ON (and Off) THE RADIO:
Me-TV-FM’s “Eye Tunes” Weekend is still going on through midnight tonight … response has been good so please make it a point to tune in and enjoy a bit of our efforts.
We appreciate all the mentions of our “Eye Tunes Weekend.” It’s a simple concept, really, yet we were getting a positive reaction to it before it even started airing!
We even heard from a gentleman whose work involves how to read other people’s eyes (must be a therapist or counselor). He was asking about the songs we were going to play, because he wanted to start his own list for his practice.
Thank you for your help with the feature. We hope you see to it that you have a good weekend.
Rick
Some of the tunes being featured for the very first time on Me-TV-FM include “Looking Through The Eyes Of Love (both the Gene Pitney and The Partridge Family versions), “Behind Blue Eyes” (!!!) by The Who, “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, “Love Eyes” by Nancy Sinatra (I always LOVED this song) and a few more. (I was pushing for “Did You See Her Eyes” by Illusion, which was a Top Ten Hit here in Chicago … I felt it would not only be the ultimate WOW song but would also resonate with the audience here … ‘cause when’s the last time you heard THAT one!!!)
Rick also expanded the list a bit to include more “look” songs … “Look Through Any Window,” “Look What You’ve Done To Me” … and maybe even “Look In My Eyes, Pretty Woman by Tony Orlando and Dawn … which is kind of a double whammy if you think about it! (lol) VERY cool to hear that he’s thinking about doing this as an annual feature! (kk)
When I Look In Your Eyes … Andy Williams … from Dr. Doolittle???
SERIOUSLY???
Tom
Definitely
NOT one of my suggestions. Me does that
once in awhile … grabs something COMPLETELY off kilter and throws it into the
mix. (I actually heard them play this on
Saturday Morning on the Milwaukee feed and asked Frannie “Do you really think
that someone … ANYone … ANYWHERE in the whole entire world out there was thinking
to themselves, ‘Man, I’d REALLY love to hear that Andy Williams / Dr. Doolittle
song???”) When they play a song that virtually NO ONE in the whole entire world has ever heard of, it kinda defeats that whole "timeless and memorable" concept by which the station was built ... and instead brings whole new meaning to the term "showstopper" ... not something ANY radio station strives for!
Unfortunately, they will sometimes play a WTF song rather than a WOW song that would actually get their audience to perk up and say (instead) “Man … I haven’t heard THAT song in about 40 years!!!” … like (for example) “Did You See Her Eyes” by The Illusion would do. (Sometimes within the context of a specialty weekend you can step outside the “safe zone” and feature something a little bit more adventurous. I’m not sure Andy Williams … much as I love him … quite fits that bill.) kk
Been listening to your Eye Tunes Weekend on Me-TV-FM …
All I can say is Eye-yi-yeye!!!
Tom McBrien
Hey, I’m already thinking about NEXT YEAR’s Eye Tunes Weekend!!! (lol) And, believe it or not, I’ve already come up with another 30-40 tunes! (kk)
I know that you have mentioned this, but WGN is making John Landecker a full time evening personality. Of course, if it was 1970's WLS, I would say "full time evening JOCK" … but assuming he will be all talk on WGN.
The REALLY sad thing is that Nick Digilio was let go the day after he did his last show, so not only could he not say goodbye at all to his many fans, but he is out unceremoniously after 35 years with the station he started at at age 20 in 1985.
I always enjoyed his overnight shows. I have heard replays of Bob Sirott’s morning shows airing in his place so far, I think. Roe Conn was also out without getting the chance to say goodbye on the same day.
Good and bad news.
https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/09/04/roe-conn-nick-digilio-wgn-radio-shakeup/
Clark Besch
Radio is and has always been a very tough business … and typically no matter how long you’ve been there or how many listeners you may have brought to the station along the way, jocks RARELY get a chance to say goodbye to their followers (unless it’s on their OWN terms through retirement or such.) Most terminations are immediate rather than being told the day before “Tomorrow’s your last show … go out in style by saying something classy to your listeners.” I guess being a live medium, there is always the risk of somebody slamming the station … but jeez for the past 40+ years now, hundreds of jocks have made their living by biting the hand that feeds them on a daily basis … it’s become their whole schtick!
