See what happens when we go away for a week!!!
The mail piles up - so today you get another SUPER-SIZE Edition of The Sunday Comments - here in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
So, are you going to Vegas to celebrate Forgotten Hits’ 26th Anniversary today from when it was just a baby email?!!
Great!
Chuck!
Actually, it DID happen to work out that way … and with our own 24th anniversary just ten days ago, it seemed to be apropos to schedule a celebratory vacation around our wedding anniversary and our mutual retirement. (kk)
Did you see any shows while you were out in Vegas?
CB
Nearly all the headliners took the holiday week off ... so while there might be over a dozen big time acts we could have seen starting this weekend (including Donny Osmond and The Backstreet Boys, who we definitely would have gone to see), all those shows were dark while we were there. (On the upside, because Thanksgiving Week is so slow in Vegas, we were able to get round-trip air fair for just $175 ... and a very plush hotel room at the Paris for $105/night ... which was just too good an offer to pass up.)
We DID see The Wizard Of Oz at The Sphere ... which was quite amazing ... and even that was relatively empty. Had excellent seats (and even caught one of the falling apples!) Incredible what they were able to do with today's technology to enhance a movie that's nearly 100 years old ... definitely worth seeing.
Other options were pretty slim pickings ... The Jonas Brothers (which might have been cool to see had we known ANY of their songs! lol) Plus I couldn't imagine sitting there for 90 minutes listening to the screaming young audience. Or Mariah Carey's Christmas Show, which I'm sure was quite amazing ... but since I turn off "All I Want For Christmas" nearly every time it comes on these days, I didn't see much point to spending nearly $700 to see that one!!! (kk)
>>>The Jonas Brothers (which might have been cool had we known ANY of their songs! lol) kk
I'm sorry. Was that too harsh for one of today's Baby Boy Bands?
CB
Actually, I think they really are pretty talented … and there are a couple of songs of theirs that I like … I just don’t know enough of their music to sit thru a whole show. (Plus they had like three opening acts, NONE of which I had ever even heard of!)
So I don’t want to put down the JoBros (as my daughter referred to them) as I’m sure they’re quite good … again, just not worth the investment for what MIGHT have been a good concert. (kk)
The other day we told you about the new “Tiny” edition of The Rolling Stones’ single “Satisfaction” with the cool picture sleeve. (Frannie ran up to Target to get me one … I don’t think I’ll ever open it!!! Shoulda gotten TWO!!! Lol)
Clark Besch now tells us …
A few years ago, I bought the ABKCO 12" pic sleeve reissue of the original 7" 1965 "Satisfaction" with the rare pic sleeve for $20. I just wanted it because I thought it'd be cool to own like that and have the sleeve I would likely never own original of. NOW, is it better to have a 4" version out now? Maybe, I shoulda just kept trying for the original instead!
Years ago, what I bought:
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 50th Anniversary Edition
Decent price on eBay for 1965 original?
Rolling Stones "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" on London 45 9766 from 1965 PS only | eBay
Clark
Actually, that IS a pretty good price for the original sleeve, ESPECIALLY considering the condition it’s in.
I’ve gotten much more into The Stones these past two years and have a pretty decent picture sleeve collection … but not that one (or “Street Fighting Man” either for that matter … but that’ll set you back a couple of mortgage payments!)
Had I not just retired, I very well may have considered this (although I see now that it’s already sold.) It really is a beautiful sleeve! (kk)
Speaking of The Stones, The Rolling Stones have teamed up with Fatboy Slim to record a new, updated version of their classic “Satisfaction,” now titled “Satisfaction Skank.” (The new single is credited to Norman Cook, John Barry, Winfred Terry, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, and was produced by Fatboy Slim.) Southern Fried Records and ABKCO Music & Records will release the track worldwide on December 11, 2025.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxBl37bRMw0&list=RDuxBl37bRMw0&start_radio=1
Happy birthday to James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)
My brother Kenneth and I wrote the book "Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child."
Author Lonn Friend sent me this photo he took of Kirk Hammett from Metallica holding a copy of our book before he took to the stage in Las Vegas.
