The Peter Noone Interview with Forgotten Hits Part Three

With permission from Kent Kotal/ Forgotten Hits/the60sShop here is part three of the interview with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. To subscribe to FORGOTTEN HITS, which is a great newsletter if you are like me and into music of the 60's, you can e-mail them at The60sShop@aol.com . Here is part three of the series.

FORGOTTEN HITS: As I recall, prior to HERMAN'S HERMITS, you were fairly well-known as a child actor from a British Television Series. How did your joining HERMAN'S HERMITS come about ... were you approached by them or was this whole singing thing something that you had already aspired to and you actually auditioned for the band?
PETER NOONE: I was in a British TV series called CORONATION STREET and I played the son of one of the leads so I got lots of attention. The show was Number One in the UK and incredibly still is, without me in it since 1961.

FH: Tell me a little bit more about your role on CORONATION STREET ... How were you first signed on to this series? Had you done other acting or commercials prior to this? Was making it as an actor a goal for you at such an early age? What role did your parents play in your career at the time ... and on through the early days of HERMAN'S HERMITS?
PN: I was at Manchester School of Music trying to become a musician. One day someone (?) came to visit the school looking for some kids to be on the telly in Knight Errand (????) I was chosen and then again for another show ... Family Solicitor (I think) and so on and so on and then Coronation Street. I played Stanley Fairclough and remember little other than the incredible professionalism of the assembled cast and when I forgot my lines (often) one of the old crew would say them in their speech and off I would go looking like an actor. This has stood me well.

FH: You never really said how you came to join HERMAN'S HERMITS ... was this something that you AUDITIONED for ... or was the band built around your wanting to expand your career into music? Did the "core" band already exist? Had you ever sung on the television series prior to joining the band? Was music ALSO an early aspiration?
PN: I was looking for a band. I was in a band called The Cyclones and we were crap. I saw The Heartbeats. They were a whole level above crap so I ingratiated myself into the band then took it over and fired all the crappy players using skills I still haven't learned. I have never successfully auditioned for anything in my career and do not recommend it for anyone who has a spirit, a soul or two balls. They get lost.

FH: Being at such an early age when all this success started, you must have been obligated to succumb to things like Parental Consent and / or advice from Advisors and Managers ... How much input did you personally have early on regarding your own career? What were some of the decisions that were made for you that you've come to regret ... and did you have negative premonitions about them at the time? Were there ever directions or opportunities that you personally wanted to pursue but felt that, in some way, your parents and/or advisors held you back?
PN: My parents had zero input in my career other than to teach me to be independent and to always be honest, steadfast and true and I was steadfast often. I was able to have a perfectly normal teen life and to never overestimate my worth...

FH: You had a distinct advantage over some of the other British Pop Stars that were invading America at the time, being as young as you were at the time. Even today, while your biggest hits are now 40 years old, you're a mere babe of what, 35???
PN: My advantage was that everybody underestimated me. Being 15, everyone thought I was just a schoolboy hottie and that I would have 2 hits and then go away like the Ryan Twins, but I kept at it and now I am good. My body is 57 but my brain is 17 and I am about 31 ... in the dark.

FH: You were right there at the beginning of the British Invasion, which influenced the next several generations musically ... what were some of YOUR early musical influences?
PN: The Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Adam Faith.

FH: You personally also had a MAJOR cross-section of fans ... the kids loved the music, the moms thought you were cute and adorable ... even the GRANDMOTHERS loved you!!! How did you react to that at the time ... and, in hindsight, what do you feel was the reason for such a universal, cross-section appeal? (The mental image of PETER NOONE groupies, aged 12-83 is NOT a pretty picture!!!)
PN: The music was honest and made for 13 to 14 year old girls. Some of them still get to feel happier at my concerts as they recall their youth and the young girls understand because we are selling songs, not thigh wobbling.

FH: I remember my OWN mother loving your music ... and feeling betrayed when cute little PETER NOONE went and had his teeth fixed!!!
PN: Peter Noone never had his teeth fixed! This was a story invented by Rolling Stone because they couldn't figure out what we were. I still have ALL my original teeth thanks!

FH: Your music holds up EXTREMELY well today ... these are finely crafted pop songs and they've stood the test of time. How much input did you have into selecting your material for recording? I know that MICKIE MOST gets a LOT of credit (and deservedly so, I might add) for the British acts he was producing at the time ... but what was the "screening process" for new material that was being presented to the band?
PN: WE selected the music. WE is Peter Noone and Mick Most. He was a genius and I had good taste.

FH: You've mentioned several times that magazines like 16 and ROLLING STONE fabricated (or embellished) stories at the time to make good press ... did you cooperate with these publications at the time? It is said that ALL press is GOOD press ... anything to fuel the publicity machine.
PN: Rolling Stone never interviewed me. Being a very independent and far more intelligent member of the British Music Scene, I avoided it and treated it with the contempt it deserved and now deserves, although my Mum gets it now and seems to enjoy it. I never bought it and had the occasion to see the Publisher's Office (Jann something) and there was a smashed Who guitar and, of course, that was the closest he ever got to the music business. I liked the writer who wrote the Michael Douglas / Sharon Stone movie because he knew it was about nothing to do with real life, and I bet he has a guitar at his home and not a broken one.

FH: I know that 16 MAGAZINE probably ran contests offering things like "Win A Date With Peter Noone," etc, etc. What were your thoughts on all this at the time? Did you feel that you had to cooperate with these teen magazines in order to succeed? (I also just read that you were once on the cover of TIME MAGAZINE ... and didn't even know it until YEARS later when a fan showed you a copy ... is this a true story???)
PN: I think 16 was more important than anyone realized. Gloria Stavers was probably responsible for the success of The Beatles, The Stones, The Dave Clark Five and, of course, Herman's Hermits. She loved the players and she loved the fans, too. And I do mean loved! She thought of her readers as lovely young girls and was protective to the point that she often changed answers so as not to spoil someone's side of who the band member was. She was my friend because I appreciate people who like people and she liked and loved her audience. She had a reputation for being a bit of a battle axe but the truth is she was a very nice and lovely person, and I will box anyone who says otherwise. Being a part of an important press tool for anyone with a new act, she had lots of friends and I even remember some of their names ... Danny Fields was one. When she was sick and almost over in this world, I made it my job to have her treated with the respect she deserved and had limos take her to the hospital so she would feel special and my wife and I went often to make her laugh as showbiz turned their backs on her brilliant but now useless (to them ) career. I am proud to have been there when she worked her genius.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: I mentioned several times to PETER that I would be happy to offer FORGOTTEN HITS as the "soap box" to finally "set the record straight" regarding any mis-truths that have been repeated throughout the years regarding HERMAN'S HERMITS ... I don't know that we ever got deep enough into our interview to accomplish this ... it was tough with responses like "I didn't know this was going to be a book" ... but I think that we DID give PETER NOONE the opportunity and forum to get a few things that have been bothering him off his chest!!!)

