FORGOTTEN HITS: 2024

Sunday, November 24, 2024

THE SUNDAY COMMENTS ( 11 - 24 - 24 )

HAPPY SUNDAY!

Kicking things off with another friendly reminder from Mike Riccio to get YOUR votes in for the annual Rewound Radio Top Songs of All-Time list …

Hi!

Time's running out!

If you still haven't voted for your favorite in our once-a-year vote for the Top Songs of All-Time, we want your opinion ... so please vote today!

Voting will be ending within a few weeks ... so get your vote in ASAP for the 27th edition of the Top Songs of All-Time at OldiesBoard.com.

You can choose from one to ten of your favorite songs to determine the results.

Once the results are tabulated you can see where yours placed at OldiesBoard.com and even have your own copy of the list of all the songs that votes, in order of their popularity.

So if you haven't already voted this year, please email your choices.

Remember, you can vote for any artist, any era, any style ... and we NEED YOUR VOTE THIS YEAR to make this the best year ever!

Go to OldiesBoard.com for details or just vote at the following link

(It's a 100% safe and secure link.

https://musicradio77.com/voting2024.html

Feel free to invite family or friends to vote, too.

Than YOU so much for helping to make this so much fun for all these years.

Sincerely,
Mike Riccio
OldiesBoard.com moderator

And a reminder from us, too, that we’ll be celebrating our THIRD Annual JOEL WHITBURN DAY later this week on Friday, the 29^th. Please feel free to share a thought, appreciation or memory with our readers. (How appropriate that this falls the Day After Thanksgiving this year!) We’ll also be sharing a few more photos from our visit up to the Music Vault a few months ago. (kk)

We’re still waiting for information as to the official release date for “Let It Be” on home video.

Hopefully, this will keep you till we have more news to share …

Stephen Bishop, who recently announced his retirement from touring, is now offering his services to record up to a 30-second message of your choosing … and it’ll only cost you $399!!! (Say what?!?!? I’ll bet you 99% of the people you tell this to will respond “Stephen who?!?!?”)

But hey, if you’ve got Christmas money to burn, here’s the link …

https://www.stephenbishopmerch.com/products/stephen-bishop-personalized-audio-message

It’s the Christmas gift that goes on and on … well, for up to 30 seconds anyway …

Or, if you prefer, you can just save it for a rainy day. (Guy’s gotta make money SOMEHOW, right???) kk

A few more deaths to acknowledge …

Mike Pinera, guitarist for Blues Image (“Ride Captain Ride”) and The Iron Butterfly (“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”), passed away on November 20^th of liver disease

https://stpetecatalyst.com/tampa-rocker-mike-pinera-ride-captain-ride-dies/

And Alice Brock passed away on November 22^nd.

“Who???” you may ask?

Well, she was the real-life restaurant owner Alice that Arlo Guthrie immortalized in his classic “Alice’s Restaurant” back in 1967. Appropriately, she died just before Thanksgiving.

Here is a photograph taken just a couple of Thanksgivings ago, taken by Marti Guthrie …

Arlo Guthrie with Alice Brock and Rick Robbins, Thanksgiving 2022

Here’s a feel-good story I heard about on Phlash Phelps’ ‘60’s Gold radio program last week … talk about your long lost hits …

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=9260310607430933

And how about this …

72 YEARS after it was first recorded, there’s a brand new holiday release by DEAN MARTIN!!!

That’s right … Dino’s 1952 recording of the holiday classic “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” debuted at #30 on this week’s Adult Contemporary Chart in Billboard … 60 years, four months and three weeks after his FIRST chart hit there, “Everybody Loves Somebody,” which topped their chart in 1964, the first of FIVE AC chart-toppers for the crooner.

They’ve even released a new animated video to celebrate this release which, according to the press release, is Martin’s earliest known holiday recording, and his only recorded version of the classic carol. The performance comes from a radio broadcast on December 16, 1952, as part of NBC’s The Martin and Lewis Show that starred Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. (Their guest that week: Ginger Rogers.)

In our Sunday Comments Page seemingly chock-full of timely coincidences, Martin died on Christmas Day in 1995 at age 78.

And, since we’re talking long-lasting hits, Billboard is reporting that Shaboozey’s current #1 Hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is on the verge of tying the record for most weeks ever at #1 if it holds on to record its 19^th week at the top on next week’s chart. (This would tie the record set five years ago by Lil Nas X’s hit (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus), “Old Town Road.”) Shows you the sheer lack of good, competitive music being released these days!!! (kk)

19 weeks at #1 ... and this is the first time I've ever heard it!

