re: David Bowie:
Comments from every walk of show business regarding the unexpected death of rock star David Bowie ... http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2016/01/the-world-reacts-to-death-of-david-bowie.html?utm_source=VVN+Music+E-Mail+Subscribers&utm_campaign=9c0daa81f9-January+12%2C+2016+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a4dfe0b50-9c0daa81f9-89761121
The guy was clearly well loved in all circles.
Comments from every walk of show business regarding the unexpected death of rock star David Bowie ... http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2016/01/the-world-reacts-to-death-of-david-bowie.html?utm_source=VVN+Music+E-Mail+Subscribers&utm_campaign=9c0daa81f9-January+12%2C+2016+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a4dfe0b50-9c0daa81f9-89761121
The guy was clearly well loved in all circles.
I swear I've heard more Bowie music in the past 48 hours than I have in the last five years combined!!! This morning I listened all the way through the long version of "Fame" ... then, when it was over, changed the channel to find them ALSO playing "Fame" ... so, having just heard it, switched the channel again to find that "Fame" was also playing on THAT station!!!
Don't really need to hear it THAT many times in ten minutes!!! On the way home I heard "Modern Love", "Golden Years" and "Young Americans" all within a 15 minute timespan.
And it's hard not to listen to Bowie's newest song from a different perspective in hindsight ...
Bowie also held 19 of the Top 20 Spots on Amazon.com's "Vintage Artist" Best-Sellers list, including the Top 12 positions. He apparently fought cancer for the past eighteen months without disclosing his condition publicly. (And I had completely forgotten that he had a heart attack a few years ago, too.) Still, an unexpected surprise ... and certainly not in a good way.
Vintage Vinyl News has provided EXCELLENT coverage of all things Bowie-related this week, including THIS story that came out yesterday explaining some of the other recent health issues he's had recently ...
Until I read Mark Lindsay's comment the other day, I never knew that Bowie cut a version of Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Louie Go Home" as David Jones back in 1967 ... now I've got to hear that one. (I always did like his version of "Sorrow", too.) kk
R.I.P. David Bowie ... Young Americans
Jerry
re: Troy Shondell:
Kent ...
I bought "This Time" at that time ... 1961.
Love this live clip from 1999 ...
Love this live clip from 1999 ...
Hi Kent -
So sorry to hear of the passing of David Bowie, but what touched me more was the passing of Troy Shondell.
In my Top Ten of favorite songs, "This Time" is in that bunch. It was a low budget, small record label, but it had a special sound with the piano and lyrics that reached all us teens at that time!
I watched 'You Tube' with Troy singing his national hit and I have the original Goldcrest record in my juke box. Thank you, Troy "Gary Wayne Shelton" Shondell for "This Time".
Carolyn
ps I have a Liberty record of Troy's called "Tears of an Angel". How did it do on Billboard?
When in doubt ask the master!!
Billboard ranked Troy's 1962 hit "Tears From An Angel" at #77 ... it did a little better in Music Vendor (#68) and a little worse in Cash Box (#87). The flipside charted, too ... "Island In The Sky" peaked at #92 on the Billboard Chart. And I seem to remember his 1962 hit "Na-Ne-No" making the Chicagoland charts, too. (kk)
re: Bobby Darin:
Hi Kent,
In my Top Ten of favorite songs, "This Time" is in that bunch. It was a low budget, small record label, but it had a special sound with the piano and lyrics that reached all us teens at that time!
I watched 'You Tube' with Troy singing his national hit and I have the original Goldcrest record in my juke box. Thank you, Troy "Gary Wayne Shelton" Shondell for "This Time".
Carolyn
ps I have a Liberty record of Troy's called "Tears of an Angel". How did it do on Billboard?
When in doubt ask the master!!
