Thursday, August 8, 2019

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

UH-OH!   VOTERS FOUND A PROBLEM WITH BALLOT #33 …
AND THEY’RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT!   

MAJOR OMISSION - RUNAWAY BY DEL SHANNON!!!
RON LANGE 
Can you believe it wasn’t nominated?!?!  Unreal!  (A GLARING omission for sure.)  kk   

Here are my votes for Ballot #33:
#1 Runaway - Del Shannon
#2 Rock Me – Steppenwolf
#3 Rock This Town - Stray Cats
#4 Rock'n' Me - Steve Miller Band
#5 Ruby Tuesday - Rolling Stones
#6 Rockin' All Over the World - John Fogerty
#7 Rock & Roll Band – Boston
#8 Rock & Roll Never Forgets - Bob Seger
#9 Running On Empty - Jackson Browne
#10 Runnin’ Down a Dream - Tom Petty
End of day 33 with a Note: I am assuming that Del's version of Runaway was nominated and was a mistake in its missing listing.  If I am wrong, I leave vote #1 empty in protest!
Keith Brodkorb
I think most everyone out there would agree that Del Shannon’s “Runaway” belongs on this list … but this puts me in a difficult position.
By the time I sorted thru all of the Ballot #33 votes, I found that I had received a total of 39 emails DEMANDING that “Runaway” be added to the list … insisting that it MUST have been an oversight on my part.
The explanation (simple and unsatisfying as it may be) is the cold hard fact that EVERY single person out there reading this had the same opportunity to nominate this song and yet NOBODY did.
I can’t really run a “By a show of hands, how many of you out there think that ‘Runaway’ by Del Shannon belongs on the list?”, as that wouldn’t be fair to the other titles that weren’t offered up for an onslaught of votes.  (Is there anybody out there who thinks it DOESN’T belong on the list?!?!)
So I’ve come up with a possible solution.
I will take the first five answers to this question:
“I think ‘RUNAWAY’ by Del Shannon deserves at least the same number of votes as (fill in the blank)”. 
You’ve all seen the first 33 ballots … so you have a pretty good idea as to the songs that’ll make the final list … and what great titles (S-Z) are still to come.  Let me hear where you think this song should rank amongst the others.
I will then take the average number of points earned to date for the five titles suggested by our readers and then award those same number of votes to “Runaway” and add it to the list.
But this is it … this is your last and ONLY shot at adding a title to the tally.
So answer quickly, faithful followers, as only the first five suggestions will be allowed.  (kk)

And, while we’re on the topic of Classic Rock Radio, hearty congratulations to The Drive (97.1 FM, WDRV), who are now the #1 Radio Station overall here in Chicago (with jocks Bob Stroud and Seaver and Janda also winning their respective time slots)
The station first signed on the air eighteen years ago and has had fluctuating ratings over the course of time … but this is the FIRST time they’ve ever hit #1 overall in the ratings.  (Many feel much of this can be attributed to the demise of The Loop, Chicago’s other long-standing Classic Rock Station that flipped to a Contemporary Christian format several months back.  I, of course, prefer to think that at least SOME of this increase in listenership has to be the result of all the favorable mentions the station has received here in Forgotten Hits!  Lol)
Anyway, congratulations to the whole gang at WDRV, many of whom ARE, in fact, Forgotten Hits Readers.  Great to see that all this talent is FINALLY being recognized in the ratings book!  (kk)     

THE NEW COLONY SIX:
Kent –
I thought I would give you a quick review of the concert in Addison, Illinois with the New Colony 6 and Jimy  Sohns.
I loved the opening Shadows Show! Jimy still has his problems on stage due to his stroke and had to take several breaks ... but hell, half a Jimy is better than no Jimy!  The guy gives his all! But the REAL surprise was a group called the Michael Weber band backing him up. Remember that name! These young turks (could be my grandkids!) brought an energy to the Shadows songs I have not seen in a long time.  Wow!
Then came a very emotional moment for myself as I have been a diehard NC6 fan for ages!
I see Ray on stage, sitting. I thought, Oh God … What is wrong.
From my vantage point, it was hard to see everything. After a few songs, Ray told us what happened.
If I understood correctly, the doctors thought he may have a brain aneurism ... but it sounds like he received a clean bill of health.
I know he reads your web site, so any clarification and more exact info from Ray is appreciated. I am not noisy, but more concerned.
As always, Ray, Bruce, Greg, Bill, Rick, Greg and Mike gave a great show. A great mix of their tunes (although I would love a melody of more of their ballads) plus the music of the Raiders and the Chicago groups we know and love.
Once again, I certainly hope Ray is completely healthy.  We need him and Jimy more than ever.
I will always champion my hometown heroes and we are so fortunate to still hear them LIVE!
Mike De Martino 