Yeah, I guess I really AM stuck living in the past! (kk)

LOOK FOR A LATE POST TOMORROW MORNING

(it'll go up at 11 am Chicago Time) ...

But it'll be worth it ...

It's OUR Exclusive Review of the brand new Martin Scorsese / Disney+ Beatles Documentary, "Beatles '64"

Saturday, November 23, 2024

THE SATURDAY SURVEY

After three weeks atop The Super Chart, "Baby Love" slips into the #2 position, making way for The Shangri-Las to assume the #1 position with their hot novelty hit "Leader Of The Pack." (I don't mean to sound dismissive by referring to "Leader Of The Pack" as simply a novelty hit ... although to a certain extent, it was. Because it was ALSO a prime example of The Girl Group Sound that was now populating the charts as 1964 draws to a close.)

Then again, The Supremes just may have been the premier Girl Group of all time. Not only does "Baby Love" sit at #2, but their latest release, "Come See About Me," is up 24 spots from #36 to #12. Could this make it THREE #1 Hits in a row for the former "No Hit Supremes?!?!?"

"Ringo," "She's Not There," "Mr. Lonely, "Time Is On My Side" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong" are all Top Ten Hits this week with bullets.

Besides The Supremes' impressive move, "Goin' Out Of My Head" by Little Anthony and the Imperials leaps from #45 to #26, a jump of 19 places, while "The Jerk," "Saturday Night At The Movies," "Sha La La" and "Any Way You Want It" all make big strides within The Top 40, moving up 19, 28, 18 and 25 places respectively.

This weeks' top premier belongs to "The Price" by Solomon Burke (huh?), faring better than Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is" (#71), The Searchers' version of "Love Potion Number Nine" (#77) and the Roger Miller classic, "Do-Wacka-Do," which premiers at #84

Friday, November 22, 2024

The Friday Flash

Just a couple more quick thoughts this morning ...

Here's another great documentary to look forward to …

Brenda Lee: Rockin’ Around | Official Trailer | American Masters | PBS

This looks like a good one! (kk)

Ultimate Classic Rock is reporting that Bob Dylan insisted on adding one totally fabricated and inaccurate scene to the new biopic “A Complete Unknown” opening Christmas Day.

Director James Mangold was concerned about how viewers may react to such a tidbit, to which Dylan responded, ‘What do you care what other people think?”

Ed Norton, who portrays folk singer hero Pete Seger, says that Dylan took “obvious pleasure in obfuscation and distortion,” adding, “He’s such a troublemaker.”

By the same token, Dylan stayed intimately involved with the film, making sure it told the story he wanted the world to see, even contributing to some of the dialog used in the film.

Timothee Chalamet, who portrays the icon in the film, remarked, “Bob put that in. He would [insert] these one-off lines that were so fantastic. [Mangold] has an annotated Bob script lying around somewhere. I’ll beg him to get my hands on it. He’ll never give it to me.”

Yep … we’re going to see this one!!! (kk)

Just got my copy of this book.

Thought you might be interested in it as it is about Chicago groups.

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/chicagoland-at-45-rpm/?srsltid=AfmBOooxXB1BBbtPVxvwu1aUnfyVZnTjvelxcT6QGigAbnZb1pFSKimq

Best to you,

Tony Waitekus

Let me know what you think -

I’ve heard good and bad things!

(I personally didn’t order a copy - but one of our readers tells me that he “borrowed heavily” from Forgotten Hits.)

Hmmm …

Would have been nice to know!

Also from Tony …

HELPING OUT OUR READERS:

There are two songs I’ve heard online that I’ve been trying to get information on ever since I found them. My question about both songs is, were they ever on a 45 or album, and, if so, what label?

Here are the songs:

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

READY FOR YOUR LOVE - THE CAMBRIDGE 5, LATER KNOWN AS THE CAMBRIDGE

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

"Oh How You Have Changed" - Mickey,Larry and The Exciters

Thanks,

Tony Waitekus

I'm not familiar with either of these tunes ...

So we put it out to the list to see if anyone can help

Thanks, all! (kk)

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

11/22/64 – Golfer Jack Nicklaus defeats Arnold Palmer to become the top money winner on the 1964 PGA Tour by a grand total of $81.13!

