sound ambience to a large degree; John Travolta, of all people, would take it into the Top 40 in the late '70s. No other hits were forthcoming for Tempo & Stevens, although they continued to record for years. Tempo was active as a session saxophonist, contributing to sessions by Frank Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt, Cher, and others, as well as making jazz albums on his own.   I'm on the road quite a bit, so I'm in no great hurry for payment. I would appreciate a confirming email with your intentions, or if you need more time to pay. I'm very easy to get along with. Postal administrations in several international countries have contacted the United States Postal Service about the declaration of value placed on customs forms. They have noted that in many cases, the declared value is understated when compared to the actual invoice or known value of the item, especially for sales conducted over the internet. While this applies to sellers both on and off eBay, the USPS has asked us to remind our sellers to declare the proper value on all customs forms. The correct value of each item is required on customs forms as it helps determine the proper duties and taxes, and whether they should be applied. Some countries will soon begin taking steps to address this issue, such as levying fines on the addressee when the declared value is determined to be lower than the invoice. To make sure you're complying with international regulations, please make sure the stated value on your customs declaration is supported by your invoices or other documentation. Due to some recent sales, shipping insurance is mandatory to Italy & Belgium. All other countries will have the insurance option as required, but I will send an invoice where the option is optional.   Beginning in October, 2008, in order to be in compliance with a new Ebay rule, I will be able to list only Paypal as a viable payment option. If this is offensive to you, as the buyer, please let Ebay know how you feel. ?International Buyers ? Please Note: Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer?s responsibility. Please check with your country?s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.?   I ship in standard 45, LP & 78 mailers made specifically for this purpose. I can ship 4 45's in one box. If you purchase more, I have a larger box, and the postage will be slightly higher. I won't "screw you" on the postage as some do. If I ever over-charge, I will make it right with a Paypal refund. I will leave positive feedback as soon as payment is received and I am home. I would greatly appreciate the same courtesy if you feel my efforts meet with you satisfaction. Please email before taking any negative or neutral actions, and I am sure we can come to a mutual understanding. This is mainly for non-US buyers. Please wait for the invoice before paying, especially if you don't want to add the insurance cost. Ebay doesn't let me pick which countries I require insurance for, therefore, I must use a generic template for all countries. If you wait, I will give you the option of not buying insurance if you are not in a country that I do require insurance for. I travel the country driving my truck. I'm always finding new records, so check back whenever you can. Here's a little breakdown on how I grade the records. It's based on the Goldmine standard, just tweaked a little bit. I get so tired of going to sites that describe the record as M-, and you listen to the clip and it has pops and crackles. I guess by their reasoning, everything below Mint is M-. Except for sealed albums and extraordinarily pristine singles, the highest grade I'll use is EX. VG+ is the next grade. These records may have a pop or two, or some very light distortion in soft passages. VG will have more of the same, only it will be a lot more noticeable. VG- will verge on becoming distracting from the music, but will play with no skips. Lower grades will only be put up for sale in the case of rare records. If you need to personally contact me, just email me and I will forward my phone number to you.