Birthdays:
Percy Sledge ("When A Man Loves A Woman") turns 67.
Folk/rocker Bob Lind, who went to #5 with "Elusive Butterfly" in 1966, was born in 1944.
Christian pop singer Amy Grant was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1960.
They Are Missed:
Dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (inspiration for the song "Mr. Bojangles") died in 1949.
Jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler was discovered drowned in the Hudson River in 1970. His death at age 34 soon becomes the stuff of legend, with some speculating he committed suicide, while others claim he was tied to a jukebox.
In 1974, 26 year-old Nick Drake, an English singer, songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic tunes, died from an overdose of amitriptyline, a type of anti-depressant. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he is now widely considered one of the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.
History:
Miles Davis made his first recordings as part of Charlie Parker's band in 1945.
John Lennon returned his MBE to the queen. The attached note reads, "Your Majesty, I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag."
The Band's final concert in 1976, called The Last Waltz, was given at San Francisco's Winterland. It included appearances by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Hawkins and Neil Diamond.
The Beatles' "White Album" was released in 1968.
In London in 1965, Harrod's department store stayed open for two hours so the Beatles could do their Christmas shopping.
In 1966, Jimi Hendrix was introduced to the British press when the Experience play London's Bag O'Nails club.
"Incense and Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock hit the top of the Billboard Pop chart in 1967. The recording was initially intended as a 'b-side' and the lead vocal is actually that of a friend of the band, 16 year old Greg Munford, who was just hanging around during the session. Munford was not even a regular band member, but ended up singing a tune that would become a Rock and Roll standard and sell over a million copies. Despite this success, Munford never actually joined the group and drummer Randy Seol sang the song in concert (the single didn't chart at all in the UK).
In 1968, over 10,000 fans saw Cream play their final two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. During the shows, the crowd chanted "God save the Cream."
In 1986, for the first time in Billboard chart history, the top three spots were occupied by female artists. #1 is Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", #2 is Tina Turner with "Typical Male" and #3 is Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You".
The Beatles' album simply titled "1", a collection of their UK and US chart toppers, reached number one in Great Britain in 2000. It will top the US chart a week later and will become the best selling album in a total of 28 countries worldwide.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I have posted many stories about independent record shops (mainly ones that are still open) but this story really hit home. It is up to us, the vinyl record consumers, to visit our local record shops and spend our money there. Otherwise we have the closings of historic audio meeting places. I found this online (http://www.greeleytribune.com) and thought I would share it:
Bye, bye to The Finest records
“I went down to the sacred store,
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.”
Don McLean - American Pie
It’s an unfortunate sign of the times.
The closing of The Finest records in Greeley is like the demise of the drive-in or the closing of the last soda fountain. It signals the end of an era.
Consumers, it seems, are no longer buying their music at retail stores. Most are downloading their favorite songs directly onto their computers, and either burning their own discs or putting it directly into their iPods.
The Finest owner Jim Risser bravely withstood the technology boom longer than many others. Since 2003, 3,100 music retailers have closed across the United States. Of those, 1,400 were independent retailers like The Finest.
Risser tried to change with the times. He sold vintage vinyl records for the collectors. He set up a kiosk where patrons could download music. He sold novelty items and trimmed his budget.
Still, it wasn’t enough. And so as soon as Risser can liquidate his inventory, he will close his doors at his Hillside store, 2529 11th Ave.
It will be a blue day in Greeley when The Finest shuts its doors. Risser has spent 32 years with the store, first as a customer, then as a clerk, manager and eventually store owner. He will keep his Fort Collins store open through at least August, when his lease is up for renewal. Then he’ll decide whether to keep the store or close it like its sister store in Greeley.
This has been a difficult year for many Greeley businesses large and small. K-Mart, Dillards, The Bread Board, The Red Roaster and Hallmark have joined The Finest in closing their doors.
These closings should serve as a reminder to us all, especially this holiday shopping season, that we must support our local businesses. Not only is it good for the stores, it’s good for our local economy, keeping those sales tax dollars in Greeley rather than leaving them in nearby municipalities such as Loveland and Denver.
We wish Risser, and others who have been forced to close their doors, the best of luck in their future endeavors. They will be missed.
Like drive-ins and soda fountains, a few small record stores may remain for novelty sake. But in the end, most won’t survive the iPod generation. And for that, we are nostalgic, and even a bit sad.
“Bye, bye Miss American pie ...”
Bye, bye to The Finest records
“I went down to the sacred store,
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.”
Don McLean - American Pie
It’s an unfortunate sign of the times.
The closing of The Finest records in Greeley is like the demise of the drive-in or the closing of the last soda fountain. It signals the end of an era.
Consumers, it seems, are no longer buying their music at retail stores. Most are downloading their favorite songs directly onto their computers, and either burning their own discs or putting it directly into their iPods.
The Finest owner Jim Risser bravely withstood the technology boom longer than many others. Since 2003, 3,100 music retailers have closed across the United States. Of those, 1,400 were independent retailers like The Finest.
Risser tried to change with the times. He sold vintage vinyl records for the collectors. He set up a kiosk where patrons could download music. He sold novelty items and trimmed his budget.
Still, it wasn’t enough. And so as soon as Risser can liquidate his inventory, he will close his doors at his Hillside store, 2529 11th Ave.
It will be a blue day in Greeley when The Finest shuts its doors. Risser has spent 32 years with the store, first as a customer, then as a clerk, manager and eventually store owner. He will keep his Fort Collins store open through at least August, when his lease is up for renewal. Then he’ll decide whether to keep the store or close it like its sister store in Greeley.
This has been a difficult year for many Greeley businesses large and small. K-Mart, Dillards, The Bread Board, The Red Roaster and Hallmark have joined The Finest in closing their doors.
These closings should serve as a reminder to us all, especially this holiday shopping season, that we must support our local businesses. Not only is it good for the stores, it’s good for our local economy, keeping those sales tax dollars in Greeley rather than leaving them in nearby municipalities such as Loveland and Denver.
We wish Risser, and others who have been forced to close their doors, the best of luck in their future endeavors. They will be missed.
Like drive-ins and soda fountains, a few small record stores may remain for novelty sake. But in the end, most won’t survive the iPod generation. And for that, we are nostalgic, and even a bit sad.
“Bye, bye Miss American pie ...”
