Saturday, August 18, 2018

The Saturday Survey - August 18th


*Survey courtesy of Craig Pucci and ARSA website

8-14-68 KGB San Diego, California 

Moving from KQV last week to KGB this week, we get the switch to a west coast hit parade.  Two of the sounds that had a connecting story were Eternity's Children's "Mrs. Bluebird" and Millennium's "5 A.M."  Despite hailing from Mississippi originally, Eternity's Children's song was very flower power sounding and their vocalist / leader, Bruce Blackman's voice might sound familiar as the vocalist / leader of Starbuck, who had the huge 70's hit "Moonlight Feels Right."  

The Millennium were a studio group created by producer Curt Boettcher (ala Sagittarius) and both "5 A.M." and "Mrs. Bluebird" were produced by him in '68!  Eternity's Children toured with the Strawberry Alarm Clock, who have a beautiful song at #22, "Barefoot in Baltimore."  Despite the psychedelic reputation and group name, the SONG reached Billboard's Easy Listening chart!
--  Clark Besch




When The Beatles recorded "Lady Madonna," Paul McCartney said he used his "best Fats Domino voice" for the lead vocal.

So it's REALLY cool to see The Fat Man sitting at #26 this week with his version of this Beatles Classic.

Nationally Fats' version peaked at #87 ... five months after The Beatles hit #2 with their original.  (What?!?!  A non-#1 Beatles single?!?!  How often did THAT happen???)  kk

THIS WEEK IN '68:

8/15/68 - Radio Free London begins broadcasting.
 
 

Friday, August 17, 2018

Concert Review: JEFF LYNNE'S ELO (Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL, Wednesday, August 15th, 2018)




It was, without question, the most highly anticipated show of our lives.

For over two years, we have been monitoring the web faithfully waiting for the announcement of Jeff Lynne’s ELO American tour dates.

When the word finally came, we bought our tickets IMMEDIATELY … nearly nine months in advance … for his appearance at The AllState Arena in Rosemont, IL, on Wednesday, August 15th, 2018.  

It had been, after all, 35 years since Jeff Lynne last toured The States.

We further whetted our appetites during the wait by watching his live concert events filmed at Hyde Park London and Wembley Stadium.  The sound and visuals were incredible ... as such, we came into this concert event with extremely high expectations.

I am happy to report that the show exceeded anything and everything that we may have imagined.  

It was a brilliant display of sight and sound … music performed to impeccable perfection by some of the best musicians we have ever witnessed on stage ... and a video, light and laser show that was beyond compare to anything else we’d ever seen in all our years of concert-going experience … an absolute spectacle to take in … and the perfect marriage of “visual music.”


Of course, it didn’t hurt that Lynne was accompanied by twelve other stellar musicians and vocalists, who were collectively able to create a virtual symphony of sound, thus doing the name of the band on stage proud in the process ... let's not forget that this was The Electric Light Orchestra.



Lynne himself states in the concert program that he had thought that he had “already packed it in 30 years ago to be a record producer” ... but now was back out on the road presenting the incredible catalog of music he created some 40 years ago.

(Interestingly enough, the “warm up” music played before ELO took the stage was all music that Lynne had produced for other artists, including tracks by George Harrison, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison … as well as “Free As A Bird” from the first Beatles Anthology album.)

“I love this ELO band and really enjoy our gigs together.  It’s the best time I’ve ever had in music!” – Jeff Lynne


Our experience was also enhanced by having absolutely PERFECT seats … Main Floor … 19th Row … DEAD CENTER … with a clear view of the stage throughout the show (if you didn’t mind standing, of course … which we did for nearly every single song.)  [Ya dunn good, Frannie!  These were GREAT seats!]

After a quick stop in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, August 18th, he’s only got three stops left on the American leg of the tour (Madison Square Garden in New York for two shows on August 21st and 22nd and The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, on August 24th.)  Then it’s off to Europe, with shows running through the end of October.

