Kent:
I know how you enjoy revealing exclusive pieces of news in Forgotten Hits. Earlier this year, FH was the first site to announce that the Guess Who’s Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman would reunite this summer as Bachman / Cummings and sing the Canadian group’s large hit catalog. Additionally, they will also do solo hits (Burton’s “Stand Tall”) and Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) favorites.
Now, here’s another exclusive for you …
The line-up of next summer’s 2019 Happy Together Tour!
The Turtles
The Cowsills
The Classics IV
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
Chuck Negron and
The Buckinghams
From what I've been told, before Classics IV lead singer Dennis Yost died in 2008, he asked one of his best friends, Tom Garrett, to keep his music alive and take over as vocalist of the group. Dennis' wife, Linda, owns the right to the Classics IV trademark, and has given the current version of the group her blessings.
- Tom Cuddy
Thanks, Tom … ALWAYS love breaking this news!
I’m not so sure about a full-fledged Bachman / Cummings tour, however. (See the email below) It sounds like this may end up being more of a one-off so that it can be viewed by FAR more people than a tour would allow … but I’m hoping I’m wrong because I sure would love to see them!!!
(Ron Onesti is on excellent terms with both Burton and Randy ... and has made it his life’s mission to reunite these two one more time … and as Chicago’s spokesman for the PBS Soundstage Series, it sounds like there is a definite commitment for these two Canadian icons to get together again for at least this taping.) Stay tuned for more details! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I am playing catch-up so pardon me while I jump around.
Hi Kent,
I am playing catch-up so pardon me while I jump around.
As Tommy Roe and Mark Lindsay can testify, the parts are wearing out but the good news is that they have outlasted the warranties. Remember when "Pacemakers" were a group Gerry Marsden fronted and "bypass" was a short-cut to a gig? Not anymore! Gladly Tommy and Mark are both up and running! To paraphrase Charles Dickens: "It is the best of times, it is the worst of times!" Happily, Tony Bennett is 92 and just released a new album with Diana Krall … but on the other hand, we are still having to "Keep Up With The Kardashians!" Really?
Yes, the Beatles catalogue of work is timeless and Capitol and Apple Records some over 50 years later are still squeezing every bit of revenue possible in the marketing of their music product. Don't get me wrong … when you have a product that good, they are able to do it … but, you wonder if anyone in the rest home in ten years is going to give a shit about the "remix of alternate cut #7" of Savoy Truffle? Shouldn't this stuff have been rolled off the presses some decades ago, rather than now when some of their demographics is finding that six feet of soil is making some of their "newly remixed, and remastered" songs a bit difficult to hear? I am amazed sometimes at the "rarities, out-takes, and boot-leg" releases that have floated to the top as of late. But, I guess there is a market for it. We certainly know record companies are receiving a good chunk of Boomer pensions and Social Security checks. I am only sorry I won't be around for the "crystalline, remastered, remixed, and newly enhanced" 100th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (U.S. version not the U.K. version) of ? & The Mysterians’ Greatest Hit album -- and neither will ?, let alone the Mysterians! But, in the words of Socrates: "It's all Greek to me!"
Next time you are in Barnes & Noble, browse through a copy of the newly formatted "Rolling Stone." And, now at the bargain price of just $9.99! Apparently, the rest of their initial audience of we 60's music-loving aficionados that were there in the beginning, have all become CEOs with Golden Parachutes, and with four homes to include one each in Aspen and Lake Como. Someday maybe those CEOs will become liquid enough to subscribe for the bargain price of just $49.95 for one year and only $79.95 for two years. I kid you not, that's their new price points! When did reality leave the building with Elvis?
Anymore word on the Bachman - Cummings Reunion Tour that may happen next year? In the words of General George Custer: "I can only hope they have buried the hatchet!" George, would you like a little more off the top?
Keep up the great work, Kent, I know we can no long afford "Rolling Stone" but, thanks to Bob Dylan's "crystalline, remastered, and remixed" version we can still afford to listen "Like A Rolling Stone!"
