CAN SHADY DEL KNIGHT KEEP YOU
ENTERTAINED IN THE COMING YEAR?
IS IT A
BAD IDEA
TO READ
A COMIC
BOOK
WHILE
DRIVING?
COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
"Anyone Who Had A Heart" - Dionne Warwick/Cilla Black
cover by Atomic Kitten (Mar. 2008, highest chart pos. #77 UK)
Kicking-off the show, that was the popular English girl group Atomic Kitten
with their 2008 cover of "Anyone Who Had A Heart," the Burt Bacharach -
Hal David song that was a hit in 1964 for American soul sista
Dionne Warwick and for British thrush Cilla Black.
Ava Winters
Hi, I'm Ava Winters, star of Obliterated, the outrageous
new action comedy series currently streaming on Netflix.
Lana Head-Turner
And I'm Lana Head-Turner, Ava's Obliterated co-star. You can think of us as
"Atomic Kittens" because, on Obliterated, we get bombed and have a blast.
Liv Taylor
I'm Liv Taylor from the hit British psychological thriller
miniseries Wilderness now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Cara Parker
And I'm Cara Parker, "the other woman" who is having a fling with Liv's
husband Will. Liv and I are also "Atomic Kittens" because, on Wilderness,
our feline claws are constantly extended, thanks to that sly tomcat Will.
All four of us "Atomic Kittens" will be back soon to launch
our brand new shows here at Shady's Place, so stick around.
And now.... heeeeeeeeeere's Shady!
WELCOME BACK, DEAR FRIEND!
AND (BELATED) HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I'm delighted to have you
along for the ride as I begin
another year of blogging
here at Shady's Place.
You already met newcomers
Ava, Lana, Liv and Cara.
Now stand by as some of
your favorite Shady Bunch
celebrity presenters of the
past return to entertain you
on my first post of 2024.
So, without further delay,
I'll turn the mic over to
them. Enjoy the show!
Meg Pryor
Hi and Happy New Year!
As you recall...
I'm Margaret "Meg" Pryor...
...a Catholic schoolgirl coming of age in Philadelphia in the early to mid 60s
on the NBC TV series American Dreams.
Imagine my excitement when I made the cut and was picked to
be a regular studio dancer on Dick Clark's American Bandstand!
Sweet American Dreams are made of this!
Just when I thought life couldn't get any better,
Shady Del Knight picked me to join his Shady Bunch
DJ team and host my own show on S-P-M-M called
Meg's Mysteries
& Pryor Convictions
...presenting the best songs from the glory years of Bandstand.
To kick-off 2024, I'm taking you back exactly 60 years, to the early days
of 1964, and giving you an opportunity to witness history being made,
the dawning of Beatlemania in America. In the span of three minutes,
you will observe the transition from the sleepy Eisenhower era
of the 1950s to the supercharged, electrified, rocking 60s.
It's the January 18, 1964, episode of American Bandstand, the day that
host Dick Clark introduced The Beatles to his teenage dancers in
the studio and millions more watching on national network
television. The song is "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
On January 11, 1964, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" entered the Cash Box
Top 100 at an unspectacular #80. One week later, on January 18, the date
this episode of Bandstand aired, the Beatles song made its first appearance
on the Billboard Hot 100 at #45. A week after that, it shot to #1 on Cash Box.
Two weeks later, it soared to #1 on the Hot 100. The Beatles record spent
8 weeks at #1 on Cash Box and 7 weeks at #1 on Billboard... igniting
Beatlemania and ushering in the British Invasion of the American
music industry. Keep in mind, American Bandstand was typically
taped a few weeks in advance of the air date, meaning that,
when this episode was being produced, the sound of
The Beatles was literally brand new in America.
Let's turn back to the clock now to that pivotal moment in the history
of popular music, the day on Bandstand when millions of teenagers
across America heard this iconic Beatles song for the first time.
In the first 30 seconds of this video, the studio dancers sway to a mellow
Brenda Lee ballad, a throwback indicative of the placid Eisenhower years.
When the song ends, Dick Clark intros a record by a band called The Beatles.
Watch the transformation in the mood of the dancers as they slowly get into the
brand new sound and start to come alive, swept away on a tsunami of excitement.
They seem to realize that something huge was happening... right then and there.
The bland, black and white Fifties were officially over... and the
mind-blowing, neon-colored, Swinging Sixties were underway.
Music as we knew it and, indeed, life as we knew it...
would never be the same again.
Behold the start of a phenomenon, the beginning of a cultural revolution.
This was the day... this was the moment... when everything changed!
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" - The Beatles
(Jan./Feb./Mar. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
studio dancers on Jan. 18, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)
Dell Rat Ron
Hi everyone, and happy new year!
As you might recall, I'm original
Dell rat Ron Shearer, one of your
hosts on the Shady's Place series
Top Hit Club
of America.
The song you just heard, "I Want To
Hold Your Hand," was recorded in
October, 1963, and is one of the
best known and greatest hits of
the 20th century. In contrast, the
song I am about to play, waxed
a few months earlier, came and
went practically unnoticed.
There's a good chance you remember the song "Keep On Dancing," a cover
made popular by the Memphis-based band The Gentrys. Their record peaked
in the top 5 at Halloween, 1965. I'm willing to bet that few of you know the
original version of the song which was recorded by an obscure R&B group
called The Avantis and released two years earlier in June, 1963, on the
Chicago-based Argo label, a subsidiary of Chess Records.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Many people prefer this soulful R&B recording to the pop platter released by
The Gentrys. Here are The Avantis with the original of "Keep On Dancing!"
"Keep On Dancing" - The Avantis (June 1963, uncharted)
Mikaela Shaw
Hi and happy 2024 to one and all! I'm Mikaela Shaw from the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor.
A social media influencer, I was appointed chief of staff to
Los Angeles Mayor Ted Danson uh... I mean Neil Bremer.
You see, Neil, a retired billboard ad executive who runs for, and becomes,
Mayor of LA, looks exactly like actor Ted Danson. My show's a laugh riot.
Emily Price
Hello, friends! If you think you're seeing double, let me explain.
I'm Mikaela's lookalike doppelganger clone, Emily Price...
one of the stars of the Fox TV sitcom Animal Control.
As the good-natured director at the A.C. precinct, I am often taken advantage of
by my staff. Like Mikaela's series, Animal Control is a hoot-and-a-half.
Emily and I will be hosting our very own radio show on SPMM called
DOUBLE DOWN
with Mikaela & Emily
We're calling our series Double Down because I could double for Emily
and she for me, and also because ours will be the only Shady's Place
program to present nothing but double plays - two songs in a row by
the same artists all the way down the playlist on each and every show!
To kick-off the new year, we've got a sample double play for you, a special request
that just came in on our toll free hotline from a British lad named Austin Powers.
When The Beatles took America by storm in early 1964, they opened the
floodgates to other English bands and duos. One of the most successful acts
of the so-called British Invasion was Herman's Hermits, a pop-rock group
led by kid-tested, mother-approved singer Peter Noone.
