Another new Forgotten Hits feature for 2022 will be weekly interview clips provided by WRCO Disc Jockey Phil Nee, who has been hosting "Those Were The Days" for decades now.
Just click on the headphones for 100.9 and enjoy the show!
(I've been a guest on Phil's show a number of times over the years ... and it is ALWAYS a good time!)
[Phil's guest tonight is Susan Cowsill!!! I'll sure be listening!]
We kick things off THIS Saturday, the very first day of 2022, with bits and pieces of Phil's interview with Burton Cummings from several years ago. (You can read OUR interview with BC as well by clicking on this link: Forgotten Hits - bc ... which gives me yet another excuse to run this great promo clip that Burton made for Forgotten Hits) ...
Phil tells us ...
I began my Those Were the Days radio show in 1986 and have been honored to have hundreds of guests. The station is located in 'nowhere, Wisconsin,' and as a result, most of these interviews were conducted over the phone. A few stopped by the station if they were playing in Wisconsin Dells or other locations that were within our radius.
My first rock and roll related guest was Nigel Olsson (Elton John's drummer), an artist that put out a few radio hits in the late '70's.
Kent Kotal has encouraged me to revisit some of these special moments.
I have converted some of these tapes to digital but many more remain on cassettes stored in rubbermaid containers. The day I play my last song, my kids will most likely toss the tapes in a dumpster and so it is time to start saving some of these.
The chance to share sound bytes on the Forgotten Hits site has inspired me to start preserving more of my collection. I hope you enjoy my memories, running most Saturdays during this year of 2022.
The first interview that I am sharing is with Burton Cummings. The Guess Who have always been a favorite of mine.
I first saw Burton's solo act in the Summer of 1985 at Marty Zivco's Rock and Roll Palace in Hartford, Wisconsin. I became even more of a fan after seeing his
show. My chance to have him on my program happened in 1994 shortly after Rhino records released a greatest hits cd of his solo work.
One reason for featuring Burton Cummings for our first journey of the year is the fact that he celebrates a birthday this weekend. He was born December 31st of 1947 in Winnipeg, Canada.
Cummings enjoyed fifteen Top 40 Hits while fronting The Guess Who between 1969 and 1975. These included The Top 10 Hits "These Eyes" (#3, 1969), "Laughing" (#5, 1969), "No Time" (#3, 1970), "Share The Land" (#5, 1970) and "Clap For The Wolfman" (#6, 1974), as well as the #1 Hit "American Woman" (1970).
His first success as a solo artist came right out of the box when "Stand Tall" went all the way to #5 in 1976.
Here, Phil asks him about The Guess Who's biggest hit ...
Based on a compilation of year end chart information gathered from all three major music trade publications (Billboard, Cash Box and Record World) along with Joel Whitburn's Record Research 1971 Pop Annual rankings and the book "Ranking The '70's" by Dann Isbell and Bill Carroll (as well as our own research of the weekly 1971 Super Charts), here is OUR final Year-End Chart annotating ....
THE TOP 71 RECORDS OF 1971
1 - Joy To The World - Three Dog Night 2 - It's Too Late - Carole King 3 - Maggie May - Rod Stewart 4 - Knock Three Times - Dawn 5 - Indian Reservation - Paul Revere and the Raiders 6 - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - The Bee Gees 7 - One Bad Apple - The Osmonds 8 - Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond 9 - Just My Imagination - The Temptations 10 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver 11 - Want Ads - Honey Cone 12 - She's A Lady - Tom Jones 13 - Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight 14 - You've Got A Friend - James Taylor 15 - Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin 16 - Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones 17 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye 18 - Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson Five 19 - Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose 20 - Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth 21 - Superstar - The Carpenters 22 - Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson 23 - Put Your Hand In The Hand - Ocean 24 - The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down - Joan Baez 25 - Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves - Cher 26 - Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey - Paul McCartney 27 - Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers 28 - Theme from "Shaft" - Isaac Hayes 29 - Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds 30 - Family Affair - Sly and the Family Stone 31 - Signs - The Five Man Electrical Band 32 - It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr 33 - Rainy Days And Mondays - The Carpenters 34 - My Sweet Lord - George Harrison 35 - Draggin' The Line - Tommy James 36 - Yo Yo - The Osmonds 37 - Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted - The Partridge Family 38 - Mama's Pearl - The Jackson Five 39 - Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green 40 - A Brand New Key - Melanie 41 - Have You Seen Her - The Chi-Lites 42 - Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels 43 - For All We Know - The Carpenter 44 - Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin 45 - Temptation Eyes - The Grass Roots 46 - Imagine - John Lennon 47 - Lonely Days - The Bee Gees 48 - One Less Bell To Answer - The Fifth Dimension 49 - Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye 50 - Chick-A-Boom - Daddy Dewdrop 51 - Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin 52 - Sweet And Innocent - Donny Osmond 53 - Amos Moses - Jerry Reed 54 - I've Found Someone Of My Own - Free Movement 55 - I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds 56 - If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot 57 - Superstar - Murray Head 58 - Help Me Make It Through The Night - Sammi Smith 59 - Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread 60 - Mr. Bojangles - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 61 - Black Magic Woman -Santana 62 - Groove Me - King Floyd 63 - If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight and the Pips 64 - An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night 65 - Got To Be There - Jackson Five 66 - Whatcha See Is What You Get - The Dramatics 67 - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival 68 - If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder 69 - That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be - Carly Simon 70 - Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who 71 - Proud Mary - Ike and Tina Turner And here are The Top Twenty Albums of 1971:
1 - TAPESTRY - Carole King (how could it NOT be?!?!) 2 - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR - Original Cast 3 - PEARL - Janis Joplin 4 - ABRAXAS - Santana 5 - CLOSE TO YOU - The Carpenters 6 - THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY ALBUM - The Partridge Family 7 - SWEET BABY JAMES - James Taylor 8 - CHICAGO III - Chicago 9 - ALL THINGS MUST PASS - George Harrison 10 - TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN - Cat Stevens 11 - GREATEST HITS - Sly and the Family Stone 12 - STICKY FINGERS - The Rolling Stones 13 - SANTANA 3 - Santana 14 - EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY - Rod Stewart 15 - LOVE STORY - Soundtrack 16 - IMAGINE - John Lennon 17 - CHAPTER TWO - Roberta Flack 18 - RAM - Paul McCartney 19 - SHAFT - Isaac Hayes / Soundtrack 20 - NATURALLY - Three Dog Night
And THESE were The Top 40 Fan Favorites as voted on by Forgotten Hits Readers and the listeners of Phil Nee's WRCO "Those Were The Days" radio program (where we counted these down earlier this year):
1 - BROWN SUGAR - The Rolling Stones
2 - IT'S TOO LATE - Carole King
3 - L.A. GOODBYE - The Ides Of March
4 - MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY - B.J. Thomas
5 - JOY TO THE WORLD - Three Dog Night
6 - WHAT IS LIFE - George Harrison
7 - IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN - Gladys Knight and the Pips
8 - IT DON'T COME EASY - Ringo Starr
9 - LUCKY MAN - Emerson, Lake and Palmer
10 - BELL BOTTOM BLUES - Derek and the Dominoes
11 - I'D LOVE TO CHANGE THE WORLD - Ten Years After
12 - LONELY DAYS - The Bee Gees
13 - ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO - Lobo
14 - RIDERS ON THE STORM - The Doors
15 - DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - Lee Michaels
16 - BLACK MAGIC WOMAN - Santana
17 - MAGGIE MAY - Rod Stewart
18 - BABY, I'M-A WANT YOU - Bread
19 - TEMPTATION EYES - The Grass Roots
20 - WOODSTOCK - Matthews' Southern Comfort
21 - JUST MY IMAGINATION - The Temptations
22 - WE GOTTA GET YOU A WOMAN - Runt
23 - ROLL ON - The New Colony Six
24 - GET IT ON - Chase
25 - SOONER OR LATER - The Grass Roots
26 - FRESH AS A DAISY - Emitt Rhondes
27 - RINGS - Cymarron
28 - WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN - The Who
29 - EIGHTEEN - Alice Cooper
30 - HAVE YOU SEEN HER - The Chi-Lites
31 - DRAGGIN' THE LINE - Tommy James
32 - LET YOUR LOVE GO - Bread
33 - I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE - Rare Earth
34 - AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - Bill Withers
35 - WILD WORLD - Cat Stevens
36 - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN - Led Zeppelin
37 - INDIAN RESERVATION - Paul Revere and the Raiders
38 - WALK AWAY - The James Gang
39 - IT' A CRYIN' SHAME - Gayle McCormick
40 - TREAT HER LIKE A LADY - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
According to the Nielsen Ratings, these were The Top 30 TV Shows of 1971:
1.ALL IN THE FAMILY (CBS)34.0
2.THE FLIP WILSON SHOW(NBC)28.2
3.MARCUS WELBY, M.D.(ABC)27.8
4.GUNSMOKE(CBS)26.0
5.ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK(ABC)25.6
6.SANFORD AND SON (NBC)25.2
7.MANNIX(CBS)24.8
8.FUNNY FACE(NBC)23.9
9.ADAM-12(NBC)23.9
