Believe it or not, one of the hottest concert tickets out there right now is for the "Happy Together Again" tour featuring The Buckinghams, Rob Grill and the Grass Roots, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders) and Flo and Eddie (aka The Turtles).
They've been playing to sold out theaters all over the country ... in fact, tonight they'll be appearing at The Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
FH Reader Gary Renfield (of R.I.P. Renfield fame) sent us this local newspaper clipping from Memorial Day ... great press (other than the fact that the journalist got several of the facts wrong!!!) First of all, the photo caption mis-identifies Carl Giammarese, who reporter Mark Voger interviewed for the piece. (How do you spend time interviewing somebody and then NOT know which guy in the band he is?!?! Especially the FRONT man of the band!!! For the record, that's Bob Abrams holding the guitar ... who isn't even part of the Happy Together Again Tour!) It also incorrectly credits Carl with editing in the psychedelic interlude found in their hit single "Susan" ... ALSO not true. Due to a badly worded sentence, it's all but lost on the reader that it was producer James Williams Guercio who made that call ... to the complete surprise of the entire band. (Oh well, thank God there are oldies publications out there like Forgotten Hits to continue to set these stories straight!!! lol)
(click to enlarge photo)
This was in the Newark, NJ Star Ledger on Memorial Day ... May 31
The theater is a really beautiful place ... they do tons of shows ... The Buckinghams and the rest of the bunch are theer this Friday
Gary
I was able to ask a couple of the performers about how the tour was going so far ... we've heard nothing but positive response from our readers ... unfortunately, they're not passing through Chicago this time around ... but there are still plenty of dates left, giving our readers a great opportunity to see some '60's music legends live in concert.
JUNE Fri June 4 - The Paramount Theatre / Asbury Park, NJ Sat June 5 - Theatre at Westbury / Westbury, NY Sun June 6 - Tags Outdoor Theatre, The Summer Stage / Big Flats NY Sat June 13 - Soboba Casino / San Jacinto CA
JULY Tue July 20 - Keswick Theater / Glenside, PA Wed July 21 - Paramount Center For The Arts / Peekskill, NY Thu July 22 - Asser Levy Park, Coney Island / Brooklyn, NY Fri July 23 - Meadowbrook Pavillion / Gilford, NH Sat July 24 - Cape Cod Melody Tent / Hyannis, MA Sun July 25 - South Shore Music Circus / Cohasset, MA Wed July 28 - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center / Atlanta, GA Thur July 29 - Hard Rock Hotel and Casino / Hollywood, FL Fri July 30 - Peabody Auditorium / Daytona Beach, FL Sat July 31 - Ruth Eckerd Hall / Clearwater, FL
SEPTEMBER Sun Sept 26 - Los Angeles County Fair / Pomona, CA
(Note: All dates subject to change without notice)
From Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams:
Hi Kent,
The Happy Together 25th anniversary tour has been fabulous! Sellout shows! The show has been so well received. We have played to packed houses and that's fabulous considering they are big venues ... outdoor amphitheatres along with some very nice old theatres, too, like the Fox in St.Louis. It's an experience Nick and I haven't had in a long time traveling on a tour bus. Try sleeping, ha ha. I must say it is a very well run tour. I think everyone on the tour is performing their hits with authenticity, but what's really great to see is the wonderful audience response. It's so much more than just performing the songs. It's the way we relate to our fans and bringing back the experience of the late 60's.
Nick and I had the opportunity to travel one day with Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan by car. What would you think those zany guys listen to on the car CD player? Hendrix? Zappa? NO, Frank Sinatra, yes Sinatra. It has been a pleasure getting to know Mark Lindsay and Micky Dolenz, too ... what great, talented people they are.
I can give you an update again later on.
Carl
From Howard Kaylan of The Turtles:
Hiya Kent;
Things are really wonderful out here this summer for the Happy Together Tour's 25th Anniversary Celebration. We've got Mickey Dolenz out with the Turtles this year as well as Mark Lindsay, The Grass Roots and the Buckinghams ... Wonderful crowds, beautiful theaters, and -- as long as we can keep the rain away -- the best summer tour ever!
We just left the midwest and are now in Connecticut. Tonight we make our way to Asbury Park, where I'm absolutely certain the the ghost of Bruce Springsteen will be joining us onstage ... probably looking a lot like Mark Volman ... in a now-famous purple jacket!
Then it's Westbury for our annual visit. We actually take a break for a few weeks afterwards and resume mid-July to start up again back in the Northeast and ending up in Florida where all good tours reach their conclusion.
If you're sixties music fans, or just want to turn your children on to the great hits that you experienced while growing up, I guarantee you'll get a lot of bang for your buck out here with us this summer.
I'll report again in a couple of weeks as our second leg begins.
Thanks to all our fans for their continued support ... Oh, and let us know who you'd like to see on NEXT year's Happy Together Tour at www.theturtles.com
We also received a couple of concert reviews from two of our readers who caught the current "Happy Together Again" tour in Omaha this past week. Ironically, these folks turned in nearly identical reviews. (Man, now I wanna see Mark Lindsay again!!! Sounds like he's been the highlight of the show!) Read on:
Last night we went and saw the "Happy Together Tour", 25th Anniversary in Omaha. I had made it to the first tour back in 1985, which featured several of the groups that played last night also. Last night's show had two of the founding members of the Buckinghams, Mark Lindsay, Rob Grill of the Grass Roots, Micky Dolenz, and finally Flo & Eddie of the Turtles. Over all it was a pretty decent show with good backing bands helping these artists with the 60's sound. The Buckinghams sounded better than great, like right off the original 45's. Nice touch also is that they did several other songs from the Soul Survivors and Brooklyn Bridge perfectly. Top performance in both my wife's and my eyes was by Mark Lindsay. He still can sing and move great for a 68 yr old. Low point of the show was by Rob Grill. Wasn't aware he was suffering from some sort of physical problem. He really never did sing, but more so shouted out the words to the songs as the music played. He never left a chair the entire performance and was helped on and off the stage. Micky Dolenz did acceptable job. I've never felt he was the greatest singer in the world to start with and the Monkees benefited from some great songs by some great song writers to boost their popularity along with a TV show, which didn't hurt at the time. Flo & Eddie (The Turtles) were good but I felt they were lacking a bit. Songs sung were almost secondary to the banter they felt they had to do. I would gladly play the full price of tickets to just have seen both the Buckinghams and Mark Lindsay full shows. I would say catch the show if in your area. sixtiesoldiesguy Rich
