Saturday, November 16, 2019

Hangin' Out WIth You On The Weekend!

Here's a rare Saturday post from yours truly ... 


Merry Christmas / Bah Humbug! 
Mixed reaction to the brand new PBS Exclusive Christmas CD release … but personally, I think it’s great!

Kent,
What a great Christmas lineup.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Joe
We try to buy at least one new Christmas CD each year … and between this mammoth 4-CD box set and the newly refreshed Royal Philharmonic Christmas CD, this has turned into a banner year!  (kk)

>>>It doesn’t get much better than this, folks!  Kind of the ultimate Christmas Collection!  (kk)
Don’t know about that Kent …
Christmas to me has to have Elvis’s Christmas album and The Phil Spector album and it’s not complete without hearing that Grandma got run over by a Reindeer.
Take care,
Rockin’ Lord Geoff (In England)
Ah, but you get a sampling of all THREE of these in this brand new compilation set … and, if you watch the PBS special tonight, you’ll even get to see the great Ronnie Spector perform two brand new versions of her Christmas classics live!  (kk)

Hi Kent,
Another great read, my friend. 
Thanks for listing the Royal Guardsmen in TJ's new Christmas project ... Most appreciated.  I really like the Christmas record we made and had no idea it'd have legs this long. :O)
Hope you and your family have a super blessed Thanksgiving.  We all have a lot to be thankful for. 
Take care … and I'll be watching for the next blog.
Bless ya, Buddy,
Barry

Right backatcha, Barry ... to you and yours.  "Snoopy's Christmas" is a long-time holiday favorite around here ... I'll bet I've already heard it three times since Halloween!!!  (kk)

By the way, that PBS / TJ Lubinsky My Music: Christmas special airs at 7:00 tonight in the Chicago area ... and I plan on watching.  Check your local listings to see when and where it may be playing in your area.  (kk) 

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE NAMES THE TOP 125 ARTISTS
I’ve voiced my frustration in the past about the way Billboard Magazine seems to be rewriting history when it comes to the pop charts …
And this latest stunt takes us another step further in proving my point.
In honor of Billboard’s 125th Anniversary, they’ve come up with a list of The Top 125 Artists Of All-Time based on a study of their Hot 100 Pop Chart AND their Top 200 Album Chart, covering the time period of August 4, 1958 (the day the first “official” Hot 100 Chart appeared) thru today.
So right off the bat, the supposed tie-in to 125 years isn’t really being respected at all … they’re really only covering the era of approximately HALF that time.
Now, don’t get me wrong … “The Rock Era” has been pretty much defined by the changes made to the music and record industry, thanks to the domination fueled by teenagers purchasing music by their favorite, brand new artists.  Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” seems to have become the starting off point … and Haley was quickly followed by Rock And Roll’s Poster Boy, Elvis Presley.
But Presley was hardly the first teenage idol to capture the hearts (and pocketbooks) of teenage girls from coast to coast.  Prior artists who made a major impact to the music scene BEFORE Billboard’s Hot 100 debuted (you know … those FIRST 64 years of the 125 years they’re supposedly honoring) are all but ignored by their criteria of eligibility.  (You won’t find pre-rock era heartthrobs and major recording stars Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Mario Lanza, Al Jolson, Perry Como, Nat “King” Cole, Eddie Fisher … or even Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters or Patti Page, for that matter … anywhere on this Top 125 list “inspired” by Billboard’s 125th Anniversary.)
Even Elvis himself has been severely compromised … as we have covered numerous times in the past since Billboard has decided to virtually focus ONLY on the music to hit their charts since August 4th, 1958.  In establishing this new “start date,” Elvis’ first 32 chart hits have been eliminated from the equation!!!  And we’re not just talking about ANY chart hits … this was Elvis’ prime period … and monster hits like “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “All Shook Up,” “Teddy Bear” and “Jailhouse Rock” have all been deemed “ineligible” because they came BEFORE the August 4th, 1958 cut-off date.  Hell, on August 4th, 1958, Elvis was in the Army!!!  His initial wave of popularity had already ended … and has been completely wiped out and ignored in this new way of accessing the charts.
How bad is it?  Between March of 1956 and August of 1958, Elvis placed 21 hits in Billboard’s Top 20!!!  This list includes ELEVEN #1 Hits!  This methodology SEVERELY cuts into The King’s chart output.
But even so … and this is the good news … despite this tremendous slight toward his creative output, Elvis still managed to come in at #13 in The Top 125 listing.  (Billboard acknowledges and explains that “due to the changes in chart methodology” of computing their Hot 100 List, “certain periods for each chart recap were weighted differently to ensure as equal a representation as possible among all eras.”)
So thanks to their version of “a level playing field,” Elvis comes in behind HUGE revolutionary artists like Mariah Carey (#4), Madonna (#5), Barbra Streisand (#6) and Taylor Swift (#8 … seriously?!?!  Of ALL- TIME?!?!) and just ahead of Drake (#16) and Rhianna (#18).  [Yep … that’s the BAD news!!!]
And when you do, you’ll see that The Beatles DID come in at #1 … just ahead of The Rolling Stones (#2) and Elton John (#3).  Paul McCartney scored a double whammy by coming in at #12 … yep, even HE beat Elvis … as a solo artist.
Other surprises on the list … Eminem and Usher coming in ahead of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, The Supremes, The Eagles, The Bee Gees, The Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac … and Adele, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Maroon Five and Jay-Z all finishing up in The Top 50.
Check out the complete list for yourself via the link above.  (kk)

