Movie Music

re:  HERE ARE MORE OF YOUR FAVORITE OLDIES USED IN MOVIES:

>>>Maybe you could invite your readers to identify their favorite Oldie used in a movie.

I would nominate Ivory Joe Hunter singing Since I Met You Baby (in Spanish) in the John Sayles movie 'Lone Star', a very good flick and a moving scene.  (Charlie Fraser)

>>>Easy enough for me to remember the most powerful oldies music I ever heard in a movie ... it TOTALLY blew me away and I had to go out and get the soundtrack album the very next day.  The song in question is "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners and I heard it for the very first time in "American Graffiti" ... and to this day it's STILL one of my all-time favorites.  (Believe it or not, I heard "All Summer Long" by The Beach Boys for the very first time in that very same flick!)  kk  

Whoa! Kent, that soundtrack may be the single most, best ever soundtrack ... 42 songs,

I believe ... it's not fair to cite that one! ha ha

And the Twist Scene from Pulp Fiction is one of my very favorites also. Now that they have caught Whitey Bulger, the notorious criminal portrayed loosely by Jack Nicholson in the movie 'The Departed', the end of the movie shows a rat on a bannister as 'Sweet Dreams' plays to end the movie.

Keep it going,

Charlie

Being 19 at the time (when "American Graffiti" first came out), I wasn't familiar with a lot of the music used in the film ... my first exposure to music came during The British Invasion ... and oldies radio hadn't really taken off yet ... so it was like a whole new world of music opened up to me.  That is why I continue to insist today that oldies music can have the same effect on TODAY'S teenagers if they're exposed to it properly.  There is SO much more to offer in the way of catchy, hook melodies than most of today's music ... it's feel-good music at its very finest. I defy ANY kid (from 8 - 80) not to be affected by the sounds of "Rock Around The Clock", "Sixteen Candles", "Runaway", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "That'll Be The Day", "At The Hop", "The Stroll", "Surfin' Safari'", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Little Darlin'", "Peppermint Twist", "Barbara Ann", "Book Of Love", "Ya Ya", "The Great Pretender", "Ain't That A Shame", "Johnny B. Goode", "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Get A Job", "Do You Wanna Dance", "Come Go With Me", "You're Sixteen", "Love Potion Number Nine", "Since I Don't Have You", "Chantilly Lace", "Green Onions", "Only You", "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" and "All Summer Long" ... and every one of those songs (along with at least a dozen others) are featured in this movie.  It's Rock And Roll History, 101.

This week's DeeJay Assignment:  "A Salute to 'American Graffiti'" ... pick 20 songs from this INCREDIBLE soundtrack and feature them on your show as some sort of an "American Graffiti" tribute ... plug it the day before and tell your listeners to "Tune in tomorrow ... and have your kids listen in, too!" 'cause this is music that they should NOT be denied the chance to hear ... yet look at your normal, regular oldies playlist ... and tell me how many of these GREAT tracks you still play today.  (kk)

My favorite oldies in movies are more like ancienties (new word) in movies, starting with both Nat King Cole's Star Dust and Les Paul & Mary Ford's How High The Moon both used within the first ten minutes or so of "My Favorite Year", the Peter O'Toole movie. Must be some more but since these sprung to mind, I consider them my favorites. Hmmm maybe because the movie is set in the 1950s, some of my favorite years.

Hil

Regarding Songs Used in Movies, one of my very favorite soundtracks is from the movie "I Am Sam" with Sean Penn. They are all Beatles songs by some famous and some not so famous artists. I listen to this CD all the time.

Eileen

Yep, that's a good one.  (Another favorite is "Bye Bye Love" ... which the movie was as good as the soundtrack!  lol)  And how about "Across The Universe"?  But we're looking for an unexpected oldie that came on in a film that just COMPLETELY blew you away ... the PERFECT marriage of song and film.  (Earlier I thought of "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Runaround Sue" from "Sleeping With The Enemy", both unexpected surprises in an otherwise pretty dark film.  Heck, you're even treated to a little snippet of "When You're A Jet" from "West Side Story" when the guy is watering his lawn!!!  lol)  kk

A friend found this on Flickr ...

It's a photo of a real ad that someone found in a late '50s comic book.

