The Beach Boys: 1970

ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY
After a seven year, VERY lucrative and successful association with CAPITOL RECORDS, THE BEACH BOYS found themselves without a record label ... and not in very high demand. The general feeling was that their time had passed and America didn't want to hear songs about cars and surfing anymore. Coupled with the fact that the industry felt THE BEACH BOYS were nothing without their leader BRIAN WILSON ... and Brian was completely burnt out at the time and nowhere near as involved in their career as he once was as their guiding light ... most labels felt it was just too great a risk to sign the band. Were it not for the fact that MO OSTIN, head of WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS was a HUGE Beach Boys fan, there is no telling how long they might have drifted without a recording contract. He signed them to Warners' subsidiary REPRISE RECORDS and then promptly rejected the first album they submitted! Originally titled ADD SOME MUSIC, Warner Brothers felt the material was weak and lacked a hit single ... and sent the Boys back to the drawing board. After a few new songs were added (and a few others dropped) they once again rejected the new LP, now called SUN FLOWER (two words). Renaming the LP SUNFLOWER (one word), and doing some final tweaking and fine-tuning, the album was finally released in August of 1970. Today, it is considered by many to be their finest group effort, with some folks ranking it ahead of PET SOUNDS in total musical content ... but, at the time, it went virtually unnoticed, peaking at #151 on the Billboard Album Chart ... and lasting on that chart for only four weeks. In fact, it was the worst chart-showing for a new BEACH BOYS album ever to that point. When ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY was released as the LP's first single, it didn't make much of an impression either, peaking at #64 on Billboard's Singles Chart. (It did go to #49 in Cash Box and to #39 here in Chicago ... but, by and large, it was ignored by radio.) Today, it's a regular part of BRIAN WILSON's Concert Performance and, lyrically, he says, is one of the best songs he's ever written. The song describes just how many different ways music comes into our lives during the course of a normal day ... and, had THE BEACH BOYS not fallen so out of favor with the tastes of their musical audience, should have been a much bigger hit than it was.


THIS WHOLE WORLD
By all appearances, REPRISE RECORDS was right ... there was NO hit single material on the SUNFLOWER album. After ADD SOME MUSIC TO YOUR DAY failed to make the Top 40, they released the BRUCE JOHNSTON-penned track TEARS IN THE MORNING backed with IT'S ABOUT TIME, a DENNIS WILSON tune. This time, NEITHER song charted. The next release was SLIP ON THROUGH (another one of Dennis' tunes) coupled with THIS WHOLE WORLD, a VERY catchy BRIAN WILSON track that gets you singing along instantly and captures the very essence of BEACH BOYS music ... and still comes in at under two minutes! The result was yet another non-chart single. Finally, they released COOL COOL WATER (a track originally started during the SMILE sessions) backed with DENNIS WILSON's beautiful ballad FOREVER ... and, again, THE BEACH BOYS were "shut down" on the charts. Despite critical acclaim, SUNFLOWER was, by all accounts, a clunker ... too bad, because some great, outstanding BEACH BOYS music was overlooked by the public.

A few years ago, my son Steven, who was "encouraged" to listen to Beach Boys music from birth, asked me what my favorite all-time BB song was. I had never really thought about it in the many years that I was a BB fan / listener. All their songs then started running through my head, and finally I told him that I would have to give him my answer the following day. What to choose? Sail On Sailor, which isn't typical BB at all, but one of their finest, Pet Sounds' God Only Knows, showcasing Carl's exquisite vocals, Dance Dance Dance ... a terrific representation of traditional BB music. It was so hard to come up with a favorite, but I finally chose This Whole World (Steven's reply ..."whaaaaat"?). This Whole World, from The Boys' superb Sunflower album, is a 2 minute wonder of Brian Wilson at his masterful best. With a perfect lead vocal from Carl, the lyrics aren't really deep or meaningful, just very personal. With that first lyrical line, "late at night I think about the love of this whole world ... lots of different people everywhere ..." simple, but profound. Have a listen to what's happening in the background. This was the Phil Spector influence of which Brian was so enamored. Very spiritual in sound and content, this was also a tip of the hat to Mike Love, who had taken up Transcendental Meditation ... listen for the TM "ommm" chant in the background.
--Cherricat



FOREVER
Probably the least talented member of THE BEACH BOYS (both musically and vocally) was drummer DENNIS WILSON. (BRIAN WILSON was using studio musicians on drums on even their earliest recordings. In fact, it was only at his mother's insistence that Dennis was allowed to be in the band.) DENNIS was, however, the heart, soul and inspiration for the band. It was Dennis, the only REAL surfer amongst themselves, who first suggested to brother BRIAN that he write a song about the latest California craze ... and, in 1962, the hit single SURFIN' launched the career of America's Band. Dennis was, undeniably, the sex symbol of the group. He had the classic California surfer / beach bum look. And, in 1970, he wrote what would become one of the prettiest ballads THE BEACH BOYS ever recorded. Despite this fact, FOREVER never even hit the charts. The song was given new life in the late '80's when FULL HOUSE TV-heart-throb JOHN STAMOS began performing the song on the television series. (He even sang it at his own wedding!) In fact, in 1993, a new version of the song was released on THE BEACH BOYS' album SUMMER IN PARADISE, featuring STAMOS on lead vocals ... and, once again, it failed to chart. (Stamos had been performing on and off with THE BEACH BOYS for quite a few years by this point ... he even appeared in their KOKOMO video.) It's said that during the time of BRIAN's mental and physical collapse, while under round-the-clock medical care, DENNIS was feeding his brother drugs on the sly in exchange for songwriting tips and ideas. Whether or not this is true, Dennis suddenly moved to the forefront as one of the band's leading songwriters. (He wrote or shared songwriting credit on four songs on SUNFLOWER alone.) He was also encouraged enough to try his hand at acting (anybody remember that God Only Knows How AWFUL film fiasco TWO LANE BLACKTOP, co-starring JAMES TAYLOR?) and even released a critically acclaimed solo album, PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE, recently released as a deluxe edition 2-CD set. It was almost enough to make you forgive and forget the time he spent hanging out with THE MANSON FAMILY in the late '60's. (not) Conflicts with the other members of the band and recurring bouts with drug and alcohol abuse caused Dennis to be removed from the lineup on several occassions ... but, returning with broken-heart in hand and begging for forgiveness, he was generally reinstated a short time later. (In fact, when Dennis broke his hand ... some say intentionally ... in 1972, it paved the way for BLONDIE CHAPLIN and RICKY FATAAR ... formerly of THE FLAME ... to join the touring and recording band ... we'll be featuring one of their greatest BEACH BOYS contributions later this week in FORGOTTEN HITS.) Tragically, years later, DENNIS WILSON, once again ousted from the band he helped to build, drowned while heavily intoxicated on December 28, 1983.