Kent,
My wife Barbara and I took a little two day trip from our suburban Milwaukee home to the Chicago area for the primary purpose of catching the New Colony Six in Addison on Thursday evening with Jimmy Sohns and a great back-up group as openers. Jimmy and the current Shadows of Knight put on a hard-driving 55 minute show, featuring garage band rock and no ballads. Jimmy was in good form but the unannounced “star” of the show was his guitarist Mike Weber. Weber is a 21-year-old ball of fire from Akron, Ohio who, I have now discovered, is developing a wide reputation as a “shred guitarist” after winning the “Amazingest” contest on MTV. Backing Sohns, Weber was non-stop energy and impressive guitar playing. Giving Sohns a mid-concert rest, Weber also sang one song and displayed a good singing voice.
The New Colony Six did their usual great job on their own hits, a medley of other Chicago group hits, and several other covers. Ray Graffia started the concert sitting on a stool and, after the first song, explained why.
Ray stated he has not been doing well lately and saw his doctor that day. Thankfully, a suspected brain aneurism was ruled out, but Ray said he was feeling quite weak and his very presence at the show had been in doubt. Happily, Ray only spent the first few songs … and songs he was not singing … seated, and his singing voice was fine. Ray is such a great guy and Bruce Mattey is such a pro.
The large crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy both groups and we left glad we had made the trek to be there. We have been coming down to Chicagoland for years to see the Cornerstones acts at community fests in the area. Sadly, these events have increasingly featured local acts.
I still have a few upcoming events on our calendar this summer, including a Cryan’ Shames concert August 20th in Hillside and a couple of Ides appearances.
Bob Verbos
New Berlin, WI
We received letters of concern from several Forgotten Hits Readers who were at The New Colony Six show in Addison last Thursday Night.  (We had every intention of going but once again real life got in the way of the fun stuff and I ended up working a 14 ½ shift that day, not getting out of work till nearly 9:30 that evening!)
From what I’ve heard across the boards, it was a GREAT show, with The Colony (and opening act Jimy Sohns and The Shadows Of Knight … or would that be The Michael Weber Band???) playing to a packed house in what turned out to be VERY nice weather.  (Chicago has been experiencing a series of EXTREMES this year for some reason in the way of Hot and Cold … but Thursday Night was actually a BEAUTIFUL night to sit outside and listen to music … which it sounds like a TON of you did!) Throughout the evening I received numerous texts and emails asking if I was there and where they might find me … but, sad to say, I missed the show.
That being said, I didn’t want to comment on anything until I had the chance to speak with Ray Graffia, Jr. myself, which I did Monday Night.
Ray told me that he hasn’t been feeling “just quite right” for about 90 days now … some days worse than others … and wasn’t even sure if he could perform that night, so opted to start the show sitting down, not taking to standing until later in the show (and even then, without the usual prancing about the stage that is typical of a New Colony Six show.)
He didn’t want to let the fans down and, knowing this was the last NC6 event scheduled for the year (save November’s appearance at the Cornerstones show at The Arcada), he didn’t want to miss it.  Certainly, the adrenaline of performing in front of such a large audience had to make him feel a whole lot better, even if it was masking whatever it was that was truly bothering him on the inside.
When he got home that night after the concert, he was getting a few things ready for work the next day when he literally fell … and couldn’t get up.  His wife Bonnie told him that he had to find out what all of this was and got him to the hospital by ambulance, which is where he still was four days later when I spoke to him Monday night.
They’ve been running a series of tests ever since, ruling out several things that it ISN’T (such as the brain aneurysm that both Mike and Bob alluded to above) while trying to zero in on what it IS so that they can treat it accordingly.  He sounded weak but optimistic and in relatively good spirits considering the situation.
His message to the fans is that “The road is not wide open and bump free right now.  There are still two or three bumps in the road that we have to get over … but I have every intention of getting through all of this, getting better and performing at the Cornerstones show in November.”
The Cornerstones Crew have gone thru some rough patches of late … PBS performers Gary Loizzo of The American Breed and Skip Haynes of Alliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah have both passed on since that program was taped and aired … Front men Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight and Jimmy Pilster (Hooke) of The Cryan’ Shames have both experienced strokes in recent years (but are back up and performing again … I’m telling you, rock and roll keeps you young!) and now Ray Graffia, Jr. of the New Colony Six has his own battle to win.
I cannot believe that I haven’t been to a Cornerstones in over two years!!!  For a while there, I was going to every single one!  So I sure don’t want to miss this one … a chance to visit again with our local heroes who made the music scene here in Chicago so exciting in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s.
If you’ve never seen the show, this is one you don’t want to miss … Saturday, November 26th, at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.  See you there!  (kk)

And, speaking of the local guys …

THE IDES OF MARCH:
I've been going to the Ides’ live performances since I was 16 years old in high school. You can still watch them play at the Morton East Auditorium and in the Morton West gymnasium. I photographed them for the school newspaper. Yes, you can say I'm an extreme fan  Great article. Thanks for the opportunity to win their new cd.
Mel H
I am also a Morton West Alum (Class of ’71) and saw The Ides perform there MANY times over the years (including what was then billed as their “farewell concert” … how cool that they decided to do it there, where it all began for them in 1966!)
Have seen them many, many times since (includes several times this year already) and I swear they just get better and better each time.  Amazing!
Your name has officially been thrown in the hat.  We’ll be picking the winners later this week and mailing out the cd’s on Monday.  Good Luck!  (kk)

I prefer vinyl, but CD is acceptable.
BTW, which track is the "single"?
Jeff Watz
The one I posted the video for ... "Friends Like You" ... it's awesome.
The album IS available in vinyl ... but we only have CD copies to give away.
Good Luck!  (kk)
We’re accepting entries thru noon tomorrow … and will pick the five winners over the weekend.  (Actually, Jim Peterik will have a hand in that.  This is one of the best responses we’ve EVER had to a Forgotten Hits give-away … so he will randomly be picking five numbers which will then be assigned to all of the scrambled entries received.  The plan is to mail all of the CD’s on Monday … so you truly will have it before you can buy it!) 
Thanks again to Jim Peterik and The Ides Of March for their ongoing generosity and support of Forgotten Hits.  (kk)

Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood:
Got this from our FH Buddy Barry Winslow of The Royal Guardsmen …
Hi Kent,
I still don't know how you keep going, my friend ... but I'd sure like a sip of whatever that is ... LOL!  Smashing job, Bro.
I haven't seen the flick yet but I guess Snoopy and DiCaprio did a duet in one scene ... hope it was good.  We're quite honored to have the song included.
Try to find a little rest somewhere, Amigo!
Take care and be safe.
Bless ya
Barry
The scene featuring Leonardo DiCaprio floating in the pool while listening to “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron” is one of the more amusing bits in the movie … you’ll totally dig it!  (Too bad the song didn’t make the soundtrack … but then again you guys probably aren’t making money on any of that anymore anyway, right?!?!  SO many artists got used and abused in the music business!  They created the music and somebody else received the profits.)
Still, it IS cool to know that your music is still making its mark some 50 years after it was recorded.  The hope (and MY purpose here) is that a new generation of music lovers will discover it and want to hear more.  (kk)

