Do You Think Paul Has Been Singing
"When I'm 84" this week?
Many of you have seen the cool
PBS documentary on John Lennon's record collection called "John Lennon's
Jukebox." This video can be seen below but skip to 14+ minutes in,
because for some reason there are 14 minutes of ads at the start.
You may have seen this a long,
long ago (1990s?) … I know I had it on Beta or VHS somewhere.
WELL, last night a similar
production was heard on a good friend's radio show, Gayle Miller's "Combos
Akimbo" show, broadcast every Saturday night at 8 PM Central time on
WFMU.
This was a 1982 broadcast
featuring Paul McCartney's eight songs if placed on a deserted island that he
would want with him. It was "the thing" to ask in 1982.
Even I got asked and the results were put in the Lincoln paper here as a radio
DJ.
Anyway, Paul's eight songs
include a song his FATHER wrote and it's cool to hear the history of HIS songs
he picked in his memory. Recorded for BBC Radio 4 in January, 1982, it
was only broadcast in the US the Week of April 25, 1982. The show was on
record and this starts at the point below in last night's radio show (32
minutes into the two hour show celebrating Paul's 84th birthday this
week).
If you click below URL, it will
take you right to the 1982 record of the original program as broadcast that
week. It's great fun to hear, as is the whole show. Gayle does a
great show weekly.
I can't believe that it's already been twenty years since Paul McCartney turned 64. Remembering all the hub-bub about him hitting that milestone at the time, I swear it only feels like three or four years ago. Time certainly does seem to be moving faster these days.
When The Beatles first hit America in 1964, Paul was only 22 years old. I was 11 at the time, making him TWICE as old as me.
Yet somehow over the years, I've caught up to him ... as he turns 84 today, I'll turn 73 in a couple of months ... now we're just eleven years apart! (Somehow, it just doesn't seem fair!!!)
He wrote his first song at the age of 14 ... so that means he's been honing that craft for 70 YEARS now!!! And the INCREDIBLE catalog of music he has provided us over the past 64 years ... The Beatles and beyond ... is second to none. (His most recent album, "The Boys Of Dungeon Lane," debuted in The Top Five on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart.) No other artist has so consistently been able to come up with music that in some way continues to affect the majority of us. He truly is one of a kind.
Along with Paul Haney and Matt Phillips, I, too, grew up in
the Twin Cities (South Saint Paul). Paul nailed all the local record stores
from back in the day. I frequented many of the same ones. My favorite was The
"Wax Museum" on University Ave. in St. Paul.
My one lasting memory will always be in 1984, Springsteen's
"Born in the USA" album came out in June. For some reason there was a
delay getting out the album. So, many fans would constantly stop at the
"Wax' just to check to see if the album was in (including me.)The guys behind the counter told me the phone
would ring off the hook asking the same question. Finally, when the album
showed up the "Wax" put a giant sign in the front window. One word
only, "YES" ................ Everyone knew what the sign was
referencing.
Springsteen's tour started in St. Paul, (three shows. June
29, July 1, and July 2.) My buddy and I went to all three shows and I swear
each night the concert was better than the night before. (If that's possible!)
"Thanks" for your time and space.
Gary
I would do the same thing … see all three shows of a hot act
back in the day (McCartney and Wings’ first US tour being a prime example.)I bought tickets to multiple shows for all
the hot artists on my “favorites” list, including McCartney (several time),
George Harrison, Eric Clapton and even Elvis!!!
I remember the days of waiting outside in line no matter
what the weather for the store to start selling the new release right at
midnight … can’t tell you how many times I did that!!! (lol)
Kids today have absolutely NO concept of what it was like to
truly LOVE our music back in the day!(kk)
From Tom Cuddy …
Chicago X Turns 50: The Album
That Changed Chicago's Trajectory
Last week we told you about a new biography coming out in October, written by Alice Cooper. Now comes word that Rhino is releasing a 5-disc set spotlighting the first four Alice Cooper studio albums: "Welcome to My Nightmare" (1975), "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell" (1976), "Lace and Whiskey" (1977) and "From the Inside" (1978). (The 5th CD includes seven bonus tracks recorded during this same period.)
I'm not quite sure I get this ... prior to this, Cooper charted with SEVEN other albums: "Pretties For You" (1969), released on the Straight label, "Love It To Death" (1971 - his first Warner Brothers LP), "Killer" (1972), "School's Out" (a biggie in 1972 that went all the way to #2 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart), "Billion Dollar Babies" (1973 - even bigger, TOPPING that same album chart), "Muscle Of Love" (1974) and "Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits" (1974). Why are they referring to this new box-set release as his "first four studio albums?!?!? (kk)
Kent,
Through the years, off and on, a
few personalities in the sporting world makes a record or two. Probably the
majority of them are forgettable.
One may or may not remember that
former Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw made a record back in 1976
on Mercury Records with a song called TAKE THESE CHAINS FROM MY HEART, recorded
earlier by Ray Charles in 1963.
In today's obituary column of
our paper was the notice that Lance Rentzel had passed away at the age of 83 in
Alexandria, VA.
