Here’s an interesting perspective from Billboard Magazine …
Looking back every year to 1975, they question which better defined the Summer …
The biggest hit song of the summer …
Or the biggest blockbuster movie of the summer?
Check out this list and you’ll see that it flip flops back and forth …
And while I’m not sure (even with the benefit of hindsight) that I completely agree with ALL of their picks …
They do provide some interesting food for thought …
Since Summer is all about being out and about and having a blast!
(Think back about some of your OWN summer experiences during some of the summers featured … they go back to 1975 … and then see how many you agree with … and who knows, if you happened to be on your way to seeing one of these major blockbuster motion pictures, you probably heard the biggest song of the summer on your way there!!!)
July
14th, 1967 Chart (Chicago Rocked the '60's!)
VERY COOL ...
I STILL OCCASIONALLY FEEL THE NEED TO SAY "PINCH ME!" ...
HOW THIS SHY KID FROM 22ND PLACE WAS ABLE TO NOT ONLY WORK WITH THESE LEGENDS, BUT BECOME VERY CLOSE FRIENDS WITH A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ON THAT SURVEY AS WELL ...
I GUESS WE'RE ALL JUST PEOPLE, BUT I THANK THE MAN ABOVE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE LED A LIFE WITH SUCH UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCES! THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES & KEEP UP THE GOOD (AND MUCH NEEDED) WORK ...
MOST KIDS TODAY HAVE NO IDEA THESE GROUPS & THIS AWESOME MUSIC EVER EXISTED, AND THAT'S SAD ON SO MANY LEVELS ...
MGB
Kent:
That chart is amazing and something I did not know or realize at the time. WLS should be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame for supporting all of the local bands. It’s something that was not done in those days.
THANK YOU for sharing.
James Holvay
Of course YOU contributed greatly to the success of The Buckinghams back in those glory days, writing FOUR of their very biggest hits of 1967 … “Kind Of A Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Hey, Baby, They’re Playing Our Song” and “Susan” … all rank amongst my all-time favorites. (And you’re STILL going strong with your latest release … the response we’ve received after running two of your most recent videos has been nothing short of amazing, positive and encouraging. But I STILL say you cheated yourself out of what could have been an incredible solo career!!! Lol) Thanks, James! (kk)
Kent,
It is ALWAYS wonderful to see the memories you bring!
Ronnie Rice
Hi Kent,
I listened to Bob Sirott's radio program this morning (July 14th) and heard about today in 1967 when seven Chicago Groups plus the Milwaukee Group, Michael & the Messengers all made the WLS Silver Dollar Survey!!!
Great to hear the nice words he said about YOU and Forgotten Hits … Very Well Deserved!! Yea! Yea! Yea!
Carolyn
PS - Read in my Suburban Life newspaper that FYE (For Your Entertainment) opened up a store at the Yorktown Center in Lombard, IL. They feature all POP Culture, Music and Media merchandise and information. Thought you and some of the local readers would want to check it out.
It was fun to watch that short film of the record
show of 1983 at Hillside. I was at that show ... what a thrill - every
Chicago group was represented. I bought a NC6 shirt from designer Gary
Strobl. I am quite surprised that mine is the only one I've
ever seen. It's a classic!
And this was the day I met Pam for the first time, and began helping with the
Biondi film. One of the best days of my life!
Mike Wolstein
Kent,
Attached is Bob Sirott's commentary and salute to this day, 1967, for the benefit of any of those who may have missed it ... a decent montage of the Chicago music on the charts on this date and, had I the time to search, I think I could have put a medley together that featured all of these as they were broadcast on the air back then -- not sure about Take Me Back.
Clark Besch
The medley and commentary surrounding it (including his WTTW special “How Chicago Rocked The ‘60’s”) were all replays of what he featured last year when we did this salute … but the new intro was great … so we thank Bob again for helping us to get the word out there. (kk)
And our other charts as well …
Man, the KCPX survey looks like a 5th grader put it together and ran it off on a mimeograph machine. Even Clark Besch's home-made weekly surveys look more professional! No excuse for cheap looking weekly surveys in 1972.
As for Elbo, it was released on the Capitol label. The songwriter of the B side was a member of People "(I Love You.")
https://www.45cat.com/record/3343us
Mike Markesich
The Phil Harris record 'The Thing' brings back great childhood memories for me.
I am not quite old enough to remember it when it was new. It was in my father’s collection of 78 rpm records and I played it all the time.
Those old records are fragile, and one day I bumped it against the chair and broke it. My mother was probably pleased that she did not have to hear it anymore.
It was many years before I heard it again. In the Johnny Cash biopic 'I Walk The Line,' it shows him singing it during his first public performance while in the service in Germany. I am not sure if that is accurate or a Hollywood interpretation.