The Beach Boys ... America's Band

In honor of The Fourth of July Weekend ... and Y103.9's BEACH BOYS Weekend ... we've decided to rerun a piece that we first did back in 2003, spotlighting what was AT THE TIME some GREAT, overlooked BEACH BOYS Music. Be sure to tune in to JIM SHEA's Morning Show on Thursday, July 3rd, to listen to us feature some of these tunes on the air. You can listen live here:
Click here: Y103.9 - The Greatest Hits of All Time - Listen Live to WWYW ...
and then KEEP listening all weekend long as Y103.9 salutes America's Band ... THE BEACH BOYS!

***

There probably hasn't been another band in rock and roll history that has fallen in and out of favor with the music-buying public more often than THE BEACH BOYS. The so-called "America's Band" may just as well be known as the "are we hot or are we not" band. Although they've never really stopped recording new music, by 1969 their California surfin' sound had grown passe in comparison to some of the harder rock and more meaningful lyrics by the singer / songwriters of the day. During their hey-day on top, however, they managed to hit the U.S. Top 40 thirty times with timeless classics like SURFIN' U.S.A., SURFER GIRL and SURFIN' SAFARI, car tunes like FUN FUN FUN, I GET AROUND, DON'T WORRY BABY and LITTLE DEUCE COUPE and California anthems like CALIFORNIA GIRLS and DO IT AGAIN, not to mention rock and roll standards like GOOD VIBRATIONS, HELP ME RHONDA and WOULDN'T IT BE NICE. Inexplicably, they became hot again in 1974 when Capitol Records released their ENDLESS SUMMER album, a compilation of earlier hits that actually topped the Billboard Album Chart. In fact, a year later they were back in The Top Ten on the Singles Chart as well, with their version of the CHUCK BERRY classic ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC, and playing to sold out crowds on tour with CHICAGO after collaborating on CHICAGO's hit WISHING YOU WERE HERE. Forays into disco (HERE COMES THE NIGHT, 1979) failed miserably yet another taste of nostalgia (THE BEACH BOYS MEDLEY, #8 in 1981) kept the magic alive. Their return to the #1 spot in 1988 with KOKOMO, a 22 year gap since they last topped the pop charts with GOOD VIBRATIONS, earned them a whole new fan base. In between (the "off again" times), they continued to record some GREAT music ... but no one was listening. As lifelong BEACH BOYS fans, FRANNIE and I have put together a week of "must-hear" BEACH BOYS songs that WE believe would have been hits had they been released during one of their "on again" periods ... or, at the very least, are essential listening to fully appreciate the depth of the band. And I don't just mean the obvious stuff like SAIL ON SAILOR, which probably gets played more TODAY than it did when it was first released (and bombed) as a single in 1973. (Upon its initial release, it peaked at #79 ... a re-release in '75 fared a little better, reaching #49 ... but today it's part of the classic rock rotation on many of the better stations.) Some of these you'll know ... some you may not ... and others may jar a memory or two. So give us a listen ... indulge us for a week of lost BEACH BOYS classics ... grab your surfboard and hit the high tide as we remember some of our favorites ... all week long in FORGOTTEN HITS.

***

After KOKOMO topped the charts in 1988 (it eventually spent six months on the charts), THE BEACH BOYS re-signed with CAPITOL RECORDS and a new LP was commissioned. (Well, ONE-THIRD of an LP anyway ... four new songs were recorded, their ridiculous pairing with THE FAT BOYS on the WIPE OUT remake was added and the rest of the album was filled out with what was advertised as BEACH BOYS "Movie Music" ... songs featured in films like GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (I GET AROUND), THE BIG CHILL (WOULDN'T IT BE NICE) and SOUL MAN (CALIFORNIA GIRLS) ... songs that were already 20+ years old from movies that were then about TEN years old! Another new single was released (STILL CRUISIN' ... very similar sounding in arrangement to KOKOMO, and featured in the MEL GIBSON film LEATAL WEAPON 2) and, despite constant rotation on VH-1 (including a HUGE sports car giveaway tie-in), it stopped at #93 on the charts. Too bad ... once again, THE BEACH BOYS were out of fashion. But the REAL shame is that their NEXT single, SOMEWHERE NEAR JAPAN, didn't get played at all ... and it's a pretty good song. We're kicking off this new special series with this track ... a song many of you may have never even heard before ... thus illustrating the very point of what we'll be doing here all week long!

Shout!

We had the EXTEME pleasure of seeing a new musical here in Chicago this past weekend ... SHOUT! The Mod Musical is a whimsical, song-filled look back at OUR favorite decade ... The Swingin' '60's, London-Style. I had absolutely NO pre-conceived notions as to what to expect (as I had heard very little about this production) ... and I have to admit that I was TOTALLY charmed ... and we absolutely LOVED the whole experience!
The entire cast consists of just five young women growing up in the '60's in the heart of Jolly Ol' London ... back at the time when England truly DID swing like a pendulum do. (The cast that we saw included LAUREN CREEL as BLUE GIRL, MEGAN LONG as RED GIRL, AMANDA DANSKIN as GREEN GIRL, MAGGIE PORTMAN as YELLOW GIRL and AMY STEELE as ORANGE GIRL) and they were augmented by a stripped down three-piece ensemble band (two keyboards and drums) ... yet when they put it all together, they COMPLETELY filled the small DRURY LANE THEATRE in Chicago's WATER TOWER PLACE with powerful musical performances of some of our '60's Female Vocal Favorites!
While the play features TONS of music, it's a little short on dialog ... preferring instead to feature more "monologue" type vignettes and short soliloquies that move the story along ... some very reminiscent of those old LAUGH IN Party sequences where everything "freezes" just long enough for one of the actors to get off a quick one-liner. All in all, it's a VERY fast-paced 90 minutes of non-stop fun and music ... and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who fancies this particular musical era.



