kk …
TOMMY JAMES JUST TOLD COUSIN BRUCIE ---
STORY #1= 1969, Tommy James Is In Hawaii. He Gets A Call From His Secretary.
She Tells Him He Just Got An Offer To Appear At A Concert At A Pig Farm In Upstate New York.
You Want Me To Leave Hawaii & Travel 6000 Miles To Appear At A Pig Farm?!?!
He Says No --- Turning Down His Chance To Appear At Woodstock.
STORY #2 = 1968, Tommy James Is In Chicago. He Just Finished A Rough Cut Of The Song "CRIMSON & CLOVER"
He Goes To WLS. He Wants His Friend, The Program Director, To Listen To The Song & Give Him His Opinion.
The Guy Says It’s Great ... I Love It.
Tommy Says I'll Get Back To You When I Finish The Song.
Tommys Riding In The Car To The Airport & Hears His Song Being Played On WLS (Without His Permission.)
They Play It Every Half-Hour. Tommy Says He Never Did Get A Chance To Finish The Song.
Turns Out To Be A #1 Billboard Hit.
Gotta Go Now ...
Cousin Brucie Says He Has A Surprise For Us At 8 O'Clock. If It’s Anything Interesting, I'll Get Back To You.
FB
Both of those stories (and a whole lot more) are in Tommy’s book, “Me, The Mob And The Music” … a GREAT life story and recap of an incredible time. (And will eventually be in the movie whenever it finally gets made!!!)
It was Superjock Larry Lujack who secretly taped a copy of “Crimson And Clover” and then went right on the air with it … and it was a smash … still my all-time favorite song that Tommy James ever did … a completely “one of a kind” track that was well ahead of its time.
Billboard Magazine recently named it one of The Top 500 Greatest Pop Songs Ever … but I disagree … this isn’t a “pop song” … it wasn’t crafted with that purpose in mind.
Tommy was
trying to keep up with the changing sounds in music … and came up with a very
inventive way of doing so. It wasn’t
meant to catch the ear of the teeny-boppers who had been listening to his music
up to this point. Tommy wanted his music
to mature … to branch out … and he accomplished this feat millions of times
over with “Crimson And Clover.” It was a one of a kind, stand-alone testament to Tommy's true talent.
That being said, Tommy’s FIRST Hit, “Hanky Panky,” IS one of the Greatest Pop Songs Ever … designed to hook you immediately, get you singing along and stick in your head for ages. It did EXACTLY what it was designed to do … yet THAT one didn’t make Billboard’s list at all … which is why I disagree with most of it. (kk)
>>>I'll never forget John Lennon making the comment that he wouldn't want to be up on stage singing "She Loves You" at the age of 30! (lol) kk
And there's Mick Jagger, who said decades ago he'd rather be dead than sing 'Satisfaction' at 45. Now He's 80 and still singing it!
I remember one song I heard the older Beach Boys perform in a concert years ago that they should have stopped singing years before that ~~~ "Little Surfer Girl!" Just sounded creepy then!
CB ( Still a Big [ Classic ] Beach Boys Fan Tho! )
Ringo dropped “You’re Sixteen” from his act years ago … he felt it just wasn’t right for an 80 year old man to be singing about lusting after a 16 year old girl.
Too bad … I guess it’s all what you read into it.
Ringo’s version of “You’re Sixteen” was a #1 Hit for him in 1974 … and it’s a great record … but I see his side of it, too.
“Surfer Girl” was the first song that Brian Wilson ever wrote … and it’s a classic. It also showcases the incredible early harmonies of this legendary band. That one doesn’t bother me as much because of the musical merits it achieved. (Although I think they should have changed their name to The Beach Men by the mid-‘70’s … and The Beach Geezers after the millennium! (kk)
CHUCK BUELL ALSO SHARED HIS THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ...
Been out of town a lot lately so catching up today....
As to Hermits' Mrs Brown updated lyrics, if you watch a 1968 show on youtube that features the Hermits, you can hear Peter Noone singing "She asked to return the things I bought her. Tell her she can stick them down the drain." He was tired of singing his big hit, I guess? It can be heard 41 minutes into this GREAT period piece. You should watch the whole thing and then get Bob Amans' book "Where the action Was" because he was on this tour they show and has great stories and photos in that book.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyiGFRj5b-k
As to Larry's phone numbers in records, Sugarloaf's "Dont Call Us We'll Call You" had often customized push button sounds used in intro changed for stations to play their jingles. The touch tone number at the beginning was Clive Davis' unlisted number. As a side note, in 5 Americans' "Zip Code" 10036 zip mentioned in the song is for a NYC legit zip code.
As to the Paul is Dead stuff, a 45 was issued on MGM in 1969 by the "Mystery Tour" called "Ballad of Paul" that actually details some of the clues as presented that year. Pretty weird, eh? I am listing it in my next 45 sale. It turns out that the actual artists behind the song were Bob Brady & the Con Chor, a Baltimore band then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nFQpyAXBc0
Clark Besch
Heard from a few more readers who saw The Dick Biondi Film … and loved it.
