Friday, October 14, 2011

The Friday Flash

re:  THANK YOU!:
Yowzah, Yowzah, Yowzah!!!

Well, we did it ... thanks to you!!! 

Forgotten Hits officially passed a million and a half mark on Thursday ...

So thanks to everybody who has paid us a visit over the past three years!

And congratulations to the Million-and-a-Half(th) Visitor ...

Guess that would mean all EIGHT of you who claimed to be the one!!! (lol)

We WERE going to award a prize ... but now I'm so confused I have NO idea who it really was!!!
(But thank you, WHOEVER you are!!!)

That's OK ... it's all in good fun and great spirit ... which is what Forgotten Hits has strived to be for the past 12 years, the last three of which have put us on the web!

So thank you, thank you, thank you ... and let's keep it going!  (kk)

re:  COOL SHOWS:
Last Friday's gig in Clearwater, FL, was a total success on all counts. It was great to welcome back John Hall to the stage for that particualr show.  We did a brand new song of his called I Told You So. Judging by the crowd's reaction, the message got across loud and clear.
You can see John's video of this tune posted on his own site at JohnHallMusic.com

On Friday, October 7th  at 8 PM Orleans appeared with special guest, Felix Cavaliere (formerly of The Rascals) at Art in the Garden VI; Wingard's Nursery & Garden Center in Lexington, SC

One of the great pleasures of becoming elder statesmen of Pop / Rock is that, at this point, we get to work with not only some of the best talents out there ... we sometimes get to work with an icon who influenced our own paths.
Larry and I can tell you that, as teenagers growing up on Long Island, there was no cooler band than our own home-grown Rascals. Personally, I played many of their hits in the 9-piece (horns included) band I was in in high school (called The Koloring Book :-).
This Friday, once again, we'll be joined on stage by none other than the awesome Felix Cavaliere!
We get to be his back-up band, playing such hits as Groovin', Good Lovin', People Got To Be Free, Lonely Too Long ... just to name a few.
Geez! ... do awe have to play any Orleans songs?  OK ... we will! 
Meanwhile, we are TOTALLY stoked about returning to Holland at the end of October AND our first ever gigs in Scotland in early November. You can see ALL the details about these dates and venues on the Tour Dates page. 
More about these and other fall shows soon!
More gigs are being added all the time now, so check for dates and details at www.OrleansOnline.com/TourDates.html
Lance Hoppen


CHARLIE GRACIE rocked Italy this weekend at the International R&R Festival at RAVENNA, ITALY.  This marks the 4th time Charlie has performed in the land of his ancestor's birth -- where the ROOTS of R&R are alive and well.
Next CHARLIE flies back to the UNITED KINGDOM, where he has several shows to complete in ENGLAND and WALES through the end of this month -- spotilghted by two shows with LINDA GAIL LEWIS -- the rockin' sister of the "Killer" himself: JERRY LEE LEWIS!  
ABKCO Records will release CHARLIE'S new CD: "For The Love of Charlie!" produced by AL KOOPER on October 10th in the U.K., soon to be followed in the U.S.A! Charlie's guests include GRAHAM NASH, PETER NOONE, JIMMY VIVINO, DENNIS DIKEN, EDDIE ANGEL and more.
Charlie, Jr.