I was also quite surprised to find that a virtual songbook of TONY HATCH material was featured: DOWNTOWN, I KNOW A PLACE, DON'T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY, COLOUR MY WORLD, I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE, A SIGN OF THE TIMES, ROUND EVERY CORNER, WHO AM I and DON'T GIVE UP ... all PETULA CLARK Hits from the mid''60's ... are prominently performed to GREAT effect throughout the play. Along the way, we were ALSO treated to stand-out performances of the DUSTY SPRINGFIELD classics ALL I SEE IS YOU, I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU, WISHIN' AND HOPIN', YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME and SON OF A PREACHER MAN, a fun send up of GOLDFINGER (done here as "COLD"FINGER), LULU's TO SIR WITH LOVE and the title track, SHOUT, MARY HOPKIN's THOSE WERE THE DAYS, NANCY SINATRA's THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN' and several other favorites of this same genre.

While ALL of the girls gave stellar performances, I was partial to LAUREN CREEL (as BLUE GIRL), who brought us all to laughter with her take on DON'T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY and then to tears with her gut-wrenching performance of the CILLA BLACK Hit YOU'RE MY WORLD, done to GREAT effect as a medley of sorts (a COUNTER-melody to be more accurate) with the DUSTY SPRINGFIELD Hit ALL I SEE IS YOU. (That one TOTALLY choked me up, a feeling I shared with LAUREN during a brief "Meet And Greet" in the lobby after the performance. She confided that this part of the show gets to HER sometimes, too!!!)
All-in-all, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ... but if you want to see it, you'd better act FAST!!! Whereas I had heard a couple of weeks back that the show had just been extended for its Chicago run, I understand now that the FINAL Chicago Performances will be held on June 29th. (That doesn't leave you with a whole lot of time to catch it before it skips town ... but if you ARE able to attend, it's WELL worth the trip downtown!!! Top the evening off with dinner at ED DEBEVIC's and you're sure to have a SWINGIN' '60's time!!! WE were fortunate enough to score tickets for the final performance that evening ... and that's EXACTLY what WE'RE going to do!!!)

And there's MORE good news on the SHOUT! front, too ... SHOUT! is now appearing Off Broadway in New York, in Great Britain and all over Japan ... and plans are in the works right now to bring the show to Las Vegas! (If they can pull it together in time, FRANNIE and I will go see it again when we hit The Strip for our anniversary in November!)
If you happen to have a night free between now and the 29th of June, here's a link to THE DRURY LANE THEATER ... as well as worldwide ticket information:
Click here: Drury Lane Water Tower - SHOUT!
Click here: SHOUT! The Mod Musical

***

Because we've got songwriter TONY HATCH on our FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List, I just HAD to ask him what HE knew and thought about the show. Here's the response I got ... along with the promise of a further review after he sees the British performance next week:

Hi Kent,
Thanks for your email re: "SHOUT".
I first knew of this juke-box musical review several years ago when I was invited to a short season 'try-out' at the Jermyn Street Theatre, a tiny venue (70 seats) in the heart of London close to Piccadilly Circus. I thought it was a well-performed, enjoyable, fun, light-weight piece of entertainment especially as I had nine songs in the show! Not much of a story-line but there were some excellent impressions of 60's girl groups and singers, notably of Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Shirley Bassey. I also understood its birth was as an off-Broadway show. As I recall, there were nine of my songs in the show - all Petula Clark hits. The London producer told me then that he hoped to produce it on a larger scale in London and would keep me informed. I heard nothing more from him.
Then in January this year I received licensing notification from Sony / ATV Music relevant to a UK national tour of SHOUT - THE MUSICAL. My songs in the show are: COLOUR MY WORLD, DON'T GIVE UP, DOWNTOWN, I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE, I KNOW A PLACE, A SIGN OF THE TIMES, ROUND EVERY CORNER and WHO AM I. (One of mine seems to have been lost from the production I saw and I think it may be MY LOVE.)
The UK production is called SHOUT - THE MUSICAL not SHOUT - THE MOD MUSICAL. See www.shoutthemusical.co.uk. It stars Claire Sweeney and Sue Pollard and has been touring the UK since February. By July it will have played in 21 theatres across the UK. I'll be seeing it next week in Bristol and will let you know what I think of it. I understand that the show you saw in Chicago may be different to the UK version. Both versions seem to have received mixed reviews.
There don't seem to be any plans at the moment to bring SHOUT - THE MUSICAL into London which is a pity.
Best wishes,
TONY

Please DO send us our review ... as someone INTIMATELY involved with this music and this exciting era, I would LOVE to hear things from YOUR perspective. Here in Chicago, it received a rousing, standing ovation and there was plenty of laughter, toe-tapping and singing along throughout the performance. I'll agree there's not much to it story-wise ... and "lightweight" is pretty much a DEAD-ON assessment ... but the music is SO good and SO strong that it just carries the thing along. We LOVED it!!!

We've decided to feature a couple of songs from the performance to help whet your appetite ...

First up, the TRULY FORGOTTEN HIT DON'T GIVE UP by PETULA CLARK ... one of my FAVORITES by her (yet one you just NEVER seem to hear on the radio) ... a #27 Hit in CASH BOX MAGAZINE in 1968. (My ALL-TIME FAVORITE PETULA CLARK song is DON'T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY, which is one of the comedic highlights of the show ... but that one you DO hear now and again ... so we've gone in favor of the lesser-heard track ... I mean, this is, after all, FORGOTTEN HITS!!!)

Then, the show stopper, YOU'RE MY WORLD, a #26 BILLBOARD HIT from 1964. (In the musical, this song is performed as part of a medley / counter-melody with the DUSTY SPRINGFIELD hit ALL I SEE IS YOU ... a VERY powerful rendition used to GREAT effect in what I felt was the musical's most emotional scene.)

If you get a chance to see SHOUT! in your area, PLEASE drop us a line and we'll run your COMMENTS and REVIEWS in our regular newsletter COMMENTS PAGE. Thanks!

Frannie, Paige and "BLUE GIRL" (Lauren Creel)

Paige and "Red Girl" (Megan Long)

***

During the course of putting this little piece together, we had the pleasure of talking with VICTORIA LANG, one of the Co-Producers of the Chicago Production as well as one of the New York Media Coordinators. She tells us that SHOUT! first appeared on stage at THE DUPLEX in New York back in 2000 and was then transferred to London's JERMYN STREET THEATRE, which is where TONY HATCH evidently first got a chance to see it. It has since moved on throughout London, has been running successfully Off Broadway in New York, played to 72 performances here in Chicago and will open all over Japan in August. In addition to finding a home in Las Vegas, a multi-city US tour is ALSO expected to take shape later this year ... so hopefully some of our readers WILL have the opportunity to take in this fun evening of entertainment.