THE IDES OF MARCH:
Man, wish I was there for the 55th Anniversary Ides of March show!  The new CD is awesome! 
Altho it sounds nothing like the Ides' first 45, "Like It Or Lump it," I had to laugh at seeing the song title "Love or Something Like it" because I thought maybe a re-write of the first single updated!!! haha.
Again, the playing and songwriting and harmonies are excellent from those guys that started so long ago. 
If you read Jim Peterik's great autobiography, "Through The Eye Of The Tiger," you will read that his first real gig was in a band he had called the Renegades and it was at his high school, Berwyn's Morton West.  Jim relates how scary it was standing up there the first time onstage and not long after, Larry Millas was at the door and the history was written.  The new CD's "The Miracle" certainly plays well to relate what a story it was and what can happen with luck and good timing -- AND TALENT! 
So, while working thru my own radio tapes from the 60's, I ran across this bit recorded off the Barney Pip show on WCFL Chicago.  Barney and I were friends in the years before he passed many years back and he was kind enough to HAND WRITE all the answers to the pages of questions I had for him.  I wondered why he did not wish to just record them.  He said he was used to writing and that one of his downfalls was that he wrote down every name and number called in to his show and at the Cheetah, often being teen girls.  You get the idea.  Anyway, that's a lot of writing when he told me he got about 1000 calls a night.  If you remember his show, he called the callers his "Pip People" and if you got your name mentioned, it was a great thing you could tell everyone ... and then "turned into P-Nut Butter," of course.
Anyway, the Ides of March were soon born in 1964 and in 1968, I was taping late night off WCFL from Dodge City, Kansas, when I caught a noisy (as usual) broadcast of Barney naming his "Pip People" callers that night and one was a shout out to the Ides of March, who had just done a "great job" at the same high school named above, Morton West.  Jim was 17 years old!
BTW, if anyone out there has the Levi's commercial in this clip, I'd love to hear it in the clear.  Great Crykle sounding jingle with Chicago's Ken Nordine doing voice over, I believe.  Go to good old Karroll's Red Hanger shop because they had those Levi's!!!
Here's a March 21, 1968, story for attached audio clip.  Today, I know I can depend on FH to provide details on these events, but somehow, I wish ... I was still listening to Barney calling out to the Pip People.



