Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday This And That

re: THIS AND THAT:
Jeremy Roberts has a neat piece on Micky Dolenz running right now ... with more to follow. Micky's still squeezing in solo dates before the next Monkees reunion tour kicks off. You can check it out here:
 
And, speaking of The Monkees, thanks to all of you who have already contacted us with memorabilia and memories to share for Gary Strobl's new Monkees coffee table book. (Scroll back to Sunday's "Helping Out Our Readers" segment for more information.) 
 
The other day we told you about Endless Summer Quarterly publishing their 100th issue.
Well David Beard has some of those classic covers to share, posted up on his Examiner web page this morning ... along with more on the evolution of what is most certainly the #1 Beach Boys / Brian Wilson magazine in the world.
 
If you're one of the many FH Readers who has been playing Ronnie Allen's "Snippets" game on the Jersey Girls Sing website, you might be interested to know that Ronnie's now set up a "Snippets Hall Of Fame" for those of you experts out there earning perfect scores ...  
 
Kent,
I've just put up the latest version of Snippets On Demand!
I hope that you will share this with your readers, many of whom privately made the suggestion that I add a public "high score" page to my game.
I am happy to report that I have done that.
I've just incorporated the Snippet Genius Hall Of Fame. I've created the Snippet Genius Hall Of Fame. The mythical building is located in the city of Oldiesville! The page is available for all to see, even though there are no inductees yet as I type this. But I have a feeling that situation will change mighty quickly.
This Hall Of Fame is for PERFECT SCORES only.
And more specifically ... in order to be an inductee you need to have a PERFECT SCORE OF 20 OR MORE. Those who get 20 or more snippets right automatically earn the right to be enshrined. Their induction takes place if they choose to reveal themselves. (It's optional.)
The time to solve each snippet has no bearing on the Hall Of Fame. You can take the full ten seconds to solve each one if you'd like. Perfection is the key here.Let's say that you rattle off 75 snippets in a row. Of course, you could quit at that point and accept a PERFECT 75 and you would then AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY TO BE AN INDUCTEE. But if you're greedy, you might decide to try for 76. If you do that and you miss, you LOSE your perfect score and that game will not be eligible for Hall Of Fame listing.
(Please don't consider throwing your computer out the window if that happens. There's always next time!)
If you get a Perfect 10, you will still be a Snippet Genius. But, to use a baseball analogy, you would be like an ALL-STAR. In order to qualify for the Snippet Genius Hall Of Fame, you will need MORE. Many ballplayers who are frequently elected to the annual All-Star game do not make it to the Hall Of Fame.
If you end your game with a perfect score of 20 or more, you will be verbally told that you have earned your way into the Hall Of Fame and will then see some very simple onscreen instructions. Simply follow these instructions and you'll be on your way to The Snippets Genius Hall Of Fame. Your fifteen minutes (or more) of fame awaits you!
I've heard personally from many of your readers. I hope that those who have played it will continue to do so and that some newcomers will try it out as well.
Thanks for you help and nice comments Kent!
Ronnie  
 
Kent:
Found an interesting section on Johnny Paris (Johnny & The Hurricanes-Tension) in the 1976 Rolling Stone 'History Of Rock & Roll' book. Turns out Johnny & The Hurricanes had an interesting history and were a favorite on the Beatles! During a 3-week engagement in Germany in 1961, the Beatles actually opened the show for the Hurricanes, who were the headline act at the Star Club! It shows how fame is so fleeting that Johnny Paris (Tension) were doing High School dances in CT. in 1971, performing his local hit "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is", while a decade earlier, the Beatles were HIS opening act!!!
John





Kent,
You probably had this song listed even though it didn't make your cut but it did quite well here in OKC as opposed to what it did on the national level and I am talking about the Byrds' 1968 song YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE.
Larry
Actually, no ... I hadn't even considered that one! I don't think it ever got played here in Chicago. By 1968, The Byrds' chart career was pretty well over. (Wild Bill would have my head if he heard me say that!!!) kk  
 
Hey Kent,
The other day, the novelty song "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus (aka Jimmy Drake) came up in conversation. My oldest brother had the 45, and we were always singing the funny lines from it. I think I knew this, but I read recently that the song was actually banned from some radio stations' playlists. Wow ... very mild, compared to the garbage that's out there today. I was wondering if your readers could come up with more pop songs that were banished from the airwaves, and maybe you could put together a list of the most popular ones. What do you think?
- John LaPuzza
Certainly it was a different time. The one that immediately came to mind from a similar era (and, in this case, even a similar name) was "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" by Charlie Drake, a #21 pop hit in 1962. Original pressings contained the lyric "black in the face" ... which was later changed to "blue in the face" to be more politically correct (even though he WAS singing about the Aborigines.) Obviously, there are dozens and dozens more, banned by various radio stations across the country for one reason or another (and often at their own discretion.) One we've covered numerous times before was Lou Christie's hit "Rhapsody In The Rain" ... another is Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl". In these two instances, the songs weren't banned ... but a lyric change was required in order to get them to play it on the radio (or, at the very least, certain stations.)
Songs as diverse as "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys and "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" by The Beatles were banned on various stations for the use of the words "God" and "Christ" ... the list goes on and on ... but if readers would like to send in some of their own suggestions, I'm happy to run them. (kk) 
 
