Sonny And Cher - 1966 - Have I Stayed Too Long FLAC

 Have I Stayed Too Long/Leave Me Be/But You're Mine/ I Look for You

 

 

Sonny & Cher proved one of the magical musical combinations of the mid-'60s and one of the better rock-influenced MOR acts of the early '70s, their wisecracking repartee providing counterpoint to a series of adoring hit duets. Salvatore "Sonny" Bono (born February 16, 1935) started out at Los Angeles-based Specialty Records as a songwriter in the late '50s, responsible for "Koko Joe" by Don & Dewey and "She Said Yeah" for Larry Williams, which was later covered by the Rolling Stones and the Righteous Brothers. Bono became a protégé of Phil Spector, managing to write a handful of successful songs, most notably "Needles and Pins" in collaboration with his protégé Jack Nitzsche, which became a success for Jackie DeShannon and a huge international hit for the Searchers. In 1964, while working sessions with Phil Spector, he met an 18-year-old would-be singer named Cherilyn Lapierre (born May 20, 1946), and the two were later married. They formed a professional duet, initially as Caesar & Cleo for Vault Records and later Reprise, but it was only after they were signed to Atlantic Records as Sonny & Cher that success came their way. The couple embarked on parallel careers, with Cher later signed to Liberty/Imperial Records as a solo act.

They were a strange duet in the sense that neither had a great voice and, indeed, their voices were so similar that Atlantic's president Ahmet Ertegun was convinced that Sonny had come close to breaking a contract by turning up singing with her on her solo hit "All I Really Want to Do" and her other Imperial hits. The latter song, however, also demonstrated their ability to spot a hit, as well as good material for themselves: they'd heard the Byrds performing the Dylan song at a club in Los Angeles and got Cher's recording out before the Byrds' own was in stores, beating the folk-rock group at its own game of popularizing Dylan songs. She subsequently hit with "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" while Sonny charted with "Laugh at Me" on Atco, but their biggest success was as a duet on Atco, with "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."

For a time, from 1965 until 1967, they were rock & roll's hottest couple, so much so that in some conservative communities, they were considered almost morally subversive; parents locked up their kids when Sonny & Cher were passing through for a concert appearance. They were popular enough, and sufficiently well-known that the Rolling Stones impersonated them on the British television music showcase Ready Steady Go, miming to "I Got You Babe" with Brian Jones subbing for Sonny.

And then nothing. The hits stopped coming, and the couple made some daringly creative but unsuccessful commercial missteps, even a movie (Good Times, directed by William Friedkin in his debut) that was, like the Monkees' Head, too far ahead of its time for critics and all but the most advanced fans to appreciate. A further film effort, Chastity, a name shared by their daughter, also bombed, and the sudden confrontation of a $200,000 income tax debt forced the couple to continue working. Further, they were unable to record because of a dispute with Atlantic over Sonny's objections to the way that Cher's solo career was being handled.

 

They were playing supper clubs and Las Vegas nightclubs, opening for people like Pat Boone, when Johnny Musso, a friend of the couple's, was jumping from an executive position at Atlantic to run Decca Records' Kapp label subsidiary, and brought the duo with him. At around the same time, their stage act -- which had evolved into a kind of "with it" domestic comedy routine nearly as prominent as the music, with the tall, wry-witted Cher cutting up on the seemingly dim-witted Sonny -- was spotted by Fred Silverman, who was then the head of programming for CBS. They ended up with a summer replacement try-out show that did so well that Sonny & Cher were given a regular spot in the CBS lineup in January 1972 with a comedy-variety series.

The couple's recording career was initially revived by a live album cut in one night at Las Vegas, featuring new versions of their early hits as well as parts of their then-current repertory; the album went gold. The first couple of singles by Cher and Sonny & Cher failed, but then producer Snuff Garrett, who had been at Liberty when Cher was there but had never worked with her, was brought in, and the result was "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves," a career-reviving number one hit. After that, "The Way of Love," "All I Ever Need Is You" (which became the theme for their TV show), "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done," "Half Breed," and "Dark Lady" kept either Cher or the couple in the Top Ten at various times through 1974. By then, however, their marriage had fallen apart, and with it, the success of their TV show.

 

The Kinks - 1964 - Kinksize Session FLAC

 Louie Louie/I Gotta Go Now/Things Are Getting Better/I’ve Got That Feeling

 

 

 Kinksize Session is the first EP released by the Kinks in the UK in 1964, a month after their debut LP. The tracks were all exclusive to this release and it includes some original compositions.

Despite the title, only three of the tracks were recorded in a single session (18 October 1964) with "I Gotta Go Now" having already been recorded (believed to be at the same session as single "All Day and All of the Night" on 23 September).
 

