Once again we find ourselves preempting our regularly scheduled programming to bring you some more sad news about the loss of another one of our musical heroes.
The news of the death of Eddie Van Halen, guitar wizard and founder of the band that bore his name, spread quickly on Tuesday afternoon. Eddie had been battling cancer for some time ... over twenty years in various forms and stages ... yet his death still seemed sudden and unexpected.
Although the music of Van Halen only borderline figured into the usual landscape of the type of music we typically cover in Forgotten Hits, there was no escaping these guys.
Right from the get-go, they burst on the scene in 1978 with their cover of The Kinks' classic "You Really Got Me" (#36)
A year later, "Dance The Night Away" bested that with a #15 showing ... and, in 1982, they hit pay dirt twice more with their remakes of the '60's classics "Oh, Pretty Woman" (#12) and "Dancing In The Street" (#38)
Lead vocalist David Lee Roth may have dominated the visual spotlight in their many memorable videos (the band was born at JUST the right moment for MTV exposure), but there was no mistaking the guitar prowess of young Eddie. (Yes, Sammy Hagar also famously took a turn at fronting the band ... but for many of us, Diamond David was the true face ... and sound ... of Van Halen.)
They dominated the classic rock stations before such a term even existed with great album cuts like "Hot For Teacher," "Jamie's Crying," "Beautiful Girls," "And The Cradle Will Rock," "Runnin' With The Devil" and more. (In fact, Van Halen placed 22 titles on our TOP 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK TRACKS OF ALL TIME List last year ... and seven of those made The Top 500.)
They scored their first and only #1 Record with "Jump" in 1984 ... but would hit The Top Ten twice more with "Why Can't This Be Love" in 1985 and "When It's Love" in 1988. (Eddie also performed the lead guitar solo on the Michael Jackson #1 Hit "Beat It," which won a Grammy for Record Of The Year.) Five of their albums would top Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.
Eddie made headlines when he married TV star Valerie Bertinelli in 1981. Their son Wolfgang made the announcement on social media:
I can’t believe I’m having to write this, but my father,
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, has lost his long and arduous battle with
cancer this morning.
He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift.
My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss.
I love you so much, Pop.
Suffering from various forms of cancer for several years, doctors say it had spread to his brain and other organs, ultimately consuming him.
Van Halen was loved and admired by his peers ... and you will see an outpouring of that love and appreciation in the days to come.
Also passing away on Tuesday was singer Johnny Nash, whose career dated back to the late 1950's.
He enjoyed his greatest success between 1968 and 1973 when he hit The Top 20 three times with "Hold Me Tight" (#4, 1968), "I Can See Clearly Now" (#1, 1972) and "Stir It Up" (#11, 1973)
Although he was born in Houston, Texas, Nash took on a Ska / Reggae personna, covering songs written by everyone from Bob Marley to Sam Cooke! (Nash was one of the first non-Jamaican singers to record in Kingston, Jamaica.)
All yesterday's sad news comes on the heels of the passing of Helen Reddy and Mac Davis last week ... and Tommy DeVito, founding member of The Four Seasons, the week before.
A rough couple of weeks indeed.
The world has lost its number one guitar hero - Eddie Van Halen.
Eddie
was a brilliant and practiced technical wizard, pioneering so many
techniques of tapping, shredding and harmonics. But more than even that,
he was the consummate musician with a melodic mind that always held sway
over pointless overkill. You could actually sing his lead lines.
He
will be missed by everyone within the wail of his Charvell.
Jim Peterik
kk ...
It seems like we add to the list daily.
Frank B.
It sure does seem that way lately. (kk)
Wow, just seeing that Eddie Van Halen died of cancer today at
65. That seems a shock because he SEEMED like he would be ten years
younger than me, not two years older. Not a HUGE fan of Van Halen, but he was a
great guitarist, no lie.
And NOW, I see that Johnny Nash passed away today, too!
He was a
star for decades whether he had lots of hits all the time or not. "Hold Me Tight" was a 1969 goodie and of course, his days on Epic.
Clark Besch
Johnny Nash charted an incredible 25 TIMES before he had his first Top Ten Hit!
A couple along the way stirred up some interest ... (did you see what I just did there?) ...
"A Very Special Love" went to #15 in Music Vendor in 1958 (#23 in Billboard) and the record he made with his ABC-Paramount labelmates Paul Anka and George Hamilton IV, "The Teen Commandments" reached #29 in 1958. But then he really wouldn't come close to hitting pay dirt again until late 1968 when "Hold Me Tight" became a Top Five Single. ("I Can See Clearly Now" was another one of those #1 oddities ... a week at #1 in both Cash Box and Record World ... but FOUR weeks on top of The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart. As such, it kept Elvis' "Burnin' Love," "I'll Be Around" By The Spinners and Lobo's "I'd Love You To Want Me" from ever reaching the summit in "the music bible.") kk
Just two days ago I chatted with reggae music scholar and author / broadcaster Roger Steffens about Johnny Nash. Roger stressed that Nash was a seminal figure to Bob Marley as a songwriter and detailed how Nash was involved in an early part of Bob's songwriting music publishing and career and wrote "Stir It Up," which Marley and The Wailers recorded and performed.
At one of Phil Spector's bowling parties in 2000, I introduced Phil
to Roger
Steffens and we had a brief chat about reggae. I know Phil had
seen Bob Marley & the Wailers at a 1976 or '77 Roxy Theater show and
met Bob afterwards. I went to a slew of Marley and Wailer shows at the
Roxy.
At the party Phil volunteered that he'd co-written songs for Johnny Nash and produced
some sides on him for ABC-Paramount Records in 1961.
Phil had first met Nash, and
songwriter Tommy Boyce, during an Army physical examination. We were all
required to at age 18 to register and get draft cards at one of the
Federal buildings.
I think Phil produced a cover version of "Hold Me Tight." Maybe with John Lennon as a demo.
The day Duke Ellington died in 1974 I was at Columbia Records on
Sunset Blvd. Johnny Nash and I shared an elevator ride. I nodded. He was
on the label, on the charts and smiling. Not the time to mention or ask
about an UK 1972 tour he did with the Wailers, seeing him as a young
man on "The Arthur Godfrey Show," or when he had a scene in some western
movie which I saw on television as a kid.
Harvey Kubernik
Romeo
Delight is mourning the loss of a true American Legend. Eddie was the
most talented musician who has touched and shaped the world of music
like no other.Romeo Delight has always showcased his talent and will continue to play his music and honor his legacy with our performances.
The world has lost a Guitar Hero and we are all saddened by this news. You fought long and hard, Eddie.
Thank you for the music and the memories.
We love you and will continue to play your music forever. Rest in Peace.
– Buddh Blanch / leader of Romeo Delight (the ultimate Van Halen
tribute band)
ROMEO DELIGHT FACTS:
*Romeo
Delight is the #1 most viewed Van Halen tribute on YouTube and is the
first Van Halen tribute band to specialize in the David Lee Roth era.
*Roth selected Romeo Delight’s video for his radio-show in 2006, The Roth Show.
*A
postponed East Coast-tour has been re-scheduled for 2021 including
shows at The Cutting Room in NYC and My Father’s Place in Long Island.
