More Of Your Recent Comments

Hope you all had a nice Easter Holiday ...

Here are some of your most recent comments!

re: SPRING IS HERE!:

Hi to my friends in the Oldies community!

It was such a beautiful weekend here in the Big Apple, I thought I’d share a little Spring Fever with you. It’s “Spring is Here” by Group 5ive, my vocal jazz group. (That’d be me singing bass / baritone)

To my Australian friends, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait another half/year.

Enjoy,

Paul Evans

re: BOTTLE OF WINE:
>>>The Fireballs staged another comeback in 1968 with the feel-good rocker "Bottle Of Wine". (It went all the way to #9, becoming their second biggest hit of all-time!) Sounding NOTHING at all like their other records, it had, instead a Barry McGuire / New Christy Minstrels feel to it ... yet, despite its Top Ten Status and it's catchy sing-along chorus, you don't hear this one a whole lot anymore on the oldies stations. (kk)
Hi Kent,
Well, to be totally honest, the first time I heard Bottle of Wine, I really thought it was me singing it, too, but I couldn't remember recording it ... lol! And then when the song became such a mega hit, I really wished it had've been me that recorded it, but alas, here am I, alive, healthy and enjoying every minute of my life in my 75th year.
Barry McGuire
www.trippinthesixties.com
LOL ... this song ALWAYS sounded like a Barry McGuire / New Christy Minstrels song to me ... in fact, at the time I would have SWORN that that was YOU singing it!!! (Let's face it ... it didn't really sound like ANYTHING else The Fireballs had ever recorded ... but it put the band back in The Top Ten for the first time in four years!)
Quite honestly, by 1968, The New Christy Minstrels sound wasn't in keeping with the so-called "hit" sound of the day ... yet this record seemed to borrow HEAVILY from your tried-and-true musical school book and became a monster hit in the process.
Always great to hear from you ... thanks, Barry! (kk)

re: CONCERTS:
Hi Kent ... Check this out ... There's only one place you can hear Bill Graham introduce the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, Steve Miller ask for more PA volume at Winterland, or Robert Plant kill time with the Fillmore audience while Jimmy Page re-tunes in the background. It's the same place you can listen to the greatest live music of all time in full, uncut concert format.It's not Heaven, though it may feel like Heaven to rock music purists. It's the Concert Vault, the world's greatest collection of vintage concert recordings.Where does it come from? In 2003, Wolfgang's Vault acquired master recordings from the archives of Bill Graham Presents. These live concerts were recorded at legendary venues like the Fillmore East and Winterland between 1965 and the late 1980s. http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/Home.aspx
John Madara
We've mentioned Wolfgang's Vault a number of times in Forgotten Hits ... it's a GREAT way to hear long-lost concerts in excellent quality ... sign up for their newsletter and you'll get weekly updates about their latest postings (and the website has all kinds of OTHER nostalgic goodies to look at, too!) DEFINITELY worth a visit if you're not already on their mailing list! (kk)

Last week, we ran FH Reader Mike Mertes' review of The Paul McCartney Concert at The Hollywood Bowl. Here's the official "Rolling Stone Magazine" take on this concert:
Paul McCartney Revisits Beatles Classics, Solo Gems at Hollywood Bowl Marathon
3/31/10, 12:52 pm EST

Photo: Mazur / WireImage

Has Paul McCartney been borrowing Bruce Springsteen’s trainer? At 67, the former Beatle seems determined to suddenly turn his gigs into E Street-style marathons. When McCartney did an American mini-tour last spring and summer, fans (and,

at the Coachella Festival, some curious acolytes) were astonished by shows that stretched out to the two-and-a-half hour mark. Returning to U.S. shores with a slightly revamped revue that he’s dubbed the “Up and Coming Tour,” McCartney now has an even longer set list that brings his concerts up to a plentiful two hours and 45 minutes. In other words, Rosalita ain’t got nothing on Eleanor Rigby.
Look back at McCartney’s history with the Beatles in photos.
After a kickoff show in Arizona, McCartney chose to bring his 2010 tour to the Hollywood Bowl, site of the Beatles’ legendary 1964 and 1965 appearances. He’d been back to the Bowl once as a solo artist, in 1993, but naturally got ruminative about this latest return Tuesday night, in the first of two shows at the historic venue. “The first time we came here, we were little kids,” he told the crowd. “It looks like that now. Then, we thought we were great big men … You couldn’t hear anything we were singing because of the girls screaming.” If he was fishing for a swell of girlish screams, he got it. “Yeah, like that! But nowadays, we are louder.”
And longer. The Beatles’ sets in the mid-’60s usually lasted barely a half-hour and consisted of just over a dozen songs. At Tuesday night’s Bowl show, out of 38 songs that were played in full or (in a few cases) in part, no fewer than 22 were Beatles songs — almost twice as many as the screaming girls would have heard (or at least seen) at the Fabs’ own shows back in the day.
The essentials of the set list were familiar to any southern Californians who made the trek to Coachella a year ago, or who caught up with the 2009 tour via a live CD set and DVD that were filmed at last summer’s New York Citi Field shows. But he’s mixed it up enough in the new year to please even frequent flyers. The show now begins — as it did on the “Wings Over America” tour, McCartney’s one concert trek of the 1970s — with “Venus and Mars” and “Rock Show,” though there was just enough of the latter number to get to the line about “rock & roll at the Hollywood Bowl” before the opening medley kicked over to the more familiar “Jet.” Another “Wings Over America”-era number, “Letting Go,” is being reintroduced as a staple for the first time since 1976.
But this tour also features several premieres that have never been part of a McCartney (or Wings, or Beatles) tour before. “This is a song we have not performed on American soil,” he said by way of prefacing “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” such a crowd favorite that it’s amazing as dedicated a crowd-pleaser as Macca has never gotten round to it live. John Lennon famously hated the tune, but you had to wonder if even if he might’ve approved of this arrangement, which de-emphasized the piano in favor of an organ part that slyly established the 1968 oldie as an actual ska song.
Also making their tour debuts: the Beatles’ “I’m Looking Through You” and the once prescient, now nostalgic “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five.” The latter brought the tally of songs performed from 1973’s Band on the Run to five making it even better represented than Let It Be and the White Album, each of which contributed four numbers to the show.
As with last year’s shows, McCartney covered two of his fellow Fabs, doing a version of George Harrison’s “Something” that started as a solo ukelele rendition before kicking into a familiar full-band arrangement, and appending a singalong of John Lennon’s non-Beatles “Give Peace a Chance” to the mostly Lennon-penned “A Day in the Life.” His ’80s elegy for Lennon, “Here Today,” described as being “in the form of a conversation I didn’t ever have with him,” further cemented the decidedly Beatles-centric tone of the show. If you hate the Beatles and think Paul didn’t really hit his stride until he hooked up with Denny Laine, be sure to go home early: Once the show gets into its last 14 numbers, only one — the fireworks-laden “Live and Let Die” — is not a late-1960s chestnut.
Is Paul pandering to nostalgia in his old (or at least post-”When I’m 64″) age? Possibly. But for the tiny percentage of attendees who might think that’s a bad thing, there are more than enough signs of ongoing vitality. McCartney’s last two albums, Memory Almost Full and Electric Arguments (the latter released under the name the Fireman), were his two most invigorating works since the early ’90s. Memory is now represented in the set only by the mandolin-driven “Dance Tonight,” and is more of an interlude than a highlight. But Arguments‘ “Highway” and “Sing the Changes” would do a rocker one-third McCartney’s age proud. (As on last year’s tour, the latter number was accompanied by a spacey filmic backdrop that had a computerized visage of President Obama morphing into and out of a 2001-style starfield.)
Moreover, McCartney has had the wisdom to stick with a terrific four-man backing band that — seemingly paradoxically — mostly replicates the original Beatles and Wings arrangements, yet still brings a slight garage-band flair to those duly faithful arrangements.
And Macca himself? He never once avoided any of the night’s repertoire’s hundreds of high notes (except for a slight downward deflection at the end of each chorus of “Two of Us,” which seemed to be an artistic choice, not a vocal mandate). And he doesn’t shy away from his classic Little Richard-influenced howls any more than he does his falsetto. When, more than two and a half hours into your show, you’re able to slate “Helter Skelter” as your penultimate number, you’re making a better argument for the benefits of veganism than the PETA booth out in the lobby ever could.
One other completely superficial note: Macca may be rocking the suspenders look like no one this side of Larry King … But, at 67, still no sign of a gut! We should all be “Letting Go” this much.
After a second night at the Bowl, McCartney is set to play Miami April 3rd, followed by trips to Puerto Rico, Ireland, and the U.K. in April and June. Further U.S. dates are promised but yet to be announced. Expect some real Fab Four-style screaming from fans if he fails to bring what is widely considered his best set list ever back to the States for a full tour.
Visit all of our essential Beatles coverage.
The Hollywood Bowl, March 30, 2010:
“Venus And Mars / Rock Show (excerpt) / Jet”

"All My Loving”

“Letting Go”

“Got To Get You Into My Life”

“Highway”

“Let Me Roll It” (with “Foxy Lady” coda)

“The Long And Winding Road”

“Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five”

“(I Want To) Come Home”

“My Love”

“I’m Looking Through You”

“Two Of Us”

“Blackbird”

“Here Today”

“Dance Tonight”

“Mrs. Vandebilt”

“Eleanor Rigby”

“Something”

“Sing The Changes”

“Band On The Run”

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”

“Back In The U.S.S.R.”

