New Year's Rockin' Eve

It'll be the first "New Year's Rockin' Eve" without Dick Clark ... we lost America's Oldest Teenager last year. But ABC has planned a two-hour pre-show featuring vintage clips of Dick's rock-and-roll legacy ... so be sure to tune in for that! The pre-show kicks off at 8 pm Eastern. (kk)     

BE SURE TO WATCH THE TV SHOW ROCKIN NEW YEAR'S EVE, HOSTED BY RYAN SEACREST.

IT'S A TRIBUTE TO DICK CLARK AND THE PROGRAM WILL AIR BETWEEN 8 AND 10 PM EASTERN AND PACIFIC TIME. 
THEY WILL HAVE A CLIP OF DICK CLARK AND MYSELF FROM 1964. 
HOPE YOU GET TO WATCH IT! 
ROCK AND ROLL  
FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON  

  

Kent: 
Here’s a preview of the two hour special on Dick Clark airing on New Year's Eve.   
I understand from a colleague who has seen many of the segments scheduled to be included in the broadcast that at least a couple of artists who are Forgotten Hits readers are to be included in short interview clips.

“NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE CELEBRATES DICK CLARK” FEATURES CLASSIC PERFORMANCES BY THE BIGGEST NAMES IN MUSIC HISTORY, AS FERGIE AND JENNY MCCARTHY COUNT DOWN THE 30 GREATEST ARTISTS THAT DICK CLARK INFLUENCED     

ABC's New Year's festivities kick off at 8:00 p.m., ET with “New Year's Rockin' Eve Celebrates Dick Clark,” a two-hour countdown of key pop culture moments from the amazing life of Dick Clark, hosted by Fergie in Los Angeles and Jenny McCarthy from Times Square. The special celebrates, through clips from “American Bandstand” and reminiscences, the legendary television personality and producer who rang in the New Year for four decades and who was an instrumental force in launching and nurturing the careers of countless artists. Ryan Seacrest also joins the hosts for a special appearance in honor of Dick Clark.   

In addition to the many memorable moments from years past, here is a partial list of performances in the tribute special, in alphabetical order:     

ABBA “S.O.S.” 1975  

Bangles “Manic Monday” 1986  

Toni Basil “Mickey” 1982  

Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” 1980  

Pat Benatar “Heartbreaker” 1980  

Blondie “Heart of Glass” 1979  

James Brown “Bring it On” 1983  

Johnny Cash “Ballad of a Teenage Queen” 1959  

John Cougar “Hurts So Good” 1981  

Culture Club “Move Away” 1986  

Neil Diamond “Solitary Man” 1966  

The Doors “Light My Fire” 1967  

Go-Go's “We Got the Beat” 1981  

Bill Haley & His Comets “Rock Around the Clock” 1959  

Billy Idol “White Wedding” 1982  

INXS “Need You Tonight” 1987

The Jacksons “Shake Your Body” 1979  

Janet Jackson “Young Love” 1982  

Michael Jackson “Rockin' Robin” 1972  

Jefferson Airplane “Somebody to Love” 1967  

Cyndi Lauper ”Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” 1984 Madonna “Holiday” 1984  

The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreamin'” 1966  

The Miracles “Shop Around” 1965  

Run-D.M.C. “Jam Master Jammin'” 1985  

Sonny & Cher “I Got You Babe” 1965  

Stevie Wonder “Fingertips Pt. 2” 1966  

Donna Summer “Last Dance” 1978  

The Supremes “Stop! In the Name of Love” 1965  
John Travolta “Whenever I'm Away From You” 1976  