I saw the Jimi Hendrix Experience once in June of 1969 in Northridge, California, and can still hear and feel their rendition of "Red House."
On November 7, 2025, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings/Sony released a deluxe version of "Axis Bold as Love."
Poet and writer Dr. James Cushing emailed me about "Axis Bold as Love":
James Cushing: It was obvious from the first thirty seconds that Jimi Hendrix had gone beyond Mike Bloomfield — or George Harrison or Robbie Krieger or Jorma Kaukonen — to become The Guitar Guy I Had Been Looking For, one whose sound did things to me I had never imagined. Watching the Reprise label rotate on the turntable, and letting Jimi’s guitar sound soak into my bones … Letting that cool, offhand Jimi voice charm me into forgetting the awfulness of Vietnam and racism and Nixon and how obviously letting the outer-space vibes of “Third Stone from the Sun” and “Up From the Skies” prepare me for the genius of Sun Ra a few years down the line. For that matter, the jazz inflections in Mitch Mitchell’s drumming quietly set me up for future voyages with John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Mainly, as I listened, The Figure of the Artist took a new shape in my mind: a young man from an erased / excluded / despised minority, partly black (“Negro,” as many people were still saying in 1968), partly Cherokee (“Indian”), self-taught, as far out as you could go and still be on the planet, with originality, integrity, humor, humility, and most importantly, the ability to astonish.
I was aware of the music as a “vibration from the world around and above and beneath me,” and please remember, I was 15 and had never smoked pot or taken LSD. I knew this experience was completely real, and I felt that I had discovered something important about the world and what it contained.
Axis: Bold as Love functions for me as a single 13-movement song-cycle that tells the tale of an extraterrestrial visitor’s time observing life on our planet, where you can’t believe everything you see and hear — the Spanish Castle isn’t in Spain, six isn’t really nine, and a gold-and-rose thousand-star vision was only a dream. In this aspect, the album anticipates The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by five years, and marks a optimistic beginning to an era that ends with Bowie’s bleak dystopia (1967-1972, the core years of classic rock.) The songs have a melodic originality and a depth of production that must have made them too hard to perform live, if the JHE setlists are any indication. Only “Spanish Castle Magic” and “Little Wing” show up with any regularity. But perhaps the unity of the album’s sequence discouraged excerpting.
Novelist Daniel Weizmann earlier sent me a reflection on Jimi Hendrix …
Daniel Weizmann: Jimi Hendrix was notoriously insecure about his singing voice and rumor has it that he'd clear the studio of all but essential personnel before cutting a vocal take. But I think Jimi's voice is a cornerstone of his art, a savvy and unusual approach. He brings an attitude, a cadence, and a tone that helps frame and even beautify the greatest electric guitar playing ever recorded.
To understand the vocal choices Jimi made, you first have to dig what he chose not to do. For a guy who poked at every last corner of the blues and bent the whole genre to his will, Jimi rarely wailed, growled, or went for "long yardage" and high emotion like so many blues men of the day, black or white. In the rock world, where he was frequently the sole African-American onstage, he never did traditional "Soul with a capital S" and he didn't even "rock" vocally the way, say, a Robert Plant or an Iron Butterfly might be known to rock -- to throw their guts into the notes.
No. Jimi was cool, plaintiff, just this side of conversational. Even as his guitar tore off the chain like a Tasmanian Devil, he himself never overheated. With great restraint and sagacity, he made it a point to step out of his own way. In storyteller's parlance, Jimi plays human-sized narrator, and lets the guitar handle the force of antagonism -- the thunder and the lightning, the dragon's breath and intergalactic flight.
On the best jams -- especially live stuff like "Foxey Lady" at Miami Pop, "Hear My Train a-Comin'" at Fillmore East, so many! -- there's an almost Rabbinic incantation to his voice, simple but mesmerizing. He simply refuses to gild the melody's lily -- no mean feat for a guy who knows from musical elaboration. On his masterpiece cover of "All Along the Watchtower," Jimi could've taken Dylan's lyrical maze in so many directions. What he does is totally counter-intuitive. Between explosions, he deploys Homeric trance-inducing parataxis -- short even phrases to mount tension. The effect is apocalyptic.
