1970: August 10th – The trial for Jim Morrison of The Doors begins in Miami.Morrison is charged with exposing himself on stage.He is found guilty and the presiding Judge Goodman then sentenced him to six months of hard labor and a $500 fine for public exposure plus six days of hard labor for profanity.Morrison’s lawyer filed an immediate appeal and Jim was freed on $50,000 bond.
Morrison would die in Paris, France a year later (on July 3rd) before this case was resolved.However, in December of 2010, the Florida Clemency Board granted a full pardon.
Meanwhile, here at home ...
So much for my Soft Rock '70's theory ...
The Top 20 this week includes tracks like "War" by Edwin Starr, "Spill The Wine" by Eric Burdon and War, "Cottage Cheese" by Crow, "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago, "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain and "I Want To Take You Higher" by Ike and Tina Turner.
The softer side is also represented, however, by Bread and The Carpenters, who now sit at numbers 3 and 5 with "Make It With You" and "Close To You."
Diana Ross seems to be having much greater success with her second solo single as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" jumps 16 places from #28 to #12. It is a COMPLETE reworking of the Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell song from a couple of years ago, but provides the vocal showcase for Ms. Ross to shine, topping all three of the national charts ... and peaking at #2 here in Chicago on both WCFL and WLS.
"Lookin' Out My Back Door" is up ten places (from #36 to #26) and there's a brand new group making their first appearance on the chart this week as "Candida" premiers at #34 for Dawn.
Finally, Neil Diamond finds himself in competition with himself again as "Cracklin' Rosie" bows at #37. His other hit, "Solitary Man," currently sits ten points higher at #27.
Seems like Summer Fever is breaking out all over right
now!(Hey, we've all had SPRING Fever,
right???So why not Summer Fever?!?!)
In addition to our own Countdown of Summer Favorites
(for which you can still cast your votes thru next Friday, August 14th),
The 60’s Channel on Sirius XM is also polling their audience to determine The
Top 400 Summer Favorites of the ‘60’s.
Scott Shannon will be playing back The Top 200 Favorites
in OUR poll throughout the Labor Day Weekend on The True Oldies Channel (beginning at Noon on
Friday, September 4th, and running straight thru till Midnight on
Labor Day Monday, September 7th.)
Meanwhile, Me-TV-FM has been playing lots of songs from our
list on their annual Summer Of Me feature … and even The Drive is celebrating “The
97 Days Of Summer” this year with all kinds of Summer Favorites.
Catch the fever … and be sure to cast YOUR votes for your
All-Time Summer Favorites!(kk)
And one of those songs that’s scoring very well in our
Summer Favorites Poll happens to be “Brandy” by Looking Glass.(We talked to lead singer Elliot Lurie, who
also wrote this classic, last week and were able to snag a comment for our Top
200 Countdown … but he’s been busy during the pandemic doing his part to help
keep this great song alive.)
First up, a current take of Elliot performing “Brandy”
a cappella with the Yonge Guns Quartet:
(He still sounds GREAT, doesn’t he?!?!)
And then here’s a vintage clip of Looking Glass performing
their #1 Hit on the Kenny Rogers and the First Edition’s “Rollin’ On The River”
television series back in 1972 …
Kent:
Elliot is a terrific guy. Back in the 90s, while I was VP of Programming
for WPLJ-FM in New York, I produced a 70s concert at the Theatre at Madison
Square Garden. Among the artists we tracked down: Elliot Lurie, lead singer and
songwriter of Brandy.At that time
he wasn’t performing, he was a music executive at one of the Hollywood movie
studios. Elliot said it sounds like fun, let me reach out to some of the other
members in Looking Glass. The band was originally from NJ, so I believe some of
the other members were still in the NJ area.
Since they hadn’t performed together in many years, they rehearsed
prior to the gig. When they showed up at sound check, they explained that
they would play and sing live, but they had brought with them a track from the
original recording. They wanted to use just the hook from the recording
to enhance their sound because, if you remember the chorus, it
featured thick layered harmonies of the hook. And they didn’t want
to disappoint the fans, if they couldn’t match it perfectly at the Garden.
It was such a memorable night. I wish we had filmed the
concert. Along with Looking Glass, we had Three Dog Night, Andrew Gold,
Alan O’Day, Rupert Holmes, the Stories, Robert John, Sonny Geraci (Climax &
the Outsiders).
In fact, thanks to Google, I found a picture and story of the NY concert
that you ran in Forgotten Hits in 2013.
OMG,
what a concert that must have been!(Naturally I don’t remember ANYTHING about it … I’ve said before how I’ll
be doing research for a new piece and do a Google search to see what comes up …
and about 80% of the time SOMETHING than ran in Forgotten Hits will be on the
list.It is absolutely UNREAL the volume
of things we’ve covered in the past 21 years!Wish I could have been there for this show.Andrew, Alan and Sonny are all gone now … and
so is Cory Wells from Three Dog Night.What a great television music special that would have made.(kk)
KENT ...
Did You Know That Today Is "INTERNATIONAL
CAT DAY"?
The Seeds were big here in Chicago … where “Pushin’ Too Hard”
went all the way to #1. Leader Sky Saxon
died in 2009. (kk)
In remembering the loss of Jerry Garcia 25 years ago
today, I went back into my own library archives and had this joint interview I
conducted in 1976.
Sending this out to the universe.
I am not a Dead Head ... saw them six times ... but I
really admired Jerry Garcia's commitment to music. And a real groovy interview
subject.
Enjoy.
From one who was there.
HK
Jerry Garcia and Harvey Kubernik
interview 1976
Harvey Kubernik c 2009
Portions appeared in the August 21, 1976,
edition of “Melody Maker.”
Harvey:The West Coast laid the foundation.
Jerry Garcia: I really think the scene
out here created the possibility for Woodstock to happen. The Monterey
International Pop festival. The thing, the activity, music and people. The
set-up was out here.
HK: In a business marked by one-hit
wonders and trends, how do you account for your longevity?
