Thanks to FH Reader padlercctx (I
really wish you guys would sign your real names so I can properly give you
credit when you write in!!!) we just got the definitive answer on that Sgt.
Pepper's / Rolling Stones / Good Guys Shirt scenario that we talked about last
week. And, based on the comments below the referenced article
about the "Good Guys Welcome the Rolling Stones" sweater, it sounds like its
placement on the cover had absolutely NOTHING to do with the radio station or
even The Stones necessarily. (And it turns out that it wasn't WMCA but WMPS ...
so there goes THAT theory, too!)
Sounds like this is just the case of being
in the right place at the right time ... and having a creative photo shoot
director onboard.
Read on ... this is VERY interesting (and I can't believe
I've never heard this story before in the 50 year since this album cover was
shot!) kk
I'd be happy to tell you all about it.
I made the shirt as an entry in a contest to
meet the Rolling Stones during their November 17, 1965 concert in Memphis,
Tennessee. I bought the child sized shirt and sewed on felt letters that I cut
out to spell out "The WMPS Good Guys Welcome the Rolling Stones." It originally
was mounted on a wooden form so that it could be held up.
When I found out that I was one of the winners of the contest, I picked up the shirt from the radio station and took it with me (sans the wooden support) when I met the Stones. In the course of conversation, Mick Jagger noticed the shirt I was holding and asked if it was for him. I said, of course he could have it. He held it up and that was the last that I saw of it!
I was later interviewed by Ann Hill for Hit Parader Magazine a year later. The story was in the August, 1966 edition. When the Sergeant Pepper album came out in May of 1967, someone at the radio station recognized the shirt. I first found out when I read about this in a local newspaper. There was no photograph in the paper, so I rushed out to the closest record store as soon as the album was released to check it out. There was my shirt ... in living color! Needless to say I was shocked, thrilled ... go ahead and add any other expletives of disbelief!
I did write a letter at one time to the record company inquiring about the whereabouts of the shirt. That being in the day of snail mail and the absence of the internet, I really did not know how to pursue my research.
I would really like to know what happened to that shirt. I heard some years back that the cover was recreated somewhere. I wondered if the shirt was included. I would love to see it again, if not to have it back. Do you know anything of its whereabouts?
By the way, I still have the newspaper article and the Hit Parader magazine as well as my Stones autographs on the concert program.
Thanks for your interest in the story of my "claim to fame."
Mary May
When I found out that I was one of the winners of the contest, I picked up the shirt from the radio station and took it with me (sans the wooden support) when I met the Stones. In the course of conversation, Mick Jagger noticed the shirt I was holding and asked if it was for him. I said, of course he could have it. He held it up and that was the last that I saw of it!
I was later interviewed by Ann Hill for Hit Parader Magazine a year later. The story was in the August, 1966 edition. When the Sergeant Pepper album came out in May of 1967, someone at the radio station recognized the shirt. I first found out when I read about this in a local newspaper. There was no photograph in the paper, so I rushed out to the closest record store as soon as the album was released to check it out. There was my shirt ... in living color! Needless to say I was shocked, thrilled ... go ahead and add any other expletives of disbelief!
I did write a letter at one time to the record company inquiring about the whereabouts of the shirt. That being in the day of snail mail and the absence of the internet, I really did not know how to pursue my research.
I would really like to know what happened to that shirt. I heard some years back that the cover was recreated somewhere. I wondered if the shirt was included. I would love to see it again, if not to have it back. Do you know anything of its whereabouts?
By the way, I still have the newspaper article and the Hit Parader magazine as well as my Stones autographs on the concert program.
Thanks for your interest in the story of my "claim to fame."
Mary May
It's probably changing hands for big bucks on EBay
these days!!! Does anybody know for sure? And has anybody ever heard this
story before? Absolutely fascinating ... and so innocently come about!
(kk)
How many versions of these songs does anyone need? I bought the album when it was originally issued, I played it, liked it, played often, but that was then, this is now If I feel the need to listen to it I still have the original. Right now I'm listening to the music of 2017!
gvanwin
In the early days of Forgotten Hits, one of our readers wrote in and said "Quit living in the past!" (lol) NEVER!!! That's EXACTLLY what Forgotten Hits is and is all about!
In this case, the deluxe edition offers ALL kinds of
"extras" I've never heard before - so that alone is incentive enough to order it
... not to mention the incredible packaging it comes in.
