It's our first-ever TRIPLE POST!!!
At precisely Midnight, a very special Father's Day / DADDY ISSUES Sweet 16 went up on the website ...
And now, at 6 am, you'll find this week's edition of The Sunday Comments ...
Followed by (at 3 pm), our Forgotten Hits Tribute To Joel Whitburn
It's all part of our on-going commitment to bring you the best (and the most!) oldies news possible ...
(And it also gives us a chance to catch up a little bit here!!!)
As many of you know, we have had more than our fair share of issues with Blogger over the years ...
But last week we experienced a brand new "First"
Friday's post (which was prepared well over a month in advance) was completely deleted from our archives ... nowhere to be found
It was SUPPOSED to be a very timely LAST MINUTE GIFT-GIVING IDEAS FOR FATHER'S DAY, prepared by CHUCK BUELL ...
But instead a completely blank page went up and the original copy had been permanently erased. (Let's face it, these things take a while to put together ... and trying to recreate CB's Buyers' Guide, which took an hour and a half the first go-'round, just wasn't practical timewise.)
Fact is, time is VERY limited these days (now more than ever) ... and I'm now sometimes lucky to get ten minutes in the morning to try and pull something together for that day's post ... so more and more of what you are seeing these days are PRE-Posts, prepared well in advance to run on a specific day ... as was the case with the Gift Guide that was supposed to run on Friday.
I've never had one completely disappear on me like that before! So apologies to Chuck Buell, who lost his spot thru no fault of his own ... or OUR own ... you can chalk this one up to the state of technology as it currently exists on Blogger these days.
So ... without further adieu ... here are today's Sunday Comments ...
(And be sure to check back after 3:00 today to see our very heart-felt tribute to Joel Whitburn, a man whose work impacted all of our lives for the past 50+ years)
*****
The ABBA Revival keeps going …
The ABBAtar show is a HUGE success … and a new career-spanning box set is about to be released …
And now they’re even repackaging their videos!
Check out this one for their 1975 Hit “SOS” …
Kent:
I just wanted to clarify something in regards to your coverage of the Chicago / Brian Wilson summer tour in the Sunday’s comments.
This is a co-headliner tour, which Brian opens each night with a 75 minute set. Following the intermission, Chicago comes out and performs a one hour, 45 minute set.
Because of the connection of some of the Beach Boys singing background on the 1974 Chicago hit “Wishing You Were Here,” the goal was for Chicago to put the song into their set (for the first time in a LONG time) and invite Brian and his singers to join Chicago early in the second half of the show.
On the initial night of the tour in Phoenix, they were going to give it a try, but Brian took a pass. He said at his age, he didn’t want to hang at the venue through intermission and a few tunes into Chicago’s set. So the idea has been scrubbed. However on that tour opener, “Wishing You Were Here” was performed, but with Al Jardine and Wilson’s bandmates. There was no Brian.
Chicago announced last week that “Born For This Moment,” a 14 cut album of all new Chicago material, will be released via BMG on July 15th. It will be their 38th album! The first single, which the band is including on their summer tour, “No Way to Say Goodbye,” has already started getting radio airplay.
-Tom Cuddy
Here’s the full Born for This Moment track list:
“Born for This
Moment”
“If This Is Goodbye”
“Firecracker”
“Someone Needed Me the Most”
“Our New York Time”
“Safer Harbours”
“Crazy Idea”
“Make a Man Outta Me”
“She’s Right”
“‘The Mermaid’ Sereia Do Mar”
“You’ve Got to Believe”
“For the Love”
“If This Isn’t Love”
“House on the Hill”
The remaining Chicago / Brian Wilson dates below:
June 20 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theater
June 21 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
June 24 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
June 25 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
June 28 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 29 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
July 1 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
July 10 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
July 11 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 13 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
July 14 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
July 15 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
July 17 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 20 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
July 22 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
July 23 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
July 24 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 26 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Interesting -
I have read other reviews that said Chicago was the opener and played an abbreviated set of only eight songs - which I knew couldn't be true -
I then saw a copy of Chicago's full set-list to confirm this.
