Tommy James (Part Three)

While Tommy James had a hand in writing many of his own hit records, it certainly didn't start out that way.


Tommy James and the Shondells' first hit was a remake of an old Raindrops' B-Side, "Hanky Panky".  (The tune was written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, two of the most prolific writers of the '60's ... yet THIS tune was considered nothing more than a "throw-away" and wound up on the flipside of their "That Boy John" single back in 1964.



James, who worked in a record store at the time back in Niles, Michigan, was somewhat familiar with the tune but added it to his own band's stage act after he saw it performed by some other rockers performing at a local club.  The Shondells cut a quickie version (with an instrumental on the other side) for the local based Snap Records ... and then watched the record disappear. 
It wasn't until some disc jockey in Pittsburgh started playing the record ... TWO YEARS LATER ... that the song started to catch on and build an audience.  By then, the original Shondells had already split up ... so Tommy took off for the east coast, where he put together a brand new group of Shondells and started to make appearances in support of the record.  It worked ... the song went straight to #1 and today is considered a '60's Rock Classic.



For a quick follow-up, the band looked no further than Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs ... they reworked THEIR tune "What I Am" into "Say I Am" ... and then watched that record climb up the charts to #15.  (Here in Chicago, where Tommy James was HUGE, "Say I Am" went all the way to #2!!!)





The hit list went on.  In quick succession, James hit the charts with "It's Only Love" (#27, 1966); "I Think We're Alone Now" (#3, 1967 ... and #1 here in Chi-Town); "Mirage" (#10, 1967 ... and another #1 Hit in Chicago); "I Like The Way" (#25, 1967); "Gettin' Together" (#14, 1967); "Out Of The Blue" (#37, 1967); "Get Out Now" (#38, 1968); "Mony Mony" (#3, 1968, and yet another Chicagoland #1 Record); "Somebody Cares" (#38, 1968); "Do Something To Me" (#24, 1968); "Crimson and Clover" (Tommy's biggest hit, and a #1 Smash EVERYWHERE in 1969); "Sweet Cherry Wine" (#7, 1969 ... how on earth has THIS record fallen off the radio?!?!?); "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (#2, 1969 ... and another Chicagoland #1 Record); "Ball Of Fire" (#11, 1969); "She" (#19, 1970); "Gotta Get Back To You" (#28, 1970) and "Come To Me" (#36, 1970).  Talk about your "Hit Lists" ... EVERY single one of these records became a Top 40 National Hit for Tommy James and the Shondells.

And the list doesn't stop there.  As a solo artist, James would return to The Top 40 four more times:  "Draggin' The Line" (#2, 1971, and another Chicagoland #1 Record); "I'm Comin' Home" (#23, 1971); "Nothing To Hide" (#25, 1971 and, believe it or not, a #2 Hit here in Chicago!) and "Three Times In Love" (a #19 "comeback hit" of sorts in 1980).


Tommy is STILL writing and recording GREAT music today that sounds as good as ever ... unfortunately, far too many of these tunes wind up being undiscovered classics due to radio's tunnel-vision approach to their play lists.  James puts on one heck of a concert, too ... so be sure to check out his website for all the latest information regarding new releases and concert appearances:

Click here: Tommy James and the Shondells Official Website and Online Store

By the way, Tommy James and the Shondells' recording of "Crimson And Clover" ranked as your 9th All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Hit when we did our Forgotten Hits Poll a few years back.  You can view ALL of the results right here:  Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs

Tommy James - Part Two

Wow ...

What a past couple of years THIS man has had!!!


Tommy James is hotter than ever right now thanks to his best selling autobiography, "Me, The Mob And the Music" ... in fact, he recently remarked that this book was going to be bigger than ANY record he ever made ... plans are already underway to turn it into both a major motion picture AND a Broadway Musical ... so we figured that this would be the PERFECT time to feature one of Tommy's long Forgotten Hits.  (Coupled with yesterday's inquiry about the origins of his hit "Mony Mony", this has also provided us with the perfect opportunity to put together a Tommy James Triple Play here in Forgotten Hits!)

