Sunday, April 24, 2022

THE SUNDAY COMMENTS ( 04 - 24 - 22 )

DICK CLARK:

Hard to believe, but Dick Clark has been gone ten years now.

Here is just one of several tributes we saw to America’s Oldest Teenager ..

https://bestclassicbands.com/dick-clark-death-2012-4-18-1777/

From our Buddy Harvey Kubernik … who interviewed Clark in 1998 …

It's been exactly 10 years since the passing of Dick Clark. 

I conducted an interview with Dick in 1998 and thought FH readers / viewers would appreciate our dialogue.  

 

An Interview with Dick Clark

 

Q: Do you miss the actual physical hosting of "American Bandstand"?

A: Yes, I'd be lying if I told you I didn't, but I knew at one point I had to leave the party when I turned 60. It would be inappropriate to be still doing the show. Not that I couldn't physically do it and pull it off, but you gotta know when to hang it up. It's a little bit like Jerry Seinfeld saying, "I gotta leave after this year."  It's a tough decision, but I do miss it.

 

Q: And you have "The Best Of American Bandstand" currently airing on VH-1?

A: I did new wraparounds for it in the old studio. It makes me happy because it's been on in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and now the 90's. I only wish it had stayed on as a new production in the 90's. If I had kept it on another three months, we would have made it into the 90's. But I didn't think about it historically.

 

Q: Did you ever think there would be a problem with recording artists lip-synching their songs on live TV, or that it would have such an impact on viewers?

A: Oh yeah. I've never relegated the lip-synch to a lower form of entertainment. Lip-synching is an art unto itself. A lot of people can't do it. Jazz singers, improvisational singers just can't pull it off.

 

Q: What about the interviews you conducted on "Bandstand", and even today what constitutes a good interview or technique between yourself and whoever you are talking to?

A: In the old days, our interviews with the artists were short. Two to three minutes max. The way I patterned them - I've done 10,000 of them. 10,000 individual interviews. I had what I hoped was a beginning, middle and end. I tried to get something out of it other than "Where do you go next?" I always tried to get something you could hang on to. Sometimes totally frivolous. Sometimes very stupid. Sometimes not memorable. Maybe just show the humanity. The Prince interview was a failure. Huge, but most memorable 'cause he didn't say anything.

 

Q: Is there a different technique or style when doing a radio interview?

A: I think radio is the most intimate medium there is, because it goes with you wherever. On radio I get background information, so I know what I'm walking into. On the flipside, what is this guy or woman on the radio for? To plug a record or a television show? Give them the courtesy of allowing them to get their plug in and then get what you want out of it. It's a very symbiotic relationship. We are using one another.

 

Q: You have some programs airing on the radio with you hosting.

A: 15 years ago we started "Rock, Roll and Remember" when we started the united stations the first time. It's a four hour show that replaces an air shift on the weekend when somebody has to get a day off. It works really well because it deals with music I love a lot. Roots music. There's only a certain number of radio stations that are formatted that can handle it, but it's been very successful. The other one is "U.S. Music Survey."  There have been several spins of that. It's had several titles. That's a current AC countdown. A three hour show. I do both of them at the studio we have in my offices. The equipment we have is minimal at best. We have DAT and a few goodies. You can still send it over the air and put over the disc. It used to be tapes. Then CDs and someday it will go direct. "Rock, Roll and Remember" has a play list.

 

Q: You emerged out of radio?

A: First job I had I was 17 years old. I was primarily the mail room boy at the radio station. An FM station. And in those days, nobody listened to FM. It was a bastard medium that played classical music, and that was it. I used to argue with my father, who was the manager of the station, "Why don't you play music that ordinary people would like?" In addition to classical, they had an FM rural radio network. Weather forecasts for farmers. So I did the area forecast and would relay it to Schenectady, knowing there were a few farmers and some geese listening. That's how I first got behind a microphone. Later, I was on WFIL. AM dial with 5,000 watts that covered the world because it was low on the dial. It was like a powerhouse 50,000 watt AM station in those days, owned by The Philadelphia Enquirer. The play list was highly restricted. Based on the taste of the owner.

 

Q: When did you know or realize how valuable your film, TV and video archives were? Did you collect and document all performances, knowing one day the footage would be rare and valuable? The strength of your library?

