Say What?!?!
The Rolling Stones have dropped “Brown Sugar” from their set
list!
Explaining that they’ve performed the song now in every show
for the past 50+ years, Mick Jagger says he just wanted to see what it felt
like to give it a break. (“We can always
put it back in later if we choose to.")
Noise 11 states that “Brown Sugar” is the second most
performed song The Stones have done in concert, behind only “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” (I personally find it VERY hard to believe
that ANY song could have been performed more times than “Satisfaction,” which
now dates back as a concert staple for over 56 years!)
It just wouldn’t seem like a Rolling Stones show without
these three classics, all #1 Hits. (They
did quite well on our Top 3333 Most Essential Classic Rock Songs List as well …
“Satisfaction” placed at #7 (behind “Gimme Shelter” at #5), “Brown Sugar” at
#13 (behind “Start Me Up,” #10, and “Honky Tonk Women,” #12) while “Jumpin’
Jack Flash” came in at #54, behind “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,”
#35.) In all, The Rolling Stones placed
NINE songs on your Top 100 Classic Rock Favorites list … and “Miss You”
finished just outside The Top 100, coming in at #102.
“Brown Sugar” also topped our recent list of Favorite Songs from
1971 as counted down on Phil Nee’s “Those Were The Days” radio program a few
Saturdays ago. (kk)
UPDATE: As this story
circulated last week, both Mick and Keith Richards offered different
explanations as to why the songs has been dropped temporarily. (Some are attributing part of this decision
to the “political correctness” of the times, pointing out that the lyrics and
subject matter include a number of “scandalous topics” such as slavery and rape
… while it’s title can be interpreted as a double entendre for oral sex and
heroin. Gee … that’s never stopped The
Stones before!!! But in this instance,
there may be credence to them caving to the pressure. Damn, that almost sounds like a “Let’s Spend
Some Time Together” moment!!!)
In separate statements, Keith Richards said, when asked
about the song being dropped from the set list …
“You picked up on that, huh?
I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is.
Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But
they’re trying to bury it. At the moment I don’t want to get into conflicts
with all of this shit. I’m just hoping
that we'll be able to resurrect the babe in her glory somewhere along the
track."
Meanwhile, Jagger said We've played 'Brown Sugar' every night since 1970,
so sometimes you think, ‘We’ll take that one out for now and see how it goes.’ We might put it back in.” (kk)
kk:
Thanks for displaying my sonic expedition
soundtrack history of James Bond and this new reissue. I always know that FH focuses on the music
and sounds that inform(ed) our musical journey.
Plus, if we don't collectively tout Vic Flick,
who will?
Best,
Harvey Kubernik
Vic is something else,
for sure … and his recording credits rank right up there with the best on BOTH sides
of the pond. (kk
Kent,
Although I think Nancy Sinatra’s You Only Live
Twice is a great record, my personal favorite Bond song is Sheena Easton’s For
Your Eyes Only. Not only is the song terrific, but the visual opening of
Sheena’s beautiful face is priceless. (This
is the only Bond film opening including the vocalist’s face … and what a face
it is!)
I have seen Sheena several times in concert
and For Your Eyes Only is always the finale and gets the biggest audience
reaction.
Bob Verbos
Nothing will ever top “Live
And Let Die” for me. I’ve loved it from
the minute I first heard it (when Macca performed it on his “James Paul
McCartney” television special in early 1973, before it was even released as a
single.
It’s another one of
those songs that absolutely should have been a #1 Single (and it WAS,
everywhere but Billboard it seems!) It
peaked at #1 in both Cash Box and Record World … but spent three weeks at #2 in
Billboard, staved off by two of the lamest songs of ’73, “The Morning After”
and “Touch Me In The Morning.” It
remains one of McCartney’s most-played songs on both oldies and classic rock
radio … and came in at #40 in our own poll of The Top 3333 Most Essential Classic
Rock Songs Of All-Time, as voted on by FH Readers and Rock Fans all over the
world, ahead of his own “Band On The Run” (#57) and “Maybe I’m Amazed”
(#71). kk
By the way, I just ordered my copy of the new 2-CD edition. (I have the 30th Anniversary Edition ... but that one ends with "The Living Daylights" and "License To Kill" ... it'll be nice to be brought up to date with the latest tracks from Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Madonna, Chris Cornell, Jack White & Alicia Keys, Adele, Sam Smith and right on up thru last week's "No Time To Die" by Billie Eilish. (kk)
From Tom Cuddy …
We Have Some
Questions About the Beach Boys and Monkees 'Good Vibrations' Cruise
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/monkees-beach-boys-cruise-mark-mcgrath-1238631/
Wait … you forgot about Joe Piscopo!!!
