Hi Kent,
Nick and I would love to share with you and your loyal Forgotten Hits Readers two songs from The Buckinghams' latest CD, "Reaching Back." The cuts are "I'll Never Say Good Bye" and "Love Is You" and we'd love for you to feature these as part of your "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" website feature. “Reaching Back” is a gift back to the fans who’ve been loyal since the 60s. We began touring fulltime again back in 1982, and, at the suggestion of our road manager, Susan Rakis, we were the first classic rock artists to do “meet and greets” after concerts. Through the years, fans have asked, “can you record some new music but make it sound like the great songs you gave us in the 60s?”. With that as incentive, I wrote 8 new songs for “Reaching Back” and with Nick Fortuna on bass, Bob Abrams on lead guitar, Bruce Soboroff on keyboards, and Tom Scheckel on drums, “Reaching Back” takes you back to the sounds from the 60s. Life was easy, as every week America would tune in to Ed Sullivan’s “Really Big Show”, Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” and the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour to watch The Buckinghams.
We'll be performing some of our new songs from "Reaching Back" in and around Chicagoland next month. We're headlining The Chicago Hitmakers Show, which will consist of two concerts set for Friday, May 29th at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, and Saturday, May 30th at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. We'll be joined on stage by our friends The Ides of March, featuring the exceptional Jim Peterik, and the Rock & Roll Live Wikipedia, Ronnie Rice, formerly of The New Colony Six. We're also set to play for the Multiple Sclerosis Society benefit, the North Shore Wine Tasting Festival, to be held at the Cuneo Museum on Sunday, May 3rd. More info on all of our upcoming shows is available at www.thebuckinghams.com
I also wanted to take a moment to share what two of the former Buckinghams are doing in May. Dennis Tufano is appearing in Las Vegas, May 17th, at the South Point Casino for a great cause — it’s the Bobby Darin Lifetime Event, benefiting the Children’s Heart Foundation, plus it’s the 50th anniversary of Mack the Knife. Marty Grebb is set to perform a concert of the group Chicago’s hits, three evenings in the Philippines, joined by Chris Pinnick, Kenny Cetera, and Tim Scott, with special concert opener, Anna Grebb, Marty’s daughter.
On behalf of all of The Buckinghams, we just wanted to say thanks, Kent, for your support of all the great Chicago musicians, and for the great memories daily on Forgotten Hits.
Carl Giammarese
The Buckinghams
Thanks, Carl ... and thanks for sharing these two new tracks. The "Reaching Back" album, in addition to recreating the sound of The Buckinghams of the '60's on some brand new material ALSO features newly recorded remakes of the band's biggest hits ... you'll find brand new versions of Kind Of A Drag, Don't You Care, Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song, Susan and Mercy, Mercy, Mercy as "bonus tracks" on the new CD ... VERY faithful renditions of your favorite tunes, brought up to date in a contemporary way that still manages to pay homage to the sounds we all grew up loving back in the '60's.
(By the way, regarding those original recordings from the '60's ... rumor has it that the complete Buckinghams Columbia catalog is about to be released as Sony digital downloads in the not-too-distant future ... we'll keep you up to date on THESE developments, too!)
And, when you stop by The Buckinghams' website, be sure to check out Carl's new SOLO release, too.
Click here: The Buckinghams - Home Page
Very special thanks to Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams (as well as Dawn Lee Wakefield, their publicist) for their help in putting together today's special "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" feature.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
New Music From Henry Gross, Bob Lind, Al Martino and Alan O'Day
Here is a quick update from a couple of the other artists on our list:
Here's a ballad, "If You Were Mine", that Mason Ramsey has been getting strong response to. I'll be playing it myself tonight ... on the Joe Cocker show in Clearwater FL.
Henry Gross
Click here: The Official Henry Gross Website
Yep, we've been listening to this one, too. Can't wait to hear the new CD. (We've been proud to feature brand new music from Henry Gross' last three CDs ... and THIS track is coming to you before the latest album has even finished recording!!!) Thanks for sending, Henry! Hope you guys had a GREAT show!
kk
The NEW stuff that Henry Gross sent to us is absolutely ROCKING! I'm going to go see Henry when he performs in concert with Joe Cocker in Clearwater, Florida, in April. It's exciting to be one of the only radio stations out there playing brand new music by many of these artists like Henry Gross, Rick Derringer, Wayne Fontana, Barry Whitwam, Felix Cavaliere, Carl Giammarese and several others. The comments that we're receiving from our listeners are typically "This NEW STUFF sounds like the GREAT Stuff from the Old Days of Radio!!!" I can only imagine that this is how it felt to be breaking some of this music when it first came out in the 60s and 70s. It is something that you have, Kent, when it comes to this newsletter, that I have for Radio and Entertainment and that these guys have for their music and artistry ... a little thing called PASSION. I'm building ... and I very much appreciate the help in hauling a few of the blocks.
