No power yesterday morning knocked our rhythm a little out of whack this week ...
But I think we've rebounded nicely with today's Tuesday This And That Comments Page.
But I think we've rebounded nicely with today's Tuesday This And That Comments Page.
See if you agree!
Rock group Foghat is now distributing a new line of condoms.
(Yes, it’s true … this is not a joke!)
Available thru their website for $15 for a package of six, you can now proudly wear a “Slow Ride” condom the next time you’re … uh … rockin’ and rollin’. (What a GREAT marketing idea … forty years ago!!!) kk
By the way, Foghat will be appearing at The Arcada Theatre on March 16th. (I wonder if they’ll be throwing condoms out into the audience that night!!!)
Speaking of The Arcada Theatre, congratulations to Bob Burns, Jay Grizzle and Ron Lange … they’ll be going with us to see The Fab Four when they play The Arcada on February 9th. (Thanks again to Ron Onesti for these tickets to pass along to our readers.)
I saw The Fab Four when they performed as part of the “50 Summers Of Love” tour last year with Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay and they blew me away … without a doubt, one of the best Beatles tribute bands I’ve ever seen. You can still get your tickets to the show thru The Arcada’s Online Box Office via the OShows.com link above. (kk)
I saw The Fab Four when they performed as part of the “50 Summers Of Love” tour last year with Micky Dolenz and Mark Lindsay and they blew me away … without a doubt, one of the best Beatles tribute bands I’ve ever seen. You can still get your tickets to the show thru The Arcada’s Online Box Office via the OShows.com link above. (kk)
Aretha Franklin has hand-picked Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson to portray her in a new biopic planned for next year. (Great choice, I think!) However, don’t expect Jennifer to do any method acting “living the role” and gain all that weight back again!!! She is MEGA-Glam right now … and there “Ain’t No Way” she’s going to put all those pounds on for real … so get ready to bring out the heavy duty padding! (As long as the film ends with Aretha on stage wearing her fur coat … and then she flips it to the floor … I’ll be happy!)
Jennifer’s probably been “Day Dreaming” about this role for YEARS now … but since she can currently “Rock Steady” as a slim, trim and beautiful “Natural Woman,” don’t even “Think” about asking her to put on “The Weight”!!! Uh-uh … show the girl some “Respect”!!! (Word is when she got Aretha’s call she blurted out “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me!!!”) kk
Jennifer’s probably been “Day Dreaming” about this role for YEARS now … but since she can currently “Rock Steady” as a slim, trim and beautiful “Natural Woman,” don’t even “Think” about asking her to put on “The Weight”!!! Uh-uh … show the girl some “Respect”!!! (Word is when she got Aretha’s call she blurted out “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me!!!”) kk
From Tom Cuddy:
Hi Kent,
I have it in my head that Peter Noone mentioned somewhere that Herman's Hermits recorded For Your Love before the Yardbirds.
I couldn't find anything on the WWW that agrees with my brain.
I scanned quickly through the interview at the Forgotten Hits web site, but didn't see it there either.
Am I dreaming yet again? Damn it sucks getting older sometimes.
When in doubt, as the master!
Thanks for any help, and of course FH is still far and away the best.
Bill
"When it doubt, ask the master" ... I think that’s become our tag line of sorts! (lol)
Herman’s Hermits absolutely DID record “For Your Love” before The Yardbirds cut it.
Being one of the most popular acts on the planet certainly had its advantages when it came to song selection ... and Peter Noone and Producer Mickie Most had a natural ear for great material. Graham Gouldman, who also wrote The Hermits’ hits “No Milk Today,” “Listen People” and “East West,” first gave Herman’s Hermits “For Your Love” as well as “Bus Stop,” later a HUGE hit for The Hollies, and the band recorded both tracks on an early LP.
The Yardbirds cut a little bit heavier version of the track and had their first pop hit … but guitarist Eric Clapton wasn’t looking to be in “pop” band, so he quit in a huff over their willingness to “sell out” and go the pop-route. (Gouldman also wrote their next chart hit, “Heart Full Of Soul.”)
Eventually The Yardbirds evolved into Led Zeppelin … but that was no news for Herman’s Hermits either … Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had been playing on their records for YEARS as studio musicians!
Herman’s Hermits also had the inside track on ‘60’s songsmith P.F. Sloan. They cut the first version of “Where Were You When I Needed You,” the break-thru hit a year later for The Grass Roots. (Sloan also wrote “A Must To Avoid” for the band.