Jim and the rest of The Ides went to Morton West High School … but had already graduated by the time I got there.  Still, they remained VERY loyal to their old stomping grounds and probably performed there several dozen times over the years.  (I saw them there several times myself, including their “Farewell Show” back in the mid-‘70’s.  In fact, Ides Of March Way, runs just by the High School … and the ceremony for the street sign dedication was held right in Morton West’s auditorium!  I was there for that, too!)
Wish I could have seen that 1968 show that also featured The New Colony Six.  I never had the chance to see them “back in the day” … but Ray Graffia, Jr. tells me it was AMAZING.
Radio was SO exciting here in Chicago back then … constantly flipping back and forth between WLS and WCFL … Ron Riley and Art Roberts to Ron Britain and Barney Pip … what a GREAT time to be growing up loving this music.  (kk)

DICK BIONDI:
Forgotten Hits is too much fun.  I don't have time for it.  
Keep it comin', Kent!  :)
While working on Dick Biondi stuff, how about this nice work done by FH'er Freddy Cannon to help Dick out one night in 1961?  And how about having "Mr. Baby Sittin' Boogie" come in and do an hour of baby noises on stage???  Haha

And with your mention of "Wooden Heart" by Joe Dowell, you did not tell that he was a 21 year old LOCAL boy still at University of Illinois only 70 miles away from Chicago.  The below from his hometown newspaper for whom he once was a paper boy (as mentioned) and had been signed to do the Dick Clark "Caravan of Stars" show in Champaign with Biondi as master of ceremonies! 
BTW, the great Ray Stevens, then a Nashville session player mostly, plays the organ on "Wooden Heart" as well as playing keyboards for Dick Biondi's 1963 spoken word (mostly) album.
Joe is likely the only person to be BORN in Bloomington, Indiana and actually grow up in Bloomington, Illinois!  The local paper did this nice little write up until it got egg all over its face when it gave the title of Joe's recent national number one hit.  Check it out!

And last but HARDLY least, for Chuck Buell, I think you found Jenny in Chicago in 1971 along with Fred Winston (l) and Roy Chiovari (Chicago Warner Brothers promotion man) and Chuck "Man in Stripes" Buell claiming "I got your number: 867-5309!"
OMG, was Fred Winston ever really that young?!?!  (lol)
Good times, for sure!  (kk)

Man, I loved Biondi"s quote from Delores Eiler ... just too funny.
Barry Winslow
TOTALLY cracked me up, too … and I’ve already repeated it to several people!  (Just not something you’d expect Dick Biondi to say … but hey, HE was young once, too!  Lol)  kk

Friday, November 15, 2019

Another Forgotten Hits Exclusive!

Here, EXCLUSIVELY, is the brand new Ides Of March single, "Friends Like You," featuring the incredible Mindi Abair on sax.

This is my absolute favorite track from their new "Play On" CD and we were there for the video taping of the live concert segment.  (I even found myself in the "blink and you'll miss me" final edit!)




Special thanks, as always, to Jim Peterik for allowing us to run the clip here FIRST before anyone else (and this even includes YouTube!!!  In fact, I had to post it privately on YouTube just to be able to embed the clip here!)

A couple of photos from after the shoot ...




Thursday, November 14, 2019

Thursday This And That

Jump into the Christmas Spirit this Saturday Night when PBS stations across the country air T.J. Lubinsky’s brand new “My Music: A Classic Christmas.”

TJ has been working overtime tracking down these special Christmas clips, some of them dating back to the 1950’s … just check out this line-up:

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams

Do You Hear What I Hear – Bing Crosby

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Perry Como

Sleigh Ride – Johnny Mathis

Jingle Bell Rock / Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee & Eddy Arnold

The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland

The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Mitch Miller & The Gang

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jimmy Boyd

My Favorite Things – The Supremes

Jingle Bells – Rosemary Clooney & The Lennon Sisters

A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

Silent Night – Mahalia Jackson

We Need A Little Christmas – Mitzi Gaynor

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Julie Andrews

Winter Wonderland – Johnny Mathis

Little St. Nick – The Beach Boys

Merry Christmas Darling – Carpenters

Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano

Home For The Holidays – Perry Como

White Christmas – The Drifters

Sleigh Ride – Ronnie Spector

Frosty The Snowman – Ronnie Spector

The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth – The Harry Simeone Chorale / Bing Crosby & David Bowie

