Wednesday, August 8, 2012

AL and RICK (2)

We've been talking to Al Kooper about the late '70's album he produced for Rick Nelson called "Back To Vienna".  Never officially released, it is now available for the very first time in The United States in its entirety, thanks to a recent release by Real Gone Music.
Click here: Amazon.com: The Complete Epic Recordings (2 CD): Rick Nelson: Music   

Our conversation continues today in Forgotten Hits ...  

kk:  Now did you personally play on the record, too, or no?
AK:  Oh yeah ... I played a LOT on the record ... I played most of the instruments on that track, "Every Day I Have To Cry Some" ... 

kk:  Yeah, that's my favorite track on the album ...


 
Now here's a song ... "Every Day I Have To Cry Some" ... that's been covered by dozens and dozens of artists over the years, yet has never really achieved true hit status.  So many artists have taken a crack at that song ... and yet it has never been the hit it deserved to be.  What is it about that song that musicians like so much ... and why do you think it hasn't ever clicked en masse?
AK:  Oh, I don't know about that ... I think that the original version was HUGE!  I'm talking about the Steve Alaimo version.   

kk:  It's a great version, but I don't even think that made the Top 40 ... I think it stopped at something like #46.
AK:  Oh yes it did ...   

kk:  No seriously, I don't think so ... here, I'm looking it up ... it peaked at #46.  That's as high as it got.
AK:  Really?!?!  Well, not in New York!  It was HUGE in New York. And I'm sure it was huge in Florida!   

kk:  Well, that's what I was just going to say ... maybe it was a much bigger regional hit ... but nationally it only got to #46.
AK:  Now wait a minute ... how old are you?   

kk:  LOL ... 58 ... LOL
AK:  58 ... OK, so I'm ten years older than you ... and I remember when that record came out and it was a really big hit.  And not only that, but Steve Alaimo is a REALLY good friend of mine ... and there were a few reasons I did that track with Rick Nelson.   

kk:  So many people have tried to record that ... even Arthur Alexander, who wrote the song, cut a version in 1975 ... but it's never gotten its due in my mind.
AK:  One of the things I've done my whole life is to take songs that everybody knows ... and do really bizarre arrangements with them.  And I thought that Andrew Gold was the same way.  When Linda did an oldie, he did magic things with it.  That was my opinion.  So I really was just imitating him ... I mean not literally, because it was all my arrangement and everything, but when I was putting the guitars on, I was trying to make it sound like a Linda Ronstadt record.    

kk:  Well, he was the inspiration then, for sure.  I mean what he did with "You're No Good" ... it almost became Beatlesque when he was done with it ... the original record never sounded anything like that.  And really, that was the record that really broke her through in a huge, huge way.
AK:  Uh-huh ... and so that was important to me.  I was very, very influenced by that.



kk:  Rick's Epic recordings sound very laid back ... 
everything seems to have a very "relaxed", MOR feel to it.  Was he as shy and reserved as he seemed in the studio?  What was Rick like to work with in the studio?  It's funny in a way, because I saw him perform live several times ... and in a way he almost seemed uncomfortable on stage ... yet at the same time, it was probably the MOST comfortable he ever was!   
AK:  Once we got comfortable, we both had a sense of humor ... and so the sense of humor is what got us going. I used to put out these comedy albums every Christmas ... they were called "The Kapusta Kristmas Albums" ... and on one of them I have outtakes of him and I talking between takes, you know, where I'm in the booth and he's out in the studio ... just to show how funny the dialog was between us.  I have to say that I did get along with him very well.    

kk:  lol ... "Kapusta Kristmas"!  What was that about?
AK:  There are six albums and one video.  Distribution was I would send them out at Xmastime in lieu of gifts.  There's a website that has at least three of them online called Badazzled.com ... and they are there with my blessings.    

kk:  What are some of your favorite tracks on the album?  Which ones are you most proud of?
AK:  Well, I like that one like you say, "Every Day I Have To Cry Some" ... and I love the Dylan song (Mama, You've Been On My Mind ... featured yesterday in Forgotten Hits) ... and I love the ZZ Top song.  (Getting It On)    

kk:  Another one of my favorites is "That New Delhi Freight Train" ... because I can SEE him doing that song when I listen to it ... I can actually visualize him in the studio, doing that song.
AK:  And he sounded great singing that, too.



kk:  Now who did that one?  Where did you find that one?
AK:  Oh, it's on a Little Feat album!  When I lived in Atlanta ... which was from '72 to '74 ... Linda came through town and I went to her show ... and then I took her home ... and we just stayed up all night and listened to music ... and she had never heard Little Feat ... so I sort of turned her on to Little Feat.  And so, you know, that was very high in my mind ... 'cause then she started doing Little Feat songs.  So the key thing is, that's a VERY important element as to how that album got made ... 'cause I was imitating Linda Ronstadt.   

kk:  Or more EMULATING than imitating I think!
AK:  Yeah.  It was a very good role model for the artist I was working with.   

kk:  And it's interesting because knowing that now ... now that you've told me this ... and knowing that that was your inspiration ... you actually hear the album differently now ... and that's kinda what I'm hoping for by doing this interview ... that people out there will seek out this music and listen to it, but come into it having a better knowledge and understanding of how the whole creative process came to be ... what you guys were shooting for in the first place.
AK:  Well, originally I didn't really plan to say anything about that ... like if someone asked me about it, that was going to be my little secret ... because that's how I figured out how to do it.  I didn't think that I was ever going to say anything about it ... but of course now, after all this time, I don't really care ... because it never really came out.   

kk:  That was kind of my point with all of this ... because ultimately Epic ended up rejecting the album ... you'd think that maybe they'd get a single out there first and see how the public reacted ... and THEN make a decision about whether or not to release the album ... and "Every Day I Have To Cry Some" just seemed like the NATURAL single ... it was such a strong, opening track.
AK:  Oh yeah, that's why it was the opening song.   

kk:  So overall, do you feel like you accomplished what you set out to do with this record?  I mean, despite the fact that Epic ultimately ended up rejecting it, do you feel that you captured what you had set out to do?
AK:  Well, I guess I could understand it ... if you just want to hear the same old Rick Nelson over and over again, then you're going to hate that album.  I just didn't see the point ... I wanted to do something different.  I mean, I took what he had ... and I tried to go a little deeper with it ... because he could do it ... it's just that nobody ever ASKED him to do it ... but he was willing to do it.  I once heard him cover that R&B song (singing) "Just gimme some kind of sign, girl"  ("Gimme Little Sign" ... the Brenton Wood song) ... and it was GREAT!!!   

kk:  Oh yeah, I love it ... I love his version of that song! 
AK:  Yeah, it was GREAT!!!


kk:  And that was recorded for Epic ... he did it on the album before yours.
AK:  So I thought, OK ... well, I'll put songs like that on this album, if he likes songs like that ... and so I did!  And he did some ... like "Every Day I Have To Cry Some".  And really, on the track of that, I was imitating Andrew Gold ... because, like I said, the model for that record was to do something like a Linda Ronstadt album ... except it was a Rick Nelson album.   

kk:  Considering that your original plan fell through ... that whole idea of reuniting Rick Nelson with James Burton ... I think "Plan B" turned into a very solid ... albeit different ... Rick Nelson album.  Being a Rick Nelson fan for so many years, I've had bootleg copies of "Vienna" for probably 25-30 years, so I've been familiar with these tracks for quite a while.  It's nice to finally see them seeing the light of day (and in good quality, too!) where other fans can now enjoy them, too.   
AK:  Well, I mean, the FAN in me really wanted to put those two back together.  I don't know if I would have gone after Rick Nelson just to produce him ... because that's just the way that worked out ... and I had to do that ... but no, I wanted to reunite him with James Burton ... and then oversee that.  I didn't particularly SAY that to anybody at Epic ... I just said that I wanted to produce Rick Nelson ... but really, I wanted to put them back together.   

kk:  Did you ever say anything to Rick about that ... about hooking those two back up together?  Did Rick know that that was the original intention or direction for the record?
AK:  Yeah ... 

kk:  And there was nothing he could to do help influence that decision?
AK:  Well, I mean I'm sure he had a say in that ... it's just that the manager said "No way" ... but frankly, I thought it was fair ... when Rick was giant in the early days, every girl that bought a Ricky Nelson record, bought it for Ricky Nelson ... but every GUY that bought a Ricky Nelson album, bought it for James Burton.  And Rick and James together ... together, THAT was the sound.   

kk:  I suppose in hindsight they could have promised him the moon ... if they were not going to release it anyhow.
AK:  Yeah, but who knew that.
kk:  Exactly.  But you've REALLY gotta wonder what kind of magic that might have been.    

TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:  Epic Records rejects "Back To Vienna" ... and it's been sitting on the shelf ever since!
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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Al Kooper and Rick Nelson (Part 1)

Here's the way this whole thing came together ...

KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS:  Hi Al!  Any interest in doing a Forgotten Hits interview centered around the "Back To Vienna" album?  With the complete LP now available for folks to hear after all these years, I thought this might make for an interesting conversation ... plus it'll be something you haven't already talked to death over the years.  Let me know if this holds any appeal for you.  Thanks! 
AL KOOPER:  I'll do that. I always thought your heart  and passion were in the right place.  Nobody has ever inquired about this part of my life, and, as such you are the only one that has my side of it.  In terms of what happened, that would be the first time I have EVER spoken about it to the public. I think THAT is the important part and the fact that it is in my words.
(EDITOR'S NOTE:  Al has previously praised Forgotten Hits as being a reliable source of accurate information ... as we've learned, SO many websites and publications report .. and then repeat ... SO much inaccurate falsehoods that they are soon accepted as "fact" when, in many instances, nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, one of the kindest things ANYBODY has ever said to me regarding Forgotten Hits came from Al Kooper when, several years ago, he emailed me and said:  "Thank you for spreading the truth."  It is EXACTLY what we have always strived to do ... and to receive that kind of compliment from a guy who's been around and seen it all literally meant the world to me ... no higher compliment could possibly be paid. - kk)    

kk:  On the surface, the idea of Al Kooper producing a Rick Nelson record may seem like an odd choice.  How did this pairing come about ... who contacted who?  
(For years, there was talk about John Fogerty producing a Rick Nelson album ... and that one made sense ... Creedence even covered a couple of Rick Nelson tunes over the years ... but Al Kooper?  



I mean, by then you were already producing Lynyrd Skynyrd, right?  Al Kooper was the "Super Sessions" guy ... the guy who played with Dylan and Hendrix and started Blood, Sweat and Tears ... one might think that Rick Nelson wasn't even on your radar at the time.)  Were you a Ricky Nelson fan growing up?  I mean everybody grew up watching The Nelsons on TV, right?  But were you a particular fan of his music?
AK:  Your timing's a little bit off.  I did '72, '73 and '74 with Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Then, three years after that, I did the Rick Nelson album.  Sure, I grew up loving his records, but a large part of that love was for his guitarist James Burton. I've often said that in the '50's if you were female and bought a Ricky Nelson record, it was for Ricky. If you were male and bought it, it was for James Burton. 

kk:  Just curious as to who approached who about you working with Rick?
AK:  I read that Rick had signed with Epic.  I then came up with the idea of putting them back together . It had been decades. So I hired James as a sideman on another record I was producing and posed the question to him. He said he would do it but he wanted a royalty. I didn't think that was unreasonable based on all those males buying those Ricky records to hear James.  I know I can count all the Yardbird guitarists, i.e. Clapton, Beck and Page, plus Richard Thompson, Brian Setzer, Ed King ... hell, we all worshipped James growing up! So I made my pitch to Epic, just saying that I was throwing my hat in the ring to produce Rick. I said nothing about James Burton. So I got the okay from Epic eventually and had a meeting with Rick's manager. He laughed at me when I told him James wanted a royalty. "Well, THAT'LL never happen!!" I believe was his reply. So now I was onboard to produce Rick and my Plan A was totally derailed.   

kk:  So was that the original concept then or intention with the album, to put Rick Nelson and James Burton back together?  Had that original idea stayed on track, might you have tried to do a return to his rockabilly roots of the '50's?  I mean, had that not fallen through, do you think you would have gone in a whole different direction with the album?
AK:  Oh, definitely ... I would have let the two of them, you know, decide what they wanted to do.  I just wanted to put them back together, because it was such a GREAT combination.  And, if it was possible, I would have used the rest of the band ... 'cause I thought that was a great band.

kk:  Interesting in a way ... because shortly after all of this, Ricky went back to his rockabilly roots ... and started billing himself as "Ricky Nelson" again, and doing the songs live in arrangements that were true to the original recordings, which he hadn't done in a number of years.  Previously in concert he might have done a "countrified" version of three or four of his hits, but he never really returned to playing them in the original style until later in his career.  And then he even went in and cut his next album ... the Epic album after yours ... as a "Rockabilly Renaissance", once again returning to those roots.
AK:  See, and I just know that I would have never have done that without James Burton.  I didn't see the point.  Because their records together were some of the definitions of rockabilly music ... initial rockabilly ...

kk:  Once this plan was debunked and James Burton was no longer to be involved, how was the musical direction for the album decided?  What were you looking to achieve by taking the reigns of a Rick Nelson recording project?  Were there some preconceived goals or aspirations?
AK:  When I couldn't get James Burton, by then I had already said that I was going to do a Rick Nelson album ... so then I had to come up with Plan B really, really quickly ... and I had a long think about it and tried to come up with a concept ... and I thought, "Well, I have a really good singer here ... he has a good voice and can handle a few genres with it. And it made me think of Linda Ronstadt ... because at that time, she was really at her peak ... and so then I said, "Well, let's make a Linda Ronstadt album".  And I used her albums as a blueprint for this ... and that's why I gave him the hundred songs to pick from because I wanted him to be in that category of looking for a song that Linda Ronstadt would do.  Hell, I'll make a Linda Ronstadt album with him. Just consider the kind of material she does and do the same kinda thing with Rick.

kk:  Tell me a little bit about the song selection process ... did Rick bring in some tunes he wanted to record? Did you go through a demo-listening process together?  Or had you already selected some things that you wanted him to try?
AK:  I made a tape with 50 songs on it that I thought Rick could do well ... 'cause back then everything was cassettes of course ... and gave it to him.  I said pick 12 outta these and we'll go make an album. So two weeks later he said he could only find four that he liked. I said that was a fine and a few days later, after we talked about what he liked, I gave him another tape of 50 songs and he was able to pick the others from that. Now we had the repertoire.

kk:  So off of your tape of 50 songs, Rick picked four that he liked ... and that started the process.  Was there anything else on that tape that we might recognize today?  Maybe some things that he turned down that turned out to be hits for some other artist(s)?
AK:  Do you REALLY think that I remember what was on that tape?!?
kk:  LOL ... OK, OK ...
AK:  LOL ... not a chance!!!  But when he said that he only picked four, you know, he was really throwing a gauntlet down to me ... so I said, OK, gimme a few hours (lol) ... and then I sent him another tape ... with another fifty songs on it ... and he got the rest from that.  Then I went and booked some studio time at the LA Record Plant and hired some musicians. I hired some people he knew and had worked with at various times. Guitarists Don Preston and John Beland were on most of the tracks and the steel player from Stone Canyon band for one song.  I hired Michael McDonald to play piano 'cause he was a flexible player and for some reason people didn't hire him to play keys - just to sing.
But I thought he was a great under-used pianist. I used Dr. John on piano on the Allen Toussaint song "What Is Success'. Richard Green played violin on "Carl Of The Jungle." I hired some great background singers for the R&B songs. And we started recording in Mid-May 1978.

kk:  So he didn't come in with any of his own ideas as far songs that he would have liked to do?  I would have thought, for example, that maybe the Dylan song ("Mama, You've Been On My Mind") might have been his suggestion, as he was a HUGE Bob Dylan fan.  (During the course of his career, Rick Nelson probably recorded at least a dozen Dylan songs ... in fact, I'm kind of surprised he hadn't covered it earlier!)
AK:  No, no, no ... it wasn't.  I mean, I'm sure he KNEW it ... and maybe that's why he wanted to record it ... 