Some mixed reviews on the Herb
Alpert documentary, “Herb Alpert Is …” …
We heard from nearly two hundred FH
readers after we sent out the notice about the free screening on Thursday Night
on Herb’s website, all saying that they knew absolutely nothing about it until we clued them in.(It is currently
available to view on Amazon Prime and iTunes but there is now a charge to do
so.)
A hopeful Frank B wrote in to ask …
kk …
What are the chances of Herb doing a live
performance tonight …
of the whipped cream album cover?
FB
I think I know what cover you’re talking about … I’ve seen
it before once or twice … not sure exactly where … but I’m sure SOMEBODY out
there has been featuring it!
Naturally, this was a topic of discussion during the
show.Herb said how, about a month and a
half after the album first came out in 1965, a reporter / reviewer approached
him, raving and raving about how much he loved the new LP … going on and on
about the cover.
Herb asked him what he thought about the music INSIDE the
cover … and he admitted that he hadn’t listened to it yet.
Another commentator told how he would sneak into his
mother’s bedroom to sneak a peak at the album cover …
And we have covered COUNTLESS times here in Forgotten Hits
the impact it had on all us 10-12 year old boys at the time.(Hey, I STILL like it!!!Lol)
But the music inside is pretty darn good, too.“A Taste Of Honey” topped the charts all over
the country … and the title track is still one of my all-time favorites.
But the hidden gem on this LP is Herb’s stripper-vamp
version of “Love Potion Number Nine” … it’s simply outstanding!(kk)
Glad you sent me this notice.
I missed the LIVE time but have been able to replay it. He's a
FAVORITE.
They were booked to play The Arie
Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago until it burned on January 16,
1967. I planned to go, but hadn't yet bought tix.
JR Russ
Thank
you so much for sending me this Herb Alpert notice.I would have had no idea that this was even
happening were it not for Forgotten Hits.
Clark
Just watched the Herb
Alpert documentary.
Brought me back to a
1966 Fairfax High School auditorium gymnasium benefit concert by Fairfax graduate
Herb & The TJB gave to the students with the proceeds going to Mexican
earthquake relief. It was loud and the sound bounced off the walls of the
room.
Herb came back to the
campus yearly. He was close friends with our principal, Dr. James Tunney. The
event made a big impression on me. A guy from our school had sold more albums
than the Beatles' "Rubber Soul." And the man with the trumpet
was handing over the monies from this booking to help repair a neighboring country
devastated by an earthquake.
In 1966, I then became
more aware of the music-makers that came from Fairfax. Phil Spector, Timi Yuro,
Jerry Leiber, Elliot Ingber, Annette Kleinbard, Marshall Leib, Russ Titelman, Wild
Man Fischer, Allan Sherman, David Anderle, Steve Douglas, Shel Talmy, Mo Ostin,
Steve Barri and PF Sloan.
We all had Dr. Homer
Homel as a choir teacher. I recall being invited with some students for a field
trip to A&M Records. Unlike everyone else, I didn't want to be a band on
the label and didn't have a demo tape in my coat pocket. I just wanted to see
their offices and newly built recording studio.
Herb Alpert once did a
TV special on the Fairfax High campus around 1969. He was accessible to the
students. and had driven his own car into the lot where I was walking around
with a red headed girl named Leslie. She was a fan of Eddie Hodges.We used to dance to Motown records.Fifty years later we're still in occasional
contact.
Herb and Leslie
chatted. Herb was cool. I mumbled something about Love's "Forever
Changes" album and the brass and string arrangements by David Angel. Herb
was well aware of him from engineer Bruce Botnick.
Some of the
"Forever Changes" charts reminded me of the early TJB sound. I used
to call it "Olvera Street" music. It had that downtown Los Angeles
bio-regional civic engagement feel of our real deal Mexican heritage.I think Principal Tunney later was involved
with the Herb Alpert Foundation.
I knew Herb & the
TJB had done many of their recordings at Gold Star Recording Studio with owners
Dave Gold, Stan Ross and engineer Larry Levine. Stan was a Fairfax High School
graduate who went to school with Herb Alpert's brother Dave. When I was at
numerous Phil Spector Gold Star sessions for Leonard Cohen and the Ramones,
Larry would on occasion greet me with, "Herb Alpert would stand right at
that spot and blow his horn." He engineered a lot of albums with Herb
& the TJB.
Larry later moved to
A&M and was a staff engineer at A&M. I eventually went inside the fabled
A&M Studio B, courtesy of Larry. Years later, in 2008, I spent some time on
the premises when researching the liner notes I did for a deluxe edition of
Carole King's "Tapestry" that Lou Adler produced, the epic 1971 LP
Hank Cicalo engineered. I examined the Howard Holzer board, which had a special
made console and lots of punch with Hank, and received a deep technical
education about the A&M studio and the sound of "Tapestry."
Michael Peter Balzary,
pkaFlea, bass player of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the group formed in the
eighties at Fairfax High School, once told me that the music department at our
school, where he was a star trumpet player, still had Herb Alpert’s charts from
the fifties that he read as a student.
I really dug this
documentary.
Now will the Herb
Alpert TV specials from the sixties get commercially released?
Harvey Kubernik
Thank you for letting me know about the Herb
Alpert movie.I really liked it but I
felt like it went on too long.I tried
to listen to some of the questions and answers afterward but by then I was just
too tired.
I learned so many things about him that I did
not know.I know him as a musician since
“Rise” … I’ve seen him live and love the way he performs “Puttin’ On The Ritz”
… I’ve even tried to introduce his music to my nephews.
I didn’t know that he was involved with The
Carpenters … and that he was considering recording “Close To You” himself!It’s a beautiful song and I love it … it was
even played at my sister’s wedding!
I remember a little bit about The Tijuana
Brass but I was very young at the time … still, this is all “feel good” music
to me to day (to use one of your phrases!)
I didn’t know he was a producer and had worked
with artists like Sam Cooke and Jan and Dean … and even Sonny Bono!
I knew about his love for painting and
sculpting … and all the generous donations he has made over the years to keep
the arts live, starting scholarships and funding music programs … he is a very
generous and compassionate man.
Anyway, I just wanted to write in to say thank
you for letting me know about this film … I never would have known about it if
it wasn’t for you.
I think it was good … just a little too long!
Dora
I’m in agreement that the film was too long … or at least
longer than it needed to be.(By a good
30 minutes, I’d say!)
Don’t get me wrong … I’m a HUGE Herb Alpert fan … and have
the utmost praise and respect for all that he’s done to help save and protect
the arts.
But the fact of the matter is, there are an awful lot of
music documentaries out there these days and for me, this one just ranks as
“average” at best.
Before I started Forgotten Hits, I dreamed of doing an
oldies music magazine, remembering all of the great songs and artists that just
don’t get the airplay they deserve … songs that are still fresh in all of our
minds, despite the fact that radio hasn’t played many of them for decades now.
I envisioned a “Cover Story Interview” in each issue … and
my dream “get” was Herb Alpert for Issue #1.He was SO huge during “The Beatle Era” and I don’t think people remember
and recognize just how big he really was.
This new documentary drives that point home … and that
recognition is long overdue.
Unfortunately, it paints this period as a very unhappy time
in Herb Alpert’s life … and that’s a shame … he had it all, right there at his
fingertips … and wasn’t able to enjoy it the way he should have.(That scene of Herb alone on the beach,
talking about his innermost feelings and breaking into tears was heartbreaking
… it completely got away from him while the camera’s just kept rolling.)