10.THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW(CBS)23.7
11.HERE’S LUCY(CBS)23.6
12.HAWAII FIVE-O(CBS(23.6)
13.MEDICAL CENTER(CBS)23.5
14.THE NBC MYSTERY MOVIE(NBC)23.2
15.IRONSIDE(NBC)23.0
16.THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY(ABC)22.6
17.THE F.B.I.(ABC)22.4
18.THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE SHOW(CBS)22.2
19.THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY(NBC)22.0
20.BONANZA(NBC)21.9
21.THE MOD SQUAD(ABC)21.5
22.ROWAN AND MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN(NBC)21.4
23.THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW(CBS)21.4
24.THE DORIS DAY SHOW(CBS)21.2
25.MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL(ABC)20.9
26.THE ABC SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIE(ABC)20.8
27.THE SONNY AND CHER COMEDY HOUR(CBS)20.2
28.ROOM 222(ABC)20.2
29.CANNON(CBS)19.8
30.THE CBS FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE(CBS)19.5
AT THE MOVIES: Top Box Office (Gross Receipts)
1 – FIDDLER ON THE ROOF(United Artists)$40,500,000 2- BILLY JACK(Warner Brothers)$32,500,000 3 – THE FRENCH CONNECTION(20th Century Fox)$26,300,000 4 – THE SUMMER OF ’42 (Warner Brothers)$20,500,000 5 – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER(United Artists)$19,727,000 6 – DIRTY HARRY(Warner Brothers)$18,000,000 7 – A CLOCKWORK ORANGE(Warner Brothers)$17,000,000 8 – CARNAL KNOWLEDGE(Embassy Pictures)$14,075,000 9 – THE LAST PICTURE SHOW(Columbia Pictures)$13,110,000
It just may be my
favorite week of radio all year …
The polls are closed …
and the votes have been tabulated …
And all week long
Rewound Radio will be playing back your 2021 All-Time Favorites (in no
particular order, other than the OFFICIAL Top 77 Countdown that kicked off on
Sunday, December 26th.) Actually, they usually
count back The Top 100 … but then also play ALL of the other 3000+ titles that
received votes and nominations on this year’s ballot.
It’s a great week of
songs you don’t hear every day … with minimal repeats … and, when it’s all
over, they’ll publish the COMPLETE list of songs in ranked order.
Frank B sent us this
official announcement from Mike Riccio the station …
Hi ... and
thanks to all of you who voted for your favorite song(s) in the 24th Annual Top
77.
And
starting today, Sunday, at noon, you can hear the results, counted down in
order from #77 to #1.
And after
that, enjoy this entire holiday week featuring the songs that got votes, the
number that they ended up as, and even request the song(s) you voted for to
find out how they did.
Yes ...
You can
hear the countdown of the Top 77 LIVE and in order on Rewound Radio starting
today, December 26th, beginning at 12 noon and then played in random
order ALL week long between Christmas and New Year’s.
Also this
year, as in the past, you can get a copy of the complete list of over 3000
songs that got votes, where they finished on the survey, plus lots of facts and
information about the songs and results. Be listening for Rewound for details.
Sincere
thanks again for making this survey so successful for 24 years in a row!
Mike
Now I WILL caution you
that “Hey Jude” has come in at #1 in something like 19 or 20 of those 24 years
… so maybe this year we’ll finally get a chance to see something else grab the
top position …
Of course, I can’t
promise you that … but I CAN promise you a GREAT week of listening … so
bookmark this page now (if it isn’t already … and, if it ISN’T already, shame
on you for denying yourself the chance to listen to the best oldies station in
the world!!!)kk
UPDATE:
Frank B sent us some details once the countdown started ... and yes, "Hey Jude" tops the chart yet again. (A few surprises on the list ... but not many. Listening today I did hear a few things out of the ordinary, including Adele placing in The Top 500 with "Rolling In The Deep!" Thus reiterating Rewound Radio's slogan of "It's Not How Old It Is ... But How GOOD It Is."
kk ...
I'm sitting here listening to REWOUND RADIO TOP 77 COUNTDOWN.
And I'm thinking to myself, "What other project can I give my pal Kent to work on?"
How about a "ONE-WORD TITLE COUNTDOWN????"
I'll help you get started ...
"ONE"
plus
"WORDS"
Here are The Top 20:
20 - Cherish = Association
19 - Wichita Lineman = Glen Campbell
18 - Hotel California = Eagles
17 - I Want To Hold Your Hand = Beatles
16 - Aquarius - Fifth Dimension
15 - My Girl = Temptations
14 - Stairway To Heaven = Led Zeppelin
13 - Can't Find The Time = Orpheous
12 - Be My Baby = Ronettes
11 - American Pie = Don McLean
10 - Ain't No Mountain High Enough = Diana Ross
9 - In The Still Of The Night = Five Satins --- YEAH!!!
8 - Light My Fire = Doors
7 - Mac Arthur Park = Richard Harris --- SHOCKED ME WITH THIS ONE
6 - Good Vibrations = Beach Boys
5 - Rag Doll = Four Seasons
4 - Bridge Over Troubled Water = Simon & Garfunkel
3 - Satisfaction = Rolling Stones
2 - God Only Knows = Beach Boys
1 - Hey Jude = Beatles
HOT OFF THE PRESSES
Every day this week starting at noon they will be playing countdown songs.
