On July 22nd, my college buddy (music major too!) and I enjoyed a groovy night of The Happy Together Concert at a fantastic outdoor venue, Humphrey's-By-The-Bay, in San Diego. Back by popular demand, this year's tour featured regulars like Flo & Eddie of The Turtles and The Grass Roots, as well as The Buckinghams, The Association, Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & The Raiders), and first-timers, The Cowsills. While I've had the opportunity to see The Turtles and The Grass Roots perform together three years ago, it was a real treat hearing these other great artists as well! The backing band was made up of stellar musicians who helped lock in the sound of the original recordings we all know and love. No doubt the crowd at this sold-out event was really diggin' the perfect weather and classic tunes!
Our view from the back of the relatively intimate venue. Loved the location right next to the harbor in Point Loma (photo during The Association's set).
The first act of the evening was The Buckinghams, and not only did they sound great, they looked pretty good too! Featuring original members Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna, I loved hearing all their hits from "Kind of a Drag," "Susan," "Mercy Mercy Mercy," "Don't You Care," and "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)." It was a crack-up when lead singer Carl brought out an old, retro jacket he wore in concerts in the '60s; he claimed he had to buy it back on eBay! Did I mention his voice sounded superb?! Love this Sunshine pop from Chicago! Here's The Buckinghams' #1 hit from 1967, "Kind of a Drag."
On their debut year with The Happy Together Tour, the next act featured the wonderful Cowsill siblings,
Susan, Paul and Bob, whose hits include "The Rain, the Park and the Other Things," "Hair," and "Indian Lakes," to name a few. They even performed "Love American Style," which was the theme they recorded for the 1970s show of the same name. The Cowsills proved they can still harmonize beautifully and were fantastic addition to the Tour. Since the other songs mentioned have already been featured on this blog, here's a classic promo video of The Cowsills' "We Can Fly," a #21 hit in 1967.
Before intermission, we rocked out to Mark Dawson and Dusty Hanvey who have returned to carry on the music of the The Grass Roots. As mentioned in my concert recap from three years ago (here), these guys never disappoint and covered all the great ones including "Let's Live For Today," "Temptation Eyes," "Wait a Million Years," and "Midnight Confessions." I love their moving a cappella tribute to Vietnam vets, particularly to the ones who did not return home. Although it's been featured a few times before on this blog, here's rare footage of The Grass Roots performing their #5 hit "Midnight Confessions" from 1968 (Rob and Warren are enjoying themselves way too much, ha). Love this tune!
Kicking off the second half of the show, The Association continued with the talents of Del Ramos (brother of the late Larry Ramos), Jim Yester, and Jules Alexander (although a 4th member joined them this particular night and I can't remember who! Maybe Russ Giguere? Feel free to chime in if you were there too!). Performing their four big hits like "Windy," "Along Comes Mary," "Cherish," and "Never My Love," the whole crowd was singing along, no matter that the vocal group didn't have the tightest of harmonies as they did in the '60s. It was a lot of fun and the guys looked cute in their matching white suits.
Because you've got to check out this clever and classic opening from this live performance, here's The Association playing "Along Comes Mary" at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
For the next set, you could feel the crowd's love for Mark Lindsay, original lead singer for Paul Revere & The Raiders. While this guy not only sounds pretty good, he had incredible energy and can still kick higher than a Radio City Rockette. This Raider covered the hits like "Kicks," "Hungry," and "Good Thing," as well as "Arizona" from his solo career in the early '70s. I couldn't
help but laugh at the ecstatic audience when he performed "Indian Reservation." I get this was a #1 hit in 1971, but I have never liked that song for some reason. Sorry, guys! Still a well-done performance for a happy crowd. Considering how much these guys were on TV, it's surprisingly hard to find good quality footage, but here's Mark Lindsay performing the #6 US hit "Hungry" with Paul Revere & The Raiders in 1966.