DJ Stu Weiss

Yes, we've run these before ... and I used to see them every month when I'd pick up my brand new Superman or Batman comic!!!  (lol)  "Palisades Park" (and its use in the brand new X-Men flick) is the song that kicked off this whole conversation.  Then, after THAT film opened big at the box office, we saw back-to-back #1 Movies "Super 8" and "The Green Lantern", each of which ALSO featured classic oldies like "Undercover Angel" (by our FH Buddy Alan O'Day) and "Come Softly To Me" by The Fleetwoods, respectively.  (You'll find a comment from original Fleetwood Gretchen Christopher below!)  kk

Kent, 
I enjoyed seeing your comments about Jimmy Beaumont and The Skyliners, and how their song Since I Don't Have You is still one of your favorites, and how it made such an impression on you when you heard it that you went out and bought the album the day after seeing American Graffiti. 
I had the exact same feeling the first time I heard that song. It was like it 'haunted' me for hours and days.  I was COMPELLED to buy it and play it over and over.  There is something about it that can't be described.  It's a production to live with and never get tired of and one I know I'll take to the grave in my head. 
I was a little unhappy when a  recent Oldies PBS Special I was watching featured The Skyliners but featured the girl singer doing the solo work on a song I thought was good but just not the same as Jimmy singing what, in my opinion, The Skyliners do best, Since I Don't Have You. 
The PBS Producers of those shows might have great promotional sense, but in my opinion it was a BIG mistake to substitute the song The Skyliners performed on that show for Since I Don't Have You.  
That PBS Special is a recent release so you might have not seen it yet, but I want to tell you, Jimmy Beaumont, God Bless him, did his best to be nonchalant and professional as he did his bit to be 'backup singer' for her.  Her song was well done but WAY below the caliber of Since I Don't Have You.  Maybe he had lost his voice before the concert or something and so they had no choice about it. 
Anyway, it was great to see them all on stage together, but THAT song, Since I Don't Have You, with Jimmy Beaumont singing it in his inimitable way, THAT in my opinion is one of the high points of True American Music, and he is the ONLY singer who could EVER carry that song and make it the unforgettable hit that it was and IS.  What a talent, and what a cool guy.  I hope he knows what an amazing 'Performer and Interpreter of Music' that he is.  
Veeder Van Dorn

I haven't seen the show you're referring to ... and I'm sure at SOME point during the show they performed their best known hit (although maybe it wasn't broadcast on the PBS Television version ... sometimes they do that on purpose, too ... edit these things out to get you to pay the higher subscription fee and get the "bonus material" on the DVD!!!)  From what I understand, Beaumont (now 70!!!), still sounds great!  But you're absolutely right about this being a haunting recording ... without question, one of the best performances ever waxed.  (kk)

Hi Kent -
Just wondering if you got my link to my version of "Since I Dont Have You" ? It will be coming out on Gonzo Records' Merrell Fankhauser "The Best Of" 2 CD set with songs from 1964 to now, some unreleased and a two volume DVD set of 12 episodes of my TV show Tiki Lounge. It includes a great oldies show with Vessie Simmions of "The Ribbons" ( I Aint Gonna Kiss You), Val Paliuto of 'The Jaguars", Ronnie Height, Marvin Spencer and others... All slated for release July 10 and August 2nd.
Click on the link below.
All My Best,
Merrell Fankhauser
MERRELL FANKHAUSER - 'SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU' from 'TIKI'

Click here: YouTube - ?MERRELL FANKHAUSER -' SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU' from 'TIKI LOUNGE'??

Sure did ... in fact, we sent it out a couple of weeks ago ... but here it is again ... 'cause a great song is a great song!  (Don McLean and Art Garfunkel also charted with outstanding versions of this tune.)  kk

Kent,

Thanks for the heads up about our "Come Softly To Me" being in THE GREEN LANDERN!  

My daughter Kimari teaches pre-school and asked if I'd sing "Graduation's Here" for her students' graduation.  I sang "Graduation" and, on request, "Come Softly To Me" for an encore, with Kimari and the parents backing me by singing the 'dom doms'.  

Next morning, one of the parents excitedly called Kimari and said, "My husband and I saw the movie THE GREEN LANTERN last night and there was your Mom's song! It was in a bar scene - and it was "their song!"  I was so excited, because I'd just heard your Mom sing it live, yesterday!"

What fun!

Of course, both "Graduation's Here" and "Come Softly" are among the 16 self-penned songs on my CD, GRETCHEN'S SWEET SIXTEEN (SUITE 16).  My goal for July is to make them available for digital download at the usual places.  

But the actual CD and 16 page booklet of liner notes and photos can still be obtained - Signed (to whomever is the lucky recipient :o), gold Sealed (A Billboard Critics' Pick for 10 Best Albums of the Year), and Delivered (in a foil gift box, if desired) from www.GoldCupMusic.com (where all may hear sound clips, and learn a bit more about this romantic album - like the sound track of a musical - which tells the story of my first love at age 16, reunited four decades later and celebrating my 16th Leap Year Birthday!