-- Tom Cuddy

re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:
Dance in the New Year with this James Brown classic from 1968!  (kk)
 

re:  SOME VERY SAD NEWS:
I just read that DJ Wild Bill Cody died on Christmas Day at his home in Ft. Collins, CO, of a heart attack.  Bill has had some health problems these last few years ... but was a long-time, staunch supporter of Forgotten Hits and all that we do here, recruiting numerous other deejays from around the country to join in on the fun and share their memories with our readers.  After a long time off, he was back on the radio doing "fill in" work ... you'll find fewer jocks who loved radio more than Wild Bill did.  Cody did a short stint here in Chicago on B-96 in the mid-'90's and is best known for his broadcasting stunts. (He holds the Guinness Book of World Records for most hours riding a roller coaster ... and has broadcast his entire program from inside a cage at a local dog kennel.  A few years back when Denver was hit with over two feet of snow, Cody manned the station by himself ... with his beloved Irish Setters at his side ... for over 36 hours because the other jocks couldn't get in due to all the closed roads!)  A REALLY fun guy who enjoyed life and radio ... he will be missed.  (kk)

The Sunday Comments ( 12 - 30 - 12 )

It's our last Sunday Comments Page of 2012 ...    

re:  I'VE NEVER BEEN GOOD AT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:  

Don't fry bacon naked    

Re: REMEMBERING MUSIC, 2012:  
Great pop music with actual melodies made a HUGE comeback in 2012. Infectious, future pop classics are sure to include: Somebody That I Used To Know, Call Me Maybe, Lights, What Makes You Beautiful, Good Feeling, One More Night, Everybody Talks, Good Time, Moves Like Jagger, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Someone Like You, Set Fire To The Rain, Domino, Stereo Hearts, Rumor Has It, Rolling In The Deep, Love You Like A Love Song, Some Nights, Locked Out Of Heaven and Stronger. Maybe our kids really WILL have something to sing twenty years from now ... without having to censor themselves three or four times in each verse! (kk)   

And here's a really interesting article (sent in by FH Reader Frank B) reminding us where some of this great music came from in the first place. (Timely with New Year's Day right around the corner!) kk  
Click here: 1948 Musicians Strike | Recording Ban | The Silence That Sparked New Sounds | By Marc Myers - WSJ.com   

One of the stories we covered earlier this year that got national attention was that of Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers, who psychedelicized our lives with their 1968 Hit "Time Has Come Today". Here is a year-end update on that story, courtesy of FH Reader David Lewis:   
Click here: On Web, 'Time Has Come' for '60s singer - CNN.com    

Al Kooper celebrates his second year of publishing his "New Music For Old People" column at The Morton Report by recapping the 25 Most-Commented-On Tracks of 2012. Some good stuff on here you may not have heard before, courtesy of one of rock's connoisseurs.   
Click here: New Music for Old People: The 25 Most Appreciated Tracks of 2012 | The Morton Report    

HEY KENT ...

HOPE ALL IS WELL ... SAW YOUR MENTIONING OF ADDING NEW CD'S TO YOUR CHRISTMAS COLLECTION EVERY YEAR, AND WE DO THE SAME THING ... HOWEVER, I STILL HAVE THE NEW BEACH BOYS CD FROM THIS SUMMER IN THE CAR, AND I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO IT OVER AND OVER ... IT'S THAT GOOD! I WAS INITIALLY HESITANT, BUT WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED ... SOME OF THE TRACKS ARE JUST KILLER, AND I THINK ANY OF YOUR READERS WHO HAVEN'T CHECKED IT OUT YET, SHOULD! TOO BAD THE REUNION ENDED ... ALTHOUGH THE BAND WAS AMAZING AND OUTSTANDING LIVE, I SURE WISHED THEY WOULD HAVE LET BILLY HINSCHE IN ON THE FUN ... HE DESERVED TO BE THERE, AND WOULD HAVE ADDED ANOTHER DIMENSION OF CARL THAT WAS MISSING (LOVE YA, BILLY!)

HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!!!

MICHAEL G. BUSH  
It's a good one, to be sure. And the REAL shame, of course, is that Brian was ready to do another (until Mike felt it necessary to let everybody know that HE is The Beach Boys ... not the actual guys who made this comeback tour such a success.) On the plus side, a 21-song live DVD is available, culled from their comeback concert performances ... and, at least for a couple of hours anyway, you can watch America's Band having fun fun fun up on stage together again. (Reasonably priced, too ... and well worth adding to your collection.) kk  
Click here: Amazon.com: The Beach Boys Live in Concert: 50th Anniversary: Beach Boys: Music   

re: AND, SPEAKING OF GREAT REUNIONS:

Just got these shots from FH Reader Tom Cuddy, who tells us The Rascals performed thirty songs in two hours!!! Man, I hope they take this show on the road! (kk)

And it sounds like we just may get our wish! Venturing outside New York's Capitol Theater ... and extending the reunion at least another six months ... we just got word that The Rascals will be performing in Florida over Memorial Day Weekend, 2013!!!    