***
More to follow ... but first, here are a couple more of my favorite HERMAN'S HERMITS B-SIDES.

HERMAN'S HERMITS had a number of hit records covering songs by American artists. I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD, their first U.S. chart hit (#7 in Cash Box, #13 in Billboard ... and #1 here in Chicago!!!) had just been on the charts four months earlier for EARL-JEAN (ETHEL McCREA of THE COOKIES, who had a couple of Top 20 Hits with some other songs written by CAROLE KING and GERRY GOFFIN, namely CHAINS (#17, 1962 ... and later covered by THE BEATLES) and DON'T SAY NOTHIN' BAD ABOUT MY BABY (#7, 1963). THE HERMITS' version eclipsed EARL-JEAN's original chart showing (which only peaked at #38) and soon they were on the way, riding the wave of THE BRITISH INVASION to become one of the most popular British bands to hit here in The States.

The following year, they hit The Top 5 (and #1 again here in Chicago) with their remake of THE RAYS' hit SILHOUETTES. WONDERFUL WORLD, a Top Ten Hit for SAM COOKE in 1960, went all the way to #4 when HERMAN'S HERMITS recorded it ... and I'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM, a National #1 Hit Single, dated all the way back to 1911!!!

The other day we featured the HERMAN'S HERMITS version of the BOBBY VEE track WALKIN' WITH MY ANGEL, the U.S. B-SIDE of SILHOUETTES. In 1965, they cut a version of the 1959 FRANKIE FORD hit SEA CRUISE, and stuck it on the back of their Top Ten smash JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER. It's a rockin' little record that the disc jockeys just didn't play ... and that's too bad 'cause it deserves a listen. It's today's featured HERMAN'S HERMITS B-SIDE!!!

This Day In Music History: Herb Alpert and Rise

On this date in music history, October 20, 1979 Herb Alpert had the #1 song in the country with Rise. It was his second #1 hit. Eleven years before in 1968 he had his first #1 with This Guy’s in Love With You. He really owes this #1 hit to his nephew Randy Badazz. He suggested to his Uncle to record his older hits with a disco beat since disco was huge at that time. Herb and Randy booked musicians and a studio to record the music. Ten minutes into recording of the disco version of The Lonely Bull, Herb put a stop to it. Albert told Dick Clark “It sounded just awful to me. I didn’t want any part of it.” Since they already had the musicians there he asked his nephew if there was anything else they could record. Randy said he had some songs that he wrote with his friend Andy Armer. Herb looked at them and liked Rise. It was a fast dance song but when Herb recorded it he slowed it down from 128 beats per minute to 100 beats per minute. When they were done Herb said he looked at his nephew and predicted “I think we have a #1 record.” He was right. It was #1 for 2 weeks.

Another form of help came from a soap opera. It was included as part of the soundtrack of the Luke and Laura storyline in General Hospital. General Hospital was very popular among teenage and twentysomething women. That kind of exposure every day for weeks helped Rise…rise. On this day Herb Alpert bumped Michael Jackson’s song Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough out of the #1 position.

In America 12 inch singles are recorded at 33 rpm. In England they are recorded at 45 rpm. So DJ’s in England played the song even faster then Randy Badazz and Andy Armer had written it. The song has no vocals so they didn’t know that it was playing too fast. It became a hit in England in the speeded-up version.

On a personal note, I loved this song back then and I still do. It was a hit during my freshman year in college. My cousin Randy (Blankenship not Badazz) and I would go to lunch together at the local pizza place not far from Northern Kentucky University. My two favorite songs on their juke box were September Morn by Neil Diamond and Rise by Herb Alpert. I didn’t know it at the time but I must have been driving Randy crazy because I played those two songs every time we went there. One day someone else, I don’t remember who right now, joined us for lunch. After we ordered I got up and started to approach the juke box. Randy didn’t know that I heard him tell our guest that he knew what I was going to play. Now he was right I was going to play them. However, I thought I am starting to get tired of them and I don’t want anyone to think I am that predictable. So I played some songs I didn’t hear that often. I got back to our table and the juke box started up but didn’t play either of the Diamond or Alpert songs. Randy didn’t say anything but he had a look of surprise on his face that I obviously didn’t play my two favorites.

I don’t think I ever told him this before. I know that Randy visits this site every once in awhile so he may know it now.

The Peter Noone Interview with Forgotten Hits Part Two

With permission from Kent Kotal/ Forgotten Hits/the60sShop here is part two of the interview with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. To subscribe to FORGOTTEN, which is a great newsletter if you are like me and into music of the 60's, you can e-mail them at The60sShop@aol.com . Here is part two of the series.

Just to recap the interesting way that I happened to snag an interview with Peter Noone... Frannie and I went to go see Herman's Hermits perform at the Bensenville Music In The Park Concert Series on Wednesday, August 31st, 2005. After the show, PETER NOONE stuck around and signed autographs for any of those fans who bought CDs and / or photos and / or T-Shirts ... in fact, we heard back from a few people on the FORGOTTEN List who were there that night and got to meet him. Although the thought crossed my mind to hang around and see if I could grab a minute of PETER's time to tell him about FORGOTTEN ... and possibly even set up some sort of interview ... we couldn't stick around, as we were leaving early the next morning on a flight to Los Angeles and still had to go home and pack. So I missed opportunity #1.

The next morning as we were waiting to be called to board our plane to LA, Frannie noticed a guy in a bright blue shirt running up to the gate at the very last minute to catch the flight ... it was PETER NOONE!!! He was flying on the VERY same flight that WE were to Los Angeles!!! Now because we fly stand-by / space available (certainly the NICEST remaining United Airlines perk), we never know where we're going to sit on the plane ... but I'd say we get First Class about 40% of the time if those seats are available. This time we did NOT ... in fact, we sat about four rows BEHIND PETER NOONE in the Business Class Section of the plane. Missed opportunity #2!!! (I couldn't help thinking that if I could simply get to him for just a moment ... and explain that we were at his concert the night before in Bensenville ... I mean, what are the odds that ANYONE else on that flight had just seen him perform the night before?!?!? ... he couldn't help but agree to talk to me for an exclusive FORGOTTEN piece!!!)

Once our plane landed, we made a beeline to the baggage claim area, hoping to catch up with him there. Along the way, we heard a few people talking about how PETER NOONE was on the plane and I couldn't help but laugh a little ... at this stage of the game, he's pretty much NOT an immediately recognizable face, affording him the rare opportunity to be anonymous when he wants to be or, putting on the thick HERMAN accent and flashing those big white teeth (or, in this case, answering fan mail on PETERNOONE.COM in front of his fellow passengers), he can shift into celebrity mode ... pretty much at his own choosing. Figuring that this would be my last chance of any relevance to mention our attendance at last night's concert, we searched all over the Baggage Claim area ... but no PETER NOONE. Missed opportunity #3.

