Sunday, April 24, 2011

The (Easter) Sunday Comments ( 04 - 24 - 11 )


re:  HAVE A HOPPY EASTER!!!:
(FOR THOSE OF US WITH A BASKETBALL JONES!)
NBA Basketball has been pretty darn exciting around these parts this past season ...
And, of course, most of OUR attention has been given to The Chicago Bulls ...
But we've got to give The Orlando Magic (and the folks over at JibJab) some VERY special props for this one ... 
(And special congrats to John Madara who has proven, once again, that "At The Hop" is TRULY timeless!!!)  kk
 
And, since we mentioned it ... we've just GOT to feature it, right???
 
Last year for Easter we gave you Jelly Beans, a Canned Ham and a Bottle Of Wine ...you can relive the moment right here:

re:  SPEEDING UP THE MUSIC:
I remember the whole speed-up thing and reading about it in the papers.
They really shouldn't do that to a record, as it can ruin the song.
Leah Jordan
 
Regarding "Speeding in a 45 Zone", it definitely was happening in the early ‘70s.  I’m pretty sure I heard it in the Baltimore - DC corridor, although I don’t want to wrongly accuse any one station.  And I’m certain I remember hearing the Raspberries’ “Go All The Way”, among others, supercharged, on CKLW in Detroit.  The late Tom Clay told me that they definitely were spinning at 47 or 48 for a while.
Scott
Just one of the many "tricks of the trade" apparently!  (kk)
 
In all of the talk about whether or not stations sped up songs, in particular WCFL, I can relate one thing I distinctly remember happening during that period. The DJs at WCFL would on occasion deliberately give the wrong time. I'm guessing this was done to try to influence anyone who might be filling out a survey to show the wrong time and enter a time that might show more favorably for advertising purposes. But I'm only guessing as to the reason. 
The first time I heard the wrong time given, I figured the DJ just made a mistake. Because the time he gave wasn't just off by a few minutes or by an hour, it was WAY off, by hours. But when I noticed it on multiple occasions, and on different days, I figured it was not a mistake, but was being done deliberately. At the time I was still in my teens and had no idea why they were doing this. I got verification of this in later years upon reading a column by Gary Deeb. But this is something I heard with my own ears and on several different days. Another low point for a great radio station. This was probably in the 1974 or 1975 timeframe, but I'm only guessing.   
Ken                                                                                                                                                                     
Yep, another "claim to fame" that was going on at 'CFL at the time.  (I confirmed this with Ron Smith, who remembered it clearly as well, along with the articles columnist Gary Deeb wrote, exposing this practice.  And you're right, it WAS a deliberate attempt to "alter" the books in the radio diaries that listeners kept at home ... they'd hear the time and ideally, without checking the clock, credit more listening time for the station.  Amazing, isn't it???  (kk)
 
I asked Bob Dearborn, who came through in these pages a while back about the speeding up of the music played by the station, what he remembered about giving out false time on the air to beef up their listeners' diaries ... and wondered who the heck was in charge during this crazy time.  Here is his response:
 