I’m not a fan of Quentin Tarantino, but I enjoy his movies well enough. "Hollywood" is no exception as I recall those special good times and fond memories.  
As for the list of songs, I see no mention of one of my favorite songs, "Beep Beep" by the Playmates. I agree with the opinion that Chris Farlowe's version of "Out Of Time" should have been the one used in the film.  
Another element Quentin left out, probably because he never experienced it, was this guy named Gypsy Boots. He would drive this old piece of shit bus filled with trim up and down the strip. It was painted with all the hippie stuff of the period … flowers, peace signs, etc.  He was a fixture and I'm sure he and Charley ran into each other.  One funny thing about him I'll never forget, is when I attended a concert at the Whiskey with The Buffalo Springfield and The Doors.  
As was common during a Doors song, Jim had his back to the crowd when Gypsy leapt on stage and was dancing his hypnotic gyrations, when Jim turned around and violently shoved him off the stage onto the tables below. The stage was high enough and Gypsy was high on acid (I guess) because he didn't skip a beat.
Do not mess with Jim's show … it was funny as shit!
Alex Valdez
Hmm … sounds a bit like Chicago’s own Danzman!  (lol)
The film captures the essence and the look of Hollywood, 1969 … but Tarantino would have been all of six years old that year … so how much could he POSSIBLY remember???  (I turned 16 that summer and remember following the story with morbid fascination, reading up on it in much greater detail years later.)  Truth is, Sharon Tate was HARDLY an A-List, in-demand actress at the time … barely a blip on the radar of what was really happening … but it was still the idea that such a gruesome crime could be committed in the valley of peace and love that made it all the more shocking.  (Then again, I remember being irrationally scared shitless that Richard Speck was roaming the streets of Chicago after murdering eight student nurses two years earlier so who knows what goes thru the mind of an impressionable, creative child!)  kk

Much more from Harvey Kubernik on the “Hollywood” soundtrack … and “Out Of Time” in particular …

>>>Interesting to note that they refer to the film using “The Rolling Stones’ original version” of the song “Out Of Time” … which really isn’t true.  Instead of the original from 1967 (one of my all-time favorites), which probably would have fit the timeline of the film a whole lot better, they used instead the far-inferior orchestrated version that appeared on the “Metamorphosis” album, which was released as a single by Allen B. Klein as a means of cashing in on The Stones’ catalog in 1975 after they formed their own record company, Rolling Stone Records.  (Again, something that just doesn’t fit into the timeline presented in the film and the events of 1969.)  kk

Hello Kent: 
Just back from seeing this movie.  
I first encountered Quentin Tarantino circa 1987 at the video store he was working in, then chatted with him around 1989 at the Club Lingerie in Hollywood when comedian and monologist Rudy Ray Moore performed. I had arranged a radio interview for Rudy on KPCC-FM in Pasadena and drove him to the venue from the Hotel Dunbar in downtown Los Angeles.  
Haven't talked to Tarantino this century, last was sitting with him at museum in L.A. film tribute to director/producer Roger Corman. Loved his soundtracks to "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown," and will always give him kudos for licensing my neighbor Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" for the front and back end screen credits to "Jackie Brown."  
Thought you might like to read some background about the Rolling Stones' "Out of Time" heard in QT's latest film but not on the retail soundtrack. 
Best, 
Harvey Kubernik 

