We're going to spend a few days catching up to do again this week ...
So let's get right to it!
Demand was so great for presale tickets to The Rolling Stones’ concerts that they jammed the AARP site … Frannie tried to get on just to see what things looked like and finally gave up after an hour (and that wasn’t even the show we wanted to see!)
But that’s ok because before the announced shows sold out, they added three more shows with tickets available immediately “due to overwhelming demand” (or, as I like to say, exactly as expected) and the second Chicago show date is now confirmed for June 30th. (Second shows were also added to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles ... and more dates are expected.)
General public tickets went on sale on Friday, December 1st, but based on the response to the presale ... I can't even imagine how many "new recruits AARP was able to sign up in the process at $12 a pop ... I’m not sure just how many might have been left to grab! (kk)
And, speaking of The Stones, it seems that they have found yet ANOTHER way to make money with their new album, “Hackney Diamonds.”
They have already released limited edition vinyl editions with a tongue-logo cover depicting every major league baseball team … a total of 43 different album cover editions on vinyl …
And now they’re releasing a new, special edition 2-CD set of “Hackney Diamonds” with a live second cd recorded at The Racket Club in New York at their club date appearance that was used to launch the cd.
You may remember that Lady Gaga was there to sing “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” with Mick to close the show …
But other live cuts include “Shattered,” “Angry,” “Whole Wide World,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Bite My Head Off” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” which I suppose all served as great preparation for their immediately announced tour. (Their marketing campaign for this new release … their first in eighteen years of new material … was staggering. They really pulled out ALL the stops for this one!)
Will people go out and buy the CD again? (Actually, I’ve already seen it on sale for preorder for $15.98 … which really isn’t a bad price at all for the 2-CD set)
Will I buy it again? No. I just don’t like live Rolling Stones albums … and while I can now say that I own every studio album they’ve ever made, I don’t own a single live LP. (kk)
From The Stones to The Beatles (incredible to think that these sixty year old bands are back on the charts these days!) ...
Paul McCartney, now touring in Brazil, pulled off a same-day club show for just a few hundred fans. (Naturally, those tickets sold out immediately.)
Macca played an abbreviated set of 24 songs (the real show features 39) to a very enthusiastic crowd.
Meanwhile, sales of the newly repackaged red and blue Beatles collections are doing very well, as is their "Now And Then" single, proving once again that Dinosaur Rock is alive and well! (kk)
Don’t know if you saw this about an impromptu Macca concert two days ago in a small venue in Brazil? Video is too well done to be a hurry thing, so am guessing the whole concert will be used for some other purpose eventually. Wonder how he introduces "Fuh You," which his song list shows he DID sing here.
Clark Besch
My understanding is that they enforced a very strict No Phones / No Cameras policy … and if you were caught with either, you were immediately escorted out of the club. McCartney made it clear that only HIS people would be filming the concert … so you may be right about some future use.
I watched the live, opening song “A Hard Day’s Night” clip and once again, his voice is pretty weak. I think these days, seeing McCartney in concert is just about the awe and aura of being in the same place with the guy who created all this great music … it’s not about how it sounds anymore … it’s just a way of showing respect for the music and everything he has meant to all of our lives. (Still, it's hard for me to watch, knowing what a perfectionist he always was. It almost reminds me a little bit of there at the end ... his fans came to accept the "fat Elvis" ... so he became good with it, too.) kk
By the way, have you seen this clip showing some of Paul’s performances in Australia?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCN9NTDIgo
Meanwhile, a new 3-part documentary about the night that
John Lennon was killed premiers on Apple+ TV later this week … and it’s supposed to be
extremely well done, despite some of the sensitive subject matter. (If someone out there is able to record this for me, I would love to see it ... we don't have Apple+ anymore.)
It reveals that at one point, after shooting Lennon, Chapman apparently turned to the crowd of fans standing there who literally watched him do it and said, “Sorry if I ruined your day.”
There are also interviews with some of those fans … and the doorman was as attempting to let John into the building.
