But these are some of the big stories and topics that have shown up in my mailbox from the past week …
(There are still about a hundred more emails I haven’t even had time to open yet … so look for a Weekend Comments Page on Saturday … which will mark 21 consecutive days of postings … and we’ve already got pre-posts ready to take us thru next Tuesday!!! Needless today, we’ve ALL got a whole lot of catching up to do!)
Several readers last week sent us in this one, beginning on last Saturday afternoon … but for Forgotten Hits Readers, this was already old news …
Bobby Lewis, '60s Singer and "Tossin' & Turnin" Hitmaker, Dies at 95
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bobby-lewis-dead-singer-dies-at-95-1298323
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bobby-lewis-dead-singer-dies-at-95-1298323
Although the “official” news didn’t break until June 13th, (I saw the story in Ultimate Classic Rock a couple of days later, too), Lewis actually died back on April 28th…. and Forgotten Hits Readers knew about it on May 3rd, thanks to a piece submitted by Frank B., who told us that Wild Wayne had already been talking about Bobby’s death on his program the night before.
Not sure why the family would try to keep things hushed up for so long … Bobby was a Rock And Roll treasure. “Tossin’ And Turnin’” was the biggest record of the year, 1961, topping Billboard’s Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for seven weeks (and Cash Box and Music Vendor for four weeks each.) His follow-up single, “One Track Mind,” also made Billboard’s Top Ten (but fell short of The Top 20 in both of these other publications, peaking at #21 in Music Vendor and #24 in Cash Box … showing again the types of discrepancies one could find in the measurement of popular music back then.)
He was virtually blind since the age of 80 (he died at the age of 98) and if you scroll back to these posts you’ll even a find a photo of Bobby Lewis with Bobby Scammell of The Rip Chords from a show they did together back in 2013.
Guess this puts us one month ahead of the curve … again. (kk)
Tom Cuddy sent me a copy of Ron Onesti’s review of the documentary Laurel Canyon that was published in last Friday’s Daily Herald. It’s right on the money and he gave me permission to reprint it here. (I am STILL amazed at all the never-before-seen footage that was used … and the incredibly high-caliber of that footage!)
[Ron Onesti with David Crosby, after a recent appearance
at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL]
at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL]
Have you by chance been watching the television special about "Laurel Canyon" lately? It is a wonderful "rock-u-mentary" about a small neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains just outside of Los Angeles. For only a few short years, this area was the home to some of the biggest names of the rock/pop/folk culture of the 1960s and '70s.
Frank Zappa and his Mother of Invention band was one of the first major groups to inhabit the wooded area just five minutes from Sunset Strip. But after six months of experiencing that free-love, drug-driven, party culture, Zappa moved to a more secluded house still in the Canyon. He lived there during the years when he produced most of his classic work until his death in 1993.
The secluded, inconspicuous neighborhood became home base for many legends-to-be including David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Jim Morrison, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell, John and Michelle Philips of the Mamas and the Papas, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork of the Monkees, the Eagles, Carole King, Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt. Many more moved in down the street, next door or in the same house together. And the list of iconic visitors is astonishing: the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Alice Cooper, to name just a few.
The television special told the story in the words of those musicians present at that tumultuous time, who pretty much could only agree on one fact: they were all too high too often to really remember what actually happened back then!
The routine for all was about the same -- sleep much of the day, grab something quick at the Laurel Canyon Country Store (where behind it Jim Morrison lived), watch buddies perform at the Whisky-A-Go-Go or the Troubadour Club on the Sunset Strip, then grab a bite at Nate 'n Al's Deli. After that, they would wander into friends' houses (nobody locked their doors) to jam and get high all night. That was their "day at the office."
But as I continued to watch the show, I began to realize just how many of those icons I have been fortunate enough to work with when they performed here! It was a humbling and exciting revelation as I reminisced about some memorable nights with those "historic hippies" at The Arcada.
I never worked with Frank Zappa, but I have done several shows with his son, Dweezil, who was born "in the Canyon" in 1969. Many of the stories he shared about his dad happened within the first 10 years of Dweezil's life there. Did you know Frank offered Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees an opportunity to join Zappa's band but his record company wouldn't let him?
