Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Tuesday This And That

Typically, we seem to close with a piece by FH Reader Chuck Buell …

But this video is so cool, we decided to lead with it this time.

Enjoy!

(And just trying getting this song out of your head today!)

 

63 Years ago, in the Heat of the Summer of 1958, “The Johnny Otis Show and his Band of Dancers” had a Crazy, Body-Slappin’, Funky Dancin’ heard all over town song, “Hand Jive!”

Now, in a Very Special 2021 Summertime Memory Shakin’ Salute, for no reason at all other than to again enjoy a Classic Oldie that is just a Great, Feel Good, Can’t Sit Still, Late 1950s Hit Song … and to kick your week on an upbeat, I just wanted to share with you my most recent Personally Produced Custom Mashup that combines an Amazing Contemporary Hand Jivin’ Group Synchronization with Yesterday’s Infectious Top Ten, Million-selling Song, “Hand Jive!”

CB ( which stands for “Clappin’ Boy!” )


Also from Chuck …

 

Hey, Tim Kiley and Tom!

Thanx for your Fun Comments regarding my not yet proven or disproven Grave Site / Septic Tank Story!

I appreciate you guys taking the time to post your positive comments!

Forgotten Hits are meant to me to be memory-stirring, thought-provoking, educational, AND Fun!

CB  (which stands for, as Kent christened me in this case, “Cemetary Boy!”)

 

Just read a great interview with Paul Anka here:

https://bestclassicbands.com/paul-anka-interview-7-28-166/

 

And also discovered brand new television commercials running last week featuring REO Speedwagon’s “Time For Me To Fly,” the Bobby Hebb hit "Sunny" and “Grazing In The Grass” by Hugh Masekela … so once again we’re finding new ways to keep this great music alive.  (kk)

 

Kent,

Towards the end of today's FH, the Olympics was mentioned since it is going on over in Tokyo. That reminds me of someone.

How about the recording group, the Olympics? I understand their WESTERN MOVIES from 1958 went gold. They had other records that were somewhat silver, mostly platinum.

Larry

I’m not so sure about any silver or platinum status for The Olympics. 

“Western Movies” was their biggest hit by far, reaching the Top Ten in 1958.  (Still, it fell short of gold … record … status.) 

They never really came close again … although “Big Boy Pete” (#20, 1960), “Shimmy Like Kate (#33, 1960), “Dance By The Light Of The Moon (#25, 1961) and “The Bounce” (#40, 1963) all made The National Top 40.  (kk)  

 

How about this ...

 

The most covered songs in the rock era, courtesy of Joe Cantello ...


Kent,
You and your readers might be interested in this list of songs recorded by many artists over the years.
What group do think is most represented on the list?
F-a-b   F-o-u-r
Have a great day.
Joe Cantello
Marietta, Ga
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/most-covered-songs-of-all-time/ss-AAMQH25?li=BBnb2gh#image=1

 

And from there we go to this GREAT article from Tom Cuddy ... a VERY interesting read if you can navigate your way through the absolute ASSAULT of pop-ups ...

 

Artists With the Most Hit Albums, according to the RIAA ...

 

Rock Cellar is reporting that Rick Astley’s 1988 #1 Hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” has now passed ONE BILLION VIEWS on YouTube!!!

It was just a song released on July 27, 1987, but decades later it remains unstoppable: “Never Gonna Give You Up” from English singer / songwriter Rick Astley. After its release, the track quickly climbed the charts, becoming a worldwide No. 1 hit, hitting the top spot in 25 different countries, giving Astley his bona fide breakthrough career moment. 

nd then, the song became a key cultural moment decades later, thanks to the internet.

Astley and his gloriously 1980s-styled video became an online sensation nearly 20 years later, when the concept of the “Rickroll” was born. Suddenly, you’d find the song everywhere, when you least expected it, as a cyberprank of the (thankfully) clean and wholesome variety.

Well, all that Rickrolling paid off, as earlier this week the music video hit a BILLION views on YouTube.

Yes, one billion, a lofty YouTube total that counts among its ranks undeniable classics like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from Nirvana, as well as “In the End” from Linkin Park.

Astley took the opportunity this week to put out a limited 7″ vinyl to commemorate the occasion, and it’s since sold out:

To celebrate One Billion views for Never Gonna Give You Up, I’m releasing a limited and numbered 7” blue vinyl of the song, 2500 of them and I’ll be signing them all!

Rick 

He also issued a video statement thanking fans — and, obviously, casual internet users -- who’ve watched the video over and over again — for the milestone.

There’s no denying “Never Gonna Give You Up” its place as one of the most successful (and impossible to get out of your head) songs of all time, and we have to thank the internet for helping it re-enter the public consciousness.

Congratulations to you, Rick Astley. And congrats in advance on your NEXT billion views.

Rock Cellar Magazine

The HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR hits Chicago this Saturday (August 7th) at The Genesee Theatre.

Man, talk about getting more Bang For Your Buck!!!

These eight acts have scored a combined 64 Top 40 Hits ... 36 of which made The Top Ten ... and 12 of those that went all the way to #1!

Ranked in terms of overall chart performance, here is just a taste of the kind of star power hitting the stage this Saturday Night ...

# 1 - SUGAR, SUGAR - The Archies (#1, 1969, for four weeks)

# 2 - WINDY - The Association (#1, 1967, for four weeks)

# 3 - HAPPY TOGETHER - The Turtles (#1, 1967, for three weeks)

# 4 - CHERISH - The Association (#1, 1966, for three weeks)

# 5 - HAIR - The Cowsills (#1, 1969, for three weeks)

# 6 - NEVER MY LOVE - The Association (#1, 1967, for two weeks)

# 7 - KIND OF A DRAG - The Buckinghams (#1, 1967, for two weeks)

# 8 - THE RAIN, THE PARK AND OTHER THINGS - The Cowills (#1, 1967, for one week)

# 9 - YOUNG GIRL - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#1, 1968, for one week)

#10 - LADY WILLPOWER - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#1, 1968, for one week)

#11 - YOU SHOWED ME - The Turtles (#1, 1969, for one week)

#12 - SHE'D RATHER BE WITH ME - The Turtles (#1, 1967, for one week)

#13 - STORMY - The Classics IV (#2, 1968)

#14 - SPOOKY - The Classics IV (#2, 1968)

#15 - TRACES - The Classics IV (#2, 1969)

#16 - WOMAN, WOMAN - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#2, 1967)

#17 - FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD - The Vogues (#3, 1966)

#18 - THIS GIRL IS A WOMAN NOW - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#3, 1969)

#19 - TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME - The Vogues (#4, 1968)

#20 - TRACY - The Cuff Links (#4, 1969)

#21 - YOU'RE THE ONE - The Vogues (#4, 1965)

#22 - JINGLE JANGLE - The Archies (#4, 1970)

#23 - ELENORE - The Turtles (#5, 1969)

#24 - MERCY, MERCY, MERCY - The Buckinghams (#5, 1967)

#25 - HEY BABY, THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG - The Buckinghams (#5, 1967)

#26 - DON'T YOU CARE - The Buckinghams (#5, 1967)

#27 - OVER YOU - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#5, 1968)

#28 - SUSAN - The Buckinghams (#6, 1967)

#29 - INDIAN LAKE - The Cowsills (#6, 1968)

#30 - BANG-SHANG-A-LANG - The Archies (#6, 1969)

#31 - MY SPECIAL ANGEL - The Vogues  (#6, 1968)

#32 - ALONG COMES MARY - The Association (#7, 1966)

#33 - IT AIN'T ME, BABE - The Turtles  (#7, 1965)

#34 - EVERYTHING THAT TOUCHES YOU - The Association (#9, 1968)

#35 - LEADER OF THE LAUNDROMAT - The Detergents (#10, 1964)

#36 - DON'T GIVE IN TO HIM - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (#11, 1969)

#37 - YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - The Turtles (#12, 1967)

#38 - SHE'S MY GIRL - The Turtles (#14, 1968)

#39 - TILL - The Vogues (#14, 1969)

#40 - YOU BABY - The Turtles (#15, 1965)

Honorable Mention:

EVERY DAY WITH YOU GIRL by The Classics IV

MAGIC TOWN and NO, NOT MUCH by The Vogues

WE CAN FLY by The Cowsills

WHO'S YOUR BABY - The Archies

WHEN JULIE COMES AROUND - The Cuff Links

PANDORA'S GOLDEN HEEBIE JEEBIES, TIME FOR LIVIN' and SIX MAN BAND by The Association

LAUDY MISS CLAUDY - The Buckinghams

Frank B sent us this one …

Elvis Presley 1954 Memphis Concert Ticket w/Slim Whitman

kk …

Elvis First Show.

FB 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAM0QqY90hg

 

Here’s the link to Part 1 if you missed it when we ran this piece earlier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1cda_Yfo5w&t=6s

(Of course it woulda been cool if they actually included video … or at least audio … of this historical event … but I’m guessing that this may not even exist … especially some 67 years later.  Who attending this concert (for a whopping 75-cents!) would have ever guessed that the young 19 year old kid opening up for Slim Whitman that day would go on to become the most important figure in Rock And Roll History some 18 months later!)  kk

 

And Frank B also tells us …

 

Prince's new album 'Welcome 2 America' is shocking

KK ...

Prince … Speaking From The Grave.

FB

https://nypost.com/2021/07/30/princes-new-album-welcome-2-america-is-shocking/

 

And, speaking of new releases …

 

JUDY COLLINS, JACK BRUCE, ANN WILSON & JOHN WETTON

Lead A Team Of Legends Covering THE BEATLES On A New Collection!   

Also includes performances by Air Supply, Molly Hatchet, Glenn Hughes, Steve Morse, Andrew Gold, Howard Jones, Richard Page and more!   

While the world waits for Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated documentary on The Beatles, the return of Beatlemania is getting kick started with a brand new collection of Beatle cover tunes recorded by an incredible host of rock, pop and folk icons and superstars! Legends Play The Beatles showcases the extraordinary influence the Fab Four had across a broadly diverse array of artists from ‘60s folk icon Judy Collins to former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes to ‘80s sensation Howard Jones. Each of these artists bring their unique talents to bear on such timeless Beatles’ classics as “Here Comes The Sun,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Let It Be,” “Across The Universe,” “Tomorrow Never Knows” and many more! 

Legends Play The Beatles is available both on CD in a fantastic looking digipak and on limited-edition colored vinyl in your choice of either YELLOW or BLUE! 

 

Order the CD/vinyl: https://cleorecs.com/store/?s=legends+play+beatles&post_type=product

Track List:
1. Here Comes The Sun - Richard Page & Steve Morse
2. Across The Universe - Ann Wilson
3. Penny Lane - John Wetton
4. Back In The USSR - Molly Hatchet
5. Norwegian Wood - Andrew Gold
6. The Long And Winding Road - Air Supply
7. Tomorrow Never Knows - Electric Moon
8. Rain - Sugar Candy Mountain
9. Eleanor Rigby - Jack Bruce
10. And I Love Her - Howard Jones
11. Yesterday - Judy Collins
12. Let It Be - Glenn Hughes

In addition to our own extensive coverage of The 50th Anniversary of The Concert For Bangla Desh, we found this piece in the Best Classic Bands Newsletter ...

https://bestclassicbands.com/george-harrison-bangladesh-concerts-8-1-166/ 

It was amazing in so many ways ...  

George Harrison ... The Quiet Beatle ... taking charge and organizing a superstar line-up of artists ... friends, really  ... nearly all of whom had helped him record his very first real solo pop album, "All Things Must Pass," which had only been out for about 7 1/2 months, yet had already topped the charts for seven weeks ... and was familiar enough to the masses that he could perform FOUR songs from it to kick off the show:  "Wah-Wah," "My Sweet Lord, "Awaiting On You All" and "Beware Of Darkness," performed with Leon Russell, who would also cut the tune for his own album.

In addition, concert attendees (either that day at Madison Square Garden or several months later in theaters around the world) witnessed a rare live performance by Bob Dylan, who performed five songs of his own, Ringo Starr doing HIS big hit from 1971, "It Don't Come Easy" (heavily influenced by George's own songwriting), Apple Artist Billy Preston revving up he crowd with "That's The Way God Planned It," Leon Russell again performing a medley of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and Youngblood" (reportedly learned because Mick Jagger had originally planned to attend to perform his Rolling Stones classic) and George whipping out some of his latest Beatles classics, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (WITH Eric Clapton on guitar, just like he was on The White Album), "Here Comes The Sun" (performed with Badfinger!) and "Something" George's two stand-out tracks from "Abbey Road," and the concert's theme song, "Bangla Desh," penned in honor of this concert event.

Even 50 years later, the whole thing holds up extremely well (although I will admit that the film looks exceptionally dated for some reason.)  I've never been to Madison Square Garden ... this would have been one hell of a time to go!  (kk)


This week, George's All Things Must Pass gets its 50th Anniversary Deluxe treatment on both CD and Vinyl ... and we can't wait for it.  He never toured for the album, which has become the most successful of all Beatles solo albums. But eight months, later he had the opportunity to show off many of the songs on only one stage ... and I was there!



The Concert For Bangla Desh Concert was held at Madison Square Garden 50 years ago, today, August 1,1971. I was there and it was the most memorable concert I ever attended. So, here is my story, retold here to honor this historic musical event and just how important George's contribution continues to be. Shown in the photo above, is George, Klaus Voormann, Jesse Ed Davis, and Eric Clapton. 
I was on vacation tooling around the West Coast with my friend Bob. Our return flight was the red eye to get back on Monday morning, August 2, 1971. Somewhere between the Grand Canyon, Zion, The Hoover Dam, Yosemite, Big Sur, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and more, we first heard George's new single Bangla Desh. It wasn't much longer until we learned of the planned concert. A friend back in New Jersey got me a ticket and we switched our flight  (this was easy to do 50 years ago) to the red eye on Saturday night, getting home in time to make it to Madison Square Garden for the afternoon concert. 
On 8/1/71, I attended the afternoon Concert For Bangla Desh at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To this day, it is still up there as one of the greatest concerts EVER! It became the blueprint for all future benefit concerts. And to think it was George Harrison who put it all together for his friend Ravi Shankar. 

The complete line up was not known, even to George, but both Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton did show up and the music blew us all away. Leaving the Garden at the end of the show, we were all mesmerized and amazed at what we had witnessed, to the point that the deluge of rain awaiting us outside didn't seem to bother anyone. I predicted it would win a Grammy for Album of the Year. Well, because of all the quarreling between Capitol and Columbia Records, it did not get released until December 20, 1971, making it eligible for 1972 and not 1971. It did indeed win that Grammy, but had it been released more timely, it likely would not have won, as Carole King's Tapestry was the clear album of the year. Timing is everything. 

So the brilliantly packaged three record set arrived at the Sam Goody Store I managed (Paramus, NJ) at 3 PM to a store full of fans waiting for them. Al Sussman also worked there and was an eyewitness to the excitement in the store that day! We couldn't get them off the truck fast enough and the line was out the door! We sold 256 copies that afternoon and evening and it was the biggest one day total of an album sold in the five years I worked there!
 

Thank you George, all these years later for a lifetime of memories from one event. The Concert is currently unavailable in any format, but my guess is it will be in the future.
Peace and Love,
Mark Lapidos / The Fest For Beatles Fans

And, looking back a great concert events of the past, check out the line-up for the Atlantic City Pop Festival held 52 years ago this week ... three days of incredible music BEFORE Woodstock!


kk ... 

Old Time WCBS-FM D J , Randy Davis returned to the airwaves on Sunday, 11 AM - 4 PM

FB

From FH Reader Robert Campbell ...

15 GTO facts you might not know about America's original muscle car | Hagerty Media

More important car history including #12 the song.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/lists/15-gto-facts-america-original-muscle-car/

HELPING OUT OUR READERS:

Hi Kent,

I enjoy reading your Forgotten Hits. And, it's kinda cool how your readers help figure out missing info.

I've got one here that I hope someone can help identify the artist. Not sure where I picked this up, and I can't find anything anywhere searching by lyrics, etc.

Thanks, 

Ted Gstalder


I've not heard this one before ... and I will say that it sounds a bit "homemade" ... so I'm not sure it was ever really commercially available ... but you never know ... perhaps somebody on the list has come across it before and can fill in the missing blanks.  We'll keep you posted.  Thanks, Ted!  (kk)

 

TRADING LICKS:

And some TASTY licks at that!

After Dusty Hill’s passing, John Fogerty posted this clip of he and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top trading licks prior to their Blues And Bayou Tour from a couple of years ago.

(Man – talk about some immediately, instantly recognizable guitar openings … you know EXACTLY what each one of these songs are before anybody ever sings a note!)

When they say the key to a hit song is a great “hook,” these two guys are experts in their field.  (kk)

 

Check it out …