kk:
For the 4th of July WCBS-FM played the Top 101 of the 1980's.
I PASSED
Never thought I'dd hear myself say it.
Frank also sent us this VERY cool clip, celebrating the 4th of July with a Who's Who of artists ...
Hi Kent,
Well, Buddy, once again, an awesome blog.
Yep, the Beatles, and the Eagles, my two inspirations for getting into music. So glad you covered the Eagles gig. Like you said, they sounded fantastic as always. Wish I could have made it.
Thanks for keeping us all informed and entertained. You're a blessing,
my friend.
Later -
Barry
Thanks for keeping us all informed and entertained. You're a blessing,
my friend.
Later -
Barry
kk …
Scott Shannon took the day off last Friday … Dan Taylor sitting in.
He did a tribute to Dan Ingram, playing clips from his old shows.
Frank B
Rewound Radio has been saluting Dan all week … and there are podcasts of some of the specials they have run posted to their website ... check it out ... I really think you'll like it. (kk)
Thanks. I really do like it.
FB
Hi Kent,
I wanted to let you know that The Top 50 All Time Summer Favorites is now playing on donrecordsradio.com.
I hope you'll have a chance to tune in some time.
Have a Great Independence Week!
Don Ludden
Love these Saturday Surveys …
Aretha Franklin turned into "Arthur Franklin" on this one! (#29)
I hope the DJs made light of this!
BOB FRABLE
“Arthur” also made the cover of Time Magazine that week! (lol)
Proof yet again that absolutely NOBODY was proof-reading these things! Just get ‘em out there and move on to the next one!
(By the way, THIS Saturday you'll find us in New Mexico!)
Be sure to check out The Saturday Survey EVERY Saturday in 2018 ... as we make our way across all 50 States. (kk)
HI KENT,
YOU FOUND IT IN THE PAST FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN YOU SEE IF ANYBODY HAS A COPY OF THE KXOA CA. SURVEY FOR THE TOP HITS OF 1969 YEAR-END? THANK YOU.
DENNIS DAROVICH
All we can do is ask! (Puttin’ it out there because I’m sure SOMEBODY on the list has a copy of this one)
1969 was another GREAT year in music … I’m already thinking about ways to celebrate THAT 50 Year Anniversary next year! (kk)
MICKY & THE PHILLIES PHANATIC
Micky Dolenz sang the National Anthem at Sunday's Phillies game. Watching the video, we couldn’t help but notice that Dolenz’s vocal performance more than a bit resembled his Zoser in Disney’s Aida; back in 2004. Here’s a shot with the Phillies Phanatic. btw: the Phillies won!
Micky Dolenz sang the National Anthem at Sunday's Phillies game. Watching the video, we couldn’t help but notice that Dolenz’s vocal performance more than a bit resembled his Zoser in Disney’s Aida; back in 2004. Here’s a shot with the Phillies Phanatic. btw: the Phillies won!
My Sister-In-Law Deb, who was out in Lake Tahoe this past week, sent me some photos of some Monkees memorabilia she saw out there at The Hard Rock Cafe … VERY cool!!! (kk)
Founding member Alan Longmuir of The Bay City Rollers has passed away at the age of 70.
Alan and his younger brother Derek were joined in the 1970’s by Les McKeown, Stuart “Woody” Wood and Eric Faulkner, and the quintet quickly posted a string of six Top 40 Hits including “Saturday Night,” an across-the-boards #1 Hit that they premiered on a program called “Saturday Night Live” … no, not THAT one … THIS one was hosted by Howard Cosell of all people! … followed by “Money Honey” (#7, 1975), “Rock And Roll Love Letter” (#28, 1976), “I Only Want To Be With You” (#8, 1976), “You Made Me Believe In Magic” (#7, 1977) and “The Way I Feel Tonight” (#19, 1977.)
