Tax Day???
First off, EVERY DAY is tax day!
Second:
>>>Here's something very few people know. This little pocket in our jeans is for the money we have left over after we’ve paid our taxes! (Chuck Buell)
This is why it is always empty.
Shelley
If you haven't filed already, Taxes are Due by midnight tomorrow!
So just this reminder ~~~
Which is probably why Al Capone's Vault was empty
when Geraldo Rivera opened it back in April of 1986! (CB)
>>>CB ( which does not
stand for “Cannabis Boy!” About whom I
make no judgement about those of you who might partake! ) Chuck Buell
- Randy Price
Whoa! Tough crowd! (kk)
You might find this article interesting ...
https://nypost.com/2023/04/16/how-new-yorks-legal-weed-is-turning-workers-into-stoned-zombies/
David Saidor
I’ve gotta be the squarest guy out there -
Never even tried it (or had the inclination to)
More on that incredible Frankie Valli / Four Seasons box set:
https://bestclassicbands.com/frankie-valli-box-set-four-seasons-madfish-8-1-22/
(Thanks to the bonus vinyl LP and the hard-cover coffee table book, this complete set weighs in at 11 ½ lbs!!!)
And, just in case you haven’t already read it, check out this article / interview with former Four Season Gerry Polci …
(Who??? Well, read the article and find out!!! You DEFINITELY know his voice!!!)
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/four-seasons-oh-what-a-night-singer-1234704728/
And, since we’re talking Jersey Boys here, have you heard that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has designated September 23rd as Bruce Springsteen Day in the State of New Jersey?
In a tweet on Saturday, the Governor said:
“Bruce Springsteen is one of the most iconic and influential musicians – and New Jerseyans – of all time, period. And so, I am both honored and proud to announce @springsteen’s birthday, Sept. 23, will officially be known as Bruce Springsteen Day in the Garden State”.
Unfortunately, The Boss and his wife Patti Sciafla were unable to attend the announcement ceremony because both have tested positive for Covid again! (kk)
Meanwhile, Billy Joel’s next Madison Square Garden Show, originally scheduled for April 22nd, has been bumped to May 5th due to The New York Rangers playing New Jersey Devils in Game Three of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! (I’m sure New Yorkers can live with this decision! Lol)
Even the rescheduled May 5th date comes with a disclaimer, should New York advance to the next round of playoff games. (kk)
April Stevens, Rest In Peace
So sad to hear of April's passing.
"Deep Purple" was one of my earliest 45s and "All Strung Out" one of my fave 45s. Along with Nino Tempo, they played all those old standards and were basically about 10-15 years older than the teen bands of the 60's and this was not lost on many, yet they managed to keep selling records. This 45 from 1965, one of their ways to keep old songs sounding relevent with "I Love How You Love Me" done with a Byrds sound of the day! 93 years of some really cool music, even tho they kept to material that was outdated by decades often. Somewhat appropriate that April was born and died in the month of April, I guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luPRSXyaItU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ogtsaXmxK0
From The Wrecking Crew Facebook page (still awaiting confirmation through other sources though Wikipedia also notes her passing):
Today is another sad day to say goodbye. April Stevens passed away this morning.
April Stevens (born Caroline Vincinette LoTempio; April 29, 1929) is an American singer best known for her collaborations with her younger brother, Nino Tempo.
April and Nino were born in Niagara Falls, NY, and moved to California when
they were kids.
Stevens has recorded since she was twenty two years old. Her most popular solo recording was her RCA Victor recording of "I'm In Love Again" (music and lyrics by Cole Porter). Accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Henri René, Stevens' recording peaked at No. 6 on the pop chart in 1951. Her follow-up, "Gimme Me a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?" made it to No. 10 later that year, and her next release, "And So To Sleep Again," hit #27.
Stevens returned to the U.S. chart in 1959 with the song "Teach Me Tiger," which caused a minor uproar for its sexual suggestiveness and consequently did not receive airplay on many radio stations. The song peaked at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Stevens is best known for her 1963 Atco Records recording of "Deep
Purple" with her brother Antonino LoTempio (singing under the stage name
Nino Tempo.) A standard song that Larry
Clinton and his Orchestra and band vocalist Bea Wain had popularized in 1939,
the Stevens and Tempo version reached No.1 on the Hot 100 on November 16, 1963,
and No.17 in the British charts. The song won the 1963 Grammy Award for Best
Rock and Roll Recording. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a Gold
disc.