The night concluded with the entertaining Flo & Eddie (Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan) of The Turtles, who are responsible for keeping this Happy Together Tour together each year. After beginning their set by poking fun at the "lousy" music of today (in this case, Flo wearing a snowman suit and lip-syncing a bit to a certain popular Disney song), the guys jumped into their early folk rock hits like "You Baby" and "It Ain't Me Babe," followed by "Elenore" from the late '60s. They also condensed snippets from their solo show including nods to Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen (which I likely would have missed if I hadn't seen their show 3 years ago). Of course, this wouldn't be the Happy Together Tour without their quintessential '60s hit of the same name. Finally, the concert was recapped when each group hopped back onstage and performed a quick segment from one of their top songs, concluding with an all-hands "Happy Together" singalong (The Turtles' #1 hit in 1967). Also a great cover version by Johnny Cash, here's The Turtles performing the Bob Dylan-penned "It Ain't Me Babe" on Shindig! in 1965 (#8 in the US).
What a fun night hearing all the classics! Thanks to Humphrey's for hosting these great groups!
And thanks to my buddy, Jenny, for being a good sport as my concert buddy. :)
On a side night, this night holds the record for the most comments about my white go-go boots. I even had someone ask me if these were my original boots that I had kept all these years. Why, yes, thank you. I do look pretty good for 65!
Although it's apparently taking me over half the year to get through this awesome series, we all know it's well worth it. Featuring the top-notch L.A. musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, our next recording is the traditional pop song "Strangers in the Night," composed by Bert Kaempfert. Originally part of an instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed, the song was made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1966. Reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Easy Listening, and UK Singles chart, it won Sinatra the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year. Despite Sinatra's strong hatred of the song, it was his first #1 song in 11 years and his most commercially successful album. The song's most memorable and recognizable feature is Sinatra's scat improvisation of the melody with the syllables "doo-be-doo-be-doo" as the song fades at the end.
Originating in mid-1965 as a band project by the L.A. songwriter/producer duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, The Grass Roots began with demo recordings using Wrecking Crew musicians.
Songs like "Where Were You When I Needed You" included Sloan on lead vocals and guitar, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and Bones Howe on drums. When moderate interest in the group arose, the producers found a new band that would incorporate The Grass Roots' name and cut a new version of "Where Were You When I Needed You" with the band's lead vocalist, Willie Fulton. The producers would go on to groom a third identity of The Grass Roots before they became a big success, but in the meantime, the second version of this single peaked at #28 on the charts in mid-1966. Here's performance of the temporarily Willie Fulton-lead Grass Roots.
The music of pop singer Bobby Vee also included the session musicians of the Wrecking Crew. With his biggest success in the early '60s, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20. His career actually began amid a tragedy, on "The Day The Music Died" in 1959 when the three headline act line-up (Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Booper) were killed in a plane crash. Vee, then age 15, with a quickly assembled band of Fargo, North Dakota schoolboys volunteered and were given the job of filling in for Buddy Holly and his band who were scheduled for a local engagement. Their performance there was a success, which eventually led to Vee's career as a popular singer. Reaching #3 on the Billboard chart, #2 on the Easy Listening, #9 on the R&B, and #3 in the UK in 1963, here's "The Night Has a Thousands Eyes."
One of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll era, Jackie DeShannon had a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. Using the WC musicians, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" was a smash single for DeShannon in 1969, reaching #4 on the Hot 100, #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and even #1 on South Africa's hit parade. Composed by DeShannon with her brother Randy Myers and Jimmy Holiday, it sold over million copies and was awarded a gold disc. It was performed as the closing number at the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. Here's a feelgood performance by a talented Kentucky girl.
We all know The Monkees began as a made-for-TV band who weren't allowed to play on their own recordings for their first two albums. Knowing the recipe for success, the producers used the Wrecking Crew studio musicians for these albums and other recordings featured on The Monkees TV show. Written and produced by Monkee Michael Nesmith, "You Just May Be the One" featured guitarists Glen Campbell, James Burton, and Al Casey, bassist Robert West, and drummers Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon. The song features the doubling of regular bass with Danelectro (or "dano" bass) played by one of the guitarists, and the dano bass' distinctive twang gave Nesmith's 1966 tracks a country flavor. The doubling of the bass proved difficult to master as some 35 takes were needed before the backing track was completed. A remake of this song was recorded by the band for their third album Headquarters in 1967. Here's the earlier version with the WC musicians that was used several times during Season One of the TV series.
