But with all of the music issues (or would that be NON-music issues) we've had with the site lately, we felt that we just weren't doing justice to this series by not featuring some of these tracks.
So now ... using a brand new music service for the very first time (thank you, Marie, a Forgotten Hits reader who pointed me in the right direction yesterday), we've put together this very special "Recap Edition" of Forgotten Hits / Goosebumps.
Now's your chance to get caught up on everything that's been posted so far ... and send in some of your own special goosebumps moments. We'll pick things up again on Monday with more of your brand new memories.
So please take a few moments to look at today's Forgotten Hits / Goosebumps Marathon ... and then join us again next week for more. (kk)
*****
We've all had them ... people like us who are THIS into the music have ALL had our "Goosebump" moments ... a certain song, a certain sound ... something that just grabbed you immediately ... made you take notice and listen ... something so uniquely different than anything you'd heard before that it immediately commanded your complete attention.
It doesn't happen very often ... but when it does, it's a moment that stays with you forever.
Hey, I loved The Beatles as much as anybody ... and bought everything they ever did ... as well as any number of OTHER 45's of the day that caught my fancy ... but the VERY FIRST TIME a song gave me goosebumps on first listen was "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas and the Papas.
Now maybe it was just the right song at the right moment ... but something happened that very first time that affected me like no other song had before ... and, incredibly, after some 10,000+ listens since, I have never grown tired of this track.
And it's not even my favorite Mamas and Papas song ... their version of "Dedicated To The One I Love" holds that distinction ... this is the one I can listen to and appreciate till the end of time ... but something magical happened the very first time I ever heard "California Dreamin'" ... and whatever it was, that feeling has never left me. (To paraphrase producer Lou Adler, I couldn't believe my eyes and ears!!!)
It happened again in 1970 ... the very first time I ever heard Bread's "Make It With You". I can't even put into words the electricity that went through me that very first time ... I just HAD to have it. I went out and bought the single and then the album shortly thereafter ... man, what a disappointment!!! About the ONLY song listenable (and memorable) about that LP was the hit single, soon to be the #1 song in all the land. I was SO bummed ... was it just a fluke? Had they hit the motherlode on their very first song and now the well was dry???
Imagine my shock when a classmate of mine (Dennis Gilbert, thank you very much!) turned me on to the fact that "On The Waters" was actually Bread's SECOND album ... their first LP had disappeared without a trace, with nary a radio hit hidden in the grooves.
As fate would have it, I found myself grounded for a week ... came home later than I was supposed to one night ... and Dennis loaned me his LP to pass the time while I served out my parental sentence. I completely devoured it ... I loved each and every song. (How could none of these tracks have been a hit?!?! And, even more surprisingly, where had the magic gone on their second album?)
I did my week's time locked away in the basement ... just me, my guitar and Dennis' Bread album, during which time I learned every single song on that first LP ... I especially loved "Family Doctor", a James Griffin song, that months later I was shocked to hear ANOTHER classmate play on a bus trip out to a school singing engagement. (Ron Arturi, thank you very much!) I think he, Dennis and I may have been the only three students in the entire school who knew this song! Imagine my surprise when, after "Make It With You" had run its course on the charts, Elektra Records went back to the first LP and released "It Don't Matter To Me" as the follow-up single ... and it was a hit!
For me, Bread just kept getting better and better. "Manna" and "Baby I'm-a Want You" remain two of my all-time favorite LPs to this very day ... but nothing will EVER compare to the moment when I heard "Make It With You" for the very first time. (Seems like everybody else that summer was fixated on the brand new Carpenters' hit "Close To You" ... but not me ... I was a "Bread-Head" all the way!)
There've been other moments over the years ... other songs ... but these two in particular affected me in a way like no others. (In fact, I was completely sucked into The Soft Rock '70's ... Carole King's "It's Too Late" remains a favorite some 40 years later ... I dug Sweet Baby James and America and Badfinger, too ... and was COMPLETELY blown away the very first time I heard Free's "All Right Now" ... I had never heard rock and roll played THAT way before!!!) But Bread was the launch pad that took me into my next phase of musical appreciation, post-British Invasion ... and I just couldn't get enough.
If you love the music the way I do, you know exactly what I'm talking about. We've all had those moments ... the electricity that filled the room the first time I saw Paul McCartney ... and Elvis ... those were concert moments I'll never forget ... but if I had to pick TWO "Goosebumps Songs", these would be the two ... "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas and the Papas and "Make It With You" by Bread.
And now it's YOUR turn. Can you narrow it down to a specific moment in time ... where the music went straight to your soul upon the very first listen?
We want to hear from you ... send us your "Goosebumps Tracks" ... and we'll run some of your musical memories on the web page. (We only ask that you please keep it to just one or two moments so we can run a larger variety of respondents.)
Like I said, we've ALL had 'em ... I told you mine ... now we'd like to share a couple of yours!!!
Drop us a line at forgottenhits@aol.com ... and then check back to the web page to see if your memories have been posted.
kk
Kent Kotal
Forgotten Hits
*****
Good response to our recent "Goosebumps" piece. (Have you sent YOURS in yet???)
Here are just a few that we received immediately after posting ours ...
Kent!
What a shameless stunt to boost Forgotten Hits traffic! Is there nothing you won't do to increase traffic?
Ha Ha!!
Another stroke of genius! This is exactly what FH is all about! Music and memories interwoven into the fabric of our lives!