(I believe it was Ultimate Classic Rock who first reported this incorrectly ... but then I also heard it on Sirius / XM the next day ... so I'm guessing they got their bad information from the same source. I stayed away from that topic completely!)
I've also heard that as "co-headliners," they were taking turns opening for each other ... and that Brian's band would join Chicago for "Wishing You Were Here" ...
And the Chicago horn section would join Brian's band (SO hard not to call them The Beach Boys!) for a couple of numbers as well, most notably "Darlin'" as mentioned in our piece.
Sadly, the review of Brian's participation seems to be rampant at this point - he truly looks miserable in nearly every photo (and I've got to believe he's still in a lot of pain) - after seeing Al's recent appearance here in Chicago, I think the end is eminent for these events ... which is why, despite reading somewhat negative reviews, I am looking forward to seeing this pairing when it hits Chicago in July ... as it really may be the very last time we’ll have a chance to do so. (That being said, I am SO thankful that they didn't force a 60th Beach Boys Anniversary Tour, as I can only imagine the stress, pain and anguish that may have caused everyone. Still, The Rolling Stones seems to be enjoying a very energetic 60th Anniversary Tour ... and appear to be in much better shape than some of our heroes.)
As for Chicago, I absolutely LOVE the new "Firecracker" single ... best thing they've done in DECADES ... and sounds JUST like Chicago is supposed to sound. In fact, I can’t stop playing it … but I also know that nobody's going to play it on the radio ... which is a MAJOR mistake ... this song would catch the ear of anyone who heard it ... and may even have helped to spark some more interest in their 38th LP (which I have already pre-ordered, by the way! lol) kk
KENT:
So sad that shabby journalism gets spread. From what I understand, setlist.fm on the tour opener printed a partial Chicago set list, but initially did not list that it was partial. The site also listed Chicago being first on stage — not true. Then at least two music websites published stories based on the inaccurate details. Setlist.fm is a fan site ... meaning anyone can post. Many times, the song details are wrong, so I’m disappointed that journalists would take things from there as facts.
With what I sent you in the earlier e-mail, you have a scoop no other site has, including the real story about “Wishing You Were Here” in Phoenix and other performance details.
Here’s some more confirmed details, as of this moment: The three Chicago horns (Jimmy, Lee and Ray) have been joining Brian and his band for “Darlin’” nightly.
Tom
Ringo Starr’s North American Tour resumes on Labor Day after being sidelined by Covid a couple of weeks ago. (Edgar Winter and Steve Lukather tested positive.)
The All-Starr Band returns to the stage in Lenox, MA on September 5th (rescheduled dates are shown below … along with the other remaining scheduled dates.)
September
5th – Lenox, MA – Tanglewood (was June 17th)
September 6th and 7th – Baltimore, MD – Lyric Theatre (was June 14th
and 15th)
September 9th – Easton PA – State Theater (was June 11th)
September 10th – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Arena (was June 18th)
September 11th – Philadelphia, PA – Metropolitan Theater (was June 19th)
September 15th – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine, PAC (was June 24th)
September 16th – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall (was June 26th)
September 17th– Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock (was June 25th)
September 19th – Atlanta, GA – Cobb PAC (was June 22nd)
September 20th – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union Live (was June 21st)
September 22nd – Providence, RI – Providence PAC (was June 12th)
September 23rd – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
September 24th – Atlantic City, NJ – Mark G Etess Arena at Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino
September 26th – Montreal, Quebec – Place Bell
Sep 27 – Kingston, Ontario – Leon’s Centre
September 28th – Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
Sep 30 – Mt Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino
October 1st – New Buffalo, MI – Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds New
Buffalo
October 2nd – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
October 4th – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Canada Life Centre
October 5th – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – SaskTel Centre
October 6th – Lethbridge, Alberta – Enmax Centre
October 8th – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre
October 9th – Penticton, BC – South Akanagon Events Centre
October 11th – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall – S. Mark Taper Auditorium
October 12th – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Hall
October 14th – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic Center
October 15th – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheater
October 16th – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theater
October 19th and 20th – Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico – Auditorio
Nacional
John Fogerty’s back on the road. (He hits Ravinia here in Chicago on July 8th.)