Billboard ranked Troy's 1962 hit "Tears From An Angel" at #77 ... it did a little better in Music Vendor (#68) and a little worse in Cash Box (#87). The flipside charted, too ... "Island In The Sky" peaked at #92 on the Billboard Chart. And I seem to remember his 1962 hit "Na-Ne-No" making the Chicagoland charts, too. (kk)
re: Bobby Darin:
Hi Kent,
Thanks for rerunning the Bobby Darin Series again. I agree with you in reference to Michael Buble owing more to Bobby Darin then Sinatra . I always thought the biggest compliment Sinatra ever paid Bobby Darin was the fact that he never attempted to record “Beyond The Sea”. I recall the early Napster years and the fact that a great many number of people requested a copy of Sinatra singing “Beyond The Sea”. As a matter of fact if you entered “Beyond The Sea” by Frank Sinatra back then, there were hundreds of entries giving Frank Sinatra credit for recording this song.
I’m a huge Bobby Darin fan and the only Darin song I never really cared for was “That’s All”. I would much rather of heard him do a cover of this song as a beautiful slow ballad, which he would have been more then capable of doing. “Rainin’ “ is a great hidden gem. My favorite hidden Darin gem has to be “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square”. I’ve heard all the greats do their rendition but Bobby’s stands out as the best, even better then Frank’s and I’m the biggest Sinatra fan in this world.
In the Darin series they mention the fact that he sometimes needed oxygen during performances at his live shows. Bobby does a rendition of the great standard “Once Upon A Time” on one of his TV Shows. The oxygen reference makes me think of this show. Darin tells his conductor Roger to start the intro again while he catches his breath and then says again “once more please”. Bobby then sings this song and knocks it out the park.
“Aint there one damn song that can make me breakdown and cry”. Yes, listen to Bobby Darin rendition of “Once Upon A Time” and I’m sure it will do the trick.
A Happy and Healthy New Year To You And Yours, Kent!
Jerry Kamper
Micky Dolenz attended Broadway's School of Rock last week while in New York for his series of "In Discussions with Peter Noone"
L- R: School of Rock's Alex Brightman and Dolenz (photo by dis COMPANY)
This from FH Reader Tom Cuddy on Billboard's coverage of Natalie Cole's funeral ...
http://www.billboard.com/articles/videos/popular/6836600/natalie-cole-funeral-los-angeles?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_term=daily_digest
Kent ...
Everything you ever wanted to know about "Runaround Sue."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-story-behind-runaround-sue-1452616310
Frank B.
Scroll back to read our review of Dion's new album posted on Tuesday ... good stuff. (Hey, you could have been in the studio for the media launch on this thing!!!) kk
Scroll back to read our review of Dion's new album posted on Tuesday ... good stuff. (Hey, you could have been in the studio for the media launch on this thing!!!) kk
To my Oldies friends and fans,
When my producer Jimmy Wisner and I returned from a U.K. tour supporting our 1978 success, "Hello, This Is Joannie", Spring Records told us that they'd decided to make an R&B artist out of me.
Really.
No kidding.
When we said "NO!, they released us from our contract, and Jimmy and I were in Shock City!
So we ran back to Nashville and recorded and released "Hangin' Out and Hangin' In" on Jimmy's label, Cinnamon Records. But we were dreamers, and the record crashed.
It shoulda been a hit.
HANGIN' OUT AND HANGIN' IN (Paul Parnes and Paul Evans)
Thanks,
Paul Evans
PS Thanks to Lee Douglas for getting Peter Alden to record a version of "After The Hurricane", my last "Shoulda Been A Hit" selection.
When my producer Jimmy Wisner and I returned from a U.K. tour supporting our 1978 success, "Hello, This Is Joannie", Spring Records told us that they'd decided to make an R&B artist out of me.
Really.
No kidding.
When we said "NO!, they released us from our contract, and Jimmy and I were in Shock City!
So we ran back to Nashville and recorded and released "Hangin' Out and Hangin' In" on Jimmy's label, Cinnamon Records. But we were dreamers, and the record crashed.
It shoulda been a hit.