In the ultra-rare video you are about to see, Peter performs a cover of a song
written and first recorded in the fall of 1964 by U.S. singer - songwriter Kenny
Young, a Herman's Hermits single that brushed the American top 5 a year later.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Looking too cute and cuddly for words, here's Peter Noone on
Top Of The Pops singing-- "Ain't That Just A Little Bit Better!"
"Just A Little Bit Better" - Herman's Hermits
(Sept.Oct. 1965, highest chart pos. #7 Hot 100/#8 Cash Box,
live performance on Top Of The Pops)
To complete our double play, I've got another request, this one from an English
lady named Vanessa Kensington. It's another high charting Herman's Hermits
cover - a song written by Brill Building greats Gerry Goffin and Carole King
and first waxed by Earl-Jean, a member of the U.S. girl group The Cookies.
Earl-Jean's version reached the top 40 in the summer of 1964.
The Herman's Hermits single, which charted that fall, topped
the UK chart and made a run at the top 5 on the U.S. Cash Box.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Here again is baby-faced Brit Herman aka Peter Noone fronting
his band of Hermits, performing- "I'm Into Something Good!"
"I'm Into Something Good" - Herman's Hermits
(Nov./Dec. 1964, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box,
#13 Hot 100/#7 Canada/#1 UK)
Please joins us when we return with the official launch of our new show
DOUBLE DOWN
with Mikaela & Emily
It's another Shady's Place exclusive on S-P-M-M
Retrosonic Radio... the station with personality.
Claire Brown
I'm Dr. Claire Brown from the hit TV series The Good Doctor
and one of the presenters on the S-P-M-M radio show
The Good Doctors:
Music Is Medicine.
For my first spin of the year, I've got Pepsi And Shirlie, an English
pop duo formed in the mid 80s. The pair first found fame as backing
singers and dancers for Wham!... the famous act comprised of
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. In September, 1987,
Pepsi And Shirlie appeared on the London-based music
television show Top Of The Pops and performed
their debut single and biggest hit.
It's a song about a common ailment that's hard to treat,
but one that goes away on its own over time. Here are
Pepsi And Shirlie to tell us all about-- "Heartache!"
"Heartache" - Pepsi And Shirlie
(Aug./Sept. 1987, highest chart pos. #78 Hot 100/#83 Cash Box,
#2 U.S. Dance/#2 UK & Switzerland & Netherlands & Belgium,
performance on Sept. 12, 1987, ep. of Top Of The Pops)
Rondo
I'm Rondo, Meg Griffin's handsome heartthrob of a boyfriend on
Meg Griffin's Frantic Romantic.
In the summer of 1965, former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer
Annette Funicello and Walt Disney Studios regular Tommy Kirk
lit up the big screen in Disney's family comedy The Monkey's Uncle.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
The movie's catchy theme song was performed by Annette backed by The Beach Boys!
"The Monkey's Uncle" - Annette with The Beach Boys
(from Aug. 1965 Walt Disney motion picture The Monkey's Uncle)
"Sarah"
Hello again! As you recall from my previous appearances here
at Shady's Place, I'm Sarah, star of the 2019 horror movie Mary.
In my story, Mary is the name of a boat my husband just had to buy.
He then proceeded to hound me and our young daughters to go
with him on a maiden voyage to the islands. I'll never forget
the goofy song he sang trying to coax us into making the trip.
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take you
to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, Baby, why don't we go?
To make a long story short, that shakedown cruise shook us up,
and that maiden voyage was more like an iron maiden voyage.
As it turned out, Mary is haunted by a sea witch who drowned
when she was forced by sailors to walk the plank.
So that's my sad story, but on a happier note, I am your
Hostess With the Mostest on the S-P-M-M radio show
Along Comes
Mary.
I play songs that refer to boats and ships and sailing, along with songs
that fall into the Yacht Rock category - a term used to describe soft,
light rock - breezy, bouncy tunes that leave you feeling happy.
Safe to say that my nautical nifties are guaranteed
to leave you feeling Mary.
Since I was here last time, I've been harboring a great example of
Yacht Rock, saving it for this special occasion, my first play of 2024.
It's an earworm by Robbie Dupree that was accused of being a
rip-off of "What A Fool Believes," the hit by Michael McDonald
and The Doobie Brothers. Listen to the ditty and see if you agree.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Released in March of 1980, Robbie's song sailed to #2 in Canada and reached
the top 5 in the U.S. that summer. Here now is Robbie Dupree appearing on
The Midnight Special and performing the biggest hit of his career, "Steal Away!"
"Steal Away" (In/Out Mix) - Robbie Dupree (June/July 1980,
highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#6 Hot 100/#2 Canada,
#5 Easy Listening, performance on Sept. 5, 1980,
episode of The Midnight Special)
Beth Boland
(... not Joan from Mad Men)
Hi, there! As you remember, I'm Beth Boland...
star of the TV crime comedy-drama Good Girls and
host of the Shady's Place - S-P-M-M radio series
BETH BOLAND'S
ADRENALINE RUSH
ADRENALINE RUSH
Earlier in the show, Good Doctor Claire Brown introduced
Pepsi And Shirley. The English pop duo is back to play us off
and bring our new year spectacular to a close with another
fun dance-pop ditty, the kind I love to play on
ADRENALINE RUSH
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Pepsi And Shirlie sing "Goodbye Stranger" and I say hello 2024!
Now for Sarah, Rondo, Nia, Claire, Ron and Meg, this is
Beth saying bye-bye and have a great year!
"Goodbye Stranger" - Pepsi And Shirlie
(July/Aug. 1987, highest chart pos. #5 Ireland,
#5 Switzerland/#8 Belgium/#9 UK)
STOP THE PRESSES!
HOLD THE PHONE!
I WANNA PLAY A SONG, TOO!
I'm Zogg, Paul Yung's drug-induced gremlin hallucination on the hit Netflix
series Obliterated, the rip-snorting action genre parody that Ava and Lana
told you about at the top of the show. Before you leave Shady's Place,
you must experience what might be the greatest rock cover of all-
time performed by a band from the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Electrifying lead zinger Gabbi Gun is backed by musicians Rudy Sarzo,
Alex Skolnick, Ken Mary and Gary Schutt as they do maximum
justice to the Whitesnake classic-- "Still Of The Night!"
"Still Of The Night" - Whitesnake cover by Gabbi Gun, Rudy Sarzo,
Alex Skolnick, Ken Mary and Gary Schutt of the Ken Tamplin
Vocal Academy (January 2024)
Happy New Year 2024
"The Year of the Dell Rat"
from the Pryor Family
and all your friends on
The Shady Bunch!
Happy New Year and welcome back! Today's entry will be my soundtrack for today.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteWOW - you are the Early Bird for this post and for the year 2024. Congratulations, dear friend!
I'm happy to know you intend to make the song selections in my first post of the year your soundtrack for the day. It's a mixed bag, something for everyone - including your boomer dad. Don't miss the newly uploaded killer rock cover at the very end of the post introduced by Zogg, the green gremlin from Obliterated. It's astoundingly good!