>>>the time he gave wasn't just off by a few minutes or by an hour, it was WAY off, by hours.   (Ken)
>>>Regarding WCFL speeding up the records, I really don't know.  To the best of my knowledge, it was not done, but if it had been true, it would have been during the time in the 60's when Lew Witz was the general manager.  Sorry that I have been vague about this but my answer would be that it didn't happen.  I am very certain that this did not occur during the time that Ken Draper was the general manager prior to Lew Witz.
(Ron Britain)
If it was off by hours, then it was the air talent making a mistake.  It happens.  But there was some time-check skulduggery going on at 'CFL in 1974.
During the same period when the records were sped up, we were told to add a few minutes to the time whenever the actual time fell short of :20, :35 or :50 minutes past the hour in order to get credit for an extra quarter-hour from ratings diary-keepers.  Once a listener was at least five minutes into the next quarter, you got credit for them being tuned in during that quarter.  Therefore, if it was really 4:19, we were instructed to say it was at least 4:20.  If it was really 4:32 or 4:33, we had to say it was at least 4:35.  It was a deception, all right, but one that amounted to a few minutes, never more than four minutes, and never hours.
As to your question, "Who the heck was leading the charge on all these schemes and practices to bolster WCFL's ratings?!?!?," it was not General Manager Lew Witz, as my very dear friend Ron Britain has theorized.  Ron was long gone in 1974 when all this deception was happening.  Lew fired him in December 1970, and as you may have guessed, Ron to this day is not a Lew fan.
I have nothing bad to say about Lew Witz.  He treated me extremely well, always with kindness, courtesy and more professional respect than I probably deserved.  He and I were as different from each other as two people could be, but we liked and respected each other.  Still do.  Our relationship was always solid.  We went through six program directors and 36 air personalities between 1970 and 1976, but I was there through all of it.  Yes, my ratings were really good -- upper teens mostly, and once a 20 -- but additionally, Lew knew he could count on me, that he could trust me.      
One of the many knocks on Lew that I've heard is that he was a micro-manager, involved in every aspect of the radio station, didn't let department heads have complete control of their departments.  That was true up until about 1973.  By then we'd turned the corner and were finally beating WLS across the board, and WCFL was named Billboard Radio Station of the Year.  It was well-deserved.  But then, for whatever reason, while basking in the station's newfound success, Lew finally started to delegate more than he had before, opened up to the ideas of other people.  And it was one of those other people that had been brought on board who led us astray, with records being speeded up and time checks falsified.
I'm not going to name that person.  I like him too much and don't want to publicly embarrass him over a mistake he made when he was young.  We've all done foolish things in our youth.  Fifteen years later, he turned into a prince of a man and as ethical as they come, one of my favorite radio colleagues.  I didn't like him at all back in 1974 when he was doing all these things to "my" radio station, but, like all of us, he was the product of his most recent training and corporate environment, and he did what seemed normal and acceptable to him at the time as the way to win.
As I said in one of our jock meetings, even if we do succeed as a result of doing these deceitful things, it'll feel like a hollow victory and one we won't enjoy.  Well, there was no victory, and as our dirty laundry was being aired in the press (what seemed like) almost every day, no joy either.
That's as much as I'm comfortable saying about the matter, Kent.  It was a long time ago, and again, I think it would be a shame to focus too much attention on something that happened for a few months instead of appreciating the bigger picture of what that radio station was during its many years of greatness.
Bob
 
re:  THE TRUE OLDIES CHANNEL:
Kent,
Let me get in a few words concerning your comments in Tuesday's Forgotten Hits. Apparently Blake Hayes is going to be in for Scott all this week.  He has said that once or twice and I have heard him say that during one of his breaks. 
At approximately 1:45 PM in the afternoon, OKC time, Scott plays his official forgotten 45
of the day, with emphasis on the word "official".  He does play other forgotten 45's during the day. This of course took the place of his cheesy easy listening song he used to play at that time. However, I notice that when Scott is not on the air, Blake Hayes or whomever is filling in for him, does not play a forgotten 45 at that hour nor did they  play any cheesy easy listening songs at that hour when Scott wasn't on the air. In fact, as of this typing of this e-mail, I have not really heard Blake Hayes play any other forgotten 45's on the air. This kind of tells me that only Scott can play those official forgotten 45's at time indicated.
I was taught years ago that if a DJ has a certain feature on his shift that he does every day at a certain time, then you keep on doing it even if said DJ is gone due to vacation, illness, etc. You keep the continuity going.
I don't know about your Chicago newspapers, but here in OKC our local paper has a media specialist by the name of Mel Bracht. If anything and everything is happening in the world of local radio and television, he reports it in his column. For example, in a column last week, he said that two of the news anchors on two of our television stations were leaving for a similar position in another television market. I remember back in the sixties if you had a favorite DJ you listened to on the radio and he turned up missing the next
day on the air, one did not know what happened to him. Did he leave on vacation? Was he ill? Did he get fired? One did not know because nothing was said on the air nor in the local paper. Mel Bracht also puts in his columns if any radio stations are changing formats or anything like that. Every 3 months he also puts in his column the arbitron results so one can actually see which stations are doing good as well as the one which is really the number one station here in OKC.
Larry Neal
After being concerned that Scott's program may have been eliminated on WLS-FM (keep in mind that here in Chicago it's no longer called The True Oldies Channel), the first thing I did was listen online to hear that Blake Hayes was, in fact, filling in for Scott last week.  (Unfortunately, we've now been conditioned to expect only the worst from our one-time local affiliate!)
Here in Chicago, our media guru is Robert Feder, whose column we quote frequently as it pertains to the local goings-on of radio.  (Prior to Feder, the best-known radio and TV guy was probably Gary Deeb, mentioned above for exposing the practices of WCFL back in the '70's.)  Deep down, many of us here in Chi-Town are not-so-secretly hoping that Feder will soon be running a column announcing where we can all tune in and hear Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel again real soon!  (kk)
 
