British Open Quiz: 1) What American won in 1964? [Not Jack
or Arnie.] 2) What 3 Americans won the Open in the 1980s?
Answers below.
Top Twenty Tunes
Name the first Billboard Top Twenty song for the following
artists:
Billy Joel, Elton John, Tom Jones, KC and the Sunshine Band,
Carole King, The Kinks, Kiss, Kool & The Gang, Led Zeppelin,
Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Gordon Lightfoot, Little Anthony
and the Imperials, The Lovin” Spoonful, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Madonna,
The Mamas and The Papas. [Answers below.]
1966 Music Scene
–The Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles began, ceases
operation.
–A London newspaper quotes John Lennon as saying that the
Beatles “are more popular than Jesus Christ.” At the time the
comment caused many to destroy their Beatles records. Then on
August 11 the Beatles arrive in Chicago for their final tour of
America. Lennon makes a public apology to reporters about the
Jesus comment, saying he was misquoted. The group”s last
public concert was on Monday, August 29, at San Francisco”s
Candlestick Park. The final song they performed was Little
Richard”s “Long Tall Sally.” [Dumb selection.]
–ABC cancels “Shindig” in January. In April, NBC canceled
“Hullabaloo.” [The editor has all the videos available from both
shows. If you are a 60s music nut, buy them. Why these shows
were canceled I”ll never know, but at least we have clips from
the ”64-”66 period, when most of the biggies were getting
started.]
–Cassette tapes are introduced. [First invented in 1954.]
–Bob Dylan is involved in a serious accident while riding his
motorcycle in Woodstock, New York. He”s hospitalized for a
month.
–Napoleon XIV does a song titled “They”re Coming To Take
Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” Many protest that it ridicules the mentally
ill and many stations abandoned the song, even though it peaks at
#3. The editor thinks the song sucks and it gives me the creeps.
–A television series based on the success of the Beatles”
successful flick, “A Hard Day”s Night,” goes on the air in
September. Don Kirshner is the musical director for Michael
Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones.THE
MONKEES!!!!!!!!
–Record of the Year: And the Grammy goes to.Frank Sinatra,
“Strangers In The Night.”
–Best Contemporary Rock ”n” Roll Recording: And the
Grammy goes to.The New Vaudeville Band, “Winchester
Cathedral.” I kid you not. Our parents” generation (who would
have been voting for this tune) was not real cool. [The editor is
43.to put this opinion in perspective.]
Representative Top Ten from 1966…Week of 5/7/66
1. Monday, Monday – The Mamas & The Papas
2. Good Lovin” – The Young Rascals
3. Sloop John B – The Beach Boys
4. (You”re My) Soul And Inspiration – The Righteous Brothers
5. Kicks – Paul Revere & The Raiders
6. Secret Agent Man – Johnny Rivers
7. Rainy Day Women #12 & #35 – Bob Dylan
8. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Cher
9. Leaning On The Lamp Post – Herman”s Hermits
10. Gloria – The Shadows Of Knight
1967 Music Scene
–Steve Winwood leaves the Spencer Davis Group to start up
Traffic with Dave Mason et al.
–KMPX in San Francisco begins playing “progressive rock.”
–Elvis marries Priscilla at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.
–Beatles release “Sgt. Pepper”s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” the
first “concept” album.and the group”s biggest all-time seller.
–Monterey Pop Festival introduces Janis Joplin, Otis Redding,
and Jimi Hendrix.
–Scott McKenzie”s “San Francisco” becomes a virtual anthem
for the “flower power” movement.
–Beatles” manager Brian Epstein overdoses on sleeping pills at
the age of 32.
–The Who and Pink Floyd tour America for the first time.
–Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton form Cream, the
first of the “supergroups.”
–Record of the Year: The Grammy goes to.The Fifth
Dimension for “Up-Up And Away.” They also received the
Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, Group. Oh brother.
–Best Vocal Performance, Male: And the Grammy goes to.
Glen Campbell for “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.” Woof
woof woof woof. Man, this is a great tune but what the heck
were folks thinking back then?
–Actress Jayne Mansfield loses her head.