At the end of 1968, Tommy recorded what would become the biggest single of his career ... "Crimson And Clover", with its "psychedelic bubblegum" flavor didn't sound like ANYTHING else out on the charts at the time ... and it immediately went to #1 on all of the major music charts.

Now by this time, Tommy was no stranger to pop chart success ... prior to "Crimson And Clover" reaching #1, James had already scored Top Ten National Hits with "Hanky Panky" (#1, 1966); "I Think We're Alone Now" (#3, 1967); "Mirage" (#10, 1967); and "Mony Mony" (#3, 1968). But the records Tommy released between "Mony Mony" and "Crimson And Clover" did not make The Top Ten ... in fact, "Somebody Cares" only reached #38 on the national charts ... and its follow-up, "Do Something To Me", stopped at #24.  Although it's a great song, it's just NOT one of those that you hear on oldies radio much anymore ... if at all!

"Do Something To Me" was recorded very much in the same "party" vein as "Mony Mony" ... in fact, you can hear a little bit of that "I love ya Mony, Mony, Mony" feeling going on right near the end. The song was first recorded (without chart success) by ? and the Mysterians ... and Tommy's arrangement copied it nearly note for note.

If it looked momentarily that Tommy and the Shondells' recording career was in a tailspin, that feeling didn't last for very long ... the success of "Crimson And Clover" quickly sparked two more Top Ten Hits ... "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion" peaked at #7 and #2 respectively later in 1969. Tommy James' final Top Ten Hit came as a solo artist in 1971 when "Draggin' The Line" went all the way to #2 on The Cash Box Chart.

Today we give you Tommy's 1968 Forgotten Hit "Do Something To Me" ... along with the ? and the Mysterians original version.







BONUS:
? and the Mysterians have LONG been delegated as One Hit Wonders by Oldies Radio ... and what a HUGE hit it was!!!
"96 Tears" topped the charts in 1966 ... but the truth is that their follow-up hit ALSO made The National Top 40, peaking at #22 in both Billboard and Cash Box Magazine in the Spring of 1967.

"I Need Somebody" certainly qualifies as a Forgotten Hit ... and maybe we'll feature that one in another edition of Forgotten Hits one of these days ... but since today we're concentrating on ? and the Mysterians inspiring OTHER artists with their music, let's feature instead the ORIGINAL version of "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby", a #51 Hit for the band in 1967 that became a HUGE Radio Hit for Smash Mouth when they cut it some thirty years later! (There's just something about that cheezy Farfisa Organ sound that screams "hit record" for me!!! lol Think "Wooly Bully" by Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs, "Incense And Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock ... your all-time favorite psychedelic song ... and "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John ... heck Sly Stone even played a Farfisa Organ at Woodstock for goodness sake!!!)

Tommy James - Part One

re:  MONY MONY:

I recently picked up (for five bucks) Tommy James and the Shondells' essential hits.

I have not heard them in a long time and thought it would be a steal for that price.

Mony Mony, Crimson and Clover, Sweet Cherry Wine, Crystal Blue Persuasion ... all those hits. Do you have any idea what the words mony mony mean or the idea behind the title of that song?  If so, could you please let me and the rest of our readers in on it please.
Thanks again,
Kenny

Actually, the story behind Tommy's "Mony Mony" is one of the best-documented tales in rock and roll.  

James had the song pretty much written but was looking for the right girl's name to include in the title.  He wanted something special that people would remember ... like "Sloopy" or "Bony Moronie" ... something that would stand out ... but he just couldn't come up with the right title for his new song. 

While staying in a hotel room in New York City, James couldn't sleep one night because of an annoying flashing light that kept coming through his window.  Getting up to investigate, he noticed that the light was coming from a giant neon sign on the Mutual Of New York Insurance Building.  Over and over and over again, it just kept flashing, spelling out the name one letter at a time:  M - O - N - Y, M - O - N - Y, M - O - N - Y ... Tommy turned his insomnia into a solid gold hit a few months later when "Mony Mony" raced up the charts to #3 in 1968.  (It hit #1 in several major markets, including here in Chicago where Tommy James enjoyed SEVEN #1 Records ... and six others that made The Top Ten.)  kk

Here's the story in Tommy's own words, from his MUST-READ autobiography, "Me, The Mob And The Music":

Early in 1968, I went into Century Sound Studios ... and started putting a track together.  I wanted to make a party rock song, a throwback almost to the great Gary 'U.S.' Bonds and Mitch Ryder records I loved so much.  this was the beginning of what would eventually become 'Mony Mony', although at the time, we had no name for the thing.  We did not even have much of a song.