kk:  Well I just kind of picture Rick Nelson ... a HUGE Bob Dylan fan ... and now here he was, working side by side with a guy who has one of the most famous Bob Dylan stories ever to tell ... it almost seems as though this should have been a major "mutual admiration society" moment.
AK:  Well, that's probably why he let me produce him.
(Al Kooper famously walked in on a Bob Dylan recording session in 1965 at Columbia Records and ended up playing keyboards on the classic Dylan track "Like A Rolling Stone"!!!  Over the years, they did numerous shows and sessions together ... and Dylan was clearly one of Rick Nelson's idols.) 

kk:  Did you spend a lot of time talking about Bob Dylan and/or his music?  
AK: Nope ... no, no, no no ... not really. 

kk:  How about the early days of rock and roll?  I mean this is the guy for whom they coined the phrase "teen idol"!!!  Did you talk much about that?
AK:  No, we really didn't talk about that.  But after we cut all the tracks, Rick had a two week gig in Vegas and I went with him and played keyboards in his band so we could keep the vibe going.  It was right in the middle of that album ... and he had a gig at the Aladdin Hotel in Vegas ... and I went with him to keep us together and I played keyboards on that show ... with no rehearsal, I may add ... and it was easy 'cause I knew all the songs.  But he played all the old songs ... only this time he had a keyboard player with him who knew all the old songs, because he wasn't carrying a keyboard player at this time. I'm pretty sure it was John Beland or Don Preston playing guitar ... and I can't remember the rest ... it was a long time ago.  We got along quite well and we laughed a lot.

kk:  And after that?
AK:  Then we came back to LA and started putting vocals on the tracks. It would take him about 90 minutes to warm up and get his sound but once he got there he sounded great.

kk:  What was that process like?  When Rick would warm up, would be loosen up by playing some of the old hits again?  (I think of The Beatles during "Let It Be" ... where it wasn't at all unusual for them to dig out tunes from their old Hamburg stage show ... rather than resurrect some of their own hits!)
AK:  No ... when Rick warmed up he would just practice the song he was about to record. The band tracks were already recorded so we just set up the tape recorder(!) to play over and over ... and he was set up with his mic and headphones and he would warm up by himself.  That album took about seven weeks to record and mix. It was mostly done at Record Plant LA and Bob Edwards was the engineer.

kk:  Was Rick easy to direct in the studio (and willing to listen to direction) or did he have his own ideas about what a Rick Nelson album should sound like at this point?  (You mentioned earlier that after picking only four songs from your first tape of fifty choices he was, in effect, throwing down the gauntlet ... but in truth, hadn't he pretty much been producing a good amount of his own work up till then?)  It must have been difficult to work with an outside producer who brought his own ideas to the table.  As such, did you feel like you had to hold back or compromise on some of your direction or intentions?
AK:  He was aware we were doing some material he hadn't ever tried before and I was amazed how comfortable he sounded on those songs. I was glad he was breaking some new ground and thought his fans might appreciate it. It was the total opposite of that rockabilly album he did for Epic. My model of a Ronstadt album pretty much came to fruition with a Little Feat song, an Atlanta Rhythm Section song, a ZZ Top(!) song, a Dylan song, a 50's oldie "Every Day I Have To Cry Some": it was all in the mode of an Andrew Gold produced Ronstadt album.

(More tomorrow in Forgotten Hits!)
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Monday, August 6, 2012

Rick Nelson ... and Al Kooper ... Perhaps Not Such Strange Bedfellows After All!

After scoring 26 Top 40 Hits for Imperial Records between 1957 and 1963 (and this on the heels of three straight Top 20 Hits for Verve Records in 1957), Ricky (now Rick) Nelson decided to jump ship and sign with Decca Records.  

In a deal orchestrated by his father Ozzie, a former band-leader (and the brains behind their mega-successful television series "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"), Rick signed a then unprecedented 20 year deal with Decca Records ... after all, there was no reason to think the hits were going to stop ... in the last three years alone, Rick reached The Top Ten five times with rock and roll / pop classics like "Travelin' Man" (#1, 1961); "Hello Mary Lou" (#9, 1961); "Young World" (#5, 1962); "Teen Age Idol" (#5, 1962) and "It's Up To You" (#6, 1963). 

It sounded like the perfect deal.  What nobody could have possibly foreseen at the time was the infiltration of a little band from Liverpool, England, called The Beatles ... and the launch of The British Invasion ... an unexpected happenstance that turned the music world upside down. 

Rick's first Decca single, "You Don't Love Me Anymore", failed to make The National Top 40, only his second A-Side ever to do so.  He rebounded slightly with his next release, "String Along", which managed a #17 showing in Cash Box Magazine ... and followed that up with one of my all-time favorites, "Fools Rush In", a #12 Hit in the Fall of 1963.  

He started off 1964 with a bang when "For You", (another great, long forgotten Rick Nelson track) soared to #6, just as The Beatles were debuting on the charts with their first American hit single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand".  Nelson reached The Top 20 one more time with "The Very Thought Of You" (#19, 1964) and then the hits stopped all together. 

It was literally as if somebody shut the door ... and then threw away the key.  For the next six years, Rick Nelson would not hit the Top 40 again.  Meanwhile, his long-running family television series "The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet" was cancelled and a few other attempts at acting for the most part fizzled.  

Then, in early 1970, he covered a Bob Dylan tune called "She Belongs To Me" and reached #30 with his countrified version.  In between, Rick had tried any number of avenues, including one of the very first forays into what was later labeled country rock.  Although none of these records proved to be successful on the record charts, Nelson did carve out a following for himself and his new Stone Canyon Band.  Two years later he would reach The Top Three when his autobiographical "Garden Party" was released. (Nelson was booed on stage at an oldies revival show at Madison Square Garden because he didn't present faithful representations of his classic hits ... his hair was considerably longer, he had added instruments like a pedal steel guitar to some of his biggest hits and he even tried to rock the house with his version of a Rolling Stones song, "Honky Tonk Women"!)  It didn't go over very well with the die-hard, true oldies fans in the audience that night, who considered the whole episode sacrilegious ... and totally unacceptable in terms of recreating what was SUPPOSED to be a Rock And Roll Revival.  Rick was able to capture the whole unpleasant experience in a 3 1/2 minute song ... and it became his first Top Five Hit in ten years! Unfortunately, there were no follow-up hits and the following year, Decca (now MCA Records) and Rick amicably parted ways. 

With his contract now up for grabs, Nelson signed with Epic Records who, in 1977 released his "Intakes" album.  A very laid back, MOR-sounding LP, it caught Rick at the next phase of his career.  While a very listenable album, (personally, I loved it!), it failed to find an audience ... and Rick's next two releases for the label never even saw the light of day ... Epic decided that they simply weren't marketable.  (As a lifelong Rick Nelson fan, I was familiar with most of these recordings through bootlegs tapes that I had obtained over the years.  While I found most of this material to be very enjoyable, it was not in step with what was happening musically on the charts at the time ... with the possible exception of his slowed down [what I like to call James Taylor / "Handy Man" version] of "Dream Lover", the old Bobby Darin tune.)   

(EDITOR'S NOTE:  Jimmy Jones, the guy who first took "Handy Man" all the way to #2 back in 1960, passed away last week.)  

This cut is one of my all-time favorite Rick Nelson recordings ... and it deserved a chance.  (While it never even so much as "bubbled under" on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, it DID reach #29 on their Adult Contemporary Chart ... and received a fair amount of airplay here in the Chicagoland area on the "soft rock" stations.)



Rick then returned to the concert circuit, embracing his earlier roots ... now playing faithful renditions of his earlier hits ... he even started billing himself as "Ricky" again!  An album of re-recorded hits was successfully marketed through a TV ad campaign and soon Rick was packing them in again. Then, on New Year's Eve, 1985, his plane crashed in DeKalb, Texas, and it was all over.  A posthumous release of remixed tunes from his previously unreleased "Rockabilly Renaissance" album was released to little acclaim as "The Memphis Sessions" ... but the rest of his Epic catalog sat in the can untouched for decades. 