(kk)
Hey Kent
-
Check out this video for "Yellow Balloon." It's from KTLA's "Shebang!" hosted by Casey Kasem and recorded on the field after an Angels game in Anaheim where they hosted the Washington Senators. As most know, Don Grady (Robbie from "My Three Sons") was in the band. Casey is wearing an Angels uniform and the group is lip syncing on the dugout roof. Very strange clip. Soooooo 60's. Gotta love it!
https://youtu.be/CFautkpkm1s
- Larry Cave
50yearsagoonthehot100.blogspot.com
I think it's great! Thanks for sending. (That's Forgotten Hits Member Alex Valdez singing the lead vocal on this one) kk
Check out this video for "Yellow Balloon." It's from KTLA's "Shebang!" hosted by Casey Kasem and recorded on the field after an Angels game in Anaheim where they hosted the Washington Senators. As most know, Don Grady (Robbie from "My Three Sons") was in the band. Casey is wearing an Angels uniform and the group is lip syncing on the dugout roof. Very strange clip. Soooooo 60's. Gotta love it!
https://youtu.be/CFautkpkm1s
- Larry Cave
50yearsagoonthehot100.blogspot.com
I think it's great! Thanks for sending. (That's Forgotten Hits Member Alex Valdez singing the lead vocal on this one) kk
Kent,
As usual, I will be featuring
a double play of songs that debuted this week in 1967 on the SuperCharts Top 100
on my Top Shelf Oldies show, Randy on the Radio, tonight, Wednesday the 12th, at
8:00 p.m. ET. This week's double play features two under-appreciated songs that
fit the definitions of both "forgotten hits" and "uncommon oldies" (the Top
Shelf motto). One has a Chicago connection, and the other is from a neighboring
state. All my shows are archived at http://www.ramtownlive.com/randyontheradio.html.
– Randy
Price
Cool, Randy! Happy to pass
this along. (kk)
By the way, Forgotten Hits Readers can now listen to Phil Nee's "Those Were The Days" radio program from last Saturday night, when each of us picked ten of our 1967 favorites. I think it came off very well ... and it's now posted here so all of you can enjoy it, too! (kk)
We've already heard from a couple of satisfied listeners! (kk)
Congrats to you and Phil for the
great show. Not only were the selections great, but there was a tremendous
amount of background information provided,
too.
As for the 45 cover for Nancy
Sinatra’s “Sugar Town” hit, well I wasn’t aware of it, but it’s a
beaut.
Mike
Ogilvie
Mississauga ON
That it is!!! And the ALBUM cover
is even sweeter!!! (kk)
Just listened
to the show you did with Phil Nee counting down your favorites from 1967 - great
job to both of you - excellent picks and a very entertaining program. I hope
you two get together later in the year as Phil suggested to count down more
favorites.
Jason
We've already been talking
about a couple more shows before the end of the year - including a Summer Of
Love Countdown and a Year End Chart Countdown. Plus I'm trying to talk him into
a Two-Sided Hits Countdown ... along with a review of The Top Twenty Psychedelic
Songs of All-Time (as voted on by The Forgotten Hits Readers).
We've done quite a few
shows together now and I think his fans and ours would all enjoy a few more
spotlight features. Stay tuned! (kk)
Kent,
Thanks for the posting of
your interaction with Phil Nee this past weekend on "Those Were the Days" radio
program. I enjoyed it immensely.
I noticed one thing and
maybe it's me. But in the third posting down, there is a segue between DAYDREAM
BELIEVER and POOR SIDE OF TOWN. Wasn't POOR SIDE OF TOWN already off the charts
and local surveys by then? Maybe this was played as an "oldie but a goodie"
(LOL).
Larry
You know what ... you're right!
(Ooops!) "Poor Side Of Town" charted in September of 1966. (Damn! I can't
believe we both missed that!)
Johnny's 1967 Hits included "Baby, I Need
Your Lovin'" (#3); "The Tracks Of My Tears" (#10) and "Summer Rain"
(#10).
[All the more reason for each of us to
come up with another Top Ten Countdown List!!!] kk
From our buddy Phil Nee ...
Glad to hear that there are good comments coming in. Poor Side Of Town peaked in November of 1966 according to Billboard. I guess I did screw up, although the station has it grouped with 1967 songs. I presume it still could have been charting very early in the year.
Even before the flub was
pointed out I was thinking I should have chosen Summer Rain. I like that song
as much or more! I appreciate being kept on my toes. If we do go worldwide, I
may have to clean up my act even more!Phil
I'm sure we're fine. Hey, when we do our
next countdown, we'll give you an extra "extra" to make up for it! (lol)
kk
I never run out of material
when I make light of myself! The last time it charted on the Billboard chart
was number 39 on the December 24th chart 1966. Missed it by that
much!
