Now how cool is this?!?! (Keyword being “cool”!!!)
As we (like much of the country right now) are suffering thru the sweltering heat, The Rolling Stones have come up with the PERFECT solution to help beat the heat, promote their brand new vinyl release and celebrate Mick Jagger’s 80th Birthday!!!
They sent an ice cream truck ‘round London, passing out free ice cream to thousands of Brits who are also making their way thru one of our hottest summers worldwide.
Cleverly displaying the cover of their latest compilation release (it actually dates back to 2002 … but this is the first time it has been released on vinyl), The Rolling Stones’ “Forty Licks” ice cream trucks made stops at Tower Bridge, London Eye, Leicester Square, Shoreditch, Camden Stables and Kings Cross St Pancras.
Perhaps even MORE cleverly, some of the flavors available included It’s Only Rocky Road and She’s A Rainbow. (kk)
https://www.noise11.com/news/the-rolling-stones-hand-out-free-ice-cream-in-the-uk-20230728
The latest casualty to be added to the ever-growing list of musical heroes who have passed away during the first seven months of 2023 is Randy Meisner, a founding member of The Eagles who also performed with Poco and Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band prior to launching one of Classic Rock’s most successful acts of all time. (Prior to splitting off as The Eagles, Meisner, Bernie Leadon, Glenn Frey and Don Henley were performing as members of Linda Ronstadt’s back-up band. I was fortunate enough to see them perform in concert … opening up for Blood, Sweat and Tears … in 1971 as a birthday present! After explaining on stage that she was going to be losing a few members of her band, Linda took a break during her show to give The Eagles a chance to perform “a couple of songs from their first album” … at which time we were treated to “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman,” the group’s first two hit singles.)
Meisner wrote their #1 Hit “Take It To The Limit” (but famously had to share writing credit with Frey and Henley in what he angrily described as “change a word, claim a third" at the time.) He left the band in 1977.
Randy went on to have three Top 40 solo hits of his own … “Deep Inside Myself” went to #22 in 1980, “Hearts On Fire” hit #19 in 1981 and “Never Been In Love” went to #28 in 1982. (He also re-recorded “Take It To The Limit” on one of his own albums, restoring the lyrics to the way he had originally written them … and it literally was a difference of exactly one line!)
Meisner often mentioned that writing “Take It To The Limit” became an enormous cross for him to bear, having to hit those high notes night after night in concert, causing him great anguish. There were times when he just flat out refused to sing it, which caused a major rift within the band. After Randy left The Eagles, Glenn Frey took over the lead vocals on this tune … and now, since Glenn's passing, they’re ably handled by Vince Gill. When The Eagles did their “History Of The Eagles” tour several years ago, both Meisner and Leadon were invited back to perform a segment of the show … but while Bernie Leadon came out to do his bit, Randy had to decline due to health issues.
Former Eagles bandmate Don Felder (who was NOT invited to participate in their “History” Tour) posted this about Randy Meisner:
“Randy was one of the nicest, sweetest, most talented, and funniest guys I’ve ever known. It breaks my heart to hear of his passing. His voice stirred millions of souls every time he sang Take It To The Limit. The crowd would EXPLODE with cheers and applause. We had some wild and wicked fun memories together, brother. God bless you, Randy, for bringing so many people joy and happiness. RIP, my friend.”
The state of Randy Meisner’s mental health has been a concern over the past several years. At one point, he was considered suicidal and placed under watch … and then a few years later was considered a primary suspect in his wife’s death. (It was later ruled that she accidentally committed suicide.)
He was 77 years old when he passed away from COPD. (kk)
Randy Meisner had made such an issue regarding Glenn Frey and Don Henley taking partial writing credit for The Eagles’ #1 Hit “Take It To The Limit” that I was surprised to see that he said this to our FH Buddy Harvey Kubernik when Harvey interviewed him for his Laurel Canyon / “Canyon Of Dreams” book …
“'Take it to the Limit' was a song where we were getting close to recording and it wasn't finished. Don [Henley] and Glenn [Frey] helped me with the lyrics. I started the song, but those guys helped me a lot. I came home from [Doug Weston's] Troubadour one night and got out my acoustic guitar and all of a sudden I had the first few lines of 'One of These Nights.'
