A Couple Of Quick Updates

Just a quick dash-off this morning ...

re: THE NEW COLONY SIX:
Last night's New Colony Six appearance at The Schaumburg Public Library was cancelled due to stormy weather ... the date will be made up THIS THURSDAY NIGHT (June 4th), same time, same place ... just wanted to pass this information along to any list members who may have been planning to attend.

... and, speaking of upcoming shows, it sounds like you can catch some REALLY good ones here ... check this out!!!

re: UP-COMING SHOWS:
Hey Kent ...
Here's some very cool info I thought the readers of Forgotten Hits would be interested in.
There's a small town in New Jersey called Bordentown. In this beautiful town of Bordentown is a great oasis called "THE RECORD COLLECTOR". This is not only the finest record store around for Vinyl, CD's and collectibles ... it's also a great showplace. The owners John & Sue have been producing amazing live shows ... in the store ... with the help of great local DJ, Randy Now. They call it "The Living Room Concert Series".We recently saw Peter Tork and his band perform there ... and last Friday night I took in an amazing performance by Kate Taylor and her fine Guitarist Bill Derby.
Here's a link to their website: http://www.the-record-collector.com/
There are some great shows coming up there and some of the F.H. readers in the PA, NJ, Delaware, NY area may want to check out their upcoming schedule.
As a matter of fact, we're playing there on Saturday October 3rd and we're planning a great "Beach Party" that night ... complete with Palm trees!!!
Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords
Sounds like a GREAT place to see a show ... and a VERY interesting line-up coming up ... please keep us posted ... and if any of you ARE in the area, check it out and let us know what you think! (kk)

re: JIMI HENDRIX:
A forthcoming book by a former roadie for Jimi Hendrix claims Jimi's 1971 death was not accidental. James "Tappy" Wright says Jimi was murdered by his own, soon to be ex-manager. Tappy says Michael Jeffery confessed the crime to him while drunk a year later (two years before Feffery himself died in a plane crash), saying, "we went round to [the] hotel room, got a handful of pills and stuffed them into his mouth... then poured a few bottles of red wine deep into his windpipe." Jeffery reportedly collected on a 1.2 million pound life insurance policy after Jimi's death.
Ron Smith
There has been SO much speculation about Jimi's death over the years ... but this is the first time I've heard THIS version!!! (Saw this on PopEater yesterday, too ... of course as with so many of the facts surrounding Jimi's life and death, there are VERY few insiders left around to prove or disprove any theories ... and even some of the closest to him who have spoken out over the years have changed their stories from time to time ... but all this press SHOULD help fuel book sales ... and hey, that's the name of the game, right???) By the way, our Forgotten Hits Salute to Jimi Hendrix is now posted on The Forgotten Hits Web Page for the whole world to see ... you can find it here (kk):
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Jimi Hendrix

... And here's one to get the wheels turning this morning ...

re: THE GREAT DEBATE:
Kent,
How would you describe the difference in oldies and classic rock? My guess is that oldies are mostly singles, and classic rock more the FM album cuts. Classic rockers probably consider themselves more sophisticated than oldies fans. There are also a lot of people who use the term "classic rock" because it sounds better. Who defines what songs are "classic"?
Dwight Rounds
Interesting topic ... so I'm going to put this one out to the list ... I have a hunch we'll get some interesting answers both from oldies and classic rock music fans ... as well as from some of the jocks on our list who play BOTH varieties of this music! (I've told the story of being at the Soundstage taping a few years back when America performed ... after playing their "Classic Rock" Hit "Sandman", Gerry Beckley announced, "That's not oldies ... that's Classic Rock" ... and then the band launched into their wimpy hit "Muskrat Love" ... after which Beckley remarked "Note to self: do NOT use the Classic Rock line and then perform 'Muskrat Love'" lol) Yes, there IS a difference ... and America is one of the many acts that "cross over" to both genres. It'll be interesting to get your guys' take on all of this! (kk)

re: PHIL SPECTOR:
I was trying to remember where I'd seen that Phil Spector booking photo before - now I think I got it figured out ...
Diana

TOOOO funny .... and eerily true!!! (lol) kk

Phil has asked his wife, Rachelle, to place the Alhambra, California mansion where he shot Lana up for sale. She will also place his rock 'n' roll artifacts in storage. The home, once worth $1.3 million (he paid $1.1 million), is now only worth about $800,000, though its notoriety might fetch it more. The money will be used for pay for his appeal.
Ron Smith

Dave Somerville and The Diamonds

A month or two back we were discussing the fact that one of our readers had seen The Diamonds in concert ... and whether or not this was, in fact, the REAL Diamonds performing that night.

After a number of comments and conversations surrounding this topic since then, I was pleased to receive a phone call from Dave Somerville, the original lead singer of the band, who explained the legalities of just what's going on here!!!

Dave explained to me that several years ago he sold the rights to the name "The Diamonds" to the artists who are currently out there performing under that name these days. (In fact, he ALSO told me that at one time there were as many as FIVE different groups performing in concert as The Diamonds ... talk about confusing the public!!!)

The group our reader saw is the group who currently has the LEGAL use of the name ... generally, fourth and fifth generation members of the group. (Somerville also mentioned that things might be a little bit less confusing ... and misleading ... if the group performed as "Gary Owen's Diamonds" instead, making it clear that he is NOT a member, as it sounds like any number of times each year fans in the audience are screaming things out like "Where's Dave?" or "Where's Diamond Dave"!!! lol)

Quite honestly, it shouldn't be too hard to find Dave ... he's been performing non-stop for 55 years now. During our phone conversation, he told me:

DAVE SOMERVILLE: I haven't had a day job in 55 years. I just shared the bill with Bobby Rydell ... and this is after coming back from Hawaii where I performed mid-ocean shows for two weeks. In recent months, I've been to Hawaii, Australia, Spain, South Africa and then back to Vancouver, performing literally all over the world ... and it seems like it's getting BIGGER. This music isn't fading out ... it's more popular than ever."