TS Eliot famously said that “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality.” ‘
Harvey Kubernik
We lost one of the all-time guitar greats this past week … Steve Cropper passed away on December 3rd. He was 84. As part of Booker T’s MG’s and a member of Stax Records’ house band, Cropper played on dozens of hits in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, his signature sound always helping to define each recording.
He also shared songwriting credit on some of that era’s biggest hits including “Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding, “In The Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett, “Knock On Wood” by Eddie Floyd, “Green Onions” and “Time Is Tight” by Booker T. and the MG’s and “Last Night” by The Mar-Keys (of which he was also a member), in addition to several others.
I had the pleasure of seeing Steve Cropper in concert with Dave Mason a few years ago at The Arcada Theatre. Great show!
You’ll find my original review here: https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/07/concert-review-dave-mason-and-steve.html
Hi Kent,
Hope you had a good time 😁 in Lost Wages!
Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper at The Pioneer Rhythm and Blues Awards at The Hollywood Palace.
Jim Roup
A nice tribute to Steve's legacy, courtesy of The Second Disc ...
https://theseconddisc.com/2025/12/04/in-memoriam-steve-cropper-1941-2025/
Here’s an excerpt from Harvey Kubernik’s 2007 interview with Steve Cropper about The Monterey International Pop Festival, where he performed with Booker T. and the MG’s, who also backed up Otis Redding during his set.
Portions of this piece will appear in Harvey’s upcoming book "Screen Gems Pop Music Documentaries& Roll and Roll TV Scenes," scheduled to be published during January,2026 … but you’re seeing it here FIRST!!!
You’ll also find quotes from Jerry Wexler, the “ears” of Atlantic Records and a remembrance from Wayne Jackson at Stax. (kk)
Harvey Kubernik: I remember a Hollywood May, 1975, visit to Cherokee Studios on Fairfax Avenue during Rod Stewart’s Atlantic Crossing sessions. Steve Cropper, Rod Stewart and engineer Tom Dowd regaled me with anecdotes about Stax Records. I went out to eat with Rod and Cherokee co-owner Con Merton, at the Cock ‘n Bull tavern on Sunset Blvd. Excellent trout.
Jerry Wexler: Otis Redding's show at Monterey astonished me because he nailed that audience of hippies and weed heads in a way that was astonishing to me because that was not his core audience. The way he nailed those hippies was unreal. ‘This is the love crowd.’
At Monterey, part of the deal was I got to watch Booker T. and the MG’s ... Cropper, Duck, Al Jackson ... in front of the audience. Naturally, we brought Booker T. and the MG’s out there to be his backing band. A very loud, fantastic rock band went on before them ... Jefferson Airplane, I think, you know with the 20 foot Marshall amps and all of this, so it was roaring. Now Booker T. and the MG’s open their show with their little Sears Roebuck amps. And you know what, it quieted down. The way you control a noisy crowd is if you are good, you play soft. You don’t try and out volume them. So they had it set up, and were so good, they commanded so much attention, that when Otis came on, the crowd was ready.
Listen, not only did I like Steve Cropper as a guitar player, I consider him a monumental roadwork to a new kind of way of guitar playing. Something he and Cornell Dupree, the only two that I knew that could do it, to play a kind of rhythm and lead at the same time. When he played there would be a little turnaround, a little abregato, a little sting, a little fill, and it was single string, and it was chord and rhythm and lead at the same time without solos. Booker T is a musical genius.
Steve Cropper: I don’t think there ever was or ever will be a band that had the magnetism that Booker T. & the M.G.’s had, whether they backed somebody or played on their own. Al Jackson, Booker, Duck and I grew up playing nightclubs in Memphis. Wayne Jackson grew up that way, too.
In our high school days and upbringing, we had that band mentality thing, because if some guy wants to go out there and ego stage, he’s gonna blow it for everybody else. We learned to play as a unit in the studio. We were there not for ourselves but for the artist we were playing behind. In the studio, when I was writing songs and starting to record them, I always saw it in my head as a finished product. I knew where to go with it. You have to play as a unit. Playing live, like at Monterey, if a vocalist is not there, I’m playing vocal parts. When a vocalist is there, I back off and play rhythm and fills.
