Jeff James did an excellent job of representing our Chicago-heavy WLS Chart yesterday on his Windy City Wednesday Program ... so thank you, Jeff, for that!
Depending on how early you're reading this, you MIGHT have a chance to hear Bob Sirott do a mini-salute this morning, too, sometime between 7:30 and 8 am on WGN Radio ... https://wgnradio.com/on-air/
And don't forget that Phil Nee will be paying tribute to the whole list this Saturday Night on WRCO ... https://www.wrco.com/ (just click on the 100.9 headphones link)
This email made my day ...
And acted as a great reminder of why I do what I do ...
Hi Kent,
First of all, I’d like to let you know how much I love your blog. I’m reading your postings almost everyday since Mike Hartman was so kind to point me to your blog.
My name is Ben Meijering, I live in the Netherlands (Europe), I’m 65 years old and I lived in Wheaton between November, 1983, and February, 1985, working at Bell Labs. Indeed, I was there when WJMK started and I listened to WAUR every weekend (when Mike Hartman was DJ on WAUR).
During that period, I started to become familiar with a lot of the “local” Chicago bands and artists like the New Colony Six, the Buckinghams, the Ides of March (whom I already knew from Vehicle), the Cryan’ Shames, Spanky & Our Gang, Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah, etc.
After I had returned to the Netherlands, I spent a lot of time, during my business trips back to the US, in record stores to find CDs / LPs with all those great songs, so I could put together my own compilations. A couple of years back, I even started to put together video compilations of AT40’s from the sixties and early seventies (for those records for which videomaterial exists).
So when you write:
I've said this MANY times over the years ...
We didn't like this music because it was made by Chicago artists ...
We liked this music because it was GREAT music ...
I cannot agree more. Being a Dutchman, who was born in the Netherlands and grew up without knowing about all these great records, I fell in love with all these groups when I lived in Chicagoland.
I took the WLS Super Summer Survey that you posted last week, mixed the records with WLS jingles and countdown jingles and posted that on one of the local radio-freak forums over here as a podcast. People loved it!
Keep up the good work, Kent! I’m a big fan of your blog.
Regards
Ben Meijering
Thanks for the post, buddy!
Ronnie Rice
The New Colony Six
Kent,
Thanks for always remembering.
Chic James
The New Colony Six
Larry Neal
Excellent piece on the Chicago groups from '67.
Joe Gagliardo
THANKS, MAN, for thinking of little ole me!
The show is doing very well and you would not believe how many people have listened and responded that were band members back in the day. And it looks like we got ya a couple more subscribers thanks to Wednesday's broadcast -- one lady just want gaga on the station's Facebook page about your site!
Keep it rollin', man!!!!
Jeff James
We're the perfect compliment to what you do! Oldies fans LOVE this music ... so anytime they can discover something new, they're on it in a heartbeat. Thanks again for featuring our list. (kk)
So after giving so much attention to the WLS Survey from this date in 1967, I couldn’t help but wonder how our OTHER Top 40 station ‘cross town ranked these tunes for this same date.
Here is a copy of the WCFL Top 30 Chart for July 14th, 1967 (shown as Week Ending July 20th) …
I always found it amazing how the two stations could, at times, show such different results from week to week on their charts. (Not much different than the national charts in this respect, I guess!)
This time around, all Top 20 Records are common to both charts (albeit not necessarily in the Top 20 on both.)
WCFL ranks The Mauds higher than WLS (#11 vs. #17) Likewise The American Breed hit "Step Out Of Your Mind," already on its way down the chart after ten weeks but still sitting at #14 on WCFL while falling to the #23 position on WLS.
The only local hit NOT found on the 'CFL Chart is "Take Me Back" by The Flock. I have always thought that this was a GREAT track that should have been a MUCH bigger hit than it was. (Nationally, it charted in Cash Box only ... and even there only managed a #131 showing.) I saw Bruce Mattey of The New Colony Six sing this song at one of those Bob Stroud Rock And Roll Roots CD release parties a few years ago and he absolutely KILLED it on this song. (I have since suggested to Jim Peterik that they add this one to their Cornerstones Of Rock show. Mattey's vocal backed by The Ides Of March horns would bring the house down!) kk
It looks like the rest of the music world finally caught up to the story we ran a couple of weeks ago about The Foo Fighters cutting a side’s worth of Bee Gees tunes for their new Record Store Day album coming out on Saturday (July 17th.) I must have gotten at least half a dozen “announcements” and videos this week already … so the word is DEFINITELY getting out! (Now I’ve just got to get my hands on a copy!)