A DVD available thru pledges adds the tracks “A Marshmallow World” by Dean Martin, “Happy Holidays” / “It’s The Holiday Season ‘ by Andy Williams with The Williams Brothers and The Osmond Brothers, “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt, “The Chipmunk Song” by Alvin and the Chipmunks, “O Come All Ye Faithful” / “Jingle Bells” by Patti Page and Choir, “Carol Of The Bells” by Johnny Mathis and the Young Americans and “White Christmas” / “Caroling, Caroling” / “Silent Night” / “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” by Bing Crosby and Family with Glen Campbell and The Lennon Sisters

A 4 CD Set will also be available thru pledges and donations featuring 100 Classic Christmas Tracks.  (This reads like a Who’s Who of Holiday Music)

Be sure to check your local listings for airtimes in your area.  (The show will be repeated a few more times in December as the holidays draw nearer … but this Saturday Night is the official launch date.)

Various Artists, A Classic Christmas  (TJL, 2019) 

Volume 1

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Andy Williams

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Julie Andrews

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day – Harry Belafonte

The Twelve Days of Christmas – Mitch Miller

(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays – Perry Como

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry

Here We Come A-Caroling – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Winter Wonderland – Doris Day

Sleigh Ride – Johnny Mathis

Carol of The Bells/Deck The Halls – The Robert Shaw Chorale

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear – Frank Sinatra

Silent Night – Mahalia Jackson

March Of The Toys – The St. Louis Symphony

Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt

Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley

Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano

Pretty Paper – Roy Orbison

Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season – Andy Williams

Snowfall – Tony Bennett

Mary’s Boy Child – Harry Belafonte

It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas – Perry Como & Fontane Sisters

Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jimmy Boyd

Must Be Santa – Mitch Miller

Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairies – Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops


Volume 2

Twelve Days of Christmas – Ray Conniff

I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Doris Day

Frosty The Snowman – Perry Como

Silver Bells – Mitch Miller

Deck The Halls – The Ames Brothers

Jingle Bells – Rosemary Clooney

Christmas Eve in My Hometown – Bobby Vinton

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – The Four Seasons

White Christmas – Darlene Love

Please Come Home For Christmas – Charles Brown

We Need A Little Christmas – Percy Faith

O Little Town Of Bethlehem – Frank Sinatra

Joy To The World – Andy Williams

O Come, All Ye Faithful – Robert Goulet

What Child Is This – John Denver

Sleigh Ride – The Ronettes

Christmas Auld Lang Syne – Bobby Darin

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer – The Cadillacs

Twistin’ Bells – Santo & Johnny

Christmas Is – Johnny Maestro & Brooklyn Bridge

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Johnny Mathis

White Christmas – Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters

Merry Christmas Baby – Charles Brown

Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth- Bing Crosby & David Bowie

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer – Elmo & Patsy


Volume 3

Jingle Bells – Ella Fitzgerald

White Christmas – Bing Crosby

My Favorite Things – The Supremes

O Holy Night – Luciano Pavarotti

Rockin Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee

Baby’s First Christmas – Connie Francis

The Little Drummer Boy – Harry Simeone Chorale

Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo

The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin

Do You Hear What I Hear – Bing Crosby

Merry Christmas Darling – Carpenters

Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys

The Chipmunk Song – The Chipmunks

Everybody’s Waitin’ For The Man With The Bag – Kay Starr

Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

Silent Night – Dinah Washington

This Time of Year – Brook Benton

Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Nat King Cole

Silver Bells – Earl Grant

I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Bing Crosby

Snoopy’s Christmas – The Royal Guardsmen

Someday At Christmas – Stevie Wonder

Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry


Volume 4

Silver Bells – The Supremes

O Holy Night – The Miracles

After New Years Eve – The Heartbeats

Merry Merry Christmas Baby – Margo Sylvia & The Tune Weavers

That’s What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder

You’re All I Want For Christmas – Brook Benton

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve – Nancy Wilson

We Wish You A Merry Christmas – The Kingston Trio

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland

Baby It’s Cold Outside – Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whiting