Garcia: We’re serious. One of the things
you could say about all the bands that came from San Francisco at that period
of time was that none of them were very much alike. I think each of us has dealt with it in various
ways. Like, Carlos has developed himself into a spiritual being from a completely
different kind of person. For me, I know what I’m supposed to do, and I’ll do
what I’ll have to do to be able to play. I think almost all the people I’ve
known around this area, involved around the music scene, have been faithful to
that thing.
HK: Was there any added pressure being a
mouthpiece for the community?
Garcia: Everybody knows who they are. No
matter what you read about you in the paper, you know who you are. You don’t
get any special breaks at the gas station. You can either be sucked in by that
stuff, in which case it just eats you, or else just realize there’s a
difference between what you read and who you are.
HK: Didn’t you ever feel you represented
something special to the honest music community?
Garcia: I always did. I think that the
world has changed. I think the United States has changed very visibly in the
last ten years. A lot of it had to do with what happened in San Francisco. I
can’t say how or why, but I also think it’s affected everything?
HK: Like how?
Garcia: Just all the interest in things
like ecology. All the interest in the sense of personal freedom as expressed by
all kinds of movements. All these things were designed to free the human.
Social overtones. All that stuff. The communal spirit.
Bill Graham: That’s the dilemma a
musician has. A musician may think he played a shit set, and the audience out
there is going crazy.
HK: Rock and roll has moved into the big
arenas. Was that the logical extension from the Fillmore and even the ballroom
circuit?
Graham: You can’t get any bigger, Man has
reached the largest securable facility. The reason Woodstocks don’t work is
that you can’t put up walls. You can put cement around a stadium. Okay, if you
want a couple of hundred thousand people, there are no facilities that
large except for cocker. It’s been proven that if you can put up a fence to
contain 450,000 people, how do you stop the other 200,000?
HK: Have you always liked playing live?
You strike me as a workaholic.
Garcia: I like the live experience.
That’s where it counts. That’s when music is real. It’s real in that situation.
That’s the situation that I feel I have the greatest sense of personal
responsibility about. I don’t mind putting out a bad record, but I really hate
a bad concert. That really is depressing.
HK: You get into other musical avenues
with solo projects away from the Grateful Dead. Has there ever been any
conflict or compromise in doing a tune for the Dead or keeping it for future
solo endeavors?
Garcia: It’s not judgmental. You can’t
deal with it in a yes/no kind of fashion. For example, my band is a band that
could best be described as consonance and harmony. Conceptually, everybody in
the band thinks pretty similarity. In the Grateful dead it’s a situation in
which almost no two people have the same conception musically; which makes it
harder. Nobody gets their way. However, what we all respect about that
situation is that there is a potential of a larger central viewpoint which none
of us, individually, are capable of perceiving, but which we all add to because
of the diversity and the conflict.
HK: Did you ever think ten years ago that
the Grateful Dead would get beyond the ballroom circuit and that rock and roll
would be presented in baseball stadiums?
Garcia: When the Acid Tests were happening,
I personally felt “In three months from now the whole world will be involved in
this.’ So, as far as I’m concerned, it’s been slow and disappointing. Why isn’t
this paradise already?(laughs). My personal feeling has been one of waiting
around.
HK: Being an elder statesman in the rock
and roll world, how long do you feel you can continue the hectic pace, touring
deadlines?
Garcia:I’ve learned that it requires a certain discipline for me personally.
And I know I’ll approach it in a certain way. I’ll definitely burn out, and I
wouldn’t survive a tour, for example. For me, it’s a matter of surviving. This
is the set of givens. You’re gonna be in airports, motels, exposed to any
number of strange drugs, strange experiences, intensity of this sort, and so forth.
Within that framework how do you stay even? What you do is learn so it becomes
a thing of pace, vitamin C, protein. You try and stay alive. That’s a
fundamental problem. I’m just the sort of person who deals with things on that
level. Once I know things what I have to cope with, it’s just a matter of
adjustment. I just hate personal failure, being on stage and going through the
changes and playing bad because I’m either not well, tired, too stoned,
whatever. To me it’s an aversion therapy thing. It’s the reason I’ve been
able to survive.
HK: Jerry, do you have high and low
points that you best remember looking back over the last ten years?
Garcia: Well, I can get into that real
easy. The worst for use and for me personally was Woodstock. The ultimate
calamity. First of all, we were really stupid in the way we dealt with it. It
was raining and we went on just after it got dark. There was maximum confusion
going on, sound logistics. Really weird. Plus I was high, of course. And I went
on stage in a state of confusion. Huge crowds of people over the stage. The
stage had sheet metal and stuff on it, it’s wet, and I’m getting incredible
shocks from my guitar. Pretty soon I started hallucinating ball of electricity
rolling across the stage jumping off my guitar. Meanwhile, all the little
citizen band radios and walkie talkies and things with the amplifiers so
there’s weird voices coming out of the amplifiers. It’s dark, and you don’t see
any audience, but you know there’s 400,000 people out there. Then somebody
leans over across the stage, since everyone is ganged up, and says the stage is
about to collapse. I’m standing there in the middle of this trying to play
music. Then they turn on the lights, and the lights are a mile away. Monster
super troopers. Totally blinding, and you can’t see anything at all. Here’s
this energy and everything is horribly out of tune, ‘cause it’s all wet, damp
and humid. It was just a disaster. It was humbling (laughs).
Kent -
Regarding my previous email to you about the
music in the background on that commercial concerning google ... I have seen it
again and the background music is Nappy Brown's SHUT THAT DOOR. I swear,
though, that the first notes of the commercial could be the same notes from
Buchanan and Goodman's FLYING SAUCER (Part I). But Nappy Brown's SHUT THAT
DOOR? Come on now. How did they or anyone choose that song for the background?
Larry Neal
No clue … I couldn’t even find that track on iTunes to
listen to it!And it never made the
pop charts … so how many people even know what this song is?!?!Amazing … but still pretty cool our they’re
keeping our music alive.(I still haven’t
seen this commercial yet … but am keeping an eye out for it!)
