Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments

Some nice responses to our Beach Boys piece yesterday ... 

And what could be nicer or more meaningful than hearing from David Leaf himself, whose piece inspired mine!  (Now how cool is that?!?)

Great piece, Kent!

David Leaf  

Cool article, Kent!

Ho, ho, etc.  

Rock on!!!

Jimbo

The Ides Of March will be doing their annual Christmas Show this Sunday (December 11th) at the Des Plaines Theater.  This is always a very beautiful performance ... and of course you get all the Ides / Survivor / .38 Special hits, too!  (kk)

You can still find tickets here:  

https://desplainestheatre.com/events/the-ides-of-march-christmas-show/

Hi Kent -
What a great story about your daughter Nicki being a Beach Boys Fan.  I thought I was a loyal fan, but starting at two years old!
That Barbie Doll and record is a real collector's item!
Thank you for sharing this story with us!Emoji Emoji Emoji Emoji 
Carolyn
And when Nicki read the article and saw that "Living Doll" just may be the biggest selling Beach Boys single of all time, after growing up listening to ALL the hits, she just sent in a one word response ...

CRAZY!
 
Great post, Kent.  Thanks!
Bill Carroll

By coincidence, the band was on NBC yesterday morning doing a new Christmas song!

https://www.today.com/video/beach-boys-perform-reason-for-the-season-with-john-stamos-156257349584

https://www.today.com/video/beach-boys-john-stamos-perform-finally-it-s-christmas-156254277771

https://www.today.com/video/john-stamos-and-the-beach-boys-perform-little-saint-nick-156255813872 

Clark Besch 

I don't know how I acquired it, but I have that Beach Boys single, too.
Jack Levin
 
Kent,
When I started reading today's FH and beginning to read about the California Dream Barbie Doll, it reminded me of the record BARBIE, which came out in 1962. I believe it was released under the name of Kenny and the Cadets. I could be wrong about that. (Maybe the  Pendeltones? But I don't really think so.)
Anyway, on BARBIE, members of the Beach Boys were on that record if I remember right. I've got it here at home but haven't played it in years. 
Larry Neal

"Barbie" WAS released by Kenny and the Cadets in early 1962 ... but it has long been believed that it was actually The Beach Boys on that record (or, at the very least, Brian on the lead vocal.) The Boys were just starting out at the time, but this track shows an early Brian Wilson production of a song written by Bruce Morgan, who took the group into his little Candix studio and recorded their first single, "Surfin'."  While their OTHER "Barbie" track never went anywhere, it showed a definite influence of the sounds of the time.  (kk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcAYF7SGuXg

Thanks, Kent, for the story about The Beach Boys and Barbie. Another music surprise. 

Loved it!

Paul Evans

How cool!
I've posted a link to this on my Pray For Surf website.
Phil

And these thoughts from Chuck Buell . . . 
 
Great Story about the Beach Boys and their Barbie Hit Song yesterday, Kent!  I did not know about that!
And Chuck was evidently inspired by my comment about their Barbie "Living Doll" song where I wrote, "it truly is a pretty awful tune!!! (lol) because he sent me this cartoon ...
 

As well as one of those great memorable moments of his own ...