Kent, I thought your readers might enjoy the review of the Happy Together tour my brother went to a couple nights ago in Omaha. I couldn't make it, but here's his review: The Buckinghams: Rating: Good ... Performed their 67-68 hits plus a nice rendition of "The Worst That Could Happen". Definitely got the crowd involved starting with "Don't You Care", getting the crowd chanting "I Love You, Yes I Do, I Do." during "Susan". Finisher was "Kind of a Drag" and they really rocked it out to the end. Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and The Raiders: Rating: Excellent ... Mark came out with a bright shirt and sunglasses ready to rock! He opened with a medley of "Too Much Talk" and "Just Like Me". He rocked to "Louie, Louie" before hitting his only solo effort with a terrific rendition of "Arizona". I loved it, but couldn't help but wish he would've done "Silver Bird" and "Been Too Long on The Road". Next was "Indian Reservation", which was really missing something without any strings. It was still great to hear him sing it live. He bounced on into "Hungry" and a rocked out version of "Good Thing" with some super guitar work by the band. He talked about dressing in the ruffled shirt and tri-pointed hats and a video was shown in the background which was fun to see. Mark finished telling us how much he loved the 60s and then one day he woke up and found himself in the 60s again! (age), but he was still loving to get his "Kicks". Mark was someone I've always wanted to see and he didn't disappoint me. For my money, he made the concert. The Grass Roots featuring Rob Grill: Rating: Fair ... Well, Mark Lindsay was a tough act to follow and Rob Grill certainly wasn't up to it. I'm certainly glad I saw the Grass Roots twice before so I could remember better days for Rob. He has apparently has had four hip replacement surgeries and deals with a lot of pain, so he was seated on a stool for the entire gig. Lead Guitarist Dusty Hanvey provided ample support and stepped up when needed with excellent vocals.Rob started with "Heaven Knows" and his choices included "Let's Live For Today"; "Sooner or Later"; "Temptation Eyes"; "I'd Wait A Million Years"; and finished with "Midnight Confessions". He seemed in a hurry to finish and was glad when it was over. A 15 minute break followed. Micky Dolenz of The Monkees: Rating: Very Good ... Dolenz started with "That Was Then, This is Now" -- not one of my favorites. He handled "Pleasant Valley Sunday"; "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"; and "Last Train To Clarksville" with ease. Next he talked about how great it was for them to play with Jimi Hendrix who opened for their first tour. Micky did a terrific rendition of "Purple Haze" with some outstanding guitar work. He stopped in the middle of the song to explain how Hendrix had to put up with Monkee fans yelling "We want Davy!" chants after every song! Given how big Hendrix music has become, it seems so ridiculous today. I was hoping he would move into one of the more psychedelic hits like "Words" or "Take A Giant Step", but instead he moved on to a rockin' rendition of "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone". About five bars into the song, Mark Lindsay stormed onto the stage to stop the music, charging Dolenz with stealing the Raiders song. Dolenz admited it was true and invited Lindsay to join him in playing "The Monkees Hit" song! Mark grabbed a tambourine and the two of them did an awesome job sharing their "hit". Dolenz fumbled around, admitting Davy Jones sang the lead on "Daydream Believer". Dolenz gave ample credit deservedly to the many excellent songwriters that made the Monkees songs great. He finished by telling the "kids" in the audience that he did the following song before any had ever heard of Shrek! A nice rounded out production of "I'm A Believer" followed. As expected Micky was very entertaining and a lot of fun! The Turtles: Rating: Very Good ... These guys are clearly young at heart. Opening with "You Baby", the crowd was immediately involved in the singing. Lots of showmanship followed with hits mixed in: "She'd Rather Be With Me"; "It Ain't Me, Babe"; "Elenore" and "You Showed Me". The guys did a fun parody of Bruce Springsteen, making fun of his poor choice of words and incoherent ramblings at concerts and in his songs. They also had some fun with Doors songs, played with skill by the band and there was even a little Iron Butterfly mixed in. Unfortunately they left out "She's My Girl" or they would've gotten an excellent rating. The Turtles still sound great. The concert finished with "Happy Together" and there was a CD signing session by the artists. Overall: Very Good ... The place was a great concert venue with excellent acoustics, but many upper seats were unsold with tickets at $35 and $45 on the main floor. It's a good time, but keep your expectations reasonable if you go. Clark Besch
Having seen ALL of these artists many times over the past several years, this is one heck of a bill for an oldies show. Too bad about Rob Grill, but I've heard that he is in a tremendous amount of pain. (Readers have written in over the past few years about Sonny Geraci of The Outsiders doing a number of Grass Roots shows in Rob's absence when he was physically unable to perform.) Micky, The Bucks and The Turtles are ALWAYS entertaining in concert ... and it sounds like Mark Lindsay has come a LONG way in embracing his past again. A real plus is hearing that the artists are having as much fun as the fans! Sounds like a show well worth seeing if it comes to your area. Thanks, Guys! (kk)
A few more fan reviews:
Carl and Nick from the Buckinghams absolutely rocked at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix as part of the new Happy Together tour. They clearly had the best vocals and polished performance. Nice job, too, by Mark Lindsay, Micky Dolenz and the Turtles. The meet and greet line after the concert was LONG! Looking forward to seeing the Bucks again soon! Jim
Rob Grill is in a lot of pain. I believe he's on his fourth hip replacement and the fact that he chooses to go out and perform at all is a real plus for all the Grass Roots fans out there. It's great to see him as part of a sensational line-up of artists - all of these guys provided the soundtrack of the '60's and their music lives on through oldies radio to this day. It's all feel-good music and this concert brought out the teenager in each and every one of us. In fact, you might not believe just how many teenagers - and younger - kids were in the audience, singing right along with every word. (Obviously, as CSN might say, these parents have taught their children well!)
Dana
I was VERY pleased with what I saw at The Happy Together Tour this year - what a lineup! Biggest surprise of all? Mark Lindsay - he literally stole the show. (Having seen Mark perform as part of a similar bill a few years back I can only tell you that this is a complete turn-around from that performance where he came out, sang four songs and looked as though he couldn't wait to get off the stage!) All of the acts were good - lots of energy for a group of performers who came from the '60's ... and are now IN their '60's!!! Highly recommended to all oldies fans everywhere - if this show is coming to a theater anywhere near you, check it out - you will not be disappointed.
Rick
A quick look at the schedule above shows you that this is a pretty hectic pace ... in some cases, the guys are performing as many as 5, 6 or 7 shows a week ... and each one in a different town. That's a rough schedule for a 25 year old, let alone these seasoned veterans. (Check out Carl Giammarese's comment above about traveling on a tour bus again ... I can't even IMAGINE!!!) But they seem to be lovin' it ... and so is the audience ... so thanks, guys, for helping to keep this great music alive. Between The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, Paul Revere and the Raiders (plus Mark Lindsay's solo hits), Micky Dolenz with The Monkees and The Turtles, these artists account for nearly SIXTY Top 40 Hits of the '60's ... a stellar line-up indeed! (kk)
I did like the overall show of the Happy Together, Mark Lindsey is what carried it. Though I was not Happy when I did not see the Buckinghams as a Band. Carl and Nick did a good job, but I was expecting to see and hear the well rounded sound and antics of the band. Is this gong to be the norm? I hope the band we know isnt really gone and that this is just a "Happy" thing. Jim Krupa
For the record, the band is still intact and has several more concert appearances coming up this year with the full band members on board. (The Buckinghams recently changed drummers after Tom Scheckel, a 27-year Buckinghams veteran joined Paul Revere and the Raiders ... the version WITHOUT Mark Lindsay ... down in Branson.) The rest of the band remains intact. A special all-purpose back-up band was put together for The Happy Together Tour, allowing the pace of the show to move a little quicker ... now the singers just come out and join the band when performing their hits. With Carl and Nick being the two remaining original members of The Bucks, the decision was made to have these two perform this series of dates.
For individual tour schedules (and all the latest news) be sure to visit these websites:
Another year has come and gone ... since we last talked about "Billie Joe".
