Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone? (Volume 2)

Kent,  
More books?!?!?  
I have a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa next to my bed and I am trying to make a mole hill out of this mountain of books. You are not helping ... but thanks!   
Shelley  

Truth is, we're recommending a bunch of GREAT music books that belong in your library this week ... and even telling you where and how to get them.  Today we take a look at the latest book by Jeff March and Marti Smiley Childs!!!    

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The second in their series of "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone?" lives up to all the expectations. Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March have built a very impressive resume of interviewing music stars of the '60's ... and this new book is no exception.    

This time around, they're covering the careers and talking to The Buckinghams, The Moody Blues, Sam And Dave, Ray Stevens, Bobby Goldsboro, Donnie Brooks and The Grass Roots. (Volume One ... still available ... included The Association, Herman's Hermits, The Kingston Trio, Chris Montez, The Spiral Starecase, Bobby Vee and The Zombies ... and an earlier but similar piece of work ... "Echoes Of The Sixties" ... offered in-depth profiles of The Fireballs, Gary "US" Bonds, The Tokens, The Angels, Peter and Gordon, Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues, The Beau Brummels, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, The Lovin' Spoonful, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Country Joe and the Fish and The Iron Butterfly.)    

What Jeff and Marti do better than anybody else is dig deep into their profiles of these artists. Not only do they give you a complete overview of each artist's career and chart history, but they also provide one-on-one interviews with these artists, as well as friends, family and associates that paint the most complete picture possible of what life was like then and now for these extremely popular artists.  

Having spent some time talking to The Buckinghams myself over the years, I was most excited to read this chapter first, which was especially convenient since it just happens to kick off their new book. All of the guys were very up-front and honest and I found their profile to be extremely interesting, even though I had been down this same road numerous times before. I believe that other Buckinghams fans will be very pleased with this profile as well.  

I especially liked the profiles of Ray Stevens and Bobby Goldsboro, two of my personal favorites from this era. (In fact, the paths of these two artists have crossed before ... that's Ray Stevens singing harmony and background on Bobby's hits "Little Things" and "It's Too Late", two of my "forgotten hits" favorites!)    



Goldsboro talks about his early days, playing in Roy Orbison's band ... and even acknowledges taking Roy's infamous guitar riff to "Oh, Pretty Woman", turning it around and then using it on his own solo hit, "Little Things".

Stevens, one of pop music's premier funny men, decided to play it straight in 1970 ... and, in the process, scored his very first #1 Hit with "Everything Is Beautiful".  He would go on to repeat that process four years later on his own terms when "The Streak" also topped the national charts. 

Perhaps the most detailed and involved profile comes at the hands of The Grass Roots. That's because The Grass Roots were actually THREE different bands early on ... and that doesn't even begin to cover all of the numerous personnel changes that came over time.   

Starting off as the in-studio creation of singers / songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri (who, in addition to writing hit records for other artists had also earlier been performing as The Fantastic Baggys), they cut their first hit record, "Where Were You When I Needed You", with Sloan on lead vocals and session musicians providing the background tracks. When it came time to put an album together and go out on the road, Barri and Sloan recruited a local San Francisco Band called The Bedouins to change their name and "become" The Grass Roots ... and that is how the first album was made, featuring Drummer Joel Larson, Rhythm Guitarist Denny Ellis, Bass Player Dave Stensen, and Lead Singer / Guitarist Bill Fulton (with musical "guidance" provided by Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan, all under the watchful eye of Producer Lou Adler, who owned the rights to the name "The Grass Roots".)  

However, The Bedouins were not keen on the idea of playing folk / rock music selected for them by outside parties (and basically being the puppets on stage controlled by the songwriting and producing team behind the scenes) so, before that first album was even finished, they decided that they didn't want to be The Grass Roots anymore. (Honestly, I'm not so sure it was such a bad gig ... they made television appearances on The Lloyd Thaxton Show, Shindig and Shivaree ... and even played behind fellow Dunhill artists like The Mamas and the Papas and Barry McGuire, including a performance as Barry McGuire's back-up band on The Ed Sullivan Show!) Despite all this sudden attention, the group still wasn't happy, wanting to record their own material (in a heavier vein than they were being allowed to do within the confines of the Sloan-Barri controlled Grass Roots) ... so they split, requiring Dunhill to come up with yet ANOTHER band to perform as The Grass Roots.  

They found that band in The Thirteenth Floor. According to Marti Smiley Childs' and Jeff March's book, "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone, Volume Two", Dunhill President and Producer Lou Adler made The Thirteenth Floor the following offer: They could sign with Dunhill Records as The Thirteenth Floor, taking the long-shot bet that they might score a hit record on their own as a bunch of unknowns ... OR they could assume the name "The Grass Roots", which already had some name recognition attached to it, thanks to the previous band's hit single "Where Were You When I Needed You" and go into the studio to record a follow-up hit. (My understanding is that Monty Hall also offered them whatever was behind Door Number Three ... but the band instead elected to become The Grass Roots ... and soon Keyboard Player / Guitarist / Vocalist Warren Entner, Lead Guitarist Creed Bratton, Drummer Rick Coonce and the ever-popular Lead Singer / Bassist Kenny Fukumoto (WHO?!?!? you may ask) were signed to the label. (Suffice to say that the newly independent Bedouins were never heard from again.)  