Even if a song got just one vote, they will play it.
AND HERE ARE THE SONGS THAT MADE EVERY COUNTDOWN, 24 YEARS IN A ROW (1998 - 2021)
SHE LOVES YOU / Beatles ( 2021 # 22 )
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND / Beatles ( 2021 # 17 )
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN / Led Zeppelin ( 2021 # 14 )
AMERICAN PIE / Don McLean ( 2021 # 11 )
IN THE STILL OF THE NITE / Five Satins ( 2021 # 9 )
LIGHT MY FIRE / Doors / ( 2021 # 8 )
GOOD VIBRATIONS / Beach Boys / ( 2021 # 6 )
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER / Simon & Garfunkel / ( 2021 # 4 )
SATISFACTION / Rolling Stones / ( 2021 # 3 )
HEY JUDE / Beatles / ( 2021 # 1 ) --- Made The Countdown 23 out of 24 years. Missed the first year, 1998.
FB
Missed the first year but then finished at #1 for something like 20-21 years in a row. Not a bad comeback, eh? (Personally, I say it's time to give something else a turn ... but that's just me. The fans have spoken.)
By the way, in our own Top 333 Most-Essential Classic Rock Songs Countdown from a year ago, "Hey Jude" finished at #37 ... in fact, it wasn't even the top Beatles song on the countdown ... those distinctions belonged to two George Harrisongs ... "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (#14) and "Here Comes The Sun (#19) kk
Later this week (Friday
to be exact!) we will be running our countdown of The Top 71 Hits of 1971 based
on our Super Charts.
In the meantime, here
is a countdown (based on sales) of the 20 Biggest Albums of that year … and it’s
quite a list!(How many of these did YOU
own at the time???)
Here's to great things happening and live shows
coming back full force again.
Cheers,
Ron Dante
Hi, Kent,
Marti and I thank you for mentioning the
upcoming “Pop Stars” excerpts series ... and including it as one of your
special features for 2022.We’ll keep
’em coming your way as we carve out time to prepare them.
The Henry Diltz photos should be terrific.
We're glad that he gave you permission to post those.
Sincerely,
Jeff, with regards from Marti
As you both know, I
just LOVE your books and have referred to them many times over the years.This new feature presents the opportunity for
other oldies fans to discover them as well … and pick up copies for their own
music library.So I thank YOU for
allowing us to share these great interviews with our readers.(kk)
>>>It's A Very Big Week In Forgotten Hits As We
Bring 2021 To A Close(kk)
SOUNDS GREAT. YOU DESERVE A RAISE. AT LEAST A COST OF LIVING
INCREASE.
Frank B
Amen to that!Thanks, Frank!(kk)
Love it all! Happy New Year, Kent!
Carol Ross
Hi Kent -
Looking Forward to all your Forgotten Hits Highlights
for 2022!!
You always do a FANTASTIC job keeping us all
informed on the latest and the greatest news.
I agree with your top five Gene Pitney songs.
I would only put "She's a Heart Breaker to #2 ... LOL
Bang a Gong and keep Rockin', Kent!
A Great New Year to You and Your Family !!!
Carolyn
The review in David
McGrath’s Gene Pitney book is less than flattering when it comes to “She’s A
Heartbreaker,” I song that I, too, loved when it was out … and it’s still up
there with my Gene Pitney favorites.(The
fact that broke from his own formula is perhaps its greatest appeal!)
Here are some of the
comments made in McGrath’s book:
“Worst Gene Pitney hit
ever!”
“Pitney, who heard the
criticisms of the record from the moment it was released, remembered that his
label’s president, Art Talmadge, hated it so much, he initially refused to put
Pitney’s name on it.‘On the initial
pressing of my record,’ Pitney recalled with a laugh, ‘the artist was listed as
P.G.’
Pitney goes on to say, “Most
of my records aren’t considered collector’s items.I’ve been told that one, with the P.G. is.”
In his own analysis,
McGrath writes:
“Favorite Lyric:You’re kidding, right?”
“But then concedes that
“Gene LOVED this song … and LOVED singing it in concert.‘It adds some balance to my show,’ Gene
explained.‘You know, after this ballad
and that sad song, you need something uptempo.‘Heartbreaker’ fills the bill.”
My Top Five Gene Pitney
Favorites (as disclosed last week):
#1 - A Town
Without Pity
#2 - It Hurts
To Be In Love
#3 - (I Wanna)
Love My Life Away
#4 - She's A
Heartbreaker
#5 - Only Love
Can Break A Heart
Long-time FH Reader Frank B. and I have been comparing notes as we both read the new Gene Pitney biography by David McGrath.
Frank just sent me this story to share with our readers …
I Got This One From Brian Hyland ...
(Don't remember If I Told You About It Before.)
Brian and Gene Were Always Roommates On Dick Clark Tours.