“I’ve Got A Feeling”

“Paperback Writer”

“A Day In The Life (abbreviated) / Give Peace A Chance (excerpt)”

“Let It Be”

“Live And Let Die”

“Hey Jude”
Encore One:

“Day Tripper”

“Lady Madonna”

“Get Back”
Encore Two:

“Yesterday”

“Helter Skelter”

“Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) / The End”
Related Stories:
• Video: Paul McCartney Performs “Let Me Roll It” From “Good Evening New York City”• McCartney Makes History at Citi Field With Billy Joel, Beatles Hits•

Paul McCartney Pays Tribute to Lost Beatles at Coachella
Chris Willman
Yep, sounds like QUITE the show ... might have to break my cardinal rule and set foot inside Wrigley Field after all if he brings the show to Chi-Town!!! (lol) kk

>>>I remember several years ago when McCartney was playing at what was then The Rosemont Horizon and the fire marshals wouldn't let him do the on-stage fireworks during "Live And Let Die" ... the whole episode caused quite a stir and was on the news for DAYS!!! So, after the tour was over, McCartney came BACK to Chicago and played outdoors at Soldiers Field ... and did REAL fireworks during "Live And Let Die" ... we LOVED it!!! (McCartney ultimately got his way ... and Chicago got an extra, unscheduled concert ... and, since he did the very same indoor fireworks at 30-something OTHER shows that year without ANY incidents, The Rosemont Fire Department looked QUITE ridiculous!!! Paul's been doing the "Live And Let Die" fireworks and explosions / laser light show since his very first U.S. tour back in 1976 ... it's ALWAYS a concert highlight, no matter how many times you've seen it ... and the Rosemont Fire Department were truly cramping his style!!! lol) kk

Hi KK:

McCartney has been using pyros for years with "Live & Let Die" However, I don't think the fire marshals have anything to feel silly or embarrassed about if they decided to nix their use at a show. In fact I applaud their serious attention to safety. I'm sure McCartney's people can rig up a similar big screen effect should that be necessary. Carelessness with pyros and rock n' roll don't mix. To most music fans I think the memories are still relatively fresh of that nightclub pyro caused fire during a Great White show that killed about a hundred concert goers ... I think people in the US as well as around the world ought to be thankful that firefighters have our backs 24/7. Any questions???

Best Regards!

JBK

Yes, you can turn me on! I'm on the radio!

Surf City Sounds Plus: http://www.tinyurl.com/yhbhos9

A Forgotten Hits Exclusive!!! Billy Hinsche just sent me some AWESOME photos from McCartney's Phoenix, AZ Show ... including some backstage pix of Billy with the band!!! Thanks, Billy ... the list is gonna LOVE these!!! (kk)

Billy's "Invited Guest" / Backstage Pass from the concert

Three awesome stage shots (above) ... plus one from the big screen (below)


Paul "Wix" Wickens (Keyboards / vocalist) - only British band member - 18 yrs. with McCartney - and Me

Me with Guitarist / Bassist / Vocalist from LA - Brian Ray

Me, Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Drummer / vocalist) from LA, Brian Ray

Kent - Use whatever photos and captions you like. I took them (or they were taken of me) at the Jobing Arena in PHX, AZ a few days ago. I'm happy to say that after his two hour soundcheck, Sir Paul walked over to me backstage and shook my hand.

Cheers,

Billy Hinsche

What an experience ... and, from what I've heard, what a show!!! Thanks so much, Billy ... our readers will LOVE these!!! (Maybe when you get a few moments, you can share YOUR review of the concert with us, too!!!) kk

re: THE FLOCK:
I just found a new website blog devoted to The Kinetic Playground:
http://rockprosopography101.blogspot.com/2010/03/kinetic-playground-chicago-il-4812-n.html

Here's a little blurb about a Flock appearance there:
March 7-8, 1969: Kinetic Playground - John Mayall / Richie Havens / The Flock

The Flock were an interesting band, a sort of only-in-Chicago concoction of progressive rock and soul. The group featured electric violinist Jerry Goodman leading a horn section. During this period, Columbia had signed four bands from Chicago, and chose to put out all their albums at the same time (May 1969) to make it seem like there was a "happening scene" in Chicago. In fact, there was a lot of great rock music coming out of Chicago, but stunts like this made fans suspicious. (The other groups were Aorta, Illinois Speed Press and Chicago Transit Authority.) The Flock’s horn section joined Mayall for his last set on Saturday night. Mayall was very enthusiastic about the group, and wrote the liner notes for their debut album. -- Tom
As shown in our Flock mini-series, these guys shared the stage with some of the most elite of the elite back in the day ... and held their own with the best of them. Hopefully, our little tribute introduced a few new fans out there to some music they might otherwise not have been familiar with. (kk)

Brand new on YouTube ... the song "Lighthouse" from Flock's 2nd Columbia album, "DINOSAUR SWAMPS" - 1970

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AKa_CK-j9c&feature=related
Uranian Sircus, too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU25BzG6U30

Fred Glickstein

re: A WORLD WITHOUT LOVE:
Kent,

Your analysis of "A World Without Love" in Chicago failed to account for the "Top Tunes Of Greater Chicago" charts where Bobby's version traveled independently of Peter & Gordon's and - while not as big of a hit - appeared on the chart first and made the top ten on its own. This was unusual for that chart as two versions of the same song generally traveled together (or one disappeared early):

5/11/1964 - Bobby Rydell Up & Coming
5/18/1964 - Bobby Rydell Up & Coming; 5/18/1964 - Peter & Gordon Up & Coming

5/25/1964 - Bobby Rydell 32; 5/25/1964 Peter & Gordon 38;

6/1/1964 - Bobby Rydell 20; 6/1/1964 - Peter & Gordon 12

6/8/1964 - Bobby Rydell 18; 6/8/1964 - Peter & Gordon 7

6/15/1964 - Bobby Rydell 9; 6/15/1964 - Peter & Gordon 6

6/22/1964 - Bobby Rydell 10; 6/22/1964 - Peter & Gordon 2

6/29/1964 - Bobby Rydell 21; 6/29/1964 - Peter & Gordon 2

7/6/1964 - Bobby Rydell 35; 7/6/1964 - Peter & Gordon 3

7/13/1964 - Peter & Gordon 5

7/20/1964 - Peter & Gordon 7

7/27/1964 - Peter & Gordon 17

8/3/1964 - Peter & Gordon 24

8/10/1964 - Peter & Gordon 33

However, all of this is irrelevant. I was able to occasionally play Bobby's version on Real Oldies 1690 (while not "far superior," I really liked his background singers adding "Forget him" at the end and the little pause after the word "stay" shows how he made songs his own), but that was a local Chicago station. Scott is on all over the country and has to go with the national hit which CLEARLY was Peter & Gordon's.

-- Ron Smith
Since Scott's listener specifically cited Bobby's WLS chart appearance, that's the one I concentrated on ... Scott wanted to be able to respond to this email, so that's the information I provided to him. Let's face it, the 50,000 watt signal of WLS was heard all over the country and, as such, the WLS Silver Dollar Survey was ALSO a big deal nationally ... and, since The True Oldies Channel still airs on WLS-FM here in Chicago, it provided the perfect tie-in. (Shannon's done a few other WLS-related bits lately, including playing the very first #1 Record on The WLS Silver Dollar Survey a few weeks ago ... in fact, he's even got a copy of that chart posted on his website now!!!)
Click here: True Oldies Channel
Since "The Top Tunes Of Greater Chicagoland" was not tied to any specific radio station, it never received the proper recognition it deserved. Distributed at select record shops throughout the city and suburbs, it probably more-accurately conveyed the actual SALES of these records better than the WLS and WCFL surveys ever did and, as you know, we've collected these charts for YEARS now (and have been ALL over your case to get your next book out, formally recognizing these surveys!!! lol)
On the one hand, it's AMAZING to think that Bobby Rydell's version debuted first ... but not really ... he was, after all, the established star at this time ... Peter and Gordon were complete unknowns ... but as stated in our original response, there's NO question as to who the song belonged to ... hand-delivered by Peter's Sister Jane's boyfriend at the time, Paul McCartney wrote the duo's first hit ... and it was a #1 smash!!!
I, too, like the little "Forget Him" reference during the end fade ... always thought that was a nice touch ... and, as I said, it's not a AWFUL version ... in fact, if anything, it's pretty much in keeping with many of Bobby's OTHER hit records during this era.
While I agree that Scott DOES have to play the hits that the whole country will recognize, I LOVE the fact that he'll branch out from time to time and feature some of these "local hits" ... let's face it, no matter WHERE you grew up, there were regional hits all over the country that still rank high in our personal memories yet draw blank stares from those who never got to hear them the first time around. Of course, Forgotten Hits has always played up the angle of discovering "brand new" oldies that you may have missed back in the day ... and this is a good one!
On a final note, I wish WLS-FM would find a way to broadcast YOUR program, counting down the hits from the old, vintage WLS-AM Charts ... it would be the PERFECT home for a show like this and would also GREATLY play up the incredible musical heritage that WLS has in this great city. Even just a two-hour Sunday afternoon countdown would provide some of that "appointment radio" listening that we talk about all the time ... now how do we convince the "powers that be" at WLS to get this show on the air?!?!? (Maybe our Forgotten Hit Readers can launch a grass-roots campaign to get this thing off the ground?!?!? Start sending your letters NOW to the new WLS-FM Program Director, Michael LaCrosse / 94.7 WLS-FM, Chicago's True Oldies Channel / 190 North State Street, Eighth Floor / Chicago, Illinois 60601) kk

... and, speaking of The British Invasion ...

re: THE BRITISH INVASION:

Check out this Variety review of the brand new British Invasion DVD Series, courtesy of Bob Merlis:
1960s Brit invasion new again on DVD: Dusty Springfield, Small Faces top rarities collection
By BRUCE PILATO
As the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' formation draws nearer, interest in Brit pop from the early to mid-'60s -- not to mention legacy recordings in general -- continues to spike. On the heels of the recently reissued "T.A.M.I. Show" concert film (1964), "The British Invasion," a five-DVD collection of titles showcasing rare video archives of Dusty Springfield, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Herman's Hermits and the Small Faces, is being released this week. The titles, from Reelin' In the Years Prods., in association with Voyage Digital Media, are being sold separately.
In addition to interview footage from the subjects and their contemporaries, the series is notable for its collection of unadulterated performance clips from talents in their heyday. "We're about showing the whole song, showing it right, and focusing on the music," says David Peck, who is producing the series with partners Phil Galloway and Tom Gulotta.
In just a matter of a few years, the San Diego-based company boasts the world's largest music video library, representing the archives of more than 35 national TV outlets, many of which are based in the UK, Europe and Japan.
In addition to its "British Invasion" series (which will announce a new installment of titles April 8), the Grammy-nominated production firm is responsible for acclaimed DVD collections of classic Motown and Stax artists; traditional folk and blues singers, and a "Jazz Icons" collection that includes rare performances from artists ranging from John Coltrane to Count Basie. Reelin' In The Years also maintains the licensing for these archives to other film, TV and DVD projects.
"They were very thorough and full of love and seemed to enjoy the job," said Ian McLagen, keyboardist for the Small Faces, who went on to work with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart. "I was amazed because much of this footage I had never seen before."
Peck said finding all these rare clips has resulted in some surprises and "disappointments."
"Oddly enough places where you thought this footage might be, didn't have much," he explained. "The BBC has very little left from the '60s. Unfortunately, they taped over a lot of it; threw it out.
"There was a TV outlet in France that had a lot of the shows from Olympia Theater in Paris. They had to make room, so they got rid of a lot of the music footage that had been taped there. It was all thrown into a dumpster, including the first show ever played by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. There was footage of the Beatles and the Stones. When I heard about it, I actually had tears in my eyes. That kind of thing happened all the time."
In addition to running remastered and uninterrupted performance clips, the titles include extensive interviews and archival photos.
"We're fans first and video directors second," said Peck. "We figure if it cuts the mustard with us then it will be good for everyone else."