-- Mason Ramsey
Click here: RockandRollHeaven.net
We were especially pleased to hear from Bob Lind, who gave us permission to use ANY of the demos he recently posted to his website ... we picked THIS one ("Wrong Again") .. but you can check the rest out right here:
Click here: Bob Lind Playlists - Songs & Lyrics Page
Kent,
Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
How formal do the recordings need to be? Can you use some of my demos?
You'll find them on the web page ... use whatever you like!
Bob
Nice to hear some of this new stuff, Bob ... readers will find a dozen demos posted on Bob's website ... check it out ... and it looks like Bob is off to Jolly Ol' England later this year for some concert appearances, too! (kk)
And many of you will remember the brand new track sent into us by Al Martino a few weeks back ... it's got a nice "country feel" to it ... and we got quite a few compliments when we featured it last time. Here it is again ... "Trying To Find My Way" ... not a bad tune for this 82-year-old youngster!!! (lol) Al tells me he's still hoping to put together an album and has been working on new material. (kk)
Finally, one more goodie from Alan O'Day. We featured a couple tracks from his latest CD, "I Hear Voices" a few months back. There's a little bit of EVERYTHING on this LP ... as Alan himself describes it:
Kent,
The new album includes the "retro-rockers" "My Rock And Roll Shoes", co-written with Artie Wayne, and "The Thing About A Ring", which is a bit of an Elvis tribute in its style. "Sylvia Funky" and "Blow My Blues Away" are the main "blues harmonica" tunes. "Guide Me" & the title song are "faith based". And the surprises are "Please Don't Believe Me" (re: child abuse) and "Your Song Sucks" (a live novelty number).
Thanks so much, Kent!
Alan O'Day
There's truly something for EVERYBODY on this new CD ... and we've elected to go with "Your Song Sucks" this morning ... the one response NO artist on this list EVER wants to hear!!! Alan has some fun with this one ... and I think YOU'LL enjoy it, too! (He told me that he wrote the song as his tribute to all the songwriters out there who have experienced some form of this 'reality check' ... including himself!" lol) The new CD is available on iTunes, & CDbaby ( http://cdbaby.com/cd/alanoday2 ) ... and be sure to check out Alan's website, too! Click here: Alan O'Day, Songwriter
Check out some of the new music ... along with a few videos ... here:
Click here: Alan O'Day, Los Angeles, United States - myrecordlabel.com
Here's a ballad, "If You Were Mine", that Mason Ramsey has been getting strong response to. I'll be playing it myself tonight ... on the Joe Cocker show in Clearwater FL.
Henry Gross
Click here: The Official Henry Gross Website
Yep, we've been listening to this one, too. Can't wait to hear the new CD. (We've been proud to feature brand new music from Henry Gross' last three CDs ... and THIS track is coming to you before the latest album has even finished recording!!!) Thanks for sending, Henry! Hope you guys had a GREAT show!
kk
The NEW stuff that Henry Gross sent to us is absolutely ROCKING! I'm going to go see Henry when he performs in concert with Joe Cocker in Clearwater, Florida, in April. It's exciting to be one of the only radio stations out there playing brand new music by many of these artists like Henry Gross, Rick Derringer, Wayne Fontana, Barry Whitwam, Felix Cavaliere, Carl Giammarese and several others. The comments that we're receiving from our listeners are typically "This NEW STUFF sounds like the GREAT Stuff from the Old Days of Radio!!!" I can only imagine that this is how it felt to be breaking some of this music when it first came out in the 60s and 70s. It is something that you have, Kent, when it comes to this newsletter, that I have for Radio and Entertainment and that these guys have for their music and artistry ... a little thing called PASSION. I'm building ... and I very much appreciate the help in hauling a few of the blocks.
-- Mason Ramsey
Click here: RockandRollHeaven.net
We were especially pleased to hear from Bob Lind, who gave us permission to use ANY of the demos he recently posted to his website ... we picked THIS one ("Wrong Again") .. but you can check the rest out right here:
Click here: Bob Lind Playlists - Songs & Lyrics Page
Kent,
Thanks for keeping us in the loop.
How formal do the recordings need to be? Can you use some of my demos?
You'll find them on the web page ... use whatever you like!
Bob
Nice to hear some of this new stuff, Bob ... readers will find a dozen demos posted on Bob's website ... check it out ... and it looks like Bob is off to Jolly Ol' England later this year for some concert appearances, too! (kk)
And many of you will remember the brand new track sent into us by Al Martino a few weeks back ... it's got a nice "country feel" to it ... and we got quite a few compliments when we featured it last time. Here it is again ... "Trying To Find My Way" ... not a bad tune for this 82-year-old youngster!!! (lol) Al tells me he's still hoping to put together an album and has been working on new material. (kk)
Finally, one more goodie from Alan O'Day. We featured a couple tracks from his latest CD, "I Hear Voices" a few months back. There's a little bit of EVERYTHING on this LP ... as Alan himself describes it:
Kent,
The new album includes the "retro-rockers" "My Rock And Roll Shoes", co-written with Artie Wayne, and "The Thing About A Ring", which is a bit of an Elvis tribute in its style. "Sylvia Funky" and "Blow My Blues Away" are the main "blues harmonica" tunes. "Guide Me" & the title song are "faith based". And the surprises are "Please Don't Believe Me" (re: child abuse) and "Your Song Sucks" (a live novelty number).
