A Saturday Morning Quickie!!!

First of all, we're not buying into any of this "end of the world" stuff any more than we worried about all of the computers crashing when the clock struck 2000 ... 

but, just in case, we've put together a double-whammy for you this morning!

Kent ... 

I have a request. 

Since 5/21/11 is supposed to be the end of the world, could you send us the Sunday Comments issue of Forgotten Hits a couple of days early?

You know ... just in case they're right. 

Thanks for the music and the memories.

Frank B.

YouTube - Skeeter Davis -- The End Of The World

lol ... good one ... you've really got to wonder where some of this stuff comes from ... and how ANYBODY takes it to heart ... but just in case, I'm going to hold off paying ANY of the bills until Tuesday!!!  (kk)


In related Herman's Hermits news, it has just been announced that ABKCO Records is FINALLY re-releasing the group's soundtrack albums "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" and "Hold On" ... in fact, the reissue CD's are out this week!  (Both films have also been commercially released on DVD for the very first time!)  

FH Reader Bob Merlis tells us:

HERMAN’S HERMITS’ MRS. BROWN, YOU’VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER SOUNDTRACK IS BACK THIS WEEK, COUPLED WITH BONUS HOLD ON! SOUNDTRACK FROM ABKCO 

This week ABKCO Records releases Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter (Music From The Original Soundtrack), from the 1968 film starring Herman’s Hermits. The album includes the hit title track as well as the smash hit “There’s A Kind of Hush” and seven more songs from the film. The film starred the group along with veteran actor Stanley Holloway who had earlier been featured in My Fair Lady.

ABKCO is including the entire soundtrack from Hold On!, the band’s previous film, originally released in 1966, as a bonus with Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter. It includes the hits “Leaning On The Lamp Post,” and “A Must To Avoid.” Going back to original source tapes, the albums have been painstakingly remastered for this release. The soundtracks are offered together as a specially priced physical release and are available individually from digital retailers at the same time both films have been released on DVD from the Warner Archive Collection.

Herman’s Hermits (Peter Noone, Keith Hopwood, Karl Green, Derek Leckenby and Barry Whitwam) were at the forefront of the “British Invasion” and were the top selling pop act in the U.S. in 1965, even beating out the Beatles.  The original single of “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” was Grammy-nominated that same year.  Noone continues to perform the Herman’s Hermits repertoire and is on a U.S. tour now continuing through the summer months. 

The original tracks for both Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter and Hold On! were produced by legendary British producer Mickie Most who also produced the Animals, The Yardbirds, Donovan and many others.  Of special note is the fact that almost all of the Mrs. Brown ... soundtrack selections were arranged by John Paul Jones who would go on to be a founding member of Led Zeppelin.  Four of the Mrs. Brown tracks were written by Graham Gouldman, who had been a source of hit songs for not only Herman’s Hermits but also for The Yardbirds, The Hollies, Wayne Fontana, Jeff Beck and others before he formed 10cc. Enigmatic American songwriter P.F. Sloan wrote (or co-wrote) four of the Hold On! soundtrack selections including the title song. 

Tracklisting

HOLD ON! (MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)

Hold On!

The George And Dragon

Got A Feeling

Wild Love

Leaning On The Lamp Post

Where Were You When I Needed You

All The Things I Do For You Baby

Gotta Get Away

Make Me Happy

A Must To Avoid

MRS. BROWN, YOU’VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER (MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK)

It’s Nice To Be Out In The Morning

Holiday Inn

Ooh, She’s Done It Again

There’s A Kind Of Hush

Lemon And Lime

The Most Beautiful Thing In My Life

Daisy Chain Pt. I

Daisy Chain Pt. II

The World Is For The Young

Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter

Check the usual sources to see where you can pick up YOUR copies!!!  (kk) 

 

In other "new release" news, Franke and the Knockouts' Greatest Hits CD is finally coming out!

In addition to scoring three Top 40 Hits with his own band, leader Franke Previte also wrote two songs for one of the biggest movie soundtracks in motion picture history, "Dirty Dancing".  (Previte's compositions "The Time Of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes" both made The Top Five, with "The Time Of My Life" topping the charts!)  Full info is below: 

ONE OF THE GREAT LOST ‘80S BANDS HAS BEEN FOUND!

FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS RETURN TO MARK ‘SWEETHEART’ ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEWLY REMASTERED GREATEST HITS COLLECTION AND EXCLUSIVE REISSUES OF COMPLETE ORIGINAL CATALOGUE

Hit-making band led by Dirty Dancing’s Oscar-winning songwriter and featuring Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres to release The Best of Franke & the Knockouts: Sweetheart – Anniversary Edition with special bonus track.  (Proceeds Benefit the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund)

Watch a vintage Franke & the Knockouts music video

To some, FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS was that band led by the guy who would go on to win the Oscar as the lead writer of Dirty Dancing’s theme song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” 

To others, FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS was that other New Jersey band that boasted Tico Torres as its drummer -- right before he joined Bon Jovi en route to superstardom. 

And then there are those who can’t shake that pop-perfect Top 10 smash “Sweetheart” from their brains, even though they might not remember the artist behind that and several other Top 40 blue-eyed soul hits from the early 1980s.

Regardless of why you remember FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS -- and why you should -- one thing resonates as clear as Franke Previte’s indelibly soaring, soulful falsetto: 

One of the greatest “lost ‘80s” bands has been found!

More than a decade since their radio rockin’ blue-eyed soul music was available anywhere, FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS are back in a big way. To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of “Sweetheart,” the band’s first hit record, Friday Music is releasing the newly remastered ultimate hits collection, THE BEST OF FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS: SWEETHEART – ANNIVERSARY EDITION, on CD and digital download. As a special bonus for all the collectors who’ve been clamoring for the entire catalogue for a generation, the band’s three “lost” albums, Franke & the Knockouts (1981), Below the Belt (1982) and Makin’ the Point (1984) – will be simultaneously available for the first time since their original vinyl issue, also newly remastered, in digital-only format. All four albums are being released May 24, 2011 on Friday Music.

THE BEST OF FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS features 19 hit tracks including all of the band’s classics such as their unforgettable Top 40 hits “Sweetheart,” “You’re My Girl” and “(Without You) Not Another Lonely Night.” It also features two bonus tracks, the original demo version of "Hungry Eyes," which Previte originally wrote and recorded for Franke & the Knockouts before it wound up becoming a Dirty Dancing soundtrack smash for Eric Carmen, and the previously unreleased power ballad "Beat Of A Broken Heart," written and recorded for the Dirty Dancing sequel, Havana Nights. The artist owned and authorized disc also includes new liner notes by Previte, unissued photos, and original artwork elements not seen in years.

Previte is donating his portion of the proceeds to the Patrick Swayze Pancreas Cancer Research Fund at Stanford Cancer Center, in memory of his courageous Dirty Dancing friend.

“Not only is this celebrating the anniversary of my first-ever hit record,” says Previte, “but it also gives me a chance to re-live some of those moments hearing my voice at its best and being able to realize that I made a small little indentation to the music industry that some people still remember and enjoy. I get emails from people all over the world who just love the music, and are dying to know how they can get a hold of it. Some of the original records have been selling for a couple hundred bucks online, so I decided it’s time that I put them out make them affordable and accessible all over again. And I’d like to take that money and help my charity.” 

THE BEST OF FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS: SWEETHEART – ANNIVERSARY EDITION 

Sweetheart  

She's A Runner 

Runnin' Into The Night 

Comeback 

You're My Girl 

One For All 

Annie Goes Hollywood 

Never Had It Better 

Without You (Not Another Lonely Night) 

Just What I Want 

Morning Sun 

You Don't Want Me (Like I Want You) 

Outrageous 

Come Rain Or Shine 

You're All That Really Matters 

One Good Reason 

Blame It On My Heart 

Hungry Eyes (Original Version / Bonus Track)  

Beat Of A Broken Heart (Unreleased Bonus Track)

FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS ON THE WEB:

www.frankeandtheknockouts.com

www.facebook.com/frankeandtheknockouts

www.fridaymusic.com

*** 

After featuring perhaps the most famous song ever written about a miner yesterday ... 
Jimmy Dean's #1 Hit "Big Bad John" ... 
we got to thinking about another classic "mining" song.

No, I'm not talking about The Bee Gees' break-through U.S. hit "New York Mining Disaster, 1941" ... although that IS a good one ... 
or Loretta Lynn's #1 Country Hit "Coal Miner's Daughter" ... 
and, as tempting as it might be, I didn't really have Lee Dorsey's "Workin' In A Coal Mine" today in mind either ...

