I was sad to hear about the passing of Cynthia Weil, one of the most noted and successful songwriters of the 1960’s.
With her husband Barry Mann, Weil wrote the classic tunes “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration” (both #1 Hits for The Righteous Brothers) as well as “I Love How You Love Me” (recorded by countless artists), “On Broadway” (ditto), “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” for Eydie Gorme, “Here You Come Again” for Dolly Parton, “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” for The Animals, “Don’t Know Much” and “Somewhere Out There” (hits for Linda Ronstadt), “He’s So Shy” by The Pointer Sisters, “Kicks” and “Hungry” for Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Walkin’ In The Rain,” “Only In America,” “Sometimes When We Touch,” “I Just Can’t Help Believin’” (recorded by B.J. Thomas and Elvis!), “Rock And Roll Lullaby” (also for B.J.), “Make Your Own Kind Of Music,” “Shades Of Gray” (for The Monkees) and literally dozens more ... including our very first Forgotten Hit, "Shape Of Things To Come" as recorded by Max Frost and the Troopers! (Husband Barry Mann wrote his own hit, “Who Put The Bomp” with Carole King’s husband at the time, Gerry Goffin.)
Carole King has always drawn the lion’s share of the attention when it comes to this department … by clearly Cynthia Weil compiled an incredibly impressive collection of hits of her own! (kk)
I encountered the very talented and lovely Cynthia Weil a handful of times in Los Angeles and Hollywood at various songwriting events the last 50 years. The list of monumental tunes penned by Cynthia with husband Barry Mann says it all.
I remember as a teenager seeing the sheet music of "Shades of Gray," a song the duo penned just before the Monkees recorded it with producer Chip Douglas for their "Headquarters" album. It had a prophetic aspect in the lyrics that truly captured not only a moment but a divided world. I saw Peter Tork sing it live at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles playing a keyboard and it was marvelous rendition.
From 1965 – 1970, my mother Hilda worked for Raybert, the production company that did "The Monkees" television series at Gower Gulch/Columbia Studios in Hollywood. Mom and staff typed the weekly scripts and was also in the stenography pool. I'd eagerly look to see what song the group would be performing on TV the next week or two. In 2011, director Morgan Neville hired me as Consulting Producer for his documentary "Troubadours: Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter." I wrote the questions for the interview and attended the filming Morgan conducted with Barry and Cynthia inside their residence.
Cynthia showed me a music room and I was startled seeing a large reproduction of the sheet music of "You've Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’" right next to a BMI award documenting that the recording by the Righteous Brothers and their Phil Spector production at the landmark Gold Star studios was the most played recording of the last century. I grabbed Cynthia's hand, and said, "What an important and amazing achievement..." She smiled and remarked "Thank you." And then she added, "Another important achievement was our daughter Jenn becoming a doctor."
One proud mother whose work with Mann went far beyond informing the soundtrack of our lives.
I encourage everyone to try and find a copy of Morgan Neville's "Hitmakers: The Teens Who Stole Pop Music," which I first saw on A&E cable TV. The Brill Building songwriters all on display.
Hitmakers: The Teens Who Stole Pop Music - Variety
https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/hitmakers...
Also check out
Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of …
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/..
Harvey Kubernik
From Tom Cuddy ...
CBS News Profile: Songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann
This is a great piece! CBS Sunday Morning always puts together a nice music profile each week ... it's just so rare that I get to see them ... but I am always knocked out by what they can do in an eight minute segment! (I wonder if they'll rerun this piece this morning?) kk
Billboard is reporting that in the week since her death,
Tina Turner’s music has been streamed over 40 MILLION TIMES!!! (Now that’s incredible!) The week before her death, she had 2.7 million streams ... still a remarkable number.
As we showed you last week, she had quite a Hit List! (Naturally, “What’s Love Got To Do With It” leads the pack!)
Nothing on Cynthia Weil? Or Rolf Harris and George Maharis from the other week?
We need a new funeral director here.
