Friday, September 11, 2009

The Weekend Comments

A few more random thoughts and observations ...

re: THEY'RE ALREADY LINING THEM UP FOR THE BIG SHOW AT THE SURF BALLROOM!!!:
THIS JUST IN! The Dean of Philly Rockers, CHARLIE GRACIE, returns to the SURF BALLROOM in CLEARLAKE, IOWA to co-star with THE ORIGINAL CRICKETS, FREDDY CANNON and more: THE ANNUAL WINTER DANCE PARTY -- site of the last concert given by BUDDY HOLLY, RITCHIE VALENCE and the BIG BOPPER -- the night before that infamous plane crash in 1959!
FEBRUARY 4TH -- 7TH, 2010
(SEE POSTER BELOW)
CHARLIE TRAVELS TO ENGLAND and IRELAND IN LATE SEPT. FOR CONCERTS
over there -- see the website for details on these and other shows -- near and far!
WWW.CHARLIEGRACIE.COM



BE AT THE SURF BALLROON IN CLEAR LAKE, IOWA, ON FEBRUARY 4TH.
I WLL BE THERE, ROCKIN OUT!!!
PLEASE EVERYONE KNOW ... THIS IS THE BUDDY HOLLY EVENT
FREDDY "BOOM BOOM" CANNON
Happy to help spread the word, guys ... hope you have a killer show! (kk)

re: THE BEE GEES:
Big story going around this week is that Barry and Robin Gibb are going to reunite to perform a series of live shows in select cities. Although they swore they'd never perform again as The Bee Gees after the passing of their brother Maurice, Robin (his twin brother) confirmed last week that he and Barry have already started rehearsals. No word yet as to how extensive such a tour would be ... but we're certainly ready to buy OUR tickets here in Chicago!!! (kk)

re: JOE KLEIN:
>>>Another one of my old, old friends (going all the way back to high school) named Ken Levine (who deejayed for a while and then went on to become a very successful writer and executive producer for television) ... Joe Klein

Ken is still on the air daily and is also a heavy blogger. http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/

Joe - you've got to get a reel to reel machine and digitize all your old Drake stuff. There are hundreds of us out here who'd love to get our hands on that. Long live KYNO / Fresno!
David Lewis
I told Joe while he was here that I have an old TEAC Reel-To-Reel packed away in the garage ... problem is, it needs some work ... kinda does this real slow start-up and then rewinds so fast it snaps the tape!!! Probably not the IDEAL place to do the editing!!! (lol) But I'm hoping that he WILL get these transferred to CD, if only for his own enjoyment. Personally, I want to hear the "parody" commercials ... those sound like a lot of fun. The Grass Roots clip you sent me is my favorite ... and Joe kept talking about a "Brown Sugar" intro, too. Would like to hear that one! (kk)

re: WAYNE COCHRAN:
Hi Kent --
I only saw Wayne Cochran once in Buffalo, NY. I had a group called the Rustix that used to play Buffalo occasionally (Town Casino) and Wayne was appearing there the next night so I stayed over as I had some of his music but had heard about his live shows from many people. I was not disappointed as he had a great band with horns -- much like a James Brown Show but more driving like rock and roll -- even wilder if possible than a James Brown show and he was constantly in a frantic mode. His hair looked like it was glued to his head, and was twice as high as James or even Little Richard wore theirs -- and it didn't start to fall apart until late in his show, and then very little. It almost looked fake as it was so high and big.
Although Wayne was great, the thing that impressed me the most about his show were the horns. This was early 1967 and I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of "Goin' Back To Miami", which I still love today.
Danny Guilfoyle