Monday, November 24, 2008
Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales
Week Ending 11/22/2008
1) 45 rpm - Don Drummond "Bellvue Special" / "No More" Caribou - $3,000.00 Start: $9.99 Bids: 13
2) LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Stereo - $2,963.20 Start: $148.00 Bids: 18
3) 12" - Led Zeppelin "Road Box" - $2,296.48 Start: $74.00 Bids: 31
4) LP - Joki Freund Sextett " Yogi Jazz" CBS Germany - $2,080.55 - Start: $1,000.00 Bids: 6
5) 45 rpm - Innersouls "Just Take Your Time" / "Thoughts" Plemmons - $2.075.00 Start: $29.00 Bids: 19
A Ska 45 out of Jamacia tops the list this week. Ska originator Don Drummond's rarest 45 sells for exactly $3k. In the #2 spot, The Beatles appear again this week, and again its with an original Please Please Me LP. This one, a stereo edition, sells for over $2.9k.
And here's another recent visitor to the Top 5. A Led Zeppelin "Road Box" bids up past $2.2k.
Jazz saxophonist Joki Freund's "Yogi Jazz" LP goes to almost $2.1k for the #4 spot.
Last, a 70's funk 45 from Innersouls sells for over $2k.
As always, I want to thank Brian at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com, for this great data. Stop by Counter Clock radio and hear some forgotten oldies!
1) 45 rpm - Don Drummond "Bellvue Special" / "No More" Caribou - $3,000.00 Start: $9.99 Bids: 13
2) LP - The Beatles "Please Please Me" Parlophone UK Stereo - $2,963.20 Start: $148.00 Bids: 18
3) 12" - Led Zeppelin "Road Box" - $2,296.48 Start: $74.00 Bids: 31
4) LP - Joki Freund Sextett " Yogi Jazz" CBS Germany - $2,080.55 - Start: $1,000.00 Bids: 6
5) 45 rpm - Innersouls "Just Take Your Time" / "Thoughts" Plemmons - $2.075.00 Start: $29.00 Bids: 19
A Ska 45 out of Jamacia tops the list this week. Ska originator Don Drummond's rarest 45 sells for exactly $3k. In the #2 spot, The Beatles appear again this week, and again its with an original Please Please Me LP. This one, a stereo edition, sells for over $2.9k.
And here's another recent visitor to the Top 5. A Led Zeppelin "Road Box" bids up past $2.2k.
Jazz saxophonist Joki Freund's "Yogi Jazz" LP goes to almost $2.1k for the #4 spot.
Last, a 70's funk 45 from Innersouls sells for over $2k.
As always, I want to thank Brian at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com, for this great data. Stop by Counter Clock radio and hear some forgotten oldies!
Music News & Notes
Vatican Likes Beatles-Forgives Lennon
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano wrote in its Saturday edition that the Beatles music is better than today's "standardized, stereotypical" sounds. The comment was in reference to the 40th anniversary of the group's White Album.
They also wrote off John Lennon's comment that the group was more popular than Jesus, calling it the bragging of a young man in the middle of unusual success. Sure wait until almost 30 years after his death, it may have meant something if he was still alive. The papal jury's still mum about forgiving Yoko.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whip It!
Devo is working on their first album of new material since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old Onions
Booker T. Jones is also assembling his first solo album in twenty years with the help of the Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ye- Haw!
Ricky Skaggs went into the studio recently with the Raconteurs and Ashley Monroe to record a new version of the groups song Old Enough. It will premier on music.yahoo.com on December 2.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Order is to Go
Tito Jackson has evidently quit Taco Bell (yes, David Letterman reference) and is moving to England where he plans on starting a solo career at the age of 55. His last recording was 1989's 2300 Jackson Street.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Doubt Plans Reunion Tour, Album
So much for Gwen Stefani's crummy career as a solo artist: She's getting back together with No Doubt to record a new album.
The band made the announcement through a pseudo online chat box posted on its website this weekend. Although no details were given, No Doubt indicated it'd return to the road to fire up some inspiration before it heads into the studio to work on a new album.
No Doubt hasn't recorded an album since 2001's Rock Steady.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freebie From Bruce!
Bruce Springsteen's new single can be downloaded free of charge — for one day.
Springsteen is offering free downloads of "Working on a Dream" on iTunes and his official Web site. The track will have a fee attached on iTunes from Tuesday through December 9.
It's the first offering from Springsteen's upcoming album, also titled "Working on a Dream," which will be released January 27, five days before the rock star and the E Street Band perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unhappy Togther
The people who own the rights to the Turtles' Happy Together are suing Ford over the use of the song in commercials for the Brazil and Argentina market. They are seeking $200,000 in damages.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
60's Relived Again
Marianne Faithfull has released a new song, a very different take on the Smokey Robinson classic Ooh Baby, Baby. With the title shortened to OO Baby and help from Antony Hegerty, the single moves from subdued R&B to a rocked out ending over a long eight minutes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not Too Old To Rock & Roll
AC/DC have appeared for the first time on Billboard's Dance Music chart as "Rock N Roll Train" premiered at number 48.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Divorce for Madonna/Ritchie
Madonna and Guy Richie were granted a preliminary divorce today in a London court. Neither attended the hearing. A final divorce decree can be made in six weeks and one day.
The papers showed that Madonna had filed for the divorce, citing Ritchie's "unreasonable behavior" and that no family law need be applied as they had worked out division of assets and custody. I guess Madonna wasn't cited for "unreasonable behavior," as she has always been a saint.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annie Lennox to Release Postponed Collection
Annie Lennox will release a 14-song solo career retrospective on February 10 via Arista. The Annie Lennox Collection collects twelve older recording from over the artist's 15 year solo career along with two new tracks. The album was originally scheduled for August 6 but was postponed when, two weeks later, Lennox had spinal surgery.
Over those years, Lennox has recorded four albums (Diva, Medium, Bare and Songs of Mass Destruction) which have earned her four Grammys and, along with her work with Dave Stewart in the Eurythmics, has made her the most successful female British artist of the last fifty years with sales of 78 million albums.
"It seems like the time has come to release the Collection this year," Lennox says of her first best-of set. "I'm very proud of these songs. They are timeless and have become 'classics' in their own right."
Of the new songs, Pattern of My Life was written by Tom Chaplin of Keene and Shining Light was recorded by Ash in 2001.
