Kent,
I haven't seen the Cowsills documentary yet, but reading about it on your blog just reminded me of the terrible life musically talented families go through. The Jackson 5 and another their domineering, mean spirited father at the helm, comes to mind. I do believe he messed up Michael big time. One exception to this pattern that I can think of is the very talented Osmonds.- Bish
WRLR 98.3 FM
RONDARADIO, INC.
I knew the Cowsills had lots of animosity when I got a copy a decade ago of two of the brothers sitting on a couch critiquing all the video footage they had gathered over the years. They were VERY critical of their dad -- VERRRRRRY! I was surprised as many of your readers could be today. Anyway, there were lots of good videos and their TV special and these two told what was going on as the film was showing. Pretty awesome idea at the time and maybe what this is kind of like too.
I loved their music and when "II X II" came out, Bandstand had it on Rate a Record and I loved it. It never was a hit, but shoulda been. Then, decades ago, I got a video of them performing it on Hugh Hefner's "Playboy After Dark" and it was the WORST performance of a song I could remember. They must have all been drugged out or something. Horrible. Anyway, should be a show to watch, but depressing in many ways.
Clark Besch
There's a short clip of The Cowsills on "Playboy After Dark" featured in this documentary. (Actually, I wish the music clips were longer ... they're very heavily edited.) We found a full-length, ten minute clip on YouTube ... actually, there are a TON of great live "Playboy After Dark" clips here ... everything from The Cowsills to Deep Purple!!! How did The Cowsills fit in to this "adult"-themed programming? Apparently one of them married one of Hef's girls! (Hmmm ... THAT wasn't touched on in the documentary!)
You'll catch a glimpse of their television special, too ... hosted by Buddy Ebsen (who, along with Papa Cowsill made for TWO Buddys on the program!)
I still strongly recommend the new documentary ... it shows just how talented these guys were musically ... it's just a shame all the other family crap got in the way. (I spoke with another FH Reader earlier today who said that he seemed to remember Bud Cowsill being approached several years ago about doing some sort of reality tv show featuring the whole family ... but the whole deal fell apart because Bud wanted a RIDICULOUS amount of money to do the program. Sad thing is that even after their five Top 40 Hits, The Cowsills were basically broke ... and ALL of the kids question just where the money went. After a second, closer viewing, I'm amazed at how robotic (and Stepford Wife-ish) Barbara looks through all of this ... almost as if she'd rather have been ANYWHERE else ... never really comfortable (although she DOES have some fun with Johnny Carson.) When one of the kids gets off the quip that "Mom is in charge of production ... and reproduction" ... it's no laughing matter. With seven Cowsill children, it leaves little doubt what her OTHER hobby was! (Dad was in the Navy ... and would be gone for extended periods of time ... seems that every time he came home on leave, she got pregnant!!!) Clark, you'll also be pleased to know that they close the show with "Some Good Years" playing over the end credits. Man, what a GREAT track this is. Too bad The Cowsills had already fallen out of favor with the rest of the world by this point ... this should have been one of their biggest hits. (It was Clark who first introduced us to this excellent track a few years ago.) kk
Based on what my sources tell me, Bud "Boss" Cowsill had the same warm, glowing personality one would equate with Murray Wilson, the Beach Boys noted drill instructor.
Chet Coppock
It's true. You know Reuben Kincaid was never this big a dick!!! (kk)
Chet Coppock
It's true. You know Reuben Kincaid was never this big a dick!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
After reading your comments about the Showtime special about the Cowsills, I looked them up on youtube and came across a video from November 23rd, 1968 of a show hosted by Buddy Ebsen called The Cowsills: A Family Thing - The Cowsills T.V. Special, Part 1. It's kind of creepy to watch now that the truth about the family has been revealed. You might want to check it out. "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" has always been one of my favorite songs and I loved the line in "Hair" ... "you never have to cut it, it just stops by itself" ... Totally awesome.