Of course, now I've turned 17, and next year (Vos, my first love, says) I'll be legal! (:o) 

Please feel free to share this message and welcome all the fans of Forgotten Hits who say, "They just don't write music like that anymore."  I hope they'll be pleasantly surprised when they 'come softly to me' and sample the six decades of songs at www.GoldCupMusic.com or www.GretchenChristopher.com or www.TheFleetwoods.com (see SUITE 16 CD link).

Thanks for keeping in touch, and Happy Independence Day!!!!

Gretchen

Kent, 

Do you know anyone who has ever seen the original movie "Unchained" from 1955?

It's not on DVD on VHS, and although I've heard / read people discussing it for years, has anyone ever actually viewed it and told where in the movie the theme is used?

David

I went right to our resident film buff with this one ... (aka THEONEBUFF!!!) ... a TRUE connoisseur of film ... and, he was actually AROUND when this movie came out and knows it well.  (In fact, he even sent us a little soundtrack clip to share!!!)  Check it out!  (kk)

Unchained, a 1955 low budget movie, is about a man imprisoned. I have seen the movie and I have it on DVD and VHS but neither is a copy to make a fuss over. It is blurred and shaky. I bought it from one of those online "hard to find" movie places, mainly to get the song. The movie stars Chester Morris, a tough guy type from early 30s films and into the 70s. He plays a warden trying to create a model prison where the inmates are treated decently with the hopes of rehabilitation. The focus is on an inmate played by Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, a football player with Hollywood ambitions that never materialized. The theme is by Alex North, on of Hollywood's finest composers, whose work can be heard in such movies as Viva Zapata and The Long Hot Summer. While the theme is played throughout, the song is in the hands of one of the most cliched characters in movie history, the black prisoner with a guitar. Here he is played by one time Porgy actor Todd Duncan. In the movie itself it is sung without the famous bridge beginning with "Lonely river flows ... ". It was nominated for Best Song Oscar and lost to the highly popular but not long-standing "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing". Time and countless artists recordings have demonstrated over time which is the better song. Here's an mp3 I made. You now have the original version of Unchained Melody. Take my word for it. It is a classic song. It is NOT a classic movie. I feel its low budget, lack of star power and absence of any studio push kept the song from winning an Oscar.

Link to the movie for more information is below.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048762/

Sam Cooke Way ... And Other Thoughts Of The Day

re:  SAM COOKE:

I've been hoping our FH Buddy Erik Greene would file a report with us regarding the recent street-naming ceremony that took place a couple of weekends ago here in Chicago, dedicating Sam Cooke Way at 36th and Ellis, boyhood home of this soul and rock and roll legend.  (Unfortunately, we were unable to attend due to some other commitments ... but here's the whole scoop, courtesy of Sam Cooke's nephew, Erik Greene!)  kk

