Join me!
Michael
Sunday, December 18, 2011
15th Annual Christmas Radio Show Special Today
Join me!
Michael
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Brian Wilson To Re-unite With The Beach Boys For New Album And Tour
After months of negotiations, Wilson rejoins two other founding members, Mike Love and Al Jardine, as well as Bruce Johnston and David Marks. Together, they will release a new album and stage an international tour in celebration of the band's 50th anniversary.
The stage-wary Wilson last toured with the group in 1965, though they continued to record together through the release of their landmark album "Pet Sounds" in 1966, and sessions for the aborted, experimental "Smile" album, meant to compete with the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The album was partially finished in 1967; its failure to be completed, and Love and Jardine's displeasure with the direction of the band, is widely regarded as the flash point for Wilson's descent into depression and drug use. It was officially released earlier this year -- though Wilson released his own version in 2004.
Relations between Wilson and band co-founders Love and Jardine have been contentious ever since. Wilson's two brothers, also founding members of the group, have both died: Dennis in 1983 from drowning and Carl in 1998 from cancer. Love is Wilson's cousin.
“This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again," Wilson said in a statement.
Wilson has performed Beach Boys material over the years as part of his solo sets, and Love, Jardine and Johnston have continued touring without Wilson as the Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys' 50-date tour kicks off in April with a headlining stint at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Other dates and locations have yet to be announced.
The group has already recorded multiple songs for its new album, which is yet-untitled.
Singer Mike Love -- who has been with the band since it formed in 1961 -- said the group recently re-recorded one of its hits, "Do It Again," at Capitol Records' headquarters in Hollywood.
"Brian paid me a compliment saying, ‘How can a guy sound that great so many years later?’ " he said in a statement. "Later on, while working out some harmonies on a new song Brian had written, I got a chance to return the compliment."
Capitol/EMI plans to reissue catalog material in addition to the new album.
“It's no exaggeration to say that the Beach Boys are one of the greatest and most loved bands that the world has ever produced, and true American icons," EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon said of the group, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1988.
Monday, December 12, 2011
This Week on Treasure Island Oldies
December 11th, 2011 to
December 17th, 2011
It
was such a pleasure to play all that great Christmas music on this week's radio
show. I hope you enjoyed your trip down memory lane when I played the B sides
of some all-time-favourites. Judging from the response from the Chat Room, your
eyes must have lit up when you heard Papa
Noel by Brenda Lee (the B side of Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree), the great flip of Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, Captain Santa
Claus (And His Reindeer Space Patrol) and
also Gene Autry's If It Doesn't Snow On Christmas, the B
side of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
So many of us had those records on either 78 rpm or 45 rpm records when we were
kids, and we listened to both sides of those records. And thanks for your
requests for this week's show. It was a pleasure to play them for you.
Don't
forget to get your Christmas Greeting
into me in time for playing it back on the 15th
Annual Christmas Special, Live
next Sunday, December 18th. Call the
24/7 Treasure
Island Oldies Listener Line at 206-339-0709 to record your greeting. I hope to hear from you.
And
be sure to set aside four hours either next Sunday, December 18th at 6 pm
Pacific time or throughout the Christmas holidays on the Archive at the Listen
page for our 15th Annual Christmas
Special. It is my most favourite show of the year and it is my annual
Christmas gift to you.
The
Treasure Island Oldies Blog is
playing the R&B Classic by The
Drifters featuring the lead vocal by Clyde
McPhatter and the bass voice of Bill
Pinkney. White Christmas, from
1954, is our Song of the Week. Enjoy!
Voice Your Choice returns on our first
show of 2012 on January 8th. Please check back right after Christmas for the
artist and songs awaiting your votes.
Just
a quick reminder to you that If you've got a birthday coming up, send the
details to me at birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy
Birthday on the show and play our official birthday song for you by The
Beatles, Birthday.
I really look forward to your company next week for
our 15rth Annual Christmas Special. See you then.
Have a good week.
Michael
The Drifters Song Of The Week
Here they are on their Number 2 hit from 1954, White Christmas.
Enjoy!
Michael
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Folk Singer Bob Burnett of The Highwaymen has Died
Bob Burnett, second
tenor with the Highwaymen, died Wednesday (December 7) of brain cancer
at his home in East Providence, Rhode Island. He was 71. Bob started the
Highwaymen with Dave Fisher, Steve Trott, Chan Daniels and Steve Butts.
Originally calling themselves the Clansmen, they eventually changed
their name due to its unsavory connotations. The new moniker came from
the Alfred Noyes poem of that name. After honing their act for two years
on campus, the quintet travelled to New York, where they quickly picked
up a manager, producer and recording contract.
Their first single on
United Artists Records was "Santiano," centering on the California Gold
Rush, with the classic folk tune, "Michael (Row The Boat Ashore)" on the
B-side. Released during the height of the "folk boom" in January of
1961, it should have sailed to the top of the charts. It did, but not
without a struggle. It wasn't until a Worchester, Massachusetts DJ
turned the record over that summer that "Michael" reached #1 for two
weeks. By then UA no longer had the group under contract and had to pay
to get them back.
