Before Twice Upon a Rhyme, there were Spun Dreams by Paul Levinson - demos (studio, home, rough, and refined) that Paul for the most part wrote with Stu Nitekman, and recorded as part of the folk-rock-pop group The New Outlook, consisting of Paul, Stu, and Ira Margolis. For many years - from the time these songs first were recorded on a home tape recorder or in a studio (A&R Studios in Manhattan) during 1966-1968, and then moved from tape to acetate for easier playing - these demos languished in dusty closets. Paul brought them into the Walsh Digital Lab at Fordham University in early 2006, and converted them and other demos and master releases into MP3s. Spun Dreams, available now for the first time on iTunes, is one of the results. - Sunshine's Mine (Levinson-Nitekman), studio demo, Paul lead, 1966
- Evening's Evergreen Morning (Levinson-Nitekman) unreleased master, Stu lead, 1968
- Two Minus One (Levinson-Nitekman), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- Murray the K's Back in Town (Levinson) Paul Levinson, studio demo, 1972
- Please Don't Cry Little Dove (Levinson-Nitekman) studio demo, Paul and Stu lead, 1966
- Just That Kind (Levinson-Nitekman), studio demo, Stu lead, 1967
- Yesterday's Rain (Levinson-Nitekman), studio demo, Stu lead, 1967
- Happy Goodbye Baby (Levinson-Nitekman), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- Water Proof (Levinson), home demo, Paul lead, 1966
- Precious and Golden (Levinson-Nitekman), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- Keep Off the Grass (Levinson-Nitekman), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- The Flavor of Spring (Levinson), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- Don't Blame It On Love (Levinson-Nitekman), home demo, Stu lead, 1966
- If Leaves Fall Tomorrow (Levinson-Nitekman), studio demo, Stu lead, 1967
- Alpha Centauri (Levinson - Rosenthal) Paul Levinson, home demo, 2000/2010
Songwriting credits:
Levinson-Nitekman = words by Paul Levinson, music by Stu Nitekman
Levinson = words and music by Paul Levinson
Levinson-Rosenthal = words by Paul Levinson, music by Peter Rosenthal
Artist (singer) credits:
Unless otherwise indicated, the songs were performed by The New Outlook, with either Paul or Stu singing lead, and some combination of Paul, Stu, and Ira singing harmony. Paul Levinson sings lead and harmony in "Murray the K's Back in Town". Paul Levinson sang "Alpha Centauri" in 2010 to music recorded by Peter Rosenthal in 2000 (the words and music were written in 2000).
Album cover designed by Joel Iskowitz.
Liner Notes:
The New Outlook began to come into being in the summer of 1963, when Paul Levinson got his first job, making sundaes and ice cream sodas, at Krum’s on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Ira Margolis also worked there, and the two soon started talking music, and singing. Stu Nitekman was Ira’s friend. The three soon formed The Transits, maybe the last doo-wap group in the Bronx, with several of Paul’s friends from junior high school and earlier. When the Transits disbanded in 1965, Paul, Stu, and Ira became The New Outlook. And whereas The Transits covered early Four Seasons and Beachboy songs, Paul and Stu wrote their own songs for The New Outlook.
They sang in the “alcoves” of City College - the entry halls behind the cafeterias of CCNY, where they were students - both between and during many of their classes. They recorded demos in Stu’s home. Stu sang most of the leads, Paul a few. Paul sang falsetto and tenor harmony with Ira, who sang baritone. Stu played acoustic guitar, Paul played a little keyboard he had purchased at Woolworth’s, Ira had a tambourine in hand. “Two Minus One,” “Happy Goodbye Baby,” “Keep Off the Grass,” “Don’t Blame It On Love,” “The Flavor of Spring,” and “Precious and Golden” were written by Paul (lyrics) and Stu (music). “Water Proof” was written just by Paul. All were recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder in Stu’s living room in 1966.
Paul and Stu brought their demos around to every publisher and producer in the Brill Building and nearby they could find. The late great Tash Howard brought the New Outlook into a studio to record a demo of “Please Don’t Cry Little Dove,” which was the group’s first professionally recorded song. A little later, the group went into a studio under their own steam, and recorded “Sunshine's Mine,” written by Paul and Stu, with Paul doing lead vocal.
On a sunny spring Sunday in 1967, The New Outlook were singing in Central Park in New York City. Ellie Greenwich (another legend who died too soon) and Mike Rashkow happened by, liked what they heard, and brought the group into a studio to perform a few of their songs. These are represented on this album by “Just that Kind,” “If Leaves Fall Tomorrow,” and “Yesterday’s Rain” (which is about half the size of its true length, due to a little glitch during the recording).
Elli and Mike changed the name of the group to The Other Voices and signed them to Atlantic Records, where the group had two single releases. Paul co-wrote the b-side to both singles, “Hung Up on Love,” with Mikie Harris. The recording was included in Rhino-Handmade’s compilation album, “Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets,” in 2004 (compiled by Andrew Sandoval).
The group left Ellie and Mike and Atlantic Records in late 1968. They went into the studio on their own, and recorded a master of what would be their last song together, “Evening’s Evergreen Morning”. Stu sang lead, Paul his customary falsetto, and Ira the baritone harmony. Peter Rosenthal - who would go on to play guitars on every cut of Twice Upon a Rhyme (the album Paul later recorded with Ed Fox, Peter, and other artists) - played guitars on “Evening’s Evergreen Morning”.
