Make that FOUR weeks at #1 for Rod Stewart and his first solo hit, "Maggie May." The Osmonds inch up a little closer as "Yo Yo" climbs from #3 to #2 ... while "Gypsys, Tramps And Thieves" jumps another eight spots from #12 to #4. (I think we all know where this one is headed!)
Moving up nine places (from #25 to #16) is "Peace Train" by Cat Stevens. Marvin Gaye climbs another sixteen notches with "Inner City Blues" (#38 to #22) while James Taylor's "Long Ago And Far Away" moves up ten spots from #31 to #21. Santana's "Everybody's Everything" jumps 25 spots from #61 to #36 while the reissue of Chicago's "Questions 67 and 68" shoots from #53 to #37, a move of sixteen spots. But NOBODY took the kind of leap that Isaac Hayes'
"Theme From 'Shaft'" did. It moved up 53 notches ... from #73 to #20. Pretty incredible. (Think this one will hit #1???) The highest debut on the chart this week belongs to John Lennon ... who premiers at #30 with "Imagine," the highest debuting record of the year so far. (That distinction previously belonged to The Jackson Five and "Never Can Say Goodbye," which premiered at #45 back in March. Other new entries include "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" by The Bee Gees (premiering at #75 ... I always liked this one and felt it should have been a bigger hit than it was), "All I Ever Need Is You," a comeback hit of sorts for Sonny and Cher and "Have You Seen Her" by The Chi-Lites, a future #1 Hit.
THIS WEEK IN 1971:
October 20th – Snoop Dogg is born
October 21st – Mick Jagger’s daughter Jade is born
October 22nd – Joan Baez receives a gold record for her #1 Hit Single “The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down.”
A little crazy here again of late ... (so much so that this nearly became the "Early Evening Edition" of The Weekend Comments) ... but this oversized posting gives us a chance to catch up a little bit ... so enjoy!
As Captain Kirk headed into
space, remember when he did "Rocket Man" …
Ken Voss
The new Wonder Years is starting to grow on
me. I was not sure about it after seeing the pilot episode, but I feel it
is getting better with each episode.
The original Wonder Years is one of my
favorites of all time. I taped every episode on my VCR and later bought
the complete dvd set.I was disappointed
that the ratings were never as good as they should have been for the original.
Fred Savage and Danica McCellar were two of the best young actors ever.The writers captured the ups and downs of junior high and high school life.
The new edition seems to be getting pretty
good ratings.I hope that it continues
to catch on.It also has been educating
me. The soundtrack features great songs and some I have not heard before.
Phil – WRCO
I think for many of us of our generation, “The Wonder Years”
played out as sort of a visual Soundtrack Of Our Lives when it first
aired.Kevin Arnold literally grew up
before our very eyes … and I think several of us also experienced many of those
same “life moments” at about the same age.Definitely a classic.
The idea of a reboot didn’t appeal to me … probably because
I held the original in such high regard … but the more I thought about it, the
more interesting and appealing the concept became … same era, but from a
different perspective of a young Black Kid growing up during these incredibly
turbulent times.
It hasn’t quite measured up to what I believe its full
potential can be yet in my eyes … but I’ve still managed a smile or two in
every episode I’ve seen thus far.And
you’re right … the music does dig a little deeper.It’ll be interesting to see how it continues
to measure up.(kk)
Bob Merlis shared this brand new video of
Dion, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa performing the track “Angel In The Alleyways” from
Dion’s new album “Stomping Grounds.”(The LP's out November 5th)
Two previously released videoclips included “Take It Back” with Joe Bonamassa guesting and “I’ve Got To
Get To You” with Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza and Mike Menza joining in.(Other album tracks feature appearances by Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Frampton, Billy F Gibbons,
Keb’ Mo and Rickie Lee Jones.)
You can
preorder your copy now thru all the usual sources.(kk)
Check out this
concert review featuring two of our FH Buddies, Ron Dante and Jay Siegel and
The Tokens, sent in by FH Reader Tom Cuddy …
"It Just
Couldn't Have Been Any Better!"
Jay Siegel’s Tokens
and Ron Dante LIVE at The PNC Bank Arts Center
Our FH Buddy Paul Evans, whose new biography “Happy-Go-Lucky
Me” will be out here in The States next month (it’s already out in England)
sent us this demo to share with our readers of a song that Elvis was planning
to record for his next album at the time of his death.(Over the years, Paul placed several songs
with The King!)
