Sunday, November 12, 2023

THE SUNDAY COMMENTS ( 11 - 12 - 23 )

LOTS of Billboard chart information in this Sunday’s edition …

Billboard Magazine ran a tally of the top artists with the most combined #1 Hits on both their Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart AND their Top 200 Albums Chart.  Now THIS is a pretty hefty list of achievements right here!!!

Coming in at #1 was The Beatles, with a combined to total of 39 … 20 #1 singles + 19 #1 albums

#2 was Drake, with 26 (It is important to keep in mind that Elvis Presley was short-changed in this review as Billboard now only counts rankings achieved AFTER their Hot 100 Chart debuted in August of 1958, meaning that all of Elvis’ biggest early hits are no longer eligible for consideration.  As such, he only shows 17 combined #1’s on this list … when, in fact, if you went back to his very first #1 Record in 1956, he would have 11 more, or a total of 28, which would have been good enough for second place.  Instead, he is ranked in a tie for 8th place with Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones, each with 17 combined #1 hits.  By the way, that means that Paul McCartney, in his combined solo career and his career with The Beatles, actually has 56 total #1 hits, a total no other artist can even come close to touching.)

Rounding out the list:

#3 = Mariah Carey (with 25)

#4 = Taylor Swift (24 … and likely to add to this total … especially if she keeps re-recording and re-releasing her own catalog!)

#5 = Madonna (21)

#6 = Michael Jackson (19)

#7 = Jay-Z (18)

#8 = tie:  Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones (17)

You can review the complete list here:

https://www.billboard.com/lists/acts-with-most-billboard-200-hot-100-number-ones-combined/39-the-beatles/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c

(It also lists the titles of each #1 hit on both their Pop Singles and Top Albums charts)  kk

Tom Cuddy sent us this story …

The Beatles & The Rolling Stones Together Again in the Top 10 of a Billboard Chart, 59 Years Later
https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/beatles-rolling-stones-billboard-chart-top-10-1235468927/

Pretty frickin’ incredible!  (kk)

And, speaking of Billboard Magazine, three Halloween classics re-entered their Hot 100 Chart Halloween Week thanks to mega-streaming.

Michael Jackson’s 1984 hit “Thriller” came in at #21 for the week with 14.5 million streams, 10.9 million airplay impressions and 5000 downloads.

Dipping back even further, Bobby “Boris” Pickett re-entered the chart at #38, thanks to 11.9 million streams, 4.4 million airplay impressions and 4000 copies sold.

Finally, it was Ray Parker, Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” bringing up the rear with a #45 showing, thanks to 11.1 million streams, 5.9 million airplay impressions and 4000 downloads. (kk)

Lots of talk about the new Rolling Stones documentary profiling Brian Jones …

Here’s a Variety film review:

https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-stones-and-brian-jones-review-nick-broomfield-1235786508/#recipient_hashed=cb1fa0032addcfdb730f717f527f301d7f591bddae516591375953126c7fa463&recipient_salt=fdcde0102878ab3c1e53ecbcfbb0eaba79c60c270580241efc15cc4c9850dd7f

Meanwhile, our buddy Spud tells us that Surf’s Up again on Sirius XM …

The Beach Boys Channel is back, offering up all sorts of Good Vibrations!

Hi everyone!
The Beach Boys Channel is back on SiriusXM on Channel 503
More info: 
https://blog.siriusxm.com/beach-boys-channel-good-vibrations  

Let SiriusXM know you’d like it to stay all year long:  https://shorturl.at/EGU15
Have a beachin’ Winter!
Spud

The 2024 line-up for The Happy Together Tour has been announced …

And it looks like they’ve shaken things up a bit for next year.

Naturally, The Turtles are still the headliners (which these days means Mark Volman and Ron Dante) … also on the docket are The Vogues, The Cowsills, Jay and the Americans, The Association and Badfinger.  Sadly, not many of the original members on stage anymore these days … but there is absolutely no denying the hit-making legacy of these six acts.

Counting Ron Dante’s hits with The Archies, The Cuff Links and The Detergents, these acts have had SIXTY Top 40 Hits between them, including eleven each for The Turtles, Jay and the Americans and The Vogues.  (kk)

I pre-ordered The Beatles Little Golden Book and just received it. A quick glance showed me many words on each page, which is not the best idea for a Golden Book reader. The first few pages also made my eyes widen as they spoke about John and Paul's loss of their mothers at a young age and the hardships connected with that. As I read along, I wondered why the authors hadn't mentioned 'this' or 'that', and why didn't they add more explanation in certain areas? 