As fate would have it, before they even recorded a single note, Fukumoto received his draft notice and had to leave the band in order to report for military duty ... so, rather than blow a recording deal, the band quickly scrambled to find a replacement and, without missing a beat, Rob Grill ... who would forever more become enshrined as the face and voice of The Grass Roots ... was recruited to fill his spot. Conveniently, Grill also played bass and sang lead ... and it is HIS voice that you hear on every subsequent hit record ever since ... and let me tell you, there were a WHOLE bunch of 'em!!! In fact, The Grass Roots (with Rob Grill at the helm) went on to record SEVENTEEN STRAIGHT National Top 40 Hits between 1967 and 1973. Incredibly, in the process of TRULY becoming The Grass Roots in every way, shape and form possible, Grill even re-recorded the lead vocal on their previous hit "Where Were You When I Needed You" ... and it's now THAT version that you hear whenever this record comes on the radio!   



Smiley Childs and March have located and interviewed no less than NINE members of The Grass Roots ... and it's their interviews with Joel Larson, Bill Fulton, Dave Stensen, Denny Ellis, Rob Grill, Creed Bratton, Warren Entner, Rick Coonce and Dennis Provisor that cap off the final chapter in their new book ... MUST reading for any fans of this great, '60's band and music.   

"Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone, Volume Two" is available here: Click here: EditPros BOOKSHELF ... as are their other two great titles, "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone (Volume One)" and "Echoes Of The Sixties". You don't want to miss these ... highly recommended.  

Here's an Amazon link as well:  
Click here: http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-March/e/B006H7VNB0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1358634246&sr=1-2-ent  

IF I COULD CHANGE JUST ONE THING ... Volume Three would already be in the works!!! This is a GREAT series of books about the artists and music that we love ... and I hope the series continues. Put me down as a permanent reader! (kk)  

By the way:  Jeff March tells us that another volume IS being planned ... perhaps updating the series into the '70's this time around ... so stay tuned!  (Boy, we've got some GREAT artists on our list who would make EXCELLENT candidates for your '70's book ... let us know if we can help!)

RANKING THE '60's

We sure do love lists!  

In fact, we've got quite a few of them posted on the other Forgotten Hits Website:   
Click here: Forgotten Hits - Home  

Even better if we can "rank" things ... and we've got quite a few of THOSE lists posted, too.   

Sometimes it's a mathematical process ... for example when we put together our list of The Top 200 Biggest Two-Sided Hits Of All-Time, we took the COMBINED performance of both sides of these singles and then, through a point system developed by chart statistician Randy Price, who monitored the chart history of all of the two-sided hits to ever hit Billboard's, Cash Box's or Record World's Top 40 Charts, awarded points and ranked the results accordingly. Then, to compliment this chart, we asked our readers to choose THEIR All-Time Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides ... records that DIDN'T make the The 40 and, in most cases, didn't chart at all ... but still deserved some recognition as a GREAT track. The results of that poll (which garnered over 65,000 votes when all was said and done) is also published on the site ... but these are CHOSEN favorites, determined strictly by the results of your votes.   

Similarly, we have The Top 50 All-Time Greatest Instrumentals posted on the site. The FIRST list is again a mathematical ranking based on the actual chart performance of these tracks. The SECOND list is a 20/20 Hindsight Poll, executed to determine which of these tracks have stood the test of time and remained our favorites all these years later. As such, you'll find that "The Theme from 'A Summer Place'", which topped Billboard's Top Singles Chart for ten weeks back in 1960, is the far-and-away biggest instrumental hit ever. However, when it comes to public opinion, it is eclipsed by Santo and Johnny's timeless hit "Sleep Walk", probably because it has been used in any variety of movies and ad campaigns since it first hit the charts in 1959, while the Percy Faith hit seems to be forever tied to the original motion picture from where it came. (Even so, it STILL placed at #2 on our "favorites" list ... while mathematically "Sleep Walk" could only muster a 23rd Place showing!)  

Recent Forgotten Hits Polls have helped to determine The Top 50 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands, The Top 20 All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Songs and The Top 100 Greatest Songs of Summer. Again, these were "subjective" polls, the results of which were determined by the votes cast by our readers. (In the case of the Favorite Summer Songs, we also ran a year-by-year recap of the ACTUAL Biggest Songs for Each Summer, again based on chart performance during the months of June, July and August.) 

Anyway, because we absolutely LOVE lists like these, we immediately fell in love with FH Reader Dann Isbell's new book "Ranking The '60's". (Jefrian Books, $29.95)

This is an INCREDIBLE body of work that mathematically ranks the 6800+ hits (by the 1800+ artists) that hit Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart between 1960 and 1969 ... an all-inclusive list of EVERY record's performance. (It makes for the perfect compliment to all of the Joel Whitburn / Record Research books, too! In fact, Joel has several books available now that are dedicated to the '60's, including one that features an actual reproduction of The Billboard Hot 100 Chart for EVERY week of this decade ... along with another book called "Across The Charts" that shows, by way of side-by-side comparisons, every record to hit Billboard's Pop, Country and R&B Chart during the decade. Joel's books (regarded as the industry's bibles) are available through his website, Click here: Joel Whitburn's Record Research | Music & Billboard Charts Data.   

