From FH Reader Chuck Buell (who was broadcasting on WLS Radio on The First Day Of Spring, Fifty Years Ago Today!)
It’s been a long cold Winter for many of us this year!
Last week's Colorado's"Blizzard of 2019" ...
Chicago's "Deep Freeze" of a couple of week's ago ...
Seattle getting as much snowfall in one day as it usually receives in one year ...
And the Nor'easters slamming the Upper Atlantic Coast.
If you've had your fill of Winter, then ~~~
Here it comes!
Today!
At 5:58 PM EDT!
2:58 PM Pacific!
The First Day of Spring!
So here, from Forgotten Hits' Feature Year, 1969, is our Special Theme Song for Today!
Happy Spring Day to you from me!
CB ( which stands for "Chuck Brrrrr!" )
March 20th, 1969:
John Lennon marries Yoko Ono in Gibraltar – they will begin their honeymoon five days later by staging a Bed-In For Peace at The Amsterdam Hilton Hotel.
Also on this date, David Bowie marries model Angela Barnett.Most folks agree that she was the subject of The Rolling Stones’ 1973 hit “Angie.”
#1 in Chicago on WLS and WCFL ...
and sitting at the top of all three major music trade publications
(Billboard, Cash Box and Record World):
DIZZY by Tommy Roe
I think the worst of winter is behind us ... temperatures in the 50's and 60's for the rest of this and next week ... so the future looks bright (literally and figuratively!) ENJOY THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING ... From your friends at Forgotten Hits!
I have to admit that I was a
little confused (and maybe even a little disturbed) by a recent email sent out
by Me-TV, referring to “Six Rock Bands Huge in the '60s But Largely Forgotten Today,”
especially since their sister radio station, Me-TV-FM plays ALL of these
artists (and quite extensively, I might add) on a regular basis. Far more attention to this fact should have been paid in the article in my opinion. (Don't sell yourselves short, guys ... you're one of a kind!)
The six singled out?Chad and Jeremy, The Cowsills, The Dave Clark
Five, The Young Rascals, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Jan and Dean.(The tagline reads “You don’t hear ‘Over And
Over’ and ‘Kicks’ much these days” … another complete misnomer if you spend any
time at all listening to this station.)
In fact, Me-TV-FM offers, without
question, hands down, the BEST variety of ‘60’s music on the dial these days …
so it seems a bit daft to me to have the TV station make a comment like this
without simply referring the reader to “the solution to this problem is to turn on
Me-TV-FM.”
Of course, that would be a much
bigger and universal solution if Me-TV-FM streamed world wide … but the
Chicago-based station is still avoiding the best way to promote themselves to
their largest potential audience.(Me-TV
is available on cable television stations everywhere … there must be SOME way
the radio station can piggyback on to this already established familiarity in
homes from coast-to-coast and become the “go to” station when it comes to
oldies music.)
We’ve said it before and we’ll
say it again … their playlist (for the most part) reflects everything we have
been pushing for the past twenty years in Forgotten Hits … play those songs
that everybody remembers that all of the other radio stations have forgotten
all about due to their tight 200-300 song playlists and the listeners will respond.
The article goes on to say:
“Despite what some say, classic
rock will never die. The Rolling Stones are heading out on another tour of
football stadiums. A biopic about Queen was one of the cinematic crazes of
2018. Heck, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is currently the No. 2 rock song in
America right now
as this sentence is being typed (and many of Queen's greatest hits are just
below it). On the retail front, Target sells Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd
T-shirts. There's big money is decades-old rock.
"What's interesting is that Pink
Floyd and Grateful Dead were hardly best-selling acts in America in the 1960s.
Their critically acclaimed albums peaked at chart positions like No. 87, No.
73, No. 131. Meanwhile, the Monkees, Herman's Hermits and the Lovin' Spoonful
were sitting pretty at the top of the charts.
"Herman's Hermits and the Lovin'
Spoonful no longer have the same clout as, say, the Doors. This is quantifiable
thanks to streaming numbers. Spotify tracks the number of monthly listeners for
every act. Icons like the Beatles rake in 17.5 million listeners per month. But
the Fab Four are deified. So let's move down to groups like the Doors (6.7
million), the Kinks (4.8 million) and the Monkees (3 million). Then there are
influential bands like the Velvet Underground (2.3 million) and the Yardbirds
(1 million) who have only grown in stature since their days as Sixties cult
acts.
"That brings us to the following
six groups. Back in the day, they had numerous Top 10 hits and multiple
best-selling albums. They appeared on television shows. Some of them even had
their own movies. Heck, a few even saw their likenesses turned into toys and
dolls. Today, however, they scrape up a meager 100,000 or 200,000 Spotify spins
per month.
