Friday, July 3, 2009

More On The "Local" Scene ... And Some VERY Cool WLS Stuff, Too!!!

re: THE CRYAN' SHAMES CURSE CONTINUES!!!:
Despite all our hype, we still couldn't keep the thunderstorms away ... and last Saturday Night's Jamez Band / Cryan' Shames reunion was cancelled due to heavy rains and lightning!!! (We joked with Jim Pilster about the on-going Shames' curse ... in 1967 the guys had a MAJOR article written about them in The Chicago Tribune Magazine ... which virtually NOBODY saw because of the 1967 Chicago Snow Storm that crippled the city ... in fact, the band was out in New York at the time and couldn't even get home due to the severity of the weather here in Chi-Town. Last Friday, Hooke was scheduled to appear on Jim Shea's Y103.9 Morning Show to promote the big reunion show ... and got bumped due to extensive Michael Jackson coverage! And now this!!! lol)

We can only hope that the event will be rescheduled ... the guys invested some SERIOUS time, money and energy into putting this whole thing together and it DESERVES to be seen and heard. Please know that as soon as we know something for sure, we'll let YOU guys know, too, so you can still check out this amazing show. Stay tuned to these pages for more details.

Hi Kent,
Just got home from the unfortunately rained out Downers Grove non concert featuring the Jamez Band, James Fairs from the original Cryan' Shames, and friends. We were all so looking forward to it, but the rain wouldn't let up. But at least we got to see James and talk for a bit, so that's always good. Maybe another night ... we can only hope.

Marlene

KK,
I started working on another date for James about 5:30 on Saturday afternoon (about 4 hours before the gig) while watching the weather ... my road guys left me home and went to set up my shit. I couldn't do anything else. I just think James, and for that matter everyone involved in the Jamez Band project, but especially James, whom has put so much time, energy, thought, creativity, not to mention the $ and prayers, should be able to have it produced as close as possible as he invisoned it!!! I promise you I am trying to make it happen. Thanks Kent, again for all your great work.
Jimmy
P.S. All the living original Shames came on Saturday ... so I'm not the only one that must think like this.

Right before we went to press this morning, we checked again with Hooke one last time to see if there was any official word yet on the rescheduling of The Jamez Band Concert that was rained out last weekend ... unfortunately, nothing official to announce just yet ... but Hooke DID send me THIS little blurb about a couple of upcoming Cryan' Shames shows featuring some very special guests:



Hey KK,
Thanks again for making me seem like a 'Classic Rock God' last week. And I'm still working on a Fairs gig for this summer ... not the easiest thing I've tried.



I do have some extraordinary things I'm working on right now and you'll be one of the first to know when it happens, should it happen. (call me!)



If you want, you can plug the 'Chicago Gold Revue(t)' show w / the Shames, Dennis Tufano, Ronnie Rice, and today, Jimy Rogers told me he was going to really try to show up at Lisle's 'Eyes to the Skies Fest' at 7:00 on the 4th for a 2 1/2 hr. show ... and fireworks.



Also, in a completely different vain ... I heard today that Jim Peterik's father-in-law just died. We, all of us, all the friends of Karen and Jim, offer them are heartfelt condolences.



Jim



P.S. Just heard from Ronnie Rice and Dennis Tufano that they might all show in Morton Grove at our show ... Free to all !!!!!!!! COOL!!!

Check out The Cryan' Shames website for all the latest details:
Click here: The Cryan' Shames 2008 Events Schedule


Dennis Tufano, the original "voice" of "The Buckingham's" will be performing with The Cryan' Shames and Ronnie Rice July 4, 2009
WHO: Dennis Tufano, the original "voice" of "The Buckingham's" concert performance with The Cryan' Shames and Ronnie Rice.
WHAT: Dennis Tufano concert performance with The Cryan' Shames and Ronnie Rice.
WHEN: July 4,2009 - 5:00 PM ESTIMATE!
WHERE: Lisle Fest Evening Concert "Chicago Gold Revue" / 1825 Short St, Lisle, IL 60532 /
Links for Concert Schedule and Links for Directions Below:
http://www.eyestotheskies.org/
Specifics: Dennis Tufano, The Cryan Shames and Ronnie Rice performance at Lisle Fest.
Finally,summer has arrived. Take advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoy a great concert!
For more info on Dennis Tufano:
http://www.dtsings.com
http://dennistufano.blogspot.com/
http://www.darinfans.com
http://www.tufanofans.com
http://www.ronnierice.com/
http://www.cryanshames.com/
Dennis Tufano BIO:
Dennis, a native of Chicago, was the original "voice" of “The Buckinghams”. The Chicago-based group scored with a string of five Top Ten hits in the late-sixties including, the #1 Hit “Kind of A Drag”, “Don’t You Care”, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”, “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song”, “Susan” and “Back In Love Again”.

Following his success in the Buckinghams, Dennis was part of the song-writing duo "Tufano and Giammarese" and recorded three albums with Lou Adler's custom label, Ode Records. Appearing as guest vocalist he went on to co-write with renowned composer and musician Tom Scott. With Scott as composer, Dennis performed the "original title / theme song" for the long running "Family Ties" television show. (First 13 episodes)
Dennis also wrote the music and performed with Bernie Taupin, Elton John's lyricist, on Taupin's album, "He Who Rides The Tiger". Subsequently he teamed again with Taupin to co-write, co-produce and perform the Farm Dogs album “Last Stand In Open Country”.
Back on the road, Dennis joined Olivia Newton-John on her hugely successful tour and was featured, with her on the HBO Special in two dramatically inspired duets.
As an actor, Dennis has appeared in theater productions in Los Angeles and has worked in film, television, radio and commercials. He was also one of the founding members of an improvisational voice-ensemble called the “L.A. Mad Dogs”. This group of actors performs on hundreds of movies and numerous television shows and have produced and performed seven "live" radio dramas, three of which Dennis directed, for KMPC RADIO THEATER in Los Angeles.
Dennis produced, directed and shot a documentary in Chicago, "Major Hall: Therapy Tuesday" and is currently preparing it for release. He has just returned from taping a performance for, “PBS Music Series the ‘60s”, which will air in Spring 2008, and will be included in the award winning PBS-DVD series.
-- submitted by Linda Matlow


And this just in from Ray Graffia, Jr., of The New Colony Six ... sounds like a real fun time ... the St. Viator gig is actually supposed to be a '60's-Style Sock Hop, just like the good ol' days!!! (I don't know if that means that they'll be performing in the school gym ... or out in the parking lot ... but it sounds like a lot of fun ... and the money goes to a good cause. Hope to see some of you out there!) kk
While I know that some of you to whom I sent this note are more than a bit distant, I just wanted to let you know that we're still out there performing and, with this event (see attachment) being a fundraiser for St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, at least wanted to make you aware of the concert. For those close enough, we also have our final outdoor (freebie) performance of this summer a month +/- earlier, on 7-26, a Sunday evening, in Lake Zurich at their Alpine Fest. I believe you can Google for additional details but we are scheduled to begin the show at 7 PM and the location is Lion Fred Blan Park in Lake Zurich. Hope to see a few of you at one or both - until then = Peace!
Ray

P.S. Look who opened for us recently; I thought he had passed away more than a few years ago but he still looks pretty alive to me! Hmmmmmmmm ...

We are VERY fortunate here in Chicago in that, this Fourth Of July Weekend, we have the opportunity to see nearly ALL of our Local Heroes performing ... in addition to The Cryan's Shames show in Lisle on The Fourth of July (which will feature guest vocalists Ronnie Rice, formerly of The New Colony Six, Dennis Tufano, formerly of The Buckinghams and Jimy Rogers, formerly of The Mauds), we will ALSO be treated to performances by The Ides Of March and The Buckinghams (featuring Carl Giammarese) at Elmwood Park's Freedom Fest on July 3rd!!! Come on out and show your support for these artists who gave us so much musical magic back in the '60's!!! (kk)

re: MORE ON THE LOCAL GUYS ... AND WLS:
I am actually amazed that SO MANY Chicago heroes are performing for us all still! You should be ecstatic, for not many old locals perform regularly in most cities. I put the question to Gary Loizzo yesterday about any Breed reunion possibilities. We'll see if he answers. I mentioned to him that last week while listening to WGN's Nick Digilio show, I heard a jingle for "Terry's" and I knew it was him on lead singing. He responded that I had a good ear and that Terry had gotten a lot of mileage out of the jingle as he recorded it in 1977!!! WOW!!
Clark Besch

Wow! I thought you were half asleep when we were talking the other night! You did a GREAT job on that Cryan' Shames piece on the website this week ... and the song sounded really good, too. I like how you worked in other artists like The Buckinghams and The Ides Of March and The New Colony Six, too. You do a really good job with what you do and believe me when I say that ALL of the Chicagoland artists appreciate your efforts and the attention you give us.
Jim Pilster / J.C. Hooke / The Cryan' Shames
Thanks, Jim, I appreciate it ... and, as we talked the other night, do NOT be dissuaded by any negativity extended your way in regards to keeping The Chicago Gold Artists up there on stage with you guys and working ... believe me, the FANS love and appreciate it ... and those are really the ONLY folks you have to answer to!!! (kk)

You guys just don't know how good you have it, being able to see some of these bands in person once again right there in your neighborhood. It was great reading Ray's story about his "Peeping-Ray" days. These stories help make FH the very best music community online. Kent -- do you have a copy of Ray's solo remake of "I Will Always Think About You"?? I had it around here somewhere .....