Phil
I did a quick YouTube scan to see if they had a clip of Cash performing this song but I came up empty. (“A Thing Called Love,” yes … but not “The Thing!” lol)
See, that’s what I mean about a great WOW Song …
It triggers ALL kinds of memories … even if you haven’t heard it in over thirty years! Just a few notes and it all comes flowing back. (kk)
Kent,
In regards to singer Andy Rose, I hadn't heard his name in years. The only record I have of him is his 1959 hit, JUST YOUNG.
Mentioning The Top 500 on Memorial Day Weekend, at KOMA, we had our yearly Top 500. Even though no one ever told me, or I didn't find it myself, I always thought that the station itself listed the Top 500, even though listeners would call in and or write in. For years in a row, the songs normally at #1 were PRETTY WOMAN, IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT and it seems there was a third one up there, but I can't remember it off hand.
Larry
“Just Young” seems to have been a spotty hit. We talk all the time about the chart discrepancies between the three major trades (again touting the accuracy of our Super Charts over any one single publication.) Usually, that’s because we’ll find up to a 20-point spread between one set of stats than another. On occasion, we’ve even found a 30-point spread … but “Just Young” has a FORTY point spread discrepancy between Cash Box (who ranked it at #28) and Billboard, who had it all the way down at #69 for its seven week chart peak. (Actually, all of this chart action happened in 1958 … and not in 1959.)
We’ve listened to many a countdown that ends with the same results in the #1 spot. “In The Still Of The Night” seems to be a regular favorite. Even our favorite, Rewound Radio, has named “Hey Jude” the #1 Fan Favorite for 23 out of the past 24 years! (The only other song to ever make their #1 Fave was “Rag Doll” by The Four Seasons.) But at least they count all of the fans’ votes … and I mean every single one of them.
The Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 was always a fun listen (and tied in perfectly with the annual running of The Indianapolis 500.) I’ve also seen these countdowns run as Labor Day Weekend features … anything to give their air staff a few extra days off. (kk)
And how about this very cool info on Joel Whitburn / Billboard Magazine / and OTHER popular music magazines now available for viewing again,, sent in by Clark Besch!
My buddy James Holvay sent me a nice story on the passing of Billboard Music charts historian Joel Whitburn, this weekend. I noted right away in the pictures that Joel was surrounded by Chicago area records to some extent.
Here he is holding former Chicagoans Spanky & Our Gang "Anything You Choose" LP …
And ...
In the blue circles, you can find Cherry Slush's Chicago USA Records 45 as well as former WLS DJ Steve Dahl's pic sleeve 45! There also James Holvay's OWN BAND, THE MOB, with the pic sleeve 45 for "Give it to Me" (scans below). I'm betting James, himself, did not see his record behind Joel!!!
Both pics were taken in 1986 -- about same time I recorded his guest appearance on Dinah Shore where the guest was asked to pick any old record from his past and Joel had to not only locate it, but put it on the turntable and PLAY it within 1 minute! The guest chose "Baby Elephant Walk" by the Miniature Men. Well, just like Supermarket Sweep, Joel moved quickly to a 45 aisle in his "vault" and pulled out a rack of 45s, leafed thru quickly, pulled the 45 out and went back to the turntable and had it playing within one minute. ALL were impressed! I just thought "Man, I could watch Joel do that all day."
I have the video tape around here somewhere, but hard to locate.
Rest in Peace, Joel, and thanks for having our Chicago faves at a moment's notice!
Clark Besch
I’d like to see that clip, too!!! (And I’m sure I’m not the only one!)
Let me know if you find it and post it on YouTube …
Or, you can just send it here and we’ll run it in FH! (kk)
Clark also tells us …
Many know about the Radio & Broadcasting History site, but until today, I did not know that they had Brit mags from the 60's! And they’re SEARCHABLE, too!
I hoped to list some NME's and Record Mirrors in the future and I see now that they are all on this site -- they just have their own category with pics of the magazines. You have to locate on the left in general index.
For all you British Invasion lovers,these are AWESOME to browse thru, just like Billboard or others in the US. Tons of great ads and stories!!
NME:
https://worldradiohistory.com/New_Music_Express.htm
Record Mirror:
https://worldradiohistory.com/Record_Mirror.htm
For Canada BB type, try here:
https://worldradiohistory.com/RPM.htm
For Billboard, Record World, Cash Box:
https://worldradiohistory.com/
IF you just want to browse the Hot 100's by year, week by week, go HERE and then scroll down to 1965 onward. Where you see 1965 underlined, click there and it will load all of the Hot 100 charts in order from first to last. This is only for BB 1965 – today ... 1964 and earlier not set up that way.
READ AWAY!!!!
Clark
OK, I’m going to have to bookmark some of these sites!!! SO cool to be able to have all of this information right at your fingertips! Thanks, Clark. (kk)
Superstars:
As The Beach Boys’ 60th Anniversary celebration continues … and The Beach Boys Channel continues to entertain on Sirius XM … it was kinda cool to see this newly improved video of the band performing the classic “California Dreamin’” making the rounds again. (Apparently, it’s reaching a new audience thanks to its inclusion in the mega-popular “Stranger Things” television series, which has done wonders for Kate Bush’s career of late!)