I'm talking about "Timothy" by The Buoys ... a Philadelphia quintet spearheaded by (and taken under the creative wing of) Rupert Holmes.  This song caused ALL kinds of controversy back in 1971 when songwriter Holmes told the story about three coal miners who were trapped in a mine cave-in ... only to find that by rescue-time, only two of them were still around to talk about it.  (Seems like nobody ever got around to finding Timothy.)  Hmmm ... interesting to think that while we were able to think of a couple of other mining songs relatively easily, I'm hard pressed to think of ANY other hit song written about cannibalism!!!  (lol)

Despite the fact that the record was banned on a number of radio stations for its questionable subject matter (and a last-ditch effort of some semi-desperate saving grace when Scepter Records went so far as to offer a press release suggesting that Timothy was, perhaps, the miners' mule), "Timothy" went all the way to #13 on the National Pop Singles Chart.  (Seriously ... was the concept that Timothy was a mule rather than a coworker really any easier to swallow ... or did it STILL leave a bad taste in the public's mouth?!?!?)

The song has gone on to become quite a novelty classic ... and Holmes, of course, would have a HUGE 
#1 Smash eight years later with his ridiculously infectious pop piece "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" ... which you still hear at least a couple of times a day on virtually EVERY radio station.

But you hardly EVER hear "Timothy" anymore ...so, in our own kind of Miner Twin-Spin, we'll feature it today as a Forgotten Hits bonus track! 

HELPING OUT OUR READERS

Walk A Mile In My Shoes - 1970
Any idea where it was recorded? I mean, type of building? Auditorium? You know who the drummer was?
Thanks!
Best,
JJ

I'm sure it was recorded in a recording studio ... but I've written to Joe South to see if he can fill us in on any of the details.  Nothing back from him yet ... but stay tuned.  (kk)

The reason I asked (e-mailed Joe, too) about "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", is that on a Toshiba - EMI Japan CD, I heard a run-on ending, with the drummer. Nothing exciting, but strange. But it LOOKS like, since I have a slightly shorter version, when it was remastered in 2002, I guess the let the tape roll. I thought I found a rare gem! LOL! Great song; wish it was recorded with a bit more professionalism!
Best,
John

I think Joe captured the "feel" he was looking for on this song.  A prolific songwriter (he also wrote "Down In The Boondocks", "Hush" and "I Knew You When" for Billy Joe Royal, "Birds of a Feather" for Paul Revere and the Raiders, "Rose Garden" for Lynn Anderson and "Yo Yo" for The Osmonds), he managed three significant hits under his own name ... "Games People Play" reached #10 in 1969, "Don't It Make You Want To Go Home" hit #41 in 1969 and "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" was a #12 Hit in 1970.  (kk)

Unlike my last visit to this song, I guess this is the LP version, but the lonesome drummer at the very end sounds funny and strange!!! New to my ears! It's like this recording didn't happen at one single time; things were later added. It may be why some complain about the strange
out of phase sound!!!

http://www.angelfire.com/empire/abpsp/images/walkmile-e.mp3

The music of Joe South conjures up one particularly fond memory.  Whenever I hear "Games People Play" ... which, let's face it, isn't all that often anymore quite honestly ... I immediately flash back and think of my father ... he LOVED that song.  He didn't buy many 45's (that was MY job!!! lol) ... but he bought this one ... and he played the HECK out of it.  Whenever it came on the radio, he always cranked it up.  For me, this song will always be connected with my father ... who's been gone now for almost 34 years!  (Sadly, I don't have a lot of great, special memories of my Dad ... we seemed to always have some sort of conflict going on between us ... sort of the "poster family" for Generation Gap, I think ... but this song stirs up one of the few really good ones ... to see him take such joy in hearing a song that he loved.)  Again, that's the magic of music ... it can take you back to a special place and time when all seemed right in the world.  With Father's Day right around the corner, this one's for you, Dad!  (kk)

Hi Kent,

I really appreciate that you posted my Coke jingle plea.  Have you received any feedback? 

I know that no one has contacted me about it or about me sharing those nearly 500 jingles.

Such is life, I guess.

Thanks again!

Brad

Nothing yet on this end either ... but be patient ... we've got an awful lot of readers out there (and, apparently, an awful lot of Coke Jingles Collectors, too, based on the response to the last time we featured this topic.)  While we're not batting 1000, I'll bet we're hitting well over 900 when it comes to these finds ... so hang in there and let's see what comes back.  (For anyone who hasn't heard the jingle that Brad is referring to, simply scroll back to Monday, May 2nd.)  kk

We also got verification (and validation) from our Czech FH friend regarding the three mysteries we solved for his old reel-to-reel tape recordings ...

