Clark Besch tells us that today is Yoko Ono's 90th birthday.
Now Yoko's voice, at best, is an acquired taste ... and one I've just never developed a craving for (much like brussel sprouts ... I'm and adult now, dammit ... so I don't HAVE to eat them if I don't want to!!!)
Still others credit her with inspiring bands like The B-52's for their '80's style of music. ("Love Shack" still has a little more melody to my ears, however ... and is minus the traditional shrieking we came to expect from Ono's own recordings.)
One comment that always comes back to me was when, during the height of the original pandemic, the CDC made the announcement that some strand of the Covid virus may be with us "for some time to come" ... and some comic (Bill Maher perhaps???) equated that news to finding out that the new Yoko Ono CD came with six bonus tracks.
Anyway, Clark says that when he saw the birthday news, he was somehow inspired to send in THIS clip (for some inexplicable reason) ...
Which, of course, inspired ME to post THIS clip ...
For the record, Yoko actually DID have one record that fell one spot short of making The Top 40 (in Cash Box anyway) ...
Her 1981 hit "Walking On Thin Ice" (which is actually quite listenable ... and became a bit of a dance hit in the clubs) peaked at #41 (but only climbed to #58 in Billboard.)
A far cry from her usual fare ...
By the way, "Juanita Banana" by The Peels ALSO made it to #41 (in Record World ... #59 in Billboard) ... I first discovered this track when Dickie Goodman used it in his "Batman And His Grandmother" cut-in record ...
While Mrs. Miller's version of "Downtown" (Tony Hatch had to be SO proud!!!) got enough novelty airplay to climb to #82. (kk)
I was in a meeting at work Wednesday afternoon when I got the news about Raquel Welch's passing.
Naturally, I had to share the news with the other four men in the room, expecting each to be quite shocked by the sad news of the passing of not only a cultural icon, but also of one of the most beautiful women in the world ... but only my co-worker Brian acknowledged it ... and even then, only by saying exactly what I was already thinking: "She was, for a certain age group, the most beautiful woman in the world" ... to which I replied, in my usual, smart-asstic way, "Well, she was no Ruth Buzzi" ... which, of course, got a bit of a laugh from the others in the room.
Imagine my surprise then when I got home later that night and found THIS clip of Raquel Welch ... AND Ruth Buzzi ... exchanging beauty tips on an episode of "Laugh In" from the early '70's!!! (There are some things you just can't plan!!! lol) kk
>>>"CATCH A FALLING STAR" /
PERRY COMO - First Song Ever To Receive A "GOLD RECORD"(FB)
>>>‘Tis
true …From the official RIAA
Certification site:The very first Gold
Award was earned on March 14, 1958 to Perry Como for his hit single, “Catch A
Falling Star.”
Kent,
I've read over the course of many years that the first gold record
went to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo" in 1941. It sold well
over a million copies.
What am I missing here? Do I have poor sources? Thanks for the great website.
Charlie
Ricci
Since the RIAA wasn't even founded until 1952, I would have to say yes, you have a poor source on this one.
(Now that's not to say that the RIAA didn't backtrack at a later date and award gold record awards to other records with proven sales of over a million copies ... this very well may be the case ... but the first OFFICIAL Gold Record Award was given out to Perry Como's "Catch A Falling Star," as documented on their own website.) kk
Best Classic
Bands ran a piece on B-Sides this past week, written by Jeff Tamarkin, which is
worth reading ...
(Of course,
we know a thing or two about B-Sides as well … several years ago we compiled a
list of the 200 Biggest Two-Sided Hits Of All-Time … along with an additional
list of your Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides that DIDN’T make their mark on the
charts.)
It’s been
picked up by countless radio stations over the years for special weekend
programming (and still runs on Me-TV-FM at least twice a year) … SO many great
B-Sides that we’ve never forgotten.(Still one of my favorite quotes from our original series was something
to the effect of “SURE I played the B-Side … I PAID for both sides, didn’t
I?!?!”)
The scene
from “Diner” is also quoted again in the BCB article …
And it
provides another PERFECT excuse to run links to our lists again (kk) …
I
don't usually make song requests, but it's time SOMEBODY did ...
I
met Don Grady (second from the left on this LP cover) years ago, when I went to
his house for a job.He was one heck of
a nice guy.
