Tuesday This And That

Kent -

Thanks so much for the excellent piece on the blog on Friday. 

I have heard  from many of the WLS and WCFL DJs, including Fred Winston, Lyle Dean, Chuck Buell, Ron Riley and Scotty Brink.  All were very complimentary.  

Thanks for doing that.

Talk more soon,

Ted

ALWAYS a fan first, Ted!  I’m as anxious to hear what you’ve come up with as anybody else out there!  (lol)  Can’t wait.  (kk)

 

The Forgotten Hits promo looks great … nice job.

We'll start running the promos this week. 

-- Allan Sniffen

LOTS of Chicagoland jocks recorded new promos to help promote this year’s Labor Day special … can’t wait!  (kk)

kk …

Cousin Brucie Is Doing His Show From His Home In Upstate New York …

When A Thunderstorm Knocks Out His Power During His Interview With Wayne Newton.

Brucie Continues His Interview Via His Cell Phone.

WABC 77 AM --- About To Celebrate 102nd  Anniversary.

One Of The Biggest Stations In The Nation & Cousin Brucie Has To Resort To His Cell Phone.

Over His Career, Wayne Has Done More Than 50,000 Concerts In Las Vegas.

August 26 & 27 He Will Be Doing Concerts In Pennsylvania & New Jersey.

I Didn't Know Wayne Newton Took Over Bob Hope's Position With The USO When He Was No Longer Able To Travel.

After Coming Home From Tour, He Called Soldiers’ Families With Messages To Loved Ones.

He Told This One Story …

Sounds Like Good News ...

One Soldier Asked Wayne To Propose To His Girlfriend For Him.

She Cursed Him Out & Hung Up.

I Waited 20 Years For This And He Sends You To Do It --- Instead Of Doing It In Person.

FB

>>>ALL of the charts may not hold up as well under scrutiny … which is why we just have to accept them as they were at that moment in time. There’s really no way to go back and evaluate the research after all this time. (kk)

 

Come sing along with me!  Let's see if this makes today's chart(s)!

 

Sung to the tune of

Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartbreak!”

 

It's a Chart Ache

Nothing but a Chart Ache,

 

Accurate when it's too late

Analyzing ‘til you're down.

Standing in the Chart’s pain

Wearing such a tired frown,

 

It's a fool's game

Nothing but a fool's game.

Crunching numbers 'til your mind breaks

Then it makes you form a frown,

 

Cuz It's a Chart Ache

Nothing but a Chart Ache.

 

CB ( which stands for "Composition Boy!" )

 

Our radio format in the 80s was adult contemporary and I would send our playlist of current records to the Gavin Report.  We had to mail them by Monday so that they could go to print on Friday.  If it was late in the mail, Ron Fell, the head of A/C, would call me and get my report over the phone.  When a new invention called the fax machine came along, that helped tremendously.  Gavin seemed to appreciate the smaller market stations because we helped break a lot of records. The bigger stations tended to wait and see on newer and independent artists.

Phil Nee

 

>>>Brand new bronze statues of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were unveiled this past week in their home town of Dartford, Kent, England.  (kk)

WOW! Don't they look like elves prancing about. I have never thought while watching them that this is what I was seeing. Hmmmm. Man and myth?

But ... which is which?

Shelley

I’ll agree that they may not be the most perfect likeness … (actually Keith looks a whole lot better than Mick does … his statue just looks ridiculous!) … but they’re still  being honored as “hometown heroes” … so two hundred years from now, little children will still be asking “What did THEY ever do that was so great???”  (They should equip them with sound so the kids can push a button and hear “Satisfaction” or “Start Me Up” play while viewing!  Ya know, like they have at the zoo!)

Word is that neither Mick or Keith showed up for the unveiling ceremony … but it is reported on fairly good authority that Keith Richards’ daughter and grand-daughter were their.  I guess The Glimmer Twins are now immortalized in platinum, gold … and bronze!  (kk)

 

Speaking of which …

 

If you’ve ever wondered where that nickname “The Glimmer Twins” came from, Keith Richards told Rolling Stone Magazine in 2012 that its origins can be traced back to a boat trip that he and Mick took to Rio back in 1974. 

 

"Mick, me and our ladies took a boat to Rio that was full of these upper-class English people, all drinking like mad, pink gins and pink champagne, crowding the bar.  I was dressed at the time in a diaphanous djellaba, Mexican shoes and a tropical army hat. After a while, they discovered who we were and became very perturbed. They started asking us questions: 'What are you really trying to do?' and 'Do try to explain what this whole thing is about!' We never answered them and, after a few days, one woman stepped forward from the group and said, 'We've been asking you for days and you just won't say. Can't you give us just a glimmer?' Mick turned to me and said, 'We're the Glimmer Twins.'"

