>>>Several people commented about how Howard's film credits Washington, DC, Disc Jockey Carroll James with being the first in America to play The Beatles on the air, a story we disproved nearly fifteen years ago right here in Forgotten Hits. (kk)
I know what you mean, Kent ... similar thing with the Million Dollar Quartet when shown in the West End theatre in London. How can they play Hound Dog????
Take care,
Rockin’ Lord Geoff (in England)
In order for Million Dollar Quartet to draw an audience they had to "stretch the truth" a little bit (ok, a LOT) and include the songs that each artist is best known for. In actuality, most of what they performed that night was gospel music! But without the hits, this thing would have never gotten off the ground. Still a great production ... but gives the audience a false sense of reality that they then take with them and share with others. This is why I still believe the greatest comment I EVER received for doing Forgotten Hits came from the legendary Al Kooper, who told me "Thank you for spreading the truth." (kk)
We saw the Beatles movie Eight Days a Week, with the bonus Shea Stadium concert afterwards, yesterday. It was very confusing as to where and when it was playing locally. It played in one of our "artsy" theaters. First we saw it was only going to be Thursday night at a different theater. Now it seems, this theater is showing it every night this week, which hadn't been posted on Friday!
It was an interesting crowd - all ages from teens to the very old. I started crying immediately, remembering being there at the very beginning in 1964 at their first Boston concert. A lot of it was footage that we'd seen through the years. but a lot was new and I really loved seeing them achieve the fame they did at such a young age,and really trying to understand it themselves. I had read Larry Kane's book, Ticket to Ride, and saw him at a speaking engagement discussing it. It was good to see him featured in the film.
We were wondering why there wasn't more discussed about when they met the Maharishi and did the whole psychedelic thing. Then realized it was only about the touring years ... which then totally took me by surprise that they never gave a performance after releasing their last four albums! How was that possible? They were in the public limelight for less than ten years! (As opposed to, say, the Rolling Stones who've been performing for over 50) And to think of the impact they had in such a short time the pop music scene from the 60's until now!
Eileen
We're still waiting to see it on the big screen - sure, I'll buy the DVD, and watch it numerous times that way I'm sure ... but I want my first experience to be in a movie theater on a giant screen with incredible booming sound!!! (kk)
Kent ...
It's Sunday Night and I'm listening to " Wild Wayne's Memory Machine."
He just reviewed Ron Howard's "Eight Days A Week" movie.
(Wild Wayne ran into Hilton Valentine of the Animals ) at the movies ... he said it was "Brilliant."
Not much about their personal lives. It covers their touring years, 1962 to 1966.
Never before seen concert clips plus new interviews with Paul and Ringo.
After 1966 they retired to the recording studio.
To quote Wild Wayne, "It was incredibly entertaining."
Wild Wayne played a couple of his Beatle favorites -- "Anytime At All" and the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" with Pete Best on drums. (There is no mention of Pete Best in the movie.)
Do you think Ron Smith can sue if he didn't give them permission to use his book title?
Frank B.
Yeah ... THAT'S the way it works!!! (lol) By the way, I heard from Scott Shannon and he's going to mention the slight to Dick Biondi in the film on his True Oldies Channel on Monday. Scott is a HUGE fan and admirer of Biondi (and, for a short time, they were on the air together at WLS-FM when The True Oldies Channel aired here in Chicago. Incredibly Scott Shannon's syndicated show from New York drew higher ratings than ANY of our local jocks on the station!!! And they STILL let him go!!!!) Anyway, please tune in and listen on Monday to hear justice served ...
http://trueoldieschannel.com/
Hi Kent,
I am on vacation with my wife Roni and we went to see Cyndi Lauper at The Sandi Casino Ampithester in Albuquerque. She didn't need a big flashy production like most of today's acts.
I really didn't know what to expect but she was fantastic ... her energy level was great and her rapport with the crowd was fantastic.
I think Miley Cyrus and some of today's other young artists should do themselves a favour and go and see her. They would all learn a lot from such a gifted talented lady.
