OMG, It's Sunday the 13th!!!
But we're not going to let THAT deter us ... here's a chunk of what's been on your minds this past week:
re: The Local Scene:
Hi Kent -
Great info on the Chicago Groups. Anxious to read Jim Peterik's and Carl Giamarese's autobiographies. As was mentioned in your email, I also believe THE MOB is an overlooked group. I had the opportunity to see them perform live and they were FANTASTIC. The album they released had very good, sophisticated song arrangements. It is too bad "I Dig Everything About You" didnt get better distribution. It is one of my favorites.
Carolyn
Kent -
Thanks for the recent Forgotten Hits blog you did on The MOB.
One of the bloggers mentioned hearing our MOB Promo Spots on WLS and would like to hear them again. They were very creative and pretty funny.
Please refer your MOB fans to www.themobmusic.com
If they go to the page marked “INK”, there will be another page that will come up saying “RADIO SPOTS”.
Thanks, Kent.
Jim
LOTS of great stuff on this site, Jim, thanks for sending! You can not only listen to several of these vintage radio ad spots but also peruse the complete history of the band, see photos and order music right through the site. Good stuff for sure! (kk)
And, speaking of great spots ...
Guess I should have sent these before your Chicago stuff ran, but I was "workin' like a dog."
Bill
Thanks for the book shout out and more, guys!
Keep Rocking!
Jimbo
Kent,
I have visited the Mob website a few times ... an incredible amalgamation of info and music! Histories of more bands, too. You can even hear their first Cameo single there. I had forgotten about that. The Mob performed this song on "Where the Action is" in 66.
The video of the Centuries was great to see. I wish Carl would share more memories.
As for the Capes of Good Hope, they are a bit of a Chicago mystery to me, too. I have their 45s, including a British copy, and I think I have a photo somewhere. Certainly a couple of songs have a distinct Left Banke influence, while others have folk sound.
For anyone wondering about Jim Peterik's new autobiography, it is a very revealing, no holding back story beginning with his childhood and through his early bands and life through the Ides and Survivor times and on to today. His personal life throughout his career is chronicled as much as his music. He even talks about the Ides quick trip to Florida when "You Wouldn't Listen" was huge there, as seen in this week's survey. Quite a life revealed!
Clark Besch
Kent --
Many thanks! This explains a lot, especially why there was "radio silence" after all those near-saturation Mob spots. I remember the spots themselves a little differently, but that was what, 47 years ago?
They had a great BST feel, and should have done a lot better than they did, along with the Capes of Good Hope and the Will-o-Bees, who were channeling either Spanky or the New Seekers. I traded a couple of emails with Janet Blossom (their female lead, now Janet Lussier) some years ago and suggested an interview, but she was shy and declined.
Good luck and keep in touch!
-- Jeff
The Will-O-Bees' "It's Not Easy" is a classic. Same with "Winter's Children" by The Capes.
Clark
re: Disco Demolition:
The 35th anniversary of Disco Demolition? I saw that on the news this morning. Almost forgot about that disaster. I remember it very well when it happened. What an idiot Steve Dahl was and still is as far as I am concerned.
Georgiann
I was not at Disco Demo night, but saw the highlights on the sportscast that night. I thought it was pretty funny from a distance. I thought the idea was great, but it was probably the wrong venue! It should have been at a Ted Nugent or AC/DC concert or something like that. Anybody up for a Rap / Hip-Hop Demolition Night????? The Cubs aren’t any good ... why not at Wrigley this time!!!
Ken
Steve Dahl wrote his own piece remembering Disco Demolition ... it ran in Crain's Chicago Business and offers some interesting perspective some 35 years later. (I think Steve's being a little "selective" with his analysis ... it was, without question, the single biggest moment in his career ... and was, without question, a calculated move. While I've read that he had concerns that nobody would show up, those fears quickly dissipated when the stadium crowd reached capacity ... and spilled out over into the streets by about 15-20,000 fans!) It exceeded EVERYONE's wildest imagination ... and truly DID get out of hand. The field was destroyed ... people DID get hurt (as fights broke out all over the park) ... it was (from a baseball perspective anyway) an embarrassing disaster ... but it caused Dahl's career to sky-rocket out of the stratosphere ... and, bottom line, THAT was what mattered most to Steve Dahl at the time. (kk)
Click here: Steve Dahl defends Disco Demolition 35 years later - Opinion - Crain's Chicago Business
re: Frankie Valli / The Four Seasons / Jersey Boys:
If you didn't get a chance to see it on the 4th, Vintage Vinyl News has Frankie Valli's entire 4th of July performance up for viewing, all part of PBS' 38th Annual "A Capitol Fourth" concert celebration.
