One of the biggest music news story last week was the official announcement of The Beatles' "Revolver" box set ... but it sounds like Apple may have been forced into making the announcement earlier than originally planned after Ringo released a video showing all of the exciting things he had coming up during the month of September. (The resuming of his All-Star Band Tour, his new EP release … and the fact that The Beatles’ “Revolver” box set was getting the deluxe treatment.) What kicked everything into high gear was when Ringo showed the back of the box, revealing the track listing for the new release. That got Beatles pundits all over the globe clamoring and going into deep discussion about the box’s contents.
(Here’s a quick video of Ringo announcing the release of the new “Revolver” box … oops!)
Sounds like the Rewound Radio / WLS / WCFL / Labor Day Weekend Special got good enough reviews to pick-up a commitment to run it again next year over Labor Day Weekend, 2023. While some of the air checks will likely be pick-ups, the search is on to find quality recordings of “new” material to add to the mix ... and perhaps locate more ‘60’s material when the competition was REALLY raging in high gear. (It'll be interesting to see what we can find between now and then … but with the encouragement to continue, I think everyone involved is feeling motivated and inspired … a good “pat on the back” for this labor of love goes a long way so who knows, maybe we can shake things up a little bit for 2023!)
Based on some of the feedback I’ve seen, it sounds like I was not alone in yearning for more '60's clips ... but the truth of the matter is they're just not that easy to come by, especially in a condition suitable for airing. (Back then, recording was rather antiquated ... and quite honestly, just how many people were recording at the time … and how many of THOSE people held on to those tapes for the past 50-60 years?!?!) The fact of the matter is, in order to sustain a listening audience, the clips need to sound fresh and crisp ... but hey, we've also got another whole year to see what we can dig up!!! If any of our readers out there have WLS and/or WCFL clips from 1960 – 1972 in pristine (or near pristine) condition … full length hours are preferred with all of the music and commercials completely intact … we would love to hear from you.
All of that being said, nearly everybody we heard from raved about how good it was to hear vintage Top 40 Radio again in some of its most entertaining manner. And it’s a real kick to know that we get to do it again next year … and maybe even turn this thing into an annual tradition! (kk)
ONE MORE THING: I have heard from a number of readers who would love to obtain complete copies of the entire broadcast for their personal collections. (Let’s face it … it would be virtually impossible to be able to listen to the whole, 66 hour thing … but if a multitude of fans out there taped it – or taped segments of it – we could potentially put together a “swap and shop” feature that would allow collectors to obtain copies of some of their favorite jocks … or even the entire broadcast if it were available.)
So please, let’s do this … if you HAVE copies that you recorded available, please let us know … if you WANT copies, let us know this as well (and please be as specific as possible as to what you’re looking for.) We’ll give this a couple of weeks to see if there’s enough interest (and enough inventory!) to make this worth pursuing. (Others have offered to BUY copies of the entire broadcast – but I’d prefer to stay clear of that option … this would be more a case of collectors sharing with other collectors so that everybody interested wins in the way of adding material to their collections.) Thank you all. (kk)
Historically, it was the Greatest and Biggest Radio Station Battle of Rock and Roll Radio. Ground Zero was Chicago. This famous mid-1960s through the mid-1970s rivalry was on the Radio Air Waves in the Windy City and was not only heard there, but was also heard throughout the Midwest and, with WLS, in many foreign countries as well. And this was all before the Internet and “streaming.” The two combatants were truly Big Stations, both fifty-thousand-watt Power Stations. The Big 89, WLS versus The Big Ten, WCFL.
Rewound Radio put together a 66 hour salute to these two great radio stations and ran it across the Labor Day Weekend.
Allan, Ted, et al ...
You were all Outstanding in your Efforts! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!
"It's Still More Fun!"
Chuck Dah-Buell-Ell-Ess!
CB!
And one of the KEY disc jockeys who helped to put WLS on the map, of course, was Dick Biondi … who is turning NINETY years old this week!
