BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:
...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.
And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for
THE
NIGHT TRAIN
SHOW
WITH
ARNIE
"WOO WOO"
GINSBURG
on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!
COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!
"Little Bitty Girl" - Bobby Rydell
(Mar./Apr. 1960, highest chart pos. #19 Hot 100/#43 Cash Box)
From Philly, PA - that was teen idol Bobby Rydell kicking-off the show with
"Little Bitty Girl," the B side of his 1960 top 3 charting hit single "Wild One."
The record was a doublesider because "Little Bitty Girl" cracked the top 20.
It's a frantic friendly Friday in Beantown
and I'm Arnie Ginsburg - The Woo Woo
(CHOO-CHOO WHISTLE) for you-you.
Welcome to The Night Train Show
on WMEX in Boston Mass, with simul-
casts on YouTube and on sister station
S-P-M-M -- Retrosonic Radio. This is
another special SOLID COLD edition.
Every record on tonight's program has a
cold open aka a cold intro. In the late 50s
to mid 60s when my "Wimex" show was
big in Beantown, many if not most 45s
had cold intros. I'm all set to bring you
the tops in pops, so don't touch that dial.
Up next, The Duprees. In the fall of 1962 their debut single "You Belong To Me"
brushed the top 5. From the Wim-ex Tune-dex, here's the group's follow-up.
It's another great sound and another hit that peaked in the top 15 at the
end of the year. The Duprees-- "My Own True Love!"
"My Own True Love" - The Duprees
(Dec. 1962, highest chart pos. #13 Hot 100/#16 Cash Box)
You just heard the fabulous Duprees, the Italian-American vocal quintet
from Jersey City, performing their second hit single "My Own True Love."
If the tune sounds familiar, it's because the melody is "Tara's Theme"
from the soundtrack of the epic 1939 film Gone With The Wind.
Checkin' the Wimex "Don't be late for
your date on a Friday night (CUCKOO)
cuckoo time," it's 8:05. You're listening
to Old Leather Lungs, Arnie Ginsburg,
on Boston's Big X and S-P-M-M... the
station with personality. Here now are
The Capris, the doo-wop vocal group
from Queens, New York, that scored
a top 3 hit in 1961 with "There's A
Moon Out Tonight." I think you'll
get the message that these guys
are terrific when you hear them
sing "Morse Code Of Love."
"Morse Code Of Love" - The Capris (Jan. 1982 single)
A keen sound in Beantown...
those are The Capris with
"Morse Code Of Love."
Believe it or nuts...
that record was made
in the early 80s, but it
brings back the authentic
doo-wop sound of the late 50s
and early 60's. "Morse Code
Of Love" is a popular play
on Oldies radio channels.
To this day, audiences and
DJs alike assume that it's
an unreleased gem of the
genre waxed by the original
Capris group decades earlier.
Hey, wanna look your best for less? Make it over to your pal Mal's.
You'll love to shop where savings are tops... and Mal's tops them all. Remember,
Mal's clothes are the people's choice. Be sure to tell him Arnie Ginsburg sent you.
I was at the hop at Surf Nantasket last Friday night with the Three D's
and I had a mess of requests for our hit commercial, all about
your pal Mal's at 1016 Great Plain Ave. in Needham.
So if you're all set, let's listen to yours truly, Old Achin' Adenoids, Arnie Ginsburg,
trying my best to sing along with Mal and The Three D's doing the "Pal Mal Rock!"
"Pal Mal Rock" - The Three D's feat. Arnie Ginsburg
COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!
"Splish Splash" - Bobby Darin (June/July 1958, highest
chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100, perf. on May 2, 1959,
episode of The Dick Clark Show aka Dick Clark's
Saturday Night Beechnut Show)
of the show, that was Bobby Darin in 1959 making a "Splish Splash"
with an exciting live performance on The Dick Clark Show.
you were reminded that the pop music program was also known
as
Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show.
A top 3 hit in 1958, "Splish Splash"
is the song responsible for giving
Bobby Darin's recording career
a major boost. As you heard,
the lyrics mention characters
from other hit songs of the
50s including "Lollipop,"
"Peggy Sue" and "Good
Golly Miss Molly."
If you're just now
tuning in, this is
The Ginsburg-Go
on Color Radio...
and here's one of the longest
lasting and most successful
R&B vocal groups of all time,
The Drifters. They've got the
#12 sound in Good Guys town.
It's "Some Kind Of Wonderful!"
