Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments

Hi Kent: 

Just an FYI, I will be on Live Friday Night at approximately 6 PM, on Dewey’s Corner Radio Show on WMSE 91.7 FM in Milwaukee. We will be doing a “Summer of 1969” show. The Hits from June - August in Milwaukee, etc. Tune in if you can. As always, WE Play Records! The shows are archived as well.

Take Care,

Ken

PS - Just saw The Association show at Summerfest up here. Nice Show.

It sounds like this was one of their better shows.  Off the Happy Together Tour this year, The Association are doing a number of solo shows (as well as assorted group dates) this summer.

Here’s their performance schedule for the rest of the year (so far … remember to check their website for updates)

July 13, 2019 - Anderson Music Hall
Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, Anderson Music Hall - Hiawassee, Georgia

July 26, 2019 - Sellersville Theatre (two shows 6:00 & 9:00 pm)
Sellersville Theatre - Sellersville, Pennsylvania

July 28, 2019 - Barnstable Country Fair
Barnstable Country Fair - Falmouth, Massachusetts

July 29, 2019 - The Birchmere
The Birchmere - Alexandria, Virginia

August 17, 2019 - Bonita Center for the Arts
Bonita Center for the Arts - San Dimas, California
 
August 29, 2019 - Woodlands Auditorium
Woodlands Auditorium - Hot Springs Village, Arkansas

August 30, 2019 - Arlington Music Hall
Arlington Music Hall - Arlington, Texas

September 14, 2019 - NYCB  Theatre at Westbury
Hot Autumn Nights - Westbury, New York
 
September 21 2019 - Lynn Auditorium
Lynn Auditorium - Lynn, Massachusetts

October 12, 2019 - Stadium Performing Arts Center
Stadium Theatre PAC - Woonsocket, Rhode Island

November 29, 2019 - Golden Nugget  Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
Golden Nugget - Las Vegas, Nevada

January 26, 2020 - Grand Junction High School
Community Concerts of the Grand Valley - Grand Junction, Colorado

February 22, 2020 - The Riviera Theatre
The Riviera Theatre - North Tonawanda, New York

https://www.theassociationwebsite.com/showdates.html

As for your Summer of ’69 show, be sure to check out our list should you be looking for material to feature …

http://forgottenhits.com/the_summer_of_69_-_top_50_biggest_hits

A recent salute on Me-TV-FM went over very well. (In fact, we were streaming their Milwaukee affiliate here!)    kk

Here are the links to listen to Dewey’s Corner

Listen Live:  https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wmse/?cs=us.wmse&played=1

Archived Shows:  https://www.wmse.org/program/1950s-1970s-rock/

Gilbert O'Sullivan Talks Returning to U.S. Stages for First Time In 43 Years

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8518380/gilbert-osullivan-returning-to-us-stages

Tom Cuddy

I’ve been reading about some of his European shows and thought this might be a fun one to see … but didn’t think he’d ever really come back to The States.  I remember back in the day he was never a fan of live performing and, as I recall, he didn’t have the vocal power to pull it off.  He was always much more at home in the studio in a controlled environment where he didn’t have to push himself vocally.

But yes, I would LOVE to see him should he decide to follow thru on this!  And The City Winery would be the PERFECT place to showcase his music.  (I was a VERY big fan back in the day … played his first four albums constantly!)  Thanks, Tom!  (kk)

Here are your Pick Hits from Ballot #3 …

Top Ten Vote-Getters:

 #1 – Band On The Run – Paul McCartney

 #2 – Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival (I knew this one would be big … but didn’t figure it to be the biggest!  It fell just one point behind McCartney!)

 #3 – Baba O’Reilly – The Who

 #4 – Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty

 #5 – Badge - Cream

 #6 – Baby Blue – Badfinger

 #7 - Back In The USSR – Beatles

 #8 – Ballroom Blitz – Sweet (I wouldn’t have expected this one to finish this high)

 #9 – Bad Time – Grand Funk Railroad

#10 – Barbara Ann – The Beach Boys

Nice Surprises:

Be My Lover by Alice Cooper (it’d be nice to hear this one once in awhile!)

Beautiful Loser – Bob Seger (one of those rare Bob Seger song that hasn’t been over-played to death … a nice switch up now and then)

Beach Baby – First Class  (based on the voting we’ve seen thus far, classic rock fans accept The Beach Boys … and, apparently, even the FAKE Beach Boys!)

Because – The Dave Clark Five  (only two DC5 songs got nominated … but fans would like to hear “Because” and “Catch Us If You Can” every now and then … and I’ll betcha we could make a pretty good case for a few others, too.  FINALLY Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame members, it may be time to re-evaluate their catalog for classic rock airplay. I think Classic Rock fans today an appreciate where a lot of this music came from … so we’re seeing more early rock and roots artists earning votes in our poll thus far.)

Beds Are Burnin’ – Midnight Oil

Baby Come Back – The Equals  (Eddy Grant also got nominated for “Electric Avenue”)

Baby Don’t Go and The Beat Goes On by Sonny and Cher … artists we NEVER expected to see on our Classic Rock list … yet between these two tracks, they now have 99 points … that ought to be enough to get somebody’s attention!)

Baby Driver by Simon and Garfunkel  (always one of my favorites … but maybe even more popular now, thanks to the movie of the same name released last year)

Baby It’s You by Smith  (out-polled The Beatles’ version 5 to 1)

Back Door Man by The Doors (again, not one you hear every day)

Back Of My Hand by The Jags  (one of our suggested tracks that really took off during this special poll)

Back To The Island by Leon Russell  (one you used to hear by never hear anymore)

Back When My Hair Was Short by Gunhill Road  (now with 28 points, people remember this time-reflective piece and would enjoy hearing it again)

Bad Is Bad by Huey Lewis and the News (one of my favorites by them … and evidently one of your favorites, too … a nice, bluesy feel to a typically very “pop-sounding” band)

Keep those votes coming in … a new ballot will be posted every morning at 5 am Chicago time thru August 19^th!

https://classicrockessentials.blogspot.com/

Tuesday This And That

Concerns about Stevie Wonder’s health were all over the web this past weekend but Stevie has since announced that he is going in for a kidney transplant in September … that he already has a donor … and that, in his words, “it’s all good … it’s all good.”