Dear Friends,
September is a very special month as we celebrate Dick’s 90th spin around the planet! Let's make it a Biondi Lovefest! Starting Friday, September 9, thru Dick’s birthday on September 13th, we will post photos, stories, air checks, and videos — some never before seen videos — to commemorate this auspicious occasion. And we invite you to join us.
Here are three
ways to send your personal Happy Birthday message to Dick.
1. Post and
comment on our Official Dick Biondi Facebook Page, on Twitter, Instagram, and
youtube, and share posts with your friends! You'll find all links at
DickBiondiFilm.com.
2. Sing to Dick or send a brief personal message in a VIDEO -- a
SELFIE is fine. Email your video to us at TheDickBiondiFilm@gmail.com.
3. Join our private Facebook Group — The Official
Dick Biondi Film: The Voice That Rocked America! Become
part of our community of folks from all over the world who love Dick Biondi,
where you can post directly on the group page. Here’s the link.
We can’t wait to share YOUR birthday greetings alongside our many ROCK &
RADIO FRIENDS, and other notables who adore Dick as we all do. LET YOUR
LOVE SHINE THROUGH. We can’t wait to share your personal birthday message
with Dick.
Love to you all, and thanks for being part of Dick’s 90th Birthday celebration!
Pam, Joe, and The Dick Biondi Film Team
Sending a Happy 90th Birthday wish to Dick Biondi, the greatest
rock and roll DJ that ever lived!
I met Dick in 1961 at the Deborah Boys Club up on the north side of Chicago
while he was doing a "sock hop" there one evening. It was a high
point in my life, one I'll never forget. He's always been a friend, a
fantastic radio personality, an all-around great guy, and I could go on and on ...
but his story is known world-wide.
We're all hoping that Dick is in good health, and that one day we'll see or
hear him on the air or in person again. Radio
just isn't the same without his presence.
I met Pam Pulice at the Route 66 Car Show on my 65th birthday, and it's been
fun and very satisfying to help her with the Dick Biondi film over these past
eight years.
Love ya, Dick, wherever you are, and can't wait to see you again some
day. Be well!
Mike Wolstein
Dick was the first to play The Beatles on the radio in the U.S.
Dick spun Please Please Me in February, 1963, a year before they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Pam
And, of course, you can read all about this here …
http://forgottenhits.com/who_played_the_very_first_beatles_record_in_america
Paul McCartney wrote a very nice piece after the passing of Queen Elizabeth and reflected on the “eight or nine times” he met Her Majesty (a pretty nice girl) over the course of his career. (kk)
https://bestclassicbands.com/paul-mccartney-queen-elizabeth-ii-meetings-9-10-22/
So the new Elton John / Britney Spears single debuted at #6 on this week's Billboard Chart. (Not quite sure it deserves it ... "Cold Heart" was definitely a better collaboration that clearly a lot more thought went into.)
Still, Sir Elton keeps his
hit streak going ... a string of Top Ten Singles that stretches from 1971 -
2022!!! (Meanwhile, the Elvis biopic passed "Rocketman" this
weekend at the box office ... which is a bit surprising since it also premiered
on cable this weekend. Still, it's done roughly $250 million to claim
second place in the category of music-related biopcs .. a bit of a DISTANT
second place, however, to "Bohemian Rhapsody's" $936 million!) kk
The Beach Boys have launched a new mini-series of videos thru their YouTube Channel.
The first, “Barbara Ann,” dropped on Friday (the 9th) while the second (“Don’t Worry Baby”) premiered on Saturday (the 10th.)
Look for more of the same next weekend when they release “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” on the 16th and “God Only Knows” on the 17th.
The clips were shot in South Africa and tells the story of obsessed surfer Helena (Zoe Manoek) and aspiring photographer Lucas (Toby De Goede.)
