We’ve got some catching up to do …
So let’s get down to it! (kk)
Reading in Forgotten Hits the news about Astrud Gilberto, “The Girl from Ipanema,” walking on out of our lives brought back some other musical memories of a few other Great “Young and Lovely” subtle-sounding Forgotten Hits Female Hitmakers.
So, with that inspiration, here’s a Very Special “Chuck Buell Great Wispy Female Singers Minute Medley” to feature her and just a couple of others.
CB ( which stands for Songs “Composition Boy!” )
Hi there, Kent,
I was very sorry to hear of the death of Astrud Gilberto. Thanks, Jack, for letting us know about her passing.
I am not sure whether this is true or not, but I heard somewhere that Astrud Gilberto's recording of The Girl From Ipanema was released and became popular in her native
Brazil in 1962, a full two years before it became a big hit here in North America.
Many of you may have never heard the full album version of this song which features an entire verse in Portuguese sung by her husband, plus, a very cool sax solo by Stan Getz.
Incidentally, during my freshman year in college at a small college in New Hampshire during the 1972-'73 school year, I became quite friendly with Stan Getz' son Dave. Naturally Dave was very proud of his father and the many successful albums that he recorded with other musicians in the jazz genre. Sadly, most kids at the college were into either top forty, modern country, or album oriented rock music and could have cared less about jazz at all, and would tell Dave to stop talking about his father's albums. These kids weren't even familiar with The Girl From Ipanema, which at least I knew, plus Stan Getz' other cross over song that made the top forty charts in 1962, Desafinado with Charlie Byrd.
Dave appreciated the fact that I had at least heard of his father, and although I was no expert on his material and wasn't a huge jazz fan myself, at least I respected the body of work that he had recorded and the talent that he had. That's probably why we got along so well that year. I've often wondered what happened to him, and whether he is still alive or not.
Anyway, for those of you that are interested, here is the full album version of The Girl From Ipanema by Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto.
And now for something that's a bit different, and pretty rare I would imagine. I have dipped into my archives to share this with you folks, a McLeans toothpaste commercial from 1965 by Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto which is obviously based on the song. So any of you FH fans that collect vintage radio commercials, you folks should enjoy this.
Also, for all of you beer lovers out there, you might enjoy this Schaeffer beer commercial that I also have by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz.
Anyway Kent, I hope that FH fans will enjoy these contributions from yours truly.
Sam Ward
OK, now that McLeans Toothpaste Commercial is just TOO cool!!! Lol
I did a little bit of research as to the history of the song "The Girl From Ipanema" and here is what I have come up with ...
“Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") was originally composed for a musical comedy titled Dirigível ("Airship"), which was then at the time a work in progress of Vinicius de Moraes. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. (The English lyrics were written later by Norman Gimbel.) The original title was "Menina que Passa" ("The Girl Who Passes By") ... and the first verse was also different.
Jobim
composed the melody on his piano in his new house in Rua Barão da Torre, in
Ipanema. Moraes wrote the lyrics in Petrópolis, near Rio de
Janeiro. Many seem to credit this somewhat unlikely (yet seemingly totally natural) blend of bossa nova and jazz as igniting a bossa nova craze here in The States, but quite honestly, Eydie Gorme had already been blaming everything on the bossa nova and Elvis was singing about his Bossa Nova Baby the year before. Still, the Getz/Gilberto recording is perhaps the finest (and most memorable) example of this genre.
The first commercial recording was made in 1962 by Pery Ribeiro.
The Stan Getz recording,
featuring the vocal debut of Astrud Gilberto, was recorded a year later and
became an international hit, utilizing the newly-written English lyrics. (Whoever it was at Verve Records that felt that this recording could potentially become a huge pop hit was nothing short of a musical genius!) The 45
version that was ultimately released was a shortened version of the track that appeared on the "Getz/Gilberto" album (recorded in March, 1963, and released in March, 1964), which also included the Portuguese lyrics sung by
Astrud's then husband João Gilberto on the first verse. THIS was how the song was intended to be recorded ... before João suggested that his wife take a crack at the English lyrics.