A: I have no idea. I wasn't bright enough to know they had historical or money value. But I've always been a collector. Look around my office. I never throw anything away. (I have dibs on The Beatles butcher cover hanging. - HK)

I started when I was a child. I saved the returned kinescopes. I begged ABC to give me the old films. We have a huge file. Second or third biggest in the world. Now I realize the historical importance of all of this.

 

Q: When did you know there was afterlife with this stuff? Clips of Fabian and Bobby Rydell?

A: You've mentioned Fabian and Bobby Rydell. People think that's the file, but it's Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Crows ... It's The Jefferson Airplane, The Doors. That's what's so phenomenal about it. I knew it would have entertainment value. I didn't know it would have historical value until I got older.

 

Q: Who is the most popular requested music performer for licensing?

A: Buddy Holly.

The irony there was that we once did a retrospective show for ABC, and I had an editor in from San Francisco who lost the Buddy Holly footage. Never found it. The only Buddy Holly footage we have of him doing "Peggy Sue" is from "The Arthur Murray Dance Party."  I'm still a friend of Mrs. Murray and her former husband who passed on. I told her, "Let me have your tapes. You'll own them always … we'll just administrate them. And we'll take good care of them and store them in various formats so they won't get lost."  Steve Allen's "Hound Dog" performance with Elvis was sitting in his closet in Encino. I said, "Steve, let me make a dub of it. I'll put it in my file and give you an extra dub."  Two, three months later, he gave me a call. "That tape I gave you, did I ever get it back?" I said, "Yes. You signed for it.  Here's the receipt.” "I can't find it." I struck another deal. Somebody has to be crazy enough to save stuff. I mean, the very first show of "The Tonight Show" is gone because NBC destroyed it. When I called for the films of ABC, they wouldn't give them to me. Against company policy. I said, "You're gonna scrap 'em like at ten cents a pound - let me at least buy 'em for that." "We can't. It's against company policy. It's against the rules." Ironically, a mailroom boy called me one day and said, "I've got a truckload of stuff here. Cans of films and tapes that have your name on them. I'm gonna take it to the dump. Do you want it?" "DON'T MOVE THE TRUCK! I'll be down in a minute." We went to the truck and physically removed all those tapes that were going to be taken and burned, thrown in a pile somewhere, and saved them. So you have to cut through stupid organizational red tape. Sometimes they're human beings and know it has value.

All the clip requests come to me, the president of the company, and the archivist. The ball dropping at New Year's Eve is a big request. The night of "We Are The World" when everyone was on stage at "The American Music Awards", prior to Quincy and the gang going to A&M to make the record. The reason they booked the studio date was because we had 'em all on "The American Music Awards."  As far as requests for footage - unfortunately, anybody who is deceased we immediately get requests. The most talked about things are early Michael Jackson when he was with The Jackson Five. Madonna's very first appearance is quite memorable. It all depends on the individual needs of the producers.

There were not a lot of sources for the early stuff. As time went on, and videos were made and other tape recordings were made of concert appearances, people saved them. So there's more material available. History gets shorter. You can get stuff from the '80s and '90s. '70s is fairly available. '50s and '60s is scarce. 

THE CHARTS:

I have always liked the April Wine song 'Could Have Been A Lady,' which
charted high on the Canadian chart that you posted this week.  They had
hits and well known tracks here in the states in the late '70's and early '80's, but I like that song the best.  It got played in Madison, Wisconsin and I see it got to number 14 on the WLS chart.

Phil Nee

Yes, this was a very popular tune here in Chicago and we remember it well.  (It did even better on the WCFL Chart, reaching #7!)

Their biggest hit came a decade later when they hit #21 in Billboard with "Just Between You And Me" in 1981, which just happens to also be my favorite.  (That one went all the way to #9 here in Chi-Town.)

They recorded a great, slowed-down version of The Beatles' tune "Tell Me Why," too, that never officially charted.  Nor did their a bit too obvious "If You See Kay (Tell Her I Love Her)"!!!  (kk)

 

Hi, Man –

Just shooting the shit with ya!

Those Cancon rules would not have included Neil Young’s music if it was made outside of Canada … I’m not sure the exact requirements, but certain criteria for it to be considered Canadian were in place as well.  You didn't get airplay because you were a Canadian citizen … only if the record was Canadian made. 