Driving Home For Christmas – Engelbert Humperdinck

Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas – Carla Thomas

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town- The Miracles

Nuttin’ For Christmas – Barry Gordon

All I Want For Christmas – Spike Jones

The Night Before Christmas – Fred Waring

Christmas Alphabet – The McGuire Sisters

I Like A Sleighride – Peggy Lee

Riu Chiu – The Monkees

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Bing Crosby

What Child Is This – The Lettermen

The Christmas Song – Mel Torme

The Christmas Waltz – Pat Boone

The First Noel – Patti Page

Ave Maria – Luciano Pavarotti

It doesn’t get much better than this, folks!  Kind of the ultimate Christmas Collection!  (kk)


And NEXT Saturday you can catch The Ides Of March at an In-Store Appearance, signing copies of their new “Play On” CD and 2-LP Set … as well as Jim Peterik’s brand new calendar, “Stars And Guitars”




Hi Kent! 
On Saturday, November 23rd, from 2 to 4 PM, The Ides will be at the largest and coolest Barbara’s Book Store in Chicagoland in Vernon Hills.
We will be doing a short unplugged set of new songs and some Ides classics as well. Afterwards, we will be signing vinyl and CD copies of our 55th anniversary album “Play On” and my new two year calendar, Jim Peterik’s “Stars & Guitars.”
Be there or be a rombus!!! 
Love,
Jimbo  
(more Ides below)

By the way, our buddy Sam Tallerico featured an Ides Of March B-Side during last week's salute to B-Sides on his Lost And Found Oldies Show ... 
If you hurry, you can still catch the podcast here:
https://www.mixcloud.com/LAFOS/lafos-b-sides-with-primitive-george-november-9-2019/ 

Monkees Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz will be hitting the road again after the first of the year with their Mike And Micky Show …

Dates announced so far include:

April 3  Vancouver, BC  -  Commodore Ballroom
April 4  Seattle, WA  -   Moore Theatre
April 7  Sacramento, CA   -  The Crest Theatre
April 8  San Jose, CA  -   San Jose Civic
April 10  Riverside, CA  -   Fox Performing Arts Center
April 11  El Cajon, CA  -    The Magnolia
April 14  Phoenix, AZ  -  Celebrity Theatre
April 16  Dallas, TX  -   Majestic Theatre
April 19  San Antonio, TX  -  The Tobin Center For Performing Arts
April 20  Austin, TX  -   ACL Live At The Moody Theatre
April 22  Birmingham, AL - Iron City
April 24  Lake Charles, LA  - Golden Nugget – Grand Event Center
April 25  Biloxi, MS -  IP Casino Resort & Spa
April 26  Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn Symphony Center


In addition, a live album from last year’s tour will also be released by Rhino Records.  (Release date is still to be announced)

And check out this set list …

THE MONKEES – THE MIKE & MICKY SHOW LIVE   
    1.  “Last Train To Clarksville”  

    2.  “Sunny Girlfriend”

    3.  “Mary, Mary”

    4.  “You Told Me”

    5.  “For Pete’s Sake”

    6.  “The Door Into Summer”

    7.  “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”

    8.  “You Just May Be the One”

    9.  “Birth Of An Accidental Hipster”

   10.  “St. Matthew”

   11.  “Porpoise Song”

   12.  “Circle Sky”

   13.  “Me & Magdalena”

   14.  “Papa Gene’s Blues”

   15.  “Randy Scouse Git”

   16.  “Tapioca Tundra”

   17.  “Take A Giant Step”

   18.  “Auntie’s Municipal Court”

   19.  “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”

   20.  “Goin’ Down”

   21.  “Daydream Believer”

   22.  “Pleasant Valley Sunday” 
   23.  “Listen To The Band”
24.  "I’m A Believer” 

I have to admit that I’m a little bit surprised that Micky and Mike are going out together again … Mike made it pretty clear on the last tour that this would be his last ties to The Monkees … so he must be havin’ fun!!!

