A Monday Morning Quickie

>>>Several people commented about how Howard's film credits Washington, DC, Disc Jockey Carroll James with being the first in America to play The Beatles on the air, a story we disproved nearly fifteen years ago right here in Forgotten Hits.  (kk)  
I know what you mean, Kent ... similar thing with the Million Dollar Quartet when shown in the West End theatre in London. How can they play Hound Dog???? 
Take care, 
Rockin’ Lord Geoff (in England)  
In order for Million Dollar Quartet to draw an audience they had to "stretch the truth" a little bit (ok, a LOT) and include the songs that each artist is best known for.  In actuality, most of what they performed that night was gospel music!  But without the hits, this thing would have never gotten off the ground.  Still a great production ... but gives the audience a false sense of reality that they then take with them and share with others.  This is why I still believe the greatest comment I EVER received for doing Forgotten Hits came from the legendary Al Kooper, who told me "Thank you for spreading the truth." (kk)   

We saw the Beatles movie Eight Days a Week, with the bonus Shea Stadium concert afterwards, yesterday. It was very confusing as to where and when it was playing locally.  It played in one of our "artsy" theaters. First we saw it was only going to be Thursday night at a different theater. Now it seems, this theater is showing it every night this week, which hadn't been posted on Friday! 
It was an interesting crowd - all ages from teens to the very old. I started crying immediately, remembering being there at the very beginning in 1964 at their first Boston concert. A lot of it was footage that we'd seen through the years. but a lot was new and I really loved seeing them achieve the fame they did at such a young age,and really trying to understand it themselves. I had read Larry Kane's book, Ticket to Ride, and saw him at a speaking engagement discussing it. It was good to see him featured in the film.
We were wondering why there wasn't more discussed about when they met the Maharishi and did the whole psychedelic thing. Then realized it was only about the touring years ... which then totally took me by surprise that they never gave a performance after releasing their last four albums! How was that possible? They were in the public limelight for less than ten years! (As opposed to, say, the Rolling Stones who've been performing for over 50) And to think of the impact they had in such a short time the pop music scene from the 60's until now! 
Eileen  
We're still waiting to see it on the big screen - sure, I'll buy the DVD, and watch it numerous times that way I'm sure ... but I want my first experience to be in a movie theater on a giant screen with incredible booming sound!!!  (kk)  

Kent ...
It's Sunday Night and I'm listening to " Wild Wayne's Memory Machine."
He just reviewed Ron Howard's "Eight Days A Week" movie.
(Wild Wayne ran into Hilton Valentine of the Animals ) at the movies ... he said it was "Brilliant."  
Not much about their personal lives. It covers their touring years, 1962 to 1966. 
Never before seen concert clips plus new interviews with Paul and Ringo. 
After 1966 they retired to the recording studio.  
To quote Wild Wayne, "It was incredibly entertaining."  
Wild Wayne played a couple of his Beatle favorites -- "Anytime At All" and the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" with Pete Best on drums. (There is no mention of Pete Best in the movie.)  
Do you think Ron Smith can sue if he didn't give them permission to use his book title?  
Frank B.
Yeah ... THAT'S the way it works!!!  (lol) By the way, I heard from Scott Shannon and he's going to mention the slight to Dick Biondi in the film on his True Oldies Channel on Monday.  Scott is a HUGE fan and admirer of Biondi (and, for a short time, they were on the air together at WLS-FM when The True Oldies Channel aired here in Chicago.  Incredibly Scott Shannon's syndicated show from New York drew higher ratings than ANY of our local jocks on the station!!!  And they STILL let him go!!!!) Anyway, please tune in and listen on Monday to hear justice served ...  
http://trueoldieschannel.com/   


Hi Kent, 
I am on vacation with my wife Roni and we went to see Cyndi Lauper at The Sandi Casino Ampithester in Albuquerque.  She didn't need a big flashy production like most of today's acts.  
I really didn't know what to expect but she was fantastic ... her energy level was great and her rapport with the crowd was fantastic.  
I think Miley Cyrus and some of today's other young artists should do themselves a favour and go and see her.  They would all learn a lot from such a gifted talented lady.  
Billy J. Kramer   

Hi Kent -  
Thru your blog, I read that the Cornerstones may be touring ... any info on this yet ?   Any chance of them coming to NE Ohio ? 
Take care 
Tom  
I don't think there's any "official" word on this yet ... but I would think shows throughout the Midwest would be a sure thing.  Last I heard was that they were hoping to hit the road next March ... stay tuned for more details as they become available.  (kk)   

Kent, 
I would love to see / hear the Shames' Arcadia performance of "It Could Be We're In Love" if it is available anywhere.  Sounds quite interesting.  
I will also mention that the speech at the Survey Convention in KC last week mentioned the Shames and two KC friends there bought at least 15 surveys (from Jack, I think) mainly because they had the Cryan' Shames listed.  The Shames just keep memories rolling, whether their hits got ripped off big chartings by Billboard or not! 
Also ... I just read that Joe Jeffrey passed away from cancer.  You may remember him as the one hit wonder who did "My Pledge of Love" in 1969.  I liked his voice and you might enjoy his nice mellow "Kind of a Drag" many years before Tufano and Giamarese slowed it down in the mid-70's.    
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSD8Ec-UBXs   
Clark Besch  
I really like the Joe Jeffrey version ... wonder if The Bucks have heard this one before. As for The Cryan' Shames, I absolutely, positively and firmly believe that they were cheated out of at least FIVE songs that deserved to be Top Ten National Hits ... they were every bit as good as ANYTHING else out there at the time ... they were signed to a major label and yet they just didn't happen.  (Unfortunately, we can't undo history.) 
Here is how Billboard ranked the best of their best (compared to their Chicagoland showing) ... worse yet, each of these records charted considerably higher in the other major trade publications of the day. 
"Sugar And Spice"  (#49 Billboard / #39 Nationally / #4 Chicago) 
"I Wanna Meet You"  (#85 Billboard / #62 Nationally / #6 Chicago) 
"It Could Be We're In Love"  (#85 Billboard / #52 Nationally / #1 Chicago) 
"Up On The Roof"  (#85 Billboard / #60 Nationally / #7 Chicago) 
"Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith And Jones"  (#115 Billboard / #73 Nationally / #9 Chicago) 
What's wrong with this picture?  And what's the deal with their "lock" on the #85 position in Billboard???  Seriously, ALL of these records performed exactly the same???  I don't think so! 
A position spread of 20-30 places between these publications?  Hardly seems realistic to me.  These guys were flat out CHEATED our of some legitimate hit records. 
Regarding The Arcada performance of "It Could Be We're In Love", I had TWO videos posted that failed to run when that Comments Page went up on the site ... for some reason, both links were deleted from my posting.  (Hmm ... wonder if Columbia Records was involved in that, too!!!  Seems to be some kind of MAJOR conspiracy going on here!)  I'll try it again today and see if it "takes"! 
(kk)

Do The Eagles have a future? 
Got this from FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...   