 

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is offering one-of-a-kind photo prints from the collection of Baron Wolman.  (Actually, I guess it’d be more accurate to say TEN-of-a-kind … as this is a strictly “limited edition” sale!)

 

But the photos themselves are amazing.

 

Check out the Jimi Hendrix shot below …

 

And then some of the others shown on The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website featuring artists like Jerry Garcia, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Pete Townshend, Grace Slick, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, The Grateful Dead and Joni Mitchell.  (kk)

https://shop.rockhall.com/pages/baron-wolman-collection?utm_source=salesforce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=merch814&utm_term=shop&spMailingID=3560235&spUserID=NTgzNjI0MjkyNTIS1&spJobID=1320083769&spReportId=MTMyMDA4Mzc2OQS2

 

I, too, had a satellite dish in 1981, as cable had not reached our edge of town neighborhood. My dish had a remote rotor so you could rotate the dish from inside the house. I’m assuming the dual dishes in the photo were stationary, which is why you would have two. I got to know the positions pretty well.

There were only about two satellites worth watching. One had all the cable channels mentioned, which appears to be the one on the left, and the one on the ridge appears to be aimed right at the porn satellite.

Robert Campbell

I remember watching what were then called “stag films” at various bachelor parties over the years …

Did you ever notice that if you accidentally ran one of those film backwards, it still essentially looked the same???  (kk)

 

I was just I was just cleaning up some old Beach Boys Audio!

 

Now it's your turn to come up with an appropriate "409 Cleaning" song!

(No, "Down at the Car Wash" doesn't work because they never even sing the word "clean!")

Did you come up with my choice!

CB (which stands for Cleaning Boy)

 

 

Nope, you got me on this one … Good Job!!!  (kk)

 

And then, of course, there's this one ...

Because it's a Really, Really REALLY Clean Machine!

 

 

From the Doo Wop Ramblings Newsletter …

Dennis Tufano in California Music Hall of Fame!

Clive Topol

 

Congratulations to Dennis Tufano, the lead singer of the Buckinghams, who will be inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame. The Buckinghams were inducted into The Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame a couple of years ago, so Dennis is two for two. “Kind Of A Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song” and “Susan” all scored in the Top Ten. “Kind Of A Drag” went all the way to #1 in 1967. Also being inducted are Cannibal & The Headhunters,  Gary Puckett, and Leon Hughes (of The Coasters). The event will be held on September 23rd in Menifee, CA.

Glen Fisher

 

Read the whole thing … and subscribe … here:

https://mailchi.mp/13ccad275ce0/httpsmailchimpd2dcbc7935b85a350e713f1cdoo-wop-ramblingseytdiewad9-d6f35b09eb-1378022?e=bdbfc8e24f

 

Congratulations, Dennis!  (kk)

Joe Walsh has announced that one of the acts performing at this year's 7th Annual VetsFest will be Jeff Lynne's ELO.  It'll be the band's first live performance in four years.

 

Also on tap is Stephen Stills.

 

The show will take place at 5 p.m. on November 12th, at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre near San Diego, CA. Tickets will go on sale to the public tomorrow (August 16th) at 10 a.m. PT at Ticketmaster.

CHARTBEAT ... IT'S A LOVEBEAT!

Hi Kent,

 

Being a lifelong chart fanatic and devoting the past 31 years to working for Record Research, I read with great interest your thoughts on the various trade magazine charts.

 

It reminded me of a story Joel Whitburn told me many times about visiting both the Billboard and Cash Box offices in the mid-1970s. 

 

He said that the Billboard chart department was a beehive of activity, with staffers busy on the phones and running paperwork back and forth ... while the Cash Box office had a couple of guys sitting around, not looking very busy at all.  It really made an impression on him and made him glad that he decided to make the Billboard charts his main focus of research.

 

Over the years, I'd been mentioning to Joel that because we covered the Billboard charts so thoroughly, that maybe we should branch out to the other trades.  I'll never forget the day when he called me up and said, "Let's do it!" 

 

We started with Cash Box, then branched out to Music Vendor/Record World, then to my personal favorites of Radio & Records and The Gavin Report.  This eventually led to my all-time favorite Record Research project (and I think yours, too!) The Comparison Book.  As you have mentioned on several occasions, this is where the discrepancies in the charts really stand out. 

 

A few thoughts come to my mind about this.  One, the different trades had different sources.  I don't know how much (if any) overlap there was between which record stores and which radio stations reported to which trade(s), but that certainly could make a difference in the final results each week.  Also keep in mind that this was all before monitored sales and airplay, so reports were based strictly on the honor system.  I believe most reporters were on the up-and-up, but who can say for sure.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that a weekly chart is just a snapshot of that particular week.  I highly doubt there was a concerted effort to keep certain artists out of the number one spot (yet this was the very claim that Richard Carpenter once made to Joel about Billboard).  Yes, I've heard the Gerry Rafferty story (and that one just might be true), but I truly believe such stunts were very few and far between.  Either way, I'm sure those that were actually compiling the charts at the time never dreamed that we'd be wondering about such things all these years later. 