UPDATE:After a little more digging, I’m thinking it’s actually “Open Up That Door,” not SHUT The
Door.It still never charted pop … or
R&B either for that matter … but I was able to find it on YouTube … and I
agree that the beginning sounds like the start of “The Flying Saucer” record …
which it very well could be since EVERYTHING on that record was “sampled” from
other records.
And while searching for this, I came across THIS
amazing clip … of The World’s Most Famous Unknown Band …
Check out these players, most of whom are best known
for SINGING their hit songs … who knew they could all play like this when they
decided to cut loose?!?!
Ray Stevens, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, Lee Greenwood,
Barbara and Irlene Mandrell, Jerry Reed, Ricky Skaggs … amazing!(kk)
Kent,
I just now saw on television a new commercial
(at least I've never seen it before). It was for a type of coffee, I believe.
Again, I was paying more attention to the music in the background than the
product itself. However, the announcer was telling about the coffee in the way
that Eddie Lawrence did the novelty record (Coral) in 1956 THE OLD PHILOSOPHER.
Larry
So much of what we watch these days is either on cable or
the streaming services that I don’t see commercials the way I used to.(This is ESPECIALLY true in the summertime
when there’s very little network stuff on worth watching.)
I remember countless radio commercials over the years that
capitalized on the style of “The Old Philospher” (#33, 1956) … kinda cool to
hear that resurrected again!(It
definitely sticks with you!)kk
>>>John Records Landecker will be filling in for
Bob Sirott next week on WGN Radio(kk)
As you know, I LOVE WGN radio. Their
nighttime shows were awesome before baseball came back into their
schedule. Don't get me wrong … I grew up listening to Harry Carey on KMOX
in St. Louis and Cardinals baseball (even ‘tho I’m a lifetime Braves fan) and
always used "last year's" baseball cards in my bicycle tire spokes to
make that motorcycle sound. "So long, 1963 Hank Aaron, I'll soon
have 1964 cards."
Still, today, WGN is great for their hometown
live talk feel. Sunday nights were fun when Rollye James replaced Rick
Cogan for a while and now, Rick never came back, so I’m hoping he's ok.
Instead, they have a MUSIC show on now. Have we gone full circle
now? It's big band-like stuff, but it's a MUSIC show. ON WGN!??
Maybe John can swing an old 60's/70's rejuvenation of the Boogie Check days at
WGN nights? I sure hope so!
Feeling the pain of losing Wayne Fontana
today. IF he never did another song besides "Game of Love," he
would be legendary. That song is SOOOO cool! I'm gonna say his 4th
US single and last ever with the Mindbenders, "She Needs Love" is my
next favorite ... it may not be as rocking, but there is such a nice, lush
sound to it. I first recorded it off WLS in 66 and wondered why it was
never a hit.
As to the Chubby Checker ABCKO set, it looks
really cool. We had the Twist 45 and LP as kids. Still frustrated
that the Flippers 45 on Cameo is never on these various ABCKO sets.
As I work towards downsizing my record
collection, I can share a photo of my sorting process the past few weeks.
I am sorting my 45s by alphabetical artist names. I just got ALL of my
"E" records together to sort next week. This is the easiest
letter yet, as it is only 4+ boxes. Most, I could not sort at one time on
my desk.
The 45 in orange and black in the lower left
stack was a real oddity for me to see. I have no idea how I got it, but
it is the Eagles' Christmas 45 reissued in the 1990 era! How odd.
Altho "Desperado" was never a 45
originally, I found a gold standard 45 with it on it! How cool!
Clark Besch
Dear Kent,
I remember listening to John Records Landecker's final retirement
radio program a few years back, so it will be great having him sub for his
friend, Bob Sirott!!!
Enjoyed your information on Chubby Checker and the 60th anniversary
of "The Twist."I still have
my original 45 from 1960 with a white label and I still have my Chubby LP with
the checkers cover. That was the rage of the age and people are still
twisting!
I know Landecker is in the Hall of Fame but is Bob Sirott??
Keep up the FANTASTIC work!!!
Carolyn
Not to my knowledge, no … but with his background, he should
be in the BROADCASTERS Hall Of Fame … what a career this guy has had! (kk)
You’ll find some GREAT stories via this link … well worth
checking out:
There
seems to be a lot of attention being paid to this visit of late … we’ve seen two
or three other recent pieces … but this one is exceptionally good.(You’ve got to wonder where they’re still
finding some of this stuff after all these years!)
We
covered George’s visit briefly in our “Who Played The Beatles Record First In
America” several years ago … but this one’s got a whole lot more info.(Frannie and I saw that “welcome sign” a
couple of years ago when we were driving to Nashville … VERY cool!)kk
And,
speaking of The Beatles, I had this conversation with FH Reader Chuck Buell last
week after he sent me this Beatles photo run …
Hey, Kent!
Chuck Buell here behind my Mask!
Thought you might enjoy this updated Abbey Road
Album Cover!
Wish I could take credit for manipulating it, but
in this case, No!
CB ( which stands for "Chuck BeatleBoy!"
)
Actually, I ran this photo a few weeks ago (albeit in black
and white as that’s the way I received it)
I still like the social distancing one that came out a
couple of weeks into the pandemic where they’re all stepping outside the
crosswalk!
OK ... Your ERA is Black and White!
Can you still adjust the Vertical and
Horizontal controls on your TV set?
What?! You also have a third knob for
"Contrast!"
Wow.
{:~}
Oh no … we were TOTALLY state of the art in the ‘60’s …
We had one of those 3/color clear plastic screens that went
over the tv to show blue skies, pink faces and green grass -
Worked perfectly for about ten minutes a week of Bonanza!(kk)
HA! We had one too! SO distracting!
We all
hoped it worked this good!
Maybe that was Lucy's reaction after she realized she
too had been Bamboozled!
That flexible tri-color plastic screen was about
six - seven years after "Winky Dink's" plastic screen!
("Did you put the plastic screen over the
TV Screen so you don't draw all over the TV?!"You can't get those marks off
otherwise!" Mom would say. )
"Happy Days," indeed!
