Wednesday, October 2, 2019

A Wednesday Morning Quickie (a nice way to break up the week, don'tcha think???)

kk:
Huey Lewis and the News releases new song after ten years
1980's = OUT OF MY ERA
FB
Yep -
We ran this story last week -
They sound great don’t they?
(And they’ve done some nice doo wop stuff over the years - you should check them out - I think you’ll like it!)  kk 

So Huey Lewis and the News are back ... but, unfortunately, it's not all GOOD news.

FH Reader Tom Cuddy tells us ... 

KENT:
I enjoyed the positive comments about Huey Lewis and the News’ new release.  I know you were optimistic to think that Huey was able to sing on this studio album since his recent hearing problems that impacted his singing, but unfortunately Huey’s condition hasn’t improved much.
Huey said in an interview this past week that all of his lead vocals of this album are well over a year-old, which is before health issues forced him to cancel any scheduled concerts.  
Let’s pray for Huey that his hearing issue improves in the near future, but as of right now, he is still not able to sing.  His hearing problem doesn’t allow him to hear all of the notes, so he can’t stay in tune.
I have been blessed in my radio career to work with hundreds of artists over the past 40-plus years, and Huey has always been on of the nicest guys in the business.
Tom Cuddy
New York, NY
That's a shame ... I was hopeful that we might get one more chance to see him.
Still, this lead off track sounds just like vintage Huey Lewis and the News ... yet every bit as fresh.  (It's a shame music that sounds this good isn't "hip enough" to get on the radio these days.  Then again, Huey always was hip to be square ... so who knows ... maybe it'll catch on!) 
We've got a lot of love for Huey and his music.  Hopefully (much like the recent Linda Ronstadt documentary) this will rekindle an interest and appreciation for all that he has shared with us over the years. 
Thanks, Tom!  (kk)


Kent,
On the Forgotten Hits edition dated September 29th, you mentioned that Johnny Cash & June Carter performed the Nancy Sinatra / Lee Hazelwood song, Jackson -- uh, actually the Cash / Carter version rode the Country charts in 1967 before the Sinatra / Hazelwood team up reached the pop charts later that same year.
Jackson is one of my favorite songs from 1967 and I just thought we should set the record straight.
Keep up the great work keeping the blog about the Oldies coming.
Joe Cantello 
Roswell, Ga
My bad ... what you are saying is correct as it relates to 1967 ... the Johnny Cash / June Carter version was released in February of that year.  (It went on to win the Grammy for
for Best Country and Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group the following year.)
Nancy and Lee's version was released in July of '67 ... some five months later ... but in verifying this research, I found that the song itself actually dates back to 1963.
It was written by Billy Edd Wheeler (with a little help from noted songwriter Jerry Leiber.)  Wheeler tells this story of the song's origin:
"'Jackson' came to me when I read the script for Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf'.  (I was too broke to see the play on Broadway.)  When I played it for Jerry [Leiber], he said 'Your first verses suck,' or words to that effect. 'Throw them away and start the song with your last verse, "We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout."' When I protested to Jerry that I couldn't start the song with the climax, he said, 'Oh, yes you can.' So I rewrote the song and, thanks to Jerry's editing and help, it worked."
Wheeler was the first to record the song, which he cut as a duet with a friend from Kentucky, Joan Sommer (not popular singing star Joanie Sommers as has also been reported) singing the female part on his very first album for Kapp Records.  Johnny Cash learned the song from that album, A New Bag of Songs.
The Kingston Trio also recorded the song in 1963 and included it on their "Sunny Side!" album that year.  (Some maintain that THEY cut it first, but I think that's unlikely.)  Their version sounds a lot like virtually everything else they ever recorded!  lol  Incredibly, the song then sat dormant for the next four years, only to become a hit TWICE in 1967 by two different duos on both the pop and country charts.  (kk)



For some more insight on the history of the tune, check out this interesting interview with Billy Edd Wheeler from 2012:
http://www.oneradsong.com/2012/08/jackson-by-billy-edd-wheeler.html    

Btw, that great guitar player performing on the White Album Tribute Show is WAYNE AVERS, Micky's musical director and guitarist.
DIS
He was phenomenal ... absolutely SMOKED it on "25 or 6 to 4," one of the highlights of the show.  (Sadly, that massive amount of talent can't be properly displayed in a Micky Dolenz show ... but he sure won us over when we saw the White Album show Tuesday night.)
Actually, the entire back-up band was quite impressive and, for a four-piece band, they really filled in all of the necessary gaps to accurately recreate the sound of The White Album sessions.
We'll have a full review later this week (I'm waiting for the photos to come in first!) but it was quite an incredible night of music.  Other highlights (and there were many) included Christopher Cross' letter-perfect reading of "Sailing" and Todd Rundgren's takes on "Sexy Sadie," "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill" and "Helter Skelter," all of which he performed better than his own two biggest hits, "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me."
They varied the set list a little bit from opening night ... and I kind of got the sense that they were still trying to iron things out as to the best running order and distribution of vocals ... but I'd say it was pretty evenly distributed, save a little bit on the short end for Joey Molland (who seemed to be struggling with some of his lead vocals the night we saw them.)
Again, more in a day or two ... but a GREAT show to see if it's playing anywhere near your area.  It returns to The Arcada Theatre on December 2nd.  (kk)

In 1967, French actress/singer Brigitte Bardot asked Serge Gainsbourg to write a beautiful love song that they could record as a duet. The lyrics he penned were so sexually explicit that her husband would forbid the release of the finished recording. 
In 1969, Gainsbourg traveled to London with his much
younger bride, Jane Birkin, to re-record the song at Fontana Records' Marble Arch studios. Upon the release of "Je T'aime ... Moi Non Plus" (translation "I Love You, Me Neither"), it was immediately banned in most of Europe and by the BBC in the UK. Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" might be the most suggestive hit single ever released ... but Jane and Serge made it sound like they WERE getting it on! 
I was living in London at the time, but, fifty years later, I can't recall if even the very progressive and tolerant Radio Luxembourg played it. Despite the BBC ban, gossip about the scandalous record led to strong sales. Brits not understanding the sensual sounding French utterances was irrelevant. Rumors flew that the couple was actually making love during the recording session. They weren't. She was
faking it. 
Even the Vatican was appalled. And when Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, a major shareholder in Philips (of which Fontana was a subsidiary), demanded its withdrawal, the record was suddenly yanked from distribution. The displeasure of the Fontana chairman's wife also had something to do with it. 
The deleted single was then picked up by a small Irish owned label, Major Minor. The week of October 4, 1969, might be the only time ever that the very same recording on different labels held down two top twenty positions on a national chart. And an instrumental version (that the BBC
played instead) was also in the top twenty. That was titled "Love At First Sight" by Sounds Nice (actually Tim Mycroft).  Gainsbourg admitted that the Hammond organ background melody was inspired by Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". On October 11, 1969, the Major Minor single topped the UK charts and Fontana's duplicate sat at number 33. It was both the first banned record and the first in a foreign language to reach number one in the UK. It's been called the most erotic record ever made.
Mike G
Here in The States, the single charted to mixed reviews, peaking at #58 in Billboard, #69 in Record World (no comments please!) and only reaching #92 during its two weeks charting in Cash Box.  It's more of a novelty these days ... and you will hear it from time to time on Internet Oldies Radio.  (kk)


Now THAT'S a Wednesday Morning Quickie!!!
(was it good for you?)

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