89 year old Frankie Valli got married last week!
Tom Cuddy sent us this article from People Magazine …
Sounds his eyes first adored her some sixteen years ago (and they’ve been together for the past eight)
https://people.com/frankie-valli-marries-jackie-jacobs-in-las-vegas-exclusive-7502856
Photo: Cashman Photography
David Salidor tells us that MICKY DOLENZ WILL BE A GUEST AT THIS WEEKEND'S COMIC CON AND COLLECTIBLES EXTRAVAGANZA IN BOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS (June 30th – July 2nd)
Also
there will be Sirius' Michael des Barres, who interviewed Dolenz earlier
this year for Little Steven's Underground Garage.
And, the
"fifth"-Monkee Bill Chadwick will also be at the event.
I am cleaning, exercising and listening to Lou Simon on Sirius. He just got a phone call for a request. They want a Skeeter Davis song. When he asked which song, the answer was "End of the World!" Lou Simon then said, "THAT'S MY FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME!"
Honest!
Shelley
Well, it’s one of MY favorites, too … and I know you won’t want to hear this but I definitely prefer the Skeeter Davis version to Herman’s Hermits’ …
I dated a girl in High School whose all-time favorite song was “End Of The World” by Herman’s Hermits … in fact, it was the only version she knew. She was shocked to hear that someone else had recorded it.
Herman’s Hermits “bubbled under” with their version (as the B-Side to their #1 Hit “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am” in 1965.) It reached #113 in Cash Box during its two week run and spent a week at #141 in Record World. It failed to chart in Billboard at all.
But I also happen to know that it’s one of Peter Noone’s favorite records as well.
Years ago he told me:
FH: In concert you most often cite THE END OF THE WORLD as your favorite HERMAN’S HERMITS recording. What are some of your other favorites?
PN: I'm Into Something Good, for its pure pop honesty ... and No Milk Today, which is the PERFECT Herman record.
Another one of PETER NOONE's personal favorites is the HERMAN'S HERMITS recording of THE END OF THE WORLD, the old SKEETER DAVIS song. It was released here in The States as the B-SIDE to their chart-topping hit, I'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM back in 1965 ... and it seems to remain both a fan favorite as well as a PETER NOONE favorite. (DIDJAKNOW?: Despite being one of their biggest U.S. hits ever, I'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM was NEVER released as a single back in England!!!)
PETER NOONE: Let me give you a little background on Herman's Hermits’ recording of The End of the World –
Early days in The Heartbeats, Keith Hopwood and I (he was a telephone engineer and I was still at school) listened to the Skeeter Davis version and learned the chords and some of the words and added it to our repertoire. We also learned I'll Never Dance Again (a Bobby Rydell B-Side, I think) and many other songs that no other local bands played. I believe that I'll Never Dance Again and The End of the World were actually discovered by the original singer of The Heartbeats (Malcolm something) and I would like to commend him for his excellent taste in music and also for not showing up that fateful night when I replaced him forever.
I doubt if much of Herman’s Hermits’ version resembles the Skeeter Davis version because after a song gets played live a lot it usually becomes a hybrid, which is why some oldies acts completely miss the plot and forget to listen to the original recordings. I wonder why it ended up as a B-Side anyway. We usually used one of The Hermits’ written songs for the B-Sides. The B-Sides were always left to The Hermits and we did what we could and I am proud of all of them except Truck Stop Mamma and I walked out of that session because Herman cannot sing about a Truck Stop Mama.
You can read our interview with Peter Noone here:
http://forgottenhits.com/forgotten_hits_interviews_peter_noone
Hi, Kent!
First off, Sunday's second public showing of the Dick Biondi Film was very
good! Had about 150 people, and some great music provided by Joe Cantafio
and others. The next public showing will
be in July, in Southern Michigan.
While reading your entries regarding "Here Comes Summer," I'd like to
toss in an opinion: it's a nice tune, and Jerry Keller's version deserved the
sales and attention it received. However, I'll stick my two cents in and
say that I think the Dave Clark Five's
version, which, I'm pretty sure was a B side, was much better. I think
it's smoother and has a nicer feel to it. Just my opinion.
Lastly, on the subject of "High School USA," I figured I'd toss that
1958 Chuck Berry EP cover photo of Von Steuben High School your way. I believe
it was taken by Leonard Chess' wife. I used to sit on that concrete stoop
every morning.