I just watched the first one and I guess I just don’t get it … but it is great to see that they’ve come up with yet another new way to present their classic hits to a brand new audience. Then again, it doesn’t sound like these clips were created to target an audience like me … we already KNOW all this great music. The intent here is to bring in a new, much younger audience … I’m just not sure there’s enough here to entice ANYBODY to watch them … but hey, the project is still in its infant stages at this point … so maybe it’ll get better as you start to make a connection with the lead characters.
Director Andrew Litten explained the clips are designed to explore the recurring Beach Boys theme of "being young and in love."
In an official statement, he said, “Their most iconic songs were written when they were between the ages of 15 to 21, so there's this exciting view on life that’s immortalized in their lyrics. I wanted to do the same with the music videos by capturing the spontaneity and playfulness of being a teenager, fantasizing about the future, pursuing new passions and falling in love. I wanted to capture the feeling after your first kiss or how it felt leaving home for college. Each video builds on itself to become one long narrative but it was also very important that each video could stand on its own. If you're watching chronologically, you become more invested in the characters.” (kk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wvx14Qv9cg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Riqmsn4qGU
In addition to the file the FBI kept on The Monkees that we told you about last week (Micky Dolenz is currently suing the FBI to have the contents of this file revealed under the Freedom of Information Act), it looks like they were also monitoring the movements of The Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin!!! (kk)
https://www.noise11.com/news/the-fbi-kept-a-file-on-aretha-franklin-and-the-monkees-20220909
You have posted about saving your music collection on your iPod … so I should let you know what happened to me today.
When I opened iTunes, it immediately deleted everything on my iPod, with no action on my part. I checked afterward and my syncing preference was still checked as manual. I keep my collection on flash drives, in duplicate, but I put my favorites on my iPod to listen to. Some of this music would be almost impossible to replace. Don't let this happen to you!!!
I'm done with iPod. I'm going back to my Walkman.
Ed #1
Anybody else out there run into this? I can see Apple no longer supporting the product once it’s been discontinued … but I can’t see what would give them the right to delete music you have already paid for!!! (kk)
Hendrix fans will be pleased to hear the new “Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969” album, out November 18th. It captures the original Jimi Hendrix Experiece, performing live at The Forum in its entirety.
Harvey Kubernik was at the Forum show back in 1969 and shared these memories from some others who were also in attendance. (These can all be found in his “Voodoo Child” book, written with his brother Kenneth, that has been earning rave reviews for nearly a year now.)
I have a music memory of Jimi, Mitch and Noel playing in Southern California in 1969. In our Hendrix-driven book, I asked several friends who attended the Forum concert to reflect on this memorable recital.
Paul Diamond: Walked out of the Forum into the Inglewood mist (half fog, half unburned jet fuel from LAX), having just fixed the worst mistake I made in the Sixties. Seven months earlier I’d given away a couple of tickets to see Jimi at the Hollywood Bowl – not to a friend, or relative, or perfect stranger as you’d expect, but to a girl who knew two things – she didn’t care about Jimi and she didn’t want to go anywhere with me. That girl wasn’t even the one I wanted to go with. She was in New York that week. So, poof, two 10th row tickets, gone forever. But Jimi’ll come back, won’t he? Bands always come back.
He did, the next April, and so did my now-girlfriend, and I snagged tickets at one of three Beverly Hills record stores and then, Friday evening, April 26, 1969, put the Girl in the ‘67 Camaro, got on the 405 South and put my favorite bootlegged tape in the Muntz 4 track player. It was Iron Butterfly. I loved Iron Butterfly. I hadn’t listened to Hendrix in forever.
Traffic made us miss most of Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys’ set. Nothing great. Then some horn band called Chicago Transit Authority. Amusing. Didn’t think the guitarist was any good.
Finally, Jimi’s backline was onstage, usual mic check, then nothing. Eventually Jimi, Mitch and Noel wandered out. Don’t remember much of an ovation, don’t remember any attempt to connect with us other than Jimi’s perfunctory, standard, “Give us a second to tune up here, because we really care for your ears – that’s why we don’t play so loud.”
