This is a cover of a song recorded originally by Bobby Fuller & written by Chip Taylor. This version originally appeared in 1999 on the issued-only-in-Japan compilation "Our Favorite Texan: Bobby Fuller Four-Ever" on #9 Records.

As tribute records go, it is an excellent one.

By the time I was invited to participate all the Bobby Fuller songs that I knew had already spoken for, so I had to take some time & listen to every Bobby Fuller song I could find, which was a mildly revelatory experience... and I found "Julie" - a fantastic song I 'd never heard before, written by a songwriter I respected.

The basic tracks were cut in 2 hrs (with no rehearsal) at Studio G in Brooklyn with Dennis Diken on drums, Mike Mesaros on bass (both from The Smithereens) and Jay Sherman-Godfrey on guitar (just a guide, I think). I think I just helped in the control room, but maybe I sang a guide vocal. When Dave Amels arrived to give Dennis a ride home he was pressed into service to play the fantastic four bar organ solo. Everyone did hand claps & Dennis sang a harmony for the chorus. We made Dennis overdub an entire 2nd drum track & then an extra hi-hat track, as it seemed to me that the secret to the sound of all the great Bobby Fuller recordings was that they had multiple drum tracks, some of which were barely audible.

The acoustic guitars (me & Jay sitting inches from each other), vocals and Tremolo guitar (Jay) were added in Jay's living room in Queens, where it was mixed. Starting at Studio G. and finishing in Jay’s home studio worked well and was how we did quite a bit at that time – including the NY sessions on “Too Many Movies.”

The Bobby Fuller Tribute was released in Japan & got some good reviews. I don’t think it was ever released or distributed in the USA. It's now sadly out of print.

I always thought this cut had a great vibe.

There's a photo of the session at the very bottom of this page:
www.michaelshelley.net/photos.html

Shortly after recording it I played on the same bill as Chip Taylor, and I gave him a copy of the CD - and he left me a real nice phone message. I took a cassette of the message around to several radio stations I was being interviewed on & played it on the air. I've run into him a few times since & he always brings it up. Nice guy.

Produced by Jay Sherman-Godfrey & Michael Shelley