QUENTIN TARANTINO’S ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD SOUNDTRACK  The Rolling Stones "Out Of Time" 
By Harvey Kubernik © 2019
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood showcases 1969 Los Angeles and planet Hollywood. 
Highly effective on screen and the soundtrack are era-specific deejay intros from famed KHJ radio personalities The Real Don Steele and Humble Harve dovetailing product advertisements and weather reports from 1969.
There are several recordings broadcast in the movie but not incorporated in the soundtrack:  Aretha Franklin’s “The House that Jack Built,” Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “Soul Serenade,” courtesy of Willie Mitchell, Billy Stewart’s rendition of “Summertime,” and the potent screen-only inclusion of The Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time.”
The “Out of Time” heard in the movie’s score takes on prophetic significance and is a telling musical sequence foreshadowing the celluloid tale’s murderous task ending. The initial media announcement earlier in 2019 of the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood soundtrack album had listed the addition of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time” culled from the epochal Stones’ Aftermath UK edition, cut in Hollywood at RCA Studios in 1966, produced by their manager and liner note flapsmith, Andrew Loog Oldham.  An edited version also appears on the Stones’ 1967 album Flowers.  
The actual “Out of Time” eventually implemented in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is from their Metamorphosis compilation album of 1964 - 1970 outtakes, tracks and alternate versions, produced by Andrew Loog Oldham and Jimmy Miller, issued in June 1975 by ABKCO Records.
This “Out of Time,” was done in England at Pye Studios April 27 - 30, 1966, produced by Mick Jagger for Oldham, featuring singer Chris Farlowe, for which Jagger recorded a reference vocal for the artist he was producing on a backing track comprised of English session musicians including guitarists Jimmy Page and Big Jim Sullivan, and overdubbed horn section assembled from the Ronnie Scott jazz club bandstand.  
The result featuring Chris Farlowe was a number one UK hit single for Oldham’s Immediate Records label.
In July of 2018, I interviewed Andrew Loog Oldham and he reminisced about both his “Out of Time” studio endeavors.  
In one of my dreams that did not come true, Mick and Keith and I were gonna be Holland-Dozier-Holland for Immediate. That was the original idea. But it didn’t work out. Everybody got extra busy, whatever. But that was one of the original thoughts behind it. Mick did a wonderful job on Chris Farlowe’s ‘Out of Time’ and his album. Expensive. 12, 000 pounds. A lot of money then. The price of a Rolls Royce Phantom V.
“It was also Mick’s first production with me for my label Immediate. The only reason Mick, Keith and I started to produce together was that we like to do things the Beatles hadn’t done.
“There came a settlement between the Rolling Stones and Allen Klein in the early seventies that I didn’t know much about. 1973 or ’74.  I was living in Paris with my wife Esther. We got together with Mick and Bianca. Mick was meant to be settling with Allen Klein. Mick was gonna deliver great tracks and stuff that would make a great last album of the deal between the Stones and ABKCO. And then Mick and I were supposed to get together in New York to mix it and this was the album that would become Metamorphosis.
 “I was not privy to what was going on. But Mick obviously changed his mind and delivered a bunch of lesser stuff to Allen Klein. It was just abysmal.
“In an attempt to not only rescue the album but make it complete, a full album, when I used to do Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra recording sessions for Decca, when say 2 hours and 10 minutes was gone out of the 3 hours allotted, I would have done the tracks, whether it be a Four Seasons album, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones' songbook, and I would have 50 minutes left with, you know, 16 musicians. Which included Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and I would then record anything I wanted, something new I was working on, or more often than not, doing elaborate demos of songs that Mick and Keith had written. So that makes up five or 6 things that are on side one of Metamorphosis. The Rolling Stones are not playing on them. It’s just Mick and Keith doing some vocals. Same is true of ‘Out of Time.’
“Then I remembered that Mick had done a reference vocal for Chris Farlowe for ‘Out of Time.’ So I let Allen have it for Metamorphosis ‘cause we needed a decent song. I mixed that and added a lot of people from Connecticut, bass players and background vocals that I used on a Donovan session. Same year. And that went onto the album with the Jimmy Miller-produced ‘I Don’t Know Why.’  
“Stuff they worked on and not bothered to finish. For example, the version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Don’t Know Why’ which was recorded on the night Brian Jones died. The ‘I Don’t Know Why’ that they recorded at Olympic, the night that dear Brian died, was like 1:30.  Right?
“When I was putting together Metamorphosis in New York at the Record Plant in 1975, John Lennon was next door. Right? And I borrowed the horn people from Elephant’s Memory. Stan Bronstein. And John Lennon said to me, ‘Use him, man.’ And I just suggested, ‘I want a Jimmy Miller horn section.’ (laughs).
“And they did that on ‘I Don’t Know Why.’ And if you listen to it, Mick Jagger repeats the same verse and chorus three times. I just made it 3:40 with the addition of the horn section and the Connecticut musicians. And Allen Klein’s classic words to me at the time were ‘Don’t worry Andrew. I’ve done the research. You could put shit on a Rolling Stones’ record and it would still sell a quarter of a million in America alone.’   
“As for the Stones’ ‘Out of Time’ in this movie, maybe Quentin Tarantino is so vinyl anal he was familiar with Metamorphosis. Right? Good for him.”   
In a July 26, 2019 story on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Armond White in the National Review, contrasts the powerful exhibition of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time” off the UK Aftermath in an earlier film from director Hal Ashby, Coming Home, with the “Out of Time” utilized in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  
“Tarantino’s pop sadism vents the undigested frustration of the juvenile mentality. The hit parade of half-obscure pop tunes is a mere distraction, proof that Tarantino’s understanding of pop music — like his understanding of movies — is far shallower than we imagined. The Mamas and the Papa’s trenchant ‘Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)’ has been used more felicitously elsewhere, as was The Rolling Stones’ ‘Out of Time,’ which Hal Ashby scored in Coming Home so that it expressed the forgotten romance and regret behind Sixties political anxiety.”  
In a 2004 interview for my book Hollywood Shack Job: Rock Music In Film and on Your Screen, Andrew Loog Oldham was enthusiastic about the placement of his Aftermath master recording from RCA in Coming Home
‘“Out Of Time’ I love. It’s used twice in the Coming Home movie. I do remember, we all have our way of looking at it, survival mode, I am sure I reached Hal Ashby outside the cinema. I got (producer) Lou Adler, who knew him, to connect me. ‘I want you to hear me while I still have a lump in my throat. Great. You just blew me away….’
“Not like I had never been moved. I’ve had a moment that will be with me forever. The double use of ‘Out Of Time’ as a political statement and a love statement was just incredible.
“Hal was on location and I reached him.  If a piece of art has affected you like that either you want the person to see your eyes or the sound of your voice. And I was able to do it.” 
There’ve been a lot of complaints that “Out Of Time” isn’t included on the official film soundtrack CD, especially since it is so prominently featured in such a key scene (and nearly in its entirety in the film.)  
Interesting background.  I first heard this song during the film “Coming Home,” starring Jon Voight and Jane Fonda back in 1978 and it absolutely blew me away.  (“What IS this?!?!” I remember saying out loud in the movie theater!  Lol  I had to find out what it was … and I had to have it!)
Never heard it on the radio back in ’67 … and wasn’t really buying Stones albums at the time … so it was a completely new discovery for me … and I have loved the song ever since (and rank it right up there near the top of my all-time favorite Rolling Stones songs.)
The orchestrated version has always bothered me because it just seems to distract from the essence of the song … although I have mellowed in this regard over the years … I can actually listen to it now without spastic convulsions … and thought it sounded REALLY good in the new Tarantino film.  (I certainly would have preferred this over the Christ Farlowe version … it just doesn’t have the same impact.)  Too bad for me I found myself tuning out the movie to listen to the music … for MOST people, I think it primarily works the other way around!  (kk)   

MONEY BURNING A HOLE IN YOUR POCKET?: 
From Diane Diekman’s Country Music Newsletter (by way of Variety): 
The Beverly Hillbillies mansion is for sale. Variety reports the Chartwell Estate in the Los Angeles suburb of Bel Air, California, is on the market for $195 million, a $50 million drop from last year's asking price of $245 million. 
Featuring 11 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms, the 20,000-square-foot French Neoclassical limestone chateau was built by architect Sumner Spaulding in the early 1930s. The late billionaire Jerry Perenchio, a talent agent who became chairman and CEO of the Spanish TV conglomerate Univision, bought the estate in 1986 for $13.5 million and added several surrounding properties. 

