>>>We think we've put together an exceptional
edition for this week's Sunday Comments Page(kk)
You did!!
CB
Exceptional Edition, Kent!!
Great memories, music, and a lot of work goes into Forgotten
Hits.
Thanks to you ... for all you do!
Kris Erik Stevens
See, I've still got it! (lol)
Who says it's more fun when you're young???
(Oh yeah ... YOU guys did!!!)
Well, it sure was a whole lot easier then! (kk)
>>>In fact, we are so confident that you'll love
this week's edition that it comes with an unconditional guarantee ... TRIPLE
your money back if you don't agree!(kk)
kk
…
No
Refund Here …
In
Fact, You Can Charge Me Double What You're Charging Me Now.
I
Hope You Enjoyed Your Road Trip. Any Pictures Of Your Daughter Onstage To Share
With Us?
I'm
Glad That Cynthia Wasn't A Co-Writer On "WHO PUT THE BOMP."
All
The Great Songs Weil & Mann Wrote & I Have To Point Out The One I Don't
Like.
There's
A You Tube Clip -- Frankie Lymon Sings "I Put The Bomp -- etc."
I
Usually Listen To Glen Fisher's "DOO-WOP REVIVAL" Once A Week.
Last
Week, I Listened To The Same Show Four Times.
(The
Fact That I Programmed The First Hour Might Have Had Something To Do With It!)
I
Think Carly Simon's 1972 Hit Sums It Up Perfectly … "YOU'RE SO VAIN."
NEXT:My Pal Ken Kojak Said That He Will Let Me
Program One Of His Shows.
FB
It’s always
fun to see one of your ideas come to life on the radio … and then to hear that other
listeners enjoyed it … still a big perk for me (and I’ve been doing this for
YEARS now!!!)
What I found
most interesting about “Who Put The Bomp” is that two fierce competitors …
Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin … wrote that song together.(But they were also the best of friends …
“frenemies” before the word was even invented!)
Hopefully,
you had the chance to watch the CBS Morning clip that interviewed both Mann and
Weil from a few years ago … really captures their contribution in a
nutshell.(And now I’ve just GOTTA
“Beautiful” again … absolutely LOVED it the first time … I think it’s time to
go back!Anxious to see the Simon and
Garfunkel Story, too.)kk
Welcoming Jack in his new self-imposed, but
much needed GR position!
Shelley
I’ve know Jack since the ‘70’s … his contribution will be a
welcome addition to Forgotten Hits.(And
at the rate we keep losing our musical heroes, it’s sad to say that he’ll be
kept plenty busy keeping up with it all.)kk
Hi Kent,
Loved all the comments … especially the photo
of the refrigerator with the "built in radio"!! I collect
replicas of old radios and that radio was a complete surprise to me! I did know
about the cars with the record players! They didn't last long!
Great to read the REAL news from you and not
all the "Swifty Lingo" going around recently!!
Keep up the FANTASTIC work!! Only the best for
you and your family ...
Carolyn
PS Enjoyed the Singers’ "Salute to the
Beach Boys". I thought they did a great job doing all their hits!!! Was
good to see Hanson!!
Kent –
Thank you for your kind comment on my new
CD.
In addition to your "Polar White"
'53 Chevy and the classic "Arctic White" refrigerator, with classic
in-door radio, my CD cover shows another classic 1950's/1960s color.
My C-1 Corvette in "Ermine White."It, too, has a classic radio.
The legendary AM "Wonderbar."
Not much AM radio anymore.So, I turned it into an AM/FM stereo, with an
added iPod input, still keeping the radio's original face plate.
- Bobby Scammell
>>>I think putting a record player in a car is
even stranger ( than radios in refrigerators ), but it happened. It was called
Highway Hi-Fi. They were in Chrysler cars from 1955 to 1959.(Charlie Ricci)
Chuck Buell responds to FH
Reader and CEO, EiC and Chief Record Washer of Bloggerhythms, Charlie Ricci . .