EAGLES: May Fly Again?   
Don Henley says he can envision one scenario for the band working together again.  
Don Henley tells the Montreal Gazette, "It’s been an adjustment trying to realize that the Eagles are no more" in light of Glenn Frey's death in January.   
But he does hold out a glimmer of hope that the band could work together again. "Glenn has a son who can sing and play quite well ... the only way I would consider any kind of reunion, I think, would be with Glenn’s son, Deacon. But there have been no discussions along those lines, and we’re still going through the healing process — trying to get through all this. And those are things that might happen somewhere down the road. But right now, everybody’s doing the solo thing."   
Henley says performing "Desperado" has helped him come to grips with Glenn's death. "That’s the first song that Glenn and I wrote together. So every night I dedicate it to him. And the crowd gets emotional, and that’s part of the healing process — for them as well as for me. I think they expect it. I won’t sing any of his songs, though. I don’t think that would be quite right, even if I co-wrote them. I’m just not doing it."  
I, for one, certainly hope not ... you just can't call it "The Eagles" without Glenn Frey and Don Henley together.  (Everybody else always seemed to be considered "hired hands" anyway!) 
They can still do their solo tours ... and, if by some chance, Don wanted to include Joe Walsh and/or Timothy B. Schmit in the line-up, nothing would please me more ... but you just CAN'T call it "The Eagles".  (kk)    

Speaking of tours, Vintage Vinyl News ran this set list for a recent Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam concert held in Toronto ... a VERY long, career-spanning set from an artist who typically didn't do this in the concert setting before!   

Set 1:  Where Do the Children Play? / If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out / Somewhere (from West Side Story) / Love Me Do (a Beatles cover) / Here Comes My Baby / The First Cut is the Deepest / I Love My Dog / Matthew and Son / Northern Wind / A Bad Night / Trouble / I Wish, I Wish / Lilywhite / Don't Be Shy / Pop Star / On the Road to Find Out  
Set 2:  Miles From Nowhere / Into White / Father and Son / You Can Do (Whatever) / The Wind / Peace Train / Morning Has Broken / How Can I Tell You / Ruins / Another Saturday Night / Novim's Nightmare / People Get Ready (Impressions cover) / Be What You Must / Just Another Night / Maybe There's a World / All You Need is Love medley / Wild World  
Encore:  Moonshadow / You Are My Sunshine / Oh Very Young   

Although a bit late, my wife and I were able to attend the "Happy Together 2016 Tour" at the Ralston Arena in Omaha, NE, on 9/3/16.  There were only 1500 fans which I found quite disappointing since there were so many great acts present.  The Nebraska Cornhuskers were at home playing football that night so I am sure that hurt attendance some.  
Spencer Davis led off and did a credible job on his hits of old. I was never a huge fan of his group, but it was remarkable watching him still play the guitar well and jive with the band.
The Cowsills followed him up with their five hit singles and I really was impressed with their ability to so closely mimic their hits.  
Gary Puckett, in my opinion, was the hit of the night. Gary can still belt out the songs with very good tonal quality. My wife and I both wished he had sang more of his songs.  
An intermission was followed by Mark Lindsay singing some of the Raiders' hits and his own Arizona. A lady that sat next to my wife came just, as she said, "to drool over him".  He came out dressed in one of their familiar costumes with a pair of bright multi-colored running shoes.  His best song was Arizona, although he gave a fantastic effort on all of his songs.    
Chuck Negron of "Three Dog Night" fame followed and he looked very young in comparison to all the others. His voice has not lost the touch that made his group so huge. The arena really got into "Joy to the World" and he really rocked the stage.  
Of course, the Happy Together tour finished with Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman (The Turtles) doing some comedy shticks while singing some of their greatest songs of all time.  Howard Kaylan was brought onto the stage in a wheelchair being pushed by the female member of the Cowsills.  He sat in a chair during their entire performance but it didn't seem to affect his singing ability at all.  I went especially for The Turtles and they did not let me down ... they were terrific.  Toward the end of the show, Howard told everyone that "all the performances" tonight are being digitally recorded and would be available for purchase in the near future.
Nebraska was the last stop on their tour and I and the other 1499 of us were all glad they glad they came.  What a great way to spend a Saturday evening!  
Noiro  
Here's hoping Howard is doing ok ... we just love the guy!  (He and Mark have both had their share of health problems these last few years ... but they still give their all when it comes to entertaining their fans.) 
I wish we could have seen the show this year ... man, what an EXCELLENT line-up!  (kk)   

Hey Kent, 
I was just thinking about the novelty records where they would insert little snippets from hit records in an interview format. Buchanan & Goodman, whom I know nothing about, produced "Flying Saucer The 2nd", along with its flipside, "Martian Melody". That 45 was the talk of my neighborhood! I know there were others like it in those days, but can't recall the titles. I wonder if you know of how they charted and how long that sort of thing sold to radio listeners. What fun they were to collect!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLauA-LoBpo  
- John LaPuzza  
Break-In Records were quite the thing back in the mid '50s thru mid '60's ... Dickie Goodman (one half of Buchanan and Goodman) was the KING of break-in records ... and he had several charted hits along the way.  (For every chart success, however, there were probably another dozen that never received any airplay.)
The biggest included "Flying Saucer" (#1, I guess, since you referred to the second one), which went all the way to #3 nationally (and topped the chart here in Chicago.)  "Flying Saucer The Second" went to #18 the following year (1957).  (That first record came out on their own "Universe" Record label ... until it was determined that there already WAS a Universe Records ... at which point Buchanan and Goodman personally hand wrote in a capital "L" in front of each disc, changing the label name forever to Luniverse Records ... even MORE appropriate in the novelty market!!!) 
Dickie topped the charts on his own in 1975 with "Mr. Jaws" and made The Top 50 with "The Touchables" (#23, 1961); "The Touchables In Brooklyn" (#42, 1961); "Ben Crazy" (#44, 1962); "On Campus" (#45, 1969); "Watergrate" (#42, 1973); "Energy Crisis '74" (#29, 1974) and "Kong" (#48, 1977).  (Also big in Chicago was "Batman And His Grandmother", which made The Top Ten here in 1966.  
Goodman had a knack for capitalizing on the popular trend of the day.  I guess you could say these records represent the earliest known form of "sampling", a technique that would become widely successful decades later in the hip-hop market.  I've got dozens and dozens of these and most of them still warrant a smile here and there all these years later. (In the early years, Goodman was able to use the actual recordings by the original artists ... in fact, Buchanan and Goodman went to court over this matter and were officially granted license to do so as each new record they produced constituted a new form of recorded material.  Naturally these guys then went and cut a novelty record called "Buchanan And Goodman On Trial"!!!)  By the '70's, however, many of the snippets used were "imitations" of the real records due to licensing issues.  (kk)  

Add "Viva Tirado" by El Chicano to the instrumental list (http://www.forgottenhits.com/top_50_instrumental_hits_1955_-_1979) ... superb organ in this piece.

https://youtu.be/fai-fjwslDE

Thanks for thinking of these!

Dan Packard

Thanks, Dan ... but for the record, I didn't think of these ... there are TWO lists shown on the website ... one is a mathematical ranking based on each record's actual chart performance at the time that it charted.  The other is a list based on a tabulation of the votes of our Forgotten Hits Readers who were asked to select their all-time instrumental favorites with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.  (As you can see, "Viva Tirado" didn't make EITHER list ... but I agree with you that it's a great track.  It was a #19 Hit here in Chicago back in 1970.  (kk) 

As expected, Mike Love is EVERYWHERE right now promoting his new book "My Life As A Beach Boy".  My copy came the other day but I probably won't start it until after I read the new Dean Torrence book (as Dean has agreed to do an interview with Forgotten Hits after I do.)  