Chapman comes before the parole board again in February but there’s no way he’s ever getting out … and he knows it. Apparently last year before the review board, he spoke of the shooting this way:
"I knew what I was doing, and I knew it was evil. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the fame so much that I was willing to give everything and take a human life."
Incredibly, he has never been tried for the murder. (kk)
From LJ Coon …
At approximately 5:00 p.m. on December 8, 1980, Lennon autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Mark David Chapman before leaving The Dakota with Ono for a recording session at the Record Plant. After the session, Lennon and Ono returned to the Dakota in a limousine at around 10:50 p.m. They left the vehicle and walked through the archway of the building. Chapman fired five hollow-point bullets from a .38 special revolver, four of which hit Lennon, two in the back and two in the shoulder at close range. Lennon was rushed in a police cruiser to the emergency room of Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:15 p.m.
You can listen to LJ's tribute to John here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP1bnv2rmjg
The May Pang / John Lennon documentary is also making the rounds … if you’re a fan and you get the chance to see it, I would recommend it … with the warning that May seems to be (in my opinion) a bit full of herself in regards to just how important she was in John’s life at this particular stage of his career. Even the songs she says John wrote for her seem to be much more about wanting to get back with Yoko when you listen to the lyrics. (kk)
The Beatles continue to set new records on the Billboard Charts as well …
Here’s a cool little Beatles photo sent in by Timmy …
Glad to see that Pete Best can still be a good sport about all of this, all these years later.
And, speaking of Ringo, he is already booking dates for next spring with his All-Starr Band!
https://rockcellarmagazine.com/ringo-starr-and-his-all-starr-band-tour-dates-2024-las-vegas-mexico/?utm_source=Rock+Cellar+Magazine+Subscribers&utm_campaign=b1ae8cb363-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_8_26_2021_9_13_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_951cfef8de-b1ae8cb363-162343372&mc_cid=b1ae8cb363&mc_eid=f8f75f98ed
And here’s something I never knew …
The Beatles filed suit against Sesame Street?!?!
(Watch the clip … there couldn’t have been less basis for a law suit!)
KISS wrapped up their career with a show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday (December 2nd) as planned. (Anybody out there happen to watch the Pay-Per-View event? We'd love to hear from you.)
Sadly, prior to the grand finale, Paul Stanley got sick (a real bad case of the flu) and KISS had to cancel three of their shows in Canada as he was too ill to perform.
The real shame is that the shows will NOT be rescheduled, because the December 2nd show at Madison Square Garden was it ... there will be no more.
Too bad …and I feel sorry for the folks in Canada who were psyched and bought tickets to see these farewell shows and have now missed out on chance to say goodbye to their musical heroes … and I feel bad for Paul Stanley, too, who was clearly suffering … (I’ve been thru a recent bout of the flu myself and it is NO fun at all!)
Prior to taking the stage Saturday Night in Indianapolis for his first show back after being sidelined with the illness, Paul told a small crowd during Kiss’ pre-show soundcheck and Q&A session, "You know, I’ve done shows with cracked ribs and I’ve done shows with a 103 fever … but this time I literally was wondering if it was my time. But anyway, I’m here and it’s awesome."
However, there was one more surprise up their sleeve ...
After performing "Rock And Roll All Nite" as their final song, the band left the stage, only to be replaced by avatar versions of themselves who, from this point on, will carry on the KISS tradition. A video screen behind the "animated" band displayed the message "A New Era Begins" ... and, much like ABBA's avatar (ABBAtar?) show that's been packing them in in London, THIS version of KISS could live on forever. (Look for more and more groups and artists to become "eternal" via this new process.) The music will last forever ... so why shouldn't every future generation have the opportunity to experience it?!?! The future is before us ... who could have EVER predicted this fifty years ago?!?!? (kk)
Primary Wave, who has been negotiating with John Oates about purchasing his half of the Hall and Oates music catalog, are no strangers to this arena.