The Woody Wood version of The Bay City Rollers will perform at The Arcada Theatre later this year. (kk)
Macca hits the road in support of his brand new album …
Mr. McCartney’s new tour heads out in September, 2018, starting in Canada. Did we EVER think we would be saying this in 1963?
Shelley
Paul says he’d like to play some smaller venues this time around. (What do you think, guys? Can we talk Paul into selling out The Arcada Theatre for a week straight?!?!) kk
Kent,
I wanted to report that I kept an open mind and watched the Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke video (now on YouTube).
I can’t use the word “great” simply because the concept itself has gone so far beyond its shelf-life. However, instead of the usual “dreadful,” I’m going with “acceptable.” There are two key reasons for the upgrade.
First, the piece was done more as a documentary. The strident vehicular vocal segments, during which James Corden fancies himself as backup singer to the gods, were used more as interspersing, Of course, could you imagine 23 minutes straight of Corden’s cockpit antics?
The second key reason it passes is “Silly Love Songs” and all those syrupy McCartney solo efforts were conspicuously absent. Thank you for that.
Paul McCartney as tour guide pointing out the church where he was choir boy, and another one where his brother got married, were high points. That also holds for the stop at the place he lived when he was 12. All good, heart-touching stuff. Anytime we get to see another side of a well-known icon like McCartney, or learn something about him that we didn’t know previously, I’m all for it.
The free jukebox / curtain / stage segment went on far too long. That I’m sure was more of Corden’s tendency to drive things into the ground to the point where we’re all looking for the remote. On the camera-work and editing, a salute to the skillful crew. They were truly instrumental (no pun intended) in making this product watchable and “acceptable.”
Bill Fortune
I found the whole thing to be very moving and touching. It’s amazing to me that no matter how big he got, Liverpool never really left his heart. The fact that these experiences have come up so often in his songs is a true testament to that.
So while I’ll agree that it wasn’t GREAT … it WAS hella-hella good! (kk)
Speaking of McCartney, his appearance on Carpool Karaoke was shown all over the world to rave reviews … so much so that it sparked album sales in the UK of The Beatles’ #1 Album enough to place it back in The Top 40!
And, speaking of The Beatles, it has been a REAL treat listening to Sirius XM’s Beatles Channel these past few days as they have begun sneak-peeking some of the demo tracks that will appear on the brand new 50th Anniversary Edition of The White Album. Some of these tracks are nearly fully formed in their demo state … and yet they still started from scratch again once the regrouped in the studio. I cannot wait to hear the whole thing. (kk)
>>>I’ve never seen Burton Cummings leave “These Eyes” out of a set before. (kk)
Tom Cuddy just sent us this review of a show BC recently did up in Canada. While he may still be suffering some anxiety after his Mother’s Day car accident, it sounds like he hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to performing on stage! (kk)
FH Reader David Salidor sends us the word on the grand re-opening of My Father’s Place, an iconic spot that hosted some of the biggest names in rock music on their way up the ladder to success.
Read all about it here:
Read all about it here:
GREG HARRIS, PRESIDENT and CEO of the ROCK & ROLL HALL of FAME received a signed copy of CHARLIE GRACIE’s AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Rock & Roll’s Hidden Giant: Story of Rock Pioneer Charlie Gracie) at a grand reception. HARRIS and the ROCK HALL BOARD of TRUSTEES were hosted by legendary Concert Promoter LARRY MAGID (Electric Factory).
They were all in Philly from Cleveland for a week-long retreat.
CHARLIE was invited to address the board at the BARNES FOUNDATION. He made a special musical appearance for the BOARD with the great BEN VAUGHN and his QUINTET.
They were all in Philly from Cleveland for a week-long retreat.
CHARLIE was invited to address the board at the BARNES FOUNDATION. He made a special musical appearance for the BOARD with the great BEN VAUGHN and his QUINTET.
