Barely a week into their “Peace Out” farewell tour,
Aerosmith had to postpone a month’s worth of gigs due to lead singer Steven
Tyler’s bleeding vocal cords.
Six shows (including the one scheduled for here in Chicago)
have been rescheduled so far:
The show scheduled for Little Caesars
Arena in Detroit, Michigan will now take place on Monday, January 29th,
2024
The Chicago date at The United Center
has been moved to Wednesday, February 14th
Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
will now have to wait until Saturday, February 17th before the band
heads up north of the border for a show at The Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday,
February 21st.
On Monday, February 26th,
2024, Aerosmith will perform at PNC Arena in Raleigh, Nort Carolina … while on Thursday,
February 29th, they’ll be at The Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in
Cleveland, Ohio.
Hopefully, Tyler will make a full
recovery in time for the tour to continue and not have to reschedule any other dates.(Let’s face it … singing what he sings, the
WAY he sings it, is a tremendous challenge for ANY singer … but all part of what
makes his voice as unique as it is.We
hope he makes a speedy recovery.)kk
Meanwhile, Kansas has extended their
50th Anniversary Tour thru May of next year, adding a date here at
The Genesee Theatre on April 13th.(kk)
They are finally taking preorders for Micky Dolenz’s new
book “I’m Told I Had A Good Time” (which we first told you about several months
ago)
The book is available in a number of different
configurations (depending on how elaborate … aka expensive … you want to get) …
but it really looks like something … and the fact that they’re calling it
“Volume 1” indicates that more volumes are to follow if this one does well.
In addition to the release of Micky’s new book in December,
he also has a brand new 4-song EP coming out in November that pays tribute to
R.E.M.
Dolenz cut his versions of “Shiny Happy People,” “Radio Free
Europe,” “Man On The Moon” and “Leaving New York.”
From the official press release:
The EP features fresh and completely new arrangements of some of
R.E.M.’s most memorable and catchy songs. As Dolenz says: “Once again, this EP
reaffirms my long-held conviction that a solid recording always begins with
solid material. You don’t get much more solid than R.E.M. What a joy to sing
these classics and honor a team of outstanding writers.”
7A Records’ CEO Glenn Gretlund adds: “R.E.M. and Micky Dolenz
are a match made in heaven and I’m delighted with how the recordings have
turned out. Micky’s voice sounds better than ever and Christian Nesmith has
done a wonderful job in reimagining the arrangements.” The EP is released on
180g Yellow Vinyl, CD and all Digital platforms on November 14th.”
This release follows up the critically acclaimed Dolenz
Sings Nesmith (March 2021) album
Check
out the new mega-cool video for Micky’s version of “Shiny Happy People” …
And
what do the guys from R.E.M. think about the new album?
“These songs are ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Micky Dolenz covering
R.E.M. Monkees style; I have died and gone to heaven. This is really something.
‘Shiny Happy People’ sounds INCREDIBLE (never thought you or I would hear me
say that!!!). Give it a spin. It’s wild. And produced by Christian Nesmith (son
of Michael Nesmith), I am finally complete.”
Michael Stipe
"That voice -- one of the main voices of my musical
awakening -- singing our songs ... it is
beyond awesome. Let's help make this as huge as we possibly can. I am beyond
thrilled."
Mike Mills
"I've been listening to Micky's singing since I was nine
years old. It's unreal to hear that very voice adding new depth to songs we've
written ourselves, and inhabiting them so completely."
Peter Buck
"I am blown away! Micky and Christian just take these
tracks to unexpected places.”
Scott
McCaughey
Fans can also order signed copies through Micky Dolenz’s own shop:mickydolenz.com
Now that The Talking Heads have reunited in support of the
re-release of their “Stop Making Sense” film and album, there’s been all kinds
of speculation that the band may record together again.(In all fairness, they didn’t even perform at
the film showing … but rather were all on hand to show their support and
partake in a Q&A session after the showing of the film.But it WAS the first time all four members
had been in the same room in over twenty years!)Time will tell if there’ll be more reunions
down the road … musical or otherwise.(kk)
From Clark Besch …
My friend Jacob, who lives in
Israel, just posted a very cool homemade Platters video you might enjoy.
His explanation:
Here’s a
link to a clip on my YT channel that was just posted.
It’s the
song “You’re Making A Mistake” by The Platters with a stereo mix I did and a
very unique video that was filmed in Israel during the tour of the Platters in
1958.
I’m not
sure how long will this clip stay on YT before taken down because this unique
video was downloaded from an Israeli Film Archive so maybe, it’s copyrighted.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WE HAD A PRODUCER! SHE HAS LEFT ME ALONE AT
LEAST. OH WAIT! I GET IT! SHE HAS MOVED ON TO ONE OF HER OTHER CAREERS FOR NOW.
Shelley
Fact is, she didn’t work here very long … so you may have
missed it.(She probably had already
moved on to pursue other job opportunities before you even noticed.)
Over her nearly 65 years, Barbie has worked as a doctor, a nurse,
a dentist and a candy striper … a flight attendant, a pilot and an astronaut … a
waitress and a cheerleader … a fashion model and a fashion designer … a police
officer, an architect, an anthropologist, a tennis player, a teacher, a veterinarian,
a travel agent, a rock star, and many, many more … and that doesn’t even
include all the time she spent at the beach and in the military.(Poor girl just can’t seem to hold a job!!!)kk
For a list (and photographs) of over a hundred, check out
this site:
My Wife Annie flew for United Airlines for
another 15 years after 9/11.
Track #11, from my 2023 album is about that
period of time.
It has been distributed through the retired airline worker's
community.
It's currently part of several 9/11 memorials,
nationally.
"Steel Wings To LA" is attached.
- Bobby
I taped some of the WLS/WCFL Rewound
Weekend and burned a few hours on CD. My work car is a 2005 Pontiac
Vibe that has a CD player. It is fun to drive around listening to those
great stations as we did in the olden days.
On one of the Chuck Buell
segments from 1972, it appeared the songs were slightly sped up. I know
you have featured this discussion before. Maybe you can ask Chuck about
this. I noticed it on songs such as Family Of Man by Three Dog Night and
Nice To Be With You by Gallery.