I haven't had a chance to watch all of these yet ... but what I HAVE seen is OUTSTANDING!!! The DVDs are available through Amazon.com here:

Click here: Amazon.com: British Invasion: 5 DVD Box Set featuring Bonus Disc: Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Herman's Hermits

re: THE BEACH BOYS:
>>>Did you catch The Beach Boys (with John Stamos) on "Dancing With The Stars" last night? What did YOU think? Is it just me or was Mike Love brought out on stage simply to make Buzz Aldrin look younger??? The Boys performed a medley of three of their biggest hits: "California Girls", "Kokomo" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" ... but for me the only song playing in MY head when they were finished was that Kenny Rogers classic: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" ... painful!!! (kk)
Click here: YouTube - The Beach Boys on "Dancing With The Stars"
Maybe it's time for Mike Love to retire. He was on "Dancing With the Stars" last night and sounded terrible. It also bugs me that his band was called "The Beach Boys" when he's the only original member. To me, the Beach Boys will always be Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine & Mike Love.
JB
I watched that show last night. My first thought was that it's time for him to retire. If he can't make the music sound like it should, he shouldn't even try. None of us are what we were 40+ years ago, but we don't try to be.
Kris
I saw the boys in Dayton Ohio last year and old Mike sounded pretty good. They put on a great show. At their ages if we want all originals we won't see many shows.
DooWopJoe
My daughter Nicki saw The Beach Boys perform at Ravinia last summer, too, and said they were FANTASTIC!!! On the other hand, she agreed that they were absolutely AWFUL on "Dancing With The Stars" and watching Mike Love was downright embarrassing!!! Listening to him was even worse!!! (kk)
They really should call themselves "Essence of the Beach Boys." They have retained the original sound (except for poor Mike, who has completely lost his voice). They need a Mike sound-alike. Basically they are a Beach Boys tribute band.
Elena
The above comments come from Ron Smith's excellent oldiesmusic.com website ... you can post YOUR comments there, too ... just click on the link! (kk)
www.oldiesmusic.com

Kent,
The Beach Boys playing on Dancing With The Stars was a chance for a new generation of entertainment-lovers worldwide to see and hear a sound that for years influenced the Boomer Generation like no other act. Those interesting, perplexing, and in many ways "dynamic" years in the 60s will never be duplicated.

The thing is, as far as History lessons in the future go, to me it's almost a "you had to be there to understand it" type of thing. I was inspired by a thought I had in prayer one night to write a song about The Beach Boys called "Three Brothers, A Garden and Love". The little voice in my head, my "prayer voice", explained to me that the "Three Brothers" meant the Wilson Brothers, the "Garden" was symbolic of Al Jardine since Jardine is the French word for "Garden", and the "Love" was about "Mike LOVE" and as we all know, Love is pretty neat to have around, right?
The song idea is sort of strangely meditative when you think about it, (and I DID think about it, and I wrote a song) I hope you like the symbolism of all the references to some The "original" Beach Boys' 60s song titles, and also the references to the Vietnam War and to Jack and Bobby Kennedy.
The 60s that us "Boomers" grew up in changed the World forever, and The Beach Boys were there giving us a great energetic tour of our teenage years with song titles like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Fun Fun Fun".
So seeing them on Dancing With The Stars was really great and I wish Brian and Al could have been there with Mike, but seeing The Beach Boys "in the house", playing live on National Television, was a real thrill.
I want to send you a sincere "Thanks" Kent, for all your great work on this newsletter. Keeping my memories alive through your interesting writing and the behind the scenes stories that keep coming in, all helps my time go easier as the years go faster.
Your Friend,
Veeder Van Dorn
The "Denver in the 60s" Moonrakers

WOW, WHAT AN ACT! WHAT ACT? THE BEACH BOYS!!!
FREDDY CANNON

Unfortunately, I did not see the "Dancing With The Stars" performance, but as I've said so many times over the past six or eight years ... you don't go to a Beach Boys show to see a Beach Boy ... you go for the great music that has stood the test of time for--many songs for nearly a half century.
So, regardless of whether or not Mike is singing (and he appeared to be singing only a portion of the lead vocals on this short set), the real 'star' of any Beach Boys show, or configuration, is 'the music.'
Just this past week I was at a MAPCO purchasing my twice weekly POWERBALL / MEGA MILLIONS ticket (I have a better chance of winning the LOTTO than making a decent profit owning my recording studio after 30 years:), and the clerk -- a black gentleman, probably in his early 30's -- who was waiting on me noticed I was wearing one of my Reyn Spooner Beach Boys shirts (www.reynspooner.com). He made the comment that when he was a bit younger, his Dad had taken him to see The Beach Boys and, during the show, when the clerk told his Dad how great they were, his Dad had replied: "There's only one original Beach Boy up there." To which the clerk replied, "it doesn't matter, I love the music!"

Of course, the clerk had no clue that he was talking to a former manager of the band, so I told him I appreciated his comment and that I'd spent nearly ten years with the group and we'd been friends for 47 years. He replied: "That must have been fun." To which I replied, as I always do, "No, it was fun, fun, fun!" This only helps to illustrate my earlier response that going to a Beach Boys show now is all about the music ... the 'music' is the real 'star.'
In fact, to the real 'die-hards,' fans that remember the group back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's -- up until the time of Denny's tragic death in December 1983, it's simply not "The Beach Boys" without a "Wilson" on the stage. While I am not privy to all the 'insider' info anymore -- I find it highly unlikely that will ever happen -- 50th Anniversary of not. But, like so many loyal fans, I, too, can dream :)

Mike's band -- while all competent musicians -- have been inconsistent over the past few years ... members coming and going ... Mike Kowalski (who had been playing drums and percussion with the BB's since the 60's), Chris Farmer, John Stamos, Adrian Baker, Eddy Carter, and others. Oddly (and I need to watch the clip again to confirm) the cameras did not appear to focus on Bruce Johnston during this filming and while Bruce is not technically an 'original' Beach Boy -- after nearly forty-five years with the band, he certainly has earned my admiration and respect. I have not seen Mike and Bruce 'live' in seven years (Ashland, KY), but they did an excellent job at the time, including a stand out version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." There were an estimated 35,000 there for the outdoor show, but at least three of those band members are no longer with the band.

In the case of Brian's band -- there has been little, if any, major turnovers in nearly ten years. I was honored to introduce them when they played the historic Ryman Auditorium here in November 2008. It's an excellent band, led by Jeff Foskett -- and featuring "The Wondermints." All members are 110% devoted to Brian and take great pride in honoring the Beach Boys musical legacy. For them, it's not only a gig, it's a passion.

As to Alan, he, too, has been traveling with a large entourage ... often including early Beach Boy David Marks, Dean Torrence, Billy Hinsche, Alan's two son's, Matt and Adam, and long tme friend and BB touring band member, Ed Carter, who, like Kowalski, has been with various configurations of the band for decades. Shortly after the split between Alan and Mike, Al's group also included Brian's two daughters, Carnie and Wendy. Owen Elliott, Cass's daughter, was also in the 1999 / 2000 group, which was initially booked as "Alan Jardine Beach Boys Family and Friends." To hear their combined harmonies, up to seven vocal parts, was a great gift to behold.
Al was sued to restrain him from making virtually any reference to "The Beach Boys" name -- the group he had co-founded. The group name is owned by Brother Records, and while Alan is still a stockholder, he does not control the Board of Directors.

Don't get me wrong ... I'm a huge fan and friend of all the members (whichever configuration). I love all of them as 'family.' I am also deeply honored to have worked with them and known them for nearly forty-eight of their fifty years. So, for me, Mike's "Dancing With The Stars" performance was not 'painful' per se, but the group was certainly not up to it's 1963 to 1966 standards when all the guys were healthy, full of youthful energy and optimism -- to say nothing of that they are, like many of us, nearly 45 years older:) But at least we still have Mike, Alan and Brian with us -- they still continue to entertain us with those incredible songs that have stood the test of time.

What's great about going to any of their shows is seeing three generations of the audience singing along to each and every song ... a family literally drawn together by the music ... a grandfather holding his granddaughter or grandson, while his own son or daughter stands next to him. Those scenes still give me goose bumps after all these years and I remember those early years as if it were yesterday.

"Those were the days, my friend, I wish they'd never end, those were the days, those WERE the days."

Fred Vail
As you know, you'd be hard pressed to find bigger Beach Boys fans than Frannie and I ... but we were both genuinely disappointed in Mike's performance the other night ... quite honestly, the last few times we've seen him on TV, he just hasn't had the voice to do these songs justice.

As an "insider", I'm sure you're aware of Brian's original vision to have the MUSIC of The Beach Boys continue without them ... instead, putting the very best musicians and voices up on stage ... younger renditions of themselves if you will ... to keep the music fresh and exciting for each new generation to come.

With that thought in mind, believe me when I say that nobody was more surprised than me to see Brian take to the stage again, especially in light of all the horror stories from the early days and his genuine dislike of playing live in front of an audience (and all that that entailed.) But you hit it right on the head ... Brian with The Wondermints shows the true PASSION of this music ... honestly, they outshine the best version of the band that The Beach Boys ever put on stage ... and their genuine love and affection for both the music and the man who created it shows with every note they play and sing.

