Sunday, December 20, 2020

THE SUNDAY COMMENTS (12 - 20 - 20)

The other day we ran an audio clip of Ringo Starr’s new single “Here’s To The Nights,” a song from what will be his new EP.

Well, just that fast, an official video has now been released, featuring all of Ringo’s “support players” who helped him out on this track.  And it just may have legs …

I heard it on the radio FOUR times on Friday alone … and it’s a catchy enough tune (written by premier songstress Diane Warren) to leave its mark, earworm style, to those who give a listen.

You can check it out here:

And, on the same day that Ringo’s new single came out, “McCartney III” also hit the streets …

Here’s the first lead single from that LP ..

While I wasn't especially impressed on first listen, he sure does look happy when he’s making music!  I’ll have to give it a few more spins in order to determine what I really think … Paul’s stuff is just SO damn catchy, that it grows on you quickly. 

Recent appearances with Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock and now this new Rick Rubin documentary indicate that the blitz is on in a full court press … The Fest For Beatles Fans already sold out of their first allotment of product and it’s also doing very well on Amazon.  Could McCartney have his second straight #1 album … at the ripe old age of 78?!?!?  (kk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IObUjRwowIg&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxBR7qTQ9UE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTSe5hgB04s

Jim Peterik just sweetened the pot on our Pride Of Lions giveaway …

In addition to the latest CD by Pride Of Lions, we’ll ALSO be sending the winners a copy of The Ides Of March’s CD “Play On” … and it’s a goodie.

As such, we’ll extend the entry period until December 23rd.  (I’m not going to mail anything until AFTER the holidays …

The Post Office is already having a hard enough time keeping up as it is right now!!!)

If you’re interested, drop me an email with the words PRIDE OF LIONS in the subject line …

And we’ll add your name to the list of entries to win copies now of BOTH of these great CDs.  (kk)

And keep watching these pages for news about a brand new Rock ‘n’ Roll Show coming up on December 23rd, featuring Jim Peterik and Larry Millas of The Ides Of March, DJ Greg Brown and Joe Biondi, Dick’s cousin … all onboard to talk about Dick Biondi’s favorite holiday, Christmas.  Viewing links will be provided.

Let’s get this Dick Biondi Documentary out there for the whole world to see in 2021!!!  (kk)

(We're hoping to have a special Christmas Edition of Forgotten Hits out on the 23rd as well ... along with brand new postings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of next week ... that's right ... the hits just keep on comin'!!!) 

One of my favorite groups of all time is The Mamas and The Papas … their music was pure magic and had an immediate impact both on the charts and in my heart.

Harvey Kubernik tells us about the brand new 55th Anniversary release of their first album “If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears” here …

(And check it out … the toilet is back on the front cover!!!!!)  kk

https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-mamas-the-papas-if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-and-ears-55th-anniversary/

Harvey also has prepared a brand new piece on the eve of what would have been Elvis Presley’s 86th birthday.

It's too long to run here … but if you’d like a copy, drop me an email and I’ll forward it along!  (kk)

I was happy to see the review of .38 Special (and local favorites, The Greg Billings Band) at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. I had tickets to see Tom Rush (and America) there last March. However, Tom came down with Covid after performing at another venue in Florida the week previous, and cancelled the show until this coming March 17. I wasn't holding out much hope, seeing as how Florida's numbers are awful. I wonder which 30% of ticket holders will be allowed in, if that precaution is still in effect. Tom has since recovered and was doing small outside get togethers in New England for a few months. So at least there's that. I am missing going to concerts,at large and small venues.  

Eileen

This has been very tough for us as well.  We are used to going to a LOT of shows … but as stated above, I’m still proceeding at a precautionary speed right now.  (And I honestly don’t know how they’re going to determine whose tickets they’re going to honor.  We have tickets for a couple of upcoming, rescheduled shows for 2021 … and I have NO idea how that’s all going to shake out.  Meanwhile, a lot of venues are not issuing refunds because the shows aren’t cancelled … they’re simply postponed.  Not sure there’s an easy solution to this one!)  kk

Good Morning, Kent:  

Sure hope you caught the Bee Gees documentary on HBO.  I thought it was excellent, covering the entire impressive multi-faceted arc of their career.  The saddest part was knowing that Barry’s the only Gibb brother who’s left (ironically, all his younger brothers are gone.)  Can you imagine, if just one or even two of his brothers had survived, what kind of final/farewell tour they could be doing right now?  We’re so far beyond the disco backlash period that the group would be enjoying an undoubtedly spectacular final chapter if things had been different.

By the way, we always seem to get a nice response to our DC5 feature on Dave’s birthday. 

Wishing you and Frannie a happy and safe holiday.  Merry Christmas!

Rick O’Dell

We never abandoned the music of The Bee Gees … stuck with them thru all of the different phases of their career, including the excellent music they provided for other artists when they couldn’t get their own records on the air.  And that good music followed them all the way thru to their last album.  Some of this material was never given a chance on radio and it’s a real shame.  Late ‘80’s releases like “You Win Again” and “One” and their late ‘90’s hit “Alone” rank right up there with their very  best work.