Over the last several years, they have purchased portions or all of the music catalogs, publishing and licensing for artists like Stevie Nicks, Alice Cooper, Kurt Cobain, Kenny Loggins, Chicago, Boston, The Four Seasons, Ray Charles, War, Def Leppard, Tommy Shaw of Styx (proving a group’s catalog CAN be split, based on the contribution of its individual members), Smokey Robinson, Steve Cropper, Devo, Free and others. It is not at all unusual for individual members of a group to sell their portion of that group’s catalog if, for example, they co-wrote some of that material … in fact, Jeff Porcaro of Toto would be a perfect example of this. His family sold Jeff’s stake after he died to have money to live off of … and, in that Jeff co-wrote Toto’s big hit “Africa,” this has paid huge dividends over the years.
Perhaps the strangest part about this whole scenario of Daryl Hall trying to block the sale is that Hall and Oates COLLECTIVELY sold 50% of the rights to their catalog to Primary Wave back in 2007 (so he didn’t have a problem with it then!)
In fact, the deal at that time also included Sara and Janna Allen, who co-wrote a number of the duo’s hits with Daryl Hall. Primary Wave then sold that catalog to BMG in 2013 and are now apparently trying to buy it back.
Aerosmith went thru a similar situation the year before when Primary Wave bought their catalog and then sold it a few years later to BMG. Since then, Steven Tyler has sold HIS personal rights to Primary Wave. (Must be BIG bucks in publishing and licensing these days!)
However, last week Daryl’s seal on his suit against John was lifted … and then the gloves came off between two former partners. (Suffice to say that they are never, ever, ever, ever getting back together!)
You can read all the gory details here (and some of them ARE pretty gory!) kk
For the time being, a judge has ruled that Oates CANNOT sell his share of their partnership to Primary Wave or anyone else … but stressing that this decision only means “for now.”
Meanwhile, it just keeps getting meaner and meaner as the week dragged on – the two lifetime friends taking jabs and throwing all kinds of legalese at each other. (We passed UGLY eight days ago!!!)
Honestly, I don’t understand … it seems like a fairly simple solution to me …
If Daryl wants complete control of their catalog and John wants out of their partnership, why doesn’t Daryl just buy out John’s shares and eliminate Primary Wave from the picture altogether? Make a reasonable or comparable offer that satisfies both parties and move on as friends and former associates.
If Daryl cannot meet Primary Wave’s offer … or isn’t willing to … then John should be allowed to sell his shares to whomever he chooses …
Just give Daryl first dibs to put his money where his mouth is or back out gracefully.
I’m sure I’m oversimplifying things … but why go thru all the mud-slinging … you want complete control, here’s your opportunity … otherwise, back the hell away and forever hold your peace … but don’t deny your partner the right to do what he wants to do with HIS share. You can’t have it both ways. (kk)
Several readers sent us this story …
Jean Knight, Legendary 'Mr. Big Stuff' Singer, Dead at 80
https://people.com/jean-knight-mr-big-stuff-singer-dead-at-80-8406711
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/mr-big-stuff-singer-jean-knight-dies-at-80/ar-AA1kDoUt
Jean was a One Hit Wonder … but it was a big one …
“Mr. Big Stuff” went all the way to #1 in Record World … and topped out at #2 in both Billboard and Cash Box.
On our official Biggest One Hit Wonders Chart (compiled by Rich Appell a few years ago), “Mr. Big Stuff” ranks as the 44th Biggest One Hit Wonder of All-Time. (kk)
And, as we type this, we just received word that Chad Allan, founding member and original lead singer for The Guess Who (that's him on their first US chart hit, "Shakin' All Over," a #13 pop hit in 1965 ... #22 in Billboard) has died. (Allan, real name Allan Kowbel, died November 21st ... but word was announced until December 3rd)
The single was originally released by Chad Allan and the Expressions, and featured other Guess Who founding members Randy Bachman, Jim Kale and Garry Peterson. The record label released the single under the name "Guess Who?" thinking that disc jockeys would play it due to the "mystery" as to who it might be by. (Another hope was that they might think it was a British band, since The British Invasion was in full swing at the time. Actually, the British band Johnny Kidd and the Pirates cut it first and had the hit in England.)
Burton Cummings joined the band by year's end with Allan still onboard as lead singer. When Cummings started tearing up their shows with his wild onstage antics, Allan decided to leave and Burton took over the lead vocals role, as well as playing keyboards for the band.