"Some Kind Of Wonderful" - The Drifters
(Apr./May 1961, highest chart pos. #6 R&B/#11 Cash Box/#32 Hot 100)
Not to be confused with the 1967 hit
by the Soul Brothers Six, that was a
different song with the same title -
"Some Kind Of Wonderful" - this
one written by Gerry Goffin and
Carole King and first recorded by
The Drifters in 1961. That Drifters
single brushed the top 5 on the R&B
chart and made a run at the top 10 on
Cash Box. For some reason, it didn't
do as well on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, stopping short of the top 30.
Arnie Ginsburg on WMEX and
S-P-M-M, your host up and down
the New England coast 7 nights
a week. I'm gonna play this next
record just because - just because
I like it, just because it was a big
hit... and "Just Because" it's by
R&B great Lloyd Price!
"Just Because" - Lloyd Price
(Mar.Apr. 1957, highest chart pos. #3 R&B,
#22 Cash Box/#29 Hot 100)
That was another SOLID COLD blast
from the past on the Ginsburg Show,
a rebound sound from the spring of
1957, Louisiana-born R&B singer
Lloyd Price with "Just Because."
Golly, that's all the time I have
for this second SOLID COLD
edition of my world famous
NIGHT TRAIN
SHOW
I hope you had fun.
I know I did.
Stick around. Coming up on the flip side of Gary Owens' news,
your rowdy rodent of the radio, Denny the Dell Rat, will be
here to bust your brain with another Mom & Pop Quiz
in his exclusive Shady's Place series
DENNY THE DELL RAT
WANTS TO KNOW.....
and I'll be back soon to spin more Wimex Winners here on
S-P-M-M... the station that's #1 for music and fun.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
To sing us off, Neil Sedaka with "Oh! Carol," a song he wrote for Carole King,
and a big hit it was - reaching its zenith at number 5 around Christmas 1959.
Now this is Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg saying so long and take care!
"Oh! Carol" - Neil Sedaka
(Nov./Dec. 1959, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#9 Hot 100,
perf. on December 05, 1959, ep. of The Dick Clark Show
aka Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show)
Oh! Carol
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteAh, Splish Splash! You just made me flashback to my childhood - I loved listening to that song with dad and also at school. You just put a smile on my face. :)
Ah, Bobby Rydell. Not too talked about here anymore, but dad and a lot of his friends still talk about him up a storm. Lloyd Price too. You got me grooving this morning, dear friend.
I hope that you have a great day.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWow, you're the early early Early Bird this week, dear friend! Thanks for coming over in the predawn darkness to enjoy this solid COLD edition of Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg's Night Train Show.
Yesum, isn't that a great performance by Bobby Darin to kick-off part 2 of Arnie's show? The teens in the audience were chewing their B-nut gum to beat the band, and I loved how Bobby made his way from the rear of the theater down to the stage, adding to the excitement.
As I'm sure your dad knows, Robert Louis Ridarelli, stage name Bobby Rydell, died last April just shy of his 80th birthday. He was my favorite of the group of Philadelphia-based teenage singing idols that emerged in the late 50s.
In my youth, I didn't appreciate the recordings of Lloyd Price nearly as much as I do in recent years. Lloyd was a giant of New Orleans style R&B.
i'm glad Arnie's tuneage got you movin' and groovin' as you start your day. Thanks again for coming early, dear friend JM. Have a "Frantic Friendly Friday" (Arnie's words) and a safe and happy weekend!
Hi Shady,
DeleteI wanted to offer my condolences, I thought of you when I heard about the news of Jerry Blavit. We saw the signs memoralizing him in Philadelphia this weekend. I was helping David with directions and couldn't pull out my phone. We were also traveling at a decent speed, I probably wouldn't have been able to capture any photos for you.
This tuneage got me ready for the Lunar New Year on Sunday. I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for the week ahead.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for coming back over, dear friend! Yessum, I've got the blues after learning a couple of days ago that The Geator died. I'll bet there were memorials galore all over the Delaware Valley for the beloved Philadelphia radio and TV legend. His spirited banter will surely be missed. Jerry followed his own advice. He kept on rockin' until the very end, knowing that you only rock once.
I'm glad you checked out the tuneage one more time before the post gets bumped tamale morning. I invite you back over in the days ahead when your friend and mine, Denny the Dell Rat, will bust your brain with a music quiz. You might need your dad's help to pass Denny's test. :)
Thanks again for thinking about me when you learned of Jerry Blavat's death. Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend JM!