We've heard from SEVERAL readers over the years who've said that NO version of The Beach Boys performing on stage without a Wilson Brother deserves to be up there calling themselves The Beach Boys ... and for years Mike, Bruce, Al and Carl kept the legend going ... but honestly it may be time to rethink things.
For the record, I very carefully selected the adjective "painful" ... because I, too, remember just how great these guys really were ... also for the record, writing a negative review criticizing these guys was every bit as painful 'cause I really, really love 'em ... but I also call 'em as I see 'em. (kk)

One Last Thought: In the case of Mike Love and The Beach Boys, I totally agree that the music speaks for itself ... and there aren't many artists out there over the past 50 years who have even come CLOSE to creating the wealth of musical memories and rock and roll classics as these guys ...

That being said, the REALITY of the situation is this: us OLDER fans KNOW and LOVE this music, because we experienced it first hand ... any new generation(s) coming along should experience it the same way ... and these recording hold up SO well and sound just as fresh today that most will come to know it and love it the same way WE did ... simply by LISTENING to it.

But seeing Mike Love up there TRYING to make this music sound and look relevant in 2010 just isn't cutting it if he no longer has the vocal chops to pull it off. It's a thin line we walk sometimes in Forgotten Hits ... we have dedicated ourselves to keeping all of this great music alive ... not only in the minds and hearts of those of us who first experienced it but also as a means of exposing all of this great music to those who weren't fortunate enough to have been around at the time we were all soaking it in. Much like an athlete ... no matter how GREAT they once were ... there comes a time when that phase of your life is over ... a hard statement to make, coming from one who has spent the past eleven years recruitng and encouraging artists to come on board and share their memories alongside those of their fans ... providing one more forum to interact with those fans ... let them know what you've been up to ... tell them about your upcoming performances or new releases ... but ALWAYS portraying this music in the best possible light.

If even some of your most dedicated and devoted fans are starting to cringe when they see you perform, chances are you aren't winning over any NEW fans in the process. In the eyes of ANY new audience seeing or hearing this music for the first time, it simply comes off as "some old guy up there trying to sing" ... and they'll IMMEDIATELY tune it out without ever really listening to it or giving it a chance. THAT's why I say let the music stand for itself ... don't embarrass yourself or downgrade this music just because you've been doing it for 50 years.

I can only IMAGINE what this must look like to the kids today growing up with Lady Ga-Ga, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Lil Wayne and Adam Lambert!!! Once again, the athlete analogy works best ... at some point, you just can't "play the game" the way you used to ... and, for the past several years anyway, it seems that Mike Love can barely muster a whisper when singing his classic hits. MOST of the older fans will "forgive" you for a while because of all the joy you've brought us over the years ... but he honestly doesn't look healthy up there anymore ... and it's hard to imagine that he's actually still having fun, fun, fun doing this at this stage of his life.

Read some of the stellar reviews published this past week for Paul McCartney's shows ... nearly three hours of top-notch rock and roll. Similarly, we've run VERY positive reviews recently about artists like Tommy James and B.J. Thomas and Peter Noone and Freddy Cannon and Henry Gross and Alan O'Day and Jay Black and Johnny Maestro and many, many others who sound JUST as good today as they EVER did.
For me, it becomes a problem when the artist is no longer doing justice to this music ... and, worse yet, perhaps TARNISHING it in the process. THAT'S when I say, let the music stand ... you've HAD your time ... let's not do anything to diminish this great music now ... simply put, "know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em" ... and keep that wonderful memory live in the minds and the hearts of the fans.

I'll NEVER forget back in 1966, during the height of SO many new musical sounds, styles and bands, when Frank Sinatra went all the way to #1 with "Strangers In The Night". I couldn't believe my ears!!! What the hell was this OLD guy doing on the charts along with all my favorite artists?!?!? And hitting #1, no less!!! Hadn't he already HAD his time in the sun?!?!?

Well the fact is that in 1966, Sinatra was 51 ... but to ME, at the time, he was ANCIENT!!! (And that's coming from a guy who this year will turn 57!!!) Meanwhile, many of our generation's favorites are still out there doing it in their late 60's and early 70's ... and, in many cases, drawing some of the largest audiences around the globe ... and we LOVE the opportunity to get out and see them.

Since, as Fred mentioned earlier, we're on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of The Beach Boys, maybe THAT would be the fitting moment to "call it a career" ... put any and all old animosities aside, get the surviving members back together one last time for some nationally televised mega-show (featuring the best from ALL of their back-up bands, including a variety of "special guest stars") and go out with a bang!

On yet a completely different note, did you see what's going on on "American Idol" this week? Once again, the finalists will be dipping into the catalog of Lennon and McCartney ... what the heck is up with that?!?!? On the one hand, you've got the judges CONSTANTLY telling these kids to "be contemporary" ... "stay current" ... "DON'T be old-fashioned" ... and yet then they have them perform the songs of The Beatles, Barry Manilow, Elton John, The Rolling Stones and / or Smokey Robinson every week ... then invite musical guests like Usher, P Diddy and Lady Ga Ga herself on to the show under the pretense of showing the kids how it's done today. How much more confusing could they POSSIBLY make it?!?!? Talk about your conflicting messages!!! And then telling them week after week after that their "song choices are all wrong"!!! Heck, YOU guys picked the theme, NOT the contestants!!! No differently than Simon week after week telling somebody that "That sounded like something that you'd hear at a Theme Park" only to have the remaining ensemble do EXACTLY that at every show opening with their "Up With People" weekly routine!!! It just doesn't make any sense!!! But I digress! (kk)

It's Our Annual Easter Edition of Forgotten Hits

Today is Easter Sunday ...

At this most solemn and religious time of year,

we ask everyone to take just a second

and take a good look around ...

and reflect on what is truly important to you ...

There just doesn't seem to be a moment lately

when our thoughts and lives

are not consumed with worry about something ...

It seems that everyday we are challenged

more and more to keep our spirits up ...

It can be almost anything ...

A struggling economy ...

The unsettling job market ...

All of the unrest in the world ...

Banking and financing issues ...

Tax time right around the corner ...

The plain and simple fact is

that life,

as we have always known it,

will never quite be the same ...

Please know that here at FORGOTTEN HITS,

our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Perhaps we can't offer answers ...

Perhaps we can't offer solace ...

Perhaps we can't offer hope ...

And we certainly can't make any promises ...

But THIS Easter,

you CAN count on us

to bring you

THE JELLY BEANS

(It's ALL about the music, you know!!!)

The Jelly Beans were a quintet out of Jersey City consisting of four girls (Alma Brewer, Diane Taylor and sisters Elyse and Maxine Herbert) and a guy (Charlie Thomas) who were still in High School when they were discovered by Bill Downs,

their future manager, who brought them to the attention of Red Bird Records

back in 1964.

Red Bird was hot in 1964, offering up great hit-making girl groups like The Dixie Cups and The Shangri-Las ... and getting these kids a hit record became the task of producer Steve Venet, who recruited the ace songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, a couple of the hottest composers in America at the time, to write them a hit song. (Since this piece last ran, Barry and Greenwich were FINALLY recognized for their work by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... and, sadly, in typical Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame procrastinating tradition, Ellie Greenwich passed away before receiving this long overdue honor.)

What they came up with was "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" ... and that record shot straight into The Top Ten in the Summer of '64. It's one of those GREAT little girl-groups records that never seems to get played on the radio anymore.

The Jelly Beans had a minor follow-up hit ... Baby Be Mine, also written by Barry and Greenwich, missed The National Top 40, stopping at #49 in Cash Box, but was a #15 hit here in Chicago later in '64 ... and then it was all over.

The Jelly Beans were the second act signed to Red Bird Records, and their single "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" followed The Dixie Cups' hit "Chapel Of Love"

into The Pop Top Ten. In hindsight, the label managed quite an impressive achievement, placing 18 records on the chart during the height of Beatlemania.

The songwriting team of Barry and Greenwich had their hand in the lion's share of those hits, composing "Chapel Of Love", "People Say" and "You Should Have Seen The Way He Looked At Me" for The Dixie Cups, "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" and "Baby Be Mine" for The Jelly Beans and "Leader Of The Pack for The Shangri-Las.

DIDJAKNOW?: Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich were brought into Red Bird Records

by the famed songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and they wrote and produced 20 of the first 40 sides pressed by the label. In 1965, they approached Leiber and Stoller about bringing another singer / songwriter on board, a friend of theirs from the Brill Building days. Leiber and Stoller weren't interested ... so, Barry and Greenwich quit ... and brought their friend over to Bang Records instead ... where Neil Diamond went on to have a string of hits and became one of the most successful recording acts of all time. (Of course, HE'S not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame either!!!)

***

Don't have a sweet tooth this Easter? Then maybe you'd like to open our Canned Ham!

Without question, Norman Greenbaum is BEST remembered for his #1 Pop / Rock Hit "Spirit In The Sky", which continues to play several times a day on both the Oldies and the Classic Rock stations. But, by true definition, Greenbaum is NOT just another One Hit Wonder ... "Canned Ham" followed "Spirit" into Cash Box's Top 40, peaking at #32 later in 1970.

By comparison, it's almost jug band music next to the fuzz guitar sound of "Spirit In the Sky" ... and, as such, it didn't fare as well on the charts. Then again, the jug band sound was nothing new to Norman Greenbaum ... back in 1966, he reached #52 with the novelty hit "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago", released by Greenbaum's band Dr. West's Medicine Show And Junk Band.

Other than "Spirit In The Sky", you really don't hear very much Norman Greenbaum music on the radio anymore ... so we're featuring him as part of our Easter Two-Fer today.

***

And THIS year, as an added bonus treat, we're topping the whole thing off with a "Bottle Of Wine"!!!

The Fireballs were one of those rare recording acts that seemed to have nine lives. They achieved their first chart success as an instrumental combo, placing hits like "Torquay" (#35, 1959), "Bulldog" (#23, 1960) and "Quite A Party" (#27, 1961) in The National Top 40.