Now ... FINALLY ... after a deluxe box set of Rick's material was released by Bear Family Records in Europe a couple of years ago ... Epic Records has seen fit to officially release this material.  (More accurately, Real Gone Music has released these tracks from the Epic vaults ... as you'll learn in the days to come, Epic emphatically declared that they would NEVER release some of these recordings ... and to that degree, they have remained firm and adamant in their decision.)  In a recently released 2-CD Set called "The Complete Epic Recordings", fans are finally being given the chance to hear "Rockabilly Renaissance" in its original, unaltered state ... as well as what was supposed to be Rick's second Epic album, "Back To Vienna", produced by our FH Buddy Al Kooper. 

"Back To Vienna" is an album that I'd venture to say most people know very little about.  In fact, it's probably safe to say that most people probably never even knew it existed ... until now!  (The tapes have sat in Epic's vault since the late '70's when they were first recorded.  Epic refused to release the album when the final recordings were first submitted ... and they have stood firm on this decision ever since.) 

I asked Al if he would like to sit down and discuss this long-forgotten, overlooked gem, thinking that it was probably a topic he really hasn't had much to say about over the years and, as such, might find interesting to discuss now ... especially since fans can finally pick up a copy for themselves. 

To my complete delight, he agreed ... and what follows over the next few days is our  EXCLUSIVE FORGOTTEN HITS INTERVIEW WITH AL KOOPER. 

Join us as we discuss "Back To Vienna", working with Rick Nelson, the craziness that was Epic Records in the late '70's, and much, much more.  It all kicks off tomorrow in Forgotten Hits!
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Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Sunday Comments ( 08 - 05 - 12 )

After about 34 hours of sorting through the now THOUSANDS of emails we've received since the new computer went up online, I've come to the conclusion (realization?) that I can't POSSIBLY read through all of this stuff AND try to put out a "current" edition of The Sunday Comments. (As I type this, there are literally over 2100 still to go!!!)  

So (for right now anyway) I've narrowed things down to that which (hopefully) still really matters ... and concentrated on those for today's posting.  

Next week our EXCLUSIVE Interview with Al Kooper will be running in Forgotten Hits ... hopefully that will buy me some of the necessary time needed to continue scouring through the rest (without trying to get something "new" up on the site every day.)  

In the meantime ... here's the latest and greatest (with a few "oldies but goodies" thrown in for good measure.) Enjoy!


re: UP-COMING SHOWS:
Our FH Buddy Ron Onesti has got some GREAT shows coming up at The Arcada Theatre between now and the end of the year.
September 4th - Lindsay Buckingham (in an intimate one-man show)
September 7th - Kenny Rogers
September 14th - Three Dog Night
September 21st - Kansas
October 6th - The Original Crickets
November 2nd - Asia (featuring all four original members)
December 7th - Air Supply
December 15th - The Diamonds Christmas Show
New shows are being added all the time.
More details on the website:  
Click here: The Arcada Theatre   

Great edition, Kent! Keep plugging -- it's worth it!  
By the way, Jimy Sohns' 66th birthday is 8/24, and we're celebrating it on that Saturday, 8/25, with a live appearance of the Shadows of Knight at Blues Bar in Mt. Prospect. We're expecting some pretty interesting guests, so come out and be recognized!
Best of luck with the on-going recovery.
Rick Barr
Sounds like a blast ... count me in. Hoping some of our "Local Heroes" will join in on the festivities.
I talked to Jimy a couple of months ago when we were putting together our Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Series (where The Shadows Of Knight pretty much kicked EVERYBODY else's ass) ... sooner or later, we'll get those final results up on the website, too! (kk)     

I went to see Tommy Roe's concert in Gray, TN ... what a show ... he was fantastic! He did most of his hits, including some lesser charting singles, but he didn't do The Folk Singer (I don't blame him), Come On (one of my personal favorites, which he could've done in a medley with Everybody), Party Girl (another one of my favorites), It's Now Winter's Day (for obvious reasons -- it must've been about 85 outside), Sing Along With Me, Little Miss Sunshine, Jack And Jill, Stir It Up And Serve It, Pearl, We Can Make Music, and Mean Little Woman, Rosalie, out of his charting singles. There are a number of earlier things I like by him as well, which he'd probably never do. He did do Every Time A Bluebird Cries, which is one of my favorites. He said it was on his greatest hits album that he was selling (on cassette!) but had ever been released -- well, it was, but it was a non charting single where it was actually the B side of the record. I'll send a more detailed review later, I'm still in Tennessee, about to head home to New York.
Tom Diehl   
Sounds like a GREAT show, Tom.  (We've been trying to persuade a couple of the local Chicagoland promoters to book Tommy for a show here in Chi-Town ... I just know there'd be an audience for him.)  
His new CD is EXCELLENT, too!  You can check it out on Tommy's website:   Click here: The Official Tommy Roe Web Site
Meanwhile, there are a few more Tommy Roe dates coming up in the next couple of weeks ...  Do yourself a favor and check him out if you happen to be out Iowa way ...
AUG 31 - Diamond JO Casino .. Dubuque, IOWA
SEPT 1 - Winnavegas Casino .. Sloan. IA
SEPT 2 - Induction into Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame .. Lake Okoboji, IA
Here's another recent piece on Tommy's big comeback:
Click here: June 17: Tommy Roe, Rick Levy in PV Concert Hall | StAugustine.com  

Here's the latest on the Dick Clark and American Bandstand Celebration:  
On Monday, August 6th, there is going to be an unveiling of a commemorative plaque sidewalk inlay of Dick Clark, American Bandstand and the "Regulars" and the 55th Anniversary Celebration of the First National Broadcast of American Bandstand.  
Tickets are $55.00.
The times are as follows:
6:30 AM - 8:30 AM
6:30 AM - Unveiling Presentation
7:00 AM - Anniversary Celebration
For more information contact Carissa Jones at 215.895.4016 or carissaj@thenterprisecenter.com.
Thanks!
Eddie Kelly
AB Regular (59 - 61)

Speaking of Dick Clark, here's a GREAT piece sent in by FH Reader Gary Theroux that I thought was lost forever after the crash ... But we were able to pull this out of our old email ... Enjoy!

re: DICK CLARK'S PLAYHOUSE:  
Hi, Kent -   
Imagine having Dick Clark's money -- and using it to buy a one-bedroom house that looks like something straight out of "The Flintstones." While all know Dick had a great love for oldies, how many of us suspected it went back THIS far!  
Check out Dick's digs.   
And note also what appears to be a complete absence of anything at all in it even remotely related to music!  
Gary Theroux   


(EDITOR's NOTE:  All commentary below comes from the architectural publication in which these photos originally appeared.)

A Real Man Cave  
An iconic celebrity needs an equally impressive home, and that is exactly what television legend Dick Clark had. The 82-year-old’s Malibu retreat home is for sale. The house looks just like the Flintstones’ home in the famous cartoon.
Sitting on top of a very steep hill, the specially designed home is on the market for $3.5 million but it’s appearance from the outside is not the biggest selling point it has to offer. The unusual architectural retreat has huge glass windows in every room which give amazing views of the nearby Pacific Ocean, Channel Islands, Boney Mountains and Serrano Valley.

Although the property only has one bedroom, it boasts two bathrooms and looks like a cavern throughout the whole house.


The cave-like structure and high ceilings add to the Flintstones feel as does the log burning fireplace and wine cellar.


Set in a 23-acre estate the luxury and extrovert home is an architectural marvel and is classed as one of Malibu landmark buildings.






The listing agent describes it as “art as architecture at its finest.” They said it is ”Truly exceptional and one-of-a-kind from within and without. The architecture of this home seamlessly marries form and function. The interior space is extremely voluminous and features an expanse of glass to capture the views from every room of this home.”


The owner of the property is Dick's widow, Kari.



The late television and radio legend is best known for hosting long-running TV shows such as American Bandstand, the game show Pyramid, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve.
 

He is also known for his departing catchphrase, “For now, Dick Clark, so long,” which he said while doing a military salute. Clark suffered a stroke in 2004 but returned to host his New Year’s Rockin Eve show on December 31, 2005 with a shaky performance and slurred speech.