MADE ME SMILE:
I found this in an old interview that Paul McCartney had done with Francis Wyndham of “London Life” magazine in 1965, just prior to the release of “Rubber Soul.”
In it, Paul looks to the future, saying “The songwriting thing looks the only thing you could do at 60.  I wouldn’t mind being a white-haired old man writing songs … but I’d hate to be a white-haired old Beatle at The Empire Stadium playing for people.”
77 year old Paul is still doing both.  (Kinda like Mick Jagger saying that he wouldn’t want to be prancing around the stage singing “Satisfaction” when he’s 40 all those years ago!)  kk

Monday, August 5, 2019

Monday Morning Monstrosity

It's no "quickie" this morning ... 

We've got a nice new batch of comments to share with you on Monday Morning instead ...

So now, on with the show! 

CLASSIC ROCK VOTE: 
Watch for a new update later this week via email as to the results of our most recent balloting.  (With over 800,000 votes tabulated now, this list will HAVE to be viewed as the definitive ranking by classic rock fans all over the country.  Thank you all again for your on-going support.)

Kent ...
I hope you are enjoying your summer.  Your classic rock vote survey is certainly making my summer interesting.  I am having fun making the decisions for my favorites on every ballot. 
Kent, you have so many connections and influence.  Perhaps sharing the results of this classic rock list will enable you to illustrate to the Chicago oldies stations that there needs to be a bigger variety of songs. And maybe if the Chicago radio stations respond and change their format by adding a lot more songs, then the other national radio stations will follow suit.  Not playing all of the great songs that are out there is like a library not being able to supply all of the classic books!  There is a treasure trove of great songs! Sounds like our freedoms are being eroded.
Thanks for all you do!
God bless.
********KENT FOR PRESIDENT!!!********
Sandy Lopez
My hope is that radio stations WILL absorb SOMETHING from a list like this.  A TREMENDOUS amount of work went into putting this whole thing together … and the response of what I’m SURE will be over a million votes CANNOT be ignored.  Like I’ve always said, we’re not suggesting that any or all of these songs belong in heavy rotation … just that you mix it up a little bit … that’s what variety is all about. Clearly, your listeners will appreciate it more … and more listeners means more exposure for your advertisers (which is what REALLY drives the whole radio market anyway.)  Revenue … that’s the name of the game … and we believe that more variety will bring you more revenue by way of more listeners and better word of mouth.  Set yourself apart from all these other cookie-cutter radio stations across the country and provide something more that will draw more listeners in.
As for all of you out there voting, thank you, thank you, thank you.  We’re providing you with the voice to show classic rock radio what you really want.  But YOU hve to speak up, too.  Contact your local and internet classic rock stations and tell them about this amazing list that we’ve all put together.  Let’s make this thing MEAN something.  That’s all we’re asking … let’s have some fun with this … and let’s see our efforts rewarded by way of more music and more variety!  As to everything else, leave all the stressing out to me!  (lol) kk

DID YOU VOTE TODAY???

COMMENTS ON OUR RECENT REVIEWS:

ELO:
ELO didn't include their best hit ever -- 1981's "Hold On Tight"?!"   

Gary Theroux
"The History of Rock 'n' Roll"
Nope!  I missed that one, too … always one of my favorites.
It was essentially the same show we saw last year (although, in my opinion, better executed this time around … which is really saying something, as I gave the 2018 concert a “10”.  Guess that makes this year’s version a “15”!!!)  kk

THE IDES OF MARCH:
Wow, Kent!
On behalf of the Ides team, thank you for the awesome coverage of our cd release event at the Jam Lab! 
We had a blast and it’s all because of the people like you in the audience that were rocking along with us and making us feel so good. I know Colin will reach out on his own to thank you for your review.
Again, thanks for all you do to keep the music playing - bringing back memories and helping to create new ones. That’s what it’s all about. 
Till then I’m just searching for an oil can. Lol!  
The Tin Man
Rock on!!  Jimbo 
It was a blast for all parties concerned.  Looking forward to Colin’s show at Q Bar … and the Ides (with special guests Mark Farner and Bo Bice … both of whom also appear on the new CD) at The Genesee Theatre on October 26th!  (kk)

Excellent review Kent!!!!
Just a reminder … it comes out in DOUBLE VINYL AS WELL –
AND WE MAY BE SELLING AT THE TASTE OF ELMWOOD PARK - yippee!!!
Taste of Elmwood Park is August 9 - the Ides go on at 8:45!!!
Hope to see you!
Thanks!
Chris


Hi Kent!
Bummed we didn't get to meet at the record release on Sunday!  Another time for sure! 
Jim just sent us your article, going to read it now!
What a fun event! 
Laura Orrico
President of Laura Orrico Public Relations, LLC

Reading your blog every day and seeing all these wonderful performers still active makes me wish that I was still living in Chicago so we could see them at all the venues there, especially the Arcada.
The Ides of March and New Colony 6 were two (and still are) of my favorites. You are living the dream.
Thanks for all you do every single day. Your dedication is nothing short of amazing. 
Bill
It really is amazing … the revival of the Chicago acts and living the dream, I mean ... the next Cornerstones show happens November 30th at The Arcada … incredible to think that I haven’t been to one in over two years now!!!  Am definitely planning to attend this one!  (kk)

