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View Full Version : Crystals - "He's A Rebel" Very Rare Clip!


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marv2
08-11-2010, 10:07 PM
I am amazed I even stumbled upon this the way the title is spelled. I later learned the person did it on purpose to keep Youtube off their backs. Check out Lala and the ladies doing "He's A Rebel"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbvyojSnN1w&feature=related

robb_k
08-11-2010, 11:34 PM
288
It's kind of ironic that they have to mouth the words actually sung by The Blossoms.

nosey
08-12-2010, 08:41 AM
I thought it sounded like Darlene Love and nem.

randy_russi
08-12-2010, 02:04 PM
The fact that they didn't record the song is only due to Phil Spector determined to record with or without them.
He hadn't paid them any royalties so they stalled at recording thinking he'd pay up, but instead he just used
the Blossoms and issued the record as by the Crystals anyway.
Sadly, he is the ONLY one who could really enjoy its success. They couldn't because it wasn't them, Darlene
couldn't because it was credited to the Crystals, and his former partner, Lester Sill, couldn't either.
Typical Phil Spector move. However, the Crystals, especially La La, were GREAT singers and performers.

robb_k
08-12-2010, 02:05 PM
292
I had heard, back in the day, that Phil Spector was in LA and wanted to record the song, but The Crystals were in New York. So he had Darlene Love sing lead and put that over a previous recording of it by The Crystals. He had thought La La's lead wasn't strong enough. But, the book in "Phil Spector Back To Mono" 4 CD set says that it was Darlene on lead and Jean Knight and Fanita James [[her Blossoms mates) on background [[no Crystals on the recording).

marv2
08-12-2010, 03:48 PM
Robb, that would have been Jean King. Jean Knight was another singer that had the hit "Mr. Big Stuff".

theboyfromxtown
08-12-2010, 04:01 PM
Marv

You're the man for finding these fabulous videos. Well done!

randy_russi
08-12-2010, 04:10 PM
AT the time He's A Rebel was recorded, Jean King was not in the Blossoms. She came
later, right before they got Shindig. It was Fanita James and Gloria Jones. Also,
I believe, Jack Nitzche's then wife sang with them. In fact it was her with Fanita
and Darlene when the Shindig offer came up. She was white so the network didn't
want a white girl in a black girl group, so they had to replace her--Jean King.

The Crystals had been introduced to Rebel in NYC, but refused to record with Phil
until he paid up. This is when he headed west and recorded with the Blossoms.
He had a time limit as Vicki Carr's version was being issued on Liberty, which is,
by the way, the original recording. Both singles were issued right around the
same time, but we know the rest--Philles was the hit, hands down.

marv2
08-12-2010, 04:20 PM
You're very welcome.

Randy great information. Thank you.

Also, I recall an interview Darlene Love gave a long while ago where she explained the recording of "He's A Rebel". She was given the recording that Lala Brooks on it and she sang over it that was how the ending had all those "no, no,no, no, no's" on it. Darlene said it was difficult for her to follow Lala's ad libs to make them match up with her vocals.

robb_k
08-12-2010, 05:12 PM
301


You're very welcome.

Randy great information. Thank you.

Also, I recall an interview Darlene Love gave a long while ago where she explained the recording of "He's A Rebel". She was given the recording that Lala Brooks on it and she sang over it that was how the ending had all those "no, no,no, no, no's" on it. Darlene said it was difficult for her to follow Lala's ad libs to make them match up with her vocals.

Yes, that's what I was referring to by "Darlene singing over The Crystals". Of course, I meant Jean King. I know Jean Knight sang "Mr. Big Stuff". and is not Jean King.