Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments

re: GREASE:
It's our prediction that "Grease" will soon be the word ... again ... as the Glee kids put on "Grease" as their High School Musical this week. ("Gleese"?!?!?) 
The timeless classic has never really been off the radio ... hits like the Barry Gibb-penned / Frankie Valli sung title track, the Olivia Newton-John / John Travolta duets "You're The One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" (along with Livy's "Hopelessly Devoted To You") come on nearly daily ... and my guess is it'll only get worse once this special edition of "Glee" airs. (Honestly, I really do love all of this music ... they did a GREAT job of updating the original stage classic by adding these contemporary ... circa 1978 ... tunes.) "Glee" airs Thursday on Fox ... check it out! 
(By the way, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have teamed up again this year to record a brand new Christmas album ... available now!)  kk

re: KAREN CARPENTER:
Well, I gave a listen to the Yesterday Once More clip and in many ways she really has that sound down. Her grasp of Karen's singing style or mannerisms, and I mean that with the most respect possible since I'm a Carpenters freak, is amazing. She doesn't have the energy in her voice or the pitch control that Karen had, however, and those are two of the things that can really make a difference. Yes, she can do it very well on the surface, but that warmth that Ms. Carpenter had just isn't there. I listened to a few clips in a row and those were my thoughts. I would suspect, though, that she's got a heck of an ear, so who knows.
Bill    


re: THIS AND THAT:
Kent --
How does Paige feel about her father managing The Saxonettes?
What about "Lollipop" followed by "My Boy Lollipop?"
I think we have to get more aggressive in our dealing with Bob Greene. You should contact him. If he doesn't make good on his promise to you, to explain the dirty "Quarter To Three" lyrics, we'll boycott his
next book. Two less sales on a nationwide best seller ... hit him where it hurts ... in his pocketbook!
Frank B.
Not exactly managing The Saxonettes yet ... but I DID make the suggestion that they learn The Drifters' doo-wop version of "White Christmas" and perform it at this year's Holiday Concert. (They're taking it under advisement ... whatever THAT means!!!)  Now I'm hearing that they may, in fact, work up another doo-wop medley ... this time featuring "Santa Baby", "White Christmas" and the Mariah Carey Christmas classic, "All I Want For Christmas Is You".
As for Gary "US" Bonds, C'mon, Bob ... inquiring minds want to know ... oh wait, that's that OTHER publication. Anyway, we'd love to hear it, even only so we can listen again for ourselves.  (Personally, I'm not hearing ANYTHING!!!)   
So dish! (kk)  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio_in_North_America  
"Radio One recreated the sound of 1960s Top 40 radio and played oldies with an echo chamber reverb effect behind the announcer much like WABC had done".Heard one station, last night, at 6000 kHz, 49 meter band, mentioning other pirate radio broadcasts!! Pretty cool!
John
Ricky The K did an OUTSTANDING job of recreating this sound on his Internet show ... Hey Ricky, are you still out there?!?!? I know his show is gone now ... but he even used vintage broadcasting equipment to make the sound even more authentic. And guys like Terry "Motormouth" Young and our FH Buddy Phlash Phelps have done some amazing things over at XM 60's, too, in keeping the sound of the '60's alive on their programs. It was just such an interesting and entertaining time to listen to the radio ... you always felt like you were going 100 miles per hour! (kk)

re: COMING SOON:
Earlier this year Joel Whitburn set the music world on its ear when it released "Hit Records", the complete chart recap of the Music Vendor and Record World charts, 1954 - 1982.
Now ... just announced ... and coming out before the end of the year ... is the companion piece, "#101 - #150 - Hit Records, 1959 - 1982". Joel promises 4500 additional titles not seen in any of his other Record Research Pop Books, including "bubbling under" hits by Aerosmith, Elton John, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Who, Chuck Berry, Herman's Hermits, Rick Nelson, Johnny Rivers, and many, many more.
While Billboard Magazine ran a "Bubbling Under" chart, sometimes listing as many as 20 additional "coming up" titles, Record World had the deepest chart of them all, showing fifty additional positions every week. And ALL of those titles have now been collected here ... songs that never broke The Top 100 ... TONS of regional hits, surf and hot rod music, garage rock, doo-wop and obscurities that are sure to send collectors scampering to add these titles to their collections.
Complete details are available at the Record Research Website:
Here's a reminder about the Rock Legends Cruise coming up in January ... man, look at this all-star, classic rock line-up!  .38 Special, The Atlanta Rhythm Section, Bachman and Turner, Black Oak Arkansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Foghat, Foreigner, Kansas, The Kentucky Headhunters, Molly Hatchet, Paul Rodgers, The Pat Travers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band and many others.  Each band is performing at least twice on any one of three stages set up onboard the cruise ship.  More details below.  (This is a virtual Who's Who of Classic Rock ... when are you EVER going to see this many great artists performing together ... and all the while enjoying a winter cruise!)  Check out the full scoop here:
For further information about Rock Legends Cruise II, please go to www.rocklegendscruise.com or call 888-666-1499.
For information on Liberty of the Seas, please see: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/class/ship/home.do?shipCode=LB