Lennox will receive a special award of merit at this Sunday's American Music Awards and will perform live for the first time since her spinal surgery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Converge Writing New Album
Converge is getting ready to destroy your ears once more.
The hardcore act revealed it started writing tunes for the follow-up to No Heroes (review) (Epitaph), and hopes to place the still-untitled album into stores next year from Epitaph. No further details about the set were given.
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano wrote in its Saturday edition that the Beatles music is better than today's "standardized, stereotypical" sounds. The comment was in reference to the 40th anniversary of the group's White Album.
They also wrote off John Lennon's comment that the group was more popular than Jesus, calling it the bragging of a young man in the middle of unusual success. Sure wait until almost 30 years after his death, it may have meant something if he was still alive. The papal jury's still mum about forgiving Yoko.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whip It!
Devo is working on their first album of new material since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old Onions
Booker T. Jones is also assembling his first solo album in twenty years with the help of the Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ye- Haw!
Ricky Skaggs went into the studio recently with the Raconteurs and Ashley Monroe to record a new version of the groups song Old Enough. It will premier on music.yahoo.com on December 2.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Order is to Go
Tito Jackson has evidently quit Taco Bell (yes, David Letterman reference) and is moving to England where he plans on starting a solo career at the age of 55. His last recording was 1989's 2300 Jackson Street.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Doubt Plans Reunion Tour, Album
So much for Gwen Stefani's crummy career as a solo artist: She's getting back together with No Doubt to record a new album.
The band made the announcement through a pseudo online chat box posted on its website this weekend. Although no details were given, No Doubt indicated it'd return to the road to fire up some inspiration before it heads into the studio to work on a new album.
No Doubt hasn't recorded an album since 2001's Rock Steady.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freebie From Bruce!
Bruce Springsteen's new single can be downloaded free of charge — for one day.
Springsteen is offering free downloads of "Working on a Dream" on iTunes and his official Web site. The track will have a fee attached on iTunes from Tuesday through December 9.
It's the first offering from Springsteen's upcoming album, also titled "Working on a Dream," which will be released January 27, five days before the rock star and the E Street Band perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unhappy Togther
The people who own the rights to the Turtles' Happy Together are suing Ford over the use of the song in commercials for the Brazil and Argentina market. They are seeking $200,000 in damages.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
60's Relived Again
Marianne Faithfull has released a new song, a very different take on the Smokey Robinson classic Ooh Baby, Baby. With the title shortened to OO Baby and help from Antony Hegerty, the single moves from subdued R&B to a rocked out ending over a long eight minutes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not Too Old To Rock & Roll
AC/DC have appeared for the first time on Billboard's Dance Music chart as "Rock N Roll Train" premiered at number 48.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Divorce for Madonna/Ritchie
Madonna and Guy Richie were granted a preliminary divorce today in a London court. Neither attended the hearing. A final divorce decree can be made in six weeks and one day.
The papers showed that Madonna had filed for the divorce, citing Ritchie's "unreasonable behavior" and that no family law need be applied as they had worked out division of assets and custody. I guess Madonna wasn't cited for "unreasonable behavior," as she has always been a saint.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annie Lennox to Release Postponed Collection
Annie Lennox will release a 14-song solo career retrospective on February 10 via Arista. The Annie Lennox Collection collects twelve older recording from over the artist's 15 year solo career along with two new tracks. The album was originally scheduled for August 6 but was postponed when, two weeks later, Lennox had spinal surgery.
Over those years, Lennox has recorded four albums (Diva, Medium, Bare and Songs of Mass Destruction) which have earned her four Grammys and, along with her work with Dave Stewart in the Eurythmics, has made her the most successful female British artist of the last fifty years with sales of 78 million albums.
"It seems like the time has come to release the Collection this year," Lennox says of her first best-of set. "I'm very proud of these songs. They are timeless and have become 'classics' in their own right."
Of the new songs, Pattern of My Life was written by Tom Chaplin of Keene and Shining Light was recorded by Ash in 2001.
Lennox will receive a special award of merit at this Sunday's American Music Awards and will perform live for the first time since her spinal surgery.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Converge Writing New Album
Converge is getting ready to destroy your ears once more.
The hardcore act revealed it started writing tunes for the follow-up to No Heroes (review) (Epitaph), and hopes to place the still-untitled album into stores next year from Epitaph. No further details about the set were given.
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Let's continue our look at Paste Magazine's list of the Top TV Songs, this time #5 on their list:
5. All in the Family - "Those Were the Days" by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
Few intros are as simple or as memorable as Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton at the spinnet piano live in front of a studio audience every week. This was the first song I (and many others) learned on the piano, as it used only the black keys. But only now have I learned that the closing lyrics are "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great." Or that a LaSalle was a GM automobile that went out of production in 1940.
All in the Family is an American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, the show was revamped, and given a new title, Archie Bunker's Place. This version of the sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983.
Produced by Norman Lear and based on the British television series Till Death Us Do Part, the show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network television comedy, such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, miscarriage, breast cancer, menopause and impotence.
In a warning to viewers, CBS ran a disclaimer before airing the first episode (which disappeared from the screen with the sound of a toilet flushing):
"The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are."
All in the Family was notorious for featuring language and epithets previously absent from television, such as "fag" for homosexual, "hebe" for Jews, "spic" for Hispanics, "mick" for Irish, "dago" and "wop" for Italians, "chink" for Chinese, "Jap" for Japanese, "gook" for southeast Asian, "spade" for blacks, and phrases such as "God damn it." It was also famous for being the first major television show to feature the sound of a flushing toilet; it became a running gag on the show.
The show ranked #1 in the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. As of 2008, The Cosby Show has been the only other show to top the ratings for at least five consecutive seasons. The series finale brought in 40.2 million viewers. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as #4. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker, TV's greatest character of all time.
interesting tidbits:
Archie and Edith's chairs are now in the Smithsonian Institution.[17] Originally purchased by the show's set designer for a few dollars at a local Goodwill thrift store, the originals were given to the Smithsonian (for an exhibit on American television history) in 1978. It cost producers thousands of dollars to create replicas to replace the originals.
Part of the Bunker kitchen set was used more than 25 years after the show's debut for another CBS sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond".
Popular T-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers showing O'Connor's image and farcically promoting "Archie Bunker for President" appeared around the time of the 1972 presidential election. A number of voters were said to have voted for the fictional TV character as a write-in candidate.
