MUSIC I NEVER HEARD UNTIL…

Oh, Ye, gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, and others… The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.

Today’s Listening Pleasure: HOWLIN WOLF-“Howlin’ Wolf”  

   Playing stick ball in the street with the fellows, we usually had a battery operated AM radio playing the Top 40 tunes of the day to keep us company. One hot summer day in 1964 I heard a strange sounding song, one that starts off with a guitarist plucking each string slowly, followed by bass, drums, and an organ. Then, the voice, and oh what a voice it was…“There is a house in New Orleans”… “Who is this?, What is this?” I awaited for the DJ to announce the tune. Finally, he said, “That’s THE ANIMALS with “House Of The Rising Sun”. I knew I had to find that single on my next trip to the record store.

   Being a very young teen record collector is a difficult hobby to have. Most of my friends collected baseball cards or stamps, me I needed vinyl. Having limited resources a record had to really kick me in the balls for me to buy it. A paper route helped but not by much so at this juncture in time my items were usually limited to the occasional album but mostly singles, aka “the 45”, hopefully one with a picture sleeve. Stored alphabetically in a small compact carrying case each item was also recorded in my “journal” as to where I bought it, who I was with when I bought it and mostly, why or how I became aware of the recording. Years later this journal would be a blast to read and laugh at. But I digress…

   I finally found “House of The Rising Sun” b/w “Talkin’‘Bout You” as it shimmed up the chart  becoming a #1 hit. A few months later The ANIMALS were on Sullivan, SHINDIG!, HULLABALOO, and again all over the radio with various hits “I’m Crying”,“Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, et al. All good stuff for sure. “House” was the only ANIMALS single I had, then mid 1966 I bought “The Best of The Animals” album. It was wonderful, gaining a heavy rotation on my turntable. One tune in particular blew me away, “Boom, Boom”. I needed to know more about this recording and who is JOHN LEE HOOKER, the songwriter. I take the bus to TSS which had a great record department. The older guy behind counter, somewhat of a blow hard, knew everything about only what he liked. He once said when describing an album to a customer “it gave me goosebumps on my toe nails, that’s how good that record is”. “WTF is he was talking about?”, I thought.  I searched the bins for HOOKER to no avail. There appeared to be no album nor single by JOHN LEE HOOKER. I was frustrated but determined to find something/anything.The guy at the counter just said, “Nope” when I asked. He obviously either didn’t know who JOHN LEE HOOKER was, OR saw a fourteen year old boy and thought, “get outta here, punk”. A few other less stocked record stores had no HOOKER either.

   Then, two years later while working as a summer intern on Wall Street, all of 16 years old, lo and behold in WALL STREET RECORDS I find the “Concert at Newport” album by JOHN LEE HOOKER. I couldn’t wait to get home to check it out. Amazing, just Mr. Hooker and a bassist, recorded live in 1963. Opening track is “I Can’t Quit You Baby Blues”. A few months later the same tune is on side two of LED ZEPPELIN’S debut album (not credited to JL HOOKER) and it was the opening number when I saw them at FILLMORE EAST, May of 1969.

   Another tune I heard on the radio was “Smokestack Lightning” by a band called SMOKESTACK LIGHTNIN’. I heard this particular song before (Yardbirds) but not like this version, this was slow and deliberate. I knew it was written by HOWLING’WOLF as was “Spoonful” but who was this HOWLIN’ WOLF. Oh my…I got the HOWLIN’ WOLF album (released 1962) aka “The Rocking Chair” lp, and that collection led me to WILLIE DIXON whose recordings were very hard to find. But, I did it…

   In short, the original or so I thought “original” recordings were great upon first listen but eventually I realized these Brits were only reinventing American blues music which me, an American, had never heard until…

to be continued…

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION from “No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)”

PART 1: The Jingle, The Song, The Band, The Beatles…   

   What started out as a TV spot for Alka-Seltzer was later recorded as  a full length single“No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)” becoming  a hit for THE T-BONES in1966. And just like we can find  SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION aka the KEVIN BACON GAME,as this one song will take us on a musical journey of the late1960’s and onward. 

   The original jingle was written by ALEXANDER BURLAND (The Nutty Squirrels) Producer JOE SARACENO turned the jingle into a full length instrumental recording using studio musicians credited to THE T-BONES (Tommy Tedesco guitar, Hal Blaine, drums;Carol Kaye electric bass; Lyle Ritz, upright bass). This studio band was actually part of THE WRECKING CREW, all “first call musicians” known for their exceptional studio chops for the hits of THE MONKEES, SONNY and CHER,THE RONETTES, THE TIJUANA BRASS and so many more. To tour as THE T-BONES would have cost them money as the  studio money was so much more profitable than touring money.

   The WRECKING CREW started in 1962 working at GOLD STAR STUDIOS on hits produced by PHIL SPECTOR (The CRYSTALS/THE RONETTES/IKEand TINA TURNER/THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS). As “first call” LA musicians they worked with producers as diverse as BRIAN WILSON, TERRY MELCHER, LOU ADLER, BONES HOWE, JIMMY BOWEN and MIKE POST.

LOU ADLER often seen court side next to JACK NICHOLSON at LA LAKER games or seen in the crowd behind the catcher at DODGER games LOU ADLER (with the signature white beret) was the originator of The Monterey Pop Festival, owner of DUNHILL Records and later ODE Records. He produced JOHNNY RIVERS, THE GRASS ROOTS, JAN and DEAN, THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS and won a GRAMMY AWARD for producing CAROLE KING’S “Tapestry” in 1972. He was Executive Producer of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and films for CHEECH & CHONG. Early in his songwriting days with HERB ALBERT they wrote “Wonderful World” a huge hit in 1960 for SAM COOKE and in 1965 became a hit for HERMAN’S HERMITS. LOU ADLER was married in 1964 to SHELLY FABARES and produced a few hit records for his then wife, along with one son

JIMMY BOWEN produced FRANK SINATRA’S “Strangers In The Night” (1967’s Grammy for RECORD OF THE YEAR)among other hits. “Old Blue Eyes” hired BOWEN as a record producer (using THE WRRECKING CREW) for his newly established (1960) REPRISE RECORDS, thus giving a new meaning to “CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD”. SINATRA garnered the fellowship of the RAT PACK by signing DEAN MARTIN, SAMMY DAVIS ,Jr ,also NANCY SINATRA, DINO, DESI and BILLY to the label. In later years BOWEN worked with GLEN CAMPBELL, KENNY ROGERS, HANK WILLIAMS,Jr, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, REBA McEntire, GEORGE STRAIT, SUZY BOGGUSS, KIM CARNES, CONWAY TWITTY and GARTH BROOKS.

BONES HOWE originally was an engineer under ADLER. He later produced hits with THE WRECKING CREW for THE ASSOCIATION and the 5th DIMENSION.

TERRY MELCHER, the son of DORIS DAY, was a singer, songwriter and as a producer he helped develop the “California Sound” and “folk rock”. He sang as TERRY DAY, later in BRUCE(Johnston) and TERRY, and was also  in THE RIP CHORDS. MELCHER produced the first two BYRDS albums including the singles “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn,Turn,Turn” as well as hits by PAUL REVERE and THE RAIDERS.Years later he produced the BEACH BOYS’ hit “Kokomo”. TERRY MELCHER is also known as the original target of CHARLES MANSON’S family attack on 10050 Cielo Drive the rented home that MELCHER shared with girlfriend CANDACE BERGEN and his friend MARK LINDSAY. They had moved out prior to that fateful day.