Did you get my email, JM? I've been trying to leave comments on your blog but it has me locked out. I even registered a Wordpress account with password and my comments still won't publish. Would you please check your spam bin? Also, if you could please check your blog settings, they might offer a clue explaining why I am suddenly having such difficulty leaving comments.
Thank you, dear friend JM. Have a happy TT and enjoy the rest of your January. I'll see you next month!
Hi Shady,
DeleteJust a bit of warning: I'm emotionally exhausted and for the next two months, it'll probably be a lot of that. When I'm in this house, I'm camping in the basement and just working on photo books, reading, and resting. End of March - I'm excited and as we get closer, I'm also really nervous. I'll check my settings.
Ah, yes! My dad would remember a lot of these Boomer songs. Mom was born the year of Beatlemania - August 1964. She's the tail end of the Boomers, with dad being center. Dad remembers Beatlemania well, even as an 8/9 year old. I'll have to play this list for dad too.
Zogg! I loved Zogg's contribution. That Whitesnake cover is amazing! Happy TT and see you next month. Enjoy January!
Hi again, Jessica Marie!
DeleteFirst, I am relieved that you were able to find the glitch in your blog settings that automatically transported my comments to your junk bin. I'm happy to see that my comment from the other day has now been published. I intend to visit you again tonight and check out your TT post. Stand by.
Yessum, I fully understand that you will be put thru the emotional wringer in the coming months. That is to be expected. Any major life change, whether for the good or bad, creates stress and throws us off balance for a while. i am sure you will regain your footing in time.
Boomers like your dad and me are the lucky ones, because we are old enough to remember the excitement that swept across American when The Beatles arrived on our shores. I am especially lucky because I am also old enough to remember the wave of excitement generated by Elvis Presley nearly a decade earlier.
If either of you have Netflix, I urge you and David to watch Obliterated. I think you'd both get a kick out of the series. By the end of the second episode, you'll be absolutely hooked on the characters, the outrageous predicaments and explosive comic book action. I'm glad you like the superior rock cover by the all-star band from The Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy.
Hang on, because I am on my way over to see you at HBP, dear friend JM!
Good morning, Tom!
ReplyDeleteXfinity postponed updating their network until Monday giving me an opportunity to tune in for your first edition of 2024. It's nice to see and hear the Atomic Kittens again. I just love the name of this 80s all girl band!
Pepsi & Shirlie is another 80s group that went unnoticed by me. I'm happy that you shared two of their more popular songs. "Heartache" is my favorite of the two. I will be sure to skip over to YouTube to sample more of their collection. I loved how cute these young ladies looked - short skirts, over-the-knee socks, bows in their hair, ...a time when girls knew how to look like girls and proud of it!
I got tickled not only hearing the difference in music styles Brenda Lee fading into a Beatles song on American Bandstand. I didn't know the two Herman's Hermits' songs are covers. Their music is so fun and upbeat! I remember Robbie Dupree's song and I probably thought that it reminded me of another song which I couldn't put my finger on. It surely could be a rip off. Gabbi Gun is did a great job covering Whitesnake's "Still of the Night".
You brought out a showstopper post to bring in the new year. I most certainly thing SDMM is quite able to entertain its readers throughout 2024 and I'm looking forward to all future installments, as well our continued friendship.
Stay safe, be warm, and have an electric day, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteI'm thrilled to see you, dear friend! You finished a very close second to JM (above) in the first race to Shady's Place of 2024. I'm thankful that Xfinity delayed pulling the plug on you, giving you a chance to visit me. Welcome welcome welcome to my first post of the year!
Yessum, isn't that a wonderful rendition of "Anyone Who Had A Heart" by Atomic Kitten? As you might recall from Malcolm Winters' post that first featured them, the English girl group starting turning out hits in the late 90s. This cover was released in 2008 when the group was making a comeback. Maturity becomes them, and that cannot be said of very many such groups as they age.
I am also pleased to introduce you to the British dance-pop duo Pepsi And Shirlie. The blonde, Shirlie Holliman, reminds me of U.S. pop star Debbie Gibson. Pepsi reminds me of American R&B star Pebbles. The duo capitalized on the Hi-NRG, freestyle and post-disco dance movements that became extremely popular in the mid to late 80s.
Yessum, that was a "jarring juxtaposition" from Brenda Lee's country style ballad to the energetic, guitar-driven sound of the The Beatles as the English pop-rock combo bombed America into submission with "I Want To Hold Your Hand." I loved how four of the Bandstand regulars reacted to the song by joining hands and dancing around in a circle as if playing Ring Around the Rosie.
As I mentioned in the text, Robbie Dupree's "Steal Away" was accused of being a rip-off of "What A Fool Believes," a hit song composed by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Maybe the latter is the song that you're thinking of. Many songs in the "yacht rock" category share a similar sound.
I'm delighted that you acknowledged the sensational version of the Whitesnake classic by Gabbi Gun and her band. I've never heard a better rock cover!
Thank you again, very much, for the prompt visit and kind words. I've been waiting all morning for your Art Date post to appear and see that you finally have it up and running. I will be right over. Enjoy the rest of your week and month. I hope to see you back here again in February when I resume my Saved By The Dell series. Take care and happy new year, dear friend Cathy!
Good Thursday morning Shady! This is my second attempt at commenting. I seem to have an internet problem but hopefully I can comment now! I have today off and was happy to know you were going to post so I could stop by earlier than I usually do! I loved this jam packed post. All the videos were so fun. Oh the Beatles!! I just watched "A Hard Day's Night" and, like this post, was brought back to those screaming days! They brought me into my own music time and of course being able to see them perform in person will always be a special memory. Herman's Hermits was another of my favorite bands. For some reason I have a very distinct memory of sitting on my back stoop and listening to them sing about Mrs. Brown's lovely daughter. Oh that accent! Band Stand dancers had me smiling when the 2 couples danced together. Hadn't seen that before. Too cute. Were there not any overweight kids back then? I guess not until the age of "super size me"! The fashion I want to comment on has to be the boys skinny ties, skinny suits...those skinny pants like today's skinny jeans! Of course the long hair that looks pretty tame now. But oh how I remember the parents..."Cut that hair!" But even the older generation of that time let their hair grow along with their sideburns! I can really see why you've kept the Shady Dell so alive. It's those memories of our youth that seems to us now as easy, fun, almost magical. They really made an impact on us. I knew almost all the songs today and enjoyed singing along with them since it's just Annabelle and myself here! She doesn't howl or complain! As you know I'm not a huge Netflix watcher but I did watch American Dreams when it was on TV. I really enjoyed that show. Time to go and quit boring you but I want to wish you and Mrs. Shady a very Happy New Year and I hope your new home is staying warm and cozy and I know you're enjoying this cold snap that seems to be all over the country! I'll just have to say: "I love your post Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!"
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteWelcome to my first post of 2024, dear friend! I'm excited to see you this early on day one.
You aren't the only one having problems commenting, YaYa. Certain Wordpress blogs have me locked out, while I am able to comment on others w/o any difficulty. Thank you for persisting until you got your comment published at Shady's Place! It is indeed fortuitous that you had a rare day off work so that you could come over and hang out with me.
