IFLTS: 'I Love How You Love Me,' Nino Tempo and April Stevens

'I Love How You Love Me,' Nino Tempo and April Stevens
From 1965

Singer-saxophonist Nino Tempo got his break as an assistant to Wall of Sound creator Phil Spector in the early '60s. He also had a hardly rockin' No. 1 hit in 1963 with the popular standard 'Deep Purple' as a duet with his sister April Stevens. Those two facts only go so far in explaining the absolutely sublime version of 'I Love How You Love Me' he produced (and he and April sang on) in 1965.

Originally a Spector-produced dozy 1961 ballad sung by the cooing Paris Sisters while evidently lying on a plush featherbed, its makeover began when Tempo, true to his surname, cranked up the bpm. Then, mindful that the song has the exact chord structure of the Byrds' 'Feel a Whole Lot Better,' he got garage band the Guilloteens to jangle their way across the songscape. Boy-girl vocals, sped-up tempo, folk-rock arrangement -- hmmm, something's missing. Bring on the fuzz guitar -- and a bagpipe! That's right -- a caterwaulin', everlovin', full-on kilt-and-sporran Scottish bagpipe! And they called Phil Spector crazy.

Oh, by the way, you're welcome for my exposing you to the greatest example of lead bagpipe in the history of rock 'n' roll -- and don't even bring up 'In a Big Country,' by '80s Scots combo Big Country, 'cause those were just guitars processed to sound bagpipey. Poseurs!

Hear the song after the jump.

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