"To put that in perspective,
Eighties one-hit wonders like Kajagoogoo (317,000) and Tommy Tutone (348,000)
perform better than these wonderful acts."
I'm not so sure 100,000 - 200,000 spins per month is so bad for an act that hasn't released a record in over fifty years ... but I will admit that I totally don't get the whole Kajagoogoo thing!!! (lol)
Putting things into my own words,
and calling the shots as I see them from my perspective, I think ALL of these acts are still worthy of
airplay.They may not be the darlings of
Spotify (I wouldn’t know as I’ve never subscribed to it) … but the REAL reason
they may not be wracking up the clicks may be because they haven’t had the exposure some of these other acts have had over the last several years and, as such,
they’re not as instantly recognizable as some of the rest.(I don’t think Val Kilmer will ever be
starring in a Dave Clark biopic the way he did for Jim Morrison … or as Peter
Noone either for that matter!)
[For the record:I wrote MY synopsis for each of these acts
BEFORE reading what Me-TV had to say … and was surprised to see afterwards how
many of the same points we both raised.Like they always say, great minds tend to think alike!]
Perhaps were some of this music brought
more to the forefront by way of radio airplay, use in television commercials
and movies and other outlets that today’s music fans enjoy listening to, this
whole scenario could be turned around on a dime.
For example, The Dave Clark Five had
17 National Top 40 Hits (and a few others that just missed.)Now in this case, the complete idiocy of Dave
Clark making this music unavailable for decades certainly contributed greatly to the lack
of following and familiarity with many of these tunes.
But The Dave Clark Five rivaled
The Beatles in the earliest days of The British Invasion well before The
Rolling Stones ever caught on.(Herman’s
Hermits did, too, for that matter … but Peter Noone’s non-stop touring and
brilliant showmanship have kept his legion of fans addicted for decades now.)
Several of The Dave Clark Five’s
biggest hits were remakes of early ‘60’s hits like “Do You Love Me” (#8, 1964),
“Reelin’ And Rockin’” (#13, 1965), “I Like It Like That” (#5, 1965), “Over And
Over” (#1, 1966), “You Got What It Takes” (#7, 1967) and “You Must Have Been A
Beautiful Baby” (#35, 1967) … but they also charted with quite a few of their
own songs, many of which have gone on to become ‘60’s classics like “Because”
(#3, 1964), “Catch Us If You Can” (#4, 1965), “Glad All Over” (#5, 1964), “Bits
And Pieces” (#3, 1964), “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” (#4, 1964), “Any Way
You Want It” (#9, 1964) and TWO hits called “Everybody Know” (the first … “Everybody
Knows [I Still Love You]”, #14, 1964, and the second … a beautiful ballad that
I know Me-TV-FM plays, #41, 1967.)
The Me-TV article agrees with me
on these points … but ALL of these tunes (plus others like “Come Home,” #13, 1965,
“At The Scene,” #12, 1966, “Try Too Hard,” #9, 1966 and “I’ve Got To Have A
Reason,” #44) DO receive airplay on Me-TV-FM so they are not "lost and forgotten" by the Me Network at large.
(To this point … making these
songs unavailable to the public for all those years was career suicide for this
band … "business genius" Dave Clark grossly over-estimated the value of this music and, as such,
it disappeared from the consciousness of even the group’s biggest fans.Had he licensed these tunes for use in movies
and tv ads, my guess is they’d still be one of the most popular British
Invasion downloads out there.But going
the other route ultimately did them in. What good is having it if nobody can listen to it?Why, this would be akin to having the world’s GREATEST oldies station
playlist at your fingertips … and then not sharing it with the rest of the world thru streaming …
how does anybody out there even realize it exists if you won’t share it with
them??? I mean, to a degree isn't Me-TV-FM contributing to listener ignorance by doing so? But I digress.)
Next up … Paul Revere and the
Raiders … long-time ‘60’s favorites who charted 18 National Top 40 Hits (and,
again, a few others that just missed)
Their version of “Louie Louie” never
cracked The Top 100 on any of the national charts … but it rivaled The Kingsmen’s
version for airplay early on, particularly in the Northwest.“Like, Long Hair,” a classical rocker
instrumental, gave the band their first hit (#30) in 1961 … but they REALLY
broke thru after signing on with Dick Clark to host the after school music
series “Where The Action Is.”From
there, the hits just kept on coming:“Just
Like Me” (#11, 1966), “Kicks” (#3, 1966 … and #1 in many markets, including Chicago), “Hungry”
(#6, 1966), “The Great Airplane Strike (#17, 1966), “Good Thing” (#4, 1967), “Ups
And Downs” (#19, 1967), “Him Or Me – What’s It Gonna Be” (#5, 1967), “I Had A
Dream” (#13, 1967), “Too Much Talk” (#11, 1968), “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon” (#15,
1969), “Let Me” (#14, 1969) and then, finally, their first and only national #1
record, “Indian Reservation,” 1971.