FORGOTTEN HITS: Sounds like a tough way to earn a living!!! (lol)

DS: Yeah, it is ... but SOMEBODY's gotta do it! (lol)

Dave also did over 400 shows in Branson where he performed for two years ... and he's having the time of his life. It seems like NOTHING gets this guy down!!!
DS: "You know, NONE of the original members of The Diamonds owned the name ... that was something our manager screwed us out of ... but you don't want to hear THAT story ... it's too depressing."

As for his original singing partners, bass singer Bill Reed passed away a short while back and tenor Ted Kowalski and baritone Phil Levitt are both retired electrical engineers living in Toronto, without any further musical aspirations.

DS: The original group didn't play any instruments ... we just went up there and sang. The NEW version of The Diamonds are up there playing instruments and singing and dancing."

While The Diamonds are probably BEST remembered for their 1957 #2 Hit "Little Darlin'", they actually hit The National Pop Charts eighteen times and scored Top 40 Hits with their versions of Why Do Fools Fall In Love (#16, 1956); The Church Bells May Ring (#20, 1956); Love, Love, Love (#30, 1956); Soft Summer Breeze (#34, 1956); Ka-Ding-Dong (#17, 1956); Zip Zip (#36, 1957); High Sign (#21, 1958); Kathy-O (#37, 1958); Walking Along (#19, 1958); She Say (Oom Dooby Doom), #12, 1959; One Summer Night (#22, 1961); and their #1 Cash Box Hit, "The Stroll" back in 1958.

Somerville says he started singing "serendipitously ...how's THAT for a word" in the hallways, never dreaming it would turn into a life-long career. He also directed me to YouTube, where a number of Dave Somerville videos are posted. (Check out the one called "Dave Does The Diamonds"!!!)
Click here: YouTube - Dave Does The Diamonds

All in all, a very nice, happy and humble man who has been able to enjoy life to the fullest doing what he loves to do the most. (Yes, we agreed that it's sometimes a drag when REAL life gets in the way ... but all in all, "I've been able to live my dream ... and I don't know TOO many people who can make THAT statement!!!")

For a REAL enjoyable listening experience, be sure to check out Dave's CD, "On The 1957 Rock And Roll Greyhound Bus" ... it's a fun look back at what it was like to be out on the road in the earliest days of Rock And Roll, alongside some of the biggest stars of this golden era. And Dave's in fine voice as he covers not only some of The Diamonds' biggest hits (Why Do Fools Fall In Love, The Stroll, Silhouettes, Church Bells May Ring, Ka-Ding-Dong, Zip Zip, High Sign, Daddy Cool and Little Darlin' are ALL here) but also shares some fascinating tales (along with some musical tributes) to Chuck Berry, The Drifters, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers and many others. Man, we would LOVE to see this show live ... but it also makes for some GREAT listening entertainment ... more details are available on Dave's website:
Click here: Welcome to Diamond Dave Somerville's Rock & Roll Greyhound bus

Meanwhile, here's a track ... and a musical history lesson ... from the CD ... proving once again how Dick Clark helped to write The History Of Rock And Roll!!!

Every Once In A While We Get It Right

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WE GET IT RIGHT:

It doesn't happen very often ... but every once in a while we get a potent reminder of just how powerful this music that we love really is. It touches us in different ways ... and sometimes it speaks directly to us ... we may interpret a song one way on any given day based on our mood at that moment in time ... and at another time ... in another mood ... that same song may cut through to our very soul.

One of our Forgotten Hits Readers shared such a story with us this past week. Our point here is certainly not to capitalize on, exploit or sensationalize someone else's grief ... and we share this with you only because the parties concerned
gave us permission to do so ... but rather our intention is to simply prove again why music is such an important part of our lives ... it can provide the soundtrack to memories that will never leave us ... it can heal us when we're down and need it most ... it can make us laugh, smile and dance ... or cry. It is when it speaks to us personally that it is the most powerful ... and THAT is the purpose of today's piece.

Last week, after we had a little fun with Alan O'Day's #1 Hit "Undercover Angel" ... and featured the title track from his brand new CD, "I Hear Voices", I received this very moving email from one of our Forgotten Hits Readers:

Kent,

We lost our little granddaughter two weeks ago. Alan's "I Hear Voices" is just what we needed to hear this morning. I'm sharing this delightfully uplifting song with her grieving parents.

Please pass this on to Alan and let him know there are no coincidences. This tune arrived at just the right time.

Thank you, Alan, for all the music; and thank you Kent for Forgotten Hits!

David

Naturally, I was touched ... it turns out that David and I have granddaughters about the same age. After my response to him, I forwarded his note on to Alan O'Day, whose track, "I Hear Voices", we featured the other day on The Forgotten Hits Website along with what we considered to be a pretty humorous response to another reader's question about Alan's #1 Hit "Undercover Angel." We could have NEVER known or even suspected that that tongue-in-cheek piece could have led to something like this.

***

David:
What does one even say at a time like this??? There really are no words.
Don't EVER underestimate the power of music ... it touches us all in different ways ... and sometimes, when it's really magical, it speaks directly to us ... If somehow, someway ... even in the SMALLEST way ... and if only for a matter of seconds ... Forgotten Hits helped to relieve some of your pain today ... it makes everything else we do seem that much more worthwhile.