“From my perspective, I just went along with everything up until Hotel California. Glenn, Don and I were tight - we partied together. They lived together. And I couldn't squeeze in between 'em. When we recorded in the studio, I told those guys a lot of things they didn't like hearing about what they were writing. Sometimes they'd come up with a song and I was a critic.
"Our live show was perfect. It was just like the record. And Henley was a real stickler about that. In the beginning, Henley and I were real perfectionists. We went from clubs to stadiums ... Wembley Arena in England ... 120,000 people - and it's perfection. Later, right before Hotel California, I left because I hated traveling. I always have and always will. I just hate flying on planes."
More from Harvey’s book “Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon” … all part of his 2008 interview with Randy Meisner …
"Glenn [Frey] knew David Geffen and that's what started the whole Eagles thing. Then I met Elliot Roberts. These managers were way beyond me. I was aware of the music business, but all I wanted to do is play. I just let things happen as they happened.
"On one of our first gigs, in Boulder, Colorado, I captured it on tape. I had this little stereo tape machine and it was exam time for the college students, so I recorded this gig in front of three people. The waitresses were real nice and we played like it mattered. Glenn says, 'We'd like to thank everyone down to the management ...' so I recorded this and brought it home.
"At the time, the George Harrison Concert for Bangladesh had just been released. I took the applause from Bangladesh and overdubbed it onto the gig that we played when nobody was there. It sounded like we were at a big stadium!
"There was magic when we played live. I recorded everything from rehearsals to shows. We had [producer] Glyn Johns up in Boulder and he didn't really want to deal with us at the time. 'You're too rock 'n' roll.' Eventually, he came back and we rehearsed at a place in Studio City and he said, 'I want [more] vocals.' And that's when we got together and did the first album in England."
We’re still dealing with a death that struck a little bit closer to home …
What a shock ...
I am so sorry, Kent!
You were the one who connected us because he wanted me to save money on a Sirius Radio account. He was a cream puff who wanted to come across as not needing nor wanting people. He was honest and snarky.
Shelley
Music Journalist / Historian / Jimi Hendrix Expert and FH Reader Ken Voss described Jack’s death as "A major music archival loss. R.I.P. Jack Levin."
Kent, so sorry to hear Jack passed away. He was a good guy who loved surveys like we do.
Clark Besch
I was sad to hear of the death of Jack Levin, whom I've met several times. He was one of the first to help me when I started looking for WJJD surveys. I also remember him being at the Maywood Record Convention, where he had the complete collection of WCFL surveys … which I quickly snapped up.
My condolences to his family.
I hope that all of the surveys he left behind will find good homes.
Ed Erxleben
Amen to that! (I think Laura knows there is some value to these … too many times we’ve heard stories about other collectors who, when after their passing, their family looked at it as an opportunity to “finally throw out all this junk that's been accumulating for the past forty years!!!” (kk)
Sad to hear about my old buddy Jack Levin. I hadn't seen him at the Hillside Record Con in a few years. I know he was having some physical problems.
We were in elementary school together (up in Albany
Park) back in the late 50s / early 60s. Many years ago, I sold him my WLS
Silver Dollar Survey collection (November, 1960 through 1969.) I sorta miss the two from March of 1963,
which had the Beattles at #40 and then #35.
R.I.P., and my condolences to his wife.
Mike Wolstein
I’m sure today those two are the FAR most valuable in existence today! (kk)
In her email, Laura reminded me of a piece she had written several years ago about Donny Osmond.
It was included as part of a Teen Idols feature we were running at the time … dating back to our old emailed newsletters before we started the website you are currently viewing.
I thought it might be fun to revisit that piece in Jack’s honor so we’re going to do exactly that tomorrow on The Forgotten Hits Website. (Actually, Laura submitted pieces on both Donny Osmond and David Cassidy for our Teen Idols Week feature that we did back in 2004!!! Her winning entry that she referenced was actually for our “How Do You Define Psychedelic Music To A Nine Year Old” Contest that we held a few years earlier … so we’ll be running THAT piece, too (along with some comments that it generated … and Tom Cuddy’s piece on Donny Osmond.)