Hello, Oldies Champions …
As some of you know, Elvis was holding two
songs of mine for recording when he passed away in ‘77.
Here is my demo recording of one of them,
“Tender Moments” - written by Paul Parnes and Paul Evans.
I hope you all enjoy this look-back,
Paul
PS - Here’s a great review of my book, Happy
Go Lucky Me, from American Music Magazine (now available in the UK):
"The book comes highly recommended - if
you want an insider's view into the New York music scene of the late 50’s, then
you’ll do no better. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Paul is incredibly
honest about his career – detailing his career’s downs as well as highs with
humour. Incredibly interesting is the list of his songs recorded by
artists which ends the book – arguably this is worth the book price
alone. File under essential reading.
John Spencely American Music Magazine (Sweden),
September 2021"
A brand new, first ever Mary Wilson anthology will be
released on December 3rd.(Sadly,
we lost Mary earlier this year.)The
2-CD, 38 song collection, “The Motown Anthology” collects songs dating back to
Wilson’s earliest pre-Supremes days with The Primettes.(“Pretty Baby” is the first recording known
to feature the voice of Mary Wilson’s.)Other Supremes tracks include two previously unreleased songs from Diana
Ross and the Supremes’ Farewell Concert, recorded live at The Frontier Hotel in
Las Vegas in January of 1970, along with four other previously unreleased
Supremes tracks … as well as new mixes of 16 other Supremes classics recorded
throughout the various line-up changes over the years.In addition, Mary’s 1979 solo album, “Mary
Wilson,” gets its worldwide CD debut as part of this package, as does a 2021
remix of her single “Red Hot” and her last Motown single, “Why Can’t We Get
Along,” making its CD debut.
You’ll find more details (as well as a complete track list
for the 2-CD set) here:
44 years ago this
month, the music world endured one of the greatest tragedies in its history
when a Convair CV-240 passenger plane carrying several members of Southern Rock
band Lynyrd Skynyrd, including founding member and vocalist Ronnie Van Zant,
crashed into the woods near Gillsburg, MS, killing six including Van Zant. The
event has been memorialized in both songs as well as in the hearts and minds of
music fans the world over. Most recently, this singularly devastating accident
was dramatized on film in a full-length feature Street Survivors: The
True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. Told from the perspective of
Skynyrd drummer, Artimus Pyle, who not only survived the crash but helped
rescue other members from the wreckage, the movie is a powerful testament to
the enduring legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd and all that the band had to overcome in
its incredible career. The accompanying soundtrack to the film converts the
inspiring true story into musical form, taking selections of the film’s
orchestral score and blending it with original music inspired by Skynyrd with
guest appearances by Pyle as well as blues rock legend Pat Travers.
Pyle had this to say
on the anniversary of the tragedy: “We all live, and we all die. It’s how you
live your life that matters. Ronnie lived a large life in a small amount of
time. I am happy to be included in his legacy. Everyone that participated in
the making of the film, including director Jared Cohn and the cast, should be
applauded. My sons, our band, the APB band and our friends who wrote the movie
soundtrack; I think it’s an award-winning effort. Check it out. On October 20,
don’t be sad … be happy and revel in Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd music
that will live forever! Peace and Love!”
Also be sure to check
out this star-studded tribute album featuring the likes of Molly Hatchet,
Charlie Daniels, Pat Travers, Great White and Canned Heat plus former Skynyrd
alumni Artimus Pyle, Ed King and the Original Honkettes! https://cleorecs.com/store/?s=southern+pride+lynyrd+skynyrd&post_type=product
A new Velvet Underground documentary premiered on Apple+ TV
on Friday. While we no longer have the subscription service, we’ll likely be
bringing it back soon in order to catch their “1971” series and the return of
“The Morning Show.”This sounds like it
might be a good one to check out, too.(kk)
kk …
I see that you printed the lyrics to
"BAND OF GOLD" in Forgotten Hits.
Freda Payne talked to Cousin Brucie last Saturday
night.
Her new book, "BAND OF GOLD," is
already out.
Freda said that there are two theories about
her hit song.
1= The man was a homosexual.
2= The woman was frigid.
Me and Cousin Brucie both said, "I never
heard that before."
She pointed to the lyrics, "LOVE ME LIKE
YOU TRIED BEFORE."
