The Sunday Comments ( 06 - 28 - 09 )

You guys flooded me with comments this past week ... and I LOVE it!!!
Too much for just ONE Comments Page ... so please check back often this week for more postings.
Meanwhile, let's get this show on the road!!!

re: MICHAEL JACKSON:
The coverage has been virtually non-stop ... it's of Elvis proportions (and maybe even a little bit more so ... as one of the interviewees continues to point out, Elvis never sold 25-million copies of one of HIS albums!!!) We can't keep up with the news developments ... that's what TMZ and YAHOO and MSN.com are for ... but here are a couple of YOUR thoughts and emails on the phenomenon that was Michael Jackson:
Kent ...
It isn’t very often that I’m shocked at the passing of one of our musical heroes, but when I heard about Michael Jackson I was devastated. I’ve known Michael since he was 12 years old and he recorded a song I co-wrote, “Little Christmas Tree” (Clinton / Wayne).
I met him and his family at the Tokyo Music Festival in 1974, and had a chance to tell him how much I liked his recording of my song. I also told him that he was one of my biggest dance influences, which made him smile considering I was three times his age. When I told Michael that I was a song-plugger and I couldn’t go out dancing late at night like I once did, he said “Artie … why don’t you build a dance floor in your office?”.
As soon as I got back to Hollywood, Warner Brothers Music built me a four foot circular plywood dance floor, but a few months later when I went to run A&Ms publishing company they constructed a six foot mahogany one for me! To this day I’m proud to tell everyone that it was Michael Jackson’s idea.
The last time I was in touch with him was when he was about to do the “Thriller” album. He was holding onto one of my songs for over a year, and even made a few suggestions to improve the bridge, but in the end he didn’t record it. I was still grateful for the opportunity.
From now until the end of time millions of words will be written about him and his influence in music, dance, and fashion, but the most important gift he has given the world is everlasting hope and inspiration.
Thank you Michael and R.I.P. ROCK IN PERPETUITY!
Respectfully,
Artie Wayne
http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
They're all here, “BILLIE JEAN”, Beat It”, THRILLER”, “Black and White”, “I WANT YOU BACK”, “Man In The Mirror”, and 20 more! Rare Clips, Home Movies, rehearsals, and private videos from Michael Jackson, “The King Of Pop!”
Like most of the world I was thrilled with the Jackson Five and Motown’s ““SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA” when they hit the music scene in the late ‘60s with “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, and “The Love You Save”. When Berry Gordy, Jr. brought the group to Hollywood under the supervision of Suzanne DePasse and Skip Miller I had the rare opportunity to get close to one of the biggest acts in the world, as well as one of the biggest Superstars ever to emerge, Michael Jackson!!
Here are the TOP, BEST, AND GREATEST VIDEOS of MICHAEL JACKSON. http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/top-best-and-greatest-michael-jackson-videos/
Regards,
Artie

I still haven't gotten over the shock ... Michael Jackson is dead. I wasn't sure how to react. I mean, I loved his music growing up ... everybody did ... and we listened to it all the time ... it always made us feel good. But I'm so much older now ... and I'm supposed to be a mature adult ... I couldn't see myself as one of those weepy fans they kept showing on tv ... but I certainly felt SOMETHING. To paraphrase Michael, perhaps it really was a "state of shock"!!! Not knowing what else to do, I put one of his albums on ... and within minutes, I felt better. His music ALWAYS made me feel good ... and now, even in this time of grief and bewilderness, it was doing it again. Soon, I found myself up, moving around the living room ... and, before I even knew what happened, I was dancing! I'm not kidding you, I was dancing around my living room to the music of Michael Jackson. It was magical!!! I danced the entire night, listening to Michael's music ... Thriller, Off The Wall, Bad ... even some of the earlier Jackson Five stuff. I'm 55 years old!!! I'm not supposed to be dancing around my living room listening to Michael Jackson ... but I was ... and I danced until 3 am, non-stop. Michael's music did what it ALWAYS did ... it made me feel good. Did I feel foolish? Yeah, a little bit ... but more than that I felt happy for all the great feelings he gave me throughout his career. Michael, we'll miss you ... and, without a doubt, there were times when we wondered what the heck you were doing ... but we'll ALWAYS have ... and LOVE ... your music. Wayne

In a way I keep waiting for the hoax to unravel, as it would not surprise me either if it was some kind of publicity stunt. However, I don't think Michael would be that dumb, because nobody would ever believe what he would say and if he had little credibility left before this, he'd have absolutely nothing if this were indeed a publicity stunt. However as we all know, death is always a great career move in entertainment.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)
Reports in the 48 hours after Michael's death show that his record and downloading sales were up nearly 750% ... death is, in fact, big business. Sadly, he won't see any of the money ... and OTHER reports claim he was over $400 MILLION in debt!!! Add in the lost revenue from the tour that never was ... which had the potential to put Jackson back on top ... and this becomes an even sadder situation. I also don't understand the need for Lisa Marie Presley to make such a big point out of saying that Michael always believed he would die young ... just like her father. (If his philosophy was "Die Young, Leave A Beautiful Corpse", he pretty much missed the boat on that one ... after an estimated 50-60 plastic surgery procedures, Jackson's face fell pretty much into the "hideous" category at this point. And seriously ... what man is going to go through the pain and process of 50-60 plastic surgeries and NOT get the penis enlargement?!?!?) kk

re: ANOTHER PASSING:
As if losing Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson this past week wasn't enough, now comes word that Seeds front man Sky Saxon has passed away ...
Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon Dies in Austin
Sky Saxon, lead singer and bassist of '60s garage rockers the Seeds, died Thursday in an Austin, Texas hospital. He had been in the ICU since Monday suffering from an undisclosed illness -- doctors suspected an internal organ infection -- until his wife, Sabrina, announced his passing via Facebook. Influenced heavily by the Rolling Stones, Saxon -- born Richard Marsh -- founded the Seeds in 1965 in California. The next year, the psychedelic rockers released two albums, 'The Seeds' and 'A Web of Sound,' and had hits with 'Can't Seem to Make You Mine' and 'Pushin' Too Hard,' their most successful song. In 1967, the band released two more albums: 'Future,' a psychedelic rock album, and 'A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues,' which was credited to the Sky Saxon Blues Band and featured liner notes by the legendary Muddy Waters. After some lineup changes and a few more commercially unsuccessful albums, Saxon dissolved the band in the early '70s. He joined a California commune, the Source Family, adopted the name Sunlight and occasionally performed with their trippy house band, the Ya Ho Wa 13. In 1989, Saxon reformed the Seeds to tour with other '60s acts like Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Arthur Lee and Love. They toured again in 2003, and Saxon kept busy musically, releasing an album last year, and recording with the Smashing Pumpkins. Though he fell ill last Thursday, Saxon still managed to play a short gig on Saturday night at Austin rock club Antone's.Earlier today, Sabrina Sherry Smith Saxon wrote on her Facebook page, "Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I'm so sorry I couldn't keep him here with us. More later. I'm sorry." No other announcements have been made.
-- submitted by Clark Besch
Naturally, we heard this news from several folks on the list. The Seeds topped the chart here in Chicago with their garage band anthem "Pushin' Too Hard" ... in fact, they knocked The Monkees out of the top spot when they dislodged "I'm A Believer" from the top of the WLS Silver Dollar Survey. I had the pleasure of talking to Sky once ... I had hoped he would join our list and participate but he told me that, as interesting as it sounded, he just KNEW he wouldn't read it and keep up ... and told me not to bother adding him to the list. Sad news to see another one of our key players leave us ... but we'll feature BOTH of The Seeds' biggest hits today in Forgotten Hits as part of our tribute to this man. (kk)

(click to enlarge)

re: MIS-HEARD LYRICS:
The subject of mis-heard lyrics has come up a number of times over the years in Forgotten Hits ... and have even inspired books on the subject ... (the book "'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" immediately comes to mind ... those Jimi Hendrix lyrics ... which he actually SANG from time to time, by the way, alternately pointing at his bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell ... and "There's a bathroom on the right" from John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising" may be the two most oft-cited examples) ... and, of course, there are countless others ... but almost ALWAYS the lyric is being misheard by the LISTENER. (To this day I still hear "Pretty Little Love Song" every time The Marshall Tucker Band's hit "Heard It In A Love Song" come on the radio ... and Fred Winston helped sustain his late '70's radio career by singing "Bald-Headed Woman" to the Bee Gees' tune "More Than A Woman"!!!)
Anyway, now comes word (from Forgotten Hits List Member Steve Sarley) that even some of the best known recording artists misheard the lyrics to some of their biggest hits from time to time!!! He cites two excellent examples below:
A couple of interesting notes I found about errors in lyrics: (By the way, I wouldn't mind hearing Bonnie & Clyde)
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Currie10.html
A very public example of this kind of thing occurred to Georgie Fame who was a song writer and singer (and still is) in the 1960’s. Georgie Fame and his band, The Blue Flames, were very popular and, when they released a record, it was played all the time everywhere. This song was about the bank-robbing duo, Bonnie and Clyde, and included a verse about them stuffing their loot into a canvas bag. Unfortunately, when Georgie Fame wrote the words to the song, he got a word wrong. Instead of referring to a "burlap" bag, he used the word "dewlap". (In case you don’t know, dewlap is the loose hanging bit of skin under the throat of oxen, dogs, turkeys, etc ( you know the bit I mean.) I couldn’t listen to that song without picturing the villains stuffing bank notes into a cow’s mouth and that definitely ruined the dramatic impact for me.This error did not go unnoticed by the rest of the world. Georgie Fame admitted in an interview that somebody had told him, before the song was recorded, that "dewlap" was not the right word but he brushed them off and didn’t bother to check. Once the song had been recorded and released, it was too late to do anything about it. This failure to check (even after a warning) became about as public as a mistake can be. If nothing else, it proved that people do notice these things. From Wikipedia on The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
The song has spawned a handful of cover versions.
The most successful English-language cover of the song was a version by Joan Baez released in 1971, which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US, as well as spending five weeks atop the adult contemporary chart[3]. Baez's version made some changes to the song lyric; The second line "Till Stoneman's cavalry came".. Baez sings "Till so much cavalry came". She also changed "May the tenth" to "I took the train". In addition, the line "like my father before me, I will work the land" was changed to "like my father before me, I'm a working man", changing the narrator from a farmer to a laborer. In the last verse she changed "the mud below my feet" to "the blood below my feet". Baez later told Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder that she initially learned the song by listening to the recording on the Band's album, and had never seen the printed lyrics at the time she recorded it, and thus sang the lyrics as she'd (mis)heard them. In more recent years in her concerts, Baez has performed the song as originally written by Robertson.[4]
Later
Steve Sarley

