Since you have us readers focused on TV
themes in recent weeks, I wanted to share with you a new interview done with a
guy who is one of my favorite theme writers of all-time:
MIKE POST
A handful of some of his more remembered themes would include:
·
Rockford Files
·
Magnum P.I.
·
Hill Street Blues
·
The Greatest American Hero
·
The A-Team
·
L.A. Law
·
NYPD Blue
Attached is an interview done recently for the iHeart station I
program in NYC: WOR. “Len Berman and Michael Riedel In the Morning”
called Mike at his home in L.A.
Here’s a fun piece of Mike Post trivia:
Mike won his first Grammy in 1968 as a Producer when he was 23
years-old. What Billboard # 2 smash did he produce?
Classical Gas by Mason Williams
-Tom Cuddy
Hi
Kent,
As
with the Top 3333 Classic Rock nominations, thank you to those who nominated
the tv themes that had somehow escaped my memory. The result of that was, in
about 5 minutes it became abundantly clear that I was not going to be able to
do a top 20, lol. But the trip I took down memory lane was well worth it.
A
huge thank you, Kent, for all you do for the forgotten music, even extending it
to tv themes. This was fun!
As Forgotten Hits has put the spotlight recently on some of the teen
idols of our youth, another Donny Osmond memory popped into my head as I was driving
home last night.
When I was VP of Programming at NYC’s WPLJ-FM, there was a time when
Donny Osmond was going to swing by our studios above Madison Square Garden in
2007 to promote his new release at the time, “Love Songs of the 70s.”
When I received an advance copy of the disc, I noticed it included
one of my favorites from the 70s, a cover of Dan Hill’s “Sometimes When We
Touch.” Over the years when we had artists visit, I would try to make the
visit memorable for the artist in any way I could think of. Many times,
recording artists go on a promotion tour for a new release and they are asked
many of the same questions at each media outlet, and they often put themselves
on automatic pilot.
So I would encourage our DJs and Producers before an artist visits,
do the extra research and surprise them. Ask them something they would
enjoy talking about, but something that isn’t typical in most interviews. Do
the unexpected! Make it fun for the artists!
Here’s an example of a surprise we pulled off on Donny.
I wondered whether Dan Hill was aware that Donny had re-done his
ballad, and if so, had he heard it? I tracked down Dan’s rep in
Nashville, who said he would check with Dan, who was living in Toronto.
It turns out he had not heard it, so I offered to Fed Ex him an advance copy in
Canada with the request that he listen to it and then call in to ‘PLJ during
Donny’s in-studio interview. Donny is in the middle of the
interview with afternoon drive talent Rocky Allen, when they start taking calls
from listeners who had just heard the new version of “Sometimes When We Touch”
for the first time.
Listeners are giving him all sorts of positive praise about the new
release and then Rocky hits up the hotline with Dan patiently standing
by. Rocky sets up the call like Dan is just another listener checking in.
And then, halfway through Dan’s call, he says something like ... ”Donny,
I’ve heard a number of covers of this song over the years, but yours reminds me
of the passion I had when I wrote the song.”
Donny turns red. He looks at Rocky and then me as he figures
out what’s going on.
He says ... ”Wait a minute … am I speaking to Dan Hill?!”
Dan goes on to share with Donny how impressed he was with his
rendition and Donny is beaming brightly, as he should be after such praise from
one of the song’s composers.
When the interview was over, Donny said to Rocky and me that this was
one of the most memorable moments he’s ever had on the radio.
-Tom Cuddy
New York, NY
Here’s a You Tube link to Donny’s version of “Sometimes When We
Touch.”
OMG!
... What an awesome birthday card! It is far and away the best card I've ever
seen! Major props to Tom Cuddy for doing this for you. I can't think of anyone
who deserves it more!
The
card reminded me of something that I had wanted to mention.
While
looking for something totally unrelated, I recently discovered a website called
cameo.com. The site has thousands of athletes, actors, musicians, tv and
reality stars, comedians, broadway stars, you name it, who will send anyone you
want a video greeting of your choice.
Each
celebrity charges a different price, and you can do anything ... a graduation,
congratulations, happy birthday, etc. … you just provide them all the
information and your 'star' will do a video with your message. The purchasers
also give feedback and, from what I've seen, it's mostly very positive. Some of
the videos are pretty cool and very creative.
Chances
are, you're not going to find Donny, Bono or Madonna here, but I did see
Alice Cooper, Lance Bass, Joe Montana, Randy Travis, Ice-T, Tommy Lee, Darlene
Love, Brett Farve, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, and Tommy Chong, just to name a
few.
Be
forewarned, when I say there are thousands to choose from, that is not an
exaggeration. I spent hours going through the site. There are also a few
downsides - one, nothing is in alphabetical order, so if you're looking for
someone specific, say, Neil Sedaka, (he's there) use the search.
Secondly,
out of all the names / photos available, I probably knew less than half of
them.
