Sunday, October 18, 2020

The Sunday Comments ( 10 - 18 - 20 )

Hi Kent, 

Can I get in on that WPLJ DVD giveaway contest? What a great collector's item!

Speaking of collector's items:

I read your piece about David Cassidy the other day and remembered an evening back around '90-'91 when David was promoting a new album and the radio station where my friend, Stormin' Norman was the Music Director / DJ, WEBE-108FM, arranged an appearance in my hometown of Stamford, CT, at a local oldies club called Bopper's. Norman asked me to videotape the event, which I was happy to do. I'm not a pro … just had a new camcorder at the time … so, why not?   The promotion manager forgot to order a town car to pick David up at the Westchester Airport, so Norm and his wife, last minute, drove about 45 minutes to pick him up and the appearance, basically an onstage meet and greet, got off to a late start. David didn't seem to be in a very good mood, wanting to promote the record, not really meet and greet a lot of mid-30s-ish women and guys, but he was professional, shook a lot of hands, and posed for some pictures. The event went on for longer than anticipated … the radio station had a select few contest winners for a backstage meet and greet as well. I think this took place before David's drinking problems, not sure, but he got a little agitated backstage and growled at me for videotaping every minute of the evening. I was embarrassed and shut the camera off briefly, but continued shortly after. I can't recall all the details, but I just recently found the tape and plan on having it transferred to DVD in the near future. When I do, I would be happy to send you a copy! Nothing spectacular, but a night in the life...

Keep up the great work,

Thanks,

Eddie Burke

Ashley, PA

Hey, I’d love to see it!

I saw David Cassidy perform a number of times over the years … dating all the way back to 1972 when he was one of the headliners at the very first Summerfest in Milwaukee, an outdoor event with no seating … it’s probably still the largest crowd I have ever been part of … even as a late teen I remember the sense of possibly being crushed as the fans tried to catch a glimpse of the stage (which was virtually impossible by that point.)  Sadly, a fan was later suffocated to death due to poor crowd control at one of David’s upcoming shows.  (The horror and guilt of that event stayed with him for the rest of his life.)

All of his other appearances have been post-comeback so a bit more organized and controlled.  This includes everything from Las Vegas to numerous concerts here in and around Chicago. 

The quality of nearly all of his latter day concerts were affected by his drinking.  I have no doubt it was out of control.

One of the most embarrassing moments for me was a Q&A appearance with Ron Onesti at his Arcada Theatre.  Ron had known David for years and this was a non-singing appearance, essentially to help promote the last recordings he ever did … several standards which, upon repeated listening, are actually quite haunting.

David’s voice was gone by then … even during the interview he sounded so raspy that it almost sounded painful for him to talk.

Right in the middle of questioning, he abruptly got up and said “I think we’re about done here” and walked off the stage.  It was insulting, unprofessional and quite humiliating for Ron, who had been the perfect host … and given David the chance to promote something that very few people … including even his oldest and dearest fans … were pretty unlikely to buy.  It wasn’t long afterwards that he was dead.

I made several appeals over the years for David to stop drinking … to get help … or, at the very least, to NOT get into a car and drive home after a night of binging.  He had several DUI’s as it was and had absolutely no place behind the wheel of a car, endangering other people, much less himself.  He would always explain it as a “sickness” … something that ran in his family, passed down "genetically" … but something he was aware of … which told me that even if he was ultimately going to drink himself to death, he was aware enough of this problem to NOT risk hurting anyone else ... yet he still continued to get behind the wheel of a car.  To my mind, he might as well have gone out with a gun. 

I will admit that at this point I was no longer a fan … I became angry and hated the fact that he would continue to do this.  I believe the whole teen idol thing haunted him for the rest of his life … he was never really accepted for who he really was.  Too bad, too, because he probably could have transitioned into a decent acting career, as he had the skills to do so.  (Heck, I even used to watch “David Cassidy: Man Undercover”!!!  lol)  I saw him perform (with his half-brother Shaun) in “Blood Brothers” … and even watched that goofy sitcom he did with his daughter (which was one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever seen on TV!!!)

Anyway … back to your mention about the DVD contest …

Yes,  you most certainly are entered … and anybody else voting from this point forward can enter to win a copy of the WPLJ TV Themes Concert dvd as well … just make sure you mention it somewhere when you send in your ballot.

