The Saturday Survey: October 13th, 1968

10-12-68 - KQWB - Fargo, North Dakota

Today, Fargo may be better known than it deserves, considering its population of 120,000 and that amounting to 16% of the whole state of North Dakota, but in 1968, it was STILL pushing the four year old radio idea of billing itself as "KQW-BEATLES"!!!  Well, they did boast the #1 song, I guess.  

For it's location, this station boasted a pretty hip top 40 listing.  Besides Chicago's Mauds (#29) and Shadows of Knight (#27), three cooler obscure titles on here are definitely worth hearing.  #23 "I Want Sunshine" by South 40 is nice to see, as the band, just over a year old, would soon have an album out and a year later start finding national success under their new name, Crow!  

Mason Williams was just one big part of the "return of the instrumental" that occurred in 1968 and altho not a big hit, "Baroque-a-Nova" was an excellent followup to "Classical Gas," IMO.  

The McCoys had been off the charts for over a year, but a switch to Mercury Records and a new album and single "Jesse Brady" had things looking brighter (see "New Challenger" listing).  The band would dissolve soon after this failed and leader Rick Derringer would go solo with a good career lying ahead in the 70's.

-- Clark Besch 

 

Boy, that sure is one skinny survey!!! 

Surprised again to see "Revolution" shown as the A-Side in the #1 position ... maybe "Hey Jude" was simply too long for a lot of these stations to play back in the day.  (There is no question as to the clear-cut winner here in Chicago ... but despite all of this, "Hey Jude" only spent one week at #1 on the WLS Survey ... nowhere near the nine weeks it spent on top in Billboard.  Then again it only topped the Cash Box Chart for seven weeks ... and Record World for four!

That's because too many other good potential #1 Records were out there vying for the top position at the time ... hits like "Those Were The Days" by Mary Hopkin, "Fire" by The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown" and "Over You" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, all of which reached the summit here in Chicago, limiting The Beatles to just a one week stay at the top of the chart.

My pick hit this week is "Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Jose Feliciano.  He totally reinvented this tune and I loved it ... much more so than his reworking of The Doors' "Light My Fire" a short while back.  (Elvis also did a rousing version of "Hi-Heel Sneakers" on the flipside of his "Guitar Man" single the year before.  

Of course Jose was all over the news this week for his performance of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the World Series ... not your typical interpretation of this tune.  It gave a whole new meaning to "Jose, can you see" ... which, of course, he couldn't.  (kk)

THIS WEEK IN 1968:

10/7 – Jose Feliciano performs “The Star Spangled Banner” before Game 5 of The 1968 World Series.  It will be universally panned the following day as “desecrating our National Anthem” … yet RCA Records will release the performance as a single a month later and it cracks The Top 50 in all three major trade publications.

10/8/68 – Mama Cass Elliott collapses on opening night of her solo show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas

10/10/68 – The Detroit Tigers, at one point trailing three games to one, come from behind and win three games in a row to win the 1968 World Series.  Pitching stars Denny McLain (the last pitcher to win 30 or more  games in a single season in the major leagues) and Mickey Lolich each pitched on just two days rest to help accomplish this feat.

Talk about your premier pitchers … The Tigers’ opponents, The St. Louis Cardinals, boasted the incredible Bob Gibson who, during the regular season, posted yearly totals of 22 wins and just 9 losses, along with a staggering 1.12 ERA.  In Game One of The World Series he struck out a record 17 batters!

But it was Denny McLain who became the Poster Boy for Major League Baseball that year.  He could do no wrong, finishing the season at 31-6 with a 1.96 ERA.  It wasn’t uncommon to see him on TV, too, playing the organ on some of the popular variety shows of the day.  

10/13/68:  In infamous clips that have been broadcast repeatedly ever since, The Beach Boys perform “Do It Again” and “Good Vibrations” on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Also on this date … former Supreme Florence Ballard gives birth to twin daughters, born two months premature

 

The Friday Flash

And it’s a FLASH AND DASH today …

But there are just a few more things I’d like to say!!!