But what’s especially cool about THIS tour is that his sons Shane and Tyler are performing as his opening act with their band Hearty Har!
The Fogerty Family Band kept us entertained during the worst parts of the Covid Lockdown, ultimately releasing a family album called “Fogerty’s Factory.”
I love this quote from John: “It is with the greatest joy to see my sons Shane and Tyler creating great music with their own unique sound that I love. I was in a band with my brother when I started my music career. Full Circle and I am so happy to see my sons … brothers … sharing the love of music together, what a thrill that is.” (kk)
Paul McCartney is packaging a new 3-CD collection of his solo LP’s (“McCartney,” “McCartney II” and “McCartney III”) because, you know, you just can’t have enough copies of these LPs!!!
Doesn’t look like there’s anything in the way of bonus material here (“McCartney” and “McCartney II” have already been given the deluxe box set treatment) … so unless you’re just the ultimate die hard fan, I really don’t quite understand this one. (And, quite honestly, I don’t even consider these some of his best work!)
But it IS a pretty cool looking colorful ad! (kk)
Macca, of course, just celebrated his 80th birthday. (He wrapped up his Got Back Tour a couple of nights earlier in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at MetLife Stadium where he was joined on stage by special guests Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.) Volume One of a new biography series, “Legacy,” will be out by the end of the year … this guy’s cranking out more new releases than ever!!! (kk)
Sir Paul McCartney turns 80 today. I remember when he was a moptop. I remember when I was a moptop, too!
Now, why does THIS guy need this many of my all-time fave Fabs LP? I have a mono and stereo and the CD. That's enough!! (and tapings off radio 1965, of course).
https://www.facebook.com/groups/117616281742261/permalink/1913445458825992/
Clark Besch
Like I said, I guess you never really CAN have enough copies of this stuff!!! (kk)
The Beach Boys’ 60th Anniversary Celebration continues as well …
(Brian Wilson celebrates HIS 80th Birthday on Monday, June 20th!)
The new 3-CD edition of their “Sounds Of Summer” Greatest Hits Collection is officially out … and SiriusXM is resurrecting The Beach Boys Channel for two months, too … you'll be able to find it on Channel 105, beginning July 1st. (I mean, it IS summer after all!!!)
[It’s been BIG-time summer here in Chicago this past week … with temperatures and heat indexes well over 100 degrees … we had a day last week where Chicago was hotter than Texas and Las Vegas!]
Speaking of old guys, The Rolling Stones had to postpone their concert in Amsterdam Monday Night (June 13th) after Mick Jagger began experiencing Covid-like symptoms … and then tested positive for the virus.
In a statement released by the band, they said:
“The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry for tonight’s postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority. The show will be rescheduled for a later date. Tickets for tonight’s show will be honored for the rescheduled date. Standby for details.”
Although they were expected to keep their scheduled performance in Switzerland Friday Night, the band cancelled this date, too, promising to make both shows up at the end of the tour.
It sounds like Clark Besch and Noise 11 aren’t the only ones who thought the Queen’s Jubilee Concert sucked …
Elvis Costello has gone on record for “Calling it what it was: Shite!”
And it doesn’t stop here …
Elvis Costello and Rod Stewart have continued to lob barbs at each other ever since Elvis criticized Rod’s performance at The Party At The Palace last week.