Billy J. Kramer
Hi Kent -
Thru your blog, I read that the Cornerstones may be touring ... any info on this yet ? Any chance of them coming to NE Ohio ?
Take care
Tom
I don't think there's any "official" word on this yet ... but I would think shows throughout the Midwest would be a sure thing. Last I heard was that they were hoping to hit the road next March ... stay tuned for more details as they become available. (kk)
Kent,
I would love to see / hear the Shames' Arcadia performance of "It Could Be We're In Love" if it is available anywhere. Sounds quite interesting.
I will also mention that the speech at the Survey Convention in KC last week mentioned the Shames and two KC friends there bought at least 15 surveys (from Jack, I think) mainly because they had the Cryan' Shames listed. The Shames just keep memories rolling, whether their hits got ripped off big chartings by Billboard or not!
Also ... I just read that Joe Jeffrey passed away from cancer. You may remember him as the one hit wonder who did "My Pledge of Love" in 1969. I liked his voice and you might enjoy his nice mellow "Kind of a Drag" many years before Tufano and Giamarese slowed it down in the mid-70's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSD8Ec-UBXs
Clark Besch
I really like the Joe Jeffrey version ... wonder if The Bucks have heard this one before. As for The Cryan' Shames, I absolutely, positively and firmly believe that they were cheated out of at least FIVE songs that deserved to be Top Ten National Hits ... they were every bit as good as ANYTHING else out there at the time ... they were signed to a major label and yet they just didn't happen. (Unfortunately, we can't undo history.)
Here is how Billboard ranked the best of their best (compared to their Chicagoland showing) ... worse yet, each of these records charted considerably higher in the other major trade publications of the day.
"Sugar And Spice" (#49 Billboard / #39 Nationally / #4 Chicago)
"I Wanna Meet You" (#85 Billboard / #62 Nationally / #6 Chicago)
"It Could Be We're In Love" (#85 Billboard / #52 Nationally / #1 Chicago)
"Up On The Roof" (#85 Billboard / #60 Nationally / #7 Chicago)
"Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith And Jones" (#115 Billboard / #73 Nationally / #9 Chicago)
What's wrong with this picture? And what's the deal with their "lock" on the #85 position in Billboard??? Seriously, ALL of these records performed exactly the same??? I don't think so!
A position spread of 20-30 places between these publications? Hardly seems realistic to me. These guys were flat out CHEATED our of some legitimate hit records.
Regarding The Arcada performance of "It Could Be We're In Love", I had TWO videos posted that failed to run when that Comments Page went up on the site ... for some reason, both links were deleted from my posting. (Hmm ... wonder if Columbia Records was involved in that, too!!! Seems to be some kind of MAJOR conspiracy going on here!) I'll try it again today and see if it "takes"!
(kk)
I know what you mean, Kent ... similar thing with the Million Dollar Quartet when shown in the West End theatre in London. How can they play Hound Dog????
Take care,
Rockin’ Lord Geoff (in England)
In order for Million Dollar Quartet to draw an audience they had to "stretch the truth" a little bit (ok, a LOT) and include the songs that each artist is best known for. In actuality, most of what they performed that night was gospel music! But without the hits, this thing would have never gotten off the ground. Still a great production ... but gives the audience a false sense of reality that they then take with them and share with others. This is why I still believe the greatest comment I EVER received for doing Forgotten Hits came from the legendary Al Kooper, who told me "Thank you for spreading the truth." (kk)
We saw the Beatles movie Eight Days a Week, with the bonus Shea Stadium concert afterwards, yesterday. It was very confusing as to where and when it was playing locally. It played in one of our "artsy" theaters. First we saw it was only going to be Thursday night at a different theater. Now it seems, this theater is showing it every night this week, which hadn't been posted on Friday!
It was an interesting crowd - all ages from teens to the very old. I started crying immediately, remembering being there at the very beginning in 1964 at their first Boston concert. A lot of it was footage that we'd seen through the years. but a lot was new and I really loved seeing them achieve the fame they did at such a young age,and really trying to understand it themselves. I had read Larry Kane's book, Ticket to Ride, and saw him at a speaking engagement discussing it. It was good to see him featured in the film.