He performed occasionally with Bachman-Turner Overdrive but had a serious stroke in 2017 and retired permanently afterwards. (Two years earlier, he was awarded the Member of the Order of Manitoba, for his pioneering rock and roll efforts.)
He was 80 years old. (kk)
And then came word that we have lost ANOTHER Canadian music legend ...
Myles Goodwyn of April Wine ... the band's principle songwriter and the ONLY member of the band to be there with them from beginning to end ... passed away. He was 75.
Goodwyn wrote and sang the group's biggest hit, "Just Between You And Me," a #21 record in 1981. (It went to #16 in Record World and #9 here in Chicago on WLS.) We first heard them in 1972 when "You Could Have Been A Lady" became a big local hit here in Chicago, rising to #7 on our WCFL Chart, despite only a #32 showing in Billboard. The band had one other National Top 40 Hit when "Roller" went to #34 in 1979. (kk)
Some comments on some of our other recent topics in Forgotten Hits ...
When looking over today's "Super Charts" list, I noticed a song that was in the 'bubbling under' section (#105) that was a huge hit in Texas. It was #1 for several weeks in San Antonio, and ranked in their TOP 5 Songs for 1963. It only dented the Billboard Chart in the first part of 1964.
"Baby's Gone" by Gene Thomas is a TRUE 'forgotten hit' and that's a shame. Thomas had a number of huge hits in Texas. He barely missed the national BILLBOARD TOP 50 in 1961 with "Sometimes." He did have a big hit duet in 1968 with "Playboy" by Gene and Debbie.
The song was cowritten by Roy Orbison and Bobby Goldsboro, and was produced by Orbison. It's a song that folks who regularly read your newsletter/blog should seek out if they're not familiar with it.
Brad
Checking the national charts, it looks like “Baby’s Gone” peaked highest in Music Vendor, where it hit #77. Cash Box charted it at #83 and Billboard one place lower at #84.
I had to check it out as that’s some real star-power in the songwriting credits. (Bobby Goldsboro was still a member of Roy Orbison’s back-up band at the time, I believe, but would have his first big solo hit the following year.)
It’s a REAL Orbison-sounding tune … in fact, Gene Thomas almost seems to be imitating The Big O during certain parts of the song … which isn’t necessarily a bad path to follow! (Actually, it looks like both Roy Orbison AND Bobby Goldsboro cut the tune as well!)
I remember really enjoying Gene and Debbie’s “Playboy” at the time (a #11 national hit … #17 in Billboard) that also went to #28 here in Chicago. (kk)
Kent!
Wow … 25 years doing Forgotten Hits ... I think I'll need to dedicate a Little River Band song to you on my next Lost And Found Oldies Show! No, not "Lonesome Loser" ... another one.
Here's to 25 more years at the helm!
Sam Tallerico
Lost And Found Oldies Show
This time of year you hear a lot about how our vintage Christmas songs start charting again. (Mariah has already made another trip to the top of the chart with “All I Want For Christmas Is You”)
But Billboard is wondering (or would that be teasing???) if Brenda Lee will FINALLY hit the top spot with “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” ALWAYS a popular Christmas add.
Brenda's hit first hit The Billboard Chart SIXTY THREE CHRISTMASES AGO!!!
That's right ... in 1960, it peaked at #14 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart.
It returned the following two years ... and then Billboard stopped charting Christmas tunes as part of their current chart information.
(That didn't stop people from buying it ... or radio from playing it ... "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" charted ten more times on Billboard's special Christmas Chart between 1963 and 1984. It also made their Adult Contemporary Chart and Country Chart in 1998.)
Then, in 2013, Billboard revamped the way they calculated their Hot 100 Chart ... and "Christmas Tree" started charting again EVERY YEAR from 2013 thru 2023. Last week's chart placed it at #8 ... it's highest peak to date is #2, which it achieved in 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 ... and they seem to feel like it just may be poised to dethrone Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" this year.
