re: THE ROCK AND
ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES:
The 2013 Nominees have just been announced
... congratulations to The Marvelettes, Donna Summer, Heart, Procol Harum, Deep Purple, Chic, the
Meters, Albert King, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Kraftwerk, Randy Newman,
Rush, Joan Jett, Public Enemy and NWA.
We'd also like to pass along another round of "Who
Needs Ya" snubs to Chicago, The Guess Who, The Moody Blues, Linda Ronstadt and
all the others who make our Deserving And Denied List every year, only to be
continually denied by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, saluting instead artists
like Kraftwerk (who had ONE semi-hit techno album that has made absolutely NO
lasting impression on the evolution of rock and roll), The Meters (huh?), BLUES
Artists Albert King and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and
NWA.
Heart, Joan Jett and Donna Summer were
among the nominees in last year's voting. Summer, who died last May, and Chic
were also nominated in 2010. (Davy Jones, who died in February, was also ignored for his efforts with The Monkees, a long-standing, timeless, fan favorite.) Winners should be announced in January with the
actual induction ceremony taking place April 18 in Los
Angeles.
WTG, Jann Wenner ... you've done it
again! Proven how little WE know about music ... as it relates to YOUR world,
rather than the actual world of music at large. (kk)
Wow! Jann Wenner's going to
toss fans a bone in this year's Hall of Fame election. You can now vote for his
pathetic list of nominees. Then collectively you'll be counted as ONE VOTE along
with the 600 members of the blue ribbon panel (most of whom don't bother to vote
because they know Jann will have his say anyways -- like the year he inducted
Grandmaster Flash instead of Dave Clark). No write-ins allowed (or none of
Jann's picks would make it): Fans can vote for Jann's pathetic list at:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/vote-for-the-2013-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductees-20121004
-- Ron
Smith
So if, by some miracle, two million people
went over to Jann Wenner's site and voted for their favorites from amongst this
list ... those two million votes would count as ONE vote out of 600?!?!? Yep,
that seems fair. Ahh, progress! Do me a favor ... if anybody goes to the site,
cast a vote for me for Heart ... they seem to be one of the only legitimate rock
and roll acts on the list again this year. Fans who have campaigned for years to see
Deep Purple's name on the ballot should be thrilled ... they certainly were a
rock and roll band ... ditto for Rush. (Oh my gosh, there must be some sort of
mistake ... a CANADIAN artist got nominated! Of course it wasn't The Guess Who,
who came nearly a decade before but hey, at least SOMEBODY from Canada finally
got nominated.) Procol Harum is an interesting choice ... classical rock
finally gets recognized (which would have made The Electric Light Orchestra a
pretty good choice, too) ... and hey, Joan Jett LOVED rock and roll, so I guess
she belongs there, right? (Joan Jett gets nominated but Linda Ronstadt
doesn't? I must be living in a parallel universe somewhere.) Kraftwerk were a techno band, The Meters were sort of R&B (in a
Booker T. and the MG's-wannabe sort of way) ... and The Marvelettes are one of
the few Motown acts that haven't already been recognized ... Albert King and The Paul
Butterfield Blues Band were blues artists ... Donna Summer and Chic were
disco. And Randy Newman?!?!? Sure, he belongs ... in a Leonard Cohen sort of
way. (NOT!) And you can't DEFINE Rock And Roll and not mention Public Enemy
and NWA, right??? Rock and Roll was derived from the roots of R&B ... and what used
to be called "Race Music" ... so how can you possibly NOT rightfully induct a group
called "Niggaz With Attitude"?!?!? (kk)
Here's the new list of
nominees for this year's R&R Hall of Fame. Who / What is N.W.A.?
I almost "le-Freak-ed" when
I saw Chic!
Paul Buttersfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Heart, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Albert King, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, The Meters, Randy Newman, N.W.A., Procol Harum, Public Enemy, Rush, Donna Summer
So many more deserving are still shut out. And yet, I cannot help but be reminded of the Intruders' "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" this year!
Could the Coachmen, Smoke Ring, Cryan Shames be "ALTERNATE CHOICES"???
This year for the first time, FANS actually have a squeaky little voice (maybe) in the outcome of these choices!http://bsnpubs.websitetoolbox.com/post/Rock-And-Roll-Hall-Of-Fame-Wants-Your-Input-6035130?pid=1275219942#post1275219942
OK, I just watched the video and now I am "le-freaking" out that NWA is in the list for sure. In 10 years, will all Hiphop and rap Gods be the inductees?
OK, so they are NOT letting us choose the nominees, just choose from the above list of Atlantic Records artists. OOPS, sorry, my bad, just a slip of the tongue there. Just because 80% of the Hall recorded for Atlantic and 99% of those who deserve to be in did NOT record for Atlantic is no reason to think the fix is in. Of course not. "The Fixx" can't be in because they did NOT record for ATL, so the fix would NOT be in! Haha.
You can view the fan voter results as of now on the voting site and for the most part, the top 5 seem to be decent choices, at least. Rush leading with almost double Deep Purple and Heart.
Paul Buttersfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Heart, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Albert King, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, The Meters, Randy Newman, N.W.A., Procol Harum, Public Enemy, Rush, Donna Summer
So many more deserving are still shut out. And yet, I cannot help but be reminded of the Intruders' "(Love is Like a) Baseball Game" this year!
Could the Coachmen, Smoke Ring, Cryan Shames be "ALTERNATE CHOICES"???
This year for the first time, FANS actually have a squeaky little voice (maybe) in the outcome of these choices!http://bsnpubs.websitetoolbox.com/post/Rock-And-Roll-Hall-Of-Fame-Wants-Your-Input-6035130?pid=1275219942#post1275219942
OK, I just watched the video and now I am "le-freaking" out that NWA is in the list for sure. In 10 years, will all Hiphop and rap Gods be the inductees?
OK, so they are NOT letting us choose the nominees, just choose from the above list of Atlantic Records artists. OOPS, sorry, my bad, just a slip of the tongue there. Just because 80% of the Hall recorded for Atlantic and 99% of those who deserve to be in did NOT record for Atlantic is no reason to think the fix is in. Of course not. "The Fixx" can't be in because they did NOT record for ATL, so the fix would NOT be in! Haha.
You can view the fan voter results as of now on the voting site and for the most part, the top 5 seem to be decent choices, at least. Rush leading with almost double Deep Purple and Heart.
Clark
Besch
Kent,
Since you're always wound up over the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame I thought I'd stir the pot a little. It was great to see a few
well deserved nominations for 2013. But give me a break!! Public Enemy?!?!? Why
don't they just change their name to Rock & Crap Hall of Fame? And who or
what is N.W.A? Actually I do know they're a hip hop group that is known for
their gangsta wrap. And what do the letters NWA mean? Sorry, I won't even go
there ... you can look that up on the internet. I'm not going to rehash what's
already been said several times on Forgotten Hits. Suffice to say that I'm in
your camp on this.