I grew up listening to my Mom's radio playing popular hits, and my older sister and brother playing their favorites. I emerged when I first heard Ricky's "Poor Little Fool" and the Elegants "Little Star". I was hooked on music and Rock 'n Roll in particular.
Events in Jr High broadened my love with Bobby Vee's tunes and Johnny Tillotson offerings. I mostly just loved the sound not paying too much attention to the particular artists.
The Dovells' "The Bristol Stomp" brings great and sometimes frightening memories from High School. I consider it my favorite Summer Song ha ha!
Then the Folk Music came along ... "Lemon Tree", "Greenfields", the Kingston Trio, The 4 Preps, Peter, Paul and Mary ... then the Beatles and the harder, deeper songs as we explored life and set out on our own ... "White Rabbit", "Brand New Key", "Whole Lotta Love", "Different Drum" ... songs that made us think with hidden meanings. "Dirty Water" by The Standells, who coincidentally evolved from "The Routers", who authored my class of '63 song "Let's Go" ... what a kick I got out finding that tidbit of information.
I know you said to be brief its very hard ... we grew up in certainly ... "The Golden Age" guided by the "Greatest Generation" and what pleasure it is to return and research all these wonderful songs and artists and take further enjoyment from them. Hell, just writing about them I am grinning from ear to ear ... was there ever a more fortunate generation?
Have a great Summah !!
CharlieOFD
>>>A fellow classmate of mine (Dennis Gilbert, thank you very much!) turned me on to the fact that "On The Waters" was actually Bread's SECOND album ... their first LP had disappeared without a trace, with nary a radio hit hidden in the grooves. As fate would have it, I found myself grounded for a week ... came home later than I was supposed to one night ... and Dennis loaned me his LP. I completely devoured it ... I loved each and every song. (How could none of these tracks have been a hit?!?! And, even more surprisingly, where had the magic gone on their second album?) I served out my parental sentence, doing my time by hiding myself away in the basement, learning every single song on that first Bread LP ... I especially loved "Family Doctor", a James Griffin song, that months later I was shocked to hear ANOTHER classmate play on a bus trip out to a school singing engagement. (Ron Arturi, thank you very much!) I think he, Dennis and I may have been the only three students in the entire school who knew this song! Imagine my surprise when, after "Make It With You" had run its course on the charts, Elektra Records went back to the first LP and released "It Don't Matter To Me" as the follow-up single! For me, Bread just kept getting better and better. "Manna" and "Baby I'm-a Want You" remain two of my all-time favorite LPs to this very day ... but nothing will EVER compare to that first moment when I heard "Make It With You" for the very first time. (I was a "Bread-Head" all the way!) kk
>>>A fellow classmate of mine (Dennis Gilbert, thank you very much!) turned me on to the fact that "On The Waters" was actually Bread's SECOND album ... their first LP had disappeared without a trace, with nary a radio hit hidden in the grooves. As fate would have it, I found myself grounded for a week ... came home later than I was supposed to one night ... and Dennis loaned me his LP. I completely devoured it ... I loved each and every song. (How could none of these tracks have been a hit?!?! And, even more surprisingly, where had the magic gone on their second album?) I served out my parental sentence, doing my time by hiding myself away in the basement, learning every single song on that first Bread LP ... I especially loved "Family Doctor", a James Griffin song, that months later I was shocked to hear ANOTHER classmate play on a bus trip out to a school singing engagement. (Ron Arturi, thank you very much!) I think he, Dennis and I may have been the only three students in the entire school who knew this song! Imagine my surprise when, after "Make It With You" had run its course on the charts, Elektra Records went back to the first LP and released "It Don't Matter To Me" as the follow-up single! For me, Bread just kept getting better and better. "Manna" and "Baby I'm-a Want You" remain two of my all-time favorite LPs to this very day ... but nothing will EVER compare to that first moment when I heard "Make It With You" for the very first time. (I was a "Bread-Head" all the way!) kk
Kent, cool blog. Thanks for the mention.
I was walking through E.J. Korvettes with (the late) Dave Bukovsky one day to buy David Peele and the Lower East Side's Happy Mothers Day album when I heard Baby I'm A Want You. I asked the clerk what group it was and dropped another $3.65 for the Bread Album. The guy took a look at my purchases and said, "Well, no one can say you don't have eclectic taste." He must have been a college kid cause I'd never even heard that word before and looked it up when I got home. Still have All the Bread Albums ... David Peele got loaned out as collateral for a banjo which I never mastered, gave the banjo back and forgot about his having my album and last I heard he was a DJ in southern Illinois somewhere ... probably with my album in his rack.
Hope to make it to the next reunion in September.
Dennis
Your love of Bread's "Make It With You" reminded me of David Gates' story behind the song. Gates had earlier scored as a composer (he wrote The Murmaids' "Popsicles and Icicles" in 1964), but this was the track that put him on the map as both a songwriter and singer. As Gates told me, after "Make It With You" began to climb the charts, he went home to Oklahoma to visit his parents -- and his hometown paper celebrated the event by writing a feature story about the local boy who was making it big. In it, David's mother, while proud of her son's accomplishment, expressed some dismay that his breakthrough triumph was with a song called -- "Naked With You"!