(PLEASE NOTE:  This DVD is being given away as a Private Collection Item ONLY …

The winner will have to agree in writing not to share it through any other means, meaning you cannot post it on YouTube or any of your social media outlets … or share it with any other friends or collectors … this is for your OWN personal collection, for home use only.  You do NOT have permissions to share or distribute.)

Speaking of which …

GET YOUR TV THEMES VOTES IN NOW!!!

The Final Ballot has just been posted to vote for your All-Time TV Theme Favorites.

http://forgottenhits.com/

http://forgottenhits.com/2020_favorite_tv_themes_final_ballot

It doesn’t matter if you’ve voted before … this is your LAST CHANCE to help your favorites make The Top 50.

There are 213 finalists available for your votes … (all of these themes received a minimum of ten votes each during the preliminary rounds ... and several are already well over 200!)

You’ll also see that there are two ways to vote …

Cast a single vote for as many on the list as you feel are deserving …

Or RANK Your Top 20, which will give more pro-rated votes to your biggest favorites.

The easiest way to vote is to simply copy and paste the ballot into an email and then send it to tvthemes@yahoo.com.

We have extended the voting deadline to Sunday, November 8th at midnight …

That’s because Me-TV-FM will be doing a TV Themes Weekend beginning at 7 pm on Friday, November 6th, and running straight thru until Midnight on Sunday, November 8th … so LOTS more chances to hear some of your all-time favorites!

[ Listen Live here:  Me-TV-FM ]

And we’ll be counting down The Top 50 (with a whole bunch of extras) the weekend of November 21st and 22nd.

Get your votes in now … and please, spread the word …

We want this to be the most representative and definitive list possible.

(Hey, I can promise you that this will be WAY more fun than that OTHER election coming up!!!)

Stay tuned for more information about a radio countdown as well!  (kk)

SO GET YOUR VOTES IN NOW!!!

P.S.  Thank you, folks!  On Saturday we passed 10,000 votes …

Keep ‘em comin’!!!  (kk)

Hi Kent:
There actually was a 45 released in 1984 of the Simon & Simon television theme by Barry De Vorzon. Here is the original single via a YouTube clip:

Santi Paradoa

Miami, Florida

Boy, somebody sure dropped the ball on this one!  (I think the UA Promo Man was sleeping on the job!)  This is a GREAT record … and with a little bit of promotion, I think it absolutely could have been / should have been a Top 40 Hit.

Oh well, at least we get to enjoy it now!  (kk)

I am a little late to the Donny party.

There were Osmonds records that I thought were pretty good at the time.  Donny's version of 12th Of Never was pretty good. 

I have been blessed to interview him twice on the radio.  He is one of the nicest celebs I have ever chatted with.  The last time he was on, he joked that the Donny doll was worth more in the antique stores than Marie's doll!  

In 1989 when Soldier Of Love was released, I was a music director reporting to the Gavin Report.  It seems to me they sent a blank 45 not listing the artist.  They wanted input without us knowing who the singer was.  It later became a big hit.

Phil – WRCO

Too funny!  He just seems to be a genuinely nice guy … and that’s pretty much all I’ve ever heard about him (so it must be so!!!)  kk

Just read your piece on Donny Osmond …

Would you believe I taped a Here's Lucy show with Donny Osmond as the guest star?

Arlene

Regarding today's mention of songs returning to #1, I bet "All I Want For Christmas Is You" achieves that this December.  

Ed Erxleben

That would be a recent development for sure.

According to Joel Whitburn’s book, it peaked at #12 upon its initial release in 1994.  It then charted again in ’95, ’96 and ’99 … and then not again until 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, when it peaked at #3, a new all-time high.  Last year, in 2019, it finally hit #1 … by this point the song was already 25 years old!  So yeah, kind of an unheard of feat.

Could it do it again?

I guess so … but I still feel like this is one of those asterisk situations, being more of a seasonal thing … but sure, it could happen.  It IS a great song.  (kk)

I've got to agree - that Dating Game thing HAD to be a joke.  I'd seen that show maybe once or twice back then, but that particular show fell right out of the horse.
After a Guess Who concert at McCormick Place in '76, Burton and bassist Bill Wallace dropped in at a record store on Oak Street near Rush, to chat with the fans and whatever.  It was great, but surprisingly, there were a lot fewer fans there than I'd expected.  I was unhappy to see such a small turnout.
When the guys decided to take off, I asked Burton if I could accompany him on his walk to their hotel on Boul Mich.  Being the nice guy that he is, we had a nice chat.  Nicest guy you'd ever want to meet.
An interesting thing here is that it's exactly 50 years since my first Guess Who concert, on 10-9-1970 at the SIU Arena.  I've been a huge fan ever since.