Kent,
Your musings on Oldies radio – locally there in Chicago and in general — strike a real chord with me.  As someone who has produced national radio programming for more than 30 years, I’ve witnessed, first-hand, an utter lack of vision or solid instincts in a vast majority of the medium’s chief policy-makers.  I have never seen an industry more committed to self-sabotage than radio. 
Quality air talent is nearly extinct because it hasn’t been nurtured or allowed to flourish for decades.  PD’s and consultants, fearful of dips in ratings and, perhaps, loss of their jobs, have reduced programming to its safest, blandest denominator.  It’s bad in every format, but it’s at its most ludicrous in the realm of Oldies.  The records have been pre-tested, for chrisssakes!  And, in most cases, for decades. 
I will never forget my conversation with one of the most prominent national radio consultants nearly 20 years ago — he told me that he was narrowing a station’s playlist to a super selection of just the greatest 600-plus songs.  When I pointed out that you could play every one of those in less than two days, he shouted, “Yes, you understand!”  No, I didn’t.  He went on to tell me that, among the songs that were being dropped from the playlist because they didn’t test well were the Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye”, “Get Back”, “Penny Lane” and others.  This moron was making a substantial six-figure salary back then.  Probably still is today.
Two years ago, I produced a series of Motown documentaries, sponsored by Universal, to celebrate the label’s 50th Anniversary.  These weren’t infomercials, but legitimate programming.  And the hosting networks, Citadel Media and Impact Radio, did nice jobs of clearing the shows.  To their credit, working with them was probably among my best experiences with network radio, and everybody was happy with the shows and their performance.  All around, this was really a dream-come-true project for me.  I co-hosted two of the shows with Smokey Robinson and Mary Wilson — talk about a pinch-yourself experience!
When it was all over, I had dozens and dozens of hours of incredible interviews with most of Motown’s principal figures, both living and dead.  I thought, “Why not a weekly, syndicated Motown Hour?”  The sheer volume of the catalog consists of hundreds of the most beloved songs in pop music history — songs still heard everyday on TV (commercials, “American Idol”, documentaries), movie soundtracks, music services airing in retail stores, etc.  I figured I’d have networks fighting one another for it.  “Nope, Motown is too old,” I heard, over and over.  “But what about the great station and listener response to the specials?”  “Nope, maybe as a special, once or twice a year, but not weekly.”
I should have pushed harder or simply syndicated it myself, but after years of butting my head against the powers-that-be, I just moved on.  But perhaps it’s an idea I will revisit one day.
But Kent, your comments about that ideal Oldies format, and the success it would achieve if properly staged, were brilliant.  I was about to write something along those lines and submit it when I saw your piece.  I couldn’t have expressed those sentiments any better.  Sadly, the ownership megalopolies that emerged in radio after Reagan relaxed the FCC’s ownership rules have made programming an even tougher nut to crack.
Currently there is no Oldies-formatted station in the Baltimore - Washington region where I reside.  If there was a Mom & Pop-owned station in the area with a decent signal and ratings in the toilet, I would go to them and say please just give me one year.  Just based on the music alone (and perhaps a hair of reverb!), I guarantee we’d come up with a winner.  And the joy of building an airstaff that was intelligent, loved the music and really became a part of the community would be a cherry on the sundae.
What a dream, huh?
Scott
 