Keep Rockin',
Tim Kiley
Actually, I DID hear more about a Bachman and Cummings reunion … although it is starting to sound like rather than a full-scale tour, the duo will reunite instead for a PBS Soundstage Television Special (which will reach a FAR greater audience than a limited city tour would … and also help to eliminate the risk of any new falling out while on the road, I suppose!)
Details are still being worked out … but I can tell you that one of the best Soundstage shows I’ve ever seen was when Randy and Burton reunited in the late ‘70’s to film a similar PBS Special. (In fact if anybody out there happens to have a clean, clear DVD version, I would LOVE to get a copy … my old VCR videotaped version and cassette tape recording have seen better days!)
The two got back together shortly after Burton’s first solo album. Randy played mostly by himself (an with an acoustic guitar at that) … but I think this new special will focus more on the duo with a band, playing songs from their solo catalogs, The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive … and I, for one, can’t wait to see it!!!
(Memo to Ron Onesti … put me on the guest list NOW so that there aren’t any last minute hiccups!) kk
Kent:
What’s 76-year-old BJ Thomas up to these days during his 90 minute concerts? He’s still delighting audiences!
Here’s a recap from a recent show.
-Tom Cuddy
It sounds like BJ was in top form for this show. He has always been one of our favorites and he seems to be enjoying putting on more of these “story-tellers” shows. And what a hit list this man has!!! Fifteen National Top 40 Hits … and a few more that made the country charts. Thanks, Tom! (kk)
We failed to mention Paul McCartney’s appearance on 60 Minutes last Sunday Night. (Figured most of you had probably OD’d on Macca News of late!) Incredibly, in the show’s 51st year, this was McCartney’s first appearance ever on the program.
Naturally, some of his commentary made headlines the next day …
Paul McCartney recalled a moment in which Beatles bandmate John Lennon admitted he was worried about how he’d be remembered – and admitted that, at the age of 76, he still carried his own concerns about his career.
The revelation took place during McCartney’s first-ever 60 Minutes profile, broadcast last night. CBS had already previewed the show with quotes about how Lennon complimented his colleague’s songwriting only once.
“I remember him once, particularly strangely, out of the blue, saying, ‘I worry about how people are going to remember me,’” McCartney said. “And I was like, ‘John, listen to me, look at me. You’re going to be remembered as one of the greatest people.’”
He also noted that "it doesn’t matter how elevated you get or your reputation gets, you still worry about things. I've heard people say that about me. ‘Oh, you know, he wants to be liked.’ But I'm going, ‘Doesn't everyone?’”
McCartney recalled an example that took place just after the Beatles had completed their Revolver album in 1966. “I got the horrors one day,” he said. “I thought it was outta tune. I thought the whole album was outta tune. I listened to it and for some reason just, like, oh my God. And I went to the guys, I said, ‘It's outta tune. It's outta – I don't know what we're gonna do.” You know? … [T]hey got a bit worried and listened to it. They said, ‘No, it isn’t.’ I go, ‘Oh, okay.’”
He took some of his more recent worries as one of the inspirations for his latest album, Egypt Station, compressing his thoughts into the song “I Don’t Know.” “Sometimes one of the great things [that] motivates a song is anguish," he explained. "You’ve just been through something, like, either very annoying or disappointing, or worrying … ”
The new lyrics, he said, were true. “I was sincere about crows at my window and dogs at my door, and everything was getting a bit much,” he noted. “I was able to sort of tell it to the piano.”
The 50th anniversary version of the Beatles’ White Album will be released on Nov. 9.
-- Ultimate Classic Rock
McCartney claims the only song Lennon ever complimented him on was “Here, There And Everywhere” … which is pretty hard to believe as you know that John had the utmost respect for McCartney’s songwriting talents (even performing “I Saw Her Standing There” with Elton John live at Madison Square Garden, introducing the song as being written by “an old estranged fiancé of mine … named Paul.”)
