Is FH broken? ... No postings since Wednesday, February 23, 2011? C'mon ... I need something to read while at work!!!! :-) Best, John
Not "broke" exactly ... (unless you mean financially, of course!) ... but we've certainly been overwhelmed these past few weeks ... and especially these past few days ... my work schedule for the past four weeks has consisted of mostly 12-14 hour days, leaving precious little time to work on Forgotten Hits ... so we've thrown together a "Double Whammy" Weekend again, chock full of recent comments. Enjoy! (kk)
re: THE MONKEES: Are the 45h Anniversary Tour rumors true? We've been speculating about it for months now ... and then just heard this bit of news:
MONKEES RE-UNITE IN THE U.K.
New York – 60s TV sensations The Monkees, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork, will appear today on England’s The One Show, to confirm the rumors are true -- they will be uniting to tour together for the first time in 20 years. Prior to the press announcement, Jones confirmed a new round of shows to begin in the U.K., where they will rehearse and perform ten initial dates in May. A tentative 30-date U.S. is also in the works and is targeted to kick off on June 3, 2011. Why get back together, after all these years? According to author Eric Lefcowitz, author of the recently-released book Monkee Business: The Revolutionary Made-For-TV Band “they are always guaranteed box office. Especially in this day and age, when it’s difficult to sell tickets and legacy rock acts are disappearing. Plus, it’s just a fun brand. Hearing Micky belting out hits like “I’m A Believer” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” and Davy’s classic performance of “Daydream Believer,” is usually worth the price of admission."
On a human interest level, there is also Tork’s recent throat cancer ordeal and hard-earned recovery. "Peter's courage in the face of such a major health scare is also compelling this time around," continues Lefcowitz, noting that Tork battled the disease and went straight back to performing live shows with his band, Shoe Suede Blues, within months of completing treatment. "A Monkees tour always produces some drama," he goes on to say. "From 1967, when Jimi Hendrix opened for them, to 1997 when they last toured together as a foursome, there's always some intrigue. When you think about it, there aren't any other TV show casts touring, unless you include recent arrivals like Glee and American Idol. So The Monkees are a rare breed, indeed.”
While it certainly hasn't been 20 years since the THREE Monkees have toured together, it is ALWAYS a VERY entertaining show. Keep watching Forgotten Hits for more details as they become available. (kk)
Kent ... If I was a D J, right now I'd be playing "Monkey Time" by Major Lance, 1963. Frank B.
The Monkees' European Dates are causing quite the buzz ... they were INCREDIBLY popular over there (and I can't believe a U.S. tour won't follow closely behind.) But apparently a quote attributed to Micky Dolenz has been circulating in Jolly Ol' England that simply isn't true ... so we heard this from Micky himself: Micky Dolenz: I wanted to call Forgotten Hits this morning to set the record straight.
(Apparently, with the burst of press this past Tuesday surrounding the upcoming U.K. reunion tour, starting on May 14 in Manchester, one of the articles incorrectly stated that Micky ‘didn’t like working with songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.’ The pair wrote “Last Train to Clarksville” and the theme for their TV show. Here’s Micky's clarification:
I want to make it clear that I DID NOT make the comment that has been reported in some of the press that I did not like working with Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. That comment was made by my friend, Peter Tork, and wrongly attributed to me. Peter is, of course welcome to his opinion but, any of you who know me and my career knows that Tommy and Bobby were two of my best friends and I always enjoyed working and playing with them.
-- Micky Dolenz
We know this to be the case ... in fact, just recently Bobby Hart was telling me that he probably stays in contact with Micky the most out of all of The Monkees ... and let's not forget their time together as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart ... "The Guys Who Sang 'em and The Guys Who Wrote 'em"!!! Happy to help set the record straight, Micky! (kk)
And, speaking of Micky Dolenz, we just received THIS piece of news from FH Reader Marlene O'Malley:
Monkees’ Dolenz to headline summer concert series
By Ken Manson (Special to the Tribune Feb. 8 at 6:26 p.m.)
Elk Grove Village is getting a partner – the Elk Grove Park District — to help pay for the third year of its Mid-Summer Classics four-week concert series. The concert series has been dubbed “Unity Within the Community” and ends July 26 with music by Micky Dolenz of the Monkees.
The free concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays in July on the Village Green, located between Village Hall and the public library on Wellington Avenue. This year’s schedule is as follows:
July 5: The Lovin’ Spoonful
July 12: The Chicago Gold Revue
July 19: Eagles tribune band Hotel California
July 26: Micky Dolenz
Without a co-sponsor, village officials had considered scaling back the concert series with fewer headliners and more tribute bands. The village similarly cut its three annual fireworks shows from 24 to 18 minutes to save money, Mayor Craig Johnson said. The fireworks shows are during Rotary Fest in July, the Fourth of July and tree lighting in November.
Johnson said he mentioned to park board members that he wanted to keep the concert series on the same level as the previous year and was looking for a sponsor. The cost of the concert series will be $70,000, the same as last year, Johnson said, with the park district providing $30,000 and the village paying $40,000 from tobacco licensing fee revenue. The village would have budgeted the concert series at $40,000, without a sponsor, Johnson said.
“With this lineup, we’ll have a bigger and better event than we had before. We’re very excited about it,” park board President Tom Cooke said.
“This is an A-plus lineup we put together,” Johnson said.
With other communities cutting events to save money, “we think it’s important to provide free or very low-cost events to go to,” Johnson said.
He said the concerts also draw people from outside Elk Grove Village who help the local economy by spending money at local businesses.
Parking for the concerts is available at the Town Center shopping center at the southwest corner of Arlington Heights and Biesterfield roads, and at the Park District Pavilion at 1000 Wellington Ave. Bring a blanket or lawn chair as no seating is provided.
Wow, this is about the earliest I've seen the summer concert line-up announced. (Kinda hard to think about sitting out in lawn chairs when we're in the middle of a Winter Storm Advisory!!! lol But hey, I'd probably go to ALL of these!) Thanks, Marlene.