Thanks so much, Kent!
Alan O'Day
There's truly something for EVERYBODY on this new CD ... and we've elected to go with "Your Song Sucks" this morning ... the one response NO artist on this list EVER wants to hear!!! Alan has some fun with this one ... and I think YOU'LL enjoy it, too! (He told me that he wrote the song as his tribute to all the songwriters out there who have experienced some form of this 'reality check' ... including himself!" lol) The new CD is available on iTunes, & CDbaby ( http://cdbaby.com/cd/alanoday2 ) ... and be sure to check out Alan's website, too! Click here: Alan O'Day, Songwriter
Check out some of the new music ... along with a few videos ... here:
Click here: Alan O'Day, Los Angeles, United States - myrecordlabel.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
We're Going "All Out" Today With A Brand New Rip Chords Track!!!
Staying in "Surf Mode" for one more day, we're happy to feature some brand new music by The Rip Chords!
These guys have certainly done THEIR part to help keep surf music alive in the new millennium ... this is their THIRD new release since 2004 and I can only tell you that the band sounds as good ... or better ... than ever.
In fact, we've been telling you about the brand new Rip Chords CD release, "Cobra Beach" for a couple of weeks now ... thanks to the guys, we'll be giving away a couple of copies as soon as the CD becomes available in June ... so, if you haven't already done so, be sure to register YOUR name in order to be eligible for this great give-away prize!
Meanwhile, Rip Chords Guitarist Mitch Schecter just sent us a track called "All Out" to "Sneak Peek" for you this week as part of our very special Forgotten Hits / "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" feature ... it's a rocker that they'll be adding to their live set list this summer.
Check it out here first ... before you can even buy it!!!
Hey Kent ...
Here's a Sneak Peek from our upcoming CD, "Cobra Beach" for you. The song is called "ALL OUT!" , and it's a 60's styled garage rocker ... which will be featured in our live show this year. You can use it in your "Sneak Peek" feature. Thanks!
The new CD will include 11 tracks ... including 8 new tracks ... 2 remakes ... and another "Lost Richie & Arnie Gem" from 1959!
"Cobra Beach" was an instrumental on our 2005 CD, "Shut 'Em Down Again", on Collectables Records ... and this time we have included a kickin' live version of it to close the new CD, followed by the rare Richie & Arnie track as a Bonus track.
The beautiful cover is being designed By David Beard of Endless Summer Quarterly ... I don't have the artwork for the CD jacket yet so, in the meantime, I've sent you a photo from Vegas that you can use. By the way, the new CD will be released on my label, Home Room Records, this time around. It will be available online and at our shows after June ... but, I'd like to give away 2 copies to 2 lucky "Forgotten Hits" members before you can even buy it ... so let's do a contest!
Thanks for all of your support!
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords
Like it??? Well, you can register to win a copy ... or go ahead and pre-order your very own "guaranteed" copy of the brand new Rip Chords CD by sending an email to: theripchordsband@yahoo.com ... Mitch promises to pass along the order info to anyone who sends them an email. Once the CD is officially released, it will be available on I-Tunes and CDBaby.com as well as directly from The Rip Chords via mail or at their live shows. (By the way, their previous two CDs, "Shut 'Em Down Again" and "The Rip Chords ... NOW!", can be ordered through Collectables Records at www.oldies.com)
These guys have certainly done THEIR part to help keep surf music alive in the new millennium ... this is their THIRD new release since 2004 and I can only tell you that the band sounds as good ... or better ... than ever.
In fact, we've been telling you about the brand new Rip Chords CD release, "Cobra Beach" for a couple of weeks now ... thanks to the guys, we'll be giving away a couple of copies as soon as the CD becomes available in June ... so, if you haven't already done so, be sure to register YOUR name in order to be eligible for this great give-away prize!
Meanwhile, Rip Chords Guitarist Mitch Schecter just sent us a track called "All Out" to "Sneak Peek" for you this week as part of our very special Forgotten Hits / "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" feature ... it's a rocker that they'll be adding to their live set list this summer.
Check it out here first ... before you can even buy it!!!
Hey Kent ...
Here's a Sneak Peek from our upcoming CD, "Cobra Beach" for you. The song is called "ALL OUT!" , and it's a 60's styled garage rocker ... which will be featured in our live show this year. You can use it in your "Sneak Peek" feature. Thanks!
The new CD will include 11 tracks ... including 8 new tracks ... 2 remakes ... and another "Lost Richie & Arnie Gem" from 1959!
"Cobra Beach" was an instrumental on our 2005 CD, "Shut 'Em Down Again", on Collectables Records ... and this time we have included a kickin' live version of it to close the new CD, followed by the rare Richie & Arnie track as a Bonus track.