Timmy
Happy to fill this request, Timmy!
Alex Valdez, lead singer of Yellow Balloon, has been on our
Forgotten Hits list for ages now, and still chimes in from time to time.(By the way, did you know the B-Side of their
hit single “Yellow Balloon” was “Noollab Wolley” (which is “Yellow Balloon”
backwards … which is exactly how it was played!!!Guess there was no mistaking the hit side of
THAT record!)
“Yellow Balloon” made it to #25 in Billboard in 1967 … and
was a #12 Hit here in Chicago. (I know I certainly loved it … and still do!)
Here you go, Timmy … another INSTANT REQUEST!!!(kk)
Actually, balloons have been ALL over the news lately …
Chuck Buell sent in a week’s worth of material about the
Chinese balloon we discovered a week ago or so … (you'll find a brief sampling below) ...
And now this from long-standing FH Reader and contributor Ed
Erxleben …
I'm watching on the news about fighter jets
scrambling to take down mysterious balloons, and I realized that Nena's 1983
song was coming true!!! According to Nena though, 95 luftballons are not
yet accounted for.
Ed Erxleben
EXCLUSIVE!
Just released! The First Photos of the contents of the Chinese Balloon
that was shot down by the United States earlier this afternoon!
Here are the Latest Chinese Balloon Details from the Chuck Buell International News Department!
Due to recent International Events, DoorDash has reluctantly discontinued their new and innovative Delivery Service.
From Chinese Intelligence ...
"Just ... relax, everyone. They're Americans. They'll never ... look up ...
Check our previous Surveillance Photo ... "
( I'm having so much fun with this event! )
I was recently commissioned through an Official Global International
United States-East Asian Worldwide Partnership Conglomerate for my “CB S-Eye-ns”
Company to create this sign for an unnamed third party to be placed at a
strategic yet undisclosed location somewhere in China.
All’s well in the World Today for at least this moment!
CB!
WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT HIM!!! --
kk ...
One Of Cousin Brucie's Fans Said That Huey "PIANO" Smith Died 2/13/2023.
Cousin Brucie Talks To Kathy Young On Saturday.
Tonight (2/15/23) from 8 - 11 on REMEMBER THEN RADIO, DR. BOP Plays
All Jim, James, and Jimmy Singers.
I Requested Jim Stephans & Safaris = "IMAGE OF A GIRL" / 1960.
While "Don't You Just Know It" was Huey's biggest hit, he also wrote the hits "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu" and "Sea Cruise," two rock and roll classics. (kk)
As mentioned the other day, it's tough to go a day lately without some type of celebrity death announcement.
Yesterday it was former All Star (and World Series Champion), major league catcher (and baseball announcer) Tim McCarver who left us.
I remember him most from The St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he broke into the Majors in the early '60's. (He helped propel The Red Birds to The World Series in both 1964 and 1967, with The Cardinals coming home World Series Champs both seasons.) He was traded to The Philadelphia Phillies in 1969 (in a deal that also included Curt Flood and Dick Allen.)
Although he at first balked about joining the team, he would win three more National League East titles with The Philles before retiring in 1980, at which point he immediately took a seat in the broadcast booth, a spot he occupied for the rest of his career, eventually calling games for The Phillies, The Yankees, The Mets, The Giants and The Cardinals ... as well as nationally being in the booth for 23 World Series and 20 All-Star Games!
Then, later that same day, the official announcement was made about Bruce Willis suffering from dementia (sadly, an announcement we have been expecting for over a year now after Bruce stopped accepting acting roles.) He has entertained us in SO many ways over the years ... whether as goofball detective David Addison on "Moonlighting" or as tough guy action hero John McClane in the long-running series of "Die Hard" movies.
We become more and more aware of our own mortality with each passing day as SO many of our lifetime heroes have left us these past few years. Please remember to treat every day as a blessing ... they're now more precious than ever. (kk)
In honor of their 60th Anniversary, The Kinks have announced a new anthology series that will unveil over the course of the next few months.
On March 24th, "The Journey - Part 1" will be released, with songs hand-picked by founding members Ray and Dave Davies along with Mick Avery, who joined the band in 1964, just in time for their first hey-day.