Hello Mr. Shady and hope you are qell. Harley says woof and is so happy dragging daddy around the park. I have to say I never heard of the first song and it's OK but nuttin special...to me thaT is.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed True Love and never would have thought it was from Tara's Theme.
I love the Morse Code and was shocked that it was done in the 1980s. Its very retro while Pal Mal made me think of Happy Days and the Fonz.
Splash Splash is a great song and boy can Bobby Darren move and groove...what a shame he died so young.
I ha not heard of the next 2 songs but they are fun a that singer from Because has such a nice clear voice.
Neil Sedaka is great and if I was with hi. All decked out like calendar girl I would feel safe. He hives out that quality. This is a nice tune even when he starts to talk o the middle
Have a great weekend. Busy weekend for me but hopefully it will be a good one where I finally get the Christmas stuff packed up. I will be visiting my friends and washing Peter's hair. Poor guy.have great weekend.
Hi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks for coming so soon, dear friend! You're a Same Day Sally and Early Bird runner-up!
Woof to my buddy Harley! That was a very funny story you told about Harley dragging your hubby along with him as he chased a squirrel. I wonder if Harley is any relation to The Little Rascals' dog Petey from the Our Gang shorts?
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/famous-dogs-rip/13/
Or maybe Harley is related to Dennis the Menace! :)
I'm happy that you liked some of Arnie Ginsburg's vintage doo-wop songs. I have always favored Bobby Rydell over other Philly teen idols, and since he died within the past year, and I wanted to include something by him. I found a DES (digitally extracted stereo) upload of "Little Bitty Girl," a B side that I never posted before on either of my blogs, and plugged it in as Arnie's show opener.
Yessum, it's easy to understand why modern DJs and listeners think "Morse Code" was waxed in the 50s or early 60s. The Capris capture the sound of the period perfectly.
Arnie's lengthy intro to the "Pal Mal Rock" musical commercial is taken word for word from his 1961 volume of the Cruisin' series, the record albums that I owned and played heavily in my 20s. Unfortunately, when the series was reissued on CD, many of the original songs were cut and other songs substituted. The editing is rough, not the same seamless flow that made the original vinyl albums a totally authentic listening experience.
Yessum, Bobby Darin was a great entertainer, and it's a doggone shame he left us so soon. Lloyd Price was a pioneer of the New Orleans R&B sound. I am appreciating Lloyd's output more and more with every passing year. Lloyd died in 2021, a year before Bobby Rydell, at the age of 88.
Yessum, I love the spoken passage in the middle of Neil Sedaka's hit "Oh! Carol," a ditty he penned with Carole King in mind. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Neil uploaded weekly quarantunes to YouTube, singing his old hits at his apartment and delighting fans old and young.
You've been devoting so much time to others that it's time for you to get a much needed rest, Birgit. Shady sez forget about putting away those Christmas decorations. The holiday season is fast approaching and you'll be all set. And let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas! :)
Thanks again for joining the day one fun, dear friend BB. Have a safe and happy weekend!
Splish Splash might be the only one I'm positive I know here. That last video is a bit of a hoot. Overall, the crowd seems so unenthusiastic! -Kelly
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for coming over on the first day, dear friend! By the way, my blog gremlins say hello. :)
I'm happy you remember Bobby Darin's rock & roll hit "Splish Splash." You brought up something about the Neil Sedaka showender that I have noticed too. The audience on that December, 1959, episode of The Dick Clark Show doesn't seem very enthusiastic as Neil performs his hit song. Compare that group to the clapping, smiling kids in the audience seven months earlier when Bobby Darin entertained. I think some of those kids in the December audience were worried about the camera being on them and it made them feel uncomfortable. Or maybe the producers of the December Beechnut Show accidentally issued ultra-sour "pucker gum" to the teens instead of the usual sweet tasting kind. :) Do you remember novelty pucker gum? My big brother used to trick me all the time by offering me a stick of the stuff and then laugh at the faces I made as I started chewing it.
Look at this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/406098091377698263/
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Kelly. Please pat Pat for me and have a wonderful weekend!
