OCTOBER 14, 1960 ... 63 years ago today

 

This is it ... the very first WLS Silver Dollar Survey ... from October 14th, 1960!

Although the station had switched over to Top 40 Rock on May 2nd of that year, this was the first week where they published their own list of The Top 40 Most Popular Records in Chicagoland ...

And already they were counting them down every weekday.

The #1 Record was a bit of a surprise ...

"Shortnin' Bread" by Paul Chaplain only climbed as high as #50 on the national charts ... and stopped at #82 in Billboard ...

But WLS was already carving out its own niche when it came to the most popular records in Chicagoland.  (Two weeks later, they were showing "Ruby Duby Du" by Tobin Matthews in the #1 spot ... this was another record that never broke The Top Ten nationally.) 

Owned by Sears Roebuck Company (WLS stood for "World's Largest Store), the station first signed on the air in 1924 ... which makes next year its 100th Anniversary.  (And yes, they are still broadcasting at 890 on the AM dial ... although it's been an all-talk format for many years now.)

Some legendary names have broadcast over these microphones over the years ... and next year when Rewound Radio celebrates their Labor Day Weekend with the Third Annual WLS / WCFL Rewound, they'll have a LOT to celebrate!  (kk)

OK, So This Book Looks Awesome

 All of a sudden, The Rolling Stones are everywhere again!  (Their new album, "Hackney Diamonds," their first album of all new material in eighteen years, is out next Friday, and the advance press has been exceptional ... as are the first two tracks leaked, "Angry" and "Sweet Sounds Of Heaven.")

We told you about a new book profiling the key women in The Rolling Stones' lives ("Parachute Women") ... and a new documentary, "The Stones And Brian Jones," is coming to streaming services November 17th.  (Other recent documentaries profiling Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts individually have also made the rounds in the recent past.)

Now comes news of another new book release ...

The Rolling Stones: Icons

 

Edited by ACC Art Books

Introduction by Harvey Kubernik

The Rolling Stones: Icons brings together the greatest photographs ever taken of the greatest rock ’n’ roll band of all time. The result is the most important anthology of The Rolling Stones’ images ever compiled, featuring the iconic, the awe inspiring and the surprising.

Photo by Terry O'Neill

Spanning six heady decades, and countless tours and album covers, this thrilling portfolio features imagery from some of the most eminent names in photography, alongside the photographers’ own memories and reflections. From Terry O’Neill’s images of the young, uncompromising new band taken in Tin Pan Alley, through Michael Brennan’s photos of their creative peak in the ’70s, and on to the stadium tours of the 21st-century, as shot by Greg Brennan, The Rolling Stones: Icons captures many of the milestone moments of the band’s remarkable career.

Over 300 pages, this massive volume also features images taken by founding member, bassist, and photographer, Bill Wyman as well as Linda McCartney, who working as an editorial assistant for Town & Country, was assigned to interview and photograph the band as they chartered a yacht along the Manhattan coastline.

 

Photo by Gered Mankowitz

Includes photographs by: Terry O’Neill, Michael Ward, Gered Mankowitz, Linda McCartney, Michael Joseph, “Spanish Tony” Sanchez, Dominique Tarlé, Ed Caraeff, Barry Schultz, Al Satterwhite, Michael Brennan, Ken Regan, Brian Aris, Denis O’Regan, Douglas Kirkland, Greg Brennan and founding member, bassist and photographer, Bill Wyman.

Book Highlights:

Publisher: ACC Art Books

Publish Date: October 16, 2023

ISBN: 9781788842389

Pages: 300

●     Includes iconic, rare and unseen images of The Rolling Stones

●     Each photographer has selected images for their chapter and written an introductory text about their time working with the band

●     Produced to the highest quality – this will be the photography book of 2023

About Harvey Kubernik: Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold: Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love. Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021 they wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. In 2023, Harvey and Kenneth signed a book deal with Insight Editions and are collaborating with Iconic Images for Images That Rocked the World (The Music Photography of Ed Caraeff). Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters.

Today, Chuck Buell asks the musical question, “How about a Big Fat Fun Fermenting Foreign Forgotten Hit?!”

"Dragostea Din Tei,” or “Love from the linden tree," a tree often used as a metaphor for a deep and intense affection, is a song by the former Moldovan pop group O-Zone, originally released twenty years ago in 2003.

 

The song went to Number One on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles the following year, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September, 2004, as well as topping charts in other European countries. Overall, the single reached Number One in over 27 countries and went on to reportedly sell upwards of 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

 

There was a less successful English version released in the U.S. later which is why I’m going with the original here!

 

Now then, I bring all this up because I came across a quick famous painting animation that made me Laff Out Loud and I wanted to share it with you just for Fun!

 

And because all this took you longer to read than the length of the clip itself, I’ve also included a pretty funny 2004 video by Gary Brolsma, a then 19-year-old American vlogger and musician, who sat down in front of his computer one day and recorded himself lip syncing to the song for nothing more than just for the fun of it.  He had no idea at the time his impromptu video would become an Internet sensation with literally over a gazillion million views and still counting and is one of the most watched Internet videos of all time.

 

(The original video was permanently removed years ago in a trademark or copyright dispute and the video attached is perhaps a “redo.” The quality and abrupt ending are not of my doing but it’s still Crazy Fun!)

 

At any rate, I think he should be included on the next NASA Gold Record made that illustrate examples of life and enjoyment on Earth that they blast off into outer space for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form to come across.

 

And then just to wrap things up, I’ve also included the Original Full-Length Version of the International Hit Song.

 

Like so very many, you quite possibly may remember it. I certainly do, but not for any explainable reason!

 

So, here we go!

 

 

 

Whew!

 

CB ( which stands for Your Moldovan “Constanti Boy!” )