One City Had A Contest -- Win A Date With Gene Pitney.
Contest Winner Calls The Room and Brian Answers The Phone.
She Wants To Talk To Gene.
First Question -- Do You Like To Play On The Monkey Bars?
Of Course, Brian Couldn't Stop Laughing.
Frank B.
Earlier this year we told you the
story about how Spencer Elden, the baby pictured naked on the Nirvana album
cover “Nevermind,” was suing the band for life-long damages (and child
pornography!) all these years later.
We dismissed the charges as
completely bogus after all this time … and told you how Elden has been
profiting and benefiting from being the “Nevermind” baby for decades, posing
for new photographs of himself both in the pool and with a great big “Nevermind”
tattoo on his chest … and now, at year’s end, the band apparently (and
officially) agrees, calling his case “not serious” in a newly issued statement.
According to a statement issued by
the band (and published in Billboard Magazine), "Elden has spent three
decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed ‘Nirvana Baby.'" They also cited Elden's Nevermind chest tattoo
and his multiple recreations of the album cover in adulthood,
and alleged that he "used the connection to try to pick up
women."
Nirvana further note that the statute of
limitations for a federal child-pornography lawsuit is ten years from
the point that a victim "reasonably discovers" it, which
means Elden would have realized the cover was problematic in 2011
(when he was 20 years old). Given the stratospheric success of Nevermind in the '90s,
the band claims this is unlikely."The Nevermind cover
photograph was taken in 1991. It was world-famous by no later than 1992.Long before 2011, as Elden has pled, Elden
knew about the photograph, and knew that he (and not someone else) was the baby
in the photograph. He has been fully aware of the facts of both the supposed
'violation' and 'injury' for decades."
Billboard also notes that Nirvana
could be preparing a more thorough response to Elden's suit based on a more
fundamental argument: that the Nevermind cover
does not constitute child pornography ...
"Elden's claim that the photograph on the Nevermind album cover
is 'child pornography' is, on its face, not serious.A brief examination of the photograph, or
Elden's own conduct (not to mention the photograph's presence in the homes of
millions of Americans who, on Elden’s theory, are guilty of felony possession
of child pornography) makes that clear."
Ultimate Classic Rock, also covering this story,
notes that in October, Dave Grohl admitted he hadn't
given the Nevermind lawsuit
much thought. "I think that there’s much more to look forward to and much
more to life than getting bogged down in those kinds of things,” he said. "And,
fortunately, I don’t have to do the paperwork."
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Kent, and all the rest of the FH folk.
I have heard the Mamas and Papas tune before, but that was only because it came on one of their Greatest Hits packages, I believe.
The Frank Mills song I have heard on our local radio station back in the day, but it was sung by someone else, in a different key, too. <grin>
I won’t be waiting to hear either one of them again.
Haha!
Bill Scherer
Love Me, Love Me Love by Frank Mills got good
play here in Wisconsin ... I remember it well. The song has always
reminded me of Daisy A Day by Jud Strunk.I spoke with Frank Mills by phone in 2007 and I had the chance to ask
him about the record that made it to number 8 on the Adult Contemporary Chart
in the first part of 1972. Frank was just out on his own after
being in the group the Bells (Stay Awhile) when his solo
record came out. He would have an
instrumental number one seven years later with Music Box Dancer.
Phil Nee
“Music Box Dancer” I
know … that song was a MONSTER hit in 1979 … but I’d never heard the track
“Love Me, Love Me Love” until we featured it the other day.(Then again, I never knew Frank Mills was
involved with The Bells’ hit “Stay Awhile” … his name isn’t even mentioned in
Joel Whitburn’s book.)kk
Phil also tells us …
I just taped an interview with Susan Cowsill.This was the first time that I have had her
on the show. It was so much fun to speak with her.
Paul Cowsill was on the program about 20 years
ago. The Cowsills do a great version of Wont You Be My Neighbor on the
Thank You, Mister Rogers Music & Memories project. They will be
on the Happy Together Tour and Flower Power Cruise in 2022.
Check out Susan singing 'If You Could Read My
Mind' on youtube.She is among the
artists performing songs on the Ladies Sing Lightfoot project.
My interview will air on Saturday night,
January 1st, on wrco.com
(click on the 100.9 headphones)
Phil
I only met her once - would love to have her participate with
FH as I think she’d make a great addition - she’s been on my “to get” list for
years!!!(kk)
She seems to have a great memory. She was too young at
the time of their fame to be taking mind altering things that would have
clouded the memory. Her and I are close to the same age so we have
the same memories of watching Friday night tv when the Partridge Family aired
along with the Brady Bunch, Room 222, and Love, American Style. Of
course, the Cowsills sang the theme for season one.That should have been a hit record.
Susan's memories are very happy. She says that not
everyone has videos of their favorite childhood moments.Dean Martin was very nice to her and all of
the celebs that they met seemed to treat them well.