Hallo Kent,

Absolutely perfect!  Wonderful, thank you, thank you very much ... it has no mistake, you are gold American boys!  You made me really very, very happy ... all three songs are perfectly identified.  I read your email in the morning, you wrote there that you were able to identify three of the songs, but there on the Forgotten Hits web page was nothing, so I didn't understand you.  This  problem was in time moving ... I have ten hours less than you!

My greatest thanks to Tim Kiley, Scott Schultz and Mc Henry for identifying.

I believe maybe we shall find still some ones more. 

Really, thank you very much!

Yours sincerely,

Kroupa František

>>>Just wonderin' if anyone out there has an mp3 of the song by former major leaguer Tony Conigliaro called Little Red Scooter????  I tried lookin' for it but no luck ... Thanks! 

(Joe / I Love the DC5)

Someone asked for this song. If he doesn't have it already thought I would pass it along.

Keep up the nice job you are doing Kent.

Carrie

Actually, it's not that bad of a song!!!  Thanks, Carrie ... happy to pass this along!  (kk)

Thank you very much!   And keep up the good work with Forgotten Hits.

I Love The DC5  (Joe)

Tony Conigliaro actually released several 45's in the 60's. Here are the songs I have. I am missing one.  The copy of "Little Red Scooter" on You Tube is actually pretty good.

LIMITED MAN - 1964 - Penn Tone 25

PLAYING THE FIELD - 1965 - RCA 47-8523

WHY DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND - 1965 - RCA 47-8523

I CAN'T GET OVER YOU - 1965 - RCA 47-8577

LITTLE RED SCOOTER - 1965 - RCA 47-8577

I WAS THERE - 1966 - RCA 47-8793

WHEN YOU TAKE MORE THAN YOU GIVE - RCA 47-8793

Rich

I was pleasantly surprised by how good "Little Red Scooter" actually was ... had never heard it before.  For those who may not know, Tony Conigliaro is BEST known as an outfielder for The Boston Red Sox, where he carved out a pretty impressive major league career.  (166 lifetime home runs, 516 RBI's and a .264 lifetime batting average.)  But he ALSO dabbled as a singer and, as this track shows, not a bad one!  After his baseball career was over, he became a television sports reporter / anchor.  In 1982, he suffered a heart attack, followed by a stroke.  It put him into a vegetative-state coma ... where he stayed for the next eight years before finally passing away in 1990.  For a short time, Fenway Park designated a section of seats as "Conigliaro's Corner", marketing them for "family seating".  (kk)

Mr. Ko-TAL,

I seem to remember watching a television show called "Rollin'", which showcased rock and other musical acts.  I think it was syndicated.  this was back in the 70's when I lived in Lake Tahoe.  I'm sure it existed.  Over to you ...

Later.

Ed Pond

You remember correctly ... we used to watch it all the time, too.  Hosted by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, I believe it was broadcast out of Canada ... but they had some pretty good musical guests on there as I recall.  (This was Kenny's "in-between" period ... the hits for The First Edition had pretty much stopped by now and he was still a few years away from relaunching his career into the stratosphere as a solo country artist.)  I think it had a steamboat setting, too ... and was probably based on (or took its name from) the popular Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary" aka "Rollin' On The River".

Check it out!  We found a DVD compilation (called Volume 2 ... which means there MUST be a Volume 1 out there somewhere, too!)

Click here: Kenny Rogers - Rollin', Volume 2 (With Jim Croce & Bo Diddley - Country & Bluegrass Classic Movies on DVD (1994) S

Cheap, too ... and a great way to see Kenny, Jim Croce, Bo Diddley and Ronnie Hawkins!  (kk)

Click here: Kenny Rogers - Rollin', Volume 1 (With The Ike & Tina Turner Revue and Glady Knight & The Pips) - Country & Bluegr

Yep ... THERE it is!!!  With Ike and Tina Turner and Gladys Knight and the Pips!  (kk)

Thanks to Clark from Lincoln for more info on the Battle Of The Bands on WCFL. And also for the interesting stories, especially about Ron Riley's Sunday Preview show. One question for Clark - the WLS Sunday shows for a long time were taped, allowing the jocks one day a week off, even though they they would still be heard on Sunday, it wasn't live. I think maybe the only exceptions might have been Clark Weber's morning show, for Sunday mornings would be religious or public affair shows, and the East of Midnight show, for at the time WLS signed off Sunday night / Monday morning. Everyone else had a taped Sunday show.  I was wondering when the taped Sunday shows stopped. It would seem odd on the clip you played of Ron Riley introducing a song as the wrong one was being played, that if it was taped they could not have gone back and "fixed" it before it aired. I thought John Rook had stepped in at some point in 1967. But apparently the taped Sunday shows must have continued for a short while into the Rook era. Any idea when they stopped?