While the Whitburn books are sorted by artists (with a chronological list of all their hits listed below their names), Dann Isbell has taken this one HUGE step further. He, too, has compiled a complete list of records charted by artist (along with the point totals that each earned during its run on the charts) but then also provides additional lists showing the ranking of each artist to make the charts during this incredible decade. (Not surprisingly, The Beatles came in at #1 ... somewhat surprisingly Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee and Ray Charles came in at numbers 2, 3 and 4, with Connie Francis, Chubby Checker and Sam Cooke all making The Top 20.) Radio today has brainwashed us into believing that the '60's began with The British Invasion in 1964, completely overlooking all that came before it in the way of current airplay ... Isbell's book clearly shows otherwise.  

But the coupe-de-grace, grand-daddy list of them all is his numerical ranking of EVERY hit, listed from the smallest (#6835 - "We Got The Winning Hand" by Little Milton, a song that earned exactly one point when it spent one week at #100 in 1966) all the way up to #1 ("The Twist", a #1 Hit TWICE for Chubby Checker in both 1960 and 1962.) Its combined point total of 8823 places it ahead of The Beatles' nine week #1 chart-topper "Hey Jude", which earned 6960 points all on its own. And, since we mentioned it earlier, the Percy Faith instrumental "Theme from 'A Summer Place'", a ten week #1 Record, came in third for the decade with 6551 points.  

What's really nice about a list like this is that it's as precise and accurate as it can be ... this book presents nothing but the facts, Jack ... all emotion and personal preference are left by the wayside as this book reflects the TRUE results of these records as they actually charted in Billboard in the '60's. Every record was rated the exact same way, without bias ... and the end results are indisputable. They may not be your favorites ... they may not even be the way you remember things (or the way you've been led to believe things were, based on the subsequent 50 years of airplay) ... and, quite honestly, there may be a few moments of head-scratching when you look at some of these songs and titles, simply because they've been absent from the airwaves for SO long now that MOST folks have completely forgotten that they ever even existed ... much less charted as well as they did.   

Because of this unique point system, you can see at a glance the biggest chart hits that each artist attained during this decade, regardless of what any given record's chart peak position may have been. 

Here is a perfect example, quoted right from Dann's book:  

Based on this compilation's ranking methodology, the THIRD most popular hit by Paul Revere and the Raiders, "Just Like Me", was actually the group's FIFTH highest peaking title on the Hot 100, at #11. Looking solely at peak position would lead to a mistaken assumption that both "Him Or Me, What's It Gonna Be" at #5 and "Hungry" at #6 were necessarily more popular" ... when in reality, this simply isn't the case.  Despite peaking at #11, "Just Like Me" earned more points overall for its total chart run.  And, for the record, based strictly on each song's chart performance, Paul Revere and the Raiders' Top Five Singles are: "Kicks" (1709 points, #4 Billboard Peak); "Good Thing" (1379 points, #4 peak); "Just Like Me" (1227 points, #11 chart peak); "Hungry" (1020 points, #6 chart peak) and "Him Or Me, What's It Gonna Be" (1015 points, #5 chart peak).  

Because of detailed information like this, this book provides HOURS and HOURS of reading enjoyment with all kinds of cross-referencing to the various categories listed. If you're a chartaholic like me, you'll find yourself going back to it again and again and again. In fact, this book (coupled with the previously mentioned Joel Whitburn book "Across The Charts") would be the only required tools necessary to properly program a radio station like XM / Sirius '60's Station, dedicated to playing nothing but the music of the '60's (once you throw in all of the mandatory album tracks, of course!) DeeJays take note: Dann's book also provides the PERFECT format for countdown shows ... in fact, he's already doing his OWN on Live365.com Radio right now!!!  

I unleashed my oldies station for 24/7 broadcasting over Live365.com three weeks ago and it's already ranked at No. 85 in listener hours for January in the oldies genre -- and that's without any promotion. If you mention 60's Countdown Radio in your book review of Ranking the '60s, a leap into the top 70 seems entirely possible within weeks of the review.
-- Dann   

Always happy to help ... tune in, folks ... you're going to hear quite a few things here that you never even knew existed. (In fact, quite honestly, once you get past about #3000 it's hit or miss, even for a '60's aficionado like me!!! lol) Dann's book also includes a killer trivia section, not designed for the weak of heart or mind ... there are some REAL toughies on this list!!!   

While I was fortunate enough to receive a hard copy of this book, it sounds like it is primarily being sold as an E-Book Edition. You can find complete ordering information (as well as view sample pages from the book) via the link(s) provided below. 

Here's more from Dann:   

I can now give you ordering information for the eBook, Ranking the '60s: A Comprehensive Compilation of the Chart Songs and Acts from Pop's Golden Decade.
I think your readers will be pleasantly surprised at this new resource for the oldies community in general and to Forgotten Hits readers in particular.

http://ranking-the-60s.com/   

Once you're there, you'll be able to do several things besides ordering Ranking the '60s:  

1. View a flipbook to sample pages from Ranking the '60s.
2. Read posts about the seven countdown shows now playing 24/7 at my Live365 station.
3. Preview audio of song extracts for currently running shows at the station.
4. Vote for the next countdown show (or email me a preferred theme to add to the choices).
5. Join my email alert group to receive information on future countdown shows.
6. Link to my station, 60's Countdown Radio.I'm putting my heart and soul into this project and hoping for the best.

Thank you again for your support and glowing endorsement.

All the best,

Dann   

Order your copy through the website link provided above ... and be sure to tune in and listen to Dann's official countdown show, too!!!  

