Some Of Your Mid-Week Comments

LOTS of catching up to do after running a week of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition ... and then no Sunday Comments so that we could tell you about our "Forever Dusty" ticket give-away.  (Have you answered our two-part trivia questions yet???  We've already got about two dozen correct answers ... and one of those lucky folks will win a pair of tickets to see "Forever Dusty" during its Off Broadway run!  We'll pick the winner by the end of the week ... so if you HAVEN'T entered yet ... and want a shot at the tickets (you must be able to attend a performance between March 1st and April 7th in New York City), then scroll down below to Saturday, February 16th, for all the details!  (kk)

Meanwhile, let's get down to it ... 

re: THIS AND THAT:  
OK, THIS one takes the cake!!! Next time someone mentions Chubby Checker, you might want to ask them WHICH Chubby Checker they're talking about!!! Check this out!   
Chubby Checker, Legendary Singer, Sues Hewlett-Packard Over Their Penis-Measuring App With The Same Name ...  
Click here: Chubby Checker, Legendary Singer, Sues Over Penis-Measuring App With Same Name    

Kent ... 
Check out Wild Wayne's Clip of the week. I think you'll like it.  
Frank B. 
Yep, sure do ... I've seen this one before ... but posted below for others to enjoy, too! (kk)

Hi Kent -  
Love the newsletter as always. 
Someone mentioned Gilbert O'Sullivan. He is alive and well and on my radio show. Attached is a "voice drop". 
Regards
Geoff Dorsett  

Here's one you might enjoy. If you've been watching any of those Pawn Stars and/or Antique Road Show programs on the History Channel (where you find out just how much some of your "worthless" junk is really worth), then I think you'll love this brand new show starting on VH-1 Classic next week on February 21st. With a musical slant, it'll showcase rock and roll and other pop culture memorabilia, vintage albums and much, much more. Cleverly titled "For What It's Worth", this show is bound to be a hit with all the collectors on our list who have made places like eBay and Gemm regular stops during the course of their average week. 
More details here:

Click here: For What It’s Worth To Premiere On VH1 Classic On February 21st – | VH1 Blog

Hi Kent,

I was a bit surprised about the stats for the Kenny Rogers posts.

I loved the First Eddition and thought you did a great job. I was one of the folks that did read it every day. <grin>

Nice job once again.

Bill

Thanks, Bill ... I think that makes eight of us!!!  (lol)  kk

Kent,
Have you and Gary considered collaborating to write the penultimate multi-volume encyclopedia of music of the rock era? Seriously, both of your contributions to the DC5 story Monday are very well-written and informative. In fact, Monday's FH was jam-packed with great music and info despite covering the deaths of several important participants in the greatest era of music.
David
PS: Need a copy editor? (peddled)
Gary's already done the ultimate history of rock and roll ... meanwhile, I guess I've dabbled in it, too ... I've just spread mine out over 4800 chapters and the past 13 1/2 years!!!  But thanks for the kind words.  (Honestly, I'd love to work with Gary on a project ... and have been kicking around a few ideas in my head for quite some time now ... it's just tough to devote an enormous amount of time to something that doesn't offer a financial payback of some sort ... but we'll see what develops!!!)  kk

By the way, you'll find info on Gary's latest project below ... 

COMING IN MARCH: The audiobook version of Wes Smith's  

THE PIED PIPERS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL -- the 225-page inside 

stories of rock's most legendary DJs of the '50s and '60s -- 

everyone from Alan Freed and Jocko Henderson to Dick 

Biondi, Wolfman Jack and many, many more. Narrator Gary 

Theroux knew and worked with a lot of them. The 

audiobook version will be available through Audible.com, 

Amazon.com and iTunes. 

The Library Journal on THE PIED PIPERS OF ROCK 'N' 

ROLL: More than a collective biography of famous radio 

disc jockeys, this occupational history traces the influence 

of the profession on postwar music, the rise of the 

advertising industry and the governmental and social 

regulation of broadcasting. DJs were instrumental in 

launching the rock 'n' roll movement by acting as 

middlemen between record company execs and a bourgeois 

post-World War II record-buying public. They also played a 


role in the integration of U.S. society by attracting white 

teens to black rhythm and blues. Smith's work is as 

anecdotal as the patter of the profession he documents.

Author WES SMITH: WES SMITH is the author and 

collaborator on more than 45 published books, many of 

them best-sellers spanning the spiritual, motivational, 

health, medical, business, sports and current events 

categories.

Narrator GARY THEROUX: Telly Award winner and Emmy 

nominee GARY THEROUX started in radio at age 11. As a 

local and national DJ, programmer and music historian, 

Gary got to know and work with many of the broadcast 

legends featured in “The Pied Pipers of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The 

longtime Music & Entertainment Editor of Reader’s Digest 

and author of books himself (“The Top Ten,” etc.), 

Theroux has not only interviewed several thousand 

hitmakers but compiled and annotated more than 300 CD 

box sets with cumulative sales topping 39 million copies. 

