Category: Petula Clark

The One and Only Miss Petula Clark!

Parlez-vous Bed-in?

A few posts ago, Petula Clark explained a personal crisis she experienced in 1969. Performing a bilingual show in Montreal she tried, and failed, to please both the French and English speakers in the audience.

Reduced to tears, on a whim Petula visited with John and Yoko at their infamous Montreal bed-in. She explained the cause of her distress and John’s advice was, “fuck ’em!”

John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Sally “Petula” Clark, June 1, 1969, Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal

The split between French and English language music in Quebec in mid-1969 can be heard in the two most recent ’88 Rewound’ programs on WMBR, the MIT radio station.

French Playlist
https://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=59020

English Playlist
https://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr/playlist.php?id=59104

Petula Trumps Donald

77 WABC sure isn’t what it was when I listened to the station as a kid. Recently, an interview with Trump was featured. Tonight, Cousin Brucie will restore civility to the WABC airwaves and chat with Petula Clark. I’ll record it and post the audio below.

I’ve read, and recommend, Petula’s autobiography. It’s an honest and open telling of her life, minus a few personal details. The title is something that John Lennon said, as explained in this preview.

Here’s Petula with Cousin Brucie. Hey, WABC: You’re playing only one channel of stereo recordings.

Return to Downtown and Back to Mono

Andrew at Parlogram talks about one of the most significant Pop records of all time. Petula Clark’s “Downtown”.

It was a record that everyone of all ages loved hearing. This video of “Downtown” was made by somebody who knows his Sixties-era mono-mix 45 rpm singles. He played it with a mono Ortofon cartridge.

Andrew demonstrates the difference a quality, lateral-tracking mono cartridge can make for purists of original, mono-mix Sixties records.

A Girl Group of One

An hour of Sexy Pet, as she was called in France. It’s on Glynis GirlGroupGirl’s show ‘From Crayons to Perfume’ on WFMU.

Note to listener: This player may start automatically, depending on your browser. Especially if it’s Firefox.

Note to Glynis: It’s pronounced “Peh-too-lah.” Petulia is a 1968 movie with Julie Christie. Petula appreciates that “Pet” is a term of endearment, but she prefers being called by her full name. I know that because she told me herself. 🙂

Glynis played a later recording of “I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love”. This is the original, one of her perfect 60’s Pop singles.