The Kinks first exploded as part of The British Invasion, scoring nine US Top 40 Hits between 1964 and 1966. They came back strong in the early '70's with a more sophisticated sound on tracks like "Lola," "Apeman" and "Victoria" ... and then ran up a brand new string of hits in the early '80's with "Come Dancing" and "Don't Forget To Dance."
This is much more than a "greatest hits" collection, however ... although naturally classic tracks like "Waterloo Sunset," "Celluloid Heroes" and "A Rock And Roll Fantasy" will also most likely appear.
From the promotional release:
The Kinks have sold over 50 million records worldwide and have been
streamed over a billion times; they have achieved five US Top 10
singles, nine US Top 40 albums, seventeen UK Top 20 singles and five UK
Top 10 albums, with four albums certified Gold. Among numerous honors,
they have received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Service To
British Music and have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of
Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Multi-award winning, legendary
frontman Sir Ray Davies is widely recognized as one of the greatest
British songwriters of all time.
Here is the track list for the first release:
CD 1
Songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl:
1. You Really Got Me (UK#1, 1964)
2. All Day And All Of The Night (UK#2, 1964)
3. It’s All Right (1964)
4. Who’ll Be The Next In Line (1965)
5. Tired Of Waiting For You (UK#1, 1965)
6. Dandy (Germany#1, 1966)
7. She’s Got Everything (1968)
8. Just Can’t Go To Sleep (1964)
9. Stop Your Sobbing (1964)
10. Wait Till The Summer Comes Along (1965)
11. So Long (1965)
12. I’m Not Like Everybody Else (1966)
Songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside:
13. Dead End Street (UK#5, 1966)
14. Wonderboy (1968)
15. Schooldays (1975)
16. The Hard Way (1975)
17. Mindless Child Of Motherhood (1969)
18. Supersonic Rocket Ship (UK#2, 1972)
19. I’m In Disgrace (1975)
20. Do You Remember Walter? (1968)
CD 2
Days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times:
1. Too Much On My Mind (1966)
2. Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout That Girl (1965)
3. Days (UK#2, 1968)
4. Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains (1968)
5. Where Have All The Good Times Gone (1965)
6. Strangers (1970)
7. It’s Too Late (1965)
8. Sitting In The Midday Sun (1973)
A new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl:
9. Waterloo Sunset (UK#2, 1967)
10. Australia (1969)
11. No More Looking Back (1975)
12. Death Of A Clown (UK#3, 1967)
13. Celluloid Heroes (1972)
14. Act Nice And Gentle (1967)
15. This Is Where I Belong (1967)
16. Shangri-La (1969)
And, speaking of new releases, here’s a name you probably weren’t expecting to hear again …
Classic Rock Legends Blues Image Featuring Mike
Pinera
Rides Again with New “Next Voyage” and Tour!
Blues Image rides again with a new album “Next
Voyage” forthcoming and tour. The album features original guitarist and
vocalist Mike Pinera, and includes the greatest songs from his history with
Blues Image and Iron Butterfly, revisited with orchestra and horn section and
is produced by Michael Franklin, who also produced Jon Anderson “1000 Hands, Part
One” and Robby Steinhardt “Not In Kansas Anymore.” In Franklin’s tradition of
special guests, the album features Pat Travers, Jonathan Cain from Journey, Charlie
DeChant, and others. Also, Michael and Tim Franklin have toured as members of
Blues Image for 30 years.
Blues Image is an American Blues Rock band formed
in Tampa, Florida in 1966 by singer-guitarist Mike Pinera. Blues Image became
the house band at the club Thee Image, which featured bands like Cream,
Grateful Dead, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. The band moved to Los Angeles and
signed with Atco Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in February,
1969. Their second album, “Open” (April 1970), included the hit single “Ride
Captain Ride.” Written by Pinera and Skip Konte, the song has been used in many
films. Pinera left the band to join Iron Butterfly in the fall of 1969.
