The Friday Flash

A few last minute thoughts before the weekend ...

re:  DONNA SUMMER:   
Of course the BIG story these past 24 hours has been the passing of Donna Summer, aka "The Queen Of Disco".  While I was never much of a fan of disco, I have to admit that I really DID like Donna Summer ... not so much the early material but more of the stuff she recorded after she branched out and rocked things up a little bit.  (The use of "Hot Stuff" in "The Full Monty" is still one of my favorite movie scenes of all-time!)

While the scope of Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park" was always lost on me ... I just couldn't accept an over-the-top Richard Harris bemoaning the cake he left out in the rain ... I will also publicly admit to liking what Donna Summer did with the song ... and so did a lot of other people ... it went all the way to #1 and then stayed there for three weeks.  (Apparently since the original recipe was lost, never to be found again, Summer whipped up her own musical concoction ... and literally reinvented the song in the process!)  In fact, Summer was on a Top Ten tear between 1976 and 1989 ... it  seemed that no matter which label she was recording for, the hits just kept on coming! 

Check out THIS hit list:

"Love To Love You Baby" (#2, 1976, Oasis); "I Feel Love" (#4, 1977, Casablanca); "Last Dance" (#3, 1978, Casablanca); "MacArthur Park" (#1, 1978, Casablanca); "Heaven Knows" (#4, 1979, Casablanca with Brooklyn Dreams); "Hot Stuff" (#1, 1979, Casablanca); "Bad Girls" (#1, 1979, Casablanca); "Dim All The Lights" (#2, 1979, Casablanca); "No More Tears" (#1, Columbia, with Barbra Streisand); "On The Radio" (#4, 1980, Casablanca); "Love Is In Control" (#10, 1982, Geffen); "She Works Hard For The Money" (#3, 1983, Mercury); and "This Time I Know It's For Real" (#6, 1989, Atlantic).  That's an incredible THIRTEEN Top Ten Hits in 13 years ... including THREE #1 Records!

We lost her on Thursday to cancer.  Summer kept her health condition under pretty tight wraps and was trying to finish an album, which would have been her swan song, before it finally became too much for her.

My personal favorite Donna Summer song wasn't a Top Ten Hit at all.  In 1983, under the helm of David Geffen, Donna released a single called "The Woman In Me", which I believe showcased her pure talent as an R&B Vocalist.  No tricks ... no gimmicks ... no disco beat ... just pure unadulterated Donna.  It didn't do much on the charts, eventually peaking at #28 in Cash Box Magazine ... but it has remained one of my favorite tracks from this era ... so that's the one I've chosen to share with you today ... because this is, after all, Forgotten Hits ... and odds are you aren't going to hear this one ANYWHERE else during radio's remembrance of "The Queen Of Disco".  (kk)

In 1994, Heart did an incredible remake of this song that never even made The Hot 100 ... give a listen to this ... now how can this possibly be?!?!  (kk) 

Click here: Heart: The Woman In Me - YouTube 

DONNA SUMMER -- the Queen of Disco -- died this morning after a battle with cancer, reports TMZ.COM. SUMMER, born LADONNA ADRIAN GAINES on DECEMBER 31st, 1948, was 63 years old. Sources told TMZ, "the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps, and was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on."  IMDB notes SUMMER maintained "an unbroken string of hits throughout the '70s and '80s, most of which she wrote. She holds the record for most consecutive double-albums to hit #1 on the BILLBOARD charts (3) and first female to have four #1 singles in a 12-month period; three as a solo artist and one as a duo with BARBRA STREISAND."  SUMMER was a "five-time GRAMMY winner," notes IMDB, and was the first artist to win the GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1979, "Hot Stuff") as well as the first-ever recipient of the Grammy for Best Dance Recording (1997, "Carry On"). In 2004, she became one of the first inductees, as both an Artist Inductee and a Record Inductee (for 1977's "I Feel Love") into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in NEW YORK CITY."

-- All Access (by way of TMZ and IMDB) 

(CBS/AP) Disco queen Donna Summer has died, a family spokesperson told the Associated Press. She was 63.  Her family released a statement Thursday saying Summer had died and that they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy."  TMZ first reported the news, noting Summer had died in Florida on Thursday (May 17) after a long battle with cancer. Insiders told TMZ she was recently working on music for a new album.