MIKE POST produced the 1964 hit by THE MURMAIDS “Popsicles and Icicles”(written by DAVID GATES). Got his first GRAMMY (age 23) in 1968 for Best Instrumental Arrangement on MASON WILLIAMS (backed by THE WRECKING CREW) “Classical Gas”.  At 24 he was Musical Director on THE ANDY WILLIAMS SHOW, then got his second GRAMMY for his theme song for THE ROCKFORD FILES, He was the “go-to guy” for many TV shows producers including The A-Team, Baa Baa black Sheep, The Commish, Doogie Howser, MD, Magnum, PI, and many others. To me he is best known for his “dun, dun” sound effect he created for the “Law and Order” franchises.

BRIAN WILSON:simply stated the genius of The Beach Boys.

PART 2: The Beatles???

   What started out as  a TV spot for Alka-Seltzer was later recorded as  a full length single“No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In)” becoming  a hit by THE T-BONES in1966. And just like we can find  SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION aka the KEVIN BACON GAME, this one song will take us on a musical journey of the 1960’s and onward.

   THE T-BONES as recorded was: Tommy Tedesco on guitar, Hal Blaine, drums;Carol Kaye electric bass; Lyle Ritz, upright bass. This studio band was actually the basis of THE WRECKING CREW, all “first call musicians” known for their exceptional studio chops for the hits of THE MONKEES, SONNY and CHER,THE RONETTES, THE TIJUANA BRASS. To tour as THE T-BONES would have cost them money as the studio work money was so much more profitable than tour money.

   It was suggested that a “tour” band of THE T-BONES would be compiled to tour, photos etc…sorta like THE MONKEES (but not as famous). The T-Bones were now identified as JUDD HAMILTON, DAN HAMILTON, JOE FRANK CAROLLO and TOMMY REYNOLDS none who played on the original record, nor the (previous of course and) subsequent recording until the last album “Everyone’s Gone To The Moon”.

   Years later (1971) HAMILTON. JOE FRANK and REYNOLDS have two huge hits with “Don’t Pull Your Love (Out)” and “Fallin’ In Love”.

   THE BEATLES are connected to our KEVIN BACON GAME, so bear with me on this one. “Red Rubber Ball” a silly hit written by PAUL SIMON and BRUCE WOODLEY of THE SEEKERS was recorded by THE CYRKLE in 1966 climbing the BILLBOARD Chart to #2.  Original called THE RHONDELLS, the band was managed by BRIAN EPSTEIN of BEATLES fame who changed their name to THE CIRCLE, JOHN LENNON re-christened the band THE CYRKLE. THE CYRKLE opened on numerous US dates for THE BEATLES and played THE BEATLES last live date ever in San Francisco.

   Here’s the connection.  In 1976, Alka Selter stops using “No Matter What Shape” and now rallies around a new jingle “plop, plop, fizz, fizz”. This jingle was written by musician TOM DAWES, a former member of THE CYRKLE…

TRIBUTE BANDS

   “SNOB”, usually directed at me by my friends, hopefully in a loving fashion. I’m the guy who will rate your record collection by searching out the “Donny Most’s Greatest Hits” at a party and proudly hold it up for everyone to see while announcing, “A true collector’s item, this guy has eclectic taste, a Donny Most album, now how many of you guys have this rarity?” I also judge your concert attendance, “Fuck The Doobie Brothers, they ain’t brothers and where’s JEFF “Skunk” Baxter, TIRAN PORTER?” “Who are these NEW brothers?”.

   A few months ago I posted my rant about BLOOD SWEAT and TEARS answering the question of a friend with tickets who tried to

entice me/my bride to attend the show with them.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them their evening would be a “Night of Blood, Sweat & Tears” music played by guys who were probably not born when the first/second album hit the stands as BS&T has no “original” members.

   Then, the pandemic…

   It has been a long time between shows, my last being March of 2020. Over 700 documented shows with countless bands from 1965 to 2020. I know what I liked but now, it has been far too long. So, to all my “friends” I beg forgiveness, call me, please, I will go see the “tribute band in full costume” you so like. I’d even say “yes” to the American Floyd band doing THE WALL, shit, I’m in for “1964: THE TRIBUTE”, should I wear my Ringo jacket?Please, call…

to be continued…

SUNDAYS WITH JOHN…

 Every Sunday for the past 24 plus years my cousin John aka “Johnny D From Brooklyn” faithfully called me, never missed, even when he was in Istanbul. During those Sunday calls which could last a few hours we shared our feelings and thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. Nothing was sacred and everything was profane (a Martin Buber thing). Yankees, Giants,Rangers, Knicks, Nets, music, friends, politics, books, and family, all topics which were open for discussion. Laughs abounded almost every week. Today, this Sunday it is approximately 20 weeks since I heard the sound of his voice. I miss him and his opinions. What would he think about The Supreme Court decision, gas prices, The Brooklyn Nets with and without The 3 (he knew I hated the get Harden trade), the hearings and what people are taking away from it (he grabbed the wheel??? WTF???? That’s what you heard?).Or “What if the teacher asking the team to pray was a Muslim?”….I miss him…

It’s a long way from Rogers and Martense Streets in Brooklyn to the Gates of Heaven. Slainte…

The Day The Music Died…Again

   It happens so quickly yet slowly in what appears to be surreal time. We were warned so I should have been cautious but living through it many times I did not expect what happened to happen to the extent it did. The hurricane known as IRENE, August 21, 2011 arrived as predicted and took its toll as the streets were flooded, the sewer is backed up, and then the electricity went out. We evacuated to my son’s inland home, safe, away from the rising tides. With the electricity going out in the area my sump pump would be inoperable, therefore my basement would flood but how high, I did not know. We arrived back home after the storm subsided to 18 inches deep of water.

   Prior to the storm and having been in this scenario a few times before, we, my lovely bride and I moved as many items of personal value as far from the basement as we could. However, we never expected 18 inches and rising. Now, we quickly moved everything else to higher ground as best we could. Fortunately, our heating unit, hot water heater, washer and dryer were all on double cinder blocks but the water was getting close to the mechanisms which keep those items going.

    Then, it happened, the horrendous sound of metal twisting. The three metal shelves started to bend under the weight of the water  which was over the bottom shelves of my extensive record collection. The bottom housed mostly supplies in cardboard boxes, a few trays of “mixed” tapes, nothing of any collectable value. We grabbed what we could from the upper shelves and hoped for the best. Unfortunately ,the water got the best of the cardboard and a few hundred blank record inner sleeves. The shelving crashed to the ground. Thousands of vinyl records, 45’s, 33’s, picture sleeves, all hit the water. Magazines, newspaper clippings, archives, lesson plans, family photos all in the water. The water was still 18 inches high and without electricity the pumps were still not working. Nothing was covered by insurance.

   I’ve been collecting records for as long as I can remember. I had “Sugar Shack” by JIMMY GILMORE, an album by JOEY DEE and The STARLITERS. I had THE RIVINGTONS “ Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,

hundreds of pictures sleeve including many of THE BEATLES first issues. All were lost. What I saved was minimal but significant. I quickly hand-picked before the crash whatever I could save never thinking that the shelves would collapse. After the water subsided and the pumps were pumping, the mildew and mold destroyed almost everything else in my basement. It took weeks to bag and remove what we could. At my expense I hired a company to remove the mold from the walls, floor and ceiling. 