Hey Kent, It took more than four years and three aldermanic changes to get it done, but Sam Cooke's street-naming ceremony was absolutely fantastic! Just like Forgotten Hits remembers great music of days gone by, my intention was to honor one of music history's great pioneers.  As word of the street naming began to spread, it was obvious that Sam's popularity and status as a native son would make the event even grander than I had initially imagined. Legendary Chicago DJ and the proclaimed Mayor of Bronzeville Herb Kent MC'd the ceremony. Soul legend and Cook County Commissioner Jerry "Iceman" Butler spoke on the program, as did 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell. During the dedication itself, I took time to recognize the corner of 36th and Ellis Ave. as the spot where Sam's boyhood apartment building once stood. I gave praise to a number of significant musical artists that were raised in Bronzeville -- Nat King Cole, Lou Rawls, Mavis Staples, and Dinah Washington to name a few -- and presented Sam's remaining siblings, my uncles L.C. and David Cook, with an honorary street sign to remember the afternoon. The rain and heat were kept at bay (although it was a little humid), and we celebrated Sam's life and musical legacy in a way he would've appreciated. We were Having a Party, and a great time was had by all! You'll find some great pictures here: http://www.wbez.org/blog/lee-bey/2011-06-18/sam-cooke-can-still-draw-crowd-fans-and-family-turn-out-street-named-singers Erik Greene Author, Our Uncle Sam www.OurUncleSam.com And, speaking of incredible intersections ... re:  ABBEY ROAD: We've run this before ... the live street-cam at the infamous (and infectious!) intersection / street crossing in front of Abbey Road Studios in London ... where (pretty much any time of day) you'll find fans "doing the walk" and posing!  (kk) Fun to watch how many do the famous Beatles still when crossing the road, decades later! http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/ Best, John re:  THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW:  >>>A clip from the much beloved Lawrence Welk show of the early 60's.  (I'd say more, but don't wanna give it away.)  BillClick here: YouTube - The Lawrence Welk Show:  >>>LOL ... NOT the kind of thing you expected to see on "The Lawrence Welk Show" ... that's for sure!  Thanks, Bill!  (kk)  If you think that is wild, did you know that Mr. Welk had the Chantays play "Pipeline" on the LAWRENCE WELK SHOWW!!  If only they had let Myron Floren solo!!!  (Clark Besch) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j09C8clJaXo What I find particularly interesting about this clip is look at the way The Chantays are dressed ... collar-less suits just like The Beatles would bring into so-called "revolutionary" fashion ... some seven or eight months later here in The States!  I don't know how many teenagers were sitting through Lawrence Welk with their parents back in 1963 (I know I couldn't STAND it!!!), but it's remarkable that something like this could go COMPLETELY unnoticed until The Fabs fed it back to us the following year!!!  Now that's unreal!!!  (kk)  Hey Kent,  Just read your "Weekend Comments". Love the Watusi video!!!! Henry Gross re:  CLARK WEBER: >>>If you're in your car or at home on Saturday afternoon at 2:07 pm, tune in Rob Hart on WGN Radio (720 AM or online at WGN.com) as he interviews me about the Beatles concert of long ago, 1965.   (Clark Weber) >>>Clark tells some GREAT stories in his book about this whole experience.  You can check it out here:    Click here: Amazon.com: Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: The Fun Years, 1955-1975 (9780979789229): Clark Weber, Neal Samors, (kk) Might anyone know if there is a podcast of his interview yesterday?  I did not see one on WGN page. Clark Besch I missed it, too ... and I really wanted to hear it.  Remembered at 3:15 ... which was a full hour too late!  Do you have any audio to send us, Clark?  (kk) Morning kk; You’re not alone; one of our daughters also forgot to listen. No, I didn’t bother to tape it. After doing the show, my radio genes kicked in and I looked up the recent Arbitron ratings for WGN. At one time the station dominated the 35+ demos. Now, according to the May ratings, WGN on a Saturday afternoon ranks 11th in the 35 / 64 demo. Those programming bozo’s brought in by Sam Zell & Company managed to lose 22% of WGN’s audience in a matter of a few short months.   Clark Weber re:  YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET: Burton Cummings did a great version of this song - thanks so much for sending. I can't stop playing it! Carlene I love it, too ... my guess is this probably started out as a joke, poking fun at his former bandmate's stuttering lyrics ... but once the big band / lounge arrangement kicks in, it's all for real ... and Cummings does an INCREDIBLE job of pulling it off.  One of my all-time favorites by him ... this sucker coulda been a hit!  (kk) That's a great version of 'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet' by Burton Cummings. Carrie Yep, we've featured it a few times now ... and it always gets a good reaction.  (Cool if somebody on oldies radio would play it, too ... shake things up a little bit!!!  Maybe do a Guess Who / BTO / Burton Cummings three-play ... take one of those songs that Randy and Burton did together (like MY favorite, "Undun"), follow it up with something ELSE by Bachman-Turner Overdrive ... (maybe "Takin' Care Of Business", since you're probably going to play it four times today anyway) ... and then run that right into Burton's solo version of "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" ... now THERE'S some creative programming that'll leave your listeners with their jaws dropped wide open.  Betcha get a great reaction to THAT triple play!  (kk) I like this version better than the original! Paige re:  AL KOOPER: Hi Kent, Don't know if you knew that Kooper was losing his sight. He used to participate in the Spectropop group, too, but hasn't in quite some time. I don't know if that's the reason, but I was guessing it's a factor. Gary E. Myers / MusicGemhttp://www.music-gem.com/index.html Yes, actually he's talked about it a few times here in Forgotten Hits ... meanwhile, he also just produced Charlie Gracie's "comeback" record (so there's nothing wrong with his EARS apparently!!!)  Good guy and very helpful ... and, as I said a FANTASTIC story teller.  He paid me one of the highest compliments a few years ago:  "Thank you for spreading the truth" ... a comment like that ... from a MAN like that ... means the world to me.  (kk) re:  JOHNNY RIVERS: >>>Man, I would LOVE to see Johnny Rivers come to Chicago ... never had a chance to see this guy and it sounds like a GREAT show!!!  (kk) I agree ... I would love to see Johnny Rivers here!!! Mike DeMartino While Johnny puts on a great show (I've seen him twice, the second time was somewhat local to me but for the first time I saw him, a friend and I drove over a thousand miles to see him), he is truly the biggest jerk I've ever met in the music industry. I went through his autograph line with an orange vinyl Asian pressing of one of his albums (which was pressed using the original US stampers, by the way).  He looked at it and scoffed that "this must be some crappy bootleg".  