We were wondering why there wasn't more discussed about when they met the Maharishi and did the whole psychedelic thing. Then realized it was only about the touring years ... which then totally took me by surprise that they never gave a performance after releasing their last four albums! How was that possible? They were in the public limelight for less than ten years! (As opposed to, say, the Rolling Stones who've been performing for over 50) And to think of the impact they had in such a short time the pop music scene from the 60's until now!
Eileen
We're still waiting to see it on the big screen - sure, I'll buy the DVD, and watch it numerous times that way I'm sure ... but I want my first experience to be in a movie theater on a giant screen with incredible booming sound!!! (kk)
Kent ...
It's Sunday Night and I'm listening to " Wild Wayne's Memory Machine."
He just reviewed Ron Howard's "Eight Days A Week" movie.
(Wild Wayne ran into Hilton Valentine of the Animals ) at the movies ... he said it was "Brilliant."
Not much about their personal lives. It covers their touring years, 1962 to 1966.
Never before seen concert clips plus new interviews with Paul and Ringo.
After 1966 they retired to the recording studio.
To quote Wild Wayne, "It was incredibly entertaining."
Wild Wayne played a couple of his Beatle favorites -- "Anytime At All" and the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" with Pete Best on drums. (There is no mention of Pete Best in the movie.)
Do you think Ron Smith can sue if he didn't give them permission to use his book title?
Frank B.
Yeah ... THAT'S the way it works!!! (lol) By the way, I heard from Scott Shannon and he's going to mention the slight to Dick Biondi in the film on his True Oldies Channel on Monday. Scott is a HUGE fan and admirer of Biondi (and, for a short time, they were on the air together at WLS-FM when The True Oldies Channel aired here in Chicago. Incredibly Scott Shannon's syndicated show from New York drew higher ratings than ANY of our local jocks on the station!!! And they STILL let him go!!!!) Anyway, please tune in and listen on Monday to hear justice served ...
http://trueoldieschannel.com/
Hi Kent,
I am on vacation with my wife Roni and we went to see Cyndi Lauper at The Sandi Casino Ampithester in Albuquerque. She didn't need a big flashy production like most of today's acts.
I really didn't know what to expect but she was fantastic ... her energy level was great and her rapport with the crowd was fantastic.
I think Miley Cyrus and some of today's other young artists should do themselves a favour and go and see her. They would all learn a lot from such a gifted talented lady.
Billy J. Kramer
Hi Kent -
Thru your blog, I read that the Cornerstones may be touring ... any info on this yet ? Any chance of them coming to NE Ohio ?
Take care
Tom
I don't think there's any "official" word on this yet ... but I would think shows throughout the Midwest would be a sure thing. Last I heard was that they were hoping to hit the road next March ... stay tuned for more details as they become available. (kk)
Kent,
I would love to see / hear the Shames' Arcadia performance of "It Could Be We're In Love" if it is available anywhere. Sounds quite interesting.
I will also mention that the speech at the Survey Convention in KC last week mentioned the Shames and two KC friends there bought at least 15 surveys (from Jack, I think) mainly because they had the Cryan' Shames listed. The Shames just keep memories rolling, whether their hits got ripped off big chartings by Billboard or not!
Also ... I just read that Joe Jeffrey passed away from cancer. You may remember him as the one hit wonder who did "My Pledge of Love" in 1969. I liked his voice and you might enjoy his nice mellow "Kind of a Drag" many years before Tufano and Giamarese slowed it down in the mid-70's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSD8Ec-UBXs
Clark Besch
I really like the Joe Jeffrey version ... wonder if The Bucks have heard this one before. As for The Cryan' Shames, I absolutely, positively and firmly believe that they were cheated out of at least FIVE songs that deserved to be Top Ten National Hits ... they were every bit as good as ANYTHING else out there at the time ... they were signed to a major label and yet they just didn't happen. (Unfortunately, we can't undo history.)
