Nigel Olsson-"Little Bit Of Soap"

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   My commercial 45, and both the mono & stereo sides of my promo 45, all have listed times of (3;25), but actual times of (3:20). FYI, the only current database CD that includes this song does happen to have an exact run time of (3:25).  

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Nigel Olsson-"Little Bit Of Soap" Posted: 11 May 2008 at 11:26pm
	My commercial 45, and both the mono & stereo sides of my promo 45, all have listed times of (3;25), but actual times of (3:20). FYI, the only current database CD that includes this song does happen to have an exact run time of (3:25).

Todd Ireland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote Todd Ireland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 May 2008 at 11:44am
	My gut tells me the 3:25 time of Nigel Olsson's "Little Bit of Soap" may be the byproduct of a slightly longer LP length. Does anyone have the 1979 parent LP Nigel who can clue us in on its run time? Edited by Todd Ireland

Todd Ireland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote Todd Ireland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 January 2009 at 10:58am
	Update... I have a dub of Jim's "A Little Bit of Soap" 45 and I compared it to the same song as it appears on Nigel Olsson's A Golden Classics Edition CD (Collectables 5836) to determine the difference. It turns out the CD runs at a slower pitch than the 45, which largely accounts for the run time discrepency between the two. So now, if anyone has the Nigel vinyl LP, can you please confirm if "A Little Bit of Soap" also runs slower than the 45?

EdisonLite Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote EdisonLite Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 January 2009 at 11:08am
	Do you know what percent to speed up the version on the Collectables CD to match the speed of Jim's 45? Or, can you send me an mp3 of that 45? Thanks.

Todd Ireland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote Todd Ireland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 January 2009 at 1:04pm
	I just e-mailed you an mp3 for your review, Gordon.

Hykker Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 30 October 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hykker Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 January 2009 at 6:50am
	Interesting to note that 3 of the 4 charting versions of this song (Exciters, Paul Davis & Nigel Olsson) were all on Bang.

Todd Ireland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 16 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 18	Post Options Post Reply Quote Todd Ireland Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 January 2009 at 8:16am
	That's also interesting given that all three charting versions on Bang were cover versions. So someone at the label was clearly a big fan of the song.

Yah Shure Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 11 December 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote Yah Shure Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 January 2009 at 10:20am
	A big fan, indeed, Todd. "A Little Bit Of Soap" was written by Bang founder Bert Berns. The Exciters' cover was the only Bang version released during Bert's lifetime. Paul Davis co-produced his hit with Bert's widow (and post-'67 Bang label president) Ilene Berns. As a Bang V.P., Paul also produced Nigel's hit. Those extra $ud$ from that lil' bit o' soap may have helped keep Bang afloat through the seventies.

jimct Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Music Fan Joined: 07 April 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0	Post Options Post Reply Quote jimct Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 January 2009 at 10:40am
	I see that Yah Shure has just "beat me to it" by a few minutes, but here's more info Not exactly a coincidence about the link between this song and Bang Records. This song was label founder Bert Berns' first major success as a songwriter (using his first and middle names, "Bert Russell".) Berns was a bigwig at Atlantic during '63 and '64, and then started Bang in '65. (which came from the first letters of the first names of he and his financial partners, "B"ert Berns, "A"hmet Ertegun, "N"eshui Ertegun and "G"erry Wexler.) I've heard that Berns encouraged his label's recording artists to perhaps sing a version of "A Little Bit Of Soap", at least as an album cut (can you say "ca-ching"!) Berns unexpectedly died of a heart attack at 38, on 12/30/67. (FYI, a young Neil Diamond/his lawyers had the foresight to include a "keyman" clause in his Bang artist contract, and he became a "free agent" immediately upon Berns' death, for which UNI won a multiple-label bidding war, signing him to a 5-year deal.) Bang continued operations for many years after Berns' death, so no doubt Nigel Olsson was reeled in due to the "legend of Bert's 'Little Bit Of Soap' Bang artists suggestion!" Edited by jimct