Current Blues Image line-up
Mike Pinera - Guitar and vocals
Tim Franklin - Bass and vocals
Eddie Metz, Jr.– Drums,
Michael Franklin - Keyboards & Vocal
Special Guests
Pat Travers - Guitar
Jonathan Cain of Journey - Wurlitzer
Charlie DeChant - Saxophone
Tommy Calton - Guitar
Steady Joseph – Percussion
Randie Paul soloist on Love is the Answer
Suzie Park soloist on Something to Say
Naomi Bradshaw soloist on Pay My Dues
Horns
Brian Snapp - Tenor and Bari Sax
Charlie DeChant - Tenor Sax Solo on “Ina Gadda Da Vida”
Charlie Bertini-Trumpet
Brian Scanlon-Trumpet
Woodwinds
Jerrv Kalbe - Oboe. Flute & Clarinet on “Ride Captain Ride”.
Charlie DeChant- Flute solo on “Ride Captain Ride”.
Strings
Chamber de Solar
Cello Section leader Paul Fleury
Violin Section leader Olga Kopakova
Choir
Randie Paul
Suzie Park
Naomi Bradshaw
Shopia Hudson
Heather Rice
Michelle Amato
Nana Franklin
Recorded and Mixed at Solar Studios
Orlando, Florida
Matt Brown – Recorded, Mixed and Mastered
Horn Arrangements Brian Snapp and Michael Franklin
Orchestrations and Arrangements Michael Franklin
Produced by Michael Franklin
Orhontuul Banzragch - Illustrator
Tom Lupo | Space Coast Pictures – Graphics
Special Thanks- Kurzweil Music,
Spectrasonics, IK Media,| Oriolo Guitars ,
TM & Copyright Franklin Music Group Solar Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved
Released on SolarMusic.com
Kent –
In regards to CB's Fashion Designers Minute
Medley at the end of Sunday’s FH, I am sure there are quite a few more that
could have been selected, but the first two that came to my mind were Gerry
Granahan's NO CHEMISE PLEASE from 1958 and a group called the Beavers with SACK
DRESS, also from 1958.
Larry
From David Salidor, Micky Dolenz's East Coast PR Guy, comes this news ...
Hey, Kent -
Just announced:
Micky Dolenz will join Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, February 27th.
Micky will discuss his forthcoming tour ‘The Monkees, Celebrated by Micky
Dolenz,’ set for April, where he will perform The Monkees’ triumphant
third album, 'Headquarters.'
Dolenz will also reflect on the generational impact of The Monkees' music and will exclusively announce a new project.
Dolenz last appeared on the show sitting in with The Roots on 9/24/15.
dis
Man, this is GREAT news!!! (I am really looking forward to seeing how Micky performs "Headquarters" on his own!!!)
And honestly, he SHOULD be appearing on a program like "The Tonight Show" every seven years or so!!! lol (kk)
Bruce Springsteen, whose 2023 tour is already underway, has added a number of new dates to the list ... including a stop here in Chicago at Wrigley Field on August 9th. (It'll be a madhouse in and around Wrigleyville THAT day!!!)
Here is an updated list, taking us into December ... and more dates could conceivably be added ... (kk)
February 18th (tomorrow) – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
February 21st – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
February 25th – Portland, OR – Moda Center
February 27th – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
March 2nd – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
March 5th – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
March 7th – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
March 9th – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
March 12th – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun
March 14th – Albany, NY – MVP Arena
March 16th – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
March 18th – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
March 20th – Boston, MA – TD Garden
March 23rd – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
March 25th – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
March 27th – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
March 29th – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
April 1st – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
April 3rd – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
April 5th – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Apr 07 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Arena
April 9th and 11th – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
April 14th – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
And then The Boss goes overseas ...
April 28th and 30th – Barcelona, Spain - Estadi Olímpic
May 5th, 7th and 9th – Dublin, Ireland – RDS Arena
May 13th and 15th – Paris, France – La Défense Arena
May 18th – Ferrara, Italy – Parco Urbano G. Bassani
May 21st – Rome, Italy – Circo Massimo
May 25th and 27th – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Johan Cruijff Arena
May 30th – Edinburgh, UK – BT Murrayfield Stadium
June 11th – Landgraaf, The Netherlands – Megaland
June 13th – Zurich, Switzerland – Stadion Letzigrund
June 16th – Birmingham, UK – Villa Park
June 18th – Werchter, Belgium – TW Classic
June 21st – Düsseldorf, Germany Merkur Spiel Arena
June 24th, 26th and 28th – Gothenburg, Sweden – Ullevi
June 30th and July 2nd – Oslo, Norway – Voldsløkka
July 6th and 8th – London, UK – BST Hyde Park
July 11th and 13th – Copenhagen, Denmark – Parken
July 15th – Hamburg, Germany – Volksparkstadion
July 18th – Vienna, Austria – Ernst Happel Stadion
July 21st – Hockenheim, Germany
July 23rd – Munich, Germany – Olympiastadion
July 25th – Monza, Italy – Prato della Gerascia, Autodromo di Monza
And then back to U.S. soil ...
