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Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Joey Dee & The Starliters, Johnny Thunder

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Joey Dee & The Starliters - (1st set) Peppermint Twist, Hey Let's Twist
- Johnny Thunder - Suzy Q, Loop de Loop
- Joey Dee & The Starliters - (2nd set) Shout

[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

"Rumours" have it that Fleetwood Mac just won't quit !!

C'mon now !  Time to fess up.  How many copies of "Rumours" do you have ? (on vinyl, cassette, CD, DVD - was it ever available on 8-track ?)  How many people do you know who have less than one copy ?

This album was definitely -- and remains -- a record breaker (no pun intended), in so many ways:

• Although it was Fleetwood Mac's 11th album (!!), who really knew them before this album's release, as well as they do subsequently ? and did they ever sound as good ?;
• It topped the charts in both the U.S. (and Canada) as well as the U.K.;
• It contained several tracks that became hit singles;
• Anybody & everybody has it on their list of "best of the '70s" and "best ever";
• On some of the tracks, you can even understand Stevie Nicks' vocals !!
• It contains tracks by each singer-songwriter in the group;
• It is still seeing very active sales numbers, to this very day !!

On this day, October 24 in 1987, "Rumours" set a new longevity mark.

When Fleetwood Mac's record-breaking album Rumours chalked up its 397th week on the UK chart, it became the holder of the record for most weeks on that chart, overtaking Meat Loaf's similarly revered Bat Out of Hell.

"Rumours" topped the US chart for 31 weeks (a record for a non-soundtrack album until it was beaten by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in 1983) and also topped the UK chart for a single week, but refused to leave the listings.  By the end of 1991, "Rumours" had accumulated 443 weeks on the chart, over six month's worth more than Meat Loaf's mere 416.

Sunday Will Never Be The Same

Once again, Sunday has rolled around.  It's time for me to do what I do best -- kill time !

Trivia Plaza
http://www.triviaplaza.com/h28-quiz/
Answer trivia questions about artists, lyrics, title tracks, ˜American Idol’, “˜Real Names “, ˜Christmas Songs", etc. You could spend hours here and possibly learn some new tidbits while you're at it !!

Mighty Quiz
http://www.mightyquiz.com/topic/music/56/play
Over 1,140 trivia questions come with options and you have to pick the right one. You can subscribe to your favorite topics and even follow members who send in their trivia questions. A sign-in allows you to save your progress through the questions.  A nice little feature is the ability to skip a question; this is kinda nice, especially if the topic is "Celine Dion" (meow !!)

Trivix
http://www.trivix.com/trivia-quizzes-by-category/music
Quality free trivia games, quiz and flash games. The trivia round is timed and you can instantly see whether you answered correctly or not. A percentage figure also indicates how many got the answer right.

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - The Coasters, Brian Hyland

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- The Coasters - (1st set) That is Rock 'n  Roll, Poison Ivy, Little Egypt
- Brian Hyland - Tragedy, Ginny Come Lately
- The Coasters - (2nd set) Charlie Brown

[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

Skynyrd Trio Killed In Plane Crash

Oct 20, 1977:  Three days after the release of Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd's fifth album, the Florida band boarded a chartered aircraft to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The flight crashed en route, killing Ronnie van Zant (vocalist and front man), Steve Gaines (guitarist) and Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister, backing singer), group's tour manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray.   The remaining band members (Gary Rossington – guitars; Allen Collins – guitars; Leon Wilkeson – bass, backing vocals; Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion; Billy Powell – keyboards) suffered serious injuries.

Gene Odom, was one of the fortunate survivors wand the last person to be with Ronnie Van Zant and the other band members before they were killed.  Gene and Ronnie were best friends since childhood, and he would become the head of security for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ronnie's personal body guard.

Here is a condensed version of the story of the plane crash, as told by Gene Odom.

Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the crash, though Street Survivors continued to climb the charts and became one of the band's biggest hits.  The original cover sleeve for Street Survivors had featured a photograph of the band, particularly Steve Gaines, engulfed in flames. Out of respect for the deceased (and at the request of Teresa Gaines, Steve's widow), MCA Records withdrew the original cover and replaced it with a similar image of the band against a simple black background . Thirty years later, for the deluxe CD version of Street Survivors, the original "flames" cover was restored.