.
Interesting Stuff, Charlie!
When I was Music Director of
WLS in Chicago and doing my Radio Show during the same time period years
after the Chrysler In-Car Record Player Option Ricci shared with us had
come and gone, my days were pretty jammed. It made time for reviewing
select new record releases and Future Forgotten Hits a challenge at times. And
for a while, one of my solutions was my “Record Player in My
Car!”
Not Original
Factory Equipment, placed on the front seat next to me, it was the Portable,
Battery Operated, 45 RPM, Single Disc, “Rover Masterwork Record Player” complete
with Carrying Handle!
But Chicago Streets and Expressway Potholes were
not always compatible with a “Smooth Listening Experience” … and they soon
put an end to that Brilliant “Time Management” Idea!
( And, yes! I still have that Player! )
CB ( which stands for kinda "Canny Boy!" )
I was
going to ask you if listening to those records in your car was what earned you
the nickname “Skippy” … but that one was just too obvious!(lol)
I know
of a few high school friends who were determined to listen to their records in
the car and mounted their OWN player to the panel that always used to be behind
the back seat back in the day …
And
then they would run a cable wire under the carpet, between the seats, so they
could plug it into their cigarette lighter to power the turntable …
But
even with somebody sitting back there trying to hold the thing steady, you
STILL couldn’t get a record to play all the way through without skipping all
over the place.(And railroad tracks
were a BITCH!!!)lol(kk)
Here’s a photo of me with Andrew
Gold … back when I was at My Father's Place in the 70's. Great guy - tremendous
talent!
David
Salidor
>>>I’m going to have to check out Andrew Gold’s “The
Fraternal Order Of The All” when it is released next month. (kk)
Kent, this is gonna sound like 60's not his
70's/80s material, but it IS awesome! I have the old CD and just great
harmonies like 60's Beach Boys/Beatles and more!
I was sad to hear about the passing of Cynthia Weil, one of
the most noted and successful songwriters of the 1960’s.
With her husband Barry Mann, Weil wrote the classic tunes “You’ve
Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration” (both #1 Hits for
The Righteous Brothers) as well as “I Love How You Love Me” (recorded by
countless artists), “On Broadway” (ditto), “Blame It On The Bossa Nova” for Eydie
Gorme, “Here You Come Again” for Dolly Parton, “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”
for The Animals, “Don’t Know Much” and “Somewhere Out There” (hits for Linda
Ronstadt), “He’s So Shy” by The Pointer Sisters, “Kicks” and “Hungry” for Paul
Revere and the Raiders, “Walkin’ In The Rain,” “Only In America,” “Sometimes
When We Touch,” “I Just Can’t Help Believin’” (recorded by B.J. Thomas and
Elvis!), “Rock And Roll Lullaby” (also for B.J.), “Make Your Own Kind Of Music,”
“Shades Of Gray” (for The Monkees) and literally dozens more ... including our very first Forgotten Hit, "Shape Of Things To Come" as recorded by Max Frost and the Troopers! (Husband Barry
Mann wrote his own hit, “Who Put The Bomp” with Carole King’s husband at the
time, Gerry Goffin.)
Carole King has always drawn the lion’s share of the
attention when it comes to this department … by clearly Cynthia Weil compiled
an incredibly impressive collection of hits of her own!(kk)
I encountered the very talented and lovely Cynthia Weil a
handful of times in Los Angeles and Hollywood at various songwriting events the
last 50 years. The list of monumental tunes penned by Cynthia with husband
Barry Mann says it all.
I remember as a teenager seeing the sheet music of "Shades
of Gray," a song the duo penned just before the Monkees recorded it with producer
Chip Douglas for their "Headquarters" album. It had a prophetic
aspect in the lyrics that truly captured not only a moment but a divided
world. I saw Peter Tork sing it live at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los
Angeles playing a keyboard and it was marvelous rendition.