The set list has been plastered all over the internet … and he doesn’t seem to be varying from it from city to city … and why should he? …

Song after song after song, he had the entire crowd up on their feet for nearly a two hour show.  (The only song of note that we missed, per Frannie, was "Strange Magic," a personal favorite that was missing from the playlist.)

No cell phone photography or video could possibly do this show justice … it was a spectacle that had to be seen first hand in order to be fully appreciated.  Precision-timed, perfectly synchronized sight and sound from start to finish.  We loved it.

[That being said, you'll still find some of the better shots that Frannie was able to snag from the 19th row posted to the site today.] 


Best Show of the Year?  Probably …

OK … definitely …

I don’t really see anything coming up on our list that could possibly top this (although Ron Onesti has “Woody” Wood of The Bay City Rollers coming to The Arcada Theatre in September, so who knows!!!) …

But really, how could it possibly be anything less than the Best Show Of The Year …

When it’s also one of the best shows we’ve ever seen in our entire lives?!?!  (kk)





SET LIST 
(* = my personal favorites as performed that night):

Standin’ In The Rain
Evil Woman
*All Over The World
*Showdown
Do Ya
When I Was A Boy
Livin’ Thing
*Handle With Care
Rockaria!
*Can’t Get It Out Of My Head
10538 Overture
Shine A Little Love
Wild West Hero
*Telephone Line
*Sweet Talkin’ Woman
*Don’t Bring Me Down
Turn To Stone
*Mr. Blue Sky
ENCORE:
*Roll Over Beethoven

  
One Final Note:

How much did we enjoy the show?

Instead of going to the 50th Anniversary Theatrical Release Celebration of Elvis Presley’s 1968 Singer Comeback Television Special as planned, we opted instead to order a pizza and watch Jeff Lynne’s Wembley Stadium Concert again on Showtime!  (kk)

OK, One More Final Note:

A tip of the hat to the opening act, Dawes, who had the very difficult task of trying to get a crowd of 20,000+ people pumped and primed to see ELO to listen to their one hour set of completely unfamiliar music with at least half an ear.  Actually, they were pretty damn good ... and will be returning to the Chicagoland area for another show in January.  Kudos for hangin' in there and giving it your best shot during what had to feel like the chance of a lifetime ... you won a few of us over in the process.  (kk)

Thursday, August 16, 2018

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT (The "Nooner" Edition!)

ARETHA:
As expected, Aretha Franklin passed away earlier this morning at the age of 76.  Accolades are coming in from all over the globe for the very first Female Inductee into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Ultimate Classic Rock ran a very nice photo timeline showing Aretha thru the years, 1956 – 2017 … you can check it out here:

And here is the Complete Aretha Franklin Hit List …

ALL of her Top 50 Hits on both the Billboard Pop and R&B Charts ... nearly 90 titles in all!!!:

1960 – Today I Sing The Blues  (POP – xx; R&B - #10)
1961 – Won’t Be Long  (POP - #76; R&B - #7)
1961 – Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody (POP – 37; R&B - xx)
1961 – Operation Heartbreak  (POP – xx; R&B - #6)
1964 – Runnin’ Out Of Fools  (POP - #57; R&B - #30)
1965 – One Step Ahead  (POP - #119; R&B - #18)
1966 – Cry Like A Baby  (POP - #113; R&B - #27)
1967 – Lee Cross  (POP – xx; R&B - #31)
1967 – Take A Look  (POP - #56; R&B – 28)
1967 – I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) POP – 9; R&B - #1
1967 – Do Right Woman, Do Right Man  (POP - #xx; R&B – 37)
1967 – Respect  (POP - #1; R&B - #1)
1967 – Baby I Love You  (POP - #4; R&B -#1)
1967 – (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman  (POP - #8; R&B - #2)
1968 – Chain Of Fools  (POP - #2 ... and #1 in Cash Box; R&B - #1)
1968 – (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone  (POP - #5; R&B - #1)
1968 – Ain’t Now Way  (POP - #17; R&B - #9)
1968 – Think  (POP - #7; R&B - #1)
1968 – You Send Me (POP - #56; R&B - #28)
1968 – The House That Jack Built (POP - #6; R&B - #2)
1968 – I Say A Little Prayer  (POP - #10; R&B - #3)
1968 – See Saw  (POP - #14; R&B - #9)
1969 – My Song  (POP - #31; R&B - #10)
1969 – The Weight (POP - #19; R&B - #3)
1969 – The Tracks Of My Tears (POP – 71; R&B - #21)
1969 – Can’t See Myself Leaving You (POP - #28; R&B - #3)
1969 – Gentle On My Mind  (POP - #76; R&B - #50)
1969 – Share Your Love With Me  (POP - #13; R&B - #1)
1969 – Eleanor Rigby  (POP - #17; R&B - #5)
1970 – Call Me  (POP - #13; R&B - #1)
1970 – Spirit In The Dark  (POP - #23; R&B - #3)
1970 – Don’t Play That Song  (POP - #11; R&B - #1)
1970 – Border Song (Holy Moses) / You And Me  (POP - #37; R&B - #5)
1971 – You’re All I Need To Get By  (POP - #19; R&B - #3)
1971 – Bridge Over Troubled Water / Brand New Me  (POP - #6; R&B - #1)
1971 – Spanish Harlem  (POP - #2 ...but #1 in both Cash Box and Record World; R&B - #1)
1971 – Rock Steady  (POP - #9; R&B - #2)
1971 - Oh Me Oh My (I’m A Fool For You Baby)  POP - #9-B / R&B - 9
1971 – Day Dreaming  (POP - #5; R&B - #1)
1972 – All The King’s Horses (POP - #26; R&B - #7)
1972 – Wholy Holy  (POP - #81; R&B - #49)
1973 – Master Of Eyes  (The Deepness Of Your Eyes)  POP - #33; R&B - #8
1973 – Angel  (POP - #20; R&B - #1)
1974 – Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)  POP - #3; R&B - #1
1974 – I’m In Love (POP - #19; R&B - #1)
1974 – Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing  (POP - #47; R&B - #6)
1974 – Without Love  (POP - #45; R&B - #6)
1975 – With Everything I Feel In Me  (POP - #xx; R&B - #20)
1975 – Mr. D.J. (5 For The D.J.) – POP #53; R&B - #13
1976 – You  (POP - #xx; R&B - #15)
1976 – Something He Can Feel  (POP - #28; R&B - #1)
1977 – Jump  (POP - #xx; R&B - #17)
1977 – Look Into Your Heart (POP - #82; R&B - #1)
1977 – Break It To Me Gently  (POP - #85; R&B - #1)
1977 – When I Think About You  (POP - #xx; R&B - #16)
1978 – Almighty Fire (Woman Of The Future)  POP - #103; R&B - #12
1979 – Ladies Only  (POP - #xx; R&B – 33)
1981 – United Together  (POP - #56; R&B – 3)
1981 – What A Fool Believes (POP - #xx; R&B -17)
1981 – Come To Me  (POP - #84; R&B - #39)
1981 – Love All The Hurt Away (with George Benson)  POP - #46; R&B - #6
1982 – It’s My Turn  (POP - #xx; R&B - #29)
1982 – Jump To It  (POP - #24; R&B - #1)
1982 – Love Me Right  (POP - #xx; R&B - #22)
1983 – Get It Right  (POP - #61; R&B - #1)
1983 – Every Girl (Wants My Guy)  POP - #xx; R&B - #7
1985 – Freeway Of Love  (POP - #3; R&B - #1)
1985 – Who’s Zoomin’ Who  (POP - #7; R&B - #2)
1985 – Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves (as The Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin)  POP - #18; R&B - #66
1986 – Another Night (POP - #22; R&B - #9)
1986 – Ain’t Nobody Ever Loved You  (POP - #xx; R&B - #30)
1986 – Jumpin’ Jack Flash  (POP - #21; R&B - #20)
1987 – Jimmy Lee  (POP #28; R&B - #2)
1987 – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) with George Michael  (POP - #1; R&B - #5)
1987 – Rock-A-Lott (POP - #82; R&B - #25)
1988 – If Ever A Love There Was (as The Four Tops with Aretha Franklin)  POP - #xx; R&B - #31
1989 – Through The Storm (with Elton John)  POP - #16; R&B - #17
1989 – It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Never Gonna Be (with Whitney Houston)  POP - #41; R&B - #5
1989 – Gimme Your Love (with James Brown)  POP - #xx; R&B - #48
1991 – Everyday People  (POP - #xx; R&B - #13)
1992 – Ever Changing Times (with Michael McDonald)  POP - #xx; R&B - #19)
1994 – A Deeper Love  (POP - #63; R&B - #30)
1994 – Willing To Forgive  (POP - #26; R&B -#5)
1994 – Honey  (POP - #114; R&B - #30)
1998 – A Rose Is Still A Rose  (POP - #26; R&B - #5)
1998 – Here We Go Again  (POP - #76; R&B - #24)
2003 – Wonderful  (POP - #xx; R&B - #46)
2008 – Put You Up On Game (with Fantasia)  POP - #xx; R&B - #41