Hey, Kent!
I loved your story about you taking your daughter, Nicki, who was a huge Beach Boys fan, to her first concert ever ... The Beach Boys and Chicago ... when she was just four years old!  I can only imagine the joy and excitement she experienced that night! And how fun it must have been for you to have done that for her!
It reminded me of the time when I was Music Director at WLS in Chicago and David Cassidy was scheduled to stop by the station before his concert for a quick and simple radio station "Hello." 
I had a young tween-age niece who was absolutely in love with him at the time, so I invited her to join me in going to his concert that evening. She was so thrilled that she was going to see him in person in concert.
I did NOT tell her what I also had planned for her.  
The night of his show, I told her I had to make a quick stop at the radio station for a moment.  We went in and I told her to wait in my office and I'd be right back.  I went to the lobby and waited for Cassidy's planned stop by.
I had previously asked him if it would be OK if I introduced my niece to him that night during his station visit.  He was so amicable about it and he thought it'd be fun, too!
So when he arrived, I asked him to wait in the lobby for just a moment or two while I went back to my office, got my niece, and brought her out, not telling her about our special visitor!
When she walked into the lobby and saw DAVID CASSIDY, STANDING RIGHT THERE in front of her, she was absolutely beside herself. She took an uncertain step, shyly smiled, a tear came to her eye and she could literally not speak, she was so shaken with surprise!
David was so nice to her. He smiled his trademark Cassidy smile, talked directly to her and she began to relax. Just a little, and managed a quiet, "Hello" and that it was "nice to meet him!"
Shortly after, we all had to go by our separate means to get to the concert on time.  At his show, she and I watched him perform from the backstage wings and she just quivered all show long.
It was such a Great Night for her.  And what a Fun Night for her "Uncle Chuck," too.
CB
(dare I say Cassidy Boy!!!)  kk


You don't want to miss this week's installment of The History Of Rock And Roll.

Gary Theroux tells us ...

Hi, Kent - 

Here's how the Cleveland affiliate of THE HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL is promoting this weekend's episode, which showcases nine legendary DJs as they sounded during the golden age of rock 'n' roll radio. 

All the best,

Gary Theroux
 
OK, this should be a killer show ... 
I let Dick Biondi, Kris Erik Stevens and Johnny Holliday know about it right away.  (Of course Wink Martindale already knows because he's the HOST of The History Of Rock and Roll ... which airs all over the world and can be heard on Me-TV-FM this Saturday Morning from 7 am - 9 am ... with a rebroadcast of the PREVIOUS week's episode every Sunday Night from 10 pm - Midnight!)
And how cool is this?!?!
Record Research is offering a special sale of ALL of their books thru January 15th of next year ...
Buy One (any title) and get the second book for half off! (Naturally the more expensive book will be the full price item ... but what a GREAT way to expand your collection of Joel Whitburn chart books!!!)  Perfect for Christmas gift-giving, too!
More details here ...

I sent a copy of the news release we ran the other day regarding a brand new Anne Murray documentary to Jeff March and Marti Smiley Childs, who did a GREAT, rare interview with Anne for their "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone" book series.  (We ran excerpts from this earlier this year ...

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2022/04/insights-into-anne-murray.html

And was pleased to get this response from Jeff ...

Hi, Kent, 

That article about the background for the Anne Murray documentary was interesting, and it corroborated much of what she told us in our conversation with her. She’s cautious about agreeing to interviews — and probably weary of the process after all the media interactions she had to do during her hit-making and performing career.

Seven months elapsed from the time we made our initial query requesting a conversation with Anne until we actually spoke with her. We received no response to the initial query we sent through her website in June 2014. The following October we re-sent our request to speak with her. A month later her assistant — using a pseudonym — told us that Anne had declined our request. Then to our surprise, the assistant emailed us in January , 2015, to say that Anne had changed her mind and had agreed to speak with us. 

Perhaps she was persuaded by our offer to let her review our manuscript and rectify any inadvertent errors before publication. Maybe it’s because we always referred to our interactions with performers as conversations rather than interviews. Perhaps she was busy when we initially contacted her, but had more time available at the beginning of 2015. Whatever the reason, she was warm, gracious, relaxed, candid and humorous when we spoke with her in February 2015. She didn’t have to speak with us; she was no longer promoting herself. But Marti and I certainly were grateful that she trusted us and gave up two hours of her time to have a conversation with us, and even more time to help us tidy up the chapter about her. She is a very classy lady.
Sincerely,
Jeff, with regards from Marti

I was surprised to see that Gilbert O'Sullivan is coming back to The City Winery here in Chicago on March 19th!  (For a guy who hasn't toured in nearly fifty years, this certainly was a welcome surprise!)