As “teeny-bop” as The Hermits may have been, they were also supplied hit records by “heavier” acts such as Dave Davies of The Kinks (“Dandy”) and Donovan Leitch (“Museum”). A quick look at their hits list shows quite an array of song-writing talent: Gerry Goffin and Carole King (“I’m Into Something Good”), Bob Crewe (“Silhouetes), Lou Adler, Sam Cooke and Herb Alpert (“Wonderful World”) and Geoff Stephens, writer of the #1 Hit “Winchester Cathedral,” who gave The Hermits “There’s A Kind Of Hush!” (kk)
It sounds like Jonathan Groff is receiving RAVE reviews for his portrayal of Bobby Darin on Broadway … check out this link sent in by FH Reader Frank B …
Me-TV sent out this fun quiz to their subscribers this week … get on their list … SO much good stuff coming from these guys!
This time around you've got to choose "What Would YOU Watch in 1968" … https://metv.com/quiz/pick-what-would-you-watch-on-tv-in-1968
Congrats again to Chuck Buell for his induction into The Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall Of Fame.
Check out his new profile video just posted.
We sure loved him here in Chicago … but (as is often the way in the life of a disc jockey) we had to share him with the rest of the country, too.
Check it out! (kk)
My Hall of Fame Tribute Video has been posted!
Click on the link below.
At the Top of the BPC Page, Click on the “Hall of Fame” tab.
Boom! There it is!
Chuck's Hall of Fame Tribute Video
Click on the link below.
At the Top of the BPC Page, Click on the “Hall of Fame” tab.
Boom! There it is!
Chuck's Hall of Fame Tribute Video
Sad to hear of Berwyn native Buzz Clifford today, who passed away at 75 from the flu. That's a tough bug this year. "Baby Sittin' Boogie" will always be his unique Forgotten Hit classic.
Clark Besch
Wow. So sad. I had forgotten he was a Berwynite. I wonder what high school, etc. … any info? I used to love the song!
Jim Peterik (at NAMM)
According to Joel Whitburn’s music bible, Buzz’s real name was Reese Clifford, and he was born in Berwyn, Illinois in 1941 … so that puts him in high school right around 1957. However, after doing a bit of research of my own, it looks like Buzz’s family moved to New Jersey when he was just five years old … so he would have gone to High School there and not at any of our familiar Berwyn haunts.
He had his big pop hit in 1961 at the age of 19 … and then never made Billboard’s Hot 100 again.
Whitburn goes on to say that the original title of this tune was “Baby Sitter Boogie” … and that the babies’ voices you hear on the track (both a boy and a girl) are the children of the record’s producer.
What’s REALLY odd is that here in Chicago, after Clifford peaked at #3 with his hit in 1961, the record charted again a year later by a guy by the name of Ralf Bendix, who ALSO reached The Top Ten … but Ralf’s record was completely sung in German!!! (kk)
It's a brand new video for The Hit Men’s latest release “You Can’t Find Love” … and I like it! (Very '80's power-ballad sounding!)
THE HIT MEN “TIME TRAVEL” 2018 TOUR DATES
Hey Kent,
I've used wood glue to clean old albums regularly, as Gary Pike suggested, and it works quite well, although it does take time to do both sides of an LP. I have found it works better with a good glue like Elmer's Wood Glue Max rather than the standard Elmer's Wood Glue (seems grittier and doesn't come up as easily). I also use a popsicle stick to smooth the glue. Then I lay it on top with a piece sticking out to make it easier to pull the glue up after dried.
I am interested in trying Gary's water method ‘tho since it doesn't take nearly as long. Would seem it can be done more easily and often.
Ted Gstalder
Kent,
In today's FH, you mentioned and talked about Uni Records in regards to Elton John and Neil Diamond. I don't know how big they got in your part of the country, but singer Brian Hyland had two big records locally here in the OKC area on Uni, that being GYPSY WOMAN and a follow up, LONELY TEARDROPS, the old Jackie Wilson tune. I believe his LONELY TEARDROPS was the bigger of the two here in OKC.
I have attached a survey from here in OKC of 50 years ago. The records that were currently on the survey at the time which probably didn't do as well in your part of the country in my opinion are as follows:
"The PIC-HIT of the Week” at the bottom of the survey, records that came in at positions 13, 14, 16, 19 and 23. I noticed that Neil Diamond's Bang recording of NEW ORLEANS was on the survey at the time coming in at song position 35.
I always did like the Will-O-Bees’ IT'S NOT EASY and thought it should have been a bigger hit than what it was. It did make our survey here in OKC but only lasted probably no more than three weeks.
I noticed on WSGN's survey that Otis Redding's DARK OF THE BAY came in at song position #16. Just between you and me, I always did like his DOCK OF THE BAY as opposed to his DARK OF THE BAY (lol).