Lynyrd Skynyrd broke up after the crash, releasing a collection of early demos called Skynyrd's First And...Last in 1978; it had been scheduled for release before the crash..  The band reunited just once to perform an instrumental version of "Free Bird" at Charlie Daniels' Volunteer Jam V in January 1979.  Leon Wilkeson, who was still undergoing physical therapy for his badly broken left arm, was in attendance, along with Judy Van Zant (Ronnie Van Zant's widow), Teresa Gaines (Steve's widow), JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins (backup singers).

The double-album compilation Gold and Platinum was released in 1980. Later that year, Rossington and Collins formed a new band which featured four surviving members.  Two years later, Pyle formed the Artimus Pyle Band. Collins suffered a car crash in 1986, which killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed.

In 1987, Rossington, Powell, King (guitarist who had left the band two years before the crash), and Wilkeson reunited Lynyrd Skynyrd, with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother Johnny as the frontman and primary songwriter.  Due to Collins' paralysis from the 1986 car accident, he was only able to participate as the musical director, choosing Randall Hall, his former bandmate in the Allen Collins Band, as his stand-in.  The band embarked on a reunion tour, which was captured on the 1988 double-live album, Southern by the Grace of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour -- 1987.  The re-formed Skynyrd began recording in 1991.

The reunited band was meant to be a one-time tribute to the original lineup, captured on the double-live album Southern By The Grace Of God/Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour 1987.  Judy Van Zant Jenness and Teresa Gaines Rapp (widows of Ronnie and Steve, respectively) sued the others for violating an agreement made shortly after the plane crash, stating that they would not "exploit" the Skynyrd name for profit.  As part of the settlement, Jenness and Rapp collect nearly 30% of the band's touring revenues, and hold a proviso which forces any band touring as "Lynyrd Skynyrd" to include at least two from the pre-crash era.

During the '90s, Lynyrd Skynyrd were made honorary colonels in the Alabama State Militia, due to their classic-rock staple "Sweet Home Alabama."  During the mid-'90s, VanZant, Rossington, Wilkeson, and Powell regrouped by adding two Southern rock veterans to Skynyrd's guitar stable: former Blackfoot frontman Rickey Medlocke and ex-Outlaw Hughie Thomasson.  With ex-Damn Yankee Michael Cartellone bringing stability to the drum chair, the reconstituted band signed to CMC International for the 1997 album Twenty.  This lineup went on to release Lyve From Steeltown in 1998, followed a year later by Edge of Forever. The seasonal effort Christmas Time Again was released in fall 2000.

Collins died of respiratory failure on January 23, 1990.  Leon Wilkeson died on July 27, 2001, due to emphysema and chronic liver disease.  On January 28, 2009, Billy Powell died, reportedly of a heart attack.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006. Lynyrd Skynyrd had been nominated 7 times.

In October 2008, Lynyrd Skynyrd's song Free Bird's solo was named the 3rd greatest guitar solo by Guitar World.

In September 2010, Lynyrd Skynyrd was named #77 VH1's 100 Greatest Artist of All Time.

Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour and record. Of its original members, only Gary Rossington remains with the band as of 2011.

A place to stand, a place to grow

A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow (Ontari-ari-ari-o!) was the unofficial anthem of the Canadian province of Ontario, written to celebrate Canada's 1967 Centennial.  It was the signature tune for a movie of the same name that was featured at the Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal.

On January 12, 2004, at the former Molson Breweries plant in Barrie, a marijuana grow-op was uncovered, housing an estimated 30,000 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $30 million.  At the time, it was the largest marijuana grow-op bust in Canada's history.

An episode of comedian Rick Mercer's Monday Report took the song, A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow (Ontari-ari-ari-o!), added some visual effects, and created about the funniest commentary on the subject of Ontario-based pot growing.

This bud's for you !!

The Music of Hockey

 In honour of hockey season, I just gotta highlight a few great hockey tunes.

The Hockey Song - Stompin' Tom Connors
"Oh, the good old hockey game/Is the best game you can name/ And the best game you can name/Is the good old hockey game."

Wayne Gretzky - Waikiki Hockey

Saturday Night Live,May 13, 1989 - Episode 265 (Season 14, Episode19)
"I slipped the puck across the goal line
the crowd went crazy and roared.
But when my baby kissed me and held me in my arms
I knew that I had finally scored."
Wayne Gretzky was the first (and, as of season 36, only) NHL player to host SNL.

