>>>And somehow I guess I missed the memo about Dolly Parton NOT being inducted. (Artists refuse to show up for the ceremony all the time … every year there seems to be at least one or two who can’t make it or can’t perform … but in this case, I guess The Rock Hall honored and respected Dolly’s wishes not to be included … which makes absolutely NO sense to me since her first rock album is coming out in two weeks with an all-star cast of rock artists helping out. I would have thought Dolly closing the show with special live guest appearances by some of these acts would have put this show over the top. We didn’t even get the annual all-star jam session at the end!) kk
Hi Kent,
Sorry, but I had to chuckle a bit when I saw you mention that Dolly Parton wasn't included in this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. That's because she was inducted last year (2022) and performed a great rendition of her classic song "Jolene." Senior moment perhaps (LOL!)?
Paul Haney
LAST Year?!?!? Well, that WOULD explain it, wouldn't it?!?!
Senior moment??? No ... more like just plain dumb! (kk)
>>>I couldn't hum you one line of a Milli Vanilli song if there was a million bucks on the line - kk
That's OK. Neither could they.
Shelley
Best comment ever! (kk)
And, in other news …
I guess G.H. Harding in Times Square Chronicles might have been right about more Beatles music:
https://deadline.com/2023/11/peter-jackson-more-beatles-music-conceivable-now-and-then-1235593599/
DIS
BEATLES NOW & THEN — Thursday the final Beatles track was dropped, “Now And Then.” Everyone and their mother seem to have an opinion on this track, but let’s set the record straight first before I offer mine.
The song was written in 1978 and has been in the Beatles queue for some 45 years. It was originally worked on by McCartney, Harrison, Starr and Jeff Lynne, where it was deemed not suitable for release. Those sessions did produce “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” which I instantly loved.
Harrison passed and McCartney and Starr enlisted the assistance of director Peter Jackson, who had worked on the massively re-worked Get Back film. With the assistance of Jackson’s MAL technology, they were able to extract Lennon’s voice and build the production around it.
It’s a great
song, but the “new” production, especially the last half, I think is buried in
strings and some over-production. I know the lads wanted to get it right, but
Lennon’s somber, plaintive song somehow gets lost I feel. The song definitely
has echoes of the first solo-Lennon solo album, which I still adore all these
decades later.
And, as I said previously, I love Ed Ruscha, but his artwork is not
particularly significant here.
It’s interesting that they’re promoting this as the last Beatles record. Call me snarky, but I think there’s more. Face it, there’ll never be another Beatles. They were it for me and no one else has come close.
As Ron Sheffield said in Rolling Stone: “As Sean Ono Lennon says, ‘It’s the last song that my dad and Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together.’ But the whole point is that there is no end to the Beatles story, any more than there’s any end to their music. The power of ‘Now and Then’ shows exactly why the Beatles have never belonged to the past — and why this music sounds so defiantly, passionately, unmistakably alive today.”
G.H. Harding
I’m not sure I want to hear more “new” Beatles music …
Everything left in the can was left there for a reason … whether it be unfinished or not up to their usual standards. The fact that John himself never released “Now And Then” tells me that even he didn’t think it was good enough to finish. When The Threetles first met to add their bits to John’s tracks for The Beatles Anthology series, George Harrison referred to “Now And Then” as pure rubbish and vetoed its release.
The band does not need to diminish their legacy by putting their names on tracks that are only “so so” at best. The standard that they set by NOT releasing outtakes and alternate takes while they were together, ensuring that the public only heard the very best of the best, is part of what set them apart from other artists. I hate to see this happen now … and I’m a fan who at one time wanted the opportunity to devour EVERYTHING!!!
That being said, yes, it is remarkable what Peter Jackson has been able to do in the way of restoring and isolating these old tracks … and an album of “Get Back” / “Let It Be” outtakes is EXACTLY what I was expecting and hoping for when the VERY disappointing “Let It Be” box set was released a couple of years ago …
There was SO much music left “on the cutting room floor” during
these sessions that fans would have loved to (and deserved to) hear. Why not go back and give THAT set a proper update ... Get Back / Let It Be Box II ... along with the release of the original film.
To now go in and try to resurrect some of these track and add 2023 Paul and Ringo to them just doesn’t make sense to me. And how much can they really add? They don't sound like 1969 Paul and Ringo anymore. In Paul’s own words, “let it be.”
Meanwhile, the fans ARE coming out in droves to hear this new track ... “Now And Then” registered over 25 million YouTube views during its first 48 hours of availability. More my money, THIS is the only way to listen to this song … the video is so beautifully and lovingly done that you can forgive the weakness of the song itself. The love for The Beatles has not diminished. (kk)
Kent,
I agree with other people that the last Beatles' song, Now & Then, would've only been an LP cut on a John Lennon album.