Click here: Watch: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Perform at A Capital Fourth ~ VVN Music
And, speaking of Frankie Valli, FH Reader Tom Cuddy sends us this report, which he describes as ...
This is one of the best Frankie Valli interviews I've read in many years!
- Tom Cuddy
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2014/07/07/frankie-valli-the-interview-the-real-jersey-boy/?utm_source=July+2014+Issue+Email&utm_campaign=July+2014+Issue&utm_medium=email#sthash.j6XX6kD1.B2oNAxNg.dpbs
And, speaking of Frankie Valli interviews, here's a brand new one from our Songfacts Buddy Carl Wiser ...
Hey Kent.
We just posted an interview with Frankie Valli, who talked about what oldies radio means to his career. Here's the link:
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/frankie_valli/Be Well,
Carl Wiser
www.songfacts.com
Meanwhile, Vintage Vinyl News (by way of Billboard Magazine) reports that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons music is doing very well on the Billboard charts again this week ...
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons consider their assault on the U.S. Albums chart in the wake of the release of the film Jersey Boys.
Although the film has not done well at the box office, the group's music is steaming up the charts, taking two of the top three albums by veteran artists. The Jersey Boys soundtrack drops 15 to 18, making it the top selling album for the week by a veteran. The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons rises 35 to 33.
If this music is being purchased by NEW fans of The Four Seasons (and not older fans ... which would stand to reason as most of us already OWN this music!) it goes a LONG way toward proving my point that if radio would simply allow exposure to some of these "lost" tracks on the air, new fans will be won over on a regular basis ... and go out and purchase this music. Radio benefits ... the record companies benefit (as they've already got all this material stuffed away in their vaults anyway ... so re-releasing it costs them virtually nothing) ... listeners benefit (by FINALLY get more variety up and down the dial) and new fans benefit by discovering some "new" music that's been around for DECADES, lying dormant somewhere because of radio's refusal to acknowledge it. (kk)
re: The Saturday Surveys:
Hey, did anybody else notice that on the KEWB Chart that we ran this week features Dino, Desi and Billy's hit "I'm A Fool" at #2 ... AND at #6?!?! (Talk about needing some serious proof-reading!!!) Actually, this chart is REALLY messed up ... in the caption under The Byrds photo at the bottom, they explain how The Byrds' latest hit is at #6 on that week's survey (which would explain the mix-up in the Dino, Desi and Billy listing ... except that The Byrds are REALLY at #10!!!) And check out the date at the top of the survey ... July 12th ... 1695 (instead of 1965)!!! HOW on earth did all this stuff get past the stations? (kk)
re: This And That:
Paul McCartney returned to the US Stage on July 5th with a sold out concert in Albany, New York, where he performed for three hours (including two lengthy encores.) My guess is that this was QUITE a bit more than his doctors would have recommended after falling ill to some mysterious Japanese virus several weeks ago. Still Rolling Stone Magazine reports that Macca was in top form ... and clearly having the time of his life back up on stage again. (Several new editions have been made to the song line-up, including a few more tracks The Beatles never got the chance to perform live on stage.) Macca also did a show here in Chicago last week.
You can read the full review / report here (as well as view the complete set list):
Click here: Paul McCartney Bounces Back in Albany | Music News | Rolling Stone
McCartney also unveiled a brand new video for the song "Early Days" from his most recent album "New", featuring Paul jamming with Johnny Depp (Johnny's been in a few of McCartney's videos recently!) as well as a few others:
Click here: See Paul McCartney Jam With Johnny Depp in 'Early Days' - Premiere - Video | Rolling Stone
More Beatles news regarding "A Hard Day's Night" ... seems that the limited theatrical release was for 4th of July Weekend only ... the film will soon be opening wide on screens across America. Read on. (kk)
Restored 'Hard Day's Night' to hit 100 markets
Fifty years after "A Hard Day's Night" first hit theaters, the Beatles return to the big screen next month in a digitally restored version of their black-and-white feature film debut. With Criterion Collection handling the restoration, Janus Films initially planned the rerelease for 50 cities. Because of popular demand, "A Hard Day's Night" is now slated to open in 100 North American markets.
"This idea of a mid-summer family outing really appeals to people," Criterion President Peter Becker says. " 'A Hard Day's Night' plays well as the perfect inter-generational outing because people who grew up on the Beatles now have grandchildren."
Citing Richard Lester's innovative directing techniques, Becker notes, "The movie is just shot through with the spirit of freedom. The Beatle characters are lastingly charismatic, and the songs really hold up."
The soundtrack was remixed and remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin.