   Losing my records is minimal in life’s scope of things, no one was hurt, no one died. Over the next few years I gave up collecting vinyl concentrating on CDs. Many of the vinyl records that I had previously purchased were now re-issued on the CD format. I thought that to be a plus. However, I was seriously mistaken. Nothing, Nothing replaces the sound of Vinyl. I’m a snob, I’m proud of it, so I went back to collecting just Vinyl.

   What does this effort to do with “the day the music died, again”. Well, simple put its historical as on June 1, 2008, three years before IRENE hit Long Island, a blow torch is used to adhere asphalt shingles to a façade in the Universal Studios back lot. The worker never checked to see if the area cooled off as he headed out for the night. A three alarm fire ensues. It is later, many years later admitted that the fire destroyed up to 175,000 master tapes belonging to the UMG group. UMG was renting warehouses in the Universal Studios Backlot. It was stated, “in no case was the destroyed material the only copy of a work,” a claim attributed to Universal Studios officials. However, in the March 2009 “Vault Loss Meeting,” the company described the damage in apocalyptic terms. “The West Coast Vault perished, in its entirety, Lost in the fire was, undoubtedly, a huge musical heritage.”

   Losing “The Master Tapes” is sinful. “A master is the truest capture of a piece of recorded music,” said Adam Block, the former president of Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment’s catalog arm. “Sonically, masters can be stunning in their capturing of an event in time. Every copy thereafter is a sonic step away.”

   Non- original tapes, transfers, n-th generation copies, or worse, even cheap vinyl reissues is what the consumer is left with.Think about what is missing: jazz, blues, country, pop of the pre-rock-’n’-roll period, light classical and even spoken-word selections. This was  a huge archive containing multiple copies of audio and video recordings, documents ranging from legal papers to liner notes, and packaging materials and artwork, unreleased recordings such as outtakes and alternative versions, all lost. DECCA masters from the 1930-1950’s, including those of Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and some IMPULSE RECORDS masters of JOHN COLTRANE. Whew…and I thought I just lost my records to a hurricane and they could be replaced.

to be continued…

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: “A CELEBRATION: 50 YEARS OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND” as performed by THE BROTHERS, March 10,2020 @ Madison Square Garden,NYC

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: “A CELEBRATION: 50 YEARS OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND” as performed by THE BROTHERS,
March 10,2020 @ Madison Square Garden,NYC

A Golden Anniversary is a great way for couples to celebrate a half century of loving companionship. But, golden anniversary record releases are a different story, compounding that a “50 Year Celebration” of a band’s music might be difficult to pull off. The Stones, sure, they are still somewhat relevant, Herman’s Hermits, not so much. Yet when it was announced that THE BROTHERS, surviving members of the various incarnations of the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND sans DICKEY BETTS would be performing at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN aka THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA, I was in for the “celebration” from the get-go.
This ALLMAN BROTHERS obsession for me goes back 49 years and 47 shows ago to March 13,1971 when my college radio station partner and I got tickets from Columbia Records to see JOHNNY WINTER AND. Well, the review for WINTER went out the door the minute I heard the twin guitar approach with dual drummers of the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND. The vocalist was amazing. The late show even better than the early show.Magical. Hence, that night’s performances became an integral part of one of the greatest live recordings LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST.
So many years later,March 10, 2020,with a group of different players but somehow the music performed this night touched me almost as much as it did in ’71.
The pre-show discussions overheard though out the sold out house included “Why just THE BROTHERS? Who owns “the name” ALLMAN’s?”, “What will they play?”, “Who will sing vocals?”, “Where’s Dickey?’”,“Who will sing Blue Sky” and of course , “Will we catch this Corona thing?”
Remembering a snippet from an old BUTCH TRUCK interview of yesteryear, Butch stated that he envisioned a time when the music of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS would tour ala the DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA without any original members.Hmmmm.So here it is.

The lights dim precisely at a very professional 7:30 pm with a slight moment or two to plug in, tune up and hit the opener of THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND debut album, the SPENCER DAVIS tune “Don’t Want You No More” which tonight just like on the album morphed into “It’s Not My Cross To Bear” complete with a portrait of Gregg on the screen AND his lead vocals looped in with guitarist/vocalist WARREN HAYNES. The applause at the end of the selection(s) was deafening, but not as loud as the whoops and yells when we heard Warren say, “ 1,2,3” the intro to the BLIND WILLIE MCTELL song “Statesboro Blues”,a signature tune for the original band. DICKEY BETT’S penned tune “Revival” from the second lp was next, followed by “Trouble No More”, “Don’t Keep Me Wondering”, “Black Hearted Woman”, “Dreams”(fav of mine), and a smoking “Hot ‘lanta”. CHUCK LEAVELL, a member of the post-Duane ensemble was introduced for “Come and Go Blues”,”Soulshine”,” Stand Back”, and ultimately “Jessica” complete with his amazing piano solo closed out the first set.
With that said, my buddies commented that if the evening was over at this point the ticket price of over $200.00 was well worth it.

For set two the core of founding member Jaimoe(drums), Derek Trucks(guitar), Warren Haynes, Marc Quinones (longest tenured member on various percussion),Oteil Burbridge (bass), former member Chuck Leavell, once again shared the stage with WIDESPREAD PANIC’s drummer, brother of Derek, DUANE TRUCKS and keyboardist REESE WYNANS, a former member of STEVIE RAY VAUGHN’s band. The audience knew that at some point we would hear the familiar riff from the improvisation of a DONAVAN melody renamed “Mountain Jam” but never expected it to start the second set. This 20 minute exchange set the tone for the next few selections as each musician was given a chance to step out into the spotlight.DEREK TRUCKS utilized DUANE ALLMAN’s legendary 1957 LES PAUL GOLD TOP, the same guitar which was used during the recording of the first two ALLMAN lps as well as during the LAYLA sessions, the guitar which recently sold for $1.25 million, one of the top five most expensive guitars ever sold (according to Stringjoy). To further answer the question posed about DICKEY BETTS’ absence, CHUCK LEAVELL sang the next tune, “Blue Sky” (complete with a Franklin’s Tower tease) as did most of the 20,000 plus folks in attendance.Warren Haynes provided the vocals and guitar solo for a smoking hot version of a latter day ABB song ,“Desdemonia”.
Chuck Leavell’s piano introduction to “Ain’t Wasting Time No More” was met with cheers becoming an almost mandatory sing and dance along. It was party time in The Garden. Phones were out recording the event, beers were being raised toasting our great fortune. Smiles abounded. Chuck took his leave after this number. As long as everyone was standing, “Every Hungry Woman” kept the crowd enthusiasm going.
Warren strapped on an acoustic guitar,and with that the opening chords of “Melissa” changed the mood immediately. Derek’s beautiful electric exchange help calm the mood even further. The crowd was listening to each word, each note. This somber song made me reflect on how GREGG ALLMAN’s vocals will be forever missed but Warren was doing a yeoman’s job tonight. The applause for “Melissa” seemed to last forever.Gregg was smiling down on us.
A deep breath was taken by the band, a slight interchange, a few tuning notes and soon we were deep “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, followed by the Bo Diddley beat of “No One To Run With” and concluding with “One Way Out”.
The band returned to the stage with a short word or two from JAIMOE and as most in the crowd were yelling for “Whipping Post’ as the encore, the band with Chuck Leavell hit the notes for “Midnight Rider”.Beautifully done. Then, Oteil stepped forward and his thundering bass led us through “Whipping Post” complete with a “Les Brers In A minor” thrown in for good measure.The band meet at mid-stage, took a few bows, a few photos and the house light rose. #48 in the books.