Tie Domi - The best scrapper the Leafs ever had
Only Tie a little tune sung on 104.5 CHUM-FM by Marilyn Denis


Fifty Mission Cap - The Tragically Hip
True story:
"Bill Barilko disappeared that summer
He was on a fishing trip
The last goal he ever scored won the Leafs the Cup [Note: 1951]
They didn't win another until 1962
The year he was discovered."

The Toronto Maple Leafs also won in 1963, 1964, and the last time to-date, in 1967.

Just in time for Hallowe'en

Forty-nine years ago today (October 17, 1962, 1962) the #1 hit on the pop charts was Monster Mash, by Bobby Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers.

The song is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster, late one evening, rises from a slab to perform a new dance. The dance becomes "the hit of the land" when the scientist throws a party for other monsters.

The producers came up with several low-budget but effective sound effects for the recording. For example, the sound of a coffin opening was imitated by a rusty nail being pulled out of a board. The sound of a cauldron bubbling was actually water being bubbled through a straw, and the chains rattling were simply chains being dropped on a tile floor. Pickett also impersonated horror film actor Bela Lugosi as Dracula with the lyric "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?"

The BBC had banned the record from airplay in 1962 on the grounds that the song was "too morbid".  (What's next ?  Gonna ban Hallowe'en & trick-or-treating ?)

Lazin' on a Sunday afternoon

It's another cool and windy Fall day; a good day to laze around with some time wasters.  Here's a few, of the musical variety, for you to take for a spin.


Music games and trivia 
Don't be afraid to create your own games (using their templates).

Dictionaraoke
So, you've all heard those audio pronunciations from online dictionaries, right?   What if you could take those same voices and have them sing some of your favorite rock, punk, and pop songs a la computerized karaoke?  It's a hoot !!

Dancing Paul

Dancing Paul
Man, who cares about that dancing baby, anyway?  Paul is the REAL dancing fool. Just pick from the list of songs and watch him shake his groove thing. You can change his style, the background image, and even add some of Paul's friends to the mix for a slam- bangin' dance party.  I about spit my drink thru my nose watching this guy.

A great rock trivia question is born !!

I luv music trivia as much as the next guy -- maybe even more !!

Back in the days when "Happy Hour" (2 for 1 beer prices) were legal in Ontario, a group of us would head to the local haunt.  Undoubtedly, a round or 20 of rock trivia would ensue.

My friend Bob O. figured he could stump me with a question about a one-hit wonder: "Who Sang Eve of Destruction"?   Well, Bob, you have to get up a lot earlier in the morning, if ya wanna catch me !!

Several artists have recorded it (The Turtles, Jan and Dean, The Grass Roots), but Barry McGuire's single went to number one on the Billboard chart in September 1965.  The song is a grave warning of imminent apocalypse, and considered by some to be the epitome of a protest song. It expressed the frustrations and fears of young people in the age of the Cold War, Vietnam, the nuclear arms race, and the civil rights movement.

From Wikipedia:

Barry McGuire became a born-again Christian, and as a result renounced the song for many years, refusing to perform it. Though he is now known primarily as a singer of contemporary Christian songs, McGuire has continued to sing "Eve Of Destruction" in recent years, often updating the lyrics to refer to such events as the Columbine High School massacre.

Barry McGuire updated the lyrics when he performed at a reunion of folksingers, with the line "Selma, Alabama", replaced by the words "Columbine, Colorado", referring to the student massacre of 1999. On March 12, 2008, McGuire appeared on the Australian music comedy/game show Spicks and Specks, performing an updated version of "Eve of Destruction", with new lines such as "You're old enough to kill/ you just started voting" and "...can live for ten years in space". The reference to "Red China" was also removed, and in its place were the more generic "Now think of all the hate, still living inside us/ its never too late, to let love guide us".

Today is Barry McGuire's birthday -- yipes !!....he's 76 years old  !!  Many happy returns, Barry !

Your search is OVER / Dead / Gone the way of the parrot !!

No, this post is not about music.  It's about this blog in general.

A search function is a handy little gadget to feature on a blog.  I'm sure you'll agree.

Unfortunately, I haven't found one that works with any kind of regularity.  Through searching online forums for a solution, I've learned that I'm not alone.  It seems that everybody is fighting to get a search mechanism working on their blog.