I agree with Harvey that it would be cool to see some sort
of release of all of Herb’s television specials … but honestly, while I’m sure
I watched most of them, I more than likely watched them to see who some of his
other guests might be.
(I also thought that Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 deserved a
little more spotlight, especially since that where Herb’s wife Lani Hall came
from … and I’m not sure they even mentioned The Baja Marimba Band at all!)
I also didn’t see the point of the whole Q&A thing
afterwards …
Why offer up questions that were already covered and
answered in the film?And then, when
Herb WOULD answer, he recited the exact same answer virtually word for
word!!!It just seems that this, too,
could have been better orchestrated and controlled.(Still, it beat last week’s Presidential
Debate by a LANDSLIDE in content!!!)
I may watch it again somewhere down the line, more to hear
all that great music again.
Alpert had his fingers on the pulse of the music industry at
the time … as an artist, a record label owner, a producer and as a discoverer
of great acts.The Carpenters were just
one of the MANY successful acts that recorded for A&M Records.
In fact, several years ago, we ran a list of A&M
Records’ 50 Biggest Hits …
Their line-up of stars is mind-boggling!
Here, for Dora and any other readers who may be interested,
are the 50 Biggest Hits released by A&M Records:
(This list comes from Fred Bronson’s “Hottest Hot 100
Billboard Hits” book ...
It ranks these hits basaed on their actual chart performance at the time)
1.EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – The Police
(1983)
2.(EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU –
Bryan Adams (1991)
3.HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN –
Bryan Adams (1995)
4.ALL FOR LOVE – Bryan Adams, Rod
Stewart and Sting(1994)
5.ALL I WANNA DO – Sheryl Crow (1994)
6.DON’T YOU WANT ME – The Human League
(1982)
7.(THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU – The
Carpenters (1970)
8.THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU – Herb
Alpert (1968)
9.LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER – The
Captain and Tennille(1975)
10.BABE – Styx(1979)
11.ESCAPADE – Janet Jackson (1990)
12.RISE – Herb Alpert(1979)
13.MISS YOU MUCH – Janet Jackson (1989)
14.RUNAWAY – Janet Jackson (1995)
15.BABY BABY – Amy Grant (1991)
16.WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN – The
Carpenters (1970)
17.MORE THAN WORDS – Extreme (191)
18.WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES – Billy
Preston (1973)
19.ROCK ME AMADEUS – Falco(1986)
20.TOP OF THE WORLD – The
Carpenters(1973)
21.RUN AROUND – Blues Traveler(1995)
22.HEAVEN – Bryan Adams(1995)
23.NOTHING FROM NOTHING – Billy
Preston(1974)
24.WHEN I THINK OF YOU – Janet Jackson
(1986)
25.DON’T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) – Simple
Minds (1985)
26.TILL I HEAR IT FROM YOU / FOLLOW YOU
DOWN – The Gin Blossoms
(1996)
27.(YOUR LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND
HIGHER – Rita Coolidge
(1977)
28.HUMAN – The Human League(1986)
29.LOVE WILL NEVER DO (WITHOUT YOU) –
Janet Jackson (1991)
30.I’M IN YOU – Peter Frampton (1977)
31.RED RED WINE – UB40 (1988)
32.THE BEST OF TIMES – Styx(1981)
33.SUPERSTAR – The Carpenters(1971)
34.RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS – The Carpenters(1971)
35.CAN’T STOP THIS THING WE STARTED –
Bryan Adams(1991)
36.COUNTIN GBLUE CARS – Dishwalla(1998)
37.IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY – Sheryl
Crow(1997)
38.HANDS TO HEAVEN – Breathe(1988)
39.INSENSITIVE – Jann Arden(1996)
40.LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) – The Captain
and Tennille(1975)
41.PLEASE FORGIVE ME – Bryan Adams(1993)
42.OUTA-SPACE – Billy Preston (1979)
43.ALIVE AND KICKING – Simple Minds
(1985)
44.BLACK CAT – Janet Jackson (1990)
45.EVERY HEARTBEAT – Amy Grant (1991)
46.RHYTHM NATION – Janet Jackson (1990)
47.MUSKRAT LOVE – The Captain and
Tennille(1976)
48.SECRET LOVERS – Atlantic Starr(1986)
49.LET’S WAIT AWHILE – Janet
Jackson(1987)
50.MR. ROBOTO – Styx (1983)
Not even shown on this list are A&M recording artists
Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, Brothers Johnson, Sting, Chris Deburgh, Del
Amitri, We Five, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Gino Vannelli, Chuck Mangione,
L.T.D., Emitt Rhodes, The Merry Go Round, Vanessa Carlton, Suzanne Vega, Free, Joe Jackson, Nazareth, Orchestral
Maneuvers In The Dark, Supertramp, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, The Baja
Marimba Band, Chris Montez, Burt Bacharach, Cat Stevens, Pablo Cruise, Joan
Armatrading, Squeeze, .38 Special, Soundgarden, Sonny Charles and the
Checkmates, Aaron Neville, Bell and James, Jeffrey Osborne, Quincy Jones,
Humble Pie, Joe Cocker, The Flying Burito Brothers, Procol Harum, Split Enz,
Ali Thomson … and more …
That’s just about EVERY kind of music known to man!!!(To say that Herb Alpert knew a hit record
when he heard it is an understatement of biblical proportions!)kk
Thanks for the link, Kent –
Outstanding doc!
Hope you’re doing well.
Kind regards,
Billy Hinsche
I heard from a few other readers on our list who shared many
of our assessments of the film …
Several random quotes appear below:
I
applaud, support and appreciate all those who preserve the history of pop music
in any form, as I know these tasks are more often labors of love than
profitable.
As someone who has
done one-on-one radio interviews with literally thousands of artists
over the years … from the Beatles and the Stones to artists most folks have
never heard of … I find that I can be unreasonably picky when seeing
somebody else assuming that role.
My favorite part of the Herb Alpert
documentary was the generous use of the archive film that Alpert had saved ...
some amazing stuff which appeared to be outtakes and which really helped to
tell his story.
I
don't understand why the filmmaker was so inconsistent in
identifying those being interviewed. It was hard for me to concentrate on
what they were saying, when I was trying to figure out who they are.
I
appreciated that there was a post-showing interview, but the interviewer had difficulty
getting Alpert to say anything different than repeat his well-rehearsed answers
that we had just heard.While these worked well
within the film, I was hoping for a little more opening up when pressed with
these queries.
More Helen Reddy / Mac Davis reports
from FH Reader Ken Voss …
According to the story, "It was
reported in 2015 that Reddy was suffering from dementia and was being cared for
at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Samuel Goldwyn Center for
Behavioral Health in Woodland Hills"
Mac Davis:
The news follows days after Davis’s
family announced that the musician was “critically ill" after undergoing
heart surgery in Nashville.
We’ve known about Helen Reddy’s
problem with dementia for several years now … and her son made it pretty
publicly known that she was in assisted living when the new biopic came
out.(I still need to check this out …
especially now!)
As for Mac, it’s sad that he died
from complications for a surgery that was hoped to improve his quality of
life.Very sad.Whereas I always appreciated Mac’s down home
charm, Frannie felt he came across as far more hokey than honest.To each his own.