He’s also created, written and produced programming for 

Disney, PBS, CBS and syndication, including the Billboard 

award-winning 52 hour “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Gary is 

available for interviews at (203) 847-3085.  

Congratulations to Jimi Hendrix, who just scored his first #1 Single! (What?!?!?)

It's true, it's true! Check this out (from FH Reader Bob Merlis):    

Just a quick note to let you know that "Somewhere," the new single from the forthcoming Jimi Hendrix album People, Hell and Angels (out 3/5), has just gone to #1 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales Chart.

We've pasted the credits below and you'll find John McDermott's liner notes about the track that are included in the People, Hell and Angels package below the cover art.  
Somewhere 4:06  
Recorded At: Sound Center, NY, March 13, 1968 Producer: Jimi Hendrix 
Engineer: Vincent Gagliano, Tom Mucchio, Lenny Stea, Angel Sandoval 
Mixed By Eddie Kramer 
Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA 
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix 
Bass: Stephen Stills 
Drums: Buddy Miles

“Somewhere” was created during Hendrix’s first session in America where he assumed the dual role of artist and producer outside the direct control of Chas Chandler — his co-manager and producer of both Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold As Love. Jimi seized an opportunity in March 1968, squeezing in time at New York’s Sound Center Studios between performance dates on the extensive North American tour that the Experience had undertaken. Hendrix called upon friends Stephen Stills and Buddy Miles for this recording. This would not be a Jimi Hendrix Experience session, but instead an opportunity to explore new creative possibilities.

Work on “Somewhere” began with just Hendrix and Miles and no bass guitar. Stills, normally a guitarist, accepted Jimi’s request to play bass. The trio ran through the song numerous times in an effort to perfect the arrangement and tempo Hendrix desired. This effort led to more structured takes and an exceptional song began to take shape. Jimi then separately overdubbed lead guitar and vocals before work concluded.

Despite its obvious promise, “Somewhere” was not put forward for inclusion as part of Electric Ladyland when sessions for that album resumed at the newly opened Record Plant in April 1968. The master reels created at Sound Center [which would also include “My Friend,” later featured as part of Cry Of Love and more recently, First Rays Of The New Rising Sun] were simply tucked away within the guitarist’s fast expanding tape library.

After Hendrix’s death in September 1970, Eddie Kramer, Mitch Mitchell and assistant engineer John Jansen began to comb through the hundreds of multi-track reels the guitarist had recorded. The first two posthumously issued studio albums — 1971’s Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge — drew largely on material Hendrix had been working on at Electric Lady Studios prior to his death. “Somewhere” was instead considered for War Heroes, the planned third album of studio recordings by Hendrix slated for release in 1972. Alerted to the song by Jansen, Mitchell overdubbed new drum parts at Electric Lady Studios onto take three from reel one in an effort to upgrade the master. Mitchell’s endeavor was hampered by a loping bass guitar part by Stills on that particular take that struggled to maintain time consistently throughout the song. Mitchell and Jansen ultimately abandoned the effort and set the overdubbed master aside. Mitchell’s effort remained unreleased for nearly two decades until it was included as part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience box set in 2000.

Producer Alan Douglas assumed control of the Hendrix tape library in 1974. His first project was the controversial compilation Crash Landing. For that album, Douglas removed nearly all of the original performances by Hendrix’s band members in favor of new overdubs from session musicians. Douglas located the third take of “Somewhere” that featured Mitchell’s overdubs and assumed this to be the working master. Douglas stripped the recording of everything from the original session save for Hendrix’s guitar and lead vocal and added all new instrumentation. This overhauled version of take three from reel one was then issued as part of Crash Landing in 1975.

The master of “Somewhere” presented here is wholly different than either of these previous versions. This is the sixth and final take from reel two. One of the most distinctive aspects of this particular recording would be Hendrix’s wah-wah drenched guitar tone and the assured rhythmic foundation established by Miles. The bass part by Stills is more precise and the playing by both Hendrix and Miles is more forcefully delivered than on any of the preceding takes.  


And congratulations to our FH Buddy Billy Hinsche, too ... he's now one of the counselors at the Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp! More details here:

Click here: Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp / Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp - YOU on Stage with Rock Stars      


Here's a very cool piece on Paul McCartney, Carl Perkins   

and  John Lennon that FH Reader Frank B. found on Ron 

Smith's OldiesMusic.com website: Click here: loveall.    

And, after you read the article, you'll surely want to watch 

this video!    Click here: Carl Perkins ft. Paul McCartney - 

My Old Friend - YouTube   

Hey Kent -

Here's an update on the Sparkletones.

My bass player for Liberty Street Blues Band, Randall Lark, is now in the Sparkletones playing guitar and singing.