Did the radio station speed them
up to 46 rpms, or was the reel to reel taping the air check running a bit
fast?
Phil
WCFL was the station that got called out for
speeding up the music …
The idea was to get in an extra song each
hour, meaning they could offer “More Music” (even though that was WLS’ jingle!) It was also designed to make the station sound more "peppy" ... in contrast, the songs seemed to drag a little bit when you heard them on WLS ... or at least that's what they were going for.
A couple of the airchecks I heard on this year's program were badly
warped and I was kind of surprised by that as they typically restore these to
pretty pristine shape.(I guess it all
depends on what you have to work with.)
Still, a GREAT way to spend a long weekend,
listening to radio the way we remember it sounding back in the day when we all
got hooked on this great music! (kk)
UPDATE:I asked Chuck Buell the following question …
I got a letter from a reader today (actually a 40-year veteran
deejay himself) asking about WLS and WCFL speeding up the songs slightly back
in the day to make them sound more "lively."
I specifically remember WCFL being called out on this
(remember Chicago Radio Columnist Gary Deeb? He did a whole expose on
this.)
The story was (at the time) that by 'CFL speeding up the
records to pick up a few extra seconds here and there on every track they
played, they could theoretically play one more song per hour than WLS did and
thus offer "more music." Turns out this was strictly against
FCC regulations and I believe they were fined heavily for it.
Do you remember any of this being discussed at the time in
your station board meetings? Different strategies to beat the competition
and make 'LS stand out from WCFL?
Curious what you can share (now that the statutes of
limitations have run out!!!) lol
I don't recall that WLS ever did that.
Prior to my joining 'LS when I was at KIMN in
Denver, we did experiment with that concept. Our reasoning was if
we could eventually manipulate all our on air records by speeding them up,
it would make the records heard on any competing radio station sound sl
-o-o-ow-w-w by comparison. The key was to treat a record when it was
just added because no one was familiar with it and it would sound normal or as
it should.
So, to test out this practice, a new
Beatle Record was sped up by 10% and added to our on-air playlist. Sounded
fine (anything over that, we discovered made a record start to sound
Chipmunkie!")Sounded great on the
air being that it was a bright sounding, up tempo song to begin with.
Then local record stores started calling us asking
why our record(s) sounded faster than the copies that customers were returning
to their stores as "defective" because they "dragged"
and the record store could not find any copies they had in inventory that
"didn't!" Some stores even called the record labels and
complained to them!
Well, as you can imagine, this idea was soon
terminated, never to be undertaken again!
So, it was years later that WCFL tried that
folly. I don't know their outcome other than they soon stopped doing it, too.
CB
UPDATE:We talked about this AGES ago
…
I’ve been trying to find the original Gary Deeb article that
took WCFL to task for this but have come up empty thus far …
However, here is some FH coverage dating back to 2011 on
this topic …
Interestingly enough, it contains commentary from two of
‘CFL’s top jocks at the time, Ron Britain and Bob Dearborn!(kk)
I remember the whole speed-up thing and
reading about it in the papers.
They really shouldn't do that to a record, as
it can ruin the song.
Leah Jordan
Regarding "Speeding in a 45 Zone," it
definitely was happening in the early ‘70s.I’m pretty sure I heard it in the Baltimore - DC corridor, although I
don’t want to wrongly accuse any one station.And I’m certain I remember hearing the Raspberries’ “Go All The Way,” among
others, supercharged, on CKLW in Detroit.The late Tom Clay told me that they definitely were spinning at 47 or 48
for a while.
Scott
Just one of the many "tricks of the
trade" apparently! (kk)
In all of the talk about whether or not
stations sped up songs, in particular WCFL, I can relate one thing I distinctly
remember happening during that period. The DJs at WCFL would on occasion
deliberately give the wrong time. I'm guessing this was done to try to
influence anyone who might be filling out a survey to show the wrong time and
enter a time that might show more favorably for advertising purposes. But I'm
only guessing as to the reason.
The first time I heard the wrong time given, I
figured the DJ just made a mistake. Because the time he gave wasn't just off by
a few minutes or by an hour, it was WAY off, by hours. But when I noticed it on
multiple occasions, and on different days, I figured it was not a mistake, but
was being done deliberately. At the time I was still in my teens and had no
idea why they were doing this. I got verification of this in later years upon
reading a column by Gary Deeb. But this is something I heard with my own ears
and on several different days. Another low point for a great radio station.
This was probably in the 1974 or 1975 timeframe, but I'm only
guessing.
Ken
Yep, another "claim to fame" that
was going on at 'CFL at the time. (I confirmed this with Ron Smith, who
remembered it clearly as well, along with the articles columnist Gary Deeb
wrote, exposing this practice.) And you're right, it WAS a deliberate
attempt to "alter" the books in the radio diaries that listeners kept
at home ... they'd hear the time and ideally, without checking the
clock, credit more listening time for the station. Amazing, isn't
it??? (kk)
I asked Bob Dearborn, who came through in these
pages a while back about the speeding up of the music played by the station,
what he remembered about giving out false time on the air to beef up their
listeners' diaries ... and wondered who the heck was in charge during this
crazy time.
Here is his response:
>>>the time he gave wasn't just off
by a few minutes or by an hour, it was WAY off, by hours. (Ken)
>>>Regarding WCFL speeding up the
records, I really don't know. To the best of my knowledge, it
was not done, but if it had been true, it would have been during the time in
the 60's when Lew Witz was the general manager. Sorry that I have been
vague about this, but my answer would be that it didn't happen. I am very
certain that this did not occur during the time that Ken Draper was the general
manager prior to Lew Witz.
(Ron Britain)
If it was off by hours, then it was the air
talent making a mistake. It happens. But there was some time-check
skulduggery going on at 'CFL in 1974.
During the same period when the records were sped
up, we were told to add a few minutes to the time whenever the actual time fell
short of :20, :35 or :50 minutes past the hour in order to get credit for
an extra quarter-hour from ratings diary-keepers. Once a listener
was at least five minutes into the next quarter, you got credit for them
being tuned in during that quarter.Therefore,
if it was really 4:19, we were instructed to say it was at least 4:20. If
it was really 4:32 or 4:33, we had to say it was at least 4:35. It was a
deception, all right, but one that amounted to a few minutes, never more than
four minutes, and never hours.