As mentioned before, I have enjoyed
music from both of these great artists over the years and while I can’t declare
myself as a true “fan” of either … never saw either of them perform in concert
(although I hoped after his appearance on the Elvis anniversary special Mac
might consider hitting the road again, at which point I absolutely would have
gone to see him) … but I bought their records and enjoyed more than I
disliked.(How’s THAT for a politically
correct assessment?!?!)kk
For me, the word great
and Helen Reddy and Mac Davis did not go together. I usually gnashed my teeth
together when any of their stuff came on the radio. Having said that, I didn’t
mind “Peaceful” by Helen … probably
because it was written in ’68 … and Mac Davis had a couple of nice “Teeners” in
the early 60’s.
I believe Helen
Reddy’s 1st US 45 is from 1968 on the Fontana label. Might be called
“One Way Ticket”.
Ken
“Peaceful”
is a nice enough song. (#11, 1973) It was written by Kenny Rankin, who also recorded
his own version of it.
I’m
not sure if “One Way Ticket” was released here in The States or not … that
would have been about three years before she made a blip on American Pop Music radar
when she scored with her breakthrough version of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him”
from “Jesus Christ, Superstar.”(kk)
Some special treatment for each
artist from Billboard Magazine …
I was touched when I read LJ Coon’s piece about the song he
wrote that had personal ties to Mac Davis’ #1 Hit, “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On
Me,” “Mary Would You Write Me A Letter.”
I asked if he might have a copy of the song that we could
share with our readers … but he told me that he hasn’t recorded it yet.
Meanwhile, here’s more of the story …
(My Mac Davis experience)
As Paul Harvey would say ...'And now...The
rest of the story'
Oh, that (Mac Davis experience) just keeps
giving.
MaryAnn: 'Mary Would You
Write Me A Letter '
Catholic
French Canadian
St. Mary's Schoolgirl
My Sister brought MaryAnn to our performance that
evening so that she would have someone to sit with.
Well ... The U.S. Steel Mill circuit on 28th
Street was sort of like multiple 'Road House' establishments, and we were at
one of them.
(Like I mentioned ... it is a little tough to
think your relationship would grow when you insist on performing Mac Davis's
'Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me' for your girlfriend!)
Anyway ...
We started about 9:00 p.m. and managed to get
through the night.
We got done with a long first set, and a round
of Mac Davis' 'Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me' and went on break.
The jukebox went on, the sound of pool
balls falling as the coins were injected and Rac-em-Up was in the air.
Next:
Yes, everyone had a “Big Jim” friend and this band
was no different (and our Big Jim didn't mix well with crowds and drinking.)
No sooner did our Big Jim step up to the pool
table and I guess The Fit did Hit The Shan.
Big Jim ... was going at it 'Road House style.'
A bunch of us were at the bar taking care of
business before we were to go back on when I saw someone at the pool table
ready to take a stick to the back of Big Jim.
I rushed over and tried to restrain that
individual from the back with the pool stick he was yielding.
With a couple of 'Ok, Ok, Let me go, I'm
alright ' responses from the individual, I considered myself lucky and we went
on with the night ... Or so I thought.
I went back over to the bar and rejoined
everyone.
From out of nowhere I was spun around on my
bar stool and someone sliced my good Jean Jacket, T-Shirt, and a Layer of Skin
and off they went!!!
After a little self-evaluation:
We went on with the rest of 'The Road House'
evening, minus The Chicken Wire … and a whole in the front of my Jean Jacket
that pretty much saved the evening for me.
MaryAnn:
There is a scene in 'Twister' where the
girlfriend psychologist announces ... “I can't take this … you guys are crazy”
or something like that.
(That's where MaryAnn's psychological
makeup was by the end of that evening).
Well ... If Mac Davis' 'Baby, Don't Get Hooked
on Me' wasn't enough, this fine establishment that my sister brought MaryAnn to
may have just helped seal the deal.
(My Mac Davis experience)
I haven't recorded 'Mary Would You
Write Me A Letter ' (at this time.)
Thank You for asking!!!
L J
There’s a whole ‘nother song in that story!!! (lol)
We were playing what could only be called a Red Neck Bar in
the mid-‘70’s when some guy yelled out from the bar, “Play ‘Okie From
Muskogee’.”
I explained, “We don’t know it.”(We were a rock band, for God’s sake, but
even then sprinkling in a few of our favorite oldies.)
I went into “Love Potion Number Nine” instead when he
shouted out even louder:
“PLAY ‘OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE!!!’”
Again, I tried to explain:“I’m sorry … but we don’t know that one” …
At which point this guy then took his beer bottle, smashed
it in half on the edge of the bar, held up the sharply cut-off edge of the neck
and said, very matter-of-factly,
“Play ‘Okie From Muskogee’” …
To which I responded (singing in perfect pitch, I might add)
“I’m proud to be an Okie From Muskogee”(lol)
We faked the rest of the song … we really didn’t know it …
but this guy was so drunk, he didn’t care … and gave us a rousing ovation at
the end of our effort, at which time we went right back into “Love Potion
Number Nine.”He never bothered us again
the rest of the night.
Gee, I miss those days!(lol)kk
Kent,
Ask Tom who the guy between him and Hornsby is
... it looks horribly like Shadoe Stevens, but without his often-wild hair ...
Bob Frable
It is … no idea how that fell off the photo credits!(kk)
Damn you, Kent …
You’ve got me thinking of the Partridge Family after all these
years!!
If you were like me, you had a crush on Susan Dey (Laurie Partridge)
back in the 70s.
Susan, who is 67 now, decided to walk away from the spotlight and retire
from acting back around 2004-2005. She moved back to upstate NY, where
she had spent some of her youthful years.
Should you search the internet, there’s really no recent interviews
with her and you can’t find any paparazzi photos taken of her in many years.
So, now, let’s do a drum roll, for another Forgotten Hits exclusive!
Last year, Shaun Cassidy did his first concert tour in almost 40
years. He did a handful of dates, as he tried to test the waters to see
what the reaction would be and how he felt about the shows.
Shaun was thrilled with the reaction from fans, who filled intimate
venues to enjoy a set from the actor-writer-singer. In fact, Shaun has
booked another tour for the Spring of 2021.
One date he played was the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield,
Connecticut. It’s a venue I’ve been to many times to enjoy a wide variety
of musical acts.
Other than Shaun, perhaps the most famous face in the audience that
night was Susan Dey. Shaun and Susan have remained friends over the years
and she drove all the way from upstate New York to Ridgefield, CT, to see the
rare concert by the former Hardy Boy.
I wasn’t there that night, but a friend shared with me some pictures
taken in the parking lot of the venue, where fans did doubles takes as they ran
into Susan Dey walking from her car, just like any other fan.
As people recognized her, they approached her and shared their
memories. As you can see from the pictures I’ve attached, she was very
approachable and very friendly.
--Tom Cuddy
Like
most of teenage America, I, too, had a crush on Susan Dey.(Mine even extended to her time on LA Law …
and ESPECIALLY “First Love,” when she decided to shed her squeaky-clean image
by doing nude scenes with actor William Katt, later of “The Greatest American
Hero.”(Now there’s THREE TV Themes for
you to vote for right there!!!)
I
didn’t really watch The Partridge Family when it first aired … I came to enjoy
it a bit later in life.(It was just WAY
too “un-hip” for me to watch this show in the early ‘70’s!)