re: THE TOP 50 SONGS OF SUMMER, 1969:
Kent,
Last evening after going thru the list of top 50 Summer Hits of 1969, I compiled a list of the B sides of the Chicago land group, The list and the actual B side songs are at my web site, "Sixtiesoldiesguys Songs".
http://sixtiesoldiesguy.yolasite.com/
Here are the B sides that are there.
1. Little Kids - Zager & Evans
2. You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones
3. I'm Alive - Tommy James & Shondells
4. Windmills Of Your Mind - Henry Mancini
5. Chest Fever - Three Dog Night
6. Can't You See - Oliver
7. Gee Girl - Andy Kim
8. Catch The Wind - Lettermen
9. Always Together - Jackie DeShannon
10. Brainwasher - Jr. Walker & All Stars
11. All I Want Is You - Underground Sunshine
12. Lodi - Creedence Clearwater Revival
13. Dig In - Neil Diamond
14. My Precious World - Desmond Dekker & Aces
15. Happy Song - Box Tops
16. Wherever I Lay My Hat - Marvin Gaye
17. Aspen Colorado - Tony Joe White
18. Number One At the Blue Whale - Charles Randolph Grean Sounds
19. More & More - Blood Sweat & Tears
20. I Don't Know - Paul Revere & Raiders
21. Girl, Get Ahold Of Yourself - Kenny Rogers & First Edition
22. San Quentin - Johnny Cash
23. Medicine Man, Part 2 - Buchanan Brothers
24. Amen Brothers - Winstons
25. Don't Let Me Down - Beatles
26. I Don't Know Why - Stevie Wonder
27. Peggy Day - Bob Dylan
28. Undun - Guess Who
29. Commotion - Creedence Clearwater Revival
30. Any Day Now - Elvis Presley
31. Once Upon A Time - Tom Jones
32. Margie - Joe Jeffrey Group
33. I Really Hope You Do - Friends Of Distinction
34. No Good Annie - 1910 Fruitgum Company
35. Lazy Susan - Sonny Charles & Checkmates
36. Broken Wing Bird - Fifth Demension
37. Mother Popcorn Part 2 - James Brown
38. Brilliant Colors - Neon Philharmonic
39. Dreaming Isn't Good For You - Three Dog Night
40. Melody Hill - Archies
41. Beautiful - Youngbloods
42. Old Brown Shoe - Beatles
43. Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills & Nash
44. Away, Away - Rascals
45. Remember Love - Plastic Ono Band
46. Falling In Love - Illusion
47. Sentimental Lady - Classics IV
48. Just Feel Worse - New Colony Six
49. Bad News - Cat Mother & All Night Newboys
50. Make-Believe Town - Peter, Paul & Mary
The B sides from the "Summer of 1967" are still there at my site yet.
Sixtiesoldiesguy
Rich
Cool, Rich ... I'm sure a few of the B-Sides Fanatics on our list will be over there shortly to give a listen to some of these lost gems. (A few of these made our Top 200 Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides List, too!) kk
I am a B side nut. I post B sides of top 10 hits for the current week for a this week in a rotating week from 1960 thru 1969 charts from various radio stations across the USA and then start over again. I do this at Bside45 : The B side.
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bside45/
This week I happen to feature the following week's WLS chart that you posted. The B sides of these A side hits from the chart dated September 10th, 1965 will be posted this Wednesday at that web site.

Here are the A sides that hit the top 10 on that chart.
WLS - RADIO 890THE BRIGHT SOUND OF CHICAGO RADIO

SILVER DOLLAR SURVEY

CHICAGO'S OFFICIAL RADIO RECORD SURVEY

SEPTEMBER 10, 1965

1. Help - The Beatles

2. I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher

3. The In Crowd - Ramsey Lewis

4. Hang On Sloopy - McCoys

5. You Were On My Mind - We Five

6. It Ain't Me Babe - Turtles

7. Catch Us If You Can - Dave Clark Five

8. Heart Full Of Soul - Yardbirds

9. Action - Freddie Cannon

10. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me - Mel Carter
sixtiesoldiesguy
Rich

... and, speaking of 1969, we're STILL getting mail on our month-long revue!

re: 1969:
Hi Kent,
I've enjoyed your look back at 1969. It's a year that will always be special to me as I landed my first radio gig that year. It's scary to think I'll be celebrating my 40th year in broadcasting this October. But the reason I'm writing is to tell you how much of a kick I got out of your memories of 1969 TV. (Channel surfing without a remote, what a hoot!). As I looked through your day-by-day listings, I didn't see any mention of one of my favorite shows: It Takes A Thief, starring Robert Wagner. I believe it was on Tuesday nights during the 1968-1969 season and moved to Thursdays starting with the Fall 1969 schedule. The other thing that jumped out at me was the 7 pm start of Prime Time. Ah, those were the days. Keep up the good work.
Dave O'Gara
http://www.oldies989.com/
We included "It Takes A Thief" in the Thursday Night line-up. It was one of my Dad's favorite shows so I ended up watching it once in a while. Always liked Robert Wagner. Glad you enjoyed our look back at '69 ... I had a lot of fun reminiscing! (kk)

... and, speaking of "channel surfing, circa 1969", I thought this piece rang true:

If you are 35 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were.