"Michael" was followed early the next year by the
double-sided hit, "Cotton Fields" (#13) and "The Gypsy Rover" (#42). The
group steadfastly refused to leave school, performing only on weekends,
which slowed their success.
"I'm On My Way" only reached #90 in 1962
and "The Bird Man" finished their chart run at #64 that year. Bob left
the group to the Army Reserve, then moved on to Harvard Law School in
1967. Putting music behind, he had a long career in law and banking. A
lawsuit filed by the original Highwaymen against the later Johnny
Cash-Willie Nelson-Waylon Jennings-Kris Kristofferson incarnation was
settled amicably when Dave's group opened a concert for the others and
then granted them limited use of the name.
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Singer Dobie Gray Has Died
Gray's personal website confirms the news. No cause of death was listed.
According to Gray's site, he was born into a sharecropping family in Texas in 1940 and grew up surrounded by music. He later moved to Los Angeles and for a time worked with Sonny Bono, then A&R manager for Specialty Records. He also worked as an actor.
Gray's other songs included "Look at Me," "The 'In' Crowd," and "Loving Arms," but nothing hit as big as the wonderfully wistful "Drift Away," which sold over a million copies. It was actually first recorded by little-known John Henry Kurtz, but it was Gray's version that is most remembered. It's often played as a last song at concerts.
The song is almost best known not by its title, but by the repeated lyric, "Gimme the Beat, Boys," often misheard as "Gimme the Beach Boys." Gray's website even features a "Nancy" comic strip in which Sluggo sings the "Beach Boys" version of the lyric, then argues with Nancy about the actual words.
"Drift Away" has been covered by everyone from Elvis Presley to Ray Charles. The Rolling Stones reportedly recorded it, but never released their version, and rumors that the Beatles recorded the tune are false (they had already broken up by the time Gray recorded it). In 2003, Gray himself sang the final verse on Uncle Kracker's version of the song, which spent a record-setting 28 weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart.
Monday, December 05, 2011
This Week on Treasure Island Oldies
December 4th, 2011 to
December 10th, 2011
It's
great to be in the think of the Christmas Music season. I love playing all the
great Christmas classics from the '50s, '60s, and '70s, as well as some great
Christmas lost treasures. Next week on the show, it will be all Christmas
music, followed by our 15th Annual Treasure Island Oldies Christmas Special on Sunday, December 18th for the Live show, and available throughout the
remainder of the holidays on the Archive
at the Listen page.
Just
a reminder to either send in your email with your Christmas dedication. Just
send your noted to christmas@treasureislandoldies.com.
Of course, you can also call our 24/7
Listener Line at 206-339-0709 and
record your greeting. I look forward to hearing from you in whatever way you
prefer.
If
you're looking for last minute Christmas gift ideas, consider stopping by the Treasure Island Oldies Shop The Island Store. There are all kinds of Treasure Island Oldies items, including both
T and Sweat Shirts, Clock, Coffee mugs, and much more. Happy shopping!
I'd
like to take a moment to say a big thank you to Fay Greenwood and Matt
Meaney for the terrific Hits From
Across The Pond weekly feature they have been researching, writing and
producing every week since 2009. It's been great to hear the story and the
songs for many British hits that we never got to hear in Canada and the United States. Judging from the
listener response, they too have enjoyed the feature immensely. After a break
for a period of time, I would like to replay this series. Thanks again Fay and
Matt. We'll miss the feature but enjoyed it while we had it on the show.
The
Treasure Island Oldies Blog is
playing Paul McCartney with Wonderful Christmastime, a song that has
become quite a classic Christmas Holiday classic. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!
Voice Your Choice presents Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans from producer
Phil Spector's stable of artists.
The two songs waiting for your votes are Here
Comes Santa Claus and The Bells Of
St. Mary's. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the VoiceYour Choice page and we'll play the winning song ion the 3rd hour of next week's
show.
If
you've got a birthday coming up, send the details to me at birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I'll wish you Happy
Birthday on the show and play our official birthday song for you by The
Beatles, Birthday
Show your support for Treasure Island Oldies
with your own Email Signature. A
selection of complimentary signatures to be placed at the end of your outgoing
emails is available for download. Click Goodies on
the upper Menu on any page on the website.
Thanks to the many folks that have downloaded their own copy of the Email
Signature. That's great!
As the Holiday Season is now here, I'm going to keep the next few weekly updates a bit shorter. I have less time to write and you, my friend, have less time to read!! I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.
Bye for now.
Michael
As the Holiday Season is now here, I'm going to keep the next few weekly updates a bit shorter. I have less time to write and you, my friend, have less time to read!! I hope you have a great week and see you next Sunday for the live show.
Bye for now.
Michael
Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans - Voice Your Choice
Bob B. Soxx was actually Bobby Sheen, and yet on some of their recordings, it was Darlene Love who sang thr lead vocals.
That is not the case this week as Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans, with lead vocals by Bob, on Voice Your Choice.
The two songs are Here Comes Santa Claus and The Bells Of St. Mary's. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page and we'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.
Paul McCartney - Song of the Week
Here is Paul McCartney with Wonderful Christmastime, our Song of the Week.
Enjoy!
Michael
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