I found "Make It With You" captivating as well, but Bread's goosebump record for me was "If" -- which was clearly not the same "If" that Perry Como had taken to the top of the charts in 1951. David told me he felt as if something just took control of his psyche when he wrote "If" in about a half hour at the dining room table after his wife and childen had gone to bed. He felt it was the best song he had ever written and arguably that's still true. An Echoplex -- the tape delay system which creates a warm, round, thick echo effect -- was employed to create the single's haunting, shimmering lead guitar sound which riveted my attention (and that of millions more) from the first note to the last.
I found "Make It With You" captivating as well, but Bread's goosebump record for me was "If" -- which was clearly not the same "If" that Perry Como had taken to the top of the charts in 1951. David told me he felt as if something just took control of his psyche when he wrote "If" in about a half hour at the dining room table after his wife and childen had gone to bed. He felt it was the best song he had ever written and arguably that's still true. An Echoplex -- the tape delay system which creates a warm, round, thick echo effect -- was employed to create the single's haunting, shimmering lead guitar sound which riveted my attention (and that of millions more) from the first note to the last.
A re-recording of "It Don't Matter to Me" -- a song first featured on the first Bread album -- preceded "If." After that, of course, came "Baby I'm-A Want You," which included that phrase written that way simply because David could not come up with anything else that sounded right and still fit that beat structure! "Everything I Own" was written as a tribute to David's dad, who had just passed away (bet you hadn't known it's actually a Father's Day song). More great singles followed: "Guitar Man," "Sweet Surrrender, "Aubrey" (a name given to a lot of babies born over the next few years) and finally "Lost Without Your Love." Every one of them was and remains a gem
Bread's demise came largely over the fact that David Gates wrote and sang all of the group's hits -- which annoyed his bandmates, who felt that their creative skills were being overlooked. After multiple break-ups and reunions, Bread played together for the very last time in 1997. Since then all the group members, except David Gates (who's retired) and Robb Royer (who runs a studio in Tennessee), have "simply flown away" (Mike Botts and Jimmy Griffin both died in 2005, Larry Knechtel in 2009).
Gary Theroux
You're talking to a MAJOR Bread fan here ... was fortunate enough to see them several times back in the day and then the '90's reunion show, too. Most of their songs affected me ... I think part of their downfall was that James Griffin's music was largely overlooked by the public because all of the focus was on David Gates' tunes. Granted, I get the logic of the record company ... why mess up a good thing? The formula was working so why mess with it ... and David's sound absolutely became the sound of the group. But I personally believe that Jimmy Griffin was writing equally strong music that went largely unnoticed.
I learned the true meaning behind "Everything I Own" at one of their concerts when David told the story regarding his father. The song takes on a whole new meaning when listened to in this context. Yet it works perfectly well in a mass-appeal sort of way as a beautiful love song, too. LOVE their stuff ... gonna have to dig out their greatest hits CD right now and stick it in the car! (kk)
"Family Doctor" is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g88vtZEsy0 .
"Family Doctor" is at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g88vtZEsy0 .
Nice.
-- BOB FRABLE
Kent:
Kent:
The thing I remember about Bread's "Make It With You" was that it was a back-to-back Elektra release #45686 with the group Crabby Appleton's "Go Back" #45687 (purchased both in 1970) and I recall early on, it was "Go Back" that looked like it was going to be the bigger hit! Turns out it wasn't even close! That short-lived style Elektra label was one of my favorites! I remember the change to the caterpillar label was during Bread's "It Don't Matter To Me", as I remember in the bin where the 45 was, there were a few of the old labels in the front and the new Elektra style ones in the back. I made sure I got the old style!!
John
"Go Back" is a GREAT track ... my brother played it virtually non-stop when that one came out. While nowhere near as big as "Make It With You", it didn't do TOO badly ... in another one of those unexplainable mysteries, Crabby Appleton went to #21 in Record World while only reaching #36 in Billboard. The record made the Top Ten in Canada and peaked at #12 here in Chicago, where only WCFL played it. Some 40+ years later, you'll find Bob Stroud still playing this one every now and again on his "Rock And Roll Roots" radio program ... a GREAT forgotten hit! (kk)
I love this latest idea of yours. I totally agree with your choice of "Make It With You" ... it is so beautiful and just fills your heart.
The two songs that came to mind for me are "Groovin'" by The Young Rascals and "When I Die" by Motherlode. They each move me in different ways but move me they do and I know they always will.
Stacee
kk,
You named one of my "Goosebump Tracks," "California Dreamin'. And just a couple of months later, I was struck by "A Groovy Kind of Love" by the Mindbenders. My first Goosebump Moment came the year before (1965) when I heard "Go Now!" by the Moody Blues for the first time. And I simply can't leave it at that without mentioning my biggest: "Incense and Peppermints" by the Strawberry Alarm Clock. I tested it just now and it still gives me the chills.
Dann
More Goosebump Memories will be sprinkled throughout the week ... so stay tuned.
Meanwhile, you can send YOUR goosebump moments to forgottenhits@aol.com. Hope to hear from you soon!
kk
kk
*****
Keep 'em comin' folks!
I was in the kitchen listening to the radio when the DJ (Hy Lit, Philly, PA) said he had a new record he wanted to play. It was Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley. WOW! Now this was back in the day when DJs were allowed a lot of freedom and after it was over he said he loved it so much he was gonna play it again. I couldn't believe how good it sounded.
wfisch
Kent,
"Goosebump" songs! Are you kidding me? Many years ago ... and I do mean many years ago ... even before you ever thought of FH ... there were two songs that I always said gave me "goosebumps". I don't really remember the first time I heard them on the radio, but to this day whenever I hear them, I get "goosebumps".