The way I recall it, they took us over to the festival in a school bus. We could hear the music, we heard a concert going in that afternoon. Now, we didn’t play until that night, but they took us over early ‘cause some of the guys wanted to hear some of the other artists. And The Association was on stage as we pulled up, and I will never forget that. And here’s a connection ... I always loved their records on the radio ... and you can hear the influence of the Association, in 1966, ’67, on the bridge to ‘Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay’ that I wrote with Otis ... because it was inspired by my like for their music. Hearing them was a little thing, but that was the inspiration for it, because we knew we had a hit, and we wanted to make it pop.
To me, the Association loved R&B but they were a pop group, you know what I’m saying? So that’s sort of the way I was trying to go with that. Of course, with Otis singing it, it became an Otis song. He got the idea when he was staying at a houseboat later when he was workin’ the Fillmore West.
On the Monterey DVD that Pennebaker put together, Booker and I did interviews for it. The music leaps off the film. There was an energy. And there’s no need for me to be bragging on myself and I don’t ever do that, and it’s not an ego thing and all that, but I don’t think there ever was or will ever be a band that had the magnetism that Booker T. and the MG’s had, whether they backed someone or played on their own.
At Monterey, we didn’t have to do a sound check, rehearsal, nothing. Just plug in and go out there and play. Our clothing was different than the flower children. And that was the start of ‘be yourself and do your own thing.’ It was sort of a break away from freedom of teachers, from home, from parents, from society. That’s how that all got started. This freedom that we weren’t allowed. And, I think it was all around the Vietnam time, and we felt very goverened by the government, that they were gonna tell us what to do, when to do, where to do, how to do, because of the (military) draft.
And I think this is when music started as more of a religious thing. And, the smell was in the air. (laughs). Even if you didn’t do anything yourself, by then you definitely got a contact high at that concert. (laughs). Earlier when we had the Mar-Keys with the hit song ‘Last Night,’ we were on a show in front of 30,000 people in the Orange Bowl in Jacksonville (Florida), with the Everly Brothers, Tex Ritter and Jerry Lee Lewis, so I had played to large crowds before.
Otis had found his audience and Monterey helped him cross over to a wider white pop market. They already knew how big he was in Europe and Europe was not an ethnic rhythm and blues audience. It was more general. He was big in France and he was big in England. And he was big, and Phil Walden and Atlantic knew that, and they wanted that same kind of recognition over here, and they were finding it very difficult to get pop radio airplay. No problem getting R&B play whatsoever. So we knew what we wanted to do.
Without question, the Stax / Volt tour itself of England and Europe changed everybody’s life. It changed the musicians and it changed things on the executive end. Most of the guys in the band never played in front of 100 people in a nightclub, except Wayne Jackson and Duck Dunn, and that was because of our success with ‘Last Night.’ Everybody came home from England with a whole different opinion about themselves. I mean, if I remember, we were treated like the Beatles over there. I mean, like when the Beatles came here. We were treated more like royalty and with respect in England. It was amazing. Hundreds of people trying to touch us. They used to have to line bodyguards up so we could get from the stage to the bus. We’d never seen that before. That was something unheard of, especially in the States. It changed everybody’s egos. And things started happening, and all of a sudden, the whole aura around Stax started changing because everybody all of a sudden wanted to be an individual. They didn’t want to work as a team anymore, and I was fighting for the team. I fought for that team big time.
To me it was like the greatest basketball team that ever came together. When they went into the studio together, magic things happened. And they won. And winning was to have a hit record. A hit single on the charts. And then the other thing that happened historically was that in 1968, the day that Martin Luther King was assassinated, that whole musical aura at Stax, the bubble was burst. Never was the same and will never ever be the same.