CB
Well, Grandma had plastic on the chairs and sofa -
Might as well cover the v screen too!(kk)
Oh my gosh! Hard, and Thick and CLEAR!
And a bit noisy, too.
CB
Thankfully, I was just a young lad at the time.In fact, I chose to sit on the floor! (Can you imagine having sex on top of the plastic seat
covers?You thought rug burns were bad!!!Stick to this stuff and you’ll actually tear
of layers of skin!!!And probably in
areas that you don’t want to talk about!)kk
And, before I forget ... here's one more great Beatles photo … a new one from Mike
Wolstein …
John Records Landecker will be
filling in for Bob Sirott next week on WGN Radio.The two offered up a TREMENDOUS one-two punch
at WLS, The Big 89, back in the early ‘70’s … and word has it that MIGHT
consider this to be a bit of an “audition” … if things go well, Landecker may
find himself back on the radio here in Chicago hosting evenings for the
station.
Let’s hope all of this can be worked
out.(Is there another Boogie Check in
YOUR future???)kk
>>>It was 54
years ago this week … It was July 29th that I walked over to the local TV/Radio
repair shop. They also sold records and I picked up these two surveys.
From there, my life began a downhill slide from which I may never recover.
Because of this
addiction, I would meet some dude named Kent Kotal, about 13 years later.
Somewhere in that same time period, maybe earlier, I would meet FH member Mike
Wolstein. Of course, later on, I have
met, or at least conversed with, many other FH members.This all because of a fateful Friday
afternoon walk with a friend of mine to that TV repair place. Who knew what
course of events would have been different?(Jack Levin)
Jack,
I am surprised you
started on surveys so much later than me, but glad you picked when the Cryan’
Shames were peaking! The Shames had two top summer 45s in a row with
"Sugar & Spice" and "It Could be We're in Love" along
with "Young Birds Fly" doing ok in ‘68 as well locally.
Surveys are indeed addictive, especially if you lived for finding new stations
and charts all the time like I did. It was great to meet YOU a few years
ago, too!
The period of the
surveys you sent in are just the best time for Chicago rockers. LOTS of
local talent making the surveys.
Clark Besch
I was a bit surprised to hear that
you picked up the survey habit so late in life, too … especially since you are
SOOOO much older than me!(lol)
I can pinpoint my discovering WLS
and The Silver Dollar Survey to the end of May, 1964 … but onlybecause I clearly remember the #1 record that
week being “Little Children” by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, which topped
the ‘LS chart for two weeks at the end of May.I became a faithful daily listener from that day forward … and by early
1965 was picking up surveys on my way home from school every week.(Conveniently at both my junior high and my
high school, a record shop was located just a block or two out of the way on my
walk home … so in early 1965 I was picking up the WLS chart as well as The Top
Tunes Of Greater Chicagoland Chart, soon to be replaced by the WCFL Survey in
1966 … so I had a good year and half head start on you!And I STILL love reliving them now every time
we run a copy in Forgotten Hits!(kk)
Hi Kent,
Going through some stuff and found this photo from when I
was working at WCFL, guiding its transition back to music in 1980.
Left to right in the WCFL music library, Program Director
David Martin, who I was lucky enough to hire away from WFYR, me, 1962 Miss
World (and Mrs. Chubby Checker) Rina Evans, and Chubby Checker.
Ed Salamon
FH Reader Tom Cuddy sent me this
link to a review of a concert The Beach Boys just did in Lincoln, Nebraska, at
The Pinewood Bowl in the midst of the pandemic …
Frequent
FH Contributor Clark Besch, who lives in Lincoln, but did NOT go to the
concert, sent us the same link … along with this comment …
We did not go, but the Beach Boys opened the Covid-era concert
events yesterday here in Lincoln. The distancing and masks and such must
have been fairly safe, it looks like. Instead of a tribute to George
Harrison, "Wouldn't it be nice" if they had done a tribute to Emitt
Rhodes, their fellow performer from their home of Hawthorne?
Clark
Hey,
The Beach Boys played “Rockaway Beach” by The Ramones!!!Who would have ever figured on that?!?!
(About
thirty Beach Boys tunes … AND “Rockaway Beach” … have been nominated in our
latest poll to determine your All-Time Favorite Summer Songs.
The
final voting deadline is NEXT FRIDAY, August 14, one week from today … so get
YOUR votes in here pronto … and then watch for the winners list … along with a
special True Oldies Channel “Last Blast Of Summer” Weekend come Labor Day!(kk)
Tom also sent me a link to a brand
new interview with Paul McCartney, done by Dylan Jones for GQ Magazine.It is described as “his most candid interview
yet” … and there may be something to that!(When one considers the tens our thousands of interviews McCartney has
done over the years, this is really saying something … but they cover a lot of
ground here and Macca offers up perhaps some more “truthful” answers to some to
the questions and topics that come up along the way.
You can read the whole interview
here:
(I’ve been looking for a physical
copy of the magazine as this one’s a “keeper” … but haven’t found one yet.Like record shops, there seem to be fewer and
fewer bookstores around these days … carrying FAR less magazines than they did
in the old days.Even our nearest Barnes
and Nobles has closed since the pandemic hit.)
Speaking of Paul McCartney, I dug
out the soundtrack to his “Give My Regards To Broad Street” film to listen in
the car the other day.(I know what
you’re thinking … “Kent, why do you torture yourself so?”) … but despite the
fact that it is a God-Awful film (almost unwatchable in some places), the soundtrack
album is really quite good.
The new material (really only a
couple of new songs … the rest are remakes of some Beatles, Wings and solo
classic … everything from “Yesterday” and “The Long And Winding Road” to “Silly
Love Songs” to tracks from his recent “comeback” albums, “Tug Of War” and
“Pipes Of Peace.”
But the REAL treat here is that
Macca virtually redoes nearly all of his contributions (save “Got To Get You
Into My Life”) to The Beatles’ “Revolver” album, voted by many as the best
album The Beatles ever did.