After everyone had gone through the line, I went back one more time to try to get a short promo liner from him to use on Topshelf Oldies, (mind you every other liner I've ever gotten has run on average 7 seconds long), however when I asked him if he would mind doing one for me, he looked at me, said "I don't have time for this right now", and walked away from me, choosing to go chat it up with some female standing 20 feet in the opposite direction.  Now this was the first time I'd seen him, and I assumed he was having a bad night.  The second time I saw him, he was not out doing autographs but the concert promoter, who is a friend of mine, let myself and a few other people backstage to see him ... as we were heading in his direction, he told the promoter he would be out in five minutes to sign some autographs, so we were ushered out of the backstage area and waited patiently for him. A few minutes later, the promoter came out and said Johnny had left out the door leading outside from the backstage area. As far as I'm concerned, he's zero for two ... and I won't pay money to go see him ever again. Tom Diehl Well, I dunno, Tom ... big rock star, hangin' out after the show ... who's he gonna pay more attention to ... the record geek with the Asian vinyl or some pretty girl 20 feet away ... kinda sounds like a no-brainer to me!!!  (lol)  But I've been disappointed several times, too, after a show when the artist was supposed to come out to visit with the fans and then ducked out a back exit instead.  (Most disappointing one ever:  Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five ... man, I would have LOVED to talk to him ... and then a few short years later he was gone.  Worst part about it:  he had just put on one of the BEST live shows I've ever seen in my entire life ... and all I wanted to do was tell him so.  Now that opportunity is gone forever.) I still think I'd lay my money done to see Johnny Rivers live in concert 'tho ... tremendous career with hit after hit after hit ... and someone I've never seen live.  All the more thrilling because it was his early live shows that launched his career!  (kk) re:  NEW STUFF: Alan O'Day just sent me a little video designed to accompany his early hit composition "Easy Evil", a song we featured the demo on several months back in Forgotten Hits.  It first appeared on his Facebook page earlier this week (along with YouTube. MySpace and several other media sites) and now we're happy to feature links for it here in Forgotten Hits, too.  GREAT song!!!  Enjoy!  (kk) alanoday.com facebook.com/songalan1 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113462684910&ref=ts myspace.com/alanoday http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alanoday2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyG30MxOONw   Meanwhile, Henry Gross sent me a couple more tracks from his two recent CD releases.   (Seriously ... 74 tracks for $25?!?!?  Where else you gonna find a deal like THAT?!?!?) BOTH of these CD's are available at "bargain basement prices" on Henry's website ... www.henrygross.com. We've also been sent to give a listen to ... and to let YOU listen to ... a few things you may not have heard before ... Kent - Maybe you could give Paul some space ... he was definitely a Rock and Roller that should have gone much further. Many people knew him and are not aware of this news.  Alex Valdez / The Yellow Balloon A very very good friend has passed on.  Though I hadn't seen him in years, I am saddened to get this news.  The ravages of illness had changed his looks.  Back in the 60's this guy knocked 'em dead in a group out of Detroit.  He was a monster blue eyed soul-singer  with his blond hair like Rod Stewart, and played the bollocks off of the guitar. His bass player was Mike Urso from Rare Earth and his drummer was John Bredeau from Hamilton Joe Frank and Reynolds.  The girls would come for miles to hear him wail and play that guitar.    We shared the  same birthday  and had a lot of good times , once upon a time.  YouTube - vocalist Paul Frank - Optimistic Man - Bruzer - 1982  Head Over Heels - Red Rooster (1971) YouTube - Bruzer - Hot Rod - Vinny Appice - 1982 Great voice and guitar.  RIP, Paul. Alex Hey guys: My good friend Rick Roberts, who was the voice and wrote most of the songs for Firefall ("You Are The Woman", "Just Remember I Love You" et al) and was a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers for years, has been deathly ill for a long, long time. Well guess what? He has fought back valiantly and has worked his ass off trying to get back into the music scene. Well, he's got a new song that I am totally excited about, that I emailed to some heavy hitters in the Indie Promotion biz in Chicago to see how we can get this aired! I will tell you, as a radio veteran, it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get ANYTHING played unless you have some major promotion AND bucks behind it. Rick has NONE of this. But he DOES have the HEART and the SOUL ... and this song has some CHOPS.  I think if you listen carefully to this, the "hook", the lyrics, the voice, everything about it sounds so Firefall-esque and COULD stand the test of time! That is ... if someone would just give it the time of day. I know it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get ANYTHING played on commercial radio now-a-days without major promotion and major BUCKS! But with this guy's talent, this is a NO-BRAINER!. I did talk to Rick and asked  him if he would possibly consider re-arranging this, maybe with a more potent lead guitar and even possibly with a pedal steel so we could introduce it to a country music type format . Again, the lyrics are THERE, the vocals are THERE, the HOOK is THERE. As in Rick's number one Firefall Million Sellers, this song has HIT written all over it. Please give it a listen and give me your feedback. Listen two or three times before you respond. Thanx, Wild Bill Hot Love on a Cold Night by Rick Roberts | Myspace Music   Actually, I think the song sounds fine just the way it is ... and you're right, it has a great hook and a great feel to it ... fits well within the classic rock format based on Roberts' credentials.  But you're also right ... it's tough to get radio to play ANYTHING off the playlist these days.  (Kinda makes you wonder where the future classics are going to come from!!!)  Happy to help get the word out, however ... fans deserve a chance to hear this great new song.  And best wishes to Rick Roberts for a continued healthy recovery.  (kk) And, speaking of new music ...  re:  AMERICA: Frannie and I had the pleasure of attending The Drive's 10th Birthday Party at The Rosemont Theater the other night and seeing America and Jethro Tull in concert.  (Truth be told, we left between shows ... never was much of a Jethro Tull fan and we had to get home to our daughter.  I was going to ask my good friend Paige Wiser to make up something for me that I could use as my Tull review but then thought better of it.  {Inside joke!}) America played a VERY loud, short and somewhat rushed set of wall-to-wall hits ... and also featured three songs from their brand new upcoming CD release "Back Pages", which will hit the market on July 26th.  Described by Gerry Beckley as a collection of songs they wished they'd written, we were treated to three new "remakes" by the band, including the Joni Mitchell / Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young / Matthews Southern Comfort hit "Woodstock" and "Till I Hear It From You" by The Gin Blossoms, a personal favorite.  More details to come on this new release ... in fact, we may even have a brand new track to "Sneak Peek" for you next week ... so stay tuned!  (kk)