Kinksize Session was released in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in 1964. In the US, the tracks were included on the Kinks-Size album in 1965. "Louie Louie" was included on the UK compilation album Sunny Afternoon in 1967 but the other tracks remained unavailable elsewhere.

The EP was made available on CD in 1990 as part of The EP Collection boxed set. All four tracks were included as bonus tracks on the 2004 reissue of the Kinks' debut album.

The follow-up EP, Kinksize Hits simply compiled the hit singles "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" along with their respective B-sides. Their next EP of original material would be 1965's Kwyet Kinks. 

The Kinks - 1965 - Kwyet Kinks FLAC

 Wait Till The Summer Comes Along/Such A Shame/A Well Respected Man/Don’t You Fret

 

 

 Kwyet Kinks is the third EP by the Kinks, released in September 1965. Unlike most of their other EPs, it contained all exclusive tracks and all were original compositions.

The EP represented a significant departure as hinted at by the play on words title as all four tracks are "quieter" than the typical early Kinks rock sound, particularly lead track "Wait Till the Summer Comes Along", sung by Dave Davies with prominent acoustic guitar and a clear country or folk influence. The most well known track is "A Well Respected Man" which was the first real example of the social commentary and a songwriting style which would come to be associated with Ray Davies and the Kinks.

"A Well Respected Man" was released as a single in the US in October 1965 (b/w "Such a Shame") where it reached no. 13. Following the success of the similar "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" it was also released as a single in mainland Europe in 1966.

In the US, the tracks were included on the Kinkdom album (released November 1965). All four tracks were not available on another official Pye release in the UK, however three of the tracks (excluding "Such a Shame") were included on the budget Marble Arch compilation LP Well Respected Kinks in 1966 and "Such a Shame" appeared on that LP's follow up Sunny Afternoon in 1967. The EP was made available on CD in 1998 as part of the EP Collection boxed set. The tracks are currently available as bonus tracks on the CD reissue of Kinda Kinks. 

Johnny Restivo - 1980 - Oh Johnny! FLAC

I Like Girls/Last Night On The Back Porch/I Wanna Play House With You/The Shape I'm In





Johnny (John Charles) was born in the North Bronx, New York September 13, 1943. He enrolled in Cliffside Park Junior High School, New Jersey and was graduated in June of 1958.

Johnny and his 9 year younger brother Gerard were sons of Jack and Jeanette Restivo. In 1959 Johnny was discovered by Joe Mulhall and Paul Neff and in June 9, 1959 he recorded "The Shape I'm In" and "Ya, Ya" at RCA only 15 years old with Paul Simon (aka Jerry Landis) playing his guitar. In 1960-1961 Johnny was on tour in Australia. He played in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth as well as many other places while there. From there he also had engagements in South America, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Belgium. While in Argentina he hosted his own variety television show called "The Johnny Restivo Show". The program was on the air for 3 years from 1961-1963 and was sponsored by the Coca Cola Company. Between 1962-1964 even while doing the television program Johnny found time to play at the South American "Copa Cabana" club in Rio and the Waldorf in Santiango, Chile. He also performed in Uruguay and Brazil.

Johnny went on tour beginning in 1963. His first country of this multi-country tour was South Africa. He visited Kenya, Southern Rhodesia and Johannesburg. This part of the tour lasted about 6 months. While in Johannesburg during 1963-1964 he recorded an album on the RCA label entitled "Spotlight On Johnny Restivo". In 1965 he went on to London, England, where he performed at the London Palladium as well as many other venues. During the years of 1965-1966 London became Johnny's home base for the next leg of his tour. From there he spent 2 months touring Israel. One of the places he performed at was the Caliph Club in Jaffa. He also had engagements in Eilat. Then it was on to Italy for a multi-city tour working through the "Johnny Pangazio Agency". After completion of the Italian segment of his tour he went on to Paris, France, for a short stay. In 1967 the final leg of the tour took him back home to the USA. Once back home in New York City Johnny was represented by many different agencies including the William Morris Agency. He mostly worked nightclubs, resorts and cruises throughout the USA.

In 1969 Johnny was drafted into the United States Armed Forces. He did his basic training in South Carolina and Advanced Infantry Training in El Paso, Texas. He was then stationed in Heidelberg, Germany. He inquired about Special Services, auditioned and was accepted into the 7th Army Soldiers Chorus. Touring again but now for the US Army. He visited Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium and Italy. 

In 1971 Johnny took a European discharge and remained in Europe for the next 6 months, after which he headed back home to the USA. In that same year Johnny and Gerard began working together, Gerard as his drummer and musical director, as he attempted to get his career back on track. They did primarily club dates, hotels and resorts throughout America. They also travelled to Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as playing cruises in the Caribbean. During many of the recording sessions that were done in New York City, Gerard was allowed to stay in the recording studio with Johnny or sit with the drummers where he quitely would watch, listen and learn about show business and the recording industry. It was in those very early years that Gerard decided he was going to be in show business and more importantly that he was going to work with his brother making music.