In other Charlie Gracie news, FH Reader Frank B tells us that you can purchase Charlies’ old Philly haunts right now for around $225,000! Read on!
kk …
You want to buy a house ?
FB
And, since we’re on the topic of The Bandstand Era …
We are celebrating 60 years of American Bandstand.
For all the people that ran home after school to watch their “favorite regular,” please be sure to check out the best book ever written about American Bandstand entitled “Bandstanddiaries”. You will not be disappointed!
To order please go to “bandstanddiaries.com.” Thank you.
Eddie Kelly, an AB Philly Regular 1959 thru 1961
From FH Reader John LaPuzza:
Good news for music creators:
Here’s some advance notice about a book some of you may be interested in …
THE STORY OF THE BAND - From Big Pink to The Last Waltz
By Harvey Kubernik and Ken Kubernik
A celebration of one of the most revered groups in rock history, on the 50th anniversary of their debut album and the 40th anniversary of The Last Waltz, the legendary film of their final concert.
Acclaimed author and music journalists Harvey Kubernik and his brother Kenneth pay tribute to The Band on two special anniversaries: the debut of their first album, Music from Big Pink, 50 years ago, and the release of Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz, hailed as the greatest concert movie ever made, 40 years ago. The Story of The Band covers everything from their collaborations with Bob Dylan through that farewell show, which took place on Thanksgiving, 1976. It features little-known and previously unpublished interviews with members of The Band and those who worked with them and knew them — including Ronnie Hawkins, Jerry Garcia, Andrew Loog Oldham, Jack De Johnette, Stan Ross, and Bill Graham — as well as newly discovered memorabilia and rare and never-before-seen photographs from the finest rock photographers of the era. This is the ultimate book for all fans of The Band and their era.
Acclaimed author and music journalists Harvey Kubernik and his brother Kenneth pay tribute to The Band on two special anniversaries: the debut of their first album, Music from Big Pink, 50 years ago, and the release of Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz, hailed as the greatest concert movie ever made, 40 years ago. The Story of The Band covers everything from their collaborations with Bob Dylan through that farewell show, which took place on Thanksgiving, 1976. It features little-known and previously unpublished interviews with members of The Band and those who worked with them and knew them — including Ronnie Hawkins, Jerry Garcia, Andrew Loog Oldham, Jack De Johnette, Stan Ross, and Bill Graham — as well as newly discovered memorabilia and rare and never-before-seen photographs from the finest rock photographers of the era. This is the ultimate book for all fans of The Band and their era.
Pub Date: 11/6/2018
ISBN: 9781454928904
Price: $29.95 / $39.95 CAN
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240 pages, all in color
Trim: 9.125 x 10.875
And you can bone up on The Band’s music before the book release by picking up this special collectors’ item …
THE BAND’S ‘MUSIC FROM BIG PINK’ CELEBRATED WITH REMIXED AND EXPANDED 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION RELEASES
PHOTO
– Landmark 1968 Album Remixed in Stereo and 5.1 Surround for Super Deluxe CD / Blu-ray /2 LP / 7-Inch Vinyl Box Set – CD; Digital; 180g 2LP Black Vinyl; and Limited-Edition 180g 2LP Pink Vinyl Formats Also Available
On July 1, 1968, The Band’s landmark debut album, Music from Big Pink, seemed to spring from nowhere and everywhere. Drawing from the American roots music panoply of country, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, rockabilly, the honking tenor sax tradition, hymns, funeral dirges, brass band music, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll, The Band forged a timeless new style that forever changed the course of popular music. Fifty years later, the mythology surrounding Music from Big Pink lives on through the evocative storytelling of its songs including “The Weight,” “This Wheel’s On Fire,” “Tears of Rage,” and “To Kingdom Come,” its enigmatic cover art painted by Bob Dylan, the salmon-colored upstate New York house – ‘Big Pink’ – where The Band wrote the songs, and in myriad descendant legends carried forth since the album’s stunning arrival.