Worse
yet, there were enough people at school that thought I looked like David
Cassidy at the time, so they all tended to razz me about it, turning me off
from the show and the character of Keith Partridge even further.
kk ... Teen Idol!
But
my little sister absolutely LOVED him … and, like most girls that age (she
would have been around eleven), had pictures and posters of him up on her
bedroom wall.
When
the Rolling Stone issue came out with David on the front cover (lying in the
grass naked enough to expose a hint of pubic hair!!!), my mother had an
absolute FIT … and made me hide my copy in my room!(lol)
VERY
cool to see Susan again, who has kept an extremely low profile for the past
thirty years.(I’m a little surprised by
all the fans coming up to her in the parking lot … I consider myself to be
quite an admirer … and don’t think I would have recognized her from these
photos!I think I would have been a
little bit late to the party on that one!)kk
Kent,
Has
it really been 16 years since you ran the Teen Idols piece my Trophy Wife
composed?
I
remember Laura taking great care in composing it.
Rock
And Roll Never Forgets it's still an active business for over 30 years now,
although the focus has shifted away from magazines. The market for music
magazines has been stagnant for a number of years now. That, plus the fact I
have no reliable sources to find more at a price that I could make a decent
profit on, has caused me to change priorities.I've probably moved a thousand or so, in the last few years, but there's
over a thousand to go. Top 40 surveys remain my bread and butter, but even my
sources for those have dwindled. Got a few thousand 45s to choose from though.
I have a source for those.
Speaking
of music magazines, should you have a few dozen or more back issues, of 16 or
Tiger Beat, lying around I'd be interested. However, the magazines must be
intact with no pages missing, clipped, or marked up, and that's damn near
impossible.
Thanks
for the repeat of the feature.
Jack
(Laura's
aging Teen Idol husband)
Jack Levin ... Teen Idol
I’m happy to put the word out.
You’re right … finding these intact and in good shape at
this point in time is nearly impossible.Most of the girls that bought these magazines at the time, cut out the
pictures of their teen idol favorites and pasted them in a scrapbook or hung
them on the wall.
I was lucky recently to buy the complete collection of 16
Monkees Spectacular Magazines, ALL in excellent shape, for $100.I feel like I got a GREAT bargain.
Just HAD to have them … and have yet to look at a single
one!(lol)VERY typical for me, unfortunately!
Yeah, I’m blown away sometimes when I look at all the ground
we’ve covered now in the past 21 years.(UNREAL!!!)I should rerun the
complete Teen Idols Series at some point as these were done when everything
went out by email only … pre-websites.(I wonder what else I can find!)Then again, probably the only one of interest would be the Donny Osmond
piece … I think most of the others have long since been forgotten.(kk)
Kent,
I enjoyed your posting of David Cassidy's
COULD IT BE FOREVER the other day. Always did like that song.
Larry Neal
That’s MY favorite by him … there are a couple of Partridge
Family things I’ve grown to like (“I Think I Love You,” their biggest hit, is still
one of my LEAST favorites) … but I DO like “I Woke Up In Love This Morning” and
“It’s One Of Those Nights (Yes Love)” … and even “I’ll Meet You Halfway” and “Doesn’t
Somebody Want To Be Wanted” … wait a minute … may I HAVE turned into a
Partridge Family fan over the years after all!!! (But I did get a little bent
when I heard somebody once describing “Cherish” as David Cassidy’s song … uh-uh
… sorry … that will ALWAYS be The Association’s song!!!)His comeback hit “Lyin’ To Myself” was pretty
good … and I’ve been listening a lot to his theme from The John Larroquette Show
in conjunction to our Favorite TV Themes Poll.I love the opening where David was out on the street with his guitar
case open, singing and playing for tips.It’s a real bluesy thing … and a GREAT theme.(kk)
From our coverage of The Partridge Family on Saturday to
Janis Joplin the very next day …
Now THAT’S what Forgotten Hits is all about!(kk)
September 4, 2020 - Harvey Kubernik …
50 years ago on October 4, 1970, at the
Landmark Hotel in Hollywood the performer and singer Janis Joplin died
of a heroin overdose ...
The Beatles’ first single was released in Great Britain.
“Love Me Do,” issued on the Parlophone record label (as ALL
their singles would be until they started their own record company in 1968 and
began releasing Beatles … and eventually solo releases on Apple.
It would peak at #17 … but earn them the right to go back
into the studio to record a follow-up single … and an album, both titled “Please
Please Me.”(“Love Me Do” wouldn’t be
released here in The States until April of 1964 … some 18 months later … where
it went straight to #1 at the height of Beatlemania.(Between January and April of 1964, The
Beatles would chart an incredible NINETEEN times on the US Pop Singles
Chart.Fourteen of those releases would
make The Top 40 … and seven of those, The Top Ten … and five of THOSE would go
all the way to #1!!!0
kk:
Here is a flashback photo from Harry Harrison's
daughter, circa 1991.
FB
How is it possible that last Friday
marked the three year anniversary of Tom Petty’s death?Where is the time going???(kk)
New videos this past week …
Jimi Hendrix performing “Foxey Lady”
from the new “Live In Maui” release …
And William Shatner doing “I Put A
Spell On You” (with Pat Travers) in this animated clip from Shatner’s new album
called simply “The Blues.”
(Other artists performing on the new
LP include Canned Heat, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Brad Paisley, Ritchie Blackmore,
Albert Lee, Steve Cropper, James Burton and Harvey Mandel
In celebration of Rupert’s 100th
anniversary, Paul McCartney is re-releasing his song from the 1984 animated
Rupert The Bear film, “We All Stand Together.”
It’ll come out as a special,
colorful picture shaped single (with a bonus poster.)(I remember having one of these when this
tune was first released.)
A decent-sized hit in England (it
never charted here in The States), “We All Stand Together” even made the UK
version of Paul’s Greatest Hits Collection, “All The Best.”(It reached #3 in Great Britain during its 18
week chart run)You can pre-order a copy
now thru paulmccartney.com.(kk)
We’ve shared a few videos of
Fogerty’s Factory … John Fogerty and his kids, making music together from their
quarantined basement.
Well, now comes word that the first
official Fogerty’s Factory album is going to be released.
It features remakes of many of
John’s best-known songs, both as a solo artist and from his days as the leader
of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The complete track list of the first
album are as follows:
1. Centerfield (Dodger Stadium Version)
2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
3. Lean On Me (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
4. Hot Rod Heart (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
5. Blue Moon Nights (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
6. Tombstone Shadow (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
7. City Of New Orleans (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
8. Proud Mary (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
9. Blueboy (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
10. Bad Moon Rising (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
11. Fortunate Son (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
12. Don’t You Wish It Was True (Fogerty’s Factory Version)
And how about this parody / tribute album cover …
The album will be released next month.(kk)
Sixties Music Legends The Cyrkle to Release
New Recordings of Their Greatest Hits!
Opened for The Beatles at Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park!
Lightyear
Entertainment has announced a new agreement with The Cyrkle to release new 2020
recordings of their huge pop hits of the 1960’s.
The Cyrkle opened for
The Beatles at Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park in 1966, and were managed by
Brian Epstein and Nat Weiss. They were originally called The Rhondells, but
John Lennon suggested that they change their name to The Cyrkle, and they took
his advice.