Jack
We got the Cynthia Weil information up this morning … didn’t even know about Rolf Harris or George Maharis! (Our work week of late consists of 13 and 14 hour days … and weekends … leaving very little time for anything else.)
As you know, Ron Smith was the official “Forgotten Hits Grim Reaper” for many years, informing our readers about the latest departures of recording artists from our era. He finally gave it up when he felt that all he was reporting was more sad news. (Even sadder is that he, too, passed a few years ago.)
So the job is yours if you want it!!!
I try to keep up as best I can … but because we often have “pre-posts” nowadays due to my own scheduling conflicts, the news sometimes doesn’t go up until a day or two after the event. (I first found out about Ed Ames a full week after he had passed, for example … but then made it a point to get something up on the site right away about it.) kk
As for Harris and “'haris” … as in Rolf Harris and George Marharis … here’s a look at their recording careers from an American Chart point of view …
Rolf Harris scored at Top Ten Hit in 1963 with his novelty hit “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.” Other chart hits include “Sun Arise” (#44, 1963), “Nick Teen And Al K. Hall (#96, 1963) and the collectible “Ringo For President” (#118, 1964.) He also did an interesting version of “Stairway To Heaven” that we’ve featured before (and again today.)
He passed away back on May 10th (nearly a month ago!)
Although his career waned here in America after his 1963 hits, he remained a big celebrity back home in Australia, both on the music charts and on television.
Much as Brian Wilson is credited with introducing our generation to the theremin, Harris can take credit for introducing us to the didgeridoo and the wobble board (which, it’s said, he invented.)
Sadly, his career ended on a tragically sick note when he was found guilty in 2014 and sent to prison for the sexual assault of four underage girls. (I see that Bill Cosby was also back in the news this week for more charges of sexual assault … this time stemming from an incident in 1969 against a former Playboy Playmate.)
As for George Maharis, George is best remembered for his role on TV’s “Route 66.”
Like many television stars of this era, he tried to expand his career to recording … and actually scored a Top 40 Hit with his version of the oft-recorded “Teach Me Tonight.” (#25, 1962 … and a #14 Hit here in Chicago), where he also scored with “Love Me As I Love You” (#21 … and #54 nationally) and “Baby Has Gone Bye Bye” (#26 and #60 nationally.)
George passed away back on May 24th. And, speaking of playmates, George posed nude for the second issue of Playgirl Magazine … shortly after the Burt Reynolds did the same for Cosmo!
It was widely circulated that Maharis was difficult to work with after his three year stint on “Route 66” … but underlying reports suggest he may have been blackballed for being gay … although there doesn’t seem to be any evidence to suggest this was the case. In fact, after leaving the series, George made a number of movies. (kk)
And, bad back and all, he's diving head first into the pool ...
(which I guess in THIS case really IS the dead pool!) kk
I've hired two assistants ... one domestic and one UK.
Jack
Have at it, Jack! (kk)
And, wasting absolutely no time ... here he goes!
After Friday’s FH piece, one cannot help but ask the rhetorical question …
Is your refrigerator running? (kk)
"Hey! Did You Leave the Fridge Door Open?!" (CB)
Yeah, I was listening to the radio!!! I like the echo in here. (By the way, the light really DOES go off when you close the door!) kk
I will say that I never knew (or had any idea!) that radios were once incorporated into kitchen appliances …
So this was a real learning experience for me.
A pretty clever idea, I must say! (kk)
I loved your story about "The Refrigerator!"
Also being a former "Chicago Boy" (just one more thing that "CB stands for!"), I, too, am familiar with him. I thought of him when I was writing my story but wanted to focus on just "Radio and Records." I'm glad you did go with that add-on and from your perspective! Great Photos and all! Wow!
CB ( which stands . . . oh, wait. I already covered that here! )
What you wrote in that post is definitely unusual. It's the first time I've ever heard about it. You're always good for great trivia from the past.