When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning ...

uphill ...

barefoot ...

BOTH ways

Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was NO way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty-five, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy!

I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it, but you kids today don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet.

If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!!!

We had to actually write somebody a letter ... with a pen!

Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us.

As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters!

You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and screw it all up!

There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car.

We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone ... 'cause that's how we rolled, dog!

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting!

If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal ... and that was it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either!

When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was!

It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!!

You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics!

We had the Atari 2600!

With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'.

Your guy was a little square!

You actually had to use your imagination!!!

And there were no multiple levels or screens ... it was just one screen forever!

And you could never win.

The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!

Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!

You were screwed when it came to channel surfing!

You had to get up off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!

There was no Cartoon Network either!

You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.

Do you hear what I'm saying!?!

We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves ...

If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove ... Imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about!

You kids today have got it too easy.

You're spoiled.

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,

The Over 30 Crowd

-- submitted by Dennis Figg

Hi Kent,

Really enjoyed the Summer of 1969 music series. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much,
Dawn Lee Wakefield


you said that you were done with this subject ... but just to let you know i agree with your assessment ...after ted's swim ... they say he slept ... and called the authorities AFTER his lawyer ... 10 hours later ... (what would happen to YOU in the same situation? A pass?)could it have been time to clean up and get sober?sure i agree that usually after someone's dies ... you don't speak badly of the dead and move on ... but i think people need to remember some things ... before the statues are cast and ted's put in for sainthood ...ted kennedy ... i remember him to be an alcoholic party boy ... well-known to everyone and reported as such in the press ... i remember him as a character witness for his nephew accused of rape ... and him being embarrassed that the public found ted's character laugh-able and he felt embarrassment (finally) at how he was seen ... it might have helped to straighten him out in later life ... i don't remember him being supportive of the alcoholic wife he divorced ... although what do i know? ... I DO remember the young women he dated .... (ie ... susie 'chapstick') ... and it seemed to me that the media was trying (unsuccessfully) to make ted's funeral more of an affair of state (more presidential) ... outside of new england, i don't think he was that well thought of ... Ted rode the coat-tails of 'camelot' and family money ... adequate, i suppose, but not exceptional ....
renfield

Last week on Clark Besch's list of the best obscure 45s of 1969, I noticed "Baby You Come Rollin Cross My Mind" by John Beland. Chicago native John Beland has played with a huge number of our favorite artists, but I had no idea he'd ever released a 45. I met John one night a few years ago when he was playing mandolin with a local band at a little restaurant in Sebastopol, California. We had a nice chat after their second set and discovered he had lived pretty close to me for 17 years here in Nashville. John's Bio page is pretty interesting.
http://www.johnbeland.com/bio.htm
David Lewis
I wasn't familiar with this song OR John's work ... but Clark sent us a copy to share with the list. Enjoy! (kk)
Kent,
This is the LONG version of John Beland's classic rendition of "Baby You Come Rollin" from 1969. It was a hit in Wichita on a station I grew up with, KLEO (#25 in scanned survey). I really THINK it made #1 on KLEO, but could not find such a chart. The 45 on Ranwood came with the orchestra beginning short version and the long version with spoken intro on the other side of promo copies. This is much like Lobo's "Me & You & a Dog" from two years later which had a spoken intro on the LP version. John Beland originally hailed from Chicago and in 1968 had an acetate only recording of his song "Wake Up Sweet Mary" featured on Bandstand's "Rate-a-Record"! It was his first recording and I searched forever for this 45 ever since I recorded it off Dick Clark's show in early '68. A few years ago, I emailed John about the song and he said it was NEVER released and a terrible recording. I told him I thought it was great, even if a 1968 attempt at Bob Dylan 65 sounds and lyrics. John is still active and was a leader of the Flying Burrito Brothers.