Their biggest hit, Red
Rubber Ball, was written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley, and rose to #2 on
the Billboard Hot 100. Lightyear will release the 2020 recording of Red Rubber
Ball on October 2, 2020.
The band’s other huge
hit was Turn Down Day, written by Jerry Keller and David Blume, which
rose to #16 on the Hot 100. This has also been newly recorded and will be
released through Lightyear in November.
The Cyrkle were
offered another Paul Simon song but regretfully turned it down back in the day.
But they have finally recorded The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)
now, for the first time, and Lightyear will release it in January, 2021.
The recordings feature
original members Don Dannemann and Mike Losekamp, joined by Pat McLoughlin,
Mike Shoaf, Don White and Scott Langley.
Lightyear has quietly
amassed a collection of big hit re-recordings by the original artists during
the past few years, all released through the company’s longstanding distribution
deal with Caroline/Universal Music Group. They include Jay Siegel’s Tokens (The
Lion Sleeps Tonight), The Searchers (Needles and Pins), Irene Cara (Flashdance
… What a Feeling), Rick Derringer (Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo),
The McCoys (Hang On Sloopy), Jay & the Techniques (Apple, Peaches
Pumpkin Pie), Herman’s Hermits (I’m Into Something Good), the
Shadows of Knight (Gloria), the Rip Chords (Hey Little Cobra),
Frank Stallone (Far From Over), and the Beau Brummels (Laugh Laugh).
All of these Legacy Artist
deals were facilitated by Rick Levy, veteran manager, music director, band
leader, guitarist, and author, who currently tours (when Covid allows) with The
Box Tops. Levy was Lightyear CEO Arnie Holland’s college roommate at the
University of Pennsylvania.
And on October 9th
(Friday) the brand new Pride Of Lions album drops.Titled “Lion Heart,” the LP features
TobyHitchcock and Jim Peterik.
Here’s the video for the lead-off
single, “Carry Me Back” …
We’ll be giving away copies of this
hot new CD (already a hit in Europe) in the weeks to come …
As well as playing an exclusive
interview with Jim Peterik conducted by Geoff Dorsett in the UK … so stay tuned
for more details!(kk)
Hi Kent:
I see that Rolling
Stone still doesn’t know what the hell they are doing.
Ken
Always glad to see Pet Sounds on or near the
top of Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums list. The introspective soundscape of
the album has brought joy to millions and somehow Brian and the boys continue
to influence a wide spectrum of musical styles. Pet Sounds is a spiritual
journey. Pop music with just enough touch of rock. A unique pallet of
instrumental and vocal sounds.That
Beach Boys blend that never grows old.
Phil
Yep … it’s right up there with all those OTHER greats like “It
Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted
Fantasy” and “To Pimp A Butterfly” and “Kid A” and “Ready To Die” and “Enter
The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers” and “Voodoo” and “Lemonade” and “The Low End Theory”
and “Illmatic” and “Aquemini” and “The Blueprint” … all Top 50 TIMELESS
Classics.(Wait … you don’t know
these???Well, how can that be???Rolling Stone Magazine has decided that ALL
of these are among The Top 50 Greatest Albums Ever Released Of All-Time!!!(kk)
>>>He also founded his own record label, Curtom
Records, with this manager Eddie Thomas.(kk)
Just to not confuse, Curtis Mayfield started
Curtom in 1968.
Correct ….
In fact, prior to leaving The Impressions to launch his solo
career, the group released nine singles together … and The Impressions
continued to record for Curtom until the hits stopped in 1976.
Top 40 Hits released on Curtom include “Fool For You” (#17,
1968), “This Is My Country” (#23, 1969), “Choice Of Colors” (#18, 1969), “Check
Out Your Mind” (#21, 1970) and “Finally Got Myself Together (I’m A Changed
Man)” (#15, 1974.)kk
>>>Now THERE'S an artist who REALLY
has a handle on her career! (kk) Do you think Tyrese is a woman?
Tyrese
is Tyrese Gibson, a male singer who later turned to acting. He appeared
in the movie "Four Brothers."
I
remember Tyrese because his 1999 hit "Sweet Lady" was the first mp3 I
successfully downloaded. I was being patiently instructed in mp3
downloading by fellow trivialite MerryToonz (formerly Katzplay), and after many
failed attempts, dropped links and partial files, I finally got a complete
song. I was so pleased with my accomplishment I sent her a copy of the
song.
Wow,
that was 21 years ago.
Ed
Erxleben
Clearly, I had absolutely NO idea who Tyrese was …
definitely not on my radar … but it looks like he scored three Billboard Top 40
Hits between 1998 and 2003 (which are ALSO not my radar!!!)The one that you like, “Sweet Lady,” went to
#12 in 1999, after “Nobody Else” peaked at #36 in 1998 … and before “How You
Gonna Act Like That,” his biggest hit, peaked at #7 in 2003.I just listened to all of these on YouTube …
and can honestly say that I had never heard ANY of them, even in passing,
before … so apologies to Tyrese (and anyone else offended by my
ignorance!)With this lengthy a career,
I’m sure his tweet was done in jest.(Still funny ‘tho!!!)kk
VITAGRAPH FILMS 360 DEBUTS VIRTUAL
PROGRAMMING CONTENT WITH
“CINEMA ’62 A-GO-GO”
A VINTAGE VARIETY SHOW ABOUT THE
MOVIES, MUSIC AND POP CULTURE OF 1962, THE GREATEST YEAR AT THE MOVIES
Debuts Saturday, October 10, 2020. at
3:00 PM PDT / 6:00 PM EDT
Boutique
theatrical film distributor Vitagraph Films announced today that its
self-produced content, the virtual event, “Cinema ’62 A-Go-Go” will
debut Saturday, October 10, 2020, at 3:00 PM PDT/6:00 PM EDT.
"Cinema '62 A-Go-Go" a virtual multi-media extravaganza for
film-lovers, is based on the book Cinema '62: The Greatest Year at the
Movies. This unique virtual experience features special guests, film talk,
musical performances, cocktails, a cascade of memories… and YES, there will
be dancing! Tickets are $13 on Eventbrite.com The program will be delivered via
Zoom.
“During
this period when theatres are closed, and when some patrons are still
feeling safer at home, Vitagraph Films 360 is a way to continue the
conversation surrounding film, while helping to provide income to the
theaters who have long been our partners,” says Vitagraph Films Founder and
President David Shultz.
Co-author
(with Stephan Farber) Michael McClellan, who is producing the show with
Vitagraph Films, says, “It is thrilling to be able to expand on themes in
the book and add the dimensions of music, dance and other aspects of the
culture, to our book talk.”
ABOUT
THE BOOK THIS SHOW IS BASED ON:
The
core of this first episode of “Cinema ’62 A-Go-Go,” is the book Cinema
‘62: The Greatest Year at the Movies (Rutgers University Press) from
authors Stephen
Farber and
Michael
McClellan.
The authors make the bold claim that 1962 is a pivotal year in world
cinema, one that eclipses all others – including the often referenced,
1939. The book is movie history with a twist, an amalgam of pop culture,
critical analysis, and juicy anecdotes of more than fifty memorable films.
Ticket buyers will have an opportunity to purchase the book at a 30% discount.