Stacee
Yep, that's the television special mentioned above. I'm hoping when this officially makes it to DVD they will expand the program to include a ton of extras, including full-length performances of some of these songs and television appearances. (kk)
re: THE EAGLES:
Speaking of GREAT Showtime Documentaries, I've been telling you about "The History Of The Eagles" ... and wondering when the DVD release was going to be announced. Well, I just got the official word ... from Timothy B. Schmit no less! Sounds like lots of additional footage (and tons of other extras, depending on how much money you're willing to spend! Guess I'll have to forego the "Deluxe Edition" this time around ... cool as it would be to have it, this is just insanely priced!!!) kk
Speaking of GREAT Showtime Documentaries, I've been telling you about "The History Of The Eagles" ... and wondering when the DVD release was going to be announced. Well, I just got the official word ... from Timothy B. Schmit no less! Sounds like lots of additional footage (and tons of other extras, depending on how much money you're willing to spend! Guess I'll have to forego the "Deluxe Edition" this time around ... cool as it would be to have it, this is just insanely priced!!!) kk
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re: FOREVER DUSTY:
Kent,
Thanks very much to you and to Jonathan Vankin for the complimentary tickets to "Forever Dusty," the Off-Broadway musical about the life of Dusty Springfield.
I saw the show on Thursday, and was blown away by Kirsten Holly Smith's performance as Dusty. She also wrote the show, along with Jonathan.
The story line touches only briefly on the many moments portrayed in Dusty's life, but only because there were so many aspects to her career and personality that were integral parts of her story. One telling scene depicts Dusty at a recording session in Memphis, for the Dusty In Memphis album, where she was dissatisfied with her singing. Finally, she insisted that the session be done in New York, where she ended up nailing the vocals on songs such as "Son-Of-A Preacher Man." Several scenes deal with her relationship with her brother Dion (a/k/a Tom Springfield), and many focus on her romantic involvement with "Claire" (a composite character representing several women). The inclusion of such composite characters is standard procedure in biographical movies or plays, as is the modification of the time line of events, and they worked fine here -- although it was a bit disconcerting to hear "Little By Little," Dusty's early-1966 UK hit (and the B-side of her biggest U.S. hit "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me") transposed to the early '70s (which, at the time, seemed like a world away from 1966).
But the main attraction in this production is the music. Any Dusty fan knows what a variety of styles she embraced during her career, from the early days with the Springfields to her guest appearance on the Pet Shop Boys' "What Have I Done To Deserve This," and beyond. Kirsten Holly Smith handles all of these with equal aplomb, and for the audience it was almost as if we were watching Dusty herself belt out each of those tunes. Kirsten is joined on some of the songs by other members of the cast; of particular note is Christina Sajous, who portrays Claire. Her vocal chops are just about equal to Kirsten's on the songs she has the opportunity to solo on.
This particular performance was one of those designated as an audience participation show -- audience members were invited to sing along with the performers onstage, with the lyrics for each song projected on a back wall to the right of the stage. We in the audience really got into it during the more-familiar songs, even though reading the lyrics sometimes took our focus away from what was happening onstage. The less-familiar songs engendered a less-enthusiastic response (e.g., "Island Of Dreams," which was the Springfields' biggest UK hit, but which barely registered on the U.S. charts). Also, some of the songs required some real vocal pyrotechnics, which were not a problem for Kirsten (or Dusty), but were a bit challenging for those of us in the audience.
The evening got started with an introduction by "The Queen of Mean" Lisa Lampanelli, who warmed up the audience with lines such as "Where are my drag queens?" (several hands went up).
I highly recommend this show to anyone who's in the New York area. It's an open-ended run, meaning that it will continue at its current venue as long as ticket sales remain healthy. (And don't forget the Forgotten Hits discount, the details for which I'm sure Kent will repeat below.)
(The picture is of the cast members, joined by Lisa Lampanelli, standing to the right of Kirsten Holly Smith, who's in the full-length sparkly gown.)
– Randy Price
Thanks very much to you and to Jonathan Vankin for the complimentary tickets to "Forever Dusty," the Off-Broadway musical about the life of Dusty Springfield.
