DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY finally hits #1 for MANFRED MANN on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart dated October 17th … it'll stay there for another week. A SUMMER SONG by CHAD AND JEREMY is up to #7 … and that's it once again for British Top Ten Hits. (The Brits are held at bay by some pretty stiff American competition this week … OH, PRETTY WOMAN by ROY ORBISON, LAST KISS by J. FRANK WILSON AND THE CAVALIERS, IT HURTS TO BE IN LOVE by GENE PITNEY and WHEN I GROW UP TO BE A MAN by THE BEACH BOYS are also solid Top Ten Hits this week.
MATCHBOX by THE BEATLES inches up a spot to #17 while HAVE I THE RIGHT by THE HONECOMBS finally makes The US Top 20 at #20. TOBACCO ROAD by THE NASHVILLE TEENS is at #25, FROM A WINDOW by BILLY J. KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS is at #27 and I'M CRYING by THE ANIMALS climbs to #29.
GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS have the #31 Hit this week with I LIKE IT, THE ANIMALS fall to #38 with THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN, THE BEATLES drop from #25 to #39 with SLOW DOWN and THE DAVE CLARK FIVE climb a dozen places to #40 with EVERYBODY KNOWS.
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD seems to have run out of gas at #44 with her latest, ALL CRIED OUT but PETER AND GORDON continue to climb the chart as I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN climbs from #61 to #48. Likewise for THE KINKS, who jump ten places from #66 to #56 with their first US Chart Hit YOU REALLY GOT ME.
Completing the British presence on this week's Billboard Chart are I WOULDN'T TRADE YOU FOR THE WORLD by THE BACHELORS at #69, I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD by HERMAN'S HERMITS, premiering at #79, TIME IS ON MY SIDE by THE ROLLING STONES, premiering right behind it at #80, SHE'S NOT THERE, new for THE ZOMBIES, at #87, and WHEN YOU WALK IN THE ROOM by THE SEARCHERS, which debuts at #97.
British Invasion Artists still hold four of the Top Ten spots on this week's WLS Silver Dollar Survey … HAVE I THE RIGHT by THE HONEYCOMBS climbs to #2, DO WAH DIDDY DIDDY by MANFRED MANN sits right behind it at #3, TOBACCO ROAD by THE NASHVILLE TEENS is at #5 and FROM A WINDOW by BILLY J. KRAMER AND THE DAKOTAS now sits at #8.
MATCHBOX is now showing as an "A-Side" only at #13 for THE BEATLES, THE DAVE CLARK FIVE climb to #16 with EVERYBODY KNOWS (up from #28 the week before) and THE ANIMALS are at #17 with I'M CRYING.
Rounding out The Top 30: I LIKE IT by GERRY AND THE PACEMAKERS at #24, I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN by PETER AND GORDON at #27 and YOU REALLY GOT ME by THE KINKS, new on the WLS Chart at #28.
THE SATURDAY SURVEYS:
Here's the Super Surf Survey from WSRF in Broward County, Florida. (Today this radio station is still operating as "the only Haitian owned" radio station in the U.S.!!!)
Back in 1970, however, they were playing The Top 40 Hits ... and R. Dean Taylor was at the very top of their chart with "Indiana Wants Me", a song that also topped the chart here in Chicago.
Check out the #5 Hit by Blues Image ... "Gas Lamps And Clay" was the follow-up to their big hit "Ride Captain Ride" ... but nationally it never climbed any higher than #81 in Billboard ... yet here it sits at #5 in Florida!
We've also got "God, Love And Rock And Roll" by Teagarden and Van Winkle, up to #17 from #23 ... and one of my personal favorites, "Do What You Wanna Do" by Five Flights Up at #19.
Flipping the clock back a few years, we find The Association on top of KUDL's Boss 30 Survey out of Kansas City with their monster hit "Never My Love", which knocks "The Letter" by The Box Tops out of the #1 spot this week in 1967.
Local favorites The Classmen are holding their own at #4 with Julie". I mentioned the Nancy Sinatra hit "Lightning's Girl" a couple of weeks ago ... but this time we're going to play it! We also have a little bit of fun with Harpers Bizarre's homage to the great Cole Porter ... and a long, lost forgotten gem by Petula Clark, written by the "Happy Together" team of Alan Gordon and Garry Bonner. (I always thought this song would song GREAT recorded by Olivia Newton-John ... her breathy, '70's vocals could have pushed this one over the top!)
Clark Besch suggested we feature BOTH sides of this KOOK survey from 1968. This chart lists not only the top 40 Hits in Montana for this week in '68 ... but it even has this week's television listings posted on it as well!
This was a pretty heavy time in music ... and it's certainly reflected on this chart. (Guess the Mounties were doing a whole lot more than moose-hunting back in '68!)
The #1 Record this week is "Sookie Sookie" by Steppenwolf, one of the top vote-getters in our Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides Poll a few years back. (It's a GREAT track that got a TON of airplay back in the day ... and STILL deserves a spin now and again on the Classic Rock Stations.)
Strangest thing about it being #1 is the fact that it was the B-SIDE of the record!!! "Magic Carpent Ride" was the hit A-Side virtually everywhere else! (It sits at #13 on this KOOK chart.)
But heavy makes you happy in Montana ... Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Cream and The Doors also have records in The Top 12 this week. (Several of these artists are also represented on KOOK's Album Chart this week!)
Surrounded by tracks by The Who, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Country Joe and the Fish and Iron Butterfly, it DOES seem a little bit odd to also find bubblegum tracks like "Chewy Chewy" by The Ohio Express and "Quick Joey Small" by The Kasentz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus! (Not to mention "Battle Hymn of the Republic" by soft-rock crooner Andy Williams!!!)
I'm guessing that KOOK had been around for a while by this point ... this king-sized survey also lists the Top Five Records from both five and ten years ago!)
You don't see too many charts from Hawaii ... but we've got 'em here in our Saturday Surveys feature!
Here's one from 1964 ... where you'd barely know The British Invasion was going on! (That's not really fair ... while the Top Five Hits don't include a single British artist, they are VERY well represented as you make your way down the chart.)
The Beatles are at #7 with "I'll Be Back", a song that wouldn't be released here in The States for another month or so (and never at all as a single!), followed by Gerry and the Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits (both in The Top Ten). The Beatles also have the Top Two Albums on this week's chart with the soundtrack to "A Hard Day's Night" and "Something New".
The true chart only consists of this week's Top Ten songs ... and this list is topped by The Blendells with "La La La La La", #1 for its third consecutive week! (This one never climbed any higher than #62 in Billboard!) Our previously mentioned buddy Andy Williams sits at #2! (And there's not a Don Ho track to be found!)
In a rather unusual move, K-POI shows the popular new tracks for each of the 18 weeks ... and here is where The British Acts REALLY rule ...
"A Hard Day's Night", "I Should Have Known Better", "And I Love Her" and "I'll Cry Instead" are all listed for The Beatles. You'll also find The Rolling Stones ("Tell Me" and "It's All Over Now"), Brian Poole ("Someone, Someone"), Billy J. Kramer ("From A Window"), Manfred Mann (Do Wah Diddy Diddy"), Cilla Black ("It's For You"), The Overlanders ("Don't It Make You Feel Good"), Dusty Springfield ("All Cried Out"), The Kinks ("You Really Got Me"), Peter And Gordon ("I Don't Want To See You Again"), The Swingin' Blue Jeans ("Promise You'll Tell Her"), The Dave Clark Five ("Everybody Knows") and The Zombies ("She's Not There"). Collectively that's 55% of all the songs listed!!!
I know we've run a few 1965 charts recently ... but I've never seen one with The Yardbirds at #1 ... and with a two-sided hit no less!!! Making a big leap from #42 to #24 are The Knickerbockers with their Beatles sound-alike tune "Lies", another personal favorite of mine from the '60's.
Yep ... we're doing it again!!! Joel Whitburn has a brand new book coming out in January that, for the first time EVER, will show the peak position of EVERY record to make the Billboard, Cash Box and Music Vendor / Record World charts side by side!