Believe it or not, I think putting a record player in a car is even stranger, but it happened. You can read all about it below. It was called Highway Hi-Fi. They were in Chrysler cars from 1955 to 1959.
https://bloggerhythms.blogspot.com/2011/05/slower-than-slow-16-rpm-records.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_Hi-Fi
Charlie Ricci
Powell Crosley, who owned the radio company as well as a car company, also invented and held the patent on the storage system that is inserted into the door of refrigerators. This possibly could be how he got his foot in the door, so to speak, for the “Frig Radio.”
Robert Campbell
It's uncanny how much the woman in this photo looks like my late grandmother! Actually freaks me out a little bit! (kk)
After 150 shows, Billy Joel will be ending his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden next year.
The whole thing kicked off ten years ago … and Joel said that he would play The Garden every month for as long as there was still a demand for tickets … and nearly every show has been a sell-out ever since. (There is typically a surprise guest on hand, too, to help keep the interest high.)
Joel will play the first of his last ten shows on October 20th … and then carry on to the end next year. (When one considers the number of shows missed because of Covid, it really is pretty incredible that Billy will have racked up 150 shows, playing to something like 1.6 million fans within the confines of Madison Square Garden alone!)
Now THAT would have been the place to see him, I guess … but this last batch of shows will most certainly be complete sell outs. (I think I’m just destined to never see him live … I’ve had tickets FOUR TIMES since the late ‘70’s and EVERY single time I was supposed to go, something came up that prevented me from ever making it to the concert!) kk
Looks like Noise 11 got it half right …
In a news story out on Friday, they are reporting that Actor/Comedian Steve Martin makes a guest appearance on the track “I Hate Love” from the forthcoming Kelly Clarkson album “Chemistry,” to be released on June 23rd.
Believe it or not, Martin plays the banjo on this track, a passion of his since forever … and all of this part of their article is true …
But in it, they are ALSO reporting that Kelly Clarkson will be the opening act for a series of Guns ‘n Roses concerts later this year … which is NOT correct.
They’re confusing Kelly with Carrie Underwood … a DIFFERENT American Idol Winner … who has joined the band on stage a few times already in the past (she describes herself as a super fan) and will now open for Guns ‘n Roses in Nashville as well as on a couple of Canadian dates. (kk)
A few weeks ago we told you about an auction of Freddie Mercury’s personal belongings. Freddie’s long-time friend Mary Austin has decided to liquidate the collection that Freddie left her at the time of his death.
One piece of memorabilia that is certain to earn big bucks is Freddie’s handwritten lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody” … which apparently was once titled “MONGOLIAN Rhapsody,” believe it or not!!!
Sketched out on a notepad bearing the name of British Midland Airways, it looks like Freddie was just experimenting with the sounds of certain words. One page features the words “fandango,” “Figaro,” “thunderbolts and lighting” and “belladonna” scribbled in Freddie's handwriting! (Sounds like he had a pretty good idea as to what he was going for!)
This piece is expected to fetch upwards of $1.2-$1.5 million! (kk)
And, speaking of Queen …
MICKY DOLENZ has been in
London this past week for Sunday's James Burton & Friends event at the
London Palladium.
Friday was rehearsal day for the event and Micky met up with Queen's Brian May.
(photo by Jane Blunkell)
Through Wednesday (June 7th) Sirius XM is saluting Black History by counting down The Top 500 R&B Songs from the past 60 years. You’ll find it on Channel 104 … but only for the next four days.
Many years ... and several computer crashes ago ... I once compiled a list of The Top 200 Motown Hits, based on chart information gathered from both Billboard's R&B Chart and Pop Singles Chart. Sadly, this, too, is now long gone ... as I would have LOVED to have posted it on the other Forgotten Hits website along with some of our other countdown features.
Oh well ... we'll see ... maybe someday I'll work up the time and energy to recreate it. (The original list covered the time period of 1960 - 1985 ... which is where the bulk of the hits landed.) kk
Harvey Kubernik remembers Charlie Watts on what would have been his 82nd birthday … https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-charles-robert-watts-an-appreciation/
More here: https://bestclassicbands.com/charlie-watts-birthday-6-2-15/
From Tom Cuddy ...