And WGN seems to be head and shoulders above the rest with these overnight changes of late. (Steve and Johnnie are also recently out.)
So I agree … while I couldn’t be happier for John Landecker (who I happen to know is absolutely THRILLED to be back on the air … off the record, WE were pushing for him to become the first on-air jock at Me-TV-FM!!!) … it IS a shame that somebody else has to lose their spot in order to make room for him to join the WGN team. (Funny, too, how so many of the jocks we grew up listening to have made their way to WGN these last couple of decades. Back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, WGN was the radio station that ALL of these jocks made fun of as being the out-to-pasture, retirement home for mundane listeners!!!) kk
kk:
RIP Mickey B ... local talent.
He had a radio show on Long Island and hosted oldies concerts.
For 50 years I called WCBS-FM and never once got through.
Every time I called Mickey B, I was able to talk to him.
Mickey B was a member of Tico & Triumphs, who had a hit in 1961 with a song called "MOTORCYCLE." Paul Simon was a member of this group.
https://www.facebook.com/ken.k.rappaport/posts/10218611367931694
Frank B.
And Dick Biondi …
I clicked on everything I could find Sunday to get the Biondi live event, but nothing worked. No one said you have to be a Facebook member to see it, but I guess you did have to (?) It gave things to click but nothing ever showed up.
Glad it is being put up after the fact, because it should not be limited to Facebook MEMBERS. I see lots of stuff on there that you do not have to be a member, so don't know why it was not available to all of us.
Clark
You did NOT have to be a Facebook member to view it … I’m not on Facebook and I was able to watch all four hours. (Pam said they were having some technical difficulties with the links and I know I experienced a glitch or two myself … but overall it was available for all to see. I’m still waiting to hear if Dick himself was able to watch any of it!)
The YouTube links should be up and running shortly … we’ll post them as soon as they become available. (kk)
UPDATE: You can find all four hours of this special Dick Biondi Birthday Bash now posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dick+biondi+day
And check this out …
They edited the opening segment of my interview back into Hour Three! (From what I, recall there may be one other brief piece missing but I do believe that was during the “technical difficulties” segment with Landecker’s dogs running wild! Lol)
In any event, more of the story of Dick being the first to
play The Beatles in America is now being told. (So thank you, Pam!)
And, as an aside to the reader who wished to remain anonymous: The piece posted on the other Forgotten Hits website is EXACTLY as it appeared in our original send back in 2002. The question you’re raising about Clark Weber perhaps being the first to play “Please Please Me” may have been addressed in further detail in the many, many, many follow-up pieces that have run since.
http://forgottenhits.com/who_played_the_very_first_beatles_record_in_america
Logically, since Clark Weber was playing The Silver Dollar Survey at the time … and since The Silver Dollar Survey ran EVERY DAY, Monday thru Friday … and since “Please Please Me” was ON that Silver Dollar Survey for two weeks … it stood to reason that Clark would have played the song a minimum of ten times during its chart run.
Typically, a song on the chart would have most likely have been played for at least a week or two PRIOR to making the chart in order for there to be enough response to it to actual propel it to make the chart at a later date … so odds are that WLS played “Please Please Me” for as many as four or five weeks in total. (This logic also reflects the actual release date of the single in America.)
BUT … Dick Biondi, being the most popular disc jockey on the air in Chicago at the time, with the largest listening audience out there, ALWAYS was the first to play the new premiers on his show … and, since we know that he had lunch with the Vee Jay promo rep who gave him the record to play, it also stands to reason that he would have been the VERY first person anywhere in America to play this tune on the air.
Now, if you follow the dozens and dozens and dozens of emails we’ve received since this piece first ran, all proposing that maybe THIS guy played something sooner, we’ve been able to debunk every single one of these claims by very diligent fact checking. Had we EVER found otherwise, we would have corrected our article IMMEDIATELY. (The closest we came to doing so was when we went down the path of a Canadian disc jockey playing “Love Me Do” on his program … which would have made him the first disc jockey in North America to play The Beatles (leaving Biondi’s record intact.) Truth is, Canada was much more in tune with what was going on in the European market … and I will concede that it IS possible that this is a true statement.