Here is how Billboard ranked the best of their best (compared to their Chicagoland showing) ... worse yet, each of these records charted considerably higher in the other major trade publications of the day.
"Sugar And Spice" (#49 Billboard / #39 Nationally / #4 Chicago)
"I Wanna Meet You" (#85 Billboard / #62 Nationally / #6 Chicago)
"It Could Be We're In Love" (#85 Billboard / #52 Nationally / #1 Chicago)
"Up On The Roof" (#85 Billboard / #60 Nationally / #7 Chicago)
"Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith And Jones" (#115 Billboard / #73 Nationally / #9 Chicago)
What's wrong with this picture? And what's the deal with their "lock" on the #85 position in Billboard??? Seriously, ALL of these records performed exactly the same??? I don't think so!
A position spread of 20-30 places between these publications? Hardly seems realistic to me. These guys were flat out CHEATED our of some legitimate hit records.
Regarding The Arcada performance of "It Could Be We're In Love", I had TWO videos posted that failed to run when that Comments Page went up on the site ... for some reason, both links were deleted from my posting. (Hmm ... wonder if Columbia Records was involved in that, too!!! Seems to be some kind of MAJOR conspiracy going on here!) I'll try it again today and see if it "takes"!
(kk)
Do The Eagles have a future?
Got this from FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...
EAGLES: May Fly Again?
Don Henley says he can envision one scenario for the band working together again.
Don Henley tells the Montreal Gazette, "It’s been an adjustment trying to realize that the Eagles are no more" in light of Glenn Frey's death in January.
But he does hold out a glimmer of hope that the band could work together again. "Glenn has a son who can sing and play quite well ... the only way I would consider any kind of reunion, I think, would be with Glenn’s son, Deacon. But there have been no discussions along those lines, and we’re still going through the healing process — trying to get through all this. And those are things that might happen somewhere down the road. But right now, everybody’s doing the solo thing."
Henley says performing "Desperado" has helped him come to grips with Glenn's death. "That’s the first song that Glenn and I wrote together. So every night I dedicate it to him. And the crowd gets emotional, and that’s part of the healing process — for them as well as for me. I think they expect it. I won’t sing any of his songs, though. I don’t think that would be quite right, even if I co-wrote them. I’m just not doing it."
I, for one, certainly hope not ... you just can't call it "The Eagles" without Glenn Frey and Don Henley together. (Everybody else always seemed to be considered "hired hands" anyway!)
They can still do their solo tours ... and, if by some chance, Don wanted to include Joe Walsh and/or Timothy B. Schmit in the line-up, nothing would please me more ... but you just CAN'T call it "The Eagles". (kk)
Speaking of tours, Vintage Vinyl News ran this set list for a recent Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam concert held in Toronto ... a VERY long, career-spanning set from an artist who typically didn't do this in the concert setting before!
Set 1: Where Do the Children Play? / If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out / Somewhere (from West Side Story) / Love Me Do (a Beatles cover) / Here Comes My Baby / The First Cut is the Deepest / I Love My Dog / Matthew and Son / Northern Wind / A Bad Night / Trouble / I Wish, I Wish / Lilywhite / Don't Be Shy / Pop Star / On the Road to Find Out
Set 2: Miles From Nowhere / Into White / Father and Son / You Can Do (Whatever) / The Wind / Peace Train / Morning Has Broken / How Can I Tell You / Ruins / Another Saturday Night / Novim's Nightmare / People Get Ready (Impressions cover) / Be What You Must / Just Another Night / Maybe There's a World / All You Need is Love medley / Wild World
Encore: Moonshadow / You Are My Sunshine / Oh Very Young
Although a bit late, my wife and I were able to attend the "Happy Together 2016 Tour" at the Ralston Arena in Omaha, NE, on 9/3/16. There were only 1500 fans which I found quite disappointing since there were so many great acts present. The Nebraska Cornhuskers were at home playing football that night so I am sure that hurt attendance some.