>>>I've always hated this song ... this is the record that knocked The Cryan' Shames out of the #1 Spot here in Chicago! (Jim "Hooke" Pilster / The Cryan' Shames)
We've saluted Bobbie Gentry's MONSTER #1 Hit several times now over the past few years on the anniversary of the date that Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchee Bridge.
Once again, we've tried to track Bobbie down without success ... word is she's become quite a recluse over the past couple of decades ... too bad because we'd LOVE to hear from her!
Last year her appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was released on DVD Home Video ... it's a classic interpretation of her hit tune.
>>>There's more Ode to Billie Joe theories than there are about the JFK assassination. I love it! zamusicza
Gentry had ANOTHER Top 40 Hit in 1970 with "Fancy", a song later covered with great country chart success by Reba McEntire ... but you rarely get to hear the Bobbie Gentry original version on the radio anymore.
It's always been one of my favorites ... and makes the PERFECT companion piece not only for our annual salute to "Ode To Billie Joe" but ALSO another great set for our on-going "One You Remember ... One You Didn't Even Know You Forgot!" Series!!! (We're hoping that we can convince Scott Shannon to run another True Oldies Channel / Forgotten Hits Weekends REAL soon where we do exactly that ... play one that you know ... and one that you didn't even know you'd forgotten because it simply doesn't receive airplay anymore!!!)
(By the way, Bobbie Gentry also hit Billboard's Top 40 twice by way of a couple of Everly Brothers remakes recorded with Glen Campbell ... their version of "Let It Be Me" went to #36 in 1969 and their take on "All I Have To Do Is Dream" reached #27 a year later. Gentry was briefly married to novelty artist Jim Stafford, who gave us great classics like "Spiders And Snakes", "Wildwood Weed" and one of my all-time favorite love songs, "My Girl Bill"!)
Yep, I remember .. here in Chicago I was out bailing cotton and my sister was bailing hay. -- Chicago Mike A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout Billie Joe. I think I'll pick some flowers up on Choctaw Ridge and throw them into the muddy water off the Tallhatchee Bridge. Ironically, the real Tallahatchee Bridge -- which collapsed in 1972 -- was over water so shallow people routinely jumped off without drowning. But then, Billie Joe never had a lick o'sense. Y'all remember to wipe your feet ... -- Ron Smith
High tide too! Austin Roberts
If I remember right, 44 years ago today was just another sleepy delta day. Mark Actually, it was DUSTY, too!!! (lol) kk I knew there was another adjective that went in there but couldn't think of anything but sh***y! Mark LOL ... yeah, that'll work!!! (lol) kk
44 years ... and I STILL hate that song! Clay Pasternack
you have toooo much extra time on your hands …………. Stan Burkat
OH MY .............. I hadn't heard because I WAS OUT CHOPPIN' COTTON AND MY BROTHER WAS BALING HAY!!!! Gerri
I'd help you celebrate ... but I'm too busy passing the biscuits. Jack
YOU ARE THE BEST! SCOTT SHANNON
Reminds me of the time a frog was put down my back at a picture show .... I think I'll go get me some biscuits -- Chuck Pattillo
Hey, I saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge ... Lorne
Well now nosy Brother Taylor, you must've seen me and Billy Joe throw somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge ... ;) -- Linda G
Well, I'll be pleased to keep quiet about it if you make me a nice dinner on Sunday ... -- Brother Taylor
re: UP-COMING SHOWS: I am constantly on the look out for concerts by our favorite oldies artists, especially in the Chicagoland area, summer fests, shows, etc. I'm not sure how difficult it would be but is it possible to run an announcement column listing upcoming shows on your emails? I figure if anyone would know who was performing where it would be you and your close contacts. Just a thought. Have a Great holiday weekend. Thanks. Scott Schultz We'll help promote specific shows when the artists contact us and ask us to do so ... but there are websites like Fest Finder and even Danzman's site that specialize in this sort of thing ... so we leave the bulk of it to those guys. Here are a couple of links you may find helpful: Click here: Festing.com List of Festivals this week Click here: The DanZman's FEST FINDER FOR 60'S ROCK Special Events That being said, we DO want to remind local readers that The Bensenville "Music In The Park" Series kicks off one week from tonight on Wednesday, June 9th, with Chicagoland Favorites The Ides Of March. The concert starts at 7:30 PM and it's a GREAT night of free music. (You won't find many that put on as entertaining a show as Chicago's Ides Of March!) Visit the Bensenville Website for more details at www.bensenville.il.us
The veteran of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers reunites with Herb Pedersen and other partners for a labor of love.
Chris Hillman, left, John Jorgenson and Herb Pedersen of the Desert Rose Band at a reunion performance in Bakersfield. (Anne Cusack, Los Angeles Times / May 26, 2010)
And, speaking of hot concert shows, be sure to check back later this week for reviews of the on-going Happy Together Tour, featuring Flo and Eddie / The Turtles, Rob Grill and The Grass Roots, Chicago's own Buckinghams, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees and Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders! They're playing to sold-out crowds across the country right now, proving the oldies are bigger than EVER! (kk)
re: AND NEW RELEASES: NEW RELEASE FROM THAT PHILLY SOUND: THE BEST OF JOHNNY MADARA That Philly Sound is proud to announce that our newest CD, THE BEST OF JOHNNY MADARA, has just been released and is available to purchase through CD Baby.
This rare, historical CD is a retrospective of Johnny Madara's career as a performer, including 30 songs, 4 of which have never been released, with over 40 historical photos of his 50 years in the music business. Please go to THAT PHILLY SOUND to purchase other rare Philly CDs, and learn more about the artists and people behind the scenes that made up "The Sound of Philadelphia." THAT PHILLY SOUND is presented by songwriter / record producer, John Madara, who co-wrote and co- produced such timeless classics as AT THE HOP (Danny and The Juniors), THE FLY (Chubby Checker), 1-2-3 (Len Barry, who also co- wrote the song) and YOU DON'T OWN ME (Leslie Gore). John also produced the huge hit record, ROCK AND ROLL IS HERE TO STAY (Danny and The Juniors). All songs have been digitally restored and digitally mastered. Thanks for your support! THAT PHILLY SOUND -- THE # 1 SITE FOR PHILLY MUSIC!
