Sunday, August 11, 2013

The Sunday Comments ( 08 - 11 - 13 )

re:  ABBEY ROAD:
Last week marked the anniversary of the photo shoot for The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album cover ... incredibly, 44 years ago!  (Steve Downs, morning deejay on The Drive, said the infamous Volkswagon "Beetle" Bug pictured on the cover with the "28 IF" license plate is now on display at the Volkswagon Museum in Germany!!!  How cool is that ... in a pop culture sort of way!!!)  He then proceeded to play a couple of tracks from the landmark LP, clearly a case (as he stated) of The Beatles "saving the best for last". 

FH Reader Gary Pike sent us some photo outtakes from that afternoon session ...    

Kent, 
Didn't know if you had seen this. 
Gary Pike 
Some cool photos of the Abbey Road cover photo session.  Click on link for the rest.

http://www.purpleclover.com/entertainment/769-abbey-road/item/beatles8/?icid=maing-grid7|htmlws-main-bb|dl23|sec1_lnk1&pLid=355542

​Yes, this is the Beatles. And, yes, they're about to take 'the walk.'

I found the listing of Chet's top 10 soul records to my liking. 
So I added my own personal top 10 ...
1  I Don’t Want To Cry—Chuck Jackson 
2  Mind, Body & Soul—Flaming Ember 
3  A Change Is Gonna Come—Sam Cooke 
4  This Is My Country—Impressions 
5  Higher And Higher—Jackie Wilson 
6  Be Thankful For What You Got—William DeVaugan 
7  I Was Made To Love Her—Stevie Wonder 
8  In A Moment—Intriques 
9  C’mon Round Here[It’s You I Need]—Smokey & Miracles 10 Chain Of Fools—Aretha Franklin 
I could have listed some pop/soul oriented Drifters, Motown sides but these 10 certainly soothe my soul.   
Mark 

As most lists of favorite songs go, it's all in the ears of the beholder, or listener, in this case. Chet's list is a good one and he states that he got hooked on what he defines as soul 50 years ago. I got hooked 63 years ago. My father had given me his collection of 78 rpm records and some of Louis Jordan's records such as "Ain't That Just Like a Woman", "Caldonia", "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "Blue Light Boogie" were just plain different than anything else I had ever heard. Then in the Spring of 1955 the song that would define what was later called "soul" came along and it changed my taste in music completely. That song is "I Got a Woman" by Ray Charles. I could make an entire top 10 list of Ray Charles songs that would be great, but others in my top 10 by Ray would be "Night Time Is the Right Time" and "What'd I Say". 
James Brown followed the next year with "Please, Please, Please" and in 1958 with "Try Me", both dripping in "soul". Jackie Wilson was next with "Doggin' Around" and "Am I the Man" in 1960 (and so many other greats such as "I'm Comin' On Back To You" and "Baby Workout"). 
They call Sam Cooke "The Man Who Invented Soul" (although he didn't) so a couple of greats from him are "Bring It On Home To Me" (with Lou Rawls) from 1962 and "Shake" from 1965. Also from 1962 were "I Found a Love" by the Falcons (led by Wilson Pickett) and "I Need Your Lovin' " by Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford, both as soulful as you can get. 
Otis Redding was all about soul and his original "Respect" and his version of "Try a Little Tenderness" are prime examples
Chet -- "My True Story" has always been an underrated group harmony classic and one of my favorites. It was a #3 pop hit and #1 R&B hit and rarely is anyone able to name who did it or even remember it.
Thanks for jogging my mind in this great category,
Danny
All great lists.  (Personally, I can't ever nail anything down to a Top Ten ... just too many great selections to choose from!)  LOTS of praise from our readers for "My True Story" however ... this one seems to be on everyone's favorites list ... so we've got that track for you today.  (kk)