I know it's personal ... and naturally I'll respect your wishes ... but your little note today speaks VOLUMES as to just how powerful music really is. I passed along your email to Alan O'Day ... and I'll forward his response to you when he replies. Just know that your letter touched each and every one of us today.
kk

Kent,

Your email forward from David, and your own comments, made me feel proud and humble. Just as he feels my song was a timely gift, his sharing, through you, is a gift to me at a time I'm facing some personal challenges. May I ask you to share this with him, including:

David, I never had children of my own, so sometimes I see them with a "songwriter's perspective", as beautiful visitors sent to teach us about life, as we teach them. I've been lucky to write songs for other people's kids (the Muppet Babies TV show and National Geographic's Children's Videos). I don't know you or your family, but I do know loss; of course that was part of the reason for the song. I send my heartfelt condolences to all of you, & please know that your note touched me deeply.

Gratefully,

Alan O'Day

***

Thanks, Kent.

There truly are no words. Bad stuff is happening all around us. Our daughter and her hubby are getting through their tragedy slowly; it'll take a long time for sure. They've shown strength and maturity I know I didn't possess at their age.

75% of the people you meet on the street have stories of tragedy and pain happening either now or in the past. The other 25% just haven't had theirs hit them yet.

The music and the stories you share on FH help me, and others, get through this middle-age muddle. Many thanks for choosing that particular track today. I saw an online article today that mentioned Alan had done a gig here in Nashville just a few weeks ago. Hopefully he'll do another soon, since it seems he's in and out of town pretty regularly these days. The music is always touching us with great power ... and Alan is so right about kids. They are sent as our guests for just a short time. We don't own them. They teach us an awful lot if we're paying attention.

David

***

>>>75% of the people you meet on the street have stories of tragedy and pain happening either now or in the past. The other 25% just haven't had theirs hit them yet. (David)

Incredibly, three days after receiving David's last email I got a call from my brother Mark out in San Francisco. He had spent ten days in a hospital there about a month ago where they ran a battery of tests trying to figure out why he was having such bad abdominal pains. After being released for three weeks only to have the pains worsen, he went back in, where THIS time they diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer! How on earth they missed this a month earlier is beyond ALL of our wildest imaginations ... but THEIR take on it is that what was believed to be just a small cyst on his pancreas has now developed into a massive-sized, inoperable tumor. The prognosis is not good ... only about 2% of patients recover from this stage of cancer. Untreated, life expectancy is about 8-12 weeks ... with successful chemotherapy, that could stretch to 8-12 months ... but still an INCREDIBLY short amount of time when weighed against the fact that they didn't even know that this existed a month ago.

Many of our readers have come to know Mark in some fashion through our Forgotten Hits Newsletter. We don't ask for your prayers often, but we ARE asking for them today. We recently reran the article about Jimmie Rodgers' miraculous surgery from two years ago ... a success his whole family believes to be a result of all the prayers they received from Jimmie's many fans around the world. Maybe between all of us we can pull off another miracle. Mark's daughter is scheduled to get married this August ... and he really needs to be there for that. Perhaps we can rally together and inspire him to fight this as best he can in order to best enjoy whatever time he has left. And who knows ... Mark just may prove to be one of those 2% that rebounds from this horrible thing. (And why shouldn't he be??? SOMEBODY's gotta fill those spots!!!)

Meanwhile, I know that you'll all understand that I'll be cutting back on Forgotten Hits for a while. I just feel that my heart's not really in it to give you a quality product at this time. I'll post what I can, when I can ... but most of my energy is going to be spent in other areas for a while.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our cause over the past ten years ... you'll never know how much it has meant to me. I appreciate each and every one of you ... and need your support more than ever today.

I helped him brush his teeth way back when ...

maybe through your prayers I can help him with an even bigger challenge today.

Second Hand Rose

And, since we mentioned Barbra Streisand's "Second Hand Rose" yesterday ... and, since we haven't featured ANYTHING by Babs since one of our readers went all "pond" on us about mentioning the size of her nose ... apparently something that NOBODY else ever noticed or mentioned before ... I figured it'd be a good time to resurrect one of her earliest chart efforts.

After cracking The Top Five with her debut chart hit, "People" (from the musical "Funny Girl", the story of Fanny Brice) Barbra kept the ball rolling by cutting Fanny's own 1922 hit "Second Hand Rose" the following year. Unfortunately, it was not met with the same success, stalling at #32. Barbra wouldn't crack The Top Ten again until early 1971 when "Stoney End" found its way up to #6 on The Billboard Chart. (Ironically, I heard a disc jockey just the other day refer to "Stoney End" as "the closest Barbra Streisand ever came to recording a rock and roll song.")

Streisand hit her stride as both a singer and an actress in the '70's ... "The Way We Were" and "Evergreen (Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born')" ... both title songs from the box offices smashes that Barbra also starred in ... set off a string of 16 Top 40 Hits that stretched to the end of the '80's. Since then Streisand's recordings and appearances have been scarce ... these days, you seem to be more likely to find her in the "political" arena than up on the stage performing ...
in fact, in the past 20 years she's only made three films: "The Prince Of Tides", "The Mirror Has Two Faces" and her hysterical turn in "Meet The Fockers" ... but there is no denying the impact she made on the popular music scene across the previous three decades.



BTW: Ed Pond, who inspired The Forgotten Hits Catch-Phrase "Don't Go Pond On Me", has been a dedicated Forgotten Hits Reader ever since this initial incident. In fact, he's a frequent contributor to our forum and has become quite a good friend and supporter of our little publication. And, he was able to fulfill his Babs Fixation when a couple of Streisand's concerts aired on television recently! (To this day, he still believes we missed our opportunity to become millionaires by NOT marketing "Don't Go Pond On Me" / Forgotten Hits T-Shirts!!! lol)

***

We got a TON of comments from you guys again this past week ... so thanks for that!!! We'll spread 'em out over the long, holiday weekend, including a few of the more "timelier" ones here today!