The Rascals will perform at Hollywood, FL’s Hard Rock Café over Memorial Day weekend. The band’s original lineup — keyboardist / singer Felix Cavaliere, singer Eddie Brigati, guitarist Gene Cornish and drummer Dino Dinelli — reunited for a series of shows at Port Chester, NY’s Capitol Theatre earlier this month. Besides a few private appearances, these were the influential ‘60s band’s first shows in 40 years.  Billed as Once Upon a Dream, The Rascals’ reunion shows combined prerecorded interviews and video reenactment of the band’s early days with a traditional concert. E-Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt produced the shows and wrote the concert’s scripted moments. During the show’s Port Chester finale on Saturday, December 22, Van Zandt took the stage with The Rascals for a bow during their encore. He plans to bring the Once Upon a Dream show to other markets, including the above-mentioned Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Café.    

re: THE HIT PARADE HALL OF FAME:  
Although the 2013 list of nominees won't officially be released for another week or two, we just obtained this photo montage that may help to tip off some of our astute readers as to who the newest candidates will be. Take a gander at this for an early tip-off! (kk)   
  

re: THIS AND THAT:  
Former Buckinghams lead singer Dennis Tufano has been filling in some pick up dates with The Outsiders band during lead singer Sonny Geraci's recovery from brain surgery. (Sonny is reportedly doing extremely well and is on the mend.) Dennis performs both Sonny's hits and his own Buckinghams chart-toppers ... as well as selections from his Tribute To Bobby Darin Show. Ironically, Sonny Geraci performed a similar service several years ago when Rob Grill took ill and was unable to perform ... Sonny did his own Outsiders and Climax hits, along with all of the songs Rob made famous with The Grass Roots. As always ... the show must go on.Plans are also in the works for a benefit concert to help offset some of Sonny's massive hospital bills.  More details to come but right now they're hoping to put something together in the spring (possibly April?)  The show will most likely be held in Ohio, birthplace of The Outsiders.  Meanwhile, Dennis Tufano will reunite with former Buckinghams bandmate Marty Grebb to perform on January 25th at the NAMM Convention as part of the "Living Legends Concert Band".  This will provide the opportunity for these guys to trade off the vocals on "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" just like they did on their Top Five Hit in 1967.  In Dennis' own words:

Marty will also be burning the keys off a B3 Hammond Organ for Hammond at the NAMM. Jimy Sohns will be there too.  

I'll be returning to the Chicago area in Spring to perform again with "25 or 6 to 4" and Danny Seraphine, Jimy Sohns and more. Check your local listings! Lots of new things in the works for the new year.

Hi Fran!

Be Well

Best of the Holidays

Dennis      

 

This from Tom Cuddy ... another report on how Fontella Bass never got paid a cent for writing "Rescue Me":     http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/12/27/fontella-bass-the-great-singer-of-rescue-me-dies-at-72 

 

There is a video on YouTube about Jimi Hendrix's death that you might want to see - it's called "The Last 24 hours of Jimi Hendrix's Life".

Michael Lueras

Click here: Jimi Hendrix -- The Last 24 Hours - YouTube

This looks to be a one hour documentary special ... check it out when you've got some time. You'll find several other "Last 24 Hours" profiles here, too. (kk)   

re: WINTER SONGS:

Kent --
If I'm not too late to cite a winter song (after all, we're going to be surrounded by winter for another three months!) I'll cite "Winter's Children" by the Capes of Good Hope, a Chicago no-hit wonder. (You've discussed it before, though I think it's been awhile.) The song is unusual in that its melody is adapted from J. S. Bach's "Sleepers Awake" and thus is one of several classical riffs in pop music of the '60s.
-- 73 --
-- Jeff Duntemann
Des Plaines, IL

re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:

Kent,

You have a great site and very informative ... 
Everyone I talk to loves it.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Carl Giammarese  

re: TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:

Kent: 
After postings in FH recently about the Tradewinds and "New York Is A Lonely Town," which in my eyes is the best tribute to the Beach Boys ever recorded, it reminded me of attending the first on stage reunion in 36 years (Oct. 16, 2010), of the two principals of the Tradewinds, Pete Anders and Vini Poncia, who performed at a sold-out concert in their home state of Rhode Island. That same night Pete Anders released his first album in over three decades called "So Far." I took this photo at the reunion concert in RI. 

From left: Rhode Island born rocker, John Cafferty of the Beaver Brown Band; Gerry Granahan (Dicky Do and the Dont's and Producer to Jay and the Americans); Vini Poncia and Peter Anders. 
Here’s an audio clip from You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wvoMVeaVuc

 

And, speaking of photos, in a recent update to the official Del Shannon website, a picture has been posted featuring Del, Wolfman Jack and Forgotten Hits reader and DJ Scott Shannon, the guy who originally introduced me to FH. http://delshannon.com
Tom Cuddy 

Hey Kent,
I'm so glad you pointed out that today's radio stations never play any of Melissa Manchester's hits. Maybe they think she's too MOR for today's audiences. Who knows? I didn't know she co-wrote "Whenever I Call You Friend" with Kenny Loggins. Even though I love the duet with Stevie Nicks, I can't help wonder how it would sound with Melissa. I, like you, have seen her in concert. She was here in the mid 70s. One thing I remember was that above the stage, were huge disc-like sound reflectors, that were painted gold. Melissa looked up and studied them for a few seconds, and said to the audience that she was scared that she was going to be taken aboard a flying saucer! Another thing I remember was that she did three encores and told the audience she'd be back, which drew a big cheer. Sadly, it never happened.
The front-act band was Orleans. They were great, especially Larry Hoppen's vocals and guitar work. Now he's in Rock 'n Roll Heaven. You can still hear their hits "Dance With Me" and "Still the One" on some stations, but never, "Love Takes Time", which is my favorite of the three.
- John LaPuzza  
One of the more memorable shows I saw in the late '70's was headliner Melissa Manchester with opening act Burton Cummings, who had just hit the road as a solo act, hot on the heels of his first big solo hit "Stand Tall" ... a magical night of musical entertainment. 
Manchester's version of "Whenever I Call You 'Friend'" appeared on her album titled simply "Melissa Manchester" ... it's a pretty tame, laid-back version that features male vocals by a guy named Arnold McCuller. I do remember Kenny Loggins was touring with Fleetwood Mac at around the time his hit duet with Stevie Nicks came out because I saw that show, too, down in Champaign, Illinois. Both acts were extremely hot at the time so it may have made good "marketing sense" to cut the duet that way ... but I always felt like Melissa, who co-wrote the song, was in some way cheated of another hit to notch on her bedpost as a result of that decision. (kk)

For Today's Forgotten Hit, we're reaching all the way back to 1957 ... catchy as can be, radio ought to be playing "Peanuts" by Little Joe and the Thrillers once in a while ... it was a #22 Hit that Fall. (kk)

