The Friday Flash

Coppock's Topics  
Chet stated that "The Safaris' "Image of a Girl" is the most underappreciated song from rock's first golden era."  I agree ... not sure if it's the "most", but it is a great song ... for some friends of mine in 7th grade, it was THEIR song ... I guess he had found the right "image".  
BUT, for that same time-frame (early 60's), the Cascades "Shy Girl" is another great song that should have been BIG in the pre-Beatles era.  It has the signature guitar-chink rhythm of that era.  It should have been the "slow-dance" favorite at sock hops.  It was the first song on the only Cascades album (that had Rhythm of the Rain).  Another great Cascades song, a year or two later,  was "Cinderella" that had some success in Japan.  
Billy Fairfield

I just recently subscribed to satellite radio. Of course I immediately found the 60's channel. I loved it, until Cousin Brucie started his show. He may have been big in NY, but I found him boring. I switched channels. However, Chet, you may be a bit prejudiced about Dick Biondi. I think Dick's act played out long ago too.  
Jewel and Carole King in the same sentence? I don't think so. Perhaps had Jewel written huge sellers for as a diverse cross section of artists as Carole had, we could have some agreement. Jewel and Celine Dion? That's even more ludicrous. Celine doesn't belong in the same sentence as Jewel.

Dark Star had the misfortune of being paired with Just A Song Before I Go. Radio programmers love songs that clock in at around 2:10. No doubt that it was pitched like that. Had the label stuck some nondescript song on the back of Just A Song ... and then released Dark Star as the followup, you could have had your wish come true.

I don't have a problem with Toto being overrated, but they have some stiff competition. I'm not silly enough to name some names. Suffice to say some are FH faves.

Can't comment about some of Chet's other topics, as either I wasn't there, or I'm not familiar enough with the given song to say thumbs up, or down. 

Jack Levin 

Chet said that the Safaris' IMAGE OF A GIRL is the most underappreciated song from rock's first golden era. I don't know about that, but from day one and up through the years, I have always liked the clock, metronome, whatever, ticking in the background. I can't imagine the record being played without it.  
Larry Neal 

Toto overrated?  Chet does know that this band consisted of some of the most seasoned, accomplished and versatile studio musicians in the world, right? 

Lisa 

And, they're coming to The Arcada Theatre in August!  (We saw Bobby Kimball there a few years ago and he was great ... but this show should be a killer!  Wonder if Chet'll be in attendance that night!!!)  kk  

Hey Kent,I'll bet you knew you were going to hear from me on THIS one, right? Actually, I cleaned up my language a bit. Toto is, and has been, made up some of L.A.'s finest studio musicians. It is a solid, innovative group. So for a legendary sports broadcaster to place Freddie and the Dreamers into the same category as that band, pleases me to no end. 
- John LaPuzza  
You DO know that he was kidding, right???  (lol)  kk

Bobby Rydell

Kent ...

You said that you were about to read Bobby Rydell's Autobiography.  

I liked it ... interesting and well written.

His father supported him 100% ... his mother not so much.  (You won't hear much about his mother till the end of the book.)
One thing I noticed:  Bobby Darin and Bobby Rydell were both opening acts for George Burns in Las Vegas. George told Rydell to stay out of the casino. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember a similar story about Bobby Darin.

He was gambling in the casino. I think he won some money and George Burns got mad at him for not listening to his advice. I think he even slapped him in the face.  

Bobby Darin never went into the casino again.
Frank B.

I'm about halfway through the Bobby Rydell book and I am enjoying it very much ... well-written and very entertaining.

The George Burns story struck me as odd, too, as it was SO similar to the Darin situation.