 Meanwhile, FH Reader Tom Cuddy sends us this interview from CBS News ... http://www.cbsnews.com/news/beach-boys-mike-love-opens-up-drama-with-cousin-brian-wilson/    

To my Oldies friends, 
The world is a messy and dangerous place.  Here's a song about how it sometimes makes me feel.
This is my version of "Build an Ark”, also recorded successfully by the Gather Vocal Band.  
Unfortunately “Build An Ark”, produced by Jimmy Wisner, was released several years too soon.  It certainly mirrors the feelings of so many of us at this time.  
PS  The thunderclap at the beginning of the recording is real - not computerized.  Jimmy and I were working in Owen Bradley’s recording studio in farmland just outside of Nashville when a storm blew up. So we took a microphone outside and recorded the storm live.  
Enjoy and reflect,  
Paul Evans 
 

We just got word that Me-TV-FM will be airing Gary Theroux's syndicated Christmas special "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits Of All Time".  This is EXCELLENT news as this will be the first time the program will be airing in Chicago.  (We've been talking about it for years but have never had the chance to actually HEAR it!!!)
Hosted by Wink Martindale, the program is available to other stations from coast to coast who may wish to air some very special holiday programming.  (You'll find more details on how to sign up your station in Gary's email below.)  Congratulations to all parties concerned!  (kk)

Hi, Kent. 
You might like to know that you putting me in touch with ME-TV's Neal Sabin last year has lead to ME-TV-FM becoming the Chicagoland affiliate for the freshly updated 2016 edition of THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME. I've discoverd a true kindred spirit in ME-TV-FM Program Director Rick O'Dell.  Next time you talk to him, he should be able to tell you the exact broadcast schedule he's worked out for the 10 hour countdown.   
More than 100 stations around the world have aired earlier editions of THE 100 GREATEST HITS OF ALL TIME.  New affiliates in North America can secure the countdown -- hosted, as ever, by broadcast legend Wink Martindale -- for their markets by contacting Envision Radio Networks at:  http://www.goenvisionnetworks.com/show/100-greatest-christmas-hits/      
Stations outside North America should contact Radio Express at:  http://www.radioexpress.com/christmas-radio/the-100-greatest-christmas-hits-of-all-time/   Attached is a little sample of THE 100 GREATEST CHRISTMAS HITS OF ALL TIME, which features not only the best-loved, best-selling and highest charting Yuletide hit singles and albums ever made but lots of surprising bonus tracks -- plus Christmas greetings and the stories behind their classic hits from over 160 stars.  Where else can you hear from Elvis, all the Beatles, Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, Weird Al Yankovic, the cast of "Mystery Science 3000" plus another 150 celebrities all wishing you Season's Greetings? 
Gary "History of Rock 'n' Roll" Theroux 
Producer - Writer of "The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time"

The Sunday Comments ( 09 - 18 - 16 )

The Beatles
My plan was to go see the Ron Howard - Beatles movie this weekend. When I did not see it listed as showing anywhere, I checked with my buddy that works for a Madison, Wisconsin newspaper.    
He said that it only played once at one theater on Thursday night and they had an overflow crowd.  
It was the only showing in Madison and it does not appear to be playing anywhere else this weekend within my reasonable driving distance.  
While I will certainly watch it on the upcoming home video releases, I was hoping to see it on the big screen with big screen sound.  This is very disappointing.
Phil - WRCO
I know exactly what you mean ... we had the same situation here ... one theater, one night only and one showing only (at 7 pm on Thursday night).  We didn't order tickets in advance because I never know what time I'm going to get out of work.  (That night it was 7:30 so I would have missed it regardless.)
Now it's showing on Hulu but I want the big screen experience ... the booming sound, the whole nine yards.
I'm told it'll open in wide release in a couple of weeks ... and it's already scheduled to come out on DVD and BluRay in November ... but I want to see it the way it was MEANT to be seen.  Very disappointing.  (kk)

Kent, 
Along with going public with the myth rather than the truth about who played them first, did Ron give us anything new in the movie? The general public seem to think this is a fun flick, but the real Beatles fans are saying it's nothing but the same stuff re-hashed and cleaned up a bit. What's your take?
David Lewis
As mentioned above, we didn't get to experience it in the theater for its one and only showing.  However, I have heard that complaint a lot ... TRUE Beatles fans have known about, seen and probably owned copies of most of this footage for decades now.  Still, I'm anxious to see it in its newly assembled form ... and I know I'll buy the DVD the day it comes out.
Several people commented about how Howard's film credits Washington, DC Disc Jockey Carroll James with being the first in America to play The Beatles on the air, a story we disproved nearly fifteen years ago right here in Forgotten Hits.  (Google "Who Played The First Beatles Record In America" and you'll find hundreds if not THOUSANDS of links citing our research.)  Yet Ron Howard apparently didn't do any fact-checking.  (You know what they say ... when the myth is more interesting and exciting than the truth, print the myth!)
I've got to tell you that it really pissed me off ... A - because MILLIONS of fans are going to come away from this film with the wrong information ... and B- because legendary Dick Biondi has once again been denied his rightful place in Beatleslore history.
In an article listing "Ten Things They Learned From The New Ron Howard Beatles Film", no less an authority than Rolling Stone worded it this way:  
Eight Days a Week offers the chance to hear the very first time the Beatles were played over U.S. radio on December 17th, 1963, an event that was just as crucial as the band's American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show a few months later. Amazingly, the event can be traced to the actions of one 15-year-old from Silver Springs, Maryland, named Marsha Albert. She is Patient X in the epidemic known as American Beatlemania.
These guys should know better!!!
Frannie posted something on Ron Howard's Facebook page (I won't deny that I encouraged her to do so) and our FH Buddy Rick O'Dell also put up a link on the Me-TV-FM website touting the Chicago connection.
The truth needs to be told.  (Scroll back on Howard's site to see it ... we encouraged him to explain that "new information has come his way" since the film was made and asked that he formally set the record straight, knowing full well they weren't going to edit the film at this stage of the game.)  Will he?  I doubt it ... but he's a pretty professional guy and I would think that he, too, would want the truth to be told.
The REAL story:
http://forgottenhits.com/who_played_the_very_first_beatles_record_in_america 
And Me-TV-FM's headline ...
http://metv.fm/ 

Sit on it, Richie!
Ron Smith 
I LOVE it!!!  Yep ... Opie Cunningham blew it on this one!  (kk)   

The film hit another bump in the road earlier in the week when the family of promoter Sid Bernstein filed a suit to stop the film from opening in theaters claiming Howard didn't have the rights to the Shea Stadium concert footage from 1965.  (Bernstein was the promoter for that record-breaking concert, which also aired as a television special later ... and has been shown at Beatlefest get-togethers for the past four decades ... not to mention COUNTLESS midnight showings in movie theaters all over the country!)  

Apparently it didn't hold things up for the premier ... but I'm wondering if some sort of licensing will now have to be paid to the family members who filed the suit. (Sid passed away a few years ago.)  

Meanwhile, Paul and Ringo were both at the London premier (along with Ron Howard) and it sounds like it was a pretty teary, emotional event.