Mike Wolstein

 
I was fortunate enough to see The Guess Who several times before they split up … and then at least half a dozen of Burton’s solo shows in the late ‘70’s, opening up for everyone from Melissa Manchester to Alice Cooper!!!  (Talk about diversity!)

Saw The Guess Who reunion show in 2001 … and have tickets for the Bachman-Cummings show whenever it finally comes off here again.  (Not to mention at least another half dozen solo Burton shows between The Arcada Theatre and The City Winery!) … so yeah, I guess you could say that I was a fan, too!!!

I thought our interview was one of the best I’ve ever done … he opened up and was very relaxed, even though he was probably rehashing stories he’d already told DOZENS (if not hundreds!) of times before.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit with him backstage a few times as well, and he even filmed this short FH promo for me … ON HIS OWN!!!  I was surprised as anybody when he asked me to come over!  (kk)

http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_burton_cummings


The “Chicago 7 Trial” movie finally premiered on Netflix on Friday (October 16th).

I thought it was VERY well done.  Great cast, great acting, great story-telling … definitely worth checking out. 

If I could change two things, I would have stayed away from the illusion that these guys were “heroes” … they weren’t … but their story and perspective on the world as it was at the time DEFINITELY needs to be seen and heard.

And I would have run Graham Nash’s “Chicago” over the end credits … pretty much as soon as the screen fades to black.

Other than that, I was VERY pleased with the film overall.  I give it an 8 out of 10.  (kk)


My favorite Garth Brooks album technically isn’t really a Garth Brooks album at all …

It’s the Chris Gaines CD he put out back in 1999.

I LOVED it … and still pop it in and play it all the time.

The concept was that this was a Greatest Hits / Movie Soundtrack titled “Garth Brooks In … The Life Of Chris Gaines” … and it sounds like Garth (the biggest selling solo male artist in history!) is about ready to resurrect this character.

He told Billboard Magazine that “If you’re familiar with ‘Chris Gaines’ Greatest Hits,’ then you HAVE to know that those songs came from somewhere.”

(Does this mean that a series of Chris Gaines releases will keep the illusion going for years to come?)  Hey, it’s got MY vote!  I’d be curious to see what else Garth has up his sleeve.  (I know there are already a couple of very special holiday releases coming up because we’re printing the packaging for them right now!)

Stay tuned … new music could be just around the corner.  (kk)


Speaking of new releases, I wanted to share this one with you.

Now typically we wouldn’t be the right place to promote a blues album (although we did give quite a bit of press to Dion’s latest release a couple of months back) …

But THIS one goes beyond the genre of “blues” …

Just check out some of the artists on these discs and the material being presented … 

The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music '69-70 50th Anniversary

Box Set & Merchandise For Release November 27, 2020

Gonzo MultiMedia are very excited to announce they have been chosen by the Freddy Bannister Estate  (the promoters) of the historic 1969 and 1970 Bath Festivals to produce the official 50-year anniversary set. Between them, these festivals are considered to have probably the best lineups ever seen and included.

For the first time ever, the Bath Festival 50th Anniversary set includes a triple CD set of restored recordings from both festivals. It also contains the posters, both programmes from the 1969 and 1970 events, and a booklet written by Freddy Bannister with lots of photos and reproduction memorabilia.

The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music was a counterculture era music festival held at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England on 27–29 June, 1970. Bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin performed. The was the second Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music promoted by the Bannisters, the first held on 28th June 1969, which headlined Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and featured soon to be Rock Gods, Led Zeppelin playing a mere one hour set in the mid of the afternoon set, along with John Mayall, The Nice, Ten Years After, Colosseum, John Peel, Keef Hartley, Roy Harper. And the audience.