So Aretha dies on the same date as Elvis … today being the 41st anniversary of his passing on August 16th, 1977.

And, speaking of Elvis …

kk …
Look who's asking Elvis for an autograph.
FB

A young Madonna, fighting for Elvis’ autograph back in 1970! Happy 60th Birthday to Madonna!! 
Scott Shannon

And, speaking of Scott Shannon …

Frank Buongervino (see, now you know why we just call him Frank B.!!!  lol) tells us that Scott Shannon will be doing his 1000th show on WCBS-FM this Friday (the 17th)
You can listen to The Big Show live right here …
Congratulations, Scott … you know, this whole radio thing just might work out for you!!!  (kk)
Aretha passes on the anniversary of Elvis’ death? Wow.
Aretha stopped by the store quite often while touring. I will remember her entrances. Quite a show-woman. 
Shelley

FREE THIS WEEKEND?: 
Hi Kent, 
Here's some news from the Dick Biondi Film team -- 
The closing scene of the Dick Biondi movie is being filmed at Chicago's Italian Fest on Taylor Street this Saturday night, August 18th, at 8:00 PM. Our host, Ron Onesti, will lead us in singing Biondi’s signature song, On Top of a Pizza ... and if you’d like to be part of it, you may even get on camera! Of course nobody can sing it like Dick but we’re gonna give it our best shot.  So come on out and join the fun!  
We’ll have a booth set up throughout the entire fest (Thursday - Sunday) so stop by and say hello and bring your family and friends to pick up your official Dick Biondi Film Tee and mug, and celebrate all things Italian, including Chicago’s most lovable deejay.  We could use some help at our booth so if you are available, please contact me at theDickBiondiFilm@gmail.com.  
Thanks to all of you who continue to root for us and support our tribute to the wonderful Wild I-Tralian, Dick Biondi.
For more info:  http://www.arcadalive.com/onesti-festivals/  
See you at the festa! 
Much love and gratitude, 
Pam 
xox

Good morning! 
"Italian Fest" is happening down in Chi-Town this weekend ... I'm sure
music fans will love to come on down. 
We'll have the Dick Biondi film booth set up, and everyone is invited to stop by.
It runs thru Sunday, and on Saturday evening we're going to have a giant sing-along in which we'll be led in singing "The Pizza Song," which will be used as the grand finale of the Dick Biondi film "The Voice That Rocked America".  Should be loads of fun.
Mike Wolstein