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: THE WHO @ MSG- MAY 22,2004

 

May 22, 2004: THE WHO @ MSG This was a very short tour of the States consisting of stops in Boston and New York. My 7th time seeing what is labeled as THE WHO. I guess Pete has all rights to claim the name when he stands along side of Roger. Tonight they did all songs penned by Pete Townshend, except Mose Allisons’ “Young Man Blues” which was an encore. We arrived early to see an un-announced opening act The (New and Reformed?) NEW YORK DOLLS.

The Who: Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, with “Rabbit”, Zak Starkey, Simon Townshend, Pino Palladino

We sat in the very last row middle of MSG, so far back from the band but a delight.

Taken from Wiki:

Typical May/June set list[edit]

1″I Can’t Explain”

2″Substitute”

3″Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”

4″Who Are You”

5″Behind Blue Eyes”

6″Baba O’Riley”

7″The Punk and the Godfather”

8″5.15”

9″Love, Reign O’er Me”

10″Eminence Front”

11″Drowned” (Townshend solo acoustic)

12″Naked Eye”

13″Real Good Looking Boy”

14″You Better You Bet”

15″My Generation“/”Old Red Wine”

16″Won’t Get Fooled Again”

17″Pinball Wizard”

18″Amazing Journey”

19″Sparks”

20″See Me, Feel Me”

21″Magic Bus”

“Young Man Blues” (Mose Allison) (New York only)

Murray The K’s Music In The 5th Dimension | RKO 58 St Theater (28 shows over nine days and nights) featuring: Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels, Wilson Pickett, The Who, Hardly-Worthit Players, Cream, Blues Magoos, The Blues Project, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Jim & Jean, Mandala, The Chicago Loop, Phil Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel, The Young Rascals

Murray The K’s Music In The 5th Dimension | RKO 58 St Theater (28 shows over nine days and nights) featuring:

Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels, Wilson Pickett, The Who, Hardly-Worthit Players, Cream, Blues Magoos, The Blues Project, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Jim & Jean, Mandala, The Chicago Loop, Phil Ochs, Simon & Garfunkel, The Young Rascals

(udiscovermusic.com)When both The Who and Cream made their live debut in America, it could hardly have been any less auspicious. It happened for both of them on 25 March 1967 at the RKO Keith Theater on 58th and 3rd Ave in New York City. The shows were redolent of the old 1940s variety shows with a bill packed with artists that actually began at 10 o’clock in the morning and ran all day with a movie thrown in for good measure. All the artists on the bill played five shows a day and it was grueling; the whole thing was promoted by New York’s legendary DJ, Murray the K.

The Who and Cream, or The Cream as they were billed, were well down the bill. Headlining were Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Wilson Pickett, with Buddy Miles was on drums, The Hardly Worthit Players, The Mandala, the Chicago Loop, Simon & Garfunkel, Jim & Jean, Phil Ochs, The Young Rascals and The Blues Project, Al Kooper’s band.

ON THE TURNTABLE: February 15,1964 -“Meet The Beatles” is the #1 album in the US- Billboard

ON THE TURNTABLE: February 15,1964 -“Meet The Beatles” is the #1 album in the US- Billboard

According to Billboard Magazine, February 15, 1964, The Beatles have the #1 album and #1 single on the US charts. This particular period in BEATLES HISTORY is virtually a goldmine for record collectors. Singles and albums were available on different labels. With the advent of The Beatles performance on Sullivan and all the hoopla surrounding that event, in a short period of time I’d accumulated many BEATLES’ 45s, some were issued by Swan Records, Tollie Records, EMI Records, Capitol Records, MGM Records, ATCO Records and Vee-Jay Records.This got me thinking as to why so many BEATLE records were released at the same moment in time and why on different labels (a magical moment in record collecting).

During most of 1963 while THE BEATLES were having hit after hit in the UK, CAPITOL (US) RECORDS (a subsidiary of EMI/PARLOPHONE the British record company which signed THE BEATLES) continually rejected to release stateside the Beatles singles to which they were offered. Another company, VEE-JAY RECORDS, inadvertently picked up the “right of first refusal” to The Beatles catelogue. And that’s how it begun…

During 1963, The BEATLES had 3 releases in “the colonies”
PLEASE PLEASE ME- February 1963(VEEJAY RECORDS)-a #1 hit in the UK.
FROM ME TO YOU-May 1963(VEEJAY RECORDS)-#1 in the UK, and a cover version by Del Shannon (June 63)
SHE LOVES YOU-September 1963(SWAN RECORDS)which had limited if any US airplay was a #1 hit in the UK.

Almost one full year after the first US 45 release “Please Please Me” bombed, BILLBOARD proclaims “Meet The Beatles” the Number 1 Album in the US. “Meet The Beatles” with its iconic cover was released on January 20,1964, just 20 days prior to their ED SULLIVAN performance (Feb 9th). However, this their first album for CAPITOL RECORDS was actually THE BEATLES second US release.And to confuse matters that iconic photo is the cover of the British album “With The Beatles”, their 2nd UK album.

All this is a bit confusing when researched, as The Beatles’ CAPITOL RECORDS releases were quite different from the actual EMI/Parlophone British releases. US records limit sides to 12 songs AND prefer the hit to be included. So, we find different songs, sequences of songs, cover art, album names, etc, which makes this all the merrier for a record collector. Fortunately,The Beatles took control (another law suit) of this mixing and matching prior to the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.

To set the record (pun intended) straight the first BEATLES album to be released in the US was “Introducing…THE BEATLES” on VeeJay Records beating(LOL) ”Meet The Beatles” by ten days . “Introducing… The Beatles” on VeeJay Records was scheduled for a July (1963) release but the company ran into money problems which later was a factor in their demise as well as losing their “Right of first refusal” option. To find more about what happened to VEE-JAY which had a goldmine at their feet (the right of first refusal of Beatles records) I checked out a copy of (February 15,1964) BILLBOARD, “U.S. ROCKS & REELS FROM BEATLES’ INVASION. There I found a short piece by Nick Biro detailing a legal action taking place (Feb 5,1964) in Chicago Appellate Court whereby Capitol Records was seeking a further injunction from VEE-JAY records rights to sell “Beatle products”. VeeJay Records, an independent record company based in Chicago, needed to post a $30,000 bond which they did.

The background info I dug up concluded (on my part) that Capitol Records(US) continually rejecting BEATLES singles pissed off the head of the mother company EMI so much so that their CEO in a personal visit to Los Angeles ordered (Nov 63) their US subsidiary CAPITOL to “commence promoting and releasing Beatles records” (an album and singles) immediately.EMI had 35 songs, mostly hits, and with a new UK album “With The Beatles” ready to go. VEE-JAY Records owned the rights to 14 other songs(8 Lennon-McCartney originals) which actually was the first EMI British album “Please, Please Me”. If and when THE (Capitol)BEATLES ads hit Vee-Jay was sitting on a possible huge pile of money.