Mickey

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20130214/ENT/302141007/1098/ent05?Title=Sparkletones-Welcome-to-the-Spartanburg-Music-Trail  
http://www.goupstate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?category=PHOTOS06 http://soundobservations.blogs.goupstate.com/11043/the-sparkletones-of-black-slacks-fame-on-spartanburgs-wealth-of-homegrown-talent/  

Kent,
While perusing the comments made today ( Tuesday), the group Baja Marimba Band was mentioned. It reminded me once again of their version of GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY which incidentally peaked at number 11 here in OKC back in December of 1966.  Always did like their version though it was not my favorite version of that song.
Larry      

Got this from Tom Cuddy ... here's a recent interview with David Clayton-Thomas, talking about what it was like to step into the lead singer role in Blood, Sweat and Tears after the elimination of Al Kooper:  http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/02/01/the-replacement-singer-interview-with-david-clayton-thomas/  

And, speaking of Al Kooper ...  

re: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY:

Stuffed full of wrapped chocolates, kisses, and trying to come down from Viagra?

It must be February 15th then, eh?

By the way, I have added a Mike Bloomfield Tribute Concert featuring Jimmy Vivino on March 16th, at The Egg in Albany, NY. Tix are on sale at: http://www.theegg.org/events/music

Al Kooper  

re: ANOTHER REASON WHY YOU NEED TO READ FORGOTTEN HITS EVERY SINGLE DAY!:

I have NO idea what prompted it ... but this weekend I got at least four emails announcing the death of songwriter Tandyn Almer ... what happened?!?!? Did the rest of the world just catch up?!?!? We first reported this news back on January 16th ... and even that was a week after his passing!!! Yet I received several links to a Washington Post article that covered his death this weekend! Not quite sure what's up with that but ... to paraphrase Chevy Chase ... Tandyn Almer is still dead. Almer had a hand in writing two rock and roll classics ... "Along Comes Mary", a hit for The Association, and "Sail On Sailor", a Beach Boys classic. (We also reported that he wrote "Marcella", another one of my Beach Boys favorites ... and even featured the track that day.) Anyway, for the benefit of any of you who may have previously missed it, there's the news again ... along with a bit of The Washington Post article that everybody seems so fond of!!!

Tandyn Almer, enigmatic composer of ‘Along Comes Mary,’ dies at 70    

By Matt Schudel, Published: February 16, 2013

When Tandyn Almer was 23, he wrote a catchy pop song that topped out at No. 7 on the Billboard charts. Great things were expected of him as a songwriter, and some thought he might even become a star in his own right. But in all the decades that followed, there were few triumphs, and certainly nothing like the acclaim he received for composing the words and music of “Along Comes Mary.”

In 1966, the bouncy, enigmatic song became the first hit for the Association, one of the most popular bands of the era. Mr. Almer was praised as a musical mastermind who brought a fresh sophistication to the sun-dappled pop-rock of the time.

He was interviewed on national television by Leonard Bernstein, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and recorded an album of his own music. He became a close friend of Brian Wilson, the troubled creative force of the Beach Boys, with whom he collaborated on a couple of tunes in the 1970s.

And then he disappeared. 
When vague desire is the fire in the eyes of chicks

Whose sickness is the games they play ...

And when the morning of the warning’s passed, the gassed

And flaccid kids are flung across the stars.

Was the song about a girl named Mary, the Virgin Mary or, as many thought, the effects of smoking marijuana? Even today, Jim Yester, who sang “Along Comes Mary” on the Association’s original recording, occasionally reads the lyrics to audiences before singing the song.

“It is mind-blowing when spoken, as opposed to being sung,” Yester wrote in an e-mail. “An amazing set of lyrics. What it is saying . . . your guess is as good as mine.”

If anyone asked Mr. Almer, he wasn’t coy about the meaning: Yes, of course, it was about marijuana.
You'll find the complete Washington Post article here ... a full six weeks after his passing! (Incredibly, they presented this as "news" on February 16th ... Almer passed away back on January 8th!)  
Click here: Tandyn Almer, enigmatic composer of ‘Along Comes Mary,’ dies at 70 - The Washington Post

re:  TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HIT:
We lucked out again here in Chicago weatherwise last week.  Although at one point we probably had somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 or 9 inches of snow on the ground, it virtually all disappeared on one very rainy, 50-degree day.
And believe me ... NOBODY in the entire city was happier than our dog Cha Cha to see the GREEN GRASS again!!!
  

 

Let's just say that no matter what Frank Zappa may have taught us way back when, Cha Cha just never really "warmed" to the idea of peeing in the snow!!!  (Let's just say we have several "Clean Up On Aisle Nine" moments in the house as a result of this inconvenience!!!  lol)

But this whole experience DOES allow us the chance to feature a GREAT Gary Lewis and the Playboys track that's been missing from the radio for far too long.  
Yet another legitimate Top Ten Hit that has all but disappeared from the airwaves.