And again, Me-TV-FM plays most of
these songs on a regular basis … so they are certainly not "forgotten" in any way in
the oldies market.
Next, we’ll cover The Rascals /
Young Rascals …
These guys went from being the “house
band” at The Peppermint Lounge to tearing things up on the charts in the mid-to-late ‘60’s
… THREE #1 Singles (“Good Lovin’,” 1966, “Groovin’,” 1967 and “People Got To Be
Free,” 1968) … plus 13 other National Top 40 Hits, including “I’ve Been Lonely
Too Long” (#15, 1967), “A Girl Like You” (#5, 1967), “How Can I Be Sure” (#2,
1967), “A Beautiful Morning” (#2, 1968) along with other “fan favorites” like “I
Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” (#52, 1966), “You Better Run” (#20,
1966), “Come On Up” (#37, 1966) and “Carry Me Back” (#10, 1969.)
A brief reunion tour featuring the
return of all four original members a couple of years ago played to sold out
houses across the country … so they certainly are not “lost and forgotten” by
any stretch.You still hear their music
every single day on any wide variety of music formats … so I’m not sure how
these guys got lumped in with the others.They are probably the MOST-played of all the artists on this list.
Now, in all fairness, the other
three artists on this list didn’t have the commercial output of these first
three … but they were still able to maximize a successful career what they had.
Take The Cowsills, for example.
They only had five National Top
40 Hits … but two of them went all the way to #1.(“The Rain, The Park And Other Things” in
1967 and “Hair” in 1969.)
In addition, they scored big with
“We Can Fly” (#17, 1968) and “Indian Lake” (#6, 1968).Me-TV-FM plays ALL of these hits … as well as
their theme to the hit television series “Love, American Style” and their
rather awful version of “Silver Threads And Golden Needles” … so THEY certainly
haven’t forgotten this band (who inspired the television series “The Partridge
Family,” by the way.)The first thought
was to give The Cowsills their own TV show … but after doing a screen test,
they didn’t find the real-life family “believable enough” … so they cast actors
to PLAY a family instead!!! David Cassidy
went on to become one of the biggest teenage heartthrobs in pop music history …
and The Cowsills never hit the charts again after 1971. (There is an EXCELLENT Cowsills documentary available that, if better circulated, would likely bring their music more to the forefront again. But people need to know about it ... and see it ... in order to be motivated to download more of this great music. Still is there ANYBODY out there who can suppress a smile on their face while "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" is playing???)
Jan and Dean should have been a
bit more memorable.(They were kind of
The Beach Boys before there WAS a Beach Boys … and, in fact, Brian Wilson
buddied up with Jan Berry and came up with the duo’s first #1 hit, “Surf City,”
something Brian’s dad … and manager at the time … Murry Wilson never forgave
him for!)
Berry’s tragic automobile
accident (right near “Dead Man’s Curve,” a place they sang about in 1964 that
went on to become a Top Ten Hit) put the duo out of commission for a long, long
time … but Jan’s dramatic comeback was the kind of story that made-for-TV movies DREAM
about … so their story was dramatized on film … and, in the process, this
should have earned them a much larger, longer-lasting audience than it
did.(Maybe it was just too long ago ... but truthfully not all of their music holds up that well all these years later.)
In one of those rock and roll miracle moments, Jan Berry actually lived to sing again
… in a manner of speaking … and their Top 40 Hits (“Jennie Lee,” #3, 1958, “Baby
Talk,” #7, 1959, “Heart And Soul,” #16, 1961, “Honolulu Lulu,” #9, 1963, “Drag
City,” #10, 1964, “The Little Old Lady From Pasadena,” #3, 1964, “Ride The Wild
Surf, “#16, 1964, “Sidewalk Surfin’,” #25, 1964 and “I Found A Girl,” #30, 1965)
are all still worthy of an occasional spin now and then.(Some would say “The Little Old Lady From
Pasadena” is a “timeless and memorable” ‘60’s classic.)
Chad and Jeremy were two of the
nicest, most likeable guys you could meet in the ‘60’s … and their charismatic charm
helped them earn bookings as musical guests on several popular television series at the
time.(Most memorable for me, of course,
was their appearance as The Red Coats on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” … but they
also starred on “Batman” and “The Patty Duke Show,” too, as I recall.)
