LOTS more votes are coming in now ... in fact, as this goes out this morning, we just passed the 5200 mark!!! Thanks to everybody for their support ... I love it!!!Please keep your votes coming in. Meanwhile, here are a few more of your recent comments and suggestions ...
I would like to add a few of my personal favorites to these. Summer of 42 - Henry Mancini Theme from a Summer Place - Percy faith Last Date - Floyd Kramer Moon River - Henry Mancini Canadian Sunset - Floyd Kramer Moonglow and Theme From Picnic - Morris Stoloff (This one is a little hard to find but a good one.) Music To Watch Girls By - Bob Crew Generation Telstar - The Tornados Carrie Some good choices ... but a few corrections are in order, too. "Theme from 'The Summer of '42'" was a hit for Peter Nero ... it actually has eight votes as of this morning ... and the HIT version of "Canadian Sunset" was done by Hugo Winterhalter and Eddie Heywood (believe it or not, that one's already earned 41 votes!) In a double Henry Mancini elimination whammy, we also had to disqualify his beautiful version of "Moon River" because Joel Whitburn's book does NOT consider it to be an instrumental. (Virtually half the song is sung with actual song lyrics!) Doing well for Mancini right now are "The Pink Panther Theme" (23 votes) and "Love Theme from 'Romeo And Juliet'" (39 votes). We'll start running samples of some of your "less obvious" top choices over Halloween Weekend ... meanwhile, keep those votes comin' in, folks!!! (kk)
>>>and even your above-mentioned Deodato took a crack at this tune (Peter Gunn) back in 1976, peaking at #84 with their version. (kk) FYI, Deodato was the name of a person (Eumir Deodato), not a group. -– Randy Price Whoa! How did I not know this?!?!? Thanks, Randy! (All this time I just figured it was the name of some avant-garde, artsy-fartsy jazz ensemble!!!) kk Maybe it doesn't qualify for the instrumentals list, but I'm surprised as heck that it has never been mentioned on anyone's list. "Quiet Village" by Martin Denny. I recall hearing it on the radio too much during the 50's Alex Valdez Yes, it qualifies ... and, in fact, has already earned ten votes as one of your favorites! (kk)
Hi Kent: If you're still taking nominations for 10 best instrumentals, here are mine (in no particular order) --- Ame Caline (Soul Coaxin') - Raymond LeFevre Green Onions -- Booker T and MGs Wonderland By Night -- Bert Kaempfert Last Date - Floyd Cramer Hand Clappin' = Red Prysock On the Rebound - Floyd Cramer Honky Tonk - Bill Doggett Last Night - Mar-Keys Jupiter C - Pat and the Satellites Woodchoppers' Ball - Hutch Davie Chris Astle aka Chuck Adams WGH-AM-FM, 1964-83 Hi Kent, On Jeff Duntemann's Top Instrumentals list, he listed "Our Winter Love" by Bill Pursell. I have a vivid memory of hearing that on my car radio, about thirty years later. I had a Buick with **AM Stereo** (remember that??) and had one of our oldies stations tuned in on AM (which, in my opinion, makes oldies sound better because that's how we heard 'em in the first place). "Our Winter Love" came on and the stereo effect was particularly striking, and to this day I remember that song. Too bad nobody plays the song anymore. Too bad nobody has AM stereo anymore. Gary Emenitove Actually, "Our Winter Love" has been receiving a pretty steady stream of votes ... it's up to 36 as of this morning. (This one made Scott Shannon's / True Oldies Channel List of Favorite Instrumentals, too ... maybe we can get HIM to play it for you on the next True Oldies Channel Instrumentally Yours Weekend!!!) kk
Hi Kent! Great work on the best instrumentals! I personally like Sleep Walk and Topsy Part 2. Tid bits: What ever happened to the Shangri-las? Will they ever tour again? How about an expose on The Guess Who? And Bobby "Boris" Pickett - gone but not forgotten especially at Halloween time ... Carolyn "Sleep Walk" is now neck-and-neck with "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" for the lead in our Favorite Instrumentals Poll ... in fact, they've exchanged the #1 position a couple of times this past week!!! If I'm not mistaken, Dave The Rave recently had one of The Shangri-Las on his program ... let's see if he can fill us in on their latest happenings. (What say you, Daveth the Raveth???) As for The Guess Who, I would LOVE to do a full expose on them ... one of my ALL-TIME favorite bands!!! (Just don't seem to have the time to devote to this lately ... and a complete series takes a WHOLE lotta time!!!) As for Bobby "Boris" Pickett, he's been ALL over the radio now for the past several days ... and will continue to get played through Halloween I'm sure. Talk about your truly classic, timeless hits!!! (kk)
Here are a few instrumentals that haven't been mentioned that are some of my favs: STRANGER FROM DURANGO. Ritchie Allen. It even hit #15 in Chicago on the SECOND WLS survey. Great record! Backed by Redskin. NIGHT THEME. Mark II. #30 on the second WLS survey. A favorite last dance song or ending of the disc jockey shift on AM radio. BEATLE TIME. Local Chicago record on Constellation label. The Livers. (Subtitled the Chicagoans on the label.) THE GREEN MOSQUITO. Tune Rockers. UA. Quite a rocker it is. BIllie and Lillie even recognized its greatness in La De Dah. ROCKIN CRICKETS. Hot Toddys / Rockin Rebels. Gotta Love that sax WILD WEEKEND. Same Hot Toddys / Rockin Rebels CAR HOP. Exports on King. PEPE. Duane Eddy THE ENCHANTED SEA. Islanders on Mayflower label SURFER STOMP and BALBOA BLUE. Marketts on Liberty Did anyone besides ME ever make up their own WORDS to these songs? Had to be better words that fit the music better than Margie Singleton's MAGIC STAR (Telstar)! (Possibly one of the WORST songs ever recorded. She just can't keep up with the instrumental track!) Allan
My favorite instrumentals: 10. Walkin' With Mr. Lee - Lee Allen 9. Rawhide - Link Wray 8. Braggin' - Bob Moore and the Temps 7. 7-11 - The Gone All-Stars 6. Our Winter Love - Bill Pursell 6. Rockin' at the Philharmonic - Chuck Berry 5. The Jam - Bobby Gregg and his Men 4. Honky Tonk Pt. 2 - Bill Doggett 3. Hand Clappin' - Red Prysock 2 You Can't Sit Down Pt 2 - Phil Upchurch Combo 1. Sleepwalk - Santo and Johnny There are so many great ones -- I really miss this part of the music charts -- the great instrumentals. Jazz like Joe Darensbourg' "Yellow Dog Blues", Reg Owen's "Manhattan Spiritual" and Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" intermingling with the Virtues "Guitar Boogie Shuffle", Duane Eddy's many hits and all the great ones by the Ventures, especially (for me) "Walk Don't Run". And you're right -- I actually listed 11 songs in my top 10 -- I figured I could hide it by listing two at # six! I figure only four of my songs will make your top 50, but that's the beauty of music -- everyone has different tastes. Danny Guilfoyle PS -- I finally got to see "Cool Scoops" in Wildwood, NJ. We were down for a softball tournament in Cape May a couple of weeks ago and I took our crew two times and we had a great time. Paul thanks you for all your support and for spreading the word about his place. He gave us lengthy tours each night and we stayed and watched most of the documentary "The Wages of Spin" the second night, which he shows on a continuous loop. Danny We've heard from dozens of FH Readers now who've made their way over to Cool Scoops ... a REALLY fun place to stop and have a snack ... and now, if he's showing "Wages Of Spin" non-stop, that's just ANOTHER great reason to stop by!!! (kk) Click here: Cool Scoops Ice Cream Parlor - North Wildwood, NJ
I agree with most of the top 50. There was some great instrumentals on the country charts during that time period also but, because they were not crossover hits, did not get rock & roll station air play. I am a part of both groups. The radio in the barn was tuned to WBBM with the knobs turned off ... the radio stayed on all the time but the station went off the air at 6 PM. When I left for school, the car radio was all mine, so we listened to rock and roll only and, with two great top 50 radio stations, the music never stopped. Elgin Al
Kent, You forgot to put DAVIE ALLAN'S fuzz tone guitar instrumental, BLUE'S THEME, as one of the best rock instrumentals of all time. I think it was released in 1966 or 1967. It was the Theme Song for the Wild Angels starring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra. It inspired EASY RIDER. That starred Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and JACK NICHOLSON. Setting was New Orleans and thereabouts. It had a fantastic sound track of its own, borrowing BORN TO BE WILD as its theme song. Best wishes, Mr. Kit Slitor Arlington, VA, USA Actually, Davie's "Blues' Theme" is doing quite well in the voting ... your vote was #42! (kk)
>>>Am I the only one old enough to remember Hand Clappin by Red Prysock? It was a classic rock instrumental and deserves a spot on the list. Honorable mention should go to 7 11 by the Gone All-stars. (Bob Hughes) >>>Actually, that's the first mention of EITHER of these songs!!! (Just how old ARE you?!?!?!!! lol) kk Well, my 16 year old grandson calls me "older than dirt". "Hand Clappin" was a hit in '55 and "Seven Eleven" was a hit in '58 . I was 16 then, so you figure it out. Bob Hughes LOL ... you DO know I was just kidding, right?!?!? Actually "7-11" has earned a few votes ... "Hand Clappin'" only had yours ... until we ran your comment ... it's up to SIXTEEN votes now!!! (lol) kk Hey, I remember Hand Clappin' too! How old am I? He! he! Arlene
I'm so glad that you have gotten us to thinking about instrumentals as there were so many great instrumentals in the early days of rock and roll. When I saw the first lists, including chart rankings, I wasn't that excited, probably because you tend to hear those songs often. Then I started to think about how excited I got when I heard certain instrumentals and how great they really were. I actually made ten CDs with 25 instrumentals on each last night -- all rockers! I know that I sent in my favorite songs already so this time I'll tell you that these are my wife Carolyn's favorite ten. If you believe me -- well, what can I say. 10. Rudy's Rock - Bill Haley & Comets 9. Green Onions - Booker T & MGs 8. Wiggle Wobble - Les Cooper & Soul Rockers 7. Ramrod - Duane Eddy & Rebels 6. Tall Cool One - Wailers 5. Flamingo Express - Royaltones 4. Juke - Little Walter 3. Wild Weekend - Rockin' Rebels 2. Walk-Don't Run - Ventures 1. Dumplins' - Doc Bagby That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Danny Guilfoyle Well, as long as these are CAROLYN's votes ... we'll count 'em!!! (lol) That's OK ... we're looking for as many votes as we can get ... and, a little later on, we'll run a list of "eligibles" and encourage everybody to vote one more time for their favorites on this list. (kk)
I just wanted to let you know that The True Oldies Channel will be doing their "The Instrumentally Yours Weekend” November 13th - November 15th! Some of the greatest Rock & Roll hits ever have no words. We’ll feature great instrumentals like “Green Onions,” “Walk - Don’t Run,” “Tequila,” “Classical Gas,” “Pick Up The Pieces” and “Love’s Theme” all weekend long. Scott Shannon
Looking forward to it, Scott ... and hey, we might even have a few suggestions to throw your way!!! (lol) kk
The station was incorporating a new feature into it's Silver Dollar Survey weekly chart ... for the past month, only the Top 30 "Pop" Songs in Chicagoland were featured ... to make room for the brand-new "R & B Music Survey".
