I love it!
After a bar in Dallas banned the playing of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on its jukebox before December 1st, Kurt Hanson, founder and CEO of Chicago-based AccuRadio decided to do something about it.
Hanson launched a new channel called “One Song Radio: All I Want for
Christmas Is You,” featuring nothing
but the holiday classic as performed by dozens of artists. (In addition to the popular Mariah Carey
version, you’ll also hear artists like Dolly Parton, Michael Buble, Lady A,
Justin Bieber, Straight No Chaser, Idina Menzal, She and Him, My Chemical
Romance and several others.
General Manager Laura Garrison of the bar
Stoneleigh P’s said they posted a sign on their jukebox last week, stating that
Mariah’s tune “will be skipped” if played before December 1st, and that after
that date it can only be played “one time a night.”
Actually, she says, the sign has been put up
there for the last three or four years now … but this year it went viral and
now she’s being interviewed by The Washington Post!!! “Every holiday season we hear the song so much
when you get alcohol involved,” Garrison said, adding that ANY song that gets
played more than once per night gets skipped. “Carey’s Christmas hit just seems
to creep in earlier each year, and we throw up the sign — I think this year it
was played in September.” The rule, she
added, started as an inside joke among the bar’s longtime regulars. “It’s like
a family inside joke that went viral.”
Funnily enough, when Mariah Carey heard about it, she first took to Twitter and posted a photograph of herself dressed in battle armor, surrounded by flames, with a caption asking the question “Is this the war on Christmas I’ve heard about?”
Hey, I have ALWAYS loved the song … but they really DO play it to death around the holidays. Still, it will likely chart again this holiday season … and may even go all the way to #1 again like it did last year. (Of course, a little incident like this can only help matters, right???)
After 21 Years, ‘60’s on 6 is no
longer. The Sirius/XM mainstay has
rebranded itself as ‘60’s Gold … and moved all the way up the dial to Channel
73!!!
WTF?!?!
‘60’s on 6 is the whole reason I got
XM way back when! Their decades channels (‘50’s on 5, ‘60’s on 6, ‘70’s on 7,
‘80’s on 8 and now ‘90’s on 9) were where you had the greatest potential of
hearing the songs we grew up with with the fewest number of repeats. (Some of the other SXM channels seem to have
a playlist of about 200 songs … kinda crazy that we’re all PAYING for this
service to eliminate commercials but then aren’t being treated to the variety
of music a satellite station could easily provide.)
"'60's on 6" also represents the "brand" of SXM's decade channels ... it has always had a magical ring to it ... the whole tone of the station has changed by eliminating this key part of the channel's name.
What this REALLY is is a blatant
slap in the face, once again driving home the point that the music of the ‘50’s
and ‘60’s isn’t relevant anymore … that most of the audience for this music has
already died off … when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
The music from this era (and these
two decades in particular) paved the way for all that was to come after
it. There has never been a more exciting
and inventive period of music. The fact
that listeners are still tuning in to hear songs that are already 60 years old is
unheard of. (To keep things in
perspective, in the ‘60’s when music trends were changing almost daily due to
experimentation and pushing things to the limit was there ANYBODY out there
longing for the good ol’ music of the 1900’s? 1920’s?? 1940’s???
No … Rock And Roll Music
restructured the game for keeps. This
music will NEVER die … because new people are discovering it (and falling in
love with it) every single day.
Shame on Sirius XM for insulting us
like this … and destroying the brand that YOU invented. (The ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s channels remain
intact in their dial placement … only the ‘50’s Channel and ‘60’s channel were
subjected to this demeaning movement. In
fact, you’ll find the previously relocated Elvis Channel right up there, too,
at Channel 75. Meanwhile, “Coffeehouse Radio” has replaced
the ‘60’s at Channel 6.
Seriously?!?! Are you telling me
that they feel there is a greater appeal and desire to hear THIS channel over
the music of the ‘60’s???