WLSClark



Wow, check out some of the titles on THIS chart!!! Talk about your regional hits!!! In at #1 was our buddies, The 1910 Fruitgum Company with "The Train", a song that was ALSO a big Top Ten Hit here in Chicago ... but only reached #52 on The National Chart. Forgotten Hits List Member Ron Dante was on the chart ... TWICE!!! "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies was the #6 song this week and "Tracy", released as The Cuff Links, was holding down the #13 spot. Bill Hinsche (along with his buddies Dino and Desi) had the #9 song with "Hawley", a song that didn't make The National Chart at all!!! Evie Sands had the #12 Hit with "Any Way That You Want Me", Ray Stevens was in at #16 with "Minority", another non-charting national tune, "Love And Let Love" by The Hardy Boys was the #20 song, and little known gems like "Some Of Shelly's Blues" by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, "Mind, Body And Soul" by The Flaming Ember, "Baby, You Come Rollin' 'Cross My Mind" by John Beland, "Curly" by Jimmy Clanton and "Jennifer Tompkins" by The Street People rounded out The Top 30. A VERY unique chart indeed! (By the way, we'll be saluting a similar 1969 Chart next Friday in one of our WLS Flashbacks, scheduled for September 18th!) Thanks, Clark ... I always love looking at some of these obscure charts from around the country to see what "local flavor" was doing well where. (kk)

... and, speaking of the charts, here's more on the ULTIMATE Chart Book on the planet ... newly updated, too!!!


re: TOP POP SINGLES:
Hey Kent,
Just got my copy of the new Whitburn Top Pop Singles book; I love this book, and needed a new one because my 1996 edition was falling apart.
Several Chicago artists dropped out of the Top 500 Artists of All Time list: Tyrone Davis, Chaka Khan, Frankie Laine and Ramsey Lewis. The top-rated Chicago artist of all time is ... Chicago, at number 20. They're one of six artists in the Top 20 who are not in the Rock Hall of Fame, along with Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson (7), Pat Boone and Whitney Houston. Michael (8) and Janet Jackson hail from Gary, Indiana, so you could argue their Chicago credit.
Other Windy City groups, duos and singles in the Top 500 Artists of All Time are: R. Kelly (31), Nat "King" Cole (38), the Everly Brothers (42), Sam Cooke (53), the Jackson 5 (59), Earth, Wind & Fire (88), the Impressions (111), Jerry Butler (114), Richard Marx (130), Styx (138), Kanye West (141), REO Speedwagon (210), Survivor (260), Gene Chandler (301), the Dells (332), Cheap Trick (341), Dan Fogelberg (356), Jody Watley (364), the Chi-Lites (388), Peter Cetera (401), Lou Rawls (412), Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (414), Dinah Washington (426), the Staple Singers (429), the Smashing Pumpkins (454), and Joni James (495).
These artists were either born, raised, or based in and around Chicago. Not included are groups from around the country that include Chicagoans as members, like Pearl Jam (Eddie Vedder) and Hootie and the Blowfish (drummer Jim Sonefeld), but I did include the Everlys, as Phil was born in Chi-Town.
I'm thinking that, with everybody's help, we can come up with a list of the top music cities in America. The Society of American Travel Writers recently came up with this list, which I assume means these cities have the best live music scenes: New Orleans, New York, Austin, TX, Nashville, Chicago, Memphis, Montreal, Las Vegas, Branson, MO, and Denver. Is this a workable project? What should the rules be? Just sitting here thinking ...
Guy Arnston in Algonquin