Psychedelic Music

Without question, the most-viewed series we've EVER done (bar none!) was our "Favorite Psychedelic Songs" piece from about six years ago.  (At the time we asked our readers via email to define psychedelic music in a language that our then nine-year-old daughter could understand.)  Since Paige just turned fifteen a couple of months ago, it's amazing to think how much time has already passed by since this series first ran in Forgotten Hits.

 

Then, a couple of years ago, we posted the countdown (and the winning definitions) on the website:

Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs ...

And since then, over 50,000 people have visited this page to read the definitions!  And they're STILL coming!

 

In fact, here's an email we received just the other day:

 

Hi.

I have just discovered your webpage. It is remarkable, to say the least. I first jumped in because I was looking for other peoples' versions of top 10 lists of their favorite psychedelic songs. Just about all of mine were to be found here.

I read all about the contest you had on how to best describe psychedelic music to your then 9-year old. Sublime idea! 

I'm a bit of a writer; meaning, I have always had the tendency to write, and I'm 51 now, and I still write. I tend to want to write every day, but I do not. Some days even a REAL writer doesn't write. Perhaps they don't event think about it? Hmmm. Well anyway, I wait for and need inspiration, and reading all about your contest a few years back provided it. Writers were readers first, eh?

So I just started writing as if I were entering the contest, and this is what I came up with. Hope you don't find too many tiring post-contest entries! Or find post-contest entries tiring.

We never tire of finding new and different ways to talk to children now do we?

-- David Rinesmith

------------------------------------------------------------------

How To Describe Psychedelia to a 9-Year Old

You wake up one morning, but you think you are still dreaming, and in color this time, many many colors, new colors, more new colors than in a box of 64 Crayola crayons. Suddenly, your mind is like a sheet of white paper, without lines, and it's being colored for you, and you just watch for a while, until that becomes boring. After a minute, it's only a sheet of paper, and it's only a box of crayons with some new colors you haven't seen before. But now you've seen them. Time to move on. 