(Hmmm ... does this mean that The Monkees WON'T be touring here in July??? Is this solo show just a break in the action ... or something that'll end up being cancelled and rescheduled???) Inquiring minds want to know ... so stay tuned to Forgotten Hits for all the details. (By the way, we're hoping that Micky will report back to us from the road so we can all share in the U.K. Experience!!!) kk
re: UP-COMING PBS SHOWS: Hi Kent, Thank you so much for the My Music: Rock Pop and Doo Wop information!!! I met TJ Lubinsky when I was at one of his shows. I thanked him for putting all these entertainers together to preserve their legacy to the music world!!! Carolyn Without question, T.J. has put together some AMAZING concerts for PBS, featuring SO many of our favorite stars from years gone by. (He's got a '60's Spectacular coming up that TOTALLY lives up to its name!) Stay tuned for more details. (kk)
Regarding "Airplay" does Wild Bill know when PBS will air it in the Denver area and does Marlene know when it will air in Chicago? I have people in both areas who would want to watch it. Sue Patterson
Unfortunately, neither of these folks are going to know anything any sooner than film producer Carolyn Travis ... the dates she gave me are the "confirmed" air dates at this time ... several other stations around the country have committed to airing the program as well ... they just haven't locked into an air date yet. We'll keep you posted as things develop. (kk)
re: THE WRECKING CREW:
Speaking of The Wrecking Crew Documentary, we just got notice of a few more upcoming screenings ... if any of these are in YOUR area, do yourself a favor and check out this great film ... you'll be glad you did! (kk) March 5th - Cleveland, Ohio Center for Creative Arts @ Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus (Hosted by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame) Everything kicks off at 4 PM and "The Wrecking Crew" screening will take place at 7:30 PM RSVP required: david.kennedy@tri-c.edu March 13th - New York, NY (Hosted by Industry City in Brooklyn) 220 36th Street - Brooklyn, NY 11232 5 PM - Wine / Cheese Reception 6 PM - Film "Suggested Donations" required March 20th - Los Angeles, CA (Hosted by Vitellos Jazz and Supper Club) 4349 Tujunga Avenue Studio City, CA 91604 "Suggested Donations" required Film: 1 PM March 25th - Carlsbad, CA (Hosted by Museum of Making Music) 5790 Armada Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 "Suggested Donations" required Film: 7 PM March 27th - Los Angeles, CA (Hosted by A & S Case Company and S.I.R.) 6465 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028 "Suggested Donations" required Film: 4 PM April 2nd - Ojai, CA (Hosted by K'ilat Ha Aloneem, Jewish Community Center) 530 West El Roblar Meiners Oaks, CA "Suggested Donations" required Film: 7:30 April 9th - Newington, CT (Hosted by Connecticut Vintage and Custom Drum Show) Sphinx Shriners Center 3066 Berlin Turnpike More info at CTDRUMSHOW@aol.com "Suggested Donations" required Film: 7:30 PM April 16th and 17th - Dallas, TX Dallas Market Hall (Hosted by Dangerous Guitar / The 34th Annual Dallas International Guitar Festival) 2200 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX Visit the website for The 34th Annual Dallas International Guitar Festival for more details
And, for MORE great movie music this weekend, tune into The True Oldies Channel ... Scott Shannon is doing a "Hollywood Hits" Weekend ... and "Goldfinger" CERTAINLY belongs on the play list!!! (kk)
re: JIM PETERIK:
Enjoyed seeing the photo of Jim Peterik! Keep up the GREAT work.
Carolyn Jimmy's a hoot, isn't he?!?! Surprised to see he was at the Grammys ... but glad to see that he dressed for the occasion! (lol) kk
re: OTHER OLDIES FACTS AND COMMENTS: Kent, I don't know if this has ever been covered on FH, but just ran across the explanation for how the guitar solo was done on Marmalade's "Reflections of My Life." Fascinating! David Lewis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflections_of_My_Life Nope, we've never covered this before ... and, until today, I never knew the details. Always great to hear the "behind the scenes" stories of how this great music was recorded. Marmalade were MUCH more successful back home in Jolly Ol' England (where they had eleven Top 40 Hits, including a #1 with their cover version of The Beatles' tune "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"). They also did an OUTSTANDING version of "Lovin' Things", the song WE best know as by The Grass Roots. Here in The U.S., "Reflections Of My Life" was their only Top 40 Hit. It reached #3 in The U.K.and stopped at #7 here in The States in Cash Box Magazine. (It was a #2 Hit here in Chicago!) Ironically, the original "radio version" of the single ELIMINATED the guitar solo you're referring to ... I absolutely LOVED the song and bought the 45 ... and was completely SHOCKED to hear the extended guitar solo when I brought the record home and played it. Honestly, I never liked it ... by this point, I was SO used to hearing the "abridged" version that the long version just never sounded right to me! Of course now, some 40 years later, the "long version" has been the ONLY version that's been played for so long that I imagine the "short" version would just sound wrong!!! I also always thought that Marmalade sounded an AWFUL lot like The Bee Gees on this song ... The Brothers Gibb had just recently gotten back together and, by years end, would be topping the charts with their comeback hit "Lonely Days". "Reflections Of My Life" is one of those songs that always seems to get that "Oh My God, I LOVE This Song!!!" reactions whenever it comes on ... which, quite frankly, isn't often enough to my mind. Even Paige (at the ripe old age of 14) LOVES the song and often asks me to play it for her when she's getting ready for school. (Oldies Radio ... you're ignoring another REALLY good one here!!!) kk