I wonder what the reasoning was for
this.By 1984, McCartney had toured the
world again several times over … so could have included all of these songs as
part of his various stage shows over the years … but this nearly 20 year look
back )the film was released in 1984) at some of Paul’s finest music ever may
just be a case of these songs being among HIS very favorites of all time,
too.(There is NO doubt that Paul was in
the zone here … “For No One,” “Here, There And Everywhere,” “Good Day Sunshine”
and an unnecessarily long and extended version of “Eleanor Rigby” are about as
good as it gets when it comes to ‘60’s classics!)
Either way, it was a nice
rediscovery for me … and I’ve got to say that Paul’s voice sounds every bit as
pleasant as it did when he first sang and recorded these songs some 20 years
earlier.(kk)
And, speaking of “Revolver,” THIS
article hit our mailbox the very next day …
Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Jenny
Boyd (Jennifer Juniper), Peter Asher, Jeremy Clyde, Billy J. KramerDonovan,
Klaus Voorman, Fred Kelly (The Beatles Fan Club President!), , former Wings
members Steve Holley and Laurence Juber, Gregg Bissonette (drummer from Ringo’s
All-Starr Band) and many, many more …
Including a live performance by
Liverpool from Daryl’s House …
Famed Beatles authors and historians
like Mark Lewisohn, Jud Southerland Kessler, Bruce Spizer, Wally Podrazik and
at least a dozen more …
A massive Beatles Marketplace,
Beatles Memorabilia Exhibit and Art Museum …
A booth of Sirius XM jocks from The
Beatles Channel …
And SO much more.
$44 gets you in for everything!
Chicago's #1 Beatles fan Terri Hemmet will be handling the MC responsibilities over the festivities once again, just as she has done since the very first Beatlefest was held here in 1977!
That piece you shared last week on Emitt Rhodes was the BEST of
everyone's I think. Thanks so much. I loved it!
Clark Besch
It
was VERY well done … and heartfelt.(Here’s the link again in case you missed it):
His release of a new CD in 2016 of songs that seem to be as old
as 1980 in some cases, STILL was enough to allow him to make a record
deal.
I was one of many who put money in a "go fund me"
thing just to get the money for him to release the CD! He must have said “I
am not signing ANY contract with anyone!”
Clark Besch
Hey,
I kicked in for it, too, just because I wanted to hear something new by the guy
… ANYTHING new, really.While you liked
the new CD more than I did, there are three or four tracks that have grown on
me since those first few listens … but still hardly worth waiting 40 years
for!!! Like I said before, I don’t want
HIS negative attitude on life to create a negative attitude in ME toward his
music … but I hold it in the highest regard.Seriously, watching that documentary is a REAL downer!!! (kk)
ABKCO Records is re-releasing Chubby’s original “Twist” album along with
a series of “bonus tracks” in honor of the 60th Anniversary of “The
Twist” first reaching the #1 position in Billboard Magazine on September 24th,
1960.
The record kicked off a dance craze sensation like nothing else we had
ever seen before.It remains the ONLY
record to top The Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart TWICE when it was rereleased a year
and a half later as the “older generation” hipsters caught on to the craze and
started packing the discotheques to get THEIR groove on.(The original release of “The Twist” in July
of 1960 topped all three major trade publications, holding on to the #1 spot
for four weeks in Cash Box, two in Music Vendor and one in Billboard.A year later, Chubby recorded “Let’s Twist
Again” as a follow up … and it went to #3.Then, in November of 1961, Cameo/Parkway rereleased the original … and
it went to #1 AGAIN … to even GREATER stats:#1 in Cash Box for four weeks, #1 in Music Vendor for three weeks and #1
in Billboard for two weeks.)NO other
record has ever had this kind of unanimous success on the charts … and yet
Chubby’s STILL not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.(But that’s a rant for another day!)His SONG is in … but he’s not.(Chubby continues to performed to packed
houses to this day … and looks half his age up there, twistin’ the night away!)“The Twist” remains the biggest record of The
Rock Era, thanks to this unprecedented … and unmatched … achievement.(kk)
“THE TWIST” at 60 CELEBRATED WITH PHYSICAL RELEASES OF ORIGINAL TWIST
WITH CHUBBY CHECKER ALBUM + NEW DANCIN’ PARTY: THE CHUBBY
CHECKER COLLECTION (1960 – 1966) + “THE TWIST” 7” EP
PLUS CDS FORTHCOMING FOR
YOU CAN’T SIT DOWN: CAMEO PARKWAY DANCE CRAZES 1958 – 1964and
YOU GOT THE POWER: CAMEO PARKWAY NORTHERN SOUL 1964 – 1967
ABKCO Records has announced a celebration of the 60th anniversary
of “The Twist,” Chubby Checker and the legendary Cameo Parkway labels with
commemorative releases September 25th. The definitive Twist With
Chubby Checker album has been remastered and will be made available
for the first time on vinyl since the 1960s this September. The date dovetails
with the 60th anniversary of “The Twist” having first reached
#1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 on September 24, 1960. A special 45 rpm 7” vinyl of
“The Twist” with two B-sides will also be available along with the physical
editions of the new, definitive Dancin’ Party: The Chubby Checker
Collection (1960 – 1966) on both CD and LP. Dancin’
Party collects twenty-one
tunes that includes seventeen Top 40 hits, twelve of which hit the Top 20;
seven hit the Top 10 with two going to #1, including the pinnacle recording of
“The Twist,” a single that two trips to the top.
Twist With Chubby Checker has also been
remastered for a digital release, with the single for “The Pony” available
immediately to stream and as an “instant grat” track with pre-orders of Twist
With Chubby Checker.
CD versions of two other newly compiled Cameo Parkway sets, You
Got The Power: Cameo Parkway Northern Soul 1964 -1967 and You
Can’t Sit Down: Cameo Parkway Dance Crazes 1958 – 1964 are also being
made available on September 25.
In Summer of 1960 “The Twist” was released and first hit
the Billboard chart on August 1st, sixty years ago this week.