I have had many 'goosebump' moments as well. Here are the two that I can think of right away.
The Fall of 1975 ... I was listening to the radio and in between slow ballads and early disco, I heard the opening drum riff of Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen. It stood out like nothing else on the radio. The song captured the restless feeling of youth. Fast forward to the Summer of 1981. By this point I only listened to mix tapes of old 60's and 70's songs in my '75 Ford Maverick. I flicked on a Top 40 station and heard the Greg Kihn Band doing The Breakup Song (They Don't Write Em Like That Anymore). I felt like the song captured what I was feeling ... maybe the best music and the best relationships were behind me. The song also reminded me of The Messengers 1971 song "That's The Way A Woman Is" which got a lot of airplay here in Wisconsin.
Thanks for the 'goosebump' idea. It sounds like another Forgotten Hits home run!
Phil - WRCO
Hi Kent, I've been listening to r&r for almost 60 years and have had dozens of goosebump moments (at least up to 1990). The two that come to mind first were "Lonely Days" by the Bee Gees and "The Story in Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues.
Dube
And apparently I'm not the only one. Read on ...
Hey Kent,
I remember when my mother was driving me to my music lessons one Saturday afternoon. On the car radio I heard, for the first time, Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual". I looked at Mom and asked her, "Who is this guy with that HUGE baritone voice?" Now THAT gave me goosebumps.
Another was Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life". The string intro to that song still gives me goosebumps and tears my heart out at the same time. I know you only wanted two, but I have to add "Sailing", by Christopher Cross. What a wonderful recording!
I am just as big a fan of Bread as you are. In my opinion, David Gates was the most romantic pop composer of the 70s. His second solo album, "Never Let Her Go" gives me goosebumps all the way through.
- John LaPuzza
I guess a "goose bump" song has to be a ballad because there are hundreds of rockers that I have immediately loved and probably as many ballads, but only a few ballads have given me "goosebumps" (although many made me excited, depending on who I was dancing with at the time).
From the fifties there were "Most of All" by the Moonglows, "I'm Sorry" by the Platters, "You Send Me" by Sam Cooke, "My Heart's Desire" by the Avalons, "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos, and "Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners.
"My True Story" by the Jive Five, "When We Get Married" by the Dreamlovers and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells are a few from the sixties.
"I'm Gonna' Make You My Wife" by the Whispers, "Special Lady" by Ray, Goodman and Brown and "I Only Have Eyes For You" by Art Garfunkle are a few from the seventies.
A great one from the eighties is "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters.
I guess I've been fortunate to have had my share of "goosebumps" through the years.
Danny Guilfoyle
PS -- just about every ballad that the Four Freshmen ever sang gave "goosebumps" when I heard their amazing harmonies as well.
You just conjured up another "late bloomer" for me. I had never heard "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners until it appeared in the film "American Graffiti" ... it grabbed me IMMEDIATELY and I bought the entire soundtrack album (a 2-LP set) for that one song! To this day I get chills every time I hear it! (As an added special bonus that soundtrack LP became the crux of my early rock and roll era collection. It was easy to expand it from there with so many great tracks available in one place!) kk
My best goosebump moment was when I first heard "Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore. It brought me back to the days of the 50's and early 60's when nighttime radio was more important (at least for rock and roll) than morning drive time and every teenager would call in their requests and dedications.
Steve Davidson
Hi kk -
Rick Levy here, bandleader and manager for TOMMY ROE, remembering a true goosebump moment. Summer of 67, I believe ... a bit hazy then ... when WHITER SHADE OF PALE came out. I was was with my band, THE LIMITS, driving from Allentown, PA, to Monticello, NY, for a summer gig ... and we were in one of the guy's Mustang.
Well, the dj announced a new song by a new group ... Procol Harum ... what a name ... and when the song came on, we literally ... a carload of teen rockers ... had to pull over ... stop the car ... and were totally mesmerized by the magical, sensual, spiritual sound of Whiter Shade ... it was unlike anything heard before on since.
I am so blessed to have been performing non stop since. Ah, the joy of music.
(See link below ... recent story on yours truly.) http://www.examiner.com/article/veteran-rocker-rick-levy-leads-tommy-roe-s-band-sells-pottery?cid=db_articles
RICK LEVY
Rick Levy Management
for booking Tommy Roe, contact rick@ricklevy.com
wfisch
Kent,
"Goosebump" songs! Are you kidding me? Many years ago ... and I do mean many years ago ... even before you ever thought of FH ... there were two songs that I always said gave me "goosebumps". I don't really remember the first time I heard them on the radio, but to this day whenever I hear them, I get "goosebumps".
The songs in question are:
1 The Flamingos' I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU and
2. Bill Purcell's OUR WINTER LOVE.
Can't really tell you why I get those "goosebumps" whenever I hear these on the radio, but I do.
I thought of something else while reading your post for today. How many songs can you think of that has the words goose and / or bump in the song title?
I can think of a few with one in particular that no one probably can even think of
Larry Neal
1 The Flamingos' I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU and
2. Bill Purcell's OUR WINTER LOVE.
Can't really tell you why I get those "goosebumps" whenever I hear these on the radio, but I do.
I thought of something else while reading your post for today. How many songs can you think of that has the words goose and / or bump in the song title?
