Monday, November 1, 2021

A Monday Morning Quickie

Today’s Stones fix is one of a kind …

We’ve told you about these Boston Dynamics robots before … and even featured a couple of music clips showing these things off.  (“Do You Love Me” immediately comes to mind.)

Well, now The Rolling Stones have teamed with The Boston Dynamics Robots to create a new recreation of their “Start Me Up” video … just in time for the rerelease of their “Tattoo You” album, now available in a deluxe edition.

And it really IS something to see!!! (kk)


 

Jon Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams both had to cancel shows this weekend when each tested positive for Covid-19.

Adams was due to participate in this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony as part of the tribute to Tina Turner, one of this year’s inductees …

But Bon Jovi’s cancellation REALLY hit home with fans … who were already seated in the venue when the announcement came over the PA System that the show would NOT go on as scheduled!

It was all part of Bon Jovi’s three-day Halloween Weekend Getaway in Miami Beach, FL, at the city’s Loews Hotels, with sold-out tickets having cost up to $2,150 per person. (Planned events included a costume party, a photo opportunity with the singer, limited-edition souvenirs and access to his "intimate acoustic storyteller performance and Q&A.")

Both artists tested positive just prior to taking the stage.  Keith Urban filled in for Adams but Bon Jovi’s show was flat out cancelled.  (Reports that Jon had been mingling fans not two hours prior make one really wonder about the last minute pre-stage protocol!)

Both are reportedly feeling fine and showing none of the typical symptoms.  Both artists are also fully vaccinated, which likely helped in this regard. 

Meanwhile, after their big reunion announcement last month, The Fugees have postponed THEIR entire tour into 2022.

In an official statement, the band said “Dates for our upcoming Fugees 25th Anniversary Tour are moving to early 2022 to ensure the best chance that all cities on the tour are fully open so we can perform for as many fans as possible.  With so  much excitement around the reunion tour, we are also happy to announce that we will be adding more cities and dates.  Full details coming soon, along with some special announcements.” 

Might not be time to take the masks off just yet.  (kk)

Last week we told you about Randy Bachman being reunited with his missing guitar after 45 years …

Randy Bachman reunited with lost guitar after 45 years - YouTube

And now Doors Guitars Robby Krieger would love to do the same …

 

Krieger’s guitar, a red Gibson SG Special, “went missing” many, many years ago.  To say that it has great sentimental value just may be the understatement of the century.

It was the guitar he used to audition for The Doors, to write “Light My Fire,” and to record the first two Doors albums.
Krieger asks that if you happen to have a ’63 or ’64 Gibson SG Special, to please check the back of the neck for the serial number and see if it matches 952727.  If so, you just might have Robby’s guitar!
If you find it, and it can be authenticated, Robby says that he will buy the guitar from you and will also give you an exclusive personally hand-signed and hand-painted Gibson SG, along with an autographed copy of his new book, SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE.
If you think you’ve got the guitar … or happen to locate it somewhere at a guitar or pawn shop, please email us at: 
FindRobbysGuitar@gmail.com.  (kk)

 

Well, The Eagles aren’t quite ready to hang things up yet (despite rumors to the contrary just a few months ago) …

They have just announced their first concert dates of 2022, one of which will be staged in a very big way with a show at London’s Hyde Park, sharing the stage with Robert Plant and Alison Kraus.  Other artists are expected to be announced as taking part in what is being billed as a large, all-day outdoor concert event in this massive venue.  (This show is scheduled to take place on June 26th, 2022, and tickets will go on sale this Monday, November 1st.)

Other announced European dates thus far include

Jun 17 – Arnhem, Netherlands – Gelredome
Jun 20 – Liverpool, UK – Anfield Stadium
Jun 22 – Edinburgh, UK – Murrayfield Stadium
Jun 24 – Dublin, Ireland – Aviva Stadium
Jun 26 – London, UK – Hyde Park

And it’s a pretty sure thing several more dates will be added.