On August 31, Capitol / UMe will release Music from Big Pink in newly remixed and expanded 50th Anniversary Edition packages, including a Super Deluxe CD / Blu-ray / 2 LP / 7-inch vinyl box set with a hardbound book; 1 CD, digital, 180-gram 2 LP black vinyl, and limited edition 180-gram 2 LP pink vinyl packages. All the Anniversary Edition configurations feature a new stereo mix for the album, produced by Bob Clearmountain from the original four-track analog masters, achieving a striking clarity and incorporating some previously unreleased chatter from the studio sessions. The 50th Anniversary Edition’s CD, digital, and box set configurations also include five outtakes and alternate recordings from the ‘Big Pink’ sessions and a previously unreleased a cappella version of “I Shall Be Released.”
Exclusively for the box set, Clearmountain has also produced a new 5.1 surround mix for the album and the bonus tracks, presented on Blu-ray with the new stereo mix in high resolution audio (96kHz/24bit). All the new audio mixes have been mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. The box set also includes an exclusive reproduction of The Band’s 1968 7-inch vinyl single for “The Weight” / “I Shall Be Released” in their new stereo mixes and a hardbound book with a new essay by noted music journalist David Fricke and classic photos by Elliott Landy. For the album’s new vinyl editions, Chris Bellman cut the vinyl lacquers for the album’s new stereo mix at 45rpm at Bernie Grundman Mastering, expanding the album’s vinyl footprint from one LP to two. The black and pink vinyl LPs were pressed at GZ Vinyl / Precision.
Starting today, the new stereo mix of “The Weight” is available for streaming and for immediate download with digital album preorder. Preorder Music from Big Pink (50th Anniversary Edition): https://TheBand.lnk.to/BigPink50
Watch a brief trailer video for Music from Big Pink (50th Anniversary Edition): https://youtu.be/rPxNzHKAJCw
Before naming themselves The Band, the group’s members shared an extensive collaborative history. Between 1960 and 1962, then-teenaged multi-instrumentalists Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin), Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals), Rick Danko (bass, vocals, fiddle), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums), and Garth Hudson (keyboards, horns) first performed and recorded together as members of Ronnie Hawkins’ backing band, the Hawks. In late 1963, the Hawks struck out on their own and became Levon & the Hawks, playing and recording under this name in 1964 and 1965.
In 1965, Robertson met with Bob Dylan in New York, just as Dylan was seeking an electric guitarist for his touring band. All the former Hawks backed Dylan on the road from October 1965 through 1966 as he incensed audiences in the U.S., Australia and Europe, performing electric sets. Disheartened by the vocally disdainful ‘folkie purist’ audience response to their first plugged-in performances with Dylan, Helm left the group in November 1965.
After the 1966 tour concluded, Robertson, Danko, Manuel, and Hudson woodshedded for the next year at the ‘Big Pink’ house in West Saugerties, New York, often in the company of Dylan, who lived in nearby Woodstock. Helm re-joined them in October 1967 and The Band was born, as the group wrote new music and prepared to record their first full-length album. Robbie Robertson recalls, “The harmonies started to blossom. The thing just kept growing.” ‘Big Pink’ was a refuge, a creative lair for The Band and for Dylan, who recorded sessions there that were soon bootlegged as “The Basement Tapes.”
For Music from Big Pink’s recording sessions, The Band traveled to New York’s A&R Recording and Los Angeles’ iconic Capitol Studios, with some additional session work done at Gold Star Studios in LA. David Fricke sets the scene in his essay for the new box set’s book: “The album was made just as The Band wrote and played the songs in that house – in a circle, as if in ceremony…”
“We had all of that gathering – the woodshedding and paying our dues, all of that dripping into the music,” Robertson explains. “This didn’t sound like anything we had done with Ronnie Hawkins, what we had done as Levon and the Hawks, or what we played on the Dylan tour. This was a music that – hopefully – lived in a time and space that you couldn’t quite put your finger on.”