VICTORIA was also kind enough to send us this quick email:

Dear Kent:
Thank you for your kind words about SHOUT! I am so glad you enjoyed the show.
Thanks.
Victoria Lang
Co-President
PLUS Entertainment, Inc.
New York, NY

Thanks, VICTORIA ... we LOVED the show and are happy to help spread the word. (Maybe we can see it again in Las Vegas when we're out there for our anniversary in November!!!)

And then we also received a few words of thanks from LAUREN CREEL, the BLUE GIRL of the first performance that we saw:

Hey there Kent! My name is Lauren Creel and I'm the Blue Girl you saw in last Saturday's performance of "Shout!" I am the new Shout understudy and I was in the show the entire week last week! Victoria Lang, one of the producers, forwarded your blog to us and I am beyond pleased you enjoyed my performance so greatly ... especially since it was only my 5th show. Victoria also mentioned you would be coming to the final show on the 29th and although I don't forsee being in the show that day, I am going on for sure on Friday the 27th and hopefully Thursday the 26th as well.Thank you again for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the show as much the second time around! Lauren Creel

Thanks for taking the time to drop us a note, LAUREN ... I really do appreciate it. I hope a few others on our list will make the trip downtown to catch SHOUT! before hit leaves Chicagoland ... trust me, you'll be happy that you did!!!

Forgotten Hits Interviews Denny Tedesco

DENNY TEDESCO may have spent a good portion of his life growing up as "The Son of Famed Guitarist TOMMY TEDESCO" ... but I've got a feeling that once word gets out about his brand new film documentary spotlighting not only the career of his father but ALL of the guys who made up the Legendary WRECKING CREW ... probably the most FAMOUS group of studio musicians EVER assembled ... he'll soon be known in his OWN right as Film Maker Extraordinaire DENNY TEDESCO!!! THE WRECKING CREW is an EXCELLENT film documentary, coming at a time when film documentaries seem to be back in fashion again, earning both the respect of the movie fans along with MANY awards of the movie industry ... and THIS one just happens to profile a topic and music era that's been VERY near and dear to OUR hearts for AGES now.
Is it for EVERYBODY??? No, probably not. Let's face it ... there's nothing politically incorrect or controversial about it ... nobody mentions anything about global warning ... or froze off any limbs while filming the rituals of its subject matter ... and, to the best of my knowledge, nobody ate ... and then regurgitated ... SO many hamburgers that a percentage of the film's potential profits had to be mopped up off the floor between takes ... but for us music aficionados, it's the film that we've all been WAITING for ... FINALLY giving credit to the many musicians behind the scenes who recorded the most popular music of the 1960's.
You can read OUR review of this hot new film in yesterday's FORGOTTEN HITS posting ... and today DENNY has agreed to talk with us about what it was like growing up during this exciting musical era ... and putting together this EXCEPTIONAL film paying homage to these unsung musical heroes.

FORGOTTEN HITS: How aware were you, growing up as a kid, as to the extent your father was involved in the music business? (Obviously, looking back at it now, even YOU have to be COMPLETELY astounded by the sheer VOLUME of hits he was involved with ... but how aware were you at the time?)
DENNY TEDESCO: I really didn't think my dad was doing anything different than other dads. He just went to work like everyone else. I never comprehended the amount of recordings he did until the last few years. You look at those work books and realize, "wow, he was busy".
It wasn't until many years later that I realized what projects he was actually on.

FH: Was THE WRECKING CREW a tight-knit bunch at the time? Did they "hang out" together outside of the studio, too ... or were they simply too busy working?
DT: The only hanging out they did was probably at work. At least for my father. They spent more time with each other than with their own families and that was in the studios. My father's extra activities included Gin Rummy. So he spent many of late hours and early mornings with one of his best friends, Producer Snuff Garrett. They could play for days. They would bet on anything. It didn't matter what the circumstances were, it was all about the bet. Snuff said that they would bet on where a rain drop would hit.

FH: There seems to be an underlying theme in everything I've read about these guys that they didn't DARE turn down a session for fear they might not be asked to the NEXT one!!!
DT: Turning down work??? ... Never!!! Only if he was too busy and couldn't do it. There was also a unwritten rule. Never tell the answering service or anyone that you were on vacation. You just told them that you were already booked.

FH: What about the recording artists themselves? Did the musicians form friendships and bonds with any of these artists? Who were some of the folks who might have stopped by YOUR house growing up as a kid?
DT: My Dad really didn't hang out with the stars. He went to work and came home. The musicians would come over for card games or parties but not the artists. I would occasionally go to sessions when school was out, but that was usually pretty boring. I remember going to TV scorings like The Six Million Dollar Man or CHIPS, but it was pretty boring for a kid. Not knowing that some of the musicians in the room were some of the greatest in the world. Guys like Shelly Mann would be playing drums or Emil Richards on percussion.

FH: From all that's been written, this was a VERY lucrative business back then ... HAL BLAINE implies that he's made (and lost) MILLIONS over the years ... who were some of the artists that your Dad enjoyed working with the most? (Maybe the biggest tippers?!?!? lol)
DT: My dad loved working with people like Sinatra, Streisand, and Elvis. Frank and Barbra were his favorite singers and they treated the musicians with respect. So did Elvis, who always catered lunches. It always came back to food with my father. It was a lucrative business and we were the lucky ones. My parents stayed together and my father continued working into the 80s with film work. So he created a pension which is something I can't say is possible for many of us today. The musicians union was strong at the time.

FH: What are some of YOUR favorite recordings from this era ... and why? (For me, one of the highlights of the film was that little flamingo guitar segment on the GARY LEWIS AND THE PLAYBOYS track SURE GONNA MISS HER ... NOBODY could touch that thing!!! lol)
DT: When my father played Gut String or classical guitar, he always gave more than anyone ever expected. You always can hear those fills of his. You hear his work on "Up Up and Away" as well as the opening of Elvis's "Memories". It starts off all guitar and then Elvis starts singing. One of the last songs that I added to the film was, Ray Charles singing, "It Ain't Easy Being Green". I just found out recently that Ray wanted strings to play behind him, but my father during rehearsal started to play his guitar and Ray stopped the session. He decided to use the guitar instead of the strings. My father played until he saw smiles. That day Ray, gave him a smile.