Mike Wolstein
Actually, The Dave Clark Five's version of “Here Comes Summer” was released as the A-Side of the single in both the UK and here in The States, where it “bubbled under” at #135 in Cash Box only. (It made it up to #44 in Great Britain.)
Kent,
In talking about RUB IT IN, remember singer Layng Martine's version of about a year later in 1971? With all this "rubbing it in", it reminds me of the calamine lotion the Coasters used in POISON IVY.
Larry
I have never heard Layng Martine’s version … but see that it charted at #49 in Record World in the Fall of ’71. (It only reached #65 in Billboard … yet another of those really weird chart anomalies.)
Layng’s version came first … in fact, he’s the guy who wrote it. (Craddock didn’t have his run up the charts until 1974.)
Much like “Here Comes Summer” described above, The Dave Clark Five also recorded this song, although it never charted on either side of the pond. (Actually, this came out as Dave Clark and Friends, which included Dave along with DC5 vocalist Mike Smith … but this sure doesn’t sound like Mike singing lead on this one.)
Although the DC5 certainly proved they could write some pretty phenomenal hits of their own, they also had to be one of the top remake bands of the ‘60’s … and, quite possibly, of all time.
Their versions of “Do You Love Me,” “I Like It Like That,” “Reelin’ And Rockin’,” “You Got What It Takes,” “You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby” and “Over And Over” (their only official US #1 Record) often out performed the original versions of these tunes! They remain one of my all-time favorite bands to this day.
And I like your idea about “Poison Ivy” … what a great two-fer that would make!
(Don’t believe me? Well, spin ‘em for yourself below!) kk
>>>I just read last week that Vanna White gets paid $3 million a year to turn letters on the Wheel Of Fortune … while host Pat Sajak will be walking away from a job that pays about five times that!!! (kk)
Do you know how much Ryan Seacrest will make to host "Wheel of Fortune?"
Just asking . . .
Rumours, Rumours , Rumours ~~~
Seacrest also makes $15 Million Dollars to host "American Idol." And if "Wheel" were to have given Sajak a raise for another season had he not decided to leave, then 15 Mill would be a Good Deal!
Just saying . . .
CB
It’s just insane … I mean, c’mon … it’s fucking HANGMAN!!! Seriously, I was playing that in third grade!!! (Kudos to Merv Griffin for not underestimating its mass appeal … the show’s been around for over forty years now.)
I think I’ve just overdosed on Ryan Seacrest over the past decade or so … in fact, I hold him personally responsible for today’s unemployment rate … how many jobs does this guy need, for God’s sake!!!
Not that we watch it that much anyway (“Wheel of Fortune” airs here in Chicago at 6:30 pm and I am rarely home from work that early) – but the very fact that Ryan Seacrest will be hosting it a year from now (quite possibly without Vanna) makes me think I won’t be tuning in at all anymore. (Vanna has a year left to go on her contract … meaning she’ll be out of time just as Pat Sajak retires. Will they use that as an excuse to completely revamp the show???)
Now THAT might be interesting …
How cool would it be to see Ryan Seacrest hosting …
And Brian Dunkleman turning the letters?!?! (kk)
UPDATE: Since we're talking rumors here, rumor has it that Seacrest will pocket $28 Million a year for taking over the Wheel Of Fortune hosting duties … or about TWICE as much as Pat Sajak was being paid. Yeah, Vanna … you need to go in there and demand a raise!!! (kk)
In what reportedly may have been Elton John’s final British appearance at Glastonbury last weekend, he pulled out all the stops.
Just check out this set list!!!
Pinball Wizard (the first time he has performed this song
live since 2009)
The Bitch Is Back
Bennie and the Jets
Daniel
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues
Philadelphia Freedom
Are You Ready for Love
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Until I Found You (Stephen Sanchez cover, performed with Stephen Sanchez)
Your Song
Candle in the Wind
Tiny Dancer (with Brandon Flowers)
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (with Rina Sawayama)
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
I’m Still Standing
Cold Heart
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Man … would THAT have been the show to see!!! (kk)
The Rolling Stones' Forty Licks, the album that gathered together fully three dozen of the most enduring and anthemic songs from the group's peerless career and added four then-new tracks to their incredible story, is to be released digitally for the first time on July 26. Two days later, it will be available, again for the first time, in a lavish, limited edition four-disc, 180-gram black vinyl version, housed in a wide spined gatefold sleeve. At the same time, Stones fans will also have an opportunity to stream new Dolby Atmos versions of the album’s 40 tracks.
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