You can check out all the details (and watch a new high definition version of the clip) right here: https://us.umusic-online.com/4YWS-4PMM-8257427BCB50DF2COGL3I807E84E87F5E09BE/cr.aspx
The Peter Jackson Beatles Documentary “Get Back” FINALLY delivered to somewhat patient customers this week, who had been waiting since its original release date of February 8th to obtain their copy. (Mine came on Tuesday which, coincidently, is the same day that the film was nominated for FIVE Emmy Awards!)
Not quite sure when I’ll string eight hours together to be able to watch it again … if you recall, mine was one of the more negative reviews, primarily because of its extreme length … but I know I will eventually. (Not sure if this is still streaming simultaneously on Disney+ right now or not.) kk
Cool Review: https://bestclassicbands.com/get-back-blu-ray-review-beatles-7-12-22/
Harvey Kubernik tells us the new Elvis Movie has passed the $100 million mark in domestic box office … and it’s been good for Elvis Music Business as well …
(I had actually thought about going to see it again this weekend but my schedule was a bit upended at the last minute and the timing simply didn’t work out … but I know that I will get my Elvis Booster Shot sometime soon before the movie leaves theaters!) kk
This And That
More on that new Andy Gibb biography …
https://bestclassicbands.com/andy-gibb-biography-arrow-through-the-heart-7-11-22/
We've been talking to Matthew Hild, who wrote the new Andy Gibb bio (thank you, Scott Paton, for making the connection!) and we will be doing a FH interview once I've had the chance to read it.
Meanwhile, he's discovered what we do here in Forgotten Hits as well ... and seems to be totally diggin' it! (kk)
Hi Kent!
I love the Forgotten Hits site -- a lot of my favorites are artists who were around before Andy Gibb, such as the Bee Gees, of course, but also the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Rick Nelson, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and many others -- so I am really glad that you're going to cover my book on there.
Look forward to talking soon!
Tom Cuddy tells us that William Hart, lead singer of The Delfonics, has passed away.
The R&B-based Delfonics had two HUGE cross-over hits on the pop charts … “La La Means I Love You” (#3 in 1968) and “Didn’t I” (#9 in 1970.)
They also reached The National Top 40 with “I’m Sorry” (#36, 1968), “Break Your Promise” (#35, 1968), “Ready Or Not, Here I Come” (#24, 1969), “You’ve Got Yours And I’ll Get Mine” (#33, 1969), “Trying To Make A Fool Of Me” (#40, 1970), “When You Get Right Down To It” (#38, 1970.) kk
https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/william-hart-delfonics-singer-dead-1235114788/
We heard from our old radio dj buddy Jim Shea this past week somewhat out of the blue ... Jim ... aka Dr. Shea these days ... left radio a decade ago to pursue a medical career and is now a fully licensed podiatrist, working out of a New York hospital.
His journey is really quite amazing ... and we're not the only ones who think so.
WISN / ABC News recently did a profile of Jim's new career ... and he hasn't lost a bit of enthusiasm for everything he pursues. To make this kind of accomplishment at this age is nothing short of inspirational ... and I've got to give him major props. (I was a guest many times on Jim's old Y103.9 morning radio show when he was anchored down here in Chicago's western suburbs for about five years ... although even then he was making the daily commute from Wisconsin to do his show.)
Check this out ... it's really quite amazing! (kk)
And listen to this ...
You can still hear Jim Shea on the radio thanks to a weekly show he broadcasts out of Cleveland spotlighting Outlaw Country Music! That's right ... in addition to his 70+ hour week working in the medical field, he's still on the radio, too ... which, he says, will always be his first love. (Truth is, his first love is entertaining and bringing joy into people's lives ... and both professions allow him to do so on a daily basis.) MAJOR props, Jim, for all that you have accomplished. (kk)
You can listen to Jim's Saturday Morning show (9:30 am) here:
(When he told me a good portion of his medical practice involves diabetes patients, many of whom need special foot care and, in some cases, amputation, I told him that it was a COMPLETE coincidence that yesterday's Sweet 16 was labeled as our Tribute To Diabetes!!! Timing is everything ... and somehow this one, which was pre-posted MONTHS ago, worked right into our Thursday Night conversation!!!)
To which he replied ...
Kent,
One comment about today's FH ...
I always did like DESERT PETE by the Kingston Trio. Their last charted record here in OKC on our weekly survey was the 1966 record PARCHMENT FARM / RUNAWAY SONG with PARCHMENT being the "A" side. That, of course, was on Decca.
Larry
“Parchment Farm” reached #114 on the Cash Box Chart only in late 1965. (It failed to chart in Billboard and Record World.) kk
And, speaking of Chuck Buell, after running his little salute to Rolf Harris, we got this …
Did someone say Kangaroo?
This one's quite talented.
Look at him play air guitar!
Mike Wolstein
