Friday, August 30, 2024

THE FRIDAY FLASH

The Bubblegum Votes are really starting to come in now ...

So let's kick things up another notch with these comments from Tommy Roe ... considered by many to be The KING of Bubblegum!!!

(Naturally, we had to ask him what some of HIS favorite bubblegum songs were ... and once again, I told him, “Don’t be shy about naming some of your own tunes … and Tommy did exactly that!)

Hi Kent –

Below you will find my list of FAVORITE BUBBLE GUM HITS

I could list many more, but this is a snap shot of some of my favorite songs and artists.  (Of course, Tommy has always been a favorite of mine!  HA! HA!) …

Rock On …

T

# 1 – Dizzy – Tommy Roe

# 2 – Jam Up And Jelly Tight – Tommy Roe

# 3 – Sweet Pea – Tommy Roe

# 4 – Hooray For Hazel – Tommy Roe

# 5 – I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles

# 6 – Love Me Do – The Beatles

# 7 – She Loves You – The Beatles

# 8 – Do You Want To Know A Secret – The Beatles

# 9 – Yummy Yummy Yummy – The Ohio Express

#10 – Chewy Chewy – The Ohio Express

#11 – Daydream Believer – The Monkees

#12 – I’m A Believer – The Monkees

#13 – Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

#14 – ABC – The Jackson Five

#15 – With A Girl Like You – The Troggs

#16 – Hanky Panky – Tommy James and the Shondells

#17 – I Think We’re Alone Now – Tommy James and the Shondells

#18 – Mony Mony – Tommy James and the Shondells

#19 – This Diamond Ring – Gary Lewis and the Playboys

#20 -  Lightnin’ Strikes – Lou Christie

Tommy toured with The Beatles in England … and then was one of their opening acts the first time The Fab Four played here in The States in Washington, DC.  Tommy picked THREE of their early songs for his Top 20 List ... and Ron Dante, another Bubblegum Mega Star, selected "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" for HIS list of favorites!!!  What are some of YOURS??? (kk)

We were flippin’ thru YouTube the other night and stumbled across this one …

Always enjoy hearing Kasenetz-Katz produced bubblegum stories since I am friends with a member of Prof Morrison's Lollipop, who was basically a local Lincoln/Omaha R&B band, the Coachmen, who changed their name to PML when their manager got them signed to KK.  Although their hit "You Got The Love" was more like The Shadows of Knight's "Shake" in the fact that it was mostly snotty rock and also slightly bubblegum, I suppose.  PLUS, "You Got The Love" was basically a rewrite by Joey Levine of an early ‘67 unreleased Monkees song, finally heard by the pre-fabs in the 2010's on their CD "Good Times."

From The Monkees "Good Times" CD 2016: Gotta Give It Time

Prof Morrison, 6 months later:  Professor Morrison's Lollipop You Got The Love

As to the first bubblegum songs, I can see where Frank Jeckell might push "Simon Says" as the first bubblegum song and it likely was the first on Buddah.  The thing is, it's hard to pinpoint what MAKES a bubblegum genre. 

One might think along Frank's thinking that lyrics as simple and kid-like as "Simon Says" is the backbone, but the music and way a song is sung and performed is also very important. 

Some people pinned the bubblegum moniker on the Monkees AFTER the genre was created over a year later, BUT no one called any songs bubblegum in late 1966, IMO.  The genre today is used as loosely as then unknown terms such as "Yacht Rock," or "Northern Soul."  It's like the "Wrecking Crew" moniker never existing back then, but today covers most west coast "created" rock backgrounds made by backup or studio players out west.  My girlfriend even thought the Cryan’ Shames "I Wanna Meet you" was bubblegum when she heard it 20 years ago.  NOW, I think that if the Monkees would be considered bubblegum, I could hear her point.  Never even considered such before.  I still don’t put it in that category, tho.

Well before "Simon Says" and the plethora of Buddah bubblegummers appeared, I would dig into "Sweet Pea" and "Hooray for Hazel" by Tommy Roe or even Cyrkle's "Red Bubber Ball in 1966 or 1967's "Snoopy" songs, the Innocence's "There's Got To Be A Word" and "Mairzy Doats" or FH'er's Fifth Estate "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead," or even the Cowsills???  Those all a year before Buddah's great bubblegum hits in many cases.  