And Happy Birthday to Cousin Brucie this past Wednesday.
This one from FH
Reader Mike Wolstein made me smile …
Funny, this doesn't
look anything like Micky and Davy ...
That was a beautiful photo of your daughter
and son in law with Brian.
That’s a forever memory.
All my best,
Brad
Nicki’s very first
concert was The Beach Boys at Poplar Creek here in Chicago … she was all of
four years old … and was already able to sing along with nearly every
song! (The kid had a Beach Boys bumper
sticker on her tricycle, for God’s sake!!!)
SHE got to see the 50th Anniversary Tour, which I wasn’t even
able to attend!!! By every definition,
she’s a lifetime fan … so yes, I have to believe this was a very special night
for them. (kk)
Hey Kent, Man, what a great article (as always). Can't
wait to see the Beatles doc this fall.
And it was great remembering playing on the same bill as the
Beach Boys, our tour with Sam the Sham, and Tommy James … The Royal Guardsmen met
up with them on the west coast for three gigs.They were awesome, and a bunch of nice guys.
Had good chats with them.Bruce and Al
made a little more time which I enjoyed greatly.Many moons later I met Al again in Nashville
at his son's birthday party ... still the same Al.
You take care, my friend, and keep bringing the
news. Bless ya - Barry
Before gearing up for the Christmas
Holiday Season, The Ed Sullivan Show YouTube Channel has a couple of Halloween
treats planned … as well as appearances by a few of our vintage rock and roll
acts …
Some titles worth noting:
Premiers 10/23 – Vaughn Meader – How
Much Do You Make, Mr. President? (originally aired May 19th, 1963)
10/23 – The Everly Brothers –
Lucille (10/29/61)
10/24 – Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty
Woman (10/11/64)
10/25 – The Everly Brothers – Don’t
Blame Me (10/29/61) – a GREAT Forgotten Hit
10/27 – The Animals – Work Song
(10/17/65)
10/29 – Mama Cass Elliot with The
Cast of The Girl Friend – Medley of The Girlfriend / Blue Room / The Girlfriend
(reprise) 11/22/70
10/30 – Cliff Richard – Bachelor Boy
(7/7/63)
10/30 – The Smothers Brothers – The
Saga of John Henry (1/29/67)
Tony Bennett – If I Ruled The World
(3/21/65)
Gladys Knight and the Pips – Hey
Jude (3/29/70)
You’ll also find a clip of Sheb
Wooley performing “The Purple People Eater” up on the site right now … and
holiday fare coming by artists like The Ames Brothers, Julius LaRosa and Patti
Page dueting on “The Christmas Song,” Pearl Bailey and Oran Page performing
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and more.
Oakland A’s
broadcaster Ray Fosse passed away after a long battle with cancer on Wednesday,
October 13th.
Ray went
public with his cancer diagnosis this past August when he stepped down from his
berth in the broadcast booth, issuing the following statement: “
Along
with my wife of 51 years, Carol, today we share that I have been silently
battling cancer for the past 16 years. Given my current medical condition, I am
taking a step away from the A's and NBC Sports California effective
immediately, to focus on my treatment and to be with my family during this
time. My wife, Carol, and I extend our gratitude to the baseball community, and
community at large, for your thoughts and prayers."
Prior
to becoming a broadcaster for the A’s, Fosse enjoyed a 12-year major league
career, catching for The Cleveland Indians, The Seattle Mariners, The Milwaukee
Brewers AND The Oakland Athletics.
He
is probably best remembered for his appearance in the 1970 All-Star Game when
Pete Rose elected to barrel over him at the plate, leaving Fosse with a
fractured and dislocated shoulder, injuries that would continue to plague him
for the rest of his Major League career.
Despite the severity of the injury, two days later Fosse
caught nine innings in a game The A’s won over The Kansas City Royals, despite
the fact that he couldn’t lift his left arm over his head.
Rose
never apologized for the play … and, ironically, had dinner with Fosse (and
Cleveland Indians Pitcher “Sudden” Sam McDowell the night before. (kk)
Reminder:Brian Wilson is appearing next Saturday Night
(October 23rd) at The Genesee Theatre with special guests Al Jardine
and Blondie Chaplin, performing a Beach Boys Greatest Hits concert.Good seats are still available for this
show.(kk)
In what can
only be described as a sad development, Cher is now suing Sonny Bono’s widow,
Mary Bono, with misappropriating royalties earned by the successful duo during
their ten year career together.
