Here comes another quick round of HELPING OUT OUR READERS!
re: EDDY GRANT:
Hi KK, Just learned that Eddy Grant of the Equals, whose group did the catchy Baby Come Back in the '60s, is the same person who did the equally catchy Electric Avenue in the '80s. Is this common knowledge and I'm among the last to know? Of course, now that I do know I can definitely detect the similarities. Thanks! RLynn Well, maybe not the LAST ... but probably ONE of the last!!! (lol) Yeah, this has been pretty common knowledge for a while now ... Eddy Grant first hit The U.S. Top 40 back in 1968 as part of The Equals with their #26 Hit "Baby, Come Back". He then disappeared from the charts for fifteen years until "Electric Avenue" went all the way to #1 in 1983. (He hit The Top 40 one more time the following year with his song "Romancing The Stone", written for ... but not used ... in the film of the same name.) We haven't heard much from him since. (kk) re: LOVE'S THEME: >>>I found this on youtube and was very surprised to see the gals of Love Unlimited singing vocals to “Love’s Theme”, which is one of my all-time personal favorite instrumentals!! I don’t recall ever hearing ANY vocal version of this song! Was there an album cut or B-side with vocals that I wasn’t aware of? Does anybody know anything about this? I would greatly appreciate any info on this. (Eddie Burke) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Hw6yAaeBw >>>Honestly, I've never heard a vocal arrangement of this song either ... (although I can't honestly say that I like it!!!) Sorry, but on THIS one, I think the instrumental version rules!!! (kk) That vocal version, as well as other vocal / instrumental versions of his / their songs, may have been published in the UK only, possibly on the "In Heat" album!!! I also found, what I believe is a quadraphonic mix of "Love's Theme", possibly published by accident!! You can buy the CD (it's rather expensive) or the LP (cheaper) ... or just buy the MP3 ... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heat-Love-Unlimited/dp/B000090296/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1301936231&sr=1-9Good spotting, Eddie! Best, Jersey John re: BRENDA LEE: We got a note from DeeJay Phil Nee last week ... sounds like he's going to be one of the jocks counting down Rich Appel's / Hz So Good / I.R.S. Countdowns ... and he asked about a Brenda Lee tune from 1964 called "Is It True" ... which is actually one of my favorite latter-day Brenda Lee songs. (kk) This is one of the songs that I was not very familiar with. I always assumed that she was all ballads and Country tunes after about 1961 ... but this one does sound very good! Phil "Is It True" reached #14 on The Cash Box Chart in late 1964 at a time when you just weren't hearing a lot of Brenda Lee music on the radio anymore ... we were will into the midst of The British Invasion at the time ... which is part of what makes this song that much more interesting. All of Brenda Lee's earlier hits (from 1957 - 1963) were produced by Owen Bradley ... but while touring England in 1964, she went into the studio and recorded this track with the legendary Mickie Most as her producer! Most put together a GREAT session band that included studio guitar whiz Jimmy Page on lead guitar ... and that's Jimmy doing the lead guitar work on this track! (I always thought it was a stand-out track before I even knew of Page's involvement ... and it still sounds pretty good today!) And, obviously, it's made The Top 104 Countdown of songs the oldies fans feel Really Shoulda Been a Top Ten Hit. (It didn't miss by much, peaking at #14!) Wow!!! TWO Brenda Lee songs in the same week?!?!? Scott Shannon's "Oldies Police" are REALLY going to be coming after us now!!! (kk) And, speaking of Brenda Lee, here's one of my favorite related tracks by the ALWAYS entertaining Burton Cummings! (kk) re: THE FORGOTTEN HITS BOOK CLUB: Hi Kent, I always love when you and the rest of the incredible folks on this list have books to recommend. I just came across this book title while looking up the history of Northern Soul. It sounds like it could be interesting. It's called, Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: the history of the DJ. Hopefully some one has read it and can give us a review even though it's not a new book. Bill Happy to put this out there. Although I haven't read this one myself, I, too, have heard good things about it. Maybe somebody on the list can help to fill us in??? Thanks! (kk) re: HIT RECORD: Hi Kent, It was great to come upon your site and listen to "To Make A Hit Record." I had never heard Brook Benton's version - was it the original? What I do remember, believe it or not, was Jerry Lewis performing it, playing up the big-time producer angle with a big cigar and all, on some TV variety show back in the early-mid '60s. I wonder what show? Boy, time flies but songs are timeless. Anyway, thanks for doing your part to keep these old songs alive and for letting me hear one I hadn't heard in almost 50 years! Tom Reid (near) Boston Jerry Lewis launched his career doing those pantomimes to records before he hooked up with Dean Martin ... and then redid a couple of them in his movies. The only "Hit Record" version I'm familiar with is the Brook Benton track we featured a while back ... but I'm betting that SOMEBODY out there will also know this Jerry Lewis track as well. (Hmmm .... do we have any FRENCH readers on the list?!?!?) kk P.S. THIS is the one that I remember! |