Known as the "Queen of Disco," Summer was born in Boston, Mass. in 1948, as one of seven children.
The five-time Grammy winner rose to fame in the 1970s, scoring hits with "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls." She co-wrote the single "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975, and went on to co-write several other hits, including "She Works Hard For Her Money."
Summer appeared in the 1978 film, "Thank God It's Friday," which took home the best original song Oscar for "Last Dance."
Summer released a number of albums that have reach gold or platinum status, including the multi-platinum "Bad Girls" and "On the Radio, Volume I & II." Her No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits include "Hot Stuff" and "MacArthur Park."
Summer's last album, "Crayons," came out in 2008. She also performed on "American Idol" that year with its top female contestants.
Her sound was a mix of genres and helped her earn Grammy Awards in the dance, rock, R&B and inspirational categories.
Summer married Brooklyn Dreams vocalist Bruce Sudano in 1980. She is survived by her husband, three daughters and four grandchildren.
-- submitted by Ken Voss

Other headlines:

Click here: Donna Summer Dead: Disco Legend Dies After Cancer Battle at 63 - Spinner

Click here: Donna Summer, 'Queen of Disco,' Dead at 63 | Billboard.biz   

Donna Summer's Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 Hits:
Rank - Title - (Year) - Hot 100 Peak Position
1. "Hot Stuff" - 1979 - No. 1 (for 3 weeks)
2. "Bad Girls" - 1979 - No. 1 (5 weeks)
3. "MacArthur Park" - 1979 - No. 1 (3 weeks)
4. "Love to Love You Baby" - 1976 - No. 2
5. "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer) - 1979 - No. 1 (2 weeks)
6. "Dim All the Lights" - 1979 - No. 2
7. "She Works Hard For the Money" - 1983 - No. 3
8. "Last Dance" - 1978 - No. 3
9. "The Wanderer" - 1980 - No. 3
10. "Heaven Knows" (with Brooklyn Dreams) - 1979 - No. 4
11. "On the Radio" - 1980 - No. 5
12. "I Feel Love" - 1977 - No. 6
13. "This Time I Know It's For Real" - 1989 - No. 7
14. "Love Is In Control (Finger On the Trigger)" - 1982 - No. 10
15. "There Goes My Baby" - 1984 - No. 21
16. "The Woman In Me" - 1983 - No. 33
17. "Cold Love" - 1981 - No. 33
18. "Spring Affair/Winter Melody" - 1977 - No. 43
19. "Walk Away" - 1980 - No. 36
20. "I Love You" - 1978 - No. 37 

NOTE:  Donna Summer's top Hot 100 hits ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years. 

Click here: Donna Summer's Enduring Billboard Chart Successes | Billboard.biz   

Donna Summer, clearly the Queen of Disco music, died Thursday (May 17) from cancer at her home in Key West, Florida. She was 63.  Born LaDonna Andrea Gaines in 1948 in Boston, Donna dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. Losing out on a role in the New York production, she moved to Germany where she joined the German version of the stage musical “Hair.” She eventually came to the attention of producer / composer Giorgio Moroder. Giorgio used her voice on a demo of the tune “Love To Love You Baby,” intending to replace it later with another singer. That never happened and the recording, on Giorgio’s Oasis Records, soared to #2 in early 1976. The label was distributed by Casablanca Records and, within a year, Donna was singing for the parent label, notching 18 more top 40 records, including the number one hits “MacArthur Park” (1978), “Hot Stuff” (1979), “Bad Girls” (1979) and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (a 1979 duet with Barbra Streisand). She married Bruce Sudano of Brooklyn Dreams in 1980 after singing with them on her song “Heaven Knows” (#4 - 1979). Donna won five Grammy awards and was the first artist ever to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the Billboard charts. She was nominated for induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, but not chosen. 

-- Ron Smith    

Kent,

Man, they just keep on goin'!  No matter what people say about disco, Donna Summer was a beautiful woman who had a great voice.  Her music was hypnotic, danceable, and some of the best produced and performed songs on vinyl.  We Loved to Love Her, and I, for one, always will.  Rest in Peace, MISS Summer, one of the VERY few who deserved to be called "Diva".  Later.  