Stay tuned for more screenings near you! (kk)
>>>Did you know that Jack Ruby was best friends with PAMS jingle company exec Bill Meeks, too, in Dallas? Bill was asked about this in a 1990s interview on KOMA with Ricky the K Kaufman (attached). Bill goes to say how Jack was truly a wonderful man and had a great love of JFK at the time of his passing. SO, maybe the innocent and not-premeditated verdict was true. Maybe Larry Neal heard this, too (?) Clark Besch
First, I am sure that I heard the interview that Ricky the K (Kaufman) did with Bill Meeks when Ricky was doing his special oldies show (SOLID GOLD TIME MACHINE) on KOMA some years ago. I, of course, was working at KOMA at the same time. However, I don't remember at this time hearing it. And Yes! Former WKY/KOMA radio legend Ronnie Kaye was terminated from KOMA one week ago. I won't go into the reason or reasons as one can go to the websites that Clark sent in. One thing that Ronnie made very popular was his dance show he originated on Saturday afternoons, simply called THE SCENE. His theme song for this show, beginning and ending was the Dave Clark 5's record AT THE SCENE
Larry Neal
Hi, Kent -
Didn't want to give you the wrong idea about me by way of that photo I sent. That was a joke I cut from a humor site ages ago, because it was "cute."
I have been interested in the JFK thing since the moment it occurred, at 12:30 PM Friday, November 22nd, 1963. I was in ROTC class in High School when the Sergeant came in and made the announcement. It was the scariest moment of all of our lives.
Over the years, I've toured the Dallas site a few times, and read all sorts of stuff about the event (most of which was conjecture.) Then, when Mark Lane, an incredible genius lawyer, wrote his book "Rush to Judgement," it really got me hooked.
But years later, Lane really hit the nail on the head when he wrote his second book dealing with the assassination, "The Last Word." That put the padlock on the door.
I don't believe everything I read; I
use common sense as much as possible.
"The Last Word" made it almost impossible for me (and many
other people) to believe the crapola that our government shoved down our
throats over the decades.
Read it (especially "Last Word.")
You'll have a very different view of our government, I guarantee. The
truth has finally been uncovered.
Mike
My comment was in no way intended towards you - I even mentioned that I thought it was a pretty clever photo / concept -
It's just that certain things during the course of a life make a strong and lasting impact on a person ... and the Kennedy assassination did on me, event tho I was only ten years old at the time.
It had such an impact, in fact, that it STILL hits me hard today (and my parents voted for Nixon!!! lol)
I, too, have done extensive research since the event - and have visited Dealey Plaza and toured the museum and book depository ... I stood on the motorcade route in a t-shirt and jeans on New Year's Day, 2000 - the start of the new millennium ... and took it all in. (Afterwards, we drove out a ways and toured Southfork, home of television's Ewings!!!)
I have not read the two Mark Lane books you mentioned ... but I ordered both on Amazon this morning. (There is a third book in the series called "Plausible Denial" that I also put in my cart)
I have absolutely NO idea when I'll get around to reading them - but at least I'll know they'll be there when the mood strikes. (I read three books on Chappaquiddick back-to-back-to-back a few years ago, too, fascinated by all the details of that whole mess ... and then followed THOSE up with three back-to-back-to-back biographies of pitching great Satchel Paige, including his own. I guess I am, if nothing else, compulsive obsessive when it comes to some of this stuff!)
Anyway, please know my comment wasn't one of anger or directed at you -
It amazes me that some sixty years later I can still feel the impact of the news. In my case, my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Arnold (whose daughter was also in our class ... and who I had a huge crush on at the time) came in and made the announcement just prior to lunch that Kennedy had been shot ... this was back when kids still went HOME for lunch, which I did and saw for myself everything splashed on the tv, where it remain non-stop for the next few days.
After lunch, I went back to class and shortly after 1 pm Mrs. Arnold came back in the room and said "President Kennedy is dead" ... just those simple, matter-of-fact four words ... and then left the room again, crying.
I was a kid ... I didn't even know what death was ... and I certainly had never seen anybody break down in tears over it ... and it just tore me apart. It made me feel something I had never felt before ... and has stayed with me ever since. (Kinda bearing my soul here a bit, I guess, but THAT'S the kind of impact it had on me ... a VERY impressionable ten year old smart ass kid ... who, walking home for lunch that same day, just 45 minutes earlier, remarked to his friends "Betcha Johnson did it.") Who knew at the time that this was a defense mechanism built inside me to deal with grief.
Yes ... I remember ... and can still feel ... every single moment. (kk)
Forgotten Hits: It's All About The Memories ...
And not just musical memories. (kk)