I never understood why Joan Baez never changed the gender of the narrator's voice when she recorded this Band classic back in 1971. LOVED the song ... but it bothered me even then! One of Joan's best vocals, too ... funny how when it came to some of their biggest hits, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan BOTH stepped up their vocal prowess for "The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down" and "Lay Lady Lay". (kk)

I like "The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde", too ... always loved that '50's / Fats Domino-like piano intro!!! ... so I'm happy to feature that one today. (Maybe with the new Johnny Depp / John Dillinger movie coming out, this one'll find its way back to the radio again!) kk

re: CARL PERKINS:
Kent,
I received this from an e mail friend and thought it would be of interest to you ... this is a picture of the boyhood home near Jackson, Tennessee, of Carl Perkins ... the King of Rockabilly .. who wrote Blue Suede Shoes.
John Rook

Pretty humbling, isn't it ... to see the early beginnings of guys like Carl Perkins and Elvis and Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis ... they truly did come from nothing ... how could they NOT have been affected by the overwhelming fame??? (kk)

re: DWIGHT TWILLEY:
Yeah, Dwight Twilley! Was on top of him early in ’75 with “I’m On Fire”. One of my fave late 70’s Twilley classics was “Looking For The Magic” from ’77. Great piece of potent Power Pop there! If Radio was any good at all in that time, songs like that would have been big hits!
Ken
"I'm On Fire" is one of my favorites from the '70's, too. (And I liked Phil Seymour's solo hit "Precious To Me", too!!!) Glad to have Dwight onboard ... hopefully we'll have more of his new music to share with you soon! (kk)

re: NUDE BICYCLISTS IN SAN FRANCISCO:
Kent ~
What I found amusing about the nude bike riders is ... HELMETS? That's the ONLY thing they thought to protect? LOL
Red :D
LOL ... yeah, that IS a little bit strange, isn't it?!?!? (kk)
Check THIS out ... even Moms TO BE were out there pumpin' the pedals!!!

THOSE PICTURES FROM SAN FRAN WERE KILLER. THE CHICK WITH THE CAT EARS WAS TOO HOT!!
MICHAEL G. BUSH

See, I figured if I ran nude photos on the website YOU'D be looking for the pussy!!! (Cat Ears?!?!? Aww, c'mon ... it was SORTA funny!!!) kk

re: BUBBLEGUM MUSIC:
>>>What is the origin of that term? Nowadays, very few people will admit to liking that music because it was not hip. I was enough of my own person not to be influenced by lyrics. (Dwight Rounds)

I REALLY do not remember it being referred to as "Bubblegum Music" until late 68 or even early 69! Only when the charts got plastered with Buddah 45s later in 68 did the term come into use, IMO. By March 69, the great (IMO) "Bubblegum is the meaning of life" various hits LP come out. If you check radio airchecks, you will likely not hear the term until 1969!
WLSClark

And I seem to remember the term being used quite a bit ... so now I'm not sure!!! (lol) I was hoping one of our 1910 Fruitgum Company guys might shed some light on this ... but I haven't heard anything back from them yet. (Speaking of The 1910 Fruitgum Company, check out the New Jersey newspaper article below!!!)

>>>Did the Ohio Express or 1910 ever perform live? I know the Archies never did. (Dwight Rounds)

>>>I believe that all of the bubblegum bands had "touring acts" that went out on the road to help drum up record sales. These weren't typically the same folks on the record (although I believe The 1910 Fruitgum Company WAS a "self-contained" unit ... in fact, Floyd Marcus recently shared some of his early concert experiences with us.) This wasn't all that uncommon back then for some of these "ghost" studio groups and artists ... it generally helped beef up record sales and most of these guys were "faceless" entities in the first place. (kk)

They did perform LIVE, whoever they were! In late 68 / early 69, my mom was putting a dance together for the fledging Dodge City, Kansas YMCA. Somehow it came to me and my brothers (aged 10 to 18) as to which group of two choices the Y was given to get for the dance. The 1910 Fruitgum Co. OR the Ohio Express. I took the challenge very seriously, weighing the success of each group to that point. We chose the Ohio Express for $1000. Because my mom booked the band, I got to go to the dance and I had to admit that they were not very bubblegummy sounding at all, so I am guessing it was an imposter group as mentioned above. WLSClark
Remember when you used to be able to WIN a band's concert at your High School ... by collecting chewing gum wrappers?!?! Remember those big chains the girls used to make??? We actually had contests like that here in Chicago ... and the kids REALLY got into them, too!!! We were pretty fortunate ... over the years, my High School hosted concerts by The Association, The Turtles and (naturally) The Ides Of March ... and this was in the late '60's and early '70's when these artists were at their musical peaks! Anybody else out there got some High School Concert memories to share??? (kk)

Speaking of The 1910 Fruitgum Company (who we've given QUITE a bit of press to lately!!!), I want to thank regular FH Contributor Gary Renfield for sending me an article from his local paper, "The Home News Tribune", which (believe it or not) featured an article on the group on the FRONT PAGE of their June 22nd issue!!! In an article titled "Linden Man Back Singing Bubblegum Music", written by staff writer Rick Malwitz, he tells about an upcoming hometown appearance by the band (hey, we know ALL about our Home Town Heroes!!! lol) ... and gives a brief history of the group, too, augmented by some memories of founding member Frank Jeckell. Here it is: (Thanks again, Gary!!!)

Remember the '60s? Remember the music?

"It wasn't a time when things were so cool -- the Vietnam war, race riots. We thought we were a bright spot compared to the darker things," said Frank Jeckell, creator of the 1910 Fruitgum Company, a group that came to define "bubblegum music."

When Bob Dylan was singing about war and oppression, the 1910 Fruitgum Company was recording its signature song "Simon Says."

Sit back. Relax. Pop that bubble gum:

Simple Simon says,

Put your hands on your head,

Let your back bone stiff,

Simon says,

Put your hands on your head

Simple Simon says,

Bring them down by your side.

This was never to be confused with Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction."

"People saw 'Simon Says' as fluff. It WAS fluff," said Jeckell.

It also rose to No. 2 on the hit parade and made it to the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy. It is still played in nursery schools.

The 1910 Fruitgum Company, originally five guys from Linden, will return to its roots Tuesday, with a performance at the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade on North Wood Avenue, a free event billed by the Recreation Department as a "Welcome Home Concert."

Since Jeckell reformed the band in 2000, it has performed in Las Vegas, California, Texas and elsewhere.

"We get people in all age brackets," said Mick Mansueto, who organizes the tour schedule. "From teens to people in their 70s who remember this from when they were young --- happy music, nice good music."

Often people at their concerts bring their old 45 rpm records to have them signed.

In addition to its own material, the 1910 Fruitgum Company also plays hits from their youth, songs originally recorded by groups including the Turtles, Freddie and the Dreamers, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Jeckell's first band was Jeckell and the Hydes. In the winter of 1966-67 Jeckell, then a 21-year-old student at Union County Technical Institute, formed a garage band with four Linden teenagers -- Mark Gutkowski, Steve Mortkowitz, Floyd Marcus and Pat Karwan.

One day, Karwan's father was at a diner on Route 1 when he struck up a conversation with the father of a record producer. The producer heard them sing and signed them to a contract.

They recorded "Simon Says" in Janaury, 1968, and by March it shot up the charts.

"It was amazing. A million people are trying to make a hit recording, and here we were," said Jeckell.

The band was flown to California to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. They were later an opening band for such groups as The Beach Boys and Sly and the Family Stone.

They enjoyed brief fame but no fortune. The record contract for "Simon Says" gave them just 3 percent of the revenue.

"We didn't read the fine print. All the costs of making the record, from A to Z, came out of our share," said Jeckell.

Bottom line: They didn't make a dime.

Then when they signed a management contract for their tour, they got 60 percent of the revenue. But again, they had to pay expenses.

Though he did not get rich off the brief fame, Jeckell said, "I wouldn't trade the experience for anything."

Not all members of the group were impressed with what they had done with "Simon Says."

"They wanted to play (Jimi) Hendrix and Cream. 'Simon Says' was beneath them. They were horrified when it became a hit," said Jeckell.

Within a year the group disbanded. Jeckell went on with his life, graduating from Newark State College (now Kean University) and working in information technology.

In 2000, Mansueto was fishing around for a group to revive. He looked up Jeckell and gave him a call. Jeckell was interested, and a new group was formed using the name 1910 Fruitgum Company.

Jeckell is the only original member. He and Mansueto have been joined by Glenn Lewis of Rahway, Bobby Brescia of Somerset, Oscar Dominguez from the Bronx and Phil Thorstenson from Hamburg.

The name was owned by their record producer who balked at giving it over to Jeckell.

"He said, 'I own the name. How dare you?'" said Jeckell, who used the name anyway. The producer backed off.

As for the name: The story Jeckell tells is that he was fishing around in his parents' attic and came across an old suit with a gum wrapper in one of the pockets.

The story's not exactly true, but it stuck. Like bubblegum.

re: CLASSIC ROCK vs. OLDIES:
>>>I was disappointed that no one else commented on the difference between classic rock and oldies. (Dwight Rounds)

>>>I was a little surprised by this, too. Sad to report that I did not receive one single reply on this topic when we first mentioned it a week or two ago. I thought the list might want to weigh in on this topic and hoped that some of the jocks on the list playing and/or programming these formats would weigh in on this, too. If this changes, we'll be sure to let you know. (kk)
Well I missed the first thread of this subject, but I'm assuming you wanted folks definitions?
For me, when I was younger, I really didn't have any distinction. Oldies were anything not current. Now I tend to think of Oldis as anything pre Beatles and Classic Rock is the music after that. I suppose I do this because it seems to be how radio does it.
Still lovin' what you do, Kent.
BSpro

I had meant to respond to this question, but I got sidetracked. While Classic Rock & Oldies have a huge overlap, they are not the same. The classic rock era really begins with the rise in popularity of FM radio. I seem to recall when WCKG first introduced the genre to Chicago, they promoed it as the music that made FM radio great. In Chicago we had WLS-FM and WGLD that were playing obscure album cuts by then obscure performers. Ron Britain had the Subterranean Circus on WCFL. These were not songs that were heard on your local top 40. Perhaps you could give it a starting point of 6/1/67, the release date of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers LP, however there were other Beatles LP cuts earlier than that, along with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan & Simon & Garfunkel to name a few. Oldies music is more the songs that we heard on the local top 40 from the beginning of the rock era in 1955 to whatever the cutoff point is these days, plus later songs by artists that are perceived as oldies acts. These songs do not include LP cuts. Although Stairway To Heaven is now some 38 years old, it's not an oldies song, it's classic rock. Satisfaction is both. Most of the early Beatles tunes are oldies. It's not until you get to Rubber Soul & Revolver that you would encounter their songs that could be considered classic rock. One hit wonders are almost all oldies. Oldies also includes artists that are not rock and roll. Many of the pop crooners of the 50s did not sing rock and roll, but the songs are considered oldies anyways. That's my shortened definition of the two. I'm sure others will expand upon it.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)