Thanks,
David
And look ... Mindburger is selling a copy of the "Can't You See Me Cry" record and picture sleeve on eBay!
Click here: New Colony 6-Can't You See Me Cry 45 pic sleeve - eBay (item 250449448687 end time Jun-28-09 18:00:00 PDT)
Described as follows:

New Colony 6 - Can't You See Me Cry / Summertime's Another Name For Love picture sleeve 45 on Mercury Records ... Cool shot of the band in era garb. Both disc and sleeve vg++. Sleeve has 2 or 3 tiny edge tears at top, few light creases, sticker stain over Ray Graffia (sorry, Ray, I didn't do it). Back of sleeve has file sticker in blank white area, so nothing covered up.


Yes, a GREAT track. (Ray Graffia, Jr. told us last week that it was one of Bob Sirott's NC6 favorites, too ... well, I remember one of the last broadcasts done by Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards on the old Real Oldies station when Tommy slipped in "Can't You See Me Cry" ... and about an hour later Larry said, "What was that New Colony Six song you played last hour? That was a really good song. I don't remember that one ... think we can play it again?" And then they DID!!!) It's surprising to me that Larry didn't remember this tune ... it was, after all, a Top Ten Hit here in Chicago ... and many of you might recall that it was Lujack himself who told the band they were plugging the wrong side of their NEXT single ... and when they flipped it over, "Things I'd Like To Say" became their BIGGEST national hit! (kk)Here's Ray's "solo" (actually released as "Junior") version of The NC6's OTHER Top 25 National Hit, "I Will Always Think About You".
















Kent -
Thank you, my Summertime Friend!
As always, my appreciation goes out to you and your site! I'm sure I speak for all of us ""Local guys", that what you do for music is exceptional. Thanks for the listings of Summertime Concerts and your POV on "bad feelings" amongst the former innocents. Life should just go on in peace and harmony.
Hope to see you this coming summer at one of the shows.
Peace ~
Dennis Tufano
Thank you , Dennis, I appreciate that. Sometimes it's like walking a tightrope here trying to remain on friendly and supportive terms with ALL our Chicagoland Local Heroes ... but I love ALL you guys and the music that you gave us ... and, in the perfect world that exists in my head and in my heart, there IS a reunion concert of unbelievable magnitude looming somewhere in the future. (kk)

As a kid in North Dakota I envied you guys that could hear WLS all day. Our local Stations that played R & R did it after 6 PM mostly. The odd thing in looking back however is the fact that there are a lot of tunes that were big in our area that weren't as big in other areas.Gloria by the Shadows of Night is the first one that comes to mind. It was probably big with the LS crowd, but most folks I know remember the Van Morrison version. That one wasn't even on my radar. The Harlem Shuffle is another one. The one that I remember was by the Fabulous Flippers out of Lawrence Kansas.In high school we got our first full time Rock station and Styx were hot in our area when Styx 2 came out. Long before they were big in most places.I sure miss local music directors.

Bill
The Shadows Of Knight topped our Chicagoland charts with their version of "Gloria", a song suggested by WLS Jock Clark Weber as one that would be a sure-fire hit if recorded in a "cleaner" version. He was right! I don't recall the "Them" version every being played here in the '60's ... and it's The Shadows' version that has now become the definitive take on this song. Styx was real popular here, too, before they caught on nationally ... we probably heard "Lady" for a good year and a half before it charted anywhere else. Radio was a bit more interesting then because you never knew what the programmers were going to slip in next. Now it's a regimen of these 200-300 songs ... and ONLY these 200-300 songs ... day in and day out in every major city in America. Doesn't matter where you travel, you're going to be force fed that same play list. The good news is (as discussed elsewhere in this week's comments pages), we ARE starting to push the envelope just a little bit further and throw in some of those songs that many folks out there had completely forgotten about. (kk)

>>>I mentioned that I had just gotten in 48 surveys. I just had a chance to look at these surveys from WINW 1520 AM Canton, Ohio, all from 1967 / 1968. I gotta tell you that for a relatively small station, they played a lot of local artists as well as a lot of other stuff that never made it in Chicago. I tell you the more of these out of town surveys I get, the more it seems that WLS had absolutely no influence nationally. It just confirms your comment that the average listener has no clue about oldies music. They were force fed the same songs incessantly in 1967, and it's still the same oldies 42 years later. On a survey dated 12/15/67, you'll notice that Bend Me Shape Me, by the American Breed is #1. It wouldn't be #1 in Chicago for another month. In fact it debuted two weeks earlier in Canton, Ohio, than it did at WLS and the American Breed was a Chicago band. The more I look at these surveys, the less sense they make. (Jack)
>>>The American Breed's record doing better in Ohio than it did in Chicago ... a whole month SOONER ... makes absolutely NO sense at all!!! (kk)

I disagree with Jack on WLS' influence. #1: Who says Billboard charts told the truth? Also, songs peaked in different places at different times (as you mention with the Breed), so national peaks mean nothing in some instances. The Breed "got around" and were a nationally popular band more than most Chicago bands. You may note that their 45's charted well nationally, but little in Chicago. Yes, they played Chicago, but they were more of a national band. I don't hear most of those songs these days, but maybe you do on radio? Also, 1967 was a great year for music, so this chart's music SHOULD be heard more still.
Clark Besch
I know that The American Breed got a fair amount of national exposure through television appearances ... and "Bend Me, Shape Me" was a Top Five National Hit. I like some of their OTHER hits, too, like "Step Out Of Your Mind" (#24, Billboard; #9 Chicago) from 1967, Ready, Willing And Able (#77, Cash Box, #27 Chicago, 1968) and "Anyway That You Want Me" (#77 Cash Box, did not chart in Chicago ... although I remember hearing it for a couple of weeks on a fairly regular basis.) It still strikes me as odd that a record by a local Chicago-area band would break SOONER out of state. As for WLS' impact on the national charts, I've questioned this for years ... how does "It Could Be We're In Love" top the WLS Chart AND the WCFL Chart for four weeks ... and only rise to #85 in Billboard? WLS was heard across the nation at night by literally MILLIONS of listeners. (We've gotten into the issue before that simply because you HEARD a song on WLS down in Texas or out in Wyoming didn't necessarily mean that you could BUY that record in these other states ... typically records by local acts like The Cryan' Shames, The Ides Of March, The American Breed and The New Colony Six got much heavier distribution here in the Midwest where their record reps were working the market. Yet the pre-Columbia Records Buckinghams were able to top the charts with "Kind Of A Drag" before they made their move to the big time. The fact that three records in a row peaked at #85 for The Shames in Billboard has ALSO always seemed a bit suspicious to me, especially since they all achieved different peaks here in Chicago. I almost wonder if there was a "cap" of some sort that dictated the MOST points a record could earn based on its chart position on any given major Top 40 station.) More on this from WLS Jock Clark Weber below!!! (kk)


Hi Kent;
I read the comments from Jack “Rock & Roll Never Forgets!” concerning the “American Breed” record “Bend Me Shape Me” He raises some interesting questions as why the song hit #1 in Akron, Ohio, before it made #1 on the “WLS Silver Dollar Survey” He also asked why the Akron station was playing a wider variety of songs by lesser known groups? That was due to the competition factor, however first things first.
Thanks to Ron Smith’s excellent book, “Chicago’s Top 40 Charts” it shows the “Breed” on the survey for 13 weeks starting November 17, 1967. It reached #1 on January 15, 1968 and only stayed in that position for one week on both WLS & WCFL.
At that time I was the WLS PD and my staff surveyed 25 record stores in the greater Chicagoland area every Monday to determine the best sellers. We had to take into consideration that some stores tilted their sales numbers at the behest of record companies from time to time. Dishonest record companies??? Oh say it isn’t so!!! Weeding out the hype resulted in some fairly accurate sales numbers week after week. There was also the “Fan Factor” that would result in a certain store selling the daylights out of a certain record or kids flooding a station's record hot line. That may have been the case with the Akron station.
In answer to his question about shorter playlists; in 1967 LS and CFL were going toe to toe for rating numbers and you didn’t want to stray to far from the big hits. If you did, you suffered from the tune out / tune in factor. Kids were constantly shifting back and forth looking for their favorites and when you came out of a commercial stop-set you wanted to hold those listeners with a big hit record. It took quite a leap of faith to put an unproven record on the air.
As to whether WLS had any effect on other stations following suit on a new record, I would say yes. Record promotion men knew that if LS was on a record, it would have a huge impact nationally on both the exposure and sales figures.
Jack, I hope that answers your questions.
Clark Weber
WLS, 1961 - 1969
Thanks, Clark ... I sent your comments to Jack prior to running today's piece ... which, of course, inspired some more comments of his own:
Clark,
I know you hear this all the time, but first of all let me say what an honor it is to have someone whom I listened to on a regular basis as a DJ and talk show host, address some of my comments. (You were even gracious enough once to let me interview you in regards to your hobby as a pilot). Let me say I'm well aware of the shenanigans record companies pull to get their artists on the air, having worked for record distributors in the mid 70s and into the mid 80s, as well as working in radio. Sure it's a leap of faith to go with an unknown artist, however the Beatles were an unknown artist in 1964 when I Want To Hold Your Hand debuted at #40 and jumped to #10 the next week. They still hadn't performed on Ed Sullivan yet. Prior to that you could count on one hand the number of UK performers who had hit in the states and even less that had more than one single. Although WLS wasn't a pop music station in 1956, someone had to take a chance on Elvis. Initially WCFL took a chance on the Jackson Five, charting their first Steeltown single for two weeks in 1968. It makes perfectly good sense to go out of a commercial or news break with one of the top songs of the day. Your job depends on the average listener not turning the dial. However you don't give yourself enough credit. I tended to listen to the personalities rather the music, and I know many others did as well. To be honest, I preferred listening to you more than Jim Runyon and later Jerry G. Bishop at WCFL. But then later on, when Larry Lujack took over your morning drive spot, I preferred listening to him. It came around full circle in the mid 70s when I listened to you host Contact on WIND. In regards to WINW, I was just musing how a 1000 watt directional daytime station charted the American Breed two weeks before it appeared in their hometown. Sure, there's more money on the line in Chicago than Canton, Ohio, but back in 1966 / 67, both WLS & WCFL were falling all over themselves trying to play as many local hits as they could. Clark, you probably hosted more of those dances and hops in which bands like the American Breed played at, than you care to think about. Especially when you didn't get home until the wee hours of the morning and you're back at work at 6 AM. We were so much younger then. However after years of collecting top 40 charts, I see an amazing amount of discrepancies between the Billboard charts and the WLS chart. Putting aside the obvious bias toward regional acts, I always wondered how songs reached the upper reaches of the chart nationally, yet were never heard in what was the #2 market in the 60s? That's what sparked my comment that perhaps WLS didn't have the influence on the national charts that one would think. I remember one record rep in the early 80s, when I was the singles / LPs buyer at MS Distributors, telling me that WLS no longer played any new music until it was proven to be a hit on Billboard's chart. I know you were long gone by then. Actually after almost 43 years of collecting these @#$%! surveys, I'm fairly convinced there is no rhyme or reason. Perhaps the top 15 or 20 were solid, but after that it was your guess is as good as mine. Sort of like the office football pool. There's tons more questions I have, because as one who deals with these charts, I have customers asking me, what's the rhyme or reason behind the chart positions. I learned a long time ago that it's not sales. I wonder how different it would have been had Soundscan been available then. Thanks for your time and the great memories.
Jack