For those who don't know or
remember, Lance Rentzel was a high school athlete here in OKC at Casady School,
who went on to play at the University of Oklahoma and later played in pros with
teams such as Minnesota, Dallas, and the Rams.
I don't really know how it came
about, but in 1968 Rentzel recorded a song called LOOKIN' LIKE SOMETHIN' THAT
AIN'T with a flip side called BEYOND LOVE on Columbia Records. It got somewhat
a lot of air play on our local Top 40 radio station, probably because he was a
local guy who was trying to get into the recording business I guess.
In his fairly lengthy obit
today, it told of his accomplishments in his life. One thing missing, however,
was the making of that record.
I am probably the only one that
knew it wasn't mentioned since I am into this music. But the making of that
record in 1968 would have to be maybe one of the least remarkable details of
his life.
One other thing …
At one time, Rentzel was married
to actress Joey Heatherton who in 1973 recorded GONE on MGM, the old Ferlin
Husky tune.
Larry Neal
Rentzel’s record never made any of the national charts.It was likely a local hit due to his ties to
the community there.(By the same token,
the only record to chart nationally for Terry Bradshaw was his cover of the
Hank Williams tune, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” which peaked at #91.His version of “Take These Chains From My
Heart” didn’t chart nationally at all.)
Doing a little more digging (because Joey Heatherton was one
of my MAJOR TV crushes in the ‘70’s!), I see that she and Lance Rentzel were
married for three years (from 1969 thru 1972.)Rentzel was with The Dallas Cowboys at the time.(It was her only marriage.)
Truth be told, this wasn’t a particularly good time for
Rentzel … in November of 1970, he was arrested for exposing himself to a 10-year-old
girl.He pled guilty and promised to
undergo psychiatric treatment and was given a suspended sentence. (I'm curious as to how in-depth his obituary went in this regard.) Heatherton filed for divorce in September,
1971.Some say she never fully recovered
from the psychological shock of Rentzel’s offense.Their divorce became final in 1972.
Heatherton’s career can best be described as somewhat
scandalous from this point forward.In 1985
she was arrested and charged with interfering with a government agent's duties
and disturbing the peace after she allegedly slapped and pulled the hair of a
clerk at Manhattan's U.S. Passport Agency office.(She was later acquitted of both of these charges
in September, 1986.)
In July, 1986, Joey was arrested and charged with theft of
services for refusing to pay a $4,906 bill from a hotel and spa in Long Island
where she stayed in 1984. She pled not guilty.
And on August 30, 1986, Heatherton was arrested for assault
in Hillcrest, Rockland County, New York, after she stabbed her former boyfriend
and ex-manager Jerry Fischer in the hand with a steak knife during an argument.
(Fischer was later treated at a local hospital and released.)Adding insult to injury, when Heatherton told
police who she was after her arrest and they didn’t believe her, she handed one
of the officers her purse to verify her identity. While looking through it, the
officer found a foil packet with less than a gram of cocaine.Heatherton was then charged with assault as
well as a misdemeanor drug possession. In October, 1987, a court ruled that the
search was unconstitutional as Heatherton was not advised that she could refuse
a purse search. As a result, the misdemeanor drug possession was dropped.Fischer later dropped the charge of assault
against Heatherton.
In the early ‘60’s, Joey dated our FH Buddy John Madara (for
which I will be eternally jealous.) kk
Please find the enclosed obit. Nothing that you mentioned would ever be in such an obit, I presume!
Larry
No, I suppose not (although they DO allude to him receiving intense Internet publicity, both positive and "certainly negative" ... so maybe that's their way of covering it. Interesting, too, that they referenced his "celebrity wedding" without mentioning the name of his first wife ... but did detail the participants in his second marriage.
Not for me to judge ... I had absolutely NO idea about the "rest of the story" (as Paul Harvey might say) ... which includes "certainly negative" information about both Lance AND Joey. (kk)
You can catch Mick Jagger talking about the new Rolling Stones album on NBC's "Sunday Today" ...
On June 15th, Bonnie Tyler’s family FINALLY
posted a health pdate regarding her condition after being placed in a
medically-induced coma and having intestinal and then heart surgery in Portugal:
Bonnie is no longer in a coma, but
remains very unwell and in intensive care.Although her condition is improving, it is a slow process. Her doctors
remain confident that she will make a good recovery but it is going to take
time.We would like to thank everyone
for the huge outpouring of love and support from all over the world that we
have received for Bonnie and want to tell you that she is aware of, and very
grateful for, your good wishes.
The remainder of her 2026 tour has been cancelled, but doctors and her family remain optimistic that she will recover and perhaps even go on to perform again someday. (kk)
kk ...
July 26, 1987 = Wild Wayne Interviews Hank Ballard.
Hank Was One Of The Early Pioneers Of R&B + ROCK & ROLL
He Had 22 Charted R&B Hits + A Series Of "ANNIE SONGS."
Of Course He Wrote & First Recorded "THE TWIST" -- Before Chubby Checker.
Once Again The Record Company Gets It Wrong ...