FH: Looking at some of the interview footage, it appears that this project has been in the works for some time now ... maybe 10-12 years ... is this accurate? When did the concept of putting this film together first come to light?
DT: I started the project when my father was diagnosed with Cancer in 1995, and I knew time wasn't with us. I decided to go forward and start filming. We had already lost Ray Pohlman on Bass and Steve Douglas on Sax. So I wanted to make sure I started recording my father's history as well as the others.

FH: What were some of the obstacles that you ran into along the way?
DT: 12 years ago, I started the project in 16mm film. I really had this vision that I wanted it to look a certain way and video of the time wasn't going to give it to me. But it was expensive and sooner or later, the video formats got better. Or at least the formats that I could afford. I regret not filming my father on any format. I should have kept asking him questions. Even a cassette would have been great.

FH: What was the hardest part about making this film?
DT: Not giving Up. I had a 14 minute piece that everyone thought was great, but no one would give me money to continue. So we had to do it ourselves. Thank God for my wife, who is also my producer. She urged me to continue as well as my other friends and producers, Jon and Mitchell.

FH: Are the members of The Wrecking Crew happy to finally hear their story told? Are they all still on pretty good terms? Are ANY of them still working today on sessions?
DT: I've gotten some wonderful feedback from all of them. Many have had tears in their eyes at public functions. The hardest part is not being able to put everyone in the film. I wasn't able to interview Larry Knechtel, Lyle Ritz, or Mike Deasy until Nashville. So the DVD is going to be packed with new extras that were not part of the original film. They all should be remembered and heard. Regarding work, Larry Knechtel is playing with the Dixie Chicks. That's amazing and Glen Campbell is coming out with a new album for EMI, called, "Meet Glen Campbell". That's amazing. I don't care what age you are, you can still produce at any age.

FH: Several of the artists who made some of these great recordings are interviewed during the course of the film: BRIAN WILSON, MICKY DOLENZ, NANCY SINATRA, CHER, GLEN CAMPBELL, HERB ALPERT, ROGER McGUINN, GARY LEWIS ... the recording artists involved seemed to genuinely enjoy participating in sharing their memories and reflections ... obviously, these behind-the-scenes musicians were "instrumentally" responsible for making their careers. Were there any other artists that you would have liked to include in the film but, for one reason or another, were unable to do so?
DT: I tried to get a few current artists that I know that were influenced by these folks but I could never get past their managers or agents. In some ways, I'm glad. It's better this way.

FH: I think it's great that additional footage is still being assembled ... the "theatrical version" that I saw is outstanding ... but these NEW snippets will make for EXCELLENT viewing as DVD extras. (How cool would it be to capture The Wrecking Crew NOW ... jamming at one of the Film Festival "After Parties"?!?!?!) You mentioned earlier the passing of a few members of The Wrecking Crew prior to the making of this film ... and, I believe a few others have passed on since this project first got under way, including your own father. It DOES seem that this film REALLY needed to be made NOW. I imagine that it had to be difficult in the editing stages, watching some of that footage that included your dad.
DT: To be honest, I thought it would be very difficult to carry on, but it was the opposite. It felt like he never left. Someone gave me an unedited radio interview a couple of months before he passed. I had never heard it before and something made him cry in the interview. That was hard to hear him like that. Very vulnerable.

FH: What other types of "extras" can we expect on the DVD release? Certainly there always seems to be film footage that never makes it past the cutting room floor. Was there more footage that you would have liked to include in the film? Any chance that some of this material will find its way to a DVD release?
DT: Absolutely. As I said earlier, I'm still interviewing guys. My editor Claire kept telling me to stop shooting. Her concern was and rightly so is the fact that you can't fall in love with these characters if they're only on for 20 seconds and gone. So having 40 interviews is not a great way to approach it. Plus there were whole sections about the business at that time period but I had to drop it from the final cut. Producer Snuff Garrett was one of my favorite interviews and he was awesome. But that section got cut. It'll come back as well as a section about the Gold Star guys. Cutting down from over 2 hours to 95 minutes was torture. But that's why God gave us DVDs.

FH: I mentioned earlier the need for a soundtrack album properly crediting these musicians for the very first time. I would have to imagine that between the recording logs and union contracts (albeit with a GREAT amount of time and effort!) these sessions could be accurately reconstructed, FINALLY giving these great musicians their due. In addition, I'm sure there are TREMENDOUS licensing fees involved. What do you think the likelihood of putting together a fitting soundtrack are at this stage?
DT: I'm praying every day that we will be able to find a sound track album. Even if its shortened version, that would be fine. There are 120 songs in this movie. You'll know 110 of them. The others are jazz recordings or individual recordings from the participants themselves. 99.9% of the music has at least a few of the LA musicians involved. The only music that doesn't involve these guys is stock music that was connected to the footage that was licensed. At one point, I needed some Dixie land Music to play under Plas Johnson's bio. So I called Conrad Janis who I knew recorded many Dixieland albums. He says, "I have the perfect recording, it features Plas on Tenor." That was amazing. It was meant to be. When we do have a sound track album, I'll make sure that the credits list the musicians. At the end of the film, I've listed all the musicians that played on the songs from the film. I was able to get the names through the AFM. It took many months of research on their end.

FH: Was it difficult to secure the rights to the music?
DT: This was a major obstacle over the years. People saw that the sound track was going to be the major, major issue. People had ideas on how to get around it but some ideas were pure stupidity. One person who was a pop music writer who wanted to be involved in the film suggested we do 'sound a-likes'. I couldn't believe my ears. That would be like a Milli Vanilli on top of a Milli Vanilli. Others suggested that I pick the top 20 songs. That's impossible as well. The whole point of these guys was the fact that they went from Sinatra to the Chipmunks or from the Beach Boys to Frank Zappa. You had to show the quantity to feel the impact. Finally the record companies finally starting signing on. I know it's not Politically Correct to compliment the record labels, but I think most of them see that this is only good for the industry as well as for the label. Nobody wanted to be left out in the end. They're still going to make money and get the publicity.