I’m not so sure I’ll be renewing my
subscription this year … not when there are so many other internet choices
available these days that revere the music of the ’50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s. (kk)
kk:
I enjoyed reading about this new Elvis Presley
and the USS Arizona PBS-TV documentary airing on November 11th.
A while ago, I interviewed my dear friend,
actor/poet Harry E. Northup. You would know his work from his roles in “Mean
Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “Blue Collar,” and “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Harry and I were discussing Elvis.
In 2008, I wrote the liner notes to the 40th anniversary
reissue box set Elvis Presley The ’68 Comeback Special for
Sony/Legacy Records.
I had seen a half a dozen Elvis concerts
1970-1977. Harry mentioned he saw Presley's monumental March 26, 1961, last
public appearance before he resumed live touring in 1969.
I asked Harry what he remembered about this
landmark gig. I seem to recall Elvis did the longest set of his career ... well
over an hour. Chet Atkins and Boots Randolph flew in for the show.
“When I was 17, I joined the U.S. Navy. After
Radio School, I was sent to Oahu where I was stationed at Pearl Harbor. On
March 25, 1961, I saw Elvis in a concert at the Bloch Arena, in Pearl Harbor.
It was a benefit on the behalf of the Memorial
Fund for the battleship the U.S. S. Arizona. The audience was mostly service
men. I sat in the balcony, stage right.
He sang ‘Love Me Tender,’ ‘Don’t Be Cruel,’
among many others. He was electric; each time he made a move, even if it was
with his little finger, the audience went wild. He was the King. Men and women
loved Elvis.
I remember seeing a man dressed in a suit. He
was carrying an attaché case. A sailor buddy told me it was Colonel Parker.
That was Elvis’ last public appearance for
many years because he started making movies. ‘G.I. Blues’ is one of my favorite
films of his because of the Army setting, the love theme and the lyrical songs
that he sang.
I feel grateful to have seen Elvis in such a
perfect setting when he was young, clean cut and handsome.”
Harvey Kubernik
More to look forward to!!!
The week after The Beatles / Get
Back three part series airs on Disney+ over Thanksgiving Weekend, The Epix
Network will premier a brand new two-part documentary called “Mr. A and Mr. M:
The Story of A&M Records,” an in-depth profile of Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss
and their A&M label that was home base for SO many artists during the
‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s … of virtually every genre of music. (In addition to Herb’s own group, The Tijuana
Brass, A&M released records by artists as diverse as The Carpenters, Peter
Frampton, Joe Cocker, The Police, Procol Harum, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66,
Cat Stevens, Bryan Adams, Janet Jackson and SO many other great acts that
filled our heads with memorable music over the decades.
This should be a goodie … and it
premiers on Sunday Night, December 5th. (kk)
Did you happen to watch that ABBA
clip from last Sunday’s CBS Morning program?
It offers some great insight into the band, their reunion project and
their one-of-a-kind avatar concert venue.
Here’s another one of those videos that you just have
to see!!!
And here is today’s Rolling Stones clip …
We ran this once before a long time ago …
But when I saw it again on the Best Classic Bands website
the other day, I just HAD to share it again!!!
Here are The Rolling Stones, singing their Snap!
Crackle! Pop! hearts out for Rice Krispies!!!
kk …
Last night, Billy Joel was back at Madison
Square Garden … first time since March, 2020.
He talked about his first time ever at MSG … his
parents took him to a Gene Autry Christmas Show.
This Is My Favorite Billy Song … It Sounds
Like A 1950's Doo-Wop Song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_XgQhMPeEQ
FB
Tommy James has a new CD available thru his website …
“Rock Party” features live versions of several of
Tommy’s hits (“Draggin’ The Line,” “Hanky Panky,” “Crimson And Clover,” “I
Think We’re Alone Now,” “Mirage” and “Mony Mony” … a couple of these redone as
“uptempo dance versions”) as well has his versions of “Tighter, Tighter” (the
Top Five Hit he wrote for Alive ‘n’ Kickin’), “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah),”
a song done by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who also covered Tommy’s “Crimson
And Clover” with great success, “Devil Gate Drive,” “Annie Come Knockin’,” “Go”
and “Say Please.”