Last night, my husband took me to see The Turtles and The Grass Roots perform at the "Live and Up Close" Theater in Sycuan Casino out in El Cajon (East San Diego County) and it was a rockin' good time! It may be the fact that I don't go to concerts enough but I couldn't believe how incredibly loud it was! The Turtles Featuring Flo and Eddie were the headlining act, so The Grass Roots opened the concert (each group played about an hour), and boy did they give us a show! Although original lead singer Rob Grill (pictured playing bass on the left) sadly passed away last year, Mark Dawson did a fantastic job taking over lead vocals and bass duties, and the whole group was solid. As soon as they opened with "I'd Wait a Million Years," the audience moved to the edge of their seats for the rest of the concert (if not jumping up and groovin'), impressed by this wall of sound full of '60s nostalgia. The band covered all of their hits including "Sooner or Later," "Two Divided By Love," "Heaven Knows," "Temptation Eyes," "Where Were You When I Needed You," and "Let's Live for Today," at which point they gave a heartfelt salute and thank-you to our veterans. They also added in a couple of covers that went well with their set, such as "Don't Pull Your Love" (originally by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds) and Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)." When the band acted like they were finished, I started thinking "Wait, they have to do "Midnight Confessions!" and thankfully, they saved that classic as their encore. Since my pictures from the concert stink, here's a photo of the current Grass Roots members:
And since this wouldn't be The '60s Beat without some music, here are the original Grass Roots performing "Heaven Knows" on the short-lived series "Music Scene" in 1969 (and Rob Grill is looking mighty fine).
Be sure to check out past posts featuring other great tunes by The Grass Roots here.
So over the last five decades, there have been several different personnel lineups for The Turtles, however, original members Howard Kaylan (lead singer) and Mark Volman (backing vocals/funny sideman) have always remained consistent. After The Turtles dissolved in 1970, some serious lawsuits took place with their record label, and for several years, they were prevented from using The Turtles name, as well their real names, in a musical context. Thus, Volman and Kaylan became Flo (aka "Phlorescent Leech") & Eddie. As you may have noticed these guys' antics in videos from the '60s, they are quite a comedic musical duo, and although their voices aren't as top-notch as they used to be, last night's show proved to be an entertaining mix of comedy and music. After an over-the-top orchestral introduction, Flo & Eddie entered the stage wearing Lady Gaga wigs as one of her songs played and was cut short with Kaylan ("Eddie") shouting, "What have they done to our music, man? Real music used to sound like this!" and the group began with their 1967 hit "She'd Rather Be With Me." The set continued with other Turtles hits including "You Baby," "It Ain't Me, Babe" (written by Bob Dylan), "She's My Girl," "You Showed Me," and "Elenore," mixed with lesser known but interesting Flo & Eddie material. The audience may have been expecting more familiar Turtles tunes, but I totally get why they branched out and wanted to show the crowd some of the other things they've done in their career. Actually, the duo has quite a fascinating history, joining Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in 1970, and going on to lend their trademark harmonies in recordings for several other artists including T. Rex ("Get It On [Bang a Gong]"), John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran, The Ramones, and many more. These guys have been best friends and musical partners for 50 years, so it only makes sense to showcase their extensive career and not just those five years when The Turtles were at their peak in the '60s. There was always a touching moment when the band sang a tribute for the late Davy Jones of The Monkees who was their dear friend, and they performed the first verse and chorus of "Daydream Believer." Backed by an excellent four-man band, the exciting night ended with their most popular hit "Happy Together" from 1967 (previously featured here). And here are those crazy guys now (and yes, Flo managed to retain that wild 'fro).
And of course, we'll conclude with The Turtles performing their 1968 hit, "Elenore." Written by all the band members at the time, this song was intended to be a parody of their "happy-go-lucky"-type tunes but to their surprise, it reached #6 on the US charts.
If you're interested in hearing these groups, be sure to check out the Happy Together Tour taking place this summer (here's the schedule). The Buckinghams, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees will be joining The Turtles and The Grass Roots, performing all their top hits.