HANGIN' OUT AND HANGIN' IN (Paul Parnes and Paul Evans)
Thanks,
Paul Evans
PS Thanks to Lee Douglas for getting Peter Alden to record a version of "After The Hurricane", my last "Shoulda Been A Hit" selection.
In light of the box office success of David O. Russell’s JOY we wanted to remind you that ABKCO just released the Music From the Motion Picture JOY on CD this week; it was digitally released just before the film opened on Christmas day. Rodrigo Perez, writing for IndieWire’s “The Playlist,” cited music as a key component of the film: "Music also plays a major role in “Joy,” both from a score perspective — via the orchestral work of David Campbell (Beck's arranger father) and the guitar drones of West Dylan Thordson — and from the vibrant soundtrack that practically drives the film."
The newest film written and directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, The Fighter), starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper includes a remarkable soundtrack featuring the music of Cream, the Rolling Stones, the Bee Gees, Ella Fitzgerald and more.
JOY is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. Jennifer Lawrence stars, with Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Edgar Ramirez, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Elisabeth Röhm and Dascha Polanco. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, JOY defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love. Lawrence just won a Golden Globe (Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy) for her role in JOY.
Regarding the soundtrack, five time Oscar nominee David O. Russell commented, “There are songs here I have been waiting almost 40 years to use in a movie, from ‘Aguas de Marzo’, Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘I Want to Be Happy’, Bee Gees ‘To Love Somebody’, to the rare Nat King Cole ‘A House With Love In It,’ with his singular spoken radio introduction to the song. Cream’s ‘I Feel Free,’ with the acapella harmonizing of Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton which at the film’s end, becomes the new recording made for the film by Brittney Howard of The Alabama Shakes, amazingly overdubbed with her incomparable voice. The privilege of making a simple quiet piano version of Springsteen’s soulful melody ‘Racing In the Street’, and the singing of collaborators Jennifer and Edgar, these are what make a movie magical to me, and why I love going to the movies and listening to their soundtracks. Our score by West, David, and Blake is at the heart of the picture, together with the choirs.”
In addition to an original score provided by West Dylan Thordson and David Campbell, with additional music by Blake Mills, Music From the Motion Picture JOY contains a swath of timeless songs, ranging stylistically from Latin jazz to hard bop to rock and roll. The collection is bookended by two versions of “I Feel Free” – the original, which was an early hit for power trio (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker) Cream, and a brand new rendition performed by Alabama Shakes vocalist Brittany Howard. Other significant tracks include “Stray Cat Blues,” from the Rolling Stones’ acclaimed 1968 album Beggars Banquet, and “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes, which originally appeared on Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You, considered by many to be the quintessential Christmas album. The title track from Lee Morgan’s landmark 1964 album The Sidewinder is another JOY standout.
As is often the case with David O. Russell films, the track selection for JOY leans towards the less obvious. “To Love Somebody” is an early Bee Gees single that was only a minor hit in the U.S. and UK in 1967. “I Want to Be Happy,” an original composition for the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette, is performed by a the pre-superstar Ella Fitzgerald, when she was still with Chick Webb and his Orchestra. “A House With Love In It” is performed by Nat King Cole from his groundbreaking 1956-57 NBC television program The Nat King Cole Show. This rare version has not been generally available in the U.S.
Music From the Motion Picture JOY contains three musical performances by cast members that are featured in the film itself. Edgar Ramirez sings the Randy Newman-penned “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” most well known as a 1970 hit for Three Dog Night. He is backed by Latin jazz mainstays Ray de la Paz and The Pedrito Martinez Group. Ramirez, as the character Tony Miranne, also sings Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Aguas De Marzo,” while his duet with Jennifer Lawrence underscores their characters’ relationship. The two actors sing “Something Stupid,” a duet that was a massive number one hit for Frank and daughter Nancy Sinatra in 1967.