From 1965 – 1970, my mother Hilda worked for Raybert, the
production company that did "The Monkees" television series at Gower
Gulch/Columbia Studios in Hollywood. Mom and staff typed the weekly scripts and
was also in the stenography pool. I'd eagerly look to see what song the group
would be performing on TV the next week or two. In 2011, director Morgan
Neville hired me as Consulting Producer for his documentary "Troubadours:
Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter." I wrote
the questions for the interview and attended the filming Morgan conducted with
Barry and Cynthia inside their residence.
Cynthia showed me a music room and I was startled seeing a large
reproduction of the sheet music of "You've Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’"
right next to a BMI award documenting that the recording by the Righteous
Brothers and their Phil Spector production at the landmark Gold Star studios
was the most played recording of the last century. I grabbed Cynthia's hand,
and said, "What an important and amazing achievement..." She smiled and
remarked "Thank you." And then she added, "Another important
achievement was our daughter Jenn becoming a doctor."
One proud mother whose work with Mann went far beyond informing
the soundtrack of our lives.
I encourage everyone to try and find a copy of Morgan Neville's
"Hitmakers: The Teens Who Stole Pop Music," which I first saw on
A&E cable TV. The Brill Building songwriters all on display.
This is a great piece! CBS Sunday Morning always puts together a nice music profile each week ... it's just so rare that I get to see them ... but I am always knocked out by what they can do in an eight minute segment! (I wonder if they'll rerun this piece this morning?) kk
Billboard is reporting that in the week since her death,
Tina Turner’s music has been streamed over 40 MILLION TIMES!!!(Now that’s incredible!) The week before her death, she had 2.7 million streams ... still a remarkable number.
As we showed you last week, she had quite a Hit List!(Naturally, “What’s Love Got To Do With It”
leads the pack!)
Nothing on Cynthia Weil? Or Rolf Harris and George Maharis from the
other week?
We need a new funeral director here.
Jack
We got the Cynthia Weil information up this morning … didn’t
even know about Rolf Harris or George Maharis!(Our work week of late consists of 13 and 14 hour days … and weekends …
leaving very little time for anything else.)
As you know, Ron Smith was the official “Forgotten Hits Grim
Reaper” for many years, informing our readers about the latest departures of recording
artists from our era.He finally gave it
up when he felt that all he was reporting was more sad news.(Even sadder is that he, too, passed a few years
ago.)
So the job is yours if you want it!!!
I try to keep up as best I can … but because we often have “pre-posts”
nowadays due to my own scheduling conflicts, the news sometimes doesn’t go up
until a day or two after the event.(I
first found out about Ed Ames a full week after he had passed, for example …
but then made it a point to get something up on the site right away about it.)
kk
As for Harris and “'haris” … as in Rolf Harris and George
Marharis … here’s a look at their recording careers from an American Chart
point of view …
Rolf Harris scored at Top Ten Hit in 1963 with his novelty
hit “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.”Other
chart hits include “Sun Arise” (#44, 1963), “Nick Teen And Al K. Hall (#96,
1963) and the collectible “Ringo For President” (#118, 1964.)He also did an interesting version of “Stairway
To Heaven” that we’ve featured before (and again today.)
He passed away back on May 10th (nearly a month
ago!)
Although his career waned here in America after his 1963
hits, he remained a big celebrity back home in Australia, both on the music
charts and on television.
Much as Brian Wilson is credited with introducing our
generation to the theremin, Harris can take credit for introducing us to the didgeridoo
and the wobble board (which, it’s said, he invented.)
Sadly, his career ended on a tragically sick note when he
was found guilty in 2014 and sent to prison for the sexual assault of four
underage girls.(I see that Bill Cosby
was also back in the news this week for more charges of sexual assault … this
time stemming from an incident in 1969 against a former Playboy Playmate.)
As for George Maharis, George is best remembered for his
role on TV’s “Route 66.”