It began life as a simple rhythm track.  We had more of an idea than we had a song, and that is where it began: a beat, a groove ... just three or four chords and we were going to write the song around the track.

After about three weeks, Allegro Studios finally reopened ... we took the track I had on tape from Century Sound and went to work in earnest.  We sort of did sound surgery on the thing, rewriting it technically.  The song was literally sliced, diced and glued back together.  We had it in a hundred pieces and then put it back together the way we wanted it.  In the reassembling, we created an actual melody with a verse and hook.

The night before we were supposed to finish the record, Ritchie (Cordell) and I went up to my apartment, popped two Desbutals each, and started writing the lyrics:

'Here she comes now sayin' ... blah-blah, blah-blah

Wake me, shake me ... blah-blah, blah-blah

Shoot 'em down, turn around ... blah-blah, blah-blah.

We had all the nonsensical one-liners you could ever want but we still could not come up with a damn title.  We knew we needed a two-syllable girl's name but every real name sounded stupid.  We had to make up a rock and roll name like Sloopy or Bony Maronie.  By about midnight, Ritchie and I were spent and we took a break.  We threw down our guitars and went out on the terrace.  We lit up our cigarettes, leaned on the railing and looked out at the Manhattan night sky.  All of a sudden, my eyes fell on a building across the street, a couple of blocks down.  It was The Mutual Of New York Insurance Company Building.  There was a neon sign on top of it with the logo on it:  MONY.  It had a dollar sign in the middle of the "O", and the time and weather underneath. And it kept flashing, MONY, MONY, MONY.  I slapped Ritchie on the arm and said, 'Look!'  We both started laughing.  I said, 'Is that God winking at you, or what?'  Ritchie just said, 'Unbelievable'.  There was our name.  And it was a good thing, too.  We were under so much pressure to come up with something, if I had been looking in the other direction we would have called the song The Taft Hotel.

-- Tommy James

Me, The Mob and The Music

"Mony Mony" became a hit all over again in 1987 when Billy Idol's live version topped the charts.  In fact, Tommy James enjoyed an interesting "comeback" in the '80's ... when "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol, "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany and "Crimson And Clover" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts ALL went back into The Top Ten.

His music is timeless ... yet this guy is NOT in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  (Nobody ever said life was supposed to be fair ... but ignoring Tommy James is a flat out crime!)  kk 

 
If you don't already have a copy (shame on you!), you can pick up a copy of Tommy's book here:

Click here: Amazon.com: Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells (9781439172889): Tommy J

The Lollipop Guild

We've certainly had more than a fair share of conversation about THIS tune lately ...

but now it comes with a brand new twist!

re:  MY BOY LOLLIPOP: 

Hello Kent,

I was wondering if My Boy Lollipop was also done by the Chordettes?
Not really sure here if they are the originals or what.

Why this song keeps popping up all of a sudden these last two weeks, you got me man.

Kenny

You seem to be confusing your lollipops ... which, in some social circles, makes you an all-day sucker, I believe!!!  "My Boy Lollipop" was a #2 Smash for Millie Small back in 1964 ... and that's the best-known hit version of this song.  It was first done back in 1957 by a girl named Barbie Gray, but that song failed to make the charts when it was released.  (British Pop Sensations The Spice Girls also cut a version that was included in their movie "Spice World" ... but I don't believe that it was ever commercially released.)

The Chordettes had a #2 Hit with a song simply called "Lollipop" back in 1958 ... but it's a totally DIFFERENT song ... yet still one I'm sure you'll recognize immediately when you hear it.  (Actually, this song has been featured in dozens of ad campaigns and movie and television soundtracks over the years ... another REAL catchy tune to say the least.)  kk

The Chordettes' tune "Lollipop" was a #2 Smash back in 1958:

And the Millie Small hit from 1964:

Along with the Barbie Gray original from 1957:

Here are The Spice Girls having a go at this '60's classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07XUCKZb6E&feature=player_detailpage

And a few others thrown in for good measure ...