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition - Your Comments

re: KENNY ROGERS AND THE FIRST EDITION:  

When you brought up 'Funny How Love Can Be', it reminded me of seeing Harper's Bizarre in college, which reminded me of seeing The First Edition in college (before they were Kenny Rogers and The First Edition). So I went youtubing (love that sport). WOW!!! I have the records, but to see the performances again, and to see how grrrrreat Kenny looked with his longish brown hair and beard (and vested, fringed outfits?) was a fun sing down Memory Lane.  
Hmmmmm. According to your info The First Edition was Kenny Rogers and The First Edition by the time they hit my college, but were not advertised as such for the concert. They WERE introduced as 'Presenting Kenny Rogers and The First Edition'. Maybe they just had old posters to use up?? hahaha

So THAT's where I saw Mickey Jones ... Home Improvement!

Kenny was not hip enough? He had to grow out the hair, the beard, pierce the ear, and tint the glasses? That is how I remember seeing him live. And what a handsome draw he turned out to be. There were just too many people in the New Christy Minstrels, coming and going, for me to pick out specific people. For me, it was a listening experience. The individuals counted less than the whole. I know when I went to youtube to watch 'Ruby' last week, my jaw dropped when I saw Kenny. Then I remembered the effect of the live concerts. The rest of the band is frozen in time for me, but since Kenny Rogers went on and morphed as needed, I had forgotten what I used to see.  
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano 

  

Hey Kent,

Just wanted to say that one of my very favorite parts of one of your stories about a particular artist is how we get a chance to see how their careers intertwined with so many other artists that went on to become so famous. Very interesting stuff.

Thanks

Stacee  

Great profile of Kenny Rogers & the First Edition ... but I caught one glaring omission. Nowhere to be found was Kenny's 1969 hit 'Ruben James'!  
Brad

Actually, we left that one out intentionally, because we had just featured it in our on-going "Today's Forgotten Hit" series a couple of weeks ago ... and figured most of you had just heard it. But I always liked that one, so let's feature it again here now as a Kenny Rogers "extra"!
 

By the way, since our series first ran in 2004, we have learned that Kenny's first solo hit, "That Crazy Feeling", released in 1958, DID, in fact, hit the national pop charts, where it climbed to #77 in Record World Magazine ... and all the way to #51 in Cash Box!  (It had failed to chart in Billboard ... and, with those kinds of numbers from the other trades, I find that a bit surprising.  At the very least, I would have figured it would have registered as a "Breakout Hit" in Houston in Joel Whitburn's new book ... but apparently it didn't ... which makes me question just how big the record really was locally.  Then again, it was evidently big enough to climb half-way up the chart in Cash Box Magazine!!!)  kk  


Kent,
While reading your FH series this week on Kenny Rogers, the group Back Porch Majority was mentioned. It reminded me of a record I haven't heard in years. Had to get it out and play it, as they say, "one more time". The record in question was SECOND-HAND MAN out of 1966 on Epic Records. In May of that year, it peaked here in OKC at #8. Obviously the group New Christy Minstrels would come up. When I think of that group, the number one song to come to my mind is the obvious one, GREEN GREEN out of 1963. I always liked their follow-up SATURDAY NIGHT. But the one record I really liked that they did was the one they came out with in 1965 ... CHIM CHIM CHEREE. Not that song but the flip, YOU GOTTA QUIT KICKIN' MY DOG AROUND.
The DJ at the time who was working 7 pm - 12 midnight would play that song instead of CHIM CHIM CHEREE. I guarantee you when I finish sending you this e-mail, I am going to go in and play it as they say, "one more time".
Larry  

Thanks for putting together the Kenny Rogers series.

Looking forward to another installment tonight.

Dann       

>>>When "Just Dropped In" was written (by country songwriter Mickey Newbury), it was first offered to Jerry Lee Lewis, who turned the song down flat!  (kk)
This will come as a surprise to Jerry Lee Lewis, as he recorded the song in 1967 and released it on his LP Soul My Way (Smash Records).
– Randy Price  
Turning something down means you don't end up recording it, right?? Jerry Lee Lewis was, in fact, the first artist to record the song, issued on his Smash LP Soul My Way.

Tom Diehl  
Wow! We've been reporting it this way for nearly a decade now! And it isn't just us ... I've seen it printed in several different liner notes ... and it's even reported that way in Kenny Rogers' brand new auto-biography. This is a VERY cool new discovery! (I even sent it along to Scott Shannon to feature on his next edition of "Rock And Roll Remakes" on The True Oldies Channel!) And, listening to it, it's really not a bad version at all ... certainly a whole lot more country (which is to be expected, having been written by Mickey Newbury) ... but it also sounds like everything else Jerry Lee was recording at that time. A different interpretation to be sure ... but not bad. Kudos to Kenny Rogers and the First Edition for their totally unique psychedelic interpretation ... the lyrics took on a whole new meaning when The First Edition cut it! (kk)  