New Dolby mix of Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" takes its luminous vocals to soaring heights
https://www.salon.com/2023/06/03/new-dolby-mix-of-beach-boys-pet-sounds-takes-its-luminous-vocals-to-soaring-heights/
Giles Martin put this new mix together ... and it's supposed to be incredible. (Guess I'll be buying "Pet Sounds" for the 17th time one of these days!) kk
And, speaking of new releases (of old material), this one sound intriguing …
Andrew Gold “The Fraternal Order Of The All – Greetings From Planet Love” Reissued on CD and Limited Edition Double 10-inch LP Splatter Vinyl July 28, 2023
ANDREW GOLD’S PASTICHE PSYCHEDELIC MASTERPIECE FEATURING 10CC LEGEND GRAHAM GOULDMAN.
Andrew Gold’s pastiche psychedelic masterpiece “The Fraternal Order of the All – Greetings from Planet Love” will be released on CD on July 28, 2023.
Initially released in 1997, the album was conceived by Andrew Gold as a tribute to late 60s psychedelic rock. His remarkable compositions were wonderful stylistic evocations of artists such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Byrds and The Doors.
The project saw Gold create the fictitious band The Fraternal Order of the All, in reality Andrew playing most of the instrumentation and singing, along with guest musicians such as 10cc legend Graham Gouldman.
Also available as a limited edition double LP is pressed on 10-inch colored splatter vinyl and features a newly designed lavish gatefold sleeve.
Track Listing
1 Greetings from Planet Love
2 Rainbow People
3 Love Tonight
4 Chasing My Tail
5 Swirl
6 Tuba Rye and Will’s Son / Balloon in the Sky
7 King of Showbiz
8 Whirl
9 Freelove Baby
10 Groovy Party at Jimmy’s Magic Pad
11 It’s Beautiful
12 Wink of the Third Eye
13 It Has No Eyes But Sight
14 Twirl
15 Space and Time
16 Time is Standing Still
17 Ride the Snake
18 Mr Plastic Business Man
19 Ccosmicc Ccarnivall
20 Tomorrow Drop Dead
To pre-order: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/andrew-gold-the-fraternal-order-of-the-all-greetings-from-planet-love-cd-edition/
Andrew’s two biggest pop hits, of course, sounded very influenced by the music of the ‘60’s …
“Lonely Boy” went all the way to #3 in 1977 … and “Thank You For Being A Friend” was a #11 pop hit long before it became the theme to “The Golden Girls!” (I always liked “Never Let Her Slip Away,” too.)
I first caught wind of Andrew when I learned that he did all those very Beatlesque guitar bits on Linda Ronstadt’s #1 Hit “You’re No Good” … it sounded like it came right from the “Abbey Road” sessions! (Of course having Peter Asher onboard as her record producer didn’t hurt either!)
Word is Linda HATED the arrangement at first … said it sounded “TOO Beatle-ish” (which, of course, I found to be the greatest part of its charm!) kk
I’m going to have to check out “The Fraternal Order Of The All” when it is released next month. (kk)
HOWDY, Kent! How are you?
My condolences to the family and fans of Tina Turner. Very talented.
I enjoyed your Al Kooper article. I used to see him in Greenwich Village walking around the streets of the lower West Side as well as Jeff Beck back in the late 60's. Wikipedia has a lot of info about his work. He was very "driven" aka ambitious. I first heard about Al Kooper when I played the "Blues Project Projections" album back in high school. I particularly liked "Flute Thing" but Al wasn’t on that cut. He is an enormous talent and made so many contributions to the music world.
Sandy
I had the pleasure of seeing Al perform a solo show at a small club up on the North Side of Chicago a few years back … and he’s definitely still got it. A very charismatic performer ... came home and downloaded a few of his tunes that I had never heard of before! (kk)
From our buddy Ray Graffia, Jr. ...