Dolenz was a big part of the scene as the Monkees were just exploding. Micky has appeared many times with us, including three times in an eight-week period in 2019! Davy Jones would also frequent the Canyon because bandmates Micky AND Peter Tork lived there. Peter was known for his nudist parties, often just hanging out or swimming in his pool, totally naked!
Davy was one of my most favorite rocker friends. He also performed at The Arcada on many occasions. Although we never really talked about the Laurel Canyon experience, his numerous references to the "psychedelic years" really make sense to me now that I have seen the LC story!
I have had Crosby, Stills & Nash at The Arcada -- sort of. Their sometimes collaborator Neil Young has never appeared on our stage, but David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash all have, though separately!
Graham Nash was always generous with his time with me, story after story. My favorite being how the CSN&Y song "Our House" came to be:
"Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard. Life used to be so hard. Now everything is easy 'cause of you."
These lyrics were written in about 15 minutes in the house Graham shared with Joni Mitchell. But it almost didn't come to be, because there were two songwriters in the house and only one piano. He said they were both working on album projects at the time, but Joni had dibs on the piano.
Stephen Stills appeared at The Arcada with another Laurel Canyon regular, folk icon Judy Collins, for whom the CSN&Y song "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" was penned. Stills is a true genius who was behind so much of that early pop culture success of bands that included Buffalo Springfield. The musical stroll down their rock 'n' roll Memory Lane was almost too much to handle all at once!
Robby Krieger of the Doors is also a friend of ours who has shared hours of stories with us. I feel I have a true insight into exactly who Jim Morrison was after hearing Krieger share memories with us. Morrison would ride a bicycle around The Canyon, stopping to see friends and writing poetry under many a tree.
When the "next generation"of "Canyonites" moved in, the folk footprint in pop culture also widened. Linda Ronstadt was part of that inner circle, and so was her band, which included a couple guys named Glenn Frey and Don Henley. They were so good playing behind her that they formed their own group with Randy Meisner, Bernie Leadon and Don Felder, calling themselves the Eagles.
Don Felder appears at The Arcada on a regular basis, packed with stories, some good, and some reflecting his unwarranted departure from the band. A story for another day.
Just being in the presence of these icons whose "California sound" helped define a generation has been an amazing thing for me. But after watching how they were all incestuously joined at the hip (and I MEAN at the hip … and below) during their humble beginnings, I realize how lucky I am to have them perform at our humble house.
And watching "Laurel Canyon" background footage from that era was also kind of a reality check. Student protests resulting in four unarmed students being killed at Kent State University, graffiti about ending police brutality, riots over desegregation, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, economic turmoil, cultural breakdowns, loss of faith in government -- it all happened 50 years ago and a bit too real to us today.
Unfortunately, some things don't change. But fortunately, the strength of that music has remained alive. I hope to God THAT doesn't change!
-- Ron Onesti
-- Ron Onesti
[Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles]
I have been fortunate enough to have seen many of the shows Ron references in his article. A couple things that I still find AMAZING now that I’ve seen the complete documentary is that The Monkees were taken in as part of the fellow kinship of this community. (For years, rumors persisted that “So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star” by The Byrds was written about the Pre-Fab Four, who just happened to fall into the top of the charts for two years … as well as the cover of virtually EVERY teenage magazine published during this time … without ever having to “pay their dues” in order to get there and earn that type of attention.) There seemed to be a lot of resentment at the time that these four actors, responding to what amounted to little more than a “Boy Band Ad” at the time, could leapfrog ahead of all of the other talent out there that had been toiling away at their craft for ages. Yet for all the flack they took for not playing their own instruments or being a “real” band, there they were, at the thick of every party, hanging out with the best of them.
I was also quite amazed to see that Alice Cooper was part of this scene so early on. Cooper was born in DETROIT … The Motor City … hardly the aorta of the hippie rock scene … and wouldn’t have his first hit until 1971, by which time the Laurel Canyon scene was already starting to wind down. (Truthfully, anything that happened past the Manson era showed the decline of the era … although acts like The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt … James Taylor and Carole King … and even a comeback, countrified Rick Nelson … were all still key players at Doug Weston’s Troubadour Club.)