Lastly,
know that the chance of getting anything remotely like the video card you got
from Tom isn't happening. But, if you want to surprise your aunt with a
birthday greeting from her favorite soap star, or a friend with their favorite
football player, this is the place to do it.
Aside
from wishing I had thought of doing a site like this, I have no connection with
cameo in any way. I just thought that because there are so many on this site
who have 'forgotten hits' and were on shows with your 'favorite tv themes',
(see what I did there? ;) that it would be a good fit for the group.
Have
a great day!
Sher
I have seen this site before … (can’t remember if I ever
mentioned it or not … but it IS pretty cool!And not particularly cheap either!)
But like Sher says, do the search … because there are
THOUSANDS of celebs (and semi-celebs) to choose from!(kk)
THIS
AND THAT:
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is FINALLY getting
around to inducting this year’s Class of 2020 …
Premiering on November 7th on HBO, we will
FINALLY get to see Depeche
Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious
B.I.G., T. Rex, Jon Landau and Irving Azoff get their just, due rewards.(Well, from a performers standpoint, I can
justify a COUPLE of these acts … but I DO agree with the Amhet Ertegun
recipients.
The special will also feature guests
including Luke Bryan*, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Miley Cyrus*, Billy Gibbons, Dave
Grohl, Don Henley, Jennifer Hudson*, Billy Idol, Iggy Pop, Alicia Keys*, Adam
Levine, Chris Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda*, Brad Paisley*, Bruce Springsteen,
St. Vincent*, Ringo Starr, Gwen Stefani, Charlize Theron*, Nancy Wilson and
more, all highlighting the importance and influence of the 2020 Inductees.
(* - Excuse me … Rock And Roll Hall
Of Fame worthy???How are these people
even on the guest list?!?!)
Dave Grohl kicks off the show with a
heartfelt introduction to this year’s class of inductees, and the special
guests will speak further on how the 2020 Inductees impacted their personal and
professional careers.
Still, if you want to catch the
festivities, you can do so on HBO beginning on November 7th.(I think I’ll just wait for The Doobie
Brothers segment to show up on YouTube!)kk
Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” album returns
to The Top Ten this week on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart.(Not bad for a 43 year old album, eh?)
Again, it’s all propelled by the
sudden popularity of their #1 Hit “Dreams,” thanks to that Tik Tok skateboarding
video.(The nice thing is that those who
are discovering that song for the first
time have found enough OTHER worthy material on this LP to purchase the whole
thing!!!)
I guess they’re all liking it as
much as we did way back when …
“Rumours” topped the album chart for
a total of 31 weeks when it was first released in 1977.Amazing.(kk)
Hi Kent!
Please let your readers know about the re-airing of my Collector’s
Call episode featuring my guitar collection and some hijinks from a visiting
expert from Chicago Music Exchange.
Collector's Call recently
began airing on WCIU-TV on Saturday mornings! This episode will air this
coming Saturday, October 24th, at 10:30AM.
WCIU airs in Chicago on the
following channels:
OVER THE AIR 48.1 HD, 26.2 HD
COMCAST / XFINITY 230/1171HD, 360/1169HD
RCN 610HD
WOW 170
DISH 48
DIRECTV TBA
SPECTRUM Charter 191
MEDIACOM 109
KRAUS CABLE 26.2 SD & 63
U-VERSE 24 check local listings
Thx! Jp
This is a really good episode … and
ties in nicely with your “Guitars That Followed Me Home” calendar from a couple
of years ago.(Not sure you can get WCIU
outside of Chicago … but this program originally ran on Me-TV … and it
regularly spotlights collectors from all over the country with unique
collections.We’ve seen everything from
Beatles collections to Superman collections to Pez dispenser collectors!Check it out if you get a chance.(And it’s hosted by Lisa Welchel, who starred
as Blair on “The Facts Of Life,” yet ANOTHER TV Theme that’s been earning votes
in our current TV Themes Favorites Poll.
(Did I mention that we’re doing a poll
to determine your All-Time Favorite TV Themes?!?!)
Thanks to Scott Shannon, Rick O’Dell,
Phil Nee and Sam Tallerico, all of whom have been referring their listeners to
our site to cast their ballots.
LOTS of good stuff here. (Frannie
and I visited that Superman Museum in Metropolis, IL, last winter!)kk
Kent,
Thanks for posting YELLOW RIVER. I always did
like that one hit wonder.
They had a follow-up called SAN BERNARDINO, I
believe.
It seemed several months ago that Canned
Heat's LET'S WORK TOGETHER was used in a commercial of some sorts. I also liked
the original version by Wilbert Harrison, which he recorded the previous year
... though I believe Harrison recorded it before in 1962 as LET'S STICK
TOGETHER.
You mentioned that the song by Bobby Trend did
not chart on WLS but was a WCFL thing. That happened a few times here in OKC
where one station, KOMA, would play a record and the competing top 40 station,
WKY, wouldn't, and vice versa. One of the records that comes to my mind is the
follow-up to the Music Explosion's LITTLE BIT OF SOUL, which was SUNSHINE
GAMES. This record charted on KOMA but never charted on WKY.