I like to think The Long & Winding Road is a fitting 'last' Beatles song. It is a song I played over and over again prior to my high school graduation, as I contemplated that the friends I developed over the last four years, I would rarely ever see again. That Paul McCartney song helped me understand that life would be a long and winding road, with many interesting twists and turns (some that I would look back on fondly and others I would like to forget.) In my mind, music can be a nice back drop to our lives, helping us as we struggle through this thing we call 'life.'
Thanks for helping us keep the music and memories alive.
Joe Cantello
Marietta, Ga
Based on the email I just got from Tom Cuddy, it looks like we can look forward to both a new Karen Carpenter biography AND a Karen Carpenter documentary!
(And Carnie Wilson is involved in the new doc)
Check it out here … and be sure to watch the promo clip! (kk)
A full-blown, reunited Hootie and the Blowfish are touring together next summer for the first time since 2019.
Darius Rucker has had a very successful solo country career since the band called it quits … so this is really quite an announcement.
Calling the tour “Summer Camp with Trucks,” the show will also feature special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain … and, at Boston’s Fenway Park show, The Barenaked Ladies.
Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning TODAY at 12 noon local time until November 9th at 10 p.m. local time. General ticket sales begins November 10th at 10 a.m. local time.
Summer Camp with Trucks 2024 Tour Dates:
May 30 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
May 31 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
June 1 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
June 6 – Detroit, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 7 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
June 8 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Music Center
June 13 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
June 14 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre
June 15 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
June 21 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park *
June 27 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 28 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
June 29 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
July 10 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre ~
July 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
July 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
July 16 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
July 17 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 19 – Portland, OR – RV Inn Styles Amphitheater
July 20 – Seattle, WA – White River Amphitheatre
July 26 – Birmingham, AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 27 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Aug 1 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre
Aug 2 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 3 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug 8 – Somerset, WI – Somerset Amphitheater
Aug 9 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug 10 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug 15 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug 17 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
Aug 29 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
Sept 5 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sept 6 – Syracuse, NY – Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview
Sept 7 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sept 12 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Sept 13 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
Sept 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Sept 19 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
Sept 20 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Sept 26 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sept 27 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
Sept 28 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Nearly half of all of the albums sold last week were copies of Taylor Swift’s “1989” (Taylor’s Version) Swift accounted for just under 44% of all album sales, allowing it to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart. (I swear, she just keeps getting hotter and hotter!) kk
Micky Dolenz in Athens, GA ... November 3rd ... for the R.E.M. Tribute CD Launch Party ...
The Athens adventure began Thursday night at R.E.M.’s manager Bertis Downs' house.
Michael Stipe, who flew in from Amsterdam for the event, was joined by fellow band members Peter Buck (with daughters Zoe and Zelda) and Bill Berry. Mike Mills, the last member, was performing in LA but sent his partner Jasmine to attend. 7a’s Glenn Gretlund, who flew in from the U.K., was also present.
Mutal respect flowed in the air as all three R.E.M.’s promised to attend Wuxtry the next day.
The question was posited by Dylan Ritzen to the R.E.M. troup: Why are you Monkees fans?
“When the Monkees debuted, the Beatles were in the phase of more complicated music transitioning away from pop music. The guys watched the show and loved the bubble gum fun sound. The songs The Monkees have are some of the best and also complicated like that of Pleasant Valley Sunday.”
Bill Berry said “Goin Down” is one of the best songs of all time.
Friday at Wuxtry ...
There were at least 500-600 fans there. They started lining up at 10:00 AM for the 3:00 PM event.
Peter Buck and his twin daughters arrived around 12:00 PM and walked around and took photos with fans and signed things. He performed with the Funkees on the roof of Wuxtry.
Around 2:00 PM, Bill Berry and Peter Buck were in the record store talking to Henry Diltz while Michael Stipe arrived around 2:30 PM, all graciously signing for a few fans.
Micky arrived with Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz. Girtz presented the key to the city to Micky.
Michael Stipe was describing Micky as a funny sweet man who has a beautiful, angelic voice. Bill Berry thought his “Shiny Happy People” was better than R.E.M.’s version and said he really hoped this EP brings him great success.
A good time was had by all.
DIS
Hi, Kent –
Next weekend (November 11-12) Episode 126 of the two-hour weekly "History of Rock 'n' Roll with Wink Martindale" series will debut over ME-TV-FM in Chicago and all of our other domestic and international affiliates around the world. It will spotlight "The Most Requested Hits of 1984" and feature insightful commentary from Elton John, Mike Rutherford (of Genesis), Michael Jackson, Billy Idol, Madonna, Walt Parazaider (of Chicago), Willie Nelson and Steve Perry. Also included is a Spotlight Profile of Atlantic Records' top female star of the '50s, Ruth Brown (“Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean.”) "The History of Rock 'n' Roll" has already won shelves full of trophies and we just learned is now up for a Peabody Award!