Meanwhile, a separate US indie company SWAN RECORDS picked up the option on another song and(September 63) released “She Loves You” which sold poorly and did not chart.(Note: Dick Clark was a part owner of SWAN and tried the record out on “American Bandstand-Rate a Record segment”. It received a 71%-poor, and the kids “laughed” at the band photo. Clark was not impressed with the tune.“I figured these guys were going nowhere.”  But as Clark would later acknowledge, “We all found out the truth soon enough.”

December of 63, Brian Epstein called SWAN RECORDS wanting to know how “She Loves You” which a huge hit in Britain, was doing in America. They replied that the record was “a stiff.”  Epstein informed the company that the Beatles were going to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show. Bernie Binnick, the CEO of SWAN was unimpressed with this info telling Epstein he “blew it,” saying he should have had the Beatles appear on American Bandstand rather than The Ed Sullivan Show, suggesting that Clark’s show was more popular. (Payola strikes again-LOL).

January 3, 1964-America finally sees THE BEATLES performing “She Loves You” via a live clip shown on the JACK PAAR SHOW, a Friday night variety show. Paar marveled at how “Beatlemania” was capturing the youthful British audience. The following Monday, “She Loves You” sales exploded.So much so that a re-issued version was pressed to meet the demand. By March 21,1964 “She Loves You” is the #1 record in the land, selling over 1 million copies. Great news for SWAN which now had a “temporary” windfall of cash. Unfortunetly, SWAN lost its option on future BEATLES records as their contract stipulated SWAN had to sell 50,000 copies of that single in their first 1963 offering, which it did not.

VEE-JAY Records on the other hand,was the most successful black-run label before Motown, and one of the most important record companies of the period. When VeeJay pursued (1962) EMI artist Frank Ifield for his hit “I Remember You,” they “had to agreed” to take the unknown Beatles along as part of the deal. So Vee-Jay gets 14 Beatles recordings, eight which are original tunes. These 14 tunes are aka the British “Please,Please Me” album which included “I Saw Her Standing There”,”Misery”,”Anna”,”Chains”,”Boys”, “Ask Me Why”,”Please Please Me”, “Love Me Do”, “P.S. I Love You”, “Baby, It’s You”, “Do You Want To Know A Secret”, “A Taste of Honey”, “There’s A Place”, and “Twist and Shout”.

As stated before most US album generally were released having 12 songs so to conform to this unwritten standard the VEE-JAY album dropped “Ask Me Why” and “Please Please Me” for their album release, later selling those as singles. “Love Me Do” was also issued as a single by the VEEJAY subsidiary TOLLIE RECORDS. This event did not go unnoticed by Capitol. The movement of songs is where VEE-JAY later ran afoul with the courts.When confronted,VEE-JAY quickly revised a second pressing (re-issue January 27,1964) to include “Ask Me Why” and “Please Please Me”. Seems “PS I Love You” and “Love Me Do” on the original VeeJay release were published by Beechwood Music, a subsidiary of Capitol Records and should have been deleted or a royalty paid,neither which happened.
(Also, of note to collectors the VeeJay Records “I Saw Her Standing There” starts at “four”, missing the “One, two, three” that Paul counted in. The company thought the count in was to be deleted.)

Transglobal,an EMI subsidiary, cancels as “null and void” the VEE-JAY contract as of August 8,1963 due to lack of payment of royalties,thereby relinquishing all rights back to CAPITOL Records. However, VEE-JAY had the original pressing stored for the past few months. Also,VEE-JAY’s contract for “She Loves You” would expire October 64 when all rights would be retained by Capitol. Shipments sent and await court to decide.

Capitol Records, Inc. v. Vee Jay Records, Inc., 197 N.E.2d 503 (Ill. App. Ct. 1964)
Appellate Court of Illinois
Filed: March 19th, 1964
Precedential Status: Precedential
Citations: 197 N.E.2d 503, 47 Ill. App. 2d 468
Docket Number: Gen. No. 49,470
Judges: Bryant

…Although to date there has never been any kind of hearing as to the merits it is important to note that both Capitol Records and Vee Jay Records claim that each has a superior right to manufacture and sell “Beatles” records in the United States. Although 472 prior to this suit there was only one duplication in recordings between the parties, each party alleges that it has expended considerable funds to promote the “Beatles” in the United States and that the other party is unfairly reaping the benefits of these expenditures. The rights of Vee Jay Records stem from a contract entered into in January, 1963, allowing it an exclusive license to manufacture and sell “Beatles” recordings in the United States under certain conditions for five years. This contract was entered into with Transglobal which in turn secured its rights from EMI. There are allegations that the Vee Jay contract was terminated because of failure to make statements of sales and failure to pay royalties. There are certain rights to four recordings which Vee Jay may possess following termination, but there are allegations that these rights, if they exist, do not extend to thirteen other songs which presently appear on an LP being marketed by Vee Jay.[*] Capitol, on the other hand, secured its rights directly from EMI following the alleged termination of Vee Jay’s contract rights.

[**] The four recordings to which Vee Jay Records may have a right to continue producing after termination until February, 1964, at least without having had a construction of the contract, are: “Please, Please Me,” “Ask Me Why,” “From Me to You,” and “Thank You, Girl.” The main controversy centers around Vee Jay’s LP, “Introducing the Beatles” which Capitol alleges was not produced at all until just prior to the present action and which appears to be selling in competition with or as substitution for Capitol’s LP “Meet the Beatles.”