Then, after hooking up with singer Jimmy Gilmer, they scored their biggest hit of all in 1963 when "Sugar Shack" went all the way to #1 (and stayed there for five straight weeks!) In fact, it was the biggest record of the year!

A couple of other hits followed: "Daisy Petal Pickin'" (#15, 1964) and "Ain't Gonna Tell Anybody" (#53, 1964) but then, at the height of The British Invasion, they disappeared from the charts completely.

They staged ANOTHER comeback, however, in 1968, with the feel-good rocker "Bottle Of Wine". (It went all the way to #9, becoming their second biggest hit of all-time!) Sounding NOTHING at all like their other records, it had, instead a Barry McGuire / New Christy Minstrels feel to it ... yet, despite its Top Ten Status and it's catchy sing-along chorus, you don't hear this one a whole lot anymore on the oldies stations.

So we'll feature it today as part of our Easter Offering.

Have a Very Nice Easter ... we'll be back with more Forgotten Hits Memories in the weeks to come.

In the long run, maybe we can't provide relief for any of today's problems ... but, hopefully, we CAN provide a few moments of escape each morning ... along with a memory or two of a happier time.

Happy Easter Everyone!

The Weekend Comments

re: McCARTNEY PUTS ON A "ROCK SHOW":
Here's a play-by-play report from FH Reader Mike Mertes ... who was fortunate enough to see the Paul McCartney Show at The Hollywood Bowl Tuesday Night!!
Hey Kent,
Long time no talk!!!
Wanted to let you know I got Macca tix for the Tuesday March 30th show at the Hollywood Bowl. I'll make sure to sent my reviews hot off the presses.
The Hollywood Bowl is such a classic place to see a show.
I guess when he's plays Chicago he's supposed to be at Wrigley Field.
(Remember, no Sox fans allowed at Wrigley ... nyuk-nyuk).
Take Care
Mike
"(There's a Rock Show at the Hollywood Bowl ... We'll be there ... Oh Yeah!!!)"
Mertes
And then ...
I was reading reviews on Macca's playlist in Phoenix from last night and it looks like I'll get part of my wish.
He opens with Venus & Mars / Rock Show into Jet, he also does 1985 and Obla-di Obla-da.
I'm definitely psyche; hopefully the rain will hold off. I'm glad I got tix for Tuesday's show instead of Wednesday's because the weather is supposed to be cold, crappy and rainy on Wednesday.
I'll let you know how the show was..
Mike
And then this KILLER review of the show ...
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What can I say!!!! 2 hrs and 45 mins ... 37 songs!!!!
He looked great, his voice was very very strong for most of the songs, although he did seem to struggle a bit on some of the high parts, but he didn't shy away from them and hit most of them.
The band was tight as usual (although at the being of "Day Tripper" Rusty hit the 3rd note wrong ... they just kinda chuckled and went on.)
He started with a shortened 3 minute version of "Venus & Mars / Rock Show" and then went right into "Jet" and it set the mood for the night. He did great versions of "Letting Go", "Let Me Roll It" with an added two minute instrumental of "Foxy Lady" at the end and Macca playing some nice guitar licks.
"1985" and "Mrs. Vanderbilt" were a very nice added touch and sounded great. "Obbla-di Obbla-da" was sped up a bit and it sounded very reggaish but definitely rocked. "Back in the USSR" was excellent with Rusty doing some nice guitar stuff. "I've Got A Feeling" was very very good with Macca again adding some nice guitar work at the end.
"Paperback Writer" was great musically, but he struggled a bit with the vocals. He used the same Epiphone that he used in the studio. "Eleanor Rigby" sounded a little off. Wicks was doing fills on the Synth, but they used the recorded studio string accompaniment as well and it didn't seem to fit right.
"Live and Let Die" was definitely the highlight of the show. Besides the usual onstage pyrotechnics they had two fireworks displays behind the band stand that lit up the sky. Macca rocked on piano and added a nice little jam at the end.
All in all, I thought it was one of his best shows and he rocked. It was nice that he did some new material and you really couldn't ask for more, well, you could, but the show would last til July!!! He now sports the suspender look and gives Larry King a run for his money.
Here is the playlist for the show:
“Venus And Mars / Rock Show" (excerpt) / "Jet”
“All My Loving”
“Letting Go”
“Got To Get You Into My Life”
“Highway”
“Let Me Roll It” (with “Foxy Lady” coda)
“The Long And Winding Road”
“Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five”
“(I Want To) Come Home”
“My Love”
“I’m Looking Through You”
“Two Of Us”
“Blackbird”
“Here Today”
“Dance Tonight”
“Mrs. Vanderbilt”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Something”
“Sing The Changes”
“Band On The Run”
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
“Back In The U.S.S.R.”
“I’ve Got A Feeling”
“Paperback Writer”
“A Day In The Life" (abbreviated) / "Give Peace A Chance" (excerpt)
“Let It Be”
“Live And Let Die”
“Hey Jude”
Encore One:
“Day Tripper”
“Lady Madonna”
“Get Back”
Encore Two:
“Yesterday”
“Helter Skelter”
“Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" (Reprise) / "The End”
Yeah, a splendid time was guaranteed for all!!!!
Mike
Sounds like one heck of a show. I remember several years ago McCartney was playing at what was then The Rosemont Horizon and the fire marshals wouldn't let him do the on-stage fireworks during "Live And Let Die" ... the whole episode caused quite a stir and was on the news for DAYS!!! So, after the tour was over, McCartney came BACK to Chicago and played outdoors at Soldiers Field ... and did REAL fireworks during "Live And Let Die" ... we LOVED it!!! (McCartney ultimately got his way ... and Chicago got an extra, unscheduled concert ... and, since he did the very same indoor fireworks at 30-something OTHER shows that year without ANY incidents, The Rosemont Fire Department looked QUITE ridiculous!!! Paul's been doing the "Live And Let Die" fireworks and explosions / laser light show since his very first U.S. tour back in 1976 ... it's ALWAYS a concert highlight, no matter how many times you've seen it ... and the Rosemont Fire Department were truly cramping his style!!! lol)
I don't think Wrigley Field has "officially" been announced yet, but it's a widely-circulating rumor ... they've held more and more concerts there these past few years and I guess these outdoor venues allow McCartney, much like Sinatra, to do it HIS way. (kk)

This just in ... one more:
Hey Kent,
I guess Macca is switching up his playlists. In the show that I saw he played "I Want You to Come Home", "I'm Looking Through You" and "Two of Us" ... however, at Wednesday's show he eliminated those three songs and added "Let Em In", "I've Just Seen A Face" and "And I Love Her". I guess he also did "Every Night" when he played in Arizona Sunday. That's different for him because he usual sticks with the same songlist. So God knows what to expect at future shows ... maybe he'll do "Eat at Home" or "Smile Away" ... "Hi-Hi-Hi" or "Junior's Farm" ... who knows ... !!!
Mike

On a number of occasions I've bought tickets for all three shows McCartney did here in Chicago and they were pretty much the same show every night ... however, the last time we saw him, he was noticeably annoyed when somebody in the audience kept shouting out what's coming next ... or the "punch line" to a particular story Paul was telling during a quiet moment on stage. Finally, he just said "OK, so you were at the show last night" and then the repeated interruptions thankfully stopped. As you mentioned before, with a music catalog as extensive as his, he can easily mix things up every night ... less boring for him AND the audience, I suppose. Still sounds like a GREAT show either way. ("Every Night" has always been one of my favorites and we've seen him perform it live a few times now.) kk

re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Greetings, Kent --
Mark Kleiner here up in Canada, plugging away on my Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart book. Thank you for all your support.
Just wondering -- do you happen to have a contact for the Larden brothers from Every Mother's Son? I especially want to make contact with Dennis, who has a Davy Jones connection.
Best regards,
Mark
I don't ... but let's put it out to the list and see what comes back. It's also a GREAT excuse to feature a GREAT song ... "Come On Down To My Boat" was a National Top Five smash during the Summer of 1967 ... but here in Chicago it went all the way to #1!
In fact, it was one of The Top Ten Songs of The Summer Of Love on BOTH charts ... you can check out those results right here:
Click here: Forgotten Hits - The Summer Of Love Countdown

re: THE HIT PARADE HALL OF FAME:
The re-vamped Hit Parade Hall Of Fame is now up and running ... you can now cast your votes for the 2010 Nominees, check out all of the past inductees or click on a link and listen to Hit Parade Radio, all from this one website. Meet the Nominating Committee, read brief artist bios ... even hear a snippet of one of their biggest hits ... AND see how each artist ranks based on the number of votes cast thus far. You can check the whole thing out right here:
Click here: Welcome To The Hit Parade Hall of Fame


re: TOMMY JAMES:
Here are some links to stories that were in the Pittsburgh paper recently about Tommy James and his book:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10081/1044237-388.stm http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/popnoise/archive/2010/03/24/tommy-james-mobbed-by-fans.aspx
Bob
Clearwater, FL
Tommy James' book is one of the most talked-about music bios in a long, long while ... it's a VERY interesting and entertaining read, sure to satisfy even the most casual fan. (And, looking at Tommy's record sales, I'd say MOST of us were MAJOR fans of this music!!!) Jim Shea did a GREAT interview with Tommy this past week ... and the book will soon be a major motion picture AND a Broadway Musical / Stage Play. (Sounds like the same guys who put together "Jersey Boys" are interested ... and we all know what a HUGE hit THAT was!!!) Stay tuned ... I've got a feeling there's a lot more to come on the Tommy James newsfront! (kk)

re: JOHNNY MAESTRO:
Kent ...
Don't know if you or any of your readers are interested or not, but here is the information if you want to listen:
It's a special tribute to Johnny Maestro
Saturday, April 3, 2010 - Midnight to 2 A M, EDT (That's tonight, folks! kk)
The Group Harmony Revue hosted by Dan Romanello
From Fordham University, Bronx, New York
In the New York Area = 90.7 F M
Outside New York Area = WFUV.org
I also just got this from Wild Wayne:
Church Service for Johnny, April 9.
Memorial Service, April 11.
More info here: Click here: Johnny Maestro
Frank B.
Happy to pass this information along. Meanwhile, don't miss our Forgotten Hits Annual Easter Offering ... tomorrow on the web page!