SUMMER 2010 - Endless Summer Quarterly, featuring: The new CD compilation and "The Beach Boys TV & Film Appearances PT. 2" The Summer 2010 edition of ESQ features a new compilation that gathers together music from: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, Dean Torrence, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Jan Berry in one collection for the first time ever! AN ESQ OFFERING FROM THE BOYS OF SUMMER CD (NOT FOR SALE) ESQBBCD2010 Play List: • Brian Wilson: The Spirit of Rock & Roll • Mike Love: Cool Head, Warm Heart • Beckley-Lamm-Wilson (featuring Carl Wilson): Run Don't Walk • David Marks: Big Wave • Jan & Dean: Ocean Park Angel • Al Jardine (w/Brian Wilson): Honkin' Down The Highway • Al Jardine (w/Brian Wilson & David Marks): Drivin' • Dean Torrence: Sunny Afternoon • Carl Wilson and Brian Wilson: Soul Searchin'• David Marks (w/Al Jardine): I Sail Away • Dennis Wilson: Mexico • Mike Love: Love Like In Fairytales • David Marks: The Circle Continues • Beckley-Lamm-Wilson (featuring Carl Wilson): Like A Brother Complete details on The Endless Summer Quarterly Website: Click here: :: Endless Summer Quarterly - The Beach Boys' Fan Magazine ::
And, in related Surf Music News ... we hear that FH Favorites The Rip Chords have just signed a new deal with Spectra Records. Although we're sworn to secrecy on most of the details, we CAN tell you that a brand new release is in the works ... stay tuned to these pages for more details ... or check The Rip Chords' website: WWW.THERIPCHORDS.NET
re: REUNIONS: We recently mentioned that The Chocolate Watch Band are back together recording a new LP ... and also featured brand new tracks by The Tygers and Gregg Rolie, original lead vocalist of Santana. Now comes word that The Electric Prunes are back together (minus original drummer Preston Ritter, who we hear from below) ... but we sure weren't expecting THIS little piece of reunion news!!!Getting' the band back together seems to be all the rage ... The Hullabaloos have just reformed!:
My band, REBOOT has finally got our audio demo posted on our website. There are nine songs (Most are only a portion of a song). I hope your computer has good speakers, so you get the full sound. Click on "Audio Demo." Here's the website: www.reboottheband.com Please let me know what you think of our demo and leave a message on the website's "guest book" page. Preston Ritter
re: MEMORIAL DAY:
Got a few comments about our brief mention of remembrance for Memorial Day ... including our oversite (snub?) in reference to "all the boys fighting overseas" ... certainly the military these days is chock full of WOMEN defending life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as well ... and admitedly my reference to "the boys" was a bit old-fashioned. (Hey, I'm an old guy, what can I say?!?!) But this point was best driven home by my wife Frannie who pointed out the plain and simple fact that our own daughter is currently serving in The Coast Guard ... and deserves better recognition for her efforts ... so please consider this my apology to ANYONE who may have been offended by my "short-sighted" comment. That being said, another comment I received stated:
Kent, I was a small bit saddened that I had to scroll several pages before seeing a mention of Memorial Day. That's OK but always remember without the sacrifices of those great Americans perhaps the 50's would have been much different. Chascot My only defense here is that Forgotten Hits is, first and foremost, a MUSIC publication ... and mentioning Memorial Day at all is not really a prerequisite of what we're all about. However, my feeling was that by holding those comments to the end ... (you may recall that that day's feature concentrated on oldies radio, a music topic) ... might actually give the mention a little more "weight" ... and, as such I even provided some "food for thought" musically by featuring patriotic passages by Trade Martin and Red Skelton. My intention was to make the piece MORE powerful by saving it for the end ... certainly not to diminish the impact as a "throw-away, afterthought." (kk) And, while on the topic of patriotic music, I forgot to include another clip sent in by one of our readers, so it's here below: Kent ... Here's one of my Favorite songs about America. Happy Memorial Day. Frank B. YouTube - Ravens - The House I Live In (Acappella)
Last year it was pointed out to us by no less than Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits that it really isn't appropriate to wish someone a "Happy" Memorial Day or Veterans' Day ... and I guess that makes sense ... a "thoughtful", "thankful" or "respectful" day would probably be more appropriate. See, we're still learning ... but ALL of your points are well taken. (kk)
re: AMERICAN IDOL: Kent ... How ya' doin'? I don't have to elaborate on how boring this season of "American Idol" has been. The only thing that is interesting about the show is "Who's going to replace Simon Cowell" (For the record, if nominated, I will not run ... and if elected, I will not serve! kk)Two weeks ago, comedian / actor / singer Jaime Foxx may as well have disqualified himself as a possible replacement for Simon Cowell on “American Idol”. As a mentor to the contestants on Tuesday and as a comment maker on the Wednesday results show, he was too strident, overbearing, and “in your face” to be welcomed into my home every week. In the meantime, the debate goes on as to who is qualified to fill that English booger’s shoes. It’s my guess “Idol” will wait until after the season finale to make the big announcement. Will it be David Foster, Elton John, or Don “Mr. Personality” Kirshner? Or will it be a relative unknown to the public, someone who has the credentials but not the TV Q that broadcasters rely on? Wasn’t Simon Cowell a complete unknown in the US, while Paula Abdul had several hit records, and Randy Jackson was a top producer, as well as bass player for Journey. It only took a few weeks for the show and Simon to catch on. Why can’t it happen again? A month ago I asked my readers “Who do you think will replace Simon Cowell, Ron Fair (CEO of Geffen Records) or Indie Producer / manager Joel Diamond?" You can read over comments, at the bottom of the article, made by some of the biggest names in the industry. They make it absolutely clear who the next judge should be! http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/joel-diamond-the-new-american-idol-judge/ Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/ With the season now officially over, I found myself looking forward to the finale more from the aspect of seeing just how emotional saying goodbye might be for Simon than actually caring which of the two finalists won. (How sad is that ... but to call this a lackluster season ... ESPECIALLY after all the excitement generated last season by Adam Lambert ... is a given.) In fact, we ended up missing the big finale show ... although I did tape it so that I could roll back the last five minutes to see the winner crowned. We may eventually watch the whole thing ... but only because the "guest list" sounds extraordinary. I honestly believe that most of the top ten finalists never would have gotten that far in any other season ... and I fully expect Simon to ultimately announce that he waited too long to leave ... had he headed out the door after the previous season and the Adam / Kris showdown, it would have been far more climatic ... and he easily could have said "I don't think we'll ever top this ... so I'm going out while the show is still on top." As for who will replace him, the word is that Elton John has already turned down a $33 Million offer to do so ... I think it'd be wrong to have a still-viable artist tie themselves down to a weekly gig as demanding as this. (Although I also hear that Ellen DeGeneres has started her own record label now ... so that should be interesting!) We didn't watch Season One ... but within a couple of weeks Simon Cowell was already the most parodied man on television ... and every reality competition show since has been based around the American Idol three judge set-up (usually with one snippy British judge on the panel!) American Idol revolutionized television nine years ago ... and had some incredible years (and turned out some incredible talent) in between ... but if last season is any indication, its BEST years are behind them. Changing over a couple of judges in two seasons may prove to be the final blow. (But wouldn't it be cool if Simon came make for one episode next season as a mentor? Let's face it, the guy knows music ... and most of his criticism has been spot on. How cool would that be ... to see him work with each artist on song choices and arrangements? Fox, take note!) kk