 

It's going to be hard for anybody who wasn't there at the time to be able to TRULY capture the electricity and impact that The Beatles had on our entire country when they first hit our shores back in 1964 ... their story has been so well documented over the year that every generation since has been exposed to some aspect of it.  But those of us who were there at the time know and remember.     

It's funny ... I'm reading one of those New Musical Express / Melody Maker compilation magazine special editions right now devoted to The Beatles ... and in 1965 Paul McCartney was asked, when it's all over, YEARS from now, how would you like to be remembered ... and he responded "Fondly ... with a smile."  Here it is 50+ years later and their movie is making headline news playing to sell-out crowds all over the country.  Who would have EVER thought?!?!?  And to think that it all began with "Love Me Do"!!!  (kk)

Speaking of Me-TV-FM ...
We've been raving about this station for about eighteen months now ... and, as of last week, they've started streaming worldwide. (I had planned to do a full page piece on this last week but once again work and the real world got in the way!!! But we DID hear from several Forgotten Hits Readers who saw blurbs in the radio blogs and have already been checking it out.
I should point out that you are NOT getting a live feed of the radio station ... but rather a unique stream from the bulk of their playlist.  It is TOTALLY random, however, and no two streams are alike ... EACH person who signs on receives their own unique "mix" of music ... meaning it's the luck of the draw.  (We'll delve into this more deeply next week as time permits.)  Bottom line ... the stream doesn't offer the tender loving care afforded by Program Director Rick O'Dell in the way of sequencing ... it simply isn't possibly the way things are currently set up.  But you WILL get some idea as to the extensive playlist of "Wow Factor" songs this station serves up on a regular basis.
You can check out the stream here ... or via the Me-TV-FM link provided about in our Beatles coverage.  (kk)
http://metv.com/music

The Monkees
Michael Nesmith played what he says will be his last concert with The Monkees Friday Night (September 16th) at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood, California ... nearly exactly 50 years to the day of when The Monkees' television series premiered on NBC.
Full coverage is available here (along with several awesome live clips from the show) ...  
https://www.yahoo.com/music/watch-mike-nesmith-play-his-final-concert-with-the-monkees-182136229.html

The Bobbys   
What?  No Me?  Bobby Rush???  
Dr Robert    

Only ever released on the SIDES compilation, Kent, and surely not “proper” by any means, especially these days, but in just seeing the SWEET 16 list today, it compelled me to mention the RJM Band (Raymond John Michael) track "Bobby And Georgia".  Intended to be harmless and silly, hopefully you will find it to be just that.  Just in case you do not have that CD in your massive NC6 / RJM collection, they asked me to review / comment on each of the songs so here attached you will also find the page where I covered Bobby & Georgia. 
Have a super weekend.  Any chance we see you at Huntley on the 29^th?      
Ray  
Crafted back in the days when one could insert one's own tongue firmly in one's own cheek and use plays on words that were a bit (more than a bit) offensive and be politically incorrect without fear of negative consequences.  Recognize the partially filled and tuned-to-the-music soda bottles during the instrumental bridge?  Both RJM and NC6 had a wacky sense of humor and I think this one optimizes that weirdness.

 

Work schedule being what it is of late (see above ... 12-16 hour days have become the norm again ... I'm getting WAY too old for this shit!!!), hitting your show on a weeknight is going to be tough to do ... especially since Huntley's another one hour drive once I get home! ... but good luck to all and put on a great show!  (kk)    
http://www.sccah.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=845274&group=+http%3A%2F%2Fl.facebook.com%2Fl%2FzAQEdSlVsAQHp_8XXyuwpsqij-u6VoKveAbqo6OsodMATew%2Fwww.newcolonysix.com 

Kent, 
Thanks for the Bobby focus today.  
Whenever I hear someone say Bobby, I think of my parents, who never stopped calling me Bobby, even when they were in their 80’s and I in my 50’s.
Bob “Bobby” Verbos 
New Berlin, WI. 

Hey Kent, 
Long time between contacts! 
It sure was neat to start reading FH this morning and seeing Citizen Bill mentioned!  Brought back good memories.   
I’m now on two stations, the one in Alabama and one in Tennessee outside Nashville.  Maybe you could say I’m finally syndicated LOL.   
Incredibly I’m approaching my 750^th show in a few weeks and will celebrate my 15^th anniversary on air in February of 2017. 
BTW our new listen live on the Alabama station is www.fun927.net and in Tennessee it www.funradiotn.com  Thanks Kent, and keep up the great work.  
Have a great weekend! 
Citizen Bill Rutherford  
Good to hear from you, too, Bill!  I remember the "Bobbys" show you did several years ago and it just lent itself so well to our new Sweet 16 format! (kk)

Remember Then ... 

Here's a photo from way back when featuring Scott Shannon and his self-make "Citizen Bill Fan" sign!  (lol)

Kent, 
Enjoyed today's FH. Before I scrolled down completely and surveyed the "BOBBY" songs you posted, I thought of 2 or 3 and wondered if they had made your list. 

Here goes: 

Frankie Avalon's BOBBY SOX TO STOCKINGS,  

Darlene Love's WAIT TIL MY BOBBY GETS HOME, 

Neil Scott's BOBBY, 

and last but certainly not least,

BOB B SOXX & the Blue Jeans ZIP-A-DEE DOO-DAH. 
Larry Neal   

One more for the Bobbys: 

Darlene Love's "Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home."
Nice upbeat girl-group sound ... and memorable because it was big in the summer of '63, when I fist discovered pop music.
Jeff Duntemann

To all of the above ...
Sorry guys ... only room for 16 tracks in a Sweet 16 Countdown!  (kk)

Jim Peterik

Hi Kent - 

Got hooked on this car website blog this past week. (I find myself much more interested in older cars since I bought a 72 Gremlin X three years ago. Love it!).

Anyway, one blog post was all about your buddy Jim Peterik's classic car collection, as well as his guitar collection. Thought you and FH readers might enjoy it.

http://blog.consumerguide.com/consumer-guide-visits-the-car-and-guitar-collections-of-rock-n-roller-jim-peterik/

- Mike Lane

Minneapolis (musician and Gremlin X owner)  
Cars and Guitars ... sounds like he's got a pretty good collection of both!  (lol)  Some AMAZING shots here.  Thanks, Mike!  (kk)  

Clip of the Week

Forgotten Hits Reader picks up the award again this week for this live clip of The Elegants performing their #1 Hit "Little Star" ...   
Kent ...
Truth in advertising from Vito Picone and the Elegants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAvS5syYGII
Frank B.

Sweet 16 - The "Bobby" Edition

We saluted Bobby Darin with a month-long series a few years ago (now permanently posted on the other Forgotten Hits Website here :  http://forgottenhits.com/the_bobby_darin_story) ...

Then earlier this year we spent a week saluting Bobby Rydell with our exclusive Forgotten Hits interview (coming soon to its new permanent home on the forgottenhits.com website) ... 

Along the way, we've also run an in-depth feature on the mysterious death of Bobby Fuller ... http://forgottenhits.com/bobby_fuller  ...

And, of course, after the third of June, we got ALL kinds of mail speculating the truth and innuendo surrounding Bobbie Gentry's big #1 Hit "Ode To Billie Joe" ... 

So, today, we borrow a page from FUN Radio's Citizen Bill's playbook and dedicate this special Sweet 16 Edition to ...

The Bobbys!!!

