More Of Your Mid-Week Comments

We've got some more GREAT Mid-Week Comments again this week!

 

Check 'em out here!!! 

re:  UPCOMING AND RECENT SHOWS ... AND NEW RELEASES, TOO!:

Hey Kent ...

We've got a few cool shows coming up that I thought I'd let you know about ...

Saturday,August 13th - The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, NJ

Starring Billy Haley's Comets and The Rip Chords

Sunday, September 4th - The Cannery Casino in Las Vegas

Starring The Cowsills, The Tokens (Mitch Margo's band), The Del Vikings and The Rip Chords

Saturday, September 17th - The Harry Chapin Theater on Long Island, NY

Featuring Al Jardine & The Endless Summer Band and The Rip Chords

Special Note:  Jumpin' Jay Leslie ... of "The Tokens" and formerly of "Sha Na Na" ... is playing sax with us on many of the upcoming shows too.

Hope to see some of our Forgotten Hits friends out there.

More to come in the Fall and Winter ... yes,Winter!

Our friends can check us out at:  www.theripchords.net

We'll keep in touch.

Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords

Wow, Mitch, some GREAT shows coming up!!!  Thanks for keeping us posted!  (kk)

Finally got the backstage photo of me and Brian Wilson from The Arcada Theatre Show a couple of weeks ago ... very special thanks to Luciano Bilotti for sending us this photo to share with our readers:

And this from FH Reader Clark Besch ... by way of Dick Bartley ... a vintage Brian Wilson / Beach Boys / WLS Promo from the mid-'60's!  (kk)

Here's a real oldie jingle that Brian did in 1964 for the Big 89!  He might have had a few problems popping the P's, but fun to hear him "searching the radio dial for a station that swings on this special version of "Dance Dance Dance"!  Dex Card called his WLS show "Swingding" back then!! 

WLSClark

Lots of buzz about The Cowsills lately in these pages ...

>>>Around 2:00 am EST (my car DX'ing time), Saturday (08/06) morning, on a distant, what appeared to be a AM radio Talk show, I heard "Hair" by The Cowsills. Yeah, but they were performing it live!! Seems only two members present with an acoustic guitar. Afterward, who walks in the studio, but "Herman's Hermit" Peter Noone and chats with the male host!
Seen something on TV about The Cowsills, too. I gather they are touring.
If you know what station I was listening to, yell!  (Jersey John)

The radio show was The Dennis Miller Show.  It aired live on Friday, August 5th, at 12:00 noon Eastern, 9:00 AM Pacific times.  The second hour featured Bob and Paul Cowsill being interviewed on the Cowsill legacy coming out on film ... and they did, I believe, three songs live to their acoustic guitars. 

The third hour featured Peter Noone with a question and answer time from call-ins and emails.  BUT, as was mentioned here, some unexpected fun was experienced with a few second overlap of the three guests.

Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano

Would have liked to have heard that ... not typically what you'd expect from Dennis Miller!  Great to see folks talking about The Cowsills again ... funniest story I ever heard about them was that, while they were the inspiration for TV's hit series "The Partridge Family", which spawned an AMAZING recording career for teen idol David Cassidy, when The Cowsills themselves auditioned for the roles, they were deemed "not believable enough" as a family!!!  Here they were, the REAL DEAL, that inspired the series ... but producers felt better about going with a bunch of virtually unknown kids to build their OWN "family band" instead!!!  (kk)

And, in this very sad bit of news, it sounds like The Monkees have officially cancelled the remainder of their 45th Anniversary Reunion Tour!!!  Here's the scoop as it currently stands:

In a shocking announcement that is certain to disappoint their legions of fans, The Monkees' 45th Anniversary Tour is over as of late this evening.  According to Davy Jones' official Facebook, "it has been determined that the remainder of The Monkees' 2011 tour has been cancelled.  No reason has been given at this time.  When more information becomes available, it will be posted." 