We went about our vacation, enjoying our annual pilgrimage to California>, but I couldn't help feeling that there was still some potential here for an interview. When we got back to Chicago, I emailed PETER at PETERNOONE.COM, explained the whole long-winded story I just told all of you and asked if he'd be up for doing a FORGOTTEN HITS interview. One month to the day after we had seen him perform in Bensenville, he emailed me back stating that he'd be happy to do it if the whole interview could be conducted via emails. We agreed to some back-and-forths and the results of these efforts will fill your mailboxes over the next few days.

Once I knew for certain that we would be doing an interview, I asked the list if they had any questions that THEY would like us to ask PETER NOONE ... and the ONLY response we received ... although not quite a question for PETER... was this one:

Yeah, I've got a question ..... when can I meet him? Thanks to the ipod, my kids have discovered a ton of old music that I have on there. Herman's Hermits plays a huge part of that. (Also, thanks to Tivo, they discovered the Monkees. I swear I didn't force them into it. Lucky for me, none of them have picked Micky as their favorite, so he's still all mine). What does it take to meet a Peter Noone at a Peter Noone / Herman's Hermits performance? Last time we saw him in Chicago with Bobby Sherman and Micky Dolenz (with both Frannie and Kent), we couldn't climb over the Bobby-heads to get to Peter. What a great show he put on ... absolutely blew the other two out of the water. (And you know how I feel about Micky, so ....) Kristy

I should point out at this point that our heroes are NOT always what we expect and hope them to be ... I found this out first-hand during the course of the next three months that I spent interviewing PETER NOONE. I often had to ask some of the same questions as many as four or five times to get an answer ... and I regularly got responses back like:

Please resend the questions I didn't answer ... I lost 'em

or

Please send the rest later ... I got bored

or

Can you resend the questions that I didn't answer? I had no idea it was going to be a book!

But I persevered ... determined to get the most complete interview I could. NOONE was RARELY witty and charming (as I had expected he would be) ... and, most of the time came off as a very bitter and angry young man ... particularly when it came to the subject of ALLEN KLEIN... which he brought up at EVERY opportunity (whether it was related to the question I asked or not!!!) Although he continued to bring ALLEN KLEIN into virtually every conversation, when I asked SPECIFIC questions about KLEIN, he ignored or refused to answer them ... even when I offered him the opportunity to set the story straight by way of a documented ALLEN KLEIN-bashing segment! Several times during the interview he told me how the press had ALWAYS gotten the HERMAN'S HERMITS story wrong ... that everything we THOUGHT we knew about them had been made up by the ignorant, publicity-hungry press in an effort to sell their papers and publications. Each time he did so, I offered the FORGOTTEN HITS forum as the means to finally set the story straight ... thinking that maybe a truly in-depth, soul-baring article might be something I could get published somewhere else to reach a far-greater audience than this simple newsletter could ever reach, thus getting the REAL HERMAN'S HERMITS story out there for the public to see and setting the story straight once and for all ... vindication in a way, since this was obviously something that PETER NOONE felt needed to be righted. Instead, I got short, abbreviated, disinterested answers to any hard-hitting questions. It was pretty much three months of pure frustration ... certainly the most difficult interview I've ever done ... and I must admit that several times over the past year I have thought about just abandoning the project all together rather than run some of the answers that I was given. (As it is, look how late this piece is finally going out ... exactly ONE YEAR has passed since our first interviews took place!!!)

But the more I thought about it, the more I figured that I WOULD run the story. Besides, it presented the PERFECT tie-in to my B-SIDES Series... I absolutely LOVE many of the HERMAN'S HERMITS flips that never got played on the radio ... and, if nothing else, it would present a totally rare and honest portrait of the artist ... who just MAY not be quite as lovable as you once thought. (In all fairness, the more I pressed, the more detailed answers I got to my questions ... some points were still ignored or skipped over ... but eventually PETER opened up and went into greater depth and detail with some of his answers. Re-reading everything now in the editing stage, I have to say that this is, in fact, a pretty darn good interview!)

So sit back and enjoy ... the PETER NOONE interview is next in FORGOTTEN HITS... along with some GREAT HERMAN'S HERMITS B-SIDES... including today's track, Walkin' With My Angel, a cover of an old Bobby Vee tune ... which has ALSO been nominated as one of your ALL TIME FAVORITE UNDISCOVERED B-SIDES. (This truly becomes the PERFECT tie-in, as we've been trying to interview BOBBY VEE for the past couple of years, too!!!) BOBBY's version backed up his #2, 1961 smash RUN TO HIM and charted on its own at #53 in Billboard Magazine. (It stopped at #89 in Cash Box ... and made our TOP 200 COUNTDOWN OF THE ALL-TIME BIGGEST TWO-SIDED HITS, coming in at #147! Unfortunately, that makes the BOBBY VEE version of WALKIN' WITH MY ANGEL ineligible for our FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES Series.) The HERMAN'S HERMITS version can be found on the flip-side of SILHOUETTES, a #5 smash (and a Chicagoland #1 Record) in 1965 ... and their version IS eligible for your votes.


BTW I asked PETER NOONE about my earlier comment that it seemed to me that he could be as "recognizable" as he chose to be ... and was a LITTLE bit surprised by his answer:

FORGOTTEN HITS Do you feel sometimes like you "step into the character of HERMAN"? I know that when we shared a flight to California you seemed to be able to "control" your situation ... you could be somewhat "anonymous" if you wanted to be ... or, "go into character," depending on your mood. Are you enjoying a more "normal" lifestyle now that you're able to step back from the spotlight as the mood strikes you?
PETER NOONE: Peter Noone is Herman is Peter Noone. I have mood swings and sometimes I am nice and then again I can say "____ off" if I want. ____ off! JOLLY WHAT?!?!? Did PETER NOONE just tell me to "____ Off" ?!?!?! For Real????? (I TOLD you this was going to be an interesting interview!!!! Besides, how many people do YOU know that have PERSONALLY been told to "____ Off" by PETER NOONE Stick around ... there's a WHOLE lot more to come!!!