Costello kicked things off by calling Stewart’s performance “Shite” and then telling anyone who would listen, “I mean, I know you all love him and he’s one of yours and everything, but Rod. What the fuck? I must say, listen we all have bad nights vocally, but for fuck sake, ‘Sweet fucking Caroline’. Are you fucking kidding me? I mean I’ve been in showbusiness 45 years so I do know a thing or two. How is it that nobody suggested Rod sing ‘You Wear It Well’?”
Stewart originally said that he sang the song The Queen had requested … but then went on to explain his less than stellar performance this way …
“Dear Elvis … Yes, my voice was rough cos of Covid. I apologize … but I thought it better it to make an appearance rather than let everyone down … so sorry. By the way, where’s your hair gone mate ?????”
It’s all a bit reminiscent of the Paul McCartney / Mick Jagger media feud last year when Macca referred to The Stones as a blues bar cover band. (kk)
Here’s a Radio Geek’s Dream …
(Hell yeah I’m goin’!!!)
Robert Feder is reporting that
Legendary DJs John Records Landecker and Tommy Edwards will reminisce about the golden age of rock radio when they headline a fundraiser for Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications August 14th. “Rock Radio Revisited” will be hosted by Wendy Snyder at Ron Onesti’s Des Plaines Theater. (Here is the link for tickets.) Also appearing, according to the museum, will be Kris Erik Stevens, Bob Stroud, Connie Szerszen, Steve King, Gary Burbank, Cousin Brucie Morrow and Dyana Williams. “The heyday of rock radio in the ’60s and ’70s was centered around the booming personalities of DJs like Larry Lujack, John Records Landecker, Yvonne Daniels, Bob Sirott and Steve King,” David Plier, chairperson of the museum board, said in a statement. “Every city had their favorite local radio station and the voices behind them. This will be an incredible celebration of the personalities and music that made that era of rock and roll so memorable.”
And, speaking of Bob Stroud, last week we told you that he was stepping down as mid-day host at The Drive after 21 years (43 years total in broadcasting, most of it right here in Chicago.)
Well, he’s going out on top!
The latest ratings show his show ranked #1 and The Drive as the #1 station overall. Stroud has also been nominated again for the Radio Hall Of Fame. Great way to call it a career!
Technically, he’s not 100% officially retired …
Stroud will continue to pre-record his Monday – Friday daily features “Ten at 10” and “One 45 at 1:45” … and air his weekend mainstay, “Rock And Roll Roots,” on Sunday Mornings from 9 am til Noon. (“Rock And Roll Roots” has been around as long as he has! Lol It has always been one of the most comprehensive programs on the air saluting the roots of classic rock from the ‘50’s, ‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s … much as we try to do here every single day.)
Congratulations to Bob Stroud on a remarkable career. You certainly have helped to provide the soundtrack to MY life for the past 43 years! (kk)
And congratulations to The Ed Sullivan Show YouTube Channel, who this week passed the 250 Million Views mark, airing vintage clips from Sullivan’s long-running CBS Sunday Night staple.
Top-viewed videos? Would you believe The Jackson Five, Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond??? Also ranked near the top are The Mamas and the Papas, Lesley Gore and Tom Jones. (That’s right … you won’t find The Beatles … OR Topo Gigio on this list of fan favorites!)
With thousands of clips to choose from (and we’re talking full-length clips as they originally aired on the program, not the edited shortened version currently running on TV), the selection is staggering.
Browse around and then bookmark this site as I’m sure you’ll want to come back again and again. Kudos to Andrew and Josh Solt, curators of this collection through SOFA Entertainment, for sharing these clips with us fans. It is SO good to see these again! (kk)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUNe-NZaknJOGyulc4Ohvg
From Tom Cuddy …
‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ Archive Reaches New
250-Million Views Milestone
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/ed-sullivan-show-archive-250-million-views/
Hi Kent –
I wanted to thank you for this week's 1972 survey. The song listed at #37 by the rock band Bang is a nice rocker ("Questions" which only managed to hit #90 on the Billboard Hot 100.) This is the type of tune I love discovering on these weekly surveys you feature.