Kent, I was going through my library here at home and looking at some of my books and magazines. My books and magazines are of two types: Movies and / or television, and music and / or records. I don't know if you have discussed this in FH in the past, but have you ever had mention of collectors magazines in FH? I am familiar with KEEP ROCKIN' even though I don't subscribe to it. I know that you can only get it online. What I am talking about is two publications which came out in the seventies, RECORD EXCHANGER and BIM BAM BOOM (Hey, that sounds like a good title for a song). Both publications ceased publication years ago. I am fortunate to have all copies. Larry Music Magazine have come up from time to time over the years in Forgotten Hits, but we've never really devoted any special space to these ... although I know there are a number of readers out there who have built a sizeable collection. (At one point in time, I had EVERY single issue of "Goldmine" ... but ended up selling the majority of them because they just took up too much space and I never had the time to look at them!!! Even now, I've probably got about a dozen boxes jam packed with old Cash Box Magazine sitting in my garage that I just know I will NEVER go through ... they're in varying conditions and, at one point, I thought it'd be neat to scan old ads and articles and feature them in the newsletter ... I even went out and bought a custom-sized scanner to do so ... and then featured about three ads and never used it again!!! So if anybody has an interest in these, drop me a note!) Meanwhile, I'll also pass along the email address for Jack Levin, who has been selling music magazines for DECADES now, both at local record shows and on eBay. He, too, has an ENORMOUS collection so if you're into this sort of thing, drop him a note and let him know what you're looking for. I've known Jack for about 30 years now and, despite this fact, he's STILL talking to me!!! (lol) You can reach him at: rockandrollneverforgets@yahoo.com As far as collectors magazines are concerned, I only have a handful of Goldmines left, having donated all of them to ALS years ago. I have a couple boxes of the UK publication, Record Collector and some other odds and ends. The bulk of my collection is Rolling Stone, Illinois Entertainers, Guitar mags, Mojo & Q. There's Hit Parader, Circus, Creem, Trouser Press, Record, Song Hits, Uncut and a couple boxes of country magazines as well. Jack If any of this piques your interest, drop Jack a line at the email address above. (kk)
Here's a cool newspaper clipping sent into us by FH Reader Stacee ... AMAZING the capital being brought in by Branson's Entertainment Troups! (kk)
re: MORE GREAT FORGOTTEN HITS:
Here's one of my favorite Classic Hits, by Eddie Rabbitt, "Suspicions", 1979. Thought it did much better on the record charts, but I was probably listening to C&W radio stations, because that's what my ex and her brother liked. Sadly, while it sounded good on radio, it sounded sort of bland on CD, so I had to give it my Y2K sound enhancement. Bad enough I have to do this with your Oldies! (Can't believe I have to do it with music recorded in 1979!) :-) http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/suspicions.mp3 John Actually, this was a pretty big hit ... #1 on Billboard's Country Singles Chart and a #13 cross-over hit on Billboard's Pop Chart ... doesn't get much better than that! Eddie Rabbitt is one of those artists who deserved much better than he got on the pop charts ... MOST of his music had mass audience appeal ... too many folks just never got a chance to hear it. Even so, he still managed six Top 20 Pop Hits, including a #1 Single. ("I Love A Rainy Night", 1981). "Drivin' My Life Away" (my personal favorite) and "Step By Step" both peaked at #5 and "You And I", his duet with Crystal Gayle, reached #7. Eddie TRULY is an artist who was gone too soon. (He died of cancer back in 1998.) Another hit that absolutely should have scored pop, country and easy listening is 1978's "You Don't Love Me Anymore" ... featured today in Forgotten Hits. (kk)
By the way, after featuring your two custom remixed Beach Boys tracks the other day, I received this email from Phil Miglioratti, who runs the "Pray For Surf" website (and is a MAJOR, MAJOR Beach Boys Fan!) High praise indeed for your efforts! (kk) Love the Beach Boys cuts - they sound pristine! Phil Click here: Pray For Surf The Beach Boys - I Can Hear Music - w/countdown (1969) While this (studio work in progress) stereo mix sounds (vocal) unbalanced, its overall clarity is nice. Nice harmony. Love the vocal ending of this snippet! Edited ... http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/hearmusic.mp3 Stay tuned to Radio KKFH for other Top 40 rarities and oddities from Gene Pitney, The 4 Seasons and others. Best, Jersey John
Hi Kent, I don't know whether you have the Merry Clayton original of "It's In His Kiss", but I'm attaching it for you. Forgive me if you've posted this on Forgotten Hits - I'm still working my way through your archived posts. Thanks again for your wonderful blog - I check it every day. Best wishes, Marie Several people have done this song over the years (most notably Cher, who took HER remake all the way to #33 in 1991 after she included it in her "Mermaids" film) ... and the original HIT version, of course, belongs to Betty Everett, who scored a #6 Pop Hit with it back in early 1964. Merry Clayton cut her version (backed by The Blossoms and produced by the legendary Jack Nitzsche) about eight months earlier ... and it went absolutely NOWHERE! The song was written by Rudy Clark (while he was signed to Bobby Darin's TM Publishing Company) as "It's In His Kiss" but Everett's version charted as "The Shoop Shoop Song" (which confused a WHOLE lotta record buyers back in the day, much as "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" by The Cowsills would several years later.) That's because just a few weeks before Betty Everett's single was released, ANOTHER artist put out THEIR version of "It's In His Kiss" (Ramona King) and Vee Jay Records (who released the Everett version) didn't want to lose sales to a competing version ... so they changed the title hoping that record buyers would ask for it by name to insure sales being recorded to the proper version. (For the record, it worked ... King's version never charted either!) Believe it or not, this '60's classic was first offered to ... and rejected by ... one of the premier Girl Groups of the era ... The Shirelles! Nope, we've never featured the Merry Clayton version before ... so thanks for sharing ... and giving us a chance to talk a little bit about this tune! (kk)