Steve
What is the deal with you people?!?!? And you call yourselves music fans?!?!? C'mon ... ANYBODY who knows ANYTHING about rock
and roll music knows who NWA are! It's one of the first names that rolls off
your tongue during ANY rock and roll discussion!!! See what I mean? If an
artist made a revolutionary, game-changing contribution to the evolution of rock
music, then why is it that every single year Wenner comes up with a name that
NOBODY knows, while ignoring some of the biggest and most influential names in
rock and roll history? Interesting to see in Clark's letter above that the
three leaders in the PUBLIC vote are the legitimate ROCK acts on the list. Who
would have EVER thought that THAT is what The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was
supposed to be about!!! (kk)
re: NEW RELEASES AND UP-COMING
EVENTS:
FINALLY: As of today, October 1st, my new CD,
FINDING YOU AGAIN, is officially out and available from
European outlets. You'll be able to get it directly
from American stores and online outlets on the 9th. Here's the link with order info. http://boblind.com/merch/
Some of you know that the presales have stunned us all.
For a week and a half, it's been in the Top 20 on Amazon's Best-selling New and
Future Releases in the Singer / Songwriter category. It jumped on at #18 and has
been up and down since, peaking at #4. As of this writing it's at #5. Nobody's
more amazed than I am.
If you have no life and lots of time to shoot through
the head, you can track its progress here: . http://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/music/67176
But look fast. The rankings change hourly.
Yers,
Bob Lindwww.boblind.com
Bob Lindwww.boblind.com
Hi Everybody:
This Friday night I'll be playing one of my mixtures of
solid gold classics plus other surprises.
My special guest Doug Alt will be on from 8 PM till
10:00 - more details below.
10:00 till 12:00 I will go back to my
mixture.
12:00 AM till 1:30 will be Midnight Country / 90
minutes of real country classics.
1:30 till 3:01 - More of my classic music
mix.
And please don't forget my Sunday night Doo Wop Party
from 11:00 PM till 2:01 AM
Same place - Oldies Your Way.
Please Note: All times mentioned are
eastern!!!!!
Here's how Doug describes his upcoming appearance on my
show:
Hi folks,
This Friday night (Oct. 5th) I’ll be performing live and will be interviewed on an Internet “Radio” Show called “The Pop Shoppe” from 8:00 to 10:00 PM.
The host of the program is Stuart Weiss.
“The Pop Shoppe” is basically an “oldies” show that I first discovered back in 1987 or so when it was broadcasting from a station in Hazlet, NJ. It was a very local station whose power did not reach very far. It could occasionally reach Morganville, where I was living at the time, but to hear it a bit better I would get in my car and drive toward Hazlet, usually cruising around Matawan for a while, where the signal would be stronger.
What was really fun for me was to call in “requests” FROM MY CAR, which was a very big deal in 1987, since I had one of the real early cell phones installed in my car (to aid me in marketing of a business project I had going that year). The pertinent word is “installed” - the cell phone weighed about 10 pounds back then, looking very much like a military battlefield radio from WWII, and it was mounted in brackets in the trunk, with the handset up front by the driver’s seat. This was the “state of the art” for cell phones in 1987.
In the 90’s, I would catch Stu’s program occasionally when commuting back and forth to Princeton, where I was doing a lot of bus driving for the American Boy Choir. About half way between Princeton and Wanamassa, on I-195, his show would occasionally come in on my radio for about 10 minutes on each side of where I-195 crossed Rt. 9 – Stu had moved to another local station based in Howell, NJ.
A few years ago, after not having “crossed trails” with The Pop Shoppe for several years, I decided to see where Stu’s current location (if any) might be by searching the internet. I quickly discovered that The Pop Shoppe had become an internet broadcast.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, Stu’s audience for The Pop Shoppe now extends coast to coast, as well as worldwide, with regular listeners tuning in from Japan, Australia, Canada and other surprising places.
If you like “oldies”, it is a good place to tune in between 7:00 PM and 3:01 AM on Friday /Saturday. Stu goes way beyond just the typical “oldies” play list of stations like, for example, 101.1 FM used to play. He delves into the discography of various artists, often playing some of their less-played, or even obscure, songs. He sometimes goes back into the 40’s and 30’s to play some of the artists who started trends that reached their fruition in the 50’s or 60’s. He gets into some esoteric themes, even some very wacky ones. But, if you like music, it is fun and endlessly interesting. By the way, don’t count on any two Fridays to be similar. He has an archive of THOUSANDS of records, tapes and CDs to draw from.
One of the things Stu does is to discuss the history of groups and individual artists, often having them visit his studio for live interviews and performances. I am thrilled that I am going to be one of those artists singing and interviewing this coming Friday night.
I hope you will be able to spend some time with us, on the internet, between 8:00 and 10:00 PM. Just go to this web page: http://www.oldiesyourway.com/Oldies_Your_Way_Radio/Home.html
Look for the “Stream Licensing.com” page and the words “Tune In”.
Pick the music player that works best in your computer.And, most importantly, have fun!Be COOL! Be THERE!
Doug Alt
This Friday night (Oct. 5th) I’ll be performing live and will be interviewed on an Internet “Radio” Show called “The Pop Shoppe” from 8:00 to 10:00 PM.
The host of the program is Stuart Weiss.
“The Pop Shoppe” is basically an “oldies” show that I first discovered back in 1987 or so when it was broadcasting from a station in Hazlet, NJ. It was a very local station whose power did not reach very far. It could occasionally reach Morganville, where I was living at the time, but to hear it a bit better I would get in my car and drive toward Hazlet, usually cruising around Matawan for a while, where the signal would be stronger.
What was really fun for me was to call in “requests” FROM MY CAR, which was a very big deal in 1987, since I had one of the real early cell phones installed in my car (to aid me in marketing of a business project I had going that year). The pertinent word is “installed” - the cell phone weighed about 10 pounds back then, looking very much like a military battlefield radio from WWII, and it was mounted in brackets in the trunk, with the handset up front by the driver’s seat. This was the “state of the art” for cell phones in 1987.
In the 90’s, I would catch Stu’s program occasionally when commuting back and forth to Princeton, where I was doing a lot of bus driving for the American Boy Choir. About half way between Princeton and Wanamassa, on I-195, his show would occasionally come in on my radio for about 10 minutes on each side of where I-195 crossed Rt. 9 – Stu had moved to another local station based in Howell, NJ.