Those are good songs but the only one I recognized was Splish Splash.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you have a good week.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteI thank you for dropping by, dear friend, and my blog gremlins also thank you! :)
Yessum, top 40 DJ Arnie Ginsburg plays old gold on his Night Train Show, (in this case, he plays old COLD). Therefore, someone your age would probably need to rely on memories of a parent or grandparent playing records like these that charted in the 50s and early 60s. While it's true that "Morse Code Of Love" was recorded and released in the early 80s, it is a retro old school sound and I am not surprised it is unfamiliar to you. I didn't even know about the recording until recently when I discovered it on my list of recommended YouTube videos.
i'm happy you enjoyed Arnie's lineup for show #2. Please take good care of yourself and my buddy Falcor and I'll be over to see you this weekend. Have a safe and happy one, dear friend Mary!
Hi Shady! OK, sometimes I get to commenting and forget a few things I want to know..like what does IFIC mean that the kids are wearing? Curious minds want to know. I remember a few of the tunes but Splish Splash always sends me back to my childhood. I was 5 when the song came out but I remember hearing it and would sing it when it was bath time! Ha! The surprise was the Capris from the 80's! Seriously didn't sound like anything from that time. Another question dear Shady...was the song by the Drifters, Some Kind Of Wonderful, played in the movie Dirty Dancing? Just wondering. The kids dancing in the Mal's clothes commercial pic featured two girls dancing together which was pretty common back then. Nothing political or PC here just an observation! Anyway, it's Friday and we didn't get a ton of snow and it's back to normal cold temps after a warm week. So enjoy your weekend. I just finished watching "Where The Boys Are" and kind of wished I was on a warm beach in Florida on vacation...minus the drama and George Hamilton of course! Take care Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteI'm delighted to have you over as you end your week, dear friend. Welcome and thanks for coming!
You almost stumped me, YaYa. I didn't know what IFIC stands for either, but I let my fingers do the walking and finally found it. As I have reported in the text many times, The Dick Clark Show was also known as Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show. It was sponsored by Beechnut Chewing Gum, and the company made sure every teenager in the audience got a pack of Beechnut Gum as they entered the theater so that they could chew up a storm during the broadcast. Apparently the company also issued "IFIC" decals for the teens to wear on their shirts and blouses. IFIC was an abbreviation for an ad slogan Beech-Nut used in the late 50s. The letters stand for "it's flavor-ific." Seems like quite a stretch to me, but that's the honest scoop I found about it online. So that's why all those kids in the "Splish Splash" and the "Oh! Carol" videos, both performances from 1959 episodes, are displaying IFIC patches.
Yessum, Bobby Darin's rock & roll hits, which include "Splish Splash," "Queen Of The Hop," "Plain Jane" and "Dream Lover," are excellent, catchy ditties. I was age 8 when "Splish Splash" rode the chart, and I too remember associating it with bath time.
I'm glad you join the millions of other people including savvy deejays, who believed "Morse Code" was a relic from the 50s or early 60s. Yessum, you're right. Penned by the Brill Building composing team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, The Drifters recording of "Some Kind Of Wonderful" was used in the soundtrack of the 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing. To this day, I am often mistaken for Patrick Swayze in public places and mobbed by admiring women. :)
Actually, I selected that picture of the boy and girl dancing and, to their left, two girls dancing together to serve as an illustration for the musical commercial for Mal's clothier in Needham. You're right. It was very common to see groups of girls clustered together on the sidelines at dances and going out to the floor and dancing together in pairs. It was the same way at the Shady Dell and other venues where I hung out in the 60s. Arnie Ginsburg's intro to that commercial jingle for "My Pal Mal's" is taken verbatim from my 1961 Cruisin' album, the volume of the series hosted by Arnie.
I'm kinda glad you weather is turning colder, because it will enhance your enjoyment of Arnie's solid COLD hits of the past. Be sure to play them for Jack next time he walks past your computer nook.
It's quite a coincidence that you watched Where The Boys Are so soon soon after I posted about actress Dolores Hart, the love interest in two Elvis Presley features, and one of the spring breakers in that Connie Francis movie. You might recall me telling you that Dolores was compared to Grace Kelly in looks and demeanor, and that she shocked fans by giving up her acting career at the height of her popularity to become a nun for the next 50 years.
Wow, what a tremendous comment you wrote, YaYa! It gave me many threads to follow, and that's what good blogging is all about. Thank you so much for paying me a visit. I hope sister Midge is doing fine this week. I wish you and my smooch pooch Annabelle a safe and happy weekend, dear friend YaYa!
Ah, yes, Arnie Ginsburg. I can just picture him and Kerouac and Cassady and Burroughs hanging around some coffeeshop in the Village and reci--OOPS! Wrong Ginsburg.