In 1978 Johnny formally ended his career in show business after a performance at the Nevelle Hotel in the Catskill mountains town of Ellenville, New York. During these years and beyond, Johnny has been married and divorced 4 times and has 3 children from oldest to youngest: Kelli Hope, Darin and Brandon. He has been in business for himself since 1981 with "Rockland Mattress", which sells bedding, headboards and beds. And now in 2002, Johnny finds himself preparing to retire and move permanently to the state of Florida (he always wanted to be in a warm climate). He now spends most of his time playing golf and winding down.

Johnny Tillotson - 1981 - Johnny Tillotson FLAC

True True Happiness/Without You/Out Of My Mind/ Judy Judy Judy



Johnny is the son of Doris and Jack Tillotson, who owned a small service station on the corner of 6th and Pearl in Jacksonville, and acted as the station's mechanic. At the age of nine, Johnny was sent to Palatka, Florida, to take care of his grandmother. He returned to Jacksonville each summer to be with his parents when his brother Dan would go to his grandmother. Johnny began to perform at local functions as a child, and by the time he was at Palatka Senior High School he had developed a reputation as a talented singer. Tillotson became a semi-regular on TV-4's McDuff Hayride, hosted by Toby Dowdy, and soon landed his own show on TV-12 WFGA-TV. In 1957, while Tillotson was studying at the University of Florida, local disc jockey Bob Norris sent a tape of Johnny's singing to the Pet Milk talent contest, and was chosen as one of six National finalists. This gave Johnny the opportunity to perform in Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM the Grand Ole Opry, which led Lee Rosenberg, a Nashville publisher, to take a tape to Archie Bleyer, owner of the independent Cadence Records. Bleyer signed Tillotson to a three-year contract, and issued his first single, "Dreamy Eyes" / "Well I'm Your Man" in September 1958. Both songs were written by Tillotson, and both made the Billboard Hot 100, "Dreamy Eyes" peaking at # 63. After graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Communications, Tillotson moved to New York City to pursue his music career.

 

 From late 1959, a succession of singles – "True True Happiness," "Why Do I Love You So," and a double-sided single covering the R&B hits "Earth Angel" and "Pledging My Love" – all reached the bottom half of the Hot 100. His biggest success came with his sixth single, the up-tempo "Poetry in Motion", written by Paul Kaufman and Mike Anthony, and recorded in Nashville with session musicians including saxophonist Boots Randolph and pianist Floyd Cramer, Released in September 1960, it went to # 2 on the Hot 100 in the US, and # 1 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1961. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. On Bleyer's advice, Tillotson focused on his recording career, also appearing on television and was featured as a teen idol in magazines. His follow-up record, "Jimmy's Girl," reached # 25 in the US charts and # 43 in the UK; after that, "Without You" returned him to the US Top Ten but failed to make the UK Singles Chart. He toured widely with Dick Clark's Cavalcade of Stars.

Early in 1962, Tillotson recorded a song he wrote, "It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'," inspired by the terminal illness of his father. It became one of his biggest hits, reaching No. 3 in the US pop chart, and was the first of his records to make the country music chart where it peaked at No. 4. It earned his first Grammy nomination for him, for Best Country & Western Recording, and was covered by over 100 performers including Elvis Presley and Billy Joe Royal, whose version was a country hit in 1988. Tillotson then recorded an album, It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin', on which he covered country standards including Hank Locklin's "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)," which also became hit singles. He continued to record country-flavored and pop songs in 1963, and "You Can Never Stop Me Loving You" and the follow-up, the Willie Nelson song "Funny How Time Slips Away," both made the Hot 100. He also appeared in the 1963 movie Just for Fun.

 With the demise of the Cadence label, he formed a production company and moved to MGM Records, starting with his version of the recent country charted No. 1 song by Ernest Ashworth, "Talk Back Trembling Lips," reached # 7 in January 1964 on Billboard's Hot 100. He earned his second Grammy nomination for "Heartaches by the Number," nominated for Best Vocal Performance of 1965, which reached No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. He also sang the theme song for the 1965 Sally Field television comedy Gidget. While his fortunes waned with changing musical tastes in the late 1960s, he continued to record before moving to California in 1968. Besides concert and recording he appeared in several films. He appeared in the 1966 camp comedy The Fat Spy starring Jayne Mansfield, which was featured in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (#46). He also appeared in Just for Fun, a British music film; the Japanese movie Namida Kun Sayonara, after his number 1 Japanese hit of the same name; and the made-for-TV The Call of the Wild.