BTW, did you notice that the two songs listed at #34 and #35 both peaked at #11 the previous week (looks like somebody goofed LOL!)
Santi Paradoa
Miami, Florida
Actually, I DID notice that. (I always check each chart position to see what’s moving up and what’s moving down. This week’s Washington, D.C. chart had EIGHT new entries into The Top 20, which is almost unheard of. That’s what I would consider to be a major chart shake-up!)
I go back to what I’ve said a hundred times …
Who the heck was proof-reading these things before they went out?!?!
We see it time and time again … and in every major city.
I was not familiar with the song “Questions” so I gave it a listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IScmYzWBByE
Looks like they were a Florida band. (How do I know this? Because I checked Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop
Singles book, that’s how!!! Read more this evening about how Joel's Record Research over the years has helped to inform so many of us on even the most obscure artists!)
Meanwhile, check out the comments on YouTube … sounds like these guys should have been much bigger than they were. (kk)
Kent,
After looking over WPGC's survey which you posted, I am left in somewhat of a quandary here at home with my records. The record which you posted of Tommy James was only on our local top 40 survey for just two weeks, there in the early part of June.
Now for some reason, I don't have a copy of that record ... but on the other hand, the record which you posted by Chris Hodge, did not made our local survey but I have a copy of it. Go figure.
I remember about this time WKY started playing cuts off of albums Now they didn't really say this on the air, just played the song and that was it. You didn't know it was an album cut. A good example I can give is from the album put out by CCR in 1971 called PENDULUM. They played the cut MOLINA and at first you thought it was a single being played on the air. I finally found out at my local record store that it was an LP cut. I am going to assume that it was never released as a single.
Larry
We used to hear “Molina” quite a bit here in Chicago, too. It was NOT released as a single … but several of CCR’s album tracks earned airplay here simply because they were so popular at the time.
“Pendulum” was a big step for the band at the time … John Fogerty started messing with the formula a little bit at this point and many of the tracks have more of an R&B feel to them. He even taught himself to play the saxophone, which became a predominant fixture on the LP, something the band hadn’t really done before. Sadly, one album later it was all over … the band imploding when “sidemen” Doug Clifford and Stu Cook demanded that their own songs be included on the new LP and share equal space on the record.
Fogerty had been the driving force since the band earned its first hit in 1968 … and their fans were not about to accept this kind of mutiny. After their next album, “Mardi Gras,” it was all over. (kk)
Check out our tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival here:
http://forgottenhits.com/creedence_clearwater_revival
More on John Fogerty, now out on tour, above ...
And here's something brand new from Tommy James, courtesy of his long-time manager, Carol Ross ... who sent us this “very special gem from Tommy James” …
He calls it “Cinnamon Sunshine” … and it’s a great medley of a couple of Classic Rock favorites!
Just finished reading your piece on Nancy and Lee.
"Sugar," whose cover you tossed in at the end of that post, HAD to have sold most of what it did on its artist's looks alone!
But it also included "Sugar Town," which I only today learned was an LSD-on-sugar-cubes reference! (If I had the time to research every pop-culture reference in all the songs I've heard in my life, and I'm north of 60 now, it would wear me out!)
It's behind a paywall, but there's this Financial Times article (https://www.ft.com/content/99eb9de6-d821-11e6-944b-e7eb37a6aa8e) about Hazlewood and "Some Velvet Morning," where Nancy described him as "part Henry Higgins and part Sigmund Freud." (Even if you never heard of either of them, enough of your readers have!)
Bob Frable
Here's a bonus photo of Nancy that we found ...
Sugar Indeed! (kk)
.jpg)
I was lucky to be a small part of Sundazed's Nancy Sinatra CD reissues.
What's NOT to like about that?