New Releases:  
Kent: 
Capitol Records announced this past week some of their upcoming projects, including the next Beatles anniversary release and a Motown documentary.  More details below:
Not all of Capitol Congress’ highlights came courtesy of newcomers. Bruce Resnikoff, President and CEO of Universal catalog division UMe, introduced a lengthy video showcasing a host of upcoming CMG reissues, including a 50th anniversary edition of The Beatles’ White Album remixed by George Martin's son Giles, a “lost” Glen Campbell album featuring a duet with Elvis Presley, and multiple vinyl reissues celebrating the 60th and 80th anniversaries of Motown and Blue Note Records, respectively. Also coming on the Motown front is Hitsville: The Making of Motown, a documentary featuring never-before-seen footage from label founder Berry Gordy’s private archives.
-Tom Cuddy
Sounds like some interesting stuff coming down the pike.  (Of course, we're most interested in the new White Album Box Set, featuring many of the original demos made by the Beatles individually before regrouping in the studio after their trip to India.) 
Wouldn't it be nice if Capitol kept this tradition going and FINALLY released "Let It Be" again on home video for the 50th Anniversary of that release?!?!

And speaking of upcoming Beatles releases, Eagle Rock Entertainment has just announced that a new, pristine print of John and Yoko's "Imagine" will be showing in theaters.  (With the Elvis Comeback Television Special now in limited release and "Yellow Submarine" back in select theaters celebrating that 50th Anniversary, the market seems prime for more music-related releases showing up on the big screen!)

And, speaking of Big Screen Music Releases ... check this out ...


JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO - "IMAGINE"

RESTORED & REMIXED FOR CINEMA AUDIENCES

WITH ADDITIONAL CINEMA-ONLY EXTRAS

IN SPECTACULAR DOLBY ATMOS IN SELECTED THEATERS

Official trailer:  HERE
Screening in cinemas Worldwide from September 17, 2018
Full cinema list and tickets available now from
www.imaginefilmtickets.com
New Cinemas Added Daily

Music fans will be celebrating this September, as John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Imagine hits the big screen. Including previously unreleased cinema-exclusive bonus material, restored footage, remixed, remastered and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix, it’s a unique opportunity to witness Imagine like you’ve never seen or heard it before!
Imagine is a cinematic collage of color, sound, dream and reality. Produced and directed by John and Yoko, who, with numerous guest stars including George Harrison, Fred Astaire, Andy Warhol, Dick Cavett, Jack Palance and Jonas Mekas, create a world of imagination as rich and moving as the music that accompanies it.
The ground-breaking music film features a different visual treatment for every song, and follows John and Yoko during the recording sessions for Imagine in both the UK and New York, as they co-produced the record with Phil Spector.
Imagine has been restored frame-by-frame, from the original reels with the audio remix by triple GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer, Paul Hicks. It is accompanied by 15 minutes of never-before-seen extras including studio footage of John and his band (including George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins from the Rolling Stones, Alan White from Yes and Klaus Voormann) performing "How Do You Sleep?" and "Oh My Love" in a specially created Dolby Atmos surround sound "raw studio" mix that puts you in the center of the recording studio while the band play live.
“The people who all worked on IMAGINE were Peace People and it was so enlightening and exciting all the way through to be one of them. Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world.” – Yoko Ono  

For details of cinemas participating in this special event screening visit www.imaginefilmtickets.com
Running Time
83 Minutes
Certificate: TBC













































ELO:
Going to see ELO next Tuesday (my birthday!) - cannot wait, although from the videos I've seen, their stage show has been scaled down a bit from last year. 
I saw that tour with the spaceship, too, and it was rather amazing - the band came up through the ship. I can only think of what that must have cost. 
Looking forward to them doing "Handle With Care." 
Still, cannot wait!  
David Salidor  
"Handle With Care" was just one of the MANY highlights of last night's show.  (I was talking with Billy J. Kramer at Beatlefest last weekend, where Roy Orbison, Jr., was also appearing
Can you imagine if The Traveling Wilburys had ever done a tour?!?! The WEALTH of material they could have covered, live on stage, between the members of that band?
Even just one live, filmed concert event for the rest of us to cherish for the rest of our lives.
You will not be disappointed in ANY way with your ELO experience ... in fact, I'm willing to wager you'll rate it one of the best shows you've ever seen in your entire life!  (kk)

Kent,
If you don't know about this site below, it is awesome.  Type in artist and city and venue if known and you can find exact dates you saw an artist and often, their setlist that night! 
Here's the exact concert we saw with the spaceship in 1978 in Omaha.