Ken Durkel

Maybe a better question for Clark Weber than Clark Besch since he was actually THERE at the time!  (lol)  Let's see if he comes back with anything.  (kk)

KK;

Boy, that question taxes my brain. My Saturday morning show was live. I’ve forwarded this question on to Ron Riley ... however I believe that all of the Sunday night shows were taped on Friday or Saturday. Once in a great while Art Roberts would do his Sunday night “Hootey Sapperticker” folk music show live. The station did go off the air at 11:59 Sunday night until 5 am on Monday morning for transmitter maintenance. It seems those 50 KW final amplifier tubes required a lot of care and feeding. The Sunday religious shows made huge amounts of money for LS as the airtime was very much in demand and the station got premium rates for it. That’s the reason they held on to those Sunday programs for so many years.

Clark Weber

PS: Ask John Rook if he continued the Sunday night taping because I believe it was still going on when I left in 1970.

From the sounds of things, it was ... not really that uncommon by today's standards when MOST of what we hear seems to be pre-recorded for broadcast later!  Let us know if you hear anything back from Ron Riley on this ... we'd LOVE to hear from him!  (kk)

My favorite movie is "Lords of Flatbush" which "introduced" several actors including Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Susan Blakely and pre-Fonzie prototype Henry Winkler. At the end of the movie during the wedding scene a beautiful ballad was sung. I never could find the song or who sang it nor could I find any soundtracks from the movie. Can you help?

Steve Davidson

Definitely NOT one of MY favorite movies ... I remember all the hype when this first came out in theaters ... it was essentially a re-release trying to cash in on Sylvester Stallone's new-found fame and the fact that Henry Winkler was now a Pop Culture Icon for playing "The Fonz" on TV's "Happy Days".

According to IMDB, these are the songs featured in the film:

Click here: The Lord's of Flatbush (1974) - Soundtracks

I can't say for sure that the song you're looking for is on this list ... and I was actually going to rent the movie to watch the ending just to see which song you were referring to ... 'cause I don't think I could make it through the whole thing again!!!  (lol)  But to each his own ... I consider Woody Harrelson's "Kingpin" to be a classic!  (kk)

Enjoyed your comments on The Shangri-Las.  Hoping that one day TJ Lubinsky can get them together to be on one of his shows.

How about some comments on the late Chicago singer Major Lance. They have been featuring his  song " Um Um Um" (if that is  spelled correctly!!!) on a TV commercial. I think he had at least two or three hits in the sixties.

When in doubt ask the master ...

Carolyn

I'm open to anything anyone might like to contribute in the way of Major Lance information. 

(I personally am not all that familiar with his stuff other than the obvious hit, which I do hear quite a bit nowadays thanks to the tv commercial you're referring to.)  Johnny Rivers cut a cover version in the '70's that he retitled "A Curious Mind".  Johnny's version reached #34 on the Cash Box Chart ... not even CLOSE to the #4 showing Major Lance enjoyed with his original version.  For the record, Major Lance had six National Top 40 Hits ... "Um Um Um Um Um Um" was definitely the biggest ... "The Monkey Time" also reached The Top Ten in 1963.  (It peaked at #7).  Others included "Hey Little Girl" (#13, 1963); "The Matador (#20, 1964), "Rhythm (#23, 1964) and "Come See" (#40, 1965).  kk

OK, Kent,

I've got a question for FH:
Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John (1961)
Elsewhere, it is written the song lyrics were changed to remove the "Hell"; eg "One Hell Of A Man" to "One Big, Big Man", or similar, because a version of The Battle Of New Orleans had a previous problems (objections) using the "Hell" word.
Thought the 45 single was issued as such, tamed. But on his Singles collection, marketed by Collector's Choice Music, it contains the same common "Hell" version, with matching 45 single matrix number!! So, what was actually issued as the "hit"?Why was LP version changed? I mean, I guess, they had to get rid of the word "Hell"?

Seems the single version contains that! Trying to track down both versions! I may have heard both!!!

Thanks!
Best, 

(Big Nice) John 
This is one of those songs we covered recently when discussing "censored versions" of hit singles.  ("Brown Eyed Girl" and "Rhapsody In The Rain" were a couple of the others.)  Saying "hell" on record ... or in ANY publicly broadcast media ... was strictly taboo back in 1961 ... but Jimmy Dean still managed to top Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for five weeks with this classic tune.  (Of course by then he had re-recorded that last line to say "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man ... Big John.")
I've told you all before how disappointing it was a few months back to hear, during one of those "all request" shows, that the station in question DIDN'T have a copy of this song to fulfill a listener's request. Now that's just WRONG!!!!!  A record that topped the charts for FIVE WEEKS?!?!?  And has gone on to become a pop classic???