Clark Besch
Kent,
I wouldn't mind seeing a "Sweet" weekend feature. Now would that include versions of songs you that you posted today that were not maybe re-makes or maybe cover versions out at the same time? For example, SWEET DREAMS" by Tommy McLain? There was Patsy Cline, Don Gibson, and a Charles Christie in 1966. How about such records as Jimmy Rodgers' KISSES SWEET(ER) THAN WINE. Of course, I'm sure you came up with SWEET SOUL MUSIC.
I'm glad you added James Holvay's song. Man, I like that.
I'd also like to say some things about Ray Stevens if I may.
First, his early recording, on Prep Records, I believe without checking, were some of his early disappointments. He had some two of those, and maybe one or two on Capitol. I always said that his JEREMIAH PEABODY, etc., was one of those records whose title was longer than the song itself. I am told that AHAB THE ARAB nowadays couldn't be played on the radio due to political correctness. But back in the summertime of 1962, it could be played. And was it ever played.
Now his 1975 song, EVERYBODY NEEDS A RAINBOW … there was a song with that same title put out on Ranwood Records in 1972 by a singer by the name of Linda Wright. She was from OKC, I believe, and that is something that I should know but can't really remember for some reason. I have the record not on Ranwood but the local label of ?.
And I’ve gotta agree with you about this one ... UNWIND is also one of my favorites by Ray Stevens.
One final word, if I may. In 1959-1960, he released a record called SGT. PRESTON OF THE YUKON (NRC.) I won't get into the story of why it was pulled from radio stations back then who were then told not to play it. (You probably already know the story) … but without checking, I believe that record was a top 10 here in the OKC area. I always did like it. Thanks again for the Ray Steven read.
Larry
Each month this year Jeff March and Marti Smiley Childs have been sending us excerpts to run on the site from their series of “Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone” books. (HIGHLY recommended.)
These are some of the best profiles I’ve ever read … and you can pick up copies for your own personal library here … https://www.editpros.com/bookshelf.html#WHATPSG3
Ray Stevens' "Mr. Businessman" is awesome as is ALL of the Even Stevens LP!
Gino Vannelli has a few faves in my 45s boxes. Tops is possibly my #1 song of ‘76, "Love Of My Life". SO POWERFUL! Also, "People Gotta Move," "Fly Into This Night," "Love Me Now" and more!
Clark
Kent,
Here's a copy of the letter that was sent out regarding The Beatles’ "Butcher
cover," 56 years ago.
At the time, Val Camiletti, founder and owner of Val's Halla in Oak Park, was
working for Capitol Records. She told me
that she was involved in the sending of copies of this notice to whomever it
affected.
Mike Wolstein
Ironically, Best Classic Bands did a piece last week on The Beatles’ “Yesterday … And Today” album … as well as the different track configurations that we got here in The States compared to their British counterparts …
https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-yesterday-and-today-4-12-21/
In Hard Rock News, Motley Crue Drummer Tommy Lee had to leave the stage after only playing five songs the other night when the pain from trying to play drums after breaking four ribs became too much to bear. (At least his penis is all-right!!!)
Lee took the stage against his doctor’s orders … but apparently no amount of adrenaline (or other chemical enhancements) were enough to do the trick. Regardless, he is still planning to attempt this every single night of the tour until he can either make it thru the whole show (or winds up back in the hospital!) Back-up Drummer Tommy Clufetos will be waiting in the wings to relieve him whenever it becomes too painful to continue. (kk)
And Ozzy Osbourne, The Prince of Darkness, is reportedly recovering nicely after major surgery to remove some pins from his neck and back last week. The pins were inserted after Ozzy took a fall a couple of years ago … but the pain had become unbearable of late, so the pins needed to come out. Hopefully, he’ll enjoy a speedy recovery and be back to biting the heads off of bats in no time! (kk)
On the softer side of things, Gilbert O’Sullivan has just released his 20th album. Titled “Driven,” it features guest appearances by K.T. Tunstall and Mick Hucknall.