Kent, You are the man and you are number one in my book. I just got home from work and played your FH for today, EVERYONE'S GONE TO THE MOON by Jonathan King. The first thing that came to my mind was the 1966 recording of IT'S GOOD NEWS WEEK by the group Hedgehoppers Anonymous aka Jonathan King, also on Parrot Records. Would you believe I just now played that record three times in a row. Always did like that record. I have a strange feeling (hey, that would be a great title for a song by someone like Billy Stewart) that IT'S GOOD NEWS WEEK was a bigger hit in Chicago than it was here in OKC. While playing IT'S GOOD NEWS WEEK, it reminded me of another record which came out in 1967 on Epic Records, RUN RUN RUN by the group Third Rail. Lyrics to both were about the same subject. A lot of times your FH reminds me or triggers my mind about another song which I haven't heard in ages. Larry Thanks again for the kind words ... this just means that we're doing our job, gettin' those wheels turnin'! "It's Good News Week" WAS a HUGE hit here in Chicago (#3, 1966) ... and "Run Run Run" by Third Rail did pretty well, too! (#19, 1967) We have featured BOTH of these tunes at one time or another over the past several years ... and ALWAYS get a good reaction. (kk)
Love Monday's Forgotten Hit choice...Everyone's Gone to the Moon has always been a favorite of mine. I did not know whose song it was though. I went on youtube to see what else Jonathan King had done. I was amazed to see what an accomplished man he is. Singer, songwriter, author etc. While I was checking him out another song came up ... Good News Week. I listened to it and it did not have a verse in it that I remember well ... the one about the sacred cows. I read some of the comments from the people and one person said that the version with Asia and the sacred cows was banned in the U.S. I live in the U.S. and that is where I heard it ... can you explain? Stacee It may have been banned in some areas (which hampered the record's national success) but it was played here in Chicago, too, and was a BIG hit ... #3 in fact! (kk)
Kent, I have mentioned to you before in the past that occasionally when I see a song mentioned on your website, that it sometimes reminds me of another song or two. Today's FH is no exception in a way. Here in OKC, Gene and Debbe's recordings were big, from the PLAYBOY which was your FH, to LOVIN' SEASON and GO WITH ME. PLAYBOY, of course, not to be confused with the song by the same title recorded earlier by the Marvellettes. Remember Gene Thomas' SOMETIME in 1961 on UA? Bigger record here in OKC than nationally I believe. Anyway, when I saw the artists' names of Gene and Debbe, a song but another group came to my mind. Remember Jon and Robin? Larry Lol - Jon and Robin's hit "Do It Again (Just A Little Bit Slower)" is TOMORROW'S Forgotten Hit - because I thought they sounded great together, too! You just beat me to the punch by about three hours - but I've had this "combo" planned for weeks now! (See, great minds really DO think alike!) kk Kent, In addition to Jon and Robin's "Do it Again (Just a Little Bit Slower)" which was big here in OKC, they also had two other records big here in OKC, "I Want Some More" and "You Got Style" from 1967 and 1968 respectively. Jon Abnor had a record in 1963 which made our survey with a song called "You're Losing That Old Feeling", all records being of course on the record label Abnak. In fact, Jon Abnor's record from 1963 was record label number 101. Now I just have one question to ask you. You mentioned that great minds really DO think alike. Mine and whose else? Lol Larry We featured the Jon and Robin Hit on Thursday. Strangely enough, their other two national chart hits were NOT the two you mentioned ... "Drums" spent two weeks at #100 later in 1967 and "Dr. Jon (The Medicine Man)" reached #87 in March of '68. Gene Thomas' "Sometime" went to #53 in 1961 ... but his follow-up charter sounds interesting ... according to Joel Whitburn's book, Gene's #84 Billboard Hit from 1964, "Baby's Gone", was written by Roy Orbison and Bobby Goldsboro! It'd be neat to hear THAT one!!! (kk) And, thanks to Tom Diehl, we can! (Sure sounds like a Roy Orbison tune to me!!!) Bobby Goldsboro played guitar in Roy Orbison's band back in the early '60's and, according to DeeJay Jim Shea, the opening guitar riff from Bobby's hit "Little Things" is simply a reworking of Roy's "Oh, Pretty Woman" riff played backwards! (kk)
Dear Mr. Kotal,
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Hmmm ... I dunno ... I happen to LIKE gambling and porn!!!!! (kk)
Hi Kent, First, I'm a big fan of Linda Laurie, and made a CD for myself of (I believe) all of her songs. I recently bought a copy of her rendition of Ruby Red Dress. Helen Reddy had success with it, Linda wrote it, and her rendition is very close to Helen Reddy's. I'll attach a copy of it, if you want to put it on your site. I always have little projects that I work on and my latest one is getting the original and uncensored releases of 1960's 45's. I only have two so far, Jimmy Dean's (Big Bad John), both releases, and Charlie Drake's (My Boomerang Won't Come Back). I'm trying to find what I think is the censored version of Lou Christie's Rhapsody In The Rain. I would have thought that it would be easier to find than the uncensored. I see where you had it on Forgotten Hits a while back. Can you rerun it for me? Attached is Linda Laurie's "Ruby Red Dress". Thanks. Arnold Kirkbride
Scott Shannon may want to feature Linda Laurie's version of "Ruby Red Dress" on his next True Oldies Channel "Rock And Roll Remakes" Weekend. (Helen Reddy retitled the tune "Leave Me Alone" and took it all the way to #1 in Cash Box Magazine in 1973.) Linda Laurie had the novelty hit "Ambrose" back in 1959. (We featured this one recently on the website, too.) For the record, she ALSO wrote Reddy's #1 Hit "Delta Dawn! (And, speaking of #1 Helen Reddy tunes, a short while back we told you the "behind-the-scenes" story behind ANOTHER one of Helen Reddy's #1 Hits, "Angie Baby", written by our Forgotten Hits Buddy Alan O'Day!!! Yes, it's true ... we've become your All-Helen-Reddy-Radio-Connection!!!) lol
Speaking of Scott Shannon, ironically he and I just had a discussion about "Rhapsody In The Rain" the other day! (I think I had mentioned something about it on the site recently and said that I would try to find our salute in the archives and run it again.) That conversation ... and your email ... finally made me do something about it!
So here you go ... along with a little bit of history surrounding both the song and the artist! (kk)
'60's FLASHBACK: Back in 1966, there were TWO versions of "Rhapsody In The Rain" circulating on the radio. On the ORIGINAL version, Lou Christie sang the line "We were makin' out in the rain" ...
HARDLY controversial by today's standards ...
but in 1966, it got him banned from radio stations all over the country.