 

As I always say, the charts are more accurate now than they've ever been, yet record companies still look for ways to game the system.  And that increased accuracy has given us charts that can vary widely from week to week, while also remaining incredibly stagnant at the same time.

 

While I take all of this as seriously as anyone (after all, it's my livelihood!), let's remember that music and chart watching are supposed to be FUN.  At the end of the day, it's a nice distraction from our everyday cares. 

 

(Now, about CCR never hitting #1 in Billboard ... )

 

Paul Haney

Record Research

It IS fun … and arguing about what should have been is always a big part of it.  Let’s face it … us chart followers have been doing that for as long as the charts have existed!

 

One thing to keep in mind, too (and I will freely admit to being guilty of this fact) is that MOST of us growing up didn’t have access to the charts published by the three major trades … our whole world (and therefore chart perspective) was based on what OUR local radio stations were playing and reporting. That’s all we knew … and is the reason why a record like “It Could Be We’re In Love” by The Cryan’ Shames could be #1 in Chicago for four consecutive weeks yet only muster a #85 showing in Billboard.

 

Talk about your chart discrepancies … this same record peaked at #70 in Cash Box and #52 in Record World!  That’s a spread of over thirty places!  (Tells me the Record World rated the opinion of WLS, one of the biggest Top 40 outlets in the nation, at a much higher level than Billboard did.  Or, they factored in the fact that as The Cryan’ Shames toured behind that record, it became more popular in every city they visited.)  The fact of the matter is on a clear night you could hear WLS all over the country (if you didn’t mind listening between the static!)  And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from readers who fell in love with “It Could Be We’re In Love” but then weren’t able to buy it in their local record stores because they only displayed The Top 30 Records in THEIR town!  (Here’s where some real chart fans might have gotten the chance to see a Billboard Chart up on display … but how big of a record store did you have to be in order to stock all Top 100 Records??? Certainly not a “Mom and Pop” shop, which was much more the norm back in the day!

 

Since you mentioned it, I did a quick glance at the Gavin book charts to see if The Cryan’ Shames even made a blip … and “It Could Be We’re In Love” showed at #32 for exactly one week and then disappeared forever.  Still, that now creates a FIFTY point spread between the Gavin Chart and The Billboard Hot 100!  THOSE are the ones that I refer to as the “head scratchers!!!”  (Although I personally always regarded the Gavin list as more of a “forecast” chart, predicting which records were going to be the hits and thus attaining more “adds” at radio stations across the country.  The Gavin Charts were usually a good four weeks (minimum) ahead of the curve.  And technically a record didn’t make a good showing in Billboard until it had already been a huge hit everywhere else … so they were often reporting their findings “after the fact.”  I can’t tell you how many times we found a record that had been #1 in any variety of cities four or five weeks before it hit #1 in Billboard … so you’re right, each chart has to be judged on its own merits.  (Now if I could only get Record Research to publish our Super Charts!!!  Then you’d have the best possible accumulation of this chart information from week to week!)  kk

Kent,

A few times over the years, Billboard had a few articles that supplied information about how they came up with the charts. Early on, it seems that sales were more important than radio airplay when tabulating the Hot 100; however, as sales started to drop off, I suppose airplay points became more significant.

By the way, Record World had weekly articles during their last five years of publishing that were very informative about how songs were doing on their two main pop charts (singles and albums.)

It seems Cash Box provided the least information about how they arrived at their charts (at least in the pages of their magazine.)

Here is a website you can go to look through old issues of Billboard, Cash Box, Record World and Radio & Records. 

https://worldradiohistory.com/

Sincerely,

Joe Cantello

Marietta, Ga

Yes, this is a great site that allows you to look thru all the pages of these magazines.

Cash Box became a bit suspect (and lost a WHOLE lot of credibility) when it charted the Wayne Newton record “The Letter” at #1 in 1992 … a record you couldn’t even buy … a record that never even made Billboard’s Hot 100 (or Bubbling Under chart) … yet was awarded the top spot in Cash Box Magazine (reportedly a favor to somebody.)

Between all of the Mob horror stories we’ve heard over the years related to record companies and artists … and the fact that payola was NOT confined just to disc jockeys … ALL of the charts may not hold us as well under scrutiny … which is why we just have to accept them as they were at that moment in time.  (There’s really no way to go back and evaluate the research after all this time.  I thought about doing it by running comparison charts for twelve major cities spread out across the USA to see what the REAL general consensus was … but good luck finding a radio station in those twelve cities that remained on the air playing Top 40 music for forty years!!!

Again, this is why I always come back to the accuracy of The Super Charts … a week by week analysis of the chart data used in all three major trades which “smooths out” some of those thirty point chart discrepancies!  (kk)