I am saddened by BOTH classifications, personally. "Classic Rock" to me is when FM came into top ratings nationally, which puts it in early 70's. I consider the music to be underground or progressive or early heavy metal, but later than what I would call psychedelic music. "Classic Rock" seems to have started in the 80's and was mainly considered 70's FM tracks (usually hits and not obscurities). Today, many of these stations have made the 80's a main staple with the 70's more backup material now.
"Oldies" to me, is a term that has been with us and radio for ages. AM radio had oldies weekends in the early 60's (at least!) and the end of year airplay was usually "oldies" of the previous year. "Oldies" then, was 40's, 50's. Believe me, we heard "Come On a My House" and "Buttons & Bows" (followed by "Anyway You Want it" by the DC5!!) on WLS in the 60's!! In the 60's, "oldies" was ANY song that was not new on AM. I have obscure songs like the Searchers' "Take me for What I'm Worth" being played by Ron Riley as he says "Here's one we have not played in many moons", playing it in late 66, long after it charted. In the 70's, often the oldies weekends played 60's hits, stretching a distance between current and "oldies" songs more than the 60's weekends. In the 80's, all those oldies channels ballooned and the oldies became late 50's rock n Roll through the late 60's, usually featuring Motown WAY too much. As the format grew older, a trend towards 70's additions eventually grew to no 50's songs at all and then to its' current era with little 60's and mostly 80's and 70's and some 90's. A sad fact, but "oldies" have been around "forever" and "Classic Rock" only since the late 70's or early 80's. My thoughts, anyway.
WLSClark

re: RECENT AND UPCOMING SHOWS:
The Dick Dale Concert in Santa Cruz, June 21, 2009:
I'm glad I went, Drumsticks on the bass. Jazz trumpet. A duet on the skins with his drummer. Sang some. Cut up with the crowd ... He made that guitar sing throughout besides all those other bells and whistles ... .I don't gush much about concerts, but if his tour comes close to you, I recommend showing up for your consideration. The next concert dates are listed on his myspace page. I've also added some Dick Dale trax to my current freeform playlist that will be in heavy surf and summer mode 24/7 until September. To lose the commercials and help with artist royalties plus my expenses, the portal to subscriptions is the "support" banner on my myspace profile or VIP button on the player... Thanx! ~JBK, etc., etc ... Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio! Surf City Sounds Plus: http://www.Live365.com/stations/johns805?play

Here is a copy of the setlist from a recent Bachman - Cummings show:

Running Back to Saskatoon

Albert Flasher

Ain't Seen Nothin Yet

These Eyes

Clap For The Wolfman with intro

Above The Ground (title cut from recent Cummings solo release "available worldwide in 2 months")

Everybody's Cryin' Mercy (upcoming Bachman release)

Your Back Yard (Cummungs)

No Sugar / New Mother

Let It Ride

Undun

American Woman with traditional intro and harmonica

West Is The Best (Bachman solo)

Hey You

Bus Rider

Highway

Break It To Them Gently

No Time

Encores:

Share The Land

Takin' Care of Business
Dan
We'll be there!!! The line-up STILL hasn't been posted on the Schaumburg Summerfest Website yet ... but I have it on pretty good authority that THIS is where they'll be appearing. (Let us know if you're coming up, Dan!!!) kk

Join Sam Lit Saturday Nights from 8 pm at the Savoy (formally the Woodbine Inn) Rt. 73 Pennsauken NJ, 2 miles past the Tacony-Palmyra bridge. Largest dance floor in the Delaware valley. The Savoy holds over 1000 people. The food is sensational. Great Food, Drink & Dance every Saturday Night with Sam Lit. Get off your heels and on to some wheels. Make it to the Savoy, this Saturday Night from 8pm. Broadcast Live over HyLitRadio.com

Hi Kent:
Our North of Memphis band just got a call from JAM and we will be headlining at the Park West on Friday 8/14 ... one of our regular members is harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy, who has been touring with Steely Dan. He will be joining us.
I don't know if you would be interested in hearing this since it's not an oldies thing, but there are a ton of great musicians on this band.
As soon as I get more details, I will forward.
Quent Lang
Yes, please do ... I've heard good things about you guys and am always happy to let other music fans on the list know where they can catch you performing live! (kk)

Next Thursday, July 2, 7 - 8:30 pm, we'll be playing outside in Deerfield - Starbucks Plaza on the corner of Deerfield and Waukegan Rds. (675 Deerfield Rd.) Kick off the holiday weekend with a bang!
Bring the kids to this free outdoor show.
BLUE TRUTH - features Jimy Rogers on vocals, and Gary Gand on guitar, Joan Gand on keys, Graham Nelson on blues harp and vocals, Joel Treadwell on drums, Steve Nevets on bass and vocals.
Because of your continued support, Blue Truth continue to have the most FUN live shows.
It's a BLUE TRUTH PARTY!!!! You’re the best friends and fans a band could ask for!
www.bluetruthchicago.com
Full schedule, music, lots of photos, and more!

K-TEL:
K-Tel Records has come up a number of times over the years here in Forgotten Hits. Sure, we all bought 'em ... but most of us were disappointed by the chopped off endings of most of the songs. Well, now comes word that a K-Tel Reissue Series is coming to CD. Collectors' Choice Music now has FOUR titles available: Music Explosion, Disco Nights, Superbad and Superbad Is Back. They advertise these as: This K-Tel comp 'is' the sound of '70s AM radio — only with much better sound quality than your radio brought you back then! (I wonder if they've solved that whole "brief versions" problem for the CD releases???) Anyway, if you're interested in reliving THIS part of your youth, you can find these CDs here:
Click here: CCMusic Results for k-tel

re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:

>>A friend of mine asked me if I knew where Bobby Keys was. Of course, I had no clue, but I told him I would find out, betting you or someone in your vast blog audience would know. How about some help on this? (JR)
>>>I'm happy to help put the word out ... but can't promise you any results. Bobby Keys has played with just about EVERYBODY over the years ... let's see if we get any nibbles on this one. (kk)

He has a myspace that he allows people into. Perhaps you can find it there. Carrie

Don't know if that's an option you've already looked into or not, JR, but it sounds like it's worth a shot. Good Luck! (kk)

re: THE DIAMONDS (and DIAMOND DAVE SOMERVILLE):
I'M VERY GLAD YOU HOOKED UP WITH DIAMOND DAVE. I'VE WORKED A LOT OF SHOWS WITH HIM OVER THE YEARS & HE'S A VERY COOL, CLASSY & GRACIOUS GUY. WE'VE SHARED A FEW MEALS ON THE ROAD & HE'S ALWAYS A POSITIVE PRESENCE.
ALL THE BEST ...
MICHAEL G. BUSH
I've had a couple of conversations with Dave now and he REALLY seems like a genuinely nice guy ... would love to catch his show one of these days if he's ever out this way. (The CD I mentioned, "On The 1957 Rock And Roll Greyhound Bus", is a REAL fun listen ... gives you the complete essence of the show. You can pick it up from Dave's website:)
Click here: Diamond Dave Somerville .com
He's now on our mailing list and I hope we hear from him from time to time. (The last couple emails I sent him asking him questions from some of our readers went unanswered ... hoping he'll become another one of our Fly-On-The-Wall Sources that make all these memories so interesting!!!) kk

re: LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS:
I listened to the Sirius-XM Satellite Radio interview of LITTLE ANTHONY of the IMPERIALS ... great stuff ... great stories ... He had plenty to say ... (wouldn't leave in fact) ... STILL A 'FORWARD' WORKING GROUP !Later, I walk into work ... singing (badly) a few bars of ... TEARS ON MY PILLOW while I was walking around ... Next thing you know ... someone else is singing it ... then another, and another ... half the people there (older ones) joined in ... THERE ARE SONGS ... AND THEN THERE ARE SONGS !!!
RENFIELD
Jersey Jock Dave The Rave was recently telling me about the Little Anthony Concert he MC'd right before he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... said you wouldn't believe his show ... does all of his own hits ... and then all kinds of CURRENT stuff, too ... VERY contemporary sounding band and a GREAT performance. Would have NEVER figured that! The Artist Spotlights on XM were always VERY well done ... one of the things I miss about not being able to listen to it anymore. (Although I have to admit that while in San Francisco I finally had to turn it off ... what on earth was EVER the appeal of Cousin Brucie?!?!? It was actually PAINFUL to listen to this guy!!! OK, THAT ought to get me some hate mail!!! lol) kk
>>>VERY contemporary sounding band and a GREAT performance. Would have NEVER figured that! (kk)

YES ... that's what the hour long interview was about ... and how he got the sound for 'tears' ... gives a producer credit ... he was in summer school while the song was number 1 and the other band member with him was working in a butcher shop while they were at the top of the charts ...
RENFIELD

Enjoy Forgotten Hits Today ... WITHOUT A Service Charge (or Any Hidden Fees!!!)

This recent comment / review of a Fleetwood Mac Concert sparked some interesting additional dialog on the subject! (My guess it'll get YOUR wheels turning, too, as Forgotten Hits takes on another controversial topic!!!)

>>>I also found out I could make a can of Budweiser last almost two hours when they charge you 8 bucks for it. A personal best for me. T-shirts were $40.00. Floor seats went for $150.00 a pop. Off to the side seats went for $80.00 and if you wanted to sit in the nose bleed seats back in a corner behind a pole, they went for about $50.00. I think the online "convenience fee" (<~bullshit fee) was about $30.00. After that I walked out of the show, back to my $20.00 parking space<~(no kidding). What's in your wallet? (The Steelworker)

Another stellar edition of "Leftovers," Kent. Hope you're doing well, ditto, Mark.
I loved the piece by "The Steelworker," particularly his remark about the TicketMaster "bullshit fee." Those folks should be ashamed of themselves, just as the mega-acts and large venues should also be. They're all in bed together, playing 'good cop, bad cop' at the expense of the die-hard fans.


The technology is there for ANY major artist with a web site (and half a brain) to offer their tickets DIRECTLY to THEIR FANS -- the very folks who buy their music -- be it vinyl, CD or 'paid' download. Of course some of those fans 'steal' their music -- but that's another issue in itself:)

To pay a corrupt company a 'convenience fee,' is, in my humble opinion, criminal. We use our paper, our computer, and they have the 'audacity' to charge an additional fee above and beyond an already exorbitant service fee.