It's lollipop tracks like these that will give a whole new meaning to "Today Sucks"!!!
kk

R.I.P. JERRY LEIBER

Rock and Roll lost one of its greatest tunesmiths yesterday when Jerry Leiber, one half of the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, passed away at the age of 78 yesterday.

Leiber's lyrics helped keep the "fun" in rock and roll.  Classic early rock hits like "Charlie Brown", "Yakety Yak" and "Poison Ivy" kept The Coasters near the top of the charts in the '50's.  When they took themselves a bit more seriously, Leiber and Stoller turned out beautiful '60's classics like "On Broadway", "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me".

They also played a hand in some of Elvis' biggest hits like "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Love Me".  Their music became the basis for the Broadway Musical "Smokey Joe's Cafe" a few years back ... and even last year's American Idol Contenders paid tribute to this prolific songwriting team during one of their "theme weeks" last season.

According to Fred Bronson's book "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits", Leiber and Stoller first met and started writing songs together at the age of 16.  (Mike Stoller, who is less than a month older than his partner, is still alive and living in Los Angeles.)  A mutual friend hooked the two aspiring songwriters up and created one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in music history.  (Both men were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame back in 1987.)

Bronson's book lists The Top Ten Leiber and Stoller Hits as follows:

#1 - HOUND DOG - Elvis Presley

#2 - JAILHOUSE ROCK - Elvis Presley

(They also penned this record's charting B-Side, "Treat Me Nice")

#3 - LOVING YOU - Elvis Presley

#4 - DON'T - Elvis Presley

#5 - SEARCHIN' / YOUNG BLOOD - The Coasters (Leiber and Stoller wrote both sides of THIS hit, too!)

#6 - KANSAS CITY - Wilbert Harrison

#7 - CHARLIE BROWN - The Coasters

#8 - YAKETY YAK - The Coasters

#9 - RUBY BABY - Dion

#10 - STAND BY ME - Ben E. King

Again, his music will live on forever ... these are timeless, feel good tunes that we have all spent a lifetime enjoying and singing along to.  We'll miss you, Jerry!  (kk)

Got this from FH Reader Tom Cuddy:

Jerry Leiber, Lyricist Behind "Jailhouse Rock" and "Chapel of Love," Dies

In partnership with songwriter Mike Stoller, Leiber penned hits such as 

"There Goes My Baby" and "Hound Dog." 

(Marc Schneider)

Pop music lyricist Jerry Leiber, whose partnership with Mike Stoller created such timeless hits as "Jailhouse Rock" and "There Goes My Baby," helping to shape the identity and commercial potential of early rock and roll, died Tuesday of cardio pulmonary failure, Rolling Stone is reporting. He was 78.

A dual member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Baltimore native helped create the "crossover" phenomenon with mainstream hits for black artists like The Coasters ("Young Blood," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown") and Ben E. King ("Stand By Me").

Other definitive songs include "Love Potion No. 9," "Kansas City" and a pair of songs that became eternally tied to Elvis Presley. In 1956, Presley snatched up their track "Hound Dog," written four years earlier for Big Mama Thornton. A year later, Presley growled to "Jailhouse Rock," a genre-defining song released alongside the film of the same name.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing acquired the Leiber-Stoller catalogue in April 2007. The firm's Chairman and CEO Martin N. Bandier said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, "The songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller remains one of the greatest and most prolific partnerships of all time. Jerry was a special part of our Sony/ATV family and it was a relationship that ranks among the very best and most sincere in my entire career. Like the lyrics in his iconic songs, Jerry was humorous, insightful and always memorable. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, but lucky for all of us his songs will live on for generations.”

The 1960s were kind to Leiber/Stoller with a continued parade of hits including the Drifters' "On Broadway," the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" and the Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love."

In 1969, they produced Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?"

Their songs are pop music standards and are regularly covered by other artists and featured on television shows such as American Idol, which dedicated an entire episode in season 10 to their catalog.