This new book (called The Comparison Charts) is a MUST HAVE for chart fanatics, record collectors and trivia buffs like me ... so we were THRILLED when Joel told us that he'd like to do another trivia contest and give a copy away to a lucky Forgotten Hits Reader. Now I know that many of you on the list have already gone out and bought copies of Joel's latest books, each dedicated to the individual charts of Billboard Magazine (featuring The Hot 100 and the "Bubbling Under charts), Cash Box Magazine (and their "Looking Ahead" charts) and Music Vendor / Record World (who also published a "Coming Up" chart ranking positions #101 - 150).
But I ALSO know that if you've made this type of commitment (and financial investment) into this "hobby", you, too, can't wait to get your hands on this brand new, all-in-one volume!
And it is for THOSE fans that we have especially designed this Ten Question Trivia Contest. (I'll warn you ahead of time that these are NOT easy questions ... and you may need to consult all three books to properly determine your answers ... but that's the plan, man ... to reward one of those faithful Record Research junkies with Joel's brand new "Comparison Chart" book the minute it becomes available in January.
Does this limit the playing field? Probably ... but the answers ARE out there ... so give it your best shot and let's see how we do.
We'll announce the winner (from all correct entries received) on Monday, November 3rd ... and we'll be accepting entries right through midnight on October 31st.
So give it a good look over ... and then "hit the books"!!!
Good Luck to everyone out there!!!
*****
Good Morning Kent,
Here is my ten question contest with the winner awarded a copy of my
upcoming "Comparison Book 1954-1982".
All questions and answers are taken directly from a combination of data from these Record
Research books 1954-1982:
Top Pop Singles (Billboard)
Cash Box Pop Hits
Hit Records
(Music Vendor and Record World)
1. What Elvis Presley #1 song peaked for 3 weeks / 2 weeks / 1 week on
the three major charts?
2. What late 1960s song missed the top 10 by 1 position, peaking at #11 on
all three charts?
3. Not too "groovy" -- this song stalled at #3 for five consecutive weeks on
all three charts!
4. Name the female singer whose first four releases peaked at #1, #2, #3
& #4.
5. What New Jersey pop vocal group previously showed two #3 hits as their
best in Billboard. Now they show two #1 hits!
6. Previously, this vocal group's top chart hit was a #2 hit for eight weeks.
Now they have two #1 hits!
7. What American group had two songs that peaked at #5 - 6 - 7 and #7 - 8 - 9 in
the same year?
8. What do these words from song titles have in common:
Subway / Room / Roof / House.
9. Name the teen trio in the 1960s whose song peaked at #94 on all three
charts.
10. This vocal group had ten #1 hits ... however, between their second and third
#1's, they hit #102, 103 & 104 with this song.
You'll have to dig a bit deeper into Billboard's Bubbling Under charts, the
Cash Box Looking Ahead book and the Music Vendor / Record World 101-150 book for
this last question.
Remember, the answers are taken from combining the data from the three major
music trades as researched in my books listed above.
Still playing MAJOR catch-up ... so many goodies from last week that even Sunday's Comments Page spilled over to leave a ton of great "leftovers" ... So here's a little bit of house cleaning on our part in an effort to help clear the decks on all that's been stock-piling in our mailbox!!! (Some of this may be a bit dated at this point ... but we still wanted to share these with our readers just in case anybody missed anything along the way!)
re: QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
One afternoon last week, a good radio friend and I stopped in at ‘Hooters’ to have something to eat and get a beer. After being there for a while, my friend asked me which waitress I would like to be stuck in an elevator with. "The one who knows how to fix elevators," I said.
I'm older, wiser and have learned a lot about reality! Chuck Buell
Yep ... that's how you know you're getting old!!! (lol) Frannie reminded me of an old hooker joke ... where the hooker approached some old man and said, "I'll do ANYTHING you want me to do for $200" ... to which he replied, "OK, paint my house!" (kk)
re: THIS AND THAT: Once again The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has come up with a STELLAR group of artists for consideration for induction ... And once again MOST folks (many of whom know a thing or two about music) are left scratching their heads and muttering "Are they KIDDING?!?!?" This year's ballot includes The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic (again), Green Day, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, N.W.A., Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed, The Smiths, The Spinners, Sting, Stevie Ray Vaughan, War and Bill Withers. While there's no question that the music of Bill Withers DEFINES the very essence of rock and roll ... (he's certainly one of the very first rockers I think of) ... and Green Day is probably a shoe-in to get in on their first ballot (as they've been Rolling Stone Magazine cover boys so many times I've lost count), a few other of the nominees may finally get their due this year. N.W.A. ... Niggaz With Attitude ... CERTAINLY did more for the advancement of rock and roll than artists like, say, The Moody Blues or Chicago or Electric Light Orchestra. I mean EVERYBODY can rattle off the list of NWA hit records, right??? Good luck trying doing that with any of these OTHER so-called "hit" artists!!! (How many people out there can sing a chorus of a Chicago song? Not many, I'll bet ... but boy, open up the karaoke machine and pop a NWA track on there and there'll be a rush to the stage 'cause EVERYBODY's gonna want a piece of THAT spotlight!!!) And it's becoming abundantly apparent that the entire Motown Roster will be inducted before the next Canadian artist makes the cut. Why on earth would they consider somebody like The Guess Who or Paul Anka or Bachman-Turner Overdrive when they can induct Sting and Lou Reed again for the second time??? I mean THAT'S what The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is all about, right? (Unfortunately, that's a rhetorical question ... apparently that is EXACTLY what The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is all about!) In a way I'm glad ... now I can make my plans MONTHS in advance NOT to watch the ceremony. (kk)
Kent,
I don't know if you ever watch
Bill O'Reilly and the Factor on weeknights at 7PM Central time.
At the end of his show he has what he calls his "tip of
the day". Well, on his show tonight (Wednesday), his " tip of the
day" concerned the Rock and Roll HOF. Apparently, I am under the
impression he is one of the individuals who get to vote on
the nominees. He said he is voting for groups and artists such as
Joan Jett, Chic, Spinners, Sting and I can't remember the fifth one
he mentioned. I may have misunderstood him but I believe he said he is on a committee of sorts to vote on those groups and artists who
are up this year for induction. He
also mentioned their website where a person can go and vote if one wants to. However, I somewhat
believe he said that final persons or groups inducted into the HOF is left
up to a select few. I don't know when you will read
this e-mail, but his show is rerun a few hours later at 10PM
Central time.
Larry Neal
Yes, "Joe Average" Music Fan can go to the site and cast their vote for the artist they feel most worthy of Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction. Then, after ALL the votes are tabulated, The Rock Hall determines who earned the most votes ... and then that artist receives exactly ONE vote in the official Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame committee vote that determines which artists will be inducted next year. (Strength in numbers??? Yeah, right!)
Honestly, it's a futile effort at best ... I'm willing to bet you that 80% of next year's inductees have already been determined in advance and that the one "odd lot" that will ultimately earn a spot at the podium is what the committee will really decide.
Keep in mind that this is the VOTING committee ... and NOT the Nominating Committee ... the Nominating Committee is limited to a VERY select few (some might argue "one") ... and then those on the voting committee (like Bill O'Reilly or our FH Buddy Joel Whitburn) have to select from the list they are given. They have absolutely NO input whatsoever as to who makes that list ... because ALL of these guys know that some of the most worthy artists out there (The Guess Who, Chicago, The Moody Blues, etc) never even make the ballot ... and they have no power or influence to change that. Hardly what one might consider a "democratic process". (kk)
The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame seems much more concentrated on inducting the latest Rap Artists than the artists (like Freddy Cannon, Chubby Checker, etc) who actually BUILT The History Of Rock And Roll. Popular "first time eligibles" seem to make the cut each and every year ... while proven artists with 50+ year careers don't even make the ballot. As such, former Lettermen Gary Pike sent us this ... and made ME laugh!!! (We sent this out to a few select FH Readers last night and already got a great response to it ... sharing it with the rest of the world today ... thanks, Gary!)
I don’t want to offend anyone ... and I have done some Rap videos ... but this made me
laugh.