The beautiful cover is being designed By David Beard of Endless Summer Quarterly ... I don't have the artwork for the CD jacket yet so, in the meantime, I've sent you a photo from Vegas that you can use. By the way, the new CD will be released on my label, Home Room Records, this time around. It will be available online and at our shows after June ... but, I'd like to give away 2 copies to 2 lucky "Forgotten Hits" members before you can even buy it ... so let's do a contest!
Thanks for all of your support!
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords
(click photo to enlarge)
Like it??? Well, you can register to win a copy ... or go ahead and pre-order your very own "guaranteed" copy of the brand new Rip Chords CD by sending an email to: theripchordsband@yahoo.com ... Mitch promises to pass along the order info to anyone who sends them an email. Once the CD is officially released, it will be available on I-Tunes and CDBaby.com as well as directly from The Rip Chords via mail or at their live shows. (By the way, their previous two CDs, "Shut 'Em Down Again" and "The Rip Chords ... NOW!", can be ordered through Collectables Records at www.oldies.com)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Surf City All Stars
The past couple of days we've featured "New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" that paid homage to The Beach Boys ... so we're ESPECIALLY thrilled this morning to bring you a track that actually features two of the former members of "America's Band", The Surf City Allstars!!!
In fact, today's track features Al Jardine on lead vocals performing a Beach Boys Classic. He and David Marks ... who rotated Beach Boys membership in the earliest days of the band ... along with Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean ... have been performing for years now as The Surf City Allstars and the Legends of Surf Music. They've also been recording some new material that we hope to be sharing with you shortly. Today's track comes from their recent "live" CD.
I can only tell you that we were VERY pleased to receive THIS email the other day from David Logeman:
Hi Kent -
David Logeman here with the Surf City Allstars and the Legends of Surf Music. Your "Forgotten Hits" site is very interesting. Maybe we can help each other. I used to drum for the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. Same goes for all the members of the Surf City Allstars. We still work with Beach Boy Al Jardine, Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, and Beach Boy David Marks. However, we are interested to promoting the Legends of Surf Music with the Allstars. If you can see a way to help promote us, I can get you tracks with these stars singing on them from our LIVE CD and some new recorded stuff. I can also set up interviews with Al, Dean, and David as long as it is promoting our show. Please go to our site and check us out. What do you think?
Attached is an old favorite with a new twist. It is "California Girls" from our LIVE CD with Beach Boy Al Jardine singing lead with the Surf City Allstars.
This CD can be purchased on our website: http://www.surfcityallstars.com
We are giving a FREE CONCERT at 5:00 PM on Saturday, May 9th, in North Myrtle Beach, SC at 2nd and Main St. We are inviting all the fans to come have a great time with the Surf City Allstars and the LEGENDS OF SURF MUSIC: Original Beach Boy Al Jardine, Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, and Original Beach Boy David Marks, performing all the Greatest Hits. Thank you so much for your help!
David Logeman
SURF CITY ALLSTARS LEGENDS OF SURF MUSIC
http://www.surfcityallstars.com
Not a bad version of "California Girls" at all!!! ... and, of course, we've talked about The Surf City Allstars before in Forgotten Hits ... as I recall, a couple of our readers were even wondering how to get themselves one of the REALLY cool Hawaiian shirts shown on the website! (And, quite honestly, I've liked everything I've heard Al Jardine do since leaving The Beach Boys ... his "Live In Las Vegas" CD recorded during The Beach Boys Family And Friends era is OUTSTANDING and features special guest appearances by Wendy and Carnie Wilson, Al's son Matt and others.) We're ALL about keeping the music alive here ... so thank you for your contribution. And believe me ... our readers would LOVE to read Forgotten Hits Interviews with Al Jardine, Dean Torrence and David Marks ... ALL of whom come up regularly in our pages. Thanks, David! (kk)
In fact, today's track features Al Jardine on lead vocals performing a Beach Boys Classic. He and David Marks ... who rotated Beach Boys membership in the earliest days of the band ... along with Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean ... have been performing for years now as The Surf City Allstars and the Legends of Surf Music. They've also been recording some new material that we hope to be sharing with you shortly. Today's track comes from their recent "live" CD.
I can only tell you that we were VERY pleased to receive THIS email the other day from David Logeman:
Hi Kent -
David Logeman here with the Surf City Allstars and the Legends of Surf Music. Your "Forgotten Hits" site is very interesting. Maybe we can help each other. I used to drum for the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. Same goes for all the members of the Surf City Allstars. We still work with Beach Boy Al Jardine, Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, and Beach Boy David Marks. However, we are interested to promoting the Legends of Surf Music with the Allstars. If you can see a way to help promote us, I can get you tracks with these stars singing on them from our LIVE CD and some new recorded stuff. I can also set up interviews with Al, Dean, and David as long as it is promoting our show. Please go to our site and check us out. What do you think?
