Chuck Buell observed ...
As seen in Forgotten Hits ~~~
You posted ~~~
>>>Who among us (those of a certain age) didn’t belong to at least a couple of these (record clubs) over the years as we looked to quickly build our album libraries?! kk
I think this probably might be the most well-known "club" we both once "belonged" to!
Circa 1966!
9 FREE?! AND a FREE
Record Rack?! Where do I
sign?!!
( BTW, don't you still owe them some money? )
CB
No, I finally paid that off a couple of years ago … but I had to take a couple of Taylor Swift's “redo” albums because that’s all they were offering.
Yep, Columbia House was my record warehouse of choice …
I was actually denied my first mortgage because I still owed them four albums!!! (kk)
Did you watch the Oscar ceremony this week? I probably spent about 40 scattered minutes in front of the tv … but I DID catch the “in memoriam” segment.
It was nice to see Billy Crystal pay tribute to Rob and Michelle Reiner … but Barbra Streisand’s hoarse remembrance of Robert Redford WAS a little bit over the top …
And apparently it pissed off former Oscar winner (and work-out queen) Jane Fonda …
Don’tcha just LOVE this headline …
Jane Fonda Says Barbra Streisand Didn’t Deserve To Do The Robert Redford Oscars Tribute: She Did 1 Movie With Him, I Did 4
(I just love classy Hollywood dinosaur diva types!) kk
Paul McCartney will play a two night gig at the 1200-seat Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles March 27th and 28th. (Can you imagine the demand for these tickets?!?!)
Fans who applied for tickets on March 17th when the shows were first announced will be contacted by email between March 24th – March 26th for the opportunity to purchase tickets. This will be a VERY limited, "phoneless" event (so most of us will never see it!)
Kinda cool that he’s doing it ‘tho!!! (kk)
Check out this all-encompassing six cd collection spotlighting The Fifth Dimension! Literally EVERYTHING is here … and it’s not too terribly priced either for an import CD. You can read more about it (including the complete track listing) here: https://bestclassicbands.com/5th-dimension-let-the-sunshine-in-soul-city-bell-albums-box-set-3-19-26/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-03-20&utm_campaign=12+Classic+Rock+Songs+That+Feature+a+Famous+Guest+Musician
And, speaking of new releases ...
Look for a (kinda) new album from Neil Diamond, who’s hot again thanks to the success of the film “Song Sung Blue” and the stage bio-musical “Beautiful Noise.”
Diamond went back into the vaults and has touched by ten tracks he recorded with Rick Rubin producing. (Rubin did Neil’s “12 Songs” album back in 2005.) They also worked together on Neil’s 2008 release, “Home Before Dark,” and it is from those 2007 sessions that this new batch of ten tracks have been resurrected.
Both albums were well received by Diamond’s significant fan base. (As Joe Marchese of “Second Disc” points out, “Rubin encouraged Diamond to go with a raw, minimalist sound for these albums, echoing back to his earliest recordings on Bang in the 1960s. Crucially, he also encouraged Diamond to once again pick up his guitar and center the songs around the instrument. The result was successful both critically and commercially as “12 Songs” hit No. 4 on Billboard’s chart, Diamond’s highest placement since 1980’s “The Jazz Singer.””) “Home Before Dark” performed even better, going all the way to #1, the first time EVER for a Neil Diamond album.
These tracks will be new to us … and the album (titled “Wild At Heart”) has a planned release date of May 8th. Marchese predicts the album will be “so good, so good, so good” … which is enough to keep ME away from it! (lol)
BTW: I did finally watch “Song Sung Blue” and it was better than I had expected. Thankfully, they DIDN’T squeeze every last drop out of “Sweet Caroline,” which was something that made me particularly leery … if anything, this film featured “Soolaimon” a few times too many. That song makes for a great Forgotten Hit, hearing it once in a blue moon … it isn’t anywhere near as effective when you hear it three times in two hours.
Here’s a clip featuring the title track … I just like the fact that Neil is SINGING again … for all too long a while there, he only seemed to “TALK” his songs. (kk)
Hello,
A new rock ’n’ roll documentary celebrating legendary Chicago DJ Dick Biondi is now being released to streaming platforms worldwide.
The Voice That Rocked America: The Dick Biondi Story tells the remarkable story of the radio personality who helped launch the careers of artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and countless others during the golden age of rock ’n’ roll.
Biondi became a radio icon in Chicago on WLS (AM), where his explosive on-air style and fearless music choices helped define a generation.
The film features interviews with legendary performers and music insiders including Brian Wilson, Frankie Avalon, Tony Orlando, and many others who share personal memories of Biondi and the early days of rock ’n’ roll.
The film is available on major streaming platforms including Amazon and Apple. https://www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv/film/the-voice-that-rocked-america-the-dick-biondi-story/
We are also hosting a Red Carpet Premiere Celebration honoring Dick Biondi’s extraordinary legacy in radio and music.
For more information about the film and premiere event, visit: https://desplainestheatre.com/event/movie-premiere-the-voice-that-rocked-america-the-dick-biondi-story/
Media Contact
Pamela Enzweiler-Pulice
Reel Stories Productions LLC
And, as we told you the other day, the film is now available for preorder on dvd (with 30 additional bonus minutes) thru amazon.com (kk)
March 19th marked the 50th anniversary of The Doobie Brothers’ sixth album release, “Takin’ It To The Streets.” It was nothing short of a reinvention of the band. New member Michael McDonald changed their sound forever with the addition of his blue-eyed soulful renderings. (Former lead singer and guitarist Tom Johnston had to step away due to health issues at the time.) “Takin’ It To The Streets” peaked at #13 when it was released as a single … and more great things were to come. “What A Fool Believes,” cowritten by McDonald and Kenny Loggins, topped all three national charts four years later and the album it came from, “Minute By Minute,” won a couple of Grammy Awards that year.