re: GOLDMINE MAGAZINE:
>>>There ain't ONE person 25 years old reading a PHYSICAL version of Goldmine. (Big Jay Sorensen)
Big Jay Sorensen needs to give Dave The Rave another call and ask him just who "Stereo Tom" is! Better yet, let me tell ya ... he's a TWENTY-FOUR year old fan of oldies music who has NO PROBLEM reading a physical version of Goldmine! I doubt that will change by the time I turn 25!
-- Tom Diehl

... and, speaking of Dave The Rave ...

re: BE SURE TO LISTEN TO DAVE THE RAVE ... ON WIBG!!!:
Just a note to all of you select media moguls and friends of mine. Relics & Rarities is returning to terrestrial radio NJ airwaves this Saturday Night from 7 - 9 pm eastern time on the new WIBG-FM, 94.3 out of the Atlantic City - Wildwood NJ area. The show will contain some non-chart tunes in the mix but tends to be a lot more familiar sounding than what previously aired on my XM show. I think you will all love what you hear as the airwaves will come alive on WIBG-FM 94.3 on Saturday nights. Eventually this show will take calls and instant requests. Thanks to all who have been a help or an inspiration along the way or just loves the music as I do. Please check out the show between 7-9 pm Saturday nite via their live stream or visit Atlantic City and listen on the radio. www.oldies94wilw.com Dave the Rave
Congratulations, Dave ... we'll most certainly make it a point to listen!!! (kk)

... and, speaking of WIBBAGE ...

re: WIBG:
Last week we told you all about the big Wibbage Reunion ... well, thanks to Sam Lyt, audio of this special event is now available for your listening enjoyment!!!
Pictures and audio from last Wednesday's Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia luncheon saluting WIBG and the original "Good Guys" air staff can be found here. Sam Lit
President / CEO
Hy Lit Radio Technologies Inc.
www.HyLit.com
Check out the WIBBAGE Good Guys (from left): Ray Gilmore aka Sean Casey, Don L. Brink aka Scotty Brink, Jerry Stevens, Frank X. Feller, Rod Carson, Dean Tyler, Bill Wright, Sr. (and Sam Lyt was the MC of the whole event!)

re: ALSO AIRING THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:
Y103.9's running their "Songs Of Summer" Weekend ... hmm, shouldn't we at least have had just a taste of Spring first?!?!? Jeez, we've had maybe four or five spring-like days so far this season!!!

Scott Shannon's doing his "Favorite Party Songs" Weekend on The True Oldies Channel

and this just came in from our buddy Frank out in New York!!!
Kent ...
I think your readers will be interested in hearing some of this music. Here in New York, WABC is a talk radio station. " Rewound", the annual Memorial Day special - where WABC (770 AM) would devote 12 hours to original tapes of music, jocks, jingles and ads - from WABC's golden age as America's flag-ship top 40 radio station, won't be heard on the broadcast air this year. Johnny Donovan, who was a top 40 jock on WABC - back in the day and works there now as an engineer, still put a new 12 hour " Rewound " together. You can listen over the internet at wabcradio.com. It will be available starting at 4 PM Eastern Time, on Friday.
Here's this years lineup:
Bruce Morrow, 1974, hours 1 & 2; Dan Ingram, 1971; Bob Lewis, 1964; Harry Harrison, 1976; Johnny Donovan, 1974 and Roby Yonge, 1968; Morrow, 1963 and Lewis, 1965; Ingram, 1971; Ingram, 1972; Jay Reynolds, 1974; Ingram, 1970.
At WCBS-FM, # 1 Songs of the 60's, 70's, 80's on wcbsfm.com
Happy Memorial Day.
Frank B.
Now THAT sounds like a LOT of Memories for Memorial Day ... and probably more like what we're accustomed to hearing this time of year. Thanks, Frank!!! (kk)

re: MAC ARTHUR PARK:
>>>I had never heard the pre-Richard Harris version before. Oh my lord; what a wonderful job! (Rich)
>>>I hadn't heard it before either ... sometimes it's nice to hear the original concept of what the songwriter had in mind ... and it's clear that Webb had this one pretty well thought out in advance ... and WITHOUT all the orchestral craziness going on, it almost comes across as MORE powerful as it forces you to listen to the lyric a little bit closer ... his crescendos on the piano are really all we need to know where the emphasis is supposed to be. (kk)
At the time Jimmy was doing the album with Richard Harris, our Canterbury label was spending many hours at "Sound Recorders" Armin Steiner's studio. Each day we would come in Armin would play us the days work that Jim had laid down and we would listen to all the different phases of Macarthur Park as it went on. It was quite a project utilizing all available session people they could muster. Carol Kaye, Tedesco, Randi, Knectel, Deasey, hell everybody was in on those sessions. We would use those players as well so they would go get a sandwich and come back to work ... it was crazy. I can't say I was crazy about the song at the time but the magnitude of the production was mindblowing. My most memorable impression was the very last note on MacArthur Park, it was sooo high and my good late friend Patrice Holloway was the only girl for the job. The backup singers were always my faves, Darlene Love, Brenda Holloway and her sis Patrice were a goosebump experience to watch work. One never knows what these things end up being historically, I wish I had thought about taking pictures back then.
Alex Valdez
The Yellow Balloon

Upon hearing Jimmy Webb's original version of MacArthur Park, Mrs. Rock And Roll Never Forgets remarked it would be a fabulous song if it were sung in a foreign language and you had no idea what the singer was saying. After hearing Richard Harris' take again, I'm thinking Jim Steinman pretty much lifted that arrangement for all of his productions with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. I'm also left to wonder why Jimmy Webb didn't release his own works. His voice isn't necessarily unpleasant. Finally I don't recall how many years ago Mrs. Rock And Roll Never Forgets gave me this birthday card, but I though it would fit in with the topic.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)

More of your comments coming up tomorrow in our Forgotten Hits / Sunday Comments Page ... including some of your "American Idol" feedback!

Hope everyone has a happy, fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend!!! Thanks for spending just a few minutes with us this morning!