[Source: Norm N. Nite, “Rock On Almanac”]
Representative Top Ten from 1967…Week of 8/5/67
1. Light My Fire – The Doors
2. I Was Made To Love Her – Stevie Wonder
3. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
4. Windy – The Association
5. A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Procol Harum
6. Can”t Take My Eyes Off You – Frankie Valli
7. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy – The Buckinghams
8. White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane
9. Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees
10. Little Bit O” Soul – The Music Explosion.weak.
Bob Herbert on the Beatles
The other day columnist Herbert wrote a piece in the New York
Times titled “Thanks, Beatles, for the ”60s – And Get Well,
George,” upon learning that George Harrison was again
undergoing cancer treatment. In praising the group, Herbert
noted:
“It wasn”t just the music. The Beatles were a perfectly timed
phenomenon. Their charm, spontaneity and offbeat humor, and
above all their easy acceptance of life”s myriad pleasures, sliced
right through the fraying bonds of the uptight ”50s and early
”60s. For better or worse, they helped get us to where we are
now. They spread the word to a generation of largely inhibited
young people that it was all right to have fun.”
Venezuelan Beauties
In the last 25 years Venezuela has had a combined 8 Miss
Universes and Miss Worlds, more than any other country.
Yes, even more than India. According to U.S. News, one man in
particular has more to do with this than any other, Osmel Sousa.
Sousa scours the malls, universities, and beaches looking for
potential contestants and then he has 25 specialists do their thing,
ranging from plastic surgeons to dentists to dieticians to personal
trainers. “I mold the person,” he says. Venezuela, “Land of
Androids.”
Tough Summer in the Hamptons
Boy, I”ll tell you who I feel sorry for, all these folks in the
Hamptons who bought their homes for $1 million plus and now
can”t rent them! This is truly tragic and many are now being
forced to put their homes up for sale. Yes, the high-end summer
rental market has collapsed.and with it the resale market as
well. I mean to tell ya, thanks to Wall Street”s swoon, folks just
aren”t willing to shell out $60,000 for a summer rental like they
used to. [Yes, to my friends in the Midwest, that”s $60,000 to
rent a house for one summer. Many of you are sitting in your
homes that you purchased for that amount, I”m sure.]
One real estate agent noted in New York magazine that “summer
homes usually rent for 5 to 7% of their market value, which will
cover the mortgage plus some additional income.” Thus, you
would purchase the house with the expectation that it would pay
for itself. But now, if no one wants to shell out $40-$60K for a
rental, as the story goes, “they”re not likely to spend twenty times
that to buy.”
To paraphrase Karl Malden, what will these people do?…what
will they do?
Top Twenty Answers (with peak chart position)
Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are 12/77 #3
Elton John – Your Song 12/70 #8
Tom Jones – It”s Not Unusual 5/65 #10
KC and the Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight 8/75 #1
Carole King – It”s Too Late 5/71 #1
The Kinks – You Really Got Me 10/64 #7
Kiss – Rock And Roll All Nite 11/75 #12
Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie 1/74 #4.underrated
Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love 12/69 #4
Gary Lewis and the Playboys – This Diamond Ring 1/65 #1
Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind 1/71 #5
Little Anthony and the Imperials – Tears On My Pillow 8/58 #4
The Lovin” Spoonful – Do You Believe In Magic 9/65 #9
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama 8/74 #8
Madonna – Holiday 12/83 #16
The Mamas and The Papas – California Dreamin” 2/66 #4
Top 3 songs for the week of 7/20/74: #1 “Rock Your Baby”
(George McCrae) #2 “Annie”s Song” (John Denver) #3 “Rock
And Roll Heaven” (The Righteous Brothers)
British Open Quiz Answers: 1) “Champagne Tony” Lema won
in 1964, having arrived in Britain for the first time just 36 hours
before the tournament started. Lema died in a plane crash two
years later at the age of 32. 2) Tom Watson (”80, ”82, ”83), Bill
Rogers (”81), and Mark Calcavecchia (”89) were the American
winners in the 80s.
Next Bar Chat, Monday. Back to baseball. And lots of fishing
tales next week.