Like many television stars of this era, he tried to expand
his career to recording … and actually scored a Top 40 Hit with his version of
the oft-recorded “Teach Me Tonight.”(#25, 1962 … and a #14 Hit here in Chicago), where he also scored with “Love
Me As I Love You” (#21 … and #54 nationally) and “Baby Has Gone Bye Bye” (#26
and #60 nationally.)
George passed away back on May 24th.And, speaking of playmates, George posed nude
for the second issue of Playgirl Magazine … shortly after the Burt Reynolds did
the same for Cosmo!
It was widely circulated that Maharis was difficult to work
with after his three year stint on “Route 66” … but underlying reports suggest
he may have been blackballed for being gay … although there doesn’t seem to be
any evidence to suggest this was the case.In fact, after leaving the series, George made a number of movies.(kk)
Since I'm a gentleman of leisure, I'm gonna have
to step up and take over for Ron Smith, the original mortuary columnist.
I expect a huge five star introduction.
Jack
You got it!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Jack Levin ... our NEW Grim Reaper ... please welcome him with all due respect. (A bouquet of black roses is on its way to you!!!) kk
And, bad back and all, he's diving head first into the pool ...
(which I guess in THIS case really IS the dead pool!) kk
I've hired two assistants ... one domestic and one UK.
Jack
Have at it, Jack! (kk)
And, wasting absolutely no time ... here he goes!
Since
Kent is a busy guy of late, he has asked me to take over as the
Mortuary Monarch from the late Ron Smith, who was fittingly saluted in
this blog a few years ago. Kent tells me he's thisclose to being a
billionaire, so he's working impossible hours to get there. So I just
went as far back as this past May to see who's been overlooked and found
three.
Convicted child
molester, Rolf Harris, passed on May 10. He died of neck cancer, which I
suppose is a real pain in the neck. He had five charted singles in the
US, but only Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport (#3 - 1963) made a dent in the
Billboard charts. He was 93.
George
Maharis is better known as an actor, perhaps most notably as Buz
Murdock, in the TV show Route 66. He also dabbled as a singer, as many
actors/actresses did in the early 60s. His greatest success came with
Teach Me Tonight (#25 1962). Eight sides, in all charted, with two
being B-sides. Nothing else charted higher than #54. It appears he, too,
had a problem keeping junior in his pants, as he was arrested twice on
vice charges. He was 94.
The
Smiths were not known as a singles band, nor was bassist Andy Rourke the band's best known member. The Smiths best known song might be
How Soon Is Now? They got steady airplay on album rock radio. Two
singles appear on the US dance singles chart, with How Soon Is Now reaching #36. They had 15 #1 singles in the UK. Andy died from
pancreatic cancer on May 19. He was 59.
I'm
sure there's more and I will keep you all up to date, as I'm now a
gentleman of leisure and Kent is paying me the big money to interrupt my
leisure time.
Jack
Rock And Roll Never Forgets
Jack's services did not come cheap, ladies and gentlemen, so please enjoy and appreciate his contributions. (At the rate that celebrities are dying these past few years, I had to guarantee him 50% of what Forgotten Hits takes in each month ... which as Billy Preston taught us all a few years back, nothing from nothing leaves nothing.) kk
After Friday’s FH piece, one cannot help but ask the rhetorical question
…
Is your refrigerator running? (kk)
"Hey! Did You Leave the Fridge Door
Open?!"(CB)
Yeah, I was listening to the radio!!! I like the echo in here. (By the way, the light really DOES go off when you close the door!) kk
I will say that I never knew (or had any idea!) that radios
were once incorporated into kitchen appliances …
So this was a real learning experience for me.
A pretty clever idea, I must say!(kk)
I loved your story about "The
Refrigerator!"
Also being a former "Chicago Boy" (just
one more thing that "CB stands for!"), I, too, am familiar with him. I thought of him
when I was writing my story but wanted to focus on just "Radio and
Records." I'm glad you did go with that add-on and from your
perspective! Great Photos and all! Wow!