Paul, on the other hand, has been highly complimentary of ALL of his bandmates over the past several decades, referring to each at various times as “one of the greats” … and often remarking that The Beatles were “a great, tight little band” … yeah, I guess you could say that! (kk)
Another “First Listen” 50th Anniversary White Album review …
https://theseconddisc.com/2018/10/through-a-glass-onion-the-second-disc-hears-selections-from-the-beatles-white-album-box/
And this just in from The Beatles “Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction” Department …
I came across this Jet Magazine cover from July of 1965 while reading the Adam White book “Motown: The Sound Of Young America.”
Now Jet Magazine was one of the premier black magazine publications of all time … so I was a little bit surprised by their headline “What The Beatles Learned From Negroes” … clearly, it was a different time. (Although I am contemplating running a new series called “Negro Day” in Forgotten Hits next February as part of a celebration of Black History Month … as well as a tip of the hat homage to the great ‘60’s musical “Hairspray”!)
Quite honestly, Jet was a little bit late to the party on this one. As far back as November of 1963, The Beatles had released THREE cover versions of Motown tunes for their second UK Album: “Money,” “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” and “Please Mr. Postman.” By the time this article came out in 1965, they were recording pretty much exclusively only their own material (save a Ringo stab at the Buck Owens Country Classic “Act Naturally,” which appeared on their British “Help” LP.)
But The Beatles were ALWAYS fans of Black Artists and Rhythm and Blues, famously covering Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Larry Williams and even The Shirelles in their early days.
Still, this cover was QUITE a shock when I first saw it … so I just had to share! (kk)
(The Beatles toured with Mary Wells as a supporting act in 1965. By that time, she had already left Motown ... and her hit-making years behind)
KARAOKE FOR MAKE A WISH WITH MICKY DOLENZ
Monkee Micky Dolenz held a special event for Make-A-Wish, prior to his shows in Ohio and Iowa this past week. The event was held at the Venue Donnell Theater. Also, on Friday, October 5th, the debut presentation of the PBS Grammy Salute To Music Legends aired, where Dolenz performed “I’m A Believer” with the song’s writer Neil Diamond, who was inducted this year. (Check your local listings for repeat broadcasts.)
-- David Salidor
-- David Salidor
And check this out from Robert Feder’s column …
How cool is this?
The December issue of Mad Magazine will feature a six-page spread on “Svengoolie,” the venerable horror-movie host played by Rich Koz, and Me TV, Weigel Broadcasting’s Chicago-based network for classic television. (In the Mad version, it’s parodied as “Meh TV.”)
Here’s a sneak peek:
Mad Magazine
AND HERE'S A PHOTO OF ME, FREDDY CANNON AND SVEN FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR ...
I got to meet Rich Koz at Freddy Cannon’s concert at The Arcada Theatre a few months ago … this is REALLY cool … two media legends, Alfred E. Newman and Svengoolie … now linked forever! (kk)
I asked Freddy Cannon if he knew about this new special Halloween issue and he told me …
YES, I DID, KENT, FROM TOM CUDDY.
KENT, WE ARE GETTING AIRPLAY ON SIRIUS XM ON SVENGOOLIE STOMP.
I THINK ITS GREAT THAT RICH IS GETTING HIS DUE … THE SHOW IS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER.
I WILL BE IN ELGIN, ILLINOIS ON THE 20TH WITH HIM FOR HIS EVENT CALLED “NIGHTMARE ON CHICAGO,” SINGING THE STOMP.
THANKS!
FREDDY
Sounds like this is going to be a pretty big deal in Elgin. At their Halloween Fest last year, 18,500 people showed up!!! ... so they're limiting the attendance to that number again this year to help keep things under control ... so I may or may not see you at this one, Freddy! (lol) kk
And, speaking of people I just recently got to meet, it was VERY sad to hear about the passing of Beatles Engineer Geoff Emerick. I just saw Geoff at Chicago’s Fest For Beatles Fans a couple of months ago … and I can tell you first hand that the line of fans anxious to meet and visit with him was the longest line at the Fest.
Harvery Kubernik, who crossed paths with Emerick several times over the years, sent me this to share with our readers …
There isn’t a music fan or a person on planet Earth who hasn’t been
profoundly inspired by engineer Geoff Emerick. From "Revolver" on, he was the full-time recording and remix engineer under George Martin. “Tomorrow Never Knows” was his first Beatles session. Geoff was behind the console until partially into the recording of the Beatles’ "White Album." He later returned to helm "Abbey Road."