Well, my Momma didn't raise any dummies.  I'm not gonna waste any more time or energy on trying to make this work.  I'm going to leave the task to everyone else.  Some day, if the majority get it working, I'll jump on the bandwagon (no pun intended) again.  For now, I'm removing the "search" widget from my blog.

Sorry folks !!

Remembering Bing Crosby

So hard to believe that it was 34 years ago (1977) that Bing Crosby passed away.

Of course, I think his most popular recordings were Christmas carols -- my personal favourite being "Mele Kalikimaka (The Hawaiian Christmas Song)" --, but he did so so so much more !!

I remember hearing so much "dirt" about him, after his death: that he was a nasty and abusive person.  Not only is this almost unbelievable, it's one of those things that you just don't want to know.  Some things border on being sacred and you just shouldn't go there.  (My feelings are the same, when I hear people trash-talking the Beach Boys.)

I prefer to remember the good old, happy, wholesome Bing, who graced our radio and TV sets for so many years.

Bada boom bada bing !!

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Frankie Ford, The Dixie Cups

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Frankie Ford - (1st set) Roberta, You Talk Too Much, Alimony
- The Dixie Cups - Going to the Chapel, Iko Iko
- Frankie Ford - (2nd set) Sea Cruise

[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Brian Hyland, The Tokens

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Brian Hyland - (1st set) The Joker Went Wild, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Sealed With A Kiss
- The Tokens - Tonight I Fell In Love, The Lion Sleeps Tonight
- Brian Hyland - (2nd set) I'm Afraid To Go Home, Gypsy Woman


[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Johnny Tillotson, The Dovells

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Johnny Tillotson - (1st set) Talk Back Trembling Lips, Earth Angel, It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'
- The Dovells - Bristol Stomp, You Can't Sit Down
- Johnny Tillotson - (2nd set) Dreamy Eyes, Poetry In Motion


[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

The search for red hot lyrics

Just heard a song, but simply can't quite catch the lyrics ?  Are you tossing and turning at night, 'cause you've got a song on the brain and you're struggling to remember the words ?  Have no fear; there are lots of people in the same boat as you, and more than a few solutions to cure your insomnia.  

Display lyrics for your favorite music!
Lyrics plugin software for iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc.  You do not need to change the way you enjoy music.
Display scrolling lyrics, you can follow along with the artist and catch every word. Automatically search and download lyrics.Huge lyrics database, and it is expanding every day. Free Trial version that never expires.  Minilyrics free download

Lyrics Plugin is a piece of software tailored for music fans. To put it simply - it is an add-on to view lyrics in Windows Media Player, Winamp or iTunes. No more searching for lyrics. Just start listening to your favourite songs and lyrics will be displayed automatically. Oh, and if lyrics is not found, you can add it yourself !

Lyricsfly searches for artist, song, album, or lyrics for your favorite tune.

EVILLYRICS searches over 15 million lyrics, guitar chords, AMG profiles, album covers, posters, etc.

  

AutoLyriX  downloads lyrics, album art (artwork) and SyncLyric (LRC files) automatically. It will find the player running (if the player is supported), get the current song from it and download the lyric and album art for you.

ChartLyrics is an awesome online utility.  Get cover art, lyrics, reviews and other album info from Google, Chartlyrics, allmusic and Wikipedia.  Portable ChartLyrics is the portable version of ChartLyrics developed to be able to run from a USB flash drive or any other portable device.  This tool will help you to grab lyrics information by using the ChartLyrics Lyric API. 

Lyreach: If you have a few words to a long forgotten song buzzing inside your head, just enter four or five words and get results from 400,000 lyrics.

LyricsMode is one of the largest lyrics sites on the web. With features like the ability to receive updates on your favourite artists through the site or via e-mail, videos for virtually every top track and the option of creating a personal profile, LyricsMode continues to be a leader in terms of quality and user experience.

LyricsFreak is easily one of the largest lyrics sites.  LyricsFreak offers visitors a hassle-free source for exactly what they came for -- millions of tracks from their favourite artists.


Lyricsty is a high-quality, user-friendly site that packs in easy to read top artist and lyric charts while forgoing some of the bells and whistles of its competitors.