Larry Neal
I think it was an Amazon Prime commercial if I’m not
mistaken.
Canned Heat did VERY well here in Chicago …
“On The Road Again” and “Going Up The Country” both peaked at
#6 and “Let’s Work Together” at #4.
We would get quite a few songs that showed up as much more
popular on one side of The Chicago River than it would on the other … but this
one’s a TRUE mystery.It never made a
national chart AT ALL … yet spent six weeks on the ‘CFL chart, rising to
#19.SOMEBODY inside had to be making
that happen!(kk)
Hey Kent …
Two interviews we
recently published on Songfacts you might find of interest:
David Freiberg,
last man standing from the original Jefferson Starship, who answers the
question, "Who is Jane?"
Don McLean on
"American Pie." What's left to say about this song, you ask? McLean
rarely explains specific lyrics, but he talked about why the "Father, Son
and Holy Ghost" took that train. We also learned that he never owned a
Chevy, but he did buy a Mercedes, which didn't endear him to the folk music
community.
Word is McCartney III will drop in
December … another album of Paul playing all of the instruments just like his
1970 and 1980 efforts.(Wow … those two
came ten years apart … this one’s FORTY years on!!!)
With the world on shut-down (and
quarantine), he’s certainly had the time to pull this all together.(Word is Macca has recorded as many as 25
tracks!) kk
Best Classic Bands remembers the
anniversary of the release of the first Traveling Wilburys album …
Hi Kent,
Man, one more good read. Did not know about Jimi's early work ... very
cool, my friend.
Sure appreciate ya digging all this stuff up. Kudos!
Now that Wally World is shoving Christmas down our throats, can't even
find the Halloween stuff for the grandkids ... gotta love it. !
Be safe, be well my friend -
Barry
And it's R. Dean Taylor who takes over the #1 spot this week with "Indiana Wants Me." (In fact, the Top Six Records remain the same as last week, other than in a new shuffled order.)
In fact, there are only two new entries into The Top Ten this week ... "It Don't Matter To Me" by Bread (which jumps to #7 from #16, proving that "Make It With You" was not a fluke) and James Taylor's consistently rising chart debut, "Fire And Rain," which climbs seven spots from #17 to #10.
As expected, The Partridge Family make a HUGE leap this week, from #26 to #15 ... it's most certainly headed for #1.
Meanwhile, "Mongoose" and "The King Of Rock And Roll," two of last week's featured debuts, make significant moves as well, climbing from #29 to #20 and #30 to #22 respectively.
But the BIGGEST mover of the week belongs to Bobby Trend, whose "Good Day" climbs from #39 to #26, a jump of 13 places. (I couldn't hum a line of this tune if my life depended on it!!!) Does ANYBODY out there remember this one? It spent six weeks on the WCFL Chart and ultimately peaked at #19. Crazier yet, it never charted AT ALL on ANY of the national charts ... making me think again that somebody was pocketing a chunk of change to make this record a hit here in Chicago ... and it had to be a 'CFL thing, because WLS didn't chart it at all.)
WCFL charted this on the local Ivanhoe Record Label (I believe Ray Graffia, Jr.'s post-New Colony Six band, the RJM Band, recorded for Ivanhoe, if I'm not mistaken) ... but YouTube clips show it on the Metromedia Record Label, so it must have gotten picked up by a larger distributor. Still, it never even so much as "bubbled under" nationally, so I'm guessing this was much more of a local thing. You can check it out below ...
Meanwhile, Blood, Sweat and Tears are up twelve places with their latest, "Lucretia MacEvil." New premiers includes one of my favorites, "Yellow River" by Christie. I also like Canned Heat's "Let's Work Together."
And Simon and Garfunkel are back with another cut from the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album, "El Condor Pasa" ... it debuts at #35.
Also on this date:
1970 - October 19th – A new film starring Mick Jagger (titled “Ned Kelly”) premiers in theaters.It totally bombs … and most reviewers waste no time suggesting that Mick should stick to singing.
Can
I get in on that WPLJ DVD giveaway contest? What a great collector's item!
Speaking
of collector's items:
I
read your piece about David Cassidy the other day and remembered an evening
back around '90-'91 when David was promoting a new album and the radio station
where my friend, Stormin' Norman was the Music Director / DJ, WEBE-108FM,
arranged an appearance in my hometown of Stamford, CT, at a local oldies club
called Bopper's. Norman asked me to videotape the event, which I was happy to
do. I'm not a pro … just had a new camcorder at the time … so, why not?The promotion
manager forgot to order a town car to pick David up at the Westchester Airport,
so Norm and his wife, last minute, drove about 45 minutes to pick him up and
the appearance, basically an onstage meet and greet, got off to a late start.