Personally, I will not go with what I would consider today, but choose what I think I would have chosen as bubblegum in 1970 when I made my all-time chart based totally on points earned on my weekly personal charts.  I was 14 then, so more likely to be correct bubblegum choices as a kid.

1.  Jelly Jungle - Lemon Pipers

2.  Love Grows - Edison Lighthouse

3.  Gimme Dat Ding - Pipkins (bubblegum or no?)

4.  Snoopy Vs Red Baron - Royal Guardsmen

5.  Yummy Yummy Yummy - Ohio Express

6.  Indian Lake - Cowsills

7.  1-2-3 Red Light - 1910 Fruitgum Company

8.  Sugar, Sugar - Archies

Above all were in my Top 100 All-Time Hits.  Below are from 101 on down all-time:

9.  Red Bubber Ball - Cyrkle (REALLY?  Well, think about those lyrics and keyboard sound)

10.  Down At Lulu's - Ohio Express

11.  Laura - Newbeats

12.  Dizzy - Tommy Roe

13.  Cowboy Convention - Ohio Express

14.  Bubblegum Music - Rock & Roll Dubble Bubble Trading Card Company of Philadelphia, 19141

15.  Hooray For Hazel - Tommy Roe

16.  She's Ready - Spiral Staircase

17.  I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight - Boyce & Hart

18.  Simon Says - 1910 Fruitgum Company

19.  Little People - McCoys (actually a #2 hit in Wichita on KLEO in the summer of ‘66!)

20.  Popsicle - Jan & Dean (another 1966 item that fits)

All of those were in my All-Time Top 300 in 1970 as a fairly new TEENAGER charting my own faves weekly.  ALL reached #1 or #2 on my weekly charts!

Clark Besch

When Buddah Records announced their new brand of music as "Bubblegum Music," it set the tone for some of the hits specifically released on their label ... and artists like The Lemon Pipers, The Ohio Express and The 1910 Fruitgum Company all rose to the top of the charts with this new brand of pop music aimed at the pre-teen audience with very catchy and simple choruses and chord structures.  Prior to the term being coined, most of us would have probably considered the music of artists like The Monkees, The Partridge Family, The Archies, etc., as "Teeny-Bopper Music" ... but once the bubblegum label existed, records before and since have been lumped into this category. (I will say this ... we've received over 4000 votes now and the artists list is all over the board!)

That's why we didn't set any ground rules ... the whole idea behind this poll is to determine what YOU GUYS consider bubblegum music.  And once the final list is compiled, we think you'll be surprised by just who is included!

Keep sending in your votes ... we're putting together a couple of radio countdowns ... and even and episode of The History Of Rock And Roll right now, dedicated to the genre ... so let's have some fun with this.  (As usual, there seem to be some clear-cut, obvious leaders ... but we're getting votes for songs and artists we've never even heard of before ... so it's been a learning experience for us as well ... and once we decide to close the polls, we'll be sure to feature some of these little-known tracks as survey "extras.")

Some GREAT choices here … have YOU voted yet???  (kk)



IT ALL KICKS OFF TOMORROW AT 6 am EASTERN ...

The Third Annual WLS / WCFL REWOUND LABOR DAY WEEKEND on REWOUND RADIO!!!

And it doesn't end until right around Midnight on Monday Night!  

So listen in when you can as some of the biggest names in Chicago Radio History are back with their ORIGINAL air checks from The Glory Days Of Top 40 Radio!!!

https://rewoundradio.com/instantonicecast.html

https://app.box.com/s/20k8b0gr25fjstgw0n7er9tvtncvpucz 

https://app.box.com/s/722v431anabu7u1ja14rmrohbzkn333z 

https://app.box.com/s/x1wstxb7odhh13rb0a2cm061mccbx7z2 

https://app.box.com/s/eacqbjyggfsybdfxlgfkk1neiner2ik4 

https://app.box.com/s/acpeew3rnfblakiwrmrjijuuyw8ffpcc 

https://app.box.com/s/qw0jww6u9kek3m10sk5wdoxd3rvcbc6v

This just in from Chuck Buell!