Emerick is, with Howard Massey, the author of "Here, There and
Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles."
Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles."
“I hear music in colors,” he said to me in 2002 ago at the Capitol
Records Studio B in Hollywood.
“Bass and drums are always my favorite,” Emerick stated. “And just
building stuff around that, from color textures in my head, based upon
what’s happening in the studio.”
Geoff’s drum and bass sounds have motivated generations of musicians.
His recording techniques and innovations include automatic double-tracking; backwards guitar solo and loops, and real-time varispeed manipulation that infused John Lennon’s signature vocal echo.
On Strawberry Fields Forever,” Emerick executed the famed splice
between the two versions of the recording, which were in different keys and tempos. He assembled the cinematic background to “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” by putting together dozens of inch-long recordings of fairground organs and calliopes.
Records Studio B in Hollywood.
“Bass and drums are always my favorite,” Emerick stated. “And just
building stuff around that, from color textures in my head, based upon
what’s happening in the studio.”
Geoff’s drum and bass sounds have motivated generations of musicians.
His recording techniques and innovations include automatic double-tracking; backwards guitar solo and loops, and real-time varispeed manipulation that infused John Lennon’s signature vocal echo.
On Strawberry Fields Forever,” Emerick executed the famed splice
between the two versions of the recording, which were in different keys and tempos. He assembled the cinematic background to “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” by putting together dozens of inch-long recordings of fairground organs and calliopes.
- Harvey Kubernik
Also passing this past week … Joan Weber, wife of DeeJay Clark Weber for over sixty years. We are deeply saddened by this news as I know how much she meant to Mother Weber’s Oldest Son.
We had the pleasure of meeting her a few times over the years, including one particularly memorable dinner downtown before the “Airplay” screening, arranged by the film’s producer and director, Carolyn Travis. You couldn’t find a sweeter woman. All our thoughts are with you, Clark, as you pass thru this most difficult time. (kk)
For those of us who listened to WLS, the Big 89, and WCFL during the rock & roll years and had the pleasure of hearing Clark Weber, Mother Weber's Oldest Son, just to let you know a couple of facts.
Clark and his Wife Joan hosted us last year, 2017, for a very memorable part of our trip back to Chicago. Four of us crashed in on them kind of late in the day after being downtown all day. Outstanding hosts, both are exemplary individuals.
Joan has been fighting cancer for a while. The last few weeks have been very hard on both of them. Last night after Clark and Joan's 7:00 PM kiss, Joan passed to a better life about 11:00 PM.
The end of one type of suffering often starts another type.
Kerrie gave me his book, Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: The Fun Years, 1955-1975. I have a second copy autographed by Clark. That started an interesting series of contacts with Clark, always gracious, always kind, always fun.
As I understand it, Joan and Clark were married for over 60 years. She was an RN and having met her only once, TLC was a way of life, not a job. Clark and Joan are the parents of four daughters - Ann, Peggy, Jeanne, and Janet.
Some people, met only once, will be missed.
Thanks,
Rex Schildhouse
Rex Schildhouse
And by now I’m sure you’ve heard about the passing of Peggy Sue Gerron Rackham, the inspiration for Buddy Holly’s great rock and roll classic, “Peggy Sue.”
FH Regular Chuck Buell tells us …
The Texas woman who inspired the 1958 Buddy Holly song "Peggy Sue" has died at a Lubbock hospital. Peggy Sue Gerron Rackham died Monday at University Medical Center, per a UMC spokesman. She was 78, the AP reports. The family gave the hospital permission to confirm the death but asked that no additional information be released, the rep notes.
In 2008, Peggy Sue Gerron released her autobiography Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue? to mark the 50th anniversary of the song. While promoting her book, Gerron said material for it came from about 150 diary entries she made during the time she knew Holly.