The duo also enjoyed a 1964 follow-up hit in the U.S. with the standard song
"Whispering.” The recording, which had an arrangement similar to their
recording of "Deep Purple," reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 singles
chart. They also had chart success with "All Strung Out," which
reached No. 26 on the American Hot 100 in 1966. Later that year, the single
"The Coldest Night of the Year" was released on Atlantic 584048 in
the UK. A solo single by Stevens was
issued in December, 1967, a double-sided single of "Wanting You" with
"Falling In Love Again" on MGM 1366 in the UK and MGM K 13825 in the
US. "Wanting You" became a Northern soul classic.
In the Netherlands, the duo enjoyed a No. 5 hit in early 1973 with their
version of "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story."
In her 2013 autobiography, Teach Me Tiger, Stevens said she was born in 1929. She admitted to taking years off her age, and her brother, Nino, going along with it. This was supposedly due to their competition with acts in their late teens and early twenties that were dominating the record charts in the 1960s.
Hi Kent,
Hope all’s well.
I appreciate the plugs for my book … thanks for helping to get the word out!
I’ll be doing a book-signing / meet & greet at the Chiller Theatre Expo in Parsippany, NJ, at the Parsippany Hilton April 28th – 30th.
The big name guests are Mike Love and Priscilla Presley, but I’m also bringing MELANIE, making her first-ever celebrity signing appearance. She may even perform.
Should be fun.
http://www.chillertheatre.com/gt/gtc4.htm
Charles Rosenay!!!
I finished Charles’ book and it’s a fun read.
An eclectic group of participants, counting down their Top Ten Beatles-related songs and experiences … everyone from Pete Best (a former Beatle himself!) to Dick Cavett to Tommy Chong to Ron Dante to Walter Egan … Charlie Gracie, Carol Connors, Liberty DeVito, Walter Egan, The Flirtations, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, former Wings guitarist Laurence Juber … and Beatles associates like Bill Harry, Chris O’Dell, Angie and Ruth McCartney, Tony Bramwell, Joey Molland and Ron Griffith of Badfinger, Shaun Weiss … British Invasion artists like Jeremy Clyde and Terry Sylvester of The Hollies … and ‘60’s luminaries like MacKenzie Phillips, Gary Puckett, Butch Patrick … Beatles contemporaries like Phil “Fang” Volk of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James, Frank Ifield, Melanie, Leo Sayer, Jerry Yester of The Lovin’ Spoonful … THREE (count ‘em) former members of Vanilla Fudge (!) … Mark Hudson and Ringo’s drummer Gregg Bissonette … Cousin Brucie … the list goes on and on … 64 names in all! (Even Baseball Hall Of Famer Dave Winfield shares his list!)
The book already begs a
sequel (and I’ll bet more luminaries will be forthcoming, wanting to get in on
the action!) kk
You can order your copy here: https://bookoftop10beatleslists.com/
And here’s an update on the Dick Biondi Documentary screening, taking place at The Des Plaines Theatre on Sunday, May 21st …
|
Dear Friends, I discovered that we won’t be in town for this event. (We’ll be making the eight hour drive home from Kansas City that day) But we strongly urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to see it … and please, tell us what you think! Tickets available thru the link above. (kk) |
More from Tom Cuddy on the Little Richard documentary that FH Reader Frank B told us about a week ago or so …
Little Richard: The Riveting Showmanship and Tortured Sexuality That Built Rock and Roll
Did you happen to see the list of artists performing as part of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival??? A literal Who’s Who of top-shelf artists … including Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Jakob Dylan, Albert Lee, Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, The John Mayer Trio, John McLaughlin, Roger McGuinn, Keb’ Mo’, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, H.E.R, Marcus King, Robbie Robertson, Santana, Daniel Santiago, Stephen Stills, Jimmie Vaughan, The War On Drugs, ZZ Top and DOZENS more!
It all takes place in LA on September 23rd and 24th (note: not all artists are performing on both nights) … but you can look into tickets here:
Several years ago, we were able to keep tabs on The Happy Together Tour because most of the artists on the bill that year were emailing us after every show to let us know where they were, where they’d been, how the crowd was, etc. It offered some great insight into life on the road during a major tour, playing to packed houses from coast to coast.
This year, thanks to PR Man David Salidor, we’ve been getting updates on Micky Dolenz’s new tour celebrating both the music of The Monkees (featuring video clips of his fellow castmates / bandmates) but also a celebration of The Monkees’ third LP “Headquarters,” which is being performed in its entirety at several of these show. (Unfortunately, there is no Chicago stop planned this time around. Too bad … because I am STILL living off the “Headquarters” vibe some 57 years later!)