Topping the R & B Chart this week in '64 were The Impressions with their hit "You Must Believe Me". (WLS first incorporated this new feature on the Silver Dollar Survey dated September 18, 1964 ... and they continued to run The Top Ten R & B Hits through the chart dated Christmas Day later that same year. I honestly don't remember WLS featuring any of these songs as part of their regular programming ... maybe Dex Card can shed some light on this for our readers.)
Some good stuff on the regular chart, too! The Honeycombs topped the chart with their One Hit Wonder, "Have I The Right", which interrupted Roy Orbison's run at the top with "Oh, Pretty Woman" ... Orbison had held down the #1 spot for the previous five weeks when The Honeycombs' hit bumped him to #2 ... only to return to the top spot again the following week for a SIXTH week before giving way to The Shangri-Las monster hit "Leader Of The Pack".
A long-forgotten hit, "From A Window" by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas held down the #9 spot ... this was another one of those famous Lennon and McCartney songs given away to other artists.
At #11 was "The James Bond Theme" by Billy Strange ... the original version was cut by John Barry (and featured our Forgotten Hits Buddy Vic Flick on lead guitar ... in fact, the guitar that Vic used on these James Bond sessions was, until recently, on display at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Museum!)
Other British Invasion Artists riding the chart this week included The Nashville Teens, Manfred Mann, The Kinks, The Animals, The Dave Clark Five, The Beatles (mis-spelled as "The Beatle's"!!!), The Zombies and Herman's Hermits.
Another personal favorite (and one of those that deserved to be a MUCH bigger hit than it was) was this week's #27 song, "Don't It Make You Feel Good" by The Overlanders, yet another British Invasion import. We've featured this one before in Forgotten Hits, as well as their version of the Chad and Jeremy Hit "Yesterday's Gone" ... but it's worth another spin here today ('cause where ELSE are you ever gonna hear it?!?!?)
FORGOTTEN HITS GOES BEHIND THE CHARTS: Thanks to some of the amazing folks on our list, we're able to share some insight from time to time regarding many of these records that we all grew up loving.
First, from Clark Besch: The R&B thing was Art Roberts' idea. He also did the C&W one. I interviewed Gene Taylor in 1991 and he told me how the jocks would come to him with ideas and he would say yes and see if the idea stuck or not. When Chess contacted him about the "Vault of Hits" LP, it was just a local gimmick he wanted to try. Barney Pip related similar stories to me about WCFL and Ken Draper. "Think Green", the "Stairway" and "Premier" and all the stats they told the public about were mostly hype, he said. He said the reason WCFL only listed a Top 20 numerically and added a "stairway" was because they could really only correctly list a Top 20 in Chicago. Gene Taylor also related that was true, even 'tho they listed 40. As I can attest to, he also said they PLAYED more than 40 current songs always back then. He also said that the oldies weeks and weekends were some of the most popular ratings weeks. That is why they happened so often. Personally, I found them the most boring because they kept me from hearing the latest new songs and they also featured 40's & 50's songs like "Buttons & Bows"!! YUCK! Dex was a huge part of my listening life. I discussed about all the WLS jocks with Gene and his favorite was still Lujack. -- Clark Besch We've heard from numerous sources now that The Top 20 was the OFFICIAL list ... an accurate measurement of sales based on selected retail outlets throughout the city ... and that everything else tended to be the station's (or the program director's) choice. (Of course this STILL doesn't explain how "Yesterday" ... by PAUL McCARTNEY ... was listed at #20 on the WLS Chart three weeks before it was even released to the public to buy!!! lol) kk
And then this from Vic Flick, who took the "Gentleman's Approach" to discussing the Billy Strange recording of "The James Bond Theme": Hi Kent, I've heard the Billy Strange version of the James Bond Theme and thought it good but lacking slightly in the atmosphere of the original John Barry / Vic Flick version. He's a great musician and all the tracks on the album are very, very good. Unlike today, the original James Bond Theme was done straight to compatible stereo. What you got was what you got. I think this adds an element of excitement to so many of he early 60s recording, both in the UK and the USA. Full details of the sessions and copies from my diary are in my book, 'Vic Flick Guitarman - From James Bond to the Beatles and Beyond,' available from Amazon.com. (Yes, a blatant plug!) The guitar I recorded the Theme on back in 1962 was on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but has just recently been returned to me as the Hall rotates its displays. None the less, it was an honor to have it on show plus I was asked to open the Hall's lecture series last October. It was a great opportunity for me to bring UK session musicians to the notice of the American listeners. The Hall staff were wonderful and very hospitable. Cheers, Vic www.vicflick.com "The James Bond Theme" is certainly one of the most recognizable pieces of music from the '60's ... it's also apparently one of your instrumental favorites ... in our current poll (trying to find Your 50 All-Time Instrumental Favorites), the John Barry versions of both "The James Bond Theme" and "Goldfinger" have been racking up points. Other instrumental hits of note on this week's WLS chart include "Gale Winds" by The Egyptian Combo, "20-75" by Willie Mitchell and "Teen Beat '65" by Sandy Nelson. Keep those votes coming, folks ... we'll count down the 50 biggest over Thanksgiving Weekend. Meanwhile, look for more of your instrumental comments ... and favorites ... in tomorrow's edition of Forgotten Hits. (kk)
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I had hoped to share the definitive word on WLS' R&B Chart from the guy who counted down The Silver Dollar Survey each and every weekday afternoon ... of course, I'm talking about the crew-cut guy in the front row, Dex Card ... but we have not heard back from him in time to include his comments and memories in today's posting. Hopefully we'll hear something after he's seen it. (kk)
How big of a presence did Reprise Records have on the pop charts in the '60's and '70's?
According to Fred Bronson's book "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits", the label enjoyed a pretty successful chart run between 1962 and 1976, after which time the Reprise imprint was "deactivated" by Warner Brothers. (It would be resurrected again in the late '80's ... in fact, according to Bronson's book, the biggest hit EVER released by Reprise Records was Eric Clapton's #2 smash "Tears In Heaven" from 1992!)