From Tommy’s manager, Carol Ross …
"WE NEED TO SMILE AGAIN"...
The times demand it.
Throughout his career, Tommy James has been doing exactly that ...
Making people smile ... Making people dance ... Making people groove
...
It’s more than just the 23 gold singles, 9 platinum albums,100
million records sold worldwide, 32 Billboard "Hot 100" hits and, most
impressive of all, the long string of hits heard on the radio over 21 million
times.
Clearly Tommy James music is inextricably bound within America's
pop-culture DNA.
Are you ready to smile again?
One listen to his new ROCK PARTY takes 10 well-known slices of
Americana, plus two surprise deep-cuts from the '90s - highlights 'ANNIE COME
KNOCKIN' and "SAY PLEASE" - remixed/revitalized, adding oomph, spark,
crowds and thrills to the point where the ones you know like DRAGGIN' THE LINE,
CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION, CRIMSON and CLOVER, MONY MONY, I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW
and more add up to a frenzy of rock 'n' roll craziness just like when we were
all kids.
And that's just it. This music is teenage music, Tommy James
never grew up. He's still singing HANKY PANKY like he was 16 again when he
first realized that, "Yeah, his baby DOES the hanky-panky". We
should all be so lucky ...
Carol Ross,
Manager
“The Complete Roulette Recordings, 1966 – 1973” is
also available. It is a very impressive
6-disc set covering EVERYTHING that Tommy James and the Shondells recorded for
Roulette Records, along with Tommy’s first three solo albums … and bonus tracks
including non-LP singles, B-Sides and alternate singles mixes.
You’ll find them all on Tommy’s website:
(And don’t forget Tommy’s weekly “Getting’ Together”
Sirius / XM radio program, airing Sundays from 4 – 7 PM (Eastern) on (what is
now called) their ‘60’s Gold Channel.
(kk)
So sad to hear about the passing of Billy J. Kramer’s
wife Roni, who I had the pleasure of meeting at one of the Chicagoland Fests
For Beatles Fans (as well as communicating by email for years. She was a very, very sweet lady … and
definitely the light of Billy’s life.
Because Billy performs so rarely these days, it was
Roni’s income that kept them going, leaving Billy in rather dire straits right
now financially.
His friends have helped to set up a GoFundMe page to
help with Billy’s expenses. (My
understanding is that he is also selling his house in order to bring some money
in.)
A sad situation, to be sure.
Here is Billy’s plea for help, first published on The
Fest For Beatles Fans site a couple of days ago … and now circulating thru
Billy’s fans and friends in an effort to help him out. (kk)
|
|
I consider myself SO fortunate to have been a friend
of Billy J. Kramer over the years. He
has always been so supportive of Forgotten Hits and all we try to do here to
help keep this great music and memories alive … and was such a big part of my
discovery of this music as a pre-teen during The British Invasion. (I’ve told this story many times but the
first time I ever discovered WLS and Top 40 Radio was during Dex Card’s daily
Top 40 Countdown Show of The Silver Dollar Survey … and the very first time I
ever heard it was in May of 1964 when Billy J. Kramer topped the chart with his
two-sided hit “Little Children” / “Bad To Me” … a very special memory for sure.
My heart goes out to you, Billy, during this VERY
difficult time. (kk)
Paul McCartney just did a recent Q&A in regards
to his new Lyrics book that came out last week.
(It’s a beautiful, massive set, by the way, split into two volumes of
154 songs that Paul wrote … or had a hand in writing … that also acts as a
biography / diary as he looks back and reflects on the circumstances of the
times. A LOT to devour here … but I
can’t wait to dig into it.)