Will there be another leg that brings them back thru The States?  This still remains to be seen … but this is a huge bonus for all their European fans.  (Hmm … wonder if they’ll outdraw the ABBA Avator Tour that should be in full swing by then?!?! 

Lol … I’m thinkin’ yeah!)  kk

 

And here’s another pleasing announcement of an upcoming tour … 


Artie’s back … and the old guy still sounds pretty good!  ;-) 

Mike


 

After being unable to do concerts for over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Art has staged a planned comeback tour this fall. Tin Mirror Productions has released this promotional video of Artie with pal Tab on Vimeo a week ago, doing a bit of Scarborough Fair and announcing the much awaited news. However, please understand that there is still uncertainty around the corner as coronavirus cases in the US are still rising due to the dreaded Delta variant.

 

Then again, anyone out there still needing further proof that Paul McCartney probably needs to stop performing live only needs to listen to his live performance this past weekend at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony when he performed The Beatles’ classic “Get Back” along with The Foo Fighters, who he had inducted earlier in the evening.  (Is there even so much as a HINT of his former abilities in this performance?)  Yes, he’s Paul McCartney … and that has always been enough.  His achievements are unparalleled in popular music.  But at some point, it’s just plain embarrassing.

Foo Fighters with Paul McCartney- Get Back - YouTube

The HBO Television Special commemorating this year’s class begins airing on Saturday, November 20th.  (kk)

 

Meanwhile, Paul McCartney’s new Lyrics books are out tomorrow.  

Here’s another brief clip of Paul talking about the new books …


 

On the subject of Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, I'm a bit surprised that they don't come to Chicago as often as one would expect, in light of the fact that Lani grew up on the northwest side, about 1000 feet from where I was living. 

I used to walk past her apartment building on the way to school each day (we were students at the same school, at the same time, but she's four years my senior, so I never met her).
In her book, based on her growing up where we did, she wrote about some personal experiences, one of which gave me goosebumps.  It involved a sickly, paralyzed old man who used to stand on the corner near our school with his daughter, who looked after him.  I would love to discuss those episodes with her.  I tried writing to her via one of her Facebook pages, but never heard back.
A friend of mine, who sells at the record shows at Hillside, was in her elementary school graduating class.
Geoffrey Baer (WTTW) did an interview with Lani and Herb some years back, and I think I still have the videotape of the program. She talked about coming back to our old nabe and about how different it looked - she said she didn't recognize it.
If there's a way to contact her, I'd love to know about it.
Mike Wolstein

I know that both Herb and Lani have other interests that they enjoy focusing on these days … and I get it … why just keep rehashing the same 60+ year old memories … I mean they’ve both led incredible lives outside the music industry.  But we as fans always want to know more.  Truthfully, good as it was, I wish the Herb Alpert documentary revealed more, especially since the world premier night Q&A that followed it only focused on topics already covered in the film.  (Never quite understood the point of that at all!!!)

Will have to look for a copy of Lani’s book.  I know you’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve never actually sought it out.  (kk)

 

Speaking of books, I’ve found myself suddenly inundated with TONS of new reading material.  SO many new releases of late (several of which we’ve committed to doing FH reviews on) … so much so that it’s forcing me to expand my reading time to outside the bathroom!  (lol)

And some of these are MONSTEROUS volumes, too … VERY large and heavy hard cover editions that are difficult to carry around.  (Stacked up six inches high already are the new Monkees Day-By-Day book, The Beatles Get Back book and the new book on The Carpenters, featuring heavy input from Richard Carpenter himself.)  I’m already rereading “Hollywood Eden” by Joel Selvin (an EXCELLENT book and highly recommended), while copies of Paul Evan’s autobiography and a new book on Nilsson are due to arrive at my doorstep next week, along with Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s new Jimi Hendrix book (it looks amazing!) and the new two-volume Paul McCartney’s lyrics books!