Yessum, how about those Bandstanders dancing around in a circle as they experienced the thrill of a Beatles record for the first time? Imagine, that show aired 60 years ago today, YaYa! They say the TV camera adds pounds to your perceived weight, but those studio dancers on Bandstand looked slim and fit as fiddles, reminding us that most young people got ample amounts of exercise back then, usually outdoors in nature, light years before video games, social media platforms and hand-held electronic devices turned them into sloths. Yessum, thanks for giving a fashion review to the young men who danced on Bandstand. Keep in mind, that was the Philadelphia-based gang. Soon after this episode aired, Bandstand pulled stakes and relocated to Los Angeles for the duration of its long run.
Getting back to The Beatles, it's hard to remember, isn't it, what the world was like before we had The Beatles, but that rare Bandstand video takes us right back to that pivotal point in time, the before and the after. it's a shame that an ever increasing number of people are simply too young to remember the electrifying arrival of The Beatles in America in 1964. They missed out on a very special experience. There has never been anything like Beatlemania in the years since. Seeing them perform in person must have been an over--the-top experience.
Herman's Hermits successfully charted a long string of hits in the U.S. "Mrs. Brown," the song you mentioned bringing back memories, has the distinction of being the third highest debuting single of the 1960s decade behind two Beatles hits - "Hey Jude" and "Get Back." Amazingly, the Hermits' huge international hit was, according to Wiki, "recorded as an afterthought in two takes."
Thanks for telling me that you and Annabelle experience my post together. How I wish I were there to give her hugs and smooches! I also thank you very much for the very kind words and wishes for the new year. I offer the same to you and your wonderful family. Yessum, I have not regretted for a single minute our decision to move north. I am like a kid all over again surrounded this week by a snowy landscape. We might get more of the white stuff tomorrow. No school for me! :)
Thanks again for your visit and sweet, generous comments, dear friend YaYa. See you next month!
Happy New Year, Shady! It's starting off as a cooooold one for most of us! Brrrrr!
ReplyDeleteI got tickled watching that AB clip of I Want to Hold Your Hand. Clearly the teenagers were still trying to figure out how to best dance to the new sound! In that first Herman's Hermits clip, I found it a little creepy the way the girls were surrounding and looking at Peter Noone.
I look forward to your next post of 2024, Shady! All the best to you and the Mrs.
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteHappy new year, dear friend! (I think every year should start on the 18th of January :) Thanks so much for coming to my first platter party of 2024!
Yessum, I remember you telling me a while back that your outdoor dogs don't mind the cold weather as much as they do the summer heat. I've been thinking about them and wondering how they are coping with the bitter cold wave. Hope they are AOK. Hope my buddy Pat is well, too.
Yessum, it is fun to watch as the Philadelphia teenagers on AB try to adapt their traditional dancing style to the brand new sound of a British band, namely The Beatles. You can see some of the couples doing their patented "bump" dance while others end up improvising halfway through the song, joining hands and dancing in a circle like merry little children.
Thanks for mentioning the first HH video, too. The young girls in the studio audience on Top Of The Pops certainly appeared to be worshiping baby-faced Peter Noone as he crooned his tune. They also seemed to be fighting the urge to hug and cuddle him the way they would a puppy dog. :)
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend Kelly. I hope your year is off to a terrific start and that it continues so. I'll be back next month with Part 12 of my series Saved By The Dell, and I hope to see you then!
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI know most of the music but haven't watched most of the shows. Tried to watch Animal Control but couldn't get into it. (However, eating up the latest season of Reacher.)
Hi, Alex!
DeleteHappy new year and welcome to my first post of 2024, good buddy!
Thanks for the tip about Reacher. It looks like a great series. Of the TV shows I covered in this post, my Pick To Click is Obliterated on Netflix. It's the most outrageously funny action film parody I've ever watched - totally entertaining from start to finish.
I'm glad you recognize most of the song offerings in this volume. Stay tuned for much more music and fun as the year goes on. Thanks again for your visit and comment and have a safe, healthy and prosperous year, good buddy Alex!
I remember the well known version of Keep On Dancing from up at PSU. I really like the Kenny Vance cover of If Anybody Had a Heart and will need to dog out that CD. I managed to see Herman at Hershey Park when he was old and still sing about Henry VIII. The Bandstand stuff brought back many memories. Really miss Dick Clarks rocking New Years eve. Got to go now but really enjoyed the post. Jerre
ReplyDeleteHi, Jerre!
DeleteThanks for being here for my first post of the year, good buddy!
I appreciate you tipping me off about the version of the oft covered Bacharach - David song "Anyone Who Had A Heart" recorded by Kenny Vance and The Planotones. I just listened to it and it's super.
I think I remember you telling me you saw Peter Noone in concert at Hershey Park. You probably remember me telling you that I actually met him circa 1990 when he came to our TV studio in Tampa to do interviews and shoot promos in advance of an oldies show in which he was about to appear. "Herman" still had his trademark boyish grin and was a very polite chap.
Thanks for reliving the fateful moment in music history, 60 years ago today, when the Bandstand dancers and the national TV audience were introduced to the refreshing, revolutionary new sound of Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes. (The Beatles.)
Thanks again for coming by. As I've told others, you can look forward to volume 12 of our Saved series coming up next month. As always, I'll email you on the eve of publishing. Take care and enjoy the rest of your January, good buddy Jerre!
I've never seen Obliterated. I'll have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteNor have I seen American Dreams. I don't watch a lot o tv these days though.
Now I do remember watching American Bandstand. That was fun to watch. I miss the days when Dick Clark was the host of New Year's Rockin Eve too.
I love Ted Danson ever since watching him on Cheers. I would watch Mr Mayor.
Animal Control is also new to me but then I don't watch much tv.
I've seen The Good Doctor, I do like that show.
Though I like the title of the movie, not sure if I'll watch Mary. I love a good horror movie but not big on boats or the ocean. I'll probably watch it at some point though, truthfully.
I watched Good Girls but the bad guy in this show gives me the creeps. So many women have the hots for him and he just gives me the creeps.
Most of the songs are new to me except for the cover of the Whitesnake song.
Hope you have a good week.
Hi, Mary!
Delete2024 is off to a great start, dear friend. Your comment was not swiped by my blog gremlins! :)
Obliterated is a hoot and a holler. As main cast members emphasize in their many YouTube interviews, the series is adult oriented and not meant to be watched with your kids (or your parents). One of the stars is Nick Zano, whom you might remember as "Nate Heywood" aka "Steel" on DC's Legends of Tomorrow. There's a gremlin, a camel and one wacky situation after another - nonstop action and naughty fun the whole way through season 1. At this point, it is not known if there will be a season 2, but the show's many fans are hoping there will be.
While Obliterated debuted late last fall, American Dreams is a much older series that aired from the early to mid 2000s. Yessum, Dick Clark is certainly missed as host of the annual NYE ball drop ceremony in Times Square.