I saw the show on Thursday, and was blown away by Kirsten Holly Smith's performance as Dusty. She also wrote the show, along with Jonathan.
The story line touches only briefly on the many moments portrayed in Dusty's life, but only because there were so many aspects to her career and personality that were integral parts of her story. One telling scene depicts Dusty at a recording session in Memphis, for the Dusty In Memphis album, where she was dissatisfied with her singing. Finally, she insisted that the session be done in New York, where she ended up nailing the vocals on songs such as "Son-Of-A Preacher Man." Several scenes deal with her relationship with her brother Dion (a/k/a Tom Springfield), and many focus on her romantic involvement with "Claire" (a composite character representing several women). The inclusion of such composite characters is standard procedure in biographical movies or plays, as is the modification of the time line of events, and they worked fine here -- although it was a bit disconcerting to hear "Little By Little," Dusty's early-1966 UK hit (and the B-side of her biggest U.S. hit "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me") transposed to the early '70s (which, at the time, seemed like a world away from 1966).
But the main attraction in this production is the music. Any Dusty fan knows what a variety of styles she embraced during her career, from the early days with the Springfields to her guest appearance on the Pet Shop Boys' "What Have I Done To Deserve This," and beyond. Kirsten Holly Smith handles all of these with equal aplomb, and for the audience it was almost as if we were watching Dusty herself belt out each of those tunes. Kirsten is joined on some of the songs by other members of the cast; of particular note is Christina Sajous, who portrays Claire. Her vocal chops are just about equal to Kirsten's on the songs she has the opportunity to solo on.
This particular performance was one of those designated as an audience participation show -- audience members were invited to sing along with the performers onstage, with the lyrics for each song projected on a back wall to the right of the stage. We in the audience really got into it during the more-familiar songs, even though reading the lyrics sometimes took our focus away from what was happening onstage. The less-familiar songs engendered a less-enthusiastic response (e.g., "Island Of Dreams," which was the Springfields' biggest UK hit, but which barely registered on the U.S. charts). Also, some of the songs required some real vocal pyrotechnics, which were not a problem for Kirsten (or Dusty), but were a bit challenging for those of us in the audience.
The evening got started with an introduction by "The Queen of Mean" Lisa Lampanelli, who warmed up the audience with lines such as "Where are my drag queens?" (several hands went up).
I highly recommend this show to anyone who's in the New York area. It's an open-ended run, meaning that it will continue at its current venue as long as ticket sales remain healthy. (And don't forget the Forgotten Hits discount, the details for which I'm sure Kent will repeat below.)
(The picture is of the cast members, joined by Lisa Lampanelli, standing to the right of Kirsten Holly Smith, who's in the full-length sparkly gown.)
Sounds like a great time, Randy ... in fact, every review we've seen has praised "Forever Dusty" ... so take advantage of the Forgotten Hits discount ticket offer and catch it while you can. (kk)
>>>Because we love Forgotten Hits, here’s a special deal: if your readers go to BroadwayOffers.com and enter the code FDFNF2, they can buy tickets at a big discount.
Jon Vankin
Read our exclusive interview with Jon and Kirsten here:
re: COPPOCK'S TOPICS:
>>Would it be fair to state that Hal was a better studio musician than either Duck Dunn or Steve Cropper? (Chet Coppock)
No, it wouldn't. They are all in the same class. The top class.
Musical highlight of today's FH was "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Any More" - Oldies radio won't touch it. Their "Time Peace" LP was one of the best "Best Of" albums of all time, with a fabulous track list and a long run on the charts. We wore the grooves down to the core on our copy.
No, it wouldn't. They are all in the same class. The top class.
Musical highlight of today's FH was "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Any More" - Oldies radio won't touch it. Their "Time Peace" LP was one of the best "Best Of" albums of all time, with a fabulous track list and a long run on the charts. We wore the grooves down to the core on our copy.