Ed Pond 

 

re:  DUCK DUNN:

Speaking of recent musical losses, Jeremy Roberts has posted a very interesting interview with Duck Dunn ... the last he ever gave apparently ... with long-time friend George Klein.  (It is being rebroadcast on Sirius XM Radio Friday afternoon.)  Here's the scoop: 

Click here: Duck Dunn's final interview, courtesy of George Klein on SiriusXM's Elvis Radio - National Pop Culture | Examiner.   

re:  BOBBY DARIN:

Here's a cool Bobby Darin piece that appeared first on The Official Bobby Darin Website ... and then on Ron Smith's Oldies Music Website ... sent into us by FH Regular (and MAJOR Bobby Darin fan) Frank B ...

Click here: Oldies Music Bulletin Board: Bobby Darin's Son Reflects On His Father's 75th Birthday

Kent ...

I thought you might want to add this to your Bobby Darin secret files.

And Wild Wayne's Clip Of The Week this week also features Bobby Darin ...  
Click here: THE OFFICIAL "WILD" WAYNE WEBSITE

Frank B.

Very cool indeed!  (kk)   

re:  MORE GARAGE BAND FAVORITES:

We're closing in on 7000 votes ... here are a couple more comments we received earlier today ...

 

Great Discussion!  Here are my Top Ten:

1. Love

2. Kingsmen

3. 13th Floor Evelevators

4. Music Machine

5. Richard and the Young Lions

6. Beau Brumells

7. Blues Maggos

8. Paul Revere and the Raiders

9. Trashmen

10. Electric Prunes
-- Tom Waldecker   

Good Morning, Keeper of the Oldies,
Well, I loved a lot of the stuff on the big ballot and, like most folks, it's hard to nail down just 10.
I had to separate my choices in to two categories ... those that initially made that big impression on me when I was a kid ... and the ones that I came to know a little later on after their time had passed.
It still comes down to that group, and that song.
So here are the ones I finally decided upon.

Oh yeah and because of this I bought two Ides of March CD's this morning and a Cryan' Shames disc, too!  It is funny since neither one made my list. That's mostly because I didn't think of the Ides as garage at the time and I think the same would go for Sugar and Spice ... I  think I thought at the time that it was a British band.
My songs I think largely come from watching all our local bands do them.
Lots of them seem to have very signature guitar riffs in them.
Blues Magoos  (We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet)
Bubble Puppy  (Hot Smoke and Sassafras)
I saw them on Bandstand -- no, not live.
Count Five (Psychotic Reaction)
Gants (Roadrunner)
Gentrys (Keep On Dancin')

When I heard it on the radio, it sounded like "Keep On Dancin' in a fry pan."
Knickerbockers (One Track Mind and Lies)
Yeah they sounded British, too, but I knew they weren't.
Music Machine (Talk Talk)
Rivieras (California Sun)
Shadows Of Knight (their version of Gloria is the only one)
Standells (Dirty Water)
Sorry for being so long winded, but you know how we oldie freaks are.
Bill 

Kent,
I vote for Davie Allan and The Arrows!
Davie remains a productive and talented artist. He is a guitar wizard who can also write, sing, and arrange Rock music. A gifted and enduring fellow.
Peace,

Rod S.

A GREAT Turn-Out At The Polls Yesterday!!!

re:  GARAGE BANDS VOTING:

Yowzah, yowzah, yowzah!!!  What a turn out!!!

You guys literally jammed my mailbox full of ballots yesterday.  (In fact, if anybody received a "mailbox full" message bounce-back, try again today, as we processed literally HUNDREDS of these last night!)

How extensive was the voting???  Well, we better than DOUBLED our vote tally in less than 24 hours ... so thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support.  (Seems like most of you guys are really enjoying this latest Forgotten Hits Poll.)  It was great to hear from some of you who we haven't heard from in awhile ... as well as many first-time respondents.

What's the latest?  

Well, the current leaders (? and the Mysterians, The Shadows Of Knight, The Standells and The Kingsmen) certainly held there own ... but there were also HUGE leaps-and-bounds advancements for some of the other artists on the list, a couple of whom doubled and/or TRIPLED their previous vote count.  (Particular props go out to Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells, The New Colony Six and The Beau Brummels, who saw their vote totals skyrocket yesterday!  Also making large gains were The Bobby Fuller Four, The Sir Douglas Quintet, The Electric Prunes, The Buckinghams and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs.)