The 1970 festival started at midday on the 27th (a Saturday) and finished at about 6:30 am on Monday morning. A DJ played records for early arrivers from the Friday evening and continued to do so between many of the sets until the end. The festival featured a line-up of the top American West Coast and British bands of the day, including Santana, The Flock, Led Zeppelin (headlining act), Hot Tuna, Country Joe McDonald, Colosseum, Jefferson Airplane (set aborted), The Byrds (acoustic set), The Moody Blues (unable to play), Dr. John (acoustic set), Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat, It's a Beautiful Day, Steppenwolf, Johnny Winter, John Mayall with Peter Green, Pink Floyd (premiering their new masterpiece, the yet to be named Atom Heart Mother Suite), Pentangle, Fairport Convention, Keef Hartley, and the Maynard Ferguson Big Band. This line-up was approaching the level of the more famous Isle of Wight Festival held in August of the same year. As it attracted less press coverage at the time and was a smaller affair, it has generally received less attention in the years since. The Bath Festival was the brainchild of promoter Freddy Bannister and his wife Wendy Bannister. The 1970 show attracted a significantly larger crowd of 150,000. Michael Eavis was attendant at the festival and was inspired to hold, later that year, the first event of what would become the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts.

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of these legendary festivals. Gonzo Multimedia - in conjunction with the Freddy Bannister Estate has produced a high quality limited edition box set containing: Signed and numbered certificate by Wendy Bannister. Triple CD - (featuring restored recordings from both festivals) Reproduction 1969 Program Reproduction 1970 Program Reproduction tickets for both festivals. A3 Reproduction posters for both festivals Reproduction fliers + 16-page anniversary book, containing text written by Freddie Bannister, along with photos.

“I can’t believe it is 50 years. It feels like only yesterday since we held these festivals. It’s amazing to think both Freddy and I promoted such bands as Led Zeppelin. Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Frank Zappa, Byrds, Steppenwolf, Johnny Winter, etc. in the early days. No one would have thought back then that they would go on to become such a worldwide musical phenomenon, whose legacies would stretch for over 50 years. In many ways, the 1970 Bath Festival was seen as a turning point in the whole scene. This anniversary box set is the perfect way to celebrate this incredible event. I am sure if Freddy were still here he would have approved.” – Wendy Bannister

In addition, Gonzo Multimedia in conjunction with the Freddy Bannister Estate are producing associated merchandise and memorabilia featuring artwork from the festival posters including reproduction programmes & posters. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags & mugs.

Tracklist:

DISC 1

1. Ten Years - After I Woke Up This Morning 2. Ten Years After - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 3. Blodwyn Pig - Aint Ya Comin’ Home 4. Blodwyn - Pig Cats Squirrel 5. Taste - Same Old Story 6. Colosseum - Walking in the Park 7. Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green) - Blues Jam 8. Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green) - So Many Natural Ways 9. Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green) - Red Hot Mama 10. The Nice - Karelia Suite 11. The Nice - She Belongs To Me

DISC 2

1. Donovan - Mellow Yellow 2. Steppenwolf - Sookie Sookie 3. Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild 4. Johnny Winter - Guess I’ll Go Away 5. Johnny Winter - Johnny B Goode 6. Johnny Winter - Have You Ever Been Mistreated 7. The Byrds - Rock n Roll Star 8. The Byrds - Bugler 9. The Byrds - Black Mountain Rag 10. The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man 11. The Byrds - Antique Sandy 12. The Byrds - You Ain’t Going Nowhere 13. The Byrds - Baby Do You Want Me to Do

DISC 3

1. John Mayall - It Might As Well Be Raining 2. John Mayall - Crazy Woman 3. Canned Heat - Reefer Blues 4. Canned Heat – Something’s Gotta Go 5. Frank Zappa - Mom And Dad 6. Country Joe - Silver and Gold 7. Country Joe - Martha Lorraine 8. Country Joe - Fixing to Die Rag 9. Santana - Black Magic Woman 10. Santana - Incident at Neshabur 11. It’s A Beautiful Day - White Bird

For more information: https://www.musicglue.com/bath-festival-50th-anniversary-box-set/

Meanwhile, 7A Records in England continues to release VERY rare Monkees material in limited edition pressings.