We saw him back in March of this year (after two years of Covid-related postponements) and he put on a very entertaining set.  (Read our review here:  https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2022/03/concert-review-gilbert-osullivan.html)

You can get your tickets for next year's show right here:

https://citywinery.com/chicago/Online/default.asp?BOset::WScontent::SearchCriteria::month_filter=1677646800000&BOparam::WScontent::search::article_search_id=D925D835-A645-476E-8936-4CB5AEE6D78B&doWork::WScontent::search

Several months back we told you about a brand new Broadway Musical profiling the life and music of Neil Diamond.

Well, it finally had its grand opening this past weekend ... and the master songsmith showed up for the event ... and even led the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Sweet Caroline."

You'll find a lot more of the story here ...

https://rockcellarmagazine.com/neil-diamond-sweet-caroline-broadway-musical-premiere-a-beautiful-noise/?utm_source=Rock+Cellar+Magazine+Subscribers&utm_campaign=a3d456539d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_8_26_2021_9_13_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_951cfef8de-a3d456539d-162343372&mc_cid=a3d456539d&mc_eid=f8f75f98ed#main

There are certain music innovators that have come along during our lifetime that stand head and shoulders above the others ... guys like Sam Phillips, who founded Sun Records, Berry Gordy, who gave us The Sound of Motown, Ahmet Ertegan, founder of Atlantic Records and Jim Stewart, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer who founded Stax Records.

Sadly, Jim passed away on Monday, December 5th, at the age of 92.

Stax gave us a very unique, soulful sound.  It was just one more accolade for the city of Memphis, saturated in the sounds of the blues, rockabilly, early rock and roll and soul ... a blend not quite like any other.  (The list of hit songs and artists who came up thru the Stax Record Label and its subsidiaries is staggering.) 

According to Fred Bronson's book "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits," these are the Top 20 Stax Pop Hits of The Rock Era: 

# 1 - Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding (1968)

# 2 - Theme from "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes (1971)

# 3 - I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers (1972)

# 4 -  Soul Man - Sam and Dave (1967)

# 5 - Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight (1971)

# 6 - Last Night - The Mar-Keys (1961)

# 7 - If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right - Luther Ingram (1972) 

# 8 - Green Onions - Booker T and the MG's (1962) 

# 9 - Who's Making Love - Johnnie Taylor (1968)

#10 - I Believe In You, You Believe In Me - Johnnie Taylor (1973)

#11 - If You're Ready, Come Go With Me - The Staple Singers (1973)

#12 - Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics (1971)

#13 - In The Rain - The Dramatics (1972)

#14 - Time Is Tight - Booker T and the Mg's (1969)

#15 - Walking The Dog - Rufus Thomas (1963)

#16 - Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers (1971)

#17 - I Thank You - Sam and Dave (1968)

#18 - Hang 'em High - Booker T and the MG's (1969)

#19 - Bring It On Home To Me - Eddie Floyd (1968)

#20 - B-A-B-Y - Carla Thomas (1966)

And that list doesn't even leave room for smashes like "Starting All Over Again" by Mel and Tim, "Hold On! I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave, "Groovin'" by Booker T and the MG's and "Soul Finger" by The Bar-Kays.

Jim Stewart left us with an amazing legacy of music.  (It is being reported that during a fifteen year span, Stax Records placed 167 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart ... and an incredible 243 on their R&B Singles Chart!)  

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (kk) 

I would have thought Fleetwood Mac songs would have taken over Billboard's Hot 100 Chart this week with the recent passing of Christine McVie ...

But apparently everybody is shoulder-deep in the Christmas Spirit right now as 24 of this week's Top 50 Singles are all holiday oriented tracks ... and this includes SEVEN in The Top Ten, led (of course) by Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," which has already hit #2.

Other "Christmas Oldies" in the Top Ten include "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee (#3), "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms (#5), "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives (#6), "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" by Andy Williams (#9) and "Last Christmas" by Wham (#10).

In fact, there isn't a single Fleetwood Mac track in the entire Top 100.  (Too soon, perhaps?  Maybe next week?)  We'll see!  (kk) 

FOR THE RECORD:  Their "Rumours" album DID jump into the #20 spot this week on Billboard's Top 200 Albums Chart ... while their Greatest Hits LP (which includes eight tracks written and sung by McVie) re-entered the charts at #98. 

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