A 1978
agreement signed after their divorce stipulated that Sonny and Cher were to
share the royalties earned for their recorded hits together equally … but Cher now
says that Mary
Bono recently started renegotiating the agreement to take 100 percent of
the income via her Bono Collection Trust, with none being paid to Cher’s
Veritas Trust. The original contract
pertains to royalties earned through 2026. (Ewwww … Cat Fight!!!)
kk …
Appalachian Unsolved: Who killed the doo-wop king? – YouTube
I remember the story at the time … now see THIS
would make for a great TV movie … plus a chance to provide a Doo-Wop Soundtrack
for a whole new generation. You need to
get right on this, Frank!!! (By the way,
here in Chicago, Dex Card at WLS was referred to as “The Crew-Cut Kid In The
Second Row,” a moniker that a couple of other DJs across the country also
used. I always thought it was unique to
just Chicago … probably more of an ABC Radio thing to bring uniformity to Top
40 radio!) kk
A few weeks back we
told you about Elton John making Billboard’s Hot 100 List with his new duet
with Dua Lipa.
Well, this week, that
record “Cold Heart,” climbs into The Top 40, John’s first Top 40 Hit since
April of 1999 when he charted with a duet recorded with LeAnn Rimes, “Written
In The Stars.”
This new hit allows
Elton to expand his career span of Top 40 entries to just shy of 51 years. (He first hit Billboard’s Top 40 on December
19th, 1970, with his breakthrough hit, “Your Song.” It eventually
peaked at #8.) He now has had 58 Top 40 Hits
in all. At 50 years and 10 months, he now has the longest chart span of
any recording artist (save holiday releases that continue to rechart every year
for several others … we’re talking strictly NEW pop hits here.)
“Cold Heart”
incorporates three of Elton’s solo hits (“Sacrifice,” “Rocket Man” and “Kiss
The Bride,” all Top 40 Hits in their own right, plus “Where’s The Shoorah,”
from his album “Blue Moves.”) Amazingly,
it all works into a pretty good mash-up … in fact, it’s really not a bad track
at all! (kk)
I’m
also growing fonder of Maneskin’s new version of The Four Seasons’ 1967 hit “Beggin’,”
which I always thought was an underappreciated track at the time … but was
really driven home again when it was included in the “Jersey Boys”
soundtrack. This week it climbs to #16,
matching The Four Seasons’ chart position in ’67. (kk)
You'll find coverage of both of these records ... and more ... here ...
If you’re a fan of the music of Rick Wakeman, then
you’ve just GOT to become a member of his Caped Crusader Club!!!
Join Keyboard Legend Rick Wakeman’s Caped Crusader Collector Club! (Members will receive rare memorabilia and unreleased music!)
On October 14th, sign up to the Caped Crusader Collector
Club and receive a membership pack containing an individually numbered
membership card, a signed (by Rick) welcome letter, an exclusive year book full
of rare photos, articles and memorabilia from Rick's personal archive, a
sticker and four 8x10 photos. You will also receive the first exclusive CCCC CD
release, which is the previously unreleased Wakeman soundtrack from the feature
film, “She.” The following three releases for the year will feature rare and
live music from the Wakeman vaults. Further, there will be three exclusive CD
releases issued within the year, which members will receive automatically
through the post periodically. Please note, these releases will not be released
to the general public, either online or at any other retailer.
Additionally, as a CCCC member you will receive a 10% discount off
all purchases (including box sets) at the Wakeman Music Emporium (on-line
only), invites to special events, early notifications of the releases and a
totally exclusive merchandising range, along with some other goodies.
If you join in October, you will automatically receive 15 months
membership for the price of 12!
“I am really excited about the Caped Crusader Collector Club
(CCCC) as something very different. As a musician. I think it is important that
serious fans get to hear music that would otherwise be left in drawers and on
shelves and in some cases, discarded.
With the formation of the CCCC, I feel that this is an innovative
way for core fans to get to hear music which I have discovered in various of my
archives. Much of which was found when packing ready to move house
I had completely forgotten about some of this material and it has
really surprised me what was found. All part of my musical journey over almost
5 decades. I truly believe for real collectors these exclusive CD's will be
received in the same way that The Treasure Chest was some years ago.
