Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments


THE ALL-STAR SALUTE TO ELVIS: 
I very much agree with you on the Elvis special.  Blake Shelton was the weak link compared to most of the other performers.  Keith Urban performing Burning Love, and Carrie Underwood's How Great Thou Art were among the best.   I was surprised how well Mac Davis sounded on Memories.   The All Star Jam was weak.
Phil

When Blake first announced the All-Star jam as being completely unrehearsed my first thought was “Yeah, right” … and then when I saw how badly falling apart it was at the beginning I thought “Well maybe they should have rehearsed at least a little bit!!!”

Keith Urban’s “Burning Love” gave me a glimmer of hope there at the beginning that this tribute might be all-right … and then when he teamed up with Post Malone to do “Baby What You Want Me To Do” I was completely knocked out.  There isn’t a chance in the world I’d listen to Malone under any other circumstances (especially after seeing him perform at The Grammys) but I think he killed it on this cut.

I have found that although I am not familiar with any of Keith Urban’s work, every time I’ve ever seen him perform, he has blown me away.  I feel a need familiarize myself with some of his stuff because I’ve enjoyed all of it.

Speaking of The Grammys, hopefully Jennifer Lopez will fare better than she did for her sultry “Heartbreak Hotel” performance than she did for her Motown Tribute on the Grammys.  I thought she did a fine job … and most of the backlash hasn’t been so much about her personally as that she was simply the wrong choice to represent Motown.  Tell you what … what the Grammy Salute To Motown airs in a couple of months, you’re going to find ALL kinds of people up there performing that may not necessarily be who you’d expect for such a gala event.

What made Carrie Underwood’s performance so powerful for me was the fact that she just came out there alone and did it … no fancy gimmicks … just pure, raw talent.  (A full choir had to be brought out to support the next two gospel entries … but Carrie just went out there and nailed it on her own … taking vocal risks that easily could have destroyed the performance with even the slightest waver … yet she came out and owned it every step of the way.)  She is an incredible vocalist … and I dare say The King would likely have been moved to tears had he seen her perform one of his all-time favorites.  (kk)  

Hey Kent,
Thought I'd get my two cents in about Sunday night's Elvis TV special.
When I first read it was going to be on, I was excited, until I read the list of some of the performers. Why are they there? What do THEY have to do with Elvis? Later, I found an expanded list with Mac Davis' name on it. "That's it. I'm watching it!"  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, even with the artists I thought shouldn't be there.
I agree with most of what you said about the special, and how it dragged a bit. Two-hour specials can be quite a commitment these days. What ever happened to ninety-minute specials? That would have been perfect.
One thing I really liked was that they recreated the "ring" stage from Elvis' original special. I loved it when he and all his music buddies jammed all those old tunes on that tiny stage. The only thing I didn't like back then was that the tambourine was a little overpowering.
I'm with you in that the gospel part of the tribute seemed like the Gospel HOUR! When it dragged on, I went to the kitchen, and made myself a snack.
My favorite artist in the show was, of course, Mac Davis. It was so good to see him again, and it brought back memories of the time he played at my college, all by himself, back in '71, a full year before he became famous, with "Baby, Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me". He performed many songs from his first album, "Song Painter," which every Mac Davis fan should own. One of the songs, "Home," in my opinion, is the best song ever written about that stinking Vietnam War. I wish Mac would have been given the time to share more stories about his experiences with Elvis, especially the one about him falling in love with Mac's curly hair!
One other highlight for me was the flawless harmonies of the Pistol Annies. I thought the special kind of ended with a thud, but overall, I was satisfied.
- John LaPuzza 

1969: 
Just going thru more tapes and found a 2002 KOMA Oldies Station in OKC show that FH'er  Larry Neal hosted called the "Saturday Morning Countdown show" that I would get up weekly to listen to and often record parts of.  Larry was great on KOMA in the early 2000's and this show was circa early 1969 that we are giving tribute to on FH, so seemed timely.  Just a snippet of Larry's 17 year old show remembering 33 years ago from THEN.  THAT makes me feel old!!!
P.S.  You can really hear the fading that KOMA listeners put up with willingly in the 50's, 60's, 70's and even in the 2000's just to hear OUR songs on the AM airwaves!
Clark Besch



This And That: 
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that Queen WILL perform at The Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday Night after all.  (They had reportedly originally turned it down … but evidently had a change of heart.)  With no host this year, there’s a fair chance they may actually open the show … and what a way to kick off the program that would be!  "Bohemian Rhapsody” (already available on home video) has gathered all kinds of accolades this past year … how fitting it would be to see the film honored with an award or two Sunday evening.