Previously, the band’s west coast “biker band” sound was dominated by founding members Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons … but the addition of Michael McDonald changed that dynamic for the next few years. Last year, all three reunited to record a brand new album and do a stadium tour. (They’re still together today and will be performing with Santana on a major North American Tour this summer.) kk
Looks like our FH Buddy Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon is being discovered by a whole new generation. (I LOVE IT!!!) This guy is 88 years old and STILL rockin’. (kk)
Meanwhile, Harvey Kubernik waxes nostalgically about ‘50’s rocker Eddie Cochran here: https://ugly-things.com/dont-forget-me-eddie-cochran-documentary-set-for-2026/
Hello Kent,
I used to see The Flock in Rogers Park when they performed in the mid-sixties. I also went to Sullivan High School. I was curious about them now. Are you still in touch, and do you know anything about them?
Anita Morgan
Sullivan, Class of 1967
Sorry, Anita, but there is no "new" news to report -
A few of the original members have passed on now, most recently Fred Glickstein (and even that was a couple of years ago) -
I remained in touch with Freddie for several years after we interviewed him for Forgotten Hits - great guy
Jerry Goodman has done some gigs with a couple of former Mauds members - but even that's been a few years now since I've seen them play – they’re called The Dinosaur Exhibit …
Do you still live in the Chicago area?
If I hear about anything coming up, I’d be happy to let you know. (kk)
It really is quite amazing to see Barry McGuire four weeks on top at #1 and holding big names off. Yesterday, a younger buddy mentioned how he could not believe how that song could have been a hit. I proceeded to tell him that I thought it was a great song. He asked why. My response:
Hey buddy, not going vs your hatred of "Green Beret", it was the world of a 10 year old in Dodge city in 1966. My younger brother who was 7 even had that 45 at the time. It was a time when he and I "played army" with 2" green army men and had cap guns and fake rifles and played both cops/robbers, cowboys/indians and army fighters as well. Like most young today with their video games of war, it was "just fun." The song really IS well done and he sang on Sullivan besides! His life was tragic in the end, but in 1966, you felt like YOU could be that guy, good or bad.
Clark Besch
America was in a different mind set in late 1965 / early 1966 … we were all very pro-American back then. We had only recently lost a president … millions watched him shot down … and Viet Nam hadn’t yet escalated to the money pit (and death pit) that it would eventually would. Things drastically changed by the end of the year and 1967 became a big year of protest … all of a sudden most of America was against the war. (I know, kinda sounds like TODAY’S headline … but clearly we have learned NOTHING from all the battles we have had – won, lost or draw.) I don’t know that a song like this would fly today (or be anywhere near as successful.)
How big was it?
After calculating ALL of the year end charts (all three major trades, our own Super Chart, Joel Whitburn’s calculations and Dann Isbell’s original “Ranking The ‘60’s” book), “The Ballad Of The Green Beret” wound up being the #1 Record of the Year for 1966, staving off other monster hits like “Cherish,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Hanky Panky,” “Summer In The City,” “Winchester Cathedral,” “Good Vibrations” “California Dreamin’,” “Monday, Monday” and “Barbara Ann.”
(By the way, you’ll see The Top 66 of 1966 on December 30th … but this song won by a landslide when factoring in all the data.)
So what’s #2??? Well, I didn’t mention the #2 song or the #3 song in my list of obvious 1966 chart successes … which means that none of these definitive smashes made The Top Three either.
So what did??? Sorry ... you’ll just have to hang tight for nine more months to see the whole list. (It's kinda like having a baby ... only without the dirty diapers!) kk
>>>In the hopes that I'm not REALLY "the last one to know," I'm sharing this story with you today ... because seriously, what are the odds?!?! These are some pretty amazing circumstances, to say the least! (kk)
Kent,
You are the last person to know.
I can't tell you when I got wind of this, but I saw the TV replay and the newspaper no more than ten years ago. I was exploring the show Ready, Steady, Go and this was included. It is synchronicity at its weirdest!
Shelley
kk …
March 18, 2018 = Frankie Avalon Appeared At The Arcada Theatre In St. Charles, IL, Just Outside The City Of Chicago.
Were You There Kent?
FB
I was not … believe it or not, I have never seen Frankie perform live … and he has appeared at The Arcada numerous times. I DID see him, however, perform as part of “Tony And Tina’s Wedding,” an audience-participation dinner theater show that played here for many years. (kk)
Just a little trivia. Regarding Shelly's review of Jim Messina ...
Back in late 1968 I heard about a new band ... the nascent Pogo. At high school, I got word that they were rehearsing at The Troubadour club during the afternoons. I went there after school a few times and caught them going over new songs. Surprised I did not get kicked out. Only time I saw Jim Messina.
Jim Roup
You should check out Jim Messina’s solo show – he puts on an entertaining act and is still in fine voice.
I never got the chance to see Poco … and in hindsight I know I wouldn’t have appreciated them at the time. Who knew the names that would ultimately pass thru those doors!!!
Speaking of Shelley, look for a brand new review here tomorrow! (kk)