Again, you can find this film On Demand (it originally ran on the EPIX Network … and I think it may also be available on Hulu and/or Amazon Prime … check your streaming services to be sure … and it should be released on DVD before the end of the year … just don’t order “Echo In The Canyon” by mistake … it’s a far-inferior capture of the era.) kk
Meanwhile, a series of Ed Sullivan music clips are now becoming available (legally) on YouTube.
Rolling Stone Magazine explains the details here …
Entire 'Ed Sullivan Show' Catalogue Hits Streaming Platforms
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ed-sullivan-show-streaming-1013750/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ed-sullivan-show-streaming-1013750/
And a brief schedule from the first week of programming appears below:
June 12th – Marvin Gaye, “Take This Heart of Mine” (June 19th, 1966)
June 12th – The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love” (September 25th, 1966)
June 12th – The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (October 13th, 1968)
June 12th – The Temptations, “I Can’t Get Next to You” (September 28th, 1969)
June 12th – Neil Diamond, “Sweet Caroline” (November 30th, 1969)
June 12th – The Jackson 5, “Stand!” (December 14th, 1969)
June 12th – Gladys Knight and the Pips, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (March 29th, 1970)
June 13th – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “Yesterday” (March 31, 1968)
June 14th – Four Tops, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” (October 16th, 1966)
June 14th – The Jackson 5, “I Want You Back” (December 14th, 1969)
June 15th – Diana Ross and the Supremes, “Love Child” (January 5th, 1969)
June 16th – The Temptations, Medley: “Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)” / ”All I Need” / ”My Girl” / ”(I Know) I’m Losing You” (May 28, 1967)
Many more to come. (That’s just the first five days shown above!)
[As you can see, ALL of these dates have since passed due to our inability to publish this list in a timely fashion … but the ARE all still available and posted on the brand new Ed Sullivan Show You Tube Channel … with new postings going up every single day. Be sure to visit and bookmark this page in order to stay on top of all of the latest releases! (kk)
You’ll find more coverage here:
Meanwhile, I also talked to Andrew Solt of SOFA Entertainment, who owns the rights to all of this footage regarding what his plans are for this material in the months (and years to come) … and why he has decided to finally make this material available again …
He doesn’t tell us much … it sounds like from this point forward, this is pretty much UME’s deal … but the fact that these will be full-length performances, many of which never made the syndicated “Best Of Sullivan” shows that have been making the rounds for years (and are still running every day on The Decades Channel), I’m thinking we’re all in for a REAL treat, seeing many things that haven’t been seen since their original air date! (kk)
Hi Kent
Exciting launch and turn of events. Don’t know what exactly lies ahead. We’ll see.
I have asked UMe to add you onto their press list so from now on you’re in the loop. They will be the ones coordinating all of the new YouTube clip releases.
Stay well and take care!
Best,
Andrew
You can read our interview with Andrew Solt here:
And our Ed Sullivan Show coverage here:
I got this link from a few readers last week …
How a song is lost seems to have been written just for you.
Bob Merlis
When it comes to the '60s, many hit songs are "lost" at broadcast radio. Even the songs that wouldn't go away at Oldies radio for years get relatively few spins now. But recently, a reader asked about Paul Mauriat's "Love Is Blue," the easy-listening smash that became the No. 2 song of 1968. That song received no monitored airplay last week, giving it the highest "Lost Factor" score so far. But then we found the even bigger song that you can't hear on broadcast radio now. You can also hear more about the "Lost Factor" (our calculation of chart strength then vs. airplay now) on the latest "Radio: What Happened?" podcast. (And if the '60s are too far back for you, don't worry, the Lost '90s are coming soon!)
I used to follow Ross On Radio religiously many, many years ago … he even ran a few of my comments along the way (although he never went so far as to actually plug the website.) Then I was suddenly and mysteriously dropped from the list … tried to re-subscribe once or twice but honestly haven’t seen a single issue since (unless some of you guys send them in to me.)
The Forgotten Hits factor of songs that just completely disappear off the radio radar? What a concept! (And GREAT idea!) Interesting, too, that this week’s edition is “brought to you by” the brand new covers album by The Explorers Club (including a special link to their YouTube clip of “Can’t Find The Time,” the track that WE singled out a few weeks ago. Hmmm.)