 

Oh, wait a minute ... this sheet of paper is bigger than you thought. It's growing wider and taller. No, wait ... is it? You are confused for a minute, but then you figure it out for sure. Yes, it is growing wider. And taller, too. So this is different. A piece of paper isn't supposed to be growing wider. Paper can't grow. It's not a living thing. But you can see it growing wider. Why is it doing that? You learned in school from Mr. Hall in Science that paper is made from trees. If trees are a living thing, and if paper is made from trees, can paper grow? You have just discovered your first unanswered question. You tell yourself not to forget to find the answer to that one later. 

 

Ha ha, you just remembered that Mr. Hall smells like toilet paper. Why did you think about that just now?

 

But now what's this? The colors are growing too! How can that be? Colors cannot grow. Oh yes they can! Colors CAN grow. But not paper? Hmmmm. This is a growing mystery. But nothing to be afraid of. Growing colors seem to be a good thing. Colors can't hurt anyone.

Oh look! The paper is flying now! Can paper fly? No, of course not, but if the wind catches it it can. So you figure out that paper cannot fly on its own, but the wind can make it fly. Does the wind know it makes paper fly? Here's your second question, to figure out later, of course.

You look around again and see there is another white sheet of paper, and it's growing, and it's being colored, and it's flying, too. Oh wait ... it has all new colors and all of these colors are completely different from any of the colors on the first sheet of paper. You suddenly think maybe you lost count of how many new colors there were on the first sheet of paper. It was more than one for sure ... maybe ten. But this second sheet of paper has all new colors, so many you cannot count on ten fingers or ten toes! You think maybe you need more fingers and toes.

 

Then you hear a tiny sound, and it's hard to tell where it's coming from. Is it coming from the first sheet of paper? Is it coming from the second one? It's so hard to tell, but it's a nice sound: it starts out like an angel singing a song, then it almost stops but not entirely, then it begins again. You can hear it behind you, then over your left shoulder, then over your right shoulder. It's never in front of you. 

 

So you turn around, and there's a third sheet of paper. It's all red and it's the prettiest and brightest red you have ever seen, but it doesn't hurt your eyes at all. Your eyes like this color of red, and they almost soak up the color like a sponge. Red never was your favorite color before but now you feel it is for the first time in your life.

 

Suddenly the third sheet of paper (which is all pretty red) draws 100 straight lines up and down on itself. All the lines are perfectly straight, and spaced apart just a little bit. It's all red with 100 darker lines up and down on it. Then the paper changes. Every red space between the lines are changing colors, but they are all different colors of red. Each one is different, but they are all still red. Is the third piece of paper trying to is show you how there are 100 different shades of red? Is this a real question?

 

Then it sings like an angel again, and you know this is definitely where the sound was coming from, and then it suddenly disappears like a ghost, without a sound. But you still remember it was once there. It's like it never really disappeared. But it is no longer in front of you. You think it must be somewhere, and not too far away. It seems like if you forget about it, it may get farther away. So you tell yourself not to forget about the red sheet of paper, because it is important not to forget it, and it will probably be important later.

 

You cannot forget the sounds of that music either.

 

Meanwhile, the first sheet of paper is still growing wider and taller. It still has all the colors of a box of 64 Crayola crayons plus some new ones (but you're still not exactly sure how many new ones, maybe more than ten, maybe more new colors than you have fingers and toes, and maybe you still need more fingers and toes to find out ... but you can always figure that out later.)

 

And the second sheet of paper is still flying, and it is growing bigger also, with all new colors that you've never seen before, and you definitely will need to grow lots and lots of fingers and toes to count all THESE new colors! But you have to grow new fingers and toes to count the new colors on the first piece of paper first, then grow some more to be able to count all these on the second sheet. Then you have a better idea. You can just get a calculator for that. Now you won't need new fingers and toes. Yay!

 

Maybe you can invent a new kind of calculator that will do all that work for you. It can be programmed to count each new color as it is being created, and it can ask you if you want this new color to have a new name. You can have fun making new names for all the new colors! What fun that will be, later on! This is only the first day, and you can make the second day your day for just naming new colors! Wow! That will be fun! And you will really need it, because there's already 100 new colors of red to name. You just remembered the third sheet of paper that was all red, with 100 lines up upon it. It's still gone, but it's like it is still there, somewhere not too far away because you still remember it. 

 

You remember learning in school that the three primary colors are red, blue and yellow. So what about blue? What about yellow? You saw that there were 100 different shades of red, so if that's true (and you know it is) there must also be 100 different shades of blue and yellow, too. 