(She first cut the track 65 years ago in 1958 at the age of 13, but it got little attention until after she had her first big chart hit. Being that this is the track's 65th anniversary, her record label has mounted a big push this year to see if they can earn a #1 hit. We'll see ... Carey's tune is a real juggernaut ... it has hit #1 every year since 2019 and has already topped the chart again this year.
Lee's message to Mariah: “Now I gotta worry about Mariah. Get outta here, girl!” After a deep laugh, she added, more seriously, “Oh, there’s room for everybody. Her song’s good, too. I love her singing.”)
A couple of weeks ago we ran the brand new 2023 video that Brenda Lee made for her tune, lip-synching to the original track that she first cut when she was just thirteen years old, which may help to create a little new buzz for this well-loved track. (Lee was an early inductee to The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... she was part of The Class of 2002.)
Brenda has also had some great chart success with her version of "Jingle Bell Rock" over the years. However, with all the shit that's going down right now between Daryl Hall and John Oates, it only seemed right to run THEIR dueling versions of this tune!) kk
It's the holidays ...
Can't we all just get along?!?!? (kk)
And, Billboard is also telling us that some Thanksgiving-themed songs made a bit of a chart resurgence thanks to the recent holiday …
(kk)
If you missed the special #GivingTuesday Facebook LIVE event last week to benefit the Dick Biondi documentary, hosted by hilarious comedian Matt Kissane, not to worry. You can watch the FB Live show at your convenience right here OR listen to The Matt Kissane Podcast Dick Biondi Tuesday Giving Special Event! (I was actually invited to take part in this program but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts.)
From what I’m told by cohost Pam Pulice …
Matt managed to be his funny
self, in spite of waking up to a cold house and trouble with his new furnace.
He cracked jokes, did his hilarious imitations, and conducted lively
conversations with some pretty awesome celebrity guests who took time to be
with us. Thank you all for coming on and sharing your great Biondi
stories:
Tony Ocean, Jim Peterik, Joe Cantafio, Adam Carston, Ed Kerfin, Scott Childers,
Kristin Rose Kelly and Joe Farina.
We hope you enjoy the show and that you will consider helping us get to the
finish line with a donation of $25 $60, $100, $150, or more.
All #givingTuesday donations will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win
official Biondi Film swag. Winners will be notified by email, so if you can,
please make your tax-deductible donation right
here.
THANKS, everybody! ❤️
Sincerely,
Pam
And, if you missed last weekend’s DJ Hall Of Fame salute to
Larry Lujack, Super Jock, here’s a way to hear that, too!
Hi Kent,
I want to thank Forgotten Hits for your great support of the "Larry Lujack Tribute" on Rewound Radio. As you mentioned the other day, because of numerous requests, we are offering a continuous replay of this six-hour show for a limited time by following this link.
https://rewoundradio.com/lujacktribute.html
Larry passed away nearly ten years ago, but so many of us remember him on the radio as if it were yesterday. I am including one of the many responses we have received after the airing of the "DJ Hall of Fame" this last Saturday. This comment was posted on the Rewound Radio FB Page on November 25th.
I realize nothing lasts forever. Even so, listening to Lujack today has reminded me of just how much I miss his talent. He made personality radio sound so easy and natural. Of course, that on-air ease was the result of exceptionally hard work. Larry’s show prep was legendary.
Today’s Rewound Radio tribute was a compilation of some of his best work. When so many good show segments and bits are aired back-to-back, it gives the illusion that no other radio personality, today or ever, could be nearly as good. For those of us who religiously listened to him throughout his long run in Chicago, we realize he really was among the best to ever put on headphones. To be that consistently excellent, in any field, is remarkable. Tommy Edwards today called Larry a “genius”. An overstatement? Not in my opinion.
I want to thank Rewound Radio and all the contributors to the broadcast. The saying goes “you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone”. This sums up how I feel about Chicago radio during the days of personality radio and the fierce competition between those two rock stations across the river from one another. There’s a lot I miss about those days growing up in my hometown. To all involved, thank you for taking me back home.
Guy Polstlewait
Thanks for letting us share this with your readers.
Ted Gorden Smucker
More about this year’s Songwriters Hall Of Fame Nominees, here …
(Man, what a great list!)