The new book is amazing ... WELL worth the investment. And Chicago artists like our local heroes now have more entries than ever listed, thanks to Joel incorporating the "Bubbling Under" Charts into this newly expanded volume. As such, you'll now find 15 entries for The New Colony Six, thanks to the addition of I Lie Awake (#111), You're Gonna Be Mine (#108), I'm Just Waitin', Anticipatin' For Her To Show Up (#128), People And Me (#116) and Someone, Sometime (#109); seven entries for The Cryan' Shames, due to the addition of Mr. Unreliable (#127) and Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith And Jones (#115); ten for The Buckinghams, thanks to I'll Go Crazy (#112), Where Did You Come From (#117) and It's A Beautiful Day (#126); and seven for The American Breed, now including Don't Forget About Me (#107 and Hunky Funky (#107); seven for The Ides Of March, including Melody (#122) and Tie-Dye Princess (#113). The Mauds have DOUBLED their listings now that Hold On (#114) has been added. Only The Shadows Of Knight and Spanky And Our Gang failed to benefit by these reworked listings.
I think you've got a bit of a stretch going on with some of your Chicago-related list ... Madonna?!?!? She's from Michigan, dude! (And, by the way, she IS in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, too ... Justin Timberlake inducted her in 2008 in a very long-winded, overdrawn ceremony that spent as much time giggling as it did saying anything meaningful or coherent.) But you're right ... a VERY impressive list! (Some of the names on The Top 500 Artists List will have you scratching your head. Janet Jackson places ahead of brother Michael??? How is this possible??? And both Madonna and Mariah Carey should easily pass The Beatles by the book's next edition. R. Kelly, #31?!?!? How does he make the list at all?!?!? Part of the problem is that songs since 1995 tend to stay on the chart for a YEAR!!! At that rate, virtually ALL of the artists we grew up with will be eclipsed over time ... we were raised in an era when artists put out three or four new singles in a year, most of which enjoyed a seven or eight week chart life. Now, due to accumulated points, we've got Whitney Houston bigger than The Bee Gees, Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys and Chicago ... Jay-Z bigger than Cher, The Jackson Five, Jefferson Airplane, Barry Manilow and Roy Orbison and Beyonce bigger than Aerosmith, The Fifth Dimension, Santana, Tommy James and the Shondells, The Eagles and Three Dog Night? And that's just in The Top 100!) kk

Haven't picked up your copy yet? Then head on over to The Record Research Website and order it today!!!
Click here: Joel Whitburn's Record Research Music & Billboard Charts Data

re: GIVING WHOLE NEW MEANING TO "SWITCHED" ON BACH:
"Switched On Bach" by Walter Carlos ... fyi: Carlos underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1972 but was billed as 'Walter' on the album By Request (1975). The first release credited to her as 'Wendy' was Switched-On Brandenburgs (1979). So it was Walter until he got 'snipped' ...
(gary) RENFIELD


re: THE BEATLES:
Watch for SERIOUS Beatlemania to spread across the country again ... the newly remastered box sets sold out EVERYWHERE and are already on back-order. Best Buy had The Beatles / Rock Band stacked to the ceilings!!! (And was offering "bundle packages" that included the Paul McCartney / Hofner Bass Guitar along with Ringo's drum kit with the Beatles logo on the drum skin ... George's and John's guitars could also be purchased separately!) And we hear an "official" iTunes announcement is right around the corner, too. (For REAL this time!!!) Now if they'd ONLY release the "Let It Be" DVD!!! All of the newly remastered CDs are available individually, too, and most stores I visited seemed to have an ample stock of these. (Remember, the first 10,000 have bonus Quick Time videos, watchable on your computer!) I fully expect non-stop Beatles music on the radio, too, once these reissues begin to catch on. (Maybe The Beatles will finally knock Michael Jackson out of The Top Ten on the "classics" chart ... as late as a week ago, Jacko still occupied NINE out of the Top Ten positions on the chart!!!) kk

UPDATE-1: 24 hours later and nearly EVERY individual CD has been sold out ... full, standing floor displays were dismantled at two of the Best Buys and three of the Targets that I visited on Thursday ... and, in fact, one of the Targets had exactly ONE single copy of "Revolver" CD left in inventory ... and that was IT!!! EVERYTHING else had been sold! Estimated projections for the first week of sales (between single CDs, box sets and Rock Band games) put the number at just over $1.6 BILLION!!! (Not a bad week's pay for a band whose catalog is now 40-45 years old!!!) Proof again at just how powerful this music really is. This has GOT to be the single biggest pay day in the group's history!!! (kk)

UPDATE-2: And then, out of the blue, I found both the Stereo Box Set AND the Mono Box Set and was able to purchase extra copies of each ... and the eBay bids for these are really not that out of line ... they seem to be going for pretty much list price (and some even include free shipping.) Anybody looking for a Mono Box and not patient enough to wait for the next batch to arrive mid-October??? Lemme know!!! (kk)