Story and song are intertwined throughout JOY, and having all of the crucial tracks featured in the film represented in one package is an uncommon gift. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs, who also worked with David O. Russell on American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook, meticulously chose a collection of songs used to carry forth the themes that serve as threads throughout the film.
Between Jennifer Lawrence's win at The Golden Globes last weekend ... and the recent passing of Robert Stigwood (who produced Cream and The Bee Gees when both artists released their first records here in The States back in 1967) ... as well as very good word of mouth regarding the film ... the timing couldn't be more perfect for the release of this new soundtrack CD. (It's actually playing in my car right now!)
Ordering information, the complete track list and several sound samples can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Motion-Picture-Various-Artists/dp/B018EFHRL2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1452771283&sr=1-1&keywords=joy+soundtrack
Jennifer Lawrence has won her third Golden Globe. This one is for her title role in David O. Russell’s JOY. ABKCO just released Music From The Motion Picture Joy on which Ms. Lawrence is heard singing a duet with co-star Edgar Ramirez of “Something Stupid” which was, of course, a huge hit for the father and daughter team of Frank and Nancy Sinatra a scant 49 years ago. Little known fact: “Something Stupid” was written by the late Carson Parks, older brother of Van Dyke Parks. And yeah, you're right ... Robert Stigwood helped guide the careers of the BeeGees and Cream.
Bob Merlis
PS - Have you stopped posting radio station surveys? As you know, it’s my favorite feature in FH but haven’t seen anything since before NYE.
The Monday Morning Fifty Year Flashback series ended with 2015's final posting. After two straight years of posting vintage surveys from around the country every single week saluting the 50th Anniversary of The British Invasion and then the biggest hits of 1965, we're taking a break this year. (You have no idea how much time and effort goes into posting 105 straight weeks of charts!)
That's not to say you won't see an occasional one here and there this year ... you will ... plus we've declared 2016 "Sweet 16", which means we've also got some special countdowns and themed features planned ... so stay tuned for that. ("Sweet 16" features will run on the 16th and 29th of every month ... since THIS year EVERY month has at least 29 days!!!)
Music From the Motion Picture JOY contains three musical performances by cast members that are featured in the film itself. Edgar Ramirez sings the Randy Newman-penned “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” most well known as a 1970 hit for Three Dog Night. He is backed by Latin jazz mainstays Ray de la Paz and The Pedrito Martinez Group. Ramirez, as the character Tony Miranne, also sings Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Aguas De Marzo,” while his duet with Jennifer Lawrence underscores their characters’ relationship. The two actors sing “Something Stupid,” a duet that was a massive number one hit for Frank and daughter Nancy Sinatra in 1967.
Story and song are intertwined throughout JOY, and having all of the crucial tracks featured in the film represented in one package is an uncommon gift. Music supervisor Susan Jacobs, who also worked with David O. Russell on American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook, meticulously chose a collection of songs used to carry forth the themes that serve as threads throughout the film.
Between Jennifer Lawrence's win at The Golden Globes last weekend ... and the recent passing of Robert Stigwood (who produced Cream and The Bee Gees when both artists released their first records here in The States back in 1967) ... as well as very good word of mouth regarding the film ... the timing couldn't be more perfect for the release of this new soundtrack CD. (It's actually playing in my car right now!)
Ordering information, the complete track list and several sound samples can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Motion-Picture-Various-Artists/dp/B018EFHRL2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1452771283&sr=1-1&keywords=joy+soundtrack
Jennifer Lawrence has won her third Golden Globe. This one is for her title role in David O. Russell’s JOY. ABKCO just released Music From The Motion Picture Joy on which Ms. Lawrence is heard singing a duet with co-star Edgar Ramirez of “Something Stupid” which was, of course, a huge hit for the father and daughter team of Frank and Nancy Sinatra a scant 49 years ago. Little known fact: “Something Stupid” was written by the late Carson Parks, older brother of Van Dyke Parks. And yeah, you're right ... Robert Stigwood helped guide the careers of the BeeGees and Cream.