Here's how we covered it in our Bobby Darin feature (now permanently posted on the other Forgotten Hits website):

http://forgottenhits.com/the_bobby_darin_story

'60's FLASHBACK:

The "finger-snappin', swingin' style" of BOBBY DARIN was a perfect fit for the Las Vegas nightclubs and soon he would become (at 23) the youngest headliner ever on the Strip!  His first break came when legendary comedian GEORGE BURNS invited BOBBY to be his opening act at HARRAH's in Lake Tahoe.  They became an incredible draw and BOBBY learned SO much from the vaudeville master.  DARIN loved GEORGE BURNS and referred to him many times as the father he never knew ... even though he only ever referred to him as "MR. BURNS" his entire career.  BOBBY went so far as to once comment that if he could have chosen his own father, GEORGE BURNS would have been the man.  (BURNS replied that he felt EXACTLY the same way about BOBBY ... but that BOBBY was too YOUNG to be his father.)  GEORGE BURNS and GRACIE ALLEN ... who by then had stopped performing due to illness ... welcomed BOBBY into their lives as part of their family.  When GRACIE died, BOBBY actually slept in her bed for several nights so that GEORGE BURNS wouldn't be alone.  He finally convinced BURNS that the only way he would ever come to terms with his wife's death was to also sleep in her bed.

Back in the earliest days of his nightclub career, GEORGE BURNS was paying BOBBY $1750 a week to learn the ropes ... and BOBBY was happy to get it.  After hits like MACK THE KNIFE and winning a couple of GRAMMY AWARDS, BOBBY certainly didn't need to play second-fiddle to ANYONE ... yet years later he STILL turned down two more lucrative (and career-advancing) offers to appear with BURNS as his opening act.  Truth is, GEORGE BURNS laid a pretty heavy guilt trip on BOBBY DARIN.  BOBBY was sure his old friend would find a replacement for him, especially in light of the circumstances.  BURNS, however, tore into BOBBY, criticizing him for his irresponsibility in not honoring the old contract.  "If I were still paying you peanuts and you had a chance to better yourself, I wouldn't think twice about it, but for the kind of money I'm paying you (BURNS had raised BOBBY's take to $7500 per week), you have a responsibility to me!"  (BURNS had NO idea that BOBBY took a $17,500 per week paycut to open for his old friend ... but that's exactly what BOBBY did ... and he never told him.)  "I'm sorry, MR. BURNS ... you'll have me in Vegas with you," he said.

BOBBY remained close with BURNS for the rest of his life.  In 1964, he even wrote the theme song to BURNS' short-lived television series WENDY AND ME, costarring CONNIE STEVENS.  (He also wrote the theme for the comedy series CAMP RUNAMUCK that year ... but we won't hold EITHER of these against him!)

GEORGE BURNS loved to tell the story of the time that BOBBY DARIN won $1800 during his first gambling go-round in Las Vegas.  BURNS congratulated his young protege on his winnings but warned him not to go back to the tables ... he could lose that money just as easily as he had won it.  In fact, he even offered to hold BOBBY's winnings for him until they left town to insure its safe-keeping ... or, give BOBBY some "pocket money" so he could still have fun in the casinos but also have something to show of his winnings when they left town.  BOBBY snapped back that he was old enough to take care of himself and then promptly proceeded to lose every penny of it!  In a heated "I told you so" argument just before showtime, BURNS slapped BOBBY across the face for his stupidity and arrogance.  Normally, during the show, BURNS would give a long-winded introduction before bringing BOBBY on stage ... the two would then shake hands and then BOBBY would do his show.  This night, BURNS simply told the audience, "Ladies and Gentlemen, BOBBY DARIN."  As BOBBY walked on stage, BURNS refused to shake his hand, slapping it away as he walked off the stage.  BOBBY was devastated.  He felt that he had alienated the best friend he ever had in show business ... not to mention insulted and disappointed a living legend.  "MR. BURNS," he called out on stage, "If you don't give me my regular introduction, I won't be able to work."  BURNS looked at BOBBY's sad expression and then came out to talk to the audience.  "This little boy just lost $1800," he said, and then told the audience the entire story.  When he finished, he asked the audience if they felt BOBBY should be punished or forgiven.  The crowd voted for forgiveness, at which point BURNS went over to BOBBY, gave him a big hug and then gave his normal introduction.  BOBBY went on to give a great performance that night and ... legend says ... never gambled again.
 