Kent ... This morning my good friend producer / manager Joel Diamond, who is under consideration to replace Simon Cowell, gave me a first hand account of what happened last night at the “AMERICAN IDOL” finale. Joel says, “Last night my 17 year old daughter Briana and I had great seats at the Nokia Theater in Hollywood, for the season finale of “AMERICAN IDOL” and it sure did not disappoint! In the closest race of the 9 seasons of the show, with only 2% of the vote separating Crystal Bowerstock and Lee DeWyze, Lee deservedly walked away with the crown. How moving was the tribute to Simon Cowell, who seemed to genuinely enjoy all the roasting, kudos, and accolades from everybody, including former judge Paula Abdul who looked absolutely gorgeous when the curtain rose on her. There were spectacular guest performances by Alice Cooper, Christina Aguilera, Bee Gees, Chicago, Janet Jackson, Michael McDonald, and Alanis Morrisette, which included duets with members of the final top ten and certainly what seemed to be almost straight from his hospital bed, the surprise appearance of Brett Michaels, which brought everybody to their feet. Another highlight of the evening for me was the former winners, runners up, and exceptional past contestants all coming out dressed in white, which dazzled the crowd with their moving Simon Cowell tribute. Artie, I’ve been to Academy Awards, Emmy’s, Grammy’s, etc., but I’ve never seen the excitement that I saw last night at the Nokia Theater. It was total pandemonium both inside and outside the theater. I would give anything to have a shot at producing just one track with either Crystal or Lee! Having said that, I’m now in the process of recording a new CD with the JOEL DIAMOND EXPERIENCE, which will feature duets by both veteran artists as well as new and underexposed artists. The first single from the album, UNITED WE STAND (2010) featuring BENNY MARDONES (who wrote and was the artist on “Into The Night” which will also be Usher’s next single) and Teresa James, was just rush released yesterday. It was also quite interesting bump into and chat with after the show many of the music industry notables, both artists and behind the scenes executives, who already knew about my being considered as the next American Idol Judge. One of them even said to me, ‘I bet you were already backstage in Simon’s dressing room trying on one of his black T shirts to see if it fits’.” FOR COMPLETE SEASON OF “IDOL” PERFORMANCES BY LEE AND CRYSTAL: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978261965 Copyright 2010 by Artie Wayne http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/ To reach “AMERICA IDOL”: http://americanidol.com For Joel Diamond: http://joeldiamond.com FOR THE LATEST UPDATE ON JOEL DIAMOND REPLACING SIMON COWELL AND OVER 400 COMMENTS FROM SOME OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS CLICK ONTO: http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/whos-going-to-replace-simon-cowell-ron-fair-or-joel-diamond/ BACK TO ARTIE WAYNE ON THE WEB:: http://artiewayne.wordpress.com -- courtesy of Artie Wayne Now what are the chances of this?!?! Benny Mardones, who hasn't had a hit record since 1989 when "Into The Night" made its SECOND trip into The Billboard Top 20, releases his cover version of The Brotherhood Of Man classic hit "United We Stand" ... at the exact same time that Usher covers Mardones' big hit!!! What are the odds?!?! Fact is, they're BOTH excellent readings of songs that have been long-standing favorites of ours ... hoping they enjoy a nice round of success with these! (kk)
re: TOP 500 SONGS OF ALL-TIME: Am I HIGH on dope or didn't Rolling Stone announce the 500 Biggest Records of All-Time like 3 or 4 years ago? (SAME LIST). Are they running out of new ideas and material or what? Hello??? "Wild" Bill Cody
I think this is the third time they've come up with this list ... slightly different each time as things change I guess. (Must be if Jay-Z has written the intro this time around!) Like an idiot, I bought a copy ... just HAD to see the list. Already lots of press about this ... 23 Beatles tunes featured, 14 by The Rolling Stones ... and Dylan back on top with "Like A Rolling Stone".
re: TALK ABOUT LIVIN' THE DREAM!: This is one, as they say, you just gotta see! -- Bob Merlis The pieces below explain it but to encapsulate: Good Morning America ran a "Live Your Dream" contest and Mark Wilkins, the self-described "Pudgy Pastor" from Crown Point, Indiana, won a chance to rock out on stage with Alice Cooper. It happened last week in Charlotte and will be aired this Thursday morning so tune in or TiVo Good Morning America to see an amazing piece about a dream come true or -- more appropriately since this is about Alice Cooper -- a nightmare come true. We've pasted some photos below that were taken by Jane Wilkins, Mark's wife, so you can see the transformation.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/rocking-pudgy-pastor-mark-10671731 'Good Morning America' Living the Dream Winner's Submission Video CLICK HERE to see Mark's submission video. Big dreams are all about getting out of your normal routine -- and Mark Wilkins wants to go way, way out. Mark, the self-proclaimed "pudgy pastor" from Crown Point, Indiana, wishes to fulfill his lifelong dream to rock out with '80s metal legend Alice Cooper. This year Mark turns 50, but he has never given up on the dream he had as a boy in his room listening to Alice Cooper records in the '70s while the other kids idolized Joe Montana or Lee Majors. He has every Alice Cooper album and song on his iPod and this summer he will be taking his wife and 21-year-old daughter to their first Alice Cooper concert, his fifth. "I am a father, a husband and a pastor and I love all those," Mark wrote us. "But being on stage at an Alice Cooper concert would be so out of my life box it would mean the WORLD to me." In a video submission, Mark's co-workers at Crown Point Methodist Church enthusiastically supported his bid to have his dream come true, joking that at least it would get him out of the office for a few days. At least we think they were joking. JOHN J. WATKINS THE TIMES - Pastor Mark Wilkins celebrates Monday after he finds out he is a winner of the Living the Dream Contest on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America." Wilkins will get to rock with legendary rocker Alice Cooper. CROWN POINT Mark Wilkins screamed like a schoolgirl, just as he predicted. "Unbelievable," he yelled pumping his fists into the air. A finalist for the Living the Dream Contest on ABC-TV's "Good Morning America," Wilkins, 49, the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Crown Point, has dreamed of being on stage with legendary rocker Alice Cooper since he was a little boy. Monday morning, the show's anchors announced that Wilkins, and the contest's three other finalists, will all have their dreams come true. For Wilkins it will happen this week. Late Monday, he received word he will fly to Charlotte, N.C., tonight to appear with the rock star at his concert Wednesday, according to an e-mail from the church. Wilkins hadn't slept well lately, and at 6 a.m., he was bouncing his leg with nervous energy as he unlocked the church for the members of the congregation who were gathering to hear if he won the contest. "This is so unreal to me," he said. After the on-air announcement Thursday of his finalist status, word spread quickly to vote for Wilkins' dream. A friend, whose son is stationed in Afghanistan, got his entire platoon to vote for Wilkins. And a pastor's blog with an e-mail list of 15,000 sent out the message. Shortly before 7 a.m. well-wishers started to gather in the library of the church, some wearing shirts that had images of both Alice Cooper and Wilkins. Bonnie Meyers, the church's director of outreach, put tissues and a bottle of sparkling cider on the table by Wilkins. "This is in case you lose," she said gesturing to the tissues, then gestured toward the bottle. "And this is in case you win." Wilkin's daughter Abigail, 21, took all the excitement in stride. Her father played Alice Cooper's "School's Out" for her on the last day of school for her every year growing up. There's nothing he could do now to shock her, she said. Before the announcement, Wilkins addressed the group, thanking his friends and family for coming to be with him to hear the news. "Boss, are you nervous?" Meyer shouted. "I'm gonna puke," Wilkins responded. But he didn't. Instead, after hearing the news he cheered and kissed his wife. The trip is perfect timing because today is also the couple's 25th wedding anniversary. "It's a huge relief," Wilkins said.
Alice and Mark ... pre-make-up
and live, on stage
re: PERSONAL FAVORITES:
Sometimes I am surprised at the songs or records I find on youtube that people have put on. Years ago I came up with this question that was even hard for me to answer. The question was, If you were stranded on an island, couldn't get anywhere, had electricity, had a record player, what would be the 3 records you would want to have that you obviously would play over and over again?