A few years ago, after not having “crossed trails” with The Pop Shoppe for several years, I decided to see where Stu’s current location (if any) might be by searching the internet. I quickly discovered that The Pop Shoppe had become an internet broadcast.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, Stu’s audience for The Pop Shoppe now extends coast to coast, as well as worldwide, with regular listeners tuning in from Japan, Australia, Canada and other surprising places.
If you like “oldies”, it is a good place to tune in between 7:00 PM and 3:01 AM on Friday /Saturday. Stu goes way beyond just the typical “oldies” play list of stations like, for example, 101.1 FM used to play. He delves into the discography of various artists, often playing some of their less-played, or even obscure, songs. He sometimes goes back into the 40’s and 30’s to play some of the artists who started trends that reached their fruition in the 50’s or 60’s. He gets into some esoteric themes, even some very wacky ones. But, if you like music, it is fun and endlessly interesting. By the way, don’t count on any two Fridays to be similar. He has an archive of THOUSANDS of records, tapes and CDs to draw from.
One of the things Stu does is to discuss the history of groups and individual artists, often having them visit his studio for live interviews and performances. I am thrilled that I am going to be one of those artists singing and interviewing this coming Friday night.
I hope you will be able to spend some time with us, on the internet, between 8:00 and 10:00 PM. Just go to this web page: http://www.oldiesyourway.com/Oldies_Your_Way_Radio/Home.html
Look for the “Stream Licensing.com” page and the words “Tune In”.
Pick the music player that works best in your computer.And, most importantly, have fun!Be COOL! Be THERE!
Doug Alt
Remember!!! You
must be here Friday night because I don't want to be alone.
Sincerely,
Stuart Weiss (DJ
STU)
MICKY DOLENZ, LEAD SINGER
AND DRUMMER OF THE MONKEES WILL GIVE FANS SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM AT
J&R MUSIC WORLD CD SIGNING, NYC, OCTOBER 17
DOLENZ WILL ALSO PERFORM A SOLO SHOW AT BB KINGS,
OCTOBER 19TH, TO BE RECORDED FOR FUTURE LIVE ALBUM RELEASE
Micky Dolenz, will be in NYC from October 14th - 20th and
has just confirmed a CD signing at J&R Music World on Wednesday,
October 17th, starting at 12:30 pm. On October 19th he'll play a very
special show at BB King's which will be recorded for a later Live Album release.
Micky just released his new album, Remember (Waterfront Ent. Group
/ RoboRecords and Universal Music Distribution), which features many songs that
mark great milestones in his life, as well as some new songs that offer insight
as to where the artist is now. This album was released worldwide on September
25, 2012 with a launch party at Capitol Studios in LA September 26. Press
response has already been tremendously supportive including features in the LA
Times, AOL Spinner and the lead in a roundup in USA TODAY. This has been an
enormously busy time for Micky, who in addition to this solo release and tour,
has been rehearsing for a Monkees reunion tour which kicks off in November.
Produced and largely arranged by David Harris,
Remember promises classic tunes that will evoke some cherished
memories from listeners of all ages. Dolenz opens up a time capsule of
pop hits from decades ago, updating them with a tone that is reminiscent of his
younger days as a Monkee and appreciative of the music that continues to inspire
him.
The lyrics of the warm ballad, “Remember,” encapsulate this
nostalgia—“Remember is a place from long ago / Filled with everything you know /
Life is just a memory / Close your eyes and you can see / Think of all that life
can be.”
"Remember had just been finished when we heard the tragic news of
Davy Jones' passing" added Rob Christie, President of Robo Records/Waterfront
Ent. "which made the theme all the more poignant for Micky."
The track list of Remember portrays an “audio
scrapbook of the important songs in my life that had meant something to me for
one reason or another,” according to Dolenz. He incorporates new versions of
classic songs, re-imagined. The original writers of these songs range from some
of his pals to The Beatles, Carole King, Harry Nilsson, and Neil
Diamond.
One of Dolenz’ most exciting memories lies behind his cover
of The Beatles’ “Good Morning Good Morning.” He reminisces, “One day,
Paul [McCartney] invited me down to Abbey Road studios for a new album they were
doing [Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band]. I must have expected some kind
crazy, love-festival, Beatlemania event so I got dressed accordingly. I must
have looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and Charles Manson!” He was
surprised when he got to the studio, since it had plain white walls and the only
people there were the Fab Four in jeans and t-shirts, just playing their music.
John Lennon called out, “Hey Monkee Man!” and offered to play Dolenz a song they
had been working on… “Good Morning Good Morning.” This song was “burned into my
neural pathways forever,” he says. And now he performs his own version of it as
the lead track on Remember.Remember also features a cover
of the Chuck Berry classic, “Johnny B. Goode,” in homage to the start of his
Monkees career. “The song was my audition piece for The Monkees, and
that’s the song that got me the gig which changed my life forever.” After The
Monkees began skyrocketing, Dolenz developed his musical personality
even further.
“Several of these tracks are songs that I had been offered [in the past] by incredible song writers and I had turned them down for some stupid reason or another. They went on to become big hits for other artists,” according to Dolenz. For example, “‘Sugar Sugar’ was supposed to be the next Monkees song.” It was the song that caused a historic revolt between The Monkees and their producers. Of course, it went on to become a huge number one hit for the Archies … a cartoon band! Dolenz explains, “I never wanted to do the song, but producer David Harris did an incredible arrangement for this new album and talked me into it. It’s now become one of my favorites on the album!”
Dolenz felt he couldn’t have released this album without including his most famous vocal track of The Monkees, “I’m a Believer,” written by Neil Diamond. “The song became such an important track in my career.” In the re-imagined version on Remember, Dolenz wanted to do something completely different with it. “I’ve always wanted to do a country version of this song, and this was my opportunity. And yes, kids … I recorded this long before Shrek,” Dolenz jokes.
For Micky Dolenz, the friendship that evolved along with the music-making magic was another inspiration for the theme of this album. “We hit upon the title ‘Remember’ because of my dear friend Harry Nilsson, who I was very close to. I was actually there when he wrote the song [“Remember”]… and it stayed with me for the rest of my life.”
Micky Dolenz’ Remember is an enjoyable and fun audio scrapbook of Dolenz' most cherished memories. It is sure to be a special treat for all audiences ~ Get ready to take a trip down memory lane!
“Several of these tracks are songs that I had been offered [in the past] by incredible song writers and I had turned them down for some stupid reason or another. They went on to become big hits for other artists,” according to Dolenz. For example, “‘Sugar Sugar’ was supposed to be the next Monkees song.” It was the song that caused a historic revolt between The Monkees and their producers. Of course, it went on to become a huge number one hit for the Archies … a cartoon band! Dolenz explains, “I never wanted to do the song, but producer David Harris did an incredible arrangement for this new album and talked me into it. It’s now become one of my favorites on the album!”