And, speaking of WLS-related questions, I've got one. (I think this was first posed by Clark Besch way back when, but I've heard it from several other Forgotten Hits readers and WLS fans since then.) Did WLS REALLY give out Silver Dollars to their contest winners??? And, if so, where'd they get 'em all?!?!? Inquiring minds want to know!!! (kk)
Hi Kent;
Believe it or not, that’s the first time I’ve ever been asked that question! Yes, we did actually pass out silver dollars. We would apply clear plastic covers with the WLS logo on the coins and hand them out at various events when we found listeners tuning in to WLS. They were extremely popular along the lakefront during the “WLS Super Summer Beach Patrol” promotion. On Friday and Saturday we would announce that the “Beach Patrol” would be active that weekend ... however we wouldn’t tell which beach. We ranged from as far north as Waukegan. The assigned dj’s went out in pairs usually on Saturday afternoons and each one was given 50 silver dollars which we purchased at the Wrigley Bank in the Wrigley Building. I always had a couple hundred dollars worth of the coins locked up in my office. It’s hard to imagine but in those days the guys were not worried about being held up for $100 in coins. They were more concerned with eye strain from looking at the bikinis! The guys on beach patrol used to joke that between the “star status” of WLS and the silver dollars, even Ron Riley could attract women!
Once the word spread on the lakefront that the “Beach Patrol” was around, every radio from North Avenue Beach to South Shore Beach was tuned to WLS and all it cost us was $100.

Clark Weber / WLS
LOL ... what a GREAT marketing campaign!!!
(Talk about more bang for your buck!!! What a GREAT return on your investment!!!) More of what is sorely lacking in radio today ... the whole "fun" element of listening!!! I've heard from SO many readers over the years who shared in the excitement of growing up with AM Top 40 Radio ... and, as Clark stated earlier, we were VERY fortunate here in Chicago to have TWO major AM Top 40 Stations. Back then, we wanted to hear our favorite songs ... and / or brand new releases ... as often as possible ... and we would switch back and forth CONSTANTLY between WLS and WCFL trying to catch the latest Beatles or Monkees or Beach Boys or Rolling Stones or Tommy James and the Shondells or Turtles release ... or hear that week's hot new #1 Record. It seemed like EVERY new record back then took music in a brand new direction. Thanks, Clark, for sharing more fun radio insight (kk)

Hey Kent -
KUDOS to you for writing about the The Chicagoland "Local Guys" in today's Forgotten Hits edition (6/25/09) ... It is quite amazing to me that there are so many of the Chicagoland 60's groups still out there performing to this day. You virtually have just about ALL of the well-known and loved local groups
and or / their now solo members continuing to give us hard-core music lovers the fantastic music that each created so many years ago ... I really envy you, because, for as many incredible local 60's Detroit-area bands that evolved from here in the Motor City, few to none still exist to perform. You folks in Chi-Town still have the opportunity to go and see your cream of the crop 60's groups (New Colony Six, Cryan Shames, Buckinghams, Ides, Shadows, etc ..) on a seeminly non-stop basis during the summer months. - How COOL is that??
As for the topic of "animosity" or "hard feelings" that might (and in some instances, DOES exist between members of your local 60's groups, I'd suggest to those who might be caught up in such counter-productive nonsense to bury the hatchet once and for all. We're ALL getting older, and there is no promise as to just how much longer the various groups or their now-solo members will be able to perform, or ... How much longer WE, the lovers of this great era of music, will be around to listen ...
I can't speak for any of the other Chicagoland "Local Heroes" groups, but YOU, YOURSELF witnessed the fact that at the New Colony Six reunion at Ray Graffia's house in April 2008, there was absolutely NO animosity or bad feelings among the five original members of the Six ... And these guys hadn't even
been together in the same room for 40 years! The five guys (along with the presence of Ronnie Rice), even ran through an impromptu set of a vast array of their songs with nothing apparent but laughs and smiles. Just one reason why the New Colony Six will ALWAYS be #1 in my book!
The bottom line is ... Time waits for no man, so with the proverbial clock clicking away, how's about ALL of the Chicagoland "Local Guys" making peace, and banding together to do one big "ALL-STAR" show where we, the die-hard lovers of their music, could see and hear ALL of our musical heroes on one big stage??
Kent, one last thing ...
It is LARGELY due to your never-ending dedication to constantly make Forgotten Hits happen, that the music continues to live ... not only for us regular die-hard music fanatics, but to the many "new" subscribers, as well as the "younger generation" fans who are just learning about this wonderful music that you support and promote. I sincerely hope that you never hang up doing Forgotten Hits for good ... That would be a devastating day for all of us who look forward to every new FH installment.
You are the keeper of the musical flame within all of us!
Jerry Schollenberger
Thanks, Jerry, that means a lot. Every time I think about hanging things up here, I'll hear from a few of you out there that REALLY appreciate what we do ... and believe me, it really does make all the difference in the world. If I can stray once again for just a minute to the Bob Greene book "When We Get To Surf City" ... (Jeez, Bob, how much does your REGULAR publicist get paid for singing the praises of this book?!?!? lol) ... there are SO many passages in this book that apply to our OWN love and appreciation of this GREAT music that we all know, love and grew up with ... but there is ONE passage in the book that has stayed with me now since the first time I read it nearly a year ago ... in fact, it comes to mind nearly each and every day ... and sometimes many TIMES a day ... almost haunting me in the process. With SO many of these '60's and '70's artists now on our list ... still out there performing for the fans at each and every opportunity ... I can't help but wonder how THEY feel about this, too ... if, after all these years, they are still able to keep and hold this same perspective. In the past few weeks I've done some soul-searching of my own ... and shared some of my thoughts with our readers regarding moving forward with Forgotten Hits. I've spoken to some of the deejays on the list about this, too ... questioning whether or not it's REALLY worth it, trying to keep Forgotten Hits going ... trying to figure out if we're REALLY serving any kind of real purpose here ... keeping in mind that there is really no PERSONAL reward in any of this other than the occasional "thank you" email stating that we somehow "made your day" ... or a note like a couple of those shown above letting us know that our efforts are, in fact, appreciated.
Forgotten Hits has always been a "labor of love" ... and, most of the time, that's been enough to keep me going ... but with SO much else going on here lately ... and less and less time to devote to keeping up the website (and, as a result, fewer and fewer website visitors unless we happen to hit on a REALLY hot topic) ... there's rarely a day that goes by where I don't question whether or not I should keep this going or not. Putting this together takes up a HUGE part of my personal time, often leaving very little time for much else ... and I'll sometimes think, "Hey, you gave it a good run ... and if you're not happy doing it anymore, maybe you should move on to something else ... who knows, perhaps you'll come up with some other type of musical format that'll re-inspire yourself."
But then I keep coming back to this passage from Bob Greene's book ... and I wonder after ALL these years how MANY of us must feel the same way about what WE do ... and why we do it ... and just WHO we do it for.
So, if you'll indulge me just one more time, I'd like to quote the words that have been HAUNTING me for the past several months now ... from Bob Greene's hands-on account of what it was like touring with Jan And Dean:
There were nights with overflow crowds and there were nights when the turnout was dismal. But that had been the case for a long time. We were used to the pattern -- good shows, big crowds, interrupted by evenings that didn't feel so right. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, about four years after I started touring, the desolate view from the stage -- row upon row of empty seats, the few people present sitting on their hands, no one responding in a way that could remotely provide a flicker of encouragement to the band --- prompted Phil to walk over to me during the guitar break in 'I Get Around' and, maintaining his concert smile, nod toward the audience and say quietly to me "This is what the end looks like."
Perhaps so. But as we were departing that concert, Randell said 'We ought to always keep in mind on a night like this that the people in the audience are the ones who CAME. They deserve the BEST show we can give them --- they shouldn't be penalized for the people who didn't show up. There may only be a few people out there, but they're not the empty seats. They paid money for this.'"
He was as right as he could be ... this was the conscious choice the audience had made. In Randell's words, they weren't the empty seats. They were the ones who had come ... the ones who had paid for, and expected, carefree fun.
-- Bob Greene
I'd like to think that we HAVE made a difference. I believe that MOST (if not ALL) of the deejays on the list will admit to being at least in SOME capacity inspired and / or rejuvenated by something that we've written or some challenge that we've made. Many of them have even had us on the air to talk about a particular topic or two. I can't help but think sometimes that we've already done all that we ever set out to do ... that unless we can somehow elevate Forgotten Hits to some NEW level (and I'm not even really sure just WHAT that level is) ... our job for the most part is done here. But then I'll get some encouraging and inspiring emails from you guys and feel really good about what we've accomplished here.
I'm not really sure just WHAT the future holds for Forgotten Hits ... I believe that while there may still be more mountains to climb, there are simply fewer and fewer opportunities to do so.
As promised, we'll continue to post what we can, when we can ... please know that your words of encourage truly DO mean a lot to me. We've got hundreds and hundreds of readers now who have stuck with us for nearly ten years ... and thousands more have joined us along the way ... there isn't a week that goes by where a few more oldies music fans jump on the list ... certainly that must mean SOMETHING!!! (lol) And, despite all of our ranting and raving about oldies radio, our love for this music has never wavered ... all we've ever REALLY asked radio to do is expand their horizons a little bit to let even MORE of this great music out there and into our consciousness again.
So ... with that thought in mind ... and in the spirit of Bob Greene's haunting words ... TODAY's issue of Forgotten Hits is dedicated to ALL of you who came. Thank you. (kk)