David Lewis
"I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" is a GREAT Rascals track ... incredibly sophisticated for their first chart hit. (If you're going to hear that song played here in Chicago, it'll probably be on The Drive ... and then most likely by Bob Stroud.) A few years ago one of our readers (Don Effenberger) submitted a weekend programming idea to Scott Shannon for The True Oldies Channel. It was called the "First And Foremost" Weekend ... where Scott would first play an artist's very first chart hit ... followed up by their biggest chart hit of all time. When he got to The Rascals, he skipped over "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore", qualifying the decision as that this record didn't make The Top 40 and was more of a "regional" hit, never denying for a moment what a great song it is. (Scott happens to be a HUGE Rascals fan!) Instead, he featured "Good Lovin'" as their first ... and "People Got To Be Free" as their "foremost" hits ... both #1 Records. But here in Chicago, WE certainly remember "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" as it made The Top 20, peaking at #17 in early 1966. Incredibly "Good Lovin'" did NOT make it to #1 here in Chi-Town, topping out instead at #3.
As for these stellar studio musicians, each studio seemed to have their elite core group of "go to" guys that always got the job done. Whether it was Stax, Atlantic, Motown or The Wrecking Crew cranking out multiple sessions per day, this is simply how hit records were made. These guys captured the sound of an era and turned it into magic. (By the way, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals and studio whiz-kid Steve Cropper cut an album together a few years ago in Memphis!) kk
Hal Blaine's greatest hit was the classic boom in "The Boxer." Certainly one of the best drummers to ever play, but Earl Palmer was awfully good, too.
"You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals was one of the best songs of the '90s, and it blew away like a feather in the wind. The song is about the futility of fame, so it's fitting that the New Radicals (really just one guy - Gregg Alexander) vanished into obscurity. Note that the song was the first to use the word "frenemies" (people who are both friends and enemies) in the lyrics.
Be Well,
Be Well,
Carl Wiser
I was listening to the radio for some reason the other day and heard All Right Now by Free and The Letter by the Box Tops. They never play the 45 mix of Free anymore. I wonder if it even exists on CD. A fair amount of difference in what the guitars play if you put them side by side. I can't find my copy of The Letter anymore on vinyl so I'm going from memory. Seems as though the backing vocals are mixed much higher on the 45 than the version I have on "Soul Deep."
C'mon compilation folks. When you put your greatest hits packages together, or when you do your various artists packages, do some homework and give us the versions that were played on the radio.
Kent, the Forgotten Hits world needs to put these out. Let's all put our resources together. hahaha.
This bothers me much more than Chet's comments ever would. At least he knows the music.
Bill
We've complained numerous times over the years about the lack of attention to detail when putting together some of these compilations ... with the incredible capacity on a CD why not feature BOTH versions of the mix then ... and let the listener choose which one he wants to play.
I do know that both versions of "All Right Now" exist on CD (but the single is probably on one of those Time/Life compilations or something to that effect.) I always thought it was more of a heavy edit to the instrumental (and an additional verse) that distinguished the two. One of our readers (Jack Levin) was telling me the other day about the uniquely different mix of the songs "Dandelion" and "We Love You" on The Rolling Stones 1967 single ... and that neither single mix has ever made it to CD. Why not? Nowadays we get the mono and stereo mixes of many of these LPs ... we get the British and US track line-ups .. why not give us the songs the way we remember hearing them on the radio?!?!? (kk)
Kent,
Kent,
Chet Coppick's admission of "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" as a guilty pleasure sparked an idea for a topic for your blog. I suggest a focus on some of the great "behind the scenes' vocalists of pop music, including Tony Burrows, Ron Dante and Paul Carrack. Tony's credits include Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes (Edison Lighthouse), My Baby Loves Lovin' (White Plains), Beach Baby (First Class), United We Stand (Brotherhood Of Man), and Gimme Dat Ding (The Pipkins). Ron was the voice of the Archies, The Cufflinks ("Tracy Never Let Go") and The Detergents ("Leader of the Laundromat") as well as a very successful record producer. Carrack was the lead singer on the Squeeze hit "Tempted", Ace's "How Long", Mike and the Mechanics "Silent Running" and "The Living Years" and had two hits on his own-"Don't Shed A Tear" and ""One Good Reason". These are great contributors to rock/pop music who will never get the credit they deserve.
