Vinyl Record Lovers Newsletter
Welcome to my monthly Newsletter. Thank you for subscribing.
The golden age of vinyl records and all things retro are the highlights of my Newsletter.
Writing stories based on my vinyl record collection is my way of sharing memories and keeping the oldies alive.
I do appreciate the time you take to read my newsletter.
Issue #073 - March 31, 2019.
In This Issue:
- What's New
- Record Store Day 2019
- The 70s Series, Part 6 - Songs and Events from the year 1974.
- Album Cover Art of The Month.
- Eye Candy, Jeff Beck & Sleepwalk - Best Combo Ever!
- Jukebox Memories & Country Doo-wop show updates.
- What's Next? The year 1975 in review and some "Bad Girls" I hang out with.
What's New?
Record Store Day is celebrated during the third week in April, each year. Don't miss out...visit your favorite Vinyl Record Store in your area. If you live in or around my hometown, Hamilton, Ohio check out my friends, owners Bill Herren and his two sons, Scott and Jason at Main Street Vinyl and see what their plans are for Record Store Day. Give them a call at 513-795-6979.
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The seventies continues with The Year 1974 - The words to
"You're No Good" seemed suitable for a famous "Kidnapping" and while
Geraldine screamed "The Devil Made Me Do It" a song about a "Streaker"
managed to "Rock The Boat" at the Academy Awards. =====================================
For all the waitresses who "Work Hard For The Money" you're gonna love my Album Cover Art of The Month featuring the Disco Queen herself, the fabulous Ms Donna Summer.
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I recently completed a refresh of my "Guitar Favorites" pages and included my favorite covers of the original "Sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny. Don't scream at your computer when you see who I favor over the original. Once you hear my pick you may agree...and you may not.
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The Country Doo-Wop Show, Jukebox Memories, the year 1975 and some "Bad Girls" for the next Album Cover Art of the Month will hopefully put you in that "Can't wait till next month mood." Hopefully...
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Let's Get Started...
Celebrate Record Store Day
April 20, 2019
Record Store Day is celebrated all over the globe on April 20, 2019. The day is celebrated annually since April 19, 2008, each third Saturday of April.
It was created in 2007 and its purpose is to celebrate the culture of independently owned record stores. Record store staff and customers get together with artists on Record Store Day to celebrate music and the record store itself. Record Stores from all over the world participate in this event.
The 70s, Part 6 - The Year 1974
The '70s decade continues with some notable sounds and events from the year 1974.
Remember the 1974 Carl Douglas penned "Kung Fu Fighting" in response to the martial arts craze, which had inspired the TV show "Kung Fu" and a series of Bruce Lee movies?
Douglas and his producer added the "hoo's and ha's" to simulate Kung Fu chops and the song would become the centerpiece of his whimsically titled album, "Kung Fu Fighting And Other Great Love Songs."
1974 would be the last year for Flip Wilson as Geraldine, who frequently referred to her unseen boyfriend, "Killer," and whose lines "The devil made me do it" as well as "What you see is what you get" became national catchphrases.
On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, the 19-year-old granddaughter of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped from her Berkeley, California apartment. After she was convicted of crimes she committed while with her kidnappers maybe she should have taken Geraldine's advice and simply said, "The devil made me do it." However, Linda Ronstadt said it best..."You're No Good" girl.
1974 - Top Songs
- "You're No Good" - (12/74,pop #1) Linda Ronstadt's scorching rendition of "You're No Good" was released in December, 1974 and hit #1 in February 1975, the same week that her widely acclaimed Heart Like A Wheel topped the album chart. The double victory made Ronstadt the hottest female singer in the business. The late Andrew Gold played the searing guitar solo.
- "The Streak" - (4/74, pop #1) Ray Stevens "The Streak" satirized 1974's hottest college craze. Stevens chose to lampoon not the streaker ("He ain't rude/He ain't lewd/He's just in the mood to run in the nude"), but the killjoy husband of the woman being streaked ("Don't Look, Ethel"). His comic target thus became one of America's moralistic hang-ups about sex.