Here’s some interesting info from Wiki on the subject …

 

As you can see, djs would play those records in off hours till our CRTC authority changed those rules, too.    

The Guess Who had all the big hits just before these rules were in place … and, of course, more later as well. 

Good info on wiki 

Regards –

Sam Boyd

 

Great to see you feature Get Up, Get Out And Move On by Fludd ...

Amazingly, this reached the top 40 in Omaha!  Not a bad record, tho.

Clark Besch

 

Glad to see "Brandy" by Scott English remembered. His "High On A Hill" was named the #1 all-time favorite oldie in Pittsburgh by WTAE Radio when they were in that format in the 70s and Paul Mawhiiney, the owner of Pittsburgh's Record Rama, once told me that it outsold any Beatles single at his store. When I met Scott through his former songwriting partner Larry Weiss ("Rhinetstone Cowboy"), promoter Henry DeLuca and I tried to get him to Pittsburgh for one of Henry's oldies shows, but Scott had moved from New York to England, ironically.

Ed Salamon

Nashville, TN

Wow … his two charting hits here in The States peaked in the 70’s on the charts … “High On A Hill” (released, ironically, during the height of Beatlemania) peaked at #77 in 1964 while the original version of “Brandy” hit #70 in 1972 (but only #91 in Billboard.)  kk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXqZgRT8Xg

 

>>>I just noticed this ...  A new Hot 100 record has been set. On March 12th, "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals first reached #1 on the chart, in its 59th week ... more than a year.  That's 24 weeks longer than the previous record holder, "All I Want For Christmas Is You."  As of April 9th, it was still #1 in its 63rd week. (Ed #1)

>>>59 weeks to reach #1?!?!?  Is it any good???  (kk)

You got me thinking.  I'd say it was one of the better songs out today.  I know I'm not the target audience for this music, so I study it like a scientist examining artifacts of a strange civilization in order to understand it.  Based on the sense of hopelessness expressed in this song, and quite a few like it ... "Happier" by Bastille and "1-800-273-8255" by Logic come to mind ... I'm left with the impression that this is the most depressed generation I've ever seen.
Ed #1
And, as you know, I'm a fan of those "Real Good, Feel Good Songs" ... it's funny because I was just thinking about this the other day ...
Can you imagine ANY kid growing up today, hearing Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" for the very first time, and NOT falling instantly in love with it ... and singing along by the end of the song???
That's what I'm talking about ... today's music just doesn't seem to have that hook that reaches out and grabs you and pulls you in.  (And I'm talking about a song that's already 58 years old!!!  And just as infectious as ever!  Some might dispense it as nonsensical drivel ... which I refer to it as simply irresistible!!!  (kk)

MERCURY RECORDS:

>>>Baby baby, there's things I'd like to say about the relaunching of Mercury Records.  A bit of a pipe dream?  It looks like this is for new music and out of NYC so why not choose a label name with some kind of attachments to today instead of pretending recapturing the good old days???  Republic Relaunches Mercury Records  (Clark Besch)

 

Maybe now we'll be able to get some info about the cover art for that 1967 LP by Peter Knight & his Orchestra, which pictures all of those radio personalities, not to mention 18-year old Vicki Lawrence.

Mike Wolstein

I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one!!!  (lol)  I think that story is lost to the annals of time!  (kk)

kk …

I Just Read What You Printed About MERCURY RECORDS’ Best Sellers.

Reminds Me Of A Story Told To Us By WCBS-FM DJ Bobby Jay.

Buck Ram Managed Two Groups … The Penguins And The Platters.

He Was Trying To Get MERCURY RECORDS To Sign Both Groups.

MERCURY Wanted To Sign Penguins ("EARTH ANGEL") …

Wanted No Part Of The Platters (No Hits) ... My Favorite Group.

After Long Negotiations, THE MERCURY RECORDS LABEL Gave In And Signed Both Groups.

The Penguins … The Group Never Had A Hit On MERCURY.

Now Check The MERCURY RECORD SBest Seller List …

#1 + #4 + #5 + #9 … All Songs Recorded By Tony Williams & The Platters ... My Favorite Group. 

Morale Of The Story:  Sometimes Even The Experts Get It Wrong (Wanting Penguins And Not Wanting Platters ... My Favorite Group.)