Unfortunately, they went
head-to-head with another British duo, Peter and Gordon … and fans may have
been confused as to just exactly who was who. (Even one of their record companies printed an LP jacket with a picture of Peter And Gordon on the back cover of a Chad and Jeremy LP!!!) Once again, they didn’t have enough
commercial output to sustain a long-lasting career (although recent live appearances
by Peter Asher and Jeremy Clyde might prove otherwise … plug their names into
our FH Search Engine and read our concert reviews.)
Still, you’d be hard-pressed to
find more enjoyable tunes than “A Summer Song” (#6, 1964), “Yesterday’s Gone”
(#21, 1964) and “Willow Weep For Me” (#15, 1964).(The duo also hit The National Top 40 with “If
I Loved You,” #17, 1965, “Before And After,” #15, 1965, “I Don’t Wanna Lose You
Baby,” #33, 1965 and “Distant Shores,” #30, 1966.)
Bottom line …
ALL of these acts are still receiving
PLENTY of airplay on Me-TV-FM … and deservedly so.And each is very fairly represented
proportionally by their volume of hit output … so really, all is right in the
world … with the possible exception of the fact that MOST of the world has no
means to hear it!
So again, we appeal to Me-TV-FM
to begin streaming the Chicago feed so that the rest of the world can also
discover and enjoy all that they’ve been missing since the station launched a
few years ago.It’s simply too good not
to share. (kk)
Hi Kent – This week has been so sad with the passing of Hal Blaine (the World's greatest drummer) The tributes on your page and on social media are testimony to a wonderful man. Once I read Kent Hartman's book on the Wrecking Crew I knew I had to meet Hal Blaine. In 2016 I was on holiday in America and he invited me to his home in Palm Desert. I can still hear his words when I pressed the bell on his gated community: "I've been waiting for you." The day we spent was amazing. His house is adorned with letters from three presidents, astronauts who took his music into space and memorabilia of staggering proportions. Every musician I have interviewed quite rightly quotes Hal Blaine as the greatest. He gave me signed photos and the legendary sticker "Hal Blaine strikes again." Even in January he was sending me his regular e-mail "on this day in music," which I always used on my radio shows. Like everyone else, he will be sorely missed. My condolences to his family Regards Geoff www.softrockshow.co.uk
Kent, So very sad to hear of Hal Blaine's passing. I was fortunate enough to interview Hal twice, both times in person. The second time, he asked if I was doing anything after the interview. I said I was free. He then invited me to a recording session at Bell Sound in Hollywood with producer Joe Saraceno (The Marketts, The T-Bones and The Routers) - which, in the studio at least, were Hal and members of The Wrecking Crew. What a fascinating couple of hours. I've produced music before and hundreds of jingles, so being in the studio wasn't a big deal, but being in THIS studio with THIS drummer and the rest of the musicians (and producer Saraceno) was magical. A few years ago, I wrote a column about Hal for a Bob Segarini blogsite. Here's that column. https://bobsegarini.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/doug-thompson-hal-blaine-dance-to-the-drummer-man/ Rest easy Hal. You were a musical legend and well and truly loved and revered. Doug Thompson Toronto
We lost another music legend this past weekend as revolutionary surf guitarist Dick Dale (The King Of Surf Guitar) passed away on Saturday, March 16th at the age of 81. Dale was yet another artist that made every edition of our Deserving And Denied List of artists worthy of induction to yet consistently ignored and overlooked by The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The most frustrating thing about THIS particular omission is that Dale's resume meets (and exceeds) the exact criteria and very essence of what The Rock Hall was founded to acknowledge and honor ... an innovative guitarist who changed the sound of rock and roll. The number of guitarists and artist he influenced with his twangy, surf guitar is immeasurable. (At the very least he should have been inducted as an Early Influence ... but now, once again, another artist has passed before The Hall bestowed the rightful honor of his induction.) You'll see TONS of accolades pour in for this guy ... he virtually invented surf rock and countless instrumental combos in the process, not to mention early surf pioneers like The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. (kk)
As if we haven't had enough sadness for the
week - we lost Dick Dale today. Saw him live a few years ago at
Biddy Mulligan's and was surprised that the crowd was tiny - they apparently didn't
advertise the appearance enough. He blew the place away. Mike Wolstein
Harvey Kubernik sent in this remembrance put together by himself and Chris Darrow ... as well as an updated piece by Chris ...
As you might know, I've been doing an oral music history with multi-instrumentalist Chris Darrow for 40 years. We
were just talking about Dale's influence on Jimi Hendrix. I saw Dick on
stage 45 and 50 years ago in SoCal and decided why bother to learn
guitar ...