The tune raced to the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 on September 24th a
matter of weeks later. Most remarkably, after the song was re-released in
late 1961, it again arrived at the #1 spot on January 13, 1962, making “The
Twist” the first record to occupy the #1 slot in two different run-ups, a
feat unequaled to this day. The first release of the single in 1960 included
“Toot” on the flip side and the 1961 version carried “Twistin’ USA” on its
B-side. In recognition of that singular achievement the newly remastered
version of “The Twist” EP includes both “Toot” and “Twistin’ USA.”
At the 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland,
a new class was inducted, this time in recognition of their respective impact
on music and culture. First among these in terms of cultural and commercial
transcendence was “The Twist” by Chubby Checker. Steven Van Zandt had the honor
of inducting “The Twist,” recalling the song would, “along with The Pill, Hugh
Hefner’s Playboy philosophy and Helen Gurley Browns’ ‘Sex and the Single Girl,’
be credited with starting the sexual revolution.”
When Billboard
celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Hot 100 singles chart in
2008, “The Twist” was declared the number one song of that half century
span. That designation was bestowed on the record again in 2013 and
2015 and, yet again, when The Hot 100’s 60th year was
observed. Each time, “The Twist” held on to the top spot among over
27,000 individual titles by more than 7,500 artists. “The Twist” by
Chubby Checker is in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress
and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame more than 20 years ago. In
its own time, “The Twist” was recognized by the Recording Academy as the Best
Rock & Roll Recording at the 1961 Grammy™ Awards.
Concurrent with the massive success of “The Twist,” Cameo
Parkway became one of the industry’s most successful independent companies on
par, in that era, with Motown. It accrued a vast artist roster with a
strong emphasis on dance-oriented hits and its shares were even traded on the
American Stock Exchange, a first for a record label. Checker’s initial
follow-up, “Let’s Twist Again” was emblematic of this as were his many other
dance floor and chart successes which are all collected on Dancin’ Party: The Chubby Checker Collection (1960 –
1966).
You Can't Sit Down: Cameo Parkway Dance Crazes 1958
-1964, features well known dance repertoire by the full spectrum
of Cameo Parkway stars, among whom are The Orlons, The Dovells, Dee Dee Sharp,
Bobby Rydell, The Applejacks and others along with Chubby Checker. Highlights
are seven Top 10 hits including The Orlons’ “Wah-Watusi,” Dee Dee Sharp’s
“Mashed Potato Time,” “The Bristol Stomp” and “You Can’t Sit Down” by The
Dovells, “Slow Twistin’” by Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp as well as Bobby
Rydell’s “Cha Cha Cha” plus sixteen more. As with the Dancin’
Party, You Can’t Sit Down includes liner notes by British music
historian and author John Broven, author of Record Makers and Breakers (University
of Illinois Press).
You Got The Power: Cameo
Parkway Northern Soul 1964 -1967,
a more specialized set, highlights the fact that numerous Cameo Parkway singles
would go on to become part of the soundtrack of Britain’s Northern Soul
lifestyle phenomenon. Northern Soul’s emphasis was on obscure yet danceable
records, a number of which became the focus of a cult-like worship years after
they were first issued. Singles by Frankie Beverly & The Butlers,
Bunny Sigler, The Orlons, Evie Sands, Candy and the Kisses, Christine Cooper
and Eddie Holman are highlights of the 20-track collection. The set
includes liner notes by Ady Croasdell, DJ-founder of London’s 6Ts
Rhythm ‘N’ Soul Club, home of Britain’s longest-running Northern Soul night.
ABKCO’s September 25
Cameo Parkway releases
Twist with Chubby Checker (Remastered) – vinyl and digital
1. Twistin' U.S.A.
2. The "Ooh
Poo Pah Doo" Shimmy
3. The "C.C. Rider" Stroll
4. The Strand
5. The Chicken
6. The Hucklebuck
7. The
Twist
8. The
Madison
9. “Love Is Strange”
Calypso
10. The “Mexican Hat”
Twist
11. The Slop
12. The Pony
The Twist(Remastered)7’’
EP and digital
1. The Twist
2. Toot
3. Twistin’
U.S.A.
Dancin’ Party -
The Chubby Checker Collection: 1960 - 1966 – CD
1. The
Twist **
2. The Hucklebuck
3. Pony
Time**
4. Dance The Mess Around
5. Let's Twist Again **
6. The
Fly **
7. Dancin' Party
8. Slow Twistin'
**
9. Popeye
The Hitchhiker **
10. Limbo
Rock **
11. Let's Limbo Some More
12. Twist It Up (single version)
13. Birdland (single version)
14. What Do Ya Say!
15. Loddy Lo
16. Hooka Tooka
17. Hey, Bobba Needle
18. Lazy Elsie Molly
19. (At The) Discotheque
20. You Just Don't Know (What You Do To Me)
21. Hey You! Little Boo-Ga-Loo
**DENOTE CHARTS IN TOP TEN
You Can't Sit Down: Cameo Parkway Dance Crazes 1958-1964 –
CD
1. The Twist - Chubby Checker
2. The Wah-Watusi - The Orlons
3. Bristol Stomp - The Dovells
4. Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee
Sharp
5. You Can't Sit Down - The Dovells
6. The Third House (In From The Right)
- Bobby Rydell
7. Do The Bird - Dee Dee Sharp
8. Slow Twistin' - Chubby Checker
w/Dee Dee Sharp
9. Shimmy Shimmy - The Orlons
10. The 81 - Candy And The Kisses
11. (Everybody Do) The Swim, Pt 1-
The Marlins
12. The Popeye Waddle - Don Covay
13. Do The New Continental - The
Dovells
14. Baby, Do The Froog - Dardenelles
15. Rocka-Conga - The Applejacks
16. The Hucklebuck- Chubby Checker
17. The Mash - Tom Young & The
Hippies
18. Mexican Hat Rock - The
Applejacks
19. The Cha-Cha-Cha - Bobby Rydell
20. When You Dance - The Turbans
21. Everybody South Street - The
Taffys
22. Twistin' U.S.A. - Chubby Checker
You
Got The Power: Cameo Parkway Northern Soul 1964-1967 – CD
1. You Got The Power - The Four Exceptions
2. Because Of My Heart - Frankie Beverly & The Butlers
3. (Whoa, Whoa) I Love Him So - Nikki Blu
4. Girl Don't Make Me Wait - Bunny Sigler
5. It's Rough Out There - Jerry Jackson
6. Envy (In My Eyes) - The Orlons
7. Picture Me Gone - Evie Sands
8. Country Girl - Vickie Baines
9. Night Owl - Bobby Paris
10. Village Of Tears - Ben Zine
11. You Just Don't Know (What You Do To Me) -
Chubby Checker
12. The 81 - Candy And The Kisses
13. Shake And Shingaling (Part 1) - Gene
Waiters
14. S.O.S. (Heart In Distress) - Christine
Cooper
15. Eddie's My Name - Eddie Holman
16. Pass Me By - Hattie Winston
17. The Grass (Will Sing For You) - Lonnie
Youngblood
18. (Your Love Was Just A) False Alarm - Tari Stevens
19. Who Do You Think You Are - The Soul City
20. You Didn't Say A Word - Yvonne Baker
More praise for Harvey Kubernik’s
new book “Docs That Rock, Music That Matters” …
Dr. James Cushing, Cal
Poly San Luis Obispo, English and Literature professor (ret.), writes
"Rock is the gift of sound and vision, and Harvey Kubernik's Docs That Rock is the essential guide to the history of rock on film.