Their legacy was further cemented in 1995 when Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber & Stoller opened on Broadway. The show comprised of 40 songs from the duo and was nominated for seven Tony Awards before closing five years later.

Born less than a month before Leiber in 1933, Stoller still resides in Los Angeles.

Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who -- along with his partner Mike Stoller -- gave us such legendary tunes as "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Kansas City," "Charlie Brown" and "Love Potion #9," died Monday (August 22) in a Los Angeles hospital from cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78. 

Born in Baltimore, Jerry's family moved to Los Angeles and he hooked up with Mike while still a high school student (Mike was enrolled at Los Angeles City College). Despite being white and Jewish, the two shared a love of rhythm-and blues music that soon extended into a songwriting collaboration. Their first commercial success came with Jimmy Witherspoon's recording of "Real Ugly Women" in 1950. They formed Spark Records in 1953 and produced the Robins (later to morph into the Coasters) for the label. Spark was bought by Atlantic Records and Jerry and Mike went on to produce hits for the Coasters, as well as the Drifters, Ben E. King and Jay & the Americans. They later started Red Birds Records, which gave us the Shangri-Las and Dixie Cups. A list of all the tunes written or produced by the duo could fill an encyclopedia, but they include "There Goes My Baby," "Young Blood," "Searchin'" "Spanish Harlem," "Ruby Baby," "Yakety Yak," "Black Denim Trousers," "Hard Headed Woman," "On Broadway," "Only In America" and "Is That All There Is." A revue of their songs, "Smokey Joe's Café," opened on Broadway in 1995 and was nominated for seven Tony awards. The songwriters' dual autobiography was published in 2009. They were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, two years after being named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

From Artie Wayne, who shares some of his personal memories of Jerry Leiber ...

KENT ... 

HOW YA' DOIN'? 

HERE'S MY TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF MY PAL FROM THE PAST, JERRY LEIBER ("HOUND DOG", "IS THAT ALL THERE IS?") WHOSE EFFECT ON MODERN MUSIC IS IMMEASURABLE!  

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/brief-encounters-with-lieber-and-stoller/

Artie also shared this piece of sad news:
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT MY FRIEND NICK ASHFORD "AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH" JUST PASSED AWAY AS WELL. I BROUGHT NICK AND VALARIE SIMPSON TO MOTOWN IN THE SIXTIES AND HELPED THEM ESCAPE IN THE SEVENTIES!  

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2006/08/14/breaking-the-motown-sound-barrier-aint-no-mountain-high-enough/
REGARDS, 

ARTIE  

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/  

When you think of Leiber and Stoller, this probably isn't one of the tunes you think of ... but hey, isn't that exactly what Forgotten Hits is supposed to be all about?!?!?

Back in 1968, The Monkees recorded "D.W. Washburn" ... and it became their very last National Top Ten Hit.

Give This Some Thought ... On Your Way To The Ballot Box

re: YOUR VOTE COUNTS ... OR DOES IT???:

Kent ...

Look at the countdown that WCBS-FM is putting together for Labor Day Weekend.

You can vote as many times as you want.  I'm stuffing the ballot box with Platters votes.
Frank B.

http://wcbsfm.radio.com/2011/08/16/cbs-fms-top-1001-labor-day-weekend-countdown/

Despite the hype, my guess is that they already know which songs they're going to play ... because it's the SAME list of songs they play all the time anyway!!!  At least on Ron Smith's Labor Day Countdown I know that he's actually TABULATING the votes and putting together an accurate list!  See below. (kk)

Click here: Oldies Music - Labor Day 500

It's that time of year again, time for the Twelfth Oldies Music Labor Day 500 (for those of you from outside America, Labor Day is a U.S. holiday that pays tribute to the average working man. It's the first Monday in September). We do it now every other year, so it's our first since 2009.

Please vote below for your ten favorite oldies singles in order from the 50's, 60's or 70's (songs must have made the Billboard Hot 100 chart or its predecessors though we reserve the right to allow classic R&B tunes such as "Bo Diddley" to appear).

We will not accept any more than five songs by the same artist. This is to discourage fan clubs from stuffing the ballot box with ten votes for their faves.