SPEAKING OF BOBBY RYDELL, HERE'S ANOTHER FORGOTTEN HITS EXCLUSIVE .  
We're going to be interviewing Bobby Rydell in the next week or two ...

This is YOUR chance to ask him anything you like ...

If there's anything you've EVER wanted to know, NOW is the time to prepare your questions.

We'll run the best of what we receive ... along with Bobby's answers ... AND a review of his autobiography in an upcoming edition of Forgotten Hits!  So send them in NOW!!!  (kk)

Michael Nesmith

FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent us this recent interview with The Nez ... 

MONKEES: Mike Nesmith on Why He's Not on the Tour  

(His commitment to finishing a book took up the same time as the 50th anniversary tour.)

(Mike Nesmith says he would love to joined Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, but he faced a hard deadline to complete his memoir.)

Just hours before the band's 50th Anniversary Tour kicked off in Fort Myers, Florida, we spoke with him in New York. 

Mike Nesmith says his book commitment stood in the way of joining The Monkees tour.

"Double booked. I had already made plans for this summer, and had it set up and made a commitment to my publisher to deliver a book by the end of October. So it just laid right over the time they were going to do the tour; we talked about it. And what we're trying to do is we're trying to work it out so that after I deliver the book, if they've got some dates or if we've got a way to put together a 50th anniversary concert, then we'll do it." 

Nesmith says online rumors that he's planning to do cameos at some shows on the West Coast or other surprise appearances simply aren't true. 

Mike Nesmith says don't try to guess when he might join a Monkees show before November.

"I'm definitely not going to show up as a surprise on any of these shows out there. But we talk about if there a gap where our schedules will open up, and I can go there and get the rehearsal in or so forth... I'll go do a show or two or three. We'll make sure that everybody knows that I'm coming -- and you're not going to play the lottery and go and hope that Nez is there, 'cause he's not. Right now, there's no plans to do it. And when there are plans to do it, we'll say, 'OK, we're going to play this show and this date at this time certain'." 

But the idea of a special night or two, teaming with Micky and Peter, as well as the young writers who contributed to their upcoming Good Times! album holds a lot of appeal -- even if it has to wait till much later this year. 

Mike Nesmith promises Monkees fans they won't be kept in the dark if the guys do a special show with a number of guests. OC: ...I'll let you know.  

"We're also trying to target, we're going to play 'this 50th anniversary concert' and we've invited Fountains of Wayne and we're invited Ben Gibbard and Death Cab [For Cutie] and we've invited Noel [Gallagher] and Paul [Weller] -- and we'll do a big party like that. Those are all pipe dreams right now; they don't really exist. So the best, straight up thing to do is just to say, 'I'm not going to be at any of them that we know of. But if I am going to come to one, you'll know about it.' We'll promote it, we'll make sure that you get an opportunity to come there and if it's that important for somebody to be up there playing Mike, I'll let you know."  

As far as the book, Nesmith says, "It's nothing about The Monkees. I mean there's a chapter in there that kinda touches on it. It's about counter-culture, it's about my life in the counter-culture, about living, growing up. It's about the beginning of the cyber culture. It's memoir-ish, it's about living my life through a series of bands." The tentative title: Listen to the Band. 

Asked why fans retain such loyalty for The Monkees, Nez says he "just doesn't know... We all carry around a love for that [youthful] part of our life and for that kind of connection between people."
The brand new Monkees album drops next week ... and yesterday Rhino leaked another track ... this time a Mike Nesmith tune featuring Mike and Micky on lead harmony vocals.  You can check it out here ...
http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/05/19/478417461/song-premiere-the-monkees-me-magdalena 

Diggin' Forgotten Hits:  
>>>Things have been pretty hot and hectic here lately.  I am SO far behind on commitments right now it's ridiculous!  Working on four new radio shows ... have already promised five book reviews ... most of which also tie into artists interviews ... and have something like fifteen concerts to attend between now and the 4th of July ... in addition to still working about 55-60 hours per week out in the REAL world!!!  (Between all of this and still trying to get Forgotten Hits out everyday, this leaves time to enjoy all the good stuff that is going on right now ... and that's a REAL shame!!!)