Right now, it's ANYBODY's game ... and we'll continue to tally your votes through June 1st ... so if you haven't voted yet, get those ballots in now!!!

We can't possibly run all of the hundreds of responses we received yesterday ... but here are a few that stood out (or tickled my fancy for one reason or another) ...

10 – Nazz

9 – Chartbusters

8 – ? & Mysterians

7 – Sonics

6 – Seeds

5 – Shadows of Knight

4 – Them

3 – NC6

2 – NC6

1 – NC6

Admittedly somewhat biased opinion, Kent, but as you suggested, it’s the Chicago way!

Ray Graffia, Jr. / The New Colony Six

1. Sonics

2. Standells

3. Robbs

4. New Colony Six

5. ? and the Mysterians

6. Count Five

7. Music Machine

8. Seeds

9. Troggs

10. Cryan Shames

When will the group and song lists be available?  I would like to count them down during the month of June.

Phil Nee - WRCO

We can make that happen.  I'm most likely going to forego the individual songs ... all of the focus is back on the artists now, which was always the original intention.  Certainly when counting down The Top 20, you can feature a song ... or two ... or three ... by each artist to make the list.  (Assuming, of course, that they HAD at least three hits!!!  Some of these groups are barely One Hit Wonders!!!) 

Stay tuned to Forgotten Hits for more information regarding Phil's special Top 20 Countdown.  Who knows ... WE might even stop by to say "hello", too!   (kk)

 

Just saw you are wrapping up the "Garage Band" voting -- did not see the Beach Boys making the 'final cut.' Did you ever get my e-mail re: the BB's and my 'garage band' nominations?

After reviewing your finalists, it dawned on me that I'd also booked The 13th Floor Elevators. Good 'garage band,' for sure.

Fred Vail

Yep, sure did ... and we ran it awhile back ... but the truth is not too many people out there are going to consider The Beach Boys a "garage band", regardless of where and/or how they started.  Now if we were running a favorite surf band or hot rod band, that'd be a different story ... but the reality is that the ONLY vote they got was YOURS!!!  (kk)

 

NOTE:  As mentioned previously, a "garage band" is more of a "genre" of music than anything else.  Let's face it ... other than maybe The Monkees (who learned their craft on a television sound stage and/or recording studio) virtually EVERY group started out in the basement or the garage.  But it's a certain "sound" we're talking about here ... a primitive beat ... a "less than perfect" result that made up for in spirit and enthusiasm a hundred fold whatever it may have been lacking in musical execution.  And let me tell you, from what I've seen, the readers have gotten it right this time ... I believe everybody will be quite pleased with the final Top 20 results!  (kk)

 

Kent,

I think CROW should have made the list as well. 

Here's my vote for the Top Ten Garage Bands.

... bdpoe (Orlando)

1. Tommy James and The Shondells

2. Troggs

3. Human Beinz

4. Kingsmen

5. Sir Douglas Quintet

6. Swinging Medallions

7. Count Five.

8. Ides of March

9. Buckinghams

10. Five Americans

Believe it or not, Crow was never even nominated!  (See, you needed to respond sooner!!!  Perhaps if others had seen their name on the list, they would have voted for them, too!)  Actually, they'd be a GREAT selection!  (kk)

 

Beautiful, Kent.  I just updated my site.
It's a really impressive list ... so I'm going to choose my Top 10 from it as well! 

It's very difficult to narrow down (it was brutal), but here's my final:
13th Floor Elevators

Bobby Fuller Four

Chocolate Watch Band

Gants

Leaves

Love

Paul Revere and the Raiders

Seeds

Shadows Of Knight

Sonics

Paul Revere always claimed the band was a "garage band" and some of their songs rock as hard as any "true garage band" so I had to include them.  The Kingsmen most likely need to be included, but since it was so hard to limit it to 10 I instead voted for groups whose music I like better.This is going to be interesting!