I hope everyone has as much enjoyment hearing these recordings as I
had after discovering them.” – Rick Wakeman
And here’s something else you can spend
your money on!!! (lol) …
Al Stewart “Time
Passages” 4 Disc Limited Edition Boxed Set Available October 15, 2021
• A DELUXE 4 DISC LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF THE CLASSIC 1978
ALBUM BY AL STEWART, PRODUCED BY ALAN PARSONS (3CD / DVD)
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES BY ALAN PARSONS
• FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL 13 BONUS TRACKS DRAWN FROM AN ALBUM SESSION OUT-
TAKE, SINGLES, A DEMO RECORDING SESSION IN AUGUST 1977 AND A RADIO CONCERT
RECORDED IN CHICAGO IN 1978
• INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET WITH AN ESSAY FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH AL STEWART
Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a four-disc
deluxe limited edition boxed set (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) Of “Time
Passages”, the legendary album by Al Stewart first released in September 1978.
This new deluxe edition of this special album has been newly
remastered for the very first time from the original first-generation master
tapes by Alan Parsons and also features his stunning new 5.1 Surround sound mix
from the original multi-track tapes. In addition, the set includes single
edits, an album session out-take, four demo tracks recorded in Los Angeles in
August 1977 and for the first time the complete concert recorded at the studios
of WKQK-FM in Chicago in October 1978.
This limited edition boxed set also features an illustrated 68-page
book with a new essay featuring an interview with Al Stewart and a facsimile
promotional poster and a set of four postcards and is a fitting tribute to a
much treasured and legendary masterpiece by a consummate songwriter and
performer.
Disc One: Time Passages
Remastered By Alan Parsons
1. Time Passages
2. Valentina Way
3. Life In Dark Water
4. A Man For All Seasons
5. Almost Lucy
6. The Palace Of Versailles
7. Timeless Skies
8. Song On The Radio
9. End Of The Day
Bonus Track
10. Tonton Macoute (Recorded At Davlen Studios, Los Angeles In December 1977)
(Previously Unreleased)
Disc Two
1. Time Passages (Single Version)
2. Song On The Radio (Single Version)
Demo Recordings – August 1977
3. Tonton Macoute (Demo) (Recorded At Larrabee Sound Studios In August 1977)
4. Life In A Bottle (Demo) (Recorded At Larrabee Sound Studios In August 1977)
5. The Palace Of Versailles (Demo) (Recorded At Larrabee Sound Studios In
August 1977) (Previously Unreleased)
6. The Hollywood Sign (On St. Stephen’s Day) (Timeless Skies) (Demo) (Recorded
At Larrabee Sound Studios In August 1977) (Previously Unreleased)
The Chicago Radio Concert – 27th October 1978
7. Time Passages (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
8. Life In Dark Water (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
9. The Palace Of Versailles (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978) (Previously
Unreleased)
10. Valentina Way (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
11. The Pink Panther Theme (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
12. Song On The Radio (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
Disc Three: The Chicago Radio Concert – 27th October 1978
1. One Stage Before (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978) (Previously
Unreleased)
2. Life In Dark Water (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
3. Roads To Moscow (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
4. Sirens Of Titan (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978) (Previously Unreleased)
5. The Palace Of Versailles (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978) (Previously
Unreleased)
6. Valentina Way (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
7. Year Of The Cat (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
8. The Pink Panther Theme (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
9. Song On The Radio (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978)
10. Carol (Live Radio Concert Chicago 1978) (Previously Unreleased)
Disc Four: Time Passages
High Resolution 96 Khz / 24-Bit 5.1 Surround Sound Mix & Original Re-
Mastered Stereo Mix By Alan Parsons
1. Time Passages (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
2. Valentina Way (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
3. Life In Dark Water (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
4. A Man For All Seasons (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
5. Almost Lucy (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
6. The Palace Of Versailles (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
7. Timeless Skies (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
8. Song On The Radio (5.1 Surround Sound Mix)
From Tom Cuddy …
Skyrockets In Flight: The Strange Story of the Dirtiest Number One Ever
| GQ
Did you happen to catch “Wonder Years Wednesday” last night
on ABC???
