Happy Halloween!!

Can you hear it?

The Beach Boys had a hit record in 1969 called "I Can Hear Music". To me the record is historically significant because it was both produced and sung by Carl Wilson at a time when Brian Wilson had lost interest in the band and Carl was emerging as the leader of the Beach Boys.  For his first effort, Carl did well as the song climbed into the top ten in major markets around the country and peaked at #23 on the hot 100.  Nice song, classic Beach Boys, but a forgotten oldie.

Rolling Stones first...

During the height of the British Invasion in 1964, a record surfaced by a new band, the Rolling Stones. "Tell Me" was off the Stones' first album "England's Newest Hit Makers", and even though it only reached #23 on the Hot 100, it paved the way for the Stones later releases.  It's a solid song, and is worth a listen simply because it was the first from the world's greatest rock band... but now it's a forgotten oldie.

My favorite tie

Yesterday I wore my favorite tie to work for the first time.  If you know me, you know I have over a hundred ties with everything from John Wayne to The Beatles to Mickey Mouse for designs.  But I like this one best... it even looks like the drum set I play when the band gigs!

Animals!

Today we go into the rock and roll jungle for our forgotten oldie... searching for Animals!  "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" was a top twenty hit for the Animals in 1965. Written by the legendary Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the song was also a huge hit in Canada and the UK. It was also very popular with American Armed Forces in Vietnam... fittingly so.  What a great song, it deserves a better fate than to be a forgotten oldie!  watch here

Thursday - Friday - Saturday

Radiothon!!  Listen, pledge, help the kids of the Coulee Region with the Eagle and CMNH !!

Saturday night at Stoney Creek

My band "Viagara Falls" played on 10/18 for CMNH hero Alysta King's fundraiser, sponsored by the Family Dog Center.  Fun night, and a great cause!

This is so hard!!

Why don't they make the gas hole bigger?  It's hard to get the gas in there without spilling!!

I have no words for this...

Halloween costume or lifestyle issues?

Superstar

In 1971 The Carpenters went to #2 on the Hot 100 with "Superstar". The song was written by Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie, and had been recorded by several artists well before the Carpenters did it.  Richard Carpenter actually heard the song for the first time when Bette Midler performed it on the Tonight Show.  The song is about a groupie that falls in love with a famous rock star after a one-night stand... and the lyrics are pretty cliche in that respect. But it went all the way to number two, and today is largely forgotten.

Watch Superstar

Calypso!!

John Denver wrote the song "Calypso" as a tribute to diver and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and his ship The Calypso.  The song was originally the B side to the song "I'm Sorry", but Calypso received more airplay and the amazing happened... a B side went all the way to #2 on the Hot 100.  I met and got to know John Denver when Calypso was on the charts... despite my normal rock and roll preference, I'm a big John Denver fan.  This is an incredibly beautiful song and largely forgotten today.
John performing Calypso

Daily Videos...

Have you ever checked out the videos on this website>  Pretty cool stuff and it changes daily.  Today's vid is Donovan singing "Jennifer Juniper".  Check it out!

Donovan

Friday giggle...

Mother weekend is almost here... let's start it with a giggle!

Happy Birthday John!

John Lennon was born on October 9, 1940... yep, John would be 74 today.  A tumultuous childhood, a Beatle career, an up and down solo career, bed-ins for peace, a years-long battle to stay in the U.S., and a dozen other things that made John an icon in the world of rock and roll.  Gunned down by an insane fan abruptly ending an amazing comeback John's music is still meaningful and still sounds great today... as tribute to John on his birthday, listen to a forgotten oldie, his version of "Stand By Me".

listen here

Local band... almost a break out.

A listener requested the Unchained Mynds "We Can't Go On This Way". The song was a hit in the Midwest, even receiving play on WLS in Chicago... not bad for a La Crosse band. Randy Purdy, Wayne Bentzen, Clare Troyanek and Dan Hanson recorded the song in 1969 on Transaction records, it was re-released on Buddah records, made a brief appearance on Teen Town records, and then faded into rock history... except to the fans in La Crosse.  It's today's forgotten oldie.
listen here,

October 7, 1964

On this day, the Beatles recorded a three-song segment or the American TV show Shindig.
Kansas City, I'm a Loser, Boys

Clever!!

If they give awards for clever captioning, this one deserves to be number one!

Yellow River

The British band Christie scored an international hit in 1970 with the song "Yellow River". Although written about a soldier returning from the Civil War, it struck a chord during the Vietnam era, and was #1 in several countries around the world.  Requested by a faithful listener, today's forgotten oldie has been covered by many artists over the years.Watch here!

Don't Throw Your Love Away...

In 1964 the British Invasion went into high gear after the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan in February. One of the bands that hit the charts in the U.S. early was the Searchers... also from Liverpool.  They released dozens of records over the years, but in reality had very few real hits and only reached the top ten once, with Love Potion Number Nine.  "Don't Throw Your Love Away" was their second hit, reaching #16 on the Hot 100. A cover of an earlier Orlons record, the song stayed on the charts eight weeks... the question is, was it a good record or just part of the British wave?  You decide.  It's today's Forgotten Oldie".

Searchers