As to your question, "Who the heck was
leading the charge on all these schemes and practices to bolster WCFL's
ratings?!?!?," it was not General Manager Lew Witz, as my very dear
friend Ron Britain has theorized. Ron was long gone in 1974 when all this
deception was happening. Lew fired him in December, 1970, and as you may
have guessed, Ron to this day is not a Lew fan.
I have nothing bad to say about Lew Witz.
He treated me extremely well, always with kindness, courtesy and more
professional respect than I probably deserved. He and I were as different
from each other as two people could be, but we liked and respected each
other. Still do. Our relationship was always solid. We went
through six program directors and 36 air personalities between 1970 and
1976, but I was there through all of it. Yes, my ratings were
really good -- upper teens mostly, and once a 20 -- but additionally, Lew
knew he could count on me, that he could trust
me.
One of the many knocks on Lew that I've
heard is that he was a micro-manager, involved in every aspect of the
radio station, didn't let department heads have complete control of their
departments. That was true up until about 1973. By then
we'd turned the corner and were finally beating WLS across the board, and WCFL
was named Billboard Radio Station of the Year. It was
well-deserved. But then, for whatever reason, while basking in the
station's newfound success, Lew finally started to delegate more than he had
before, opened up to the ideas of other people. And it was one of those
other people that had been brought on board who led us astray,
with records being speeded up and time checks falsified.
I'm not going to name that person. I like
him too much and don't want to publicly embarrass him over a mistake he
made when he was young. We've all done foolish things in our youth.
Fifteen years later, he turned into a prince of a man and as ethical
as they come, one of my favorite radio colleagues. I didn't like him at
all back in 1974 when he was doing all these things to "my" radio
station, but, like all of us, he was the product of his most recent training
and corporate environment, and he did what seemed normal and acceptable to him
at the time as the way to win.
As I said in one of our jock meetings, even if we
do succeed as a result of doing these deceitful things, it'll feel like a
hollow victory and one we won't enjoy. Well, there was no victory,
and as our dirty laundry was being aired in the press (what seemed like) almost
every day, no joy either.
That's as much as I'm comfortable saying about
the matter, Kent. It was a long time ago, and again, I think it would be
a shame to focus too much attention on something that happened for a few
months instead of appreciating the bigger picture of what that radio station
was during its many years of greatness.
Bob
And now for a horse of a completely different color ...
As Shelley pointed out ...
>>>That is NOT the
“pretty in pink” Barbie color. It must be the 21st century version, where
everything is bolder and nobody cares what you think.(Shelley Sweet-Tufano)
HA! Yep! True
that!
But
sometimes one has to suspend reality when hearing, feeling, smelling, listening
or seeing something like that house awash in non-official "Barbie
Pink!"
Oh.
Wait. THAT’s what Barbie is all about in the first place! Non-reality
“Pretend Play!”
Particularly,
for instance, considering Barbie has had over 200 jobs of which several related
and associated specialties are included, which parent company Mattel adds
toward Barbie's occupations count.
Including
~~~
Can one
believe that?!
Now will
someone please hand me my alter ego “Superman Action Figure?!"
CB ( which stands for
“Career-Counselor Boy!” )
It isn’t
often that I have the opportunity to make a printing reference in this arena …
But many
years ago, we had an account who had an “in” with Mattel and was awarded the
order to print the artwork for the brand new Barbie board game that was coming
out on the market … and we landed that order.
It became
immediately apparent that matching “Barbie Pink” was the key to printing this
successfully.
As it
turns out, SO many different Barbie products had been printed over the decades
(this experience for me happened in the ‘80’s) that Pantone (the company that
develops all of the various … and by this I mean literally hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of color hues) actually developed a patented color
CALLED “Barbie Pink” … so that no matter where in the world something in the
Barbie Universe was being printed, it would match the same color pink being
printed anywhere and everywhere else.
It turned
out to be as simple as ordering that product by name … and then matching the
color to the ink swatch / drawdown provided by the ad agency … and we were on
our way!(kk)
Jimmy
Buffett’s wife Jane posted a heartfelt letter of thanks on Jimmy’s Facebook
Page over the weekend, thanking friends, family, fans and Jimmy’s medical team
for all the love they had showered upon him during his long and successful
career. (kk)
Another
Cryan’ Shames-related question from Robert Campbell …
So I went and got out my FOUR copies of “A Scratch In The
Sky,” one still encased in plastic, and was looking at the handwritten back
cover. It’s kind of hard to read, but at the bottom there’s a line that states …
“In Appreciation: Geoff Bryan, Ron Holder who are two of
the members of the criminally forgotten Blackstones.”
I wonder what their contribution to the album was.
Robert
For this
one, I went right to the source and contacted original founding members Tom
Doody, Jim Pilster and James Fairs …
Tom (Toad!) was the first to respond ...
Hey Kent -
Geoff and Ron were from Saturday's Children.I think the Blackstones was their original
name. They wrote Dennis Dupree from Danville.
I wish I could give you the scoop on The Town I'd Like
To Go Back To and The Warm, but I have no idea, other than I really like
singing the songs. Have a great one!
Tom Doody
>>>Please keep us posted, LJ … we’ve been covering
your efforts for over a decade now … and want to keep Forgotten Hits
Readers up to date on any and all new developments … and where and how they
might be able to view this film! (kk)
Kent,
Thank You, and all of The Forgotten
Hits dedicated viewers … you are so very kind and much appreciated.
In the following I would like to offer an
outtake from our feature length screenplay 'The Winter Dance Party Tour – 1959.'
Viewers must remember that at the very
beginning of what eventually became 'The Winter Dance Party Tour - 1959"
on the morning of Friday, January 23, 1959, at 9:00 a.m., there 12 musicians, 1
tour bus manager and 1 tour bus driver met at the GAC parking lot and boarded a
tin-can that they called a tour bus that would provide their transportation for
the next 24 days straight … 24 locations … 24 performances.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a real tour bus ...
just a small, uncomfortable charter bus that lacked heat most of the time with
no normal sleeping availability.
The tour and transportation was provided by
GAC of Chicago, IL, in conjunction with Feld Management from New York.