Here are The Top 30 Records released by the label during their first go 'round, 1962 - 1976:
# 1 - SOMETHIN' STUPID - Nancy and Frank Sinatra (1967) # 2 - EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY - Dean Martin (1964) # 3 - HEART OF GOLD - Neil Young (1972) # 4 - THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN' - Nancy Sinatra (1966) # 5 - SUNDOWN - Gordon Lightfoot (1974) # 6 - THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD - Gordon Lightfoot (1976) # 7 - STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT - Frank Sinatra (1966) # 8 - WELCOME BACK - John Sebastian (1976) # 9 - IF I HAD A HAMMER - Trini Lopez (1963) #10 - MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS - Maria Muldaur (1974)
#11 - THAT'S LIFE - Frank Sinatra (1966) #12 - SAY YOU LOVE ME - Fleetwood Mac (1976) #13 - TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME - The Vogues (1968) #14 - SUGAR TOWN - Nancy Sinatra (1966) #15 - IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND - Gordon Lightfoot (1971) #16 - HELP ME - Joni Mitchell (1974) #17 - LOLA - The Kinks (1970) #18 - RHIANNON - Fleetwood Mac (1976) #19 - SOMETHING'S BURNING - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1970) #20 - I'VE GOTTA BE ME - Sammy Davis, Jr. (1968)
#21 - HAPPY DAYS - Pratt and McClain (1976) #22 - YOU REALLY GOT ME - The Kinks (1964) #23 - MY SPECIAL ANGEL - The Vogues (1968) #24 - RUBY, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1969) #25 - ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT - The Kinks (1964) #26 - BANG A GONG - T. Rex (1972) #27 - JUST DROPPED IN (TO SEE WHAT CONDITION MY CONDITION WAS IN) - The First Edition #28 - WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - Sammy Davis, Jr. (1962) #29 - TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU - The Kinks (1964) #30 - THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN TO MY HEART - Dean Martin (1964)
Warners / Reprise was most represented to me by the colorful steamboat logo on the LP labels.
Seeing my group's name, album title and song list was thrilling for me. I also felt a connection when I pulled out the inner album sleeve and saw all the other artists we shared the label with.
Other than Frank, Sammy and Dean, the ones that stood out for me were Don Ho, because of my love of Hawaii, Trini Lopez, because I learned to play guitar listening to him play that Custom Gibson of his, and the Kinks, because of my love of the British invasion groups.
Dino, Desi and I were only in the Burbank office building a few times in the very early days. I believe we met Mo Ostin at that time when he emerged from his office to greet us. He was a great guy and even sent us a congratulatory telegram when "I'm a Fool" first starting racing up the charts.
Reprise will always be "home" to me. In fact, there is a brand new boxed set from Rhino and assembled by Andrew Sandoval called "Where the Action Is - LA Nuggets (1965-1968)" that was just released that contains one of our songs - "The Rebel Kind."
Billy Hinsche Dino, Desi & Billy
Thanks, Billy! We'll feature "The Rebel Kind" today in Forgotten Hits, along with your BIGGEST Hit (and my personal favorite) "I'm A Fool". Thanks again for sharing your memories with our readers! (kk)
And this '60's FLASHBACK ... from some other memories Billy recently shared with our readers ...
We played at local neighborhood parties and made $20 a show. I remember thinking - how do we split this equally? Our rehearsals began at Lucille Ball's outside playroom and eventually moved to Dean Martin's large den, that had a small riser for a stage. Over time, we got better and better as musicians and singers. Jeanne Martin (Dean's wife) picked up the phone one day, called Frank Sinatra and told him that he had to hear us play - she thought we were really good. We auditioned for Mr. Sinatra as he and Dean listened to us perform a few songs in the bar area of the Martin home - perfect, right ? There they sat - old blue eyes and old red eyes! After the audition, Mr. Sinatra walked over and asked if we would like a contract on his label, Reprise. Of course, we gladly accepted his kind and generous offer.
We were shocked to learn that we wouldn't be playing on our first recording session but would have professional studio musicians record the tracks instead of us. This hurt our feelings, as we thought we were good enough to record for ourselves but didn't realize how things worked in the LA recording scene even though, apparently, it was commonplace, as we know today. I remember that Jerry Cole played guitar on our first two sides but I don't recall who the other musicians were. On subsequent recordings it shouldn't surprise anyone that the Wrecking Crew played on our sessions though, over time, Dino, Desi and I recorded and were incorporated more and more onto our tracks.
I don't think most people know that the first song we released was a dud, sold nothing and went nowhere ("Since You Broke My Heart" / "We Know"). I wanted us to record "Since You Broke My Heart" after I heard it on a Searchers' LP. I didn't realize at the time that it was written by the Everly Brothers - no wonder I liked it so much. The B side, "We Know," was pitched to us as having been "turned down by the Beatles," so we eagerly agreed to record it, since anything that even came close to being a Beatles' song was good enough for us. Even though we performed "Since You Broke My Heart" on the Hollywood Palace TV Show on November 28, 1964 (Tony Martin hosted and the broadcast was in black & white), it got little airplay.
In 1965 (I was 14 years old), our Producer and A&R man, Jimmy Bowen, brought in a young country gentleman named Lee Hazlewood to try his hand at producing us and it yielded our first and biggest hit, "I'm a Fool" / "So Many Ways". If I'm not mistaken, it went Top 20. Earl Palmer played drums and James Burton played guitar on "I'm a Fool". If I had to guess, I believe that Ray Pohlman played bass, though it *might* have been Carol Kaye -- sorry for the lapse in memory. But give me a break - after all, it's been 45 years !@#$%
It opened the doors for us to tour with the Beach Boys, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and many tours of our own in both the US and Canada. Over the next 4 years we recorded four albums for Reprise and had six songs that charted on the Billboard / Cash Box Hot 100.
As a result of the success of "I'm a Fool", we appeared in countless articles and pictorials in Gloria Stavers' 16 Magazine, Tiger Beat, etc., and did all the relevant television shows of the day including Shindig, Shivaree, Hullabaloo, Sam Riddle's 9th Street West, the Lloyd Thaxton show, Where the Action Is, the Joey Bishop show, the Mike Douglas show, the Dean Martin show and Sammy Davis Jr.'s Thanksgiving Day Special for kids. We even made appearances on the Hollywood Squares and the Dating Game. But the TV appearance that was the most important and memorable was the Ed Sullivan show. It was the first color broadcast of the Ed Sullivan show and we did it at the CBS studios on Beverly Blvd. / Fairfax in LA - not in the studio in NY, so it was historical on several levels. We were also in the Matt Helm (Dean Martin) spy spoof flick "Murderer's Row" wherein we performed Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's composition of "If You're Thinkin' What I'm Thinkin'" - one of our charted hits. You can still see our RC Cola TV commercial on YouTube and filmed at the Hollywood Bowl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymwK-n2VCms
Forgotten Hits Member Preston Ritter, the original drummer for The Electric Prunes, agreed to share some of his Reprise Records memories with our readers:
The Electric Prunes were on the Reprise label, owned at the time by Frank Sinatra. It was part of Warner Brothers.
However, the band was not signed to the label directly. We were signed to the production company of Dave Hassinger. Hassinger was the top staff recording engineer for RCA at the time. He had recorded most of the early hits by the Rolling Stones as well as groups like The Byrds and The Monkees. His production company, DAMO PRODUCTIONS, was actually signed to Warners / Reprise.
What was happening was Dave wanted a production deal with one of the big labels. He used The Electric Prunes as his bargaining chip. He went to Decca Records and Electra Records first. They were both interested in the Prunes, but rejected Dave's demand that he be the top producer on the label. Finally, Warners / Reprise accepted his offer. So DAMO PRODUCTIONS was signed to the label and The Electric Prunes were signed to DAMO. That meant that any royalties would be paid by the label to Dave Hassinger's company. He then was responsible to pay the band our share of the royalties. More on that later.
We were so happy to be working with a famous name that was associated with the Stones and other big name bands that we were largely unaware of what was going on behind the scenes of our record company, record producer (Hassinger) and our regular manager.
I remember when we first started hearing "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" on the radio. It was very exciting! We would run to the phone and call family and friends to tell them it was on and to turn on their radio before it ended. Then as the record climbed the charts, it was getting air play every hour. It actually made it to the number one slot in some big markets. It broke first in Seattle, then in Boston. Our first live concert to back up the record was in an ice hockey stadium in Seattle. On the same bill were The Turtles and B.J. Thomas. We later also toured with The Turtles, Buffalo Springfield, The Left Banke, and many others on the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" tour. (I'm sure Howard Kaylan remembers that tour). We also toured with Jimi Hendrix and Cream later in our careers.
We had no idea that we were making history at the time. Later, in interviews with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd and even the Beatles, we were mentioned as an "influence" on things they were doing. But we didn't know that until years later. Among other trivia, we were the first band to use and record with the famous "wah-wah" pedal invented by VOX. The radio commercial we did for that is now a collector's item and even found on some compilation CDs.
Probably the biggest thrill for me, was when we were recording at RCA studios in Hollywood at the same time The Rolling Stones were recording their album, "Aftermath." Since Dave Hassinger was their engineer on that album and he was our producer, we got to be at their recording sessions. When they would take a break in "Studio A," everyone would go next door to "Studio B" where we were recording. When the Stones were ready to go back to work, we stopped what we were doing and we all went back into "Studio A" to watch them record. Hassinger was working with both groups, of course. I also remember Micky Dolenz of the Monkees poking his head into the control room while we were recording and shouting, "Far out!!" It was a great time for us. That was around 1966-67.
The downside of our experience was the contract situation with Dave Hassinger's production company. He got the royalties from our records and we were not paid a dime. Many years later, we had a law suit and got paid a very small amount of what was owed to us. I think if I had worked at McDonald's for the same amount of time I put into the Prunes, I would have made more money! I was only seventeen years old, the youngest in the band, when I was in The Electric Prunes.
But even though it wasn't much for profit, it was still an exciting time of my life that I feel blessed to have been a part of. I still play drums for a living and I've been trying to re-establish contact with many of the friends I made during the '60s, from other bands of that era and even many of the fans. It has been more fun the last few years, largely due to the Internet and publications like yours, than it was when I was involved in the chaos that was the music business of the sixties.