The Friday Flash

re: FONTELLA BASS:  
Fontella Bass, who recorded the #4 pop hit, "Rescue Me" (#1 R&B) in 1965, died Wednesday (December 26) from complications of a heart attack at a St. Louis hospital. She was 72. Fontella had suffered the heart attack December 2. A St. Louis native, Fontella had sung with the Clara Ward's gospel singers (of which her mother was a member) while still a child. As a teen she began to sing in clubs and came to the attention of promoter Oliver Sain, who hired her to accompany blues singer Little Milton. When Milton couldn't perform one night, Fontella filled in and became a regular singer with Oliver's revue. Upon moving to Chicago in 1965, she auditioned for Chess Records, where she was initially paired with Bobby McClure. "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing" reached #33 pop and #5 R&B that year. It was the first of eight chart records on Chess' Checker label, the last six of which were solo. Other hits included "Recovery" (#37 pop, #13 R&B in 1966) and "I Surrender" (#78 pop, #33 R&B in 1966). Disillusioned with the music business (she fought for years to be given songwriting credit on "Rescue Me"), she and her husband -- trumpet player Lester Bowie -- moved to Paris where she recorded two albums with the Art Ensemble of Chicago but semi-retired in 1972. She sued American Express in 1990 over the use of "Rescue Me" in a television commercial and settled for $50,000. Her brother is R&B singer David Peaston. 
-- Ron Smith (www.oldiesmusic.com)
While Chess carved its own niche in the blues market, their success rarely crossed over to the pop charts after the Chuck Berry era. That all changed in 1965 when Fontella Bass took her Motown-infused hit "Rescue Me" all the way to #2 on the National Pop Charts. (Berry Gordy had to be beside himself trying to figure out ways to sue Chess Records for copying his sound!)    

FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent us five excellent "Rescue Me" cover versions to share, too, courtesy of a tribute put together by Billboard Magazine ... http://www.billboard.com/features/fontella-bass-top-5-covers-of-rescue-me-1008062692.story#/features/fontella-bass-top-5-covers-of-rescue-me-1008062692.story

re: TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:  
Kent,  
Your comments about the frequency of hearing Supertramp on the radio nowadays resonated with me. Driving home recently, I heard "Take the Long Way Home" on our former Oldies station in Chicago. While I was grateful that it was not another Journey song, I punched the next pre-set button in hopes of hearing something else. Instead, the next "classic" station was playing the exact same song, at almost precisely the same point -- less than half a second apart. Forget about hearing 50s and 60s songs anymore. There is such a lack of variety that they're all sounding the same -- and this certainly drove the point home!   
Dan Crabtree 
Wheaton, IL

It's happening more and more often ... not just the same artist playing on two or three stations at the same time ... but now the same SONG playing on multiple stations at the same time! Clearly there is no longer a need for a program director ... we've finally done it ... gone "All Robot". (They warned us about this,ya know!) Sometimes we hear two songs by the same artist twenty minutes apart! What a shame. Because a program director who knows his music ... and CARES about his music ... could REALLY make a big difference right now. Not some kid who wasn't even born yet when these songs were out, simply following the charts put together by these mindless consultants telling them THIS is what people really want to hear. It's gone so far past insulting that I just can't listen anymore. I make sure the car has at least half a dozen CDs in it at all times and leave the button on The Drive ... at least I know they'll mix things up by playing album sides or A to Z salutes or featured artists and deep tracks ... and when they DO hit on those same old Journey, Bob Seger and Steve Miller songs, I just pop the CD in instead. And for right now, this is working for me. (Unless, of course, K-Hits wants to contact me and revamp oldies radio once and for all, Chicago style. In THAT case, I'm all in ... just give me a call ... and let's set this town on its ear. Imagine that ... a radio station in Chicago actually playing something that every OTHER radio station in town isn't already playing ... man, what a concept!) Funny thing is, once it catches on, all of the other stations will follow suit anyway ... Lord knows there's no such thing as an original idea in radio anymore ... but once they do and all the dust settles, what do you know ... radio will be interesting again! (kk)

  

Kent,
Thanks for fully waking me up with the song by the Trade Winds. It has made my day.

This morning while driving in my car and after earlier having played your tune you posted by the Trade Winds, reminded me of another tune which came out earlier in 1959 by another group known as the Tradewinds. Different group, I believe, but the song was FURRY MURRY on RCA. Had to get it out when I got home and play it, as they say, "one more time". You remember FURRY MURRY don't you? He had to get a Yul Brynner haircut.  
Incidentally, I am GUILTY of having the two songs you mentioned that the INNOCENCE made, not to be confused with the INNOCENTS, another group.

Larry

Gotta be a different Tradewinds ... in 1959, Vinnie and Pete were recording as The Videls. In 1960, they hit the charts with "Mister Lonely", (not the Bobby Vinton tune), which peaked at #66.