Last week we posted a link to a review of a live Lindsay Buckingham concert ... and now comes word that his recent appearance at The Small Machine in Los Angeles will be released as a live DVD!  And there are still plenty of great chances to catch Lindsay in concert, too.  Check out the details below!  (kk)
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM DVD
SONGS FROM THE SMALL MACHINE: LIVE IN L.A. ~ON NOVEMBER 1~
New York, NY (October 13, 2011) — Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Famer Lindsey Buckingham just may be one of the very few Americans who most changed the face of British Rock. As the male lead singer for Fleetwood Mac, this singer / songwriter / guitarist / producer took an underground blues band and helped make it into one of the most respected and best-selling bands in the universe. His voice … his intricate guitar playing … his compositional prowess, they’re all instantly recognizable.
And he’s still going strong.
On November 1, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a DVD of Lindsey Buckingham’s Songs From The Small Machine: Live In L.A., which was filmed in high-definition with DTS Surround-Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby Digital Stereo at The Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, California in April 2011.
The two-hour 19-song show will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a DVD / CD set. [Pre-book Order Date October 7, MSRP $14.98 for DVD, MSRP $19.98 for Blu-ray, $19.98 for DVD / CD set]. Filled with his most beloved songs, including such Fleetwood Mac classics as “Go Your Own Way,” “Second Hand News,” “Big Love,” “Tusk,” “I’m So Afraid” and “Never Going Back Again,” blended with material from his new album Seeds We Sow (“In Our Own Time,” “Illumination,” “Stars Are Crazy,” “That’s The Way Love Goes”) the DVD and Blu-Ray also feature a Buckingham interview.
Songs From The Small Machine: Live In LA opens with a solo acoustic set that accentuate Buckingham’s nimble fretwork and multidimensional voice. The band join him for the remainder of the concert leaving the audience on their feet, shouting for more. The show closes with an acoustic encore of the title song from Seeds We Sow– a final reminder that this is one artist who refuses to rest on past laurels but, instead, prefers to look towards the future. 
Lindsey Buckingham is out on the road in America touring with his band in support of Seeds We Sow (Mind Kit Records).  Upcoming tour dates include: 
10/14/11 – Las Vegas, NV – Aliante Casino
10/15/11 – Palm Desert, CA – McCallum Theatre
10/17/11 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove Of Anaheim
10/18/11 – Turlock, CA – Turlock Community Theatre
10/19/11 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Center
10/22/11 – Vancouver, BC – Centre In Vancouver For Performing Arts
10/23/11 – Shelton, WA – Little Creek Casino
10/25/11 – Napa, CA – Uptown Theatre Napa
11/1/11 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall
11/2/11 – Albany, NY – The Egg
11/3/11 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
11/5/11 – Salmanca, NY – Event Center At Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel
11/6/11 – Lorain, OH – Lorain Palace Theatre
11/8/11 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/9/11 – Newark, OH – Midland Theatre
11/12/11 – Salina, KS – The Stiefel Theatre for Performing Arts
11/14/11 – Catoosa, OK – The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
TRACK LISTING:1) Shut Us Down*
2) Go Insane  
3) Trouble*  
4) Never Going Back Again*  
5) Big Love*  
6) Under The Skin*  
7) All My Sorrows*  
8) In Our Own Time*  
9) Illumination*  
10) Second Hand News*  
11) Tusk*  
12) Stars Are Crazy*  
13) End Of Time*  
14) That’s The Way Love Goes*  
15) I’m So Afraid*  
16) Go Your Own Way*  
17) Turn It On  
18) Treason  
19) Seeds We Sow*
(* = tracks on CD)



Hi Kent,
If you haven't already mentioned it, friends and fans celebrated what would have been Jimy Rogers' (The Mauds) 64th birthday on 10/6/11, at a Blue Road gig on 10/7/11 at Blues Bar in Mt. Prospect (next town over from Arlington Heights, home of the Cellar). We had a fun night of music, special guests including Jimy Sohns from the Shadows of Knight, and photos of Rogers running up on one of the big TV's.  Thought you'd enjoy this photo.
Joan Gand
Blue Road

Cool picture, Joan.  Sorry we missed this ... would have been cool to see. (And hopefully an annual event to keep Jimy's memory alive!)  kk


re:  THE WRECKING CREW:



I'm not sure what Carol's key problem is, K - just getting a feel from what she wrote. But I'm not sure who (musicians) deserves recognition - you work, you get paid, they were obviously happy with that. If someone feels they do deserve recognition, go for it. But, hey, 50% + of the Top 40 in the '60's contained musicians that weren't recognized ... for example, look at The Buckinghams ... who were those fine horn players? Would have liked the film to contain studio talk - you get the "real" feel what life what like during recording sessions, rather than after the fact claims that are sometimes sketchy. Thanks! Correct me if I'm in error, but the film went from profitable to non-profit status. I'm sure the cost of acquiring music licenses lessen and could be renegotiated when the film went non-profit. Would be nice if Denny had stated a dollar amount needed to get the film released, but nothing is. Maybe that's one of Carol's gripes. p.s. And I do owe Denny an apology, I THOUGHT I had made a contribution to this WC film - my error!
How many Takes does it take The Wrecking Crew to record one song? Count the Takes! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wGW3PXD39k
From Hal Blaine's site "We Called It R&R ... http://www.halblaine.com/
"Reliability and Responsibility. We didn’t spend time rehearsing take after take, we just read the chart, played the tune and made gold records". Obviously, Hal stretches the truth a bit too far!Best,
John
Bottom line is, it's not how many takes it took you to get there ... it's the end result that matters ... and these guys delivered the goods time after time after time, again and again, throughout this era ... placing literally HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of hit songs on the charts.  Producers and artists back then were only interested in putting the best possible product on the marketplace ... and The Wrecking Crew were the "go to" guys to make that happen.  If you've seen the film, you already KNOW what their credits are ... it's incredible to think that this same "core" batch of musicians played together on so many of these hits ... and in every style imaginable.  Like I've been saying for years now, it's a story that NEEDS to be told!  (kk)