Looks like Forgotten Hits Readers aren’t the only ones fed up and disappointed by the ways and means of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominating committee.

After the new list came out on Tuesday, Joe Walsh of The Eagles was asked (ambushed?) by TMZ what he thought of this year’s batch … and the whole RRHF process …

In answer to the question, Walsh literally held his nose, stating that there are quite a few changes he and his peers would make in the way The Rock Hall operates. 

"There’s a lot of politics in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s a lot us artists would change about the induction ceremony and who they pick.  The corporate sponsors get to pick [the nominees], and then the people get to vote. There’s a lot of people, I don’t know why they’re in there and there’s a lot of people, I don’t know why they’re not."

As reported by Ultimate Classic Rock, Walsh politely declined to specify any artists in the former category, but was quick to speak up for a childhood hero he thinks should be acknowledged.

"There was a guy that didn’t make it last year called Link Wray.  He had a song called ‘Rumble’ in the ’50s, and all us guitar players wanted to be Link Wray. And he didn’t get in because nobody knows about him."  (I know that cult-hero artists like Link Wray and Dick Dale have been on our Deserving and Denied List for YEARS now … these are artists who truly DID influence other artists with their style of music … again, the original concept of this organization that has sadly lost its way for decades now.  Musicians’ musicians … people who helped influence and inspire many of the artists currently inducted.  (We have said for years that they need to have those artists already inducted have a greater say as to should be joining them in the hallowed Hall … or at least more say than the corporate guy who is only interested in selling $25,000 tables to the televised event!)

Ultimate Classic Rock also points out that Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys campaigned heavily for the nominated Wray to be inducted with last year's Hall of Fame class, declaring that “none of us would be here without Link Wray.”

By the way, on November 11^th Tacoma, Washington, Joe Walsh will host VetsAid, a benefit concert that will include full sets by himself, Don Henley, James Taylor and Chris Stapleton.  Ringo Starr will be a special guest at the event.

Hi Kent –

The nominees are very poor. 

I would only vote for the Zombies and maybe, just maybe, Def Leppard.

The Zombies are very deserving for two reasons:

1 - They were part of the British Invasion, which was important in music history

2 - In 2018 they are now playing more dates in more countries than they ever did in the 60’s. This equals longevity. 

I've been lucky to have had Colin on my radio show four times and Rod Argent three times in past ten years … absolute professionals. 

Whether playing a small gym or a major theatre, their performances are great.  This nomination is "third time of asking," and hopefully it works.

Regards -

Geoff

www.softrockshow.co.uk

Hi Kent, 

What the hell is going on with the R&R Hall Of Fame? 

I'm sorry, but isn't this becoming an annual redundant question? 

It reminds me of that old Wellerism phrase my Mom used to say:  "Everyone to their own taste, said the old lady as she kissed the cow!" 

Devo?  Kraftwerk?  What next -- the Guess Who getting eked out by Question Mark & The Mysterians?  Apparently "Whip It" and "Autobahn" had much more of a social impact than a few million of us even realized. 

Sometimes, you want to give these "surprise candidates" the benefit of extensive record sales, but some don't even qualify for that.  You just never know who is going to show up on the R&R list of surprise artists.  Word has it, the Singing Nun could possibly be showing up in next year's first ballot, in hopes of making it to the Lightning Round.  Ozzy Osbourne picking up her posthumous award and singing "Dominique”? … it could happen! 

Peace,

Tim Kiley

If The Singing Nun gets in there for “Dominique” before The Kingsmen do for “Louie Louie” I’m REALLY gonna be pissed!!!  She already cheated them out of a #1 Record in Billboard as it is!!!

But I totally get what you’re saying ‘cause your preachin’ to the choir here on this one.