Mike Dugo

And this coming from a guy who knows a thing or two about '60's Garage Bands.  In fact, he runs the site 60sgaragebands.com ... and is not only providing us with the bios of The Top 20 Favorites, but has also donated a few garage band cd's as give-aways, too.  Stay tuned for more details.  (kk)

 

Man, narrowing this down to 10 was tough! I especially hated deleting Terry Knight, The Outsiders, and The Gentrys. And it's surprising Brownsville Station didn't make the list of choices. Can't wait to see the final tabulations.
(My choices are in alphabetical order with equal weighting to each band)
Beau Brummels
Castaways
Cyrkle
Ides of March
McCoys
NC6
Shadows of Knight
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Swinging Medallions
Troggs

David Lewis

Sounds like narrowing it down to only ten was troublesome for quite a few of you out there!  SO many great choices to choose from.  And, believe it or not, Brownsville Station was never even nominated either!  (kk)

My top in this order:

Ides Of March

Buckinghams

Beau Brummels - plus they had a song on the Flintstones

Cyrkle

Tommy James and the ShondellsBob Seger and the Heard

Paul Revere and the Raiders

Kingsmen

Strawberry Alarm Clock 

Troggs

Debe Welch

>>>The Beau Brummels had a song on the Flintstones

Yes, but did they play it in Barney's garage?!?!?  (kk)

 

Hey Kent,
I'm in a dilemma. Do I vote for garage bands that had one-hit wonders and were never heard of again? Do I vote for bands that started out in the garage, but made it big later? Do I vote for a "garage" band that had it made-in-the-shade from the start? Do I vote for bands whose songs I really didn't care for? I would like to vote for some of the multi-hit makers, but I think I'll list the unsung heroes instead. I can only come up with five of them, from your list. In order, here they are : Bobby Fuller Four, Five By Five, Davie Allan and the Arrows, Ides of March, Knickerbockers. Thanks Kent!
- John LaPuzza

 

Kent ...

My thinking was that I wanted to vote for groups that I liked, who had more than one Hit. Starting with best at #1: 

1  =  Tommy James & Shondells
2  =  Buckinghams
3  =  Paul Revere & Raiders
4  =  Sam The Sham & Pharaohs
5  =  Sir Douglas Quintet
6  =  Bobby Fuller Four
7  =  Beau Brummels
8  =  McCoys
Frank B.

 

1. Paul Revere and the Raiders

2. Sir Douglas Quintet 

3. Knickerbockers

4. Buckinghams

5. Cyrkle

6. Beau Brummels

7. Them

8. Five Americans

9. Music Machine

10. Trashmen

Most of these weren't garage bands in the classic sense ... but from your list these are my favorites.

Al Kooper

 

My top 10 in no specific order (really hard to pick just 10, tho)          

Steve

Bobby Fuller Four

Kingsmen 

Nashville Teens

Outsiders

Paul Revere and the Raiders

Seeds 

Sir Douglas Quintet 

Syndicate of Sound 

Them

Tommy James and the Shondells 

and lets not forget The Royal Knights, coming in strong at #11

Can a band wearing shark-skin suits REALLY be considered a "garage band"?!?!?  j/k ... Thanks, Steve ... great to hear from you ... long time!  (kk)

 

 1. Tommy James and the Shondells

 2.  Paul Revere and the Raiders

 3.  Buckinghams

 4 . New Colony Six

 5.  ? and the Mysterians

 6.  Cryan Shames

 7.  Ides of March

 8. The Troggs

 9. Strawberry Alarm Clock

10. Fifth Estate

I would say in that order ... but the truth is, the first three for me ... are a tie.

Thanks ...

Stacee

 

Here's my list of garage band favorites, random order ...

1. New Colony Six

2. Seeds

3. Standells

4. Strawberry Alarm Clock

5. ? & the Mysterians

6. Blues Magoos

7. Electric Prunes

8. Peanut Butter Conspiracy

9. Buckinghams

10. Bobby Fuller Four

Thanks for putting this together!

Dann Isbell

 

Best First:
Bobby Fuller Four
Davie Allan / Arrows
Sir Douglas Quintet
Tommy James Shondels
Troggs
Paul Revere
Five Americans
Robbs
Love
Sam The Sham
Great contest!