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING: The principle list, ranking the top 6835 records to make the countdown does not show the points earned for each record. In order to determine this, you have to flip back to the artists section of the book as a way to cross-reference this information. I would find it far more helpful to have that information incorporated as part of the list. This way, at a glance, one could see the relative popularity from one song to the next. For example, I mentioned that "The Twist" outscored "Hey Jude" by almost 2000 points ... that's a pretty big gap between #1 and #2. But "Hey Jude" only earned 400 points more than the #3 Hit "Theme from 'A Summer Place'". This information becomes more pertinent as you work your way down the list. I'm sure you eventually hit a point where songs may only be separated by a point or two ... and, in many cases, there were also ties, broken by the song that reached the highest chart position, the number of weeks spent in its peak position, weeks spent in The Top 10, Top 40, total weeks on the chart, and, if after all this criteria was met if a tie STILL existed, by the song's final rank for its given year. (Whew! That's about as extensive a tie-breaker criteria as I've ever seen!) This information at a glance would be most helpful ... and, when Dann sees this, he very well may change and update it! There is NO question that he wants to present the most complete and accurate book documenting this era possible ... and to that he has succeeded ten fold. (Now if we can just fix this one little thing ... lol!) kk

Book Reviews (Part One)

You'll find our first two book reviews posted today ... but first a little bit of catching up ... 

re: SAD NEWS:  
Hey Kent,

Sorry to report that original Letterman and the one who first suggested using the Lettermen name for the group, Bobby Engemann, passed away this morning about 1:30 am in Provo, Utah, due to complications from heart bypass surgery. He was 78 and a much loved, gentle and spiritual man.

He will be missed.

Lettermen / Reunion

Gary Pike

Very sad news indeed. Thanks for letting us know, Gary ... condolences all around.

Gary's brother Jim has just written a book ... and as a co-founding member of The Lettermen, I think you'll find it quite interesting.  Keep watching these Forgotten Hits pages for our review, coming up later in the week. (kk)   

re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:

Kent,
Two things came to my mind today after reading your Sunday comments. First, during your discussion on the tour of Route 66 reminded me of the tune by Nelson Riddle out of 1962. Occasionally, stations would turn the record over and play the flip side, a song which the Ventures also recorded.
Finally, you mentioned at the end you felt like going in to the kitchen and taking some Alka Seltzer and putting it into a glass of water. Would you believe the other day I felt like going in to my kitchen and pouring me a cup of Folger's coffee (a beverage I don't drink at all) after thinking of another record I haven't heard in many years, also out of the year 1962. Know which one I'm talking about?
Larry   

Could it be this one???  

 

Let me know if I guessed right.  But the more I thought about it, the more I think it was Maxwell House ... and not Folgers ... that used the little percolator jingle.  Anybody out there know for sure?  
Billy Joe and the Checkmates took their "Percolator Twist" into The Top Ten in 1962.
I neglected to mention yesterday that the instrumental T-Bones hit "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)"   (#3, 1966) consisted of Donny Hamilton on guitar, Joe Frank Carollo on bass and Tommy Reynolds on drums.  Five years later, these same three guys would SING their way to the top of the charts with "Don't Pull Your Love", a song first offered to ... and rejected by ... The Grass Roots!  Four years later they topped the charts again with "Fallin' In Love".  (kk)

re:  THE BOOK REVIEWS:

I saw that you were going to do book reviews next week.

I leave you with this question ... When do you find time to read???
Frank B.

I spend a lot of time in the bathroom!!! (lol)

 

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This week we'll be catching up on some book reviews that have been piling up.  The holidays brought a slew of new releases ... as well as ample time to catch up on few others that have been piling up in my collection.

You'll find ALL of these titles recommended to our readers ... and ordering information for each is included in the review.

Enjoy ... and feel free to submit your OWN reviews for any of these titles. 

First up today ... two beautiful "coffee table" books.  

FOREVER YOUNG: The Rock And Roll Photography of Chuck Boyd (Edited by Jeffrey Schwartz)  

$39.95 - Santa Monica Press  

A beautiful book from cover to cover ... and a "coffee table" display item to be sure. Boyd was a top-notch rock photographer and some of his best work (much of it previously unpublished ... and never collected with so much love and admiration) is on display here between these covers. 

Kicking off in 1965, Boyd captures up-close-and-personal shots of The Rolling Stones, James Brown, The Beach Boys, The Dave Clark Five, They Byrds and so many other of the hit artists of the day. Photos include on stage performance shots as well as more casual off stage photos as well, along with the typical "posed" shots so prevalent at this time. Several of these photos come from TV appearances on programs like "Shivaree", "The Lloyd Thaxton Show", "The Big T.N.T. Show" and more ... all in glorious black and white. (In fact, there isn't a color photo in the entire book, thus perfectly capturing the time in all its glory.)     

Moving forward through 1978 we're treated to one of a kind pictures of Phil Spector, The Four Seasons, Bob Dylan, a great shot of Sonny and Cher from the 1966 Grammy Awards Show, a classic spread of Simon and Garfunkel from "the early years", The Temptations captured live in action, along with many more of the "one hit wonder" artists of these years. 

While 1967 launched the psychedelic era, "Forever Young" kicks off the year with a GREAT shot of Little Richard sweating up a storm at the mike in a Columbia Records recording studio. We then get The Monkees, The Mamas and the Papas and The Supremes before we finally hit The Monterey Pop Festival with outstanding shots of The Buffalo Springfield (with David Crosby playing along!), Ravi Shankar (who absolutely KILLED at this show), Brian Jones of The Stones having a drink with John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, The Who live on stage, and much, much more. '67 wraps up with a candid shot of Grace Slick backstage (looking absolutely beautiful by the way) followed by an on-stage shot that's about as close as Boyd comes to black and white psychedelia.