Bob Merlis
PS - Have you stopped posting radio station surveys? As you know, it’s my favorite feature in FH but haven’t seen anything since before NYE.
The Monday Morning Fifty Year Flashback series ended with 2015's final posting. After two straight years of posting vintage surveys from around the country every single week saluting the 50th Anniversary of The British Invasion and then the biggest hits of 1965, we're taking a break this year. (You have no idea how much time and effort goes into posting 105 straight weeks of charts!)
That's not to say you won't see an occasional one here and there this year ... you will ... plus we've declared 2016 "Sweet 16", which means we've also got some special countdowns and themed features planned ... so stay tuned for that. ("Sweet 16" features will run on the 16th and 29th of every month ... since THIS year EVERY month has at least 29 days!!!)
And wait till you see what we've got planned for 2017 ... it's our biggest project yet ... I'm telling you, the fun NEVER ends in Forgotten Hits! (lol) kk
Bob Merlis also reports that we may soon be seeing some vintage rock and roll video that hasn't been seen in DECADES, thanks to a new deal struck between WGBH Boston and Reelin' In The Years Productions. Check this out ...
Bob Merlis also reports that we may soon be seeing some vintage rock and roll video that hasn't been seen in DECADES, thanks to a new deal struck between WGBH Boston and Reelin' In The Years Productions. Check this out ...
WGBH Boston and Reelin’ In The Years Productions Partner to License Music Footage
(Boston, MA)-- WGBH, the largest producer of content for public television, and Reelin’ In The Years Productions, the world’s premier footage source for musical artists and entertainers, today announced an exclusive licensing representation deal for WGBH’s music-related footage.
(Boston, MA)-- WGBH, the largest producer of content for public television, and Reelin’ In The Years Productions, the world’s premier footage source for musical artists and entertainers, today announced an exclusive licensing representation deal for WGBH’s music-related footage.
The deal will include more than four decades of material produced by WGBH between 1968 and 1995, much of which has not been seen since its original broadcast. The footage is part of the WGBH Media Library and Archives and will be made available through Reelin’ In The Years Productions (RITY).
“We are excited to have our music collection represented by such an experienced and trusted music licensing service,” says Alison Smith, associate director of the WGBH Media Library and Archives. “Reelin’ in the Years Productions recognizes the historic value of this footage and how to bring it forward to new audiences.”
Since its first television broadcast in 1955, WGBH has been the source of hundreds of award-winning news, documentary and drama programs, many of them featuring popular music. Perhaps best known is the James Brown concert at the Boston Garden in 1968, the day after Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. was killed. WGBH filmed and broadcast the three-hour performance live at the request of Boston Mayor Kevin White in the hope of keeping residents at home and the city calm. It is credited with helping prevent riots which other cities were experiencing.
Other notable performances that will now be available through RITY, feature soul music artists who appeared live on WGBH’s public affairs TV series Say Brother (now Basic Black), including Gladys Knight & The Pips, David Ruffin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Carla Thomas, Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions, Smokey Robinson, Sly & The Family Stone, Isley Brothers and The Parliaments (featuring the earliest known footage of George Clinton). Other unique programs in the archive feature performances and interviews with artists such as James Taylor, Buddy Guy, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Big Mama Thornton, Taj Mahal, Bobby Blue Bland, George Thorogood, New Edition, Nancy Wilson, Eartha Kitt, B.B. King, J. Geils Band, Frank Zappa, and Tony Bennett. In 1993, WGBH produced, in association with the BBC, a 10-part documentary mini-series series called Rock & Roll which traced the history and evolution of rock and roll music, from its rhythm and blues, country, gospel and jazz roots in the early 1950s, through the advent of folk, rock, soul, heavy metal, glam, funk, punk, and reggae, to the emergence of rap in the 1980s. WGBH saved and preserved all 80 of the raw interviews they filmed (ranging from 45-90 minutes in length). The archive contains a “who’s who” of notable artists being interviewed including songwriters and producers who rarely sat down for interviews. Artists include Little Richard, Ike Turner, Scotty Moore & DJ Fontana, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, George Clinton, Wilson Pickett, Robbie Robertson, Jerry Lee Lewis and producers such as Berry Gordy, Jerry Wexler, Lieber & Stoller, Rick Hall, George Martin, Gamble & Huff, Phil & Marshall Chess, Tom Dowd and Jeff Barry. Sadly, many of these great artists are no longer alive, but thanks to this archive the stories of their significant contribution to the history of popular music can be seen and heard.