THE TIMELINE-
Article Citation:
Jack Doyle, “Beatles in America, 1963-1964,”
PopHistoryDig.com, September 20, 2009.
January 1963
George Martin of EMI in London sends a copy of “Please Please Me” to U.S. subsidiary Capitol Records, urging executives there to distribute Beatles’ songs in the U.S. They decline, saying: “We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in this market.”  Lesser known labels then begin picking up Beatles’1963 songs for U.S. release.
Vee-Jay single of Beatles’ “Please Please Me,” in Feb 1963, distinguished by ‘Beattles’ mis-spelling, later corrected.
25 Jan 1963
Vee-Jay record label of Chicago obtains a contract to release limited number of Beatles records in the U.S. for a limited time period.
25 Feb 1963
“Please Please Me”/ “Ask Me Why” released as single on Vee-Jay label.  The song is played on Chicago’s WLS radio station where it reaches No. 35 on WLS music survey in March, but does not chart nationally; not on Billboard.
27 May 1963
“From Me To You” / “Thank You Girl” released as a single by Vee-Jay, but is barely visible; No. 116 on August Billboard chart, drops off thereafter.
16 Sept 1963
“She Loves You” / “I’ll Get You” released in U.S. by Swan Records, a Philadelphia label, but does not chart on Billboard.
31 Oct 1963
American TV variety show host, Ed Sullivan, traveling to London, has his arrival delayed at London Heathrow Airport by a screaming crowd of teens welcoming the Beatles home from a tour of Sweden.  Sullivan has his first thoughts of booking these rising British music stars with strange haircuts — perhaps as novelty act.
11-12 Nov 1963
Beatles manager Brian Epstein travels to New York and persuades Ed Sullivan to book the Beatles for an unprecedented three consecutive appearances on Sullivan’s much-watched Sunday evening variety show — February 9th, 16th and 23rd, 1964.  CBS-TV gets one year’s exclusive rights to the Beatles’ U.S. television appearances.
15 Nov 1963
Time magazine take notice of the “Beatlemania” craze sweeping England and the Beatles’ command performance for British royalty in London.
16 Nov1963
CBS News bureau London — at the suggestion of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein — sends a news crew to the British seaside resort of Bournemouth where they film a Beatles concert, thousands of screaming fans, and a few Beatles’ comments on camera.  This film clip is later sent to New York.
Mid-late Nov 1963
Brian Epstein phones Capitol Records president Alan Livingston over label’s refusal to distribute Beatles songs in America.  Epstein urges Livingston to listen to the U.K. single, “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” while mentioning the Beatles’ upcoming 1964 Ed Sullivan Show appearances as a big opportunity for Capitol.  Livingston later agrees to spend $40,000 for Beatles promotion, equal to about $250,000 in today’s money.
18 Nov 1963
NBC’s evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, airs a four-minute segment on the Beatles.
22 Nov 1963
U.K. album, With The Beatles, is released in the U.K., rising to No. 1 on the British album charts and remaining there for 21 weeks.  With The Beatles becomes the Beatles’ first million-selling album in Britain, and the second album of any kind in Britain to sell one million copies, the first being the South Pacific soundtrack.
22 Nov 1963
The “CBS Morning News With Mike Wallace” runs a story on the Beatles for the network’s morning news show.  CBS planned to repeat the segment that evening on Walter Cronkite’s newscast.  However, that day, in mid afternoon, Walter Cronkite was breaking the tragic news to a shocked nation that their President, John F. Kennedy, had been shot and killed while visiting Dallas, Texas.
29 Nov 1963
The Beatles’ single “I Want To Hold Your Hand” is released in the U.K. and immediately hits No. 1 on the British pop charts.
29 Nov 1963
Radio station KIOA in Des Moines, Iowa begins playing “I Saw Her Standing There” from a Drake University student’s copy of Beatle’s U.K. album, Please Please Me, and a few days later, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” from a U.K. Beatles’ single  (see sidebar story below).
1 Dec 1963
The New York Times Sunday Magazine, runs a story on “Beatlemania” in the U.K.
4 Dec 1963
Capitol Records issues a press release announcing that it will begin selling the Beatles’ first U.S. 45 rpm single, “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” on Monday, January 13th, 1964.
10 Dec 1963
A four-minute CBS film segment on The Beatles that had been pre-empted by the JFK tragedy is aired on Walter Cronkite’s  CBS Evening News. 
17 Dec 1963
Radio disc jockey Carroll James at Washington. D.C. station WWDC, plays rare U.K. copy of  “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the radio after 15-year-old girl from Silver Spring, MD wrote to him  requesting Beatles music after seeing the CBS-news segment.  James arranged to have an airline stewardess buy a U.K. copy of the Beatles’ latest single in London.  Listeners phone in repeatedly to request the song.
18-19 Dec 1963
Capitol Records threatens to sue WWDC to stop playing song, but then reverses itself and decides to rush-release “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” previously scheduled for  January 13, 1964.  Christmas leave is canceled at Capitol Records, as pressing plants and staff gear up for rush release.
23 Dec 1963
Capitol Records issues a memo to its sales people and regional managers across the country, outlining an extensive “Beatles Campaign” using various promotional items — from major music magazine trade ads and a fake tabloid Beatles newspaper (reprinted in the thousands), to Beatle buttons, Beatle stickers, Beatle wigs, and a battery-powered, “Beatles-in-motion,” bobble-head-like, window display for music stores.
26 Dec 1963
Capitol Records begins distributing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to radio stations in major U.S. cities where it is played regularly.  With teens home for Christmas-New Years break, radios get full-time use, and the record begins selling like crazy.  In New York City, 10,000 copies are sold every hour.  In the first three days, 250,000 copies are  sold.  Capitol was so overloaded it contracted Columbia Records and RCA to help with the pressings.
28 Dec 1963
The New Yorker magazine publishes a Brian Epstein interview; regarded as first serious article in U.S. about the Beatles and their manager.
29 Dec 1963
New York city radio station WMCA joins others  broadcasting “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”  Back in London, meanwhile, Sunday Times critic Richard Buckle praises the Beatles as the greatest composers since Beethoven.
30 Dec 1963
A two-page ad from Capitol Records pitching the Beatles’ recordings runs in Billboard and Cash Box music industry magazines.  Bulk reprints of these ads have already been distributed to Capitol’s sales agents for use with radio stations and in enlarged, easel-scale size for use in music store displays across the country.
3 Jan 1964
Jack Paar, host of the late night U.S. TV talk show, “The Jack Paar Show,” airs a filmed Beatles’ performance of “She Loves You” from England.  It is the first complete Beatles song shown on American TV, and for many in America, the first time they see The Beatles.
10 Jan 1964
Vee-Jay Records releases the first Beatles album in the U.S., Introducing…The Beatles.  Legal and business issues plague the album, but by late fall, it would sell more than 1.3 million copies.
10 Jan 1964
Two weeks after the Capitol Records release of “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” sales hit 1 million copies — a staggering number at that time for an unknown music group from overseas.
mid-Jan 1964
Vee-Jay Records’ issues special record sleeves for promoting “Please Please Me” to radio DJs,  noting Beatles’ clip on Jack Paar’s show, upcoming Ed Sullivan Show dates, and national news coverage in Time, Life & Newsweek magazines.
17 Jan 1964
“I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles is the No. 1 single in America.
20 Jan 1964
Capitol Records issues Meet the Beatles, the Beatles’ first Capitol album in the U.S.
20 Jan 1964
To promote the Meet The Beatles album and their upcoming first American visit, Capitol Records distributes pre-recorded interview with the Beatles to American radio stations.
29 Jan 1964
Capitol Records announced in a press releases, that Meet the Beatles had already sold 400,000 copies by January 27th.
30 Jan 1964
Vee-Jay Records releases, for the second time, the single “Please Please Me” / “From Me to You,”  entering the Billboard chart at No. 69.  It would later reach No. 3, and Vee-Jay would sell at least 1.1 million copies.
7 Feb 1964
At about 1:20 p.m. the Beatles arrive at Kennedy International Airport in New York where they are greeted by 3,000 screaming teenagers, 200 reporters and photographers, and more than 100 New York police officers.  At a televised press conference the Beatles come off as witty, charming and playful.
9 Feb 1964
Elvis Presley sends The Beatles a telegram wishing them well in their upcoming Ed Sullivan Show appearance later that evening.
9 Feb 1964
Beatles perform live on The Ed Sullivan Show, reaching a record-breaking audience of 73 million, or according to A.C. Nielsen, 23.2 million households.  One estimate at 40% of population.  They perform five songs: “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”
31 Mar 1964
The Beatles hold the top five slots on Billboard: (1) Can’t Buy Me Love, (2) Twist and Shout, (3) She Loves You, (4) I Want To Hold Your Hand (5) Please Please Me — a musical first.
10 Apr 1964
The Beatles’ Second Album is released by Capitol Records, which replaces
the Beatles first Capitol album, Meet The Beatles, at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart from May 5th to June 2nd.
11 Apr 1964
The Beatles hold 14 slots on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
14 Apr 1964
The Beatles’ Second Album reaches $1 million in sales by this date.