By the way, The Innocence singles actually performed pretty well here in Chicago ... "There's Got To Be A Word" reached #18 ... and "Mairzy Doats" (which some of the non-Top 40 stations even played) climbed as high as #21 ... both far surpassing their national showings of #33 and #75 respectively. (kk)

Speaking of Melissa Manchester (as we were yesterday), when's the last time you heard one of HER hits on the radio??? Sure, you might hear "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" on one of those '80's / Rewind stations ... but Melissa scored two Top Ten Hits in the mid-to-late '70's with two soaring, power ballads called "Midnight Blue" (#5, 1975) and "Don't Cry Out Loud" (#10, 1979).

These are songs that still deserve to be heard ... and are showcase vocal performances by this fine singer / songwriter. (I always felt bad for Melissa Manchester ... she cowrote "Whenever I Call You 'Friend'" with Kenny Loggins ... and then he went off and recorded it as a duet with Stevie Nicks instead!!!)

Manchester had one of those booming voices that just excelled as the orchestra soared to its building crescendo ... I had the chance to see her perform live twice in the late '70's, both VERY entertaining shows.  She is still performing (tour dates listed on her website) and last year, taught the class "The Art Of Conversational Singing" at USC,  The University of Southern California!

Click here: Home

(By the way, Manchester also cowrote one of her other '70's hits, "Just Too Many People" (#30, 1975) with her producer Vinnie Poncia, who we profiled in yesterday's piece on The Tradewinds. Don'tcha just love it when all this stuff ties together!!!)

re: THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS:

WATCHED TONITE ... ONE WORD ... OUTSTANDING!!! 
MGB    

Best Kennedy Center Honors ever. The David Letterman portion of the show was very funny but I loved the tribute to Led Zeppelin. I think Robert Plant was crying. Heart was awesome as well as all the other musicians that participated. Jack Black was the perfect choice to get it all started.   

Stacee

I couldn't agree more ... start to finish, this show was a winner.   Dustin Hoffman has always been one of my favorite actors ... that little 20 minute spiel made me want to watch at least 20 of his movies again! I grew up loving this guy! What a career ... "The Graduate" ... "Midnight Cowboy" ... "Kramer Vs. Kramer" ... "Rain Man" ... "Tootsie" ... films that I liked that nobody else did like "Hero", "Hook" and "Straw Dogs" ... other emotional fare like "Marathon Man" and "All The President's Men" ... missteps like "Ishtar" and "Dick Tracy" ... "Meet The Fockers" ... what a GRAND career this man has had.  

And even the less-interesting tributes to Buddy Guy and Natalia Makarova were tolerable. 

The Letterman bit was GREAT ... he truly looked moved and humble ... and there is no question that he forever changed the look of late night television.  Everyone who has come along since has been molded in his image.

But the musical tribute to Led Zeppelin was out of this world, moving the band to tears and cheers. (I've never seen ANY honoree paid such a glowing, powerful ... and rockin'(!) tribute before.) 

Heart (who has ALWAYS ranked Led Zeppelin as their inspiration, performing many fitting tributes and cover versions of their material over the years) have never sounded better ... what a truly inspired, mammoth send-off that was. And as emotional as that had to have been for Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones watching this whole thing play out (The Foo Fighters, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz also did exceptional tribute performances), you just KNOW there had to be a part of these guys that wanted to climb back up on that stage with Jason Bonham and sing and play along. 

No, they didn't perform ... but it wouldn't at all surprise me to see them stage one more special event, just to say "thanks"!!! (kk)    

Johnny Carson has already been forgotten ...
But Led Zeppelin is FOREVER!
In other words, what kind of crazy fucked up world do we live in where the President is black and the national anthem is "Stairway To Heaven"?
The highlight of tonight's show was Tina Fey's introduction of David Letterman. I love Jack Black, but his enthusiasm didn't make up for a substandard speech. We needed Wayne and Garth. Two stoners whose lives are not complete without Led Zeppelin IV.
And then came the piece de resistance. We knew they'd end with "Stairway." But there's no more perfect fit than Heart. Ann Wilson made her bones singing Zeppelin covers. And her "Battle Of Evermore" is just about as good as the original. So, what is usually substandard, the musical tribute, which had us all trepidatious, turned out to be a triumph.
Yo-Yo Ma was singing along. Bonnie Raitt had her hands in the air!
And did you catch the Prez singing along to "Whole Lotta Love"?
Our true rock and roll heroes are ... our true rock and roll heroes. 
You can't change "Good Times Bad Times." "The Rain Song" sounds the same as it did when you dropped the needle on "Houses Of The Holy" back in '73.
Music is the most powerful medium on Earth.
And Led Zeppelin has more power than anybody. 
Bob Lefsetz    


re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT: 