Darrow has cut a number of solo albums and
been a sideman on albums by James Taylor and John Stewart, toured with
Linda Ronsdadt, 1969 - 1971 and is an architect of SoCal country rock and
pioneer force in Americana. And very involved with surf music. HK
"The only real surf guitarist for me is
Dick Dale. All the rest are imitators,” Chris claims. “I saw him a number of
times around 1962, ’63 at The Rendevous Ballroom in Newport Beach. The
intensity and volume of the performances were such that the wooden building
seemed to lift off the ground when he played. Until the Beatles came along
there was nothing that drove the audiences as wild like Dick Dale and The
Del-Tones. He was boss.”
Darrow has been the bandleader for the
annual “Surfer Magazine Awards Banquet,” formed a group with guitarist Paul
Johnson, who had written the surf masterpiece “Mister Moto,” and Darrow and
Corky Carroll, a surf legend did a whole album for Germany on Gee Dee Reords
called “Surfdogs on the Range.”
“I lived in San Clemente for about seven years in
the late seventies and that’s where I met Corky and most of the surf guys I
know. I used to put together a band every year for the ‘Surf Magazine’ awards
show called the Hula Buckaroos. We had a band called Cheapshot that was the
group Chester, Jerry Waller and I played in. We expanded it to include Bob
Siggins. We did everything from ‘Hawaii 5-0 Theme’ to ‘Quiet Village.’ We would
play the show and then the dance afterwards. Very cool deal.”
The above appeared in a "Goldmine" magazine cover story I did last decade. Copyright Harvey Kubernik 2019
I just called Chris and told him the news.
He sent me the below expanded reflection ...
Dick Dale By Chris Darrow
"I started surfing in high
school about 1959 and was stunned by the first Surfer magazine, which came a
year later. Started by John Severson, it
was a way to finance his early surf films.
SURF FEVER was the film that started it all for me. It featured Mexican music, a mandolin
instrumental played by Pete Seeger called Woody’s Rag and Henry
Mancini’s Peter Gunn Theme was used for the big wave sequence at
Wiamea Bay. Surf Music, as such, had not
yet been invented.
There had always been instrumental
music in Rock and Roll ... guys like Joe
Houston, Link Ray, “Mighty”Jim Balcom, Chuck Higgins, Jimmy Gilmer and the
Fireballs and the incomparable Duane Eddy, all set up the arrival of “The King
of the Surf Guitar”, Dick Dale.
In 1961
he put out a record called Let’s Go Trippin and it was all
over. The first real guitar god of Rock
and Roll was born with that 45rpm record.
His home turf was Newport Beach, California, and he played regularly at
the Rendezvous Ballroom out on the Newport Peninsula. Since the forties, Newport Beach and Balboa
Island had been the coastal hang out for most of the high school beach kids in
Southern California, especially during “Bal Week”, Easter vacation. Places like The Jolly Roger restaurant on
Balboa Island and Sid’s Blue Beet, The Prison of Socrates and the Rendezvous in
Newport were popular gathering spots in the late 50’s and early sixties.
I saw Dick Dale for the
first time in 1962 or '63 at the Rendezvous Ballroom.
The Rendezvous was an old wooden building with a mezzanine wrapping
around its interior. Dick Dale and the
Del-Tones played so loud and hard that the reverberating sound in this giant,
wooden, sound box literally made the rafters shake. It was exiting and visceral. Peroxide heads in Pendleton shirts did the
Surfer Stomp with their chicks on the big dance floor. Dick, playing his Fender Stratocaster, upside
down and backwards, wowed the audience with pyrotechnics and theatrics that the
likes of Jimi Hendrix would later absorb into his persona. Had it not been for the Beatles and the
English Invasion, I feel that Dick would have been a greater star and even more
of a household name.
The next time I saw him was
in the late seventies at a club that he owned in Orange County, dubbed the
Rendezvous. It was a totally different
vibe, with a Vegas-style act in a Vegas-style cub. There were scantily clad girls dancing on the
bars and a lounge type group backing him up, featuring his Asian wife, Jeanie,
and a big, black, sax player with a shaved head called Mr. Clean. He did popular songs and every once in a
while did a “Dick Dale Song”. That was
probably his lowest period.
I was living in San
Clemente at the time and would front a band called the Hula Buckaroos for the Annual Surfer Magazine Awards banquet every year. There were always special guests at the
event. One year Dick was introduced out
of the audience, and, as we were playing a tune as his intro, he jumped up on
stage and proceeded to sit in on almost every instrument, including the
drums. I have only seen Sammy Davis Jr.
do anything as 'show biz' as that in my life. It is my opinion that the only,
true surf guitar player is Dick Dale … all the others are just pretenders."
