Josie and the Pussycats (1970s band)
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Josie and the Pussycats was a 1970s girl group designed to be the real-life incarnation of the eponymous fictional band in the Archie comic book and Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series. The group was made up of Cathy Douglas[1][failed verification] (also known as Cathy Dougher, and whose real name was Kathleen Dougherty), Patrice Holloway, and Cherie Moor (later known as Cheryl Ladd).
Their
Background
In preparation for its upcoming cartoon series,
The "Josie and the Pussycats" recordings were produced by La La Productions which included producer-songwriter Danny Janssen (who had written for
African-American with part-Hispanic background, Holloway was the younger sister of Motown legend Brenda Holloway. Having signed with the label as a solo artist in 1965, she was the only one of the three finalists with prior ties to Capitol Records (the label that released the Pussycats' album and singles). Her early Capitol singles, all highly collectible, include "Ecstasy," “Stay With Your Own Kind,” and "Stolen Hours" (released between 1965 and 1967). Most were produced by Hollywood-based writer-producers Billy and Gene Page.
Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor had come to Hollywood from her native
Janssen presented the newly formed band to
Word quickly spread around Los Angeles about the stand that Janssen had taken. To show their gratitude, a number of the most notable soul session players in the city offered their services to La La Productions and the Josie album at a fraction of their regular fees. Among them were
Overview
The Josie and the Pussycats sound is modeled after the late 1960s Detroit acts such as Motown's the Jackson 5 and Hot Wax Records' Honey Cone. A cover of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" was featured on the soundtrack album while co-lead vocalist Holloway mimicked young Michael Jackson's singing style.[2] Holloway also sings lead on the Josie and the Pussycats theme song, which was written by Hanna-Barbera musical director Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The theme itself is based on a recurring score cue from the Jetsons.
Other lead vocals were performed by
Although Janssen used strings, horns, keyboards, and oscillators (electronic synthesizers) to create the band's sound, the on-screen cartoon band featured the trio of Josie on guitar, Valerie on tambourine, and Melody on drums.
Josie and the Pussycats: From the Hanna-Barbera TV Show was released on December 15, 1970, by Capitol Records. Six 45 RPM singles were released, four of which contained non-album songs and were available only as part of a Kellogg's mail-order promotion. None of the singles charted, resulting in poor sales and a shelved national tour. Hanna-Barbera contracted producer Jimmie Haskell and a group of anonymous session singers to perform the music for Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, and La La Productions' Josie and the Pussycats group was officially disbanded. Janssen and Holloway worked together on several songs after the demise of the band ("Black Mother Goose" and "Evidence," both issued in 1971), and Sue Sheridan (as Sue Steward) cut two solo singles for Capitol under Janssen and Young's supervision. Several years later, Sheridan wrote a few songs for Ladd's self-titled 1978 debut album, also released on Capitol Records.
The album, plus several singles and alternate takes, were collected in a limited edition
Fictional Personnel
- Josie McCoy – lead vocals, guitar
- Valerie Brown – bass, backing vocals
- Melody Valentine – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Discography
All songs written and composed by Josie McCoy and other collaborators.
Original 1970 album (Capitol/EMI ST-665)
Josie and the Pussycats: From the Hanna-Barbera TV Show | |
---|---|
Bubblegum pop | |
Length | 23:43 |
Label | Capitol |
Producer | Danny Janssen |
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [3] |
- Side 1
- "Every Beat of My Heart"
- "La, La, La (If I Had You)"
- "Stop, Look and Listen"
- "Hand Clapping Song"
- "I'll Be There"
- Side 2
- "You've Come a Long Way Baby"
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
- "Roadrunner"
- "Lie Lie Lie"
- "It Don't Matter to Me"
Stop, Look and Listen – The Capitol Recordings (Rhino Handmade/Atlantic RHM2 7783)
CD compilation released in 2001, featuring all original album tracks plus the following:
- "Every Beat of My Heart" [single version]
- "It's Alright With Me"
- "Stop, Look and Listen" [single version]
- "You've Come a Long Way Baby" [single version]
- "Letter to Mama"
- "Inside, Outside, Upside Down"
- "Josie"
- "With Every Beat of My Heart"
- "Voodoo"
- "If That Isn't Love"
- "I Wanna Make You Happy"
- "It's Gotta Be Him"
- "Lie Lie Lie" [Alternate Mix]
- "You've Come a Long Way Baby" [alternate mix No. 1]
- "You've Come a Long Way Baby" [alternate mix No. 2]
- "Together"
- "Dreammaker"
- "Time to Love"
- "Josie and the Pussycats" (original theme, hidden track)
Commercial singles
- "Every Beat of My Heart" b/w"It's All Right With Me" (Janssen, Steward; non-album) — Capitol 2967, 1970
- "Stop, Look And Listen" b/w "You've Come a Long Way Baby" — Capitol 3045, February 1971
Kellogg's mail order singles from 1970
- "Inside, Outside, Upside-Down" (Janssen, Steward) b/w "A Letter to Mama" (Curtin, Hanna, Barbera) — Capitol Creative Products CP-58
- "Josie" (Curtin, Hanna, Barbera) b/w "With Every Beat of My Heart" (Janssen, Steward)[4]—Capitol Creative Products CP-59
- "Voodoo" (Janssen, Steward) b/w "If That Isn't Love" (Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna, Joseph Barbera) — Capitol Creative Products CP-60
- "It's Gotta Be Him" (Curtin, Hanna, Barbera) b/w "I Wanna Make You Happy" (Janssen, Steward) — Capitol Creative Products CP-61
Other recordings
These songs appeared in the show and have not been released for consumer purchase. "Clock on the Wall", "I Love You Too Much" and "Dreaming" were not included on the Rhino reissue. "Dreaming" has never been heard in its entirety.
- "Dreammaker" (Janssen, Steward)
- "Clock on the Wall" (Janssen, Roberts)
- "Together" (Janssen, Steward)
- "The Time to Love" (Janssen, Roberts)
- "I Love You Too Much" (Janssen, Steward)
- "Dreaming" (Janssen, Steward)
Cartoon Network remade the original theme song in a short called Musical Evolution, in which the theme song, sung by Christina Fincher, goes through several changes in style, including disco, punk, country, heavy metal, and techno.[5]
References
Citations
- ^ Hale, Mike. "Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space - TV Series - Cast & Credits - Listings". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ^ Unterberger, Ritchie (2003). "Stop, Look, and Listen: The Capitol Recordings" AllMusic
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Josie" is an extended version of the Josie and the Pussycats cartoon theme song, while "With Every Beat of My Heart" is an alternate mix of "Every Beat of My Heart" (missing the album version's strings and horns)
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions".
General references
- Charles, Don (March 2003). "Long Tails and Ears for Hats: The Story of Josie and The Pussycats". Cool & Strange Music #28.
- Josie and the Pussycats: Stop Look and Listen: The Capitol Recordings [CD set]. Burbank: Rhino Handmade.