Kent:
There's a line in a popular Korean drama / mini-series in which one of the characters --
who had to travel to the U.S. to receive treatment for bowel cancer -- is "back home (in S. Korea) and she and a former fiance pay a visit to what used to be her favorite restaurant before her departure to the "States".   Well, as this scene goes, after she takes a few bites she has this look of disappointment and dismay on her face upon which she says "Let's leave.  This isn't right ... it doesn't taste right."  Then the CLASSIC line: "I don't understand people -- they finally 'get it right' then they change the way the food tastes."  Talk about a "ready-made metaphor" via scripted dialogue.  
Anyway, I was reading about your problems concerning the latest WLS-FM fiasco.  I figured this would be fitting for this situation.  Actually this is but a "sample" of the "modern-day mindset" -- one of "power-and-control obsessive" and favoritism". Whoever has "the prettiest face"; "the most money"; "the most social / business clout"; "the biggest mouth and the most 'bull-shit'"; "the most friends / backing / support" gets the "just deserts" (or, maybe, "unjust"?)   It's a "new age" and a "new world" we live in now ... something can still-be-in-great-shape and working-and-functioning-just-fine -- and even still-be-serving-a-purpose -- and they'll STILL "tear-it-down" for no other reason than "just-to-make-a-change".  If it's not serving the interests of a cliché "majority population" it's "irrelevant" ... Their way of saying to a few-but-faithful "cult" following "You don't matter!" -- Heaven Forbid we should have a society where "there's-room-for-EVERYBODY".  Everything these days seems to "belong" to about 2 or 3 "factions" -- "they" determine what kind of social climate the rest of us are going to live in -- including media, businesses, what kind of choices we all have when shopping or looking-for-entertainment.  You're either "with them" or you're "left out".
Sorry I got a little "carried away" ...
Take care, 
Tal Hartsfeld  
Quite often they'll make a change JUST to make a change ... to try something new.  (In complete disregard of the old adage "Don't Mess With Success".)
Sometimes this is just a tactic to buy yourself a little more time ... if things aren't go well and YOU may take the brunt of the blame for this ... you make a change just to see how it goes ... because then you can ALWAYS say, "Well, we've got to give this thing a little more time to see if it's going to work or not."  Honestly, it's not even that I mind what WLS-FM is doing ... they are playing the widest variety of music I've EVER heard them play ... there are "wow" songs happening all day long now ... which, in MY eyes, is a victory for all we preach and stand for here in Forgotten Hits.  I have also long maintained that all of this music CAN exist side by side if programmed correctly.  No, it's NOT an oldies station ... but they're also no longer presenting themselves as one ... and, if you read through our whole "What Is An Oldie?" Series you'll see that this was our biggest objection of all ... DON'T call yourself an oldies station if you're playing late '70's, '80's and even '90's music.  "Oldies" is a specific era ... that's a point we all seem to agree on.  You read the slogan ... "Just because it's old DOESN'T mean it's an 'oldie'".  I have to commend WLS-FM for sticking to their guns on this, much as I hate to see True Oldies off the air here.  I still maintain that there's room for BOTH ... and can only hope that something can still be worked out in this regard.  Give listeners a choice!  (kk)
 
I looked at their playlist and they played "So Very Hard To Go", by Tower Of Power! LOOKING GOOD!
John
They have played some VERY pleasant surprises ... without a doubt.  And LOTS of "Wow!" songs.  (The other day I heard "In The Navy" by The Village People ... something I haven't heard on the radio in over thirty years ... not exactly a "Wow!" song ... more of a "Wow, I hope they don't ever play that one again" song ... but still, SOMETHING off the beaten path of their regular playlist.  The other morning the alarm went off to "Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me A Mercedes Benz" by Janis Joplin!!!  I'll bet WLS has NEVER played that song once in the past 40 years (unless it aired as part of The History Of Rock And Roll special!)  Definitely NOT something you would expect to hear on 'LS.  Today it was "One Way Or Another" by Blondie ... literally, every time I turn it on I hear something TOTALLY unexpected.  No, NOT oldies ... they've made that VERY clear ... but FAR more variety than what we've become accustomed to ... and again, I've got to give them props for that because that's EXACTLY what we've been preaching for the past twelve years.  (Hmmm ... maybe our job is finally done here!!!)  Of course, they segued the Janis Joplin song into "Wonderful World" by Herman's Hermits ... and Ron Smith told me that he heard "Only You" by The Platters followed by "Slow Ride" by Foghat ... now THERE'S a programming "blend" for you!!!  (Here is where a programming genius like Scott Shannon could really help ... open the gates wide open when it comes to the music you'll allow him to play and then let him put together an INCREDIBLE blend of music ... and sit back and enjoy ... 'cause he'll knock your socks off!)  kk
 
re:  OLDIES RADIO OPTIONS:
Our recent "What Is An Oldie?" Series pretty clearly decided that an "oldie" is a song that was a hit between about 1955 and 1975 ... and, based on this report filed by Ron Smith (of oldiesmusic.com), it sounds like SOME Internet Radio Services are in agreement with this analysis ...
I was at an online programmers meeting for Slacker the other day where they announced that they were cutting the oldies channel back to the early '70s and creating a separate classic hits channel for the late '70s, '80s and even '90s material that had been creeping into the playlist. Clearly it had gotten too broad. They also announced the upcoming (paid) premium service that will allow you to play on-demand any available song in their library -- unlimited. They've also added customizable ESPN Sports and ABC News to the subscription service. Look out terrestrial radio that forces people to listen to what the corporates give them.
Ron Smith
 
re: RANDY WOOD:
He's the last of the pioneer recording icons, Randy Wood died at his home in La Jolla, California  on Saturday, April 16th at 94 years of age. Giant recording stars of the 50's, Pat Boone, Billy Vaughn, The Hilltoppers, The Fontaine Sisters and others benefited from his keen ear for a hit. At a time when black recording artist were seldom heard on radio, Randy opened the door for artists such as Fats Domino and Little Richard when he introduced their songs by having white singers record their music.
John Rook
 