FH: That is VERY encouraging to hear ... and, I feel, a VITAL part of the success of this project. I truly do believe that one will fuel the other. What are the future plans for the release of the film? Are you looking for more of a theatrical run or a straight to DVD release? How about something like one of those Pledge Night PBS Fundraisers? Where do things stand right now regarding distribution and release?
DT: Our goal is to build steam with the film festivals, which is working very well for us right now. If there would have been buyers in Nashville or Seattle, there would have been a bidding war. It was amazing. Once we find a distributor, we hope to go city by city as a small theatrical run and then either cable or PBS. Every city has an oldies outlet and it's an easy film to market. Before I hit the city, I paper the town with Posters and Postcards at every recording studio, music stores and record shops. I've been able to sell out the last five screenings. I have to prove to distributors that people want to see this. So the more people that sign up on the web-site, the better chance I have.

FH: Well, we can certainly encourage OUR music fans to do that ... and to catch one of the film screenings if it happens to be in their area. You've got a big one coming up in Los Angeles this month, don't you?
DT: We'll be in Los Angeles for the Grand Performances which is free to the public on June 28th. It's a wonderful outdoor setting and it looks like we'll have some of our Wrecking Crew Members playing that evening. You can check on the web-site for that.

FH: That'd be great if some of our readers could get in for this showing ... and you can't beat the price ... it's FREE!!! (lol)
DT: It's festival seating so there won't be a problem. They've had 7500 people there for Inconvenient Truth. The big drag for me is not having enough seats for my family and friends. If you get there by 7pm, you should be fine. Bring a small chair or blanket. I hope people will understand the Festival Seating Idea. It's downtown in a wonderful setting between the buildings and fountain, but its BYOC (Chair) Then we just got accepted into the "Don't Knock The Rock Festival", in Los Angeles. I'm VERY excited about that! That'll be happening in the beginning of August. You'll see some great Rock Documentaries and films at that festival and we're just honored to be there. So keep checking the web-site, which is: http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/

FH: I would love to see the LA premier ... but flying in with my own chair doesn't sound all that practical to me!!! (lol) Unless they'd let us use the floatation cushions from the airplane or something!!! But this August Rock Festival showing sounds REALLY cool ... perhaps we can fly in for that one ... maybe even get a few of our West Coast FH Readers to meet up with us there!
For more information on the June 28th festival, you can check out THIS link:
http://www.grandperformances.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/season_schedule.show_detail/s_id/229

Thanks again, Denny, for taking the time to talk with us today ... and congratulations on making an EXCELLENT film!
DT: Thanks to you, Kent ... in fact, I can't thank you enough. Its guys like you that are going to get this film a home. Talk soon.

FORGOTTEN HITS Reviews The Brand New Wrecking Crew Documentary

Thanks to DENNY TEDESCO (by way of HENRY GROSS), I was just able to view an advance copy of the brand new WRECKING CREW Documentary that is making the rounds at a number of Film Festivals this spring ... and I can only tell you that it is OUTSTANDING!!!

These INCREDIBLE musicians have spent the majority of their lives as the Unsung Heroes of '60's Pop and Rock Music ... sure, us "insiders" came to know who they were as we grew as music fans ... but the world at large had NO idea that MOST of the music we were hearing on the radio at the time was being created by this same "Band Of Brothers" (and one sister ... lol) over and over again. MOST of these musicians did literally THOUSANDS of sessions back in the day ... and the Hit List that they provided as both the soundtrack to this film ... AND the soundtrack of our lives ... will simply bowl you over.

Along the way, we're treated to in-depth profiles of some of the studio elite ... HAL BLAINE, CAROL KAYE, GLEN CAMPBELL, JOE OSBORN, AL CASEY, EARL PALMER, PLAS JOHNSON and, of course DENNY's Dad, the INCOMPARABLE TOMMY TEDESCO ... often in the words of these fine artists themselves. In addition, we're treated to some rarely seen vintage clips of the era ... most of which has never been seen by the general public before. The film is presented in a loving way ... a TRUE tribute to the FINE musicianship of these behind the scenes artists who truly DID provide The Soundtrack To Our Lives, circa the 1960's ... chock full of the music we all grew up and fell in love with ... music that has STAYED in our hearts and in our ears throughout all the decades that have followed.

I can only say that the film will blow you away!!! (And, I can only HOPE that some sort of two or three companion CD Soundtrack is also in the works!!! To finally gather ALL of this great music in one place and present it WITH THE PROPER CREDITS as a companion piece only helps to serve greater justice to this fine group of studio musicians. It's WAY past the time that these musicians should be properly acknowledged for their contributions to The History Of Rock And Roll Music! I'm sure that licensing all these great tracks might present a HUGE stumbling block ... but I believe it's worth EVERY effort necessary to make this happen and FINALLY give credit where credit is due.) The sad truth is that virtually ALL of these guys went uncredited at the time ... the record labels didn't want the public to know that the artists themselves were not providing the music on their own LPs. (Sadly, the guys who took the brunt of this criticism at the time were THE MONKEES ... four actors PORTRAYING musicians on a television series. When word came out that they hadn't actually performed on their first two LPs, there was nothing short of a media OUTRAGE!!! Yet these VERY SAME MUSICIANS were ALSO recording the music for THE BEACH BOYS, THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS, THE BYRDS, PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS, GARY LEWIS AND THE PLAYBOYS, HERB ALPERT AND THE TIJUANA BRASS and literally HUNDREDS of others at the very same time ... and all the while the public at large was none the wiser!!!)

One thing that I can say that I was ESPECIALLY proud of is the fact that the film makers and musicians acknowledge early on in the film that these studio whiz-kids were NOT referred to as THE WRECKING CREW at the time of these original recordings. This was also OUR finding in an earlier piece that we did in FORGOTTEN HITS when we first heard about the release of this film. (Several of the recording artists on our list came forward with that bit of information ... the name THE WRECKING CREW came LATER as their recording legacy grew.) I am happy that the film makers decided to point this out as well ... despite the fact that virtually EVERYTHING published surrounding the recording careers of PHIL SPECTOR and BRIAN WILSON refers to them that way at the time.

This is a film you'll want to watch again and again. There are a few moments that will stick with you forever. One of the most touching and poignant scenes for me is the way DENNY handles the "winding down" stage of his father's career, legendary studio session guitarist TOMMY TEDESCO. Once the days of studio musicians were being phased out by up-and-coming new recording artists who actually DID provide their own musicianship on their recordings, this had to be a VERY difficult time indeed for the guys who made their livings putting in 15 and 16 hour days, running from studio to studio to lay down the tracks for pop music's biggest names ... most certainly, an emotionally tough time once the phone stopped ringing.