David didn't seem to be in a very good mood, wanting to promote the record, not
really meet and greet a lot of mid-30s-ish women and guys, but he was
professional, shook a lot of hands, and posed for some pictures. The event went
on for longer than anticipated … the radio station had a select few contest
winners for a backstage meet and greet as well. I think this took place before
David's drinking problems, not sure, but he got a little agitated backstage and
growled at me for videotaping every minute of the evening. I was embarrassed
and shut the camera off briefly, but continued shortly after. I can't recall
all the details, but I just recently found the tape and plan on having it
transferred to DVD in the near future. When I do, I would be happy to send you
a copy! Nothing spectacular, but a night in the life...
Keep
up the great work,
Thanks,
Eddie
Burke
Ashley,
PA
Hey, I’d love to see it!
I saw David Cassidy perform a number of times over the years
… dating all the way back to 1972 when he was one of the headliners at the very
first Summerfest in Milwaukee, an outdoor event with no seating … it’s probably
still the largest crowd I have ever been part of … even as a late teen I
remember the sense of possibly being crushed as the fans tried to catch a
glimpse of the stage (which was virtually impossible by that point.)Sadly, a fan was later suffocated to death
due to poor crowd control at one of David’s upcoming shows. (The horror and guilt of that event stayed with him for the rest of his life.)
All of his other appearances have been post-comeback so a
bit more organized and controlled.This
includes everything from Las Vegas to numerous concerts here in and around
Chicago.
The quality of nearly all of his latter day concerts were
affected by his drinking.I have no
doubt it was out of control.
One of the most embarrassing moments for me was a Q&A
appearance with Ron Onesti at his Arcada Theatre.Ron had known David for years and this was a
non-singing appearance, essentially to help promote the last recordings he ever
did … several standards which, upon repeated listening, are actually quite haunting.
David’s voice was gone by then … even during the interview
he sounded so raspy that it almost sounded painful for him to talk.
Right in the middle of questioning, he abruptly got up and
said “I think we’re about done here” and walked off the stage.It was insulting, unprofessional and quite
humiliating for Ron, who had been the perfect host … and given David the chance
to promote something that very few people … including even his oldest and
dearest fans … were pretty unlikely to buy.It wasn’t long afterwards that he was dead.
I made several appeals over the years for David to stop
drinking … to get help … or, at the very least, to NOT get into a car and drive
home after a night of binging.He had
several DUI’s as it was and had absolutely no place behind the wheel of a car,
endangering other people, much less himself.He would always explain it as a “sickness” … something that ran in his
family, passed down "genetically" … but something he was aware of … which told me that even if he was
ultimately going to drink himself to death, he was aware enough of this problem
to NOT risk hurting anyone else ... yet he still continued to get behind the wheel of a car. To my mind, he might as well have gone out with a gun.
I will admit that at this point I was no longer a fan … I
became angry and hated the fact that he would continue to do this.I believe the whole teen idol thing haunted
him for the rest of his life … he was never really accepted for who he really
was.Too bad, too, because he probably
could have transitioned into a decent acting career, as he had the skills to do
so.(Heck, I even used to watch “David
Cassidy: Man Undercover”!!!lol)I saw him perform (with his half-brother
Shaun) in “Blood Brothers” … and even watched that goofy sitcom he did with his
daughter (which was one of the cheesiest things I’ve ever seen on TV!!!)
Anyway … back to your mention about the DVD contest …
Yes,you most
certainly are entered … and anybody else voting from this point forward can
enter to win a copy of the WPLJ TV Themes Concert dvd as well … just make sure
you mention it somewhere when you send in your ballot.
(PLEASE NOTE:This
DVD is being given away as a Private Collection Item ONLY …
The winner will have to agree in writing not to share it
through any other means, meaning you cannot post it on YouTube or any of your
social media outlets … or share it with any other friends or collectors … this
is for your OWN personal collection, for home use only.You do NOT have permissions to share or
distribute.)
Speaking of which …
GET YOUR TV THEMES VOTES IN NOW!!!
The Final Ballot has just been posted to vote for your
All-Time TV Theme Favorites.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve voted before … this is your LAST
CHANCE to help your favorites make The Top 50.
There are 213 finalists available for your votes … (all of these themes received a minimum of ten votes each during the preliminary rounds ... and several are already well over 200!)
You’ll also see that there are two ways to vote …
Cast a single vote for as many on the list as you feel are
deserving …
Or RANK Your Top 20, which will give more pro-rated votes to
your biggest favorites.
The easiest way to vote is to simply copy and paste the
ballot into an email and then send it to tvthemes@yahoo.com.
We have extended the voting deadline to Sunday, November 8th
at midnight …
That’s because Me-TV-FM will be doing a TV Themes Weekend
beginning at 7 pm on Friday, November 6th, and running straight
thru until Midnight on Sunday, November 8th … so LOTS more chances
to hear some of your all-time favorites!
And we’ll be counting down The Top 50 (with a whole bunch of
extras) the weekend of November 21st and 22nd.
Get your votes in now … and please, spread the word …
We want this to be the most representative and definitive list possible.