I can think of a few with one in particular that no one probably can even think of
Larry Neal
Several readers cited "I Only Have Eyes For You" as one of their goosebumps favorites ... and this song still has that same effect on quite a few of us today, even all these years later! (kk)
Kent:
The first time I heard The Eagles' "Take it to the Limit", I knew I had to buy it.
Chris Astle
Newport News, VA.
GOOSEBUMPS ? My mind went to a 'newer' old song ...
I was out walking and a song was playing on the radio. MELISSA ETHRIDGE (who I don't really care for), UN-PLUGGED, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (not a music-god to me) ... dueting to a slower version of THUNDER ROAD ... BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!!! Made me tear-up at first listen and still has that effect on me.
Gary Renfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cXzFhZVMnQ
(YOU CAN SKIP THE 3 MINUTE TALKING INTRO)
Kent:
The first time I heard The Eagles' "Take it to the Limit", I knew I had to buy it.
Chris Astle
Newport News, VA.
GOOSEBUMPS ? My mind went to a 'newer' old song ...
I was out walking and a song was playing on the radio. MELISSA ETHRIDGE (who I don't really care for), UN-PLUGGED, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (not a music-god to me) ... dueting to a slower version of THUNDER ROAD ... BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!!! Made me tear-up at first listen and still has that effect on me.
Gary Renfield
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cXzFhZVMnQ
(YOU CAN SKIP THE 3 MINUTE TALKING INTRO)
I have had many 'goosebump' moments as well. Here are the two that I can think of right away.
The Fall of 1975 ... I was listening to the radio and in between slow ballads and early disco, I heard the opening drum riff of Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen. It stood out like nothing else on the radio. The song captured the restless feeling of youth. Fast forward to the Summer of 1981. By this point I only listened to mix tapes of old 60's and 70's songs in my '75 Ford Maverick. I flicked on a Top 40 station and heard the Greg Kihn Band doing The Breakup Song (They Don't Write Em Like That Anymore). I felt like the song captured what I was feeling ... maybe the best music and the best relationships were behind me. The song also reminded me of The Messengers 1971 song "That's The Way A Woman Is" which got a lot of airplay here in Wisconsin.
Thanks for the 'goosebump' idea. It sounds like another Forgotten Hits home run!
Phil - WRCO
Hi Kent, I've been listening to r&r for almost 60 years and have had dozens of goosebump moments (at least up to 1990). The two that come to mind first were "Lonely Days" by the Bee Gees and "The Story in Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues.
Dube
The year was 1968 and I was stationed at Ft. Ord. CA. A fellow GI buddy kept playing two LP’s in particular and telling us about his song writer friend Jimmy Webb. I think he said they went to college together or just took some classes together in So. Cal. The two albums were both by Johnny Rivers, Rewind (67) & Realization (68). At the time, I’m sure I never heard the term blue eyed soul but that was Johnny Rivers at his best.
Rewind mostly consisted of ballads and the majority of the songs were written by Jimmy Webb. Realization was a combination of many of the folk type song writers of the day to include Johnny Rivers own penned songs. The Realization songs really worked at getting in your head while Rewind was definitely a more mellow listening experience.
The first six months of 1968 stands out as the most rapidly eventful period of my entire life. First, getting drafted and leaving home, secondly the assassinations of both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. Third, finding the body of a dead GI laying in a Ft Polk LA training area. Last but not least (or was it) was the infamous “Dear John” letter. None the less, this was all devastating for a young 18 year kid alone and out on his own for the first time in his life. Like stated earlier this was just the first six months of 1968. Just when I thought the second six months 1968 couldn’t throw anymore dirt my way I received deployment orders for Viet Nam in Nov. 68. My reporting date to Oakland Army Depot was 23 Dec. 68. My very first Goosebumps Track would have to be off the Johnny Rivers Rewind album “It’ll Never Happen Again” by Tim Hardin. The Tim Hardin song could also be called my “Killing Me Softly” song. Like your “California Dreamin” Kent, this was also a Lou Alder produced album. Combine Johnny Rivers' gut wrenching delivery,with Tim Hardin words, Lou Alder production and all these fantastic studio musician. I had the whole Goosebumps,neck hair, lump in the throat thing going on all at once.
My second Goosebumps track is “Caroline No” from the Beach Boys Pet Sounds album. This is another song that is related to my 45 year old Dear John letter. Brian Wilson got me this time. How could the Beach Boys sing as if they knew me? I had read a while back that “Caroline No “ was in fact written about a girl named Carol. Brian had to change it to Caroline to divert his then wife Marilyn.
There were many first time heard Goosebumps Tunes I’m sure but these two will still to this day do a number on me.
“Goosebumps Tracks”, good idea Kent.
Jerry
Sometimes it's a late discovery that grabs you. When I was working on my Dusty Springfield series a few years back, I studied her catalog and came across Dusty's version of "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore", an early Randy Newman song that I was previously unfamiliar with. It just ripped through my heart and caused another one of those "goosebumps" moments.
A similar track was "If I Could Reach You" by The Fifth Dimension ... to this day, I consider it to be one of Marilyn McCoo's greatest performances (right up there with "One Less Bell To Answer" ... yet nowhere near as big a hit.)