Here's a very brief poem I ran recently on Facebook. It received a great number of responses so I guess some of my words can still move folks to think, react and, my gosh, were they ever supportive! Shall also attach the photo that accompanied my words ... and if interested in more such silliness, you and anyone with whom you share this can reach me here: Log in or sign up to view
Share any / all / none as you see fit ... or simply read and fuggedaboudit!
Blessings, regardless, my dear friend –
Amazing to think of Nicki as nearing 40 though, is it not?
Ray
Alone; though crowds are calling ...
Defeated; storms rage, appalling ...
Rain; no! Teardrops falling ...
Cane; support gone, bawling ...
Inspiration left - living less ...
Life & Love; pointless, meaningless...
.jpg)
Raymond J. (Ray) Graffia, Jr., Founder / Hall of Fame recording artists, “New Colony Six” since 1964
Inductee into both Iowa’s (2002)
& Illinois’ (2022) R&R Halls of Fame
Member, “Cornerstones of Rock” since 2015 PBS TV Special
Find more on this rock & roll aspect of the writer at LinkedIn, YouTube,
Spotify, Facebook ... or Google me or NC6!
Currently Contacted c/o: colonyjr@yahoo.com
Very happy to share … and glad to hear you’re still generating some buzz with your creative talents!
Always the best, Ray! (kk)
Pink Floyd “The Dark Side Of The Moon – A Visual History By Glenn Povey” Super Deluxe Edition Box Set Now Available For Pre-order
(Released Jun 16, 2023)
“The Dark Side Of The Moon” will always remain Pink Floyd’s greatest achievement. A landmark album in every respect and housed in one of the most iconic album sleeves of all time.
Statistics for its sales – 50 million worldwide and counting – and chart history – 15 consecutive years on the Billboard 200 - are mind-boggling. As the album enjoys its 50th anniversary year it still shows little sign of waning in its popularity as new generations of music lovers discover its wonders.
Its release in March, 1973, saw the album go straight to No.1 in the US and No.2 in the UK. Previous albums had been a hit and miss affair, a series of tracks both with lyrics as well as instrumental, but “The Dark Side Of The Moon” presented a more literal concept, a continuous piece woven with tracks dealing with the pressures of life, birth, death, war, mental illness and inequality to name a few. This clearly struck a chord.
Similarly, their live shows had built a steady cult following too, which had seen their new album previewed live as a work in progress since January, 1972. However, it was with the release of the single “Money” to FM radio in North America that it suddenly propelled the band into the sphere of stadium touring.
Consequently, their live shows began to take on another dimension, becoming a multi-media extravaganza with inflatable props, pyrotechnics on a massive scale and a giant circular projection screen featuring specially made live action and animation films.
Pink Floyd had finally arrived in grand style and with it followed a slew of highly regarded conceptual albums and live shows that are remembered as nothing short of spectacular.
As author Glenn Povey explains, “Pink Floyd were a unique phenomenon. They broke the mold both in terms of recording technique but also stage presentation and created a mystique that set them apart. My ongoing research into their history has spawned many books but here I have collated all of their performance and recording history surrounding this remarkable album.”
Inside this box of delights you will find the complete recording history of the “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, documentation of all the live performances of the album by the band, previously unpublished photos and illustrations as well as facsimile memorabilia including photos, programs, handbills and passes.
This super deluxe box contains:
• Signed and Numbered certificate by the one of the world leading Floyd authorities and author Glenn Povey
• Reproduction of very rare and interesting; memorabilia, photos, posters from the era
• A CD of interviews with the band recorded in the day.
The first one is from 1972, where the band discusses being on the road, the “Live at Pompeii” film, the band are very relaxed and laughing. Richard Wright says at one point, “We understand each other very well. We are very tolerant of each other”. Nick Mason says, “We are all from the British aristocracy with the exception of David Gilmour …”
This band interview is a rare gem, from a band which seldom gave interviews. It’s sure to raise an eyebrow or two looking back from 2023.