A little more Kent and Jack history …
After I placed my ad in The Chicago Tribune looking for old WLS Silver Dollar Surveys (which is how Jack and I first connected back in the early ‘70’s), one of the newspaper’s journalists thought that THIS sounded like an interesting hobby … and interviewed me for the paper. (I remember she ran the piece in the Antiques / Collectors section.) She also published my contact information as part of the piece and as a result, I heard from a few other collectors who shared our common interest.
This included a couple of college boys who said they were putting together a research paper for one of their final projects at school and wanted to see my collection, thinking that I might have a few things that could help fill some gaps in what they had collected on their own.
They came out and picked out half a dozen surveys, which they then asked if they could borrow to complete their research. Unlike Jack, who sometimes had as many as a hundred copies of certain surveys that he would sell on eBay and at record shows, my collection consisted of exactly one copy of each week, which I faithfully picked up every weekend at the record store to help build my collection.
Against my better judgment, my Dad persuaded me to lend them copies of the charts they needed, as they had promised to return them as soon as their project was complete. Needless to say, I never saw those charts … or those two guys … ever again … and it literally took me YEARS to find replacements for those missing weeks.
I am proud to say that today I have a copy of EVERY single survey ever issued by WLS and WCFL radio, our two Top 40 giants at the time, as well as old WJJD charts dating back to the mid-‘50’s when rock and roll first caught on here in Chicago.
And by copies, I mean that in the most literal sense …
Probably about 90% of my collection today are xerox copies of these charts. All I really cared about was the information they contained … I didn’t need a mint, original copy to serve my purposes.
Jack, however, was the consummate collector … and dealer. He regularly ran ads selling copies of his collectibles, often to fans who weren’t even necessarily survey collectors themselves, but just wanted to see their favorite artists in the top ten.
I don’t know if Laura intends to continue selling these surveys … but if anyone out there is interested in possibly purchasing copies, please let me know and I will pass the information along. (By the same token, anyone interested in making a donation or contribution in light of her recent loss is welcome to contact me as well. Perhaps we can get her to send along a survey or two as a means of saying thanks.)
Jack’s last wish was to simply come home and die there … and thanks to Hospice, Laura was able to accommodate that wish. We heaped big praise on Hospice, too, after my brother Mark died a few years ago. If Laura feels uncomfortable about accepting any donations, I would ask that you might consider making a donation to Hospice then in appreciation of all the selfless work they provide. (kk)
http://forgottenhits.com/remembering_mark_kotal
There seems to be a lot of mixed emotions floating around out there regarding Sinead O’Connor’s recording history after her recent passing.
Billboard Magazine made her this week’s spotlight feature in their “Forever #1” series … https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/sinead-oconnor-nothing-compares-2-u-number-one-only-hit-1235380274/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c
kk …
For The Last Few Weeks Dr. Bop Has Been Doing "BATTLE OF LEAD SINGERS."
ROUND 1 = Winner Johnny Maestro
ROUND 2 = Tie - Smokey Robinson & Jimmy Beaumont
ROUND 3 = Tie - Willie Winfield & Ben E. King
Finals Coming Up This Sunday.
For His Whole Three Hour Show (10 AM – 1 PM, Eastern Time) / REMEMBER THEN RADIO / He'll Only Play Above Mentioned Lead Singers.
I Say Johnny Maestro Wins.
LAST WEEK (JULY 27) THEY HELD A STREET NAMING CEREMONY FOR THE LATE, GREAT WILLIE WINFIELD (LEAD SINGER HARPTONES.)
Corner Of Bond & Wycoff Streets In Brooklyn, New York
FB
Our FH Buddy Charles Rosenay was involved with putting together a zoom interview with Bobby Mapp, original drummer for The Five Satins, last week. (Due to work conflicts, we were unable to participate … but I believe a few of our readers may have been onboard.)
For those who may be unaware of the breadth of Bobby Mapp’s playing career….
This guy was a very in-demand drummer for many years due to his elite skill and versatility. As you know, as a very young man, he famously played with the Satins. He later made an entire career playing with many jazz artists. He is quite humble and he is a man of few words. He would never say this, but his contemporaries would tell you in our musician language - Bobby was one of the baddest dudes around. I won’t bore you with the details how this all came about. Let’s just say Charles Rosenay and I collaborated to make this happen. I cant thank Charles enough for his passion and energy, and our Australian and Boston interviewers. We really wanted to make this special for Bobby and I think we did.
