Saturday, April 7, 2012

Helping Out Our Readers


Hi Kent,
I found your fine blog by researching about some special records of my collection. I focus on the famous songwriter John Marascalco, who had some collaborations with Bobby Hart between 1962 and 1964 on his labels Infinity and Lola.
01. Lee Diamond: "Nothing But A Playboy" (Harshman / Marascalco / Joyner), Bourbon Street 100 and Lola 100 (1962)
02. Bobby Hart: "Too Many Teardrops" (Harshman), Infinity INX-017 (1962)
03. Bobby Hart: "The People Next Door" (Harshman), Infinity INX-017 (1962)
04. Victor Feldman Quartet: "Valerie" (Harshman / Marascalco), Infinity INX-020 (1962)
05. Bobby Hart: "Lovesick Blues" (Friend / Mills), Infinity INX-022 (1962)
06. Bobby Hart: "I Think It's Called A Heartache, Infinity INX-022 (1962)
07. Penny Rae: "Shame Shame Shame" (Marascalco / Harshman), Infinity INX-026 (1963)
08. Walter Jackson: "Opportunity" (Marascalco / Harshman / Joyner), Columbia 43823 (1963)
09. Soul-Men: "Road House" (Harshman / Taylor / William), Lola 105 (1964)
10. Soul-Men: "Sister Sue" (Nilsson), Lola 105 (1964)
Marascalco also worked with Tommy Boyce.
You interviewed Bobby. Did you also talked about Marascalco or one / some of the songs listed above? Do you have a postal address or email of Bobby, I would like to ask him about the songs.
My Marascalco project (unfortunately in German only and of course still under construction):
http://www.musikalischerzirkel.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=4&id=88888930&Itemid=27Thank you and greetings from Berlin, Germany
Andreas
Hi Andreas!  Sorry, but no ... when I talked with Bobby Hart, it was primarily in regards to the Boyce and Hart / Monkees connection ... and while our series also focused on other hit records they had written for other artists, we spoke only of the "hits" ... and never really touched on the misses and the obscure.

Bobby doesn't do email and doesn't really play around on the computer much ... and I think I've spoken to him exactly once since our interview ran so I really don't have a way to put you in touch with him.  If by some off chance we should happen to talk again in the future, I'll be happy to pass along your interest to him ... but I must warn you in advance that it is VERY unlikely that we will do so.  (kk)   


Weird to get two Boyce and Hart emails the same week regarding a series that ran so many years ago ... but we did!  Check this out ...
Hi Kent,
Just discovered your website and blog, and let's just say I'm going to be busy reading for weeks and months to come! I use sources such as yours to create mp3 playlists for my collection. I cobbled together such a list for Boyce and Hart songs thanks to your excellent article.  I didn't find a simple list of their individual or co-written songs.  Have you put together such a thing or was I missing something?
Thanks, and once again - Great Job!
Rick Boyer
Cincinnati, Ohio
I didn't put  together any kind of an "official" list ... but if you read thru the whole Boyce and Hart article you'll find DOZENS of hits mentioned.  As mentioned above, we concentrated on the biggest hits for this series.  I don't think a lot of people realized that Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were already writing hit songs for other artists before they hooked up with The Monkees.  And let's not forget that they had a pretty amazing career on their own as recording artists, too!  (kk)
If anybody else out there hasn't read our Tribute To The Music Of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart ... and our exclusive Forgotten Hits Interview with Bobby Hart ... here are the links:


When I saw the Sound Advice Cowsills selections today it reminded me of a song by them, “The Impossible Years”, from the movie of the same name. It plays over the opening credits and says written by The Tokens and performed by The Cowsills. Definitely an obscure song and, pardon the pun, Impossible to find. Does anybody out there have a copy of this song to share? Any help would be greatly appreciated.  (Eddie Burke)
HELPFUL HINT -   You can download freeware (google for it) by using the term
'youtube downloader', and use it to save the video in it's entirety, or just the ahem, non-copyrighted audio as an mp3 ... it's come in handy on occasion ...
Of course Forgotten Hits would never encourage you to go there ... but if it's something you've been looking for, for a long, long time ... it is an option! 
RENFIELD    

Thank you for posting the photo and poster from the Gene Pitney tour.   I saw that tour stop in my home town of Windsor Ontario at a hockey arena!  My dad took me - my first big show.  I had my Buckinghams LP signed by the band, and by Pitney, and members of the Music Explosion (who were bemused by my insistence that they sign an album they were not involved in).   Any idea where I could get a good copy of the poster?
Michael McNamara
Toronto, Ontario
One of our readers (who also attended the show) sent that picture in.  Other than checking places like eBay or some of the collectors' magazines like Goldmine, I'm not really sure where you might find an original copy.  We talked to some of the artists who were on that tour and everybody said they had an absolute blast.  (Sounds like Gene Pitney was a pretty fun guy to hang around with!)  kk