In fact, the ENTIRE ABC / Radio Chain prohibited the playing of the tune! In a censorship campaign led by Chicago's own Gene Taylor, then Program Director of AM radio giant WLS, ABC Radio went so far as to tell "Time Magazine" that the suggestive lyrics about "makin' out in the rain" and "our love went much too far" along with the obvious rhythmic beat of the windshield wipers could ONLY mean that the couple was having sex in the car in time with the wipers. When Christie re-recorded the lines as "we fell in love in the rain" and "our love came like a falling star," he ALSO slowed down the tempo a bit from the original pressing ... hopefully stopping once and for all the teen-lusting that was going on in the back seat while listening to the other version! (Yeah right ... I'm sure THAT tempo change fooled the teenagers during the charged-up sexual-revolution which was the '60's!)
Not wanting to lose any of the momentum that was building up (please!) for the song ... and in an effort to get it on (come on!!!) the radio again, Christie went back into the studio and recut the track with the substitute line "We fell in love in the rain" in time to still garner enough airplay to take this hit all the way to #16. In hindsight, it's a pretty sloppy edit ... (no pun intended) ... it sounds very forced (there I go again) and just doesn't fit (enough already!!!) Truth be told, I wonder how much foreplay, I mean forethought Christie put into the tune ... after all, he was just coming (jeez!) off of a #1 Record with "Lightning Strikes" ... so creating another "rain" song was probably much more of his focus than any subliminal message to a bunch of horny teenagers ... the songs are strikingly (ok, that pun WAS intended) similar in overall topic, sound and tempo. Anyway, today, we feature BOTH versions of the single. For years, the "banned" version was quite a collectible 45 ... in fact, I remember the Price Guides even listing the number etched in the wax so that the buyer could determine which pressing he was purchasing without actually having to listen to the record! (Amazingly, just one year later, Van Morrison was "making love in the green grass behind the stadium" with his Brown-Eyed Girl and ran into some similar problems ... according to MOST radio stations, he was "skippin' and a-jumpin'" instead!)
LOU CHRISTIE: Lou Christie hit The National Top 40 five times between 1963 and 1969 with '60's classics like "Lightning Strikes" (a #1 Single in early 1966), "Two Faces Have I" (#3 in Cash Box and also #1 here in Chicago back in 1963), the aforementioned, controversial "Rhapsody In The Rain" (#16, 1966) and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", an almost "Bubblegum"-sounding comeback hit that went all the way to #7 in 1969.
Christie (whose REAL name is Lugee Sacco) was famous for his soaring falsetto, rivaling Frankie Valli, who was also starting to hit the pop charts around the same time. Christie first hit the charts in 1963 with his original composition "The Gypsy Cried", (#18, 1963), a song co-written with Twyla Herbert, ironically a reputed clairvoyant (who also just happened to be 30 years older than he was!) They also co-wrote several of his other hit singles: "Two Faces Have I", "Lightning Strikes" and "Rhapsody In The Rain", a song banned on numerous radio stations around the country. (Lou eventually went in and cut new lyrics replacing the controversial "making out in the rain" line, which became quite a collectible over the years.)
In 1974, he cut my personal favorite track, a version of a song first featured in the 1930 movie "Monte Carlo" called "Beyond The Blue Horizon". Sung in the movie by star Jeanette MacDonald, Christie's version would peeter out at #72 on the Cash Box Chart. (It didn't even get THAT high in Billboard, where it stalled at #80.) This song has since been covered by everyone from Johnny Mathis to Michael Nesmith! Lou's version would also get the "film-treatment" when it was featured prominently in the hit motion picture "Rain Man".
It's an interesting track in that, if you listen REAL closely, you can just barely hear Christie singing (almost off-mike) on the first verse before coming in strong for the big finish. Christie sounds great on what would be his last chart hit.
We've got another great batch of "Helping Out Our Readers" to share with you today ... so let's get right to it!!!
re: PETER FRAMPTON: When I posted something by The Herd elsewhere, someone shouted Peter Frampton. I checked Joel Whitburn's Top 40, 8th edition, and found no mention of Frampton being part of The Herd. However, his 5th edition does!!! John I don't think The Herd ever HAD a Top 40 Hit, did they?!?!? Whitburn's most recent Top Pop Singles Book says that Peter Frampton joined The Herd at the ripe old age of 16. A few years later, he formed Humble Pie, which is where he first made his mark on the FM-Rock stations. But his career REALLY "came alive" in 1976 when his live "Frampton Comes Alive" album jumped to the top of the Billboard Album Charts and stayed there for ten weeks, eventually selling over six million copies! (kk)
re: ARETHA: >>>HAVE YOU HEARD ANY UPDATES ON ARETHA? I HOPETHERE'S SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL FOR HER! (MICHAEL G. BUSH) >>>There hasn't been a whole lot written about Aretha's health since she came home from the hospital just about a month ago. In an interview with Jet Magazine, she said she was fine and that her health issues had "been resolved." (In the same interview, she never admitted to having pancreatic cancer either ... and she's been pretty tight-lipped about it ever since.) You can read highlights from her Jet interview here (kk): Click here: Aretha Franklin: Health problem 'has been resolved' one month after surgery UPDATE: Since this piece ran, Aretha's been more in the spotlight again lately. First, there was the big show-opening tribute number at this year's Grammy Awards Ceremony, featuring a medley of Aretha's hits sung by Christina Aguilera, Miranda Lambert, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson and Florence Welch, a performance that "Entertainment Weekly" Magazine described as: "Five of music's biggest belters teamed up to honor Franklin with a greatest-hits medley that quickly devolved into a game of 'Any Note You Can Hit, I Can Hit Higher'. Five ear-splitting choruses later, we were roundly impressed ... and partially deaf." The tribute ended with Aretha herself up on the big screen (via a pre-taped "thank you" video) that promised she'd be back at the ceremony live next year. Franklin has really down-played her hospital stay, never confirming anything at all to do with the much talked about pancreatic cancer report ... virtually EVERYTHING now refers to this as a hospital visit for "an undisclosed procedure" ... kinda weird in a way ... but Aretha has also made a point of talking about how much much-needed weight loss she experienced as a result of this. "Rolling Stone" Magazine had a blurb this past week that revealed: Aretha Franklin Will Return to the Stage and Release New Album In May, singer to perform first concert since recovering from a mystery ailment
By Matthew Perpetua
February 17, 2011 10:15 AM ET
Aretha Franklin has announced her first show since canceling a run of concerts last year due to illness. The singer, who is still recovering from surgery she had in December, is set to perform at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Buffalo, New York on May 28th. (Gossip blogger Perez Hilton says that her actual first concert will be at Radio City Music Hall earlier in May, but that has yet to be confirmed.)