>>>Chet's choice for #4 by Jackie Wilson, is one I had never heard of. I did locate it on the internet and played it. Personally, I liked it.  I did check and the record did not chart nationally, which I know you knew. I knew it never played here in OKC.  (Larry)  
 >>>Jackie Wilson's "Who Who Song" was a new one on me, too.  I'd never heard of it before and, checking all of the pop charts ... and Billboard's R&B Chart ... I don't show it ever charting at all ... so I'm guessing Chet must have fallen in love with it as an album track or something he heard in a club.  (kk)  
Kent, 
This is strange one. I actually heard Jackie Wilson's "Who Who Song" in for the first time in Charleston, West Virginia, shortly after "Higher and Higher."  I thought it was a going to be smash. It obviously lasted about ten minutes on the chart. I still maintain it's a great r and b, dance track with Jackie at his vocal best. 
Chet  
Jackie Wilson (Mr. Excitement) always ranks high on the list of all-time great soul and R&B vocalists ... he was one of Elvis' favorites, too.  (In fact, many say Elvis borrowed heavily from Jackie's work as part of Billy Ward's Dominoes.)  For me personally, I like most of the most-obvious hits ... "Lonely Teardrops", "Doggin' Around", "Baby Workout", "Whispers" and "Higher And Higher", the song that put him on the map for many of us.  "The Who Who Song" was the B-Side to that record's follow-up release "Since You Showed Me How To Be Happy", a #32 hit in 1967 ... but quite honestly I don't recall either of those songs ever being played here in Chicago.  
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't get some of Jackie's early '60's hits ("Night", "Alone At Last") which came across as almost operatic in tone.  In retrospect, this may have diminished some of his street cred as one of the premier soul singers of our generation.  (Despite these ventures into foreign waters, Jackie still scored sizeable hits with both releases, hitting #4 and #9 respectively on Billboard's Pop Chart.)  kk  

re:  COMING UP:  
This is Ronnie Allen inviting you to join me for my next "YesterYear Countdown" radio show which is tonight: Sunday August 11, at 7 PM Eastern Time.  I will be presenting the top 25 national hits from the second weekend of August, 1950, which is 63 years ago.
To access the show, please click on the following link when the show starts airing or any time thereafter. (Clicking prior to that will simply display the information about the upcoming show).
If for any reason the link doesn't work you can simply copy and paste the above URL into your browser.
Please note that -- in spite of a phone number being listed on that page -- you won't be able to reach me via phone during the show. However you can Email me at: RonnieOldiesGuy@aol.com and I will be checking and responding to emails throughout the show.
Thanks to all of you who have send me feedback on those shows. It is so much appreciated!
Ronnie Allen  

Examiner columnist Jeremy Roberts has an interesting new piece on Ronnie Milsap, who did a number of recording sessions with Elvis back in the day (before becoming a major country star in his own right) ...
http://www.examiner.com/article/more-thunder-on-the-piano-ronnie-milsap-relives-memphis-days-with-elvis-presley?CID=examiner_alerts_article

More thunder on the piano: Ronnie Milsap relives Memphis days with Elvis Presley   
Ronnie Milsap successfully bridged the gap between country and pop during the '70s and '80s, and his influence remains all over contemporary country music radio. In a new, wide-ranging interview debuting in this column today ... Read more  

Kent ...
I think Johnny Cash has released more music since he died, than he did when he was alive.  I never knew that death would be a great career move.

And, speaking of new releases, here's one for all you Hendrix fans out there ...   

LEGACY RECORDINGS AND EXPERIENCE HENDRIX LLC RELEASING NEWLY EXPANDED EDITION OF THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE "PURPLE BOX"