Lineup
- The Beach Boys Cruise
The Monkees thing really surprises me … I figured Nesmith was done with
this for good once this current tour closed in November. (On the other hand, I can see Micky going on doing this
forever! When The Monkees released their
last album for Colgems in 1970, the group was just down to Micky and Davy … and
the joke in the industry was that even after they eventually split up, ONE of
them would release an album as “The Monkee!!!”)
Hey, this is a pretty good run for a group that supposedly never really
existed!!! They had their first hit
record in the Fall of 1966 … that’s exactly 55 years ago. For a group that was criticized at the time
for not really playing their own instruments, they certainly got some mileage
out of the act they provided, inspiring COUNTLESS musicians along the way to
join or start a rock group. The Monkees
will live on forever (and in their youthful image, as well, thanks to the
reruns still running perpetuity!!!) kk
Speaking of The Monkees, Andrew Sandoval’s new, updated “Day By Day” book has finally shipped … and all I can say is WOW!!! And I DO mean, WOW!!!
This thing is absolutely MAMMOTH!!! (There'll be no bathroom reading on this one! You’d have to bring a tray table in their
with you just to support the weight … it weights something like eleven
pounds!!! And is nearly 750 pages long
in an oversized edition. I swear, even
if I committed to reading this every single day, it would STILL take me over a
year to finish it!!!)
Andrew has set a new standard of excellence when it comes to group
profiles … chock full of facts and figures and some of the most beautiful
photography you’ll ever see.
It ain’t cheap … released in multiple formats (that just seems to be the
way of the world these days!), the “stripped down,” “cheap” version will set
you back a hundred dollars … and you can go up from there, tripling your
investment if you order the deluxe edition.
But I haven’t seen ANY other books quite like this one … a VERY
impressive and lovingly put together tribute to The Pre-Fab Four … four guys
who were thrown together, clicked, and created a lifetime of memories for
everyone whose paths they crossed. WELL
worth it. (kk)
beatland books –
small-batch books for the music connoisseur
Order
Your Book – beatland books
And, since we're talking about The Monkees, here’s a nice interview with Micky Dolenz from Goldmine
Magazine …
On The Road With
Micky Dolenz - Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia
Tina Turner is the latest artist to sell her back catalog to
a major financial group.
In her own words, BMG now holds “the rights to my life’s
work,” even though Turner will continue to record for Warner Brothers in the
future.
The deal stipulates that BMG now owns
the rights to her name, image and likeness for brand deals, merchandising, and
more. Also included in the deal are the publishing and recording rights to
Tina’s 10 studio albums, two live albums, two soundtracks and five compilation
releases.
Tina Turner will be inducted (for the second time!) into The
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame later this month (October 30th), this
time as a solo artist. (kk)
Last week we shared with you the new Elton John / Stevie Wonder
duet. Now comes word that Elton and Ed
Sheeran will also duet on a new Christmas single later this year. (I haven’t heard this one yet … not even on
The Lite here in Chicago, where they regularly celebrate The 36 Weeks Of
Christmas.) kk
The much ballyhooed Genesis reunion tour has been postponed
after band members tested positive for Covid.
Wrapping up the European leg of the tour (with just four dates
to go before heading over to The States), their October 8th concert
in Glasgow, as well as their three shows in London scheduled for October 11th,
12th and 13th have all been postponed. Plans are to reschedule these appearances
(which, hopefully won’t push back any other scheduled dates down the
road.) Ironically, these four remaining
shows had already been previously postponed from their 2020 dates due to
Covid. Genesis is scheduled to kick
things off in the US on November 15th, right here in Chicago. (kk)
Also running into a possible touring delay is Fugees, who are
scheduled to kick off THEIR US Tour here in Chicago in November as well.
It seems that Pras Michel is currently under criminal
indictment from the U.S. Justice Department as part of a long-running probe
into an alleged political influence campaign involving a Chinese investment
company. As such, Michel was forced to
surrender his passport as a result of these charges and ordered not to apply
for or possess a passport or any other travel documents as the case continues
to slowly wind its way through the legal system. (Pras’ attorney, David Kenner, also confirmed
that his client's passport has been confiscated, but told Billboard Magazine that
he is working on getting it returned.)