When they started, they played loud. But they were playing a song nobody knew – the Swedish jazz duo Hansson and Karlsson’s ‘Tax Free’. The crowd was puzzled. The crowd called for ’Purple Haze’ Until the second song, “Foxey Lady.” The crowd, at the first hint of feedback, was hooked.
But then Jimi threw the crowd back in the lake. “Damn, you want to hear all that old stuff?” And he took off his Strat, spent a good three minutes tuning his Flying V and then started playing ‘Red House.’ A slow blues. With his back to us.
In hindsight, naturally he was making a point; that we couldn’t have him on our terms, we couldn’t force him to play what he didn’t want to, no matter if we thought that’s what we were paying him for. It was his stage.
Only it wasn’t, and that’s part of what killed him.
The rest of the show was actually pretty good. He chatted, did his tongue-flicking, guitar-behind-the-back schtick, played the oldies, dedicated several songs “to the little girl over there with the red underwear”. (It was more graphic than that, but I’ll spare you). Something odd at the time – Jimi might go and have a chat with Mitch from time-to-time (particularly when a Marshall blew and had to be swapped out), but I don’t remember him going anywhere near Noel. I guess, by then Noel was already rolling down the exit ramp.
So it was over. Ears buzzing, we walked back to the Camaro. I took the Iron Butterfly tape out of the player, tossed it in the back seat. It was never seen again.
Gene Aguilera: When Jimi landed on this planet, he rearranged the way a Fender guitar should sound. He wreaked havoc across the land, much like Godzilla did. Hendrix's first three LP's became my musical worship groove bibles. I studied every nook and cranny on the albums, right down to the Reprise pink, green, and gold steamboat label. Need a little voodoo? Dim the lights and put on "Hey Joe" . . . a blue mist takes over the room.
Getting in to see the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Forum on April 26, 1969, was icing on the cake for this 15-year old Chicano kid out of East L.A. But gone was Jimi's wild electric hair and hip Carnaby Street psychedelic garb. From my $5.50 loge seat, uneasiness kicked in watching Hendrix dressed in soft pink and purple pastels along with a short-cropped 'fro. It was adios to the sixties, as we knew it. Nevertheless, Jimi hypnotized us with his Stratocaster magic, reducing our ears to mere mush by the end of the evening. Hendrix's opening acts were Chicago Transit Authority (later Chicago) and Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys, a side project of his. Soon after, the Experience would be gone, and a year and a half later, the light of Hendrix's short, fast life would be gone, too.
Toulouse Engelhardt: I had the chance to see Jimi Hendrix back in 1969 at the "Fabulous Forum" in LA. He was "One Step Beyond." To say he was a major influence over me as a young and up and coming guitar junkie and now a composer is an understatement. He taught me not to be afraid to explore the "Event Horizon" of the guitar. To not settle for mediocracy, to use the whammy bar and chart out undiscovered territory and master the use of feedback as a vehicle to accent his melodic lines! He had the balls to go anywhere!
At the Forum show, he walked out and his opening number was ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ An outrageous rendition and then jumped into Purple Haze. And what followed was mind boggling. I was drawn into ‘Third Stone From the Sun,’ and felt he ripped off Wes Montgomery. (laughs). Where the melodic line is part of a traditional ‘Deep River,’ which is very close to the original southern spiritual hymn. Jimi is doing those double octave ‘Wes Montgomery chord structures. You can hear this in his composition "Third Stone from the Sun" and all through his second release "Axis Bold as Love"!
I met Wes him at the Light House after smoking a joint with my buddies and Wes gave me a quick guitar lesson.
As far as Jimi’s guitar … His set up. There might have been some advantages of the high strings where they were closest to his chest versus the other way around. Where the thicker strings are down and facing us. He had it the other way around, playing upside down and left handed. I imagine he had a difficult time with some of those octave chords trying to do that because he was doing it upside down essentially.