CB ( which stands . . . oh, wait. I already
covered that here! )
What you wrote in that post is
definitely unusual. It's the first time I've ever heard about it. You're always
good for great trivia from the past.
Believe it or not, I think
putting a record player in a car is even stranger, but it happened. You can
read all about it below. It was called Highway Hi-Fi. They were in Chrysler
cars from 1955 to 1959.
Powell Crosley, who owned the radio company as well as a car
company, also invented and held the patent on the storage system that is
inserted into the door of refrigerators. This possibly could be how he got his
foot in the door, so to speak, for the “Frig Radio.”
Robert Campbell
It's uncanny how much the woman in this photo looks like my late grandmother! Actually freaks me out a little bit! (kk)
After 150 shows, Billy Joel will be ending his monthly
residency at Madison Square Garden next year.
The whole thing kicked off ten years ago … and Joel said
that he would play The Garden every month for as long as there was still a
demand for tickets … and nearly every show has been a sell-out ever since.(There is typically a surprise guest on hand,
too, to help keep the interest high.)
Joel will play the first of his last ten shows on October 20th
… and then carry on to the end next year.(When one considers the number of shows missed because of Covid, it really is pretty
incredible that Billy will have racked up 150 shows, playing to something like
1.6 million fans within the confines of Madison Square Garden alone!)
Now THAT would have been the place to see him, I guess … but
this last batch of shows will most certainly be complete sell outs.(I think I’m just destined to never see him
live … I’ve had tickets FOUR TIMES since the late ‘70’s and EVERY single time I
was supposed to go, something came up that prevented me from ever making it to
the concert!)kk
Looks like Noise 11 got it half right …
In a news story out on Friday, they are reporting that
Actor/Comedian Steve Martin makes a guest appearance on the track “I Hate Love”
from the forthcoming Kelly Clarkson album “Chemistry,” to be released on June
23rd.
Believe it or not, Martin plays the banjo on this track, a
passion of his since forever … and all of this part of their article is true …
But in it, they are ALSO reporting that Kelly Clarkson will be the
opening act for a series of Guns ‘n Roses concerts later this year … which is
NOT correct.
They’re confusing Kelly with Carrie Underwood … a DIFFERENT
American Idol Winner … who has joined the band on stage a few times already in the
past (she describes herself as a super fan) and will now open for Guns ‘n Roses
in Nashville as well as on a couple of Canadian dates.(kk)
A few weeks ago we told you about an auction of Freddie
Mercury’s personal belongings.Freddie’s
long-time friend Mary Austin has decided to liquidate the collection that
Freddie left her at the time of his death.
One piece of memorabilia that is certain to earn big bucks
is Freddie’s handwritten lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody” … which apparently was
once titled “MONGOLIAN Rhapsody,” believe it or not!!!
Sketched out on a notepad bearing the name of British
Midland Airways, it looks like Freddie was just experimenting with the sounds
of certain words.One page features the
words “fandango,” “Figaro,” “thunderbolts and lighting” and “belladonna” scribbled in Freddie's handwriting!(Sounds like he had a pretty good idea as to
what he was going for!)
This piece is expected to fetch upwards of $1.2-$1.5
million!(kk)
And, speaking of Queen …
MICKY DOLENZ has been in
London this past week for Sunday's James Burton & Friends event at the
London Palladium.
Friday was rehearsal day for the event and Micky met up with Queen's Brian May.
(photo by Jane Blunkell)
Through Wednesday (June 7th) Sirius XM is saluting
Black History by counting down The Top 500 R&B Songs from the past 60
years.You’ll find it on Channel 104 …
but only for the next four days.
Many years ... and several computer crashes ago ... I once compiled a list of The Top 200 Motown Hits, based on chart information gathered from both Billboard's R&B Chart and Pop Singles Chart. Sadly, this, too, is now long gone ... as I would have LOVED to have posted it on the other Forgotten Hits website along with some of our other countdown features.