(That’s right, folks … the intended Gilberto all along on the original
collaboration was João Gilberto, and not his wife Astrud!) João's vocal was completely eliminated from the single mix ... and a monster hit was born. (Believe it or not, it was Astrud's first professionally recorded vocal! Not bad for a rookie, eh?)
How did it happen, you ask???
During a recording session in New York with João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim and American jazz great Stan Getz, the idea of cutting an English-language version came up. João's wife Astrud was the only one of the Brazilians who could speak English well enough to handle such a task and thus was chosen to sing. Her voice, recorded without the benefit of any previous training, recording experience or singer nuances, proved to be the perfect fit for the song. If she sounds a bit apprehensive while singing, all that did was add to the overall charm of the record. Incredibly, she never received any royalties from this million-selling single and was paid only the standard $120 session fee for her part in recording it.
It became a worldwide hit in the ‘60’s and won the Grammy for Record Of The Year in 1965. (The single peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart … and spent two weeks at #1 on their Easy Listening Chart.)
Astrud went on to tour the world with Stan Getz, ultimately having an affair with him that contributed to the end of her marriage. She never hit The Top 100 again.
As Sergio Mendes taught us many years later, Portuguese is the predominant language spoken in Brazil ... so it was only natural that this is how the original lyrics would be written and sung. Had they left the recording alone with just João's vocal on it, it likely wouldn't have become the international hit that it did ... and certainly not a Top Five hit here in America, if issued here at all. Fortunately, João felt his wife could bring something special to the recording by singing the English lyrics. In the end, his track became her track ... and the hit that we all know and love today. (Some might consider the 45 edit of "The Girl From Ipanema" to be the perfect Brazilian wax!) kk
Giving credit where credit is due:
The entire "Getz/Gilberto" album was recorded over a period of just two days ... March 18th and 19th of 1963 ... at A&R Studios in New York City. In addition to Stan Getz on saxophone, João Gilberto on guitar and vocal and Astrud Gilberto on vocal, they were also accompanied by Antonio Carlos Jobim on piano, Tommy Williams on bass and Milton Banana on drums. The producer for these sessions was Creed Taylor. (kk)
Kent:
You might want to check into this further, but it's been my understanding that the Imperials are NOT on the road with Little Anthony on the Happy Together Tour dates.
Tom Cuddy
I’m sure you’re right … just force of habit I guess. Typically, the acts all perform with the same back-up band (as described in the short review below.) For example, although billed as The Buckinghams when they take part in the tour, what you’re really getting is just Carl and Nick and not the whole band … so I’m sure Little Anthony would be a similar situation.
I can tell you this …
We’ve seen Anthony a few times now over the past seven or eight years and he is STILL in fine voice … in complete command on stage … and in this type of setting, I think he’ll look stronger than ever, singing just his biggest hits. (Based on what I'm hearing by the crowd reaction, he may be doing this tour for many years to come!) kk
Kent,
My girlfriend Alice and our good buddy Bob and myself attended the opening night of the Happy Together Tour here in Clearwater, FL, at the sold out Ruth Eckerd Hall on May 31st. 2,130 fans enthusiastically enjoyed the show, as did me and my two buddies.
The artist who got the biggest applause was probably Little Anthony (83-year-old Jerome Gourdine) who still hit all the high notes on his biggest hits. Gary Puckett was also a fan favorite, a lot of it was probably because he is the hometown boy since he lives right here in Clearwater.
All the artists played their usual hits and sang them well. The backup band, led by the musical director and guitarist Godfrey Townsend (who is a member of the latter-day Yardbirds), also were outstanding.