In 1973 he created the American Music Awards show which he continued to produce every year.


 
re: QUEEN:
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE GREATEST VIDEO HITS BY QUEEN ~2-DVD SET OUT AUGUST 28~


New York, NY (July 30, 2012)—Over three hours long on two DVDs, one of the greatest visual bands in rock history will get their due on August 28 when Eagle Rock Entertainment, the world leader in visual music, releases Greatest Video Hits by Queen. Upgraded digitally in DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, with added commentary from lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, this 2-DVD set packages Queen’s pioneering and groundbreaking video history into a seamless whole.
33 videos deep, this is the first time that this collection will be released in one package.
Heavy on the early days, the first disc spotlights Queen in the 1970s, when the music video as an art form began to emerge. It includes the iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions,” as well as “Flash,” from the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon. From the freezing backyard shoots of “We Will Rock You” and “Spread Your Wings,” to the visual masterpiece that accompanies “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen was already showing off the various ways that they visually wanted to represent their music.
The 1980 years are represented on Disc 2, from 1982’s Hot Space album through 1989’s The Miracle. With the advent of MTV in the US, Queen proved they could be as creative visually as they were on record. The ’84 “Radio Ga Ga” video was hailed by both film and music critics alike for its referencing of the original 1927 cinematic milestone Metropolis by Fritz Lang. From the spoofing of Coronation Street in “I Want To Break Free,” to children replacing the band members in “The Miracle,” Queen put their stamp on the music video in the best way they knew how – offering something fresh and different every time.
Queen burned so bright it created a legacy that continues today. From its self-titled 1973 debut to its fitting finale 1995’s Made In Heaven, the band set precedents within rock music that will never be equaled. Singer / songwriter / pianist / guitarist Freddie Mercury (1946-1991), bassist John Deacon, May and Taylor meshed like magic and the results will be seen, heard and deeply felt on August 28.
Eagle Rock will also release the Freddie Mercury documentary The Great Pretender on DVD and Blu-ray September 25.

Track Listing Disc #1)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Another One Bites The Dust
Killer Queen
Fat Bottomed Girls
Bicycle Race
You’re My Best Friend
Don’t Stop Me Now
Save Me
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Somebody To Love
Spread Your Wings
Play The Game
Flash
Tie Your Mother Down
We Will Rock You
We Are The Champions
Disc #2)
A Kind Of Magic
I Want It All
Radio Ga Ga
I Want To Break Free
Breakthru
Under Pressure
Scandal
Who Wants To Live Forever
The Miracle
It’s A Hard Life
The Invisible Man
Las Palabras De Amor
Friends Will Be Friends
Body Language
Hammer To Fall
Princes Of The Universe
One Vision

re: NEW BEATLES ALBUM:
When is the last time (if EVER!!!) there was a brand new Beatles album being released and you DIDN'T hear anything about it in advance?!?!?
Evidently as part of their new deal with Apple and iTunes, The Beatles agreed to allow them to issue their own compilation collection to be sold as downloads on their website.  This truly is an unprecedented event ... but this is, after all, the digital age ... and folks buying music today are "cherry-picking" the tracks they want. Maybe this is a new and interesting way to get some of this music out there to potential new fans.
The collection is called "Tomorrow Never Knows" (after the closing track on The Beatles' "Revolver" album) ... and the entire collection can be had for only $7.98.  The complete track listing is as follows:
Revolution, Paperback Writer, And Your Bird Can Sing, Helter Skelter, Savoy Truffle, I'm Down, I've Got A Feeling, Back In The U.S.S.R., You Can't Do That, It's All Too Much, She Said She Said, Hey Bulldog, Tomorrow Never Knows and The End.  
Incredibly, with a minimum amount of fanfare, the album debuted in The Top 40 on iTunes Best Sellers Chart!
(And, by the way, for the record, "Here Comes The Sun" ... a George Harrison tune ... remains the most-downloaded Beatles song since they opened up their catalog to the service. (In fact, Beatle George has TWO songs in The Top Ten ... "Here Comes The Sun" (#1) bookends the list with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (#10). In between you'll find the obvious ("Hey Jude", #2, "Let It Be", #3, and "Yesterday", #8) some surprises ("Twist And Shout", #6, "Revolution", #9, and "Blackbird" #5) and a couple of modern day classics ("Come Together", #4, and "In My Life", #7.)
 
re: THE FORGOTTEN HITS (E) BOOK CLUB:
Kent,
Just a quick note to let you know I've released new, updated Kindle and Nook versions of my oldies calendar book, "Eight Days A Week: Births, Deaths and Events Each Day in Oldies History." Yes, the deaths of Donna Summer and Robin Gibb are in there, along with hundreds of items not in the printed copy. And I've released them at a special price -- just $4.99.
If anyone is interested, they're available at:
Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/Eight-Days-Week-History-ebook/dp/B005FNGHQI/
-- Ron Smith
Great news, Ron ... and pretty darn current, too! You can download your copies at either of the links above. (kk)

And, speaking of digital versions of classic books, the Joel Whitburn Collection is now ALSO available as digital downloads:

Kent,
Here are a few comments about our newly released Top Pop Singles and Pop Annual eBooks:
"I take them everywhere with me," "so convenient on my computer," and "fun to have on my iPad." Instantly view them on your computer or other reader device, excluding Kindle. Simply create your new account at our new eBook store, download the appropriate free reader software, and purchase and download your colorful eBook!
The rint book that I can't wait for is our all-new Hit Records 1954-1982, coming in September. This is the 1st-ever complete history of the Music Vendor and Record World charts. You'll find 1000s of hits and artists that appear in this book but not in my Top Pop Singles book!
Take advantage of our 1st-ever 'Buy 1, Get 1 for Half Price' on over 20 great products! Now you have even more reasons to catch up on your reading, put together a party playlist or spruce up your music collection.
Joel Whitburn
I've been chomping at the bit, waiting for the new Record World / Music Vendor "Hit Records" release, too ... can't wait to see it and add it to my collection. Complete details on all of these at the links above. (kk) 

Meanwhile, Joel has just announced a brand new eBook title ...
Our beloved book of old, Pop Hits Singles & Albums 1940-1954, will very soon be an eBook! Until its fast-approaching release, save $10 when you pre-order! For the first time ever, have instant access on your computer, tablet or smart phone, to this golden era of pop! Special to the eBook: featured albums are in color!
Pop Hits eBook is currently in production. When it is soon released, you will receive an email notification that the eBook is available for download. The eBook file download will then appear in your account in your eLibrary at our eStore. Order now! Sale ends when book is released.Pop Hits is actually four books in one: an A-Z artist section of all charted singles, an Annaul section ranking all singles by peak position in the year of their popularity, a Top 10 Charts section shows each week's Top 10 hit songs, and an Album section lists by artist every charted album and all its tracks. Plus, a chronological listing of all #1 hits and a host of rankings and special sections!
Remember, when this eBook is released, the sale ends. So order now and save!

re: DORIS DAY:  
Kent,
Enjoyed reading the info about Doris Day. Two things that immediately came to my mind.
First was the Shirelles' later rendition of EVERYBODY LOVES A LOVER and I don't believe it was mentioned on your website but in 1958 I always enjoyed her song TUNNEL OF LOVE from the movie of the same name. A movie I might add I have never seen.
Larry Neal
The Shirelles did all-right with their version of "Everybody Loves A Lover", too ... it got as high as #17 in Cash Box Magazine in early 1963. (There's just something "peppy" about the Doris Day version, a #6 Hit in Cash Box five years earlier.) "Tunnel Of Love" was her follow-up hit ... it reached #43. (kk)

I enjoyed your segment on Doris Day this morning. My all time favorite song that she sang is "I'll Never Stop Loving You." 
Welcome back, Kent.
Carrie
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" was Doris' first "Rock Era" chart hit in 1955. It hit #15 on Billboard's Best Sellers List ... and ALSO came from a movie. (In this instance, "Love Me Or Leave Me"). kk     