“To represent the performances and interviews from this major archive is truly a great honor,” says RITY founder and president David Peck. “The WGBH holdings feature many one-of-a-kind performances and interviews -- it’s the rediscovery of a great American treasure.”
RITY has begun the process of cataloguing the WGBH music footage and making it available for clips to be used in documentary productions.
FH Reader / Regular Frank B shared this "open letter" he wrote to Scott Shannon at WCBS-FM regarding the 1.5 BILLION DOLLAR Powerball Lottery drawn last night. (Somehow I've got a feeling he's still going to be listening to whatever WCBS-FM is playing by whomever is playing it for quite awhile to come! lol) Hey, I didn't win either ... we were going to buy an island where I would play ONLY the music I want to hear 24/7 for the rest of my life! A play list of 30,000 songs with virtually no repeats for months on end. I guess all those radio guys are right ... it just isn't meant to be. (kk)
Hey Scott ...
I want to be honest, like that guy in Vegas who said he'd spend his winning on Cocaine and Hookers.
You guys don't want me to win.
I'm going to use my winnings to buy WCBS - FM ... fire all you guys and go back to the old days.
Hire Harry Harrison or Herb Oscar Anderson, haven't made up my mind. (Sorry Scott ).
Bring back Cousin Bruce, Bobby Jay anf Norm N. Nite. Spend some of my money to find Bob Shannon and bring him back.
I might even become a Disc Jockey myself and give myself a show.
I expect all of you to be rooting against my winning.
I don't blame you, I'd be doing the same thing .
Frank B.
FH Reader / Regular Frank B shared this "open letter" he wrote to Scott Shannon at WCBS-FM regarding the 1.5 BILLION DOLLAR Powerball Lottery drawn last night. (Somehow I've got a feeling he's still going to be listening to whatever WCBS-FM is playing by whomever is playing it for quite awhile to come! lol) Hey, I didn't win either ... we were going to buy an island where I would play ONLY the music I want to hear 24/7 for the rest of my life! A play list of 30,000 songs with virtually no repeats for months on end. I guess all those radio guys are right ... it just isn't meant to be. (kk)
Hey Scott ...
I want to be honest, like that guy in Vegas who said he'd spend his winning on Cocaine and Hookers.
You guys don't want me to win.
I'm going to use my winnings to buy WCBS - FM ... fire all you guys and go back to the old days.
Hire Harry Harrison or Herb Oscar Anderson, haven't made up my mind. (Sorry Scott ).
Bring back Cousin Bruce, Bobby Jay anf Norm N. Nite. Spend some of my money to find Bob Shannon and bring him back.
I might even become a Disc Jockey myself and give myself a show.
I expect all of you to be rooting against my winning.
I don't blame you, I'd be doing the same thing .
Frank B.
Frank also tried to scoop our Forgotten Hits Grim Reaper Ron Smith with this one ...
Kent ...
The old man (95 years old) around the corner from me died. Just once I wanted to get a death notice to you before Ron Smith ... even if I have to resort to cheating to do it. LoL!
Frank B.
Frank B.
I checked Ron's website this morning just before posting to see if he had any better scoops up there ... but his most recent death notice still belongs to David Bowie ... so I may have to give you this one. (But I've gotta ask you ... what hit records did YOUR guy have???) kk