I'm still not convinced I understand all of it but as near as I can determine this is a far greater issue for The Turtles because they happen to own all of their own masters, a highly uncommon situation for most recording artists who recorded in the '60's. (In fact, off the top of my head, I can only think of a handful of artists who actually DO own their own masters!) So from THEIR perspective I suppose they're entitled to a fee for any permissions granted by licensing their recordings for airplay. (Of course the DOWN side of that is that programmers may choose instead to simply stop playing any music by The Turtles at all, in protest of this "pay for play" tactic.) I love these guys, and give them props for (as one columnist so eloquently put it) "being a whole lot smarter than they look"! But honestly ... $100,000,000?!?!? Do the math ... and I'll be generous here ... if 2500 radio stations worldwide played "Happy Together" every single day and the royalty for doing so was $0.05 per play, The Turtles would earn about $125 per day for the licensing of their biggest hit. $100,000,000 divided by $125 per day would mean that "Happy Together" would have to play 2500 per day for 800,000 days in order to earn $100,000,000! (That's about 2200 years, non-stop!) So the damages sought seem maybe just a LITTLE bit extreme. (Think about how many OTHER artists they could pay over the next 50 years should they decide to share this windfall!)
So in all likelihood, I expect a FAR lesser settlement to be realized. But again, I will admit to not having a CLUE how all of this works.
So the offer still stands, Flo and Eddie ... let's talk about this in a Forgotten Hits forum ... we'll even invite Lou Simon and Phlash Phelps from Sirius / XM to participate in order to keep it a level playing field! 'Cause honestly ... I just don't get it! (kk)
Speaking of The Turtles, now that the 2014 Happy Together Tour has wrapped, they've already announced the line-up for 2015 ... with one new special addition ... The Cowsills!
Rejoining the cast this year are Mark Lindsay, The Buckinghams and The Grass Roots. (We can't wait to see The Cowsills when they appear at The Arcada Theatre in December ... by all accounts they put on a fantastic show!) kk
And, speaking of great shows, here's a great one coming up for all our readers out Philly way ... featuring many of our Forgotten Hits regulars on the bill!
Hey Kent ...
Check out this very cool show coming up that we are included in ... just outside of Philadelphia.
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords
Flipping thru a magazine, I ran across a full page ad by the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce for some big events coming up in October. Here's the info:
Fabulous 50's and Beyond Weekend ... October 17th and 18th
Saturday Night's Fabulous 50's and Beyond Party ...
Featuring Bowzer's Rock and Roll Party, the 5 Satins, Freddy Cannon, Gene Chandler and special guest Bill Haley's Original Comets.
Tickets start at 49.50 and you'll find more info at gwcoc.com Hope all is well!
Gary Renfield
I'm not sure Freddy's going to be well enough to make it ... he underwent quadruple by-pass heart surgery this past week and while we hear that he is now home from the hospital and on the mend, I think he's going to be side-lined for a little while after this one.
Meanwhile, we're still collecting "Get Well Wishes" to send to Freddy later this week ... so if you haven't already sent yours in, please do so quickly! Just email me at forgottenhits@aol.com and we'll combine 'em all into one big Get Well Email and forward it to Freddy Cannon. (Do it quickly 'tho ... because I'm going to send this off no later than this weekend!!!) kk
In other sad health news, we've just learned that Percy Sledge is battling liver cancer ...
I got this from Ron Smith's Oldies site.
Frank B. You would never guess it's 2014 with these other "oldies" artists on the album chart. Robert Plant Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (2 albums) Smokey Robinson Linda Ronstadt Johnny Cash Eagles (2 albums) Jimi Hendrix (2 albums)...with a new Hendrix movie opening this week called "All Is By My Side" Michael Jackson (3 albums) Johnny Winter Bob Marley & the Wailers Elvis Presley Eric Clapton Foreigner John Denver Journey Pink Floyd Led Zeppelin (3 albums) Neil Diamond Aerosmith Lynyrd Skynyrd AC/DC Queen Beatles Commodores Temptations Three Dog Night CCR Mr. Hot 100
I guess I would expect these artists to show up more on Billboard's Classic "Catalog Albums" List than the current Top 200... maybe with album sales as down as low as they are, they've reincorporated TOTAL sales back into their listings again ... which would mean that these vintage artists are selling on par with today's biggest so-called music superstars! Still good music is good music ... and I'd much rather see THIS list (which shows what new fans are actually discovering and buying) than the radio list they keep feeding us of non-stop Journey, Foreigner, Mellencamp and The Cars. Notice that only one of those acts made your list above ... and I guess that's because, even at 14 times a day, people STILL can't get enough of "Don't Stop Believin'"!!! (As for me, it rarely gets past the second or third note anymore! I don't need to hear it again for at least five years!) kk
By now I'm sure you've heard that Katy Perry will be next year's Super Bowl Half-Time Entertainment. That should be interesting ... wonder if the entire performance will be lip-synched?!?!? (kk)
I went to see another Beatle Sunday!
Ringo had an "all star band" that included another fave, Todd Rundgren too. Here are a couple of photos. Paul was a big production and three hours of HIS music, while Ringo was no special light shows and 2 hour 15 minutes with hits by each band member, but it was a smaller crowd and close to the stage and he was much more at ease chatting with the audience than Paul. He also ran around like a kid, unlike Paul who showed his age when moving around. Both concerts were entirely different, but I think I liked both equally!
Ringo did not miss a note singing and was perfect on drums for two hours at age 74! Todd is 66 and you may know him for his song "I don't want to work, I just want to Bang on the Drum all day." After he got done singing it, Ringo quipped "What's the big deal? I do that every day for a living."
Above: Ringo at RED drums set and Todd R standing at right with guitar.
Below: Todd playing just a snare drum out front to sing "Bang The Drum All Day" on which he REALLY pounded it and sang it with conviction!
And here's another review of The British Invasion Tour ... from Alex Valdez this time, who caught the show.
The British Invasion Tour: Every now and then a concert will blow through town that I actually want to see. In the past five years I've been to two and they both happened within the past two month period ... Boston in August and then the Brits last month. I really wanted to see Gerry and The Pacemakers, Chad and Jeremy, and Billy J. Kramer, but alas no Gerry, due to his health concerns (I hope he is on the mend). He was always a complete talent in my mind. "Summer Song" will always be one of my all time favorites and I have to say that when Chad and Jeremy came on without a backup band to do their first few numbers, I didn't know what to expect. Wow, blow me away! They were flawless in both vocalizations and musicality, absolute perfection. Chad, who now resides in Idaho, has morphed into a bit of a hayseed, and was very entertaining with his wit and humor. I got my monies worth here. Terry Sylvester was picked as the replacement for Gerry Marsden. His "Hollies" songs were good to hear, but without the Tony and Graham voices, it wasn't the same, but kudos anyway. Now here's the rub. My wife, who was being born when the original Brit Invasion took place, asked me to Youtube some of the songs she may be hearing that night. She recognized a good deal of them, thanks to oldies radio stations. She however, didn't recognize any of Billy J's songs which I was surprised at. I liked "Little Children", "Trains and Boats and Plane", "Bad to Me", and on and on. When I showed her some Billy youtube videos, her remarks were, "He's a stud ... I wanna see him!"
Of course I said nothing and was waiting for the concert to enjoy what she had to say when he hit the stage. The moment has arrived and out comes Gerard Depardieu. My wife looked at me with a most priceless expression that I wish I had a picture of. God bless Billy J, but damn, step back from the skillet please. He can still sing his ass off though, I'll give him that. My only disappointment was his rendition of a Walker Bros. tune which did hurt my ears. I am such a Scott fan that only Scott is acceptable doing them ... the rest of us vocalists should just dream on and stick to the confines of our living rooms. IF you are going to do a Scott song, please do it in a different voice, never attempt to emulate his voice unless your high ... well. nuff said. The backing band never gets enough credit for their hard work. In this case I was very satisfied with their efforts and pissed off at the emcee for not being crystal clear with the names. I got "Liberty DeVito" though as he was kicking major ass all night. I pictured an IV bag on a stand next to his drum kit which kept a smile on my face. He is definitely a monster and I wish I had his energy. Now for Denny Laine. I was neither here nor there at seeing him. Who doesn't like "Go Now", but it ended there. Wings was never a favorite of mine, but I liked Paulie and Linda, was a U of A Wildcat so I stayed the course. That dude blew the place apart. I didn't know he had that much rock and roll prowess. You could feel the soul he was pouring out, and his chops were off the hook. I'm a big fan now. I liken him to another monster, "Lil Stevie Marriot", who is an all time favorite, may he RIP. The show was good but I left a little empty without having heard "Ferry Across The Mersey" by the man himself. Maybe next year. Alex Valdez
From what we've heard, Gerry isn't doing well at all health-wise right now and that's too bad because he's always been one of my all-time favorites, too. (Back in the day I used to sing both "Ferry 'Cross The Mersey" and "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'" as part of our oldies set.) Hoping he gets better ... and that Peter Asher (and maybe a few others) will join the crew next time, should they all decide to tour again. (And damn it, stop in Chicago this time!!!) kk
We told you last week about finding Freddy Cannon's original acetate recording of "She's My Rock And Roll Baby" and, thanks to dee jay / avid record collector Eric Lee, getting it back in Freddy's hands.