UPDATE-3: So let me get this straight ... they spent over four years working on remastering the entire Beatles catalog ... enhancing EVERY studio-intended sound and eliminating every glitch and hiccup ... beefing up the overall performance to give us the HIGHEST quality sound possible and updating all of this material to the absolute LATEST high-end technology ... only to then release these tracks in MONO?!?!? A technology that hasn't been used in nearly 50 years?!?!? Actually, as "opposite extremes" as that may sound, it is, in fact, the way George Martin and The Beatles always intended their stuff to sound. (And they're not the only ones ... Brian Wilson and Phil Spector and many others have been promoting the excellent sound of mono their whole careers!!!) I mean,
Mono was IT back in the '60's ... which they painstakingly worked on these tracks in the studio then and now to get the mono mixes right, it wasn't at all uncommon for The Beatles not to even attend the stereo mixing sessions and, as such, some drastically different mixes exist on some of their material. It's GREAT to finally have the COMPLETE collection in BOTH intended mixes. (Does this mean the Capitol Records Series is over with?!?!? I was REALLY looking forward to completing that collection ... Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, Yellow Submarine and Let It Be are "still to come" ... hopefully ... somewhere down the line!) kk

N.E. Philly Alert: Join Sam Lit, Bandstand Bonnie & HyLitRadio in N.E. Philly Thursday night 7 pm, at The Whiskey Tango Tavern, 14000 Bustleton Av. (corner of Philmont & Bustleton Av.). Make it a date and don't be late. Come hungry! Brick Oven Pizza. A lot of fun! Rock & Roll. No Cover. Hear it Live on HyLitRadio.com
... Hy took to the stage to introduce the Beatles. The crowd went into a frenzy. It was difficult to hear the Beatles sing. All the hotels were being staked out by frantic girls. The Beatles were whisked to Hy's house, where they would spend the night and get some r&r. Hy would give away the sheets they slept on in a WIBG contest sending Philly into a frenzy again. It was September 1964. For Pictures
and The Beatles Philadelphia Story, click here or click the Beatles newsletter link on the HyLitRadio home page.
Sam Lit
President / CEO
Hy Lit Radio Technologies, Inc.
www.HyLitRadio.com


Kent ...
On 9/9/09, WCBS-FM in New York - counted down the top 101 Beatles Hits.
Frank B.
CBS-FM - New York's Greatest Hits - The Top 101 Beatles Songs
A drastically different list appeared in this week's edition of "Entertainment Weekly" where they named the 50 best and the 5 worst ... incredibly "All You Need Is Love" came in at #50 on the best list AND #1 on the WORST list!!! (lol) Go figure! (kk)

IT'S THE ALL NEW BEATLES ... A MUST SEE!
(AND THE ED SULLIVAN COULD BE A LITTLE BETTER!!!)
Much love,
Wild Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjuTJB2MiIc
Actually, I thought the whole thing was pretty awful!!! (lol) A clever concept, maybe ... but not a great execution. (Pun intended!) kk

Beatles Fest West 2009 Weekend to Kick-off on Lennon’s Birthday: Oct 9th
Beatles fans and collectors won't want to miss the 1st Annual Beatles Fest West, Friday, October 9th through Sunday, October 11th, at San Francisco's Scottish Rite Center.
The BeaFore from Germany will be performing at Beatles Fest West
September 11, 2009 - Beatles Fest West, opening October 9th, will celebrate the music and legacy of the Beatles with live concerts and special guests throughout the weekend by internationally acclaimed Beatles tribute bands. In the line-up for the weekend are: The Fab Four (California), The Sun Kings (California); The BeaTrips (Japan); All You Need is Love (Canada); and The BeaFore (Germany). There will also be solo performances by Drew Harrison and singer Christina Trillo.
The first of three theatre shows starts Friday at 7pm with a very special birthday tribute to John Lennon. On Saturday, the activities and performances will run from noon until midnight. Sunday is set aside as Beatles AkustiK Sunday with various performances throughout the day.
The special guests for the weekend include Bruce Spizer – author and creator of The Beatles Trivial Pursuit; Jude Southerland Kessler – author of ‘Shoulda Been There’, the first researched historical novel on the life of John Lennon; and Shannon – The World’s Greatest Beatles Artist, whose paintings decorate the Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool.
There will also be marketplace at Beatles Fest West that will offer a wide selection of memorabilia old and new, plus signings by our guests.
The entire staff from Beatles Radio will be onsite for Beatles Fest West. Beatles Radio is a 24/7 Internet Radio station that plays the Beatles, solos, covers, tributes along with Beatles news and trivia. The on-air personalities call themselves: Doctor Robert, Polythene Pam, Mr. Kite and Lovely Rita.
Sharing the sponsorship of Beatles Fest West 2009 is The Beatles: Rock Band™. Employees will be at the festival to demonstrate the game and provide attendees with tips. Beatles Fest West 2009 will also feature the very first Beatles Rock Band Game Challenge. Other sponsors include: BeatlesRadio.com and the Hard Days Night Hotel.
For more information, tickets, schedules and updates about Beatles Fest West, go to:
http://www.BeatlesFestWest.com