Top Five Albums:Feb 15,1964

1Meet The Beatles-The Beatles

2 The Singing Nun

3 In The Wind-Peter,Paul and Mary

4 Little Deuce Coupe-The Beach Boys

5 West Side Story_Soundtrack

and

22 Introducing…The Beatles

April 5,1964 Top Singles-BILLBOARD Magazine

1: Can’t Buy Me Love (jumped 27 spots):THE BEATLES

2: Twist And Shout:THE BEATLES

3:She Loves You:THE BEATLES

4:I Want To Hold Your Hand:THE BEATLES

5:Please Please Me:THE BEATLES

April 11,1964 BILLBOARD Magazine
1.      Can’t Buy Me Love
2.      Twist & Shout
4.      She Loves You
7.      I Want To Hold Your Hand
9.      Please Please Me
14.    …Want to Know a Secret
38.    …Saw Her Standing There
48.    You Can’t Do That
50.    All My Loving
52.    From Me To You
61.    Thank You Girl
74.    There’s A Place
78.    Roll Over Beethoven
81.    Love Me Do

THE COLLECTOR’S GEMS
-The first Vee-Jay release “Introducing The Beatles” with “Love Me Do” on side one
-The second Vee-Jay with the changed sequences
-MGM 45 “My Bonnie/When The Saints Go Marching In
-TOLLIE 45 “Love Me Do” (american version features Alan White on drums. There are 3 versions of this song with three different drummers, Pete Best, Ringo Starr, and the one most heard with Alan White)
-ATCO 45 “Ain’t She Sweet”
-all early 45 picture sleeves
The Dream items for most collectors

1: The first issue VEE-JAY single of “Please Please Me” with the mis-spelling of the band as “The Beattles”

2: First issue (Sept 63) SWAN Records “She Loves You”

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: The KinKs (1969-1995)/ Ray Davies (1995-2010)

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: The KinKs (1969-1995)/ Ray Davies (1995-2010)

The KinKs
October 18, 1969 Fillmore East
February 21,1970 Fillmore East (cancelled)
March 26, 1971 SUNY@ Farmingdale
November 21,1971 Carnegie Hall
March 3,1972 Carnegie Hall
November 16,1972 Felt Forum
March 31,1973 St.John’s
April 6,1974 Felt Forum
November 28,1975 The Beacon
February 1, 1977 Palladium
August 1,1995 Westbury Music Fair

RAY DAVIES
October 19,1995 Academy on 43rd
February 17,1996 WestBeth Theatre
November 8,1996 WestBeth Theatre
October 20,1997 Westbury Music Fair
February 27,2010 Westbury Music Fair

THE KINKS:
October 18, 1969 Fillmore East
The KinKs was one of my favorite bands from the early British Invasion days. They had not played live in the USA in quite some time so this show scheduled for October 18 at FILLMORE EAST was a “must see” for me. From the very first time I heard YOU REALLY GOT ME on my small transistor radio I knew these guys were different. So when the opportunity to see The KinKs live became a reality I jumped at the chance. Four, balcony seats left side of stage, not too shabby a view and with a great sound system.

The Bonzo Dog Band opened the show. While the crowd waited for their “hit” URBAN SPACEMAN, we were treated to some of the best comedy, music, and visuals I had ever seen (in my limited experience). Just sheer joy, I laughed hysterically throughout their entire set. The singer pretending he was urinating on the light show, the silly hats they wore, the large eyeglasses, and hundreds of props. They were GREAT. Needless to say I purchased two Bonzo albums the next week.Then the amazing KinKs were introduced. Even though it was a short set and one without their pianist who as Ray Davies said, “cracked his skull” so Ray played piano for a few tunes. Overall, it was a fabulous set. Upon leaving the show I remember thinking, ahhh The KinKs and The Who, two of my favorite bands, all I need is The Stones and The Beatles. BTW SPIRIT, the headliners, hit the stage after The Kinks and were decent but Randy California is NOT Raymond Douglas Davies by any stretch of the imagination. So tonight it was The KinKs.

February 21,1970 Fillmore East (cancelled)
February in New York is always cold and this night February 21,1970 was extremely, extra cold, temperature wise and personally. Tickets were purchased for Savoy Brown, The KinKs, Renaissance, The Voices of East Harlem all at FILLMORE EAST. At the Fillmore The KinKs cancelled out at the last minute making my already sour mood worse. 

March 26, 1971 SUNY@ Farmingdale
Back in college The Concert Committee was in full force. We got POCO signed up for SPRING BREAK and I petitioned as hard as I could to follow that success up with The KinKs. Finally, the contract was signed and the committee discussed who would announce the band to the audience. My name was offered and I was excited but the name I put out, Ronny, another Kinks fan, was the guy chosen. WOW, we had the KinKs coming to my school and when it was all said and done that show was an experience like no other. I got to greet the band upon arrival and showed the dressing (locker) room to them. They were drinking bottles of gin as part of their pre show preparation. By the time the band hit the show they were intoxicated and intoxicating, amazingly good. I hid a tape recorder in the speaker pod and pressed “record” just as the band hit the stage. After the show I helped to put Ray Davies into a car while his brother already in that car argued that he would not ride in the same car as Ray, so Dave had to be escorted to the second car while the piano player had to be moved to Ray’s car. Ray was now out of his car stumbling around the parking lot. Finally, safely in their cars, away they went. I headed to the bar around the corner with some other Committee members to celebrate our success.
Opened with “Till The End of The Day”, “Mr. Wonderful”,”Sunny Afternoon” “All Day and All of the Night”,”You Really Got Me”, Brainwashed”. A few nights later, the fiasco of The KinKs at Philharmonic Hall occurred.

November 21,1971 Carnegie Hall
November 21: KinKs@ Carnegie Hall w/ Lindisfarne, a show of shows. I took my new partner to meet all the boys and girls from Brooklyn seated in the three “dress” tiers boxes for which we had tickets.A few cocktails at the bar, a few more at our seats, and we were ready to go.”Top Of The Pops” opens the show, “Brainwashed”,Waterloo Sunset” Victoria” “Acute Schizophrenia…””Big Sky” and the obligatory “YRGM” and “ADAAOTN”.

March 3,1972 Carnegie Hall
March 3:The KinKs at Carnegie Hall-We couldn’t get enough at the November show so here we go again (about 20 of us) seated once again in the dress circle box. Drinks at the bar, drinks at the seats…”opened with the same song as November “Top Of The Pops”, “You’re Looking Fine” Muswell Hillbillies””Apeman” “2oth Century Man””Skin and Bones”…and all recorded for the “Everbody’s In Show Biz” release. This was a rabid fan base, with paper plates(song requests), a beer duel with Ray during “Alcohol”, and just a supreme appreciation for the artistry known as The KinKs.

November 16,1972 Felt Forum
Nov 16 The KinKs w/Mom’s Apple Pie @ FELT FORUM The KinKs open with VICTORIA and are still with THE MIKE COTTON SOUND for a few numbers. There is a decent live bootleg (not mine) of this night as the show was recorded for official release.

March 31,1973 St.John’s
March 31: KinKs/ Argent @ St. John’s Univ.ARGENT “Hold your head up WOMAN” as Rod Argent recently instructed us as to the proper words to his song were amazing as an opening act should be and then The KinKs complete with paper plates a flying. Got some great shots that night also.