Bob Verbos,
New Berlin, WI.
Hey we've talked about the studio musicians and the background singers ... why not some of these "ghost" singers who actually sang the hits. You've named the most prominent three ... can anybody out there come up with any others? (kk)
Hey Kent,
Hey Kent,
I'm sure that you'll get lots of comments on this and I know you know it, too, Dennis Wilson did play on some of the Beach Boys records, including some of the hits. Regarding Elvis' last tour, I didn't see Elvis on that last tour. I almost saw him in Indiana but for some reason decided not to go. Then after his death I saw the last concert he taped for CBS. I would disagree with people that think he still had his voice at that time. He certainly did not. Listen to things from that show and then go to the "Come Back Special" from 1968. I think you'll notice a huge difference and we'll be able to put the Elvis could still sing great at the end of his career idea to bed. Heck, just listen to those last records and go back even a couple years and you can tell that Elvis's problems were taking their toll on his voice.
I do have a last Elvis record fave though. TROUBLE which became a bigger hit for Travis Tritt.
Bill
That Elvis CBS Farewell Special was a less-than-flattering send off for The King ... in fact, his family tried to stop it from airing at all ... but I can tell you from first hand experience that he sounded great when I saw him both nights in '77. No, it wasn't the Elvis from The Comeback Special ... keep in mind that this was nearly ten years later ... heck, it wasn't even the Elvis from "Aloha From Hawaii", where Elvis just may have been in the best shape of his life ... but what they captured for the television special did NOT do the man justice. Yes, he was suffering ... and yes, he had lost a few steps ... but his voice still resonated with a tremendous amount of power, even at the very end. (kk)
The VH1 Classic show, For What It's Worth, is not off to a great start. You can't spend 10 minutes or less with a guy like Michael Ochs. His music photograph collection could be the most extensive of anyone's. What good are millions of records to a viewer if they're all boxed up? Millions of out of work media personalities and these are the best two they could come up with to host the show? Hire Chet!
The VH1 Classic show, For What It's Worth, is not off to a great start. You can't spend 10 minutes or less with a guy like Michael Ochs. His music photograph collection could be the most extensive of anyone's. What good are millions of records to a viewer if they're all boxed up? Millions of out of work media personalities and these are the best two they could come up with to host the show? Hire Chet!
Didja see Rick Neilsen on American Pickers last Monday? That's the kinda stuff For What It's Worth could look at. I met Rick once after a concert. He, too, was gracious enough to autograph something for me. However he didn't invite me to go picking thru his warehouse.
Tomorrow, 3/15, marks the 37th anniversary of the day WCFL pulled the plug on top 40.
Years ago I met Howard Kaylan at a concert the Turtles were putting on at some Chicago suburban location. He was walking thru the grounds and I spotted him. He kindly autographed an event flyer. Don't know what ever happened to it but I wish I had it today.
Hey Kent, how come Chet doesn't refer to you by your first, middle and last name, like he does everyone else?
Finally ... come on down to the Best Western Hotel, in Hillside, Illinois, this Sunday, 3/17, from around 8:45 AM to 3 PM and pick up some great collectibles. Come on down, Chet. I've never met you, although I watched you enough times when I lived in Chicago.
Jack
For the benefit of Chet ... or any OTHER local readers interested, I am going to swing by The Record Collectors Show sometime today, too ... I haven't been to one of these in a long, long time ... and haven't SOLD at one in over 20 years ... but it just may be time to gather up some of my collectibles and see what they're worth. Today's trip is more as a "feeler" to see what's selling ... but don't be surprised if you find me at one of these tables sometime soon!
For the benefit of Chet ... or any OTHER local readers interested, I am going to swing by The Record Collectors Show sometime today, too ... I haven't been to one of these in a long, long time ... and haven't SOLD at one in over 20 years ... but it just may be time to gather up some of my collectibles and see what they're worth. Today's trip is more as a "feeler" to see what's selling ... but don't be surprised if you find me at one of these tables sometime soon!