You know, I always said it didn’t have to happen in the first place and why did it have to happen in Memphis? A quiet town and everybody got along. You look back, and there were things happening around me that I wasn’t aware of. My buddies didn’t talk to me about it. We never had a problem. We went to each other’s houses, we hung out, we went to restaurants together, we were blood brothers if anything else. We were family. Big time family. So, this sort of changed everybody’s lives without question. So thank God Monterey was before that. And, we had a lot of hit records in San Francisco.
Wayne Jackson told me:
I did the arranging on Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer.’ (The song was written as a tribute to Redding). Stevie Winwood told me personally that our Stax/Volt ’67 English tour changed his life that night.
Steve Cropper once told me this about Jimi Hendrix …
Around 1964 Jimi Hendrix (then James Marshall) was in Memphis and came by to visit Stax Studios. At the time I was filing records, logging tapes and producing recording sessions. I was busy but we talked, I then went out to a local diner, met him, we had hamburgers, and he then told me he did the lead guitar introduction on Don Covay’s ‘Have Mercy.’ I was knocked out by that funky intro riff and had heard it earlier on the radio. He came to the Stax studio and we jammed a bit.
Still a fair amount of discussion about the whole Beatles Anthology celebration … book, TV show and cd package. (We’ve been playing catch-up in all regards … our last minute trip to Vegas meant I didn’t get a chance to finish re-reading the book before the Disney+ television special ran … no way I was lugging that big sucker with me on the airplane! … and because we left for Sin City on Thanksgiving Day, we didn’t get to see the 9-part television special in "real time" either … we had to wait until we got back home to experience it. Worse yet, my copy of the Anthology 4 CD didn’t arrive until the day before we left … I knew I should have ordered it from Amazon instead of The Beatles Store! … so I’ve yet to listen to THAT either!!!!)
That’s OK … I'm looking forward to catching up on all three. (kk)
But that doesn’t stop the feedback we’re seeing from others who WERE able to experience each event as they happened. Trying not to read too much into anything until I’ve had the chance to experience each for myself, here is some of what's been going around ...
From Variety (by way of Harvey Kubernik) …
'The Beatles Anthology' Gets a New Ending: Director Oliver Murray on How Episode 9 Finally Put a Sweeter Cap on the Group's Historic Docuseries
I think the new "Chapter 9" episode makes for a far more fitting ending to The Beatles' story. Before, everything ended with the break-up of the band. Now, viewers get the chance to see Paul, George and Ringo reunite on good terms with the benefit of having 25 years of hindsight to deal with the ultimate fall-out that broke up the band.
But why on earth did they not play and show the newly cleaned-up mixes and videos of the three reunion songs "Free As A Bird," "Real Love" and "Now And Then"?!?!? After all the hype about what went into creating these pieces from John's raw demos, I felt disappointed and cheated that we didn't get to see and hear the final results.
So from me, Chapter 9 gets a "YAY" for the concept ... and a "NAY" for the execution. (kk)
From Noise 11 …
The Beatles new Anthology 4 includes some very strange changes to the songs Real Love and Free As A Bird.
Matt Williamson, who delivers excellent music commentary on his Pop Goes The 60’s YouTube channel, has highlighted edits in the new versions of both Free As A Bird and Real Love that make no sense to Beatles fans.
Matt noticed that a George Harrison line in Free As A Bird is different from the 1996 original. The original Harrison vocal sings, “Whatever happened to the life that we once knew.” The 2015 version has, “Whatever happened to the love that we once knew” and now it’s back to the original.
For the 2025 remix, a different vocal take was chosen for George’s line. That alternate take included the alternate word.
Even stranger is what has been done to Real Love. The original version runs 3 minutes and 54 seconds. The new edition runs 3 minutes and 35 seconds, nineteen seconds shorter. The reason is the altered George Harrison guitar solo. Why this was done is unknown.
The official reason for altering these parts has not been defined. Fan speculation points to creative decisions by Paul McCartney and the production team, including Giles Martin or Jeff Lynne, depending on the era.
Many fans have criticized the changes to Harrison’s work in Real Love, calling it unnecessary and disrespectful to George’s legacy.