I was saddened to hear of his death and, frankly, stunned to learn that he had still been around at this late juncture.  94 years is a nice long life, but I’m always dismayed just a little bit more when we lose someone who impacted our culture and lives in a significant way. 
There is a little bit of irony in the fact that Dot was predominantly an Easy Listening and, later, Country label which, certainly, only came about due to Mr. Wood’s success in the sale of millions of R&B records via mail order, sponsoring the shows of Gene Nobles and Hoss Allen on Nashville’s WLAC in the ‘50s and early ‘60s.  After nightfall, the 50,000-watt AM station reached untold numbers of listeners nationwide, and for many black and white kids alike, Randy’s mail order service was the only way for them to purchase their favorite R&B records.
It might be a stretch to say that Wood’s brilliant and lucrative enterprise was a public service but, then again, if you were one of those kids with his or her ear glued to the radio back then, maybe it truly was.
As a life-long music historian with a vault of interviews, I am deeply regretful that I never met the man and had a conversation with him.  My sympathies to his family.
By the way, the Associated Press reported that ABC Records, which had purchased Dot some years earlier, went out of business in 1978.  Of course, that umbrella of labels, that also included Duke / Peacock, Bluesway, Impulse and others, was actually purchased by MCA Records.  MCA owned Whitney Recording Studios in Glendale, CA, about a block from my apartment at the time, and I would duck in on recording sessions there (Barry White, the Knack, Tanya Tucker and others). 
In the summer of ’79, some of the ABC master tape library started being delivered to Whitney for storage.  These stacks of tapes were five-feet-high and everywhere — the hallways, the reception area, even out front on the sidewalk a couple of times!  I saw many boxes labeled Steppenwolf, Pat Boone, Bobby Bland, Three Dog Night and others.  I always wondered how many of those reels “walked off” before they were stored properly.  I betcha that’s what happened to the stereo master of “Shambala”!
Scott

re:  FRED VAIL:
It’s always nice to see Fred Vail’s name here in Forgotten Hits.  Whenever he weighs in on a topic or subject, it’s always a thoughtful, heartfelt reflection.  Prompted by our respective friendships with, and love for the Beach Boys, I met Fred several years ago at his Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville.  We also attended Johnny Cash’s memorial service together at the Ryman Auditorium a few days later. 
Fred is as nice and generous a spirit as I have ever met, and may be one of the best storytellers in the world of music.  If ever there was someone who should and could pen a book, it’s Fred Vail.  Everyone here should pester him!  I’m sorry that life’s demands have made me such a poor correspondent in recent years, but a very fond “hello” to Fred.
Scott

re:  A KISS FROM MARIE:
>>>Proving once and for all that what happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily always STAY in Vegas ... we just got THIS cool shot from long-time FH Reader Mark Bertram!
A Kiss From Marie Osmond
 
Looks like you got to see them just in time ... I saw this on Ron Smith's OldiesMusic.com website:
Marie Osmond was forced to cancel the opening night of her new Las Vegas show with brother Donny Monday (April 11) when her 13 year-old daughter was taken to the hospital there with pleurisy. Brianna was treated and discharged and the show opened the following night.
-- Ron Smith
Yeah, I guess we were lucky.  We saw them on 4/6 and actually Marie (we're on a 1st name basis now) said that night was the first nite of their revamped show.  All Vegas show tickets are pricey, but after seeing their show, it was well worth it!  They were supposed to do 75 minutes, but the show was a full 2 hrs.  Marie looked terrific (I think she wants me).  They both sang and danced 'til, as Donny said, they were "sweating like pigs".  Actually I couldn't tell if the moisture was from them or from me drooling - LOL. 
Since I'm not a gambler, Vegas was kinda lost on me, but meeting up with a Vietnam buddy and the Donny and Marie kiss made it a nice trip. 
Mark
 