ReplyDeleteOf the songs I'm hearing for the first time "My Own True Love" is my favorite. I wish I could describe music better than I do. I'll just say it has a lush soulfulness about it.
When you wrote "Morse Code of Love" was a 1982 single, I was sure you meant 1962 until I read the explanation later on. The early 1980s seemed to have had a run of pre-Beatles-like pop songs--Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" and the Stray Cats "Rock This Town" both come to mind--but there was usually some kind of modern touch that betrayed the fact that you were actually listening to a new song. Not this one by the Capris, though.
"Pal Mal Rock" may just be a commercial jingle, but it was entertaining enough. Ginsburg should have tried to release it as a single.
Of the songs I HAVE heard before, "Splish Splash" is my favorite, though "Oh, Carol" comes in a close second. So I'll talk about that close second. Although she was already an accomplished songwriter, Carol King wouldn't be a recognizable name to music listeners for another ten years, so I imagine the audience thought it was fictitious person Neil Sedaka was singing about. And as someone else pointed out, that audience seemed out of it! I once suggested to you that the reason the teenagers on Dick Clark's shows were so well-mannered is because they were screened beforehand. Well, this was screening beyond the pale! Lawrence Welk's audience would have given that song a more enthusiastic response.
That's all I got.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for staying up late on a Saturday night to drop by Shady's Place, good buddy!
It's funny that you should mention the "wrong Ginsburg." There was actually another Arnie Ginsburg, this one on the West Coast. In the 50s, he was a member of Jan & Dean's original band The Barons, a group that, for a time, also included future star drummer Sandy Nelson and future Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston. The Barons dissolved, leaving Jan & Dean but, soon after, Dean Torrence left music to join the Army Reserve and Arnie Ginsburg paired with Jan Berry to record three singles as the duo Jan & Arnie. Their first record was a surprise success, reaching the top 3 on Cash Box, top 10 Billboard at the start of summer, 1958. Here's the hit A side of that first single, "Jennie Lee" inspired by "Jennie Lee, the Bazoom Girl," a burlesque dancer who at the time was appearing in Los Angeles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbPDePehmPg
I like the B side even more. Here's "Gotta Getta Date":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX8mYP36mZI
Jan & Arnie's second single contained "Gas Money," a song credited as an early specimen of the soon-to-be popular surf rock genre:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QMVraxaBBI
The duo of Jan & Arnie were popular enough to be invited on The Dick Clark Show, The Jack Benny Program and to perform at a live show hosted by Dick Clark at the Hollywood Bowl, with Bobby Darin as one of the musical guests. When Dean returned from military service, Jan & Dean formed a hit-making duo and Arnie Ginsburg cut a record with a band called the Rituals which again included Sandy Nelson and Bruce Johnston. As time went by, Arnie became disenchanted with the music business and went on to find success in architectural design, obtaining patents for a table he designed as well as a portable batting cage.
I'm happy that you singled out "My Own True Love," the doo-wop croon tune by The Duprees, their second single and second hit. You are as good as I or anyone else in describing music, Kirk. After all, music affects different people in different ways. It is a subjective experience, and therefore anything you state in a review has validity.
Great observations about that Capris recording of the early 80s being so authentic sounding that it could easily pass as a late 50s, early 60s release or an unreleased song that had been locked in the vault for decades.
(proceed to next comment box)
As you recall, on vol. 1 of Arnie Ginsburg's Night Train Show, he ran a commercial jingle for Adventure Car Hop, the fast food eatery in Saugus. In this volume, I decided to feature another musical spot taken directly from the 1961 volume of the Cruisin' album series, the one hosted by Ginsburg. Commercials tend to tell us more about teen life during the period than do the songs the kids listened and danced to.
DeleteThanks for your observations about the teenagers in the audience of that 1959 episode of The Dick Clark Show featuring star singer and prolific songwriter Neil Sedaka. As I mentioned in another reply, the only explanation I can come up with to explain why so many of those teens looked like mannequins when the camera got a close-up shot of them is because they were worried about how they looked. They were nervous about being seen on television. Appearing on TV was a very big thing back then compared to today. I also think they might have looked wooden and emotionless because they wanted to be "on their best behavior." When I was a boy, grown-ups actually frowned on kids "having too much fun." When kids laughed or squealed with excitement as they played, it was regarded as bad manners, an annoyance to adults. Ed Sullivan actually frowned and scolded teenagers in the audience of his famous TV show for making too much noise and disrupting the proceedings when they clapped, cheered and screamed for big name rock & roll bands. With all that in mind, perhaps those teens in the audience were programmed not to show very much emotion, even when it would have been perfectly natural and appropriate to do so. Does any of that make sense to you?