FB

The Platters paved the way for Mercury Records from about 1955 thru 1961 … 29 National Top 40 Hits on the pop charts, including eight that made The Top Ten, three of which went all the way to #1.  (kk)

THIS AND THAT:

Also from Frank B …

kk …

Vito Picone, Lead Singer Of The Elegants, talked with Cousin Brucie last weekend.

I Got Two Stories Out Of The Interview.

The Elegants Recorded 30 Songs and only had 1 National Hit … "LITTLE STAR" … But It Was a #1 Billboard Hit For 1 Week in 1958.

STORY #1:  Back In 1958, When The Elegants Were Popular, They Did A Show In Hawaii's Civic Auditorium, Right After Elvis. 

An Army Officer Approached Vito and Asked If He Would Do A Free Show For The Troops. Vito Said Yes and Did The Show.

30 Years Later, Vito Gets A Call From A Guy In Rhode Island Asking Him To Do A Show For Him. He Couldn't Do It That Date.

The Guy Calls Back At A Later Date ... But Vito Still Couldn't Do Show For Him.

Third Time Was A Charm.  They Got Together and Did The Show.

Vito Asked The Guy Why It Had To Be The Elegants? You Could've Got Lots Of Other Groups To Do The Show.  And The Guy Tells Him …

30 Years Ago, I Was 18 Years Old, In The Army and Stationed In Hawaii. You Did A Show For The Troops.  I Made A Promise To Myself --- If I Could Ever Pay You Back, I Would.

STORY #2 = Vito And The Elegants Had A Chance To Do A Show At RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL (5000 People).

He Turned It Down. He Already Gave His Word To THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS (100 People) To Do A Show.

The KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Asked Him Back 38 Years In A Row. I'm Sure There Was A Big Difference In The Money For The Two Shows.

FB

This is your last week to vote for your favorites on this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ballot.  The Fan Vote closes on Friday, April 29th.

The Top Five remain unchanged from our last post … Duran Duran (roughly 890,000 votes), Eminem (approximately 665,000 votes), Pat Benatar (590,000 votes), Eurythmics (415,000 votes) and Dolly Parton (375,000 votes)

Rounding out The Top Ten:  Judas Priest (345,000 votes), Carly Simon (315,000 votes), Lionel Richie (290,000 votes), Devo (210,000 votes) and Kate Bush (200,000 votes)

You can cast your votes here:

https://vote.rockhall.com/en/?utm_source=salesforce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=gensub&utm_term=Engage&j=98821&sfmc_sub=7164090&l=122_HTML&u=5555380&mid=514010833&jb=15045&utm_source=salesforce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=GenSub&utm_content=Fan+Vote+Landing+Page

Dionne Warwick’s show at The Genesee Theatre scheduled for this evening has been cancelled.  A news release issued by the theater only said that “Dionne Warwick has an urgent medical issue to attend to and is unable to perform."  (Other rumors suggest that Dionne is suffering a bad case of poor ticket sales.)  While Frannie and I considered going to this show earlier when tickets first went on sale, we decided to sit this one out in favor of going to see The Alan Parsons Project Saturday Night instead.  We’ve NEVER seen a bad show from these guys … while our last run-in with Dionne saw her stop the show several times from the stage and threaten to walk off completely if people in the audience didn’t put away their cell phones.  Not an especially fun experience.)  Still, I think Dionne HAD to know in advance that she wasn’t going to be able to perform on Sunday … I mean, isn’t that the sort of thing her Psychic Network is supposed to be all about???  

And, speaking of Dionne Warwick (which we just were ... c'mon, people, pay attention out there!!!), she is currently ranked 12th on The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ballot with just over 175,000 votes.  (kk)

And while we're speaking of what we're speaking of, we should also tell you that this time around The Alan Parsons Project is celebrating the 40th Anniversary of their “Eye In The Sky” album by performing it in its entirety.  (We’ve previously seen them do the same thing with their “Turn Of A Friendly Card” LP … and it was outstanding.)

Without question, one of the best and most meticulous bands around … ALWAYS a pleasure to see.