They Released The A-SIDE As "TEARDROPS ON YOUR LETTER" With "THE TWIST" On The B-Side.
Hank Was The First To Have Three Songs On Charts At The Same Time: "THE TWIST" + "FINGER POPIN' TIME" + "LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GO" -- Before The Beatles.
In 1990, Hank Was Inducted Into The "ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME."
In 1992 He Received The "R&B PIONEER AWARD."
Hank Ballard Died March 2, 2003.
FB
First of all, let's set the record straight ...
Hank Ballard was NOT the first artist to have three records on the chart at the same time.
Prior to The Beatles placing FOURTEEN records on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart, Elvis Presley achieved a total of TEN Top 100 Hits back in 1956: For the chart dated Week Ending December 19th, you could find Elvis hits at #2 ("Love Me Tender"), #7 ("Love Me"), #26 ("Don't Be Cruel"), #38 ("When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"), #47 ("Old Shep"), #54 ("Hound Dog"), #55 ("Poor Boy"), #70 ("Any Way You Want Me"), #78 ("Paralyzed") and #93 ("Blue Moon").
And, for whatever it's worth, Pat Boone also had three chart hits that week, preceding Hank Ballard's achievement ... so a little bit of embellishing was definitely done here. (In fact, I'd be willing to be that if you checked back BEFORE The Rock Era, you'd be likely to find numerous cases of the same artist being represented on the same chart multiple times.)
As for Ballard's "series of 'Annie' hit records," I count three: "Work With Me Annie" (#1 R&B, 1954), "Annie Had A Baby" (#1 R&B, 1954) and "Annie's Aunt Frannie" (#10 R&B, 1955). NONE of these records crossed over to the pop charts at the time. (kk)
As spotted in Forgotten Hits by
Chuck Buell ...
>>>After contributing to Forgotten Hits for over
twenty five years, Clark Besch and I finally got the chance to meet
face-to-face! (kk)
(L-R: Kent / Clark … I know, it just doesn’t have
the same ring to it, does it???) kk
Well,
Ding-a-Ling-Ling! It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Ring!
All you would have had to do was
switch places!!
Like so!
And NOW the Streets of
Chicago are Safe with Clark / Kent on the scene!
(That’s Super, Man!!!)
CB (which stands for "Chicago Boy!")
Chuck also reminds us that 32 YEARS AGO TODAY many of us were glued to our tv sets watching one of the slowest chases in police history ...
Today, June 17, 1994, was a Big Day for Televised Sport Choices.
There was the NBA Finals, the Opening Match of the 1994 Soccer World Cup and a San Francisco - Chicago Cubs Giants Baseball Game.
But what would have otherwise been a fun day in sports soon became totally overshadowed by another athlete's off-field drama.
And because that was broadcast on ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, the New York Times reported that 95 million people, or 67% of all US households saw that in full or via split screen coverage instead.
Five days earlier, O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman had been found murdered, and O.J. Simpson had become a prime suspect. He
was expected to turn himself in to police on this day in 1994. But he
didn't show and for several hours he remained missing and was declared a
fugitive.
Then,
later on this day for about two hours, he led police on a low-speed
chase around Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al
Cowlings. For much of the chase, Simpson held a gun to his head
threatening suicide and creating a high degree of tension and uncertainty and creating an escalating fear that it might end in even more tragedy.
Eventually, tho, he did return home and surrendered.
Do you remember watching that play out that day?
==========
Orenthal James Simpson - July 9, 1947 – April 10, 2024
CB
On perhaps a HAPPIER note, 60 YEARS AGO TODAY The Beatles were hard at work on their new album "Revolver," considered by many fans in hindsight to be their TRUE masterpiece.
Our FH Buddy Timmy found THIS "masterpiece" to share with the group. (In fact, he seems pretty confident that you'll all enjoy it as well!)
I hereby christen this the first official "Timmy's Pick Must
View Of The Day".
(There could be a steady flow of these, if approved by management.)
I don’t know about DAILY … but this certainly could become a new,
recurring feature in Forgotten Hits … especially if you keep coming up with
clips as crazy as this one!!!(kk)
6/16/66 – The Beatles make their last appearance on the
British TV Show “Top Of The Pops,” performing their latest single, “Paperback
Writer” and “Rain” live on the programme. (The quality's not the greatest ... but this is some pretty rare footage)
Also on 6/16 - Rowan and Martin begin hosting a new comedy/variety show that airs as a summer series replacement for The Dean Martin Show. While this series wasn't regarded as any particular notable success at the time, it will ultimately earn the boys their own television series down the road. (Ironically, it was a brand new, one-off television special that aired on September 9th, 1967, that launched the hit variety series, "Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In.")
Was it a big hit? You bet your sweet bippy!!! "Laugh-In" is still considered to be a revolutionary, landmark series ... and was definitely a cult favorite (and ratings topper) for NBC at the time, kicking off in 1968 and running for five years. (How big was it??? They even got President Richard Nixon to make an appearance and ask, "Sock It To Me???") I'm telling you, EVERYBODY watched and loved this show! It became the #1 show on television.