HAVE A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE
FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Our Bob Greene Book Winners ... And MORE Surfin' Sounds!!!

re: BOB GREENE:
Hi Kent,

I love the book Be True to Your School. I've read it 6 or 7 times. It just totally pulls me back to the 60's. I've recommended it so much to others that My Wife's eyes glaze over if I start to talk about it.
Bill
I'm thoroughly enjoying it, too. It's a fast and easy read, done "diary" style (which also makes for all kinds of GREAT stopping points!!! lol) It's just amazing to me the number of parallels we all experienced growing up regardless of where in the country that may have been. We shared SO many of the same thoughts and feelings and memories and reactions ... it's almost scary sometimes. Bob raises a good point, too, in that when you listened to the radio back then and a popular song from the day came on, you just knew that EVERYBODY else in town was listening to that SAME song and sharing that SAME experience with you. Back when there were only three TV channels, we ALL watched The Ed Sullivan Show together with our parents ... as a family ... because that's just what you did ... you didn't go off into your room and watch something on the other set because odds are there wasn't a second set ... you didn't go "pop a movie in" because that technology didn't exist yet. There are elements of our society ... including family bonds ... that were never stronger simply because of the "simplicity" of that time. You just knew that Sunday Nights at 7:00 you were going to sit down and see who Ed had on his show this week ... and then at 8:00 you were going to flip it over to "Bonanza" ... period!!! THAT was the way of life ... THAT was the Sunday ritual ... in homes ALL across America. Now you can't get four family members to agree on ANY single program so you end up watching three different TVs in three different rooms and, for the most part, live three separate lives. I think I kinda miss those simpler times ... because along with that bond came a sense and standard of family values that are sorely missing today. (kk)



Speaking of "Be True To Your School", I feel like I might have missed my calling by reading this book so long after it was originally published ... I think I could have come up with a GREAT advertising campaign:

In 1964, at the ripe old age of 16, Bob Greene knew three things for sure ...

He loved the exciting new music of The Beatles and the whole British Invasion and wanted to grow his hair long and learn to play the guitar ...

He wanted to get laid ...

And he wanted to become a newspaper journalist.

By summer's end, he would achieve all three of his goals!!!

LOL ... it's a "Can't Miss" Campaign!!! And an EXCELLENT read, by the way ... pick up a copy if you can and relive 1964 through Bob Greene's eyes ... you'll be AMAZED by how many "common visions" we all shared!!! (kk)


Kent ...
I wrote to Bob Greene to tell him I liked his book. He wrote back. Thought you might like to know, he has a new book coming out. I already ordered it.
Buonge
Yes, there's a "sneak peek" of the first couple of chapters in the back of the paperback edition ... looks interesting (and with Greene's newspaper background, should be spot on.) I love this quote at the beginning from Philip Meyer, Knight Chair in Journalism, from a speech and slide show he gave at The Media Center at The American Press Institute in March of 2005, regarding the declining readership of newspapers: "The next slide shows something even more alarming, which is the decline in readership. This is from a general social survey, and the question is 'How often do you read a newspaper?' As to the percent who read every day, that's been declining an average of about one percentage point a year, and shows no sign of stopping. You extend that line with a straightedge, you find that the last daily newspaper reader disappears around 2040 ... in April." lol How true, how true. MOST folks get their news online these days ... who's got the time to sit down and read through a whole newspaper? I know I used to enjoy it when I had a long commute to work and took the train ... and, invariably, if I'm out eating lunch somewhere or at the airport and someone has left a newspaper behind, I will pick it up and start reading it every single time ... but I personally haven't BOUGHT a newspaper in at least a decade ... unless there was a specific story I wanted more details about. (The Sox winning the World Series a few years back ... Michael Jackson's death last week ... that sort of thing.) Greene's an EXCELLENT writer and has ALWAYS captured the spirit of "the average man" in his columns ... his books make for enjoyable reading (I'm on my third one in a row right now!!! lol) And he seems to be just as genuine as can be. He's told me a number of times now how much he appreciates our waving the flag in his honor here in Forgotten Hits and I'm happy to do it when a book is this good. (I think he's already heard from dozens of our readers regarding their enjoyment of this book ... and I firmly believe that EVERY music fan out there will enjoy "When We Get To Surf City" ... it's just that simple.) And it's become a bit of a "Mutual Admiration Society", too ... Bob religiously reads Forgotten Hits and is AMAZED at the knowledgeable people we've assembled on the list ... so many music experts in one place ... and the fact that the LOVE of this music come through in each and every column. Coming from someone whose work I've appreciated and admired for so many years, that's high praise indeed. (kk)

By the way, you'll find the winners of the two autographed copies of Bob Greene's book, "When We Get To Surf City", at the bottom of today's Forgotten Hits Page. Congratulations to our winners ... and thanks again to Bob Greene for donating these for our FH Give-Away!!!


re: AND SPEAKING OF SURF MUSIC ... :
The Summer edition of Endless Summer Quarterly is now available. The edition is the ultimate Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) companion piece by Craig Slowinski with previously unpublished pictures from the Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) photo shoot; Rasmus Skotte filmatic view of the Smile music and its various meanings; news and reviews.
For more information, visit the
ESQ website.
David Beard


Howdy, Kent ...
Did I ever send you this story? Feel free to share it with your readers! :)
Fred
I remember reading this a while back ... but here's a link to the story as it appeared on our buddy Phil Miglioratti's "Pray For Surf" Website ... check this out ... and all of the OTHER cool stuff he's got posted there!!! (kk)
Click here: Pray For Surf: Fred Vail: The Backstory on Jan & Dean's Command Performance

re: THE VENTURES:
Hi Kent,

Sad to hear about Bob Bogle of The Ventures. Some of my earliest recordingsessions were with The Ventures and Mel Taylor's solo albums. More at myblog if you are interested. Here's the link:

http://munsongrecords.com/blogs/arts-musings/rip-bob-bogle-recording-with-the-ventures/

Take care
Art Munson

re: THE RIP CHORDS:
Hey Kent ...
Here's an ad for the new CD.
You are a great support to our band and we really appreciate it.
Your friend ...
Mitch


And, we just got word about an upcoming Rip Chords show that we wanted to pass along to our readers:



re: OUR LATEST FORGOTTEN HITS WINNERS:
Our congratulations go out to the latest Forgotten Hits Give-Away Winners ... Les Peterson of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Randy Price of New York City, NY, will both be receiving autographed copies of the EXCELLENT Bob Greene Book "When We Get To Surf City", now available in paperback. And, as an extra bonus, I'm sending an UNautographed copy of the book to Barry Blitch of Titusville, FL, too, since we have an extra copy sent to us by the publisher. Congratulations to ALL of our latest Forgotten Hits Winners!!! Stay tuned because MORE prizes are on their way!!! (kk)

Wow! Thanks, Kent!

Randy Price


Thank you very much!