Ted Danson's comedic skills are proudly on display in Mr. Mayor, even more so than on Cheers. The series co-stars Holly Hunter with cameo appearances by SNL and Just Shoot Me alumnus David Spade, Andie MacDowell and other name actors playing themselves. Yessum, Mrs. Shady and I have been watching The Good Doctor since episode 1. Sadly, Antonia Thomas, who played Dr. Claire Brown, left the series as a main cast member after season 4. She is missed.
Even if you don't watch the nautical horror film Mary, lead character "Sarah" will serve an important role as a Shady's Place presenter. She will play songs in the wide open "Yacht Rock" category - a genre that I have regrettably neglected in my 15+ years of blogging. "Steal Away" is one of the most notable examples of Yacht Rock.
Yessum, they really played up the gangster character on The Good Girls, but he was rather sleazy and creepy, I agree. How about that scene in which he followed Beth into the ladies room at a crowded restaurant?
Hope you enjoyed the all stars from the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy doing "Still Of The Night," one of the best rock covers I ever heard.
Thanks again for checking in and checking out my first post of the new year, dear friend Mary. Enjoy the rest of your week and the rest of January. Take good care of my buddy Falcor and I'll be back with my next post circa February 12!
Dick Clark is absolutely missed. So many of the celebrities that I grew up watching are either gone or just aren't on tv anymore. I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about. My mom used to say the same thing to me and now I get it.
DeleteHave a great rest of the month and will be looking forward to seeing you in February. Coincidentally I turn 54 on February 17th.
Hi, Mary!
DeleteThanks for returning to follow-up, dear friend!
Yessum, the older you get, the more you find familiar faces crossing over to the other side, leaving you with only memories. Actors and music artists leave behind their body of work for us to enjoy, and modern upscaling technology is able to clean-up old films and videos, making it seem like the celebs of the past are still with us.
In case I forget by next month, and I will try not to, I want to wish you a very happy birthday. You are 20 years younger than Shady! :) See you around February 12, dear friend Mary!
Hi friend, Shady! What a great first post of the year. I thought the Atomic Kitten version of "Anyone Who Had A Heart" was really good. Can't say much for the Whitesnake cover though. I do like some of their music but this was a little too screamy for me.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy watching the dancers on American Bandstand. It looks like they are bumping into each other all the time. I think I'd have bruised hips for sure. It also looked like Peter Noone was on some kind of conveyor belt during his song. Either that or he is a VERY smooth walker. His picture was one on my bedroom wall for many years - LOL
Robbie Dupre's song does sound a lot like "What a Fool Believes." Was there a lawsuit?
I'm glad you gave us an ETA for your next post. Since I don't get email notices I've been checking periodically and having a tentative date is helpful. Our friend Benny is right beside me now, looking at me to take him for his afternoon walk. See you next month!
Hi, Janet!
DeleteI found your email notifying me that you found my comment and got it published. That's a relief, because Wordpress has been giving me a rough time lately.
Welcome in, dear friend, as I start another calendar year of blogging! I'm glad you enjoyed the show, beginning with that fabulous cover by Atomic Kitten produced close to a decade after they scored their first hit single in late 1999/early 2000 with "Right Now."
Sorry you didn't like Gabbi Gun's screaming on her all-star band's cover of "Still Of The Night." Her screams are exactly what sold me on the performance. Gabbi (Gabriela Gunčíková) is from the Czech Republic and I suspect that all of her bandmates are from the same region.
Yessum, as I have pointed out whenever I post those old Bandstand clips from 1964 and earlier when the TV show was based in Philadelphia, the Philly gang created their own unique dance move that I simply call "the bump." Couples pulled their bodies together until they bumped hips, then bounced apart, then pulled themselves back together again - over and over. That particular dance style did not go along with the show when it moved out to the West Coast later that same year (1964).
Yessum, it did look like Peter Noone was being transported through the crowd of adoring girls on a conveyor belt. As you might have noticed, the girls were packed around him like sardines, and one of them almost took a tumble as he moved past. That TOTP video is a rare and wonderful relic of the period. Clean-cut Peter Noone and his benign band were popular with mothers as well as daughters because "Herman" wasn't rough, rowdy, dangerous or sexual like Mick Jagger and his Rolling Stones.
I'm glad you noticed the definite similarity between "Steal Away" and "What A Fool Believes." According to Wiki: "McDonald's publishers sought legal action, although McDonald himself did not accuse Dupree of stealing his song."
By the way, I'm happy to learn that you landed better seats for the Bryan Adams show. I know you and Bill are in for a treat.
Yessum, right now I am thinking I'll come back up for air and publish my next post on February 12. Look for it then, and please check your own junk folder around that time to see if my next comment on your blog might be trapped there in your dungeon. I'd hate to lose you and my buddy Benny. How is your pooch doing these days? I think you told me he wasn't feeling well last time we corresponded. I hope he enjoyed his walk with you today.
Thanks again for swinging by and for your thoughtful comment, dear friend Janet. Stay safe, well and happy until I see you again next month!
I'm here!! Ice been so busy at work and exhausted when I get home. I thoroughly enjoyed all these songs even that monkee song with Annette and The Beach Boys. I wonder if they play this song when they travel. Hahaaa. There are some, here, I have not heard before so it's good to hear these songs and glad you showcase them. Some of these outfits one could. I enjoy your blog so and your comments on my blog. Hatley is snoozing beside me and I need to go ro bed. Have a great evening and weekend
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteWelcome to my first post of 2024, dear friend! Tired as you must be, I thank you so very much for staying up late on a "school night" to visit me here at Shady's Place. You are a trouper and a devoted friend.
Congratulations! You are the first person to even mention the song Rondo played - the video of former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer Annette fronting The Beach Boys performing the theme song over the closing credits of the Disney film The Monkey's Uncle. I was elated to find such a pristine copy of the clip in brilliant 4K resolution and remastered sound.
Yessum, in this new year special, you see outfits spanning more than 40 years, from the suits worn by the young men dancing on American Bandstand in 1964 to the flashy outfits worn by Pepsi & Shirlie in the late 80s to the hot mini dresses worn by the Atomic Kitten women in 2008.
That picture of you and my buddy Harley cheek to cheek is a keeper. I look at it often and thank you for sending it to me. I'm glad you enjoyed my first post of the year and thank you again for pushing yourself to stay up past your bedtime to visit and comment. I hope you and Harley got a good night's sleep and that you will head into the weekend feeling refreshed. I look forward to seeing you again next month around the 12th when I present Vol. 12 of my series Saved By The Dell. Until then, please take good care of yourself and your smooch pooch and remember that I am thinking about you both, dear friend BB!
Hi Shady! I'm trying hard to remember the date you publish. I did it! Lol. Funny cartoon at the beginning. It reminded me of when cell phones first came out and my daughters used to talk, text and drive. Very dangerous and it drove me nuts.
ReplyDeleteThe Atomic Kittens were amazing and , "Anyone Who has A Heart," is one of my favorite songs. Great voices.
Loved to see Dick Clarks opening song of the Beatles. Very exciting for me at the time. I first heard about this song at school. Everyone was talking about it. I heard it on the radio and then ran out and bought the single. I was hooked from then on. I enjoyed hearing some of, As Usual, by Brenda Lee. She was terrific.