-- submitted by Jennifer Vanderslice

And I'm guessing that a splendid time is guaranteed for all! (kk)

re: THE BEACH BOYS:
I got thrown out of Capitol Records in February, 2009, only two months before a guy had the right idea to get recognition when he entered: Bring master tapes along from San Luis Obisbo!! Here's a REEL (REAL) California Saga of one man who has a story that we all hope would happen today--Guess what? It DID happen in today's world! A truly amazing story:
http://www.newtimesslo.com/cover/3164/the-reel-deal/
Clark Besch
You used to be able to go into The Capitol Tower for a tour of their facilities in the old days ... but after 9/11 they stopped that. (Too bad ... would have made for a VERY interesting afternoon!) Amazing the stuff that is STILL turning up all these years later! (kk)

re: THE MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME:
Nashville, TN - Three-time Grammy award winning guitarist and Grand Ole Opry member, Steve Wariner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member and 2009 Songwriting Hall of Fame Inductee, Felix Cavaliere, announced the names of those musicians who will be honored at the 2009 Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum Awards Show on October 12, 2009 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. The inductees include some of the most influential and highly regarded musicians, producers and arrangers in music, of the last half century:
CHET ATKINS (MUSICIAN) As a guitarist, musician, producer, record label executive, and mentor, Chet Atkins, was one of the most influential musical pioneers of the last half century. His contributions were pivotal in helping young musicians everywhere. Atkins' picking style elevated him in the minds of others and brought him admirers both within and outside of the country music scene, both nationally and internationally. Over the course of his career, he produced records for a variety of artists including Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Connie Smith, Waylon Jennings, and others. He is well known as the co-creator, along with Owen Bradley, of the "Nashville Sound," that expanded the appeal of Country music to adult pop audiences.
BILLY COX (MUSICIAN) West Virginia born bass guitarist and local Nashville musician, Billy Cox, is best known for his longtime musical relationship with Jimi Hendrix. Meeting in the early 1960's, while both were in the army at Ft. Campbell, KY, they formed a relationship that would last until Hendrix's passing. They would form The King Kasuals in Nashville, TN, and, when invited to go with Jimi to England to start what would become the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cox had to decline because, as he put it, "I only had three strings on my bass and not enough money to purchase a bus ticket to New York." Cox would again reunite with his former bandmate in 1969, to play bass in the experimental psychedelic / rock band, Band of Gypsys, as well as taking the stage with Hendrix in 1969 at the legendary Woodstock Festival, forty years ago this past August.
DICK DALE (MUSICIAN) Guitar innovator and stylist
Dick Dale was one of the most influential musicians in the creation of the California surf sounds of the 1960's. From his stage work to his appearance in the beach movies of the early 60's with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, Dale made his mark on the guitar. His work with Leo Fender changed the way guitar amplifiers and speakers were not only used, but also the way they were built. Fender recreated the guitar amplifier in order to meet the demands and power of his playing. His stage presence influenced the name of such amplifiers as "The Fender Showman," appropriately named after Leo Fender witnessed Dale jumping from the amplifier to the floor and sliding on his knees on stage.
CHARLIE DANIELS (MUSICIAN) Grammy Award winning, Grand Ole Opry member, singer, fiddler, guitarist, songwriter, and country musician, Charlie Daniels, has been performing the music he loves since the 1950's. From his early days as a Nashville studio musician that included playing on Bob Dylan albums, and recordings from Leonard Cohen, Al Kooper, Marty Robbins, to becoming a number one hit songwriter with his platinum selling "Devil Went Down To Georgia," to gaining status as one of the most beloved figures in country music, Daniels continues touring and packing houses, as well as giving of his time, energy, and talents performing tirelessly for men and women in uniform, all over the world, who love his honest mixture of country and southern rock influences, along with originality, that has lasted for over five decades.
VICTOR FELDMAN (MUSICIAN) Known as a "musician's musician," Victor Feldman saw his early years as a child prodigy and master of such instruments as piano, percussion, organ, tympani, synthesizer, vibes and marimba, turned professional when he sat in at the age of 10 with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band. His flexibility throughout his career as a musician, composer and singer, brought him opportunities to play and perform with everyone from Miles Davis to Steely Dan. He recorded on many occasions with fellow Musicians Hall of Fame inductees, The Wrecking Crew, and sadly passed away in 1987 at the age of 53.
FRED FOSTER (PRODUCER HONOR) American songwriter, record producer, and founder of Monument Records, Fred Foster, is credited with single handedly starting the Monument Record Company and with the development of Rock and Roll legend Roy Orbison's major hits, including "Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely," "Crying," "Blue Bayou," and many more. Foster played a significant role in Dolly Parton's early career, as well as being instrumental in the signing of a young Kris Kristofferson, with whom he co-wrote "Me and Bobby McGee." Foster remains active as a producer, most recently producing Willie Nelson's 2006 Grammy nominated "You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker," and Nelson's collaboration with Merle Haggard and Ray Price, "Last of the Breed," in 2007.
PAUL RISER (ARRANGER AWARD) Grammy award winning arranger Paul Riser is known as the most prolific arranger from Motown's golden years. Riser progressed through his career from early musician to the arranger for Motown's legendary Grammy winning studio musicians, The Funk Brothers. With hit after hit, decade after decade, Riser was instrumental in putting Motown at the top of the musical sound of the 60's and 70's. Among Riser's biggest hits as an arranger are, "My Girl" and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" (Temptations), Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "My Cherie Amour," (Stevie Wonder), "Tears of a Clown," (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) and many more, as well as arranging and co-writing "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," by Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin.
TOTO (MUSICIANS) American rock band, TOTO, founded in 1977 by some of the most popular and experienced session players of the era, became a rock phenomenon with great commercial success in the late 70's / early 80's. Original musicians Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro, David Hungate, David Paich, Steve Lukather and Mike Porcaro, were known for their technical skill in the studio, as well as a musical style that combined elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard rock, R&B, and jazz. Their broad array of styles appealed to a variety of listeners. The band released 17 albums and has sold over 30 million records to date. Although drummer Jeff Porcaro passed away in 1992, the remaining members have continued performing their hits as well as progressing their individual careers as studio musicians.
For more information:
http://www.musicianshalloffame.com/
For tickets: http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/main.taf?p=1,1,3,3,3&PerfNo=2157

