Loris in Bloom

COLD OPEN

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

"Yesterday Once More" - The Carpenters

(July/Aug. 1973, highest chart position

#1 Cash Box & Easy Listening/#2 Hot 100) 

Kicking off the show, musical siblings Karen & Richard, The Carpenters,

and "Yesterday Once More," a chart-topping hit from the summer

of 1973 that reminisces about songs of a generation gone by.

 

Hello, I'm Loris Webb... 

an 80 year old granny (above)...

who's been mysteriously transformed...

into a bloomin' 20-something hottie! (below)

 on the Australian science fiction mystery TV series Bloom. 

I'm not my daughter's age. I'm my granddaughter's age!

I guess you could call me a late bloomer Boomer.

Here's how it happened.

 A year after a devastating flood killed five people in my

idyllic country town in Victoria, a mysterious new plant

began to appear. Soon it was discovered that the plant,

unlike the "Audrey Junior" in Little Shop of Horrors,

does not sing... and does not eat people. 

When consumed, the plant's berry

has the power to restore youth! 

For aging locals like me, it was a gift of

power beyond our wildest imagining. 

This Fountain of Youth in edible form is a miracle that some townsfolk

will kill to keep secret. (No hearing it through the grapevine.)

Maybe we should call those berries the grapes of wrath.

My friend Gwen, who was in my 1961 high school graduating class,

has been gobbling up those tutti frutties like there's no tomorrow.

(Hint: there might not be a tomorrow.)  

 Clearly, this is not your granddaddy's Please Don't Eat the Daisies. When Gwen

and I and other grannies and granddads turn young again, all we want to do is

raise hell, shag and keep eating those bewitched berries. Simply put, in our

little town, the boomers muncha buncha bloomers and act like they're

reborn to be wild! To complicate matters, there aren't enough

plants and berries to go around, and if you stop taking

those purple pep pills, the effect quickly wears off

and ZAP! - You're Morganized  old again! 

Now that you know our story, I welcome you to a sneak peek at my radio show

Loris in Bloom

exclusively here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. The oldies I play will

make Boomers like us feel young again, get us singing and dancing...

 maybe even doing some romancing. So get set to relive the

glory days of your bloomin' Boomer youth as my

7-song-in-a-row block party continues!

 

A few days ago,

when I was 80...

I was meek, mild-

mannered... and

aging gracefully.

BOOM!

Now, after taking Love Potion No. 9 in the form of those purple pellets

and turning 60 years younger, I wanna rock & roll all night and party

every day. Thanks to that perplexing plant... all I wanna do is root.

This metamorphosis, this extreme makeover, has me baffled and bewildered. 

Somehow I have gone back to the future... been given the present of the past...

 and as far as my body and libido are concerned, it's "Yesterday Once More." 

When I turned 60 years younger

overnight, it was a fresh start.

It felt like a warm breeze

was blowing into my life. 

START VIDEO! 

To help explain the feeling, I'm going

to play a German song re-written in

English by composer Johnny Mercer

and recorded by Frank Sinatra, a

chart-topping Easy Listening hit

for The Sultan of Swoon. Listen

now as Ol' Blue Eyes turns back

the clock to 1966 and makes

you young again singing--

"Summer Wind." 

"Summer Wind" - Frank Sinatra

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart position

#1 Easy Listening/#25 Hot 100/#26 Cash Box) 

Summer breeze makes me feel high,

and I lost you to the "Summer Wind."

That was cool as a cucumber crooner

Francis Albert Sinatra with his #1

charting single from the fall of

1966, a song from the album

Strangers in the Night. 

These two are frequent flyers on

S-P-M-M Retro Radio, and for

good reason. The Niagara Falls

brother - sister duo Nino Tempo

and April Stevens were smooth,

polished, poised, professional

and oh so talented. Just before

Christmas in 1965, Nino and

April appeared on Dick Clark's

American Bandstand and sang

"Begin The Beguine," the Cole

Porter song introduced in the

1935 Broadway musical Jubilee. 

"Begin The Beguine" - Nino Tempo And April Stevens

(from 1964 album Nino And April Sing The Great Songs,

perf. on Dec. 18, 1965, ep. of American Bandstand) 

If you're just tuning in, I'm Loris Webb...

the late bloomer Boomer, the little old lady

from Padasena the land of Oz... 

... transformed by a peculiar petunia

and its bewitched beans into a younger

me - and I don't mean a little younger -

I mean a lot younger. I'm the budding,

blossoming beauty I was in my early 20s.

Let's put it this way. That perplexing plant

(I've named him Robert) has been berry

berry good to me! (BA-DUM-BUMP)

And I assure you that I'm no shy violet. 

Now, let's get back to the music from

my (and your) Boomer youth. 'Twas

the spring of 1960 and I was close

to the age I am now thanks to

Halle Berry (yep, I named her)

... the fruit of that funky vine.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW! 

The Everly Brothers, Phil and Don, were topping the charts

in countries all over the world with their song- "Cathy's Clown." 

"Cathy's Clown" - The Everly Brothers

(May/June 1960, highest chart position

#1 Hot 100/#1 Cash Box/#1 R&B/#1 UK) 

That was "Cathy's Clown," the biggest selling record of The Everly Brothers'

long career. The single spent five weeks at #1 on Billboard and Cash Box,

seven weeks at #1 in the UK and topped the U.S. R&B chart for one week. 

Loris Webb at the mic on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio... the station that

makes you feel young again and berry berry happy.  This is my new show

Loris in Bloom

inspired by the Australian fantasy mystery TV series Bloom.  The songs I'm

playing help tell the amazing true story of how I shed six decades overnight. 

Now that I've gone from 80 to 20, I've hit a speed bump. My daughter

has now assumed the role of my nagging mother. She even tried to

ground me for acting like such a tart. The good news is that I've

become besties with my granddaughter. It's ladies night down

at the corner pub and she and I plan to close the joint. 

This next fellow is no stranger

to the top of the chart. In 1960,

Chubby Checker's cover of the

Hank Ballard song "The Twist"

reached #1 and ignited a world-

wide dance craze. (I remember

doing "The Twist" here in the

Outback.) In 1961, Chubby

scored one of the biggest

records of the year with

another "Twist" song. 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW! 

Chubby Checker chants:

"Let's Twist Again!" 

"Let's Twist Again" - Chubby Checker

(July/Aug. 1961, highest chart pos. 

#3 Cash Box/#8 Hot 100)

Gonna do The Twist and it goes like this!  From the summer of '61,

that was Chubby Checker milking the dance craze he started

for all it was worth and landing in the top 3 winner's circle

with his follow-up hit, "Let's Twist Again."  

I'm running out of time (in more

ways than one), and I hope you

enjoyed this sneak preview of

Loris in Bloom

...the new radio show that will

magically make you young again,

coming soon to Shady's Place.

Speaking of magic, stay tuned.

Coming up on the flip side of

Gary Owens' news, it's my new

best friend Erica Strange with

another edition of her series

Strange Magic Being Erica

right here on S-P-M-M...

the station that brings

you Retrosonic songs in

bloomin' Futuresonic

Stereo Surround. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

To play us off, Jewel Akens on Shindig! telling us about 

"The Birds And The Bees!" Now this is Loris Webb leaving

you with sound advice: Never grow up - never grow old! 

"The Birds And The Bees" - Jewel Akens

(Feb./Mar. 1965, highest chart pos. #2 Cash Box/#3 Hot 100,

#21 R&B, performance on Feb. 10, 1965, ep. of Shindig!)

With V-Day Approaching... Meg Griffin's Frantic Romantic! (Alternate Title: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face")

Hi, I'm Meg Griffin of Family Guy.

As you recall, I was

Shady's guest host on
Shady Dell Music &
Memories for the
Valentine' Day
post in 2017.

At the time I was desperately

lonely. The only men who

were interested in me were

nerdy Neil Goldman from

school and our neighbor,
Mr. Quagmire. It didn't
work out with either
one of them.

Peter, I took your daughter to one crummy dance.
I refuse to marry her, even if you pay me a dowry!

A lot has happened
over the last four
years. I found my
one true love.
His name is
Rondo!

There is something,
Rondo, about you,

that's really

attracting me.
I'm falling...
and I'm...
too weak
to fight!

"Too Weak To Fight" 

 - Clarence Carter

(Dec. 1968/Jan. 1969,

highest chart pos. #3 R&B,

#13 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Meg, NO-wuh! Rondo's not right for you!
He's old enough to be your father.

And besides, he creeps me out.
Please come to your senses!

Stop trying to run my

life, mom! Rondo's my 

soul mate. He gets me.

He completes me. We

finish each other's

sentences. I say

"I love..." and

he says:

"little baby ducks,

old pick-up trucks,

slow movin' trains

... and rain."

Rondo and I know
in our hearts...
there ain't nothing
like the real thing!

"Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing"

- Marvin Gaye And Tammi Terrell

(May/June 1968, highest chart

pos. #1 R&B/#8 Hot 100,

#9 Cash Box)

Maybe that's why
when we're

all alone.....
 I can hear music!

"I Can Hear Music" 

- The Beach Boys
(Apr. 1969, highest chart
pos. #20 Cash Box,

#24 Hot 100)

Rondo could be my

summer boy.

Rondo could be my

summer toy!

Our minds are made up,

mom... and there's

nothing you can do to

stop us. We're goin' to

the chapel and we're

gonna get married!

"Chapel Of Love" - The Dixie Cups

(May/June 1964, highest chart pos.

#1 Hot 100, Cash Box & R&B,

perf. on Dec. 25, 1965,

ep. Hollywood A Go Go)

I can't kick

the habit of
loving you,

Rondo!

"The Habit Of Lovin' You Baby"

Nino Tempo And April Stevens

(Jan. 1967, B side of "You'll

Be Needing Me Baby")

Rondo may not be a

movie star, (he's only
a character actor),
but when it comes to
being happy - we are!

"My Guy" - Mary Wells

(Apr./May 1964, highest

chart pos. #1 Hot 100,

& Cash Box & R&B,

perf. on Dec. 30, 1964

ep. of Shindig!)

Let's sing it again, Rondo!

"I love..."

"coffee in a cup,

little fuzzy pups,
old TV shows...

and snow...

...and I love you too, Meg!"

Echoes of the Spectorian Era, Vol. 14: I Wake Up Crying Because I Can't Kick the Wall-of-Sound Habit!

 Welcome to Vol. 14 of my series 

 covering the Sound of Spector... 

 the great Wall-of-Sound 

 recordings of the 60s! 

 THE BUTTERFLYS 

The song "I Wonder" was recorded by Phil Spector's girl group
The Crystals and released as a single in the U.K. It was also waxed
by Spector's Ronettes and released as an album track.

When it comes to the version of "I Wonder" released as a single by
The Butterflys (aka Butterflies), a girl group once called the Buttons
and made up of two former Crystals, wonder is all one can do.

In the fall of 1964, the Butterflys made a run at the top 50 with "Good Night Baby."
Some believe their follow-up, "I Wonder," was merely the overdubbed voice of
Ellie Greenwich, the Brill Building vet who wrote the song and provided
female vocals for another group, the Rainbows. I wonder if it really
matters.  The sound's the thing and the Butterflys' version of
"I Wonder," the only one released as a single in the

U.S., is girl group nirvana!

 "I Wonder" - The Butterflys 

 (Jan. 1965, highest chart pos. #117) 

 THE FURYS 

In 1962 Gene Pitney had a doublesided hit with "Only Love Can Break a Heart"
backed with "If I Didn't Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)"

Here's a Spectoresque cover of that fab flip arranged by Jack Nitzsche and
performed by R&B/doo-wop vet Jerome Evans and his group The Furys.

 "If I Didn't Have a Dime" - The Furys 

 (September 1964, uncharted) 

 MAUREEN GRAY 

I introduced Maureen Gray in vol. 2 of Echoes. As you might recall, Maureen

was the young singing sensation discovered by John Madara of the East Coast

songwriting/producing team of Madara & White. Maureen was only age 12

when she boldly marched into Madara's Philadelphia record store and told

him she could sing.  Madara signed the confident girl to a recording

contract.  Over the two years that followed Madara wrote and

produced more than a dozen of Maureen's recordings.

Here's a great one I'm posting for the first time. The moment you hear those

clacking castanets you'll know that this recording, which included budding

Philly Sound giant Leon Huff on keyboards, is an excellent example of the

East Coast Wall-Of-Sound that imitated Spector's West Coast production

style. Here is so young Maureen Gray with the flip side of "So Young,"

the splendidly Spectorian "There Is a Boy."

 "There Is a Boy" - Maureen Gray 

 (Jan. 1962, B side of "So Young") 

 TOM JONES 

Now here's a drama drenched Wall of Soundalike ballad
by Tom Jones that'll hit you like a ton of bricks!

It's the Welshman's powerful interpretation of the Burt Bacharach -
Hal David song "I Wake Up Crying," a top 20 R&B hit

for Chuck Jackson in 1961.

Awaken to Spectorian Splendor
with Mr. Tom Jones!

 "I Wake Up Crying" - Tom Jones 

 (from Dec. 1967 album 13 Smash Hits) 

 NINO TEMPO & 

 APRIL STEVENS 

Now here are Nino Tempo & April Stevens, the Grammy Award winning duo
from Niagara Falls that you met in vol. 4 of this series. The exciting brother-sister
act captured lightning in a bottle with the recording you are about to hear.

As the pictures above and below indicate, Nino & April emerged from
the deep end of the gene pool. They had the right look, the right sound
and the talent to become top recording artists.

When the family moved from Niagara Falls to California, Nino, a musical
prodigy, landed gigs as a session musician and worked under Phil Spector
as a member of The Wrecking Crew. Nino signed a recording contract
and began making records singing duets with his sister Carol who
went by the name April Stevens.

Nino wrote songs for the pair to record including "The Habit of Lovin' You Baby"

which the sibs waxed at the end of 1966. "Habit" was given the Spectorian studio

treatment and the single hit the street at the start of 1967. Unfortunately "Habit"

went to waste because it was released as the B side of "You'll Be Needing Me

Baby" which only Bubbled Under and never climbed above #133 on the chart.
What a shame! I hope you will agree that this killer B coulda been a killer A!

 "The Habit of Lovin' You Baby" - Nino Tempo & April Stevens 

 (Jan. 1967, B side  of "You'll Be Needing Me Baby") 

 BILLY JOE ROYAL 

Georgia born, country influenced pop singer Billy Joe Royal is best known for his hits
"Down in the Boondocks," "I Knew You When" and "Cherry Hill Park." In 1965 Royal

recorded the Joe South song "I've Got To Be Somebody." By Christmas Billy Joe's
Spectoresque single was climbing toward the top 40, helped along by this stirring
blue-eyed soul performance on the teen music TV show Shindig.

 "I've Got To Be Somebody" - Billy Joe Royal 

 (Dec. 1965/Jan. 1966, highest chart pos. #38, 
 live perf. on Nov. 6, 1965 ep. of Shindig) 

 REPARATA & 

 THE DELRONS 

Gotta love those New York girl groups. Mary Aiese, stage name Reparata,
and her Brooklyn trio of Catholic school girls called the Delrons, made a name
for themselves in the U.S. and the UK doing what mid 60s girl groups

 did best, singing songs about the pain of teenage love.

Reparata considers the group's RCA recording sessions to be their best work,
and she points to the single "I'm Nobody's Baby Now," written by Jeff Barry
and performed in the style of the Shangri-Las, as her favorite. Mine too!

 "I'm Nobody's Baby Now" - Reparata & the Delrons 

 (April 1966, uncharted) 

 I hope you enjoyed my 

 Echoes 14 platter party. 

 Stay tuned for more 

 splendid Spectorian sounds 

 coming your way in volume 15! 

Have a Shady day!