Gerron attended high school in Lubbock, where she met Holly and his friends. "I wanted to give him [Holly] his voice. It's my book, my memoirs," she said, per a 2008 AP story. "We were very, very good friends. He was probably one of the best friends I ever had."
Gerron married drummer Jerry Allison, from Holly's rock 'n' roll band The Crickets. The couple later divorced. On Monday, her son-in-law, Tom Stathos, told KCBD that the song "Peggy Sue" initially had a different name: "It was originally going to be Cindy Lou (Holly's niece) ... [but] he (Allison) wanted to impress Peggy Sue, so he got Buddy to change the name."
- Chuck Buell
From Celebrity Death Beeper:
Peggy Sue Gerron, whose name has echoed in the annals of rock ‘n’ roll for six decades as the crush in the Buddy Holly classic song “Peggy Sue,” has died at the age of 78 in Lubbock, Texas, where she and Holly went to high school, officials said.
The 1957 song from Holly and his band the Crickets was an anthem of the early days of rock ‘n’ roll and inspired a sequel tune from Holly called “Peggy Sue Got Married,” which was also the title of a 1986 movie.
Holly and Gerron first met at Lubbock High School, where he knocked her down while running through the hallways with a guitar in his hands, Gerron said on her website Peggy Sue Online.
The song was originally title Cindy Lou, with Cindy being Buddy’s niece.
But Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, whose percussion helped set the tone for the tune, asked Holly to change the name. He had just broken up with Peggy Sue and was hoping the love song would help him win Gerron back.
“After much prodding, Buddy agreed,” said Jacqueline Bober, curator at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, adding that “the song helped set the tone for early rock ‘n’ roll songs for its instrumentation.”
Allison and Gerron married soon after she finished high school.
Gerron said she first heard the song during a concert in California when Holly played it after “That’ll Be the Day.”
“I was just shocked,” she said in an interview posted on her website. “It was a great surprise.”
Gerron and Allison eventually divorced, and Peggy Sue went back to school and studied to be a dental assistant at Pasadena Junior College in California, according to her website.
She later remarried and joined her new husband in the plumbing business. Her website said she was the first woman to become licensed as a plumber in California, a claim Reuters could not independently verify.
She sang backup vocals in a band, published an autobiography called “Whatever Happened to Peggy Sue?” and used her shortwave radio license to talk to people around the world.
Gerron returned to Lubbock in 1995 to care for her mother, the website said.
Peggy Sue Gerron died on Monday, according to her family, which did not specify a cause of death.
“She worked hard at keeping the joy of the ‘50s alive,” her son-on-law Tom Stathos told local TV broadcaster KCBD.
Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by David Gregorio
And, my God … how is it even remotely possible that it has already been a year since Tom Petty left us?!?! I swear the time just keeps going faster and faster.
Tom’s been on the radio non-stop ever since (they always played a lot of his music but since his passing, his airplay seems to have quadrupled!)
It is incredible how many people’s lives he touched with his music … he is definitely missed.
[Watch for a new 2-CD Greatest Hits package, “The Best Of Everything,” which is being touted as a “career-spanning hits compilation,” that will include some of his work with The Heartbreakers, tracks recorded during his solo career and also some material recorded with his earlier band, Mudcrutch coming in November … hot on the heels of the recently released 60-Track Petty box set “An American Treasure.”]
TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
1. "Free Fallin’"
2. "Mary Jane’s Last Dance"
3. "You Wreck Me"
4. "I Won’t Back Down"
5. "Saving Grace"
6. "You Don’t Know How It Feels"
7. "Don’t Do Me Like That"
8. "Listen to Her Heart"
9. "Breakdown"
10. "Walls (Circus)"
11. "The Waiting"
12. "Don’t Come Around Here No More"
13. "Southern Accents"
14. "Angel Dream (No. 2)"
15. "Dreamville"
16. "I Should Have Known It"
17. "Refugee"
18. "American Girl"
19. "The Best of Everything" (Alt. Version)
1. "Free Fallin’"
2. "Mary Jane’s Last Dance"
3. "You Wreck Me"
4. "I Won’t Back Down"
5. "Saving Grace"
6. "You Don’t Know How It Feels"
7. "Don’t Do Me Like That"
8. "Listen to Her Heart"
9. "Breakdown"
10. "Walls (Circus)"
11. "The Waiting"
12. "Don’t Come Around Here No More"
13. "Southern Accents"
14. "Angel Dream (No. 2)"
15. "Dreamville"
16. "I Should Have Known It"
17. "Refugee"
18. "American Girl"
19. "The Best of Everything" (Alt. Version)
Disc 2
1. "Wildflowers"
2. "Learning to Fly"
3. "Here Comes My Girl"
4. "The Last DJ"
5. "I Need to Know"
6. "Scare Easy"
7. "You Got Lucky"
8. "Runnin’ Down a Dream"
9. "American Dream Plan B"
10. "Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around" (feat. Stevie Nicks)
11. "Trailer"
12. "Into the Great Wide Open"
13. "Room at the Top"
14. "Square One"
15. "Jammin’ Me"
16. "Even the Losers"
17. "Hungry No More"
18. "I Forgive It All"
19. "For Real"
1. "Wildflowers"
2. "Learning to Fly"
3. "Here Comes My Girl"
4. "The Last DJ"
5. "I Need to Know"
6. "Scare Easy"
7. "You Got Lucky"
8. "Runnin’ Down a Dream"
9. "American Dream Plan B"
10. "Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around" (feat. Stevie Nicks)
11. "Trailer"
12. "Into the Great Wide Open"
13. "Room at the Top"
14. "Square One"
15. "Jammin’ Me"
16. "Even the Losers"
17. "Hungry No More"
18. "I Forgive It All"
19. "For Real"
Interestingly enough, I have an incredible 6-CD Greatest Hits Box Set called “Playback” that came out in 1995 that also features Tom’s work with The Heartbreakers, tracks from his solo career and an assortment of early Mudcrutch material … so I don’t know that I totally buy the premise here … but I can tell you that it’s all good stuff. Tom Petty is one of those artists that I will always regret not seeing live as I enjoyed most of what he had to offer during his incredible career. Had I only known this last tour would be his last, I most certainly would have made very attempt to be there. (kk)
In speaking of Graham Nash, I was on vacation in Rocky Mountainn National Park in Colorado a week ago and just before Graham played a gig at the well know Stanley Hotel in Estes Park where I was. I was SO disappointed I could not see his show, as were there just days before, but could not stay for it. He did some great stuff judging from this review of the show.
Recent set list of what he likely did at the Stanley:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/graham-nash/2018/edmonds-center-for-the-arts-edmonds-wa-73e91a9d.html
Clark Besch
If you ever get the chance to see him … even at one of these stripped down shows … go. Graham is a very entertaining storyteller and, as such, I also highly recommend his autobiography. (kk)
Hi Kent,
I've attached the latest newsletter for the newly formed ECMHOF in case you haven't already seen it. I know it's east coast centric and you're midwest centric, but I thought you would be interested in anything happening in the world of the best music ever - 60's rock and roll. I also felt you would want to help publicize this project on forgotten hits by reaching out to Tommy Petillo.
Wondering if you've gotten any hits on my lyric search "You've been talking to my girl and I don't want you to".
Thanks,
Frank Jeckell
The 1910 Fruitgum Company
You know, I didn’t get ANY responses to your song request … so let’s run it again and see if anybody responds.
Meanwhile, as you know, I am ALWAYS happy to help spread the word on anything that’ll help to keep this great music alive … so here is a link to the information that you sent me … it wouldn't let me copy and paste as originally planned so I'll have to reference their main website instead ...