Phil
OK, here’s another book
I’ve got to read …
Ringo Starr has
published his memoirs and the books will start shipping on Valentine’s
Day.You can get the standard edition
for $59 … or a signed, limited edition for $495 (while supplies last)
Titled “LIFTED — Images and Memories In My Life with the Beatles
From Across The Universe,” the book comes with a beautifully designed hard
cover with jacket, many rarely seen images overlaid with captions and quotes by
Ringo Starr with help from best-selling author and award-winning TV
writer-producer David Wild. In the Forward, Ringo will explain the origin and
motivation for the exciting new book. Proceeds from LIFTED, including a
Limited-Edition Signed Book, signed by Ringo Starr, will benefit The Lotus
Foundation and will be Sold Exclusively Online at Julien’s Auction.
Ringo describes it this
way:
I am not
writing this book as a Beatle historian … I’m writing this book as a Beatle —
and there’s only a couple of us who can do that.I didn’t keep all these photos. These
fantastic images came back to me in recent years from here, there and
everywhere — online and off — and have somehow helped me get back to seeing my
life with The Fab Four through fresh eyes. A lot of the photos in this book I
spotted on my phone and on my computer and “lifted” them because they brought
back so many fabulous memories. In recent years, I’d gather these Beatles
photos that I sometimes barely remembered. After a while, I thought, how great
it would be to “lift” these fantastic photos and some of my other favorites for
charity and tell my true tales that they inspire about what the four of us — John,
Paul, George and Ringo — went through back in the day. And the best thing is
that it’s all for a good cause because the money is going to our Lotus
Foundation.
When people ask
me about the Beatles, I often tell them, `You better ask Paul,’ because somehow
he seems to remember everything. But along with great projects like Get Back,
seeing so many of these amazing Beatles images has really brought back those
days to me and all the love and friendship that we four shared back then. So
this is a book full of Beatle images that many people haven’t seen and stories
that I’m sharing with a little help from my longtime writer friend, David Wild.
We’ve all been through a pretty tough time for a lot of people who’ve been
locked down, and this book has really lifted my spirits and took me back to
where I once belonged in a whole new way. And in the end, that’s why this new
book is called Lifted. The Beatles changed my life forever. So it’s about
getting back and giving back.
And he’s doing it all for charity …
The proceeds of the book will benefit The Lotus Foundation, whose mission funds supports,
participates in and promotes charitable projects aimed at advancing social
welfare in diverse areas including, but not limited to substance abuse,
cerebral palsy, brain tumors, cancer, battered women and their children,
homelessness, and animals in need.
You can pre-order your copy now:
$59 standard edition or $495 for the autographed
edition:
ZZ Top is the latest
act to sell their “entire music interests.”With the passing of Dusty Hill last year … and having just celebrated
their 50th anniversary together, I guess they figured it was
time.(As pointed out several times this
past year, this seems to be the going trend in “cashing in” on your life’s
work.)BMG, who reportedly paid $50
million for their catalog, also made multi-million deals with Tina Turner,
Motley Crue and Mick Fleetwood this past year.(kk)
I
was reading your item about Martin Scorcese doing a film about Jerry Garcia, and
it brought back a vivid, sad memory of the period just prior to Jerry's demise.
July
13th, 1995, was the hottest day on record in the Chicago area, registering 104
F at O'Hare (the official monitoring site) and 106 at Midway. On that
day, I was doing my daily walk, thinking how miserable some people must have
felt to be outside (by July 19th, 436 had passed on from the heat, and the
number kept climbing, topping 1000).
That
same evening, the Dead played a concert at Soldier Field, and I'd felt bad for
the poor folks out in that horrible heat. Later, I'd wondered if the temps had
anything to do with Garcia's passing, which occurred on August 9th, at a rehab
facility. Sure didn't help him any. Sad day for us all.
Mike
And then …
Wow - thanks for
sending over that Jerry Garcia article by Harvey Kubernik … gotta make some
time to peruse it all. I may not be the biggest Garcia / Dead fan in
the world, but I'd be interested in seeing the film when it comes out. I wonder if Mr. Kubernik could use the info I
sent to you as part of any reference material, for the film or whatever. I saw the Dead at Alpine Valley in the mid-80s;
the place was so clouded with the smell of grass that we could hardly breathe.
And the noise at the back, where we were, was so bad that we could hardly hear
the show. Of course, we were so stoned that we hard knew that there WAS a show.
;-( But it was an experience I'll never forget.