Now comes word of a fan finding and returning something to Bobby Rydell!!! Read on ...
Kent ..
Did you hear this story? Bobby's bag with his sheet music fell out of his SUV and he got it back.
Why on earth would WLS-AM hire Steve Dahl back?!?!?
Hey, I was one of the Stever's biggest fans back in the day ... but he slammed this station to no end, was miserably unhappy there and made listening to him miserable as well with his daily tirades against the station. (The final showdown with Larry Lujack should have been enough to ban Dahl for life!) Are they REALLY that desperate for ratings that they're willing to swallow any remaining sense of pride to hire him back? (Apparently so ... Roe Conn was let go after 25 years with the station to make room for Dahl!) I just can't imagine there are all that many people left who'll bother to tune in and listen. Dahl's relevance expired decades ago. (kk)
We saw Peter's daughter Natalie Noone this weekend. It was her show, so I exercised restraint and did not take my old original Herman's Hermits LPs for Peter to sign. She's very talented, and she asked her Pops to join her for a couple of songs. I'll admit to dropping your name, Kent. You'll be pleased to know he knew who I was talking about.
David Lewis
LOL ... Did he speak ill of me?!?! (kk)
Actually, no -- we just shared a brief chat so perhaps he couldn't come up with anything about you miscrediting his band members or trashing his performances.
Peter and his wife Mireille were so focused on Natalie's work. They would both chat with their friends and generally hang around between songs, but when their girl began a song they would watch very, very intently. Natalie's band is awesome, even for Nashville; especially her lead guitarist Guthrie Trapp.
Natalie asked Peter to come up and sing harmony with her on a couple of songs and, after that, she asked him to do his Johnny Cash. He sang "I Walk The Line" in a deep Johnny Cash voice, then said it was a thrill to do Johnny Cash in Nashville, of all places.
The venue is an old farm supply store in the oldest part of Nashville. It has been the ACME Feed and Seed store for eons, and always had the Ralston-Purina checkerboard covering a large portion of the outside of the building. It was renovated as a restaurant and performance venue, keeping the same name as always. Peter also sang "Traveling Light" and changed the final line from "I just can't wait to be with my baby tonight" to "I'm at the ACME Feed and Seed in Nashville, Tennessee tonight." Lots of extra syllables but the point was neat.
David
Actually, I heard from Noone earlier in the week. (He even ordered a copy of Joel Whitburn's new book!) Peter is the consummate performer ... always "on" in front of an audience (who become putty in his hands.) Glad to see that his daughter is following in his show-biz footsteps ... her parents seem to be extremely proud. (kk)
Classic Rock's Premier PSYCHEDELIC Rock Band VANILLA FUDGE with original members MARK STEIN (Keyboard & Vocals), CARMINE APPICE (Drums & Vocals), VINCE MARTELL (Guitar & Vocals) and PETE BREMY on Bass & Vocals are lining up appearances now! Watch for more announcements soon!
FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent us a recent interview with Frankie Valli, who talked about The Four Seasons and "Jersey Boys" ...
Last week Scott Shannon was teasing his audience about Neil Diamond's upcoming concert at a "secret location". We knew he was giving away tickets ... but it sounds like he was also on hand to introduce Diamond from the stage. Here's the full scoop from a couple of our FH Readers ... as well as the recap printed by Vintage Vinyl News.
>>>Here's what the real Brooklyn Bridge looks like. That's my niece and nephew standing in front of TheBrooklyn Bridge. (Frank B.) >>>OK, now send me one of them on The 59th Street Bridge (which inspired Paul Simon to write that great "Feelin' Groovy" song of his!!!) And then I think we should start a weekly "Where's Waldo" segment in Forgotten Hits! (kk) Kent ... As per your request, I couldn't find the 59th Street Bridge. Would you settle for the Tallahatchie Bridge? Frank B.
We've been telling you about this book for a couple of months now ... it will finally see its domestic release later this month ... here's the latest on the Glen Campbell bio written by his daughter Debby and our FH Buddy Mark Bego ...
The personal and candid story of growing up with a music legend . . . Lifewith My Father ... GLEN CAMPBELL
By Debby Campbell & Mark Bego
New York -- Over the course of Glen Campbell’s long and legendary career the songwriter and musician had a string of Top 10 solo hits, was handpicked by John Wayne to be his co-star in True Grit, hosted his own television variety show and headlined sold-out shows all over the world. Then in 2011, Glen Campbell and his fourth wife, Kim, announced that he has Alzheimer’s disease. In Life with My Father Glen Campbell (Overlook Press / Hardcover $26.95 / ISBN: 978-1-78038-858-8 / Publication Date: September 25, 2014) his daughter Debby Campbell offers a loving and candid account of the man she not only toured with for more than 20 years but whom she will always see first and foremost as her father.
Glen Campbell began his career as a session guitarist for many of the 1960’s biggest musical talents: The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and was a favorite go-to-guy for producers Phil Spector and Jimmy Bowen. In 1965 he was asked by The Beach Boys to join them on tour to replace the retiring Brian Wilson. It was after this experience that his own recording of “Gentle on My Mind” garnered his first of many crossover hits and in 1968, the Country Music Association honored him as the Entertainer of the Year the same year. His signature songs, written by Jimmy Webb - “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “Galveston” - cemented his place in the American musical landscape.
The Glen Campbell Good Time Hour -- born after Campbell co-hosted the Summer Smothers Brothers Show – made its debut in 1969, and ran until 1972. With his good-natured charm and ease with many musical and famous guests captivating the television audience, Campbell was at the top of his game.
Then during the 1970’s cocaine and alcohol began to take its toll on Campbell’s career. Campbell’s romantic, tumultuous and very public relationship with fellow music star, Tanya Tucker, made headlines detailing their flights and drug use. Finally, in the early 1980’s Campbell kicked his drug habit, and was back on the road performing his classic songs and his recent hits including “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Southern Nights.”
Beginning in the late 1980’s, Debby, now in her early thirties, began to join her father as he performed around the country and as the headlining act at the Glen Campbell Goodtime Theater in Branson, Missouri, singing duets and often performing as the opening act. Debby was a constant in her father’s life, through the wives and the divorces, through all the career highs and lows, through all the trials and tribulations. As the onset of Alzheimer’s disease begins to take its toll, Debby reflects candidly on the ups and downs of a unique father-daughter relationship and how their twenty-four year professional relationship ended with her dismissal on Campbell’s 2011 “Farewell” Tour.
Co-written with Mark Bego, best-selling pop music biographer and author of more than sixty books on rock and roll and show business, Life with My Father Glen Campbell paints a professional and personal picture of one of the greatest talents of our generation. Bego also contributes a touching Prologue, “Daughter of a Legend,” noting that the book is “a story of a father and his daughter, who had a wonderful streak of adventures together, through his many marriages, through his decades of substance abuse, show business glory, tabloid headlines, and the untimely ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Life with My Father Glen Campbell also includes rare full-color and black-and-white photographs from Campbell’s career, and a discography.