Until this matter can be resolved, the International portion of their
reunion tour sits in limbo. (kk)
From Frank B …
Spotlighting Jon Bon Jovi … “One Of The Good Guys” …
https://www.facebook.com/goodpeoplenew/photos/a.655773658102572/1568581703488425/
Looking back at the big hits from this
week in 1969 …
Radio
Hits in October 1969: Gimme the Honky Tonk Blues | Best Classic Bands
Kudos to Rewound Radio on another great DJ
Hall Of Fame program this past Saturday, spotlighting WFIL from the late ‘60’s
and early ‘70’s.
Each hour featured a different deejay …
but the one that blew ME away was Dr. Don Rose.
I wasn’t all that familiar
with Don’s work but man, he just never stops!!!
I can’t even imagine coming up with that much
rapid-fire material for one 3-4 hour show much less REPEATING this banter with
fresh material on a daily basis. He’s got to be one of the most
clever and unique jocks I’ve ever heard in this respect.
Now I know that throughout the decades there
have been services that provide joke sheets for DJs to use on the air for a
paid subscription price - but in one hour, he rattled off more than a month’s
worth of material, so I’ve got to put all the credit into his own genius.
Besides, I never saw a joke sheet yet that is half as good as what he’s already
come up with today.
This was a great eclectic mix of music too for
its time - THOROUGHLY enjoyed this week’s program. Thanks again to Rewound Radio for sharing it
with us. (kk)
Forgotten Hits ... Ron Dunbar, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland,
Lamont Dozier, 'Band Of Gold / Composers'
Forgotten Hits: (' It Could Have Been' ...)
On a November night in 1959, Priscilla,
wearing a navy-and-white sailor dress, traveled to Elvis' temporary home in Bad
Nauheim. She immediately captured the star's attention, even when she admitted
she was a ninth-grader.
Elvis also told his friend Rex Mansfield that
Priscilla was "young enough that I can train her any way I want."
Elvis wanted Priscilla to visit again. The second time they met, he invited her
to his room, where they kissed.
After Priscilla had been on four
"dates" with Elvis, her parents said an in-person meeting was
necessary. When it took place, Priscilla's Mother and Father asked why a star
was interested in their teenage daughter. Elvis responded, "Well, I happen
to be very fond of her. She’s a lot more mature than her age and I enjoy her
company." The Beaulieus were charmed enough to allow Priscilla to keep
seeing Elvis.
May 1, 1967, they were married in Las Vegas
February 1, 1968 — Daughter Lisa Marie was
born, nine months after her parents' wedding
October 9, 1973 --- Their divorce was
finalized
1970
release
'Band
of Gold'
Ron
Dunbar, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier,
'Band
Of Gold / Composers'
Now
that you're gone
All
that's left is a band of gold
All
that's left of the dreams I hold
Is
a band of gold
And
the memories of what love could be
If
you were still here with me
You
took me from the shelter of my mother, I had never known
Or
loved any other
We
kissed after taking vows
But
that night on our honeymoon
We
stayed in separate rooms
I
wait in the darkness of my lonely room
Filled
with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping
soon
That
you'll walk back through that door
And
love me like you tried before
Since
you've been gone
All
that's left is a band of gold
All
that's left of the dreams I hold
Is
a band of gold
And
the dream of what love could be
If
you were still here with me
Oh,
don't you know that I wait
In
the darkness of my lonely room
Filled
with sadness, filled with gloom
Hoping
soon
That
you'll walk back through that door
And
love me like you tried before
Since
you've been gone
All
that's left is a band of gold
All
that's left of the dreams I hold
Is
a band of gold
And
the dream of what love could be
If
you were still here with me
Since
you've been gone
All
that's left is a band of gold
L J
L J Coon
With a brand new book on The Carpenters due out next month, I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot from Richard Carpenter in the weeks to come. (His version of their story dominates this new edition.)
FH Reader Tom Cuddy just sent me this headline ...
Richard Carpenter: Karen's Anorexia Had Her Lying Down Between Shows
I was supposed to receive my advance review copy of this several weeks ago but that still hasn't happened. Still, I am anxious to read Richard's account of their career ... and Karen's behind-the-scenes struggles.
Honestly, I've never been a very big fan of Richard's take on their history. While it's true that the family moved to California to give their son his best shot at a career in music ... and there is absolutely NO doubt how much impact his song selections and arrangements had on The Carpenters' success ... but the simple fact of the matter is that until Karen Carpenter stepped in front of a microphone and treated us all to her one-of-a-kind vocal talent, The Carpenters probably wouldn't rate so much as a foot-note in the history of pop music.
I'm curious to see how much credit he designates to Karen as opposed to how much credit he feels is "shared." (kk)
