Hello, my friend,
I just want to let you know how very much I continue to enjoy your look back at sixty years ago during each day of the year 1966, which is when I turned twelve years old, and I bought the record They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha by Napoleon XIV to see if it was really true that the flip side was recorded backwards. (Well, I was only twelve. What can I tell you?)
Thanks so much for keeping Forgotten Hits going for as long as you have, Kent.
Take care,
Sam Ward
And one more from Sam, regarding the 60th anniversary of the “Revolver” LP …
Hi there Kent,
Given that it was exactly 60 years ago today that the Beatles’ Revolver album was released in the UK, I just wanted to share a few thoughts and memories with you.
Let me just say here that I used to go along with so many people that insisted that the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album was the best album that the group ever recorded. I was only thirteen years old at the time, and I simply figured that people that insisted that this was true were correct in their assumptions.
However, listening to both albums many times over the years, I have become a convert to the fact that Revolver is a far better album overall, and I believe that Revolver is the best album that they ever made.
An Interesting side note ...
From April 14, 1990 to June 9, 2003, I had a black lab guide dog with a blaze of white under his chin named Blazer.
The reason I am mentioning him here at all, was because of the amazing effect that the song Here, There and Everywhere had on him. Most of the time he was close to me, but even if he wasn't, any time I played that song, he would come racing up beside me and sit down, and then present a very contented wimper, as if he was really happy to hear that song.
Now, I can't know for sure what he was thinking, but I think he really loved that song. It appeared to be his favorite song.
Maybe it was the rich harmony that appealed to his doggy ears ... but as you would expect, he heard literally thousands of songs that I played, but that was the song that he always reacted to that strongly to. Interesting observation, isn't it.
Sam
GREAT story.
So now I have to ask the million dollar question ...
Do you prefer the British album or the one that we got here in The States? (kk)
Oh, I've always preferred the British versions of the Beatles albums once I became aware of them. The first instance of that is when WBZ in Boston played I'll Be Back, which was on the British Hard Day's Night album, because I heard that song a lot during the summer of 1964. I never bought Capitol's explanation that you couldn't put a seventh song on one side of an album because that would put the cut too close to the center of the album. That was just engineers being stubborn and always holding back at least two cuts here in North America from every British album that was released. This was the way the albums were originally sequenced and that's how we should have gotten them. And don't get me started on the disgraceful Hard Day's Night and especially the Help album that we were fed, all as a way to make more money!
Have a good day,
Sam
There was so little John presence on the US version of “Revolver” … just TWO tracks. (My God, even GEORGE got three!!!) Still, it was very evident that Paul was REALLY in the zone on his tracks: “Eleanor Rigby,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “Good Day Sunshine,” “For No One” and “Got To Get You Into My Life,” ALL on the same LP?!?!? I don’t know that he has EVER had a burst of creativity to rival this before or since!
That’s why it was SO weird to have Parlophone “prerelease” three “Revolver” tracks for Capitol to use on their “Yesterday … And Today” album. Prior to this point, it was always Capitol that was playing catch-up!
Here in Chicago we counted on Ron Riley at WLS to play us the “missing” Beatles tracks from the UK LPs. I had no idea how one would even go about buying one back then … our stores didn’t really offer imports at the time … so if you wanted to hear these gems before their official US release, THIS was how you had to do it. (Ron used to do sort of a countdown thing called “The British Billboard” where he would play some of the best selling songs out in the UK. As we would all learn later, the US was typically a full year behind the curve on these releases when The British Invasion first hit our shores in 1964. By 1965, we had finally caught up to “real time” releases.
I’m looking forward to the Ron Riley documentary currently in the work. He was a pivotal part of the happening scene in regards to radio back then. (kk)
Be sure to check out the newly redesigned Record Research website …
Where you can order ALL of the Joel Whitburn books to complete your library …
https://www.recordresearch.com/?mc_cid=115bea87a8&mc_eid=d5785dc612
Joan Jett had to cancel a couple of her September shows after having orthopedic surgery for a fractured vertebra. Dates affected so far are September 5th in Costa Mesa, California and September 24th in Louisville, Kentucky. (Damn! Louisville gets cheated again! Barry Manilow just cancelled HIS show there last week!) I checked Joan’s website and don’t see any other tour dates scheduled at this time. (kk)
And Earth, Wind and Fire had to cancel one of their shows last week due to a health scare ... this after a couple of shows at the start-up of their joint tour together were cancelled due to Lionel Richie becoming dizzy on stage and unable to perform. (Between the health issues of Lionel Richie and now the band, these guys are off to a rather rocky start!)
Citing “a medical emergency involving a member of the band,” Thursday’s night show in San Francisco was cancelled last minute. (There seems to be a LOT of this going around lately!) It was later described as a “cardiac incident.” The band member was not immediately identified. (kk)
Stately Wayne Manor (as seen in the classic "Batman" television series) is up for sale ... and it could be yours for just $32 million! (Incredibly, the home sold for $20.5 million a year ago ... not a bad return on your investment!)