However, in an interview, when asked exactly what he played and when he played it, the jock couldn’t remember the title … and referred to it as “the one with the harmonica” … which could be any one of The Beatles’ first three singles … “Love Me Do,” “Please Please Me” and “From Me To You” ALL featured predominate harmonica pieces … in fact, The Beatles were on the verge of being “typecast” as a formula sound … until “She Loves You” shook the rest of the music world forever.
So, based on THIS information, I’m not 100% prepared to award him the “First In North America” title anymore either.
As another aside …
The MAIN reason Vee Jay ended up with the Beatles single in the first place was because the song they REALLY wanted was “I Remember You” by Frank Ifield. Parlophone basically told Vee Jay, “Well, since we gave you the Frank Ifield single, how about taking this new one by this hot new band out of Liverpool” … so they did. Incredibly, when The Beatles finally DID hit it big a year later, Vee Jay quickly packaged a couple of compilation albums that featured both Ifield’s and The Beatles’ music! They even did one with The Four Seasons … The Beatles vs. The Four Seasons … which featured an LP by each band in a two-record set! (kk)
Pam, Kent, etc.:
I watched all four hours of the Dick Biondi birthday party yesterday on YouTube after not being able to get it on Facebook live. All I can say is that it was fabulous! The fourth hour was the best, but the whole show was great right from the "Vehicle / Biondi" music to the photo from 1961 of Dick with Gene Taylor in that convertible. Since my interview with Gene is considered the last one before his death, I was interested in seeing that due to actually meeting this man in 1991.
It was almost like a return to 2006 for me when I saw and met lots of Chicago heroes. That year in my visit to Chicago, I heard / saw / met American English, the New Colony 6, the Ides and the Cryan’ Shames and ALL were on hand Sunday for Dick, too! Adding to that, what a great job the Chicago Enperience did -- WOW!! The Blues Brothers jokingly badgering Dick while also PLAYING the 60's WLS jingle was awesome, too.
Hearing the story behind "Fungus Among Us" from the guy who did the 45 I have was great. Hearing Dick's magic moments on Art Vuolo's video segments such as Dick propping "The Mob" was great, too, and his funny lines. It was cool to see video and internet heroes Art Vuolo, Scott Childers (from my beloved Rocky Mtn Park in Colorado!) and the infamous Kent Kotal's story about Dick playing the first US Beattles record in ‘63.
I had no idea about Dick and the Beach Boys … so glad to hear Al Jardine's stories. Attached is the Beach Boys' WLS promo you may wish to add to the film possibly (?)
Lastly, great to see Bob Sirott contributing and the great and favorite WLS jock, Ron Riley, weighing in and commenting, also about his Columbia record promoter brother Jim Scully, too! Fabulous presentation and show.
Pam and her co-host were great putting this all together, too. I sure hope Dick saw / heard this four hour presentation, as I don't think anything could have been better.
Clark Besch
I think now that it’s all up on YouTube he’ll finally have a
chance to view the whole thing, even if it’s just in small doses. (Four hours is a long time to sit thru this …
but as you said there are SO many great little tidbits throughout you don’t
dare look away for fear of missing something!) I've been telling you guys for years how great The Chicago Experience is ... they never disappoint ... (although I have to admit that it was kinda weird to see them, along with the three remaining original members of Chicago, in the same segment! lol)
I’ll never forget when I first went to meet Dick Biondi to tell him that my research was complete and that it looked like OFFICIALLY he was the first one to play The Beatles in America.
We had talked on the phone a few times before that (thank you, Ron Smith … miss you, man!) but we didn’t meet in person until a few months later when I went to one of his live appearances out on the south side at some car dealership.
We had the chance to talk … and amazingly, Dick really didn’t seem to show much emotion either way. It was more of a “Yeah, I guess I am” kind of reaction!
Six months later after our ONLY in person meeting ever I went to his annual toy drive at Yorktown Shopping Center and as I’m approaching the area where he was set up I heard, “Hey, isn’t that the Forgotten Hits Guy?” Totally cracked me up that he would remember me after just one in person meeting! He brought me up on stage with him … Ronnie Rice was also there … and we had the chance to visit for a little bit. (This was back in the days when Dick was still broadcasting live on the air during the toy drive!) Just an amazing experience. (Hey Pam … THAT’s a great story to tell, too!!! Lol)
JIMI HENDRIX:
As expected, there were ALL kinds of tributes to Jimi on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Here are a few of the best links …
50 Quotes for 50 Years:
Other artists share their appreciation and memories here:
https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/musicians-recall-the-first-time-i-heard-jimi-hendrix/
That early Hendrix piece was very nice …
I love it!