https://eastcoastmusichalloffame.org/
I am slowly catching up with Forgotten Hits after being away two weeks. That is so cool about Jim Peterik doing a story-telling series of concerts! I hope they reveal some cool facts on some of the songs I always wonder about. Also, reading that he is hooking up with Dennis DeYoung is interesting. Why not? Jim has teamed with most of the Chicago area heavyweights and it seems a natural. I’m wondering if they might want to try resurrecting some of the pre-Styx tracks that have never been released. When still called TW4 (There Were 4), they laid down some interesting tracks. Some of the Styx magic sound to come and some along a much more melodic softer sound that was moving thru the Chicago and Illinois area in that time. The Ides had signed with Warner Brothers but their first single was the melodic and beautiful "One Woman Man," which was basically a follow-up to another beautiful ballad the previous year by them, "Nobody Loves Me." Why not? The Cryan’ Shames had been doing songs like their melodic version of "Up on the Roof." The New Colony 6 were doing the same and adding the American Breed styled horns to their mixes which also went into the Ides, obviously.
https://eastcoastmusichalloffame.org/
I am slowly catching up with Forgotten Hits after being away two weeks. That is so cool about Jim Peterik doing a story-telling series of concerts! I hope they reveal some cool facts on some of the songs I always wonder about. Also, reading that he is hooking up with Dennis DeYoung is interesting. Why not? Jim has teamed with most of the Chicago area heavyweights and it seems a natural. I’m wondering if they might want to try resurrecting some of the pre-Styx tracks that have never been released. When still called TW4 (There Were 4), they laid down some interesting tracks. Some of the Styx magic sound to come and some along a much more melodic softer sound that was moving thru the Chicago and Illinois area in that time. The Ides had signed with Warner Brothers but their first single was the melodic and beautiful "One Woman Man," which was basically a follow-up to another beautiful ballad the previous year by them, "Nobody Loves Me." Why not? The Cryan’ Shames had been doing songs like their melodic version of "Up on the Roof." The New Colony 6 were doing the same and adding the American Breed styled horns to their mixes which also went into the Ides, obviously.
I put together a medley of three songs that match the beauty of the music Chicago was putting together then. First, the NC6' "I Want You to Know" blending into the Ides first WB 45, "One Woman Man" and then into the Coachmen's "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget."
Not familiar with the Coachmen song? That's early Dan Fogelberg and his Coachmen band, out of Peoria, Illinois, that put this beautiful melody out as a 45 in 1968. Some of the early TW4 songs have a similar taste and it sure would be nice to hear them. Maybe Jim can get Dennis to play a few for him and find one to sing together? One of the TW4 cuts even gets part of it stolen later for a well-known Styx hit, "Lorelei!" Listen up close to a mix of the hit song and its roots from TW4 in the song "Happiness Together, We'll Find!" found on an acetate not too long ago.
Chicago artists and their music are just so rich in music!!!
And finally, check out below where Dick Clark plugs "Vehicle" on the Top 10 Board!!! May 30, 1970!
Clark Besch
Thanks for sending, Clark ... fascinating stuff.
I never knew Lorelei had a precedent! I got to act smart next time I see Dennis. And the Coachmen … who knew! The seeds of greatness.
Also, the Dick Clark clip was great! One Woman Man is the one that got away. Shoulda been big! I’d like to put that in the next Cornerstones show. Hmm. Maybe try it at the Genesee on November 2nd. If it works there, then do it at the Arcada on November 24th.
Rock steady!
Jimbo
"One Woman Man" is like "I Want You To Know" on steroids, IMO. It is so HUGE in sound and flushed out so brilliantly with harmonies. I don't know how it wasn't the second Ides opening door to the charts. There is actually an unreleased Fogelberg CD of stuff from college that he recorded. Lots of sweet stuff and more 60's sounding in ways, as it WAS a 60's taping. I think you and he would have done some great stuff had he lived. He could have easily joined Dennis as well to produce some great stuff. I was lucky to see a concert of his in 1980 when he was on top of the charts. He did "Day Tripper" as encore!
Clark
I didn’t discover The Ides’ “Nobody Loves Me” until the deluxe box set came out a few years ago … that one struck me right away as a “Shoulda Been A Hit” track. It also would have been a great way to show off the versatility of the band. (And, as Jim already knows, I am EXTREMELY partial to “My Foolish Pride” … now THAT’S one I would LOVE to hear The Ides perform live in concert. The whole track is just haunting … it very well may be in my Top Five Ides Favorites of all time! Cool to discover the “Loreli” bit being used in another song. SO many great artists used this approach (Brian Wilson perhaps being the most famous … but even John Lennon’s “Child Of Nature” was completely reworked five years later as “Jealous Guy” … to me this is a true testament to the craft of songwriting … where you know you’ve got a great hook or a great vibe … and you just have to find the right “vehicle” to bring it home. Interesting stuff. (kk)
Davie Allan sent in the following reviews for his new CD, “Retrophonic 5” … sounds like he’s back on the path where he belongs!