The Dee Gees (David Grohls) even put together a new video since the one we ran a short while back. You can check it out here …
In addition to “You Should Be Dancing,” you’ll also hear their renditions of “Night Fever,” “Tragedy,” “More Than A Woman” and the Andy Gibb hit “Shadow Dancing.” The flipside of the LP will feature five live tracks of songs from their “Medicine At Midnight” LP. (kk)
Although Paul Simon intended the title of the song to be "The Sound Of Silence" [no "s" after "sound"], and it appeared that way as a track on The Paul Simon Songbook LP, the title was shown as "The Sounds Of Silence" on the Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. LP, on the 45 release of the hit version and on the Sounds Of Silence LP.
– Randy Price
It's funny because I changed this back and forth at least three or four times ...
I always used to say "Sounds" ...
But because I was unsure, I decided to check a few other sources to see what the protocol was. In Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles book, he shows it as "Sound" ... (which I would have to believe came from the original 45 label as they use that as their "go to" source for everything.)
On my copy of the Collected Works CD, featuring all of Simon and Garfunkel's original recordings, it is shown as "Sound" on both LP releases, despite the fact that the second LP is called "Sounds" of Silence. (The album cover, however, shows it as “sounds” in two places … so it doesn’t get any easier, does it?)
When I look at the original record labels from the 45 release, I can find it BOTH ways ... but predominantly it seems to be the "sounds" spelling that comes up most often.
When you listen to them sing the lyrics, however, it seems to be singular most often again. (In fact, they only sing “sounds” on the very last line.)
So who knows!!!
I finally just decided to go with the one that Whitburn went with, which matched what I saw on the "Collected Works" CD Box. (By the way, Disturbed's version shows as "sound" in Whitburn's book, too ... as wel as on their “official” YouTube video.)
So I guess in this case, Majority Rules! (kk)
For Whitburn, this is revisionist history. Until recently, all editions of his books listed the title as "Sounds." (see attached). I've never seen an original 45 pressing with that word as singular. Also, all three national trade singles charts showed the title as "Sounds Of Silence."
– Randy
A convincing enough argument to change it??? Maybe … but then I’d also have to go back and change it everywhere else it appears in the previous two related articles where there, too, it is referenced as “Sound” because of the correspondence we received. (Splice in best Vinnie Barbarino voice: “I’m so CONFUSED!!!”)
I asked Joel Whitburn if he could shed any light on this issue ... especially since he has since changed the spelling in his updated books. (Again, the lyric as sung is singular until the very last line ... and, as you state, the song’s author intended it to be singular. If for no other reason than out of respect for that - Paul's wishes - I'm inclined to honor his title as "Sound." But then again, if every copy ever sold said "Sounds" ... oh man, I don't know what to do!!! Now look what you've gotten me into!!!) kk
Back in 2017, my daughter and I met with Paul Simon and Atlantic president Craig Kallman for breakfast to discuss the possibilities of opening a “Music Hall of Fame” in NYC. This was about seven blocks from, at the time, Billboard’s main offices.
Before we left breakfast, I asked him about the song title. His response was ... "It’s ridiculous. How can there be 'sounds' if there’s silence?" Columbia got it wrong and he let it go with their mistake. On Paul’s solo LP, he showed what the correct title should be. After all, he alone wrote the song!!!
Joel
Had to share this one with you after recently rerunning our Songs By Bob Dylan feature.
It’s a fun romp thru the eleven times that Dylan’s music has been licensed for television commercials … probably more than anyone would have thought!
https://bestclassicbands.com/dylan-songs-tv-commercials-12-10-20/
Meanwhile, as promised, I am slowly (VERY slowly!) making my way thru the complete Bob Dylan catalog. Only a few albums in (I’m listening to every single album, in order, all the way thru, two-to-three times each in order to gain a better feel and insight into the music that so many found inspirational and ground-breaking at the time), I am at first most surprised by A) how stripped down these first few albums are … many if not most tracks featuring nothing more than Dylan alone in the studio with his guitar and harmonica … and B) how much HUMOR runs throughout the lyrics of these songs.
There is no denying the fact that Dylan was a keen observer of the times … and his commentary is both insightful and astute as well as thought-provoking and entertaining. By employing a sense of humor (and, in many cases, some very clever irony), Bob gets his point across much clearer by allowing the listener to relax, listen and absorb those points. I already hold him in much higher esteem than I did going into this project … as I hoped I would.
(That being said, this is going to be a LONG journey … listening to a Bob Dylan album is not necessarily a joyful experience … and I have found few passengers willing to listen to them with me! Even my own mood has to be just right in order to take it all in … and I’m finding myself breaking between each LP to play a bit more fun and “listenable” music to kind of break things up a bit.) But I am committed to completing this project, even if it takes me a couple of years to do so! Lol) kk
The Britney
Saga continues ...
New testimony says that Britney Spears’ father used $2 Million of HER money to fight in his own defense for conservatorship! Honest to God, this girl has never led a single moment of a normal life … and there are probably at least a thousand reasons why Britney is as fucked up as she is … but her parents are most definitely two of them! (kk)
More Doors talk …
Now comes word that Doors Guitarist Robby Krieger has an autobiography / memoir coming out in October. Titled “Set The Night On Fire,” this will be Krieger’s first recounting of what it was like “Living, Dying and Playing Guitar With The Doors.”