The longer interview is over 30 minutes long with Richard Wright, where he discusses touring and looking back at “The Dark Side Of The Moon,” the band’s inner workings on how they write and play together, solo albums, along with living in the English countryside.
This CD of interviews, along with all the memorabilia and legendary Floyd historian Glenn Povey’s commentary makes this limited-edition super deluxe box set, the perfect companion to the official “The Dark Side of the Moon” set.
A must for all serious collectors of Pink Floyd.
To pre-order: https://www.musicglue.com/pink-floyd-glenn-povey-a-visual-tour/products/pink-floyd-dark-side-of-the-moon-super-deluxe-edition
Last week we asked you to vote for your favorite #1 Memorial Day Hits. (You can view the complete list by scrolling back to Monday, May 29th, in case you missed it.)
But that would ALSO mean that you missed your chance to vote for YOUR favorites. (See, I keep telling you guys, you’ve got to check Forgotten Hits every single day!!!)
Anyway, after all your votes, here’s how the Top Ten shaped up:
|
#1 - 1971 - BROWN SUGAR - The Rolling Stones |
|
#2 - 1960 - CATHY'S CLOWN - The Everly Brothers |
|
#3 - 1958 - ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM – The Everly Brothers |
|
#4 - 1977 - SIR DUKE - Stevie Wonder |
|
#5 - 1963 - IT'S MY PARTY - Lesley Gore |
|
#6 - 1966 - WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – Percy Sledge |
|
#7 - 1980 - FUNKYTOWN - Lipps, Inc. |
|
#8 - 1955 - CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM
WHITE - |
|
#9 - 1959 - THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS – Johnny Horton |
|
#10 - 1965 - HELP ME RHONDA - The Beach Boys |
Not far behind: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Ray Charles, “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley and “Get Back” by The Beatles
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote! (kk)
On Memorial Day you showed the Number One tracks from previous Memorial Days.
On her radio show Monday night, Rollye James posed the trivia question "What instrumental song did Bill Haley and the Comets knock out of the Number One position just after Memorial Day in 1955?"
See? Readers of Forgotten Hits would have known the answer instantly! And for all I know, that's where she got her inspiration to pose that question.
David Lewis
Hmmm ...
On a similar note ...
FH is a bigger resource than even you may know.
Bill
>>>There are a few surprises on this list ... It's not unusual to think that an artist or two just might have topped the chart on two different Memorial Days ... And we have a few occurrences of this on this list above ... But if given a hundred guesses, would you ever have speculated that Ray Stevens and Deniece Williams would be among those who accomplished this feat?!?! (kk)
I don't think I would have guessed Ray Stevens and Deniece Williams as having TWO Memorial Day Number Ones even if you gave me 500 guesses!
Sam Tallerico
Our good buddy Chuck Buell points out … and rightfully so … that “rank order” isn’t always necessarily a GOOD thing …
Top Five Favorites (in rank order)*
OK, I'm going with these before I go back and Add and Subtract Titles and Rearrange the Order!
Again!!
Final Answer!
*Do you find it interesting, as do I, that "rank" can reference a good thing OR a not so good thing?
For instance, "Top Five "Rank" Foods" - Foods I DON'T like ( in "rank" order! )
Liver
Raw Oysters
Beef Tartare
Asparagus
Kidney Beans
CB!
By the way, I am happy to report that ALL of MY Top Five Favorites made the list!
In RANK order … and I mean that in the nicest way … my original five choices were: “Brown Sugar,” “Cathy’s Clown,” “Sir Duke,” “Funkytown” and “It’s My Party” … which allows for something from every decade except the ‘50’s (although I had a hard time eliminating “All I Have To Do Is Dream” and “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White,” both of which would have made my Top Ten, if we were allowed to vote that high!!!) That being said, I had absolutely NO problem picking my five LEAST favorites on this list! Lol (kk)