I hear you, Kent - but it sounds like these are mostly labors of love, so it is a blessing!
At the risk of turning you into Napoleon the XIV, take a moment now and then to enjoy all that's going on in your life right now.

Bob Rush

Thank you, Bob ... and I appreciate the encouraging words ... and I really DO appreciate all that's going on ... sometimes it just seems like it's happening so fast that I don't get to truly savor the moment ... but things are definitely great music-wise right now.  (And wait till you see what we've got planned for next year!!!)  kk

Kent,

I can see all you put into this.  Don't know how you do it. But it's great! 

The music world wouldn't be the same without you.

Ken Evans / The Fifth Estate

Thanks, Furv, I appreciate it.

LOTS going on in YOUR world right now, too, in the way of new releases and being back out doing live shows again.  (Stay tuned ... we just may pull together another Fifth Estate / Forgotten Hits give-away in the next week or two!)  kk

Hi Kent, 

Recently I had to get a new computer because of over heating. You had some great playlists that I stored on my Itunes. Using what songs I had I tried to recreate those lists you had so I could listen to them anytime I wished. While transferring the playlists, my old computer died. Two of those lists were the Top 200 Hits from The Beatle Years and the Top 100 from the British Invasion. Could you please tell me where the posts were so I could look them up. 

Thank You Very Much,

Randy Anderson

The Top 200 Hits of The Beatles Era is permanently posted on the other Forgotten Hits website here:

http://forgottenhits.com/the_top_200_1_hits_of_the_beatles_era_1964_-_1970

I had to do a little digging for the other one ... because we counted 'em down over a series of days ...

However, I DID find a "recap" ... ironically enough requested by YOU last year!  (lol)

Here you go:

http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-british-invasion-countdown.html 

This is fantastic and I thank you very much. This is a great help. I think the world of Forgotten Hits.

Randy 

Good response to the "What's The Name Of That Song" radio special that Phil Nee of WRCO ran over the past weekend ...

Phil -
I just wanted to let you know that I very much enjoyed your show last night. I am a frequent listener and at 64 years old appreciate the oldies you play. I went on and bookmarked that forgottenhits.com website and it is amazing and I will enjoy those old memories. Thanks for mentioning it.

Also glad you guys have that 107.7FM now because I can now enjoy that music at night and without static. Keep up your needed and great work. God Bless.
Mike

Kent -

Thanks again for your great work.  I hope we can do another show soon.
Phil

We're working on several different radio "themed" shows right now so we'll keep you posted.  Thanks, Phil!  (kk) 

Recent Reviews 

Kent, 

I agree with what you said in your review of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis. To use them again as the example, I just want to hear their hits that they had. I don't want any artist or group to do hits that other artists or groups had. I also don't want said artist or group to do a medley of their hits. I just want to hear the entire songs.

Larry

Robin Gibb

Taking just a moment to remember Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees, who passed away four years ago today.

Cornerstones Of Rock:

As one who has both supervised and been hands-on in the post-production editing / assembling / mixing of numerous video productions, it is possible that WTTW a) figured that no one would notice the deleted songs (!) and b) wanted to keep the project as cost-effective as possible.  If the latter is true, they simply did not allocate adequate funding to add extra footage to the DVD release.   Post-production studio and personnel time is not cheap.  At least one producer, editor and writer would have had to been on the clock to source and work in interviews, backstage bits, etc.   WTTW apparently did not believe that the results would boost sales sufficiently to justify the added expense. Regarding the songs, if they were technically good enough to be included in the original broadcast, there's no reason why they would be deleted from the DVD.  That makes no sense at all.  And if they were technically NOT good when originally taped -- then the technical director would have known this right away -- why wasn't a second take shot of the subpar content before the production wrapped?  