Billed as part of “Return to Wonder”
Wednesday, the 2021 reboot (7:30 pm) was squeezed between episodes of “The
Goldbergs,” featuring Dan Lauria (Wonder Years Dad Jack Arnold) at 7 pm, the
return of Fred Savage (Kevin Arnold) on the 8 pm episode of The Conners and an appearance by Danica McKellar (aka
Winnie Cooper) on Home Economics at 8:30 pm. They even managed to squeeze in a new Adam
Goldberg video tribute (called “The William Penn Years, accompanied by the
graphics of “The Wonder Years,” as well as a new interpretation of their theme
song, “With A Little Help From My Friends.”)
YOWZAH!!!
Damn ... what a WONDERful night!!!
(We still have to binge-watch the original
series start to finish one of these days!) kk
I think you handled what has to be considered a
fairly delicate situation quite well the other day when you addressed Brian
Wilson’s vocal skills (or lack thereof) these days in concert. As Forgotten Hits always has, you call ‘em as
you see ‘em … which is what we’ve all come to expect. There isn’t one of us out here that doesn’t
hate to see their music icons struggling through their later years while trying
to preserve the memory of what they once were.
It’s a battle they can’t win … and it’s a shame as, in this regard, I
agree with you, that both the audience AND the artist suffer in the long run.
Tim Houghton
To me (and especially
in the case of a Paul McCartney and/or a Brian Wilson, who both prided
themselves on delivering nothing but extreme perfection their whole careers), I
would find it difficult to go out there every night and deliver a sub-standard
performance. However, that sub-standard
performance is most likely the best they can conjure up at this stage of their
careers. And, I think (much like Elvis),
their fans have come to accept them for both who they were … and who they are
now … because the musical legacy left between those two stages is nothing short
of amazing and will never go away.
I can argue that, from
my perspective, McCartney probably should have hung it up years ago … but then
the guy goes out and releases two #1 albums during the past five years … so what the
hell do I know?!?! (I still don’t see much of a marketplace for Brian’s new “hits
performed solo on the piano” album however … not even for diehards!!!)
It really boils down to
a level of “acceptance” … and I think I may be coming up short in this
department. I prefer to remember both of
these artists at their best … and just don’t want to see them tarnish that image. (Not unlike our recent Burton Cummings /
Randy Bachman review from a few weeks ago.) I felt the same way about Muhammad Ali fighting beyond his prime. He had already proven everything he ever needed to prove after winning the heavyweight title for the third time. Rest on those laurels and preserve the legacy.
All of that being said,
can you even imagine what 2022 might be like if artists like Paul McCartney and
Brian Wilson … and John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen … teamed up for
mega-tours (providing our overall health situations have improved by this point)?!?! Now THAT’S the way to go out and call it a
career … ‘cause how do you ever top THAT???
(kk)
Thank you for
posting the live Brian Wilson video. I Love
It!
Ken Voss
Kent,
Talking about past rock and rollers who are
currently on tour with their voices not quite up to par reminds me of something
I saw on television many years ago.
I can't remember the singer's name but he was
a guest one night on Johnny Carson's TONIGHT SHOW. He came out and talked with
Johnny for a few minutes and then Johnny asked him to sing a song, or possibly
one of the songs he recorded that was a hit. He declined because he admitted
his voice was not what it used to be. He said he wanted his fans to remember
him as he was, not as he was now with his voice.
Again, I can't remember the name of the singer,
but it was someone we all would be familiar with.
Larry
And I guess were I in
that same position, I would most likely elect to do the same. I would want every performance to have the
potential to be one of my best … and wouldn’t want to send anybody home
disappointed or with a bad memory.
Perhaps once you achieve icon status, the audience becomes that much
more forgiving. (kk)
A brand new trailer for
the Peter Jackson film “Get Back” was released earlier this week … and it truly does
look amazing.
Anticipation is at an
all-time, fever pitch high right now.
(The film premiers on Disney+ over three nights during the Thanksgiving
Weekend, November 25th, 26th and 27th. It’ll run close to six hours and was
culled from 57 hours of video footage shot during January of 1969 that's beenlocked
in a vault ever since.)
The quality looks
absolutely amazing … and, as promised, we see The Beatles having FUN together during an era that has traditionally been believed to be the worst of times in the
band’s career.
There are SO many funny
moments and smiles contained in this brief clip as the group prepares for what
was thought at the time to be a live concert event presenting their brand new album
of fourteen songs. (I love the part
where, in 1969, Paul says “Fifty years from now, the rumor will be that The
Beatles split up because Yoko sat on an amp.”