Here's our interview with author Mark Bego from a few months ago ... EDITOR'S NOTE: The book was originally titled "Glen Campbell - Burning Bridges" but has since been renamed "Life With My Father - Glen Campbell". Click here: Forgotten Hits: Glen Campbell - Burning Bridges
Mark has done numerous other music celebrities biographies over the years ... here we talk about just a fews:
And word is EXCEPTIONALLY good on the new, upcoming Glen Campbell documentary "It'll Be Me", too! So be sure to watch for that one as I'm sure it will be in very limited release. (The official release date is October 24th) kk
Campbell, currently residing in an assisted living facility for Alzheimer's patients, was sued last week over the making of the new film. He had apparently agreed to work with Director James Keach, who was then cut out of the process by Campbell and his business associates. More on this as the story develops. (kk)
More on Glen here ... in this Page Six article ...
Mark Bego Publishes his 61st Book, on music legend Glen Campbell, It Hits Two Amazon Best-Seller Lists
Mark Bego, known in the book business as the “prince of pop music bios,” wrote his 61st published book with Debby Campbell, oldest daughter of country music legend Glen Campbell. The book, Debby’s memoir “Life With My Father: Glen Campbell,” was officially released on September 25, 2014, and it immediately hit the Top Ten on two Amazon.com Best-Seller lists. On the Folk and Country Kindle Best-Seller list, it peaked at Number One and remains in the Top Ten, and on the Hardcover Country Best-Seller List, it peaked at Number Six and is still on the Top 20 chart.
According to Bego, “I met Debby Campbell in September of 2011, days after she was dismissed from her father’s touring band, after singing with him for 24 years. Her firing took place only months after Glen’s public announcement that he was suffering from Alzheimer ’s disease, when Debby’s stepmother took over making decisions about Glen’s career affairs. Clearly there was an incredible story of power, legacy, and bitter family conflict that needed to be told, and Debby was the only person it tell it with the passion and the drama that it needed to contain. I knew that it was a book I longed to help her tell. I knew we had a hit book on our hands, and I was right. I am very excited to have assisted Debby in telling her deeply personal story.”
The book “Life With My Father: Glen Campbell” is Debby’s touching story how she was a child of divorce, written with Mark Bego. Few people realize that amidst Glen’s 50-plus years musical career, he has started four separate families, having fathered eight children. As the oldest child from his first of four marriages, Debby has seen more of his life than any of her seven half-siblings, and she has quite a story to tell. The book is a no-holds-barred account of how Debby struggled to actively remain in her father’s life, eventually joining his tour band simply so that she could have a close father / daughter relationship with Glen, who is best known for his songs “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” and “Southern Nights.” As Bego explains it, “Debby tells a story that is both unique and touching. She unflinchingly tells of Glen’s battles with over 20 years of cocaine addiction, relationship problems, his famed affair with Tanya Tucker, and ultimately his current battle with Alzheimer ’s disease. Debby is quite verbal about her conflicts with her third stepmother, Kim, who has admitted Glen to a medical facility for Alzheimer’s patients. According to Debby, her father deserves better care for his deteriorating health. She would rather see him in an at-home setting with 24 hour care in surroundings he recognizes. Debby’s conflicts with her stepmother Kim make for some of the most dramatic episodes in the book.” Mark Bego is the author of two “New York Times” best-selling books: “Michael! “[Jackson] which sold 8 million copies worldwide, “Leonardo DiCaprio: Romantic Hero,” and a “Chicago Tribute” best-seller for his collaborative book with Martha Reeves: “Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva.” When “Life With My Father: Glen Campbell” was released earlier this year in Europe, it won a Paris Book Festival Award in the category of Best Non-Fiction Book category. LIFE WITH MY FATHER GLEN CAMPBELL By Debby Campbell and Mark Bego Published by Overlook Press (Publication Date: September 25, 2014)
OMG, and check out Glen Campbell's final video ... WOW!!!
Man, what a powerful song! (And Glen had a hand in writing it, too!) Does it exploit him a little bit? You betcha! But if he's only remembered for one song 50 years from now, this wouldn't be a bad way to go out. (kk)
Hi Kent --
Thanks for all you do. Did you get a chance to talk to Les Cauchi or Jimmy Rosica from the Brooklyn Bridge? I'm so glad that they are still touring as they have always been the premier show band, in my opinion. Ironically, Joe "Bean" Esposito recorded a song that we (the Showvinistics) did called "When Are You Comin' Back To Carolina" using the exact same musical bed, which was done at Pool Party Records, of which Joe is co-owner. Our version was done first, requested by the composer, but Joe ended up releasing his version. They speeded up the track a little but it is the same bed, on which the guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter displays the great guitar that he played on so many Doobie Brothers hits. When Asia comes try to speak with their tour manager, Bruce Pilato, who is from Rochester. He has been trying to put the Rascals back together but Felix always throws a monkey wrench into the mix. It probably won't happen as Felix , from what I understand, wants his own guitar player and drummer which, although they are excellent, obviously would make things difficult as it would reflect poorly on Gene and Dino. Also, wasn't Lou Graham (also from Rochester) powerful? Danny In order ... didn't get a chance to meet with The Brooklyn Bridge ... but they sure knocked us out with their brilliant harmonies ... just vocal perfection. Joe "Bean" Esposito is one of the best singers I've seen in a long, long time. After receiving your email last week, I really hoped to meet up with Bruce Pilato at the Asia concert ... but unfortunately we weren't able to do so. We missed them the last time they played The Arcada and then immediately afterwards one of the members got sick and the rest of the tour was cancelled. I was very concerned that I may have missed my last chance to ever see them ... so am SO glad to hear they're back on the road again. Scroll back to Sunday's Comments Page to catch our full review in case you missed it.
As for The Rascals' 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour, that would be a REAL bonehead move by Felix if it's true. The whole appeal of the 50th Anniversary Tour is the reunion of all four original members. Now if brought in as a "support team" to help supplement the sound (I'm sure they'd need a few other musicians and background singers as well), that might be a different story ... but having just seen Felix with his new band, I have to classify his new guitarist in much the same way I reviewed Ambrosia ... less is more. He's a HELL of a player ... and performed numerous soaring solos during Felix's show ... but not every song needs that added boost. Again it changed up the blue-eyed soul that WAS the sound of The Rascals, giving things a much harder edge. Like I said ... GREAT player ... but WAY too many frills. I'd just be happy to see The Rascals reunite on their own terms ... but if it's going to be all Felix's way or no way, then Dino and Gene might as well go back on the road as The New Rascals at they did before ... because BOTH guys are highly respected artists and musicians in their own right. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Finally, we missed the Lou Gramm show ... unfortunately we were out of town that weekend ... and I never heard from any of our readers who may have attended ... although word is he put on a good show. (kk)
Kent,
I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed today's selections of songs you posted on FH which were of course, radio related. I have got to tell you while I was listening to all 16, I thought of some other songs or records which reminded me of radio.
They are as follows:
1. TRANSISTOR SISTER by Freddie Cannon
2. I'VE GOT A PORTABLE ON MY SHOULDER by Frankie Lymon 3. PLEASE MR. DJ. by the Sensations
4. PLAY THOSE OLDIES MR. DJ. by Anthony & the Sophomores
5. CHAOS by Arbogast and Ross
Again, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Larry
I'm sure there must be at least a dozen more ... I threw that whole thing together in about 25 minutes Thursday Morning in a quick moment of inspiration. Didn't have ANYTHING ready to go up on the site (time seems to be scarcer and scarcer lately to write and edit!) but didn't want to go another day without at least SOME type of posting.
When the "radio" idea hit me, I thought, "Cool, I'll just string together six songs about radio ... and at least we'll have SOMETHING up on the site." Well, six quickly turned into ten ... then to twelve ... and finally fifteen ... every single one of them coming off the top of my head without doing any further research. "Play Those Oldies, Mr. DJ" ALMOST made the cut ... and I wish I would have thought of "Transistor Sister" by Freddy Cannon 'cause that would have been a good one, too. When all was said and done, we probably programmed a more interesting hour of music than you heard on any other REAL radio station that day!!! (kk)
I just found your site and I'm thrilled! I’m 67, VERY soon to be 68, so I was a big fan of Roy Orbison, and as a young boy, I heard all his songs on the radio. Obviously some many more times than others. Flash forward to the era of CDs, and I buy a copy of Roy’s ALL TIME GREATEST HITS – the mostly white cover with his signature running from lower left to upper right. Song #14 is SHAHDAROBA. I fell in love with the song all over again ... so much so that I legally changed my name to SHAHDAROBA RODD about 17 years ago. You see, in the lyrics, Roy sings that meaning of the word is “the future is much better than the past.” How cool is that for the meaning of a word?