Another one was Michael Jackson's reading of "She's Out Of My Life" which, to this very day, causes me to tear up and swallow hard each and every time I hear it. (kk)
Rewind mostly consisted of ballads and the majority of the songs were written by Jimmy Webb. Realization was a combination of many of the folk type song writers of the day to include Johnny Rivers own penned songs. The Realization songs really worked at getting in your head while Rewind was definitely a more mellow listening experience.
The first six months of 1968 stands out as the most rapidly eventful period of my entire life. First, getting drafted and leaving home, secondly the assassinations of both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. Third, finding the body of a dead GI laying in a Ft Polk LA training area. Last but not least (or was it) was the infamous “Dear John” letter. None the less, this was all devastating for a young 18 year kid alone and out on his own for the first time in his life. Like stated earlier this was just the first six months of 1968. Just when I thought the second six months 1968 couldn’t throw anymore dirt my way I received deployment orders for Viet Nam in Nov. 68. My reporting date to Oakland Army Depot was 23 Dec. 68. My very first Goosebumps Track would have to be off the Johnny Rivers Rewind album “It’ll Never Happen Again” by Tim Hardin. The Tim Hardin song could also be called my “Killing Me Softly” song. Like your “California Dreamin” Kent, this was also a Lou Alder produced album. Combine Johnny Rivers' gut wrenching delivery,with Tim Hardin words, Lou Alder production and all these fantastic studio musician. I had the whole Goosebumps,neck hair, lump in the throat thing going on all at once.
My second Goosebumps track is “Caroline No” from the Beach Boys Pet Sounds album. This is another song that is related to my 45 year old Dear John letter. Brian Wilson got me this time. How could the Beach Boys sing as if they knew me? I had read a while back that “Caroline No “ was in fact written about a girl named Carol. Brian had to change it to Caroline to divert his then wife Marilyn.
There were many first time heard Goosebumps Tunes I’m sure but these two will still to this day do a number on me.
“Goosebumps Tracks”, good idea Kent.
Jerry
Sometimes it's a late discovery that grabs you. When I was working on my Dusty Springfield series a few years back, I studied her catalog and came across Dusty's version of "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore", an early Randy Newman song that I was previously unfamiliar with. It just ripped through my heart and caused another one of those "goosebumps" moments.
A similar track was "If I Could Reach You" by The Fifth Dimension ... to this day, I consider it to be one of Marilyn McCoo's greatest performances (right up there with "One Less Bell To Answer" ... yet nowhere near as big a hit.)
Another one was Michael Jackson's reading of "She's Out Of My Life" which, to this very day, causes me to tear up and swallow hard each and every time I hear it. (kk)
And apparently I'm not the only one. Read on ...
Hey Kent,
I remember when my mother was driving me to my music lessons one Saturday afternoon. On the car radio I heard, for the first time, Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual". I looked at Mom and asked her, "Who is this guy with that HUGE baritone voice?" Now THAT gave me goosebumps.
Another was Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life". The string intro to that song still gives me goosebumps and tears my heart out at the same time. I know you only wanted two, but I have to add "Sailing", by Christopher Cross. What a wonderful recording!
I am just as big a fan of Bread as you are. In my opinion, David Gates was the most romantic pop composer of the 70s. His second solo album, "Never Let Her Go" gives me goosebumps all the way through.
- John LaPuzza
Kent,
Enjoyed your moments that gave you the shivers. Many know of mine. There are VERY many, mostly dealing with hearing songs for the first time on the radio, often WLS. Some would be first hearing "She Loves You" or "All Right Now" or "Love You So Much" (NC6) but my two most exciting would be hearing "Look Through Any Window" by the Hollies on WLS' Dex Card survey show and hearing Ron Riley play "I Wanna Meet You" by the Cryan Shames a year later on WLS. Attached are those moments as preserved on our Bell Reel to Reel along with a photo of me and my little brother Bill circa 1968 with the Hallicrafter receiver my dad had that gave us the chance to pull in those long distance stations as recorded from Dodge City, Kansas.
Clark Besch
Enjoyed your moments that gave you the shivers. Many know of mine. There are VERY many, mostly dealing with hearing songs for the first time on the radio, often WLS. Some would be first hearing "She Loves You" or "All Right Now" or "Love You So Much" (NC6) but my two most exciting would be hearing "Look Through Any Window" by the Hollies on WLS' Dex Card survey show and hearing Ron Riley play "I Wanna Meet You" by the Cryan Shames a year later on WLS. Attached are those moments as preserved on our Bell Reel to Reel along with a photo of me and my little brother Bill circa 1968 with the Hallicrafter receiver my dad had that gave us the chance to pull in those long distance stations as recorded from Dodge City, Kansas.
Clark Besch
I had just gotten my driver's license and was tooling around town, enjoying my new independence, radio on, and as Tom Petty said, It was a beautiful day. All of a sudden, out of the very high turned-up radio comes "I Am the God of Hellfire and I Bring You ..." What a jolt!! I was at the corner of Bouquet and Soledad Cyn Rds in Saugus California, and I had to pull over. I listened to every word, making sure I got the Title AND artist. As soon as the song was over, I drove straight to the record store ... Fire by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown ... my first record purchase in which I had personally driven to buy.
Scott
Hi Kent,
I've had lots of goosebump moments in music. That's probably, at least in part, why I'm still a musician. Here are three quick ones. The Beatles and Beach Boys will not be listed in any of these, because they are just a given as far as I'm concerned.