Not much surfin' goin' on in New York City in the '60's (although with all the winter storms being forecast for the east coast again right now, I suppose skiing may not be out of the question!)   

In 1965 songwriters Vinnie Poncia and Pete Anders got together, called themselves The Trade Winds, and released a Top 40 Hit called "New York's A Lonely Town" ... which I can only imagine it would be ... if you're the only surfer boy in town!    

Cashing in on the craze taken to the max by The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean (who were joined by The Sunrays and several other "imitators" by the mid-'60's), Poncia and Anders put together the perfect surfing groove for this tune ... threw in catch phrases like "my Woodies outside" ... added some high-end falsetto ... and crafted a great pseudo-surf tune for the ages.    

Except radio has all but forgotten about it!  

Anders and Poncia honed their craft by peddling songs "Brill Building style" in the early '60's. They were later taken under the wing of Phil Spector ... and then the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, who ultimately signed the duo to Red Bird Records and released their biggest hit.   

I found a great tribute website for these two artists:

Click here: Home Page Anders and Poncia Official Website

 

DIDJAKNOW?: Poncia and Anders ALSO recorded as The Innocence, hitting the charts with "There's Got To Be A Word" (#33, 1967) and a remake of the novelty hit "Mairzy Doats". In 1968 they supplied the backing vocals for the 1910 Fruitgum Company hit "1,2,3 Red Light" and, in the '70's and '80's, Vinnie Poncia produced hit albums for Ringo Starr and Melissa Manchester!

It's Wednesday (But It Feels Like Monday)

re: TONIGHT:
Tonight on CBS Led Zeppelin receives The Kennedy Center Honors, along with fellow honorees Actor Dustin Hoffman, Talk Show Host David Letterman, Chicago Blues Legend Buddy Guy and Ballerina Natalia Makarova. (I never really got the whole concept of ballet ... instead of recruiting a bunch of young girls and then making them painfully dance on their tippy-toes, why not just hire taller girls in the first place?!?!?)  

Watching President Obama salute hard-rockin' / hard-livin' Led Zeppelin is priceless ... as is Ray Romano's line about losing his virginity "to the first two minutes of 'Stairway To Heaven'". (Romano is there to "induct" David Letterman). All in all, it should be a pretty entertaining show (and a rare chance to see Led Zep reunite for a performance, apparently part of an all-star jam that also features The Foo Fighters.) Zeppelin is all over the radio again thanks to the recent release of "Celebration Day". (Can you turn on the radio today and NOT hear "Kashmir"???) The program airs at 9 pm Eastern / 8 pm Central.  

re:  WRAPPING UP CHRISTMAS  (Pun Intended):

Every year we make it a point to buy one new Christmas Album to add to our already massive collection. This year I opted for Rod Stewart's latest release and couldn't have been more pleased. (Frannie was pushing for Michael Buble ... so we may still have to pick that one up, too!) Stewart's voice lends itself perfectly to these Christmas classics (one of which just happens to be a duet with Buble). Whether a lushly orchestrated ballad or an up-tempo tune, Rod is in perfect step on this LP ... highly recommended.   

And then our daughter brought along both the Cee Lo Green and the Blake Shelton Christmas CD's. These are two more excellent collections of holiday music. As two of the coaches on The Voice, these two already hugely-popular artists have skyrocketed out of the stratosphere with their fan base these past couple of years. (Ah, the power of television) Cee Lo manages duets with Voice Coach Christina Aguilera, the aforementioned Rod Stewart ... and The Muppets!!! ... while Blake teams up with Buble (on a reworked Christmas version of their shared hit "Home"), wife Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire (now calling herself simply "Reba") and inaugural American Idol Superstar Kelly Clarkson.  Both CDs make for enjoyable holiday listening.  