Attached is an old favorite with a new twist. It is "California Girls" from our LIVE CD with Beach Boy Al Jardine singing lead with the Surf City Allstars.
This CD can be purchased on our website: http://www.surfcityallstars.com
We are giving a FREE CONCERT at 5:00 PM on Saturday, May 9th, in North Myrtle Beach, SC at 2nd and Main St. We are inviting all the fans to come have a great time with the Surf City Allstars and the LEGENDS OF SURF MUSIC: Original Beach Boy Al Jardine, Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean, and Original Beach Boy David Marks, performing all the Greatest Hits. Thank you so much for your help!
David Logeman
SURF CITY ALLSTARS LEGENDS OF SURF MUSIC
http://www.surfcityallstars.com
Not a bad version of "California Girls" at all!!! ... and, of course, we've talked about The Surf City Allstars before in Forgotten Hits ... as I recall, a couple of our readers were even wondering how to get themselves one of the REALLY cool Hawaiian shirts shown on the website! (And, quite honestly, I've liked everything I've heard Al Jardine do since leaving The Beach Boys ... his "Live In Las Vegas" CD recorded during The Beach Boys Family And Friends era is OUTSTANDING and features special guest appearances by Wendy and Carnie Wilson, Al's son Matt and others.) We're ALL about keeping the music alive here ... so thank you for your contribution. And believe me ... our readers would LOVE to read Forgotten Hits Interviews with Al Jardine, Dean Torrence and David Marks ... ALL of whom come up regularly in our pages. Thanks, David! (kk)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
And, Speaking Of New Releases ...
Yesterday we featured a couple of tracks from the brand new Denny Flannigan CD "Don't Need No Reason To Party". Flannigan, as many of you know, was a former member of The Moonrakers, probably Denver, Colorado's most famous (and best-loved) local band of the '60's.
We also featured a track by co-Moonraker Veeder Van Dorn a while back, who recently recorded his Beach Boys Tribute song "Three Brothers, A Garden And Love." Well, there's NO question how influential The Beach Boys were to The Moonrakers ... yesterday, we featured The Moonraker's version of "Be My Baby", featuring Carl Wilson on guitar and co-produced by Brian Wilson ... and now we just received a nice note from Van Dorn along with a track he's been playing around with ... what he calls "The Moonrakers Edge Remix" of The Beach Boys' tune "Getcha Back". (This is one of MY favorites, too, Van Dorn! Believe it or not, it actually came out in 1985, not 1972, when The Boys Of Summer took this up to #25 on the Cash Box Chart!!!) We've got BOTH of these tracks for you today in Forgotten Hits ... proving again that MANY of these artists we grew up loving are STILL making GREAT music today!
As you know I have a Beach Boy Tribute song out now called "Three Brothers, A Garden, and Love" ... and it's selling pretty well on eBay with a lot of interest coming from Japan. I thought you might like to hear the attached "remix" or what they call a "treatment" that I produced ... (not for sale ... just 'for fun') ... it's one of my all time Beach Boys favorite songs called "Getcha' Back". The song only went to number 34 or so back when it was released, and then just disappeared, and when I heard it again recently on a compilation CD after all those years, I got excited about it all over again. I'll bet you remember always turning the radio WAY up when it came on back then. I don't remember the exact year but I think it was around 1972. I sang along with it and added some extra vocal and drum tracks and adjusted it a little ... if you play the 'original' and then play my 'remix' you'll notice some differences. If they put it out now, with my new 'Moonraker Edge' on it, I think it could be a BIG hit for them now, like it SHOULD have been back then. What do YOU think?
Veeder Van Dorn
The Original Moonrakers
Formerly managed by Roger Christian
The Moonrakers were all the rage in Denver back in the '60's ... although they never officially had a national hit, their records always found their way to the top of the KIMN Charts ... and they seemed to be the opening act for virtually EVERY big name that passed through town. (Yesterday we featured a vintage newspaper clip from the time they opened the show for The Dave Clark Five!)
Watch for more Moonrakers tracks next time we do our Local Hits / Show Me Your Hits Series ... and don't forget to send us YOUR nominations for some of the biggest regional hits that the rest of the country missed out on! Meanwhile, it's great to hear that both Denny Flannigan and Veeder Van Dorn are still out there making GREAT music after all these years!
REMINDER: We just received an "official" confirmation from Mr. C. that they ARE going to replay the episode of The Flip Side Show on which we appeared last December. If you're able to check it out, please do so ... here's a Listen Live Link: Click here: The Flip Side Radio Show - Home
It airs this evening from 7-8 PM Central Time.