Irvin Feld, as a favor to Buddy Holly, asked GAC to put together a tour so that
Holly could get out on the road and promote his music. Irvin Feld offered Holly
that he would become Holly's manager following 'The Winter Dance Party Tour.'(Holly had left his management and was living
with his new bride in New York at the time.)
The Winter Dance Party Tour - 1959 was a
circus-like atmosphere and irresponsibly managed. It was a circus-like
atmosphere that Promoter Irvin Feld and GAC Management had created
by scheduling the 24 days straight, 24 performances in 24 winter locations in
the mid-western states sometimes hundreds of miles apart for the 12 traveling
musicians in a fun circus bus-like vehicle … but no one on this circus Winter
Dance Party Tour Bus was having fun.
Buddy Holly had made arrangements with
promoter Irvin Feld during a meeting in New York: Feld initially suggested
that he would put together The 1959 Winter Dance Party Tour and Buddy
Holly was excited.
From the very first day on January 23,
1959, when everyone met in Chicago for The GAC and New York Irvin Feld
management Winter Dance Party Tour, none of us had any idea
that we would later be subjected to such unbelievable conditions.
Before we left the parking lot,
the tour manager referred to the bus as 'Third Class'. He
continued his statement by saying: “There are many things I will
be required to do
around here, and telling the truth isn't
one of them. You start telling the truth, and that can get you fired
real fast.”
Unfortunately, the so-called tour bus was
basically a short school bus.The
below zero winds would blow through every possible opening in
that tin-can and the heating system failed multiple times.
Show#1
An 8:00 p.m. Show on a Friday night - January
23rd at The Milwaukee 'George Devine Million Dollar Ballroom.'
Frankie Sardo opened the first show of The
GAC Winter Dance Party Tour with his 'Fake Out' song.Waylon, Tommy and Carl were the backing
musicians … and even
Buddy sat in on drums.
Several thousand teens turned out for
this craziness. Devine claimed it was their most successful rock-n-roll
get together to date.
Well, what a 'bitchin time' they had.
(22 more performances in 22 more days in more 22
locations to go … but who's counting.
In the 1950's, The Winter Dance Party Tour
manager was an auto parts salesman and on January 23, 1959, he became the
tour manager on The Winter Dance Party Tour. He was the brother-in-law to
the famous Louis H. Krefetz, who was personal manager of 'The Clovers' and he
lived in the Krefetz household as well. He was appointed as tour manager by
Irvin Feld Management out of New York. Prior to this appointment, he had
acquired tour experience with the R&B circuit through his brother-in-law,
Louis H. Krefetz. In addition, in September of 1958, he had been hired by
Irvin Feld Management for a mid-west tour that again included Dion and
The Belmonts.
Show#2
An 8:00 p.m. show on a Saturday night - January
24, 1959, at The Eagles Ballroom, 302 58th St. in Kenosha, WI, with guest
Debbie Stevens performing 'If You Can't Rock Me'.
The boys were 'radioactive' as their fans
rushed the stage, some jumping up on the stage to sit at their feet.
The place was 'jam packed'
If you got 'em, don't smoke 'em, was the rule of the night, as the local
police and parents monitored the evening’s activities.
Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big
Bopper” Richardson and Frankie Sardo mingled on stage.
The boys hung around and
signed autographs and posed for a few photos …
Man, they had it 'made in the shade!'
However, there were issues.
Like which of the 12 performers were getting
paid the most and how much more for each performance.
It seems the word got around on the bus about how
much more Buddy was getting paid for each performance than the
others.They all had a lot to think about.
If it wasn't performance money issues, it was
the 'Piece of S.H.I.T. Bus.'
The boys would stretch out across the
seats. Some would lay in the overhead rack.
This was NOT a 'tour bus.'This was
really wrong of GAC and Irvin Feld Management to provide.
Again, this wasn't a 'tour bus' … it was just
a piece of GAC S.H.I.T.
It was a little past midnight when The
Eagles Show ended.
What a night, what a gathering.
It was a warm 16 degrees when the bus was
being loaded.As everyone
was settling in, you could hear the horns from the cars ...
teens yelling out their car windows.
Crowds of teens were still 'cruising' The
Eagles Ballroom.
The boys threw all their dirty clothing
on the floor in the back of the bus … some things never change.
Next Show#3 of The Winter Dance Party Tour
395 miles and another all
night drive to Mankato, MN to The
Kato Ballroom with (Bill Diehl emcee.)
What a ride.
The road was two lane
and extremely bumpy …
Good luck getting any rest this night.
395 miles … 22 more performances, 22 more days, 22 more locations to go.
'Flash Forward' to January 30, 1959
Show#8
The boys called a meeting in the lower level
of The Laramar Ballroom. This was 'That Defining Moment' when Buddy Holly
stated that he was not going to spend another minute on that damn bus. This was
the initial thought to charter an airplane. That damn bus provided by GAC and
Irvin Feld management was the issue. If the bus would have been an actual tour
bus … clean, safe, reliable and a suitable mode of transportation, there would
never have been the need for the idea to charter an airplane.
From the Screenplay to “The Winter Dance Party
Tour – 1959” | 185 pages | 29,438 words)
The Introduction
The Trailer script
The Screenplay
The Ending
LJ Coon
A couple more smilers from Chuck Buell …
I Found This Rare Photo of Your Mom and
Dad on Oak Street Beach listening to Forgotten Hits when they were
new songs …
Thanks so much for
advertising the WCFL/WLS Weekend on Rewound Radio. Like last year, it was great
to hear all those great airchecks from the (Chicago) past. Luckily, this year I
was able to record the whole 72 hours, so I can still enjoy all these programs
for a while. And a BIG thank you to the Rewound Radio Team, that worked hard to
make this all possible.
I only lived in the
Chicagoland area from November, 1983, until February, 1985, and when hearing
all these great airchecks from the 60’s and 70’s, I wish I had lived there much
earlier 😊
Kind regards from
Ben Meijering, The Netherlands
It was
most definitely a “blast from the past!”
And Ross
On Radio gave the weekend an EXCELLENT review here:
The Eagles (who did many a tour with Jimmy Buffett
over the years) paid tribute to their friend during the opening show of their
farewell tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City last week by performing
Jimmy’s hits “Come Monday” and “Fins.”