(Boy, it was sure hard narrowing down THIS list ... so much great material had to be eliminated ... and that doesn't even begin to account for the simple things like "bobbies on bicycles two by two" from Roger Miller's big hit "England Swings"!!!)

Join us today as Forgotten Hits salutes THE BOBBYS!!!
































 

Catch Citizen Bill's "Remember Then" program on Sunday Nights on WAFN here:  http://www.fun927.com/

Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments

It Could Be We're In Love:  
Nice; good to have a lively discussion; keep up the good work.  
James Fairs 

I'll offer a little different perspective on this dialogue of "note for note exact" vs. artistic freedom - that of someone who has written many performance contracts.  
Most promoters book "Oldies" acts with the expectation that the greatest hits of that act will be performed much as they were originally recorded.  That expectation is based upon the correct assumption that  the ticket buyers want to hear exactly that.  I've actually added language to contracts to the effect that recorded tunes shall be performed with the artist's best effort to replicate the recorded version.  That is usually not necessary, as the artists are well aware of that expectation and perform their shows accordingly. 
However, some leeway has to be accorded the artist to do a "fresh rendering" to use James Fairs's words.  I personally heard a classic example of this at Cornerstones.  Can't You See Me Cry is one of my favorite New Colony Six songs.  I love the original.  But when Ray Graffia and Bruce Mattey undertake a "refreshed" acoustic version, the angst and sorrowful beauty of Ray's original words and music are brought home more fully in my view.  That said, if Peter Noone and Billy Sullivan - both consummate performers - tried an acoustic ballad version of "Henry VIII" the Herman's Hermits audience would feel justifiable surprise and certainly disappointment. 
There's room for change to the originals we love, if done with care and perspective.  
Frank    
Some good points ... quite honestly, Peter Noone can get away with just about ANYTHING on stage, his audience is so loyal ... but you're right, an acoustic, unplugged version of "Henry The VIII" would not go over well, especially since it's such a crowd-pleaser, sing-along to begin with.  
That being said, I HAVE heard him do a totally stripped down, slow version of "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" and it sounded fantastic ... which totally blows my "signature tune" theory out of the water.  It was beautiful!  (One big difference, of course ... the whole world knows "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" ... it was a #1 Record all over the world.  This is NOT the case with "It Could Be We're In Love" which, despite spending four weeks at #1 here in Chicago, only reached #85 on the Billboard Chart in 1967.  A crime of nature to be sure ... but my concern ... with nothing but their best interests at heart ... was that now that they're going to be re-introducing the audience to this track as part of a national tour, why not put on your best possible rendition of your very best track and show that audience just what they missed back in the day ... strictly in a "seize the moment" sort of way.)  
And, for the record, I like BOTH versions of The New Colony Six's "Can't You See Me Cry" ... in fact, it's funny ... I recently saw a video of them performing the song live on television back in 1968 on The Lloyd Thaxton Show ... and I swear he sings the song better today than he did back then!  
I'm not so much advocating a note for note reproduction of "It Could Be We're In Love" ... it's still a slow, beautiful ballad with exquisite harmonies ... and, once it gets going, they pretty much leave all of that intact.  Which begs the question, if you're going to leave MOST of the song pretty much alone anyway, why mess with the beginning???  (kk) 

This from Tom Doody, lead singer of The Cryan' Shames ...  

Hey Kent - 
I appreciate your comments on "It Could Be We're In Love" and the way we performed it at the Arcada. Here's just a little insight into what our thinking was ...  
We have heard from numerous fans over the years that that is their favorite Shames song.  And quite frankly, to a man, I think you could say it is ours, also.  I have often heard from many of the people who have come to see our concert that it would be very nice if we could lower the volume of the instruments so that they could hear the vocals more clearly. I guess this gave us a light bulb moment.   
We had discussed various ways to highlight the vocals which I, by the way, considered to be the most important part of the song.  While we were brainstorming, the idea came to do the first part of the song a cappella.  This way people would definitely be able to hear the amazing vocal arrangement that James Fairs had created.   
With this in mind, we rehearsed the song many different times.  We came to the conclusion that just having one guitar accompany the voices up until the vocal break that Jim Pilster sings would be dramatic and impactful.  Of course, after this break, the entire band comes in to finish the song.  The structure and pacing of the song has in no way been changed.   
I really love the rendition that we presented at the Arcada. To be truthful, when I sing and I hear the harmonies come in as full and upfront as they are, it gives me chills.  One other thing.  I've had many people comment to me how much they enjoy hearing the song done this way.   
I do appreciate your concern and I know that it is your intent to help us make the best performance possible.  I can assure you that none of us in any way want to deliver a performance that's not in keeping with what our wonderful fans want to hear. Thanks for hearing me out. 

Blessings - 
Toad      

WLS / WCFL:  

Hi Kent,   
There was a website that sold WLS and WCFL t-shirts. Since I've gone through computer problems I've lost the address where I could possibly get a new one. Could you please help me out? 
Thanks a lot,
Randy Anderson   
It's so funny that you should ask this now ... I wore my WCFL T-Shirt to the Cornerstones Of Rock concert last week (and got quite a few compliments on it!!!) 
The place you're thinking of is called Radio Logoland ... and they've got t-shirts from virtually EVERY radio station dating back to the Top 40 era.  
A link to their home page is below ... and you'll find several pages devoted to both WLS and WCFL on their site. 
I'm thinking quite a few of our friends and readers may be interested in these ... and it's been YEARS since we've run a link ... but they're absolutely beautiful collectors items.  (Please tell them that Forgotten Hits sent you!)  kk 
http://radiologoland.com/index.html

And, in OTHER Chicagoland News ...:

Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams has just released a brand new solo album called "Living In The Moment" ... it is available through his website ... http://carlgiammarese.com/  

Hey Kent,  
I wanted you to hear my latest solo album, “Living In The Moment.” Most but not all of the lyrics are introspective and reflect my feelings and life experiences. It is not at all Buckinghams music.

“Living In The Moment” is also one of the cuts. It’s all about trying to think less about the past and stop worrying about the future … Let's live in the moment!  

I have to write and record new music for my own sanity even if it never gets much recognition ... that's not why I record it.

Some of the songs could be have been Tufano & Giammarese if we had continued recording all this time. One song in particular, “I’ll Remember You”, are my feelings about John Poulos.

I released it myself on the many streaming and download sites, and made it available on my website carlgiammarese.com.

Check it out ... I have gotten quite a few orders. Maybe in the near future I’ll put myself out there and play some of these songs live.

Enjoy!

Carl

Kent:  

As an authority on New Colony Six music, I thought you would be the perfect person to ask.  

Who sang lead on the 1969 ballad by the NC6 called “I Want You to Know?”  

Thanks!

Tom Cuddy

That would be Ronnie Rice ... another great track that reached #62 nationally ... but was a #11 Hit here in Chicago.  (kk)

This And That:

Joe Jeffrey, who recorded the late-'60's classic "My Pledge of Love" (#9, 1969) passed away of cancer on September 4th.  (kk)





Billy J ...