Who knew?!?!?) It also shows John
Lennon, reportedly the most disenchanted member of the band, as being in favor
of performing live again. (It had been
three years since The Beatles played at Candlestick Park in their last concert
appearance. The film’s eventual rooftop
performance … which will now be shown for the first time ever in its entirety …
would go down in history as the last time The Beatles performed live together
as a band.)
The brand new “Get Back”
book was also finally released last week after more than a year of delays and
it’s absolutely beautiful, jam-packed with photos and a diary log of each day’s
events during filming. (Peter Jackson’s
forward, explaining how he came to discover and love the music of the band, is
nothing short of brilliant.) To be given
unlimited access to all of the material available in order to make this film …
and then being able to take the time to meticulously going through it all in
order to edit the perfect historical document of their work process, growing
from a two hour theatrical release to a six hour cable mini-series is going to
be fascinating to watch.
Macca made more news
this week when he referred to The Rolling Stones as just a blues cover band,
compared to The Beatles. (McCartney made
similar comments on Howard Stern’s show last year, prompting Mick to retaliate
with “That’s
so funny. He’s a sweetheart. There’s obviously no competition.”)
Jagger described the really big difference between the two bands
as The Rolling Stones being a “big concert band," stating that The Beatles "broke up before that business started. The touring business for real didn’t start
until the end of the Sixties. That’s the
real big difference between these two bands. One band is unbelievably luckily,
still playing in stadiums, and the other band doesn’t exist.”
Considering that The Beatles played for less than thirty minutes during their live shows in the '60's, Mick's on point with this one. (Of course today McCartney's right up there with the best of them, regularly performing 2 1/2 hour shows all the time.) The issue of no longer being able to perform the music they were creating in the studio live at the time has also often been cited as a factor (not to mention the grueling pace of touring in the first place.) Today, recreating those sounds on stage are second nature, thanks to all of the technology advancements made during the past 55 years. (And yet The Stones still manage to do it with just guitar, bass, keyboards and drums!)
McCartney also put the blame for The Beatles' break-up squarely on John Lennon's shoulders last week, explaining that John had announced that he was leaving the band but was then asked to keep things hushed up by Allen Klein to see if he could put together a better royalties deal before an official announcement was made. (This makes Paul's 1969 Yoko comment even funnier in light of all the flack she's taken over the past 50+ years.)
Promoting his new two volume book of lyrics (which includes a
Beatles song never recorded), Paul also turned his attention to one of the
songs he, George and Ringo were given by Yoko Ono to finish up for The Beatles
Anthology series called “Now And Then.”
(This is one of the John Lennon demos that Yoko gave them to add their
voices and music to, under the production of Jeff Lynne, as “The Threetles” for
the Anthology film. We got to hear “Free
As A Bird” and “Real Love,” but the third track never materialized.)
This is news to me … I’VE always heard that the third track was
supposed to be a full band version of John's “Grow Old With Me,” a track that appeared
on Lennon’s posthumous album release “Milk And Honey” … but apparently THIS is
the track they never got ‘round to finishing.
Macca now says that he’d like to finish it …
“It
didn’t have a very good title, it needed a bit of reworking, but it had a
beautiful verse and it had John singing it … but George didn’t wanna do it.”
George
described it this way: “It’s fucking rubbish.” (lol)
After listening to a bootleg demo of the tune, I’ve got to agree with
him … WAY beneath Lennon’s abilities as both a songwriter and singer.
Jeff Lynne chimed in with, "The song had a chorus but is almost totally lacking in
verses. We did the backing track, a
rough go that we really didn't finish."
I’m
not sure what McCartney hears here that would make him want to devote any more
time to this effort. I can’t imagine it
holding much appeal to his or The Beatles’ audience, other than the novelty of
a “new” Paul and John vocal and composition.
(kk)
And Mick Jagger’s been in the news nearly every day of The
Stones’ tour as well, showing up at karaoke bars to sing “Honky Tonk Women” or
crashing bachelorette parties … this guy knows how to have fun incognito. (Although I have a really hard time believing
that a mobile bachelorette party, packed with young, beautiful women partying
hard and out for a good time would so willingly welcome an 80 year old stranger
onboard to join in. If anything, I’d
expect the reaction to be one more of “Get out of here, you creepy old man!” ... and perhaps even a call to the police! Lol) kk
The Go-Go’s are coming … to The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame …
and tickets are available to the public!