Timothy B. Schmit, who was once a member of Jimmy’s
Coral Reefer Band, sang Jimmy’s first Top 40 Chart Hit, “Come Monday” … and
then, right before putting on a parrothead hat and launching into “Fins,”
Buffet’s last solo Top 40 Hit, Joe Walsh told the crowd, "Jimmy and I got
thrown out of some of the finest hotels in the world."Jimmy inducted The Eagles into The Rock And
Roll Hall Of Fame.
Don Henley told the audience that it had been “a
rough six weeks,” as just prior to Buffett’s death, Eagles founding member
Randy Meisner also passed away.(kk)
Frannie
was fortunate enough to see this VIP pairing back in the late ‘70’s and shares this recollection …
On 7/7/77, I saw The Eagles in
Ft Worth, TX, as they had begun their Hotel California tour a couple of months
earlier. Jimmy Buffet was their opening act. That was such an incredible
pairing, really genius. The audience was a complete mix of country, surfer
types, families; old and young. I was with friends from high school, and while
I cannot really remember musical details about the concert, what I do remember
is how much fun we all had and how we went to the Ol’ South Pancake House
afterward to discuss how great the show was. Such good times.
Mrs. K
Jimmy’s
final album, completed just before his death, is the one he worked on with Paul
McCartney, and will be released on November 3rd.McCartney paid tribute to his friend in a
social media post right after Jimmy’s passing, noting the tracks “Bubbles Up"
and “My Gummie Just Kicked In,” on which McCartney performed.(kk)
After all the talk last weekend about Bruce Springsteen’s
ever-expanding tour, The Boss was sidelined unexpectedly for the rest of
September when he was diagnosed with a peptic ulcer disease and, under doctor’s
orders, is postponing any remaining September dates.
We wish you a speedy recovery, Bruce!(kk)
Reportedly making guest appearances on the new Rolling
Stones album “Hackney Diamonds” are Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Elton John and
Stevie Wonder … as well as a full-blown “original Stones” reunion featuring Mick
Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman (along with Ronnie Wood,
of course!)I don’t know that ANY new
Stones release has held as much anticipation as this one does over the last
several decades!I can’t wait!
And could a follow-up album already be in the works?
The Stones told Jimmy Fallon that they had recorded 23 songs
in all … which leaves 11 “leftovers” after “Hackney Diamonds” is released next
month.Perhaps with a little bit of clean-up
and fine-tuning, a SECOND Stones album could see the light of day next
year!(In fact, Ronnie Wood told the
press that The Stones actually recorded TWO songs with McCartney … and that the
OTHER one will be released “on the next album.”) Stay tuned!(kk)
Remember the old Avis / Hertz rental car commercials from
back in the day?
There’s no shame in being #2!!!
Sirius / XM has launched the Billboard #2’s Channel, running
for a limited time (September 7th thru September 21st),
featuring EVERY song that peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart
since its inception in August of 1958.
You’ll find it on Channel 14 during this very special
two-week stretch.(kk)
And, speaking of The Billboard Charts, Record Research has
extended their sale on six of their best-selling books (at $25 off!) … but only
until Tuesday, September 12th … so you’d better hurry!
This November marks the 60th
anniversary of the release of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene
Love.
Yes, it was 1963.
The song became an anthem and
Darlene Love was coronated the Queen of Christmas. She’s performed it every
year since then. For about 25 years in a row she sang it on David Letterman’s
talk show with Paul Shaffer leading the band.
You may not know this but among the
then unknown stars on the original Phil Spector recording was Cher. She’s
singing lead back up and you can hear her very clearly. (You can also hear
Darlene’s sister, Edna Wright, who went on to fame with her group, The Honey
Cone, and “Want Ads.”) Also on that legendary record: Sonny Bono playing drums,
Leon Russell on keyboards, and Hal Blaine on drums.
Wow!
So now today Cher released the cover
of her upcoming Christmas album, but no track info.
But I can tell you that this summer
Cher and Darlene recorded a 60th anniversary version of the song, this time
with both of them on leads. The new “Baby Please Come Home” will be on Cher’s
Christmas album, which is great for her and Darlene and bad news for Mariah
Carey.
Mariah, of course, thinks she’s the
Queen of Christmas because of her perennial hit, “All I Want for Christmas is
You.” Every year, it’s number 1. But this blockbuster from Darlene and Cher
should be a grand slam home run. The combination of these power voiced Spector
divas on their 60th anniversary version? Magic!
Darlene Love:August 1
The VERY famous music, icon legend, mega star whom I’m recording this
Christmas song with just called me to play me a rough cut and it’s AMAZING!!!
Omg!! I’m literally doing the “happy dance” in my living room in tears!! Lol!! I’m heading to LA on Thursday to see my family and finish this project in person
with this very talented, warm hearted soul whom I’ve known for many years. I’ll be sure to take lots
of pix to post when it’s announced!! Get READY!!! This will be
playing all over the radio during the holidays and I’m so so honored!!
Dionne
Warwick and Barry Gibb will be among the recipients of The Kennedy Honors
Awards this year.Also receiving
Lifetime Achievement Honors are Queen Latifah and comedian Billy Crystal.It all takes place on December 3rd.(kk)
From
Frank B … who send us this from Norm N. Nite’s book regarding The Four Preps …
kk
…
They
Attended Hollywood High School Together & Sang In The School Choir.
While
Singing At A Dance At U.C.L.A. In 1956, A Friend Of Theirs, Howard Adelman, Made
Tapes Of Their Performance And, Without Their Knowing It, Sent The Tapes To
Capitol Records.
Capitol
Contacted The Group & Put Them Under Contract.
The
First National Release For The Group Came In November, 1956 = "DREAMY EYES."
It
Wasn't Until January, 1958, That They Had Their First Real Hit = "26 Miles."
The
Four Preps Were The "PAT BOONE" Of Vocal Groups, Because Of Their
Clean Cut Image.
Bruce
Goes On To Sing With Dave Sommerville (of The Diamonds), As A Duo.
FB.
P.S.Maybe Bruce Should Record A Country Album ---
Like Pat Boone Just Did.