Coincidence? Or flattery? Maybe HE’S still reading, even if I’m not! (lol)
Anyway, as part of his article he singles out the most “lost” and overlooked big ‘60’s hits based on airplay from the week before. I’m not sure how he’s monitoring these things, but I can immediately disagree with a few of his Top 15 choices …
#1 – Theme from “A Summer Place” (zero spins last week … but I heard it twice just in my own uncalculated journeys)
#2 – Love Is Blue (zero spins last week … I also heard this one twice last week)
#5 – The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (zero spins last week … I heard THIS one FIVE TIMES spread out over the three stations listed below)
Maybe you’re just listening to the wrong stations, Ross …
Zero in on the stations that SPECIALIZE in playing oldies music and you’ll get to enjoy many of these. Regular-formatted radio? No … probably not a chance … but I can assure you that streamers like Rewound Radio, Me-TV-FM and WCFLChicago.com regularly feature your #1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 13 and at least two of the songs tied for #15. (kk)
More on this topic here:
I have mentioned my friend Steve Summers to you before, a fellow that produces a weekly oldies show called the Oldies Time Machine for a dozen community radio stations across the United States, and even one Internet-only station in the UK. Right now, both Steve and I are trying to research a song, and find out any information about a song that seemed to do nothing at all anywhere in the country except Boston.
The song is called Twist Around The Clock, done by New York City TV dance show host Clay Cole. Although the movie Twist Around The Clock is mentioned in
passing, the song doesn't even seem to be mentioned in any of the Clay Cole biographies I have read online.
I tried to contact Arnie Ginsburg, because I realize that he may have been the disc jockey responsible for pushing that song in Boston, but unfortunately the E-mail address I have for him is old, and the E-mail bounced back to me.
I am thinking that Freddy Cannon might have some information about why this song was such a huge hit in Boston, so I am attaching a message to Freddy Cannon to this E-mail. I know that he reads your Forgotten Hits blog fairly often, but I thought if you sent this message to him because I am assuming you have his E-mail address, then he might be able to answer the question as to why this song was so huge in Boston but nowhere else. The song didn't do a thing on Billboard. Usually if a song is popular in Boston, it's popular all around New England, but not
this song. Although it did get played on WORC in Worcester, Massachusetts, and by the way, despite the spelling, that city is pronounced Wooster, it did not extend to Springfield Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, Manchester, New Hampshire or Portland, Maine.
If you don't want to send this message to Freddy, I will understand, but I don't know who else would know who made this song such a big hit in Boston, and yet is was hardly played anywhere else in the country. This seems truly to be a local Boston hit.
If you don't want to send the message, then perhaps you can edit out the first couple of paragraphs meant for Freddy, and just post the message on your blog, but I really think that probably Freddy will be able to provide more information than anyone else. Thanks for your help in advance.
Sam Ward
I sent your letter to Freddy Cannon on your behalf but, unfortunately, he didn't know anything about this tune. (He also mentioned that Arnie Ginsburg is quite ill right now.) Sorry, we couldn't help you there ... but I'll betcha some of our readers will come up with some more information for you.
I also did a little research of my own …
I also did a little research of my own …
In addition to being big in Boston, I show that this was a “break-out” hit in Dallas / Fort Worth (OF ALL PLACES!) I’m not even sure if Clay Cole’s show was on there!
Joel Whitburn’s book shows it as the theme song to the movie “Twist Around The Clock,” which starred Chubby Checker … so I sent an email to him, too!
Let’s run this past our readers and see what comes back. (kk)
>>>Did you notice that three of the top forty, namely #1 My Baby Loves Lovin’ by White Plains, #9 United We Stand by The Brotherhood of Man, and #24 Gimme Dat Ding by The Pipkins, are all Tony Burrows songs? (Bob Verbos)
Indeed, Tony Burrows is a master of vocal talents. His greatest hits CD is I guess pretty hard to find now, I'm told. His solo version of "Melanie Makes Me Smile" shoulda been a hit, too.