re: MADE ME LAUGH:

Saw this in the latest edition of the R.I.P. Renfield Newsletter ... describes me to a "T" when it comes to my handy-man duties! (lol)

You only need two tools in life ---

WD-40 and duct tape.

If it doesn't move and it should, use the WD-40.

If it shouldn't move and it does, use the duct tape.

And, if you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

-Renfield

You can get R.I.P.ped every week, too, if you sign up for Gary's newsletter ... visit RIPRenfield.com for all the details. (And, every Friday, he'll R.I.P you a NEW one!!! lol)

re: LAST CHANCE TO SAY A FEW WORDS:

It sounds like Artie Wayne is ready to send off his accolades to the families of Ellie Greenwich and Larry Knetchel ... if you haven't left a comment you, you may want to hop on over to his web page and do it now! These were both OUTSTANDING talents that too often performed their musical magic behind the scenes. We will miss you both. (kk)

Kent ...

I'm sending over 120 comments to the families of Ellie Greenwich and Larry Knechtel in the morning from a who's who of the music business. I hope you have a few words you might want to add. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/ellie-greenwich-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/
Then I hope you’ll take a look at my article Larry Knechtel R.I.P and leave a comment or two. It’s growing into quite a tribute.
http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/larry-knechtel-r-i-p-rock-in-perpetuity/
Thanks and regards,

Artie

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/thank-you-for-one-million-hits/

re: TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:

PLEASE take just a few minutes out of your day tomorrow and join us for my tribute to my brother Mark ... exclusively on BOTH Forgotten Hits Web Pages:
Click here: Forgotten Hits
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Home