I hope you got to the concert at Westbury. It was wonderful. Every performer and performance was at their top.  My review will follow. 
Meanwhile, here's a review of another show I attended this past week ...  
LABOR DAY EYE CANDY or I JUST HAD A VERY BLOND MOMENT  
Labor Day weekend always brings about the Woodstock Fair. This year, on Saturday, ‘Ricky Nelson Remembered, starring Gunnar and Matthew Nelson’ and ‘Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone’ appeared. AHA, you say! NOW I understand the title!  
This is the first time I have seen Nelson doing this tribute to their father.  Are they ‘Nelson’ in this case?  Why not? You can perform any song and still be yourself.  As they began, security guards, police with K9s, and state troopers came forward to stand by the stage. How did they know I’d be there?  I have never seen so many precautions.  At one point Gunnar went over to ask if the dog’s ears were being impacted being right in front of the speakers.  Apparently not. No one moved.  The show is done as a trio, like Ricky’s, and is educational … as well as entertaining.  I really enjoy the way these brothers work together. They really connect and LIKE each other; bringing out the best from the other brother.  Unconditional love is at play here.  I counted 18 songs, so I will continue to edit this review as I type. Otherwise, it becomes as long as their performance. 

It was too light out for the video to be seen so they just forgot about it and focused on the live performance.  A song I don’t hear often is ‘Milk Cow Blues’ and let me tell you, Gunnar Nelson is one hot, hopping guitar player. And speaking of hot, it is at times as if there are two Ricky Nelsons on stage, although when they stand together, I think one favors Dad, and one favors Mom more.  ‘Lonesome Town’ is their favorite ballad of Dad’s and it is followed by ‘Travelin’ Man’ and ‘Hello Mary Lou’. These are songs 9 - 12 in the set so you can imagine all that has come before. 

After ‘Fools Rush In’, they tell us that although they are 3^rd generation performers, they really had a traditional upbringing.  Let’s see … the hippie man who never seemed to go home was named Bob Dylan.  Uncle George next door, had the last name Harrison ... AND Mama Cass was their babysitter. (“We were hungry for years”)  Yep, yep … sounds just like my childhood.  Except for every name I just dropped in the previous sentences. 

They are able to entertain, eye the crowd and know how to handle us with the smoothness of Ricky, Ozzie and their own talent.  They end with ‘Garden Party’.  Go see it.

I have flooded Kent with Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone reviews and he says he just can’t print them all.  I am so totally laughing about this as I type.  I maintain that if you have not seen them, only seen them once, or seen them more times than you wish to admit; go again.  When sound, lights and weather is good, they are marvelous. When there are sound or light issues, they work it out and keep going.  Even in many terrible weather conditions, they perform. They always entertain at every performance.  Go see them, too.

Next weekend I am off to Dick Fox’s Doo Wop in Westbury!

Shelley J Sweet-Tufano

A couple of weeks ago we told you about the brand new Rolling Stones mono box set that was coming out from ABKCO Records.

Now comes word that they'll be packaging a very special "singles collection", too.  More details below:

LIMITED EDITION VINYL 7” SINGLE REISSUES 
BUNDLED WITH THE ROLLING STONES IN MONO  
CD / LP BOX SET 
AVAILABLE SEPT. 30 ON ABKCO

On September 30, ABKCO will release The Rolling Stones In Mono box set on CD, vinyl, digital and hi res formats and a special limited package that includes The Rolling Stones In Mono (15 CDs or 16 vinyl LPs) bundled with a set of nine extremely limited Rolling Stones 7” vinyl singles. Each single is an exact reproduction of a significant hit record from a different country with original art matching how the single looked in that specific nation at the time of release. After the bundles are sold out, the remaining individual 7”s will only be available in local record stores in their respective countries. 

These 7”s are: 

- Poison Ivy / Fortune Teller (UK, 1963)

- Fortune Teller / Sad Day (Australia, 1966)

- Tell Me (You’re Coming Back) / Carol (Japan, 1964)

- Time Is On My Side / Congratulations (Norway, 1964)

- Empty Heart / Around And Around (Netherlands, 1964)

- Not Fade Away / I Wanna Be Your Man (Canada, 1964)

- 2,000 Light Years From Home / She’s A Rainbow (Germany, 1967)

- We Love You / Dandelion (France, 1967)

- Street Fighting Man / No Expectations (U.S., 1968)

The American version of “Street Fighting Man” was the Stones’ first picture sleeve single without an image of the band. Instead, it features a black and white photo of riot police at a protest, one officer with his foot on a fallen man, and another photo of riot police restraining a man. Released the same month as the 1968 Democratic National Convention, where police brutalized protestors, the art was immediately withdrawn, thereby making it one of the most valuable picture sleeve singles in existence by any artist. ABKCO has restored the controversial art for posterity.  The band’s R&B roots are underscored in their version of the Coasters’ “Poison Ivy” and Benny Spellman’s “Fortune Teller” that comprise the UK market 7” that is part of the bundle. 

The Rolling Stones In Mono includes the entirety of the band’s studio output in the 1960s, many tracks of which are available in mono digitally for the first time ever. During that era, great care was put into mono mixes, which outsold stereo versions of the same records for the first half of the decade. Mixing in stereo was more of an afterthought, and as a result, mono is thought by many to be sonically superior. 

Packaged as 14 separate albums, including Stray Cats, a newly conceived collection of non-LP singles and E.P. tracks, The Rolling Stones In Mono contains key releases from the band’s U.S. and U.K. discographies, organized to include every track from the era while minimizing catalog redundancies. Stray Cats, a single disc in the CD box set and a double album with the vinyl box set, ties up all loose ends, incorporating every 1960s Rolling Stones track that isn’t found on the other 14 albums, for a total of 24 tracks. It includes two versions of the aforementioned “Poison Ivy,” Barrett Strong’s 1959 hit “Money,” as well as “Fortune Teller.” Other rarities include “Con Le Mie Lacrime,” a version of “As Tears Go By” sung in Italian, “Stoned” (the instrumental b-side of “I Wanna Be Your Man”), and the 1965 outtake of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” now freed of the fake applause to disguise its studio origin when the track appeared on the 1966 LP Got Live If You Want It.

Stereo overtook mono as the dominant format by 1967. As a result, many mono versions of Stones releases from the latter part of the decade are extremely sought after and rare, and were not released in every territory. When the transition from analog to digital began in the 1980s with the advent of the compact disc, the stereo versions of songs were often the only ones that were reissued on the new format. Of the 186 tracks on The Rolling Stones In Mono, 58 will appear in a digital context (CD/download/streaming) for the first time ever. 

The Rolling Stones In Mono  [16 LP vinyl box set; 15 CD box set]  (all tracks also available digitally)

1)    The Rolling Stones (UK, 1964)

2)    12 X 5 (1964)

3)    The Rolling Stones No. 2 (UK, 1965)

4)    The Rolling Stones Now! (1965)

5)    Out of Our Heads (US, 1965)

6)    Out of Our Heads (UK, 1965)

7)    December’s Children (And Everybody’s) (1965)

8)    Aftermath (UK, 1966)

9)    Aftermath (US, 1966)

10) Between the Buttons (UK, 1967)

11) Flowers (1967)

12) Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)

13) Beggar’s Banquet (1968)

14) Let it Bleed (1969)

15) Stray Cats (a new collection of single A & B sides plus E.P. tracks)* 

*Stray Cats tracklist 1) Come On

2) I Want To Be Loved

3) I Wanna Be Your Man

4) Stoned

5) Fortune Teller

6) Poison Ivy (Version 1)

7) Bye Bye Johnny

8) Money

9) Poison Ivy (Verison 2)

10) Not Fade Away

11) I've Been Loving You Too Long

12) The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man (single version)

13) 19th Nervous Breakdown

14) Sad Day

15) Con Le Mie Lacrime (As Tears Go By)

16) Long, Long While

17) Who's Driving Your Plane?