Dolenz felt he couldn’t have released this album without including his most famous vocal track of The Monkees, “I’m a Believer,” written by Neil Diamond. “The song became such an important track in my career.” In the re-imagined version on Remember, Dolenz wanted to do something completely different with it. “I’ve always wanted to do a country version of this song, and this was my opportunity. And yes, kids … I recorded this long before Shrek,” Dolenz jokes.
For Micky Dolenz, the friendship that evolved along with the music-making magic was another inspiration for the theme of this album. “We hit upon the title ‘Remember’ because of my dear friend Harry Nilsson, who I was very close to. I was actually there when he wrote the song [“Remember”]… and it stayed with me for the rest of my life.”
Micky Dolenz’ Remember is an enjoyable and fun audio scrapbook of Dolenz' most cherished memories. It is sure to be a special treat for all audiences ~ Get ready to take a trip down memory lane!
OK, it's October 1st ... are the Christmas decorations up in your store
yet??? Just kidding ... but it seems like Christmas comes earlier and earlier
each year ... and it's really not unthinkable anymore to see Christmas
decorations, Thanksgiving decorations and Halloween decorations all prominently
on display this month, often side by side in the same aisles! (Kinda wears you out before the big holiday 'though,
thinking about it this early!)
This is certainly NOT the case, however, when it comes to radio programming
... stations looking to spice up their holiday line-up need to be making these
arrangements NOW ... and we've found JUST the program to give YOUR station the
edge ... check this out!!!
Get ready to count down …
THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL
TIME
Burbank, California, USA
– Monday, October 1, 2012 --
“The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time” - a star-studded
10-hour countdown of the biggest and best-selling original hit Yuletide singles
(and albums) from Bing Crosby to the present - will be distributed in the U.S.
and around the world this holiday season by L.A.-based Radio Express. Hosted by Wink Martindale, the Christmas
countdown features not just the classic original hit recordings but season’s
greetings and the stories-behind-their-holiday-hits from nearly 160 stars --
from The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Elvis Presley to Elton John, Madonna and
Mariah Carey … The Eagles, Brenda Lee and Bruce Springsteen … Whitney Houston
and literally everybody else who has ever scored a Yuletide
hit.
“It’s a goodtime show, packed with music, magic and memories,”
says Martindale, “plus a few surprises.”
Writer-producer Gary Theroux, whose 52-hour “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll”
won Billboard’s “Top Special Program of the Year” award, based the content on
Billboard chart data as well as other sources, such as listings of the Christmas
tracks most played on radio over the 20 years.
Every Yuletide evergreen you can think of is included – from the goodtime
gold and deeply romantic to the sentimental songs, beloved carols and fantasy
favorites.
Radio Express CEO Tom Rounds first teamed with Wink for “The Elvis
Presley Story,” which Martindale narrated for Watermark, the company which
launched Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40.”
This 10-hour special is available with market exclusivity to
stations either inside or outside the U.S.
Visit THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL
TIME webpage: http://radioexpress.com/public/content.php?loc=100_greatest_christmas_hits.php
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please
contact Christopher DiMatteo by phone at (818) 295-5800 ext. 226 or by e-mail
at christopher@radioexpress.com.
Radio Express, Inc. is the world's
leading supplier of entertainment programming to radio both inside and outside
the U.S. Founded in 1985 by industry
innovator and current CEO Tom
Rounds, the company was the first to introduce barter syndication to the
international radio world. It has since
established relationships with over 5,000 radio stations in 130+ countries,
creating the most extensive "network" of radio stations in the
world.
Sounds like a
GREAT holiday special ... and writer Gary Theroux tells us more ...
Hi, Kent.
Not
mentioned in the press release is just how wide the array of artists included in
the special is: nearly 160 in all, from the cast of "Glee" on back to -- Thomas
A. Edison! They include a lot of the ones you’d certainly expect to show up,
like:
Andy
Williams, B.J.
Thomas, Bing
Crosby, Bobby
Darin, Bobby Rydell, Bobby
Vinton, Burl
Ives, Chubby
Checker, Connie Francis,
Del
Shannon, Dion,
Eartha
Kitt, Elton
John, Elvis
Presley, Gary
Puckett, Gene
Autry, Jim
Croce, Jim
Reeves, Johnny
Mathis, Johnny
Tillotson, Jose
Feliciano, Judy
Garland, Les
Paul, Mark
Lindsay, Paul
Evans, Perry
Como, Roy
Orbison, Simon
& Garfunkel, The
Beatles, The
Beach Boys, Madonna,
The
Impressions, Whitney
Houston, The
Chipmunks, The
Crystals, Bruce
Springsteen, The
Carpenters, The
Drifters, The
Eagles, Mariah
Carey, The
Lettermen, The
Ronettes, The
Royal Guardsmen, U2,
Band
Aid, The
Seekers, Nat "King" Cole, and
a whole lot more "expected" people --- but
then again, when you open the doors to a come-one, come-all goodtime
ALL-TIME Yuletide bash, you never really know just who might show up to share a
little Yuletide cheer. So don’t be
surprised to find in the 70-plus year mix of music, magic and memories folks
like the following:
Alan
Sherman, Dennis
Day, Spike
Jones, The
Three Stooges, Lorne
Greene, Mel
Blanc, Weird
Al Yankovic, Jack
Benny, Merv
Griffin, The
Smothers Brothers, Stan
Freberg, Jimmy
Stewart, Cliff
"Jiminy Cricket" Edwards, Walter
Brennan, Howdy
Doody, Shrek,
Shirley
Temple, Jimmy
Durante, Paul Harvey, The Crew of Apollo 8 (who spent Christmas in space in
1968), The Cast of "Mystery Science 3000", and a whole lot more.
The countdown – which includes every original Christmas hit
recording you can think of (plus some real surprises) features the stories
behind the songs, many told by the original hitmakers
themselves.
Call your favorite radio station and let them know you’d like them
to carry THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME. It’s available worldwide through Radio
Express.
Gary Theroux
Though I must work several jobs, I have promised myself
one concert a month to maintain my sanity. This weekend was the September
concert (just got it in). I saw Dick Fox's Doo Wop Extravaganza in Westbury, Lon
Giland. Our line-up included: Randy and the Rainbows, The Marcels, Shirley
Alston Reeves, The Duprees, Jay Siegel's Tokens, Lenny Dell and the Demensions,
Charlie Thomas and the Drifters, and Lightning Lou Christie.