HottRodd
APPRECIATING 'OLDIES' MUSIC ?If you were THERE, or close enough in age to older brothers and sisters who were, you could probably have a good sense of the music of past eras. (A younger friend insists that 80's music was best ... shudder)
At therapy, the 25-30 year old therapists have a liking for 'older' music, oh say 1965 - 1975, that they call-up on internet music services you can 'program' to your liking. (This is on in the background while working out, so that's fine for me)
When I started talking 'older' music with them (from artists they really liked), I realized that their 'sense' of older music was 'carved' out of what 'stations' choose to play and as we all know, playlists are not all inclusive!
A hit here, a hit there, perhaps an album once in a while, but have no idea the 'depth' of an artist, the near hits, or just great songs that don't get airplay ... (ie ... when's the last time you heard Shawn Mullins on the radio? He had a good run in the early 90's)
As for me, I've had CSN&Y - 4WAY STREET on in the car for weeks!
So, right now I'm dazzling them with compilation cd's I've made over the last 15 years! ORIGINALS, COVERS, ACCOUSTIC VERSIONS, DUET COVERS, ORIGINAL ARTIST, ETC. I DON'T THINK I EVER LOOKED SO SMART !!! (and I've made dozens of these cd's over the years ... no more since mp3 players though!)
Renfield
One of the sign-in links the other day on either Yahoo or MSN had page devoted to One Hit Wonders ... so naturally I clicked on it ... only to find that there wasn't a single song listed from before the 1990's. ("Who Let The Dogs Out" ... "Macarena" ... you get the idea!) And while, yes, these are technically "one hit wonders" they are NOT the songs or artists that one from our generation would expect to hear. The times ... they have already changed ... and left us in the dust. Recent television cancellations like "Longmire" and "Dallas", despite good ratings, just aren't delivering the demographics desired by the networks. These shows "skew old" ... with average viewers in their 60's and 70's. Even though they're loyal and faithful fans who never miss an episode (and we're talking viewership that outranks some of today's popular shows by two or three to one!), advertisers just aren't looking for this type of audience. (To paraphrase Kansas, all we are is dust in the wind!) kk
PSYCHEDELIC PIONEERS THE BLUES MAGOOS RETURN WITH
PSYCHEDELIC RESURRECTION, FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 40 YEARS
NEW YORK, NY (September 30, 2014)—“So many years have passed,” sing the Blues Magoos on the title track to Psychedelic Resurrection, their first new studio album in four decades. “But now we’re back and on this journey.”
The legendary psychedelic band from the Bronx, have returned with the release scheduled for October 14 on Kayos. Original members, lead vocalist / keyboardist Ralph Scala and vocalist / guitarist Peppy Castro, along with drummer Geoff Daking, who joined prior to the recording of the band’s hit debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, were joined by newest additions, Mike Ciliberto on guitar and Peter Stuart Kohlman on bass. The album also features cameos by original bassist Ronnie Gilbert and lead guitarist Mike Esposito, who also became part of the band before releasing their debut album, which went to #21 on the Billboard Top 200, thanks to the massive Top 5 single, “(We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet),” re-recorded for the new album.
“Being a Blues Magoo is like taping into my childhood. Rock till we Drop!” states Castro.
“This is what we do / We’ll take you in a new direction,” Scala promises on Psychedelic Resurrection, and it is both a reminder of where they came from and a bold step into reclaiming a classic garage-punk-rock sound that has been imitated by everyone from the White Stripes and the Black Keys to Ty Segall and Parquet Courts. The Blues Magoos’ November 1966 debut album represented a landmark of the kind of garage punk that anticipated bands like Television and the Ramones, with the band’s cover of John D. Loudermilk’s “Tobacco Road” included on Lenny Kaye’s original, influential 1972 Nuggets album, and their “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet” as part of the 1998 re-issue.
“I've always appreciated how much fans of all ages enjoyed and commented about all the songs on our three albums, from that lead singer of a famous Australian band from Perth who asked whether we would be playing "She's Coming Home" (which we'd never played live) to the 12-year-old who wrote and asked for an autograph in 1992, a letter I thought was lost in the mail for 25 years. The Magoos have a well-rounded legacy and we appreciate the opportunity to perform again. We play and sound good even after all the time in between...” enthuses Scala.
The Blues Magoos formed in 1964 and were initially called the Trenchcoats, which quickly became an important part of the emerging Greenwich Village rock scene, securing a residency at the fabled Night Owl Club. Changing their names to the Bloos Magoos, they released several singles for Ganim and Verve Records before getting signed to Mercury Records, and breaking out with their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, which showed the band’s roots with its covers of songs by James Brown (“I’ll Go Crazy”) and Chicago blues man Big Maceo Merriweather (“Worried Life Blues”). The album’s breakout single, “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet,” written by Castro, Gilbert, Scala and Esposito, went to #5 on the Billboard charts, and became a ‘60s underground anthem.
The band released four more albums in the ensuing four years, including Electric Comic Book (’67), Basic Blues Magoos (’68), Never Goin’ Back to Georgia (’69) and Gulf Coast Sound (’70). Scala and Peppy reunited on November 9, 2000, at the garage band revival, “Cavestomp,” while the two were joined by Daking in July 2008, for two concerts, including one with the Zombies, at the Fillmore New York. In December, 2009, the reformed band traveled to Spain for the Purple Weekend Festival.
Some of the individual members have gone on to fascinating tangents in their career. Castro took a lead role in the original legendary Broadway rock musical Hair, where he met Billy and Bobby Alessi, with whom he later formed Barnaby Bye (Atlantic Records). He was also in Wiggy Bits (Polydor) and Balance, which released several albums on Sony’s Portrait label in the early ‘80s, and has since reunited. Cher, KISS, and Diana Ross are among the many artists who have recorded Castro’s songs. He is also producing a new version of The Gong Show, which speaks for itself.
Scala moved to Hollywood with a reformed version of the Blues Magoos and began jamming with the likes of Greg Allman and Gram Parsons (among other prominent rockers), and also recorded an album as part of The Dependables, with Chicago songwriter/guitarist Joey Stec. Disillusioned with the music business, he went on to become a pro caddie at the elite Los Angeles Country Club for the likes of Ronald Reagan, N.Y. Yankee owner Del Webb, actor Jack Lemmon and other notable PGA golfers. Returning to New York, he formed a “hard country” group, the Country Sunshine Band (which played consistently for 20 years), earned his bachelor’s degree and enjoyed a successful career at major pharmaceutical companies, creating, developing and managing state-of-the-art environmental control systems to market and research drug products requiring FDA approval.
Daking, who replaced first drummer John Finnegan, went on to become an influential figure in audio engineering, opening his own studio, Nimbus Nine. Since 1970, he has built more than 20 recording studios for music, film and commercial production, and has been responsible for several innovations in the sound field, including designing a console specifically for digital audio, eliminating many of the shortcomings of the computer.
“After a lot of years with many commitments, we are all loose now to go back on the road. It's a good feeling. I love to travel anywhere. Planes, trains, buses and hotels don't bother me,” concludes Daking.
Are you ready to trip out and flip out?
Speaking of "new releases", iTunes offered a free four-track sampler from the now available Beatles solo album collection ... only problem is every time I tried to go there to download the tracks I got an error message! (Like 20 times in a row!!!) I WAS able to download them to my phone, however, so I figured, "Why Not!" You may want to see if you have better luck than I did! (kk)
From FH Reader Dave Barry (regarding the new Smokey Robinson duets album):
LOS ANGELES — After five decades in show business, the man who shaped Motown with instantly recognizable hits like “My Girl” and “Tears of a Clown” says he can’t stop writing.
Smokey Robinson says he scribbles down lyrics on a pad or leaves a fragment of a tune on his own voice mail whenever inspiration hits.
“I write on the plane, on the bus, on the train, I write in the bathroom,” Robinson said in an interview. “I do have a bunch of songs that I’m very anxious to record.”