No statement has appeared yet on Peter Tork's (bass, keyboards, guitar) or Micky Dolenz's (drums, lead vocals) official Facebook accounts, respectively.  However, their official Facebook Monkee tour page was taken down last week, apparently a harbinger of things to come.  Conflicting information is available on both Ticketmaster and Pollstar, but fans should be able to receive full refunds for the cancelled shows.  Getting excellent reviews when the tour opened in the UK on May 12, The Monkees have been criss-crossing America since June 3, when the U.S. leg debuted in Atlanta. 

When this writer attended the band's concert in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 6, it was standing-room only.  Without question, a wonderful two-plus hour show packed with rarities (the full Head soundtrack was performed for the first time) and what seemed to be three band members who enjoyed each other's company.

On July 22, the rockers made a national television appearance on ABC's The View, granting an interview (Tork was especially eloquent while explaining the band's disdain of authority during their TV heyday) and performing a medley of "I'm A Believer" / "Daydream Believer."  You can see the complete appearance here.

The group last performed together on July 23 in Milwaukee, and the tour was scheduled to go on hiatus until about a month later on August 26 in Westbury, NY, ultimately running into late September.

Amidst all this news, Tork is performing solo tonight with Shoe Suede Blues (Tork's band features original blues material along with reimaginings of classic Monkee songs) in Annapolis, Maryland.

Fortunately, fans may be able to see the trio one last time, as NBC's The Today Show has a segment called "Al Roker Performs With The Monkees" scheduled for broadcast on Wednesday, August 17.

Stay tuned for more information as this breaking story continues to develop...

-- Jeremy Roberts,

Pop Culture Examiner

 

I just found the Monkees 2011 tour was cancelled due to "business reasons". There go my free tickets ... and my date!

Let's hope that they're alive and well during the 50th anniversary!
Mark Nemeth (Computer DJ 61)

It was quite discouraging news ... I really wanted to see the guys one more time (but missed their Chicago show.)  From what I understood, the concerts were GREAT and were playing to sell-out, standing-room-only fans!  (kk)

And here's a new release that we've been not-so-patiently waiting for!!! 

THE HOLLIES: LOOK THROUGH ANY WINDOW 1963 - 1975 

22 COMPLETE VINTAGE TELEVISION PERFORMANCES BY THE CLASSIC

BRITISH GROUP AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON DVD

~ ORIGINAL MEMBERS TELL THE BAND’S STORY IN NEW INTERVIEWS ~

New York, NY — Eagle Rock Entertainment and Reelin’ In The Years Productions announce the October 4 worldwide release of The Hollies: Look Through Any Window, 1963 – 1975 on DVD [Pre-book Order Date September 9, MSRP $14.98]. Issued with the full cooperation of the Hollies, this is the first official documentary film of the legendary British group known for its classic songs and brilliant vocals. The film includes 22 full-length performances sourced from television appearances filmed at the time the songs were hitting the charts for the first time. Between performances, original band members Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott share the history of one of the most beloved groups of the 1960s. Starting with Graham and  Allan reminiscing about singing together as young schoolboys and culminating in the group’s last major hit in 1975, the film features over two hours of interviews and music. As a testament to their legacy, The Hollies were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in March, 2010. 

The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963 – 1975 [MSPR $14.98] features all of the band’s beloved hits including rocking performances of “Bus Stop”  and “Stop Stop Stop” from 1967 and “Look Through Any Window” and “I Can’t Let Go” from 1966.  Also included is a great 1968 performance of “Dear Eloise”, a 1966 rendition of UK chart-topper “I’m Alive” and newly discovered versions of “Jennifer Eccles” and “Carrie Anne” from the 1968 Spilt Festival in Yugoslavia. Of special note is 10 minutes of footage of the band shot in early 1967 at the Abbey Road Studios recording session for their world-wide hit “On A Carousel.” The segment includes astonishing footage of Graham, Allan and  Tony recording their lead and backing vocals, heard “naked,” without the instrumental track. Also featured in the film are performances by the Hollies  from the “post-Graham Nash era,” featuring Terry Sylvester, and including the worldwide chart-toppers “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” and a beautiful version of their last Top 10 hit “The Air That I Breathe”. In addition, the film features never-before-seen home movies of the group on tour in the ‘60s in America, Europe and Japan and backstage at television appearances, providing a rare glimpse of their offstage lives.