L. David Sloane

Before most of America fell in love with her as Karen McKenzie on television's "Knot's Landing", Michelle Lee cracked the pop charts with her 1968 hit "L. David Sloane" ... a call back to an earlier era that was somewhat reminiscent of the Barbra Streisand hit "Second Hand Rose".

Although it never charted here in Chicago, I remember liking this one when it was out ... so SOMEBODY must have been playing it!!! (Odds are, I caught Michelle singing and dancing on a television variety show or two as well!)

It didn't make much of an impression on the national charts either, peaking at #52 in Billboard and stopping at #60 in Cash Box ... but it's a nice memory of what Michelle Lee was doing BEFORE she came to be known as a popular television actress!







ANOTHER CRITIQUE: We first featured this song several years ago in Forgotten Hits ... probably around 2001 ... and sent a copy out via email as a wav file. In order to be able to present an MP3 copy for the website, we turned to the ever-reliable Tom Diehl ... who had THIS to say about this record:
This is just about the worst song to ever come out of the 60's ...
When I was 14 or so, my parents bought me an ebay lot of 600 45's for Christmas ... the seller shipped the wrong batch to me but since I couldnt open them until Christmas, which was a few months later, I was stuck with them. Inside were multiple copies of a lot of horrible records ... well, I liked some of them, but I didn't need 47 copies of "Painted Tainted Rose" by Al Martino or 29 copies of "L. David Sloane" by Michele Lee! I kept very few records from that batch! I kept one copy each of the various Al Martino 45's, some Eagles reissues
and a few others that I can't recall. Most of the 45s in the boxes hit the garbage trail pretty fast. "L. David Sloane" and it's follow up (of which I seem to recall there being 12 copies of in the boxes) were not among the ones I kept! Even if I found this song in stereo I don't think I could enjoy it!
-- Tom Diehl

Sharing A Laugh With Alan O'Day

We featured one of Alan O'Day's new tracks, "Your Song Sucks", during our week-long feature "New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" a couple of weeks back ... and then just this past week Alan was kind enough to share with our Forgotten Hits Readers his original "studio apartment demo" of "Easy Evil", a song that I fell in love with back in the early '70's when I heard former Steppenwolf Lead Singer John Kay's version on WBBM-FM, Chicago's then-leading soft-rock station.

All this recent attention to Alan's music prompted a couple of you folks out there to share a thought or two with us.

How cool that Alan O'Day allowed you to use his demo for "Easy Evil" on your website. It's a great song ... and that version sounds good enough to release EXACTLY "as is" ... I wonder why he never released it.
Kelly

I've always loved that song ... and I'll betcha I've played Alan's demo version at least a dozen times this week already. And you're absolutely right ... his little "studio apartment mix" sounds like a hit single to MY ears, too!!! (lol) I wondered if he ever recorded his OWN version of this track for commercial release ... or if it never made it past the "demo" stage ... and, if not, which was HIS favorite version of this tune ... so I asked him. I got this from Alan when I sent him a copy of your note (kk):

Dear Kent, Cc Kelly,
Thanks so much for the compliment and the question! Glad you enjoyed Easy Evil.
No, I was still writing songs for other artists back then, although in hindsight, I wish it had been included on my first album, "Caress Me Pretty Music", circa 1973, produced by Dallas Smith. But since I was not thought of as a big success at that time, there was concern about investing any more money on that album.
My favorite version, for selfish reasons, is John Kay's, featuring Richie Podler's great production chops. I feel it was the style most true to the demo, partly because I played electric piano and contributed that "sucky" effected drum part on Kay's session. BTW, to be honest, when I digitized the original analog mix to send you, it sounded somewhat dull by today's standards, so I threw a bit of eq and compression on it.
Don't tell!
Alan

And then this ...
A question for Alan O'Day: The Book Of Rock Lists mentions Undercover Angel as one of the best songs about masturbation. Is that really what the song is about?Jack
I sent your inquiry on to Alan for an answer, wondering if you were right on the money with this assessment ... or perhaps just a beat off ... and here's what he had to say:
Kent,
I got a large industrial strength laugh out of your question at the end of your email!
Here's my official response: Return with us now, to those thrilling days of double meaning songs!
I don't want to piss Jackoff ... haha ... but this question has been asked of me often through the years. The Book of Rock Lists may have gotten their Rocks off with that editorial opinion ... however, they were wrong.
I still am not comfortable being specific, as I wrote Undercover Angel to be a romantic fantasy song and I was thrilled that so many pre-teens and kids felt the innocent childlike vibe of the record (while their parents looked askance ...).
But if one is determined to find a sexual connotation, it might help to know I have referred to this song as a "nocturnal novelette".
'Nuff said, except thanks to Jack for the question.
Alan
Thanks, Alan. Suffice to say (especially in THIS context) that you really whacked it out of the park with "Undercover Angel" ... it topped the charts back in 1977!!! And it's a true gem. Tell me ... speaking as an accomplished songwriter ...is this one of those that just kinda came to you all at once in one big spurt ... or, creatively speaking, did you have to massage it for a while in order to properly
polish this pearl? (All-right, all-right, enough already!!! Before we get dismissed as just another FINE example of jerk-off journalism, we're going to go watch our favorite episode of "Seinfeld" now!!!) kk
Forgotten Hits ... let's face it ... you're not gonna find THIS kind of questioning ANYWHERE else on the web!!!



By the way, Alan's latest CD, "I Hear Voices", is a WHOLE lotta fun to listen to. One of my favorite tracks from the album happens to be the title track. You can pick up a copy of the new album from Alan's website: Click here: Alan O'Day, Songwriter

MacArthur Park

Our recent comment about generally liking the FIRST version we ever hear of any given song ... regardless of how many OTHER versions may, in fact, exist ... has already inspired a couple of comments from our readers ... here's another one!!!