More Record Collecting Memories

Got a Record Collecting Memory or two that you'd like to share with our readers?
Then drop us a line and we'll include it in the next installment of this recurring series.
Check out the responses below ... these are the kinds of stories we'd like to share. Tell us about your greatest find ... or the one that got away ... or how about the ONLY one you need to complete your collection??? You get the idea. Just drop us an email and we'll put your story in our next edition.

Hi,
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with finding someone who might be interested in buying a collection of 78 and 33 RPM records dating back to the 1940s and possibly the 30s.
These are my mother's records. I hate to just donate them or worse, toss them out. They are not old rockers, but some of them are known big bands and solo artists. There are probably around 200 - 300 records. Most are in decent condition, some not so good.
I can come up with a list if you want. I don't know if they are worth anything or not. My mother is elderly and on a fixed income. I would like to try to get what I can for them to help her out.
Thank you in advance,
Howard
We really don't get involved much with record searches or sales anymore but I'm happy to post your inquiry on the website and see if we get any nibbles. Give it a week or two and see if anybody responds. (kk)


I can think of three great finds at garage sales. First the seller had two tables of LPs. One had the Beatles And Elvis for $5.00 each. All were commons so I passed. On the other table was another box of LPs for 75 cents. Among those I bought were the Rivieras on USA and the first David Bowie LP on Deram.
Speaking of Elvis & the Beatles, the next two sales involve them.
One garage sale had a few hundred 45s including at least a half dozen or so Beatles picture sleeves and another estate sale had about two dozen original Elvis LPs all with the inserts still inside.
Finally, you may remember this, Kent, it falls under the heading if we knew then, what we know now. We've all heard stories of the legendary store stock sitting in the basement of a record shop. Well, Kent and I can honestly say we saw one and while we both spent what was for us major money at the time, we didn't make a dent in it and I tend to think there might have been more that we didn't see. The store was The Record Center in Chicago, and they specialized in oldies 45s. They're long out of business now and the two stores that I believe bought up most of their stock are long gone as well. It's possible Beverly records bought some, but I can't recall. We are talking tens of thousands. The guy never returned his overstock. I don't know about Kent, but the stuff I bought is long gone as well.
I have a copy of Somebody New, by the Rivieras that has been copied on a CD, but still need the 45. It's the last 45 on the list I need for 45 45s that were popular on my wife's birthday on 9/7/65. Thanks to those who have helped me so far.
One last thing ... while I didn't find it, my ex girlfriend did and gave me, two copies of Stairway To Heaven on a 45 rpm.
Jack
I think The Record Center deal was one of those "Deals Of A Lifetime" ... if we'd ONLY had the money, we could have bought 'em out lock, stock and barrel and started our OWN oldies record shop! I was still doing mail order at the time and you were doing most of the record shows that came through town so I'm guessing that had to be late '70's / early '80's. (Somebody out there probably knows the EXACT date that The Record Center closed their doors!!!) Anyway, Jack is not exaggerating ... I was picking up entire BOXES of 45's ... these came right from the distributor ... unopened cardboard boxes of 25 copies of the same record that just never hit it big on the charts ... I swear, they must have NEVER made a return!!! I clearly remember buying entire boxes of things like The Monkees' "Good Clean Fun" with a picture sleeve, a single I don't remember ever even SEEING in a record store here in Chicago! We spent what we could afford (and probably a little bit more than that) and we were VERY fortunate to get an early look before the REAL collectors and dealers swooped in to clean out the rest. It made for a VERY exciting afternoon of scavenger hunting to be sure!!! (kk)

UPDATE: I just heard from Jack ... and he has completed his search for the 45 Top 45 singles from 9/7/65. (Special thanks to Carolyn, who supplied the last record needed to complete this collection!)

Here are a couple of stand-out deals that I remember ...
At one of the very first Beatlefests, I swapped a guy my copy of John Lennon's "Roots" LP on Adam VIII Records for a copy of The Beatles' "Yesterday And Today" / "Butchers" album in a dead-even swap. Back then, the butcher cover went for about $300 ... it's worth FAR more now for an original. By comparison, the "Roots" LP was probably worth about $80 ... but it was the ONLY item missing from this guy's Beatles collection (and he had THREE butcher copies, so he was willing to relinquish one to make this deal.) I held on to it for a couple of years before selling it at a local record show for, if I remember correctly $350. Kicking myself now but at the time, that was a $342 profit over what I paid for the "Roots" LP through mail-order so I thought I had made a good deal.
(Until I just recently read Tommy James' auto-biography, I had absolutely NO idea that it was Morris Levy who was behind the release of this unauthorized Adam VIII LP!!!)
I was also invited to do the very first Chicagoland Area Monkees Convention ... I loaded up with as much Monkees merchandise as I could get my hands on ... and COMPLETELY sold out in about 2 1/2 hours!!! I had absolutely NOTHING left and finally had to just pack things up and go home early ... most successful single show I'd ever done but the down-side of record collecting (and dealing) is that when it's gone, it's gone ... never completely adapted to that line of thinking!!!
The most successful single sale I ever had was back in my mail-order days advertising in Goldmine Magazine. I ran a Picture Sleeves ONLY auction and, in these days some 20 odd years before eBay, found myself smack dab in the middle of a relentless bidding war that literally went down to the wire. In fact, one determined buyer kept me on the phone until after midnight so that the official ending to the auction had passed before I could check any other bids that I had received ... he then overbid by $20 the top price on every picture sleeve he needed for his collection. It was BY FAR the single biggest money-making auction I ever held ... but same sad story ... once they're gone, they're gone!!!
Finally, I found a goldmine of picture sleeves at a garage sale one day, still in one of those old 45s record cases ... there were 60 of them in all, and it was all mid-'60's stuff in absolutely MINT condition ... and they only wanted about a quarter a piece for them. The Dave Clark Five, The Turtles, Herman's Hermits, The Beatles, The Supremes, Elvis ... you name it, it was there. I finally just told the lady that I'd take them all ... so she pulls the stack out of the case and then ... before I could say a word ... writes on the top sleeve (a Lovin' Spoonful PS): 60 x .25 = $15!!!! Thus RUINING the sleeve from any collectibility stand point!!! I freaked, thinking that that sleeve was probably worth every bit of $20-$25 at the time ... and now it was barely worth the quarter I had paid for it!!!
In a related story, I was once moving from one apartment to another when a soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend of mine was helping me carry my boxes of 45's out to the car. To get a "better grip" on the box, she punctured her nail right through Elvis' face on the "Don't Cry Daddy" picture sleeve ... I decided from that point forward to move ALL of the record boxes myself!!! lol Ah yes, those were the days!!! (lol) kk

Hi Kent:
I will give you a record buying / collecting story. Several years back I got a call from a woman who was selling stuff because she was to be moving soon. She was having a rummage sale the next day, but said I could come over and look through any records she had. Well, the place was a mess and nothing organized, so records were scattered in boxes of everything. Some were in with toys, dishes, clocks, books etc. Most of it was various piles of un-sleeved 45’s. Anyway, after going through tons of boxes with little success, I was thinking of leaving. I thought, what the heck there are only a handful of boxes left in this room, I’ll at least finish these off. As luck would have it there was a Pink Promo copy of “My Bonnie” by Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers in a little stack! What Luck! She was asking $1 a piece for any record I wanted. I thought that was a pretty good deal so I took it along.
Ken
Yeah, I'd say it was a pretty good deal. I once found a yellow-label promo of the official US / MGM Version at a similar estate sale ... but the minute the guy saw that I was interested in buying it, he decided not to sell it, figuring it must be worth a fortune. I picked up MY copy of "My Bonnie" at Woolworth's for nine cents!!! And, with a Picture Sleeve no less!!! This was back in the day when they used to sell those poly-bag packs of ten 45's ... they'd stick a desirable hit on each side of the exposed package ... but you had NO idea what the middle eight singles might be. It was one of those drill-hole singles and sleeves ... but I've still got it some 46 years later! (kk)

The most I paid for an LP was $50 over 20 years ago. It was for an album by the 5 Keys. Now this is a very valuable album because of the cover picture.

click to enlarge photo

You will notice that Rudy West, the lead singer, and first in line, appears to have his penis displayed, but it is actually his thumb. This was released and then complaints poured in, so they air brushed that out and re-released it. It is known as the Phallic cover. I still have the album and it is in at least very good condition.
Bob Hughes
E-Mail: BobHughes13@mchsi.com

Web Site: www.BobHughesMusic.net

A Few More Odds And Ends ...

re: JOHNNY MAESTRO:
I did a tribute to Johnny on my show on KPOO 89.5 fm and KPOO.com. I am on the air every Sunday night at 10 pm Pacific daylight time and I try to pay tribute when the artists we love leave this ole house! It was great to see a lot of coverage in the media about Johnny Maestro.
Last night I also got into a "Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" frame of mind.
I played the new version by She and Him, the original by Teresa Brewer, and got a request to hear Skeeter Davis' version. Uh huh, Uh huh, that song will get into your head and you might's well surrender to it and sing along!
Charlie Miller, aka The Autumn King on KPOO in San Francisco.

Kent,
I really appreciate your website and all you do to keep the music alive. I've been with you for a few years now and it just keeps getting better. Sad to hear about Johnny Maestro. Rock on!
Pat Fogel
Floral City, FL

Kent
Sad to hear about Alex Chilton and Johnny Maestro. Not very many artist sang lead with two great groups, but both Alex with the Box Tops and Big Star and Johnny with the Crests and the Brooklyn Bridge did!
Mike De Martino
President of the Lovejoy Music Club

Hi Kent:
This is from the Jan 17 2010 Bowzer show, just after Johnny sang his last song,
"You'll Never Walk Alone"
L-R: Charlie Quintal, Johnny Maestro, Gerry Granahan

Charlie Quintal

re: THE FLOCK:
Kent
Great stuff on the Flock, I liked their records on Destination more then the progressive sides on Columbia.
Mike De Martino
President of the Lovejoy Music Club

THE FLOCK DID ROCK!!!