Oh well ... we'll see ... maybe someday I'll work up the time and energy to recreate it. (The original list covered the time period of 1960 - 1985 ... which is where the bulk of the hits landed.) kk
Giles Martin put this new mix together ... and it's supposed to be incredible. (Guess I'll be buying "Pet Sounds" for the 17th time one of these days!) kk
And, speaking of new releases (of old material), this one sound intriguing …
Andrew Gold “The Fraternal Order Of The All – Greetings
From Planet Love” Reissued on CD and Limited Edition Double 10-inch LP Splatter
Vinyl July 28, 2023
ANDREW GOLD’S PASTICHE PSYCHEDELIC MASTERPIECE FEATURING
10CC LEGEND GRAHAM GOULDMAN.
Andrew Gold’s pastiche psychedelic
masterpiece “The Fraternal Order of the All – Greetings from Planet Love” will
be released on CD on July 28, 2023.
Initially released in 1997, the
album was conceived by Andrew Gold as a tribute to late 60s psychedelic rock. His
remarkable compositions were wonderful stylistic evocations of artists such as
The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Byrds and The Doors.
The project saw Gold create the
fictitious band The Fraternal Order of the All, in reality Andrew playing most
of the instrumentation and singing, along with guest musicians such as 10cc
legend Graham Gouldman.
Also available as a limited edition
double LP is pressed on 10-inch colored splatter vinyl and features a newly
designed lavish gatefold sleeve.
Track Listing
1 Greetings from Planet Love
2 Rainbow People
3 Love Tonight
4 Chasing My Tail
5 Swirl
6 Tuba Rye and Will’s Son / Balloon in the Sky
7 King of Showbiz
8 Whirl
9 Freelove Baby
10 Groovy Party at Jimmy’s Magic Pad
11 It’s Beautiful
12 Wink of the Third Eye
13 It Has No Eyes But Sight
14 Twirl
15 Space and Time
16 Time is Standing Still
17 Ride the Snake
18 Mr Plastic Business Man
19 Ccosmicc Ccarnivall
20 Tomorrow Drop Dead
Andrew’s two
biggest pop hits, of course, sounded very influenced by the music of the ‘60’s
…
“Lonely Boy”
went all the way to #3 in 1977 … and “Thank You For Being A Friend” was a #11
pop hit long before it became the theme to “The Golden Girls!”(I always liked “Never Let Her Slip Away,”
too.)
I first
caught wind of Andrew when I learned that he did all those very Beatlesque
guitar bits on Linda Ronstadt’s #1 Hit “You’re No Good” … it sounded like it
came right from the “Abbey Road” sessions!(Of course having Peter Asher onboard as her record producer didn’t hurt
either!)
Word is Linda
HATED the arrangement at first … said it sounded “TOO Beatle-ish” (which, of
course, I found to be the greatest part of its charm!)kk
I’m going to
have to check out “The Fraternal Order Of The All” when it is released next
month.(kk)
HOWDY, Kent! How are
you?
My condolences to the family and
fans of Tina Turner. Very talented.
I enjoyed your Al Kooper
article. I used to see him in Greenwich Village walking around the
streets of the lower West Side as well as Jeff Beck back in the late
60's. Wikipedia has a lot of info about his work. He was very "driven"
aka ambitious. I first heard about Al Kooper when I played the "Blues
Project Projections" album back in high school. I particularly liked
"Flute Thing" but Al wasn’t on that cut. He is an enormous talent and
made so many contributions to the music world.
Sandy
I had the pleasure of seeing Al perform a solo show at a
small club up on the North Side of Chicago a few years back … and he’s
definitely still got it.A very
charismatic performer ... came home and downloaded a few of his tunes that I had
never heard of before!(kk)
From our buddy Ray Graffia, Jr. ...