 

But you don't need to see the fourth sheet of paper. You already know it will be all-blue, and it will have 100 lines on it, and it will show you 100 new shades of blue. It's like you created the fourth sheet yourself. Blue used to be your favorite color. But now you like both blue and red the same. You tell yourself you will not forget about the fourth sheet of paper, which is all blue, with 100 lines on it, and each one a different shade of blue. You know that although you never really saw the fourth sheet, it is still in your mind, where it needs to stay, for now. You will not forget that fourth sheet. You will need it later.

 

But you stop for a second to think. Where did blue come from? I saw where the red came from, but not blue. But now there is blue. You have just stumbled across your third question that you will need to find the answer to, later.

 

And of course there's the next sheet of paper. You are counting them, and this will be the fifth sheet. And you already know what color it will be. Should you peek? Just for a split-second? Yes! Peek at it ... No! Wait ... you already know it's yellow ...

 

"They call it Mellow Yellow ... quite right-ly"

 

You peeked, didn't you?

 

Or was it all just a silly but unforgettable dream ... 

 

-- David Rinesmith

 

***

 

re:  MAYBE YOU WERE THINKING OF THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS?!?!?:

>>>7. Elvis Presley once climbed 17 floors up the fire escape of The Peabody Hotel in Memphis to hang out with Freddy Cannon, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian after a concert. 

(David Salidor)

>>>That would be very hard to do as the Peabody has only 13 floors!  I know because I've stayed there.  Makes you wonder how many others of these 'unknown facts' are wrong ... David Salidor probably should have done a little fact-checking before emailing this out.

(gvanwin)

>>>Ooops!  (I think he gotcha there on this one, David!  lol)  Of course we ALL know these stories get repeated SO many times over the years (and sometimes embellished just a little bit, too!) ... but part of OUR job is "correcting history" ... so consider today's lesson "noted".  (kk)

 

Actually the above information about the 17th Floor was not too far-fetched ... back in those days, Elvis was mixing LSD and Hashish with alcohol ... anything was possible!!! ... needless to say the origins of the other 4 floors!

bagawire

 

Says David Salidor:

 

Mea Culpa .. Mea Culpa … yes, in our haste to get everything out in a timely fashion to Forgotten Hits, we didn’t check as thoroughly as we should have … and, as such, stand corrected. Thanks to Eileen and Gvanwin (and, I hope that’s correct) for their thoughts and comments.

Meanwhile, Freddy’s book (with ace-author Mark Bego) continues to be fine-tuned. Again, the working title is “Where The Action is.”

David

The Happy Together Again Tour

All week long this week we'll be saluting the artists performing on this year's Happy Together Again Tour in our daily "Today's Forgotten Hit" segment.

Here's an updated, revised schedule ... are the guys coming near YOUR town???

THE 2011 HAPPY TOGETHER AGAIN TOUR

Starring The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, The Association, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders) and The Turtles (aka Flo and Eddie / Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman)

Friday, July 8th                  Westbury, NY                NYCB Theatre

Saturday, July 9th              Wallingford, CT             Oakdale Theatre

Sunday, July 10th               Hampton Beach, NH      Casino Ballroom

Monday, July 11th               Bethlehem, PA             Musikfest Cafe

Wednesday, July 13th         Glenside, PA                Keswick Theatre

Thursday, July 14th             Hyannis, MA                Cape Cod Melody Tent

Friday, July 15th                 Cohasset, MA              South Shore Music Circle

Saturday, July 16th             Asbury Park, NJ            Paramount Theatre

Sunday, July 17th               Reading, PA                 Sovereign PAC

Tuesday, July 19th              Clearwater, FL              Ruth Eckerd Hall  

Wednesday, July 20th         Melbourne, FL              The King Center 

Thursday, July 21st             Columbus, GA              RiverCenter

Wednesday, August 3rd       Springfield, MO            Ozark Empire Fair

Thursday, August 4th           Kettering, OH              Fraze Pavillion

Friday, August 5th               Sylvania, OH               Centennial Terrace

Saturday, August 6th           Waukegan, IL              Genessee Theatre

Sunday, August 7th             West Allis, WI             Wisconsin State Fair

Wednesday, August 10th     Chandler, AZ                Wild Horse Pass Casino

Thursday, August 11th         Santa Ynez, CA            Chumash Casino

Wednesday, August 24th      Louisville, KY              Kentucky State Fairgrounds

Thursday, August 25th         Effingham, IL               Effingham Performance Center

Friday, August 26th             Aurora, IL                    Paramount Theatre

Saturday, August 27th         Mitchell, SD                 Corn Palace

Sunday, August 28th           Altoona, IA                  Prairie Meadows Race Track & Casino 

Monday, August 29th           Saint Paul, MN             Minnesota State Fair Grandstand