(Hey, I can promise you that this will be WAY more fun than that OTHER election
coming up!!!)
Stay tuned for more information about a radio countdown as
well!(kk)
SO GET YOUR VOTES IN NOW!!!
P.S.Thank you,
folks!On Saturday we passed 10,000
votes …
Keep ‘em comin’!!!(kk)
Hi Kent:
There actually was a 45 released in 1984 of the Simon & Simon
television theme by Barry De Vorzon. Here is the original single via a
YouTube clip:
Santi Paradoa
Miami, Florida
Boy, somebody sure dropped the ball on this one!(I think the UA Promo Man was sleeping on the
job!)This is a GREAT record … and with
a little bit of promotion, I think it absolutely could have been / should have
been a Top 40 Hit.
Oh well, at least we get to enjoy it now!(kk)
I am
a little late to the Donny party.
There
were Osmonds records that I thought were pretty good at the time. Donny's
version of 12th Of Never was pretty good.
I
have been blessed to interview him twice on the radio. He is one of the
nicest celebs I have ever chatted with. The
last time he was on, he joked that the Donny doll was worth more in the antique
stores than Marie's doll!
In
1989 when Soldier Of Love was released, I was a music director reporting to the
Gavin Report. It seems to me they sent a blank 45 not listing the
artist. They wanted input without us knowing who the singer was. It
later became a big hit.
Phil
– WRCO
Too funny!He just
seems to be a genuinely nice guy … and that’s pretty much all I’ve ever heard
about him (so it must be so!!!)kk
Just
read your piece on Donny Osmond …
Would
you believe I taped a Here's Lucy show with Donny Osmond as the guest star?
Arlene
Regarding today's mention of songs returning to #1, I bet "All
I Want For Christmas Is You" achieves that this December.
Ed Erxleben
That would be a recent development for sure.
According to Joel Whitburn’s book, it peaked at #12 upon its
initial release in 1994.It then charted
again in ’95, ’96 and ’99 … and then not again until 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,
2016, 2017 and 2018, when it peaked at #3, a new all-time high.Last year, in 2019, it finally hit #1 … by
this point the song was already 25 years old!So yeah, kind of an unheard of feat.
Could it do it again?
I guess so … but I still feel like this is one of those asterisk
situations, being more of a seasonal thing … but sure, it could happen.It IS a great song.(kk)
I've got to agree - that Dating Game thing HAD to be a
joke. I'd seen that show maybe once or twice back then, but that particular
show fell right out of the horse.
After a Guess Who concert at McCormick Place in '76, Burton and bassist Bill Wallace
dropped in at a record store on Oak Street near Rush, to chat with the fans and
whatever. It was great, but surprisingly, there were a lot fewer fans
there than I'd expected. I was unhappy to see such a small turnout.
When the guys decided to take off, I asked Burton if I could accompany him on
his walk to their hotel on Boul Mich. Being the nice guy that he is, we
had a nice chat. Nicest guy you'd ever want to meet.
An interesting thing here is that it's exactly 50 years since my first Guess Who
concert, on 10-9-1970 at the SIU Arena. I've been a huge fan ever since.
Mike Wolstein
I was fortunate
enough to see The Guess Who several times before they split up … and then at
least half a dozen of Burton’s solo shows in the late ‘70’s, opening up for
everyone from Melissa Manchester to Alice Cooper!!!(Talk about diversity!)
Saw The Guess Who
reunion show in 2001 … and have tickets for the Bachman-Cummings show whenever
it finally comes off here again.(Not to
mention at least another half dozen solo Burton shows between The Arcada
Theatre and The City Winery!) … so yeah, I guess you could say that I was a
fan, too!!!
I thought our
interview was one of the best I’ve ever done … he opened up and was very
relaxed, even though he was probably rehashing stories he’d already told DOZENS
(if not hundreds!) of times before.
I’ve been fortunate
enough to visit with him backstage a few times as well, and he even filmed this
short FH promo for me … ON HIS OWN!!!I
was surprised as anybody when he asked me to come over!(kk)
The “Chicago 7 Trial” movie finally premiered on Netflix on
Friday (October 16th).
I thought it was VERY well done.Great cast, great acting, great story-telling
… definitely worth checking out.
If I could change two things, I would have stayed away from
the illusion that these guys were “heroes” … they weren’t … but their story and
perspective on the world as it was at the time DEFINITELY needs to be seen and
heard.
And I would have run Graham Nash’s “Chicago” over the end
credits … pretty much as soon as the screen fades to black.
Other than that, I was VERY pleased with the film
overall.I give it an 8 out of 10.(kk)
My favorite Garth Brooks album technically isn’t really a
Garth Brooks album at all …
It’s the Chris Gaines CD he put out back in 1999.
I LOVED it … and still pop it in and play it all the time.
The concept was that this was a Greatest Hits / Movie
Soundtrack titled “Garth Brooks In … The Life Of Chris Gaines” … and it sounds
like Garth (the biggest selling solo male artist in history!) is about ready to
resurrect this character.