Girl in Love by The Outsiders. I have such a vivid memory of hearing it while sitting on the front steps of our house. It was a hot day, and between the heat, and a nothing to do summer day, and the melancholy sound of the record, I'm always transported back to 1966 and being nine years old when I hear it.
2. Good Lovin' by The Young Rascals. For some reason that one sticks in my mind as being the first song that said "hey, white guys can sing R&B style and still play in a rock band. Felix became one of my singing heroes and I hadn't become a singer yet. <grin>
The third one is Merry Christmas Darling by the Carpenters, and particularly the little ending bit with all the vocals. I can just play that little bit over and over again to this day. I still haven't figured out all the parts yet. It's absolutely amazing to me.
OK That's way more than you need, but ...
Bill
Scott
Hi Kent,
I've had lots of goosebump moments in music. That's probably, at least in part, why I'm still a musician. Here are three quick ones. The Beatles and Beach Boys will not be listed in any of these, because they are just a given as far as I'm concerned.
Girl in Love by The Outsiders. I have such a vivid memory of hearing it while sitting on the front steps of our house. It was a hot day, and between the heat, and a nothing to do summer day, and the melancholy sound of the record, I'm always transported back to 1966 and being nine years old when I hear it.
2. Good Lovin' by The Young Rascals. For some reason that one sticks in my mind as being the first song that said "hey, white guys can sing R&B style and still play in a rock band. Felix became one of my singing heroes and I hadn't become a singer yet. <grin>
The third one is Merry Christmas Darling by the Carpenters, and particularly the little ending bit with all the vocals. I can just play that little bit over and over again to this day. I still haven't figured out all the parts yet. It's absolutely amazing to me.
OK That's way more than you need, but ...
Bill
Hey Kent,
One of my first "I’ll never forget" music moments would be the first time I heard the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man". I don’t think I'd even heard of Bob Dylan at that point. All I knew was here was a new band with a new song. The first ten seconds of the song, when the bass kicked in, was so cool, I was hooked.
It was the end of the school year and I was 13 years old in Sister Raphael’s 7th grade class. A few of us stayed after class to help Sister do some classroom cleaning. (Flashback: clapping erasers, cleaning the pencil sharpener, washing the blackboards.) We had a 45 record player in class. Me and my friend Rick were telling her about the new song that was just so cool. I had the 45 and lived just a half block from school. I asked her if I could go get it and play it on the record player. She said she would like to hear it. I brought it back and we probably played it 20 times. (All two minutes and 18 seconds.) She ask me how much the record cost? I told her 69 cents. She said, “OH MY!" I guess she thought that was a lot of money for one song. A short time later, the Byrds appeared on Hullabaloo. Awesome! Jim (or was it Roger) McGuinn with the granny glasses, Gene Clark, front and center on tambourine and David Crosby wearing a cape. These guys were so cool!
As much as I love this song, my favorite Byrd song is "I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better". (Side one, track #2 from the debut album ... but who remembers that?) Fast forward to today ... I recently learned that on the original recording Roger McGuinn was the only band member who actually played on the song. The Byrds had just formed and the record company wasn't comfortable with the other band members' musicianship. They brought in some session musicians (enter the Wrecking Crew) to play on the original recording. Hal Blaine and company strike again.
Thanks SO much for FH’s. As always, there are people who listen to music ... and then there are people like us.
Gary
One of my first "I’ll never forget" music moments would be the first time I heard the Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man". I don’t think I'd even heard of Bob Dylan at that point. All I knew was here was a new band with a new song. The first ten seconds of the song, when the bass kicked in, was so cool, I was hooked.
It was the end of the school year and I was 13 years old in Sister Raphael’s 7th grade class. A few of us stayed after class to help Sister do some classroom cleaning. (Flashback: clapping erasers, cleaning the pencil sharpener, washing the blackboards.) We had a 45 record player in class. Me and my friend Rick were telling her about the new song that was just so cool. I had the 45 and lived just a half block from school. I asked her if I could go get it and play it on the record player. She said she would like to hear it. I brought it back and we probably played it 20 times. (All two minutes and 18 seconds.) She ask me how much the record cost? I told her 69 cents. She said, “OH MY!" I guess she thought that was a lot of money for one song. A short time later, the Byrds appeared on Hullabaloo. Awesome! Jim (or was it Roger) McGuinn with the granny glasses, Gene Clark, front and center on tambourine and David Crosby wearing a cape. These guys were so cool!
As much as I love this song, my favorite Byrd song is "I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better". (Side one, track #2 from the debut album ... but who remembers that?) Fast forward to today ... I recently learned that on the original recording Roger McGuinn was the only band member who actually played on the song. The Byrds had just formed and the record company wasn't comfortable with the other band members' musicianship. They brought in some session musicians (enter the Wrecking Crew) to play on the original recording. Hal Blaine and company strike again.
Thanks SO much for FH’s. As always, there are people who listen to music ... and then there are people like us.
Gary
I guess a "goose bump" song has to be a ballad because there are hundreds of rockers that I have immediately loved and probably as many ballads, but only a few ballads have given me "goosebumps" (although many made me excited, depending on who I was dancing with at the time).
From the fifties there were "Most of All" by the Moonglows, "I'm Sorry" by the Platters, "You Send Me" by Sam Cooke, "My Heart's Desire" by the Avalons, "I Only Have Eyes For You" by the Flamingos, and "Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners.