Yes, the makers of the DVD have to pay songwriting royalties to the writers and publishers of any music heard in their release, but it's hard to believe that they couldn't clear 100% of the songs performed.  Over the years I have cleared thousands of tunes -- not just writer - publisher royalty rights but also record companies' master licensing agreements -- and have NEVER had a problem with ANY writer - publisher.  Licensing the musical compositions writer and publishers own is how they make their money! 

It's also quite possible that key players in the production of the special were NOT fans and had little or no real knowledge of the music and the acts being showcased.  That would explain their sometimes odd choices of tracks to feature and the amount of time devoted to each act.  I know that if I had supervised the Cornerstone project, the balance of airtime among the acts and the final choice of spotlight songs would have been somewhat different.  I also would have tried to shoot enough material to compile a complete SECOND Cornerstone special out of the outtakes.  

That's been done before.  I remember Karen Carpenter telling me that when she and her brother set about recording tracks for their 1978 "Christmas Portrait" LP, the duo wound up with a full album and a half of first-rate tracks.  Karen said they had a tough time whittling the list down to just enough for a single LP.  She hoped to later record more Yuletide tunes but didn't live long enough to do it.  Two years after her death, her brother, Richard, took the leftovers from "Christmas Portrait" and newly recorded enough instrumentals to pad out the running time,  The result, in 1985, was the second Carpenters Yuletide LP, "An Old-Fashioned Christmas."  .  

Gary Theroux

Cornerstones: Suggestions And Solutions (Let's Make This Right)

We've talked at great length these past few weeks about the disappointment fans felt when they received their WTTW / Cornerstones Of Rock DVD's ... 

Jimy Sohn's performance of "Gloria" was cut from the program (apparently due to licensing issues) ...

The ensemble finale of "Louie Louie" was cut from the program (due to poor recording quality) ...

But ALSO missing were all the "extras" promised during the original telecast ...

Additional performances and interviews not shown due to time restraints the first time around.

Forgotten Hits Readers have been very vocal with their feelings about this unexpected surprise, especially after shelling out $100 - $200 in donations to the station ... even more so in that WTTW has yet to respond to our on-going series about any type of resolution ... or even so much as an apology.

This week we asked we asked our readers to set aside the negative and concentrate on the positive ...

WHAT would make you feel better about this whole process?

What can WTTW do to appease the fans who made these purchases in good faith only to be short-changed by a product that was considerably less than advertised.

Here ... in completely random and anonymous order ... are some of their suggestions and solutions ...

Hopefully WTTW will take note of these comments and try to make things right. 

*****

The problem with these "premiums" is that unless you do the whole program, as shown, you'll never please anyone. I have no idea why it wasn't done like that, start to finish. After you delete the pauses between set up time, and Wendy Snyder's fill ins, the whole show could have fit on one DVD. A second DVD could have been included with rehearsals, some goofing around like Dennis & Jim did. There had to be more. Maybe some brief interviews with each of the bands. WTTW could have done a far better job. Releasing a second DVD with all the extras advertised would be the preferred solution - although I can't speak to how practical that would be.  Make amends with the people who already sent in their money - and then stop badgering those people asking them to send more.

I think a second DVD housing all the bonus footage promised would have been preferred over an audio CD simply rehashing the same tracks already found on the DVD without audio.  Perhaps a special show where your proof of purchase of the dvd acts as your ticket to get in (as has been suggested previously) isn't such a bad idea.  An even BETTER idea would be to then have the opportunity to purchase the missing additional footage at the venue, thus raising money for both the guy putting on the show AND the station (in an attempt to recoup their expenses of producing the second DVD).  Maybe it's as simple as putting together a bonus disk and sending a copy to everyone who has already subscribed ...  and then offering ALL of the available merchandise through the website and the rebroadcasts of the program ... sell them in the lobbies at the live shows ... just SOME showing of good faith to offer a "corrective action" that will please the fans and generate more money for the station in future sales.  Include the performances missing from the telecast due to time constraints ... pop in more vintage video of these artists and intercut them with current interviews remembering what it was like back in the day ... who knows, by then they may even be able to get the clearance rights needed to include "Gloria" and "Louie Louie", along with some of the great pledge drive breaks banter that went on between you and the artists ... that was as entertaining as the show itself!!! 