Hey Kent,
Lots of good reading, keep it up !!! 
Wish I lived in the Chicago area to see so many great shows.
Ted Gstalder


I love the way you write! Great job!  Incredible coverage!  It was super great!  
Colin's new band is incredible.
Cheers! 
Kristie
And I love your photos … and the fact that you share them with our readers.  This was a GREAT afternoon of entertainment, thanks to both The Ides Of March and The Brooklyn Charmers, who were quite amazing in their own right!  Looking forward to their show in October … hope to see you there.  (kk)

Please enter me in the new Ides Of March CD drawing …
I need it, I want it, I will love it!!! 
Seriously, what a great time to be a Chicago 60's rock fan this month! The NC6 and Jimmy Sohms today in Addison, the Ides are in Elmwood Park next Friday and the Shames will be in Hillside on August 20! I am psyched!!!!!
Mike DeMartino

Oh Yeah ... Thanks For The Reminder:  
We’ve got FIVE copies of the brand new Ides Of March CD to give away to our Forgotten Hits Readers.
Get your entries in NOW as we will be drawing the winners later this week!
(We’ve already received entries from as far away as Canada … and as close as former Ides Of March classmates!!!)  This is a GREAT new offering … the guys sound better than ever.  I can promise you that you will LOVE this new CD … and enjoy listening to it again and again.  (kk)

While the complete "official" video hasn't been posted yet, you can get a minute and a half clip of The Ides’ new single “Friends Like You” here:
It’s catchy as hell … just try getting this one out of your head.  It’s outright infectious!
And isn’t Mindi Abair INCREDIBLE!!!  She adds SO much to this song!  (kk)

Other Give-Away Options:
A pair of tickets to see The Fab Four, the PREMIER Beatles Tribute Band, at the Arcada Theatre on Friday, November 1st                           
A pair of tickets to see Matthew and Gunnar Nelson on September 6th in Findlay, Ohio
A pair of tickets to see Matthew and Gunnar Nelson on September 7th in Loraine, Ohio
A chance to win a copy of Mark Bego’s new book (written with Mary Wilson of The Supremes) … “Supreme Glamour”
Just drop us a note at kk@forgottenhits.com – let us know which contest you’re entering – and we’ll let you know if you’ve won!

ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD: 
Wow!  I was way off when I was thinking you might like Once Upon A Time. 
We will have to agree to disagree. 
That is what I like about Forgotten Hits.  We are able to express our opinions, but still respect each other at the end of the day when we don't see eye to eye.   
The Manson murders were horrific.  I can't even begin to comprehend what the victims and their families went through.  The fantasy of the film does not lessen the reality.  The film, however, does portray them as likeable people that had incredible lives. They were more than just murder victims in a graphic crime scene from 50 years ago.    In this fantasy, evil did not win and the heroes lived another day. 
I am not a big fan of Tarantino films.  In fact, the only reason I liked Pulp Fiction was the surf music in the soundtrack. 
I did not know about the ending of Once Upon A Time before I went to the film.   I actually felt relieved that they did not go with what really happened.   
Phil – WRCO
We have always taken the position that there is no such thing as the one and only “right answer” to any topic when it comes to each of our own opinions.  In fact, in reading other people’s reviews of the film, it has allowed me to see some things from a different perspective than my own original reaction.
“Once Upon A Time” is beautifully filmed in a nostalgic way that really captures the era … it almost has that grainy, vintage look of 1969.  As I said, I believe Leonard DiCaprio and Brad Pitt both turned in Oscar-worthy performances … with a big tip of the hat to Julia Butters for a Best Supporting Actress nod (which I doubt will even be considered.) 
My biggest objection and the one that sealed the deal for me was the messing with reality.  If you’re going to incorporate real events into the storyline and build around that by having one plot coincide with the other, DON’T mess with the reality.  Does anybody believe for a second that the fantasy of all those people brutally murdered that night not really happening brings comfort to ANY of their surviving family members?  I don’t care if it’s been fifty years since or not … the REALITY is some very nice, completely unaware, unsuspecting and completely innocent people were slaughtered that night in an unspeakable manner.
Did I want to see that on film?  Absolutely not … nor was there a reason to show it … because we all already know what happened.
If this is the storyline Tarantino wanted to pursue, I think THIS would have been a better, more realistic scenario:
Have a batch of Manson followers go out the night before to do a “test run” to see how things go by going to the neighbor’s house instead.  Then they could have been confronted by the DiCaprio and Pitt characters who did everything in their powers to disarm them.  (Although seriously … the flame-thrower gun and the dog biting off the testicles of one of the would-be murderers would still be a bit much … but at least fitting with Tarantino’s over-the-top movie methods.)
This way when things go horribly wrong, Manson dispatches ANOTHER group of followers (the REAL group) to go out the next night to fulfill their mission … at which point not another word has to be said about the results of that mission … because again, everybody already KNOWS the result.  End the film with that team on its way to the Sharon Tate mansion and then cut to Leo and Brad nursing their wounds and wrap things up there.  By not uttering a single word about what really happened that night, I think you accomplish a FAR more powerful ending to the film … and, I believe that his results in a far more satisfying ending that still accomplishes everything that Tarantino wanted to show us without messing with a true historical timeline.
I was listening to Sirius 60s on 6 this weekend and they were featuring tracks from the movie’s soundtrack throughout the weekend … so at least SOME good came out of it!  (And I had never even considered Clark Besch’s opinion that maybe so much Paul Revere and the Raiders music was featured in the film because of the Terry Melcher connection … which now makes perfect sense to me, would that have been part of Quentin Tarantino’s intention.)
I think over time I will come to love and appreciate some of the individual scenes turned in by Leo and Brad in what essentially is the REAL movie and, as such, may up my final rating in the process … but I will NEVER accept the film as a whole because it completely fails on that level.  (kk)