It was fun to have experienced the screaming girls, being chased down the street, just like the Beatles were in "A Hard Day's Night," and being on most of the big television shows of that era. Hearing your records on the radio no matter what city you go to, and even in foreign countries is a thrill that is hard to explain. The life of a professional musician on the road can be difficult, but we all live for those few moments we are on stage, performing for our fans! That's what makes all the hassles of being on the road and the "business" garbage worth it. For a musician, performing is what it's all about. The "business" part is mostly a negative hassle.
Thanks, Preston! "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" by The Electric Prunes is a '60's classic ... in fact, it ranked right near the top of our recent Top 20 All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Songs Poll. You can read those results (and more about The Electric Prunes) in that piece now posted on The Forgotten Hits Web Page: Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs
... and you can LISTEN to this great track right here:
And, of course, one of the COOLEST things about Forgotten Hits is that if you want to know what Howard Kaylan remembers about the tour with The Electric Prunes and B.J. Thomas, we can ASK him!!!
Man, I remember first seeing the Prunes in Seattle. I lived in LA at the time, knew BJ Thomas, but hadn't yet heard "Too Much To Dream" until that night. All of us knew, instantly, that it would be a huge record and, it seems, by the time we got back to Laurel Canyon, it already was.
Their moniker was almost enough to guarantee success in those days, but that wobbely guitar and the "gone gone gone" of the verses really cliched it. That, and the fact that it had a major label PR machine behind it, assured it airplay. And once you heard it, it was one of those records that you just HAD to own.
The Thirteenth Floor Elevator and even the First Edition never released as catchy a psychedelic hit. That song represents one very singular era when hippies ruled the world and corporations all scrambled to own a piece of the pie.
It probably wouldn't have been a hit in any other decade, but we were all wide-eyed and innocent and struggling for attention and the Prunes represented our passion and angst.
What do Dean Martin, Tiny Tim, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Sammy Davis, Jr., Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks, T. Rex, Jimi Hendrix, Gordon Lightfoot, Trini Lopez, Neil Young, The B-52's, Nancy Sinatra, Dino, Desi and Billy and John Sebastian all have in common?
Incredibly, ALL of these artists recorded for Reprise Records ... the label set up by Frank Sinatra in 1962, after long-time associations with Capitol and Columbia Records. (Sinatra hired the legendary Mo Ostin to run his new company as Executive Vice President. Reportedly, as they were walking down Vine Street in Hollywood, California, one day, Sinatra pointed out The Capitol Records Tower and told Ostin, "You see that? I helped build that. Now I'm going to build one of my own."
Despite recruiting his Rat Pack Buddies Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. to come onboard, the label did NOT get off to a rousing success. In 1962, Davis had a Top 20 Hit with his version of "What Kind Of Fool Am I" and Lou Monte scored a novelty hit with "Pepino, The Italian Mouse" ... but by year's end the label was already two million dollars in debt. Sinatra's attorney, Mickey Rudin, approached Jack Warner (of Warner Brothers) about buying Sinatra's label ... and a deal was struck ... Warner Brothers would buy two-thirds interest in Reprise Records for ten million dollars ... and Sinatra would make three movies for Warner Brothers Pictures.
By the mid-'60's, things started to turn around ... The Kinks scored their first big American Hits on Reprise and in 1964 Dean Martin would top the charts with "Everybody Loves Somebody", a song recently featured in Forgotten Hits (and one first recorded many years earlier by Sinatra.) Nepotism helped to fuel the label in 1965 as Dean's son Dino scored a Top Twenty Hit with his band, Dino, Desi and Billy ... and the following year Frank's daughter Nancy was sitting high on top of the charts with her break-through hit, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", a song today considered to be a '60's classic. Frank himself would reach #1 later that same year with his reading of "Strangers In The Night" and a year later Frank and Nancy's duet "Somethin' Stupid" also went all the way to #1.
1967-1968 proved to be an interesting era for the label. Music was changing and Reprise was right there in the thick of it ... hits by artists as diverse as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Tiny Tim and Jimi Hendrix kept the label on the charts (and in our record collections) through the end of the decade.
Just how much did Sinatra have to do with the artists that were signed? One has to believe that corporate pretty much pulled the strings in that department. At various times, Sinatra denounced new acts like Elvis Presley (who later appeared on Frank's television show ... reportedly because NANCY liked him) and The Beatles (whose songs Sinatra would later go on to record himself!)
Honestly, you couldn't really place their music style in a box ... in 1965, Reprise scored a Top Ten Hit with Sonny and Cher's "Baby Don't Go" (which bombed the first time it was released) ... and two years later they were back in The Top Ten with The Electric Prunes!!! Meanwhile, old stalwarts Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra himself continued to regularly hit The Top 40 throughout the decade.
Coming up tomorrow in Forgotten Hits ... some Reprise Records memories from Preston Ritter, original drummer for The Electric Prunes!
re: WHAT A NICE SURPRISE: It's moments like these that make doing Forgotten Hits so worthwhile. Imagine my surprise when I opened up THIS email the other day ... Hi, Kent, I was doing some Jim Croce searching today and came across your Forgotten Hits blog and haven't been able to break away without reading every word about your brother Mark. Please accept my sincere sympathy on the loss of Mark. I will remember him in my prayers. Thank you for mentioning my brother Maury Muehleisen in your Deserving and Denied list on September 29, 2009. Hopefully, Maury and Jim are playing some songs for Mark right now. Peace, Mary Mary Muehleisen The Ever Since LLC www.maurymuehleisen.com Wow, thanks for the kind words. I am a HUGE fan of your brother's work ... saw him perform with Jim Croce about six or seven times ... Maury always provided the perfect compliment to Jim's songs ... he had SO much going on in the background sometimes that I think many listeners took it for granted without ever really LISTENING to his work ... impeccable! I've always felt that Maury belongs in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in the "Sidemen" category ... and Jim Croce did SO much more to change the face of rock and roll than so many of the other artists who have already been inducted before him. Would love you to share your thoughts and memories from time to time with our readers. Ingrid Croce has also participated every once in a while. Am happy to provide a link to your memorial site as well. Thanks again for taking the time to write. Kent Kotal Forgotten Hits Hi, Kent, Thanks for responding and for letting me know that you're a HUGE fan of my brother's work. It's great that you got to see them perform. I'd love to hear your memories of those times and places. Thank you for your kind thoughts. It would be nice, as you say, to have Maury make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "Sideman" category. Apparently, there is no way to submit someone to the committee. From what I've heard, they decide on their own. Maybe someday! Jim and Maury were great together. I would be happy to have you provide a link to my site. Thank you for offering. Peace, Mary Muehleisen Click here: The Official Maury Muehleisen Tribute Site Glad to do it, Mary ... I've told the story a few times about the night that I went to a small club here in Chicago called The Quiet Knight back in 1972. It was one of those deals on Tuesday Nights where you'd get in for a $5 cover charge and a two drink minimum ... and on this particular night they had TWO acts performing ... COMPLETE unknowns at the time. The first two guys came out and had the crowd in stitches with their good-humored story songs ... I made myself a mental note to keep my eyes and ears open for these guys because I felt like they could REALLY make it big. When it was time for the second act, one lone skinny guy with long hair came out and went over to the piano and then entertained us for about an hour all by himself. No band ... no back up ... just one guy on the piano singing his songs. I'll bet it wasn't three weeks later before I heard BOTH of these artists on the radio ... "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce (and his onstage sidekick Maury Muehleisen) and "Doctor My Eyes" by Jackson Browne were suddenly all the rage ... and I had just seen BOTH of these guys a few weeks earlier for just five bucks!!! I became an IMMEDIATE Jim Croce fan ... bought EVERYTHING he ever did ... saw him at LEAST six or seven times including one more concert here at Ravinia shortly before he died. Jackson Browne, of course, went on to have a long, long career and can STILL be heard on the radio on a daily basis. What an amazing night that was ... and what AMAZING artists these guys are that have touched so many of our lives. (kk)
Gosh, Kent! EVERYONE is telling me about FORGOTTEN HITS and just RAVING! I can't thank you enough for including my book, "TOP ROCK GIRLY JOCK -- A CHICAGO RADIO FIRST!" on your site. I thought, when I wrote it, that it might be helpful to young folks trying to break into a career that seemed out of reach. Since I was born in Chicago, I tried to tell how, coming from a non-media-connected family, it was still possible to get that gig, just by being persistent. Of course, I would never have been in radio, if it hadn't been for Den Pal Penny Lane (WSDM-FM), whom I didn't know, and who insisted I give it a shot, back when I worked for WCFL as a Talent Coordinator. It's made me realize that it's God's Hand at work that leads us to where He wants us to be -- and so, the inspiration in the book -- "There's a bit of Stardust in everyone -- so we may sparkle for each other." I tried to do that for my listeners -- because they sure did that for me. And YOU! Your unbelievable info on the site and the many friendships it inspires -- God bless you for sharing your Stardust with the world. Will be talking more about the book with Steve & Johnnie on WGN, 720 AM, Tuesday, Oct. 27. Hope you get to tune in! Connie Szerszen - formerly WCFL, WSDM-FM, WIND, WJJD, WJEZ-FM, WUSN (US-99), WJMK, WJMK HD2. www.TopRockGirlyJock.comwww.portraitartchicago.com Thanks, Connie ... as a long-time listener and fan, it means a lot that you are enjoying what we do here in Forgotten Hits. I'm hoping you'll share some of YOUR memories with our readers from time to time. Best of luck with your book sales! (kk) OOOOOHHHHH -- Goody Goody! And y'know, I'm finally able to get to know listeners. When I did the shows, everything was a rush -- now with "radio you can read" -- haha -- great line and so true -- we can finally communicate! I hear so many good things about you and your site -- a former listener way out in Colorado -- Jeff Duntemann -- a great writer -- turned me on to you. So many folks are impressed with your knowledge -- I know you've got me beat! Connie What really makes this whole thing work is the participation of the readers ... from ALL walks of life ... fans, industry insiders, artists, disc jockeys ... together we are able to share our love and knowledge with each other and keep this great music alive. Believe me, I learn something new in Forgotten Hits every single week!!! (lol) kk
... and, speaking of Connie Szerszen's new book ...