Franklin will also release a new album, Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love, on May 3rd through WalMart. The record, which has been in the works for many years and will be issued by her own label Aretha's Records, will include collaborations with R. Kelly and Billy Dee Williams.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Franklin said that one positive effect of her illness has been that she has lost weight. She said that she has been working hard to maintain the loss by regularly working out and eating a healthier diet.
Franklin's most recent public appearance was on the Grammy Awards on Sunday. In a pre-taped clip, she thanked fans for supporting her during her illness following an all-star tribute to her music featuring Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Florence Welch and Yolanda Adams.
re: MOONSHINE: >>>WHO was it did: "Moonshine Tenneessee wine, runnin' round my head ... friend of mine ..."? (Robert Black, Willowdale Ont) >>>Robert Black posted a query about lyrics that go "moonshine, --- wine ... etc." This is just grasping at straws, but it sounds like Randy Newman's "Old Kentucky Home", also recorded by the Beau Brummels and who knows who else. I think the first verse is something like "Moonshine, dandelion wine / Sittin' with friends in the evening time" or similar to what Robert from Ontario heard. I don't think the Beau Brummels released it as a single from their Triangle LP but maybe (in Canada) they were giving Newman's record some airplay! (Bob Rashkow) >>>I don't see anything about this in my ever-reliable CHUM Chart Book ... anybody else have any idea what this might be? (kk) This is calledMoonshine (Friend Of Mine) by John Kay (of Steppenwolf)Doug This seems to nail the lyrics Robert sent in ... but only he can confirm it for sure. Meanwhile, I thought I heard this playing in my head when I first read his inquiry but what I heard most definitely was NOT the John Kay song ... so now I'm wondering if there's ANOTHER song out there with similar lyrics. (The one I'm hearing sounds like more of a country hit, probably also from the mid-to-late '70's, but I just can't put my finger on it.) Any other ideas? (Meanwhile, I've sent your suggestion on to Robert ... let's see if he comes back with a reply!) kk
Regarding the query about Moonshine from a fellow in Willowdale Ontario ... The song he asks about is Moonshine by Ottawa's Five Man Electrical Band, otherwise better know for the original version of Signs. The song was also covered by another temporary Canadian, John Kay, on his first solo album on ABC / Dunhill and both versions charted in Canada. Greg Simpson Coquitlam BC
Hmmm ... agin, I don't see EITHER of these titles in my CHUM book ... but clearly a couple of Canadian Artists had fun recording it. I'm hoping Robert Black comes back to us with something like a "positive I.D." on these! (kk)
From Moonshine ... to Hot Chocolate!
re: HOT CHOCOLATE: >>>Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing - Released in the US on Big Tree Records. It is written that it was an (unknown) American DJ who flipped the 45 RPM record over and spotted its potential. How he was able to persuade Producer Mickie Most abroad, to modify it and reissue it is also unknown. (John) >>>Hard to tell ... this simply could be a case of the extended album mix vs. the punched-up hit single mix ... that sort of thing happened all the time, especially if the single was pulled from the album AFTER pressure to release it. That being said, I don't know that anyone from Big Tree Records (or American radio for that matter) had to convince anybody to release "You Sexy Thing" as a single ... it debuted on The British Singles Pop Chart a week after it premiered in Billboard here in The States. It peaked at #2 in its U.K. showing and reached #3 (for three weeks!) in Billboard in early '76. (It also peaked at #2 on the Cash Box Chart.) By 1976, Hot Chocolate had already racked up nine British Top 40 Hits, so they were no strangers on the charts. Here in the States, "Emma" (#6, 1975) and "Disco Queen" (#21, 1975) were already proven hits before "You Sexy Thing" first hit the charts. Again, an established chart track record would indicate that they knew EXACTLY what song to release as their next single. Once they signed with Mickie Most's RAK Records label, they earned their first British Top Ten Hit with "Love Is Life" (#36, 1970). Early Hot Chocolate recordings of '70's hits like "You Could Have Been A Lady" and "Brother Louie" went on to become bigger hits for April Wine and Stories respectively, but they would earn a total of 13 Top Ten British Hits under their own name between 1970 and 1987 (including a remix of "You Sexy Thing" that went to #10 in 1987.) Having checked a number of reference sources, I can't find ANYTHING stating that it was an American deejay who prompted the success of "You Sexy Thing" (or its release as a single) ... as I said, Hot Chocolate had already scored two U.S. hits prior to its release on Big Tree Records. Honestly, I think by this point they were pretty well recognized as world-wide hit makers. (kk)
Hi Kent -
Just been reading the newsletter dated November 8, 2010, and would like to clarify things regarding Hot Chocolate.
Written by Phil Hendriks, the following comments come from the sleeve notes of their As, B's and Rarities cd released in 2004:
"The morose 'Blue Night' single issued in April 1975 was a fairly blatant attempt to re-create 'Emma' in a bid to revive the group's fortunes. It failed to catch the imagination of radio producers and with little airplay or promotion failed to chart. Once again it appeared that success was deserting the band, yet hidden on the B side of 'Blue Night' was a hint of glories to come, a song entitled 'You Sexy Thing'. Hindsight reveals that Mickie Most's decision to make 'You Sexy Thing' the B side could have been a major blunder, had it not been for an American DJ flipping the record over and spotting it's potential."
So you see Kent we do have an American DJ to thank for bringing us this classic, even though it was completely re-worked for release later in the year. It went on to reach number 2 then and number 10 when re-mixed in 1987. It then reached the top 10 for a third time in 1997 making it their most successful hit ever
Cheers!