Hey Kent,
I'm REALLY enjoying your series on Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Because of that, I have been busting my tail, trying to find all the musicians who played on the recording, "Just Dropped In", with not much luck. Ok, Glen Campbell played the guitar, and Hal Blaine probably played the drums on it. When I first heard the song on the radio, I was fascinated by the bass and vibraphone riff, played in unison, much like the signature sound of George Shearing's jazz groups. I'm going to bet it was studio mallet-man extraordinaire, Julius Wechter on vibes. He was part of the Wrecking Crew, and played on hundreds of tracks by major artists, including his own Baja Marimba Band.
I also like the song "Ruby". There are many songs written about the Vietnam war. Take a look at the list on Wikipedia. My favorite of the bunch is "Home" by Mac Davis.
- John LaPuzza  
I wrote to Denny Tedesco to see if he had any studio information on this track regarding who may have played on it.  If he gets back to me, I'll be sure to let you know.  (kk)


I found the Kenny Rogers series to be a very interesting read. Kudos on yet another job well done in Forgotten Hits -- great profile.

Rick

Sad to say, but I think you may be one of the very few, Rick ... this piece generated the fewest pieces of mail I can ever remember for a Forgotten Hits series ... and, even more incredibly, website readership was down by about 65% the entire time it ran!!! I'm not really sure why this is the case ... these are great tunes ... and even as I re-read and edited the piece I, myself, was impressed by the amount of details we uncovered back in 2004 ... but apparently it just doesn't have the "mass audience appeal" of some of our other series. Even sending out a couple of "reminders" failed to bring people over to the website to read it. As I said, I don't quite get that as, if I do say so myself, I thought it was pretty well done, too! (kk)

Rick Huxley ... and The Dave Clark Five

Because of our week-long Kenny Rogers Series, we're a full week tardy on this one ... but by now I'm sure you all know that Rick Huxley, one of the original members of The Dave Clark Five, passed away last Monday at home in England. 

The Dave Clark Five were always one of my favorite British Invasion bands ... and I have several compilation DVD's of their numerous television appearances. I also had the OUTSTANDING pleasure of seeing lead vocalist Mike Smith perform live in concert several years ago ... and I've got to say, without a doubt, this was one of the GREATEST concerts I've ever seen.  

Here are a couple of comments from our readers on Rick Huxley ... and The DC5 in general. (kk)   

Rick Huxley, bassist with the Dave Clark Five, died Monday (February 11) at his home in rural England. The Dartford native was 72. Though he had suffered from emphysema, he was described as being in good health and no cause of death was given. Formed in Tottingham in 1957, Rick joined the group (originally as a guitarist) the following year and played on 27 charted American records, including "Over And Over" (#1 -1965), "Because" (#3 - 1964), "Bits And Pieces" (#4 - 1964) and "Catch Us If You Can" (#4 - 1965). The quintet made 18 appearances on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and appeared in their own movie, "Catch Us If You Can" (AKA "Having A Wild Weekend") in 1965. Two years after their last American hit, they disbanded in 1970. Rick worked in real estate in later years. The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Said Dave, "He always made me smile and I'll miss that immensely. He was never arrogant and flashy. He was a gentleman and very low key. He was a very, very talented musician and a great friend." Rick's death leaves Dave and guitarist Lenny Davidson as the last remaining members. 
-- Ron Smith (oldiesmusic.com)   

Click here: Rick Huxley Dead: Dave Clark Five Bassist Dies at 72 - Spinner     

Kent -
Don't know if you heard, but this is from the NY Times:
LONDON (AP) — Rick Huxley, a founding member of the Dave Clark Five, one of the most successful British rock bands of the 1960s, died on Monday. He was 72. 

And here's the Reuters report, courtesy of FH Reader Bill Hengels ...   

(Reuters) - Rick Huxley, the bassist for the 1960s British Invasion pop-rock group the Dave Clark Five, has died, the band's leader said on Tuesday. He was 72.

Huxley died unexpectedly at his home in the English countryside on Monday, Dave Clark told Reuters.
The band scored No. 1 hits on both sides of the Atlantic during its decade-long run from 1960-1970.
"Glad All Over" holds the honor of knocking the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" out of the top spot on the UK chart in 1964, while "Over and Over" topped the U.S. chart in 1965.
The cause of death was not immediately known, said Clark, who added that Huxley had been "sprightly and in good shape" despite suffering from emphysema for several years.
"I spoke to him on Friday and he was in great spirits," Clark said in a telephone call. "He went through a recent doctor's check and had a good, clean bill of health. This came totally out of the blue, and I'm just devastated."
Clark remembered Huxley for his modest demeanor and humor.
"He always made me smile and I'll miss that immensely," Clark said. "He was never arrogant and flashy. He was a gentleman and very low key. He was a very, very talented musician and a great friend."
The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Huxley was born in Dartford, England, east of London, the same town that is home to the Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards.
Huxley is survived by two sons and a daughter.  