My personal favorites were The Cowsills. (I still need to see a full-fledged Cowsills show sometime.) They opened the show. I wished that they had played a song off their new album Rhythm Of The World, but I understand why they didn't. (This is a show of 60s favorites.) My other favorite performer was Ron Dante. I would like to know what Fountain Of Youth prescription he is taking to look so young! Outstanding voice also.
Anyway, sent you a few photos of the show ... we were sitting probably 25 rows back and they are not the greatest, but feel free to use any of them you like for the Forgotten Hits site.
I highly recommend this show!
Rich Turner and Alice Lima,
Largo, FL
Rich sent me a ton of photos to choose from ... more than we can run here ... but here's a nice selection of the artists on this year's bill ...
The Cowsills
The Classics IV and Gary Puckett
The Vogues and Mark Volman of The Turtles
Lead Singers of the Touring Turtles:
Mark Volman and Ron Dante!
A couple of group ensemble shots from the finale
Scroll back to Wednesday's post to see all of the tour dates!
And, speaking of The Happy Together Tour, here’s a reminder about Mark Volman’s new book …
Mark Volman discusses Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures with the Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More
Mark Volman has led a storied life, and many of those stories are contained in Happy Forever. A true son of Southern California, he has gone from topping the charts with The Turtles ('Happy Together') to underground cred with Frank Zappa and beyond. As Flo & Eddie, Mark and his longtime singing partner Howard Kaylan were the not-so-secret ingredient on many other artist's records, taking Bruce Springsteen into the Top 10 for the very first time and helping T. Rex dominate the British charts. Then came The Ramones, U2, Blondie, Duran Duran, and so many more; the list of credits is long and varied.
Happy Forever covers all of that, along with subsequent forays into animation, a stint as a radio personality in Los Angeles and New York, and a midlife return to academia, which led Mark to create and run innovative college programs in LA and Nashville. But this is not the world according to Mark Volman, and it is not your average musical autobiography. Alongside his own comments, this uniquely insightful book contains contributions from more than one hundred of Mark's peers, friends, and lovers who share their thoughts on the man himself and on topics that span the social and cultural landscape of past half-century.
Happy Forever's cast list reads like a who's who of popular music, featuring members of The Doors, The Monkees, The Byrds, The E Street Band, Harvey Kubernik, and many more; producers Tony Visconti, Bob Ezrin, and Hal Willner; voice actors from The Simpsons and the Firesign Theatre; and key figures from the worlds of radio, animation, and academia. The book also includes previously unseen photographs and forewords by Alice Cooper and Chris Hillman. (Jawbone Press)
I’m going to have to pick this up … Howard Kaylan’s book is an excellent read, too! (kk)
Kent,
You always come up with great stuff!
Keep rockin’!
Ronnie Rice
Kent, I Do As I'm Told ...
So, in recognition of this day, why not sit down, take a ballpoint pen in hand, and write Kent a short note telling him how much you appreciate and enjoy Forgotten Hits!
FB
What a GREAT suggestion! (Dammit ... why didn't I think of that?!?!?) And I LOVE this song, too ... especially the Billy Vera version, featured here. (kk)
Hi, Kent!
Thanx for featuring my Bob Sirott piece. Hard
to believe it's been 50 years ... makes me feel ancient.
Also, it was great to watch that Chicago rock band piece again. I never
get tired of that one, either. Where did the time go?
The
link I sent was to one of the better-sounding "copycat" versions of
the aircheck I did on 6-8-73. I'm surprised that I've never run across an
aircheck of that show that was done by anyone else. That great site (CR&M) that
I sent it to, many years ago, is completely different than it was a decade ago,
so I'm glad I kept my original version.
Yep. Great shot of Bob and Dick Biondi ... I don't know who took it.
In spite of graduating High School with Bob, I just can't get close to him.
However, at one of our class reunions a decade ago, I gave him a copy of Lani
Hall's "Albany Park" LP, and he seemed a bit stunned - I don't think he
knew about her doing that LP back in 1972. She lived 800 feet from me, and we
were at the same grade school (Hibbard, on Ainslie Street); she's four years my
senior, tho. Bob has always been close with Scott Berman, owner of SuperDawg.