In 1972, Paul wrote an article in The Village Voice about Murray the K’s return to New York as a disk jockey. Murray hired Paul to help produce Murray’s show on WNBC Radio, and a few months later Paul wrote and recorded a studio demo of “Murray the K’s Back in Town,” with Pete on guitar.
Rounding out Spun Dreams is “Alpha Centauri,” a song Paul (lyrics) and Pete (music) wrote in 2000, after being out of touch more than 25 years. Paul’s singing the vocal and Pete played all of the instruments. Its science fiction theme is a sign of things to come.
They sang in the “alcoves” of City College - the entry halls behind the cafeterias of CCNY, where they were students - both between and during many of their classes. They recorded demos in Stu’s home. Stu sang most of the leads, Paul a few. Paul sang falsetto and tenor harmony with Ira, who sang baritone. Stu played acoustic guitar, Paul played a little keyboard he had purchased at Woolworth’s, Ira had a tambourine in hand. “Two Minus One,” “Happy Goodbye Baby,” “Keep Off the Grass,” “Don’t Blame It On Love,” “The Flavor of Spring,” and “Precious and Golden” were written by Paul (lyrics) and Stu (music). “Water Proof” was written just by Paul. All were recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder in Stu’s living room in 1966.
Paul and Stu brought their demos around to every publisher and producer in the Brill Building and nearby they could find. The late great Tash Howard brought the New Outlook into a studio to record a demo of “Please Don’t Cry Little Dove,” which was the group’s first professionally recorded song. A little later, the group went into a studio under their own steam, and recorded “Sunshine's Mine,” written by Paul and Stu, with Paul doing lead vocal.
On a sunny spring Sunday in 1967, The New Outlook were singing in Central Park in New York City. Ellie Greenwich (another legend who died too soon) and Mike Rashkow happened by, liked what they heard, and brought the group into a studio to perform a few of their songs. These are represented on this album by “Just that Kind,” “If Leaves Fall Tomorrow,” and “Yesterday’s Rain” (which is about half the size of its true length, due to a little glitch during the recording).
Elli and Mike changed the name of the group to The Other Voices and signed them to Atlantic Records, where the group had two single releases. Paul co-wrote the b-side to both singles, “Hung Up on Love,” with Mikie Harris. The recording was included in Rhino-Handmade’s compilation album, “Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets,” in 2004 (compiled by Andrew Sandoval).
The group left Ellie and Mike and Atlantic Records in late 1968. They went into the studio on their own, and recorded a master of what would be their last song together, “Evening’s Evergreen Morning”. Stu sang lead, Paul his customary falsetto, and Ira the baritone harmony. Peter Rosenthal - who would go on to play guitars on every cut of Twice Upon a Rhyme (the album Paul later recorded with Ed Fox, Peter, and other artists) - played guitars on “Evening’s Evergreen Morning”.
In 1972, Paul wrote an article in The Village Voice about Murray the K’s return to New York as a disk jockey. Murray hired Paul to help produce Murray’s show on WNBC Radio, and a few months later Paul wrote and recorded a studio demo of “Murray the K’s Back in Town,” with Pete on guitar.
Rounding out Spun Dreams is “Alpha Centauri,” a song Paul (lyrics) and Pete (music) wrote in 2000, after being out of touch more than 25 years. Paul’s singing the vocal and Pete played all of the instruments. Its science fiction theme is a sign of things to come.
4 comments:
Hi Paul. I'm big fan of your music. Twice Upon a Rhyme is a favourite of mine. It's close to perfection. I have the first pressing and the vinyl reissue. Both sounds fantastic. I just learned that you recorded another album! And I'm listening to the samples on Amazon righ now. I love them a lot. Unfortunately, it appears that it is only available in mp3. I was wondering if it is possible to buy it in CD or CD-R? In any case, please let me know. By the way, is there any other record of The New Outlook on the market? Thanks in advance for your answer. And congrats for your music.
You can contact me here:
overchuck@hotmail.fr
Alexandre.
Thanks so much for your comment, Alexandre - I'll answer you here as well as in email, in case other readers have similar questions.
There is currently no CD or CD-R of Spun Dreams - only the MP3 singles and album on iTunes and Amazon. This is because there was never an album in the first place, back in the 1960s. The current album is a compilation I put together of The New Outlook 1960s tracks and a few newer ones, in December 2010.
There are other records of The New Outlook on the market. Ellie Greenwich and Mike Rashkow changed our name to The Other Voices, for our Atlantic Records releases. We had two singles on Atlantic - "May My Heart Be Cast into Stone" / "Hung Up on Love" and "No Olympian Height / "Hung Up On Love" - in the late 1960s. And Rhino Handmade put "Hung Up On Love" in its "Come Into the Sunshine" CD compilation in 2004 (a few copies are still available).
More details about lots of that over Paul Levinson Talks about his Music
Also - you might want to join my Reverbnation mailing list - for up-to-date announcements about my music.
Hi Paul. Thanks for your quick answer and the interesting additional informations! It's too bad that there isn't a CD version... Maybe one day, who know? Best wishes for the future.
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