There has also been frustration about the 2025 addition of Anthology 4. Unlike the Red and Blue reissues, which added tracks in chronological order, 4 is a standalone release. Anthology volumes 1 to 3 cover the Beatles career from start to finish. 4 covers the start to the end again, rather than continuing the original format.
The Red and
Blue albums also received criticism for including Now and Then, which did not
fit within the 1962 to 1966 and 1967 to 1970 timelines.
The standalone 4 CD packaging also differs from the original jewel case design
of 1-3, breaking visual continuity for collectors.
Anthology 4 includes only 13 previously unreleased tracks. Fans who own the past super deluxe box sets already have half the material.
For many fans, Anthology 4 feels like filler. They had hoped for a Rubber Soul box set to follow Revolver, or more sought-after inclusions such as Revolution take 20, Helter Skelter take 3, the 14-minute unreleased Carnival of Light, or Get Back outtakes like Commonwealth, which appears in the documentary but not on any audio release.
A standalone Rooftop Concert from Abbey Road Studios has also never been released physically. It exists only on streaming services and as part of the Get Back documentary. Fans feel it would make a strong standalone release. The ‘Let It Be’ movie and ‘Beatles ’64’ have not been released as Blu-ray editions. ‘Let It Be’ was released on VHS and Laser Disc in the 80s but is not available on any current physical format.
The Beatles empire has long been criticized for operating like a cash-grab corporation, and Anthology 4 has not helped that perception.
More on the “Cash Grab” theory here …
https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-anthology-4-feature-11-29-25/
The Beatles in Canada … link provided by Harvey Kubernik …
https://mailchi.mp/hemmingsen.com/the-beatles-in-canada-now-on-sale?e=d0e2f130a1
And here’s one nearly everybody has forgotten about …
NY Times Gift Article: The Great Beatles Documentary That’s Nearly Impossible to See (Legally)
Tom Cuddy
Been a long time since I’ve seen this … but I remember totally lovin’ it at the time … there was nothing else really like it up till that point. Now I’ll have to dig out my old VHS copy and watch it again, now that I've finished the Anthology series on Disney+ (kk)
And there’s evidently more Beatles to come!
In addition to the four separate biopics being done next year on each of The Beatles, Variety is now reporting that a new “Hamburg Beatles” series is in the works! (Word is it’ll be based on Klaus Voormann’s autobiography)
And let’s not forget about the new Paul McCartney documentary coming out next year. At this rate, it’ll be time for Anthology 5 before you know it!!! (Why don’t they release “Let It Be” and/or “The Beatles Live At Shea Stadium” instead??? Wouldn’t you rather see the REAL Beatles as opposed to actors portraying The Beatles???) kk
FH Reader and frequent contributor Clark Besch expounds on our December 5th 60 YEARS AGO TODAY listing below ...
Their set list for these two above Liverpool shows:
"I Feel Fine"
"She's A Woman"
"If I Needed Someone"
"Act Naturally"
"Nowhere Man"
"Baby's in Black"
"Help!"
"We Can Work It Out"
"Yesterday"
"Day Tripper"
"I'm Down"
The Hollies then fight with the song creator in 12/17-65 New Musical Express.
Here is the trailer for the new Paul Anka documentary airing now on HBO Max.
Looks like a winner.
Santi Paradoa
Miami, Florida
I'm a long-time Paul Anka fan ... and just watched the new documentary. While it certainly puts his career in perspective, showing all that he's accomplished and all the ways he's stayed "relevant" over the decades, I just didn't feel that it was all that well made a documentary ... I found myself losing interest along the way. Too bad, because I was hoping for and expecting more.
On the other hand, on the long plane ride home I finally had the chance to view the documentary "Becoming Led Zeppelin," which I found to be EXTREMELY interesting and entertaining, even though the story essentially ends with the release of their second album and the breakthrough single "Whole Lotta Love." (I liked it enough to watch it again when we got home!)