Anyway, here’s a recent blurb about Micky’s shows in Connecticut this past week …
http://t2conline.com/the-glorious-corner-460/
David also sent us some great pics of Micky on stage, taken by Paul Undersinger …
And another great interview / concert review as well!
Speaking of The Monkees, here’s a follow-up piece run by Me-TV after their Collectors Call ran last weekend, hosted by Lisa Whelchel. (Charles Rosenay, whose new book we mentioned above, was the guest appraiser of Katerine’s Monkees collection.)
https://www.metv.com/lists/meet-katherine-mccabe-inside-the-collection
And, speaking of The Happy Together Tour, Mark Volman is releasing HIS biography just in time for this year’s show to hit the road.
Harvey Kubernik files this report …
Mark Volman, who with Howard Kaylan were the backbone of the popular and influential music group of the sixties, the Turtles, has just announced his autobiography. The memoir chronicles his musical adventures. Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures With The Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More, with forewords by Alice Cooper and Chris Hillman, is scheduled for publication on June 20, 2023, via Jawbone Press.
Volman collaborated with author John Cody, who is a musician, and has recorded with over two hundred artists. This is his debut book.
Mark’s autobiography coincides with the 2023 edition of the popular “Happy Together” 2023 tour. The trek starts on May 31st, and is hosted by Volman. It spotlights performances by the Turtles, Little Anthony, Gary Puckett, the Vogues, the Classics IV and the Cowsills.
After charting with their first hit in 1965, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” the Turtles went on to achieve enormous pop success with “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “Elenore,” “You Showed Me,” and the #1 hit, “Happy Together.”
From the publisher’s announcement:
Volman has led a storied life, and many of those stories are contained in Happy Forever. A true son of Southern California, he has gone from topping the charts with the Turtles to underground cred with Frank Zappa and beyond. As Flo & Eddie, Mark and his long-time singing partner Howard Kaylan were the not-so-secret ingredient on many other artists’ records, taking Bruce Springsteen into the Top 10 for the very first time and helping T. Rex dominate the British charts. Then came the Ramones, U2, Blondie, Duran Duran and so many more; the list of credits is long and varied. Alongside his own comments, the book contains contributions from more than one hundred of Volman’s peers, friends and lovers, who share their thoughts on the man himself and on topics that span the social and cultural landscape of the past half-century. Happy Forever’s interview subjects include members of the Doors, the Monkees, the Byrds, the E Street Band and many more; producers Tony Visconti, Bob Ezrin, and Hal Willner; voice actors from The Simpsons and the Firesign Theatre; and key figures from the worlds of radio, animation and academia. The book also includes previously unseen photographs.” (I was also interviewed by Cody - HK)
Beyond the hit singles and the radio turntable favorites, the Turtles might be one of rock’s most misunderstood and yet beloved bands. During their original 1965-1970 run, they led a musical double life, scoring a lengthy run of unforgettable pop hits — such as “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Let Me Be,” “Happy Together,” “Elenore,” “You Baby” and “She’d Rather Be With Me” — while making albums that were among the era’s most distinctive, inventive and gently subversive.
With co-front men Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman providing heavenly harmonies, infectious sonic craft and effervescent humor, the Turtles were a ubiquitous presence on Top 40 radio for much of the ’60s, while earning their counterculture credentials with such adventurous LPs as the Ray Davies-produced Turtle Soup and the wildly eclectic The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, on which they impersonated a different fictional act on each track.
Originally released on the small independent White Whale label, the Turtles’ original albums have remained stubbornly out of print for many years, leaving fans with various greatest-hits collections that only scratched the surface of the band’s deep and rewarding catalog.
That situation changed on August 19, 2016, when the Turtles’ label FloEdCo, in association with Manifesto Records, celebrated the band’s 50th anniversary with the release of a pair of definitive CD packages that encompass, for the first time, the whole of the Turtles’ recorded output from 1965 to 1970.
The Complete Original Albums Collection is a six-CD box set of the six albums that the Turtles released between 1965 to 1970, plus a wealth of rare bonus material. Each of the band’s first three albums — It Ain’t Me Babe, You Baby and Happy Together — is presented in its original mono and stereo mixes, while each of the remaining three — The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, Turtle Soup and Wooden Head — provide a generous assortment of rare bonus tracks, including some previously unreleased material.