Things get a bit heavier (as they really did!) as we enter 1968. This chapter kicks off with pictures of Eric Clapton and Cream, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead and a great on stage shot of Deep Purple from their appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show" (amazing!) 

As the '60's morph into the '70's, we're treated to shots of Led Zeppelin, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Santana, more from The Who and The Stones. The '70's photos move pretty quickly ... clearly Chuck Boyd's niche era was the mid-to-late '60's ... but we still get some timeless photos of Led Zeppelin, an almost-Amish-looking Mike Love of The Beach Boys, Elton John and some great shots of Kiss, Dick Clark interviewing John Kay of Steppenwolf, Fleetwood Mac and Queen.

Cover to cover, an absolute delight of photographs ... and the perfect addition to your music book collection. An excellent collection of Chuck Boyd's work. Highly recommended. (kk)   

Available here: Click here: Forever Young: The Rock and Roll Photography of Chuck Boyd   

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING: I can't think of anything ... other than perhaps a few more shots from the '70's to balance things out. The nine year period between 1970 - 1978 is covered in a brief 58 pages whereas the other years are far more extensive. And (only as a matter of personal taste) maybe a full color centerspread of photos ... 8-16 pages ... just to mix things up a little bit. However, I have to admit that most of these black and white shots are quite breath-taking ... and VERY classy looking. 

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101 ESSENTIAL ROCK RECORDS: The Golden Age Of Vinyl, From The Beatles to The Sex Pistols (Jeff Gold)  

$39.95 / Gingko Press 

 
Another pretty amazing collection of photos adorn this book, albeit it this time primarily album covers (both front and back), liner notes and centerspreads. (There's even a special section dedicated to "banned" and "amended" cover art, showing classic shots of Jimi Hendrix, surrounded by topless beauties, The Mamas and the Papas in the bathtub with the toilet still fully exposed, John and Yoko, also "fully exposed", on the cover of their "Two Virgins" album, along with the infamous Beatles "Butcher Cover". The Lynyrd Skynyrd "flames" cover for their "Street Survivors", immediately pulled off the market when their plane crashed a few days later ... I had a bunch of these in my collection at one time ... The Blind Faith / young teen boobs cover ... even a shot of Moby Grape drummer Don Stevenson "flipping the bird" on the cover of their debut album! Some cool shots indeed!)

The book itself (250+ pages) pays homage to the greatest albums ever made ... but it should be noted that this is not a "ranking" of these LPs but rather a chronological listing showing the importance each of these releases had on the music industry, the public and future musicians. (In fact, to that end you'll find commentary from the likes of Graham Nash, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Suzanne Vega, Robyn Hitchcock and more, all sharing the effects these releases had on them personally.)  

When it says "From The Beatles to The Sex Pistols", that's pretty much the scope of this tribute, kicking off with The Beatles' "Please Please Me" album (released in March of 1963 on the British Parlophone label) through 1977's "Never Mind The Bollocks - Here's The Sex Pistols".

The book has a decidedly British feel to it. ("Please Please Me" never "officially" came out here in The States until long after The Beatles had disbanded ... in fact, their first LP here in America was "Meet The Beatles", a derivative of their second British release "With The Beatles".) It certainly had an impact ... in fact, four Beatles albums made the list: "Please Please Me","Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and The White Album. Incredibly (and inexplicably) "Abbey Road" did NOT make the final cut, nor did the very influential "Rubber Soul"!  

In between, you'll find in-depth listings and profiles of Bob Dylan ("The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan", "Another Side Of Bob Dylan", "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde On Blonde"), The Rolling Stones ("The Rolling Stones", "Aftermath", and "Exile On Main Street") as well as most of "the usual suspects": "Pet Sounds" by The Beach Boys, "Are You Experienced" and "Electric Ladyland" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Disraeli Gears" by Cream, "Music From Big Pink" by The Band, the previously mentioned "Blind Faith" album, "In The Court Of The Crimson King" by King Crimson, "Tapestry" by Carole King (and "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, two releases that, in this company, seem a bit out of sorts ... but landmark LPs nonetheless), "Dark Side Of The Moon" by Pink Floyd, "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen and "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac.

There are also a few surprises: "Bayou Country" by Creedence Clearwater Revival??? It's not even their best album! The first Led Zeppelin album (while "Led Zeppelin II" and "Led Zeppelin IV" are ignored). "The Psychedelic Sounds Of" The 13th Floor Elevators, Tim Buckley's "Goodbye And Hello", "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" by The Small Faces, "Oar" by Alexander Spence and "Tago Mago" by Can are just a few others that may leave you head scratching.

Overall, however, this book is beautiful from cover to cover, and highly informative, too. Great, in-depth profiles of every LP and artist are covered, even if some absolute "essentials" may appear to be missing. No "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel? How about the  "Woodstock" soundtrack album or "Abraxas" by Santana? No "Sticky Fingers"? "Harvest" by Neil Young? What about "Eat A Peach", "Fragile" or any of the classic Elton John albums that topped the charts throughout the '70's? Likewise for Stevie Wonder, who dominated the Grammys during this era. McCartney's "Band On The Run" ... ANYTHING by The Moody Blues ... heck, even "Frampton Comes Alive" ... which was certainly revolutionary at the time. "Hotel California"? ALL of these great albums came out during the era covered (1963 - 1978) and all have been overlooked. (In all fairness, other titles by some of these artists ARE included ... but a good deal of them seem to be inferior or have had lesser impact on the folks who actually went out and bought these LPs.)