Phil
UPDATE: We'll be adding
our appearance on "Making Noise With Mark Dawson" to the site in the next day or
two ... so now you'll be able enjoy this great countdown, too! Same link as
above:
Hola Kent,
Looks like now The Boston Globe is following your lead by celebrating ’67 and how that band of ragamuffins led by the boisterous Dick Williams delivered an “Impossible Dream” season and re-invigorated America’s Pastime in New England.
Looks like now The Boston Globe is following your lead by celebrating ’67 and how that band of ragamuffins led by the boisterous Dick Williams delivered an “Impossible Dream” season and re-invigorated America’s Pastime in New England.
I just love how your celebration is
bringing back so many fond memories!
Great Job,
CharlieOFD
Looking at this week's WLS Chart
(4/7/17) I can't help but wonder if Sundazed was listening to WLS in 67???
First the "West Coast Pop" LP is the featured LP ... and now the "Blues Magoos
Electric Comic Book" LP is the featured LP!!!
Clark Besch
Everything old is new again! Was just thinking
the other day about how you could go into Polk Brothers or EG Korvettes and even
GC Murphy's from time to time and pick up all of your latest 45's favorites for
69-cents ... and sometimes come home with a two-sided hit to boot! Now it's
about twice that to just get the one track you want ... no more surprises like
in "the good old days"! We were also talking about how back then if you got a
45 that skipped you'd try everything you could to get it to play all the way
through ... put a penny or a dime (or in some cases a quarter!) on the tone arm
to see if that would give it enough weight to make it thru the scratch or defect
... and I swear to this day whenever I hear "Holly Holy" come on the radio I
wait to hear the skip that was in my 45!!! It's true - even 50 years later - I
can still remember EXACTLY where it was (because it annoyed the hell out of
me!!!) kk
I spotted this cover version of
"Sweets For My Sweet" on the 'CFL survey but am unfamiliar with this band.
Please tell us about The Riddles.
David Lewis
I can't find much to tell. (I thought we had
done a feature on these guys before but if we did, I sure can't find
it!)
I reached out to both Guy Arnston and Dean
Milano, both of whom have extensively covered the Chicago Pop Music scene in the
'60's but haven't heard anything back yet.
"Sweets For My Sweet" was a #19 hit here on the
Chicagoland Charts in 1967 but it never made its way to any of the national
charts. Its arrangement was HEAVILY influenced by The Cryan' Shames' version of
"Sugar And Spice" (also a hit for The Searchers) the year before.
The "hit" single was released on Mercury Records
but first hit the shelves on the Quill label. I do remember that FH Reader (and often contributor) Jeff Duntemann
first joined our list several years ago when he inquired about this local
hit.
The GarageHangover has a short but sweet piece on
them here: http://www.garagehangover.com/Riddles/ and
says they were from Elmhurst ... and disappeared after their brief fifteen
minutes of local fame. (Vernon Joynson's book "Fuzz Acid And Flowers Revisited"
says the band hailed from Crystal Lake.)
Based on the publicity photos shown below, the
band members included Rick Harper (lead vocal and lead guitar), Wes Dobson
(rhythm guitar), Lee Adams (vocals and
bass) and Ron Fricano (drums). It looks like their version of the old Drifters
song was the closest they ever came to having a hit ... but the article also
mentions that they made multiple appearances on the Kiddie-A-Go-Go Show ... and
did some gigs opening up for The New Colony Six.
I found several other references raving about the
B-Side of this record ... a track called "It's One Thing To Say". I can
honestly say I've never heard this song before ... but did find it on
YouTube:
Definitely more of a garage band sound on this
one! (kk)
Speaking of The Cryan' Shames, we just got this email from their original lead singer, Tom Doody ...
Hey Kent.
Hey, maybe Dex can help us solve this one, too ...
>>>The thing I find interesting is how WLS switched from "weeks played" to "last week position" on the April 28, 1967 survey. ALSO interesting is that the last week position showed positions as low as #75! That means there must have been an "inside" chart listing up to 75 records a week. I have NEVER seen a copy of such, so I'm wondering if anyone can shed light on this. After a month of showing these dramatic (at times) leaps into the top 40, they switched to just a blank space when a song moved into the top 40 for the first time. I'm guessing the lower reaches could have included LP cuts, older 45's as well as up and comers?? The "in house" charts I have from KRLA from 67 showed 45s listed into 60's some weeks as well as listing songs "on cart" which were sometimes "exclusives" not available yet on record. ABC sister station WABC listed 77 songs on their chart until 1962 and then 40 and then less as years went along, but there was a brief period about like what I mention here, where their top 20 actually listed songs moving in from the 40's also. It did not last either. Comments or insight welcome. Maybe Clark Weber's secretary would remember any in house typed charts she made up for him? I sure would LOVE to see one if you or her have one.