re: TOP ROCK GIRLY JOCK: My first professional radio job back in the early '70s was answering phones during one of WIND Battle Weekends in Chicago (and why doesn't radio do THOSE anymore?). I remember working with a DJ who wore a wide-brimmed hat and pulled it down over her eyes -- obscuring me, the producer, the engineer and anything but the audience she was imagining talking to. That was my introduction to Connie Szerszen. Now, Connie has taken off that "lucky hat" and opened up her life and career to us. Her autobiography, "Top Rock Girly Jock," has just been published by Starbright Publishing (ISBN: 978-0-615-30718-3 $19.95). Frankly, I loved the book and I'm recommending it to all. It's a nice mix of her life story (not many women would admit to dating such cheating boyfriends), gossipy celebrity items (two meetings with Elvis and a date with Neil Diamond) and lots of photos and radio memorabilia. Whether it's from WSDM (where she was Den Pal Dawn), WCFL (the girl from Ten), WIND (the Polish Princess), WJMK or her personal life (Chicago's Alvernia High or Northwestern University), Connie clearly never threw anything away and we're the beneficiaries. An added bonus are pictures of some of her oil paintings and portraits that prove just how talented this woman truly is. Connie described the project to me recently as a "fun, nostalgic book and, hopefully, inspirational to young folks." I think she hit a home run in that department. "Jeszcze Polska Nie Zginela," Connie (her closing line each night -- read the book for the translation). Now, will someone please put this Chicago legend back on-the-air? http://bit.ly/NPojb Ron Smith
re: ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Last week we told you about a brand new book being shopped around by former road manager Mark "Hoss" Amans ... this guy worked for Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gary Puckett, The Robbs, The Blues Magoos, The Grass Roots ... ALL kinds of '60's acts ... and he's been looking for a publisher for his memoirs. (Full details are run again below.) Anyway, it was kind of our Forgotten Hits Public Service Announcement of the Week, trying to do our part to help keep all of this great music alive ... and was done with the very best of intentions. (Hey, I'd LOVE to read this book, too!!! lol) In fact, we even ran a comment from Gary Puckett, giving HIS endorsement for Hoss' efforts. So it was really kind of funny when we received THIS email the other day ... about ANOTHER group of roadies out there bustin' their asses to make sure that their bosses' music sounds great each and every night ... check it out:
I saw this and right away I thought of you --- thought you'd get a real kick out of sharing this with your readers! Hope you have a great weekend, Doc Williamson Click here: YouTube - Xfm baby roadies
Meanwhile, here's Hoss' pitch once again ... along with that Gary Puckett comment: Where the Action Was Article by high-profile-road manager, Mark “Hoss” Amans Hello! My name is Mark Amans. I have recently finished a book about all the years I worked with rock-and-roll bands in the ‘60s and ‘70s. I was on the road for eighteen years. They used to call me HOSS. I started in Seattle with a group called the Viceroys in 1963. Then a group called the Wailers. I joined Paul Revere and the Raiders in late 1965 when they had just signed with Columbia Records and Dick Clark Productions for a TV show called Where the Action Is. In 1967, I worked for the Blues Magoos. We did a major tour with the Herman Hermits, and The Who. The tour manager put me in charge of all three road crews. In late 1967, I went to work with a group called the Robbs, who I met on a Dick Clark Caravan of Stars Tour when I was with The Raiders. Back in New York in early 1968 I worked for The Nazz. Todd Rundgren came out of that group. In late 1969, I went back to work for Mark Lindsay and The Raiders. Then I worked for the Grass Roots in 1970. In 1971, I worked with Gary Puckett and The Union Gap. In 1972, I was the road manager and bodyguard for Cat Stevens. In 1973, I worked for Wolfman Jack as a tour manager. In the rest of the seventies I worked on and off with a few groups that never made it big. One of them was called The Butts Band, started by John Densmore and Robby Krieger from The Doors. The manuscript tells stories about all the individuals and the bands as a whole. There are twenty-two chapters and many original pictures telling good things and bad things that happened to me while working on and off the road. One chapter is called The Mania. It is about the fans that came to the concerts. Another chapter is called Being There. It tells about close calls and hard work of traveling on the road by aircraft, car and bus. Another chapter is called Live Sound and Recording and How it Changed. I literally saw thousands of rock-and-roll bands in those days. There are many more chapters. No one else was in this position at this time.If you were a fan and in your early 20’s or teens in the ‘60s or ‘70s this will definitely give you some fond memories. It has me. I have sent my manuscript to some agents in New York and they were telling me that there was no market for this. They don’t seem to understand that 25 percent of the population of the United States is Baby Boomers. That means you were there. I NEED YOUR HELP to prove these agents wrong by contacting me at hossroadmanager@aol.com and tell me that you would like to see it come to publication. If I get enough e-mails, I can go straight to the publishers and eliminate the agents. I would appreciate your help. Thank you very much and be sure to tell all your friends to also e-mail me. Sincerely, ”HOSS”
Hey Hoss ... Go right to the publishers, my friend. Everybody's got a story to tell and I know yours would be an interesting one. Hope the world is treating you well. Good luck and best wishes, Gary Puckett
re: INSTRUMENTALS: Hey Kent, I would like to vote for my top ten favorite instrumentals 1 - K-Jee - The Nite-Liters 2 - Soulful Strut - Young-Holt Unlimited 3 - Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures 4 - Also Sprach Zarathustra - Deodato 5 - Love's Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra 6 - Time Is Tight - Booker T & the MGs 7 - Bongo Rock - The Incredible Bongo Band 8 - The Horse - Cliff Nobles & Co. 9 - Taurus - Dennis Coffey & His Detroit Guitar Band 10 - Red River Rock - Johnny & the Hurricanes Wow!! I wish I could vote for more LOL!! There are so many versions of the Peter Gunn Theme out there that I thought I would send you one of my favorites from The Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy himself. BTW, There is a video of them performing this live onstage available but, I don't have a link for it. Enjoy!! and Thanks Again for all your great work on this site! Eddie, Orange, CT Although Duane Eddy ALSO enjoyed a solo hit with his version of "The Peter Gunn Theme" (#26, 1960) ... and despite the fact that the theme was actually penned by Henry Mancini (whose version never even charted), the BIG Hit version belongs to Ray Anthony. (His version peaked at #7 in 1959 ... and THAT's the one that's been earning most of your votes ... as has Anthony's earlier TV Theme from "Dragnet".) The Art Of Noise / Duane Eddy version peaked at #49 in 1986 ... and even your above-mentioned Deodato took a crack at this tune back in 1976, peaking at #84 with their version. Thanks for the kind words ... and keep the instrumental votes coming, folks! (kk) By the way, I found THIS live version on YouTube ... not sure if it's the one you were referring to our not ... but check it out! Click here: YouTube - Art of Noise - Peter Gunn Live featuring Duane Eddy
Here are my Top Ten Instrumental Favorites ... including a few I haven't seen mentioned in Forgotten Hits ... 1. Popcorn - Hot Butter, 1972 2. Love at First Sight - 101 Strings, circa 1970 (This is an instrumental cover of the infamous Birkin / Gainsbrough groanfest "Je Taime Moi Non Plus") 3. Joy - Apollo 100, 1972 4. Wonderland By Night - Burt Kaemfert, 1961 5. Our Winter Love - Bill Pursell, 1963 6. Manhattan Spiritual - Reg Owen, 1959 7. Theme from Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart?) - Percy Faith, 1953 8. Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills, 1979 9. Salt Water Taffy - Morty Jay and the Surfin' Cats, 1963. (Vocal version, "What Is Surfin' All About?" on the flipside of the 45) 10. The Faithful Hussar - Ted Heath, 1956 Runners up: Midnight in Moscow - Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen, 1962; Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Sounds Orchestral, 1965; Washington Square, Village Stompers, 1964 All of these are from the AM radio era, which I consider pre-1980. More recent instrumentals that might otherwise have been on my list include: Theme from "Terms of Endearment" - Michael Gore, 1983; Popcorn (Techno Remix) - Crazy Frog, 2005; Axel F - Harold Faltermeyer, 1985; Mario Takes a Walk - Jesse Cook, 1995; St. Elsewhere Theme - Dave Grusin, 1982 And that's my list! -- Jeff Duntemann Colorado Springs, Colorado While there already seems to be about 50 songs that are consistently getting votes, every once in a while we'll get one that we had completely forgotten about. (We're up to around 2400 votes right now ... so this should prove to be a pretty interesting selection process.) Recent surprises include "Alley Cat" by Bent Fabric, "Bonanza" by Al Caiola, "Brian's Song" by Michael LeGrand, "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" by The Virtues, "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith, "Java" by Al Hirt, "Mexico" by Bob Moore, "Morning Dance" by Spyro Gyra, "Nut Rocker" by B. Bumble and the Stingers, "Quentin's Theme" by The Charles Randolph Greane Sounde, "Theme from 'Moulin Rouge'" by Percy Faith, " A Walk In The Black Forest" by Horst Jankowski and "Wheels" by The String-A-Longs ... NOT your average, run-of-the-mill instrumental favorites that you hear from time to time. Keep 'em comin', folks ... we're not tabulating the winners until Thanksgiving Weekend! (kk) Does ‘So Rare’ by Jimmy Dorsey qualify as an instrumental? That is my all-time favorite! mje I've decided to go with Joel Whitburn's "certification" as to whether or not a song should be considered an instrumental or not ... according to his newly revised "Top Pop Singles" book (the 12th edition, taking us through 2008), that disqualifies both "So Rare" and Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips, Part 2" from the competition. Sorry! (kk)