The Peter Noone Interview with Forgotten Hits

With permission from Kent Kotal/ Forgotten Hits/the60sShop here is part one of the interview with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits. To subscribe to FORGOTTEN HITS, which is a great newsletter if you are like me and into music of the 60's, you can e-mail them at The60sShop@aol.com . Here is part one of the series. First a little background ...I've been doing FORGOTTEN HITS, an online music newsletter, for the past seven years. We started as a publication that featured songs and artists who, despite being HUGE hits at the time of their original release, just don't seem to get the airplay and recognition that deserve today due to the extremely tight playlists being dictated by the conglomerates who control oldies radio today. For whatever reason, THEY seem to feel that the public is better served by hearing the same 50-60 songs over and over and over and over again instead. Over the years, we've expanded our base to feature special themes and artists and, from time to time, even exclusive interviews with some of these artists who created this great music in the first place. Most recently, we had the opportunity to interview PETER NOONE the driving force behind HERMAN'S HERMITS. In fact, the interview caused such a buzz that we are sending it out again to a whole new list of readers who heard about our series through word of mouth. We used this interview to bridge two OTHER series that are currently in the works. First up, we tabulated (using national chart information) THE TOP 200 BIGGEST TWO-SIDED HITS OF ALL-TIME. Our NEXT series (kicking off on Monday, October 9th), is our readers' list of their FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES. Because some of MY all-time favorite B-SIDES come from HERMANS HERMITS it is THIS material that we chose to spotlight during our PETER NOONE series. All of that being said, if you like what you see here, drop us a note and we'll add you to our regular FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List. Your comments and memories are ALWAYS welcome. And, we hope that you will also vote for YOUR FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES as well ... to date, we've already received over 13,500 votes ... and the first chapter hasn't even gone out yet!!!! When I began putting together my PERSONAL list of FAVORITE B-SIDES, I found myself listing more titles for HERMAN'S HERMITS than for any other artist. Amazingly, HERMAN'S HERMITS only had one charted B-SIDE here in America... and that was NO MILK TODAY, the flipside of THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH. (It was disqualified from this competition because it made our TOP 200 TWO-SIDED HITS OF ALL-TIME LIST ... coming in at #99 ... eventually making The Top 40 on its own, peaking at #33 on the Cash Box Chart.)

I found many of their OTHER B-SIDES to be extremely strong recordings, however ... in fact, I like SOME of these undiscovered flip-sides better than some of their chart making hits! (I truly believe that HERMAN'S HERMITS were denied additional chart rankings simply because some of these B-SIDES were never considered for radio airplay!)

Since I had been interviewing PETER NOONE anyway for an up-coming FORGOTTEN HITS feature, I figured that this might make the PERFECT way to kick off our new FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES SERIES ... the perfect LINK, if you will, between THE TOP 200 BIGGEST TWO-SIDED HITS OF ALL-TIME and your own B-SIDE FAVORITES!

Over the next several days, we'll explore some of my favorite HERMAN'S HERMITS B-SIDES ... and visit with group leader PETER NOONE. In the meantime, here's the one B-SIDE that made it to the charts.

NO MILK TODAY was released as a single in its own right back home in Jolly Ol' England back in October of 1966 ... four months before THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH hit the British Chart. It rose to #7 in the U.K. and, in PETER NOONE's own words, is one of his favorite HERMITS recordings: "No Milk Today is the PERFECT HERMITS record." (Ironically, in concert, NOONE most-often cites their version of THE END OF THE WORLD as his favorite ... and he really DOES like their recording of this tune ... but he confided to me that, next to I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD for its pure pop genius, NO MILK TODAY is his absolute FAVORITE HERMAN'S HERMITS recording.)

***

We also uncovered this little bit of HERMAN'S HERMITS / NO MILK TODAY trivia during our talks:

FORGOTTEN HITS: The only "charted" HERMAN'S HERMITS' B-SIDE here in America was NO MILK TODAY, which was a BIG hit in its own right in Great Britain ... it's also one of my favorites (and I love the bit about your Mum in the tub from your stage show!) Would you have preferred that this was released as a single on its own here in the States?
PETER NOONE: No Milk Today was Herman's Hermits' best single and was put together by John Paul Jones, Mickie Most and me with Keith and Karl doing the back grounds. It was our biggest selling record worldwide and was a B-side in the US because some boy band covered "There's A Kind Of Hush" and put it out in Ohio so we were afraid the radio wouldn't play "There's A Kind Of Hush" by us and we threw away No Milk in the US.

***

A LITTLE BIT of '60's SHOP PERSONAL TRIVIA: One of my VERY favorite songs and recordings from the early '60's is the SKEETER DAVIS #1 Chicagoland Hit, THE END OF THE WORLD. (We featured this one in our CHICAGOLAND #1 SERIES, along with an in-depth profile of SKEETER DAVIS, a while back in FORGOTTEN HITS.) To my ears, it's just one of those PERFECT recordings, where EVERYTHING comes together and projects just the right amount of heart-felt emotion and drama. I used to date a girl named MARY on-and-off in High School and one night, as we were driving home from some high school event ... probably a basketball game or something ... the SKEETER DAVIS tune came on the radio. Naturally, I cranked it up and told her how much I loved this song. Her response was this blank, dumb-founded stare and then, "Who IS this?!?!? WHO is singing THIS song?!?!!! This is a HERMAN'S HERMITS song!!!" When I told her that this was the original, hit version ... that HERMAN'S HERMITS had only "covered" the tune a couple of years later ... she couldn't believe it ... the HERMITS' version was the ONLY one she had ever heard ... and she felt that WHOEVER this other singer was, was, in fact, absolutely RUINING a perfectly good song!!!

I've learned over the years ... and this seems to be true of ALL music people ... that we tend to love and embrace the version that we heard first ... regardless of whether or not that "first-heard" version was the original or the remake. It's that "first heard" version that dictates to our minds exactly HOW any particular song is SUPPOSED to sound. Therefore, when she played me the HERMAN'S HERMITS version of THE END OF THE WORLD ... which, until that day, I had never heard ... I HATED it!!! (Naturally, this relationship was now pretty much DOOMED from ever moving forward!!! LOL)

Anyway, HERMAN'S HERMITS released THEIR version of THE END OF THE WORLD as the B-SIDE to their chart-topping hit, I'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM back in 1965 ... and it seems to remain both a fan favorite as well as a PETER NOONE favorite. (I've come to appreciate it more over the years as well.) In fact, as we go to press this morning, the HERMAN'S HERMITS' version of THE END OF THE WORLD already has 111 of your votes as a FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDE!!! So, good sport that I am, we'll feature the HERMAN'S HERMITS' FAR inferior version of this '60's classic here today, too. (lol)

DIDJAKNOW?: Despite being one of their biggest U.S. hits ever, I'M HENRY THE VIII, I AM was NEVER released as a single back in England!!!

Thanks for stoping by. Y'all come back now. Ya hear?

Well I just saw that this blog has gotten over 10,000 visits since it has started. I think this is a reason to celebrate. But lets wait and hold the virtual party till 22nd. That is this Sunday when it will be a double celebration when it will be my one year as a blogger. So thanks for stoping by and y'all come back real soon now.