re:  BACKGROUND SINGERS:
Kent,
As I've told you before, I love pop music from the 70's.  And, being able to listen to it more closely over time, I  think, besides the members of the Wrecking Crew, that there is a group of background singers that deserve some kind of film of their own.  Two of those names are Ron Hicklin and Jackie Ward (I believe), and these singers sang background on so many hits of the 70's.  They were the background singers who sang along with Shirley Jones and David Cassidy on the Partridge Family songs, on Bobby Sherman's singles like "Easy Come, Easy Go" and, (as I just discovered after buying it), they sang background on the ahead-of-its-time soundtrack for the Sid and Marty Krofftt film "Pufnstuf", based on the T.V. series "H.R. Pufnstuf".  They have a familiar sound that always takes me back to the early 70's.  Of course there were more than just Ron and Jackie singing (I think the group was called "The Jackie Ward Singers"), but I love their sound and would love to know more about them.
Also deserving some recognition would P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, who did wonderful work for ABC / Dunhill with the Grass Roots, Mama Cass, and others.  Again, their sounds always take me back.  These people probably have all been profiled, and I just haven't found the info.  I find myself listening to more and more of these old songs, which are simple by today's over-production standards.  Have a great day!
Ed
It's a valid point ... as we all learn more and more about what went on behind the scenes, we, too, would like to see more profiles of these artists.  Ron and Jackie's names have come up a number of times over the years in Forgotten Hits (in one specific context or another), but we've never really delved deep into their massive amount of studio work.  Anybody out there up to the challenge?  (kk)
re:  AND BACKGROUND MUSIC!:
Kent,
While watching the NFL on television this afternoon, I saw a commercial (don't ask me what the product was, I don't remember) but I couldn't help but notice the song which was playing in the background. It was John Lee Hooker's 1962 recording of BOOM BOOM on VJ, later remade by the Animals. First time I have seen, er heard, this commercial.
Larry

re:  THE BEACH BOYS:
This one's for "Beach Boys" fans only!!!!
1932 Ford Little Deuce Coupe
Click here ...
http://youtu.be/7klWRu5xDvk <http://youtu.be/7klWRu5xDvk>
Dennis
re:  THE FEMALE ELVIS:
Kent ...
You wrote about Ann-Margret being called the female Elvis.  I always thought that Wanda Jackson was called the female Elvis. Maybe they both were female Elvises!
Frank B.
I've heard the Wanda Jackson analogy before, too ... but Janis Martin???  Not so much! (kk)
re:  FORGOTTEN HITS FACEBOOK PAGE:
I had just finished posting my favorite flip side on my wall in Facebook and then written a blurb about Forgotten Hits and put the link up on the wall ... and I thought ... "I wonder if they have ever gotten a page on Facebook?"   Then I looked ... and there it was! LOL
Hope this finds you both doing well!
Doc
Actually, it's not our page ... I don't do Facebook ... I can barely keep up with THIS!!!  But one of our readers (David Lewis) started it and I guess a few people have stopped by from time to time so that's kinda cool.  It'd be nice if it linked to each new posting on the website so new readers could continue to discover what we do here ... of course if half a million people showed up and "liked" our Facebook page we'd probably feel differently ... but this week we passed a million and a half website visitors ... so I can live with that!!!  (Considering that we started with a list of 35 folks, I think we've done all-right!!!  lol) 
Thanks, Doc ... good to hear from you ... and thanks for the plug!  (kk)
Here's something from our FH buddy Alan O'Day (cowritten with Artie Wayne!)