I was going through some of your
1967 bonus issues saw a post from Dex Card ...
He is the man who discovered us.
If it were not for Dex, no one would ever have heard of the Cryan' Shames. He
played Sugar & Spice about 20 minutes after we recorded it ... and the rest
is history.
Many, many, many times we played at
the Wild Goose clubs he ran.
I want to say a very sincere thank
you, Dex.
Kent, I hope some day you can
feature him and what he meant to Chicago groups and to music in the
60's
Toad
Passing your sentiments along through today's
posting where I'm sure he'll see it.
I used to listen to Dex every afternoon as he
counted down The WLS Silver Dollar Survey.
He has participated with Forgotten Hits from time
to time over the years and his comments and memories are always welcome. Happy
to do a spotlight feature on any ... and ALL ... of the WLS jocks somewhere down
the line. (kk)
Hey, maybe Dex can help us solve this one, too ...
>>>The thing I find interesting is how WLS switched from "weeks played" to "last week position" on the April 28, 1967 survey. ALSO interesting is that the last week position showed positions as low as #75! That means there must have been an "inside" chart listing up to 75 records a week. I have NEVER seen a copy of such, so I'm wondering if anyone can shed light on this. After a month of showing these dramatic (at times) leaps into the top 40, they switched to just a blank space when a song moved into the top 40 for the first time. I'm guessing the lower reaches could have included LP cuts, older 45's as well as up and comers?? The "in house" charts I have from KRLA from 67 showed 45s listed into 60's some weeks as well as listing songs "on cart" which were sometimes "exclusives" not available yet on record. ABC sister station WABC listed 77 songs on their chart until 1962 and then 40 and then less as years went along, but there was a brief period about like what I mention here, where their top 20 actually listed songs moving in from the 40's also. It did not last either. Comments or insight welcome. Maybe Clark Weber's secretary would remember any in house typed charts she made up for him? I sure would LOVE to see one if you or her have one.
Clark Besch
Hi Kent:
Every Friday evening I hosted a countdown program of our radio station's top 40 weekly survey. Time permitting, I would play a few interesting new releases.
Every Friday evening I hosted a countdown program of our radio station's top 40 weekly survey. Time permitting, I would play a few interesting new releases.
In mid-April 1967 one such record
was Bobby Vee's "Come Back When You Grow Up," which you featured recently. I
really liked the song, but after we played it as a survey extra for a couple of
weeks it was dropped from our playlist. I think it was because it was going
nowhere in Cashbox (the publication our
station subscribed to). Then I was pleasantly surprised that July to find that the record had been re-released with a different B-side and was listed as a climber in Cashbox.
station subscribed to). Then I was pleasantly surprised that July to find that the record had been re-released with a different B-side and was listed as a climber in Cashbox.
The song was sort of an oddity in
what's been called the Summer Of Love but was only kept from being number one by
The Box Top's "The Letter" and The Association's "Never My Love", both now
considered classics.
Vee had been left behind like a lot
of other American artists in the wake of the British Invasion.
But according to Cashbox, "Come Back" (his career comeback record) was the 15th best selling record of 1967, his first top 10 hit since "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" in 1962. And he followed it up with another top 40 single that I also liked that year, "Beautiful People". Both were cover songs.
Mike G
But according to Cashbox, "Come Back" (his career comeback record) was the 15th best selling record of 1967, his first top 10 hit since "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" in 1962. And he followed it up with another top 40 single that I also liked that year, "Beautiful People". Both were cover songs.
Mike G
As you said, Bobby had been absent from The Top
Ten for quite a while when "Come Back When You Grow Up" hit the charts ...
nearly five full years. But it was a great record that caught on during the
"anything goes" year of 1967.
I, too, liked "Beautiful People", a Number #22
Hit nationally (yet only #37 in Billboard) toward the end of that year. Here in
Chicago, WLS played the Bobby Vee version while WCFL played the competing
version by Kenny O'Dell, who actually wrote the song. (They are SO similar in
sound it's unreal ... kind of like the competing Giorgio / Chicory versions of
"Son Of My Father" that would hit the charts a few years later.)
Personally, I give the edge to Kenny on this
one. His version peaked at #17 on WCFL while Bobby's take went to #6 on the WLS
Chart, once again blowing away the national showing of this track.
(kk)