And, speaking of
the Dead, would you believe the weekly Greatful Dead hour show on WDCB 90.9 at
College of DuPage just went on! ;-) Mike
Paul Mitchell of The Floaters has
floated on.Their cross-over hit “Float
On” went all the way to #2 on Billboard’s Pop Single Chart in 1977.(It was a weird record for sure!So much so that even Cheech and Chong came up
with a parody for it called “Bloat On,” which charted at #41!)As if the song itself wasn’t already
over-the-top enough, check out this live performance that blows away the most
commonly circulated clip.(kk)
Me-TV remembers some of
television’s losses from this past year …
ONLY
IN MY DREAMS AT 35 — Could it really be 35 years since
Debbie Gibson’s “Only In My Dreams” ruled the radio roost? Yes, it is and last
week, Gibson hosted a Cameo-video
event celebrating that fact. From her home base in Las Vegas, she welcomed a
host of fans as well as Fred Zarr, who produced the song. Zarr, long removed
from the music business was a welcomed presence. He said that originally, he
was going to work with two other producers (the legendary M&M team), but when they
became unavailable, he got the spot. He said he listened to all her demos and
“Dreams” certainly stood out.
Gibson had the original demo and
played it and it was surprisingly close to Zarr’s finished product. All things
considered, Zarr’s work would mark a decisive moment in pop music, when other
artists like Shannon, Tiffany, and Alicia would rule the charts – way before
Britney, Taylor and Kelly. The difference with Gibson was the fact that she
wrote it. She stills hold the record for the youngest artists ever to have
written, performed and produced a #1 record.
Guitarist Ira Siegal who was on
her first album Out
Of The Blue, as well as her current album, The Body Remembers, also appeared
as did one of her original dancers Buddy Casimano.
I well recall Gibson’s very first gig at the Limelight in NYC eons ago.
After her performance, there was never any doubt that she would become a major,
major presence in the music scene.
Her original PR-man David
Salidor was also on hand and submitted this remembrance, “I had heard ‘Dreams’
as a demo in 1985 and was struck by its originality and brilliance. I knew it
would be a massive hit. When it came out the following year - and,
released twice, though that’s another story - its power was enormous. It
established her as a major new artist in the business.”
Great time; great memories. Salidor submitted the attached photo
of him and Gibson at the long-gone, much-missed club 4D. The late Chuck Pulin-snapped
this. Thanks to Heather Moore for arranging this for us.
We just recently
purchased the new Alan Parsons Live Project concert video of the band
performing in The Netherlands when word came out this week that ANOTHER brand
new concert video will be released in February … this time of the APLP
performing live in Tel Aviv, only this time backed by a full orchestra.
As one might expect,
much of the tracks (and even the exact song line-up) are virtually the same …
but Parsons says that this pairing with The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra
affords them the opportunity to perform some songs they don’t typically get to
do in a live concert setting.
“We had been booked to
play here with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and I thought it might be a
great opportunity to record a video of the show.Whenever I have an opportunity to play with a
symphony orchestra, I always try to incorporate songs into the setlist that we
wouldn’t otherwise be able to perform live, such as the epic ‘Silence and I’
from the Eye in the Sky album. Tom Brooks, our keyboard
player, is also an incredibly talented orchestral arranger. He arranged and
conducted all of the orchestral pieces for this particular performance, using
former Alan Parsons Project conductor Andrew Powell as inspiration for the scores
of some of the other songs included in the show.”
The complete track list
for the new 2-DVD/Blu-Ray set is:
1.One
Note Symphony*
2.Damned
If I Do*
3.Don’t
Answer Me*
4.Time*
5.Breakdown
/ The Raven*
6.Miracle*
7.Luciferama*
8.Silence
And I
9.I
Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You*
10.Don’t
Let It Show*
11.The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice
12.Standing
On Higher Ground*
13.As
Lights Fall*
14.I
Can’t Get There From Here*
15.Prime
Time*
16.Sirius
/ Eye In The Sky*
17.Old
And Wise*
18.(The
System Of) Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether*
19.Games
People Play*
* -
songs common to both DVDs
(Meaning the ONLY new tracks you get “set aside” for
orchestral treatment is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and “Silence And I”)
Speaking of live shows, Billy Joel has announced his plans
for 2022 concerts, which will see him step outside of his month residency gigs
at Madison Square Garden and venture out for specific gigs at specific venues
next year.
The announced dates so far include:
January 14th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
January 28th – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live
February 12th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
February 26th – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
March 12th – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium
March 24th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
April 8th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
April 23rd – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
May 14th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 10th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
June 25th – South Bend, IN – Notre Dame Stadium
July 9th – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
July 20th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
August 11th – Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park
September 23rd – Houston, TX – Minute Maid Park
More dates are expected to be announced … but it looks like
Billy will be doing about two shows a month and (as of right now anyway) still
averaging a show per month at MSG.(kk)
From our buddy Quent Lang, currently of The Dinosaur Exhibit
but putting this one together on his own with Julie Caselli on vocals …
Special
thanks to Erin O’Brien and Dave Forte for adding a beautiful graphic and
posting my latest song “WHEN THE WAR IS OVER” on YouTube.
If you
served in the military, or know friends or family of those affected by extended
deployment, feel free to pass it along to them.