But you won’t hear any of that material on his latest album, “Smokey & Friends,” released Tuesday. The collection of Robinson tunes pairs the legendary singer-songwriter with Elton John, Mary J. Blige, James Taylor, CeeLo Green, Miguel, Steven Tyler and more.
Robinson, who is on a U.S. tour, talked to The Associated Press about his duets collaborators and his love of being on the road.
On “Smokey & Friends,” Robinson sang “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” in-studio with longtime friend Steven Tyler, while the other tracks were pieced together electronically from separate recording sessions.
Each collaborator picked a favorite song written by Robinson.
Elton John, a Robinson friend for three decades, chose “The Tracks of My Tears,” first recorded by the Miracles in 1965.
“When we’re around each other, we have a great time. Neither one of us is from affluency,” Robinson said of John.
“So when you come up like that and your dream is to be in show business or to sing or play and you get the chance to really do it and earn your living, and it’s your life — it’s a wonderful thing.”
Robinson heard John Legend cover his song “Quiet Storm” in concert and told the 35-year-old soul crooner backstage that he should record a version of it.
“I look at people like John and I know that the future of show business is in good hands,” Robinson said. The two join up on a new version of the tune, which in 1975 marked Robinson’s return to the industry after a brief hiatus.
“I’m very close to that song,” he said. “It became a radio format and there are ‘quiet storm’ stations all over the country now.”
Robinson says he’s been watching and listening to Mary J. Blige since she debuted in 1992 as the “queen of hip-hop soul.”
“Mary has done a metamorphosis from when I first met her,” he said. “She came from having the image of the hip-hop world into what she has now. And that’s a whole other vision of her. ... She’s very spiritual. And she’s one of the greatest singers ever.”
On the duets album, Blige sings “Being With You,” first recorded by Robinson in 1981 on his solo album of the same name.
Robinson, 74, has been performing for more than five decades and won’t be stopping anytime soon.
He gets a spark of energy from seeing parents in the audience holding infants.
“The first time I saw those people, they were on their parents’ laps. There’s everybody there from 6 months to 100, and they’re of all races,” he said.
“I’m not going to get that anywhere else. I’m not going to get that same feeling, that same vibe, that same energy, anywhere else.”
There’s no after-party after each two-hour show nowadays, though.
“That was the party for me. I’m going to my hotel now. I’m going to watch some TV until I wind down and go to sleep. But it is a party,” he said.
“That’s why I still do it.”
Online: http://www.smokeyrobinson.com
Ian Lloyd (of Stories) has just released a brand new Halloween single!
And you can download it and listen to it via the link below! Enjoy!
Kent - California Chrome is running in the Breeder's Cup. I
wonder if Tommy Roe is going to write a song about it? Frank B. I'm guessin' probably not! (lol) kk
Hi Kent -
Regarding you referring to Roy Head as a one-hit wonder ... after "Treat Her Right", he had two more Top 40 hits (followed by four very minor chart singles). Then, from 1974 - 1985, he had 24 singles on the country chart, and four of them made the top 20. -- Gary E. Myers / MusicGem
And that, in a nutshell, is the "gray area" of One Hit Wonders. You're right ... Roy Head DID hit The Top 40 again with "Apple Of My Eye" (#23) and "Just A Little Bit (#37), both in 1965 ... but is there ANYBODY out there who knows or could sing a line or two from either of these songs? Sadly they're both forgotten AND forgettable ... not really the kind of songs anybody's going to miss. In this day and age where radio programs at best 200-300 songs ... and we're pushing for 9000 ... quite honestly, NEITHER of these "hits" would make our play list either! (kk)
Speaking of unusual playlists, what an unexpected pleasant surprise it was to find the ultimate "soft rock" station while we were down in Normal, Illinois, this weekend visiting our daughter Paige at Illinois State University! They took the whole concept of MOR to the max ... in addition to countless instrumentals, we were treated to tracks we haven't heard in AGES by artists like The Lettermen, Nat "King" Cole, Andy Williams, along with long-lost Forgotten Hits Favorites like "Mr. Dieingly Sad" by The Critters ... and the BIGGEST surprise of all, "Long Time To Be Alone" by The New Colony Six, which just may be my ALL-TIME FAVORITE song by them. This was especially surprising in that this record never climbed higher than #93 nationally, despite being a #13 Hit here in Chicago and going all the way to #1 in Hawaii, which allowed the band to fly there for several sold-out appearances. It is with GREAT pride and affection that I share this one with you again today!
Hey Kent -
If Chicago can afford to spend $1.35 Million in tax dollars on the fizzled Great Chicago Fire Festival, I'm sure they can part with a few bucks to stage a "Chicago Gold" show in Millenium Park next summer!
Thoughts?
Clive
We would LOVE to see it happen! (kk)
re: COPPOCK'S TOPICS: Already got some feedback on Chet's suggestions for better radio programming ...
Wow ... I'm not sure that most of Chet's suggestions for replacements were much better
than the ones he wanted replaced. Pearl Jam will have to go in the future's
version of Oldies Radio since Oldies Radio ends somewhere around 1975. We hear
lots of their tunes on our classic rock station including that awful version of
Last Kiss. If you want to replace Isn't she Lovely with an album track
try Summer Soft from the same album. The Steve Miller tunes of the 70's could
all be replaced. There are a couple replacements in some of his early stuff, My
Dark Hour from A Brave New World comes to mind. It's also the tune where the Fly Like An Eagle main lick came from ... could he sue himself? I like Them Changes for a
replacement for Dream Weaver. I love Sail On Sailor, but I know more than a few
Beach Boys fans that don't for some reason. If you want to dig deep into the Seger catalog how bout Let It Rock from Smokin' OP's? It's really Old Time Rock 'n Roll since it's an old Chuck Berry tune. It's also on the Live Bullet album. OK, I'll stop there. I
really can't think of a Cougar track I'd like to hear. Same goes for most of the
Petty tracks. Could probably find some good ones on most classic artists early
albums as replacements. Even some Stones tracks haven't probably gotten much
play at all since the AOR days. Bill
>>>Wave goodbye to Manfred Mann and "Blinded By The Light", a song I learned to
hate 30 years ago. "Blinded" is replaced by The Beach Boys' grossly underrated
"Sail on Sailor." (Chet Coppock)
Bravo!
Chet ~ One of their best post-Pet Sounds tunes. Listeners who discover the
Beach Boys catalogue without the filer of the Top 40, then FM Radio, prejudice
against them, will discover many great songs ... like Marcella, Surf's Up, Break
Away, Darlin' ... Phil PrayForSurfBlog.blogspot.com
Why isn't Chet programming a radio station? There are SO many classic
rock / oldies tunes that could be played, yet we get the same couple of hundred
tired songs ad infinitum, because the consultants and focus groups say listeners
want familiarity. BS!! Even satellite radio is falling into that trap. I was one
of the first 600,000 XM subscribers in 2006, and their playlists have shrunk
since they merged with Sirius. No wonder we all have turned to downloaded
music!