While "Eye In The Sky" isn't my favorite album by them, it IS their highest charting and best selling LP, reaching #7 in 1982 and attaining platinum status.  Unfortunately, it's not a real exciting album start to finish ... so a number of less enthusiastic fans used this time for bar and bathroom breaks.  (I had read earlier that the band had been performing the album as its second set ... but too many people were leaving before the show was over) ... so on Saturday Night, they moved the entire LP up in the line-up to perform right after their third song of the night ... an absolutely flawless version of their 1981 hit "Time," which earned the band a thunderous standing ovation.  Although the opening combo of "Sirius" and "Eye In The Sky" kept the fans up on their feet ... this IS, after all, Chicago, where The Chicago Bulls used these tracks as their opening theme for all of their championship seaons ... it all felt rather anti-climatic from that point forward.  (The only other "hit" on the album was the lower charting "Psychobabble" ... although "Old And Wise" DOES seem to be quite the crowd pleaser.)  I give them props for doing an excellent version of "Silence And I," accompanied by the pre-recorded orchestra that appears on the released versions.

Other songs performed during the show were "Don’t Answer Me," "Breakdown,"  " I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You," "Damned If I Do" and, as the final encore, "Games People Play."  Although The Alan Parsons Project has been releasing new music these last few years, the only new track they featured Saturday Night was "One Note Symphony," from their 2019 album "The Secret."  (Personally, I think this is a great track ... and an ingenious concept for a song and arrangement.)  Noticeably missing was the song Parsons wrote and recorded for the soundtrack to the movie "5-25-77" ("I Can't Get There From Here"), the tribute film celebrating the original release date of the film "Star Wars."  What makes THAT song so special is the fact that Parsons filmed portions of the video right there AT The Genesee Theatre ... because that's where filmmaker / screenwriter Patrick Reed Johnson first saw the film on opening day, May 25th, 1977.  Last time he performed at The Genesee, the film was just first being released ... and the band performed the song live to the backdrop of the music video running on the big screen behind them.  (kk)

The US leg of Paul McCartney’s “Got Back” Tour kicks off next week with a show in Spokane, WA, on Thursday, April 28th.

From there, it’s off to two shows in Seattle, followed by two shows in Oakland.

The being referred to as the complete itinerary is shown below (but I still fully expect him to add more dates to the list once the tour is underway.)  kk

Noise 11 is reporting that The Beatles’ “Get Back” DVD has been “shelved indefinitely” for the time being.  (Preorders taken hot on the heels of Disney+’s showing of the eight hour film over Thanksgiving Weekend were eventually refunded with no firm new release date ever being set.)

Apparently the show is still streaming on Disney+ … perhaps a conflict of interests are at play here (???)  The hope was that the original “Let It Be” film would also be released in conjunction with or shortly after the “Get Back” home video release.

Noise 11 echoes a few of our sentiments in their evaluation of the Peter Jackson film … and the shoddy 50th Anniversary “Let It Be” box set that Apple Records released actually fifty ONE years later … or 52 years if you count when this material was originally recorded …

The Beatles ‘Get Back’ DVD Has Been Delayed Indefinitely

by Paul Cashmere on April 19, 2022

The Beatles ‘Get Back’ documentary ‘Get Back’ by Peter Jackson is officially canned … at least for now.

Australian retailers (and we assume retailers also in the rest of the world) received the following notification today …

We have just been informed by Disney that the below title has been delayed indefinitely, due to authoring challenges:

162580 – BLR The Beatles: Get Back

Our order with Disney has been cancelled and we are instructed to re-order once a new date is set.  We recommend you do the same via your All Interactive Distribution login.  We will endeavour to update you, once we have confirmation on the new release date.

‘Get Back’ is still streaming on Disney+. It was announced on January 7th, 2022, that "Get Back" would be made available on DVD/Blu-Ray on February 28th.

On February 3rd, it was announced that the title would be delayed, but no new release informatoin was given.

The DVD release was a disappointment for fans expecting an expanded edition with extra footage not used in the Disney+ stream. Instead, it was exactly the Disney+ stream.

Disc 1 – The band gathers at Twickenham Film Studios to rehearse for a concert.
Disc 2 – Rehearsals continue at Apple Studios and the mood lifts.
Disc 3 – The Beatles perform on the roof of the Apple Offices

The release of the Disney+ streaming edition of ‘Get Back’ coincided with the 50th anniversary box set of The Beatles ‘Let It Be’ album, made during the sessions.