The book is sure to spark some controversy as you make your own lists ... which is actually part of its charm. Very well done, documented and beautifully designed. Recommended. 

Available here: Click here: Amazon.com: 101 Essential Rock Records (9781584234883): Jeff Gold, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Devendra Banhart, Peter   

IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING:   I probably would have made it more "universally accessible" in content, especially for marketing here in America. "Please Please Me" absolutely helped establish what a long-playing record could be, more than just two hit singles and a bunch of filler ... but the truth is, The Beatles recorded that entire LP in a day ... and the majority of it was filled with covers that they used to do in their Hamburg stage act.  It's hardly a revolutionary piece of art.  And, because most of us never actually heard it at the time, "Meet The Beatles" would have been a more likely (aka "universal") choice. And I know there are only 101 spots available but still, how do you leave off "Rubber Soul" and "Abbey Road"? And instead award spots to artists like Kraftwerk (seriously ... "Autobahn" over "Come Together" and the Side Two Medley from "Abbey Road"?!?!?!), The Modern Lovers, The Damned, Can, Faust, Big Star, The Move, Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, Alexander Spence, MC5, The Soft Machine, The Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Leonard Cohen, The Incredible String Band, Tim Buckley, The 13th Floor Elevators, Davy Graham (who?!?!), etc. SURELY eliminating some of these artists would have opened up spots for some of the GREAT, timeless albums we mentioned above. But still, books like this are designed to breed controversy, so to that end, it succeeds brilliantly.  Even if some of your favorites didn't make the list, this book is still a joy to read and devour as you learn interesting facts about all of those titles that DID make the list. (And don't be surprised if reading about some of these doesn't inspire you to check out some of these albums on your own, if only for curiosity's sake!) Not a bad marketing plan at all, is it??? (kk)

The Sunday Comments ( 01 - 20 - 13 )

re: SHINDIG: 

Kent,

Wow! Four clips and check out the line-up! And did you hear Jimmy announce who would be on next? Everyone they just had not shown! The show was all about fun. Music, yes, but presented in just a fun way. Loud fun, maybe, that got my parents out of the room?!

Shelley  

Hi Kent -

Is there any way you could find Dino, Desi & Billy's appearance on Shindig ?

Thanks,

Billy Hinsche

Let me see what I can do. Meanwhile, here's an interesting quote from Shindig Host Jimmy O'Neill:

I helped develop and hosted America’s first live weekly network rock/pop music series, ”Shindig!”, which aired on ABC-TV in the mid 60′s. I was 24 and totally blown away by the opportunity of meeting and appearing with the top music artists of the era. (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ricky Nelson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, The Everly Bros.,The Four Tops, Sam Cooke, Patty Duke, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles , Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, Mickey Rooney (Jr and Sr) , Dino, Desi and Billy, (Lucille Ball was in the studio audience to support her son, Desi Jr. She refused a front row seat because she “didn’t want to upstage Desi”.)

By the way, I immediately found this link on YouTube:

Click here: Dino Desi and Billy - The Rebel Kind - YouTube ...

However, when you play it, it's actually The Nashville Teens doing "Tobacco Road".

Still worth watching ... but obviously NOT the clip you're looking for!

But I still may have a way to get this for you. Let me see what I can do!

Thanks, Billy. (kk)

Love it! Thanks!

Billy   

re: ON THE RADIO:

The other day in mentioned the Historic Route 66 Radio Tour (in conjunction with my wanting to talk with Jimmy O'Neill of Shindig about possibly making an appearance.) I wondered if there was any news to share in this regard so I contacted Paul Peters over in the U.K. to see if we could get the latest info for our readers ... and for any other jocks on the list who might like to make an appearance.  I know that Carolyn Travis (she of the excellent "Airplay" documentary that we talk about all the time ... running on PBS and now available for purchase here: Click here: Buy DVD of Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio  
Meanwhile, here's the latest from Paul: 

Hello Kent,
Things are beginning to move slowly, and we have been in contact with several guys, including Lane Lindstrom, at WJEZ. WE already knew of him, but it was Bob Mayben, who managed to put us in touch. We have also been told to contact Paul Meacham, and also John Gehron, former PD of WLS Chicago. I have put a message on their 'Facebook' pages, but so far, neither have got back to me.
KOMO, now KOKC in Oklahoma, was suggested as a good station to visit, by Mark Humphrey. It looks fantastic with three large radio masts, painted red and white, just the sort of American radio station that I dreamed of as a kid, and stands, I'm told, right on Route 66. I'm just about to contact them. Joe Sonderman, in St. Louis, got in touch, saying that he was in radio in the 1980's, and he'd be interested in helping us. We also heard from David Blair, who said that he worked for Vern Nolte in Rockford ... When I asked, how can I get in contact with Vern, he came back saying that I'd need a medium!!!!
Mark Humphrey also suggested that we should try and visit WJBC, Bloomington, Illinois, where the Cart Machine was first developed.
I also personally wrote to Gary Stevens, who I used to listen to here in the U.K., at the age of 17, in the mid 60's, on the offshore pirate stations 'Swinging Radio England', and 'Radio City'. In the U.S. he was with WMCA. Gary wrote strait back, within a few minutes, saying how pleased he was to hear from me, and wishing us well with the trip, and saying that he was a big Route 66 fan. We'd really like it, if we could, somehow, arrange for him to meet up with us, somewhere between Chicago, and L.A.
Last year I wrote to a friend of ours, Michael Pasternak, well known in the U.K. and Europe, as the Emperor Rosko. Anyone who has seen the film 'Pirate Radio' will remember the character, the Admiral ... well he was based on The Empero!!! Michael, whose show the 'L.A. Connection', which is aired weekly on Forest FM here in the U.K., and who Geoff and I have worked with on 'Pirate BBC Essex', has said that he'd love to welcome us to L.A. if we make it there. We'll make it, Emp!!!!!