The two-CD All The Singles collects the A and B sides of every original 1965-1970 Turtles 45, with the tracks presented in the same mono or stereo mixes that were heard on the original singles. All The Singles also incorporates several tracks that were prepared for singles release but not issued at the time.
“We were thought of as a hit-making machine, but buried in there was a very thought-provoking group,” Mark Volman notes. “We really cared about what was going on ... We were never really afforded the credibility of bands like the Byrds.”
The Turtles, Volman stresses, were “making records that made it to the radio, but were still challenging and adventurous records. Experimental, but at the same time full of commerciality. The Turtles were really walking on a fine edge. We were only two years out of high school and we were making some pretty challenging music.”
After the Turtles disbanded at the end of the decade, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman maintained their partnership, serving a five-album stint as members of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention before releasing several albums as Flo and Eddie. They also had an extended run as FM rock DJs, provided voices for animated films and became in-demand studio singers, lending their trademark harmonies to a wide range of acts from T. Rex, Alice Cooper, Todd Rundgren to Bruce Springsteen, Blondie, the Psychedelic Furs, Duran Duran, and the Ramones.
I first encountered Westchester, Ca. high school students Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman during 1962 in adjacent Culver City, at the Airport Village eatery which served us 19 cent tacos.
I saw Turtles several times in the 1965-1968 period. They have been featured and quoted in several of my acclaimed books.
During 2016 I conducted a phone interview with Mark Volman, currently residing in Tennessee.
Harvey Kubernik: Talk to me about assembling these definitive anthologies. First the six-CD package.
Mark Volman: As far as The Complete Original Albums Collection. First of all, when we took over the ownership of the recordings there were years of clean-up that needed to be done.
One of the issues was the original record company, White Whale Records, around the country and the world they had licensed the music of the Turtles. When we got the ownership back, we spent years trying to shut down all the unauthorized recordings around the world, ‘cause we were never able to get away from bootlegging and things of that nature. It took a long time to shut down everybody. Five or six years of reaching out to the stratosphere of released versions of Turtles’ records.
We didn’t know what people were listening to. Master recordings that were being re-mastered in third or fourth generations. That was one of the initial issues that Howard and I had to deal with. Our attorneys were going out and shutting down companies we remember from the sixties; labels with cheap vinyl and cheap CDs going out. That was the first thing to do.
When we put The Complete Original Albums Collection together and the 2-CD All The Singles set it was in the hope that we would accumulate everything in one place—for the initiated and the uninitiated. You can’t just put out a set for the die-hard fans. You have to put out a set that hopefully will encompass the new fan and the die-hard fan.
Harvey: The Turtles played the instruments on all their studio albums and were not assisted by the Wrecking Crew. I think Lee Michaels played keyboard on “Buzz Saw.” Which brings us to All The Singles 2-CD release.
Mark: All the Singles. We were on a very small independent record label. And they couldn’t compete with Paul Revere & the Raiders or the Byrds, who had Columbia. We couldn’t compete with the Beach Boys and the Beatles on Capitol. And we always said how fortunate it was with a record like “Happy Together” that we were able to knock the Beatles out of number one.
There are things on the set people didn’t hear [at the time]. Not because they weren’t good records but they didn’t hear them because our record company didn’t have the financial firepower to work the promotion and marketing.
What is so neat about the 2-CD All The Singles compilation, besides really known hit singles like “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “Happy Together,” are records like “You Know What I Mean” and “She’s My Girl,” that Joe Wissert produced; “Elenore,” “Somewhere Friday Night” and “You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain,” which Ray Davies produced on our Turtle Soup; and “The Story of Rock & Roll,” written by Harry Nilsson and produced by Chip Douglas. “The Story of Rock & Roll” might be one of the greatest productions we have ever done and a powerful arrangement. Unbelievable. That whole high voice thing that we would eventually use on T-Rex records like “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” and even with Zappa and Flo & Eddie.
Harvey: As you and Howard know, as a teenager I saw the Turtles quite often during 1965-1968. I’ve logged 44 years touting your achievements, yet when playing these authorized reissues, I was just blown away listening again to “The Story of Rock & Roll.” The pure joy, exuberance and fun on display. I also suggest the influence and impact of this performance can be attributed years earlier to all those 10-cent hamburgers at Hamburger Handout and the 19-cent tacos you, me and Howard as kids devoured in the very late fifties and into the early sixties at Airport Village food court in Culver City.
Mark: I still dream of those tacos once a week … “The Story of Rock & Roll’ was the best recording we ever made. Put it on. We were creating Flo & Eddie with that recording. The songwriting and production. It also showcased for the first time the way we shared our vocals. Howard always had that control and that was the way it worked. You can argue that Howard is one of the best singers of that era or any era. Still. A great singer.
