“I Need Love” was a song written by Tom Curley, vocalist with the Maryland group the Mad Hatters. The Mad Hatters cut the original version in late ’65. The Time Stoppers version wasn’t released until 1967. I’ve heard it called ordinary, but I’ve always liked it very much.
The band were probably from Pittsburgh, but I don’t know who was in the group. Jules Kruspir, publisher and co-producer of this disc, owned St. Clair records, which released great records by the Swamp Rats and Pat Wallace. The flip is a forgettable instrumental, “Fickle Frog”.
This also appears to be about the last record ever released on the eclectic HBR (Hanna-Barbera Records) label.
You are correct. The majority of the band was from Pittsburgh. I personally know two of them, not sure of the rest as individuals. Larry Allen Namee did the backing vocals on this song, plus wrote and played piano on the flip side, “Fickle Frog.” Larry was a disc-jockey/radio newsman on WSTV-AM (Steubenville) in those days. He happens to be my cousin.
Appearing on Hammond organ was a 16 year-old keyboard whiz named Jeffery Spriggs, whose family owned “Spriggs’ House of Music” in Washington (PA) until 1985. It was one of the largest volume music instrument stores in the area at the time. Jeff might have only appeared on the B-side, I’m not really sure at this point. Jeff is a very close friend.
I hope Jeff is doing fine. You couldn’t have a better friend.
I have been meaning to call a mutual friend of ours to check in on Jeff.
Back about 1972, I was at the store asking Jeff if he thought I could learn electronics repair by asking questions and reading books. He thought I could. Not only that, He invited me to the store one night a week to teach me theory. It took me quite awhile for everything to sink in. I had sent my
communications radio to the factory for repair and took 2.5 months to get it back. It failed a second time and I said to my self I’m not waiting 2 months to get it back I’m going to call Jeff and see what he thinks. It took me NINE months to fix it but have Jeff to thank for the inspiration for my endeavor. I went on to fix my own amplifiers, tube and solid state.
I recently repaired a solid state Marshall for a relative.
I STILL HAVE Jeff’s electronic tube and solid state drawings he put on large sheets of paper that he drew from the top of his head for me to learn. They will be with my music and I till I die.
Thank you Jeff,
Dave
Larry Allen recorded the mega rare 45 “Somewhere There’s A Paradise” which I was lucky to buy when it was released, likely from Jules or Pat Wallace at Southland Music near Century Mall I also bought the “Tribute To The Teen King Porky Chedwick” lp (of course) that contained it. Wish I could have tracked Larry, or any of the Time Stoppers , down for my book “Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Rock ‘n Roll”. Maybe by the third printing