Their latest is a Peter Tork solo LP, featuring the entire “Stranger Things Have Happened” album from 1994, plus some bonus solo cuts that Tork released over the years.  (You’ll find the complete track list below.)  kk

 

1.    Stranger Things Have Happened

2.    Get What You Pay For

3.    Sea Change

4.    Giant Step

5.    Milkshake

6.    MG-BGT

7.    Miracles

8.    Pirates

9.    Gettin’ In

       10.    Tender Is

  11.    Higher and Higher

Bonus Tracks

12.  Milkshake – with James Lee Stanley

13.  MG-BGT – with James Lee Stanley

14.  Miracle – with James Lee Stanley

15.  Pirates – with James Lee Stanley (*)

16.  Get What You Pay For (Live) (*)

17.  Easy Rockin’ (Demo) (*)

     18.  I Truly Understand (from The CooP: The Fast Folk

           Musical Magazine SE  105, 1982)

19.  (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone – with The New Monks

    (Claude’s Music Works single MW 1001, 1981)

20.  Higher and Higher – with The New Monks 

    (Claude’s Music Works single MW 1002, 1981)

(*) CD-only bonus tracks

 

Great call on "Stay Away From Her," a longtime fave spin on the hi-fi!  

Brian Hyland's 45s get spun weekly … I have almost all of the singles.
I've always wanted to catch one of Brian's shows … hope he decides to perform once this damn Covid nightmare is put in the rear-view mirror for good.
And how the HELL did "3000 Miles" not make the Top 40?  I place blame upon NY playlist tightwad Rick Sklar (ha!)  

Mike Markesich

I would love to see Brian Hyland here as part of a “package show” that they seem to do so many of out in New York and the East Coast.  Like you, I can’t wait until it’s safe to start going to concerts again.  Sadly, I think we’re still a ways off.  Several artists are already rescheduling their dates for 2022.  That’s why we need organizations (and legislation) like SOS – Save Our Stages – to help ensure that these theaters and venues will continue to exist once concerts resume.  (I think of the MILLIONS of dollars being spent to renovate The Arcada Theatre … and it’s just sitting idle every night due to this damn pandemic.)

On the Brian Hyland front, he charted a total of 36 titles in the national trades … but unfortunately there were inconsistent lulls that took his name out of the spotlight far too many times.  (For example … he hit #3 in 1962 with “Sealed With A Kiss,” one of your summer favorites … his follow-up single, “Warmed Over Kisses,” made it to #24 ... but then nothing of note again until 1966’s “The Joker Went Wild.” (#19)

As such, his 1970 comeback with the #3 Hit “Gypsy Woman” was a completely unexpected surprises … but nine other records hit the charts during that “break in the action,” including your “3000 Miles.”  This one is another one of those chart mysteries … it charted for exactly one week in Billboard at #99 … but reached #75 in Record World, a point difference of 24 places, and stayed on THEIR chart for four weeks.  It was produced and arranged by Leon Russell (with Snuff Garrett) and written by our long-time FH Buddy Artie Wayne.  (We miss ya, Artie!)  kk

And, from Brian Hyland himself …

Hi Kent,

Regarding “Stay Away From Her,” this was my first self-written song, co-written, actually, with Jimmy Holvay. 

For me, this was an early attempt at songwriting and on that same tour we also wrote One Night Jimmy and about eight other songs. In the case of Stay Away From Her, the record company dropped the ball on promotion on that one and nothing happened. 

Regarding marketing music during the British Invasion:  It was fine as long as you had major label promotion support and it came down to if you had a good song.

I actually think it’s harder now for a legacy 60s artist to market their new music. Case in point:

I actually I have a new song out right now on all the major streaming platforms.  It was released a month ago titled “You Got A Message.”  There are five other singles released in the last two years, all self-composed, produced and mixed.

Keep on Rockin’, Kent!

Respectfully,

Brian Hyland

We actually ran promos for your new song when it was first released a few weeks ago … good song.

I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to browse around the sites yet, but if and when you do, you’ll see that the very first 45 I ever bought with my own money was “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” … and it was on the Leader record label, too!!!

Check out this section of the site and you’ll see hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of OTHER First 45’s Memories.  (Would love to add YOURS to the list, too!)

http://forgottenhits.com/first_45s

I think you’ll like it here …

Forgotten Hits is a GREAT way to stay in touch with your fans … tell them about upcoming shows and releases … and answer questions from time to time.

I hope you’ll continue to stay in touch with us.

Like I tell ALL of the artists on our list … USE ME!!!  That’s what I’m hear for!!!

Let us help to spread the word about all of your latest goings on!

Thanks!  (kk)


Wow!