Vic Gerard

 

Hi Kent,  

My favorite garage bands – from your list – ranked in order of favorability:

1. Love

2. Sir Douglas Quintet

3. Paul Revere and the Raiders

4. Buckinghams

5. Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs 

6. Tommy James and the Shondells 

7. Knickerbockers

8. Bobby Fuller Four

9.  Outsiders

10. Strawberry Alarm Clock  

Best wishes and thanks for the hard work on our behalf,   

Mike Edwards

 

Kent,

I really never considered picking my top fave garage bands, as I had just listed songs that were garage type before.  I doubt my list would look like this, but from the entries you gave me, here's what I choose.  It was hard to cut these down to 10, but I threw out most of the artists that would have been in if not for their recording more pop-like records later on.  Only the NC6 sneak in here as not being basically ALL garage music for the most part.  It really made it hard to keep PR&R's out, but their later stuff eventually took them out.  Wondering what YOUR and Mike's ten from your group look like?
1.  Kingsmen
2.  Trashmen
3.  Bob Seger and the Heard
4.  Shadows Of Knight
5.  Seeds
6.  Standells
7.  Sir Douglas Quintet
8.  McCoys
9.  Richard and the Young Lions
10. New Colony Six
BTW, the often heard Farmer John remake sucks.  Riviera's "Somebody New" was a groovy song, I agree.  They were in my final cuts above, too.  Heck, just having "Hanky Panky" on their LP before TJ made it a hit was good point to make on their garage idea! 

 

Kent, Thanks for including me on your list! Davie Allanhttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/davieallan4

Hey, you're there because the fans WANT you there!!!  (And you've been racking up the points, too, I might add!)  kk

 

Great idea!

1 - Cyrkle

2 - Cryan' Shames

3 - Bobby Fuller Four

4 - Dino, Desi and Billy

5 - Buckinghams

6 - New Colony Six

7 - Beau Brummels

8 - Rivieras 

9 - Tommy James and the Shondells

10 - Shadows Of Knight 

Phil

 

TOP TEN GARAGE BANDS

This is a tough list to compile because so many of these groups had it together ONCE and created a single first rate track (The Swingin' Medallions, The Rivieras, The Seeds, The Human Beinz, ? & the Mysterians, etc.)   With that in mind, the ability to hit the mark more than once had to affect my choices:

1)  Paul Revere & the Raiders

2)  Tommy James & the Shondells

3)  The New Colony Six

4)  The Buckinghams

5)  The Cryan Shames

6)  Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs

7)  The Outsiders

8)  The Bobby Fuller Four

9)  The Five Americans

10)  The Kingsmen

Plus another great band which should have been on the list: Bill Deal & the Rhondells

Gary Theroux 

Believe it or not, Bill Deal and the Rhondells were never even nominated either!  For a list of a few others that came up short, check out our "Too Little, Too Late" segment!  (kk)

 

re:  TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE:

Hi, Kent,

I could have easily missed a mention of the song that I most think of when garage bands are discussed.

It's the Distant Cousins' "She Ain't Lovin' You No More," which bubbled under the Hot 100 in 1966 but was a good-sized hit in the Twin Cities.

Give a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMo2P6odJI8

Don Effenberger

Not a bad song ... but you're too late ... the final ballot has already gone out ... and any band that had earned less than 20 votes was dropped from the list.  We're not taking any new nominees ... but processing your votes now to determine your Top 20 Favorites ... so stay tuned!!! (kk)

 

Hi Kent,
I try to get over to Forgotten Hits every day, but you know what it's like. Has anyone voted for the Ugly Ducklings yet?  I think 'She Ain't No Use To Me' (attached) would be a great contender.
Marie

I don't think they were ever nominated either ... or if they were, they only had a vote or two ... not enough to make the qualifying list.  Sorry!  (kk)

 

Any truth to the rumor that Somebody New was actually sung by Bobby Whiteside and not the Rivieras?  Sure SOUNDS like Bobby Whiteside.  Play it back to back with Say it Softly.

Allan

Seems to me we looked into this several years ago and couldn't make any such connection ... but the list is MUCH larger now ... so let's put it out there again to see if anybody here locally can shed some light on this.  (kk)

Garage Bands (Part 2): THE FINAL BALLOT

Here is the final ballot for your All-Time Favorite Garage Bands ...

We are asking you to vote for up to ten of your favorites from this list.

If you want to rank them, 1-10, simply note this in your email ... and list them from most to least ...

If your list is in "random order", please note this as well, so that we can award an equal point value to each artist shown.

We'll continue to tabulate your votes through the First of June, at which times the polls will officially close ... we'll then compile a list of Your Top 20 Favorites.

Even if you've voted before, we want you to vote again from this list of eligible finalists.  (It was the first round of voting and nominating that allowed us to compile this list of front-runners in this genre ... now it's time to pick the winners!)