We also featured a track by co-Moonraker Veeder Van Dorn a while back, who recently recorded his Beach Boys Tribute song "Three Brothers, A Garden And Love." Well, there's NO question how influential The Beach Boys were to The Moonrakers ... yesterday, we featured The Moonraker's version of "Be My Baby", featuring Carl Wilson on guitar and co-produced by Brian Wilson ... and now we just received a nice note from Van Dorn along with a track he's been playing around with ... what he calls "The Moonrakers Edge Remix" of The Beach Boys' tune "Getcha Back". (This is one of MY favorites, too, Van Dorn! Believe it or not, it actually came out in 1985, not 1972, when The Boys Of Summer took this up to #25 on the Cash Box Chart!!!) We've got BOTH of these tracks for you today in Forgotten Hits ... proving again that MANY of these artists we grew up loving are STILL making GREAT music today!
As you know I have a Beach Boy Tribute song out now called "Three Brothers, A Garden, and Love" ... and it's selling pretty well on eBay with a lot of interest coming from Japan. I thought you might like to hear the attached "remix" or what they call a "treatment" that I produced ... (not for sale ... just 'for fun') ... it's one of my all time Beach Boys favorite songs called "Getcha' Back". The song only went to number 34 or so back when it was released, and then just disappeared, and when I heard it again recently on a compilation CD after all those years, I got excited about it all over again. I'll bet you remember always turning the radio WAY up when it came on back then. I don't remember the exact year but I think it was around 1972. I sang along with it and added some extra vocal and drum tracks and adjusted it a little ... if you play the 'original' and then play my 'remix' you'll notice some differences. If they put it out now, with my new 'Moonraker Edge' on it, I think it could be a BIG hit for them now, like it SHOULD have been back then. What do YOU think?
Veeder Van Dorn
The Original Moonrakers
Formerly managed by Roger Christian
The Moonrakers were all the rage in Denver back in the '60's ... although they never officially had a national hit, their records always found their way to the top of the KIMN Charts ... and they seemed to be the opening act for virtually EVERY big name that passed through town. (Yesterday we featured a vintage newspaper clip from the time they opened the show for The Dave Clark Five!)
Watch for more Moonrakers tracks next time we do our Local Hits / Show Me Your Hits Series ... and don't forget to send us YOUR nominations for some of the biggest regional hits that the rest of the country missed out on! Meanwhile, it's great to hear that both Denny Flannigan and Veeder Van Dorn are still out there making GREAT music after all these years!
REMINDER: We just received an "official" confirmation from Mr. C. that they ARE going to replay the episode of The Flip Side Show on which we appeared last December. If you're able to check it out, please do so ... here's a Listen Live Link: Click here: The Flip Side Radio Show - Home
It airs this evening from 7-8 PM Central Time.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites
It's funny how things work out sometimes... I have been holding this piece for a couple of weeks now, originally intending to include it in the next "Leftovers" Page ... which will be coming to Forgotten Hits Subscribers later this week by email, by the way. But circumstances changed ... things got delayed (as we went through a stretch where email became more troublesome!) ... so I decided to hold off just a LITTLE bit longer and give it the spotlight treatment it deserves here on The Forgotten Hits Web Page instead. And, as things ultimately worked out, (which they so rarely do!!!), it turns out that the timing couldn't be better. Inspired by these new tracks submitted to me by Denny Flannigan and Wild Bill Cody, we've talked with a number of the artists on our list and they've agreed to share some of their new music with our readers ... in many cases, before you can even buy it!!! Truly "Sneak Peeks"!!! We're calling it "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" ... and today we kick things off with some of great, new music by an old local Denver favorite! Enjoy!!! (kk)
YES!
It finally happened, after years and years of begging and pleading to PLEASE record this tune, my all time music idol growing up (Denny Flannigan of the Moonrakers), has recorded AND released Bumble Boogie! It was originally done in 1961 by B. Bumble & The Stingers. To my knowledge, the only rock and roll group besides them that even could touch the song was the Moonrakers, and it was the song they opened and closed their shows with!
Denny's just released CD btw is called "DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY" by Denny Flannigan & The Suns of the Beaches, recorded down south where Denny calls home, San Felipe, Baja Mexico. The entire CD is incredible ... you need to order a copy today and enjoy it for years to come!!!
In fact, here's one last tune from Denny Flannigan's new CD "DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY" by Denny Flannigan & The Suns of the Beaches.
This particular song is the last song on the CD, and to my knowledge was recorded in the late 60's in Hollywood, California. Here was yet another tune made famous by the Moonrakers in Denver, Back in the day, Denny sang the lead to this song and would have women swooning and nearly fainting like other major teenage idols of the time. If you grew up in Denver, you'd probably have to agree he was without a doubt Denver's only home grown rock 'n roll chick magnet. Guys like me in other garage bands wished we WERE Denny Flannigan!
Well, catch your breath and let me give you the line-up on this song originally written by Phil Spector. (BTW, when you listen to it, the Moonrakers created their own "wall-of-sound"). The line-up included the ENTIRE original Moonrakers group with Denny on piano and singing the lead, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys was playing the Rickenbacker 12 string and also added to the vocals, Bob Webber played lead guitar / vocals, Van Dorn played rhythm guitar / vocals, Joel Brandes played bass, and Bob MacVittie played drums. Oh and one sidenote, the song was produced by Roger Christian, Brian Wilson and Richard Russell. It does have a Beach Boy feel to it doesn't it?