Rest In Peace Freddy Fender

I just wanted to say something about Freddy Fender who the music world lost a couple of days ago. I told before on this blog how I heard much of my first country music from a juke box that blared away at the fishing lake that was across the street from the house where I grew up. I heard many of the country artists of the day from that very loud juke box. One of those I heard was Freddy Fender. He was a huge hit in the early 70’s with songs like “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” “Vaya Con Dios” and his biggest hit “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” His real name was Baldermar Huerta and he was born on June 4, 1937. His early years were spent traveling with his family in the southwest as a migrant farmworker. He started singing and playing the guitar when he was 10 and imitated the country stars that he heard on the radio. In his teen years he played local dances and when in the Marines he played at the USO. When he got out of the service he formed a band and played the local clubs and bars. Music was the main constant in his life. He could have decided to give up on music after having some fights at the clubs resulted in a broken nose, a knife wound in the neck and a five year jail term when police found marijuana seeds at his house. He only served 3 years of his term but it nearly set him on another path. He went to college to study sociology so he could work with ex-cons and juveniles. He said he figured that since he had been to prison that “…nobody was in a better position than me to do it. And I was working days as a mechanic.” However, all that changed in 1971 when he cut some songs for the Crazy Cajun and the Starflite labels. It was on Crazy Cajun that he recorded “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” and it did so well locally that it caught the attention of Dot Records. They picked it up for national release. Dot was owned by ABC and on the ABC/Dot label the song went to #1 on the Billboard charts on May 31,1975. He followed up with “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” that went to #8. “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” was also previously recorded on a smaller label by Freddy in the 1950’s. 1975 was a very good year for Mr. Fender. He was a major guest star on many TV shows like the Tonight Show and other variety shows. He had many country and pop hits. Sadly we must say to him the title to one of his songs as he departs this world. “Vaya Con Dios” Freddy Fender.

God is a refuge for the oppressed

Facing the furnace

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.

Daniel 3:17 NLT

"

A candle in the darkness

"In 1989, Lazlo Tokes was the pastor of a fast-growing reformed church in the city of Timisoara, Romania. His powerful preaching had caught the attention of communist officials, and they began a strategy of suppression. Just before Christmas, they decided to send him into exile.

But when the police arrived to hustle Pastor Tokes away, they were stopped cold. Around the church stood a wall of humanity. Christians from around the city—Baptist, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic—had joined together to protest.

All through the day they held their post. As it grew dark, a Baptist student named Daniel Gavra pulled out a packet of candles, lit one, and passed it on to his neighbor.

Then he lit another. One by one the burning candles were passed out among the crowd. Soon the darkness of the December night was pierced by the light of hundreds of candles. When Pastor Tokes looked out his window, he saw a sea of faces lit up by a warm glow.

Two days later, police finally broke through the crowd and dragged Pastor Tokes away. But that was not the end. People streamed to the city square. Hundreds were shot, Young Daniel's leg was blown off. Yet the brave example set in Timisoara inspired the rest of the nation. Within days, the entire population of Romania had risen up and the bloody dictator Ceausescu was gone.

need help with blogger beta

Does anyone out there know how to post pictures with blogger beta? I have tried going to their pages they said would have help but they are not any help. I use netscape 7.2 and picassa to post my photos and blogs. ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECIATED.

Marvel's Dracula, Peter Noone and Blogger Beta Photo Problems

I want to share some comic book and Halloween info. Also, wanted to remind you that in a few weeks we will have an interview with Peter Noone on this site thanks to the folks at Forgotten Hits. I have been having problems ever since I switched this blog to blogger beta. Hopefully it will be resolved by the time that everyone on blogspot has to change to that format. And now here's Drac!

In the early 1970’s Martin Goodman stepped down as publisher of Marvel Comics. Stan Lee took over as publisher and now had to stop being editor in chief. A series of new editor in chiefs took his place throughout the decade. The comics code had been revised and Marvel saw all this change as a chance to add diversity to their line. One way they did that was to add some new horror titles to their line. Marvel got the rights to Dracula and created Tomb of Dracula to their color line of comics and later the black and white title Dracula Lives. Tomb of Dracula is the one that is best remembered. Especially when it was written by Marv Wolfman (Does anyone think it is odd that a guy named Wolfman wrote Dracula and not Werewolf by Night?) with art by Gene Colon. Dracula was usually the villain of the story but at times he joined forces with his enemies like Blade or Dr. Van Helsing to fight a common enemy. Dracula was so popular that he was used in many other Marvel comics like the previously mentioned Werewolf by Night or in the mags of regular Marvel heroes like Spider-Man. From what I saw he was as regular a guest villain in the Marvel Universe in the 70’s as much as Dr. Doom or the Red Skull.

Tomb or Dracula was published from 1972 to 1979. Marvel tried to revive him in some mini-series throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Even when they got the A team of Wolfman and Colon to do one it didn’t attract much attention. Sales for Dracula have been very well in the comic book field since 1979 but he is always a formidable foe for anyone when he is used in a story. I am sure that he will …rise again.

The 70's A Decade of Change: The Conclusion

I have recently transferred this blog to blogger beta and I am having trouble posting with photos added. So this conclusion will have to occur without a photo. Just an FYI.

During the 70’s the women’s rights movement grew stronger. If you had any doubts all you had to do was turn on the radio and listen. If you did you could hear Gloria Gaynor sing “I Will Survive” or Helen Reddy sing their anthem "I Am Woman.”

Artist from the R & B charts crossed over to the pop charts in greater numbers. Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack had huge hits with songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” One of the big groups from the r & B charts was Earth, Wind and Fire. Their biggest hit was “Shining Star.” Their music was full of melodious harmonies and had a stress on brotherhood in their lyrics.

The biggest celebration of the 1970’s in the USA was the Bicentennial. It was celebrated in a big way in New York City. 31 countries had ships sail past the Statue of Liberty. All forms of music were presented during the celebration. Patriotic high school marching bands went by in parade fashion and concerts ranging from rock and roll to symphony orchestras to surf songs and country and folk were heard. A wide variety to choose from in a country that gave so much music to the world. Many families that could not be at the big party celebrated in the comfort and freedom of their own backyard.

As the decade drew to a close the digital age was beginning. A computer that two boys built in their own backyard in the early part of the decade was starting to blossom into Apple Computers. New Age music was just starting out and everyone in the country would soon be focused on fitness and nutrition.

On the political scene President Carter got the leaders of Egypt and Israel to sign a peace treaty. This would have been the hallmark of his term in office. However, it would soon be overshadowed. Just as the 70’s began in a political crisis with Watergate it would end in another political crisis when American’s were taken hostage in Iran. President Carter was not able to get them released in the manner and time he had hoped. While it took a lengthy time they did eventually get to come home but the situation took down a President. Mr. Carter was not reelected for a second term.