And what an eclectic song list … a little bit of everything, including a number of tunes they’ve never performed live before … so VERY cool!  (I just tried to preorder the CD thru Amazon but it isn’t even listed there yet … so stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.)  kk

And, of course, you can’t talk about The Monkees without mentioning Jimi Hendrix.

(WHAT?!?!?!)

Purely by coincidence, I got copies of two brand new Jimi Hendrix Newsletters within just a few minutes of each other on Tuesday … one from right here in Chicago and another from Germany!
If you’re interested in either, let me know and I’ll pass them along. 


Harvey Kubernik just sent me a brand new piece he’s written on Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash … likewise if you’d like me to forward you a copy of that.  (kk) 

And, speaking of Johnny Cash, Forgotten Hits Regular Frank B sent this link along … 

kk:
You can watch this new Johnny Cash documentary, “The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash,” for free here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cMVNtmbwyo 
-- Johnny Cash was in the Air Force & sent to Germany
-- Elvis was in the Army & sent to Germany
-- Both started at Sun Records
-- Both left Sun for a major label
-- I think Johnny was sent to Folsom Prison for killing Ida Lupino on Columbo
FB 

Frank also sent us this Elvis clip …


My friend "WILD BILL" said the only time I sounded good was when I sang in German (and I can sing the German parts.)  I guess his thinking was that this way I could only sing one  song in the JUKEBOX instead of all of them.
Frank B. 
The soundtrack to “G.I. Blues” is one of my absolute Elvis favorites.
I remember my parents packing up all of us kids in the back of the stationwagon … backseat down … all of us in our PJ’s with pillows and blankets and taking us to the drive-in to see it when I was probably all of six or seven years old!  We listened to the entire film thru that tiny, tinny speaker hooked to our window. (I saw “A Hard Day’s Night” for the very first time the same way as my Dad was afraid that an inside theater would be overrun with screaming teenage girls!)
I ended up watching the whole movie … and, since my Mom also had the Soundtrack LP, heard it a LOT at home when I was growing up.  I love EVERY song on that soundtrack … and, as you can see, this is still a very special childhood memory of mine.
Watching that clip now is both charming and sad.  You get to see a very playful Elvis, just back from his stint in the army … but The King Of Rock And Roll … the most revolutionary artist of our time … is essentially singing to a puppet!  Talk about your mixed emotions!!!
Singer Joe Dowell covered “Wooded Heart” in 1961 and took it all the way to #1 (doing a spot-on Elvis impersonation in the process.  This would have been a sure-fire hit for Elvis had RCA released Elvis’ studio version of this track … but this allowed for the unknown Dowell to enjoy his fifteen minutes of fame instead.  (And, by the way, although it would appear to be the case, Joe was NOT a One Hit Wonder … in 1962, his recording of “Little Red Rented Rowboat” made The Top 40 on all three national charts.  (When’s the last time you heard THAT one?!?!  If ever!!!)
Joe also scored a Top 40 Hit with “The Bridge Of Love” in Music Vendor.  (kk)

From Clark Besch … 

Man, what I wouldn't give to go back and relive the events you mention in the Sunday WLS Survey “week that was.”
Great stuff.
As to those "Vehicle" videos, they were great!  Had no idea Sammy Davis and Tom Jones did the song back when.
Brings up the "answer" record Delores Eiler did in 1970 titled "He Won't Love You."  Not sure Jim Peterik had even heard this before I sent to him!
His comment when he heard it in 2015 ...

Ha!  When did this come out?
No, I had nada to do with it. 
And as Biondi once said, “If her skirt got any shorter she'd have two hairdos to worry about and four cheeks to powder!”   Thx for sending! 
Jimbo



OK, now I’ve GOTTA hear it!  (lol)  kk




Loved Jim Peterik's comments on your Top 3333. 

Who woulda guessed MY all-time fave, "Look Through Any Window," would be mentioned by him, too? 