And, speaking of The Academy Awards and nominated films, we saw “Green Book” last weekend.  VERY well done and both lead actors (Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali) are very deserving of their nominations for Oscars.

I really had no idea what the film was about before we saw it … just heard it was good.  We had seen previews and my immediate reaction was “Oh, so it’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ with a piano” … and there is some of that element in the film … but it also depicts the way things were (especially in the south) in the 1960’s … an era America cannot be very proud of today.

I also didn’t know it was based on the true story of The Don Shirley Trio (although the family has contested just how accurate some of this information has been portrayed).  Although primarily more of a jazz-oriented combo, Shirley enjoyed one Top 40 Hit in 1961 with “Water Boy.”

The soundtrack is interesting and both characters shine throughout.  recommended.  (kk)

And, since we’re talking about jazz, I would be remiss without mentioning the recent passing of Ken Nordine, a bit of a local legend here in Chi-Town.

I will admit that I was unfamiliar with his work … but after receiving three emails in a row the other day about his passing, I definitely need to do a bit more investigating of my own. 

R.I.P. Ken Nordine
Ken Voss 
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/word-jazz-creator-and-host-ken-nordine-dies/71c82188-3b11-432b-93da-91d83affdaad?fbclid=IwAR0zFxJrmAHoOIJ_feQ54QeLvMa5UjPnZxRi5259HIFRgZ8U_sjgG1rRYJ4 

Chicago word-jazz legend Ken Nordine passed away this week at 98.  He recorded MANY commercial voice overs and was a Chicago jazz legend of different style for sure.  He had a single on Dunwich and Dunwich produced his "Colors" album that is often regarded as his best "word jazz" recording, it seems.  His voice is incredible for sure, even if you are not a word jazz fan.  Of course, in 1966, he wrote and recorded the Tommy James classic "Crimson & Olive" too.   OK, that was NOT Tommy's song after all.  Ken was a unique talent for sure.
Clark Besch 

It’s no exaggeration to say that the great Ken Nordine was “one of the finest voice-over artists ever to work in the history of broadcasting” (as Steve Edwards described him in this 2010 studio tour). But Nordine may have been even more famous for “Word Jazz,” his influential series of albums and popular programs on Chicago Public Media WBEZ 91.5-FM and public radio nationwide for more than 40 years. He also recorded with Jerry Garcia, David Bowie, Tom Waits and others. And for the Chicago Blackhawks, he made the words “cold steel on ice” pure poetry. Nordine died Saturday at his home in the Edgewater neighborhood at 98.
Rob Feder 

Frank B sent us this one to celebrate President’s Day on Monday … 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ve6mV9JgHA  
kk:
I'm Playing The Presidents on "PRESIDENTS  DAY"
FB 
Boy, talk about your Forgotten Hits!!!  When’s the last time anybody’s heard THIS one?!?!  Yet, incredibly, a Top Ten Pop Hit back in 1970.  (I couldn’t have sung a line of this if a million dollar jackpot was on the line!)  Hopefully it’ll jar a memory or two for some of you out there, too … ‘cause that’s what Forgotten Hits is all about!  (kk)

Although I’m not quite sure why anybody would want it, John and Yoko’s Wedding Album is being re-released on CD and vinyl on March 22nd.  (I remember buying this thing when it first came out in 1969 as more of a collectors’ item than anything else because of all the goodies that came inside the box … because there sure wasn’t anything worth listening to on the record!!!  I can’t believe there’s a market for it now, some fifty years later!)

However, if you’re one of those who must have everything, here’s the scoop … 
https://theseconddisc.com/2019/02/lets-hope-for-peace-john-and-yokos-wedding-album-back-on-cd-and-lp-in-march/ 

THE DISCOVERY CHALLENGE: 
OK, so maybe I should have angled the arrow a little bit!!!

A few of you were challenged by the challenge … which was never the point …

But for those of you having difficulties, the search engine is in the upper most left-hand corner, above the yellow FORGOTTEN HITS Banner … you’ll see a little search box with a magnifying glass …

That’s where you type in your topic and then hit “Enter” and off you go.

And, after you first page pops up, you can scroll down thru that page to the bottom and, if you see “Next Posts” notice at the bottom (after the last post in the lower right hand corner), click on that and it’ll take you to more pages pertaining to the same topic.

Again, if you find something you feel is worth sharing with the other readers, please send along the links and we’ll post them every now and again to see what else might be out there that you haven’t seen yet.  (With literally THOUSANDS of post, there really is no telling just what you’ll find!!!)