The box also lacked the impact of the far superior previous Beatles reissues of ‘Sgt Pepper,’ ‘The Beatles’ (White Album) and ‘Abbey Road.’  ‘Let It Be’ failed to include a lot of the additional tracks we heard in the ‘Get Back’ documentary, like ‘Commonwealth,’ a scathing Paul McCartney statement about the British Government at the time (“the Commonwealth is much too common for me”) and an early version of Paul’s ‘The Backseat of My Car,’ later found on his solo RAM LP.

Let’s hope they use this time to rethink the way they really want to bring this material to market.  Only time will tell.  (Hey, “Let It Be” has been out of print for most of the fifty years of its existence!!!)  kk

And here’s something I didn’t know …

Prior to shooting and killing John Lennon, Mark David Chapman apparently also set his sights on Todd Rundgren!

This, too, from Noise 11 …

https://www.noise11.com/news/john-lennons-assassin-was-also-infatuated-with-todd-rundgren-20220420

>>>As for me, I’ve made it a point my entire life to stay away from ANYTHING having to do with the clap!  (kk)
... and if you happen to be singing Shirley's "Name Game," don't do CHUCK!  ;-)
Mike

Cynthia Albritton has died.

Now some of you … possibly MOST of you … are probably wondering “Who the heck is Cynthia Albritton” … and I can’t say that I would have known her by that name either …

But back in the glory days of rock and roll, Cynthia and her crew became known as The Plaster Casters … girls who would make their way backstage, usually have sex with the performers and then create plaster artifacts of these artists’ erect penises!!!

(I know what you’re thinking … this has gotta be EVERY groupie and rock star’s dream!!!)

Cynthia was born … and died … right here in Chicago.  She was 74 years old.

According to the first death notice that I read,

While attending art school in the 1960s, Cynthia was given an assignment to create a plaster cast of “something solid that could retain its shape.” While others might reach for a seashell or toothbrush, Albritton — who would later describe herself as a “recovering groupie” — found her muse in the frontmen of her favorite rock bands. Specifically, their penises. Albritton’s first famous subject belonged to Jimi Hendrix, who agreed to be cast in 1968 while on tour in Chicago. 

The following year, Albritton cast two members of the MC5: Wayne Kramer, and drummer Dennis Thompson. Unfortunately, Kramer’s plaster mixture was botched. “It set before he could push his dick all the way into the mold — only the head got in,” Albritton told The Chicago Reader in 2002. The sculpture wound up, as a result, a bit on the short side. “Wayne quite literally got the shaft,” Albritton noted.

But I love this story the best …

When she first came up with the concept, she said, “I took up the subject with Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, who was in town that very night.  And he was happy to help me with my homework assignment, except that the material my art teacher told me to use to make the negative impression was sand and water, which was not gonna be conducive to a solid state of penis. But that’s okay, not important. More importantly, I lost my virginity to Mark Lindsay just as a result of talking about it.”

WTG, Mark Lindsay!!!  Sounds like this was a good, good, good, good thing!  I'm thinking finding the exact moment to capture the most fully erect penis probably has its ups and downs ... and there are probably also considerations such as don't take it so hard.  Either way, it sounds like both Cynthia and Mark got their kicks that night ... although I suppose it could have gone a completely different way had she chosen Paul Revere instead.  My understanding is that Mark Lindsay adamantly put his foot down and demanded, "Him Or Me, baby, what's it gonna be?"  OK, that's enough of this nonsense ... this has already been too much talk.  (kk)

Hi Kent,

Many people don't realize that although Dolly Parton's Country Music is by far her most influential, she could, and did, sing Top 40 style. 

Although her rock 'n roll recordings are not what will get her into the R&R Hall of Fame, I wanted to share a few of my favorites.

My favorite Dolly Parton rock 'n roll track is a great "girl group" sound on Monument produced by Ray Stevens, similar to the Shangri-Las    

Dolly Parton - Don't Drop Out - YouTub

My next favorite is a "northern soul' sound, "Busy Signal," another Monument single produced by Ray Stevens:

Busy Signal Dolly Parton 1964 - YouTube

I also like her 1962 Mercury release "It's Sure Gonna Hurt," which is a Connie Francis-style uptempo rocker produced by Jerry Kennedy:

Dolly Parton - It's Sure Gonna Hurt - Bing video

Her version of the Tune Weavers' classic rock 'n roll ballad "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby' was her first to make the Billboard pop chart, bubbling under at #108.