And finally, here's a great Oldies Music Fan / Christmas decorations idea for next year ... 

Get a bunch of your friends together and have each one kick in a crisp one hundred dollar bill ... then take those bills and neatly fold them and wrap them together, fashioning them into a round, circular Christmas ornament ... which you can now proudly display as "A Wreath of Franklins"!!!   

re:  MOVIES:

Still fighting my annual Christmas cold (I swear I cannot remember the last Christmas when I wasn't sick!!!), we took things rather easy over the four day weekend ... and rented a couple of movies we had been wanting to see for a while.  Man, what a MAJOR disappointment!!!  

PITCH PERFECT 

(On a scale of 1 - 10, we give it a "2") 

Don't bother ... do yourself a favor and watch the 90 second trailer ... it represents the ONLY 90 seconds of this entire film that are worth watching, save their knock-out performance of the Bruno Mars tune "Just The Way You Are" ... and, rather than sit through the first 75 minutes just to see that, watch it on YouTube instead:

Click here: Pitch Perfect - Just The Way You Are (OffIicial Video) - YouTube

 

TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE 

(We give it a "3" on a scale of 1 - 10) 

No surprises here ... one of the slowest moving, boring, most predictable movies we've seen in a long, long time (with no real pay-off at the end.) I wonder if they have to use special mic-ing techniques to record Clint Eastwood's voice these days ... it's barely a whisper throughout most of this snorefest.  Don't waste your time on this one.  

On the PLUS side ... 

XFINITY just added Season 4 of "Damages" to their On Demand line-up ... we ran through all ten episodes in three days ... and after each episode ended, we couldn't wait to watch the next one.   It was that compelling.

Ironically, it had a bit of a "Homeland" feel to it (another one of our "Can't Miss" television favorites), except Season Four of "Damages" actually ran BEFORE "Homeland" hit the airwaves. VERY well done ("Damages" has always excelled ... and we truly missed it when it switched over to DirecTV ... now we can't wait for Season Five to become available.) When did the quality of TV Dramas start blowing away the movies?!?!? It seems that lately television consistently provides better entertainment than anything we shell out big bucks to see in a theater ... and more and more big name actors are making their way to the small screen because that's where all the good stuff is at!  

re:  SPEAKING OF TV:

I cannot help but wonder ... 

Why is "The Glee Project" ten times more interesting and entertaining than the actual program "Glee" itself???  Ryan Murphy, you've lost your way ... it isn't "fun" anymore.   

re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:

Never a day goes by that we don't hear "Take The Long Way Home", "Goodbye Stranger" and / or "The Logical Song" by Supertramp. In fact, odds are pretty good that you'll hear all three of these tracks during the course of the listening day (and quite likely that "Take The Long Way Home" will come up more than a few times). Throw in "Give A Little Bit" and an occasional spin of "Bloody Well Right" on the Classic Rock Stations, and Supertramp is pretty well represented by Radio, circa 2012.   

But you never seem to hear their 1982 Top Ten Hit "It's Raining Again". It's like life for the band stopped after the mega-successful "Breakfast In America" hit the charts in 1979 ... but nothing could be further from the truth.   

Supertramp scored four more Top 40 Hits in the '80's ... a "live" version of their earlier (1974) track "Dreamer" went to #15 in 1980, "My Kind Of Lady" hit #23 in 1983, "Cannonball" reached #28 in 1985 and Today's Forgotten Hit "It's Raining Again" peaked at #7 in 1982. (A "live" version of "Breakfast In America" also charted in 1980, stopping at #62.)   

We used to LOVE all of this Supertramp music ... but radio overkill has burned out our desire to listen to it  anymore. So why not mix things up a little bit and throw in one of these '80's tunes once in a while. They're all legitimate hits ... and it SURE would break the monotony of the same old / same old button-pushing-inducing diet you're feeding us now!  (kk)