It's a full year since the assassination of President Kennedy (and also the start of this 60 YEARS AGO TODAY series.) America is no closer to knowing the full truth behind the assassination ... nor are we likely to be 60 YEARS FROM TODAY. (kk)

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Thursday This And That

Love the new AI images and concept …

And I for one am looking forward to tonight's Premier!

Can't Wait!!

Buell!

It has been suggested that I might be the perfect candidate to feature in a recurring role on the brand new “Suits” reboot launching in January. (Now if I only REALLY looked like that!!!) kk

Hi Kent,

Another "wiper" song is "Drivin' My Life Away" by Eddie Rabbitt, which contains the line "Those windshield wipers slappin' out a tempo..."

Paul Haney

Oh man, I LOVE that song!!! Great suggestion Paul! (kk)

(I actually used to sing that one back in the day!)

(Yep ... just like that!!!) lol (kk)

I know of two other songs with windshield wipers in the lyrics.

The well-known song is Me And Bobby McGee ("windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine.") The more obscure song is one of R. Dean Taylor's unsuccessful follow-ups to Indiana Wants Me, a song called Gotta See Jane ("windshield wipers splishing splashing, calling out her name, just gotta see Jane.")

Doug

Damn! “Me And Bobby McGee” is a GREAT idea! (kk)

And somebody else remembered R. Dean Taylor’s 1971 hit, too …

Following up on Friday's post, "Gotta See Jane" by R. Dean Taylor has a line about windshield wipers "splishin' and a splashin’."

David Cousins

It’s not an AWFUL song … it just never really made it. (Again, a rather wide discrepancy as to just how popular it really was … Cash Box pegged it at #48 while Record World showed it ten points lower at #58 … and then Billboard dropped it nearly another ten spots down to #67. (kk)

Hi Kent,

Just thought of another one this morning ...

"Getting Closer" by Wings has the line "Watching my wind screen wipers..."

Paul Haney

Kent,

Glad you posted I WANNA MEET YOU by the Cryan’ Shames. One of my all time favorites by them. For the week of November 24, 1966, it made its initial appearance on our weekly top 40 radio survey at position #49. Two weeks later it peaked at #27 before it fell off the survey. Should have been a bigger hit than what it was.

Larry

kk …

Remember the old Leave It To Beaver TV Show?

Wild Wayne Just Played Two Songs By The Beaver.

1962 = "DON'T YOU CRY" / Jerry Mathers

1966 = "HAPPYNESS IS HAVIN'" / Beaver & The Trappers

I Didn't Know That He Did Any Recordings!

MANY years ago we did a piece on Jerry Mathers’ brief recording career and featured a couple of tunes from him …

I scoured the archives trying to find them but had no success …

It would have been cool to see if they were the same two tunes!!!

(By the way, I LOVED the old “Leave It To Beaver” series … but can easily live without the dozens of reboots they’ve done since!) kk

Sad to learn of Colin Petersen's passing. Amazingly, Colin drummed for the Bee Gees until mid-1969, thus playing on many hits. He passed away today.

Hard to believe but true, Bee Gees drummer Dennis Bryon died just four days ago! He was the band's drummer, 1974-80, during the disco years. He and Ringo are the only two drummers to play on all five Top Five Hot 100 hits in one week. He had been in Amen Corner in the 60s.

Geoff Bridgford might be worried? He was the last non-Gibb OFFICIAL member of the Bee Gees for one year after replacing Colin. However, Geoff's group Tin Tin had a hit and he was off. Stigwood wanted him to stay on with Bee Gees, but he didn't want to work with the brothers anymore due to their drinking. Geoff still is alive!

Sad to learn of Shel Talmy passing, too. Shel, of course, produced all those amazing British 1964/65/66 hits and misses from the Kinks to the Who to the Easybeats and many, many more.

And now we’ve lost Vic, too, after Shel Talmy? Is this another of THOSE weeks? ABC news actually on the ball and had nice tribute on evening news!

Clark Besch

Oh no - I hadn’t heard about Vic …

He was a good friend to Forgotten Hits, even tho we haven’t spoken for several years.

A couple of times we were going to meet up in Las Vegas – once with Billy Hinsche - but that never happened either … and now they’re both gone.

Looks like he passed away on the 14^th.

This is very sad news. (kk)

I just did a quick search on the Forgotten Hits site to see what might pop up for Vic Flick ...

Looks like this was a conversation we shared (WAY back in 2009!) after the passing of Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon ...

Along with a few other fun and insightful comments ...

http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/search?q=Vic+Flick&updated-max=2012-09-29T20:18:00-07:00&max-results=20&start=6&by-date=false