Well, Kent!
The Big 2024 Rewound Radio Third Annual Labor Day Weekend Special Featuring the Two Historical Chicago Powerhouse Radio Stations of the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s begins Tomorrow, Saturday Morning, at 6 AM Eastern Time and airs all the way through to a little after Midnight, Monday, Labor Day Night!
And once again, for the third year, I have been honored to have a few of my Vintage Chicago WLS Radio Hours featured as a part of this Rock Radio History Presentation.

In the late 1960s through the early 1970s, the two Chicago premier and nationally respected 50,000 Watt Powerhouse Radio Stations, WLS and WCFL, were influential in presenting to the entire country the incredible early years of the beginning of Rock Radio and its Memorable Hit Music when the Hit music we all loved was in its Prime!

I, along with many of my Radio Friends and Associates were a part of that exciting and historic time!  It's Vintage Radio at its Best with so many complete individual hours of the Most Notable Radio Air Personalities of that Chicago Era - presenting all the Hit Music, Commercials, Jingles, Newscasts and much more, in Full, in Pristine Sound, exactly as they were heard originally - no recreations - no static!
Whether you were a listener to Chicago Radio during this amazing beginning of Rock Radio and its Music or not, or if you have any interest in reliving or even discovering what Truly Fun Radio and its Great Music was like then, be sure to tune in anytime beginning  Saturday, August 31st, through Labor Day September 2nd and hear historically Great Radio just as it was heard then.

To hear it all or any part of it on your Computer or Cell Phone, just click on this Button and then on the Blue "Go to Link" that appears ~~~


That'll take you to this page ~~~
 

Then just Click or Tap on the Cell Phone Icon!
 
You can even tell Alexa "Alexa, play Rewound Radio!"
Now for those who've asked ( and yes, there have been quite a few, I'm happy to say! ), here're my "scheduled hours."  As this is a Live Special with Previously Recorded Hours and other Fun Features, start times may vary!
All Times are Eastern ...

Saturday Night starting sometime around 9 pm ... give or take an hour

Sunday midday, starting sometime from 11 am to 1 pm.  ( There's a "Special" Special that has to start at Noon Eastern )

And Monday night, sometime around 7:30 pm ... give or take!

But all that doesn't really matter!  There's plenty of others with Good "Back Then" Listening whenever you might "tune in" throughout the Sixty-plus Hours!

The Attached Video has some more information.
It'll be Fun so don't miss it if you can!
Chuck!
 

There are SO many big names from Chicago radio's storied past ...
 
Listen for clips by Bernie Allen, Bill Bailey, Dick Biondi, Jerry G. Bishop, 
Ron Britain, Chuck Britton, Chuck Buell, Dex Card, Yvonne Daniels, Jeff Davis, Bob Dearborn, Dick and Doug, Johnny Driscoll, Tommy Edwards, Gary Gears, JJ Jeffrey, Tom Kent, Steve King, Chris Knapp, John Landecker, Larry Lujack, Brant Miller, Larry O'Brien, Big Ron O'Brien,  Don Phillips, Barney Pip, Ron Riley, Art Roberts, Joel Sebastian, Bob Sirott, Jim Stagg, Kris Erik Stevens, Turi Ryder, Bill Taylor, Charlie Van Dyke, Clark Weber, Fred Winston and several more ...
 
All EXACTLY as they aired way back when.

Plus there'll be special features daily ...
 
Steve King's tribute to Elvis, put together just days after he died, Chickenman and Animal Stories vignettes, Dick Biondi's "Pop Goes The Music," celebrating the hits of 1965 and, of course, the INCREDIBLE, infamous WLS New Year's Eve Montage, covering the music from 1955 thru 1978.

Use the links above ... and listen and remember just how good radio used to be.

But don't just take MY word for it ...

Take a gander at this week's ROSS ON RADIO post from Sean Ross, who thoroughly enjoyed last year's broadcast ... and can't wait to hear what they've cooked up for THIS year's salute ... featuring nearly all new clips airing for the first time during the WLS / WCFL Rewound Memorial Day 
Weekend Spectacular!