Hey Kent,
First of all, glad to note your resurrection ...
Second, in reading the piece about Doris Day, it reminds me of the film she did in the late sixties called “Where Were You When the Lights Went Out”, in which we did the title song of the same name in the opening credits of the movie. It’s a fun movie about the power blackout they had in New York City in the sixties which lasted somewhere around 12 to 24 hours. I don’t know if anyone else ever recorded it. If you still have a copy of the “Lost hits” CD I sent you a few years ago it’s on that disc.
Again, happy to see that you're back and active.
Lettermen / Reunion,
Gary Pike
I sure do still have that CD ... so we're featuring this track today, too. (In fact, here's a YouTube bonus of the opening credits!) 
Click here: Doris Day: Where Were You... opening - YouTube
Ahh, the infamous New York City blackout of 1965 ... I forget how many births they ultimately attributed to folks left in the dark for twelve hours with nothing left to do but get it on! And this wasn't just confined to New York City ... something like 30 million people were left without power, all throughout the east coast (and even parts of Canada) (lol) 


Hi Kent,
Lou and I are happy to hear your website is up and running again. I liked your little article on Doris Day. When I was a little girl, 'Que Sera, Sera' was one of my favorite songs. I remember walking down the street in Chicago singing that song when I was about 7 years old. Looking forward to reading more postings.
Liz   
Liz Harris Holly, Publisher  
Lou Holly, Editor  
KEEP ROCKIN' MAGAZINE  
www.KeepRockinMag.com

Que Sera Sera is one of those songs that our parents sang to us ... and then we learned it and sang it ... and many of us then sang it to OUR children (maybe even as a lullaby ... or when the kids were going through an especially tough time) ... and they, in turn, are now probably singing it to THEIR children. It's yet another example of what we refer to as "timeless classics" ... songs that had an effect on our lives. How can radio continue to ignore some of these very special moments that we've ALL shared??? 
Does it belong in heavy rotation? No, of course not ... but boy, what a "Wow Factor" song this would be if it came on four or five times a year!
If any of our readers are unfamiliar with "Keep Rockin' Magazine", please check out the link above. Liz and Lou do a great job of helping to keep this great music alive ... it's all very near and dear to our hearts (and you won't meet a better couple!) Visit the link above and you can subscribe to their monthly online newsletter. (kk)
re: THE BEACH BOYS:
Hi Kent,
Just posted a new podcast with Fred Vail on Pray For Surf - it was an wonderful, engaging conversation with a true Beach Boy historian who became friend and family to the Beach Boys. Non-stop back stories!
Phil
Blog post @
Podcast @

New Podcast!

Fred Vail opens his memory archives and shares some of the untold story behind the backstories of the Beach Boys career


The untold (plus "up close and personal") stories behind ... the first Concert album, lights out at the final mastering of Pet Sounds, @ 52:45 from Candix to Capitol Records, @ 55:30 - a different perspective on Murry Wilson, @ 57:00 - the three critical mistakes in Beach Boys history, @ 69:30 - Glen Campbell + Hal Blaine and the Jan & Dean Command Performance + writing Warmth of the Sun in a hotel room, @85:00 - the forerunner to Brother Records, @ 88:30 - the Philly radio station (WFIL) that did not add some music, @98:30 - California Beach Boys landmark monument . . . @ 103:00 - Beach Boys get the last laugh!

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•Vote for your favorite Beach Boys hero and villain >>>
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Eric Carmen sent a heart-felt tribute to Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys to Bob Lefsetz, which Bob ran in his daily column several weeks ago. It was so good that we're rerunning it here:
I, for one, have discussed, many times, with many people, the idea that Brian Wilson is, perhaps, the Mozart of our generation. I love the Beatles. I love the Stones. I love the Who and the Byrds. But "Pet Sounds" and "Sunflower" blew my mind. There are moments on those albums that transcend anything I have ever heard before. My Dad's sister was the first woman George Szell ever hired. She retired, after forty-three years, as the senior member of The Cleveland Orchestra. I grew up as their "mascot." I got to sit on stage while the greatest symphony in the world rehearsed at Severance Hall. Very heady stuff. I hid in a cello case, one day, and caused the entire orchestra to stop rehearsing to look for me. It was a very special childhood.I had the great honor to tour with The Beach Boys, both as part of The Raspberries in 1974, and as a solo act in 1976. I can remember standing in the back of the hall listening to them play "Surfer Girl" every night, and, literally, getting tears in my eyes every time they came to a stop after ... "Do you love me, do you surfer ..." Then the spotlight would hit Al Jardine as he would sing ... "girl." It was really an odd feeling to be brought to tears, almost every single night by such a simple song.We stayed in the same hotels, on tour, and I remember walking past one of the Beach Boys hotel rooms, and hearing them rehearsing a cappella vocal parts. It stopped me in my tracks, and I walked backwards, literally stunned, listening to the complexity and beauty of those vocal harmonies. To this day, I have never heard anything that could compare.McCartney has been very generous in his admission that "Pet Sounds" inspired him to push the Beatles to create "Sgt. Pepper." He thought the Beach Boys were kicking his ass. He's also acknowledged the fact that he thinks "God Only Knows" is, perhaps, the greatest pop song of all time. As a huge fan of both the Beatles and the Beach Boys, I can only say that it is surely genius.
Anyone who has ever listened to the "outtakes" of Brian directing the studio musicians during the "Pet Sounds" sessions knows what a genius Brian was. He took instruments that never had been heard on "pop" songs" and blended them into the vocals, unlike anything we had ever heard before. Clarinets, bassoons, french horns, baritone saxes. Every singer in the Beach Boys was an instrument. Mike Love was a baritone sax. Carl Wilson, a french horn, Al Jardine occasionally a banjo, or a trumpet.
No other band in history has ever influenced me as much as the Beach Boys. Brian stands alone as the genius of my generation, even though I, like many others, was late to catch up with him.
I challenge ANYONE to listen to "This Whole World" (which changes keys every 8 bars) or "Until I Die" and find anything comparable in pop music. But you don't have to delve into the "modern" Beach Boys to find pure genius. Just listen to "Warmth Of The Sun, " circa 1966. I had to go back and do my homework to hear the genius stuff Brian created BEFORE "Pet Sounds."
To me, there has never been anyone, not even The Beatles (and I LOVE The Beatles) that could match the sophistication and brilliance of Brian Wilson in 1966.
I've always loved John and Paul, and Burt Bacharach, and Goffin and King, and all the other great songwriting teams that churned out hit after hit during the time I grew up. But nobody, and I mean NOBODY, could match the brilliance of Brian Wilson, who not only wrote the songs, but arranged and produced them. He didn't have a George Martin to help. It was all Brian.
I met Darian Sahanaja, when I was living in L.A. He's the leader of the Wondermints, who are now Brian's backing band, and prominently featured on the current Beach Boys tour. I heard a demo tape he had made, that included a song called "Tracy Hide", which, to me captured the essence of what Brian was doing during the "Pet Sounds" era. It was startling to hear Darian nail Brian, right down to the bass sound.
It's no coincidence that Darian ended up being Brian's musical director, and a driving force on the "Smile" album. I've also had the supreme pleasure of having worked with Mark Linnet, the superstar engineer who has been archiving every Beach Boys recording, and turning analog to digital for two decades. If you haven't heard the "40th Anniversary Pet Sounds" recording that Mark remixed, you have a real treat in store for you. I heard things in that remix that I had NEVER heard before, not even after listening to "Pet Sounds' a thousand times.
The world takes its toll on very sensitive people. I've seen it many times in my forty years in the music business. The more brilliant and sensitive, the more likely you are to be a basket case by the time the managers, agents, record labels, etc., get done with you. Very few people I have known have escaped being bludgeoned by "the business." Brian is no exception.
All I can say is I've never met a serious songwriter or musician that doesn't understand that Brian is a genius of the highest magnitude in a time of multiple geniuses. Mick and Keith. John and Paul. Page and Plant. Clapton and Bruce.
To me, there will never be anyone that can compare with him, and, by the way, that in no way diminishes my esteem for Mike Love, who, truth be told, was HUGE, and underrated in the whole Beach Boys paradigm. And Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine are not exactly "chopped liver", either. I've known all of them and each one possessed more talent than anyone I hear on the radio these days.
I've got my tickets to see them next Wednesday. I wouldn't miss it for the world. You don't often get the chance to hear genius these days.
Eric Carmen

Much like we did back in 2008, Lefsetz also wrote a column acknowledging some great Beach Boys tunes you may have missed over the years, due to the periods of time when The Boys fell out of favor with radio.  (We had all of this planned as part of our "official" review of the new Beach Boys' album "That's Why God Made The Radio" ... but all of this, too, was lost ... today we're featuring whatever we could recover in time to catch this week's Sunday Comments Page)

"Angel Come Home"
"L.A. (Light Album)"
If you start with "Pacific Ocean Blue", you won't get it. But this delivers the pure Dennis Wilson essence, even though he didn't write it. Doesn't it sound just like a surfer past his prime who's been abandoned by his honey who got tired of his slacking ways?
Meanwhile, it was written by Carl (and Jeffrey Cushing-Murray), and his background vocals add sweetness to his brother's rough...whew!
I've played this record after every breakup, whether initiated by myself or my ex-significant other. Now you will too.