Actor / Singer / Teen Star / Heartthrob Johnny Crawford (“The Rifleman”) has been admitted to a full time care facility where he is suffering from the effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Fellow teen star (and long-time advocate of child stars for decades now through his “A Minor Consideration” organization) Paul Petersen (“The Donna Reed Show” … and he crooned a tune or two as well, as did his tv-sister Shelley Fabares) has set up a GOFUNDME Page for those who wish to donate. (Crawford’s healthcare costs are in the neighborhood of $8000 a month!) Details on how to donate can be found via the link shown below. Or, if you wish to send a Get Well greeting, you may do so by writing to Johnny at Glen Park Healthy Living - 1220 Mariposa St - Glendale, Ca. 91205. Thank you to FH Reader Frank B, who received these updates through Wild Wayne … and to all who can find it in their hearts to give back. (kk)
Here are The Top Ten Biggest Hits by Johnny Crawford, Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares:
#1 – Johnny Angel – Shelley Fabares (#1, 1962)
#2 - My Dad – Paul Petersen (#6, 1963)
#3 - Cindy’s Birthday – Johnny Crawford (#8, 1962)
#4 - Rumors – Johnny Crawford (#12, 1962)
#5 - Your Nose Is Gonna Grow – Johnny Crawford (#14), 1962)
#6 - She Can’t Find Her Keys – Paul Petersen (#19, 1962)
#7 - Johnny Loves Me – Shelley Fabares (#21, 1962)
#8 - Proud – Johnny Crawford (#28, 1963)
#9 - Patti Ann – Johnny Crawford (#40, 1962)
#10 – The Things We Did Last Summer – Shelley Fabares (#46, 1962)
A couple of weeks ago we got to talking about 45 adapters and such … It never even dawned on me that we were on the eve of the 70th Anniversary of the 45 … a move that revolutionized the record industry back in 1949. (The little record with the big hole was puzzling to most … and I still maintain that there is absolutely NO reason why they couldn’t have just gone with the smaller hole in the middle like every other record ever pressed … unless the savings on that extra inch and a half of unused vinyl was just so massively significant … and maybe it was … that the pressing plants saved a fortune by not having to use as much … but wouldn’t you think that bigger circle still would have had to be cut out in some fashion, resulting in that 1 ½” circle ultimately being discarded and thrown in the garbage???) Oh well, here’s some more information along with some celebratory news about this revolutionary invention … https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/45-vinyl-singles-history-806441/
And, since we’re talking hit singles, the latest by Maroon 5, featuring Cardi B (“Girls Like You”) reached a Billboard milestone this week when it began its 40th week in The Top 20 … something achieved by only five other singles prior to this week. (It’s not at all surprising that ALL of these achievers are from post-1997, by which time it was not at all uncommon to see a hit record spend a YEAR or more on the chart!!!) Ah, I long for the days when the market was SO competitive that artists were releasing three or four singles a year just to keep their names out there (and their music on the radio!). Back then, a successful chart run was about twelve weeks … and you made the most of it during your moment in the sun. (I can still remember when Paul Davis set the music trades on their collective ear when “I Go Crazy” entered its 40th week in The Top 100 … this was unheard of at the time. Now we’re talking about 40 weeks in The Top 20!) From a chart perspective, music sure has gotten boring! There’s just not enough worthy competition to rejuvenate the charts each week. (Of course, today, new records debut at #1 on a regular basis, too. And ANY recording is fair game, as long as you get enough downloads and YouTube views … it doesn’t even have to be a “single” anymore to make an impression on the chart.) Seems like all the fun (and methodology of it all) are long gone from the music industry. On the plus side, I will admit that the charts today are completely fan-driven … and that’s a good thing. (kk)
Two of those records shown above spent more than ten weeks in the #1 spot. Between 1992 and 2015 (the latest Top Pop Singles book by Joel Whitburn) 32 records have spent ten or more weeks at #1. In the previous 37 year period that only happened a total of four times. So again, how can you possibly compare the hits of today to the hits of yesterday when this kind of discrepancy can exist?
On the anniversary of the recording of the R&B / R&R Classic “Sh-Boom” (March 15th, 1954), Frank B. sent us this clip, recounting the incredible story behind the hit song …
“Sh-Boom” charted for 24 weeks on Cash Box Magazine’s Pop Chart in 1954, ultimately sharing the #1 spot (with versions recorded by other artists, most notably, The Crew Cuts) for seven weeks. (kk)
Have you seen the list of presenters for this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony? (I’m not quite sure I get most of them … but here they are): Harry Styles presenting for Stevie Nicks Brian May of Queen presenting for Def Leppard Janelle Monáe presenting for Janet Jackson Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails presenting for The Cure David Byrne presenting for Radiohead John Taylor & Simon LeBon of Duran Duran presenting for Roxy Music Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles presenting for The Zombies The ceremony takes place on Friday, March 29th and will air beginning April 27th on HBO. (I can't promise you that I'll be watching!)