This is the conclusion of my 5 part series on the 70’s. I hope you enjoyed it.

This Day In Music History: Neil Sedaka and Bad Blood

1975 was a very good year to Neil Sedaka. After having been a superstar of the 50’s and early 60’s he was on a comeback from an 11 year dry spell. Now he was hot. He had written 3 of the #1 songs in the first 10 months of that year. They were “Laughter In The Rain”, “Love Will Keep Us Together” and on this day in music history, October 11, 1975, he had the #1 song in the country again with ”Bad Blood.” He had been signed to Rocket Records that was owned by Elton John. He was a guest on many network TV shows and was appearing in Las Vegas. He was the opening act for the Carpenters at the Rivera. His act was better received then the Carpenters. Really in hindsight that should not come as a surprise. Karen and Richard Carpenter had been doing this for only a few years. Sedaka had been doing it for about 20 years. One night he introduced two people who were seated in the audience. They were Dick Clark and Tom Jones. The next day Sedaka was asked to leave the show. He did but he also signed with the Rivera to come back later as a headliner.
After “Laughter In The Rain” was a hit he released two more songs. “The Immigrant” which he wrote about John Lennon and “That’s Where The Music Takes Me.” The RKO chain added one of his songs to their playlist. However, it was not any of the songs listed above. It was an album track called “Bad Blood.” One possible reason is that Elton John also owned RKO and he was singing background on the song. When Neil was about to record the song he thought it would sound better as a duet. He asked Elton to record it with him. He did agree to sing the backing vocal but was not credited on the song. When the song was a hit on the RKO playlist Rocket Records rushed it into release as a single in America. The album it was on in England was called Overnight Success. When the album was released in the States for some reason they changed the title to The Hungry Years. As far as singles go his follow up to “Bad Blood” was a new ballad version of “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.” The new ballad version went to #8 and it is the only single that was #1 and re-recorded later by the same artist to make the top 10 a second time. I remember seeing Sedaka on a talk show. He said he wished that he had written more songs like that so he could get more hits out of them.
In the 1980’s Neil had two hits with his daughter Dara. They were “Should’ve Never Let You Go” on Electra Records and in 1983 on MCA/Curb Records they had a hit with “Your Precious Love.” These hits made Neil Sedaka one of very few singers who had a career that spanned 4 decades.

Frankenstein by Dell Comics

I just came across this in the 25 cent bin, yes they still have those when they want to clear out the back storage room, at my local comic book store. Since it is close to Halloween I thought I would show this to you. Dell tried around 1967 to market the names of the Universal Studios monsters as superheroes. The only two I remember are Dracula and Frankenstein. I don't remember much about Dracula but this book reminded me about Frankie. It was really doing the story of Batman from the TV series. Millionare Frank N. Stone was a playboy by day and fought crime by night as Frankenstein. His identity is only known to his Butler, William. He was always trying to keep his girlfriend Miss Ann Thorpe (Miss Ann Thorpe? Who came up with these names?) from finding out he was a superhero. In the story in this book Frankenstein is lured to a stadium full of the citizens of the good city to receive a medal. However, it is really a trap for our hero from the villain Mr. Freek. Frankie, William and Ann are capture by Mr. Freek and his giant tarantula. The editor tells us that the bite of the tarantula that it causes tarantism. An uncontrolable desire to dance. Mr. Freek takes them all to an island to face their deaths at the hands of his giant animals. Frankenstein saves them all and they sail home to face another adventure in this book.
If you find this book at your local comic book store you should buy it as it is an enjoyable lighthearted read. Hey its October and you're reading Frankenstein. How can you go wrong?

The 70's A Decade of Change Part 4

In the 70’s Broadway had a surge in mass appeal. Beginning in the late 60’s Jesus Rock, which later became known as Contemporary Christian Music, was born when people from the hippie generation became Christians and turned on to Christ. They expressed their love through their music. Usually TV or the movie industry is quick to try and get the attention of any new demographic but this time it was Broadway that took the lead with plays like Godspell or Jesus Christ Superstar. The soundtrack albums became hits and had hit songs such as “Day By Day” or “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” For Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim the 70’s was a golden era. One of his most popular tunes was “Send In The Clowns” from the play A Little Night Music. According to my research this song was licensed for more music boxes then any other song in history.
Another Broadway composer that the 70’s was kind to was Marvin Hamlisch. His songs have been recorded for plays, movies, TV shows and been hits for many popular singers of the day. His biggest smash was the play A Chorus Line. The story line was just telling the individual story of people trying our for the chorus line of a play. It told the stories of how they got to this point in their lives and their hopes and dreams of wanting to hit the big time. The most popular songs from the show were “What I Did For Love” and the showstopper “One” You know the first line. It starts out…One! Singular sensation. Every little step she takes.
Broadway has never been shy about building a play around comic characters. One of the biggest plays of the 70’s was Annie, based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie. It ran for years and was one of the best plays to be adapted to film a few years later. To this day everyone knows the big song from the play and they still sing the song. It is “Tomorrow”
This will continue at a later date. Perhaps…Tomorrow! 

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart Micky's Side of the Story.

The post careers of the Monkees have always fascinated me. Especially how two of them were founding members of another group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. As fans of music know it isn’t uncommon when a group breaks up for some of those member to start or join another band. Just like Paul McCartney did with Wings when the Beatles broke up of Stephen Stills did with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young when Buffalo Springfield disbanded. The Monkees earlier defied the norm when they were only the cast of a TV series but eventually became a group. When they disbanded few people were surprised when Nesmith started the First National Band or Tork formed the New Monks and later Shoe Suede Blues as they were musicians first. However, it took a few by surprise when the two actors got together to form D,J,B & H. In their autobiographies they both give pretty much the same story as to why they joined the group. They were going through a rough period in their life and had to do something to get their mind off of the bad things that were happening to them. Micky said that he was going through a divorce and was drinking, smoking and taking drugs. He even had thoughts of committing suicide. The invitation from Tommy Boyce to join him and Bobby Hart came just at the right time. Had it not been for that invitation from Boyce, Dolenz might not be here today. Micky himself said that thanks to the drugs and booze that the year 1975 is almost completely gone from his memory. A whole year of his life is missing. He has since said that he is one of the lucky survivors of drugs and that it was all a waste of time. His last time of doing LSD was with John Lennon, Harry Nielson and Brian Wilson. Here they were four musical giants of our generation together in one house. Were they discussing a new musical concept that would take the world by storm? No! Dolnez said Nielson was off in his own world. Wilson was at the piano playing one note over and over and Lennon stood at the pool and stared at the water for four hours. Meanwhile Micky was watching his hand turn into a snake. I think that would be enough to get anyone off drugs. So while the Monkees seemed like they were always happy and upbeat, there was a dark side that we children of the 60’s and 70’s never knew about.