Please vote only once. Anyone voting more than once will have all their ballots disqualified. The deadline for voting is Saturday, August 27 with the results available right here the following weekend.

Those of you who request it will receive a copy of the top 500 list when it comes out.

Good luck to all Oldies artists and thanks to all of you for your votes!

-- Ron Smith / OldiesMusic.com

I've told the story several times in the past about how I used to work for the printing company that printed the Memorial Day 500 Countdown for WJMK, Magic 104, Chicago's premier oldies station at the time.  It was pretty much the same kind of deal ... call in or email your votes and then, over the holiday weekend, they'd count back The Top 500 Vote-Getters ... except in actuality, we had already printed the list two weeks BEFORE the voting deadline!!!  So while a promotion like this might actually help a radio station (assuming they're paying attention!) determine which songs their listeners REALLY want to hear ... or build a mailing list of loyal listeners ... it's pretty rare that these votes have any impact at all on the outcome of these weekend specials.  (Ironically, this past weekend I took part in The True Oldies Channel Mega Music Poll, where you were asked to rank the 600 songs on their play list from "Hate It" to "Love It" ... as well as vote as to whether or not you were tired of hearing that song on the radio.  Unfortunately, it's kind of the same scenario ... you're voting on songs that they're already playing ANYWAY ... which isn't allowing any new ALTERNATE music to make the station's play list.)  This is the biggest thing wrong with radio research and consulting ... they're all still working from the same list ... the same starting point.  Instead, why not encourage your listeners to list the ten songs they'd most like to see you add to your station's play list ... now THAT would be make for an interesting list worth reading!!!  (kk)

ALL KIDDING ASIDE:  Seriously ... invite your readers to name TEN SONGS that they'd like to hear you play in somewhat regular rotation ... in order to keep the list viable, stipulate that the songs HAVE to have been legitimate Top 20 Hits ... (that'll keep all the obscurities and album tracks off the list).  
And, if you're interested, we'll even help the process along.

If any legitimate radio station / oldies channel / Internet Oldies Outlet wants to seriously pursue this idea, we'll work in tandem with you ... we'll run a list of eligible candidates ... nothing but Top 20 National Hits that receive virtually NO regular oldies airplay anymore.  Direct your listeners over to our website and we'll help you build the ULTIMATE OLDIES PLAY LIST by taking input from the people who REALLY matter ... the listeners.  NOT the consulting firms (who charge you big bucks for a service nowhere NEAR as good or accurate as ours will be) ... not the Program Directors who THINK they know it all (simply because they've been doing it the same way for 20 years now and hey, if it worked in the past, it sure as hell ought to work again, right?  Not!)  
Think about this for a second ... do you keep track of your listeners' request ... because MY guess is that the greatest majority of those requests are for songs you're NOT playing regularly.  People want variety in their musical menu.  How much valuable information are you ignoring simply by not paying attention to your listeners and relying on that "tried and true" list that everybody ELSE across the country is playing?

I'm talking about taking a moment to reach out to the REAL oldies fans out there and tabulating THEIR votes.  Heck, I'll even help you do the tabulating.

All kidding aside ... we'll start a list over at ForgottenHits.com ... and each and every day over a 90 period we'll list LEGITIMATE TOP 20 SONGS and invite your listeners (and our readers) to vote on the ones that THEY feel still belong on the radio from time to time.  And we'll provide this service ABSOLUTELY FREE.

So here's your chance to listen to the people who actually listen to the music.

It's Phase One of The Forgotten Hits Ultimate Oldies Play List ... and it's yours for the taking.

Interested?  Then let me hear from you and we'll see what we can pull together.  (kk)

JUST TO PROVE A POINT:  Just to prove a point (regarding how many GREAT Top 20 Hits are continually ignored by oldies radio), all week long we'll be featuring selections in our brand new TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT feature of legitimate Top 20 Songs that rarely get played on the radio anymore.

Just for fun, this week I picked up my brand new copy of Joel Whitburn's "Top Pop Singles" book (13th Edition) and, JUST TO PROVE A POINT, I randomly opened it to five different pages, betting myself that no matter WHICH page I opened, I would find at least ONE song that was a legitimate Top 20 Hit that doesn't get any airplay anymore today.