Thanks again for coming over and composing such a great comment. Have a great week, good buddy Kirk!
Hi Shady, I enjoyed this lineup of songs very much. I had a crush on Bobby Rydell and Bobby Darin once upon a time. I remember seeing Darin in the movie, Come September, starring with his wife, Sandra Dee. They were the Brad Pitt and Angelina of those days. I found out that Bobby won an Golden Globe for his performance! That really surprised me. I also love the way he moved and danced around the stage. He had so much charisma.
ReplyDeleteThe voice of the lead singer of the Duprees was beautiful and the back up music for Morse Code of Love was great. I'm also amazed at the year it came out. You ended with one of my favorite singers, Neil Sedaka. He is just terrific.
Hi, Belle!
DeleteI'm thrilled that you came down for a visit, dear friend! Thanks for being here for this solid COLD edition of top 40 radio personality Arnie Ginsburg's famous and top-rated Night Train Show that originated from station WMEX in Boston.
Yessum, Bobby Rydell and Bobby Darin were two of the biggest names in the music business. You and millions of other young women idolized them, and guys liked them too, at least I did. In addition, both appeared as actors in movies. As you will see as my series Saved By The Dell continues to unfold, Bobby Darin & Sandra Dee were on the covers of many fanzines of the period, and Sandra Dee alone was a cover girl on many others. I don't think I ever watched Come September. I see that the romantic comedy stars Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, the italian actress who died a week ago in her mid 90s. Come September is not currently available to watch free on any of the channels that Mrs. Shady and I subscribe to, but I will BOLO for it.
Yessum, I agree that Bobby Darin was a complete entertainer. He used body language well and took command of the stage. I liked him a lot.
I'm glad you appreciate the two old school doo-wop songs on Arnie's show, including "Morse Code," a retro style recording of the early 80s that, in the 40 years since its release, has fooled millions of fans of the genre and even experienced DJs.
I'm also delighted that you acknowledged Neil Sedaka, a prolific, terrific pop and rock & roll singer and songwriter who continues to be overlooked by the nominating committee for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In the last couple of years I have watched Neil Sedaka's "quarantunes" uploads on YouTube. I thought you'd enjoy reading what Wiki says about those recent homemade performance videos posted by Sedaka:
<< In April 2020, Sedaka launched a series of free mini-concerts, released through his social media channels, as a method of entertaining his fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each daily concert features three songs from Sedaka's discography. Sedaka paused the series in December due to contracting COVID-19 himself, but resumed on a reduced schedule January 4, 2021, after recovering with no symptoms. >>
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear fiend Belle. I hope you, Dan and your girls are all doing fine. As a program note, be advised that Denny the Dell Rat, the male counterpart of Belle Rat the Dell Rat, will be here next Wednesday to bust your brain with a musical quiz. I hope you enjoy taking Denny's test. Please stay in touch and have a wonderful week ahead, dear friend Belle!
Good Monday morning, Tom! How was your weekend? I hope you and Mrs. Shady had a nice one. It went by way too fast to suit me. This is a short work week for us, so it'll be time to relax with my favorite fella in no time. The only song in your line up I know is "Splish Splash". The song came out three years before I was born but it's been a popular oldie for years. I liked listening to the tunes and was a bit blown away to learn that The Capri's Morse Code of Love was recorded in the early 80s. WOW, I thought it was actually an oldie! Very authentic sounding from that era. This one might have to be my click to pick! Thanks for dropping by the 4M dance floor this morning. Your early visits always makes me happy, my good friend. Have a boogietastic week!
ReplyDeleteHi, Cathy!
DeleteWelcome to Arnie Ginsburg's second platter party, dear friend, and thanks for coming over for a look and a listen!
I had a nice weekend, thanks. It's turned warmer here. We are going to experience near record highs (in the mid 80s) this week. Me no likey.
Yessum, in this playlist of songs ripped from Arnie's Night Train Show, "Splish Splash" seems to be the song most readers remember. You do indeed hear it played a lot more often nowadays compared to some of the minor hits and obscure songs that Arnie plays. Yessum, The Capris nailed that authentic doo-wop sound of the late 50s and early 60s, fooling millions of people, including you and me.