Larry
The "Desert Island Discs" question has been gone over SO many times in SO many other publications that we have shyed away from it here in Forgotten Hits. We tend to poll OTHER topics ... like Favorite, Forgotten B-Side, Favorite Instrumental, Favorite Psychedelic Song or (our current FH Poll) Favorite Summer Song. (You'll find the results of these other topics on The Forgotten Hits Web Page: www.forgottenhits.com). Honestly, I could NEVER live with just three songs to play for the rest of my life ... I typically have more than that playing in my head at any given point in time!!! (lol)kk
re: TRACING THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR HEROES: KK ... Call it The Tragical History Tour. Here in New York, residents of the famed Dakota building are battling back against an invasion of tour buses packed with passengers straining to catch a glimpse of the site where John Lennon was slain. Thirty years after the Beatles star was gunned down outside the building where he lived, the site still draws curiosity seekers. And with them come noisy, gas-guzzling, pollution-spewing, traffic-snarling buses, many from as far away as Canada. When the tourists get out, they block the entire sidewalk and you can't get back into your building. It's dangerous because many times the buses block the intersection. They block the vision of the pedestrian walking across. Gale Brewer, the city councilwoman who represents the area, asked Mayor Bloomberg last week to station enforcement agents outside the Dakota on weekends to keep buses from double parking. Not long after Brewer weighed in on the issue, a bus driver double-parked beside the building on West 72nd Street and Central Park West and let passengers off. "I'm sorry", the bus driver said when confronted. "We only park here for ten minutes." I can understand how it is a problem and why residents are annoyed. I wouldn't like it where i live. Frank B. Unfortunately, I don't know how you get around this one ... look how many people flock to the crash-site of Buddy Holly's plane every years ... and this is 50+ years after it happened. Too bad the city can't erect some type of a supervised, monitored memorial site that would still allow fans to trace their hero's footsteps. (Of course their next step will be to figure out a way to make it a profit center!) kk
re: OTHER BEATLES NEWS: Hey, Kent ... Hope things are well on your end of the monitor. You probably knew this already and have had discussions on your website about it, but I just read that the Beatles Capitol Albums Volume 2 contains incorrect mono versions of 'Beatles VI' and 'Rubber Soul'. I had no idea! The sticker on the box after the serial number has "SK1" which they say is the correct copy. Knowing this, I'll be looking to find the right version. Also, as we had talked about in the past, it would be nice if they released a third volume of the Capitol albums, although, from my research, it looks as though the only real gems we're missing as far as the basic U.S. LP catalog is concerned (and by that I mean their 1964-1970 output) are the United Artists version of 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'Yesterday And Today'. While it would be great having official copies of 'Hollywood Bowl' and 'Rarities,' my friend Steve (whom you know) recorded them for me from vinyl. He also recorded for me 'Historic Sessions'. Anyway, I'm kind of bummed up at having to buy Volume 2 of the American albums again, but ... it is what it is. Ed
I hadn't heard anything about this ... but I know when the CDs first came out, MY copy had the "false start" beginning of "I'm Looking Through You" ... which was REALLY ironic because my original vinyl version had the same thing. Having bought this LP in 1966 shortly after it was first released, it was probably 20 years later before I found out that this wasn't the way "I'm Looking Through You" was supposed to start! The intro was staggered so perfectly that I just assumed it was INTENDED to be that way ... and had never heard it played in any other fashion!
In that I tend to buy ALL of my Beatles stuff on the first day of release, odds are I've got the wrong mono-mixes, too ... although I'm not quite sure what that means. What exactly IS the "wrong mono mix"??? With the definitive Stereo and Mono versions now available through Apple, it's looking less and less likely that Capitol will ever finish up the series ... which is a real shame because I'd still like to have the complete collection. In addition to "Yesterday And Today", we'd also get the "Hey Jude" album (another "hits" collection released right before "Let It Be".) Although at this time it seems doubtful that they will do so, I think Capitol should finish up the series. (Beginning with "Sgt. Pepper", all of the track listings were identical anyway ... and since they've copied the U.S. Version of the "Magical Mystery Tour" LP now as part of the "official" Beatles catalog, we're really not missing anything ... other than the mono mixes of some of these LPs. Although there obviously was one, I can't recall EVER seeing a Mono version of The White Album in ANY store at the time of its original release. And the mono mix on "Sgt. Pepper" is legendary ... growing up with this version of the LP, I find it SO superior to the stereo mixed LP.)
As for "A Hard Day's Night", I don't know if that one would have EVER been included since it was released on United Artists (but I know for a while there UA and Capitol were under the same umbrella ... not sure if they still are or not.) Regardless, it seems like this would be a PERFECT "stand-alone" release if only because of its landmark status as both a soundtrack and a film. Having all the incidental instrumentals intact would be a real bonus. (And let's face it, "Ringo's Theme" was actually released as a single here, too ... yet has been unavailable legitimately ever since!) I've been campaigning for an official release of this album on CD for quite some time ... we fans certainly deserve it! Of course, you just never know with The Beatles' stuff ... how many times are people going to be willing to buy and re-buy the same stuff ... it'll be interesting to see what other releases come down the pike. So you don't have the correct mono mixes of 'Beatles VI' and 'Rubber Soul' on CD, either? As for "I'm Looking Through You," the way I understand it is that the stereo version has the false start but the authentic mono mix does not. I'd love to get the correct versions but I don't find myself obsessed with getting them. That's probably because we own the mono box of their British albums, which to me is more important. However, could you ask around here and there? A burned copy of both 'Beatles VI' and 'Rubber Soul' in real mono would more than suffice. As far as I know, everything on the 'Hey Jude' compilation is commercially available as it was released in stereo and all of the stereo versions have been officially released. In other words, the stereo tracks on 'Hey Jude' have nothing exclusive about them so technically I can burn my own copy of 'Hey Jude' from the British stereo albums and 'Past Masters'.