Be sure to follow along with us this week as we salute some GREAT music that just doesn't get the respect it deserves anymore.

***

And, speaking of voting, congratulations to FH Readers (and sometime contributor) Preston Ritter, original drummer for The Electric Prunes, who topped THIS poll for "Best Nugget" recently!

http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/once-and-for-all-round-1-rock-town-hall-determines-the-best-song-on-side-1-of-the-original-nuggets-compilation/

Even I'm surprised at the outcome.

Preston

Now I'd have to guess that MOST of us could not name which songs and artists appear on the original "Nuggets" album ... so I had to dig out my original vinyl copy of this LP to see what the competition was like for this one.  (Side One, eh?!?!? So that means there'll be three more polls our readers can vote on?  Cool!)

I HAD TOO MUCH TO DREAM (LAST NIGHT) by THE ELECTRIC PRUNES is the lead-off track.  It's followed by DIRTY WATER by THE STANDELLS, NIGHT TIME by THE STRANGELOVES, LIES by THE KNICKERBOCKERS, RESPECT by THE VAGRANTS, A PUBLIC EXECUTION by MOUSE and NO TIME LIKE THE RIGHT TIME by THE BLUES PROJECT.  Hmmm ... well, I'll have to send along my congratulations along with a "Sorry, Preston" ... because for ME you guys would have come in at #3 ... right behind LIES and DIRTY WATER, two of my all-time '60's favorites.

Side Two includes OH YEAH by Chicago's own SHADOWS OF KNIGHT, THE SEEDS' classic PUSHIN' TO HARD (a #1 Record here in Chicago back in 1967!), MOULTY by THE BARBARIANS, DON'T LOOK BACK by THE REMAINS, INVITATION TO CRY by THE MAGICIANS, LIAR LIAR by THE CASTAWAYS and YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME by THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS.  Some pretty obscure, slim pickings here ... can anybody out there even hum a line of anything other than LIAR, LIAR, PUSHIN' TOO HARD or possibly OH YEAH?

On Side Three you'll find PSYCHOTIC REACTION by COUNT FIVE, HEY JOE by THE LEAVES, JUST LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET by MICHAEL AND THE MESSENGERS, THE CRYAN' SHAMES' version of SUGAR AND SPICE, BABY PLEASE DON'T GO by THE AMBOY DUKES and TOBACCO ROAD by THE BLUES MAGOOS.  Some REALLY tough choices here ... I love ALL Of these songs!  In fact, I'd have to cast a vote for each and every one of them!

Finally, Side Four finishes up with LET'S TALK ABOUT GIRLS by THE CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND, SIT DOWN I THINK I LOVE YOU by THE MOJO MEN, RUN RUN RUN by THIRD RAIL, MY WORLD FELL DOWN (one of my all-time favorites) by SAGITTARIUS, OPEN MY EYES by NAZZ, FARMER JOHN by THE PREMIERS and IT'S-A-HAPPENING by THE MAGIC MUSHROOMS.

Plenty of time to still cast your votes on this somewhat unique (and exclusive!) ballot.

Meanwhile, I have to ask you once again ... what exactly IS a "nugget"?!?!?  
I collected the entire series of LP's once Rhino took this project over ... and I STILL don't quite understand what qualifies.  Is it the "of-the-time" yet timeless psychedelia of music like THE ELECTRIC PRUNES' I HAD TOO MUCH TO DREAM LAST NIGHT, COUNT FIVE's PSYCHOTIC REACTION or IT'S-A-HAPPENING by THE MAGIC MUSHROOMS ... or is is Classic Garage Band sound of THE CRYAN' SHAMES' SUGAR AND SPICE, MICHAEL AND THE MESSENGERS' version of JUST LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET or HEY JOE by THE LEAVES? Honestly, it seems to be ALL OF THE ABOVE ... plus.  Later LPs in this series even included mainstream Pop Hits by PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS and THE TURTLES ... which don't seem to qualify as "nuggets" at all to me!)

Of course for the ULTIMATE List in Psychedelic Favorites, one need look no further than our very own Forgotten Hits Poll from a few years back ...

You'll find ALL of the results right here:

Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs