THE CHARTS ... LOVE 'em Or HATE 'em:
Your unusual obscenity (regarding Drake’s domination of next week’s Billboard Hot 100 Pop Chart) is totally justified in this case. That anyone in this day and age can dominate the chart in this way, IS totally ____ed up.
-- Bob Frable
What’s
REALLY F’ed up is the fact that they’re already equating HIS success with those
landmark artists who came before him. We’ve
had the discussion here SO many times in the past … the fact that the quality
of music output is SO weak right now that Drake can capture 20+ chart positions
just goes to show you how sad pop music’s situation is today.
And
again, back in the day when these previous records were set, fans had to
actually get up out of their chairs, get in their cars and drive to the record
store to plunk down money to buy the latest 45’s … you couldn’t have an entire
ALBUM chart on the Hot 100 (which then was STRICTLY a Singles Chart … the
record HAD to be available on a 45 RPM Single that you could actually BUY at a store).
Billboard
has diminished the value of these early charts countless times over the past
decade or so … first by eliminating ALL charts issued before The Hot 100 made
its debut in August of 1958. This meant
that over twenty Elvis chart hit no longer register on these comparisons they
keep issuing. The man not only helped to
LAUNCH The Rock Era but he single-handedly drove it into high gear, paving the
way for COUNTLESS other ‘50’s rockers to make their mark.
Joel
Whitburn has the right idea …
His
new book with focus ONLY on Billboard’s Pop Charts from 1955 – 1989 … and then
a SECOND edition will be issued next year to catalog the scores of artists who
have been compiling HUNDREDS of hits since 1990 once all the rules
changed. And then honestly, each era should
be judged against itself ONLY from this point on. (Will that ever happen? I doubt it … because Billboard seems
determined to showcase Drake and Taylor Swift, Rihanna, R. Kelly, Kanye West,
Mariah Carey, Usher, Eminem, Beyonce and Jay-Z as equally or more important
than artists like Elvis, The Beatles, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin,
The Beach Boys, Chicago, The Bee Gees and The Rolling Stones.
I
can live with it because I know better … as do all of our readers out there …
I’m
just concerned that the generations to come will be led to believe this to be
the case … heck The Cast From Glee had more chart hits than James Brown … they
must have really been something! That’s
the legacy I’m afraid of … and Billboard knows better. To compare the former Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart to the current Hot 100 Chart that has absolutely NOTHING to do with singles is ludicrous. It’s not even apples and oranges … it’s
apples and rocket ships. (kk)
Thanks for the explanation
on the failure of "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" to hit #1 on The Super
Charts, a position I obviously disagree with.
However, I should provide
an explanation as to the source of my argument for having the song reach #1 on
the chart:
I referred to Joel
Whitburn's reference book: “The Chart Comparison Book."
If you have a copy, turn to
the back, on page 570 (At the back of the book, Joel lists all songs that hit
#1 in all three trade magazines, year-by-year to 1982).
If you refer to the list of
songs that reached #1 for the year of 1971, you will find that:
9/4 (September 4)
"Uncle Albert/Albert Halsey" is #1 in Billboard, Cashbox and Record
World. Going by this information, this
informs me that for the week of September 4th, the song was #1 in all three
trade mags for that week.
Now, your more accurate checking of each issue shows differently, as mentioned.
If you look at the following week in Whitburn's book, on 9/11, "Spanish
Harlem" is listed at #1 in Cashbox and Record World.
Billboard counters with "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond. (It still
amazes me that this was so huge at the time … lots of teenybopper girls bought
this single!)
Billboard has it listed for three weeks at #1.
On 9/18 "Smiling Faces Sometimes" is #1 on Cashbox. Record
World shows no listing for that week, a slash, but that would mean (in my chart
geek mind) that a song already listed a week or so earlier must have reached
#1. Hmm.
This makes it VERY
confusing when sourcing this Whitburn reference. I now see, based on your
reply, the actual magazine weekly chart as to what REALLY transpired for
"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey."
Whitburn's book shows something that DID NOT HAPPEN.
Incidentally, my term "Revisionist Chart" means that The Super Chart
is a measure of all three trade mags , but it was not done at the time (1971).
And, without providing the precise methodology employed to calculate the chart
rankings of each song, revisionist SORT OF applies. 🙂
Mike Markesich
In Joel Whitburn’s “Chart Comparison Book” (a book I use EVERY single day, by the way, when checking my facts), the #1 Listings at the end of the book represent the FIRST date that a record hit #1 in any of the three trades. Since “Uncle Albert” DID hit #1 first in Billboard on that date (September 4th, which again is a Week Ending Date), this is where “Uncle Albert” appears on the list. Because it ultimately hit #1 in all THREE publications, the weeks spent at #1 are listed there along with its first ascent to the top position ... but that DOESN'T mean that it reached #1 at the exact same time on all three charts. (I agree, it is a little bit misleading if this is the only source you check, but it truly is accurate in the sense that it lists every record to reach the top in all three major trade publications.)
The other #1’s (“Spanish Harlem,” “Smiling
Faces Sometimes” and “The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down") did NOT hit #1 in
Billboard so they’re listed accordingly by the date each hit #1 in their
respective publication. If you see a dash (“-“), that just means that this
particular record never made it to #1 in that magazine. By the time “Go Away Little Girl” hit #1 in
Billboard (for three weeks, as you mentioned), you will see that it also spent
a week at #1 in Cash Box but NOT in Record World. (Notice that the date of 9/11 is shared
between “Spanish Harlem” reaching the summit in both Cash Box and Record World
while “Go Away Little Girl” hit the top spot in Billboard for its first week.)
You can kind of work backwards when the weeks' totals don’t
quite add up to deduce which records topped each chart of each week, but I’ll
agree it can be a bit of a struggle … especially when you factor in the notion
that some of these records hit #1, fell down a spot or two, and then RETURNED
to the #1 position a week or two later!!!
(Simple fact is, there is NO way to really represent this on a cumulative
chart like this one … but as I say, it serves it purpose.)
We did a study of every record to hit #1 during what we called “The Beatle Years.” (1964 – 1970) This took into account all of the records that never made it to #1 in Billboard but DID reach the top in the other major trades. (As we have pointed out several times in the past, there are some big anomalies in this research … so our goal was to accurately list, side by side, based on TOTAL weeks spent at #1 in all three publications, an accurate listing of every #1 Record for this seven year time period.) Forgotten Hits - THE TOP 200 #1 HITS OF THE BEATLES ERA, 1964 - 1970
One glaring example for me has always been “Dock Of The Bay”
by Otis Redding.
This record spent FOUR WEEKS in the #1 position in Billboard … yet NEVER reached the top in either of the other two trade publications. Simply put, how can this possibly be??? How can there be THIS kind of a discrepancy in calculating these results?
Well, for one thing, “Valleri” by The Monkees should
DEFINITELY have been a #1 Record … it topped BOTH of the other charts for two
weeks … “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap topped each of the other
charts for a week, while Dionne Warwick’s “Theme From ‘Valley Of The Dolls’”
was a two-week #1 Record in Record World (and also topped the chart here in
Chicago.)
To MY revisionist thinking, “Dock Of The Bay” should have
been #1 for one week, “Valleri” for two and “Young Girl” for one to fill in
that four week gap … but as we all agree, we can’t rewrite history 50-something
years later.
Later that same year “Hey Jude” topped Billboard’s chart for
NINE weeks. Yes, it was a HUGE record …
but NINE WEEKS?!?! Not when it only
spent four weeks on top in Record World … and 7 weeks in Cash Box. “Those Were The Days” DEFINITELY should have
been #1 for a couple of those weeks. (It
topped Cash Box’s chart for two weeks and Record World’s chart for four.) Here in Chicago, “Fire” by The Crazy World Of
Arthur Brown and “Over You” by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap also hit #1.
By year’s end, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” was a #1
Record for seven weeks in Billboard … but only ONE week in Record World. Meanwhile, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” by
Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations occupied the #1 spot on Record
World’s Chart for THREE WEEKS (and one in Cash Box.) It, too, was a #1 Record here in Chicago.
But really now we’re just Monday Morning quarterbacking. The charts are what they are … period. We can’t change them.
But we CAN evaluate this data, utilizing the source research
from ALL THREE trade publication, and come up with the most definitive chart
pooling that data from all three.
And this is EXACTLY how The Super Chart was born. And again is why I unequivocally believe it
to be the most accurate source out there (or I wouldn’t defend it the way I
do!) kk
OK, HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE OF kk's SOAP BOX SPEECHES ...
To put things into perspective, here is essentially what Billboard has done.
Remember when the baseball season expanded to 162 games back in 1961?
It became an especially huge controversy because that year Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, thus breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record of 60.
A huge part of that controversy was the fact that Maris was now playing in a 162 game season, while Ruth hit HIS 60 homers at a time where major league teams only played 154 games per year.
And, ridiculous as it may seem now in hindsight, the record books showed Roger Maris' 61 home runs with an asterisk, essentially depicting the fans' rage that Babe Ruth's record could be blemished.
Maris had to wear that asterisk for the rest of his career. (The home run record has since been eclipsed several times ... but back then, this was MAJOR headline making news.)
Now suppose The Commissioner of Major League Baseball decried: "We're going to reevaluate all that has come before ... and make the 162 game season the starting point by which all other accomplishments will now be measured."
That means that ANYTHING that happened before 1961 no longer ranks. Forget Babe Ruth's 60 home runs ... it's now a non-issue. And Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak? Not even a blip on the radar.
Not to mention all of the OTHER great ballplayers who played during this pre-162 Game Era. Their accomplishments have now been deemed insignificant.
Essentially, that's what Billboard has done to what has always been known as The Rock Era. Keep in mind that this publication launched by charting the best selling sheet music ... yet we wouldn't DREAM of making THOSE comparisons today, now would we? Prior to launching their Hot 100 Chart on August 4th, 1958, they had been charting The Top 100 Hits since late 1955 ... and prior to that, The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played On Juke Boxes and Disc Jockey Favorite Platters.
But now they are ONLY willing to evaluate what has happened since August 4th, 1958, thus wiping out Elvis Presley's first 34 chart hits! (Elvis Presley ... the Babe Ruth of Rock And Roll!!! Talk about your lack of respect! There would BE no "Rock Era" were it not for Elvis Presley!)
Those 34 chart hits include ten #1 records. Gone ... erased from the record books.
Now we've already acknowledged that the careers of Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio would now be nothing than footnotes ... but my God, that'd be like saying Mickey Mantle (who crossed over into the 162 game season much as Elvis crossed over into the Hot 100 era) now only has 216 home runs ... his first 320 don't count because they came BEFORE the change over to the 162 game season.
(Now we wouldn't stand for that for a minute, would we???)
Baseball has made any number of changes over the years ...
The American League added the Designated Hitter in 1973. The National League has never adopted this rule ... which means National League team managers still have to deal with the much tougher decision of leaving a pitcher who's doing well in the game or pinch-hitting for that pitcher if his team is behind and needs the run(s) to catch up. As exciting as I find the designated hitter rule (I have always been an American League fan, thanks to The White Sox), I give FAR more credit to the National League Managers who have had to try and outsmart their opponents by making the right pitching change decision late in the game. American League managers only have to do that a few times a year ... it has GREATLY changed the strategy by which the game is played. (Maybe we should go back and eliminate the batting records of every American League pitcher, pre-1973, so we can more accurately compare yesteryear's stats with today's. But that'd be ludicrous, wouldn't it? In what universe would we ever do that?)
The other big change, of course, was inter-league play.
Now I will admit that growing up, I thought there could be nothing cooler than The Sox playing The Cubs ... AND the game actually counting in the standings. But I will also admit that since Major League Baseball adopted this schedule in 1997, the ONLY inter-league games I care about IS The Cubs against The Sox! (And I'm willing to bet that this is true in every other major city where this crosstown rivalry exists.) Did it really do anything to enhance baseball? Does it make the game more competitive? No ... it was done purely to make more money ... and to that degree, it's a complete success.
My point here is that baseball ... and baseball fans ... have had to adapt to these changes over a period of time. All were made with the best intention of making baseball more interesting and exciting ... and (bottom line) selling more tickets and generating more televised games opportunities.
Not so on Billboard's Music Charts. They no longer in ANY fashion represent what came before them in the pop music world. They don't even CALL it The Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart anymore ... because the current rankings have absolutely NOTHING to do with single releases. Now, ANY tracks can make this list, provided they have enough streams, downloads and YouTube views to do so. The whole concept of relative popularity is out the window. An artist can chart twenty songs (we dare not call them records!) in the same week and watch fourteen of them disappear without a trace a week later and yet Billboard will now award that artist more chart hits than any of the legacy artists we grew up with through actual sales. The fact that Billboard continues to compare the records that are being set today to records that were established decades ago when the sole criteria for making the chart was generating enough sales and airplay to do so is nothing short of insanity ... and it really needs to stop.
As such, Billboard has lost all credibility with their long-standing chartaholic fan base ... not unlike The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has with THEIR ridiculous selections and omissions.
IT NEEDS TO STOP!
Go on with your new method ... what else have you got to measure things by these days? Nobody goes out and physically BUYS a single anymore. (And honestly, what difference does a "single" even make anymore when all 21 tracks of an album can register a chart position simply on the number of total album downloads???)
Before you had to physically go out of your house, drive, walk or bicycle up to your favorite record store, and plunk down your hard-earned / saved / birthday money to buy the records you loved. These purchases MEANT something to you. People on this list have fond memories of special and significant purchases and gifts. (Hop on over to our other Forgotten Hits website and read the THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of "First 45's" memories readers have shared there!)
Forgotten Hits - More of Your FIRST 45's
Forgotten Hits - Even MORE Of Your First 45's
Forgotten Hits - Can You Believe It?!?!? Even MORE Of Your FIRST 45's Memories!!!
All I know is that Billboard's Hot 100 tactics and philosophy would not be tolerated in any other medium. Baseball fans know better than to ignore their legacy and would NEVER allow something like this to happen.
You simply cannot rewrite the past ...
And, as I've stated SO many times before, the fact that they are doing so leaves a completely distorted history for future generations to come.
It's bad enough that radio has been doing this for years ...
Hell, today's young listeners must think The Rolling Stones were the best disco band around ... because all you ever hear by them anymore is "Miss You!!!"
And based on today's airplay, Elvis was essentially a One Hit Wonder, thanks to the constant and repeated plays of "Suspicious Minds" ... while we ALL know better ...
He had a VERY popular comeback hit in 2002 with the JXL remix of "A Little Less Conversation," which just may be the SECOND most played Elvis song today ...
Forgetting ALL about his first 34 chart hits ...
Songs like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Don't Be Cruel," "Hound Dog," "Teddy Bear," "Love Me Tender," "All Shook Up," "Jailhouse Rock" and more. All THOSE records did was change the world ... and the entire course of music that followed.
Which goes back to what I said earlier ...
Order Joel Whitburn's new book ... "Top Pop Singles, 1955 - 1989" ...
Because THIS is the book that will tell you like it was ... BEFORE Billboard reinvented themselves and began distorting history. (kk)
Top Pop Singles 1955-1989 - Record Research
REMINDERS:
The Dick Biondi
Birthday Bash is happening THIS SUNDAY (September 19th) at The
Arcada Theatre.
Festivities
kick off at 2 pm … and a limited number of $49 seats have just been released! (VIP Tickets are also still available for a
pre-show, backstage meet and greet)
Live
music provided by Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, The Buckinghams, The Ides Of
March, The New Colony Six, Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight, Rosie and the
Rivets, The Cave Dwellers, The Rolling Stones tribute band Hot Rocks and Hall
Of Fame Blues Drummer Merle Perkins!
The
whole event will be MC’d by Ron Onesti and Scott Mackay of The River … and your
ticket purchase will act as a donation toward the completion of the
long-awaited Dick Biondi film documentary.
Hope to see you there! (kk)
The Dick Biondi Big 89! Birthday Bash - Arcada Theatre (arcadalive.com)
And,
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT (September 18th), be sure to listen as Phil Nee
and I count down your All-Time Favorites from 1971, as voted on by the Readers
of Forgotten Hits and the Listeners of Phil’s “Those Were The Days” radio program.
It
airs on WRCO from 6 pm to Midnight (Central Time) and ou can listen live here:
WRCO AM FM Radio Richland
Center Wisconsin
(Be
sure to click on the headphones for the 100.9 station) kk
THIS AND THAT:
Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood were not allowed to attend the funeral of long-time bandmate Charlie Watts due to Covid restrictions.
Currently in New York City prepping for their upcoming tour which kicks off on September 26th in St. Louis, The Stones were unable to fly back to the UK for the service due to strict travels laws into and out of The United Kingdom.
The Stones DID announce that they would be using a black and white rendition of their famous tongue logo for this tour in Charlie’s honor. (kk)
Tom
Cuddy sent us this Monkees concert review …
The Monkees' Micky Dolenz
and Michael Nesmith say farewell in style | The Spokesman-Review
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/sep/13/review-the-monkees-micky-dolenz-and-michael-nesmit/
We’ve
been telling you about the new Paul McCartney lyrics books coming out this
November …
Now comes word that Macca will be doing a live interview in conjunction with this books on Friday, November 5th … 'The Lyrics: Paul McCartney in Conversation' at The Southbank Centre (umusic-online.com)
You
can order your online streaming tickets thru this link and/or preorder Paul’s
new book. (kk)
Here’s
a sneak peek at a track from Dion’s new album, “Stomping Ground” …
Check
out the guest list for this new LP …
Billy
Gibbons, Joe Bonamossa, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, Eric Clapton, Bruce
Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, Rickie Lee Jones, Keb’ Mo’, Boz Scaggs
I
have loved Dion’s last few albums … he’s got a whole new groove going and has
been topping the blues sales charts for quite a while now … so I’m really
looking forward to this one. (And the
advance tracks already released are quite promising!) kk
STOMPING GROUND, ALL-NEW DION ALBUM, COMING NOVEMBER 5
SET INCLUDES COLLABORATIONS WITH BOZ SCAGGS, MARK KNOPFLER, PATTI
SCIALFA, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, KEB’ MO’, BILLY F GIBBONS,
RICKIE LEE JONES, MARCIA BALL, PETER FRAMPTON, JOE BONAMASSA
AND G.E. SMITH WITH LINER NOTES BY PETE TOWNSHEND
Dion is following up
his critically acclaimed and commercially successful 2020 album release Blues
With Friends with Stomping Ground, a new album
that finds him collaborating yet again with music greats with whom he shares
mutual admiration.
Set for release November 5, Stomping Ground was produced by Wayne Hood with Dion and will be released through Joe Bonamassa and Roy Weisman’s KTBA Records. The album will be available digitally as well as on CD and as a two LP set.
Pre-Order the Album: https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/dion-dimucci
Stream The New Single “Take
It Back”: https://bit.ly/dionground
Watch The Official Music
Video: https://bit.ly/takeitbackonyt
Most of the album’s
songs were written by Dion and his songwriting partner Mike Aquilina.
Guest artists appearing on tracks with Dion include Boz Scaggs, Mark Knopfler,
Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Billy F
Gibbons, Keb’ Mo’, Sonny Landreth, Joe Menza, Mike Menza, Marcia Ball, Jimmy
Vivino, Rickie Lee Jones, Wayne Hood, Joe Bonamassa and G.E. Smith with Pete
Townshend’s liner notes which Dion characterizes as “amazing.”
The album’s
voluminous notes include an intro by Dion that succinctly summarizes the
philosophy behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s latest recorded endeavor:
“When I was young, I was
always striving for accolades and admiration. Those were my goals. But
when I reached them, they didn’t satisfy. I discovered joy when I leaned
to stop caring about all that – when I learned to relax and make music with
friends… music that would make more friends for us through its joy. To
make music with friends, and to make friends through music: I can’t imagine a
better life than this. I am grateful to my friends who made Stomping
Ground with me – and my new friends who are listening.”
The album was
preceded last month with the release of “I’ve Got To Get To You,” a track
featuring Boz Scaggs along with the father and son guitar team of Joe and Mike
Menza. This week marks the release of “Take It Back,” on which Dion is
joined by Joe Bonamassa. Next month (10/13) will see the release of “Angel In
The Alleyway” that features Patti Scialfa (vocals) and Bruce Springsteen
(guitar and harmonica).
The album’s notes
include a foreword by Pete Townshend, which reads, in part:
“Dion, like a circling star
that never fades, generates the energy and fire we need to pull ourselves up
and start again. Dion is a star who knows well how to start again, how to
keep shining. He looks at his watch every few years. Damn! Let’s make a
record. Take care. This one will blow those little white things in our
ears right into your brain.”
Beyond Townshend’s
literary contribution, Dion provides a track-by-track description of all the
album’s 14 selections, the sole non-original being “Red House,” the Jimi
Hendrix song that has become a blues standard. On Stomping
Ground, Dion is joined by Keb’ Mo’ on that song. Dion notes, “We
had a blast grooving on ‘Red House.’ I’m honored to have him join me on this
Jimi Hendrix cover/tribute. We did it as only we could. I think Jimi
would approve!” It’s worth mentioning that the follow-up single release
to Dion’s 1968 smash hit “Abraham, Martin and John” was “Purple Haze,” serving
to underscore the connection that Dion has long had with the legacy of Jimi Hendrix.
And there’s more Dion news
...
The Wanderer, a musical based on the
life and music of Dion will stage its world pre-Broadway premiere at the Paper
Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ on March 24, 2022. Michael Wartella (Wicked)
stars as Dion, alongside Christy Altomare (Anastasia) as Susan,
Dion’s wife. Original New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre (Waitress) plays
Johnny, Dion’s best friend. The
Wanderer was written by Charles
Messina (A Room of My Own) and directed by Kenneth
Ferrone (Cruel Intentions) and choreographed by Sarah
O’Gleby. Tony Award-winner Beowulf Boritt is the scenic
designer. The Wanderer is produced by Paper Mill Playhouse in
association with Jill Menza and Charles Messina.
Visit DionDimucci.com or KTBArecords.com for more information
Stomping Ground track listing (LP version
-- CD version follows the same order)
Side A
1. Take It Back with Joe
Bonamassa
2. Hey Diddle Diddle with
G.E. Smith
3. Dancing Girl with Mark
Knopfler
4. If You Wanna Rock ‘n’
Roll with Eric Clapton
Side B
1. There Was A Time with
Peter Frampton
2. Cryin’ Shame with
Sonny Landreth
3. The Night Is Young
with Joe Menza and Wayne Hood
Side C
1. That’s What The Doctor
Said with Steve Conn
2. My Stomping Ground
with Billy F Gibbons
3. Angel In the Alleyways
with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen
Side D
1. I’ve Got To Get To You
with Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza and Mike Menza
2. Red House with Keb’
Mo’
3. I Got My Eyes On You
Baby with Marcia Ball and Jimmy Vivino
4. I’ve Been Watching
with Rickie Lee Jones and Wayne Hood
About Keeping The Blues
Alive (KTBA) Records:
The new independent record label is an offshoot of
Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Joe Bonamassa’s non-profit that aims to
conserve the art of music in schools and preserve the rich culture and history
of the blues. Bonamassa along with his long-time manager, Roy Weisman, have
expanded their business by creating the new label.
The first release from KTBA
was Dion’s album Blues with Friends, released
to critical acclaim in June 2020; thereafter, it stayed at #1 on the Billboard
Blues Chart for several weeks. In February 2021, KTBA Records released Joanna
Connor’s album 4801 South
Indiana Avenue which
received rave reviews worldwide and earned her a #1 album on Billboard’s Blues
Chart. KTBA’s catalog is growing quickly with new projects on the horizon
including The
Blues Album, Joanne
Shaw Taylor’s first
covers album available on September 24th and Dion’s Stomping Ground, as
described here.
