PJ Proby in court

[soulwally]

A pity he's in this position. He'd pulled himself back from the depths, and restarted his career. A great, great voice.

http://www.24dash.com/news/bill_payments/2011-03-30-Pop-star-to-face-Crown-Court-trial-over-47-000-benefit-fraud

[mark speck]

He's looking a little bit haggard these days...considering he's 72, I suppose he looks OK.

Best,

Mark

[alanh]

PJ's been cleared! The prosecution dropped the case nine days in to the trial!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-17402140

[soulwally]

Thanks al for great news.

[jsmith]

RE: The 73-year-old performer, of Twyford near Evesham, was acquitted of nine counts after prosecutors found documents relating to the case in an office in Doncaster.
WEIRD ......... don't live that far from Evesham plus was born & brought up in Doncaster. SMALL WORLD !!!

[heikki]

Hi!

One of my heroes in the 60s; especially I Can't Make It On My Own.

Best regards
Heikki

[heikki]

Sorry... "I Can't Make It Alone". It's on YouTube.

Best regards
Heikki

[soulwally]

Heikki: As ever, your taste is impeccable! I Can't Make It Alone, by PJ, is among my favourite-ever songs. I have the UK Liberty label release which, unfortunately, is slightly battered. I heard the song on the radio a few years ago when a PJ compilation was issued, and was disappointed to hear a slightly different vocal take to the single, which will always be the definitive version for me - written by Goffin and King and arranged and produced by Jack Nitzsche, in the style of his arrangements with Phil Spector for the Righteous Bros.

Proby - what a voice!

[heikki]

Hi Soulwally!

I also have that UK Liberty single, and at the point of its release it sounded amazing. Later Bill Medley and Lou Rawls covered it, but for me P.J.'s is the definite version. I think Bill was sorry for the song not being released by the Righteous Brothers after You've Lost That Loving Feeling, and to my mind it would have done better than Just Once In My Life [[which was a great song, too, but perhaps too close to Loving Feeling).
Someday we'll get to hear the Brothers version, too, I'm sure.

Best regards
Heikki

[marv2]

Wasn't he the one that made "Nicky Hoky"?

[soulwally]

Yes, Niki Hoeky was by PJ. I don't want to hear it anymore is another Proby cracker

[alanh]

Soulwally - 'I Can't Make It Alone' as included on his Greatest Hits compilation is in stereo, hence maybe the difference you thought you noticed. The song in all its original mono glory is on an Ace compilation 'Phil's Spectre - A Wall Of Soundalikes'. If it's 'Spector-esque' it's got to be in mono! By the way there are some other great tracks on that compilation too, like 'All Strung Out' by Nino Tempo & April Stevens, 'Soul And Inspiration' by the Righteous Bros and 'Love Her' by the Walker Brothers.

But back to PJ, I agree 'I Can't Make It Alone' is his best ever recording; in fact one of the best ever recordings, full stop! His voice in the sixties was one of the very best. It's just a shame that he never reached the lasting broad success he deserved, sadly in many cases perhaps through not making the best of situations. His takes on standards like 'Maria' and 'Somewhere' were class. One of my other favourites alongside 'I Can't Make It Alone' is the Lennon & McCartney song 'That Means A Lot'. Do you reckon he sang that when his was told the case was being dropped?!

[soulwally]

Alanh: I kept my own chart of my favourite songs of the week, based on what I'd heard on the radio, compiled every Friday from 1963 to 1967 [[12 until I was 16). I Can't Make It Alone was one of my chart-toppers, sandwiched between the Motown, Soul, Beach Boys and Four Seasons songs I loved so much.