Spencer Davis led off and did a credible job on his hits of old. I was never a huge fan of his group, but it was remarkable watching him still play the guitar well and jive with the band.
The Cowsills followed him up with their five hit singles and I really was impressed with their ability to so closely mimic their hits.
Gary Puckett, in my opinion, was the hit of the night. Gary can still belt out the songs with very good tonal quality. My wife and I both wished he had sang more of his songs.
An intermission was followed by Mark Lindsay singing some of the Raiders' hits and his own Arizona. A lady that sat next to my wife came just, as she said, "to drool over him". He came out dressed in one of their familiar costumes with a pair of bright multi-colored running shoes. His best song was Arizona, although he gave a fantastic effort on all of his songs.
Chuck Negron of "Three Dog Night" fame followed and he looked very young in comparison to all the others. His voice has not lost the touch that made his group so huge. The arena really got into "Joy to the World" and he really rocked the stage.
Of course, the Happy Together tour finished with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (The Turtles) doing some comedy shticks while singing some of their greatest songs of all time. Howard Kaylan was brought onto the stage in a wheelchair being pushed by the female member of the Cowsills. He sat in a chair during their entire performance but it didn't seem to affect his singing ability at all. I went especially for The Turtles and they did not let me down ... they were terrific. Toward the end of the show, Howard told everyone that "all the performances" tonight are being digitally recorded and would be available for purchase in the near future.
Nebraska was the last stop on their tour and I and the other 1499 of us were all glad they glad they came. What a great way to spend a Saturday evening!
Noiro
Here's hoping Howard is doing ok ... we just love the guy! (He and Mark have both had their share of health problems these last few years ... but they still give their all when it comes to entertaining their fans.)
I wish we could have seen the show this year ... man, what an EXCELLENT line-up! (kk)
Hey Kent,
I was just thinking about the novelty records where they would insert little snippets from hit records in an interview format. Buchanan & Goodman, whom I know nothing about, produced "Flying Saucer The 2nd", along with its flipside, "Martian Melody". That 45 was the talk of my neighborhood! I know there were others like it in those days, but can't recall the titles. I wonder if you know of how they charted and how long that sort of thing sold to radio listeners. What fun they were to collect!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLauA-LoBpo
- John LaPuzza
Break-In Records were quite the thing back in the mid '50s thru mid '60's ... Dickie Goodman (one half of Buchanan and Goodman) was the KING of break-in records ... and he had several charted hits along the way. (For every chart success, however, there were probably another dozen that never received any airplay.)
The biggest included "Flying Saucer" (#1, I guess, since you referred to the second one), which went all the way to #3 nationally (and topped the chart here in Chicago.) "Flying Saucer The Second" went to #18 the following year (1957). (That first record came out on their own "Universe" Record label ... until it was determined that there already WAS a Universe Records ... at which point Buchanan and Goodman personally hand wrote in a capital "L" in front of each disc, changing the label name forever to Luniverse Records ... even MORE appropriate in the novelty market!!!)
Dickie topped the charts on his own in 1975 with "Mr. Jaws" and made The Top 50 with "The Touchables" (#23, 1961); "The Touchables In Brooklyn" (#42, 1961); "Ben Crazy" (#44, 1962); "On Campus" (#45, 1969); "Watergrate" (#42, 1973); "Energy Crisis '74" (#29, 1974) and "Kong" (#48, 1977). (Also big in Chicago was "Batman And His Grandmother", which made The Top Ten here in 1966.