Today, the music world lost another great rock classic, Rob Grill of The Grass Roots. Lead singer and bassist of one of the most popular groups in the late 60s/early 70s, Grill passed away at the age of 67 after suffering a head injury caused by a stroke. During their peak from 1967 to 1975, they charted 29 singles, 13 of which went gold followed by two gold albums and two platinum albums. While the band's personnel changed over the decades, Grill remained the point of focus throughout the years, even touring with the band on "oldies" tours, as well as appearing with the group again in 2008. Grill was also a songwriter, composing 16 songs for The Grass Roots and for his solo album. For TV in 1970 (the era of even longer hair), here are The Grass Roots performing a medley of the some of their biggest hits including "Wait a Million Years" (U.S. #15, 1969), "Midnight Confessions" (#5, 1968), "Let's Live For Today" (#8, 1967), and "Temptations Eyes" (#15, 1970).
Be sure to revisit past posts featuring The Grass Roots.
Farewell, Rob Grill. Your legendary voice will never be forgotten.
The Grass Roots were a band project created by songwriter/producer duo P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, who wanted to cash in on the up-and-coming folk rock movement of the time. After going through a couple of groups with the incorporated Grass Roots name, the third and most successful lineup was found in a band that already existed in L.A., who then took on their new role as The Grass Roots in 1967. With Rob Grill as the lead singer/bassist, this lineup went on to have 21 singles to hit the charts (a feat beat by only 9 other bands in the entire history of rock n' roll), and they actually hold the all-time attendance record for a one act U.S. concert of 600,000 people on July 4th, 1982 in Washington, DC. Blending the British beat sound with soul music, rhythm and blues, and folk rock, the group released several hits like "Midnight Confessions" in 1968. As this tune was the first of theirs to use a horn section, the group was concerned that their fans would not like the "departure" from their previous sound, however, it became their biggest hit, reaching #5 that summer. I think I may have a crush on these guys...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Led by guitarist Tom King, The Outsiders (originally named The Starfires) had a built-in advantage over the many American bands that formed in the wake of the British Invasion. Since 1958, they had already been an active rhythm and blues band in the Cleveland, Ohio music scene, sometimes playing six shows a week. With lead singer Sonny Geraci's solid voice and the band's soulful sound accompanied by a screaming brass section, The Outsiders' released "Time Won't Let Me" in early 1966, which peaked at #5 and remained on the charts for 15 weeks. Although the group had three other hits singles that same year and released four albums in the mid-1960s, they are falsely remembered as a one-hit wonder since this song remains prominent on 'oldies' radio playlists. Is it just me or does this lead singer look an awful lot like Chachi from the TV show Happy Days? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With singer and keyboardist Domingo "Sam" Samudio, known for wearing a robe and turban (and for hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with velvet curtains), the novelty rock group Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were formed in 1963 in Memphis, Tennessee. Written by Sam and released in 1965, "Wooly Bully" was the band's first and biggest hit, becoming a worldwide sensation and reaching #2 on the U.S. charts. Influenced by the British rock sound mixed with traditional Mexican-American conjunto rhythms, this was actually the first American record to sell a million copies during the British Invasion. It was also nominated for a Grammy and was named Billboard's "Number One Song of the Year" even though it didn't reach #1. Because the lyrics were hard to understand, some radio stations actually banned this song. By the way, the lyrics, "Let's not be L-7s," means "Let's not be squares," referring to the shape formed by the fingers making an L on one hand and a 7 on the other. Too funny!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In 1965, The Doors formed in Los Angeles, California, after a chance-meeting between fellow UCLA film school alumni, vocalist Jim Morrison and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who decided to form a band. Completely the lineup with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger, this group became one of the most controversial acts of the 1960s, mainly due to Morrison's crazy, poetic lyrics and his unpredictable yet charismatic stage presence. Even after Morrison's death in 1971 with the group eventually disbanding in '73, their popularity continues with over 90 million albums sold worldwide. After mainly recording blues rock, psychedelic rock, and hard rock, their sound shifted with the release of the symphonic rock song "Touch Me" in December of 1968, reaching #3 on the U.S. charts. Written by guitarist Krieger (who you'll notice has a black eye in this video, thanks for Morrison), this song was originally (and ironically) titled "Hit Me," but Morrison changed the lyrics in concern for the rowdy crowds at their concerts. This performance comes from one of their most famous TV appearances on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour where Morrison actually missed his cue for the lines "C'mon, c'mon" (at 1:09). Back by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra (bandleader for Frank Sinatra and many famous vocalists), this song is a blast. And I think I'd like to have a shiny belt like Jim Morrison.