Here's a very brief poem I ran
recently on Facebook. It received a great number of responses so I guess
some of my words can still move folks to think, react and, my gosh, were they
ever supportive! Shall also attach the photo that accompanied my words ...
and if interested in more such silliness, you and anyone with whom you share
this can reach me here: Log in or sign up to view
Share any / all / none as you see
fit ... or simply read and fuggedaboudit!
Blessings, regardless, my dear
friend –
Amazing to think of Nicki as nearing
40 though, is it not?
Ray
Alone; though crowds are calling ...
Defeated; storms rage, appalling ...
Rain; no! Teardrops falling ...
Cane; support gone, bawling ...
Inspiration left - living less ...
Life & Love; pointless, meaningless...
Raymond J. (Ray) Graffia, Jr.,
Founder / Hall of Fame recording artists, “New Colony Six” since 1964
Inductee into both Iowa’s (2002)
& Illinois’ (2022) R&R Halls of Fame
Member, “Cornerstones of Rock” since 2015 PBS TV Special
Find more on this rock & roll aspect of the writer at LinkedIn, YouTube,
Spotify, Facebook ... or Google me or NC6!
Currently Contacted c/o: colonyjr@yahoo.com
Very happy to share … and glad to hear you’re still
generating some buzz with your creative talents!
Always the best, Ray!(kk)
Pink Floyd “The Dark Side Of The Moon – A Visual History By
Glenn Povey” Super Deluxe Edition Box Set Now Available For Pre-order
(Released Jun 16, 2023)
“The Dark Side Of The Moon” will
always remain Pink Floyd’s greatest achievement. A landmark album in every
respect and housed in one of the most iconic album sleeves of all time.
Statistics for its sales – 50
million worldwide and counting – and chart history – 15 consecutive years on
the Billboard 200 - are mind-boggling. As the album enjoys its 50th anniversary
year it still shows little sign of waning in its popularity as new generations
of music lovers discover its wonders.
Its release in March, 1973, saw the
album go straight to No.1 in the US and No.2 in the UK. Previous albums had
been a hit and miss affair, a series of tracks both with lyrics as well as
instrumental, but “The Dark Side Of The Moon” presented a more literal concept,
a continuous piece woven with tracks dealing with the pressures of life, birth,
death, war, mental illness and inequality to name a few. This clearly struck a
chord.
Similarly, their live shows had
built a steady cult following too, which had seen their new album previewed
live as a work in progress since January, 1972. However, it was with the
release of the single “Money” to FM radio in North America that it suddenly
propelled the band into the sphere of stadium touring.
Consequently, their live shows began
to take on another dimension, becoming a multi-media extravaganza with
inflatable props, pyrotechnics on a massive scale and a giant circular
projection screen featuring specially made live action and animation films.
Pink Floyd had finally arrived in
grand style and with it followed a slew of highly regarded conceptual albums
and live shows that are remembered as nothing short of spectacular.
As author Glenn Povey explains,
“Pink Floyd were a unique phenomenon. They broke the mold both in terms of
recording technique but also stage presentation and created a mystique that set
them apart. My ongoing research into their history has spawned many books but
here I have collated all of their performance and recording history surrounding
this remarkable album.”
Inside this box of delights you will
find the complete recording history of the “The Dark Side Of The Moon”,
documentation of all the live performances of the album by the band, previously
unpublished photos and illustrations as well as facsimile memorabilia including
photos, programs, handbills and passes.
This super deluxe box contains:
• Signed and Numbered certificate by
the one of the world leading Floyd authorities and author Glenn Povey
• Reproduction of very rare and
interesting; memorabilia, photos, posters from the era
• A CD of interviews with the band
recorded in the day.
The first one is from 1972, where
the band discusses being on the road, the “Live at Pompeii” film, the band are
very relaxed and laughing. Richard Wright says at one point, “We understand
each other very well. We are very tolerant of each other”. Nick Mason says, “We
are all from the British aristocracy with the exception of David Gilmour …”
This band interview is a rare gem,
from a band which seldom gave interviews. It’s sure to raise an eyebrow or two looking
back from 2023.