Larry Neal
After years of running these charts now, I still can’t believe how many typo’s made it out there … right past the trained eyes of the guys who programmed and played this music for a living. It’s really pretty embarrassing in a way!
Brian Hyland's version of "Gypsy Woman" (also a remake, by the way, of an old Impressions tune) was a BIG hit here in Chicago, reaching #2 on both the WLS and the WCFL charts. "Lonely Teardrops," however failed to chart in Chi-Town. (kk)
Brian Hyland's version of "Gypsy Woman" (also a remake, by the way, of an old Impressions tune) was a BIG hit here in Chicago, reaching #2 on both the WLS and the WCFL charts. "Lonely Teardrops," however failed to chart in Chi-Town. (kk)
Clark Besch sends us this report from CBS Morning News about the new trend of some of our favorite singers coming back from the dead to entertain us once more by way of this new (or IS it really new?) hologram technology.
Honestly, I’m not sure I like the idea … but would have to see one to see if my mind can be changed. (I’ve seen video footage of Elvis and Roy Orbison … but if they ever really did do a Beatles concert, live on stage, I just might have to go and check it out.
This story ...
... is about how some company is starting theaters around the US that will present concerts by DEAD artists! Can you imagine going to a REAL 1964 Beatles concert or a REAL 1960 Elvis concert??? This could be SOOOO cool. Imagine NOT seeing Beatles imitators, but the ACTUAL Beatles in concert! This story was fascinating. Especially cool was how it is done 3D on stage! PLUS, how they can use real music to make the show realistic. Since the Beatles were self contained for years in concert, they might be able to do what other imitators have done and actually present a REAL 1967 Beatles concert with backing musicians live behind them! Or Aloha Elvis with LIVE performers behind Elvis while he sings realistically in front! In the video, they SHOW their new Roy Orbison concert they already are touring!
It's cool how they ask "How do you get the vocals from a recording made in mono decades ago?" The guy answers that it takes hours of painstaking work! Take it from me, it DOES take that much effort to get things perfect. I am friends with a group that does digital extracted stereo mixes. Some work great and some work horrible and some with tons of hours come out sparkling! With the group's blessing, I offer up a pretty nice mix of the Cryan’ Shames' mono always "Sugar & Spice" here. It's not TRUE stereo quite, but vocals stick to middle with music surrounding for a nice blended stereo. I don't think we will be seeing an 18 year JC Hooke kicking a cymbal or beating a tambourine with his hook any time soon, but the idea behind the simulated concert system above gives hope for lots of creativity in years to come! It might not work, but it could be "Sugar & spice and all things nice!"
Clark Besch
And check this out …
It's a brand new video for The Hit Men’s latest release “You Can’t Find Love” … and I like it! (Very '80's power-ballad sounding!)
These guys have played with virtually EVERYBODY over the years … and are now striking out on their own with some brand new material. (Of course they’ll still be featuring some of their “greatest hits” along with some GREAT behind-the-scenes stories, spotlighting many of the other artists they’ve worked with over the years.
And they’re all set to hit the road again …
THE HIT MEN “TIME TRAVEL” 2018 TOUR DATES
February 17: The Broadway Theater, Pitman, NJ
February 19: Ocean Reef Theatre, Ocean Reef, FL
February 20: Century Village, West Palm Beach, FL
February 21: Century Village, Pembroke Pines, FL
February 22: Century Village, Boca Raton, FL
February 23: The Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce, FL
February 24: Century Villages, Deerfield Beach, FL
March 2: The Flagler Auditorium, Palm Coast, FL
March 3: Coral Springs Center for the Arts Coral Springs, FL
March 4: Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
March 5: Artis PAC, Naples, FL
March 10-11: Lake Sumter State, Leesburg, FL
March 13: Polk Theater, Lakeland, FL
March 15: The Manship Theatre, Baton Rouge, LA
March 16: Oxford PAC, Oxford, AL
March 24: Wild Rose Casino, Emmetsburg, PA
April 13: The Paramount, Peekskill, NY
April 28: The Playhouse on Rodney Square, Wilmington, DE
May 11: Diamond Jo Casino, Dubuque, IA
May 12: Sondheim Center, Fairfield, IA
June 2: Downtown Cabaret – 2 shows!, Bridgeport, CT
Aug. 9: Clayton Opera House, Clayton, NY
Oct. 13: State Theater, Easton, PA
Oct. 20: Arundel Music Theater, Arundel, ME
Dec. 2: Katherine Hepburn Theater, Old Saybrook, CT
More dates to come!