"I Was Made To Love Her"
"Wild Honey"
Speaking of Carl Wilson...
Yes, this is the Stevie Wonder song, but with Carl out front it's more than a cover.

"Girl Don't Tell Me"
"Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
You know how we've all got a favorite track, even though it wasn't a hit? Like "Every Little Thing", my favorite Beatles cut. This is my favorite Beach Boys cut. It reminds me of summer, of regret, it's wistful, it brings me right back to what once was and will never be again.
When I was twelve, I went to Camp Laurel-wood, the t-shirt spelled it with a hyphen, but we always wrote it as one word, "Laurelwood". It was run by the New Haven Jewish Community Center, and being from Fairfield, half an hour away, I was new blood. And I'm good in those situations. It's when my 360 degree personality comes out most. Not often enough today.
Actually, this was my third and final year at Laurelwood. I was well-established. And in that music-mania era, I brought along my Beatle and Beach Boy records, and at the very first social, I dropped the needle on "Do You Wanna Dance?", the opening cut on "Beach Boys Today!" and I stole Jimmy's girlfriend Jill just like that. Really.
And it lasted all month. But when I called her that December, the rumor was true, she'd gone back to him. Which on one hand was o.k., on the other when I hear "Girl Don't Tell Me" I remember one of the best summers of my life.

"Come Go With Me"
"M.I.U. Album"
Yes, the Del-Vikings song. But I hardly knew it, it was a hit in the fifties.
Get past the nonsense intro, stay until you hit the vocals... You just want to join in. Al Jardine makes this track, the same way he did with "Help Me Rhonda".

"Farmer's Daughter"
"Surfin' USA"
My first Beach Boys album was "Today!" And then "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) I became so enamored of the band, became such a fan, that I then went back and bought what came before, which is quite a chore when you're twelve and cash-challenged.
My first catalog album was "Surfin' USA". I'll spare you the tale of trying to comb my hair like Dennis Wilson's on the back cover, but will tell you my father used to make fun of me, singing ""Tell the teacher we're surfin'..." at opportune moments, having heard me play it ad infinitum. Then again, when we did get to Los Angeles the following summer he did drive me to Malibu on a cloudy day and rented me a board.
But that summer, of '65, we went on vacation with the Sheketoffs to Atlantic City. And one night, on Steel Pier, we did go to see "Girls On The Beach", where Brian Wilson sat by a campfire and...
Didn't sing "Farmer's Daughter". But every time I think of this song, which I can sing note for note in my head, I remember that evening, all of the above.
Yes, there were tons of farmer's daughter's jokes. But I was too young to either hear them or understand them.
People think Barry Gibb has the most famous falsetto in rock. But really, it's Brian Wilson. It's just that Brian's is so natural, they don't realize it.

"It's About Time"
"Sunflower"
"I used to be a famous artist
Proud as I could be
Struggling to express myself
For the whole world to see
I used to blow my mind sky high
Searching for the lost elation
Little did I know the joy I was to find
In knowing I am only me"
"Sunflower" is the album where the rest of the boys stepped up. Especially Dennis, it includes his composition "Forever" and the opening cut "Slip On Through" and "Got To Know The Woman" and he even had a hand in writing this.
But so did Carl. And Al. And Bob Burchman, whoever that is.
And Carl sang it.
You're famous, successful, THEN WHAT?
But as insightful as the lyrics are, when "It's About Time" breaks down at 1:18, you'll experience the sheer joy of music. That airy feeling with the music swirling inside your head when you believe you've just experienced the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Funky Pretty"
"Holland"
Not as good as an album, "Holland" gained notoriety and success as a result of the afterthought hit, "Sail On Sailor". Still, "Holland" was very satisfying.
And by this time, Carl Wilson had become the glue that kept the band together. He built his reputation on these later albums, where his voice soared. Listen at 2:42, you'll get it.

"It's O.K."
"15 Big Ones"
From the comeback that was not.
It was painful listening to this album, except for this. Which is the legendary Beach Boys sound, Mike Love shines.

"Marcella"
"Carl and the Passions - "So Tough""
After "Sunflower" and "Surf's Up", this album could not have been more of a disappointment. "Pet Sounds" was packaged with it to try to give value, divert attention. But then, just when you were wincing, at the end of side one, came this.
You've got to listen on the big rig, experience the stacked choir. It's truly the voice of the angels. You listen in awe.

"Feel Flows"
"Surf's Up"
Brian Wilson has brought "Marcella" back from obscurity by featuring it regularly in his concerts. His fans resurrected "'Til I Die". First Don Was, and then everybody else. But if you bought this album back then, it was clear "'Til I Die" was the masterpiece. But you had no one to discuss it with. It was not a hit single and despite the hype, I never found another person who owned the album. It was my own secret treasure. But now it's everybody's, and that's fine with me.
Yes, "Surf's Up" was seen as a comeback. There was an article in "Time". I loved it, but it was not as good as "Sunflower" and most people still thought the Beach Boys uncool, sixties relics, this was just before their live show gained traction and became a major attraction.
But many have never heard this gem. Once again propelled by a Carl Wilson vocal.
In the album era, it wasn't a hit and then filler... Hell, despite the label trying, there was no hit at all from "Surf's Up", but here I am talking about it forty years later.
I drove to E.J. Korvette in blistering heat. I stopped at the Merritt Canteen for a hot dog thereafter, stashing the album in its bag under the seat so it wouldn't warp.
And then got home, broke the shrinkwrap and dropped the needle.
Today's music is hard and edgy. Maybe it's apropos for the times. Where everybody's fighting for a piece of the pie. Where you have to mortgage your future to go to college. But even though the sixties had ended by time "Surf's Up" was released, we were still in an era of personal development, of exploration. You'd put on this record and drift...
I'm drifting right now.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/p6HcZ8     

Here are links to our original Beach Boys Series from 2008:
 
And for more trips down memory lane, may we suggest ALL of the following EXCELLENT books by Bob Greene ... they're each a time-capsule diary of the era in which we all grew up hearing these songs for the very first time as they were happening.  Bob captures the excitement of the era ... and our own innocence.  ALL are highly reccommended.
 
A while back we told you about a new group of Beach Boys offspring calling themselves California Saga.  (In fact, they even opened the show for The Beach Boys at The Hollywood Bowl!)
Here's a short piece Endless Summer Quarterly Publisher David Beard put together on the band:
 
Kent:
These photos were taken during the sound check for the Good Morning America / Beach Boys appearance in Central Park. Forgotten Hits reader Stuart Hersh captured the photos.