He told Billboard Magazine that “If you’re familiar with
‘Chris Gaines’ Greatest Hits,’ then you HAVE to know that those songs came from
somewhere.”
(Does this mean that a series of Chris Gaines releases will
keep the illusion going for years to come?)Hey, it’s got MY vote!I’d be
curious to see what else Garth has up his sleeve.(I know there are already a couple of very
special holiday releases coming up because we’re printing the packaging for
them right now!)
Stay tuned … new music could be just around the corner.(kk)
Speaking of new releases, I wanted to share this one with
you.
Now typically we wouldn’t be the right place to promote a
blues album (although we did give quite a bit of press to Dion’s latest release
a couple of months back) …
But THIS one goes beyond the genre of “blues” …
Just check out some of the artists on these discs and the
material being presented …
The
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music '69-70 50th Anniversary
Box
Set & Merchandise For Release November 27, 2020
Gonzo
MultiMedia are very excited to announce they have been chosen by the Freddy
Bannister Estate (the promoters) of the historic 1969 and 1970 Bath
Festivals to produce the official 50-year anniversary set. Between them, these
festivals are considered to have probably the best lineups ever seen and
included.
For
the first time ever, the Bath Festival 50th Anniversary set includes a triple
CD set of restored recordings from both festivals. It also contains the
posters, both programmes from the 1969 and 1970 events, and a booklet written
by Freddy Bannister with lots of photos and reproduction memorabilia.
The
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music was a counterculture era music
festival held at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet,
Somerset, England on 27–29 June, 1970. Bands such as Pink Floyd and Led
Zeppelin performed. The was the second Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive
Music promoted by the Bannisters, the first held on 28th June 1969, which
headlined Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and featured soon to be Rock Gods, Led
Zeppelin playing a mere one hour set in the mid of the afternoon set, along
with John Mayall, The Nice, Ten Years After, Colosseum, John Peel, Keef
Hartley, Roy Harper. And the audience.
The
1970 festival started at midday on the 27th (a Saturday) and finished at about
6:30 am on Monday morning. A DJ played records for early arrivers from the
Friday evening and continued to do so between many of the sets until the end.
The festival featured a line-up of the top American West Coast and British
bands of the day, including Santana, The Flock, Led Zeppelin (headlining act),
Hot Tuna, Country Joe McDonald, Colosseum, Jefferson Airplane (set aborted),
The Byrds (acoustic set), The Moody Blues (unable to play), Dr. John (acoustic
set), Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat, It's a Beautiful
Day, Steppenwolf, Johnny Winter, John Mayall with Peter Green, Pink Floyd
(premiering their new masterpiece, the yet to be named Atom Heart Mother Suite),
Pentangle, Fairport Convention, Keef Hartley, and the Maynard Ferguson Big
Band. This line-up was approaching the level of the more famous Isle of Wight
Festival held in August of the same year. As it attracted less press coverage
at the time and was a smaller affair, it has generally received less attention
in the years since. The Bath Festival was the brainchild of promoter Freddy
Bannister and his wife Wendy Bannister. The 1970 show attracted a significantly
larger crowd of 150,000. Michael Eavis was attendant at the festival and was
inspired to hold, later that year, the first event of what would become the
Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts.
2020
marks the 50th anniversary of these legendary festivals. Gonzo Multimedia - in
conjunction with the Freddy Bannister Estate has produced a high quality
limited edition box set containing: Signed and numbered certificate by Wendy
Bannister. Triple CD - (featuring restored recordings from both festivals)
Reproduction 1969 Program Reproduction 1970 Program Reproduction tickets for
both festivals. A3 Reproduction posters for both festivals Reproduction fliers
+ 16-page anniversary book, containing text written by Freddie Bannister, along
with photos.
“I
can’t believe it is 50 years. It feels like only yesterday since we held these
festivals. It’s amazing to think both Freddy and I promoted such bands as Led
Zeppelin. Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Frank Zappa, Byrds, Steppenwolf, Johnny
Winter, etc. in the early days. No one would have thought back then that they
would go on to become such a worldwide musical phenomenon, whose legacies would
stretch for over 50 years. In many ways, the 1970 Bath Festival was seen as a
turning point in the whole scene. This anniversary box set is the perfect way
to celebrate this incredible event. I am sure if Freddy were still here he
would have approved.” – Wendy Bannister
In
addition, Gonzo Multimedia in conjunction with the Freddy Bannister Estate are
producing associated merchandise and memorabilia featuring artwork from the
festival posters including reproduction programmes & posters. T-shirts,
sweatshirts, hoodies, tote bags & mugs.
Tracklist:
DISC
1
1.
Ten Years - After I Woke Up This Morning 2. Ten Years After - Good Morning
Little Schoolgirl 3. Blodwyn Pig - Aint Ya Comin’ Home 4. Blodwyn - Pig Cats
Squirrel 5. Taste - Same Old Story 6. Colosseum - Walking in the Park 7.
Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green) - Blues Jam 8. Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green)
- So Many Natural Ways 9. Fleetwood Mac (inc Peter Green) - Red Hot Mama 10. The
Nice - Karelia Suite 11. The Nice - She Belongs To Me
DISC
2
1.
Donovan - Mellow Yellow 2. Steppenwolf - Sookie Sookie 3. Steppenwolf - Born To
Be Wild 4. Johnny Winter - Guess I’ll Go Away 5. Johnny Winter - Johnny B Goode
6. Johnny Winter - Have You Ever Been Mistreated 7. The Byrds - Rock n Roll
Star 8. The Byrds - Bugler 9. The Byrds - Black Mountain Rag 10. The Byrds – Mr.
Tambourine Man 11. The Byrds - Antique Sandy 12. The Byrds - You Ain’t Going
Nowhere 13. The Byrds - Baby Do You Want Me to Do
DISC
3
1.
John Mayall - It Might As Well Be Raining 2. John Mayall - Crazy Woman 3.
Canned Heat - Reefer Blues 4. Canned Heat – Something’s Gotta Go 5. Frank Zappa
- Mom And Dad 6. Country Joe - Silver and Gold 7. Country Joe - Martha Lorraine
8. Country Joe - Fixing to Die Rag 9. Santana - Black Magic Woman 10. Santana -
Incident at Neshabur 11. It’s A Beautiful Day - White Bird
Meanwhile, 7A Records in England continues to release VERY
rare Monkees material in limited edition pressings.
Their latest is a Peter Tork solo LP, featuring the entire “Stranger
Things Have Happened” album from 1994, plus some bonus solo cuts that Tork
released over the years.(You’ll find
the complete track list below.)kk
1.Stranger Things Have Happened
2.Get What You Pay For
3.Sea Change
4.Giant Step
5.Milkshake
6.MG-BGT
7.Miracles
8.Pirates
9.Gettin’ In
10. Tender Is
11.Higher and Higher
Bonus Tracks
12.Milkshake – with James Lee Stanley
13.MG-BGT – with James Lee Stanley
14.Miracle – with James Lee Stanley
15.Pirates – with James Lee Stanley (*)
16.Get What You Pay For (Live) (*)
17.Easy Rockin’ (Demo) (*)
18.I Truly Understand (from The CooP: The Fast Folk
Musical
Magazine SE 105, 1982)
19.(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone – with The New Monks
(Claude’s Music Works single MW 1001, 1981)
20.Higher and Higher – with The New Monks
(Claude’s Music Works single MW 1002, 1981)
(*) CD-only bonus tracks
Great call on "Stay Away From Her," a longtime fave spin
on the hi-fi!
Brian Hyland's 45s get spun weekly … I have almost all of the singles.
I've always wanted to catch one of Brian's shows … hope he decides to perform
once this damn Covid nightmare is put in the rear-view mirror for good.
And how the HELL did "3000 Miles" not make the Top 40? I place
blame upon NY playlist tightwad Rick Sklar (ha!)
Mike Markesich
I would love to see Brian Hyland here as part of a “package
show” that they seem to do so many of out in New York and the East Coast.Like you, I can’t wait until it’s safe to
start going to concerts again.Sadly, I
think we’re still a ways off.Several
artists are already rescheduling their dates for 2022.That’s why we need organizations (and
legislation) like SOS – Save Our Stages – to help ensure that these theaters
and venues will continue to exist once concerts resume.(I think of the MILLIONS of dollars being
spent to renovate The Arcada Theatre … and it’s just sitting idle every night
due to this damn pandemic.)
On the Brian Hyland front, he charted a total of 36 titles
in the national trades … but unfortunately there were inconsistent lulls that
took his name out of the spotlight far too many times.(For example … he hit #3 in 1962 with “Sealed
With A Kiss,” one of your summer favorites … his follow-up single, “Warmed Over
Kisses,” made it to #24 ... but then nothing of note again until 1966’s “The
Joker Went Wild.” (#19)
As such, his 1970 comeback with the #3 Hit “Gypsy Woman” was
a completely unexpected surprises … but nine other records hit the charts
during that “break in the action,” including your “3000 Miles.”This one is another one of those chart
mysteries … it charted for exactly one week in Billboard at #99 … but reached
#75 in Record World, a point difference of 24 places, and stayed on THEIR chart
for four weeks. It was produced and
arranged by Leon Russell (with Snuff Garrett) and written by our long-time FH Buddy
Artie Wayne.(We miss ya, Artie!)kk
And, from Brian Hyland himself …
Hi Kent,
Regarding “Stay Away From Her,” this was my
first self-written song, co-written, actually, with Jimmy Holvay.
For me, this was an early attempt at
songwriting and on that same tour we also wrote One Night Jimmy and about eight
other songs. In the case of Stay Away From Her, the record company dropped the
ball on promotion on that one and nothing happened.
Regarding marketing music during the British
Invasion:It was fine as long as you had
major label promotion support and it came down to if you had a good song.