New US Edition of "The Rolls Royce of posthumous Hendrix sets" features 4 previously unreleased tracks
* * * * *
Legacy Recordings and Experience Hendrix LLC will release a newly expanded edition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the legendary "Purple Box," which Rolling Stone's David Fricke proclaimed "The Rolls Royce of posthumous Hendrix sets."  The box set earned RIAA Gold Album sales status in the US and has enjoyed widespread critical and commercial success throughout the world.  The new four CD boxed set, which includes the entire 2000 original edition in addition to four tracks eagerly sought by fans of the legendary guitarist, will be available Tuesday, August 20, 2013.
A deluxe four CD boxed set, The Jimi Hendrix Experience is not a collection of previously existing recordings from Hendrix’s famous studio albums.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience presents 60 previously unreleased or unavailable studio and concert recordings from a remarkable four-year period in musical history--1966-1970--when guitarist Jimi Hendrix was bringing pop and blues and jazz and soul and psychedelia together and changing the way everybody listened to everything.
First released in 2000, The Jimi Hendrix Experience box is sequenced in chronological order, beginning with the first known recordings of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in October 1966, and continuing through the recording of his groundbreaking studio albums as well as a variety of transcendent performances, and ending with the artist's final multi-track recording session at New York's Electric Lady Studios in August 1970. 
The new edition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- which includes all the alternate versions of classics like "Purple Haze," "Foxey Lady," “Bold As Love” and "Little Wing" and stunning, unheard Hendrix music such as "It's Too Bad" and "Country Blues" contained in the original 2000 box--offers fans additional new tracks either previously unreleased such as a commanding performance of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” from Hendrix’s unforgettable October 1968 performances at Winterland in San Francisco.  The original recording of “Peace In Mississippi” from the October 1968 sessions at TTG Studios, previously available only as the b-side of the 2010 “Valleys Of Neptune” single is a welcome addition to the collection as is a rare, recently discovered 1967 performance of “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp.  The — original UK single mix of "The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice," now makes its US debut as part of this special collection. 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience includes an 80 page color booklet filled with rare photos, essays and annotation by Dave Marsh and John McDermott, detailed track notes and more.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience track listing:
disc one
1. Purple Haze
Previously Unreleased Recording
2. Killing Floor
Recorded Live At: Olympia Theater, Paris, France, October 18, 1966
Previously Unreleased Recording
3. Hey Joe
Recorded Live At: Olympia Theater, Paris, France, October 18, 1966
Previously Unreleased Recording
4. Foxey Lady
Previously Unreleased Recording
5. Highway Chile
Previously Unreleased Recording
6. Hey Joe
Previously Unreleased Recording
7. Title #3
Previously Unreleased Recording
8. 3rd Stone From The Sun
Previously Unreleased Recording
9. Taking Care Of No Business
Previously Unreleased Recording
10. Here He Comes [Lover Man]
Previously Unreleased Recording
11. Burning Of The Midnight Lamp
Previously Unreleased Recording
12. If 6 Was 9
Previously Unreleased Recording
13. Rock Me Baby
Recorded Live At: Monterey International Pop Festival, June 18, 1967
14. Like A Rolling Stone
Recorded Live At: Monterey International Pop Festival, June 18, 1967
15. Burning Of The Midnight Lamp
Recorded Live At: Dee Time, London, August 22, 1967
16. The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice
Previously Unreleased in the United States
disc two
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Recorded Live At: Stockholm, Sweden, September 5, 1967
2. Burning Of The Midnight Lamp
Recorded Live At: Stockholm, Sweden, September 5, 1967
3. Little Wing
Previously Unreleased Recording
4. Little Miss Lover
Previously Unreleased Recording
5. The Wind Cries Mary
Recorded Live At: Olympia Theater, Paris, France, October 9, 1967
Previously Unreleased Recording
6. Catfish Blues
Recorded Live At: Olympia Theater, Paris, France, October 9, 1967
Previously Unreleased Recording
7. Bold As Love
Previously Unreleased Recording
8. Sweet Angel
Previously Unreleased Alternate Recording
9. Fire
Recorded Live At: Clark University, Worcester, Ma. March 15, 1968
10. Somewhere
Previously Unreleased Recording
11. (Have You Ever Been To) Electric Ladyland
Previously Unreleased in the United States
12. Gypsy Eyes
Previously Unreleased Recording
13. Room Full Of Mirrors
Previously Unreleased Recording
14. Gloria
Previously Unreleased Alternate Mix
15. Peace In Mississippi 16. It's Too Bad
Previously Unreleased Recording
17. Star Spangled Banner
Previously Unavailable on Compact Disc
disc three
1. Stone Free
Previously Unreleased Recording
2. Like A Rolling Stone
Recorded Live At: Winterland, San Francisco, Ca., October 10, 1968
Previously Unreleased Recording
3. Spanish Castle Magic
Previously Unreleased Recording
4. Hear My Train A Comin'
Previously Unreleased Recording
5. Room Full Of Mirrors
Previously Unreleased Recording
6. I Don't Live Today
Recorded Live At: Los Angeles Forum, Ca., April 26, 1969
Previously Unreleased Original Mix
7. Little Wing
Recorded Live At: Royal Albert Hall, London, February 24, 1969
8. Red House
Recorded Live At: San Diego Sports Arena, Ca., May 24, 1969
9. Purple Haze
Recorded Live At: San Diego Sports Arena, Ca., May 24, 1969
Previously Unreleased Original Mix
10. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Recorded Live At: Royal Albert Hall, London, February 24, 1969
11. Izabella
Previously Unreleased Recording
disc four
1. Message To Love
Previously Unreleased Alternate Mix
2. Earth Blues
Previously Unreleased Recording
3. Astro Man
Previously Unreleased Recording
4. Country Blues
Previously Unreleased Recording
5. Freedom
Previously Unreleased Recording
6. Johnny B. Goode
Recorded Live At: Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, Ca., May 30, 1970
7. Lover Man
Previously Unreleased Recording
8. Blue Suede Shoes
Recorded Live At: Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, Ca., May 30, 1970
9. Cherokee Mist
Previously Unreleased Recording
10. Come Down Hard On Me
Previously Unreleased Recording
11. Hey Baby/In From The Storm
Recorded Live At: Maui, Hawaii, July 30, 1970
Previously Unreleased Recording
12. Ezy Ryder
Previously Unreleased Recording
13. Night Bird Flying
Previously Unreleased Recording
14. All Along The Watchtower
Recorded Live At: Isle Of Wight, England, August 30, 1970
15. In From The Storm
Recorded Live At: Isle Of Wight, England, August 30, 1970
16. Slow Blues
Previously Unreleased Recording
jimihendrix.com  

And, of course, you can't talk Hendrix and not mention Woodstock ... 