For The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963 – 1975 film every effort has been made to locate the best possible sound and video; each of the performances has been re-transferred and re-mastered from the best-quality, original masters (some having rested in storage vaults for almost 50 years). In the case of lip-sync performances, the original stereo master recordings have been used, replacing the mono broadcast sound and making for a much more enjoyable viewing and listening experience. The DVD also features an informative booklet with an extensive essay by former Rolling Stone editor and award-winning writer, Ben Fong-Torres, including rare photographs and memorabilia.  To view the trailer please visit http://bit.ly/nOOiI8

On September 22, 2011 the film will have its world-wide premiere at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif., home to many prestigious cinematic events and panel discussions with noted filmmakers including James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Darren Aronofsky. Graham Nash and Allan Clarke, along with the producers, will take part in a panel discussion immediately following the screening.

The Hollies: Look Through Any Window 1963 – 1975 is the latest release in the acclaimed British Invasion DVD Series (Reelin' In The Years). The previous four releases, Small Faces: All Or Nothing 1965 – 1968, Dusty Springfield: Once Upon A Time 1964 – 1969, Herman’s Hermits: Listen People 1964 – 1969 and Gerry & The Pacemakers: It’s Gonna Be All Right 1963 – 1965 all garnered rave reviews from critics and fans alike.

Reelin’ In the Years has produced some of the most highly-regarded anthology DVD series in music history including the four-volume, GRAMMY-nominated American Folk Blues Festival series, the multi-platinum selling Definitive Motown series (Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles), The British Invasion series and the award-winning Jazz Icons series. This fall will also see the release of Ray Charles – Live In France 1961 and six new titles in Volume 5 of the Jazz Icons series, bringing the total number of titles in the series to thirty-six. For more information on please visit www.reelinintheyears.com  

Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Hamburg, & Paris. 

To access photos and/or cover art, please visit http://reelinintheyears.com/britishinvasion/bi_pressphotos.html

Yep, I've been waiting for THIS one!!!  With the Gerry and the Pacemakers DVD (autographed by Gerry Marsden, by the way!), the Herman's Hermits DVD and the Dusty Springfield DVD already in my collection, this new Hollies edition is the icing on the cake.  I can't wait!!!  (kk)

re:  MALT SHOP MEMORIES:

Here are two entirely different points of view regarding the "Malt Shop Memories" concert that is currently being shown on PBS:

Watched on PBS WHYY a Malt Shop Memories concert thingie held in Atlantic City, NJ. Not a single young person in the audience!!!! About the only interesting thing I learned was someone in NY bought the NJ TV network and that Little Anthony was about the only one who still sounded decent!!

Jersey John

Hey Everyone!

Wow! There's a NEW concert on PBS ... it's called "Malt Shop Memories" and the hosts are Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell. You'll see the Tymes, the Drifters, Brian Hyland, the Angels, the Beach Boys. Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, Lesley Gore, Chris Montez, Little Anthony & the Imperials ... and the list goes on! 34 tunes et al. This is all done with a killer backup band and singers. It's incredible music from the '60's, and even if you're a little "young" for this, it's an American Early Music lesson for you, your kids and your grandkids!

And you won't believe how good (and YOUNG) these guys look! Just incredible. It's on now in Colorado and will repeat at 8:30, I'm sure it will run twice on the West Coast as well (tonight) and will repeat later this month.. Check you're local listings. Just some FUN programming from PBS for all of us "old farts".

Enjoy my friends and please support PBS, they have so many other GREAT shows on right now!

Wild Bill

Actually, I think this concert was filmed several years ago ... but PBS has really been rolling out the rock and roll shows lately ... and this is a good one to catch.  As always, check your local listings for show times.  (kk)

Click here: Malt Shop Memories: The Concert



And, watch for more of your Happy Together Again Tour Comments and Reviews tomorrow!!!