As for some of your other comments (Jack's Topics?!?!?), I, too, am very disappointed with the new VH1 Program "For What It's Worth" ... I had much higher expectations for this ... and still believe that one hell of a program could be put together spotlighting the kind of stuff our readers would most be interested in seeing. (Although the anatomically correct Mr. T. doll from a few weeks ago WAS pretty funny!)
Howard Kaylan couldn't be more gracious and accommodating as far as we're concerned. He had us out to The Happy Together Again Show a couple of years ago as his guests (and even provided backstage passes, which is where we snapped that picture of Frannie and Mark Lindsay that I ran on the site a couple of days ago.) In fact, I'm hoping he'll invite us again THIS year, as we'd love to see Mark Lindsay again, along with newcomer Chuck Negron (of Three Dog Night) now on the bill.
I first saw The Turtles back in 1967 when they played at my high school!!! One of the very first concerts I'd ever seen. Think about The Turtles in 1967 ... they had an incredible FOUR Top 20 Hits that year ("Happy Together", "She'd Rather Be With Me", "You Know What I Mean" and "She's My Girl" ... all in the same year!!!) Plus I absolutely LOVED the single that didn't chart, "Guide For The Married Man", theme song to the movie of the same name. And this after already tearing up the charts with their hits "You Baby" and "It Ain't Me Babe". They'd score two more Top Ten's along the way with "Elenore" in 1968 and "You Showed Me" in 1969 ... and they STILL put on one hell of a show to this day ... ALWAYS entertaining. (In fact, if Howard DOES comp me tickets again this year, I'm bringing you with me, Chet ... so that you have a totally different backstage experience this time around!!!) I DO have to laugh at the idea of Howard naming his next band "The Full Blown Somethings" ... I'll betcha he even gets some mileage out of that one onstage since Forgotten Hits is now so well read nationwide!!!
I first saw The Turtles back in 1967 when they played at my high school!!! One of the very first concerts I'd ever seen. Think about The Turtles in 1967 ... they had an incredible FOUR Top 20 Hits that year ("Happy Together", "She'd Rather Be With Me", "You Know What I Mean" and "She's My Girl" ... all in the same year!!!) Plus I absolutely LOVED the single that didn't chart, "Guide For The Married Man", theme song to the movie of the same name. And this after already tearing up the charts with their hits "You Baby" and "It Ain't Me Babe". They'd score two more Top Ten's along the way with "Elenore" in 1968 and "You Showed Me" in 1969 ... and they STILL put on one hell of a show to this day ... ALWAYS entertaining. (In fact, if Howard DOES comp me tickets again this year, I'm bringing you with me, Chet ... so that you have a totally different backstage experience this time around!!!) I DO have to laugh at the idea of Howard naming his next band "The Full Blown Somethings" ... I'll betcha he even gets some mileage out of that one onstage since Forgotten Hits is now so well read nationwide!!!
As for first, middle and last name, I have grown completely comfortable (and quite fond of) simply "kk" these days!!!
Hey, we'll see you out at the Hillside Show later today! (kk)
re: THIS WEEK IN ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY:
Hi Kent!
I thought these stories might be of interest to you and your readers.
54 Years Ago This Week ...
The Kingston Trio narrowly averted calamity on a concert tour when their rented twin-engine airplane had to make an emergency hard landing in a farm field near South Bend, Indiana, on March 13, 1959 -- and, yes, it was a Friday. Trio members Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard, along with bass player David "Buck" Wheat, had been on the way from St. Louis to a sold-out gig at Notre Dame University. In a snowstorm, the plane had consumed more fuel than the pilot had anticipated, and because of adverse runway conditions, the South Bend airport denied permission for the plane to land. With instruments malfunctioning and the fuel tank nearly empty, the pilot skillfully brought the plane down to 200 feet and aimed for a farm field. Although the plane skimmed a fence on its approach, the pilot managed to expertly bring the plane to a halt, thereby avoiding injuries. That incident is described in "Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? -- Volume 1," but yesterday, my coauthor Marti and I asked Bob Shane to fill in some additional details. He told us, “We were flying in a 1939 Beechcraft D-18, which we leased at the time. Our pilot was Major John Rich, USAF, a B-17 pilot with many decorations. Thankfully he was that good, because we got caught in a blizzard en route. Between the four of us, we drank a fifth of Wild Turkey the last five minutes in the air. Our pilot landed us in a farmer's field, just short of a big fence we could have crashed into, which would have been really bad, but he just missed it, and landed -- bumpily, but safely. We went to the farmers house -- we were drunk, of course. I can't remember if the farmer knew of the Kingston Trio, but he was really nice. We called two cabs, one for us and one for all the instruments, and made it to the gig in time, barely. Our pilot got dropped off in town, and the next day he flew the plane over to get us. I can't remember how the show was, what with us being rather drunk and all, but I do remember we brought the house down, so we must have been OK.”