For example, when I got this email from Carl Wiser of Songfacts, I wasn’t sure what to think … but I guess this sucker will search down to the word!!! 

I tried "dungeon". Got a result. This should be fun.
Carl Wiser 
www.songfacts.com 
What the heck could THAT be?!?!  Well, let’s find out!  (I didn’t think we’d get so word-specific but hey, if it works and you’re enjoying yourself playing around with it, who am I to talk???)   

Anyway, here's what it turns up: 
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/search?q=dungeon 

Admittedly, this one’s a bit like spinning the wheel and seeing where it lands … which could be fun, too, in that you never know what might turn up.  But if you search for something specific, odds are you’ll be amazed by all the entries you’ll find on any given topic, song or artist.  Give it a try and see for yourself.  (kk) 

kk:
Don't want you to think I'm denying your request ... but I can't get it to work.  Trying to punch in my favorite group, Tony Williams & The Platters, but I'm not able to punch in anything.
The Platters were the most popular group during the 1950's.  I think I told you before, I have a FACEBOOK group called I Love The Platters.
FB 
It absolutely works … I just typed in Platters and got DOZENS of pages featuring articles and/or comments about the group.

Here are just the first three: 

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/search?q=platters&max-results=20&by-date=false

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/search?q=platters&updated-max=2015-03-04T06:31:00-06:00&max-results=20&start=2&by-date=false 

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/search?q=platters&updated-max=2015-03-01T11:56:00-06:00&max-results=20&start=3&by-date=false   

(Remember … when you get to the bottom of the page if it says anything like “Next Post” or “Older Post,” click on it and more pages will come up.  In this case, many of the comments you find may be your very own!)

Play around with it and have some fun … and let us know what new discoveries YOU make along the way.  (kk) 

Here’s what I found …
What a blast to see one of my Beach Boys heroes live, thanks to kk and FH!  
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/04/al-jardine-concert-review-part-1.html
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/04/al-jardine-concert-reviews-part-2.html 
Phil 
PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com 

Hi Kent,
I always enjoy reading Forgotten Hits and catching up on all the news! 
I am excited to hear the great Tony Orlando is the subject of a new Broadway show about his life!  It’s got to be an incredible story of a guy who sang on the rooftops of New York and dreamed of the big time.  I get goose bumps remembering this story told to me backstage at the Arcada Theatre during our interview about Dick Biondi.  Tony is a great interview. This man has a beautiful heart and a personality to match.  And he ADORES Dick Biondi!  He had a lot to say about Biondi’s influence on music and what he’d meant to his career.  Great stuff!  Tony's story will be part of our tribute to the Wild I-Tralian, which, by the way, will be a national PBS documentary when complete! 
“The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story” is currently in post-production.  When finished, the program will air on WTTW in Chicago (Chicago is where Dick introduced the Beatles to the U.S.), WNEO / WEAO in Youngstown / Akron / Cleveland, Ohio (Youngstown is where Dick introduced rock and roll), WNED Buffalo (Buffalo is where Dick owned the Eastern Seaboard), South Carolina ETV (Myrtle Beach is where Bob Sirott found him after a ten year hiatus and Chicago got Biondi back!).  With Dick’s national exposure, we expect wide distribution on PBS stations so if anyone is interested in becoming a sponsor, please get in touch! Our sponsors are so awesome! 
A big shoutout to IAET (Italian American Executives of Transportation), Paul Shaffer, Onesti Entertainment, VC Plumbers, and Haggerty Insurance!
So when Tony heard we are having a big fundraiser on April 28th he donated a custom made tuxedo to our Director of Communications and Marketing, Joe Farina.  Joe has been reaching out to artists and entertainers for tax-deductible donations to help us finish the documentary.  Joe is a super nice guy and we are lucky to have him on board helping to make this dream a reality.  So many good people have come forward to enable this dream that sometimes I have to pinch myself that it’s really happening.  It’s been almost five years since I began the project with nothing but a hope and a prayer.  Now, it’s REALLY HAPPENING!
Kent, you are invited to come to the fundraiser and so is everybody reading this. You’re in for a real treat with performances by some of Chicago’s greatest rock bands, led by the incredibly talented New Colony Six!!!!  That alone is worth the price of the ticket. 
But there’s more! 
Scott MacKay from 95.9 The River will emcee, with performances by The Hundred Dollar Quartet with Dean Milano and friends and Scott May from the Ides of March on keyboards, The Cave Dwellers, the Meteors, Bagshot Row, Southside Exiles, Pete Weldon who is Dick Biondi’s exclusive sock hop DJ, and Actor Joe Farina. 
And this all takes place on a Sunday afternoon from 2:00 PM - 6:00 pm at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park on Chicago's South Side. 
This place is awesome, wait until you see the stage! 
We’re keeping ticket prices low — only $37 plus service fees which includes a buffet dinner, beer and wine, Silent Auction / 50/50 Raffle, and a screening of the Dick Biondi Trailer!  I’m attaching a poster and hope everybody comes out.  We are expecting several surprise guests.
Tickets are on sale now – 
https://www.dickbiondifilm.com/goodtimesfundraiser 
Please help us spread the word and bring your kids and grandkids.  All ages are welcome.
Let's rock and roll for the Dick Biondi documentary!  Thanks everybody.
Pamela Enzweiler Pulice
Director 
www.DickBiondiFilm.com
TheDickBiondiFilm@gmail.com