>>>Did you notice that three of the top forty, namely #1 My Baby Loves Lovin’ by White Plains, #9 United We Stand by The Brotherhood of Man, and #24 Gimme Dat Ding by The Pipkins, are all Tony Burrows songs? (Bob Verbos)
Indeed, Tony Burrows is a master of vocal talents. His greatest hits CD is I guess pretty hard to find now, I'm told. His solo version of "Melanie Makes Me Smile" shoulda been a hit, too.
I am glad that Gimme Dat Ding ranks so high. That is a weird and wild one that I don't play every day. I am sending a couple of Tony Burrows cuts from one of my past shows.
The first tells the tale of Dat Ding …
This is from Tony Burrows on his appearances on tv.
Phil Nee - WRCO
Kent,
The video I referred to in my note about Tony Burrows is on You Tube titled “Tony Burrows and Roger Greenaway Interview Reminiscing About Their Chart Hits.”
On the video, Tony and Roger sing portions of My Baby Loves Lovin’, Gimme Dat Ding, and You’ve Got Your Troubles (written by Greenaway and Roger Cook, an all-time great writing duo).
Bob Verbos
I think the clip we ran covered some of this … but here’s the dedicated link that Bob is talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzD8_d8aE_s
Some BEAUTIFUL vocalizing on “United We Stand.”
Which got me to thinking …
Does anybody remember that awesome video of “United We Stand” we ran several years ago sung by Benny Mardones, the “Into The Night” guy, and Teresa James? VERY touching! (kk)
This year’s Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans (originally scheduled for August 7 – August 9) has officially been cancelled. Like their recent East Coast fete, they will offer a virtual online fest instead … more details still to come. (kk)
Speaking of postponements, the new Beatles / “Get Back” / Peter Jackson film (originally scheduled to open here on September 4th) has been pushed back to 2021 due to complications in final editing due to the coronavirus pandemic. (What a shame … I wonder if Apple will still release some type of “Let It Be” 50th Anniversary box set this year … or if that will be pushed back as well. No official announcement has ever been made regarding the release of this project … but it has been highly anticipated since the “Sgt. Pepper” box was released a few years ago.)
The new premier date is supposed to be August 27th, 2021 … now THAT will be an awesome birthday present for sure! (I just can't believe we have to wait another whole year to see it!) kk
Meanwhile, none of this has stopped Paul McCartney from mining his solo catalog.
The next release in The Paul McCartney Collection has just been announced …
A deluxe edition of “Flaming Pie” will be released on July 31st … as well as several other configurations.
This collectors’ item is for the EXTREME Paul McCartney fan, for sure …
The DELUXE edition will feature 5 CD’s and 2 DVD’s and 128 page book.
The INSANELY Deluxe edition features all of the above plus the vinyl versions (spread out over four LP’s) plus an exclusive 12” single of “The Ballad Of The Skeletons” and six Linda McCartney art prints.
THIS edition comes in a cloth-wrapped clam shell box and is limited to a run of only 3000 numbered sets. (And it’ll only set you back $600!!!!!!!)
Guess Macca needs the cash with no tours this year!
Seriously? It’s not even that great of an album! (It has its moments … but you probably won’t find it on many Top Ten lists.)
Even the CD/DVD deluxe edition will run you $259 … still FAR more expensive than most of the other items in this series … for a far lesser quality product.
I dunno … this is the 13th release in the series … and, over an extended period of time, I HAVE purchased the other 12 … but $259?!?!
More affordable versions will also be made available (but without all the bells and whistles) if you just want the music and a bunch of bonus tracks, demos, etc.
All the details can be found here:
(Fans are none too pleased about these outrageous prices, btw) kk
Meanwhile, Happy Birthday to Paul McCartney, who turns 78 today (June 18th) … honest to God, doesn’t it just seem like yesterday when there was all that fuss going on about him turning 64?!?! Where does the time go??? 14 years … zap … gone … just like that! (kk)
We told you last weekend that June 13th marked the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ 20th #1 Record, “The Long And Winding Road.”
Well, Ultimate Classic Rock has taken it upon itself (which they often do) to rank The Beatles’ twenty #1 records … and I found any number of disagreements from the way I would have ranked these, had I been so inclined to attempt to rank these myself.