48 Years Ago This Week ...
At the spring-break San Mateo Teenage Fair on the peninsula south of San Francisco, the winner of a "battle of the bands" on March 14, 1965, was a local group called the Syndicate of Sound, which went on to record one sizable hit, "Little Girl" for Bell Records. But the finalists included a group called the Bedouins (pronounced BED-o-wins), consisting of rhythm guitarist Denny Ellis, bass player Dave Stensen, drummer Joel Larson, and guitar-playing lead singer Bill Fulton. The Bedoins' finish in the competition led to an audition at the Whisky à Go Go, the club on Grant Street in San Francisco of which Lou Adler of Dunhill Records was a co-owner. The story was a little more involved than that, but as "Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? -- Volume 2" describes in greater detail, Adler signed the Bedouins to a recording contract, but not under that name. They became the Grass Roots, and just a few months after playing high-school gigs, they had recorded the hit tune "Where Were You When I Needed You" and they were on tour with label mate Barry McGuire, who was riding the crest of fame with his searing hit "Eve of Destruction," as well as with the Mamas and the Papas.
Jeff March
Great stories, Jeff ... please keep 'em coming!
You can pick up copies of Jeff and Marti's books here:
Go to the Bookshelf Section ... Highly Recommended! (kk)
re: SPEAKING OF GREAT BOOKS, HERE'S ONE I'VE GOTTA GET!:
Robert Feder reports on a brand new book by John "Records" Landecker. Although not officially available until March 28th, (John's 66th Birthday!) you can preorder a copy now through the link in his column. Sex, drugs and rock and roll? It's all here (along with four ex-wives!!!) But Landecker was at the top of his game in the early '70's and we were fortunate to have him on WLS back in the day when radio mattered! (kk)
Robert Feder reports on a brand new book by John "Records" Landecker. Although not officially available until March 28th, (John's 66th Birthday!) you can preorder a copy now through the link in his column. Sex, drugs and rock and roll? It's all here (along with four ex-wives!!!) But Landecker was at the top of his game in the early '70's and we were fortunate to have him on WLS back in the day when radio mattered! (kk)
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Actually, quite a bit of buzz about Landecker's new book ... received several other emails about it this weekend, too. Here's another link to a nice interview:
Kent,
Give this a read...
http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2629196&spid=30800
- Bish
WRLR 98.3 FM
Give this a read...
http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2629196&spid=30800
- Bish
WRLR 98.3 FM
Looks like most of you are diggin' the new trivia challenge ... although a few of you ARE getting a bit frustrated trying to dig up all the correct answers. (For the record, so far NOBODY has gotten all of them right ... but we've devised a point system that will allow us to still pick the winner.) Haven't entered yet? Then scroll back to Friday's posting (3/15/13) and give it your best shot. And remember ... this is supposed to be fun ... some of us can't afford to tear out any more of our hair over this!!! (lol)
16) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spent forever on this one!!!!
16) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spent forever on this one!!!!
20) AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Again!!! At last my age is showing, I tired and tried but made no progress on this one!
Well, I thought I could get them all, but this is the best I can do!!! Spent a few hours, but it was worth the fun! Thanks Kent and Joel for putting fun stuff like this together!