How do you know when you've created pop culture icon-status song?  When the parodies kick in!!!  (Some would say it's the sincerest form of flattery!)  "Big Bad John" spawned a bunch of them ... most notably "Small Sad Sam", a #20 Hit just a few weeks after Dean's classic topped the charts.  (There were numerous others, too, including a pretty racy gay parody called "Big Bruce" that Dr. Demento used to play ... if you crossed THIS guy, he was likely to hit you with his purse!!!  (kk)

Some Mid-Week Comments

OK, so today we're having problems with our Windows Media Player not being able to rip CD tracks ... 
I swear, every day there seems to be some new obstacle preventing us from doing Forgotten Hits in a time-efficient manner!

That means our scheduled "Helping Out Our Readers" page has to get bumped ... good thing we've already received a ton of comments from you guys on OTHER stuff to fill today's post!

re: A FEW GROOVY TUNES WE MISSED:

Has Groove Me by King Floyd been featured yet?

Yep!  (kk)

How About Groovy Motions by the Fireballs?

These were kind of unexpected to find on my computer, as well ...

Groove With What You Got by the Osmond Brothers and

Groovin' On The Sunshine / Sesame Street by the Tokens ... LOL

And here are a couple more tunes sure to make you groove!

Gettin' A Groove by Carl Edwards

Groovy Train by Wade Cagle

We've Got A Groovey Thing Going by Simon and Garfunkel

You're A Stone Groovy Thing by Ruth Brown

It's A Groovy World by The Unifics

We Got A Thing That's In The Groove by The Capitals

Groovin' Out by Joe Stampley and the Uniques

Somebody Groovy by the Mamas and the Papas

Life is Groovy by The Double Quartet (The Tokens and The Kirby Stone Four)

Groovy Tonight by Bobby Rydell

Groove Time by Johnny Thunder

Move and Groove by Gil Hamilton (who is really Johnny Thunder!)

Mister Groovy by Sonny Vito

Groovy Relationship by Kenny O'Dell

And here's one of my favorite groovy tunes ... and fitting with Summer just around the corner ... it's "Groovy Summertime" by Love Generation!

Tom Diehl

Wow ... never heard of most of these!!!  I'm telling you ... you should do "The Groovy Hour" on your next Top Shelf Oldies radio show!  Between all of these (and the ones we featured), you easily can be the grooviest show on the dial! (kk)

And, in addition to the Cool Heat version of "Groovin' With Mr. Bloe" that we featured as part of our "Grooviest Week Ever" Series, Tom also sent us versions by Wind and Mr. Bloe himself!  lol  (kk)

Don't know HOW I forgot about "Somebody Groovy" by The Mamas and the Papas ... that's one of my all-time favorites by them (and we featured it in our week-long Mamas and Papas spotlight series several years ago.  Here it is again!  (kk)

In the early part of the week when you first started featuring "groovy" songs, one of the first records that I thought of was Bobby Rydell's 1960 recording of GROOVY TONIGHT, the flip side of SWAY.  However, I checked this afternoon and it was on the national charts for just some two weeks peaking in the seventies I believe.

Larry

A couple of people mentioned this one ... yes, it charted for two weeks in 1960 and peaked at #70.  (kk)

Groovy Girl - The Waterproof Tinkertoy 1968. Top Ten in Milwaukee. Remember that lost gem?
Ken

Good job on the Saturday choices. This is how they break down for me:

Let's Groove ... own it

The Groove Line ... own it

New York Groove ... love it

One Nation Under Groove ... never heard it before

Groove Me ... Like it

Good job this week ... I really enjoyed The Grooviest Week Ever.

Thanks!

Stacee

Thank you for the grooviest series ever ... kudos to our always groovy host!

Steve

re:  ON THE RADIO:

Kent:

Just thought I'd share this with you, especially the "oldies" part, from this station in New Jersey.

John

We actually removed the "Oldies" moniker a while back. While we do play some music from the 60's and 70's, we simply refer to ourselves as "The Local Station".