I actually think it’s harder now for a legacy 60s
artist to market their new music. Case in point:
I actually I have a new song out right now on
all the major streaming platforms.It
was released a month ago titled “You Got A Message.”There are five other singles released in the
last two years, all self-composed, produced and mixed.
Keep on Rockin’, Kent!
Respectfully,
Brian Hyland
We actually ran promos for your new song when it was first
released a few weeks ago … good song.
I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to browse around the
sites yet, but if and when you do, you’ll see that the very first 45 I ever
bought with my own money was “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”
… and it was on the Leader record label, too!!!
Check out this section of the site and you’ll see hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of OTHER First 45’s Memories.(Would love to add YOURS to the list, too!)
Forgotten Hits is a GREAT way to stay in touch with your
fans … tell them about upcoming shows and releases … and answer questions from
time to time.
I hope you’ll continue to stay in touch with us.
Like I tell ALL of the artists on our list … USE ME!!!That’s what I’m hear for!!!
Let us help to spread the word about all of your latest
goings on!
Thanks!(kk)
Wow!
The Flower Power Cruise has already been postponed until
2022!(Man, I sure hope things get
better WAY before then!!!)
But take a look at this line-up!
The Zombies, John Lodge of the Moody Blues, Felix
Cavaliere's Rascals, Procol Harum, The Guess Who, The Yardbirds, The
Association, The Spencer Davis Group, Mark Lindsay (former Lead Singer of
Paul Revere & The Raiders), The Family Stone, Cruise Host Peter Asher,
Canned Heat, The Cowsills, The Box Tops, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, The
Outsiders, The Music of Cream, Kiss the Sky The Re-Experience: World's Greatest
Tribute to Jimi Hendrix, Magic Bus Band, Lisa Polizzi's Janis Joplin
Experience, Hal Bruce, The Newbees, The LSB Experience, The Hall of Fame Band, Tribute
Artists Tim Stamper and George Trullinger, Beatle Brunch Radio Host Joe Johnson,
And More!
I was a big fan of Harry Chapin. I have all of his albums and went
to his two concerts in Madison.
But, in the recent piece about the documentary, it was written that he had 14
hits singles. I just knew that wasn't correct.
Normally a hit means that it reached the Top 40 of Billboard. So, I
pulled out one of my Joel Whitburn's books and looked into Harry's Billboard chart
history.All told, he only had 7 singles
hit the charts, including one #1 - "Cat's in the Cradle."
It was his only single to reach the top 20. "Taxi" and
"Sequel", his first and last singles to chart, reached #24 and #23,
respectively. They lasted 16 and 14 weeks on the chart,
respectively. The only other single to reach the top 40 was "W.O.L.D.,"
which only reached #36.
The other three singles were "I Wanna Learn A Love Song" (#44),
"Sunday Morning Sunshine" (#75) and "Better Place to Be (Parts 1
& 2)" (#86). So, as to hits, he only had 4.
There are many, many other great songs on the albums.
Mike Brown
When promoting something like this, there is really no clear-cut definition of “hit.”
Let’s just say that it ain’t easy to hit The Hot 100 …
so in THAT respect, Harry Chapin only had seven “hits.”
Even nationally, counting EVERY song that charted (including
those that “bubbled under” The Top 100), he only had twelve … but five of those were Top 40
National Hits.
Then you can enlarge the playing field even further by
saying “How many Soft Rock / Easy Listening Hits Did He Have?” … and the answer
to THAT question is also seven … so THAT ain’t it!!!
So does this mean that they’re counting albums in his hit
total?
Probably …
Harry had eleven Top 200 Albums.
So TECHNICALLY he had more than 14 hits … it just depends on
how much you want to bend the truth!(However, your note clearly says “14 singles” … so even New Math doesn’t get me
to that answer!Lol)
My Mom LOVED Harry Chapin, so I was exposed to some of his
music growing up as a kid … and actually liked some of it.(I can listen to the “Verities And
Balderdash” album all day long.)
I’d be curious to see the new documentary just because he
DID have some impact on my life … and was very well respected by others and his
peers.(kk)
As you know, there have been a wave of albums released these
past few years featuring The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra overdubbing
themselves to pop hits from the past …
Everyone from Elvis (a couple of volumes) to Roy Orbison to
The Beach Boys and more have been given a new spin on some classic recordings.
Well, now comes word that Neil Diamond has jumped on the
bandwagon … but with a twist.
Neil is actually re-recording a baker’s dozen of his hits to
be given the RPO treatment.(I’m not so
sure I want to hear gravely spoken word versions of Neil’s best tunes … but his
fans are a loyal bunch so they’ll probably snatch this up in droves!)
Also rerecording his biggest hit is Sonny Burgess of The
Champs …
And this one will be released by Time Life no less!
(Odd, because they typically concentrate on the original
versions of songs featured in their compilation albums … but this is a
dedicated set spotlighting Sonny Burgess and the Champs, circa 2020.)