18) We Love You (single version)

19) Dandelion (single version)

20) Child Of The Moon

21) Jumpin' Jack Flash

22) Street Fighting Man (single version)

23) Honky Tonk Women

24) You Can't Always Get What You Want (single version)

Pre-orders are being taken via uDiscover (with or without 7" bundles) and Amazon (without 7" bundles) in advance of the Sept. 30 release date.

The Rolling Stones in Mono will be available via uDiscover and Amazon for the first 90 days after release (ending December 30, 2016) and thereafter will be sold everywhere.

Deluxe - https://udiscover.lnk.to/RollingStonesExclusive

LP Boxset - https://abkco.lnk.to/MonoBoxLP

CD Boxset - https://abkco.lnk.to/MonoBoxCD

Find out more information about The Rolling Stones In Mono and the albums that make up the set at https://abkco.lnk.to/home

And, speaking of new releases, FH Reader Bob Merlis tells us about this up-coming, career-spanning set spotlighting the music of Roy Orbison ...    

FIRST CAREER-SPANNING ROY ORBISON ANTHOLOGY OUT OCT 28 ~ THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

CD / 2 LP SET INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM SUN, MONUMENT, MGM YEARS, LATE SOLO CAREER AND TRAVELING WILBURY’S  
Roy’s Boys LLC, the Nashville-based company founded by the sons of Roy Orbison to administer their late father’s catalog and safeguard his legacy, has teamed up with Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, to release Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection. The 26-track anthology, out October 28, will be available as a single CD and as a double vinyl LP set, spans four decades, from his start at Sun Records in the mid 1950s, all the way through his massive comeback in the late ‘80s. The collection chronicles Orbison’s work both as a solo artist and with supergroup Traveling Wilburys until his tragic death at the age of 52. The Ultimate Collection marks the first time ever that any Roy Orbison compilation album has incorporated tracks from all of the aforementioned sources.   
Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection is available for pre-order now: http://smarturl.it/Orbison_Ultimate 
Roy’s son, Alex Orbison, painstakingly selected songs that were most representational of his father’s vast catalog, which totals 27 studio albums, four live albums, and over 60 singles, 22 of which placed in the U.S. Billboard Top 40 chart. Narrowing it down was no easy task. "It is a great honor for me and my brothers, Wesley and Roy Jr., to finally and definitively distill our father's entire career onto a single disc as best one can possibly do and, certainly, as never done before," said Alex. "It is the result of years of research, archiving and listening, and it is with supreme and heartfelt pleasure that we will be able to share it with the world."   

Born in north Texas and raised in the western part of the state, Roy Orbison first made his mark on the national music scene when he recorded for Sam Phillips’ fabled Sun Records in 1956. It was during this era that the label was the launching pad for the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Orbison connected with the rockabilly flavored “Ooby Dooby” for Sun, but his truly significant commercial breakthrough came with his string of hits on the Monument label, starting in the early ‘60s. 
Around this time Roy adopted his trademark sunglasses and performed ballads and rockers with equal aplomb. He toured constantly both in the US and abroad, including a UK tour on which he headlined over the Beatles.  Top 10 hits of the era included “Crying,” “Only The Lonely,” “In Dreams,” “Dream Baby,” the number one single “Running Scared” and the massive international chart topper, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” all of which are represented on The Ultimate Collection.  The set also includes “Love Hurts,” “Blue Bayou,” “Falling,” “Leah,” “Mean Woman Blues,” “Blue Angel” and “It’s Over,” all from the Monument era. 
Starting in 1965, Roy Orbison’s eight-year stint with MGM Records continued to yield hits, particularly overseas.  Among these present on The Ultimate Collection are “Walk On,” “Crawling Back,” “Ride Away” and “Too Soon To Know.” These came out at the most emotionally turbulent time in Roy’s life, when his wife Claudette died in a motorcycle accident and his sons Roy DeWayne Orbison and Anthony King Orbison perished in a house fire.  Towards the latter part of this period he met and married the German-born Barbara Anne Marie Wellhöner Jakobs, who is the mother of Roy Jr. and Alex.  
After Roy’s career went through a fallow spell, David Lynch’s showcasing of his music in the surreal 1986 film Blue Velvet sparked new interest in the icon. By the following year, Roy’s career was in the midst of a renaissance, which led to his celebrity-studded live television concert special A Black & White Night. Taken from that performance is “Claudette,” a song written by Roy about his first wife, that had been a huge hit for the Everly Brothers.  
Soon after, a supergroup was formed consisting of Roy and his friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison with whom he had first bonded back when he toured with the Beatles.  In 1988, the Traveling Wilburys released their debut album that went triple platinum. “Not Alone Anymore” and “Handle with Care” from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 are featured on The Ultimate Collection, the first time any of the group’s songs have appeared on a Roy Orbison release.  "It was my favorite thing I ever did," said Jeff Lynne, referring to "Handle with Care," who co-produced the album with George Harrison. "I put in all these nice, Roy Orbison-type chords, to make his voice shine even more. I played it to the rest of the group, and they just went, 'Wow, that's fantastic.'"   
Roy spent much of 1988 recording his solo comeback studio album Mystery Girl, produced by Lynne. In December of that year, he died unexpectedly from a heart attack, ergo the album’s early 1989 release was posthumous. It proved to be a huge commercial success, due in part to the tremendous single “You Got It,” later covered by Bonnie Raitt, as well as “California Blue” and “She’s A Mystery to Me” (written by Bono and the Edge of U2). These tracks are included in The Ultimate Collection, in addition to the later “Heartbreak Radio” (from 1992’s King of Hearts album) and “I Drove All Night,” a song written for Roy by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, but made famous by Cyndi Lauper. Her version was recorded after, but released before, the Orbison original.  
"He came from nothing, but he had these amazing gifts and this amazing drive and, of course, that voice," said Alex Orbison to journalist Jeff Slate, who wrote liner notes for The Ultimate Collection and is also co-author of the forthcoming authorized Roy Orbison biography. Alex also said of his father, "I think it would be hard to imagine the story if you tried to write it."   
The Ultimate Collection was produced by Alex Orbison, Chuck Fleckenstein and John Jackson, and mastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York. 

Roy Orbison – The Ultimate Collection   
[release date: 10/28/16] 

    1      Oh, Pretty Woman 

    2      I Drove All Night 

    3      You Got It 

    4      Crying 

    5      Only The Lonely 

    6      In Dreams 

    7      Love Hurts 

    8      Claudette 

    9      Blue Bayou 

    10    Dream Baby 

    11    Walk On 

    12    Falling 

    13    Running Scared 

    14    California Blue 

    15    Leah 

    16    Mean Woman Blues 

    17    Crawling Back 

    18    Ride Away 

    19    Too Soon To Know 

    20    She’s A Mystery to Me 

    21    Blue Angel 

    22    It’s Over 

    23    Ooby Dooby 

    24    Heartbreak Radio 

    25    Not Alone Anymore (Traveling Wilburys) 

    26    Handle With Care (Traveling Wilburys)

>>>Also on this date, 9/10/67, Joel Horlen of The Chicago White Sox pitched a no hitter against The Detroit Tigers.  No, I wasn't there at the ballpark ... but I was absolutely glued to the television set at my grandparents' house.  It was the first no hitter I had ever seen in my life.  (I HEARD Sandy Koufax no hit The Cubs a couple of years earlier on the radio when I just happened to be home sick from school that day ... but watching this live as it happened was mesmerizing.)  Yet another moment I will never forget.  (kk)

It's funny that you mention Joel Horlen. 