Hey Kent ... I had the good fortune to see "The Flock" play live at The Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia in 69 / 70 (not sure of the exact year). It was a free outdoor concert I attended. The Flock had just released their first album ... which I went out and bought the very next day. I remember their Guitarist (Fred) and their Drummer (Ron, I think) were amazing, and the horn section kicked butt! I loved this band. They blew our faces off!

Mitch Schecter / The Rip Chords

lol ... I LOVE that phrase ... "they blew our faces off!" Thanks, Mitch ... I forwarded your comments to Freddy Glickstein! (kk)

re: BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS:
Hi Kent,

I'm a friend of George Manney's, [I played on the Mummer's tribute that Tony Luke did at George's studio], and I saw your blog.
I wanted to see if you could get in touch with the surviving member of the group for me.
I bought a guitar years ago from Dal Knifen, [Edwards], who performed with the group. I believe that he tragically drowned a while back.
Anyhow, I would appreciate any info that I can learn about Dal.
Thanks,
Barry Wahrahftig

Best I can do is pass your request along to our readers and see what kind of response we get. We had quite a bit of coverage regarding original Comet Marshall Lytle a while back after he had part of his leg amputated. Lytle had just published his brand new book "Still Rockin' Around The Clock: My Life In Rock n Roll's First Super Group, Bill Haley and the Comets", available through Amazon.com at the link below:

Click here: http://www.amazon.com/Still-Rockin-Around-Clock-Comets/dp/1441477802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269948957&sr=

Joel Whitburn's book lists the original Comets as Danny Cedrone, Joey D'Ambrosio, Billy Williamson, Johnny Grande, Billy Gussack and Lytle ... although any number of musicians have performed with the band over the years (and Whitburn goes on to name several late '50's replacements), Dal Knifen's name isn't even mentioned on the list. Maybe somebody else out there can add some details to the story ... near as I can tell, his name doesn't even Google!!! (kk)

re: TOMMY JAMES:
Hey Kent,
I have Tommy James' new book on my list, but this comment reminded me of Fredric Dannen's 1990 book "Hit Men," about the inner workings of the record labels' promotion men. Morris Levy's picture is on the first page, and there are plenty of stories regarding his "influence" in the biz. But make sure you get a later edition, which has an extra chapter.
Guy Arnston in Algonquin
I enjoyed Tommy's book ... some of the reviews I read felt there was "too much mob and not enough music" but I didn't feel that way at all ... I think Tommy told a very interesting story in a very interesting and entertaining way ... I really enjoyed it. Let's face it, this wasn't any big revelation as far as Morris Levy goes ... he was notorious in the music industry for both his connections and his unscrupulous ways ... the number of artists taken advantage of by him (and countless others in the early days of rock and roll) goes on and on and on. (Let's face it, Morris wasn't the ONLY guy out there capitalizing on his artists ... not by a long shot ... from the sounds of things, the whole music business has been corrupt since the beginning of time. Add in the payola scandal and some of the other things that were going on behind the scenes and you cannot help but wonder how big EVERY hit record really was!!! lol)
I'll have to look for "Hit Men" ... it seems to me that this was reissued not that long ago. As a big, lifetime fan of Tommy James' music, I'm hoping his record sales go through the roof now that he's finally earning royalties for all this great music he gave us. They're already talking a major movie deal on the book, too, so we've got THAT to look forward to. (Hey, we saw The Runaways movie last weekend ... it's GOTTA be better than that!!! lol) kk

By the way, Jim Shea interviews Tommy James tomorrow morning on Y103.9 ... you can listen live here: Click here: Listen Live To WWYW - Y103.9

And be sure to check The True Oldies Channel Website, too, to see if you can still catch Scott Shannon's interview with Tommy, posted as a Podcast a week or two ago, here: Click here: True Oldies Channel
(You'll find the podcast here): http://www.trueoldieschannel.com/sectional.asp?id=34407

re: DONOVAN:
>>>Man, it would have been great to see Donovan do all his songs
(David Lewis)
Donovan's music takes some funny turns (probably not his choice) ... having the vinyl, I went to purchase COSMIC WHEELS a decade or so ago on CD ... They left off the one song that no one (at the time) could help me with ... THE INTER-GALACTIC LAXATIVE ... a silly ditty ... lyrics include the word "shitting"... not for general audiences?) ... and then another song I remember from the radio ... RULES AND REGULATIONS ... it barely googles. I checked his discography and finally bought that 'live' CD ... but there I found another gem I'd forgotten about ... PEBBLE AND THE MAN ... GOOD STUFF ...
Who keeps hiding the music from us? If not for my memory, I'd never know they existed at all...
(gary) RENFIELD
www.RIPRenfield.com
Listening back to "Pebble And The Man", I never realized how much Cat Stevens sounded like Donovan!!! He most certainly HAD to be an early influence on Cat's music!
In this day and age when CD releases pride themselves on "bonus tracks" and the ability to provide nearly 90 minutes of music on one disk, there is nothing more aggravating than buying one of these reissues and finding out that they've CUT songs from the line-up!!! (A VERY common practice on some of the budget CD releases.) There's really no excuse for it ... if the record companies want us to buy and re-buy (and RE-buy) this same material over and over again each time they change formats, it would seem to me that the LEAST they could do was leave this material intact. As you said, it IS intact in our memories!!! (Unless Donovan himself requested this song to be removed from the release, I don't believe the record company has the right to do so!)
You don't hear much Donovan music on the radio anymore, other than "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow" ... but this guy (often referred to as "The British Dylan" back in the early days, despite the fact that he was actually SCOTTISH!!!) had ten OTHER Billboard Top 40 Hits. Among my favorites: "Catch The Wind" (#23, 1965); "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" (23, 1967, and featured recently in Forgotten Hits during our "commercials" frenzy); "Jennifer Juniper" (#26, 1968); "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (#5, 1968, and a song that was SUPPOSED to feature Jimi Hendrix on guitar) and "Atlantis" (#7, 1969). (Let's not forget Donovan's killer version of "Season Of The Witch", a song most-often referred to these days as part of those Stephen Stills / Al Kooper / Mike Bloomfield "Super Sessions" ... but Donovan WROTE the song and did an INCREDIBLE version himself on his "Sunshine Superman" album back in 1966. (kk)

re: THE BEACH BOYS:

Did you catch The Beach Boys (with John Stamos) on "Dancing With The Stars" last night? What did YOU think? Is it just me or was Mike Love brought out on stage simply to make Buzz Aldrin look younger???

Click here: YouTube - The Beach Boys on "Dancing With The Stars"

The Boys performed a medley of three of their biggest hits: "California Girls", "Kokomo" and "Fun, Fun, Fun" ... but for me the only song playing in MY head when they were finished was that Kenny Rogers classic: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em" ... painful!!! (kk)

re: ALL IN THE FAMILY:
Kent ...
I'm listening to Wild Wayne's ," Memory Machine." He just played a song called "Frannie, Frannie" by Nino & The Ebbtides, from 1956. If I remember correctly, that's your wife's name. First time I heard this song. It's not half bad. Did you ever hear this song before ?
Frank B.
Nope ... not familiar with that one ... and neither is my wife (and she's the REAL doo-wop fan here!!!) So I tracked it down and we're featuring it today. (Now if Wild Wayne can find a song called "Kent, Kent", we've got a real Twin Spin on our hands!!!) kk

Helping Out Our Readers ... And A Few Odds And Ends

On the heels of this week's KING SIZED Edition of The Sunday Comments Page, we've still got a few more bits and pieces to share:

re: HELPING OUT OUR READERS:
Hi,
I was wondering if you might be able to help me with finding someone who might be interested in buying a collection of 78 and 33 RPM records dating back to the 1940s and possibly the 30s.
These are my mothers records. I hate to just donate them or worse, toss them out. They are not old rockers, but some of them are known big bands and solo artists. There are probably around 200 - 300 records. Most are in decent condition, some not so good.
I can come up with a list if you want. I don't know if they are worth anything or not. My mother is elderly and on a fixed income. I would like to try to get what I can for them to help her out.
Thank you in advance,
Howard
We really don't get involved much with record searches or sales anymore but I'm happy to post your inquiry on the website and see if we get any nibbles. Give it a week or two and see if anybody responds.

Meanwhile, we're still taking stories for our next "Record Collectors" edition of Forgotten Hits ... if you've got a particularly interesting story or experience to share, drop us a line and let us know. Your greatest find??? The one that got away? The ONLY one you need to complete your collection??? You get the idea. Just drop us an email and we'll put your story in our next edition. (kk)

>>>I have been searching for years for a particular song from the late 60's or early 70's that started out with killer motorcycle sounds. It was an instrumental on 45. I don't remember the name or artist ... that's why I'm not having much success. I used to run a summer camp and during the last week of camp, instead of playing the bugle song to wake up the campers, we played crazy stuff. I played this motorcycle song and it sounded like the Hell's Angels were tearing through the camp! It was a riot!! I happened upon your website and blog in my online searches this evening and thought I'd see if you have a clue as to what my long lost motorcycle instrumental might be. Thanks for any help you could give me! (Sharon Sigmon)
>>>Wow, that's not much to go on ... there could literally be DOZENS of possible candidates for this one ... there was a whole genre of "motorcycle music" going around in the late '60's ... off the top of my head, I'm inclined to go with this "Blues' Theme" by Davie Allan and the Arrows ... it's one of MY favorites and was a pretty decent-sized hit back in 1967 ... (that and the fact that Davie Allan is on our FH Mailing List doesn't hurt either!!! lol) This comes from the film "The Wild Angels", circa 1967. (kk)
Sound like Dave Allan & The Arrows: " “Blues' Theme” !!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davie_Allan
I have an autographed CD, complete with guitar picks! :-)
Dave's alright! Thanks!
Enjoy reading your site!
Best,
John
angelfire.com/empire/abpsp
We never did hear back from Sharon as to whether or not this is the song she was looking for ... if you're out there, Sharon, drop us a line ... there are several other "motorcycle" possibilities to choose from, too! (kk)

There is an oldies song I'm looking for ... I don't know the artist but the lyrics to the song go something like this:
I can't wait forever, you know you want me to,
Time won't let me wait that long
Hope you can tell me the name of the song an the artist.
Thanks -
Dan
Well, Dan, that's one of the easiest ones we've ever come across ... "Time Won't Let Me" was a HUGE Top Five Hit for The Outsiders back in 1966 ... and it's still an oldies radio staple today. Happy to feature it here today because it's also one of MY favorites! (kk)