I was fortunate to have seen the band a couple of times … but both shows were BEFORE the whole disco craze.  (Good luck getting a ticket to one of THOSE shows!!!)  Their MGM Grand performance “One Night Only” is one of the best concerts (and career retrospectives) you’ll ever see.

And, since you mentioned The Dave Clark Five (one of my favorite bands EVER), I just had to share this new clip we received after mentioning your birthday tribute the other day …

Proving that not ALL live TV appearances come off without a hitch.

John Ellis sent us this clip of The Dave Clark Five, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, where the backing tape failed to play properly!  (kk)

We recently ran a list of celebrities that we have lost during this past year …

The number of well known names is staggering …

Especially when viewed along with the 300,000+ U.S. citizens who also died of the Covid-19 virus this year.

Me-TV just ran a recap of (primarily) television personalities who left us this past year, too.

Some overlap our list (which concentrated primarily on music artists) … but ALL deserve one more last moment of silence as 2020 draws to a close.

Orson Bean, Honor Blackman (Goldfinger), Jack Burns (Burns and Screiber), Edd Byrnes (77 Sunset Strip), Robert Conrad (Wild Wild West), Linda Cristal (High Chaparral), Norm Crosby (comedian), Abby Dalton (Falcon Crest), Mac Davis (singer and TV show host), Kevin Dobson (Knots Landing and Kojack), Hugh Downs (television host), James Drury (The Virginian), Ja’Net DuBois (Good Times and singer and writer of “Movin’ On Up,” the theme song from The Jeffersons), Conchatta Ferrell (L.A. Law and Two And A Half Men), Buck Henry (created Get Smart with Mel Brooks), Terry Jones (Monty Python), Tom Kennedy (game show host), David L. Lander, Tom Lester (Eb from Green Acres), James Lipton (Inside The Actors Studio), Kellye Nakahara (Nurse Kellye from M*A*S*H), Curly Neal (Harlem Globetrotters), Ken Osmond, Helen Reddy (singer and TV show host), Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show and The 2000 Year Old Man), Gene Reynolds (co-creater of M*A*S*H), Diana Rigg (The Avengers and Game Of Thrones), Jerry Stiller, Alex Trebek, Lyle Waggoner, Bill Withers (singer/songwriter) and more.

https://metv.com/lists/in-memoriam-remembering-the-tv-stars-we-lost-in-2020

kk …

Everybody either hates or loves "HONEY." 

Seems to be no in-between.

This is my favorite Bobby Goldsboro hit.

Mac Davis wrote this song for his son.

Bobby asked Mac if he could change the name from Scotty to his son’s name.

Mac Davis refused to give him permission to make the name change.

Frank B.

It’s not exactly what you asked for … "FORGOTTEN HITS or MISSES" …

Encourage readers to talk about new releases ... why they like them or don't like them ...  who knows, maybe this could be a new monthly feature. 

For the first time ever, three key performances by the Rolling Stones from The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus are available on the ABKCO Records & Films YouTube channel. This is in celebration of the anniversary of the concept film’s December, 1968 shooting.

“Parachute Woman,” “No Expectations” and “Salt of the Earth” were released on The Rolling Stones’ critically acclaimed Beggars Banquet album a mere five days before this performance, which is also notable for being Brian Jones’ last appearance with the band in front of a live audience. The legendary concert film also includes performances by The Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull, Taj Mahal, Yoko Ono and supergroup The Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Mitch Mitchell).

Watch The Rolling Stones Performances on Official Playlist on YouTube HERE

Filmed before a live audience in London, The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was originally conceived as a BBC-TV special. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who had worked on videos for both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, it centers on the original line up of The Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman – who serve as both the show’s hosts and featured attraction. “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” is seen and heard performing a set that also includes “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Sympathy For The Devil.”

The audience of fans who got tickets through an ad in the New Musical Express or via the Stones Fan Club witnessed lightning being captured on film over 48 hours in a London TV studio. Noteworthy interludes including John Lennon performing outside the Beatles for the first time in the Dirty Mac segment, the only time Tony Iommi (later of Black Sabbath) performed with Jethro Tull. As David Dalton, who covered the event for Rolling Stone, so aptly put it, “...for a brief moment it seemed that rock ‘n’ roll would inherit the earth.”

Last year ABKCO released a Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® 4K restoration of the film. This Deluxe Edition multi-format package of Blu-Ray, DVD and 2CD soundtrack contains perfect-bound 44-page book with David Dalton’s original 1969 Rolling Stone essay and photographs by Michael Randolf. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus soundtrack has been expanded to 28 tracks, received a new mix and 192k 24 bit HD restoration. Bonus material included by the late concert pianist Julius Katchen, three additional songs by Taj Mahal and never before heard recordings of The Dirty Mac performing The Beatles classic, “Revolution” and the aptly titled track "Warmup Jam.” The soundtrack was also released on CD and all digital formats.

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies allow for an unprecedented immersive experience. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. Dolby Atmos transports you from the ordinary into the extraordinary with breathtaking depth and dimension for a completely immersive and fully emotional listening experience. Opposed to stereo audio, which limits audio to only left and right channels, Dolby Atmos delivers incredible clarity to every sound with greater spatial separation of instruments, vocals, and harmonies. 