Take a look at the way THEY rank The Beatles’ twenty #1 hits …
Taking in consideration the impact of each of these singles at the time … how well they have all held up over the past (in some cases) 56 years and their relative popularity over all this time and, of course, the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I would have come up with a few discrepancies (although most of them are pretty minor) … I DO agree, however, that “Hello Goodbye” would finished last and is the unworthiest #1 the group ever received! (And I don’t think it would have been a #1 hit for ANYBODY else at any other time. I’ve got to agree with John Lennon on this one that “I Am The Walrus” was the stronger side … but THAT wouldn’t have made it to #1 either.)
For starters, our Top Four Choices are the same, albeit in a different order for the reasons shown below …
I don’t think “I Want To Hold Your Hand” holds up as well 56 years later as it did at the time … but the impact at the time was indescribable … as such, it HAS to be their #1 #1. (I have always believed “She Loves You” to be the stronger single … it should have been the bigger hit ... and it was in England. Nothing says “Beatles” more to me than the catchy “Yeah, yeah, yeah” lyric and the synchronized mop-top head shakes during the “ooo’s” … but it was “I Want To Hold Your Hand” that stole all the glory.)
Still, I can’t rank “She Loves You” at #2 because there is just no denying how big “Hey Jude” was … #1 for NINE WEEKS on The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart … and their first release on their brand new Apple Records label … coming a year after “Sgt. Pepper” it was like The Beatles were a totally new band by this point. (Perhaps even MORE amazing is what they grew into over such a short period of time! In our eyes, here in The States, they went from "Love, love me do" to "A Day In The Life" in just three short years!)
That puts “She Loves You” at #3 on my list, just ahead of “Yesterday,” which ranks this high only because of the impact it had on the adult audience at the time. It may have been the precise moment where parents, critics and grown-ups in general FINALLY took The Beatles seriously for the very first time. (Of course, us kids knew this all along … but truth be told, “Yesterday” wasn’t the kind of record I wanted to hear The Beatles make … I was still into the high-energy pop of tracks like “Day Tripper” and “I Should Have Known Better,” B-Sides that would have been career-making A-Sides for anybody else.)
Songs where I disagree by five places or more (in both directions) include “Help!” (their #5, my #10) … “Let It Be” was my #5 #1 Hit more because of the lasting impact it has had … “Paperback Writer” (Their #11, my #18 … I just never felt it for this one), “All You Need Is Love” (my #7 and their #12 … it was perhaps, along with Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco,” the Theme Song to The Summer Of Love”), “Can’t Buy Me Love” (my #6, their #14 … the fastest selling Beatles record in history to that point with over a million preorders before it was even released … and still catchy as hell some 56 years later) and “I Feel Fine” (my #13 and their #18 … that accidental feedback guitar opening gave birth to Jimi Hendrix and countless others!)
Surprising #1’s in hindsight: “Love Me Do,” their first British release only got to #17 in the UK in 1962 … but here in America it was an across-the-boards #1 smash … simple but catchy … “We Can Work It Out” (I always thought “Day Tripper” was the stronger side) and “Get Back” … a fan favorite from the word go that just seems to fall WAY below the bar The Beatles set for themselves to my ears. (kk)
Congratulations to DJ Ken Michaels, who just broadcast his 2000th Beatles-related radio program! FH’s very own Shelley Sweet-Tufano tells us that she and Ken go WAY back … and shared this Facebook post commemorating this broadcasting milestone …
Ken and I attend concerts together and we worked together in the Cracker Barrel store.
Shelley
Dion continues to get good press for his new “Blues With Friends” album …
And that feeling seems to be unanimous …
Bob Merlis just told us that Dion’s new CD has topped the chart this week!!!
We’re delighted to report that one week after its release, Dion’s Blues With Friends album is topping the charts. The reception this album has received both critically and, obviously, commercially is especially gratifying in light of the fact that we’re just one month away from Dion’s next birthday. (We leave it to you to look that up because age seems to be a meaningless statistic for Mr. Dimucci.)
Below the chart information you’ll find links to the seven videos from the album that have been released over the course of the past few months.