I still love the show, it ranks in my top ten of all time. Everybody, black, white, mixed- whatever- has some of Archie Bunker in them (although some would never admit it).
Vinyl of the show goes for around $10-20 for an LP
5. All in the Family - "Those Were the Days" by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
Few intros are as simple or as memorable as Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton at the spinnet piano live in front of a studio audience every week. This was the first song I (and many others) learned on the piano, as it used only the black keys. But only now have I learned that the closing lyrics are "Gee, our old LaSalle ran great." Or that a LaSalle was a GM automobile that went out of production in 1940.
All in the Family is an American situation comedy that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, the show was revamped, and given a new title, Archie Bunker's Place. This version of the sitcom lasted another four years, ending its run in 1983.
Produced by Norman Lear and based on the British television series Till Death Us Do Part, the show broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network television comedy, such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, miscarriage, breast cancer, menopause and impotence.
In a warning to viewers, CBS ran a disclaimer before airing the first episode (which disappeared from the screen with the sound of a toilet flushing):
"The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are."
All in the Family was notorious for featuring language and epithets previously absent from television, such as "fag" for homosexual, "hebe" for Jews, "spic" for Hispanics, "mick" for Irish, "dago" and "wop" for Italians, "chink" for Chinese, "Jap" for Japanese, "gook" for southeast Asian, "spade" for blacks, and phrases such as "God damn it." It was also famous for being the first major television show to feature the sound of a flushing toilet; it became a running gag on the show.
The show ranked #1 in the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. As of 2008, The Cosby Show has been the only other show to top the ratings for at least five consecutive seasons. The series finale brought in 40.2 million viewers. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as #4. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker, TV's greatest character of all time.
interesting tidbits:
Archie and Edith's chairs are now in the Smithsonian Institution.[17] Originally purchased by the show's set designer for a few dollars at a local Goodwill thrift store, the originals were given to the Smithsonian (for an exhibit on American television history) in 1978. It cost producers thousands of dollars to create replicas to replace the originals.
Part of the Bunker kitchen set was used more than 25 years after the show's debut for another CBS sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond".
Popular T-shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers showing O'Connor's image and farcically promoting "Archie Bunker for President" appeared around the time of the 1972 presidential election. A number of voters were said to have voted for the fictional TV character as a write-in candidate.
I still love the show, it ranks in my top ten of all time. Everybody, black, white, mixed- whatever- has some of Archie Bunker in them (although some would never admit it).
Vinyl of the show goes for around $10-20 for an LP
Album Cover Art
Let's continue our look at the Gigwise.com list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album covers (as compiled by their staff- Gigwise comments in quotes):
29. Catherine Wheel: ‘Adam & Eve’ - "With their 1997 album, Great Yarmouth’s Catherine Wheel transferred art into reality when they took the naked models of the cover art and welcomed them on stage during their live shows to promote the record. The type of people you often find in the Green Fields of Glastonbury, then."
This from Rolling Stone:
Catherine Wheel began, in the early '90s, as a moody, distortion-heavy "shoe gazer" band, but the English group's attention and ambition have since shifted to the stars. With its fourth LP, Adam and Eve, it eschews the guitar-heavy haze of previous efforts for appealing melodies and a sense of drama and musical sweep rarely found in '90s guitar rock. "Here Comes the Fat Controller" offers a beautiful melody filtered through a fuzz-toned fog; "Delicious" adds textured guitars and psychedelic sounds to power-pop energy; and "Future Boy" conveys naked emotion on a scale so grand that it would make Billy Corgan proud. Steering clear of art-rock excess, on Adam and Eve, Catherine Wheel deliver beautifully embellished pop with a sonic scope rarely seen since Pink Floyd's prime. (RS 771) ROBERT LEVINE
29. Catherine Wheel: ‘Adam & Eve’ - "With their 1997 album, Great Yarmouth’s Catherine Wheel transferred art into reality when they took the naked models of the cover art and welcomed them on stage during their live shows to promote the record. The type of people you often find in the Green Fields of Glastonbury, then."
This from Rolling Stone:
Catherine Wheel began, in the early '90s, as a moody, distortion-heavy "shoe gazer" band, but the English group's attention and ambition have since shifted to the stars. With its fourth LP, Adam and Eve, it eschews the guitar-heavy haze of previous efforts for appealing melodies and a sense of drama and musical sweep rarely found in '90s guitar rock. "Here Comes the Fat Controller" offers a beautiful melody filtered through a fuzz-toned fog; "Delicious" adds textured guitars and psychedelic sounds to power-pop energy; and "Future Boy" conveys naked emotion on a scale so grand that it would make Billy Corgan proud. Steering clear of art-rock excess, on Adam and Eve, Catherine Wheel deliver beautifully embellished pop with a sonic scope rarely seen since Pink Floyd's prime. (RS 771) ROBERT LEVINE
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Let's continue our look at Paste Magazine's list of the Top TV Songs, this time #6 on their list:
6. The Jeffersons - "Movin' On Up" by Ja'net Du Boise
How's this for the inter-connectedness of Hollywood? Du Boise played Willona Woods on Good Times. Janet Jackson was also on Good Times. Justin Timberlake caused a little wardrobe malfunction with Janet Jackson during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Fellow Mousketeer alum Keri Russell starred in Mission:Impossible III. The original Mission:Impossible TV show aired on CBS alongside All in the Family. The Jeffersons was an All in the Family spin-off. OK, so that was pretty random, but you can't argue against the greatness of "Movin' On Up."
Lyrics
Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.
Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin'
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in teh big leagues
Gettin' our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it's you and me baby
There ain't nothin wrong with that.
Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons, and a total of 253 episodes produced by T.AT. Communications Company from 1975-1982 and Embassy Television from 1982-1985. It is the longest running comedy (or series of any genre) with a predominantly Black cast in the history of American television.
The show focused on George and Louise Jefferson, an upper middle-class Black couple. The show was launched as the second spin-off of All in the Family, on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker.
Nielsen Ratings
1974-1975 #3
1975-1976 #21
1976-1977 #24
1979-1980 #8
1980-1981 #6
1981-1982 #3
1982-1983 #12
1983-1984 #19
interesting tidbits:
The Jeffersons was a spinoff of All in the Family in which the Bunkers' black next-door neighbors moved to a "deluxe apartment in the sky." This gospel-tinged song described their progression "on up."