Check out the soundtrack to the new "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" film, based on the late 60's in Hollywood.  Just the soundtrack listings below makes it worth the "trip" (being the operative 60's term) to see the movie.
Lots of really cool obscure tracks here.  TWO Nebraska DJs are on the soundtrack also. We get KHJ, the top LA radio station that gave us "Boss radio," where (and on the soundtrack as listed below) one time Nebraskans Humble Harv Moore and the Real Don Steele worked in the 60’s!  My buddy, Sandy Jackson, was on Omaha's KOIL with Steele in the early 60's.
It's funny that some of these songs are not LA associated, I believe, yet many are and there are also some GREAT commercial jingles for Heaven Scent and Summer Blonde, which are great 60's jingles, IMO.  The former was on WLS all the time and the latter was also on the Big 89 AND on American bandstand often then.
THREE Paul Revere & the Raiders tracks!  Great to see them getting Hollywood love, finally.  The Wrecking Crew are definitely featured musically here too.  A truly great Chad & Jeremy 45 as well from XXX movie of the time.  Even if the show isn't good, I can hear some great audio clips!
Attached is one of several versions of the Heaven Scent jingle as well as a WLS Art Roberts aircheck from summer 1966 starting with top 10 Cryan’ Shames music followed by a cool WLS concert promo and the Summer Blonde jingle followed by Art throwing ANOTHER Chicago area band!  I assume these jingles are similar to what will be in the soundtrack below.  HEY, where's the Raiders' GTO jingle "The Judge" at???
"Is it true blonds have more fun?"

Check out the full Once Upon a Time in Hollywood soundtrack track list below.
1.   Treat Her Right - Roy Head & The Traits
2.   Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man - The Bob Seger System
Boss Radio feat. Humble Harve:
3.   Hush - Deep Purple
4.   Mug Root Beer Advertisement
5.   Hector - The Village Callers
6.   Son of a Lovin’ Man - Buchanan Brothers
7.   Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course (from the MGM film Three in the Attic) - Chad & Jeremy
8.   Tanya Tanning Butter Advertisement
9.   Good Thing - Paul Revere & The Raiders
10. Hungry - Paul Revere & the Raiders
11. Choo Choo Train - The Box Tops
12. Jenny Take a Ride - Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
13. Kentucky Woman - Deep Purple
14. The Circle Game - Buffy Sainte-Marie
Boss Radio feat. The Real Don Steele:
15. Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
16. Numero Uno Advertisement
17. Bring a Little Lovin’ - Los Bravos
18. Suddenly / Heaven Sent Advertisement
19. Vagabond High School Reunion
20. KHJ Los Angeles Weather Report
21. The Illustrated Man Advertisement / Ready For Action
22. Hey Little Girl - Dee Clark
23. Summer Blonde Advertisement
24. Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show - Neil Diamond
25. Don’t Chase Me Around (from the MGM film GAS-S-S-S) - Robert Corff
26. Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon - Paul Revere & the Raiders (feat. Mark Lindsay)
27. California Dreamin’ - Jose Feliciano
28. Dinamite Jim (English Version) - I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni
29. You Keep Me Hangin’ On (Quentin Tarantino Edit) - Vanilla Fudge
30. Miss Lily Langtry (cue from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean) - Maurice Jarre
31. KHJ Batman Promotion

The Heaven Scent commercial was played so much in the 60's that the sheet music was even used as an ad for the product (below)




Do a search of the Forgotten Hits archives and you’ll find PAGES devoted to “Heaven Scent,” a VERY popular topic during some of our “commercial breaks” in years gone by.  It still sounds great today.
As you already know by now, the movie features nearly TWICE as many tracks played along the way during the course of the 2:41 minute film.  A COMPLETE soundtrack would have been nice but I’m sure there were licensing concerns again (as there usually are.)  Still, even though I already own the majority of this music on other CD’s, it’ll be nice to have it all in one place.  (Quentin Tarantino ALWAYS puts together an amazing score for his films … so this one will join all of the others currently in my collection.)
Thanks for the insight and special clips, Clark!  (kk)

More on the “Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood” soundtrack …
Interesting to note that they refer to the film using “The Rolling Stones’ original version of the song” … which really isn’t true.
Instead of the pure original from 1967 (one of my all-time favorites), which probably would have fit the timeline of the film a whole lot better, they used instead the far-inferior orchestrated version that appeared on the “Metamorphosis” album, which was released as a single by Allen B. Klein as a means of cashing in on The Stones’ catalog in 1975 after they formed their own record company, Rolling Stone Records.  (Again, something that just doesn’t fit in regards to the film and the events of 1969.)  kk

This is the version that SHOULD have been used in the movie:


1969:
We always knew it was coming … but it has officially been confirmed that there WILL be a 50th Anniversary “Abbey Road” Box Set.  (More details to come as they’re announced … but start socking your money away now … because next year’s 50th Anniversary “Let It Be” box set is also a sure thing … meaning the movie will FINALLY see its re-release on home video … along with a brand new, extended version showing ALL kinds of unused scenes of “happier Beatles” in the studio, currently being put together by Peter Jackson of “Lord Of The Rings” fame.  Jackson has been given access to 55 hours of unused filming and 140 hours of unreleased recordings to put together the ULTIMATE “Let It Be” film.)
Both of these projects promise to keep The Beatles in the limelight for a few more years to come … and beyond.  (kk)