I applauded Garth Brooks for doing the right thing for his fans -- keeping ticket prices as low as he did during the height of his career ('when you comin' back, Garth?'). It was not only a stroke of marketing genius (heck, it left his fans with more money to spend on merchandise), but it also endeared him to countless hundreds of thousands -- if not millions of fans -- who attended his shows.

Major acts simply aren't worth $150 to $200 or more to see 'live.' Not in this economy, not with labels tanking and radio stations refusing to pay a fair performance royalty to the artists who supply them with free entertainment, which -- in turn -- increases the radio station's ratings, which -- in turn -- increases their advertising revenue. The NAB would like us to believe it's a 'tax,' when, in reality, it's the right thing to do.

But the purpose of this e-mail was to address the inflated price of concert tickets, which falls directly on TicketMaster, and -- in many cases -- the very acts themselves. By the time you factor in dinner, parking, a pair of decent seats, perhaps a tee-shirt or a program, you're looking at $500. That's just plain crazy.

About four years ago I wrote a piece for Allaboutcountry.com -- an online trade magazine that publishes a daily country music newsletter. At the time, Bill Hennes, the editor / publisher, had asked me to comment on the closing of Tower Records. Growing up in Sacramento, I was all too eager to respond.

My life has truly been a blessing, be it The Beach Boys, Treasure Isle Recorders (the Nashville recording studio I've owned and operated since 1980), my wife and ten year old daughter, or the personal heroes I've had the rare honor to know and work with -- Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, John Denver, Buck Owens, Brian Wilson, Ray Peterson, Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, among others.

Often, it was a bit of 'luck' and a bit of 'timing,' as was the case of my friendship with Russ Solomon and Tower Records. Russ had started out running a small record department in his parent's Tower Drug Store in downtown Sacramento. When Russ opened Tower North -- store #1 -- I lived a short fifteen minute bike ride away. It was just down El Camino Avenue at Watt Avenue, barely three minutes by car from my high school alma mater.

So, as a sixteen year old who was used to buying 45's at Walgreen's Drugs, or the record department of Brauner's Department Store or Consumer Buying Service (CBS), having a 'warehouse' full of singles and albums was like "Mecca" to us music junkies. Russ, or one of this managers, Dick or Carl, would often wait on me. Sometimes, on a Saturday afternoon or during Summer or Spring break, I'd spend several hours in the store just browsing through bin after bin of vinyl.

When I started doing my rock concerts in the spring of 1963, there was no TicketMaster or Ticketron. There was Coast Radio downtown, Southgate Records on Florin Road, and Tower Records North. I also used the Civic Theater Box Office and Jack's House of Music, a musical instrument and sheet music store near Tower Records.

For the first Beach Boys concert at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, May 24, 1963, I used several of these locations for my 'advance sale' ticket outlets. There was no fee -- not to the concert attendee -- nor a kickback or 'service charge' that would be returned to the store. The store owners were more than pleased to sell my tickets for the free advertising I would give them on our posters and in our radio spots. Needless to say, the ticket buyers meant additional traffic into their stores -- and, as good businessmen, they were thankful for the added promotion and marketing advantages.

This 'arrangement' went on for a half dozen concerts, dances and teen club shows I promoted in the Sacramento area, in addition to similar events in Reno, NV, Marysville / Yuba City, and Stockton, CA.

At some point in the late fall of '63 -- or early 1964 -- Russ approached me with this 'novel' idea: would I consider paying him a small fee or service charge for being a ticket outlet. It made perfect sense: he took a certain amount of risk for selling the tickets as he agreed to pay for any shortages.

I could only hope that he wouldn't demand a fee that would push the tickets into a higher price range, thus possibly pricing the tickets out of the reach of the average 'fan.' That was not the case. Russ politely asked me if I would consider giving him a nickel -- five cents -- as a handling fee for each ticket he sold. It would come out of my gross, we would not pass this fee on to the buyer. It was a no-brainer. I agreed to the terms.

Keep in mind the average ticket prices at the time were $1.75 to $2.50 -- most, if not all, were 'general admission.' No reserved seating. If you wanted the 'front row,' you'd show up two to three hours prior to show time! Not a bad price for a ticket to see The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, The Ventures, or a 'package' show featuring Freddy Cannon, Ray Peterson, Johnny Burnette, The Rivingtons and The Righteous Brothers. A meager five cent service fee amounting to about 2% of the face value of the ticket that was not even added to the price of the ticket ... it came out of my end!

Now, let's 'fast forward' to 2009 -- forty-six years. Would you be willing to pay 2% on top of a $50 ticket -- an amount equal to $1!! Or, how about paying a $5 fee on top of a $50 ticket purchased through the artist's fan club in exchange for a reserved seat toward the front of the main floor -- a slightly higher 10% service fee -- but still more than fair.

Right now, what can best be described as the greed of Ticketmaster (and, in some cases, the artists), the best seats are often 'held back' from the general ticket sales. Of course TicketMaster says it does not 'hold back' tickets -- it's the promoter, the record label, the artist's management or the act themselves. Regardless who is to blame, these preferred good seats are purposely held back but somehow manage to make their way into the marketplace through scalpers, or on the secondary market via eBay, through re-sellers like the Ticketmaster subsidiary TicketsNow, through Stub-Hub or through high end 'brokers.' The acts

-- and the promoters -- rarely, if ever, 'hold back' the bad seats -- only the top dollar ones.

Scalpers and high end 'ticket brokers' are an excepted way of life -- and that's a real tragedy for the die-hard fans. Fan club members should have a crack at those best seats, not see them go to the scalpers and re-sellers. Fans should not have to pay through the nose for the privilege of sitting close to their favorite star. They have earned that opportunity by a thing called 'loyalty.'

Software programs are available to the fan clubs, just as they are to the online outlets. The artists should sell their own tickets or the 'big box stores' should do for a modest 'service fee,' just as Russ Solomon did 46 years ago. They can surely use the extra traffic and business that such an arrangement would provide them with.

Fred Vail
Treasure Isle
Nashville, TN
"Music City, USA"


Without question, it has gotten COMPLETELY out of hand ... to the point that we very rarely pay to go to concerts anymore ... as if the ticket prices aren't already high enough, there are times that you can expect to pay another 30%-50% in additional fees and charges. When "Face Value Tickets" exceed $250, how on earth do you justify paying another $25-$30 per ticket in "convenience charges" and "service charges" and "handling fees" and "building restoration" charges, etc, etc, etc. Now add in the typical $20-$25 for parking and even a so-called "reasonably priced ticket" of $75-$90 ticket ends up costing you about $130 each! (Didn't it used to be a flat-rate service charge "per order" ... of something like $3.50 - $5.00 as sort of a "processing fee"??? This additional $15.00 per ticket on top of the face value PLUS service charges, processing fees and OTHER hidden charges in downright gouging ... isn't their profit already built into the actual ticket price BEFORE all these other charges are tacked on to your order???)

Here are a couple of recent cases in point from our own first hand experiences:


Last month, 1964, one of the premier and highest regarded Beatles Tribute Bands, was coming to play here locally. We had seen the group a few years back at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and they put on a heck of a show. (That concert happened quite by accident ... we were walking around downtown Fort Worth, saw the sign, popped into the box office and bought tickets on the spot for that evening's performance ... now that's one way to AVOID all the additional bullshit charges!) Anyway, I got three or four emails touting a "Very Special Price" of only $19.64 per ticket in honor of the band's namesake ... so I thought, "Why not??? We enjoyed them before, Paige is a little bit older now and really getting into The Beatles' music ... how can you go wrong for twenty bucks a ticket?" Yeah, right! By the time they added in the $16 service fee per ticket, the $4.50 per ticket in "convenience charges" and something like $3.50 per ticket for some building fee, the price of the tickets literally better than DOUBLED!!! And, this place typically charges $25 for parking. So we skipped the show completely. The whole "come on" of $20 tickets was exactly that ... and I doubt that the artists see a penny of these tacked-on charges.


Shortly after that, my daughter wanted Sox tickets for her birthday ... there was no time to find anything decent anywhere so I went to Stub Hub. I finally found AWESOME seats ... 2nd row right behind the Sox dugout for a Saturday Night Fireworks Night Game ... but ended up paying 3 1/2 times the face value of the ticket through their service ... and, as if that wasn't painful enough, they then had the nerve to charge me an additional $21 per ticket in service charges and fees AND $35 to mail them to me!!! (What, the 350% profit wasn't enough for you?!?!? You had to weasel out another $77 from me?!?!) In that this was my first experience with Stub Hub, I cancelled out my first go 'round, refusing to pay these exorbitant charges. The next day I was besieged with emails from them, wanting to know why I hadn't completed my purchase. So I told them ... I wrote back to state that I thought it was a COMPLETE rip-off to charge these kinds of prices and then STILL hit you up for service charges and mailing fees ... you CAN'T tell me that you didn't make enough profit on my 350% bumped purchase. (Strangely enough, THAT email they didn't answer!!! lol) But as time ran out ... and her birthday got closer ... I had no choice but to cave and bought the tickets anyway, selecting an option to print them at home myself for $15 rather than pay the $35 delivery fee.


I'm sure we all remember the recent press hub-bub about no Bruce Springsteen tickets being available for his New Jersey concerts ... and then Ticketmaster referring customers to the brokerage company that they ALSO own a piece of, TicketsNow ... so that interested fans could buy seats at four to five times their original face value. I don't think that there are EVER any "premium" seats available for online purchase ... the best blocks of tickets always seem to be "committed" somewhere else. Even these early "pre-sales" that lure you in ahead of time to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public is a real scam ... you typically find that either there are only certain seats available (again, never the GOOD seats) ... or, in fact, you may find better seats when ALL the tickets are released the following day ... or you're already up in the third balcony on the pre-sale ... now how on earth could THAT many of tickets have already been sold to this show when I go on line at EXACTLY 10 am, the moment the pre-sale starts?!?!?


Clearly, the current method of securing tickets is COMPLETELY out of control ... and SOME sort of regulation is in order. I think Fred's got some good ideas here ... and I'm sure some of YOU out there will have some, too. Unfortunately, as things stand right now, Ticketmaster is pretty much the only game in town unless you just resign yourself in advance to pay three, four or five times the face value of a ticket to get a REALLY good seat to a show and deal with a ticket broker or agency. (At least in the old days we had Ticketron and Ticketmaster competing for our business ... now, quite honestly, where else are you gonna go?!?!?) Moving the control to the Fan Club Websites is an EXCELLENT idea ... yeah, there'll still be some behind the scenes bullshit going on, with some of the fan club organizers trying to make an extra buck for themselves by selling some of these tickets at a much greater profit margin to some of these agencies ... but why not reward the people who have been there to support you all these years first, BEFORE making seats available to those folks only interested in turning a quick buck???