OK, this is pretty cool … it shows that ELO played The Chicago Stadium in 1975, 1976 and 1978 … but when I search Hall and Oates, none of these dates come up … only one in 1981.  (Possibly because they were the back-up band that nobody cared about at the time???)
It’s kinda like when I saw Three Dog Night in 1970 … they were the hottest band on the planet at the time and their opening act was some guy named Elton John.  Three Dog Night had recorded a couple of Elton’s songs that had already been hits in England but had not caught on here in The States yet … including “Lady Samantha” and “Your Song,” which would go on to become his big breakthrough hit.  I think they thought they were doing the kid a favor by bringing him out on tour with them as they clearly loved his music.  Needless to say, once “Your Song” hit, Elton would never be the “opening act” again!!!  (kk)

Here is the ELO Spaceship we saw at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 1978 … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXReQZ55fVc  
Roger Besch  

Which means that the show that I saw here in Chicago HAD to be 1978 as well, since the spaceship was constructed to coincide with their "Out of The Blue" tour … so my memory timeline is off by a couple of years.

Weird because I remember Hall and Oates being relatively unknown at the time … but by 1978 they had already had six Top 40 Hits. Their biggest hits were still to come … but they had already topped the charts in 1977 with “Rich Girl” and had Top Ten Smashes with “Sara Smile” (#4, 1976) and “She’s Gone” (#6, 1976).  They’d kick off a string of 13 straight Top Ten Hits (save “Your Imagination,” which peaked at #33) in 1980, during which time they’d collect five more #1 Hits:  “Kiss On My List” (1981), “Private Eyes” (1981), “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” 1982, “Maneater” (1982) and “Out Of Touch” (1984).  The Electric Light Orchestra during that same stretch only hit The Top Ten two more times (and one of those was as a “duet” with Olivia Newton-John.)  kk

SPEAKING OF ELO ...

We got home VERY late from the concert last time (sure glad I took the rest of the week off!  lol) so I haven't had time to write a review yet ... suffice to say that it was incredible from start to finish.

We're going thru the photos today (I can only tell you that no cell phone photos or videos can even begin to do justice to the spectacle that we witnessed last night) ... for those of you out there going to see this, be prepared to be COMPLETELY blown away!  More as time permits ...

Meanwhile, as you can see, I'm scrambling as it it to get a Thursday This And That posted!!!

Lots of talk about Steve Perry’s new album, coming out October 5th.  (He released his new single, “No Erasin’,” this week.
Perry blames the delay (this is his first album of new material since 2004!!!) on a number of things, the loss of his long-time girlfriend in 2012.  He has since channeled that love into inspiration, which resulted with many of the tracks featured on his new LP.

In a prepared statement, Perry said:

Years ago, I disappeared.  There were many reasons, but mainly … my love for music had suddenly left me. I knew that simply stopping, was what I had to do. If music was ever to return to my heart, then and only then I would figure out what to do. If not … so be it, for I had already lived the dream of dreams.
Many years passed. One day, I began sketching some musical ideas with the creative freedom that I was the only one who would ever hear them. One song led to many. My love for music had returned.
Then another beautiful thing happened ... I met someone and I fell in love with this person.  I found love. My precious Kellie gave me a life I never knew I had. And then I lost this person to breast cancer … I lost her in December of 2012. I now deeply understand the meaning of: ‘It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.’
In the midst of that, I had written some songs and, before I met her, I had sketched some more … And so in May of 2015, I began recording. These songs are special to me. I respectfully ask that you please listen to them, and whatever they make you feel, I thank you for listening.
--Steve Perry

Here is the video just released for “No Erasin’” … a special deluxe edition of Perry’s new CD will include five bonus tracks not found on the regular edition. 




More postings as time permits throughout the weekend ... stay tuned!!!  (kk)