Jeffrey Foskett conferring with Brian Wilson before the show

Al Jardine confirming touching base with Brian before the telecast

 Jeffrey Foskett confirming set list with Mike Love prior to the GMA broadcast
 Brian Wilson moments before the GMA live mini-concert
- submitted by Tom Cuddy
 
 

re: IN OTHER OLDIES NEWS: 
Kent,
We are delighted to announce Bob Wilson has accepted the invitation of the nominating committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame to join us in paying tribute to recording stars of all genre's.
Bob Wilson: In the early 70's Bob Wilson took over the programming of LA's KDAY, where he helped launch the career of radio's celebrated Wolfman Jack and developed syndicated radio shows featuring the Beatles, the Beach Boys along with many of the top recording stars of the day. Bob's founding of Radio & Records created the industry leader for news and music information not only in the United States but worldwide. R&R moved to profitability quickly, Wilson extended the franchise into the convention business, attracting attendees from all over the world with its unique keynote speakers (David Geffen, Clive Davis, Marshall McCluen) and individual radio format sessions and the big superstar Saturday night dinner show, that over the years featured, Dolly Parton, The Spinners and the Eagles entertaining the radio and music execs. Bob Wilson brings a wealth of expertise to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
http://www.hitparadehalloffame.com/nominatingcommittee.html
John Rook, creator
Hit Parade Hall of Fame
The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame continues to pick up some of the most credible music experts out there ... as such, most of their inductees are much more "on target" than that OTHER Hall of Fame organization, who seems more determined to honor the obscure, head-scratching artists than those that actually BUILT the foundation of rock and popular music. Another recent nominating and voting member is Scott Shannon of The True Oldies Channel, who's been furthering the cause and memories of this great music for decades now. WTG, John! (Next you need to get Joel Whitburn on the list!) kk


Paul McCartney opened the Olympic ceremonies ... and now it sounds like Pink Floyd will close them!
http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/2012/08/02/pink-floyd-to-play-the-olympics-closing-ceremony/


I was also able to resurrect another piece I feared lost forever ... some great commentary regarding one of rock and roll's originals, Bill Mack ...    

>>>Hi, I am Bill Mack's daughter, Kim Davis. Your blog brought tears of joy and sadness. I miss him so much! Thank you for your kind words! I just wish that he would have been included into the rock and roll hall of fame. It breaks my heart. Again, thank you. (Kim Davis)  

Hi Kent -
This response is to Bill Mack's daughters' response.
Bill Mack was a true American musical pioneer. His electric bass licks were booming and he was swept up in the fast lane of "go cat go" and he went. His sacrifices and endurance to the rigors of the road took a personal toll. That road was just a rough and rocky path then and the delta blues men and pickin' hillbillies who had smashed it down perhaps never envisioned those who would combine both of their sounds and follow them up that scant trail. He has earned his rightful honor to be placed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before those who traveled in comparison that road he helped hack down for them. Paved with his very blood, sweat and tears and the barrages of that lifestyle against his mindset and emotions he rode the highs and lows of the Rock - N - Roll roller coaster of fame in an era when no one knew the hazards of it's lack of safety. The police, the townsfolk, the signs of those times were far less tolerant of the lifestyle as he was a part of the foundation sound of real Rock - N - Roll.
As a Bluecap and as a pioneer bass man Bill Mack should be enshrined.
Not just because of Bill Mack's non-inclusion do I not take the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame seriously but because of the many snubs that organization has done to the true pioneers of the genre of Rock - N - Roll and their replacement musicians that kept and still keep bands alive and kicking in a arena where all the odds are against their survival.
They say..."It's a long way to the top if you wanna Rock - N - Roll!"
Bill Mack took the top of one such mountain and stood and looked down but what he saw were the scattered bodies and broken dreams lying all around down below and looked up and said....
"Thank You Lord for Your grace & mercy brought me through!"
Although he reached heights of Rock - N - Roll, it was just the musician's Hamburger Hill.
Bill being snubbed by Cleveland's RRHOF only means he joins ranks with all the best who are not in there. The unsung heroes of R - N - R get no medals. They get no magazine covers. They are not a household word. They are not causalities either. They are the undecorated veterans reflected in Deep Purple's lyrics in "No One Came".....
"Well I've come and I've gone before you wink an eye
No one ever cared enough to say goodbye
The money's good and the time you have
Fun and games galore
But you spend your money and lie in bed forgotten
And you wonder what you did it for?
No one came from miles around
And said.... "Man who's he?
Boobie VanHouten / Vibramutant

re: FUNNY:
From FH Reader (and noted bass player) Bob Rush:

LOL ... yeah, I'm sure Paul McCartney got this all the time! (lol) kk

And this from FH Reader Billy Hinsche ...

(Made ME laugh!!!)


re: KINDA COOL:
Our FH Buddy Alan O'Day sent us this cool clip of Mr. Rogers ... autotuned! (Actually this sounds pretty cool!) kk
By the way Alan, I've been hearing "Undercover Angel" like crazy here in Chicago lately!

It IS very cool! And even cooler that PBS is getting behind this to attract new, young viewers. (kk)
re: WELCOME BACK:
Hi, Kent,
I'm glad to see that your terrific site is back up and running. What a huge headache that crash must have been.
Best regards,
Jeff March    

Hi Kent
Sorry I havent been around the internet much in the last few years. My computer is not working so I am at the library relaxing. I always enjoy your research and the fun facts and interesting things you have to say about the oldies, as well as the interviews and feedback of musicians / singers and readers.. You are a true oldies fan. As I am finally getting caught up a bit on things. And I wanted to let you know that I liked your Summer Oldies list of top songs. You did a great job by taking a survey and putting the best summer songs in order. I commend you for being so diligent. Thanking you for the wonderful oldies column you put together for the internet folks.
Love and Peace -
Sandy (Blossmwrld)
Oldies fan from NJ.
(not sure if you remember me- I won your contest for being best able to describe what psychedelic meant to your daughter awhile back)
ps. I was sorry to hear about the loss of your brother, Mark. My condolences to you and your families. I wanted to thank you too for sharing a part of yourself with all of us readers on the remembrances of you and your brother. It was meaningful for me to hear about your lives and your sincere and heartfelt memories. I will remember you in my prayers. Take good care and God Bless.
Best regards
What a sweet letter ... thanks, Sandy, you made my day. We have seen how much Forgotten Hits has meant to our readers as a result of our own recent computer problems. (I was going crazy ... this is what I DO!!!) You don't know what you've got ... until you lose it ... kinda worked BOTH ways in this instance ... so I sincerely appreciate the outpouring of love and support that's come back our way since "The Crash of 2012"! (kk)

Speaking of which ...

Kent ...
In the years to come, when we look back at Forgotten Hits, we'll have to put it this way ...
"Before the Crash of 2012" ... or "After the Crash of 2012."
Frank B.
Sad but true! We've ALL had computer crashes of one sort or another ... but this one was really quite devastating. Thanks to generous folks like you, we're slowly on the mend, rebuilding what we can. (And I know ... I owe you the complete Bobby Darin Series!!! Incredibly, with over 1800 archived articles submitted, this one has yet to show up ... so if ANYBODY out there still has a copy (it ran for an entire month!), please let us know. (kk)

Hi Kent.
Very glad to hear that Forgotten Hits is on the way back. It is always an interesting read and the only place that really covers the in-depth elements of 60s music.
Best of luck with the new site!
Mickey

Hey Kent,
Glad you've managed to get your site back together again,
Paul Evans

Congrats KK ... music will prevail!!!
DJ Chet in Buffalo   

Hey Kent -
Welcome Back, my friend!
I've been shaking from withdrawals for the last few weeks waiting for your return. LOL
I'm so sorry you had the computer fail sometimes technology in all its splendor ... SUCKS!!!!!
I've been a member of FH almost from the start, and thoroughly enjoy all aspects of the site. As an old radio DJ, I thought I knew almost everything about oldies ... but I was gladly mistaken to find out I didn't. The quality of the people on this site with the knowledge and memories of music is absolutely incredible. I am impressed every week by your tireless dedication to keep our memories alive, and I must say I learn something new every week.
Welcome back and keep up the great work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pete Garrison
Thanks for the kind words, Pete ... I really do appreciate it. And I'll be the first to admit that I, too, learn something new every week doing Forgotten Hits!!! It's been my great pleasure to bring it to you for nearly 14 years! Yeah, we just hit a major bump in the road ... but we're doing what we can to get things back on track ... and sincerely appreciate the support shown by our readers. Hopefully all of this means that there are lots more great Forgotten Hits to come! (kk)

And VERY special thanks to Rick Barr, Clark Besch, Larry Boyington, John Cogswell, Vic Flick, Arnie Karr, Mike Ogilvie, and Carl Wiser, all of whom sent in donations this week to help keep Forgotten Hits up and running. We sincerely appreciate your support.  
(Drop us a line if you, too, would like to help contribute to the cause.)


re: NEXT WEEK IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
Our EXCLUSIVE Interview with Al Kooper. Don't miss it! (kk)


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