I'm sure this topic will spark a number of opinions and revelations of your own bad experiences ... SOMEBODY needs to get involved with this at a higher level and put us all on an equal playing field. I spent many a night in my 20's camped out in line to get the very best seats possible for a show ... and, as a result of these efforts (and persistence) often scored second, third and fourth row seats to some of the biggest shows that came through town. (Of course, I've ALSO been there, fifth in line, only to find out that they're doing a lottery and my fifth place spot is now 111th in line to buy tickets ... again, not a very FAIR way of rewarding the faithful willing to do whatever it takes to get a good seat.) Even back then I considered it a pretty steep price to pay to see a show you wanted to see, having to practically sleep outside the box office the night before just to hold your spot in line. Surely SOMETHING in between can be worked out ... maybe some of the artists can negotiate clauses into their contracts limiting the amount the ticket agent can add to a ticket for helping them sell out an arena. Honestly, I don't know what the REAL solution is ... but we'd love to hear your ideas. We'll do a follow-up piece on this topic somewhere down the line. Let us know your thoughts ... and your suggestions. Who knows ... maybe we'll get somebody's attention with this whole campaign and change the way business is being conducted!!! (kk)

A Sad Day

We didn't just lose two popular celebrities yesterday ...

We lost two absolute pop icons ... in every sense of the word.

In their individual moments in the sun, there wasn't ANYBODY on the planet more famous than Farrah Fawcett (her 1976 poster launched her career into the stratosphere) or Michael Jackson ("Thriller" remains one of the biggest selling albums of all-time ... and will sell even MORE copies now after his passing.)

Since this is, after all, a MUSIC publication, we'll direct our attention to Michael this morning ... our regularly scheduled piece will bump into tomorrow followed by The Sunday Comments.

I never personally bought into the whole self-proclaimed "King of Pop" thing ... and my first reaction to hearing the news this afternoon was that it had to be some sort of a publicity scam ... Jackson had, after all, just sold out 50 European dates in a matter of hours for his comeback tour ... a tour that would have earned him MILLIONS (if not BILLIONS) ... and, let's face it, he's been having some financial problems lately. Jackson spent the bulk of his career taking great enjoyment in shocking and amazing us ... was this just another one of his "David Copperfield Moments", trying to drum up more publicity for the tour?

Quite honestly, SO many things flew through my head in those initial numb moments ... was this whole thing just a big "put on" so that he could finally enjoy a life of anonymity (although with that scary mask of a face of his I wasn't sure where or how) ... I mean, six months from now were there going to be Michael Jackson Burger King Sightings ala Elvis, the rock icon he admired and aspired to SO much that he had to christen himself "The King Of Pop" and marry "The King Of Rock and Roll"'s daughter??? Had he done another last minute plastic surgery in prep for the tour that went completely astray ... turned him hideous ... or maybe even wiped off what was left of his face all-together? Maybe this was a last minute panic attack, realizing that he really wasn't ready to go out and do a massive tour of this proportion just yet??? Or had he worked himself SO hard in preparation of making this the greatest comeback of all time that he simply overdid it and trained himself to death? (Until the coroner's report is released, we won't know for sure ... but this last consideration just may turn out to be a real possibility.)

The really CRAZY part about all of this is that NONE of the scenarios described above were beyond the lengths that Michael would go to fuel the publicity machine. The truth is he was both his own greatest promoter ... and his own worst enemy, often feeding the tabloids outrageous stories about himself and then paying the penalty when more and more of the public became turned off by his beyond-crazy antics.

Despite ALL of this, there is no denying the impact that the phenomenon of Michael Jackson has had on the entire world of music and its fans. His fanbase literally spans the globe ... he just may have been the most recognized man on the planet ... EVERYBODY knew who Michael Jackson was and was familiar with his music, his dance moves and his generosity when it came to stepping up to the plate for a good cause.

He has given us SO much great music over the years ... from his boyhood days fronting The Jackson Five to the thriller that was "Thriller" ... the moonwalk at Motown's 25th Anniversary Show when he performed "Billie Jean" ... the pure artistry of "Off The Wall", "Bad" and "Dangerous", his back-to-back-to-back-to-back assault on the pop album charts. But my ALL-TIME favorite Michael Jackson song ISN'T one of the ones that garnered so much attention for its disco / pop / rock cross-over appeal ... or for virtually single-handily reinventing MTV with his ground-breaking videos ... it was a heartfelt ballad from the "Off The Wall" album that quietly snuck into the top ten ... and literally bared the very essence of his soul. To this day, I cannot listen to this track without feeling emotionally overcome. Yes, he made better records ... and he certainly had bigger hits ... but once Michael Jackson's voice cracks at the end of "She's Out Of My Life", I'm done for. Always have been ... always will be.



Radio will be airing his music for the next several days ... interestingly, you haven't heard a whole lot of Michael Jackson music on the radio lately since all the controversy virtually derailed his career. And there will ALWAYS be stories of Michael's indiscretions throughout his legacy ... but I believe history will choose to view him as an artist first and foremost ... and what an artist he was.

Think of the money he raised through his "We Are The World" / USA For Africa campaign ... his "Heal The World" campaign ... and what about all the other money that Jackson raised and donated,including MILLIONS and MILLIONS of his OWN money to "make this world a better place".

As a solo artist, he placed nearly 50 songs on Billboard's Pop Chart, including 38 that made Billboard's Top 40. 28 of those made The Top Ten ... and 13 times he hit #1. Add in his 30 other hits with his brothers (including four more #1's and 11 more Top 10's) and you'll find that only a handful of artists have EVER achieved these kinds of statistics.

The Michael Jackson Hit List:
Here is a list of Michael Jackson's Top 20 Billboard Hits, both as a solo artist, as a member of The Jackson Five and as a duet partner:
(Titles shown in red were #1 Billboard Hits)
1970 - I Want You Back / ABC / The Love You Save / I'll Be There
1971 - Mama's Pearl / Never Can Say Goodbye / Maybe Tomorrow /
Got To Be There
1972 - Rockin' Robin / I Wanna Be Where You Are / Ben / Sugar Daddy /
Little Bitty Pretty One / Lookin' Through The Windows / Corner Of The Sky
1974 - Dancing Machine
1975 - I Am Love
1977 - Enjoy Yourself
1979 - Shake Your Body / Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
1980 - Rock With You / Off The Wall / She's Out Of My Life / Lovely One
1983 - The Girl Is Mine / Billie Jean / Beat It / Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' /
Human Nature / P.Y.T. / Say Say Say
1984 - Thriller / State Of Shock / Torture
1987 - I Just Can't Stop Loving You / Bad
1988 - The Way You Make Me Feel / Man In The Mirror / Dirty Diana /
Another Part Of Me
1989 - Smooth Criminal
1991 - Black or White
1992 - Remember The Time / In The Closet
1993 - Who Is It / Will You Be There
1995 - Scream / You Are Not Alone
2001 - You Rock My World
2002 - Butterflies

I will admit to ALWAYS being a fan of Michael Jackson's music ... I think he's one of the most creative and talented artists of this or any other generation. Yeah, the whole "Wacko Jacko" thing wore me down a bit ... but the music stands alone. (Sadly, those crazy antics cost him all kinds of credibility as an artist, and that's a real shame. In the big picture, there aren't too many people who could play in the same arena as Michael ... he was a true genious in every sense of the word ... but all the tabloid stuff greatly diminished his universal appeal and quite a few people dismissed him at this point and never came back. Honestly, this was their loss ... Jackson's music is amongst the best ever recorded.)


Many, many years ago I saw The Jacksons perform at a small "Theater In The Round" setting where they literally could not sell out one third of the venue. It was the early '70's, during their non-hit period and the show was average at best. (I took my little sister who was a BIG Michael Jackson fan at the time.) But I never got to see the glamour and the glory of something like the "Victory" tour (NOBODY would go with me to see it ... they all thought I was nuts for even CONSIDERING going!!!) I remember they were performing at Sox Park and I ended up at a family birthday party that night instead, resenting the fact all night long that I had missed what would most likely be Michael's last appearance with his brothers. Ditto a brief Simon And Garfunkel reunion a few months later ... but I digress!!! (lol)

Now is the time to remember the music ... you're going to hear a whole lot of it over the next several days ... just four hours after the news broke, ABC and NBC were already interrupting their regularly scheduled evening programs to air specials on Jackson's career ... how many times have you seen THAT done for someone other than a President or something?!?!? A fitting tribute to an artist whose worked affected so many of us. Rest In Peace, Michael Jackson ... maybe now you finally can.

More On The "Local Guys"

Here's an update on how some of our Chicagoland talent will be spending THEIR summer vacations!!!

re: THE NEW COLONY SIX:
Kent:
I did not see the initial note from Democracy Fading but did see Craig's reply today and echo his sentiments. What was Democracy Fading's premise?
As for something else you wrote:
>>>One of their great, over-looked ballads was "Can't You See Me Cry" from 1968. This one rose to #52 on the national charts but made Chicago's Top Ten. It was released right in between the band's two biggest national hits, "I Will Always Think About You" and "Things I'd Like To Say". It certainly deserved a better fate ... and still sounds great today. When coupled with their early "Garage Band" hits, this offers a perfect example of the diversity offered by these Chicagoland Local Heroes. (kk)
First of all, thank you very much for including the tune and for the kudos. Don't know if you already have it but I attached the acoustic version that Bruce Mattey and I recorded a couple years ago. In correspondences with Bob Sirott, he told me that "Can't You See Me Cry" was perhaps his fave Colony tune, which, of course, made me blush. And speaking of blushing, since I know we'll never get invited to the "Storytellers" TV program, let me come clean and share how that song originated.
In my early teenage years, when still living with my folks, west of Harlem Avenue between Belmont and Addison and just south of Elmwood Park, a new family moved in down the block a bit and on the opposite side of the street. It was a Polish family and they had a daughter of similar age to my own; I never heard them speak a word of English and she had a definite accent. Well, I had a ridiculous crush on the girl but I was too shy to make a move and when I mustered up every ounce of courage, she never even wanted to engage in conversation let alone anything else, so I was crestfallen to say the least. Our neighborhood had alleys behind most of the houses and there was one on her side of the street. I admit to have spent many a summer evening huddled among the garbage cans waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of her through an upstairs window. Theresa (or might have been Teresa - never found that out) spent a lot of time upstairs in what I would presume must have been her bedroom and on occasion I could see her momentarily as she passed by or, on the best of nights, when she would seemingly be pacing so I saw her a second at a time, but frequently over a 10-15 minute timeframe. Sigh ... Unrequited teenage "love", which left me so heart-broken that entire summer but did lead to the lyrics to "Can't You See Me Cry" and did not result in my arrest on peeping-Ray charges! So, to borrow from the late, great Paul Harvey, "And now you know the rrrrrrrrrrrrrest of the story ..."