I'm about halfway thru Bruce's book ... and I can promise
you that you would definitely enjoy it. ...
What an amazing life ... and his story is told in a most
entertaining way.(kk)
Bob Dylan’s
1979 “Live At Budokan” album is being expanded as a “complete” 4-CD set to be
released on November 17th.
As I continue
to make my way thru the complete Bob Dylan recorded catalog, I am blown away by
just how many live albums this guy released!!!It’s not like he’s the most dynamic performer!I’ve never been big on live albums to begin
with, but I swear some of these were released only a couple of albums apart
back in the day … and I just don’t see the point.I think I’m going to stick with the original “At
Budokan” 2-CD set I already have … I really don’t need to hear any more!(lol)kk
But for those
of you who do, here is the complete track listing:
CD
1-2 / LP 1-4: February 28, 1978
1.A
Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall * +
2.Repossession
Blues * +
3.Mr.
Tambourine Man *
4.I
Threw It All Away *
5.Shelter
from the Storm
6.Love
Minus Zero/No Limit
7.Girl
from the North Country *
8.Ballad
of a Thin Man * +
9.Maggie's
Farm *
10.To
Ramona * +
11.Like
a Rolling Stone * +
12.I
Shall Be Released *
13.Is
Your Love in Vain? *
14.Going,
Going, Gone *
1.One
of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) *
2.Blowin'
in the Wind * +
3.Just
Like a Woman *
4.Oh,
Sister *
5.Simple
Twist of Fate
6.You're
a Big Girl Now *
7.All
Along the Watchtower * +
8.I
Want You *
9.All
I Really Want to Do *
10.Tomorrow
is a Long Time * +
11.Don't
Think Twice, It's All Right
12.Band
Introductions *
13.It's
Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding)
14.Forever
Young
15.The
Times They Are A-Changin'
CD
3-4 / LP 5-8: March 1, 1978
1.A
Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall *
2.Love
Her with a Feeling * +
3.Mr.
Tambourine Man
4.I
Threw It All Away * +
5.Love
Minus Zero/No Limit *
6.Shelter
from the Storm *
7.Girl
from the North Country * +
8.Ballad
of a Thin Man
9.Maggie's
Farm
10.One
More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
11.Like
a Rolling Stone
12.I
Shall Be Released
13.Is
Your Love in Vain?
14.Going,
Going Gone
1.One
of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later) * +
2.Blowin'
in the Wind
3.Just
Like a Woman
4.Oh,
Sister
5.I
Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Met) * +
6.You're
a Big Girl Now * +
7.All
Along the Watchtower
8.I
Want You
9.All
I Really Want to Do
10.Knockin'
on Heaven's Door
11.The
Man in Me * +
12.Band
Introductions *
13.It's
Alright Ma, (I'm Only Bleeding) *
14.Forever
Young * +
15.The
Times They Are A-Changin' *
All tracks recorded live at Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo,
Japan
* denotes previously unreleased.
+ released on Another Budokan 2LP set
All others released on CBS/Sony 40AP 1100-1 (JP), 1978/Columbia PC2 36067
(U.S.), 1979)
And, for
those of you out there who like to keep track of these sort of things, here is
a complete listing of the 17 times former Beatles teamed up together to record
post-Beatles chart hits.(All were
uncredited collaborations – although it was never really a secret that they
were still working together.)
All of this
has come up because of the recent charting of Dolly Parton’s remake of The Beatles’
classic “Let It Be,” which credits Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in the artist
credits.(Also missing from this list
are the two times “The Threetles” got back together for the Anthology albums to
add their parts to two John Lennon demos, “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.”)kk
Diane Diekman
tells us that Herb Alpert, at age 88, made his first-ever appearance at The
Grand Ole Opry last month!While there,
he performed the first single from his upcoming
album, Wish Upon a Star.
"East
Bound and Down" is an instrumental remake of the Jerry Reed hit from 1977
that was revived for the 1980 film Smokey and the Bandit. "I never
got that tune out of my brain," Alpert told Billboard. "I
always remembered that melody, and I tried to see if I could play that melody
in my style and make some sense out of it. I'm going to not only do it with the
Opry band, but I'm bringing my band and we're going to do a Tijuana Brass
medley."
As
leader of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and as a solo trumpeter, he held
the record for being the only living artist to have four albums in the top 10
of the Billboard 200 albums simultaneously until July when Taylor Swift
tied his 1966 record. Alpert and Jerry Moss, co-founders of A&M Records,
were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They had signed
Waylon Jennings in 1964 as one of their first artists. "Waylon really
wanted to be a country artist," Alpert says. "I wanted to take him a
little more pop. He told me confidentially about Chet Atkins wanting to see
him. My partner Jerry Moss and I decided to let Waylon out of his contract so
he could go with Chet and RCA." Jerry Moss died August 15 at age 88.
And,
since we’re talking Country Music …
Hi Kent,
Some of your readers may be interested in
this:
"The Johnny Cash Silver Anniversary
Special," a two-hour radio show hosted by Johnny Cash, will be rebroadcast
for the first time since it originally aired, to mark the 20th anniversary of
Cash’s death on Tuesday, September 12th. Nashville’s Classic Hits station,
Hippie Radio 94.5 (WHPY-FM), will air the program at 7 pm Central time that
evening. "The Johnny Cash Silver Anniversary Special” was produced by Ed
Salamon and received Billboard magazine’s award as Network Radio Program of the
Year when it was first broadcast in 1980. Hippie radio streams online, so
anyone anywhere can tune in.
Ed Salamon
Nashville, TN
From our
FH Buddy LJ Coon, who is still trying to get the REAL story about there about
Buddy Holly’s fateful plane crash on February 3, 1969 …
Thursday September 7,
2023
We have completed our feature
length screenplay based around The Winter Dance Party Tour and the early
morning Clear Lake Iowa aviation accident.
Significant and compelling
interviews provided an in-depth personal account of the
February 3, 1959 aviation accident.
Never before has a one-on-one
fast paced behind the scene story offered so much of what it was really
like.
This was the beginning of
The Winter Dance Party Tour - 1959
Informative, Involving,
Exciting, Happy, Boundary crossing, Shocking, and Emotional.
The Introduction
The Trailer script
The Screenplay
The Ending
I find the content very engaging.