Before I go, I had a wonderful email from Jess, a young lady d.j., on a station in St. Johnsbury,

Vermont. She told me about a colleague of hers on a sister station, in the same building, WSTJ-AM. His name is Don Mullally, and he's been presenting his breakfast show for over 60 years. He started it in 1952, and has been presenting it every morning since then. He's now 83, and I'd just love to meet him. Sadly Route 66 does not run through Vermont. Here's the link to a piece all about him, in the local, Vermont's Independence Voice: http://www.7dvt.com/2011mr-saint-johnsbury  
If you know of any guys or girls, just like Don, please let us know, especially if they live along Route 66!!!!All the very best,

Paul Peters

This is all VERY exciting news ... there are SO many other great DJ's out there, whether it be from yester-year or that are still broadcasting today, that we would LOVE to see included in this historic event. Glad to see that word-of-mouth has been so positive ... I'm really looking forward to this myself! Don't miss out ... drop me a line ... or contact: Paul Peters at paul.peters@live.com or Bish Krywko at rondaradio@hotmail.com, who is telling all of his radio colleagues:  

Hi guys,

We thought you might want to know that a 'Route 66 Radio Tour' is in the works for a kickoff from Chicago to Santa Monica Pier, CA next year. The DJ favorite blog ForgottenHits.com has more about it, as does Route66News.com (see link below). A shout out is going to DJs everywhere along Route 66. Well known radio documentary producer Carolyn Travis ('Air Play', 'Rock Radio Revolution' and 'Rock Jocks: The FM Revolution' ) is planning to document the journey, which will visit radio stations and interview radio personalities, who have been heard on car radios and in communities along the Mother Road over the years. We hope you can be a part of this once in a lifetime event.

http://route66news.com/?s=wrlr&searchbutton=go%21

WRLR 98.3 FM
RONDARADIO, INC.
Round Lake, IL 60073

And you don't have to be a deejay to participate ... we're encouraging ALL fans of radio to come on out and cheer us on as we make this journey from Chicago to LA!!! (kk)   

Just thought I'd share some of the things I've heard on the radio ...

First, I've been back to listening to lots of Y103.9. Their local personality Marci is now out, so virtually the entire station is Tom Kent. I never cared for him, but I realized lately that his show is the best we've got around here. Around 11 PM he runs an all #1's show (might be on earlier as the station actually reruns most of the content), I couldn't believe when I heard these --

- "Magic" - Olivia Newton John

- "TSOP" - MFSB

- "Love is Blue" - Paul Mauriat !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- "The Hustle" - Van McCoy

- "Brand New Key" - Melanie

Anyway, they're a little more 70's based, but there were 60's / 80's too ... but these were some that I hadn't heard in a while. It also was great during the day to here "Come See About Me" again, since Chicago pretty much sent Motown to the trash. Anyway, Tom Kent isn't THAT bad. I still don't get why the far more SUPERB Jeff James can't at least take his Sunday show back to Sat. Nights.

Put Tom on Sundays then, who cares ... Actually, in a perfect world I'd just give Jeff the station!!!!

Continuing my search of a decent station, I found this GREAT online one. I did a search, and it doesn't look like you've featured it, so - check out: http://popgoldradio.com/

It's run out of New Jersey, no commercials, but great jingles in between every song. Don Tandler (creator of it) runs a live countdown show on Saturday afternoons. Plenty of 50's / 70's but very 60's based with a few 80's. All the hits from "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" to "Something Stupid" and plenty of oh wow chart songs like this one -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI3NttjJvBU

So, if you're not familiar with this station, give it a listen!!!

Have a great weekend,

Biondi4Mayor

AJK

Tom Kent has been doing "My '70's Show" and "My '80's Show" for quite awhile now. WLS-FM used to air John "Records" Landecker's syndicated program "Into The '70's" on Sunday Nights ... but now that Landecker has rejoined the station on a full-time basis, they're revamping his Monday - Friday shift to include "The '70's and 7" and "The '80's at 8". (Notice that in keeping with the station's new "identity", which we still hear is driving away listeners in droves, there are no plans for a "'60's at 6" program.) Quite honestly I don't know ANYONE who still listens to WLS-FM anymore ... they have just beaten their repetitive play list into the ground. I've even heard from people who used to have the station on at work that have switched to K-Hits in their offices.

That being said, Y103.9 does have a much larger (and varied) play list but the signal is so weak it rarely comes in clear enough to listen for long periods of time. I've yet to read ANYTHING positive about The Tom Kent Take-Over ... it's just too much (and while I used to like listening to him once in a while in the evenings, Tom Kent all day long is just WAY too much for me ... his act runs pretty thin after about 20 minutes!!!) Even scarier ... last night we were out and about and while I was button-pushing I found Tom Kent not only doing is Saturday Night Request Show on Y103.9 ... but ALSO his '80's Show on The Lite (93.9)! Guess pre-recorded, syndicated programming is the way to go, eh? (Hmm ... how many DJ's is THIS keeping out of work these days???)