Hi Kent, I can nominate only ten? Well, okay ... these are in no particular order. 1. Theme from A Summer Place -- Percy Faith -- I think this song probably "defines" an instrumental hit, and I would not be at all surprised if it turns out to be your top ranked instrumental song. Simply a great song. 2. Because They're Young - Duane Eddy - I enjoy that guitar sound of Eddy, and this is my favorite of his 3. Last Date - Floyd Cramer - What an emotion-evoking song! It was a hit before I was into music and the radio, but became one of my favorite instrumental oldies once I was exposed to it. 4. Sleigh Ride - Leroy Anderson - Hey, you didn't say anything about holiday music. I've heard stations play this tune outside of Christmas time, although it's best known for that time of the year. 5. Telstar - the Tornadoes -- this song and its particular sound has a special place in my memory. I remember hearing it playing over the car radio at night as my dad drove our family on some vacation. I was probably half asleep in the back seat, but for some reason that's the connection I have to Telstar 6. A Taste of Honey - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - They recorded a lot of hits to choose from and I chose this one, although I struggled with The Lonely Bull as a close runner-up. 7. Love's Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra -- this tune by Barry White is, I think, one of the best instrumentals ever. I love the lush sound and all the elements of it, especially when heard on a good audio system 8. Popcorn - Hot Butter - This song was popular at the time I had my first radio job. I can remember it madly flashing the "peak" light on the studio modulation monitor, and at the time I thought that was so cool. Good tune, too, and I love cold-ending instrumentals. 9. Theme from Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures - Speaking of cold-ending instrumentals, I hope this isn't too esoteric, but this song will forever remind me of back-timing into ABC's American Contemporary Radio News. The cold ending of Hawaii Five-O fit perfectly into that news theme! (yes, I liked the song, too!) 10. The Swingin' Shepherd Blues - You know, Kent, I don't even know which version I'm referencing; all were from 1958 (according to Joel Whitburn) and that was just before my active radio listening time. But the story behind this song for me is that I'd heard the tune all my life and never paid any attention to it, nor could I name it. Several years ago, a good friend of mine and I were trying to come up with the name of that song, to no avail. Finally, he left a message on my phone "Swingin' Shepherd Blues...thank you very much" and I knew instantly what he referred to. Sadly, just a short time later he passed away, and that song title, along with other memories, will forever remind me of him. Thanks, Gary Emenitove The instrumental version of "Swinging Shepherd Blues" you're most likely familiar with is the one by The Moe Koffman Quartette ... it hit #18 in Cash Box Magazine in 1958. Versions by The Johnny Pate Quintet and David Rose ALSO charted in '58 ... but Moe's was the real "HIT" version of this tune. (One I'm sure many of you have forgotten ... until you HEAR it ... then it's IMMEDIATELY familiar again! I actually remember SINGING this song in one of our grade school assembly concerts ... so evidently there are lyrics to this song, too!)
As for Percy Faith's "Theme from 'A Summer Place'", it DOES currently lead the pack ... but not by much ... neck-and-neck behind it (as we go to press this morning) are "Sleep Walk" by Santo And Johnny, "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat and "Tequila" by The Champs ... also near the top of the heap are "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MG's, "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris, "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer and "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams. Not happy with the results so far??? Then get YOUR votes in NOW!!! We'll start recapping some of the nominees beginning Halloween Weekend ... and then present Your Top 50 Favorites over Thanksgiving Weekend ... so get your votes in soon! By the way, I think "Sleigh Ride" is a GREAT choice!!! I never would have thought of that one ... and I hope it gets a few more votes! Thanks, Gary! (kk)
Here are my favorite charted "Rock And Roll" instrumentals in no particular order: Apache - Jorgen Ingman Baja - Astronauts Nut Rocker - B. Bumble & Stingers Bumble Boogie - B. Bumble & Stingers Boogie Woogie - B. Bumble & Stingers (actually anything by these guys) Twist-Her - Bill Black Combo Movin' - Bill Black Combo Green Onions - Booker T & MGs Tuff - Ace Cannon Pipeline - Chantays Wiggle Wobble - Les Cooper Rinky Dink - Dave Baby Cortez Hot Cakes - Dave Baby Cortez On The Rebound - Floyd Cramer Honky Tonk - Bill Doggett Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy In The Mood - Ernie Fields Raunchy - Ernie Freeman Red River Rock - Johnny & Hurricanes Reveille Rock - Johnny & Hurricanes Memphis - Lonnie Mack Wham - Lonnie Mack Last Night - Mar-Keys Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson Teen Beat - Sandy Nelson Penetration - Pyramids Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny You Can't Sit Down - Phil Upchurch Walk Don't Run - Ventures Perfidia - Ventures I am a big instrumental fan and have hundreds more charted ones I really like. There are a few uncharted ones that that I think deserve at least a mention. Great uncharted Instrumentals Mad Lad - Chuck Berry (one of my all time favorites) Scorpion - Carnations (on the Louisville CDs I sent you years ago) The Crawl - Willie Mitchell Seagrams - Viceroys Steve A few more titles off the beaten path here ... many of these titles HAVE received votes thus far ... but in the "single digit" category. What I'll probably end up doing is pair the list down to the most obvious couple of hundred titles or so and then run THAT list and encourage you to vote for your favorites from that point forward for titles contained on the list. (We'll also try to feature a few of these instrumental hits along the way as sort of a reminder as to which song is which!!! A bit more difficult to remember sometimes when there aren't any lyrics to help you along!) When all is said and done, we'll publish the FINAL list of your Top 50 Unsung Favorites!!! (kk)
Am I the only one old enough to remember Hand Clappin by Red Prysock? It was a classic rock instrumental and deserves a spot on the list. Honorable mention should go to 7 11 by the Gone All-stars. Bob Hughes Actually, that's the first mention of EITHER of these songs!!! (Just how old ARE you?!?!?!!! lol) kk
There have been some great instrumentals over the years. On my live request show, by far the most requested has been Wipe Out by the Surfaris (although it does have a one word lyric). Other runners up include Love is Blue-Paul Mauriat, Rebel Rouser-Duane Eddy, Green Onions-Booker T, and Soulful Strut-Young Holt Unlimited. When I was first in radio I had a big dislike for instrumentals. It was a Light Adult format. Once per hour, according to the dj hot clock, they made us play non-hit instrumentals. I had to play Lenny Dee playing Free Ride, the Living Strings playing Crocodile Rock etc. They wouldn't let us play the real versions, but we could play the schlock versions. Instrumentals which were hits were considered vocals. I was glad to get out of that format! I do have a few instros that I never get tired of hearing. They include: 1. The Horse-Cliff Nobles (when I was on the basketball team in high school, every pep band played that song). 2. Ame Caline (Soul Coaxing)-Raymond Lefevre 3. Scratchy-Travis Wammack (I have played his vocal backwards. It sounded the same) 4. Walk Don't Run-Ventures 5. Music Box Dancer-Frank Mills 6. Hocus Pocus-Focus (does yodeling count against it being an instrumental?) 7. Gale Winds-Egyptian Combo (a WLS hit) 8. Home Bound-Ted Nugent (Cat Scratch Fever album cut. I believe the Air Force used this on TV ads in the 70s) 9. Classical Gas-Mason Williams 10. Peter Gunn-Duane Eddy (the Mancini version is great and so is the Blues Brothers Band version) I look forward to seeing the results of the voting. Phil Nee Wrco FM 100.9 Stay tuned ... there is now a chance that Phil will be counting down our winners!!! (kk)
I have to add my 2 cents. I like the latest Top 50 List, but I still think some are missing. What about, Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell - Dueling Banjos, Mason Williams - Classical Gas, Bob Crewe Generation - Music To Watch Girls By and Apollo 100 - Joy. Hope you find what you are looking for - SMiLE :) Mark "Gramps" Meinhart I asked Randy Price where THESE songs fell in the Instrumental countdown ... and here's what he had to say ... Kent, If the list were extended to 60 positions, "Dueling Banjos" would have just made it onto the bottom rung (less than one point ahead of "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles). "Classical Gas" would have been at least 10 positions below that, and the other two mentioned were not even in the running. ("Music To Watch Girls By," while a barely making the top 10 in Cash Box, peaked at only #15 in Billboard. Most of the records in the top 50 peaked in the top 5 of one or both charts.) Randy
re: WHAT'S NEW?: Hey there KK, Celebrating my birthday here in Nashville with another Libra, my old pal & co-producer Denny Martin (http://www.dennymartinmusic.com/). We're playing at the Commodore here on Wednesday Oct 21st. Just wanted to say hi & thanks for mentioning me in connection with my child abusesong "Please Don't Believe Me". A couple of children's organizations now use the song as part of programs to raise awareness. Keep on keepin' it on, Alan O'Day
Here's a brand new remix of a Forgotten Hits favorite: Click here: YouTube - Orpheus "Can't Find the Time to Tell You" Extended remix and tribute....Please Rate! RockaBOB Nice remix ... a bit long on the intro (2 1/2 minutes before the actual song comes in) ... but one of our favorites, for sure! Definitely worth a viewing or two ... and it's neat to see that original Orpheus lead singer Bruce Arnold even posted a comment! (We need to get THIS guy on the list!!!) VERY cool vintage performance video, too ... thanks, Bob! (kk)
MOON RIVER AND ME ... is the title of Andy Williams' auto-biography ... officially released earlier this month. The legendary pop-crooner visited with Charlie Gracie, Jr. and wife Kim at the end of special book signing in Ridgewood, New Jersey last on 10/14/09. In the attached pic -- Andy holds a copy of the made for PBS - TV Documentary: CHARLIE GRACIE: FABULOUS! (2007) which he appeared in. Charlie and Andy shared Number One honors with Butterfly in 1957. Andy and Charlie just returned from concert appearances in the United Kingdom where both enjoy a strong following. Andy phoned Charlie from the signing and invited him to come perform next year in Branson, Mo. at his Moon River Theater. Stay tuned for more info on that --- coming soon! Charlie Gracie, Jr.