 

Let's consider these thoughts of mine. It is a children's book. We can't expect it to include everything WE know of The Beatles. It is an introduction to help children understand who these four lads from Liverpool are and why they are and will continue to be important. As for any hardships (loss of family, childhood illnesses, practicing till fingers are sore), these just may inspire kids to see that roadblocks can be overcome and sometimes the worst parts of our lives lead us into the best parts. Success can come even in difficult times. 

 

The idea of the book is truly not to give a complete biography or tell them they must like Beatle music. It is to open a door and to allow each child the opportunity to continue with their search for information or at the very least, know who these people are.

 

I am not sure I could have done any better. And if just one child relates to them through hardship and decides that they too can follow their dream no matter what, then ... it is a winner.

Shelley

I agree that it is a lot to digest for a young child … and unnecessarily so.  I never really thought about any hidden meanings as to a youngster coming to terms with the deaths of one’s parents within the context of a Little Golden Book other than one designed specifically for that purpose … and certainly not within the pages of what should have been an uplifting introduction to the music of the biggest group the world has ever known.

But without being able to HEAR any of that music, a book like this can only go so far.  (Odds are any parent or grandparent buying this for the little ones in their family have already exposed these kids to the music by playing it at home.  My kids … and grandkids … were dancing and singing along to the music of The Beatles and The Beach Boys by the age of two!)

No, a book like this can’t be all encompassing … nor should it be.  (By the same token, I don’t think pages regarding all their drug use or John’s comments on Jesus would have helped present a broader picture to these yungins ... so I guess we should be thankful they didn’t take THAT route!!!)

Still, I think it could have been SO much more positive and informative as to how much joy this music brought people around the world … and STILL is some sixty years later.  (kk)

Another review of Mark Bego’s new Joe Cocker book …

https://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/local/music/mad-dogs-and-tulsans-joe-cockers-life-explored-in-new-book/article_afd0ede4-7cef-11ee-a367-23bf426db354.html 

Have you registered to win your copy yet?

Today is the last chance to get your entries in …

What Joe Cocker song won the Academy Award?

 

What Record Label launched Joe Cocker’s career in the 1960s and 1970s?

 

What was the biggest selling album with Joe Cocker music on it?

 

How many Beatles-composed songs did Joe Cocker record in his career?

Good luck!  (kk)

Herb Alpert has more money than God and will turn 89 years old next year … so he certainly doesn’t have to put out new albums and go out on tour anymore …

Yet that is exactly what he is doing …

And with the career he’s had (and all the good he has done along the way in sharing those riches), all we can say is “We Salute You, Sir … You Truly Are One Of A Kind.”

Alpert has given back in so many ways it’s impossible to count …

And this Best Classic Bands profile barely scratches the surface.

We saw Herb and his wife Lani Hall at The City Winery a few years ago and it was a very entertaining show.  If you get the chance to see him on this next excursion, I hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunity. (kk)

https://bestclassicbands.com/herb-alpert-2024-album-tour-wish-upon-a-star-11-10-23/

2024 Tour Dates (so far):

January 26th – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
January 27th – Northridge, CA – The Soraya
January 28th – Orange County, CA
January 30th – Del Mar, CA – The Sound
January 31st – San Luis Obispo, CA – Cal Poly Arts
February 24th – Palm Springs, CA – Annenberg Theatre
March 24th – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center
March 25th – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
March 26th – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theatre
March 28th – Amarillo, TX – Globe News Center for the Perf. Arts
March 29th – Albuquerque, NM – KiMo Theatre
May 16th – Richmond, VA – The National
May 17th – North Bethesda, MD – Strathmore Music Center
May 18th – Philadelphia, PA – Kimmel Cultural Campus
May 20th – Nashua, NH – Nashua Center for the Arts

OK, now THAT'S a toughie!!!

Take a crack at the latest Me-TV-FM Poll ...

https://metv.com/quiz/what-is-the-best-cover-song-of-all-time

(If you could pick your Top Five, I could probably do this ... but to pick just one?!?!  Hey, give it your best shot ... and see how your vote compares to all the others they've received!)  kk