DOLLY PARTON 1965 rare "Happy Happy Birthday Baby" 45 - YouTube

Of course, "9 To 5" was a #1 Hot 100 Billboard hit and "Here You Come Again" almost made the top position.

Attached photo of me and Dolly is from 1980.


Ed Salamon

Nashville, TN

Well, if Dolly Parton isn’t feeling like a rock star, I’m not so sure you can say the same thing about Country Superstar Vince Gill.

After several years now as a member of The Eagles, Vince has just cut a duet with Heart’s Ann Wilson … covering a Queen song no less!  (Who would have ever seen this coming???)

Check it out below … I guess he's now officially part of the Rock Elite ... with perhaps the sweetest voice in the bunch! (kk)

Hi Kent, 

I know you're always on the lookout for radio shows playing the forgotten hits, so I'd like to let you know about a great local show airing every Friday night from 7 – 10 PM (Central) on KOWZ-FM in Owatonna, Minnesota.  It's hosted by "The Vinyl King" Dale Siegfreid and he plays some really cool stuff, mostly requests from his listeners.  Dale has invited me to sit in with him, live in the studio, on Friday, May 20th.  Folks can listen live on Friday nights and also to recently archived shows here: https://www.kowzfm.com/vinylking.html

Paul Haney

Record Research

Paul Haney, a Minnesota boy, proves you CAN go home again when he guests on Dale Siegfreid's show on May 20th. 

(Send us a reminder the week before so we can do the same for all our readers.)  Thanks, Paul!  (kk) 

Boy, I hate to hear stuff like this … not only because I know ALL of these guys (and was even invited to MC the show!) but because the very idea of theaters being shut down and shows being cancelled again due to Covid outbreaks is just the most depressing prognosis one could want to hear …

Hi Kent -

The show scheduled for May 18th in Champaign with Herman’s Hermits and The New Colony 6 has been rescheduled to February 17, 2023 due to the virus situation in Champaign.

The theater will update their website next week to let all know.

I will keep you posted.

Regards,

Robert M Stolzman

I haven’t been hearing about new outbreaks … in fact, it was just last week that they lifted the mask mandate on commercial flights across the country.  Will we ever truly be rid of this situation???  I don’t know.  (I think Jay Siegel and the Tokens were supposed to originally be part of this show, too ... I'll have to check on that ... and once we get confirmation on the new date, we'll let you know about ticket availability as well.)  kk

Meanwhile, here are some upcoming dates that you CAN see at some of our local, favorite Chicago area theaters …

April 27th – The Ides Of March – City Winery (that's this Wednesday)

*Jim Peterik is just coming off of some major neck surgery so this may be more of  a "sit-down" concert.  If not, don't expect him to be playing guitar behind his back for this one! (lol)

May 5th – Air Supply – The Genesee Theatre

May 6th – The Righteous Brothers – The Des Plaines Theatre

May 11th – Michael Bolton – The Arcada Theatre

Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone – May 14th at The Des Plaines Theatre and

May 15th at The Arcada Theatre

May 20th – Firefall and Pablo Cruise at The Des Plaines Theatre

May 25th – Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters – The Des Plaines Theatre

May 27th – Al Jardine, Family and Friends, featuring Wendy and Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips – The Des Plaines Theatre

June 4th – Atlanta Rhythm Section with Pure Prairie League – The Arcada Theatre

June 4th – Debbie Gibson – The Des Plaines Theatre

June 9th – Mitch Ryder’s All-Star Band - featuring Mitch Ryder, Peter Rivera, original lead singer of Rare Earth, Supe Granda (Ozark Mountain Daredevils), Larry Boyd (Head East)

June 12th – Chubby Checker – The Arcada Theatre

Shaun Cassidy – June 18th at The Des Plaines Theatre and June 19th at The Arcada Theatre

Leonid and Friends – Tribute To Chicago – June 24th at The Des Plaines Theatre and June 25th at The Arcada Theatre

It Was 50 Years Ago Today – A Tribute To The Beatles’ Rubber Soul and Revolver Albums – featuring Christopher Cross, Todd Rundgren, Jason Scheff (Chicago), Joey Molland (Badfinger) and Denny Laine (Moody Blues and Wings) – June 25th at The Des Plaines Theatre and June 26th at The Arcada Theatre