They’ll be at the PNC Stage on Friday, October 29th,
at 12 Noon for an interview and book-signing appearance. (They’re being inducted into The Rock And
Roll Hall Of Fame this year … so this is just the icing on the cake!)
Per the official announcement, "The entire band ... yes, all of them ... will be here ... and both events are free! … but you have to reserve a special event ticket in advance.
Falling into our “Is That Really Necessary” category this
morning comes news that Asia will be releasing a 10-CD Box Set of live performances
from the early ‘80’s, including 2-CD full concerts recorded in Buffalo, NY
(1982), Worcester, MA (1983), Sao Paulo, Brazil (2007), Tokyo, Japan (2008) and
London, England (2010). (In that Asia
never released a live album during their hey-day, wouldn’t ONE “best of”
concert sufficed???) The timespan
encompasses the group’s very first tour in 1982 through several “reunion” shows
spread throughout the rest of the decade.
Street date is November 26th.
(kk)
Richard Marx has just been booked to perform at The Arcada
Theatre on Friday, February 11th, 2022. Tickets will go on sale THIS FRIDAY (tomorrow, 10/15)
at Noon … The Arcada
Theatre Tickets (etix.com)
(He’ll also be appearing at Ron’s new Des Plaines Theater
the night before)
I just finished his book.
(I’ve always been a fan and Marx tells SO many great stories in the book
… the shame is, the thing I ended up likely LEAST about it is Richard Marx
himself … and that’s a shame … because he is such an incredibly talented guy.)
Still, I have to recommend it as it does make for a great
read.
We saw Marx a few years back at The Genesee Theatre and it
was a great show … COMPLETELY solo yet he pulled it off perfectly. This new show just may be enough to get me to
leave the house next February!
(lol)
This weekend, Loverboy (10/15) and Tommy James and the
Shondells (10/17) are scheduled to appear at The Arcada.
(kk)
It’s official … William Shatner, Captain Kirk himself, is
now the oldest person to ever travel thru space.
The Shat described the experience as "unlike anything they described, unlike anything
I've ever seen."
Thanking Blue
Origin founder Jeff Bezos after returning to earth from his ten minute flight,
90 year old Shatner told Bezos, "What
you have given me is the most profound experience. I'm so filled with emotion about what just
happened. I just I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain
what I feel now — I don’t want to lose it. It’s so much larger than me and life
… It has to do with the enormity and the quickness and the suddenness
of life and death. Everybody in the
world needs to do this. It was so
moving." (kk)
Omnivore Recordings has announced a new 24-track collection
of Trini Lopez’s Rare A- and B-Sides Reprise Singles, 1962 – 1970, due out
December 3rd. (Unless you’re
a true diehard fan, you likely won’t recognize any of these titles … but
they’re exactly as advertised.
Only two of these ever charted (“Made In Paris,” #113 in
1968 and “Up To Now,” #123 in 1967) and, as you can see, they only managed to
“bubble under” at best. But you DO get
his track from the film “The Dirty Dozen,” in which Trini starred in 1967.
Still, during that same timeframe, Trini managed to score
five National Top 40 Hits: “If I Had A
Hammer” (#3, 1963), “Kansas City” (#23, 1963), “Michael” (#36, 1964), “Lemon
Tree” (#20, 1965) and “I’m Comin’ Home, Cindy” (#39, 1966).
The new CD Track List:
1. A-Mer-I-Ca
2. Let It Be Known
3. I’ve Lost My Love for You
4. Regresa a Mi (Return to Me)
5. Mi Felicidad (Little Miss Happiness)
6. Made in Paris
7. Pretty Little Girl
8. Up to Now
9. The Bramble Bush
10. The Ballad of the Dirty Dozen
11. Together
12. Master Jack
13. Malagueña Salerosa
14. Something Tells Me
15. El Niño Del Tambor (The Little Drummer Boy)
16. Noche De Paz (Silent Night) / Let There Be Peace
17. Love Story
18. Five O’Clock World
19. You Make My Day
20. Time to Get It Together
21. Mexican Medicine Man
22. Su-Kal-De-Don
23. There Was a Crooked Man
24. Let’s Think About Living
Trini died last August
(2020) of Covid complications. (kk)