KTBA Records’ main objective is to provide a
platform for musical talent in blues and blues-rock based music and helping
promote the careers of extraordinary musical talent. The label works
synergistically with the non-profit’s mission of supporting musicians to continue
the legacy of the blues. 10% of all profits from KTBA Records are
donated to the non-profit.
KTBA Records is the next step for Bonamassa in the
evolution of music and the business of creating it. It represents Joe’s
continuing efforts, spanning the last 25 years, in support the artistic
community. It reflects the philosophy of paying it forward just as so many did
for him in the hope of paving the way for blues artists in the future.
Visit www.KTBArecords.com for further
information.
>>>Remarkably, this 1971 release of Coven’s “One Tin Soldier” failed to chart here in Chicago. (kk)
They played the Original
Caste version in Chicago. Not so much on the top 40 stations but on the
more progressive WBBM-FM, which was what I was listening to at the time.
WBBM also played their follow-up release "Mr. Monday," another song
ignored by top 40 radio.
I don't think I heard the
Coven record until 1973. I was struck by its similarity to the Original
Caste version.
Ed #1
The Original Caste version DID chart on WLS … but in
1970, a full year before Coven recorded it for the first “Billy Jack” film. (It peaked at #36) Nationally, this version went to #34 … but
again, despite their somewhat misleading name, without any ties whatsoever to
the movie.
When “Billy Jack” was released a year later (the #2
film at the box office in 1971, by the way, behind “Fiddler On The Roof”), and “One
Tin Soldier” was selected as the main title theme, the song became an even
bigger hit all over again … but NOT here in Chicago. The 1971 Coven release peaked at #16
nationally but failed to chart here in The Windy City … all the more surprising
since Coven was a local band and WLS and WCFL always did what they could to
help our local talent gain recognition elsewhere.
Then, when the film experienced a sudden resurgence a
couple of years later (I can’t tell you how many times we went to see it as the
“Midnight Movie!”), the exact opposite happened here in Chicago. While the original release didn’t chart here at
all, the reissue went all the way to #1, despite stalling at #73 on the
national charts the second time around.
(Coven even cut a “new” version of the tune for MGM Records, having left
Warner Brothers in the two years between releases … … but it was their original
version on WB that captured the hearts … and ears … of the public.)
We’ve covered Coven quite a few times over the years
here in Forgotten Hits, most recently earlier this year, when it was suggested by
FH Reader Sam Boyd that perhaps Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath “borrowed” a
little heavily from our local band while attempting to further their own
career. (If you missed this one, check
it out … it’s really pretty fascinating!)
In it, we also recap the history of “One Tin Soldier,”
much as described above. (kk)
Forgotten Hits:
COVEN (forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com)
We lost comedian Norm
Macdonald this week. Most will reference
his work on Saturday Night Live but he did SO much more.
I don’t know, but this
guy ALWAYS cracked me up … maybe it’s because he just looked like he was having
so much fun up there, often cracking himself up, too (which is normally a major
turn-off for me … but Macdonald pulled it off due to his on-going self-effacing
humor … he probably put HIMSELF down more than any others.
Sure, he was great as
Burt Reynolds on SNL … (they almost could have been brothers!) … and he DID do
the Weekend Update all on his own for three full seasons … so I’ve got to give
him that. His own TV show starring
vehicles pretty well tanked (as did his movies), but there was just something
about him that always made me laugh.
Macdonald hid his
nearly ten year battle with cancer from family and friends … he wanted to be
remembered for his comedy. I think he
will be. (kk)
The Tarrytown Music Hall sent me show updates and as I checked them out, it was a shock for me to see "In Memoriam, Norm MacDonald" over his picture as their Facebook Cover Photo.
Jumping online, I saw that indeed, Norm passed away today. I did
not know about his cancer diagnosis, but apparently many others did not as
well. Loved his humour.
God bless!
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
Kent,
SOOOO
sorry to hear my good buddy of decades, Tom Konard, has passed.
He was a GREAT friend.
Clark Besch
Much more impressive
commercial, Bulleit Bourbon with the Sonics, Have love will travel.
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/qYVg/bulleit-bourbon-local-bar-sundays-pool-bar-song-by-the-sonics
Robert Campbell