Barry Blitch


Hi Kent,
This will be great. Thanks a lot! I love Jan and Dean so this will be very interesting. Attached are photos of a couple of Jan and Dean rarities from my collection. (I realize Jan didn't actually participate on Save For a Rainy Day but he is credited just the same.)
Thanks again, and please thank Bob Greene for me too! Have a great afternoon!
Sincerely,
Les Peterson




Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A Few More Of Your Thoughts On Ticketmaster

Hi Kent and Frannie ...
I, too, am so sick of TicketMaster. Say, have you tried StubHub ?? You can find them on their website stubhub.com or at 866-788-2482 (866-STUBHUB). I haven't used them as if yet, but did talk to one of their reps and it sounds pretty good. A bunch of teachers at school use this service. I called in regarding the upcoming Moody Blues concert here in Southern California, coming in July and they actually have plenty of tickets. They're like a brokerage house for all sorts of tickets, ranging from concerts to sporting events. You can buy or sell on this service. The charge 10% (which he tells me is less than TicketMaster) and a small SH charge, plus they guarantee the tickets will be to you by concert time.
Steve (Rocn60s)
Having just recently dealt with this service, I suggest that you visit their website and see what these tickets are REALLY going for ... my guess is that for a decent seat, you can expect to pay three to five times the face value of what one of these tickets REALLY cost ... PLUS their 10% commission ... a "small" service fee (probably another $20-$25) ... AND another $35 to mail them to you!!! Check it out and then write back ... I'd love to include BOTH sets of your comments!!! Thanks, Steve! (kk)


Fact is, I've talked to a number of folks now who have taken the StubHub route ... and, as long as it's something you REALLY want to see ... and are willing to pay a SIGNIFICANT upcharge to do so ... it may be worth the investment. The general consensus that I've heard is that most people are sick of paying through the nose to get these seats ... I personally have an even "lower" opinion!!! (lol)


Perfect Example --- > Yesterday I received two back-to-back emails regarding the INCREDIBLE show here in Chicago, "Jersey Boys". I guess attendence is down for The Fourth Of July ... most people probably planned OUTDOOR activities and Fireworks Nights ... so they're offereing a special ticket promotion through their Hot Tix Service. Main Floor Tickets that normally go for around $165 a piece are on sale for just $56 on a first-come, first-served basis. (Typical Hot Tix tickets go on sale the same day of the show for $25 each ... so I'm not sure what the "special ticket price" is exactly ... unless they mean that they're better than double their NORMAL special ticket price!!! lol) Anyway, just like TicketMaster, there are service charges attached to this offer ... and maybe they don't really seem all that bad ... $4.50 for the service charge (per ticket) and then another $3.50 per ticket for some type of "building fee" ... let's face it, we've certainly seen higher ... but this is still an inflation over the ADVERTISED price of 16% ... bringing the grand total to about $64 per ticket ... still a pretty good deal when you consider what Main Floor Seats normally go for. The very NEXT email was from Stub Hub ... they, too, have Jersey Boy Tickets available for The Fourth Of July ... for $448 per ticket!!!!! After reading all the b.s. about "Should you ever get in a jam and be unable to attend a Jersey Boys performance and need to sell your tickets, we're your source for this. And then, "If you ever NEED tickets, we're you're source for that, too." Yeah ... for $448 a pop!!! (I wonder how much they pay you for your tickets ... you know, when you're "in a jam" ... that they then RE-SELL for as much as $448 each!!!) Scroll back to Saturday's posting and re-read my White Sox Birthday Tickets story for yet another Stub Hub example. These are just a couple of very recent "real life" Stub Hub experiences ... all I can say is "Buyer Beware" ... maybe it's worth it if this is a show that you've just GOT to see ... but that's a judgement call YOU'LL have to make. (kk)

Just wanted to comment on your newsletter dated Saturday, June 27th. Mr. Vail had made a brief comment on radio stations not wanting to pay the royalties to deserving artists. The topic was ticket prices. I totally agree about the fees on ticket sales, including Uncle Sam always raising the amount they can take. But the radio thing is totally different. I have been in radio for over 40 years. Believe me, the staff are far under paid. It is ironic that just a few years ago stations were paid to play the songs. That, in theory, might be ok, (and that comment alone may upset some people), but this resulted in making a very unbalanced playing field for new artists. Only the ones with big bucks behind them could get air play. Do the record labels not keep charging for 70 years of songs? The gift that keeps on giving. But I ask you to keep in mind that stations have expenses and everyone seems to think that air time is free. You are just selling air, so you make a ton of money with no costs, right? Of course that was another time, and some stations did alright with selling air time ... the payola was under the table money and really was shady practice. Now, like all other businesses, stations are struggling for their lives. Multi-station ownership just try to combine the operation expense. I would just like to make it clear, that we can not always use big markets as an example for the thousands of small markets. Terrestrial radio has competition from all directions and could be heading towards extinction. That would be a sad loss for the local markets who depend on local weather, community events. etc. Everything has gone national. Severe weather will be broadcast on the national news the next day. So not to get to far off track, I just wanted to set the base for how expensive it has gotten to pay BMI, ASCAP, ect. Small stations can not pay anymore for royalties. The margin is just not there. And if the small station would like to join the streaming world ... Wow! Not only are there base fees, fees on the number of hits your web page gets, a percentage of all ads run on station, a percentage of any income generated by the web page, banners etc. ... plus still pay station royalties. Well, that leaves nothing left, so the majority of these stations are not on the Internet. Convert to talk radio and avoid the expenses of playing music. And it is also beginning to look like some stations are actually avoiding some labels.
Is this the same problem only in reverse? So, like the concert tickets, (and oh, by the way, artists do very well on their concerts ... earning much more than any royalties), it appears that the middle man is making all the bucks. Greed has far reaching effects and the fans and consumers (listeners) seem to be the only ones not being addressed. But wait ... The Internet!!!! The Internet has not even scratched the surface of what is to come. The record label industry is fighting for their lives. They are no longer needed, as the artists are realizing they don’t need them any more. Put your music out there, promote you concert, (where the money is for the artists) and reach millions. Many indi lables are being put on the Internet. There are now web sites that play only artists that are not under contract, just so their music can be heard ... and avoid royalties. And these web sites, pod casts, and any other form of radio stations are popping up regularly with non label groups. You do not need a crystal ball to see where everything is going. As far as the concert thing goes, it has gotten like sports. Only those who can afford those prices are going to be able to enjoy it ... and that is another story in itself. Lets all cut out the middle man, and give the money to who earned it.
Thanks, Kent, for having this open forum. Knowledge is power. Lets all get informed.
Jiffy Jeff
Minnesota
NOTE: Comments are those of personal opinion and not any staff or management of related stations.
Greed and gouging seem to be the name of the game. Artists have gotten smarter after hearing horror story after horror story of top selling acts who wound up broke after their management team and consultants pocketed all the money. The music industry as we remember it will soon cease to exist ... and certainly that will have a spiraling effect on everything else it touches, including radio, airplay and concert tickets. Why do these same artists who have been smart enough to take control of their releases and marketing still feel that they need to move ticket sales through a corporation that will skim a HUGE percentage off the top ... and then add in service charges above and beyond these profit levels to deposit in their own pockets? Typically, the artists don't see any of this additional money ... and MOST of them want to present an affordable show for their fans ... it's the greed of these "middle men" that make this impossible. Now add in the 500-600% inflation that a ticket broker throws on top and attendance at these shows has become a near impossibility for many of us. (Yet you'll see a Mom or Dad shell out THOUSANDS of dollars to take their kids to a Britney Spears Concert!!! I just don't get it!!!) kk

A few months ago I wrote about going to see Johnny Rivers, at what was basically a high school auditorium. I had known for a while he was going to appear but didn't buy tickets for many of the reasons that have already been stated. I believe the tix were priced at $25.00 each, more than fair until you get to the user fees already described. It wasn't until I heard someone talking at a St. Louis record show a couple weeks beforehand that they were offering 2 for 1. Now all of a sudden it becomes affordable since I had a 200 mile round trip ahead of me. I remember my first concerts I attended had a 25 cent service fee. Accounting for inflation, I suppose even a $5.00 service fee wouldn't be out of line these days. But you're right, when you add in gas, going out to eat before or afterwards, a tour book, t-shirt and who knows what else, this becomes a pretty pricey adventure. They were also offering insurance, I forget how much, but I bought it anyways since it was going to be a long ride and you never know. As it turns out the car did start acting up and that Monday we had to get a new set of spark plugs. It could have been a lot worse, so I'm glad I got the protection although I didn't use it. Now for the big name shows, the most I've ever paid for a ticket is $65.00 to see Bob Seger from the nosebleed section. I won't do that again. For the $100 and up per ticket price they had better get Elvis up there performing and I don't mean Elvis Costello. Remember the outrage at $30 a ticket for the Jackson's Victory tour? It seems like a bargain now. But it was at least $10 over the average going rate then. A year later I paid $15.00 to go to the first Farm Aid concert. There's only one way to voice your opinion, don't go. I'd rather spend $10 to $20 to see some blues performer or local band. Many a time it's a better show. Fleetwood Mac doesn't need your money.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
There was a big stink about the price of the Paul McCartney tickets a few years ago when Frannie and I went to his "Chaos In The Backyard" Tour ... HE certainly didn't need the money either. (Of course this was BEFORE the whole Heather Mills settlement fiasco!!! lol) But Macca justified his ticket prices by doing a cost comparison of other major acts on tour that year ... and priced himself accordingly. I suppose that makes sense on some level ... we've been told that many artists make three or four times as much money TOURING as they do in record royalties, especially THESE days when record sales are at an all-time low. Truth is, people forget the cost of all the hired help it takes a major artist to put on such a show ... we tend to look only at the musicians on stage and leave it at that ... yet a tour like McCartney's probably brings a road crew of a couple hundred people ... plus the costs of buses, airplanes, food, lodging, etc, etc, etc. Add in the lights, videoscreens and special effects (fireworks for "Live And Let Die" for example) and you've put together a pretty pricey package. And, at $150 per ticket, his shows EASILY sell out, proving that this is a price that people are willing to pay to see him. We've seen shows recently where the actual face value was $350 per ticket!!! Add in the service charges or, worse yet, the brokers' fees if you aren't lucky enough to buy a ticket at the ticket window ... and pretty soon you're taking out a second mortgage to see Steely Dan or The Eagles!!! (kk)