As so many like to kick off their Yuletide programming way early, we've just begun to distribute to radio stations the 2023 edition of "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits Of All Time." Annually updated, it's a full ten hours of Yuletide music, magic and memories -- the best Yuletide recordings of the past 126 years plus the stories behind them!
THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME: The 2023 Edition
The Communicator Award-Winning Ten-Hour Radio Countdown of the 100 Best-Loved
Yuletide Classics is broadcast annually in more than 175 countries around the world!
Features insightful story-behind-the-song interviews with the stars plus bonus tracks!
Hosted by WINK MARTINDALE
What are the all-time greatest hits of Christmas? What inspired them, who made them famous and why has hearing them every Yuletide season become a best-loved American tradition?
This ten-hour special counts down from Number 100 to Number 1 every single one of your favorite Yuletide hits – based on data compiled by Billboard Magazine over the years as well as other sources – such as listings of the Christmas tracks most played on radio over the past decade. Our listings include not just hit singles but key tracks from the best-loved (and bestselling) Christmas albums of all time.
Every form of Yuletide evergreen is here, from the goodtime gold (Burl Ives’ “Holly Jolly Christmas”) to the sentimental songs (Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”) … the deeply romantic (The Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas Darling”) to the beloved carols (The Temptations’ “Silent Night”) and the Santa/Rudolph/Frosty fantasy favorites (Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”)
There are million-sellers and more galore – a portrait in sound of YOUR favorite music, magic and memories.
Each song is spotlit with the story behind it. Beloved radio and TV star Wink Martindale, supplies the fun facts, augmented by insightful commentary from the hit-making stars themselves.
What kind of stars?
Here’s just a partial list of the more than 175 featured:
● Bryan Adams ● Eddy Arnold ● Gene Autry ● Band Aid ● The Beach Boys ● The Beatles ● The Bee Gees ● Justin Bieber ● Pat Benatar ● Tony Bennett
● Brook Benton ● Chuck Berry ● Clint Black ● David Bowie ● Garth Brooks ● Michael Buble ● Jimmy Buffett ● Jerry Butler ● Mariah Carey ● The Carpenters
● Johnny Cash ● Chubby Checker ● Nat “King” Cole ● Perry Como ● Jim Croce ● Bing Crosby ● Bobby Darin ● Dion ● The Drifters ● The Eagles ● Enya
● Jose Feliciano ● Ella Fitzgerald ● Dan Fogelberg ● Connie Francis ● Stan Freberg ● Judy Garland ● Ariana Grande ● Amy Grant ● Josh Groban ● Merle Haggard
● Bobby Helms ● Bob Hope ● Whitney Houston ● Alan Jackson ● Jewel ● Elton John ● Spike Jones ● Eddie Lawrence ● Brenda Lee ● John Lennon
● The Lettermen ● Madonna ● Mannheim Steamroller ● Dean Martin ● Johnny Mathis ● Paul McCartney ● Reba McEntire ● Kylie Minogue ● Roger Miller
● The Muppets ● Anne Murray ● The “Mystery Science 3000” Cast ● Rick Nelson ● The New Kids on The Block ● Roy Orbison ● Dolly Parton ● Katy Perry
● Pentatonix ● Elvis Presley ● Jim Reeves ● Kenny Rogers ● The Ronettes ● The Seekers ● Sia ● Simon & Garfunkel ● Blake Shelton ● Frank Sinatra
● Red Skelton ● Bruce Springsteen ● Gwen Stefani ● Jimmy Stewart ● Rod Stewart ● George Strait ● The Temptations ● B.J. Thomas ● The Three Stooges
● The Trans-Siberian Orchestra ● Randy Travis ● Andy Williams ● Tricia Yearwood ● and many more!
Some of the stories you’ll hear will be funny, some moving, some outrageous but all unforgettable. And once you learn how your favorite music came to be, you’ll never hear that track quite the same way again – because, as Paul Harvey used to say, “now you know the REST of the story.” (And yes – Paul Harvey’s in here, too.)
The countdown runs for 10 hours. Each hour showcases the next ten ranked hits,
with Hour 1 starting off with #100 to #91, Hour 2 covering #90 to #81, etc.
on down to the final hour which presents the Top 10 Christmas hits of all time.
Augmenting each hour are a handful of “bonus tracks” – other beloved Yuletide gems guaranteed to make you laugh, touch your heart and rekindle your life’s fondest memories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM3YHklzACE
Merry Christmas!
Gary Theroux
We are faithful listeners every year, Gary … can’t wait to hear this year’s show! (kk)
Here’s a copy of that Church Studio podcast with Mark Bego discussing his new Joe Cocker book if you’d like to hear it …
https://notesfromanartist.buzzsprout.com/1771322/13906934%C2%A0
And don’t forget to enter to win a copy of Mark’s book in our Joe Cocker Trivia Contest …
Questions were posted on 10/29 – scroll back and get your entry in now!
(You never know … you just may find the answers to some of these questions in Mark Bego’s interview above!!!) kk