August 9th – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field*
August 16th and 18th – Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park*
August 24th – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
August 28th – Washington, DC – Nationals Park
August 30th and September 1st – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Sepember 7th – Syracuse, NY – JMA Wireless Dome
September 9th – Baltimore, MD – Oriole Park at Camden Yards
September 12th – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Before a quick trip across the border ...
November 3rd – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
November 6th – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
November 8th – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
November 10th – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
November 14th and 16th – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
November 18th – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
November 20th – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
Before coming back home to close things out ...
Novmber 30th – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
December 4th and 6th – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
December 8th – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
Keep watching these pages for any changes. (kk)
Stephen Stills will team up (once again!) with Neil Young to perform at a fundraiser for Autism Speaks on April 22nd at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. (This has been a pet project of Stephen and Kristen Stills for several years now.) And this time, they'll be joined on stage by David Crosby's son. (David passed away earlier this year.) Graham Nash had previous commitments and, as such, isn't able to join his former comrades for this event. Stills' son Chris as well as Lukas Nelson (son of Willie) are also scheduled to perform ... and more high-profile, surprise guests will be announced as we get closer to the concert date. (As I type this, Judy Collins and Sheryl Crow have now announced that they are also onboard.)
And finally, several new releases were announced yesterday for this year's Record Store Day (April 22nd) ... including (for the first time ever on vinyl) the soundtrack to the 1972 Ringo Starr movie "Blindman" (Ringo does not perform on the soundtrack ... in fact, near as I can remember, he doesn't speak a single word in the entire film!!! Oh yeah ... the OTHER thing I remember is that it was absolutely AWFUL!!!)
ABKCO is also releasing The Rolling Stones' LP "Beggar's Banquet" on a really cool looking blue, gray, black and white swirl vinyl.
And, not to be outdone, Paul McCartney is re-releasing a vinyl edition of his 1973 #1 album "Red Rose Speedway." (Hmm ... new releases by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr ... on the same day as ABKCO, a company founded and formerly owned and managed by Allen Klein ... this is all just a little bit too surreal for me!!!) kk
This was supposed to be a special Burt Bacharach Edition today (as promised yesterday) but honestly it has been SO hard to prepare pieces in advance these last few years when it seems like we are losing celebrity icons on a near-daily basis.
And let me tell you, we truly lost an icon yesterday, when Raquel Welch passed away.
Without question, one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen or pose in front of a photo lens, Ms. Welch passed away after a brief illness at the age of 82.
But this truly beautiful woman had brains and a heart of gold, too.
Sadly, she will be most-remembered for her role in her break-out film "One Million Years B.C." when, in fact, she was so much more - and maintained her dignity and demeanor to the very end.
She was born right here in Chicago in 1940 and was first noticed for her role in "Fantastic Voyage," a movie I happened to see upon its release because I had just finished reading the book for a class assignment. (I remember liking the book CONSIDERABLY better than the movie ... but isn't that usually the case???)
Welch (born Jo Raquel Tejada) moved with her family to California at the age of 2 and, in 1964, found herself in the cast for the Elvis Presley motion picture "Roustabout." She was also one of the "billboard girls" on the television series "The Hollywood Palace.
And DIDJAKNOW she auditioned for the role of Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island?!?!? (Now GINGER I could understand ... but Mary Ann??? ... I mean, how can you have the Kansas Farm Girl looking hotter than the Hollywood Starlet???)
Apparently, she was also a featured character on "Mork And Mindy," but I don't remember that. (I had probably already stopped watching by then!)
In 1969, she co-starred with Ringo Starr in "The Magic Christian" (If you want it, come and get it, indeed!!!) and a year later had the lead, starring role as Myra Breckinridge, an effort (in her words) to be "taken seriously as an actor." The character was a transsexual, which was considered QUITE controversial in 1970!