In the 1970s, he recorded for the Amos, Buddah, Columbia, and United Artists labels. He appeared in concert, appearing in theaters, at State Fairs and Festivals, and in major hotels in Las Vegas and elsewhere. In the early 1980s, he charted briefly with "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone" on Reward Records and it was during the 80s that his hits in South East Asia had him appear in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand on a regular basis with tours in Japan and Hong Kong. In 1990 he signed with Atlantic records and again charted briefly with "Bim Bam Boom." Tillotson recorded for charity in 1990s several Christmas songs with Freddy Cannon and Brian Hyland for the Children's Miracle Network, produced by Michael Lloyd. "Come on a Sleigh Ride With Me" written by Lloyd is a new Christmas favorite. He also recorded with Tommy Roe and Brian Hyland, again for Michael Lloyd for Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer The Movie (1998), "We Can Make It."

Gerry And The Pacemakers - 1965 - Gerry In California FLAC

Skinnie Lizzie/My Babe/Away From You/What'd I Say



As unfathomable as it seems from the distance of over 40 years, for a few months, Gerry & the Pacemakers were the Beatles' nearest competitors in Britain. Managed (like the Beatles) by Brian Epstein, Gerry Marsden and his band burst out of the gate with three consecutive number one U.K. hits in 1963, "How Do You Do It," "I Like It," and "You'll Never Walk Alone." If the Beatles defined Merseybeat at its best in early 1963, Gerry & the Pacemakers defined the form at its most innocuous, performing bouncy, catchy, and utterly lightweight tunes driven by rhythm guitar and Marsden's chipper vocals. Compared to the Beatles and other British Invasion heavies, they sound quaint indeed. That's not to say the group was trivial; its hits were certainly likable and energetic and are fondly remembered today, even if the musicians lacked the acumen (or earthy image) to develop their style from its relentlessly upbeat and poppy base.

 Marsden formed the group in the late '50s featuring himself on guitar and lead vocals, his brother Fred on drums, Les Chadwick on bass, and Arthur Mack on piano (to be replaced in 1961 by Les Maguire). They worked the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit as the Beatles, and ran neck and neck with their rivals in local popularity. They were signed by Epstein in mid-1962 (the first band to do so besides the Beatles), and began recording for the EMI/Columbia label in early 1963, under the direction of producer George Martin. Their first single was a Mitch Murray tune that Martin had wanted the Beatles to record for their debut, "How Do You Do It?" The Beatles did record a version (found on the Anthology 1 release), but objected to its release, finding it too sappy, and in any case were more interested in recording their own, gutsier original compositions. It suited Marsden's grinning, peppy style well, though, and went to number one before it was displaced from the top spot by the Beatles' third 45, "From Me to You."

The Pacemakers would never vary much from the clattering guitar-dominated pop of their first singles, turning again to Mitch Murray for the follow-up, "I Like It," and remaking an old pop standard for their next effort, "You'll Never Walk Alone." It's not universally known that Gerry Marsden actually wrote much of the band's material, and he penned most of their subsequent hits, including "It's All Right" (their gutsiest and best performance) and "I'm the One." He also wrote "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'" (sharing credits with the rest of the group) and "Ferry Cross the Mersey," ballads that Martin embellished with light string arrangements, which may (or may not) have helped prepare the producer for deploying strings on Beatles tracks starting in 1965.
 

Like the Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers got to star in their own film, Ferry Cross the Mersey, although this wasn't nearly as successful as A Hard Day's Night. By 1965, in fact, their popularity in Britain was seriously declining, although they held on a bit longer in the States, where (in common with several other groups) some of their back catalog belatedly made the hit parade many months after it was first issued in the U.K. Like virtually all of the other Liverpool groups, the Pacemakers proved unable to evolve on the same plane as the Beatles or the best other British bands. Never the hippest of acts image-wise, with their conservative suits and short hair, they were rapidly becoming outdated, sticking to the same basic feel-good formula that had seemed fresh in 1963, but was utterly passé by 1966. That's the year they had their last American Top 40 hit, "Girl on a Swing"; they disbanded in October. Gerry Marsden became a popular cabaret and children's TV entertainer, sometimes performing with the Pacemakers on the oldies circuit. He also contributed vocals to British chart-topping revivals (not with the Pacemakers) of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Ferry Cross the Mersey" in the 1980s.

The Four Seasons - 1964 - Alone FLAC

Alone/Long Lonely Nights/Melancholy/One Song

"Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" is a popular song written by Morty Craft. Craft owned a record label, and produced the recording by the Shepherd Sisters on that label. The lyrics were written by Craft's wife, Selma.

A remake of the song by The Four Seasons charted in 1964, reaching its peak Billboard Hot 100 position at No. 28, on July 18. "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" also went to No. 8 on the Canadian singles chart. It was the act's last hit single on Vee Jay Records, as The Four Seasons had already left the label at the beginning of 1964 in a royalty dispute.