"My True Story" by the Jive Five, "When We Get Married" by the Dreamlovers and "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells are a few from the sixties.
"I'm Gonna' Make You My Wife" by the Whispers, "Special Lady" by Ray, Goodman and Brown and "I Only Have Eyes For You" by Art Garfunkle are a few from the seventies.
A great one from the eighties is "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters.
I guess I've been fortunate to have had my share of "goosebumps" through the years.
Danny Guilfoyle
PS -- just about every ballad that the Four Freshmen ever sang gave "goosebumps" when I heard their amazing harmonies as well.
You just conjured up another "late bloomer" for me. I had never heard "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners until it appeared in the film "American Graffiti" ... it grabbed me IMMEDIATELY and I bought the entire soundtrack album (a 2-LP set) for that one song! To this day I get chills every time I hear it! (As an added special bonus that soundtrack LP became the crux of my early rock and roll era collection. It was easy to expand it from there with so many great tracks available in one place!) kk
My best goosebump moment was when I first heard "Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore. It brought me back to the days of the 50's and early 60's when nighttime radio was more important (at least for rock and roll) than morning drive time and every teenager would call in their requests and dedications.
Steve Davidson
Hi kk -
Rick Levy here, bandleader and manager for TOMMY ROE, remembering a true goosebump moment. Summer of 67, I believe ... a bit hazy then ... when WHITER SHADE OF PALE came out. I was was with my band, THE LIMITS, driving from Allentown, PA, to Monticello, NY, for a summer gig ... and we were in one of the guy's Mustang.
Well, the dj announced a new song by a new group ... Procol Harum ... what a name ... and when the song came on, we literally ... a carload of teen rockers ... had to pull over ... stop the car ... and were totally mesmerized by the magical, sensual, spiritual sound of Whiter Shade ... it was unlike anything heard before on since.
I am so blessed to have been performing non stop since. Ah, the joy of music.
(See link below ... recent story on yours truly.) http://www.examiner.com/article/veteran-rocker-rick-levy-leads-tommy-roe-s-band-sells-pottery?cid=db_articles
RICK LEVY
Rick Levy Management
for booking Tommy Roe, contact rick@ricklevy.com
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"A Whiter Shade Of Pale" is STILL a "goosebumps song" for me, too ... probably the most sophisticated and intelligent piece of music I had ever heard up to that point ... and it still resonates just as strongly with me today. Even 40 years later, I still get goosebumps (and tears in my eyes) nearly every time I hear it ... and incredible piece of work.) kk
This is kind of a tough one, because there are songs that give me goosebumps now, that might not have at the first playing. I tend to call them “stop-breathers” because the reaction for me is more of my breath stopping for the first few notes. There are four, though, that might fit the category.
Back in the day, I kept my own top ten- and do I wish I’d not let those notebooks go! I always did mine on a Thursday, and then wait all weekend to hear Casey Casem on Sunday morning. On one Tuesday night, I heard ELO’s Telephone Line. Thursday it became the first (and one of two) song to ever hit #1 on my list as a debut. Sunday, I owned the 45, which was quite a trick considering I wasn’t driving at the time.
Back in the day, I kept my own top ten- and do I wish I’d not let those notebooks go! I always did mine on a Thursday, and then wait all weekend to hear Casey Casem on Sunday morning. On one Tuesday night, I heard ELO’s Telephone Line. Thursday it became the first (and one of two) song to ever hit #1 on my list as a debut. Sunday, I owned the 45, which was quite a trick considering I wasn’t driving at the time.
In the early eighties, a girl got us all listening to country. The first time I heard Roseanne Cash’s I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me, I knew it was her somehow in the first three notes. Can’t explain it, but I remember it clearly. Did the same with the next single, Never Be You, but it never had the same impact.
One of the first songs I ever loved was Merilee Rush’s Angel Of The Morning. The first notes I heard of Juice Newton’s remake froze me in my tracks. Still does.
And last, imagine a guy who grew up on the sixties, now living in a world where Pearl Jam was the coolest, and being dead drunk when you hear their remake of Last Kiss the first time. Rotten rub of that was, I was in emergency need of the restroom and didn’t even get to hear the whole thing!
The only one of the three that really still gets me like that is Juice’s Angel. Merilee’s does as well. And maybe a dozen others, ranging from Bobby Helms’ My Special Angel to the Pretenders’ It’s a Thin Line Between Love And Hate. And, of course, Percy Faith’s A Summer Place Theme. And I’ll end here, before I end up writing you a book.
CW Martin
Some GREAT choices on this list. I absolutely loved Roseanne Cash's "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me" and believe it should have been a HUGE cross-over hit. To his day I can't believe it wasn't ... and still smile and sing along every time I hear it.
Personally I prefer the Merilee Rush version of "Angel of the Morning" to Juice Newton's version ... but I will grant you that she did a pretty powerful reading. The Pretenders' recording of "It's A Thin Line Between Love And Hate" ranks as one of my favorites by them ... and I totally agree with you on "A Theme from 'A Summer Place'" ... and have almost mentioned that one at least a dozen times since this topic started. Thanks for sharing with us, CW! (kk)
More brand new Goosebumps Memories up on the site on Monday. Meanwhile, please send us yours ... it looks like we've got another hit on our hands!!! (kk)
More brand new Goosebumps Memories up on the site on Monday. Meanwhile, please send us yours ... it looks like we've got another hit on our hands!!! (kk)