In his 1993 memoir, titled This Wheel’s On Fire, Levon Helm wrote, “We wanted Music from Big Pink to sound like nothing anyone else was doing. This was our music, honed in isolation from the radio and contemporary trends.”
Released during a long, turbulent season of war and socio-political unrest, and sandwiched between other culture-shifting 1967-‘68 albums by The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and ‘The White Album’), Jimi Hendrix (Axis: Bold As Love), and The Rolling Stones (Beggars Banquet), Music from Big Pink astonished critics.
Writing for Rolling Stone, journalist Alfred G. Aronowitz proclaimed that ‘Big Pink’ was “the kind of album that will have to open its own door to a new category.” In his San Francisco Chronicle review, Ralph J. Gleason wrote, “The voices are unique and make a sound not available anywhere else in popular music that I know of. It is a rural sound, not on the country & western stations, yet not rural in the sense of lack of sophistication; I think it is hymnal… The songs are going to be American classics and it will not matter if there is no second album nor if The Band ever appears in person again.” Al Kooper reviewed the album for Rolling Stone, writing, “Music from Big Pink is an event and should be treated as one… There are people who will work their lives away in vain and not touch it.”
While Music from Big Pink achieved moderate success upon release, peaking at No. 30 on the Billboard 200 chart, it is recognized as one of the most important albums in popular music history. In his 1975 book Mystery Train, Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music, Greil Marcus explained, “The richness of ‘Big Pink’ is in The Band’s ability to contain endless combinations of American popular music without imitating any of them. The Band don’t refer to their sources any more than we refer to George Washington when we vote, but the connection is there.”
In 1989, The Band was inducted into Canada’s Juno Hall of Fame and five years later they were accorded the same honor by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2008, The Band was honored with The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Three members of The Band, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, and Levon Helm, have passed away, but The Band’s legacy lives on, in their recordings and in their tangible influence on popular music, wowing not only Bob Dylan, but many other music greats, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Miles Davis. Making Americana music before the term even existed, Rick, Levon, Garth, Richard, and Robbie collectively constituted the only ensemble to ever rightfully earn the sobriquet The Band.
THE BAND: Music from Big Pink (50th Anniversary Edition)
CD; Digital
2018 stereo mix (included in the box set and available individually)
1. Tears Of Rage
2. To Kingdom Come
3. In A Station
4. Caledonia Mission
5. The Weight
6. We Can Talk
7. Long Black Veil
8. Chest Fever
9. Lonesome Suzie
10. This Wheel’s On Fire
11. I Shall Be Released
Bonus Tracks:
12. Yazoo Street Scandal (Outtake)
13. Tears Of Rage (Alternate Take)
14. Long Distance Operator (Outtake)
15. Lonesome Suzie (Alternate Take)
16. Key To The Highway (Outtake)
17. I Shall Be Released (A Cappella)
BLU-RAY
Tracklist above in new 5.1 surround mix + 96kHz/24bit high resolution stereo (exclusive to the box set)
2 LP VINYL
180g black vinyl (included in the box set and available individually); ltd. edition 180g pink vinyl (available individually)
SIDE ONE
1. Tears Of Rage
2. To Kingdom Come
SIDE TWO
1. In A Station
2. Caledonia Mission
3. The Weight
SIDE THREE
1. We Can Talk
2. Long Black Veil
3. Chest Fever
SIDE FOUR
1. Lonesome Suzie
2. This Wheel’s On Fire
3. I Shall Be Released
“The Weight”
Reproduced 1968 7-inch single (exclusive to the box set)
A. The Weight
B. I Shall Be Released
BIG PINK
A pink house seated in the sun of Overlook Mountain in West Saugerties, New York.
Big Pink bore this music and these songs along its way.
It’s the first witness of this album that’s been thought and composed right there inside its walls.
A final smile (or two) …