Mike Wolstein
A bit of online surfing reveals that Bob’s favorite Chicago Italian Beef, fries and Italian Ice are at Frannie’s on River Road …
And he has been a major advocate in getting In And Out Burger open here in Chicago! (kk)
Great stuff on Bob Sirott. A true legend.
As you may know, he is being inducted into the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Route 66 in September. Well deserved!
Ted Smucker
Very cool piece on Bob Sirott!!!! I love that Mike caught Bob’s 1st day at the Big 89!
I had dropped off the WLS bandwagon at the time for a few years when my time was spent starting fulltime work, no longer a student for the first time and chasing girls that I did not catch. Plus, a nice bar scene during the disco late 70's years was happening. Looking back, not … it wasn't really that much fun. Haha
Clark Besch
Kent,
My daily dose of FH has me pondering a question.
The WLS jock line up from circa ‘73 shows Lujack. He had jumped to ‘CFL in the summer of ‘72.
Perhaps an oversight. Keep up the great work, it’s the best way to start my day!!
Regards,
Jay Grizzle
That’s the promo shot that WLS ran … in fact, I think Bob Sirott even has this posted on his Facebook page or something.
But it makes me wonder …
I found this on Lujack’s bio page on The Radio Hall Of Fame site …
In the spring of 1967, Lujack pulled an evening shift at WCFL/Chicago, beginning a relationship with the Windy City that would last for decades. Four months later, Lujack jumped ship to WCFL’s Top 40 competitor, WLS. During his five years at WLS, Lujack honed his sardonic humor and launched “Animal Stories,” a regular segment that became his most popular feature. Lujack returned to WCFL from 1972–1976 before rejoining WLS, where he and fellow disc jockey Tommy Edwards teamed up as “Uncle Lar and Li’l Tommy.” Lujack chronicled his career in the 1975 autobiography Superjock.
And Lujack was most definitely with ‘CFL when they switched formats from Top 40 to “The World’s Most Beautiful Music” … earning a then ridiculous amount of money to play elevator music … so now I’m really not sure WHEN that promo photo is from! (But I’ll betcha SOMEBODY on the list will clear it up for us!) kk
Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are reportedly recording together again (which seems especially strange to me since they’re both out touring separately right now!)
But the prospect of new Heart music certainly is appealing. (And the chance to perhaps finally be able to see BOTH of them together again in concert is definitely on my bucket list!) We saw Ann Wilson a few years ago when she was taping a PBS Concert Special at The Arcada Theatre and only featured one, completely revamped Heart song all night. (kk)
Someone videotaped the entire Taylor Swift concert last Friday in Chicago and uploaded it to YouTube. It seemed to be from the nosebleed section so the video quality was not great and I did not watch the entire thing but I was impressed with the what I saw … 3 hours and 22 minutes of high energy, high quality singing, dancing and relating to the crowd, with all the bells and whistles you could imagine, fireworks, flares lasers. Impressive. I think the Swifties got their money's worth.
Ed Erxleben
I have seen several people refer to Taylor Swift as “today’s Beatles” … which seems a bit far-fetched … but then you look at the numbers and think, “Just what exactly is going on here?” I mean, she’s been around for 17 years now … and just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. (Which I guess in MY mind makes her more like “today’s Bee Gees” or "today's Michael Jackson" … both of whom enjoyed huge careers ... and then came back even bigger than ever ... but that’s just me!) She has now charted well over a hundred times, making her a major player in pop music history.
And Billboard this week is telling us that she’s even bigger than we THINK she is …
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Is Even Bigger Than You Think -- And These Streaming Stats Prove It
Over the first 10 weeks of her Eras Tour, Swift's entire catalog is up 79%.
Then again you’ve got an old pro like John Mellencamp telling his audience to “shut the fuck up” or he’ll walk off the stage! (Now seriously, which is more entertaining!!!)