My hope is the reviews will trickle out as I complete each volume and I’ve got to tell you, I’m extremely excited about reading each and every one of them.  (Now I’ve just gotta find the time to do so!)  kk

 

Kent,

You stated today about your thoughts of originally doing an oldies magazine starting out as a quarterly, eventually becoming a monthly publication. That reminded me of the oldies magazines I used to get years ago. Don't know if you remember any of them, Kent …publications like BIM BAM BOOM, THE RECORD EXCHANGER, IN DREAMS (dedicated to Roy Orbison), etc. I have them all and always thought that the Record Exchanger was the best. Don't know offhand if today any such magazines are being published.

Larry

That was kind of the way it was done back then in the late ‘90’s … and I guess I always just figured that if I could find the right audience, into the same music I was, it just might catch on.  Who knew the Internet would explode the way it did!  Forgotten Hits went from being a near-daily emailed newsletter in 1999 to officially launching a website in 2008 … and we’ve been here (and growing) ever since.  Thanks to so many great Internet oldies radio stations these days, our dreams of bringing back “forgotten hits radio” has been realized a thousand times again.  (I don’t know much many of remember about terrestrial radio in the late ‘90’s but they all had essentially the exact same play list of 200-300 songs that they just played over and over and over again, day in and day out, to the point of actually making us HATE the music we loved.  Thankfully, there is now enough variety out there to service even the most discriminating oldies music fan!  (kk)

 

Frank B tells us about a new PBS documentary on Elvis …

NEW Elvis And The USS Arizona, a PBS documentary airing on the PBS network November 11, 2021.



>>>I can’t remember when Chuck did his 100 hours on the air at WLS or whatever amount it was, but I imagine he hated EVERY SONG he played that night!!!!

Clark Besch

Hate?  EVERY One?  In one Special Presentation?

No.

CB

 

We stayed away from the story while it was breaking each night on our local news, but top-rated Chicagoland Disc Jockey Eric Ferguson is now OUT as the morning host on The Mix.

His ratings made him the top paid jock in Chicago for years … but after a series of women came forward complaining about his inappropriate conduct toward women, Ferguson took a break from the airwaves, hoping the media frenzy would slow down.  It didn’t.  Former cohost Melissa McGurren went so far as to refer to him as “a serial abuser of women.”  In all, four former female colleagues came forward with allegations of improper conduct.  Ferguson leaves behind a 25 year career of excellent ratings and a very loyal following.

More from Robert Feder (who’s been covering on-going this story for month now.)

Over and out: Eric Ferguson leaves The Mix - Robert Feder

 

Freda Payne, the subject of Mark Bego’s new celebrity biography, takes over the reigns of Sirius XM’s ‘70’s on 7 Channel on Tuesday (that's tomorrow, November 2nd) to spin some of her favorite tunes and talk about her new book, her life story and her friends.  It all kicks off at Noon Eastern, this Tuesday, and should make for the perfect tie-in for Bego’s new book.

Some of her favorites that she’ll be playing include “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston, “Love To Love You Baby” by Donna Summer, Nancy Wilson’s version of “I’ve Never Been To Me,” the Bill Withers hit “Ain’t No Sunshine,” the Diana Ross-less Supremes’ hit “Stoned Love,” “Take Me In Your Arms” by The Doobie Brothers and George Benson’s take on “This Masquerade.”

Hope you can stop by and give it a listen.  (Rebroadcasts for this are a shoe-in!)  kk

 

>>>What happens if you get scared half to death twice?  (Chuck Buell)

Well, then you’d only be 1/4 dead … and then, if it happened again, you’d be 1/8 dead … and again, only 1/16 dead … and so on … but you’d never ever be really dead.

If you got scared half to death, you’d then be half dead … but if you divide that half by another half, you’re still only a quarter dead … no matter how many times it happened, you’ll never actually be 100% dead.

Tom

OK … nobody told me there was going to be math!!!  (kk)

[Kinda reminds me of the old grade school joke:  “If today’s high is going to be zero … and tomorrow’s going to be twice as cold, what’s the temperature high for tomorrow?”]  Really takes all the fun out of an otherwise pretty funny joke, doesn’t it?!?!  And besides ... as we ALL know ... five out of three people have problems with math.  (kk)