Harvey: Both new product compilations reinforce your own role in the support and group sound vocals. Did you have a specific philosophy in creating the secondary and colorful vocals that augmented and enhanced the lead voice of Howard Kaylan?
Mark: As far as the vocals and particularly the background vocals on the recordings of the Turtles, the basic overall philosophy of the vocal sound of the Turtles—and this goes back to the four of us: Chuck Portz, Jim Pons, Howard and myself, and then narrowed down to the three of us, Jim, Howard and I — was that it was necessary to have complementary voices.
One of the things that we learned going as far back as Westchester High School was that the second tenor parts, which basically brought the melody, were important for the sound quality of the group. That was left to Howard and I. A lot of times when we would do a record, before Pons became such an integral part of the singing, the backgrounds were done by me, Howard and Al Nichol.
Howard knew my strengths were in the quality of my voice. My voice got much more familiar to the Flo & Eddie fans, going back to the early Flo & Eddie records. I think there was always something about how we put together first and second tenor, a baritone and bass. I think there was a lot of thought in those background parts. A natural thing. As we became more and more in charge of our records and in arrangements the stuff that we brought became more and more obvious. We were pretty much the shit in terms of production of the sound.
But, you know, Howard understood that we had the songs and a friendly voice when we made records in the sixties. We had records and a familiar lead singer from song to song on the radio. That was very valuable. A familiar sound. Howard Kaylan of the Turtles or Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. We understood how important Howard was as a lead singer.
Harvey: “Elenore” followed the massive hit single “Happy Together.”
Mark: “Elenore” was written by Howard in a hotel room in Chicago as they [White Whale Records] wanted another “Happy Together.” We sat down and shaped that song into the record that would eventually come out. Check out the second chorus. Chip Douglas produced it.
After a 39-year courtship, Leo Sayer finally married his long-time love, Donatella Piccinetti on April 15th. (The two first met in London in 1984 when Donatella was a hostess at a restaurant. They became residents of Australia in 2005.) Congratulations to the happy couple. (Gee, I wonder how long it’ll last!!!) kk
A posthumous album by country and pop great Kenny Rogers will be released on June 2nd. Titled “Life Is Like A Song,” the album is described as “collection of unreleased recordings and studio rarities” … including Kenny’s take on The Temptations’ hit “I Wish It Would Rain,” a new mix of a duet recorded with Dolly Parton in the mid-2000’s and a new track written by another one of Kenny’s old duet partners, Kim Carnes, called “Love Is A Drug,” which has a real country feel to it.
And, since we’re talking country music, look for a brand new Wynonna Judd documentary coming to Paramount + next week, exploring life since the death of her mother and long-time singing partner. (kk)
And how is this even possible?!?!?
It was reported this week that the ABBA avatar show “Voyage” has sold its one millionth ticket!!! (Damn … how many seats are in this theater?!?!)
Somehow, the math just doesn’t add up for me …
The show opened on May 25th, 2022 … in a theater in London built specially to house this production. It has now been announced that the touring version of this show will not happen until 2026 … so if you want to see it before then, you’re going to have to book a trip to London in order to do so. (kk)
Here’s a cool look back at every #1 Hit from 1971 according to Record World Magazine. (It’s interesting because many of these never hit the top of the chart in Billboard.)
https://bestclassicbands.com/number-one-singles-1971-7-2-20/
Ever wondered what the ten biggest box office rock tours of all time were?
Well, Billboard has just published the list, based on total earnings as submitted to Billboard Boxscore. EACH of these tours earned more than $400 Million! (And The Rolling Stones have TWO of them ... but not #1)
You can check it out here: https://www.billboard.com/lists/billboard-boxscore-top-10-tours-all-time-elton-john-harry-styles/#recipient_hashed=fa7e92da6f6e66bffcf0bcbf863670c6eb37d7159eb4d0ea1e44fecd5ec87eeb&recipient_salt=3a1d6b09af3b92ad7e38f8327cf18febeb049fd1c9a251b66957a07d9375735c
And finally, for all the Fanilows out there, here comes news about Barry Manilow's first LP being reissued in 50th Anniversary style ... as it was ...
Barry Manilow will mark the 50th anniversary of his solo career with an exciting vinyl reissue of his debut album - pressed in a way that's not been heard and seen together since it first came out.
Mike Duquette
The rest of the story ...