Kubernik's been doing his homework on this subject for fifty years; he knew
everyone, spoke to everyone, and got them to tell stories they never told
anyone else. We learn how Steve Binder made The T.A.M.I. Show happen in 1964 and helped save Elvis' career in 1968;
we hear Murray Lerner giving the details of filming Hendrix at the Isle of Wight in 1970, and we even dig into
the backstory of Shindig! Perfect for film and cultural
studies classes, Docs That Rock gives a rich context to movies
you thought you knew all about." Roger Steffens, author and Reggae scholar, wrote
"Not only does Kubernik reveal his choices for the greatest music films of
all time, but he gives us the background, challenges, discoveries and
excitement inherent in these visual treasures, taking us into the dressing
rooms, the cutting rooms, the theaters and the auditoriums, speaking with the
prime creators of the form. An absolute must-read for anyone who loves popular
music and its secret histories." And photographer Heather Harris writes "The
studios, the music companies and Madison Avenue pay big bucks for intellectual
understanding of their products. What these products represent … helps sell the
singularity of them in crowded realms. Harvey can toss off these split-second
analyses about every other sentence in casual conversation and even make you
laugh at the same time with some heretofore never imagined juxtapositions. So
imagine the glorious outcome of his concerted research efforts added to his
extraordinary insights about music and film. Harvey's books are the unique
culmination of both in whatever topic he addresses." Author and music historian Harvey Kubernik
served as Consulting Producer on the 2010 documentary Troubadors, directed by Morgan Neville, and this year Harvey
served as a Consultant on the Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time documentary directed by Alison Ellwood, which
debuted in May on the EPIX/MGM television channel. With rock, pop and
soul-oriented documentaries appearing on streaming platforms, and with DVD and
Blu Ray releases more popular than ever, Harvey Kubernik's Docs
That Rock, Music That Matters in-depth
exploration of the music documentary world is both fashionable and fascinating. Visit the Otherworld Cottage Books and DVD catalog to learn more about "Docs
That Rock, Music That Matters," or view its Table of Contents. To stay up-to-date on Harvey's many
ongoing and entertaining activities, visit Kubernik's Korner.
This just in …
British Invasion Rocker Wayne Fontana has died of
cancer.He was 74.
Fronting The Mindbenders in 1965, Fontana scored a #1
hit with “Game Of Love.”And then The
Mindbenders (led by future 10cc star Eric Stewart) went on to have another one
without him … when “A Groovy Kind Of Love” topped the charts the following
year.(Talk about your Two-Hit
Wonders!!!BOTH records went to
#1?!?!There can’t be too many artists that
can make THAT claim!!!)
Born Glyn Geoffery Ellis in 1945, he took the stage
name Wayne Fontana inspired by Elvis’ drummer, D.J. Fontana.(The fact that the band’s records were
released here in America on the Fontana record label is just another one of
life’s happy coincidences.)kk
Guitarist Steve Holland, founding member of Molly
Hatchet who had the big Classic Rock Hit “Flirtin’ With Disaster” in 1980, passed
away last week, too.Steve was the last
surviving original member of the band.(kk)
Much like Elton John has been doing, The Who have
launched a new live concert series featuring some of their most famous
appearances over the years.
The whole thing kicks off THIS WEEKEND … and their
calling it “Join Together @ Home” …streaming worldwide on their own YouTube Channel …
THE WHO LAUNCH "JOIN TOGETHER @ HOME" …
A SERIES OF SPECIAL PERFORMANCES, STREAMING WORLDWIDE
EXCLUSIVELY ON YOUTUBE
Available digitally for the first time, this six-part
weekly series will feature some of the band’s most
memorable performances,including
previously unseen footage!
Set a tune-in reminder for the series
Premiere on Saturday August 8th at 10am PT / 1pm ET /
6pm UK
Commencing this weekend, The Who,
in collaboration with YouTube will launch a six-week celebration of their
incredible live performances.
The weekly series, entitled “Join
Together @ Home” on the band’s official YouTube channel, starts this Saturday (August 8th)
at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm UK. Each featurette — available digitally for the
first time — will appear as a YouTube Premiere, streaming live and rarely
seen footage, mini videos and special screen footage, culminating with a
performance from a previously unreleased show.
The series launches this weekend
with five live tracks from The Who’s 1982 Shea Stadium, New York show. This
will be introduced with an exclusive "red carpet" premiere clip
from Roger Daltrey.“Join Together @
Home” is in partnership with The Who and Eagle Rock Entertainment and will
stream exclusively on YouTube. “Join Together @ Home” is free to view, but
fans are encouraged to donate to co-beneficiaries Teenage Cancer Trust and
Teen Cancer America – directly via the link provided on the YouTube page
www.join-together.org
As Patron of both charities, Roger
Daltrey, along with his partner, Pete Townshend, has raised much needed
awareness and funds to help support young people with cancer, both in the UK
and the US. He has been the driving force behind Teenage Cancer Trust’s
iconic comedy and music shows, held at the Royal Albert Hall for the last 20
years.