Built in 1928 (and located in Pasadena, CA, where I suppose at some point in time a little ole lady may have resided), the home boasts a spacious 18,665 square feet with seven bedrooms and eleven bathrooms. The gated property sits on nearly five acres and includes a rock-style pool, a pickleball court, and a private theater. (Unfortunately, bat poles leading to the basement are NOT included) kk
Tom Cuddy sent us some interesting reads ...
First this one from Rolling Stone ... profiling the remarkable legacy of the Chicago classic "25 or 6 to 4" ...
Watch Peter Cetera and All of His Replacements Sing Chicago's '25 or 6 to 4' Across Six Decades (Source: Rolling Stone:)
https://share.google/WFM3pgnhUEnKkRpmh
Then this ... news of a new Apple + TV documentary on Fleetwood Mac where Lindsey Buckingham says he has pretty much mended all of his fences with this former bandmates ...
https://ew.com/lindsey-buckingham-reveals-where-he-and-stevie-nicks-stand-after-feud-12036404
And finally this look back at the Styx classic "Lady" ...
Growing up here in Chicago, we got to hear "Lady" a couple of years before it finally clicked nationally in 1975. (It was first released as a single in 1973 ... WLS and our FM stations played the heck out of it back then, but it never charted here. Then, in 1975, it went to #2 on WLS, #3 on WCFL and #6 nationally.) kk
And this next one really takes the cake ... who'da ever thunk???
Always in search of the most accurate truth …
>>>Freddy Cannon Was On Dick Clark’s "CARAVAN OF STARS," And About To Appear In ALLENTOWN, PENN. Freddy's "BUZZ BUZZ" Was A #2 Hit In The Local Area. Freddy Asked Dick If He Could Close The Show -- Maybe Sell A Few More Records & Push It Up To #1. He's On The Stage Singing. Looking Out Into The Audience, Everybody Is Looking Via Binoculars. The Concert Ran A Little Late. Everybody Was Watching The Horse Races That Started & Nobody Was Listening To Freddy Sing! (FB)
>>>Wild Wayne's memory might be a little fuzzy. For the record, I live in the area of the Allentown Fairgrounds, where Freddy Cannon performed as part of the 1961 fair. I can currently take a local bus right to the fairgrounds from a few blocks from my house. In 1961, horse racing had ended on the big track the main grandstands overlook, but AUTO racing was still going on. Nowadays, the track racing has been replaced with Demolition Derby, usually the last night of the event (which long ago was moved to the week ending with Labor Day) Bob Frable (in Easton, PA)
>>>Interestingly enough, I did some checking on this, too, and found this list of Dick Clark's Caravan Of Stars appearances for 1961 ... and Allentown, PA isn't even on the list! It shows Freddy Cannon performing in York, PA, at the York Interstate Fair. Freddy also did State Fair shows in Indiana, Michigan and New Jersey, as well as appearances in Atlantic City and The Hollywood Bowl. It looks like Chubby Checker is the only one who stuck it out for the whole tour.
For whatever it's worth, I also did a pretty extensive search of Allentown Top 40 Surveys for this time period and didn't find any with "Buzz Buzz A Diddle It" at #2. In fact, the best chart appearance I could find for it was at #29. (Maybe some PA locals have access to more charts to check?) The record came out at the end of April of 1961.
I think this is just one of those cases where the "legend" makes for a better story ... and you know what they say ... when in doubt between the legend and the truth, ALWAYS print the legend! (kk)
https://concerts.fandom.com/wiki/Dick_Clark%27s_Caravan_of_Stars_1961
Well, now I'm confused.
Doing some more searching, I found this from your venerable
old Chicago Tribune, originally from February, 1986, but
updated roughly five years ago:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/02/21/thundering-hooves-a-cloud-of-dust/ (link)
(Mercifully, the Trib only makes you sign up for a newsletter in order to read it, although I'll go back to the email they're being sent to, and make my own decision as to whether to keep getting it.)
It doesn't credit anyone, making me wonder if the only other way to verify it is to go to, say, Newspapers.com, and punch up that particular day's Trib which was photographed page by page, which is time-consuming and likely not too cheap anymore.
And, short answer, the piece does describe Cannon getting upstaged by the ponies, for the simple fact that Dick Clark's show ran too long, and the fair operates according to a strict schedule, something I guaran-dang-tee you it still does today.
I'm open to suggestions. Given how long ago this supposedly was, I doubt much anyone that witnessed this may still be around to remember it.
Bob Frable
Through some VERY creative (and probably illegal) editing, I was able to “restore” the Chicago Tribune article Bob is talking about above.
I have to admit that it AMAZES me that this event would have gotten this much coverage over the past 65 years … but then again perhaps the reason it came up again in 1986 (and 2021) is because Freddy has told this story so many times!!! (lol) kk
READ ON …
That's really frickin' amazing!!!
You really gotta wonder if it's just that Freddy has told this story so many times over the years that it's now become "fact" ... or, as I like to call it, LEGEND. (kk)
And a nice closer from Timmy …
60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
8/9/66 – The Beatles’ album “Revolver” and single “Yellow Submarine” / “Eleanor Rigby” are released in the US. (Both had come out four days ago in England.)