And when I spend my hours looking at your window
And when I see you pass by
I begin to feel you near me
Still I know that you won't hear me
Won't you love me?
Don't you need me?
Can't you see me cry?

And as I watch you draw your shade when night is falling
I want to call your name and
Blame you for my wasted days but
I can't see you through the haze
Won't you love me?
Don't you need me?
Can't you see me cry?

Would you remember me if I ask for the name of someone who loves you?
Or would you answer that you don't know, but I look familiar?
Who loves you?
Who loves you?

So if you see me standing here beneath your window
And if it's getting late
Remember that I'll wait for you
And watch until my life is through
Won't you love me?
Don't you need me?
Can't you see me cry?

I have often wondered if she ever knew of the band that this awkward, moon-eyed kid down the street started, but, most of all, wished that she could have known the song was based on her, so, if she is on the list and you decide to share this, Kent, Miss M__z_a, I wrote "Can't You See Me Cry" as a testament to my puppy love for you!
Ray Graffia, Jr.
We've featured the acoustic version a couple of times before ... but I have NO problem sharing it again as I think it's a really nice take on a very pretty song. Always cool to get the "back story" on some of this great music. Thanks, Ray! (kk)

As for Democracy Fading's views (which inspired original NC6 member Craig Kemp to write in ... scroll down the web page to read the whole thing ... it went out on June 19th) the jist of it was basically the same old animosities we run into all the time when it comes to many of the former members of our local bands. (Bands grow and personnel changes ... it's a fact of rock and roll life. Jim Pilster recently told me that before the very first Cryan' Shames album had been released, Dave Purple had already left the band!!! And YOU guys were actually The New Colony SEVEN there for a while, too!!! lol) We've been asking for peace, love and harmony ... and an appreciation for the music ... and the fans who have stuck with these artists for 40-something years now ... for as long as we've been doing Forgotten Hits. EMBRACE your past and remember what made you do all of this in the first place. (It was indeed a VERY special night that evening at your house when the ORIGINAL New Colony Six members reunited, save Pat McBride ... the look on each and every one of your faces told the joy that was in your hearts.) Sadly, some of these 40 year old wounds still haven't healed and, as I've said SO many times before, the music sparks magical memories for the fans because it was a happier, far more innocent time ... we tend to freeze our heroes in time because they were in some way magical and mystical to us ... they had the power to affect our every mood and we hate to see ANY of you guys (and by "You Guys" I don't mean specifically YOU guys ... but ALL of the '60's Chicagoland Artists) not getting along.

Enough preaching!!! You can catch The New Colony Six on Sunday, July 26th, at Alpine Fest in Lake Zurich, IL, and again on Saturday, August 29th, at The Saint Viators Sock Hop in Arlington Heights. (We'll let you know if more dates develop.)
Meanwhile, Ronnie Rice fans can see Ronnie perform July 4th at Lisle Fest (with The Cryan' Shames and Dennis Tufano); July 5th at The Mt. Prospect Lions Club; July 8th at the Glendale Heights Summerfest (with The Buckinghams); July 9th at Deerfield Square Mall and September 26th at The Immaculate Conception Church in Chicago, IL. (I heard he also made a surprise "Stop By" at Danny Lake's Saturday Night True Oldies Dance Party in River Grove last weekend!)

Click here: http://newcolonysix.com/

Click here: Ronnie Rice, Oldies, New Colony Six, Rock and Roll, Chicago

One more quick beef ... (ok, so maybe we WEREN'T done preaching yet!!!) ...

and we've addressed THIS issue before, too ...

Ronnie: if you're going to DO these "Chicago Gold" Shows, sing a few of your hits!!! You were part of The New Colony Six during their most successful period ... sing a few of these songs that we all know and love ... don't just rush through a quick rendition of "I Will Always Think About You" during which you get the AUDIENCE to sing most of the song ... sing something like "You're Gonna Be Mine" or "Treat Her Groovy" or "I Could Never Lie To You" once in a while, too. (There's always time to throw in a Johnny B. Goode jam at the end of the night with ALL of the players on stage ... don't waste your brief but valuable stage-time doing the whole "Day-O" routine ... get out there and remind us of YOUR contribution to the Chicagoland music scene!!!

re: THE CRYAN' SHAMES:
Wish I could be in Chicago for the June 27 Cryan’ Shames show! Any hope it will be videotaped for those of us who can’t make it?
Michael
It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that they're videotaping this show ... as to how to VIEW a copy is another matter, I'm sure. Let's see if any of the guys mention anything ... a clip or two (or ten) may show up on YouTube but I'm not sure how the average fan would be able to view the whole show without attending. (kk)

That being said, I talked to Jim Pilster the other night and he said that he's heard from Cryan' Shames fans who are coming in from all over the country to see this show. (However, he ALSO said that if you're coming to see faithful, note-for-note reproductions of the hits, you're probably in for a surprise. James Fairs has rearranged and reimagined some of The Shames' best known tracks ... Hooke promises a very entertaining, well-played and performed night of music ... but warns fans to keep an open mind if attending the show. The hits will be there ... you just may not immediately recognize them!!! lol) My take on this? Fairs is, without question, inventive, innovative, imaginative, inspirational and a whole bunch of other "i" words ... in fact, Hooke told me that working with him is the closest thing to "genius" he's ever seen ... but the fans want to hear the music the way they remember it ... that's what draws us to these shows in the first place. Sounds like they've spared no expense putting this thing together ... extensive rehearsals, flying in players from all over the country to perform ... Fairs has lined up the drummer from Blue Man Group, Artie Baldacci of Heartsfield, Gregg Voorhees, bass player of The Gregg Allman Band, Jeff Lantz, keyboardist for Jim Peterik's jazz project, Life Force ... along with three female back-up singers and a full horn section ... in addition original and former Cryan' Shames members like Tom Doody and Lenny Kerley have flown in from California and they've held extensive rehearsals with Hooke, the current members of the band and Chicago musical legends Gerry Stone and Dennis Conroy ... The Jamez Band sounds like they're locked, cocked and ready to rock. And let's face it ... it has ALWAYS been Jim Fairs' nature to experiment and reinvent, rather than simply rehash something he's already done ... especially something he did 40-some years ago. How will it go over? It'll be interesting to see. Personally, I think there'll be a good crowd coming out to see this show ... but I think the trade-off HAS to be giving the fans what they want alongside playing what YOU want ... even if that means doing a couple of songs TWICE that night in both their old and new arrangements. Without question, Jim (now James) Fairs was the driving force behind the original Cryan' Shames ... but sometimes "artistry" gets in the way of good-time, fun entertainment. (Guess I'm not really done preaching after all!!! lol) Yes, ALL artists should be allowed the space to grow and develop and change ... but us oldies fans are a pretty tough crowd. We know what we like and we know the memories that hearing this music again reignites. Part of the charm of this music WAS its innocence. Fans looking to see a more "faithful" Cryan' Shames show will have PLENTY of opportunities to do so this summer ... the band has over a dozen other dates already lined up, many featuring "Guest Vocalists" from the "Chicago Gold" years like Ronnie Rice, formerly of The New Colony Six, Dennis Tufano, former lead singer of The Buckinghams, Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight, Jimy Rogers, formerly of The Mauds ... heck, they've even got a few gigs backing up Sonny Geraci of The Outsiders (and I hear Hooke is trying to persuade Gary Loizzo of The American Breed to take the stage a time or two as well!) ALL these dates can be found on The Cryan' Shames' website:
Click here: The Cryan' Shames 2008 Events Schedule
Upcoming dates include:
Saturday, June 27th - Fishel Park Band Shell; Downers Grove, IL (with The Jamez Band, featuring all of the "special guests" mentioned above and original Cryan' Shames members James Fairs, Jim Pilster, Tom Doody, Gerry Stone and Dennis Conroy.)
Thursday, July 2nd - Taste Of Morton Grove
Saturday, July 4th - Lisle Fest (with Dennis Tufano and Ronnie Rice)
Thursday, July 16th - Sunday, July 19th - Four Nights at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, WI, with special guests Sonny Geraci, Dennis Tufano and Jimy Sohns
Wednesday, July 22nd - Bensenville, IL, Music In The Park
Thursday, July 30th - Deerfield, IL
Sunday, August 16th - Bolingbrook, IL Jubilee
Saturday, September 19th - Peoria, IL (with Jimy Sohns and Dennis Tufano)

And for the smart asses who keep asking "So when did Ronnie Rice become the lead singer of The Cryan' Shames?" ... he DIDN'T. Kudos to Hooke for helping to keep this GREAT Chicagoland music alive by presenting the forum for some of our favorite artists like Ronnie Rice, Dennis Tufano, Jimy Rogers, Jimy Sohns and others to join them on stage and sing a few of their hits for a VERY appreciative audience. His whole "Chicago Gold" concept is EXACTLY what we've been pushing for for YEARS now ... a Soundstage Taping or A Taste Of Chicago Concert would be a GREAT way to show our appreciation for this great music that we all grew up with. (Hooke even suggested a concert dedicating the naming of a Chicagoland Street, "Dick Biondi Way" for ANOTHER Chicagoland Legend ... man, what a cool idea THAT would be!!!) There's plenty of room out there for ALL of our local heroes ... and NOTHING would please us more than to see ALL these artists unite together for some KILLER shows. Hats off to Jim Pilster for getting the ball rolling ... now we just need a few more of you to join in.

THIS JUST IN ... ANOTHER FORGOTTEN HITS WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE!!!:

VERY special thanks to Jim Pilster, James Fairs and Tom Doody for sending us a recording of their new work up of the vintage Cryan' Shames hit "First Train To California" ... just a sneak preview of what The Jamez Band will sound like on Saturday Night. This is a GREAT rendition, by the way ... can't wait to see the show. (Man, I hope the weather breaks for you guys ... these 100+ degree heat-index days have been kicking EVERYBODY's butt here lately!!!) kk

re: THE BUCKINGHAMS:
Carl Giammarese was kind enough to share a couple of brand new Buckinghams tracks with us a few weeks ago for our "Brand New Music From Some Of Your Old Favorites" Series. The Bucks are STILL making great music ... and have several dates coming up:
Sunday, June 28th - Cicero Community Park
Friday, July 3rd - Elmwood Park Freedom Festival
Wednesday, July 8th - Glendale Heights Summerfest
Friday, July 17th - Green Acres Campground; Marinette, WI
Saturday, July 18th - Kane County Fair; St. Charles, IL
Saturday, July 25th - Watertown Arena; Watertown, NY
Thursday, July 30th - Leach Amphitheater; Oshkosh, WI
Wednesday, August 5th - Music in the Park; Bensenville, IL
Saturday, August 15th - Wood Dale, IL
Thursday, August 20th - Cooper River Park; Pennsauken, NJ
Saturday, August 29th - Highland Park, IL
Saturday, September 12th - Agri-Civic Center; Albemarle, NC
Friday, October 2nd - North Wildwood Amphitheater; North Wildwood, NJ

Meanwhile, former lead singer Dennis Tufano will be appearing on Saturday, July 4th, with Ronnie Rice and The Cryan' Shames at Lisle's "Eyes To The Skies" Fest; Thursday, July 16th - Sunday, July 19th at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, WI (along with The Cryan' Shames, Sonny Geraci and Jimy Sohns, former lead singer of The Shadows Of Knight); Saturday, August 1st at Streetsboro Family Days in Streetsboro, Ohio (with Sonny Geraci); Saturday, August 8th, in Henderson, NV with (check out THIS line-up!!!) Ron Dante, Tony Burrows, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods and The Ohio Express and on Sunday, August 16th, at The Bolingbrook, IL Jubilee (with The Cryan' Shames)

Click here: The Buckinghams - Home Page

Click here: As Long As I’m Singing The Music of Bobby Darin

and, speaking of Jimy Sohns and The Shadows Of Knight, let's give a shout-out to HIS web page, too!