Everyone always focuses on Jimi’s guitar playing, but he had wonderful phrasing in his vocals. He was a master vocalist. And he fronted a trio, which is a power pack, man. He had the best drummer with Mitch, and he had Noel.
I remember what percussionist Remi Kebaka told me. He called him Marshall instead of Jimi. ‘He really was a shy person and very quiet. But the minute you put a Strat over his shoulder and he walked on stage, he was a theatrical monster.’
I mean he would mesmerize people. A metamorphosis would happen on stage and he became a master showman on a Frank Sinatra level. The guy just had it.
And Jimi took it all into space. Maybe it was his stint in the military where he got hip to UFO’s and then into Electric Lady Land. He was into science fiction as a kid, too. It’s there in his music.
Ken Resser: On April 26, 1969, I saw the Experience for the second time, this one at The Forum in Los Angeles (Inglewood), with Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys opening ($6.50). I saw them with my twin sister, sitting in the loge about 20 rows up on the right side at about a 40 degree angle. The sound was bigger than at the Bowl (indoor vs. outdoor). I distinctly remember, in an attempt at alerting my sister when Jimi first ran his arm and hand all over the guitar (the flash), that I jammed my elbow into the armrest and was in pain for days after. But it didn't dampen my enthusiasm and was once again thoroughly amazed at what I was hearing and seeing.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Tax Free
3. Foxey Lady
4. Red House
5. Spanish Castle Magic
6. Star Spangled Banner
7. Purple Haze
8. I Don’t Live Today
9. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
10. Sunshine of Your Love
11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Produced by Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer & John McDermott for Experience Hendrix, L.L.C.
Who knew Arthur Brown (as in “The Crazy World Of”) was still around making music?!?! Check this out …
The God Of Hellfire ARTHUR BROWN Invites You To His MONSTER’S BALL, Releases New Single LUCIFER SAM With DEEP PURPLE’S IAN PAICE & STEVE HILLAGE! (Features performances by James Williamson, Ian Paice, Mark Stein, Nik Turner, Shuggie Otis & More)
Fans of dark and ghoulish rock & roll are all cordially invited to attend what is sure to be the biggest party of this year’s Halloween season, Monster’s Ball, the new album from the one and only God Of Hellfire and theatrical rock visionary, Arthur Brown! For his latest macabre-themed masterpiece, Brown is joined by a murderer's row of talented co-conspirators including the album’s producers Alan Davey, who also co-wrote several of the songs, and Fernando Perdomo, all of whom have helped Brown craft one of the most energetic and thrilling albums of his long and distinguished career. From The Stooges’ guitarist James Williamson, who brings the heat on a new version of Brown’s iconic 1968 hit “Fire” to the killer collaboration with Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein on “Zombie Yelp,” Monster’s Ball promises to be one hell of a good time!
Today, Brown is proud to share another song from the album, the psychedelic opener to the album “Lucifer Sam,” penned by none other than Syd Barrett and featuring ripping performances by Gong guitarist Steve Hillage and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice. Brown had this to say about the song, “As a prelude to the album launch on October 21st here’s a mysterious track by the enigmatic Syd Barrett. Fernando Perdomo’s bold production, the song’s adventurous structure, and the input of Steve Hillage and Ian Paice make this a delight of spooky fun. Shadows flickered and felines howled as I sang this portrait - Happy Halloween!”
Stream the single: https://orcd.co/arthur_brown_lucifer_sam
Monster’s Ball will be available on all formats starting October 21 but you can pre-order your copy now!
Pre-order CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/store/?s=arthur+brown+monster%27s+ball&post_type=product
Pre-order/pre-save the digital: https://orcd.co/arthur_brown_monsters_ball
And Steven Page, formerly of The Barenaked Ladies, will be releasing a brand new solo album later this month as well. (kk)
Tom Cuddy tells us that Inez Foxx has passed away … ironically, I heard her original version of “Mockingbird” (cut with her brother Charlie) today on Sirius XM’s ‘50’s Gold Channel. (kk)
https://www.showbiz411.com/2022/08/31/rip-inez-foxx-79-famed-rb-singer-of-the-original-mockingbird
Can you believe “Thriller” is turning 40?!?!?