How about putting together a 2-DVD set and then offering that to new subscribers making donations (and sending out free, replacement copies to those who have already given money the first time around)?  That doesn't seem beyond the realm of good customer service.  Yes, it's going to cost the station some money ... but they misrepresented the contents of the dvd during the telecast.  Everyone who contributed did so in good faith ... and they did not receive what they were promised.  WTTW should make good on their original promise and one way to do so would be to continue to take new donations, even at a higher level, for the 2-DVD set showing ALL of the extras ... and then sending that bonus disk to the folks who sent in their donations the first time around.  Like most I would gladly trade in my audio cd of the concert in favor of the complete DVD of all the proceedings.  

Some sort of disclaimer should be placed on the WTTW website warning fans interested in purchasing this set that it contains an "edited version" of the PBS concert special ... otherwise Forgotten Hits is just going to continue to receive letters from disappointed fans who were expecting the whole show ... and then some. 

I'm truly sorry that some people got short-changed on their donations. We had no say in that, but anyone involved still feels badly when well-intentioned people get burned.  My suggestion is based on the stunning work load at WTTW.   They can make good by doing better in the future and learning from their mistakes.  As compensation goes, they might offer free tickets to other WTTW live performances, over time, to those who purchased the package for the fund-raising effort associated with the Cornerstones. If they spread the opportunity for such tickets out, they could still make ends meet on these shows ... but it's just a suggestion.

I think WTTW would find sending or making more DVDs out of the question, financially.  Having a free event of those stars is also hard to do, as it is just too much to ask of our faves to get together JUST BECAUSE we want DVDs.  The best is for WTTW to make a new rerun of the original show showing the entire event "as it was recorded", bad sound or not and then add ALL of the interview footage.  Put it in the next pledge drive and explain their sorrow for the mistake and ask for more donations, but let us record the show on our home machines and get the chance to see the entire event.  That is the best "no cost" answer for WTTW.   

   WTTW damaged the donors of the "Cornerstones" program. They need to do something to make it right. It can be as simple as a letter sent out from the station officials apologizing for the situation. (Something they should have done along with the DVD when it shipped out, in my opinion.) They could potentially hold a live "Cornerstones" event and give out tickets to the show to anybody who donated and purchased a DVD. They could also finally obtain the rights to "Gloria" and re-issue the DVD with all songs on it, including the sloppy "Louie Louie." That third option, as much as I know you want it, is the least likely due to the extreme costs involved.  The whole situation sucks, but I'm not thinking there is going to be a way to make everybody happy. It is just an unfortunate series of events.  

   Originally I found out about this show and went immediately to the WTTW website to order tickets when it was first announced. If you review the original posting on WTTW it appears that each band was only going to do one song each, which was their top hit. As I live 90 miles west of Chicago, I hesitated because I did not want to travel that distance to see each band just perform one song each. There really wasn’t any information out there. When I found out, on your web site, that each band was going to do a small set the tickets were, of course, sold out. When I saw the set list I was really upset, as most of these bands are so much more than their top selling record and some of these songs were going to be played at the performance. In addition there is very little video, etc., of these songs performed when they came out. What I would like to receive in order of priority is as follows …

    1) The Cryan Shames performing “Sunshine Psalm” and “Up on the Roof” and the Standells performing “Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White”

    2) Any other songs recorded during the performance that were cut from the video

3) Interviews with the original band members

This product should be made available to the original purchasers / donors and could be delivered via DVD, Download, etc., whichever method would create the least amount of expense for WTTW.

Please note that absolutely everything to do with this actual live performance and recording was top shelf. In my opinion it could not have been done better. The problem obviously occurred when it was turned over to WTTW. My guess is that they did not have the personnel on staff who really appreciated this music and who understood the value of this recorded product. 