And, speaking of The New Colony Six … 

I've already "networked" more than two hours playing around with the new "Wayback Machine" tool this morning, Kent, so shame on me for not tending to Arbortech's needs and shame on you for enabling us "FH-ers" to have such a marvelous gizmol.  Love it and love ya for creating and making it available to the masses who are fans of your stellar work in Forgotten Hits, like me!  Back to work, errr, probably back to searching the archives!    
Ray 

A NEW GAME??? 
This past Saturday night, my listeners voted on their favorite 'Most Beautiful Women Of 1960's Television'.
Barbara Eden from I Dream Of Jeannie was the top vote getter.  Linda Evans from the Big Valley was 2nd followed by Agent 99 Barbara Feldon from Get Smart,  Ellie Mae Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies and Diana Rigg from the Avengers rounding out the top five.
The Petticoat Junction girls got a few votes.  Someone even voted for Jethrine Bodine from the Beverly Hillbillies!
This might be a good poll question in Forgotten Hits.  My childhood was spent way to close to our new Curtis Mathes color television set watching those ladies.
Phil Nee
WRCO 

What?!?!  No Mary Ann?!?!?  (kk) 

She had a couple of votes.  Ginger was shut out!  Jethrine got more than Ginger!
Phil 

Of course, that was the big debate back in the ‘60’s …

Who’s Hotter???

Ginger or Mary Ann?
Jeannie or Samantha?
Betty or Wilma?

OK, well maybe not so much on that last one … (but my vote goes to Betty)

It’s funny because Gilligan’s Island was written to portray Ginger as the ultimate dream girl … every man’s fantasy … but Mary Ann was just drop dead gorgeous and regularly comes out on top whenever we’ve mentioned a poll such as this.

Hey, I’m game if readers want to send in their choices.

There’s a great book called “Swingin’ Chicks of the ‘60’s” that’s been in my collection for some time now.  (Unfortunately, it’s long since out of print so commanding some pretty ridiculous prices on Amazon) 

https://www.amazon.com/Swingin-Chicks-Chris-Strodder-2000-09-01/dp/B019TM77ZK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=swingin+chicks+of+the+60s&qid=1550577153&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull 

It lists several great choices … but encompasses all media, not just TV … thus you get chapters like “The Bond Beauties,” “The Elvis Girls! Girls Girls!,” “Songbirds” like Cher, Michelle Phillips and Nancy Sinatra and, believe it or not, even a couple of “Cartoon Cuties” (Judy Jetson and Veronica Lodge).

In the TV category, they nominate Judy Carne, Diahann Carroll (strikingly beautiful in my opinion … a totally different class than the “hot chicks” we’re talking about), Donna Douglas, Patty Duke, Barbara Eden, Barbara Feldon, Peggy Lipton (how did SHE rank on your list?), Sally Field, Carolyn Jones, Tina Louise, Elizabeth Montgomery, Mary Tyler Moore (Laura Petrie style), Julie Newmar, Nichelle Nichols, Melody Patterson, Pat Priest, Inger Stevens (one of my faves), Marlo Thomas (ditto) and Dawn Wells.  (What?!?!  No Honey West???  Ahh, she was never my type anyway.  But how can Diana Rigg possibly not be on this list???  What about Batgirl, Yvonne Craig?  I don’t see Linda Evans listed here either … and, quite honestly, she wouldn’t have even crossed my mind … so I’m shocked to see her come in at #2 in your radio poll.)

That should be enough choices to get the ball rolling.  If you folks wanna write in to cast your votes for YOUR favorites, we’ll keep tabs for a couple of weeks and see who comes out on top.  And, per Phil’s instructions, we’ll keep this strictly about the TV chicks!  (kk)

And, as a reminder of just how hot some of these women really were, here’s a replay of that cool ‘60’s Dance Video Chuck Buell sent us a couple of weeks ago …