The 69 year old hit maker has been tearing up the charts since his debut single “Fingertips, Part 2” went to #1 in 1963.  (Stevie was 13 years old at the time!)

Eight other #1 Records followed  (“Superstition,” 1973; “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life,” 1973; “You Haven’t Done Nothin’,” 1974; “I Wish,” 1977; “Sir Duke,” 1977; “Ebony And Ivory” (recorded with Paul McCartney, 1982; “I Just Called To Say I Love You,” 1984 and “Part-Time Lover,” 1985.)

In all, he has made the Billboard Pop Singles Chart 65 times with nine #1’s, 27 Top Ten Hits and 45 Top 40 Hits.  His albums dominated the charts throughout the ‘70’s, during which time he won multiple Grammys for “Innervisions,” “Fullfillingness First Finale” and “Songs In The Key Of Life.”  (He has 25 Grammys in all, including a Lifetime Achievement Award!)

His music is timeless and has often been ground-breaking.  (Incredibly, there was some reluctance on Motown’s part to let Stevie write his own material since Berry Gordy had his own crackerjack team of house writers on staff … but once they finally gave him the chance, his career skyrocketed.  He also wrote major hits for The Spinners, Rufus and Aretha Franklin.)

We wish you a speedy recovery, Stevie … you have been the sunshine of OUR lives for over 55 years … and we love ya, man!  (kk)

How cool to be at London’s Hyde Park concert and see Barbra Streisand bring out her “A Star Is Born” costar Kris Kristofferson to sing “Lost Inside Of You” some 43 years after the film’s release.  (Another surprise guest that evening was Lionel Richie.)  Streisand is coming to Chicago on August 6^th for a show at The United Center.

It’s an exciting time …

Each day now an old ballot comes down and a new ballot goes up …

And that will be the pattern thru August 19^th when the 46^th and final ballot is posted.

(Are you guys hooked yet?)   

We’re getting some GREAT responses … and I am absolutely LOVIN’ some of the surprises.

Just to keep you up to date, here are the results of the Top Ten Vote Getters from Ballot #2 … along with a few other surprises:

Top Ten Vote Getters:

 #1 – American Woman – Guess Who (by a LANDSLIDE!)

 #2 – American Pie – Don McLean

 #3 – Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In – Fifth Dimension  (Yes … America WILL accept this song on your Classic Rock Station!)

 #4 – American Girl – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

 #5 – Already Gone – Eagles

 #6 – And I Love Her – Beatles (scoring MUCH higher than I had expected)

 #7 – And Your Bird Can Sing – Beatles (ditto!)

 #8 – Along Comes Mary – Association (scoring much higher than I had expected)

 #9 - As Tears Go By – Rolling Stones

#10 – At The Hop - Danny and the Juniors (I didn’t expect to see THIS one on this list … but then again maybe Sha Na Na introduced a whole new audience to this tune at Woodstock in 1969!)

Scoring Much Higher Than Expected:

(You’ll find a few surprises on this list)

Almost Saturday Night – Dave Edmunds (folks seem to prefer this cover over the John Fogerty original)

Alone Again Or – Love

American Tune – Paul Simon

And We Danced – Hooters (BOTH nominated Hooters songs did very well in our special ballot voting)

Angry Eyes – Loggins and Messina (one of those that seems to have fallen out of favor … but still a very popular favorite amongst classic rock music fans)

Another Park, Another Sunday – Doobie Brothers (a too-often over-looked Doobie Brothers classic)

Are You Experienced? – Jimi Hendrix

Are You Ready – Pacific Gas and Electric

Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie

At 17 – Janis Ian (another one that seems to have “crossed over” to the classic rock side)

It’s not too late …

Get in on the fun here:  https://classicrockessentials.blogspot.com/

I saw a commercial for Adidas this past weekend that played "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith, loud and clear.  What will all these millennials think of this piece of music? A return on the charts for the song? A torrent of downloads, maybe?

Mike Markesich

Yes, several weeks ago I was in the back room working while Frannie was watching something (it might have been “Fear The Walking Dead”) when I heard the music come on … and I remember thinking “What on EARTH does “Kaiser Bill’s Batman” have to do with The Walking Dead, not realizing at the time that it was a commercial break.

Another one of those that makes you scratch your head … what modern day advertising executive would even been familiar with this song, a #14 Hit in 1967, my favorite year in music.  (Sounded pretty good, ‘tho, didn’t it!!!)  kk

Robert Feder is reporting the latest wave of attention being paid to Steve Dahl’s Disco Demolition at Comiskey Park 40 years ago …

The latest media salutes to the 40th anniversary of Disco Demolition include interviews with Steve Dahl by Daily Herald sports columnist Barry Rozner (here is the link) and Illinois Entertainer media columnist Rick Kaempfer (here is the link). Also just out is a special edition of Brandon Herman’s radio show (here is the link) featuring recollections of that night from Ed Farmer, Dave Logan, Mitch Michaels, Jeff Schwartz and Lorelei Shark. Before a crowd of more than 50,000 at old Comiskey Park on July 12, 1979, Dahl, then a 24-year-old morning host at The Loop, exploded a box of disco records between games at a White Sox double-header. Rowdy fans stormed the field, forcing the White Sox to forfeit their second game.