Based on everything I've read, I believe WTTW could get the rights to include Jimy Sohns' performance of 'Gloria' - it absolutely belongs on this disk.  The rights to 'Louie Louie' didn't seem to be a licensing issue but rather a quality issue.  Read the comments and the fans have spoken - we don't CARE about the quality of 'Louie Louie' - we just want it included.
WTTW has yet to address why the rest of the advertised material is missing from the disk.  I feel a bonus DVD is warranted - we sent money in based on what we were told we would receive and then received something far less.  (Saying that the Chase tribute was the bonus isn't fair as that was originally advertised as part of the original telecast and then cut for time restraints - gaining one song - good as it is - hardly seems like a fair trade-off for losing two others)
I agree that the full performances of all the artists should be included - Forgotten Hits ran a set list of the entire program and there are plenty of songs that didn't make the final edit.  Add to this the fact that they promised that we would also be seeing "behind the scenes" footage, interviews, etc, and the misrepresentation just looms larger.
WTTW should send out a disk of bonus material to everyone who bought the original set in good faith of what was advertised - and then make that disk available to any new subscribers as well.  In my mind, this is the ONLY way to make things right.  

OK, the fans have spoken ... and here's my take on all of this ...

WTTW has a major hit on their hands ... folks LOVE this program and want to see more of it ... so how about a "Cornerstones of Rock, Part Two" DVD?

Edit together the unaired footage of the other songs performed that night ... along with all of the interview footage recorded with the principle leaders of each of the bands performing ... maybe tape new commentary from some of the deejays who were there at the time along with knowledgeable '60's Chicago Rock Historians like Bob Stroud and Bob Sirott ... and, if it exists, some of the rehearsal footage which would allow WTTW to reuse some of the more popular material, shown in a different context of a far more relaxed and informal atmosphere.  ALL of this could be assembled at minimum expense because the bulk of it already exists.  (If they could splice in some more vintage video of these artists from back in the day, that would be the icing on the cake!) 

Air the new footage as another pledge drive on Channel 11 and then make this new bonus dvd available to new subscribers for a new donation ... put together the SUPER DELUXE package which includes BOTH DVD's and the CD's ... and (as a way of saving face and showing a sincere gesture) offer the new DVD for half off to those who have already purchased the set.

My guess ... nearly EVERYONE will buy it ... because they want it.  PBS raises more money (because, after all, this has ALWAYS been the name of the game ... and the necessity of their survival), you'll have a brand new series to air and you'll sell new super deluxe editions to a whole batch of new subscribers (including any that may have hestitated the first time around.

It's a Win / Win all the way around ... and should require only a minimum investment on WTTW's part, which they'll make back several times over in new sales and subscribers.

But this time have the DVD's made and ready to ship ... don't make fans wait nearly four months to receive them.

Absolutely NO mention of any bumps in the road along the way are necessary ... just push this new release as being a result of the first concert being so successful, the fans wanted more ... and then spice up the new dvd with as many extras as possible so as not to give the impression that this is simply a collection of scraps and leftovers.  (That's why the rehearsal footage would be so good to include ... you can literally resell "Vehicle", "Sugar And Spice", "I Will Always Think About You", "Bend Me Shape Me" and several others to the same hungry audience!)

And this time make whatever arrangements you need to make in order to be able to include "Gloria", for God's sake ... and "Louie, Louie", too.  The fans don't care about the quality of the recording ... they want to see ALL of their local heroes up on stage together having fun with this all-time garage band favorite.

Please make this right ... I need to be able to move on to other topics!!!  (lol)
kk
Kent Kotal
Forgotten Hits 

Reliable sources tell me that live footage exists for the following unaired tunes:

SUPERMAN by The Ides Of March
(And, if it's there, EYE OF THE TIGER, too)
LOVE YOU SO MUCH by The New Colony Six
SUNSHINE PSALM and UP ON THE ROOF by The Cryan' Shames
SOMETIMES THE GOOD GUYS DON'T WEAR WHITE by The Standells
COME ON, LET'S GO by The McCoys
MERCY, MERCY, MERCY by The Buckinghams (the performance version)