THANK
YOU so much for featuring both of my music videos (“Sweet Soul” and “Silent
Night / Amen”) in your newsletter.
I want
you to know that I very much appreciate all your support of my music.
Thanks
again, Kent.
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
James
Merry
Christmas to you and yours as well.
“Sweet
Soul” just may be the surprise hit of the year for me - I absolutely love it.
You have perfectly captured the feel of the era - I hope some of the jocks on
our list have added it to their play lists. It deserves to be heard, savored
and enjoyed by all. Curtis and Major Lance would be proud!
kk
Kent:
I can’t
get a better endorsement than that!
THANKS,
man.
James
I heard about Tom Konard’s passing through
your website.Tom used to send me
envelopes full of music surveys from around the country and looking at some of
the ones I saved, I noticed that if you didn’t know the radio station, a lot of
them do not identify their city.
I am including one I found of Chuck Buell from
1970, since he contributes to your blog.
Love your site.
Carolyn / Minneapolis
Thanks, Carolyn!
(Boy, if you happen to
have a 1972 survey from Vermont in that stash, I SURE would like to get a copy
of it!!!)
Chuck’s been great
about contributing new bits as well as reminiscing about the good old days at
WLS here in Chicago.He can add this
survey to his collection (if he doesn’t already have a copy!)kk
New clips coming to The Ed Sullivan YouTube Channel in
January include:
Avail 1/2 – Rowan And Martin – Say It Backwards Charades
(orig air date 2/7/60)
1/3 – Gary Lewis and the Playboys – Count Me In (3/21/65)
1/5 – The Harlem Globetrotters (2/9/58)
1/7 – Allan Sherman – Return To Camp Granada (4/24/66)
1/9 – Herman’s Hermits – Just A Little Bit Better (6/19/66)
1/10 – Connie Francis – Don’t Break The Heart That Loves You
(1/26/62)
1/13 – The Association – Dubuque Blues (11/9/69)
CHRISTMAS LEFTOVERS:
Did
you get a chance to listen to this year’s Top 100 Favorite Christmas Songs
special with Wink Martindale, written by our FH Buddy Gary Theroux?Me-TV-FM ran it continuously beginning on
Christmas Eve straight thru Christmas Day.
A
pleasant surprise was hearing “Morningtown Ride to Christmas, a song they
issued in the 2000’s.
Originally
a hit (with slightly different lyrics in 1967), this was always a favorite of
mine by them.(It was their follow-up
single to the chart-topping “Georgy Girl.”)
This
one fared better here in Chicago than it did on the national charts, peaking at
#25 (vs. #41 on the national charts)
I
always loved this melody.Give it a
listen and see if you remember this one.(kk)
Billboard’s Hot 100 for
Christmas Week shows two dozen vintage Christmas songs in The Top 100 that were
originally issued back in the day when vinyl was the only game in town!
As mentioned the other
day, Mariah Carey sits at the top of the heap with “All I Want For Christmas Is
You” (1994), followed by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (#2,
1960), “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms (#4, 1957), “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
by Burl Ives (#5, 1964), “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” by Andy
Williams (#7, 1963) and “Last Christmas” by Wham (#9, 1998) … and that’s just
The Top Ten! (60%)
Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz
Navidad” is up from #14 to #11 this week, The Ronettes are at #13 with “Sleigh
Ride” (up from #17 the week before), Nat “King” Cole moves from #20 to #15 with
“The Christmas Song” (“Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”), Dean Martin’s up a
notch at #17 with his version of “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” and
“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” now sits at #19 for Perry
Como. (That makes 11 of The Top 20!)
Christmas songs also
sit at numbers 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 32, 36, 41, 44, 49 and 50 in The Top 50,
bringing the total now to 23 out of The Top 50 tunes, or 46% overall.
Geoff Lambert’s weekly
oldies sheet makes this observation (as you’ve heard some of these songs for
the 200th time over the weeks leading up to the holiday) …
You might wonder how much cash the writers of the Christmas
songs make? According to Spotify, between the 1st of November
and December the 28th, 2020 Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The
Christmas Tree had 138 million Spotify streams with a potential pay-out of
$620,000.
Geoff
I
thought you and your followers might enjoy this Christmas classic by the one
and only STATUS QUO - the great unknown British band in the U.S. but
fortunately not over the entire rest of the world.
Nick Frankart and Alan Benson
Thanks, guys!(Not a bad tune at all!)Alan has written a nice profile of the band
Status Quo, known primarily here in American for their big 1968 hit “Pictures
Of Matchstick Men.”They went on to
have, however, a decades-long career in Great Britain that we rarely caught a
glimpse of.(I remember running their
version of “Fun Fun Fun” that they did with The Beach Boys several years ago!)kk
And, since we’re
talking The Beach Boys, here’s a list of 75 Cool Things About Carl Wilson …
In honor of what would
have been his 75th birthday on December 21st …