ROCK LEGENDS II CRUISE ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES TO TAKE PLACE DURING THE BIGGEST AND BEST MUSIC FESTIVAL AT SEA IN JANUARY
Twenty five artists will soon be boarding Rock Legends Cruise II on January 10, 2013, for what promises to be the biggest and best music festival at sea to date!
With over 75 Top 40 hits to choose from, the artists (see poster for complete line-up) will be performing a vast selection of those songs along with other music gems during the four day excursion aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.
Artists appearing on the first night alone include Blue Oyster Cult, .38 Special, Bachman & Turner, Molly Hatchet, Foreigner, Bobby Keys & The Suffering Bastards and the Pat Travers Band.
And if you're up by the crack of noon on Friday, you'll arise just in time for the sounds of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, who will lead off three full days and nights of ultimate classic rock on three separate stages.
69 live performances are scheduled!
Only three "vacation days" are necessary as Rock Legends Cruise II departs Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a Thursday evening (January 10) and returns the following Monday morning (January 14, 2013).
Oh yeah ... did we mention the expected 80+ degree weather in Labadee, Haiti on Saturday?
Don't be left at the dock ... it's time to rock!


Pricing currently begins at $699.00 per person (party of four in the same Interior cabin), with many cabin levels still available.
Cabins are going fast!
 
ROCK LEGENDS CRUISE II WILL BENEFIT THE NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
The Native American Heritage Association has been working on reservations in South Dakota for more than 18 years and is a 4-star charity with www.charitynavigator.org for a total of eight years. Native American Heritage Association tractor trailers are on the road daily with supplies to the various far flung communities and 94% of the organization's total revenue goes towards program services which provide basic life necessities, including fuel assistance and medical transportation to 90,000 people. Many of these residents face an 80% rate of unemployment; 70% don't have transportation and many of those who do, don't have the means to purchase gas. These Lakota Sioux live in abandoned school buses, shacks or government housing with no insulation, some live without indoor plumbing, in homes with dirt floors, no beds or furniture. More information can be found at: www.naha-inc.org.
By the way, if you're seriously considering taking this cruise and would like to see a schedule of the complete performances, drop me a line and I'll email you the list.  In addition to the live shows, there'll also be Band Meet-And-Greets, a Rock Memorabilia Auction and a Raffle of a Custom Chopper!
 

re:  WINGING IT:
A couple of Wings-related stories from the past week or so ...

Former Wings Guitarist Suffers Heart Attack
Wednesday 11/7/12- Henry McCullough, who has played with Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Eric Burdon, and Paul McCartney’s Wings, suffered a heart attack earlier
this week and is now listed in critical condition.
McCullough experienced a heart attack Monday night, reports The Independent, saying the 69-year-old guitarist from Portstewart, Northern Ireland, is being treated at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
Having joined Wings in 1971, one of McCullough’s most memorable moments in that band was his guitar solo on the song “My Love.” He also played lead on “Hi, Hi, Hi” and “Live & Let Die.”

--Voodoo Child 
I heard about this last week but never got the story posted.  Henry most famously challenged Paul McCartney on the lead guitar solo to "My Love".  McCartney had something specific in mind (that he had written) and asked Henry to play it.  After a couple of run-throughs, Henry asked if he could "play what he feels" ... and then whipped out the solo that you hear on the #1 Hit Record today ... a total contrast to the soft, lush melody that somehow fit perfectly.  Macca was impressed ... and THAT's the way the record was recorded.



The two had their number of fall-outs over the years (Henry split right as the band was set to take off to Africa to record the "Band On The Run" album) but his guitar-work is now part of rock and roll historyWe wish you a speedy recovery!  (kk)

And, speaking of Paul McCartney, he apparently had a near-death experience earlier this year, too.  Although this incident reportedly happened back in May, details just came to light this past week!

Decades after Beatles fans began a rumor that “Paul Is Dead,” Paul McCartney is still alive and well.  
That might not have been the case, but for the quick decision making of a 55-year-old British helicopter pilot. According to a report from the UK’s Daily Mail, Paul and his wife Nancy Shevell were passengers on a helicopter traveling home to their estate in East Sussex on May 3 when bad weather nearly caused the chopper to crash into some trees. 
The pilot, an unidentified native of Hertfordshire, became disoriented when low clouds, poor visibility and rain forced the Sikorsky S-76C plunging downward according to The Daily Mail. The pilot reacted just in time, narrowly missing the tree line by two feet. The aircraft later landed safely at a nearby airport. The report states that Paul and Nancy had no idea they were in grave danger.
Andrew Celani — WZLX/Boston


And, in Beatles-related news ...

For Those who Listen to Records REAL Closely,
Gary Pig Gold celebrates the release of the Grand new
PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN dvd at the virtual address below.
http://bobsegarini.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/gary-pig-gold-a-world-without-george/


re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HITS: 
Here are a couple more that you just don't hear anymore ... man, these BOTH sounded great when I played around with them last night.  Play dee-jay and start the second one during the long fade of the first one ... odds are you won't hear either of these on the radio anytime soon!  (kk)