Hard to believe it’s now been over a year since Christine McVie died. (By the way, I gave Frannie the Stevie Nicks Barbie Doll for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Had to buy a “scalper resale” in order to do so … and paid TRIPLE the original sell price … but there were none to be had any other way. Some of the dealers on eBay had literally DOZENS to sell … which was the only reason they bought them, denying the REAL fans the opportunity to purchase a nice collectible.)
It's funny … I’ve been listening to these old WLS and WCFL programs that Rewound Radio ran over Labor Day Weekend in the car on the way to and from work and half the fun is hearing the old ads and what the prices were for things at the time.
But one idea that REALLY struck me as a way to stop some of this pirating that’s going on today was to go BACKWARDS in time to mail order purchases only. (Bear with me, folks … this is my soapbox moment.)
I know it completely negates the technology we have today, but at least it would give everyone a fair shot at things. This especially holds true for concert tickets. Sure, there’ll be brokers who still exercise an “in” to grab their block of tickets, paying off somebody to push their orders thru first before the tickets actually go on sale to the general public … but I really do believe it might cut down some of the craziness that’s going on out there today.
The brokers make all the money … the artists don’t see any of it … and the real, genuine fans get cheated out of seeing their favorite performers unless they’re will to pay three to five times the face value of a ticket to do so. It’s just gotta stop! (kk)
Joel Whitburn’s latest book, “Top Pop Singles, 1990 – 2023” is another huge volume of hits. Once streaming was added into the mix of chart calculations, the number of tracks able to track by an artist became virtually unlimited.
As such, fifteen artists now have over one hundred chart entries. The only “vintage” artist on the list is Elvis Presley (who also just happens to be the very first artist EVER to earn over one hundred chart hits.)
And Elvis’ tally is a little bit skewed since once again, any chart hits he had before August of 1958 no longer count as part of the equation. (For the record, that would be 32 more than his 109 on the list account for. With 141 Top 100 Hits, Elvis would move into a tie for 6th place with Kanye West. (Yep, I always equate those two as equals for their contribution to rock and roll music!)
What gets REALLY ridiculous is acts like Drake, who now has over THREE HUNDRED chart entries. (Even the Cast of Glee have 207!)
You can view the whole list here: https://www.billboard.com/lists/every-artist-with-100-hot-100-chart-hits-drake-taylor-swift/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c
Kent,
Have you seen any info regarding the actual sales volume in the weeks following JFK's assassination? I'm enjoying the charts, but I keep wondering if the public stopped buying that week, or the next week. And when did record sales pick back up?
On a broader scope, did retailers report soft sales through the '63 Holiday season? Was Black Friday (no one used that term) a failure in '63 since it was only a week after the events in Dallas? Who has these numbers?
David Lewis
I put this out to the readers … not sure where we’d find that information (although old issues of Billboard may provide some insight.) I would think sales would have fallen out, if only due to the mood of our country at the time. (I was only ten years old so wouldn’t have had a clue!)
Anybody out there able to weigh in on this one? (kk)
UPDATE: I was able to find this article which, incredibly, spotlights the decrease in record sales here in Chicago (as well as Los Angeles, where the story was the same.) Another article I came across, published two weeks after the assassination states that “jukebox here are silent after the assassination,” indicating that sales in this regard were also down significantly, both in retail and in the machines themselves. I suppose it was to be expected … our country had never gone through something like this before … and to see it all broadcast live on tv and then again and again repeatedly for days on end every time you turned on your television set or picked up a newspaper or turned on the radio was quite depressing.
I’ve read numerous times that the tragedy killed the sales of Phil Spector’s Christmas Album and, as such, it wouldn’t really be discovered and appreciated by the masses until years later. (And I would imagine that sales of Vaughn Meader’s Best-Selling, #1 Comedy Album, “The First Family,” stopped immediately … and was likely pulled from the shelves!!!) kk
We'll have more "new" stuff for you tomorrow ... see you then!
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
12/4/63 – Malcolm X is suspended for 90 days from The Nation of Islam by Elijah Muhammad due to remarks he made after the Kennedy assassination.