I always liked the hard-rockin' DC5 -- who, despite rivaling the Beatles in popularity from 1964-7, slipped into relative obscurity in the U.S. because of two things. One was that rock critics who lioned The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks and Dylan never really warmed to the DC5 (inexplicably) -- and tended to ignore them when reviewing the British Invasion. The other reason - which contributed to the above -- was Dave Clark himself. Unlike most artists, Dave managed to own the DC5 lock, stock and barrel -- including owning all of their masters, which were leased to Epic in the United States. Once that deal expired, no new pressings of DC5 tracks were manufactured as Clark refused to license the material to other labels for reissue. (I know -- 'cause I tried many times!) Over time, the copies of DC5 records at radio stations wore out and were not replaced -- and with the public unable to find DC5 records in stores, potential interest in the recordings was shifted elsewhere. Meanwhile, the recordings of all other British Invasion acts continued to be available, at least in various artists compilations. Dave Clark's stubborn insistance on "moving on" continued for decades -- until finally a 2 CD set of DC5 masters was released on Disney's Hollywood Records label in 1994. Still a pain in the ass to deal with, the set was not in print all that long before Clark changed his mind and refused to renew the lease deal. That's why copies of the set today sell for $80 on amazon.

A lot of folks assume it was Clark who sang lead on the group's powerhouse hits. He didn't -- preferring to stay behind his pounding drums and manage the act. Mike Smith was the real lead singer on such classics as "Glad All Over," "Bits And Pieces," "Can't You See That She's Mine," "Catch Us If You Can," "Over and Over," "I Like It Like That," "At The Scene," "You've Got What It Takes" and its excellent B side, "Doctor Rhythm." In total, the DC5 charted 27 times in the U.S. between 1964 and 1968. Interestingly, nearly every one of the DC5's hits -- except for the ballad "Because" -- was a stone hard rocker, much harder than the Beatles and practically everyone else at the time. Yet when hard rock is discussed, the DC5 are almost never mentioned as the pioneers they were.

Although the DC5 generated more than enough votes to enter the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, it's dictator, Jann Wenner, refused to let them in -- preferring his own pet acts, most of whom were typically ludicrous choices. Finally, after word leaked out of Wenner's unfair actions, the DC5 were finally inducted in 2009 -- AFTER Mike Smith had died. With the passing of Rick Huxley, only two DC5 members survive today -- Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson.

Gary Theroux

Dave Clark's infinite wisdom and business savvy only served to cheat himself and his bandmates out of untold millions of dollars over the years.  By keeping The Dave Clark Five catalog under lock and key, they all but disappeared from the airwaves ... this despite an INCREDIBLE track record of 21 Top 50 Hits between 1964 and 1968.  And, with no material available for purchase, this legacy of recorded material earned virtually no royalties for decades.

The group never really changed with the times. It was more due to the teeny-bopper magazines playing up a rivalry to The Beatles (and the fact that these guys were also both talented and cute) that drew the greatest amount of attention to the band ... the real rock critics never took them seriously ... yet they built an impressive chart legacy in a very short period of time. (And, as Gary stated above, the bulk of their catalog was out-and-out rockers!)

Simply put, Mike Smith had one of the best rock voices EVER committed to wax ... if I had to list the ten greatest concerts I've ever seen in my entire lifetime, Mike Smith's solo show at the Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana, would be right up near the top of that list. Here was a guy who had not publicly performed in thirty years but just sat back down at the piano and went through his entire arsenal of hits, as well as many of the early '50's rockers that inspired him to get into the rock and roll business in the first place. Sadly, it was when he returned home for this tour that he fell and became paralyzed for the rest of his life.

He and Dave Clark cowrote most of the band's hits ... so in royalties alone locking this material away cost them big time. (Clark not only cheated himself but all of his former bandmates in this regard. It was a complete disservice to the guys who made HIM an international star.)

Not to mention the licensing they could have gotten by using their material in television commercials and movies. Think of the dvd sales that could have been generated featuring all of their great television performances ... not to mention any number of "new" compilations that could have been released to cash in on the then-new cd technology. (Clark was always guarded about the material his band recorded.  Even when he bought the rights to the hit British music series "Ready, Steady, Go" ... and released a special DC5 edition ... NONE of the performance by The Dave Clark Five actually came from that program!!!) He was a COMPLETE control freak ... and the perfect example of the blind leading the blind. And clearly he STILL doesn't get it ... as this material STILL isn't "legally" commercially available.

For the most part, The Dave Clark Five were a "ballroom band" ... that's what they were used to doing, no matter how hard they rocked. (Their records were recorded SO loudly that even the very first play on your turn-table generally generated massive distortion!!!) But I loved 'em ... and I still do. Fortunately, I've got a pretty complete Dave Clark Five collection, both in terms of music and video ... it's just a shame that the world was cheated out of hearing them for so many years. One cannot help but wonder how the world would view and rank them today had we only had the chance to stay in touch with their incredible legacy of music.