I was reading your comments on Ticketmaster and concert tickets in general. I have to say, I agree with Fred's and your take on things, but I have a little bit of a different perspective as well. As a concert goer, I agree with you that ticket prices are way too high. Then with the added fees and parking, concessions, and souvenirs, it does cost an arm and a leg to go see anyone these days. I, too, remember the days of camping out in line when you really wanted to get a good ticket for a concert, only to end up getting seats halfway back (if you were lucky) even 'tho you were first in line. But at least you felt like you had an even chance back then. And tickets were not as expensive, even 'tho we earned a lot less money, too. I paid $5.50 to see the Beatles at Sox park in 1965, and that was the top price of a ticket!!!! Those days, unfortunately, are long gone. The thing that ticked me off the most was when I went to get tickets for Simon & Garfunkel a few years ago. I went to a Ticketmaster outlet at a department store. I was there before the store even opened the first day the tickets went on sale, and I was first in line. Then, as you said, they decided they needed to have a lottery, and guess who got the last number?? Then, on top of that, the people in front of me in line weren't even there to buy tickets for the same show! They had several shows going on sale all at the same time, so I still had to wait in line behind everyone else getting tickets for other concerts, while meanwhile people online and at other Ticketmaster outlets were getting seats for the show I wanted to see!!! I ended up with tickets in the third balcony, and you KNOW I was really p.o'd!!! Then when we got to the show, we couldn't see because of the way they had set up the stage, so we went to the box office to complain, and gee, they had tickets two balconies down and several sections closer to the stage!!! Interesting, huh? So I know they hold back good tickets, and you're right, it isn't fair. If I'm willing to wait in line and pay that much for a ticket to see someone, I think I deserve the best seat available.
But, on the other side, since I work at a couple of entertainment venues around town, I realize that, while I'm sure a lot of it is the promoter or the venue that makes a buck, some of it is just the fact that expenses are so high. Most places have loads of union stagehands, electricians, carpenters, etc. working on unloading the trucks and setting up the stage for the concerts we see. The lighting and pyrotechnics take a lot of work, and you don't want something to go wrong with that stuff. Not to mention, the bands all have travel expenses, truck drivers, bus drivers, catering, insurance, wardrobe people, security, guest services, police and paramedics on duty, parking lot attendants, concessions employees, etc. etc. So while I agree that ticket prices are in general, way too high, perhaps knowing all the people who are working behind the scenes and have to be paid too, helps a little to justify the price. I was amazed when I started working these shows to see all the background stuff that goes into them that you never think about. But I guess as the shows and the theatrics become bigger, so then does the price for it. So what do we do ... are we willing to see a scaled down show without all the extras, or does that all add to the experience of the concert, and is it worth it???? I'm not really sure, myself. But anyway, just some things to think about ... and I'm sure your readers will have lots of opinions. But remember, they're all working people, even the ones cleaning the bathrooms at the venue, and they deserve to be paid too!
Marlene
Yes, as stated above, it's many of these behind-the-scenes costs that nobody sees that add to the price of the tickets. However, I don't believe that Ticketmaster helps pay for ANY of the cost of all the stage hands, parking lot attendants, concession people or any of these other "behind-the-scenes" costs associated with the actual venue hosting the concert out of their service charges ... THAT money goes directly into their OWN pockets. I can see how the VENUE may be entitled to something for that (and most ticket purchases DO include SOMETHING for the venue these days, typically around $3.50-$5.00 per ticket, which is more than fair ... if that was the ONLY extra being added to your bill.) If I'm not mistaken, when one of these shows is cancelled, the refund you receive is for the cost of the ticket ONLY ... Ticketmaster still KEEPS their tacked-on service charge!!! So THEY make money no matter what!!! The artists lose ... and the fans lose ... and that just ain't right. SOMETHING needs to be done to correct this imbalance. I don't have a sure-fire solution ... And, quite honestly, I was hoping that some of your comments might inspire some suggestions. Sometimes just by discussing some options, it'll spark an idea or two that ultimately could reach a solution ... so we'll keep this dialog open for a little while should any more of you wish to weigh in on the subject. And please remember that this discussion started at the BASE level ... we haven't even BEGUN to attack the subject of these ticket brokers who are inflating these prices five times more!!! (kk)

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

More Of What's Been On Your Minds

re: MORE ON MICHAEL JACKSON:
A few more Michael Jackson memories ...

It was Michael Jackson who made me finally go out and buy a CD Player!!! Yes, it's true ... at first, I fought and resisted the new technology, REFUSING to go out and rebuy everything again just to have it on CD. (That lasted about three months ... pretty soon CDs were coming out with bonus tracks and alternate mixes and one by one nearly my entire vinyl collection was being replaced!!!)
The track was "Leave Me Alone" from the "Bad" album. You could ONLY get it on CD. The song was ALL over the video channels ... a VERY clever and intriguing video at that ... with an amazingly catchy melody to boot! It wasn't being released as a single ... and the vinyl LP did not include this song. Personally, I think it's one of the best tracks Michael ever recorded ... right on the money musically, lyrically and contains some of his best vocals ever. (Listen to all that's going on in the background on this track ... absolutely AMAZING!!! Michael NEVER sounded so good ... or so layered!!! lol)
I just HAD to have this track ... so I gave in ... bought the CD before I even had a machine to play it on ... and then, after picking up a couple of McCartney things, ran out and got my first CD player, too.
For the first few months, I think I had 6 CDs in my entire collection ... now it's probably closer to 12,000!!! (lol) But that's it ... if the technology changes again, count me out!!! I won't live long enough to rebuy everything a fourth or fifth time ... or even have the time to listen to what's already on the shelves!!! I'm through ... you WON'T sucker me again!!! This is it ... I mean it ... HONEST!!! (Yeah, right!!!) I'd rather buy three more CD players and stick them in the closet for later use (just in case they become obsolete) than buy ALL this stuff again for, in many cases, what would be the fourth or fifth time!!! (kk )





We watched Michael Jackson videos for a good chunk of the weekend ... saw some things I haven't seen in AGES ... and Paige discovered some Michael Jackson tracks she'd never heard before ... it really was quite enjoyable. Michael truly raised the bar and set the standard for what a music video was supposed to be ... and very few artists could touch him. I had to laugh out loud when I watched "Jam", the video featuring the OTHER MJ (Michael Jordan), as Michael Jackson tried to show the basketball great a few dance moves, while Michael Jordan helped Jackson with his under the rim shots, eventually grabbing him a ladder so Michael Jackson could see how it felt to stuff the ball!!! But the one that REALLY brought back a memory was "Scream", the video he did with his sister Janet. In my opinion, it's one of his weakest songs ... and the video, shot completely in black and white, isn't the LEAST bit flattering to EITHER of these dynamic artists ... but what I remembered the most was the big joke at the time about how they HAD to make that video together just to prove to the world that Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson were NOT, in fact, the same person!!!! (lol) Prior to this, you NEVER saw them together ... and the running joke at the time was that the reason for this was because they were, in fact, the same person!!! And, quite honestly, for a while there, it seemed that the more surgeries Michael went through, the more he started to look like his sister ... who, by this time, had had a few surgeries of her OWN!!! Too funny ... but it ALL came back while watching this clip. We will miss you, Michael Jackson ... we may OD on your music over the next week or two, but eventually things will die down and even out a little bit and get back to normal. The world will be the better for it as we have all been reminded just what a GREAT artist you really were. (kk)

I got copies of this next column from a couple of folks on the list ... ironically, the SECOND thing I thought of when I heard about Michael Jackson's death was how is this news item going to play out in Scott Shannon's world ... Scott's show is voicetracked in advance of its airing ... which means he can't even come on with a break-in report to report a MAJOR news story like this one. (I know, I know ... get a life!!! What a RIDICULOUS thing to think about!!! We just lost the biggest musical pop icon of the past thirty years and I'M worried about how it will affect Scott Shannon's broadcast!!! Once again, my love of GOOD radio shines through even the GREATEST of tragedies!!! And, you may remember that
the very FIRST thing I thought about was that this was all some sort of horrible hoax and that in no time at all we'd be hearing about Michael Jackson / King Of Pop / Burger King sightings!!!)
But think about that for a second ... the world's BIGGEST musical headline of the past thirty years ... second only to perhaps the deaths of Elvis and John Lennon ... and, thanks to syndicated and voicetracked radio, what was once our PRIME source of information can't even come on the air and tell us about it!
Here in Chicago, where the news broke around 4:30 our time, Greg Brown was on the air at the time ... (Shannon's syndicated show ends at 3 PM in Chicago and then the local jocks take over) ... and, naturally, Michael Jackson music soon saturated ALL over our radio airwaves ... as one would expect it would. But in this age of voice-tracking, breaking through with what HAD to be the biggest musical death story since Elvis and / or John Lennon was NOT a possibility in literally HUNDREDS of markets across the country. (Now in all fairness, I've had a couple of occassions in the past where I got something to Scott Shannon first thing in the morning, he was able to edit it in to that day's programming by around 10:00 AM and air the segment shortly after 2 PM the same day ... but this news was HUGE!!! I can't even imagine a time where every radio station in the nation wouldn't have stopped WHATEVER they were doing to air immediate reports ... yet, apparently, this is EXACTLY what happened!!!)
And don't think for a minute that I'm picking on Scott Shannon ... I'm not ... even satellite operations like XM / Sirius are often voice-tracked in advance of airing, especially on their oldies networks. And the article below singles out the likes of Ryan Seacrest and John Tesh and THEIR syndicated programs ... in fact, Scott Shannon, who represents The Oldies Nation on nearly a hundred radio stations across the USA isn't even mentioned!!!
Read on and you'll see that this article reiterates the downside of automated radio ... a result of which means, in many cases, radio is no longer able to service the public's need for immediacy. (You'll see that this article also ties in nicely with our upcoming piece on Bob Greene's new book regarding the end of the newspaper!!! You'll see a little blurb on that later this week.)The article comes from Jerry Del Colliano, whose "Inside Music Media" column we've quoted several times before in Forgotten Hits:

The music industry lost an icon Thursday. A very big one.
Apparently Clear Channel’s John Slogan Hogan, Citadel’s Farid “Fagreed” Suleman and Cumulus' CEO Lew Tricky Dickey forgot to plan ahead ... again.
1. We know they didn’t look beyond over-paying for their radio stations to see if it was possible to service the considerable debt in good times as well as recessions.
2. We see that they just assumed radio would continue to grow and that kids would always be available to listen to radio (not ever imagining the Internet, iPod, file sharing, social networking – anything—might be a competitor).
3. Their actions prove that firing employees has left their stations threadbare but they keep acting like local radio doesn't have to be done locally.
4. They neglected to factor in news and weather emergencies when conjuring up grand schemes to build various repeater radio platforms. That’s why during this Spring’s tornado season, a radio station would be your worst choice to remain safe and sound.
Now, Michael Jackson, one of the music industry’s biggest stars and a huge ingredient to many radio music genres, gave tribute to the Man in the Mirror by offering the most unfitting tribute of all.
Voice Tracking.
That’s right, at the majority of stations, the hits just kept on coming – just the way Central Command demanded it. Some stations didn’t even break for news of Jack-o’s death. News? What’s news?
The local PD and jocks couldn’t respond fast enough, well -- because there aren’t many local PDs and jocks.
Hogan’s heroes were busy feeding tripe down the line so stations could repeat it.

Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jack son died Thursday. And radio died right along with him.
Most radio stations just kept John Tesh rolling, Ryan Seacrest babbling and voice tracking mindlessly ploughing through the playlist.
By comparison Elvis died way before consolidation and within ten minutes most stations were broadcasting on-air tributes, news accounts and playing wall-to-wall Elvis. Not so easy when your local program is coming from national headquarters.
People not only remembered where they were when The King died, but which station they were listening to. Not yesterday. For most of the day before it could respond, radio was at best forgettable. Hell, if it can’t jump on the death of one of its A-list music performers to an audience waiting to soothe their shock, what could it do?
One of my readers checked in and said: “Are there any radio tributes? Only one I could find is on a local CBS station that is usually Hip-Hop / Rap. I sat in my car and scanned from Miami to West Palm. Only heard one other distant MJ song”.
A major market talent (our very own Big Jay Sorensen, by the way!!! kk) told me: “I think THIS is the kind of thing that makes me MORE angry and saddened than EVER about radio. The real point of my message to you is this: I know of many local stations that are VT’d from 10AM – 5AM!!! So I wonder if their audience will have to wait until 5am local time to find out from their station they THINK is on the ball? I am furious. Those audiences were served REALLY well, huh? Local my ass”.
By late in the day and into early evening, many more stations were reacting to their original misjudgment and started to ramp up on Jackson programming. Better late than never, I guess.
Still.
Stations went from voice tracking to backtracking when they felt the backlash. Traditional media also missed the boat on reporting Jack son ’s death. TMZ, the Internet gossip and news site did all the heavy lifting. The LA Times was the first traditional media outfit to report Jackson ’s death with any certainty but the rest of us already heard it through TMZ, which continued to provide updates and even a live streaming camera at UCLA Hospital. CNN was clueless. It seems like they were more interested in Farrah Fawcett's death -- I'm just sayin'. Just an opinion. Anyway, long before yesterday's events, CNN lost its soul.
The New York Times was just as bad. The Times eventually reported Michael Jackson's demise – according to other sources. Brilliant. No wonder newspapers are dead.
Why television is so lame.
Why radio is just a free iPod programmed by John Hogan’s pals.
A disappointed Brock Whaley of Honolulu checked in:
“Clear Channel Hawaii was the first to break in with Michael Jackson music and live phone calls from distraught listeners. Across all of their music formats, including their alternative outlet. They did good. One station, owned by a national chain, announced the news, and then played music from a totally unrelated artist. Another local station group was very slow to respond with both news of the death, and the appropriate musical tributes even though it fit several of their formats. On the other hand, we have an NPR affiliate that clears "All Things Considered" in real time. Even NPR had the story, and played a Michael Jackson song, before the aforementioned local chain had broken any news or dumped their voice tracking”.
To be fair, a few stations did it right.
Tribune's WGN in Chicago.
My friend Bruce St. James was on-air at Bonneville's KTAR telling MJ stories. And, of course, CBS-FM in New York .
(Forgive me for not mentioning all of those who got it right).
Most, however, did not.
Until the pressure became immense. I'm sure by the time you read this, the stations caught with their pants down will be trying to convince many people that they're on it now.
Look, I’ve never liked the effects of consolidation. Somehow, the demise of radio has been documented on the pages of our trade publications and even then the writers didn’t make it seem that all that bad. Now, we’re beginning to see in real-time and in real ways the effects of running a radio station like an investment banker.
Tornadoes that don’t get broadcast.
Dangerous news events not aired.
Flood waters not warned (at a recent Clear Channel outdoor event with 60,000 people).
Loss of connection with our local communities.
Separation from the local personalities that once made radio great.
No wonder this day has finally come, where one of the most prolific artists in radio’s history became a footnote to voice tracking. This is the sort of day that made one of my readers say this about non-local radio, "we deserve whatever we get".
Michael Jackson sang about the “Man in the Mirror” and the message could easily apply to the consolidators who are ruining radio.
Listen:
And No Message Could've Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place (If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place )
Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make That . . .(Take A Look At Yourself And Then Make That . . .)Change!
To quote my Hawaiian friend:
“North Korea has a missile aimed at us. Better keep your iPhone”.

To be fair, here in Chicago, Michael Jackson music was ALL over the radio dial by 5 PM on virtually EVERY radio station I checked. It continued throughout the following day, almost to the point of saturation. What was especially nice was the sharing of some of the memories of the disc jockeys about THEIR memories, experiences and / or impressions of Michael and his music ... reminding us again that the key to good radio has ALWAYS been the informed jock who shares part of himself with his audience ... that's the kind of thing that created the bond we developed with some of our all-time radio favorites. Listeners calls, too, dominated the airwaves. I believe Chicago radio got it right in every sense of the word ... but the truth is, we don't have a whole lot of radio here that is voice-tracked ... most of our radio is still "live". (At the very least, shouldn't the major networks have broken in with news reports? Heck, by 8:00 that night NBC and ABC already had two-hour television specials on the air about the passings of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett!)
Another good point made in this article is the power of TMZ ... for all I hate about these guys ... and I really DO hate them ... they really do seem to have their fingers on the pulse of the entertainment world ... too bad it's so often in such a SLEAZY and underhanded way. (It's almost like The National Enquirer gone bad ... as if it ever really needed to have gotten any worse!!! lol)
Back in the old days, we would have been flipping through the dial, trying to find out the latest news about this event, or more Michael Jackson music. Today, in far too many cases, when you flip on the radio, you're hearing what they decided to play and recorded YESTERDAY instead. (And honestly, how much thought process goes into THAT decision anyway, when it's the same 200-300 songs every single day?!?!? I mean, really, just what IS the role of the Program Director these days when the selection of material is so limited?!?!?) Michael Jackson was an icon ... in EVERY sense of the word ... the music he gave us will endure many lifetimes. (We just spent the majority of this past weekend watching his videos on TV ... absolutely AMAZING ... and ground-breaking.) I hope this lets Michael Jackson music remain on the radio ... it's been absent for far too long. We'll be hearing controversy and horror stories for months to come, I'm sure ... but NOBODY can take away the music. (kk)

Big Jay Sorensen spoke for a lot of us.
Here in LA, KIIS-FM, who owes most of its success to Michael Jackson (and vice versa), played nothing but MJ tracks during the entire time the news was coming out. That was it. Listeners had to go to (surprise!) AM to get the information that was pouring out of UCLA Med Center. All four news or talk stations (including KABC) had reporters all over the place with wall-to-wall coverage. KIIS had NOTHING. They were so much better than this.

Howard Hoffman

For MORE radio ranting and raving, read on!!!