Click here: The Shadows of Knight Official Website

re: THE IDES OF MARCH:
And let's not forget The Ides Of March ... these guys'll be kicking ass and taking prisoners all summer long. (Talk about keeping your original members intact, THESE Boys From Berwyn, friends and bandmates since High School, have become the eternal Boys Of Summer, getting back together for every outdoor concert season and wowing the crowds again with their dynamic performances. The cool thing about an Ides Of March show is that you don't only get the hits from THAT band, but you also get to hear music from Survivor and some of the hits that leader Jim Peterik wrote for .38 Special ... along with some other powerful covers that have delighted audiences for decades now.) It'll be one of the best shows you'll see all summer if you can catch The Ides Of March at any of these upcoming dates:
June 26th - Summer Concert Series; Erie, PA
June 27th - Summerfest; Cicero, IL
July 3rd - Elmwood Park Festival; Elmwood Park, IL (with The Buckinghams)
July 11th - City Fest; West Chicago, IL
July 12th - Summerfest; McHenry, IL
August 1st - Pig In The Pine Ribfest; St. Germain, WI
August 8th - Lemont, IL Block Party
August 9th - Northbrook, IL Summer City Series
August 13th - Fraze Pavillion; Kettering, Ohio (with The Edgar Winter Group)
August 15th - The Wood Dale Summer Street Fair; Wood Dale, IL
Click here: The Ides Of March Flash Intro

and Jimy Rogers, formerly of The Mauds, and now fronting Blue Truth ...
Saturday, June 27th - Gabe's Backstage Lounge; Highland, IL
Thursday, July 2nd - Deerfield, IL
Sunday, July 12th - Westmont Muddy Waters Blues Tribute; Westmont, IL
Saturday, August 1st - Aurora, IL; Rock The Fox
Thursday, August 6th - Evanston, IL
Friday, August 7th - Skokie, IL
Friday, August 21st - The Pavillion; Northbrook, IL
(More shows coming)
Click here: Blue Truth Chicago — Rock Soul & Blues — Tellin' Like It Is!

We're proud to promote ALL of our Chicagoland Artists and thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the GREAT music and memories they've given us over the years. Hope to see some of you out at some of these shows!!!

***

>>>A few weeks ago you mentioned how it would be so great to have all the 60's Chicago groups appearing on one stage. It did happened quite a few years ago (my memory is hazy but I would guess about 10-15 years) at Holiday Star Plaza. The show had the Ides of March, Shadows of Knight, Cryan' Shames, Ronnie Rice (but not the NC Six) but the real coup was getting Dennis Tufano (first time he appeared in ages!!! ... and I know he has recently surfaced last year back performing again) and, catch this ... the AMERICAN BREED (I BELIEVE IT WAS ALL THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS). It was a great show to say the least!! (Mike De Martino)

Mike, I am actually amazed that SO MANY Chicago heroes are performing for us all still! You should be ecstatic, for not many old locals perform regularly in most cities. I put the question to Gary Loizzo yesterday about any Breed reunion possibilities. We'll see if he answers. I mentioned to him that last week while listening to WGN's Nick Digilio show, i heard a jingle for "Terry's" and I knew it was him on lead singing. He responded that I had a good ear and that Terry had gotten a lot of mileage out of the jingle as he recorded it in 1977!!! WOW!! WLSClark

I put that show together at Star Plaza ... it was a great night of music. I've been talking to Gary Loizzo about joining us up on stage a few times this summer. I would love to get the lead singers from some of these other "Chicago Gold" Bands to come up on stage with us and sing a few of their hits. That's what it's all about ... and is why you'll see guys like Ronnie Rice and Dennis Tufano and Jimy Sohns and Jimy Rogers performing with The Shames this summer. It's all about keeping this music alive and these guys are great singers who should be up there doing their hits. Jim Pilster / J.C. Hooke / The Cryan' Shames

I couldn't agree with you more, Jimmy ... hope to be able to see ALL of our Local Heroes sometime this summer! (kk)

Some Recent Blurbs And Spices ...

Here are just a few tidbits that have come through our mail box these past few days ... Enjoy!



re: ALICE COOPER:
The Alice Cooper concert scheduled for Saturday, June 20th in Novosibirsk (Siberia), Russia was cancelled due to the collapse of the roof and rigging trusses for the outdoor concert at Spartak Stadium. The collapse happened the night before the scheduled show making it impossible for the concert to take place. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the mishap.
Bob Merlis

re: CHAZ:
>>>OMG! We made it through an entire Comments Page without ONE single Chastity Boner Joke!!! (kk)
The chastity, i mean chaz, bono 'joke' i heard on RON & FEZ xm satellite radio that made me laugh? ... Fez was wondering if men's organs (cadavers?) were donated to the sex-change person ... or else how would you make a penis? Ron suggested that they were able to build one out of YOUR available material ... and wondered if the 'dick-size' chosen would be like when a stripper gets boob implants ... ENORMOUS BOOBS ... the penis? dragging on the ground ... lol
RENFIELD

re: THROWING IN THE TOWEL:
>>>The other day I was listening to Jim Shea's morning show on Y103.9 when he reached his "I Buried Paul" feature. It's a contest that runs every morning at 7:20 (and has for a couple of years now) where Jim plays a snippet of a popular song BACKWARDS and listeners have to try to identify the song and the artist to win some sort of prize. Well, the other day, something got screwed up in the studio and the tape of "Chick-A-Boom", the Daddy Dewdrop hit from 1971 played FORWARDS instead of backwards ... meaning simply that it played the actual record. It was a screw up of massive proportions but Jim decided to let it slide and said that since THIS is the way it was played, he'd let somebody win by simply identifying the song. (A Good Sport is Jim!!! lol) So the very first caller gets through and then Jim asks him, "Are you feelin' it?" ... to which he responds ... "Oh yeah, I'm feelin' it ... (long pause) ... is it 'Alley Oop'?!?!?" ... thus proving ALL of these narrow-minded programmers right when they state that the AVERAGE oldies listener doesn't WANT to expand their musical horizons ... they want to hear the music that they're most COMFORTABLE with, even if it DOES mean the same two or three hundred songs over and over and over again. (It's not at all uncommon to hear listeners playing this game not know the title of the songs Jim plays ... or misidentify the artist ... it happens all the time ... and thus my faith in the average oldies listener has hit a new all-time low.) (kk)Kent,
Perhaps you should draw the opposite conclusion from this... that radio stations following your advice to push the envelope a bit would result in more listeners becoming more familiar with the song titles and artists outside of their currently limited musical horizons. This, in turn, would result in more requests for such songs, which would result in more familiarity with those songs, higher ratings for those stations, etc. Always look on the bright side!
– Randy Price

Kent,
I've observed the same thing with call-in contests on other stations; especially AM740 in Toronto, which has a fun oldies-oriented contest every morning at 7:40. (It's called "740 To Win" for some reason or other.) I've decided that the real oldies lovers are too busy with real life to care about calling in to win, while the contestants, on the other hand, have no life, don't know the music, but have plenty of time to dial the phone.
David

Kent,
I believe you are right about the average oldies listener. Many have been conditioned to only hear those 200 songs to which you referred that are played on main stream oldies radio. Here and there you can find local stations that do a local show, like Allen Lee, in Baltimore, with his forgotten 45's radio show, (He is an absolute doo wop encyclopedia) but that is the exception. That is why I stopped listening to most oldies radio and listen instead to my own compilations of oldies on my CD or MP3 player, or to digital cable oldies radio, where the programmers actually program. I love Doo Wop, and it has all but vanished from the main stream airwaves. Thank God for the local DJ's and the internet. Internet radio can be amazing. However, as you point out, subscribers to Forgotten Hits, are not your average oldies listeners. They are way more knowledgeable and attentive to what they hear. I also contend that they are more active than the average senior citizen. I am a 67 year old musician who still plays local gigs at bars and restaurants. I just started a new gig on Sunday nights and the bar owner was completely shocked when over 100 of my fellow senior citizens followers showed up. Well the reason they followed me is my repertoire. I play over 2200 songs that you mostly won't hear on the oldies stations. From Ral Donner and Jack Scott to the Dreamlovers and the Dubs. Each gig I will usually throw in a "who recorded that" instrumental, like "Night Theme". Obviously I have managed to gain some followers who are also not your average oldies radio listeners, and they are very loyal. Many seniors fall into the trap of becoming couch potatoes. I also fear we are raising a whole generation of couch potatoes, but that's another story. Getting seniors to go out and attend an evening of music or dancing is not an easy thing. About four years ago, I got a call from the promotion department of Dover Downs, which is a casino at the NASCAR race track in Dover, DE. They were presenting an evening of oldies music that was going to be filmed by PBS, for their excellent oldies concert series. They offered me and my wife free tickets. Now we are not big money gamblers and rarely even go to Dover Downs for many reasons, but also because it is about an hour and a half away. So I certainly didn't merit comped tickets based on my gambling. Well, I didn't want to travel all the way there and attend a long concert and then drive back home in the wee hours of the morning. So I tried pushing my luck and asked if a room could be comped. I got a big "no" as my answer. Several weeks later I received another call and they said I would get the free room and the free tickets. The reason was they were having difficulty getting people to commit to attending, and they didn't want to film a PBS concert to a half empty house. Well, it turned out to be a great evening and concert. We arrived around 3:30 PM, checked in and decided on an early buffet before the 6:00 PM concert start. We went to the buffet and sat down. Seated next to us were two familiar looking ladies, who turned out to be Freda Payne and Candi Staton. As we were eating, lo and behold, in walked the Temptations review with Dennis Edwards. They sat down on the other side of us. I was greatly impressed with their holding hands and saying grace before eating, right there in the public eating area. They earned our respect. When we got to the show, the house was only three quarters full. As the evening wore on, people started to leave. The PBS director kept having the crowd move forward and fill the vacated seats. It wouldn't do to have it appear on TV as though the concert wasn't enthusiastically well attended. Ah, the magic of TV. The Temptation review started out the concert at 6:00 PM with a 30 minute show and ended it with another 30 minute show at 12:30 A.M. In between we saw, the afore mentioned Freda Payne and Candi Staton, as well as Isaac Hayes, Patti Labelle, The Whispers, The Moments, Al Wilson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, and more. It was a great show. For the last song, the Temptations requested that the TV folks stopped filming. They said they wanted to do a song just for the handful of folks who stayed to the end. It was December, and they sang, a cappella, "Silent Night". We were literally moved to tears. It turned out to be a very enjoyable and memorable evening that we never would have experienced if I stayed on my couch listening to main stream oldies radio.
Bob Hughes
Sounds like one heck of a show ... but you're right ... we think twice now before going out to see some of these acts ... honestly, I don't know how some of the "local guys" play in this summer heat sometimes ... let's face it, we're ALL getting older ... and these guys are up there moving around and giving it their all under even hotter lights ... I give them a lot of credit for what they do up on the stage. (kk)