Many of the details you provide are great for setting the
scenes, feeling the emotions
(frustration, physical exhaustion, exhilaration, etc).
Great ending.
I like the mystery of it. Leaves one thinking once the
story is over.
Great Job!
Denny Maratead
Pfizer
Professor-Microbiology
*
The story is definitely there. I look forward to
reviewing the entire screenplay.
Wes Pryor
Reel Cool Films
L J
L J Coon
Author: 'The Winter Dance Party
Tour - 1959'
Author: 'The Edge of Living'
Author: 'The Final Hour's of The
Clear Lake Iowa Aviation Accident February 3, 1959'
Author: 'Livin in The Country
Lane'
'Side of The Road Music'
BMI*
L J Coon Music Publishing BMI
established 2001*
Please
keep us posted, LJ …
We’ve
been covering your efforts for over a decade now …
And want
to keep Forgotten Hits Readers up to date on any and all new developments …
And where
and how they might be able to view this film!(kk)
>>>I went to a pool party over the
weekend and the music being played was on a Pandora Deep Cuts Station or
something like that. You could kind of tell by the sound of the songs which
band recorded them, but you had no idea as you could not see the iPhone screen
in the bright sun. So my guess is that I did not own any of these albums.After about four hours of this, two songs
came on that I was familiar with back to back … A Town I’d Like to Go Back To
and The Warm by The Cryan’ Shames.
The songs did not sound exactly right and I went over to the
speakers in order to hear them better. Sure enough, they were not the exact
same songs recorded on the albums and singles. My question is … Where do these
songs come from?They are obviously
unreleased recordings and how do these internet music apps acquire them? (Robert
Campbell)
>>>Wow,
I have no idea … but we have long discussed this fear here in Forgotten Hits
that the people PROGRAMMING these stations have become so young that most of
them have absolutely connection to the music … and wouldn’t know if they were
playing the right version or not.And
the fact that so many of these “alternate takes” now find their place on to new
CD releases and compilation sets as “bonus tracks,” that somebody not paying
attention (or simply using the “shuffle” feature) could just as easily program
the wrong tracks for broadcast. (Just for the heck of it, I looked at my
copies of The Cryan’ Shames albums and checked to see if any alternate take
bonus tracks were included … and only “The Warm” is featured in both its LP and
45 variations … nothing extra noted about “The Town I’d Like To Go Back To.”Anybody else got any ideas on this
one??? (kk)
Well, first off, "The Warm" was
never on an LP. It was, however, released in stereo and mono on Sony's
"A Collection" CD. The stereo one may run longer and sound
different since it was never IN stereo originally. I can’t
remember. "Town I'd Like To Go Back To" was released in mono
and stereo in the 60's and also on separate CDs by Sundazed (stereo) and Now
Sounds (mono.)Mono versions often sound
different from stereo records. For instance, if you listen to
"July" on the stereo and mono LPs (CDs, too), you will find they are
very different!
Clark Besch
Greg Lake “Magical” Solo Career Spanning Limited Edition 7 CD Box
Set Released November 10th on Manticore Records Through Spirit of Unicorn Music
A CELEBRATION OF THE SOLO
CAREER OF ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST REVERED SINGER SONGWRITERS.
FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY
GARY MOORE, TOTO, CLARENCE CLEMONS, ROBERT FRIPP, STEVE HOWE, GEOFF DOWNES,
KEITH EMERSON, COZY POWELL, CARL PALMER AND MORE.
STRICTLY LIMITED EDITION
DELUXE 91-TRACK 7-CD
10” x 10” BOX SET WITH 64 PAGE DISPLAY BOOK FEATURING UNSEEN IMAGES AND
INTERVIEWS WITH MANY OF HIS COLLABORATORS
While perhaps best known as
the singer, lyricist, composer, bass player, guitarist and producer for one of
the most significant and best-selling bands of the 1970s, Emerson, Lake &
Palmer, Greg Lake was a highly respected singer-songwriter releasing solo and
collaborative material spanning four decades. He was also an incredibly
in-demand musician playing with The Who, Ringo Starr and the Trans-Siberian
Orchestra.
Greg Lake “Magical” is a
limited edition seven-disc set that brings together Greg’s solo studio and live
material for the first time, along with collaborations with Toto, Gary Moore,
Asia, Geoff Downes, Keith Emerson, King Crimson, ELP, Emerson, Lake &
Powell and many more.
Presented in a 10” x 10”
box, the limited edition seven-CD set has a 64 page coffee table book featuring
extensive notes for each album along with unseen photos from the Lake family
archive as well as sleeve notes by Jerry Ewing, Editor of Prog Magazine, who
speaks with many of Greg’s collaborators about this once-in-a-generation
artist.
“Magical” features Greg’s
two solo albums, including his hard rock-infused debut, featuring Gary
Moore. Also included are two live albums, including “Songs of A Lifetime”
where Greg covers artists such as The Beatles & Elvis Presley as well as a
stunning version of The Impressions/Curtis Mayfield classic “People Get Ready”,
all of whom inspired him to become such a celebrated songwriter.
The set also features rare
tracks and live recordings such as Greg fronting King Crimson supporting The
Rolling Stones at the legendary Hyde Park show in 1968, three previously
unheard slices of FM Radio gold recorded in the early 80s with Toto, along
with songs from his time with Asia, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Greg Lake
Band, Greg Lake’s Ride The Tiger, Emerson & Lake and one of Greg’s first
ever recordings fronting The Shame in 1967.
This incredible collection
of Greg’s career has been curated with his family’s full involvement and
blessing, who have opened their archive to allow for the inclusion of rare
material. All the audio within the set has been mastered from the best available
sources by renowned engineer Andy Pearce.
Greg Lake “Magical” is a
worthy tribute to a unique talent.