I watched the show through the eyes of my students, pretending they could see what I saw. They would have reveled in the spins and turns of The Marcels, who whirled around like they were 15 years old. The Drifters smooth synchronization would have had them spell-bound, and WE-MA-WAY would have echoed back from the audience at Jay Siegel. There was not one disappointing moment from any act. I went to see Lou Christie and was invited to his reception afterward. He is an always gracious host and supreme performer. I had an excellent night. All in the theatre had an excellent night as the standing ovations were numerous. ("Thank you for the standing ovation", said Lou Christie. "I know how difficult it is for all of you now.") creeeeeking knee sound effects
Remembering Kent's notice about the original Crickets (who were at another Doo Wop Show recently), we all need to see these performers now, while we can. WOW! Hasn't anybody lost their voice? What is it with our 60's singers? They are still fantastic!
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano
I watched the show through the eyes of my students, pretending they could see what I saw. They would have reveled in the spins and turns of The Marcels, who whirled around like they were 15 years old. The Drifters smooth synchronization would have had them spell-bound, and WE-MA-WAY would have echoed back from the audience at Jay Siegel. There was not one disappointing moment from any act. I went to see Lou Christie and was invited to his reception afterward. He is an always gracious host and supreme performer. I had an excellent night. All in the theatre had an excellent night as the standing ovations were numerous. ("Thank you for the standing ovation", said Lou Christie. "I know how difficult it is for all of you now.") creeeeeking knee sound effects
Remembering Kent's notice about the original Crickets (who were at another Doo Wop Show recently), we all need to see these performers now, while we can. WOW! Hasn't anybody lost their voice? What is it with our 60's singers? They are still fantastic!
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano
Yes, sadly we're learning that ALL of these shows are nothing more than
"limited engagements" these days ... if there's somebody you've always been
longing to see, do it now while you're still able. (I've never seen Lou
Christie ... had tickets a couple of times but both times the shows were
cancelled. Would love to finally be able to catch him in concert, but he
doesn't pass through Chicago very often.) As for The Crickets, there big
performance at The Arcada Theatre is this weekend. I'm hoping some of the
"locals" on the list snapped up some tickets ... that's a show you may not get a
chance to see again. And talk about variety ... after The Crickets play their
'50's rock on Saturday Night, you can catch The Go-Go's on Sunday! New shows
added for next year: Jim Peterik's World Stage (January 19th), Boz Scaggs
(April 12th) and Frankie Avalon (May 4th). kk
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Liverpool, England: U.S. based tour
operators Liverpool Productions celebrate their thirtieth anniversary in 2013
with guaranteed entry INSIDE Abbey Road Studios for the first time in a
decade.
The "Magical History Tour" is an 11-day vacation for
fans to Liverpool, London and Henley, from August 18 - August 28. The price is
still only $2499 per person complete, or
only $2999 including airfare.
In Liverpool, visit every
imaginable Beatles site, plus enjoy all the exclusive events the group is privy
to. Liverpool Productions is a sister company to Cavern City Tours, ensuring admissions to
everything, up-close seats at concerts and V.I.P. perks to events during Beatle
Week.
In London, visit all the
Beatles landmarks and - for the first time in 10 years - not only visit
Abbey Road Studio 2 but "get back"
inside to partake in an actual recording session. No other tour group has ever
have held actual recording sessions inside Abbey Road.
In Henley, visit George Harrison's
home, Friar Park ("Crackerbox Palace") and enjoy an afternoon in this very
beautiful British seaside
village.
For complete activities in London and
Liverpool, please refer to the past tour reports on website www.LiverpoolTours.com.
Tour participants also have had the unique
opportunity of meeting notables from the Beatles history. Special guests in the
past reads like a Beatles who's-who, including Pete Best, Cynthia Lennon, Mike
McCartney, John Lennon's sister Julia, George's sister Louise Harrison, former
Apple recording artist Jackie Lomax, former McCartney bandmembers Denny Laine -
Denny Siewell - Laurence Juber - Steve Holly - Hamish Stuart - Wix - Abe
Laboriel Jr. - Rusty Anderson, Beatles first manager Allan Williams, Billy J.
Kramer, Sid Bernstein, Gerry Marsden, May Pang, Badfinger's Joey Molland, Klaus
Voorman, Astrid Kirscher, Tony Bramwell, Sam Leach, authors Mark Lewisohn, Ray
Coleman, Spencer Leigh and David Bedford, plus others no longer with us such as
Beatles chauffeur Alf Bicknell, Cavern DJ Bob Wooler, Ringo's step-dad Harry,
John's Uncle Charlie Lennon and former Apple general manager (and Beatles buddy)
Alistair Taylor. They were just a few of
the celebrities we have met while on our
vacations.
Oh yes, did we forget to brag that
on past tours and promotions we have had close encounters with Paul McCartney,
George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Julian Lennon, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and
George Martin?!
Some of America's finest Beatle
tribute bands join the tour too: 1964 The
Tribute, The Fab Four, Rain, British Export, The Return, Penny Lane, Fab Faux,
Tim Piper, BeatleMania, A Hard Night's Day, BritishMania, Instant Karma, The
MerseyBeat, Abbey Road, Working Class Hero, American English and many more --
not to mention bands from all over the rest of the world who come to Liverpool
to perform for us! No other organized tour brings along bands, no other tour
generates as much fun, and no other tour is recognized by the city of Liverpool.
For 2013, travelers will once again have the
added option of staying over at the Hard Day's Night Hotel around the corner
from the Cavern Club.
Charles F. Rosenay!!! and Daniel Levine,
partners and organizers, host the tour, and they have been honored to be
welcomed into Liverpool Town Hall by the city's Lord Mayor. No other tour group
has received such a distinguished honor.
The response to MMTour 2013 and the tour's
return INSIDE Abbey Road Studios is incredible, and a sell-out is expected. Fans
have been asking for entrance inside Abbey Road for years.
Below is the tentative itinerary for the 2013
Magical History Tour:
Aug 18 Depart U.S. for the
greatest vacation adventure of our lives!
Aug 19 Arrive
London - check into hotel - Day trip on luxury coach - Panoramic historic
sightseeing tour including House of Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, London
Bridge, etc.
Evening activity - dinner at
London's original Hard Rock Cafe. Optional late night walking tour.
Aug 20 London
comprehensive Beatles sites all day, with a shopping stop at the London Beatles
Store.
Evening activity - dinner at Bill
Wyman's Rolling Stones - themed restaurant "Sticky Fingers."
Aug 21 Visit to
Abbey Road! Cross the same road as The Beatles. Take pictures of the historic
studio. Sign the Abbey Road wall. ENTER for an actual recording session inside
Abbey Road Studios 2. Go around the corner and visit Paul's Cavendish Street
home.
Evening is a free night in London -
see a West End Show - visit a club - take another Beatles
tour!
Aug 22 Depart
London by coach to Henley-on-Thames for a visit to George Harrison's Friar Park
home with time to visit the town, shop, check out the Henley bazaar / flea
market, pay respects to Dusty Springfield at the Henley church where she's
buried and have brunch in the town.