As the story goes, the recording had been all but lost, until last year when a copy of it mysteriously showed up on ebay! Denny spent a small fortune, grabbed it, cleaned it up, and the rest is history.
Again, enjoy ... and if you get a chance, please pick up the entire CD, it is great with some live cuts and incredible tracks, it's a party waiting to happen for your ears!!!
"Wild" Bill Cody
Honestly, I think it's got more of a Byrds-feel to it than a Beach Boys sound ... but this is Brian Wilson's ALL-TIME favorite song ... so it is VERY cool that they were able to salvage this one and finally get it out for the public to hear!!! Thanks for sharing ... hopefully, this will whet the appetites of some of our readers who'll want to grab a copy for themselves ... and this is where you can do that!!! Click here: Denny's new CD-DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY
Once you read the "stories behind the songs", you're gonna wanna pick up your OWN copy of this hot new CD right away!!! Special thanks to Denny Flannigan to allow us to share these "Sneak Peeks" with our Forgotten Hits Readers!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I enjoy your column and love keeping ’up to date’. Kudos to you for keeping our memories alive of all this great music from 'back in the day ...' You've done a great job! You do such a good job with your presentation and I would be complimented to have you feature two of my songs and any other information you think appropriate. We've had lots of publicity and airplay surrounding the new CD ... and, as always ... ya never know!
Best Regards,
Denny Flannigan
http://www.DennyFlannigan.com
http://www.NameThatTuneBaja.com
Wild Bill is a great promoter and has always been one of my best fans. His enthusiasm jumps off the page. He is a one of a kind very special person. How lucky for a guy like me to have him for a fan. It’s very humbling when you are such a big part of people lives that you’ve touched and a gift that I have never taken lightly. The stories behind many of these songs are really interesting. Be My Baby, for instance, was lost for over 40 years and one acetate surfaced at a flea market and then made it’s way to ebay. There are some fascinating stories behind some of these songs and if you skim the following link it would be quicker than my retelling them here. . .
http://namethattunebaja.com/details_denny.lasso?-token.page=dnnrtp
We’re getting great reviews so far with very a unique and environmentally safe packaging that seems to be the first of it’s kind. While we haven’t even had a release party, the art on the cover and backside are so beautifully portrayed and representative of where we live that it is selling basically on looks and to people who know me. So the whole package is what we are actually presenting.
The Arches, built by the four states in Baja, are considered the gateway to the Sea of Cortez and the promise to promote tourism. At any rate, most people see it and buy several copies to send to friends and family. The packaging is unusual and I haven’t seen anyone else use it. It is totally “Green” ... recycled, recyclable cardboard, no plastic trays. There is a lot of local history not only from Colorado but from our travels that have led us to San Felipe.
I also never intended airplay but rather wanted to make a San Felipe ‘Memento’ CD. We are, however, getting played on two stations and have a great review coming out in 4 weeks in Mexico Living Magazine which I will also forward to you. At this age, you just don’t try to go for the gold any more but like Chuck Berry says, ‘You Never Can Tell.‘
Again, I enjoy keeping up with your music, info and items that I would never have heard about had it not been for you and Forgotten Hits. By the way, I know HOW MUCH WORK YOU DO! Thanks from all of us out here! And thank you again for your interest in my new project ... I would be flattered to have you handle this as you see fit and share some tracks with your knowledgeable, music-loving readers. This should be interesting and great fun! We are on CD Baby, iTunes (in the very near future) and this can only help us. Thank you again for your help and experience creating such a great site and for the interest in my new CD! Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
Denny
YES!
It finally happened, after years and years of begging and pleading to PLEASE record this tune, my all time music idol growing up (Denny Flannigan of the Moonrakers), has recorded AND released Bumble Boogie! It was originally done in 1961 by B. Bumble & The Stingers. To my knowledge, the only rock and roll group besides them that even could touch the song was the Moonrakers, and it was the song they opened and closed their shows with!
Denny's just released CD btw is called "DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY" by Denny Flannigan & The Suns of the Beaches, recorded down south where Denny calls home, San Felipe, Baja Mexico. The entire CD is incredible ... you need to order a copy today and enjoy it for years to come!!!
In fact, here's one last tune from Denny Flannigan's new CD "DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY" by Denny Flannigan & The Suns of the Beaches.
This particular song is the last song on the CD, and to my knowledge was recorded in the late 60's in Hollywood, California. Here was yet another tune made famous by the Moonrakers in Denver, Back in the day, Denny sang the lead to this song and would have women swooning and nearly fainting like other major teenage idols of the time. If you grew up in Denver, you'd probably have to agree he was without a doubt Denver's only home grown rock 'n roll chick magnet. Guys like me in other garage bands wished we WERE Denny Flannigan!