The 70's A Decade of Change Part 3

We ended our last part of this series on the 70’s talking about the piano men of music. One of those that was popular in the 70’s had been popular since the 60’s. Neil Sedaka was perhaps one of the best piano players in the business. He had hits on his own as well as wrote hits for others. His popularity dipped for awhile and he found more success when he went to England. He did so well on the charts that soon America rediscovered him when Elton John signed him to his Rocket Records and released the song “Laughter In The Rain” in the USA. It was a #1 hit for Sedaka and revived his career in his own country. During the 70’s he had his songs recorded by other artist and in 1975 had a hit with “Love Will Keep Us Together” by the Captain and Tennille who we discussed previously on this blog.
The 70’s was also the rise of the singer/songwriter. While Neil Diamond got his start as a songwriter in the 60’s his real rise to fame came during the 70’s. He entered the charts as a performer in 1970 with “Cracklin’ Rosie.” Later he had another hit called “Song Sung Blue” This song was introduced to me and my elementary school classmates from our music teacher. With those blue color inked mimeographed sheets in my hand I sang this beautiful simple tune. I liked the song but we were always taught much older songs. So I thought that this was from the 1920’s or 1930’s. It was a few years later I found it was a recent tune. Diamond capped off his career in the 70’s with the duet he did with his former classmate Barbara Streisand when they sang “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” There is an interesting story of how that duet came to be but I want to save that for a later date. The ever talented Mr. Diamond continues his popularity in music to this day adding new fans of young and old.
If the drug culture and hippie era from the 60’s had a poster child it would have to be Janis Joplin. While she tragically died young her legacy lives on whenever you hear the song “Me and Bobby McGee.” The song was written by country music star Kris Kristofferson. The popularity of that song boosted his career and he found work as a singer and actor. While I love his songwriting I can’t for the life of me figure out his popularity as a singer or actor. My own personal opinion is that he can’t sing or act. But that is just my opinion.
Other country stars like Kristofferson crossed over to the pop charts with more regularity then before in the 1970’s. The pop music of the day mostly had us dancing but the Nashville stars with their songs added some depth to theirs. They were like stories set to music. A musical novel if you will. It all came to a point for me in 1978 when Anne Murray had a hit with one of my favorite songs. It was “You Needed Me” by Randy Goodrum. Mr. Goodrum said that he had a hard time finding a publisher for the song. Everyone who heard it wanted to know where the hook was. It had no real chorus that was catchy. The real hook to the song was the plot of the song. No matter how depressed the singer of the song was they knew they had value because there was this one person who needed them. When you hear the lyrics say “I sold my soul. You bought it back for me and held me up and gave me dignity. Somehow you needed me.” How can you not be touched by those verses? They are almost spiritual.
Later, in the 80’s when other country artist like Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbit, Dolly Parton etc., crossed over to the pop and adult contemporary charts they had become just as pop as the Bee Gees or the Captain and Tennille. Don’t get me wrong I liked them but it seemed a stretch to call them country artist at that time.
This series will continue at a later date as I have run out of time for this posting. 

This Day In Music History: The Four Aces and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing

This day in music history, October 8th 1955, The Four Aces had the #1 song in the country with “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” It was the third #1 song in the history of the Billboard chart. It was the first song that was written for a movie that was number one on the charts in the rock and roll era. Other rock and roll songs had appeared on movie soundtracks but they were written before the movie was thought about. They were later added to cash in on the then new music craze. “We’re Gonna Rock Around The Clock” was part of the Glenn Ford film the “Blackboard Jungle” but it was written two years before the film was produced.
“Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. While the Four Aces recorded it and took the song to the top of the charts they were not the first artist approached to do the song. Movie producer Buddy Allen asked Fain and Webster to write a song called “A Many Splendored Thing” for his new film. They showed the song to the producer. He loved it and said it should be a hit. However, they changed the name of the film to Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. They quickly wrote a new song. They showed it to Allen and he sent them to see Al Newman who was scoring the film. Newman liked it and gave the song a spot in the film. Sammy Fain took a demo of the song to some well known singers like Nat “King” Cole, Doris Day and Eddie Fisher. They all turned it down. Finally, they asked the Four Aces. The group was on the verge of breaking up at the time.
The Four Aces were from Chester, Pennsylvania. Its members were Al Alberts, Dave Mahoney, Sol Vaccaro and Lou Silvestri. Before the rock and roll era they had 16 hits. When Alberts left for a solo career the group faded from the music scene.
When their recording of the song went to #1 the other artist who had turned it down before eventually covered the tune themselves.
It was #1 on this day in 1955 for one week. Later it returned to the position on October 22, 1955 for a total of 2 weeks as the top song in the country. In the 70’s it was used in another film. The movie was Grease with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

New Forgotten Hits Interview Coming Soon!

Thanks to the good folks at Forgotten Hits On My Mind will in a few weeks be carrying an interview that they recently did with a major hit maker from the 60’s. They just have to put the finishing touches on it. Who is it that they are interviewing? Well let’s just say that with his busy schedule he has not been living like a Hermit. For those of you who have not yet subscribed to their newsletter, and that list is getting rather short as popular as it is with hit makers like this gent and Ron Dante on their list, you can subscribe if you e-mail them at this address The60sshop@aol.com. I have to go now as I have to meet someone this afterNoone. 

The 70's A Decade of Change Part 2

In the 70’s there was sort of another British Invasion on the American airwaves when the Bee Gees, who also took part in the first British Invasion in the 60’s, became even more popular. The British born Aussies at first did ballads that were flowing with full rich harmonies and had lush orchestrations and had deeply emotional lyrics. In the middle of the 70’s they switched to a brand of soul with a disco beat. It got them four platinum records in a row and numerous #1 records on the Billboard charts. It began to look like you couldn’t have a hit record unless the Bee Gees were somehow involved. Other artist had #1 hits with songs that the Bee Gees had written and/or produced. Bee Gee in training, at that time, was there little brother Andy Gibb who had three hits with his brothers helping him behind the scenes. They wrote the only #1 hit that Yvonne Elliman had with “If I Can’t Have You" and gave Frankie Valli and Barbara Streisand, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton more hits to add to their list. The Bee Gees were the Beatles of the 70’s. The Bee Gees got us doing what we had almost forgot about by the end of the 60’s when music was being used as social commentary. They got us dancing again. Another British born Aussie who was discussed on this blog earlier this week, Olivia Newton-John, was part of the new invasion when she burned up the country and pop charts.
Another segment of the music scene was the rise of the piano man. British born Elton John led the way with Billy Joel and Barry Manilow following not too far behind. All three played middle of the road music that covered all ages but John and Joel were accepted into the rock and roll family while Manilow, for some reason was not. He appealed to the more adult contemporary market.
The 70’s also saw the Beatles grow as separate artist. Lennon and McCartney wrote songs like “Imagine” and “My Love” that are now standards. Harrison had the first #1 song as a solo artist with “My Sweet Lord” and also was sued as his the tune sounded a lot like another hit called “He’s So Fine.” While Beatle fans were worried about Ringo as he wrote and sang the least in the group. They should not have worried as he had just as many hit singles and albums as the others in the 70’s.
I have run out of time for this posting but it will continue with part 3 at a later date. 