The Jeffersons featured TV's first mixed-married couple, a white husband and a black wife. It had its own short-lived spinoff, Checking In.
This is commonly played at sporting events when a team which has previously been doing poorly makes a startling comeback and hence moves back "up" to its previous status.
6. The Jeffersons - "Movin' On Up" by Ja'net Du Boise
How's this for the inter-connectedness of Hollywood? Du Boise played Willona Woods on Good Times. Janet Jackson was also on Good Times. Justin Timberlake caused a little wardrobe malfunction with Janet Jackson during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Fellow Mousketeer alum Keri Russell starred in Mission:Impossible III. The original Mission:Impossible TV show aired on CBS alongside All in the Family. The Jeffersons was an All in the Family spin-off. OK, so that was pretty random, but you can't argue against the greatness of "Movin' On Up."
Lyrics
Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.
Fish don't fry in the kitchen;
Beans don't burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin'
Just to get up that hill.
Now we're up in teh big leagues
Gettin' our turn at bat.
As long as we live, it's you and me baby
There ain't nothin wrong with that.
Well we're movin on up,
To the east side.
To a deluxe apartment in the sky.
Movin on up
To the east side.
We finally got a piece of the pie.
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons, and a total of 253 episodes produced by T.AT. Communications Company from 1975-1982 and Embassy Television from 1982-1985. It is the longest running comedy (or series of any genre) with a predominantly Black cast in the history of American television.
The show focused on George and Louise Jefferson, an upper middle-class Black couple. The show was launched as the second spin-off of All in the Family, on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker.
Nielsen Ratings
1974-1975 #3
1975-1976 #21
1976-1977 #24
1979-1980 #8
1980-1981 #6
1981-1982 #3
1982-1983 #12
1983-1984 #19
interesting tidbits:
The Jeffersons was a spinoff of All in the Family in which the Bunkers' black next-door neighbors moved to a "deluxe apartment in the sky." This gospel-tinged song described their progression "on up."
The Jeffersons featured TV's first mixed-married couple, a white husband and a black wife. It had its own short-lived spinoff, Checking In.
This is commonly played at sporting events when a team which has previously been doing poorly makes a startling comeback and hence moves back "up" to its previous status.
Album Cover Art
Let's continue our look at the Gigwise.com list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album covers (as compiled by their staff- Gigwise comments in quotes):
30. Hinder: ‘Extreme Behaviour’ – "They may make completely turgid Nickelback-esque music, but Hinder certainly know how to gain some much-needed attention with their album sleeves. This one featured a woman in red lacy underwear perusing over photos of the band themselves. It’s no wonder that it went platinum, then."
Released in September 2005, Hinder's Extreme Behavior revives the riffs and misogynistic tone of 2001 albums from Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback for a whole new batch of undergrads. This isn't so much post-grunge as it is straight-up dude rock. The artwork is a triggered response collage of lingerie and Jäger, and the music blares like a stereo left on in the keg room, all swear words and electric guitar blab. Hinder singer Austin Winkler is a stand-in for Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and his lyrics? Like the chorus of lead single "Get Stoned" that asserts sex is better when the participants are angry and high, Winkler doesn't show a lot of class on Behavior. Hinder do try a little tenderness here and there. They sound like a heavier Wallflowers on "Nothin' Good About Goodbye," and "Lips of an Angel" carries the power ballad torch complete with a soaring solo stolen from hair metal's golden era. "Homecoming Queen" is another take on the good-girl-tarnished-by-big-bad-L.A. story; it's also a pretty obvious rewrite of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine." For the most part, Hinder are all about big dumb rock, the kind of stuff that's happily ignorant of common courtesy or trying much of anything new musically. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
30. Hinder: ‘Extreme Behaviour’ – "They may make completely turgid Nickelback-esque music, but Hinder certainly know how to gain some much-needed attention with their album sleeves. This one featured a woman in red lacy underwear perusing over photos of the band themselves. It’s no wonder that it went platinum, then."
Released in September 2005, Hinder's Extreme Behavior revives the riffs and misogynistic tone of 2001 albums from Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback for a whole new batch of undergrads. This isn't so much post-grunge as it is straight-up dude rock. The artwork is a triggered response collage of lingerie and Jäger, and the music blares like a stereo left on in the keg room, all swear words and electric guitar blab. Hinder singer Austin Winkler is a stand-in for Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and his lyrics? Like the chorus of lead single "Get Stoned" that asserts sex is better when the participants are angry and high, Winkler doesn't show a lot of class on Behavior. Hinder do try a little tenderness here and there. They sound like a heavier Wallflowers on "Nothin' Good About Goodbye," and "Lips of an Angel" carries the power ballad torch complete with a soaring solo stolen from hair metal's golden era. "Homecoming Queen" is another take on the good-girl-tarnished-by-big-bad-L.A. story; it's also a pretty obvious rewrite of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine." For the most part, Hinder are all about big dumb rock, the kind of stuff that's happily ignorant of common courtesy or trying much of anything new musically. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
This Date In Music History-November 23
Birthdays:
Singer, songwriter and virtuoso pianist, Bruce Hornsby, was born in Williamsburg, VA in 1954.
They Are Missed:
The late Betty Everett ("Shoop Shoop Song") was born in 1939.
O.C. Smith ("Little Green Apples") died of a heart attack in 2001.
Songwriter Tommy Boyce committed suicide by shooting himself at his Nashville home in 1994. Besides writing "Last Train To Clarksville", "Valleri" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" for The Monkees, Boyce and his partner Bobby Hart scored a number eight hit of their own with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" in 1967.
In 1997, Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the Australian super group INXS, hanged himself in Sydney, just as the band was to begin rehearsals for their 20th anniversary tour. He was 37 years old.
Country great Roy Acuff, whose vocals influenced everyone from Hank Williams to George Jones, died in 1992 (age 89).
Badfinger bassist Tom Evans commits suicide in 1983 after the band splits by hanging himself, just as Badfinger songwriter Pete Ham had done eight years earlier.
History:
The world's first jukebox, then known as a "nickel in the slot machine", was installed at San Francisco's' Palais Royal Hotel in 1889. It had been created by simply adding a coin slot to an Edison phonograph. In its first six months of service, the machine earned over $1000.