Here's the latest word on a brand new release now available from Davie Allan and the Arrows ... sounds like this one marks the end of an era!!! (Or, in Davie's case, would that be the end of a cycle???)  kk
 
Retrophonic 4 Liner Notes
To repeat, this is it! The last Arrows’ album you can hold in your hands. It’ll only be download albums after this final volume of my Retrophonic series. The first download album is the re-release of Restless In L.A. with the original cover idea.
Just a few words about some of the tunes: “Los Cabos” ties the series together with an instrumental version. “War Path” celebrates the 50th anniversary of my first record and it’s only the first remake. Since the Arrows’ instrumentals have always been more popular with my fans, I’ve put together a whole album’s worth (16 tunes) followed by 9 vocals. Even the vocals should be a bit interesting with titles like “Shape of Things to Come”, “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”, “The Glory Stompers” plus two Buddy Holly tributes: “Think It Over” and “Oh Buddy, We Miss You So” (if you have volume 2 of this series, please note that this version is in a different key, it has some lyric changes and I re-did the entire vocal).
I'm only charging $10 and that includes the postage and bubble mailer. But wait, there's more: a new mailing label, an autograph and a lyric sheet (oh well, it seemed funny when I thought of it!). You can also use Paypal.
Thank you for your support!
Davie Allan
P.O. Box 5378
Oceanside, CA 92052
 
 
CLEARLY CLASSIC VINYL FOR THREE ABKCO ROLLING STONES TITLES OUT MAY 28 ... 
BEGGARS BANQUET, LET IT BLEED AND HOT ROCKS 1964-1971 TRANSPARENTLY CELEBRATE STONES' 50th
 
Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Hot Rocks 1964-1971, the most celebrated albums in ABKCO's catalog of Rolling Stones releases, will debut later this month as 180-gram LPs, pressed on clear vinyl, in celebration of the band's 50th anniversary and '50 and Counting' tour. The launch of a projected series titled "The Rolling Stones Clearly Classic," featuring these three initial releases out May 28th, focus on the three Rolling Stones albums that reflect the group's formative years and transformation into "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" at the end of the 1960's and into the early 70's. All three albums have been meticulously mastered from high resolution audio files sourced from the original master tapes, assuring optimal sound quality that exceeds both conventional CD audio and digital downloads. 
 
Beggars Banquet was a breakthrough album for the Rolling Stones, recorded in 1968 in London and Los Angeles and produced by Jimmy Miller. It was the last full album with founding member Brian Jones in the line-up and includes such classics as "Sympathy For the Devil," (the subject of the Jean Luc Godard film of the same title), "Street Fighting Man," and "Factory Girl." Guest musicians and vocalists on the album include Nicky Hopkins, Rocky Dijon, Ric Grech, Dave Mason and The Watts Street Gospel Choir.
 
Let It Bleed, the first Rolling Stones album that includes contributions from Mick Taylor who replaced Brian Jones shortly before the latter's death, is the stuff of legends with many considering the set as the band's very best. It includes "You Got The Silver," featuring Keith Richards' first lead vocal, "Midnight Rambler," the apocalyptic themed "Gimme Shelter," the band's faithful take on Robert Johnson's country blues "Love In Vain" as well as the epochal "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Guests include Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins, Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Leon Russell, Al Kooper, Bobby Keys, Byron Berline, Rocky Dijon, Merry Clayton, Madeline Bell, Doris Troy, Nanette News and The London Bach Choir.
 
Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is a collection, on 2 LPs, of tracks that, in essence, launched the band into the public consciousness with a run of hits that went on to establish the Rolling Stones' preeminence on both sides of the Atlantic. A total of 21 songs, recorded over 7 years, on four sides, including "Time Is On My Side," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, ""Get Off My Cloud," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Let's Spend The Night Together," "Jumpin' Jack Flash, "Sympathy For the Devil," "Midnight Rambler," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Brown Sugar," Wild Horses" and more, are featured. Originally released in December 1971, the album remained on the Billboard album chart for 243 consecutive weeks and was certified 12 times Platinum by the RIAA. The collection includes 11 Top 10 US and UK hits and 7 hit singles that reached #1. Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is, by any measure, one of the greatest of all greatest hits albums ever released.
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