re:  THE BEACH BOYS:
More details on the new Beach Boys single, courtesy of David Beard, publisher of "Endless Summer Quarterly", the OFFICIAL Beach Boys fanzine!
In a recent conversation, The Beach Boys agreed that something needed to be done to assist the Red Cross with its Japanese disaster relief efforts. Al Jardine proposed releasing his recording of “Don’t Fight The Sea” as a single, which features Brian & Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. The idea was so well received that Brian, Mike, Bruce and Al signed 90 limited edition / numbered sleeves for the initial 1,000 singles pressed on white vinyl. To make the release a bit more collectible, the group decided to use the previously unearthed a capella version of "Friends," mixed exclusively for this release. eBay's Giving Works will be auctioning those off to the highest bidders later this week.  The unsigned white vinyl single is now available online through Aljardine.com and Soundstagedirect.
David Beard / Beach Boys Examiner
 
re:  A NEW "MUST SEE" MUSICAL:
We told you this one was coming a few months back ...
Sounds like it's now up and running on Broadway ... and we've got a first hand review for you!
Hoping this one comes to Chicago soon!  (kk)
Kent:
There's a new must-see musical on Broadway!  It's called "Baby It's You."
It's the best jukebox musical I've seen since "Jersey Boys."
"Baby It's You" is about the Jewish New Jersey housewife who discovered the teen singing group The Shirelles in the early 60s and coached the girls through a career of huge hits like "Soldier Boy" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow."  The production focuses on Florence Greenberg, who with the help of African American songwriter producer Luther Dixon, who became her lover (she was married with two kids), Florence took on a male dominated industry and founded Scepter Records.  Among the artists she broke at Scepter were the Isley Brothers, The Kingsmen, Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson.  
I would highly recommend this to any of your readers in the tri-state area or ones that plan a visit to NYC in the near future.  I've attached a page from the Playbill for the show so readers can see the depth of 60s music that is featured during the 2 1/2 hour production.
The cast is tremendous, however, you should be pre-warned that the producers of the show have taken some liberties with the script and altered a few of the facts of the Scepter Records story for more "dramatic impact."
Tom Cuddy
NYC

 (click to enlarge)
 
re:  EDUCATING OUR READERS:
Ever wonder why the CD holds 75 minutes of music?
This obit answers that question and more.  http://hmark.us/2919403C224
Chris Astle  
 
re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:
Enjoyed your two for Tuesday FH today. Neil Sedaka's followup to THE DIARY was one of those
records that I went completely APE over. About the same time that Neil Sedaka was coming out
with THE DIARY, a very young and at the time unknown singer by the name of David Gates
was coming out with a record called SWINGIN' BABY DOLL on East West records.
Larry
 
The 8th Day - She's Not Just Another Woman - 1971:
Found this song in its album version along with other long versions on a Hot Wax Records related various artists LP compilation! Enjoyed the horns (and Stereo + double clapping) that were added; not found in the monophonic hit single version! That was over 25 years ago and I still haven't heard it on (actual) radio! That's sad, Mr. K, when it was nearly (#11) a US Top 10 hit!
Jersey John
Good suggestion for a Forgotten Hit ... we featured this one several years ago but you're right, it is NEVER played on the radio anymore despite its Top Ten status.  (It reached #8 in Cash Box ... and was a #8 Hit here in Chicago, too ... where radio has continued to ignore it for the past 40 years!)  kk
 
Hey Kent,
Thanks for the memory jog once again. I had forgotten all of the songs you referenced by Freddie and the Dreamers ... and I really liked them, too. I went on youtube and watched the group perform them. I even did a little Freddie myself ... that's gonna leave a mark!
Stacee
A FUN group from the '60's to be sure.  We may put together a little Freddie and the Dreamers tribute here ... they gave us some real feel-good music back then ... didn't seem to take themselves too seriously ... and just played the music for the pure enjoyment of it!  (kk)
 
We knew it was bound to happen!  For the first time this year, we missed posting a "Today's Forgotten Hit" this past Friday.  (That's because we didn't get home from work till close to 11:00 Thursday Night ... after starting at 7:30 AM that morning ... and went straight to bed!!!)  No worries ... the missing tune ("Oh Me, Oh My" by Lulu) will be made up at a later date.  Meanwhile, be sure to check the website every Monday through Friday Morning to see what Today's Forgotten Hit is.  (Deejays who want to feature these tracks on their programs can always check the website the night before to give them PLENTY of time to dig out a copy ... or just play ours ... on your show the next day!) 
We've got some real goodies coming up next week ... so please stop back often!  (kk)