I am always delighted to make you happy with my early visits to CAAC, and I am equally happy whenever you drop in to see me at Shady's Place. Have a great Monday and I'll catch up with you later in the week, dear friend Cathy!
Hi Shady! I almost missed the boat here...came by on Saturday and read your post, but time got away from me.
ReplyDeleteArnie Ginsburg is so cool, and I like the "Pal Mal Rock" advertising picture and video. It's kind of goofy to see the audiences madly chewing gum during performances by artists, but I notice it in most of the shows.
There are a few songs I don't recall knowing, "Little Bitty Girl" and "Morse Code of Love". I like the Capris "There's a Moon Out Tonight". This is the group that sounds like Black American artists, and are very good!
Ahh, "My Own True Love"! I wasn't quite 14 yet when this song came about, and didn't get asked to dance, haha! I only got to sit and watch the slow dancers enjoy the vocals, rhythm and music. The ending of this song's dynamics gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Bobby Darin couldn't screw a song up if he tried! "Splish Splash is a fun song and what really makes it, is getting to watch Bobby perform the song. His good looks and cool dance moves add to his singing talent!
I enjoyed Lloyd Price and "Just Because" a nice slow number. The Drifters had some great hits and "Some Kind of Wonderful" is one of them. I like this song and this group.
"Oh Carol" is one of Neal Sedaka's best. He even gave us a preview of his smooth moves during this performance. I like this song for its upbeat rhythm and storytelling.
Well, Shady, I'd best go now. Scootie forgot his headphones for school, and I have to trek back up there in this cold rain! Ugh! I was under the weather myself at the end of last week but am doing better now. I enjoyed this post, just took a while to get back here. Take care dear friend!
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteI'm excited and delighted to see you again this week, dear friend! Thanks for tuning in The Night Train Show. Arnie Ginsburg is "your host up and down the New England coast," and I was proud to sign him up and bring him on board as one of the Shady Bunch personalities on SPMM Retrosonic Radio. I'm thrilled that you appreciate this top 40 DJ legend. As you know from my other replies, I got acquainted with Arnie Ginsburg around 1970 when I bought the Cruisin vinyl album series and found him hosting the 1961 show. Much of the banter you will read in these Arnie Ginsburg posts is taken word for word from his intros on that Cruisin' album, including his intro to the "Pal Mal Rock," the "My Pal Mal's" commercial jingle, I also owned albums hosted by Joe Niagara, Hy Lit and Jerry Blavat, and borrow lots of the lingo and slogans that those vintage DJs used to introduce songs on their albums, making their shows very authentic as well. In case you didn't know, Philadelphia broadcast legend Jerry Blavat - "The Geator With The Heater" - died a few days ago. My heart is heavy, because he was one of my heroes. Now all of the above mentioned radio greats are gone - Joe, Hy, Jerry and Arnie Ginsburg, who was nearly 94 years old when he died in the summer of 2020. They will all live on here at Shady's Place Music & Memories.
Yessum, lately I am discovering more and more old clips from The Dick Clark (Beechnut) Show which aired from early 1958 through the end of summer in 1960. Sponsored by the famous chewing gum company, the show is easy to identify because you can clearly see the teenagers chewing as they watch the singing stars perform. It's a little unsettling and seems almost rude from today's perspective, because gum chewing is often depicted in old movies about juvenile delinquency as something the tough and naughty detention hall kids did. (I suppose if Dick Clark's show would have been sponsored by a brand of cigarettes, we'd see all the kids in the audience smoking.) Recently, I read that chewing gum use has declined over the decades. I suppose it has been replaced by mints or mouth sprays.
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Yessum, The Capris captured the dreamy doo-wop sound from twenty years earlier on that 1982 release of "Morse Code Of Love." There are many cases in pop music history in which a white group was mistaken for black by radio listeners and even the DJs who played their records. The Magnificent Men immediately come to mind.