Mellencamp recently did an interview with The New York Times explaining his stance on wanting to be listened to these days …
kk …
From The Book "DON KIRSHNER - THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN EAR" …
1965: Don Kirshner Sold His Aldon Publishing Company. He Was An Executive At Screen Gems.
The Beatles’ Movie "A HARD DAY’S NIGHT" Gave Producer Bob Rafelson An Idea For A TV Series …
The Adventures Of A Singing Group. Music + Happy Go Lucky Wackiness. Don Kirshner Picked The Music & He Delivered.
For The Monkees’ First Single, He Picked "LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE" (a #1 HIT)
After "CLARKSVILLE," Kirshner Somehow Talked Neil Diamond Into Giving The Monkees "I'M A BELIEVER" ( Another #1 Hit) -- Even Though He Wanted To Record It Himself.
The Monkees Were Not Easy To Handle. They Didn't Like To Be Told What To Do.
Kirshner Chose Snuff Garrett To Work With The Monkees. By Now, He Had Produced More Than Two Dozen Top 10 Songs.
Garrett Found The Foursome So Difficult That After Just One Session He Quit & Flew To His Mother’s House In Texas To Hide Out.
Jeff Barry Became Their Next Producer --- He Brought In Some Of The Best Musicians In New York. But The Boys, Inexperienced As They Were, Wanted To Play Their Own Instruments & Pick Their Own Songs. In Other Words, They Wanted To Manage Themselves.
Micky Dolenz Walked Back To The Control Room & Poured A Coke On Top Of Kirshner's Head. Don Sat There Calmly & Did Nothing.
In Spite Of His Fear Of Flying, Don Kirshner Flew To California To Present The Boys With A Million Dollar Royalty Check.
They Practically Threw Him out Of The Room. Mike Nesmith Felt Kirshner Was Simply Looking For Another Photo-Op.
They Did Eventually Get Him Fired.
Don Kirshner Said That He Had "SUGAR, SUGAR" Written For The Monkees. They Passed On It.
The Song Turned Out To Be Biggest Hit Of The Year In 1969 ... Stayed On The Chart For 22 Weeks & Was #1 For A Month.
--- "LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE" + "I"M A BELIEVER" - Both #1 Hits
--- "A LITTLE BIT ME, A LITTLE BIT YOU," #2 Hit & "PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY," a #3 Hit.
They Got Him Fired. He Delivered Hit Songs. What More Can You Ask For? They Didn't Have To Love Him.
FB
There is no question in my mind as to how much Don Kirshner contributed to The Monkees' success ...
But I think after that success soared higher than anyone ever could have imagined, they all became a bit big-headed about it, taking a number of things (their fans included) for granted.
Still, each of their first four albums grew progressively greater ... and those last two ("Headquarters" and "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.") were under their own control, which I guess in the end makes everybody right. (Which, simply by nature, also makes everybody wrong!)
Clever idea for a song, no?
You're a little bit wrong ... I'm a little bit right ...
Who knew just how prophetic that line would become! (kk)
And, speaking of The Monkees, Harvey Kubernik sent us this cool Hollywood Bowl Concert advertisement from 1967 …
>>>He made MAJOR bread with Bread … until they were toast!(kk)
HA-Ha-HEH-Heh-heh! GREAT line, Kent!
You also used a term we all use to indicate just a "whole lot" when you wrote, "sold about a gazillion copies ..."
Which reminds of a Girl I Used to Know who once asked me, "I kinda know how many a million is, an idea how many a trillion is and a bit of a grasp of how many a billion could be, but how many is a Brazilian . . . ?"
CB!
The Bryan Adams / Joan Jett tour kicked off this past week … and what a great night of rock and roll it sounds like!