Despite objections from The Recording Industry Association of America, who was worried about the growing problem of internet file swapping, the first portable MP3 player went on sale in the US in 1998. As of 2007, over 150 million had been sold.
“Soul Man,” by Isaac Hayes, tops the R&B chart and peaks at #2 on the pop chart in 1967. The song is one of 200 written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter for Stax Records artists.
In 1954, agent Bob Neal assumed the manager's role for Elvis Presley, booking him as Elvis Presley, the Hillbilly Cat.
Elvis Presley's first post-Army film, "G.I. Blues" was officially released in 1960 and his "Spinout" movie came out in 1966.
Billy Swan, a former member of Kris Kristofferson's band and writer of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please", had a US number one single of his own in 1974, "I Can Help". It reached #6 in the UK.
In a San Antonio hotel room in 1936, mysterious blues pioneer Robert Johnson recorded his first tracks, including "Ramblin' on My Mind."
In 1962, The Beatles auditioned for BBC producers looking for bands with TV potential. They failed.
In 1964, The Rolling Stones were banned from the BBC for unprofessionalism after showing up late for appearances on the radio shows Top Gear and Saturday Club.
In 1968, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant finalized a deal to sign the band to Atlantic Records after Dusty Springfield recommends Jimmy Page to label boss Ahmet Ertegun.
Police arrested Jerry Lee Lewis outside the gates of Graceland in 1976, after he showed up for the second time that night and made a scene by shouting, waving a pistol and demanding to see Elvis Presley.
Singer, songwriter and virtuoso pianist, Bruce Hornsby, was born in Williamsburg, VA in 1954.
They Are Missed:
The late Betty Everett ("Shoop Shoop Song") was born in 1939.
O.C. Smith ("Little Green Apples") died of a heart attack in 2001.
Songwriter Tommy Boyce committed suicide by shooting himself at his Nashville home in 1994. Besides writing "Last Train To Clarksville", "Valleri" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" for The Monkees, Boyce and his partner Bobby Hart scored a number eight hit of their own with "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" in 1967.
In 1997, Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the Australian super group INXS, hanged himself in Sydney, just as the band was to begin rehearsals for their 20th anniversary tour. He was 37 years old.
Country great Roy Acuff, whose vocals influenced everyone from Hank Williams to George Jones, died in 1992 (age 89).
Badfinger bassist Tom Evans commits suicide in 1983 after the band splits by hanging himself, just as Badfinger songwriter Pete Ham had done eight years earlier.
History:
The world's first jukebox, then known as a "nickel in the slot machine", was installed at San Francisco's' Palais Royal Hotel in 1889. It had been created by simply adding a coin slot to an Edison phonograph. In its first six months of service, the machine earned over $1000.
Despite objections from The Recording Industry Association of America, who was worried about the growing problem of internet file swapping, the first portable MP3 player went on sale in the US in 1998. As of 2007, over 150 million had been sold.
“Soul Man,” by Isaac Hayes, tops the R&B chart and peaks at #2 on the pop chart in 1967. The song is one of 200 written by the team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter for Stax Records artists.
In 1954, agent Bob Neal assumed the manager's role for Elvis Presley, booking him as Elvis Presley, the Hillbilly Cat.
Elvis Presley's first post-Army film, "G.I. Blues" was officially released in 1960 and his "Spinout" movie came out in 1966.
Billy Swan, a former member of Kris Kristofferson's band and writer of Clyde McPhatter's "Lover Please", had a US number one single of his own in 1974, "I Can Help". It reached #6 in the UK.
In a San Antonio hotel room in 1936, mysterious blues pioneer Robert Johnson recorded his first tracks, including "Ramblin' on My Mind."
In 1962, The Beatles auditioned for BBC producers looking for bands with TV potential. They failed.
In 1964, The Rolling Stones were banned from the BBC for unprofessionalism after showing up late for appearances on the radio shows Top Gear and Saturday Club.
In 1968, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant finalized a deal to sign the band to Atlantic Records after Dusty Springfield recommends Jimmy Page to label boss Ahmet Ertegun.
Police arrested Jerry Lee Lewis outside the gates of Graceland in 1976, after he showed up for the second time that night and made a scene by shouting, waving a pistol and demanding to see Elvis Presley.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Music News & Notes
Cover Art of Jamie Foxx's 'Intuition'
Jamie Foxx dons a black leather jacket on the cover art of his forthcoming third studio album 'Intuition'.
An official cover art for Jamie Foxx's third major studio effort "Intuition" has been unveiled. The picture, posted on the news photo, shows the close-up look of the 40-year-old singer wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses.
"Intuition" is a follow up to Jamie's 2005 studio LP "Unpredictable". Slated to be dropped on December 16 in the U.S., the record will line up guest stars T.I. on single "Just Like Me", Lil Wayne on "Aye!", and Keri Hilson on "My Girl".
----------------------------------------------------
Motley Crue To Commemorate Vinyl Reissue with Limited Edition Leather Box Set Journals Of the Damned
Press release:
Motley Crue announced today that Eleven Seven Music/Motley Records will release vinyl configurations of their current hit album Saints of Los Angeles along with their first five classic studio albums, Too Fast For Love (1981); Shout at the Devil (1983); Theatre of Pain (1985); Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) and Dr. Feelgood (1989) on Tuesday, November 25. Each album is pressed on high quality 180 gram vinyl and cut from the original analog master tapes.
To mark this occasion, Motley Crue is releasing a limited edition leather box set, Journals Of The Damned, containing all six vinyl releases. Limited to a sales run of 500, each set is individually numbered and also contains a Shout At the Devil Era lithograph signed by all four members of the band. The sets are available exclusively for order at www.motley.com.
The release of these Motley Crue albums on vinyl comes as many music fans are embracing vinyl for its superior sound quality and new technology allowing the transfer to MP3. With increased availability at major music retailers and online, LPs are making a comeback.
"I remember opening up my first vinyl and seeing the incredible artwork it had. There’s nothing like it," said Nikki Sixx. "You also get that true gritty sound on vinyl that really makes a rock record sound great which CD’s can never achieve. With the current resurgence of vinyl, it came at a perfect time for us to open up the next generation of rock fans to what they’ve been missing out on."
----------------------------------------------------
Christie’s Punk/Rock auction
Auction House Christie’s have a Punk/Rock auction now online for your perusal. Estimates range from $100 to $150,000.