Bob
Video links:
Song For Sam Cooke (Here In America) with Paul Simon:
Bam Bang Boom with Billy Gibbons:
Blues Comin’ On with Joe Bonamassa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9-7tvS0_nc (This one’s my favorite – kk)
Hymn To Him with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen:
I Got Nothin’ with Van Morrison and Joe Louis Walker:
Can’t Start Over Again with Jeff Beck:
Uptown Number 7 with Brian Setzer:
Link to all of these:
Bob Merlis / M.F.H.
Tom Cuddy tells us that Barry Manilow couldn't be more surprised that he's back on the charts!
Full details here …
And from Rick O'Dell over at Me-TV-FM ...
Just wanted to let you know that The Fourth of July Weekend is going to be fun on Me-TV-FM.
For the first time, we’re doing “Songs Across America: A Virtual Road Trip.”
We’ll be spotlighting songs that mention cities in America.
The list is really quite impressive, from the obvious ones (“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “Tallahassee Lassie”) to some surprising ones, with songs embedded in the lyrics and not the title (“Couldn’t Get It Right” by the Climax Blues Band — L.A. and New York City; and “Moonlight Feels Right” by Starbuck — Baltimore).
Hope you can tune in and listen.
Rick O’Dell
Me-TV-FM
Meanwhile, their Summer Of Me has already kicked off, playing most of the songs listed on our Top 100 Summer Favorites list ... which, we have just announced, we will soon be updating to better reflect TODAY'S Summer Favorites.
Don’t forget to vote NOW for your All-Time Summer Favorites! (Can you believe it’s been TEN YEARS since we last polled our readers for their Favorite Summer Songs???) Email me with up to 20 of your favorite songs of summer and we’ll count down The Top 100 before the summer ends. Just drop me a line at kk@forgottenhits.com … and we’ll take care of the rest! (kk)
Hey, Kent...
I find it a bit strange that nowhere in any of the "polls" for best summer songs is the mention of "Here Comes Summer".
The "hit" version by Jerry Keller was nice, but check out the Dave Clark Five version, which is SO much better than Keller's.
I don't think it ever made any charts, and I've never heard it played on the air. I'm quite surprised.
Mike
I find it a bit strange that nowhere in any of the "polls" for best summer songs is the mention of "Here Comes Summer".
The "hit" version by Jerry Keller was nice, but check out the Dave Clark Five version, which is SO much better than Keller's.
I don't think it ever made any charts, and I've never heard it played on the air. I'm quite surprised.
Mike
Actually the Jerry Keller version has made our list every time. (It came in at #12 last time around.)
I like The Dave Clark Five version, too … but it never goes anywhere …
They should have built it up with each progressive verse … that would have made for a much more exciting record to listen to. (kk)
Kent,
I had time to put my list together. First, I researched Billboard Top 100 and it gave me the dates. From there, I chose the which songs actually came out during the summer months starting 1950's till 1990's. I chose the ones I liked best from there.
Here is the list:
1. All You Need Is Love The Beatles 1967
2. Groovin The Young Rascals 1967
3. Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) Looking Glass 1972 (a friend of mine from high school was in the band)
4. Sweet Child of Mine 1988
5. Every Breath You Take The Police 1983
6. Light My Fire The Doors 1967
7. Good Lovin Rascals 1966
8. FingerTips Part 2 Stevie Wonder 1963
9. Theme from A Summer Place Percy Faith 1960 (came out earlier in the year)
10. Itsy Bitsy Teenyy Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Bryan Hyland 1960 (daughter's favorite)
I would add American Pie to the list even though the song did not come out in the summer, but I remember hearing it all summer long.
Sandy
Oh Sandy, I could have made this SO much easier for you!!!
If you go to forgottenhits.com, you’ll see the top songs of EVERY summer 1955-1985! We tracked the biggest records for June, July and August for each year and all the results are there! (I’m telling you we’re a one- stop shop! Lol)
This means other readers will have ALL kinds of new suggestions to choose from when compiling their lists.
But remember … it doesn’t have to be a summer hit …
ANYTHING that evokes the feeling of summer for YOU is what we’re looking for.
Plenty of time to vote for your top twenty favorites … without even looking I know that we’ve already received at least two thousand votes in the past 24 hours … so this is going to be a really good countdown … so keep ‘em coming, folks! (kk)