Depart Henley for Liverpool and
check into hotel.
Evening at Cavern Club for the
Cavern's 50th Anniversary gala commemorating The Beatles' final show there in
August of 1963
Aug 23 Full
English Breakfast included.
Afternoon Beatles Week welcome
party at the Alma De Cuba venue + visit to A Hard Day's Night boutique and the
BeatleDays mini-convention.
Evening Star-studded CONCERT at
Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall.
Late-night dancing and singing at
the Adelphi Hotel.
Aug 24 Full
English Breakfast included.
Beatles Auction in the Liverpool
Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).
Afternoon Special Event to be
announced.
Evening International Tribute
CONCERT event at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall.
Late-night "Beat Party" at the
Adelphi featuring 20 bands from "across the universe."
Aug 25 Full
English Breakfast included.
Inner-city walking tour of the
places nobody else takes you to, hosted by Rene van Haarlem of Beatles
Unlimited.
Day-long International Beatles
Convention with Special Guests of Honor, bands, rare video shows, the largest
Beatles collectors marketplace in Europe and much more.
Evening V.I.P. concert party in
Adelphi Hotel grand ballroom.
Midnight (very optional) annual
"All Nighter" in the hotel's three separate convention ballrooms.
Aug 26 Full
English Breakfast included.
Group entry into the wonderful
Beatles Story attraction at Albert Docks plus admission to their Photo Gallery
and 4-D ride. Visit to the Museum of Liverpool and their Beatles
exhibition.
Afternoon visit inside John &
Paul's Beatle homes (Mendips & Forthlin Road).
All day Mathew Street
Festival.
Late afternoon/early evening "50th
Anniversary of The Beatles" concert spectacular at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall
followed by gala concert showcase headlined by very special guests to be
announced.
Aug 27 Full
English Breakfast included.
Exclusive all-day
professionally-guided comprehensive Magical Mystery Tour of all the city's
Beatles sites - including George & Ringo homes - schools, hang-outs,
birthplaces, etc. - aboard the yellow MMT bus. This is the most amazing
all-inclusive Liverpool tour that takes us to every imaginable site of
importance.
Late afternoon Ferry Cross The
Mersey.
Evening Farewell Party with Special
Guest at the Cavern Club (past performers have included Gerry & The
Pacemakers, Denny Laine, Billy J. Kramer, Joey Molland/Badfinger, The
Searchers). This is the same stage that Paul McCartney played on a few years
back!
Aug 28 "There
are places I remember..." Depart to airport for return flight home to the
U.S.
For
further info on the “Magical History Tour” contact Liverpool
Production at (203) 795-4737. Fax: (203)
891-8433 or email: LiverpoolTours@aol.com.
101 Essential Rock Records:
The Golden Age of Vinyl
From The Beatles to The Sex
Pistols
Sumptuous Overview of The Most Influential Albums of All
Time
Accompanying Essays by Graham Nash, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Johnny
Marr and Others
101 Essential Rock Records: The Golden Age of
Vinyl, from The Beatles to The Sex Pistols, is a lush, thoughtful overview of
rock’s most seminal albums. This celebration of the vinyl record was compiled
and edited by music industry veteran Jeff Gold, and features contributions from
musicians Devendra Banhart, David Bowie, Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Nels Cline
(Wilco), Robyn Hitchcock, Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Graham Nash, and Suzanne
Vega. Set for publication December 6 from
esteemed arts and culture publisher Gingko Press, the 260 page hardcover offers
300 illustrations in a 9 ½” x 11 ½” coffee table format and carries a suggested
list price of $39.95 (available for preorder from Amazon; link
below.)
Click here for a selection of sample pages: http://
Gold’s book shines a light on 101 rock albums,
well known and obscure, that changed music forever; from the Beatles 1963 UK
debut Please Please Me through the Sex Pistols 1977 classic Never Mind The
Bollocks. The book focus is on vinyl’s “Golden
Age”; a period beginning with the explosion of album sales brought on by
Beatlemania, and ending in the late 70’s, with the advent of Sony’s Walkman—and
the cassette overtaking the LP as the dominant music
format.
Far from a round-up of obvious hits, this thoughtful book offers
the big names –The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac—alongside
lesser-known but highly influential artists including Them, Laura Nyro, The
Flying Burrito Brothers and The Stooges.
A two-page spread on each album features large images of each
record’s front and back cover and record label, alongside an essay by music
journalist Gene Sculatti, discussing that particular album’s influence and
impact. Each album depicted is the earliest issue from the artist’s country of
origin—akin to a first edition book. These include the first-ever version of the
Beatles debut, valued at $5,000, and an alternate issue of Bob Dylan’s
Freewheelin’, worth
$10,000.
Gold estimates that, based on current market values, the albums
pictured in the book would cost a collector upwards of $125,000 to
assemble.
A full list of
the 101 Essential Rock Records
is provided
below.
Thought
provoking essays from musicians and notable observers discussing vinyl in
general, and the featured albums that influenced them bring added dimension to
the book. Graham Nash’s writes about The Beatles’ Please Please Me and Joni Mitchell’s Blue. Nash,
whose band The Hollies were contemporaries of ‘The Fab Four,’ describes meeting
The Beatles at a 1959 talent show where they were billed as Johnny and the
Moondogs and how, four years later, John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang him the
just written Misery, “one voice in each ear.” He writes of meeting Joni
Mitchell at a party in Ottawa in 1967 and calls Blue his
“most favorite solo album,” confessing, “the thought that I spent much time with
this fine woman and genius of a writer is incredible to
me.”
David Bowie
speaks eloquently about the Velvet Underground’s enormous influenced on him,
noting that his band, Buzz, performed the band’s “I’m Waiting For The Man” as an
encore at their last gig, and that “it was the first time a Velvet song had been
covered by anyone, anywhere in the world. Lucky
me.”
Iggy Pop
writes of the life-changing impact of hearing Van Morrison’s no-holds-barred
performance on the first album by Them, as well as his admiration for Frank
Zappa and The Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out,
and how opening for the Mothers “pushed me to be weirder faster, and also to be
stranger to look at…That night I did my first stage dive. I knew the
Mothers were on after us and I didn’t want people to forget about
us.”
Also included
are contributions from Susanne Vega, Peter Buck of REM, Johnny Marr of The
Smiths, Nels Cline of Wilco, Devendra Banhart, Robyn Hitchcock, Elektra Records
founder Jac Holzman, cultural critic Jon Savage, art director Mick Haggerty and
record producer Joe Boyd. A four page
spread titled Jimi Hendrix: Record Collector pictures and
details the personal record collection of rock’s most revered guitarist. In
addition to the expected jazz, blues, soul and rock albums, Hendrix’s collection
included oddities such as Friar Tuck and His Psychedelic
Guitar.