I heard him give a talk on baseball in probably 1969 or 70 in Dodge city, Kansas, when I was young.  I always had liked him, had his cards and was excited to hear him speak then.  I have never seen a baseball player speak about baseball in person before or since, so it was fun just to see him mentioned.  

Clark Besch

 

Survey Convention:

This weekend was the first survey convention. It was in Kansas City, Missouri. I already knew FH reader (and survey maven) Frank Merrrill, and I had corresponded with FH reader and my customer Clark Besch, on a number of occasions, but hadn't met him until Saturday.

Now keep in mind that this, more or less, piggy backed on a larger gathering of a Radio Club Conference. Apparently they meet once a year at various spots in the country. It made sense, in that if you were that much a devotee of AM radio, you might get into vintage radio surveys as well. There were attendees from California, Arizona, Tennessee, Nebraska, and even Canada. If you were one of those who locked themselves in the bedroom and tried fine tuning your radio to pick up far away radio stations, send in to the station for a verification card, you would have been in hog heaven. 

However the survey event was Saturday afternoon. It was hosted by Gregg Ottinger, whom I introduced to FH. (He enjoys it, Kent). He gave a talk on the origin of top 40 surveys, showed some cool stuff from his collection, most of which he bought from me at some point, and then held a general discussion and a chance for the group to check out the surveys that Frank Merrill and I brought there. Keep in mind I brought 42 binders of charts with me, but if indeed Frank only brought the tip of the iceberg, as he says, I'm a distant second, as far as being the Kahuna of top 40 charts. Still it was fairly successful for me financially, and I did buy a couple hundred more surveys, and I'll be buying more from Frank this week. Others did express an interest in purchasing items, but I'm only set up for credit card purchases, thru Pay Pal, at home. I don't think they'll arrive here in time for the Chicago show this weekend. However if you're into surveys, records, music memorabilia, it's this Sunday at the Best Western Hotel in Hillside, IL. It's all Kent's fault ... he's the one who told me about them, back in the 70's. 

Will there be another survey convention? Gregg would like to do one next year, but it's really dependent upon Frank and I attending, as well as some other folks. It would be held in Illinois. There also has to be a cost effective way to market it, so suggestions are welcomed.

Right now I have a few pictures but, as I have just a disposable camera, I've gotta wait until I finish the roll, and then wait for Walgreen's to call. I don't know if Clark took any pix ... hopefully I'll get some sent to me and I will forward them to you.

Jack (The distant #2 Survey Kahuna)

Frank Merrill's collection is mammoth ... and he's been at it for decades ... EVERY conceivable type of survey ... every genre, every era, every city known to man ... if there's something on Frank's "Want List", odds are NOBODY on Planet Earth has a copy!!!  (lol)

Hopefully they will do it somewhere closer in Illinois next time as I'd like to experience it first hand.  While I'm not the die-hard collector some of these guys are (a good, clean copy is sufficient for me ... all I want is the chart information), I'll bet folks who are seriously into this stuff would have a field day.

(So the BIG question now is:  "What's the general consensus on WJJD Survey #2 ... does it exist or not???")  kk

Kent,

I had a great time at the first national radio station survey convention!  It was nearby in Kansas City.  You might think there are few that would attend such an event and that may have been the case to many, but the 30 to 50 (?) attendees were not disappointed, IMO. 

Two of the leading survey collectors / sellers (and long time friends of mine) were there with some great charts to view, sparking much radio station conversation as well.  Both Frank Merrill and FH member Jack Levin had great surveys to peruse through and buy from the 50's to the 90's ??? 

Frank had a copy of the earliest survey he has ever seen, from 1941!  Amazing stuff. 

Jack had some great stuff, too ... especially from WLS and WCFL and Chicago.  I did not plan to buy more surveys, as I have too many now, but when I eyed about 30 charts of the "Action Beat" Chicago surveys that replaced the well known "Top Tunes of Chicago" charts in about 65 or 66, I had to break down and buy em all!  Since we have just spoken about the Cryan' Shames' song "It Could Be We're In Love," I will attach the chart I bought with it at #1 in Chitown.  You'll even spot two FH member Davie Allen & Arrows 45s on here!

Here's also a photo of Frank (left) and me (right) but somehow I either did not get one of Jack with me or it did not come out, so you can just see Jack in the corner with hat by his surveys.  I am sad to see I did not have one of me and Jack together.  Maybe next show?? 

I did get a photo of another friend, who sells surveys and has always been fun to email with, John Johnson.  His wife even typed radio surveys back in the day for a station!  The attached photo of John is with the person who gave a great speech on the evolution of the radio surveys, Gregg Ottinger.  Gregg gave many examples and a nice cover of the history.

Another I got to meet was legendary DJ Carl Mann, who even gave me and my brother Steve surveys from KOIL where we heard him in the early 70's from Omaha.  He was very kind to tell me and Steve stories about his radio days.

There were other friends from KC that I had not seen for years there, so it was a great show and that was just the free part of the weekend!  There were rumors of one next year in Reno, but who knows.  It was a nice show and where else can you talk with so many knowledgeable about radio surveys??

Clark Besch

I've never seen (or even heard of!) these "Action Beat" surveys from Chicago before ... I asked Ron Smith (who literally wrote the book on the Chicagoland charts) what he knew about them.  (As far as I always knew, after WJJD switched over to country, the publisher of these charts kept them going thru about February of 1966 as "Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago" ... to the best of my knowledge, I have them all ... but was never aware that someone else kept them going as "Action Beat" into 1967!  (I wonder how many of these exist in all???) 
If they do the show in the Chicago area next year, I'm going to make it a point to go.  I don't imagine myself buying a bunch of ridiculously priced surveys ... but hopefully can make some contacts that will allow us to always run a fresh batch on the website.  (You and Jack have both been VERY helpful in this regard over the years!)  kk  

No, I've never seen one of these before, but it looks like a rack jobber (distributor) put it out, probably for their clients. They might have even offered it branded to their big clients, the way EJ Korvette's had its own survey.
Good list, though. Clearly reflected Chicago sales.

Ron
And check out the #1 Record on this chart!!! (Don'tcha just love it when all this stuff ties together?!?!?)  kk    

Eagle Rock Entertainment Does It Again:  
Last week we were singing the praises of the brand new Everly Brothers documentary "Harmonies From Heaven" ... then this week we viewed an advance screening of "The Beach Boys Pet Sounds" Classic Albums DVD ... 90 minutes of great music, great clips and interviews with Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love and David Marks, done during their 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour. 
It's top notch entertainment ... again ... from the good folks at Eagle Rock. 
You can view the trailer here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTxfM-ltk8w  
And you can order your copy of the DVD here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JACFFZI
Special thanks to Carol Kay for sending this along ... once again, we thoroughly enjoyed it!  (kk)