Thank you so much! I was able to get it on the lime wire ... now have it in my collection! Had been trying to find it for months!
God bless ,
Dan
Happy to help ... glad you're enjoying Forgotten Hits! (kk)

Hey Kent,
What do the initials T.A.M.I. stand for? I'm in the dark.
Chuck Adams
Teenage Awards Music International ...
which is ESPECIALLY weird since no actual awards were ever handed out or associated with this program!!! (lol) kk


Talking about some REALLY Forgotten Hits, Scott Shannon forwarded me this exchange between himself and a True Oldies Channel Listener ... this song is LONG gone from the radio radar ... glad we were able to help out ...
Hey, Scott --
Speaking of "forgotten oldies" (as you often do), how about correcting one of the greatest injustices in RnR history by playing a song that was buried by the British Invasion and has gone unplayed since 1964 -- Bobby Rydell's far-superior version of "A World Without Love"?
Thanks,
John Egan, listening on WLS-FM.
JOHN ...
I DO PLAY SOME FORGOTTEN 45'S, BUT THEY HAD TO HAVE BEEN HITS ON THE RADIO ... BOBBYS VERSION NEVER WAS ... SORRRRY!
SCOTT SHANNON
I beg to differ. It spent 7 weeks on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey, peaking at #10 (!!) on May 29, 1964. Obviously a better showing than many of the songs you feature. And this is no regional artist we are talking about, either. I don't understand your reluctance -- it's interesting from a historical standpoint (most of your listeners don't even know it exists) even if you don't agree with my "far superior" assessment. But hey, it's your show -- thanks for responding, I'll keep listening anyway.
John Egan (in no way affiliated with Bobby Rydell)
JOHN ...
I WASN'T TRYING TO BE A JERK ... I JUST WASN'T AWARE THAT IT WENT THAT HIGH ON WLS. AND I DO APOLOGIZE FOR MY WLS IGNORANCE ... MOST OF THE NATION'S LISTENERS, ME INCLUDED, HEARD THE BRIT VERSION ... BUT I'LL TRY TO DIG UP BOBBY'S VERSION AND PLAY IT WHEN I GET BACK FROM VACA.
SCOTT
And then a quick note to me ...
KENT ...
CAN YOU DIG UP THIS BOBBY RYDELL TUNE TO PLAY FOR THIS GUY ... THEY DIDN'T PLAY IT ANYWHERE THAT I KNEW OF ... BUT IT MUST HAVE BEEN BIG IN CHICAGO.
THANKS!
SCOTT SHANNON
Which we did ... along with a brief explanation as to just how "big" a hit it really was here in Chi-Town ...
Here ya go ...
First of all, you'd be pretty hard pressed to find very many people who consider Bobby Rydell's version to be the "far superior" take on this song ...
Nationally, it peaked at #80 during a six week chart run ... but he's right, it DID hit #10 here in Chicago ... sort of ...
There's no question as to who the song belonged to ... Paul McCartney gave the track to his girlfriend's brother, Peter Asher, to cut with his partner Gordon Waller ... by the Spring of 1964, The British Invasion was in full swing, and even the most established U.S. Acts were having a hard time placing their records on the chart.
Bobby Rydell most likely cut this tune more in the spirit of "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" than anything else ... he never did have another U.S. Top 40 Hit after "Forget Him" peaked at #4 in early 1964, just as The Beatles were working their way up the chart with their first of an incredible THIRTY chart hits that year!!!
Being the more "familiar" artist at the time, WLS charted Bobby Rydell's version side-by-side with the Peter and Gordon version for the first several weeks ... both records debuted at #28 on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey dated May 22nd, 1964. A week later, they shared the #10 spot ... not at all an uncommon practice back then. (Quite often when more than one artist recorded the same song, the chart would reflect multiple versions "sharing" the same spot on the charts.)
Incredibly, a week later, the record slipped to #11 ... but the following week Peter and Gordon were sitting at the #1 Spot while Bobby Rydell's version dropped to #13. From this point forward, the records charted separately as Peter and Gordon's version was clearly the record of preference.
It's not an AWFUL version ... it's just not the way we expect to hear this song performed!!!
That being said, Bobby Rydell had a pretty good chart run before The British Invasion ... 19 of his records made The Billboard Top 40 between 1959 and 1963 ... and in 1963 he was cast in a lead role in the movie version of "Bye Bye Birdie" ... quite honestly, things were looking up at the time. But then the four lads from Liverpool came along and turned the entire music world upside down ... and Rydell's time as a "Teen Idol" was over.
On an up note, the producers of "Grease" DID name their High School "Rydell High" ... so that must count for something, right??? (kk)
Featured here today for those who have never heard Bobby's version ... and those who haven't heard it played since 1964!!!



Trivia question: Who is Dolores Erickson ?
bpalomaki

lol ... let's see ... we've probably run her picture about 250 times over the past eleven years!!! (251 counting today!!!) Let's just say she's a Forgotten Hits favorite!!! (kk)

re: HEAVEN SENT:
Hey Kent & Krew,
Really long time since I've written (Ron Kolman - I won (GREAT!) a signed CD for winning Paige's choice 'Best Describing "Psychedelic Music' ... I hope your whole family is well, we are).
Unreal! I recall sending you mail - years back - asking FH's readers if anyone recalled or knew anything re: the "Heaven Sent" radio spot. You ran the question, no one knew where it might be had.
Attached is a magazine ad I came across while fishing for the actual spot. As I mentioned, it's been a while, and time hasn't made for steady FH following. I've a folder in Gmail for FHs sends. When things slow, I go in and grab a random copy to spend an hour catching-up. Today, just absolutely and entirely coincidentally, I decided to grab an issue "fresh" from mail to peruse.
BAM!!!
Heaven Sent.
Gives one pause, ya know?
I had that couple seconds of disbelief. I've been searching for that tune on the net for years! I've come close, but no cigar till today. I got the chills listening. Got my wife (with whom I listened to that spot, parked on my father's car, over and over, until the association with our youth, and Love, and "those days" were completely woven together), and her eyes brimmed with tears.
As I have before, Thank You Kent for resurrecting a memory!
Can't comment on the voice being Shelly Fabares', I'm not familiar with her voice. I could almost swear, however, the spot was recorded by a male-group as well. I recall it having an "Early In The Morning (She Lets Her Hair Down)" kind of sound? Maybe just juxtaposing the two because they both have really positive associations.
Thanks so my KK. This made my week.
Absolute Best Regards - and once more ... for all the work you put into FH ... TRULY appreciated,
Ron Kolman

Next time you're perusing the website, type "Heaven Sent" into the "Search" feature ... you'll be shocked to see how big a topic this has become! (You'll also find several other musical versions posted on the web ... as well as a whole "She Lets Her Hair Down" / "Early In The Morning" segment, too!)
As for your definition of Psychedelic Music, you'll find that this, too, has been permanently enshrined on the OTHER Forgotten Hits web page ... in fact, our Psychedelic Series is still the most popular item searched on our site with well over 10,000 readers so far! (See, we've helped to make you famous!!!) kk
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs
And, since you like all things "Heaven Sent", be sure to check THIS out, too!


and, in OTHER commercial news ...

re: YOUR COMMERCIAL FAVORITES:
Kent, I just came across your blog today and thought your Top 100 commercials were spot on. However, the following were missing and they were as good as any song on the air at the time.
1) Clairol Born Blonde "Girl do you know where it's going to?" 1969
2) Dry Control by Vitalis " You can't see it, but you know it's there 1970
3) Lemon Up "Lemon Up and make peace with grease" 1971
4) Cantrece Panty Hose " Cantrece makes panty hose move when you groove" 1970
5) 7 UP (the campaign right before the Un-Cola) "7 UP goes Wet and Wild, first against thirst, first to satisfy you"
6) Clairol Summer Blonde "Come to the sunshine" 1968
7) Tanya Hawaiian Tanning Butter " A deeper faster Hawaiian tan, that's what you get when you use Tanya"
8) Wink Soda "Wink, the sassy one, from Canada Dry" 1965
9) Budweiser "Best reason in the world to drink beer" 1967
10) American Dairy Association " Milk, makes it" 1968
Jim B
Welcome aboard! Do a quick website search and you should find our feature on "Come To The Sunshine", too! Thanks, Jim! (kk)

re: THE BEACH BOYS:
The Beach Boys are scheduled to perform on "Dancing With The Stars" tonight on the first results show of the new season. They'll reportedly be performing a medley of their hits "California Girls," "Kokomo" and "Fun, Fun, Fun," with special guest John Stamos joining them on the guitar and drums. (The actor has a long association with the band, having provided vocals on the song "Forever." The Beach Boys also made multiple appearances on Stamos' 1987-1995 sitcom "Full House".)
You can see The Beach Boys in action when the "Dancing With The Stars" results show airs this evening on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Central time. (Of course this means that we'll be missing our special "enhanced" replay of "Lost", a pivitol episode to say the least ... but an appearance by The Beach Boys just might get us to tune into a program we otherwise wouldn't even bother with!!! (kk)

re: THE BEATLES:

A rather sad Beatles anniversary is right around the corner ... on April 10th, it will be officially 40 years since Paul McCartney announced that he was leaving the Beatles and filed formal papers to disolve the band.

Now comes word of a brand new radio special marking the end of an era. Called "And in the end ... the 40th Anniversary of the breakup of the Beatles", it is being marketed through Radio KG and promises "Ultra-rare 60's and 70's interview and press conference material with The Beatles and those who knew them plus new interview material with many who knew, worked with and / or were associated with The Beatles."
Hosted by Dennis Mitchell, award-winning host of the weekly syndicated Dennis Mitchells' "Breakfast With The Beatles", the two hour special will air nationally (through syndication) from April 5th through April 12th and will also feature all kinds of great Beatles music along with stories behind the songs.

No official word yet on which markets this special will air (but you might want to check with your local oldies and / or classic rock stations to see if any of them have obtained the rights to this broadcast.)