By the summer of 1969, Americans’ love of ALL things British seemed to be on the wane. Musical tastes were changing. The Beatles were imploding. British Invasion acts that had rode the Fab Four's coattails to US chart topping success, including Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five, couldn't even get a whiff of their current UK hits on American radio. So it's no surprise that three of the most played hit singles that I remember that summer on BBC1 and Radio Luxembourg didn't cross the Atlantic.   
“Hello Susie" (UK#4) became Amen Corner's follow-up to their number one smash "(If
Paradise Is) Half As Nice". It was written by future Electric Light Orchestra founder Roy Wood. The song would also appear on The Move's 1970 album, SHAZAM.
"Goodnight Midnight" (UK#4) was Clodagh Rodgers's follow-up to her breakthrough hit "Come Back And Shake Me" (a song originally written for but turned down by Lulu). 
Both songs were penned by American songwriter Kenny Young.  He was in London and had discovered the Irish born Rodgers on a BBC televised music program.  Clodagh had struggled for years to find a hit and became a seemingly overnight pop star after Young made her his muse. The leggy blond caused a sensation wearing hot pants while representing the UK at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest. "Goodnight Midnight" was my wife's favorite song back then. 
"Viva Bobby Joe" (UK#6) was The Equals’ second biggest UK hit after their 1968 chart topper "Baby Come Back."  The lyric "Bobby Joe and his funk machine" was probably the first mention of funk music on a British recording. The interracial North London pop group was one of the most successful late Sixties’ UK bands with eight charting singles but are remembered as one hit wonders in the US. Guyana born lead guitarist Eddy Grant would return to the charts with a string of  hits as a solo artist in the Eighties.
Mike G




50 years ago today, the whole show of American bandstand as aired 8/2/1969!!!
We had one of the 1969 Pontiac Catalinas as shown in commercial at start.  Rate a Record pits a black artist singing a Randy Newman classic vs. a song recorded by MANY and never a hit -- the Castaways, the American Breed, Peppermint Rainbow, Ronnie Dio, etc. 
Dick talks with Salt Lake DJ who plays up his "announcer voice" and the station big time promoting the Spirit concert "tonight." 
The guy picks a B side as his pick hit.  What a phony.  Ha!Ha!  GREAT SONG, tho. 
If things had turned out differently, the guest artist could have been the Rumbles!  They scrapped their version of "Birthday" as this band jumped on the White Album track and it made its way to #1 on KLMS Lincoln as well as #2 on WLS in Chicago.  Lame compared to the fabs, fer sure, but imagine if the Rumbles' recording had gotten out first and possibly done as well as this one???  Their version isn't much better, but if the Underground Sunshine can have a hit, they could have, too. 
Good ole Ronnie Kaye from OKC's WKY got his dance couple in the AB dance contest and even gets to talk LIVE on the show as a guest!  Ronnie still plays the oldies in OKC on KOMA-FM and I sent this to him.  Maybe he will respond! 
I was hoping this would have been the show I taped some off of in 1969 in Dodge City when Dick put Lou Christie's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" bubblegummer up vs. Kansas' Jerms’ version of "Green Door."
Clark Besch

THIS AND THAT:
Queen’s original 1975 video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” passed one billion views last week.  To help celebrate, the band posted a new, remastered version of the song (which also just happens to be the current #1 track on our Top 3333 Most Essential Classic Rock Songs as I type this).
You can check out the new, cleaned-up, remastered version of the video here:


Can you believe that Alice Cooper is coming to the Genesee Theatre?!?!
Well, it’s true!
Alice has been booked for a show on Saturday, November 30th … this should be REALLY interesting.
(I saw Alice Cooper once before … he was the headliner and Burton Cummings, who had just gone solo, was his opening act … talked about a mis-matched set!!!)
Still, both artists put on incredible shows … (I’m thinking Burton probably let “Glamour Boy” out of the playlist that night!  Lol) 
Cooper scored rave reviews for his part in the live “Jesus Christ Superstar” musical a few months back … and if he’s doing his vintage catalog stuff, this should be a pretty amazing show to see.  Tickets are available now thru the Genesee Theatre Box Office … but it looks like they’re going fast!  (kk)
https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/070056E8DCFE3667?brand=genesee&camefrom=CFC_GENESEE

(By the way, we saw Burton Cummings this past weekend at The Arcada Theatre ... watch for THAT review later this week!)
 
Yay! for Heroes & Villains 😏 
Totally underrated because of the fickle Top 40. 
FYI - my new interview with a Dennis Wilson aficionado:  
Also, Brian is going back on tour: 
Surf’s Up,
Phil
#PrayForSurf
Hi Kent,
Art Walicki here.
Just got back to checking your site and boy, have I missed a lot!
Just got done in moving from Illinois to Arizona. Bet you can't guess why.
Anyway, I thought you would like to hear where I moved - interesting because it relates to music.
I live in a community called Province in Maricopa, AZ. The homes in my area are all named after musical groups or individuals. There are models called Zeppelin, Dylan, Mercury, Isley, Franklin and I live in the Simone.  
The streets are also of a musical theme. I live at the intersection of Festival (Santana) and Abbey Road. Some other street names in my area are Jubilee (Mellencamp), Good Vibration Way, Jailhouse Rock Ct, I Get Around Way and others that I forget at this time, (I'm getting old)
Thought you would find this interesting, I know I did! I wonder if anyone else can make a similar claim.
Love the ballots. Keep up your great work that you always do.
Art
That sounds pretty cool … you’ll have to send us some pictures!
And now that you’re settled in, YOU can start voting, too!  (kk)

WLTL-FM 88.1 will celebrate the 50th anniversary weekend of Woodstock 8/16, 8/17 and 8/18/2019. Co-founder Michael Lang told Variety that Woodstock 2019 has officially been canceled. But, WLTL will air the artists and bands who performed at the Three Days Of Peace And Music 1969 Festival all weekend long.
Mike Baker