The first hour recaps the pre-Led Zeppelin years, pretty well documented through vintage footage showing Jimmy Page's and John Paul Jones' studio session years, backing up everyone from Shirley Bassey to Herman's Hermits to Lulu. Then the band literally explodes overnight here in America before England even knew what was about to hit them. All of the surviving members are very complimentary of one another, acknowledging their individual talents and contributions toward the sum of all the parts. I found this fascinating - that they were all that respectful of one another yet understand that they're just not going to play together anymore. The free reign that Jimmy Page was given at the time is almost incomprehensible ... but Atlantic Records was looking for their first big breakthrough rock band and Led Zeppelin just happened to come along at exactly the right time.
Highly recommended. (kk)
Meanwhile, here's more on Paul Anka …
The highly-anticipated, new Baz Luhrmann film "EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert" will get an exclusive one-week IMAX engagement beginning on February 20th, 2026. This special one-week "pre-release" showing will allow audiences around the world to experience NEON and Universal Pictures International's new film via the one-of-a-kind, unmatched cinematic power of IMAX prior to the worldwide release in theaters everywhere beginning February 27th. (The film will have its official premier showing at Graceland on Elvis' birthday, January 8th, 2026.) Don't miss YOUR chance to see and hear Elvis perform and tell his story like never before. (I, for one, can't wait!) kk
For the first time ever, Chicago and Styx are teaming up for a summer tour together next year.
Billed as “The Windy Cities Tour … All The Hits … Your Kind of Tour”, the two bands (with DOZENS of hits between them) will join forces for the first time ever on the road.
Scheduled dates thus far include:
Monday, July 13th
- West Palm Beach, FL - iThink Financial
Amphitheatre
Wednesday, July 15th - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
Amphitheatre
Friday, July 17th - Alpharetta, GA - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
Saturday, July 18th - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
Monday, July 20th - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
Tuesday, July 21st - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Thursday, July 23rd - Wantagh, NY - Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Saturday, July 25th - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
Sunday, July 26th - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
Tuesday, July 28th - Toronto, ONT. - RBC Amphitheatre
Thursday, July 30th - Grand Rapids, MI - Acrisure Amphitheatre
Saturday, August 1st – THE TOUR COMES
HOME to Rosemont, IL - Allstate
Arena
Sunday, August 2nd - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
Wednesday, August 5th
- Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
Thursday, August 6th - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Wednesday, August 19th - Austin, TX - Moody Center
Thursday, August 20th - Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell
Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
Monday, August 24th - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Tuesday, August 25th - Kansas City, MO - MORTON Amphitheater
Friday, August 28th - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
Sunday, August 30th - Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union
Amphitheatre
Tuesday, September 1st - Phoenix, AZ - Mortgage Matchup Center
Wednesday, September 2nd - Palm Desert, CA - Acrisure Arena
Friday, September 4th - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Sunday, September 6th - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
Speaking of tours, we’re sad to hear that Colin Hay (of Men At Work) has had to cancel his tour of Australia after suffering serious respiratory complications connected to the flu and Covid. We saw Colin recently as one of the opening acts for Toto this past summer … and as part of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band the year before. All of his Australian dates are being rescheduled to June 2026. (kk)
And, after previously announcing a postponement to the start date of his upcoming US book tour, Cat Stevens has now announced that his entire North American tour has been cancelled.
Original plans to support his recent memoir, “Cat on the Road to Findout,” were initially delayed due to difficulties in the processing of his performance visa. However, Stevens (Yusuf) has since announced:
“Unpredictably, and befuddling to us all, the actual visa finally got delivered after the last scheduled date of the tour had passed. I know how disappointing this must be for those of you who were looking forward to the book tour. My agent and team explored every possible avenue, but it was all beyond our control.”
Hopefully, book sales won’t be greatly impacted due to this recent development. There are a lot of fans out there who want to hear Cat Stevens tell his story. A corresponding greatest hits “soundtrack” is also available.
Copies of the book are available to order here:
… while copies of the extensive greatest hits cd are available to order here:
We told you a couple of weeks ago about Freddy Cannon’s new Christmas single “Red Coat Santa” …
And now comes news that it’s already charting on the Heritage Chart!