Here are the set lists for each artist on opening night (Tuesday, June 6th) in Baltimore …
Joan Jett, CFG Bank
Arena, Baltimore, 6/6/23
1. “Shooting Into Space”
2. “Cherry Bomb”
3. “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”
4. “You Drive Me Wild”
5. “(Make the Music Go) Boom”
6. “Fake Friends”
7. “Everyday People”
8. “If You’re Blue”
9. “Fresh Start”
10. “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll”
11. “Crimson & Clover”
12. “I Hate Myself For Loving You”
13. “Bad Reputation”
14. “Whiskey Goes Good”
Bryan Adams, CFG Bank
Arena, Baltimore, 6/6/23
1. “Kick Ass”
2. “Can't Stop This Thing We Started”
3. “Somebody”
4. “Please Forgive Me”
5. “Shine A Light”
6. “Heaven”
7. “It’s Only Love”
8. “You Belong to Me”
9. “I’ve Been Looking for You”
10. “The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You”
11. “Here I Am” (acoustic)
12. “When You're Gone” (acoustic)
13. “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”
14. “Back To You”
15. “18 'Til I Die”
16. “Summer Of '69”
17. “Never Gonna Rain”
18. “The Boys Night Out”
19. “Cuts Like A Knife”
20. “So Happy It Hurts”
21. “Run To You”
22. “Straight From The Heart” (acoustic)
23. “All For Love
Tom Cuddy sent us this list profiling The Top Ten Most-Played Songs of the 20th Century. (I don’t know how Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” failed to make the list!!! Lol)
The 10 most
played songs of the 20th century in the US …
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-10-most-played-songs-of-the-20th-century-in-the-us/
In light of the talk about "They're Coming to Take Me Away," I just wanted to say that it's amazing that the same person who wrote that "monster hit" also wrote a beautiful hit tune for Sammy Davis, Jr. called "The Shelter of Your Arms."
I used to get my hair cut in downtown Glenview at a shop owned by a fellow named Bruno. This autographed photo of James Pankow (a customer) was on the wall in front of his chair. Never ran into him there, though.
Another interesting (but not music-related) photo on Bruno's wall was one that still gives me goosebumps.
The smiling sailor on the
far left side of the photo, whose name was Jules, was also a customer of
Bruno's. He lived in the area, and I've been told that he was the only person
in that photo to ever have been identified.
Again, thanx for all the
great stuff you've published over the years.
Mike
Lots of talk about the new Dolby Atmos Mix of The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” album, produced by Giles Martin, son of famed Beatles Producer George Martin, who has been the force behind all of the recent Beatles box set anniversary releases.
Unfortunately, you cannot buy a physical copy of this new disc (not yet anyway … I guess we’ll see where the demand takes us) … you can only download the tracks.
But what I’m not exactly clear on (and I don’t see explained in the mass of promotional material I’ve received on this) is if you’ll even notice the difference without special equipment designed to play Dolby Atmos music.
All I know, is it sounds amazing … they claim you’ll hear instruments you never even knew were there … and incredibly improved vocals as well … so naturally, my curiosity is up on this one. (And, as I’ve said before, if you’re not going the re-buy “Pet Sounds” 25 times, then why bother buying it at all!!!) kk
Meanwhile, Endless Summer Quarterly remembers The Beach Boys’ 1985 self-titled album this month, widely panned by the critics … but always one of my personal favorites …
https://esquarterly.com/esq-store/summer-2023-issue-142-the-beach-boys-1985-album-volume-1/
Today we report the June 6th passing of Tony McPhee, British blues guitarist & singer of the Groundhogs, from complications from a fall he suffered last year. The band produced no hit singles and just one album, “Who Will Save The World?” - The Mighty Groundhogs, charted (at #202, 1972) on this side of the pond. He was 79.
Jack (The Duke Of Death)
OK, now that’s pretty obscure … even for Forgotten Hits!!! Thanks, Jack! (kk)
WAY too much here for just one Sunday Comments Page …
So be sure to stop back tomorrow for all the latest News You Can Use regarding some new releases you may be interested in! See you then! (kk)