And, in what can ONLY be described as the "Deal of a Lifetime", American Idol Runner-Up Adam Lambert's brand new video, "Time For Miracles", will be shown in theaters as part of the "opening act" before the Michael Jackson film "This Is It"!!! What a GOLDMINE Score THIS is!!! Literally MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people around the world will catch this special "Sneak Peek" Preview from the upcoming film "2012" ... AND, in plenty of time before the release of Lambert's new CD, due out November 24th. (Amazingly, for the past two weeks, Lambert's post-idol debut has ALREADY been the #1 best selling CD on Amazon.com in PRE-ORDERS ... meaning that there is already a greater demand for an album that you can't even buy yet than for ANY other release that you CAN actually buy!!! Unreal!!! This thing is going to be HUGE!!! And to think that he came in in second place!!!) Here's a bit more of the story from RollingStone.com:
The music video for Adam Lambert’s “Time for Miracles,” from the upcoming apocalypse flick 2012, will fittingly debut in movie theaters: the American Idol runner-up’s clip is set to premiere as part of a trailer before Michael Jackson’s This Is It when the documentary hits the big screen on October 28th. As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, a brief audio clip of “Time of Miracles” was unveiled this weekend, but fans won’t have to wait that long to hear the power ballad, as Lambert tells MTV that the full song should be released around October 18th. Go behind the scenes of Lambert’s RS cover shoot in exclusive photos. “[The video] was really performance-driven. It was really about the lyric content and the emotional guts of the song,” Lambert told MTV. As 2012 focuses on the end of the world, Lambert’s blockbuster video will also feature scenes of disaster, as people will panic and loot as the Wild Idol belts out “Miracles” amid the chaos. “That was pretty wild, to try to stay focused on the song while that was happening,” Lambert said. Footage of 2012 will also be interlaced into the video. See what surprises Adam Lambert has planned for his “sexy” November debut. “Time for Miracles” was produced by Rob Cavallo, who also recorded some tracks for Lambert’s upcoming post-Idol debut. “[Cavallo] pushed me to the limit,” Lambert told MTV. “I sang for my life. It was quite a day of recording, but it turned out great.” Cavallo let a few details slip out to Yahoo! Music, listing “Suburban Decay,” “Winners” and “Music Again” as songs that potentially could wind up on Lambert’s album. Lambert is still hard at work on his much-anticipated debut, Twittering last night that he was working with Howard Benson, who previously produced Daughtry, Creed and Kelly Clarkson. “This album is gonna be Siiiiiiiiiiiick,” Lambert tweeted. re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS: I remember walking from Reading Terminal to the old Civic Center in Philadelphia to see a show. It was the mid to late 60s. The show included Neil Diamond, The Soul Survivors, The Four Seasons, and several other groups that I don’t remember. Does anyone remember this show and who else was performing? mje Let's put this one out there to all our Philly readers (and, from what I understand, there are QUITE a few of you!) Anybody else recall this show? Let us know. (kk)
And, I think we may have found the answer to last week's puzzler!!! >>>I have been looking for a maybe early '60's tune called Angelico. I don't know who wrote it or who sang it, but a Peter Maffay does a German version that I found on iTunes ... but I remember hearing it in English as a kid. Any help on this forgotten hit? I have asked and asked and so far haven't even gotten a reply. (Bill) >>>A quick check of Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles book came up empty ... maybe somebody else on the list recalls this one??? (kk) >>>Is Bill thinking of "Angelica"? That song was written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil and originally released as a Capitol single by Mann in 1966 (it Bubbled Under in Billboard at #111, but peaked at #96 in Cash Box). In the next five years, there were at least 10 other single releases of the song, the most notable by Oliver on Crewe Records in 1970 (his version peaked at #97 in Billboard, #84 in Cash Box and #73 in Record World). Some of the other artists who released single versions in that period were Barry Gordon (Dunhill), Johnny Crawford (Sidewalk), Wayne Newton (MGM) and Ed Ames (RCA Victor).-(Randy Price)>>>Bill, could your song be "Angelica" by Oliver (Swofford) from 1970? It was his 45 followup to "Sunday Morning". (Clark Besch) >>>How about Bud & Travis on their "Best Of" release? (Guy Arnston in Algonquin) >>>I LOVE a mystery. I have come up with two possibilities in Bill's search for Angelico. 1. Angelito - Rene and Rene on Columbia from the summer of 1964. 2. Angelica. Original version by its songwriter Barry Mann on Capitol in the summer of 1966. Cover versions by Johnny Crawford on Sidewalk, Oliver on Crewe, and the Sandpipers lp cut from their Guantanama album on A&M. (Allan) >>>OK, Bill, we've given you ALL kinds of choices here ... now you've just GOT to get back to us and tell us which one it is!!! (kk) >>>Hey thanks for all of the advice and help. But so far still no luck. The words I recall are something like this: "Angelico, Angelico Momma got to take you back. Angelico, Angelico teach you all the things you lack." Neither of the songs at the Forgotten Hits site are familiar. I found the song, at least the correct tune as I don't understand German, done by Peter Maffay on I tunes. Take a listen and see if anything rings a bell. Someone out there besides me surely remembers this forgotten tune. Thanks. (Bill) >>>So we're STILL looking for answers on this one ... perhaps the addition of a few lyrics will help to ring a bell with one of our readers. Let us know ... and, if you have the track to share, all the better! (kk)
The additional information regarding some of the lyrics seemed to do the trick ... we just got this from FH Reader (and often contributor) Tom Diehl: Kent, This is Angelique-O by the Brothers Four, the b side of Greenfields ... Harry Belafonte also cut a version of it four years earlier on an lp and also available on an EP (but never a single). I don't know who wrote it, but I suppose I could dig out my 45 of Greenfields or the EP I have the Harry Belafonte version on -- nah i'll just send the mp3s ... being that Bill said early 1960's, he is probably looking for the Brothers Four version. Tom Diehl I sent copies of BOTH of these versions to Bill to see if we had nailed another one ... along with this note: I think we've found it!!! Try THIS one on for size ... "Angelique-O" was the B-Side of The Brothers Four Hit "Greenfields" from 1960 ... it was ALSO cut by Harry Belafonte a few years earlier. I'm guessing that ONE of these is your long sought after mystery tune. (Kudos to Tom Diehl and the AMAZING group of people we have on our Forgotten Hits list for coming up with this one!) Then again, I suppose that it COULD be the Harry Belafonte version that you grew up listening to ... 'cause, let's face it ... EVERYBODY's parents back then played Harry Belafonte records around the house!!! (lol) You said early '60's, so we sent The Brothers Four's version first ... but Harry Belafonte's take just may be the one ... from 1957. Please let us know if we can put another notch up on The Forgotten Hits Mystery Board!!! (kk)
I thank you for the effort. This is the tune I was looking for. I didn't know which version I remembered hearing but Mom said it was Harry Belafonte's so I will take her word for it. Thanks so much for making Mom smile at this one. I am looking for another, more on the C & W side. It probably came out in the late 60's. I thought it was titled "The Gunfighter" but I haven't found it under that title. Again I don't know the artist or the author. Here are some of the words: "He used to be a very peaceful man - Till a band of strangers burned his home and took his land. Now you put bad in a good man and trouble you got some, like a gunfighter, a gunfighter. Thanks again, Bill OK class ... let's see what we can come up with on THIS one!!! (kk)
Meanwhile, Tom Diehl came up with ANOTHER one, too ... check this out! >>>I'm looking for an instrumental called "Margo" done by a group called The Larks. It came out in late 1962 or 1963. I've been trying to find it for years with no success. Can you or someone help me out? I'd love to have a copy of it. Thanks! (Anita) >>>OK, let's see how we do on THIS one!!! Anybody? Buehler??? Buehler??? (kk) Kent, why the hell don't ya email me anymore?? LOL I don't have enough time in my world to be able to read the FH website as often as i'd like ... when I get home from work and am tired from 8 solid hours of manual labor, my first thoughts are to come in, sit down, and turn on Topshelf Oldies while checking my email, not websites ... anyway, I saw this one and figured I may as well send it along even though ya didn't ask me for it! LOL Tom Nearly EVERYTHING goes up on the site these days ... just easier that way as I, too, have VERY little extra time to devote to this anymore ... but thanks for your help on both of these ... you'll find your answers posted ... ON THE WEBSITE ... later this week ... along with lots of OTHER really cool stuff thanks to the contributions of so many of our readers!!! (kk) Kent, Now how am I ever gonna be able to thank you and the FH readers enough?? You all have made my day, my week, my month, and about 47 years!!!!! You found my song!! You're the greatest!!!!!! With so much never ending gratitude, Anita