Nick
re: A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Dear Kent - Just came across your website and really enjoyed it. In one of your Christmas posts I read Gary Theroux's very interesting description of his fight to get the "All-Time Greatest Hits Of Christmas" done right. (Congrats, by the way, Gary!) I'm a major fan of Dickens' CHRISTMAS CAROL. I've produced my own radio / audio version, have played Scrooge several times, and, just this past season, had an article published on the very long history of the story in this medium. In fact, I'm on a quest to get the best - condition - possible copy of Barrymore's 1947 recording and wondered: - For this collection, did Gary have the actual masters to work from? - And was it trimmed? The original clocks at 24:01 Look forward to hearing from you! All best, Craig Wichman I passed your note (and your email address) along to Gary Theroux ... hopefully he'll contact you directly on this. Glad you're enjoying Forgotten Hits ... hope we can help you out with this! (kk)
And, speaking of Christmas, believe it or not we just got THIS video clip last week, too! Kent ...
Another one of my helpful hints ... How to make a Snowman.
OK, I have to admit ... I'd like to have seen James Taylor build the whole thing ... plus then we could have heard the whole song, too ... but you get the general idea! (kk)
re: SURVEY SAYS ... :
I recently came into a number of WFOX Milwaukee surveys from 1957. Hopefully you can see the third column, between the song title and the artist's name. It says points. Apparently each title was given a point value and therefore ranked accordingly. However each position was not worth the same amount of points week after week, nor even the same song when it repeated at the same position. Nor is it a cumulative total. WFOX offers no explanation on how the system works. My question since Joel is from the Milwaukee area, does he know anything about this, and/or did he get the idea of a point system from WFOX. I have never seen this appear on any other top 40 chart. Jack
I passed your question along to Joel Whitburn to see what (if any) influence these charts may have had on his own research. Here's what he had to say:
Hi Kent,
The only Milwaukee radio surveys that I collected and saved were those from WOKY. I have a complete set of those and some from WRIT. However, I never collected any from WFOX, so I can not comment on their point values. I would assume that it had something to do with the number of spins or requests for that title for that week.
Joel
re: AIRPLAY: Kent:I'm wondering if the documentary "Airplay" is available to purchase, without donating a large amount of money to PBS. There's nothing available on Amazon, so does anyone know where I can buy it? Thanks! Denny Foster I don't believe that it's "commercially available" just yet ... so I asked Carolyn Travis, the producer of the film, what the game plan was beyond the PBS showings. Here's what she had to say: Hi Kent, I wish I could sell Airplay, but my PBS deal gives them exclusive rights for now. As soon as I'm allowed, I'll give you a few DVDs to give away to your readers ... probably not til after the June pledge period. Here's what I have so far ... KCET in LA is airing it on Saturday, February 26th, at 9:30 ... special guest: Raechel Donahue. Repeat showing Feb. 28th at 10:30 KVCR is LA is running it March 1st and 3rd. WYIN is airing it Sunday the 27th, Thursday 3/3, and Friday 3/4. Apparently this station is based in Indiana but serves part of Chicago. Haven't heard about the other Chicago station yet. Some stations might use it in their June pledge. (EDITOR'S NOTE: My understanding is that WTTW here in Chicago has committed to airing "Airplay" ... we just don't have a date for this showing yet. Renown broadcaster Clark Weber has even volunteered his services to host a Chicago area showing. Wouldn't it be cool to get a dozen or so jocks from "back in the day" to man the phone lines that night ... and share some of their vintage "AM Radio" memories??? kk) Boston is airing it on WGBH 2/28 at midnight. WEKW and WENH (which are in New Hamphsire ... not sure why they were listed under Boston) on 3/4 at midnight. KRCB in San Francisco is airing it 3/7 WEAO-TV in Cleveland - 3/6 WTVI in Charlotte, NC - 3/9 WCET in Cincinnati - 3/7 WCVE in Richmond - 3/2 WCVW in Richmond - 3/6 WETP & WKOP in Knoxville - 3/7 KUAS & KUAT in Tuscon - 3/5 Wi8BO - it's on my list as Portland / Auburn but I think it's based in New Hampshire WEIU in Champaign, IL - 2/26 WILL in central IL - 3/10 WSEC in Springfield, IL - 3/2 KI6FC in Santa Barbara, CA (I think that's the UC / Santa Barbara station) 2/26 and 2/26 Other markets that already have it on the schedule are Jackson, MS, Burlington, VT, Ft. Wayne Indiana, Youngstown, OH, Fargo, ND, Corpus Christie and Amarillo, TX, Columbus / Tupelo, MS, Salisbury, MD, Minot / Bismarlk, ND, Biloxi / Gulfport, MS, WMEC, IL, Bowling Green, KY, Charlottesville, VA, Meridian, MS, Greenwood, MS and Lima, OH. Toledo wasn't on the list I got Friday, but somebody told me it was airing there. Some of these cities have multiple stations, so it's best to check local listings. These are mostly premiere air dates. I don't have repeat showings. Sorry I couldn't get this to you sooner ... I just got it on Friday. Thanks again for all your help. Carolyn Thanks for the update, Carolyn. Again, please check your local listings as a back-up plan ... and remember that PBS typically airs these types of programs repeatedly during their pledge drives. (Is there really any time anymore when they're NOT doing a pledge drive?!?!?) Anyway, well worth an hour of your time to watch the abbreviated version on PBS ... and then make a donation in order to receive a DVD of the whole thing. (If and when we're able to give away a few copies, we'll be sure to let you know!) kk
re: THIS AND THAT:
Kent: Remember the Gentrys' hit Keep on Dancing? Well, I found a forgotten gem of theirs that in my eyes poses an unusual twist. The song is Why Should I Cry. I think it charted in 1970. Now here is what makes this song interesting. If you play the ending of the Grass Roots big hit Midnight Confessions, please notice when the last chorus of sha la las come in. Now play the introduction to Why Should I Cry and notice their sha la las. You would swear they are IDENTICAL! It seems to me that someone got away with this. Maybe you can post both songs and let you and your readers listen themselves to see if I really am nuts! What do you think? Also, I came across a couple of FHs you might feature someday. One is Trust by the Peppermint Trolley Company. It was a good song but didn't receive much airplay around Chicago. Another California group who was a one hit wonder was The Cherry People with And Suddenly. After a slow intro it turns into a good little catchy tune! Again, it did much better on the West Coast. I'll throw one more in: To Put Up With You by The Flying Circus. Thank you for the info on the PC Limited and the postings of Gypsy, Sunny Was a Fool, and People and Me. You truly will never be forgotten! I'm so glad I found your site! It was like a kid in a candy store for the first time! You have a friend for life! Steve Homner OK, a lot of ground to cover here ... so let's rolling! "Why Should I Cry" by The Gentrys was a #50 Hit in early 1970. In that it was recorded for Sun Records (after a four year break without a hit at MGM, The Gentrys switched labels ... and probably NOT by their own choice!), it's simply nothing more than a coincidence that you hear a similarity between The Grass Roots' fade out on "Midnight Confessions" (recorded for Dunhill Records) and "Why Should I Cry", recorded by The Gentrys, for Sun Records ... the two recordings have absolutely nothing in common ... other than a great hook ... and, when played back-to-back, they are clearly different recordings.
