Friday, August 12, 2016

The Friday Flash

re:  50 Years Ago Today:
Had you walked into your fave record store on Friday 8/12/66, you would have seen this WCFL survey ...
Jack


Yep, and there you see it ... first stop on the tour ... Chicago, Illinois!  (kk)

Hey Kent,
It's hard to believe that it's been 50 years since The Beatles had their turbulent year of 1966. I know it all started with John's "more popular than Jesus" quote. Some of us knew what John was all about and that his words were taken out of context. I caught an interview with Ringo, many years after their last Shea Stadium concert. He said they were all very nervous before taking the stage. Before the show, he actually tilted his cymbals to hide his face, thinking that some nut would start shooting from the audience, and that the cymbals would act as a shield. The difference between then and now is that performers DO get shot on stage these days.
- John LaPuzza
I don't recall the exact details but I seem to remember one show where a firecracker went off or something when The Beatles were on stage and they thought it was shots being fired.  They were rightfully paranoid ... and security throughout the tour was beefed up to an all-time high level.  How much crazier is it still to think that 14 years later John Lennon would be gunned down in New York City trying to enter his apartment building ... or that an intruder would break into George Harrison's home to attack him with a knife?   (And you thought the jealous boyfriends during Beatlemania were bad!!!)  kk

Hi Kent,
I will be In Chicago this evening.  I will be doing a sound 
check tomorrow morning at 9:30 ... if you can make it I'd like to meet up with you. 
You are doing a great job and wonderful service with Forgotten Hits ... and I appreciate it along with many other artists.
Billy
Billy J. Kramer's in town for an appearance at The Fest For Beatles Fans this weekend.  Unfortunately we're not able to attend but I would LOVE to see his show.
Watch for our brand new, exclusive interview with Billy ... hopefully next week (if I can ever get the final editing done ... I'm back to 14 hour work days of late which leave little time for anything else!)  Tenative plan is to run a review of the Toto concert on Monday (just a few tickets left for their appearance at The Arcada Theatre tomorrow night), a SWEET 16 on Tuesday (the 16th, of course) and then three days of Billy J. Kramer from Wednesday thru Friday ... so LOTS of great stuff coming up in Forgotten Hits!  (kk)

re:  This And That:
Also this weekend ... 

The Benefit Concert for (and featuring) Jimy Sohns and The Shadows of Knight ... with performances by both the current band AND the original line-up!
It all happens at Mac's On Slade in Palatine, IL ... more details via the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1082230238514244/ 

>>>Perhaps someone might have an idea who recorded a version of "The Theme To A Summer Place" that I am trying to identify. It is a male vocal that I recorded off the radio in the late 60s or early 70s; I still have a copy if someone wants to give it a listen. The song was recorded by a lot of folks but not too many male solo vocalists. I have ruled out Cliff Richard, Dick Roman and Andy Williams. Jackie Rae also released a version around 1960 and the only small audio clip of him that I can find is not the version I am after; however, the clip could be from a re-recording.  
(Earl Thompson)  
>>>This could be a tough one as literally HUNDREDS of artists recorded this song over the years.  Why don't you send us the clip and we'll run it on the website and see if anybody recognizes it.  (kk) 
Here is the mystery version of Summer Place in MP3 format. You are correct in that it has been recorded by a zillion folks ... however, I can only find a handful of male solo vocalist that have recorded it and none of those are the mystery artist. Again, I recorded this probably before 1970 or thereabouts.
Fingers crossed!!!!
Earl
 
I say it's by Dick Roman
Bill
And I'm thinking you've got it.  (Earl says he ruled out Dick Roman as a candidate ... but it sure sounds like him to me!) Dick charted at #53 with his version in 1962 ... and these sound like one and the same to me.  (kk)

>>>I'm  talking about the REAL Wild Wild West ... not this Will Smith stuff. I mean the real thing from 1965, with Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. It may well be the best TV theme song of all time, and certainly the best for any Western.  Jeff Duntemann)
>>>C'mon ... better than "Bonanza"???  I don't think so!  (Actually I've never seen the show OR heard the theme before)  kk  
"The Wild Wild West," an instant hit series for CBS, aired between 1965 and 1969.   It featured gunslinger James West and Artemus Gordon, an inventor of an endless series of incredible gadgets as well as a master of disguise.  The two served as the country's first Secret Service agents, traveling the Old West at the behest of President Ulysses S. Grant.  They spent each episode fighting villains, encountering beautiful women and dealing with fiendish plots to take over the World.  In 1999 the concept was revised, recast and turned into a hit movie.  The opening and closing TV title sequences, plus the transitions in and out of commercial breaks, all featured and enhanced the popularity of the series' theme song, which I consider above average but not really one of, say, the ten greatest TV themes of all time.   But to each his own.  Below is one version of the opening animation of "The Wild Wild West" -- plus my personal favorite TV theme and it's show open animation.. It helps to know film history and stop now and then on a freeze frame to get all the overt and insider references in this second clip, which runs 50 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGOlInenLe0.  
Gary Theroux

Chet,
About two months ago, I decided I had enough of commercial radio, as I, too, was tired of hearing Steve Miller, Foreigner, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Journey, Bon Jovi, etc., so I went and subscribed to SiriusXM. I started on the sixties channel (channel six appropriately), and two days later I made it to Little Steven's Underground Garage, (channel 21).  I have not moved the dial since.
I hear songs I haven't heard in 50 years plus, as well as songs that probably weren't heard outside of a small circle of friends. The only Pink Floyd song I've heard in the last two months is See Emily Play and I think I've heard one of Steve Miller's pre-1970 songs, as well. Moreover, some of the back stories they give on the songs are great.
I will never willingly listen to terrestrial radio again.
You are spot on with the jocks, but to a certain extent, it was also the magic of the time period. Even when Dick Biondi returned to town, on WCFL in 1967, some of the magic was lost, and for sure when he returned a decade later, it wasn't the same. Sadly times change and none of us are who we were 50 years ago.
I will be curious next year as we become fixated on the music, and times of the Summer Of Love, 50 years ago. Hopefully I won't have to hear The Beatles' All You Need Is Love, incessantly. I will start throwing things.
I will look forward to your thoughts, Chet, next year. 
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
Forgotten Hits will be celebrating the 50 Year Anniversary of my all-time favorite year in music in a VERY big way next year  ... and Jack is one of the folks who is helping us put it all together.
We'll start promoting this in a much bigger fashion after September 1st ... this is something you're going to want to tell ALL of your music-lover friends about ... without question, the single biggest undertaking we've ever done.  (All I can say is if you've been enjoying our periodic "50 Years Ago Today" segments, you are gonna LOVE what we've got planned for next year!)  kk