And congratulations to Jennifer Hudson, entertainment’s latest EGOT Winner.
Hudson won a Tony Award last Sunday for “A Strange Loop,” winner of both the Best Musical and Best Book Of A Musical awards. (Hudson is listed as a producer, alongside RuPaul Charles, Don Cheadle, Mindy Kaling, Billy Porter, and Alan Cumming.
She previously won the Best Actress Oscar in 2007 for her performance in “Dreamgirls,” won two Grammys as well as a Daytime Emmy Award for Interactive Achievement as a producer of last year’s VR animation “Baba Yaga.” (So I guess the only thing she DIDN’T win was “American Idol!!!” lol And at this point in her career, who needs it!) kk
Chuck Buell replied to my recent statement the other day when I wrote:
>>>I’m not sure how many hit “specific date” songs exist (kk)
He pointed out that one in particular, if not possibly the earliest one, refers to an explicit year.
Chuck says …
That would be the Famously Famous Forgotten Hit, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture!” It debuted at Number One on the Moscovian Hot 100 on August 20, 1882.
The year “1812” IS sung in the composition, but well-placed cannon blasts within the performance has always pretty much covered up being able to hear it clearly. One has to turn the volume on their audio system up to about as loud as it can go, lean in and listen very closely when the cannons fire to hear “1812!”
Now then, here recorded live at the amazing CB Coloradowood Buell Bowl Amphitheater is a Special Presentation of the “CB 1812 Overature Minute Medley.” Complete with Cannons!
Go ahead. Listen for yourself! You do hear “1812,” don’t you?!
CB ( which stands for ClassicalMusic Boy!” )
Got this from Clark Besch the other day …
The 2022 new documentary on Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys life is on tonight on PBS stations at 8 PM local times. Have not seen it yet, so hope it is great -- how could it NOT be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dQnczzW7sU
And then this after he’d seen it …
This may sound bad, but I did not like this documentary at all. After half an hour, I was already thinking it could be over now. I know Brian has problems, but driving in a car with him not saying a whole lot and getting upset the last half hour about one of three songs total that they focused on (Long Promised Road) was VERY boring to me. It touched VERY lightly on almost EVERYTHING. Constantly playing "It’s OK" and "Long Promised Road," as well as early on "Good Vibrations" got really boring to me. Everything touched on by Brian or the interviewer was so short, it really only said what we knew. SO many classics glossed over completely. Boring to me.
Clark Besch
David Salidor tells us that Micky Dolenz’s recent interview with CBS Morning’s Anthony Mason now has an official airdate …
The Micky Dolenz CBS Mornings profile conducted by Anthony Mason two weeks back will air on Tuesday, August 16th, which is the 56th anniversary of the release of “Last Train To Clarksville.” Mason, whose first vinyl purchase was a Monkees record and who is quite the authority on all matters music, was at Dolenz’s Palladium-show and CBS taped his performance of “Clarksville” for the program.
And we’ve got MORE Micky news here …
7a Records announces the release of ‘lost’ Micky Dolenz solo album on August 12th
“Demoiselle” will feature solo recordings made between 1981-1992 and includes previously unreleased material. The album was originally planned for release in the 1990’s, but never received an official release.
Micky Dolenz is an American entertainer, best known for his role as the lead vocalist and drummer in the 1960’s series The Monkees. As a recording group, The Monkees sold more than 65 million albums worldwide and outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones between 1967-1968.
The Album
Produced by Jerry Corbetta (Sugarloaf – “Green-Eyed Lady”) and Dolenz, “Demoiselle” features solo recordings made between 1981-1992 and includes previously unreleased material. Originally planned for release in the early 1990’s, the album never received a record deal for a number for reasons. Dolenz privately released nine of the recordings in 1998, but they were only available for a short period of time via mail order. This new and definitive version of Demoiselle has been remastered from the original master tapes. It includes 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks and presents the material in a different sequence.