How could I not share these reviews? (Especially the last one!)
Thanks!
DA
Retrophonic 5 reviews:
Just wanted to send my congratulations! Nice to see you back with
such a strong and wonderful CD. The music is spot on.
Kalynn Campbell
Still going strong and doing what you do so beautifully well.
Doug Brookins
Sounds AMAZING, Davie!!! You truly are the KING of Fuzz Guitar!
Lenny Smith
Sounds fantastic!
Kate Siegel
Love it.
Thank you for sharing!
Melanie Heeran
After just a quick listen, all I can say is "Sign me up." We needed a
good blistering and you've delivered it.
Charlie Mccardell
Fuzztastic!
Jonny Whiteside
All your tunes are unique, it makes me wonder how in the world do
you do it?
Jack van Wingerden
In a word … Floored!
Boobie Auten
Sounds good. where do I send the check and for how much!
Rich Kunkel
I could listen to the new CD forever, l love it. The best of the best.
Rock on, my Friend.
Mickey Cooksey
The heroic return of Davie Allan, the mighty “King Fuzz” himself!
Rod Swindle
I’m really impressed, probably your best work to date. It all sounds
great.
Jim Pewter
I'm playing "Get Your Licks On Route 66" on tonight's program. The CD
really cooks! Rock On!
Rockin’ John McDonald
Wow…the best you’ve ever done. It shows you as a great mixer, artist
and writer! Plus, your guitar and your wall of sound make you the
Phil Spector of rock instrumentals!
Below is the link to my monthly national radio show from New York that airs live Tuesday at 5 pm PST time. A new show will be posted at youtube the first Tuesday of every month so anyone can listen anywhere, anytime ! It’s on three East Coast radio stations live also, so millions of possible listeners... !
https://youtu.be/m1x1m_tJSD
Merrell Fankhauser
kk …
Here’s a bit more about Sam’s book.
It really is more of a "How To" book for adopted people looking to find parents.
Every state has different rules. In Michigan, you have to get a third party to look at sealed records. They would then contact the birth parents. Making the connection is then up to them … it’s their call.
If they wish to re-unite with the child put up for adoption, you can proceed. If they say no, it ends there.
The question I had was --- the fact that Bobby Darin never knew he had another son at the time of his death, therefore didn't include him in the will. Legally speaking, could the will be contested?
I can understand Dodd's point of view. If he embraces Sam --- who knows how many others are out there. Sam says he's not looking for money. Others might want money.
Frank B.
And more Bobby …
kk:
Another chapter for your Bobby Darin Story … Bobby Darin at Big Sur.
FB
Bobby’s stay at Big Sur was a big part of his life … and offered up a life-changing experience. This is a good read … and for anybody out there who still hasn’t read our Bobby Darin piece, you’ll find it here …
http://forgottenhits.com/the_bobby_darin_story
Kent babe -
Just wanted to stop by for a howdy!!!
Just wanted to stop by for a howdy!!!
To be honest with ya, I have not been keeping up with your site since I retired at the old age of 53 from the State of IL. (This is another reason why I did not ever consider working in radio full time!)_
Anyways, now that I have plenty of time to be on my mountain bike and play some deep tracks out of my 45 collection here in the vault, I will be getting back to your articles.
I still learn so much from your site!
Hope is all good with ya, man!!!
Jeff James
Great to hear from you!
Retired at 53?!?!? They’ll be sweeping me out with the garbage!
Yeah, you have a LOT of catching up to do … and there’s always something new and exciting going on here … so welcome back!
And please feel free to comment whenever you’re so inspired!
Thanks, Jeff! (kk)