Folk Rock Week: Part 3
Alright, diving right back into the remainder of folk rock week, we have another group from the Greenwich Village folk scene, as mentioned in my last post, the American band The Lovin' Spoonful. Starting out as The Mugwumps, a New York bohemian folk group including two members of The Mamas and The Papas (Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot), the band's leader John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky went on to form The Lovin' Spoonful in 1965, eventually producing seven chart-toppers (quite a feat in the midst of Beatlemania). With the use of roots music and folk rock as his inspiration, Sebastian composed/sang original songs with modern sounds that still contained the heart of classic American music. Their second single released in 1965, here's a Shindig! performance of the folk pop hit, "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," with that beautiful sparkle of John Sebastian's autoharp (pictured above). These guys are having so much fun!
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One of the most popular folk rock songs from the 1960's was "Let's Live for Today" by the American band The Grass Roots. From 1967 to 1972, The Grass Roots set a record for being on the Billboard chart for 307 straight weeks! Not only did this particular tune become a big hit with the record-buying public, but it also struck a chord with the young American men serving overseas in the Vietnam War, making it a powerful song of the decade. Although this is a mimed performance, this guys are too cute (I have a thing for sideburns). Introduced by entertainer Jimmy Durante, here are the super-cool Grass Roots at just the beginning of their career.
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Released in April 1965, The Beau Brummels' "Just a Little" is considered an example of early folk rock because of its strong vocal blend with acoustic/electric guitars and ascending minor-key harmonies. Due to the band's name and musical style, many listeners thought The Beau Brummels were British, however this San Francisco group was a successful part of the U.S. response to the British Invasion. After "Just a Little" became their highest-charting single, the group's folk rock sound would go on to incorporate many different genres including hard rock, country rock, and rhythm and blues, and were later considered influential in the development of punk rock with their garage rock tunes ("Laugh Laugh"). The band was regarded as teen idols, even appearing in a few films and the animated sitcom The Flintstones. Written by guitarist Ron Elliott and a wonderful lead vocal by Sal Valentino, this performance of "Just a Little" comes from the musical variety show Shindig!.
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As The Monkees have shown up in a few posts now, we all know that they didn't come together like most bands do with common interests and musical tastes, but it's those vast musical styles that make their albums so interesting. Their third album released in May 1967, Headquarters was the first time that the group had full creative control over their music, and not only was this album possibly the finest of their careers but it's even included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (I just recently purchased the vinyl LP at a used record store!). Creating a sound between jangle-pop and folk rock, this album was #1 on the charts, until another little album came along: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. Written and sung by country-influenced Michael Nesmith, "You Told Me" begins the album with a rockin' banjo played by Peter Tork, the first time the instrument was used in a pop/rock song.
Although I still have many songs lined up for this week, I think I'll conclude with just one more song. American singer-songwriter Barry McGuire is best known for his 1965 hit, "Eve of Destruction," written by 19-year-old P.F. Sloan who produced mainly hits for several artists of the '60s. Influenced by the fears of young people in the era of the Cold War, Vietnam War, and the civil rights movement, this was the first protest song to become a #1 hit (there's also a version by The Turtles as well). As McGuire later became known as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian Music, he renounced this song for many years, though has begun singing it again in recent years with new lyrics that refer to the Columbine High School massacre. Great introduction by actor/comedian Jerry Lewis (with his normal voice for once!) on Hullabaloo.
Well, it's been a fascinating week getting into all these folk rock tunes and their variations. Looks like The Seachers, The Seekers, The Turtles, Jackie DeShannon, and other groups will just have to wait till we revisit folk rock later this year. Catch ya next time for another fun week at The 60's Beat!