Teenage Cancer Trust has always
had incredible support from the music industry and relies on donations but
due to Coronavirus, saw essential income generating activity, like the Royal
Albert Halls shows, cancelled. With income estimated to drop by as much as
half this year; the charity needs to raise £5m to maintain frontline services
so events like “Join Together @ Home” are more important than ever.
With Teen Cancer America
fundraising events also cancelled, they face a shortfall and need your help
more than ever. Your donation can help to continue improving the lives and
outcomes of teens and young adults with cancer. Nearly 90,000 adolescents and
young adults face a cancer diagnosis every year in America, and every hour another
young life is lost. The Coronavirus is not just impacting fundraising, but
increasing the risks for immunocompromised cancer patients, and adding to the
growing burden of hospitals and caregivers.
As you have faced the
inconvenience of isolation these past months, please think of the many
teenage cancer patients who are in the fight of their lives. Follow your
local guidelines, stay safe, relax and watch The Who, and do one of the most
important things you can do today, donate to help teens facing cancer.
What: The Who “Join Together @ Home”
special footage #THEWHO #WITHME When: Series kicks off Saturday 8th
August, 2020 at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET / 6 pm UK Where: Streaming exclusively on The Who’s
Official YouTube Channel
About YouTube Premieres
YouTube Premieres is a feature that lets artists and their teams build
anticipation and create a unique moment around a music video release on
YouTube. The feature transforms the way fans view and engage with content by
creating an event where fans and artists directly engage and enjoy the
experience together in an interactive way. Premieres radically change how
music video content is released, turning the watching experience into a
communal moment.
About Teenage Cancer Trust
Cancer isn’t stopping for Coronavirus and neither is Teenage Cancer Trust.
The charity has launched an urgent fundraising appeal to raise £5 million to
maintain its frontline services. Donate today: www.teenagecancertrust.org/donate
. Every day, seven
young people in the UK aged 13 to 24 hear the words "you have
cancer". Teenage Cancer Trust puts young people in the best possible
place, physically, mentally and emotionally, for their cancer treatment and
beyond. We do it through our expert nurses, support teams, and hospital units.
And we're the only UK charity dedicated to providing this specialized nursing
care and support. Teenage Cancer Trust is a registered charity: 1062559
(England & Wales), SC039757
About Teen Cancer America
Teen Cancer America seeks to bridge the gap between paediatric and adult
oncology care by helping the health providers and health systems develop
specialized programs and facilities for this age group. TCA brings together
physicians and allied healthcare professionals in both paediatric and adult oncology.
Age-targeted care for this population is necessary for medical and
appropriate psychosocial development. Outcomes associated with some cancers
that target this age group have not improved in over 30 years. Teens and
young adults with cancer are long overdue for an upgrade and TCA can
hopefully light the fire in America’s health systems. For more information,
contact Michelle Aland michelle@teencanceramerica.org or visit
www.teencanceramerica.org.
elping Out Our
Readers:
Kent,
There has been a
commercial running on network television now for about 2-3 weeks and I am not
sure, but I believe the product is Google.
Anyway, the music
playing in the background is an instrumental from the fifties. I say
instrumental, because I believe that the vocal has been deleted out.
One might believe it
is from Buchanan And Goodman's few seconds from THE FLYING SAUCER STORY (Part
I), or a Big Joe Turner tune or possible Nappy Brown's SHUT THE DOOR. I believe
first guess is the one by Nappy Brown. What say you? Or have you seen the
commercial yet?
Larry
Boy, you’re really not giving me
much to go on here … especially since I have NOT seen the commercial you’re
referring to …
But maybe somebody else out there
HAS … and can fill us all in on the details.
(The music from “Flying Saucer, Part
1”?!?!?How on earth would ANYONE
remember what THAT sounds like!!!And,
being a Buchanan and Goodman record, wouldn’t THAT music have been lifted from
something else, too???)kk
>>>The
big mystery of the week?What kinda
payola was going on to give "Two Little Rooms" a Hit Bound spot for
Trella Hart?!?!?!This song
"Bubbled Under" for exactly one week in Billboard (and nowhere else),
where it peaked at #120. I'm not sure I'd want to hear it even if I COULD
find a copy!!! (lol)kk
THIS could be a reason
for Trella's WCFL charting. She likely sang WCFL jingles for PAMS!
Pretty bad fer sure.
Despite her record, Two Little Rooms only managing to reach number 120
on Billboard, her voice was heard on radio a WHOLE LOT! You see,
Trella
Hart was a jingle singer at both PAMS Production Company and TM
Productions both located in Dallas. Although there had been notable
PAMS solo singers in the past, Trella Hart was the first jingle singer to
actually be promoted by the company. This happened at WKNR in Dearborn,
Michigan, when PAMS series 32, Swizzle, came out back in 1966.
They actually brought her to Detroit and there was a party in which she
sang on stage at a Detroit night club.
But now, getting back to her 1970 song Two Little Rooms, here it is for
you to hear, if you want.
Well, I can say, without any reservations, that I have
never heard this song before in my life … and what a HORRIBLE song it is, by
the way!!!(Who thought THIS would be a
good topic to write a peppy pop song about?!?!)
Meanwhile, Frannie says the chorus part … “Who’s gonna miss
me when I die” … DOES sound vaguely familiar … as if she may have heard it once
or twice before … but none of the rest of the song rings a bell with her at
all.
Interesting ‘tho that it got airplay and made the Top
30 in Chicago and Dallas … which is where each of us were growing up in 1970!
And check out this video of John Fogerty with
“Fogerty’s Factory” …
His kids have put together a brand new video of John’s
1997 track “Blueboy.”(Son Shawn was
barely five years old when Fogerty recorded his first video of this track in
conjunction with his then new album “Blue Moon Swamp.”)