AJK - The Youngest Oldies Freak Around
Well, I know a lot of these are correct, but I'm a little unsure of some of these. Either way, thanks to you and Mr. Whitburn for this fun excursion into the charts!
Well, I know a lot of these are correct, but I'm a little unsure of some of these. Either way, thanks to you and Mr. Whitburn for this fun excursion into the charts!
Jon Olsen
Here are my answers to the trivia questions. This was fun!
Here are my answers to the trivia questions. This was fun!
Scott Payton
Great quiz! That was a lot of fun.
Great quiz! That was a lot of fun.
Jeff Lemlich
By the way, the other day we told you about the newly revised edition of Joel's "Top Pop Singles" book coming out which will now include each charted title's songwriters, too! (I just LOVE the way he keeps coming up with ways of improving each new edition!!!)
By the way, the other day we told you about the newly revised edition of Joel's "Top Pop Singles" book coming out which will now include each charted title's songwriters, too! (I just LOVE the way he keeps coming up with ways of improving each new edition!!!)
Well it turns out we had the worldwide exclusive on this one ... and we didn't even know it! Joel's own announcement didn't come out until later in the day after we posted this information on our website! (Now how cool is THAT?!?!?)
I've been buying Joel's books since the very first public edition came out in 1972. (I still have that worn and tattered copy, too!!! lol) I first discovered his books when I found a hard bound, library edition at Rosary College, listing all of Billboard's charted Top 100 Hits through 1969 ... with an addendum in the back that updated the book through 1970. I don't believe this edition of his book was ever made commercially available to the public ... it was more of a "reference guide" ... but I clearly remember being thrilled to death a few years later when I found an ad in Billboard Magazine announcing Joel's book as now being available to the general public.) We've been fans ever since ... some 44 years now!!!
Check out the link below to view sample pages of the latest edition. (Talk about current ... Adele's Oscar win from just a couple of weeks ago is already noted here!!!) I can't wait to get my copy ... and you can pre-order YOURS now, too, via the link below) kk:
re: CLIPS OF THE WEEK:
Kent ...
Check this one out.
Grandy is going out to her granddaughter's car, when the granddaughter is playing some old music from our time. This could be me in a couple of years!
Luv this lady! Watch to the end to hear her comment.
Frank B.
VERY cool ... but yes, the ending is the payoff! (kk)
Kent --
Kent --
Here is a link to some old radio campaigns by Chicago radio stations. I thought you'd enjoy it.
I hope all is well,
Danny
Yep, some fun ones (and some great memories) on here. Thanks, Danny! (kk)
re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:
Kent,
Really SPECTACULAR hearing from you, Thank-You for the reply and the information, I really appreciate it. Will keep in touch. Love how your publication keeps growing, and the interesting content from both stars and music affectionados! Keep up the GREAT work!
Best Regards,
Tim Kiley
Kent,
I just love to read your FH every day because I never know what record or records that I will immediately think of whenever I read a particular item. One point in question was the mentioning of the Chad Mitchell Trio. LIZZIE BORDEN!! Haven't heard that one in years.
One of my all time favorite instrumentals was the one by Kenny Ball. No matter what time it was here in OKC, it was always MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW.
Finally, Claude King, don't know about your other readers, but always liked his cross over songs, BURNING OF ATLANTA and THE COMANCHEROS.
Larry
Really SPECTACULAR hearing from you, Thank-You for the reply and the information, I really appreciate it. Will keep in touch. Love how your publication keeps growing, and the interesting content from both stars and music affectionados! Keep up the GREAT work!
Best Regards,
Tim Kiley
Kent,
I just love to read your FH every day because I never know what record or records that I will immediately think of whenever I read a particular item. One point in question was the mentioning of the Chad Mitchell Trio. LIZZIE BORDEN!! Haven't heard that one in years.
One of my all time favorite instrumentals was the one by Kenny Ball. No matter what time it was here in OKC, it was always MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW.
Finally, Claude King, don't know about your other readers, but always liked his cross over songs, BURNING OF ATLANTA and THE COMANCHEROS.
Larry