As a friend of Alan Gordon, I'm sure his son would love knowing about Jim's affection for Alan's song "Happy Together" as well.  I'll let him know. 

PF Sloan -- what a talented writer -- and "You baby" a number one on my personal charts in 1966, too.

As to "Hocus Posus" by Focus, a great tune, but so is the follow-up "Sylvia," as well as "House of the King" -- both in my fave 45s:



Been working on the Dick Biondi documentary for Pam Pulice of late.  I had thought it was about finished, so I am late to the scene to help.  Looks like it will be epic, as Dick himself was.

Here's a couple of snippets for the Ides of March after seeing their contributions to the show ...  including Jim Peterik singing "The Pizza Song" -- classic!


Of course, Dick appears in their history video DVD release, but was also there when they were struggling in 1967 for a hit:

And when they hit it big too!
Clark




Kent,
You posted on FH today the Supremes' SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER. I don't know if you remember or if it charted in Chicago, but I always liked the instrumental version that was out by orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert.
Larry 
Nope, never heard this one … but that Supremes song is one of my favorites by them.  (What a PERFECT swan song … but how TOTALLY wrong not to have Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong sing on it!!!)


Since you’re always mentioning hit songs used in commercials, I’m sure by now you’ve seen the saturated campaign being done by Target featuring Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.”
Despite 22 Top 40 Hits, you don’t hear a lot of Donna Summer on the radio (no pun intended) these days.  Maybe her music was a little bit too much “of its time” … but strong tracks like “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls” and “She Works Hard For The Money” more than help to balance out her Disco Porn (“Love To Love You Baby”), rather ironic in hindsight as Donna was a very religious person at heart.
“I Feel Love” reached #4 in both Record World and Cash Box but topped out at #6 in Billboard.  Hers in the ONLY version of “MacArthur Park” I can stand to listen to (imagine that!!!), which went all the way to #1 … and she also topped the charts nationally with “Love To Love You Baby,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls,” “No More Tears” (her duet with Barbra Streisand … now THAT was a classic pairing!) and “On The Radio.”
“I Feel Love,” “Last Dance,” “Heaven Knows,” “Dim All The Lights,” “The Wanderer” and “She Works Hard For The Money” all came close … each one of those records made The Top 5.  (kk)



And how about this from Chuck Buell ...



Kent!
Chuck Buell Here!
This actually took me a moment or two to get!  And then I did!
But because you've been dealing with so many Numbers with your Gigantic Countdown lately, I am pretty sure you'll get it right away!
CB ( which stands for "Calculating Boy!")
Figure it out?  You’re A Winner!!!
(Be sure to call our Prize Hotline at Beechwood 4 - 5789!!!)
BTY ~~
In 1982, a Chicago woman gladly relinquished her 867-5309 number to WLS radio, which logged 22,000 calls in four days. Then a taped message was heard from Tommy Tutone’s founder, Tommy Heath, where he said, “Hi. Thanks for listening to my new song …. By the way, even if your name isn’t Jenny, I still love you anyway.” 
Chuck Dah-Buell-Ell-Ess

Yeah I heard that that number (in probably every conceivable area code) was being called all over the country!  (Perfect gimmick if you think about it!)  kk

It still is around here!

You can order a pizza from "Totally 80s Pizza" just north of Denver in Fort Collins, CO at 970 867-5309! 

True Confession:

I had to stop at Jewel / Osco tonight to pick up a prescription ...
And while I was waiting for it to be filled, I rearranged their birthday candles to read 867 5309 ... and one of the floor clerks caught me ... walked up and said "Jenny" ... and then walked away.  (Too funny!  I'll bet he wasn't more than 25 years old!)  kk

And I've got to leave you with just one more chuckle ...

When I heard Chris Carter play this on his Breakfast With The Beatles program the other day on The Beatles Channel, I TOTALLY laughed out loud ... had never heard this clip before.  Not quite the thing you'd expect from Paul McCartney ... John Lennon, perhaps ... but not Paul!!!  I LOVE it!!!