Criterion technicians scanned the original 35mm negatives at the hyper-crisp 4K resolution, then removed dirt and scratches.
"This isn't some tricked-out version of 'A Hard Day's Night,' " Becker says. "It's a carefully constructed restoration that will actually show better than prints that were used in the movie's original opening weekend."
-- submitted by Dave Barry
By the way, that CBS Television Special "The Night That Changed America" was nominated for SIX Emmy Awards. Airing on the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (and featuring live performances by both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr), it was a fun-filled night of musical entertainment and memories. Congratulations to all involved. (kk)
The program is nominated for: Outstanding Variety Special; Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special - Gregg Gelfand; Outstanding Music Direction - Don Was; Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special - Ken Ehrlich and David Wild; Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction For a Variety Special - Matt Firestone, Ted Wells, Matthew Cotter and Mike Zinman and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special - Larry Reed, Tom Holmes, Al Schmitt, Giles Martin and Josh Morton
Fest Website Offers Signed Editions of MoonGlow PR Beatles Authors
For fans of the Fab Four who are unable to attend the Fest for Beatles Fans, their website has a limited number of signed and unsigned books from the MoonGlow PR stable of Beatles authors.
MoonGlow PR is pleased to announce that the Beatles Store at the Fest for Beatles Fans website is offering signed copies of the latest books from her company’s best Beatles authors.
“We’ve worked together with Mark Lapidos, owner of the Fest for Beatles Fans, to make sure that fans that are unable to attend one of the three fests that are going one this year in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles will have the opportunity to get these limited edition signed copies,” says Jennifer Vanderslice, owner of MoonGlow PR.
Signed copies from the following authors are currently available at the Fest website:
We’re Going To See The Beatles! by Garry Berman - An Oral History of Beatlemania as Told by the Fans Who Were There.
She Loves You by Jude Southerland Kessler – The third book in the John Lennon Series follows John’s life from April 1963 to February 1964.
Changin’ Times: 101 Days That Shaped A Generation by Al Sussman – A look at the cultural changes from November 22, 1963 through March 1, 1964 in America.
Recipe Records: A Culinary Tribute to The Beatles by Lanea Stagg – Third book in the Recipe Records series celebrating 50 years of the Fab Four with 50 recipes.
First edition signed copies of the following books will be available after August 15:
Beatleness by Candy Leonard – A look at the sociological impact of the Beatles and their fans.
The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four by Kenneth Womack - Insightful look into the Beatles' collective and solo releases, and the people and places that impacted their work.
For more information the Fest for Beatles Fans or to order books by the authors represented by MoonGlow PR, go to: http://www.thefest.com/store and search by title or author.
MoonGlow PR is a public relations company that specializes in representing the best Beatles authors and experts across the universe. More info at: www.MoonGlowPR.com
Hi Kent,
Just a note to remind you of "The Sixties" series featuring "The British Invasion" tonight on CNN! Love all the issues of Forgotten Hits ... THANK-YOU for all your knowledge, time, and energy ... it is greatly appreciated!Best Regards,
Tim Kiley
The British Invasion episode is the one that "pre-launched" the series a couple of months ago ... sad to see it was only an hour in length when some of the other topics got the two-hour treatment. I think I've seen all but maybe one of the ten episodes that make up this landmark series (but can always watch that one On Demand.) Overall I've been pretty impressed ... but feel there are SO many other topics that COULD have been covered in greater depth. A brief one hour retrospective of Television in the '60's barely did it justice ... and naturally I could have devoured TEN hours of the Music of the '60's. I thought the Kennedy Assassination was EXCEPTIONALLY good ... saw a lot of things I hadn't seen before (and I've watched HUNDREDS of hours on this topic over the years.) It would have been nice to see something like Sports Of The '60's ... think about it ... the very first Super Bowl ... The Miracle Mets of '69 ... GREAT players like Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris (and his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run record), Willie Mays ... Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali ... Jim Brown ... I could EASILY fill an hour with highlight clips on this topic. Regardless, it's a well-done series and I'm sure there are several episodes I'll watch again and again. (kk)
And here's some VERY important late-breaking news regarding Alice Cooper ... (huh?!?!?)
ALICE COOPER INDUCTED INTO WHITE CASTLE HALL OF FAME
Photo ID left to right:
VP Jamie Richardson, CEO Bill Ingram, Marci Ingram,
Sheryl Cooper,Alice Cooper, White Castle President Lisa Ingram,
Corporate Relations Manager Erin Shannon
New York, NY (July 8, 2014) - Dreams can come true, as rock icon Alice Cooper can attest, following his induction into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame at White Castle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio on July 7th, 2014.