The official press release says that SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE “is packed with never-before-told stories from The Doors’ most vital years, and offers a fresh perspective on the most infamous moments of the band’s career. Krieger also goes into heartbreaking detail about his life’s most difficult struggles, ranging from drug addiction to cancer, but he balances out the sorrow with humorous anecdotes.” (kk)
Have you seen the list of Radio Hall Of Fame Nominees?
Your good friend Bob Stroud is one!
https://radioink.com/2021/07/12/and-the-2021-hal-of-fame-nominees-are/
-- Bob Frable
I sure have … and it couldn’t go to a more deserving guy. (Bob was robbed of this honor last year … and I still don’t understand how!) But hopefully 2021 will be the year he can add yet another accolade to his mantel shelf. (kk)
Pam Pulice tells us …
Thanks to Ron Onesti, owner of the Arcada Theatre, and the newly
renovated and absolutely gorgeous Des Plaines Theatre, we are about to announce
A STAR-STUDDED MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA to benefit the Dick Biondi Film.
SAVE THE
DATE! SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 … Details to be announced SOON!
Kent,
Thanks for posting the Peter Knight story - it becomes more and more interesting as time goes on.
The mystery that still intrigues me is how 18-year-old Vicki Lawrence ended up on the cover - she was pretty much an unknown at that time, having just won the "Miss Fireball" contest at her high school out in CA. Someone knew something that no one else did.
I wrote to her management agency and
they ignored my question, asking if that truly was her ... but they did send me an autographed photo of Ms. Lawrence,
which was very nice of them. I AM a fan.
But ... the quest goes on. Maybe I'll meet her someday.
Mike
Record Collectors Price Guide Guru Jerry Osborne was so intrigued by our coverage of this LP cover that he ran the inquiry in his own column! (Maybe now we'll get some answers!!!
I'd still like to identify everybody in the picture ... so if some of you out there know FOR SURE who some of these people are, please let us know so we can build some kind of a legend.) kk
I like your info about the Knight LP, so I put it on my "Mr. Music" column: https://jerryosborne.com/mr.music.htm
Maybe someone will know more than we do.
We'll talk again, my friend.
Jerry
Jerry also raises a very good point ...
I thought it would be fairly easy to find the LP online, and I was right about that part. What was a disappointment is that none of the LP images I found were in decent condition (blurry). Even if there was someone I knew on the cover, they would not be clear enough to recognize.
Jerry
Not especially optimistic on this one ... but hoping for the best here.
Thanks, Jerry, for ANY light you can shed. (kk)
>>>Concerning the songs that are telephone related, here is another one that probably a lot of your readers may not remember. This one did not chart nationally, I believe, but was a Top 5 record here in the OKC area in 1961. It was called DADDY, DADDY (GOT TO GET A PHONE IN MY ROOM) by singer Robin Clark (Capitol). Larry Neal
>>>Robin Clark’s record bubbled under on all three major charts, placing highest in Music Vendor at #111. (Cash Box had it ten spots lower and Billboard charted it at #120 for one week) I’ve never heard (or heard of) the song. (kk)
Kent,
Here's an old email from our good friend Wes Smith, who always surprised me with Robin Clark info. Robin Clark was actually named Tefft and lived in Lincoln when I spoke to her by phone in the 1980's. It was the first time I had ever spoken with anyone who knew Dick Clark or had been on Bandstand before. She shied away from the limelight at the time, but after hooking her up with Wes, she was grateful to him and thru his efforts, all eight Capitol 45 sides (one never released on 45) are now on CD. Wes passed away several years ago, but he was a great buddy.
Clark
Kent,
Read your comments today and found this on YouTube …
Interesting info about her in the comments section.
Aloha,
Manny
Robin Clark - Daddy, Daddy (Gotta Get A Phone In My Room) (1961) - YouTube
I didn't realize this was such a novelty tune. Not all that bad, actually ... and cute enough to potentially catch on ... a shame that it didn't.
Thanks, Manny! (kk)
Hi Kent,
You may want to catch the Time Magazine review (July 19th double-issue, page 102) of three music documentaries, "Summer Of Soul", "McCartney 3,2,1", and the less familiar, "The Sparks Brothers". Forgotten Hits and your readers can see how their reviews compare to Stephanie Zacharek's perspective of Time magazine.
Take Care,
Tim Kiley
I am really looking forward to the “McCartney 3,2,1” documentary starting this Friday on Hulu. (They’re FINALLY advertising it!) I don’t think this is a one-sitting viewing (it’s six hours long!!!) But I AM expecting to find something of interest in each and every chapter! (kk)