Goodman had a knack for capitalizing on the popular trend of the day. I guess you could say these records represent the earliest known form of "sampling", a technique that would become widely successful decades later in the hip-hop market. I've got dozens and dozens of these and most of them still warrant a smile here and there all these years later. (In the early years, Goodman was able to use the actual recordings by the original artists ... in fact, Buchanan and Goodman went to court over this matter and were officially granted license to do so as each new record they produced constituted a new form of recorded material. Naturally these guys then went and cut a novelty record called "Buchanan And Goodman On Trial"!!!) By the '70's, however, many of the snippets used were "imitations" of the real records due to licensing issues. (kk)
Add "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano to the instrumental list (http://www.forgottenhits.com/top_50_instrumental_hits_1955_-_1979) ... superb organ in this piece.
https://youtu.be/fai-fjwslDE
Meanwhile, FH Reader Tom Cuddy sends us this interview from CBS News ... http://www.cbsnews.com/news/beach-boys-mike-love-opens-up-drama-with-cousin-brian-wilson/
Thanks for thinking of these!
Dan Packard
Thanks, Dan ... but for the record, I didn't think of these ... there are TWO lists shown on the website ... one is a mathematical ranking based on each record's actual chart performance at the time that it charted. The other is a list based on a tabulation of the votes of our Forgotten Hits Readers who were asked to select their all-time instrumental favorites with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. (As you can see, "Viva Tirado" didn't make EITHER list ... but I agree with you that it's a great track. It was a #19 Hit here in Chicago back in 1970. (kk)
As expected, Mike Love is EVERYWHERE right now promoting his new book "My Life As A Beach Boy". My copy came the other day but I probably won't start it until after I read the new Dean Torrence book (as Dean has agreed to do an interview with Forgotten Hits after I do.)
As expected, Mike Love is EVERYWHERE right now promoting his new book "My Life As A Beach Boy". My copy came the other day but I probably won't start it until after I read the new Dean Torrence book (as Dean has agreed to do an interview with Forgotten Hits after I do.)
To my Oldies friends,
The world is a messy and dangerous place. Here's a song about how it sometimes makes me feel.
This is my version of "Build an Ark”, also recorded successfully by the Gather Vocal Band.
Unfortunately “Build An Ark”, produced by Jimmy Wisner, was released several years too soon. It certainly mirrors the feelings of so many of us at this time.
PS The thunderclap at the beginning of the recording is real - not computerized. Jimmy and I were working in Owen Bradley’s recording studio in farmland just outside of Nashville when a storm blew up. So we took a microphone outside and recorded the storm live.
Enjoy and reflect,
Paul Evans
We just got word that Me-TV-FM will be airing Gary Theroux's syndicated Christmas special "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits Of All Time". This is EXCELLENT news as this will be the first time the program will be airing in Chicago. (We've been talking about it for years but have never had the chance to actually HEAR it!!!)
Hosted by Wink Martindale, the program is available to other stations from coast to coast who may wish to air some very special holiday programming. (You'll find more details on how to sign up your station in Gary's email below.) Congratulations to all parties concerned! (kk)
Hi, Kent.
You might like to know that you putting me in touch with ME-TV's Neal Sabin last year has lead to ME-TV-FM becoming the Chicagoland affiliate for the freshly updated 2016 edition of THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME. I've discoverd a true kindred spirit in ME-TV-FM Program Director Rick O'Dell. Next time you talk to him, he should be able to tell you the exact broadcast schedule he's worked out for the 10 hour countdown.
More than 100 stations around the world have aired earlier editions of THE 100 GREATEST HITS OF ALL TIME. New affiliates in North America can secure the countdown -- hosted, as ever, by broadcast legend Wink Martindale -- for their markets by contacting Envision Radio Networks at: http://www.goenvisionnetworks.com/show/100-greatest-christmas-hits/
Stations outside North America should contact Radio Express at: http://www.radioexpress.com/christmas-radio/the-100-greatest-christmas-hits-of-all-time/ Attached is a little sample of THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME, which features not only the best-loved, best-selling and highest charting Yuletide hit singles and albums ever made but lots of surprising bonus tracks -- plus Christmas greetings and the stories behind their classic hits from over 160 stars. Where else can you hear from Elvis, all the Beatles, Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, Weird Al Yankovic, the cast of "Mystery Science 3000" plus another 150 celebrities all wishing you Season's Greetings?
Gary "History of Rock 'n' Roll" Theroux
Producer - Writer of "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time"