The 70's A Decade of Change Part 1

The 1960’s are usually the decade you think of when you think of a decade of change. However, there were a lot of changes in the 1970’s. Pop and Rock had been considered one form of music in the 60’s but in the 70’s they were starting to take different directions. Pop was becoming mellower and would be called bubblegum music by some. Rock was headed down a harder and darker path that would lead others to call it acid rock or album rock and later heavy metal. As you can tell most of the music listening public had become more open to musical experimentation. In the 70’s science fiction was starting to become science fact as man had just walked on the moon. While NASA was revolutionizing the known world the computer industry was doing the same to the recording industry by replacing transistors with integrated circuits when they combined different transistors onto a single chip. With this advance the recording industry went from 2 tracks to 32 tracks. It was able to put millions of cassette tapes in the hands of teenagers by the end of the decade. Synthesizers went from being huge monsters having a laborious process just to get it started to becoming smaller and having a nearly limitless variety of sounds. With this new advance in technology heavy metal almost became the norm in music for the 70’s but it also allowed for another form of music to rise to the front. That was Disco. With the turbulent 60’s behind us and a just as difficult decade ever present the country was tired but ready to party! Thanks to the new technology Disco and Rock had great electronic keyboards, lasers and, with disco music, a heavy intense precise rhythm.
In many ways the 70’s began with endings. The Beatles began to come apart when Paul McCartney announced in April of 1970 that he was leaving the group. It was perhaps the end of one of the most productive periods of pop/rock music history. Simon and Garfunkel, one of the most successful duos of folk rock music, broke up. For Monkees fans 1970 was sad when Mike Nesmith left and the group was down to a duo for its last album and that album, Changes, was only done because the Monkees were under contract for one more album. Rock legends Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose. Many would say the end of Rock music as my generation knew it came in 1976 when the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, also died of a drug overdose that year.
The 1970s was also the end of another form of music. That was the protest song. The 1970’s reached it’s height with mass protest and sit ins at colleges and high schools (My high school Lloyd Memorial had a sit in but I was not a student there at the time.) when 4 students were killed at a protest at Kent State University. Reality was starting to set in for students who graduated in the 60’s and some were actually joining the military or they were being drafted. In 1973, partly thanks to those protests, a cease-fire was signed and the Vietnam War came to an end.
Just like our current decade the 1970’s dealt with problems in the oil industry. There was an oil embargo in the Middle East and the cost of petroleum quadrupled and since it was an ingredient in the production of vinyl the cost of buying a record went up. The recording industry made cutbacks. They cutback on the perqs for their stars and slashed their roster of artist. They slowed their development of new talent and tried to get as much as they could out of their current artist. In the 1960’s you would have two types of recording artist. One type would be the super groups like the Beatles who could sell albums and singles. Another would be one like Gary Lewis and the Playboys who could have hit singles but their albums didn’t sell as well as the super groups. With cuts being made more concentration was given to super groups who could sell albums. You got more bang for your buck with them.
Later in the 70’s there was a sort of second wave of the British Invasion but we will discuss that later as I have run out of time for this posting. 

This Day In Music History: Olivia Newton-John and I Honestly Love You

On October 5, 1974 the #1 song was I Honestly Love you by Olivia Newton –John. The song was to be on an album that Peter Allen was about to record. The song was written by Mr. Allen and his producer Jeff Barry. Jeff Barry had written and produced songs for groups like the Dixie Cups, The Monkees, Manfred Mann and the Archies. Mr. Barry said that he thought this tender love song would sound better if recorded by a man. Someone at the publishing office liked it and took it to Olivia. She loved it she said “I was terrified that I would find out had already been done.” Since it hadn’t Barry said they decided to let her record it instead of Peter.
Olivia was born on September 26, 1948 in Cambridge, England. Her father was the Dean of Ormond College in Melbourne Australia. Her grandfather was also an academic and the best friend of Albert Einstein. She had a normal life until she was 11 years old. That was when her parents divorced and she and her Mom moved into an apartment. Her Mother gave Olivia her first guitar when she was 13. She sang in coffeehouses on weekends. Later she joined an all girls jazz group called Sol Four. Later, she won a Haley Mills lookalike contest. The prize was a trip to England. Her Mother said it was ok as it would broaden her horizon. She went with her friend Pat Carroll. When her Pat’s visa was up Pat went home. Olivia decided to stay. She got a part on Cliff Richard’s television series. She recorded the Bob Dylan song “If Not For You” and charted in America at number 25. Don Kirshner met her and got her to join a group called Toomorrow for a film and recording concept that he had in mind. The concept flopped. However, her new song, “Let Me Be There”, was a huge hit at #6 in America. It won her a Grammy as the Best Female Country Vocal. When she received the award she said “It’s probably the first time and English person won an award over Nashville people.” 

No Milk Today Video by Herman's Hermits...Very Funny

T hose good folks at Forgotten Hits The60sShop@aol.com recently sent an e-mail that linked to this site with a funny video about the song No Milk Today. It is a song that was recorded by Herman's Hermits. If you want the sheet music seen above you can get it if you click on the title above. 

Wondering About My Generation

Maybe it is just me but it seems like my generation, the baby boomers, have a hard time growing up. Now I know that everyone gets nostalgic from time to time. However, I don’t recall any of my parents generation getting misty eyed too much over what happened to them in the past. I know that there are old time radio fans but even most of them are boomers who either barely remember the early days of radio, as TV was taking over, or they just know it from public radio and old records of radio programs. My generation may have watched Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager and Enterprise but nothing can replace our love for the original Star Trek series with Shatner and Nimoy. Until the death of George Harrison many of my friends and I hoped that George, Paul and Ringo would join with Julian Lennon to form a new version of the Beatles. It is that refusal to grow up that made many of the reunion tours of the Monkees, The Who and the Rolling Stones so successful. I just don’t know of any generation before the boomers that romanticized its past so much. Most others usually took it in stride in my family to go into the Armed forces then when you got out you got a job, got married and raised a family. The past was mentioned but not lived in day after day.
Now you don’t have to go any farther then this website to see that I like to live in the past too. I don’t know how my generation became so infatuated with its own past but I will probably always wonder about it.