Near the end of his studio career, TOMMY wrote a beautiful, heart-felt song (with just a TWINGE of subtle "inside" humor) called REQUIEM FOR A STUDIO GUITAR PLAYER that addressed such issues ... it's a KILLER track that, thanks to DENNY, we're able to feature here today. (Things got so tight in the REAL world during this era that, in order to get his work of art heard, TOMMY had to dress as a ballerina and perform his song on THE GONG SHOW!!! The good news is ... HE WON!!!) I can't think of a single scene in ANY film that's so immediately poignant, sadly touching AND hysterically funny as this one is ... all at the very same time!!! Major Kudos to DENNY TEDESCO for having the courage, faith, confidence and insight to share this very special moment with us ... including what some might otherwise consider to be more of a "personal" moment ... for all of us to enjoy ... in MY mind, it clearly drives home the point of just how crucial and important this era of music really was ... all the while showing the love and respect this son has for his famous father.

THE WRECKING CREW: A DOCUMENTARY is a MUST SEE film ... for ANY music fan who grew up in the '60's ... a CAN'T MISS effort that you'll want to own to be able to watch again and again. As more information becomes available regarding this film's commercial release, you can count on us to let you know. In the meantime, here are a few more links to check out some of the details. (And be sure to check out the DISCOGRAPHY Page ... it'll blow you away!!!)

http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/trailer.html
http://www.wreckingcrew.tv/

(You can ALSO read our two PREVIOUS postings on THE WRECKING CREW Film here):

http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2008/04/wrecking-crew-part-1.html
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2008/04/wrecking-crew-part-2.html

I've included today TWO songs that have ALWAYS touched my heart pertaining to the plight of a studio musician. First up, BARRY MANILOW doing a song TITLED "STUDIO MUSICIAN" ... I first saw BARRY perform this song on a SOUNDSTAGE Performance, filmed right here in Chicago back in 1976 or so ... it grabbed me IMMEDIATELY ... and, although it was never commercially released on ANY of his albums, he DID include it as part of his LIVE set when he performed at RAVINIA a short while later ... a concert that I was ALSO fortunate enough to have attended. (That performance was filmed and later shown as one of BARRY's television specials!) It's an EXCELLENT piece ... and just seems to fit in PERFECTLY with today's subject matter.



Secondly, a song I doubt many of you have ever heard before. This one comes from the very first SILVER album (those bubblegum guys who scored a MAJOR pop hit with WHAM-BAM-SHANG-A-LANG right around the same time as the MANILOW track referenced above.) This one's simply called MUSICIAN ... and it absolutely SHOULD have been a smash follow-up hit. (It certainly shows the diversity of the band ... and has been one of my all-time favorites ever since. Incredibly, the single never even charted ... probably TOO far off the beaten path of their hit record for radio to ever bother with it.) Give it a listen ... it's a BEAUTIFUL and amazing song that COMPLETELY captures the spirit of what it's like trying to make a living as a musician. (Anyone who's EVER picked up a musical instrument with the aspirations of "hitting the big time" will most certainly be able to relate to THIS little ode.)



And finally, thanks again to DENNY TEDESCO for allowing us to share his father's testament, REQUIEM FOR A STUDIO GUITAR PLAYER, to the best of my knowledge, the first time it's ever been presented publicly in its entirety.



TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
Don't miss our Brand New, EXCLUSIVE Interview with WRECKING CREW Film Maker DENNY TEDESCO ... you'll ONLY find it here on The FORGOTTEN HITS Blog Page!

DAVIE ALLAN ... MOVING RIGHT ALONG

DAVIE ALLAN ... "The King Of Fuzz" ... had his BIGGEST Hit back in 1967 when BLUES' THEME (from the motion picture THE WILD ANGELS, starring PETER FONDA) ... went to #33 on the CASH BOX Chart ... (It was a #3 SMASH here in Chicago) ... and it STILL sounds JUST as fresh today as it did back then!!!
Here it is ... 40 years later ... and DAVIE's got a brand new CD out called MOVING RIGHT ALONG. (Quite honestly, he's never really stopped!!! Check out his website and you'll see ALL of the other releases he's had in between!!!)
Click here: Davie Allan and The Arrows

In fact, it was only a few months back that we were telling you about his brand new Christmas CD, FUZZ FOR THE HOLIDAYS 2!!! DAVIE was kind enough to give us an autographed copy of that one just in time for the Christmas Holiday ... and he's just sent us a signed copy of his brand new MOVING RIGHT ALONG CD, too. (We'll be giving this away before you can even officially BUY a copy ... which, of course, you can do at the same email address shown above!!!)

Today we're also featuring another cut from this hot new LP called LISTEN TO THE GUITAR MAN. On this one DAVIE pays homage to some of HIS guitar heroes ... legendary artists like DUANE EDDY, DICK DALE, LINK WRAY and NOKIE EDWARDS of THE VENTURES ... in kind of a camp / vamp guitar extravaganza!!! (Some pretty cool vocals by LISA MYCHOLS on this one, too!)

He's ALSO agreed to answer a few questions for FORGOTTEN HITS.

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FORGOTTEN HITS: You seem to have hit a real creative streak here lately ... several new recordings have become available these past few years. What do you think has been the spark to get you up and out there again? Do you think that the release of your ANTHOLOGY CD had anything to do with it? A chance to "reflect back" perhaps on all you had done in your career?
DAVIE ALLAN: I never really took a break, just didn't have the management. The CDs on "Sundazed" were cool but I had to sign off on the 60's (ouch!) to get that deal in motion. The first of those five releases was the "Devil's Rumble" anthology in 2004 but one of my best new albums, "Restless In L.A." was released a year before in 2003. 2004 also brought some great shows in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Spain plus the release of my first Christmas album, "Fuzz For The Holidays".

FH: What about live appearances? Are you getting out into the clubs again? Any touring plans in the near future that we can tell our readers about?
DA: I did a short promo tour in '07 for the release of my second Christmas album, "Fuzz For The Holidays 2" with Dick Dale Alumni as my backing band plus a short tour in Texas in February. Coming up are record release parties for "Moving Right Along", the first one is on June 13th at the "Juke Joint" in Anaheim, CA.