Ken Voss
Figured you would!!! (For those that don’t know, Ken publishes an online Hendrix fanzine called Voodoo Child. If you’d like to see a copy, drop me a line and I’ll forward your email address to him.) kk
And naturally Harvey Kubernik has written a book on the subject!!!
(My God, is there anything that he HASN’T written a book about?!?!?)
Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child Hardcover – September 7, 2021
by Harvey Kubernik (Author), Ken Kubernik(Author)
Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child Hardcover – September 7, 2021
by Harvey Kubernik (Author), Ken Kubernik(Author)
Product details:
· Item Weight: 1.74 pounds
· Hardcover: 320 pages
· ISBN-10: 1454937386
· ISBN-13: 978-1454937388
· Publisher: Sterling/Barnes and Noble (September 7, 2021)
· Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.5 inches
· Language: English
Harvey Kubernik and his brother Kenneth celebrate Hendrix, his music, and his legacy. They have created a multi-voice narrative that weaves together Hendrix’s incredible story. There are fascinating behind-the-scenes contributions from the scene makers and musicians of the time, including previously unpublished excerpts from interviews with the recording, producing, and engineering principals from throughout Jimi’s career.
About the Author
Harvey Kubernik's work has been published nationally in Melody Maker, Variety, Goldmine, the Los Angeles Times, MOJO, and Record Collector News.
His books include The Story of the Band: From Big Pink to the Last Waltz, 1967: A Complete Rock History of the Summer of Love, Canyon of Dreams, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, and Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows. He lives in Los Angeles.
Kenneth Kubernik is a former editor of Music Connection magazine. He has contributed to Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and MIX magazine.
He is the coauthor of The Story of the Band, and served as an editorial consultant on 1967 and Canyon of Dreams. He lives in Los Angeles.
THIS AND THAT:
I have been thoroughly enjoying reading your 2017 blog, documenting the
history of 1967. What a totally amazing year that was. That's definitely one of my favorite years in music history. I turned 13 in April of that year.
You mentioned somethng that has always fascinated me, and that I wish had never been changed once it was officially released.
When I first heard Penny Lane in February of 1967, I remember the final lines of the piccolo trumpet answering the first lines that had been played near the end of the song. It was such a nice, perfect, sensible ending to the song. Then when the single came out, those final piccolo trumpet notes were gone, and I always thought the new ending of the song just left you hanging, and to me, it made the song sound unfinished and incomplete. I didn't like it at all, and of course that's also how the song ended up being released on the Magical Mystery Tour album as well.
If there was one question that I would somehow like to be able to ask Paul McCartney, it would be, "Why did you guys change that perfect ending to Penny Lane?"
After hearing the DJ promo copy on the radio for several weeks, that ending just never sounded right to me and, in fact, it still bugs me even now, some 53 years later.
Anyway, I am truly enjoying going through 1967 day by day. I am up to March 16th so far, so I still have a long way to go.
Believe me, you have every damn right to be proud of that 50th anniversary look at 1967 which you presented here at FH back in 2017. My only regret is that I didn't know about your website or blog back then. Otherwise I certainly would have given you feedback throughout the whole year, believe me.
Anyway, you truly did an amazing amount of research to put that whole thing together … that's for sure.
I really hope FH readers appreciate the hard work that you put into archiving one of the most exciting and innovative years in history, which really shows in the music that came out that year, not as much on the top forty charts, although they certainly reflected it, too.
But it's the albums that were coming out that just made that year totally amazing. I mean, just think about it … Sergeant Pepper by the Beatles, the Doors’ first album and then Strange Days on top of that, Surrealistic Pillow by the Jefferson Airplane, Disraeli Gears by Cream, Days Of Future Passed by the Moody Blues, Are You Experienced by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, Satanic Majesties Request by the Rolling Stones … and I'm just getting started!
And that's just the tip of the iceberg … but what a phenomenal bunch of albums to all have come out in the same year.
There was just so much amazing talent coming together and completely changing the definition of what used to be called rock 'n' roll, but these days it was being shortened to rock, and only older people that weren't quite with it still called this music rock 'n' roll.