As a child of Detroit, Alice learned to love White Castle's iconic sliders at an early age, and has never lost his taste for them over the years. He also learned to love rock and roll, and pursue his career in a band, and achieved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Little did he know that another Hall of Fame, also in Ohio, was in his destiny.
Following a tour of White Castle headquarters led by Bill, Marci and Lisa Ingram (the company is a fourth-generation family-owned business), company VP Jamie Richardson conducted a brief chat with Alice in a room full of White Castle employees, including a band that performed some of Alice's songs (he actually JOINED them for "No More Mr Nice Guy," much to their surprise), and then Alice was presented with a plaque commemorating his induction into their White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.
Said Alice, "A lot of my fellow rockers are going to be envious of this honor." Asked how it compared to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Alice responded "there's no comparison," carefully ducking the question.
The stop at White Castle headquarters took place on a day off during Alice's summer tour as Very Special Guests to Motley Crue on their "All Bad Things Must Come to An End" tour, which plays the Schottenstein Center in Columbus tonight as part of the 72 show run. The summer tour continues through August 31, and then resumes in autumn, October 10 through November 22.
Alice has often talked about his love of White Castle in interviews and on his syndicated "Nights With Alice Cooper" radio program, and served White Castle at the party following the premiere of the "Super Duper Alice Cooper" documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in April in New York City. The documentary, produced by Banger Films (same team that produced the award-winning Iron Maiden and Rush documentaries), has recently been released in both DVD and Blu-Ray by Eagle Rock Entertainment.
See Alice Cooper on tour in 2014 -- tourdates at www.alicecooper.com
Listen to Alice Cooper on "Nights With Alice Cooper" -- www.nightswithalicecooper.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceCooper
Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/AliceCooper
Growing up in Chicago, we've had access to White Castle hamburgers my whole life. (If you've never had the experience ... I hesitate to use the word "pleasure" ... it's a unique cuisine to be sure ... but totally addictive!) What I've learned over the years is that the BEST way to enjoy them is to sit on the pot WHILE you eat them ... and eliminate the next step all-together by combining the entire experience into one life-altering moment! (I used to love to take out-of-town visitors to White Castle the night before they left Chicago, giggling to myself the entire next day as to what their flight-home experience must have been like, clamoring for use of the bathrooms at the rear of the plane ... especially during "fasten seatbelts" moments!) kk
A pretty cool video exists of Ron Dante singing "Sugar Sugar" where he is in a band and ALL members of the band are him doing all the parts. I don't see it on youtube, but I have it somewhere. It's kind of like Mungo Jerry's video for "In the Summertime" where the guy plays all instruments in performing the song.
Clark Besch
Yes, I've seen it, too ... I even checked Ron's website and didn't see it there. However, I DID find it on youtube ... here it is below:
Non-Performing Cowsill Richard passed away last week. He had been battling lung cancer for some time. (As to WHY Richard was never allowed in the band, you've GOT to check out the incredible Cowsills documentary that came out last year ... it's "Must See" entertainment. (kk)
Click here: Amazon.com: Family Band: The Cowsills Story: Louise Palanker and Bill Filipiak, Louise Palanker, Louise Palanker a
And, speaking of great documentaries, here's a piece on the new Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart documentary, "The Guys Who Wrote 'em" ... which I have STILL yet to see!!! (Can't wait to finally see it 'though!!!) kk
http://www.goldminemag.com/article/film-follows-boyce-hart-california-brill-building-back?et_mid=681948&rid=235722404
Vintage Vinyl News files this report on the sentencing of Rolf Harris ...
Convicted pedophile Rolf Harris will be released from prison in the week of his 90th birthday after being sentenced to five years and nine months jail.
Harris was found guilty of all 12 charges of sexual assault on four girls between 1968 and 1986. One of the accusers was a childhood friend of Rolf’s daughter Bindi who testified that she was abused by Harris during family holidays when she was 13 years old. Harris argued the “affair” began when she was 18. His youngest victim was seven or eight at the time of the assault.In handing down the sentence Judge Nigel Sweeney said “You have shown no remorse for your crimes at all. Your reputation lies in ruins, you have been stripped of your honours, but you have no-one to blame but yourself.”The case brings to an end what was a remarkable entertainment career which has since seen Harris stripped of his ARIA Hall of Fame award, his BAFTA and now most likely his numerous royal honours including the CBE. Queen Elizabeth II awarded Harris the Order of Australia in 2012.
The 84 year old entertainer was one of Australia’s first international successes. He achieved a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1960 and USA in 1963 with Tie Me Kangaroos Down Sport. The song reached number 1 in Australia. Harris re-recorded the song in 2000 with The Wiggles.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; orphans: 2; text-align: left;