July 1st – The Village People at The Des Plaines Theatre

July 16th – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – City Winery

Ted Nugent - July 23rd and 24th at The Arcada Theatre and July 25th at The Des Plaines Theatre

August 4th – Pat Benatar – The Genesee Theatre

August 6th – Happy Together – featuring The Turtles, Ron Dante, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Cowsills, The Vogues, The Association and The Classics IV – The Genesee Theatre

August 7th – The Spinners – The Des Plaines Theatre

Lou Gramm, lead singer of Foreigner – August 18th at The Arcada Theatre and August 20th at The Des Plaines Theatre

America – August 26th at The Des Plaines Theatre and August 27th at The Arcada Theatre

September 22nd – Lost ‘80’s featuring A Flock Of Seagulls, The English Beat, Animotion, Naked Eyes, Stacey Q, Dramarama and Tommy Tutone – The Genesee Theatre

September 23rd – Gordon Lightfoot – The Genesee Theatre

October 1st – The Cornerstones Of Rock featuring The Buckinghams, The Ides Of March, The New Colony Six, The Cryan’ Shames and The Shadows Of Knight – The Genesee Theatre

October 2nd – Sergio Mendes – City Winery (two shows)

Richard Marx – October 20th at The Arcada Theatre and October 21st at The Des Plaines Theatre

November 5th – Lee Greenwood – The Arcada Theatre

Elton John has announced a deluxe, 50th Anniversary edition of his “Madman Across The Water” album.  The new 3-CD (plus BluRay) set bows on June 10th and will include (in addition to a cleaned up 2016 remix of the original LP), rare demos and outtakes as well as live performances of some of this material that we first discovered when this album was released back in 1971.  (In all, The Super Deluxe Edition includes eighteen previously unreleased tracks, a 104-page book with photos and interviews with those involved with Madman's creation, a reproduction of the original album poster and additional memorabilia and artwork pulled from the Rocket Archive.

Elton John, 'Madman Across the Water' 50th Anniversary Reissue Track Listing
CD 1
1. "Tiny Dancer" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
2. "Levon" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
3. "Razor Face" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
4. "Madman Across the Water" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
5. "Indian Sunset" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
6. "Holiday Inn" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
7. "Rotten Peaches" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
8. "All the Nasties" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
9. "Goodbye" (2016 Bob Ludwig Remaster)
10. "Indian Sunset" (Live Radio Broadcast)
11. "Madman Across the Water" (Original Version, featuring Mick Ronson)
12. "Rock Me When He’s Gone"
13. "Levon" (Mono Single Version)
14. "Razor Face" (Extended Version)

CD 2
1. "Madman Across the Water" (1970 Piano Demo)
2. "Tiny Dancer" (Piano Demo)
3. "Levon" (Piano Demo)
4. "Razor Face" (Piano Demo)
5. "Madman Across the Water" (1971 Piano Demo)
6. "Indian Sunset" (Piano Demo)
7. "Holiday Inn" (Piano Demo)
8. "Rotten Peaches" (Piano Demo)
9. "All The Nasties" (Piano Demo)
10. "Goodbye" (Piano Demo)
11. "Rock Me When He’s Gone" (Piano Demo)
12. "Rock Me When He’s Gone" (Full Version)

CD 3
1. "Tiny Dancer" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
2. "Rotten Peaches" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
3. "Razor Face" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
4. "Holiday Inn" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
5. "Indian Sunset" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
6. "Levon" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
7. "Madman Across the Water" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
8. "Goodbye" (live from BBC Sounds For Saturday)
(This program was taped on November 11, 1971, and transmitted April 29, 1972)

Blu-ray
Audio
Greg Penny 5.1 mix of Madman Across The Water (Original Version, featuring Mick Ronson)
Greg Penny 5.1 mix of Madman Across The Water
Audio-Visual
Sounds For Saturday (Taped November 11, 1971 / transmitted April 29, 1972)
Old Grey Whistle Test (Transmitted on December 7, 1971)

And finally ...

We had a really good response to our 4-Part Paul Evans series ...

So look for a stand-alone Comments Page on that coming up on Tuesday!  (kk)