Were they of Beatles caliber as recording artists? No. The Beatles' catalog continues to outsell many of the new artists of today. The Rolling Stones are still touring after 50 years. Even at their peak of popularity, The Dave Clark Five still performed second to Herman's Hermits (after The Beatles) on the charts. But they made a viable contribution to the world of British Rock ... and deserved a better end game.  (kk)  


THE DAVE CLARK FIVE HIT LIST:  
The Dave Clark Five were EXTREMELY popular on BOTH sides of the Atlantic, racking up hit after hit after hit on both the British and the US charts ... but looking at a recap of these chart performances shows a definite edge here in The States, where most of their records out-performed their UK counterparts. They did continue to chart longer in Great Britain, however, scoring Top 40 Hits through the end of 1970.   

Here's a quick comparison as to how these records stacked up on each:   

GLAD ALL OVER - US - 5; UK - 1 (and #1 here in Chicago!)  
This is the record that knocked The Beatles out of the top spot on the charts ... and got The Dave Clark Five machine rolling.

BITS AND PIECES - US - 3; UK - 2

I KNEW IT ALL THE TIME - US - 53; UK - xx

DO YOU LOVE ME - US - 8; UK - 30

CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S MINE - US - 4; UK - 10 (also #1 here in Chicago)

THINKING OF YOU BABY - US - xx; UK - 26

BECAUSE - US - 3; UK - xx 
Incredibly, NOT released as a single in Great Britain ... and Dave Clark had to fight with Epic Records to get them to put it out here ... the label kept telling him "But you're a ROCK band!!!" Apparently nobody ever told the powers that be at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... until they were EMBARRASSED by a public scandal into finally inducting them in 2008.

EVERYBODY KNOWS (I STILL LOVE YOU) - US - 14; UK - 37

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT - US - 9; UK - 25

COME HOME - US - 13; UK - 16

REELIN' AND ROCKIN' - US - 13; UK - 24

I'M THINKING - US - 128; UK - xx

I LIKE IT LIKE THAT - US - 5; UK - xx

CATCH US IF YOU CAN - US - 4; UK - 5

OVER AND OVER - US - 1; UK - 45 
Their only official US #1 Record (It topped all three national charts ... yet never even made The Top 40 in England!)

AT THE SCENE - US - 12; UK - xx

TRY TOO HARD - US - 9; UK - xx

PLEASE TELL ME WHY - US - 18; UK - xx

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP - US - 101; UK - 50

SATISFIED WITH YOU - US - 44; UK - xx

NINETEEN DAYS - US - 45; UK - xx

I'VE GOT TO HAVE A REASON - US - 44; UK - xx

YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES - US - 7; UK - 28

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY - US - 35; UK - xx

A LITTLE BIT NOW - US - 52; UK - xx

RED AND BLUE - US - 69; UK - xx

EVERYBODY KNOWS - US - 41; UK - 2 
Their "comeback hit" here in The States was their version of "You Got What It Takes", certainly one of their best singles ever. But that one topped out at #28 in the UK. They wouldn't score big again in Great Britain until this beautiful ballad "Everybody Knows", which soared all the way to #2 ... and didn't feature Mike Smith on lead vocals, a real departure for the band. (For those who don't know, this record "Everybody Knows" is a completely different song than the one shown above as "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)" ... and is another one of my long-forgotten favorites by the band.)

PLEASE STAY - US - 88; UK - xx

NO ONE CAN BREAK A HEART LIKE YOU - US - xx; UK - 28

RED BALLOON - US - xx; UK - 7

LIVE IN THE SKY - US - xx; UK - 39

PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART - US - xx; UK - 31

GOOD OLD ROCK AND ROLL - US - xx; UK - 7 
Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys had the hit with this song here in The States

EVERYBODY GET TOGETHER - US - xx; UK - 8

HERE COMES SUMMER - US - xx; UK - 44    

MORE GOOD OLD ROCK AND ROLL - US - xx; UK -34 

Another oldies hits medley, much in the same style as the track listed above  

One of the greatest and most anticipated Christmas presents I ever got was The Dave Clark Five's first Greatest Hits album, Christmas, 1965. I must have picked that album up 50 times at the store, holding it in my hands and just WISHING I had the money to buy it. My Mom evidently picked up on my desires and, sure enough, there it was under the tree that year. I played it non-stop ... there was NO filler on this LP ... EVERY track had been a HUGE hit ... and I couldn't get enough of it.  

Ironically, I HATED "Glad All Over" and "Bits and Pieces" when they came out ... and I STILL consider them to be amongst the band's weakest tracks ... but when "Do You Love Me", "Can't You See That She's Mine", "Because" and "Everybody Knows" all came out in quick succession, I was hooked. (Back then it was not at all unusual for a group to release as many as four or five singles in a single year. In fact, The Dave Clark Five scored their first 13 Hits in 1964 and 1965 alone!!! 

TODAY'S FORGOTTEN HITS:

We've got THREE of them for you today ... GREAT Dave Clark Five tracks that radio no longer plays. 