In addition to hosting and appearing on several television variety shows, she also maintained a success Las Vegas stage act. In 1974, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film for her role in "The Three Musketeers." She was also a leader in the home fitness arena, had her own line of beauty products and ran a very success wig company.
Raquel, you will always be in our hearts. So sad to see you go. (kk)
HEY, BURT ...
Nah, we didn't forget about him!!!
We can still squeeze him in here ...
Kent,
As for tributes pouring in for Burt Bacharach,
the only record by him (single) I have is his 1967 instrumental BOND STREET on
A & M, which made our weekly survey.
Larry
For all the music he gave us over the decades, Burt never
really made much of a mark on the charts under his own name … 1963’s “Saturday
Sunshine” and his own 1969 version of “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” are the
only two to crack The Hot 100 (both peaked at #93 actually!)“Bond Street” charted in Record World only …
for two weeks in 1967, peaking at #134.But boy, he SURE made his mark with other artists interpreting his
material!(kk)
kk
…
You
Notice That When Somebody Dies, People All Of A Sudden Figure Out How Great
They Were.
Back
In 1957, When I Bought Marty Robbins’ 45 "THE STORY OF MY LIFE” (David -
Bacharach), I Figured Out How Great Burt Bacharach Was.
FB
I don’t think
you’ll find ANY dispute about how great Burt Bacharach was!We’ve all known for quite some time.
I always seem
to forget about “The Story Of My Life” … that song was never really on my
radar.For me, the first real
breakthrough moment was when he scored the theme to that great Steve McQueen
classic, “The Blob!!!” (#33, 1958)
Not exactly
what you’d expect from a Burt Bacharach melody … but still catchy as hell!
(And let’s
face it … you don’t hear lyrics like THIS every day!!!)kk
Further proof
from Tom Cuddy that we’ve all been well aware of Burt’s genius for some time
now …
The Carpenters "Burt Bacharach & Hal David Medley" on
The Ed Sullivan Show
Again, just
peruse the list of Hal David / Burt Bacharach tunes recorded by Dionne Warwick
… it is absolutely staggering!
Don’t Make Me
Over – This Empty Place – Make The Music Play – Anyone Who HadHeart – Walk On By – You’ll Never Get To
Heaven – A House is Not A Home – Reach Out To Me – Wishin’ And Hopin’Close To You – Here I Am – Looking With My
Eyes – Are You There With Another Girl – Message To Michael – Trains And Boats
And Planes – I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Another Night – Alfie –
The Beginning of Loneliness – The Windows Of The World – I Say A Little Prayer
– Do You Know The Way To San Jose – Let Me Be Lonely – Who Is Gonna Love –
There’s Always Something There To Remind Me – Promises, Promises – This Girl’s
In Love With You – The April Fools – Odds And Ends – I’ll Never Fall In Love
Again – Let Me Go To Him – Paper Mache – Make It Easy On Yourself – The Green
Grass Starts To Grow – Only Love Can Break A Heart – That’s What Friends Are
For – Love Power – Reservation For Two – What The World Needs Now Is Love … and
those are just the singles!!!(kk)
And now you
can get the COMPLETE Dionne Warwick Singles Collection on this new box-set
CD!(Nearly all of the titles shown
above are included … she recorded some of the others for other labels.)
I have been
looking for the CD for YEARS now …
It was
offered as part of a donation bonus incentive a PBS Pledge Drive after they
showed a then-new Dionne Warwick documentary.(I wasn’t about to pay $500 for it … but figured after the show had run
its course, copies might be available for purchase for a more reasonable
donation … but I couldn’t find a copy ANYWHERE, not even on eBay, so this one’s
going right into my collection as soon as it comes out!)