There are many weird and wonderful artefacts from rock history covering acts such as The Ramones, Blondie, David Bowie and The Sex Pistols.
Estimated at between $4,000 to $5,000 is this portfolio of Velvet Undergound items including an article on the VU by Lester Bangs in typescript facsimile, prints, photographs and an original mono vinyl record and sleeve of the 1967 album ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’.
In amongst the gems are several photographs by legendary photographer Mick Rock including a print of Iggy Pop. There is also an original Westwood/McLaren ‘God Save the Queen’ T-shirt.
You can, should you wish, bid on several lots of signatures of all four Beatles. The most expensive item on offer is a Vox Continental Portable Organ used by John Lennon at the 1965 Shea Stadium concert and on the recording of ‘I’m Down’.
If you don’t want to spend that much then the teenage Kurt Cobain’s bass guitar is going for around $60,00 to $80,000.
The items go under the hammer on 24th November.
----------------------------------------------------
METALLICA Reissue
METALLICA is about to reissue its classic 1991 self-titled album on vinyl as part of the ongoing series that will eventually see the entire catalog available again. The "black" album will be available in North America on November 28 as a two-disc package for the 33.3 version, and in a box for the four-disc, 180 gram, 45 rpm edition. Check out your favorite local record shop or just head over to the METALLICA.com store to pick up a copy. Look for the re-release on vinyl in the rest of the world in late December.
Released in August 1991, "Metallica" features some of METALLICA's most popular songs, including "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad but True". It spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart and is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 15 million copies sold in the United States and over 22 million copies worldwide. It's also one of the best-selling heavy metal albums of all time.
The album cover features only the band's logo and a coiled snake (derived from the Gadsden flag). The motto of the Gadsden flag, "Don't Tread on Me", is also the title of a song featured on the album.
Jamie Foxx dons a black leather jacket on the cover art of his forthcoming third studio album 'Intuition'.
An official cover art for Jamie Foxx's third major studio effort "Intuition" has been unveiled. The picture, posted on the news photo, shows the close-up look of the 40-year-old singer wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses.
"Intuition" is a follow up to Jamie's 2005 studio LP "Unpredictable". Slated to be dropped on December 16 in the U.S., the record will line up guest stars T.I. on single "Just Like Me", Lil Wayne on "Aye!", and Keri Hilson on "My Girl".
----------------------------------------------------
Motley Crue To Commemorate Vinyl Reissue with Limited Edition Leather Box Set Journals Of the Damned
Press release:
Motley Crue announced today that Eleven Seven Music/Motley Records will release vinyl configurations of their current hit album Saints of Los Angeles along with their first five classic studio albums, Too Fast For Love (1981); Shout at the Devil (1983); Theatre of Pain (1985); Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) and Dr. Feelgood (1989) on Tuesday, November 25. Each album is pressed on high quality 180 gram vinyl and cut from the original analog master tapes.
To mark this occasion, Motley Crue is releasing a limited edition leather box set, Journals Of The Damned, containing all six vinyl releases. Limited to a sales run of 500, each set is individually numbered and also contains a Shout At the Devil Era lithograph signed by all four members of the band. The sets are available exclusively for order at www.motley.com.
The release of these Motley Crue albums on vinyl comes as many music fans are embracing vinyl for its superior sound quality and new technology allowing the transfer to MP3. With increased availability at major music retailers and online, LPs are making a comeback.
"I remember opening up my first vinyl and seeing the incredible artwork it had. There’s nothing like it," said Nikki Sixx. "You also get that true gritty sound on vinyl that really makes a rock record sound great which CD’s can never achieve. With the current resurgence of vinyl, it came at a perfect time for us to open up the next generation of rock fans to what they’ve been missing out on."
----------------------------------------------------
Christie’s Punk/Rock auction
Auction House Christie’s have a Punk/Rock auction now online for your perusal. Estimates range from $100 to $150,000.
There are many weird and wonderful artefacts from rock history covering acts such as The Ramones, Blondie, David Bowie and The Sex Pistols.
Estimated at between $4,000 to $5,000 is this portfolio of Velvet Undergound items including an article on the VU by Lester Bangs in typescript facsimile, prints, photographs and an original mono vinyl record and sleeve of the 1967 album ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’.
In amongst the gems are several photographs by legendary photographer Mick Rock including a print of Iggy Pop. There is also an original Westwood/McLaren ‘God Save the Queen’ T-shirt.
You can, should you wish, bid on several lots of signatures of all four Beatles. The most expensive item on offer is a Vox Continental Portable Organ used by John Lennon at the 1965 Shea Stadium concert and on the recording of ‘I’m Down’.
If you don’t want to spend that much then the teenage Kurt Cobain’s bass guitar is going for around $60,00 to $80,000.
The items go under the hammer on 24th November.
----------------------------------------------------
METALLICA Reissue
METALLICA is about to reissue its classic 1991 self-titled album on vinyl as part of the ongoing series that will eventually see the entire catalog available again. The "black" album will be available in North America on November 28 as a two-disc package for the 33.3 version, and in a box for the four-disc, 180 gram, 45 rpm edition. Check out your favorite local record shop or just head over to the METALLICA.com store to pick up a copy. Look for the re-release on vinyl in the rest of the world in late December.
Released in August 1991, "Metallica" features some of METALLICA's most popular songs, including "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad but True". It spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart and is the band's best-selling album to date, with over 15 million copies sold in the United States and over 22 million copies worldwide. It's also one of the best-selling heavy metal albums of all time.
The album cover features only the band's logo and a coiled snake (derived from the Gadsden flag). The motto of the Gadsden flag, "Don't Tread on Me", is also the title of a song featured on the album.
Top Ten TV Theme Songs
Let's explore PasteMagazine.com's list of theme songs, this time see what made #7 on their list:
7. The Andy Griffith Show - Earle Hagen, Herbert Spencer and Everett Sloane
That's Hagen you hear whistling the intro, but I was more impressed with this version by some guy's parrot:
I have to admit, this is one of my favorite shows, I still watch it on TV Land. I love the classic characters- Barney Fife, Floyd Lawson, Goober, Gomer, The Darlings and who can ever forget Ernest T. Bass (who, by the way only appeared in 10 episodes)? Why there is even a website devoted to the show (http://www.andygriffithshow.net)!