A full list of contributors and their topics is provided
below.
The book also
includes a four page pictorial exploration of censored album covers, including
the notorious Beatles “Butcher Cover”, the original cover of Jimi Hendrix’s
Electric Ladyland (picturing 19 nude girls,) and a lesser known and
extremely rare version of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs,
before the dog’s genitals were airbrushed
out.
While
101 Essential Rock Records is a look back to a time when the vinyl LP was the
dominant format, it should be noted that we are currently in the midst of a
vinyl revival. In 2010 vinyl was the fastest growing format, and in 2011 US
vinyl sales topped 3.6 million units; a 37% increase from the previous
year.
The Author
Vinyl records have obsessed Jeff Gold for more
than 40 years. A collector, rare record dealer, music historian and major label
executive, Rolling Stone named Gold one of the world’s five “top collectors of
high-end music memorabilia.” As executive vice
president/general manager of Warner Bros. Records and a senior executive at
A&M Records, Gold worked with artists including Prince, R.E.M., The Red Hot
Chili Peppers, The Police, and Cat Stevens. A four-time
Grammy Award nominated art director, he won a Grammy for Best Album Package for
Days of Open Hand by Susanne Vega. He has
served as a consultant to both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Experience
Music Project and was recently seen on PBS’ History Detectives.
His collection was the source for most
of the albums featured in 101 Essential Rock Records.Gold owns the music collectibles website Recordmecca,
and writes about topics of interest to collectors on its associated blog.
101 Essential Rock Records
essays
Jeff Gold - The Record
Obsession
Jac Holzman - Dreams of
Vinyl
Graham Nash - The Beatles: Please,
Please Me and Joni Mitchell:
Blue
Iggy Pop - Them: The Angry Young
Them and The Mothers of Invention: Freak
Out!
Robyn Hitchcock - Pink Floyd:
Piper At The Gates of Dawn, Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited, and The Beatles:
Revolver
Nels Cline - The Jimi Hendrix
Experience: Are You Experienced? and Electric
Ladyland
David Bowie - The Velvet
Underground & Nico
Susanne Vega - The Beatles: The
Beatles (White Album) and Leonard Cohen: Songs of Leonard
Cohen
Jeff Gold - Jimi Hendrix: Record
Collector
Jon Savage - Moby Grape and Love:
Forever Changes
Devendra Banhart - Davy Graham:
Folk, Blues & Beyond, Alexander Spence: Oar, Vashti Bunyan: Just Another
Diamond Day
Mickey Haggerty – Album
Covers
Joe Boyd – The Incredible String
Band & Nick Drake
Johnny Marr – Iggy and the
Stooges: Raw Power
Peter Buck – Patti Smith: Horses
and Record Collecting
Censored! – The Mamas and the
Papas, The Beatles, Moby Grape, Jim Hendrix, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, The
Rolling Stones, Blind Faith, Roxy Music, Lynyrd Skynyrd, David
Bowie
Ken
Barnes – The Vinyl Mystique
101 Essential Rock Records
1. The Beatles – Please Please
Me
2. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob
Dylan
3. The Rolling Stones – The Rolling
Stones
4. Bob Dylan – Another Side of Bob
Dylan
5. Davy Graham – Folk Blues &
Beyond…
6. Them – Angry Young
Them
7. The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine
Man
8. Bob Dylan – Highway 61
Revisited
9. The Who – My
Generation
10. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds of
Silence
11. The Rolling Stones –
Aftermath
12. The Beach Boys – Pet
Sounds
13. Bob Dylan – Blonde On
Blonde
14. The Mothers of Invention – Freak
Out!
15. Yardbirds –
Yardbirds
16. John Mayall with Eric Clapton – Blues
Breakers
17. The Butterfield Blues Band – East
West
18. The Beatles –
Revolver
19. Jefferson Airplane – Takes
Off
20. The Kinks – Face to
Face
21. The 13th Floor Elevators – The Psychedelic Sounds
Of
22. Laura Nyro – More Than A New
Discovery
23. The Doors – The
Doors
24. Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic
Pillow
25. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet
Underground
26. Grateful Dead – Grateful
Dead
27. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You
Experienced?
28. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
Band
29. Moby Grape – Moby
Grape
30. Tim Buckley – Goodbye and
Hello
31. Pink Floyd – The Piper At The Gates of
Dawn
32. Buffalo Springfield –
Again
33. Love – Forever
Changes
34. Cream – Disraeli
Gears
35. Traffic – Mr.
Fantasy
36. The Who – The Who Sell
Out
37. Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard
Cohen
38. The Velvet Underground – White Light/White
Heat
39. Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood
Mac
40. The Incredible String Band – The Hangman’s Beautiful
Daughter
41. The Zombies – Odessey &
Oracle
42. Small Faces – Ogden’s Nut Gone
Flake
43. The Band – Music From The Big
Pink
44. Grateful Dead – Anthem of the
Sun
45. Jeff Beck –
Truth
46. Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap
Thrills
47. The Byrds – Sweetheart of the
Rodeo
48. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric
Ladyland
49. Van Morrison – Astral
Weeks
50. The Beatles – The Beatles (White
Album)
51. The Pretty Things – S.F.
Sorrow
52. The Pentangle – Sweet
Child
53. The Soft Machine – The Soft
Machine
54. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou
Country
55. Led Zeppelin – Led
Zeppelin
56. The Flying Burrito Bros. – The Gilded Palace of
Sin
57. MC5 – Kick Out The
Jams
58. Sly And The Family Stand –
Stand!
59. Neil Young With Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is
Nowhere
60. Alexander Spence –
Oar
61. The Who –
Tommy
62. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills &
Nash
63. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask
Replica
64. Blind Faith – Blind
Faith
65. Jethro Tull – Stand
Up
66. The Stooges – The
Stooges
67. Nick Drake – Five Leaves
Left
68. King Crimson – In The Court of The Crimson
King
69. Vashti Bunyan – Just Another Diamond
Day
70. Fairport Convention – Liege &
Leaf
71. The Move –
Shazam
72. James Taylor – Sweet Baby
James
73. Black Sabbath – Black
Sabbath
74. Emerson Lake & Palmer – Emerson Lake &
Palmer
75. David Bowie – The Man Who Sold The
World
76. Cat Stevens – Tea For The
Tillerman
77. Carole King –
Tapestry
78. Can – Tago
Mago
79. Yes – The Yes
Album
80. Joni Mitchell –
Blue
81. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore
East
82. Genesis – Nursery
Cryme
83. Faust –
Faust
84. The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main
St.