Thanks again for your support.

? and the Mysterians

13th Floor Elevator

Amboy Dukes

Balloon Farm

Barbarians

Beau Brummels

Blues Magoos

Bob Seger and the Heard 

Bobby Fuller Four

Bubble Puppy

Buckinghams

Cannibal and the Headhunters

Castaways

Chartbusters

Cherry Slush

Chocolate Watchband

Choir

Count Five

Cryan' Shames

Cyrkle

Davie Allan and the Arrows

Dino, Desi and Billy

Electric Prunes

Fifth Estate

Five Americans

Five By Five

Gants

Gentrys

Hombres

Human Beinz

Ides Of March

Illusion

Kingsmen 

Knickerbockers

Leaves

Little Boy Blues

Love

McCoys

Merry-Go-Round

Michael and the Messengers

Mouse and the Traps

Music Explosion

Music Machine

Nashville Teens

Nazz

New Colony Six

Nightcrawlers

Novas

Outsiders

Palace Guard

Paul Revere and the Raiders

Peanut Butter Conspiracy

Premiers

Rationals 

Richard and the Young Lions

Rivieras 

Robbs

Sam The Sham and the Pharaohs 

Seeds 

Shadows Of Knight 

Sir Douglas Quintet 

Sonics 

Standells 

Strangeloves 

Strawberry Alarm Clock

Swingin' Medallions 

Syndicate of Sound 

Terry Knight and the Pack 

Thee Sixpence 

Them 

Tommy James and the Shondells 

Trashmen 

Troggs

Trolls

Any one of these artists can make the final countdown ... but they can't get there without your votes ... so please email your votes NOW ... and help us determine The Top 20 Greatest Garage Bands of All-Time!!!  

(As we say in Chicago ... vote early ... and vote often!!!)

kk

Garage Bands (Part 1)

More of your Garage Band comments and suggestions today ... 

>>>The Standells' "Dirty Water" has been one of my favorites ever since the very first time I heard it ... and, for some reason, this song always reminds me of "Tobacco Road" by The Nashville Teens, who, believe it or not, only have FOUR votes so far in our Garage Band Survey!  (kk)  
I, too, have always thought they closely resembled one another.  
David Lewis  
And votes for both of these increased after we featured them the other day!  In fact, several hundred more votes came in this week ... and very soon we'll be posting the "final ballot" so all of you can cast your votes one more time.  Then, we'll announce your Top 20 Favorite Garage Bands in early June ... so keep those votes comin'!  (kk)  

Kent,

Two things about Tuesday's comments. The posting you made of TOBACCO ROAD by the  Nashville Teens ... I am not sure, but I don't believe that's the original 45 rpmversion as put out by London Records. I could be wrong. It is the Nashville Teens, I am sure, but not the version initially played on top 40 radio stations. No big deal! I

believe a few months ago you had readers write in about songs being heard on theradio that were somewhat similar to the original versions when they came out.

I am like you in that, would you believe just last week for whatever reason, I started to think about the song FARMER JOHN by the Premiers with their remake of the Don and Dewey tune. As you know, that is one of the few songs I guess that when it came out, on the label it said it was recorded "live" at some location, normally a club or restaurant. But then again, if you stopped to think about it, every record that came out was recorded "live", the Grateful Dead not withstanding.

Larry  
No, it was NOT the original version ... and, even more frustrating is the fact that I replaced it THREE TIMES that morning ... and for whatever reason, it kept defaulting to this remade version ... I've never seen it do that before!  So then I looked online and there were something like 35 versions to choose from ... and I sampled every single one of them ... and every single one of them was a remake ... I couldn't believe it.  Very, very frustrating ... even the version on their "official" greatest hits cd, which plays fine and is the correct version, changed to a remake version when I downloaded it!  Like I said, I've never seen that happen before.  Very strange ... and very frustrating. I finally had to give up and go into work!  But I DID finally get the correct version to download today (thanks to an Eric Records "Hard To Find 45's" CD) ... so we're giving it another shot here today!  (kk)

   

Here's my vote(s) for favorite garage bands. I guess I prefer the "poppy" types:  
1) Bobby Fuller 4   
2) The Knickerbockers  
3) The New Colony Six  
4) Paul Revere & The Raiders  
5) The Buckinghams  
6) The Yellow Balloon  
7)  Beau Brummels 
8) Dino, Desi & Billy (Yes, I'll join the "believers"!)  
9) The Fun & Games / The Sixpentz  
10) The Robbs (Wisconsin's own!) 
11) The Five Americans  
12) The Outsiders  

I realize some people will think that a few of these groups shouldn't be classified as being within the "garage" genre, but it's MY vote here, right? Plus they've all had at least one song on a Nuggets compilation at some point, I think (with the exception of #9, perhaps), which I think should automatically qualify a band.