ABOUT
“CINEMA ’62 A-GO-GO”
"Cinema
'62 A-Go-Go" is more than a book talk, more than a Q&A, more than
an interview. In a live variety show format, it re-examines the year in
film and everything in between, as we delve into the cultural context of the
era when these films were made - with special guests, period cocktails, a
multitude of music, prophetic politics and even an opportunity to learn the
early 1960s dance sensation, “The Twist!”
Baby
Boomers will reminisce and every other generation will be enthralled by how
this year resonates today with some of the most prescient - and in some
cases, woke motion pictures ever made!
Charles
Phoenix,
Ambassador of Americana, singer/pianist/recording artist Tony
DeSare,
Singer Mary
Stanford,
1960s music expert/author Domenic
Priore,
singer Al Martino’s daughter, Alison
Martino
(Vintage LA), authors Jeremy
Arnold (Lawrence of
Arabia: The 50th Anniversary, TCM: The Essentials) and Tom
Santopietro (Considering
Doris Day), ABC News Political Director Rick
Klein,
plus, Stiletto City's Kastle
Wasserman
with a cocktail demo are all confirmed to appear on the show. Also, with
director Penelope Spheeris and film critic Leonard Maltin.
More talent to be announced.
Our
itinerary involves surprising secrets from behind the screen, songs the
American public pushed up the pop charts and much more! Arrive via Zoom at
this film conversation-meets-cocktail party-meets-variety show, dressed in
your 1962 finest (the audience WILL see each other at various points in the
show), to enjoy this virtual gathering.
Hosts
/ authors Michael McClellan and Stephen Farber will treat the audience to
film history surrounding select 1962 films, combined with musical
interludes, such as a tribute to Henry Mancini (Time Magazine’s
“hottest music man in Hollywood”).There will also be interviews with Pop
Culture experts, a look at Cold War politics and how they still resonate
today, a vintage cocktail demonstration - and of course Doris Day and
Jackie Kennedy!
Date:
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Time: 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET
Tickets: $13 (per viewing device) $19.62
after Oct. 6.
Program
Duration:
100 minutes (including Q&A period)
Tickets
are available on Eventbrite. Eventbrite processing fees will apply. After
purchasing your ticket, Eventbrite will send you an email with a button to
push on the day of the event, to view this live event. You must have the
Zoom app downloaded on your device. You can view the program on a phone,
but we recommend using a larger display.
No
actual films will be shown, but audience members are encouraged to watch
them on their own.
Cinema
'62 A Go-Go is designed as an episodic series that will address various
topics in film and society in 1962.
ABOUT
THE YEAR 1962 IN FILM:
Move
over 1939!!
1962
was a pivotal year in motion picture history, a rare confluence of art,
commerce, and studio craftsmanship that has never been
surpassed. The sheer volume of high-quality films released in the
United States that year include:
LAWRENCE
OF ARABIA, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE MIRACLE WORKER,
JULES AND JIM, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, THE MUSIC MAN, RIDE THE
HIGH COUNTRY, DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?,
DIVORCE ITALIAN STYLE, LOLITA, A TASTE OF HONEY, YOJIMBO, and many
more.
This
explosion of excellence has been recognized by the likes of
award-winning director Philip Kaufman, who cites 1962 as ”the
greatest and most important year in motion picture history,” and esteemed
film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, calling that year’s film
output, “a treasure trove well worth celebrating.”
Some
of the films of 1962 that will be touched on in various episodes of “Cinema
’62 A-Go-Go” include:
THE
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (director: Blake Edwards)
DIVORCE
ITALIAN STYLE (director: Pietro Germi)
GYPSY
(director: Mervyn LeRoy)
LAWRENCE
OF ARABIA (director: David Lean)
LOLITA
(director: John Frankenheimer)
LONELY
ARE THE BRAVE (director: David Miller)
LOVER
COME BACK (director: Delbert Mann)
THE
MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (director: John Frankenheimer)
THE
MUSIC MAN (director: Morton DaCosta)
PRESSURE
POINT (director: Hubert Cornfield)
A
TASTE OF HONEY (director: Tony Richardson)
THAT
TOUCH OF MINK (director: Delbert Mann)
WHAT
EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (director: Robert Aldrich)
ABOUT
OUR HOSTS:
Stephen
Farber teaches film
criticism in the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at UCLA.
He is a past president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and one
of the country’s leading film critics and historians, as well as the author
of several books about Hollywood history.
Michael
McClellan
is a film commentator, historian, and strategist. He has worked within the
film industry his entire professional career, and most recently served as
the Senior Vice President/Head Film Buyer for Landmark Theatres, the nation’s
largest specialized film exhibitor. He is producing “Cinema ’62 A-Go-Go”
with Vitagraph Films.
Vitagraph
Films: Cinema 360 is a new concept in film appreciation, education and
entertainment. It combines a knowledge base of experts such as film
historians, authors, cultural anthropologists, entertainers and the odd DJ,
chef or mixologist, to circle 360 degrees around a film in their interpretation
– and yes, there will be dancing. Each virtual variety show will explore
the cultural context in which the film was created. Think of it as
re-envisioning nostalgia. Longtime Vitagraph Films consultant Margot Gerber
is also a producer of “Cinema ’62 A Go-Go.”
Since
1999 and until movie theatres shuttered suddenly in March 2020, Vitagraph
Films LLC, spearheaded by David Shultz, its founder and president, was a
self-contained theatrical and home optical, television distribution entity
– in other words, we put movies on the big screen in theatres and then
found homes for them on other entertainment platforms. In this new
initiative, Vitagraph Films will continue its involvement with cinema by
fostering a cultural conversation about film with the aim of enlightening
new audiences about older films. Programs will be available to movie
theatres to offer to their patrons.
While I can’t say that I share their enthusiasm for
the films of 1962, there may be others on our list who do (Hil???) … so I’m
happy to pass this along.
Besides, we’re ALL looking for new ways to spend our
time during this extended period of shut-down … so if you’re interested, give
it a shot.(And be sure to report back
to us with your review!)kk
More Ed Sullivan Channel debuts to watch for:
Sunday, October 11th – Chubby Checker
doing a medley of The Twist and Let’s Twist Again (originally broadcast on
October 22nd, 1961
Gerry and the Pacemakers – Don’t Let The Sun Catch
You Crying (from May 3rd, 1964)
Tom Jones – With These Hands (from October 3rd,
1965)
Monday, October 12th:Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas – Bad To Me
(from June 27th, 1965)
Tuesday, October 13th – Ike and Tina
Turner – Proud Mary (from January 11th, 1970)
Wednesday, October 14th – Elvis Presley –
Love Me Tender (from September 9th, 1956)
Mark Lindsay has posted the brand new 2021 Happy Together Tour schedule …
Here’s hoping these shows can come off without a
hitch!
(Believe me … we ALL really need it!)
Frank B. poses a BrianHyland mystery currently circulating on
Facebook …
"One
Night Jimmy” is a song from the 1966 LP The Joker Went Wild / Run Run Look
and See and was written by Brian and Jimmy Holvay. It was never released as a
single. But was it going to be released and someone changed their mind?
Because I’m in contact with both Jim Holvay and Brian
Hyland, I decided to do a little bit of digging for you.