re: BUBBLEGUM MUSIC:
>>>What is the origin of that term? Nowadays, very few people will admit to liking that music because it was not hip. I was enough of my own person not to be influenced by lyrics. (Dwight Rounds)
Not looking it up ... I had always thought it called 'bubblegum' because of the age of the fans, the target audience mostly young female ...
RENFIELD
P.S. By the way, I was driving down the street and saw the 'old' FLOYD MARCUS ESTATE (1910 fruitgum co.) was on the market again (Iselin,NJ) ... available for sale ... my nephew is looking for a house ... the house's provenance didn't impress him ... but he was interested in the house anyway ...
I seem to recall Buddah Records RELISHING the prospect of having come up with a brand new sound that earned the "bubblegum" label ... and, as I said, business was booming back in 1968!!! Yes, it certainly did appeal to a much "younger" audience (although I wouldn't say specifically girls ... it typically had a VERY catchy beat and very simplistic lyrics ... you pretty much knew the song the first time you heard it ... but I'll admit to buying nearly every single one of those records. (In fact at one point I considered collecting the entire Buddah Record Label!) The music was good, harmless fun (although listening to it now as an adult I can certainly see some of the double entendres intended by these lyrics!!!) kk

Did the Ohio Express or 1910 ever perform live? I know the Archies never did.
Dwight Rounds
I believe all of the bubblegum bands had "touring acts" that went out on the road to help drum up record sales. These weren't typically the same folks on the record (although I believe The 1910 Fruitgum Company WAS a "self-contained" unit ... in fact, Floyd Marcus recently shared some of his early concert experiences with us.) This wasn't all that uncommon back then for some of these "ghost" studio groups and artists ... it generally helped beef up record sales and most of these guys were "faceless" entities in the first place. No, The Archies never toured ... but Ron Dante has been performing all over the place lately ... we recently shared some NEW Archies tracks along with a photo of Ron with his latest "Betty and Veronica" background singers. (kk)

re: CLASSIC ROCK:
Kent,
I was disappointed that no one else commented on the difference between classic rock and oldies.
Dwight Rounds
Sad to report that I did not receive one single reply on this topic when we first mentioned it a week or two ago. I was surprised by this, too, as I thought the list might want to weigh in on this topic. If this changes, we'll be sure to let you know. (kk)

re: PAUL McCARTNEY:
Paul McCartney has added FedExField in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 1 to his U.S. concert appearance list. (I'm guessing new dates will follow ... he's already added a third date to his CitiField performances ... and appears in Canada on July 11th.) Pre-sale tickets will be available beginning June 25th with regular tickets on sale to the public the following day. Here's a promo note I received from Paul's website (where you can find all the details):
This concert event at FedExField marks the latest in a series of landmark performances that link the beloved Beatle with Washington D.C., beginning with The Beatles' first concert on American soil in 1964 at the Washington Coliseum, and continuing with McCartney's critically acclaimed appearances in the District over the past forty-five years.

www.paulmccartney.com

Speaking of Paul McCartney's birthday, my neighbor Jack Corn shot these in '74. Our local newspaper occasionally posts slide shows from years past, and posted these this week.
David Lewis

In this photo: Former Beatle Paul McCartney, left, and his family chat with Dolly Parton, second from right, and Porter Wagoner backstage during the third annual Grand Masters Fiddling contest at Opryland. McCartney's wife, Linda, and daughters Heather, 11, and Stella, 4, also enjoyed the music at the event. (Jack Corn / The Tennessean) 6/16/1974

Very cool ... Macca spent some time in Nashville and came away with brand new recordings of a couple of his Dad's songs (later released as The Country Hams) as well as his own countrified "Sally G" during this trip. (kk)

re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Hi Kent -
A friend of mine, Dick Knutson (oldtime concert promoter-Fargo ND), asked me if I knew where Bobby Keys was. Of course, I had no clue, but I told him I would find out, betting you or someone in your vast blog audience would know. Dick knew him way back when they both hung out with Bobby Vee. How about some help on this?
Regards
- JR
I'm happy to help put the word out ... but can't promise you any results. Bobby Keys has played with just about EVERYBODY over the years ... let's see if we get any nibbles on this one. (kk)

Kent,
Thanks for the plug. I mentioned that I had just gotten in 48 surveys. I just had a chance to look at these surveys from WINW 1520 AM Canton, Ohio, all from 1967 / 1968. I gotta tell you that for a relatively small station, they played a lot of local artists as well as a lot of other stuff that never made it in Chicago. One week I counted 12 of 40 songs that were never played at WLS or WCFL, but it was this survey from 12/29/67 that grabbed my attention. I count 11 songs that were never heard in Chicago, but the one that I was curious about was #33, Midnight Confessions, by Evergreen Blues. I have confirmed that it is the same song as that the Grass Roots would hit with in the fall of 1968, so this pre-dates it by about nine months. Do any of your contributors have a copy? For that matter the #1 song, Psychedelic Soul, by the Chylds, featuring Joe Vitale, later of the James Gang. I wouldn't mind hearing what they sounded like. I tell you the more of these out of town surveys I get, the more it seems that WLS had absolutely no influence nationally. It just confirms your comment that the average listener has no clue about oldies music. They were force fed the same songs incessantly in 1967, and it's still the same oldies 42 years later. I also included a survey from 12/15/67. You notice that Bend Me Shape Me, by the American Breed is #1. It wouldn't be #1 in Chicago for another month. In fact it debuted two weeks earlier in Canton, Ohio, than it did at WLS and the American Breed was a Chicago band. The more I look at these surveys, the less sense they make. One last item I forgot to mention is that is I'm only open, for the time being, on Saturdays for your listening & dancing pleasure.
Jack (Rock And Roll Never Forgets)

We featured the history of "Let's Live For Today" a while back on the website ... and, prior to that, featured the Evergreen Blues' version of "Midnight Confessions", too. (Included again for YOUR listening and dancing pleasure!!! lol)

You can read the "Story Behind The Song" right here:

Click here: Forgotten Hits: Let's Live For Today
Actually, this was one of SEVERAL attempts at making this song a hit before The Grass Roots finally got ahold of it. (I sent this to Scott Shannon, too, who featured it on one of his "Remakes" Weekends a few months back.) Wouldn't it be cool to get copies of ALL the major Top 40 surveys from say 1963 - 1972 and look for the obscure local hits ... The American Breed's record doing better in Ohio than it did in Chicago ... a whole month SOONER ... makes absolutely NO sense at all!!!
And, thanks to the INCREDIBLE Tom Diehl, we've got both the song AND a photo of the record to share with you today!!! (Not a bad song ... but hardly a #1-Sounding Song ... but this is EXACTLY the kind of stuff we're looking for for our next "Show Me Your Hits" Local Hits Feature. Anybody in Ohio feel like writing a little something up on The Chylds?!?!? (kk)

re: WHEN WE GET TO SURF CITY:
Kent ...
You wrote about this book. I bought it. I'm 3 / 4 through it. I can't wait till I finish the book to give you my review. I'm giving it to you now. Great book.
Writer Bob Greene becomes a member of the Jan & Dean Band. He writes about his experiences. Lots of good inside stories. For example ---
When Elvis was making movies, he had a house in California. He would play touch football with Jan & Dean. They say he was a great receiver.
After his accident on " Dead Man's Curve, " Jan Berry had to re - learn the words to the songs he wrote, everyday.
Great book for anybody who likes our music. I'm going to read " All Summer Long," next.
I have to say right now Bob Greene is my favorite author.
Frank B.
We've been telling you guys for a year now what a great book this is. (Ironically, I just finished "All Summer Long" on my nine hour round-trip flight to San Francisco ... another VERY enjoyable read. And, I've just started "Be True To Your School", Bob's 1964 Diary ... was there a more exciting year in music?!?!?) Yes, we're onboard for The Bob Greene Appreciation Society ... and don't forget that we'll be giving away TWO autographed copies of Bob's latest book, "When We Get To Surf City", over The Fourth Of July Weekend. Have you registered to win YOUR copy yet??? (Believe me there is nothing cooler than having Bob Greene on our Forgotten Hits Mailing List ... I grew up reading his Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune columns every day ... and now he reads MINE!!!!! Is there ANY heavier head-trip than that?!?!?) Thanks again to Bob for donating the signed copies ... stay tuned ... we'll be giving them away REAL soon!!! (kk)

re: SAN FRANCISCO:
>>>This one TOTALLY cracks me up ... look at the expression on this little girl's face as she checks out the male rider!!! (lol) Gee, I feel like Renfield here!!! lol That's OK ... if I ever decide to shut things down here at Forgotten Hits, I know I've got a bright future ahead of me at R.I.P. Renfield!!!) kk
Those 'bicycle' nude pics? Geez ... the look on the little girl's face? It looked to me like a crime was committed ... whether by the parents of the girl, or the guy exposed! And that's coming from a guy who uses nude ADULT pics pretty regularly on his site ...---- (gary) RENFIELD ... www.RIPRenfield.com

ps ... Thanks for the mention ... YOU'RE HIRED (RIP can use a shameless writer) !!!

re: DIGGIN' FORGOTTEN HITS:
Hi Kent,

I am sort of new to your page and I have to say it's the BEST for a music freak like me. All I can say is Thank You, Thank You,Thank You. Please if you would be so kind to add me to your list that would be so great.

All the Best,

Vinny B.
Thanks for the kind words, Vinny, and welcome aboard! Remember, your thoughts, comments and memories are ALWAYS welcome here!!! (kk)