A special 40th Anniversary edition will be released on November 18th. (I believe this is something like the THIRD special anniversary edition to come out for this landmark LP! This one’s supposed to be a 2-CD set.)
The plan is to release a new bonus track every week until the release date, with the first title dropping right after Labor Day (which would be now!)
Stay tuned for more details. (kk)
Kent,
Well, it's that time of year again when new shows are hitting the networks as well as new commercials with background music.
I saw a couple this weekend during the football games, at least I don't remember seeing them before.
One was for an Airbnb with MASHED POTATO by Dee Dee Sharp playing in the background. Another was for the season beginning of the show ATLANTA on the F/X channel. I never watch this show, in fact, I didn't even know it was on. Anyway, in this one scene they showed on the ad, in the background was the song ALONE sung by the Shepherd Sisters from 1957. You got to love it. The "oldies" live on even if they are just in commercials on television.
Larry
Denny Tedesco has put together his follow-up film documentary to “The Wrecking Crew,” a project that occupied his time for DECADES!
News of the new project (and lots more details) can be found here …
https://bestclassicbands.com/immediate-family-documentary-interview-denny-tedesco-9-8-222/
As he did with his “Wrecking Crew” film, Denny will first hit the Film Festival circuit, trying to build up buzz (and financial backing) in order to take this thing to the next level. You’ll find a trailer at the link above. (kk)
https://immediatefamilyfilm.com/index.html
This looks interesting ... I wonder if Mark might be taking this show on the road, eventually ending up here Stateside! (kk)
Tucumcari Timmy has sent us a bunch of new YouTube videos to share …
First up … a Bobby Fuller tribute …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypQFdCDI66A
(You can read our coverage of the Bobby Fuller tragedy / mystery here):
http://forgottenhits.com/bobby_fuller
And then a series of Jim Pewter interviews ...
Bill Haley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RClx1RS9-2o&feature=youtu.be
Ray Charles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g5-uvPfwWA
Del Shannon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVQVX2spOE8
Tim also sent us this cool shot of The Partridge Family taking off! (lol)
And finally, from Chuck Buell, celebrating National Grandparents Day!
Today, Sunday, September 11th, is "National Grandparents Day," a time to celebrate the bond between Grandparents and Grandchildren.
So, for Forgotten Hits Grandmothers and Grandfathers of today, here's a Gallery of Photos from our 1960 years to show our Grandchildren we pretty much did have it together and traveled to the Beat of a Different Drum!
Today's Grandmothers ~~~ in the 1960s!
"Mustang Sally" was just one of the many personas GrandMa carried out in her alluring style ~~~
And she was the Original Free-Spirited, "Love Bug!"
And there were today's Granddads in the 1960s!
Confident. Independent. Unique. And his Car was as Individual as he was.
On Land AND in the Water!
And no one could Burn a Donut Better!
So, from Forgotten Hits to all of YOU who, over the decades, have continued to make such a memorable, lasting and undeniable impact much like Pigs Through a Python,
Happy Grandparents Day!
We’re Grandparents to FOUR very cool kids …
And we’re known as “The Rock And Roll Grandparents”
(Well, I’m also known as Grandpa “Nite-Nite” because during Covid when we had to do one of the grand kids’ birthday parties over zoom, I actually fell asleep on screen in front of everybody!!! Lol
Yeah ... I probably should have just stuck to the "Rock And Roll Grandparents" thing!!!)
Happy Grandparents Day to all of you out there that qualify …
And a whole buncha love to (in age order):
Taylor (who just attended her very first Homecoming Dance last night!!! Yikes, we’re getting old!!!)
Parker (who is already quite the fisherman ... and has already landed a couple of sharks!!! For Real!!!)
Luke (who has discovered Soccer and has just enrolled in Pre-K)
and Emma (who just turned two last week!)