My two cents ... I don't think I could name a Pearl Jam song other than "Last Kiss"!!! I've NEVER really heard them much on the radio ... but know they had a tremendous "cult following". I can assure you that (other than possibly ... under special circumstances ... "Last Kiss" ... they won't be showing up in Forgotten Hits any time soon!) I used to really like Steve Miller's music ... and I'd include "Jet Airliner" and "Rock'n Me" amongst his catchiest tunes, too. I'm just tired of having them beaten in to me ... repeatedly ... all day long, every single day! And how is it that nearly all of Miller's 1974 - 1982 catalog is deemed worthy of constant airplay when so many other great artists are ignored completely? (He, too, had a tremendous underground cult following for years until he "sold out" for a pop career and lost most of his original fans and supporters. In their place, however, he earned millions of new loyal listeners ... and obviously won over the hearts of radio consultants everywhere ... you really can't turn on the radio in any city today and NOT hear one of his songs! The novelty of "Blinded By The Light" wore out for me within the first year. I get it ... aren't Manfred Mann hip, covering a Bruce Springsteen song ... but feature one of their OTHER Springsteen covers once in awhile, too! When's the last time you hear "Spirits In The Night"? Or the infinitely superior "For You" (which didn't even make The Hot 100?) Personally, I'd take "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", "Pretty Flamingo" or their other timely Bob Dylan cover "The Mighty Quinn" ANYTIME over "Blinded By The Light". (I do agree that The Beach Boys' "Sail On Sailor" should be part of regular programming, however! And I've never really had a problem with the Gary Wright song either!) Honestly, I don't need to hear Bob Seger sing ANYTHING for about the next two years ... another artist that I absolutely LOVED ... and radio has ruined for me with their non-stop repeated airplay. (Do these artists realize how much radio has turned their former fans against them? I would ask John Mellencamp that same question!) After Stevie Wonder announced that he'd be performing "Songs In The Key Of Life" in its entirety in concert later this year, I dug the CD out again and listened to it a few more times. "Black Man" would NOT be my first choice for airplay ... but ANY of the incredible bonus tracks, originally released on an additional EP, would be. I still like Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" ... actually, it's one of my favorites by him (probably because every time I hear it I can visualize the video with George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne). What annoys ME is that Sam Smith song "Stay With Me" that rips Petty off note for note on this song! I also still like Aerosmith's "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" because it reminds me of my first trip to San Francisco (see photo below!) The one that radio has ruined for me is "Dream On", which I now turn off at least six times per day. That one USED to be my all-time favorite Aerosmith song ... now I refuse to listen to it because I don't want to hate it anymore than I already do! Of course you can't hear "Dude" or "Old Time Rock And Roll" anymore without flashing to "Mrs. Doubtfire" or "Risky Business" ... images forever burned into our brains!
Yep ... I left MY heart in San Francisco! (lol) kk
re: PAUL REVERE: A few more comments that came in after our Tuesday Tribute ...
I have to say that Forgotten Hits pulled out all the stops when it came to saluting Paul Revere ... three full pages in the week after his death? Amazing! You don't get oldies coverage like this ANYWHERE else! And the love you have for this music shines through each and every time. Thank you. Stella
With the passing of the legendary Paul Revere, it gave me the idea to revisit
Mark "Boss" Amans' GREAT book about his rock 'n rollin' days that he describes in his
book "Where The Action Was". He has chapters on his Paul Revere days and the
TV'er "Where The Action Is" as well as many GREAT stories and LOTS of pictures
from his own collection. Well worth the ticket price on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Action-Mark-Hoss-Amans/dp/1456815903
Actually, it's "Hoss" ... and Mark ws participating with Forgotten Hits for quite awhile there when is book was coming out ... haven't really heard from him since (nor did I ever get the opportunity to read it!)... but I heard it's really good. He had a great run as a "Super-Roadie" back in the most exciting time in music history. (By the way, you can probably pick up a paperback copy of his book for about ten dollars less if you're interested!) kk
Kent, I just want to add a bit to the tributes to Paul Revere. I saw him and the band in concert twice back in the day. I was doing the DJ thing in Salt Lake City then and Paul had established the group as a force in that area well before he went national. Several years ago, the original Raiders, Mark, Fang, Smitty and all reunited without Paul for a concert here in Portland. It was truly one of the great nights of Rock 'n Roll I ever spent. While Paul wasn't there, it was obvious that the guys in the band had been properly trained on giving a good show and entertaining the fans. In my eyes, that was a tribute to Paul and his love of the fans who came to his shows. He was among the very best, and will be missed. Thanks, Paul. Chuck Wroste
Kent, So sad to hear about the passing of Paul Revere. In the mid-60's they were OUR Rolling Stones! Don't know if any of your readers have submitted this, but this clip features the last assemblage of the original group, with Drake. It's priceless, as the man himself was. Glad I got to see them once at ChicagoFest in the 90's. From 1979: Dick Clark re-unites the original core members of Paul Revere & the Raiders on a national TV special called: "THE GOOD OLD DAYS." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ8RdgHqk8U&index=7&list=PLDE19ADEA1BCC4923 Bob
I think these guys would have done just about ANYTHING for Dick Clark ... they literally owed their career to him! Yes, I've seen this clip before and it's great to see it again. (kk)
I have been enjoying the
tributes you have been posting on Paul Revere. I have gotten out all his
records, including the early instrumentals, and have been playing them.
Larry Neal
Great job as always with the Paul Revere stuff. I especially liked Billy Bob's comment. Chet
Hi Kent, Thanks for running the photo and story about Paul and Dino - that meant
a lot to me. Best, Billy
Bill Medley and his daughter McKenna performed at Paul Revere's funeral. David Lewis Yes, they were VERY close. (Bill's son was also Paul's lead singer for a short while earlier this decade.) Bill is performing TONIGHT at The Arcada Theatre (and I'm sure he'll say something about his long-time pal.) Raiders Drummer Tommy Scheckel asked me if we were going but unfortunately we have other plans. Tommy told me: He’s a warm, wonderful guy, just like Paul. It’s no
wonder they were such tight friends.
More from Tommy below ...
Kent,
Thanks again for another great webpage salute to Paul Revere. Paul’s dedication and work
for the troops was covered in detail at his Memorial by Generals and Governors,
much better than I could ever do ... there wasn’t a dry eye in the
house.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Scroll back to Tuesday's post and you can catch the video of this moving tribute to the man we lost ... a man who touched so many of our lives along his journey. kk)
Loved your tit’s nipples
comment, too ... too funny!
Thanks again, kk -
Tommy
My pleasure, Tommy ... figured you could probably use a smile right about now. (kk)
Kent ... Phil "Fang" Volk spoke with me on the phone Sunday night, Oct
12th, for over an hour with reflection and cool stories about Paul Revere along
with a few odd Raider tunes mixed in. The show was aired live on my Sunday
night www.topshelfoldies.org show, which airs every Sunday night from 9 pm - 1 am eastern (last
hour is an archived show of special interest). The show will be archived
and downloadable at my website, www.davetherave.com, sometime during the day on
Thursday, October 16th. I think your readers will really enjoy it. Keep up the
great work in Forgotten Hits!!! Dave the Rave Check it out, gang ... that means it will be available later today! (kk)
And check THIS out, too!!!
Paul Revere & The Raiders We're excited to announce the "Paul Revere Doughnut" by world famous Voodoo Doughnut! Today through December 15, 2014 you can enjoy this Red, White & Blue sprinkled Chocolate covered Tricorn Hat filled with butter cream. This doughnut rocks! A portion from every doughnut sold will go to The Oregon Music Hall of Fame, in their quest of raising funds to further music education in Oregon. Paul Revere & The Raiders were inducted in 2007 as part of the hall of fame's inaugural class.
Get your "Paul Revere Doughnut" starting today at all Voodoo Doughnut locations.
Voodoo Doughnut Too (TWO)
1501 N.E. Davis St. in Portland Oregon, U.S.A.
Voodoo Doughnut Tres (THREE)
20 East Broadway @ Willamette ave Eugene Oregon 97401
Voodoo Doughnut Mile High (FOUR)
1520 East Colfax, Denver, Colorado 80218 Kent, Ah yes ... but do they deliver??? Even if they do, we would be talking "day old or longer". Shelley Still a pretty clever and enterprising idea ... and going to a good cause ... but I WOULD kinda like to eat one, too!!! (kk)
The cover was commissioned to celebrate the launch ofBBC Music, which is described by the BBC as "an ambitious wave of new programmes, innovative partnerships and ground-breaking music initiatives that amount to the BBC’s strongest commitment to music in 30 years," according toThe Guardian. It will be releasedas a charity singleto benefit the BBC’s Children in Need program.
re: THIS WEEKEND IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
Tomorrow we announce our brand new Joel Whitburn / Record Research / Forgotten Hits Trivia Contest for your chance to win a copy of Joel's new book, "The Comparison Charts", offering peak hit positions comparisons from all three major trade publications, 1954 - 1982.
Then on Saturday we combine our weekly features 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND and THE SATURDAY SURVEYS again to bring you ALL kinds of great tracks that radio has forgotten all about.
And Sunday ... I'm not sure yet!!! We've got a couple of ideas cookin' right now ... but after digesting this absolutely MASSIVE Edition of THURSDAY THIS AND THAT, my guess is you won't be looking for even more comments!!! (So we'll have to come up with something else!)
Stay tuned and drop by to see what we've come up with!