85. David Bowie – The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the
Spiders From Mars
86. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the
Moon
87. Roxy Music – For Your
Pleasure
88. Iggy And The Stooges – Raw
Power
89. New York Dolls – New York
Dolls
90. Big Star - #1
Record
91. Kraftwerk –
Autobahn
92. Bruce Springsteen – Born To
Run
93. Patti Smith –
Horses
94. Ramones –
Ramones
95. The Modern Lovers – The Modern
Lovers
96. AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done
Cheap
97. Fleetwood Mac –
Rumors
98. The Damned – The
Damned
99. The Clash – The
Clash
100. Talking Heads – Talking Heads:
77
101. Sex
Pistols – Never Mind The Bullocks Here’s The Sex
Pistols
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We first mentioned the big James Bond 50th Anniversary
Celebration in conjunction with an email from Vic Flick, the British session
guitarist who played the legendary guitar riff on the John Barry version of "The
James Bond Theme" way back when. Here's another letter from Vic, sharing a very
special Jimmy Page memory ...
re: GUITARMEN:
Hi Kent,
Thanks for the heads up about the forthcoming book by
Jimmy Page. I shall order my copy. And thank you for mentioning my book, 'Vic
Flick - Guitarman.'
I was fortunate enough to share an epic moment with
Jimmy Page. Jimmy and I were working and sitting next to each other in Decca 2
Studios, London, when the contractor, Charlie Katz walked up to us.
Charlie stared down at Jimmy for a moment and said, "I
hear you're joining some group and not working sessions any more?"
Jimmy, looking a little crestfallen at being challenged
replied, "Yes, that's true."
Charlie stared at him for a moment longer before saying
the momentous words, "Silly boy, silly boy. You should think of your
future."
I often laugh to myself when I think of that
moment.
Best wishes,
Vic Flick
As one of the top, most in-demand session guitarists on
the London Pop Music Scene at the time, Jimmy certainly didn't need to go
through the rigors of a regular band to earn a living ... in fact, from what
I've heard, "road trips" for some of these top-notch musicians amounted to a
serious cut in pay from what they could have been making doing studio work.
(I'm sure you experienced the same thing!) But who knew Led Zeppelin would turn
into what it turned into, making Jimmy Page a household name (and even bigger
legend than he already was.) You just never know. (As he was warned at the
time, his band could have gone over like a lead balloon ... but THAT bit of
advice simply inspired their name!!!) kk
>>>Interesting that your Friday's edition mentioned both Moon
River and James
Bond. Did you realize that
the opening three notes of Moon River and and the opening three notes of
Goldinger are the same? I believe Moon River is
sung over a major chord and Goldfinger is sung over a minor chord. Strange isn't
it.
(Dave /
Hoffman
Estates)
Yes, same first three notes, sol-re-do. To be more
precise about the differences, the former goes from the tonic chord to the vi
(relative minor) whereas the latter goes from the tonic to bVI. IOW, putting
them both in C: C-Am compared to C-Ab.
Also, Moon River is in 3/4, Goldfinger in
4/4.
Two other songs with the same first three notes:
Misty and Ebb Tide.
Gary E. Myers / MusicGemhttp://www.music-gem.com/index.html
re: R.B.
GREAVES:
Did you hear that R. B. Greaves
died? Fact or fiction?
Lou Simon/ Sirius XM
It took quite a bit of digging to pin this one down. (We first received this inquiry on Monday, October 1st ... and the story didn't hit The New York Times until Thursday, the 4th ... but in the meantime, Ron Smith (at www.oldiesmusic.com) was able to pin it down thanks to confirmation from a couple of R.B.'s relatives. (We had done a pretty thorough and extensive search and couldn't find
anything posted about this ... other than a Wikipedia Page devoted to Greaves
stating that he passed away on September 27th. As we've stated SO many times before, Wikipedia is rarely a reliable or definitive source ... so I kept digging. It just seemed to me that if this were
true, there would have been several other announcements posted ... but I couldn't find any ... so my first inclination was to pass it off as just be a nasty rumor.
But then we passed the baton to Rock And Roll Oldies Sleuth Ron Smith who told us that apparently it WAS true ... Greaves passed
away on the 27th exactly as stated ... so first hearing this on October 1st and finding no back-up confirmation, this certainly seems to have been "hushed-up" pretty well for the past few days! (I'm not quite sure I get
that ... it's not like he's stayed on the radar music-wise these past 40
years!)
Here, from www.oldiesmusic.com, is
Ron Smith's official obituary:
R.B Greaves -- best known for the
1969 hit, "Take A Letter, Maria" -- died Thursday (September 27) in Los Angeles
at the age of 67. No cause of death was given.
Born Ronald Bertram Greaves III in Georgetown, British Guyana, R.B. (a nephew of the great Sam Cooke), Greaves grew up on a Seminole Indian reservation before moving to England in 1963. Using the name Sonny Childe and the TNTs he first established himself as a recording artist in the UK and the
Caribbean on the Decca and Polydor labels. Returning to the States and signing with Atco Records, he cut "Take A Letter, Maria" with label president Ahmet Ertegun himself producing. The song reach #2 in the US, but did not chart at all in Britain. It was followed by his version of "Always Something There To Remind Me" (#27 - 70) but four other tunes failed to crack the top 80 -- including covers of "Fire And Rain" (#82 - 1970) and "Whiter Shade Of Pale" (#82 - 1970). Moving to Los Angeles, he went to work for a technology company while staying on the periphery of the music business.
Born Ronald Bertram Greaves III in Georgetown, British Guyana, R.B. (a nephew of the great Sam Cooke), Greaves grew up on a Seminole Indian reservation before moving to England in 1963. Using the name Sonny Childe and the TNTs he first established himself as a recording artist in the UK and the
Caribbean on the Decca and Polydor labels. Returning to the States and signing with Atco Records, he cut "Take A Letter, Maria" with label president Ahmet Ertegun himself producing. The song reach #2 in the US, but did not chart at all in Britain. It was followed by his version of "Always Something There To Remind Me" (#27 - 70) but four other tunes failed to crack the top 80 -- including covers of "Fire And Rain" (#82 - 1970) and "Whiter Shade Of Pale" (#82 - 1970). Moving to Los Angeles, he went to work for a technology company while staying on the periphery of the music business.
-- Ron Smith
The New York Times finally ran the story three
days after we confirmed it through Ron Smith:
Take a letter, Maria ... R.B. Greaves has left us. (By the way, I let Lou Simon of the XM / Sirius 60s Channel that he was now safe to proceed with his ten-hour "Take A Letter Maria" marathon for the station.) kk
And we lost another very talented human being last week
... this from Elvis Expert Cory Cooper:
MORE TO COME!:
LOTS more comments to come this weekend ... (you guys have been BUSY!!!) ... so stay tuned for more!