- "Rock The Boat" - (5/74, pop #1, R&B, #2) The Hues Corporation's "Rock The Boat" was the feel-good single of 1974, and a highly influential #1 hit. The trio took the melodic pop-soul sound and placed it in a vibrant disco setting. The smash also incorporated dashes of reggae and Latin, which gave it a lively, multicultural sensibility.
1974 - Events to Remember.
- On this day in 1974 two firsts occurred at the Academy Awards. Robert Opel "streaks" across the stage and ten-year-old Tatum O'Neal becomes the youngest Oscar winner in history. (4/2/74)
- Happy Days Richie Cunningham and his friend Potsie face life at Jefferson High in Milwaukee Wisconsin in the 1950s, and also formed a close bond with neighborhood greaser, Authur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli.(1/74)
- The Brady Bunch airs for the last time in prime time. (8/30/74)
- "The Entertainer" was a million-selling hit for Marvin Hamlisch in 1974 --- 72 years after it was composed by ragtime pianist Scott Joplin. The success of the instrumental featured in the movie "The Sting" helped boost the movie soundtrack to #1. (3/74)
Album Cover Art of The Month
Ms Donna Summer - The Queen of Disco
The one and only Queen of Dance was the pioneer of the Disco Dance
Club craze of the 70s. Trust me, you don't have to have lived through
the 70s to appreciate how great her songs were and still are, not to
mention how versatile and timeless Donna Summer's voice will always be.
It's
true she left us in 2012, but thanks to seventeen studio albums
recorded between 1974 and 2008 she will always be remembered. For nearly
everyone Donna was the Queen of Disco, but anyone who truly listened to
her music knows she was So Much More!
Both Dara Lynn Bernard and Mary E. Bernard, sisters of Donna Summer, are credited as backing vocals on the album, "She Works Hard For The Money." This is great Album Cover Art you never get with a CD or a download.
The photo below to the left is the back cover and the right photo is the record inner sleeve that also includes the lyrics to all the songs on the album. Click on the Photos to enlarge and click again on the arrows in top right corner for a great close-up of this gorgeous lady.
Guitar Favorites Update
I've updated my Guitar Favorites page and added this eye candy Jeff Beck album.
For the oldies but goodies guys with poor eyesight click to expand and enjoy a better view:-)
What young man would not want to play the guitar after seeing this Album Cover? Buy it, frame it, and hang it in your man cave.
For my two cents Jeff Beck does the best
cover of anyone on the song Sleepwalk, including the original Santo
& Johnny instrumental from 1959. Did I say that?
If you enjoy guitar history, then you may also find a few of my Guitar favorites on your list. Among the many talented guitar players, only a select group have what it takes to achieve the perfection of chart-topping, memorable recorded music.
Listen to Jeff play my favorite cover of Sleepwalk and you be the judge (opens in new window). You can read about and listen to the other "Sleepwalk" covers on the same page.
"Country Doo-Wop Show" Updates.
Some of have contacted me about incorrect times for Ned Ward's, "Country Doo-Wop show." As soon as the producer, Mr "B" firms up scheduling dates I'll re-add the links. I know you're all anxious to hear Ned back on his regular schedule. Stay tuned...
In the meantime, don't forget to catch Ned live on his "Jukebox Memories" show every Saturday from 4-6pm (ET). He is a busy DJ.
What's Next?
The year 1975 - Lots of events to remember and too many great songs to choose from. The middle of the decade is when the giant mirror ball began spinning, and the Disco Era was born. Polyester was now spandex, and nightclubs and watering holes were transformed into discotheques.
Album Cover Art of the Month - Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by my favorite good girl, Donna Summer. Originally issued as a double album, Bad Girls became the best-selling album of Summer's career. I'll share my personal double album and put this disco queen back in the spotlight. Stay tuned....
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Danny Lee Sandrik
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Listen to my favorite Country Doo-Wop show Monday thru Saturday from 1pm to 3pm, all times Pacific.
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You won't be disappointed.