Most comprehensive and definitive
new collection of every A and B side single Dionne cut for the Scepter label
featuring the legendary songwriting/production team of Burt Bacharach and Hal
David
Includes 74 tracks featuring dozens
of iconic tracks, all original (mostly mono) single mixes and a bonus single
remastered from tape sources
Limited edition 3-CD set out April 7 on Real
Gone Music
Label Note: We had scheduled this title for release
prior to Burt Bacharach’s passing. We were unsure when to promote it, but
in the end we decided the sooner we let people know about this collection
that contains the brilliant core of his repertoire, the better
Dionne
Warwick Ranks Second Only to Aretha Franklin as the Biggest Hitmaker
of the Rock Era, and Is a Five-Time Grammy Winner
Dionne
and the Songwriting/Production Team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Attained Heights Reached by Very Few with Their Historic String of Hit
Singles for the Scepter Label
In
Little Over Ten Years, Dionne Notched 40 Charting Pop Hits and 29
Charting R&B Hits for Scepter
These
Recordings Changed Pop Music Forever, Bringing a New Level of
Sophistication to the Medium
But
There Has Never Been a Comprehensive and Definitive Compilation of
This Monumental Body of Work...Until Now
The
Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 Presents the A and B-Side
of Every Single Dionne Cut for Scepter
3-CD
Set
74
Tracks in All
Features
Such Iconic Tracks as “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,”
“Walk On By,” “Message to Michael,” “(Theme from) Valley of the
Dolls,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Alfie,” “Do You Know the Way to San
Jose,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “This Girl’s in Love with You,”
and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”
Also
Includes as a Bonus the Single She Cut for Musicor Featuring the Hit
“Only Love Can Break a Heart”
All
Original (Mostly Mono) Single Mixes Just Like They Played on the Radio
Back in the Day
Remastered
from Tape Sources by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision
Annotated
by Long-Time Music Journalist and Billboard Contributor
Paul Grein
Includes
Rare Photos
A
Timely Release Coinciding with the Premiere of the Dionne
Documentary Don’t Make Me Over
A
Cornerstone of Any Pop Music Collection, and the Essential Dionne
Warwick Release
Limited
to 3000 Copies
Very, very few artists have reached the heights
attained by Dionne Warwick and the songwriting/production team of Burt
Bacharach and Hal David on their historic string of hit singles for the
Scepter label. Over the course of a little over ten years, Dionne scored no
less than 40 charting Pop hits and 29 charting R&B hits for Scepter,
propelling Dionne to a ranking second only to Aretha Franklin among female
singers with the most chart hits in the rock era, not to mention five
Grammy nods.
More importantly, Warwick, Bacharach, and David brought
a new level of sophistication to popular music ... and by doing so, created
some of the most indelible recordings of all time. However, despite its
brilliance and lasting influence, there has never been a collection at
music retail that truly captured this incredible body of work ... until
now. The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 offers the A
and B-side of every single Dionne cut for the Scepter label (with the bonus
inclusion of her single for Musicor featuring the hit “Only Love Can Break
a Heart”), all original, (mostly) mono single versions remastered by Mike
Milchner of Sonic Vision from original tape sources and annotated by
veteran music journalist and Billboard contributor Paul
Grein.
Among the 74 (!) tracks on this 3-CD set are some of
the most hallowed sides in ‘60s pop, including “Don’t Make Me Over,”
“Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Walk On By,” “Message to Michael,” “(Theme from)
Valley of the Dolls,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Alfie,” “Do You Know the
Way to San Jose,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “This Girl’s in Love with
You,” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” But really, pretty much every
track in this collection is a masterpiece ... and remember, the single
mixes you’re hearing on this collection is exactly what folks thrilled to
when they turned on their radio back in the day. A cornerstone of any pop
music collection ... and a timely tribute coinciding with the release of
the new Dionne documentary Don’t Make Me Over. We are
limiting this release to 3000 copies ... don’t “Walk On By!"
When Dionne Warwick heard that we were doing a tribute to
The Ed Sullivan Show a few years ago, she absolutely INSISTED on commenting
for us as well.(And you just don’t
say “no” to Ms. Dionne!!!Lol)
Seriously, the email came out of nowhere … I had no idea
she had ANY clue what Forgotten Hits even was …
But after asking us to please include her comments and
memories, she sent us this:
My first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show
was without a doubt one of the most exciting times in my career, as being
asked to do his show meant you had either already made it or you were about
to become a major star. He was a wonderful man and he treated me with
an abundance of kindness ... and each time I appeared on his show, he
would bring me over to him and give information about me to the
audience.