Here’s the latest info:
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ICON FREDDY ‘BOOM BOOM’ CANNON BACK ON THE U.K.’s HERITAGE CHART AT #39
Legendary rock ‘n’ roll icon Freddy Cannon has returned to the charts – the U.K.’s Heritage Chart - as his “Red Coat Santa” has charted at #39.
https://www.heritagechart.co.uk/home-mobile
Written and recorded by Cannon himself, the festive track blends his signature high-energy style with the warmth and nostalgia of the holidays.
The track has also hit SiriusXM and become a ‘new’ staple for the holidays; and Cannon was interviewed by Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) last week on his national WABC radio show.
Cannon, best known for his 1962 smash hit “Palisades Park” and his electrifying performances on American Bandstand (he holds the record for 110 appearances), brings his unmistakable voice and timeless rock 'n' roll flair to this original holiday tune. With sleigh bells, saxophones, and a toe-tapping beat, “Red Coat Santa” is poised to become a seasonal favorite.
“I’ve always loved Christmas music, and I wanted to create something that felt both classic and new,” said Cannon. “Red Coat Santa” is my way of bringing a little rock 'n' roll joy to the season. I hope it makes people smile, dance, and remember what the holidays are all about — fun, family, and music.”
“When I wrote this tune, I thought no one had really ever sung about Santa’s famous outfit. And I was inspired by my angel, my wife, Jeannette, who passed away earlier this year,” said Cannon.
This release marks Cannon’s return to the holiday music scene following his 2002 album Have a Boom Boom Christmas, which featured both classic covers and original songs. Now, over two decades later, “Red Coat Santa” proves that Freddy Cannon’s rock 'n' roll spirit is as vibrant as ever.
Freddy’s new release on You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUdzf8hAtWY&list=RDFUdzf8hAtWY&start_radio=1
From Freddy himself …
HI KENT -
LOOK AT THIS CHART FROM THE UK …
I AM NUMBER 39!
BUT I STILL NEED LOTS OF VOTES …
COULD YOU PLEASE ASK YOUR READERS VOTE FOR MY SONG “RED COAT SANTA” ? …THIS WILL MOVE IT UP THE CHARTS
THANKS, KENT
FREDDY CANNON
(WE GOT A HIT CHRISTMAS SONG!!!)
Happy to, my friend! (kk)
Of course Christmas Music is everywhere now … as it should be.
Phil Miglioratti remembers The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album here:
Who loves getting to the bottom of things (no pun intended) as he explains the TRUE meaning of "Hanky Panky" ...
And now, at long last, as inspired by Tommy James’ 1966, Two-Week Number One Song, Chuck Buell Productions Presents “A Look Behind the Lyrics” with “A Definitive Definition of Hanky Panky” from British comedian, Michael McIntyre!
And finally, a final reminder from Mike Riccio at Rewound Radio ... as this is your final week to pick and vote for The Best Songs Ever in the 28th Edition of the Top 77! (Keyword: Final!)
Hi ...
If you have already voted for your favorite song(s), thanks so much. If not, vote today or ASAP for your favorite song(s) in the 28th edition of the
"Top 77 of All Time." The polls will be closing at midnight tomorrow night (12/8).
It's the ONCE a year survey of what's now become a true tradition for lovers of
all types of music … but the time to vote is running down as we’re going into the final hours ... so please CONSIDER THIS A REMINDER TO VOTE NOW TO CHOOSE YOUR
FAVORITE SONG(S) - you can vote for one song, or up to ten.
Here' the link. You might have used it in the past ... it’s 100% safe and
secured.
https://musicradio77.com/voting2025.html
If you didn't see the results from last year of any
of the previous year's results, here's the address to view all of the final
lists through the years.
https://musicradio77.com/voting2024.html
The results of your votes will be posted at
OldiesBoard.com and also played on Rewound Radio from December 26th through New
Year's Day.
And you can even have your own booklet of the results of more than 3000 songs
that get votes along with interesting facts and details about all the songs ...
for FREE.
So go to OldiesBoard.com for details and to vote or use the following safe and
secure link.
https://musicradio77.com/voting2025.html
Thanks in
advance for making this so much fun for everyone. And feel free to spread the
word.
Sincerely,
Mike Riccio
OldiesBoard.com Moderator