As for what makes it the incorrect mono mix, I cut and pasted the following from Wikipedia: Beatles author Bruce Spizer, who also wrote the set's in-depth liner notes, told The Beatles fan website whatgoeson.com that a "third party mastering facility incorrectly sent stereo-to-mono mixdowns" to be pressed rather than the vintage mono mixes.[1] The "folded down stereo mixes" are actually the stereo mix consolidated into both speakers. Although the mixes are technically in mono (in the sense that the sound in both the right and left channels is the same), they are not the actual mono mixes released by Capitol in 1965. There are some very noticeable differences, such as the actual mono mix of "I'm Looking Through You" (on Rubber Soul) lacking the false start found on the stereo mix, while the fold-down mono includes the false start. The differences between the stereo and mono mixes are one of the main draws for collectors. The easiest way to tell if the set has the correct mono mixes is to check the total playing time of the discs on a CD player. The discs with the correct mono mixes have a slightly longer playing time. Disc 1 = 52:25; Disc 2 = 56:16 (disc with incorrect mono mix is 56:01); Disc 3 = 59:07; Disc 4 = 59:08 (disc with incorrect mono mix is 59:01)
Well, I'm quite sure I've got the wrong ones then, in that (as I said) I bought them on the very first day of release ... sounds like this is an error they caught later on. Honestly, I don't feel the need to replace them ... like you said, having the British Mono Box (especially with the "cleaned-up" mixes) more than covers this for me. Interesting info 'tho! Thanks for sending. (Perhaps Bruce Spizer, who is a Forgotten Hits Reader, can shed even more light on this subject.) kk
re: AND A LITTLE BIT OF BEATLES TRIVIA: I read an interesting fact the other day that I wasn't aware of. Almost everybody knows that George Harrison was the first former Beatle to have a solo #1 Hit when "My Sweet Lord" hit the top of the charts in December of 1970 ... a surprise in its own right based on the long-standing attention devoted to the Lennon - McCartney songwriting team ... but did you release that he was also the LAST former Beatle to accomplish this feat??? "Got My Mind Set On You" reached #1 in January of 1988 ... and NO Beatle has reached the #1 Spot since ... in fact, there hasn't even been another Top Ten Hit by a former Beatle since Harrison scored his #1 record! Pretty amazing! (kk)
I didn't realize that about George Harrison having the final #1 solo hit of all the Beatles. Most people are unaware that James Ray cut the original "Got My Mind Set On You" in the early '60's. Ed Yes, and it totally tanked ... but made enough of an impression on George that he cut it on his own nearly 30 years later!!! (kk)
re: ART LINKLETTER: Kent: I met Art and President Reagan at Disneyland's 35th Anniversary many years ago. Art is a great guy and a great broadcaster. I knew he was getting old and God Bless his soul. "Wild" Bill
Thanks for including the Art Linkletter track. That one sure chokes me up nowadays in a way it didn't 40 years ago. Art was truly an American icon. Special thoughts today, and every day, for parents everywhere who have lost a child - in whatever circumstance. David Lewis
re: FOR THOSE OF YOU KEEPING SCORE:
Days waiting for my free Danelectro Guitar to Show Up = 17 (kk)
re: OTHER MEMORIES:
With the passing of Dennis Hopper, I think we all had a little part of us die along with him, for he will always be remembered as "Billy" in the Academy Award Winning movie "Easy Rider". I have a GREAT story to share that was related to me by Byrds founder and creater Roger McGuinn. Roger told me back in '76 in an interview for a Byrds Special that I was putting together that in 1968 he teamed up with two of his friends, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper to help create and write part of the soundtrack for the movie "Easy Rider". Here's the cool thing ... the Academy Award Winning Movie was actually BASED on the personalities of Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of The Byrds! McGuinn being "Captain America" (Peter Fonda) "Everything will work out okay" and Crosby as "Billy" (Dennis Hopper) "Oh man, everything is the worst, nothing will work out". Apparently Peter was a little on the cheap side and put on most of his record collection as the soundtrack, including the Byrd's "Wasn't Born To Follow". McGuinn performed two songs on the musical soundtrack himself, "It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding" and "The Ballad of Easy Rider", the latter being the title track from the movie composed by McGuinn. Here's the great thing ... before the movie was released, Fonda traveled to New York and hooked up with Bob Dylan and said "Hey man, I need an ending song for this movie", showed Bob the film as it was then, and later in a restaurant Bob scrawled on a napkin: "The river flows, it flows to the sea, wherever that river goes that's where I want to be". He then handed the napkin to Fonda and said "Give this to McGuinn ... he'll finish it" and the rest is history. As you remember, that was the ending tune at the finale of the movie. Roger still performs it to this day live in concert. Who would have ever thunk it? McGuinn and Crosby as the basis for "Captain America" and "Billy" in "Easy Rider"??? As Paul Harvey would say, "And now you KNOW the REST of the STORY"!!! God Bless Dennis Hopper ... what an incredible actor!!! "Wild" Bill Cody
After reading your piece on Rick Nelson and the reaction from the crowd at Madison Square Garden, thus inspiring his big hit record 'Garden Party', I just wanted to say that I was there when John Sebastian practically got booed off the stage because he only wanted to play new songs that nobody had heard of and the audience wanted to hear the old Lovin' Spoonful hits. And also in Atlantic City when Graham Nash DID walk off the stage while in concert with Crosby and Stills because nobody wanted to hear new music, they all wanted to hear the old stuff. I guess that's why I came!
Eileen
I truly believe that the artist owes it to his or her audience to cover the obvious material that got them there in the first place ... let's face it, they wouldn't have the crowd to play for were it not for these established hits. That being said, I also understand the need to move forward and introduce new material into the act. Let's face it, this is where their FUTURE classics will come from. It's a fine line and a delicate mix ... but MOST artists have found the way to satisfy BOTH needs (the audience's and their own.) It kinda goes back to what I said about radio the other day ... if you're going to play three or four songs in a row that the audience doesn't know or recognize, you risk losing your audience in the process. Instead, mixing these in with the tried and true hits ... along with perhaps a nice story that explains some of the new material (inspiration; funny circumstance; etc.) really goes a long way toward drawing the audience into this new music. Using Crosby, Stills and Nash as an example, the wealth of older material these guys have to draw from ... not only their own stuff but the stuff they sang with their former bands ... would lead me to believe that they could easily mix up the act in such a way as to NEVER be boring by playing the same set night after night after night. (kk)
Got this the other day from our FH Buddy Davie Allan ... it comes from his web page forum and shares some interesting history about his Grandfather, Robert Cowan, a renown Hollywood make-up man. (I had NO idea!!!) Here is a bit of that conversation:
I'm not selling anything ... just wanted to share this with a few friends: After "The Stranger" - 1946 aired on TCM on May 6th at 2:15 p.m., my wife Janine sent this to the IMDB:
Watching the 1946 movie, "The Stranger" made me think of the connection between the makeup artist Robert Cowan and Davie Allan ... Robert Cowan is thegrandfather of guitarist Davie Allan. Davie is most famous for the song "Blues'Theme" from the Roger Corman film "The Wild Angels". Cowan never lived long enough to see his grandson become a composer and musician in the film industry. Davie formed the group The Arrows in 1964 shortly after Cowan's death. Cowan'sbrother, Hal King, was also a famous make-up artist. His sister, Rella, was married to Jack Factor of the famous make-up artist family.