“The only music worth
creating is music that comes from the heart” - Greg Lake
“Greg, you are the man”
- Ringo Starr
Track list:
CD ONE: Greg Lake
Nuclear Attack
Love You Too Much
It Hurts
Black And Blue
Retribution Drive
Long Goodbye
The Lie
Someone
Let Me Love You Once
For Those Who Dare
CD TWO: Manoeuvres
Manoeuvres
Too Young to Love
Paralysed
A Woman Like You
I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love Tonight
It is You, You Gotta Believe
Famous Last Words
Slave To Love
Haunted
I Don’t Know Why I Still Love You
CD THREE: From the
Underground Vol. 1 - The Official Bootleg
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Touch and Go
King Crimson - A Man, A City
The Shame - Don't Go Away Little Girl
Greg Lake - Medley: Still, You Turn Me On / Watching Over You
Greg Lake And Band - Daddy
Greg Lake And Band - Retribution Drive
Asia With Greg Lake - Heat of The Moment
Emerson, Lake & Powell - The Score
Shy Limbs - Love
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Affairs of The Heart
Emerson, Lake & Powell - Learning to Fly
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man
Greg Lake And Band - 21st Century Schizoid Man
CD FOUR: From the
Underground Vol. II - Deeper into The Mine. An Official Greg Lake Bootleg
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon
Greg Lake’s Ride the Tiger - Check it Out
Greg Lake’s Ride the Tiger - Love Under Fire
Greg Lake With Toto - Cold Side of a Woman
Emerson, Lake & Powell - Step Aside
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Preacher Blues
Greg Lake - Hold Me
Greg Lake And Band - Heart on Ice
Greg Lake’s Ride the Tiger - Blue Light
Greg Lake With Toto - You're Good with Your Love
Greg Lake With Toto - You Really Got a Hold on Me
King Crimson - Epitaph
Greg Lake Band Featuring Gary Moore - Fanfare for The Common Man
CD FIVE: Songs of A
Lifetime
21st Century Schizoid Man
Lend Your Love to Me Tonight
Songs Of a Lifetime Tour Introduction
From The Beginning
Tribute To the King
Heartbreak Hotel
Epitaph/The Court of The Crimson King
King Crimson Cover Story
I Talk to The Wind
Ringo And the Beatles
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
Touch And Go
Trilogy
Still... You Turn Me On
Reflections Of Paris
C’est La Vie
My Very First Guitar
Lucky Man
People Get Ready
Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Pt. 2
CD SIX: Live in Piacenza
21st Century Schizoid Man
Lend Your Love to Me Tonight
From The Beginning
Heartbreak Hotel
Epitaph/In the Court of The Crimson King
I Talk to The Wind
Ringo And the Beatles
Touch And Go
Trilogy / Still... You Turn Me On
I Believe in Father Christmas
Shakin’ All Over
C’est La Vie
People Get Ready
Lucky Man
Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression, Part II)
CD SEVEN: Emerson / Lake -
Live from Manticore Hall
From The Beginning
Introduction
I Talk To The Wind
Bitches Crystal
The Barbarian
Take A Pebble
Tarkus
C’est La Vie
Pirates
Moog Solo / Lucky Man
Mark Lapidos remembers the very first Beatlefest …
Incredibly 49 YEARS AGO this weekend!
SEPTEMBER 7-8, 1974 - 49 YEARS AGO
Dear Fellow Beatles Fans,
Retelling my story of the first FEST:
It was exactly 49 years ago that the very first Beatlefest was held, at the
Commodore Hotel in NYC. I remember being so nervous about the opening -
programs, shirts, posters printing - is everything and everybody going to
arrive in time? Did I have all the staff needed? Basic stuff that isn't so
basic when it is the first time doing something like this! The show was
set to begin on the Saturday at 1PM. About 11AM, Apple's official
representative, Tony King, arrives at my suite and what happened over the next
20-30 minutes changed everything!!! He brought along the guitar that John
mentioned to me at my meeting with him. He signed it for the Charity Raffle. I
had already received a set of signed drumsticks from Ringo. John called Paul
and George, who apparently did not know they were supposed to send signed items
for the raffle. So John signed a Spanish Guitar that Paul bought on their trip
to Spain in the early 1960s, and the Tabla that George used on Within You
Without You. Tony then hands me 6 signed copies of the Penguin John Lennon
Books to auction for the charity. Finally, he hands me a 7th copy signed
and personalized to me from John and tells me that John wants to come tomorrow
(Sunday) night and pick the winners. Did I hear that correctly?? Yes, that is
exactly what Tony just told me. I didn't tell a soul and a route was planned
out for John to come through the kitchen and go up to the balcony where a
microphone was set up for him for the Charity...Unfortunately, he changed his
mind and went upstate NY for the day. - IT WAS THAT CLOSE TO HAPPENING!!
There were lots of rumors going around over the weekend about him coming but it
was all speculation. Bob Gruen told me about 40 years later that he actually
called John from the hotel lobby (yes in a real phone booth!) and told him 'you
gotta come down and see what is happening. It is great!' I did, however, get to
thank John in person two months later and he was happy to hear how well it
went. John continued to donate signed items for the Charity Raffles for the
next 6 years. The event made the covers of Rolling Stone and the UK's
equivalent, Melody Maker. 9 1/2 months from the moment I thought of the
idea over a dish of vanilla ica cream in NYC in late November, 1973 to the
event itself was a journey I will never forget. It never occurred to me that
there would be a 2nd FEST the following September, then ventured out
to other cities (including Chicago every year since 1977) and now 134
FESTS later, we have begun plans for our big 50th Anniversary show at the TWA
Hotel at JFK Airport where all the mania began in the states exactly 60 years
ago - the weekend of February 9-11, 2024. Details coming in late October/early
November.
Peace and Love,
Mark Lapidos
Founder and Creator
I clearly remember going to the very first Chicago
Beatlefest in 1977 … and have been to several more since over the years … a
VERY impressive array of memorabilia, films and fans.
Thank you, Mark, for all the great memories … and for
honoring the greatest band of all time.(kk)
By the way, you can view highlights from the most recent
Chicago Beatlefest (sorry, Fest For Beatles Fans … it will ALWAYS be Beatlefest
for me!!!) here …
For anyone who would like to
hear my radio show I did last night, it is available to hear below
anytime. Everything from WLS and WCFL (Chuck Buell even!) to my own
aircheck as a college student 49 years ago. For anyone who HEARD it,
thanks so much!
That is NOT the “pretty in pink” Barbie color.
It must be the 21st century version, where everything is bolder and nobody
cares what you think. However, I must say Kent rocks that bathing suit.