FH: How about the latest version of THE ARROWS? Have you guys been together for a while now? Are these the same guys who played on the new album?
DA: The November shows for "Fuzz For The Holidays 2" featured former Dick Dale drummer Dusty Watson (for a couple of shows) and Dick's current bassist, Sam Bolle and current drummer Bryan Head on the other shows. In February, it was Dusty and Sam for the Texas shows. I no longer have a definite "Arrows" band. I would love to have it be Dusty and Sam but that's not possible since they are so in demand. They are in other bands (most notably "Agent Orange" and "Slacktone") plus Sam will be back with Dick soon. They are not on the new album but I hope to record with them on my next project.

FH: Tell us about the new CD ... there's a nice mix of instrumentals AND vocals this time around ... is this the most you've ever sung on a DAVIE ALLAN album?
DA: I sang two of the five vocals plus we had recorded a couple for "Restless In L.A" and a couple more on "Fuzz For The Holidays 2". I actually did a solo country album in 1983 that had nine vocal tracks (the album was titled "An Arrow Escape").

EDITOR'S NOTE: This dude can sing, too!!! In fact, he's got a VERY nice voice. (We featured DAVIE's Christmas track A WINTER SONG last time around and got ALL kinds of positive response to that one!!!) There is a nice mix of vocals and instrumentals on the new CD ... DAVIE ALLAN "purists" won't be disappointed as the LP features those trademark DAVIE ALLAN guitar calisthenics throughout ... and the inter-mingled vocal tracks make for a nice change of pace.

FH: DAVIE ALLAN AND THE ARROWS have somehow ALWAYS been linked to The Top 20 Hit SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME by MAX FROST AND THE TROOPERS (which, of course, was the VERY first song we EVER featured in FORGOTTEN HITS back on Thanksgiving Weekend, 1999!!!). For YEARS it was rumored that YOU guys were the backing group on this track ... most likely because you WERE on the soundtrack to WILD IN THE STREETS and the single was released on your record label at the time, TOWER RECORDS.
DA: I was getting the question about "Max Frost" and the song "Shape Of Things To Come" a lot so I saved an answer that I keep reusing (since February '05): I wish I could say that we were "Max Frost & The Troopers" but unfortunately, it's just not true. I DID play on the "Wild In The Streets" soundtrack along with studio musicians known as the "Hollywood Wrecking Crew" (Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye and Larry Knechtel) but none of us played on "Shape Of Things To Come". A band was hired to do that one and it was kept a secret as to who the members were (actually "Mom's Boys" featuring Paul Wibier). The mix-up started when my instrumental version was released as the last "Arrows" single on the "Tower Records" label. All I did was play lead on that pre-recorded track so everyone assumed that we and "Max Frost" were one and the same. I'm on some of the "Max Frost" tracks which includes those that appeared on "The Glory Stompers" soundtrack.

EDITOR'S NOTE: We featured DAVIE's brand new version of SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME from the MOVING RIGHT ALONG CD in one of our recent newsletters. Here it is again for the benefit of anyone who may have missed it!



FH: Now this isn't the FIRST time you've recorded SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME either, is it??? Haven't you released at least a couple of other versions over the years?
DA: It's up to four versions now with the new one. I also did a vinyl single version in '98 and another version in 2000 for the "Live Run" CD.

FH: One of my favorite tracks off the new LP is LISTEN TO THE GUITAR MAN. It's kind of a call-back of sorts to the old DUANE EDDY track DANCE WITH THE GUITAR MAN ... and I like the way you worked in your own little guitar tributes to some of the OTHER great guitarists of that era. Who were some of your musical influences growing up??? Who were the "Guitar Gods" you aspired to?
DA: Putting that tune together was a labor of love and my plan (actually my dream) was to get Duane, Nokie, Dick and Link to do the parts I wrote for them. My first hero was Elvis. Seeing him holding that guitar on TV did it for me. Then it was Duane and then Nokie BUT ..... my musical hero is Henry Mancini!

EDITOR's NOTE: Now THAT would make for an AWESOME video ... listen to the track ... can't you just visualize all these guitar greats up there on stage together playing this one ... and then stepping up to the spotlight as she calls their names??? Somebody needs to get on this idea ... stat!!!

FH: You've mentioned before doing some studio work with THE WRECKING CREW. How did you first happen to be singled out as a session guitarist? Who are some of the other artists that you've worked with over the years?
DA: I always try to avoid mentioning a certain person from the 60's but I started playing on all of Mike Curb's sessions that included The Hondells, The Paris Sisters, Linda Ronstadt's first Stone Poney's session, Jerry Naylor, Terry Stafford, Annette and others plus the two dozen soundtracks.

FH: You seemed to "click" in the Soundtrack Arena ... there was a certain "DAVIE ALLAN Sound" that a lot of these teen exploitation flicks were looking for. In hindsight, do you feel that this "typecast" you in any way? Are there other musical avenues you would have liked to pursue ... say a bit more outside your genre ... but perhaps the powers that be at the time prevented you from exploring these areas for fear that the public might not have accepted you in that role?
DA: I was so thrilled with doing those films that being "typecast" was never an issue. I did attempt a vocal career in the 70's and did a few singles but I had no success whatsoever. I tried it again as I mentioned earlier by doing a "Country" album in '83. Another disappointment. The vocals on the new albums have been received quite favorably but I am definitely more at home doing instrumentals. Even though the new album has a few vocals, I only do instrumentals on the "live" shows.

FH: What's next on the horizon for DAVIE ALLAN? What kinds of things can your fans look forward to in the next year or two?
DA: As you know, the music business is not what it used to be but I have a another project in the planning stages and I'm hopeful that "Moving Right Along" (and the official release of "Fuzz For The Holidays 2" in the fall) will lead to a new album next year.

FH: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us today in FORGOTTEN HITS ... I really do appreciate it!

DA: Thank you so much, Kent, for this interview and for your continuing to help me get the word out there!

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So who won the new CD???

Put your hands together for MR. EDWARD POND of Lebanon, Oregon!!! (Yes ... THAT Edward Pond ... the guy who "went POND on me" a few years back!!! Believe it or not, he's remained a loyal FORGOTTEN HITS Reader ... and we're happy to send him a copy of this hot new CD release!) Congrats, ED!!!

Wow! How cool for me! -- Ed Pond

Enjoy the new DAVIE ALLAN CD ... and report back to us with your own personal review! Congratulations again ... and for all you folks who registered to win, don't worry ... your name will roll over for our next FORGOTTEN HITS Giveaway!!! (If YOU haven't registered yet to pick up something from our FH Prize Closet, get your entry in NOW!!! Just drop me an email and we'll add you to the list for our next drawing!!!)