Well, catch your breath and let me give you the line-up on this song originally written by Phil Spector. (BTW, when you listen to it, the Moonrakers created their own "wall-of-sound"). The line-up included the ENTIRE original Moonrakers group with Denny on piano and singing the lead, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys was playing the Rickenbacker 12 string and also added to the vocals, Bob Webber played lead guitar / vocals, Van Dorn played rhythm guitar / vocals, Joel Brandes played bass, and Bob MacVittie played drums. Oh and one sidenote, the song was produced by Roger Christian, Brian Wilson and Richard Russell. It does have a Beach Boy feel to it doesn't it?
As the story goes, the recording had been all but lost, until last year when a copy of it mysteriously showed up on ebay! Denny spent a small fortune, grabbed it, cleaned it up, and the rest is history.
Again, enjoy ... and if you get a chance, please pick up the entire CD, it is great with some live cuts and incredible tracks, it's a party waiting to happen for your ears!!!
"Wild" Bill Cody
Honestly, I think it's got more of a Byrds-feel to it than a Beach Boys sound ... but this is Brian Wilson's ALL-TIME favorite song ... so it is VERY cool that they were able to salvage this one and finally get it out for the public to hear!!! Thanks for sharing ... hopefully, this will whet the appetites of some of our readers who'll want to grab a copy for themselves ... and this is where you can do that!!! Click here: Denny's new CD-DON'T NEED NO REASON TO PARTY
Once you read the "stories behind the songs", you're gonna wanna pick up your OWN copy of this hot new CD right away!!! Special thanks to Denny Flannigan to allow us to share these "Sneak Peeks" with our Forgotten Hits Readers!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I enjoy your column and love keeping ’up to date’. Kudos to you for keeping our memories alive of all this great music from 'back in the day ...' You've done a great job! You do such a good job with your presentation and I would be complimented to have you feature two of my songs and any other information you think appropriate. We've had lots of publicity and airplay surrounding the new CD ... and, as always ... ya never know!
Best Regards,
Denny Flannigan
http://www.DennyFlannigan.com
http://www.NameThatTuneBaja.com
Wild Bill is a great promoter and has always been one of my best fans. His enthusiasm jumps off the page. He is a one of a kind very special person. How lucky for a guy like me to have him for a fan. It’s very humbling when you are such a big part of people lives that you’ve touched and a gift that I have never taken lightly. The stories behind many of these songs are really interesting. Be My Baby, for instance, was lost for over 40 years and one acetate surfaced at a flea market and then made it’s way to ebay. There are some fascinating stories behind some of these songs and if you skim the following link it would be quicker than my retelling them here. . .
http://namethattunebaja.com/details_denny.lasso?-token.page=dnnrtp
We’re getting great reviews so far with very a unique and environmentally safe packaging that seems to be the first of it’s kind. While we haven’t even had a release party, the art on the cover and backside are so beautifully portrayed and representative of where we live that it is selling basically on looks and to people who know me. So the whole package is what we are actually presenting.
The Arches, built by the four states in Baja, are considered the gateway to the Sea of Cortez and the promise to promote tourism. At any rate, most people see it and buy several copies to send to friends and family. The packaging is unusual and I haven’t seen anyone else use it. It is totally “Green” ... recycled, recyclable cardboard, no plastic trays. There is a lot of local history not only from Colorado but from our travels that have led us to San Felipe.
I also never intended airplay but rather wanted to make a San Felipe ‘Memento’ CD. We are, however, getting played on two stations and have a great review coming out in 4 weeks in Mexico Living Magazine which I will also forward to you. At this age, you just don’t try to go for the gold any more but like Chuck Berry says, ‘You Never Can Tell.‘
Again, I enjoy keeping up with your music, info and items that I would never have heard about had it not been for you and Forgotten Hits. By the way, I know HOW MUCH WORK YOU DO! Thanks from all of us out here! And thank you again for your interest in my new project ... I would be flattered to have you handle this as you see fit and share some tracks with your knowledgeable, music-loving readers. This should be interesting and great fun! We are on CD Baby, iTunes (in the very near future) and this can only help us. Thank you again for your help and experience creating such a great site and for the interest in my new CD! Please let me know if I can help you in any way.
Denny
Bumble Boogie by Denny Flannigan and The Sons Of The Beaches
Be My Baby by The Moonrakers ... featuring Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys ... and produced by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian
'60's FLASHBACK: We've talked about The Moonrakers quite a few times in the past here in Forgotten Hits, thanks in large part to their #1 Fan, Wild Bill Cody. In fact, way back when, we even covered the time the band opened for The Dave Clark Five ... but Denny just sent us a vintage newspaper clipping from that era that he recently received from a fan ... and passed it on to us to share. Check this out!!!
Hi Kent,
A fan just sent me this clipping from the Rocky Mountain News when the Moonrakers opened for the Dave Clark 5 in Denver in the mid 60‘s. Things have changed a bit since then.:-) It really makes you realize that you are lucky to still be alive and making music.
Thought you’d get a kick out of it..
Regards,
Denny Flannigan
(click photo to enlarge)
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