We tend to favor the versions of songs that we grew up listening to. That's certainly true for me except for one exception. As I learned the true origins of some 60s rock classics, I have since discovered the original blues versions of songs, and I tend to like the simplicity of them. One original worth checking out is Jimmy Webb's version of MacArthur Park. I've only heard it once and found it far better than Richard Harris' over produced take. Forget Donna Summer's cover.
Jack

Incredibly for me it was the exact opposite. I never could STAND Richard Harris' over-the-top, over-produced version of this so-called classic (nor will I EVER understand the whole "someone left the cake out in the rain" attraction) ... but, although it goes COMPLETELY against my character, I absolutely LOVED the Donna Summer remake. To MY ears, she completely reinvented the song. (Maybe what I like MOST about it is that it's about as different an interpretation as could possibly be imagined ... kudos to whoever came up with the concept!) As for Jimmy Webb's original version, I'd never heard it before so I couldn't honestly comment ... but we DID find a copy at Amazon.com, so let's leave it to the listeners to decide!!!

We've debated the "cultural value" of "MacArthur Park" many times now in these pages over the past several years ... today we're just going to let the music speak for itself. Suffice to say, the line on this one seems to be pretty well-drawn ... either you LIKE it ... or you HATE it ... there doesn't seem to be ANY middle-ground when it comes to your affection (or lack thereof) for "MacArthur Park"!!!

In keeping with our trend these past few days, we've got another "Triple Play" here for you again today ...

First up, the Jimmy Webb original ... followed up by the #2 Richard Harris Symphonic Version from 1968 ... and then we'll dim all the lights, sweet darlin', and put on the 1978 Donna Summer chart-topping take. Enjoy!

The Letter

Yesterday's comment about generally liking the FIRST version we ever hear of any given song ... regardless of how many OTHER versions may, in fact, exist ... has already inspired a couple of your comments ... we'll look at two of these today in Forgotten Hits.

I must say, the Rose Colored Glass version, to me, is the single worst version of the song ever created. It is just horrible. Chart position means absolutely nothing. It just means the record company threw more money behind it. I know of thousands of absolutely killer tunes that didn't get anywhere NEAR the hot 100 charts ... it doesn't make them bad records for not charting!

The Opheus version is the best, and Hootie's is pretty good but not great, to me. I wouldn't lose any sleep if the original session master for the Rose Colored Glass version got destroyed in a flood or a fire ...
Tom Diehl

And the more I listened to all three versions yesterday, the more I liked the Rose Colored Glass version!!! Just goes to show you why music has such universal appeal ... it speaks to all of us differently ... yet still unites us all the same! (kk)


Kent -
Thank you for the thinking person’s notes on Can’t Find the Time. I grew up in New England and surely my first exposure to the song was the Orpheus version. And yes, following versions always seemed to pale to me having been imprinted at an early age by the Orpheus ballad. By the way, Orpheus’s earlier song, Brown Arms in Houston, is also lovely.

But let me offer up another song where all three interpretations appeal to me. And that is: The Letter. It was the Box Tops' inaugural hit in mid-1967. It was followed by the Ann Arbor-based Arbors slower tempo, lush sounds version that was released a year and a half later. And then, of course, the iconic Joe Cocker came out a year after that with his indelible rockin’ version. Three very different interpretations of the same song and I like / appreciate them all. By the way, when was the last time you heard the Arbors on the radio? -jsl

Amazingly, I never liked The Box Tops' version of "The Letter" ... it topped the charts here in Chicago for six consecutive weeks back in 1967, so clearly I was in the minority on this one!!! lol Ironically, I liked ALL of their other hits right out of the box (top) ... but my opinion on this one has never changed. It also seemed to be played more than any other song on the radio at the time ... part of that may simply have been the pure stature of its hit status ... but I also believe that because the song clocked in at under two minutes, it was an easy one to sneak it virtually ANYWHERE if there was an on-air gap to fill. (I can't tell you how many times I heard this song lead into the newscast back in 1967.) It's STILL one of the most-overplayed oldies on the radio and, as I said, my affection for it hasn't grown any stronger. As such, I was COMPLETELY blown away by The Arbors' version, a song we've featured a few times here in Forgotten Hits (and we played it during our last appearance on Jim Shea's Radio Show, too!) It's an absolutely AMAZING vocal arrangement that completely reinvented the song ... and, when Joe Cocker did his rocked-up, soulful live version the following year, it was yet another complete reimagination of what was (by then) a classic tune. Great example, John ... three DISTINCTLY different interpretations of a song that couldn't be any more unique.

And, just like we did yesterday with "Can't Find The Time" ... the song that inspired these comments ... we'll feature all three of these versions of "The Letter" here today ... again, an EXCELLENT example of how many different ways an artist can interpret any given song ... or should I say any GOOD song ... proving that "The Letter" has the depth ... and the legs ... to pull this off successfully THREE times!!!







DIDJAKNOW?: "The Letter" was written by Wayne Carson Thompson, who also played guitar on The Box Tops' recording session. He didn't particularly care for the finished version, stating that the record was too short and complaining to producer Dan Penn that "The boy don't sing high enough." When Penn added the airplane sound to the recording, Wayne Carson Thompson clearly thought that Penn had lost his mind. He hadn't ... several weeks later it became one of the biggest records of the '60's ... and The Box Tops went on to record ... and have hits with ... a few other Thompson compositions, including their follow-up release, "Neon Rainbow" (#24, 1967), "Soul Deep" (a #13 Hit in 1969) and "You Keep Tightening Up On Me" (their last chart hit, which peaked at #74 in 1970). Thompson didn't do too badly either ... a few years later, he won a Grammy for cowriting the Elvis Presley / Willie Nelson Hit "Always On My Mind".