And a brand new challenge ... Kent, I need some help with an old Mamas and Papas ( before they started their band ) song that is featured on the Straight Shooter Documentary. I've tried so many ways to see if this song exists and what the correct title is. All I can give the readers are some lyrics and the documentary itself to refer to. This was a trio with Denny Doherty, Michelle Phillips and John Phillips. I believe the song was called Rake and Ramblin Man or Cumberland City. It goes something like this ... I am a rake and a ramblin man, many of city I have been, the Cumberland City is where ... ? Well a Cumberland City, yes, I married me a wife, loved her better than I did my life ... She treated me fine by night and day ... . Well a pretty little girl 17 years old. Hair just as shiny as the ... gold ...??? Again, for our readers, this song is sung on the Straight Shooter Documentary and I am wondering if this is available anywhere in it's entirety ? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been able to find the Journeyman and The Big Three which is also featured in this documentary. Bob Morrow I think we may have tackled this one once before ... it sounds vaguely familiar to me. Let's run it back up the flagpole and see what comes back. (kk)
Hey Kent, There's an instrumental that I've tried to find for many years, but have had no luck. Maybe you, or someone on the list can help me find it. The song was used by Dan Ingram on WABC in NY to end his show every day. It's a great Big Band type song called Tri-Fi Drums by the Billy May Orchestra, but I haven't been able to obtain a copy. I've searched record stores in Manhattan, CT, Pennsylvania and Boston and many on-line sources but have had no luck. Can anybody out there help me? Thank You, Eddie, Orange, CT I wasn't familiar with this one either ... so I turned it over to Forgotten Hits Detective Tom Diehl ... who says ... I was able to find it online in mono ... I am bidding on a copy of an LP that contains the song in stereo. If I win it, I will send a dub of it along, however it will be a few weeks as I am going out of town (again) for about a week starting Monday. Tom I think the mono version will suffice for now, don't you, Eddie??? (kk)
re: THE WLS CHART: I was overjoyed to get a xerox copy of that first chart two decades ago. As I was only four, I had no memories of that period, so I went right out and got copies of "Shortnin' Bread" and "Ruby Duby Du". "Bread" really surprised me. Quite a rockin' record, for its time, of a song we all grew up knowing. It was like Sounds Incorporated backing a Trashmen track! I had no idea what to expect with a title like "Du" had, so it made sense when it was an instrumental. With all of the hubbub the press gives celebrity deaths these days, "Let's Think About Living" certainly was ahead of its time. Actually, "Hillbilly Heaven" was another one like this. With as little as the media touched the Buddy Holly plane crash, "Three Stars" (with a similar idea) probably was the idea behind Bob Luman's hit and actually did more to make stars of the three deaths than the press ever did at the time!"Alvin for President" was one of my first 45s and I still have the pic sleeve 45 -- VERY tattered and beat up! I interviewed Gene Taylor (pictured on chart) about the early days and he said he brought in DJs from various areas, but almost all were hired on word of mouth or knowing the person previously. Only one was hired via a tape. I cannot remember which it was, but he soon left. WLSClark / Clark Besch Ruby Duby Du was a pretty fair-sized hit here in Chicago, topping both the WLS Chart AND the WJJD Chart. In fact, it has already earned a few votes in our Favorite Instrumentals Poll. (kk)
Hi Kent ... Saw the nice Billboard ad on Tobin Matthews and thought you might like to see a picture sleeve I have for “Ruby Duby Du”. I believe it’s one of the rarer sleeves of that era – a great rock & roll instrumental! Joel We covered "Ruby Duby Du" AND Tobin Matthews in much greater detail a few years back in Forgotten Hits. As I recall, one of our readers tracked him down under his REAL name of Willy Henson ... I think he may have passed away a short while later (but don't see that in your latest book so I could be wrong. Maybe Ron Smith will remember??? 'Cause I think it was RON who did the original research on this.) In any event, part of the mystery was because on SOME pressings his name was spelled with two "T's" and on other pressings, only with one "T". While we DID track down pressings showing the name spelled both ways, this is the first time I've seen a Picture Sleeve for this record ... so thanks for sending! A very popular instrumental here in Chi-Town back in 1960. (kk)
Here's how Ron Smith remembers it ... Actually, I had heard Tobin / Willie on Steve King's show with announcer Jan Gabriel, I believe, and wrote Jan to try and contact him. Instead, Tobin wrote me back, and I passed the e-mail on to Joel Whitburn.Tobin (yes, I believe he was from Calumet City) said he was named after the son of the President of Chief Records. And although the first pressing of "Ruby Duby Du" spelled Matthews with one "T", the child's name had two T's, so they corrected it later. One "T" is therefore inaccurate, despite being first (I spelled it with one T in my book because I owned a first pressing).I lost the e-mail when my client program crashed, unfortunately.I don't remember hearing that Tobin had passed away. I'm sure Steve King would know one way or the other.Hope this helps. - Ron I do remember sending Joel Tobin's real name after this blurb ran in FH ... I just can't remember all of the details ... a quick search of The Forgotten Hits Archives didn't turn up anything so it's all just part of my ever-fading memory now!!! (lol) kk
And, speaking of great memories ...
Hi Kent; Perhaps I can shed some light on those first two WLS Silver Dollar Surveys. The anomaly concerning “Shortnin Bread’ and “Stay” was that Sam Holman, the PD, was trying to establish his brand! I asked Sam that same question when I arrived in 1961. His answer was quite simple. Both WJJD 1160 and WIND 670 had been rocking for several years before WLS came on the scene. To establish his brand, Sam recognized that he had to break away from the pack, the Billboard Hot 100, and give the kids something they had never heard before. It didn’t matter that he was taking a chance on an unproven record, it mattered only that in the mind of the teen listener that here was something no one else was playing and it was new. When the survey hit the record stores once again the teens found something new and it placed WLS on the cutting edge in the mind of the listeners. Sam drilled that into me and when I became PD I also put the concept into play with “Kind of a Drag, “Sugar and Spice” “Gloria” and others. We remember those hits but we don’t recall there was some dogs that Sam, Gene Taylor and I programmed that didn’t get off the ground. Branding was and is all about giving the customer a new experience. Clark Weber One more thing about the erratic placing of some of the songs on those early WLS Silver Dollar surveys! The information on those surveys was compiled by Sam Holman’s secretary. I believe her name was Sandy. She was drop dead gorgeous ... however she was a scatterbrain. At the WLS Christmas party that year (1960) Sandy became a bit inebriated and informed Sam’s wife that Sam was laying her more than the wife. The wife hauled off and smacked Sandy and the two of them got into a knocked down slug fest at the Ambassador East hotel. The GM, Ralph Beaudin informed Sam that gorgeous or not, Sandy had to go. Maxine Brannigan was brought in as Sam’s secretary (equally lovely) and the Silver Dollar Surveys reliability settled down. Clark PS: I inherited Maxine from Gene Taylor when I became PD. She confirmed the story of Sandy and told me that her (Maxine’s) job description included not sharing several of the more interesting parts of her anatomy with any PD or Baudin would fire her. And she didn’t damn it! Her picture is on page 74 in my book. lol ... funny stuff!!! Thanks, Clark! By the way, you can pick up a copy of Clark Weber's book, "Rock And Roll Radio, The Fun Years, 1955 - 1975, at amazon.com ... Click here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0979789222/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=2846843787&ref=pd_sl_900wstq1aw_b (kk)