Of your "forgotten hits" suggestions, only "And Suddenly" comes remotely close to qualifying as something most people would remember upon hearing it again ... the other two titles didn't chart at all. ("And Suddenly" ... which we actually DID feature a long time ago ... reached #43 in 1968 ... and you're right, it's not a bad song at all ... so we'll feature it as a FH "bonus track" here today.) To truly qualify as a "forgotten hit", the song has to be something that you'll remember hearing on the radio way back when ... but has been absent from the airwaves for SO long now that you've all but forgotten it ... yet, upon hearing it again, you can IMMEDIATELY sing along with it, despite all the years that may have passed in between. Meanwhile, I'm glad you're enjoying Forgotten Hits ... so keep the comments coming! (kk)
re: THINGS GO BETTER WITH COKE: Hi Kent, I've always been fascinated by the whole things go better with Coke ad campaign that had all our favorite groups doing coke ads. I have many, many of them. I've wondered a couple things about them and thought the real place to find some info might be the forgotten hits folks. There are varying lengths of these, including 90 second versions. Did some major market stations play 90 second versions occasionally? Also they really sound like they were produced by the studios and producers the bands and singers normally used. I was wondering if that might be true? There seems to be not much information out there considering how many different acts did these ads that ran, in some cases, all over the world. Well I guess that's it for this morning. (grin) Bill We've got a pretty extensive collection of these, too, and are always hearing about more that are out there from our readers ... but we've never really explored any of the details behind these recordings. Sounds like an interesting topic. Anybody got any info to share? (kk)
UPDATE: Ironically, just a few days after we received your inquiry, I also received a note for another Forgotten Hits Reader who has perhaps the most COMPLETE collection of these jingles around ... not only the radio spots that ran here in the U.S. ... but ALSO clips from around the country! Check this out! (kk) The "Things Go Better With Coke" campaign started in 1963 and ended more or less in 1969 - 1970 when it was replaced by the equally popular "It's The Real Thing." Both jingles were composed by Bill Backer. Throughout the '60s, Coca-Cola signed endorsement deals with some of the biggest contemporary musical acts. Most of the time, the Coke jingle was intertwined with a slightly different version of a hit song sung by the original artist. This resulted in little 30, 60 or 90 second tunes that were very popular with the Coke-drinking young people. My personal collection is the result of endless research, digging, and begging. I want to thank those special individuals who have contributed to this project, especially a certain radio producer and a few wonderful people who operate web-sites and / or participate in collector discussion groups - you know who you are. A few tracks have been culled from video sources - thanks to the original posters for making these available. Track corrections, omissions or UNKNOWN identities would be greatly appreciated. Some jingles or jingle variations are missing - hopefully, these can be identified and added to this collection. Brad I think amongst our reader base we could probably put together the most complete collection of Coke jingles possible ... with the CLEAR understanding that this would be done for "Collectors' Purposes" ONLY!!! Anybody else who might have something to add (or share) in this regard should drop a note to: twbf@yahoo.com
And, on a related note ... Hi Kent, I know that this is a long-shot, but I'm really hoping that someone can help or knows where to get help on this. In 1968, Bill Cosby recorded 260 (maybe more) 5-minute radio "shows" for Coca-Cola (there may be shows from 1969, too). These comedy programs featured "Things Go Better With Coke" jingles made famous by the many rock stars of the day. Does anyone have or know where to get these shows? Apparently, they were sent out to radio stations as records. Some have unique edits in the jingles. Any help would be appreciated. I am already aware of the one web-site that has a lot of info and pictures of this show. I have 16 complete shows and part of one other. I'm interested in the audio contents of the records or tapes or whatever - in some sort of file format, if possible. Thanks, Brad Again, anyone with audio (or information) to share should contact Brad at the email address shown above. (kk)
re: PLAYTAPE 1200: Kent ... In your last edition, you spoke about an 8 Track Museum in Texas. Wild Wayne is now playing "Hillbilly Heaven," by Tex Ritter. I was wondering if you or your readers ever heard of a 2-Track Tape. In 1966, I was in the Marines and my parents bought it for me. It's called a Playtape 1200. It runs on batteries. You slip a small cassette into its side. When Side 1 finishes, you have to manually switch it to Side 2. I still have it and it still works. Except for the one that i have, I've never seen another one. Frank B. Well, Frank, over the years you've sent me ALL kinds of cool stuff ... and now I FINALLY have the chance to return the favor. Here's a photo of the Playtape 1200 ... along with several links for this piece of merchandise. (Some of these folks even have sealed tapes for sale!!! UNREAL!!!) kk
I'd have to imagine that some of these Beatles Tapes must be pretty rare and highly collectible ... but if you read some of these posts, you'll see that most of the major artists of the day were represented in some fashion. It truly is unreal what people hang on to ... and that they'd actually still work!!! (kk)