At some point in 1992, Dolenz expanded his home recording team to include Jerry Corbetta, formerly of Sugarloaf. “I met Jerry on a roadshow and we hung out and sang together, and I remember playing the keyboard part on one of his songs in concert -- “Green Eyed Lady”.
Corbetta introduced Dolenz to Stuart Goldfarb, an ‘emergency room physician by day / music enthusiast by night’ (“My story is a bit crazy,” Goldfarb admits). Goldfarb had originally hired Corbetta to produce a solo album for Don Ciccone of the Four Seasons, released by Polydor in Japan in 1991. “Micky heard some of the stuff that Jerry and I did with Don, and he liked it.”
The team of Dolenz, Corbetta, and Goldfarb set up in the living room of Micky’s home in Sherman Oaks for two weeks of recording, beginning with a vetting of possible material: “[Micky] had a whole slew of songs that he had written and that people had sent him,” Goldfarb says, “and I remember him and Jerry sitting down and listening to probably 20 or 30 songs to pick out the [ones] we were going to do for this album.”
When it came down to tracking the chosen songs, Corbetta handled the keyboards while Dolenz played the rest of the instruments and sang all the vocals. Dolenz recalls the living room recording setup as having “really good quality for an 8-track cassette machine, and then I had pretty good EQ stuff, I had a good little mixer board, and I knew basically how to record, and [the mixer] had some bells and whistles.”
With tracking complete, Goldfarb called in Bob Margouleff, who had won a Grammy in 1974 for his engineering work on Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, to mix down the 8-track masters onto DAT.
Today, both Dolenz and Goldfarb are oblique about what happened next: “We never did anything with [the recordings] for a variety of reasons I don’t understand,” Goldfarb says.
Dolenz: “I was sniffing around to maybe get a record deal; a record deal never transpired for a number of reasons.”
With Dolenz subsequently busying himself on numerous other fronts (his autobiography, voiceover work, TV guest spots, two children’s albums, live theatre, frequent concert performances, occasional directing, and incessant polo), his ‘grown up album’, as it came to be called, seemed interminably mothballed.
Dolenz had started off on this solo album trail determined to forge an identity distinct from his Monkees past. Ironically, it would take a Monkees reunion for the fruits of Dolenz’s 1990’s solo music efforts to first see the light of day.
Dolenz: “Nez and Peter and David came over to my house … I played them the [1992 demo] tracks, some of them, and some of those are the ones that ended up on [1996 Monkees reunion album] Justus.” (In the end, the Monkees recorded new versions of “Never Enough”, “Dyin’ Of A Broken Heart”, and “Regional Girl” for Justus; Dolenz recalls “We Were Not That Bad” also getting considered but does not remember why it did not make the final cut).
Per 7a’s Glenn Gretlund, “This expanded reissue of Demoiselle has been more than two years in the making. We wanted to ensure that we could do the album justice and we have added everything to the package we possibly could, so that it now comes with three previously unreleased bonus tracks, a big 32 page booklet with extensive liner notes and previously unseen pictures. In addition, the recordings have been remastered from the original master tapes and I am really pleased with how everything has turned out. I remember buying this album when it first came out in the early 1990’s. It must have been out of print for at least 20 years and I'm delighted to be able to make this new, superior version available to the public."
Available on CD and Vinyl, the CD comes in a deluxe digisleeve and features a big 32 page CD booklet with extensive liner notes, lyrics and previously unseen photos. The LP version comes in a gatefold sleeve and is pressed on 180g Red Vinyl.
Release Date & Availability
The Album is released on August 12 worldwide.
You can put me down for a copy of this one! (kk)
AND HERE'S TODAY’s CLOSING SMILER FROM MIKE WOLSTEIN:
Please stop back after 3 pm today to read our glowing Tribute to Joel Whitburn ...
And be sure to pass the link along to others. (kk)