After reading this a fan on my forum sent this along: Well, I'm impressed, Davie. I've seen several of these films - The Stranger, Around the World in 80 Days, Easy Living, The Big Steal (a favourite), Western Union, Drums Along the Mohawk, Jessie James and I even have a couple of Jim Bowie episodes on a DVD. This means your grandfather worked for some top directors - Welles, Ford, Siegel etc. And Hal King must have done make-up for big stars too considering all those Lucy episodes. From me: Thanks for commenting on the post about my grandfather.There are probably many uncredited films missing from the Internet MovieDatabase (IMDB) because he had told me about two of the latest ones on which hehad worked that are not included: Jerry Lewis' "The Ladies Man" (plus he gave methe good luck medallion that Jerry had given him that says "If you lose this, give up" on the back) and "Elvis' "Flaming Star". The fan again: And "The Ladies Man" and "Flaming Star" are two great films that would have required a make-up artist's expertise, especially "The Ladies Man" with a cast filled with beautiful women. I think I would have liked being the make-up man on that one. Davie, did you hear any anecdotes about working with Elvis? From me: My grandfather was the assistant makeup man on those two films BUT he DID get to work on all the ladies in Jerry's film and on all the Indians and bad white men in the Elvis flick. He did have nice things to say about Elvis but no great stories. Thanks, Davie Allan
Hey Kent, About 10 years ago, I was in a local piano shop here in Portland, OR. I got to talking with a fellow behind the counter and mentioned my record collection and my 15 years in radio back in the 60's and 70's. He then said that maybe I'd heard of his dad, Voyle Gilmore. Of course I had. Cueing up all those Capitol hits back then, Voyle was a name that I had seen often. As V.P. of A&R for Capitol, he'd produced Frank Sinatra's hits from 1953-1958, the Kingston Trio's early successes, and even The Beatles Hollywood Bowl concert. John plays 'lounge piano' around the area, and I drop in to see him about once a week. He is a fantastic source of background info about the good days and shares stories with me all the time. One that he really is fond of is that Jimmy Page of 'Led Zepplin' fame was actually the session guitar lead for most of Herman's Hermits hits. In fact, that guitar intro for "Silhouettes" is a riff that Jimmy used as a warm up exercise, and when Mickey Most heard it, he built his arrangement for the recording around it. Thanks again for all your work, keep on truckin'! Jim Pritchard (aka) Jim Southern Gladstone, OR Would love to have John share some of his stories with our readers. One correction I HAVE to point out, however, is the Jimmy Page / "Silhouettes" story. That story has been circulating for YEARS ... and we FINALLY put an end to it a couple of years back when we interviewed Peter Noone for Forgotten Hits. (You can find the entire interview here: Click here: Forgotten Hits - Forgotten Hits Interviews Peter Noone) It turns out that while John Paul Jones (Page's bandmate in Led Zeppelin) arranged a number of Herman's Hermits records over the years, Jimmy Page only played on about four tracks ... and the riff on "Silhouettes" is NOT one of them. (Rumors abound on this issue ... in fact, we have had a couple of people state on the record that Page could not nail the riff properly so session guitar virtuoso Vic Flick was brought in for the session ... and that later he even taught Page how to play it!!! Can anyone even IMAGINE a time like this when a guitarist of Jimmy Page's caliber would need to be SHOWN a repetitive riff like this?!?!?) After much discussion back and forth between both Peter Noone and Vic Flick (both of whom are on our Forgotten Hits List ... and who even picked this topic up again when both musical legends were in Las Vegas), all parties concerned acknowledged FOR THE RECORD that it was Vic who played this famous lick, and NOT Jimmy Page as has been widely reported for years. (After our piece first ran, we issued a special "amendment" to the story which you'll see below.) In fact, if you do a bit of web searching now, you'll find Forgotten Hits credited on a number of sites as putting out the final word on this subject. From the interview:
FORGOTTEN HITS: It's no secret that THE HERMITS did not play on most of their studio recordings but rather "reproduced" these sounds on the road. Your "studio band" consisted of the EARLIEST stages of half of future headbanger rock and rollers LED ZEPPELIN. What do you remember about working with JIMMY PAGE? (This guy was playing on virtually EVERYTHING as a studio musician at the time!) When I tell people that the classic guitar riff that runs throughout SILHOUETTES was probably played by the legendary JIMMY PAGE, they cannot believe it!!! Also, what was the connection between FOR YOUR LOVE, HERMAN'S HERMITS and THE YARDBIRDS? (If I'm not mistaken, ERIC CLAPTON was THE YARDBIRDS' guitarist at the time of FOR YOUR LOVE ... and, reportedly, even quit the band over their trying "too pop" a tune at the time!) PETER NOONE: The Hermits played on the songs that they played well on. Sometimes (sometimes) other musicians played on tracks, mostly because the band's weakness was our drummer (the nicest guy in the band and therefore irreplaceable) because he had pretty unusual time and was therefore un-overdubbable (my word) so we started using Clem Cattini (Tornadoes) and Jim Page (Yardbirds), John Paul Jones, Herbie Flowers and whoever was around at the time. Lek is the guitarist on For Your Love so you can see he was very good. Eric, I think, quit the Yardbirds because they had no work. You guys really need to understand the financial side of being a rock star in the '60s. I think the Yardbirds got 30 quid a night.
FH: So, can you confirm then, once and for all, if JIMMY PAGE is the one who played the guitar riff on your original version of SILHOUETTES?
PN: Jim played on Silhouettes and Wonderful World and, once Karl Green faded, he was replaced on ALL the recordings by John Paul Jones, who also arranged almost everything and was our genius.
(And there you have it ... right from the horse's mouth, as it were ... that IS JIMMY PAGE doing the cool little guitar licks on SILHOUETTES!!!) EDITOR'S NOTE: After this piece originally ran, it was brought to our attention that the on-going guitar riff that runs throughout HERMAN'S HERMITS' version of SILHOUETTES was actually performed by British Studio Guitar Whiz VIC FLICK. VIC and PETER BOTH confirmed this new piece of information in later editions of our FORGOTTEN HITS Newsletter. (At ONE point, there was even some speculation that VIC FLICK had SHOWN JIMMY PAGE the repetitive riff that runs throughout the song ... and then later it was debated as to whether or not PAGE was present at the recording session at all!!!) Certainly memories fade after 40+ years ... but the general consensus when all sides were presented is that it was VIC FLICK ... and NOT JIMMY PAGE ... who handled the guitar duties on the HERMAN'S HERMITS version of SILHOUETTES.
FH: All of the musical history books always seem to play up the fact that the JIMMY PAGE version of THE YARDBIRDS eventually evolved into LED ZEPPELIN … but, in fact PAGE and JOHN PAUL JONES had been working with HERMAN'S HERMITS for years PRIOR to this new venture. I asked PETER NOONE if HE was surprised by the new direction his fellow recording mates took: PN: Jimmy Page only played on a couple of sessions ... Silhouettes and Wonderful World. John Paul Jones was the arranger and bass player on a load of stuff and even joined the band for one short German tour (The Hermits were afraid of him!) I can list all his arranged and played on songs when I am at home and can look at my memory. Peter Grant (ex-Herman's Hermits Tour Manager) was chatting about Led Zeppelin for ages before they broke and nobody who knew Peter or any of the Led Zeppelin guys doubted they would become huge. I remember hearing other singers being touted around who were signed to Mick Most and my only surprise was how long they stayed alive!
re: SCRAPBOOK MEMORIES:
Kent, Love your scrap book. Having played with The Rip Chords for almost ten years, I've worked with over a hundred of our heroes. But here is a picture from 1973, taken at a store called Alcasura in London. My band and I were there and we were buying some stage clothes. So was T. Rex. One thing led to another. Marc and Mickey and I took a photo together (that's me, right, at age 21). When they came to the U.S. in October, I was their guest (a new band called Aerosmith was the opening act - another story for another time). I went back with Marc and Mickey, drove them around Philly, then the three of us sat in Marc's room talking and jamming until his 5:00 AM lobby call to catch his plane. We eventually fell out of touch, and then Marc was tragically killed. I will tell you, he was a helluva good guy. Bob Rush (Dr. Robert, THE BEAT)
Great shot ... and great memories! By the way, what Dr. Robert is referring to is our brand new "Scrapbook Memories" Page on The Forgotten Hits Web Page. Have you visited it yet?
LOTS of great photos ... and we'll be posting more and more as you guys send 'em in! Just email us the photos with a brief description of the time and events ... be sure to include YOUR name so that we can properly credit you ... and then check the web page often to see what else has been posted! It's another great inter-active feature of The Forgotten Hits Website ... so join in on the fun and the memories! (kk)