re: THROWING IN THE TOWEL:
We're still getting comments (and letters of support) after our latest oldies rave-out. Just to refresh your memory, a week or two ago I wrote this:
>>>I won't lie to you ... from time to time I get really discouraged wondering if we can REALLY make a difference with Forgotten Hits. Sure, every once in a while I can hear the results on the radio, giving me just some small spark of hope that things are slowly starting to improve ... but we've been pushing the jocks for almost TEN YEARS now to push the envelope just a LITTLE bit farther and play some of these tracks that were legitimate hits that have simply fallen off the radar after years of tunnel-vision radio programming ... and the truth is that only a few of these guys have it within their power to do so. Being equally as honest, I will admit that there is NO question in my mind that oldies radio TODAY is a WHOLE lot better than it was ten years ago when Forgotten Hits first started. Mega outlets like Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel are beaming nationwide these days, playing a better variety of music than we'd grown accustomed to and slipping in those "surprises" once in a while to keep things interesting ... and I have to believe that at least in SOME small way we've been a source of inspiration for this. Likewise the new Hit Parade Radio start-up, programming nearly 3500 songs from 1950-1980 ... it'd be nearly impossible NOT to come up with a surprise "Wow" song once in a while with THAT many titles to select from ... is programming exclusively to the "ignored demographic" that we preach about so often here in Forgotten Hits ... so this, too, is an encouraging sign. Whereas ten years ago it wasn't really much of a factor at all, Internet Radio now runs the full gamut of the obvious hits, the lesser known hits and B-Sides to the completely obscure ... stuff you're not even going to recognize it because you most likely never even knew it exists. With WI-FI Radio soon to be available in cars, along with satellite operations like XM / Sirius, radio HAS grown leaps and bounds over this past decade. All in all, I suppose I should be feeling pretty good about the progress we've made ... maybe even sharing in just a LITTLE bit of the credit along the way.
But then every once in a while a reality check comes along that makes me realize that maybe I'm wrong ... maybe the average oldies listener out there doesn't really WANT to be challenged or enticed. The other day I was listening to Jim Shea's morning show on Y103.9 when he reached his "I Buried Paul" feature. It's a contest that runs every morning at 7:20 (and has for a couple of years now) where Jim plays a snippet of a popular song BACKWARDS and listeners have to try to identify the song and the artist to win some sort of prize. Well, the other day, something got screwed up in the studio and the tape of "Chick-A-Boom", the Daddy Dewdrop hit from 1971 played FORWARDS instead of backwards ... meaning simply that it played the actual record. It was a screw up of massive proportions but Jim decided to let it slide and said that since THIS is the way it was played, he'd let somebody win by simply identifying the song. (A Good Sport is Jim!!! lol) So the very first caller gets through and then Jim asks him, "Are you feelin' it?" ... to which he responds ... "Oh yeah, I'm feelin' it ... (long pause) ... is it 'Alley Oop'?!?!?" ... thus proving ALL of these narrow-minded programmers right when they state that the AVERAGE oldies listener doesn't WANT to expand their musical horizons ... they want to hear the music that they're most COMFORTABLE with, even if it DOES mean the same two or three hundred songs over and over and over again. (It's not at all uncommon to hear listeners playing this game not know the title of the songs Jim plays ... or misidentify the artist ... it happens all the time ... and thus my faith in the average oldies listener has hit a new all-time low.) The tunnel-vision programming (or as I like to refer to it, the DE-Programming) of our radio audience is virtually complete. MOST listeners really don't CARE what songs are being played ... they just want them to make them feel "comfortable" when they come on the air. They've been fed the SAME songs for so long now that they can no longer think out side the box. Most truly don't remember that artists like The Turtles and The Association and Tommy James and the Shondells recorded more than one or two hits ... when quite the opposite would be true. Even Elvis, The King Of Rock And Roll, has been reduced to a One Hit Wonder ... when do you EVER hear anything OTHER than "Suspicious Minds" anymore ... and why do we have to hear THAT one three or four times a day?!?!? There are over a hundred legitimate Elvis hits to choose from ... if you played just three a day you wouldn't have to spin "Suspicious Minds" again for a whole month!!!
Now, in all fairness, Forgotten Hits was never designed to appeal to the AVERAGE oldies listener ... but I have ALWAYS believed that, if given the chance ... if presented the challenge and the variety ... the average oldies listener WOULD come around to appreciate a deeper selection of music coming out of his or her radio. Revitalize some of those memory brain cells that have been lying dormant for the past two decades and challenge yourself again. But I could be wrong. I could have just been blowing smoke for the past ten years trying to prove otherwise ... chasing my tail trying to convince OTHER music people to just "give it a shot" and see what happens. I dunno ... this has really humbled me today ... hopefully some of you out there will restore my faith in the oldies scene and get me out of this funk. Otherwise, I guess my work here is done!!! (kk)
Hey Kent,
I read your comments about the current state of oldies radio (and the whole music industry in general for that matter) with empathy. I think oldies radio could be much more creative and "interactive", like your column! My heart is still stirred by the songs of my high school days, but frankly I'm not knowledgeable enough about the oldies radio scene from a business standpoint to provide any brilliant insight. However, I can relate to you as an artist / songwriter who works hard to stay motivated when I sometimes wonder if anyone is listening. I guess what keeps me going is simply loving what I do. That and the responses by email, or through CD Baby, or included in your blog column, reminding me that my work is appreciated. I hope your readers will respond to you in the same supportive way.
Best,
Alan O'Day
Thanks, Alan. I think it's our love of this music that keeps ALL of us going and moving forward. I've certainly heard that from a number of the artists on the list ... and I think it's great that you guys are still making quality, relevant music, even if radio isn't playing and supporting it. I feel that in some way THIS has become a big part of our purpose here in Forgotten Hits ... to let the fans know that this great music is still out there and that most of their favorite artists from yesteryear are still recording and making personal appearances. (That's why I keep saying that I'd love to get a couple hundred MORE artists on the list!!!) We're all aware of the sad situation these tunnel-vision programmers have created ... thankfully, there are still services like Forgotten Hits ... and Internet Jocks out there ... who will take the time to PLAY this new music and introduce it to our followers. Believe me, a kind review from you does just as much to cheer ME up as all of the fan letters that YOU receive!!! It reassures me that we're on the right track! (kk)

Please keep up the great work with what you're doing. You've sounded frustrated lately, but don't despair. As always, you are doing good work. I can tell you myself that I have learnt so much through you and your readers. You've developed an important community which depends on you to keep it going.
Best,

Sam Tweedle
Click here: Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict - A Quinn Martin Production
Thanks, Sam, I appreciate it! As one who shares our love and our passion for keeping these great memories alive, I'm glad to have you "on the team" so to speak. (kk)

Thought I'd weigh in since my point of view seems to be different than many of your members. I truly agree that FM oldies stations need to expand their playlist. Scott Shannon has certainly improved his list but it's still limited. Several of your contributors rag on Sirius but I now find I listen most of the time to Sirius / XM as their playlists for the 50's and 60's are at least double that of Shannon's. Additionally, the "expanding" of FM playlists has basically just meant stretching the time period to include the 70's. And unfortunately the songs of the 1956-62 period have been reduced to make room for them.
As for not playing doo wop on FM, I love doo wop but, like country music from the same time period, you had to hear nine bad ones for every good one. So unless you grew up in NYC in the 50's and heard every street corner song ever made as your rock and roll diet I think most people just don't want to hear mediocre doo wop. Again I say this as a comparison to growing up, say, in Chicago in the 50's where we also heard mediocre rock and roll except it was mainstream instead of doo wop. So if we hear occasionally a mediocre mainstream song, it may still have the "wow" factor since we haven't heard it for years. For example I can think of three songs I recently heard for the first time in years and now I can wait a while before wanting to hear them again. ("It's Summertime" by the Jamies, "Over the Rainbow" by the Demensions, "Oh Julie" by the Crescendoes). But hearing them once evoked fond memories. Kent, keep up the great work and keep the pressure on the programmers. You can't eat an elephant in one bite but there is some progress being made.
Steve Davidson

lol ... Frannie made me turn off "Summertime" by The Jamies just the other day!!! (lol) These songs are PERFECT examples of what we keep preaching ... no, NONE of these tracks belong in heavy rotation ... but they DO deserve to be played once or twice a year just to remind us that they exist. Actually, I think Scott Shannon is doing a GREAT job right now of slipping in more and more of the obscure stuff ... and, as we mentioned before, we're finding more and more of these are the results of listener requests, which simply reinforces my point that the REAL music fans out there want to hear some of this stuff again ... or at least from time to time. I've said before that a "Wow Factor" song doesn't even have to be a song I like ... it's just nice to hear something unexpected once in a while, even if it makes you feel like, "OK, that was cool, but I don't need to hear THAT one again for another 20 years!!!" lol ... Unfortunately, this constant repetitiveness now has me feeling that way about songs like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Suspicious Minds" and "Long Train Runnin'" ... ALL songs that I used to LOVE but turn off EVERY single time they come on the radio now ... they've been RUINED for me ... hopefully not for life because they're all REALLY good songs. But instead of playing "Brown Eyed Girl" for the 12th time this week, put on "Wonderful Summer" by Robin Ward (which I heard Scott Shannon play the other day on Robin's birthday ... along with a very nice background tribute) ... or one of the OTHER great songs that just don't get any attention anymore. Come on, this was a Top 20 Song for God's sake ... and #1 here in Chicago!!! How on earth did it fall off the radar?!?!? I wish I could listen more often (we have a "no radios" policy at work so I really only get to listen to Scott Shannon at lunch these days) ... because I think he's REALLY found a nice mix of surprises to throw in each and every day. (I just wish they'd delegate some of these over-played button pushers to "reduced status" somehow and give a little more time to some of the "medium rotation" hits ... maybe if we didn't hear the same stuff so often ... ESPECIALLY when it's the same stuff that EVERY other radio station is playing ... we could learn to love and appreciate this music again.) kk

Kent,
There is indeed a segment of the listening audience that doesn't have a clue. It is a challenge for me to keep coming up with tough questions for those that are really good at remembering stuff from the old days. Then there are those that lived through the era and did not retain a thing. A few years ago I asked this question ... The members of this band included: Jim Kale, Garry Peterson, Randy Bachman, and Burton Cummings. Can you name this group? A gentleman that sounded to be about my age called and answered the Beatles. At first I thought he was kidding, but I soon realized he wasn't.
Phil Nee
Wrco Radio
Now THAT'S pretty sad!!! (lol) kk

Kent ...
How ya' doin'? People ask me why don’t I listen to oldies stations anymore? Because I’ve heard it all before!
I’ll be honest with you ... I get bored with a current hit after hearing it played for three solid months. You can imagine how I feel hearing the same Top 100 oldies year after year … decade after decade! I believe, however, there are ways to satisfy regular listeners and attract new ones at the same time. I came up with some pretty innovative ideas to present to Oldies radio stations to help turn their fortunes around! Stay tuned for more details!
Artie Wayne
We should pool our efforts, Artie ... I've got a ton of ideas, too ... and with all of the talent on our list right now, I just KNOW that we can make this happen ... as long as somebody gets behind it financially!!! We need to talk!!! (kk)



More thoughts on oldies radio ... and the future of Forgotten Hits ... to come later this week. Stay Tuned!!!