Still, we wait each year in the hopes that some moment of enlightenment will occur and offer a glimmer of hope at the end of the rock and roll rainbow.  (kk)

As somebody else pointed out earlier this week after the nominations were revealed:  Of course, the BEST rock and roll hall of fame … the ULTIMATE Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame … sits in your record collection … and in your closet full of well-worn t-shirts from special concert events you went to that you just can’t throw away “because you were THERE, man!!!”  That’s the TRUE testament to the longevity of the rock and roll that matters to the real fans out there … your well-worn albums (including many, like me, that you’ve bought again and again and again … the format may have changed over the years … but you’ve just GOTTA have the best copy available of this music that is nearest and dearest to your heart.)  THESE nominees aren’t selected by some corporate guy in a suit … these are the artists that truly touched your soul … that changed your life (or got you thru the best and worst parts of it) … THIS is the REAL Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame!!!  (kk)

Paul Simon makes Saturday Night Live history this weekend when he appears on the program as a musical guest for a record 9^th time.
Simon hosted the second episode of SNL in October of 1975, and has appeared as both a host and/or musical guest seven times since.  This weekend, on his 77th birthday, Paul will make SNL history by serving as the musical guest for the ninth time — more than any artist in more than 40 years of the show’s run. 
Be sure to catch all of the action this Saturday, October 13th at 11:30 / 10:30 central on NBC.  (kk)

Hi Kent!

PLEASE keep us posted about the future Randy Bachman / Burton Cummings shows.  I will be there with bells on!!! 

Would love to see them live on Soundstage Show also.  This is definitely on my 'Bucket List".

Carolyn

ps Speedy recovery for Frannie!

Yep, I can’t imagine missing this either.

And thank you … Frannie’s doing GREAT … man, what a difference once you eliminate the source of all the pain! (kk)

Coco Dolenz performed last weekend with brother Micky, Alex Jules, Peter Andrews and Christena Rich in Simi Valley, CA. 

Coco also intro’d Micky last night in L.A. at LATTC, where Dolenz went for a spell. He was being honored as an alumnus of the school.

L - R:  Alex Jules; Coco Dolenz; Micky Dolenz; Peter Andrews and Christena Rich

Folks are certainly psyched for the upcoming release of The Beatles’ White Album Deluxe Edition … but I cannot help but wonder where all of this goes from here?  (And let’s face it, who of us will be around to see it anyway?)

Rumor has it that a 60^th Anniversary package is already being planned with a bonus disc featuring, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME EVER … ANYWHERE … THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS OF THE BEATLES FARTING IN THE STUDIO!!!

Can you imagine the campaign?

Sure, Lennon and McCartney were the creative ones when it came to all the songwriting (although guitarist George Harrison certainly gave them a run for the money near the end of the group’s career) … but who was the most creative farter???

Fans may be shocked and amazed to learn that Ringo Starr, tucked away behind his drum kit and a sound screen where he THOUGHT nobody could hear him … was the absolute MASTER at passing gas in the studio … and it’s all been captured here, LIVE, for the very first time, on this very special 60^th Anniversary Release.

Hear Ringo let ‘er rip during “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road,” bringing whole new meaning to the lyric … and listen for those perfectly timed “Toot-Toot”’s during “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.”

You will enjoy these NEVER BEFORE RELEASED nuggets (eww … probably a poor choice of words) … here-to-for locked away in the vaults.  (He even has fun with his OWN tune … “Don’t Pass Gas Me By” … in a way you’ll never forget … or wish to remember!)

Smelling worse than a Glass Onion, Ringo would be the first to attest that “Happiness Is A Warm Bum.”  (And all this time you thought those were animal sounds during George’s track “Piggies”!!!)  And wait’ll you hear ol’ Ringo cut loose during Paul’s “Martha My Rear” … it’ll take your breath away!  (And not necessarily in a good way)  

At some point, enough REALLY has to be enough!!!  (kk)