First of all, I was very surprised to see that Jim
was involved with Brian at this point in time …
Holvay, of course, wrote the first four big hits for
The Buckinghams (“Kind Of A Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing
Our Song” and “Susan” …
But this Brian Hyland track predates ALL of these …
So I started with him:
Hey Kent:
What’s goin’ on?
How have you been
doing thru all of this?
I’m hangin’ in
there and working on my music. I’m going to launch my website, which I have
been putting off for years. It will have new original music ...
Not in the pop
genre but vintage soul.
Let’s see …
“One Night
Jimmy” …
Brian and I were
on one of many Dick Clark Caravan of Stars Tours together and became good
friends and still are. We wrote that tune and about nine other songs on the
tour bus.
It gets pretty
boring on those long jumps between cities.
The first song
that came out of those writing sessions was released on Phillips Records and
was called “Stay Away From Her”.
A few years
later, Brian was able to get Snuff Garrett to produce him. “One
Night Jimmy” was another song out of that bunch. It appeared on the LP
which included the hit “The Joker Went Wild”.
I had a number
of obscure 45’s out by different artists before The Bucks clicked.(i.e. Ral Donner, Dee Clark, Mousie &
The Traps, The Livers.)
USA Records
didn’t think “Drag” was a hit, which is why they kept having The Bucks do
cover versions of existing hits.
As you know,
“Drag” was the last single that the Bucks owed them and then they were out of
their contract.
Amazing, how
crazy the record business is.
Thanks,
Jim
In addition to writing those hits for The Buckinghams
… and with Brian Hyland … Jim Holvay was also a member of The Mob, a great
horn band / show band from here in Chicago that had some R&B leanings.
Here’s another reminder and some more details about
the WLTL Radio Special coming up on The Mob next Monday, October 12th
…
The MOB is an American rock,
rhythm and blues show band.They were
the first group from the Windy City to incorporate a full horn section (the
Chicago horn rock sound.)They
influenced many local bands who came later (i.e. The Buckinghams, Chase,
Chicago and The Ides Of March).
The 50th anniversary of The
MOB on the Colossus Records label will air on:
Monday, October 12, 2020 –
first broadcast 12 pm CT – rebroadcast 7 pm CT.
Also, the Radio FX app, the Tune In app and
the WLTL app for smart devices.
Hosted by Elif Geris, Executive
Producer and music reviewer at WGN Radio.
Elif is also an alum of Lyons Township High
School and WLTL Radio.
One of the founding members of The MOB,
Jim Holvay, is an LTHS Hall of Fame inductee.
All tracks will be featured from the
October 1970 Colossus release in (((stereo))).
Clips from the original 1970 Dick Biondi
interview on Chicago radio and 50th anniversary memories from the MOBsters
will be heard.
As a bonus, Dennis Tufano, the
original lead singer of The Buckinghams, will spin the Holvay-Beisbier
Buckinghams hits from the sixties.
Note: the reason for the parentheses around
the word stereo is because the CD and current mp3s from Sequel are in mono.
Mike Baker And
The Forgotten 45s
OK, this sounds interesting …
Join Al
Jardine and John Hall from the band Orleans in an online conversation about
how to make a living doing what you love on Tuesday, October 13,th
from 3:30 pm – 5 pm Pacific / 6:30 – 8 pm Eastern Complete details on Al's website: https://www.aljardine.com/news
Hi Kent,
My first reaction upon seeing the new list of
Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums was ...
”What???”
Then, I suddenly figured out the problem.
There is absolutely no correlation between
the overlapping musical eras in the list. It's like trying to rank apples and
oranges, pumpkins and coconuts.
In today’s world, the very definition of a
“song” is nothing close to what it used to be. Now, there is no requirement
for a song to contain a melody. You can even attend a concert or a Broadway
musical, and walk away without a single memorable tune rolling around in your
head.
A vocal recording no longer carries the
expectation of singing. It could be several minutes of rambling, agitated
verbiage, with a repeating pattern of loud thumps. The odds are pretty safe
that you could play a stack of modern albums and not hear a single twinge of
harmony.
My point is that trying to rank early 21st
century albums in the same list with an entirely different form of recorded
entertainment just doesn’t make any sense. It totally distorts the relative
merits of the material being ranked. The logical solution would be to put
recordings from the contemporary era into a separate list. Leave The Beatles,
Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones in a separate list, where they are competing
with albums that share at least at modicum of commonality.
Bill Oakey
Unfortunately, we see this (and complain about this!) all
the time.
You CANNOT rank the music of the past 30-35 years alongside
the music that was released between 1956 and 1980 because ALL of the rules
have changed … all of the criteria has changed.
Now granted, THIS list isn’t based on performance or record
sales …
This is just Rolling Stones’ so-called “unbiased opinion”
of the significance of these albums and their impact on the musical landscape
as viewed thru their eyes only.
Even so, as many accolades as Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” album
has received over the past fifty years or so, I simply cannot get all the way
thru it!And it’s ranked #3!!!
Is Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” moving into the #1 spot
Rolling Stones’ way of acknowledging that we have to do something about these
turbulent racial times we’re going thru once again?
Don’t get me wrong … it’s a great album … but more
musically significant than “Pet Sounds” (#2), “Sgt. Pepper” (#24), “Dark Side
Of The Moon” (#55), “Revolver” (#11) and “Thriller” (#25)???Or Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” album?Carole King’s “Tapestry” album?I’m just not feelin’ it!
But this is EXACTLY what these kinds of lists are supposed
to do … stir controversy and stimulate discussion … because the results were
tabulated by a significant group of “chosen” people.(That’s why I put more faith into the lists
that WE are able to compile, based on tens of thousand of votes from real
music fans from coast to coast.)
Speaking of which …
Have you voted for your TV Themes favorites yet?
This from Gary Theroux:
This is my favorite TV theme …
Do you know who all the stars being
parodied are?
And can you spot the point when series
creator Jay Ward appears?
This title sequence was filmed in
1961. The 26 actual series episodes were produced in 1963
I went to the guy on the list who I felt would be most
likely to nail them all …
But even he couldn’t do it …
Oh I
wish I could.
Some
obvious ones are Harold Lloyd, John Barrymore, Frankenstein's monster (aka
Boris Karloff), The Lone Ranger, Pearl White (aka Perils of Pauline).
My
movie knowledge and enthusiasm doesn't go back farther than the 1930s. Maybe
Theda Bara or any of the vamps. Keystone Kops and Mack Sennett's bathing
beauties are in there.
Hil
Maybe Gary Theroux can
fill us in the rest (???)kk
Hi Kent,
How weird is this? Received an email from Amazon with a suggestion
that I check this out:
I have never bought music from Amazon or even thought about it. So
how did they know I was thinking about tv themes??? It did remind me to add the
Twilight Zone to my list! ;)
I looked at the previous Top 50 list and was so surprised that the
theme from the Big Bang Theory wasn't there (or even in the honorable mention
list.)I never watched it until after
the final season was over, but think it's a great intro.
Didn't see a restriction on how many themes we could submit, so
here is my first ballot. I'm submitting early so there will be time to add more
later.
ladylion14
No limit … no restrictions … well, kinda …
We had to impose a bit of a restriction to ensure an accurate and fair vote.
Be sure to check back tomorrow as we narrow down the list
for you in order to best maximize the vote.
PLEASE CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR A FULL TV THEMES
UPDATE!
This week’s funny comes from Mike Wolstein …
I just found this
picture online the other day ...