The one thing I remember vividly was
he never said my name correctly until one of the cue card writers made it
easy for him by spelling my name phonetically ... DE-ON ... and from
that moment on, he said my name right.
His show was by far the father of variety
shows and these are sorely missed.
Thank you for including my memory of Ed
Sullivan and his show.
Dionne Warwick
You can read all kinds of Ed Sullivan memories here …
Me-TV-FM will be saluting the music of Burt Bacharach
all weekend long …
This from Program Director Rick O’Dell:
We
lost a giant of an artist last week. Composer Burt Bacharach passed away
Wednesday at the age of 94. We’ll be paying tribute to Mr. Bacharach with a
weekend of his timeless and memorable songs beginning this Friday evening in
the 7:00 hour.
From
Harvey Kubernik …
Burt Bacharach's Final Recording Session With Elvis Costello,
‘You Can Have Her,’ Gets a Quiet Release After Songwriter's Death
I conducted an interview with Burt Bacharach in 1998 during his
collaboration with Elvis Costello on "Painted From Memory" inside
EastWest Recording Studios, the former United Western Studio, and thought that your
readers might enjoy this excerpt.
I met Burt on several occasions over the last half century ... various
record release parties, awards ceremonies, his solo recitals, sat next to him
at a Carole King and James Taylor Hollywood Bowl concert earlier this century.
I have a memory from many decades ago of seeing Burt with horse racing track
jockey legend, Willie Shoemaker in West Hollywood on Sunset Blvd having dinner
at The Cock'n Bull restaurant.
BURT BACHARACH:I started making my own records out of
self-defense. To protect. Because I think (years ago) I ruined some
good songs, because I trusted some of the A&R people. I thought they
really had to be good, or they wouldn’t have that job. If I had a three
bar phrase, then that really worked as a three bar phrase. It’s like,
let’s take a song like “Wives and Lovers.”Thank God nobody suggested it in the A&R department, but if somebody
had said, “We’ll get so-and-so to record it, it will be a single, it’ll go in
the movie ... but you’ve got to put it in 4/4 ... ”
Quincy (Jones) said, “Sorry, we did it in four because they said
they couldn’t play it in three!” (smiles) :
I’m very conscious of too much
strings on records. It’s an invasion of some territory that I’m very
allergic to now. First of all, you’ve got to have a lead going in.
So, when you know you have a situation that plays, then you can take the strings
- “ ... hey, let them play five bars and let’s bail. Let’s bring ‘em out
for that sweep down, and then, right on the modulation ... ” And, you
know ... it’s like you have a great smile but you can’t use it all the
time. Drop it in.
I’ve gone 30, 40 takes. On
Dionne’s first record, I had her on take four. Maybe the difference now
from what it used to be is that I know I’m going to be OK at 95
percent. You can make yourself crazy going for 100 percent. It’s
not about what you get, but what you’re gonna get as a result. Something
is gonna be at fault in the record. The guitar player played great, but
you don’t do it all at the same time. Played great on the one take, but
the drummer made a mistake, or didn’t play as good, or didn’t go to the ride
cymbal when you hoped he would. Then the balance shifts and you didn’t
get the performance on the next take. It’s about compromising. Get
as close to ...
I learned something from Don
Was. Just talking to Don, maybe six or seven years ago. I was doing
a lot of stuff on synthesizers and drum machines. Don said, “It’s not so
important that somebody makes a mistake, if the track is there and the song
feels good. If the song is there and the vocal performance is there,
that’s it.”
I love the “I
had her on take four” line.
We were
watching “If These Walls Could Sing” over the weekend and George Martin was
talking about the time Burt Bacharach came over to England to record Cilla
Black recording “Alfie” for British release.(Dionne Warwick had already scored the American hit … but they wanted to
come up with something for the British audience.)
And Martin
said Bacharach worked her to the bone, doing take after take after take after
take … all the way up to Take 17.It was
exhausting!
Finally, Sir
George asked Burt exactly what he was looking for and Burt replied “Magic” … to
which George Martin replied, “Well, I think you had THAT on Take Four.”
Still,
Bacharach kept putting Cilla thru the paces, trying to get a more “perfect”
take.They finally called it a day and
then, a few weeks later when the record came out, the released it with Take
Four … exactly as George Martin said it should be!(lol)kk