Parachute Woman: https://youtu.be/xhnHGHukoUI

No Expectations: https://youtu.be/HsOCihMVZ0c

Salt of the Earth: https://youtu.be/n06f6et66NQ

>>>maybe we should sponsor a softball team (you know, if things ever get back to normal again in this regard!) kk

Well, Kent, I don’t know how to tell you this, but things have … and are … back to normal at our level. And at our level, it is Senior Softball. I just got back from playing a double header.

In fact, I play in Rockford, IL in the summer and Scottsdale, AZ in the winter, where I am now.

Not only have we forgotten how to hit, we have also forgotten how to field, catch and run … but we still try hard!

We did shut down in March, but started up again right after the 4th of July.   Precautions are taken when in the proximity of other players, but a lot of times you are spread out. At first, we had to listen to the “endangered age group” crap when it started, but you have to be in some kind of shape to still play ball at this age. Speaking of age, when you enter a game at this age, it’s always in the back of your mind that this could be your last game. Well, nobody wants to be screwed out of their last game … so we just kept going. 

>>>or, at the very least, come up with some kind of Forgotten Hitters baseball jerseys  (kk)


This is a jersey that I picked up out here. It is quality material, 3/4 length sleeves, and an excellent fit. For the design, I would go with a bat, wood not metal, knocking a ball out of the park. Only the ball would be shaped like a 45 record and the record label would be “Forgotten Hits.”  Unfortunately, I only have my iPad out here and my computer with my design program on it is back in IL, so all I can do is describe it.  

Meanwhile, here’s a Good Music News Story:

The premier Blues / Music club appropriate to our age group out here is called The Rhythm Room. The owner was near the end of his rope so he started a “Go Fund Me” page to raise the $15,000 he needed to make it through the duration of this. He ended up getting $30,000.  

Robert Campbell

I feel for ALL the bars and restaurants and live music clubs who have had to put their businesses on hold for 2020 due to the pandemic … many after 40 years of operation … and all for something over which they had absolutely no control.  Sure, some are surviving with carry-out business, but it’s just a pittance compared to what they’re entitled to … and the government bailout hasn’t even come close to making things right.

The United States was hit hard by a virus that never should have happened … never should have spread this far and wide.  As I type this, our official death count is well over 300,000 … with confirmed cases closing in on 18 MILLION!!!  The numbers here in Illinois have been especially staggering of late … people just aren’t adhering to the safety protocol established to best protect all of us.

Yes, a vaccine now exists … but it is still largely untested and not yet widely distributed.

I have high hopes for a rebound.  (We just HAVE to, right???)  But for now, I’m taking every safety precaution advised.

It has taken some adjustment in my head but I have finally come to accept the fact that as much as I hate wearing a mask, I would probably hate being dead even worse!  (kk)


Got my Shadows Of Knight package today ...

Cool t-shirt, plus the 45 and photo.

Jack


What the well dressed FHer about town should be wearing.

Jack

And can you believe the whole idea for the vinyl 45 with picture sleeve came from here …

And then we didn’t even get one???  (Thought for sure we would have been FIRST on his mailing list!!!)  lol

Anyway, yes, VERY cool … who would have ever thought that THIS would have been a marketing campaign heading into 2021 … 55 years after Jimy’s first single, “Gloria,” topped the charts here in Chicago!!!  (kk)

>>>Couldn’t agree with you more, Shelley.  (Besides, we ALL know that the only opinion that matters around here is MINE!!!  “Cause that’s the only one that’s correct!)  kk

hahahahahahahaha

kk …

How can I possibly disagree with that?

I mean, you just said I couldn’t!

ROFL

Shelley

I remember when this was how I made a playlist …

Ken Voss


Speaking of which …

I hadn’t seen this one in awhile …

But it serves as another great memory of growing up as we did as Baby Boomers … (thank you, Frank B.!)

And just seemed like a nice way to wrap up this week’s Sunday Comments Page …

To Those of Us Born 1925 - 1955:    

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930’s, 40’s and  50’s!!!    
First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank … while they were pregnant.  

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes. 

Then, after that trauma, we were put  to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs  
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.   
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.  
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. 

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar … and we weren't overweight.      
WHY?   
Because we were always outside playing ... that's why!  
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day … and we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out that we forgot about brakes.  After running into the bushes a few times, we learned  to solve the problem.

We did not have Play Stations, Nintendo and X-boxes.

There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs,

No surround-sound or  CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.             
WE HAD FRIENDS …      
And we went outside and found them!   
We fell out of  trees, got cut, broke bones and lost teeth …

And there were no lawsuits from those accidents.  
We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles,
or just a bare hand … and no one would call child services to report abuse. 

We ate worms and mud pies, made from dirt … and the worms did not live in us forever.   
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses,
made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. 

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell … or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts … and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment ...   
Imagine that!!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of ...
They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.   
The past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.   
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility … and we learned how to deal with it all.    
If you are one of those born between 1925 and1955, CONGRATULATIONS!  
(You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.)

While you are at it, forward this to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.  
[Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?]