I loved this rendition of, "Keep On Dancing." I went and listened to the original, which is the one I remember. I thought for sure I would like the original better, but no, I don't. Something about the Avantis recording made me love it.
I think you know I love Herman's Hermits. He just came off as such a sweet guy and his songs were simple and sweet too. They just make a person smile. I also loved Pepsi and Shirlie. I much preferred the song, "Heartache." They look so cute on stage.
I loved Annettee when she was a Mouseketeer. Her voice was sweet. I thought I was going to hate this song when it started, but it grew on me. It's kinda cute. I also liked, "Steal Away." I listened to, "What A Fool Believes," and thought the intro and beat of the beginning of Steal Away might be similar, but after that I really disliked the rest of What a Fool Believes and didn't think it was similar at all. But what do I know? I'm not an expert on music.
Whitesnake? Well, you know I don't care for that kind of music, but I'm glad some people do. To each his own. I am going to try to find, Mr. Mayor and Animal Control. They both look funny. Dan and I started watching, "Fisk," on Netflix. It's a quirky comedy series from Australia. We find it very funny. I'm glad you got your snow. We finally got some too! More is coming. The children who live in our apartment complex are having a lot of fun in the playground. God bless you and Kathy. May you have a wonderful 2024.
Hi, Belle!
DeleteThank you very much for dropping by, dear sister-friend!
Yessum, that clip from the animated sitcom Family Guy is funny but, at the same time, a reminder to motorists that distracted driving can lead to serious injury or death. You are the first to mention that opening video and I thank you for making note of it.
I am pleased that you appreciate the quality of the performance by the UK girl group Atomic Kitten on their late 2000s cover of "Anyone Who Had A Heart." It's one of my favorite songs, too.
I'm delighted that you remembered the date this special post was due to be published, marking the 60 year anniversary of the day (Saturday, January 18, 1964) that Dick Clark first introduced The Beatles to his dancers in the Philly studio and national viewing audience at home watching American Bandstand. In the span of that three minute video, we witness music history turning a page and an exciting new chapter starting. I found a very interesting tidbit for you, Belle. Technically, "I Want To Hold You Hand" was not the first Beatles record played on American Bandstand. On a 1963 episode of the show, "She Loves You" was played as one of the competing songs in the Rate-A-Record contest. A blog site called "Meet the Beatles For Real" goes on to explain what happened: "When Dick Clark first debuted The Beatles' "She Loves You" for Rate-A-Record on American Bandstand back in 1963, it was given a 73. The kids on the show took one look at them from a photo, they laughed." Isn't that amazing, Belle? Apparently, only a few months earlier, in 1963, the look and sound of The Beatles were still too new, too different, too foreign, to go over very well with the teens on Bandstand, no doubt reflecting the tastes of young people all across America who were used to listening and dancing to doo-wop ballads and teen idol pop. What a difference those few months made! I was on the junior high school basketball team. The moment I realized that The Beatles were for real, that they were a worldwide phenomenon, was one night as the team and the cheerleaders were returning home by bus from an "away" game at another school. The girls on the cheer squad were listening to a transistor radio. When the station played "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" back-to-back, the girls squealed and sang along in unison. Never before had I heard such a heightened level of excitement.
Thank you for appreciating Dell Rat Ron's offering - the obscure R&B group The Avantis and their original version of "Keep On Dancing." Once you hear it, it does indeed become hard to decide which version is better, theirs or the up tempo hit by The Gentrys released two years later.
(proceed to next form)
(reply to Belle's comment, cont.)
DeleteYessum, those two clips from the archives of the London-based music TV show Top Of The Pops are something special. In the first, sweet, boyish Peter Noone sings one of my Herman's Hermits favorites "Just A Little Bit Better" surrounded by giddy girls in the studio audience. Clearly, they adored him. ( I met Peter in 1990 and he was just as nice as he appeared to be in that video.) The second outstanding clip from TOTP was the English dance-pop duo Pepsi & Shirlie (former backing singers for George Michael's Wham!) performing "Heartache." I remember listening to their songs in the late 80s. They had the right look and the right sound for the time, and therefore I wonder why they were not more successful here in the states.
Thanks too for mentioning Annette fronting The Beach Boys. I waited years to find a clean, HD/HQ clip of "The Monkey's Uncle" and finally found one to present here in my new year's special. I get the sense that "Steal Away" was just barely different enough from "What A Fool Believes" to avoid legal action. Both are prime examples of "Yacht Rock," a music genre that is hard to define, but you know it when you hear it.
Thanks for the tip about Fisk. I love British, Australian and Kiwi movies and TV series and will look for it. Ted Danson is super funny as the Mayor of Los Angeles, and the delightful young actress Vella Lovell, featured here as a Shady Bunch presenter, is in the main cast of both sitcoms - Mr. Mayor and Animal Control.
Yessum, it started snowing early this morning and we could receive as much as 6 inches of new snow today on top of the 2 or 3 inches we got earlier this week. No school for me! :)
Thank you again for your kind visit and wonderful comments, dear sister-friend Belle. Take good care of yourself and look for my next post around the 12th of February. Happy new year and God bless!
My opinion and $1.25 might only get you a spool of curling ribbon at DollarTree, but The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is still one of the greatest pop songs even written and blows so much otherwise quality music out of the water.
ReplyDeleteI noticed in the opening credits of The Monkey's Uncle that the song Annette and the Beach Boys were singing was written by the Sherman brothers, best known for Mary Poppin's "Chim-Chim-Chiree". It's as if Uncle Walt (who would have been about 63 n 1964) wanted to capitalize on youth music just enough to have the Wilson brothers there, but didn't trust them enough to use their own material. Or maybe it was just cheaper to have the Beach Boys only perform instead of performing AND composing.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for attending my first platter party of the new year, good buddy!
I'm with you 1000% on your opinion of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." It is the perfect pop-rock song. To this day, the moment I hear the bold, dynamic, attention-grabbing flourish of the intro, the excitement meter is pegged. I feel the rush, the wave sweeping over me. I feel like my blood is suddenly boiling. I am alive. What more could one ask of a song?
Thank you for being one of the few people to further discuss the pristine clip I found of Annette singing and The Beach Boys playing over the closing credits of Disney's The Monkey's Uncle. Thanks too for mentioning the prolific songwriting team The Sherman Brothers, the guys responsible for composing more movie musical song scores than anyone else in history. This includes live-action films, animated features and theme park songs. In posts, comments and replies I have written over the years, I often refer to the Sherman Brothers song "It's A Small World (After All)." As you recall, the "Beach Movie" genre was going strong in the early and mid 60s and featured performances by popular recording artists of the period. I suspect that Walt recruited The Beach Boys for his picture because they were the leading band of the surf-rock genre at the time. It's a good thing the movie was released in 1965 instead of 1966 or later because, by then, surf-rock had faded in popularity and The Beach Boys and other bands were writing and recording more serious and intellectual types of songs.