Best,
Norman Worth
WRNJ Radio

Mark my words ... the concept of "oldies" may be dead right now ... it sounds like the powers that be have FINALLY come to the realization that ALL of this great music can be played side-by-side without causing audience seizures or hemorrhages or memory overload ... (gee, where on earth did they get THAT idea?!?!?) ... but in five or six years the media is going to crown some "enterprising" young programmer a GENIUS for playing nothing but the music of the '50's and '60's again ... and it'll be considered revolutionary.  Everything old will be new again ... and a brand new, unsuspecting generation will discover all of this great music all over again.  (And that's just fine, too!)  I'm telling you ... "The Music Of Your Life" is here and now.  We ALL grew up with it ... whether we heard it around the house because that's what our parent played ... or we discovered it for ourselves, thanks to GREAT rock and roll records, AM radio and television in the '60's and '70's ... we ALL experienced it together.  By the '70's, we'd turned off our AM radios and discovered the variety of FM and album rock.  Some of us survived Disco ... heck, some even ENJOYED it!!!  We saw one-of-a-kind legends like Elvis ... and The Beatles ... and Michael Jackson ... and each and every time swore "it could NEVER happen again!"  We've seen and heard it all ... so why WOULDN'T this lifetime of music appeal to us?  The time is NOW ... and I'm officially declaring it "Here".  Listen ... enjoy ... because I guarantee you that in no time at all, radio will be back to "branding" music again!  (kk)

Kent ...

Got this from Ron Smith's Book. I know you have a copy.  I see your name on the back cover.

5/16/1966 = The Beach Boys release their "Pet Sounds" Album.

WCBS-FM = Every hour they're playing a song about a pet, followed by a Beach Boys Hit. You have to admit, they come up with some unique ideas.

Frank B.

I'll give ya that!!!  45 years since "Pet Sounds"!!!  Wow!  Hard to believe!  (kk)

and, speaking of The Beach Boys ...

re:  THE BEACH BOYS:

Kent,

My online column is Beach Boys Examiner, not California Examiner. I also have a Jan & Dean Examiner.

Best -

David Beard

Sorry about that, Chief!  (kk)

In that column last week, David told us that Brian is ready to give up touring for good.  And, in a new post by RollingStone.com, he tells a British journalist that he may ... or may NOT ... get back together to record with The Beach Boys in honor of their 50th anniversary.  (Sounds like that celebration may not actually take place until NEXT year ... apparently the first time the group appeared as "The Beach Boys" was on December 31st, 1961 ... meaning the "official" anniversary won't be until the first of next year!)

In an interview with BBC 6 Music, Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson hinted that the group may reunite in the studio to celebrate their 50th anniversary. "I'm considering it," he said. According to Wilson, nothing is holding him back aside from a reluctance to reconnect with his old partners. "I just don't know if I want to be around those guys, you know? They're zany guys. They're crazy." Wilson has not collaborated with his former bandmates since he co-produced Stars and Stripes Volume One, a 1996 album featuring country versions of their hit songs.
Though it remains to be seen whether or not Wilson will record new material with the band, the Beach Boys will be coming together to put the finishing touches on Smile, the band's never-released follow-up to their 1966 masterwork Pet Sounds.  The group will be offering input on the album's track listing, which was never firmly established as the record was never completed as originally planned.

Greetings from "Music City, USA," Kent ...

Sorry to say I had not read the weekend "Forgotten Hits" mega issue by the time I'd received this obit on John Walker from my London friend, George Van Win. I thought you (and the readers) might be interested in what the UK papers had to say about John and The Walker Brothers.

I never worked with John during the group's heyday, and, like a lot of others at the time, considered them an extension of the British invasion. I was aware of Scott (Engle) from several singles he'd recorded in the early 60's -- and one particular 45 had a picture sleeve -- so I knew he 'looked like' a star. Their two singles were favorites of mine at the time, particularly "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Any More)." Great production, vocals, for sure -- but the success of the group was short lived.

Years later, in May 2005, I was honored to be invited to emcee the Landmark Ceremony when the Wilson home in Hawthorne was officially designated a California Historic Landmark -- even though the home had been torn down years before for the Century Freeway!

On that hot afternoon in Hawthorne, Brian, Alan, Dave Marks all performed, along with Billy Hinsche and a group he was working with at the time, Tripsetter. The Hawthorne High School Band performed a medley of Beach Boys classics and later -- at a reception and lunch -- The Honeys even did their classic "Be True To Your School" cheerleader segment -- singing to a Beach Boys tribute band, "The Beach Toys." Yes, you read that correctly, "The Beach Toys," complete with white pants, striped shirts and a bass player who was a dead ringer for a much younger Brian!