The longer interview is over 30 minutes
long with Richard Wright, where he discusses touring and looking back at “The
Dark Side Of The Moon,” the band’s inner workings on how they write and play
together, solo albums, along with living in the English countryside.
This CD of interviews, along with
all the memorabilia and legendary Floyd historian Glenn Povey’s commentary
makes this limited-edition super deluxe box set, the perfect companion to the
official “The Dark Side of the Moon” set.
Last week we asked you to vote for your favorite #1 Memorial
Day Hits.(You can view the complete
list by scrolling back to Monday, May 29th, in case you missed it.)
But that would ALSO mean that you missed your chance to vote
for YOUR favorites.(See, I keep telling
you guys, you’ve got to check Forgotten Hits every single day!!!)
Anyway, after all your votes, here’s how the Top Ten shaped
up:
#1 - 1971 - BROWN SUGAR -
The Rolling Stones
#2 - 1960 - CATHY'S CLOWN -
The Everly
Brothers
#3 - 1958 - ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM –
The Everly Brothers
#4 - 1977 - SIR DUKE - Stevie Wonder
#5 - 1963 - IT'S MY PARTY - Lesley Gore
#6 - 1966 - WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – Percy Sledge
#7 - 1980 - FUNKYTOWN - Lipps, Inc.
#8 - 1955 - CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM
WHITE -
Perez Prado and his Orchestra
#9 - 1959 - THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS – Johnny Horton
#10 - 1965 - HELP ME RHONDA -
The Beach Boys
Not far behind:“Respect”
by Aretha Franklin, “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel, “I Can’t Stop
Loving You” by Ray Charles, “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley and “Get Back”
by The Beatles
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote!(kk)
On Memorial Day you showed the Number One tracks from previous
Memorial Days.
On her radio show Monday night, Rollye James posed the trivia question
"What instrumental song did Bill Haley and the Comets knock out of the
Number One position just after Memorial Day in 1955?"
See? Readers of Forgotten Hits would have known the answer
instantly! And for all I know, that's where she got her inspiration to pose
that question.
David Lewis
Hmmm ...
On a similar note ...
FH is a bigger resource than even you may
know.
Bill
>>>There
are a few surprises on this list ... It's not unusual to think that an artist
or two just might have topped the chart on two different Memorial Days
... And we have a few occurrences of this on this list above ... But if
given a hundred guesses, would you ever have speculated that Ray Stevens and
Deniece Williams would be among those who accomplished this feat?!?!(kk)
I don't think I would have guessed Ray Stevens and Deniece
Williams as having TWO Memorial Day Number Ones even if you gave me 500
guesses!
Sam Tallerico
Our good buddy Chuck Buell points out … and rightfully so …
that “rank order” isn’t always necessarily a GOOD thing …
Top Five Favorites (in rank order)*
OK, I'm going with these before I go back and Add
and Subtract Titles and Rearrange the Order!
Again!!
Final Answer!
*Do you find it interesting, as do I, that
"rank" can reference a good thing OR a not so good thing?
For instance, "Top Five "Rank"
Foods" - Foods I DON'T like ( in "rank" order! )
Liver
Raw Oysters
Beef Tartare
Asparagus
Kidney Beans
CB!
By
the way, I am happy to report that ALL of MY Top Five Favorites made the list!
In
RANK order … and I mean that in the nicest way … my original five choices
were:“Brown Sugar,” “Cathy’s Clown,”
“Sir Duke,” “Funkytown” and “It’s My Party” … which allows for something from every decade
except the ‘50’s (although I had a hard time eliminating “All I Have To Do Is
Dream” and “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White,” both of which would have made
my Top Ten, if we were allowed to vote that high!!!)That being said, I had absolutely NO problem
picking my five LEAST favorites on this list!Lol(kk)
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