Meanwhile, here are some of the questions other
McCartney fans were looking for answers to …
You
Gave Me The Answer - 'The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present' Special |
PaulMcCartney.com
We discovered that we lost several emails over the
past 10 days or so to spam again … I just don’t understand how this keeps
happening … and from regular readers who write in all the time, too. Very frustrating and aggravating as material
that I WOULD have used as timely tie-ins are now already too far out of date to
matter. I have marked these
correspondents as “Not Spam” numerous times now … and that seems to work for a
few weeks and then all of a sudden, mail is being diverted again. (And it’s not like the subject matter is
questionable or objectionable in any fashion!)
It’s just weird. (If anybody out
there knows how to PERMANENTLY mark these readers as “Not Spam” within the confines
of Yahoo Mail, please let me know … as this has become VERY annoying!) kk
Anyway, here are a few that I would like to share from Tom Cuddy …
Here is confirmation from Kenny Vance on Jay and the Americans
opening for The Beatles as part of their first US concert …
Kenny Vance confirms Jay and the Americans opens for the Beatles
Kenny
Vance and Jay Black of Jay & the Americans - YouTube
And this, too …
THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF "YOU ARE
EVERYTHING" …
‘You Are Everything’: The Stylistics Lead The Way For Diana And Marvin
The Philadelphia group debuted
the elegant song, written by the peerless team of Thom Bell and Linda Creed.
October 30, 2021
By Paul Sexton
Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye’s 1973 version of “You Are
Everything,” from their Diana & Marvin album, holds a rightful place among
Motown’s most soulful entries of the 1970s, and its most beautifully-turned
duets. But the original version of this elegant song, written by the peerless
team of Thom Bell and Linda Creed, rarely gets the limelight it deserves. It
was by those prolific 1970s hitmakers from Philadelphia, the Stylistics, and it
took its bow on the R&B chart on October 30, 1971.
That was a
memorable debut year for the soul troupe, in which they had already enjoyed
their first two soul chart entries, both Top 10 successes, in “You’re A Big
Girl Now” and “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart).” The first had been a
regional hit in 1970 before the Stylistics were snapped up by Avco Records, and
the second was another Bell & Creed original, which indeed Ross and Gaye
would cut as their follow-up to “You Are Everything,” again from Diana & Marvin.
The
Stylistics’ version of the song featured the distinctive lead vocals of Russell
Thompkins Jr., and while he didn’t attempt the ad-libbed inflections so
familiar in Gaye’s part of the later version, the Stylistics’ single was a
classy recording in its own right. It entered Billboard’s Best Selling Soul Singles list at No.43
and, a week later, started its ascent of the Hot 100. It rose steadily on both
charts to spend two weeks at No.9 pop in January and reach No. 10 on the soul
side. It became the group’s first gold disc.
Inexplicably,
Diana and Marvin’s fine remake of the song was never released as an American
single, but it became a firm favorite across the Atlantic, reaching No.5.
“Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)” then followed up with a No.25 peak. Later
versions of “You Are Everything” included one by Rod Stewart, for his 1991 album Vagabond Heart, and the track
has been repeatedly sampled by soul stars, including by Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Craig David, and
Usher.
Also from Tom …
2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Stuns With Surprise
Guests, Magical Performances
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/2021-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-review-1251077/
Highs and lows from the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Ceremony
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/10/highs-and-lows-from-the-2021-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-ceremony.html
Now see … this is MY idea of a proper Record Store
Day display …
(Here’s hoping it catches on all over the
country!!!) kk
And a friendly reminder from Chuck Buell to Fall Back tonight before you go to bed …
From Forgotten Hits Public Service Director, Chuck
Buell ~~~
Remember to set your clocks BACK One Hour
before you go to bed tonight!
And then beginning Tomorrow ~~~
CB ( which stands for "Clock Boy!" )