April 6,1974 Felt Forum
Apr6: KinKs @ FELT FORUM This was THE PRESERVATION ACT 1&2 Tour with Mike Cotton Sound, Miss Pamela, etc. As much as I love the KinKs this is my least favorite time seeing them in concert and on record. Boring.

November 28,1975
NOV 28: KinKs @ BEACON This was one of those SCHOOL BOYS IN DISGRACE shows that I hated. YUCK.The Cockney Rebels opened. Double yuck.

February 1, 1977 Palladium
FEBRUARY 1: THE KINKS (8th time)/ SUTHERLAND BROS & QUIVER @ Palladium . The KinKs are still one of my favs even after the SCHOOLBOYS, the 1 and 2, etc so I needed to see The SLEEPWALKER Tour .The boys opened with ONE OF THE SURVIVORS and closed with VICTORIA, yeah, my Kinda KinKs.

August 1,1995 Westbury Music Fair It’s been 18 years since my last KinKs outing…
Aug 1: THE KinKs @ Westbury
The Kinks Return–All Day and All of The Night
Thousands Rock at Music Fair
By Anthony Bosco
An eclectic group of more than 2,000 came out Monday night to see the Kinks perform the first of two shows at the Westbury Music fair. The band added another performance following a quick sellout of their opening night in the metropolitan area.The band, led by brother Ray and Dave Davies in full force, reunited with former keyboardist Ian Gibbons for a quick tour of the eastern United States that stopped at Long Island this week. It was the first time in two years that the band from England has visited the New York City area.
“The Kinks have just arrived,” said band leader and songwriter Ray, 51, after playing several solo acoustic numbers to kick off the show. “A Well Respected Man,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” and “Stop Your Sobbing” were among the acoustic tunes Davies played before the other four band members joined him on stage. The house lights dimmed and the Kinks ripped through a raucous version of “Do It Again” from the band’s 1984 album Word of Mouth. Several hard rocking Kinks singles followed, including “Low Budget,” “A Gallon of Gas” and “Sleepwalker.” But this was not a night of hard rock. At their most poignant, the Kinks easily slipped in and out of some of their most touching tunes.Reading an impromptu set list from paper plates that littered the stage, Davies led the Kinks in moving versions of “Dead End Street,” “Rock-N-Roll Fantasy” and “Waterloo Sunset.”
With fans ranging in age from pre-teen to post-middle age, Davies and his cohorts reached all with their trademark hits, including “Come Dancing,” “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night” and “Lola.”Dressed in a Union Jack suit, Davies said, “Who knows, this might be the last time?” before leading the band in the English anthem “Victoria.” The set was short, lasting no more than an hour and 45 minutes, but the Kinks, as always, didn’t let their core group of fans down, nearly spanning a career of more than 30 years in just one night.
The Kinks, formed in 1964 by the brothers Davies, were part of the first British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five. A series of commercial failures and disappointing record sales has not forced the band into retirement but into another phase of its musical history.A new acoustic CD called To the Bone has already been released in Europe and is slated for release here in the states in December or January. Davies has also recently released his first book, an autobiographical yarn called X-Ray, available in Europe and slated to be released on this side of the Atlantic in the fall.
The Kinks are scheduled to be back in New York City next month for a one-night show in Manhattan.

RAY DAVIES(Storyteller-Solo-The 88)

October 19,1995 Academy on 43rd
Oct 19: RAY DAVIES Storyteller #1 The Academy on 43rd
RAY DAVIES NYC ? Unplugged?(author unknown)
There was much to enthuse over. Davies ran through most of the Kinks’ hits in unplugged mode; himself on acoustic guitar with one guitarist accompanying him. This nudged the audience into realising what fine, durable songs they are: 30 years on, not one sounds dated or immature. We have long known that Waterloo Sunset, Days and Lola are classics; this treatment conferred equal status on minor hits such as Autumn Almanac and Dead End Street. Between classics , Davies read excerpts from his autobiographical X-Ray and told anecdotes: upstaging the Beatles on a package tour, growing up in Muswell Hill with younger brother Dave and older sisters. Mum frowned on the girls playing Billy Eckstine’s That Old Black Magic: the words were too sexy. Davies then sang it, a cappella, with a cheeky smile. “Mum was right,” he said finally: If you could bottle his charm you’d be rich

February 17,1996:Ray Davies: Storyteller@ WestBeth Theatre
Feb 17: RAY DAVIES @ Westbeth Theatre(program) NYC
POP REVIEW;The Life of Ray Davies Through Word and Song
By NEIL STRAUSS FEB. 16, 1996
In “20th-Century Man: An Evening With Ray Davies,” on Wednesday night at a Westbeth Theater Center decorated to look like an English pub, Mr. Davies of the Kinks chronicled his life in song and spoken word. His account, based on his recent autobiography, “X-Ray” (Overlook Press), took him from normal child to misfit teen-ager to upstart musician to exploited songwriter to wistful old-timer. There was one stage, however, missing from this chronology: the glory years of a star. For Mr. Davies, a life in the limelight was derailed in the late 60’s when he was temporarily banned from touring America and embroiled in a series of lawsuits over music publishing.
Despite a career spent in the shadows of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who, Mr. Davies developed into one of pop’s greatest songwriters. This he demonstrated by performing acoustic versions of “Waterloo Sunset,” “A Well-Respected Man,” “Victoria,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” “Lola” and “The Village Green Preservation Society,” occasionally updating a lyric or two.
For a songwriter of Mr. Davies’s stature, Wednesday’s show (with Pete Mathison accompanying him on guitar) was surprisingly intimate, honest and well-staged. Sometimes his stories put the audience into a bygone era, as when he played his first hit, “You Really Got Me,” once after conjuring up the song’s recording session and a second time after speaking about its stressful but successful performance when the band was an opening act for a show by a cocky Beatles.
At other times, Mr. Davies offered new ways of listening to his songs, as when he interpreted “Two Sisters,” about the tension between a sibling who has settled into domesticity and another who lives a luxurious single life, as an analogy for his own jealousy of the freedom of his brother and band mate, Dave.
When old songs didn’t fit into Mr. Davies’s narration, he played new ones. Though these numbers depicted specific life experiences — a crush on an art-school student, a kinship with a neighborhood hunchback — Mr. Davies always stepped back in the choruses to make a larger point about pretension (in the first song) or how there is more to a person than can be seen by the eye or an X-ray (in the second). These songs, written in his late-60’s style, showed that Mr. Davies’s powers as a lyricist have hardly waned and that his voice was still capable of hitting the sweet high notes that can turn detailed observation into perfect pop.
The performance continues through March 3 at the Westbeth Theater, 151 Bank Street, in the West Village.

November 8,1996 Ray Davies: Storyteller@WestBeth Theatre (see above- second time)

October 20,1997:Ray Davies@ Westbury Music Fair(no notes) w/ Joe Bonamassa

February 27,2010: Ray Davies and The 88@Westbury Music Fair
The 88 open the show, Ray does his acoustic thing and then rewards the crowd with a stunning, KinKs hits filled electric set with THE 88 backing. Wow, what a way to head out of the place.

Over the last few years I saw DAVE DAVIES twice in small clubs with pick up bands. Not as exciting as a Ray show and not nearly enough to be called a KinKs show, even though he did some KinKs hits. The shows coincided with the release of his autobiography KINK and his album “Bug”.