Now this is kinda cool ... sounds like they're going to scatter Ritchie Havens' ashes over the site of the Woodstock Music Festival he opened in 1969!

OMG!!!  Is it REALLY time to start planning for Christmas?!?!!  You betcha!  And here's an excellent addition to the holiday season ...

Envision Radio Networks® Announces The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time
Ten Hour Radio Countdown of the 100 Most-Loved Yuletide Classics
(AUGUST 2013) –What are the all-time greatest Christmas hits? What inspired them, who made them famous, and why is hearing them every Yuletide season a beloved American tradition? Envision Radio Networks® is getting in the holiday spirit early this year with The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, the award-winning ten-hour radio special hosted by beloved TV game show host Wink Martindale. Available on a cash basis, this special holiday programming will count down everyone’s favorite Yuletide hits from 100 to number one.  
The song list is based on data compiled by Billboard Magazine and listings of the Christmas tracks most played on radio over the past decade.  This compilation includes hit singles as well as classic tracks from the most-loved and best-selling Christmas albums of all time. 
Every form of Yuletide evergreen is included, from the goodtime gold (“Holly Jolly Christmas”), the sentimental songs (“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”), and the deeply romantic (“Merry Christmas Darling”) to the beloved carols (“Silent Night”) and the Santa/Rudolph/Frosty fantasy favorites (“Santa Claus is Coming to Town”).  The songs span the years from 1942 (Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”) through today (“We Need a Little Christmas” by the cast of “Glee”).  It’s a portrait in sound of your favorite music, magic and memories.  
Augmenting each hour is a handful of “bonus tracks” – other beloved Yuletide gems guaranteed to make you laugh, move your heart and rekindle your life’s fondest memories. Wink Martindale supplies the story and fun facts throughout the 10-hour broadcast. Plus, hear insightful commentary from the hit-making stars themselves including (in alphabetical order):   
Bryan Adams l Eddy Arnold l Gene Autry l Band Aid l The Beach Boys l Pat Benatar l Clint Black l Jim Brickman l Garth Brooks l Michael Buble l Jimmy Buffett l Mariah Carey l The Carpenters l Johnny Cash l Peter Cetera l Chubby Checker l Nat “King” Cole l Perry Como l Jim Croce l Bing Crosby l The Crystals l Bobby Darin l The Drifters l The Eagles l Jose Feliciano l Judy Garland l Amy Grant l Josh Groban l Merle Haggard l Hall & Oates l Faith Hill l Whitney Houston l The Impressions l Elton John l Spike Jones l Brenda Lee l John Lennon l The Lettermen l Madonna l Mannheim Steamroller l Paul McCartney l George Michael l Anne Murray l The New Kids On The Block l Roy Orbison l Elvis Presley l Jim Reeves l Kenny Rogers l The Ronettes l Simon & Garfunkel l Frank Sinatra l Bruce Springsteen l Rod Stewart l George Strait l The Trans-Siberian Orchestra l Randy Travis l U2 l Carrie Underwood l Andy Williams l and many more! 
Listen to The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time demo here. Stations interested in more information about The 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time should visit envisionradio.com or contact Hannah Rosenthal at hannahr@envisionradio.com or 216-831-3761.
About Envision Radio Networks®
Envision Radio Networks® provides content and services to more than 1,400 radio stations and reaches millions of listeners each week. Envision Radio Networks, Inc. is the largest independently owned affiliate relations company in the country and supplies all types of programming and services to radio including morning show content, short-form vignettes, virtual news-weather-sports broadcasts, live syndicated morning shows, long-form weekend programming, 24/7 formats, comedy services, event programming, off-air tools, web content, album releases and artist specials. Envision Radio Networks® is based in Cleveland, Ohio, with offices in New York City and Nashville.
Our FH Buddy Gary Theroux is the guy who put this whole special together ... and it covers EVERYTHING related to a pop music Christmas celebration.  Fans should check their local listings ... and interested radio stations should contact Envision Radio via the links above.  (kk) 