Anyway, 1967 was an astounding year, it really was, and again, I commend you on a tremendous job in documenting the year the way you did. Posting an entry every single day of the year was obviously a true labor of love for you, and it shows!
Thanks again, Kent.
Sam Ward
I am VERY proud of that series … a full year in the making, celebrating MY favorite year in music, too. Other folks interested in seeing it can just go to the bottom of this web page and select older posts …
You’ll probably want to start in late December of 2016 … and then just continue to “tab forward” at the bottom to “Newer Posts” … this will allow you to view the complete series exactly as we unveiled it during the year 2017 in honor of 1967’s 50th Anniversary.
And, as an added bonus, we started ANOTHER webpage devoted to all your comments throughout the series. (We had to!!! Every day of 2017 acted as a calendar page looking back fifty years … the only way to share your comments was to post them somewhere else!!!)
And I think you’ll find ALL kinds of great bonus features here. (So Sam, you’ve still got a LONG way to go until you see it all!)
https://forgottenhits1967bonus.blogspot.com/2017/01/1967-bonus-1.html
By the way, I totally agree with the trumpet ending on “Penny Lane” … that’s the ONLY way the song sounds right to me because that’s the way I first heard it … kinda like all the echo added to “I Feel Fine” and “She’s A Woman” here in The States. The British versions sound empty and hollow to me … even though that’s the way The Beatles and George Martin intended them to sound.
(You can get the “Penny Lane” trumpet ending on the Sgt. Pepper box set that came out a few years ago. I’ve also included it here … for a LOT less money! Lol) kk
The next batch of Ed Sullivan clips doesn’t hold much interest for me …
But I guess I’d consider these to be a couple of the musical highlights:
TODAY (Sunday, September 20th) – The Beach Boys – Wendy (from 9/27/64)
Wednesday, September 23rd – Elvis Presley – Too Much (from 1/6/57)
We’ve been telling you about the new Davie Allan CD … not his typical fare this time around but rather a VOCAL album featuring the talents of female vocalist Linda Sarian, who Davie says is the best he’s ever worked with.
Check out this new review from Rodney Swindle …
Davie & Arrowheads -
If I were an A&R man, 'Neon Lights' would immediately jump out to me as a single for popular 'Country Music' radio. I'm not a fan of the poppy stuff that currently gets played on the air … I hear it when my neighbors are out blasting the stuff in their diesel Chevrolet trucks with oversized tires. My preference is for older, more authentic music ... just like my preference is for an actual work truck ... made for hauling loads, instead of showing off for the kids.
'Neon Lights' is a killer track. I'd stack it up against anything currently fashionable ... better written, tighter performance.
Linda Sarian has the perfect mix of sultry and sassy in her voice … no wonder Davie has chosen her as a partner for these projects. How can she be that good? She makes it look easy.
Davie's work is bright and punchy, a genuine surprise for those who might only know him from the instrumental classics and rock legend. His tasteful guitar work wrings much energy out of the songs of this release. It is so skillfully done that if I didn't know better, I'd be inclined to think that he was a veteran, west-coast session guy in the genre. Again, so much better than anything I hear on 'Country' radio.
'Los Cabos' was a favorite of mine when I heard it in the past, another track likely to attract much airplay ... friendly, familiar, memorable from the first hearing.
'Restless in L.A.' musically references bits of structure from yonder days while offering an updated vibe. 'Riding Shotgun' is perfectly matched for blasting from a truck stereo when driving through the desert. 'I Still Want To Try' is another favorite song from the past, emotive, genuine … it gives me butterflies in the stomach. 'Take Me Out' is a fun track, full of mojo, made for motivation … you could 'remix' this to be a dance hall favorite ... an extended platter, what we used to get as a 12-inch single.
Overall, this release obviously showcases Linda's vocal ability, but also the broadness of Davie's talent, limited only by the ones like me who, perhaps too easily, hearken back to his classic work in motorcycle films. I tend to focus on that a bit too much.
Because while the sound is full of everlasting promise, Davie is capable of so much more. The evidence is here, front and center. Even as a guitar-slinging sideman, Davie holds sway.
Peace,
Rod S.
You can sample and download tracks here: Davie Allan And The Arrows: Neon Lights - Music Streaming - Listen on Deezer