Thank you again for contributing to my first post of 2024, good buddy Kirk. I hope to see you next month around the 12th when I publish the next installment of my long-running series Saved By The Dell. Till then, take care and happy new year!
My initial comment was 'too long', so I'm splitting it into two! This is the first instalment.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I seriously cannot believe that I've encountered 'Shady's Place', that looks like a very good place to me!
While scrolling down the comments I did a real double-take when I saw a reference to the Czech Republic. I suppose, on reflection, that I maybe should have made the connection with Gabriela Gunčíková. Of course, when one blogs substantially about the music scene of what is today the Czech Republic, as I do - admittedly of a rather older vintage than Gabriela's! - one can see why I did that double-take. Yes, that was a highly impressive take on Whitesnake on Gabi's part. They were more my older brother's scene than mine, as he is more the out -and-out Heavy Rock fan than I am, although I too have had my odd Heavy Rock moment or two, so I might well pass this post by him and see what he makes of Whitesnake going Czech! I'll always associate Whitesnake's David Coverdale with my days re-taking my French and German GCE A-Levels at Derby College of Further Education and the alcohol-hazed pre-Christmas mid-afternoon returns on the bus back to Belper after the 'famous' 'French cheese and wine mornings' on the last Friday morning French class of the autumn term, followed by a lunch-time at The Old Bell Hotel in Derby city centre. There was one fellow student at DCFE from Belper with whom I had a chat and she confessed her wild fancying of David Coverdale. Probably she was 'well-lubricated', too!
Thanks for alerting me to that 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' cover by Atomic Kitten, which wan't bad at all. Although she'd have long gone from the outfit by the time of this single it constantly struck me as a strange surname Kerry Katona had and I wondered at the back of my mind where it originated. Then, some years down the line, as I discovered the female Pop of the former Soviet Bloc, I had my answer via the singer from Hungary, Klári Katona. So, there must be a 'Little Hungary' somewhere on Merseyside!
As you'd brought up Gabriela Gunčíková's gigantic voice I perhaps should draw your attention to Věra Špinarová's Cilla Black cover, 'Music-Box' - of 'Surround Yourself With Sorrow', that is. As I was discovering all these 'exotic' new names in the mid-2010s it struck me as incredible that it was intimated that 'Věrka' should 'envy' any voice, when the ethnically Hungarian Valérie Čižmárová came along in late August 2015 and I found out that there'd been a magazine article published in 1970 where that aforementioned envy was referred to. So, she has her own Fan Blog at 'Bananas For Breakfast' - so named thanks to that other British Invasion group, The Kinks and her 1968 talent show cover of 'Sunny Afternoon', 'Slunný podnebí'/'Tám, za vodou' ('Sunny Weather'/'There, In The Water') with its 'California Dreaming'-like lyrics of dreaming of being on a hot beach breakfasting on a kilo of bananas, on a cold winter's day.
'California Dreaming' happens to be, like 'I'm Into Something Good', part of the repertoire of the local band for whom I am the 'Fifth Beatle' (ie., resident dancer), Godfrey's Grit 'n' Soul Band. Derby tends to suffer unfavourable comparisons with its grander neighbour sixteen miles to the east, Nottingham (the 'Queen of the Midlands') and has a comparatively unglamorous image, with its heavier industrial base, sort of treated as Nottingham's rail junction, but Nottingham hasn't got GGnSB!
...and here is the second instalment!
ReplyDeleteReturning to things Valérie Čižmárová-related it's good to see The Beach Boys featured at this post as they are quite intimately connected with her via having appeared on the same bill at the Bratislavská Lýra festival of 1969, where she performed her debut single, a Jazz-ified treatment of Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny', then aged just seventeen, on 18th June of that year. I do like references to primates when thinking thoughts of 'Valinka', as I know her. Without her 1970-recorded song, 'Dávno nejsem hloupá' ('I've Not Been Crazy For A Long Time') I'd have never discovered the weird and wonderful world of Lancelot Link and The Evolution Revolution, of whose 'Sha-La Love You' 'Dávno nejsem hloupá' was a cover...and 'Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp', too! We didn't get much Lancelot Link action over here in the UK, so that's why.
Looking at the name of your home city gets me thinking of the city over on this side of the Atlantic with the same name, which does have an indeed 'scenic' image, unlike Derby, but maybe a sleepier one than other, larger cities in Yorkshire, like Leeds and Sheffield. Therefore, it was quite a revelation while I had something to do with the organisation 'Enjoying Derby', which had a programme of led walks around Derby and further afield and also had coach excursions for its service users, to drop into York's branch of W. H. Smith and spot the books 'Rhythm and Romance' and 'Something in the Air' by Van Wilson on the city's entertainment scene, respectively of the 1920s to the early 1950s and the late 1950s to the early 1970s, which was quite thriving and there was even a magazine on the local music scene, seen being read by Mick Jagger on tour, in a photo in 'Something in the Air', called 'Ousebeat'. There is a Bratislavská Lýra connection with York (UK) inasmuch as one local outfit was The John Barry Seven, one of whose members was Les Reed. He appeared at the Bratislavská Lýra and met Valinka's predecessor at the Divadlo Rokoko (Rococo Theatre), Helena Vondráčková and was so impressed that he composed a selection of songs for her. It always strikes me as a pity he didn't meet Valinka herself, since I'm sure he'd have been similarly impressed.
I look forward to other exciting posts here at 'Shady's Place' and I hope you enjoy, variously, 'Bananas For Breakfast' and 'Girls Of The Golden East'.
Oh, BTW, in my comment over at your post on Dutch Girl Groups I slightly mis-spelled that Dolly Dots song I mentioned. They spelt 'Sheba' 'Sheiba'.
Hello again, Christopher!
DeleteWhat an enormous comment, my new friend! I can't remember the last time a reader had this much to express in response to my material. I greatly appreciate the amount of time and effort you spent on these remarks. I am very excited that you were willing to share stories about your life experiences in Derbyshire as they relate to the David Coverdale song and others in the post, and that you offered suggestions on further reading and listening.
I'm pleased that you liked the covers by powerhouse Czech vocalist Gabriela Gunčíková and the Brit pop girl group Atomic Kitten. I wasn't familiar with Cilla Black's "Music-box (Surround Yourself with Sorrow)." Upon doing a little research, I learned that the song was released as a single in February, 1969, and in May that same year on the album Surround Yourself with Cilla. I first watched the clip of Cilla performing the song on TOTP in 1969. Next, I listened to the rendition by the artist you recommended, Věra Špinarová. Unless I am mistaken, Věra's cover was released in 1970. I enjoyed both versions and thank you very much for the tip!
It's neat that you perform with a band there in Derby and that they routinely do covers of "California Dreaming" and 'I'm Into Something Good." Me thinks you might be too modest about the merits of Derby and of your band. I'm sure quite a number of fans make the pilgrimage from Nottingham to attend your shows.
Thank you for sharing the tidbit about The Beach Boys' connection to Czech singer Valérie Čižmárová. Further reading revealed the sad fact that Valérie took ill and died young, at age 53, in 2005. I watched the B&W clip of her live performance of "Sunny" and was delighted with the arrangement and her lovely vocal. Valérie seemed like a sweet and humble girl, and I wish she could have enjoyed a longer life.
Yes, Christopher, I spent the first portion of my life in the area around York, also called Yorktown early on, a burg in South Central Pennsylvania named after the cathedral city in North Yorkshire. The inspiration for my blogging career comes from my experiences and the music played at The Shady Dell, a notorious hangout for teenagers just outside the York city limit.
Thank you again for your kind visits to Shady's Place and your tremendous two-part comment on my current post. Clearly you have vast knowledge about the Euro music scene dating back many years.
You offer a wealth of new information, so much so that it boggles my mind. It comes as no surprise that you operate two Wordpress blogs, Bananas For Breakfast and Girls Of The Golden East, and also maintain a presence on Tumblr and Flickr. I bookmarked both of your blogs and intend to visit, because there is much for me to learn and like. Please note that my first comment submitted today on Girls Of The Golden East vanished. Therefore, I ask that you monitor your spam/junk folder so that you can rescue any of my comments that become trapped in your dungeon. :)
Take care and have a wonderful week, friend Christopher!
Yes, there was rather a lot to cover...dale!
DeleteBoth 'Surround Yourself With Sorrow' and 'Music-Box' are great songs, but my very favourite Cilla Black song is 'Conversations', also from that year, which I suppose makes a change from generally preferring artists' earlier material. It is something of a fantasy cover of mine, in answer to Věra Špinarová's 'Music-Box' - a Czech-language version as 'Konverzace' by Valérie Čižmárová. That would have been epic!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-6nzAu8us
Thank you for your very kind comments on her. I get a sense that, even when things weren't going her way, as a girl from distant Michalovce with a passion for music and entertainment in general, Valinka was ever-aware that she was 'living the dream' in Prague and maybe even felt slightly more at home there than in Michalovce. The fact that she is buried in Prague at the Nový židovský hřbitov (New Jewish Cemetery) with her mother, Eva Kindová just feels so right, even as a provincial Christian - so 'showbiz' in death.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_curves_man/51841574770/in/album-72177720296187982/
I dare say that there are many in Nottingham - I know at least one person from there - who may also be envious of Derby's former Co-Operative Department Store as well. That person to whom I referred actually said, "I wish we had something like this in Nottingham!" It's one of those buildings that makes one think, "Are we in Middle England or Middle America?" The curved, whitewashed Sir Frederick Bennett-designed building is my second favourite building in Derby City Centre. Back in the summer of 2022 Godfrey's Grit 'n' Soul Band played an outdoor gig in the public space in front of it and it made a very good dance floor for me!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_curves_man/albums/72177720306292482/with/52712739079
York PA sounds a very interesting place. I like the nickname for the watercourse that flows through it, the Codorus Creek, which looks more like a fully-blown river to British eyes, given the general difference in scale between our two countries, 'Inky Stinky'. I gather that things are in train to try and alter that image, though. Here's a photo of York UK's watercourse, the River Ouse, spurred on by thoughts of York. How does it compare with the Codorus Creek?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_curves_man/53478839566/in/dateposted-public/
I sometimes don't know myself how I keep everything in the air on the Web. Now I've had to go 'Pro' (at £114.00 for the two-year period) at Flickr to get over the thousand photo/video limit I'm hoping that eventually it will have a monetising effect now I have a sort of 'shop window' to show off my photography and my architectural and entertainment-related tours. It is almost like having a full-time job!
Hi, Christopher!
DeleteWe've got to stop meeting like this! :)
I enjoyed Cilla's 1969 single "Conversations," a song that is new to my ears. Along the way, I have read that Cilla had her critics who were not fond of her constant "belting" style. I rather liked it.
Thank you for sharing images from your Flickr account. If you think York's Codorus Creek looks like a river, you should have seen it in the wake of Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972:
https://www.ydr.com/picture-gallery/news/2019/06/18/tropical-storm-agnes-also-hurricane-flooded-york-1972-june/1486943001/
Thank you for your visit and comment, Christopher!
Yes, we have, as I continue this odyssey through my comments on your posts past midnight here in the UK!
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed 'Conversations' and I'm surprised that it's completely new to you. I'll always think of my 'Nan' (maternal grandmother) when I think of Cilla as she couldn't stand her! Nan is at my YouTube channel, accompanying Mum in the year of your birth, BTW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z_WlMn-zjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Z9pEsZqzQ
The Grand Theatre, Babington Lane, Derby referred to in that scrapbook of Mum's amateur operatic career is where I saw Godfrey's Grit 'n' Soul Band for the second time, just about half-a-century after Mum had been Mařenka in 'The Bartered Bride', at the Big Beat Bash reunion of Sixties groups of Derby.
Those are quite dramatic scenes in and around York in the aftermath of Storm Agnes, especially the Centerville Bridge, a steel structure bent around by ninety degrees. It came back to me that I'd had an exchange shortly before the fiftieth anniversary of the Storm Agnes floods over Facebook with a Friend from Ellicott City, Maryland whom I know through my being part of the campaign to save Charles Herbert Aslin's ground-breaking Art Deco Bus and Coach Station in Derby from demolition. I set myself up as the 'Internet Affairs Representative' of the Bus Station Action Group, set up a site after teaching myself a bit of HTML and reached out over the Web for a bit of moral support. Much to my amazement, the host of the 'Art Deco Architecture' site, Lara Goeke, from Ellicott City, had studied for a year at De Montfort University, Leicester and had visited Derby during those studies and personally knew the Bus Station and was shocked by this news. She put a link to our campaign on 'Art Deco Architecture' straight away. In November 2000, ironically immediately after a particularly serious bout of flooding throughout the country, including our York, as the River Ouse reached the highest levels for four hundred years, Lara came over to stay at a hotel in Leicester and re-visited the Bus Station, my showing her the Exeter Place Apartments over the River Derwent from the Bus Station and also part of Charles Herbert Aslin's 'Central Improvement Scheme' where there were traces of washed-up undergrowth high up on the grassy bank between the apartments and the river.
Storm Agnes also affected Ellicott City very badly and this is a photo Lara shared with me back in May 2022.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/133630313913135272/?fbclid=IwAR2J5nYv9NohJdkWVaCkIoS9EAn4uGxdaCCmTC91ZScQ5MOT66YdxWGeFMU
Referring back to my previous comments over at the 'Battle of the Bands' post the 'Bridie Gale' character in 'The Radio Operators' was also partly influenced by Lara as Lara's family came from Pittsburgh before settling near Baltimore.
We did an exchange of books with me giving her a book on our local accent, the 'Derbyshire Drawl' and she giving me a book on how to speak 'Baltimorese'. How would the accent around York compare with Baltimorese?
You have an eye for beautiful ladies, my friend. The Beatles won the Best Music Video award in the Grammys this year. How cool is that?! Beth Boland - I didn't know that's her name - is one of my fave characters in the series The Buccaneers. Her lines there are so punchy. I've not been watching a lot of series or movies since I started by romance books era but I'll check these out when I get to the screens again.
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