In 1974 we took an extensive tour of the southwest. By pure coincidence, one of the places we camped at was near the actual gravesite of the real Ringo, depicted in Lorne Greene’s 1964 record that was listed in Hal Blaine’s achievements. Unlike the record, Ringo, appeared to have committed suicide, by gun, at this absolutely beautiful site next to a pond at the base of the Chiricahua Mountain range in southeast Arizona. This year we are on another extended tour of the southwest and we attempted to retrace the route of our 1974 trip as closely as possible. On 12/30/18 we were able to locate the grave and our campsite again, which was not easy as it is in a remote area. The grave and the site is exactly as it was in '74. Very few people, even residents of Arizona, are aware of this beautiful area and we highly recommend it. Robert Campbell
>>>I was watching old cartoons from the 60's on Youtube the other day and came across one called Super Six. I watched it as a kid, not because it was a good one, but it was the best one on in its time period. With only our three networks back in the day, sometimes we had to settle for the best of the worst. When the theme started to play on Youtube I thought that the singer had to be Gary Lewis. I did some digging and sure enough it was! I believe this to be 1966. Bad cartoon, and not a great theme, but we all love our top 40 trivia. (Bill Scherer)
I had the opportunity to visit with Gary Lewis Friday Night at the opening of Michael Bush’s Photo Exhibit (which is quite amazing, by the way!) and we had a good laugh over this “Super Six” tune. (He’s the first to admit it’s not the greatest material he’s ever recorded! Lol)
But Gary said this was such an exciting time as there were so many opportunities to do fun side projects like these. (He also mentioned his series of Coca Cola commercials.) Guest-starring on tv shows … major tours with other big name acts … and then, beginning in 1985 (which is when he first met Mike Bush), the very first Happy Together Tour. (There is a great photo at the exhibit from this era.)
We talked again about the long-lasting popularity of this music … and how fans who came to see him fifty years ago are still coming to his concerts today. I’ve gotta tell you, Gary looks great … and has quite a few shows coming up which, if any happen to be in your area, he would love to see you attend! https://www.garylewisandtheplayboys.com/shows
As for Michael G. Bush’s “61 at 61” photo exhibit, there are some amazing shots on display … if you get the chance to stop by (it runs thru April 5th), please do as I think you’ll really enjoy it. (Scroll back to Thursday’s post for more details.)
My favorites include an amazing shot of Alice Cooper (the detail in this photo is incredible), a beautiful shot of “the two Davids” (Cassidy and Jones), which presents a rare photo opportunity where both artists actually appear to be sober, a very nice photo of Rick Nelson, that great Bee Gees shot we ran last week and one of Carl Wilson backstage where you can see their entire Beach Boys set list written on the palm of his hand!
It was also interesting to see photographers taking photos of the photographer at the opening night event. Luciano Bilotti and Jack Monogan, both of whom have shared their photos with Forgotten Hits over the years, were there snapping away and admiring in awe the quality of Michael’s work.
Lou explained the uniqueness of Mike’s work … all taken with 35mm film … no digital (not in his vocabulary) … and many from a vintage time capturing these artists during the prime time of their careers. Bush had unlimited, unheard of access at a time where many others had to sneak a camera into a venue in the hopes of capturing a shot or two … and he got to know these artists by visiting with them backstage before and after a show, building relationships that have lasted decades. (Gary Lewis told me that he just HAD to fly in for this exhibit to show his support … he and Bush have been friends since Michael took his first Gary Lewis photo during a Happy Together Tour stop in Chicago in 1985.) So many of these artists have left us in recent years so it is especially exciting to see them captured during a far more carefree and exciting time.
In addition to visiting with Gary Lewis, I was also able to do a FaceTime visit with Dennis Tufano, thanks to his sister, who was there showing all of the photos to Dennis via her cell phone because he couldn’t be there personally to experience it for himself.
Michael told me that he already has other exhibits in mind … including one spotlighting Freddie Mercury and Queen (hot on the heels of all the Bohemian Rhapsody frenzy that’s been going on thanks to the enormously successful movie) which could happen as soon as this summer. He’d also like to do one featuring Chicago’s own Cornerstones of Rock Legends (Michael has been photographing The Ides Of March, The Buckinghams, The New Colony Six, The Shadows Of Knight and The Cryan’ Shames for the past forty years now!) and, maybe next year, “62 at 62,” featuring all new photos not featured this year. (The guy may have a million photos in his collection by this point … in fact, it sounds like HE is discovering or re-discovering some of these for the first time in decades, too!)