Meanwhile, K-Hits has greatly expanded their play list, offering much more variety (and some cool combos of late ... I've recently heard them segue from "Who Loves You" by The Four Seasons, a long-standing station mainstay, into "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC, one of their new "adds". There have been more surprises of late, too, music-wise, rather than just more of the same old / same old ... so when I'm not listening to The Drive or The River, I've been hopping over to K-Hits more often than before. (Would LOVE to be able to work something out with the station regarding a Forgotten Hits tie-in of some kind.) kk  

re: THIS AND THAT:  
>>>As for Dave Edmunds, I have heard the song only once, but his guitar version of "The Flight of the Bumble Bee" ranks him, in my estimation , as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. (Dube)

>>>I tried to find a YouTube clip of him performing "Flight Of The Bumble Bee" but came up empty ... anybody got a copy of this track? (kk)

Dave Edmunds; D'oh! I was thinking Katchaturian's "Sabre Dance" and wrote "Flight of the Bumblebee". No wonder you couldn't find it. 
Dube  
Believe it or not, I had actually considered that this MIGHT be the case. Edmunds' version of "Sabre Dance" is a classic, recorded during his Love Sculpture days.  We've featured it before ... but I have no problem with running it again. (kk) 

Boy, talk about your "one of a kind" recordings! "Rolling Stone Magazine" is reporting that renown record producer Peter Asher (and once half of the hit '60's duo Peter and Gordon) has come across a homemade tape that was recorded in his bedroom featuring Paul McCartney (who was dating Peter's sister, actress Jane Asher, at the time) going over a brand new song that The Beatles (or, more precisely John Lennon) had rejected. That tune, which "wasn't good enough" for The Beatles to record, became the break-through hit for the duo, going all the way to #1 during The Summer of 1964.

On this particular recording, Paul played him a rough run-through of the song, accompanying himself only on his acoustic guitar. In fact, at this point in time, the song's bridge hadn't even been written yet! (Asher says he had to hound McCartney to "finish up the song" as Peter and Gordon had a recording session coming up.) The tape also contains an earlier, faster version of "I'll Follow The Sun", a song Paul had reportedly written when he was just 14 years old, that would ultimately end up on The Beatles' "Beatles For Sale" album (the bulk of which was released here in The States as "Beatles '65").

While there are no plans to officially (or commercially) release these tracks (boy, these would have been interesting additions to The Beatles' "Anthology" series!), Asher IS featuring them as part of his stage show (which just happens to be coming to Chicago next Sunday at The Old Town School Of Folk Music).

We were fortunate enough to see Peter and Gordon perform at Beatlefest a few years back and Gordon Waller even participated with Forgotten Hits for awhile, particularly in regards to the health of his good friend Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five. (Peter and Gordon had reunited to perform at a fund-raising Mike Smith Benefit Concert earlier that year.) Sadly, both Mike Smith and Gordon Waller are no longer with us ... but I imagine Peter Asher has ALL kinds of interesting stories to tell and this Old Town School Of Folk Music appearance should be a real treat. (kk)  

More from the "Rolling Stone" article (written by David Browne) below:   

To the small but growing list of rare Beatles tapes that unexpectedly pop up, add one more: Paul McCartney's solo performance of "A World Without Love," the debut 1964 single by Peter and Gordon that hit Number One in both the U.S. and the U.K.

The only known McCartney version of the song, the tape – featuring McCartney singing and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar – was unearthed a few months ago by Peter Asher, half of Peter and Gordon and the brother of McCartney's girlfriend at the time, Jane Asher. In early 1964, McCartney was living in the Asher family home, sharing the top floor with Peter. "He had two tape machines and I had one – we were both into taping," Asher says. "Paul told me about the song and played it for me."

As Asher soon learned, nothing became of the song. "No one wanted it," he says. "John didn't like it or something." (The song has been credited to Lennon - McCartney, but McCartney apparently wrote it alone.) Billy J. Kramer, a Merseybeat singer of the time, also turned it down.

Not long after McCartney played "A World Without Love" for Asher (who taped it on a reel-to-reel deck), Peter and Gordon, the duo Asher formed with Gordon Waller, landed a record deal. Immediately, Asher asked McCartney if the duo could have the unfinished ballad. "Paul said, 'Absolutely,' but I had to nag him to write the bridge. It came several weeks later, just in time for the session." As a result, the tape in Asher's possession doesn't feature the song's bridge.

Asher discovered the recording (a DAT tape of the reel-to-reel original) in a storage space in L.A. Currently, there are no plans to release it, but Beatles fans can hear it in Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir of the '60s and Beyond, Asher's touring show, which plays shows in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Clear Lake, Iowa, over the next few weeks. Also on the tape, from the same bedroom recording, is McCartney singing an early version of "I'll Follow the Sun," with a quicker, friskier tempo than the ones the Beatles used for their recording of the song.  

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rare-paul-mccartney-recording-of-a-world-without-love-surfaces-20130118#ixzz2IS0wqZTH

Here's the #1 Hit that John Lennon didn't think was good enough!

re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:

I actually popped a couple of Alka Seltzers this morning ... which (naturally!) made me think of this one ... a #3 Hit in 1966.