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Del Shannon, The Jive Five

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Del Shannon - (1st set) Hats Off To Larry, Handy Man, I Go To Pieces
- Jive Five - My True Story, I'm A Happy Man
- Del Shannon - (2nd set) Runaway

[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network 1988]

The Singing Bee (or, great minds sing alike)

You know you've lived together too long and know each other too well, when you start buying each other the same Christmas gift !!  That's what happened to hubby and I !

We both enjoyed the TV show, "The Singing Bee" and would watch it faithfully.

Oh, for sure, I agree that it was pretty cheesy at times (particularly due to the "nerditude" of Joey Fatone -- which we pronounce "Fat One"), but it was an entertaining half hour which offered at least a bit of nostalgia.

One day, I'm out shopping and what do I see at one of those mall "here today, gone tomorrow" stands?  The board game version of "The Singing Bee".  Well, without a doubt, Sweetie needed it.  I bought it and wrapped it up for him for Christmas.

Along comes Christmas Eve and I'm opening one of my gifts.  You guessed it !!   Sweetie had bought me the very same thing -- "The Singing Bee" board game.

So, my brother lucks out and gets the spare game.  And, after all, the game didn't turn out to be all that wonderful.  If you're only 2 players and one player has to work the DVD player, the guesswork kinda goes out the window.

That being said, if you enjoy music trivia games, along the lines of "Don't Forget The Lyrics" or, if you wax nostalgic while watching "Hit Me Baby One More Time", you'll definitely enjoy "The Singing Bee".

I've got beans in my ears (and buttons up my nose) !!

Anyone remember the song "Beans In My Ears", as sung by The Serendipity Singers ?

Sometimes, I wonder whether my own Mom had a hand in the lyrics to that song.  That's not because of any reference to the Viet Nam war (1), nor because of the danger (2).  No, I'm pretty sure that Mom's concern was more about how to get them out again -- especially if they were the hard, uncooked ones like you use to make baked beans.

You see, when I was quite young, I shoved two tiny shank buttons from my little pink sweater up my nose.  I can't remember how we ever got them out, but they were way up there and were awfully uncomfortable.  (Perhaps I should have stuck to making happy faces in the dirt with those pretty orange baby Aspirins ?)

Anyhow, I think it's quite a shame that "Beans In My Ears" doesn't seem to get much airplay any more.  I mean, just the mere fact that it's about beans, certainly bears repeating (pun intended) !!

(1) Pete Seeger changed the lyrics of one verse to, "I think Albie Jay has beans in his ears", suggesting that "Alby Jay" -- a loose pronunciation of Johnson's nickname "LBJ" -- did not listen to anti-war protests as he too had "beans in his ears".
(2) Doctors protested that many children were actually putting beans in their ears and so it was banned in some places.  KDKA, a Pittsburgh radio station, banned the song,  following complaints from listeners and area doctors who claim that children have been putting foreign objects into their ears at an increased rate since the single was released.
Chandler, states that he has the distinction of being the only songwriter in history to have his song publicly banned by the New York Board of Health.

Find lots of MP3s: no P2P, no malware

I just stumbled across this cool utility -- it's pretty darn slick !

music2pc is a free program to find and download MP3 songs from the Internet. Search music among 100 million tracks and enjoy free mp3 downloads!

Built on a very fast and safe non-bittorrent and non-peer-to-peer method of getting MP3s, the program gives you the ultimate access to our multimillion database of quality mp3 songs. Search and download over 100 million MP3s for free.

It is an excellent tool which can be used to find and download their favorite MP3 music. Just enter the artist name or song name and click search! The downloaded mp3 file can be played by any mp3 players, including iPad, iPhone, cell phone, PSP, iPod, etc. So, enjoy music at home or on the road.

Best of all, music2pc is 100% freeware: No ads, no spyware, no charges, no time or feature limits. It is completely free for you to enjoy.

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace - Jack Scott, Rockin' Robin, Lou Christie

Little Darlin's Rock 'n Roll Palace, Kissimmee, Florida:
This episode features intro and signoff by Wolfman Jack and Emcee Glen Stetson, as well as the following artists:
- Jack Scott - (1st set) The Way I Walk
- Lou Christie - Two Faces Have I, Rhapsody In The Rain, Lightning Strikes
- Rockin' Robin - Duke of Earl, Rockin' Robin
- Jack Scott - (2nd set) Goodbye Baby



[Dubbed from VHS recording from The Nashville Network, 1988]