Dean Tinari
GREAT ARTICLE:
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/drumroll_please_its_bobby_mapp
Here's the finished, produced video of the BOBBY MAPP Appreciation Night...
Please feel free to share it.
ENJOY!
Charles
I remember the nightclub you were referring to in the mid 70’s. It was located at 25th and Lake in Melrose Park and was in the basement of Casa Madrid and it was called the Cellar. I know this because I was in a local band that played there. They had entertainment all the time including a few big name acts from Chicago that went on to bigger fame, ie, Styx. I saw a local act called MS Funk one time that featured Tommy Shaw, later of Styx. I don’t think the place lasted more them a couple years. You are correct … hardly any parking.
Jacob Slowik
It was quite a popular club back in the day … and I think The Shadows Of Knight might have been the house band there for awhile.
It was an interesting time in music … when acts on the way up touring the country would come play a one-nighter at The Cellar before going on to national fame. (kk)
Regarding ‘White Rabbit,’ had any of these people ever read 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'? No matter what the intent of the song, it follows the book admirably. (Kent, I was another no drug is of interest to me spectator. I could 'tune in' and 'tune out' as I pleased)
Shelley
>>>As far as I'm concerned, no musical track has ever captured the spirit of this era better than "White Rabbit." Much of the other stuff was just unlistenable noise. (kk)
Would Chuck care to specify which songs he considered to be "unlistenable noise?"
– Randy Price
That was my quote, actually, not Chuck’s … and I’m referencing the countless number of never-ending, long-winded jams that were saturating the market at the time … by any number of artists who seemed to believe amidst that their own self-indulgence, QUANTITY outweighed quality. Some of these things went on forever and were just relentless in trying so hard to be “of the times” instead of setting the tone on their own terms. I couldn’t listen to it then … and I still can’t listen to it now. (One example … I am listening to all of The Rolling Stones’ albums in order during my commute to and from work … and this week happened upon “Their Satanic Majesties Request.” I defy you to name one redeeming track on this album other than their hit single “She’s A Rainbow” / “2000 Light Years From Home,” which are both EXCELLENT tracks in my opinion. I think The Stones were just trying much to hard to be “of the times” rather than maintain their identity and contribute TO the times. (kk)
FH Reader Timmy sent us this vintage signed promotional photo of Dick Biondi on KOKX
And a look back at a piece we did a couple of years ago, too …
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2021/06/dick-biondi.html
Tom Cuddy sent us this link to a Buckinghams concert from 2019 …
Pretty good quality, too!
Rock 'n Wheels® Highlights 7/25/19 - The Buckinghams-one hour
He also sent another reminder about our FH Buddy Denny Tedesco’s new film, Immediate Family. (Can’t wait to see this one!)
Don Henley, Keith
Richards & more featured in new doc about 1970s session musicians
https://www.deltaplexnews.com/don-henley-keith-richards-more-featured-in-new-doc-about-1970s-session-musicians/
Here’s a scary headline from Billboard Magazine …
Everything Old Can Be New Again — Thanks to AI
Boy, I sure hope this isn’t what music dissolves into.
Let history stand as it exists …
These tracks won us over in their original state. (I’ve noticed a few oldies outlets are updating their playlists to include newer, cleaner mixes of some of these vintage tracks WITHOUT any AI enhancement … and they already no longer sound like the originals … like the way we remember hearing them at the time.
Now I get the idea of trying to “modernize” these tracks to make them more palatable listening to a new generation of potential fans …
But for me the greatest part of their charm is some of the roughness and rawness of the recordings captured at the time based on the state of technology that existed then.
I don’t think I’ll ever embrace this new AI technology … not when it takes on the role of rewriting history. (kk)
Here’s Paul McCartney’s tweet after the passing of Tony Bennett …
Very sad to hear that Tony Bennett has died. He was a special singer and a good friend. I was privileged to work with him on a few occasions and he was always a wonder to behold. Thanks, Tony, for the joy you brought to our world. Love, Paul
And, speaking of Tony Bennett, here is some funny stuff, sent in by FH Reader Mike Wolstein …
Tony Bennett on Saturday Night Love …
One of the best SNL skits I've seen yet.
The fun begins at 2:25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuowcRmc6oo
Mike
This is great! (kk)