You'll find this ... and lots of other great photos sent in by our readers ... on our Scrapbook Memories Page on the other Forgotten Hits Website ...
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Scrapbook Memories


>>>Bela Fleck and the original Flecktones are performing here in Springfield Mo, next Wednesday. Our newspaper says that this is a reunion tour and possibly a farewell tour. After 17 years away ... Howard Levy ... harmonica player and pianist has rejoined the band. Fleck on banjo ... bassist Victor Wooten and percussionist Roy Wooten. The article says that the band had three albums recorded from 1988 through 1992. They also have a new album "Rocket Science". Do you know this group?  (Stacee)
Hey Kent,
Long time no write.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones have to be one of the most amazing jazz (?) groups around. Bela is a world-renowned banjo master, and this past year he reunited with Chicago's own Howard Levy for their most recent album; one song Bela and Howard co-wrote won a Grammy this year for Best Instrumental Composition ("Rocket Science"). Howard is hands down the best harmonica player in the world, and just recently joined Tantrum onstage at our successful Haymakers 2012 Reunion for their song "Lady in Lust," reprising his album appearance.
Guy Arnston  

Who was the first rock 'n' roll act to be released on COLUMBIA records?
The Rip Chords or Paul Revere and the Raiders?
Neither one. 
They both got beat out by Ronnie Self (AIN'T I'M A DOG) in 1957.
Tal Hartsfeld
Hmm ... I'm not so sure even Columbia Records would agree with that ... they have often gone on recording crediting Paul Revere and the Raiders as the first act signed to their label.  Maybe they just didn't consider Ronnie Self a rock and roller???  (kk)   

Just an FYI about the Raiders - Rip Chords debate. Louie Louie by the Raiders is definitely before Hey Little Cobra by the Rip-Chords ... but “Here I Stand” is clearly before Louie Louie, and “Gone” is almost out at same time as Louie Louie.   
Ken
I wonder if Columbia didn't consider them a "rock and roll" band ... maybe a surf band?  (Although "Here I Stand" and "Gone" aren't surf records at all ... so who knows!)  Or maybe it's just a case of this is the way it's been documented ever since ... kinda like "Rock Around The Clock" being "the very first rock and roll record" ... when we all know that THAT ain't true either!!!  (kk)  

Hi Kent,
Sorry to bother you. I'm Jara - from the Czech republic.
Two "mystery " clips - does anybody know?  I've been looking for these songs for a very long time. If anyone could identify them, it would definitely make my day! <http://www.box.net/shared/79i3i27c48>
Clip1 – recorded in 1970 or early 1971 (radio Luxemboug )
link to bloody awful youtube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0-lo2RpHg8&feature=related
Clip2 – recorded in 1976 or  1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSyug3T70Ds
I would appreciate any help with this. Thanks kindly.
Jara
We tried a similar search a while back and our Forgotten Hits Sleuths did WAY better than anyone expected by nailing down quite a few of the "mystery" titles.  The quality on these doesn't help much ... but I also understand that they're 40+ year old tracks recorded off the radio and it's about the best we're going to get right now.  Interested readers can drop me a line if they think they can identify either of these ... and, if you want to feel REALLY challenged, visit these YouTube clips to find another eight or nine mystery songs posted ... have a go at it (and, if you can provide the full-length track so that we can forward these to Jara for verification, all the better!)  Good Luck!  (kk)  

One of the songs that I remember from Freddie and the Dreamers' "Fun Lovin' " album was a cover of Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy". I think it is second only to the original. If anybody out there can put that song online, that would be great, as all my albums were accidentally scrapped when my family moved.
- JohnLaPuzza
Once again, Tom Diehl comes through with this one ... admitting that HE thinks it's a pretty good version, too.  Meanwhile, Tom also pointed out one of OUR errors regarding Freddie and the Dreamers' early signing with Dave Dexter over at Capitol Records ...
>>>Incredibly, Dave Dexter of Capitol Records picked Freddie and the Dreamers over The Beatles in 1963 and released "I'm Telling You Now" and "You Were Made For Me" on Capitol's Tower Records subsidiary ... to absolutely no success. (kk)

Tower Records didn't exist yet in 1963 when I'm Telling You Now was first issued on Capitol 5053. You Were Made For Me was also first issued on Capitol 5137 in 1964. You're right though, the initial releases bombed.

Tom Diehl
I think "You Were Made For Me" was a GREAT record by these guys ... and it ought to get played once in a while.  (#17, 1965).  It kind of qualifies as one of those "One You Know ... One You Didn't Even Know You Forgot" situations when you pair it with their #1 Hit "I'm Telling You Now" ... except THAT one hardly gets any airplay anymore either!  (kk)