The next night, at a separate event tied to the Dedication, various members of past Beach Boys touring groups performed, along with Dave Marks, Billy and a few others. Among the 'special guests,' was John Walker -- who not only looked great but sounded great, too. Watching him perform that evening you could not imagine him passing barely six years later. He seemed like a great guy -- passionate about his music, and eager to entertain the audience as he did that evening.

Fast forward to this past Friday, May 13, I had the honor of 'hanging out' with my old friends, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and the Beach Boys band, at a benefit concert in Huntsville, AL. It was the first time I'd actually seen their show in over seven years although we had gotten together at an event on the roof of Capitol Records (June 2006) to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of "Pet Sounds," the album I was blessed to be at the 'mastering' of -- in the basement of the Capitol Records Tower some 40 years before! Just me, my hero, Brian, and the Capitol mastering engineer. None of us could have possibly imagined what we were witnessing at the time -- sitting on the cold linoleum floor of a small mastering room!

During the course of last Friday's meeting with Mike, Bruce and band -- along with 'special guest' John Stamos -- I attempted to pick their brain as to any plans for a 50th Anniversary tour -- an 'official' one, that is! Bruce did not want to elaborate on it, but I got the distinct feeling that they may hold off until next year to do any real 'celebrating.' After all, their first official performance was December 31, 1961 -- so the group really got off the ground in 1962. I got involved as their first concert (and dance) promoter in May of '63.

As to their show on Friday night ... I was impressed with the overall performance even though several band members were featured on some of their hits. John Stamos played drums and guitar -- and I was very impressed that he sang "Forever," a tribute to Dennis Wilson, who had written the song and recorded it on the group's 1970 album, "Sunflower," in my opinion one of the more elusive -- but outstanding albums of the group's enormous musical legacy. John has been a fan of DW for many years and actually sang "Forever" when he married his girlfriend, played by Lori Laughlin, on the hit series "Full House." I thanked John for helping to keep the memory and legacy of Dennis alive for a whole new generation of fans.

Overall, the entire band -- Scott, Tim, Randell, Mike Love's son, Christian, and John Cowsill -- did a great job and the audience was most appreciative. Like always, there were at least three generations in attendance -- proof positive that the music of Brian and The Beach Boys is here to stay.

Fred Vail

Treasure Isle Recorders

Music City, USA

re:  AND, REGARDING RON SMITH'S NEW BOOK ... :

Renown radio analyst Rob Feder gives Ron Smith's new book the spotlight treatment in today's column:

Click here: Chicago radio veteran’s new book replays oldies history day by day | Robert Feder - Time Out Chicago

Meanwhile, don't forget to register to win YOUR free copy by sending us your birthday!!!  That's right ... in a couple of weeks we'll have Ron pick a winner by pulling a "date" out of a computerized hat.  (It is, after all, a calendar date book!!!)  Just send us an email at forgottenhits@aol.com and we'll throw your name into the ring!  (kk)

re:  FAME AND FORTUNE:

Amazing the way you keep cranking it out ... you should be making a million dollars a year with Forgotten Hits!

Steve Sarley

Well, I've got to agree with you there!!!  (lol)  But it just ain't never gonna happen. 

Honestly, it WAS quite an amazing past couple of weeks here in Forgotten Hits.  Two weeks ago I got to hang out with Tony Hatch and Julian Dawson, both visiting Chicago from Great Britain ... and this past week we got a mention in Bob Greene's nationally syndicated CNN column (which, based on web entry points, seems to have driven about 1800 brand new, first time readers to the Forgotten Hits website),  a credit for our review of Ron Smith's brand new book "Eight Days A Week: Births, Deaths And Events Each Day In Oldies History" on the back cover of the book as well as the official press release ... a brand new "Fans Of Forgotten Hits" Facebook Web Page (organized by FH Reader David Lewis) ... and now comes word that THREE of our vocal appearances have been posted on YouTube!  (No idea who did this ... and it IS kinda cool ... but I really wish someone had asked for my permission first ... the good news is that the tracks have been properly credited ... so maybe a few other folks around the world will discover what Forgotten Hits is all about!) 

So while on the surface, it may look like we've got the "fame" part down, I cannot help but wonder when the "fortune" part is going to kick in!!!  'Cause right now I'm still wondering if we're going to be able to pay the rent this month!!!  (kk)

Click here: YouTube - kent kotal

http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/15/greene.your.name.here/index.html?hpt=C2

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Click here: Amazon.com: Eight Days A Week (9780983373704): Ron Smith: Books