Thanks, Kent. Great idea!

Jon Olsen,

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

The Robbs have scored quite a few votes already in our Garage Band Poll ... and I don't think we've featured them yet ... so let's give the guys from Oconomowoc a special shout-out today!  (kk)

   

Hey Kent, 

Really enjoyed the story of the making of Dino, Desi and Billy. 

Imagine having connections like that. 

And thanks so much for posting the Jolly Green Giant song. I can't believe how quickly the words came out. 

Stacee 

Kent,  
I wouldn't throw Dino, Desi & Billy in the garage mix, but it WAS a great story Billy told about their early days.  They certainly had a built in audience getting on any TV show and being in all the fanzines those days.  I loved the Dino, Desi & Billy garage band stories!  About 45 years ago (in a month or two), here's what the rich garage guys were doing!

FYI, the opening screams heard on the intro of "Farmer John" by the Premiers was always played at the opening of WLS' Ron Riley first hour of his show over the first record he would play back in the 67 era.  I always thought it was cool to hear that and know I had a solid three hours of Big 89 music from the "Double R" coming my way!
WLSClark

I heard Davie Allan and the Arrows'  hit, "Blue's Theme" again, not long ago. Maybe they should be considered for "Best Garage Band". Makes you want get on your chopper and ride!

-- John LaPuzza

Counting yours, Davie Allan and the Arrows are now up to NINE votes in our on-going Best Garage Bands Poll.  ("Blues' Theme" is one of my favorites ... in fact, it's cycle-delic!)  Look for a final list tomorrow regarding the finalists!  (kk)

 

Hi Kent -

Glad to hear my two favorite Garage Bands, The Shadows Of Knight and ? and the Mysterians (Gloria and 96 Tears) are leading the pack!!!!!

As for the Rivieras, I always liked their tune "Somebody New". Do you remember that one? I may be wrong but wasn't Bill Simzak (spelling?), who produced Hotel California, 

affiliated with the Rivieras?

When in doubt ask the master!!!!

Carolyn

The main guy behind The Rivieras was a guy named 76Bill Dobslaw, who first met the band after they auditioned to play at his Tipton Terrace Dance Club.  Eventually, he became their promoter / manager ... and, eventually, the lead singer of the band!  I don't recall hearing anything about a Bill Szymczyk connection to The Rivieras ... musically speaking, he came along a bit later in the game, first hooking up in the early '70's with artists like Electric Flag and B.B. King ... and later The James Gang and The J. Geils Band ... before landing prominently in The Eagles' camp.  The Rivieras earned quite a bit of votes after we featured their track last week.  As for "Somebody New", that one missed the national charts ... but was a #32 Hit here in Chicago back in 1965.  (kk)

More on Bill Szymczyk here:  Click here: Bill Szymczyk | AllMusic

Hi Kent,
Given all the fabulous chat about Garage Rock going on, I thought I'd pass this link on.
I believe these are liner notes from a Fanbox of artists from CAL. from 1964 - 69. Good reading IMO.  Lots of names we all will recognize but didn't know their roots.
Bill
http://lagemstones.blogspot.com/

 

Check back tomorrow to see the final list of eligible artists vying for your votes as The All-Time Favorite Garage Band.  (Any band with less than 20 votes has been eliminated from the list ... those "unaccounted for" votes have then been evenly distributed amongst the remaining artists ... so you're now voting for the very best of the best.)

Even if you've voted before, vote again for the final tabulation.

You can vote for up to TEN different bands.  If you prefer to rank these in order, please indicate this on your ballot and we will prorate the votes accordingly.  If you have no personal preference, we will distribute your votes evenly amongst those on your list.

We're getting REALLY close to announcing our winners ... so get back to us soon on this ... and then watch for The Top 20 Posting during the first week of June!  (kk)