Kent!
What an all-around, jam-packed Edition of Forgotten Hits today!
And I agree when you wrote ~~~
“I am the first to admit how TOTALLY out of touch with ( today’s Top 40 ) I am. Unless a record creates a particular level of buzz, I likely won't know anything at all about it ... or, in most cases, the artist who recorded it.”
Then, that must make ME second! Although, occasionally a song does come along that I somehow become aware of and enjoy. Like “Call Me, Maybe!” as does “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Again!” and “Rollin’ in the Deep.” They all do sound pretty fun to me and particularly seem to relate realistic life situations for today!
You also said ~~~
“Early on, when music became such a HUGE part of my life, I vowed to always stay with it … keep current no matter where the trends went, without ever losing sight of the music that I truly love. But at some point, I gave up … “
I, too, can remember “back then” when listening to, and really liking, the soundtrack of our younger days, I actually said the same thing!
“I love this music and I always will,” I naively said! Top Forty Music was such a major part of my reasons for getting on the radio in Junior High and being able to play that great hit music every day!
Then you observed,
“Back in our day we had to physically get up and leave the house, travel to the local record store and BUY the latest records … and then rush home in the height of wonderment as to what else we might find on the B-Side!”
I would doubt that any Forgotten Hitter could not recall the first, or one of the first, such 45s bought doing exactly that. I’m pretty sure my first was actually running to my local record store ( too young to drive! ) to buy “Banana Boat (Day-O!) by Harry Belafonte after just hearing it on the radio!
You then confessed,
“For me, pop has always been king … nothing beats a good, catchy melody. I can even stand to listen to about 50% of those '70's disco songs now … and that’s REAL progress for me!”
Welcome to the “CB International 70s and 80s Music Appreciation Seminars!” Never thought I would either, but I can now, too. For instance, there are more than one of Donna Summer and Bee Gees Forgotten Hits that I can listen to now and again. And the likes of Gloria Gaynor singing about surviving and how can we get back into some of these “Can’t Sit Stillables” without a good ole “Disco Inferno!”
Then you questioned,
“How much of today’s music do you think will still be getting played fifty years from now? TEN years from now???”
I really can't imagine much! But Music Awards WILL live on. Hence, my Chuck Buell adaptation ... the esteemed “Forgotten Hit Award!”
“Drake, even if he charts 300 tracks during his career ...
Can you Hum three!” you challenged!!!
And the next Forgotten Hit Award Goes to your next nominee ~~~
“A “Fest for Britney Spears?!” you asked!
And now, with all due respect, here are these Honorary Forgotten Hit Awards presented to two of my WLS Broadcast Brothers “For Effort” because, after all, they actually released a record or two, whereas I did not even record one!
First for the Song, on which a notation printed on the record label funnily enough says “DJ Copy.” For a DJ?!
And the Forgotten Hit Award goes to “Training
Wheels” by Kris Erik Stevens!
Then, for the Spoken Word Recording, on which a notation printed on its label “Not For Sale” was apparently taken literally!
And
the Forgotten Hit Award goes to, "The Ballad of the Mad Streaker"
by Larry Lujack!
But, in fairness to Lujack, his famous “Animal Stories” spawned four albums which did sell respectfully!
And with those, that concludes these “Forgotten Hits Forgotten Hit Award Acknowledgements!”
CB! ( which stands for "Confirmation Boy!" )
Thanks, Chuck ... you made my day!!! (kk)
By the way, we've been collecting FIRST 45's Memories for decades now ...
Make sure YOURS gets on the list by dropping me a line at kk@forgottenhits.com!
And then check out some of the others we've received here ...
http://forgottenhits.com/first_45s
http://forgottenhits.com/more_of_your_first_45s
http://forgottenhits.com/even_more_of_your_first_45s
http://forgottenhits.com/omg_can_you_believe_it_even_more_of_your_first_45s_memories