The Flower Power Cruise has already been postponed until 2022!  (Man, I sure hope things get better WAY before then!!!)

But take a look at this line-up! 

The Zombies, John Lodge of the Moody Blues, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, Procol Harum, The Guess Who, The Yardbirds, The Association, The Spencer Davis Group, Mark Lindsay (former Lead Singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders), The Family Stone, Cruise Host Peter Asher, Canned Heat, The Cowsills, The Box Tops, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, The Outsiders, The Music of Cream, Kiss the Sky The Re-Experience: World's Greatest Tribute to Jimi Hendrix, Magic Bus Band, Lisa Polizzi's Janis Joplin Experience, Hal Bruce, The Newbees, The LSB Experience, The Hall of Fame Band, Tribute Artists Tim Stamper and George Trullinger, Beatle Brunch Radio Host Joe Johnson, And More!

ore details here:    https://flowerpowercruise.com/?fbclid=IwAR0o_lQ0krSd6OBauS6ppbIykzC8KaTW6eJNa1ixh5ynvmRWKH6ev4Ag37o

I was a big fan of Harry Chapin.  I have all of his albums and went to his two concerts in Madison.
But, in the recent piece about the documentary, it was written that he had 14 hits singles.  I just knew that wasn't correct. 

Normally a hit means that it reached the Top 40 of Billboard.  So, I pulled out one of my Joel Whitburn's books and looked into Harry's Billboard chart history.  All told, he only had 7 singles hit the charts, including one #1 - "Cat's in the Cradle."

It was his only single to reach the top 20. "Taxi" and "Sequel", his first and last singles to chart, reached #24 and #23, respectively.  They lasted 16 and 14 weeks on the chart, respectively.  The only other single to reach the top 40 was "W.O.L.D.," which only reached #36. 

The other three singles were "I Wanna Learn A Love Song" (#44), "Sunday Morning Sunshine" (#75) and "Better Place to Be (Parts 1 & 2)" (#86).  So, as to hits, he only had 4. 

There are many, many other great songs on the albums.
Mike Brown

When promoting something like this, there is really no clear-cut definition of “hit.”

Let’s just say that it ain’t easy to hit The Hot 100 … so in THAT respect, Harry Chapin only had seven “hits.”

Even nationally, counting EVERY song that charted (including those that “bubbled under” The Top 100), he only had twelve … but five of those were Top 40 National Hits.

Then you can enlarge the playing field even further by saying “How many Soft Rock / Easy Listening Hits Did He Have?” … and the answer to THAT question is also seven … so THAT ain’t it!!!

So does this mean that they’re counting albums in his hit total?

Probably …

Harry had eleven Top 200 Albums.

So TECHNICALLY he had more than 14 hits … it just depends on how much you want to bend the truth!  (However, your note clearly says “14 singles” … so even New Math doesn’t get me to that answer!  Lol)

My Mom LOVED Harry Chapin, so I was exposed to some of his music growing up as a kid … and actually liked some of it.  (I can listen to the “Verities And Balderdash” album all day long.)

I’d be curious to see the new documentary just because he DID have some impact on my life … and was very well respected by others and his peers.  (kk)


As you know, there have been a wave of albums released these past few years featuring The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra overdubbing themselves to pop hits from the past …

Everyone from Elvis (a couple of volumes) to Roy Orbison to The Beach Boys and more have been given a new spin on some classic recordings.

Well, now comes word that Neil Diamond has jumped on the bandwagon … but with a twist.

Neil is actually re-recording a baker’s dozen of his hits to be given the RPO treatment.  (I’m not so sure I want to hear gravely spoken word versions of Neil’s best tunes … but his fans are a loyal bunch so they’ll probably snatch this up in droves!)

You can catch the full scoop here:

https://theseconddisc.com/2020/10/16/song-sung-new-neil-diamond-unveils-symphonic-album-classic-diamonds/

Also rerecording his biggest hit is Sonny Burgess of The Champs …

And this one will be released by Time Life no less!

(Odd, because they typically concentrate on the original versions of songs featured in their compilation albums … but this is a dedicated set spotlighting Sonny Burgess and the Champs, circa 2020.)

https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Time-Life-To-Release-The-Champs-Featuring-Dave-Burgess-Album.html?soid=1104306401327&aid=nbrV_SGQyjA