The show comprises 8 full seasons and 249 episodes — 159 episodes in black and white (seasons 1-5) and 90 in color (seasons 6-8). Griffith appears in all 249 episodes with Bavier coming in second at 239. Only Griffith, Howard, Bavier, Knotts, and Hope Summers appeared in all eight seasons. Knotts left the show at the end of the fifth season to pursue a career in films but returned to make five guest appearances as Barney in seasons six through eight. His last appearance was the most watched episode of the series.
The Andy Griffith Show consistently placed in the top ten during its run.
1960-1961:#4
1961-1962:#7
1962-1963:#6
1963-1964:#5
1964-1965:#4
1965-1966:#6
1966-1967:#3
1967-1968:#1
interesting tidbits:
A Neilsen study conducted during the show's last season (1967) indicated the show ranked #1 among blue collar workers followed by The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke. Among white collar workers, the show ranked #3 following Saturday Movies and The Dean Martin Show.
Don Knotts won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, in 1961-63, 1966 and 1967, the last two for guest appearances. Frances Bavier won one Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1967. The show received its only Emmy nomination in 1967 for Outstanding Comedy Series, losing to a new show, The Monkees. In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Andy Griffith Show ninth on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres. Woodsy locales, including the opening sequence with its whistled theme, were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon Lake.
The show's theme music, "The Fishin' Hole", was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, with lyrics written by Everett Sloane. Whistling in the opening sequence was performed by Earle Hagen. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempi, styles and orchestrations as background music.
The show's sole sponsor was General Foods, with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company.
The show was retitled Andy of Mayberry for its initial daytime rerun package in 1964, to distinguish the repeat episodes from the then-new episodes airing in prime time and continued to turn up in syndication over the ensuing decades.
There is a reason this show is so well liked- one word- quality.
7. The Andy Griffith Show - Earle Hagen, Herbert Spencer and Everett Sloane
That's Hagen you hear whistling the intro, but I was more impressed with this version by some guy's parrot:
I have to admit, this is one of my favorite shows, I still watch it on TV Land. I love the classic characters- Barney Fife, Floyd Lawson, Goober, Gomer, The Darlings and who can ever forget Ernest T. Bass (who, by the way only appeared in 10 episodes)? Why there is even a website devoted to the show (http://www.andygriffithshow.net)!
The show comprises 8 full seasons and 249 episodes — 159 episodes in black and white (seasons 1-5) and 90 in color (seasons 6-8). Griffith appears in all 249 episodes with Bavier coming in second at 239. Only Griffith, Howard, Bavier, Knotts, and Hope Summers appeared in all eight seasons. Knotts left the show at the end of the fifth season to pursue a career in films but returned to make five guest appearances as Barney in seasons six through eight. His last appearance was the most watched episode of the series.
The Andy Griffith Show consistently placed in the top ten during its run.
1960-1961:#4
1961-1962:#7
1962-1963:#6
1963-1964:#5
1964-1965:#4
1965-1966:#6
1966-1967:#3
1967-1968:#1
interesting tidbits:
A Neilsen study conducted during the show's last season (1967) indicated the show ranked #1 among blue collar workers followed by The Lucy Show and Gunsmoke. Among white collar workers, the show ranked #3 following Saturday Movies and The Dean Martin Show.
Don Knotts won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, in 1961-63, 1966 and 1967, the last two for guest appearances. Frances Bavier won one Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1967. The show received its only Emmy nomination in 1967 for Outstanding Comedy Series, losing to a new show, The Monkees. In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Andy Griffith Show ninth on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres. Woodsy locales, including the opening sequence with its whistled theme, were filmed north of Beverly Hills at Franklin Canyon Lake.
The show's theme music, "The Fishin' Hole", was composed by Earle Hagen and Herbert Spencer, with lyrics written by Everett Sloane. Whistling in the opening sequence was performed by Earle Hagen. One of the show's tunes, "The Mayberry March", was reworked a number of times in different tempi, styles and orchestrations as background music.
The show's sole sponsor was General Foods, with promotional consideration paid for (in the form of cars) by Ford Motor Company.
The show was retitled Andy of Mayberry for its initial daytime rerun package in 1964, to distinguish the repeat episodes from the then-new episodes airing in prime time and continued to turn up in syndication over the ensuing decades.
There is a reason this show is so well liked- one word- quality.
Album Cover Art
Let's continue our look at the Gigwise.com list of the top 50 dirtiest and sexiest album covers (as compiled by their staff- Gigwise comments in quotes):
31. Wild Cherry: ‘Wild Cherry’ "Perhaps one of the most sexually suggestive fruits out there, the cherry, was used to great effect on this 1976 sleeve. Subtlety is the name of the game on a sleeve showing a pair of plump red female lips about to devour the cherry. The mind does indeed boggle."
Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band which had a huge hit in 1976 with the funk song "Play That Funky Music"
Rob Parissi (lead vocals & guitar) was raised in the tough, diverse steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio . Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed his first band in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of Mingo Junction along the Ohio River. The band's name "Wild Cherry" was taken from a box of cough drops while Rob was recuperating from a brief hospital stay. The band played the Ohio Valley region, the West Virginia panhandle, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"Play That Funky Music" became a huge hit when released in 1976, peaking at number one on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts. Both the single and Wild Cherry's self-titled debut album went platinum. The band was named Best Pop Group of the Year by Billboard, and received an American Music Award for Top R&B Single of the Year, as well as a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo that year, adding to their success. "I Feel Sanctified" was also released as a single form the first album.
Their 1977 album, "Electrified Funk" and 1978 album "I Love My Music" did not produce any top 20 hits, while their 1979 album "Only the Wild Survive" didn't produce a top 100 single.
U.S. billboard chart placements for singles from their 3 other albums:
Baby Don't You Know (1977; peaked at #43)
Hot To Trot (1977; peaked at #95)
Hold On (1977; peaked at #61)
I Love My Music (1978; peaked at #69).
"Hot to Trot" was a minor followup hit in some non U.S. markets.
The original lineup included:
Ben DiFabbio - Drums, Lead and background vocals - From Mingo Junction, Ohio Louie Osso - Guitar, Lead and background vocals- From Steubenville, Ohio Larry Brown - Bass, Lead and background vocals - From Weirton, West Virginia Larry Mader - Keyboards, Lead and background vocals - From East Springfield, Ohio Rob Parissi -
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