First up, a bonafide Top Ten Hit ... ANY WAY YOU WANT IT ... Tell me that THIS one wouldn't sound great coming out of your radio every now and then!!!

Next, a track I like to call "Country Clark" ... in 1966, the band took a country approach with this one ... and I think they pulled it off brilliantly. America didn't agree ... it only went to #50 on the Billboard Chart ... but here in Chicago (where they did play it), it reached #27. When's the last time you heard SATISFIED WITH YOU???

And finally, since I've already sung its praises, here's the 1968 ballad "EVERYBODY KNOWS", featuring guitarist Lenny Davidson on lead vocals, a real departure for this band.

ALSO SAYING GOODBYE:
Sadly, we lost a few other music luminaries this past week, too.  Here's the scoop on a few others who have recently left us:

From The Rinso Kid:

Tony Sheridan, who has died aged 72, was the hard-driving rock and roll guitarist and singer teamed with the Beatles on their first recording session, when they backed him on the hoary old standard My Bonnie in 1961.

It was that record that first piqued Brian Epstein's interest in the band. When kids kept coming into his record store asking for a copy of the record by Liverpool's very own Beatles ... and he didn't have a copy ... or know anything at all about it ... he decided to go check out the group himself at an afternoon session at The Cavern. The rest, as they say, is history. 



He cleaned up their act (putting them in matching suits and ties, doing away with the leather jackets they were wearing at that point) and then pedaled their efforts to every record label in London, being turned down flat by all of them until Parlophone finally decided to give them a shot. Teamed up with Producer George Martin, The Beatles went on to record a catalog of material unrivaled by any other artist, much of which still outsells much of today's music over 50 years later.

Here's the complete Telegraph article:

Click here: Tony Sheridan - Telegraph
 

When released here in America in 1964, "My Bonnie" became a #26 Hit ... it was a time where ANYTHING with The Beatles' name on it was sure to sell ... so MGM Records put it out (in a plain green picture sleeve with The Beatles name in HUGE type and Tony Sheridan's in much smaller type ... not at all the way the session was booked ... HE was the recording star and they were simply brought in as his backing band) and off it went. 

At that same session, The Beatles were allowed to cut a couple of their own numbers ... one was the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" (a tribute to Cliff Richard's band, written by John Lennon and George Harrison) and the other was a GREAT, rock and roll vocal by John Lennon on the old standard "Ain't She Sweet", one of my early Beatles favorites.
 

From the New York Times ...

Shadow Morton, a songwriter and producer who for a brief, luminous period in the 1960s poured the discontents of adolescence into original hit songs, including “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand),” died on Thursday in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was 71.

-- Mike DeMartino     

Mark Kamins has died of a massive heart attack ... and I havent seen any Madonna comments yet.

But also Shadow Morton is dead.

Is there a definitive answer if Billy Joel played on Remember Walking in the Sand? Seems as though he'd have been too young?

Here's a piece from a Shadow Morton interview I found on the net.

http://www.theshangri-las.com/Shadow%20Morton%20interview.htm

I didn't know he produced Iron Butterfly or Vanilla Fudge.

Maybe I lived under a rock?

Bill

As far as I know, that whole Billy Joel / "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" was just a rumor ... unless he did the session when he was just 15 years old! (I know it's come up a few times now in FH). But if you read that Goldmine interview with Morton, who knows. (Then again he says that the piano player later turned out to be who he believes to be Billy Joel ... or so he's heard ... so it sounds like even Morton himself wasn't sure ... he was just going with the flow of what everybody else had been telling him.  I seem to remember disproving that story quite some time ago. Anybody else able to weigh-in on this with any certainty???) Meanwhile, I've got to admit that that's quite a wide range of musical talent for Shadow Morton ... from The Shangri-Las to Iron Butterfly and Vanilla Fudge?!?!? (kk)   

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shadow Morton, a 1960s pop-song writer and producer whose biggest credits include "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," has died. He was 71.

Family friend Amy Krakow confirmed with The Associated Press on Sunday that Morton, born George Francis Morton, died Thursday in Laguna Beach, California.

Shangri-Las, the girls group from Queens, N.Y., gained fame after recording both "Remember" in 1964, and then "Leader of the Pack," which Morton co-wrote with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Shangri-Las became famous starting in 1964 with Morton's hits.

Morton was born in Brooklyn and moved to Long Island as a teenager.
Krakow said he is survived by three daughters, a sister and three grandchildren.
His death was reported Friday by The New York Times.
-- Rinso Kid  

Here's the Billboard report, courtesy of FH Reader Tom Cuddy:

Click here: George 'Shadow' Morton, Shangri-Las Visionary, Dies at 72 | Billboard  

Hi Kent;
Here is some information on Tandyn Almer in case you didn't hear:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/2013/02/16/76d3ebba-5f44-11e2-a389-ee565c81c565_story.html
Hope all is well with you. I read every one of your blogs.
All The Best!
John Blazier
Carmel, Indiana