Can't Find The Time

We've covered this topic before ... typically, we all end up liking the version of any given song that we heard first ... regardless of whether or not it was the first version, remake or whatever ... as far as we're concerned, THAT'S the way it's SUPPOSED to sound in our minds ... and it's pretty rare that anybody improves upon that first inspired moment.

Now don't get me wrong ... it DOES happen from time to time ... but honestly, looking back over the past fifty five years of rock and roll, it doesn't happen all that often. (I'll never forget John Lennon's quote during the post-Beatles days when he commented, "Nobody's ever improved on 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' for my money" ... and then proceeded to record an entire album's worth of rock and roll remakes himself ... not really improving on any of HIS favorites either!!! lol)

Well, today I think we've found the ULTIMATE "Exception To The Rule" ... and it's a song that has proven to be a Forgotten Hits Favorite ... despite the fact that it was never really a bonafide hit for ANYBODY!!! (Regardless, I believe that once you give these a listen, you'll agree that EACH subsequent release improved upon the version that preceded it ... and that it absolutely SHOULD have been a hit for SOMEBODY!!!)

Back in 1968, Boston's Orpheus first released their version of "Can't Find The Time" ... but it was barely noticed, peaking at #88 in Cash Box Magazine and "Bubbling Under" at #111 in Billboard.

A year and a half later, MGM gave it another shot ... and this time it climbed to #72 in Cash Box and hit #80 in Billboard ... still not a very impressive chart run.

But it was a good song ... so, in 1971, Rose Colored Glass picked up the tempo a little bit and came up with a #53 Hit in the process. THIS is the one that I first fell in love with here in Chicago, where it peaked at #15 ... that slight increase in tempo made ALL the difference in the world to THESE ears ... yet the song STILL couldn't crack The Top 40 nationally.

Although you would hear both of these versions on rare occassions, the song pretty much went forgotten. When we first featured it in Forgotten Hits back in 2001, the reaction was overwhelming ... you guys LOVED hearing it again (or discovering it for the very first time) ... and, despite a seemingly genuine affection for the Orpheus version from our readers in the Boston area (who remembered quite vividly hearing it on the radio in their neck of the woods way back when), the REST of you pretty much preferred the Rose Colored Glass version hands down.

In 2000, Hootie and the Blowfish recorded THEIR much-improved version for the soundtrack to the Jim Carrey film "Me, Myself And Irene". Truth be told, it was one of the FEW highlights to this film ... and by NOT releasing it as a single, I feel that Hootie and the Blowfish missed out on yet another sure-fire Top 20 Hit at the peak of their career. (Their track "I Go Blind" from the "Friends" TV Soundtrack got played like a single but was never released as one ... I feel certain that it, too, would have been a Top Ten Smash had it been marketed this way. Instead, it pretty much single-handedly pushed the "Friends" Television Soundtrack album to platinum status ... of course the title tune, "I'll Be There For You" by The Rembrandts didn't hurt either!!!) And I believe that their killer version of the old Bill Withers' tune "Use Me" also manages to surpass the original ... but this, too, was never released as anything more than a CD Single "Bonus Track".

Today, we've got all THREE versions of "Can't Find The Time" to share with you. Listen to them in the order in which they were released ... and see if you don't agree that you CAN improve upon a good thing ... every once in a while!!!

FOR THE RECORD: Despite what I said earlier, I really DO like John Lennon's versions of "Stand By Me" and "Just Because" from his "Rock And Roll" LP ... but I don't think EITHER one of these truly surpasses the original recordings by Ben E. King and Lloyd Price!


AND, SPEAKING OF DISCOVERING NEW FAVORITES: It's always fun when we hear from readers who are discovering some of this great music through our newsletter ... but it is ESPECIALLY fulfilling when I get to see the reaction on Frannie's face when SHE hears some of these tunes for the very first time. Since moving here in 2000, she's been deeply indoctrinated to the Chicagoland music scene through songs like "It Could Be We're In Love" and "Upon The Roof" by The Cryan' Shames, "I Will Always Think About You" and "You're Gonna Be Mine" by The New Colony Six and "L.A. Goodbye" by The Ides Of March, songs that were pretty much ignored by Texas radio when she was growing up. When we first featured the Orpheus and Rose Colored Glass versions of these songs several years ago, she was also hearing these for the very first time ... apparently NEITHER of these versions ever got airplay down in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Her VERY positive reaction was immediate ... and they've been amongst her all-time favorites ever since ... overshadowed only by the Hootie remake from 2000!!! (Honey, I think you're gonna LOVE today's Forgotten Hits Feature ... 'cause you get all three!!!)

Hey Lawdy Mama ... And Another Forgotten Hits Exclusive!

Early hard-rockers Steppenwolf hit The National Top 40 nine times between 1968 and 1974. They seem to be represented daily on both oldies radio and the classic rock stations by their first two hits, "Born To Be Wild" (one of the most OVER-played songs on the radio today ... not to mention its complete saturation in movies and television ad campaigns) and "Magic Carpet Ride", both of which became #2 national hits in 1968. Most of their OTHER Top 40 Hits, however, have been ignored by radio for YEARS.

You'll hear "Rock Me" every great once in a while on the really good stations ... it became their third straight Top Ten Hit when it peaked at #8 in 1969. But other tunes like It's Never Too Late (#35, 1969); Move Over (#16, 1969); Monster (#23, 1970); Ride With Me (#31, 1971); Straight Shootin' Woman (#20 1974) and today's featured Forgotten Hit, Hey Lawdy Mama (#21, 1970) can't seem to find their way back to radio at all anymore. (Ironically, after "Sookie, Sookie" scored so well on our Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides Poll, we started to hear THAT one every once in a while again ... and that was a B-SIDE ... it seems that even an album track like "The Pusher" gets played more often today than some of these bonafide hit singles!)

Today, we're here to remind you of "Hey Lawdy Mama", a song that JUST missed The Top 20 back in 1970 ... certainly THIS one deserves a spin every now and then!!!