Lots of buzz about RCA's brand new 17-CD Nilsson box ... it includes remastered versions of all 14 of his commercially released RCA albums (many with bonus outtakes) along with 3 complete CD discs of material not previously available, including foreign recordings, demos, single-only tracks and unreleased material.  A must for all Nilsson fans!  (kk)

Great info on the "Where the Action Is" tour -- somehow I missed that one. One more reason Forgotten Hits is required reading among us fans.  Thanks for keeping the relevant topics in front of us. 
The New Colony Six will be up north in Lacrosse, WI, for their Octoberfest on 9/29. We had a great time there a few years back, with Dennis Yost (Classics IV) and Jim Sohns.  It's a pretty wild scene, and I look forward to doing it again.
The Shadows of Knight return to Blues Bar Saturday 8/24 in time to celebrate Jimy's birthday (again!, remember what happened there last birthday). Come out and say hello if you're not otherwise booked at the many music opportunities you've covered in recent weeks.
Best to you and yours, and thanks for all you do, Kent.
Rick Barr
New Colony Six / Shadows of Knight
We had a great time last year at Jimy Sohns' Blues Bar Birthday Bash ... locals can come on out to Mt. Prospect to take part in the festivities this year on August 24th.
Ray Graffia, Jr. had mentioned the Lacrosse gig a few weeks ago ... send us some more information so local fans can attend.
And yes, the Where The Action Is Tour is not to be missed ... a great line-up of artists performing on this one ... now an annual event hosted by Paul Revere and the Raiders ... just like they did when it was a television series back in the day!!!  (kk) 

More on Paul Revere and the Raiders below ...  

re:  PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS:   
I'm trying to figure out which of the Paul Revere collections has the single versions of the songs rather than the album versions. Anyone know the answer to this?  I seem to remember that a package came out a few years ago that finally gave us the single versions. 
BTW some great stuff on the site as usual Kent. 
Bill
Columbia Records put out an EXCELLENT 2-CD career retrospective on the band a few years ago ("The Legend Of Paul Revere", 1990) which featured some very candid commentary about the group's history from Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay, as well as some rare and previously unreleased material ... it's a great set.
Then in 2010 Collectors' Choice put out "The Complete Columbia Singles" collection, this time a 3-CD set featuring every A and B Side (an incredible 66 tracks in all, including "Leslie", a track that sparked a bit of conversations here in Forgotten Hits recently.) 
Judging by the links below to Amazon.com, these CDs may no longer be in print ... but both are still available from other sellers ... and make valuable additions to any CD collection. (kk)  
Click here: Amazon.com: The Legend of Paul Revere: Paul Revere & The Raiders: Music 
(You'll find the complete Columbia Singles collection of Mark Lindsay available, too.) 

re:  THIS JUST IN:
Right before we went to press we heard that sad news that Eydie Gorme passed away earlier today.  At press time they were still referring to her passing as being from "an undisclosed illness", prompting many, of course, to Blame It On The Bossa Nova.  Eydie's Top Ten Hit from 1963 is a classic ... and literally EVERY person I have ever introduced it to has fallen in love with this track.  Steve and Eydie were part of all of our lives growing up ... so here it is one more time.  (kk) 


re:  MERGERS:
As bands are finding it harder and harder to line up gigs (thanks to all the "copy bands" filling up the schedules at our local venues) maybe they should consider some type of merger with OTHER bands in order to broaden their following.  Let's face it, everybody loves to get "two for the price of one"!!!  (One of my early favorites, of course was The Ides Shames Union from the early '80's!)   

Speaking of which, here's a list of suggested mergers, courtesy of Jim Peterik of The Ides Of March and Fred Glickstein of The Flock ... in addition to some pretty catchy names, some of these combinations offer some pretty interesting possibilities!    

The Ides Of Little Peggy March  
Jim Peternoone
Quiet Riot Police
Bad 1910 Fruit Gum Company. 
Bela Flock and the Flocktones
Grand Funkadelic Railroad. 
Pet Shop Boyzz To Men
The Dave Clark 5 Stairsteps
BB King Crimson
Aerosmithereens
Flock U2
The Shadows of Knightranger
Aliotta Haynes and Jerimiah Was A Bullfrog.
Blood Sweat and Tears of A Clown
Ten Years After Midnight
Counting Black Crows
Crowded James House
Jackson Brownsville Station
Steely Dan Fogelberg
Bill Haley Mills Brothers and the Comets
The Rob Zombies