Other exhibits currently under consideration: The Beach Boys 60th Anniversary, On Tour With The Monkees, Sixties Hitmakers, The History Of British Rock, and several others. So while this particular exhibit may have been a long time coming, it sounds like it just may have opened the door allowing for many more similar exhibits to come … in addition to the long talked about “coffee table book” collecting the best of the best from these series that fans can purchase as a personal keepsake.
Kent, I received the email about surveys that Frank Merrill referred to in FH the other day. I immediately wrote back to the person who wanted to know if his WLS Silver Dollar Survey collection was worth anything. The short answer is, yes. However, there are a bunch of qualifiers that go along with that statement. Both you and Frank touched on a couple and I will add in a couple more. First it doesn't matter what memorabilia you collect, be it music, sports, political, etc. As Frank said, condition is EVERYTHING! As a collector, I detest the terms NM, VG, G, etc. What's worse is the use of pluses and/or minuses afterwards. What's the difference between NM- and VG+? We won't get into exactly what is NM, and what is a lesser grade. A good rule of thumb is to place two identical items, and in this case surveys, next to each other. If you can see a difference, then one is NOT NM. Chances are neither is NM. Survey defects include, but are not necessarily limited to, corner dings, corner folds (there's a difference), the entire survey is folded in half (usually thru the middle), writing on the survey, nicks, tears, wrinkles and more. What it comes down to is what you'll tolerate for the price you have to pay for it. I'll tolerate a less than perfect copy of some weeks, if the price is right. Will I pay $100.00 for survey #1, that looks like it may disintegrate at anytime? Nope. Will I pay $5.00 for it? Maybe, but I won't get into a bidding war over it. The same goes for the other three weeks I'm still missing. In fact, a survey could have none of the above defects and still not be near mint. These surveys were very crisp pieces of paper and if they've lost that crispness, it's lost value. In short, in determining a value, one must consider what, if anything, detracts from top value. Saying something is NM is meaningless. Also meaningless is the rationalization that they are vintage. You won't find them in any shape. I'll tell you right now, I can produce 25 copies of 1/3/64. Probably 50, and in as good, or better shape than anyone else has. Next is something you mentioned, Kent. Does he want to sell them all at once, or let someone cherry pick? You said if you sell them in bulk, the buyer will want a better deal, than if he were to buy a couple. What many might not realize, is that the prime stuff will go first. You get your top dollar and then what? You're left with bread crumbs ... dates no one wants, or it's one of those NM surveys that isn't really NM ... so you're stuck with them at your current asking price, and now the total value has dropped because the "good" stuff is gone. It comes down to average price per survey. You could be losing more money by selling it individually. Obviously, the earlier the date, the more valuable, but not always. Other factors include the featured jock, the songs listed, and even the ad on the back. Some surveys have three different ads. Some surveys have more than one color and, of course, then there are those half dozen or so gold surveys. (Don't get me started!) I will not give out info on what surveys are more valuable, as I don't want to see the price shoot up because I said 1/3/64 is rare. Maybe I should … maybe I'll sell a few! What it comes down to, plain and simple, is that any given week is worth whatever someone wants to pay for it. One final thing to consider is that the market is totally different than it was when you and I first met over 40 years ago. (We thought we were the only ones!) I don't know how many collections I've filled in for people over the years, and once they have what they need, the market has shrunk. The Internet and eBay, has done wonders for the hobby. However, the market is shrinking. A 15 year old kid in 1961 is now 73. How many are still interested in reliving their youth? How many still have those 1961 charts? What is needed is their 15 year old grandchildren to take an interest in it. Pretty much everyone who wants WLS surveys already has them. All of us are missing the same "Holy Grails." WLS and, by extension, almost all urban market surveys, are not as desirable as they once were. The market is flooded. I'm sitting on at least 7500 Silver Dollar Surveys. You wanna take them off my hands? I'll give you below market value price if you buy them all. An honest answer for the gentleman who wrote asking about the value would be about $5-25 for a PRISTINE copy. There are a few worth ten times that total and a few that if you were lucky enough to get two dollars, I'd tell you take the money and run. However once any of the above mentioned defects show up, the value drops like yesterday's #1 record. Jack That's a pretty good assessment. I asked Jack which surveys he still needed original copies of in order to complete his own collection ...
And here is what he sent me ...
It looks to me that I'm missing 10/14, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29 and 11/5, all 1960 plus 5/6/61 and 4/13/74. (I have no idea where that went to.
Now technically the only week I'm truly missing is the one from 1974. The others I have almost perfect two side color copies of. Thanks.
Jack
In the unlikely event that ANYBODY out there happens to have a good, clean (pristine?) original copy available, please contact me and I will pass your information along. Thank you. (kk)
Some big doings this September in Louisville, KY, where the “Bourbon And Beyond” three day festival is showcasing some major talent!