DeleteShucks, I would have asked you to dance, Suzanne. You can count on that. Those boys at the dance didn't know what they were missing. This version of "My Own True Love" by The Duprees is actually a successful cover of a 1959 hit by Jimmy Clanton. Both versions are excellent. Yessum, the piano flurry at the very end of the Duprees' version is exciting. On the Jimmy Clanton original, the end of the song has no such embellishment. I thought you might like to compare the two hit versions, so here is Jimmy's 1959 original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-RS_bSFS6c
Bobby Darin was an all around showman, a complete entertainer. He had the confident swagger, the right moves on stage, and he made every song his own. He gave us some great rock & roll numbers, with "Splish Splash" being one that most people remember. I think I like Bobby's "Dream Lover" even more. If you like Bobby Darin, I've got great news. He's returning tomorrow morning to sing another great song as part of Denny the Dell Rat's brain buster mom & pop quiz. I hope you can swing by in the coming days and put your knowledge of pop music history to the test. Will you pass Denny's quiz... or wind up wearing the dance cap? :)
I'm glad you appreciate gritty, gravel-voiced R&B titan Lloyd Price as well as the smooth and soulful style of The Drifters. I was elated to find that nicely restored video of one of my favorite artists, Neil Sedaka, performing for the gum chewers on The Saturday Night Beechnut Show.
I'm sorry you were under the weather, Suzanne. I hope the trek through the cold rain to Scootie's school didn't result in a relapse. Scootie is so lucky to have you, and I am also very lucky to have you as a friend all these years. Thanks again for stopping in and enjoy the rest of your Texas week, dear friend Suzanne!
Hello my friend. Just a quick pop in to say I was thinking about you. Thanks for your concern about us. We are pretty safe here, although the house where my MIL lives now does get some water under it and they had to use a sump pump to get it out, which caused MIL a sleepless night as the pump went on and off. It is taking her a while to get used to different noises, as would be expected, even though as we found out today when I took her for a hearing exam, she has very decreased hearing in both ears - LOL.
ReplyDeleteAnd now we have all the shootings here in CA. Half Moon Bay is the one that was the closest to us. We would sometimes go there to look at the ocean. It is so sad.
Fun fact, I used to work for a cardiologist who treated Bobby Darin. I loved watching the girls on the show swoon over him. Sad that he and Connie Francis were never able to get together.
I liked all these songs today as they remind me of when I was little, watching American Bandstand or listening to my older sisters play their records.
I'm not doing very well with my own blogging and there are a lot of folks that I just don't have time to read, especially if they post every day. Hopefully soon things will get back to normal around here (or whatever the new normal is going to look like I should say). Hope you have a terrific rest of your week.
Hi, Janet!
DeleteI'm very happy to see you, dear friend! Thanks for tuning in The Night Train Show hosted by Arnie Ginsburg, the much loved veteran New England-based top 40 radio personality.
Thanks for letting me know that everyone's AOK out your way. I hope the weather has settled down now, enabling you to start enjoying more outdoor activities like walking my buddy Benny. Thanks for the update on your mother-in-law. Anyplace that is different from the house she knew and loved up in Oregon all those years is going to seem strange for a while. I hope in time she is able to relax and feel at home as your new neighbor.
Yessum, I also thought about you immediately when I read about the shooting massacre at the ballroom in your area. Your happy memories of visiting that spot to gaze at the ocean are forever tainted by a reminder that America continues to have a tremendous gun violence problem. This month, the first of 2023, will go into the books as having been especially deadly, according to an article I read today.
How about that? You had a "Brush with Greatness," as David Letterman used to say. It's a shame you never got a chance to meet Bobby Darin directly through working for his cardiologist. i'm curious. Did you ever attend a Bobby Darin concert? You can answer that question when you comment on another of my posts in the future. Yessum, I was just reading how Bobby Darin and Connie Francis met at the start of 1956 when both were coming up in show business. In Connie's own words, she "adored him." Like many (or most) relationships, it didn't last, but she never stopped loving him.
I'm happy to know that Arnie's tuneage brought back memories of listening to records your older sisters played.
I'm glad you brought up the dilemma faced by any successful blogger - so many blogs, so little time. Just yesterday, I made a decision to slow down the pace of my blogging from now on, because I am simply not finding enough time to generate high quality content plus service all of my accounts plus write worthy replies to friends like you who were nice enough to visit and leave comments at Shady's Place. To me, those are the three essential components of good blogging. So, yesterday and today, I dropped 11 posts from this year's schedule, which will mean that the average number of days between posts will be 6 days rather than 5. I am hoping this makes enough of a difference so that I can keep pace. If not, I will scale back to one post per week.
Thanks again for making time for me, dear friend Janet. If you have time in the 6 days ahead, I invite you to return and take Denny the Dell Rat's mom & pop brain buster quiz in the post that starts tomorrow morning. Bobby Darin will perform another one of his hits in Denny's feature! Take care of yourself and my buddy Benny and I hope to connect with you again soon, dear Janet!