YET ANOTHER FORGOTTEN HITS EXCLUSIVE!!!
About a week or two ago, we featured the John Kay solo record "Easy Evil" in one of our Comments Pages.

Kay, of course, was the lead vocalist for Steppenwolf, who hit The National Pop Top 40 nine times between 1968 and 1974 ... and I used to LOVE hearing his "new" sound with the soulful groove of his latest solo record.

Incredibly, the song flopped, climbing only to #92 in Cash Box and failing to make Billboard's Top 100 at all. I've always felt that it certainly deserved a better fate than that!

During our recent feature of this tune, it came to our attention that "Easy Evil" was written by Forgotten Hits List Member Alan O'Day ... something I had never known before! I asked Alan if he would please share a few memories with our readers about this song, always one of my early '70's favorites. I couldn't help but wonder what the inspiration was for this one. And how did this song get into the hands of John Kay? (I mean, let's face it ... Alan O'Day music and Steppenwolf music aren't often mentioned in the same breath outside the pages of Forgotten Hits!!! lol) Was this one of his earliest breaks as a songwriter? And, was there, perhaps, an Alan O'Day version of this song that we could share with our readers? Quite honestly, ANY background information that Alan was willing to share would be appreciated. And he just came through in spades!!!

Not only do we have a brief history of the song to share with you today, but we have the EXTREMELY rare Alan O'Day DEMO of this song as originally recorded back in 1970! Here's the scoop ... in Alan's own words ...

Kent,
I'm pleased about the interest in "Easy Evil", which garnered around 50 different releases, circa 1970-1973.

I wrote the song loosely based on a hot relationship I was having with a rather experienced & creative young lady, who pretty much played me like a violin!

I played & sang the demo in my apartment bedroom "studio" (Sony reel-to-reel 4 track, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Rhythm Ace Drum Machine, Shure SM57(?) mic, etc.). I added "reverse reverb" to the drum machine by recording the pattern with my mic across the room, then turning the reel of tape over in the machine & playing it backwards while tracking the other instruments & vocals.

Among those recording the song were Dusty Springfield, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee, Nancy Wilson, Captain & Tennile, Tony Orlando & Dawn, & yes, John Kay (of Steppenwolf). I was told that Elvis Presley had done a demo on the tune shortly before his demise, but I have no way of verifying that. (For the record, Artie Wayne, then a professional manager at Viva Music, was responsible for getting 6 or 7 of the covers on Easy Evil, including John Kay and Tony Orlando and Dawn.)


BTW, the song's success lasted longer than the relationship!

My best to all your readers.
Chordially,
Alan

EXCELLENT!!! Thanks SO much, Alan ... now sit back and enjoy this "evil" little tune!!!

Jesus Is A Soul Man

As I look over the list of some of the Forgotten Hits we've featured over the past ten years ... and think about some of the ones that got an especially good reaction ... I cannot ignore THIS one ... a #28 Pop Hit from 1969 that probably hasn't been played on the radio since.

"Jesus Is A Soul Man" by Lawrence Reynolds was another one of those VERY unlikely pop hits ... with a real Southern / Gospel feel to it, it most likely clicked because (once again) it didn't sound like ANYTHING else on the radio at the time. (All I know is that to this day, some 40 years later, I STILL get this one stuck in my head ALL of the time ... despite literally NEVER hearing it played anywhere since!)

I remember covering this song back in 2000 and being unable to turn up ANY
information on this guy ... and, quite honestly, the Internet isn't any kinder nine years later!!! But it's a GREAT little track and I wanted to see if I could jar a few of YOUR memories, too, this morning!

Give a listen to "Jesus Is A Soul Man" and see what YOU think!!! (Chances are you'll STILL be singing it DAYS from now!!!)



BTW: Johnny Rivers also cut a version of this song and included it on the B-Side of his "Into The Mystic" single in 1970. Incredibly, when we ran this song nine years ago, more folks on the list seemed familiar with the Johnny Rivers version than the HIT version by Lawrence Reynolds!

Fresh As A Daisy

This week we're going to feature some more of what we call "Good Old Fashioned Forgotten Hits" ... spotlighting a few tracks that you probably haven't heard on the radio in AGES!!!


We'll kick things off with a personal favorite of mine that garnered a HUGE, favorable response the last time we featured it several years ago.


"Fresh As A Daisy" became a #38 Cash Box Hit for Emitt Rhodes back in 1971.
Dismissed by many as a Paul McCartney-wannabe, I'll admit to ranking his self-titled solo album amongst my all-time favorite LPs.

Just as McCartney had done on his first solo album, Rhodes played all of the instruments and handled all of the vocals himself ... and there is no question that he was heavily influenced by McCartney and The Beatles. (Being born and raised in Hawthorne, California, you'd also have to include Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys amongst his musical and inspirational idols ... in fact, while still part of the group The Merry-Go-Round, who scored two minor national hits in 1967 with "Live" and "You're A Very Lovely Woman", the band performed a VERY impressive cover version of "California Girls" with their A&M label boss, Herb Alpert on trumpet. You can listen to the audio of that venture here:
Click here: YouTube - Herb Alpert-California Girls ...
unfortunately, the VERY cool ... and extremely colorful video that originally accompanied this tune ... from a live appearance on The Hollywood Palace, I believe ... has apparently been deleted from YouTube!!!)

For MY money, "Fresh As A Daisy" was absolutely a "Can't Miss" hit ... but somehow it still did. Although it managed a #38 showing in Cash Box, it failed to make Billboard's Top 50 ... and it never charted here in Chicago either, despite ALL kinds of commercial airplay for the LP from which it came.

Give a listen and see if this one rings any bells ... and see if you, too, agree, that this absolutely SHOULDA BEEN A HIT!!!